Same italics and disclaimers as before.

Chapter 36: Depths pt 2, Rescue

Hiruzen remained silent as Shukaku walked along the desert. "We're lucky," said the Bijuu, "Those tanks will slow the convoy down. And the wind dies down at night here, so we have until morning before their tire tracks start to fade." Hiruzen didn't open his mouth or take his unblinking eyes off the horizon. "I still can't figure out how they knew about the transport," continued Shukaku, "The UN task force delegated to protect the kids until we showed up were handpicked. They were the best of the best. The most loyal of the loyal. None of them could have leaked the info."

Hiruzen sighed and rested on Shukaku's wide back. "Any thoughts?" Hiruzen said nothing. "Kid, you haven't said anything since you woke up. You alright?"

Hiruzen sat up and closed his eyes. "I have to meditate." His voice was raw and scratchy and immediately shut Shukaku up. As Shukaku moved along, Hiruzen's mind tried to go blank. Unfortunately, his memories were to powerful to allow that to happen.

. . .

Water was everywhere and Hiruzen was sick of it. Several small octopi made of black ink swam circles around him as he struggled to keep them at bay. The water pressured restricted his movements and the magical breathing device Gyuki had given him was an obvious weakspot. He was an easy target for the fast octopi. One of them darted forwards at him from behind. He saw it coming with his Byakugan and swung to kick at it. He had barely gotten his leg up when he felt its suckers latch onto his back and tear away with a violent sting.

"You're concentrating on the wrong things," said Gyuki from above the small trench, "Focus on what's important."

"What's important is that I'm getting my skin ripped off!" snarled Hiruzen, his voice magically carried through the water to Gyuki's ears. He leaned back and raised his hand to swipe at an octopus and managed to cut it in half, making the ink swirl into the water and disperse. "Finally," he muttered. Gyuki grinned his usual wide grin and opened his mouth, letting two octopi swim out. "Oh, come on!" shouted Hiruzen. He ducked to avoid another octopus, but the water slowed him and he received a slap upside the head for his troubles.

"Focus on what's important," repeated Gyuki, "Find the source of your problem and eliminate it."

"My problem is these stupid ink clones!" Hiruzen grumbled as another one tripped him up. The gravity spell placed on him by the Atlanteans was never such a hindrance as when he was training. He stared up mournfully through the water as his anger faded to frustration and then sadness. Stupid ink…clones? Hiruzen's eyes widened and he stood up. "Of course," he said to himself, "The source of my problem." He swiveled as an octopus drew closer, but he ignored the clone. "Gentle Fist! Air Palm!" he drove his hand as hard as he could through the thick water and blasted a small pocket of air at Gyuki. The water slowed the attack and by the time it reached the Eight-Tails, it was little more than a bubble rising towards the surface.

Gyuki laughed. "Alright," he chuckled, "Good job."

The ink clones dispersed and Hiruzen deactivated the gravity spell. He swam up towards Gyuki and folded his arms as he reached eye level with the Bijuu. "You cheated," he said flatly, "You put me in a position where I couldn't hit you. You know none of my jutsu work down here and made sure you were far enough away that even if I did realize you were my target, I wouldn't be able to end the threat.

Gyuki nodded. "There were three points to this exercise," he said as he turned to swim back towards Atlantis, "The first is that your enemy is not always what he appears to be. There is almost always a higher force pulling the strings. Don't concentrate on thinning their forces; they can always get new ones. Foot soldiers are expendable, generals are not. The second point was for you to learn that there are some situations you just can't win in. You couldn't hit me, I had to many advantages to play around with. The best way out would have been to surrender." He stopped and continued to swim slowly so Hiruzen could keep up with him

"What was the third point?" asked Hiruzen.

"You didn't learn it," said Gyuki simply, "Which means tomorrow we will do this again so that you can learn what the third lesson is. And tomorrow, you must hit me for the exercise to end."

Hiruzen gapped at him. "But you just said-"

"We will continue this tomorrow." Hiruzen grunted and they swam together until the city of Poseidonis came into view.

"Hey, Gyuki," said Hiruzen out of the blue, "How do you feel about your predecessor?"

Gyuki looked at him strangely before opening his mouth and letting a cloud of ink drift out. The ink slowly took the form of a smaller Gyuki, this one with half a horn missing. "He was a hero," he said quietly, "The first Bijuu to bond with his Jinchuriki host. He paved the way for Naruto and Kurama to become one. He was their mentor, their teacher, their friend." Gyuki sighed. "I only wish I could have met him."

Hiruzen stared at the ink cloud before them. "So you worship him? Even if he never did anything for you?"

"Life is a funny thing," said Gyuki, "Without the training of the first Eight-Tails and his Jinchuriki, Naruto and Kurama would never have been able to win the 4th Great Ninja War. If they hadn't won, they wouldn't have come here. If they hadn't come here, I would never have been created." Gyuki looked upwards. Even at their depths, the sun still managed to pierce through the water to light the ocean floor. "We all have a father, Hiruzen," he said, "And without them, we would never exist. We should all be grateful for what they've done, even if we never met them."

Hiruzen looked down and folded his arms. "I see," he said quietly.

. . .

"Uh-oh." Hiruzen nodded without opening his eyes. He could feel the slight breeze that swept across the desert. Sunrise would be upon them soon, bringing with it the morning winds that would wipe away any chance of tracking the Bialyians.

"Any chance you could speed it up? As I recall, you were making great time earlier, and you had a ton of kids on your back then."

"I spent a lot of chakra on fighting my Bialyians," he replied with a snarl, "A fight I won. Did you win your fight, Hiruzen?" Hiruzen grunted and folded his arms. "I'm exhausted, kid, I'm running on fumes."

"Yeah well, unlike Naruto, I can't give you backup chakra," said Hiruzen, "You'll have to mold more on the way."

"Don't tell me what to do," grunted Shukaku, "Especially when it's super obvious."

Hiruzen scowled. "Super obvious? Like it was super obvious that I couldn't handle keeping the kids safe while fighting the Bialyians at the same time?"

"You trained with my siblings," Shukaku snapped, "I assumed you were capable of such a simple task." Hiruzen opened his mouth to reply, but slowly closed it. "What? No response?" Shukaku smirked.

With a slow turn, Hiruzen sat down and closed his eyes. "Let me meditate," he said aloud.

"Whatever floats your boat," said Shukaku with a mild shrug.

"Yeah," said Hiruzen as his mind fell into his past, "Float."

. . .

Murky water surrounded Hiruzen's body as he floated gently along the thick, winding river. A school of piranha swam underneath him, trying eagerly to snap at his exposed back. With a small smile, he sent a wave of chakra down through the water, scattering the deadly fish. "Good!" cheered Saiken as he floated next to him, "You is being at one with the river!"

"It flows," said Hiruzen dreamily, "Like a chakra network. I feel like it's a part of me."

"That's because it is being a part of you!" chattered Saiken excitedly, using his six thick tails as rudders, guiding him down the Amazon, "All things is being connected! Is part of the grand scheme of things!"

Hiruzen looked to the side and laughed as he caught the eyes of a nervous leopard. "Is that the secret to Naruto's Sage Mode?" he asked, "Being at one with the natural energy around you?"

Saiken hummed in thought. "Maybe," he decided, "For Saiken, is just the secret to being happy!"

"The secret to being happy," Hiruzen nodded slightly and closed his eyes, "It's been so long since I've been happy."

Saiken slowly raised his giant, bubble-shaped head. "But you is still not happy," he said sadly, "Saiken can sense Hiruzen's sadness."

Hiruzen chuckled and folded his arms behind his head. "I hate to disagree with you, Saiken, but I will," he said, "After training with your brothers and sisters, I needed a lesson in meditation and understanding. I haven't been this relaxed since I left Konoha."

Saiken rolled over onto his stomach, causing small waves to gently rock Hiruzen's body. "Saiken can feel it," he said somberly, "Hiruzen doesn't feel complete."

Hiruzen frowned. "What are you talking about? I feel complete. And I thought Bijuu could only sense negative emotions?"

"Emptiness is being a negative emotion," said Saiken, his eye stalks sweeping above the water, "To be truly happy, Hiruzen needs to be finding closure."

"Closure for what?" Hiruzen rolled over and started treading water in the river, "I don't know what you're saying. I feel more complete than ever!"

Saiken stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding his head. "Saiken sees," he said gently, "Hiruzen is being concerned about his heritage."

"I…what?" Hiruzen swam over to the Bijuu and climbed onto his soft, slimy back, "I am very satisfied with my heritage! I've learned every technique of the Hyuga Clan and invented a few of my own."

"Your concern is not being with your mother's family," said Saiken, "But it be with your father."

Hiruzen frowned. "My father," he said softly, "He was just a bandit who capture my mother and…took advantage of her. Whoever he was, he was a criminal and I want nothing to do with him."

"You is lying, Hiruzen," sighed Saiken, "Saiken is sensing your wants, your desires. You wish to know more."

Hiruzen stood up and leapt to the shore, grabbing his shirt from a hanging tree branch. "You're wrong," he snapped, "My father means nothing to me."

Saiken continued to drift for a time until he stood up in the river. His massive form splashed up against the shore as he climbed up. "Saiken misses his father," he said calmly, "Saiken is never meeting his father, but he misses him."

"Why?" demanded Hiruzen, "Your father never did anything for you! He didn't even conceive you! He gave his chakra to Naruto and Naruto used this world's technology to clone you! If anything, Naruto's your father! At least he took part in your creation!"

Saiken looked down on Hiruzen sadly. "Hiruzen is wrong," he said, "Saiken and his brothers and his sisters are being made from the chakra of the original Bijuu."

"That's what I said!"

"But the original Bijuu be nothing but chakra being given form."

Hiruzen frowned. "What does that mean?"

Saiken fell over and rested comfortably on his back. The rainforest around them shook from the sudden impact. "Since Saiken be made of the original Saiken's chakra, Saiken is having some of Saiken's personality."

Hiruzen blinked. "Wait, so Saiken is like Saiken?"

"Exactly!" Saiken excitedly, clapping his stubby little arms, "And Hiruzen is like Saiken!"

"Hiruzen is like Saiken?"

"Yes! Well, Hiruzen is like Saiken, not like Saiken."

"So I'm not like Saiken?"

"Yes! But Hiruzen is like Saiken."

For a solid minute, the two just stared at each other. Saiken had a wide grin on his slimy face while Hiruzen was trying to remember what was and what wasn't real. "Okay," he said after a while, "So I'm like you, but I'm not like the original Saiken, right? Even though you are like the original Saiken since you were both based on the same chakra?"

Saiken sighed in frustration. "That's what we just decided!"

Hiruzen fell on his back and stared at the layer of foliage above him that separated the earth from the sun. "So you're saying…my father influences me even though I never met him?"

Saiken scratched his stomach and flicked his tails lazily. "Now Hiruzen is being more complete," he said with a satisfied sigh, "Not complete yet, but more complete."

. . .

"I can feel them."

Hiruzen opened his eyes. "Hmmm?"

Shukaku stopped and sniffed the air. "I can sense them. They're not far."

Hiruzen slid off of his back and stretched his limbs. "Alright, what's our plan?"

"Plan?" Shukaku barked, "We don't need no stinking plans."

"We did it your way last time," Hiruzen growled, "This time, we do it my way."

Shukaku bent down and glared at Hiruzen. "Wanna bet on it?"

Hiruzen glared back at him and knelt down in the sand. "I'm not going to let those kids be hurt just because you're too stubborn to see your own foolishness."

Shukaku backed away and pawed at the sand for a while. "Fine, whatever," he conceded, "They've stopped at some kind of outpost a bit to the north. They have two tanks left, a couple of convoy trucks, a machine gunner, and a rocket launcher, all assembled in a circle."

Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully. "They're probably keeping the kids in those convoy trucks. Think you can take out those tanks?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Shukaku snarled.

"Then you cause a distraction by eliminating those tanks. I'll drive one of the convoys away. Once I'm out of sight, take the other convoy and go in the opposite direction. Circle around the desert and meet up in Morocco." Shukaku sneered, but slowly began to sink into the sand, assimilating with the desert. Hiruzen crouched down and began to run north. He drew a tri-pronged kunai and felt the wind nip at his skin as he dashed forwards. As he rounded over a sand-dune, he caught sight of the encampment exactly as Shukaku had described.

He crouched down and slowed, making sure not to kick up any clouts of sand that guards could see. The moon was half-waned and still cast an eerie glow over the vast desert. Hiruzen crept to a dune closer to the camp and held up a hand to activate his Byakugan. Through them, he saw the fourteen armed Bialyian guards that were circling the trucks at practiced intervals. Hiruzen scowled as he saw the two convoy trucks were placed on opposite sides of the camp, as were the two tanks. It would be hard for Shukaku to take out both tanks simultaneously without jeopardizing the kids.

Hiruzen grimaced and stuck his kunai in the sand at his feet. Drawing a regular kunai, he slowly crawled forwards. As a guard passed in front of the machine gun truck, Hiruzen darted forwards. There was a reason he was the second youngest ANBU agent in the Hidden Leaf. He was as unnoticeable as a shadow to the guard and he snuck under the truck before he was in the next guard's line of sight. Rolling over, he had total access to the car's underbelly. Hiruzen wasn't much of a mechanic, but he knew that wires weren't supposed to be cut. He carefully and quietly opened a few holes in the fuel tank and sliced through a few open wires.

The sand shifted slightly and Hiruzen nodded to himself. Shukaku was getting impatient. Timing himself perfectly, Hiruzen rolled out from the truck, emerging inside the circle of cars. He slid forwards, dodging around the windows of the next truck to avoid being caught by the half-asleep driver. Slowly, he made his way to the first convoy truck. He knocked lightly on the driver side door and crouched down. The drowsy driver opened the door and Hiruzen grabbed him by the wrist. Before the man could yell out, Hiruzen wrenched him out of the truck and jabbed him hard in the throat.

With his wind-pipe collapsed, the man struggled to breathe, let alone fight back. Hiruzen delivered a Gentle Fist blow to the man's stomach, jump starting several internal organs. The poor Bialyian's brain couldn't handle the sudden strain of so many bodily functions being abruptly restarted and he sank to the ground, unconscious. Hiruzen pushed his body under the center of the truck and stood up, looking around to make sure he wasn't noticed.

Seeing he wasn't, Hiruzen smirked and blew on his fingernails. He still had it. He climbed into the truck and quickly peeked into the back. The kids were bound and gagged, tied to their benches on either side of the truck. One saw him and his eyes widened, but Hiruzen put a finger to his lips to silence the boy.

A scream ran through the camp and the truck shifted as the sand under the vehicle slid towards the nearest tank. Hiruzen groaned as Shukaku's hand formed under the tank and thrust it towards the sky. "Two seconds!" he snarled as he found the keys in the overhead compartment, "Was two seconds too much to ask for?!" He shoved them into the ignition and peeled out of the circle. The Bialyians glanced around in confusion. Their natural instinct was to shoot at the giant sand creature that was ripping their tanks apart, but they also knew someone was stealing their cargo. A few tore themselves away from concentrating their fire on Shukaku and shot at the convoy truck. Hiruzen grimaced as bullets bounced off of the side doors. The open back was putting the kids at risk.

Hiruzen pushed down on the gas pedal and swerved wildly. Behind him, there were muffled screams as bullets tore through the canvas. With a flick of his wrist, Hiruzen threw the convoy truck into reverse with the front facing the next volley of bullets. The windshield shattered and a few pieces of glass slashed Hiruzen's arms, but no bullets hit him. A rocket blasted at them and Hiruzen grunted as he took his hands off the wheel. "Gentle Fist! Air Palm!" The blast made the rocket tremble and swivel off course just enough to slam into the slam before exploding. The blast was close enough to make Hiruzen cringe from the heat.

After a few moments, the bullets stopped and he slowed down the truck. Breathing hard, he turned around to face the kids. "Everyone alright?" The kids nodded and Hiruzen breathed a small sigh of relief.

He turned around in his chair and screamed in horror as the second convoy truck fell to the ground in front of him. The front crumpled on impact and he heard the screams of children as the back of the truck slammed into the sand with a bone-shaking thump. Hiruzen scrambled out of the truck and ran for the second convoy. He tore open the canvas on the back of the truck and climbed inside. Just like in the other truck, the kids were tied up. Hiruzen sliced through their ropes with his kunai and helped them jump out into the sand. Not one of them wasn't shaking violently or wide-eyed from shock and fear.

With the kids all assembled around the remaining convoy truck, Hiruzen turned back to the encampment. Shukaku was swiping at the Bialyians like a kid with a magnifying glass fighting a bunch of ants. Hiruzen's heart was beating several times faster than normal, but there was more anger in his veins than blood. "Stop playing!" he yelled, confident his voice would carry across the desert.

Shukaku roared and continued to swipe at the Bialyians. Hiruzen rolled his eyes and put his hands together. "Hiraishin!" With a flash of light, he vanished and reappeared at the kunai he'd left near the encampment. He immediately clutched his stomach, not even bothering to fight the oncoming nausea. He threw up in the sand and quickly wiped his mouth before turning back to the fight. The last tank was tipped over on its side, but its giant gun continued to point directly up into Shukaku's face and shot unrepentant shells into him. The rocket gunner was out of ammunition, but continued to circle Shukaku with soldiers shooting at him with machine guns.

"Stupid," Hiruzen muttered, unsure if he was talking about the Bialyians or Shukaku, "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He ran out from cover as the rocket truck passed by and dove into it. He rammed two fingers into one soldier's spine and injected a shot of chakra into his back. The soldier fell out with a cry and Hiruzen swiped his machine gun from midair. As the other soldiers spun and turned their weapons on him, Hiruzen twirled the gun expertly and slapped one of them with the stock. The soldier fell off the car from the blow and Hiruzen fell on his back to avoid the last soldier's gunfire. He wrapped his legs around the barrel of the gun and wrenched it from the Bialyian's grip. He raised his own gun and blasted three bullets into the soldier's unprotected legs. The man screamed and fell over, falling out of the vehicle. The driver glanced back nervously at Hiruzen as he stood up. The Bialyian reached across his chest and dropped three grenades into the back seat before diving into the sand.

Hiruzen growled and leapt to the front seat. He plunged his foot down on the gas pedal and swirled the wheel until it was facing the turned-over tank. He rolled off and buried his head in the sand until he felt the tell-tale rumble of the explosion. He pulled his head from the ground and regarded the now-flaming tank. As he watched, it exploded with a giant fireball that mushroomed into the clouds. A few feet behind him, the Bialyian driver slowly stood up. Hiruzen swirled to his feet and drew a kunai. The Bialyian pulled out a service pistol and fired at Hiruzen. He was about to deflect the bullet with his blade, but a pillar of sand splashed down in front of him and swallowed the bullet. The Bialyian screamed and raised his hands in surrender.

"You're welcome," smirked Shukaku.

If looks could kill, Hiruzen's gaze would shred Shukaku to pieces, but he refrained from telling off the Bijuu. He grabbed the Bialyian by the neck and raised him into the air. "How did you find out about the shipment?!" he shouted in Bialyian.

"We didn't!" shouted the soldier, his voice trembling, "We came across you by accident!"

Hiruzen frowned. "You're lying! Bialya is kidnapping kids!"

"Yes!" screamed the soldier, "But we were just out here on a routine training exercise!"

"So far from Bialya?!"

"We thought it was strange!" squealed the soldier, "But we don't question orders from Queen Bee!"

Hiruzen grunted and threw the soldier into the sand. "And you!" he rounded on Shukaku, "I knew you were stupid, but you really outdid yourself this time!"

Shukaku blinked. "Um…what? I kind of destroyed an entire camp of artillery for your plan! It's only because of me that it worked!"

Hiruzen stared at him incredulously. "You threw a bus full of kids!" he shouted, "You could have killed them!"

"But I didn't!" protested Shukaku, "I didn't, did I?"

"Unbelievable!" Hiruzen fell back into the sand and stared at the stars, "I can't believe I honestly thought you could lead me to my father."

There was a long pause before Shukaku slowly lowered himself to Hiruzen's level. "I spoke with my bros a while back," he said, "They said you kept asking about how they felt about their predecessors. What's with your obsession with finding your dad anyway?"

Hiruzen sighed as his anger slowly cooled. "I don't know…When I was a kid growing up in Konoha, Kiba would occasionally take me to the park with the other kids. They'd all play with their parents and I'd have to tag along like a third wheel. I tried to play with Kiba, but he was too busy either training dogs or hitting on women."

"So your obsession stems from not getting love as a kid?" Shukaku snorted, "I'm not gonna lie, but I was expecting something a little more substantial."

"It's not that," Hiruzen closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "It's more…closure I guess. My mother wasn't really there for me. I used to think Naruto was responsible, but after I got to know him, I realized there was nothing he could have done to save her."

Shukaku slowly nodded. "So you feel your father was the cause of your mother's death because of what he did to her."

"Possibly," Hiruzen shrugged, "It's just a drive, a motivation. I want to know who he was, why he did the things he did. I want to know if he even knew I existed, if he even realized he had a son." He paused and opened his eyes. He touched his cheeks and ran his hands over his face. "Aunt Hanabi doesn't have any children. It's been a long time since the Hyuga clan cared about the 'main' branch or the 'side' branches, but now I'm the last of the Hyuga. It falls to me to continue the bloodline, but how am I supposed to be a good father if I don't even know what a father is supposed to do?"

Shukaku barked a hard laugh. "Are you kidding me? You're practically a dad already!"

Hiruzen arched an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"You yelled at me like a dad, disciplined me like a dad, nagged me like a dad, planned things out for me like a dad, and you were really disappointed in me like a dad."

Hiruzen raised his head with a frown. "I don't think that last one sounds right."

"But the other things made sense, right?"

"I guess," Hiruzen slowly stood up, "I just wonder where you fit into all of this. Who sent me that note in Gotham? What does my father have to do with you? How is my father tied to this world?"

Shukaku shrugged. "Maybe your dad was somebody important. Like, the king of thieves or something."

Slowly, Hiruzen raised his head and took a sharp intake of breath. The sun broke through the horizon, but he didn't even blink as it hit his sensitive eyes. "By the sages," he whispered.

"What? You realize who your father was?"

"No," Hiruzen clenched his fists, "But I know who does. Come on, we need to get those kids to Morocco. Then, I have business to attend to." He started to walk across the desert back to where he'd left the kids. "And don't think I've forgotten what you did! We're going to talk about this later!"

Hiruzen didn't turn around, but he didn't need to. Shukaku's satisfied grin was already in his mind.

. . .

"I'm going to kill him," Raven chanted as flew through a swirling red and black tunnel, "I'm going to kill him." She landed in her mental plane and grimaced as she looked around. Her mind was vast and epic. Whereas Naruto's mind was a tight, compressed sewer, hers was an open expanse of black space, riddled with red stars and floating stone platforms. The portal behind her drifted away and she pulled her hood back. With a wave of her hand, the floating rocks assembled in a path before her.

"Garfield!" she called into the expanse as she started to walk along the path, "If you can hear me, follow the sound of my voice! You are not supposed to be here!"

"Turn back!" Raven ignored the whispered voice that breathed through her mind and waved her hand again. In front of her, the stones assembled into a circular gate that would lead to a different section of her soul. Maybe Garfield was so lost in her mind that he couldn't find his way out again. A small, black bird flew at her and landed on her shoulder. "Turn back!" it whispered in her ear, "Leave him!"

"Sorry," she said, flicking the bird off her shoulder, "But I want Garfield out of my mind. Literally." Suddenly, the ground beneath her began to tremble and she quickly stepped off into the gate. As she did so, the surrounding area changed drastically. Instead of a rock in the middle of empty space, she suddenly found herself in a large, open library with bookshelves that reached as high as the eye could see.

"Hello," said a voice and Raven looked up. Floating above her was a total carbon copy of herself. They shared the same pale skin and deep eyes. Their hair was cut at exactly the same length and style. They even shared the small scar on their left middle fingers. The only visible difference was that the new Raven wore a banana yellow cloak as opposed to Raven's dark one.

"Hey," said Raven as her copy floated to her level, "You're my brain, right? My intellect?"

"Yes," replied her clone blankly, "I am the physical manifestation of your intelligence as projected by the Mind Mirror." The library shook as if hit by a sudden earthquake and several books began to fall from shelves. Raven's intelligence immediately scrambled to collect the fallen tomes and replace them inside Raven's brain.

"What's going on?" asked Raven, "How are there earthquakes in my head? Headquakes, if you will."

"It is simple," said her yellow double flatly, "Your mind already plays host to two personalities, more than any mind is supposedly capable of handling. However, the sudden addition of three more consciousnesses is threatening to unravel your already unstable mind."

Raven frowned. "Who are you calling unstable?" The yellow Raven stopped reassembling her mind and stared at her. Raven shrugged. "Point taken. Wait, three consciousnesses? I thought only Garfield broke into here!"

"No, he was accompanied by two more personalities, although they too shared the same body."

Raven blinked and her eyes widened in sudden realization. "No way," she breathed, "Jamie? And his scarab?"

Yellow Raven would have replied, but Raven soared off towards the end of her mind. As she reached the end of the library, she waved her hand and another gate formed. With a grunt, she flew through.

"Hey there!" Raven skidded to a total stop and clenched her fists.

"Oh," she muttered to herself, "This godforsaken place." Instead of a library, she was now in a field of pink grass. A dirt path continued before her, lined with bubblegum trees and candy bushes. The whole place smelled strongly of lavender. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to glare at herself in a hot pink robe.

"Tag!" giggled her copy, "You're it!" Pink Raven started to run away with her hands held out while making airplane noises. Raven scowled and flew in front of her pink double.

"Joy," she said sternly, "Listen to me. Did two boys come this way?"

"Uh-huh!" said her dobbleganger with a wide, innocent smile, "One was the cutest little kid with green fur and a cool tail! The other! Oh!" Pink Raven rolled her eyes and fanned herself with an invisible fan. "What a hunk! Wouldn't mind making him a few burritos if you know what I'm sayin'!" She winked at Raven suggestively and Raven had to struggle not to gag.

"Um, sure, burritos," she said, "Please tell me you didn't say that to his face." Her copy's enormous grin was all the answer she needed. Raven rubbed her temples and sighed. "I'll talk to him later. Look, if they stay in my mind, they're going to tear apart my soul."

Joy pointed down the path. "I sent them that way, towards the forbidden door!"

"Great," Raven rose up in the air, "Maybe next time you just tell them to wait for me at the start of the path, huh?"

"Oh! Remember when you came here with the Azar!" giggled her clone, "You wanted to slap me, but she nearly broke your arm to stop you!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Yeah, hilarious. And for the record, my favorite color is not pink." Before her clone could reply, she barrel rolled across the pink fields. Following the path, she soon came across another gate and dove straight through it.

"Oh nuts," she said as she landed back in her empty mindscape, "I remember. After joy comes-" A small figure crouched in front of her, shrouded in a light grey cloak. "Timidity," she finished, "Stand up straight." Her clone obeyed without question, but kept her head hung. Gentle tears poured down her cheeks and Raven sighed in guilt. "Look, did Garfield and Jamie come this way?" Her cowardice given form nodded slowly. "Did you help them through the Emotion Maze?" Grey Raven nodded again. "And you showed them the forbidden door, didn't you." Another nod made Raven snarl angrily. "Fine," she muttered, waving her hand. On the path before her, stone walls jutted up from the earth to form a massive maze that stretched halfway across her brain.

"You can't fly over it," her timid self reminded her in a whispered voice.

"I know," sighed Raven, "I used this place to train, remember?"

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize." Raven breathed deeply and folded her legs under her. She floated into the air and closed her eyes as she began the painful process of memory meditation.

"Don't!" whispered her grey self, "To overcome the maze that way, you have to relive painful moments!"

Raven grunted as her mind cleared. "I do that before breakfast everyday."

. . .

Raven watched as a portal opened in the middle of a rainy street in San Francisco. From the portal emerged a woman in red robes. The woman pulled back her hood and Raven gulped. Arella Roth looked around before opening her robes slightly to reveal a black, swaddled cloth.

Arella began to cry, her tears mixing in with the rain. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the bundle as she slowly made her way to the side of the road, "I'm so sorry. But you can't be allowed to live. He can't come to this world."

"No!" shouted Raven. She knew Arella couldn't hear her, but it felt better than doing nothing. As she watched, Arella laid the bundle down in the road approximately where a tire would run over it. A pair of headlights appeared along the street and Arella gasped. She ran towards her portal, but hesitated at the last second. She cried out and turned back to the bundle, raising her arms. A blast of golden light burst from her hands and knocked the bundle onto the sidewalk as the car rushed by. Arella burst into tears and cursed the heavens in a tongue long forgotten by mankind. She jumped back through her portal and was gone before the bundle could roll over and start crying.

Raven looked down on her infant self and wondered if she knew back then just how messed up the rest of her life would be.

. . .

Raven leaned against a wall as the door opened and Dubillex entered with a tray. "Hello, Project Gem," he said as he closed the door behind him, "Did you have a productive day?"

Behind a wall of reinforced glass, a nine-year old Raven glared at Dubbilex as he pushed the tray of food through a small slot in the glass. "If by productive you mean did I have a bunch of creepy old men stare at me all day and occasionally take blood samples, then yes, I did," she replied sarcastically, "Let me guess, vitamin supplements?" She picked at the mushy food and grimaced. "Oh, extra vitamin C. Lucky me."

Dubbilex stared unblinking at her as she ate. "I hope you realize this is all for your own good," he said eventually.

Raven snarled and tossed what was left of her food at the glass. "Oh yeah?" she demanded, "What about being locked away is for my own good?!"

Dubbilex continued to stare at her and the older Raven sighed, sinking against the wall. She blinked back tears as Dubbliex explained to her younger self the prophecy of her birth. The look of abject horror that grew on her young face made the older Raven breath deeply to keep from crying.

After he was done, Dubbilex awkwardly turned and left. Raven crawled to the glass and tried to reach through and comfort her devastated younger self. But she couldn't. She wasn't really there.

. . .

Pain. All she could feel, all she knew was utter, unfiltered pain. Every muscle in her body was being torn, every skin cell ripped. It felt like her bones were fighting to get outside her body and her inner organs were playing a game of Tetris. In front of her, Madara was leaning on his knees, panting heavily. "I must say," he said, his deep voice intensifying her pain, "You put up more of a fight than I expected. I was anticipating a decent fight from the Nine-Tails, but you," he shook his finger at her with a small smile, "You were a challenge I did not foresee."

Raven could barely feel her jaw, but managed to speak back. "Oh…do go on…you're…m-making me blush."

Madara stood up and cracked his neck. "Your Martian friend is on her way," he said, "She's trying to break into my mind, but she is woefully unprepared."

"Don't let…her hear you say that."

Madara grunted and grabbed her shoulder. The pain that coursed through her became unbearable and her vision blurred. Suddenly, her pain vanished and she blinked. Naruto had Madara on the ground in a headlock. With a roar, Madara leapt into the air and slammed Naruto against the ceiling where he disappeared in a burst of smoke. "Rasengan!" Naruto and his attack flew towards Madara, but slammaed against the invisible shield that his Rinnegan abruptly threw up.

"Raven!" M'gann shimmered in front of her and pulled Raven off of the wall.

"Go!" shouted Naruto as his skin turned to yellow flame, "Stick to the plan!" M'gann pulled Raven over her shoulders and flew out of the cave out into the night. They flew over Hanabi's fallen form, although Raven could see the shinobi struggling to crawl away. She tried to say something to M'gann, but was too tired to speak.

As they flew through the night, there was a small pop and Raven looked behind them. The entire mountain they'd escaped from was gone, vanished into oblivion. There was a massive crater carved out of the earth, but any trace of Naruto, Hanabi, and Madara were gone. Instead, there was an orb of red light that encompassed the entire area. "M'gann?" mumbled Raven.

M'gann glanced at her. "What? Save your-" That was when the soundwave hit. The pop became a blasting sound that made Raven's eardrums explode. She cried out in pain, but couldn't hear herself. M'gann fell to the ground and covered her ears. Raven looked up and gasped as the orb of light imploded on itself and the earth erupted with the resulting explosion. M'gann turned back, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. Raven couldn't hear her scream, but she could feel her loss, her shock and sorrow. She covered her head, trying not to comfort M'gann, trying not to tell her that Naruto had safely Hiraishined away.

The present Raven floated above the entire scene, curled into the fetal position in midair. She observed, recalled, and reflected the fear and pain of the Madara crisis.

. . .

A single tear ran down Raven's face as the stone maze slowly sank into the ground. "There," she sighed, "Maybe now I can clean up your mess."

Her timid self shrank back. "I'm sorry."

Raven jumped into the air and flew forwards down the path. Her mind began to shake she stopped as beam of blue light shot in front of her. "Careful!" shouted a voice.

"Finally!" growled Raven as she dropped to the ground. Before her was a wide rock where a giant, two headed statue wielded twin stone blades. It was swiping at a small green figure and a flying blue one.

"Raven!" shouted Garfield as he turned into a turtle to duck one of the swords, "What the heck is going on?"

"Hiya!" Raven looked up to see a version of herself in a green cloak shoot through the air and kick the statue hard in the face. Jamie's sonic blasts had done nothing to the statue, but one kick from Raven sent the obstacle crumbling to the ground. "Yeah!" crowed the Raven, "Take that!" She turned to Jamie as he landed. "Hi-five!" Jamie slowly raised his hand and the green Raven slapped it hard. "Was that awesome or what!"

"Enough!" shouted Garfield turning back into himself, "What is up with you! First you're a bookworm, then you're happy, then you're scared, now you're a marine?! Who are you?!" From the ground, several Ravens wearing various colors of cloaks emerged and Garfield stepped back in fear.

"I'm Raven," they all said simultaneously.

Jamie frowned and rubbed his chin. "Smart, happy, scared, brave," he counted slowly, "All aspects of Raven's personality…we're not in her home," he realized with an open jaw, "We're in her mind!"

"And I want you out!" Raven dropped down in front of her emotions and they vanished into the aether of her mind.

"Raven!" gasped Jamie, "Wait, is that the real you?"

"Yes," she said, walking forwards, "The mirror you found was a gift from the Azar. It's a portal into my MIND!" She grabbed Garfield by the chest and held him an inch away from her face. "NOT A TOY!"

Garfield grinned sheepishly at her. "My bad." Raven dropped him and looked up. The forbidden door that exited her mind was only a few platforms away.

"Look, I'm sorry about all this," said Jamie, rubbing his head, "I just wanted Gar to apologize for what he did to your room. This is all my fault."

"It doesn't matter," said Raven firmly, "But you need to get out now. This mirror runs my emotions in a cycle. I can't predict which emotion will come next, but if it's the wrong one, you'll both be stuck in here forever." There was a trembling and a sudden murder of black crows burst from under the rock and flew towards space. "Oh, look," she said dryly, "It's the wrong emotion."

"What is it?" asked Garfield.

Raven pursed her lips as the crows began to swirl around and conjoin, their black feathers turning red as they meshed together. Slowly, they began to form a figure. "You need to go," said Raven, "Now!"

"What's going on?" asked Jamie with a frown, "The Scarab says you will need our assistance if you hope to survive."

"Look," she groaned in frustration, "When I get mad, bad things happen. Garfield got me mad this morning and this is the result. Now, if you could just leave? Please?"

"Oh no," Garfield grabbed her shoulder and turned her around so he could glare into her eyes, "I've tried to be nice to you, but I'm done with all this mystery girl stuff! I want to know exactly what we're talking about here!"

The figure formed by the crows roared and began to solidify. He was a giant creature with strong muscles and a black loincloth. His ugly face held four, slanted, red eyes and had buck horns ripping from his forehead. Long, white hair swirled behind him and his hands were massive claws with nails as long and sharp as swords. "Pppppprrrrriiiiiiidddeeeee," it purred, "You have returned to me."

Raven scowled. "Let's just say I have daddy issues. If you don't leave right now, you risk triggering the apocalypse. So GET OUT!" She waved her hand and the two boys were pushed back towards the forbidden door as Raven flew up to meet her adversary. "You're not real," she said both to it and herself as she reached its eye level.

"Aren't I?" it smirked, "I am a part of you. I ripped you from my soul to serve as my vessel, and now you will fulfill your destiny."

Raven frowned and clenched her fists, black orbs forming around them. "My birthday isn't for a few more months, daddy dearest. The prophecy won't come true until then."

Trigon, the physical manifestation of the rage that lingered in Raven's soul, shrugged. "I've waited a hundred thousand years to unleash my hatred upon the Earth!" he growled, "What's a few months difference make?" He opened his mouth and bit at her, but Raven scooted out of the way.

"Art of the Demon!" she shouted, raising her hands, "Sin Blast!" A concentrated beam of sin and evil burst from her palms and struck her father's double in the cheek. He snarled and stumbled back a step, but the attack left no visible damage.

"Interesting," he hummed, "You used my own energy and anger against me. It almost worked too. But we're inside your head, my dear. Your anger is my anger in this place."

Raven fell to the ground and held out one hand. "We'll have to try something different then," she muttered as she waved her hand over her open palm. Within seconds, a spinning sphere of black and red energy formed between her fingers. "Art of the Demon!" she shouted, "Rasenbird!" She hurled the sphere like a baseball and it sprouted wings as it left her fingers. Her father swiped at it, but it slipped through his fingers and slammed into his face, directly between all four of his eyes. It exploded with black energy and he cried out as it burned his skin. He fell to his knees, making the entire plane tremble and grasped his face.

"Clever girl," he snarled, "That trick uses up your angry energy, thus draining me. But it's not enough. Your rage is too powerful!" Unnaturally quickly, he reached out and snagged her. She struggled against his grip, but he was several hundred times her size and he squeezed her like a bug. Though he was being gentle, she felt her ribs bend like paper clips and she gasped in pain as they poked at her lungs. Trigon raised her up to his eyes and they began to glow.

A blast of blue energy swiped in front of her and Trigon grunted, dropping her as he stumbled back. She dropped like a stone but managed to right herself and fly the rest of the way to the ground. Jamie slid next to her and carefully held her head. "You okay?"

Raven glared at him. "What part of 'get out of my head' was too hard to handle?"

Jamie grinned. "The part where we had to leave behind a friend."

A giant green condor flew overhead. "Less talk, more fight!" he said as he charged Trigon and scratched at his eyes. The demon glared at the tiny green bird and lasers shot from his eyes, blasting Garfield back with a cry of pain.

Jamie raised his sonic cannon and fired off a few shots. "How can we beat him?"

"We can't," sighed Raven, falling to one knee, "He's my anger given form, my most powerful emotion."

"What about your other emotions?" asked Jamie, shoving her out of the way as a laser beam blasted where they had been standing, "Can't they help?"

"None of them are strong enough to contest with my anger," said Raven, throwing a black shield over Jamie as Trigon tried to squash him underfoot, "Hypothetically, if I could trigger a powerful emotional response in one of them, I could absorb that emotion into myself to become more powerful, but I'd need something to boost them up."

"And you can't do that?" Jamie flew out from under Trigon and shot blue staples towards his face. The demon cried out as he stopped to pluck them from his eyelids.

"Well I'm a little busy right now!" Raven ran from her cover and blasted the back of her father's knees. He fell on all fours and scrapped at the ground to stand up.

Jamie tried to blast the back of Trigon's head, but the demon stood up and slammed Jamie with his horns. The armored hero fell with a grunt and a thump next to Raven and she threw up a shield between them and Trigon. Her father opened his palm and a barrage of crows shot forth. They splattered against her shield and she grit her teeth, struggling to hold it up. Jamie stood up and wiped his forehead. "You said trigger right?" he panted, "Like, if something sparked up an emotion in you that could counter your anger it would make you more powerful?"

"Yeah!" Raven fell to one knee as Trigon rained his fists down on her magic, "Why?"

Jamie breathed deeply and his helmet retracted into his back. "Forgive me, amiga," he whispered as he knelt down and kissed Raven full on the mouth.

The first thing she felt was complete and utter shock. For a moment, she didn't even understand what was happening. She instinctively funneled her shock into her magic and her shield strengthened. Next came confusion. Why was Jamie kissing her? They'd gone to his school dance together and that had been somewhat fun, but this was entirely different than anything she'd expected from him. Her shield expanded and fluttered outwards, wrapping around Trigon like a blanket.

"What?" Raven felt Jamie put his hands around her back and pull her closer. A series of different versions of her in various colored cloaks sprang out of her body and shot out towards Trigon. Her pink-cloaked self made a point of flying by and winking at her before she rejoined the others. Trigon cried out as they grabbed him by the horns and began pulling him down into space. Garfield flew over him as a bird but transformed into a massive blue whale, slamming down on him with the weight of the heaviest animal on Earth.

As Trigon disappeared from sight and Garfield flew back to the platform, Raven quickly pushed Jamie off of her. "Uh, thanks," she said hesitantly, "Both of you, I mean, for your help."

"No problem," said Jamie quickly, "Um, we should totally get out of here, right? Before another emotion comes along?"

"Right," nodded Raven and drifted into the air towards the forbidden door of her mind. She didn't need to turn to see Jamie and Garfield following her as she soared through the open gate.

They emerged in Raven's destroyed room in a flash of black light and Raven looked around with a sigh. "Garfield-"

"No!" Garfield yelled before she could continue, "What is your deal?! I tried to be nice to you, Raven! I tried to do stuff that would make you happy! And what do I get? You make fun of me, you throw me through walls, and you trap me in your mind!" He threw up his hands and marched angrily out of her room, muttering to himself along the way.

Jamie blinked. "Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about him flirting with you anymore. Need help fixing your room?"

"No," sighed Raven, "I'm half demon so damage control is kinda second nature to me. Just pray for Garfield's soul next time Nightwing puts us on a mission together."

Jamie grinned. "C'mon," he said with a chuckle, "He's only thirteen. You gonna tell me you never did anything stupid at thirteen?"

"Yes. No. quite possibly. Sort of," Raven sighed, "At the very least I would have taken responsibility for it."

"Oh really?" Jamie arched an eyebrow.

Raven grunted noncommittally and Jamie laughed, shaking his head as he headed for the door. "Um, Jamie?"

Jamie stopped. "Yeah?"

"When you…kissed me, you were just trying to shock me right? To jump start my emotions?"

Jamie paused and slowly turned around. "Um, oh! Yeah, absolutely! Why? Is it a problem?"

Raven drew up her hood to cover her blush. "Oh, no it, ah, it was fine. Just, eh…it was kind of my first kiss."

"Oh," Jamie's eyes widened, "Oh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking."

"No no, it's fine," she reassured him, "You probably saved my life with that kiss. All of our lives actually. So…good work I guess."

"Uh, thanks," Jamie awkwardly stepped out of her room and Raven sat on her bed.

"Oh jeez," she sighed to herself as she looked around. She had a lot of work to do.

"Raven?" Tim poked his head in her door, "There you are. We're all gathering in the kitchen."

Raven frowned. She could immediately tell something was wrong. "Tim?" she said quietly, "Did something happen?" He looked away. "Does it have something do with the others' mission at Cape Canaveral?"

Tim sucked in breath. "Raven, Artemis is dead."

. . .

Naruto sat with his arms folded across his chest in his dark bedroom. The only light came from a screen in front of him where a picture of the old team shone on him. He gently traced Artemis's face with his finger and his hand curled into a fist as his eyes landed on Kaldur. "We shouldn't be here," said Kurama, "We shouldn't postpone."

We need to give Jade time to mourn. And me.

Kurama paused for a few minutes. "Hiruzen's almost here. We should prepare."

I'm ready. I've been ready for a long time. Naruto turned off the screen and turned on the lights just as Hiruzen smashed through the door.

"You," he declared angrily, "You knew."

"Yes," said Naruto calmly, "I did."

"You sent me that note in Gotham."

"Yup."

"You had Sterling hack the UN to find out about the kids being transported."

"Absolutely."

"And then you had her break into the Bialyian government database to redirect a training mission into the Sahara to intercept Shukaku."

"You are 100% correct."

"And now you are admitting all of this freely and without remorse."

"Totally."

Hiruzen stared at Naruto in amazement and threw up his hands in amazement. "Why?!"

Naruto managed a smile. "Why what?"

"Just…just all of this! Why?"

Naruto breathed deeply. "I wanted to see if you could figure it out for yourself," he said.

"Look…I…maybe…you," Hiruzen collapsed into a chair opposite Naruto, "Just..just please start from the beginning."

Naruto nodded and leaned back in his chair. "My first clue came when your aunt first told me about what happened to your mother," he started, "According to her, Hinata was accosted by a gang of thieves, kept hostage for several weeks, and left beaten and pregnant for Leaf ninja to find."

"So?" demanded Hiruzen.

Naruto smirked. "She didn't always show it, but Hinata was one of the most powerful kunoichi of our generation. A bunch of untrained punks couldn't have beaten her. No, she completed her mission, that much I'm sure of. What happened next is still a little fuzzy, but I have my suspicions as of where she was."

Hiruzen paused. "She was found in a cave on the border with the Land of Wind. Lord Sasuke was leading the rescue team. My aunt said he was distracted during the extraction."

"She told me the same thing," nodded Naruto, "Which lead me to suspect he saw something unusual. The Sharingan reveals secrets, and Sasuke saw your mother's secret. That she'd staged her attack and made it to look like she'd been assaulted." Hiruzen wasn't sure if he should smack Naruto for saying such things, so he elected to remain seated and see where Naruto was going. "I think he didn't say anything because he trusted her, and believed she had her reasons. Or maybe he knew the truth and we'll never know."

"So, do you know who my father is?"

Naruto shrugged. "I had a list of names," he said, "Possible candidates. For one reason or another, I took the names off the list through the process of elimination."

Hiruzen looked at his hands. "My chakra nature, earth. That was a clue, wasn't it?"

"Chakra natures aren't always genetic," sighed Naruto, "But I took it at face value and scratched a few names off the list. I only had three names left when I sent you on your training. I had the Bijuu report back to me on your progress and how sociable you were. Your behaviorisms, attitude, stubbornness, all could be hints."

Hiruzen tapped his finger on the arm of his chair. "So you sent me back to Shukaku to finalize your data?"

"No," Naruto smiled gently, "I sent you back to confirm my data. The second you returned to me and complained about Shukaku's laziness, I knew which of the last names I had was your father."

Hiruzen leaned forwards. "Who was it?"

"Think!" ordered Naruto, "Your mother was in mourning when she went off on her mission. After she defeated the bandits, what did she do?"

Hiruzen breathed deeply and hung his head in thought. "She took a break," he said finally, "An unsanctioned hiatus. She went off on her own to find comfort in your loss."

"Exactly," Naruto urged, "Then what? Where did she go?"

"Places where she knew you," said Hiruzen slowly, his eyes scrunched closed as his mind raced, "Places that you two worked together, or places that were important to you." His eyes snapped open and he gasped. "Or people that were important to you!"

Naruto nodded and smiled as he leaned forwards to grasp Hiruzen's hands. "Yes! She went to someone important to me, close to me! Someone she knew had shared my pain! Someone she knew shared her pain!"

Hiruzen sat still, completely dumbfounded. "Sh-she was found," he gulped deeply, "She was found on the border with the Land of Wind."

"Exactly!" Naruto urged him excitedly, "You're almost there, Hiruzen! Who was in the Land of Wind that I could relate to? Who would mourn me as much as your mother there?!"

Hiruzen stood up and scrambled back at the same time. His chair tipped over and he spilled out on the floor where he lay spread eagle. Naruto slowly rose and stepped over to him. "The Kazekage," whispered Hiruzen, a tear running down his cheek, "The Sand-Lord, Former Jinchuriki to the One-Tail. Gaara of the Desert. He's my father."

Naruto leaned down and took Hiruzen's hand helping him to his feet. "I helped Gaara realize that he was more than just a weapon," he whispered, "I showed him how he could be a hero, not a monster. We were brothers forever after, fellow jinchuriki protecting our respective villages. Hinata knew of our bond. I can't know for sure, but I believe she found solace in Gaara, at least for a little while. Their mutual sorrow resulted in you. Shukaku dislikes you because he and Gaara didn't always get along and he senses some residual energy from his former Jinchuriki in you."

Hiruzen could barely stand so Naruto wrapped his arm over his shoulder. "I-I n-need to…to l-lie d-down," stuttered Hiruzen, his skin pale and clammy.

"Of course," nodded Naruto, helping him over to the nearby bed. He lay Hiruzen down and turned out the lights as he left the room.

"Well great," sighed Kurama, "Now we have two team members out of commission. I'm starting to think you don't really want to bring Jason back."

There's always tomorrow, Kurama. Patience.

"I'm saying this for your benefit, not mine." Naruto nodded and walked down the hall.

. . .

Hiruzen stared at the ceiling and folded his arms across his chest. "Gaara?"

. . .

Several years earlier, a nine-year old Hiruzen twirled his aunt's ANBU blade like a professional, slicing through the practice dummy in the courtyard with surgical precision. It fell apart slowly as he sheathed the blade and he grinned in pride. A slow clap behind him caught his attention and he turned to the front door of the Hyuga mansion.

A man stood there in a straight, scarlet shirt and black pants. He had combed red hair and a red tattoo with the kanji for 'love' written in blood red on his forehead. Strange, teal eyes smiled at him from behind thick, black bags surrounding them. "Hello," he said quietly. His voice was raspy but oddly comforting. It sounded as if he hadn't had a drink in years. "I'm looking for Hinata," he said as he walked forwards, "Is she here?"

Hiruzen slowly unsheathed his blade. He didn't recognize the man and therefore didn't trust him. "Stay back!" he growled as the man strolled into the courtyard.

"Easy, child," the man smiled at him, "What is your name?"

"Hiruzen," he said as he adjusted his grip on the blade.

"Hiruzen," the man nodded, "A strong name with a strong legacy. Tell me, Hiruzen, are you a strong shinobi?"

"You bet I am!" Hiruzen jabbed the blade forwards towards the man's head. The man smiled as the ground suddenly shot up and blocked the blade. "I knew it!" Hiruzen snarled, "You're an enemy shinobi! You picked the wrong time to attack us, buddy! The Five-Kage Summit is in Konoha today! The best shinobi in the world are all here! They'll catch you!"

"I doubt it," said the man, falling onto his knees to lower himself to Hiruzen's level, "I've spent years sneaking away from my brother. I've almost turned it into an art form."

Hiruzen frowned and drew back his sword. "Who are you?"

"My name is Gaara," said the man, "And I'm actually a part of the Kazekage's delegation. I came here to visit an old friend of mine. Do you know where Hinata Hyuga is?"

There was a creak and Hiruzen rounded to face a fresh threat. One of the doors was partially opened and a lavender eye shone in the darkness of his mother's room. "Gaara?" her voice weakly called, "Is that you?"

"Hinata," breathed Gaara as he stood, "May I come in?" There was a slight hesitation, but the eye in the doorway slowly nodded and Gaara walked forwards. "It was nice to meet you, Hiruzen," he said as he passed, "I am sure you will become a great shinobi of the Leaf."

For several hours, Hiruzen continued to train in the courtyard, straining his ears to hear what the mysterious man and his mother were discussing. Occasionally, they would yell at each other and their voices carried over the courtyard as he trained. For a while, he heard his mother crying out and he considered going in to check on her, make sure Gaara wasn't hurting her, but he decided to leave the adults alone. Perhaps they were planning something for him.

Hours later, the moon had risen high in the sky when Aunt Hanabi ran into the villa. "Hiruzen!" she panted, "Give me that!" She snatched her sword from his grip and looked around wildly.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she slipped on her ANBU mask, "Did something happen at the summit?"

"The summit didn't happen!" she hissed, "The Kazekage's gone missing!"

Hiruzen's eyes widened. "Aunt Hanabi!" he whispered, "One of the Kazekage's retainers came to see mother! Maybe he had something to do with his disappearance!" Hanabi twirled her sword and crept towards Hinata's room. She carefully opened the door and dove inside. Seconds later, she backed out with her sword lowered and in a respectful bow.

"Lord Kazekage," she whispered as Gaara stepped out of Hinata's room.

Hiruzen stared back and forth between Hanabi and Gaara. "Kazekage?!" Gaara stepped into the courtyard and stared down at Hiruzen, who now stared back in awe. Hiruzen slowly got on one knee and bowed to the lord of the Village Hidden in the Sand.

"Hiruzen," he said softly, "Please stand up." Hiruzen obeyed, but averted his gaze. The Kazekage was a legendary hero, the commander-in-chief of the Allied Shinobi Forces that had won the Forth Great Ninja War. His power was the stuff of myth and his status as one of the last remaining Jinchuriki made him a level of ninja unattainable by normal shinobi.

"Lord Kazekage," he greeted humbly, "Forgive my rudeness earlier. I did not recognize you."

Gaara's mouth opened and closed several times before he found his voice. "There is nothing to forgive," he whispered, "You are more powerful a shinobi than you know." He knelt down and gently took Hiruzen's face in his hands, forcing him to look him in the eye. "I see great things in your future," he said softly, "I…" He stopped talking and gently pulled Hiruzen in for a hug. After a few seconds, he released Hiruzen and stood up, striding out of the mansion with Hanabi on his heels. Hiruzen stared after him in wonder and confusion

. . .

He opened his eyes and took a sharp intake of breath before he looked around. He was in a brightly lit room, lying on a patted bed. Wires and sensors attached to his body connected him with a series of beeping machines behind his bed. Besides him, a young woman with short red hair and a yellow streak through it slept quietly with her hands folded on her lap.

Carefully, he tapped her wrist and she blinked awake. When she saw him, her eyes widened and she stood up. "Nurse!" she called, "Nurse! He's awake!" She leaned over him and looked worriedly into his eyes. "C-can you hear me?"

Of course he could hear her, what was she, stupid? He looked past her as a small team of nurses and doctors filed in and began checking him over. He growled and pushed them away, but they fought back and tied him down. With a grunt, he strained his arms against his restraints and the doctors quieted. The young woman gazed at him in amazement as his arms straightened and thinned. His skin morphed into a sharp blade that sliced through the leather straps.

"You have my powers," the young woman's voice echoed in his head and he stopped writhing, "Or at least, some semblance of them. You can change your body parts." He looked down at the blades he now had for arms and they shifted back into hands, his skin rippling like mercury. "My name is M'gann M'orzz," she gently pushed him back down on the bed and patted his chest. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and her hands trembled, but she remained firm. "I'm…I might be your momma."

He frowned and looked at the ceiling as the doctors slowly began to check him over again. "It's okay," the young woman said to the doctors, "He's calm now. I…we need to talk. Let me know when you're done."

She looked back at him and stroked his forehead. "I have to go for now. These men and women are here to help. You can trust them." He slowly nodded and she stood up. Reluctantly, she let him go and disappeared behind a wall of scrubs. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes. He had absolutely no idea what was going on, but he didn't want to be alone.

. . .

Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! NEPTUNE'S BEARD! 900!

I know I didn't focus much on Naruto in the Depths chapters, but that was kind of the idea. I wanted to get out some exposition about Raven and Hiruzen before returning to Naruto and the main story line.

So yeah, Hiruzen's dad is Gaara. Good job to those who guessed correctly.