Iruka sat on his bed, legs tucked beneath him and a small bed table settled before him. He grabbed the pair of gold chop sticks placed on the top right hand side of the varnished wooden table, and removed them from the velvet casing. He noticed they never fed him the same thing twice, and tonights dinner consisted of some type of beef and noodle creation, with vegetable's and potatoes. Along with that, there was a small bowl of rice cooked with baby shrimp and covered in a dark seasoned sauce, a dessert, a small loaf of bred, and a chalice of wine. Gods, if they kept up at this weight, he was going to be one fat bastard. Iruka used his chop sticks to lift a small cluster of noodles to his mouth, the mental image of him returning to his friends, and Kakashi trying to wrap his arms around him after he'd gained and extra two hundred pounds. The thought made him snort in laughter, and nearly choke on his food.

Sinca raised a pale lavender brow upward as he turned his gaze on the younger man. He rested his elbow on the armrest of the gilded chair he occupied, not too close from the window, not too close to Iruka's bed. "What's so funny?"

"Your face," Iruka replied, the amused smiles fading from his lips.

The violet haired man noticed the sudden change in Iruka's demeanor. "What? Can't even talk to you without you getting defensive? You've been acting like this for weeks, when are you going to relax?" He frowned slightly. "It's not like I'm going to hurt you," he added in an undertone.

Iruka snorted, rolling in his eyes in one of those dramatic ways that seemed to say 'Puh-lease.' He turned his head away from the man, and focused on his meal, the feather soft raven hair hanging down the sides of his face as he leaned forward a little more, trying to remain nuetral about the man's unwanted prescence. "Don't you have something to do?"

"Yeah. Guard you." He reached into the right pocket of his patent leather pants, having lift himself up slightly to fit his hand inside the pocket of his tight apparel. Slowly slipping out a gold handled switch blade, he began playing with it frivolously. He carelessly released and concealed the blade, over and over, pressing the button on the side to exopse it, then flipping it back into seclusion.

"You'd better be careful," Iruka warned, wishing in the back of his mind that he had some supernatural ability and could make the man cut off his own hand. "Might hurt yourself."

He laughed arrogantly, and continued his play with the small bladed weapon. "Doubt it."

Iruka remained silent for a time, listening to the sound of the blade being expelled again and again. Sinca rested the side of his face alongside the open palm of his free hand, letting his lashes droop in boredom. Without warning, Iruka lifted the small table in his hands, and threw it and it's contents to the floor, the sound of glass dishes and hard wood meeting hard wood resounding throughout the room. Sinca flinched, and his finger moved to the wrong place at the wrong time, just as he was flipping the blade closed.

"Ah! Shit," he hissed, bringing his injured digit to his mouth. He had cut a nice, deep, horizontal line along his pointer, the gash nearly encircling around the finger. "Shit.."

"See?" The chunin chastized in a dead tone. "Accidents happen.."

Sinca sucked his damaged finger into his mouth, all the while glaring at the young man. Hissing at the pain, he stood to his feet and headed to leave the room. "I'll be right back," he told Iruka as he grabbed for the gold toned knob of the door. "And I'll send someone in here to clean up that mess."

Iruka's eyes followed the man as he left the room, slamming the door behind him. There was a soft click that soon followed, and he knew that it had been locked. But that was alright, that could be helped. He didn't wait long; not that he expected to, before the same sound was heard as the door was unlocked, and Hinode stepped in. He rushed into the room, and then spun around quickly to close the door behind him, his hair circling out in a wide arc as he did so.

"It worked?" Hinode asked, looking at the mess on the floor.

Iruka nodded, hardly able to believe it himself. "How did you know he'd cut himself? And how'd you know he'd play with the switchblade right at dinner time?"

Hinode chuckled. "That boy is like a dog with a bone. Give him a shiny new weapon, and he man handles it till he uses it in battle, then he gets bored with it. Look, he won't be back for at least another ten minutes, so that gives us some time. I'm even surprised he was THAT predictable. Had this not worked, I'd have just drugged his drink. He's smart, but still a damned drunk." He moved to sit alongside the bed, resting the large parsel he held under his left arm on Iruka's lap. "In here is what you'll wear when we leave. It's a guardsmen guise. There's also a map of the kingdom, just in case we have to split up, though I hope it doesn't come to that. I've managed to find a paste that will removed those markings off of you, it isn't very sweet smelling, and not likable at all, but it gets the job done."

"What is it?"

"...The feces of one of the Demon Lupin.."

The young brunette's eyes trippled in size as he gaped. "What!"

"I know, I know. It took a few test trials, I stayed in the medical room all day, and that seems to be the only thing that works. Trust me, it's unpleasent, but only for a short

time."

"Disgusting." Tilting his head slightly the left as a thought sprang into his mind, he gave Hinode an inquisitive expression. "What happened to the guards that were standing watch?"

He shrugged. "I enlisted the help of one of the female servants. She's enough to handle them for a few moments. Everything seems to be on track except.."

"Except?

"Well you're still...whats the word?..."

"Soul Surpressed?"

"Yeah, thats it..."

"And I'm not quite sure how to undo it...well, the only thing we can do is hope that Sinca's hold on you is somehow relinquished once we leave here, and find a way to undo whatever it is he did when. Three days is all we have...the next full moon is in three days, and they won't allow you to leave the room till then.."

"Sounds good to me...one more thing though.."

"Hm?"

"There's a little girl around here...I don't know if you've met her but - "

"Miwaku?"

His brow rose swiftly. "You know her?"

Hinode smiled sweetly and nodded, tendrils of white hair swaying from the subtle movement. "Yes, I see her at times, and she speaks of you to anyone who will listen..adorable little thing. Reminds me of - "

"Naruto."

"Yes..."

Iruka looked down, dropping his folded hands into his silk covered lap. "...I know this may already be a strain on you, but...I don't really want to leave her here, and if you can only take one of us, I'd rather you take her and leave me here. I'd rather she leave here, even if I have to stay..."

"No worries," Hinode said, reaching over and patting Iruka's head lightly. "She will be able to come, I know I can pull it off. Don't worry...there's a bigger chance that I won't be able to escape, but if you two can make it, all the better. I'm used to life around here, I can deal with it until Grendel's downfall. No need to worry."

Iruka looked up at the man, his eyes soft with appreciation as he nodded. "Thank you, Hinode."

The man gave him a wide grin and chuckled. "You're most welcome."

One of the young servants tending to the Haruno mansion paused in her dusting of the living room furnishing. Turning her head in the direction of the main door, she waited, making sure her ears were not deceiving her.

"Who is that at this hour?" Agnes said, rushing down the stairs as she held the hem of her dress up.

Kanaye, having heard her loud voice as she stormed down the hall, followed her. "A guest, mayhap."

"Don't get smart with me, child," she snapped at her young grandson.

'Can't help it if I'm smarter than you anyhow,' he thought to himself as he descended the stairs behind her.

"Were you expecting guests, mistress?" The young maid turned to look her way, tilting her head to the side in question.

"No, I surely was not," she replied in her accustomed, rude and bitter tone. Her hopes of the noise being created by mere passerby were diminished as a heavy hand knocked roughly on the door, completely ignoring the gold toned, hand made knocker centered on the white door. "Bloody hell..." She snarled, rushing forward to the door. "And in the middle of a storm as well...how rude." She gripped the knob, pulling it open to look at the three forms standing on her welcome mat, soaked and covered in cloaks. The pink hair falling from underneath the hood of the middle traveller gave away her identity instantly. Agnes gasped, and smiled throwing her arms around the girl, ignoring her wet and cold attire. "Sakura, darling!"

The said girl laughed, and hugged her grandmother in return. "Grandmother!"

"Goodness, you picked a terrible night to travel! It's cold and rainy and, dear me, come inside, all of you."

Sasuke and Naruto followed them into the warmth and brightness of the house, neither having yet removed the hoods of the respective cloaks. Kanaye stood in the middle of the front room, watching as the servant hurridly closed the door to keep out the wind and rain of the storm.

"The horses will need to be put in stables," Sasuke said quietly, more to himself as he pulled down his hood. Agnes looked at the young ninja, her smile still in place as she greeted him.

"And you must be Uchiha Sasuke! Welcome to the Haruno estate, I hope you enjoy your time with us. I am sure the both of you have so much to tell me about your mission." Her gaze fell on the patch, and she sighed, shaking her head. He may have been missing something important, but it hadn't affected his looks in the least. "Such are the dangers of being a ninja, no? You must have done a very brave thing to end up with such damage...I hope you tell me all about soon, for now we've to get everyone out of these wet clothes, goodness. Whats bring you here so soon, anyway?"

Kanaye looked at the brunette, tilting his head to the side. 'Not bad...he's a looker alright...now I see why he wouldn't want something like Sakura.' He laughed to gently to himself, continueing his inspection of the ninja's features. The patch over his left eye( I'm not sure if thats the right eye, I'm too lazy to check! XD So sorry) gave him a more deadly look, which in ninja terms translated to 'God damned, I wanna fuck your brains out your nose.' While he looked at the Uchiha, Sakura explained, well, half explained why they had arrived so early, showing off the stiches of her arms, not mentioning who did it, only that it happened in a battle. From then on, the elder Haruno female began to shout and fret over her 'dear little injured dear.'

During her bustle of her dear granddaughter, and her meal ticket to more wealth, she forgot about the third mystery guest standing beside Sasuke. Turning her head to face the figure wrapped in white silk, she raised a brow. Agnes assumed to some degree, that this third visitor was female, due to the style and fitting of the robes and cloak. "And...you are?" She asked mildly.

Naruto's hands rose slowly upward to grip the hem of his white hood. The bracelts along his wrist dangled and clashed, making a gentle type of music at his subtle movements. He was nervous, and it showed it his body language. Agnes' eyes widdened slightly as she looked at the jewel encrested bangles and rings. With slow, careful motions, he pushed the hood back, letting it drop from his wet, flattened blonde locks. He looked up at her, seeing as she was taller than he; and blinked away the small drops of rainwater that managed to cling to his dark lashes. "H-hello. I'm...Uzumaki Naruto." He reached out a hand toward her, offering a shake, and she stepped back a bit. "...Well...can't say I wasn't expecting that..." His eyes softened and features softened in a sad type of way as he looked at the ground.

Kanaye, having watched the whole ordeal, raised a brow when Naruto's hood dropped. He too had mistaken the short stature and slim figure of the ninja to be that of a young girls. Hearing the boys introduction of himself, Kanaye's smile brightened. 'So this is Naruto?...Very, very nice...very nice indeed.'

"...So..you're Naruto." Agnes regained herself, fixing the collar of her dress and glaring at the boy. "Well, I've hard much about you, and to be honest, none of it was quite good..."

Sasuke's hands tightened, balling into tight fist as he stared at the older women. Naruto cast him a quick gaze, a warning stare that easily translated to 'Chill out, and don't you dare cause more trouble.' Slowly, he unclenched his hands and breath carefully. Her words hadn't affected Naruto much, because in her gaze, he could see something that made him smile. Envy. His lips drew up into a graceful smile, not too overpowering, not too subtle. He clasped his hands behind his back, head slightly down, giving him a quiet, childish look. "I assure you...all that you have heard are lies."

"I find that hard to believe...an entire village can't possibly be wrong, now can they?"

Making his way toward his grandmother, Kanaye pushed past her and reached for Naruto's left hand. Bringing the boys hand to his mouth, he kissed the top of his palm lightly, smiling warmly at the boy as he answered Agnes' question. "Of course they can." He lifted his eyes to meet Naruto's, his smile still in place. "It is very nice to meet you, Uzumaki Naruto. Or shall I call you Prince Uzumaki?"

The boy pulled his hand away slowly, so as not to seem rude, and simply shrugged. "Naruto, is just fine. And it's...um, nice to meet you too."

"My name is Kanaye. Kimioto Kanaye." ( I didn't have time to think of a better name, sorry. )

"Nice to meet you, Kanaye."

"I am glad you think so. I - "

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke." The ninja held out his hand to the Haruno offspring, eye narrowed slightly in a poor attempt to hide his dislike.

Sweatdropping, the young kitsune turned his attentions to Agnes, who's displeased eyes stuck to him.

"Enough of this," Agnes snapped. "Sasuke," her tone softened as she spoke to him. "I'm going to need to speak with you, in private, if you please. Some...issues must be straightened so that all can go well.."

"All can go well?" He repeated, slender brows raising in wonder.

"I will...explain it to you shortly." She turned away from him, and looked to the young servant who remained in the room, standing adjacent the front door. "Take my grandaughter and get her settled in, now."

Nodding curtly, she motioned for Sakura to follow her up the spiral staircase leading to the upper floors of the household. The pink haired ninja obeyed reluctantly, giving Sasuke a forlorn look.

'Damn she's getting fat,' The Uchiha thought comically. 'Haha.'

"Grandmother, isn't Sasuke coming with me?"

Agnes smiled at her. "He can't now dear, not just yet. Now, go on, get out of those clothes and into bed."

With a mumbled relpy of argreement, she moved up the stairs, her movements slow due to the gathering weight in her bellow, one hand moving up the dark wood of the varnished banister. The young servant did her part, one arm over Sakura's waist and the other on her arm.

With her gone, the room became eerily silent. Naruto shifted, his lids lowered, passive eyes on an innocent face. Agnes's mouth turned, unvoiced insults threatening to spill past her coral lips onto the demon in her view. "...Sakura has told Kanaye some amazing things about you...but that doesn't dismiss what you are - "

"And what is that?" Naruto asked. "What am I? Tell me, because I can hardly say I know."

"A fool, slacker, and...a monster."

Sasuke didn't know what to expect, but he surely didn't anticipate that laugh that rose from blonde's throat. The high, and thoroughly amused laughter surronded them, and for a moment, Sasuke wasn't sure if that was even Naruto's laugh to begin with. It was higher, stranger, a foreign sound emitting from a familiar figure.

"Yes, I just may be a monster. But a fool? A slacker? No, no, not me. You don't want to toy with me too much, Agnes...to play with me is to play a God's game..." His eyes narrowed, and the tone of voice that started off light and brisk ended deep and heavy.

The elder Haruno stepped forward to him. "Oh really?" She snorted, letting her eyes wander over the boys features and apparel. "Too bad I don't scare easily..."

"Too bad I tend to scare others easily."

"You know I'm going to make your time here a living hell..."

"You know I can take it, don't you? I've lived with it all my life, do you really think a simple minded wench like yourself can break me? Goodness...you Haruno's have inbred so much, you lack common intelligence, I see."

Sasuke loved watching the boy argue so sharply. 'Ten points for the inbreed knock down.'

Agnes chuckled, rolling her eyes as if the boys words held nothing over her. "Least through inbreeding I know I don't have any Blood Filth in my family."

"Call it what you want. My family is full of Nobles while yours is full of foreheads."

"Heh. I think this may be an interesting game to say the very least."

"Too bad you'll pay so dearly for it."

"Worth every bit."

"How'd have guessed for a monster, I'd be worth such a price."

She turned away from him, spitting out no reply to his final retort and looked at Kanaye, who stood beside her with a gleeful smirk on his lips. "What the hell is so funny?"

"I hate to sound so...childish and odd but...you just got served..." ( XD No, I don't know why I put that there xD )

Agnes fought back the urge to throw a waspish remark at him, opting to simply let it pass this once. "Take Naruto to his room...and explain to him what you must. Sasuke, please follow me." She walked off, making her way through the maze of furniture and towards the kitchen.

The Uchiha moved to follow, stopping to grip Naruto's hand one time before leaving.

"You're bedroom is on the third floor, along with mine. Sakura and Sasuke are to share a room on the secound floor, with Agnes'."

"So, I'm guessing the point is to keep me from him at all times, isn't it?"

With a regretful sigh, he nodded. "Yes. One thing about Haruno's are, we're a very...wicked bunch, I believe."

Naruto's blue eyes scutinized Kanaye's features. He didn't look much like Sakura, more or less like his grandmother. "Hm. You're right," he answered crisply.

"I hope you don't think such of me."

"I think what I want, when I want, about anyone I want." And with that said, he turned on a heel, heading up the stairs with sharp, angry steps. Quietly, Kanaye picked up the boys cases, and followed his lead.

Agnes motioned for Sasuke to take a seat at the circular table in the middle of the kitchen, which he did so without question. Taking a moment to arrange the velvet string of the black bodice of her simple dress. She settled into a seat across from him, raising her right hand to her hair, checking to be sure that her grand bun was still in tip top shape. Agnes was never one to have anything out of order. "Well.." The elder woman's voice held a quiet strength to it, though the pitch was somewhat unpleasent to the ears, it was bareable at the very least. Folding her hands and then resting them atop the table, she leaned forward to him, just slightly, and sighed. "Well, as I said, it is truly an honor meeting you, my dear."

Still upset with the way she treated Naruto, he simply nodded his head, his single eye frozen in a glare.

Uneasy with his cold demeanor to her, she cleared her throat. "I know all about what happened...how my granddaughters pregnancy is, as you call it, a mistake. Yet, I commend the face that you wish to raise the child alone, seeing as she didn't seem like she wanted to." She paused, taking time to search through her mind for the right words. "But, you must understand that it would be...very difficult for you to raise this child, and if she were to raise it alone as an unwed mother...well, you know how bad that looks not only on my family, but on herself."

Sasuke snorted, turning to look away from the women a moment before returning his glare to her pale face. He looked over her features, though she didn't seem as old as she ways, and wasn't the least what one would call 'ugly' the inner wickedness in her was visible enough to turn Sasuke's stomach. "I will not be raising the child alone..."

She raised a brow in astonishment. "Oh..you won't be?"

"If you didn't know...which I assumed you did seeing at how boldly you degraded him, Naruto is my choice of mate."

"Choice...of mate?...I see..." Her brows furrowed, the thought that the blonde may have left the brunette after being told of Sakura's pregnancy months ago may have broken off whatever it was they had to begin with. She had been wrong. "Well..I understand but...think of the child in this, Sasuke...you raising a baby with...Naruto wouldn't be good for the well being of the coming newborn..."

"How so?" His voice had taken on a abrasive tone as he frowned at her.

"Naruto...is...not only a young...young man, he is also..very diffrent, from what I have been told..."

"Been told? And what exactly have you been told?"

"...Contrary to what he looks, he is not human..." She spread her hands, trying to make her point clear and wanting him to understand. "Sasuke...Sakura, loves you. Always has...and its such a pure and honest love - "

"Pure and honest? She drugged me, slept with me, and is not carrying my child and most likely feeding you lies about Naruto every chance she gets. Yes...very pure and honest indeed in a damned sort of way."

Agnes brought her hands to rest on either side of her temple, rubbing her cranium in weariness. "She loves you...since she was a young girl, your name was the name she associated with love...and she always wished to have you for herself so she could prove it..."

"..Things don't always work out the way we wish.."

"Couldn't you...just try to love her back? Think of the child...her future...you could make it work if you wanted.."

"I don't want it to, and I never will. For someone your age, I'd think you to be wise, and not so ignorant on matters of the heart."

"I don't see how you being with that...boy, is a matter of the heart.."

"It is."

"Impossible."

"Not so. If there is nothing more to talk about I'm tired and edgy and need sleep."

"...For the sake of my familys respect and prestige...I will need you to stay away from Naruto during your time here...it is best that you and Sakura give off the illusion at least, of a married couple, at least while you're here."

He grimaced, the hand resting on the table balling into a tight fist. "You want me to fake it? Not only that, but no contact with Naruto?"

"As little as you can manage. You and Sakura will be sharing a bedroom together, two seperate beds, just to avoid any coflict."

"I can't share a room with that girl, she'll drive me nuts - "

"You don't have much of a choice. You love your child, don't you?..." The last sentence came out as a quiet whisper, her gaze leaving his for a moment as she let the words free into the tense air between them.

"...You're threatening the well being of my child?"

"I am only saying...if you wish to raise the child with...that...'mate' of yours. But if you cannot do this simple thing for me, then, I will be sure the child is taken, and raised by more well to do parents. Meaning, a man, and a woman."

Sasuke stood from his seat, his shitty mood evident on his handsome face, his fist clenched as if he would have liked nothing better than to attack her where she stood. "...Fine...only for the time I am here, but Naruto and I will need at least two hours a day to discuss tactics on finding what we came here for.."

"And that is?"

"Nothing of your concern."

"When the kage mets with Naruto tomorrow, I am sure he will ask."

"He is meeting with Naruto?"

Agnes made a bitter face, her hands folding and resting beneath her chin. "Hm..that grandmother of his, the sorcerer wench. She scheduled a meeting with him, for Naruto, so the kage told me. I don't know why he would even bother meeting with the - "

"I would suggest you watch how you talk about Naruto. I may not be in any position to do anything to you, but Niobe is not only a queen, but a crazy ass bitch at that. Let her hear you speaking of her only grandchild in such a way, and things will get ugly."

"I don't fear Sorcerers unlike some of you silly ninja. They are stains on this earth, you know...unholy power, and demonic ways and - "

"And you're so holy, eh?"

"Holier than thou, my child."

Turning to walk away, the brunette shook his head, hardly able to believe he'd have to deal with her for the next few weeks, maybe longer. "Yeah...it must feel good to lie to yourself so effortlessly."

"By the way, what happened with your eye? Naruto carve if out of that pretty face, did he?"

The Uchiha chuckled. "No. I saw your granddaughter naked and it ran for dear life." ( OWNAGE! XD )

"Once again, it is very nice to met you, Naruto-hime," Kanaye said, as the boy placed his belonging onto his bed with a heavy sigh.

Naruto paused, a cross shaped vein popping out on the side of his head as he clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "Did you honestly just call me Princess Naruto?"

"Yes, I believe I did."

The boy sighed, and shook his head, turning his attention back to his cases. Unpacking his belonging, he situated them around the room that was to be his for the time being. Kanaye watched as the boy moved about the room, removing robes of the finest quality from his cases and hanging them one by one in the walk through closet adjacent the room door. From other bags, he removed shoes, heeled silken slippers bejeweled with precious stones, each pair matching a specific robe that he had seen put away in the closet. Maybe thats what made his grandmother so unhappy with Sorcerers. With the wealth their nobles had, how could one angry bitter women not be jealous? He laughed lightly to himself. But, what he wouldn't give to just ditch all that fancy crap and run around naked in a field of wildflowers. Or at least naked.

"Is something funny?" Naruto asked, removing the bracelets and gold from his fingers, throwing them carelessly on the top of his dressing table. The heavy jewelary slammed into the top of the shiny wood, making a hollow sound as it hit.

"You're very...angry this day, aren't you? I had often heard you were very kind."

"It seems, when around a woman like Agnes, one cannot remain calm for very long, now can they?"

Kanaye nodded, his bangs swaying forward as he did so. Lifting his right hand to his face, he tucked the stray pieces of hair behind his hair, and sighed. "Well, for what its worth, I do apologize for her behavior."

"Please, she's only a jealous hag." He huffed lightly, sitting down on the firm mattress.

Kanaye laughed a gentle, easy laugh as he nodded. "Yes. She has always been that way, since I can remember. My mother said those same words to me about her when I was around six."

"Do they even manage to get along?" Naruto inquired, tilting his head to the side and widening his eyes in a way that always gave him a curiously childish look.

Sighing, he narrowed his eyes at the ground for a moment before facing the young ninja. "My mother died when I was ten. She came down with a strange sickness. No one knew what it was, but she died a few weeks later..." He trailed off, his voice growing lower as he remembered past events stored away in his mind.

"Oh..." Naruto's pretty face became lined with sadness and regret at being so bold as to ask such a question. "Sorry..."

Kanaye waved his right hand lightly, as if dimissing his apology. "Don't worry, it's alright. That was years ago." He watched the boys gaze drop, eyes half lidded adding to the sad look on his face. Quickly changing the subject he asked, "You have a meeting with to TsuchiKage tomorrow, no?"

He raised his head and replied in a low voice. "Yes, I do."

"Hm...Sasuke and Sakura are to be going someplace with Agnes. I bet the old witch planned that too." His lips curled up into a snarl, as if he'd tasted something foul and sour.

"No," Naruto corrected abruptly. "My grandmother arranged a meeting between he and I."

"And particular reason why?"

"Maybe so he can see I'm not the monster everyone takes me for."

"Not everyone takes you for a monster." A faint smile graced his features.

"True. But most do."

"Well, no need to worry. He no longer seems weary of Sorcerers. He finds them to be enchanting creatures now, he'll enjoy your company."

"Yeah, well I - Hey, wait a hot minute! How do you know about Sorcerers!"

"Ah, you're not the only one well read in history. And besides...Agnes has something of a vendetta against them..."

"I see..." This time, he wasn't bold enough to ask why, but simply took the response for what it was. "How did you know I was a Sorcerer anyway?" He quickly changed the subject to something a bit lighter. The last thing he wanted to do was step out of the bounds of propriety and cause another accident like the one prior.

Kanaye took a light step forward, and chuckled. "It's very obvious. You look like one."

Naruto quirked his head, giving Kanaye a wide eyed look. "Um...Sorcerer's look like humans too, you know?" He blinked.

The elder man shook his head. "No, not entirely. They always have an air of...enchantment about them, Sorcerers do...a very strange and appealing characteristic."

The young ninja blinked for a moment, the nodded lightly, unsure of how exatcly to reply to that.

"Well...its late, and I'm sure you'd like to get some rest before you're early meeting in the morning. But, before I take my leave...have you any plans after your meeting with our Kage?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, might I be allowed to show you around the village? The weather may not be all that complying, but, it would be a nice way to spend even a grey morning. This village is very lovely, even in the rain."

The young boy sighed. Just the faintest hint of weariness showed in his clear blue eyes as starred at Kanaye. "Are you doing this just to help out that witch of a grandmother you have?"

"I have no reason to want to help her out in any way, because, she is exactly what you call her. A witch. You'd get an even better discription if dropped that double-u and add my favorite letter in the entire alphabet."

Knowing where he was going in his play, the blonde laughed lightly. "Well, alright then."

"Is that a yes to my invitation, or to calling her a bitch?" His lush lips formed a playful smirk as he raked a hand through his long bangs from his gaze.

"Both." The two males laughed lightheartedly.

Turning away from the boy, still chuckling softly, Kanaye headed to leave the boy to himself. "Well, I've enjoyed speaking with you. And it was nice to finally meet you, Naruto-hime." With that, he left the room in a swish of grey and black silk, leaving the boy alone with a new outlook on the Haruno's.

He stood from his bed, locked his room door and then proceeded to change into his night clothes. 'Well,' he thought to himself. 'He isn't bad at all...other then is obvious lack of gender indentification with me, he really isn't that bad at all.'

"I don't see why you just don't fucking get it," Sasuke shouted, slamming the door to the bedroom he was forced to share with Sakura.

The said kunoichi stopped brushing her short pink mane, and set the silver handled brush atop the varnished pine top of the dressing table. Starring at her and Sasuke's reflections in the mirror, she reamined seated in the short stool.

"I do get it, Sasuke." She blinked slowly, opening her lashes at the same slow, calm pace. "I get that for some reason, you're in love with a freak - don't you dare touch me, Sasuke." She watch him stop his forward momentum, hand raised, ready to slap her shitless. "Remember, one wrong move, and you're putting your 'Love' for that freak in danger. You don't want to end up stuck with me forever, do you?"

Sasuke seethed, his teeth clenched and eyes narrowed to hateful slits of midnight. "...You're getting such joy out of torturing me, aren't you?"

Sakura let out a clipped, bitter laugh. "Torturing you? Yes, I guess I do. But it's more than that. This is breaking down that little humanoid, isn't it?" Her pale hand reached forward and grabbed the silver comb that lay beside the brush. Running it through her hair, she smiled softly. "He's hurting, isn't he? He hates being without you, especially when he needs you now most of all. But, no worries, Kanaye will surely care for him. In the mean time, you and I have a marriage to fake, and child to prepare for."

"A child you don't even want," Sasuke spat. "And the 'humanoid' you so hate, gives more of a damn about that child than you, so don't try and be some type of mother now, you bitch."

In a laughing tone, she spoke quietly. "I was always smarter than you, wasn't I? Maybe not as good as fighter, maybe not battle smart, but I could beat you in everything else...haven't you realized it yet? Oh, I've admitted defeat alright. I've admitted it just fine. And in doing so, I've devised my own plan of surrender. You know what they say, if you can't beat them," she paused her little speech with a light snicker. "Join them."

"You're so sick, it's disgusting." He glared at her, jaw set, and hands clenched into fist.

"I bet it is."

"You hate him that much?..."

"I do."

"And for what? Why?"

"...Because I can."

The Uchiha's eyes widdened at the pathetic answer, and he use every ounce of his will power to not rush forward and choke the life out of the girl. "...Sick bitch."

"Yes, I guess I am, aren't I?"

"When this is over...I don't ever want to see you again.."

"Don't worry. You won't have to. By then, I'd have done enough damage to leave you with a shitful of bad memories...heh.."

Gaara sat on his futon, legs and arms crossed, head down, and going nearly insane. "I can't believe...I'm stuck...with these...fools...for gods know..how long.."

Kakashi, who sat beside him, gave him a weary look and sighed. "It isn't that bad - AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAKAI, PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"

Makai stopped running around the rented room long enough to look at the frustrated jounin and Kage. "I'm too sexy for my clothes, dammit."

"MAKAI!" Kagayoku yelled, walking into the room with a tray of food. "GET YOUR ASS IN SOME PANTS!"

"Stop acting like you can resist all this sexy. Look at this ass? Just look at it!"

A vein appeared on the side of her head as she trembled with rage. "...There is a hot pot of grits on the stove...either you wear your clothes...or the hot grits, bitch."

With wide eyes, the twin scurried off into another room to dress.

"I don't believe this," Gaara repeated. "Even Kankuro and Temari weren't this...this..."

"Fucking insane?" Kakashi finished.

"Yes, yes, that is it."

Setting out the bowls and dishes for their dinner, Kagayoku sighed. "No worries..this will all be over soon - MALIKAI, TURN THAT MUSIC OFF! FOR THE LAST TIME, YOU DON'T HAVE GRILLS, YOU'RE NOT BIG PIMPIN, THE ONLY CHEESE YOU SEE IS FROM THE GOVERMENT, AND ANY HOE YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD WAS JUST A MAN IN A BITCHES CLOTHING!"

Malikai looked at her with a hurt expression. "But...but, Rick Ross said - "

"I don't care."

"But...but, Jay-Z told me - "

"Don't tempt me..."

"But...But, Tupac - "

"DAMMIT, HE'S DEAD, GET OVER IT!"

Picking up his radio and cd's, he ran out of the room screaming and crying. "He isn't dead! He's hiding somewhere in Africa hearding sheep as a descendant from the Shaka Zulu Tribe, damn you! HE IS ALIVE!"

"Oh." Kakashi began.

"My." Kagayoku added.

"GOD I'M SO SEXY!" Makai's voice echoed.

Gaara raised his eyes heavenward, and bit down on his tongue. "If there is a God or Gods or anything...please...please, deliver me from these assholes.."