Naruto: Genesis of the Nindo

by Bloody-Mad

Inspired by Reading the Future: Naruto's True Nindo. . . The future is not set in stone. Every action has a reaction. The people of the past have a chance to change things- hopefully, for the better. Join Team Minato, The Slug and Toad Sannin, and the parents that started it all! Hopefully, a different kind of Naruto! TEMPORARY HIATUS

37. Chapter 37

Dearest reders.

It is with great pomp and circumstance, not to mention a good bit of pride . . . that i present to thee, the thirty-seventh chapter of Naruto: Genesis of the Nindo. To be more precise, the chapter dealing with the very first Naruto Shippuden movie, one of my favorites of all of them. Truly, i feel this is one of my best chapters simply because of ONE scene. I think you'll know which one when you read it. So, read on!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. Similarly, i do not own any songs english or japanese.

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Chapter Thirty-Seven

Another Test of Fate, Uzumaki Naruto!

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"So . . . um, Kyuubi . . ." Kushina starts out oh so casually.

Kyuubi thinks to himself with absolute certainty that he should get an award for being so patient with the flesh bags. And, rather reluctantly, he must also admit that they aren't being quite as horrible as he had thought them to be. Not quite horrible enough for him to continue calling them flesh bags, even. With a heavy sigh, he turns to his jailer. Only Naruto gets called a host.

"Yes. Kushina." Kyuubi answers shortly.

Not deterred by the less than amenable tone, Kushina pushes on. "Well we're seven chapters in now, since you've arrived. Maybe, you'd . . . like to read?"

"Not really, no." Kyuubi answers honestly.

"I think it's a good idea." Tsunade tosses in there, face carefully smooth so as not to reveal her teasing intent.

"I think I should amaze your friends with the story of your fifth birthday party Tsunade." Kyuubi responds in turn, grinning quite evilly when the woman pales.

"Oh come on Kyuubi . . . you're not doing this for us— you're doing it for Naruto!" Obito tries another tactic.

Kyuubi looks blankly at the Uchiha youth. "That 'for Naruto' excuse will only get you so far before it gets old. Oh . . . too late. It's old."

"Come on please!" Obito continues.

"Tch. It's not like my voice is pleasant to hear anyway." Kyuubi growls, further accenting the growling echo that is ever present in his voice, the timber masking the subtle nuances of his tone almost perfectly.

"I think we all know by now you can change that . . . by speaking in your human voice now can't you?" Kushina asks knowingly. At the lava hot glare soon directed to her she hurries to say, "Not like, changing into a human! You can switch can't you? Your voice?"

Kyuubi growls in frustration, tails lashing behind him in his agitation. As the others watch him warily, yet hopefully, Kyuubi has an internal argument with himself.

Ugh, I'm making the tail and ears on Naruto permanent for this shit, I swear. Kyuubi promises himself. Without looking at them, he extends one arm, hand palm up to receive the book. Ignoring the muffled exclamations of joy and the stifled giggles, when the book is put into his hand he grasps it and brings it forward to him.

Kyuubi looks up at the ceiling in concentration, and clears his throat a couple of times. He turns to Kushina, still not ready to really look at the others. "Sound any different?" he asks.

Oh, how different indeed. Kushina blinks in shock at the silky smooth, dark and clear voice that comes from Kyuubi. Is that what the growling timbre had been masking this entire time? "Yeah, sounds perfect!" she cheers, giving him a thumbs up and a sunny grin.

Kyuubi snorts, eyeing her incredulously before opening the book and thumbing to the correct chapter. "Alright . . ." he sighs.

"Weak!" Katsu taunts, prancing to avoid the volley of kunai Naruto sends her way. "I'm getting bored!" she sings, twirling and spinning around his attacks.

"Already I regret my decision." Kyuubi sighs, as if he is genuinely in pain. "Human . . . mating rituals confuse and slightly disturb me."

"Push through it, you can do it!" Obito rallies. Kyuubi glares at the Uchiha until the boy stiffens and looks away in fear.

"Don't act so cocky!" Naruto barks with a grin. "You've just been dodging me so far. You're defense is kickass, but so far your offense has not impressed!"

Katsu laughs lightheartedly, ducking under a punch and quickly twisting back in an impressive display of flexibility that impressed Naruto greatly, as did the blow her knee dealt to his solar plexus . . . in the back of his mind, as more pressing was the pain that had him moaning for the wrong reasons.

"Oh!" The men in the room jeer, laughing. "First time experiencing feminine wiles in combat is always offsetting." Jiraiya chuckles, wiping away a tear.

A peal of laughter left the bouncing Katsu, who looked down at Naruto. "You might be a powerful ninja, but you're still just a man. A flash of thigh and you're like a genin."

"Isn't it true?" Kushina, Tsunade, and Rin ask knowingly.

"Well played." Naruto groaned, slowly getting back to his feet. Katsu giggles and leans in for a kiss, nipping at his bottom lip before dancing away again. Naruto raises an eyebrow when she dances away from his extended and very willing pair of lips, but a breathy chuckle escapes him and he stretches, walking forward.

Both pause as a sound breaks the morning ambience— a staccato rhythm that he knows only by theory. The Alarm to bring in all available shinobi.

"There's a threat to the country then. I haven't heard that since the beginning of the Third Shinobi War." Tsunade murmurs in concern.

Naruto turns to Katsu, and his face is grave enough that she listens without question. "Go inside, and stay there until things clear up."

She nods and moves into the house. When he hears the lock click, Naruto moves quickly, heading for the Hokage Tower, a trip that nowadays only takes three minutes. He takes a two minute delay to retrieve a little girl in danger of being trampled by panicking civilians and returns her to her thankful mother.

Naruto is walking through the doorway of the Hokage Office two minutes later. Tsunade and Sakura turn to look at him, surprised. "I had just told Sakura to get you too!" Tsunade recalls, impressed.

"Oh speed, how amazing you are." Minato sighs lovingly.

"Your wish is my command." Naruto says charmingly.

"Charmer . . . Either way, Team Seven has a mission." Tsunade speaks authoritatively, her business persona showing how she means business.

"Sai and Kakashi?" Naruto asks.

"Sasuke's replacement this time is Lee . . . sorry," Tsunade apologizes, seeing the stern look Naruto sends her as he pats a depressed Sakura's back. "And replacing Kakashi is Neji, as he is a jounin."

"Such promising talent in the next generation!" Minato marvels.

"Hmm . . . I know you became jounin young too butseeing as it's you, it's all well and good. But these kids, what do they really know about jounin? They've grown up peacefully!" Rin argues.

"Jounin exams are tough, no matter peace or war. If he passed it, he's earned it. However, it's strange because usually they don't promote chuunin to jounin without at least four to five years out of principal, and a recommended stint teaching at the Academy . . . of course, cases like Kakashi where they don't teach are applicable." Minato replies thoughtfully.

"Unless there's a serious need for jounin out on the field, as in times of war when all time limits are lightened up. Remember, we had many kids going into the Academy at five for a while." Tsunade reminds him.

"Seriously? Congrats man, I never knew." Naruto congratulates Neji, who accepts it with a small smile and a nod of his head. "Sorry about the interruption, what's the mission again?"

"The call has been sent out, an army is marching towards the border and our ninja have been sent to meet these forces, that which they call a 'Ghost Army.' However we know this so called Ghost Army to be a type of puppet technique."

"Meaning they don't have souls, they're just dolls being controlled?" Sakura asks.

At Tsunade's nod, Naruto speaks up. "So if we stop the one commanding the army then the army will stop?"

"It's not that easy." Tsunade admits uneasily. "The one commanding the army isn't human. Mouryou, as he is called, is a demon from another world."

Kyuubi snorts, and it's that particular snort of one who is amused that has them all interested. "Someone you know?" Kushina asks.

"Hmph!" Kyuubi allows one short chuckle to escape him. "You can say that."

Sure there were the typical shocked looks, but they were all turned to Naruto when he snorted. "Is something funny Naruto?" Sakura asks pointedly.

Naruto coughs to hide another laugh, waving his hand. "Um, no . . ."

Actually, something was hilarious. Kurama inside his head was currently . . .

Ahahahahaaa! Oh SHIT! I know that punk! Little Mouryou, I used to prank the ever loving shit out of that guy. . . You don't even know the terrible things I did to him! Ohhhohohohhhahahaaa! Kurama wheezed into silence, and Naruto could almost feel the tremors that no doubt wracked the fox going through him.

"That was so awkward Kyuubi." Kushina laughs. "You know you want to laugh, so just do it!"

"Shut up and let me read child!" Kyuubi groans.

Naruto took a breath. "I just wonder how bad this demon really is."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who the distraction was. "There was a time when the Ghost Army rose. Using the demon Mouryou's powers they were an immortal army. They conquered several countries and were set to rule the continent . . . a powerful priestess from Demon Country named Miroku invoked a powerful ninjutsu to seal Mouryou's soul in the Demon Country's Underground Palace, and his body in Swamp Country."

"Do you remember that Kyuubi?" Rin asks.

Kyuubi's ears twitch as he thinks back to that memory. "I had little news of the outside world from my seals. So this particular event, amusing as it sounds, unfortunately passed me."

She straightens up, looking at them seriously. "Now that Mouryou has been revived, his army will pass through Demon Country and head toward the shrine where his body is being kept."

"Your mission is to take the high priestess of Demon Country to where the body is being kept. If the soul is sealed again, the world is safe. Now go!"

"Yes Hokage-sama!" They cry, moving quickly out of the room. Neji allows them thirty minutes to pack before leaving— the situation is serious and they can't afford to waste time.

"You're back? What's happening?" Katsu asks as he breezes through the house, leaping up the stairs and grabbing his scroll.

Naruto pauses as he descends to the living room again, tipping Katsu's chin in his hand as he kisses her. "I'm leaving. Got a priestess to babysit. Everything's fine, I'll be back in at most two weeks."

"Safe trip." Katsu calls, as he rockets out again.

It takes Naruto five minutes, on detour, to get to the Gates. "Hmm," he frowns. "I can do better."

"Seeing as I'm still not familiar with the area you live in, I can't say but . . . yes, you can always do better. Shoot for two minutes!" Minato encourages.

"Yosh! Always seek to improve yourself Naruto-kun!" Lee advocates, sending a thumb up to the blonde young man.

"Cool, we're all here." Naruto murmurs, fist bumping with Lee.

"In order to pull off this mission successfully, our protection detail must be flawless. Sakura you will stay close to our client, especially in the case she needs emergency medical attention. Lee and Naruto, you'll keep enemies off our back."

"Sure." Naruto nods, Lee providing his much more enthusiastic agreement.

"Then, let's go!" Neji orders, leaping into the trees without another word. The others follow suit, creating a 'V' formation.

"Demon Country seems far . . . how long will it take to get there?" Sakura murmurs.

"Hm? If we're not completely incompetent, no more than three days." Naruto answers back.

"That's a very big if." Kyuubi comments loftily.

"Oh be nice." Tsunade sighs.

"No." Kyuubi bluntly states.

There wasn't much talk, the silences tense because of how much was riding on this mission.

And wasn't it just great that, when they got there, they were immediately in the middle of an invasion? Around them the bodies of guards littered the ground, battered and badly beaten. Naruto sharpened his senses, closing his eyes so his ears could pick up the source of the invasion.

His eyes snap open as he barks to Neji, "They're going for the priestess! I know where she is, let's go!"

"Lead the way." Neji nods, and they run towards the priestess' room. As they moved forward Naruto jumped ahead and got a look at the assailants. Four men in white high-collared jumpsuits and white pants.

"Don't you know how impolite it is to barge into a woman's room?" Naruto asks slyly, leaping over them and situating himself in front of them.

"What's with this guy?" A man whose face was nearly covered by a white cloth tied behind his head asks, and Naruto narrows his eyes at the strange dark red skin that resembled Lee opening his Gates. And the eyes of all four were completely overtaken by black, like the demons in storybooks.

"Hm, does that mean something to him?" Obito wonders.

"It's just good to note these kinds of things." Jiraiya answers.

Naruto grins, hearing the guard and the priestess behind him start to move. He glances back to see the two go through a secret opening in the wall, and now he can freely focus on these guys.

"He doesn't seem like a pushover." The feminine looking one with long pink hair notes.

"Glad to see you're taking me seriously." Naruto chirps, and brings his chakra into his hands. A seal suddenly appears on the backs of his hands, and with a puff of smoke his Claw Blades are fitted and ready to tear into enemies.

"Badass," Minato crows. "I wonder how he did that?"

"You think you can take us all on?" The masked man asks.

"Let's see." Naruto shrugs, and shoots forward with a speed that surprises his enemies. Thanks to their shock he tears through their clothes and snags on their flesh for only a brief second before they fly out the large door. Naruto follows, whispering, "Taijuu Kage Bushin!"

In a haze around him one hundred clones pop up.

"How can he make this many shadow clones?" The blue haired one with face paint asks incredulously.

"I knew he wasn't a pushover." The purple haired man growls. They land in the courtyard below, Naruto's clones forming a ring around them.

"Where are you going?" The clones speak as one, grinning savagely.

The feminine man straightens up and raises one arm. "Gitai, Setsuna, Shizuku! Use an earth, wind, fire combo!"

Minato hums in consideration, fingers tapping his inner elbow from where he folds his arms. "That could be tricky to get out of."

"Aw shit." One clone mutters, others around him nodding grimly.

"Wait, one of them is a girl?!" One clone yelps.

"His clones are so weird." Rin giggles.

The masked, red-skinned one jumps forward. "Sure! Doton: Earth Corridor!" He slams his hands into the ground with such force the ground cracks and bends underneath him. The troop of Naruto's watch in shock as the earth rushes up around them and over them, creating a seemingly inescapable dome.

"This brings back memories." One clone fondly voices, the others nodding in agreement.

"Of course the jutsu is different, but . . ." one clone denies before another shouts out his discovery.

"Hey, I found an exit. Who wants to bet it's a trap?" He jokes.

"I'll take that bet." They all chorus.

"So instead of falling for the obvious trap . . . what say we make our own exit?" A clone rolls his eyes as he suffers stating the obvious.

"I'm thinking . . . bijuudama?" Naruto asks his clones, getting various agreement.
"Well just to be safe . . . two on the round, let's go!"

"So weird." Obito chortles along with Rin's increased giggles.

"You got it!" Two clones jump forward, the red chakra of Kurama already broiling around them. They bring forth four tails before their mouths open, heads going back to aim at the ceiling.

The bijuudama is an exclusive bijuu only technique that may be passed on to a jinchuuriki lucky enough to learn it. Naruto was enamored with the attack when Kurama graciously displayed it for him, as it very much resembled the Rasengan, only a hundred times more destructive. It formed by condensing the chakra of the bijuu and collecting it in his mouth, before aiming and firing. The only downside to the jutsu was how long it takes, and so it was a very tense minute they watched as the clones created a small bijuudama each.

"Hmph," Kyuubi mutters. "I guess that is quite a downside, but it's usually so large when I create one there's no time no matter what . . . for your enemies."

"Is it really like my Rasengan?" Minato asks excitedly.

Kyuubi looks at Minato, considering. "You know . . . it's very close."

"Ready . . ." Naruto calls softly. "Aim . . . fire!"

The balls of chakra flew forward as they roared, and flew to the rock above with unerring accuracy. The shots exploded furiously, a nearly house-sized hole opening up and the resulting rocks that fell killed about twenty of his clones.

"Let's kick some ass everyone, go go go!" Naruto roars, leaping out with his clones. He can see the three— so the girly looking man left eh? Shame, as Naruto was sure he was the leader— look up in shock. He could see the orange haired one in a strange dancer stance. What kind of jutsu would that be?

They quickly recovered though. "Katon: Racing Fire!" the orange-haired one yells in a strangely feminine voice as he (or maybe that's the girl) twists and sweeps his leg in the air, a ring of fire flying up towards them.

Naruto figures the fuuton jutsu must be coming up, and before the blue-haired man can start his seals Naruto flies through his own to blow the katon jutsu back at him. "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!"

Kakashi and Obito clap politely. "Well played." They congratulate.

The chakra pushed into this attack is so powerful that not only does it push the fire away from him and his clones, but sends a literal firestorm back to his opponents who leap away from the intense heat.

"Shit, looks like we may need more chakra!" The blue-haired one grunts, but Naruto doesn't give them much time to chatter as he and the clones rush them.

"Naruto, don't take all the fun away from us!" Sakura yells, leaping down with Lee.

"And where were you guys?" Kushina asks bitingly.

"And where were you guys?" Naruto jeers, almost seeming to flow around the more aggressive taijutsu of his opponent. Sakura and Lee took the other two as his clones dispelled. Naruto supposed Neji must have gone for the leader, who perhaps might find the priestess.

Just as he's about to tear out the throat of his opponent, all three jump away onto the roof of another building. The leader joins them. He hears their conversation, and keeps careful tabs for consideration later.

"Nii-san, we're out of chakra." One complains.

"We can't beat them if we're outta chakra." The orange-haired . . . girl(?) notes.

"Then we better retreat for now." The leader murmurs, and they jump away with impressive speed, going over the cliff face and disappearing into the forests.

"And I was so close . . ." Naruto murmurs, looking forlornly at his claws. He sighs, resealing them by surging his chakra.

"Then, Neji must have stopped the leader." Sakura speaks up, looking at Lee and Naruto. "We should meet up with him."

"No need, I'm here." Neji answers as he jumps down from the roof the enemies had just vacated. "The priestess is safe, and we will listen to the situation from her side. Come, we can wait in the room."

"Neji, while we're walking . . ." Naruto walks up to Neji to speak with him. "I heard their conversation on the rooftop . . . it seems they're getting an extra source of chakra, from one of them, most likely the leader. If they can't recharge it seems they cannot fight."

Neji tilts his head down in consideration. "Some sort of boost? So if we can leech that chakra, and keep them from recharging defeating them might be manageable."

"Perhaps." Naruto allows, then lagging to the back to walk with Sakura. "So, fun day right?" he jokes.

"The best kind of days." Sakura jokes right back.

"Fuck you, I love my boring days. I just stay . . . um, anywhere but home." Obito mutters under his breath.

They are lead to the room by a guard who stops outside the door. Walking in, sitting seiza style is the same guard Naruto saw before. He must be the personal guard of that girl . . . the priestess. Naruto briefly marvels at the young age of both the guard and the priestess, who can't be much older than him.

They all sit like him, seiza style and silent. Naruto is grateful for Momo-sensei's unrelenting, adamant demand that he and Katsu be able to sit seiza for at least twenty minutes. And as he learned more control over his muscles and his facial expressions, Naruto fancied he could sit this way for at least an hour. He seriously hoped he wouldn't have to wait that long.

"Ugh," Kushina winces, rubbing her calf muscles out of reflex. The very thought of seiza style sitting made her legs cramp.

Fortunately it only took about twenty minutes before the priestess sat quietly, head slightly tilted and expression peacefully blank. Her priestess robes were loose and billowing around her gracefully, pale blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail— now that he thought about it, the girl reminded him of a blonde Neji almost— capped by a gold headpiece. The only strange thing about her outfit was the small bauble, almost like a brooch that held what appeared to be a bell.

"You are now in the presence of Demon Country's high priestess, Shion-sama." The young man named Taruho bowed low, announcing the woman in a quiet yet regal manner.

"High priestess as a teenager." Rin sighs in sympathy. "Never gone clubbing . . ."

"Never gone drinking . . ." Obito continues.

"Never gone fu—" Jiraiya starts before being brained by Tsunade.

"What a stuffy life!" Rin exclaims.

Neji started off the introductions in his usual, almost cold manner. "I am captain of Team Seven, Hyuuga Neji."

"I am Rock Lee." Lee salutes.

"I am Haruno Sakura." Sakura greets in a happy, quiet manner.

"Uzumaki Naruto, a pleasure." Naruto inclines his head once with a smile.

"We will be escorting you priestess Shion-sama." Neji continues, looking at the still quiet girl.

The guard speaks this time. "There were fatalities in the assault last night . . . and Susuki, as Shion-sama predicted."

Shion finally spoke. "Hm. Of course. As you can see I am uninjured. I'm sure that was their true desire."

"That's rather harsh. As a priestess, shouldn't she care about the lives lost that night?" Minato asks.

Naruto furrows his brows. That's cold . . . "Predicted?" Naruto repeats, looking from the man to Shion. "Are you a Seer perhaps, Shion-sama?"

Shion looked at him blankly. "I . . ." She trails off, and her eyes widen as she continues to stare at him. Naruto blinks in surprise.

"You're a priestess, you can't have him!" Kushina laughs.

"Is something the matter with my face Shion-sama?" Naruto asks politely.

"It's . . . too . . . magnificent!" Obito cries in mock agony, arms covering his face as if he's being burned.

"Thanks." Minato grins charmingly.

Shion looks at hi carefully, her face returning to the previous neutrality. "You are going to die."

Naruto tilts his head, a curious smile on his face. "How rude." He murmurs.

"You . . . soon you're going to be pierced through the chest and die!" Shion declares.

"Some priestess." Rin snorts.

"I wouldn't want her to hear my confession." Obito agrees.

Naruto sighs. "Maybe you guys do things differently in Demon . . but in Fire Country, our priestesses generally aren't so rude. Is this some macabre joke I don't get?"

Shion says nothing, merely turns and walks out of the room as if she had just made a comment on the tea. They watch her go with varying levels of confusion and apprehension, before turning to Taruho. Taruho bows and stands up, beckoning them to follow.

"Please follow me. I will take you to another, more comfortable room." He speaks, looking behind his shoulder to see them following.

Taruho takes them down a long hallway to another, large room that was far airier and brighter. In the window behind them, the waterfall that rushes a distance from the compound is pleasant mixed in with the wind through the leaves and the blue sky. They sit in a more relaxed form then before, and the guard begins this by bowing in a more shallow form then he did with Shion. "I apologize for Shion-sama. She has a habit of foretelling people's death. Please don't worry about it."

"So she gets it wrong sometimes?" Sakura asks, laughing gently.

"No. So far her predictions have been 100% correct." Touro bluntly corrects, making her stiffen.

"Well get ready for that count to go down to ninety-nine percent!" Kushina sniffs.

"Fortune telling . . . dodgy stuff." Kyuubi comments loftily, as if he was thinking aloud and didn't know it.

"A-ah . . . it'll be troublesome if he doesn't get home in one piece." Lee weakly explains. Coming home without Naruto-kun to Katsu-chan would be most . . . unyouthful!

"You mean the beat down the entire team will receive if you come down without Naruto would be unyouthful."Obito corrects.

"Getting your ass kicked by a civilian, five foot girl is very unyouthful." Jiraiya agrees with a snort.

Naruto seems to predict his train of thought, because his eyes sparkle with amusement as he looks at Lee before looking away and humming innocently.

"And you told us not to worry . . ." Lee continues.

"I merely meant worrying would do no good." Taruho explains with an unrepentantly blank face.

"I'm sure I'll survive." Naruto comments dryly, hearing Kurama snort and grumble about how many tentacles he'd shove up Mouryou's ass if the demon so much as touched his host. Smirking gently, he pats his stomach a couple of times before reclining back once again.

Sakura giggles. "Who knows . . . maybe you should give dying a try. You'll truly be the best ninja ever, coming back from the dead."

"Not funny bitch." Kushina growls.

"Now, Kushina don't get so bent out of shape. We're quite familiar by now with Sakura's tendency to put her foot in her mouth." Minato soothes the woman, gently holding her.

"If not even Rikudo Sennin could do it, I'm not sure of my chances." Naruto deadpans.

Taruho says nothing and just rises up again. "Be that as it may . . . you will all have to wait a while before leaving. We cannot allow Shion-sama to leave without guards from the palace. Please kindly wait here while I gather volunteers."

They wait as told. And wait some more. After fifteen minutes Neij gets up to go investigate just why it takes so long to find volunteers Turns out, there's quite a lot of posturing, elegant and ultimately useless words.

He comes back to the rest of the team nearly ten minutes later with an aggravated set to his mouth. "How much time must we waste while they select a guard?" Lee asks.

"They just want to be sure their priestess is properly cared for." Naruto yawns, head tilting back until it rests against the wall.

"The more time we spend here. The more distance that ghost army covers." Sakura reminds them.

"Whatever happens, happens eh?" Naruto jokes in a hushed voice, earning a dirty look from Sakura.

"Please be a bit more serious." Kushina chides lightly. "There's quite a bit at stake here . . . though you're probably used to high-stakes missions like this."

"And you're quite nonchalant saying that Mr. Fated-to-die!" Sakura points out, sticking her tongue out.

"Your wit is as sharp as ever Sakura." Naruto drawls, and takes delight in the face that turns immediately red under the pink hair. "And, I'm just not a believer in fate. I'd like to change that prediction." He sees Neji's lips twitch out of the corner of his eye, and holds back his own grin as the elder boy did. Yes, neither of them were believers in Fate.

"Mainly because you beat it out of him Naruto." Kakashi whispers.

Kushina shrugs. "Sometimes words alone aren't enough."

"You can't change a prediction." The haughty, cold voice makes Naruto's lips quirk into a quick smile.

"Hello to you too High Priestess." Naruto tips his head in greeting, eyeing the new clothes of the girl. She wears a large hoodie whose sleeves nearly overtake her hands, and drapes to her knees. Under that she wears a white crop top and red shorts that stop at the knee.

I don't think a priestess should be wearing that. Kurama points out dryly.

I don't think it should even be a part of her wardrobe. Naruto snickers.

"I've had a new prediction." She announces, walking right up to Naruto as he stands from his sprawled position. "You'll be beheaded."

"A little better than impalement." Rin muses.

"How so?" Obito asks in amusement.

"Well with beheading that's it. But, impalement leaves some time to writhe and it's just nasty business." Rin explains.

"Delightful." Naruto states, walking around the girl to move to the door.

"Shinobi, we are leaving now." Shion states, walking past Naruto and leading them all out of the compound and out the gate. She walked to a small waterfall that appeared to be a dead end, but they stayed silent and waited for Shion's call. She walked further in, and revealed a small path that led to the forests outside the compound.

Sakura, remembering the order to stay close to Shion given by Neji, offers her back for Shion so that they can travel through the trees. Shion sniffs but does as signaled, and in a minute they're off into the trees. It's only another five minutes before Shion starts to complain.

"You are not comfortable to ride on!" She scolds Sakura as they jump through the treetops. "You should work on making your body more womanly."

"BURN!" Obito and Kushina holler, laughing as they high five.

"She's still young . . . some people are just late bloomers." Tsunade defends her future apprentice, but even she smiles at the dig by Shion.

"You bitch!" Sakura hisses, instantly angered.

Naruto stifles the guffaw that threatens to come out, and is about to whisper something to Lee when a glint catches the corner of his eye. An arrow comes speeding toward him, but he can tell it won't hit him. Pausing on his branch, he watches the arrow imbed itself into the wood just under his feet. Jumping down with the rest of the team, they wait for the one who shot the arrow.

And, from behind a tree, comes Taruho.

"Oh, Taruho what's up man?" Naruto greets with a wide grin, enjoying the wide-eyed stare of disbelief from Shion.

"Did he drink before this mission, because he's just too calm?" Obito shakes his head in confusion.

"Taruho, what are you doing here? I told you to stay behind!" Shion berates the other boy.

"I can't do that Shion-sama. I have to stay with you at all times." Taruho replies calmly.

"Go back!" Shion snaps, pointing back to the compound.

"I can't do that Shion-sama." Taruho is still calm and unrelenting.

"If I say go back, you go back!" Shion continues loudly.

"Your fault for not letting your guard follow Shion." Obito laughs.

"And let our group be slowed down even more? I think not!" Tsunade scoffs.

Neji sighs and steps up. "Taruho-san, if you can keep up then come along. We must hurry Shion-sama. Please, let us continue."

Shion seems to swell up a little before deflating and turning her head away pointedly from Taruho. "Fine. Continue on."

"Yes ma'am." Sakura murmurs mockingly, making a face that amuses Naruto as they continue on, this time on the ground for Taruho's sake. Of course, as they leave the forests to transition to the rocky trails of the mountains, they realize with private dismay that it is not enough.

They are faster than Taruho, much faster. They look at each other as Taruho catches up from his nearly thirty-feet gap. However, Taruho shows not the slightest sign of being tired or discouraged at the shinobi's better speed. He runs along with a steady gate and an unwavering will. As long as he could catch up, they would not dishonor him by offering a glorified piggy-back ride.

"He's very dedicated." Minato discerns.

They run until nightfall, where they stop upon a cliff, the trees providing cover. Neji searches for any sign of enemies and finds none. "We'll camp here for the night."

"Giving the other two a chance to rest? How kind of you." Naruto chuckles, looking away from the stony glare of Neji.

"We're fine! We can keep going!" Shion denies loudly from her seat on a boulder by a shallow pond. Taruho washes her feet with careful attention, and Naruto wonders just how many times he's had to do that before. He should give that suggestion to Jiraiya— forbidden lust between a priestess and her loyal guard. Or perhaps this was a job for Karui Bito?

"YES! That's the spirit boy, always look for fresh and new ideas for your audience!" Jiraiya approves.

"I probably could say something about this, but it's something he enjoys and it makes good money I suppose." Kushina leaves it at that.

Whilst Naruto was off in his own literary world, Taruho was quietly placating Shion. "Shion-sama, the sealing is a test of strength. Please, rest for now."

Shion pouts and tosses her head. "I'm hungry! Give me some food."

"She doesn't lose easily." Tsunade snorts.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but aren't priestesses supposed to be demure and humble? Kurama asks, rolling his eyes.

"While you are old, I don't suppose priestesses should really have changed all that much." Kushina teases Kyuubi with a grin.

"I'm old enough for you to respect me far more than you do now bratty kid." Kyuubi tosses her way, Kushina relenting with an amused huff.

That's the problem with letting a teenage girl take up High Priestess I suppose. Naruto shrugs.

So Taruho unwrapped a dinner he had already brought for Shion, the others marveling at his attentive service to Shion.

"This is too cold! And I don't like this! Or this!" With each exclamation her dinner was thrown to the ground, her high and mighty person sitting straight up with nose upturned. Naruto and Sakura look at each other incredulously, eyeing the tasty looking onigiri and soup, and the wrapped desert Taruho had brought.

"I'm also old enough to say with complete honesty that she could do with a turn across the knee." Kyuubi adds.

"Age has nothing to do with it, because I completely agree." Kushina nods, frowning.

"My deepest apologies, Shion-sama." Taruho kneels by her side, head bowed.

Naruto is of the private belief that Taruho is madly in love with Shion, because you'd have to really love someone to put up with bullshit like this.

"An accurate hypothesis." Jiraiya agrees in a half joking manner.

God knows what he'd do if Katsu acted like Shion . . . probably grovel at her feet.

"Oh don't worry; I'm sure we'd stamp that out of her early on." Rin grins knowingly at a wickedly grinning Kushina and Tsunade.

"It takes a village to raise a child, huh?" Minato chuckles. "Besides I don't think Kyuubi would allow Naruto to even know how to grovel."

He shudders, and stretches out his arm to knock on the bark of a tree. Naruto waves away the strange looks from his team, and Neji turns back to a displeased Shion.

"We cannot light a fire, it would alert our enemies." Neji explains. "Of course, there could have been something done before the food was thrown to the ground."

Shion gives Neji a cold glare, before standing up. "I'm going to bed!" she huffs, and stomps away with Taruho, the man already moving forward to unroll her futon and prepare it to her liking.

"He's got it bad." Naruto whispers, Lee and Sakura chuckling.

"He's merely doing his duty as a servant." Neji denies, looking at Naruto quizzically.

"I don't care if you're the queen of the damn world, I wouldn't let anyone treat me like that."

Besides Katsu you wuss. Kurama reminds him.

"The truth hurts doesn't it?" Rin laughs.

You've been single for a long time huh Kurama? Naruto asks innocently.

Oh is that how you want to do this? Kurama chuckles, then subsides to silence.

"I as well can't imagine you being subservient to anyone. Which is precisely why you'd do well as Hokage, Naruto." Neji adds slyly, knowing very well how Naruto felt about such statements. Naruto sighs, clapping the older boy on the shoulder before walking away.

"By that line of logic, I'd be better off as a Daimyo or Emperor." Naruto counters.

"Emperor Uzumaki!" Kushina proclaims. She crosses her arms and tilts her chin up, smirking smugly at Minato. "That has a great sound— just rolls off the tongue."

"I think it's time we had a talk about our relationship." Minato deadpans.

As Shion sleeps, or at least tries to Neji, Sakura, and Lee gather around her to guard her. Naruto moves to the cliff edge where Toruko sits, unsealing a bowl of onigiri and handing one to Taruho.

"We're going to be running nonstop again tomorrow. You'll need your strength." Naruto explains with a grin.

"Thank you." Taruho accepts the onigiri with a grateful nod of his head, turning back to watching the nighttime scenery.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Naruto asks casually.

"Yes. The mountains are truly breathtaking, no matter the time. Though perhaps, sunrises are the best of all." Taruho speaks thoughtfully. "Naruto-san, I find you rather puzzling."

"Oh?" Naruto mumbles around a bite of his onigiri.

"You haven't cared at all about that prediction have you?" Taruho asks.

"No. I know that my fate isn't to die here. You could say that I've got a much bigger destiny to fulfill before I can die. Still, this brings up a question I have . . . is there no way to avoid the fate spelled out in her visions?" Naruto asks curiously.

"No. Once you are fated to die, there is nothing you can do. However, all the people who have died were ones ready and willing to give up their lives to protect Shion-sama. I have no doubt that if any of them had tried to defy their fate, Shion-sama would be dead now."

"So there is a way, just no way a decent and honorable person would consider taking." Kakashi muses.

"And so, they would never do that to their priestess for whom they had already sworn to protect with their lives." Naruto fills in, receiving a nod from Taruho.

"Correct. In the village, the people are now wary of her, fearing that they might appear in her visions. Some even outright avoid her." Taruho discloses. Naruto sighs, suddenly seeing a correlation between himself and the bratty priestess. She's just lonely.

"See, that's why you'll always be caught in troublesome situations because you like to help people out. You're likely to lose a couple lives like that." Rin scolds.

"What lives? I'm Kyuubi, not Tora." Kyuubi grumbles.

"So she's lonely," Naruto voices his thoughts aloud. "With no one around, no friends to keep her steady . . . so that's why she's so selfish." Naruto sighs. "Just once, I want to not care about a person's sob story. Just once!"

They subside into silence, watching the mountain line and waiting. They wait as the night lightens, as the faintest hint of new morning creeps over the rocky edges. When the sun finally rises over, bathing them in light to chase away the dark, Naruto moves first. He rises up and stretches in an exaggerated, luxurious fashion.

"Well! It's morning, we should go." Naruto sighs, and turns around before stopping at the sight of Shion.

"Oh, good morning!" he greets with a smile. A smile that becomes more fixed than natural when she tosses her head at him and ignores his greeting.

Shion walks up to the stone where Taruho stands, and speaks to him seriously. "Taruho. You've done enough. Return to the village."

"My lady, I cannot leave your side." Taruho tries to explain, but Shion barks at him.

"I said go! You'll only slow us down." She states loudly, firmly.

Naruto tilts his head to the side, wondering why she is so insistent the man leaves. Taruho must realize that at any moment, he can become one of her ill-fated predictions, and so him still standing by her side speaks volumes! Can't she see that?

"I believe she doesn't want to . . . and, I believe that she already has seen it." Minato is quiet and grave.

"You . . ." Kushina's brow furrows. She wasn't as shrewd and quick as Minato, but she went with gut feelings on this. "You don't think she's had a vision about him?"

I think she doesn't want to see it. Kurama remarks quietly. Naruto furrows his eyebrows as the two continue to speak. She didn't want to see it? What did . . .

Naruto's eyes widen, and his eyes sparkle with a sudden epiphany. He smiles at Shion and moves a little in front of Taruho. "It's a bit too late to turn back now Shion. If he leaves now, he might be ambushed by the enemy."

"Are you ensuring protection for Shion or trying to keep Taruho from dying?" Jiraiya ponders.

"You had a vision, didn't you?" Taruho asks gently, as they both watch her look down at the ground, brow furrowed. "It will not deter me. Please tell me your vision."

Shion hesitates. Taking a slow, shallow breath she speaks. "When my pulse speeds up and I hear the sound of a bell . . . that is when a vision takes hold of me. Last night I had such a vision." She looks up at Taruho now. "If you continue this path Taruho, you will die."

Taruho merely nods and says, "If it must be so." Before walking away to join the others. Naruto looks at Taruho's back, and wonders who is right— him or Neji. Looking at Shion who looks rather resigned and irritated, he gestures for her to follow back.

"Maybe . . . if you really try! Maybe Taruho won't have to die!" Rin argues quietly, almost a mumble under her breath.

The camp is packed up quickly, all traces of their being there erased. Shion once more on Sakura's back, they continue their journey.

And what would their journey be, without Shion's complaints!

Shion cries out as they traverse a very narrow, rocky path around a waterfall and through the mountains. She, apparently, didn't like shinobi-style travelling at all.

"Stop! This is d-dangerous!" Shion wails, clinging to Sakura like a sloth.

"Well her fear is understandable, not unjustified this time at all." Obito points out, a trifle reluctant. He bets her wailing was a great payback after her bratty behavior.

They continue on just the same, but Shion's cries just get shriller. "I'm going to fall!" she yells. "Put me down! Put me down!" she demands.

Neji stops on a large rock protruding from the river they traverse, and brings the others to a halt. Shion immediately goes crazy as soon as Sakura lands, struggling and jumping away from the girl. "I've had enough!" she snaps. "Jumping around such dangerous places? Are you really trying to protect me?! There are other roads aren't there?!"

Lee turns to Neji. "Should we change the route?"

"No, this takes us through a lot of water." Neji decides. "As the enemy's combos had a main element of fire, it'll be safer this way."

"A smart plan . . . but if they could use other elements like earth, what if there's someone who knows water?" Tsunade asks.

Minato and Jiraiya shrug. "Well it's smart enough for a quick route, but undoubtedly there will always be holes in a plan." Jiraiya excuses Neji.

Neji turns to Shion. "Shion-sama, once we get through here we'll be very close to the Sealing Shrine. Please bear with it a little longer. Since we're basically waiting for the enemy to attack first, we have to be very careful and not make rash decisions."

Shion just turns away with a huff, and Naruto watches with some exasperation.

"Naruto . . . could you turn into a wolf again?" Sakura asks, turning to a surprised Naruto.

Kushina and Kyuubi both groan. "Don't say that in front of a priestess!" Kushina snaps.

"Just by her very nature and the nature of her profession, she could be justified in fearing and perhaps even disliking Naruto." Kyuubi grunts. "Even if he is keeping them safe by containing me, common sense was never very welcome in religion—"

"I clearly remember stating that theological debates were not allowed." Minato states nervously.

Kyuubi shrugs. "Live as long as I have, you'll know it for fact. Gods are not the most rational of beings. The stories I could tell you . . ."

"I hardly see how that would be safer for her than on your back." Naruto argues.

"Try and see." Sakura encourages.

"Look, I don't think doing that in front of a priestess is going to earn me any brownie points." Naruto denies, giving Sakura a knowing look when she suddenly turns sheepish. "Yes, Sakura. You understand now?"

"What are you talking about?" Shion demands to know. Naruto is just about to tell her to mind her own business, in the most polite way of course, when a sudden distant roaring is heard . . . and it's getting closer.

They look down the river and see something coming around the river bend.

"A water dragon?" Naruto asks incredulously, turning worried eyes to Neji. He wasn't the only one thinking about the irony of the situation either.

"They're attacking with water, not fire!" Shion points out loudly, and as condescendingly as possible. "You were completely wrong!"

"Nothing is 100%." Obito chuckles sheepishly.

"Now is not the time for that, we have to go!" Sakura hisses, hauling Shion up on her back and ignoring the indignant shriek from the priestess.

"Up the mountain, now!" Neji barks, and they start to leap their way up the Cliffside to stable ground again. The water dragon powers on behind them, its roar foreboding, as it starts to make its way up as well.

Shion is placed down and in the middle of their protective ring. "Honestly, how was being around water supposed to give us an edge?!" Shion criticized. "I thought Neji was the most competent one here, and now I fear for the world if competent means this!"

"That's uncalled for." Rin frowns. "How was he to know?"

"None of that matters now, either way they now have little advantage on playing field or knowledge of the enemy!" Kushina points out.

"White noise aside," Naruto pipes up, ignoring the glare from Shion. "Wouldn't it be in our best interest to run now? Who exactly is the enemy Neji, have you spotted them yet?"

Neji has his Byakugan activated, and slowly scans around for sight of his targets. He spots them! "It's the two from Demon Country, the ones who attacked before."

"Is it a safe bet to say the other two are waiting in hiding as well?" Naruto asks.

"Most likely." Neji agrees.

"Then no matter what we're in for a tough time, but we'd be better off protecting Shion in the cover of the trees than out here next to the very accessible river." Sakura grumbles, agreeing with Naruto.

The colossal water dragon has now erupted up, ready to bear down on them. "Great, we agree— catch you guys later!" Naruto quickly grabs Shion and pulls her onto his back as he darts off in a blur.

"Oh don't frown like that Minato." Jiraiya laughs. "If every chuunin just waited around for a jounin to order them, chuunin would be in very low supply."

Minato sighs, a smile lifting his lips. "True . . . and I suppose I played the free-acting chuunin enough times to expect this from any kid I have right?"

"Naruto!" Neji yells. "Damn . . . Sakura go with them! Lee and I will take things from here."

"Yes!" Sakura answers quickly, and leaves Neji and Lee to hold off the other two. It takes her some time to catch up to the pair, Naruto moving quite fast yet holding back to allow Sakura to catch up, despite Shion's shrill screams.

"Shion, please be quiet. Do you want the enemy to find us?" Naruto asks sternly, looking at her over his shoulder.

Shion gulps but does as she's told, lowering her head to bury it in Naruto's shoulder, so that she doesn't have to see the world going by in such a fast blur.

"She listened quickly didn't she?" Obito asks slyly.

"Well he did make a good point Obito." Rin rolls her eyes at his attempt to instigate.

"It doesn't seem like we're being followed." Sakura relays to Naruto, who smirks grimly.

"Which means we are being followed, we just can't sense them." Naruto corrects gently.

"Suiton: Raising Water Slicer!" The two shinobi and a frantic Shion look behind them to see two thin razor-like projections of water racing for them, cutting anything in its path. Naruto and Sakura avoid the jutsu, and look back to see the orange-haired one (and Naruto distinctly remembers her using katon jutsu, but many jounin had multiple affinities he supposed) skating towards them on a pointed toe on a sort of water path. Or perhaps it was her toe creating the water to skate on— wait, he didn't have time for this.

"Naruto!" Naruto turns to see Sakura leaping close to his side. "You're the one with the proper affinity for this, hand Shion to me!"

"Alright, keep her safe Sakura!" Naruto orders. Sakura gives a curt nod and leaps off with Shion practically stuck to her. Naruto turns to face his opponent, dodging the water razors being sent his way. He whistles as they cut through a thick tree branch, and reminds himself to not let even a finger get caught by that jutsu.

"Ah yes . . . the power of Suiton." Kushina hums to herself quietly, only Minato hearing and giving her a look of fond amusement.

He chucks a few exploding tag kunai at the woman, who quickly glides away from the explosions and veers back to her chosen path.

"Fast, and very skilled with water jutsu— and normally fire is weak to water." Naruto murmurs. He grins in a feral manner. "Too bad my katon is way better than her suiton."

He inhales and then forcefully exhales a medium sized, flaming hot Grand Fireball at the woman, who has to cut short her waiter skating to leap up and avoid the fireball, though she isn't fast enough to avoid the a bullet of fire that hits her right leg. She screams in pain, but lands on her feet and quickly goes through another water technique.

"Suiton: Water Dragon Whip!" She creates a large sphere of water that swirls in front of her, whip-like projections shooting out of it and surprising Naruto by how strong they are. They puncture wood!

Taking cover behind a boulder, Naruto ponders what next to do as he sends out four clones to preoccupy her. This woman, originally he had thought she was attacking for Shion. But she didn't go after Sakura . . .

"A decoy!" Tsunade breathes.

"Very good to pick up on that quickly." Kakashi praises.

"Oh shit!" he mutters heatedly. Growling at how easily he fell for the distraction, Naruto watches as two shadow clones he made create rasengans, dispelling a water dragon to get to the woman.

He decides to leave the clones— the woman would figure it out, but by that time he'd be long gone. Naruto casts the Invisibility Jutsu over himself and leaps into the trees, dropping the resistance seals he now only uses out of habit. He'd have to move on to Gravity seals or something at this point.

He is a ghost through the trees, the wind not even getting a moment to catch up with him. Naruto is confident that nothing has happened to Shion. Sakura is there, and Neji had to have at least caught up to them. And Lee—

"Hahahaa!"

Naruto pauses on the branch he is on, looking down in bewilderment at the carefree laugh he'd often heard from drunks. And Jiraiya.

"Not just any drunk, eh sensei?" Minato mocks, earning a dirty look from the older pouting shinobi.

Swaying and stumbling down the path was Lee, whose lack of coordination surprised Naruto. He jumped down from the tree and next to Lee, who was ambling along at his own leisurely pace, nearly giggling.

"Lee . . . you had to use the Drunken Fist didn't you?" Naruto doesn't really need to ask, but confirmation would be amusing.

"Mmhmm!" Lee nods emphatically, zigzagging with a stupid smile on his face. Naruto stifles a chuckle. Looking at Lee now was bringing back memories of Crescent Moon and the Bonfire party. Ah . . . good times.

"His thought process is straying too far too many times. Wasn't he focusing on getting to Shion and Sakura to help them, since he was obviously sidetracked for a reason?" Minato points out sternly. "He isn't focused enough! He really is taking this too calmly."

"Leave the boy alone Minato, he's only human!" Tsunade placates.

"You coddle him too much." Minato gives her a disapproving frown.

"Come on Lee, we have to hurry." Naruto prompts the boy, hauling Lee up on his back and keeping a careful hold on his legs.

Lee hiccups. "Sure. Great. Away~ we go!" he warbled happily, tilting back and forth on Naruto's back as the blonde started to jog. Anything faster and Lee might throw up on him and Naruto would kill him.

"Just what did you drink?" Naruto asks.

"I didn't drink." Lee shakes his head quickly. "I chomped and it went BOOM!" He gestured wildly to paint a clearer picture. Naruto laughed, but continued to jog.

"And your opponent?" Naruto asks.

"He went BOOM!" Lee laughs obnoxiously. "A bloody firework." He adds with quiet giggles. Naruto will have to remind Lee he giggles like a little girl.

The memories of his clones came back, and Naruto frowned. Once the clones knew the original had left they were more careful of fighting, not wanting the woman to catch up. However, the woman stopped fighting after being hit with a Rasengan and practically becoming a moving puddle of water. As he thought, he was distracted from Shion which meant the two not with them were after Sakura

"You shouldn't have just watched Lee stagger around, and instead grabbed him and kept moving." Minato shakes his head in disapproval. "Honestly Naru . . . at such a time as this."

"He's still only fifteen Minato, I can vividly recall how arrogant and reckless I was at that age." Kushina defends Naruto. "And he does take more after me, no matter how Jiraiya tried to mold him into a mini you."

Minato rolls his eyes, but takes hold of Kushina's hand. "Will you and Tsunade always gang up to defend Naruto? He'll grow up spoiled badly if so!"

"Don't forget me." Obito adds. "I'll totally corrupt him into your anti-image."

"Sounds fun, count me in too." Kakashi agrees.

Since he was jogging at such a slow pace, it took him a little longer than he would have liked to reach Sakura, and gratefully he realized Neji was there too. The smile that was about to start quickly drops when he sees their defeated, sad expressions.

"What." Naruto demands, letting Lee stand by himself as the other is still too tipsy to pay attention.

"I tried everything. Nothing worked." Sakura admits, closing her eyes. Naruto looks forward, and to his horror he sees a deathly still Shion lying on the ground with her eyes closed.

"No way . . ." he breathes. He walks forward and looks down at Shion, needing confirmation for himself that she was dead. He wasn't too trusting of the girl's skills at the moment, if she had truly failed her charge.

He crouches, nose testing the scent. His brow furrows. "No way?"

He turns to them. "This isn't Shion. It . . ." he blows out a breath. "It's Taruho isn't it?"

"Yes." Shion's voice comes from the shadows, and he turns to see the girl walking toward them. Her face blank and eyes cold, and he wonders if there isn't a sliver of scorn in those pale eyes as well.

"Taruho died anyway . . . but how is it he became a clone of Shion? Any ninja technique would stop after death." Rin wonders.

"When we parted ways, Taruho-dono took another path to the Sealing Shrine." Neji says.

"To think this is what he meant . . ." Sakura murmurs sadly. She looks at Naruto. "Shadow Mirror Shape shift. That's the jutsu he used. He said, once used the user can no longer return to their original form. He knew exactly what would happen, and . . . he became the decoy for Shion-sama."

"And you gladly accepted." Naruto mutters, a trace of scorn in his tone. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. The mission takes priority. Sometimes it really sucks to have to remember that. He moves to Taruho's side and smiles sadly. "I'll make sure you get a proper funeral."

"Taruho was an idiot." Shion's flat voice broke through the contemplative silence. Naruto looks over his shoulder, surprised.

"There is no need to mourn for an idiot who chose death." She continues uncaringly.

Naruto opens his mouth to say something, before pausing. He thinks the situation over, from the time Shion told Taruho of his fate (should he continue his path, she had added that in when it was unnecessary if his death was absolute) to now. He closes his mouth and sighs, a sympathetic smile crossing his face.

"Who will be there to fill you with love now?" Naruto's question seemingly comes out of the blue, and Shion turns to stare at him. "But you know, I bet Taruho had anticipated this long ago, and made sure to fill you with so much love you'd be able to continue on even without him by your side." He smirks, rising to wag a finger at her. "So don't act all tsundere now."

"Tsunde—" Shion starts crossly before stopping herself and turning to him with a facial expression as close to a snarl as he's ever seen on her face. "Shut up! Just shut up!" she yells, turning tail and running.

Oh sure, run when your enemies might be around you to strike at any moment, Kyuubi thinks to himself with a roll of his eyes.

"How convenient, she forgets the enemies after her." Minato comments dryly.

"I've got this." Naruto reassures the others with a small smile, taking off after Shion in a quick jog. He lets her run, always keeping her in sight. She slows down eventually, and comes to a halt in front of a large tree where she braces her hands. He can hear her pants, and lets her catch her breath before speaking softly. "I don't suppose there's any chance you'd want to grieve for Tohuro?"

Shion's fingers curl and scratch against the bark, body shivering. "Who wouldn't feel grief when someone close to them dies?" The last word disintegrates into a something between a whine and a squeak, a clear indication that a female was about to expel some heavy waterworks. Naruto had long since learned to repress the urge to freeze up and panic in the face of a woman's tears, and so could breathe easily and not feel like a gigantic, pathetic tool for watching what Shion clearly needed to do. Have a good sob.

"I call bullshit on that. No man can do what he proclaims to have done. At most he's worked on his ability to deny his feelings of being a tool, but he cannot repress the urge to freeze and/or panic." Jiraiya claims.

"I can't cry." She speaks shakily. "It would be an insult to all those who died for me."

"Oh?" Naruto prods her further to speak her mind.

"Foresight is a gift to protect the priestess." Shion explains quietly, moving away from the tree to stand by it rather than lean on it. In the moment that death is near for a priestess, her soul separates from her body and shows her past self her demise. She gets to see all those who are with her at the time. They ask, those people, about the premonitions. They believe they have to sacrifice themselves to protect the priestess."

"Even if there was a way to save those people, they would take the option of death like a self-fulfilling prophecy." Naruto considers, head cocked to the side.

"I might as well die . . ." A shaky huff leaves Shion as she drops to the ground and wraps her arms around her knees, head burrowed in her folded arms. "How many times have I thought that? Such a thing is not allowed. For without me, there would be no one to seal Mouryou away."

"So no one believes there's another way? Do you not believe there's another way?" Naruto queries.

"That's how it is. It's who we are. This . . . is our fate." Shion sobs, curling up as tight as she can.

"I think we all can vividly recall what happened to the last guy who bowed to Fate." Obito looks around at them all with a silly grin, the others laughing or smirking at the memory.

Naruto watches her for a moment, shadows in his eyes. "Do you really believe that?" he asks quietly, almost in a whisper.

He doesn't expect an answer, nor does he receive one. He lets her stay there, curled up and grieving, until night descends upon them. He shifts, and the movement makes Shion look up slowly. She has stopped crying, and the tear tracks have been wiped away. Naruto smiles and waves her forward, to walk with him.

They make their way to the others, who are just finished up Taruho's burial. Shion only glances at it briefly before looking away and moving away from the others. Naruto goes to his teammates, waiting for a new plan.

Neji turns to him, a decision clear in his eyes. "Naruto, we'll wait here to ambush any enemies. You are to take Shion to the Sealing Shrine."

"Sure." Naruto shrugs.

"Wait, Neji," Lee cuts in. "Naruto-kun has a death sentence on him."

"Only if you believe in it." Rin cuts in quickly, blowing out a breath.

"One of us should go with them in case—" Sakura agrees worriedly.

"That's exactly why Naruto should go." Neji says, cutting them off from speaking any further. Naruto and Neji stare at each other, before Naruto smiles and agrees.

"You got it, -ttebayo. Yo, Shion! Let's go." Naruto calls the girl, walking towards her. Shion climbs on his back without complaint, resigning herself to another rough ride.

Naruto looks back over his shoulder and smirks. "Not to worry, I'll make this as smooth as possible." And then they are off, leaping away with one last look to the others.

"Ehi," Kushina chuckles weakly. "I'm getting just a bit nervous now. Naruto wouldn't want to risk Shion's life if he could help it . . . but he won't die."

"Of course not koi," Minato murmurs soothingly to his girlfriend, smoothing back her red hair. "He said so repeatedly, and Kyuubi promised a very dark vengeance on Mouryou for even touching Naruto."

The forest passed by in a blur of darkness, only occasionally punctuated by moonlight that broke through gaps in the boughs above. Shion quietly took this all in, an anxiety growing inside her. They were getting close . . . to the place where Naruto would die. However, to look at the young man who seemed to be cloaked in his own personal light even in the dead of night . . . the tan skin underneath which fresh blood flowed, lungs pumping strongly to provide his body with much needed air and the snapping eyes and lively smile that just screamed 'I'm alive!' It was all too easy, to see that life abruptly snuffed out.

"Not easy," Obito denies stiffly. "Quite difficult— impossible one might say."

Shion is jolted out of her thoughts when Naruto finally lands. He looks over his shoulder at her with a pleased smile. "You didn't make a peep the entire trip. Was I a comfortable ride?"

Obito and Rin open their mouths witch matching expressions of glee. Minato cuts them off with a blunt, "Shut up."

Jiraiya giggles perversely. "Aha, you dirty kids! If I had known the potential in the both of you, I would have hung out with you brats a lot more often!"

Shion frowns, sniffing delicately at his teasing. "I'm used to rough shinobi by now, anything seems more comfortable than that other girl."

Naruto chuckles gently. "So stubborn. We're here, High Priestess-sama— the entrance is right over there."

"Have you been here before?" Shion asks suspiciously.

"No," not this part at least, he mentally revises. "But it seems pretty obvious to me?" Naruto asks with laughter in his voice, indicating the stone entrance roped off with a holy charm. Shion just harrumphs lowly and looks away.

"So, you go in and seal Mouryou and then you can forget about this destiny business." Naruto chirps optimistically.

"I already told you, destiny cannot be—" Shion starts severely before being cut off by Naruto's abrupt jump off the low cliff to the ground.

"Oh, don't give me that." Naruto chides gently. He runs across the ground, but he comes to a halt as a harsh, loud grinding sound comes from behind him. He turns to see rocks starting to move and shift, as if preparing to stand.

". . . Huh." He mutters, watching as the ground moves and gives way to a large number of stone soldiers. "You don't see that every day."

"It's the Stone Ghost Army!" Shion informs him tensely.

"Aren't they supposed to be approaching, not already there?" Rin asks tentatively.

"Both stone and ghost? Yeah, sure." Naruto sniffs, scowling at Shion when she tugs hard at his hair in disapproval.

"If they're here that means he's not far away." Shion explains, looking around as more soldiers come up.

Naruto hums in recognition of her statement, leaping in the air to avoid being spilt in half by a long stick axe. "What do we do?" Shion asks in panic.

"Charge through them." Naruto replies simply, preparing to land on a soldier. The stone under his feet is real— nothing ghostly about it. With swift gestures he prepares his jutsu.

"Fuuton: Pressure Damage!" Naruto blows out the jutsu, heavily charged with chakra which he hopes is sufficient enough to blow a nice clear path through the field full of soldiers. His hopes are not realized, as the soldiers are too heavy— only ten or so of the soldiers are knocked down and only one flies away as Naruto had intended for all of them.

"New plan and fast. It seems you'll have to go up close to make a dent in these guys." Kakashi examines.

"Good effort though." Obito shrugs, smiling.

"New plan!" Naruto announces, leaping up as another soldier tries to land a hit and instead needlessly sacrifices its comrade.

Shion was panicking. "What new plan?!" she screams, and in her frenzy her legs suddenly lose the death grip around Naruto's waist. Gravity rears its ugly head to remind her not to keep such a light hold on someone in mid-jump because she suddenly detaches from Naruto and starts to fall away.

"Ack! No, of all the times for you to lose your grip." Rin hisses, hands clutching her apron tightly.

Naruto feels the sudden lightness on his back and turns in surprise. Though he reaches for her hand, she is too far to grab it and so Shion plummets down.

Is this how I die? Shion wonders, starting to turn to watch her probable demise. She clutches at the bell pinned on the inside lapel of her jacket. But Naruto and the village . . . Mouryou!

Her thoughts cloud her from observing what's around her, she can only see the water that rushes up to her where she'll hit the lake.

Tsunade winces. "Ah, if she hits that water improperly then she certainly can die."

She gasps in surprise when large hands suddenly grab her and press her close to another body. She blinks at the fabric so close to her eyes— black and orange, framed by green. She cranes her head back and her eyes widen as she takes in Naruto, the boy turning his body to take the impact as they plunge into the water.

"Yeah!" Obito and Rin cheer. "That's how a good shinobi works Naru-chan!"

The surface swelled and rippled with the force of their impact, but the water soon cleared up. For a few brief moments the water was once again smooth and still. A pair of blonde heads soon popped up, gasping for air. Naruto waded to shore, and once his feet gained traction on the ground beneath him did he pick Shion up in his arms and walk to shore. Soon his feet left the shallow water for grass and dirt. He put Shion down under the tree, and then straightened up and stretched with a quiet groan, walking to the water's edge.

"Right about now an instant-drying seal would be perfect. I'll work on that when I get home." Naruto murmurs.

"How many times do you'll think you need it?" Minato wonders.

"If you wanted to go home, you shouldn't have saved me." Shion speaks quietly, tears slipping down her face. "You wouldn't have to worry about dying . . . well, at least until Mouryou destroys the world."

"Yeah, then he'd have to worry about everyone he loves dying." Kushina rolls her eyes. "Fun stuff right?"

Naruto smiles, not that Shion can see that with his back turned. He plucks at the loose knot of his hitai-ate, nearly knocked loose from his head. "Maybe." He murmurs.

Shion looks up with her mouth ready to berate him for his casual tone when his next action takes her voice from her in a peculiar fashion. Naruto scrubs through his hair twice to bring some life back into the dripping, limp locks of gold. He shakes his head like a wet dog to rid himself of the excess water. A sensible action to him, but Shion finds it curious that she can only focus on the golden locks that release diamond drops from its length, to frame a smiling face she hadn't realized was handsome before . . .

The group erupts into laughter, Kyuubi putting the book down to cover his face with his paw and snicker, but its Obito that's heard above them all. Obito falls off the couch, a particular memory surfacing in his mind, something that sounded oh so similar to an incident with Minato-sensei and several feverish young woman who just so happened to be doing their wash by the river they trained near. With shaking limbs he hauls himself up to all fours and crawls to the television.

"Hey . . . h-hey!" Obito squeaks, his laughter making it hard to enunciate clearly. "TV . . . show us Naruto shaking out his hair!"

The TV obliges with a chime, the pixels swirling in a rainbow funnel before creating the clear picture. Naruto's back is turned to them, but that only adds to the hilarity at his obliviousness. Naruto rubs his hands through his hair, droplets flicking away from his attention. Then comes the part that sends Obito howling. Naruto shakes his head, hair flipping back and forth, and it slows down enough for them to get a good look at his whiskered, smiling face as it is framed by the long gold locks that fly around him in silky ribbons.

"That poor idiot." Kyuubi sighs. "As dense as his mother."

"AHA! AHHAAAA!" Obito is sobbing, tears streaming in a river down his red face as he collapses on his back on the table. He flips around and sobs into the table, fists banging against it. At this point the others are laughing more at Obito than Naruto's unintentional bishounen moment.

"Obito calm down!" Minato wheezes, holding his stomach as he quakes with laughter.

"No! Oh God I—" Obito chokes, coughing and laughing at the same time. "TV, can you do a slowmo?"

The TV obliges, rewinding the moment and they are treated to a slow down with extra water drops and even slower gold ribbons of hair whipping around Naruto's face.

"200% SLOWER!" Obito shrieks.

Even slower: The hair seems to caress Naruto's cheeks now, the water droplets have a mind of their own as they frame his face like a beautiful, natural border. Faintly, you can hear a tinkling sound like angel's laughter as he completes the motions. Obito's cathartic screams of laughter send the others into tizzies. Kakashi gasps for air as he hangs over the couch arm with Rin collapsed onto his lap gasping. Jiraiya guffaws, getting up to lean on the wall and Tsunade nearly leaps over to the other seat where Kushina lies to squeal with laughter with the younger woman. Minato is just curled up in a ball on the floor, laughter sounding like sobs as he pounds a choking Obito's back.

Obito gasps, choking. "That's the best shit ever right there. Oh God, I'll remember that for the rest of my life."

They don't continue reading right away, one cannot simply return to such a task after nearly destroying one's vocal chords via laughter. For several minutes they take time to catch their breath, and then after they all stop and get drinks of water from the kitchen.

Naruto speaks as he decides to knot the hitai-ate around his neck, and Shion is knocked out of her quick fantasy with a small blush and a feeling of embarrassment mixed with guilty pleasure. "But . . . I'm not going to die!"

"That's impossible!" Shion denies, shaking her head roughly.

"Is not." Naruto replies in a slightly childish tone.

"Then I will die instead." Shion concludes with finality.

"Wrong again." Naruto informs her, turning around to face her.

"One of us has to die!" Shion declares, desperate for him to understand and run like he should have before. Naruto's death would sting as badly as Taruho's, and it would be harder to recover from in the end.

"Says who?" Naruto requests innocently, moving forward until he stood in front of the priestess.

"Don't you understand, destiny says—" Shion starts to snap, but Naruto crouches and that suddenly brings his face eye level and too close for her to deal with right now. She squeaks and turns to face the tree trunk, eyes straying guiltily to the ground as she wonders why she turned away.

"We are beating into his head the power of his face. We have to, for the sake of females everywhere." Obito gulps, forcing himself to calm down.

Naruto wonders too, but backs up a couple steps just for good measure.

"He learns at least." Minato points out meekly, because everyone is staring at him in equal parts accusation and amusement. Naruto's his mini-me after all.

"Trust me." He beseeches with a small smile. "I've got a plan to ensure we survive. Everything will be fine this time, just trust me!"

Naruto turns around and positions himself so that Shion can climb on his back. "Come on." He encourages.

Shion looks at him, before sighing and getting on his back. "Naruto?" she whispers.

"Yeah." He answers, now running back to the battalion of soldiers.

"You promise?" Shion asks, just to be certain.

"Of course." Naruto responds with a smile. "Now . . ." two clones appear on the side of him. "Let's go!"

The field is full of soldiers now, like a great wall they stand shoulder to shoulder and packing in. Naruto and the clones create the super powered rasengans to blast at the enemies.

"Round two!" Naruto howls with a wild grin, he and his clones descending on the stone ranks. The Rasengan in its original form would have been enough to blast these guys into the water and out of his way. But the Oodama Rasengan?

It decimates whole rows.

"Just makes me all the more excited to try it!" Minato enthuses.

The clones dispatched, taking different routes to keep the ways clear because whatever soldiers survived and managed to climb up the banks were persistent enough to warrant their attention— and, irritatingly enough, more soldiers kept popping up from the ground to replace the old ones.

Naruto leapt and got Shion to the entrance. "Okay, now go inside and—" he chokes on his next word, as a spear pierced him through his heart. Shion gasps in horror, body trembling as Naruto's rapidly paling face—

Puff!

"Eh?" Shion balks, flinching back when the soldiers that attacked were turned into rubble.

"Whoops!" Naruto's carefree voice relieves Shion as she watches four more clones appear to blast the soldiers. "Hey, I know that was scary but pull yourself together! Go inside and do your job!"

"Y-You're confusing me!" Shion shouts to mask the relief she feels. "One of you do something so I know you're the real one."

"This is so not the time! Realize the situation you're in fool!" Naruto shouts back.

Shion harrumphs snootily, but her smile is genuine as she whirls around and runs into the cave. Naruto watches her go with a grin.

"Bad Naru-chan, bad! Now she's smitten and you have to take responsibility." Rin scolds.

"Hey boss!" His clone calls his attention. "Now that the primary objective is complete, can we . . . experiment?"

Naruto grins maliciously. "Why, what a wonderful idea. Gentleman, shall we conduct some experiments in the name of bettering ourselves and our fellow shinobi? Keep these walking pebbles away from the cave!"

"YEAH!" The clones roar.

The tried everything they could think of. Regular Rasengans, Oodama Rasengans, exploding tags and makeshift catapults. But the soldiers just would not stop! Naruto clucks his tongue in concern when a clone exhausted his reserves and dispelled.

"They must have been fighting for a while now." Jiraiya murmurs.

"There is just no end to them!" another clone mutters.

"They're heavier than what our fuuton jutsu can really pick up, and Katon does nothing but burn us when we hit them." The third clone analyzes. "Some earth jutsu would come in handy right about now."

"Well we've got to make due. Any suggestions?" Naruto pants, plowing yet another rasengan into a group of soldiers. So many rasengans later, and he was getting tired. The rest of his clones would soon dispel as well . . . Lee would be a real great backup right about now.

"Oi, oi!" Naruto admonishes a soldier as it pushes past the line of its comrades. "No skipping in line!" Naruto delivers a punishing kick that topples the soldier, but at a price.

"Ow, fuck that hurts!" Naruto growls, grabbing his foot and rubbing at it to alleviate the pulses of pain.

Kushina snorts with laughter. "What did you expect?"

"Raikiri!"

Immediately after the sharp shout, the entire front row of ghost stone soldiers becomes nothing but dust and broken fragments.

"HEY!" The clones exclaim happily at the same time as the original cries, "Kakashi-nii!"

"Notice how happy he is to see me. I have yet to hear such fervor for you . . . Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi sends a sly look to the deadpanned Jiraiya.

Kakashi straightens from his crouch and addresses Naruto with a salute and an eye-smile. "Yo, looking a little rough there Naruto."

"Oh please, you're more ragged than I am." Naruto snorts, the presence of Kakashi spurning him on to create back to back Rasengans that destroy another four rows.

Kakashi snorts and grabs Naruto's collar, preventing him from releasing more destruction. Behind the two, Gai bursts in with an energetic "Konoha Senpu!"

"We've got it out here. Now go in there and make sure the priestess seals away Mouryou." Kakashi orders.

"Yes Kakashi-sama." Naruto mocks, ducking a rebuking cuff and running into the cave. He can see fire glow at the end, and knows he'll find Shion. He wonders how long it takes to seal a demon.

A minute, maybe less. All depends on the strength of the person who seals you. Fun fact, your father sealed me in about thirty seconds. Kurama grudgingly admits.

"Um . . . sorry and thanks for telling Naruto I'm awesome?" Minato meant it as a statement, but the ambiguity of the situation made it more like a question.

That's the first thing I hear from you after your silence? Naruto chuckles.

Well hear this. I've got a bad feeling about what lies at the end of this tunnel. Naruto, if Mouryou is unsealed, you must summon me if the priestess can no longer do her part. Kurama is serious, nearly growling as he tells Naruto this.

Okay. Naruto appeases simply, cutting off the connection once he's inside the giant cave. Molten lava makes this place a furnace, but he ignores the heat as he spies Shion. She is on her knees and slightly hunched over.

"Hey, you must be tired from sealing him right?" Naruto takes a guess as to her current state. He falters at the sight of her teary eyes when she turns to face him. "Shion?"

"Naruto, I . . . I . . . failed." She whimpers.

Obito smacks the table and gets up, dragging his other hand through his hair. "You had ONE job."

"Damn it," Naruto mutters, breaking into a run. "Shion!" he calls.

He increases his pace when around the girl, tentacle like masses surge up from the ground where the seal lays. Underneath Shion the ground cracks and gives way, the girl falling with it and not even screaming as she falls.

"Shion!"

Shion hears Naruto, but it's more like a distant echo. She finds herself encased in darkness, only her bell giving her light as it glows and chimes. She can hear Mouryou chuckle in her mind.

"Don't worry Shion, dry your eyes. As long as you have that light, I cannot absorb you." Mouryou informs her as if this should give her comfort.

"But is that what you want?" his voice takes a mocking, dark tone. "Watching exactly what you worked to prevent? The end of the world!" that cold, cruel laughter hurt her, but not as much as acknowledging her failure. She had this one task . . . !

"Shion!" Naruto again. She stiffens as she realizes that this is where Naruto dies in her visions. FightingMouryou, as he probably was now to get to her. At this rate Naruto . . . Naruto will . . . !

Suddenly— she remembers her mother. Her beautiful face and long brown hair, her warm lap but most especially her words. "Never let your heart waver . . ."

Shion thought back to when her mother saved her . . . with the bell . . . the bell!

"Shion, you idiot you better not have died!" Shion cannot help but smile. Why, just when she has accepted to die, does Naruto's voice end up telling her the exact opposite? A hand roughly grasps her jacket and pulls her up from the dark void. How is he able to survive this miasma without a charm like mine?

"It might not be like yours, but it's certainly a charm." Kushina giggles, Kyuubi grunting in annoyance before continuing the story.

Shion is in Naruto's arms again as he pulls away from the pit of darkness with help from his chain-link clone line. She looks at him, and starts in surprise at the red chakra that cloaks him. She would be curious about it, but she focuses more on bringing her lungs back to working order as she breathes in again.

"Shion, can you see me? Can you hear me? I want to hear you. Do you want to disappear? To die?" Naruto's sharp voice makes the questions biting and rapid, and Shion struggles to keep up.

"I . . ." her voice is stuck, muted.

"I can't hear you!"

"I . . ." Shion closes her eyes to prevent more tears, scrunching them as she admits to herself and to Naruto the raw truth. "I don't want to die!"

"Of course, who really wants to just roll over and die in this big, beautiful world of ours?" Kushina laughs.

"Alright then!" Naruto cheers, as if he'd known the answer all along and was just waiting for Shion to pick it up. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

"We need to seal Mouryou." Naruto states, and Shion remembers her mother. The true power of the bell . . . her powers, sealed away inside it. She holds it out between her extended palms, the bell floating. Naruto places a hand around it as well, and the bell begins to glow with their combined power.

A rasengan forms, glowing iridescent with the combined power of priestess and shinobi.

"Another rasengan special!" Minato realizes. "What will he call it this time?"

It grows and grows under their will. Naruto grins insanely wide at the sight and turns to Shion, elated. "This is us . . . changing destiny! If you don't like what destiny has planned for you, then change it! Shion, more, we need more!"

Emboldened by Naruto's words, Shion grits her teeth and pours in more power. The more power she released, the bigger a change she was making in her destiny.

The rasengan grew bigger and bigger, brighter and bolder. It grew so big Naruto held it aloft above their heads, the rasengan like a miniature sun. Underneath them on the ground below, the seal broke completely as Mouryou's fully reformed body sprung up and made to attack them.

"Too late!" Naruto snarls. "Take this! Mine and Shion's Ultra-Chakra Rasengan!" Naruto pushes the Rasengan forward, the momentum carrying them down and towards the charging Mouryou.

"Ultra chakra? Eh, it could have been better." Obito decides.

It hit the demon full on, and exploded in a powerful white light that tore Mouryou apart. The shockwave from such a deadly hit was so powerful, that the entire mountain shook and trembled. Rocks collapsed in the cavern, falling into the broiling lava that was suddenly so much more active . . .

"I think it's time you get the hell out of there." Jiraiya asserts.

To the ones outside, it was a spectacle to behold. How many people could claim to see the creation of a new volcano? The air was tined red as flames shot out and created new openings at the top of the mountain, a natural fireworks display that stunned all who could see it. Even from as far off as Konoha, one could see the orange-red glow of a new creation.

The fire and lava spilled down the side of the mountain, thankfully in the direction of the sparkling river behind the mountain. The new volcano settled, just in time for dawn to paint everything in its colors of new day. A new day for a world that wouldn't end so soon after all. Mist and dust from the ordeal was tinged in pinks, red and gold from the arriving sun as the forest and mountain were bathed in sunlight.

The backup shinobi stood on another mountain watching the almost black smoke billowing from the top.

"Well let's just be glad it ended this way." Kakashi sighs. Behind him stood Sakura, Lee, Shikamaru and Temari.

"He made a new volcano didn't he?" Lee grins.

"That's what we get for leaving things up to him." Temari scoffs.

From the dust a shout was heard in response to Temari. "You're just jealous 'cause you're not awesome enough to make a volcano!" Naruto appears, carrying Shion. "I got a bridge named after me— they might just name this volcano after me too! Mount Uzumaki has a nice ring to it right?" he continues, grinning up at a giggling Temari.

"HAHA!" Kushina guffaws, jumping up to fist pump. "Uzumaki all the way baby!"

"Oh no no," Minato shakes his head with a smirk. "This time it'll be Namikaze-Uzumaki."

Kushina smirks. "No way, Uzumaki-Namikaze."

"Put me down." Shion quietly requests. Naruto obliges, and they both turn to watch the volcano. The others quietly walk down to stand with them.

"I suppose your days as priestess are over now." Naruto states.

"No, there has to be another one." Shion corrects pleasantly.

"For what reason?" Naruto questions.

"I learned something when I was inside Mouryou. He was born from the evil in people's hearts. So long as the possibility remains that a second or third Mouryou might exist, another priestess must be in line to take command."

She turns to Naruto and smiles. "Being a priestess is my duty! How is that, Naruto?"

"So long as you're wholehearted about it, you'll be great!" Rin smiles brightly.

"If it's what you truly desire, then I can be nothing but happy for you." Naruto assures her.

"And my power must be passed on to the next priestess." Shion throws in casually. "So, how about it Naruto? Want to help me?"

"I'm dead." Obito flops to the floor, curling up as tightly as possible and holding his breath so he can't laugh.

"How bold!" Tsunade frowns. "Bad enough young girls talk like that, but a priestess!"

"Oh don't be so old fashioned," Rin laughs. "I think it's hilarious!"

"And don't you start sensei." Minato cuts in, eyeing Jiraiya sternly even as the man sends him an innocent look.

It took Naruto a few seconds to figure that one out, and when he did he turned a brilliant shade of red. Hearing Kakashi's and Lee's choked gasps in the background did not help.

"So he does have some shame." Minato chuckles. "I thought it'd take a lot more to embarrass him."

How to go about this tactfully? Naruto frets.

"Um."

"That's not it!" Kakashi laughs.

Wow. That isn't what he intended to say.

Naruto, you will not embarrass me! Kurama barks. Kick your brain into gear and use your words! Your words damn it!

Shaken out of his shock by Kurama, Naruto manages a nervous chuckle. "As noble as that sounds, I doubt my girlfriend would fall for that line."

Shion's smile turns minx-like. "She couldn't be persuaded to share you for a bit?"

"Hmph!" Kushina tosses her head, laughing slightly. "Even a priestess falls before him! Oh, how mighty are the Namikaze!"

Naruto averts his eyes and coughs. "Such a thing for a priestess to say!" He chastises, but his voice shakes from the double-hit Shion's just dealt him and so Shion merely doubles over with laughter. At least, Naruto figured with a shaky grin, Shion was feeling better.

"Oh, wait until Jiraiya-sama hears this!" Kakashi sings, and Naruto snaps around to snarl ferociously at Kakashi.

"That's my boy!" Jiraiya shouts, leaning over and slapping Kakashi on the back.

"KAKASHI!"

"And so ends this chapter." Kyuubi announces, and sighs thoughtfully. "Reading out loud is somehow more taxing than just reading to yourself."

"Right?" Kushina agrees. "Kyuubi, thank you. Tonight, would you like to decide what we have for dinner?"

"Hm?" Kyuubi looks at her with interest. "The only thing I could go for now is a steak."

"Just steak?" Kushina clarifies with a furrowed brow.

"Steak . . . . and a nice berry salad with a glass of wine. Perhaps you all would enjoy steak with mashed potatoes and gravy." Kyuubi adds, a light grin adorning his features at the lit, dazed features of the younglings.

"That sounds delicious Kyuubi-sama." Minato comments, smiling. I believe I can handle the steak, if Rin . . . ?"

"I've got potatoes!" Rin nods.

"I'll make you the best summer berry salad you've ever had Kyuubi!" Kushina swears, bounding into the kitchen with determination.

"Don't strain yourself Kushina." Kyuubi sighs, withholding a chuckle. Releasing a breath he hops up from the couch and lopes into the kitchen.

---

I fucking LOVE the Naruto hair whip scene. It's got to be one of the best moments of Naruto ever. In my opinion, of course. So, you've read . . . now review! See you guys in another two weeks! :D

Love,

Bloody Mad~3

Edit: 10/27/13: Hey guys, really quick? I've been looking for this fic for MONTHS. Um, Naruto gets attacked by an Uchiha when he's young- i think before Academy?- which unlocks his hidden doujutsu that enables him to copy any bloodline. Er . . . it's not Shattered Eyes. It's something else . . . As far as i remember, he copied the Sharingan, Kakashi's bloodline, and Yamato's. If you can help my find it, i'd be very much obliged!