Digi doesn't own Naruto-kun, if he did then Naruto-kun would never have given me the inspiration to become my own person, stepping out of Lord Orochimaru's shadow for the better.


Sage

Book VIII: Inferno

"In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war the fathers bury their sons." – Croesus


"I would like to say I'm still against this." Fuu's voice rang out clearly along the forest trail the trio were taking; it was deep in the forests of Hi no Kuni and almost exclusively used by Shinobi due to the treacherous terrain.

"And I've already told you there's nothing to worry about Fuu." Naruto was a little ways ahead of her, his long pony-tail swaying gently behind him to the rhythm of his shakujou's jingling. Fuu had suggested he cut it but the blonde had come to like his hair, white streak included; he figured it made him seem more distinguished now that he lacked his whisker marks.

"You mean besides being captured and forced to stay within the village as nothing more than a weapon?" The hint of bitterness in the girl's voice was unmistakable and out of the corner of his eye Naruto could see her lightly rub her shoulder where her old village headband had once been.

"It's not going to happen Fuu, they won't even recognise us and if worst comes to worst we simply leave." Fuu snorted at that but it didn't sound particularly like amusement, ever since Naruto had declared his plans to return to Konohagakure she had been in a foul mood, worsening with every step closer they took.

"Right, because walking out of a Hidden Village is so easy." Naruto just smiled at the derisive comment jovially without breaking stride; he knew all these objections were just out of concern for him so he could easily forgive the girl for being stubborn.

"It's never stopped us before." Fuu was silent a moment but her eyes still narrowed; technically Naruto wasn't wrong but before they had plans, methods of getting out and nobody there that might recognise the blonde. In Konoha that would be different, there was a reason it was widely considered the most powerful village in the Elemental Nations.

"I still think it's a bad idea." Naruto just chuckled lightly as he dropped back to walk beside the green-haired Jinchuuriki.

"Objection duly noted; you now have the right to say 'I told you so' if anything goes wrong." Fuu tried to fight it but she just couldn't help the small smile that snuck up on her; she just found it impossible to stay mad at Naruto, despite his best efforts to frustrate her, unintentionally or not. "Anyway, Haku wants to go so it's two against one." The aforementioned dark-haired boy who had been trailing a few paces behind them looked up in surprise as he was suddenly included in the conversation.

"Ah, all I said was that it would be interesting to visit another of the Hidden Villages." Naruto smiled at that, still remembering the awed look that Haku had done his best to hide when they had entered Kirigakure. To be fair though Naruto had felt the same on the inside, but for different reasons. During the bloodline rebellions Kirigakure was like the shining jewel of Mizu no Kuni. It was the prize everybody was fighting for, representing victory and control for whichever side won. He and Fuu had left before ever seeing it in the hands of the rebels.

The country had really flourished since the civil war had ended; resources started going back to the people and the economy and communities were finally given a chance to rebuild. Kirigakure though was something else; it had hardly taken any damage during the war so after word that Yagura had been defeated got out there was only a brief period of resistance before the remaining loyalists surrendered. With the Seven Swordsmen either scattered or dead there wasn't really anybody suited to taking Yagura's place.

Kirigakure itself was a beautiful village with rising marble buildings in whites and pale blues with a lot of vines growing along the walls, perfect for the damp climate. The perpetual layer of moisture coating everything just gave the entire village a shine as it reflected the weak sunlight around. In the centre of it all, on top of a vast network of aqueducts that ferried clean water about the village, was the Mizukage tower. It was an enormous circular building that acted as the heart and soul of the Shinobi village.

Of course this perfect serene image had been somewhat ruined by a flying orange blur going by the name Nezumiiro. As soon as word had spread that Naruto had entered the village she had practically sprinted over to the group, tackling the poor monk right off his feet; in all it was a fairly nostalgic moment for everybody. However Naruto had forgotten that they had left Mizu no Kuni rather suddenly without offering much of an explanation, as evidenced when Nezumiiro had asked them where Shizuku was; the mood had instantly taken a turn for the worse.

Later on in Mei's office they managed to extract a more or less accurate account of what happened with Yagura, including Shizuku's death. Naruto did leave out the part about him using his Bijuu's Chakra to defeat the Kage, simply telling them he had activated a new aspect of his Rinnegan. Nezumiiro had left by that point after consoling him, quite thoroughly much to Fuu's hidden ire, over their friend's death. After that it had been a much more simple matter of handing over Zabuza's sword.

Then came the matter of Haku; after explaining who he was and how Zabuza had found him Mei immediately sympathised with the ice user. Both of them had their clans wiped out to near-extinction during the purges. Unfortunately while there were still a few Terumi members around, the Yuki clan had been one of the first to be eradicated and there had been no survivors. Haku took it surprisingly well and later on he told Naruto and Fuu he had already resigned himself to the fact long ago when he had been forced to kill his father in self-defence.

After that Haku had been offered a choice; stay in Mizu no Kuni and work toward rebuilding his clan or continue travelling with Naruto and Fuu. Naruto felt a bit selfish for enjoying the fact Haku chose them but in their short time travelling together he had quickly become a close friend, to both of them. Haku had promised though that when he was older he would return to his village, until then he wanted to learn more about the world and better refine his bloodline. Mei understood, not wanting to pressure any bloodline clans into doing anything due to what they had all been through. She respected his decision, thanking him for the sword and wished them good luck.

However as they were leaving she had mentioned the fact that the upcoming Chuunin Exams were coming up. It was purely because if Haku had stayed she would have considered entering him; but more importantly she noted that they were taking place in Konoha this time around. Just like that Naruto knew he wanted to return to his village; he wasn't sure if it was melancholy or just a hint of homesickness, despite the village not being his home for over six years, but he knew he needed to see Konoha again.

Right now they were just a few miles away from the village itself; they hadn't been travelling at ninja speeds so the entire journey had taken around three weeks. There was plenty of time for the three to get to know one another, each telling the other about their respective pasts. It turned out they all had far more in common than they had previously thought. All three were orphans, all three knew the loss of a precious person, and all of them knew how it felt to be hated and persecuted for a power they had no control over having.

Fuu and Naruto learned about Haku's early life with his parents, the day he discovered his abilities and showed his mother as well as the day he was forced to kill his father after watching the man murder his mother in cold blood, just for being different. They also discovered quite a bit about what he had learned under Zabuza's tutelage about advanced Chakra control, speed and his Kekkei Genkai. Luckily Mei had managed to provide him with a few scrolls detailing some of his clan's techniques that had survived the purges, in the hopes that it would serve as incentive for him to return later on.

Fuu told him about her treatment in the village, how little she had known about the world besides combat and very specific history before being rescued. Other than that she had very little to tell about herself; her childhood was about as stunted as they come. If anything it was more mechanical than natural. Naruto finished up by telling him about his own childhood, how the villages would mostly pretend he didn't exist. Over the weeks Haku earned their trust enough that Naruto showed him his Rinnegan, telling the boy about it and everything he had gone through to fully awaken it to this point.

After that the three had a genuine connection, one built on shared experiences and empathy for the others' situation. It was also nice for Naruto to have another boy to talk with; there were just some things he felt uncomfortable bringing up with Fuu sometimes, even if she was his best friend.

"I think we're almost there now." Naruto's voice was outwardly confident as his eyes glanced around at his surroundings. It had been a long time since he had been in Hi no Kuni except for passing through and even longer since he had been around the village, and at the time he was only seven.

"And we are supposed to trust your judgement on this?" Over the weeks travelling with the two Haku had really loosened up, no longer having to conform to any kind of attitude like he did serving under Zabuza. Naruto was sure he wanted to simply shift that relationship onto him but instead Naruto coaxed him with a friendly atmosphere and eventually Haku simply accepted the two as friends, nothing more.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Naruto's deadpan voice made Fuu smirk slightly as she walked behind the two boys.

"Well you did get us lost for about a week." Naruto just sighed and put a palm up to his temple; Haku was never going to let it go; the fact that the 'almighty Rinnegan bearer' the 'man with the most powerful eyes in the world' managed to get lost in the very forests that were his home.

"I already told you, the map that man sold us was completely fake. Blame Fuu for buying it off him." At that the mint-haired Jinchuuriki sent a mild glare at the blonde before waving casually at the dark-haired boy.

"Haku was the one who said he seemed trustworthy." Naruto just smirked as he nudged the other boy on the shoulder.

"I don't think Haku understands when somebody is untrustworthy." It was Haku's turn to send a small glare at the blonde as he crossed his hands in front of his chest, made more difficult by the bulky travelling cloak he was wearing over his clothing. They had decided that a Kiri hunter-nin uniform was a bit conspicuous so at the first town they had come across they had bought Haku some new clothing. Naturally the boy had chosen quite possibly the most androgynous outfit in there, a simple lilac shirt that seemed far too large for him, leaving the sleeves to hang past his hands and the hem to drape about him like a skirt as well as very baggy maroon shorts that just came past his knees. Over that he wore a simple but thick sky-blue kimono with white trim, similar to the one he wore in his disguise.

"And you're one to talk? Are you not the one who was naïve enough to believe that talking to me when I was quite obviously hostile was a good idea?" Naruto's smirk flipped to a genuine grin at that as he casually wrapped an arm around Fuu's shoulders.

"But wasn't it?" Fuu's eyes narrowed in mock irritation but her small smile belayed how she really felt.

"That's beside the point." Naruto's grin only grew at that; at this point Haku had started to drift behind the pair slightly. It wasn't uncommon for them to start talking and just sort of forget Haku was there; he couldn't blame them as he had a rather meek presence and was quite quiet unless prompted. Of course Naruto immediately noticed him trying to slink back and blend in with the road and immediately grabbed his hand pulling him back up.

"Where are you going, I thought we were talking, ne?" Haku merely offered a timid smile but really had nothing else to say so the group lapsed into a brief silence. Luckily for them it couldn't last too long as the tree line finally broke before them to reveal a sight that Naruto hadn't seen in over six years.

"Wow, I never imagined it was so large." Naruto found a grin forming on his features as Haku's awed voice cut through the group's silence. Konoha really was a sight, bathed in the light streaming down from the mid-morning sun, reflecting off of shop windows and metal ornaments hanging in merchant stalls. The many red tiled roofs of the old and new buildings, mish-matched together to create a diverse, ever-changing landscape of traditional and modern housing. The village itself was a sprawling mass of streets and people, spreading out in a large semi-circle from the mountain that stood sentinel over it.

That was the most impressive part, the Hokage monument; a towering mass of rock and stone that could cast the entire village into shadow if the sun was behind it. Engraved on it were the likenesses of the village's greatest heroes and leaders, the Hokage, past and present. Naruto took a moment to look at the visage of Hashirama Senju, the man who had captured the majority of the Bijuu and handed them out in an attempt to balance the power of the nations. He had caused a lot of problem for the Bijuu in his bid for peace but Naruto couldn't fault him for that, he had been acting in the best interests of his people and didn't know the consequences of his actions.

"Yeah, it's really something isn't it." Naruto's grin turned into a lopsided smile as he looked out at his home village, it really hadn't changed since he'd been gone. At least not in any ways he noticed.

"It's certainly very large." Naruto sighed at that; Fuu's tone was clipped and withdrawn, telling of her dislike of the situation. She wasn't very happy with walking into a hidden village after her childhood; he suspected the only reason she had been even remotely comfortable in Kumogakure was due to how soon it was after she had left Takigakure. Now that Naruto thought about it though she had been very reclusive and introverted then as well. Kirigakure had been fine because they were constantly surrounded by people she at least knew somewhat and knew mean her no harm.

"Well yeah, I guess it is." Naruto shrugged, he supposed he should be glad Fuu was talking at all; he could tell she was secretly unhappy with him for this, even if she wouldn't openly admit it. It took them another few minutes to hike the rest of the way to the village and most of the way there was a slightly awkward silence between the trio. Naruto couldn't think of what to say to Fuu while Fuu simply didn't want to talk; Haku was perfectly fine blending into the silence as he was used to it at this stage in his life.

Eventually the great wooden gates of Konohagakure loomed before them like proud sentinels of the Shinobi village. They were opened all the way to admit the many spectators and nobles that had travelled far to see the newest batch of potential Chuunin. These events were more of a publicity affair than actual tests to determine a rank, after all most Shinobi made their rank through field promotions. The exams themselves were mostly to show off the power in the newest generation, representing the power of their village as a whole in order to draw in clients.

"Eh, excuse me?" Naruto looked around, noticing the guard sitting in a small box-like building just inside the gate. He blinked as he realised he had been daydreaming before walking over to the guard, a tall man with his dark purple hair hanging out in long spikes with a small strip of a beard and a bandage wrapped across his nose.

"Hello, we'd like to enter the village." The man just looked past him at Fuu and Haku disinterestedly, probably bored at having to admit so many people; that at least would work in Naruto's favour. He doubted that many would recognise him without his whiskers but just in case he wore his sugegasa to hide at least the top of his hair; the long spiky pony-tail he could do little about.

"Yeah, you here for the Chuunin Exams?" Naruto just nodded pleasantly, his usual squinted look firmly back on his face. Travelling with Haku and Fuu, who knew all his secrets, he hadn't had to bother but he definitely couldn't risk people seeing his Rinnegan. Most of these people were highly trained Shinobi and even if they didn't recognise it as one of the legendary three it was still obviously a Doujutsu of some sort. "Alright then, you need to sign a waiver stating you won't cause trouble in the village, anything you do will be made accountable to you or your friends and the Shinobi will be able to deal with it as they see fit." Again Naruto nodded but a small frown flickered across his face; he realised it was a ninja village but the amount of unquestionable power they held was somewhat troubling.

"Well alright then, you're welcome to get a room in any hotel besides those closest to the training grounds to the east and west of the village, those are reserved for the foreign participants." Naruto just nodded again, figuring that talking as little as possible would most likely help in keeping his identity secret. "Enjoy your stay in Konohagakure no Sato and enjoy the Chuunin Exams. There should be some pretty cool stuff going on this year what with the last Uchiha participating." At that Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything; that would mean that if he stayed the last Uchiha would have been in his graduating year.

As the three walked away from the small stand he could faintly hear the gate guard whispering to his companion in hushed tones. They obviously didn't expect him to be able to hear them from this distance.

"Did you see that symbol on his robes?" The other guard, a man with lank brown hair tired up in a bandana with a strange skin-tight underlay that came all the way up to his chin, just responded with a near-unintelligible grunt, obviously far too bored to be looking at people's clothing. "It was the symbol of the Fire Temple; I wonder what one of their monks is doing out here." Naruto slowed his pace slightly so he wouldn't walk out of range of the two.

"Eh what do you mean? He's probably just here for the Chuunin Exams like everybody else." His tone conveyed his absolute disinterest with the subject; it appeared his partner would often talk to him about inane things.

"They don't usually care about that kind of stuff right?" The other guard merely shrugged, looking about ready to drop to the desk and just sleep.

"Eh, one of Asuma's brats is in it right? Maybe he's just here to see him; maybe he's one of the Guardian's students come to see another." The first guard just frowned, seemingly unconvinced; although Naruto had a sneaking feeling that he was simply trying to find excitement in his dull day, thankfully for the blonde.

"Maybe, but should we report it to the Hokage anyway?" At that Naruto nearly froze, but managed to just slow his pace again slightly, confusing Haku as the boy hadn't been trying to listen to the two Chuunin's conversation.

"Eh just let it go man, ain't it bad Karma or something to mess with monks?" At that Naruto let out an inaudible sigh, picking up his pace once again.

"Yeah I guess you're right." A soft smile replaced the worried frown that had crept onto Naruto's features and with more confidence in his step the young monk continued on into the village with his friends. Luckily they didn't seem to attract much attention; after all they were just three kids walking through the village. They were dressed a little strangely but with all the foreigners flocking to Konoha for the Chuunin Exams, different was the norm.

"So where are we going first?" Haku nudged the blonde slightly as they walked, pulling the boy out of his thoughts. The familiar sights and sounds of his childhood home had sent Naruto off into his memories, picking out little details he remembered from when he was seven. The alleyway they had just walked past had been one of his favourite escape routes when running after a prank, there was a little hole in the fence just large enough for his young body to fit through while his pursuers, generally angry prank victims, had to take a longer way.

"I want to show you guys around, but first I think we should find a place to stay, the exam's final round isn't for a few more days." Fuu just nodded from his right; she had a neutral look on her face since entering the village but Naruto had known her too long not to recognise the fact she was mentally withdrawing on herself. The mint-haired Jinchuuriki was not good with large gathering of people and you didn't get a much larger or more diverse crowd than the melting pot that was Konohagakure.

"So a temple then." There was no question in her impassive voice but Naruto nodded nonetheless, stopping for a moment to dredge up six year old memories. It made him wonder how he had actually managed to remember things before his Rinnegan made his memory practically photographic.

"Yeah. If I remember right then I think there should be one a few streets from the main market; the man there was always nice to me; he gave me food sometimes." At that a small smile finally wormed its way onto Fuu's face; it was good to know that out of all the stories Naruto had told her of his pained childhood there had been a few decent people. Of course the fact that a young boy would have to think so much of even the meagre offering of food a monk could give him was equally depressing, making the smile immediately slip away.

A few minutes later and a lot of navigating through bustling market streets and the trio were standing outside of a small, dilapidated temple. However the building seemed deserted, the glass on the windows was choked with dust and the door itself didn't seem to have been opened in years. As Naruto remembered it the kindly man who had lived there, who he now understood to have been a monk, had always prided himself on how well he maintained his home and place of meditation. A elderly woman who was out sweeping her porch noticed Naruto staring at the building in confusion, sending him a kindly smile.

"I don't know what you expected to find here sonny but the old monk that lived there is long gone." Naruto widened his eyes slightly, broken out of his confusion by the croaky voice.

"Do you know where he went?" The woman peered at Naruto for a moment and for a second he feared she had recognised him, however she simply appeared to be looking over his robes before her eyes lingered on the long monk-staff in his hand.

"Ahh, you're a monk then; no sorry, I have no idea where he went." The woman sighed, resting against her broom and wiping a few strands of her greying hair away from her eyes. "Shame too, very nice man, always helping everybody he could. One day he was here, doing what he usually did, then around six years ago he just up and left. Apparently he got some kind of message from the head monk of the Fire Temple itself telling him to move out of Konoha." The woman shook her head before allowing a kindly smile to alight on her wrinkled features. "But I don't believe that personally; I mean why would he ask him to do that?" Naruto just nodded idly, tipping his head in thanks.

It turned out it was the same story at all of the temples they visited, or at least all of the ones Naruto could remember. It seems six years ago they had all just up and left, there were rumours of them returning to the Fire Temple but at the time Naruto didn't really know anybody so a few new arrivals would have gone completely unnoticed. The time was too specific to be a coincidence though; their leaving seemed to coincide with around the time he had been taken into the Fire Temple.

Finally they had to settle for a small inn that was rather out of the way of the more busy areas of the village, close to the northern edge, near the wall. It was quiet and there were only a few patrons with everybody else jostling for hotels and inns closer to the stadium so that they could get better seats on the day. However it was ideal for Naruto and his companions, fewer people just meant less chance of being spotted and recognised. Although he knew it was irrational due to how much he had changed over the years he still felt like that little kid, just waiting to turn a corner and find those same looks he had grown up with.


"That's the park; when I was really little the Hokage once took me there. Right in the middle there's this little hill that lets you see over the trees and gives you a really good view of the Hokage monument. He spent the whole afternoon just sitting with me, talking to me about all the great things the previous Hokage had done." Naruto had a tired smile as he walked past the central park of the village, pointing in the vague direction he remembered that hill to be. "I really wanted to believe him back then; I didn't understand why the villagers treated me so differently so when he told me how these men were so greatly respected and loved I vowed to become like them so that I could be acknowledged that way too." Naruto chuckled softly as he looked away from the happy memory, one of the precious few he had of that time.

"Of course now I understand that you aren't respected because you are in a position of power and authority, you get there because you are respected and loved by the people. It was pretty foolish of me but I was just a kid back then, too naïve to realise that I would have to change the hearts of the people if I ever wanted to earn their respect." Haku placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as they walked, Fuu a few steps behind, silently absorbing everything he had been saying.

"It was a good dream, perhaps if things had been different you might have stayed and really changed how the people saw you." Naruto gave a small shrug but his smile did widen slightly.

"Maybe, but who knows? I certainly wouldn't change anything about now though, otherwise I might never have had you two." He purposefully made sure Fuu saw him look at her, making the mint-haired girl look down, a stain of red just peeking out from her caramel cheeks. "Anyway, I want to show you guys this building that had a great view of this little roof garden I used to watch. At night fireflies would gather there..." Haku nodded along as Naruto narrated yet another place in the village he had come to love in his childhood.

They were always such little things like a particularly good view or an alleyway where the smell of baked goods wafted through the air. He noticed that apart from a few, mostly involving the Hokage, Naruto didn't have any actual sentimental places. He also noted that Naruto never once mentioned where he lived to them, instead taking them to these small, but still heart-warming places that still managed to hold a small space in his heart. Haku blinked though as he realised Naruto was no longer next to him; looking around in confusion he spotted the boy a few metres back, just staring at an empty space beside the street.

"Naruto?" The blonde seemed unresponsive but when Haku looked around he saw nothing special, just an empty space to the side of the street. It seemed a little strange there was no building or stall there, considering it was a rather busy area of the village, but other than that it was unremarkable. However Naruto was staring at it as if he could see into the very depths of the pure world itself.

"Naruto?" Fuu seemed just as concerned for the young monk as she rested a hand on his shoulder. She nearly gasped though in shock when she noticed a single tear roll its way down the boy's cheek. Never in her time travelling with Naruto had she seen him cry over nothing like this; in fact the only time she ever recalled seeing tears mar his features was after Shizuku's death.

"It was here." Naruto's voice was barely a whisper as more tears escaped his eyes to join the first, making small streams down his cheeks. "I-I thought..." He just trailed off as he took a step forward, walking out until he was at the centre of the tiny plot of land. "...I thought I had let you rest, but I couldn't." He slowly fell to his knees, much to both Haku and Fuu's shock who had only ever seen Naruto as an immovable pillar of strength. His fingers grasped at the loose earth around him as a few tears dropped to the ground below him as if trying to expel hi anguish.

"I'm sorry Ayame, I'm sorry Teuchi I-I..." His breath hitched as he felt a hand gently wrap around his shoulders; when he managed to look up he saw Fuu staring down at him, a soft, compassionate mile on her face. It was the first show of genuine emotion he had seen from her the entire day but it didn't dry his tears. A moment later he felt Haku's hand also rest on his other shoulder and just about managed a grateful smile to the boy.

"Who were they?" The blonde managed a choked laugh as his grip on the loose soil tightened, making his knuckles turn white.

"They..." A soft smile drifted across his lips as he reached up a sleeve to wipe away his tears as best he could. "...They were family."