Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I gain money from writing stories about them.

A/N: I had a bit of an issue internet wise since we were having storms and pouring rain, so let's see how we do with this chapter.

Thanks to:

Melyway: Be patient and you will see what happens.

Angel-the-hedge: There will be more, I have been asked recently to write a story idea for one of my followers and I'm contemplating it really well. I think I will because I see the potential that the idea has and I believe everyone will love it.

Chapter Thirty-Two

As the waves of Chakra sends the water in an explosive wave, the others had to shield them even though Sasuke and Naruto fly back from it themselves. Kakashi uses one of Naruto's clones to push himself up so that he could catch her real body. Sasuke heads for the canyon side but before he hit, Zetsu pops out of his back, cushioning his impact. "Gotcha!" The light side says as he catches him and they both land on top of the water.

"You…when did you…" Sasuke started but couldn't finish.

"I've been watching your back for quite a while now. Tobi ordered me to hang around and keep my presence hidden from you. We're in trouble no matter how you slice it," he tells the crouching young man that is panting as he stares over at the others. 'I'd better call him, I don't think we can get away alone.'

"I told you to get out of here, Naruto!" Kakashi fusses at the girl.

"Now, I'm certain," she says as she holds a dead on pissed glare on her face.

"Certain…of what? What the hell are you talking about?!" Kakashi asked as he gave her a wary look since he knew there was more to her than others knew. Naruto though, wouldn't finish what she was going to say and Tobi appears out from thin air, shocking the whole group.

"I thought I told you come back and rest," Tobi scolds the younger male.

'Madara…' Kakashi glares at him.

"The nine-tails," he says and stares at the girl who looks like she wants him dead. "When we do fight them, it'll be in a more suitable place. For now we retreat."

"Let me handle them. We've gotta capture the nine-tails sometime, right?" Zetsu says and Sasuke's eyes widen as he barely saw the multiple forms that are coming up from the water all around him.

'First Madara, now Zetsu, I can't handle them both alone, what do I do here?' Kakashi wondered as he stared at them, silently.

"No Zetsu, I don't think you'll be able to capture Naruto. You're not really a front-line fighter; the nine-tails is too much. We'll leave that hunt to Sasuke, it should be entertaining. Plus, I'm worried about Kisame, go check up on him, and rejoin with your blacker half on the way," Tobi tells him.

"Aye aye, sir," Zetsu says.

"Naruto," Kakashi says as he watches her walk past him.

"I know, but there's something I need to say to Sasuke," she says.

"Come on, Sasuke," Tobi tells him.

"Wait," he tells him as he keeps his eyes on Naruto and he stands.

"Sasuke, do you remember what you told me back in the Valley of the End? About top-class Ninjas?" She asks and he remembers it all. "One direct clash later, I understand a lot more," she says as she continues to keep walking forward. "We've become top-class Ninja's, Sasuke, both of us. So tell me, did you see what was in my heart? How I really feel?" She asks as she crosses her arms over her abundant chest. "Did you see what'll happen? If we fight again, we're both gonna die." When she says this, everyone was shocked and they stared at both of them. "Our battle will be inevitable if you really do attack the Leaf. So keep your hatred, let it fester and hit me with it full force. I'm the only one who can bear the full brunt of your hate! It's my job, no one else's! I'll bear the burden of your hatred, and we'll die together!"

"What?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why do you care about me so much?!" Sasuke shouts at her.

"Because I love you," she says with a smile on her face. "Sasuke, we'll never be able to understand one another through words alone. I knew that from the moment I met you. The only way you and I can communicate properly is with our fist! Remember what I said, we're both top-class Ninja's now! I haven't given up yet! Still, I'm done ranting at you. Hell, I can barely string a sentence together, I shouldn't be lecturing anyone! Heheheh…If we really do take this all the way to the end, and we both die, we won't be Uchiha, Jinchuuriki's or anything. There'll be no more burdens to bear. We'll come to understand one another in the next world!"

'Naruto…you're…' Sakura thought as tears formed in her eyes.

"I will never change! I don't want us to understand one another and I'm not gonna die, you will," Sasuke says as he glares back at the young woman.

"Enough Naruto, I'll handle Sasuke. You still have a dream, the dream of becoming Hokage. Sasuke may have fallen, but don't let him drag you down too-" Kakashi tells her but she interrupts him.

"How could I call myself Hokage if I can't even save one person I love? The only person Sasuke's fighting is me!" She tells him seriously.

"Have it your way. I'll kill you first," he tells her as he wished with everything in him that his eyes could clear up once more so that he could see her vibrant blue eyes.

"Heh, you still haven't accepted me as an equal!" She tells him as she stared at his handsome face.

'Naruto's here because she's made up her mind, her resolve now is nothing compared to mine! I'm supposed to be a Ninja, but all I've ever done is lean on her and cry. I was supposed to change that, I came here; I thought I was ready, but I can't do anything. I can't say anything; the only thing that remains for me is to believe in them!' Sakura thought as she wiped her eyes dry.

"Okay, Sasuke is all yours, Naruto," Kakashi tells her as he wished it was different. 'However,' he thought as his attention turned to stare at them. "Sakura, take care of my body, okay?" When he says this, Sakura's face held confusion. 'I'm taking out Madara before this goes any further!'

"Don't bother, Kakashi. Techniques like that have no effect on me," Tobi says as he held his hand up. "Let's go, Sasuke," he says and pats the young man on his shoulder.

"Madara, you and I need to talk," Sasuke says as he never took his eyes from the curvy form of Naruto's, even with him being absorbed into Tobi's dimension.

"I'm ready when you are, Sasuke," Naruto says when he was gone completely. Sakura walked slowly closer to Naruto.

'Thank you, Naruto, for everything. Now, I still believe there can be a happy ending for everyone on team 7,' Sakura thought as she felt the relief that the conflict was over. Naruto quickly wobbled on her feet and keeled over in a feint as her clone disappears. "Wh-whoa!"

"Wha-Naruto!" Kakashi shouts as the girl falls completely submerged into the river.

~3~

"Time to go," Kakashi says as he watched Naruto lean over, complaining that she felt worse than when she had morning sickness, making Karin's eyes widen a little.

"Ugh, I still feel like I'm dying," she says holding her stomach as Sakura tries to make her feel better.

"We're taking you to the Leaf Village, don't try anything," Kakashi tells Karin as he hefts her onto his back.

"Why would I bother with that now?" She mutters weakly.

"Y-you gonna be okay?" Sakura asks as she places a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

'So she's Uzumaki Naruto,' Karin thought as she stared at her new found cousin. 'She said morning sickness…Oh, god, she had Sasuke's child, Suigetsu was right about her and Sasuke having this thing.' She thought as they made it to the area where the rest of the team was knocked out.

"Man, you were going crazy, and these bums are sleeping like logs," Naruto says as Sakura chuckles guiltily.

"They were trying to help you, Sakura. I expect you to apologize profusely as soon as they're awake," Kakashi scolded her.

"Right," she says and watches as Naruto struggles to climb the slight incline.

"Man," she says as she walks besides where Lee was laying sprawled out.

"This is my fault, Naruto. Don't be too hard with them-" She stops when she saw that Naruto just slumps over and lies down on the ground. "Now you're passing out?!"

"I feel sick again," she says.

"Well, Sakura, right? You were the one who poisoned that Kunai," Karin tells her as Kakashi chuckles and they saw Naruto falling asleep.

~3~

Kiba has this irritated look on his face when they all recovered. "Hmph! I do everything you ask, I even find Sasuke, and what do I get?"

"Let it go, Kiba," Kakashi tells the young man as everyone walks along the pathway.

"This ain't something where you try to hog the glory," Kiba says. "Then Sai goes and blabs everything to Naruto, and to top it all off Sasuke gets away!"

"Kiba, seriously, quit whining!" Naruto shouts at him.

"You've been whining since this whole Sasuke thing started, Naruto! I bet you even whine to your kids!" Kiba shouts and nobody notices that Karin's eyes widen.

"Ah, that's true. Despite being slow and simple-minded, you were really over thinking things," Sai says as he chuckles.

"Well, you look like you're having a fun time with all this!" She spins around and shouts at Sai. "Don't you!?"

"Thank you," he says.

"That wasn't a compliment!" She shouts.

"I feel like we've finally got the old Naruto-chan back!" Lee says while chuckling.

"That just means she hasn't grown up. Once a dumbass, always a dumbass! I'm shocked she's able to be a mother!" Kiba grumbles.

"Screw you, Kiba!" Naruto practically growls at him.

'She's…like the exact opposite of Sasuke, even her Chakra,' Karin thought as she watched her cousin's back. 'I bet that Sasuke doesn't even know about his kids, huh? Makes me laugh that even though he won't be in a relationship with me that he's still with an Uzumaki. Her aura is warm and bright.' Her eyes widen when she saw the deep dark red aura from inside of Naruto. 'W-what?! There's something other, deep down inside! It's…evil! It's exactly like-' her eyes noticed that the aura fills the girl's inner Chakra chambers and is somehow gentled with every bit of calmness that Naruto shows. 'H-how can it be evil and not evil at the same time? D-don't tell me…no…they didn't…she's a Jinchuuriki…Why would they put a demon inside of her? What about her kids?' Karin's thoughts went a hundred miles a minute since it's been in the tails of the clan's history of sealers. Three ANBU Black Ops approached the group.

"Tell us what's going on, Sai," the one in the middle demands when they face them.

"Black Ops," Naruto says as she gauges their auras.

"ANBU from root," Kakashi affirms.

"There's no mistaking it, Senpai. The seal Danzou-sama placed on all of us could have only disappeared for one reason," Sai says.

"Then he has passed away?" The man asks.

"Yes! Therefore, I think Root needs to have a long talk with our new Hokage, Hatake Kakashi," Sai says as he waves his hand over to the white haired male who is still carrying Karin.

~3~

"You're gonna fight Sasuke alone? And you think all of us are just gonna stand here and let you?" Tenten shouts at her friend after she slams her fist down on the wood's side.

"Tenten's right, Naruto. We can't afford to let you have your way on this one. This is a problem for the whole village," Shikamaru fusses at her.

"So this is what you meant when you said you'd 'explain when we got back'? We're all prepared to kill Sasuke, man!" Kiba shouts down at her.

"I'm not trying to be selfish," she tells him as she looks up into his eyes.

"Naruto, you're not trying to convince us to let you handle this so you can turn around and protect Sasuke, are you?" Shikamaru asks as he has the twins in mind and knows that Naruto doesn't want her kids to lose a parent.

"No, trust me, I won't defend him," Naruto tells him as she turns to stare at him.

"If Sasuke was so weakened from the Kage Summit and fighting Danzou, why didn't you just finish him right then?" Neji asks.

"Madara was there too! You're oversimplifying things, besides-" Sakura shouted before Kiba interrupts her.

"He couldn't have just slipped away! Naruto, you're as strong as they come. You're already a legend for kicking the crap out of Pain! Sasuke wouldn't have stood-" Naruto interrupts Kiba.

"You're wrong, I can't defeat Sasuke at his current level, I just knew…" she stops as she stares down at the ground Sasuke's image was in her mind. 'Even what he was thinking,' she thought.

"What do you mean?" Chouji asks.

"I mean that I can't let any of you face Sasuke. I'm the only one who can fight him," she tells them as she looks around at each one of them.

"What in the world happened? You have to tell us," Neji says as he worries about her.

"I will, when the time is right," she says.

'Naruto, what are you hiding?' Sakura wonders.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm starving. I'll be at Ichiraku!" She says and walks off knowing that Iruka is at Ichiraku with the twins.

~3~

Sakura ran straight to Ichiraku's only to see Naruto and the twins devouring their dinner. When she told them their faces flared in happiness and relief. "For real?! Granny Tsunade's all better?!"

"Yup!" Sakura grins as she pants out from running so fast to get there.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto pumps her arm in glee.

"Tsunade-sama's okay, that's wonderful news! Alright, to celebrate everyone eats on the house!" Teuchi tells everyone.

"Whoa, really?" Naruto and Shina say at the same time while Futarou groans and slumps down in his seat.

"I'll whip something up for you too Sakura, have a seat!" He tells her.

"That's okay; I've still got so many people to tell!" She says as she starts leaving. "See you later, Naruto!"

"Well, now that I'm in a better mood I feel a lot hungrier! I'm gonna eat like a horse today!" Naruto gleefully says as Shina nods while jumping in her seat.

"Futarou-chan, I'll make you some Onigiri so you don't have to eat ramen," Teuchi tells the young boy. When he finished with their food he plopped it down in front of them and the three drooled. "Eat up!" They all grin.

"It's…" Naruto started to say then she disappears, "chow time!" She cheers and doesn't pay attention to her not being at Ichiraku's anymore. She picks up her chopsticks and starts slurping down the worms quickly until she realizes they weren't noodles.

"Lookit 'er go!" Fukasaku says with a grin.

"Ya finally got a taste for my worm soup, eh!" Granny Toad gleefully says but was shocked when Naruto runs off and pukes.

"Why am I here?" Naruto whines as she lies down on the floor, wishing the taste would leave her mouth.

"I reverse summoned ya. The great elder's gonna tell ya yer future," Fukasaku tells her. "Come with me."

"And don't throw up!" Granny toad tells her. The two approached the huge toad.

"Yo yo! How've ya been, super-size sage?" Naruto asks as she waves at him.

"Here she is," Fukasaku stops and stares up at the toad.

"Today, I have called for you, er…" The toad stared at the girl, trying to think who she is. "Who are you again?"

"Uzumaki Naruto! Come on super-size, at least memorize my name!" She whines.

'Can't we have one meeting without this schtick?' Fukasaku thought, exasperated

"Ooooh, yes, yes! Naruto! Naruto, I have seen your future. You will meet…an octopus," he tells her.

"Octopus?" She asks as she squints up at him.

"The vision is cloudy, but I am sure they are octopus tentacles. Then you…you will battle a young man with great power in his eyes, and-" Naruto interrupts him.

"Yeah, I know," she says.

"Whadda ya mean, 'I know'?!" Fukasaku asks her.

"You…you have seen it?" The sage asks her.

"Yes," she tells him.

"And you know what he is?! The young man with such power in his eyes?" He asks her.

"Yes, I'm prepared for everything that's gonna happen," she tells them and they stare at her.

"Gamatora, I have foreseen the transfer to Naruto as well. Give her the key to the Fourth's seal," he says as he smiles down at the scroll frog.

"If you say so, elder!" The frog then lengthens his body to unroll the scroll that is attached to his body.

"What's that?" Naruto asks.

"The key to opening and closing the Fourth Hokage's seal! Wit this, y'could actually release the nine-tails completely if ya wanted to," Gamatora says as he stares into the familiar blue eyes. "Put yer hands on that square. This's also your ticket to perfecting 'that' Jutsu," he told her and she looks down to rub a hand over her belly.

"What's the holdup? Put yer hand on the transfer seal!" Fukasaku tells her.

"Nervous, eh Naruto? I don't blame ya," Gamatora says as he knew the girl is uncertain about everything.

"What's that?" Fukasaku asks.

"Fukasaku-sama, the fox's power works like this: There's two parts to it, the 'Chakra' and the 'mind'. To control the nine-tail's power, ya gotta pull out its Chakra and turn it inta yer own, but it ain't as easy as it sounds. When ya draw out the fox's Chakra, it will comes along fer the ride. The nine-tails' mind is just a malevolent mass of hate tied to a hugely powerful Chakra. No matter how strong y'are, its own hate'll latch onta the hatred in yer own heart and try to take over. Basically, the only way ta truly have control over its power. Is ta have a strong enough will with no hatred and completely filter the 'mind' outta the 'Chakra'. The Fourth designed her seal so a tiny bit 'a Chakra would leak out and naturally combine with Naruto's own Chakra, but with this here key ye could completely undo the four element seal and tap inta the nine-tails' full Chakra!" Gamatora explains.

"And with it the full force 'a the fox's will!" Fukasaku adds.

"The second the fox's mind overcame Naruto's, the nine-tailed demon fox would be reborn!" Gamatora warns.

"Ye tried opening the seal with the key once, yeah?" Fukasaku asks.

"The four element seal's been growin' weaker with time. So durin' Naruto's trainin Jiraiya used the key to suppress the fox. When Naruto started transformin' outta nowhere but the seal was loose, wasn't no tellin' when he'd transform again. So Jiraiya used the key to open up the seal just a crack, hopin' to teach Naruto ta repel the nine-tails' mind and take full control over its Chakra. That…didn't work out," Gamatora tells the two.

"What happened after that?" Fukasaku asks.

"Don't really know, ta be honest," he says.

"It's true that when I fought Orochimaru I went to the nine-tails and willingly let it take control. When he started talking about Sasuke I just snapped, I wanted to kill Orochimaru right where he stood but I also hurt Sakura-chan. That's when Captain Yamato told me to stop relying on the nine-tails and start fighting with my own power. Obviously I was fine when he kept it suppressed during training, but you can't help having hatred in your heart during battle. So I decided I'd never go to the fox for help again, I didn't think I had the strength to keep its mind from taking over. Then when I saw Pain attack Hinata, I was so mad, so full of rage; I let the nine-tails take over without even thinking about it. Then the Fourth reinforced the seal and I felt safe again, but I could lose control again. Still, I'll need the nine-tails' Chakra to fight Sasuke. I can't escape the fact that I'm the nine-tail's Jinchuuriki. It's time for me to stop running," she says with a smile on her lips as she remembers what her father told her. She infused her fingertips with Chakra and touched them to the square box on the scroll. 'I know I took a long time, but I'm ready to learn how to control this thing, dad!'

"The contract is signed! I'm all yours!" Gamatora tells her.

"Time ta go find us an octopus!" Fukasaku says.