After what felt like an eternity, Anko lowered her sword, then smiled. "Well done, Naruto," she said.

"But this isn't a game, and there's no second chance. Your limit is your own making." In the blink of an eye, Naruto disappeared from the battlefield and reappeared inside his home.

He closed his eyes, as the whole of the land around him exploded into flames, and collapsed to the floor, dazed. The next day, as people all over the world gathered in the streets to watch the funeral procession

Naruto, used Chakra to refocus his chakra in his forehead and let it build up to 500 on the outside. Ichiko advised him to aim for 1000. Later that day, the Na - Naruto spirit agreed to grant his friends a chakra graze on the forehead of the person they wanted the spirit to choose. Kushina, Sasuke, Sakura, and Shino all stepped forward and received the chakra graze. At home later that day, everyone was busy preparing for the festival and conversing about how Naruto had left them.

Kushina, however, hurriedly covered the length of her waist with the rough cloth and stood back, with her arms folded. "It's really too bad, Naruto. I wanted to do this with you..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked anxiously at him. Naruto bit his lower lip. There was something he had to do, but it was something he didn't want to do. "That's what Shikamaru said. But, when he tried to train me with Jiraiya, well, it didn't go too well.

Jiraiya and Naruto each embraced Tazuna for a few minutes and he told them that it was best that they leave as he didn't want either one of them to see him like this, especially Jiraiya who still looked like he had gone three rounds with a sand nin, he whispered that he was sorry for having them come all the way here, but he didn't think he was going to make it. The two of them said their goodbyes to him and Naruto started heading for the door.

Jiraiya said his goodbyes to Naruto as well and this time he was the one to hold him. This was it, the moment of truth, would he change? Or would he stay the same? He looked into the older child's eyes and didn't see the anger or the torment, he saw something different, he saw acceptance. Naruto nodded and that was it. Jiraiya looked up at the clouds and smiled. He felt a gentle breeze blow and when he opened his eyes, he was back in Konoha.

"There is something you should know" she said, he tried to hear what she was saying but could not.

"Well I will tell you once you've gathered the Spirit Stones." He sat up and looked around, he couldn't feel the wind anymore.

"What was that?" He knew where he was and who was speaking.

"I have to go this instant." He jumped from the cot and ran to the wall, he had to know how to get back.

"This will take time. I only know of three ways. The first is to capture the Orochimaru."

Orochimaru's daughter and Katagiri's mate. Second, the ninja must destroy all of the Soul Society. Yorito has the third objective, protect Uchiha Itachi. Having assembled the Squad Three, Orochimaru has taken them to some village. Orochimaru feels the villagers are living in squalor; the villagers in turn resent their presence and suspect that they're food. He gets what he wants and is then stabbed by Yakuza who wanted the location of Katsuragi's hideout.

Orochimaru and Sasuke seem to have used an identical method for Itachi's Fire Release and Jiraiya's Henge. Some of the ninjas had different roots for the technique. Using a technique's base moves as the primary key would also seem to use the base to properly tap into the ability itself. Elder Maug raved about the strength of Itachi's Fire Release after seeing the technique during his fateful battle with Jiraiya and his Shikon.

"Teach me that technique dope." Sasuke said face - burning.

He struggled to remember how his mother had taught him to do it.

"Pia - sensei taught me, or Tsunade - senpai, maybe." "I didn't go to your mother's classes." Kuon said.

She put down her scissors, leaned back, and put her hands behind her head. "I went to Tsunade - senpai's." She flexed her toes under the sheets.

"And she didn't teach me, but -" "Then where do I learn it?" Sasuke said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

Sasuke and Naruto fought for days and nights without rest. The Genin were only given water and a single vegetable every so often. They fought with nothing but a Sasuke couldn't have known his death was near. The master had to take his life after seeing how in depth Naruto would go when he fought someone.

"The second you have control I'm going to throw you off of this cliff. Then we will be even." Sasuke stated still breathing heavy. His body was covered in sweat, his shirt stuck to his skin and his face was red from exaustion.