Naruto: Rise of the Hidden Whirlpool (Rewrite)

by Black' Victor Cachat

Before dying, the Fourth Hokage and Kushina hid a special scroll for Naruto. Not long after Naruto learns of his true heritage, he is forced to flee the Leaf Village and rebuilds the Whirlpool Village. Unfortunately, he must face the wrath of both his old home and the might of the Akatsuki, while still trying to find the path to peace. Naruto/Fu; Haku/Pakura. Rewrite of old story.

5. Chunin Exams and Sand-Sound Invasion

For better or worse, I do not own Naruto.

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Beta read by the wonderful OceanLord2017, MaskedSharingan, and BlandonM!

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Chapter 5: Snapshots of Time—The Chunin Exams and Sand-Sound Invasion

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Previously: After the conclusion of the Land of Wave arc, Zabuza died, yet not before ordering Haku to become Naruto's new servant. Encouraged by the fact that Naruto now had a friend who knew he was a Jinchuuriki and still wanted to be with him, the Third Hokage approved of this. Meanwhile, Naruto was given hints about the Uzumaki clan…

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A look through time, leading up to the timeskip to Shippuden!

Warning: This is basically a series of scenes skipping through the Chunin Exam and the Sand-Sound Invasion. However, as you all know the gist of canon, it should not be too confusing.

As I have said before, "Rise of Uzushiogakure" was my first attempt at a multi-chapter story, and I made SO many beginner's mistakes. Enough that I would have to either re-write the whole story from scratch . . . or gut out all the good stuff and put it someplace better. I chose the latter. So yeah, the following couple chapters are basically an accelerated look through the pre-Shippuden stuff, because in all honesty, an AU Shippuden story was always my REAL intention here.

That said, I did put in new content.

XXX

Now that Haku had a new precious person, he would not let this one down!

Consequently, the ice user had appointed himself as Naruto's personal tutor, working to bring the blonde up to par. Given everything, it was not surprising that Naruto had been enthusiastic that someone as "awesome and cool" as Haku would be teaching him.

An eager student was always something to cherish.

Despite having completed over an hour's work of non-stop physical exercise, Naruto bounded to his feet without a pause. "Now what!?" he grinned. "Are you finally going to teach me a super-awesome jutsu!? You still haven't taught me Wind Chakra, and you figured out my element days ago!"

"Two days," Haku corrected. "And I stand by my original argument. Until you can properly control your chakra, it'll be too dangerous. Otherwise you might overpower your jutsu, and kill friend and foe alike. You have to be precise and versatile enough so that you know what your technique will do."

Despite his eternal optimism, Naruto grimaced for a moment, before recognizing that there was still a promise that he would learn cool Wind jutsu. He had just had to pass a few tests first. Groan.

Oh well, he knew Haku would keep that promise.

Believe it!

"So am I going to walk on water then? Because that's pretty cool too!" They had started that while still in Wave, except it had mostly involved Naruto getting wet. By the time they left though, he was at least sinking noticeably slower. Now he was able to carefully walk about on the surface, and was sure he would be running on it anytime!

"No, we're doing your next step into sealing."

Instantly Naruto came to attention. Even more than nifty ninjutsu, fuinjutsu was what he was most curious about above all else. It gave him a connection to a clan he had never known, and was earnest to make his ancestors proud. Moreover, he had seen firsthand how dangerous a man skilled in the sealing arts could be, with that ANBU Hunter who had nearly killed him, several times.

At the same time, he was curious as to why he had never heard about this before, including from the Third Hokage. Never during any of their talks had the Old Man mentioned anything about the Uzumaki.

"You answered all my questions on the basics of sealing properly," Haku smiled, "so now you can start the practical."

"Awesome!"

Giving a girlish chuckle, Haku shook his head. "I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." Taking out a scroll of his own, he released a pad of paper, a brush, and an inkwell. "Your first lesson will be calligraphy."

"…Huh?"

"Writing properly."

"What!?"

XXX

It had been by accident really that Haku had figured out that Shadow Clones sent their memories to their creator, and frankly Naruto felt stupid for missing that for so long. After all, he had been the one to skip that important detail on the Forbidden Scroll!

XXX

At the top of the stack was the most recent report from his ANBU carrying out surveillance on Naruto. It appeared that the Hokage's gamble with Haku had paid off in spades, as they were reporting massive development in the young boy's abilities.

Truthfully, he had originally been highly skeptical of letting an unknown foreigner anywhere near Naruto, no matter how much his surrogate grandson trusted the kid. Except that trust, and the draw of Naruto finally having a real friend, made Hiruzen compromise by having Inoichi Yamanaka examine the boy's mind for duplicity. Contrary to the expectations of his old teammates, his 'experiment' had been a resounding success as positive reports from ANBU poured in.

Taking a break from his Evil Paperwork, he looked through his crystal ball to once again observe how the duo were progressing.

It had not been a flawless process of course, as Haku had initially run into a bit of a roadblock since Naruto learnt better through practical examples than theory. Still, thanks to lots of work, serene patience, and positive encouragement by someone near his own age, Naruto was making frankly staggering progress in just a few weeks. With one-on-one attention and incentives, he was finally taking the time for ninja theory and book-learning. Some days, for his studies, he was actually enthusiastic to be going to the library! Even his serious issues with chakra control were steadily improving.

More importantly, based upon his own and ANBU observations, it seemed Naruto was also becoming more mentally healthy due to this constant and supportive interaction. Some in the village might express surprise at this, wondering how this was garnering better results than Tough Love, or letting a ninja work through his struggles alone. Personally, Hiruzen kept making a mental note to double-check if the history courses properly taught the reasons why Hashirama and Tobirama Senju had been so adamant to found a ninja village. Oh, and Madara too.

That was not to say everything was perfect of course, such as how the boy was also becoming more distant from Team 7.

XXX

Meanwhile, Iruka was still talking, "I suspect that most of what he has learned is from talks with the Third Hokage, or childhood stories that he overheard other people telling. He believes that there are evil people in the world, but I am a little worried about how he defines them, and how readily he accepts they should die."

Once again, Haku nodded in response, remembering how he had worked to make Naruto see why it was a bad thing so many people had died at the bridge, and had then helped Naruto feel better afterwards. Because those Hunter ninja had been attacking him, Naruto had labeled them 'bad guys' who obviously deserved death, overlooking how being a ninja would require him in the future be attacking other people, and thus be the 'bad guy' in turn. Naruto's sadness over Zabuza-sama's passing had also been a little surprising, if appreciated.

I may have the skills to make a trained killer, yet it appears I am still too inexperienced in making a trained and functional ninja. A functional person, Haku conceded reluctantly.

"Why are you telling me this?" Haku finally asked aloud.

"Because you are able to spend more time with Naruto than I am. And you are free to help him in ways I am not."

"What do you suggest?"

XXX

"A day off?"

"Yes," Haku said, managing a small smile to Naruto. Back when the former had been training under Zabuza-sama, he had relished each and every opportunity to strive, so he could prove his worth when he succeeded.

However he had to also admit he was not exactly 'normal.'

While Naruto relished the attention he was receiving as well, his purpose in life was to be more than just a tool. An assassin.

To be the future Hokage, he had to be more.

That included having the chance to relax so he did not crack under pressure.

"Yatta!" cried Naruto.

In a flash, he was kneeling on the floor across the room, prying up a particular floorboard with a kunai, and yanked out a sack. Then in another blur of orange, he was running out the door.

What?

What happened, and how'd I miss that hidey-hole?

Caught between checking the secret cache and seeing what his friend was up to, Haku hesitated a costly few seconds, before racing after the blonde.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Random street

"So, what are we doing?" asked Haku.

"Pranking!" gleefully exclaimed Naruto. "I'm thinking of turning this one market street bright pink! Oh, and cover the pavement in a massive puddle of, hmm, green paint!"

This was exactly the sort of behaviour that Iruka had warned Haku about. "Naruto," he warned. "You're a genin now. A legal adult. If you get caught, there will be serious consequences."
"I know that! That's why I'm not doing it with orange! We just won't get caught!"

Unlikely, Haku knew. He tried a different track. "That kind of behaviour will make it harder for you to become Hokage."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked owlishly at him. "What d'ya mean? Of course I'm gonna become Hokage! Believe it!"

"If you go about pranking people, it'll be harder to get the jonin votes."

More confusion. "What do you mean? To be Hokage you just gotta be awesome!"

Taken aback, the pretty boy could only stare. Does he know—? He cut himself off. Of course Naruto would be oblivious to the actual requirements to become Hokage. Or kage in general. He had just assumed that his friend would have put a little more forethought into his dream. Although, it's possible he never looked because he was afraid of what he'd find . . .

"In Konoha," he slowly said, "you need to be nominated by the Fire Daimyo, and then ratified by a majority vote of the Jonin Council. Or chosen by the previous Hokage, and still pass the vote. If you go about upsetting people, then it will be even harder."

Sullenly Naruto glared at Haku, angry at his friend for arguing with him, and failing to believe he could become Hokage still. Even if he kept up the pranks. "I can and I will! Believe it! Just watch!" With a huff, he took off.

Sighing, Haku followed from the shadows. Stealth was one of his specialties, and he would intervene when needed.

XXX

Later

Totally and utterly speechless, Haku could only stare agape as ANBU ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. What is wrong with this village!?

Naruto Uzumaki, the former dead-last of his academy class, with frankly abysmal skills when Haku had met him.

Except then he went around and displayed low level jonin-class stealth and cunning as he set up pranks and traps that had adult ninja looking like incompetents! Worse, incompetents covered in glow-in-the-dark, pink glitter, and catnip. Haku himself had barely been able to keep up with Naruto, especially when he got on the move, displaying evasive tactics that were frankly humbling for both their simplicity and ingenuity! He had nearly lost the blonde when all of a sudden his chakra signature had simply vanished, somehow being completely suppressed—which made sense if you wanted to evade notice despite having massive chakra reserves in addition to housing the mightiest of Tailed Beasts. Otherwise even only half-decent Sensors would be able to pick him up, never mind the infamous Byakugan. The final straw being how Naruto left behind no solid evidence he was responsible; including dropping stink bombs to throw off even ninken.

Konoha's legendary forces were left in the dust.

The worst of the worst was Naruto appeared utterly oblivious to the significance of the skills he used for pranking.

Pranking!

Clearly someone was missing the ball somewhere, and if Zabuza had been in charge here, those missing 'balls' would have been heads. Lots of heads. Along with the surviving ANBU receiving remedial classes from a twelve-year old.

Personally, Haku was feeling a grudging respect and pity for the ANBU, for having to put up with Naruto's 'pranks' (the word itself did not do proper justice) for so long.

A part of him also felt it is probably best he did not know where Naruto got the materials he used, especially when surviving on only a genin's paycheque. Plausible deniability and all that; especially with that much pink paint.

He may be an obedient servant come friend, but he is also still on probation.

XXX

Haku had suggested Naruto get in touch with some of his fellow ex-classmates, to which he had been reluctant until his friend mentioned it was Iruka's suggestion. Which meant it was perfectly fine to take time off from training. Especially since his former teacher would know how Naruto's previous attempts at making friends had failed. Sure enough, when he had jumped in to meet some of them (after confirming he had successfully ditched the ANBU) that afternoon, they had said yes. Even better, so had some of their teammates. Turned out that they were all quite happy to talk to their fellow genin and reconnect, even if it had only been a little while since graduation.

Guess Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba were closer precious peo—friends. Friends was the word he meant to use now— than he thought?

"Naruto!" Kiba loudly called out in greeting.

Hinata forced herself to straighten up some more and look Naruto in the eye, and say in a voice that would actually carry over to him, "G-good t-to see you, N-Naruto-kun."

"Greetings," said Shino from behind his high-collared coat. As weird as he was, he was still polite to Naruto.

Choji grinned and nodded, mouth full of chips.

Shikamaru merely flicked his eyes to acknowledge Naruto's presence, and closed his lids. For the lazy Nara, that was the equivalent of a cheery greeting.

"YO!" he shouted in turn to them all.

"Yo yourself!" grinned Kiba. "Man you stink. You shoulda showered longer!"

"Ah shut it with your peeping nose!"

The two hotheads quickly devolved into squabbling, while the others looked on. Finally Shino and Choji started talking about their respective training, which drew the rest in too.

After about a half hour of pleasant conversation, just standing around in the park where they met, Naruto remembered something else.

"Hey, guys?" Naruto asks, addressing them all.

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun?" Hinata replied quietly, fighting down her stutter.

"Can we go grab Haku too? He doesn't really have anyone to be with besides me here, except he's so super-cool too! He knows so many awesome things!"

Shikamaru just muttered "Troublesome," yet nodded in agreement.

"I do not believe that will be a problem," intoned Shino. "Why? Because if he is a friend of yours, he is likely not disagreeable to know."

XXX

"Whoops, sorry guys, gotta take a break," Naruto said to Konohamaru Sarutobi and his friends, Udon and Moegi, as he glanced at his watch. His three younger friends were used to this now, and gave Naruto some space as they went back to playing ninja.

A few minutes later, Naruto was hit by the newest wave of information from his clones. While Haku had toned down the amount of physical training Naruto had to do in the afternoon, along with how much was being taught and tested, learning about seals and tactics remained a priority, and were knowledge Naruto was still devouring as much as he could.

Off to the side, Haku was juggling some blunted kunai, waiting for the Third Hokage's grandson to be paying attention before lazily tossing them at the kid. The (usually) gentle boy had gotten along well with the kids, and was happy to help with their training. In this case he was giving tips for throwing at a makeshift target.

(Although he could sense that the ANBU watchers were always a lot closer when the ex-assassin was near the child.)

Only keeping partial attention on what he was doing, Haku continued to reflect upon what had happened yesterday. When Iruka approached me about improving Naruto's social life by finding him people who would want to be his friends, I wonder how much he was planning for the same thing to happen to me? To make me a better companion for Naruto?

Spending that time with Naruto's new friends, the older ones, had been . . . fun. He had never really had the chance to interact with people like that before. In the Bloody Mist Village it had been too dangerous lest people learn his secrets, and within Zabuza-sama's rebel army, his status had created a level of separation from the rest.

XXX

Days later in the Forest of Death

Second part of the Chunin Exam

"Hmm," Naruto mused aloud as Team 7 raced through the trees for the second test of the Chunin Exams, face scrunched up.

"What!?" Sakura yelled at him, infuriated at how much Naruto was taking the lead.

". . . Nothing" he finally said as he shook off his distraction. He had barely realized he was even talking aloud. "Just got a look at a pretty girl's panties when she jumped away. They're too far away to go see more though."

Hissing in disgust, Sakura pointedly ignored him.

Best not tell them, Naruto decided. That Grass ninja is no genin, not with those skills. I want to fight people and get stronger too, yet my clones are getting cut down like no tomorrow. Not even Haku tears them apart like that! If I tell Sasuke, he'll want to fight him –her?— to show his strength.

Naruto made a few more clones to replenish those destroyed, and to inform the rest of his copies to disperse more to help draw away the enemy powerhouse. At any rate, these battles were helping provide Naruto with greater information on his increasingly frustrated enemy, as well as showing Naruto some cool tricks. Still, he needed more distance for tomorrow. Even clones as advanced as these would only last so long, and in the morning he would have to make more. Creating a whole new flood of clones spreading out across the forest could give away their position to someone so skilled.

It's curious though, how many of the stronger ninja I'm meeting these days are so effeminate. Still, at least Haku doesn't use snakes! Ugh!

XXX

'When I found him, Orochimaru,' Anko panted, 'he seemed a little annoyed actually. Maybe even angry. It was faint, he was trying to hide it, but it was like the times when he did an experiment and it failed, and he later learned it was a defect in the supplies he had acquired. I think…that whatever happened in the Forest of Death, something beyond his control interfered. He toyed with me a bit before leaving, but in hindsight, when I tried to figure out his agenda, he kept deflecting my attention with insults and insinuations.'

'Probably the sudden swell in competitors,' the bird faced ANBU captain, "Bird" theorized. At Anko's questioning look, he elaborated, 'The observing ANBU reported approximately three hundred unregistered contestants coming out of nowhere. It's possible that their presence distracted Orochimaru enough that he ran out of time, afraid that he would encounter one of the patrolling squads. We're not strong enough to stop him, but we would last long enough to get some sort of warning or message off on his location.'

XXX

'What's your problem lady!?' Naruto yelled as the red haired, red eyed chick with glasses tried to cut him again. 'Did I do something to offend her or something? Her attacks are way too personal, and worse she keeps driving me away from the others!'

'You're a liar! You're no Uzumaki! Not with that blonde hair!'

'What!?' Naruto roared in rage, 'I am a Uzumaki! The Old Man said so since I was a kid!' While there were many, many things that could anger Naruto, he was surprised to realize how much that insult hurt. In the end, his name was one of the few things he really had in his lonely life, and something no one had ever challenged before. 'You take that back! Wind Release: Gale Palm!' And he clapped his hands together and blew her backwards with a blast of air. Fortunately for her, Naruto's lack of experience with the technique, especially when so distracted, meant that not enough chakra was properly put into it, so she was still barely able to keep her balance.

'Uzumaki have only red hair, like me!' Karin snarled back. 'Every one of them except me is dead, and you have no right to insult my family like that! Saying you're one of us!'

Truthfully, Karin was a little more nervous about fighting the blond name-stealer now. She had felt how his chakra had suddenly engulfed the forest, and had spread throughout in those weird clones.

Seeing how they were just facing off against each other, with the blond having a stupefied look on his face at her last statement, probably at being caught in the act, Karin focused her Mind's Eye of the Kagura onto him in full.

And now Karin could only stare back in shock as she felt the presence of the person before her.

'It's so happy and bright. His chakra makes me feel warm inside just being around it!'

'A-are you really a Uzumaki?' he asked hesitantly, eyes boring into her own.

'Y-yes. Are you what you say you are?' she responded, shocked at what she was sensing.

'I am Naruto Uzumaki, of the Uzumaki clan.'

Karin felt his chakra for any sign of the minute disruption that would happen if he lied, and Naruto looked for every hint of body language that Haku had trained him for, to tell if she was trying to deceive him.

They both found nothing.

'Cousin!'

'Cousin!'

Both of them were crying as they embraced each other, finding family at last.

XXX

Just to the side

"Alright, what in the name of the Sage is with this kid?" one of the observing ANBU muttered to his companion.

"Got me," was the response. "One moment he's fighting her to the death, and now?"

"Better radio in to the Third that he's found family. The Hokage should be prepared."

"Right."

XXX

'Ready?' Hayate Gekko called. 'Begin!'

'Harem Technique!' Naruto roared.

A burst of smoke blocked Kiba's sight for a moment, and then he saw –she was tall, and covered only in – and she had the largest—and she was looking right at him, and she was—

Then Kiba's nose finally caught up as the blood rushed to his nether regions, telling him that the beauty before him was a guy. That it was Naruto. And that—

Reflexes dulled by the vision before him, he could not move fast enough to block the blow from another one of those—girl/guy/beautiful/squick—who was moving so fast to finish him off that the smoke had blown off her to fully reveal her – 'Screw it, I'm not upset about losing. I got a heck of a consolation prize!' Kiba thought as he was knocked down again and put in a body lock, his imagination blocking out the unwanted parts.

As for Akamaru, it took three clones to beat him, with one lost as it acted as a distraction, yet he too was grappled and subdued by Naruto's clones.

'[Cough, cough] Naruto's the winner,' an unfazed Hayate announced as he took in the fastest fight so far.

'Heh heh,' Naruto chortled as he undid his Sexy Technique and dispersed his clones. Walking up, he helped Kiba up, who despite an initial flinch when he caught Naruto's scent, accepted the help, and they both went back up the stairs to join the audience. A medic ninja intercepted them both halfway there to do a quick check that Kiba was alright, and then they continued on their way.

Naruto conceded that he should have foreseen the consequences of his actions.

'Pervert!' Sakura screamed as she slapped at him, which Naruto dodged while still guiding Kiba to the rails so that his friend could use it to stand up since he was still a little shaky. 'Is that the kind of nonsense Haku's been teaching you!?' Sakura spat.

Frowning at the insult against his best friend and mentor, Naruto shot back, 'Are you seriously complaining about a ninja using a dirty trick!?' Jonin sensei Kurenai's frown lessened at this comment, and Hinata paused on mustering up the courage to show Naruto her displeasure as well. 'If anything, it was a sign of respect towards Kiba!' Everyone, especially the dog user in question, was looking at Naruto with expressions that ranged from curiosity to outright disbelief now. Hurrying on before someone else could get a word in, Naruto turned to his friend, 'Kiba, how many times have we sparred so far?'

'You know that; ten times now.'

'And did you go down there to fight me confident that you had a good grasp of my skills, and could probably still beat me?' Kiba nodded again, with a small smirk on as he got what Naruto was getting at. Turning to Sakura, Naruto continued, 'If I fought Kiba in a way you approve of,' stressing the sarcasm in that one word, 'I would've had to go all out, and then everyone here would have known what I was capable of.'

'Formidable indeed,' Shino thought.

'Is he capable of providing good blood or not?' Gaara wondered.

XXX

Hinata stared deeply into Naruto, delving for any sign of deception, but she saw none. 'He truly believes in me!' she thought with relief. With a small smile she stepped to the side to stand beside Naruto to watch the upcoming matches, before Kurenai intervened and ushered Hinata off to see the medics.

XXX

A small part of the Third Hokage idly tried to narrow down the emotions that were spiking across Naruto Uzumaki's face.

Rage. Confusion. Disbelief. Grief. Betrayal. And repeat.

In a box in front of the boy were a few pictures of his parents, and personal keepsakes, yet they were just blurs in Naruto's eyes.

'T-the Fourth Hokage, the man who did this to me, w-was m-m-my o-own f-father!?'

'Yes. To seal the Nine Tails quickly enough, and without any preparation, in a seal powerful enough to hold it, a newborn was necessary. It is speculated that the technique he used requires such a host because it involves invoking the Death God, as well as the connection between life and death. If not for the emergency, an adult could have been used,' Hiruzen elaborated.

Then he took a deep breath and released some of the sorrow he was feeling, 'The process required the death of your father to work, yet both of your parents would have died regardless. Just before you could be used as the host, the Nine Tails tried to kill you, but your parents stopped him, though both were mortally wounded. Even if they had not been willing to use the seal, they had already given their lives to save yours. Your father lived long enough to ask that you be treated as a hero, and not be blamed for the Demon's crimes, nor treated solely as its prison. A task I confess I have failed to fulfil.'

XXX

Oblivious to these thoughts, Naruto brought up another titbit that he had learned today, 'You said that my mother was the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki before me?'

A mournful sigh escaped the older man, and he nodded, 'And that remains both one our village's greatest secrets, and greatest mysteries. The process of giving birth weakens the seal on a female Jinchuuriki, and precautions had been taken that should have been more than adequate. Yet the Demon still attacked us that night, and we found no trace of those who were assisting the childbirth, and your parents died before they could tell us. To this day, we don't understand what could have possibly happened.'

'And my mother?'

'Kushina was brought to our village shortly after the fall of her home and our ally, Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden in Whirlpools.'

Naruto's eyes sharpened at this, 'What can you tell me about it?'

A little surprised at the subtle tones he heard in Naruto's voice, the Third Hokage took a moment to hit his intercom button to ask his secretary for some refreshments, stating that this meeting was going to be a long one. Soon fortified by some sandwiches and tea, the Third Hokage decided to start at the beginning.

'It was an island village, and thanks to careful application of seals and natural currents, it was surrounded by large whirlpools. Hence, the island, and later the village built upon it, was named "Whirlpool." To this day, almost no one can land upon the island without being destroyed by those whirlpools which still remain.'

Naruto's eyes were wide at this casual reference to his clan's abilities. 'What happened to them?'

The old man sighed. 'The short version was that they grew to be so powerful, that despite being a Minor Village, they were feared nearly as much as a Great Nation. Worse, they became overconfident in their own abilities. Although I fully admit they had reason to feel so proud. After all, not only were they a noble clan like the Uchiha, Aburame, Akimichi, and Hyuga, but they were the only clan in history to successfully create their own Hidden Village largely on their own. Even their daimyo was a Uzumaki, which was a separate position from their Headman. Ah, that's what they call the equivalent of Hokage for Minor Villages.'

He was carefully waxing over many details of course. As wondrous as Whirlpool had been at its height, like any other Hidden Village it had had a dark history at its core. There was no reason to burden Naruto with such tales right now.

'As time passed though, they became the Hidden Leaf's greatest allies. The First Hokage's wife was even an Uzumaki. In recognition of their contributions, and their connection with the Senju clan, the leaf symbol that all our ninja wear, by law, regardless of their status or own clan affiliations, on our headbands incorporates the whirlpool swirl that was the symbol of the Uzumaki clan and their village. The flak jackets worn by those ranked chunin and above also carry your clan's symbol on the backs. They are also the only clan known to have been given this honour. Even the Uchiha clan, who founded our village jointly alongside the Senju, saw the benefits of such an association with your ancestors.'

Staring with awe at the Third Hokage as he heard the prowess of his clan, while hesitantly holding his hand to his headband, Naruto finally stammered out, 'But what happened to all of them?'

At this the old man sighed, and then, 'As I said, they became too proud and ambitious.' Naruto frowned at that, but Sarutobi ignored it. 'They meddled in the affairs of Iwagakure during a civil conflict, without consulting us. Their actions were discovered, and they underestimated the extent to which the Tsuchikage would retaliate, while overestimating their own defenses.' He chose to be vague on the specifics here again, as another Jinchuuriki, Roshi of the Four Tails, had been involved. 'In a single, terrible night, the attackers laid waste to your unprepared clan. As they had fewer numbers compared to a Great Nation, those losses were enough to devastate them, and the survivors were forced to flee.'

XXX

"So you're the guy training my cousin?" asked Karin with a slight huff. It was just to look tough though, since really she was so giddy at finding family. Plus this guy was really pretty!

. . . Hopefully he would be kinder than the people in Grass.

"I am," smiled Haku. "Well, in pure Leaf fashion, my name is Haku Yuki. I like pretty kimonos, flower arrangement, not killing people, and Naruto. I dislike needless violence, and those who are judgmental of others for no reason. My dream is to see Naruto become Hokage. You?"

"Uhm," she blinked as if in confusion, but really she had been concentrating with her Sensor abilities, and confirmed he was being completely honest. "Well, I'm Karin Uzumaki. I like . . . family, I guess, and dislike those who threaten it in any way. Or want to use me." She hoped her face was composed enough for that. "I guess my dream is to keep my family safe, and become a powerful kunoichi!" She finished this with a fiery defiance which rather reminded Haku of Mei back home.

"Well said," he smiled again, before sobering. He had gaged her micro-expressions for any deception, and knew she was being honest, which was good overall, yet raised one concern. "You said people wanted to 'use' you. No, don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. I just want to know if you are in any danger, or if there is anything I should avoid. If you're one of Naruto's precious people, then you are one of mine as well, and I am bound to protect you."

After frowning suspiciously at him for a beat, she grimaced and pulled up one sleeve to reveal—a bite mark? His eyes narrowed at the suspicious scar.

"My branch of the Uzumaki . . . we can heal others if they bite us."

"Except it drains your chakra, and scars you. You also can't have the scars overlap for it to work right," he quickly realized. "And overuse will kill you. Something you've witnessed."

Karin's chin lowered so her hair fell over her face to hide it.

Obviously someone from her immediate family. Likely offered in exchange for them and Karin being able to live in Hidden Grass, and Karin doesn't want to grow up to die that way too.

Taking a risk—this was not something he had much experience with—Haku put a hand on her shoulder. "I will never ask that of you. So let's forget about it, and instead work on making you so strong, no one will dare try and force you to do it. What skills do you have to start with?"

Surprised, her head popped up, blushing a little before she cleared her throat. "I've got loads of chakra, and I'm the best Sensor alive!" she boasted, definitely reminding him of her blonde cousin.

"Well," and now his grin was more like a shark, "that's an excellent start. We'll make the name 'Uzumak' feared again in no time!"

XXX

Feeling a little winded from the long lecture, and wanting to give Naruto a chance to process it all, the Third Hokage took a moment to drink some more tea, and reflected a bit more on what had happened all those years ago.

Realizing his mind was drifting again, the Professor refilled his pipe and lit it again, and got back to his story. 'After your parents died, I worked to quietly tone down how much the Uzumaki were discussed in either school or in day-to-day affairs. This was to help protect you, as I mentioned before, although it was easier because few people liked to reflect upon the sad end to your clan.' Naruto's response though was surprising.

'"Tone down"!?' the boy snapped incredulously, 'is that what you call it!?'

'I beg your pardon?' Sarutobi asked politely, undisturbed by Naruto's overreaction.

'I went through the entire public library Old Man, and every textbook I could get my hands' on! There is no mention of the Uzumaki anywhere!'

What—!? the Third Hokage thought with genuine shock.

'They've been erased to the point that I had to rely on foreigners to find anything out about Konoha's own ally!'

'Naruto,' the Third Hokage said firmly and with conviction, 'I do not understand what you are saying. Do you claim that you have found no mention of your clan at all within the village?'

Naruto paused in hesitation for a moment, 'Yeah. Is that why neither you nor Kakashi-sensei would talk to me about them?'

Frowning, the Third Hokage covertly pressed a concealed button, and an ANBU seemed to appear in front of him, 'Yes, Hokage-sama?'

'Go to the library; bring me back all books related to the Uzumaki clan!'

'Yes, Hokage-sama.'

XXX

Karin was being checked out a little more with T&I, so it was just Naruto and Haku returning to the former's apartment. Only to be surprised at how a large toad somehow appeared in the living room between one heartbeat and the next. No, not a toad, but a Toad, Haku concluded as he took in how the Toad was sitting upright with its forelegs crossed over its chest and vest, and a grim look on its face. 'Can we help you?' the effeminate boy asked politely, even as he subtly reached for his senbon.

'No need to worry,' the Toad said in a reassuring tone of voice, 'I mean you and the son of the Fourth Hokage no harm. My name is Gamatorra, and I have been waiting for this day for over twelve years.'

'So get on with it,' Naruto said in a flat voice, emotionally drained after fighting Kiba and watching his other friends fight, and all the revelations he had endured today.

'Before your parents died, and before the Third Hokage arrived upon the scene, your father Summoned me, his personal summoning familiar, to complete a task on his behalf, when, and I quote "you were ready." For years I have watched you, and now I know you are.'

Clenching his teeth and fists in renewed fury over how he had been spied upon all his life and judged unworthy until this point, observed and yet not helped, not approached, not acknowledged, Naruto was just about to cross his breaking point, when Haku coolly cut in, 'And what is it that you were sworn to do?'

Perhaps realizing his faux pas, Gamatorra wordlessly reached behind himself and brought forth a scroll which he held up for Naruto.

Naruto just stared down at the Toad for a moment, and then accepted the item.

As soon as his fingers touched the scroll, all the seals upon it glowed, and Naruto could feel something throbbing with his chakra, and then it subsided.

On its own, the scroll began to open and unravel to be read . . .

A glow came from the exposed paper and soft but uplifting music seemed to be wafting on the wind along with a pleasant yet unfamiliar scent that eased the growing tension.

". . . Huh?"

"Uhm, I would surmise that this is your mom's work; she had a thing for drama," Gamatorra hesitantly answered. "If anything, you dad probably toned it down, otherwise we would have fireworks going off in your living room."

"What incredible craftsmanship," Haku breathed in awe at the intricate seals that were displayed on the unraveled part of the scroll that he could see that were the cause of these theatrics. Truthfully, Haku only had a basic understanding of the sealing arts, and only because most jonin-level ninja appreciated how useful it was. As it was, his skills were still a little bit better than Naruto's, but his refresher courses as he helped his student-friend learn more about sealing only enhanced for him how masterful this work was.

As the music died off, an envelope appeared in a puff of smoke and drifted into Naruto's hands, along with several seal tags. That latter Haku recognized as the highest-ranking privacy seals, which would both seal off a room from observation, and even present a false image to fool any spies. He had only ever seen pictures of them from intelligence gathered as part of Zabuza-sama's attempted assassination of the Fourth Mizukage, and even then they were supposed to have been carefully hoarded by previous Mizukages for decades. Only the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan was supposed to be able to best this level of secrecy, which was verified by an accompanying note written in a quick yet neat hand, but it also noted the seals should still be able to fool a Hyuga if they were not looking for anything suspicious from the start.

Why such secrecy? Haku wondered as he applied the seals along the walls of the apartment while Naruto stood staring fixated at the unopened envelope that was addressed to him, his name inscribed in bolder and larger print. Were his parents really that concerned about other elements within the village itself? Or did they just want to cover every possible contingency? Or is there something else we don't know about? Haku decided to think about that some more after he had gone through the rest of the scroll.

Then he froze at what he heard next.

"It's from my Mom and Dad," Naruto whispered as he began to read the letter he had removed from the envelope, a quick glance confirming that it was a mixture of both sets of handwriting.

Choking down a quick surge of jealousy, the pain from the knowledge that his own father had tried to kill him, Haku took a small breath. That was unworthy of me. Naruto is my friend, and I'm glad for his happiness. And I know that in the end that my mother loved me, and Zabuza-sama loved me as a son. That is enough.

Wanting to give Naruto some privacy, Haku occupied himself with examining the seals written upon the scroll and the other security measures that it possessed. The more he looked at it though, the more it became obvious that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had taken the time to leave behind a Last Will and Testament for their son.

Including the ability to pass on their greatest secrets.

XXX

Sternly the Third Hokage briefed his old friend from across his desk.

"In just these last few hours my ANBU have discovered that there is no mention of the Uzumaki in any historical document in the entire village, outside of private collections where their absence would have been noticed. They have been omitted from official records and reports, and their former island is now listed as being so resource poor and rocky, that no one has ever even inhabited it." With this final revelation, Hiruzen's gaze was fully onto Danzo's one eye now, judging, evaluating.

"I had no part in this, and depending upon the outcome of this conversation, I will be looking into this myself. A few of the librarians are former comrades after all." How well this might have deflected Hiruzen's suspicions about ROOT was not a concern for Danzo right now, behind his stone-like face, his mind was grappling at the implications of such a conspiracy.

For this to be so wide ranging, without anyone being aware, it could have only come from official orders and with ANBU support, yet not the ones currently in active service. Only four individuals alive could have done this, and neither Hiruzen nor I are responsible, and I doubt Koharu or Homura are either.

"I know you didn't do this," the Professor calmly replied, "I am more interested in whether or not you had any previous knowledge of this."

"I would gain more from using the Uzumaki as an example of how the smaller Hidden Villages we are allied with should be incorporated into the Hidden Leaf for the benefit of all. Such erasure would actually hinder my attempts to promote a more sensible foreign policy. Should I then surmise you do know who is responsible?"

"The Fourth Hokage."

Danzo actually paused in shock, baffled at such a declaration "…That is a surprising claim, given the nature of his marital status and demise."

The Third Hokage indicated the papers before him, "These are examples of intricate bureaucratic genius that I may emulate. Hidden amongst other orders, they began the process, and through a cunning form of a dead-man's-switch, were set it in motion full force a few weeks after his death, when he was no longer alive to give scheduled counter-orders."

XXX

Out of the corner of his eye, Haku took note of Naruto's behaviour and readily deciphered his thoughts and complaints. But I don't care if it will wake him up faster, I'm still not letting him have coffee, or any other kind of stimulant. Ever. Unless I want him to go on a swath of indiscriminate destruction.

Then Haku pictured his inevitable return to Kirigakure, with a fantasy of making sure the civilians and rebels were evacuated, and then handing Naruto an oversized triple expresso and then pointing him at the tower in the center of the Bloody Mist, and say the Mizukage had made a law banning ramen before standing back.

Smiling.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Ichiraku's Ramen

30 Days until the Chunin Exams

With a sigh of contentment, Naruto got up from his seat while giving his final thanks to Ichiraku for his heavenly ramen, and turned to leave before flinching with concern. Discreetly palming some senbon needles as he sensed the sudden tension, Haku glanced over his shoulder, but then relaxed when he saw it was only a fuming Karin.

"Naruto!" she snapped, "I need your help with a pervert!"

Blinking in surprise, Naruto gave a quick nod, "Okay!"

"I was at the public bathhouse earlier today when I sensed someone on the other side of the wall watching us through a crack in it! The other kunoichi didn't catch him in time, but they saw enough to get a description! Apparently he's done it before too!" Karin seethed, red with anger and embarrassment at the thought of an old man peeping at her in the bath.

"Impressive that you Sensed him when no one else even knew he was there," Haku noted.

She snorted. "I told you I'm the best!" Her expression got a little embarrassed and proud. "Some of the other kunoichi were actually complimenting me for it." Then she got back to business, "So I need your clones to keep an eye out and find him, please Naruto?"

"Sure, just give me a description, and I'll take care of it. Believe it!"

Karin did so, and then saw the chef at the ramen stand put down a hot bowl of noodles right in front of the seat Naruto just vacated. "Some food should cheer you up," Haku said with a gentle smile. Then he turned to look at Naruto, "You should just review your techniques until we hear from Kakashi about your training for this month. I'll catch up after talking with Karin."

Trusting that his best friend would be able to calm Karin down, Naruto nodded and headed off. She was still a little wary of the girly boy, seeing how he was a former missing-nin, and from the Bloody Mist of all places. However, she could still sense the honesty in him. Besides, he was buying her ramen.

"Is this some sort of Uzumaki thing?" Haku wondered aloud as she virtually inhaled the contents of the bowl.

"So good!" she beamed with hearts in her eyes. "Can I have another, please!?" Ichiraku glanced at Haku who gave a resigned nod, and the chef's daughter and assistant, Ayame, began preparing multiple servings like she would with Naruto.

"After lunch, we can start your training. Naruto will probably be busy with Kakashi preparing for the Third Exam, so we won't see as much of him for a bit."

"So are you still planning to teach me, Haku-senpai?" Karin asked the older boy

Haku just waved his hand in dismissal. "Just Haku, please. As for training you," now Haku had another happy smile which unfortunately made Karin feel a little insecure, given how much more feminine the guy in front of her was, "what have you heard about the Second Tsuchikage?"

Karin blinked in surprise for a moment, "Uh, nothing outside the general stuff. Kage, very strong, lived back when the fighting was still very intense."

"Well, he is a bit famous back in the Hidden Mist, because he had a rivalry with the Second Mizukage. A blood feud might be more accurate actually. After numerous life and death battles with each other, they were finally consumed by their mutual hatred and killed each other."

Karin paused in thought for a moment, "Aren't Iwagakure and Kirigakure practically on opposite sides of the continent from each other? Not including that Kirigakure is on islands in the ocean? How did they manage that?"

"They…" Haku paused in confusion, "I don't know. They don't really talk about that." With a shrug, he continued, "Anyways, one of the reasons my former village hated the Second Tsuchikage, one of many reasons, was because his skill with our venerated Silent Killing was actually better than ours. He could disappear from sight and cloak his chakra perfectly, and then slaughter his foes with his swords. It was suicide for us to use our signature technique against him, Water Release: Hiding in the Mist, our pride and joy." After imparting that knowledge, Haku turned his attention back to his food, leaving Karin to work the rest out.

To his pleasant surprise though, she caught on almost instantly. "Well," she mused with a growing smirk, "when you tested my elemental affinity yesterday, I have a water affinity, so I could learn Hiding in the Mist. And since I can suppress my chakra a bit already…"

"Yes," agreed Haku. "If you master Silent Killing, you would become very dangerous with it, being able to disappear from even other Sensors. And since your Mind's Eye of the Kagura grants you insight into the people you are fighting, it can help you play psychological warfare. If we can improve your skill with both techniques, and if you can learn to smoothly switch instantaneously between the two, you could become a formidable assassin. Plus, from what you said happened at the bathhouse, you'll have an easy time finding them, especially after you augment your other senses with my training. Water Clones can help you maintain the mist too, or Shadow Clones, you have the chakra capacity to risk at least one of those clones already. It is not perfect of course, but developing it to the next level would be your responsibility."

Karin was smiling with anticipation and appreciation now, realizing that Haku was offering to pass on the same lessons that Zabuza Momochi would have taught him when he was younger. "Fine, but I'm not relying on senbon. If I'm putting someone down, I'm putting them down hard!"

"To each and their own," he shrugged. Honestly, he was looking forward to what she came up with. If nothing else, life would never be boring with the Uzumaki clan!

XXX

Naruto stared at the strange man standing beside the Hokage. The fact that the Old Man was recommending him, told Naruto that he was strong and could teach Naruto a lot, and Waaait a minute, Naruto thought as a description Karin had given to him wormed its way out of his memory. "Were you the guy peeping on the women's bathhouse earlier?"

"I wasn't 'peeping'" Jiraiya said while striking a pose, "I was doing research!" he cried out shamelessly, and then pulled out a familiar orange coloured book to show Naruto. "I'm a writer! Have you heard of Icha Icha? It's become really popular!" the Toad Sage boasted proudly!

"My cousin was in there!" Naruto yelled.

Jiraiya blinked at that, but just mentally shrugged it off. "Sorry, but it was still necessary for the creation of my work."

Naruto just gaped at the shameless pervert, wondering if any sort of training would be worth the risk of being associated with him. And then Naruto remembered something else.

[Flashback]

Karin was hitting Naruto repeatedly on the head after he had defeated Kiba by using naked girls, and yelling "If you ever do something like that again I'll make sure you regret it forever!"

[Flashback End]

"No thanks," Naruto quickly said, feeling his pulse quicken in fear.

"What!? Are you kidding me!?" Jiraiya gaped.

XXX

"What about Naruto?" Sasuke demanded angrily. "Are you teaching him the Chidori too!"

"I won't teach you how to fight your own teammate," Kakashi deflected in a bored tone as he returned to his reading. Especially since I don't expect either of you to win your matches, he thought to himself.

He had sent Team 7 into the Chunin Exam hoping that their sense of teamwork and comradeship would grow and prosper. Instead, Naruto had found a cousin that he was more interested in spending time with than his teammates, which while understandable and heartening to Kakashi on a personal level, was also frustrating on a professional level.

The next step of Kakashi's plan for his little genin though was to help them deal with failing the Chunin Exam and not earning promotions. There were no doubts that this would happen, since both boys were too reckless, inexperienced, and volatile to be a proper chunin. For some reason it had not even occurred to either of them that Kakashi had not even started training them anything about real-life tactics outside of "Do whatever I tell you to do," or that they had only done one serious mission so far, and that even then their contributions had been mixed. Even worse, they were both too independent as a result of their loner lifestyles, by choice or social isolation. Also, their opponents were too strong as well, both being driven and experienced genin, who were by all account geniuses who had been carefully raised into superior fighting machines.

Afterwards, when their loss had been driven home, when they were trying to understand what they had done wrong, Kakashi would drop his habitual aura of disinterest and drill into them what they were failing to learn with all the personal authority that came with being a former Jonin Captain of the ANBU. Then at the next Chunin Exam, they would likely pass. And Sakura would follow Sasuke's lead of course.

But first Sasuke had to survive his upcoming match with Gaara of the Hidden Sand.

XXX

Land of Fire

Just outside Konohagakure

By a little waterfall

29 Days until the Chunin Exams

Jiraiya hid his irritation as he led Naruto and Haku to where he wanted to train his godson, away from any prying eyes that might wonder at the Sanin's interest in the boy, and realize that it might be about more than just him being a Jinchuuriki. As it was, he had only been able to achieve this because of how much the Third Hokage had praised his student's skill at seals, and even then Naruto had demanded that Haku participate as a 'chaperone.'

The Hokage had been enjoying himself near the end of the meeting, not even bothering to hide his smirk as Naruto yelled that it was too dangerous for him to be around the "Perverted Sage," and that he was not willing to risk any "contamination." Sarutobi could have just ordered Naruto to accept the training, but that would have ruined everything.

"Alright, brat," Jiraiya began. "What we need to do is get you able to use that second chakra inside of you!"

"Why?"

Jiraiya took a moment to glare at Haku, "Why do you think? It would be criminal to waste the potential of it!"

"Agreed, but are the chunin exams not carried out in front of an international audience? Why would he want to announce to the world he's a Jinchuuriki? This month would be better spent learning techniques that will not lead to him earning a place in the Bingo books at age twelve. After this month is over, it would be more reasonable."

Naruto glanced back and forth between the two, and cut Jiraiya off before he could say anything, "Before you two decide my schedule for the next month without consulting me, are there any alternatives you can think of?" Haku at least had the decency to look abashed at this since he had at least talked to Naruto before with their earlier training program. Throwing senbon at his student was more to 'motivate' Naruto into fulfilling his own commitment whenever he started to slow down with the 'boring' bits.

This Mist brat is ruining everything, Jiraiya fumed, Naruto has to get strong and fast, to deal with the Akatsuki! His dad left him the Nine Tails for a reason, and I've been away too long, and I have to make up for it. This match is inconsequential. That Hyuga kid won't do anything serious to a fellow Leaf ninja in front of spectators after all. For what's to come, normal techniques won't cut it. Maybe summons?

"I'm already past cutting a waterfall with wind chakra, and have started learning several wind jutsu, and have a decent grasp of sealing," Naruto helpfully offered, "can you help some more with that, or do you have something new in mind?"

Jiraiya hid his surprise and recalculated. "Alright, well to start—"

XXX

Naruto smashed his coffee table, veins throbbing with murderous intent, with Haku contributing some of his own instead of trying to calm his friend down.

The name of that pervert had sounded familiar to the blonde, yet he had not been able to place it until he reread his parents' letter, and the casual assumptions they had had about the man. Beyond that he was big into indulging himself in vices.

For you see, Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin, was Naruto's godfather.

A man that the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's father, had trusted with caring for and raising his child.

A man who was supposed to be there for Naruto when he was growing up.

To be there when he was alone, and afraid.

Someone to help a growing child fight off a world that had tried to beat him down with words and glares to make him feel worthless.

Unwanted.

And even now, after finally approaching Naruto, his attitude was…unfavourable.

I guess Naruto's not going to be signing the Toad contract, the usually gentle boy thought with dark humour, but this threatens the safety and secrecy of his parents' Will. If Naruto confronts him about their relationship, someone with Jiraiya's intelligence and reputation will make unwanted conclusions.

Haku took several deep breaths, and ruthlessly worked to focus his thought to prioritize. I've got a long night ahead. Naruto's got to be calmed down, and then I have to convince him to stay quiet about this. His little mask of happiness is good, but he's got to keep it up for a while, and he needs to believe it's important. Haku clutched his fist in rage as he amended that thought, A mask we now know should never have been necessary! This man betrayed both Naruto's parents and Naruto himself!

Letting Naruto blow off a little more steam with some savage curses and punching his walls, Haku then tried to think about how to keep Jiraiya and his insight away from Naruto without it looking like it was intentional.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Training area by the swimming hole

20 Days until the Chunin Exams

Even for ninja, the scene was a strange and unusual one: identical figures in hideously bright orange outfits were running around doing numerous tasks, some of them doing the same things in groups, while a much older man in a garish outfit seemingly ignored them while peeking through some bushes to spy upon a pond of water filled with young women in bathing suits.

Secretly, Jiraiya was filled with mixed emotions as he covertly spied upon how Naruto's training was progressing, caught between sensible caution and the need to impress his godson with what the Toad Sage could offer as a teacher. On the one hand he was filled with warm pride at how rapidly Minato's son was progressing, especially with the Rasengan, but at the same time he was now regretting some of the free tips he had doled out.

On the other hand, Naruto was also Kushina's child after all, and Jiraiya was now unsure if it was safe for Naruto to master how to make explosive tags, given how eager the brat was to learn that skill. Naruto was not quite cackling about what he was planning to do, but that gleam was in his eye, and all ninja who lived past their twenties knew to keep an eye out for that gleam whenever some teenager or pre-teen learned about a particularly 'cool' ninjutsu. In fact, the figure that Jiraiya knew to be the original Naruto was right now practicing his penmanship while making some.

The brats had been slipping in Shadow Clones to replace himself a few times, and the ANBU had caught Haku paying off girls to distract Jiraiya, yet the older man did not mind. He appreciated it even!

Fun aside, he decided that it was best to let them think they were fooling him, so that he could catch them if it were anything serious. Besides, the original appeared to be merely spending time at home with Haku, so no real concerns.

"Remember to not go overboard with those tags and misuse them, kid," Jiraiya called out, while apparently keeping his attention focused upon the bathing young women below.

Naruto bit off his response with hard practice, having gotten used to Jiraiya's teaching style, which emphasized tough love and only giving his student the utter basics and letting them figure out the rest on their own. Haku emphasized support and reinforcement, stating that while in the field he could not depend upon such aid, but that if he was not taught the basics in the first place, he would quickly die in the field anyways. I'm not sure which one is better, but I sure know which one I appreciate more, Naruto grimly thought, pushing aside memories of his lonely childhood.

Yelling at Jiraiya to actually explain what he meant by "misuse," or suggestions on how to properly use them in battle, would only risk a yelling match where Naruto might blurt out something he would later regret.

Trying to head it off, the 'real' Naruto walked away and sat down to meditate, "Taking all of these breaks won't get you any further, even with clones," Jiraiya called out, trying to goad his student into both pushing himself further, thinking that Haku had been going too easy on him, and to help get Naruto to open up to his new sensei and tell the Toad Sage what exactly the matter was.

Except at the end of the day, Naruto was Haku's student, and while he could not emulate even a fraction of his teacher's self-control, he had learnt to appreciate the value of it. And Naruto knew —mostly, sort-of, when he was calm— that preserving the secret of the Scroll was more important than blowing up at the Perverted Sage.

The deciding factor was the prankster in him realizing that walking away to meditate actually irritated the deadbeat.

Carefully ignoring Jiraiya, Naruto sat down into a relaxed posture, and tried to clear his mind of all of his frustrations, aggravations, fears, and hate. Despite all appearances to the contrary, he did have all of that, he had just learned to suppress it deep within himself. But I want to learn how to forgive; I want to be a person that my parents could be proud of, one who can find peace, by finding a solution to end all of the hatred that our ninja world creates!

An impossible goal, a fool's dream, but on the bridge in the Land of Waves, Naruto had already vowed to change the ninja world, to guide it away from its darkness and violence, which only hardened his resolve. And at the end he had even found it within himself to forgive Zabuza despite how when they had first met the man had been an enemy. It's like I instinctively knew what Mom and Dad would expect of me, Naruto thought with a smile to himself. I'm on my path to finding my Ninja Way: I won't ever go back on my word; I will protect those precious to me, no matter the cost, to find true strength; and I'll find peace for everyone in this world!

Then slowly, Naruto's smile faded. But there's still so much I don't understand about the people around me. Questions about Kakashi snaked their way through his mind; the man who was his dad's last surviving student, a man that his mom described as being like a nephew or even a son in her letters. How could he have not known who I was!? Why couldn't he ever be there for me!? Naruto simmered, before working to release those thoughts as well. He knew that he would have to confront the man eventually, but for now he decided to let it go, and hopefully as time passed he might develop a better understanding of Kakashi and his reasoning.

They might have their reasons, and maybe he should just go up to the man and yell at him, but a part of him was afraid of what he would do if he did not like the answer.

He was Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage, and he would not blow it now!

For now I just have to get through this month, and I've got more and more friends and family to help me do this!

XXX

"So the nut job actually taught Naruto how to become a pyromaniac?" Karin deadpanned as she looked at the stacks and stacks of explosive tags that one of Naruto's clones had yet to seal up…as well as the stacks of sealing scrolls that had already been filled up.

"Yep," Haku said with a small smile. "It's reassuring that there are people more unstable than me out there."

"You aren't unstable, Haku," Karin denied with a shake of her head. "If anything, switching between a pacifist pretty-boy and a stone-cold killer aside, you're coming off as saner than the rest of the Leaf, including this chucklehead."

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Random rooftop

15 Days until the Chunin Exams

"What do you want?" Gaara of the Sand asked, not even bothering to turn around to look at the boy behind him.

"Curiosity got the better of me," was the chirpy answer.

Mildly annoyed, and thus murderous, Gaara glanced back at the blonde boy behind him, remembering him from both before the beginning of the Chunin Exam (and his absurd sermon on ramen), and from after the second one. "When the full moon is out… It's blood stirs up," was all he said, looking up at the glowing orb, and then began to prepare to show his true power.

"You're as lonely as I was, aren't you?"

The unexpected question cut through Gaara's attention for a second, and he stopped to glare at the Leaf Ninja, hating the pity and understanding in those eyes, unsure of which he hated more.

Failing to notice any change in Gaara's expression, Naruto continued. "You've got massive chakra, and a weird power, and the way you're treated…do you have a monster sealed up inside too? 'Cause I've been reading up on them, Jinchuuriki they call us, and I was hoping we could help each other!"

"…Yes," Gaara answered, deciding he wanted to see dawning realization in this tasty treat for Mother as the blonde boy realized just what exactly he faced: a killer who was far more than the Leaf child could ever hope to be from living his pampered life, regardless of whatever monster he might hold as he implied. "I was born a monster. In the process of my birth, I stole the life of the woman I was supposed to call 'Mother'…" Yes, Gaara noted a slight flinch in the loudmouth's face, "In order to create the world's strongest ninja, my Father used ninjutsu to implant an incarnation of sand within my body…the One Tailed Beast: Shukaku! My Mother's life was sacrificed, so that I could be brought to life as the village's greatest masterpiece, and as the Fourth Kazekage's son…"

Oooh my God! Naruto thought to himself in horror, feeling himself take a step backward from that impassive face that casually told this dark parody of Naruto's own life.

"My Father taught me secret ninja skills, one after another," the Sand Ninja continued. "I was raised in isolation, spoiled and overprotected. At first, I thought that was love, until the incident…" He paused there, inviting Naruto to inquire as to what happened, but after a minute of silence, Gaara's stony faced fractured into madness as he smiled psychotically with bloodshot eyes, "For the past six years, ever since I turned six, my Father has been trying to assassinate me. I've lost count of how many attempts he's made."

Naruto was still trying to hide any reaction, but he knew there was sweat breaking out on his forehead as he realized what his readings had not told him, and the misassumptions he had formed. "What!? But Jinchuuriki are valued as weapons by their villages! Why would they try to kill you!?"

Gaara tilted his head, conveying his contempt of Naruto's naivety, "A presence that is too powerful becomes a presence that is feared. Having been born through ninjutsu, my mind is unstable, it seems the fools of the village finally realized I had emotional issues when I kept killing them. To my father, in his role as Kazekage, I was the village's most powerful weapon, but at the same time, I was a fearsome and dangerous object. So apparently when I turned six, they determined I was too great a liability. Prior to that, I had merely been handled with care, like any other hazardous instrument."

And what about me? a traitorous voice asked Naruto. Could that have happened to me?

He wanted to speak up, tell Gaara of his own personal experiences and how he understood how this, this, this brother-in-suffering felt! And teach him how there was another path. Yet he could not bring himself to speak. The habit of secrets he had started to develop tripping him up, but not nearly as much as the growing taint of bloodlust that choked the very air he breathed.

A hunger for violence that was all the more terrifying when contrasted against the blank mask that was the redhead's face.

"To them, I am now a relic of the past that they wish to erase and forget. So, for what purpose do I exist? Why am I alive? At first, when I asked myself that, I had no answer. But while I continue to live, I need a reason. Otherwise, I might as well be dead."

And Naruto's heart clenched as he realized that he understood, that this twisted logic actually made sense to him. Knowing for certain how he could have been just like Gaara.

"So this is what I came up with: 'I exist to kill all humans other than myself.' Living in constant fear, knowing I might be assassinated at any moment, I finally found inner peace. By killing those who sought to kill me, I was able to discern a reason for living and justify my own existence. I would fight only for myself and love only myself. If all other people exist to magnify that love, then there is no more splendid world than this one. They allow me to experience the joy of living. For as long as there are people out there for me to kill, then I will not cease to exist."

Sand began to circle around Gaara, giving him a demonic appearance, whilst one eye shifted entirely into something inhuman. He just stood there, smirking at Naruto, savouring the expression on his fellow Jinchuuriki's face, knowing that the despair written there was as fulfilling as he had hoped. "Now," Gaara commanded as his sand shot from his gourd and enwrapped his frozen prey, "help me feel alive!"

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Naruto's apartment

"Gaaah!" Naruto cried out as he relived his Shadow Clone's last moments: suffocating while entrapped in sand, and then a sudden pressure all over his body before nothingness.

"Naruto?" Haku asked with concern, while Karin stepped forward to get a closer look at her cousin.

"This is going to be trouble," was all Naruto could say, as he tried not to be sick.

XXX

12 Days until the Chunin Exams

Sasuke stared up at the night sky, struggling to make sense of what was happening to him. The prodigy was no fool, he knew that Kakashi was trying to keep him distracted with a promising new ninjutsu, and so much physical exertion that he would be too exhausted to stop and think. The less Sasuke stopped to think, the more he would be willing to just follow along and do whatever he was told. But Sasuke was becoming increasingly unsatisfied. Unsatisfied with Hidden Leaf.

For years Sasuke had lived alone within the Uchiha compound, refusing to live elsewhere. Growing up amongst all of those reminders of his dead clan —their homes, their shops, their lives— had not been unhealthy as some claimed. Instead, it had installed within the necessity of what he must accomplish was seared into his mind: vengeance. Afterwards, Sasuke could turn his attention towards rebuilding his clan, but now the question was raised if it would be appropriate to do so from within the Leaf Village itself.

When the Uchiha had founded the Village alongside the Senju clan, they had done so with the understanding of mutual responsibility: the Uchiha would protect and nourish the Village, and in turn the Village would do the same for the Uchiha clan. The implicit understanding had attracted all of the other clans and independent ninja who had sworn fealty to the Fire Daimyo. Yet the Hokage had failed to carry out his sacred duties. Failing to stop That Man was understandable, for he had hidden his true intentions from everyone, but it was what happened next that soured Sasuke's stomach. An ANBU Captain had gone rogue, slaughtered one of the Village's most prestigious clans, and had casually escaped any form of justice. The Leaf had never found him, and Sasuke knew that there had been no more attempts after the initial hunt for That Man choosing inaction and hypocrisy over honour and success. After all of these years, not only had the Leaf had failed to repay the debt it owed the Uchiha by finding and killing That Man, they also appeared oblivious to what such a dangerous traitor could accomplish with the growing number of years he had to run free while! Never mind the secrets such a man would possess, what if That Man was selling his sperm to the village's enemies, creating new generations of Uchiha to destroy the Leaf!?

Stop, Sasuke ordered himself with iron discipline, lest his growing agitation be detected by the, apparently, sleeping Kakashi. Still, it does seem at times as if only I have the motivation to kill That Man, and I lack the training to find him on my own; I'm relying upon him to seek me out to test me! And then there's Naruto—!

For years Sasuke had fiercely trained to achieve his vengeance, dedicating every spare moment of his time towards fulfilling his purpose. Yet during those rare moments when he was not training, Sasuke had taken notice of Naruto and his own attempts to match Sasuke. It had been rather pathetic really, given how Naruto had clearly labeled Sasuke as his rival to surpass, yet despite all of the blonde's boastful vows and training that Sasuke had taken note of, Naruto had never come close to matching Sasuke's development. In fact, the Dobe's idea of proper formal training had even been laughable at times. For years Naruto had tried to catch up, and for years Sasuke had made effortlessly clear the vast gulf between their respective skills. And then Haku entered Naruto's life.

It was blatantly clear Naruto's skills had suddenly and drastically improved since Haku had become Naruto's teacher. Even more shocking, Sasuke was well aware that he did not know the true extent of Naruto's development, since the Dobe was clearly hiding his true potential still. And he had also found a fami— Again, Sasuke ruthlessly cut off that line of thinking.

At first I thought it was because the Dobe had a private tutor, Sasuke pondered, not noticing how his thoughts towards Naruto were increasingly bitter, but what if it's because Haku is a foreigner? That growing up within the Bloody Mist gave him something that I'm missing here? Something that I missed despite, or because of, living here all of my life? Something that will keep me from becoming strong enough to kill That Man no matter how intensely I train?

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Rooftop of a random building

6 Days until the Chunin Exams

Naruto Uzumaki sat in meditation, again, clearing away his growing anxieties as he let his mind drift over what his life had become. Previous attempts had not been as effective as he had hoped, so now he was trying something new. He had dispelled all of his clones and had told Haku and Karin that he needed some time alone. Hopefully some isolation and peace and quiet would help him in trying to puzzle through what his life had become, and to continue developing his nindo, his Nina Way. Too many truths had been revealed to him, secrets that he was still grappling with, reevaluating the people around him and coming to know the new people in his life, all of which threatened to overwhelm him if he did not take a moment for himself. A chance to be himself, and figure out who exactly he was becoming.

And if gazing at his navel in thought did not work, then he could find out how his healing factor handled alcohol, he cynically concluded.

Man, Naruto conceded after a moment, I really do need some time to work all of this out!

That was when a cat fell onto his face.

Yelling and screaming as his face was scratched, Naruto managed to get a grip and rip, literally to his increasing pain, the feline off, to reveal the familiar and loathed faced of Tora, the utterly psychotic pet of the Fire Daimyo's wife, who was constantly trying to escape his mistress.

Spitting out blood from his cut lip, Naruto glared at the cat, trying to think of some revenge more sophisticated than just throwing it off the roof to the street below, when he heard someone else cursing. Glancing up at the taller, neighbouring building, he realized that Tora must have blindly leapt down from there, evading yet another team of pursuing genin. Naruto almost shouted out that he had the monster when he paused as he saw the fresh panic in the cat's eyes at the sound of quickly approaching hunters, and Naruto decided that he was slightly more irritated with the human race today than some poor cat who kept trying to make a bid for freedom. He would still probably get some form of revenge, but for now…

Naruto dropped Tora into his nearby knapsack just as a team of genin about his age appeared, and called out to them while pointing to his right, "He jumped down that'a way!"

"Thanks!" they all yelled back as they took off in a fruitless chase.

Naruto waited a moment or two, and then slowly looked into his bag, to see Tora staring up at him almost incredulously. "Don't get the wrong idea," he said for no particular reason. "I'm just having a bad day, so I guess I'll just spread the misery." He blinked at that, "Wow, I really am having a bad day! Trying to come to grips with everything that's been happening to me, all the stuff I've been learning. Did you know that I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto asked conversationally. "You know, the hero that everyone adores? And that I've got a godfather who apparently never spent a single moment thinking of me? It took me twelve whole years to even get friends, or people my age to even care about me, and only four adults, in my entire life, seemed to care about me!" At this point Naruto was snarling the last few words as he continued to vent all of his frustration. "And all of the other stuff I've been learning, I mean, really, what is with ninja!? They never told us stuff like this in the academy!"

Tora was just cocking his head quizzically at the crazy, ranting pre-adolescent now.

"I mean, my mom's village? People came with the intent of killing every last man, woman, and child! And what helped make that possible? Well, for one thing, a Jinchuuriki, a vessel for a demon, just like me! So I've got to wonder, will I ever be asked to do something like that? I know the Old Man wouldn't, but what if someone else tries to get me to do it? 'Cause I'm part of the military now after all, and would happen if I disobeyed!? 'Cause, again, Jinchuuriki. And on that same note, not only do I have Fox inside of me, but he's also the one who killed my parents! Him! And all the other stuff I've learned, it just makes me want to…Aaaaargh!" Naruto finally roared out.

Tora stayed seated, gazing up at Naruto, before batting his claws at Naruto's hand. "Gaah! Why'd you do that after I helped you, you stupid—" Naruto stopped, and not because it is silly to just yell at cats. "What's that with your collar?"

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Rooftops near Naruto's position

The ANBU on duty to observe Naruto were having difficulty because of both his awkward position, the bustle of nearby normal ninja, but most importantly, because it appeared Haku Yuki had taught Naruto how to make some special sealing tags that made it harder for people to observe him. Not surprising given the ex-Mist ninja's previous occupation, but still annoying.

"Can you make out what he was saying?" the horse masked one asked.

"No, just that he was getting frustrated about something, and then cut himself off," the sparrow face masked one answered.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Rooftop of a random building

"What is that?" Naruto repeated as he bent closer to the collar. Twitching, as if in surprise, Tora bent his head to expose his neck more at Naruto's touch.

Naruto had seen Tora more times than he felt comfortable with, but this was the first time he'd seen these faint markings, and realized that it had been a trick of the light that had made them even barely noticeable. "They're sealing marks, painted in the same colour as the collar," he whispered aloud, and then realized that the collar had no real catch to undo it.

His curiosity overcoming him, and still feeling a little spiteful now that he was allowing himself to be, Naruto took out a kunai, and cut the leather. Taking the cut collar in hand, he stretched it out to take a better look, noting how they were written on both sides of the leather, "But what's it for?"

"I could help you with that," a sardonic voice answered.

Naruto's eyes snapped down, and Tora stretched out his front legs, reached up with a paw to rip off the bowtie on his ear, crossed the front paws over his chest, and then crossed his hind legs and sat —sat!—down to look up at Naruto with a face and tone devoid of gratitude. "I suppose the smart thing, now that I've regained my freedom, would be to run off, except I admit I'm a little curious about everything you've said."

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Naruto's apartment

A short while later

"Naruto? Are you okay?" a surprised Haku asked as his student returned from his meditation with a few faint scratches on him, with the Ice user wondering how many had already been healed and faded away.

"Ran into a surprise," Naruto grunted, lightly putting his knapsack down on the couch and moving to activate the privacy seals. As soon as there was a faint hum to signify they were active, a cat leapt out of Naruto's bag and looked up at the unfazed Haku.

"Who's this?" the cat quizzically asked. At the disappointing lack of a reaction, the feline continued, "What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"

"From his stories, Haku's seen stranger things than you," Naruto explained as he sat down on the floor across from the couch. "Anyways, Tora, this is my friend Haku. Haku, this is that cat that I've told you about that keeps running away from his owner—" Tora hissed at that "—and that genin teams have to keep catching. Turns out he can talk though, which is pretty cool."

"I couldn't talk until you took that collar and its seal off of me!" Tora hissed out. "It suppressed my voice, my chakra, and some parts of my body!" As proof, he gestured with his paw, which still looked like a cat's, but was clearly more flexible now as he gestured with it, being closer to a hand. Wicked claws extended that were far more intimidating looking than Naruto remembered them being.

At the look Haku gave him, Naruto elaborated, "I noticed that his collar had some weird marks on it, and when I took it off it broke the seal." He pulled it out of his pocket to show Haku.

". . . and no one ever noticed?"

"Humans are idiots," Tora deadpanned.

"We're always more interested in getting rid of him," Naruto said at the same time. "Well, not me anymore," he amended at Tora's glare. "Sooooo . . ." Naruto led. The Cat just kept scowling at the human as if the latter were an idiot. "Alright," he finally relented, "why were you wearing that collar in the first place?" Silence. "Okay, obviously to keep you a prisoner for the Daimyo's wife. Who did it?"

Obviously satisfied to finally have an 'intelligent' question, Tora relented. "I'm not telling you everything, but I was basically provided as a gift to the Daimyo, claiming that I was of a special breed of cat. My subsequent attempts to escape unfortunately helped convince them that I was indeed 'special.'"

"And you never tried to communicate with anyone?" Haku asked.

Tora shifted, his posture that of wounded pride, "By the time that I was willing to attempt to, everyone was already convinced that I was a dumb animal," he spat.

Of course, Haku realized, he's a cat. Or rather, a Cat. Even regular ones are not very well known for asking for help when they can make demands. And his behaviour antagonized everyone into wanting to stay away from him and leave him with his 'owner,' who even Naruto described as an idiot. Something about failing to figure out that her 'pet' doesn't like her. Still, it is surprising that not even the Daimyo's ninja guards noticed. Are we getting caught up in even more intrigue?

"But why?" Naruto asked despondently. "Why would someone do that to you?"

The Cat hissed at this, claws pricking into the couch before he relented a little. "As a Jinchuuriki you might be able to understand a little, but understand humans that it is not a topic I wish to discuss. Instead we will talk about you, or I shall leave." When his hosts said nothing, he snapped, "Well!?"

"Uh yeah sure, let's talk about me. What about me?"

"Thanks to you I may leave at any time, and indeed will soon be dispelled, but I admit," and at this Haku noted that Tora was a little hesitant, "that returning to the Leaf has some potential."

Is he worried about returning home and what he might find there? Haku wondered, unsure of how relationships and politics worked amongst Summons, particularly Cats. Never mind trying figure out what a dumb cat is thinking.

"'Dispelled?' Wait, you're a Summon?" Naruto gasped.

"Yes, and working with you would at least be…not boring, given all of the events and secrets surrounding you."

"I'm not a piece of entertainment," Naruto scowled darkly.

"No," Tora agreed evenly, "and neither am I."

The silence stretched on until Naruto gave a reluctant nod.

"One moment," Haku said, "What exactly would Naruto gain from a Cat Summons contract?" At the look he got from Tora he elaborated, "We've been hearing for days, weeks, from Jiraiya the Toad Sage about the benefits of having a Toad at your side in combat."

"We don't get drunk for one," Tora said dismissively as he licked part of his fur. "We can help in a fight, but I'll admit we don't really take much interest in that sort of thing. We prefer quiet assassination and espionage. Much less work. Doesn't mess up our fur as often either."

"Which would cover what I'm weaker at," Naruto muttered, forgetting that the Cat could hear him perfectly.

Naruto stared at Tora a moment longer, and then, "What would you expect in return, and how hard is it to break the contract?"

"Fish and food, Summons during non-combative situations to demonstrate your gratitude. And respect," Tora hissed out at the last, his eyes glittering dangerously. "As for breaking the contract if you feel like it," Tora shrugged, "if you aren't going to show me any appreciation, why would I waste my time with you? As for the contract itself, now that I have my true hands and chakra restored to me, I can readily Summon it for you to sign."

"You say just 'me' and 'I,'" Haku noted, "so it will be just you that Naruto will be Summoning?"

The feline looked briefly uncomfortable again, and then said, "For now. I'll let you know when others are interested." He shot them another look, "You have to earn our respect or interest after all, and what it'll take will depend upon the Cat. But one of our abilities is that all dumb cats, like the ones in the streets, have to listen to and obey us."

"Why?"

"Because, Naruto," Tora answered, finally using the boy's name, "they know what's good for them."

More silence, and then, "Deal. Any fish in particular you like, Tora?"

XXX

Later

Naruto sat on his couch with Tora, stroking him while his mind wandered. I'll have to keep this new contract a secret too for now, but it might be a good way to test how much I can trust some people. But at least by working with Tora I'll become a whole lot stronger! Thanks to Mom and Dad's Scroll I can do so many cool moves, and the Perverted Sage is giving me a cover for learning them! Still, I've got even more questions about ninja now. Where does it all end?

Tora glanced up from Naruto's petting, subtle changes in the boy's body posture and instinct telling him that the human was returning to his dark thoughts. Unwilling to let this happen, and annoyed that Naruto was not putting the proper amount of attention on petting the cat, Tora 'accidently' pricked Naruto's leg with his claws, bringing him back to reality and his priorities. With a rueful grin, Naruto resumed his duties at a more proper pace, and Tora purred as he curled up against Naruto's side.

XXX

Hokage Tower

Elsewhere, Naruto was subject to a rather heated discussion between two of the world's most dangerous people. Particularly how he had been treated, and accusations by the former student on how it could have been better.

The Third Hokage shot Jiraiya a disapproving look. "What the other Villages always seem to forget, is that Jinchuuriki are both the prison and the warden. And what is a warden?"

Grimly, Jiraiya answered, "The man in charge of the prison."

"And what makes such a man be in charge of the prison?" the Professor continued to lecture, and when he received no immediate response he continued, "Because they want to keep the prisoners in. Because of their burden, Jinchuuriki are traditionally rejected and ostracized by those around them, and the Demons are consequently able to prey upon the Jinchuuriki's despair from their loneliness until the host cannot stand it any longer, and then turns the key to let the prisoner out.

"When the warden can no longer stand the shape of the world, they can set fire to it and depart."

Not entirely so in Naruto's case, Jiraiya thought, thinking of the Key that Minato had left behind. Or at least theoretically.

"Sanity aside," Sarutobi finished, "I would never risk deliberately over traumatizing Naruto. He is a part of this village and thus a part of my family! I would never hurt one of you, and my only wish is that you all grow up to be strong and happy! Whatever methods I may use, that and only that is my goal!

XXX

0 Days until the Chunin Exams

All too soon, it was time at last for the Chunin Exams to begin, as people from all over the world flocked there to watch or participate.

There were many reasons that people remembered Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, as a genius, and the Chunin Exam is a prime example. The man had taken the pre-existing system of mission commissions for ninja another step forward by creating an international economy that was focused around small scale (compared to the endless battles of his childhood) missions to fund the militaries of the various emerging nations. Prowess in battle was no longer the sole concern for all of the clans, yet also publicity to ensure that the majority of civilians would hire you for missions. The reduction in endless and widespread battles stabilized regions, and put a stop to all of the collateral damage (and deliberate widespread targeting of civilians to make nations collapse), which made it possible for more civilian infrastructure to develop to generate greater prosperity, which ensured even more potential customers.

It was a mercenary system based upon positive public images, and everyone else at the time had decided: 'If the man able to wipe out entire nations on his own thinks this is a good idea, we should get behind it too.' By the time the war hawks realized what had happened, their economies were too interlocked into this system to break out without sustaining ruinous damage that would leave them disastrously vulnerable to the enemies they saw all around them.

Danzo believed he was never chosen to be Third Hokage because of his hesitation, yet in reality it was because the Tobirama Senju knew that his replacement would have to be a skilled diplomat in order to continue promoting a way of life that ultimately benefited the Hidden Leaf and thus the Land of Fire. The Chunin Exam was an example of this diplomacy, which had first started between the Hidden Leaf and the minor Villages (such as Hidden Whirlpool) that they had been allied with at the time. People said that the First Hokage was so proud when he first hosted the first event where young ninja could publicly demonstrate their skills, that he had even broken out crying! Non-allied Hidden Villages, such as Cloud, Mist, or Rock, had their own versions of the Chunin Exam, but secret ones, due to the preference of keeping the skills of their most promising young ninja a secret from rival villages, but this only made it more difficult for them during times of peace, since it meant that potential customers lacked vivid examples of the quality of ninja they were hiring. The Sand had had their own system originally, except a mandatory aspect of any treaties of alliance with the Hidden Leaf required that all signatories send their young to the Exam.

There were still battlefield promotions even during times of peace of course, such as from 'border skirmishes,' where genin rose to the occasion and earned the right to lead the hard way. Or from joint missions when a jonin, who was not the genin's jonin sensei, recommended to his superiors that they give a particular genin a private test to determine if they were ready for the rank of chunin. However, even in these cases the resident Kage would have to consider whether it would be more beneficial to have this promising candidate promoted and put in the field immediately, or given the chance to shine in front of an international audience.

XXX

As soon as the proctor's hand dropped to signify the start of the match, Naruto jumped backwards and used Shadow Clones to create twenty copies, who all quickly spread out in a semicircle. For his part, Neji just stood his ground, confidently daring Naruto to advance. Instead, Naruto performed the Rat hand-sign, and cried out: "Wind Release: Air Current Wild Dance!" The effect was instantaneous as Naruto created winds that controlled the flow of air throughout the battlefield, sending waves of dust and dirt at the Hyuga genius.

Neji struggled against the wave of dust and grit that flew at him, unable to open his precious, precious eyes lest something get inside of them, as worked to keep his feet grounded with chakra so that he would not be knocked over. Knowing that if he did not open his eyes so that he could actually see with his Byakugan, he would not be able to counterattack, Neji crossed his arms over his head to sneak a peek, an act that saved him from injury as he quickly performed a panicked Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation in recognition of the threat he had glimpsed.

Naruto's clones, whom Naruto had carefully left unmolested by the wind, had not been idle. Not only were they perfect copies of the original, so was their gear, including the packs and packs of homemade explosive tags created by dedicated teams of clones over the last few weeks, that they had now seeded into the flowing air currents.

Up in the stands, the crowd watched the match with mixed results. Many still did not realize that Naruto had created solid clones by himself, and so overlooked his achievement. Others thought the Hyuga would be unhampered by the lack of visibility, assuming that he could still see through it and that the brat had failed to do any homework on his foe.

Yet the sudden and massive series of explosions though that covered the entire ground caught everyone by surprise.

Despite his aches and bruises, and singe marks on his clothes, Neji regained his confident face and stance. "A fair attempt, yet you remain hopelessly outmatched!" In response though, the failure gave a broad smirk and pointed at the ground. Neji focused his sight downwards, searching for a hidden underground attack. Nothing. What is he pointing at? There is nothing on…the…ground. Nothing at all, because what had taken him an embarrassingly long time to see was how it was all now torn up by a series of colliding explosions. The stadium was a war zone, littered with rubble and pit holes.

A short-range fighter going against a mid- to long-range combatant, as Naruto had just demonstrated himself to be, had to rely upon speed, mobility, and cover to approach and overwhelm his foe. Here, there was no cover, the trees were too far away and no piece of debris was big enough. And running through this mess at high speeds, while under attack, would only yield a broken ankle. The match had just become one of attrition, with the winner dependent upon whether Naruto could maintain his attacks longer than Neji could maintain his Eight Trigrams Palms: Palm Rotation to shield himself. He planned this? the aforementioned Hyuga tried to grasp. No, it must have been luck! It has to have been!

"I doubt even Bushy Brows could safely run through this without breaking something," Naruto said as if reading his thoughts. "Especially since I'd be attacking you the whole way. Your Byakugan can tell you I've still got plenty of chakra. And explosives," he added as each clone pulled out another thick wad of explosive seals. "Oorrr, you could surrender, and admit you don't know anything about fate," he cheekily offered, unfortunately pushing his opponent too far.

"Die!" was all Neji could think as he threw caution to the winds and charged forward. In perfect synchronization, half of Naruto's clones threw a brace of kunai or shuriken at him, while the other half clapped their hands together and cried: "Wind Release: Gale Palm!" to accelerate them. Neji wove and ducked through the projectiles, trying to match his superior vision and reflexes against their speed.

And then fate deserted him, as he put his foot down on a loose rock, bringing him down and twisting his ankle. Fortunately missed the blades hurtling at him, but the next thing he knew the clones had used Teleportation Technique and were dogpiling him.

The pain from his ankle and from having both arms pinned kept Neji from retaliating as one clone kneeled down in front of him. The spare clones were setting up explosive tags in a circle around Neji, staying out of what they had determined to be the range of his Rotation. They had not used them when Neji had made his foolhardy charge because they wanted him alive, but they were also not taking any chances. Plus, showing different techniques would be more impressive for the audience.

XXX

"Wow," Sakura gasped in disbelief at Naruto's victory.

"I knew he could do it," Hinata smiled.
"That was an amazing fight!" Ino cried out. "I can't believe Naruto pulled that off!"

"He's been training a lot," Choji explained as he opened another bag of chips. "He's been getting stronger and stronger."

"Yeah, I gotta admit, I might not've been able to beat him during the preliminaries," Kiba confessed, not feeling embarrassed about it after seeing such a match.

Through it all, Sakura felt herself looking at Naruto with a mixture of sadness and envy, finally admitting after that dramatic demonstration that the dunce had surpassed her. When did Naruto become so strong? Why am I so behind?

XXX

Kage Booth

Well played, the Third Hokage thought with a small smile as Shikamaru Nara forfeited. He was well familiar with how the minds of the Nara clan operated, and could play with the best of them. Your true objective was never your promotion, and you sought to manipulate the entire Village in the process, excellent initiative.

Unfortunately for the boy, the Third Hokage also knew that while a Nara could be expected to reject additional responsibility at any opportunity, once they had been given (i.e. had it forced into their hands) that responsibility, they would bear the fullness of that burden whatever the cost. There was a reason that the best Nara were the ones with spouses who were control freaks, pushing their beloveds on even further. Heck, that was one of the reasons why years ago Sarutobi had covertly encouraged Shikaku to meet and marry Yoshino; after making sure her temper was all bark and no bite of course.

For all their laziness, the Nara were still true believers in the Will of Fire, claiming that losing comrades was 'much too troublesome,' and this clan heir had proven today he had potential to become one of the best. Definitely chunin material, the old man concluded.

XXX

Short time later

Sasuke Uchiha glanced up at the competitor's booth looking down on the stadium. His teammate was waving and appeared glad that he and Kakashi-sensei had shown up just in the nick of time, which felt nice. But still, today I'll draw the Dobe's true strength, and crush it with my own. For no matter how strong you are, no matter how much I've come to respect you, I'll prove that I'm better! And then you'll respect me again. After all, I've just spent the entire month, every spare moment, training with one of the most elite ninja in the entire Hidden Leaf!"

"Too bad," Genma the proctor was saying, "you guys missed a great match with your teammate. Totally dominated that Hyuga"
"Oh, that's good to hear," Kakashi eye-smiled, hiding his shock at hearing Naruto's success, having expected Neji to have won. Still, I doubt he showed enough to warrant promotion to becoming a chunin, so I'll still be able to help both boys after this. And Sakura.

XXX

"I enjoy watching moving objects," said Orochimaru. "It's boring when things stand still. Don't you agree? A motionless pinwheel isn't worth watching. Then again, when it's stopped, it can sometimes be sentimental too…Either way, I want to make the pinwheel spin with the destruction of the Leaf right now."

"Spare me, my wayward student. You just want to see the ninja world crash and burn."

Orochimaru just stared back at this former teacher in silence at this, inviting him to continue. "Was it one too many cases of the hunters closing in on you that made you decide this? It is harder to get the resources for your experiments after all, if there are people willing to find out what happened to them. Every village in the world wants you, dead or alive, and the reasons for this have only grown over the years. But if you can spark a ninja war that will bring everything crashing down, especially if no one else realizes you are working towards that deliberately, than you can continue your work carefree.

"Even before the start of the Chunin Exam I was curious at first as to why Sound was so eager to participate, and I was briefly confused as to why you were willing to go to war with us in the first place. After all, there hasn't been enough time to produce enough veterans in your village, or train your forces up into a sustainable fighting force. Except all they really need to do is be able to support the Sand enough, who do have the means to do severe damage. And once the Sand realizes they have lost their principal ally, many valued soldiers, and by your appearance another Kazekage, then both villages will look inviting enough for everyone else to get into the game, sparking off the next Great War.

"You will ally yourself with Rock or Cloud, or maybe even secretly both at once, and then betray them in a way to make them more vulnerable. It helps that none of them would expect you to want to tear down the Hidden Village system. You'll probably push events to escalate the conflict until everyone is fighting each other even as you continue to weaken them from within. Moreover, from near the beginning it has been the Land of Fire which has done so much to keep everything from sliding back to the Warring States Period, yes? Tell me, did I get anything wrong?"

Feeling a small frown creasing his head, the White Snake tried to hide it with another malicious grin, "Well now, that sounds like fun too. I'll have to make up my mind later, after I kill you of course." Getting prepared, he slowly shifted his stance, Dealing with the Leaf first was indeed the right thing to do. Sarutobi's diplomatic skills and insight are indeed a threat.

In return, Sarutobi ripped off his Hokage robe and hat to reveal his familiar combat suit and armour underneath, burying the part of him that was a kindly, understanding grandfather and called forth the man who had been a hardened and trained death dealer since he was six-years old.

His Villagers —his family!—were in danger, and those responsible were fit only for carrion.

XXX

The ruthless gutter tactics behind the Sand-Sound Invasion were simple: attack suddenly and viciously until the enemy breaks in fear. Give no quarter and do not stop until there is no one left alive in front of you. No diplomacy, no compassion, no trying to just talk it out, a return to the straightforward military strategies of just a few decades ago, where might made right, and justice was defined by the winners.

Yet there was a flaw in this belief.

It assumed that not only would the Leaf be surprised, but that they would also be unprepared.

That they would never have considered the possibility that others would betray them, that they would not spend years drilling and preparing for just this sort of contingency, especially given their pride of being part of one of the Great Nations. That they, the Ninja of the Village Hidden in Leaves, would not fight to protect their friends and families, and their pride as the first and strongest of the Great Nations.

Every other Hidden Village of the Great Nations liked to brag about how their harsher environments, training programs, and lifestyles, produced stronger ninja than the coddling Leaf, but overlooked how living in the most lush and liberal village would motivate its inhabitants. That they would willingly give up their lives to protect this paradise where their children and grandchildren could grow up happy and free. .

Those other Villages believed that the Will of Fire was just a bunch of soothing words to justify whatever the Leaf did, and not a fervent belief that would drive the inhabitants to acts of heroism and courage.

This was not the village of naive pacifists, the ones who the Third Hokage's Public Relations Department made sure to publicize to customers internationally as the 'good guys,' nor was it a place where everyone had gotten soft after decades of peace. This was a village where training your darling children to be child soldiers was not just acceptable, it was actively encouraged. Contract assassinations were carried out on a regular basis, bandits and missing-nins were gutted to the last man and woman, all overseen by veterans who were there when the Leaf won every single bloody war by virtue of creating a bigger pile of butchered corpses than the other guys.

And now was the time to fight back.

XXX

Haku snapped a kunoichi's throat within his iron grip before throwing her at her comrades, making Karin flinch at her friend's uncharacteristic temper tantrum. Then taking a deep breath, Haku used Ice Release: Crafting Elegant Tools, conjured a brace of senbon to one hand while the other wove the signs for Hiding in the Mist, engulfing them in the fog for a moment, making all of the other ninja briefly pause. This was supposed to be a pleasant afternoon, he seethed. With everyone seeing how far Naruto had grown! That he was worthwhile! Homing on the voices which lacked the local accents, these ones he showed mercy too, merely paralyzing their bodies with his needles. Ten seconds later he dropped the jutsu and their part of the stands was clear of enemy combatants, while the Leaf ninja were gaping at him. Ignoring this, he turned to Karin who was already concentrating as she used her Mind's Eye of the Kagura to sense what was going on.

"What's Naruto doing?"

"His chakra is everywhere," Karin answered distractedly. "It looks like he left some Shadow Clones behind," and then Haku saw them, around the Kage Box, "while the real one is heading out of the village, pursuing Sasuke who's pursuing that Sand kid, and he, Naruto I mean, is dropping off more clones as he goes. Some others are with him, except I don't think you can catch up in time, he's already got a good lead and you might run into a pack of enemies since I can't tell friend from foe by just their chakra."

Frowning at this, Haku had to concede she was right as he looked around. His first priority then was protecting Karin and dealing with the rest of the intruders.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

For both sides in this brief war, the most shocking individual was Naruto Uzumaki. Konoha's Jinchuuriki had been dismissed as a threat by Orochimaru, noting it would only be a problem if he was willing to commit suicide to release his prisoner. And someone so young could not possibly be a serious obstacle to the more experienced attackers. This intel was badly outdated, with a trail of Shadow Clones being left throughout the village as Naruto and his friends chased after Gaara and his siblings.

"What is with these blonde clones!?" Chunin Captain Sajin yelled as he threw some more shuriken at another bunch of them, gritting his teeth as he realized it was a kamikaze attack. After all, he may be willing to die for his homeland, but he was not eager to do so, and it was just plain disturbing seeing the deranged looks on the laughing pre-teens as they leapt at him and his men for a suicide attack.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" he barked, sweeping them all away and into smoke.

Two blocks away five cells of orange duplicates changed course on a dime as the last of their fellow Disciples of Ramen were eliminated on a certain street, minds' racing as they struggled to come up with new ideas.

"Wondered how long it would take him to think of that," one Sand genin noted.

"Yeah, but what's with those clones? They're like those Shadow Clones, but how many has he sent at us so far?" one chunin pointed out.

"Too many," Sajin growled, a foreboding feeling worming into his gut as he remembered another tidbit about that ninjutsu. This kid might fight like a rookie —For crying out loud, he probably only graduated from their academy a few months ago— but if the memories of each and every clone were being returned to the collective whole, then these clones were also learning.

Five minutes later he found he was right, "It's a distraction! Squad A take them, everyone else look out!" he snarled as three suicide bombers came at them, just as various everyday items on the street dropped their Transformations and attacked. They must have predicted our destination from all the locations we've 'killed' them, Sajin concluded. Two clones leapt right at him, and Sajin snapped out one leg, his greater reach easily bypassing the kid's scrawny arms to dispel the clone. The second leapt right at him, except Sajin disappeared and reappeared behind it, elbow slamming into the clone's head. You've got potential, brat, he conceded. But you're only good for your age. We've been doing this for a lot longer. Without even looking back he tipped his head to the side to dodge a thrown kunai and then spun to throw his own at his attacker who was too shocked too react.

A block away the other half of the squad opened their eyes at the newest memories. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, they smirked to themselves. For despite all of the books that Haku had been ramming down his throat, which only worked because they had someone encouraging and praising them, at the end of the day Naruto always learnt best by doing, and today he had been learning a lot, all over the Village.

And this was their Village. Their home.

The streets and alleys they had ruled as the greatest prankster of their age. But that was another lifetime ago. Before they had had a friend to recognize and draw out their innate talents. To hone them into a weapon of war.

They were not strong or durable enough to take these guys head on, and while Naruto himself had a tremendous amount of chakra, theirs was more limited. Of course, they could still wreak havoc.

"Got it all!" one told his compatriots with glee as he returned with his supplies.

"Right!" and with long practice recreated a familiar tool of their academy days.

Minutes later, three orange monstrosities took to the air with chakra, appearing above the invaders on the streets and rooftops, letter bombs visibly in hand.

"Just give up already!" one teenage Sand ninja yelled in frustration as he threw his kunai, the repetition making him and the others careless. After all, it had failed the first few times, right?

"What?" Sajin wondered as several large bags fell from the sky directly overhead, their attention having been focused upon the letter bombs and not what was on the clones' backs.

Reflexive shuriken shredded the bags, bursting them into paint.

XXX

[Flashback]

"I'm so very sorry Old Man!" a distraught seven year-old Naruto sobbed to the Third Hokage.

"There, there, Naruto, I know you wouldn't do something like that on purpose. That's why you've got to be careful. Your pranking may seem harmless, but someone can get hurt. Let's go over the safety symbols together."

[Flashback End]

XXX

"Great Breakthrough!" a hated voice yelled, and the falling blobs of paint became a wave towards most of the Sand ninja, soaking and blinding them.

The last four clones moved forward while they could, sending out blasts of wind to knock the enemy ninja back, and throwing kunai with letter bombs attached.

These were veteran Sand ninja, even the genin amongst them had served for several years at the very least, fighting bandits and enemy ninja. They were still dangerous even blind, disorientated, being thrown around, and dodging knives and explosions. They did not panic. Not until they recognized the true threat.

Paint, especially in the Hidden Leaf, is flammable, and all these Naruto's were essentially throwing around wind and sparks.

A screaming woman threw herself to the ground to smother the fire biting at her, but a sharp Wind Release: Gale Palm threw her into a wall with a snap as her neck hit the corner. One man kept his cool enough to cut off his burning sleeve, but that moment's hesitation cost him as three shuriken struck him, one hitting his head and knocking him down unconscious.

The smoke and fire will draw in more, including normal Leaf ninja! Sajin cursed, desperately jumping away from another explosive tag, the seemingly casual debris on the street catching fire as well, enhancing the threat.

True to his words, his men on the rooftop, the ones who could kill the copies were occupied by men and women in Leaf uniforms, and the clones were still furiously fighting, the rest of his men too busy staying alive to counter. He came down on two of them from above and out of sight, crushing them underneath him with his feet, while the last two leapt back for a second. Sharing the same mind and thus thoughts, the foremost one ran forward, throwing the last of his shuriken and kunai before him, before dispelling.

Sajin blinked in surprise as the kunai and shuriken also disappeared into smoke, before realizing the real threat. "Great Breakthrough!" yelled a now dreaded voice, having finished his hand-signs from behind the obscuring cloud, and Sajin was lifted up and slammed back into a wall at an angle, dislocating his shoulder and twisting an ankle as he came down. Stumbling he gasped as kunai sprouted into him.

"Ghaack!" he spat, pulling out one of the impaling kunai to keep fighting even as he coughed up blood, "N-not done yet!"

But he was, as the final clone ran towards him with a kunai in hand, while above them the other ninja of the Hidden Leaf looked on in appreciation.

And this was happening across the village.

XXX

"I WILL NOT LOSE TO SOMEONE LIKE YOU!" Gaara screamed, his body burned and bloody, and not just on his arm, "ROOOOOOAAAAR" and Sasuke was nearly blinded as his sharingan beheld the massive wave of chakra that rushed over him.

Towering above them was the fully unleashed Shukaku, the One-Tailed Demon.

Desperately, Naruto dispelled all of his Shadow Clones fighting in the Village, instinctively knowing that if he did not collect all of their remaining chakra right now he would be dead. The sheer shock of absorbing all those different memories across the battlefield nearly made him faint right then and there, making him stumble about as he fought for balance. He had been doing it for a while now, pushing the absorbed images aside, but now with so many at once he had a distracting headache.

And a fatal one.

Sand appeared out of nowhere to ensnare him, covering him, covering him up and starting to crush him.

XXX

Naruto's Mindscape

And then he was free.

Unhurt, clean and tidy, as if he had never been fighting. Naruto barely noticed that he was standing ankle-deep in water, for before him were two massive barred gates, and behind them he could make out two massive glowing eyes with slit pupils and massive teeth.

"…Nine Tails."

"Well, congratulations, you figured out the obvious as at last we meet." Kurama of the Nine Tails watched with mild entertainment as its host's mental manifestation began to display signs of anger. It was amusing not just because of how meaningless it was, but also because by coming here when his life was in danger, the brat would inevitably demand to be given chakra. Once it worked the first time, he would keep coming back for more. The sweetest bait to gradually reel in the greedy Human until he was devoured.

He noticed that the brat's expression was shifting, still scowling and glaring, yet something else was there. "…Do you have something to say?"

"Why…am I…here?" Naruto panted with the stress of trying to stay calm. This was not something he could lose his head over.

Kurama was vaguely impressed at the boy's composure in the face of such an obviously superior being, before he dismissed it as being both too idiotic to recognize the Fox's true majesty, as well as having been aware, however theoretically, of his presence within the seal. Still, it appears that meddling Ice user has indeed helped his self-control a little. Still, it's obvious it will take little effort to provoke him into actual rage. Regrettably, I have other priorities right now, Kurama mused.

If you truly want to live, then you must weaken the One Tail's bond with his host. Find that boy Gaara, and wake him up!"

"Huh-!? Why should I listen to a thing you've got to say!? You killed my parents!" Naruto screamed. "Why should I believe a word you've got to say!? Well!? Tell me!"

Scowling, Kurama took on the tone of a teacher with dying patience explaining something obvious to a stupid student. A voice the brat was well familiar with. "I can hardly let you be defeated by the host of a weaker demon than I," Kurama said with a half-truth. "If you wish to live, I will have to give you some of my chakra to do so."

"Your chakra?"

"Of course. This is just like at the bridge: you're too weak to save yourself or your friends, and so the only way you can possibly survive is if you have my power to make you strong enough. Why the hesitation? You accepted it freely back then."

Naruto glared back for a moment, but he remembered the feeling of being crushed to death by those chains, and knew he had no choice. Not if he wanted to save everyone. To protect those precious to him, he would have to compromise himself here and now. "Okay. Do it."

XXX

Back Outside of the mindscape

"Well, that's the end of that," Temari concluded, feeling a little regretful as the sand finished consuming the Uzumaki kid and was about to start compressing. "He put up a good fight though." Still, Gaara was family, so this was for the best.

The sand exploded from the Leaf brat, covered in orange fire.

"W-what!?" Kankuro gasped

"So that's what Gaara meant," Temari breathed out.

Shocked at this resistance, Gaara put himself to sleep to bring forth the full power of the Incarnation of Sand.

The One Tailed Demon.

Shukaku.

A towering being of sand and chakra.

Unfazed with red eyes ablaze, Naruto surged forward to get closer with Shukaku and away from his teammates, while Sasuke was gaping with his sharingan. Haku's careful lessons on tactics and keeping a cool head were largely forgotten as Naruto focused on unleashing all of his pent-up aggression.

"Drilling Air Bullet!" Shukaku boomed, shooting a massive ball of air and chakra at the brat.

"Wind Release: Wind Wall!" Naruto reflexively countered from long training with Haku, while also instinctually pumping far more chakra into it, enhancing the technique enough so that upon impact he was merely thrown down from the trees to the ground. It was only through the massive power amount of chakra he had used that he even survived.

"Gaaah," Sasuke gasped as he struggled to hold onto his own tree as the shockwave from the clashing wind jutsu hit him. Naruto, how're you doing this!? What's your secret!?

"He looked like he was nearly spent a moment ago," Kankuro hissed. "So it looks like Gaara was right. He's definitely a Jinchuuriki!"

"You think!?" Temari sarcastically snapped.

While bruised and shaken, Naruto was up on his feet and closing on the Demon again without pause, ducking and dodging through the underbrush.

"Wha-haha-haha-haa! You're truly entertaining Naruto Uzumaki! Slaughtering you and your village will be great!" Inwardly though, Shukaku was relieved that his concerns seemed to be for nothing. The seal holding in his sibling was too strong to let him or her make a difference. Still, I should probably hold back, don't want to kill them.

"No you won't because I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!" Naruto yelled back, leaping from out of the leaves with an enlarged Rasengan in his hand, bolstered by the power of the Nine Tails Demon Fox, and smashed it right into Shukaku's paw.

An unimpressed Shukaku ignored the attack, with it barely digging into his flesh before granules of sand repaired the insignificant damage. He thumped his stomach again and fired even more Drilling Air Bullets, "Let's see you block this!"

"Graaah!" Naruto yelled as he recklessly leapt right at the attack, conjuring another Rasengan and hammered it right into the attack, detonating the oncoming jutsu and shredding him with the backlash, making him disappear into smoke.

"Oh ho, a clone! What fun!" Shukaku rumbled with bloodlust, and then caught wind of Naruto desperately racing up the very arm the earlier clone had attacked. "Hoping that move would keep me too distracted to notice did you!?" He just shook his arm to shake the original off, wanting to drag the fight on a little longer, even as he confirmed that there were no more clones around. Satisfied he turned his attention back to the bug harassing him. "What will you try next?"

Then Fire lit up Gaara's face as an angry buzz saw exploded on it.

Spitting fury, Tora clawed at the sleeping boy hanging out of Shukaku's forehead, desperate to wake him up before the Tailed Beast killed his Summoner.

"Gotcha!" Naruto smirked as he struggled to make his battered body keep running towards the crumbling body of Shukaku, glad he had Summoned the Cat a little after Pakkun had been forced to disperse. Frankly, it was that event which had given Naruto the idea. Tora had said that Cats were good for assassinations after all, even if he knew that Naruto sympathized with his fellow Jinchuuriki. Frankly, Naruto was surprised that he could see Gaara still moving as he finally came within sight of the redhead.

"H-How," a bloody-faced Gaara gasped, "how are you so strong!?"

"Because I'm not alone," Naruto answered as he stood tall over the downed boy, petting Tora's head as the Cat rode on his shoulder, "I do what I can, and he does what he can and we cover for each other. And because back there," jerking a thumb towards the Village, "I've got friends. People who believe in me, count on me, and I won't let them down. And knowing that, gave me the strength I need to beat you, because when someone is protecting those precious to them, they become as strong as they need to be." Silently he added to himself, And the only reason I could bring myself to accept the Fox's chakra.

XXX

The barrier over where the Third Hokage had been fighting Orochimaru fell.

Due to thick tree branches filling it up, none of the Leaf ninja surrounding it had been able to tell what was happening inside. Their worst fears were realized when it was Orochimaru, being supported by two of his bodyguards, who leapt out.

Some of the ANBU tried to stop them, only to be tangled up in some sort of sticky net.

Haku was there on the roof to see if he could form one of his mirrors within the barrier and enter when everything happened, and his hands flashed.

With a grunt, Tayuya lost all sensation within her left arm and leg, yet it was enough.

hands flashed and Ukon on Sakon's back saw Tayuya fall down with senbon in her throat, "Just as well," the bodyguard concluded, "she was dead for that failure anyways." Then multiple kunai punctured into him, forcing them into their Stage 2 Cursed Seal state to survive, while the ANBU converged upon them.

The instant that he touched the ground, a Snake which had been waiting for just this sort of contingency burst its head out of the ground to make a hole before retreating back in. The Sound Ninja fled into the tunnel, and rode the Summons away to safety.

XXX

Land of Fire

Tailed Beast Mindscape

"Kurama, is that you?" Shukaku growled in surprise at seeing someone within the special place all Tailed Beasts shared. Within a certain range.

"Obviously," Kurama said with restrained anger. He would have added the word "idiot" or something else, yet knew he had to keep his cool Otherwise this fortuitous event would be wasted. "My seal was too strong for me to communicate with you before, but that blast of chakra the boy let me pump through gave me the means to finally do so."

Shukaku glared in thought for a moment, then roared and pointed at Kurama, "You're the one who told the brat my weakness, weren't you! And you didn't try to talk to me until after I was sealed back up again!"

Keep calm, keep calm, remember the endgame, the orange sibling reminded himself. Remember the plan. Glaring back, yet trying to hide enough of his anger so it would not be provocative, Kurama nodded, "Yes, I did. If you suddenly stopped attacking my host, any observing humans would be suspicious, and potentially realize how connected we really are. This way, they will assume the boy got lucky."

"Don't try feeding me that! You just didn't want your host to lose to mine!"

"That was part of it," Kurama conceded with a smirk. "But!" he barked before Shukaku could scream in rage, "But it was also to serve the larger plan. For now, our hosts are useful for finding our siblings."

"Bah!" Shukaku said dismissively, "you should have just let me run free and kill these pathetic bugs."

"Get serious!" Kurama snapped back. Surprised at this interruption, seemingly in defense of humanity of all things, Shukaku paused in his rant.

"The fact is that these 'bugs' have advanced more than we were all aware, and the proof is our mutual prisons! The time is long past when we could consider them mere insects below our judgment or notice! Has your head been so buried in the sand that you didn't notice that the Cloud even produced a man, one without our Father's blood at that, who was able to fight Gyuki, who has seven tails more than you," Shukaku snarled at this casual insult, "to a draw, and repeatedly sealed him away using one of the Father's creations!?

"Even without their advances in sealing, the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki, all bloodlines born from our Father, have become threats to us! Madara made me his helpless slave with but a look! And who knows what other Bloodlines may emerge in the future? For Heaven's sake, my soul, my bloody soul, has been cut in half! Who knows what'll happen to me if I die in this brat now!? We have to acknowledge the mess we're all in, and get our acts together!"

Kurama took a deep breath to calm himself. "If you die in your host, you are useless to me and our brothers and sisters for years, and that's assuming the humans haven't developed some way to predict where you will resurrect and then just seal you back up again while you're still disorientated. And the one who ripped me out of my last host worries me. Not only did he take control of me, he possessed an unhealthy amount of knowledge about seals and us in general. If he is still alive, then we've got bigger problems on the horizon."

With all gravitas, Kurama raised himself off his haunches to proudly display his nine tails, ignoring the metal bars that stood between him and his little brother.

"So get over your self-esteem issues, and work to keep your host alive. If he remains too unstable, the humans will kill him, and you will either be put into a new, more vulnerable, and secret, host, or, again, we will have to wait for you to resurrect."

Sullenly Shukaku withdrew from the conversation, but Kurama could sense him now giving aid to his Jinchuuriki to deal with the most recent attackers without any of the usual mental instability. What a miserable state of affairs, the Fox grumbled, disliking the need to co-operate like that with his disrespectful younger sibling. The brat.

The truth was, Shukaku and Kurama were trapped within two very different seals. Sealing was an incredibly sensitive art, with the seals used to imprison the Tailed Beasts perhaps being the most complex. Consequently, there were numerous variations between them, and thus the benefits and drawbacks, amongst all of the Jinchuuriki. Even slight errors or misassumptions could lead to radically different results that could be too subtle for most humans to recognize, and that was assuming the seal master had not created his own innovations. The present seal for the Sand Demon had been made with an emphasis on letting Shukaku out to fight and terrorize the enemies of the Land of Wind. The downside of this seal was that it left the hosts mentally vulnerable to the Tailed Beast. Kurama's seal on the other hand, emphasized containment of the prisoner, preferring to instead strengthen the host itself with gradual access to the Fox's chakra as they developed. The seal was so strong that Shukaku had not even been aware of Kurama's presence until after Naruto had revealed to Gaara he was a Jinchuuriki too, and even then could not recognize who exactly was sealed within the brat. This process left Kurama's host more mentally secure, so long as they could keep their negative emotions sufficiently in check. The most serious flaw with this arrangement is that it also paradoxically made it easier for Kurama to break free entirely than compared to Shukaku, since the Jinchuuriki had the opportunity for more interaction with his/her prisoner, and thus the mental components of the prison. For all that Gaara had spent his life being driven insane by his 'Demon,' and had been taken over several times, permanently releasing Shukaku upon the world was not something he could readily do. While all Naruto had to do was basically rip off a piece of paper on the doors, and it would all start to come apart. Although there was apparently a key to do it best.

Regardless, for now it was better if Shukaku's host was more stable, as proven when Naruto Uzumaki had defeated him. Given time though, Kurama would be able to liberate himself, the ice jutsu user's interference notwithstanding, and then he would be free to take a more…proactive approach to his siblings' problems.

Now that I have located Shukaku's host, I will be able to find him again easily, and tear my brother free. After that, we will find who we can of our brothers and sisters, and break their chains as well. Then, then we will be free to address the threat posed by that masked man and the rest of humanity. Sensing a change in the outside world, Kurama noted through his host's eyes that the conflict was dying down. Still, I must admit that this child has potential, and staying with the Leaf longer might present the opportunity to learn more about that Child of Prophecy the Fourth Hokage hinted to my previous host about. It's also possible that he will seek out information about other Jinchuuriki on his own.

But sooner than later, I will be free!

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Secret Root base

Danzo slowly stalked throughout his lair, keeping up the appearance of a cripple even among his subordinates as he used his cane. The recent invasion had not gone as planned. When Orochimaru had approached Danzo for cooperation, the latter had been confident that his ANBU Root would be able to take advantage of the situation. Using the information that Orochimaru wanted to anticipate his priorities, combined with spies in other Hidden Villages, and Danzo should have been able to anonymously alert Hiruzen Sarutobi, allowing the Hidden Leaf to readily repel the invasion, killing Orochimaru, and both humiliating and weakening the Hidden Sand. Instead, the traitor had bypassed all of their defenses, and had moved far faster than anticipated. In fact, it was clear that the bulk of those requests from Orochimaru had been designed to mislead Danzo into taking such a reactionary approach. Consequently, a higher number of sacrifices had been paid as the Village took higher casualties than expected. However they had still dealt a crushing blow to two major threats.

It was for missions like this that Root existed, although Danzo was well aware that this fell squarely under the list of things no one could ever know about.

Losing Hiruzen was…regrettable. Yet it also meant that he could now act more freely.

For all the man's self-denial, he would have been the one best suited to discover when Danzo had crossed certain 'boundaries,' and there would have been no escaping what happened next. A number of people who there were no legal records about would just disappear, and Danzo would come down with a sudden sickness that would leave him paralyzed and confine to a hospital bed, unable to move or speak, while ANBU guarded his august presence of course, until the 'natural cause' led him to fade away. The charade would probably even be continued by a full military funeral…after his corpse, carefully prepared from all the 'medications' he would have been fed while in the hospital, and been dissected for any other secrets he had been keeping from the Village of course. Hiruzen would probably even give a grand speech at the funeral in which he lavished praise on his old friend's accomplishments, yet with every word holding a double meaning to give a pointed warning to any other senior ninja under his command.

Not that Danzo would begrudge Hiruzen doing this, he had held too much respect for the man, and accepted that they were both trying to do their best for the Leaf in their own way. The sad truth was that over the years Hiruzen had forgotten the lessons of their childhood, and now failed to recognize that all the politeness and civility that the other Villages presented to the Leaf was just a mask, hiding their greed for all that Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sensei had created: the precious gem that was their home.

Still, the primary and tertiary objectives for countering Orochimaru's invasion had been completed. The ninja and civilians who had endured such painful losses, would reflect upon the failings of their placid lifestyles. Their retaliation as Orochimaru was hunted down would show the importance of strong, decisive action. And those who saw the truth would be the ones to willfully pull Danzo into the spotlight, advocating a more rational leadership. That had been the most essential reason to cooperate with Orochimaru.

Moreover, during the chaos of the attack, key Root agents had also used the opportunity to alter certain records to better hide past and future Root operations, and to liberate certain artifacts and leave forgeries behind. One such example stood in front of Danzo now.

It was at first glance an upright steel rectangle, three meters long, and a meter wide and thick. An impressive pile of large chains was off to the side after being cut off, and sealing experts were nearly finished disarming all of the various ninjutsu upon the block. A closer inspection showed that part of it lifted off like a lid, or a door now given how it was standing up, with an assortment of locks and further concealed traps that had already sent twelve elite agents for emergency medical attention. Someone in the distant past had also taken the time to write in red on it: "Do Not Open!" Just in case they thought they were being too subtle.

"Lord Danzo," a subordinate questioned, his present name being Uryu. "Forgive me, but what was so important about this coffin? Why does it warrant such high security?"

After a moment, Danzo decided that this curiosity was both sufficiently related to the man's mission, and respectful enough to dignify the request. Moreover, it would emphasize to the others the importance of their task, including the necessity for caution.

"There was a reason that the Second Hokage made his Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation a forbidden technique. Not because of sentiment, but because those called back could still eventually regain both their identities and self-control, even if their personalities were initially erased. After this was discovered, repeated experimentation on civilian criminals revealed that there was no way to anticipate when exactly the jutsu user would lose control over those he had resurrected, be it days or more minutes, and the practitioner would then have to deal with an immortal being with endlessly replenishing chakra and no restrictions.

Worst of all, while in most cases they could be released back to the afterlife, a ninja could learn how to make the jutsu permanent. It was because of this that the Second Hokage never resurrected Madara Uchiha even after the First Hokage finally killed him." In the privacy of his thoughts, Danzo unconsciously found himself amending that. Nor his older brother. No need for an all-powerful, immortal bleeding-heart optimist in this world.

Turning to look at the rest of the attending Root soldiers, "But this however, is the prison of the first ninja to regain his personality after it was originally erased. Worse, they managed to successfully keep themselves, hence this prison. Until now."

On that note, the Root agents not actively securing the coffin, or laying down seals and traps, settled into combat stances, and prepared their individual tantos and jutsu. For his part, Danzo unsealed his right arm to prepare his trump card, and then undid the bandages over his left eye, fully revealing the sharingan of Shisui Uchiha. Hopefully, only the latter would be necessary, making the individual sealed within willing to listen to Danzo's…proposal. In the short term it would suffice, though repeated exposure might be necessary to be sure. First however, they would learn who this person was, and how likely it would be to recruit their services.

The full truth about the resurrection jutsu was only known to a handful of people at most, and it was doubtful that even Orochimaru was aware of the true terrible risk involved, thinking he had found the one and only powerful jutsu that came without any significant cost. The fool. And even Danzo had never been told who exactly the Second Hokage had first used his incredible technique on to resurrect the Senju clan's ultimate weapon of war.

Slowly, the last of the locks and seals were removed, and the lid to the sarcophagus was pulled aside. The figure was evidently aware enough of what was happening as it struggled against the wrappings which still covered it head to toe, moving as much as possible despite also being impaled and pinned down by metal bars. With infinite care, Root's newest recruit advanced and pulled back wraps covering the eyes. It only took a moment for Danzo to lock gazes with the person, a male, and then his writhing ceased as Kotoamatsukami took hold

With continued caution, the young agent slowly revealed the prisoner's face, and even Danzo was forced to raise an eyebrow in surprise as he realized the identity of the figure in front of him.

"Hmm, Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage," Danzo casually commented, noting the series of emotions that flitted across the prisoners face: recognition and hatred at the name, but also curiosity at the unfamiliar title. "Yes, Tobirama must have truly despised you after all. No matter, welcome the future and the foundation of the Village Hidden in Leaves.

"Welcome to Root, Butsuma Senju, father of the First and Second Hokage!"

XXX

Author Notes:

A monster of a chapter. Hoping it flowed alright for you guys.

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Next chapter: 'Tsunade Retrieval arc, and Naruto Leaving'

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