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.

6. Tsunade Retrieval & Naruto Leaving

For better or worse, I do not own Naruto.

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Beta read by the wonderful OceanLord2017, and BlandonM!

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Guest Review answers:

Sage

Nice to know I am doing something new! And yeah, if the Tailed Beasts can communicate and plan, why not use that?

Here is the latest chapter, and I am looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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Chapter 6: Snapshots of Time—Tsunade Retrieval Arc, and Naruto Leaving

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Previously:

The Chunin Exams happened, with Naruto playing a visible and pivotal role in repelling the Invasion. He also found his cousin Karin, and freed the infamous Tora from secret slavery.

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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 Tsunade Retrieval Arc, and when Naruto and Co. are forced to flee the Leaf.

XXX

Land of Water

Isolated area

The underground base was crushed outwards from the pustule white shape breaking through from within.

Six tails waved upon the back of the slug as it towered over the treelines, roaring in fury as it made its way out.

Behind it, it left the corpses of some of the most elite ninja of the Hidden Mist, including that of Harusame, one of their best period, and definitely their most skillful at Sealing.

He had also once been the beloved master of the Six Tails Jinchuuriki who had just killed him.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Nara Compound

A few days after the Chunin Exam

A hyper Naruto was running around the back lawn chugging on another soda bottle, while his friends laughed and partied away alongside him under the evening sky.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru moaned at the uncharacteristic noise at his home, while Choji worked his way through another bag of potato chips.

"Same old Naruto," Ino deadpanned.

Off to the side Haku giggled and nibbled away at his food, having already confirmed it was not poisonous. It was . . . heartwarming to watch a bunch of friends celebrate being alive, as Naruto and the others also made up for lost time after being separated for the month of the Chunin Exams.

Of course, Jonin Commander Shikaku Nara, and the rest of his clan, were obviously using this to re-evaluate Naruto after his performance during the Invasion. It was unusual for a Nara to propose, and host, such a party after all. Regardless, Haku was glad to see all of his newfound friends having such a good time. He still expected Naruto to have seen underneath the underneath for this before they got home tonight though, or else it would be time for some remedial training.

Maybe I should get Tora involved, he'd enjoy rebuking Naruto. Although the Cat was quite content back home right now, having been literally buried in fish by a thankful Naruto.

(The scratches had quickly healed, and Tora had conceded that his Summoner was merely being…overly enthusiastic in repaying the Cat for his help against Gaara)

As the night wore on, Naruto plopped down beside Shikamaru who was alone as Choji went for more food. "Hey Shikamaru, I just want to say tha—"

"Save it," Shikamaru cut him off. "You'd have done the same for me. We both know that it was the best thing to do at the time. I was best suited for slowing them down, while you're a heavy fighter who was best for actually taking on those Sand kids. Don't mention it again."

"Okay," Naruto beamed before lying down next to his friend. "Still thanks though."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, but did not complain.

XXX

"Yeah. That said, I really want to keep training him," Jiraiya said earnestly. Especially, he thought to himself, because Naruto may be the Chosen One.

It wasn't Nagato or Minato with their immense natural talent, but could it be Naruto? Hate to say it, but I'm running out of time. And I really need to get him to sign the Toad Summoning Contract and get him to the Great Toad Sage. It's their prophecy, and Naruto has to be connected to them. And if I can do this, I can make up for everything else! I won't let Haku get in the way of that!

XXX

Land of Fire

Somewhere north-east of Konohagakure

Generic Bar

Days later

Since there was no sign of Tsunade in town, Jirayia took the time to slowly sip his sake as he reflected upon Naruto Uzumaki. The kid was back at their inn, discreetly watched over by various Toads, with a Shadow Clone that was also tasked with setting up various traps with seals. Last he had seen before leaving, was the kid distractedly waving goodbye as he delegated reading assignments to his own clones regarding seals, and then sat down to practice his calligraphy. There's something he's hiding from me. Something big, the spy master knew, and it's not just because of Haku.

At first Jiraiya had continued to work under the theory that Naruto was afraid that the Village was trying to push the foreigner aside to keep him away from their Jinchuuriki, except all of the Toad Sage's compliments towards Haku's efforts during the Invasion had had no effect. And they were honest ones too. That Ice kid did some great work. Especially since he kept himself sharp without any of his ANBU watchers seeing him do any serious training over all of these months. However when he had tried to say as much, the brat had ignored the older man.

Why the hostility? He keeps his distance from me, when he should be clamouring for the chance to learn from the Leaf's premier seal master. Perfect springboard to become Hokage. And I can't shake the impression it isn't about Haku.

Briefly he considered the possibility that Naruto knew Jiraiya was his godfather, or even that he was Minato's sensei, before dismissing it. Surely such a hot-tempered kid would have said something already, right?

The sage also had to reluctantly and guiltily concede that after his lonely life, his godson should have been ecstatic at the prospect of someone else paying attention to him and even trying to help him out. Granted, their first meeting could have gone better, but how was Jiraiya to know that the brat had found another Uzumaki out of nowhere and she was visiting the baths! If he had known that he would not have spied on all the ladies for his research! Probably. Maybe not if she were older. Say, ten-years?

Anyways, for whatever reason, after that first day, whatever interest or respect his godson had initially had, including in becoming a Toad Summoner, had dried up.

He had hoped that this trip, particularly spending a long time together away from Haku, might help. Instead, the situation had only worsened, since before while training for the Chunin Exams, Naruto the two of them had had some degree of separation, and at the end of the day Naruto would go home to sleep. Now however, the two of them were stuck together, and it was becoming apparent that Naruto had some very strong resentment of Jiraiya for some inexplicable reason that was only intensifying. Whatever the kid was holding in, it was only getting worse under pressure.

XXX

Growing up with Zabuza-sama, being honed into a weapon, had been heavenly compared to the isolation and despair he had suffered beforehand. No matter how harsh the training once the man had realized Haku's massive potential, he had happily endured it, because no price had been too great. Despite how it might appear to outsiders, Haku had been risen up and given value. Yet initially there had been some disturbing parallels to Naruto's life. To help keep me and my dangerous skills under control, Zabuza-sama worked hard to keep me from thinking I was valuable, and individual independent from him. After all, one of the various words to describe 'tool' is 'disposable.' It wasn't until later that Zabuza-sama changed and genuinely cared for me. Yet what about Naruto?

Orphaned. Alone. Deliberately kept oblivious about why so many people despised him. If not for a series of coincidences, Naruto would still be clueless about being a Jinchuuriki, and how essential they all were. Not to mention his true hidden potential.

Was all that to guarantee his loyalty? Ensuring he doesn't become too ambitious? Earning his fealty in the traditional ways would be doable, but what if it was accomplished by keeping him down? Keeping him from realizing how powerful he really is by denying him the same level of training as others, denying him the same gifts that others take for granted. Family, past or present. Pride. Companionship. And once he became vulnerable enough, offer him all of that, along with tidbits of what else he could have if he continues to serve the Leaf.

It was all very cynical, but what Haku could not get over was how the Leaf was continuing to fail to inform Naruto about anything regarding the Tailed Beasts.

Before finding his parents' Scroll, Naruto's sum knowledge had come from the ramblings of a Leaf traitor, a Bloody Mist ANBU Hunter gasping the word "Jinchuuriki," and what little Haku had known. Oh, and if Naruto had not already found the Scroll, his only other source would have been from his disturbing rooftop conversation with Gaara.

He would have continued knowing nothing of what a Jinchuuriki is capable, of how critical they are, how valued. He would not even know how many Tailed Beasts there are. Why such complete ignorance? Why such a risk when the Fox wants nothing more than to break free, killing Naruto in the process? Why!?

The more he looked underneath the underneath, the more afraid Haku became for his friend. And the stronger I make him, does that mean that he becomes seen as even greater a threat to the Village?

XXX

Land of Fire

On the road back to Konohagakure

A week later

Tsunade Senju, the future Fifth Hokage, was proudly walking down the road home to Konoha after being gone for so long. It had taken a while, but that blonde brat had finally won her over, bringing forth the woman she used to be.

"So little Asuma's all grown up with his own genin students is he?" she smiled.

"Yep, the good old Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Haven't seen them myself, but they're all clan heirs so there's a lot of expectations on them. The brat's friends with the boys actually," Jiraiya added with a jerk of his head back towards their mutual apprentices.

"Oh, so he does have some friends after all?" Tsunade joked. "Surprised with that mouth of his!"

Jiraiya chuckled at that, except the subtlest hints told her that these friends were fairly recent. They had not gotten to Haku yet in their gossiping, Jiraiya choosing to wait until a less sensitive time. Light-hearted catching up was fine while you were also eavesdropping upon the conversation behind you, but details like how two foreigners were the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's closest companions required careful consideration.

The Slug Princess would probably be happy for Naruto's sake that he had found family, although truthfully Tsunade had only really cared for her Senju heritage. She had still loved her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, but even before the Uzumaki had been nearly extinguished, Tsunade had never had much interaction with her red-haired cousins. They were the distant cousins that she had never really visited or written to.

Now however, she was regretting her choices all those years ago, given how Naruto had managed to worm his way through all her bitterness, cynicism, and, yes it was, selfishness. It had been his example that had made her decide to live to be worthy of Dan and Nawaki's dreams.

Meanwhile, "Wow! I never realized medics were capable of such cool fighting moves!" Naruto gushed.

Shizune giggled a little at that, "It's less impressive than it sounds, especially given how much training you need to get it to that level. We're more focused upon evasion in combat, and only the best of us will attack, even if the situation is desperate." Then she started giving a more technical explanation.

Only partially paying attention, knowing that she would be able to recall it all later as she automatically recorded it, Tsunade was noting from the corner of her eye the little frown Jiraiya had on his face as he wondered about this behaviour. He's grown incredibly from his academy days, his grades are basically describing a different person by this point.

Unbeknownst to him, Tsunade's own mind was spinning, rusty habits moving again as she worked to "see underneath the underneath" with her strange new travelling companion. One thing was for sure though, Naruto Uzumaki was a strange person, if also one she was already starting to see like a grandson. I'll have to be careful how I handle him of course, can't let people think I'm showing favouritism, but he's got such potential!

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Market street

Humming to herself, Karin made her way through the marketplace, carefully selecting various produce and meats. Growing up alone for so long, she had been forced to learn how to feed and care for herself, but now she had an idiot cousin and his friend to watch out for too. Naruto just ate too much ramen if given half the chance, and Haku was too willing to eat bland, overly-healthy foods.

Ramen may be the food of the gods, Karin admitted, except it's still a good idea to have some other stuff in your belly. This way there'll be a bunch of pre-made meals in the freezer for the boys when Naruto gets back, and Haku and I'll have a nice tasty dish tonight.

XXX

Brushing that off as unimportant, Sakura continued to glare at the distant redheaded girl's back, "But what does she see in Naruto!? Even if they're cousins, he's just the class loser! The Dead Last! A total baka!" Ino fidgeted at that, but decided it was probably not her place to get involved with the dynamics of Team 7. Her relationship with Sakura was just being repaired after all. "Alright yes, he did beat that Neji guy during the exam," the pinkette finally conceded, "and somehow beat that freaky Sand ninja according to Sasuke-kun!"

For while Sakura was willing to admit from the Chunin Exam that Naruto has surpassed her, she still could not understand what another girl would see in Naruto. Granted he was skilled, loyal, and outgoing, but not as much as Sasuke! Or at least not as much as Sasuke once someone –Me!— pulled him out of his shell.

"Why're you upset?" Ino finally asked. Even she could see how much Naruto had developed, although the part about the "freaky Sand ninja" was new gossip, and for ninja, power was sexy so long as you were not seriously ugly or like Might Guy.

Sakura flinched, went silent, and turned to walk away.

"Sakura? Where're you going?"

"Back to training, can't let Naruto-baka pull ahead of me any more after all."

Hurrying to catch up, a confused Ino glanced at her friend, trying to come up with a conversation that did not involve Sasuke nor Naruto, or at least not directly. She still wanted gossip after all. "So what's the deal with that other person hanging out with Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji? The guy who looks like a girl. Haku, right?"

"You know what his name is already," Sakura bit out. "Sorry. Yeah, he's Haku, Haku Yuki, and he's been training Naruto. Originally he said he was Naruto's servant, but then he'd start throwing needles at Naruto if he didn't train hard enough. He's almost as strong as he's creepy, looking like that and smiling all the time, and then cracking down harder than Kakashi ever did!" No, Sakura was not jealous that Haku was better looking in a dress than either her or Ino.

What is with this team? Ino wondered. I thought that Sasuke would have to pull all the weight since Naruto was the Dead Last and Sakura was only book smart, but now it sounds like Naruto's the strong one if he beat the bloodthirsty Sand ninja despite Sasuke going after him, unless Sasuke weakened him enough? No, if it was that then Sakura would have said something. But their team dynamic seems worse than ours!

After all, as part of the Ino-Shika-Cho tradition of having kids at the same time, the parents also made sure that their children got to see a lot of each other when they got older. Apparently Shikamaru had met Choji just before the dads were going to start that. Now if only the boys were willing to listen to her more…

"Anyways," Sakura continued, "once I amp up my training, I'll catch up with them for sure! It's only because of Haku's training that Naruto's so good, but I know I can do better!" She almost went on a rant on how that would make Sasuke notice her and fall in love with her and be married before the end of the year and living together, except Ino would take offense to that.

"Good on you, Sakura!" Ino beamed.

XXX

"What about Kakashi's team, what's happening with them? I mean, Sasuke's in a coma, Naruto's on the road, who's teaching Sakura?" Kurenai wondered.

Frowning in thought, Asuma grabbed another drink, "Huh, you're right. And Naruto's probably getting some training from Jiraiya of all people. Think Ino said something about Sakura doing her own independent training."

"Do you think Naruto deserves it?" and then Kurenai waved her hand for emphasis, "I mean, why not someone older and more experienced to study under Jiraiya? Some one-on-one time with Jiraiya might be what Kakashi needs to break up into become an S-rank for instance. Naruto is still only a rookie, no matter how much better he's gotten."

Chuckling in understanding, Asuma nodded and drank down more of his beer, "I hear what you're saying, but even aside from that," giving a look to indicate the Kyuubi, "how quickly Naruto's shot up in skill is telling. A lot of people are looking at him differently and wondering if he was only pretending to be the Dead Last given how much he's grown. Especially when they hear that his other teacher is just a teenage foreigner. Nah, at the very least Jiraiya'll give him a good boost, and then he can get back to running the spy network."

"It'll still throw Team 7's dynamic off," Kurenai argued. "Sasuke cannot train until Tsunade heals him, and solo training will not be enough for Sakura, and everyone else's too busy to help her. Naruto will be miles ahead of them, even if Jiraiya doesn't teach him anything special."

"Less of a problem than you might think," Asuma reassured her, "I hear there's a good chance he'll get promoted to chunin. Field promotion for how well he did during the Invasion. So either he'll stick around for a bit longer as Kakashi tries to teach him a few more things, or they'll find another genin to assign Team 7."

Shrugging in resignation, Kurenai only said, "I just hope Kakashi can handle things once he's out of his own coma." And then they turned to talking about speculations on the Hidden Sands' changing politics.

XXX

Tsunade Senju heaved a sad sigh as she took in the empty clan mansion. This is another reason I didn't want to come back, she admitted. Dan and Nawaki's deaths had hit her hard, but especially because she had no other family left by the time they had each died. She and Nawaki had been the last of the Senju.

Her parents never really explained it, but apparently her great-grandfather, the father of the First and Second Hokage, Butsuma Senju, had done something to ensure the "purity" of the clan's bloodline so that it would not be "tainted" by intermarriage with "outsiders." Hence why Senju were only able to reproduce with each other, or occasionally their cousins the Uzumaki, and even with his wife, Mito Uzumaki, Hashirama had only ever managed to produce one child and heir. The families were close, but not close enough to guarantee any offspring. From some of the journals she had found, Tsunade sometimes cynically wondered how much of Hashirama's life had been driven by a burning need to be anything but his father. His angry, vindictive, and shortsighted burning of his Butsuma's notes had unfortunately made it next to impossible for Tsunade to discern exactly how the safeguards had been done, and not until just before Dan had died and it had all became pointless as she was the last Senju and there was no one else she had ever found to love.

Regardless, after the disastrous battle with the Great Summon, the Senju had become too diminished. The Uzumaki were too distant and from another Hidden Village, the Senju could not have children with any of the other clans in the Village because of Butsuma's "safeguards," and finally the clansmen as a whole were unwilling to resort to the extent of inbreeding and incest necessary to possibly restore the clan. There were just too few of them left, and the times and cultural mores had changed enough that they no longer felt comfortable with it. Not even Tobirama, the Second Hokage, had been willing to push the issue any longer.

XXX

During the Chunin Exam, Sasuke had said to the blonde's face that he, the Uchiha prodigy, wanted to fight him. An unspoken acknowledgement that his teammate had become someone that was worthwhile to match himself against, to test his limits against so that he could grow even stronger. But he just said "Of course I am!" As if he thought it was obvious I would respect his power, not giving any thought to my compliment, and now I know why: he's gotten stronger than me!

Kakashi had failed Sasuke as a teacher, it was clear from their usual sessions with Team 7 that he had little to teach them aside from teamwork drills that accomplished nothing significant, and during that intense month-long training session, it was clear that the man's training had only kept Sasuke from falling completely behind Naruto. Like Sakura had.

Now Sasuke was barring his gritted teeth and his eyes flashed open with his sharingan, He's getting the training, he was given the power at birth, and he's found even more family!

Stewing in his resentment, Sasuke began to think about what he should do next.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Hokage's Tower

I will find a way to drag you back from the grave, and make you suffer Old Man, Tsunade, the newest Hokage vowed to herself as she took in the paperwork before her. Her right hand twitched towards the bottle of sake that she kept within a locked drawer, yet her recovered sense of duty made her stop. For now.

Alright, let's see, just like basic triage, start with the stuff that will kill the patient, the Village I mean, then move on to the minor stuff. Borders are secure, international relations are good. Hmm, bleeding mission requests due to the recent Invasion, so how do I staunch them? Many of the more senior ninja were busy taking as many important missions as they could to show the flag, or bolstering the nation's defenses. Another attack was unlikely, yet it was essential to reassure the Daimyo that his vassals were being vigilant. Unfortunately, that diminished the number of available personnel to complete typical civilian commissions.

Letting genin take on a harder workload was an obvious response, yet it would be criminally negligent to send children to deal with threats they were unequipped for. Again, just like emergency combat first aid, deciding who lives or dies based upon your resources, availability, and the wounds, she thought darkly.

She and the rest of the Sannin had been well aware of how deciding who lived and died tortured their Sensei. Not overtly, but in a quiet, festering manner. For those who rule, be it as Daimyo or Kage, it is almost like we have our own sense of morality, for our responsibility extends to not just every citizen living under our protection, but also to those who have yet to be born.

XXX

It had been a bright and sunny day, with the birds chirping so cheerfully it was obnoxious.

Broken glass and sake decorated the wall as Tsunade fought to keep her hands still as she reread the document, while Danzo Shimura calmly waited for her response. The other Elders were sitting with bowed heads, knowing that this was as unwise as it was inevitable.

"Why!?" Tsunade snapped. "Why now!?"

"The Mist's Rokubi Jinchuuriki just defected, as you know," Danzo coolly began, referring to the incident just before Naruto's incredibly successful mission to the Land of Snow. "Given the amount of destruction their Weapon caused before leaving, killing many ninja in the process, it was taken as proof of the dangers of letting our own demon container run free. Especially since the Rokubi also killed its sensei, the man to whom its loyalty towards was supposed to guarantee the Weapon's loyalty to its Village."

Fighting to not bristle at the deliberate use of "it" and "weapon," Tsunade snarled, "And so when the Mist's weakened we're supposed to kill our sole Jinchuuriki!? That's insane!"

"If the Jinchuuriki is raised and conditioned to throw away its emotions, then it will not be vulnerable to the manipulations of its Demon. Yes, we will lack a viable Jinchuuriki for a few years, but it will result in a more effective one. Moreover, the Rokubi is proof that bonds between people are insufficient." The man let a grimace appear across his face. "This is imperfect, yet this is to help protect Konoha and all it represents.

"Moreover, this is not a request, but an order."

"What!?" snarled Tsunade in her most dangerous voice.

Silently, hiding his smug satisfaction, he passed over an opened letter. "It is a direct order from the Fire Daiymo himself. He is concerned by how our Weapon has few to no tangible connections or loyalties to the Leaf due to how he was raised. Nothing we can manipulate to our advantage. Instead, his strongest relationships appear to be with foreigners. Given his surprising rate of growth from around the same time, it become important to dispose of him before he becomes too much of a nuisance."

The part of Tsunade not paralyzed with black fury was almost impressed at how he got that all out without choking on his hypocrisy.

It had taken some careful timing, yet with fears at an all-time high the Village being Invaded for the first time in history, the death of Hiruzen, the threat of war, and finally having it hammered home exactly how many Jinchuuriki have turned traitor. Details of the Eight Tails's historical rampages, the bloodthirstiness of the One Tail, the recent betrayal and massacre by the Six Tail, and of course reminders that not even Uzumaki Kushina had been able to fulfill her duty in the end, regardless of Uchiha interference. All capped off with perfectly accurate information about Konoha's vessel's loyalties, and well . . . the Daimyo had seen the wisdom in Danzo's private proposal.

"But he is loyal!" she roared. "The stronger he becomes the more of an asset he'll be for protecting his home! He wants to become Hokage!"

"And the Daimyo has declared that the Kyuubi shall be extracted. End of discussion."

XXX

Soon enough, Naruto was ordered before the Hokage and the Council members.

After an intolerable time with the Kyuubi's container railing against this 'betrayal,' Danzo had finally spoken up to make it clear, for both it and the Hokage, that sentiment held no place here. Only duty.

"You will allow yourself to be escorted out," he piteously informed the Jinchuuriki, "where you will be taken to a secure place where the Kyuubi can be safely extracted and placed within a new host."

"But that'll kill me!"

That was a mild surprise, indicating that the Jinchuuriki was more aware of the lore of its kind than expected. Likely from the Ice user, which further vindicated this course of action. Perhaps that one will be salvageable enough for conditioning. All that is needed is time and patience.

Aloud, "It is for the good of the Village, and the will of the Land of Fire."

Danzo realized he had misspoken as the Jinchuuriki sized upon those words, "But what about the Will of Fire!? Doesn't that matter!?"

"Yes," Tsunade growled as she remembered herself and why she had taken up this burden. Her desk split in two under her arms as she levered herself up. "Yes, it does."

As he saw the Will of Fire burning in Granny's eyes, with a cold sensation Naruto knew he had to act.

Had to stop her.

Because if she started a civil war right now between the military and civilian authorities, so soon after the invasion, it would destroy the Leaf for good.

Even if it did not go that far, Naruto could not risk it. Not here. Not now.

"Fifth Hokage. Tsunade. Granny." He had her attention now. "No. It's not worth it. I'm not worth it," his head bowed and his voice dull.

Danzo wisely said nothing.

"If you go against the Daimyo . . . it won't end with me. We can't have division now." Meeting her eyes, "I'm a shinobi of the Village Hidden in Leaves. Let me act like one, please."

Suddenly feeling decades older, Tsunade collapsed into her chair, guilt and shame burning within her at what had just happened. She had nearly set in motion such chaos that it could have fractured the nation at such a delicate time, and it had taken a twelve-year old to make her see the error of her ways. Show her that he was ready to sacrifice himself for the Will of Fire. And she knew in her heart that she would never know which of the two emotions was strongest within her heart right now; shame for nearly starting a war, or guilt for Naruto's fate.

Realizing he was now committed, what little life was left in the young man seemed to drain away. "C-can I," he stopped and bowed his head again for a moment. "Can I write some letters to my friends? And Kakashi?"

"Yes," and Tsunade promptly passed over some pieces of paper.

"Princess," Danzo softly warned, "it is best to not delay this."

"I'll be quick," Naruto promised, and made a quick hand-sign to form Shadow Clones, not even noticing the quick finger gesture as Tsunade warned her ANBU guards not to react. Each copy of Naruto grabbed several pieces of paper and a pen from Tsunade's cup of them, and started to write. Some were obviously struggling with what to say, especially with Danzo sharply watching them from behind.

The clone writing for Shino, was done first. Putting his work aside, he dispelled himself.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Ichiraku's Ramen shop

Naruto Uzumaki spat out his ramen.

Haku, Karin, Teuchi, and Ayame just stared in shock at the first sign of the apocalypse.

A pale Naruto's eyes were wide with horror for a moment longer, processing what his dispelled clone had told him while he had stopped for some ramen instead of reporting as ordered to the Hokage. Sure, some might call it disrespectful, but a Shadow Clone was basically the same as the original, right? Plus, he had really been hungry, and already on his way to eat when a messenger had stopped by to deliver the order before carrying on.

Granny wouldn't mind!

Stiffly, he put his bowl down, put down some money, more than necessary, stood up, and bowed to the ramen chef and his daughter. "Teuchi. Ayame. Sorry, but I just remembered something I've got to take care of. Right away. But I just want to say, thank you. For everything. For so long, you made life worthwhile for me. Guys? C'mon. We gotta take care of that chore."

Afraid of what the tone in Naruto's voice could signify, his friends and family followed him, and before the cooks could say a word, they were gone.

As soon as he was out of sight of his oldest friends, Naruto used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself and began to run, and the others followed his cue.

"Naruto—?" Karin ventured.

"The Daimyo has ordered that the Nine Tails be extracted from me. He thinks my rotten childhood makes me too unstable, and that the next Jinchuuriki should be entrusted to some freaky old guy called Danzo for 'conditioning.'" Naruto took a deep breath, "Haku, Karin—"

"Cram it cousin!" she snapped. "We're with you!"

Despite the situation, Naruto could only feel something warm and glowing in his chest.

He pulled ahead of them, yet the others still saw the tears in his eyes.

Tears of grief for what he had just lost.

Tears of joy for what he had gained.

As much as he hated to ruin the moment, Haku knew that they were not out of the wolf den yet. "How long until the ANBU come after us?"

"No clue! My clones at the apartment should be grabbing everything they can."

Thinking furiously, Karin said, "We need our old dirty laundry. You were going to wash them tomorrow, right?"

"To throw off our scent!" grasped Naruto. "Smart, Karin!" She blushed a little at that.

Naruto made and dispersed a clone to relay that message, and they continued to hurry for the gate.

It's as if in times of crises he thinks faster and more critically, Haku marvelled, even as he prepared some of his senbon. Being unable to train for the last few months, aside from training Naruto, had dulled his body a little. He had been tempted to try hidden weights, except neither he nor Naruto could afford any suspicion.

Still, even a 'little' for someone of his conditioning, should be enough unless the Leaf pulled out all stops.

XXX

Naruto's plan bought them about half an hour as the clones in Tsunade's office stalled. Once the chakra seals were slapped onto the 'real' Naruto though, it all fell apart.

Trying not to (visibly) enjoy Danzo's fury, while letting her own genuine shock show, Tsunade knew she had to still take action. "Which ninja are available for pursuit!?" she barked out to her subordinates.

The answer was hardly anyone. Even with Naruto's contribution during the Sand-Sound Invasion, the majority of her soldiers —including the ANBU— were deployed elsewhere to demonstrate to other nations the Hidden Leaf remained strong. The rest were needed here for security against any infiltrations or outright raids by other Villages. Even the academy teachers had been pressed into service.

However . . . since it was only three young teenagers . . . "Get me Chunin Nara!"

The Elders were not pleased with her solution, yet reluctantly accepted that yes sending a chunin and five genin should likely suffice. Especially given the potential of the kids in question. Not even Danzo could question their loyalty either, despite their connections to Naruto, given how many of them were Clan Heirs.

So that was how Shikamaru found himself leading Choji, Kiba, Hinata, Sakura, and Neji to capture and drag back his friend. Troublesome.

Of course, Naruto being Naruto, he was not going to make this easy for them.

"What the—! What's this!?" cried Kiba as they came to a halt.

The trail up ahead of them was a mess, and they could visibly see it split off into several different directions, each consisting of about a dozen individuals.

"He's using his clones, obviously," said Neji.

"Yeah, I know, except the scent's equal between them!"

"Then each batch of clones has something with them that carries the smell of Haku and Karin," sighed Shikamaru. "Check each trail for signs of the footprints of those two. The clones won't have perfectly trampled over them all."

They checked, only to be further confused when they did readily find footprints of Karin and Haku in each trail.

"This makes no sense," Kiba flatly said, with Neji grimly agreeing, and Hinata openly puzzled.

"What's wrong?" asked a confused Choji.

"There shouldn't be copies of their footprints too! Unless . . . they also made Shadow Clones?"

"No," said Neji. "It splits up your chakra, so each one of them would be running with about a tenth of their chakra. They must be using another type of clone"

"But, but that makes no sense!" sputtered Sakura. "How can Naruto get by if he's making so many Shadow Clones if it's splitting up like that!?"

Eyes narrowed, Shikamaru examined the imprints closer. The way they were placed . . . "I think," he slowly said, "that this isn't Karin or Haku running here, but all Naruto. Except that would require him to be capable of something like a physical transformation." He looked at Sakura. "Is he?"

She opened her mouth for a blunt denial, only to hesitate as something clicked for her, followed by dawning realization. "Uhm, in Wave, against Zabuza, the first time, he turned into a giant shuriken for Sasuke to throw?"

It took the others a few moments to catch up, while Shikamaru was already stalking away to the next trail. "So unless Sasuke can throw a shuriken weighing over a hundred pounds, then Naruto can also change his weight. Every clone impersonating his companions would take on the same weight, but I doubt he can perfectly match how much they weigh. So every print of Haku and Karin will be the same depth, except for the original."

"That'll take ages to figure out!" protested Sakura.

"So get to work!" he snapped in uncharacteristic irritation. Because in the name of the Sage, why were they suddenly hunting for Naruto when Shikamaru knew he was loyal, and was capable of a trick like physical transformation!? It was ridiculous!

It took them an hour of careful, frustrating measurement, before they were sure they had the right trail, and followed it for another two.

"Look at these indents," said Neji. "I think he's carrying Karin now."

"W-well, she's more for support, r-right?" offered Hinata.

"So she doesn't have the stamina," he agreed. He had been a lot kinder to his cousin since Naruto had opened his eyes.

"M-maybe they'll, huff, be taking a break up, huff, ahead?" gasped out Sakura. She had barely been able to keep up herself.

Without a word, Neji active his Byakugan. ". . ."

"What?" asked Shikamaru, already knowing this would be bad.

"The trail splits up again."

"Troublesome." With a mix of feelings, he already knew they were not going to be catching up to Naruto and Co.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Hidden Root base

If he permitted himself such weakness, Danzo would be seething with frustration. It had all been so perfect! Not even the Hokage could refuse a direct order from the Daimyo, not without precipitating a crisis that could tear the Land of Fire in half! Granted it had looked like the Slug Princess had been tempted to go through with that, except the Elders and even the Jinchuuriki had seen reason.

Only it was all a trick!

Despite everything, he was reluctantly forced to accept the 'Fifth Hokage' had been as fooled as the rest of them. Unfortunately Homura and Koharu clearly felt the same, so they would not help him in pressing any accusations against her. And her logic in sending out that team was sound enough.

Maybe his Root agents could have handled it if he were not forced to keep them hidden, yet even he had painfully admitted the Jinchuuriki's strategy had been crude if successful. Especially with the limited manpower available.

There was no telling where it had disappeared to!

XXX

Land of Sound

Sasuke and his three bodyguards, Sakon, Kidomaru, and Jirobo, hurried along as fast as they could. Tayuya was back at base still recovering from her wounds.

Orochimaru had sent his minions to approach Sasuke with an offer that he had eagerly accepted, particularly the power from receiving the Curse Marks.

He had wanted to frame Naruto for a crime, or something along those lines before leaving, even if it was possibly petty, but the Sound Four (even if only three of them present) had advised it would overcomplicate things. Still, the sentiment had proven for Sasuke that his former teammate was indeed not his best friend, and thus incapable of providing him with the Mangekyo Shari—

White blocked out his vision and his body stiffened as countless somethings wrapped all around him except his nose, leaving him free to breath. Dim thrashing noise from around him told that his escorts were similarly entrapped as they rolled about and struggled to move. The smell of what was attacking them was familiar, but Sasuke could not process it, and then the sounds of movement around him suddenly cut off.

A woman's flat voice spoke from above him as he lay helpless upon the ground, "You shall serve Pain well."

XXX

Soon enough, Sasuke found himself being dragged by ninja with the Hidden Rain insignia on their forehead protectors, except each had a long scratch through the symbol. Predictably, they were also dragging him through a torrential downpour, until they reached a small village.

Despite all the water to wash things away, the sight of the massacre here took him back to when he was a child coming home late from shuriken practice.

Only to find his whole world destroyed.

"Who did this?" he whispered.

"Hanzo," answered one of his guards, a girl with green hair and a poncho. "For decades now he has done however he wishes. He thought that the reason this village did not send his forces enough food was because they were sending it to us, but in truth it was because they were starving as it is."

"They probably knew this would happen," said another kunoichi whose hair covered part of her face, "but they didn't have anything to lose." Sasuke forced himself to look again, and saw how thin and starved all of the victims looked. "They probably begged for mercy," she continued, "tried to prove that they were not disloyal, except of course the squads Hanzo sent did it anyways. Probably afraid of what he'd do if they disobeyed him."

And then the rain stopped.

More relieved than anything, Sasuke shucked off his poncho to wring it out, yet then caught the awe on everyone else's faces. The anticipation.

Water continued to come down in buckets in a circle around the wrecked homes and ninja, yet they themselves were in the clear, and in the center was a tall figure with his hands raised to the heavens.

His spiky orange hair highlighted his deathly pale face and the numerous black piercings in it, but it was his eyes that caught Sasuke's attention. Silver, with rings within rings. A dojutsu!? he wondered. Then something stunned Sasuke as he recognized the stranger's attire. He's wearing the same outfit as Itachi and that blue guy who was with him! Is he part of the Akatsuki too!?

All thoughts of vengeance were driven from his mind as something rose out of the ground. Black and white and shaped like an inhuman face, from its mouth spilled green beams of light which speared all of the fallen bodies. Before Sasuke's astonished eyes, one by one the colour and life returned to the people, the cuts to their bodies sealed, and slowly with varying degrees of shock and joy they started to stand up.

Looking at his escorts to ask if he was seeing things, he saw the reverence in their eyes as they watched a miracle they had seen before, yet still had trouble believing.

It's, it's gotta be a jutsu! Just a jutsu! Sasuke tried to reassure himself. But what a jutsu! a small part of him confessed.

Then screams of horror rent the air, and he snapped his neck around to see a little girl, maybe the same age as Sasuke when That Man killed his family. She was hugging her knees as she cried, and no one was trying to comfort her as she remembered the nightmare that had been etched into her soul. Doesn't she have any family? Sasuke wondered.

Her pain was too private, and his own heart ached too much for Sasuke to look, but then one of the Rain ninja suddenly smacked Sasuke upside the head. "Do not look away from her Pain! See it! Know it! So that the world can find peace!"

"It is only through pain that someone finds clarity and understanding, and grows as a person," another said in agreement, speaking as if they were quoting someone.

Slowly, yet with a sense of power and authority that held the attention of everyone but the sobbing child, the man with the strange eyes walked up to her, and kneeled down beside her in the mud. Finally, she became aware of him, and looked up with her wet and messy face.

Flinching as she took in his mysterious eyes and terrifying visage, she turned away, struggling to make herself smaller and quiet so he would pay her no further interest.

"Child, look at me." Almost against her will, the shivering girl looked up into the eyes of the man who had brought her back to life, one that had been broken and violated by others. "You have been hurt, you have felt Pain." But for all the power in these words, there was a gentleness underneath them that soothed his audience. "Yet this Pain can become your strength, a power that you can use to change the world. Will you do that? Will you add your Pain to mine to create a world where children will not grow up with such Pain? Will you help your god?"

Slowly the tears stopped, her eyes hardened, and a fire started to grow in her eyes, as one more joined Pain's Holy Crusade.

XXX

Land of Rain

Rebel Territory

Pain's War Tent

A tense Sasuke Uchiha walked into the large tent, while his guards stayed outside and closed the flap behind him. He stopped a few steps short of the strange-eyed man, and bowed his head as a polite form of acknowledgment; it was the most respect he was willing to give to foreign shinobi, however imposing. He never took his eyes off of him though.

"Sasuke Uchiha," the figure droned. "Your Village believes you dead, as will Orochimaru when he eventually finds the bodies of his precious bodyguards and the one we had faked for you. The seals upon you disrupt your chakra so that even a Sensor cannot identify you anymore." He said nothing else.

I've never heard of seals that advanced, Sasuke thought suspiciously. Moreover, it was weird he was being treated. Not as a prisoner exactly, or breeding stock, but . . . Ah! He's trying to recruit me! He tried to speak, except to his horror his voice caught on the first word, so he tried again. "What do you want from me?"

"To kill Itachi Uchiha."

Face going slack in disbelief, Sasuke tried to compose himself. "But you're wearing the same outfit as him! Aren't you allies or something!?"

"I am Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki," the monotone informed him, and somehow the so-called god seemed to grow before Sasuke. More intense. More sinister. "Itachi is a powerful member of our organization, except his true loyalties do not lie with us, and in time he will show us his true colours. I offer you the chance to kill him when he is no longer of value."

Sasuke rallied his thoughts in the ensuing quiet, even the sound of the rain muffled by the thick tent. Eagerness and bloodlust blossomed within him, as well as his old cockiness as he realized that his position was stronger than expected! If this weird-eyed man wanted to succeed, he needed Sasuke's cooperation!

"Hah, you're afraid of the Uchiha!" he sneered. "You fear the Sharingan!"

In response, the silver eyed man just cocked his head, and stared silently back, until the god, or man, suddenly flashed his hands faster than Sasuke had even seen Kakashi capable of. "Chidori!"

Sasuke could only gape at the sight of the jutsu in front of him. "You are correct, the Uchiha do have value from their eyes," Pain said while casually looking at the A-ranked technique lighting up the room. "Itachi learned this from fighting you, and then passed it on to the rest of us, doubtless to help prove his supposed loyalty, but in truth, I do not need it like the others do.

"All S-ranked ninja like them continue to grow at an alarming rate, for they only reach such a height with skill, experience, and a genius that continues to show them new ways to improve. Failure to do so means that they will be killed by ninja who want to steal their secrets. But I? I am a god."

The last sentence was said from behind Sasuke, deep and warning, even over the too-familiar chirping sound right by his ears.

I never saw him move!

"Do I need to prove my divinity to you, by showing you your own beating heart? And then let you hold it after I bring you back from beyond Death itself with a new one?

"The only threat Itachi could pose to me, is killing some of my people too far away for me to arrive and bring them back to life, or inconveniencing me. However, if Itachi is a mosquito to me, what do you think you are, you and your arrogant noise?"

Killing Intent brought Sasuke down on his face, clawing the ground in naked terror.

It was here and now that Sasuke was willing to obey Pain's commands.

He understood that he would have to constantly prove himself worthy of gaining the strength to kill Itachi, and if Sasuke proved unable to meet the challenge, he would be discarded. Yet it was not just survival that motivated Sasuke, for the god's demonstration of jutsu and Killing Intent had been more impressive than that of either Kakashi or Orochimaru. The leader of the Akatsuki presumably had more to offer him than they could possibly fathom.

More importantly, Pain did still need him, that much was clear.

For the young genius had remained self-possessed enough to know Pain was concerned about the Uchiha, and had agreed Itachi could be a problem, but only if he distracted or weakened Pain while the latter wished to deal with another threat. And on That Night, Sasuke had been told there was another Uchiha, one who also had the Mangekyo Sharingan. A man who must have had it before Itachi, and thus must be more experienced with its power.

I'll bet he's the Uchiha this Pain's concerned about! Whether he calls himself a god or not!

Turning away from Sasuke, Pain called out to those outside the tent. "Take him to get a uniform and equipment. He is now a genin of the new Amegakure. Like any one of you, he will be given the opportunity to prove himself and become stronger." This was not Hanzo's army after all, as each ninja was valued, and the more you had to offer, the more you were trained.

Promptly, two shinobi came and carried Sasuke's limp body away as his legs still refused to work, and took him to a tent. After they gave him a chance to rest, and said some prayers about Sasuke talking to their god in person, the young traitor started to settle down.

Soon a young woman entered the tent carrying a tray holding scissors and war paint, which she indicated he was to use to help disguise his Uchiha heritage. Another brought in a yellow jumpsuit, rebreather, and headband with a scratch through the Amegakure symbol; his new uniform, and a symbol of his new life.

XXX

Land of Rain

Some distance away from Pain's War Tent

Nagato's hideout

In a shelter disguised as part of a mountain face, hidden away from both Hanzo and the rebel's forces, a shower of paper butterflies came together to form the elegant Konan, as she approached the decrepit form of her best friend who had once been known as the human Nagato, and was now the god Pain.

It only took another moment for the red-haired figure to turn his attention away from the corpses he controlled like marionettes, and on to her with his real eyes. "You pushed the timing too close," Pain mildly rebuked, knowing his angel would not take offense. "Reviving that town nearly drained my chakra to the point where I wouldn't be able to Sense Zetsu or any of his clones, anymore."

Through trial and error, he had secretly developed his chakra Sensing abilities so that he could track the movements of the enigmatic spies, yet it required a tremendous amount of chakra to succeed. Not that a god troubled himself with such trivialities.

That was the duty of his angel.

Combining their mutual genius with the sealing arts, the two had also constructed chakra altering seal tags which altered the user's chakra signature by carefully inserting foreign chakra into their system without harm. While ridiculously complex, they had successfully concealed Konan's signature before abducting the boy, and had promptly put a similar one on him too. "Are you sure that Uchiha child's worth risking a conflict with Madara so soon?"

"Sasuke Uchiha has potential," Konan answered, her demeanour nearly emotionless. "The destruction of the Uchiha clan shows that someone feared them, and not even Itachi could've done it on their own. Madara is the likely culprit, and I doubt he would have risked exposing himself for just revenge. The Sharingan offers potential for us, and at the very least we have denied him to the Hidden Leaf or Hidden Sound. So even if we kill him now, we stand to gain from it. We could even later frame it on someone to gauge how Itachi reacts."

She cocked her head to the side for a final word, a gesture she used when anyone else would just shrug their shoulders. "At the very least we have gained a skilled genin to fight against Hanzo's forces. Even if they kill him in the next week or so, only our enemies will truly suffer, and he may kill some of them before he falls." Konan had planted certain seals on the Uchiha that Pain had devised, which denied the boy the luxury of surviving to become anyone else's prisoner.

"Yes," Nagato agreed, "and we'll likely have to kill the boy eventually, given how untrustworthy he is. He did defect with the intent to serve a man who orchestrated an attack that killed scores of his fellow villagers. All for the sake of promises of power by a madman. If he could be so disloyal to the very people he had grown up with, then all allegiances he holds, even to a god, will always be conditional on how it will help him kill his brother. No, Sasuke Uchiha has made it clear what kind of person he is. Although . . ."

Konan silently waited, letting him reconsider the situation again. While not the master strategist nor tactician that she was, it was not just through his powers that the man before her had ascended.

Finally: "It's possible though that he can be converted," Nagato concluded, albeit reluctantly. "His eyes show that he knows Pain, that it has forged him. Here, amongst the devastated lands of our people, torn apart by the Great Nations and tyranny of Hanzo, alongside families who have also lost everything, he will find kinsmen. He may become a valuable acolyte, especially if he unlocks the Mangekyo to counter Madara's own. Indeed, I suspect he might have learned more than I would wish from our exchange. Yet even that might make him an even more useful tool in case Madara chooses to betray us, and more importantly, our dream of peace."

The Angel of the Amegakure remained silent for a moment, seeing that her god had made up his mind, and knowing that she would have time to reach her own conclusions. Deciding that enough time had passed, she returned to business, "I do apologize for showing such initiative, yet I felt it for the best, even if the Uchiha boy will only be one of many plans against Madara, if that is who he really is."

She had only been able to take advantage of the situation because of good fortune. Both sides of the civil war cooperated only to keep foreigners from learning the nation was vulnerable, and Konan had been alerted that some of Hanzo's jonin were trying to defect from their increasingly paranoid leader, but also distrusted Pain too much to join. Meaning they intended to leave the nation, which risked word of the ongoing civil war to spread to the other Villages. Consequently, Pain had dispatched his Angel, his fastest agent to eliminate them, and in the process her scouting paper butterflies had made this fortuitous discovery.

"Have you made any more progress with the Rinnegan?" Konan asked after Nagato said no more on the subject.

"No. One day, twenty-four hours to the second, remains the maximum amount of time I have to restore someone's life before they pass on."

XXX

Land of Rice Fields

Hidden Sound Base

Despite her devotion to Orochimaru, Tayuya could not help feel a shudder of relief that she had missed out on the mission to recruit the Uchiha brat. As of now, she was the sole surviving member of the Sound Four.

On the plus side, with her as his only bodyguard, Lord Orochimaru was sure to truly recognize how awesome she was, and reward her with power accordingly!

XXX

Later

Land of Fire

Konoha

Like a wraith, Itachi's Shadow Clone slipped into the home of Elder Homura Mitokado. The old man was sitting alone at a table, a cup of tea before him, along with a second cup in front of the empty chair facing him.

Slightly impressed, Itachi took his place, and waited. One of his Summoned Crows had noticed the sign to come speak, and he could only assume it was something related to the new Hokage, or Akatasuki's hunt for Naruto Uzumaki.

"Sasuke Uchiha is dead."

The world died with those words.

Dimly the clone realized his mouth was asking only question he could. "How did he die?"

"We do not know all of the details, but unfortunately we believe that he may have tried to defect to Orochimaru in pursuit of power. Hunter-nin were dispatched, and after finding his trail, followed it to the scene where they found what may be his body again, along whom we have identified as most of Orochimaru's remaining bodyguards. Despite the destructive nature of his death, there were no signs that he was being coerced to accompany them. Consequently, he has been posthumously, if secretly, charged with treason." The Councilor could see the growing sickness in Itachi's eyes, but he knew he dared not spare any details regarding Sasuke. Besides, on some level he would be well aware that his home would regard his little brother's fate as karma.

"Jiraiya's information network has confirmed that Orochimaru was expecting them, and believes them dead. As near as we can uncover," the old man continued, "they ran into a border trap that they had missed. All of the corpses were too badly damaged for even Tsunade to verify Sasuke's identity, but despite how suspicious it seems, we were unable to find any evidence that there was any deception involved."

"What of Danzo? Could he be responsible?" Itachi interrogated, marveling at how steady his voice was.

If Sasuke had defected for power, it could have only been to kill his older brother. Sasuke had made his own choices, but that barely muted the insidious voices throwing accusations at Itachi from within his own mind. How he had goaded and manipulated an already traumatized child into embracing hate until it consumed him.

"He has expressed dissatisfaction with this turn of events. Especially as too many people already know what happened, which raises the risk of it leaking out and weakening our prestige. To say nothing of the threat of you finding out and seeking vengeance."

Yes, the threat of Itachi's retaliation aside, Danzo would have wanted a martyr.

Calmly and coldly, vainly attempting to disconnect himself from these thoughts and feelings, Itachi gave his report. "We have been dispatched here with the objective of abducting Naruto Uzumaki, and leaving no witnesses that the Akatsuki are responsible. Unlike our previous attempt, his capture is now a priority. Pain, and thus of course Madara," for Itachi was convinced that the Uchiha Patriarch was the puppet master, "are concerned about his growth. They believe that it is best to capture him while he is still more vulnerable, and keep him captive while they maintain the rest of their schedule."

It may have been his imagination, yet Itachi was confident he saw the old man twitch minutely.

"You are not the only one. Questions were raised about the extent of his true loyalty to the Village, particularly when indeed his skills appear to be rapidly increasing. Consequently, the Kyuubi was ordered to be extracted, and placed into a new host under Danzo's custody. Instead, unfortunately, he escaped and defected with some co-conspirators. There has been no trace of him."

The part of Itachi that was a professional, the part that was not racked with dark and bitter internal turmoil, was impressed. Very impressed. Even if the initial trackers may have been sub-par, the Hunter-nin would have been later mobilized, and evading them was another story altogether. That was why it was believable that Sasuke had died from a booby trap, for surely they would have found some clue if someone else had been present.

"We are obviously keeping this as secret as possible," Sarutobi continued, his voice turning steely. "Should we have the ANBU 'discover' and attack Kisame while we have the opportunity? If we could take him alive, or failing that, claim to have done so, we could use it to justify the intelligence we have about the Akatsuki."

"No," Itachi's monotone informed him. "Kisame would definitely commit suicide first, and it would prompt the Akatsuki to send in a stronger force the next time, while the Village is still recovering. I believe that for now it is better for Kisame and me to occupy ourselves here while waiting. When you find the boy, we can react depending upon the circumstances." Especially since while a member of the Nine, Itachi was still unaware of crucial details about the supposed leader of the Akatsuki. All he knew was that the man formerly of Hidden Rain, and was a Power.

Konan doubtlessly knew the man's identity, and Itachi suspected that Kakazu did, as maybe some of the others, but Itachi had never had a reason to know, so he had never been told. Unfortunately, without that intel, or the precise abilities of the others, the Leaf was not yet in a position to risk the consequences of picking a fight with the Akatsuki by eliminating Kisame.

And that was entirely ignoring the matter of Madara 'Destroy-Entire-Landscapes' Uchiha.

No, all that could be done for now was maintain Itachi's role as mole, while Jiraiya discreetly continued his own investigations. "Has the Fifth Hokage been informed of my activities?"

"No," Elder Mitokado frowned. "This will be kept classified from her for now. Understood?"

Dutifully he nodded in obedience.

"Good. You are dismissed."

Without another word, the Uchiha's Shadow Clone dispersed itself.

XXX

The overcast had broken as rain fell from the heavens.

Underneath it, Itachi just stood still, hardly noticing. Is Sasuke truly dead? Has everything I have done been for nothing? I've sacrificed everything to create a world of peace for him. A world where the Village of the Hidden Leaf is strong and prosperous and war is but a forgotten horror.

What did you seek when you left Sasuke? Did I truly drive you to that in my arrogance? My Uchiha arrogance? I thought I knew what was best for your and the honour of the clan, knew it as our father never could.

Again and again his emotions screamed within him, trying to break out of their cage to vent themselves. Yet so long as he was a double-agent, he dared not show any glimpse of his true feelings.

But what does it matter!? Sasuke's dead!

He took in the slightest breath to regain his composure.

No, it was the interference of Orochimaru's manipulations, and the ninja world that drove him to this. I will find a way through this, I always have.

. . . Yes, I will continue on as if he is alive, to accomplish this dream. And if he is dead, then it will be in his memory.

For what few years I have left.

For his part, Kisame had woken up at the sudden wetness to only stare in bemusement. He did not know what was wrong, but it almost looked like Itachi was crying for some reason.

No matter. Whatever it is, he'll get over it. And then we can continue with Madara-sama's plan.

A short while later, Zetsu appeared to give his own report on the death of Sasuke Uchiha.

No mention was made of Naruto Uzumaki, and Kisame and Itachi were to maintain their position.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Nara Clan Compound

Shikamaru sat in his "thinking" pose, while Choji, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba silently and (mostly) patiently waited cross-legged in a circle.

On the floor before each of them was a letter handwritten and signed by Naruto, and Shikmaru's father, Shikaku, silently closed the door shut behind him. Doubtless Naruto Uzumaki's friends had already made their own inquiries into what had happened to him, and the Fifth Hokage —over Danzo's protests— had only sworn them to not talk about his status of becoming a missing-nin with only those who were not already aware. Meaning that they were free to discuss what had happened with each other.

Shikaku knew they had come to Shikamaru in hopes that he would figure out the most essential question of all: why?

Why would Naruto, who had so vibrantly dreamed of becoming Hokage, who had been finally proving that realizing his dream was a reality, suddenly and inexplicably defect?

They all knew that Naruto had been honest with them about his ambition, you could not fool ninja like them so thoroughly, not with their special clan abilities; clearly they were missing something.

Before his friends had come over, Shikamaru had tried to probe answers out of his father over a game of shogi. The verbal dance had been strenuous and worrisome for Shikaku, as he dared not let his guard down for the slightest second. Even for the Jonin Commander there was always the chance that ANBU might be spying upon him, verifying that a certain wily Nara did not subtly lead anyone towards the truth. So far, the closest Shikamaru had gotten was suspicions that something had happened because Naruto had been proving that he had the potential to become Hokage.

While waiting for his friend to finish, Shino took another look at his letter from Naruto. He had memorized the content, but it was always possible that Naruto had slipped in some code amidst the hasty scrawl that he had overlooked. At least that was what he told himself.

"Shino,

"I've got to make this quick, but the truth is, there isn't much I've got to say. It's not like you're very talkative after all. Joke!

"Sorry, but you probably already do know all that I want to say.

"You're the responsible one, so watch out for the others. Protect the Will of Fire. And show everyone why they should respect the Aburame clan.

"Most of all, thanks for being my friend!

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Despite his tight emotional control, it was almost painful to look at the empty spot in Shino's circle of friends where "Konohagakure's future Hokage" was supposed to be. That dream could never be realized now. The emotions he had felt coursing through him upon reading this the first had been unlike anything Shino had ever experienced before, but he did recognize one of them: betrayal.

Why had the Village broken faith with one of its own?

Someone like Naruto could never be a traitor. He's even eaten ramen for lunch with the Third Hokage.

No, Shino knew that there was more looking underneath the underneath.

When he and his father had returned to the Village, he had been questioned if he had any kidaichu attached to Naruto, and the ninja doing so had refused to accept his answers that he could do so, because his friend's chakra kept killing them for some reason. Shibi Aburame had been forced to intervene, glacially backing up his son.

Except then he too had gone out to join the squads dedicated to finding Naruto, adding his own impressive skills to the search. Only to fail like all the others.

As for Kiba, he was angry, confused, and suspicious. He knew Naruto was too much of a loudmouth to be a spy, and too dedicated towards being Hokage to be a traitor. He also knew that there was no conceivable way for Naruto to evade the elite trackers of his clan, and wondered therefore if Haku was to blame. That he had somehow tricked them all. Kept something hidden.

Hinata . . . had barely avoided an identity crisis.

She had spent so long being enamoured with Naruto, all but worshiping the ground he trod upon, that the idea that he was now supposedly an enemy, one she would be expected to capture or kill if they met again, was inconceivable.

While Choji kept eating his chips, onto his fifth bag already, the big-hearted boy trusted his best friend to figure it all out.

Although he was dimly remembering how during that incident a few months back when Naruto had apparently stolen something, and his usually warm and kind-hearted dad had been all fired up over hunting Naruto down for some reason, and later never explained why. It had just been over a prank, right?

Finally, Shikamaru opened his eyes to face them.

"We are facing a wall of secrets that have surrounded Naruto since his youth. On reflection, the adults have been prejudiced against him for years, including before he started pranking. They have also been encouraging our generation to avoid him." Shikamaru gave a moment for his friends to reflect on that, recalling conversations with their family members that for each their own reasons they had forgotten or ignored. "I believe," he continued before they could say something, "that one of these secrets finally caught up to Naruto, and he had to defect. It was only thanks to his connection with the Fifth Hokage he was able to get us these letters."

"So what's the secret!?" barked Kiba.

"I don't know," Shikamaru faintly scowled. "There's too many possibilities. Something all the adults have been ordered to be quiet about, even if they don't know any details."

"But why?" Hinata fiercely demanded.

Despite not wanting to repeat himself, Shikamaru sighed and said, "I really don't know. And if we dig into it ourselves and get in too deep, we could be accused of treason." They all stilled at that, and he darkly nodded as they were finally coming to understand the gravity of the situation. "Moreover, regardless of Naruto's reasons, he still deserted his post, which is also treason.

"Logically then," Shino droned, "we would need sufficient rank ourselves to investigate this matter. Given how the Fifth Hokage evidently still supports Naruto, it might be possible then to clear Naruto of his charges if we can prove him innocent of whatever forced him to leave."

He was about to say something more, when Shikamaru slumped down and sadly shook his head. "Whatever the secret is, it's serious, and Village laws about traitors are clear. Even if they are later found to be innocent." Shikamaru had checked, and yes there was legal precedent for that. "Given the time they have spent away from their home unsupervised, with potentially vindictive thoughts, they are not allowed to serve as ninja again. Even if he received a pardon or was found innocent, Naruto would be retired, with standard pension and benefits, yet could never become Hokage. Not even the Hokage can change that."

While the Hidden Villages might be military dictatorships, the founding ninja clans had been quite firm on the necessity for rigid laws to protect future generations. A Village Leader might have a lot of leeway on many matters, except the subject of traitors was very clearly laid out in Konohagakure.

One by one, the four friends began to grieve for their missing member, and the death of his dream.

XXX

Land of Fire

Town in the west

Cheap hotel room

Jiraiya puked out his guts and shame into the toilet.

Behind him were rows of empty bottles from last night's attempt to make the world disappear for a little bit. Now it was back with a vengeance, and as his head ranged and clanged, Jiraiya could only think that he deserved it all.

The Prophecy stated that my student would either bring great change . . . or great destruction. Minato, Nagato, and all of the rest of my students are dead, but for however short a time, Naruto was my student. And now he'll be angry, resentful, and vulnerable to others. Either people out to hurt him, or, maybe worse, use him.

Jiraiya would do all he could to bring the boy home alive and pardoned, but he was terrified he might have to kill Minato and Kushina's only child, the godson, no, grandson he had utterly failed.

XXX

Land of Fire

Konohagakure

Hokage's Tower

Jonin Captain Kakashi Hatake silently sat within the Hokage's office, Tsunade having vacated it to give him some privacy with the unopened letter before him and the crushing guilt that threatened to consume him. A single hand tightly gripped a copy of Icha Icha like the talisman it was to him.

There is no way this can ever end well, he knew. If it drags on too long, they'll pressure for me to hunt down Naruto myself given my skills and knowledge of him. Hunt him like a piece of trash!

The joke was on "they," likely Danzo or the Elders, if they thought Kakashi would be of any help however. If anything, everything since he had enlisted Team 7 in the Chunin Exam, had highlighted that he did not really know Naruto at all.

Did not know Minato and Kushina's son.

For all of his attempts to forget or keep himself from accepting the truth, he had long known Naruto's heritage . . . and had done nothing. He really was a messed up individual.

With long practice he squashed his grief and self-criticisms, and kept himself professional.

He's on the run now with a former missing-nin who helped him escape detection this long, and if we haven't found them already, I doubt we'll find them anytime soon. Except if we don't, he'll probably get himself killed in some reckless quest to be a hero.

To drag his mind away from this topic, Kakashi thought about Sasuke, and was forced to admit that he had made a horrible mistake with him too. No, a series of mistakes that had stretched over several months as they had compounded themselves.

That his student, subordinate, and teammate would actually turn traitor was something Kakashi had never considered. And the boy had paid the ultimate price for it. Something he knew would haunt him for years as his near-perfect memory forced him to relive every moment with Sasuke, searching for the slightest hint that could have helped him prevent this tragedy. To guide him down the proper path so that he would have grown to be a strong, proud, and loyal ninja of the Leaf.

The last member of Team 7, the one who was not dead or with a death mark on their head, was a little better off really.

It had been Sakura who had first found Kakashi when he had slipped back into the Village, wanting nothing more than to collapse into his bed before anything else, after staying away several days straight to evade enemy pursuit. Imagine his surprise when he had found her camped out on his doorstep, waiting to talk to him. Or rather, yell and scream and cry at him while he tried to figure out what she was trying to say. Even when she finally calmed down enough to tell him what had happened while he had been away, at first he tried to convince himself she had imagined all of it. Was on drugs even.

He wished she had hallucinated the whole thing.

Worse, it appeared that her obsession for Sasuke had now transferred to the still living Naruto, somehow thinking that if they found him and brought him back everything would be just like before.

Reading between the lines of her ranting, Kakashi had eventually realized the depressing irony that she had been gradually chipping away at her image of Naruto, and now losing him had been the final straw in coming to recognize the 'real' version of him.

To the point where now she believed she loved him instead of Sasuke?

Unreal. Just unreal.

Oh, and it was in the midst of her passionate speech about how her love would redeem Naruto, and surely is was Haku who was at fault, and they would make Sasuke proud of them, that Kakashi had finally clued into the fact that yes, there was a more important reason for Sakura spending days waiting for him to return. If not for a squad of ANBU joining them, demanding that Kakashi head to the Hokage Tower, he would probably have still been there trying to convince Sakura that of course nothing like that could have possibly have happened. Or taken her to the hospital.

She still was unaware of the exact circumstances of Sasuke's death, believing the public version where he was found dead within his clan compound.

With a start Kakashi realized that the sun had gone down, and that he had been sitting alone with his thoughts in the dark for hours. Not a unique occurrence as he let his memories and grief overtake him, except the unopened letter was still lying in front of him, the light of the moon accusingly highlighting it.

Bracing himself, Kakashi slowly picked it up, and procrastinated even further as he pulled out a kunai to cut it open, as opposed to just tearing it open.

He almost turned around to walk to the Memorial Stone, slowly, in an evasive pattern in case he was being followed, but then he got a hold of himself.

They've probably already read it and sealed it back up already, he knew. Checking to see if anything about it changed since Naruto wrote it, even with all of those witnesses. Or they'll demand to see it after I'm done.

Finally however, he steeled up the nerve to read what might very well be his last memento of his student, his teammate, and Minato and Kushina's child.

"Kakashi,

"All I've got to say is, look after Sakura and Sasuke, alright? They need it.

"Sasuke's got a chip on his shoulder, and he's all alone in the world except for Team 7. He needs someone in his life, and the fact is that you're the best suited to do it.

"And you've really been neglecting Sakura's training, and not just physically. She has a photographic memory and perfect chakra control, but you haven't tried teaching her any of your jutsu? She could learn them as fast as Sasuke if you let her! Failing that, let her try medical jutsu. Keep her away from the frontlines, because otherwise at this rate she'll get killed.

"Naruto.

"P.S.

"Don't worry, this isn't on you. You should've been a better teacher, but there's no way you could've done anything about this. So don't beat yourself up over it."

Well.

Huh.

It appeared that Naruto knew more about being a teammate than his sensei did.

Naruto . . . Naruto, you're a good person. Better than I'll ever be. Your last words are trying to comfort me and help those around you . . .

You'd have made a fantastic Hokage! he thought despairingly. One who would have indeed surpassed all those who had come before you! Even your father!

And that's why I'm so worried for you. Your companions, wherever on Earth you are, are the protégé of the Demon of the Mist, and a defector from Hidden Grass. What will they try and lure you into?

If I ever see you again, will it be like when Lord Third faced his student Orochimaru? Or what will they do if they or others discover you're a Jinchuuriki?

Oh Naruto, wherever you are, please be happy. But also be safe. Please. My best student of them all.

XXX

Land of Water

Western Region

It was a typical civilian village in the Land of Water. A series of light rivers crisscrossed the ground before entering it to flow under the multitude of bridges, with a light mist hugging the ground. Stone buildings made up the homes with the poorer people living in snug wooden ones to keep out the damp chill, while plant-life flourished everywhere. The area around the village walls had long ago been cleared of any cover for those trying to sneak up on the place, as was standard even for the civilians within this militant nation.

Right now however, it made it easy to see the individual who's slow advanced had stopped a hundred meters from the town, standing on the lush grass while the mist whispered around them.

"It's probably a trap," Ao declared, as if nothing more needed to be said, as he and the others stood in front of the village wall.

"B-but she's got a Kekkei Genkei," Chojuro nervously pointed out. "She's in as much danger as any of us, and no r-reason to be with the Fourth Mizukage."

We've seriously got to find out how to bring up his nerve outside of battle, Mei reflected. Maybe get him laid? She disagreed with casual sex, but it was starting to seem like it was time for desperate measures to get Chojuro to fully demonstrate the decisiveness that made him worthy of his blade on the killing ground. Eh, give him some more time to work it out. He's still young.

More of her advisors spoke up now, while she only paid half-attention to them in case they brought up something she had not already considered. She had already concluded this was no trap. Not with a foreign Kekkei Genkei user, and one who looked half-dead at that.

The sort of appearance you'd expect from spending the last few years in maximum security. Then there's her eyes . . . No, I'd say her spirits still as fiery as her flames, Mei cheerfully thought, enjoying her minor forage into poetry.

Not that Mei had ever met the person herself, but the gossip and half-remembered reports had been telling.

The woman in question was still standing a hundred meters away in the open before the Rebels, trying to project an air of patience, with balls of fire hovering over her head.

Pakura of the Scorch Style.

A Jonin-Captain of Sunagakure, whose reputation had spread far and wide, with tales of her prowess and loyalty.

Her current condition however was why Mei felt safe enough to be so . . . irreverent.

One thing that the rebel leader had remembered about Pakura was how while her hair was naturally a dark green, she had framed her face with long strands of it dyed orange, the results being so striking that Mei had no difficulty remembering it. This woman however had only raggedly green hair that had clearly been cut short with a kunai in service of practicality. Even from a distance it was easy to see that the remaining hair was greasy and as filthy as her skin, doubtless because while on the run the most Pakura could have managed was splashing a few handfuls of water on herself from any streams she encountered.

The once lithe frame was emancipated from what was visible through clothes that were distinctly lower-class civilian, and thus someone any Kirigakure shinobi of good standing would overlook if she was forced to try and blend in. Still, if she's got enough chakra to maintain those fireballs despite the shape her body's in, then her reserves in her prime must have been impressive, Mei acknowledged. High praise from one whose own chakra supply was frankly massive; albeit not on Kisame the Tailless Tailed Beast's level.

Still, this was not a woman here for a fight. The fireballs were clearly a form of self-identification, and Mei doubted that Pakura had knowingly led anyone here (and as a Jonin-Captain she would be intimately familiar with most of the tricks), and there was enough of a fight in her spirit that it was unlikely that Yagura's goons had broken her. Doubtless the reason they had faked news of her death was to torture her for information, and impressively she even seemed still sane.

Although if she did cause trouble, this was a town that was quietly but openly in support of the Rebels. Consequently, as a gesture of friendship they had layered the area around it —including in front of Pakura— with large buried pockets of Boil Release that Mei had hidden underground. With minimal effort, her and her forces could release the corrosive gas to consume Pakura.

Not to mention the standard assortment of trip wires, seals, explosive tags, pit holes, etcetera.

The point was that this was a strongly defended position that would require either a larger force than could be hidden from Mei's agents, or small team of powerhouses, and her agents kept close tabs on the locations of Yagura's favoured goons. She would know if they had been deployed.

No, what Mei was waiting for, was for one of her 'advisors' to come up with something to explain how Pakura was here. It did not take a genius to figure out why a Kekkei Genkei user who had spent years a prisoner of Kirigakure was here to see the Rebels, yet breaking out of the prison known as the maximum security facility in the Land of Water was a little suspicious. Especially in that state. Frankly, it was a miracle she had even survived to make even the journey, or had not collapsed before them already.

If she had pulled it off herself, well, that was highly impressive. Personally though, Mei suspected certain parties she knew of back in the Village had let her go as a covert sign of their own support of a coup against Yagura.

"Well then," Mei declared, making her way forward. "We'd best go see her." Lightly she made her way across the field, deliberately stepping one of the hidden pockets of her own mists of Boil, confident that it was secure enough to handle her weight. Spread out, her bodyguards and top lieutenants followed her.

With the arrival of her intended hosts, this allowed Pakura to dismiss her Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder as a gesture of respect, as opposed to the undignified necessity because she was too exhausted and vulnerable to maintain them. 'No need to be rude to someone before killing them,' was Mei's personal rule. Sadly Pakura was not a man, so there was no excuse to flirt.

"I am Pakura of the Scorch Style," the desert woman said in greeting, "former Jonin-Captain of Sunagakure, and here to offer my services to your army in tearing down the Mizukage."

"Mei Terumi, Commander-in-Chief of the True Hidden Mist Resistance," was the pleasant reply, even as she automatically dissected and categorized the situation. The venom that had slipped in while saying 'Sunagakure' was particularly of interest.

"It's commendable you reached us," Ao flatly complimented. "And it's not hard to guess why you're here if you want a place to recover, but are you really willing to help us fight the Bloody Mist?"

The filthy ex-prisoner shrugged. "I fought Mist ninja before, and now I've got an actual reason to hate them. They still demanded my life as payment for peace and broke their word and then made me suffer for all those years. But I'm also hoping you guys will be willing to build something better, as opposed to just fighting for revenge or putting yourself in power."

Ao was unfazed, but Chojuro gave an adorable pouting scowl in anger. "We are making something better. A Village that cares for its people," and several of the others nodded in agreement.

She eyed them for a moment, before adding with a weak shrug, "And yeah, also because weakening the Mist means less of my own people are at risk from Yagura's forces."

"Are you planning to return home afterwards? Expose the deception?" Ao asked. "You were martyred as my memory goes, used as an excuse for further hostilities against Iwagakure."

Pakura's face locked up with rage and her breath quickened as she seethed with repressed fury. It took her a whole minute to pull herself back together before she spat, "I will never return home!" She stopped again to pull herself together, as befitted the pride of formidable shinobi. Obviously she was rusty and damaged though, if nothing some food, rest, and genuinely friendly company could not help cure.

Taking a deep breath, Pakura elaborated. "I could never stand amongst those warm, golden dunes, without seeing all of the blood that I spilt in their defense. My blood. The blood of the men and women and outright children who I'd been given to command. And yes, even the blood of those from other countries who had leaders just like ours. I did all of that to keep my home, the people living there, safe. All the people I left back there, including my student," she kept Maki's name to herself, "who blindly follow the lies of those in charge, and support them. It's not fair to them, yet I know I'd never be able to look at them without seeing it. Even if I didn't know exactly what the Kazekage said happened, I still knew he'd just use it to justify more of his violent idiocy, and they gobbled it all up."

"Being a prisoner made you a pacifist?" Ao sceptically asked. Chojuro was just confused, 'pacifist' being a rare word in the Land of Water.

"Hah!" she barked. "If I had Rasa before me right now, I'd gut him with my bare hands! No," and she composed herself, "but I won't fight just because it's the only option I'm capable of entertaining. I've seen where that leads. The people who become like that. As for vengeance, it'd be nice, but I'd much rather enjoy the sun and stars again as much as I can, along with everything else out here. I want to be strong enough to kill anyone around me, except I also don't want to waste my life anymore. I want to enjoy it. And if I ever went back, even if Rasa was killed by the very people he'd lied to, it'd still be expected of me to become a ninja and lock away my emotions and be a good little soldier. Or train kids to grow up to be like that. No. Never."

Belatedly Pakura realized she had been baring her soul to complete strangers without even realizing it, but before she could be seized by the shame, something else did. Before she could fully process it, she was swept up in a warm hug, while large soft things were pressed into face. "That's all we need to hear~!" sang Mei as she swirled Pakura around. "So let's get you washed up and rested, and then we can catch you up on what's been happening. In fact, you'll be pleased to hear that Rasa's dead now. Assassinated on the job even, embarrassing really~."

Having completely forgotten she was supposed to be uncomfortable about what she had just done, Pakura felt a burst of anger as she tried to free herself, and Mei quickly released her. "You'll fit in just fine, and we'll be happy to have you," she smiled, but Pakura was unsure if it was genuine or not. "But seriously," and now Mei's nose twitched, "you're having a bath even if I have to dunk you in myself. Maybe me too after you went and hugged me like that."

Now her subordinates were also sufficiently distracted at the thought of both attractive women (for Pakura was still visibly striking under the grime) bathing to hopefully forget about their newest member's little rant. Men, Mei sighed to herself. When will I ever find a decent one? Well, at least Ao is still composed. Although she was unsure if he had the empathy to realize what she had done, or why.

Pakura suddenly found herself too exhausted and confused to deal with this weird woman, and decided to just go along with it. It had been an exhausting few days getting here, and she was at her limit, feeling completely and utterly emotionally drained. She had been told she had a place to stay, and they were talking about a bath. That was all she needed to hear. Now I've just got to be sure I don't fall asleep in the water. Who knows what this crazy woman would do next.

XXX

Naruto's Mindscape

Well, this complicates things, Kurama of the Nine Tails mentally deadpanned as he contemplated the situation.

Konoha's betrayal was predictable for humans, yet the actions of the Ice user and the other Uzumaki were unwanted. Their examples had ensured that the brat's true self, the darkness that lay within him, had not grown significantly stronger from this.

So how can I work this to my advantage? True, he will be mobile, which will make finding my siblings easier, yet his is also being hunted. If anything he, and thus I, are in more danger than ever!

With this in mind, the Kyuubi turned his ancient intelligence towards his new circumstances.

XXX

North-East Land of Fire

Within a small city they had entered while under Transformation jutsus, Haku and Karin waited in their hotel room while Naruto brooded in the bathroom.

With the need to be constantly on guard and on the move for the last few days, unable to stop and rest long enough to really think and internalize what had happened to them. Unfortunately, now there was no more running from the truth, and the blonde had been in the bath for over an hour. Understandably they were concerned for him, as he had had his entire life torn apart just when he was on the cusp of really going down the path of accomplishing his dream.

Despite being older than him, and proudly more mature, they discovered neither of them knew what to do. In such a short period of time, they had become so dependent upon Naruto's stubbornness and optimism, they did not know what to do without it.

For his part, Tora was having a nap, having lost too much sleep with all this mucking about.

Finally they heard him slowly getting out, and going through the motions of getting dressed. Coming out, he was wrinkled from the water, his hair messier than usual, and his civilian clothes had seen better days. Any tears he may have shed would have been washed away.

Except the fire in bright blue eyes told them he was far from beaten.

Slowly he walked up to the last chair, made as if he was about to sit down but stopped, and turned to face his family and frie— faced his family while they sat looking up at him.

"The Leaf was my home."

Silence.

"I swore to do everything to protect it, even with my life! Even after everything that happened! And it was getting better even! After so many years I was genuinely happy! People were starting to acknowledge and respect me! Becoming Hokage in a few years seemed like a shoe-in!"

"What're you planning, human?" a newly awoken Tora asked as Karin absently scratched his fur. "You're alone, and a Jinchuuriki at that. No matter how good you think you are, you're still just a kid. And they're going to be hunting you. Not just the Leaf. Once everyone else starts catching on, they'll all be after you. This country won't stay a safe haven for long, unless you're willing to risk the people here being caught in the crossfire. Unless you've already developed that jutsu to your dad's level?" Keeping discrete even here about that particular secret.

"No," sulked Naruto.

Softly, Haku said, "Naruto, you've a right to be angry. To deny that would be unfair to you, and misguided. What you do with that anger is up to you though. Just know I'll follow your lead."

"Try and leave me behind," huffed Karin.

"Hmph," grunted Tora, flicking his ears in a way which conveyed his own solidarity. Despite this though, he was not finished being the resident cynic. "That's great and all, very supportive, but it still doesn't answer my question of how we're going to last more'n a month. Right now there's only me, a Jinchuuriki who doesn't even know how to use his power, a medic who's fed up with healing people, and one assassin, however talented he is."

"Well," and now Haku's grin was pure mischief, "I may have concealed from the Leaf's T&I that not all of Zabuza's army is gone, and that it's waiting on my word."

". . . You have an army."

"A small one, I admit."

"Well, alright, a bit of a start. Do you geniuses have a plan for what to do with it?"

Karin scowled at the cat, only for Naruto to speak up again with growing confidence. His eyes shone a bit from hearing they had an army available. "I have a plan."

His friends looked at him sceptically, well aware of how he . . . struggled with any tactics or strategies he did not make up on the fly. "Alright, I have part of a plan, and I need your help for the rest. But it'll work! Believe it!"

"Go ahead, cousin," Karin smiled encouragingly.

So he told them.

It took him about two minutes to lay it out, and they were quiet throughout, and remained that way afterwards in pure shock.

"Uhm, are you guys okay?"

Startled, Tora quickly pretended he had been moving to lick himself the whole time, and was completely unruffled. "Well, sounds entertaining at least. Goodness knows you've got enough going for you already to make things interesting. Sure, I can bring in some other Cats into this," he paused to stretch and yawn, "if you make it worth our while."

"'Interesting,' is certainly one way to put it," Haku nodded in a light daze. The audacity . . . Or is it insanity?

"There's a thousand ways this'll fail," Karin predicted, "and we'll never get enough support." But then she took a deep breath, "Whatever. I want to do it to, and we'll find a way to make it work. Count me in."

The other two all nodded— to reaffirm their own support, and for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, Naruto smiled.

XXX

Author Notes:

Alright, the plot is finally moving along past what it says in the summary!

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Next chapter: 'Snapshots of Time—Fu'

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Please Review, and I will get back to you!