He kept running. He didn't know where he was going to run to, or whether or not it was a wise or logical decision, but he started running.

He was going flat out and wanted to be going faster. He was still jinking about because he knew someone would try to follow him. He dropped a scent bomb just to be sure and tracked through it a half dozen times before sprinting for the training grounds.

Lots of cover. Lots of space. Easy to see people coming.

Lots and lots of places to hide.

Lots of places to be alone.

Tree branches snapped as he barrelled through them, not caring for the sting of the impacts. He could heal, he would not be caught.

He was angrier than he had ever felt and the restriction from the seal was working overtime as the rage began to wake something dormant within him.

Naruto's hand reached the grip of his tanto and it felt good. When had he last had a chance to really train?

There was a training log standing near the edge of a copse of wood. He felt the urge to practise some sword strokes.

He twisted left and right as he slashed furiously. Each cut was made in pretence of a different enemy. Tall, short, each cut made to strike a vital area precisely. He continued to hack away. His blade bit into the wood with precision every time. The once perfect surface soon was covered in precise cuts and notches.

His arm was beginning to tire and he put the tanto back into its holder. He began to practise his limited taijutsu knowledge. He sent kick after kick into the post, spinning and ducking and striking at different heights.

Then he felt a presence near him and spun towards it instead, readying his hands into a knife edge to catch his attacker. Hands caught his blow and turned them aside.

Whoever this was, they were going to be fighting him.

He swept a leg at the figure, who leapt over it before he struck upwards with a fist. His fist was caught, and he rolled under the strike that followed it up, grabbing the hand to bring them over his head.

They landed neatly and caught him in the stomach with a kick of their own. He felt a flare of pain light up where it had hit and it felt good.

He doubled back and drew his tanto again. The figure was coming for him once more, he knew this person but he didn't care.

The jumped over the thrust and his arm went numb with the gentle touch he couldn't avoid. He dropped the blade and ducked under the next strike, using his other arm to drag the assailant over himself.

She bounced off the ground and rolled back upright. Her face was set in concern and her mouth was moving.

He realised he hadn't been hearing anything. Just empty, informationless noise. Something in his belly felt hot and angry, his main seal was doing something. He thought he heard a low growl deep within his subconscious but forced it out of his head with a grunt. He looked up, the moment of concentration letting him see his assailant moving back into for a series of attacks.

He realised who it was just in time to be struck by a series of Juuken strikes. He fell back with a grunt of pain as his assailant stood over him.

He saw his vision fade from red to the colours of the night, and the worried face before him became paler. The large eyes looked worried, just like Tsunade's had.

"Naruto-kun, sorry about the attack, but I didn't wa..want you to hurt yourself."

She began to undo the damage.

"I heard you training and looked. It was...what he did when he was angry."

Naruto realised it was. He'd seen Baka go through something similar. He felt suddenly drained and felt the bruises forming on his hands and legs. He reached into his pocket for something once his arm worked again.

The tin was opened, and Hinata stopped as he took a tiny amount of the remaining cream and applied it to his hands. There was so little left. Three years, he must have had some scrapes and cuts in that time but...he'd kept using it.

The pain subsided a little in his hands.

He fell back and sat, breathing deeply as Hinata sat next to him with a concerned expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I am angry. I have never felt this uncontrolled before. I am calmer but...I lost control for the second time. The first time I killed him. The second I tried to kill you again. I am sorry."

She knew he was. He wasn't looking at her, she thought she saw the slight glistening of tears in and moonlight as they rested by his eye.

Her visit had been interrupted by the noise Naruto had been making, and she knew he needed someone more than the memorial did. Then again, she'd been in that place before once or twice.

"Anger isn't a nice place to be is it?"

"It is not. It is like the feeling I have about some of my kills."

She sat a little more comfortably opposite him. She realised she wanted to know more.

"Which one?"

"It was...nearly ten years ago now. Her face. I remember her face."

"Tell me. All of it."

He felt he had to. The voice compelled him to speak.

"I was on one of my earliest missions. It was a border post that Kumo holds up North. It was a couple of years after an incident where they had attempted to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress."

Something clicked in his mind.

"That was you was it not?"

She nodded. She didn't want to remember the fear and terror of the man's grip and angry voice any longer. She was past that.

"Apparently the commander of the post was stirring up trouble and had conducted some minor raids into Konoha territory. Three civilians dead in an outskirt town. Too remote for us to properly defend.

I was despatched to deal with the threat. I infiltrated the border post and planned to kill the man whilst he slept. Even the best shinobi sleep deeply enough that they can't react to a crossbow bolt two feet away.

It took a day to get into position, and then on the second night I put the bolt through his head. Barely a noise. He was dead and I made to escape.

I was young. I made a mistake that came with inexperience.

I checked my kill from too close, and didn't see her coming into the room."

Hinata drew breath again, she was finding it hard to whilst he told the story.

"She was a simple maid. She hadn't been sleeping and had heard a soft noise. I guess now she might have had some form of relationship to the man. It didn't matter; she walked in and saw me.

She saw the body of the man. There was a lot of blood and other entrails, but headshots do that to people."

Hinata didn't want to imagine too vividly.

"I was lucky that it took her a moment to process the scene. My crossbow wasn't within easy reach so I had to attack with a kunai. She screamed just before I got the strike in. She didn't resist.

It took three stabs to kill her. That is three too many. It should have been one slash across the throat and..."

Hinata held up a hand.

"Just...skip the description please?"

He nodded.

"I panicked and heard her scream and saw her face. There was more blood. I had to hide quickly before the rest of the garrison awoke. I could have died easily that night, but I lived. I lived because I could hide."

She nodded as he seemed to sag a little, his story told.

"You remember her though?"

"Yes. Every time I hear a scream from a woman I am reminded of it. I am reminded of her pain and my failure and the first time I felt fear. I haven't felt it often."

He felt Hinata stiffen and her head turn. He activated his Byakugan.

Approaching was Kiba and Shino. He made to move away but Hinata gently grabbed his arm. He resisted for a brief moment.

"Shino will stop Kiba from interfering if we are not fighting. He will understand."

"I...do not wish to be found."

She smiled a little bit.

"Surely being found is ok if they do not talk to you?"

He considered it. It was sub-optimal, but it was acceptable enough. He saw Kiba come into eye range and pause. Shino too saw them, and turned Kiba away. Hinata knew her teammates well.

"Your knowledge of your team's actions is appreciable."

Hinata nodded.

"I've known them for years now. It gets like that. Why were you angry then?"

He realised the reason and felt ashamed. He knew it was shame because it burnt at him like his failure to get a clean kill did.

"Hokage-sama told me that I was not allowed to take on any further missions because I made a bad personal decision."

That sounded odd.

"Was it a medical choice?"

"In a way. I used something I shouldn't have and...it's bad."

"What did you do?"

He wondered whether it was a good idea to tell her the truth or not. In the end, why shouldn't he?

"I..."

Was as far as he got as a figure bounded into the clearing and tackled Naruto to the ground in a tight embrace.

"You have a LOT of explaining to do Darkie-kun."

Ah. Anko-chan. That would scare him, but his major concern was his lack of oxygen intake due to being unable to breath.

He struggled a little against the death grip and got just enough air to avoid passing out.

"Anko-chan. Please loosen your grip."

"No."

Hinata stared. She'd never have a good chance to get the answer out of him unless. She turned back to the monument and realised what she had to do.

"Ano, Anko-san, I need to return home."

Anko realised Hinata was there. She smirked.

"Wasn't interrupting anything was I?"

Hinata looked shocked and a little pink. Naruto knew the answer, and summoned what little breath he had left.

"Yes, but it is too late now."

Anko's grin widened and Hinata looked utterly confused and very pink. He realised he must have done something wrong. He'd ask her about that later.

Anko's grip loosened enough for him to breathe somewhat normally. Then he was slapped in the face a couple of times, the hits punctuated with words.

"Where. Have. You. Been?"

"My mission went on longer than expected. Please stop assaulting me."

She let up a little.

"Why did you escape T&I? How did you escape T&I? Seriously what the hell?"

"I escaped because I needed to report to the Hokage. I escaped using my skills and a henge, and I have not been to hell. If I have I do not remember it."

She looked at him and smiled.

"Still the same Darkie-kun?"

"I think so. I have the same DNA and limbs as before."

She smiled wider.

"Tsunade sent us out looking for you. You seem to have found Hinata ok. What's going on there?"

"She found me whilst I was training," that was at least one way of putting it, his hands were still bleeding a little, "and then we talked. She is a friend, I guess."

"Friend or friend?"

"What is the difference?"

Anko smiled. He had no idea still. Then again, he probably didn't run into any nice ladies whilst in Orochimaru's base.

"Well friends is what we are. Friends is something a little bit more...special."

Naruto had heard the term before, his brain began to pick up the clues more quickly now, noting all previous interaction. Particularly a conversation with Talon.

"Are you implying sexual relations between myself and Hinata-san?"

Anko grinned widely.

"That far already? You've only been back a week, and some of that has been on a mission."

"How do you know that?"

A shadow of embarrassment crossed her face.

"Tsunade-sama."

"Lie. Was it Talon?"

She stared at him for a moment.

"I'll stop asking questions about Hinata-chan if you never bring that up again."

That seemed fair, yet her accusations had been incorrect, if he was reading them correctly. Still, it seemed the issue was not conducive to polite conversation.

"Agreed."

Anko smiled a more friendly smile.

"It's good to see you alive. Although I take it you've done something to make her angry."

"Hokage-sama?"

"Yes. The floor was in several pieces when we got there. She was in tears. It takes a lot to do that to her. I think she cares more about you than you expect."

"Her response is too emotive for me to consider it the correct one."

"I heard what you did. It is. You know it is."

He'd known it from the moment he'd realised. He had made the biggest mistake of his life and he was too afraid to undo it.

"It is. I do not wish to undo it."

"You have to. You know it will only be worse in time."

She was right but he couldn't fight it. He could talk to her but...he found himself wishing he was talking to Hinata instead. She was calm and made him want to talk.

"Indeed."

She got the hint. She was surprised he'd even made it like that.

"If you want to talk, come to me when you're ready ok?"

"I will Anko-chan."

She ruffled his hair, noting the unwashed spikiness that had grown since he'd last cut it back. She wondered how long it could get if left. Goodness knows it could become a mane of hair.

"Good. She has a mission for you when you are ready to talk to her. Or more likely when she's ready for you."

He nodded. He missed the warmth of his bed and felt the need to stay there for some hours.

He went home in his usual manner, avoiding all human contact. He found his window had been repaired by someone and the place dusted and cleaned.

He didn't care. The soft orange covers of his bed awaited him and he welcomed them with open arms.

"T-Tsunade-sama?"

She looked up from the desk at the nervous girl who had crept into her office. Tsunade had pulled herself into her chair and was trying to get something useful done. It wasn't working.

"Hinata, what brings you here?"

"I...I talked to him. I accept my mission."

Tsunade considered telling her about the memory seal but decided against it. Naruto could tell her that in his own time.

"Excellent. The overall purpose is to ascertain the final day or so of his mission, which we have been unable to work out. Be gentle and careful, and not direct."

She passed Hinata a fairly large book, it was entitled, 'The Tale of the Hidden Shadow'. She looked up questioningly at her commander.

"It's a copy of his report bound into novel form. It's not due to go on sale for another year, but it's his report faithfully reproduced word for word. Read it, and find out what the final bit should have read like. If anyone asks, it's something I suggested you read. Your father would accept that excuse."

Hinata nodded. The book was quite thick.

"Also, see if you can help him through any other issues he may have. It will help you as well Hinata. I'll need you to keep training and going on regular missions as well, and I may add him to your team."

She nodded again. She didn't regret any of the hardship, and her knowledge that she wouldn't be a shinobi right now had been shattered when he had come back into her life. She barely remembered wanting to quit. She had purpose again. She turned to leave with renewed energy.

"Oh and Hinata?"

"Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Don't compare him to someone else who isn't here anymore. It's time to move on from the past."

Those words shocked her a little. Move on? Had she held on? He had been a lot to her, and his presence had given her strength.

"Hai."

She left the office and Tsunade relaxed a little bit. He was safe; she was going to council him.

That and she would have to be careful they didn't get too close to one another until the mission was completed.