Hello! I'm sorry this is out so late on Sunday. My math homework took me longer than anticipated. :P I would rather read a hundred books than take Calculus 152. Really.

Anyway, there was a bit of confusion about the mini-flashback last chapter. You had to read "If Only" to get it. Meara tells Naruto of the first time she met Minato. She was fighting against an enemy nin, and he saved her. Later, Jiraiya came and he giggled upon meeting her. She punched him for it. That was my cheap way of sneaking in a flashback. There's another one in here, but it's super short. Under 300 words, so less than 10 percent of the actual content.

I do not know when the next one will be up. So sorry. I have a newer, busier schedule that I must adjust to, but once I do, I'll be able to type more regularly. Please be patient.

Chapter 6

Naruto staggered along, dragged by Kyuubi. He was barely keeping up; his entire upper torso was alternating between burning and aching. "Get your feet under you, boy," Kyuubi snarled. "We need to move faster."

"Why?" Naruto demanded. "We killed them. Slimy and Big Mama are dead!"

"For the moment," Kyuubi agreed.

Naruto raised his eyes and focused on the fox. Kyuubi was glancing over his shoulder every few seconds and scanning the landscape worriedly. Naruto understood that other creatures could be coming after them, but what did he mean by 'for the moment?' Somebody that died didn't come back . . .

Finally, Kyuubi found a suitable hiding place, once again in the confines of a small cave. The redhead set Naruto down carefully, now mindful of his injured status. He reached behind him, into the pack that he wore and whipped out a roll of bandages. He stripped Naruto's shirt off and began to carefully wrap the boy's ribs. Naruto grimaced, but kept quiet as Kyuubi worked.

"This is not the world you know," Kyuubi muttered as the white material encased Naruto's torso.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I figured that out."

"Shut up," Kyuubi muttered. "When people die in your world, their bodies decay and their souls depart. Here, the 'body' you see is really the being's soul. It is trapped in here."

Naruto made a face. "So, wouldn't a soul just decay, or rot or something?"

"No," Kyuubi returned. "The soul is eternal. It does not simply go away, nor does it truly die. It can decay, or become twisted, but it does not ever completely vanish."

Naruto frowned as he contemplated this. He'd never really thought about dying, only in that he wouldn't let it happen until after he'd become Hokage. Naruto had never allowed it as a possibility, so he'd never considered what would happen after he did. He knew he would, someday, but he'd never thought beyond it. "Okay, so people's souls don't die or anything," he acknowledged. "What does that mean for this place?"

Kyuubi stopped wrapping Naruto's ribs and stared at him. "You're kidding, right?"

The blond blinked. "What?"

The demon sighed in exasperation and continued his ministrations. "Think about it for a minute, kit. You'll get it."

Naruto blew a breath out between his lips in annoyance. He hated it when Kyuubi, or anyone for that matter, did that. Nonetheless, he did as Kyuubi ordered and put his brain to the problem. So, this place was all souls and souls didn't really die. So . . .

Nothing in this place really died.

Kyuubi watched concentration turn to shock, then horror on Naruto's face. He chuckled and said, "I hope you didn't sprain anything."

"So, wait . . ." Naruto said, staring into the middle distance. "Slimy, and Big Mama, they're not really dead?"

"Nope," Kyuubi confirmed. "They're only dead temporarily, until they've healed enough to get back up and come after us again."

Naruto gulped. He really didn't want to face those things again. He just wanted to find his dad and get out. "How will they find us?"

Kyuubi snarled. "Well, you see, creatures like Big Mama have a chakra memory. Once they get a feel of your chakra, they never forget it. They're like a dog with a scent. They'll track you until they get you."

"So that's why you didn't want me to use jutsus," Naruto said, realization dawning.

"Exactly," the demon snapped, tying off the bandages with an extra hard tug. "And you gave Slimy a big dose of yours with that Rasengan."

Naruto sighed and made a face. "Yeah, well, he would have gotten a dose if he'd eaten me, too," he replied, tugging his shirt back on. It was ripped and bloody, but he'd rather not wander around the belly of the Shinigami shirtless. Not that there's anyone here to see me, he thought.

Kyuubi stood and peered out of the narrow opening. "Nothing's coming," he called back.

"So, we can leave?" Naruto asked, pulling himself to his feet slowly.

A hand landed on his shoulder and golden eyes burned into his. "Are you ready? We need to get as far from here as possible," Kyuubi explained.

Naruto nodded firmly, pushing the pain in his body down. He shuffled to the edge of the cave, right beside Kyuubi. "Where will we be headed?"

"Away," Kyuubi answered. "And up, if possible."

"Up?" Naruto questioned as the two eased themselves out of the cave.

Kyuubi's head bobbed once. "Yes, those creatures are connected to the ground. They travel through it, as you saw. They can only leave contact with it for a little bit," he continued. "We need to climb out of this canyon, but we can't use our chakra."

Naruto looked up the nearly-sheer walls of the canyon they'd descended into. "Uh, yeah . . ."

"Don't tell me you've forgotten how to climb things without chakra?" Kyuubi sneered.

"Of course I haven't!" Naruto hissed. He stayed quiet, having learned his lesson with the Family of Tentacle. "It's just been a while, that's all."

"Well then, let's go," Kyuubi muttered. "We need to find someplace safe as soon as possible before those things recover, and so that you can use a tracking spell to find your father and get out of here."

With that, Kyuubi stopped talking and grabbed a small outcropping, tugging on it to test its security. "Just put your hands and feet exactly where I do," he ordered. "And don't use chakra."

Inoichi dropped the jutsu as the red chakra receded. He stumbled, back in the hospital room, staring over Naruto's still form. His heart was pounding, his hands were shaking and his forehead was covered in sweat.

It had been over sixteen years since he'd felt that chakra, and though he would never admit it, it still scared him to death. Inoichi had fought in the Third Great War for over five years, seen and participated in battles that occasionally still haunted his dreams. He'd picked across the battlefields strewn with dead, scavenging for weapons or food when his team had none. He'd picked up the banner again when Orochimaru launched his assault three years ago, but nothing had, or would ever compare to that night. He'd stood there, at the front lines, in the most devastating night in Konoha's history. The demon had attacked, just outside the gates of his village, glaring maliciously down at the humans that dared to fight it.

And fought it they had. Inoichi and his fellow ninjas, sparse as they were during the war, had thrown every jutsu they could think of at the beast. As their situation worsened, the demon continued to press forward slowly to Konoha. He remembered wondering why the creature hadn't simply squashed them all with one of his great tails. It certainly had the power. It could have just waltzed through their poorly made and crumbling lines, but instead it had stood, swishing its tails and growling.

He'd always wondered, why?

"Dad?"

Inoichi turned to his daughter, his beautiful little girl. Right now, she was looking far too grown up—and observant. He knew that she saw how unnerved he was. For months after the battle, just the mention of Kyuubi's name would send him into a panic, especially if his wife and daughter weren't with him at the moment. After a few years, he'd recovered to the point where he could speak of the battle without flinching or his voice quailing. Inoichi had never expected to feel such terror grip him again.

He wrapped an arm around Ino, pulling her close to him. She frowned in confusion, but didn't protest. Inoichi pressed his lips to the top of her head. "You stay with Naruto," he told her. "I must speak with the Hokage."

Ino narrowed her eyes at her father, but didn't protest. She'd learned when it was best to rebel and when it was best to rebel. And when it was best to make your father think you were obeying.

As soon as the two elder ninja had left, Ino ran to the window and threw it open. Half a second later, a small bug—she wasn't sure what kind and really didn't care—was trapped in her hand. She smirked. I really will be a fly on the wall.

Ino reveled in the feeling of outsmarting her father until she realized that she really didn't have any way of keeping the small insect still long enough for her to transfer her mind over to it.

With a frustrated stomp of her foot, Ino released the bug, which immediately flew into the pane of glass she hadn't opened and continued doing so for several minutes. Ino, for her part, flopped down in the chair next to Naruto's bed and glared at him.

"Remind me to make you teach me the shadow clone jutsu," she muttered to the unconscious form, which, naturally, did not respond.

"Well?" Tsunade asked. "What did you see?"

The pair had traveled to the top of the hospital and were standing on the roof in the wind. It was early summer, and the crops in the distant fields were growing well, Tsunade knew. She received reports regularly from the few farmers in Konoha, as well as the nearby towns that supplemented their food stock. She closed her eyes and took in the air for a minute. The wind was strong, and damp. It would bring a thunderstorm soon.

She redirected her attention to the Jounin in front of her, who was, at the least, shaken by his experience in Naruto's mind.

He rubbed a hand over his face. "The gates were open," he whispered roughly.

Tsunade frowned. "Chakra gates?"

Inoichi shook his head. "No, the gates the kept Kyuubi in check," he answered.

Tsunade could feel the blood leave her face. Ice coated her stomach and the threats of the council flashed through her head. "What are you saying?" she demanded, temper rising to fight fear. "The Yondaime's seal broke?"

Again, to her surprise, Inoichi shook his head. "No, the seal was still intact, but it was as if someone had pulled it off and opened the gates," he explained.

Tsunade leaned on the rail running around the roof and stared out at Konoha. The village that she had sworn to protect with her life. Her thoughts turned to Naruto. The boy whose strength she'd staked her life on.

"If I am wrong, I will pay the price and die defending this village."

She had promised that to the elders, and now wondered if it was possible to keep that vow. She had no idea what was going on, why it was happening or who was behind it. The information she had on Naruto's condition was next to nothing, and all the steps she took led her further into confusion. Inoichi's voice brought her back.

"Lady Hokage," he started, waiting for her attention. When she granted it, he continued. "I could find no sign of Naruto or the demon's souls, except for one thing."

Tsunade turned to face him, her amber eyes boring into him. She raised an eyebrow, indicating for him to continue.

"There was—" Inoichi floundered for words, unable to explain what he'd seen. "There were two, ah, trails, or cords, of chakra, that led up."

". . . Up?" Tsunade asked. That was so helpful. "What do you mean?"

"In the chamber where the demon was sealed," Inoichi explained. "The walls and gates went up so high I couldn't see the top. The two chakras led in that direction, into the darkness."

Tsunade made a face and pinched at her nose. "Listen, Inoichi, I don't understand how all of this mindscape stuff works, it's not my area of expertise. I assume that the darkness and the chakras leading up mean something more. Do you have any idea what?"

Inoichi considered the Hokage's question. She may not have been an expert, but she certainly was perceptive. She reasoned that the chakras were leading somewhere other than to another section of Naruto's mind. He thought through the possibilities.

"Well, in our collective consciousness," he mused. "Darkness usually represents the unknown. The direction of up signals . . ."

For inspiration, Inoichi turned his gaze to the sky, watching the clouds on the distant horizon, the birds flying with the wind. Tsunade followed his example, casting her eyes heavenward.

"When something is up," she said slowly. "It is above us, stronger than us. The higher ground has the advantage, for example."

The two ninjas continued to stare at the sky. Tsunade closed her eyes and sent a prayer to any deities that deigned to listen. Please, help me out here, if you're up there.

Minowa snorted as Tsunade's plea echoed through the meeting chamber. It was amazing how dense the little humans could be sometimes, even ones who purported to be strong.

"She doesn't even realize that she has the answer," Amarante murmured, sighing.

Sayu scratched his chin. "Well, she did ask for help."

Tsunade kept her head tilted up. Her belief in the gods was sketchy at best and nonexistent at worst. Still, if there was a chance that anyone could help Naruto, she would pursue it. If anyone's up there.

Up . . . there.

She snapped her eyes open as inspiration hit her. "No," she whispered. "It can't be."

Sasuke frowned at the Hokage's low statement. He had been listening and following them for the past hour, from the moment the Yamanakas had reached the hospital and was now perched on the water tower Naruto had torn a hole in years ago. He'd seen Naruto's odd fluctuation, for lack of a better word. He remembered from their previous battles that the blond's vital signs changed in just such a way when he was fighting, and another way when he was in pain.

Wherever Naruto had been, he had been in pain. And despite Tsunade's drugs, Sasuke could tell that Naruto still was. It may not have been the blinding pain of a battle, but rather the after effects of one. The achiness, the medicine, the running. Naruto's vital signs were telling a story, and very few knew how to listen properly.

Sasuke was one of them. He'd fought by or with Naruto too often to ignore it. Kakashi was another, but the Jounin wasn't around when Naruto had a fit. Sakura, perhaps. She was a medic-nin now, but he hadn't seen and didn't care if she was a good one.

The only other person who could know Naruto that well was Jiraiya and the old pervert was laid up in bed, having suffered defeat at the hands of the Akatsuki leader.

Sasuke snorted. If the Toad Hermit was as powerful as Orochimaru, it was no wonder he'd lost so terribly. The great Sannin were not all they were cracked up to be.

But back to the problem at hand. Tsunade had clearly come to some sort of conclusion or revelation about Naruto. Unfortunately, her thought processes were silent, and while Sasuke could have peered into her mind, such an offense would get him exiled or executed. That wouldn't do. He needed to find out what kind of power Naruto had tapped into.

Sasuke turned his attention back to the two on the roof. Tsunade was still mulling over the epiphany she'd had and Inoichi was watching her closely, waiting for some reaction. Eventually, she turned and headed back inside, giving him the order to get a priest from the temple nearby.

A priest? Sasuke wondered. What would a priest have to do with anything?

Naruto and Kyuubi reached the top of the cliff, after what felt like an eternity of climbing. Naruto lowered himself to the ground carefully, breathing heavily. He had barely a moment of peace before Kyuubi was tugging him up again.

"Let's go, kit," he growled. "You can rest when we reach our destination."

Naruto groaned, but pulled himself up off the ground anyway. He grimaced as the running jarred his ribs, but soon settled into a smooth gait that kept him even. Kyuubi led him across the barren plains of the death god's stomach, eyes constantly scanning and keeping a lookout.

Kyuubi's skin was prickling. They were being watched. He scowled, though, detecting no malice in the vaguely familiar feeling. They weren't being hunted, that much was for sure. He knew he'd felt this before. He cast back through his memories to find where.

"Come on," he chuckled, dragging the twenty year old along.

Minato resisted, digging his heels in. "No. It's rude and inconsiderate."

Kyuubi laughed. "It's natural. Why wouldn't you want to see it?"

"I have seen 'it,'" Minato shot back testily. "And with permission, unlike you and sensei."

The mischievous grin spread across the fox's face as he gave his friend a shove, sending him crashing quite ungracefully through the bushes. "But never in this quantity!"

Kyuubi lowered himself next to Minato so that he could see through the crack in the wall. "See? Isn't it great?"

Minato didn't reply. Kyuubi snickered as he saw his friend's red face and the trickle of blood from his nose. "I thought you'd seen the female nude before, Minato," Kyuubi teased, his voice barely above a hiss.

"Uhn," Minato grunted, not taking his eyes from the bathhouse. The blue eyes followed the movement of something, rather, someone across the edges of the bath. Kyuubi followed his gaze.

"Oooh, I see." He grinned evilly. "I had no idea she'd be here. Or that you'd only look at her."

Minato's eyes widened to the size of saucers as the girl he was staring at dropped the towel, preparing to step into the bath. Kyuubi raised an eyebrow. "Hubba-hubba."

"Stop looking at her!" Minato snapped, clocking Kyuubi on the head.

The demon stuck his tongue out. "Aw, is Minato feeling possessive over his Kushina?"

Minato's eyes flashed dangerously, but before he could respond, the backs of their necks tingled in warning. They tensed, sharing a look. The two were being watched. They began to slither backwards, moving through the bushes silently this time.

Kyuubi frowned. Whoever was watching them there was watching them here as well. There were few people in Konoha who knew about that spot, only the great perverts. That would be Kakashi, Kyuubi, Jiraiya, Ebisu (though he'd never admit it), and Sarutobi.

The only one who could possibly be here, and be skilled enough to avoid direct detection, was Sarutobi.

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Yup, some of you guessed it. We will meet Sarutobi in this world. That's all for now. Some of you have requested longer chapters, but that would mean less frequent updates. So, if enough people really want longer chapters and are willing to wait, then I'll do that. I don't have a specific plan for each chapter. Just let me know.

Bye now! Until next time.