Invictus

by Raging Smurf

When I died, I never thought I'd get a second chance at life, let alone another chance as the protagonist of an anime. Getting another chance in a world with Snake pedos, heart thieves, and peepers with doomsday capabilities wasn't a part of the memo. But I ain't selling my life cheap, that's for damn sure. Male OC NarutoInsert. Chapters 1-4 prologue.

53. Farewells and new horizons

New chapter here, and I'm going to be a prick to the guest reviewer that saw fit to say more than once that Rin should have been gay, and said a gloriously asinine final comment.

First: Have better than 7.25 an hour internet and your reviews might properly go through.

Second: Sasuke is definitely not a character I particularly like to the point that I'd pair him with Rin for no other reason than that.

Third: As if the ramifications of a poor pullout game like you would be worth me blocking your reviews.

Now that I've got that over with... Everpeach, tickle thy prostate with a cactus, cat lover, for that cursed review. And the Bengals suck Ram chode.

There's pretty much nothing else. Thank you for suffering my rambling. Here's the chapter.

---

"No," Sasuke growled, glaring at the Godaime with unmatched fury as she just finished speaking, "I refuse."

Sasuke could suffer being around Itachi for the next year or so for two reasons only. One, he wanted to be strong enough to kill the Akatsuki, and especially Tobi. Two, Rin would be with him so he wasn't completely alone with Itachi.

But getting Itachi's eyes transplanted into his head was something he was never going to consent to. He wanted nothing to do with those eyes, especially the left one because of what Itachi did to him.

"This is not a request, Chunin." Tsunade said neutrally, her eyes narrowed. "This is an order from your superior. I will not have two of my Shinobi hampered by your constant refusal to help yourself."

Sasuke's fists clenched as he looked between Tsunade and his brother, the other Uchiha gazing back neutrally.

"Don't think that I enjoy forcing this," Tsunade said clearly, tapping her nails against a bottle that Sasuke was certain that it didn't contain water, "But I must look at the bigger picture to protect Konoha, especially with what is occurring in Iwa. If it requires me to force you to accept a power that only Uchiha Madara possessed, then I will do it to protect my home."

Sasuke really wanted to make his opinion known about the attempt at manipulating him into accepting. Having eyes that would never go blind when using esoteric abilities was definitely enticing, but he saw the comparison for what it was; an attempt to control him.

"I don't want to permanently be marked by you physically," He bit out at Itachi, curling his lip in hatred, "You already... how would Naruto describe it, Skullfucked me?" Sasuke enjoyed the look of irritation appear on his brother's face at the description his actions.

"You are no fool, Sasuke," Itachi sighed, not trying to scold him for his comment, "You know whatever you do will not sway the Hokage from her decision. You are not strong enough to fight her off, you have no experience in the outside world to hide, or contacts to hide you, and lastly, you do not have what it takes to betray your friends." He said softly, his eyes focused directly on Sasuke's face, "I will not let you hurt or hamper yourself out of your hatred towards me."

You already have. Sasuke wanted to say it out loud, but bit his tongue. He was trapped between a rock and a hard place, and he was royally screwed.

He hated Uchiha Itachi, perhaps as much as he did just a few weeks prior when he thought his brother murdered his family and tortured him for enjoyment. Sasuke, like he had been before, was forced into something he never wanted.

"Fine," He eventually said, walking towards the Hokage's desk, "Just get it over with so I can kill Tobi and protect my friends."

Tsunade rose to her feet and gestured to the two males in the room to follow her, Sasuke hurrying along to avoid walking next to Itachi.

They got to a specific room in the tower that was sealed off, the door opening when Tsunade pulsed chakra through the lock to unravel the traps set in place.

The room was revealed to be a sort of medical ward, two surgical tables right next to each other with different equipment next to it.

"I will need to keep your hair out of your faces and disinfect your faces." Tsunade explained shortly, walking towards the tables.

Sasuke shivered as he visualized what was about to happen.

He was going to have his eyes slowly cut out of his head and put into a jar. His eyes seemed to involuntarily twitch and he started looking around the room frantically, his breath ragged.

What if Tsunade made a mistake? What if he was blinded? He couldn't do this. He couldn't lose them! What connected him to his family and clan, his eyes, were all he had left of them.

I can't.

"I can't." Sasuke tried to calm himself down, but he was so unsettled by what was about to happen that he was ready to bolt. "I can't. I can't."

"Sasuke." Itachi's voice from right next to him cut through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter, "You are an Uchiha. Do you not want the power to protect them from harm? You wanted to surpass me, nothing changes. Do it for them."

Sasuke visualized Naruto being overwhelmed by a masked man, all the while he wasn't fast enough to help his friend. He imagined Kakashi being cut down trying to protect Hinata.

And Rin...

Sasuke wouldn't let his own weakness and self-doubt stop him from being strong enough. Naruto was better than him, he always was. With Rin having half of the Kyuubi in her, Sasuke needed something to make sure he could stand beside them.

'Let go with me, Sasuke.' He heard Naruto's voice in his head, the reminder shaking him from his fear.

Not the last of the old. The first of the new.

Sasuke's emotions stilled and he calmly walked the rest of the way towards the table, sitting down on it.

For them.

Tsunade nodded appreciatively at Itachi as Sasuke sat down, shivering as Tsunade ran her chakra coated hands across his face.

"This will be over quickly," Tsunade assured him, grabbing a syringe, 'This is a sedative. Which arm do you want it in?"

"Right." Sasuke replied simply, his Sharingan active as he looked around.

This would be the last thing he ever saw with the eyes he was born with. Something intrinsically part of him would be gone.

He barely felt the pinprick feeling, but the blurring of his vision was what had him realizing it started kicking in.

In a swirl of colours, Sasuke's world faded to black, his unconscious body going limp.

---

"I take it you're wanting to distract me with something positive before Rin leaves?" I looked up at Jiraiya, having just finished several reps of lifting a pretty heavy weight without the assistance of chakra.

Contrary to what I had initially thought from the series, chakra constantly flowed throughout your body and assisted your body in its functions, including muscles and bones. The trick to fast tracking strength and agility was to try and consciously not use chakra, or at least slow the flow of it.

In short, I was miserable. I felt chills and was uncomfortable from reining it in. It was like loosing my peripheral vision.

Jiraiya nodded, grabbing the bar with weight seals on it and tossing it aside, before helping me up.

The choice of landscape for training was the usual, a flat plain a couple miles out from the village.

"It won't be difficult," He promised, his eyes sparkling happily, "You're a damned good Shinobi already. You'll pass Gamabunta's test with flying colours."

I grimaced at the thought of hanging on to him for dear life as he jumped around. Heights were not a thing I particularly enjoyed.

Or perhaps it's the thought of turning into a bright red smear on impact that I don't like.

"Just get it over with." I muttered, not distracted in the slightest.

Rin was leaving with Sasuke and Itachi today, specifically evening time to be at their specific destination under the cover of dark.

I wasn't a hyperventilating mess like everybody thought I was going to be, even if they didn't specifically mention it. I could tell how everybody; Ino, Hinata, Kakashi, Anko, they were all very careful around me and didn't say anything to rile me up, even jokingly.

Sasuke had also been avoiding me and according to Kakashi and Hinata, them as well.

Rin had to fill me in on how Sasuke was acclimating, both physically and emotionally, to having Itachi's eyes.

But my mind went back to the impending test.

Given that it was several hours away, Jiraiya wanted the test with Gamabunta done now instead of later.

"So, what am I supposed to do?" I asked, seeing Jiraiya already unfurling the scroll on his back.

"Bite your thumb," He then went through hand seals at a slow enough pace for me to follow, "Do those signs, and press your hand against the scroll."

I nodded and looked at him expectantly, having not signed the contract yet.

"Use a drop of my blood to open up the link and you can try it out. Gamabunta might not like getting summoned right now by you accidentally." The way he worded the last part sounded a bit sarcastic, like he doubted I could pull it off.

A scoff escaped me as he bit the pad of his thumb and pressed it against my palm, leaving some blood.

"I'd say something messed up, but it'll disgust me more than you." I muttered, adjusting my posture to prepare for my next action.

I then went through the needed signs, pressing my palm against the scroll and forcing a fairly hefty amount of chakra into it.

I wanted to make a statement.

With a massive puff of smoke, a giant toad appeared under Jiraiya and me, the abrupt change in altitude making my stomach turn.

"How..." Jiraiya was at a loss for words at what I just did on my first try, "What the hell are you, gaki?"

A groan escaped me as I felt bile try and creep up my throat, a rumble and shifting of Gamabunta's body making me apprehensive.

"What do you need me for, Jiraiya?" Gamabunta asked, his voice rumbling so much I could feel it in my bones, "Who is with you? I can feel another."

"Now, don't buck us off," Jiraiya warned sharply, bracing his legs for movement, "Naruto used my blood to summon you, and he just did it on his first try."

Gamabunta took a deep breath and I let out a whimper that I immediately crushed down.

"I said no, Jiraiya!" Gamabunta tensed his legs and leaped up into the air without any warning at all.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" My scream was consumed by the roaring of the wind as I lost my footing and was forced on my back, the air torn from my lungs as I struggled to breath.

Gamabunta then landed on the ground and caused me to bounce up in the air, my back hitting the top of his head again and winding me once more.

Stop. Stop. I tried to speak, but I was unable to as he jumped again.

With as much willpower as I could muster, I twisted as he landed again and forced myself to my feet, placing my hands against Gamabunta's head to steady myself.

Grabbing an exploding tag from a pouch designated for them, I flung it to my left and detonated it right next to his ear, causing him to pause as he let out a groan.

"FUCK YOU!" I shouted, causing Jiraiya to give me a warning look. The bastard hadn't even shifted at all from the swaying.

"Heh," Gamabunta chuckled, "You wanna be that way, fine." Without warning, the giant toad rolled to the side and sent me flying, the wind rushing through my ears as I struggled to right myself.

Cursing every single amphibian on Earth, I released lightning chakra through my tenketsu and formed a protective shell of armour around me, right before I struck the ground at high speed.

The ground cratered under me and I slowly controlled my breathing, cutting the chakra feed before it started cooking my nervous system.

I'm going for your other eye, toad. I thought acidly, dragging myself out of the crater and staring up at a laughing Jiraiya and a collosal Gamabunta.

"What's the big deal?!" I shouted, glaring up at the toad, "You never rolled during Jiraiya's test or my dad's!"

"There is no test." Gamabunta said fiercely, absent-mindedly swatting at Jiraiya to mess with him, which the Sannin avoided without any issue, "I will not accept you as a summoner."

Gamabunta was really pissing me off. I needed Sage mode to face the threats out there, and this overgrown amoeba was impeding me over wounded pride.

"Because of this?" I grabbed at my hair, baring my teeth at him, "Or this?" I drew the Kusanagi from a storage seal in my right bracer and readied it, pulsing my bloodline ability through it.

Gamabunta's eyes narrowed at my response, Jiraiya frantically trying to get me to back down.

"I don't need to explain you two being idiots to Tsunade," Jiraiya groaned audibly, my hearing picking it up, "Please, don't destroy the environment."

The Toad boss huffed and peered at me closely, the scar he got from Ashina seeming to stand out even more.

"If Gamamaru confirms what Jiraiya thinks, I will let it go." He said slowly, any tenseness in his legs absent now, "But know this, you remind me of Uzumaki Ashina in all the worst ways. Do not do what he did."

With that, Gamabunta vanished in a puff of smoke, causing Jiraiya to start falling. The man adjusted quickly and landed with a tuck and roll to prevent himself from getting hurt, a scowl on his face as he stomped towards me.

"I told you to keep it civil." He shook his head, watching me put up the Kusanagi. "The Toads have every right to be skeptical of another Uzumaki."

Rin hasn't been mentioned. I scowled internally, knowing that it was me specifically they were guarded about.

"Tell me they'd treat Rin the same way." I countered with a hint of exasperation. "We going to Mount Myoboku to talk with that senile toad you talked about?" I asked with a little more politeness, having calmed down from Gamabunta being a jerk.

Jiraiya didn't bother defending them, remaining silent.

"Sorry for giving Gamabunta trouble." I said apologetically, even though I wasn't particularly sorry about it. "And you too."

Jiraiya had already asked that I not cause anything or take any bait from Gamabunta. Ashina was the only human that ever breached their defenses and beat him on their own home turf, so it was definitely a sore subject that the next prospective Toad summoner was not only a descendant of that specific man, but also looked like him and had the same bloodline ability.

"But why are you wanting me as the summoner?" I asked, hoping he would be honest, "And not Rin?"

The irritation Jiraiya had slowly bled away and was replaced with a neutral expression that I couldn't read, not even the faint shifting of his chakra gave anything away.

"This..." He paused and grimaced, looking around, "I'll summon us to Mount Myoboku and tell you." Without any warning, he pinched his thumb to reopen the cut and blurred through hand seals, grabbing ahold of me as we disappeared from Konoha.

---

My feet hit the ground and I staggered, pushing away from Jiraiya's grip.

"Thanks for the warning." I said flatly, silently running through what I just felt.

Getting reverse summoned felt similar to the feedback my clones gave me when I used Tobirama's Hiraishin marker, minus the wood chipper feeling.

"Well?" I looked up at my godfather, wondering why he was acting strange.

On the bright side, the land looked beautiful and the waterfall seemed to sparkle, the life giving liquid shimmering in a fluid curtain.

But back to Jiraiya, I'd already been told about Gamamaru supposedly seeing the future where a student of Jiraiya's would save the world, but he didn't act weird like this.

It was an unknown variable, and I hated those.

Jiraiya grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm wanting to train you in the Sage abilities of the toads and give you the contract over Rin."

"Can't the two of us have it?"

Jiraiya shook his head.

"I already asked before your father was killed. They only accept one summoner in training at any given time. You or Rin would have been left out even if Minato was still alive."

The thought of Rin being deprived of a force multiplier like Sage Mode didn't sit well with me, but I also needed it as much as her to survive the inevitable conflicts ahead.

"If the old toad says no to accepting me as a summoner," I was delicate with my words as best as I could, "Would Rin be the next summoner?"

Much to my relief, Jiraiya shrugged at first then nodded.

"I can probably get that done. You just happen to have the bloodline ability and hair they hate...Along with something stupid." He added under his breath.

"You realize I hear you clear as day, right?" I raised a brow, realizing I hadn't actually tried to sense the environment.

I reached out with my certified sixth sense and took a sharp intake of air at the feeling of the equally as beautiful lands we were in.

If this was what saturated Nature chakra felt like, I wanted nothing more than to bask in it forever. It felt both soft and indescribably dense, the feeling of it wanting to wrap around me making me shut my eyes in contentment.

"Naruto." Jiraiya shook my shoulder, pulling me from the short trance I was in, "Focus. I know it feels good, but you need to be here, not in your head."

Jiraiya could probably feel a sense of calm from it, but he couldn't actually sense it like I could.

"You have no idea how good this feels." I whispered breathlessly, gazing at nothing in particular as my senses seemed to be caressed by the chakra of the world, "No idea."

Thankfully, Jiraiya let me have a minute to myself for the purpose of practically drowning in the endless waves of calming ripples that seemed to shift steadily, almost as if the beating heart of the world itself thrummed through the air.

After being sated, I pulled in my sensing and blinked repeatedly, looking up at Jiraiya gratefully.

"Thanks for, you know, being patient." I said a bit awkwardly, my godfather laughing lightly and waving it off.

"Minato did something similar," He admitted, "But not to that level. You're sensing is very good."

Right as I was about to speak again, I felt a signature seem to form from the environment, causing me to turn.

I saw two toads, both of whom were familiar, even without me ever seeing them in the flesh.

Ma and Pa.

They likely were able to conceal their signatures in the chakra of their home, which made me secretly wonder how Ashina managed to get out of here.

"I see you brought the Uzumaki boy, Jiraiya-chan," Ma said, looking at me with an appraising gaze, "You look like the two." She said matter of factly.

At my raised brow, she clarified.

"Your father and your ancestor. I hope you are more like your father. He was much more respectful than Jiraiya-chan when we first met him."

I heard Jiraiya let out a scoff to my left, causing Pa to cut in.

"Take your marks, Jiraiya. You were a petulant little boy and you still are at heart."

Jiraiya huffed and didn't respond, much to my amusement. He might be able to trade insults with me, but the toads have known him for close to 40 years, so nothing he's said to them is new.

"Sorry to dash your hopes on the rocks," I responded, trying to sound respectful despite the content of my words, "But I'm on the fast track to be like Jiraiya, and I've already surpassed him."

The way a sapient toad scowls is very unique, at least I had thought so for my entire life that I knew they existed, and I just saw it for the first time when Pa did just that to my statement.

"I highly doubt that." The toad said, giving me a look, "The only way Jiraiya could be worse is if a gaggle of white haired children showed up from his... extracurricular activities."

I laughed at the comment while Jiraiya really didn't like that little jab at him.

"Let's just take the gaki to the old toad," He grumbled, the four of us walking towards a location I somewhat remembered, but didn't care about because of how much of my focus was on the environment.

I can sense the oil. I realized, focusing more and noticing how ridiculously bright it was. The only thing as potent was maybe Kurama's chakra, but his was as chaotic as Nature chakra here was peaceful.

Without warning, Jiraiya grabbed my shoulder and slowed down, keeping us out of earshot of Ma and Pa.

"Under no circumstances are to try and collect toad oil," He whispered, his grip on my shoulder hurting, "I'm not letting you get killed from curiosity."

The way his chakra sharpened almost made me freeze, the entire focus of his will settling on my shoulders.

For the first time ever, I was scared of Jiraiya.

"I understand." I replied, letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding when he let go of me.

"Good." He said, quickening his pace for a moment.

We reached a place that was vaguely familiar to me, a chakra signature in it that had me stopping to feel.

Summons had a different feel to their chakra compared to humans. What I assumed was Nature chakra played a role in the makeup of their chakra and sapience. They felt shinier.

But Gamamaru, because there was no one else it could be, felt like Hiruzen times a thousand. I'd never thought I would ever feel a signature that felt shriveled.

"How old exactly is Gamamaru-sama?" I asked, injecting politeness and respect where it was due. "I can feel his chakra."

Pa looked over his shoulder at me, his strangely slanted eyes standing out as he kept walking.

"He is older than the Sage of Six Paths." He replied, stopping at the entrance with Ma, "This is where we stop. He wishes to speak with you two only." Pa looked at both Jiraiya and me.

With that ominous statement, the two toads left us at the entrance, my concern probably showing on my face.

"Don't worry about it," Jiraiya assured me, "They took awhile to warm up to me. You'll be on their good side like Minato."

I didn't say anything. With my luck, Gamabunta would be as annoying as Kurama was at times.

Fox. I addressed him, opening up the connection, You wanna have a look at the Toads' home?

"No," He responded lazily, sounding like he hust woke up, "I don't want to talk."

I'm bored and want to talk. I said, intentionally making myself sound whiny. The real reason I was doing this was to get him to accept tonight as a conversation point. I was going to need it once Rin left.

I heard Kurama grumble something under his breath, his chakra shifting some.

"Your sister's seal sounds all the more enticing. We can talk tonight if you desire conversation."

With that, Kurama's consciousness went to his Yang half, leaving me alone.

Jiraiya noticed that I went quiet, probably knowing what I was doing.

"Fox?" He asked, confirming my suspicion.

I nodded, steeling myself for meeting the oldest entity I'd ever encountered.

---

We entered the enclosure and I saw a toad about the size of Gamabunta lounging in a chair, several pillows helping prop him up.

Gamamaru squinted at us and smiled slightly.

"Ah, Jiraiya boy. I am happy to see you. How goes your attempts at wooing your teammate, Orochimaru was it?"

I bit my tongue and took several quick breaths to not laugh, Jiraiya's reaction was even better.

"No," My green faced godfather said deliberately slow, "It is Tsunade, and it's going well."

Gamamaru continued to smile pleasantly, a sigh escaping him.

"I am pleased that you are finding happiness, Jirai-" He abruptly cut off and stared directly at me, his eyes no longer squinted.

His signature now was like night and day compared to what it was moments ago. He looked and felt alert and sharp.

"Why are you here?" He asked, the gravelly tone to his voice making it somehow more intimidating.

I blinked at the hostility, the size difference being more than enough to offset how slow he looked from age.

But that didn't exactly assure me since this toad was friends with Hagoromo.

"I beg your pardon?" I said coldly, insulted by the seemingly laid back and relaxed toad's tone.

"Get out." Gamamaru ordered, "Back to the shadow, burglar!"

Before Jiraiya could tell me to stop or try and control the situation, I stomped towards Gamamaru.

"You are senile," I said flatly, glaring up at the sharp gaze of the millennia old toad, "And I'm not a thief."

Gamamaru's eyes seemed to take on a steely glint to them that his chakra matched in intensity.

"You were not supposed to live." Gamabunta pointed at me, "Why are back after your death?"

My blood froze in my veins, my lungs refusing to work at what was just said by a toad I knew could see events.

How? How does he know?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I managed to stammer out, my entire body shaking in terror.

"You come here, into my home," Gamamaru rose from his seat, taking a careful stance, "And pretend that you are anything but a deceitful burglar?!"

My mind wasn't processing what he was saying, my worst fear becoming a reality right in front of me.

Jiraiya would find out. Everyone would find out. I would lose everything all over again. I would be alone in this hellscape of a world

"Jiraiya boy, please escort Ashina out of here before somebody dies."

Jiraiya, who had been looking at me quizzically as I was on the verge of having a panic attack, looked taken aback.

"This isn't Ashina, Gamamaru-sama," Jiraiya said clearly, looking at me with concern, "This is my apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto. He is Minato's som and Ashina's descendant."

Gamamaru looked at me up and down, squinting his eyes as he focused on nothing but me.

"Hmmm," He tilted his head, a faint wheezing chuckle coming from his throat, "You look like him. You have that ugly red carpet for hair like he did."

I was trying to calm my racing heart and didn't say anything, the way he had said it made me think the worst.

"You alright, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, concern lacing his tone.

I shook my head, coming up with a reason as fast as I could.

"It reminded me of..." I trailed off and traced my index across my throat, cluing my godfather in on what I was getting at.

His widened slightly, before he grimaced and nodded his understanding.

"Gamamaru-sama," I cleared my throat uncomfortably, "I apologize for being rude. It was out of line."

"Oh, don't be sorry, young man." Gamamaru slowly leaned back and sat back down, his weathered face tight from his exertion. "You are... er, young." He eventually supplied, seeming to try and find the correct word.

With the hair raising incident over with, Jiraiya took pity on me and stepped forward.

"I brought Naruto here because I believe he is the Child of Prophecy you said would be trained by me and bring great change to the world."

To my relief, Gamamaru looked fairly lucid compared to just a couple minutes ago. Hopefully my presence gave a bit of a jolt to the noggin.

"How," Gamamaru paused, looking like he was thinking deeply, "How many have you trained again?"

Before I ever get this senile, I'm fighting the fox buck naked and with only a knife. I promised myself. If my mind starts to fade and I lose myself, I'm going out violently.

"Naruto will be the third I have trained." Jiraiya replied, giving me a reassuring smile. "He has the potential to be stronger than my Sensei was."

I fought the urge to snort. Without Kurama, I would probably be in a similar bracket as Hiruzen at his best or Itachi when I got older.

But with Kurama, I was a completely different beast entirely.

But to be fair, I had a greater incentive to be as powerful as I could be. I wonder what Hiruzen would have accomplished as a young man if he knew Tobirama would be killed on a mission or if he knew Madara was still alive.

"I have had dreams of many people, Jiraiya boy," Gamamaru responded to Jiraiya's statement, "But in none of those dreams did I see the boy in front of me."

Jiraiya shook his head sharply.

"That doesn't matter," He said, "Naruto is the one the prophecy pertains to. You spoke of fraternal twins and the oldest being powerful, remember?" The last portion of what Jiraiya said sounded off.

Gamamaru shut his eyes and looked in deep thought, trying to remember.

The only fraternal twins I could think of aside from Rin and me was Hagoromo and Hamura.

"It was Hagoromo I was speaking of, Jiraiya," Gamamaru finally spoke after a near deafening silence.

So he told Jiraiy- I couldn't finish the thought before Jiraiya's chakra flared and I jerked my head to face him.

The strangled choking sound that came from Jiraiya was followed by his chakra dimming so much that I could barely see it.

"It's... No," Jiraiya clenched his fists, "If Naruto is trained in Senjutsu, then he will be strong enough to be the change in the world. He is the one!"

"He will not receive Sage training from here," Gamamaru said, glancing towards me, "It is not in his future."

Before Jiraiya could speak, I stepped forward.

"Bullshit," I said flatly, not taking this lying down, "I need Sage training if I'm going to be strong enough to protect Konoha. Let me sign the Toad summoning contract so I can."

Gamamaru's shoulders moved and his posture straightened, his yellow eyes boring into mine.

"And if you are refused?"

"Then you won't be incorrect about comparing me to my ancestor." I nearly sneered, my fingers fidgeting some, "He managed to make a Senjutsu mask after stealing oil." My hand raised and I pulsed chakra through the digits to form a blade, "And I have a very bad temper."

"Naruto." Jiraiya hissed, his posture tensed and ready to put me down hard.

"I don't care," I glared at him, "I won't let some shriveled up amphibian get in the way of me protecting everything I care about, Jiraiya." My chakra was itching under my skin from my anger at being deprived of a weapon to protect me and those I held most precious.

"Jiraiya trusts me to be the next summoner for the Toads," I continued, toning down the wrath in my voice, "Is his judgement not enough for you?"

Gamamaru slowly trailed his eyes up and down at me, the lids slowly closing and opening as he sighed.

"You are a dead spot in my dreams; an emptiness in which a future I have seen might be denied."

That normally would have been ominous, but it actually encouraged me. It meant my existence had an influence on the world in the long run.

"Your sister..." Gamamaru trailed off, his head dipping as he started snoring lightly.

"Oi!" Jiraiya raised his voice somewhat, causing Gamamaru to jolt back awake.

"Where was I?" He blinked, rubbing at his face.

"My sister." I said, anticipating what he was going to say.

"Oh, that's right." Gamamaru smiled, "I see her violet eyes in more than one dream. She is a recurring one alongside another, a boy with soulful eyes."

Sasuke. I thought. Nobody else fit that description, especially since the two were going to be training together.

"They are intertwined," Gamamaru said, continuing to look at something that wasn't there, "Like Yin and Yang in unison. Lock and key. Sword and sheath. Where one goes, the other is beside them."

The comparisons started making me uncomfortable. Indra and Ashura were definitely intertwined, but the way Gamamaru was saying it bordered on creepy, especially for spiritual siblings.

"Her path leads to here, but your journey does not." Gamamaru finished, his eyes going to Jiraiya's after he seemed to snap out of the little trance he was in.

Jiraiya took a deep breath and looked at me with a look of sadness that shouldn't belong on a laid back man like him. This bothered him immensely.

"Have you seen any dreams or visions of who the Child of Prophecy is, definitively?" Jiraiya asked Gamamaru, his tone hinting at this being the last question before I would be leaving Mount Myoboku.

Gamamaru shook his head.

"No, I only see that you will guide the one to destruction or peace."

Jiraiya nodded quietly and bowed his head in respect.

"I'll let you get some rest, Gamamaru-sama. Thank you for talking."

Jiraiya then signaled me to follow him, his shoulders tight.

Once we got out, I broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Jirai-" I started to say, but he cut me off.

"I asked only one thing," He said sternly, his eyes narrowed, "And that was to not comment about stealing oil. I know you take denial to heart and I understand why you smarted off. Rin matters to you, but don't make things difficult for me when I'm trying to get Rin to have a smooth relationship with the toads."

I felt myself shrink under the criticism, Jiraiya's imposing height only playing a minor role in how small I felt.

The denial angered me. Whatever I wanted was given to me. Kakashi and Anko trained me, Fuinjutsu notes were laid out for me, Hiruzen let me take liberties in disobeying orders, and Jiraiya was personally training me.

But I needed Senjutsu to take on the Akatsuki, Pein, Obito, probably Iwa if war broke out...

And Madara if the worst should come to pass.

"Do we just leave now?" I asked listlessly, looking down at my feet.

"Rin and the resident two Uchiha will be leaving after while, so yes." Jiraiya replied, opening up the summoning scroll.

Before he started the process, he looked at me with a an ironclad expression.

"I will figure something out. Don't be an idiot like I was and reverse summon yourself to a summons realm. Rin will get the toad contract and I'll find one for you."

I didn't really care. This day was going to be awful and I wanted to just get it over with.

"Okay." I muttered, no longer feeling comforted by the extremely beautiful environment surrounding me.

Jiraiya went through the needed hand seals and sent us back to Konoha, the land of the toads disappearing from sight.

---

Itachi focused intently at a boulder in front of him, flaring chakra through the tenketsu that connected to the optic nerve and retina of the eye.

Amaterasu.

The black flames manifested at his line of sight and consumed the stone, melting it into a puddle of glassy liquid.

It wasn't until the transplantation of eyes that Itachi realized how foggy his eyesight from a distance was, everything now perfectly clear and sharp.

The pattern of his Mangekyo shifted to being more complicated than the kind that almost resembled a windmill in some ways; it had an a six pointed star pattern in the center now, with the original three blades remaining relatively the same in size. The contrast in how much chakra his Mangekyo abilities cost was also noticeable.

This was only the second day since Tsunade signed off on Sasuke and him being permitted to use their Sharingan, simply for precautions. The surgery went perfect and the two of them now had another potent weapon in their arsenal.

He already tried out his Susanoo yesterday, the speed of its conjuring and the lack of resistance to his will had him wondering how much more dangerous Madara was after taking Izuna's eyes.

Whether Sasuke attempted to test what his abilities were or not was unknown to Itachi. The moment he was capable of walking straight without Tsunade hounding him, his little brother had avoided almost everybody save for his teammates and Kakashi.

Wiping the faint dripping of blood from his eye socket, Itachi grabbed his gear that was in a storage scroll and was for the next two years at least.

Uzumaki Naruto forced the situation, but Itachi hoped, perhaps naively, that the older of the two Uzumaki was correct that Sasuke would eventually forgive him.

Before he could Shunshin towards his destination though, a faint shiver went up Itachi's spine and he spun around, his Sharingan flashing in preparation.

"Who's there?" He said coldly, his chakra responding to his will.

He spotted the slight bending of light around a large silhouette, only two people he knew were that size.

Jiraiya and Kisame.

"I see that Tsunade fixed your eyes." Jiraiya's voice came from the spot, his form materializing the rest of the way.

Itachi tilted his head at Jiraiya's presence, the act unusual from what he gathered about the Sannin's behavior.

"What interest does another Sannin have in me?" The Uchiha asked neutrally, hiding his curiosity.

Jiraiya snorted derisively. "I don't swing that way, like Orochi. Although those cheekbones and hair would be killer on a chick."

Itachi closed his eyes and counted to three, already having a bad history with two others that thought it amusing to make crass comments.

"I came here for three reasons," Jiraiya said seriously, all laid-back pretences gone, "One is related to our communication methods, another is something that just occurred between the toads and Naruto, and the last is about Rin and Sasuke."

Itachi ran through the possibilities that could be the reasons, coming up short.

"Was our current chosen methods insufficient?" Itachi queried, confused by Jiraiya's change in stance.

Agents of the Sannin would act as runners for messages, properly encoded of course.

"A better one has made itself available," Jiraiya sighed, shaking his head irritably, "The toads rejected Naruto as a summoner, meaning Rin is up as the next one."

That is a definite surprise. Itachi thought internally, frowning at the change.

Change was unpredictable, and unpredictable events seldom produced positive results.

"You mean to use the toads as a communication medium between you two," Itachi said aloud, nodding at the more secure method, "What were the other two about?"

"The reason Naruto was rejected and the subject related to Rin and Sasuke are tied together," Jiraiya said, shifting his stance somewhat, "The oldest toad in Mount Myoboku can see glimpses of the future through Senjutsu."

The prodigious and overall genius that was Uchiha Itachi hid his reaction as best as he could, but it still left him baffled.

"I will assume for the sake of this that you are not attempting to mess with me. Although it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility."

Itachi knew that Senjutsu gave sensory abilities when in use, but nothing about seeing glimpses of the future.

The Sharingan can seemingly predict what is about to happen. He mused, accepting that as an example of it being possible.

"Thinking about your eyes' ability?" Jiraiya raised a brow, causing Itachi to frown at his thoughts being accurately judged, "I've been around for half a century, kid. Forty of those have been as a Shinobi. I can read people well, you just happen to be the hardest one to."

Itachi didn't respond, silently requesting that the older of the two continue with what he was saying.

"The Sharingan and it's ability makes it plausible enough for you to accept, so that's fine enough," Jiraiya said, continuing his explanation, "The old toad said he saw it in Rin's future to go to Mount Myoboku, so we will be meeting up at the inn you will be staying at in two weeks for me to have her go through everything needed to sign the contract."

Whatever Jiraiya was going to say next was evidently uncomfortable for him, because he grimaced.

"It was also mentioned that she and a boy with soulful eyes are intertwined and tied together. The exact comparisons were Yin and Yang, lock and key, sword and sheath."

Itachi clicked his tongue in irritation. Tsunade had been the one that told him to practically babysit the two on top of training them. The two were close friends that were starting to mature, and things could happen.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out how dangerous an... accident," Jiraiya's discomfort was noticeable, "Would be for Rin or the surrounding landscape."

"A simple explanation will steer Sasuke away," Itachi replied simply, unconvinced of it being a particular issue, "And I doubt Rin will have any interest when the risks are known by her."

"You don't understand," Jiraiya shook his head, "Whether they become the closest of friends or something else, it was seen by Gamamaru. I'm not asking you to try and stop anything. That will just embolden them out of spite."

Itachi wanted to refute that, but Sasuke seemed to have a pathological need to defy him in everything imaginable.

He already is interested in her. Itachi bit the inside of his cheek lightly, exhaling through his nose audibly. I've seen it. She is everything he could ever want and he will not tolerate a third party, especially me, trying to take something from him or interfere.

His decision to hurt Sasuke seemed to punish him once more, the reminder feeling like a knife to his heart.

"I only ask that you make sure Sasuke isn't going to be a horny little idiot."

Itachi did not take kindly to Jiraiya's comment about Sasuke, his lip curling in disdain as he made his opinion known.

"My brother is not a lecher like you." Itachi remarked coldly, ignoring the chill that went up his spine at what Naruto had said about Sasuke and two other boys invading the hot springs.

His brother wasn't like that. He was an Uchiha, not a degenerate.

"I can tell you're bullshitting me." Jiraiya deadpanned, looking at him suspiciously, "You know something about him."

"It was a comment made in jest about a stupid lie concerning the hot springs." Itachi muttered, his irritation at Uzumaki noticable.

"What?!" Jiraiya practically barked, his eyes wide, "Sasuke was one of the three that infiltrated the hot springs?"

Itachi's breath caught in his throat at Jiraiya saying that. It meant Naruto wasn't lying about an incident occurring.

"What happened at the hot springs?" Itachi asked worriedly, his mind in free fall at the horrific possibility that his brother turned out much worse than he could have ever feared.

Jiraiya explained what happened weeks before the exams when three genin got into the hot springs and escaped after seeing all the Kunoichi bathing.

The specific one that was straddled by Inuzuka Hana and shouted 'Harder, bitch.' was unknown, but Itachi's prodigious mind made the all too unwelcome connection quickly.

Rin was loud and opinionated, along with being skilled at taijutsu and had knocked Sasuke to the ground when they had sparred. She was a shining example of being strong and unwilling to back down from a slight against her.

She also had a more wild look to her from the influence of the Kyuubi's chakra...

Similar to an Inuzuka.

If Sasuke had a... type, it would be a wild and untameable girl.

This can't be happening. Itachi felt nauseous at the thought of Sasuke being the type of boy that would do that. Henging as an adult to get a racy magazine from an adult store was one thing, but spying on women bathing and causing an explosion was beyond the pale.

"I didn't realize your brother had it in him to surpass me this early." Jiraiya finished with a surprised tone, causing Itachi to give a murderous glare at the man.

"I will ensure it is only a passing imperfection." Itachi said through clenched teeth, refusing to let his brother become an unsalvageable degenerate.

"If you don't want him suffering from broken bones and internal bleeding, kindly educate him on a subject I am intimately familiar with," Jiraiya crossed his arms, leaning on his right leg, "Don't try and ogle a blonde when she's bathing. And doubly so in Sasuke's case when his target is a Jinchuriki with a vicious little shit for an older brother and a Sannin for a godfather."

Itachi curled his fingers until his nails bit into his palms, not looking forward to the next several months of just himself, Uzumaki Rin, and his potentially... he couldn't put into words what he thought of Sasuke's distasteful predilections.

"Is there anything else?" Itachi asked tiredly, wanting to free himself of a Sannin that failed to live up to his legendary reputation.

Just like the other two, come to think of it.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I would have led with more serious things if everything out there has changed at all. Iwa has still gone dark, and a few hiccups are springing up where Orochimaru's village was at. The place is imploding after he got killed and it's showing."

That was a conversation the two plus Kakashi had just days ago, the situation having been brought up by Kumo ANBU that were running joint missions with Konoha's ANBU in acquiring salvage from any bases of Orochimaru's.

They had met with little success.

"I'll have more information when we rendezvous." Jiraiya finished, scratching at his temple, "And you've got some blood on your chin."

The spy master of Konoha then made a hand seal and vanished in a swirl of leaves, a faint trail in the ground from where he kicked of being noticeable.

Itachi put his hand against his chin and pressed, pulling it away a moment later.

Liar. Itachi sighed, disappearing in a blur just like Jiraiya had moments earlier.

---

Rin had everything packed now and was standing outside of Sasuke's house right now, her friend getting ready as well.

Today was something she had looked at with excitement, and trepidation as well. On one hand, she was going to see the outside world and other things she'd never seen.

But on the other, she was leaving everything she ever knew and her brother...

Rin blinked rapidly as her emotions ran right under the surface of her thoughts, the sensation unpleasant.

She now understood why Naruto was so viciously protective and terrified for her safety.

He couldn't even protect himself and had been killed by Orochimaru.

No. She shook her head. He didn't die. He's right here. The fox saved him.

Sasuke was going to need her so he wouldn't be totally adversarial with Itachi, and she was going to need a familiar face and her friend when her precious people were here, in Konoha.

She wouldn't see Naruto, Hinata, Kakashi, or Anko for a months, if not a year or two.

But being strong enough to protect herself and them mattered. The Akatsuki were extremely dangerous and could kill almost everybody she knew, and the only way to stop it was to train.

Wracking her knuckles against the door lightly, she opened the door slightly and put her face up against the crack.

"Sasuke." She called for him, hearing nothing in response.

"Sasuke," She repeated herself, "It's Rin. I'm coming in." She pushed the door open the rest of the way and entered the house, hoping Sasuke was ready.

Fox, She thought internally, trying to get its attention, Can you let me use your chakra to sense emotions?

The fox thankfully responded, although he grunted dismissively.

"It is not that simple. Your chakra may act as a suppressant like all Uzumaki, but it is not like you mother, the Shodai's mate, or even the Shodai himself."

Rin furrowed her brow at the comment, remembering the in-depth knowledge that Naruto learned from their ancestor.

Whatever, I need to to make sure Sasuke is okay.

"It still astounds me that you continue to hold affections for the little Uchiha."

Rin ignored the fox and cut the connection, focusing on her friend's wellbeing over sniping with the fox.

She focused and took a quick sniff of the air, scowling when she couldn't tell whether Sasuke was here.

"Sasuke!" Rin barked out this time, hearing shifting from the bathroom now.

Walking straight towards the location of the sound, Rin rounded the corner of the doorway and saw Sasuke, staring directly into the mirror of his bathroom, his hands clutching the sink tightly.

For several seconds, her friend, who she now noticed was paler than he usually was, kept staring in the mirror.

"They look wrong." He muttered, still staring at what Rin now realized was his eyes... Or technically Itachi's.

But if Rin were to be honest, she couldn't tell the difference at all. They were identical in shape, colour, and how they maintained a coldness that seemed to contain something more underneath.

"You're just seeing things." Rin responded, wincing a moment later when she realized how poorly worded that was.

Sasuke slowly pulled his gaze away from himself and looked at her with a faint hint of annoyance, until it bled away into nothing.

"What time is it?" He asked quietly, his gaze fixed on her chin.

"After 5," She replied, bending her knees to sink lower to the ground to meet Sasuke's gaze, "Can you please look me in the eye, Sasuke?" She asked kindly, hoping to stave off a potentially new habit.

Sasuke had a more noticeable fragility than Naruto. Her brother concealed it really well, but the cracks could be seen by her from how well she knew him.

But her friend couldn't conceal it.

"I," He swallowed audibly and sighed, looking at her directly now, "I don't like the thought of seeing everything through his eyes... But I'm dealing with it."

Rin shook her head and placed her hand on Sasuke's shoulder, causing him to twitch.

"Don't pretend that you're fine, Sasuke." She said gently, smiling softly, "We're going to need to watch each other's backs when it's just the three of us, so I need to help my best friend out, right?"

Sasuke smiled in return, more subdued than normal, but still there.

"I didn't realize I surpassed Hinata as your best friend."

Rin let out a short laugh and grinned brightly.

"She graduated to sister in all but blood."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and seemed more relaxed after she got here, the change of demeanor enough to alleviate her worries.

"You have your gear ready?" She asked, tilting her head at the lack of pack in sight.

With a barely concealed smug look, Sasuke pulled a scroll out of his pocket that Rin immediately recognized to be in Sasuke's fluid handwriting.

"When did you manage to make a stable seal?" She asked, surprised by the comparatively good design from how little training Sasuke had in Fuinjutsu.

Although Hinata was better, even if she was only decent at basic Fuinjutsu and had an understanding of more complex parts.

"I practiced after you used those seals during the exams," He replied, shooting her a look, "Which I won."

Rin snorted and didn't respond, the two walking right next to each other as they exited the house for the last time and started their trek towards the meetup near the gate.

---

A small little crowd that consisted of everyone close to Rin and me were right next to me as we waited for her and Sasuke to get here, Itachi already waiting a few meters away.

Now that the time was rapidly coming close, it was starting to get to me. My thoughts were in a constant loop while I ignored everyone.

She was going to be gone. Away from me. Out of reach. I couldn't protect her from what was out there. The person I had been terrified of becoming was going to be her primary protector and in charge of her training.

What was I thinking? Jiraiya should be training her, not Itachi. I can handle this better. Mine. My burden. My responsibility, not hers.

"Naruto." Hinata whispered next to me, pulling me from my thoughts. "Are you alright?"

I didn't realize how quick I was breathing until I started to calm down some.

"Yeah," I replied quietly, noting Kakashi and Anko's less than discreet glances towards me, "I'm alright."

Hinata glanced towards Ino expectantly, the other girl being just a couple feet away.

She was staring straight at me.

"This isn't the forest, Naruto." Ino closed the distance between us, standing to my right. "Everything is going to be alright, doesn't matter what you fear."

Her words didn't assure me. The toads rejecting me was another nail in the coffin that held my hope of Rin not having to do everything Canon Naruto had to, and it deprived me of Senjutsu training.

"Do you trust Rin?" Hinata asked, grabbing ahold of my hand gently as she looked up at me slightly.

I didn't want to be coddled, but honestly, it made me feel less terrible. So I could tolerate it in spite of my dislike of it.

"Yes." I replied, feeling her and Sasuke's signature at the edge of my range.

I could sense from miles away, but a village with thousands of people made it more difficult to discern specific signatures at a distance.

Before I realized what was happening, Ino did a type of technique similar to when I was helping her sense chakra.

The difference was that she put her hand on me and let her chakra seep into my tenketsu gently.

The intrusion made me flinch, until I felt relief start to spread over me moments later as I seemed to relax involuntarily.

What even is this? I wondered, feeling myself wanting to lean towards her.

"We're right here, Naruto," She said gently, whatever she was doing keeping my thoughts steady, "You're not alone."

Everybody that was friends were here. Kakashi, Anko, Ino, Hinata, Karin, and even Shikamaru was here. Jiraiya was in a meeting with Tsunade, something to do with complications arising in Iwa.

Rin and Sasuke finally arrived in sight and I saw how nervous she was, her eyes flicking towards everyone present.

"Hi, guys," She said uncomfortably, fidgeting some as the two reached us, "I guess this is goodbye for now."

All the attention was on her and I knew she was sometimes apprehensive about it.

Rin went up to Kakashi, talked with him and said her goodbye, then moved on to Anko, the Kunoichi that embodied malicious glee at messing with people hugging Rin and ruffling her hair.

In that time, Sasuke approached both Hinata and me, and nodded at his teammate.

"I'm going to miss this," He said honestly, looking around, "I never thought I would have friends I could count on... But I guess I got several surprises." He looked like he had to psych himself up before he reached forward and gave Hinata a quick hug, letting go after a couple seconds.

Hinata practically glowed from Sasuke publicly acknowledging her as his friend, knowing that her teammate didn't take the word for granted.

"You're not a bad friend yourself, Sasuke." Hinata replied, letting out a faint giggle at the small joke she made.

Sasuke then turned to me, his chakra fluctuating in a familiar rhythm.

"Don't think that you're going to be stronger than me for long," He said seriously, setting his hand on my shoulder a bit roughly, "I won't be slowing down."

I quirked a grin in response.

"You better make the fox think you're Madara reborn when we spar next time." My tone of voice had a degree of seriousness just under the surface. "Your eyes are probably one of the most dangerous things in the world now. So use them."

Itachi was going to be terrifying with the EMS. He was still one of the most dangerous Akatsuki members while he was dying and had awful vision. With perfect sight and a functioning body not too damaged by the toxin he was exposed to, I could see him matching or surpassing what Hiruzen was in his heyday .

And Sasuke, well, I already knew what he could become when trained by an S-rank and having the Mangekyo. He took on Ay and almost killed him, at 16 no less. But Sasuke, along with all the other genin/new Chunin our age, was more skilled by having training and with me being a sort of peer to help him out.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment and I felt his chakra spasm like when he was enraged, terrified, or a combination of both. It was in a way vaguely similar to Itachi's when he...

Oh.

Sasuke opened his eyes and I saw the inverted colouring of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the first time I've ever seen it.

The show gave it no justice at all in how terrible and beautiful it looked. A red starburst pattern with the black being the background. It radiated power, practically demanding that I submit. Kneel. Give in.

I instinctively flinched and felt the overwhelming urge to look away or punch Sasuke to get him to not ensnare me when I got over the nearly hypnotic need to look at it.

Stop it. He's not Itachi or Madara. Itachi's little attempt at interrogation still made me antsy thinking about it, even after several weeks since it happened.

"I promise." He said firmly, deactivating his Sharingan, much to my relief, "Goodbye, Naruto."

"See ya, Sasuke." I nodded, my friend turning to walk away towards Itachi.

With the goodbyes for Sasuke settled, I looked at Rin and silently watched as she said her own goodbye to everyone one at a time.

After Rin went through her farewell to Karin and Shikamaru, she walked to Hinata, lifted her up and hugged her roughly, causing our quiet friend to let out a squeak of surprise.

"Keep him out of trouble." I barely made out what was said from how low Rin's voice was when she whispered into Hinata's ear.

The two separated after Hinata was mercifully let free from her vice grip and Ino stepped away from me for a moment, giving me some space.

Rin finally looked at me directly and that was the moment I stopped hiding how I felt. I stepped straight up to her and pulled her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her.

"Take care of yourself and train like there's no tomorrow," I whispered in her ear, planting a kiss on her forehead as I backed away a bit, "You have all the notes I copied?"

Every shred of information on Fuinjutsu Ashina left us, the Hiraishin notes I memorized from our father, and every other shred of information I possessed on it was copied by hand and was put in a scroll for Rin.

I also had my own notes on adding Wind Release to the Rasengan, having explained it as curiosity from me working on one with water.

Rin nodded and sniffed, her eyes watery.

"It's," I could barely get the words out from how choked up I was, "It's time now."

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. I repeated in my mind, smiling weakly to assure my sister.

"I want to see you everyday," She grabbed me again, holding me tight, "I'm going to miss Konoha... I'm going to miss you." She finished shakily, her chakra dim and cold as it seemed to thrum waves of chilliness in sync with her breath and heartbeat.

Almost like a sense of Deja Vu, I ran my fingers through her hair and looked directly into her violet eyes, eyes that she inherited from our mother.

"You will never be alone." I shushed her, still running my fingers through her blonde locks. "I'll be here when you get back. I love you... and I always will."

Rin's lip quivered, but what I said was enough for her to not openly cry.

With a strength I didn't know I had, I let go of her. She backed away slowly and turned away to walk to Sasuke and Itachi, her hands balled into fists.

The soft scuff of her sandals against the ground was maddening, and I needed the lack of sound to be broken.

"Make sure to not forget my birthday." I said, trying to find something to bring a measure of levity to this temporary goodbye.

To my everlasting relief, her chakra brightened and I heard her let out a laugh.

"Only if you promise to remember mine." She responded in kind, flashing me a smile that let me know it would be alright.

I watched as she and the only two remaining Uchiha that I wasn't going to kill prepared to race away from us, chakra being channeled in their legs.

With a swirl of leaves, they disappeared.

With a quick shaping of my chakra into a lightning nature, I made a discreet half seal to stabilize lightning coursing through my brain to slow everything down.

Ten seconds until I can't sense them at their speed and flat terrain.

My chakra sensing wasn't impeded by either the mind enhancement portion of the lightning armour or the armour itself, so I was sensing Rin's chakra in slow motion, slowly creeping away.

Call it unhealthy, but I wanted to live in the moment for as long as I could. I could still feel her for now.

It stretched on for quite some time, my eyes shut as I focused on her signature like my life depended on it. I wasn't letting go just yet.

6 seconds.

Right as they started to get difficult to sense, I made a hand seal to focus my chakra even more, my range increasing temporarily.

I clenched my teeth as I felt a headache start to build, but I didn't care. I kept on stretching my ability to beyond the safe threshold. Kurama and my own natural healing would fix it shortly anyway.

4 seconds.

'You promised. We promised.' An unwelcome memory hit me and I shook it away, ignoring the entire world except for one thing in existence. Something that I had known and cherished since the beginning of my second life.

'I will never forget you. I will always love you.'

I felt a tear slide down my face as even my focused attempt at feeling was now no longer enough.

2 seconds.

Not yet. I pleaded, not even knowing who I was pleading to. I'm not ready. Please.

Rin's chakra was barely distinguishable from Sasuke and Itachi's now, the three blending with Nature chakra as a backdrop. Blood started dropping from my nose, my pulse being felt in my temples and eyes.

One.

Rin disappeared into the unknown, gone from my sight.

I let the lightning dissipate from my nervous system and everything snapped back into focus, my eyes opening.

With a groan, I put my hand up to my head to stave off the pounding from pushing my sensing too far, staggering some from my equilibrium taking a hit.

"Naruto." Ino and Hinata both said in alarm, grabbing ahold of me to steady me.

A choked sob was all I was able to let out as I tried to feel for Rin and couldn't find her.

She's gone. She's gone.

It was just like when Kurama was sealed in me and I was separated from her. The only difference was that I didn't feel like molten lead was swimming throughout my body and I wasn't screaming.

At least externally at least.

"Naruto." Ino's voice was impossibly soft as she put her hand on my face and pulled me towards her to look at her, probably sensing my turmoil like a flare, "Focus on my voice, 'kay? We're right here. Focus on our chakra."

Hinata held me steady and leaned into me as I focused on them, being reminded of when the two both went out of their own concern for me into the woods after I fought Zabuza the first time.

And for the second time, I felt myself melt into their embrace as my emotions, bordering on me becoming a crying mess, didn't hurt as much now.

After a few minutes, I felt ready to walk away now.

"Thank you," I looked at two of my closest friends, wondering what I did to deserve their friendship to this degree, "I... I can't ask for better friends."

It still, even after so many years of being able to, astounded me that I could truly feel people. Not just physically, but spiritually as well.

Rin was no longer here, but I wasn't alone, like what Ino said. I slowly extracted myself from them to go home and leave, wanting to sleep.

Giving an appreciative nod at Shikamaru for showing up, then walking over to Karin and hugging her real quick, I turned around and walked home, not paying mind to Ino and Hinata both following me there.

Kakashi would have tried to talk with me, which I didn't want to do currently. So I just up and left.

I Henged into someone that nobody in this world would recognize, but I definitely would have, and walked undisturbed to what was now just my apartment, using the key to get in.

I left it unlocked because I couldn't bring myself to care and went directly to the kitchen, pulling random stuff out of the fridge.

The next half hour or so, not like I cared, was me doing two of the things I did to work through any issues on my own, and that was cooking food and singing.

Mainly those two because fighting and destroying things would worry everybody else.

I finished my little attempt at fixing food and started loading it on a plate. Nothing special, just chicken that I was going to eat all of. Rin couldn't complain when I ate a few pounds of her favorite food when she wasn't here to know.

Plopping down in the chair, looking at the steaming plate, I was tempted to partake in a tradition I didn't really do as often over food ever since Rin would eat with me. It would have been difficult to explain what I was doing.

Right as I decided on what to do, I narrowed my eyes when I heard the door creak. A quick peak with my sensing revealed that it was Ino and Hinata.

"Checking on me again?" I called out, seeing Ino poke her head around the corner first.

Ino looked nervous, probably from this being the first time she was at my home for a change.

"Um, yeah." She said awkwardly, Hinata walking in front of her.

"You left the door unlocked." Hinata said unnecessarily, "You never do that."

You'd think I, out of everyone, would lock my door religiously. Being reborn via getting brutally murdered in a home invasion normally does a good job at making someone paranoid about fortifying their home.

But I just happened to not care right now. I was much more dangerous now than what I was before I got killed.

Looking between the two of them, I sighed and made a half seal with my right hand, spawning a clone to get two more plates.

"Might as well eat something if you two are checking in on me," I muttered, hearing the clone get two more plates and the needed silverware to eat with. "I fixed enough, and I didn't eat any of it yet." I added.

The girls shuffled towards the table and sat down, looking apprehensive.

The clone set the plates down and I divided what originally was going to be my food only, pushing the plates towards them. The clone then popped, it's purpose fulfilled.

"I hope you like chicken." I said, stabbing it and taking a large bite.

The two each started eating, both of them having drastically different reactions.

Hinata had already sampled my cooking on multiple occasions, and that probably convinced her to improve her own. She still enjoyed my food, but her reaction was muted.

Ino on the other hand, hadn't. Her eyes widened as she took her first bite of chicken.

"This is amazing." She moaned appreciatively, glancing at Hinata and me with narrowed eyes, "Why didn't you tell me you could cook this good?"

She was just trying to tease me, so I just scoffed lightly.

"I deemed you worthy of such a gift only recently." I replied, taking another bite and letting it practically melt in my mouth as I savored it.

Anime Gordon Ramsey would kick my ass at cooking, but I could at least put up a fight.

Ino giggled softly, continuing to eat.

"Naruto," Hinata said quietly, looking at me worriedly while Ino ate, "How are you, really?"

Ino paused her chewing and looked between the two of us, her face paling some.

"To be honest," I sighed, fiddling with my sleeve as I looked down at the table, "I'm feeling awful right now. I don't want to curl up and cry because that isn't productive, but I don't want to go out to a training ground and destroy stuff because it's not really healthy. And those are basically the only two ways I know how to deal with this." I finished my explanation somberly, looking up and glancing between the two of them.

Hinata pursed her lips, tapping her fingers against the table.

"You could talk with us." She said, blinking slowly and fixing her pale gaze on me, "You can voice your worries to us like we both have to you, Naruto."

"But-" I started to say, but Hinata linger forward and jerked me by my hand closer to her, shaking her head.

"No buts," Her eyes narrowed, gripping my hand tightly, "You're our friend," She glanced at Ino momentarily, the Yamanaka heiress having set aside her food once Hinata started talking seriously. "Anything that worries you, you share. I know how worried you are. What do you think I was thinking when we left my home after your grandfather attacked it? I didn't know whether Hanabi would remain safe when we left to help you."

The cold realization that Hinata actively went with us made me look away from her eyes. That must have been hell for her to do.

"Naruto," Ino put her own hand on mine, Hinata's moving over slightly, "You're stuck with friends. Hell or Highwater, you're not walking this road alone. If you need to vent, we're right here."

"And I know Kakashi-sensei cares about you." Hinata added, smiling softly in assurance, "We all are going to miss Rin and Sasuke, so you just need to ask for company."

I set my other hand on top of theirs, blinking suspiciously quick at the honesty radiating from the both of them.

"I don't know what I would have done without you talking with me." I said, wondering whether I would have done the same stupid thing I already did twice; getting drunk.

"Something that would have had your godfather and every responsible adult scolding you?" Ino asked amusedly, causing me and Hinata to laugh.

"I bet the fox would call me an abusive landlord." I scoffed, squinting when Ino looked suddenly curious.

"How does... uh," She paused for a moment, looking like she was trying to find the right words, "Can it hear us right now?"

"Him," I corrected, "Or... I think the Kyuubi is a guy. I haven't asked to look at his genitals. Kinda weird to do." I smirked when I saw Ino scowl. "But he can't hear us. I have to actively tug a bit on his chakra to open the connection to communicate."

"Could you do it right now?" Ino asked, her chakra shifting like she was sensing my chakra, "I want to know what it feels like when you're talking."

It didn't bother me to sate her curiosity, and Hinata looked almost as curious.

"Okay." I nodded, opening up the connection at Ino's request.

Fox, can you talk some?

Kurama's chakra shifted a bit and I felt the usual echo of his chakra move along the path of my tenketsu connected to the seal.

"Oohhh," Ino's eyes widened, "That's familiar."

'Do you need to talk about your sister?' Kurama asked, actually sounding neutral for a change, instead of jabbing at a visible emotional wound.

Two of my friends are here. I replied internally, They've helped, so you don't need to be a figurative shoulder to cry on, rest easy .

"Hmm, I can see them. Which one is your mate?"

I curled my lip in irritation, not paying attention to Ino and Hinata's confusion. I pretty much gave him free rein to be sarcastic by saying I was doing fine.

Not responding to that. I said flatly, hearing a huff of laughter.

"You are no fun. Your sister's reactions are pleasing, almost as pleasant as the wet crunch of a meatbag like you under my paw."

Well, I'm you're meatbag. I replied, smirking happily. Now, say hi to Ino and Hinata so I can relay the message."

"Greetings, females." Kurama said, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Well?" Ino pressed, having been waiting patiently.

I focused back on them both and I flinched when I saw Hinata staring at me with her Byakugan active, a look of concentration on her face I hadn't seen when she used her Kekkai Genkai.

"I can barely see it," Hinata squinted more, her eyes not moving at all, which still was weird to think about, "But there's faint echoes and a thread between one of his tenketsu and... is that the seal?" She asked. "I can tell it's a little different now that I'm looking for it."

"The seal feels more uniform." I said, replying to Hinata's curiosity first, "My chakra swirls a little different around my gut."

Hinata nodded and deactivated her eyes, wincing as she rubbed them.

"And the fox said, 'Greetings, females'." I told Ino, who rolled her turquoise eyes almost comically.

"Liar." Ino said flatly, unimpressed by what she thought was me being me and applying my perfectly sophisticated humour to the situation.

"Well, they aren't vixens like your sister. No whiskers and flat teeth."

I repeated what Kurama said and Ino looked even more aggravated, while Hinata looked suddenly uncomfortable.

"Does the Kyuubi torment Rin?" She asked, fidgeting with her fingers as she glanced at Ino's barely suppressed grumbles. "She sometimes would get upset and talk to herself."

"Worse than you can possibly imagine." I groaned, hearing him snicker in the back of my head. Want to listen in more, or do you want to relax?

"I will leave." He replied, "Your sister will likely reach out to me to ask about you tonight. And before you ask... No, I cannot link your minds from hundreds of miles away. It already is difficult enough to prevent my own chakra from trying to clash with yours when you two are close."

Thanks for the heads-up. I expected that, otherwise he would have mentioned it. Take care.

Kurama slunk back into the seal and left my thoughts to myself.

"He's gone now." I told them, shifting in my chair a little to be more comfortable. "Any other questions about what it's like to be a Jinchuriki?"

The next hour or two was Hinata and Ino taking turns with questions they both wanted answered, with me asking them about their respective advances in their clan techniques in response.

Hinata was getting very close to being able to perform the Kaiten, which was definitely good, and she was working on keeping her reserves on a proper growth curve that kept up with her control exercises Tsunade was having her do.

Ino was getting personal help from her dad to possess and control people, but it was coming along slowly. But there was a specific portion that had me focusing on her intently.

"You already were the receiver of a technique I pulled off." Ino said, her fingers dancing across the back of my hand as some of her chakra brushed against me like she did before. "I helped calm your emotions."

"There's a technique like that?" I asked, surprised that there was a way to do that without entering someone's mind.

Big difference between invasive and noninvasive, especially for the Yamanaka.

"I can mute specific emotions to a certain degree while shielding my own mind and not requiring my target's chakra getting forced under my control."

Very sweet and nice of her to do, but mind stuff was still bone chilling.

"Ooga booga mind magic." I muttered, twitching when Ino poked me roughly on the hand.

"Don't call my clan techniques honed over generations that."

"You don't even know what the first words were." I protested, frowning at the scoff that escaped her.

"I can feel your amusement, Naru-chan." She said, grinning at my annoyance. "And I don't hear you demeaning the Hyuga clan."

The nickname travesty was ignored in favour of my candidness about my opinion on Hinata's clan.

"I'm much less polite about my opinions of some of the individuals Hinata has the terrible misfortune of sharing genetic material with." I said, causing Hinata to sigh audibly and Ino to start laughing.

"You said those precise words when you insulted Neji during a spar." Hinata told me, looking unimpressed at Ino's laughter. "Please don't laugh at that. You only encourage him."

"I have something that describes you as well, if that makes you feel better." I smirked, causing a normally soft and polite Hinata to give me a subdued glare.

"And what is that, Naruto-kun?" She asked, no affection in her voice at the suffix.

I was paying close attention to how her chakra slowly pulsed with her breathing. She wasn't actually angry or anything like that. A faint trace of subdued exasperation, but that was it.

"The Juken is the Stooge Poke of Death." I shrugged, sounding casual about it.

"What," She tapped my wrist with her index, sending a jolt up my arm from her pushing some chakra into it, "Is a Stooge Poke?"

Hook. Line. Sinker.

"A Stooge Poke," I explained, feeling like all the weight I had been carrying today had melted away at this freedom I had been given in the form of talking with two of my closest friends, "Is when," I pulled my hand away, planning this, "You poke somebody in the eyes with your index and middle fingers. Like this!" I exclaimed, reaching out with my hand as fast as I could manage and pointing out my two fingers.

I aimed right at her brow, specifically the inside arch of her eyebrows.

My fingers poked her and she practically fell out of her chair, letting out a yelp.

"Naruto!" She glared at me for real this time, her hand rubbing against her forehead.

"I wasn't aiming for your eyes." I defended myself, ignoring Ino's laughter that was now echoing of the wall as she clutched her stomach. "They're too beautiful to harm."

"Don't try to flatter me," Hinata pointed a finger at me in warning, but I could tell by the faint tinge of pink on her cheeks that my comment about her eyes got to her, "You didn't need to poke me."

"Alright alright." I held up my hands to placate her, "I shouldn't have poked you, but it was funny."

Hinata kept glaring at me, but she couldn't keep it up for long and shook her head and sighed.

"You know I can't stay angry for long."

"Unlike Hanabi, your dad, Neji," I rattled off, "Pretty much all Hyuga that aren't you."

"I will have you know," Hinata straightened up and did an excellent imitation of her father's tone a posture, "That I conduct myself with perfect decorum."

I snickered in spite of myself.

"The ripples in your chakra signature says otherwise." I laughed quietly, Ino smiling at Hinata knowingly. "And you butcher those poor cinnamon rolls I fix while laughing maniacally."

"I do not do that," Hinata countered, before looking away, "Do I?"

"You startled Anko when you stole that cinnamon roll and ate it." Ino said abruptly, causing Hinata to gasp.

My mind took a second to translate what I just heard. Hinata stole something?

"You weren't supposed to say anything!" She looked at me nervously, my mind getting over the shock of what I just heard.

"You stole a cinnamon roll?" I asked incredulously, still trying to comprehend it.

"They said they were out of cinnamon rolls at a bakery after Anko and Kurenai finished training us for the day before the finals." Ino explained, Hinata shrinking into the chair and covering her face in embarrassment. "Hinata used her Byakugan and saw they had some in the back."

"Please." Hinata pleaded, her face turning a startling shade of red. "I paid for it."

I seriously tried to keep it together, really, I did. But this was too much. My own face was red, but from exertion to not interrupt Ino's story with me wheezing.

"Only after you tore that thing apart like it stole your favorite shirt." Ino snickered, obviously amused by the memory, "You broke in at night to leave the money, if I remember correctly."

"It was at closing time, not night." Hinata corrected the blonde, looking irritable in an adorable way.

"Same difference." Ino shrugged, "But I don't really blame you. You looked like you deserved a treat after training that day, and that's coming from Anko's personal 'torture tyke'." She used air quotes.

"She come up with that?" I asked weakly, still trying to recover from the previous subject.

"Yeah." Ino replied, rubbing her arms almost subconsciously. "I hate senbon and poison."

"Were you visited in your dreams by the giant purple reptile when Anko poisoned you?" I asked, stopping her in her tracks.

"I'm not crazy like you, Naruto." Ino frowned, "And what's the reptiles name? If he's real, he'd have a name."

"Barney." I said truthfully, my lips twitching when she couldn't feel any hint of a lie in my chakra.

Ino threw her hands up and shook her head in mock exasperation.

"I can't see how my dad didn't go crazy after touching your head."

Before I could remind her that she did too, Hinata cut in.

"Ino, be nice." Hinata chided her, surprisingly stopping the back and forth, "Your chicken was just as lovely as ever, Naruto." She glanced at the small amount of remaining food on her plate.

"Would you be able to teach me the recipe?" Ino asked softly, the joking portion over now, "I..." She suddenly looked uncertain about continuing.

"It's okay," I assured her, grateful for this happy and relaxed air of just the three of us talking and laughing, "You can talk about it."

The blonde tucked her hair behind her ear nervously, but finally voiced her thoughts.

"I'm... not very good at," She looked at me sheepishly, "Cooking."

That's not a problem. Rin can't cook to save her life after I tried to teach her multiple times.

"You can ask your kaasan to help you," I smiled, noting her downcast expression, "But I might show you a thing or two I figured out while learning how to not burn my house down."

Ino squeezed my hand and her chakra practically glowed as she smiled wildly.

"Thanks." She said genuinely.

"Well," I glanced between the two of them, noticing their plates were empty now, "I'll put the plates up, and would you like to see the rest of the apartment?" I asked Ino, sticking the plates to my fingers with chakra and walking to the sink.

"Sure." Ino stood up from her chair, starting to walk around the apartment.

"Be sure to avoid the room down the hall," I called out over the rushing sound of water as I cleaned the plates, "That's Rin's room and she can probably tell when another blonde is trespassing in her territory."

Ino laughed sarcastically, but kept looking around.

"And be mindful of the explosives I put around my door!" I said, lying completely.

I could feel her chakra flare in worry and she backed away from the door into my room. My room was private, my own domain. Everything else was fair game.

Right as I was about to be finished with the dishes, I felt Hinata tap my shoulder to let me know she was behind me.

Her hands wrapped around me and she hugged me from behind.

"I know you miss her," She whispered, having to stand on her toes to be head level to me, "I would miss Hanabi if she left."

I shut off the sink and put the dishes on a towel to dry, then I turned around and returned the hug.

"How, after growing up with the elders pressuring you," I said slowly, still wondering how it was possible in a real world, not a fictional one, "Did you end up being so kind?"

Hinata blinked quickly, her eyes looking misty. It was difficult to discern that from her eyes almost being a uniform colour, but I knew her well enough to tell.

"You and Rin." She replied, holding my hand softly, "You were there for me in the snow, when nobody else was."

You would have been just as sweet if I was never born. I thought to myself, knowing she was a naturally good human being.

"My Kaasan would have loved you and Rin." She said gently, smiling up at me.

"I wish I could have met her. If she was anything at all like her daughters, then she was an angel."

Hyuga Hitomi should have lived to be a mother to her daughters, but tragedy took that away. I wish I could have been introduced to her.

Hinata wiped at her eyes, sniffing some.

It started being apparent to me that we had been here for some time, while Ino was looking around. So I cleared my throat.

"I should make sure Ino doesn't get lost." I squeezed Hinata's hand in reassurance to let her know everything was okay.

The two of us left my kitchen and I saw Ino standing in the hallway, looking at the small collection of photos I had of Rin and me during our training sessions with Kakashi and Anko.

"Your hair looked so adorable when part of it was missing." She pointed at the one image of me that Anko snapped a picture of after Kakashi elevated my taijutsu training another notch when I was... about ten, I think.

"Did Anko like aiming for your hair too?" I raised a brow, fighting the urge to grimace at the memories.

She noticed how much I liked the colour of my hair, so of course she started aiming for it. She even made a game out of trying to hit the small amount of blond hair at my temples just to annoy me.

"Worse," Ino muttered, glaring at the picture that included a grinning Anko, "After I started getting resistant to her poisons, she threatened to glue a pig nose to my face if I didn't avoid senbon."

That sounds like something Anko would do. I coughed into my sleeve to muffle my laugh.

"No pictures of when you were younger." She said faintly, looking at the dozen or so photos with a sad expression.

"Unfortunately no," I nodded at the statement, "Rin was an adorable little toddler."

Ino and Hinata both got a kick out of that, their chakra shifting where I didn't need to see their faces to know they were amused.

Suddenly curious, I checked the clock on the wall that I fixed up after fishing it out of a trashcan.

7:56.

"Wow," I exclaimed, blinking in surprise at how long they had been over here, "It's almost 8."

Ino hummed under breath and exhaled audibly, looking at the clock herself.

"My dad probably wants me back." She took a step to the side to get past me, walking towards the front room.

"Mine too." Hinata said apologetically, also walking down the hall and towards the front door.

Taking one last look at the pictures on the wall, I followed the two to the door to say goodbye.

Catching up to them, I noted how I was a couple inches taller than them now, silently thankful that I would only be forced to look up at most people for only a couple more years.

"So, I'll see you guys tomorrow?" I asked, the two nodding.

"Ichiraku's for breakfast?" Hinata offered, glancing at Ino for confirmation.

"Ramen's okay." The blonde nodded, the two looking at me now.

"Yeah," I smiled widely, touched by that, "That's sounds amazing."

The two then, in unison, pulled me into a hug, one on each side of me.

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around them, closing my eyes for a moment and slowing my perception down to keep me in the moment.

This was what I was fighting for. I was free from everything right now. I was at home, food in my belly, laughing and joking with friends.

After it stretched out for a breathtakingly long time, I let go of them and Ino opened the door.

"Bye, girls." I said, trying to conceal the shiver from having their chakra right in front of me.

Just as calming as they were when I was falling apart over losing control of my rage and killing some worthless trash.

"Later, Naruto." They gave their own goodbyes and shut the door, leaving me alone.

I heard the blood rushing in my ears and I started whistling to have some sound, walking back towards the hallway. Right at the end was Rin's room, and I pushed the door open.

Flicking the lights on, I turned in a circle and looked at nothing in particular.

"I'm in your room without your permission, Rin!" I called out, almost expecting her to push the door open to tackle me for being an 'idiot brother'.

When nothing like that occurred, I slumped my shoulders and sat down on her bed, looking around slowly.

She had different tastes than me. The room was a little livelier and the way she organized everything was different; a little less structured and rigid.

"I promise I'll keep it from getting dusty." I murmured, looking down at the orange blanket that she used.

Orange. In my first life, it was just another colour that existed. I didn't really hate or like it, just a colour really.

But this wasn't my first life, and my opinion on the colour was different now. It was a cursed and abhorrent covenant with a heartless and unforgiving god that I existed outside of. The forced machinations of whatever spawned this universe's constant into existence was derailed by the monster I could become from my pedigree and Kurama.

I was the definition of a note of discourse in the endless cycle spawned by Indra and Ashura refusing to die.

"A dead spot in the cycle" I muttered, my hand clenching around the fabric stained by the colour of my own nightmares and damnation." An emptiness in which its will might be denied."

Shaking my head and standing up, I walked to the doorway and flicked the lights off, slamming the door shut.

I then went to my own room and pulled open my drawer of notes, prepared for another hours long string of Fuinjutsu experimenting to get the Hiraishin done.

My efforts were proving fruitful. A breakthrough was on the horizon... I could feel it.

I wonder I will be called. I thought to myself, thinking of all the different titles given to different Shinobi.

Sannin. The Professor. The Yellow Flash. Would I be called the Red Flash? Crimson Flash? I don't know what to feel about the idea of standing in my father's shadow if I learned the Hiraishin and mastered it.

The fear they had for my father would be overshadowed by me. I was a Jinchuriki and one of the last sons of Uzu, a shattered and broken line of seal masters that refused to be good little boys and girls and die like dogs.

Any that would stand in front of my dream of a better world would be crushed without mercy.

I will come like a thief in the night. My chakra tingled under my skin in a delicious cocktail of anticipation at the inevitable conflict ahead, the Akatsuki being the spear.

And none would survive my wrath.

---

"How do you think he's been taking it?" Ino asked Hinata, the two girls walking next to each other as the last vestiges of sunlight dipped under the trees surrounding Konoha.

Hinata looked at her other blonde friend and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't think he was lying about anything. He sounded honest."

The two were currently heading to Hinata's clan compound first, while Ino would make her way home on her own.

"If it was only Rin, Sasuke could probably manage to talk him through this stuff," Ino admitted, kicking a pebble in the street with her left foot, "But he's gone, so it's up to us."

Hinata couldn't say she was either surprised or regretted the situation. Naruto was her longest friendship, immediately followed by Rin, and he was hurting. Ino and she had become friends through their joint friendship with Naruto and had developed into a genuine one between each other.

The training with Tsunade also gave them more time to interact and help each other.

"But he definitely wasn't lying." Ino added, smiling discreetly, "I can read his chakra better than he realizes, even though he's making it a challenge. You cannot believe how calm he is when he gets hugged. He loves hugs."

Hinata smiled softly at her friend's proclamation. If there was another reason to hug Naruto, then she would go with it.

The two walked in a companionable silence for a short while, the soft chirp of the insects in the trees reaching them.

It was definitely relaxing for the young Hyuga. The last couple of months were a non-stop onslaught of chaos or recovery from frightening events.

Graduating from the academy and almost immediately being trained by multiple Jonin and being run ragged was first, then Nami and the recovery from the shock of her first kill and how horrific the mission was; the training for the exams, the exams themselves being somehow more horrifying than Nami. The invasion finally topped off what she thought was going to be her end, the last fight before dying. But they got through it, opening up a new breath of freedom for her.

At least until recently.

"If it isn't personal," Ino broke the silence, shifting how she walked to keep facing Hinata while still walking, "What did Tsunade-sama talk with you about yesterday?"

Hinata shivered at the question, looking at Ino suspiciously.

"Before you say anything, I could tell you were upset and your chakra started feeling the same as then," The Yamanaka girl staved off any questioning, "I take our friendship seriously, 'Nata. Your worries are just as important to me as Naruto's, so let me help."

Hinata felt her face flush in embarrassment, trying to maintain eye contact.

"Sorry," She said sheepishly, fiddling with her jacket sleeve, "It just... What Tsunade-sama said scared me."

Ino patiently listened as the other girl spoke, the midnight blue haired one activating her eyes to look around.

"She said a group is after Rin and Naruto because of the Kyuubi," She said quietly, "It's a group of S-rank missing nin that Sasuke's brother was a part of."

A strangled gasp came from Ino at the reveal of such a threat. Uchiha Itachi was a blur of black and red that knocked them to the ground with contemptuous ease and took Rin hostage while bleeding profusely from his eyes. A group of several peers pursuing Jinchuriki was a hellish thought to imagine, let alone know existed.

"Tsunade-sama asked me if I was willing," Hinata wiped at her eyes, her lip quivering at the fear radiating in her voice, "If I was willing to fight S-rank Shinobi to protect Konoha and my friends." She paused and took a shaky breath.

"I said yes."

Ino's face was almost completely expressionless, but her hands were clenched so hard that Hinata swore she could hear her knuckles creak, and her Byakugan could see her chakra thrashing under her skin.

With a growl, Ino stopped her walking and grabbed ahold of Hinata, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"I won't let you do it alone," Ino said firmly, a fire dancing in her eyes that reminded her eerily of Rin, "We fought in Nami and when Suna and Oto invaded our home. Friends matter." She finished sharply, letting go of Hinata's shoulders.

The Hyuga girl shuddered at the fiery determination exuded from the Yamanaka, feeling pleasantly warm that she'd react that openly and swiftly.

"Tsunade-sama said that I needed to focus on my strengths, and that I could ask her for help on becoming... S-rank."

Ino's turquoise eyes widened at the statement, looking at Hinata appraisingly.

"I haven't heard of an S-rank Hyuga for a long time. I think my dad said the last one was during the Second Shinobi War."

"My Tousan mentioned him," Hinata said demurely, "He was killed at the end of the war."

But she couldn't do what he did. He had extremely large reserves and excellent control that let him constantly fight at the front and deal immense damage. While she didn't have the same reserves.

So that's what she explained to Ino.

"You can do that training stuff Shikamaru did," Ino offered, "I thought about it, but that kind of fell to the wayside when we started getting medical training."

"She mentioned something about her strength technique and the Juken being a perfect pair in taijutsu." Hinata responded softly, still running through what exactly the blonde Sannin said, "She said if I could manage to get it to a certain level, she could train me to be S-rank in taijutsu."

Ino got suddenly quiet out of nowhere, looking down at her feet.

"Was she going to talk with me too, or was it only you?" She asked, a touch of concern underlining her question.

"I was just the first," Hinata kept out the part where Tsunade alluded to knowing about her feelings for Naruto, not wanting to get into that after the two had just consoled him this evening, "She said that you three would each have a private talk with her on your goals and what else you want to get out of her training."

Ino looked relieved at that, a thoughtful expression adorning her features.

"I need to think of how I can keep up with you guys," She eventually said, "You got your clan's Stooge Poke," She grinned at Hinata furrowing her brows at the reminder of the joke, "While Sasuke has his eyes and is scary smart."

Hinata couldn't offer advice, unfortunately, just the information Tsunade had given her was all she could give.

"Whatever," Ino shrugged, "I'll figure it out. Let's just get you home and tucked in."

Hinata shook her head at Ino cracking jokes almost like Naruto did when he was feeling particularly happy, a clear difference existing between different comments.

"We're the same age, Ino." Hinata pointed out.

"Nope," Ino shook her head, the Hyuga compound just a short distance away now, "I remember that your birthday is in December. Mine's September, so you're so little and small." She wrapped her arm around Hinata's shoulder and set her head against her's.

The two girls reached the entrance and Hinata turned to Ino, giving the girl that had become one of a select few of people that she considered friends a grateful smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ino." Hinata said, the Hyuga guards approaching them.

Before Hinata could properly identify herself, Ino hugged her from behind. "Later, Hinata."

The Yamanaka heiress then let go of her and left to go home, not noticing the smile that slread across Hinata's face.

"You were supposed to be here by 6, Hinata-sama." The one guard said stiffly, "Ko was not pleased with you ordering him to watch your sister."

She frowned at his tone, not taking it lightly.

"I was consoling my friend," Hinata said coldly, eliciting a flinch from the guard at her tone, "Specifically, the Jinchuriki one. His beloved twin sister has left the village and I'm sure you understand the precarious nature of an emotionally despondent Jinchuriki?"

"M-my apologies, Hinata-sama." The guard bowed, backing away hastily, "I will disturb you no longer." The two guards backed away from her further and returned to their posts.

Hinata ignored them and walked straight to her home, exhaling loudly at what she did.

She was tired of being asked about what she was doing constantly. She understood her father's fears, especially since he had given her the story of what the infiltrator threatened. But she needed her independence to truly have a life.

Activating her Byakugan as she crossed the grassy clearing between the compound boundary and the different houses, she spotted Hanabi in the kitchen, eating a cinnamon roll from the kitchens presumably.

Walking through the doorway, Hinata went to the kitchens without stopping.

Hanabi jumped in surprise at her sister suddenly getting back unannounced.

"Nee-san," Hanabi frantically tried to hide the half eaten cinnamon roll from sight, "You're back."

Hinata ignored her little sister and marched straight up to her, hugging her tight enough to make her yelp.

"I love you very much, Hanabi." Hinata whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek, "And I saw the roll." She added, giggling at her sister flushing in embarrassment.

If Naruto couldn't hug and dote on his little sister anymore, then Hyuga Hinata decided she would need to double her efforts on Hanabi to make up for the discrepancy.

The two sisters spent the remainder of the evening, eating cinnamon rolls and talking about nothing in particular, simply enjoying one another's company.

---

End Chapter.

New chapter is out and I am irked. It was supposed to be 12k words at most and have a Kakashi and Anko conversation, the last Ashina pov with the plant and two-face, and the reasoning for troubling things in Iwa to be occuring. But, alas, I kept adding and adding to this chapter.

So, Sasuke and Itachi switch eyes to get the EMS, and Sasuke doesn't really like it for obvious reasons. He still hates Itachi for what he did and it's going to take him awhile, if ever, to forgive his brother.

Naruto gets rejected as the summoner for the toads, with Rin potentially getting it. That was a really big thing for him to get hit with. Even with him acting as a vessel of change in many ways, certain events try to happen without him.

Itachi gets saddled with the horrific burden of thinking he made Sasuke into being a degenerate. I'm looking forward to writing the awkward conversation they have, especially Sasuke's mortification.

The emotional farewell was difficult to get right. I wanted to show how deeply it affected Naruto, but also show that he has made progress in his emotional reliance on Rin being within reach all the time.

The Naruto, Ino, and Hinata interaction brought the three closer to one another and has a noted effect on his emotional state.

But that's about it. Comments are very much appreciated, even if it's just a simple 'Nice chapter, I liked so and so', and I hope you continue to enjoy the fruits of this little hobby of mine.

Have a wonderful day.

Raging.