A/N: By popular demand, here is a quick summary of the plot of NTBS so far:

Having been raised by Jiraiya of the Sannin, a much smarter Naruto sets out to discover the secrets of ninjutsu with the help of his friend Sakura. Everything changes when he discovers a letter from the Fourth Hokage, his father, who reveals that the Nine-tails' attack on Konoha was part of an elaborate scheme designed to lead to his death. Naruto finds out that he is faced with an immortal enemy who controls the darkness, and whose true identity could be anyone in the Village. The only one who might know the truth, the Nine-tails inside of him, refuses to help unless Naruto sets him loose upon the world.

Unable to trust anyone, Naruto has to investigate while keeping the truth hidden even from his own friends. However, after failing an important mission that leads to a coup in the Hidden Mist, and being signed up for a giant death tournament, it becomes increasingly clear that the system itself is broken. The Nine-tails, Kurama, reveals to Naruto that his opponent Gaara is the host to his demon brother Shukaku, who like all his other siblings has been driven mad by countless deaths and rebirths. After killing several people and threatening Naruto's friends in front of everyone, Naruto kills Gaara in a fit of rage, only to realize that he may have inadvertently started a war by killing the Kazekage's son.

As Naruto becomes increasingly frustrated by his inability to change anything, his friends slowly seem to drift away from him. Sakura gives up on being a shinobi and sets out to become a medic instead. Meanwhile Sasuke is weaving his own plots with his clan's ancient rivals, the Hyūga. How is it that Sasuke can use the same darkness technique as the Fourth's enemy, just like his murderous missing brother Itachi? And how much does he really know about what's going on?

Naruto had better find out, and soon, because time is swiftly running out...

*One month earlier*

Once again, Hinata charged at her opponent. Once again, she tried desperately to make contact and strike him with her palm. Once again, she failed miserably.

She landed in the dirt, pushed aside and made to lose her balance with a flick of the wrist by her teacher. Mud splattered over her white robes as her hands slipped through the wet morning soil of the training area, and though she tried to wipe herself clean she knew she was only making things worse.

"You're still thinking too much."

She brushed aside the dirt from her sleeves, her face burning with shame. "I'm sorry, sensei."

"Apologizing for being self-conscious... That's a bit self-defeating, isn't it?"

She started to apologize again, but a pale hand lifted up her chin and forced her to look back at him. Uchiha Sasuke still looked as pristine as he had at the start of the fight, almost as if he had not been sparring with her at all. Her forehead grew even hotter with shame at the thought.

"I may have been going about this the wrong way." He was examining her thoughtfully, almost curiously, and she had to force herself not to look away. "Let me be clear: You're not doing this for me. When I say that you're thinking too much, I don't mean that you're failing me, I mean that you're failing yourself."

"I know I am, sensei." She lowered her head. She had been failing herself and her family her entire life, and it did not look like anything would ever change that. Even a genius like Uchiha Sasuke, using the power of the Sharingan and all the insight it afforded him could not fix what was wrong with her.

"No, that's not what I…" The Lord Uchiha sighed in exasperation, some of his frustration with her finally showing through. "Let me try again: I am not important. This is not about me. I exist only as a training tool to be used like everything else in this place." He gestured at the tree stumps and the wooden shuriken targets lining the forest glade all around them. "Do you think it's any different for me? Do you imagine I'm training with you out of the goodness of my heart?"

She flushed. Somehow, her face never seemed to run out of fluster. "No, sensei."

He shook his head, though a small tug on his lips almost made it seem like he was smiling wryly. "Alright, let's try a different tack." His red eyes bored into hers, and she had to force herself not to look away as the effect took hold. The forest glade seemed to shift around her, though when she looked again the trees and the training equipment were all still there. Only her Byakugan confirmed the presence of the Uchiha's chakra within her head as she used its omnidirectional vision to examine herself.

She looked just as muddy and miserable as she had imagined.

"I'm using a full-immersion genjutsu based on sensory input from your physical surroundings," Sasuke explained. "It'll stop your meddlesome clan elders from spying on us if nothing else. Try not to flare your chakra or you'll dispel it by accident."

She instinctively reached out with her chakra even as she told herself not to. There was a faint shimmer in the air as she forced her chakra back under control, though Sasuke did not seem to notice.

"I'm thinking I might just not be the right teacher for you," he continued. "I'm not really very good at the whole 'being nice' bit." His crimson eyes seemed to spin inside their own sockets, though that surely had to be part of the illusion. "This is going to be annoying, but it doesn't seem I have much of a choice."

There was a faint shimmer in the air next to him, and then a blond boy wearing an orange jumpsuit appeared next to him as if by teleportation. The boy blinked, his bright blue eyes wide with surprise.

"What the heck? How did I get here?"

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata had to check with her Byakugan to confirm that it really was just an illusion and Sasuke had not actually summoned his teammate into the glade. She had once read a story (the kind her father strongly disapproved of) about ninjas who became able to summon each other once their love grew strong enough, but she did not even want to think about that in this context. "But, how?"

Naruto turned and thrust an angry finger at Sasuke. "You! I knew you were behind this somehow, you jerk! How dare you make a fully-sentient simulation of me against my will, you bastard!"

Sasuke plugged his ear with one finger as if to block Naruto out, even though that made no sense in this context. "I figured Naruto might be better able to motivate you since the two of you got along so well at the academy," he said. "It's only an illusion, but he keeps saying stuff like that without being prompted and it's really quite unnerving."

Hinata blinked long and hard, though of course the image did not change. "Sensei, you made a perfect illusion of your teammate inside your head? But, why?"

"Oh, he's not perfect: The real one is far more annoying. Still, he'll do for now." He motioned his head towards Naruto. "Hey dropout, the lady needs training. Come on, hop to it."

The illusion crossed its arms. "I refuse! I stubbornly refuse to follow your perfectly sensible suggestion even though it's exactly what I would have done anyway. But since I know that's what you would expect me to say I'll instead do the exact opposite of what I just said purely out of spite. So there!"

"See," said Sasuke, "that whole process would have taken a lot longer with the real Naruto. I think I keep making him too self-aware by accident because he has access to my brain instead of the noodle-fuelled mush inside of his own skull."

The fake Naruto ignored him as he walked over to Hinata while she stood there frozen, too overtaken by the surreality of the moment to even flinch at his approach. A part of her was convinced that this Naruto must be real, because the alternative that the stoic Lord Uchiha was doing all of this was too bizarre to even consider.

"Never mind that jerk, Hinata-chan. I'm gonna make you the most awesomest shinobi that's ever been, just you watch!" He pulled out a shuriken and handed it to her, positioning his body against hers just like he had done back then. Her head was too busy bursting into flame to even think about how this meant that Sasuke must have been watching her back then. "Try hitting the nearest target," said Naruto. "I know you can do it!"

Numbly, Hinata flicked out her wrist and struck the target before her dead in the centre. There was a loud crack as the wood split apart with the force of the blow, and the bottom half fell down into the dirt.

"But that's only an illusion," Hinata said, barely audible over the sound of Naruto's whooping cheers.

"All the more impressive that you hit it then," said Naruto. "Bet you can't hit two at the same time!"

"It might have been an illusion just now," said Sasuke, "but you really did hit the target back then. Do you remember? When Naruto distracted you, when you were thinking about something other than your failures for once, when you had the proper motivation… you split the target clean in two."

Hinata flicked her wrist again, this time hitting both targets at once. Somehow it felt good to see herself succeed like that, even if was all just a lie. "I ran away back then," she said numbly. She had treated Naruto so ungratefully, even after all he had done for her. "Just like always." He had been making jokes about her mother. How was he supposed to have known?

Three more shuriken found their marks, and Naruto burst into cheers as he flung his arms around her. Her forehead still burned like a red hot poker, but the sensation no longer felt so terrible. Even if it is for just a moment, even if it is all just a lie…

Sasuke shrugged. "Like I said, there's no sense in overthinking things. Real or not, an illusion is just a tool like any other." He dispelled the genjutsu, and Naruto faded into nothingness. Hinata watched him vanish with a strange sense of sadness. The real one would have protested more, she thought.

"And besides," said Sasuke as he began to retrieve the shuriken from their targets, "just because something is an illusion doesn't mean it isn't real."

*Current time*

Naruto wandered the streets of Konoha aimlessly. He had been practicing his Poor Man's Flying Thunder God technique, and brainstorming with his fellow clones to invent new improvements and variations. When he got tired of that he had pulled out his father's scroll and pored over the contents once more, trying to see if he could find some clue to his mysterious attacker now that the Hokage tower had been destroyed and rumours about Akatsuki had surfaced. In the end, he had been forced to almost physically throw himself out of the door to get some fresh air and restore his wounded sanity.

(He had assigned a clone towards exactly that one purpose, and he seemed to enjoy the job immensely.)

I guess shadow clones just can't replace real human interaction, he mulled as he dragged his sandaled feet across the cobblestones. Even the best clones only ever lasted until the caster fell asleep or ran out of chakra, which was not long enough for them to develop distinct personalities. Probably for the best, all things considered. However, it did mean that he always felt as though he were talking to himself.

As awe inspiring and frightening as it had felt to look at a perfect copy of himself for the first time, the fact was that Naruto had gotten used to his clones to the point where he scarcely even noticed them anymore. Well, except for when he ran into one of his disguised clones in the Village while they were running errands for him. That never stopped being creepy.

Well, that and suddenly dying from one of his experiments only to reappear elsewhere without warning. That was always disorientating.

Well, that and constantly having to pinch himself to reaffirm that he was the real one – or rather, to confirm to himself that there really was such a thing as the real him, that he was not part of some sort of swarm collective or that the concept of realness itself had not ceased to hold any meaning.

Okay, so there was really no such thing as getting used to shadow clones.

"…who I am now. Why can't you accept that?"

Naruto perked up at the sound of familiar voices. He would have given anything to talk to a fellow sentient at this point, even if it was Uchiha Sasuke – no, purge that thought, he would have to convert this body into explosion-release chakra to prevent it from infecting the others. No wait, he was the real one, wasn't he? Maybe he could get Kurama to devour the offending memory for him instead.

"Because this isn't the real you!" That was Kiba's voice; there was no mistaking that rough dog-like bark. "It doesn't matter to us if our missions go a bit slower, Hinata-chan. We like you just the way you are."

Naruto peered over the fence which separated the outside section of the Yakiniku Q from the bustling street. Naruto recognized it as the favourite open grill restaurant of Chōji and his team, though aside from Ino he did not see any of them there. Kiba, Shino and Hinata were there instead, which made him think there might be some kind of group celebration going on for Shino's promotion. Naruto suppressed a twinge of resentment at being left out, for all that he barely knew the strange insect-wielding ninja.

"Well, what if I don't like the way I am?" Hinata was staring down the much larger boy seated opposite her with uncharacteristic defiance. "Don't I get a say in things?"

"You do, but you're not thinking straight right now. You're letting that bastard muck with your head, and it just isn't healthy!"

"Hey guys," Naruto said. "Who's mucking with the what now?"

Ino manoeuvred her hands in some kind of complicated warding gesture. "Oh uh, hi there Naruto. I'm not sure this is the best possible time right now…"

"No, this is perfect," Kiba said, turning in his seat at the table to face Naruto. "She listens to you, right? Tell her she's being stupid to let that condescending prick mess with her like that."

Naruto blinked. "Someone is messing with Hinata?"

"Sasuke-kun has been using genjutsu to help Hinata become more confident," Ino explained. "We're just worried that it's been affecting her personality, that's all. You know how dominant he can be sometimes."

"That's not fair," Hinata protested, more meekly than before. "He's not manipulating me; he's just helping to make me stronger. I mean, he is manipulating me, but only because I asked him to…"

Shino adjusted his tinted glasses, which together with his hooded coat left his expression unreadable as always. "Metamorphosis is sometimes necessary for the good of the whole. However, do we require another queen at this time or is it better to support the hive as a drone? That is the question."

This pronouncement was met with a moment of silence.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kiba stabbed an accusing finger at Shino. "How is calling Hinata a drone supposed to help any? Man, Shino, sometimes I feel like I don't get you at all."

Ino made a calming gesture. "I think that what Shino is saying is that it's okay to be a follower rather than a leader. Hinata, it's perfectly fine to be the way you are, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Wait," said Naruto, who was still digesting this new information. "You're telling me that Hinata has been letting Sasuke use his Sharingan to change her personality? Uchiha Sasuke? As in, the guy who made Hyūga Neji go into a berserker rage just by talking to him for a few minutes?" He directed an incredulous stare at Hinata, who seemed to shrink away under his gaze. "Have you gone completely mad?"

Hinata opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. She tore her gaze away from Naruto, but all around her the others were looking at her the same way, and all of a sudden tears sprang into her eyes. She jumped up and ran towards the exit, dashing through the streets with no apparent destination.

Ino fell back in her chair and groaned loudly. "Sage's orbs, Naruto, do you think you could have handled that any worse? You seriously still don't know what she's like after all this time?"

"That's not," Naruto stammered, "I didn't mean to…"

"Thanks a lot, Naruto," Kiba growled. "Now I'm gonna have to go after her and patch things up again."

"Wait," said Ino. A thought seemed to form in her head. "I think it might be better if Naruto went."

"Me? But…" Naruto paused as Kiba glared at him as if to dare him to try and weasel out of it, but it was Ino's finger making a subtle cutting motion across her neck that managed to persuade him. "Right."

He turned and ran after the disappearing form of Hinata, dashing past the confused onlookers who watched what appeared to be the Hyūga heiress running away in a panic while a clanless ninja chased her. Naruto did not care. If the Hyūga clan came after him later, he would deal with it then.

He followed her all the way to the red academy building, and there the trail ended. For a moment he thought he had lost her, but then he noticed a lonely figure sitting on the academy grounds' only swing. He approached warily, not wanting to spook her, like he was trying to catch a lost cat. In truth, with her black locks hanging in front of her eyes like that, she looked like a particularly wet and miserable one.

There was no only else in the tiny playground. It was nearing sunset, and all the academy students had left to eat dinner with their families or to continue their studies elsewhere. He had always dreaded that moment for fear that he would find an empty apartment upon his return, but he realized for the first time in his life that it might not have been so different for her, for all that she had the opposite problem.

"I ran away again," she whispered. "I really thought I managed to change a little, this time."

"Me too," said Naruto. He sat down on the cool soil next to her, not caring if the dirt stained his new chūnin jacket. "I guess it wouldn't really be us if we didn't stay at least a little bit stupid."

That managed to make her laugh a little, though there was a sad twinge to it. "You know," she said, "you really are much better at this than the other one."

"The other one?" Naruto looked at her in confusion. "Do you mean Sasuke?"

Her lips quirked into a sly little smile. "Come to think of it, I never did thank you, did I? Even though you're the one who saved me, all this time…"

"I did?" Naruto picked up a clump of dirt and let it crumble between his fingers. "I don't really feel like I've done anything for you. Everything I said to you only ever turned out wrong." Though if he had not faced Gaara in the hospital when he did, she really might have died. Perhaps that was what she meant?

They gazed out over the training field in front of them, which loomed so much larger than the tiny playground they were in. Their one swing had probably been put there by Iruka-sensei, he reflected. He dimly wondered how his old classroom teacher was doing. He had seemed quite upbeat despite having been crippled because of Naruto, but perhaps that had just been an act. You never could tell with ninjas.

She motioned towards the used and worn-out training targets. "Do you remember when you taught me how to throw shuriken? It feels like yesterday to me, but now I can't be sure if it ever really happened at all…"

"I remember," he said, feeling as if he was missing half of a rather important conversation. "I didn't really teach you anything though. All I did was distract you long enough to make you forget that you're supposed to be bad at it."

"And that's what the others could never do. My father, my teachers, even my friends. All they could do was point out what I was doing badly. Even now, all they can say is that I should stay the same. Don't change, don't hate your own weakness, don't feel like you have to listen to anyone who is not them…"

"They're just worried about you," Naruto said. "They don't mean badly."

"They're worried about the old me," she said. "They liked that shy little girl who wasn't threatening to anyone. They liked having someone around who made them feel better about themselves, someone who they could protect and care for and who they could be sure would never, ever change."

"Those are Sasuke's words," Naruto said. "Not yours."

"That doesn't make them any less true." She gathered up the long strands of black hair that had fallen in front of her eyes and brushed them back in place. The expression in her pale white eyes had changed, and she suddenly looked very regal indeed. "The truth is what I needed, no matter how much it hurt. I needed someone who would make me stronger, so I would never have to hate myself, ever again."

"But Sasuke," Naruto said despairingly. "Why Uchiha Sasuke of all people? Hinata-chan, he is not a good person! All he cares about is his revenge, and he'll do anything and sacrifice anyone to get it. Can't you see that he's using you?"

"I know," she said. "But that's precisely why it has to be him: With anyone else I'd have to worry what they really thought about me. I'd have to wonder if they really thought I could be helped, or if they were just playing along out of pity. But Sasuke would not be training me if he thought I could not be taught, and so it must be true. Reality is the one thing that doesn't go away when you stop believing in it."

Naruto ground his teeth in frustration. When it came to Sasuke, everyone always acted like he was mad to mistrust him – as if the only reason he was wary of his teammate was because he was jealous of him, and not because Sasuke had all but tortured him the very first time they fought. Hinata had been the only one back then who not been taken in by him, but now it seemed that he had lost her to him too.

And if Naruto called him out on it, well, Sasuke would probably just convince him too.

Bastard...

Hinata smiled sadly, almost as if she could tell what he was thinking. "Even if he isn't a good person, his Sharingan is the one thing that could actually give me what I always wanted. It's just like you said in your match against Rock Lee: Hard work and dedication simply isn't enough to overcome every obstacle."

Once more, those fateful words came back to him, ingrained as they were deep within his memory. "Not fair? We're ninja, nothing we do is fair! You wanted to know if hard work and determination could overcome any obstacle, right? Well as you can see, it can't, and denying it will just get people killed!"

"No," cried Lee. "I reject it! As long as I do not accept defeat, nothing is impossible. That is what Gai-sensei taught me – that is what I have always believed! I reject it…"

Naruto clenched his fists as if he could stop the world from slipping through his fingers if he just squeezed hard enough. "I only said that stuff to him because I wanted to provoke him into attacking me," he said, begging her to understand. "I would never say something like that to you!"

"No, of course not," she said. "But that doesn't mean you weren't thinking it. Or can you honestly tell me that you never thought I lacked what it takes to be a ninja and that it would be better if I just quit?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Unbidden, all of his memories of him thinking exactly that returned to him. During the chūnin exams, in the hospital – he had even said so to Mizuki-sensei right here at the very training ground where they had practiced shuriken together: "Why does Hinata have to be here? She shouldn't even be a ninja! Even if I haven't talked to her much, it's obvious just from looking at her that she doesn't have any killing intent at all. She doesn't want to fight or throw shuriken or learn to kill people, so why, why on earth is she even here in the first place?"

He would have taken it all back if he only could.

"I thought so," she said, still wearing that same wistful little smile which hurt so much to see. It reminded him of Haku, he belatedly realized. "You never pitied me enough to lie to me, Naruto-kun, and for that I am truly grateful." She leaned towards Naruto and kissed him on the cheek, and he was caught so off-guard by it that he never even thought to deny what she had said. "Thank you for everything."

There was a faint rustling of wind, and when Naruto looked again Hinata was gone. Only the slight swaying of the empty wooden swing remained to prove that anyone had been there at all. That, and the hollow feeling in Naruto's heart, which spoke of all the things that could have been, would have been and should have been, but which never were and never would be.