Thwarted, and again by the Hidden Leaf. Last time, he'd barked and growled and the Leaf and tucked in a tail between its legs and bowed to the pressure. He'd ended up being fooled but the Leaf had bended to avoid war. This time around, events would not unfold in the same fashion. There was already war. Demands would be a pointless exercise.

But still, this sounded like it was personal. It could not be that Konoha would always get in the way. What kind of a game was the Leaf even playing? Hadn't it already announced it was going to stand in the way of the Iwagakure? There was of course no chances of him working with Iwa. They had to go to war to settle their issues.

Ai glanced at Yugito and then spoke. "I expected better from you. We could have added another arsenal to our strength."

"I should have done better."

"How powerful was he?"

"We didn't actually engage him in a battle. But he is powerful."

There was no doubt in her mind that Naruto was a powerful shinobi. It was a fact that he stood before her team without even looking worried. He had engaged them with a purpose and executed it to perfection.

"You're dismissed. Go prepare for war."

"Hai."

They still had two Jinchuriki but it would be a problem if Konoha takes the Six-Tails, a war defining moment. The one with the overwhelming strength always won a war.

"Mabui."

"Raikage-sama?"

"Write a letter to the Hokage and ask her if she is trying to provoke war."

"Aren't we already at war? Konoha and Kumo have never been allies."

"I know that. I just want to know if they are doing this to get the Jinchuriki or to get Kiri to back them. Kiri may be weak, but it becomes another thing when they combine with Suna to back Konoha."

There was that possibility and it didn't leave him with happy thoughts. To know now was better than knowing in the climax of the war. If those two were going to get involved, deterrence action would have to be taken.

With Naruto slumped on the chair in front of her desk, Tsunade went through his brief report on his mission. As she read, she glanced toward him, more and more impressed by his maturity. After a couple of minutes, she placed the report down and stared at him.

He was not exactly becoming like his father. They were different beings. Not like the Sandaime but perhaps possessed a bit of their character. If Kakashi had been a little serious, maybe Naruto's growth would have occurred long ago. He had the capacity to learn. He was no genius. But a husk that could be filled up with all forms of knowledge and skills, and the chakra pools to make him flexible as a shinobi in all forms of ninja arts.

"How confident are you against another Jinchuriki?"

That he possessed the strongest Bijuu was meaningless if he could not control the power. What was of material importance was the control and the ability to effectively use all that power. Large chakra reserves did not equate a better fighter. In his younger days, Naruto had proved as much.

"I cannot lose."

"I'm serious here."

"So am I."

He was almost nonchalant about the response. Arrogance? Overconfidence? It didn't feel like this person had allowed those demons to crawl into his spine. But his responses still bothered her.

"Why?"

"Because I know how to fight them in their transformed state. Perhaps the Raikage's brother would be a problem. He is a skilled shinobi without deploying his Bijuu's power. But because I know that, I wouldn't necessarily want to fight him in that state. I'd immediately force him to transform and use my ace."

"Fuinjutsu…" Tsunade frowned deeply. She didn't know to what extent Naruto had developed his skills. His right arm was a genius example of fuinjutsu. Moving on from this subject, Tsunade allowed herself to smile. "You did well. I'm sure Ai will now be thinking he has to deal with us. Consider us already at war now."

"Predictably."

A smile graced the Slug Princess, yet, with a hint of sadness. She was happy he has grown, but sad that the Hokage mantle appeared to be a dream forsaken. It was puzzling how things could have changed, just given how he had passionately spoken about it back then. Childish passion? But it was that innocent dream that brought her back here.

"You know, you'd make a fine Hokage. You are not a genius like your father or Hiruzen, but your application of knowledge is outstanding. In your prime, you will be a monster of a shinobi…" she paused, pushing her chair back. "But I guess that is not something this village deserves."

Naruto's mask did not slip, not even a little. He glanced up for a moment and then stood up, walking toward the window with his hands folded across his back. Staring at his reflection, he responded.

"Reaction to every action. But we shall see what the future holds. I'm a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, that is a fact."

"Yes."

"What is important now is war. You must put your focus on leading the village. You don't want to be the only Hokage who has a record of losing a war."

Tsunade snorted. "My predecessors had skilled shinobi to work with."

"It is the fault of the village that this current generation can't surpass the old."

"Blame the Sandaime and his peace ideals. I swear you wouldn't think he was a student of the Nidaime."

"He was your sensei…" Naruto pressed. "But recent events haven't helped matters. The Loss of the Uchiha clan, the Kyubi rampage and the Sound invasion. Skilled shinobi like Orochimaru and Itachi have departed."

"Misfortune has been on our side…" Tsunade smiled sadly. "But we must make do with what we have."

"Indeed," Naruto agreed. "What happens to Utakata and Hotaru?"

"I'm going to send them to Kiri. Should strengthen an alliance."

"Danzo is not going to agree to that."

Tsunade shrugged. "Doesn't matter. We don't need another Jinchuriki… Kumo is not going to know about your secret, is it? It would cause a problem."

Naruto shook his head. "No," he said. "I made sure of it. I'm aware of the kind of problem it would cause."

Tsunade glanced at him and then stared at her desk. She was sharply aware of those feelings toward the Hidden Leaf. Maybe what was the cause of concern in the scenario was the attitude of the villagers toward Jinchuriki.

"If you ever need to talk about it, feel free to come to me. My door is always open for you."

"I'd be more pleased if it was your window."

It didn't take a second for the slug princess to process the meaning of his not so subtle hint. "Shouldn't you be playing with those your age?"

Naruto shrugged. "Age is meaningless to a shinobi. Power, experiences, and responsibilities determine 'age.' You should know this better."

"Some of us like to keep illusion of normalcy."

"For civilians not shinobi. Perhaps my thought of shinobi is just a little too much," he said. "I think I'm fine nonetheless. But thank you for the offer."

With war on the horizon, time was up for lingering within the streets of this village. The treacherous bloody dance that was war would lead to his disappearance and the start of a new journey. Things would certainly be different without the war. It was going to be a cold death battleground, but a necessary stepping stone for his dreams. Sacrifices had to be made. In this world, you always had to give out something to gain something. Pacifists only lost everything they held valuable because they refused to make the hard decisions.

Naruto released a long breath, and settled on the ground, below the shade of a tree. He'd been training. It has only been a day since he returned, but with no injuries, there was no reason he should not train. He needed to be ready for his future plans. Without power, he could not do it all. He was nonetheless not ignorant that power did not solve everything. But it was the principle requirement, for a shinobi.

Seeing Konohamaru walk toward him, he looked up for a moment. It was about time he wrapped up this, but he did believe he had done enough.

He stood up, putting on a small smile on his face. Understandably, he was not as close as he was with the boy. But deep attachment was not necessary for him to impart skills and knowledge.

"This will be my last lesson to you, Konohamaru. So, I want you to listen very carefully. As I will change my approach to teaching you."

Konohamaru looked at him with confusion. "Why last?"

"Because I won't be teaching you anymore."

"Why?"

The children didn't know about war. They didn't have to worry about it. They were not going to fight. "There is war coming. In the coming days, I wont be in this village but busy. Even after the war, I will not have time for this. Your dream is to become Hokage and I want you to succeed. But power determines a Kage. If you are weak, you will not become one. Knowledge is important, so is power to force things. A little difficult for you to understand but at least you will understand this lesson."

Konohamaru stared, wondering where this was going. He already knew about the coming war. But he knew, Naruto no longer spoke about becoming Hokage. He shook his head. Best to focus on his training.

"The Sandaime Hokage was great, in terms of Ninjutsu at least. Each Hokage has had something special about them. Your grandfather was great because he could use all five basic elements. He understood jutsu far better than anyone. Even without a bloodline, he still managed to be famed as a God of Shinobi. You have immense chakra, but you lack control. You want to attack first without thinking. You will die in battle. Your grandfather was not like that. He was smart. A genius and used his mind well.

"But that is not what I want to teach you," he motioned for Konohamaru to sit down as he did so as well. "Take Gai for an example, what is his weakness?"

"He doesn't use Ninjutsu."

"It is not necessarily a weakness. What makes that a weakness?"

Konohamaru stared.

"Gai is fast, he'd probably beat you before you even get the chance to weave hand signs. He is also a short-distance fighter, meaning he needs to be closer to fight you. A person who is mediocre at best with Taijutsu despite a huge Ninjutsu arsenal, will likely lose against Gai if they allow him to get close. The weakness with Gai is that if he is fighting against someone with Genjutsu, he is likely to lose despite his power." Naruto paused. "So, if you are fighting Gai, what do you do?"

"Use Genjutsu!"

"Why?"

"He uses Taijutsu?"

"Chakra… from where I stand, I would say, someone like Lee has the same chakra levels of a civilian. They don't do chakra training because they can't use it. Understand the weakness and know how to exploit it. Against a short distance fighter, you keep your distance, if you are not confident." Naruto said. "Now, what is my weakness?"

"You have none!"

"What makes you say that?"

"I can't beat you!"

"Just because you can't beat me doesn't mean I don't have a weakness. It simply means you haven't found one. I have learned Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu and Genjutsu… and Fuinjutsu. The first three, every shinobi must know them." Naruto paused, wondering if he is making sense. "Lets put it in a way you'll understand. The Raikage is probably the fastest person. He uses Taijutsu. A close range fighter. He sucks with Genjutsu and requires close contact to fight. If I am fighting against him, I wouldn't try to compete with him in speed. I know Fuinjutsu and some defensive abilities. Because I know the Raikage requires his lightning cloak for speed and to supplement his taijutsu, I can work around it…" he stood up, and walked away from Konohamaru. "Take out a kunai and attack me with every intention to kill me."

Konohamaru did not hesitate. It was not like he was going to hit anyway. He took out a kunai and dashed toward the blond, stabbing the kunai forward, right about his gut. Naruto reacted by bringing out his right hand, and the kunai stabbed through the palm of his hand. Konohamaru quickly tried to draw back, but Naruto grabbed him by his throat.

Without doing anything, he pushed the genin backwards.

"Ni-chan, are you okay?"

Naruto shook his head. "I took the damage willingly. Sometimes if the opponent is faster and you cant outrun them, you must let yourself be hurt. I allowed myself to be hurt, just so I can get an opening. You stabbing me allowed me to grab you. If that was the Raikage, a simple touch and I would have applied a seal that suppresses chakra. He would have lost his lightning cloak. And his advantage is gone."

"That is a little difficult. What if you get too hurt to continue fighting?"

"Know your limits and if you going to make a play like this, let it be your last resort and make sure you don't fail because if you fail, you die." Naruto said. "What I am trying to tell you is that, study the Bingo book. Know the strengths of your opponents and their weaknesses when in battle." He raised an index finger. "I use fuinjutsu, to you, someone who contains a bijuu is a dangerous opponent, but not to me. Do you know why?"

"Because you are also a container?"

"No…" Naruto shook his head. "Because I use Fuinjutsu… I can simply suppress the power of the Bijuu within them. The Majority of Jinchuriki depend too much on the power of their Bijuu that they don't even refine their skills, you suppress their Bijuu, and they become just normal shinobi."

Naruto created a clone. "I have already told you about a short-distance fighter… The question is, what kind of a shinobi are you?"

"Short distance?"

Naruto nodded. "You employ Taijutsu and Ninjutsu as primary tools of engagement. Your Ninjutsu is not long-distance. It is short and mid-range. So, if you engage someone who won't allow you to get closer, what do you do?" the blond raised an hand. "Don't look for an answer. This clone will force you to experience the answer. It won't allow you to get close, and we won't conclude this until you figure out what you must do… you don't need to succeed against me, you just need a plan that works."

"That was some rather interesting lesson," Jiraiya said, eyes staring down at Naruto who sat in a meditative pose under a tree. Swinging his right leg, the Sannin added. "I don't recall ever teaching you anything like that."

"That is because you have lost your way as a shinobi. You focus too much on power than skill," Naruto responded without opening his eyes. "Kakashi may have hinted at such things. He always spoke about 'looking underneath the underneath.' The application is different but the principle is the same."

You trained a better shinobi in the way Naruto did with Konohamaru. If the boy took Naruto's words to heart, he would surely become a better shinobi. He had the capacity. And apparently the will. But there was a question on why Naruto took so much interest and did what he did with such precision.

He would not dare ask. Trying to suggest that Naruto was doing suspiciously questionable things would not earn him any points.

"I'm not questioning the method. It is merely that you are doing a far better job at being a teacher than I would've hoped…" he smiled. "Perhaps a little more than the way the Sandaime taught his students."

"It is your take in life and approach to fighting that determines how you teach. You try to plant your ideals on your students, but I merely teach him skills and pave the way for his own destiny."

"A student should always take the ideals of his master. You take students to pass on the torch."

"Do that with your own children. The fact that you must pass your ideals means that you have failed to see them through. Everyone should have a chance to choose their own paths. It is what brings out our individuality. My path is my path. I can only teach it to someone who wants to follow that path."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. Knowledgeable. Experiences taught you many things. Naruto learned things the hard way. He learned through experiences. It was safe to say he had tested and tried what he spoke about.

"Is that why you refuse to take my ideals?"

"I respect you as a shinobi, and your skills. But your ideals are something else." Naruto slightly shook his head. "You didn't come to watch me, did you, sensei?"

He'd rather meditate in peace. He also needed to learn t to use the Sanbi's power by training with it within the seal. It helped avoid chakra leaks and destruction that would otherwise cause concern in the village.

"Tell me about your right hand."

"Shinobi secrets."

"And you call me sensei?"

For now. The future could not be predicted. He did not have a sneaky relationship with fate that she'd whisper into his ears events of tomorrow while she rests her head on his chest. He always had to be careful that he doesn't reveal everything. Just in case.

Naruto opened his eyes and glanced at his arm for a second before answering. "Primarily, fuinjutsu is used to seal things into something. You can seal anything really, with Fuinjutsu. Explosive tags are made by sealing chakra into a piece of paper, and then releasing it all at once. You always need an object to contain whatever you seal.

"My hand is a container. I can seal any form of chakra within it. For you, it is called absorption. The main idea for doing so was to try to combine all Five basic elements to see what kind of jutsu I'd create. The container can release anything it has sealed within it."

"Chakra. Can you only seal chakra within it?"

"For now, yes. Working with chakra is much easier. But any other material becomes difficult. I need to improve my understanding of the art before making improvements." Quickly changing the subject, Naruto spoke once more. "What do you think Pein or Nagato plans to do in this war we are going to fight?"

"I don't know…" it was not that he didn't realize Naruto was shifting him away from the topic. But this was just important. "I really can't tell. But whatever it is, it is going to be big and we need to be careful with how we handle it. Considering his power."

"Indeed. Any man who can beat Jiraiya in Sage Mode to an inch of his life deserves special eyes."

If not for the seriousness of Naruto's tone, Jiraiya would have thought the blond was mocking his defeat. "That is what I came to discuss with you. What to do about him"

"But sensei, why is this discussion with me? Should you not be talking to Princess Tsunade regarding this or one of the leaders like Shikaku?"

Neither he nor Jiraiya were decision makers in the village. Power houses? It could be passed off as that much. The Sannin did have the license to roam free, but he did not do as he pleased with matters that threatened the safety of the Hidden Leaf.

"I have already spoken with her. I'm talking to you because if there is a need to fight him, you are the only one I can trust to go into battle with me without having to worry about my back."

"Kakashi or Gai?"

"It is a battle of endurance. Kakashi can't survive that battle. He is skilled as a Jonin and I respect him for that, but he has severe limitations that won't pass off if we need to win against Nagato."

"I see," Naruto closed his eyes, adopting a thoughtful look. "If that is the case, what do you suggest?"

"I have already shared with you what I know about him. How would you fight him?"

"That is a difficult question. Obviously trying to meet him head on with brunt force will only result in destruction. I'm confident I'm capable of outlasting anyone in terms of stamina, but confidence does not equal performance…" he paused, releasing a long sigh. "I do not know. Inside information is important but I do not know how'd I'd handle it. He isn't the priority. War is."

"But there is a chance he might make an appearance during the war. We must be prepared for that."

"Indeed," Naruto nodded. "I guess we must train together."

An unpleasant thought, but Naruto had no plans to fight alongside the Sannin against Nagato unless there was no other option. Revealing too much to everyone would result in his own undoing.

Naruto stood by the entrance of his door, staring at Ino – who'd knocked a moment earlier. A curious person. The need to know things that didn't bother her was troubling. Didn't she know that curiosity once killed the cat? True they were in the same generation and basically grew up together in their academy years, but to say they were friends was a bit of a stretch. Admittedly, Ino was a lot more closer now than anyone, at least since he returned to the village.

But it was her questioning gaze that made it difficult for him to be open. Not that he was ever an open book to anyone, but she made him put an extra wall, just in case.

"I suppose I should have expected an appearance from you."

"That is about right."

The son of the Yondaime Hokage. There was nothing fancy about it. There was nothing noble about it. In fact, Naruto was probably never going to permit himself to be called as such. The leaders of this village chose to name him Uzumaki, and Uzumaki he shall be. Of course, there was the problem that the Namikaze name would overshadow him – at least at this present time.

"You sure your father is going to be happy with his little girl getting into the house of a boy?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "Like its my first tome here."

"I'm feeling a little happy today."

"Are you going to let me in?"

Naruto stepped to the side and allowed Ino to pass. He closed the door behind him, and followed her as she walked to his sitting room. He sat beside her on the couch, his right foot folded on it, she stared at him.

"I would have liked it if you walked toward the bedroom, but we can talk," he smiled, a bit slyly.

"You are thinking something perverted."

Naruto shrugged. "Not at all," he stretched his right, walking his fingers on Ino's left thigh. He stopped seeing her change in expression. "I thinking a bit of release of excess energy."

"I don't want to die."

Naruto laughed. "Nobody dies. Everybody dies, but not from that."

Ino resisted smiling. A grown up with his own house, that was Naruto. Had anybody said they'd seen the future when they were still academy brats and they'd seen that Naruto would turn into this, she'd have screamed fraud and led the calls to burn the lying witch. But here he was. A charming young man. It had nothing with the rumours about his parents, just his personal charm.

She could almost fall for him.

"You go all out."

"I'm a nice person… I believe that we must all enjoy the activity. I must not just be happy with the release, but you must also enjoy yourself," Naruto said.

Tsunade would certainly attest to this, but of course, she was not going to talk about it. At least for now.

"Have you finally gotten over your denial?"

Ino folded her hands across her chest, cheeks puffed up slightly. "It was not denial, just hard to believe. And you didn't even bother trying to convince me."

"It is something that is irrelevant," Naruto shrugged. "But that is the truth. And of course about me being the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi."

Who'd have guessed? Things change. It was almost laughable just how quickly things can turn around you. Ino smiled, but it was good that Naruto was having good fortune. He did have a crappy childhood, worse since he was the son of the man some people in this village worshipped.

"Just like the Kazekage," Ino shook her head. "I thin…"

She trailed off when Naruto pounced on her. Gently, he'd suddenly lunged, pushing her back as he got atop of her. She felt his left hand, caressing her around her belly, while his right whispered on her right cheek. She stared into his eyes, trying to block the feeling she felt, just so she could try to decipher his intentions, but as always, his eyes were unreadable.

"You came at a good time. We might not get more opportunities for this with war coming our way."

"How close is it?"

"Close enough."

Naruto bent down, captured her lips. Soft, her scent invaded his nose. It was always an arousing scent. Her eyes were already closed, sometimes, he opened his eyes just to watch the expression, even if it was too close to see. He closed his eyes, and slipped his tongue inside her mouth. She was all welcoming, a bit of a tangle, and his hands were already tearing her shirt.

She pushed him away.

"What am I gonna wear when I go home if you are going to tear my clothes?"

"You can always put on one of my shirts. And you don't have to leave now. I can cook you something to eat later on."

"My dad will kill me."

Naruto laughed. "How long are you going to be daddy's little girl?"

"As long as I live."

The scent of war had the Anbu observing village streets and alleys with hawkish eyes. Moving around was dangerous. A single misstep and you'd get caught moving in places you were not supposed to move. It was especially challenging since there was a curfew imposed in the village by Tsunade. War was already upon them. Tomorrow, or even now, one of the enemies could be marching, and he would be sent out for bloodshed. Mentally, he had to prepare for that. People would die. Even those he cared for. Limitations were imposed on everyone by life. Wishes and desires did not guarantee success. You could wish, but capabilities wouldn't materialize the wishes.

After managing to sneak away from the streets into the forest of death, Naruto let loose of a long breath. At least, his stealth technique was good. He could effectively carry out assassination jobs. He smiled. He'd have revolted at the kind of job when he was a Genin. But now, he'd never give it a second thought.

The forest wasn't guarded. It was not a safe place anyway. He didn't even have a good memory of this place.

"Are you trying to get me in trouble with the Leaf?"

Itachi appeared from the darkness, below the tree Naruto sat on. The Uchiha blended in stealthily within the shades before responding.

"I was not aware the village was in maximum security…"

"You could have gotten in yourself. Former Leaf shinobi know the way around the village." For Itachi it would be simple. He'd simply genjutsu anyone who comes across him.

Thinking of this, Naruto wondered if he'd be able to use the Sanbi's genjutsu in a wide area like a village. It would be a dangerous jutsu if he could unleash it to affect an entire village.

"Getting caught is out of the question. But at least you can always say you are trying to train."

"How convenient."

"War is upon you. You must always be ready."

"It is war that turned you into this pacifist. Of course, I still don't understand your nor your intentions, but that hardly bothers me."

It was simply because such intentions were not aimed toward him. It would be problematic if the Uchiha had his eyes cast against him. For an opponent, Itachi was someone you didn't want to have. He understood the basic rules of shinobi quite well.

"What do you want from me? Last time we even spoke, you were telling me it might be the last time we speak."

Itachi ignored this. "How is Sasuke doing?"

"I do not know. But maybe I will know soon enough. He is being trained by Danzo."

"I see," Itachi paused. "Perhaps I should pay Danzo a visit… In any case, you truly have no regard for my little brother, do you?"

Naturally, this made things suspicious. Itachi didn't even think that Naruto was that loyal. He liked to think he was a great judge of character. Even with all those suspicious glances, he didn't sense any malice, especially toward the Leaf. If there was any, he would have made sure he tried something – for the good of both Sasuke and the Leaf.

The fact that Naruto no longer cared for Sasuke made things a little complicated. Who did he trust with Sasuke? Naruto had only promised one thing and he had done so. Sasuke with Danzo was something he never wanted, but at this situation, it was probably the best outcome.

"There are other priorities for me. Sasuke is capable of making his own decisions. Whatever he does, he must be able to face the music. He is no child that one must hold his hand and show him how to walk…" Naruto said in a flat tone. "You set him up to this path."

"An error of judgment in my part." Itachi admitted. "If the Leaf is not careful, it may end up being destroyed in the war."

"What makes you say that?"

"The leader of the Akatsuki has an agenda that I do not fully know. But what I know is that Konoha might be in danger. The Leader holds a deep grudge against the Leaf. I'm sure it is because of the Leaf's history in past wars."

"Well, our sins eventually catch up to us. But this leader is Nagato, yes? Jiraiya told me that he trained Nagato years ago. The reason for the resentment is easy to guess. Has nothing to do with Jiraiya," Naruto glanced down for a moment before adding. "And what of your own actions?"

"Last time I spoke to you, I told you it would be the last time we speak. But what I never told you was the detail. There is a man who calls himself Madara. He is part of the Akatsuki and has been trying to get Nagato to do something. But he is not trusted. I wanted to convince Nagato to get rid of him, but it was not yet time for that."

"Would this be the same Uchiha responsible for the deaths of my parents?"

Itachi noted, there was a change in Naruto's tone. "How would you know that?"

"An Uchiha manipulated the Kyubi. And there are very few alive at the moment. It is just three, yes?" Not to say, he had inside knowledge. The Kyubi had already shared some of those details with him.

"It is him."

"Then if there is a plan to kill that man, I want to be part of it. Someone has to pay for the treacherous life that I have been forced to live. If he hadn't shown up that night, I would have been happy, had a beautiful life with both my parents. But I was looked upon with contempt, ostracized by many."

"Hatred…" Itachi paused, glancing up for a moment. It ran much deeper. This hatred for Madara was something else. It was a little frightening. Much scarier was that Naruto has managed to hide it all this time. Not once, has he displayed this contempt for anyone. Not even Konoha even when he had once candidly spoken about the way he was treated and mixed feelings.

"It is a bad thing. Revenge is bad. Well, unless you know how to control it. Look at Sasuke? He thinks vengeance. It rules him and the only person who can correct it is you. You still have not told me why you came here."

"I want you to be prepared for war. And Sasuke as well. There is something that I am going to give you. And tell Danzo that I will come and fight Sasuke to death. I will try to set his path by being honest with him."

"You are going to die?"

Itachi shook his head. "No," he said. "There is a jutsu that Nagato knows. I'm going to employ it but it will require your assistance that Danzo doesn't get my 'body' and he along with Sasuke believe that I am dead."

"I can arrange that," Naruto said.

No question, Itachi always thought about Sasuke. Perhaps it was big brothers did. Naruto would never truly understand that. He had no sibling. His mother and father died.

"But you are not giving me anything. True, you have already given me another gift. But it is perhaps because you may have already used it against me to ensure it is never used against the Leaf."

"My gift was merely a token of my thanks. You promised you'd bring back Sasuke. And I was hoping that maybe you would rekindle your friendship with Sasuke…"

Naruto snorted. "Well, that is not hopeless." He said. "If Sasuke is willing to change, then it can happen. It is for a fact that he was once my best friend. Your brother nearly died to save me. No matter what he has done, I cannot, in good conscious, forget it."

He wouldn't have died from Haku's attack since he had never intended to kill them but Sasuke didn't know that. At some point, Sasuke had overlooked his pride and selfishness to look out for him.

"Maybe some part of me does wish that he does become a better person. When he was willing, no matter how much he brooded, he was a good teammate…" Naruto shook his head. "The reason you even continue with this is because you are aware of my feelings."

"I wouldn't go that far, but I considered that would be the case. You are also a person I can trust. Though, I can't seem to fully place that you are loyal to the Leaf. Even if you do hold malice toward it, it is nothing that would lead you to seek its destruction…"

"People can surprise you, Itachi."

"Deception is part of the shinobi trade," Itachi did not dispute this. "I will contact you when I am ready. I especially came here because I want to give you something. And I wanted to know where you stood."

"Oh?" Naruto glanced down. "Where do I stand?"

"You will eventually leave the Hidden Leaf but you will not be far from it. In this war, you will fight for it… For me, that is what is most important. Without its Jinchuriki pulling the weight, Konoha might not survive."

"And that is why you keep on checking. To ensure that the Leaf survives the war. If Sasuke will not fight for the Leaf, at least I must. Or the other way around."

"You know this much, but you don't seem bothered by it."

Naruto shrugged. "We use each other to meet our end. This is how shinobi are. Besides, I'm a little more curious about you and everything surrounding the Uchiha. This is part of learning. I have grow to understand that one is not capable of figuring it all. You have more knowledge and experience. Your view of life is much different from that of Jiraiya or anyone else close to me. These different perceptions help me grow as a person."

"To what end?"

"Who knows? But what is obvious is that a child must grow. If you restrain yourself to what is in front of you, you miss out on everything else around you. Life doesn't end within the Leaf. I've yet to reach my prime. I'm actually still just a brat. I must learn. I must accumulate to grow… the lessons of life are not only from your teachers but from every experience. If you had not seen war, you would not have changed. What happens after experiences is something nobody knows, but we must not be afraid of the unknown."

"I have been waiting for you for an hour!" Tsunade exclaimed as soon as Naruto walked into an underground facility beneath the Hokage tower.

Tsunade had summoned him to start with her experiment on his right hand with the Senju cells. It was all medical complexities he didn't want to grasp. It was nevertheless a good experiment that would prolong his life and give him a weapon when in battle. Wounds were unavoidable, at times when faced against tougher opponents. Recovery from such wounds was the difference between death and survival.

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "There is no need to be so impatient. Shizune is doing just fine standing in as the Hokage. It isn't like this is the first time she has done it anyway."

"Normally, she does it when I'm drunk and can't work… but that isn't the point!"

"The point is I'm late," Naruto said, stopping in front of the Hokage. He glanced around; it was just the two of them. This place looked more like a mini lab. There was a bed, some lab equipment on the sides. Though, nothing as sophisticated as Orochimaru has in his burrows. "My apologies… I kind of overslept. Had a rather eventful night."

Tsunade raised an eye brow. The sly smile on his lips suggested something. "A woman?"

"A girl," Naruto leaned in, his face just inches away from that of the Hokage. "I would have rather spent it with you instead…"

Tsunade put her right hand on his face to try to push him away, but Naruto caught the hand around the wrists, smiling. "Your hands are rather slender. You wouldn't think they are the same hands that destroy things," he said before suddenly pulling her closer. She slammed onto his chest, and Naruto quickly captured her lips. Though a little taken by surprised, she responded to the kiss, for a couple of seconds before forcefully pushing him away.

She glared. "This is not going to become a thing," she then released a long sigh.

Naruto was not discouraged. "But tell me, you did enjoy yourself, did you not? No offense, but you are not getting any younger. You should enjoy yourself while you can. You don't want to get old lonely and miserable."

"I've had my fair share of troubles and happiness," Tsunade shrugged. "If you are not going to behave, I will have to cut off your arm to be able to do what I want to do."

"Well, we don't want that."

"Lie on the bed," Tsunade instructed. When Naruto did so, Tsunade placed finger on his forehead. "You have to be out cold for a little while. I'm afraid I won't focus with you talking."

"Just don't undress me while at it."

"Won't be anything I haven't seen before."

Naruto stared at his right hand, trying to move it. It felt different like it was no longer part of him even though his brain could still control it. The foreign agents working within it made it a little heavy, and they were trying to overpower him, trying to move toward his entire body. He would need to adjust to this. The fact that this was just done to his right hand meant that he needed to be careful with his chakra levels. This was not perfect. Tsunade had said that she would study his hand farther to see how it reacts to the cells.

Naruto glanced to the side, hearing footsteps. He smiled.

"I was wondering when you'd come to me."

Guren frowned. "I dislike this about you."

"You just dislike anyone acting superior to you. Which is rather amusing since you grovelled for Orochimaru."

"He was my master. You are not. No one is."

"Don't tell me you are one of those people who cannot survive without a master to serve. Because if that is the case, I wouldn't mind making you submit to my will."

Guren raised an eye brow. Now, there was no doubt he was deadly serious and the smile on his face made her skin crawl. It made her suspicious about his intentions. "Orochimaru-sama was right about you. You have some hidden intentions that the Leaf doesn't know."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Orochimaru-sama? You still respect him? But as far as he told me, he wasn't able to get to you while in the village. Which means, someone else reached you."

"Someone, but make no mistake, I have nothing to do with him. I'm just used to calling him like that," Guren said sternly. "But what are your intentions?"

"Who knows?" Naruto paused. "But you have no interest in being a slave of the Leaf, do you? You want your freedom. I can give it you."

"When you are not even free yourself? I see how things are in this village."

Naruto smiled. "I made a promise to you before, and I kept it. I'm willing to make another one, and keep it. You are mistaken about something. Everything in this village is as it is because I permit it. My current situation is a mixture of a choice I have made and events that are beyond my control," he said firmly before adding. "What do you say, Guren, are you willing to take the bet? You have nothing to lose. And I'm not trying to test you."

"What do you want in return?"

Naruto stared, his eyes turning crimson, as he started leaking a bit of the Kyubi's chakra. "Your soul. Everything you own."

"What?"

"Hahahaha…" Naruto laughed. "I'm not the devil. I merely wish for you to be close to me. Your power to be precise. But you must do something for me."

"What?"

"Go to the Hokage tower and speak to the Fifth Hokage. Tell her that you are willing to join the Leaf. We are going into war. They need all the power they can get."

"Do I have to fight for the Leaf?"

"Yes… and you must do it with everything you have."

End of chapter

Thank you for everyone who reviewed the last chapter and didn't get a response. I think I managed to respond to almost everyone.

I'll try to post the next chapter next Wednesday. If I manage to keep things going, I will be posting a chapter every Wednesday.

The Omnipresent Sage