Naruto Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Author's Note: Ok, so here's another chapter for ya. This will be very interesting to write and I hope I'll still make it all a bit believable. First off, this chapter starts with a Flashback!! Second, expect many new moves and third, well… There is no third… Just wanted to sound interesting. --'

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Review Reply Corner:

Nobuyasha: Yeah, quite a while, huh? My apologies. Wow! Thanks for being a fan!  Thanks for the review!

Curlsofserenity: I'm glad you still think it's cool! Thanks for reviewing!

Sirus183: Thanks! Here's the update! I hope you'll enjoy!

Misu no Yami: Wow! You understood all of it!? I'm not sure I did, though… I'm glad you like it!

Lady Light: I'm glad you love it! And I agree, Hinata is really sweet, huh?

Lostlily: Yep, yep, thanks! I got the idea for the Shikamaru attack after re-watching Vampire Hunter D. Itachi and the others will have a bigger role in the war.

Hattuteline: Yeah!! Long time no see, man! I know what you mean about the text being somewhat 'off', I think I have the same feeling and it isn't really satisfying, is it? scratches head before sighing I got a few questions for ya, though. I hope you don't mind… I'll send them to you through e-mail if you don't mind, that is.

Shade89: Thanks and thanks!! Well, it's not usual for the chapters to be great, not for me anyway. There are a few authors on here who have that treat, however. I'll read your fic now!

Magicalfoci: Yep, everyone has gotten powerful, even Sakura! . Sorry, but I still see no Shinobi in Sakura. And well, Neji, Naruto and Gaara are just tired of having no challenge… and yet again, Hinata is really cool!

SilverKnight7: Thanks for liking it! Here's an update! Uhm, no pairings in this book!

:D: Yep, I try to keep all Characters as IC as possible, but it's pretty hard and I know I failed quite some times already. Neway, thnx for reviewing!

Hide-a: Heh, thanks! Perhaps they are side-effects from studying for the exam. But I don't think studying affects me, it's just how the chapter is, I think.

Stoictimer: I think that should be possible, uhmm, yeah it is possible. I did the same thing (the chapter merging) with another fic of mine from Evangelion. Thanks for the review! Here's an update!

Hotaru-chan: Thanks! I think Gaara smiles when he kills someone, or at least inwardly. Perhaps Shukaku chuckles when Gaara kills?

Zsych: Thanks for the review! There are various ways of techniques (Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, TaiJutsu, KinJutsu, Hijutsu, Doujutsu) So under which category does the Rasengan fit? I got that Shadow Stabbing technique from the Anime Movie Vampire Hunter D insert dark chuckle. About Kakashi, you're right, but it's explained in this chapter. And Sasuke versus Jiraiya, well… The two of them in a fight is really unimaginable for me. I just don't know what the outcome would be. Of course, it takes a lot to be able to surpass Jiraiya, but Sasuke does have a need to get stronger than his brother. Itachi has gotten a lot stronger in this fic, while Jiraiya hasn't grown that much stronger in here. Sasuke has also gotten a lot stronger, even without, but still thanks to the Curse Seal, considering Chakra Control. But I do agree with your funny comment! You about Sasuke: If he has intelligence(which I doubt) Made me laugh. Thanks for the review!

DocDragon: Heh, interesting technique, though very hard, since there will have to be shadows everywhere and they must be connected to each other, right? And big enough for Shikamaru to fit in. But I think I can fix that… Thanks!!

EfrainMan: Indeed, he did say Mangekyo, in 84 also… Oh well, less-for-me-to-type excuse… Thanks for the review and here's the next chappie!

X2DarkLord: Yeah, I know what you mean. It's just that Naruto is too often describes as a loser in the manga and the anime, at least, that's how I see it. I just wanted him to be strong, REAL strong for once, even without the Kyuubi, so others, ALL others, would really acknowledge him. I mean, just imagine how Naruto feels…

C.S.I.: Thanks for thinking my story is good! And yeah, of course you can use one of my techniques, why wouldn't you?

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There Where When is Now

Chapter 16

A lot was going through his head as he was on his way home. The meeting between him and his old team mates went… oddly well. A sense of familiarity had swept through him as they asked questions and asked questions back. The fight between him and Sasuke was… odd as well. He had held back a lot, but didn't expect Sasuke to be so… weak. Of course, when Sasuke activated that Curse Seal of his if was a different story. But even then, Naruto had the main advantage, since that Curse Seal was draining Sasuke's Chakra fast. And another advantage was that Naruto could also 'transform' and be a little stronger.

When he approached his old home, he was surprised to find Gaara and another man on the roof. As he landed in front of the two, he recognised the other to be Itachi's disguise.

"So, what's up?" Naruto began.

Gaara smirked a bit as he looked at Naruto. "Itachi here wants to try it again… He thinks we're ready now."

Naruto didn't understand immediately, but after thinking about it, and watching Gaara's smirk and Itachi's serious attitude… He suddenly knew. "So we're going inside ourselves again? Last time we did that… we were out for a long time…" He said as he observed Gaara a bit nervously. "I don't want to sleep for four weeks, like back then, Gaara."

Itachi interjected. "This time you're not going to fight. Simply face your demons, try to analyze them, try to find out how you can fight them. The time will come soon, Naruto… I think it needs to be done if we want to beat the Akatsuki. Do remember, when that fights starts… there won't be a cage that will be holding the demons back… You'll have to beat them…"

Naruto nervously swallowed. "I… I know… But last time, he simply defeated me by one gust of Chakra… and he was in that cage! Why would we be able to defeat him now?"

Itachi smirked. "You and Gaara both, have come a far way since that time. You've grown, perhaps you can win."

"And if we don't?"

"Then the Akatsuki will still be destroyed… but so will everything else…"

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The mission they were going to have in a few days was going to be long and extremely boring. At least she felt safe. Knowing her 'team mates' for now, she knew they wouldn't be defeated easily. She had been very surprised to find out that the Hyuga heiress, Hyuga Hinata, had become far more powerful than before. She was still able to defeat her, since she was an expert in distance fighting, but still… up close she would be screwed against her. She could also beat the older woman, Yuuhi Kurenai, who was mostly specialized in Genjutsu, but one big gust of wind would take care of that, Kurenai's other abilities were slightly below her own. Nara Shikamaru could outwit her and with his newfound skills he kind of scared her. And Uzumaki Naruto had grown terrifyingly powerful; she was no match for him, while she was stronger than Kankurou and Baki, the smartest and strongest of the Hunter team they were in and the leader of it as well. But Naruto scared her a bit too much.

Right now they were training again. She had perfected her own Wind attacks and not many Shinobis could survive her attacks. But here she was, with people who could all survive her attacks and with one who possibly didn't even feel her attacks. So, she did feel safe now. Now, Kurenai was fighting Naruto.

Temari grinned to herself as she saw Naruto smile and wave another one of Kurenai's Genjutsu goodbye as he used his nose to smell where Kurenai was hiding. 'Awfully powerful… I bet Gaara's like him as well…'

Kurenai sighed as all of her attacks failed against the younger man she fought. 'Damn him… I wonder what might work on him. I'm not that good in Ninjutsu as he is and his defence is probably just as good as his Chakra Stamina.' Kurenai did a few hand seals and performed a simple fire technique on the ground that was surrounding herself and Naruto. 'Now all he can smell is burned grass. Perhaps my Genjutsu will work on him now…'

Naruto looked around himself and indeed, smelled nothing but the grass, which was now burned. 'Hmmm, my nose is pretty expendable in this situation… Guess I should use Kyoubou Clones, just in case I get trapped in Genjutsu…' Naruto disappeared and left one advanced Kyoubou Clone in his place, while he created three normal Kyoubou Clones to hide in the bushes. It seemed Kurenai didn't notice because of the smoke that was created by her own Fire attack.

Temari and Hinata noticed however, while Shikamaru wasn't paying attention to the fight and was lying on the ground, staring at the clouds.

A while later, Kurenai smiled as Naruto stumbled and fell on the ground, blood pouring down from his mouth. Her Genjutsu had worked. She used the same Genjutsu she used on Itachi all those years ago. It didn't seem Naruto had noticed or could escape from her grasp as she stabbed him on a few places on his body, where it wasn't lethal. As she made the Genjutsu disappear, she was surprised to see that Naruto rose from his feet and… disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by three other Narutos, who were wildly growling at her. Another Naruto landed in front of her. "You lost again, Kurenai-san."

Kurenai sighed. 'Figures he would use Clones…'

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Gaara was slightly entertained as he was sparring with Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja who owned more than a thousand Jutsus, as was said. Gaara did notice that Kakashi had held back the day they had trained for the first time. His speed was high enough to get past Gaara's first defence. And he did possess many Jutsus. Gaara had to smile at all the Jutsus Kakashi was throwing at him as he tried to break the Barrier of Sand. Still, the fact that Kakashi wasn't panting at all, meant one thing, Gaara concluded. He was still holding back.

"This isn't all you've got… Show me everything." Gaara calmly said and released one of his larger sand waves.

Kakashi dodged and smiled. 'This guy… He's really good. Even my best won't let me defeat him. I don't want to go all out, but Gaara knows I'm holding back… My Chidori should be able to get past his defences…'

Gaara's eyes narrowed as he recognised the Chidori, the very first move that had actually hurt him… He smiled nonetheless. 'True, I haven't moved from this spot at all since we began our sparring, but he can't expect that I'll be standing still when I'm facing an attack like that…'

Kakashi charged forward and watched Gaara jump away, straight into one of his Shadow Clones, who collided with Gaara's Shield of Sand. Gaara landed, turned around and saw another Kakashi charging him with Chidori, while the first was also charging at him from another side. 'Hmm, which one is the real Kakashi?'

Gaara jumped away again and the process repeated itself. Gaara skidded backwards over the ground and performed a few hand seals. 'Time to attack instead of defend…' "Fuuton Renkuudan!!"

Kakashi's eyes visibly widened as huge and above all dangerous wind blast was heading his way. Still, it was just a Shadow Clone and the real Kakashi continued rushing forward. He grew a little worried as Gaara performed the same attack again… This time shooting three huge wind blasts his way. The real Kakashi dodged and his two Clones were defeated. Kakashi quickly performed the Chidori and avoided another wind blast, he then threw it at Gaara, who put all of his defences at front. The air around them was crackling with electricity is the powerful Chidori hit Gaara.

Suddenly, Kakashi's eyes widened as the Gaara crumbled and formed into sand. 'I see… this technique again…'

Kakashi kicked behind him, to find his foot connected with Gaara's automatic shield. Kakashi jumped away.

"From what I have learned… You only have that automatic shield of sand of yours when you have that gourd with you…" Kakashi said as he slightly panted.

Gaara looked at Kakashi without changing expressions. "True, but not anymore. And it isn't automatic anymore. I have to perform the technique and it'll be automatic for about two to three hours. It takes little Chakra, much less than the Barrier or the Armor." Gaara stopped the explanation and folded his arms. "Now, shall we continue?"

Kakashi smiled. "I do have to say thank you… Thanks to you, I can add another technique to my arsenal…" Kakashi performed a few hand seals, while Gaara was slightly impressed. "Fuuton Renkuudan!!"

Gaara jumped out of the way, knowing that the wind blast would rip through his defences. "Perhaps I underestimated you a little, Hatake Kakashi… However, let me show you this…" Gaara closed his eyes and did a one handed seal. "Shukaku Kai…"

Kakashi's Sharingan eye and normal eye widened at the sight. His normal eye saw brownish Chakra around Gaara and his Sharingan indicated a massive amount of it too… 'So, like Naruto, Gaara can control a part of his demon's Chakra?'

Gaara calmly looked at Kakashi. "You won't be able to hit me now… The Jutsu I used allows me to take in a small part of Chakra from my demon, Shukaku. My own regular Chakra is higher than this additional Chakra. I have a third state, in which I get a lot more of Shukaku's Chakra, making me practically invincible…"

Kakashi nervously swallowed. "I'm assuming Naruto can do this too?" 'Damn, these guys are just too strong for their own good…'

Gaara slowly nodded his head. "You lose. There's nowhere you can go…"

Kakashi's eyes widened even more as he saw a huge Sand Wave coming at him from all directions… He quickly gathered Chakra and tried to penetrate one side with a quick and powerful smash. It wasn't powerful enough and Kakashi waited for unconsciousness to grab him.

It never came, as Gaara stopped his attack and lifted Kakashi up to his feet. "You're impressive… There aren't many Shinobi who I have to use my second state against."

Kakashi offered a smile and looked at the others. Lee, Kiba and Anko were all wide-eyed and were gaping at them.

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Time past and it was time for the teams to move out. Shikamaru, Kakashi, Jiraiya and Ibiki were all handed scrolls by the Hokage, who told them to go separate ways and turn back in exactly one week.

Few days later, all the team of Jiraiya had found out was that the Akatsuki had many followers. They hadn't encountered any of the Akatsuki Shinobis, but were forced to kill a few Shinobis who knew that they were after them. They still hadn't find out where the Akatsuki could be. And now, it seemed a few Akatsuki followers were following their tracks. Jiraiya had a feeling this might happen. Still, these Akatsuki followers weren't strong at all. But best to be sure and prepare for the worst.

"Ino, stay behind, hide and try to use the Shintenshin on one of them, try to get some information while on the body. We'll stay close by and observe." Jiraiya commanded. Ino nodded and jumped into a tree, doing her best to conceal her presence. The others went on their way.

It didn't take very long before Ino noticed a trio of men, all dressed in a simple black cloak. She did the familiar hand seals of her Family Jutsu and chose to wait for the right time to use it. From the looks of it, these guys weren't push-overs. She hoped the others were close by…

There, there it was, the moment all of their blind spots were directed at her. Even a Hyuga couldn't spot her, from where the Akatsuki followers were walking. Here she goes…

"Shintenshin no Jutsu." She whispered and controlled the cloud of Chakra that sent her towards the Akatsuki follower who was walking on the left side of the small road.

The other two followers noticed a small pause in their fellow follower. "What's wrong?" One of them asked.

Ino inwardly smirked and added a mental 'Succes!', before replying. "I guess nothing. I thought I sensed something."

The other two nodded and they continued on their way.

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Kakashi was sprinting forward, hunting the last Akatsuki follower, who managed to escape. Gaara and the others had already dealt with the others.

The Akatsuki Follower jumped backwards as soon as he sensed Kakashi's presence before him. He remained standing and faced Kakashi. "Good… This is what I want. A one on one fight is more convenient for me."

Kakashi didn't change his bored expression and analyzed the opponent before him. He couldn't be sure of his speed, since it seemed he wanted Kakashi to catch up. The fight he and his team had against him and his three fellow followers couldn't tell him a lot either, since this particular one wasn't participating in the little battle. So, he just had to improvise. "You're working for the Akatsuki, right? Did you receive orders?"

The man threw him a confident look. "Heh, I'm not telling you anything." He immediately gripped a kunai and charged forward.

Kakashi frowned. 'I see. He's like the others. He charges forward blindly. It's stupid to attack your target head-on… These men are no real Shinobis…'

Kakashi, having used the Mizu Bunshin, dissipated into water as the man tackled him. The real Kakashi immediately used a small electricity attack on the now drenched man, so the electricity would have more effect. 'I have to paralyze him, making him unable to move…' Suddenly, the others jumped into the scenery.

The man was panting heavily and looked at the others. "You'll never manage to make me talk!" The man yelled as he was about to bite his tongue off. Anko immediately threw a few small needles in his neck, forcing him to fall into unconsciousness.

"So, what do we do with him?" Anko asked. "The others were too fast and managed to kill themselves. This one, however, can still talk." She said as she kicked the unconscious man.

Gaara looked at the man on the ground and shook his head. "We should just kill him. He'll bite his tongue off as soon as can."

Rock Lee stayed silent, as he couldn't figure out a way to make the man talk.

"Isn't there a way that makes him unable to use his mouth? So he won't be able to bite off his tongue?" Kiba suddenly asked.

"That would also make him unable to talk, wouldn't it?" Anko immediately and snidely remarked, forcing Kiba to just shut up.

Kakashi sighed. "Yes, I think Gaara is right. There's no use in letting the man live."

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"Hokage-sama…"

Tsunade and Shizune were training on one of the training fields of Konoha, when Itachi had suddenly showed up. They hadn't even noticed his presence.

"Itachi." Tsunade said. "What brings you to me?"

"Do you know that the Fourth has created a Jutsu to make the vessel fight the demon within himself?" Itachi asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "I didn't. Are you planning to use it on Naruto? Or Gaara?" She asked. "So what happens if they get killed by the demon?"

"That question has a positive answer… The demon will not kill the vessel, for in the end, it will get himself killed as well… but if the vessel defeats and kills the demon, everything of the demon simply belongs to the vessel." Itachi answered, shocking Shizune and Tsunade. "If the situation proves too hard, I will use the Jutsu on both Naruto and Gaara. The Akatsuki will have become strong… perhaps even stronger than a demon. But two demons? I think we have a better chance then…"

Tsunade let this sink through her. "Hmmm, what's the downside of the Jutsu??"

Itachi smiled, not thinking Tsunade would actually think there was a bad side… "The demon can get the role of the vessel…"

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"So, when do they enter the area?" Kurenai asked.

"I'd say about three minutes." Naruto answered as he used his nose, but he looked at Hinata for confirmation.

Hinata nodded as her Byakugan indicated the same thing. "Naruto-kun is correct. They're with four."

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, I guess I'll use my Shadow Bind on them… They won't be able to move then. After that Kurenai and Hinata will begin by performing torturing Genjutsu after Genjutsu on them, because any physical torture will affect me as well…" He explained as he looked at Naruto. "So, Naruto, Temari… In this situation, you are only going to observe, unless they manage to escape my Shadow Bind in the beginning."

Temari nodded and didn't react in any other way as she waited for Shikamaru to continue.

Naruto sighed. "Man… that's not going to happen… I wanted to have some action… Can I fight them when you're done with them?"

Shikamaru sighed and continued with his explanation. "Continue your Genjutsus until they falter. But do know that I can only hold the Shadow Bind for about an hour on one time, it takes more Chakra the longer I use it. But after that, I can use it again, but the enemy will probably jump away as soon as they can."

"And afterwards… Yeah, I think Naruto and Temari should deal with them…"

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Three black cloaked men were being assaulted by three other men, who all looked the completely same. All three suddenly yelled. "64 Opening Points Attack!"

The three Akatsuki followers slumped to the ground, completely battered and exhausted. Neji let his two clones disappear and glanced over his shoulder. "Your turn, Ibiki."

Ibiki, being the leader of the ANBU interrogation squad, smirked evilly and began to have his way with the three Akatsuki followers, starting with "Don't bother biting off your tongue… I have other ways to gather information…" While chuckling madly as he started performing hand seals.

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"So, what are we going to do with them?" Ino, inside the man's body, asked.

The other two frowned at him/her. "You already know we will probably get killed. Our objective is to simply try and slow them down on their way. Never should we let them know anything we know. When they try, we bite our tongues off, remember?" One answered, looking at the third(Ino) suspiciously.

Ino nodded. "Of course…" Ino started to think about it. "What if they find out or already know what we know?"

"They can't. There is no way they can. All of us have been ordered to counter the enemy any way possible, at the same time not revealing anything. You already know this. What is wrong with you?" On of the two asked as he stopped walking and looked at the other man(Ino).

Ino nervously swallowed. "Nothing… I'm just nervous about it, that's all."

The other man frowned even more. "Nervous? You? What happened to the 'If you guys fail, I will kill you myself!', huh?"

Ino sighed inwardly. 'Of course, I had to invade someone who is totally different from myself.'

The two man glanced at each other and nodded. "As ordered, when one or more start acting strangely… They who are more stabilized and focused on their mission should kill the weak or less confidents…"

Ino's eyes widened. Time to us e anew technique she learned… "Shintenshin: Daigae!"

The two men's eyes widened as the once fellow follower changed, with a puff of smoke, into a blonde haired girl, who was also gripping an impressive looking sword.

Back where Ino had been hiding in tree where she had invaded the Akatsuki follower, the Akatsuki follower had appeared, exactly where Ino once was. Totally confused, he fell out of the tree.

Back to Ino… "Alright, you figured me out!" Ino yelled as she gripped her sword more tightly.

The two men were still totally confused as they stared at blonde woman before them. "What… How?" They both uttered.

"Heh! I got into your partner's skin easily! But now that you found me out, I used a substitution technique! He is now way back there!!" Ino yelled as she motioned towards the road behind her with her head. "And since you're not revealing anything, it's no use trying to peel secrets off of you."

The two men straightened up and went into a fighting stance. "We won't falter easily, woman!"

Ino grinned. "Let me start this off with the… Yanagi no Mai…" The Dance of the Willows…

The men frowned as Ino started a vicious combo of slashing her sword at both their heads in exact precision. Of course, they dodged as best as they could, but couldn't avoid getting slashed at certain parts on their body.

Jiraiya, Sasuke, Sakura and Chouji jumped out of a tree not far from them and observed the scenery. Sasuke's eyes had widened a little bit. 'That's one of… Kimimaro's dances… Has Ino mastered all of them?' He thought before he narrowed his eyes. "Hmph… I know that one as well…"

In a short while, Ino's 'Dance' ended, leaving the two men utterly defeated, but not dead, on the ground. Suddenly, from behind, the third man, who Ino had invaded before, appeared and was rushing towards Ino. Chouji easily expanded his entire arm and grabbed the man, before he could attack Ino. He let the man smash into a few trees, before he smashed him hard in the ground.

Ino sighed as they suddenly heard all of the three man mumble in pain. They had bitten their tongue off…

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Exactly a week later, all of the teams stood in the Hokage Tower, in front of Tsunade's desk..

Tsunade was busy throwing what had to be a hundred scrolls to the side. She scratched the back of her head as she said. "Don't mind the mess I just made. So, report!"

Gai enthusiastically stepped forward, in contrast to the lazy looking Shikamaru and Jiraiya and Kakashi, who looked a little more bored than lazy.

"Hokage-sama" He started with a bow. "Morino Ibiki managed to gather information, but not much. All we know is the Akatsuki need time to prepare for whatever they are planning. It seems they have followers roaming the lands, followers who are intent on making sure we won't know anything. Most of the followers are Chuunin Level, we didn't encounter any stronger ones."

Tsunade nodded. "Next."

Kakashi looked at Shikamaru, who shrugged and looked at Jiraiya, who looked at Kakashi. All three of them sighed at the same time, but no one took a step forward.

Tsunade frowned. "Hurry up! You lazy idiots!"

Jiraiya stepped forward. "Uhh, well. We knew as much as Gai's team… but not more, actually…" Jiraiya said as he scratched the back his head with a grin. 'Besides that, I have an extremely boring team… None of them even bothered to visit a few bathhouses. Damn them! And Ino and Sakura wouldn't even let me sleep close to them…' Jiraiya inwardly sobbed.

Kakashi stepped forward after Jiraiya and bowed, something Jiraiya forgot doing. "Hokage-sama. We didn't even manage to gather the information the other teams have gathered."

Tsunade sighed. "You guys are hopeless. Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru lazily bowed and yawned afterwards. ""Hokage-sama. We managed to get more information than the others. Since they couldn't bite their tongue off because of my Kage Mane no Jutsu, Kurenai and Hinata enjoyed torturing them with Genjutsu. And hen they talked."

Tsunade motioned to Shikamaru to continue, but when Shikamaru simply stared forward, as if he was daydreaming, Tsunade snapped her fingers. "Well?!" She asked, frustrated.

"Oh! Well… The troublesome thing is… It wasn't much anyway." Shikamaru sighed, hating to be in a troublesome situation. "One of them said… Look not for the light, but for the hard."

Tsunade frowned. "Which means?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't know…"

Everyone went of the sentence once, but none of them knew what it meant. "Well, you're the genius here, figure it out, Nara!" Tsunade bellowed.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "That's not fair! And I never said I was a genius, you guys simply think that way. Anyway, I think with the no light thing it means they're somewhere where it's always dark. And with the hard thing… well, what's hard? Fire is hot, Water is… water and not hard." Shikamaru said, making the others sweat drop. "I know that doesn't take a genius…" He mumbled and continued. "When you think about it in Villages… well, Lightning and Wind can be hard, if used against you, but literally, Earth is the Village to go for, right? I think Earth is hard, especially Stone. But I still don't know about the 'no light' thing."

Tsunade frowned. "That's your theory?"

Shikamaru frowned right back. "What? I never said I'm a genius, ok?!"

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In a Ramen Stand, Iruka, Konohamaru and Naruto were having, well… Ramen. After Naruto's mission, Naruto had quickly searched Iruka and Konohamaru up, inviting them for Ramen. It was still shocking to see Iruka in a Jounin outfit and Konohamaru with Konoha head band on his forehead.

"Naruto-nii-san! You've changed so much!" Konohamaru yelled.

Naruto smirked. "Well, a lot can happen in five years! Right, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka nodded. "Yeah. I've become a Jounin, you kind of a Missing-nin and Konohamaru a Genin. A pretty strong one at that, right Konohamaru?"

Konohamaru proudly nodded. "Yep! Nara-sensei says so too!"

Naruto frowned. "Nara? Who's that?" He asked as the waiter came around, putting down three bowls of Ramen.

Iruka grabbed his bowl and stared at it, before answering. "Nara Shikamaru is his teacher."

Naruto smiled at that. "Ah? I bet he whines a lot, huh? Heh, gotta respect the guy, though. He's really smart!"

Konohamaru, instead of listening to Naruto, had already started eating his Ramen. Naruto sighed before he smiled and started on his bowl as well. 'I bet the brat didn't even hear me…'

"Ne, Naruto? How was your mission?" Iruka asked after he found himself staring at an empty bowl.

Naruto grabbed a third bowl of Ramen and answered. "Boring. It's nice to have Shikamaru as group leader, but leave it to him to settle things without fighting."

"But that's good, right?" Iruka asked. "Fighting's not always good, you know."

Naruto and Konohamaru frowned at that. "But it sure as hell is fun, right, Konohamaru?"

"If you're sure you're going to win, yeah!" Konohamaru responded. "But I got beaten a few times in fights. It's no fun!"

Naruto chuckled. "Hehe, well that's just a part of fighting, at least you survived! Do you have any dangerous missions as a Jounin, Iruka-sensei?" He said, turning to Iruka.

"Me? Well mostly solo B-ranked missions or together with Shigeru a few A-ranked missions. Nothing really bad. There was this one time, we both got nearly killed… We encountered to of those Akatsuki Shinobis. Don't remember their names, only that they were male and female. One used sound as a weapon and the other used razor sharp leaves and could even control trees to attack us. They were much stronger than us."

Naruto listened intently. "Sound and trees?"

"But they didn't kill you, Iruka-sensei?" Konohamaru said/yelled.

"Nope. Some guy showed up and they left with him. Only thing I know is he wore glasses. Shigeru was out cold and I was unconscious a few seconds after that as well. A few villagers found us and took care of us."

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Author's Note: Ok, got a few questions again…

First, did you think it was wrong to let Ino have Kimimaro's Dance of the Willows?

Second, what's the name of that sword technique Gekkou Hayate used against Baki?

Third, what is Iruka's full name?

Fourth, do you guys have any idea what I meant with 'Look not for the light, but for the hard' thing? (It's really stupid but I wanted to sound interesting and failed.)

Fifth, I really need a few Akimichi Techniques… Please, anyone?

Well, that's it. I won't be updating for a long time now… I'm done studying, now the exams really start! I hope I studied enough! In the weekend I'll be re-studying, so to say, or is it extra-studying? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! So, are you guys ready for the war, by the way? And!!! Be prepared, because when Itachi uses that special Jutsu on Naruto and Gaara it will be so cool… at least that's what I think! Oh, and Ino's new Jutsu was something alone the lines of a… Substitution. She used her advanced Shintenshin to just transfer her body to her mind and put the body she was in back to where her real body was. Doesn't take too much Chakra and only Yamanakas can use it. It is somewhat similar to Sasuke's Switch Technique, but not really, Sasuke has to see his opponent to be able to do it.

Well, that was it! Goodbye!