Mesa no own Naruto (You know the drill everything important is bolded)

Seito: shaking La/=/er You can't be serious about depriving me of Sasunaru. I can't do anything but Sasunaru (well I can but that's not the point)!!!! Take a look at all the Naruto stories. They all have some kind of Sasunaru fluff in it. There is no way you are depriving me of Sasunaru fluff!!!!

Seika: =whack!=

La/=/er: .... I guess I should say thank you.

Seito: Ow! There's no way you can deprive me of Sasunaru. I wouldn't be able to take it.

La/=/er: You want to do the honors?

Seika: Sure why not. Next time, don't mentions the words depriving (or anything similar) and Sasunaru in the same sentence. Unless you want a frantic co-writer. =whack!= Baka authoress calm down!

Seito: Ow! T-T Fine be that way... Oh and I'm not going to bother answering all the reviews. Just the ones with questions or require some kind of response.

To Kisu
Yes I thought it was Sasuke at first. And no, Shin can't do jutsus. La/=/er- =sniff= That was the whole point of the meeting Neji and fighting him! To tell u he has no chakra and can't do jutsus! Does this mean I didn't do my job good...?

To ghostninja85
Shino and Sakura? Never hear of that pairing... oh well La/=/er will handle that whatever happens to Sakura and Ino. La/=/er- Haha! Unlike Seito, I have heard of the Skura/Shino pairing, from Trust Me Once Again by Shiomi right? I love that story...well a bit, I didn't read it at first because of the promised angst... I liked the other one of theirs a lot. I think I might have this pairing and then have Shika/Ino

To Dark Mimiru-chan
That 'guy' shows up in this chapter. :P

To Lostlily
Sadly I have no fighting video games and I have an old game system (PS1) so there aren't too many games I can go hunting for. Blah. Thanks for the tip though! (Seika: It doesn't matter she still can't write fighting scenes.) La/=/=er- Interestingly your response made sense to me...

To Muchacha, Akki, Yum, and Kutsu
YAY FOR SASUNARU!!!

To izumi
Okay I have to ask but what does =chus seito and laer= mean?!

To the rest of the reviewers
THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!!!

You may now enjoy the chapter.

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Without Life

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Chapter V: Begin! Introduction of Kage

==============

Seconds turn to minutes...

Minutes turn to hours...

Hours turn to days...

Days turn to weeks...

It had been 2 weeks since Shin arrived in Konoha. He met interesting people, had fun, learned new things, and for the first time in a long time, relaxed. Of course he had a few slipups. Iruka was added onto the list of who-saw-his-face. The teacher, like everyone else, asked about him and Naruto. Shin found himself getting a bit irritated with all the questions, but understood. Though he found it slightly amusing at the thought that he REALLY was Naruto (of course he didn't believe it, just found it amusing).

It was a new day. Shin had already left Lee's house. The older boy had already left by the time Shin woke up. Lee did leave a note saying the Chuunin exam was about to start again and if Shin wanted to he could go and watch. Shin smiled. Of course he wanted to see it. The exam had caught his interest from the day he arrived here. It was about time too. Two weeks to clear the sand away? How much sand did that red haired shinobi pour into the stadium in the first place?

As he walked, Shin found himself recalling the mental conversation he had with his sister, the same day Neji brought up the question of him and his missing chakra. Her answer had been interesting. Shin had a feeling Hotaru wasn't telling him everything she knew.

=Flashback=

[[Onee-chan?]]

Yes?

[[Why don't I have chakra?]]

Shin heard Hotaru sigh lightly.

Honestly... I don't know. Whatever caused you to lose your memories, caused your body to automatically seal off your chakra.

[[According to Neji-kun I would die if I didn't have chakra. Or is it because you wouldn't let me die that I haven't already.]]

Shin didn't have to see his sister's face to know that she was smirking.

No. You're living and breathing on your own. I have nothing to do with the reason why you're alive if that is what you're suggesting, other than saving you from that forest.

[[So then why am I still alive?]]

Good question. All I can say is your chakra may be sealed, but in that same process an even greater gift was unsealed.

[[You mean?]]

That gift is not something that mortals possess so easily.

[[Oh.]]

Sleep now. You have a long day tomorrow. (Seito: Hmm... If I get the chance I will write a one-shot about this... XD)

[[And how would you know? You said so yourself that you don't know what the future holds.]]

Hotaru merely smiled. Just a feeling

=End of Flashback=

As Shin headed towards the stadium, someone else was thinking about him. Already sitting in the stands of the stadium, Iruka was waiting patiently for exam to start again. However, his mind seemed to be somewhere else. Just recently he happened to see behind Shin's scarf and hood. Like those before him, it shocked him. Iruka went straight to Kakashi after.

=Flashback=

"Kakashi, Shin-"

"Looks exactly like Naruto. I know."

Iruka stared in shock for the second time today. While he could just yell at his boyfriend for not informing him, Iruka knew Kakashi didn't tell him for a reason. "So is he," asked Iruka with the slightest hint of hope in his voice.

Kakashi didn't answer. He didn't meet his boyfriend's eyes either. Instead he stared out the window. It decided to rain that day. It was a brief light shower, but it still managed to give everything a light bath. As the raindrops fell, he answered, "No. Well, I don't think so. He doesn't act like Naruto and I can't recognize his chakra, it's like it's not there. The only thing that seems to connect is the fact that they look alike." There was a frustrated tone in his voice.

The hope that fluttered in Iruka's heart disappeared. Kakashi didn't noticed. If he did, he didn't say anything. Silence was their only comfort.

=End of Flashback=

'Naruto, where are you,' wondered Iruka. He missed the boy he thought of as a little brother. Things just weren't the same without him. Then he focused his attention on the Chuunin Exam. He looked forward to see which one of his students passed this year.

=========

Shin arrived at the stadium sooner than he thought. "I see you came back to enjoy the show."

Shin turned around, a bit startled at the voice. Standing behind him was Tsunade in her Hokage robes. Her pale green eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, but Shin had no idea why. Shin blinked as he noticed there was someone else standing behind Tsunade.

The person had long white hair and looked around the same age as Tsunade (if not only a few years older). He had black eyes and wore a green outfit with a red vest. He had a gray forehead thing that had the kanji for oil (1). There were two red lines starting from his eyes and dripping down his cheeks.

Seeing Shin's curious look, Tsunade introduced her guest. "Shin, this is my former teammate and friend, Jiraiya."

Shin bowed politely. "Nice to meet you Jiraiya-san."

Jiraiya looked at him peculiarly. It was like he had seen Shin before, but couldn't match the face with the name. Shin didn't know why, he had never met Jiraiya before, unless... Shin nearly groaned aloud. Not someone else who thought he was Naruto. This was really getting old...

Shin half expected Jiraiya to ask if he was Naruto like everyone else (even though Jiraiya couldn't see pass his scarf and hood). Instead the white haired man just said, "Nice to meet you Shin." Shin blinked for a moment before his eyes curled up into an arch and he smiled behind his scarf.

Tsunade smiled and then said, "Shin why don't you go up to stadium and sit in the Hokage's box. I'll be up there in a moment."

Shin stared, surprised. The Hokage just asked him to sit with her, AGAIN. He understood the first time; he was a guest and didn't know where he was going. However, to hear the Hokage ask him again...it was a rare treat. Shin bowed again and said, "Thank you," before walking off towards the stands. There was a skip of excitement in his walk.

Tsunade watch him leave before turning back to her old friend. Jiraiya was also watching Shin leave. Tsunade waited patiently for Jiraiya to say something. "He looks just like him. Are you sure," asked Jiraiya, hesitantly.

Tsunade gave a tired nodded. "There's no way to prove it, but I know. I just know it." Jiraiya let out a sigh. "You're reading into this too much, Tsunade-hime." He rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Naruto's gone." Tsunade shook her head fiercely. "No, I know he isn't. I'm sure Shin is Naruto," she mumbled. Jiraiya just merely sighed again.

====

Kiba strolled confidently onto the fighting ground. He had this fight in bag. His opponent was some girly-girly looking guy who was supposed to be really strong and from some really secretive country and blah-blah, blah- blah. (Sai: =twitch= girly-girly...Seito, I'm going to hurt you.)

Usuyuki Sai (anyone recognize the last name?) appeared on the other side. He was a genin from the Snow Country, located at the edge of the Water Country. There, the land was always in a constant blizzard, making it hard for travelers to come and go. Because of that blizzard, it wasn't often that you see a snow shinobi.

Sai had short white hair. His pale emerald eyes were sharp and cold. His hands were clenched into tight fists and one could see the knuckles through the thin fabric of the white fingerless gloves he wore. His skin was pale and around his arm was a forehead protector with the symbol of Snow Country on it. He wore a white shirt with a white sash that crossed his chest and up around his shoulder before going around his back and long white pants. (Think Hakkai from 'Saiyuki'). There was a white pouch hanging from his belt behind him and a kunai hostler was strapped around his right thigh.

"Ready."

Sai and Kiba merely glared at each other.

"Begin!"

Sai was the first to make a move. Before Kiba could even settle into a comfortable stance, Sai seemed to disappear from view. 'Where'd he go,' asked Kiba. He looked around confused. Akamaru started barking to the left of him. Kiba, trusting his dog and friend, jumped to away, narrowly missing the slice of a katana.

'Where the hell did he get that sword,' thought Kiba. He would have been cut in two if Akamaru didn't start barking. Sai shifted his grip on his katana. He glanced down at the dog barking at him. 'Great, a mutt. He alerted him before I attack. It must be his sense of smell. After all, the normal human eye can't track me at the speed I'm going at,' thought Sai. Before he could continue his thoughts, Akamaru decided to attack. Sai stepped back, just missing Akamaru's bite.

'Oh, so the mutt can attack too.' Sai smiled. 'Maybe this fight will be interesting after all.'

===========

Shin stared down before, excitement dancing in his eyes. Sai was really fast, Shin could barely keep with his movements. If it wasn't for his training with Hotaru, Shin doubt he would be able to EVEN see the boy.

"He's rather fast isn't he?"

Shin turned around. Behind him was Hotaru sitting in midair again. Shin's eyes widened in shock. [[Hotaru?! What are you doing here?!]] Hotaru merely smiled at him.

"What are you looking at Shin," asked Tsunade. She took her seat as she looked around, trying to find what Shin was staring at.

"It's nothing," said Shin quickly. [[I thought you went to see mother.]]

I did.

[[But... but...]]

She's going to think you're weird.

Shin stopped himself from gaping. Tsunade was here and the last thing Shin wanted was her asking what he was doing again. Baka, did you forget you can see me when I'm invisible?

Shin felt his face sting with a hint of embarrassment behind his scarf. Yes, he had forgotten that little fact sometimes. Usually Hotaru stayed hidden when they traveled, behind a tree or a few buildings away. It sometimes slipped Shin's mind that he could see Hotaru even if she was invisible to others. He had no idea why though. On second thought. why on earth was Hotaru even here to begin with? She said she was busy today.

[[I thought you were busy.]]

I wanted to watch instead. Pay attention, you might learn something from this.

[[Alright.]]

=========

Sai jumped back, landing in a crouching position. The dust flew as he landed. Before he could even catch his breath, his opponent (or should I say opponents) were attacking again.

Kiba had used the Juujuin Bunshin, transforming his dog into an exact copy of himself. Sai found it annoying as he could no longer tell them apart and both were very capable of hurting him. Now he had two problems to deal with. This brought new light to the saying that pets look a lot like their owners.

Sai back flipped away as Kiba and Akamaru came at him with the Gatsuuga. 'They're fast. Almost faster than me when they use that move.' His emerald eyes widened in shock as his scarf began to tear. 'They had barely touched me. I need to slow them down,' he thought. 'Damn this move is going to cost me a lot of chakra.'

Sai stabbed his sword into the ground and began his hands seal. Kiba and Akamaru were coming at him again. "Setsugen!"

The burst of smoke blinded Kiba and Akamaru for a moment. When it cleared, the field had changed. Instead of dirt and glass, Kiba and Akamaru found themselves in waist deep snow. "What the-," said Kiba. "Where the hell did all this snow come from?!"

=========

[[Onee-chan?]]

Hm?

[[How did that white hair kid get so much snow?]]

Figure it out.

[[Hotaru!]]

I repeat, figure it out.

[[Onee-chan!!... fine. Be that way. Can you at least tell me who will win?]]

Good question.

Shin wanted to scream. Did Hotaru have to be so literal and mysterious? He chose his words carefully.

[[Argh! Okay then at least whom you think will win.]]

Kiba. But at the current moment the white hair boy has the upper hand.

Shin blinked. [[Why?]]

The white haired one changed the battlefield into one he is used to. The white haired one, Sai, is from Snow Country, a place where it always snows. He is used to the snowy terrain that you see in front of you. It is said that snow shinobis can walk through or on snow without leaving any footsteps. Kiba, however, isn't use to this kind of terrain. Konoha is a place of warm weather most of the year. But that move cost Sai a lot of chakra. Kiba will have a hard time at first, but he will win.

=============

Kiba struggled in the snow. Akamaru wasn't having much luck either. He then felt the cold metal flinging past him. It cut his cheek, drawing blood. A kunai. Akamaru found another lodged into his arm. The crimson red blood dripped down, staining the pure white snow a ruby red.

'Where's he coming from,' thought Kiba franticly. There were no movement in the snow as he struggled to get out of it. The snow should show where Sai was coming from, even more then regular dirt. He leaned back to avoid the incoming kunai only to fall down in the snow.

Akamaru managed to leap in the same direction as the kunai came. He only met air and then a face full of snow.

"Too slow."

Both Kiba and Akamaru looked up too Sai standing in the snow just a few feet away from them. Err... correction. Sai was standing on top of the snow. 'How the hell is he able to do that,' thought Kiba. 'Oh wait... he's probably using chakra.'

Kiba concentrated focusing his chakra before leaping into the air. He landed in the snow. 'Damnit. I forgot. Snow and water two completely different things, need two completely different amounts of chakra,' thought Kiba angrily. He tried again, this time he got it right. Akamaru followed his master's example.

"So you figured out to stand on snow," said Sai coldly. "It won't change the outcome of the battle." He disappeared from view again.

"Yukifuri!"

Kiba was throw back. His jacket was torn in many place, blood leaking. "What the hell was that attack?!" Sai appeared in his line of vision again. For some reason, the snow shinobi was breathing hard. Akamaru leaped at Sai, who ducked and rolled at the last second. Akamaru didn't stop there. To buy Kiba some time, he continued the process of leap and dodge.

Kiba struggled out of the snow. Sai dodged Akamaru's last attack and disappeared again. "That's not going to work on me again," mumbled Kiba. "Akamaru!"

"Gatsuuga!"

'You won't hit me, if you can't see me,' thought Sai as he weaved through the trees, preparing for an attack. His eyes widened in shock as Kiba and Akamaru came right at him. "Wha?"

Sai went flying. He hit the wall and slumped down, unconscious. Gemna walked over to him checking to see if the snow shinobi was alright. "Winner, Kiba."

=========

Shin felt excitement bubble inside of him. This was so interesting. Kiba had a strong sense of smell. With Sai's weapon soaked in his blood so much, it was easy for him to find the snow shinobi. Shin smiled happily behind his scarf before he felt something. It was someone watching him. He looked down into the stands.

There in the crowd of people he saw the one person that seemed to stand out. Long crimson red hair swayed. It stood out against the black tank top and pants. The silver necklace gleamed in the sunlight as well as the silver buckles located around the right wrist and left leg. Black fingerless gloves completed the outfit. Shin's grip tightened as the person gave him a salute before disappearing into the shadows. The metal railing began to bend as Shin remembered those haunting, inhuman crimson red eyes. 'Kage...' he thought.

Shin turned around, about to inform his sister what he just saw. Hotaru wasn't there. She must have decided to take action instead. Shin flew out of the Hokage's box. "Shin," called out Tsunade. "Where are you going?!"

Shin called back as he ran. "Sorry, Hokage-sama there's something I've got to do!" Then he was gone. Tsunade blinked in confusion. She didn't understand what was going on.

=======

Shin practically flew down the steps of the stadium. That person... it was the same man that Shin was looking for. He couldn't have gone far, not with Hotaru tracking him. Shin broke out into a sprint. He had to be close.

He reached the edge of the field, just before the outskirts of the town, when his sister's voice stopped him. "Forget it. He's long gone."

Shin looked up. There was Hotaru standing on a tree branch, arms crossed as she looked out at the unaware town. Her sun-kissed hair flew in the wind. There was an angry look on her face. Shin slammed his fist into a nearby tree. "Damnit," he said angrily.

"He knows you're here."

"I know that," said Shin bitterly. He should have known that Kage was standing in that crowd. What if he did something to those people? He would have never forgiven himself if Kage did something. Shin allowed himself to relax too much in this village. He was cursing himself when he heard Hotaru's next words.

"You should leave," Hotaru said calmly. She didn't have to worry about anyone hearing her. There was no one around, everyone was still in the stadium.

Shin looked up at her. "What?!"

Hotaru looked at her brother. Her amethyst purple held traces of emotions that Shin had a hard time identifying. "Are you willing to put another village at risk, otouto? I know you grew attached to this village but ..." she trailed off.

"I can't just leave! Not while he's still here," said Shin. How could Hotaru even suggest something like that?! Like she said, he had grow attached to this village and it's people. He felt... at home here.

Hotaru let out a soft sigh. She knew exactly what Shin feeling and she knew why he grew so attached to this place. "Remember who we are dealing with, otouto," she said softly. "He will hurt those around you, Lee-san, Hokage- sama, Neji-san, Sasuke-san, even Yuri-san, all of them. If he doesn't hurt them, he'll kill them."

Anger left Shin as he remembered. "Still..." he started

"I know..." interrupted Hotaru. "I know..." Words did not always have to be spoken to understand.

Shin opened his mouth to say something again when an explosion interrupted him. Both his and Hotaru's attention snapped towards Konoha. There a column of fire rose into the sky, turning the normally blue sky a deadly red color. Embers flews and sparkles appeared. Shin felt the hairs on his neck stand. "No..." he whispered. He took off towards the village in a fit of panic.

To be continue...

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(1) Someone please tell me why it's oil. La/=/er- Not only Seito, but also me. We had a conversation about this...if you want to see it, it's in our profile, lol.

Seito: Evil cliffhanger!!!! MWUHAHAHA I haven't written one of those in a long time. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. A few more notes...

ATTENTION ALL NEJI/LEE FANS!!! PLEASE CHECK OUT THE ADVENTURE SERIES WRITTEN BY THE LA/=/ER HERSELF. LOCATED UNDER THIS PENNAME, NA HOKU.

ATTENTION: FOR THOSE OF YOU WANTING MORE INFORMATION ON HOW EVERYONE TOOK NARUTO'S DISAPPEARANCE PLEASE READ THE LA/=/ER'S STORIES, 'His Arms', 'To Act As A Father' and 'Orochimaru's Wish' FOR MORE DETAIL. (=WHISPER= SHE ALSO HAS A GOOD SASUNARU STORY UNDER THERE BUT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS STORY)

Seito: Hmm... I think that's it.

La/=/er: My turn next. See you in the next chapter. And really Seito, caps and bold?

Seito: =BIG SMILE= I felt like it. Okay the only thing left is...

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!