Part 4.0: Beginnings Old and New

Naruto's eyes slowly opened. His face was in a very cold pool of water that rippled gently against his face. His eyes came into focus as a very dull light penetrated through, blinding him slightly. He placed his hands against the floor under the inches of water and pushed himself up. The coldness of the water contrasted to the hotness of the air billowing in front of him. A rhythmic breathing echoed across the cavernous room. Naruto looked around, on his feet now, shaking the water droplets from his hair. The place looked very familiar, and it was only a few seconds before he realized he had been here before. He stared forward to see a massive gate was standing before him, with an emblem marked 'seal' in front of it.

"Here again," he said, "what do you want?"

A gigantic roar shook the room, causing large waves to appear in the shallow water. Naruto covered his ears slightly, attempting to dull the sound.

"HOW DARE YOU!! You ignore me, after all I've done for you. I'm the reason you've gotten this far! Without me, you would never have beaten the powerful enemies you came up against, and without my power, you would be long dead. Despite all this, you come to resent me, the beast that has granted you so much."

The outline of the Kyuubi appeared, showing a massive wall of flame with two eyes that burned with fury in the middle. A gigantic mouth showing razor sharp teeth was snarling fiercely at him.

"So what if I do," said Naruto defiantly, "you haven't exactly been the most gracious guest in the world."

"You should know by now that you will have no chance of beating Sasuke without my assistance. He is far too powerful for you alone."

"Then I'll beat him in my own way. I can still pull out your chakra when I need it."

"How impertinent. It is an honor for a weak fleshbag to house such a legendary demon such as myself. You should learn to respect that."

"You know, I didn't ask for this honor of having you placed inside of me. It could have been anyone, but it was me, so you'd better learn to accept that. You are one of the most evil beings on the continent, and you've caused me more trouble than you're worth. If not for you-"

The Kyuubi's expression changed from one to amusement as a gigantic laugh shook the earth all around him, small pieces of debris falling from the ceiling. Naruto was knocked off balance slightly and landed on his back in the water, a small splash cushioning his fall. He scowled up at the Kyuubi, very aggravated now.

"Anyone you say? You think it could have been anyone? You really cling to the belief that I was sealed inside of you by random chance!?"

Naruto's defiant expression disappeared as an almost angered curiosity overwhelmed him. He slowly got to his feet, "What do you mean?"

"So now you're interested in what I have to say? Well too bad boy. Suddenly I don't feel like talking."

"Answer me!"

There was an empty silence between them, only interspersed with the Kyuubi's loud breathing. It was smiling wickedly at Naruto now, mocking him slightly.

"I don't know what's more pathetic about you, the fact that you're such a weak minded idiot, or the fact that the people around you know more about who you are than you do."

"What?"

The room slowly began to fade away, the walls turning into blackness, with the Kyuubi's sinister laughter the last thing he heard before darkness consumed him.

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Naruto's eyes slowly opened, revealing the same hotel room he had stayed in for the past few nights. He looked out the window by his bedside. It was still ridiculously dark, a large black mass hanging overhead, shielding the stars and moon from view. A sliver of light was seen under the door. Naruto sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he made his way out of the bed. Lee was missing from his, and TenTen seemed to be stirring slightly as well. He looked over to a nearby clock, illuminated red in the darkness. 'The exam starts at 7:00,' he thought, 'we're supposed to meet in front of Mt. Izou in the back reaches of the city. That's in another two hours.' He yawned widely, his lungs inhaling deeply, before shooting the air out slowly. He made his way to the bathroom, opening the door quietly so as to not awake a still sleeping TenTen. He closed the door, flicking on the light, looking straight at his own reflection. His blond, spiky hair had been dishelved quite a bit, being half flat and half-spiked. He still bore the expression of insomnia, looking into the redness of his half-closed eyes. His mouth drooped slightly as he wiped a bit of drool from his chin.

'What was that,' he thought, his mind racing back to his confrontation with the Kyuubi. 'He must just be messing with my mind, but what was it talking about?' He leaned down and turned on the faucet, the warm water rushing out into the sink. He cupped his hands under it and splashed it up in his face several times, keeping his face near the sink. He grabbed a towel blindly to the side and looked back up to see the Kyuubi's face maliciously staring back at him through the mirror. Naruto recoiled in shock, jumping backward to the door, knocking himself against it hard with a loud crash.

A loud knock came on the door, "What the hell are you doing in there," came TenTen's muffled voice, "Don't hog the bathroom!"

Naruto's eyes drifted towards the door, away from the Kyuubi's malicious gaze. "Sorry," he said quickly. He turned back to see his own terrified reflection staring back at him. His heart was racing, pumping adrenaline through his body, a feeling of panic still flowing through him. He slowly made his way back to his feet, approaching the mirror cautiously, his reflection matching his movements. He touched the mirror, feeling its cold, smooth surface. The eyes in the mirror were red and frightened, but quickly turned back to their normal, bright blue as he began to calm down. He sighed and made his way out of the bathroom, the feeling of fear still lingering within him.

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Naruto slowly made his way up to the roof of the building, anxious for some last minute practice with the jutsu before heading off to the exam. He passed through the final door, the cold air welcoming his entrance. It was very windy today, rippling his hair and body suit against him. He squinted his eyes as he watched a dim, greenish blur circle quickly around the city, only being seen in the light of some of the posts. Naruto chuckled to himself as he turned away from Lee's early morning exercises. He cleared his mind, concentrating hard on flowing his chakra through his body. He held out his right hand in front of him, repeating the process of creating the rasengan. He could feel the warmth being sapped from his hand and body as he stood still in the cold. Visibility was still optimal since there was no snow, but he kept his eyes closed in concentration. He pumped chakra into his hand. Blue light began to penetrate the darkness that surrounded him, giving the air an eerie glow. The chakra began to swirl around a single point, spinning faster and faster; the brightness of the ball increasing as Naruto's left hand pumped around it. Finally, a complete rasengan was formed. He closed his eyes to concentrate again, forcing more power into the blue, spinning ball. The instability was increasing as the light now shone through his closed eyes. He could feel his own clothing ripple against the power of the chakra swirl. He slowly opened his eyes, blinded slightly by the massive ball that was in his hand now. He placed his other hand upon the top of it, attempting to form it into the disk yet again. He forced more chakra in his other hand, pushing down harder, feeling the two forces ripple against each other.

"Still haven't gotten it," came a gruff voice behind him.

Naruto looked behind him only to find that was a horrible mistake as the resulting loss of concentration caused the unstable rasengan to lose form and backlash upon him. He was pushed back in an explosion of his own chakra, skidding quickly across the roof of the building. Jiraiya placed one firm hand on his body, stopping him in his tracks. Naruto looked up to see Jiraiya smiling down upon him. Naruto removed Jiraiya's hand from his back and stood straight up.

"You could give me some help on this," said Naruto, "I can't form the stupid thing into a disk. Every time I try to make it bigger, it just spins out of control."

"Well, then maybe you should just try making a small disk," said Jiraiya condescendingly.

"What good will that do," asked Naruto.

"Practice makes perfect," replied Jiraiya, giving him a hard pat on the head. "Just try making the disk for now. It's a little more complicated than making the ball, but it's not impossible. When you've mastered that, then you can move on to making it bigger. You're not going to get this down in a couple of hours anyway, so take your time. This doesn't look like something you can use in the exams coming up."

Naruto shot Jiraiya a dirty look, but returned to his training, keeping the perverted hermit's words in mind. He held out his blistered hand again, ready to form another rasengan. He concentrated hard, his veins and arteries feeling like they were boiling, a caustic sensation washing over him. He slowly saw a smaller blue ball form again and again tried to press it down into a disk shape.

"No, no, no, no," laughed Jiraiya, "you can't force it into that form."

Naruto released the blue ball, readying himself for the slight recoil that followed, shoving him slightly. "What do I do then," he asked Jiraiya impatiently. Jiraiya walked over to him, slowly pulling out a long pen from behind him.

"Give me your hand," he said, Naruto following his order. He turned Naruto's hand palm up and placed a small spiral in the middle of it. "You remember this right?" Naruto nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright, then watch this." He then proceeded to make to smaller spirals to the sides of the larger one. "Do you understand?"

Naruto stared at his hand, a perplexed expression on his face. He looked at the marks on his hand, back at a smiling perverted hermit, back to his own hand, desperately trying to figure out the hermit's riddle. Finally, after a minute of silence between them Naruto finally spoke. "What's this supposed to mean anyway?"

"Well," replied Jiraiya, "you'll just have to figure that out on your own." He pat Naruto on the head condescendingly as Naruto shot him a dirty look. Naruto could hardly believe Jiraiya was leaving him with such vague clue when he knew so much more about this jutsu that Naruto.

"I don't know what's more pathetic about you, the fact that you're such a weak minded idiot, or the fact that the people around you know more about who you are than you do."

These words cut through Naruto's mind as he watched Jiraiya get ready to leave. "Wait," said Naruto, looking down at the floor slightly, somewhat uncomfortable with the question he was about to ask.

"I'm not going to give you any more help," scoffed Jiraiya, "not until you finish the first stage of this. You've got to do some things on your own kid, or you'll never become the great ninja you want to be."

"It's not that," said Naruto softly. Jiraiya stopped and turned around, a confused expression on his face. "I just…the Fourth Hokage was your apprentice right? You said so when we first met Tsunade-sama."

Jiraiya raised a perplexed eyebrow, but nodded at Naruto wordlessly. "Well then," continued Naruto, still feeling very akward, "why…why did I get chosen as the Kyuubi's container?"

Jiraiya was visibly taken aback by this question, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. His eyes shifted about anxiously, but he quickly changed to a warm smile. "You were just kind of around at the right, or wrong, time," he said, chuckling slightly. "You had been born on the same day the Kyuubi attacked, and you were just chosen. It's that simple." Jiraiya laughed slightly again, but Naruto was not satisfied with this explanation. He opened his mouth to ask Jiraiya again but was interrupted when a third party entered the conversation.

"Ah," came Gai's voice, "I have found you mymost amazing pupil. You cannot doddle today; you must make haste to the destination prescribed to you and win this Chuunin examination." Naruto looked over to Gai, who was saluting him, flashing his shiny teeth, Lee and TenTen on either side of them.

"Well you'd better go," smiled Jiraiya, "no need for you to waste anymore of my precious time. Good luck brat." Naruto returned the smile half-heartedly, but went towards his team. Gai gave them all a farewell hug, grasping them tightly, and crying a river onto them, before releasing them to head to the outskirts of the village for the first test.

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Gai waved at his students as the quickly descended the stairwell, off to their first test. He sighed deeply, reminiscing slightly when he attended his first Chuunin examination. Unfortunately Kakashi had beaten him in their first real fight, but he did manage to become a Chuunin. 'I know they will all make Konoha proud,' thought a smiling Gai, 'after all, they are students of the Great Azure Beast.' He turned around to Jiraiya; "So," he began, "what amazing skill have you been teaching Naruto anyway." However, Jiraiya seemed lost in thought, and did not respond. "Umm…Jiraiya-sama, is something wrong."

Jiraiya looked at Gai solemnly, his face very serious and stony. "You know what he asked me just before you entered," he said, "he asked me why he was chosen as the container of the Kyuubi."

Gai's eyes widened in legitimate shock, a feeling of anxiety going through him. "What did you tell him," asked Gai nervously.

Jiraiya shook his head, his hair flopping from side to side, "Just that it was by random chance," he replied, "I really don't like lieing to the kid, but he's not ready for that."

Gai nodded in agreement. "Still," he said, "when is he going to be ready to learn it. Ever since Kakashi told me…I can't stand lieing to my students. It's just not like an Azure Beast to keep secrets, and there's far too many to keep in this situation."

Jiraiya shot Gai a very odd look. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Gai suddenly went from a very serious expression to his usually fiery one. "Just that the Brilliant Beast is a very simple and straightforward sort, and that he always keeps his word." He ended his speech with a usual good-guy pose, confusing Jiraiya further.

"Right," Jiraiya said slowly, "well, I've got some information to gather. I'll see Naruto again whenever they reach…well you'll find out." Jiraiya jumped from building to building in the direction of the hot springs as Gai watched him go until he could no longer see the perverted hermit in the darkness. He sighed heavily, guilt giving him an odd pang in his chest. More than that, the ominous feeling of Hiketsu kept driving itself deeper into his skull. He looked off towards the back of the city, his eyes seeing the small dots ofthe many genin moving towards the dark clouds in the distance.

"Be safe," Gai said softly, "there's more here than meets the eye my young pupils."

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Kakashi walked slowly through the darkness, his hands swaying slowly at his sides. He had left the city some time ago, moving through a forest a few miles from the city itself. It was still very dark here, and the snow bore no signs of movement. The trees were completely bare, the bark stripped from some as the local wildlife searched desperately for food. Kakashi strode at a slow pace, letting his senses take in every aspect of the land. He breathed deeply, the feeling of nostalgia coming into his mind. He continued to walk forward, farther into the forest. There was no sun today, no rain or snow. The day itself seemed to be dead in this cold land. He plowed onward, making light treads in the heavy snow, the cold ground crunching beneath his feet.

He traversed deeper into the forest, pushing his legs through ankle deep snow. 'It should be around here,' thought Kakashi. Suddenly, he emerged from the forest into a small clearing. Stumps littered the area, and grass peaked through a light layer of snow here. Kakashi could feel a pang of guilt flow through him as the memories of that day pierced through…

"We'll camp here," said Kakashi, signaling orders to the group he commanded. They had ventured into deep Thunder territory to keep reconnaissance as close as possible to Thunder Capitol and also to intercept any supply lines and recon forces the Hidden Cloud sent out. This mission had been ongoing for nearly three years, a few months after the Kyuubi incident back at Konoha, resulting in the death of his mentor, the Fourth Hokage. Kakashi could still vividly remember The Fourth's smiling face, seeming to light up even the dreariest of days, smiling to the end. "He is a hero to the village," were the last things his sensei had ever said, concerning the newborn baby that the Kyuubi had been sealed into. With that, his sensei had passed on, still baring the same warm smile to his death. Kakashi could feel his emotions coming to the surface again, sending chills down his spine, but he fought them back under, welling them within the dregs of his soul. 'I can't get nostalgic,' he thought sternly, 'I'm a Jounin, in charge of a very important mission. I have to keep focused. Still, it's been so long, I can barely remember Konoha.' He was sixteen now, already a Jounin in charge of one of the most important operations going on within the Leaf. Originally, the party had been himself, Obito, Tiara, and Gai, but because of the success of the operation, ANBU reinforcements had been brought in as well to increase the amount of missions they could conduct. Roughly twenty ninjas were now under his command, each one trusting his every word, never doubting him.

"You get too deep in thought, you're going to lose focus on the moment," came a mocking voice from behind him, 'Didn't you always used to say that when you were commanding the old team?"

Kakashi turned around to see Obito smiling back at him, his black eyes staring through thick goggles that were fogging in the cold. His spiky black hair was still cut short to his head, and had never changed since the day Kakashi had met him. He was still a little shorter than Kakashi, which aggravated Obito to no end, having failed to beat him in something. Kakashi smiled back slightly, "You always did it during critical moments," lectured Kakashi, "The enemy could have slapped you in the face, and you still wouldn't have been removed from your thoughts, such pathetic behavior," Kakashi added jokingly.

Obito gave him an indignant snort before becoming serious again. "So," he said, "what are we doing here 'sir'," he added conceitedly. The area was being cleared away quickly, the ANBU clearing trees to create a permanent campsite. "Is it wise to be doing this? The enemy could find us easily."

"This is a decoy spot," replied Kakashi, "there have been reports of Hidden Cloud nins in this area, and I want to draw them out without exposing ourselves. Making a mock base like this one could be a good way of doing that. Have we received any word from Konoha?"

Obito shook his head, "I'm afraid not," he said, "It's not like them to be this late with information."

"Something must have come up," said Kakashi calmly, "nothing to worry about. They probably have more important matters to deal with. Still, keep an eye open for-"

"KAKASHI, OBITO, COME QUICK," came the frantic and loud voice of an ANBU in the distance. They both exchanged troubled looks and ran in the direction of the voice. The entire encampment was parked in front of the elongated, communications array from Konoha, usually to listen in on signals the Hidden Cloud were sending out. A small, mousy ANBU was listening to the message on head phones, and everyone seemed to have looks of almost gleeful anticipation on their faces.

"What's this all about," demanded Kakashi. The ANBU quickly fumbled with some switches and removed the headphones, the static of the signal sounding out loudly before a broken signal was recovered.

"For those of you just joining us," came a very broken and distorted woman's voice, "It is official, the Hidden Cloud have surrendered and are willing to discuss a complete peace treaty with the Leaf. This surrender does not come as a surprise after the unexpected deaths of nearly all the Hidden Cloud bloodlines in the village a few years past. The official surrender was given by the Seventh Raikage only hours earlier, calling for, 'an end to this pointless bloodshed, so that we may enter an era of peace and prosperity between nations.' Delegates from the Hidden Cloud are coming in from Thunder Capitol and should arrive within a week's time. We will keep you informed as more details emerge."

A hush ran through the encampment, only a collective breathing heard amidst the entire crew. Suddenly, one of the ANBU began to laugh slightly, followed by another, which soon erupted in a cheering procession as the message of peace seemed to relight the spirits of every person in the area.

"Quiet," yelled Kakashi, the excitement slowly coming down to a slight murmer. "Now, if what we just heard is true, it is cause for celebration. But, we can't let our guard down yet, not until we're back in Konoha. I'm just as happy as any of you are, but let's just wait and see what develops from this. Now, I want this encampment up in the hour, and I want constant reports on what's going on with the peace situation in Konoha, is that understood?" A quiet agreement went through the crowd as they dismembered and went about their duties, but the smiles had not been washed from their faces.

"Party pooper," laughed Obito, "you just don't like the idea that you're going to lose your precious command."

"Well we can't let our guard down," replied Kakashi sternly, "like I said before, I'm excited too, but I imagine some groups of Cloud nins aren't going to be to happy about this. A threat still exists, and as long as a threat still exists, I am in charge." Obito gave Kakashi a mock salute. Kakashi scowled at him, but still. The thought of peace seemed very foreign to him now, fighting the Cloud non stop for these past three years. Even before then, he was always fighting in some foreign land, expanding his reputation, Hatake Kakashi, the fearsome assassin whose Lightning Edge was feared throughout the land. He laughed inwardly as he felt a pair of long arms embrace him tightly around the neck.

"Lighten up scarecrow," came a playful voice from behind him, "Always rules and regulations with you. I swear, you really know how to kill a mood."

Kakashi blushed slightly under his black mask as Tiara gave him a playful swat to the head. He turned around slowly, his voice nervous and cracking slightly; his hands fumbling in front of him. His eyes shifted towards Obito for some kind of assistance in conversation, but he simply leaned lazily against a nearby tree, enjoying his friend's plight. "Well," he replied, "you know…it's just…um…"

Suddenly, a green streak appeared before his eyes and knocked him backwards, Tiara dodging quickly to the side. Kakashi sprawled to the ground but quickly slid back to his feet, ready to repost against whatever force had attacked him. His eyes narrowed at the image of a tall, bowl-headed Jounin, laughing mockingly at him.

"Once again, I have proven that the Great Azure Beast is an amazing sight to behold. Once again, I have defeated the genius ninja Kakashi, distracted no doubt by my most brilliant sneak attack. And once again, I have shown who is truly superior…none other than Maito Gai, Konoha's Brilliant Azure Beast!" to which he ended with a whooping crane pose, complete with a frothing ocean behind him.

"That really is a stupid jutsu Gai," snapped Kakashi, scowling at his assailant, "and what are you doing anyway? I ordered you to scout the area an hour ago; your team can't possibly be done by now."

"Well," said Gai, smirking broadly, "for any 'normal' ninja, such a thing would not be possible. But for the Amazing, wonderful, and brilliant Azure Beast of Konoha, the impossible is made possible. Hence, why I am up 25 to 20 in our eternal rivalry." He outstretched a single hand towards Kakashi, making the difference in his hand. He then turned his palm inward and went into his battle stance, flicking his fingers out towards Kakashi. Kakashi stared back at him, an infuriated expression hidden behind his dark mask. He eyed Gai carefully, readying for any attack and counterattack in his mind, every single detail of the surroundings being absorbed in his mind, looking for the best possible route to take this arrogant bastard down.

"C'mon Kakashi," came Obito's voice, yawning slightly, "Since when have you been so petty anyway? Like you said, we've got better things to do." Kakashi shot his friend a dirty look, but relinquished his stance and returned relaxed, Gai following suit, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Did you find anything," asked Kakashi, his teeth still clenched.

Gai shook his head, shaking the loose bangs around his eyes. "We didn't find any ninjas or civilians for that matter. Usually the roads near here are in use, but everything seems so dead today. Did you hear anything from HQ?"

"Yeah," replied Tiara before Kakashi could answer, "supposedly, The Hidden Cloud have surrendered and are ready to talk peace with us."

Gai's eyes went wide with shock, but his expression soon turned into a very toothy grin. "Alright," he yelled, pumping his fist into the air, "I have been away from Konoha so long; I cannot wait to go back and renew old rivalries. Hopefully, we will finally be able to settle the old score," shooting Kakashi a malicious smile.

Kakashi's attention diverted from Gai to the sound of an ANBU calling for him. He waved him over. He quickly approached Kakashi, bowing slightly. Kakashi bowed back and the ANBU finally went into his report. "One of the patrols found something suspicious to the north, near Mt. Dao,"

"That's pretty close to Thunder Capitol," replied Kakashi, "what was the patrol doing out so far, and what exactly did you see."

"We saw something odd," continued the ANBU, "looked like a single black figure in the distance, like a big cloak, but the snow picked up and we lost sight of it. It was a person of some sort, and we figured it was a member of one of the Hidden Cloud patrols. We traced the area, but we had to return, the weather around that area is horrid for vision and tracking. We figured Obito might have a better time at it," nodding in the direction of the nin.

Obito nodded at the nin, subconsciously tapping the goggles around his eyes. "The Sharingan should be able to catch anything you may have missed."

"Thank you for reporting in," said Kakashi sternly, "I'll check it out now. Obito, Tiara, Gai, you come with me. Tell the rest of the camp to continue with the operation, and keep monitoring that signal from HQ; I want updates on this peace treaty."

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Kakashi, Obito, Tiara, and Gai, swept through the trees, barely leaving any trace of their steps save for a light snow that shuffled to the ground from their weight on the branches. Obito took point position, followed by Kakashi, with Tiara and Gai covering the rear. They were traveling quickly now, Kakashi continually prodding them forward so that they appeared more akin to blurs to the naked eye. Obito suddenly waved Kakashi forward to point. Kakashi quickly stepped up his pace, bounding off branches quickly.

"What is it," he asked sternly, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Nothing really," said Obito, a playful smirk on his face, "Just wondering when you're going to tell her."

Kakashi stared dumbfounded at his friend, so much so that he almost missed the next branch and had to bound off his hands to keep up pace. "What the hell are you talking about?" he said, his voice irritated, "This has nothing to do with the current mission."

"Oh come on," replied Obito, "It's probably just some shadow or piece of trash that the ANBU are spooked about; you know how paranoid they can be. At most, it's a lost civilian. I'm more concerned with where you're going with Tiara. After all, you do love her right?" He smiled at Kakashi, grinning very broadly.

Kakashi looked quickly back behind them, staring back into Tiara's eyes, but quickly bringing himself back to his senses. "Now is neither the time nor the place for this discussion," snapped Kakashi, "Take back point and only call me up if you have something meaningful to report."

"Alright, alright," sighed Obito, "anal as always." Kakashi took position behind Obito again as they made farther into the northern edge of the woods towards Thunder Capitol. He really had never been this close before, and his senses were alert for any signs of Hidden Cloud nins, but surprisingly, the woods were very quiet. His eyes drifted towards the tops of the trees, an eerie blackness covering them, storm clouds slowly brewing overhead.

'Looks like rain,' thought Kakashi, 'this will make the search more difficult.' "Pick up the pace," he yelled out as the nin all trekked quickly forward. Finally, the trees began to slowly diminish as they made their way to the forest floor, finally coming to a snowy clearing. The wind was beginning to pick up, dusting the earth slightly and eliminating any blemish in the earth. Finally, they came to a stop at the very edge. Only a snowy oblivion greeted them, with drifts and peak resembling that of a white desert, as gigantic dunes loomed over them.

"This is the spot the ANBU was talking about," he said quietly, "What do you see Obito?"

Obito looked deeply into the drifts of snow, his dark eyes turning red, with a circular pupil with three dots in it replacing his normal eyes. He squinted slightly, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Nothing yet," he said, "Are you sure it's…wait, I do see something. Tracks, but they're very sparse. I can only tell because of a slight difference in the snow, but it's definitely there. We should follow up before nightfall, and before the wind covers this up." He looked towards Kakashi for approval and received a nod from his friend.

"Gai, Tiara, cover our flank. Obito, you're with me." They all nodded at their respective roles and slowly stepped away from the protective camouflage of the forest into a white spread. Kakashi eyed the area, looking carefully for any signs of the enemy. When he was finally satisfied, he waved his team forward, following along the tracks. The wind was picking up now, sending freezing air around them. It burned against Kakashi's exposed face as he followed Obito in an odd, midday darkness. He looked behind him to see the shapes of Gai and Tiara following close behind. Ice was beginning to form in his hair, freezing it into a permanent shape. Gai shook his head, attempting to free his hair from it's bonds. Suddenly, Kakashi stopped as Obito was looking intently at the ground.

"It stops here," he said, not believing his own words, "what the hell." They were looking at a particularly large drift, where Obito was looking straight down just before the tracks disappeared. "This can't be right. These tracks are fresh, like they were only made a few minutes beforehand. Where the-"

"Up there," yelled Gai as the entire crew looked to the peak of the drift. A large black mass was standing there, a long cape billowing in the wind. Kakashi squinted, quickly pulling a special kunai from his belt, a last gift from the Fourth.

"What do you see Obito," asked Kakashi, eyeing the shape strangely. Obito said nothing, but his jaw was dropped slightly, an almost panicked expression on his face. "Obito," said Kakashi, slightly louder. Still nothing. Finally, Kakashi placed a firm hand on Obito's shoulder, shaking him slightly. Obito finally snapped out of his trance and looked at his friend, fear seeming to fill his dark red eyes.

"Where'd it go," said Tiara. Kakashi's gaze drifted back to the mound only for it to be bare again, bearing no sign that it was disturbed. He squinted in the darkness, desperate for a clue as to what had just happened.

"What is it Obito," he said, shaking his friend again. Kakashi had never seen Obito in such a state before as his friend slowly turned to face him.

"Chakra," whispered Obito, the wind louder than his own voice, "It's like nothing I've ever seen before. It was just so…odd." Obito was visibly shaken, his normally lazy and lackadaisical expression replaced by a very solemn and almost fearful one.

"Kakashi," came Gai's voice. The wind was beginning to pick up quite a bit now, and it's whipping drowned out Gai's deep voice. "Should we pursue," he shouted.

Kakashi looked back at Gai, and then to Obito. He looked back at the mound for some clue as the whereabouts of the shape, but none existed. It was as if it wasn't there in the first place. "No," replied Kakashi finally, "the wind's too strong, and I don't want us out here in the cold for an extended period of time. Let's head back to camp, there may be orders to return if this peace thing is true."

"Are you okay Obito," came Tiara's concerned voice. Obito was shaking slightly now, but manage a weak smile.

"Yeah," he said quickly, "just a little…cold." They began to quickly trek back to the forest, Kakashi taking flank position this time. He stayed close to Obito, but continued to look over his shoulder, desperate for any sign of what his friend saw. The crunching of the snow under their feet was very soft, but slowly grew louder, and louder…

Kakashi's eyes went wide as he came back to reality, realizing that the sound was coming from in front of him. He quickly jumped backwards, concealing himself behind a nearby tree. He gazed out from behind the tree as the sound of someone tromping through the snow grew louder. His eyes went wide as a black shape came slowly into view, a light wind billowing his cape slightly. He could feel the fear rushing through his body again, but kept his mind focused, his hand to a kunai on his belt. The figure came closer, and the outline grew to a tall shape covered in a black cloak. It stopped suddenly, his face concealed by a black shroud over him, but Kakashi knew who it was; the same feeling from that day was shooting through him now, a mixture of fear and anger pouring through him, giving him an odd mixture of both fury and a chilling horror.

'Hiketsu,' he thought, 'this can't be. It just can't, can it?' Kakashi continued to watch as the stranger brought a pale hand to his mouth from under the cloak. A long fingernailed hand went under the shroud as Kakashi heard a faint biting sound. His hand reemerged bloodied slightly, the dark crimson of the liquid flowing almost gel like down his hand. He streaked his now bloody thumb across his other hand and slapped the ground, summoning a small, black bird in a puff of smoke. The bird looked up at him calmly through red eyes as it perched itself on his outstretched finger. He brought his mouth towards the side of the bird's head, whispering something incoherent to it. Kakashi continued to watch, slowly pulling a kunai out of his belt while his other revealed the Sharingan on the left side of his face. Kakashi watched Hiketsu throw his arm into the air and send the bird flying to the north, past Thunder Capitol. Hiketsu stood very still now, watching the bird fly off into the distance, cawing loudly. Kakashi could feel his heart begin to race as Hiketsu slowly pulled the cloak from his head, a long, silvery ponytail wrapped in a red ribbon flowing down his back. His hair spiked and swayed in the wind, and a pair of dark, black sunglasses obscured his eyes.

"I know you're there," said Hiketsu, his dark, cold voice echoing through the forest sending chills down Kakashi's spine. "Your killer intent stands out like a beacon."

Kakashi flipped down to the forest floor, facing Hiketsu, ready for a battle. He bent his knees, ready to spring forward, but the thought of the day kept holding him back. His legs froze, and he began to panic slightly. Blood rained down on them as a hand exploded from the body of a nearby ANBU. His mind blasted panic throughout his nerves, demanding retreat. Kakashi's legs began to backpeddle slightly, still facing Hiketsu, who did not move an inch. White globes pierced into his soul, sending a wave of fear that froze his body in place. 'I need to get back,' he thought, the comprehension of his mind finally becoming aware again, 'I need to tell Gai, Tsunade, warn them of what's going on here.' He kept facing Hiketsu, but kept his legs moving, bounding lightly off the snow as Hiketsu stood frozen in place. He stared at his glasses, knowing that dead eyes floated behind them, unnaturally placed in his head. 'Go,' his mind demanded, 'go, go, GO, GO!'

Kakashi spun on his heel and charged in the opposite direction, sprinting as fast as possible, not daring to look behind him. The forest sped behind him, trees moving quickly all around him as his heart furiously pumped blood to his body to keep up an extreme pace. A maelstrom seemed to engulf him as he ran, blinding him slightly, his Sharingan keeping his reactions to their peak as he bounded off trees and limbs, sometimes leaving hard marks in them. He finally saw the gates of Thunder Capitol, emerging finally from the dark forest. He dared to look behind him, expecting to see Hiketsu behind him, ready to rip him to shreds. But there was nothing behind him, simply an empty and quiet forest of trees that seemed devoid of sound completely. Kakashi breathed heavily, the panic finally beginning to leave his body. 'I've got to tell Tsunade,' he thought, brining his senses back to focus, 'we're getting into more than I thought here.' He bounded back towards Thunder Capitol, heading near the bluffs to sneak in quietly.

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Naruto ran through the city streets, barely missing pedestrians going about their daily business. Lee and TenTen followed to the side, keeping their sights on the back gates of the city. Two nin were standing there as large groups of genins shuffled about anxiously waiting for the gates to be opened. Naruto smiled to himself as he picked up his pace, driving faster to the back gates that lead to Mt. Izou. When they were only about a hundred yards away, he broke into a brisk jog. "You both ready," asked Naruto, grinning broadly at his comrades.

"A man of power and youth is always ready," replied Lee, saluting Naruto slightly while flashing him a very broad smile. TenTen simply shook her head at both of them, chuckling under her breath.

They finally came to the back gates as the two nin guarding them, opened them wide, revealing a heavily misted area. Naruto watched, his eyes darting through the crowd, recognizing his other genin comrades, but resting upon Sasuke, who was accompanied by a group of sound nins Naruto had never seen before. They were very odd looking, and were eyeing the Leafs with a contempt look on their faces. Naruto followed the crowd, emerging last as the giant doors closed behind them, creaking slightly before slamming shut hard, reverberating a loud thud through the air. They were now separated from the city completely, and Naruto could feel his heart race with anticipation, wondering exactly what this first test would be. They continued to walk on until they came to a very odd mountain.

The mist cleared suddenly in front of them and they stared at what appeared to be a completely flat, granite wall. All of the genins' necks craned upwards to stare at a large wall of clouds above them. The wall seemed to extend up forever, going on well past the clouds in the sky; there wasn't a single blemish on it, but merely a flat surface that extended into the heavens. 'What is this thing,' thought Naruto.

"Welcome," came a booming voice from in front of them as a Hidden Cloud nin stepped out in front of the group. "to your first test." His hand slowly came upwards, motioning towards the wall.

"This is Mt. Izou…"