A/N: I am totally flattered and amazed that people are still reviewing my chapters. Thanks very much to all of you- as promised, here's a chapter that will lend you guys and girls more answers. A quick chapter, but pivotal nonetheless! Revised for errors!

Chapter Eleven –Visions Of Destiny! Uzumaki Naruto!
(Glued State by: Toshiro Masuda)

The world was black for several long minutes.

I felt my eyes, but could not open them. I felt my limbs, but could not move them. I was powerless, except for my hearing.

My skin felt so cold. I heard two voices discussing something somewhere above me.

"How is he doing, TenTen?" I heard Shino's voice ask someone next to me.

"He'll be fine, but I'll have to stitch his shoulder to stem the bleeding," A female voice replied. "He'll live, but he'll have to rest here for a while."

"Neji?" Shino's voice asked again.

"Leave him here too. I'll take care of them. It's a good thing you dropped them off here- Gai-sensei has taught me a lot about caring for battle injuries. They're in good hands."

"Thank you, TenTen. I must go now," Shino said again.

"Oh, before you go, Naruto's pants are still infested with your bugs. Can you call them off, please? It makes working on him a little bit harder."

"That's strange… why would they still be there? No matter…" Came the reply.

Then, there was the sound of footsteps and a door shutting.

And I dropped back out of consciousness.

Finally, I felt my eyes opening.

I was on my back, in the bushes. I could see the stone faces of the Hokages jutting out from the huge rock above me. I had fallen from a distance, but didn't seem hurt at all.

I tried to get up, noticing that my body was strangely free from pain. My muscles welcomed the movement and hoisted me up into a seated position. I looked around me.

I was alone. Neji was gone. Shino wasn't in sight either.

I looked down and checked my arms, at the spot where I swore that Neji had grazed me with his sword, and saw nothing wrong. My skin was in perfect shape.

It was all too strange: it felt as if Neji and I had never fought.

Then I heard a voice:

"Naruto-kun," The deep voice murmured.

I looked up with a gasp. The voice had a face.

"Do you remember me?" The man smiled at me.

I stared at his face for a several seconds before I could believe who it was that had mentioned my name. I was amazed- I thought he had been dead for years…

"Se-sensei? Sa-ru-tobi-sensei?"

"It's me, Naruto," The Third said gently, warming his entire face with a subtle smile.

"Hokage-sama? You died when I was younger, didn't you?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I am no longer of this world, Naruto," He replied calmly.

"Then… what are you doing here? Is this a dream?"

"To answer both questions with the same: the physical body comes and passes, but the deepest love for another person or, in this case, a village, survives forever. That is how I have come to you. That is how you have come to Konoha."

The image of The Third Hokage, the old man who I had become used to scolding me as a child in younger days, flickered in and out of my vision, as if he were about to be blown by the wind. His words were just as cryptic as his existence, hinting at a higher wisdom.

"I don't understand. I came here because Jiraiya-sensei…?"

The Sandaime Hokage raised his hand to block my remark.

"Your sensei, Jiraiya-kun, is a great teacher, as much as he was a student. Alas, circumstances have taken him away from you, just as they have taken you from him."

"Circumstances? Jiraiya disappeared four years ago. He left me to train in that forest and now I think I ought to have a word with that guy for making me out to be the bad guy when he was the one who deserted me!" I yelled, half-seriously at the figure.

Was I mad at Jiraiya-sensei? Anyone would have been after the treatment he gave me, but something in my gut told me that he knew what he was doing. Or was he?

The Hokage chuckled, "Naruto-kun, Jiraiya has never abandoned Konoha's cause and neither have you. Proving that to my children, these villagers, however, will be a trial."

"You're telling me," I quipped at him, feeling frustration burn under my chest.

"A complicated cascade of fated events has brought you here and, I am afraid to tell you, that things are far from over. First of all, the enemy that is threatening to engulf Konoha has already captured your sensei, Jiraiya-kun. That is the reason why no one, even you, has received any word from him."

"The enemy? What?" I gasped in fright.

"Orochimaru is coming back. He is bigger and stronger than before."

"Orochimaru? The man who took Sasuke? The man who attacked us during the exams?"

"The same," He whispered sorrowfully. "I should have defeated him."

"That man has taken Jiraiya-sensei? You mean to tell me he's held him for one whole year?" I cried in alarm. " We have to rescue him, then!"

"No!" He urged me. "Not yet, Naruto. You are not ready. Your sensei fought him bravely and managed to protect Konoha from invasion for four more years, but ultimately, he was defeated and captured. And now, it appears, that Orochimaru is ready to attack again. The same will happen to you if you challenge him now."

"Then when can I take him down, sensei? When can I rescue Jiraiya-sensei?"

"First, you will need Konoha's help. Orochimaru has brought with him an army that belittles our own. Luckily, we have many prodigal ninja among us already- many of them from your generation. It will be your role, no, your destiny, to lead them against the invasion. Once you have swayed your friends, the boys and girls of your past, back to your side, you can begin convincing the people. And to reach the people…"

"Tsunade," I whispered under my breath.

"That's right. Tsunade, as Hokage, represents Konoha's collective will. If you can persuade Tsunade and Shizune that you are a ninja fit to lead, they will follow you. And so will the rest of Konoha. Only when you have your friends and this village, then can you consider rescuing your old sensei."

"My friends have been a little… umm… stubborn, lately," I sighed.

"All the same, you have been quite convincing in your argument. Although I would prefer civilized conversation to solve disputes, you are solving your problems in your own way. What matters is that they are working, so I see no reason to discourage you. Just make sure not to kill any of Konoha's ninja- you'll need every one of them."

I looked up at the trees above me. They seemed as wavy and translucent as the Hokage, as if I was inside the spirit-form of the village. A breeze blew through and cooled my face.

"How did this all begin? How did I get here?" I groaned to myself.

The Hokage smiled knowingly at me.

"Five years ago, my three students: Tsunade, your master, Jiraiya, your teacher, and Orochimaru, your enemy, met together in a secret meeting outside of Konoha. They were discussing a deal involving you and this village's safety. Ultimately, what happened was that Jiraiya and Tsunade refused Orochimaru's bargain. Because of this, Orochimaru gave the other two an ultimatum: 'Bring the nine-tailed fox to me or Konoha will fall in one lunar cycle.'"

"Orochimaru wanted me? He gave them a year to deliver me?"

"Yes. All correct. Jiraiya was adamant though: he would not allow your life to be traded for anything. One life is the same as a thousand to him: priceless. Tsunade reluctantly agreed to Jiraiya's reasoning, and swore to protect you back at Konoha."

"But then… Orochimaru would've attacked… wouldn't he?"

"True. This realization brought great worry to Tsunade, as leader of this village. She was at a great dilemma, being responsible for so many lives. Jiraiya, on the other hand, had no ties to this place. He was always such a nomad. He felt no inclination to trade Konoha's safety for your own. Even so, he was determined to fight Orochimaru, should he bring war. That is why when Jiraiya saw the consternation in Tsunade's expression; he took you away from this place, without his colleague's permission. He told nobody that he had abducted you. He swore to keep you from harm, and so he hid you out in the forest."

"Wait, are you saying that I am the reason Orochimaru is about to attack us? This is crazy!" I cried out. "Was Tsunade really going to trade me in the end, if I had stayed?"

"Who knows? The point is: Tsunade was at breaking point. She had begun to suffer mental breakdowns after the meeting between the three of them. Jiraiya refused to stay and see if the Hokage would break, so he took matters into his own hands by taking you away and hiding you. When Tsunade discovered what he had done, she was outraged."

"Wait a second- why doesn't anybody else in Konoha know about this?"

"Tsunade and Jiraiya swore to keep their Sannin Meeting secret. If Konoha would learn of Orochimaru's intentions, they would have panicked, worse, they would have pinned all their hatred and blame on you. Something you definitely do not deserve."

"I see…" I swore to myself.

"Because of this prior agreement to stay silent about the affair, Tsunade could not say no to her advisors when they ordered her to make an example out of you and Jiraiya by putting you both on the target list. If she had refused to declare the both of you missing-nins after the both of you had disappeared for months, then she would be forced to explain why. She could not tell them about Orochimaru's deal, so she conceded. That is how you and your sensei came to become criminals in Konoha. It was through no fault of either of you."

"I see… so that explains why he suddenly decided to take me on a year-long training exercise. To keep me away from this village… it kind of makes sense," I admitted. "But that doesn't explain why Jiraiya-sensei left me alone for four years after staying for one."

"Well, like I said, Tsunade was given a one year ultimatum by Orochimaru to reconsider delivering you to him. In the final days of the deadline, Jiraiya was preparing to attack Orochimaru at his very own Hidden Village of Sound. After he had left you alone in the forest, sealing you inside your home with a powerful barrier jutsu that he had learnt on his own, he managed to reach the Otogakure and decimated more than three quarters of Orchimaru's preparing army, together with that overgrown toad of his. This would stall the invasion for a few more years while Orochimaru rebuilt his war machine. Still, Jiraiya failed to defeat Orochimaru's most powerful disciple, a young man possibly more powerful than his master, and was sealed inside a prison."

"Wait a second- Young man? You're not telling me that it's…?"

"Yes. It's him. You will meet him again soon."

Him. I cursed inside again. I couldn't believe he was working with that tyrant.

"Anyway, Jiraiya was only powerful enough to send letters to you from his prison. He, himself, did not have the power to break out of the sealing jutsu that kept him inside. It was much like the one that kept you from escaping the valley you had been training in."

"Hmm… but the seal keeping me inside the valley came down this year. I was freed."

"Yes, but it's already the fifth year since Jiraiya and you had left Konoha, four years after Jiraiya was captured by Orochimaru. The jutsu that your sensei had laid down had expired just in time for word from Konoha to reach you."

"Wait a moment- the final letter came from Sensei. He was telling me to leave."

"No. The barrier around you disappeared because Jiraiya's chakra reserves had become reduced to nothing. He wouldn't even have had enough chakra left to weaken the seal holding him so that he could still send letters to you through his pet frog. No, the letters had stopped coming from him for a long while. The final letter came from Konoha."

"That's right… now that you mention it, the handwriting seemed feminine."

"Yes, but Tsunade did not write it. Someone close to her did, however. It would have to be, for who else would know the truth- that you are not a missing-nin?"

"Who was it? Shizune-san?" I asked eagerly.

"You will come to meet her later. Don't worry about that."

Something inside me told me I already knew who it was that could've summoned me here. It was a warm and mysterious feeling that yielded no answers.

"Now, Naruto, my visit contains a second purpose. I have come to change you," The old man sighed, frowning and looking down at me with a pained expression.

"Change me?"

"The fox within you… up till now, it has not just provided you with extreme power, but also, a differential opinion to your own, a counterpoint, an opposing intelligence, if you will. The fox has it's own ideas about what you must be doing and how."

It was true. Many times, the Kyuubi had either disagreed with my tactics in a fight or conducted its own strategies altogether. In the fight with Neji, it had nearly raged out of control and killed him, despite its reassurances that it would not. In the years past, when I was without opponents, I had come to savor and appreciate what the fox could lend me, but now, I was becoming fearful of it's potential.

"I am prepared," The sensei continued, "To negotiate with the fox in order to make him more complacent, more ergonomic with your body. I will ask him to make himself one with your body. Not only will your combined powers become amplified, but they will also become more predictable. Ultimately, I hope this is a decision that will preserve lives, should you find that you have to fight your old colleagues again."

I listened, enthralled, felt the warm, tingling sensation inside my chest. The fox…

"But, only if you agree, Naruto. I don't know what consequences may come from this- there just isn't any way for us to foresee what a legendary creature may attempt."

I knew what he was thinking of. His face told me, if not the tone of his words.

"You're going to remove the seal?"

"No," Came his pained reply. "But I will alter it."

I thought about this for a second. "How?"

"When the Hokage created this seal, he included five 'limiters' in the pattern. Think of them similar to the power seals Orochimaru marked you with years ago. However, the Fourth did not do this out of bad intentions. They were there to protect your weak and immature body from a chakra overload. By removing these limiters, the amount of power the fox can manifest in you will not only increase, but the chances of the fox overcoming the seal will also raise. At the price of this power, comes the increased pain and vigilance that is keeping the demon inside you. You must be aware of this."

The area around my belly had always felt a little hot when the fox's power came into play. If the Third was about to tamper with the seal now, I had no way of knowing what the side-effects on my body might be if I called the fox out again.

"More power… at a price…" I mumbled.

But ultimately, he had a point. If the fox became one step closer to merging with my body, I'd have a better chance at channeling and controlling it, which, ultimately, would save my friends' lives. I would also need the chakra boost if my enemies were as tough as I knew them to be. In a way, I really had no choice in the matter. This choice was stained with inevitability.

"Do it. Release the limiters, sensei."

He bowed his head, then looked up at me. "Very well, I will begin my work on the fox inside of you. As for you, the time has come for you to return to consciousness in the real world, for your friends await your salvation."

I wondered one last thing before the world returned to my senses: would I still be able to hear the fox's voice in my head if he became closer to my own consciousness?

"It is ironic, Naruto, that the fox who once threatened to annihilate our village may now become the only thing that can save it. The difference this time, is that we have you."

As the Third's voice faded from my ears a blinding light took over my eyes, and with a feeling similar to drowning, I was back in modern-day Konoha.