DISCLAIM- I don't own Naruto, the usual stuff.

This story is a remake and rewrite of my previous story, "HOWL OF THE BEASTS." But unfortunately, when the ffnet had some error, I deleted the story. So, I thought I might as well retype the story, to avoid anyone being bored, so the story moves differently.

A/N - Please, enjoy my little work.

Sakura stared silently at the flowers in the park, and she was instantly reminded of some little things that always seem to matter so little. Her glance soon came across a small weasel wandering about on the tree. Itachi. That was the name of Sasuke's brother, wasn't it? She shook her head, trying to get Sasuke's betrayal out of her mind. True, she loved him with everything she had, but still, she was rejected, and he continued to ignore her like she was worth nothing to him.

Maybe she was worth nothing to him. The will blew the petals of fallen flowers, and one of those petals landed on her palm. The questions lingered, and she continued to frown over them. She forgot to thank Naruto for bringing Sasuke-kun back, and now she was feeling extremely bad. He was her friend, and even if she did not like him very much, she should at least acknowledge him for what he did for her, at the very least, acknowledge him for what he did for Konoha. She sighed again. She felt like asking the Hokage for help.

Hokage. Naruto's dream, Naruto's ambition.

Sakura often wondered how some people would go so far to achieve an ambition, and every time she met someone, she only found the limits of human willingness to cross the line stretch further. Sasuke was one example of her findings, consumed by hatred for the his brother, she wondered how she had fallen for him. She gazed to the the village, and she remembered one of the quotes she read. Love is blind.

But when she thought about it, many people are blind, one way or another.

Yet, it was still much better than floating around without an aim.

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Tsunade looked at her office, and she frowned. The office itself was hell of a place, the heat was nigh unbearable, the energy and dizziying movement can drive a person to the brink of insanity. Colleagues calling and shouting for documents, the constant screeching of the pencils, pen and brushes. Then, there was the infamous office chatter. The hokage tower was a place for those capable to cope with lots of work, and lots of pressure, but if she was amongst those who are working, she'd definately want to faint and quit the job.

Paper. It seemed to be everywhere she looked. It was a small item that never escaped her sight whenever she is in the office. Paperwork, is this what officework was all about. Well, now she thought about it, how did the Sandaime cope with the stacks of paper, records and all that. He has a secret. Yes... That's it. She'd find it, and she would be free of all the troublesome things, and wander around observing everyone.

She looked around again, aides walking about with stacks of paper, office boys become waiters to the other workers. It was busy alright.

But she enjoyed the energy, the bursting keenness and intensity. But that was before the stacks of paper came crashing onto her table, and all the enjoyment, fulfillment and happiness was gone, vanished into thin air.

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His hair gleamed under the sun's watchful, even when it was tainted with dirt and shards of wood. His hand, covered in dust, dirt, mud, and blood, while his clothes were tainted, torn, and slightly worn. He breathed, but it was unstable, as if he was gasping for air. Sweat crawled down from his forehead, and a drip fell to the floor. His hands moved to remove the sweat from his forehead, and he was back at what he was doing. He concentrated his mind on the small mark of leaf on his palm, willing chakra to swirl around it.

Chakra formed into a swirl in his hand, and he slammed it hard into the tree. A loud crack, and some part of the treebarks were torn out, but the tree was still standing. He then collapsed to the floor again, gasping for breath, his hands and body slumped to lean on the damaged tree.

After a while, he forced himself up again. With one hand, he tried again. He concentrated, and a swirl of chakra started to form in his hands. Slowly, the swirl got faster and faster, and he crunched his tooth together, a sign of immense pain. But he continued, and the chakra started to swirl into a ball. But it still was not the level he wanted it to be. Then, he was not able to hold it anymore, and the chakra burnt his palm badly, but it recovered just as quickly, because of the Kyubi..

Pain. It was horrible. It jolts his sense, and causes him to endure a striking amount of misery. But at least this pain was only superficial, easily cured and healed by sleep.

But even in pain, he wanted to go on further, to exceed himself. He hated the feeling of being weak, vulnerable and incapble. He hated it when he was not able to protect those people that he actually cared about, and that alone was enough motivation to continue for the blonde.

He tried again, despite his injuries and his depleted strength, despite all the pain, even when they kept tingling and screaming inside him.

He forced his shaken body up again, and he went for it again. He forced the chakra out, even when he had no chakra inside him anymore, except Kyubi's. So, out of tiredness, he fell to the floor, unconscious.

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Ino was fuming, and a fuming girl means a 'Stay away'. Shikamaru never understood why she would be so angry, for no apparent reason. After all, everything seems okay today, and the day before, and the day before that. So, what would have bring about the dark side of Ino? Shikamaru never bothered to ask, because he knew it would be too troublesome anyway. So, he just laid back at his chair, and stared at the clouds outside the window.

Now, that is life all right.

Ino, stomped next to Shikamaru, and she sent a very very hard punch to his skull, and a bulge emerged right after. "Ouch!" Shikamaru tried to ease the pain on his head by... Then again, it would be too troublesome. It'll heal in time, alright.

The blonde girl continued to scream and yell continously at Shikamaru, but he only shrugged it of, and replied with a simple phrase, 'Too Troublesome.' Ino, in response to the shadow user's little reply, send another punch to his pineapple head.

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Naruto awoke, to the warm embrace of a bed, and the soft texture of the covering blanket. Looking around, he found himself in the hospital, where a small plant lays watchfully on the bedside table. The walls, painted in a plain white, reflected a part of the purity of the hospital, but the hospital was far from pure. It is one of the most bloodstained places in the world, but at least, it is for a good cause.

The door creaked open, revealing Tsunade's assistant, Shizune. She walked close, and she sat next to Naruto, and she placed her palm on the blonde's forehead.

A smile, and she asked, "So, how are you feeling? I found you unconscious in the forest."

"I'm fine." The usual big smirk crawled to his face.

Then, an old man walked into the room. He sported white hair, and his headband had a kanji instead of a symbol.

"Pervert-sennin." Naruto exclaimed, but a part of him wanted to pout at the peeping tom.

"Hey kid." Jiraiya came over and started to rub his hair.

"So, what are you here for? Peeping for your little book again?" Naruto snarled.

"No. Actually, I heard you are training pretty hard, so I decided to help you out a little."

"You are going to train me?" Naruto asked.

"No. Someone else will, and I'll bring you to them."

"Who might they be?"

"You'll know when we get there."

"... When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"How far is it?"

"I'll fill you with the details tomorrow."

"You're not tellimg me anything, are you?"

The next day came quickly, and at the crack of dawn, Naruto was already waiting at the gates for the old sennin. But he has yet to arrive, so Naruto enjoyed the morning breeze, the pleasant yet soft swaying of trees and the beautiful silence. The way his life should be, calm and enjoyable.

Naruto waited, and about thirty minutes afterwards, the super uber pervert arrived.

"YOU ARE LATE!" Using the similar tone he used on Kakashi whenever he came late.

"Hey, I had to meet with Tsunade over some funds for your training." Jiraiya answered half-heartledly

"... Liar?"

Jiraiya held up a small packet, and the clanks of coins shaking came from within. "I wasn't lying." (A/N: I have problems with sound descriptions.)

So, they were off, out on the road, where trees grace the sides of the dirt path, and wild plants adorn the spaces in between, adding both lustre and contrast to the verdant view.

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"So, tell me where are going?" Naruto asked, his eyebrows arched up slightly, and they twitched slightly.

Jiraiya seemed nonchalant about the question, but he answered it anyway. "We are going to a temple in the mountains to the south."

"A temple in the south? Where exactly in the south?" Naruto launched a barrage of questions.

"It's a large temple in the mountains, close to the southern border of Fire country."

"Mountains?" Naruto frowned at the thought. "That means no ramen, then?"

"Well, don't worry. One large city is near to the temple, so I guess you can go and get some ramen to feel up your large stomach." Jiraiya said, with a significant grin etched to his face.

"So, who is it that is going to be my teacher? I hope he is going to teach me a lot of jutsus and all that." Naruto continued.

"Well, the people in the temple will be your teachers."

"...Wait. If they are in temples... Are you telling me that monks are going to teach me?"

Jiraiya laughed, "Yes."

"I'm going back. Monks can't teach me anything... I think. How in the world would monks know anything about jutsus, to begin with?"

"Well. That is where you are very wrong. The temple is full of retired ninjas, many of them had quite a reputation when they were younger. So, you are wrong if you assume that they can't teach you a single thing." Jiraiya cheered inwardly when he saw Naruto's disbelieving face. "Many of them once served under the first and second hokages, so, you can surely learn much from them."

Then, Naruto's mind began to imagine old men teaching him jutsus, and he felt very uneasy that moment. "I'm going to be taught by old men?"

"Well, not all are old."

"But they are still old, right?"

Jiraiya gave a sigh, and he looked up into the sky, "It's better if you meet them for yourself."

Then, they continued for three long days, as they approach the temple. Although throughout the journey, they were unattacked, but they still were careful.

At dusk of the third day, the group of two arrived at the foot of the mountain, where a little taken road would bring them to the temple. The surroundings was serene, beautiful and perfect to release stress that was collected throughout the day. Small flowers embellish both sides of the grassy path, and they bloom in full beauty even when the sun is fading, even as the light is retreating.

The path up the mountain was quite easy, but they took their time, because of the presence of a certain aura ever present in the environment that releases the stress, the pressure.

Some time later, when the sky was dark, and the stars awaken to blink and watch over those who are nocturnal in nature, be they man or beast; the duo arrived at a small uninhabited gazebo (What else should I call them, huts?), which is very very common during the feudal chinese era, often placed amongst the park, for people to rest both their body, and mind.

"How convenient." Jiraiya muttered. "We sleep here tonight, and we go on tomorrow."

Naruto did not try to sleep, because he could not take his mind off the stars and moon in the nightline. Every time he tried to sleep, his mind just kept returning to some memories. He looked around, to see a sleeping pervert in the form of Jiraiya. The gazebo offered not much protection from the cold night wind, because it only had a roof to shield people from the light of the sun during the day.

He sat up, and his sight scanned the surroundings. They were quite high, which was very easy to conclude, because the forest seemed so down there.

But eventually, his thoughts gave in to his body's exhaustion, and he was asleep.

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The next day, Naruto woke up to the beautiful sunrise creeping just slightly above the mountain range at the horizon. The golden light gazed on their small rest point, and it too painted the forests below in a lively color of yellow and greed, and to him, it seemed that the forest had awakened from it's long slumber.

Jiraiya was already awake, building a small fire to cook their breakfast. Naruto joined in, and when they finished, they both departed to continue on their journey.

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The aged temple, a sight to gaze at seemed to meld perfectly with the highland scenery, so nicely that it seemed to have came out of a chinese painting. Painted in pale red, grey, and white, the temple itself borrows its architecture from many influences, mainly the shinto shrines, the shaolin temples, and the japanese fortresses.

Outside the small, but well decorated bronze gate stood a man no younger than thirty, and on his face, was carved with a simple, yet perplexing smile, that seemed to contain wisdom.

He smiled, "Welcome, Jiraiya-sama. We have been anticipating your arrival. Please, follow me." The short haired man, his face wrinkled by age, began to lead the both of them into the temple.

They passed a large open area, where the floor is covered in flattened and smoothed rocks, and then, they followed him up a large staircase.

"Come in here." He then led them in, and the room was quite large, large decorated pillars support the upper part of the temple.

"Welcome. I was informed that we would be training a young kid?" An bald old man with a long white beard spoke. He was dressed in monk's clothing, and in his left hand, he held a long wooden staff, carved in the shape of many faces of beasts and man. Followingly, he stood up, and he walked close to them. He looked at Naruto, and he smiled.

"So, what's your name?" The old man asked.

"Naruto."

"Good. I heard that you are the vessel of the ninetailed fox."

"..." Naruto was pretty much silent, but he nodded.

"Never mind. Let's get you to your quarters, and I will instruct someone to inform you on the rules of living in this place." Then, a medium aged person came along.

"Come with me, kid."

Naruto followed the dark hair fellow out of the doors, and into the courtyard.

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"So, Jiraiya, it's been a while. A long while." The old man followed.

"Yes, it has."

"Tell me about the kid. If I am to train him, I would need a lot of information on that blonde little fellow. He seems... familiar." The old man said.

"Well, his full name is Uzumaki Naruto. I don't think you'll need his date of birth, but he is a real annoying little fella."

"That would be enough." The bald person looked out of the window, and into the range.

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I know I suck at writing, so go ahead and criticize my lousy work.