Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 13.

I

The chilly wind ripped through the shore, and with it came the continuous waves that crush on the sand. The white, unadulterated sand gave the sheen of innocence, bringing him to reflect the times that passed again. His cerulean eyes wandered to meet with the horizon, and the deep blue sea, thus it stirred within him that he longed for the time when he can return to Konoha once more. Yet fate is unforgiving and he knew it all too well. He could try to convince them to accept, to acknowledge his existence, but people will not see beyond what they know.

Kyubi had told him firsthand about their weaknesses that shackles the glory of men. It is a disease that afflicts not all, but many.

People cannot truly forget. Memories, as persistent as they are will always cling onto something, using real things as anchors to pull itself back into the mind.

It is they inability to move on after a disaster that saddens him.

However, the curse is also his, for he cannot forget what Kyubi had done. He is a disease like all others, bound to the imperfections that man came to earth with.

He shifted his gaze to the palm tree, and he admired the tree's ability to adapt to the wind's never-ending onslaught. If man could only do the same...

"As adept at adapting the palm tree is, but it is no match for the ever destructive hurricane." He interrupted by the Kagizume, and he can never have true peace of mind with two reborns within him, which is another curse that he is forced to bear. "So, a tree is bound by its limits, a man can only do so much."

II

One week it has been since his departure from the mountain sanctuary and with it came one week of loneliness amongst wilderness, save the brief stop for food. Wait. He isn't lonely. With a loud fox and a confusing poet, he couldn't be lonely.

'Am I getting desperate? So desperate that I would throw the human touch for the company of two reborns? No. I hope not. My head should really stop thinking.'

'I fear not my enemies, but I fear myself.' The words echo once more in the crevices of his mind, triggering responses of self-defense, loathing and others.

'Hey brat, we ain't that bad. We are just... twisted. That's all.' Kyubi snarled his words out.

Again he watch the shore with eyes that wander ceaselessly, and within his sight came a large flat rock stretching out into the sea. He slowly strolled to the rock, whilst his eyes admire the majesty and the freedom that the seagulls possess. White as snow, they seemed like angels hovering over the swarm of fishes, killing fishes with inherited skill, and the fishes have no say about the death that jumps out of the void. To the small fishes, these birds would seem almighty, capable of killing any one fish in the school.

He sat on it, and chose to gaze at the horizon and fleet of fishing ships, where the men tirelessly toil in the seas to earn their keep, and feed their family.

"It is time for my tutelage to continue."

'Well. Let's start.'

"The first thing is sense and intelligence. From sense comes tactics, and like a tree, more branches are added as it grows. The same must you be, that more skills and abilities must be added to continue growing."

"But before we can take that step, like a seed must have roots before it grows upward; you must first have understanding, and intelligence is the foundation of understanding."

"So, I invite you for a game of chess, or the game of kings, as some archaic human scholars called it."

'I don't know how to play.'

"I will teach you the basics of the game, so worry not, my young host."

III

It is midday in Konoha, and the air is so dry that the leaves shrink. The sun daces dizzily in the bluish sky that watch upon the rest cruelly, as the unfortunate citizens are caught in the heat of their daily life, and the heat of the sun. Business would be considered as booming, the recent alliance between Sand and Leaf had a two way effect of growth, and also because of the availability of the two sennins with the ranks of Konoha. So, the streets are teeming with life, and the sounds of the merchants and customers arguing break into the sky.

Yet, amidst the lively streets, Tsunade wasn't so happy. Yes, Konoha now had two sennins protecting it's borders, but Fire is a large country, and two sennins cannot guard all the entry points at once. Sennins, as powerful as they are, are not gods, and therefore have weaknesses. Furthermore, the war, now some time ago, had diminished the ranks of genins and chuunins, and it led to genins being forced to execute missions they are not qualified to successfully do. It is a desperate attempt to maintain the illusion of strength, and the alliance was just the same for both neighboring nations.

Becoming a leader required the skills of a trustworthy and intelligent tactician, the shrewd and calculative mind of a businessperson, the attentiveness and intuition of the expert investor and every other known beneficial quality that ever existed. Luckily, she had all those skills in the hordes of people she commanded.

Yet, as fast as she could find a way to find a solution for the previous problem, three more problems would emerge before that. Problems create problems, and solutions too sometimes create problems. And all these creates wrinkles.

IV

The leaves wavered, and so did all the foliage, plantation and flowers around. The stream murmured constantly as it makes its way downstream, regardless of the presence of the long haired ninja.

"The chuunin exam is coming in three months." Neji spoke silently.

"So?" Kakashi's rather unmistakable voice sliced through the tranquil surroundings.

Then, the silence of the air was replaced by the hum of flying kunais, shurikens and needles as the projectiles make their way towards the silver-haired jounin. The moment the weapons was about to hit, a chain of explosions erupted across the rocky land that borders the stream. When the dust settled, five logs scattered throughout the place were full of weapons imbedded within them.

"Impressive." Kakashi's sharingan fully activated. "Kage Shuriken no jutsu, but won't be enough."

Then, Neji exploded.

"Clone."

Then, the dogs of war called again. Shurikens flew out of the woods behind like rain, but all found nothing save the hard rocks on the floor and the wooden logs. The weapon rain was then followed by a single kunai flying straight at him.

"One?"

The jounin sidestepped it easily. Then, it exploded in midair, revealing Neji, who followed with a set of attacks aimed at the tenketsu spots. Nevertheless, all found the simple log, and the unlucky wood was blasted to smithereens.

"Immediate change of technique, nicely done."

Thud. Neji's sudden kick was blocked by a hand.

"Byakugan sensed me."

"Of course." Then, Neji commanded his other idle leg to attack, which was also blocked by a punch. "And you should know better than to engage in melee."

Then, Neji used kaiten, and it ripped Kakashi into pieces. Actually. The clone was ripped into a puff of smoke.

"I ain't that stupid, Neji. But now you will lose."

"Is it?"

V

The mountains watched over with incredible majesty, in it's array of white snow, grey rocks and lush green woods that lie at it's feet, the mountains demanded respect from the everyday person. The sky was scudded in clouds waltzing happily to the wind's music, and the sight of it created joy. Shikamaru lied on the grassy hillside, watching the clouds pass him by, and the joy was crushed when the thought of work returned to his head. He sighed, and he sat up to contemplate the list of actions that the country should attempt to do to strengthen the borders.

Then, he stopped. "What am I doing? I need to see the borders for myself if I were to carve out a suitable strategy. I need real information, not maps or numbers, and I would probably need to speak to the ninjas responsible myself." Then, he sunk into more thought.

"I suppose I have to do a little visiting across the country, then." He knew that all these were too troublesome, but in order to ensure the safety of all his friends and every other citizen, he is willing to suffer slightly. Besides, it could get him away from the paperwork demons that always await him the moment he steps into the office halls of the Hokage.

VI

The countless trees of fir, pine, oak and a plethora of other species flickered pass, as the two shadows travel across the terrain. It is lonely in the woods, unless a person could find company within the wordless animals and insects that thrive within the interwoven forests of vines, branches and leaves.

"The target, Uzumaki Naruto had left the monastery and is heading towards the shore." Kisame read the parchment within his hands loud enough for Itachi to listen to it clearly.

"Yeah. You read it a few times already. But the information is a few days late. He might be very far away already."

"But how fast can a genin go?" Kisame chuckled with a malevolent intent.

"Well. We are to retrieve him ALIVE. Kill him and Kyubi will die with him."

"Can't we just unseal the seal, first?"

"No. The fourth's death seal is still out of my league."

"Fine. Let's bring him back, brainwash him and let him be our zombie. But Jiraiya's not around, is he?"

"No."

The two continuously traveled across the forest at high speeds, and high stealth.

IIIIIIIII

Yay! Another chapter finished.

Anyway, if you were the writer, how would you continue this story? Ideas appreciated.

I am a very very very very lousy writer, but I intend to see that this story finishes. I only hope you wonderful, but unfortunate (Because you're reading a lousy story) readers have the time to wait, because the ending is still rather far.

But I'll try to update as frequent as I could.