Disclaimer: We do no own Naruto

Co-Author & Beta: Etheral-23

To Stormy Rebel: You are remembered my friend.

Chapter 16: Lost Fragment

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Anko painfully hissed as she sat on an exam table in the forest tower with her trench coat folded on her lap. After several grumpy protests, an order from the Sandaime made the Tokubetsu Jonin begrudgingly took a seat for the doctors. This was also ensured with Hiruzen, back in his Hokage robes and hat keeping watch.

"I'm fine Hokage-Sama, just had a bad reaction with this stupid thing," the kunoichi muttered pointing to her shoulder.

Hiruzen's gaze was as dry as a desert; "You're fine when the doctor informs me you are, otherwise you remain here. Am I understood?"

"…Hai, Hokage-Sama."

Nodding, the Sandaime leaves the room as two ANBU appeared kneeling; "Report Iguru."

The ANBU in the eagle mask lifts his head; "We have searched half of the forest but no signs of Orochimaru."

"Continue searching every inch of the forest. Though it's he likely has left the area by this point, I doubt he has vanished from Konoha. Inform Commander Fox I want round the clock patrols throughout the village."

"HAI!" Both ANBU vanished via shunshin.

The Sandaime sighed as he tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What are you planning..?"

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"I can't believe you're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki" Tenten exclaimed, sitting by their makeshift camp as they finally had set it all up. "I mean… It makes so much sense now!" The glares, the way the adults talked about him, how people were always so nervous around him.

Now the truth was unveiled and everything fell into place. Naruto had been so overjoyed when Sakura told him she didn't care he was a Jinchuuriki, that was a fear that had not left him ever since her first learnt the truth himself. That if other people knew they would just… treat him like the adults always did. And for these people whom he came to call friends… He just wouldn't be able to handle if they too began to hate him as well.

"You… You're not mad?" He hesitantly asked.

"I'm mad you never told me before!" The bun haired girl snapped, but there wasn't true anger in her voice, none of the spite he was familiar with. "What? You think I'd care about something like that? Please don't be an idiot, you're always gonna be the same dum-dum to me"

He wouldn't cry. Ninja didn't show their tears. He did everything in his power not to cry at how happy he felt. So instead he lowered his gaze and thanked her; "You have no idea what that means to me"

Tenten smiled widely; "Now stop moping you big baby, you've got no reason to feel down"

"Yosh!" Lee agreed with a pump of his fist; "Naruto-kun's role in the village is invaluable, it must be no easy task to bear a creature such as the Nine Tails inside of you!"

"Yours is a heavy burden, Uzumaki" Even Neji seemed to acknowledging him, in his own way at least. "It seems you too understand the weight of a role imposed to you when you had no choice"

Sakura smiled sweetly, she could see how all of this was making Naruto feel happier than he had felt in a long while. The softness of his gaze, the relief of a weight being lifted off his shoulders, Naruto had friends he could count on, people who would support him no matter what, and he was starting to see it too.

"I'm sure if Sasuke," She gestured to the bound boy lying on the ground next to her; "was awake he'd say something like; 'Dobe, worrying about dumb things like that'" She said in a perfect imitation of his voice.

Like, seriously, it was absolutely Sasuke's voice coming out of her mouth. It freaked Naruto out to say the least, as he stared at her with wide startled eyes. "What was that?"

"Oh, small genjutsu to copy sounds, I used Sasuke's voice. What do you think?" She grinned cheekily at him.

"Creepy. PLEASE don't do it again"

Sakura couldn't help it, she laughed. It was infectious enough that soon Naruto began laughing as well, letting out all the joy and relief he felt. Tenten soon joined in with Lee, only Neji remained stoic in the face of such mirth, letting his eyes roll.

Over the other side of the clearing in their own camps, the Kumo and Kiri Nins watched the scene unfold. Yugito didn't know what it must have been, growing up scorned by your own village. Before Bee proved himself to be a hero to Kumogakure, the role of Jinchuuriki was held with as much contempt in Kumo as it was in Konoha, or so she heard from her elders. She herself grew up not with glares, but with gazes of respect from her fellow ninja. Of course, that didn't mean there weren't expectations. The higher ups expected her to one day master her Biju's power like Bee.

But Konoha? Their attitude regarding their Jinchuuriki was odd. Naruto from what she heard only found out not too long ago, and he didn't seem to be under any training to master the Kyuubi's chakra, almost like the Leaf wasn't interested in what should be one their greatest assets.

Historically, Konoha always had a very pro-peace attitude. Oh that didn't mean they didn't get their hands dirty, they were ninjas too after all, but seldom had any conflict been started by them, any military action on their part had been retaliatory or pre-emptive whenever another village was plotting against them. They didn't seem very interested in taking down the other villages.

They were considered the hippies of the Elemental Nations for a reason. But that didn't mean one should take them lightly, the Land of the Sky found that out the hard way in the Second War.

Hmm… she hoped she wouldn't have to fight him when the next war came. It'd be expected of her as a Jinchuuriki. But honestly? She kind of liked these people. So for now she wouldn't worry about it.

Haku smiled happily at Naruto, knowing he'd be alright. Having taken a liking to them as he got to know them, Chojuro shared in her happiness at seeing Naruto's comrades accept him. Kiri didn't have a good history with their Jinchuuriki ever since Yagura.

Kouhei for his part castes an impassive gaze at the Konoha ninja, he didn't have anything against them, nor was he fond of them like Haku was. Good for him regardless, gods know he knew how hard it was to be discriminated for something you had no control over…

He shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts, his straight coffee-colored locks swaying as he did so. "Ain't surprised you were chosen to be the Jinchuuriki" He said, getting everyone's attention. "Someone of your heritage is the most fitting host, Uzumaki"

Naruto tilted his head as he stared confusingly at him. "My heritage? You mean… the Uzumaki clan? I don't think I'm related to them" He crossed his arms behind his head. "I think I was just named in honor of them"

The Uzumaki clan of Uzushio, famed as the greatest seal masters of the Elemental Nations. Their seals were strong enough to even bind the Bijuu; indeed, many seals used throughout the nations had been inspired, if not outright invented, by them. If their knowledge of seals wasn't enough, they also possessed tremendous life force and vast chakra pools. Their village on their island surrounded by whirlpools couldn't really be called a Hidden Village; they existed long before the founding of the first ninja villages after all.

But one day, attacked from all sides, Uzushio had been destroyed, and the clan was no more.

Kouhei scratches the back of his head; "You really sure? Granted all Uzumakis are redheads. And seeing a blond Uzu is just weird."

"If you want me to punch you, you're getting there," Naruto growled.

"Uzumaki have enormous reserves of chakra combined with incredible longevity and stamina," Haku also brought up. "You seem to possess such"

Tenten tilted her head as she thought out loud; "Wouldn't being Jinchuuriki also give Naruto huge amount chakra?"

"You'd be right," Yugito spoke up; "But Uzumakis have incredibly high levels of chakra naturally. I heard that's the reason they're considered to be the most fitting hosts for the Nine Tails. And they are the greatest Fūinjutsu masters ever; stories said their talent came naturally to them"

Everyone looked right to the blond; "I only just started Fūinjutsu after graduation…"

"But you're really good at it," Sakura countered.

"I mean..." Naruto scratched his head, trying to come up with a possible explanation. "Could be a coincidence. Besides, the old man would have told me anyway if I'm really an Uzumaki"

"That is a good point" Lee added as he strokes his chin in though. "Does Hokage-sama know about your parents' identities? Has he told you about them?"

"He does. And noooo..." Naruto dragged out a sigh; "He says I'll know 'when I'm ready'" He came to hate those words sometimes. "I just... don't get why he never told me"

"Might be something you were not ready to handle yet" Tenten suggested. "Maybe he waited for you to mature a bit. And hey, you're not the knucklehead you used to be... much" She giggled at his pouty glare. "Try asking him after the exams are over"

"Yeah..." A wide smile suddenly grew on his lips. "Yeah I'll do that!" A frown quickly stood in the place of his sudden bout of good mood. "Though, it sucks I know so little about my own history you know? I mean, if I truly was an Uzumaki you'd think there'd be evidence about it, records or something"

Sakura, Lee and Tenten grew pensive at his words, there was more to the mystery of Naruto's heritage, he met most of the traits usually associated with the Uzumaki clan but there was something missing.

Neji, who merely stood by and idly listened to their conversation, sighed; "For all the emphasis our teachers place into 'looking underneath the underneath'-"

Naruto cut in; "Oh your teacher tells you that crap too?"

Neji continued as though he wasn't interrupted; "Taking that lesson too much to heart can make it difficult to see what's right in front of us"

Tenten looked at him in confusion; "What do you mean?"

The prodigy of the Hyuuga sighed. "You want to find the truth behind his heritage, perhaps there is a potential lead to such answer you're all overlooking" He turned his pearly gaze to them. "Think of this; who was a famed shinobi of this village that happened to belong to the Uzumaki clan?"

Tenten and Lee gasped in sudden surprise and realization. "You mean..." Lee started.

Neji nodded. "Indeed"

"Mito Uzumaki, the Shodai's wife!"

The Hyuuga and the weapon mistress face-faulted at that. "No, you dumbass!" Tenten admonished him at the sheer idiocy of his answer. "He meant someone closer to our time!" A very wide, very toothy (and a little fangirly, the other thought disturbingly) smile. "The Red Death, Kushina Uzumaki!"

Kouhei whistled; "I heard she was a total badass. She was an ANBU operative before she joined the front lines in the war. Best kenjutsu wielder in your village."

"N-Next to your slug S-Sannin Tsunade-Sama, she was the second deadliest kunoichi," Chojuru adjusted his glasses; "Z-Zabuza-Sensei respects someone of that caliber"

"If you saw a red streak," Karui shivered, this was something older ninja of their village would scare them with; "you were already dead. Thus her moniker, 'Red Death'"

Naruto just looked wide eyed hearing the praises about Kushina. Again the images of his dream flashed in his mind for a second. "Okay, she's cool."

"Are you kidding me?" Tenten outright gushed. Again disturbing everyone around her; "Kushina-sama is considered a war hero, having fought in the Third Shinobi War! She decimated squadrons almost as fast as the Yondaime! She's an example to kunoichi everywhere, a student of the White Fang himself!"

Sakura's eyes widened at that. "The White Fang? Kakashi-sensei's father?!" Even though... dishonored as the man was, there was no doubting the White Fang had been an extremely powerful shinobi on par with the Sannin. To have been trained by him...

Surprised as he was by THAT particular tidbit of info, Naruto couldn't help but sweatdrop at the girl's... enthusiasm. "Y-You sure are well informed..."

"Oh she was just so awesome! I'd be lucky if I become half the shinobi she was!"

Neji gave a very worried gaze to his teammate before looking at the Jinchuuriki of their village. "What I am trying to is, there is a possibility you might be related to her, if you are a member of the Uzumaki clan that is"

Naruto frowned at his words. "What, that she was my... my mother or something?" It was... hard to believe.

"I do not believe Kushina-sama was pregnant" Lee threw in.

Tenten shook her head. "Not that I heard, and believe me, I looked up a lot of info about her. Combat style, techniques, but having been an ANBU a lot of her service history is classified. Most you can get are rumors" She said with a shrug. "Haven't even heard of her having a spouse or partner of any sort. Unless you believe that stuff about her and the Yonda..."

Tenten suddenly just fell silent in the middle of her sentence. Her eyes ever so slowly going wide as she stared at Naruto. She just... stared at him awkwardly with a strangely shocked expression, as though she suddenly came about a missing piece of a puzzle and the realization simply left her in a state of stupor.

Neji, feeling puzzled, stared at his teammate in confusion. What could have caused her to look so shocked? By her last words it seemed like she was in the middle of suggesting there may been a relationship between Kushina Uzumaki and the late Yondaime...

The missing piece fell into place for Neji as well, and he was now openly staring at the blonde with the same amount of stupor.

Lee, Sakura and Naruto could only stare uncomfortably at their companions. Something weird was going on with them...

"Um guys?" Naruto tried to snap them out of it.

It was no use, Neji and Tenten continued to gawk at him.

"Y-You okay?"

Tenten's mouth moved as she finally managed to find her voice. "Oh my gods..."

"I-It can't be, but..." Neji slowly shook his head. "The resemblance... his last name, his Jinchuuriki status, it all fits..!"

NOW the others were confused. Kouhei whispered to Haku; "Uh are we missing something?" The Yuki could only shrug in reply.

Yugito perked up as she heard Matatabi make a sound of understanding. "Ahhhhh, so that's how it is..."

Sakura couldn't take it anymore; "Would you please let us in on the secret, guys?"

Naruto agreed. "Yeah, the suspense is killing me"

Nothing could have prepared any of them for what came after, especially not Naruto.

"…You're the Yondaime's son," Tenten spoke without thinking.

You could hear a pin-drop in the forest at that moment. Naruto's jaw almost hit the ground as Lee and Sakura's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. Karui drop her sword while she was cleaning it, while Omoi's lollipop fell from his mouth. Matatabi only laughed at the reaction of her host, just Kurama snorted.

"H-H-H-Holy Shit..." Karui taking a long look at Naruto's face; "YOU ARE HIS KID!"

Chojuru didn't register his glasses falling of his face while Haku and Kouhei gawk at the revelation. As for Naruto his mind felt like it was spinning before shaking it off; "C-Come on guys. I might idolize the guy but ther-" he stopped as Sakura turned his head. The rosette's emerald orbs took in every detail of the blond's face.

Every lesson and few photos Sakura had seen her mind compared to her teammate. Her heart almost stopped as she spoke in a stupor; "You are Minato Namikaze's son Naruto... Your face might be round, but every detail, even the hair... It matches his."

It had to be the longest, most painful silence in Naruto's life.

He was sure he was breathing yet at the same time he felt he was constantly out of breath. He couldn't hear anything, neither the forest itself, nor the people around him. For all intends and purposes he was no longer on the same location, he was on some far away world where his senses felt nothing.

But that nothing left room for a single thought, one that as much as he tried to deny it he couldn't refute it

'You are his son'

His entire body trembled.

'You are his son'

His lips involuntarily formed a smile, but were at the same time forced down with a quiver, pushed down by the weight of happiness, sadness, realization and anger.

'You are his son'

It was like Sakura said. His hair, his eyes, his skin. He just... never saw it before. He held the Yondaime as such a faraway ideal that he couldn't compare himself to him in any kind of regard, so he never took it into consideration.

But... his birthday, the fact that he was chosen on that fateful day. All the pieces fell into place and he could no longer deny the perfectly clear picture presented in front of him

He was... the Yondaime's son.

"Hmph" The fox huffed inside his mind. "So you finally realized"

The single confirmation sent him into a fit of soft joyous laughter mixed in with despairing sobs. Before knowing it Sakura had wrapped her arms around the blond as he physically shook as he cried.

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Finally after an hour Naruto had composed himself for Sakura to let him go. But still held his hand as the blond's breathing was ragged. "That's why Jiji kept it quiet," his voice was almost a whisper but was heard to everyone nonetheless.

"He had a good reason to," Haku said in sympathy, it pained her seeing her friend in such a state; "Your father had a lot of enemies. If they learned of you..." The Hyoton user sharply turned to Kumo.

Yugito waved it off; "Hey, don't look at us. That's the Raikage's old grudge" She looked to Karui and Omoi who nodded. "Besides, it ain't nothing compared to Iwa though"

"That old bag of bones in Iwa can't find this out," Kouhei nearly yelled pointing to Naruto; "If he learns this, I can't even begin to guess the amount of assassins he'd send!"

This was very true. The Sandaime of Iwagakure, Ōnoki of Both Scales as Naruto remembered from Jiji, was a very spiteful man who deeply hated both Konoha and his father after the massive casualties inflicted to them on the last war.

Neji gave a disbelieving gaze to the Kumo genin. "I find it surprising you lot even care what happens to him" He said with accusation. "Considering what your people did to the Uzumaki clan"

The ninja of Kumo collectively winced at his words for they could not deny them.

Tenten made an awkward sound while Lee had choose to look at a blade of grass he suddenly found infinitely more interesting.

That's right... Uzushio had been destroyed by a joint attack of both Kumo and Iwa. Their forces marched upon the island nation and reduced the village to rubble, the death toll had been massive. The Uzumaki clan was eradicated... but not without wounding the Kumo and Iwa armies massively for their transgression.

If Iwa could not forget nor forgive the Yondaime Hokage for the casualties he inflicted on them, then neither Konoha could forgive what Iwa and Kumo had done to their old allies. Wearing their emblem upon their flak jackets was a symbol not just to remember the fallen clan, but to warn the other villages they would never forget what they did to the Uzumaki.

"Neji, that's enough"

So it was surprising when they heard it was Naruto who said that, his gaze forlorn as he stared at the ground. "They weren't the ones who do it, it's a waste of time to get mad at them" Such a weird feeling it was, to find out where he came from, his legacy... only to discover it had been destroyed long ago.

"Honor demands you do not forgive the sins against your family" Neji pressed on.

"Yeah, against the people responsible. And I just said it's not them" The Jinchuuriki replied.

"...Do as you wish" The Hyuuga left it at that, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.

"How are you feeling, kitten?" The Two Tails asked gently.

Naruto let out an explosive breath. "I'll tell you when I figure out how to feel"

Sakura exchanged a confused look with the others. "Uh, what?"

"I'm talking to her Biju" Naruto said, pointing to Yugito who just waved. "Turns out they can speak telepathically with each other and their hosts"

"Oh, that's... disturbing" Sakura blinked before turning to Yugito; "You're a Jinchuuriki too?!"

"The Nibi Jinchuuriki," Yugito clarified.

"Her Biju's pretty nice... This is more than I can say for a certain furball ASSHOLE!"

Matatabi scoffed; "That old grouch has always been an asshole. I have plenty of stories to tell you" Kurama only growled; "Oh hush you overinflated imitation of a kitsune!"

Before saying more they heard a light groan. Turning their heads they saw Sasuke was finally beginning stir.

"Prince charming is finally awake," Kouhei jokes. "Took you a while"

"Yeah because you shocked the shit out of him, jackass," Karui retorted.

Standing up and walking over him, Naruto knelt down in front of his teammate; "You alright now?" Sasuke shook his head before gazing at the ropes binding him and dryly looking back at Naruto. "Are you surprised considering how you were acting?"

The Uchiha grunts; "Fair point... Sorry for that."

Sakura gently shook her head as she came over and helped Naruto undid his bonds; "What happened to you back there?"

The Uchiha's gaze became lost as he tried to come up with an answer. "I have no idea..." He honestly sounded frightened. "I felt... like there was 'something' in my thoughts, urging me to just... use that power blindly on anyone. It was like I was lost in a haze and could barely think straight"

Neji's eyes narrowed. "That sounds disturbingly close to mind manipulation techniques. Which are forbidden for a reason" His Byakugan activated, only for a moment, just to inspect the mark on Sasuke's neck. "And I can say for certain it has to do with that seal on your neck"

His binds released, Sasuke stood up and carefully touched the mark on his neck. "What did that bastard do to me?"

"You should tell the Hokage the moment you see him" Tenten urgently advised. "Whatever Orochimaru did to you it needs to be dealt with immediately"

He grunted in reply. "No arguments here" The last thing he needed was the traitor Sannin toying him. Gods know what plans he had in mind? The stories they heard about those sickening experiments... Sasuke didn't even want to image it.

"I could give it a look" Naruto offered. "Doubt I'd be able to do anything on a seal of that level, but I think I might be able to tell if it's acting up again"

His teammate pondered for a few seconds before conceding with a nod. "Go ahead"

Naruto walked up to him and placed a hand on his seal, trying to get a feel of the chakra running through it. It was a simple enough practice so it didn't require much concentration from his part. "Oh you won't guess what happened; I think I figured out who my father was!"

"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Which explains your status as the village's jinchuuriki" Sasuke replied without missing a beat.

The other young genin present stared at him in surprise. "Wait, you heard us?" Naruto asked in bewilderment.

"No, I figured it out literally the day we were assigned to the same team"

"...Seriously?!" Naruto's shout would have scared various birds and other animals, if the previous fighting hadn't done so already.

The Uchiha winced, angrily staring at the idiot who choose to shout right next to his ear. "Yeah, didn't know how to break it to you so I waited for you to figure it out" He rolled his eyes at Naruto's glare. "Oh don't give me that look. Do I look like the kind of person who can talk about sensitive family matters?"

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As the early morning sun rose, the respected teams had a small breakfast of some fish caught at a river close by. Going through some books of Fūinjutsu he had in a scroll, Team 7 with some help from Haku read them over. "So far nothing matches anything on what Hebi-teme put on you. And according to what I felt when inspecting it you can't use jutsu or try molding your chakra," Naruto mutter turning a page; "not without making it act up again at least"

Well that didn't sit well with the Uchiha, he groaned as he ran a hand through his hair; "Which leaves me with Taijutsu. You sure you can't do anything?"

The blond looked up with a dry look; "I just started this stuff a few months ago. Whether I am an actual Uzumaki or not I'm still just a beginner. I'm not one of those stupid OP characters from television."

"Yet you're a total fanboy over that princess Gale movie nonsense I annoyingly have to endure all the time you watch one," Kurama chides.

'Oh shut up furball!'

The Hyoton user closed her book; "Nothing in this one." A similar calling came from Sakura who groaned in annoyance. The blond just huffed but kept looking through his own book.

Kouhei snickered mirthfully; "Careful Uchiha, that thing might turn you into a weresnake or something"

"A weresnake?" Sasuke deadpanned.

"Yeah, like a werewolf. Only it's a snake"

"I'm not some youkai of legend; I won't turn into a animal"

"Hey just saying, that Orochimaru guy did some fucked up shit. Even in Kiri they tell horror stories about what type of experiments he must have done to scare young genin. And this is Kiri we're talking about, trust me, we know when something is messed up"

"Thanks, I feel better already..." Sasuke's tone was as dry as sand.

"Leave him alone, Kouhei" Haku admonished in a tone Kouhei had labeled as 'The Scolding Older Sister Voice'. "He has enough on his plate as it is"

The brown haired young man snorted but said no more, Chojuru sweatdropped at the whole scene.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and ignored them, his gaze shifted to Naruto who kept on reading on of his books on fūinjutsu. The revelations of his lineage lingered on his mind, if Naruto truly was an Uzumaki, son of not just the Yondaime but of Kushina Uzumaki, then he too came from a great clan whose future was taken from them.

Their destruction brought about by fear, unsurprising considering the Uzumaki developed seals capable of binding the Biju and doing many other wondrous things. And that was without going into their own physical and martial prowess.

Naruto did not experience it like he did, but Sasuke could at least understand that Naruto would try to live up to that legacy. Despite everything, if there was something positive he could say about Naruto was his unwavering determination to accomplish anything he sets his mind on. The Uchiha could respect that drive.

His thoughts once more returned to that name, Kushina Uzumaki... It was one he was familiar with. A name that her mother had mentioned in many occasions, followed by a tone of nostalgia and mourning, along with a pained look in her eyes.

"Naruto" He started talking before he could stop himself. "That woman, Kushina... you think she was your mother?"

"...I dunno, she might have been" The blonde softly replied, his gaze suddenly becoming hazed.

"Hmm" Sasuke muttered as he turned away, looking not at his blue eyes, but at the blue stream of the river. "My mother knew this woman... She had nothing but good things to say about her" Why was he doing this? He honestly didn't know; he just started talking without thinking. "I think they were friends"

None of the other shinobi dared speak, or do anything that would interrupt this moment the two were clearly having.

"...Your mom visited me sometimes, you know?" Naruto too wasn't looking at him, but at the river instead. "Cooking, cleaning some stuff for me, and teaching me how to do it. She... She always smiled kindly at me"

Sasuke said nothing.

"She was amazing" The blonde said.

"Yeah... she was" Sasuke's voice was thicker and softer than his teammates had ever heard him. "...I believe your mother must have been so too"

And the two fell silent, there was nothing more to say.

Sakura didn't know why she was smiling, but she felt that right now something good, something great, had happened between the two boys. And she couldn't help but feel just so happy that it did.

It was a moment the three would treasure in their own ways. Nothing could mar it.

Lee sniffed loudly, tears streaming down his face like waterfalls as snot dripped from his nose.

Well almost nothing.

The taijutsu specialist lifted a shaking fist. "This... This is the bonding between two manly spirits!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes; Sakura groaned and while Naruto loudly facepalmed.

"Lee, I swear!" Tenten growled, "If you ruin this moment for them I will END YOU!"

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A young red haired girl in glasses screamed in the forest as massive black bear stood on it hind legs roaring at her. At its side were the mauled remains of her team as it looked hungrily at its next meal. This was it, this was how her life would end. It wouldn't even be another shinobi that would do her in, but a damn bear. Alright the bear was gigantic but that didn't make it any less painful.

Though she was certain the humiliation wouldn't hurt as much as those claws descending on her.

In her last moments, she could despair over her life choices. Leaving Kusa was something she would not regret, but allying with Orochimaru? Oh gods she had been a foolish child. A very lonely, very much lost child who had clinged to the first hand that offered aid and companionship.

She would die alone, without anyone ever even caring about what became of her. She would die and be forgotten, just like her clan...

Such a painful realization that was, the tears running down her cheeks were no longer that of fear, but also regret and sadness that her life had amounted to nothing.

The bear roared, raising its claws to maul her. And Karin braced for the end.

A shock flashed through her nerves like lightning, heralding the coming of another new and potent chakra signature.

"PISS! OFF!" Shouted as a yellow blur that descended upon the bear's head. A leg shrouded on what appeared to be crystal landed in the middle of the bear's eyes, shattering on impact and sending the great beast backwards, its body plummeted to the ground, sending strong tremors as consciousness left its massive form.

Karin could only gawk in stupor as her savior landed in front of him. Blonde with spiky hair, tanned skin, whisker-like marks on his face, deep blue eyes that stared curiously at her.

"Hey, hey, you okay?" He asked

The redhead nodded numbly, the chakra coming off from him...

He smiled brightly; "Good! Careful around here, the animals in the forest are huge! Heh, don't need to tell you that though"

...it was so bright. Cheerful and happy, warm and comforting, like the gentle rays of the sun. A world of difference from Orochimaru's dark and cold chakra.

Then she felt the giant mass of pure raw power deep inside him, so vast and alive, and the rage that came with it.

Karin shivered despite herself. Could he be... Konoha's jinchuuriki?

The blond gave a mournful glance to the redhead's teammates; "Sorry about those guys." he looks back to the girl; "You can get back to one of the gates okay?"

"UZUMAKI!" Karui and Kouhei both yelled. "You done playing hero? We got a schedule!" the redhead Kumo Kunoichi finished.

Naruto glared up back to the trees, not noticing the stare from the redhead in front of him; "GOT IT!" He sighs before turning back giving the thumbs up, "Stay safe!" Like a blur the blond was back up into the trees and was gone.

Uzumaki... Her heart skipped, they called him Uzumaki...

'Wait a minute... Uzumaki are redheads, mom told me that... but' Karin felt his chakra. And it was as large as hers or her late mother's. And it didn't feel like it was byproduct of being Jinchuuriki. No, that kind of chakra came naturally from him.

Was that blond boy truly an Uzumaki? Then... she couldn't stop the smile forming on her face. She wasn't alone anymore! But her joy soon froze as she remembered who's side was she on.

Orochimaru... Did he know? Oh course he knew there was just no way he didn't. He purposely must have kept that information from her. The kindly man who had offered her a place to belong didn't exist anymore, only the cruel and sadistic monster that performed those painful experiments on her remained. Her days with Oto were filled with gloom and loneliness, yet she had remained as she felt that 'purpose' Orochimaru gave her was the only thing she had left in her life.

But... there were Uzumaki here weren't they? At least there had been. And now that boy... Could she truly-?

Karin shook her head. Oh just entertaining those thoughts was too dangerous. Listen to yourself Karin, betraying Orochimaru? That was a death sentence. The snake sannin did not suffer traitors.

But if she promised information in exchange for protection then her odds of survival would drastically increase. She didn't know much of Orochimaru's plans for the exams, having been assigned here merely as a supporting role to the Sound team. But she knew the location of some of his bases, something Konoha would be very interested in.

Still, the risk was too great. Could she actually do it? She didn't hold any love for Orochimaru, and the chance at meeting a possible descendant of her clan, something her parents dearly wished for her... that kind of chances didn't present themselves often.

Karin wasn't sure if what course of action to take yet, but she began formulating plans on what to do if she choose to take on this opportunity presented to her

XxX ~xx ~ XxX

Step by step she ascended to the temple; her black red lined kimono billowed gently with the breeze of the open aired structure. Every clear cut brick, every piece of masonry, from the tiles on the walls, to the archway which leads into the central chamber and the large pediments atop the entrances were carved to the finest detail, depicting a myriad of beings, events and people prominent in history.

The central chamber stood at the center of the temple, in the middle of carefully maintained garden, shaped like a kiln with four entrances built in the four cardinal directions and no roof, as so the sun and moon could shine inside it.

The interior walls were carved with as much care and detail as was every other section of the temple. This one contained carvings that held much significance to the people of their nation, with giants of multiple arms and heads as they performed the arts, the proper religious practices, and shed blood gloriously in an ancient conflict.

The woman, of pale alabaster skin and ebony locks styled in a hime cut, stopped by the north entrance as her red eyes settled upon the hunchback cloaked figure tracing symbols and figures upon a pool of sand in the middle of the central chamber.

"I was informed you had a vision, is it true o' old one?" She said with reverence, her tone rich and regal, and her voice musical and soft.

The hunchback figure did not turn to see her, merely replied. "It depends" He asked; "Are you ready to accept it? For when I tell you, there will be no going back"

There was no hesitation in her voice. "I am"

The cloaked man continued tracing on the sand. "You once asked me if I could see a prosperous future for our people. There is a chance… and fates indicate it rests on the shoulder of those who bear Rama's Will"

The woman stilled. "It lives on, after so long?"

"Oh indeed, in those who can smile in the face of overwhelming odds, whose true colors shine when all is dark and their presence gives way to light" He finished his tracing and shakily stood back, supporting himself on his staff. "You will find such will alive… among the village of leaves"

The woman stepped forward, looking at the symbols on the sand. An intricate leaf inside a flame.

The Hidden Leaf Village, the shinobi force of the Land of Fire.

A ninja? Was it truly possible?

She frowned; "What will this inheritor do?"

"Help decide if our kind can share this world with them… or if we are to be destroyed"

The ultimatum made her turn her head sharply, fear and apprehension clear in her red gaze. "Are you sure? Then this means we can no longer hide so even if we tried…"

"Everything changes eventually; such is the way of things… There is a great darkness coming, a conflict that will engulf the entire world. We must do our part, for our actions too will help decide the outcome, for our people, and for many others"

His words concerned her, greatly. If he spoke the truth then isolation would no longer be an option. "…What if your Sight is wrong, and this heir proves to be our destruction? What if there is no chance of a future?"

A wrinkly hand took a hold of his hood, and pulled it back to reveal a fabric covering his empty eye sockets.

"I see much ever since I gave up my gaze… It is true that one path might lead to ruin, but hope yet remains, my lady"

"…Then I will trust your words" With a swift turn she made to leave the premises. "I go for Konoha, alone, to judge this for myself. And pray the ancestors guide us in the coming days"

The blind man bowed as much as he could. "Gods guide you, Queen Kuroreimei"

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Till next time!