Naruto had always hoped that he would grow up to represent the Uzumaki genius in sealing techniques. He supposed that he should have been more careful with what he wished for.

Channeling chakra to his stomach, Naruto grimaced as the black ink started to appear, a large part of which had become smudged by the scar from Orochimaru's sword.

Most sealing containers stored objects within either the ink, the array compressing the contents to a two dimensional state for said purpose, otherwise they could be stored in a three dimensional container if the declarations could be found as Jiraiya had taught him. The seal that lived within him, that was something else entirely.

Of course it used the most basic forms of sealing by declaring a container, but that was a very small part of the seal, the rest of which mostly flew over Naruto's head.

It had to be complicated. The mere idea of sealing a tailed beast inside a human would probably cause the person to explode. Instead the location would need to be a created space where the tailed beast could manifest physically, allowing it to survive and at the same time keeping the created space constrained solely to the human host. In addition the seal somehow allowed for conscious communication and chakra connection between the host and tailed beast. And that was all only the basic function. Hearing footsteps he hurriedly pulled his shirt down as Haku entered, giving him an odd look.

"If you stare at that mirror any longer I'm going to start accusing you of being a girl," Haku said jokingly.

Naruto looked away from the mirror, moving to leave his room. "Training?" he asked, not feeling up to responding.

Haku nodded then looked at him worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright? You don't have to rush things. You could-,"

Naruto laid a hand on her shoulder, trying a smile, although he figured it probably looked a little freakish what with his missing eyebrows. "I'm fine. I can't spend any more time lying around in bed."

"Why?" Haku asked.

Naruto's false smile turned grim. "Because I'm six months behind. I can't help anyone if I'm too weak to do anything."

Haku's face fell and she shook her head. "Okay. Whatever. Let's go train."

Ah. Futile training again. Of course. Followed by self loathing. How enjoyable.

Naruto growled in response, probably confusing Haku, but his behavior had been pretty strange for the past week anyway, this was hardly the worst thing he had done. The worst had been trying to sleep with the noise in his ear, the fox trying to convince Naruto to release him.

The seal shouldn't have allowed such free contact between them, not at its conception at least. Unfortunately the seal had been weakened and some of the safeguards had deteriorated, most likely from the jinchuriki channeling its chakra into Naruto.

That's a good idea. I hadn't tried that yet.

Nothing happened. Naruto supposed that his coils wouldn't accept the fox's chakra until either his body needed it or Naruto was willing to take it. Neither of which were things he wanted to happen anytime soon. The fox let out a frustrated roar and silenced soon after.

He followed Haku deeper into the underground Mist complex, the smell of damp assaulting his senses more than they were doing already. Finding themselves an open space to spar they both took a stance and launched themselves into it.

It was obvious from the first punch that Haku was going easy on him. Naruto could see that she was holding back in the way her face seemed unsure about the initial movement. That was fine though, Naruto knew that Haku was a far better fighter than him, he doubted that even at his full strength he would be able to take her on in a serious fight.

The movements came easily, the muscle memory kicking in quickly. Attack, dodge, feint, duck, block, punch, jump, kick. Even within the half hour they traded blows, Naruto felt himself becoming more used to the movements, his body adapting to move faster.

He knew what was coming. As soon as his speed matched Haku's own he knew she would up it again, try to catch him off guard. In a second she sidestepped him, spinning to position herself behind him. Naruto knew it was coming, and even so couldn't stop his reaction.

He froze, the blood draining from his face as he looked down at his stomach, waiting for a blood soaked blade to protrude from his shirt. For his hesitation he received a knock on the head that was much harder than it needed to be and he was sent sprawling on the hard concrete.

When he managed to stand again, Haku was shaking her head, her stance casual, telling Naruto the fight was over. "That's the third time this week," she said.

Naruto gritted his teeth and looked away. "I just need to get over it. I'll be fine in a few days."

Haku grimaced. "What if you're not?"

"I have to be," Naruto said simply.

Haku watched him sadly for another moment then turned. "I'm going to ask Zabuza about it. He might have some advice."

Naruto looked uncomfortable about the idea but shrugged. "Yeah, that's fine." He watched Haku go, then collapsed against a wall when he was sure that she couldn't see him anymore, struggling to control his breathing. The image of Orochimaru's sword flashed through his mind again and again then the choking darkness that was drowning.

Pitiful. It would have been a mercy to let you die, said the fox.

The fox was right though as was Haku, more than they probably realized. Naruto's fighting style had always been a form of desperate brawl with no concern of conservation. The sheer insanity of his attacks caught those he fought off guard because of the fact that he wasn't scared of injury. Up until now he hadn't really believed that he might die. Sure he had known it, worried about it even, but belief was something else entirely. Now though, now he believed in death with a religious fervor and his body acted on that fear without a conscious thought.

Was it hopeless? Would he be forever bound by his fear, forced to either learn a new fighting style or keep his back to a wall?

He shook his head. It was too soon to make such decisions. It had only been a week since he had woken in hospital. He first needed to get back up to speed then he could start worrying about the future. He would get better because he had to.

In the meantime there were other ways he could be useful. He was already spending most of his days churning out seals for the Mist revolution at a faster rate than they were able to fully handle. Then there was his unfinished training, both in sealing and in other areas. Ninja didn't stop learning at chunin and neither did Naruto. He rifled through his pack and brought out a piece of chakra paper. If ever there was a time for him to learn his elemental affinity, this was it.

(0_0)

Gaara cursed Killer B's name, his obsessive need to rap all the time and most of all his lack of presence. Upon landing on the island, Killer B had made himself scarce, leaving Gaara to handle the wildlife with the parting warning from B to be careful not to kill anything.

The sand on the island was strange, almost heavy, much like the moist dirt around Leaf only the sand here was somehow brimming with chakra, making it harder for Gaara to mold his own chakra into the sand. Still he had his gourd and it was all he should've needed. At least that was what he assumed until the monsters started attacking him.

Where did such creatures come from and where had Killer B disappeared to? Had he been eaten? Would he feel bad if that was the case?

Killer B's entourage had stayed on the boat, avoiding eye contact with Gaara and all discussion in general. He could understand that at least. Killer B himself was a mystery however, as the first jinchuriki Gaara had met, he had expected someone much like himself, but instead of the gaunt angry expression that Gaara recognized in himself, Killer B exuded calm. He was everything Gaara wanted to be with much more power than he could ever hope to attain.

The giant gorilla swiped at Gaara, almost taking his head off. As part of his new training regimen from Guy he had resolved not to use his sand unless it was a last resort and instead countered the gorilla, punching it in the gut, then jumping back to catch his breath. The humidity wasn't something he was used to.

The gorilla didn't seem fazed by his attack and continued in its charge. Gaara was more than a little ticked off. He couldn't afford to use all of his energy on such a creature as there might be stronger creatures lying in wait to finish him off. For now it would most likely be better to avoid a fight, especially with how his connection to Shukaku was cut off.

Fleeing to the trees, he wasn't surprised to see the gorilla following, albeit at a slower pace. Baring his teeth, Gaara made to escape, only to find that his way was blocked by a giant snake. Dropping to the ground, original plan forgotten, he channeled his chakra to the ground, forming a connection wherein he activated his all seeing eye, sending it high above the forest. What he saw wasn't pretty. Almost the entire island was covered in hostile creatures. Almost.

A small clearing with a waterfall revealed itself where most animals seemed to be avoiding and much as he didn't like water, it would have to do. Breaking into a sprint, he managed to avoid the snake and gorilla, prompting them to start fighting among each other while he made his getaway. For the rest of the way he used his third eye to avoid any further confrontations finally making it to the waterfall and breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that nothing was following him. Truly a safe haven.

A moment later the anger came back. What had B been thinking? Sure just don't kill any of the monsters as if that was so easy. In the chunin exams it had been simple enough to shove a spear through anything approaching, but to fight without killing was difficult if not impossible. The only reason he was able to train with the ninja in Leaf was because even with his intent to kill they would be able to defend easily enough. To not go all out against mindless beasts, where was the sense in that? Even if he had been using his sand to trap the animals that attacked him it would end up being far too costly on his chakra and he would eventually be ripped apart.

He needed rest. Thankfully years of sleeping issues had taught him to sleep with an eye open and he could comfortably allow himself to lie down next to the small body of water, the crashing of the waterfall lulling him to sleep.

"You realize that B just wants to be friends, right?" said a familiar voice, snapping Gaara out of his sleep to stand wearily. The voice had come from behind the waterfall. "He's just waiting for you to give in. To ask for help. You could find him at any point if you wanted to."

"Who-?" Gaara started but he needn't have bothered. The speaker pushed through the waterfall, mud sloughing off their figure until a familiar face met Gaara's own, familiar yet completely different.

The speaker smiled brightly and somehow Gaara could feel the happiness exuding off the speaker. "Who am I?" the speaker asked excitedly. "But you already know, don't you." The speaker straightened and approached Gaara who in his surprise didn't react, even as the speaker wrapped him in a warm embrace, squeezing him in a way that stopped Gaara from being able to push himself away, or to retaliate at all. The grip was just as strong as his own, if not stronger but of course, he knew that even before the hug came. "I'm you," came the response and Gaara did his best to stiffen as his lookalike buried his head in his neck. He waited for the knife to come, the inevitable betrayal and he continued to wait until he knew nothing more than warmth.

(0_0)

About a month after Naruto's death, Sakura's daily schedule changed. Until then she and Sasuke had shared meals, if under the watchful eyes of Orochimaru, but now she ate alone. She didn't think much of it however and naturally assumed that Sasuke was either sleeping in or on an overnight mission, even though neither of those had occurred since their arrival.

Arriving in Kabuto's laboratory where they normally started off her training, practicing on cadavers and bits of wood, Sakura was surprised to find that not only were there no objects prepared for her to cut, but also out of place was Kabuto's good mood. While Kabuto did mostly spend his days in an elated, happy to serve mood, it had never been decidedly good. This Kabuto was cheerful, jovial even if such a word could apply to the man. The smile he greeted her with sent alarm bells ringing in Sakura's head. What could have possibly made Kabuto so excited?

Kabuto didn't explain, instead choosing to instruct her on advanced methods of the tree sticking and water walking techniques, making her spend hours testing both from different surfaces of her body and on different materials, all with interesting reactions. Spending the whole day doing so drained her chakra quickly and Kabuto was relentless with his instructions, resulting in both a physical and mental exhaustion by the end of the day.

As they sat down to eat dinner together, Sakura's mental guards dropped enough to ask the question that had been bothering her all day. "Where is Sasuke?"

Kabuto smiled then, the same smile he had given her that morning. "Lord Orochimaru has seen fit to take Sasuke on a tour of his different hideouts. They will be back in, oh, I don't know, perhaps a year, if past experiences are anything to go off."

Sakura paled. That meant it was just her, Kabuto and the various Sound ninja. Was he going to try something? But no, if he was he would have done so already, Orochimaru clearly didn't have any qualms about how he treated children. Then why was Kabuto so glad that Orochimaru was gone? Was it because Sasuke wouldn't be exposed to her anymore, becoming Orochimaru's slave? She shook her head, there were too many options.

"You seem to find my happiness odd," said Kabuto, obviously having noticed Sakura's internal strife. "I suppose I may as well tell you." He paused, pondering. "While Lord Orochimaru is here, I would not feel comfortable training you to your fullest simply because he may feel threatened, believing me to be thinking rebellious thoughts. But the truth is the furthest thing. I see a revolutionary before me. You will usher in a new age of chakra techniques, or bring back things that have been forgotten. Orochimaru may believe in Sasuke, but I believe in you. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded, although she was experiencing some internal strife.

He's lying.

But he's not wrong. I am pretty great, and beautiful too.

You're thirteen. Everyone has potential at thirteen.

As if you would know so much about it.

Sakura smiled at Kabuto then. "I can't wait," she said, sealing her fate.

Two weeks of the most intensive training she'd ever experience in her life, two weeks of techniques that Kabuto had learned from root operatives and Orochimaru himself, of techniques requiring small amounts of chakra and then her daily schedule changed again.

Eating breakfast was normally a quiet and lonely endeavor due to Kabuto waking much earlier than her. It was also a mostly slow endeavor due to every muscle in her body screaming at her to get back to sleep. It was easier now to spoon the food into her mouth, but the first few days had taken a level of concentrated effort with often humiliating results.

A normal morning would find her sitting, eating, reminiscing about the days she was able to eat with Sasuke, then heading to Kabuto's lab. Today however was different for a variety of reasons.

First there was the screaming, second the tromping of boots charging down the hall, past the room she was sitting in. It was odd and made her pause. Of course screaming wasn't necessarily uncommon but it was usually reserved for the torture chamber and Sakura normally made it her business to be as far away from that business as possible. The Sound ninja running down the hall with no abandon was even more uncommon because they were usually careful to remain quiet.

Intrigued, Sakura left her half eaten breakfast and followed after the ninja, listening for the screaming or moaning which made it significantly easier to follow. Unsurprised she found herself in Kabuto's lab, three masked ninja and Kabuto surrounding a fourth ninja laid out on an operating table. Kabuto had just finished hurriedly dosing the ninja with anesthetic before he could hurt himself.

Kabuto looked up at her entry, his face annoyed. "This is not the time," he started to Sakura before a thoughtful expression came over him. "Wait no, stay. Everyone else out," he commanded the other three ninja. When they didn't move he shouted, "Out, or I won't save him."

Grudgingly the other ninja left, allowing Kabuto to slam the door behind them, leaving Sakura with him and the patient.

"I think," Kabuto said, heading to retrieve his equipment from a tabletop, only to hold it out to her. "That its time we brought your training to the next level."

Sakura took his equipment carefully, standing next to the operating table. He wanted her to watch? That was- it would be a learning experience for sure, but it would definitely not be fun.

This is going to be so gross.

Hush it'll be a good learning experience. Just watch.

Kabuto looked at her confusedly then laughed. "Oh no. You're not going to watch me operate. You are going to operate."

Sakura's eyes widened and she shook her head. "I- I can't," she said, unable to form a proper response. Looking at the unconscious man on the operating table she wondered what she could even do. She had barely mastered the chakra scalpel, she didn't anything about healing a person besides for the basic medical information given in the academy which was more useful for assassination. She turned away then. "I can't," she said again, this time with a stronger tone.

No no no. No ways. He can't make me.

Kabuto sighed. "Well I'm not saving him. My arms are tired. I've been up for a very long time. I'm afraid that if you don't take initiative, he will die."

Sakura stared at him furiously, the blood rushing to her head. She wanted to hurt him. How could he just let someone die? No, he was bluffing, he must be.

Sakura put the equipment down and folded her arms, staring Kabuto and daring him to let one of Orochimaru's men die. Kabuto stared back impassively, not moving a muscle.

Do something.

I can't.

If you don't he'll die.

Kabuto's lying.

What if he isn't?

I won't. I'll just kill him.

Then what difference will it make?

He wants to make me a killer.

You are a killer.

I can't hear you.

Don't be childish.

I'm thirteen!

The ninja's breathing stopped and Outer Sakura took over, hurriedly cutting away the ninja's armor with the fine chakra on the tips of her fingers and took a moment to examine the ninja's torso even as Inner screamed out in fury. Guessing at the best course of action, she made a small incision in his stomach and sent chakra strings inside to probe, however they immediately met resistance. She could cut at the organs from the outside, but she didn't have time for that, instead, keeping her chakra scalpels active, she made the incision a little bigger and used her other hand to search the body for whatever shrapnel had pierced his stomach. A minute passed and she retrieved her hand, clutching a shard of a kunai. Even as she rejoiced at her accomplishment she saw Kabuto shake his head sadly. "Ah, he's dead. A shame. Spend the rest of the day thinking on this. Your training will continue tomorrow."

Sakura, still defiant, moved to the ninja's side and felt for a pulse. Nothing. She tried another place, still nothing. She felt something then, something not good. She looked at her hands, both of which were somehow covered in blood including some that had gotten on her dress and for some reason she couldn't tear her eyes away. She had seen someone die before, yet for some reason this was different.

"It was a good first attempt," Kabuto said in what sounded like an attempt to comfort her. His words broke the spell and her shoulders slumped and she lost all energy in her arms, letting them fall to her sides. She shambled out of the lab automatically, not really thinking about where she was going. The next thing she knew she was in front of a sink, her hands scrubbed raw to the point that it looked like there was still blood on them.

That was the first man she had ever killed and he haunted her dreams.

In another few weeks, when Kabuto attempted the same with another injured ninja, Sakura acted without hesitation. The injuries that time weren't so extensive and she managed to stabilize the ninja, even if she did almost make it worse. By the time came around that a fatally injured ninja arrived on her operating table, she was ready or at least as ready as one could be with reading medical texts and experimenting on cadavers, all of which she had to do in her free time outside of training.

Six months passed almost in the blink of an eye, then Orochimaru returned without Sasuke. It was an exercise in futility trying to hide her disappointment and her growing horror at having only Orochimaru for company. However no words were exchanged with her and he was gone a week later with no explanation. For that week and that week only, Sakura was given time to rest and relax only because Kabuto eased up on her so much and she certainly wasn't allowed to operate on anyone.

For that week Sakura was given energy to orient her mind and consider her situation. The most likely of cases was that she was being brainwashed, the question remained as to whether it was purely Kabuto brainwashing her or if Orochimaru was involved as well. While Kabuto's explanation did shed light on why he was deceiving his master, Sakura didn't believe that Kabuto would be able to lie to Orochimaru without being caught. Then there was the matter of Kabuto's relationship with her. Was he her teacher, her warden? He complimented her successes all the time even when they were all things he could do already, was that genuine? Was he just trying to make her subservient to him? Was it working?

Outer Sakura had been surprisingly silent over the past few months, or perhaps she was Outer Sakura right now, perhaps she'd grown out of Inner, or maybe they'd morphed. In that long week, Sakura yearned for the long hard hours of work, the thought of getting lost in her own mind becoming more and more terrifying as the days went on. When Orochimaru did finally leave she was on the brink of running away to chase after Sasuke. Then the training continued and she was able to let it all fall by the wayside. Making her question once again the nature of their relationship, was Kabuto her teacher, her warden or. . .her savior?

(0_0)

Sasuke stared out of the gaping hole at the open sea. The prisoners were all unconscious so he could rest easy, but he remained weary, it was always possible one of them were faking, waiting to strike at him once his back was turned. Training with Orochimaru had taught him to be suspicious. When every battle was for his life, he learned not to treat it sparingly.

His surprise about the hole was twofold, first that Naruto had defeated all the prisoners long enough to draw a seal on the wall and that Orochimaru hadn't gotten it fixed. Why his master had left him to spend the week in prison was beyond him, perhaps it was to consistently fight the prisoners, all of whom got easier to beat as time went on. While he did have reservations about taking lives, he didn't have any problem with breaking limbs and the human body had a lot of limbs. Maybe Orochimaru wanted him to spend the week getting acquainted with his new warden, the shy redheaded girl that kept on shooting him glances that she most likely thought he didn't notice. Or perhaps there was a third reason, a test maybe, but would the outcome matter? He did have a week, plenty of time to do some investigating and Orochimaru had suggested that the girl was a talented chakra sensor.

Approaching the girl he kept his face stoic, it wouldn't do to let the girl think he had noticed her spying. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Karin Uzumaki," the girl said proudly. "And you're Sasuke Uchiha," she finished almost breathlessly.

"You're a sensor. Can you sense a chakra signature around what happened at that wall?"

The girl, Karin, shook her head. "Its been too long. But I can show you where it leads."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question. "How?"

"I've been there before," she said, her mood suddenly dampening but not giving anything else away. "Do you want to go now?" she asked, seeming almost excited.

Sasuke nodded and Karin almost skipped in what was very definitely some level of morbid excitement. He followed her, getting on the boat with her and facing her, wondering why her cheeks were suddenly flaring. Was it the cold? She wasn't very well dressed, that would explain it. Then again he wasn't wearing anything around his torso and he was fine.

What was the meaning of it all? Orochimaru leaving him with another Uzumaki to search for Naruto's body. Was it a form of torture, some kind of symbolism that was escaping him, or was it closure? Was there a trap? Orochimaru never did anything without a reason. The girl looked nothing like Naruto, even the red hair was a slightly off color from Naruto's dyed hair, that didn't mean anything of course. It wasn't like all Uchiha looked alike, sure there was a shared gene but it was difficult to pick out. Sasuke was sure that if he had enough of the Uzumaki to look at he would be able to see some similarity.

The boat ride took a lot longer than it needed to and Sasuke was sure the girl could have rowed faster even if her arms did look a little thin, if only she'd taken her eyes off of his face for a minute they might have halved the time. She continued to stare at his face dreamily, even as the boat banked on the sand, at which point Sasuke had already left the boat to tread on the water.

Making sure the boat was secure, Karin lead Sasuke a little way out into the water, just in sigh of the beach and nodded to herself. "This was it. I could be a meter or so off but this is where he died."

Sasuke was surprised, although he didn't let it show. "He ran all this way?"

Karin nodded.

"The body?"

Karin shrugged. "I only helped Orochimaru track him, I didn't see what happened to him. Lord Orochimaru said that he was killed by a few missing nin from Mist."

Sasuke grunted in understanding. That fit what he'd been told. He turned to her, suddenly suspicious. "How do you know that he died here?"

Karin frowned. "I could sense how far his chakra was when it faded."

"And you couldn't sense the chakra of the missing nin?"

Karin's frown deepened. "I wasn't concentrating. Maybe, I don't know."

Sasuke grit his teeth as Karin fumbled to explain herself. Her answer didn't matter anymore, the lesson was clear. Orochimaru was practically screaming at him "I killed Naruto".

He considered hurting the girl, considered killing her, but she was an Uzumaki and Naruto wouldn't have wanted him killing her, regardless of her sins. Shaking his head, he brushed past her, heading to the beach. Karin followed after a moment.

"So, uh, Sasuke, now that our master is going to be away for the rest of the week maybe the two of us can uh. . . eughhhh," Karin hurled, giving Sasuke just enough time to avoid the throwup that was aimed for his feet. Karin had collapsed on the beach, heaving into the sea.

Sasuke quickly took a defensive position although he didn't sense an attack. Looking back at Karin he could see her shivering and holding herself. "What's wrong?" Sasuke asked wearily, drawing his blade.

"Yagura," she bit out. "It feels like Yagura."

Sasuke scowled. "Impossible. Yagura's been dead for eight months."

Karin shook her head. "No, you're right, it's different. It's. . .worse and its more recent."

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, relaxing his stance as she collected herself.

"Yagura had a tailed beast. I could sense it from across Mist whenever he used his chakra. Its a tailed beast, but I can't be sure which one. It's probably the one that used to be in Yagura. It must have reincarnated."

Sasuke frowned, then grunted. "Or maybe it was the missing nin," he suggested, suddenly feeling more confused than he'd been in a while. He needed time to think. He headed to the boat and waited, sending out a grunt signaling his impatience.

Karin wiped some sweat from her forehead then followed after, not speaking for the rest of the ride for which Sasuke was very thankful for.

(0_0)

Dear Lazy Boy

I know that you must be super busy what with you being the hotshot Sandlady's assistant but if you do decide to take the time out of your busy day to decipher this message then that will make both Butterfly Boy and I very happy.

Sensei has been sneaking around with you know who, for a shinobi he's not being very discreet, I guess that's why Lord Third was always so hard on him and let him be one of those bodyguards just because he wouldn't have been very good at the wet-work.

Are there a lot of clouds in Sand, I remember that you liked spending your afternoons staring at clouds but it feels like a distant memory, something that happened to someone else somewhere else, but I guess if you're still staring at clouds all day then nothing's changed.

Sand Boy took your place for a few months but had to leave on some super secret mission because he's a [Redacted]. Nobody tells me anything but because Lady Doctor has me as her apprentice its easy enough to catch some things. Speaking of which Lady Doctor has decided to head the medical school here, having taken a few girls under her tutelage and I am one of the fortunate. Her fear of [Redacted] is making progress somewhat difficult though. We're only learning medical skills now, but she says that if we're good enough she'll show us the secret to her incredible [Redacted]. So when you get back you better be careful. I will be Hokage!

Both Butterfly Boy and I are now Chunin after the exams in [Redacted]. They were originally going to be held in [Redacted], so we would have had to wait another year, but something happened with their tailed beast and they went into a lockdown. The rest as you can probably understand is self explanatory. I don't even know why I'm telling you this, you were probably there. I saw the Sandlady there, so I assume you were there, but then again even if you were you would have been asleep somewhere.

The only other news I have to give you besides for the unfortunate bit which I'm sure you've already heard, is that Sensei is planning on disbanding the team, or well, not disbanding it, but he wants to send Butterfly Boy to fill a spot as one of the Twelve [Redacted] where he used to be and I'm pretty sure Butterfly Boy has already accepted it although he has been keeping quiet about it.

Anyways if you do read this don't worry about replying. I know you're busy, but I want you to know that we all miss you and can't wait to see you again.

Your teammate
Mind Girl

Dear Mind Girl

Thank you for writing, but maybe next time try not to put so many village secrets in one letter. Thankfully you only put the secrets that everyone knows already, if unofficially.

Sending (I'm not calling him butterfly boy.) to be a bodyguard makes sense, his entire set of jutsu is tailor made for stopping attacks. It will be good for him.

As to the clouds, there are very few here and lying outside is a guarantee to get sand in my clothes, no matter how well wrapped I am. I do still have time to relax when the Lady doesn't have me working like a dog, the trick however isn't to work harder but to make everything else work better. I'm sorry, that probably doesn't make much sense, the sun has addled my mind some. I have no one to play shogi with, it is troublesome. Even the village elders here are no match if they aren't falling asleep in the middle of the game.

I was unfortunately unable to attend the chunin exams as I was running my Lady's village in her absence. I was under the impression I was supposed to be her bodyguard at first but it turns out that I'm the head bodyguard which means I just have to plan her safety, not necessarily ensure it. I highly disagree but I serve my Lady as she sees best, most of the time. She still makes me train like I was her only bodyguard so I guess she does have plans for me but her mind is fickle.

I am glad to hear the team is doing well. I too miss all my friends from the village, departed and still with us. I hope we will one day be reunited even if we won't be able to reunite with the rest of those in our year.

Regards
Lazy Boy

Shikamaru rolled up the letter and set it aside to be sent when he had time to find an animal that could fly the short distance. He eyed Ino's letter and shook his head with a small smile. It was the first letter of hers that hadn't been almost completely blacked out. Now he knew at least why he had been receiving so many letters of pure black in. She was learning and he looked forward to seeing how she had improved when they did meet again.

His smile dropped when he surveyed the other letter on his desk. It was just a rumor from one of his less reliable sources, but the information was so bizarre that it couldn't be completely ignored. Apparently Sasuke Uchiha had been spotted on a beach in wave accompanied by a redheaded person with long hair.

It sounded like Naruto and Sasuke and if the rumor had sprouted seven months earlier he wouldn't have thought much of it. But Naruto was dead. The only other option was that someone had accidentally wrote red hair instead of pink for Sakura. It would also explain why the hair was described as being long.

Friends that they were, Shikamaru couldn't ignore such a rumor, especially not when it could potentially be the catalyst for their next movements. Leaf would appreciate the intel and it was relevant to Mist, if only tangentially because it meant Orochimaru might be nearby.

Taking the letter he left his office and headed to the Kazekage's, not bothering to knock when he entered. Showing her the letter, he waited for her to read through the report, managing to look bored even as his stomach churned.

She finished reading and folded the report carefully before looking up at Shikamaru expectantly. "What would you have me do?"

"I believe this would be the perfect time for the three nation alliance to reveal itself. The Mist revolutionaries are almost ready to become the new leaders and this is the perfect excuse to draw the Leaf diplomats to Mist to help consolidate the new powers. If all is well I would suggest sending this report to Leaf with the addition of arranging a meeting in Wave to investigate. Ideally you would leave in two days, if that is enough time for you to get your affairs in order.

Temari thought the suggestion over. "How long would it take for you to finish up all your work?"

Shikamaru looked at her oddly. "My work is never over. The village will be safer and stronger if I were to remain behind."

"I thought you wanted to come with me to Mist?"

"I grew up," Shikamaru said cynically.

Temari gritted her teeth. "I need you. This isn't the chunin exams, we could be going up against a sannin," she said uncomfortably. "This is going to be my first official movement as a Kazekage within the five nations. I can't afford to let you stay here."

Shikamaru groaned. "Troublesome. I can be done in a week, if that is what you need."

"It is."

"Very well," Shikamaru said, reaching for the report. "I'll send this in a week then."

Temari nodded. "I hope you're ready for this."

"So do I."

(0_0)

Naruto was never letting Haku ask Zabuza for advice again.

He was sent sprawling for the fifth time in the past ten minutes and he was sure Haku was going much easier than usual.

"Again," Zabuza barked and Naruto obliged, rubbing his head and trying to hear Haku's feet.

She was stepping heavily, allowing Naruto to hear her. Had she wanted, Naruto wouldn't have been able to tell she was there. This was after all therapy, not combat training, although Zabuza might have had different ideas. "Well," Zabuza said expectantly. "Fight, I don't have all day, I have a rebellion to run, insurgents to uproot. I'm a busy man."

"I thought today was your day off," Haku said and Naruto threw a punch in the direction of her voice, his fist hitting nothing.

"Well yeah, but Mei told me to relax, and as much as I enjoy seeing the brat falling over himself this isn't what I'd call relaxing."

Naruto stiffened, he thought he heard a slight muffling of Zabuza's words and he spun around, his leg following his body to graze at what he assumed was Haku. She managed to dodge but this was the first time he'd managed to lay a hand on her, or a foot.

Zabuza clapped his hands, signaling the end of the match. "That was good. Maybe a few more weeks of this and you'll be cured."

Naruto ripped the blindfold off and glared at Zabuza. "A few weeks? I don't have that kind of time."

Zabuza stoked his face mask thoughtfully. "I suppose there is a better way."

Naruto nodded. "Whatever works."

"We could send you into combat."

Naruto stiffened. "A few weeks doesn't sound that bad actually."

Zabuza shook his head. "When did you become such a coward? I thought you were pretty ballsy when we last met."

Naruto frowned. "I almost died."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "So?"

Naruto huffed but didn't answer.

Zabuza stepped forward until Naruto could feel his breath against him. He eyed him up and down menacingly. "Here's the truth, brat," he started in a cold voice. "No doctor or therapy is going to magically make you better. The one thing that will help you heal more than anything else is figuring out what your goal is. Hold that clear in your mind and you'll improve. If you can't figure that out then you may as well give up," Zabuza said, meeting Naruto's eyes. "I'm fighting for Mist, for Mei. What are you fighting for?"

Naruto opened his mouth and closed it a few times, trying to find something to say. "I'm not sure," he said after a moment, and it was the truth. He could have told him that he was fighting for his home, for his friends, simply for his life, but all of those didn't seem to matter so much in the grand scheme. He trusted that his friends would be fine, Sasuke had a plan, even if it wasn't a great one, but Sasuke didn't need him anymore. He had abandoned his village and anyone else that cared about him and until that point even his own life hadn't mattered so much. Restarting the Uzumaki clan? What a joke. He wasn't a real Uzumaki, if he had been he would have had hair like them, had their abilities. Instead he was some blonde with a modicum of sealing ability. "Give me some time to think about it," he said, walking off without waiting for a dismissal.

Back in his room, he lay down and visited the nameless fox that haunted his dreams. "What should I do?" he asked, knowing that the fox had been acting as a voyeur for some time now.

"Free me," the fox demanded. It was always the way he greeted Naruto but it had lost its kick after the third time and this was much later than the third time. Naruto supposed it gave the fox purpose, that which he himself didn't have.

"I can't free you, you'll hurt people and kill me in the process."

"I don't care."

"Why?"

"Because I want to be free. You pathetic humans don't matter."

Naruto groaned, leaving his head-space to sit up and stare at the wall. There was very little light in the room but it didn't really matter, he didn't want to see the wall anyways. He needed to think, to find what gave him a spark. He started by looking at what motivated him to become a ninja in the first place then pushed those aside, his answer wasn't there.

Always cautious, always careful, planning for every encounter with meticulous detail, those weren't the parts he needed to look at, rather he needed to look at those moments when he hadn't been careful, when he'd been stupid, when his brain had turned off and he had fought for what mattered or when he'd wanted to. . .

Standing, he made his way to Zabuza's room, knocking and entering when he was called to do so. "I'm heading into town to kill someone," Naruto started, his expression blank. "I need you to stop me."

(0_0)

Gaara woke with a start, jumping to his feet and readying himself for battle only to realize that he was alone. It had been a dream. It had to have been a dream. Calming himself he bent to the pool in front of him, using his sand to form a rock like cup, then drinking himself full. As he finished, allowing the cup to return to his gourd, his eyes passed over the waterfall and he saw his reflection. Or at least it was supposed to be, but more correctly it was the image he'd seen in his dream. Or had it really been a dream?

It was an image of him smiling, laughing even, an expression he imagined on himself when surrounded by those he loved. Even the sand that guarded his body and the tattoo on his forehead were gone, in their place stood a Gaara that was wholly alien.

Gaara gave the image a suspicious glare, readying to leave this strange place and never come back when his reflection waved to him. Gaara blinked, wondering if he was going crazier than he usually was. Then the reflection stepped out of the waterfall and Gaara knew that he was going insane again.

"Come have a swim," the reflection said lightly. "Shed your mud, you'll enjoy it."

"Who-?" he paused. "What are you?" he corrected.

The reflection smiled warmly, taking off his shirt then diving into the pool, resurfacing a short while later to shake the water out of his hair. "I'm what dwells in your soul."

"You're the tailed beast?" Gaara asked wearily.

The reflection laughed, a pure joyful sound leaving his mouth. Alien. Gaara hadn't laughed for a long time, not unless it followed murder. "No. Of course not. I'm the part of your soul that you try to deny, the opposition to what you're trying to be. I'm what you really want to be"

Gaara stared disbelievingly. "I'm going insane," he clarified.

The reflection thought this was funny. "I thought we were already insane."

Gaara glared at the reflection. "Why would I want to be like you?"

The reflection turned serious. "You'd rather spend your life alone and friendless, hating yourself for the people you've killed and killing more still?"

"No," said Gaara. "But its necessary."

The reflection pushed himself up onto the water's surface and lay across it with a bored expression, leaning on his elbow to face Gaara. "How's that?"

Gaara hesitated. The reflection knew why he wouldn't stop, so what was the purpose of the interrogation? In truth his hesitation answered the question very clearly. Until now he hadn't spoken it out, until now he hadn't fully realized his purpose. "It's necessary, to make sure that what happened to me doesn't happen to anyone else ever again."

The reflection's expression suddenly became pained. "You're right, what was done to us was terrible. But how are you going to stop it?"

"I'll bring peace to the five nations."

The reflection laughed sadly. "How? And for how long? The world of shinobi revolves around violence and death."

"I'll find a way," Gaara snarled, drawing sand out from his gourd and slamming it down towards the reflection.

In response, the reflection deftly brushed the sand aside, letting the grounds fall to the water, muddying the pool. "We're stronger when we love. Did you know that? The path of hatred is a lonely one, but with friends and allies by our side we could bring peace, we could make anything happen."

Gaara attempted another attack which was brushed aside just as easily as the first. He was running out of sand "We don't deserve their love."

"Everyone deserves to be loved," the reflection said, then brought his hands up, controlling all the sand in the water to flow back to Gaara, trapping him neatly up to his head in a prison of mud. "We don't have to fight alone. Let our friends pick up the banner. Everyone wants peace," the reflection continued, walking towards Gaara with a sad smile. "Naruto, Gai's team, everyone in the village, we don't have to push them away. We can support them. With us behind them they'll be much greater than without."

Gaara snarled and bit at the sand around him, the sand that he was suddenly unable to control. In the waterfall he could see himself surrounded by his friends, his family, the Hidden Leaf looking at him as a hero. His brother and sister welcoming him back home with open arms. A vision of him protecting his own village that had previously harbored so much hate for him. A woman, his wife and a child, living a long happy life. Dying surrounded by family and friends with a smile on his face. And the worst part is that he wanted it. He hadn't realized it before then, but those images invoked a feeling he hadn't felt in so long. He needed it.

He felt his cheeks muddying as the sand mixed with the moisture, his armor melting away. He wanted to let it fall, let it all fall away. Return to the village, leave the training behind. "What's the point?" he asked, struggling to speak. "I would be happy, but what's the point?"

"Happiness is the point. You deserve to be happy," the reflection said simply.

"Who cares what I deserve. I'll be happy and people will still suffer, I'll get old and weak and people will still suffer. Maybe they'll remember me but in a few decades they'll forget and another will inherit my bane."

The reflection looked confused. "Why are you responsible for the evil of future generations?"

"Because I can prevent it."

"That's not true. We have no idea what we can or can't do. But we can be loved. That we know can happen if only we let it."

Gaara opened his mouth and stilled. The reflection was correct, it was less a plan than a hope, less a goal than a dream. He had no idea if he would be successful, he had no idea what he would need to do to be successful. He rested then, asking himself the same question over and over. Was it worth it?

A moment later he raised his head and his eyes were dry. Sand shot up from the ground, but instead of just sand it pulled with it metal and stone, his sand hammering against them metal a thousand times, strengthening it, shaping it. The reflection watched in surprise and then it was too late, a cage had formed around the reflection, forcing him to sit. "I can't know unless I try."

"So this is your decision?" the reflection said bitterly. "Why not just kill me?"

Gaara looked down at the reflection and closed his eyes. "I still have hope that one day I can be like you. That maybe one day I will succeed," he said, taking a deep breath and releasing. Opening his eyes he found that he was seated, legs folded before the waterfall, no sand around him, no cage before him.

Standing he turned to find Killer B watching him with his arms folded. "Challenged your demon, came out winnin?" B asked.

Gaara raised a hand to his cheek and felt the dry sand armor that encased him, then nodded.

Killer B beckoned him to follow, jumping around excitedly. "Pack up your things, now the real fun begins."

(0_0)

Naruto watched the man for what felt like hours.

Zabuza hadn't been happy to follow Naruto out on what he termed a stakeout, but Naruto could sense that his complaints were mostly for the sake of complaining. It was boring though, much more boring than Naruto had expected.

The man bought and sold, he discussed shipping and trade routes, he visited some old woman in hospital. Nothing too suspicious. If he hadn't known any better, Naruto would have sworn the man was just normal. But he did know better, Orochimaru had shown him the secret room, he'd smelled the blood. The man kidnapped and killed children and those were the crimes he knew about.

Naruto wanted to hand him over to the local police and throw his crimes into the spotlight. But if he did that Orochimaru would know Naruto was still alive and come for him. Besides for which, after observing the man handing a large pouch to the local head of police, he became somewhat discouraged from doing so.

Alternatively there was the matter of informing the residents but that would most likely make its way back to Orochimaru as well assuming they even believed him. And if they did there was the risk that Naruto was just signing the man's death sentence. Something he would do if he had to, but a last resort.

"I know you want me to stop you from killing him but I think you should kill him," Zabuza gave his input. "The man's just like Gato. World would be a better place without him. Besides if we can find where he keeps his money it'll be great for the revolution."

Naruto scowled. "I want to kill him, trust me."

"Then why don't you?"

"I believe-," He stopped himself, rethinking what he was saying. "I want to believe that everyone can be redeemed."

Zabuza shrugged, looking away. "Just because someone can be redeemed doesn't mean they will be redeemed."

Naruto nodded. "But where would the Mist's great revolution be without Momochi? Where would the great Zabuza bridge be without him?" Naruto asked, not taking his eyes off the man then shook his head and looked at Zabuza. "I don't really understand it myself. But when I think about killing someone, even him, it feels wrong. Or at least it feels like a decision I shouldn't be making."

Zabuza growled. "Then what are we doing here. Kill him if you want to kill him, otherwise leave him alone if you're not going to do anything."

Naruto looked grim. "I can't move past this. Not until I do something. Its part of my-," he hesitated, searching for the right word. "My crucible. I can just sense it, this is going to be part of who I am and if I do nothing then it doesn't matter how many bad people there are in the world, this is the only one that will matter. I'm going to do something. It will help I think and I'm not going to enjoy it." He took a breath and looked down at the man again. "But neither will he."

(0_0)

Kabuto eyed Orochimaru carefully, walking just a little behind him in the proper showing of respect. "My lord, I don't mean to pry, but why have you abandoned Sasuke to visit upon my meager efforts? I haven't heard anything from Sasori. Have the Akatsuki started moving?"

Orochimaru hissed. "No. They continue lying in wait, but they will move soon and when that time comes we will be ready. How goes the girl's training?"

Kabuto blinked. "She is incredible. In a few years she may even rival Tsunade." He bit back on what he was saying, mentioning his lord's teammates was never a good idea. "If I may," he started, trying to change the subject. "If not for the Akatsuki then why have you seen so gracious as to return now of all times?"

Orochimaru had stopped at the mention of Tsunade but continued on after a moment, drawing something out of a hidden pocket. "This is a picture taken just a few days ago in the land of Waves. I'm here to scour the archives for any mention of a similar method."

Kabuto took the picture and tried to puzzle out what he was seeing. "Is that one of your providers?"

Orochimaru nodded. "His obsession with torturing children had its uses. No more I'm afraid."

Kabuto nodded, not feeling much pity for the man. Looking back at the image he saw the old spy and trafficker of Orochimaru's, his eyes bulging, his mouth drawn open in an eternal scream and branded into his skin was the word, repeated over and over again, 'Murderer'.