One review. One chapter.

Naruto was used to being scolded for his stupid ideas. Police, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and his teachers, it was a normal occurrence for him. While he felt guilty for causing trouble to others, he felt happy because at that time, he had their undivided attention and that feeling had always overpowered the guilt he had felt. With that in mind, Naruto often tuned out the scolding, knowing what would be said and just basked in the fact that he could be seen.

But he received no lecture today.

Obsidian eyes bore into him, and Naruto could not help but squirm under his gaze. While he wasn't craving extra attention from Uchiha, Naruto expected Uchiha to scold him as everyone else did, but what Uchiha did was far worse. He didn't say a single thing. His eyes said everything that needed to be said. He was pissed.

Naruto could deal with lectures, but silence unnerved him to his core. His chest felt tight and it took everything Naruto had to stand in front of him and wait for something to be said. By now, he should have known it wasn't in Uchiha's character to raise his voice. However, he would have preferred it over this. What did his silence mean? It was driving him crazy.

Uchiha sat behind his desk, hands folded in front of his mouth, hiding the bottom half of his face like a principal trying to decide what to do with a troublesome student. He held this position for nearly an hour, just staring at Naruto.

Just as Naruto was about to break under the pressure, Uchiha stood up and calmly walked around his desk to Naruto's side, stopping just beside him.

The look on Uchiha's face frightened Naruto into forgetting how to breathe for a moment. For a second, he looked just like his brother.

Then, Uchiha punched him.

The punch wasn't hard enough to break his jaw, but it was hard enough to have him fall ungracefully to the floor. Once Naruto had fallen, Uchiha narrowed his eyes at him and left the room, slamming it behind him.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto rubbed his jaw, trying to soothe the throbbing pain now coursing through it.

"You'll have to excuse the young master." Tobi went to Naruto's side, helping him up. He had been waiting in the back corner of the room after leading Naruto to Uchiha's study, and Naruto did feel bad that Tobi was forced to stand still the entire time until his master had left. "When you disappeared, he was worried that you were taken by his brother. He was in a panic trying to find you. Imagine how he must feel knowing his fears were almost warranted."

Naruto looked down at the ground. "I guess I should apologize."

"You're going to have to wait until the master returns. I heard the front door slam soon after the young master left the room."

"So, I have to wait until he gets back?"

Tobi smiled at him like an older brother would, warm and understanding if just a little bit amused by his misery. "I'm sure you will get your chance soon. Just think of it as an opportunity to rest and finish healing."

"You're right," Naruto sighed. The throbbing in his jaw had subsided mostly.

"Before you go rest, Uzumaki-sama, I do have some questions on behalf of the young master. Would it be too much trouble to have you answer them?"

"I'll do my best," Naruto answered uncertainly. "What do you need to know?"

"How do you know, Itachi-san? Have you met him before?"

Naruto shook his head. "Never even heard of him until he called Uchiha at that shoot the day after I was bitten. I never even met him until Tokyo."

"I see. Do you have any idea why he is interested in you? Someone you might know? Something about you he might be interested in?"

Naruto wasn't so quick to answer that time, thinking of the voice in his head. "I don't know. He just came after me one day trying to kill me. There isn't anything special about me except…"

"Except what, Uzumaki-sama?" He urged.

Naruto bit his lip. "You… you promise not to tell anyone?"

Tobi gave him a warm smile. "My lips are sealed."

Naruto hesitated more, his eyes unable to stay focused on one thing. "I may be . . . schizophrenic. I haven't been diagnosed or anything, but sometimes I hear a voice in my head, but I don't think he'd come after me for that."

He expected surprise or a change in how Tobi looked at him, but instead, Tobi was unfazed, keeping his usual smile. "Everyone has problems, Uzumaki-sama. Schizophrenic or not, you are still you. No need to be ashamed of it."

Relieved, Naruto smiled back. That honestly went better than he had expected. "Thanks, Tobi-san."

No matter how well, Tobi accepted his little secret, he still felt awkward and embarrassed and was eager to get out of there. Tobi, however, had one more question. "One last thing, Uzumaki-sama. Does that voice in your head have a name?"

Surprised, Naruto was unsure how to take the question. It seemed random. "I never asked. Why?"

"No reason," Tobi pushed him towards the door. "Please get some rest. I'll bring up your dinner, momentarily."

Still confused as to why Tobi would need to know whether the voice in his head had a name in his head or not, Naruto went to his room in a daze. The voice in his head had been there as long as he could remember. More in his childhood than now. He remembered it talking to him all the time before it gradually grew silent, adding its input only occasionally. Now, it was talking more frequently as it once had. Ever since he had met Uchiha, it was always throwing comments at him here or there. Most of which he ignored.

Ever since he was attacked by Itachi, he had a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like a part of him had gone missing. The presence which he had associated with that voice had gone dark.

Collapsing onto his bed, metal and physical exhaustion from the day's events took over.

If the voice was gone, that would be the best outcome wouldn't it? Maybe he could finally act normal. So why did he feel depressed at the thought of it, like he had lost a part of himself?

Closing his eyes, the questions still lingered until he finally gave into sleep.

Iruka fastened the last clip on his thin Kevlar vest, taking one last look at himself in the mirror. An entirely black outfit with black protective gear over his forearms, hands, and shins. A black bag was fastened on his waist along with a sword on his back. He was prepared, physically, but mentally he was still lacking.

"This is foolish, Iruka. You should call off this mission."

The sound of Hatake, Kakashi's voice didn't surprise him. His presence was completely erased, so Iruka couldn't pinpoint where exactly he was, but he had been friends with Kakashi for a long time. His intrusive behavior was commonplace and expected.

"Uzumaki-kun is only a child. Even the weakest member like me should be able to handle him." Iruka turned from the mirror to pinpoint where Kakashi was. Kakashi was sitting on his bed, arms crossed and tapping his fingers on his arm impatiently. Worry was so deeply ingrained in his face that Iruka worried that perhaps he would try something stupid.

"But you are attached to him. It will cloud your judgment when you least expect it."

"Would it be so bad if I died?" Iruka asked lightly. "My qi is so weak that I barely qualify as a hunter. It will be an honor if I should die during a mission."

"And it is that mindset that keeps you for striving to be any better." Kakashi stood, pacing. Kakashi was known to the students for his laid back and careless behavior. Even to their colleagues, he was considered too eccentric for their liking. No one saw Kakashi like this but him. "You and I both know your skills are in support, not offense. Why do you insist on torturing yourself all of a sudden?

"Who said it was sudden?" Iruka countered calmly, angering Kakashi further.

"Iruka," he started, grinding his teeth. "This is ridiculous. Stop punishing yourself for what happened nearly a decade ago. Her death was out of your hands."

"I chose to be here, Kakashi. This and that are two separate things." Iruka never got mad at Kakashi even if he overstepped his bounds, which was often. "And don't worry so much. If I fail, there will be someone to support me. Uzumaki-kun is a child who has no training, and Uchiha should be out of town. It will be fine."

Kakashi didn't look convinced, showing his worry, so Iruka added some comforting words. "Don't worry so much. There will be two other hunters to support me if I run into trouble. It is a child who has no training, and we are leading Himura out of town tonight. Everything will be fine."

Kakashi tapped his foot, showing his discomfort in how it manifested through his actions.

Iruka could only place a hand on his arm. "Have faith in me. That's all I need."

Kakashi finally relented, sighing heavily, his shoulders sagging. He leaned forward, grabbing a white mask with feline features painted onto it, handing it to Iruka. "Come see me the moment you finish."

Iruka smiled, patting his shoulder. "Of course."

Naruto didn't wake when a warm wind blew the French doors open softly and silently, the drapes billowing out away from them. The moonlight lit the room enough to make out shadows and silhouettes.

Someone stepped into the room, the footsteps soundless as they traversed across the room towards the sleeping fledgling.

Naruto sighed in his sleep, turning in his bed, causing the intruder to stop. "Iruka-sensei…" Naruto murmured, hugging his pillow closer to him. "Don't tell Baa-chan… I wrote Jii-chan's erotica for his new book."

The intruder drew a kunai from his belt, running to fingers over the blade then positioned the kunai over Naruto. He plunged the kunai down, aimed at Naruto's chest.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, rolling off the bed just in time. The kunai dug into the mattress, ripping it open. "What the hell?!"

The attacker threw the kunai at him at inhumane speeds, forcing Naruto to move. The metal just grazed his arm but left a strong burning sensation that spread up to his shoulder. Cursing, Naruto dodged three shuriken, ducking and weaving to avoid them. While Naruto was distracted, the intruder had moved closer.

The attacks were faster than when Uchiha had trained him and Naruto was taking damage. Small scratches, flared into a dull pain that consumed the entire area. The result was Naruto's movements becoming stiff and slow. He was getting cornered.

With only one way to escape, Naruto ran to the balcony, jumping off. The intruder followed.

Naruto landed perfectly on his feet thanks to Uchiha's relentless training, but so did his attacker. "Who are you!" He demanded.

The attacker charged. He was fast and without the confinement of the room, the attack was swifter and stronger. Naruto could barely dodge them, unable to counter. He could keep the final blow from landing, but that was about it.

Naruto, having practiced in the courtyard multiple times, made sure to evade the hole hidden in the grass without thinking, but his attacker was not as aware. During one of the attacks, the intruder tripped, leaving an opening.

Naruto took the opportunity to strike back, but his opponent quickly recovered, stopping a direct attack. Naruto did manage to grab the cloth hiding the lower half of his attacker's face. Just in case, he had wanted to see who was attacking him at the very least. But seeing who his attacker was, Naruto wished he hadn't.

His mouth was dry, and his jaw went slack. It couldn't be. Why would he?

Iruka's eyes were hardened, and he did not say a word. He only raised the kunai in his hands higher.

"I-Iruka-sensei…why?"

Iruka came at him swinging. His speed faster than before. Naruto began to falter, knocked unbalanced by the discovery of his favorite teacher trying to kill him. he tried to speak, ask him why, but each swipe of the blade, kept Naruto too preoccupied to get the words out.

Naruto was finally thrown off-balanced, losing his footing, and Iruka went in for the killing strike, a kunai to Naruto's jugular when a hand grabbed Iruka's wrist, stopping the attack.

The first signs of emotion crossed Iruka's face at who had stopped him, and it was fear. "Y-you." Before he could say or do anything else, Iruka was thrown across the courtyard into a tree. Even at a distance, Naruto could hear the bones cracking.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto scrambled to his feet, ready to assist his teacher when Tobi stopped him.

"Sorry, Uzumaki-sama," he said in a remorseful voice. "He has attacked you. I can't allow you to go to him."

"But he's not moving! He needs a doctor!" He tried to get out of Tobi's grip, struggling futilely against the superior strength.

Tobi smiled. "I'm afraid, I cannot allow you to do that." With a swift punch to Naruto's gut, Naruto lost consciousness, out cold.

"Sasori-sama's missing?" Sasuke asked, staring intensely at the man before him. "Are you sure?"

Deidara nodded, taking a sip of blood from a wine glass. He was dressed well and, on the outside, looked as composed as ever, but the small tremble in his hand gave his true feelings away. "His lab was a mess when I got there. According to his assistant, some of his files were missing too."

"Do you know what files?" His mind was working overtime. Sasori was by no means the strongest of the council members, but he was the most needed in keeping the existence of immortals out of the public knowledge. That was something almost everyone wanted, so what use could he have to anyone?

"Files on some humans I think. Humans he had taken an interest in recently. Specifically, four dangerous ones."

"Hunters?"

Deidara gave him a pointed look. "Who else? Information on average humans is worth nothing except as meals for the lower apparitions. Hunters however can be worth a hundred times that, or so Sasori always told me." He huffed, slamming his cup on the table, causing the glass to shatter. "That bastard is always trying to get out of chores. Leave it to him to go so far as to get kidnapped."

He was terrified Uchiha realized, watching as Deidara angrily ordered a new glass. As long as he had known him, he had never shown weakness. "What about the rest of the council?"

"I haven't been able to get a hold of them. I'm heading back to Russia after the shoot in Oita tomorrow to talk to them personally."

"If the hunters have attacked Sasori-sama, perhaps they are looking to start another war?"

A cruel smile ruined Deidara's perfect face. Sinister was the perfect word to describe him. "If the cattle want to come to slaughter, who are we not to oblige?"

Sasuke couldn't agree more.

Deidara continued to complain, but his mind was elsewhere. For Deidara to classify humans as dangerous, they would have to be of master level, humans who were on par with even the council in power. There were very few of those. Perhaps 1 out of every 50,000 hunters. It may have just been one human, but a human with power of that magnitude could wipe out a coven of vampires alone. Maybe more. Generally speaking, there were only about 4 or 5 masters each generation. Sasuke knew of 15 throughout his life by name. The only names of humans he had bothered to remember. Sasuke was a realist. He knew he was still a child in years. He learned the names to avoid them.

Each of the masters' bodies were put in the morgue. Too powerful to be buried by normal means. The morgue was considered neutral ground. In 1751, both vampires and hunters agreed that the world didn't need to know about the existence of the supernatural. As the majority of the human race had started turning to science, deeming vampires a myth, it was in agreement that this turn of events was for the better. Vampires liked not having the attention, making hiding and blending in with humans easier, and the hunters found that vampires tended to stay out of trouble more often when they could blend in.

So in that year, they agreed that all dead vampires and humans killed by vampires would go to the morgue where the more powerful bodies were carefully preserved and left to rot peacefully, while weaker humans were distributed to ghouls to keep them out of trouble or used for experiments by both humans and vampires alike.

With the quickly advancing technology the humans created the following years, the morgue became a necessity. Humans tended to overreact to the unknown causing trouble to both sides, impeding on the hunters' work and annoying the vampires.

For humans to invade the morgue made no sense. Neither side dared to cross that silent pact. So why? As he racked his mind, he only drew a blank. It was another mystery in a recently growing pile of questions, and Sasuke did not like being uninformed. Ever.

As Deidara was still angrily ranting about an assistant of his, Sasuke politely excused himself, placing the money on the table. Deidara was reluctant but let him go, instead asking one of the hosts standing by to entertain him for the night.

It was nearing 4 am. It was time to get back before Uzumaki found himself in trouble again. Now that he wasn't about to throttle him, it was probably safe to return. Pulling out his cellphone, he called Tobi to ensure that Naruto had not found himself in yet another troublesome situation.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto reached out in front of him. Disoriented and confused, he discovered he was not in the courtyard, but in his bed. The balcony doors were closed and locked and nothing was out of place that would insinuate a fight had taken place.

Was it only a dream?

He sighed, running a hand over his face to wipe the last of sleep from his eyes. Of course, it was. Iruka was a gentle man. There was no way he would be dressed as a ninja trying to kill him.

His stomach rumbled loudly, signaling its desire to eat. He stretched in his bed, kicking off the sheets in the process, and walked downstairs with a slight spring in his step. He was feeling pretty good. The fatigue and pain that had lingered from his stabbing the day before were long gone and from the looks of things, he had slept nearly the entire day. It was late in the afternoon.

His first stop was the kitchen, expecting Tobi to be cooking today's dinner. It was empty. Surprised, Naruto looked around, unsure of where the man could be. He was the type of man who ran on a fixed schedule and informed Naruto whenever the schedule changed, yet he was gone.

The thought that maybe it was because Naruto didn't need to eat food anymore crossed his mind, and the recall of what had happened the day before made Naruto lose his appetite. It wasn't a subject he was quite ready to come to terms with, so he shoved it to the back of his mind.

As the kitchen was one of the few places wired for electricity, a small tv sat on the counter facing the table. Tobi had bought it during the first week of training so Naruto could at least watch the news during his meal breaks during his training. Turning it on, Naruto took a seat, waiting for Tobi to return.

"We are back with more to this breaking story. At 4:15 this afternoon, an explosion went off at the Twilight modeling agency in Beppu, Oita. A woman was seen appearing out of the rubble surprisingly unscathed by the damage. Police are calling it a terrorist attack, but this recent footage obtained by our cameraman on the ground had this shocking footage."

Naruto tuned into the report at the mention of Uchiha's workplace, and dread filled him as the footage of the news played. A young woman, dressed in a light blue kimono the cloth cut off at her thigh walked out of the rubble of the building. Her hair styled in an elaborate, traditional Japanese hairstyle. She walked barefooted despite the carnage around her. Too far away to make out her face on camera, the viewers could see her walk out into the open where she was surrounded by the first responders who had arrived on the scene.

The cops had their pistols drawn at her, no doubt telling her to get down onto the ground. Then, out of nowhere, tall ice spikes shot up from the ground, breaking the concrete and impaling the cars and people. Blink and you would have missed it. The spikes were as thick as tree trunks and as tall as two-story buildings, and as fast as they appeared, they retracted just as fast, dropping the police officers and cars back down to the earth.

The bodies rained down from the sky, and she walked by, snow being left in her wake.

Yuki-onna was what came into Naruto's mind when he saw her. If vampires were real, why not other spirits and demons. Panic started to sink in as the camera went back to the wreckage of the building.

"Uchiha?" he whispered weakly, standing from the table. "Uchiha." He said louder, having difficulties looking away from the screen. Tearing his eyes away he screamed, "Uchiha!" Running just out the door, he was met with an immovable force, Uchiha's body. Naruto almost fell, but Uchiha grabbed his wrist and kept him from doing so.

"What do you want?" Uchiha replied with a scowl etched onto his face. "I'm trying to sleep."

With relief, Naruto gestured to the kitchen wildly. "Then answer after the first call. I thought you were dead or something."

Uchiha's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"Look at the news."

Sidestepping Naruto, he went into the kitchen to see what had freaked Naruto out into assuming he was dead. They replayed the clip, zooming in on the woman from above, asking citizens to stay inside and to report any information that may be relevant to the police.

The photo was still blurry and taken at an angle, but Uchiha's eyes had widened just a fraction, signaling recognition. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again with a sharp tone, "Yukina-hime."

I remember years ago that I got chewed out by a reader for "holding chapters hostage for reviews". Back then, I was kidding. I would have posted anyway because I did get some reviews though it was not as much as I'd like. Not so much anymore. I'll probably lose readers for this message, but at this point, it wouldn't matter much. While I'll write what I want and it will get written regardless of getting reviews, writers do like validation and I like talking about my stories and debating with readers. I've spent 12 years writing this story, from its baby fanfic stage to the large expanded universe it is now, I'd like to know that I didn't write it for no reason, that people enjoy it or don't like it and I want to know why so I can improve. People who read and never review are frustrating. It takes me months or years of my life to write while it takes a couple of hours of yours to read. Reviews take a few more minutes of your time. Writers tend to be insecure, so support them.