Chapter VI

She didn't expect receiving a dropkick to the face by Kakashi, though.

Sakura and Kakashi had a sigh of relief when they, one, recovered one of their shinobi, and two, regained the one thing that made them more powerful than all of the other Hidden Villages. Konoha went into a state of panic when the news of Naruto's abandonment got into the general public, and it was hectic for a few weeks. Kakashi took Naruto's limp body and hoisted her over his shoulder, and started running along the trees along with Sakura who was holding Sasuke. What was left of Sai couldn't have been recovered since Sakura only escaped with her Uchiha teammate.

"Our final stop is home, Sakura." Kakashi said.

大筒木

"You fool." Naruto's resident reprimanded her, "You know better than to underestimate your opponents. I'm not a shinobi and even I know that."

"I know, Kaguya." The embarrassed kunoichi replied, "When I wake up my eyes will most likely be sealed."

"Whatever seal it may be, I will force my chakra through it and render it useless."

"Thank you." Naruto responded.

"You know who the Jinchuuriki of the Kyubi is, correct? Once you wake up and you escape, find her and kidnap her. My will, Black Zetsu, told me that there's an organization working to revive the Juubi and use that to bring peace." Kaguya informed her, "We can only resurrect the God Tree if you master your connection with me and become the perfect Jinchuuriki of the Juubi."

Naruto nodded, then left her consciousness.

大筒木

Naruto woke up in a dark cell. She sensed a tall man wearing a bandana on his head and a trench coat watching her from outside of the bars of the cell. Her eyes were sealed off.

"I have a few questions for you." The man said, "Why did you abandon the village?"

Tell him nothing! The Rabbit-Goddess in Naruto's head yelled. Naruto remained silent, sneering at the man despite not being able to see. "I won't tell you anything, so don't waste your time." She said coldly.

"This is called the Torture and Interrogation force." The man noted as he opened the cell and cracked his fists. Just in time, Kaguya forced enough chakra through the seal to render it useless. A tear in space-time opened below the man, and he fell into oblivion. A spur of bones grew out of Naruto's skin and they ripped through her seals restricting her. She stood up and stretched. Her Rinne Sharingan came into effect and she walked out of the building, only to see the Third Hokage about to enter through the door.

"Naruto." The Hokage got into a stance and narrowed his eyes.

"You.." Naruto got ready to run. She knew better than to directly confront the leader of this village, and she was too weak to use her space-time ninjutsu in succession yet.

"Don't try to run. You have a seal on you which will explode if you step foot outside of the village without permission. You will be a bloody pile on the ground if you try to escape." Hiruzen warned. Naruto ran anyway, past Hiruzen and closer to the village gates. Stop now, human! That man is correct, I feel something pulling on your chakra that wasn't there before, and it's getting stronger as you near the gates! Kaguya warned.

Naruto stopped right before the gates, after a squad of ANBU quickly gathered outside of the gates getting ready to catch her remains. She turned around as Hiruzen slowly walked toward her with his hands behind his back. "I know it's hard living here, Naruto. But you must stay. For the good of the village and for yourself."

Give him some demands. They are at your mercy, not vice-versa. Kaguya advised her. They can't kill you or else they'll risk having the Juubi run rampant.

"If you want me to stay here and not wreak havoc on your village, I have some demands." Naruto said. Hiruzen nodded.

"First, give me my gunbai back." Hiruzen grunted in agreement. "Second, and finally, place me on Team 7." Hiruzen asked her why.

Why did you want me to be on Team 7? Naruto asked the Rabbit-Goddess. She got nothing in response.

"I have my reasons." Naruto responded curtly. "You'll be back just in time for the Chunin exams." Hiruzen informed her, "we'll get you an apartment and you'll be with your team tomorrow." Hiruzen made a hand signal and the team of ANBU dispersed quickly, as if they weren't there at all.

Hiruzen escorted Naruto to her apartment. Past the shopping district where people sneered at her, gave second looks, and stared at her.

"The demon child is back." A few randoms said. Another criminal tried to sneak behind Naruto and stab her in the neck, but she sensed him coming and broke his wrist, and kept walking, unbothered. "It's people like you that make me want to raze this village to the ground." Naruto said this as she let her own chakra leak out, creating a very oppressive presence, and her hair started to fly upward. But as quickly as that started, it stopped, and she kept walking. Hiruzen wanted to arrest the man, but Naruto raised her hand, telling him not to.

In a few minutes, they arrived at Naruto's new apartment.

It was spacious, with many plants, ranging from small trees to vines that covered some of her walls. There was a large window where her bed was, and a cozy, but very useful kitchen with many appliances. She had a bathroom, a dining room, a bedroom, obviously, and an entryway, all with wood floors.

"Hm." Naruto said, "Thank you."

"Get some rest, you'll be with your team tomorrow, and the Chunin exams are in a few days." Hiruzen informed her. Naruto nodded and then Hiruzen left.

大筒木

"She has gotten even stronger. This is bad news."

The news of Naruto's newfound strength travelled through the village in a matter of hours, putting everyone back on edge again. Stores started closing, people went out less. The laid-back vibe of Konoha was gone.