1 Month Ago

"Hey, guys!" The door of the frequently occupied bar swung open in an almost dramatic manner. In came a man of short stature and slim build. He was wearing a bright purple shirt perfectly tailored to his physique. He wore high-end black tailored pants that were paired with an expensive pair of black shoes. Shun Yamamoto was excited. He had everything: an amazing wife, a great job, and a beautiful home.

Life was good.

His coworkers weren't so enthusiastic. Most were alcoholics and had debts up to the walls of their empty and lifeless apartments. They wouldn't go out the way to say they hated Shun, but they didn't exactly like him either. Especially when they went drinking.

The man had a gambling habit that always paid off. Either luck was on his side or he was a really good cheater. He always won and took his earnings smugly. They hated it.

Shun strutted up to their usual table and plopped down with a sigh. Signaling for the bartender to bring him his regular high-end quality liquor.

"So what are we playing tonight boys, poker, 21, or blackjack?" This was all said with a wide grin, heavy pockets, and a lot of confidence.

One of his coworkers Kirishima answers him easily enough.

"Poker tonight, if that's alright with you?"

The well-dressed man nodded. "Sounds good." Just then the bartender came over with his drink laying it in front of him. Missing the looks his friends shared over the table.

Getting into the game and their drinks, they made easy conversation between the four friends. They were gathered around a circular table concentrating on the cards in front of them hoping for a good hand. Two of the men just folded while Shun and his coworker Grunto were the only ones continuing.

"Hey, you hear about what happened to Yoko?" This was asked by the fourth man at the table; Kyoku.

Offhandedly Shun answered. "No, what?" Yoko was an old coworker that quit after getting injured on the job. He was an older man that was basically ready to retire anyway so it wasn't that unexpected.

The other man continued.

"Apparently, the old geezer bit the dust the other day."

Around the table, the four men collectively said their own form of respect for their old coworkers.

Kirishima added his two cents to the conversation.

"Yeah, The guy had a good life I'm sad to see him go. I actually recently saw the old coot a week ago. I was doing late night shopping and he was walking around mumbling to himself. I had to stop him and direct him home, he refused my help for a solid ten minutes before finally agreeing. The guy was paranoid about something."

Shun still in the middle of his game with Grunto briefly glanced over at the conversation. He pushed more chips in the middle of the table, daring Grunto to continue.

The bigger man didn't disappoint.

"Strange things have been happening man and Konoha is in the middle of it." Said Kyoko pushing his glass to his lips downing the liquid inside.

"Kinda creeped me out man, he almost looked possessed."

Kyoko only shook his head at his Kirishima. "I don't believe in that superstitious stuff. I'm surprised you do."

"A little. My parents used to tell my brother and me stories of the old eastern forest. They would say someone died in there and has been trapped and since then has been trying to come out. My big brother didn't believe in it, but me...yeah. Scared me as a kid." The slightly tipsy man confessed.

"Eastern forest? I heard of that place, something about 20 murders happened there 30 years ago. All by the same person." This was said with a curious glint.

There was a lull in conversation and Shun and Grunto having only paid attention to some of the conversations finally finished their game. Shun is the victor again.

"Hey!" Kyoko began starting to grin a little bit. Gaining the attention of the whole table since the night began.

"I have an idea to make this game more fun."

Kirishima already understanding where his train of thought was leading to immediately shook his head at the man.

"No Kyo, we are not doing that."

"Doing what?" That was Shun looking curious and in his hands more chips than he started at.

Before Kirishima could interrupt again Kyoko began his idea.

"How about instead of betting money we bet something else?" There was a glint in his eyes as he looked at the others around the table.

Grunto seemed interested, probably because he already lost most of his money to Shun so far. Kirishima only looked down at his empty glass and remained silent.

Shun answered for them all though.

"I'm in! What're the stakes?"

"The next game we play, the person who comes in last has to do a dare." Kyoko was grinning at this point.

Grunto laughed. "Beats losing all my money to this guy." He pointed to Shun who only looked sheepish.

"Doesn't that sound childish Kyoko?" Kirishima looked ready to leave and was watching the exit door. Knowing exactly what the dare was going to be.

"Nonsense! This will give our wallets a break and we can do something different than usual. Come on it will be fun. If you don't want to do the dare you just have to get a higher score."

With a sigh, the tipsy and nervous man reluctantly agreed.

Shun, ever the enthusiastic man, grinned wide and gulped down the rest of his drink slamming it onto the table.

"What are we playing?"

Thirty minutes into their game of Gin-Rummy they had two separate rounds like a tournament. Shun vs Kyoko and Grunto vs Kirishima. To make the game go faster they were only doing one round each. Grunto won his game against Kirishima by a landslide. The loser seems distraught over the fact almost looking ready to ask for a rematch.

The other game going on between Shun and Kyoko seemed more evenly matched. Shun was barely winning on points and even that didn't look to stay for long. Eventually, Kyoko was able to narrowly win by getting all four red 3's giving him the extra points to win.

"Ah, man! I thought I had you." This was said with an easy-going smile.

"Too bad. Alright, you and Kiri play. Whoever loses this round has to do one dare that the group says."

Kirishima moved seats so he was in front of Shun now. He was tempted to say forget it, he knew he wasn't going to win against Shun when Kyoko gave him a look from behind his competition.

He wanted him to cheat, and Kyoko was going to help him.

Grunto smiled to himself but didn't say anything. He just sipped the last of his drink.

Kyoko whispered to Grunto where they were out of sight of Shun who was shuffling the deck. He didn't know what they were saying, but it was probably a plan to help him win. Kami, he hopes he wins. Kyoko was a vindictive and crafty man when he wanted to be.

Grunto with his large body sort of blocked Shun's view as he started cleaning up his deck of cards from their previous match. He was doing it slowly. Kyoko came over by him and started speaking causally to him about something or another. Not that he was paying attention to that.

Kyoko slides him some cards. Good cards that would get him extra points.

Grunto finished cleaning his mess and straightened his back. He sat down and watched Shun start dealing out the hands.

He won.

The cards Kyoko gave him are perfect. He has them laid down in front of him giving him an extra 700 points in the form of a clean book. Along with two red 3's and a dirty book. He has at least 1,400 points.

Shun looks disappointed that he lost, but he doesn't care as long as he doesn't have to do what Kyoko is sure to suggest it doesn't matter. Besides it's a little satisfying to watch Shun come last in something for once.

"So what's the dare guys?" He still has a grin on his face, but he's watching Kyoko in the corner of his eye. Smart man to be wary of him.

Kyoko is more than happy to suggest ideas. Kirishima stays out of it at this point. He won his match, even if it was by cheating.

"Kiri and I were talking earlier about the Eastern forest. We want you to go in there. Alone. It's said to be haunted by something. Thirty years ago some 20 people were murdered in that forest so we think they might want visitors."

Sometimes Kirishima forgets, Kyoko really hates when Shun always wins and shows off his wealth. He supposes this is payback.

Shun was quiet for a moment, only looking at his watch that read 11:03 a.m. The bar was busy from its frequent late-night visitors. Mostly Ninja who needed to unwind from long arduous missions. A few in the past forty-five minutes have glanced at their table in annoyance from being too loud, but they never came over. Not worth the trouble he supposes.

"Eh-why not!" Shun stood up from this spot and wobbled a little from moving too fast. Grunto steadied him and shoved him roughly towards the door.

"Come on Shu-chan, let us get you a flashlight and get over there." Grunto was always a little hard with Shun. More so than either Kyoko or he ever was. Grunto has had a hard life in comparison to Shun. Five years ago his wife and kid left him to go to Suna where she remarried a Ninja over there. They now have a kid together. A year later he lost his house to debts and was forced to move into a crappy apartment in the red light district. Since then he became a drug and alcohol addict.

The only good thing that has happened to him is his new job at Rikei Inc. and his new friends.

Kirishima thinks he's not a bad guy, but he could be better. Though he probably doesn't want to be.

"Uh, guys? I don't know about this." Shun Yamototo was standing in front of the eastern opening of the forest. They had to walk away from the bustling area of town and into a more remote area. The four coworkers were alone. They left the bar after their game and briefly stopped at a late opened Ninja supply store to pick us a torch and an ignitor.

The once confident man was now nervous after staring into the expanse of trees that seemed to never end. The trees in Konoha never looked more sinister.

Grunto came up behind Shun, slapping him on the back, causing the man to stumble forward.

"Nonsense Shu-chan!" Grunto said sarcastically. "You agreed to the bet and lost. You have to go in."

Shun's face dropped, and so did his stomach. The alcohol settled heavily in his body.

Kirishima, the sensible friend of the group, tried to convince the other two to change their minds.

"Come on! This is a bit ridiculous, don't you think? Are we too drunk to see sense in this? Let's go home." He pleaded.

Kyoko, not one to be easily persuaded, hastily denied the request as did Grunto. The big ruff man grabbed an extra two bottles from the bar before they left.

He handed one to Kyoko, who walked over to Shun and gave him the courage drink.

Robotically, Shun took the offered bottle, popped the cork, and guzzled down more than recommended.

"Alright, I'm going in then. If I die, I'm blaming you all." He tried joking but didn't get any reaction from his friends.

Shun took his torch, and fire erupted forth. Fire and warmth brushed his skin, nipping hotly over him. He tried to find comfort in the flame but could find none. Tentatively, he started walking towards the growing line of trees until the three friends left behind couldn't see him anymore.

Shun went directly straight, or what he thought it was. It was hard to tell when he stumbled and couldn't remember what tree was what. He decided to just stop where he was at and waste time standing here. They didn't need to know how far he went.

Using a pen in his pocket that he had from work he went to a tree behind him and mark the way back in case he forgot. Everything was a little foggy in his mind, but he knew getting lost in the forest would be bad.

Why did he agree to this in the first place?

He had everything he could ever need, except the thing he really wanted the most.

Friends.

He knew he annoyed them, he has seen their discreet faces they shoot to each other behind his back. The snide remarks from Grunto and the disgusted looks from Kyoko. Kirishima's awkward smiles at his pitiful attempts at jokes.

He also knew that the three of them cheated on the last game between him and Kirishima. He sometimes may come across as stupid and naïve, but he didn't start off that way.

He didn't grow up rich, nor did he have a strong or healthy relationship with his family. His father and mother had to work hard to feed him and his now-deceased sister. All the money they brought home was, in the words of his mother; "shoveled into his groveling mouth!"

Eventually, his father was the first one to go. He couldn't stand the women he married, and after cheating several times with other women he killed himself. His sister Yuna immediately left after his death and became a Medic-Ninja. She only went out on the field once during the war, but it was the last. An Iwa Ninja killed her after healing them.

Mother, after the death of her favorite child, neglected him. She wasn't mentally there anymore and struggled with eating and sleeping. She became sick quickly and refused help from her no-good son.

He suspected she disliked him because of his father. He was the spitting image of the man. She had suffered through their relationship for years before he killed himself. They were the result of an arranged marriage that failed.

So no, he was not always so cheerful or confident. All his relationships have failed horribly. Tsuna and Rika have been the only saving grace for him.

So why was he doing this again?

Oh yeah, to make friends.

He sighed heavily into the dark. His torch flicked for a moment until it settled again.

He should start making his way back. He stayed long enough to satisfy them, hopefully. Going back to the tree he marked he headed back to the opening to his friends. Underneath him, the leaves crunched loudly with his steps at some point he stumbled over a rock.

He straightened himself out and smoothed out the wrinkles in his designer shirt.

Crunch

He stopped his motions.

"Guys, is that you?" He called out nervously.

No response came so he continued forward. If anyone noticed him walking a little faster they didn't say anything.

Crunch, Crunch

He stopped again looking in the direction of the noise. It sounds to be big to be a squirrel or other small critter. It sounded like footsteps. He tried looking out but it was too dark even with his torch, and his eyes were too cloudy to make out anything. He regrets drinking so much tonight.

"Kyoko, stop playing around. I'm done." He tried to sound stern, but even he didn't think he pulled it off.

It was quiet for a moment and Shun started walking again. His torch flicked from a gust of wind and he had to shield it to stop it from going out.

Snap-Crunch

That was a branch that broke and it was right behind him. He didn't turn around. He secretly hoped for it to be Kirishima or the others trying to scare him, but he had this feeling in the pit of his stomach that it wasn't.

He watched his flame as he walked fast to get back to the others. He feels like he should have been back by now. The Crunching got louder and faster behind him as he was all but fleeing. His torch seemed to be fading the quicker he went.

In front of him was a large trunk of an old oak so he quickly went behind it to breathe for a second and look behind him. The noises stopped a second ago so he's sure someone is nearby. He darted his eyes to the side of the trunk and peeked around.

Nothing.

Maybe it's his drunk-induced mind playing tricks on his mind. He sighed deeply and turned back around to go forward again when he saw it.

Two bright objects in the distance were looking at him. He could tell from where he was that it was a pair of eyes. It didn't move, and neither did he. Just when he was about to run in the opposite direction, the light from his torch went out.

Pitch black. He couldn't see anything in front of him. Not even the eyes in the distance. His breathing became labored as he sank into the back of the trunk. He was completely petrified. That wasn't his coworkers; they were probably in a different direction and he was lost and scared.

In the endless darkness, he heard deep rumbling laughter.

One Month Later

Naruto huffed to himself. He hasn't seen Sakumo for two days and was starting to wonder if something was wrong.

Naruto was just hanging around the outside of his apartment with his back pushed against the concrete. There was a small breeze that came through that ruffed his disheveled hair.

After numerous failed attempts, he finally completed the Chakra exercises. He managed to securely hold himself upside down from a branch. It almost felt too easy with how fast he learned the skill.

Now with no new Jutsu to learn and no new leads, Naruto was bored.

It seems he didn't have to wait too long. In the distance, Sakumo was making his way towards him, answering his silent calls for action.

He made no attempts to wave or call over the ghostly man as there were several people below running errands and the like. Sakumo oppositely made no quarrels and gave a small wave to him from ground level.

Less than a minute later, his new teacher reached him.

"Naruto." He greeted with a brief nod and light and easy smile.

Grunting from the uncomfortable position he was in, he got up and brushed himself off. Nodding back to the old spirit.

"Sensei! I finished the Chakra exercise you gave me." He said this quietly and with only just a little pride in completing the assignment he gave him.

Sakumo must have seen that as he smiled kindly to him. "Good, I figured you would learn it quickly. I'll have to show you the next step in Chakra control then."

Naruto scrunched up his face in distaste. "Another one?"

Sakumo only chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes, it's important to learn. Without it, your ability to utilize jutsu would plummet. If you can't rein in your own Chakra it could spiral out of control and potentially hurt or kill you. You also have a lot of Chakra I assume it would especially benefit you to hone that skill. You have a great potential to learn much Ninjutsu with the amount of Chakra you have."

Naruto was completely entranced by what his sensei was saying and only nodded in silence.

"Do you want me to teach you the next step now? We can talk along the way about what I came to tell you about originally.

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head in a gesture of embarrassment. He should have assumed he had something to talk about and Naruto being himself got worked up and excited to learn something else from the man.

"Sorry, Sakumo-sensei." He shivered a little when he felt a cold hand touch his head. Almost like he is ruffling his hair. He's seen parents do that to their children and Naruto can't help but look up in wonder. Sakumo only was ever kind to him since he met him. Naruto wonders if he could call the ghost a friend. He's never had one before. While they are partners for the time, Naruto slowly feels like he can trust him.

"No need to apologize for being curious or wanting to work hard. Nothing wrong with that. Come, let's go to training ground 13, they have a more secluded area with a large water source. Hopefully, there will be nobody around." Sakumo gestured with his hand for Naruto to follow him and he silently obeyed.

"Hey, sensei." He interrupted the silence when they were clear of people in view. "Did you find anything about the Uchiha clan, is that why you came to look for me?" He questions.

Sakumo looks down at him before answering. "Maybe? I was following people who frequented or were a part of the clean-up of the compound. Most were ANBU tasked with either watching the homes or Sasuke Uchiha at the hospital. But...there were a few members of the council there."

Naruto interrupted. "Who are they?"

Sakumo scowled slightly. "They essentially exist to help the Hokage govern the affairs within the village. They are to make sure all decisions are made fairly and within the interest of Konoha and its inhabitants. It is made up of all the major clans in the village including the Hokage. Such as the Nara, Inuzuka, and others. They are there to create and approve laws presented by the Civilian council. Of course, the Hokage has the final say on approving or disapproving laws or actions."

He sighed heavily. "Nowadays, it seems they bicker more than getting anything done."

Understanding more now, Naruto wanted him to continue. "The council being at the Uchiha compound shouldn't be a problem then, right?"

"Depending on whose there. Major clan heads being there could be seen as a power play or downright suspicious of involvement. So they wouldn't be there, but who actually was is questionable."

The older man looked far away muttering to himself.

"Who was there?" Would he know them? He's meet some people in the Hokage tower when he used to visit the old man.

"Danzo Shimura. The man always had different opinions of how things should be run within the village. Him being there is unusual and curious."

Shimura. The name sounded familiar, but a face didn't appear in his mind.

He tilted his head to the side. "Whose that?"

Sakumo got an ugly look on his face at his question. He was about to take it back when he answered.

"An old Warhawk, he is nothing but a warmonger feeding off the people of this village." At this point, Sakumo looked more disgusted than angry.

"Danzo was an old teammate of the Hokage and always had his eye on the position before Hiruzen was appointed. I think he was always jealous of him since their sensei, the second Hokage, preferred Hiruzen over him. At most Danzo is manipulative and clever, he has some undercover ninja working for him I've noticed, and I don't think the Hokage knows. That or he's hiding it well." Here he looked uncomfortable.

"The whole Uchiha massacre...I can't help but think Danzo is part of it."

"Really?" Naruto asked. If he had such a high position of power that would be a heavy accusation that could get you killed. A military village makes everyone dangerous.

"Naruto?"

He jerked his head at attention to Sakumo showing he was listening.

"I wanted to tell you why I came to see you." He paused as if thinking about what to say. He just nodded to him and waited.

"A week ago I started going to Yamamoto's workplace to listen in and learn some more information..."

He didn't know why, but his stomach clenched and he felt his nails dig into his hands. He had a bad feeling about what Sakumo was going to say.