Disclaimer:I own neither the video games franchise Halo or the anime series Naruto. They are the properties of Microsoft and Masashi Kishimoto, respectively. All characters depicted here belong to their legal owners.

Stranger Things

Naruto glowered at the Anbu standing in front of him. Other than the man blocking the only entryway through the surrounding wall of the Hokage Building, the emotionless wolf mask staring back was agitating him a bit more than it should have. "Come on, let me in! I need to see the old man!"

"You will address the Hokage appropriately," the Anbu declared coldly. Though the porcelain veil hid his face, a flicker of irritation was noticeable through his tone and body language. "And as I already told you, Uzumaki – he is currently engaged, and will be unavailable until further notice. If you wish to wait, you are more than welcome to for as long as you behave yourself."

The Black Ops ninja's ultimatum elicited a scowl from the young Genin. Naruto didn't enjoy the idea of quietly waiting for an opportunity, nor did he want to leave only to come back later. Patience had never been one of his strong points, and the malice in the older man's voice certainly didn't encourage it. He wanted – no, needed – to meet the tall man with the green armor. Only the Hokage could have helped him do that. "But I can't wait out here all day!"

"If you don't like it, then go home." The Anbu, now clearly annoyed, was struggling to keep his voice down. Before he could continue, the voice of another interrupted the dispute.

"Naruto?"

Recognition being nearly instantaneous, the blonde teen turned to his right to see the interloper walking towards him. "Iruka-sensei?"

If there was one word that best matched the traits of Iruka Umino, 'average' would have been it. Everything about the twenty-two-year-old man, from his height and build to his combat abilities, screamed 'normal'. That wasn't to say the Chūnin was not proficient in the shinobi arts – far from it. His skills were simply not better or worse than any other run-of-the-mill ninja. Even the man's attire was terribly ordinary, his clothes and forehead protector being of the same standards worn by every other Konoha-nin. The only exception to this apparent trend of normalcy was the long narrow scar on his face, which stretched horizontally across the bridge of his nose.

Iruka cocked his eyebrow and spoke with a tone slightly laced with suspicion. "You aren't causing trouble again, are you?" It wasn't a malevolent question in nature, but he wasn't among those inexperienced with the blonde's antics. The academy teacher had witnessed aplenty of his pranks and disruptive shenanigans.

Naruto, however, could not help but get a bit insulted by the insinuation. "No! I just want to see the old man, but this stupid Anbu won't let me!"

Hearing this, the Chūnin turned to the masked ninja. "Is this true?"

"Yes," the Anbu answered calmly, apparently relieved to finally see someone who would listen. "The Hokage is indisposed with the representative of a foreign nation, and is not currently accepting any visitors."

Sighing in understanding, Iruka returned his gaze to the Genin. "Naruto, what could be so important that you need to see the Hokage right now?"

"I..." Naruto was almost ashamed to tell him the reason. It was one thing trying to get through a random door guard, it was another trying to explain himself to the man he considered the closest example of a father-figure. "I wanted to meet the man with the green armor!"

"Huh?" Confusion crossed the Chūnin's face. "What man with green armor?"

As if to answer his question, the large double doors of the compound's gate slowly began opening, revealing five people approaching from inside. The first person to pass through was the Hokage himself, the aging Sarutobi standing proud even in his old age. Two Anbu, his ever-watching guards, were currently at his flanks. What snatched Iruka's attention was the almost literal giant walking behind them with a third Anbu escorting him at the rear. Just as the young blonde had said, nearly the entire two-meter-tall man's body was covered in a bulky olive green armor. The only exceptions to this were the black material running underneath the metal and the orange-golden visor at the front of his helmet.

Before the academy teacher could comment on the stunning sight, Naruto beat him to it. "There he is!" He hesitated not a second longer to bolt toward the giant, ignoring the protests of those around him and stopping only when directly in front of his target. "Hey!"

The green-armored man in question merely paused when his path was obstructed, looking down to silently regard this new obstacle. His hand, which had apparently been reaching for some strange metal lump strapped to his hip, relaxed when he realized it was nothing more than a young teenager. A moment later, a deep and gravelly voice spoke from his helmet. "Sir, who's the child?" The question wasn't directed at Naruto, but Hiruzen.

The older man had closed his eyes and was already rubbing his temples when a tired groan escaped his lips. "I should have excepted this," he muttered without providing an answer.

The blonde, though, decided to take matters into his own hands and quite audibly introduce himself. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, metal man!" He pointed his index finger forcefully in the direction of the man's visor. Considering the dramatic difference in height, it didn't get close. "And I'm going to become the best Hokage ever, dattebayo!"

—

It had been long since Master Chief had last found himself to be truly uncomfortable. His time as a Spartan II in service of the UNSC, spanning nearly the entirety of his life, and the training he had first endured those many years ago back on Reach had long seen to that. But now, here on a remote planet completely isolated from the influence of both Earth and the Covenant, it seemed life still managed to throw a surprise on his lap – newly discovered Human civilization notwithstanding. Worst of all, it happened to come from the very unlikely source of a kid no older than twelve or thirteen years of age.

"Well isn't that just adorable," Cortana declared in his head. "In an awkward and overly enthusiastic kind of way."

Chief remained stern. Spartans were elite operators trained in the fields of warfare; they were not meant to associate themselves with the likes of children, especially loud-mouthed ones at that. And so, instead of acknowledging the nuisance, he sent a glance toward the Hokage and gave a short bow. "Sir, I appreciate the time and information you've given me. Now it's about time I leave."

The village leader simply nodded. "Of course." He paused briefly to take a puff from his tobacco pipe. "Our talk today has been... enlightening. Know that I look forward to the next opportunity we can meet."

"Hey, don't ignore me!" The kid, who so loudly introduced himself as Naruto Uzumaki, had his hands clenched into fists. When Master Chief failed to even look back in his direction, he made a choice that was downright stupid. He brought back his foot, then rammed it forward into the armored man's metal shin. He loudly yelped in pain not a second after he did so, bringing his injured foot up in his hands while jumping around with his good one.

Cortana chose that moment to comment once again. "He's not very smart, is he?"

Suddenly, a young-looking man with brown hair tailored in a ponytail and a narrow scar stretching over the bridge of his nose marched up to the blonde, his clothes easily matching with that of the many other Konohagakure shinobi. The Spartan noted how he had seen the man conversing with the blond when he first left the Hokage building. "Naruto! What do you think you're doing?!"

Sarutobi's reaction to the scene was to walk to Chief's side, an apologetic frown on his face. "Please forgive me for the boy's actions," he asked as they watched the kid receive a loud scolding. "He is still young, and too often acts without thinking."

"With all due respect, that isn't an excuse for misconduct."

He sighed as if he agreed. "You may very well be right. However, Naruto is a special case. Unfortunate as it is, he does have his reasons for behaving the way he does."

Behind his helmet, the supersoldier frowned. It was the rare moments like this when he was reminded how significantly different his upbringing was compared to those of most others. Having been raised within a strict military environment since the age of six, he sometimes forgot what living conditions were like for normal children. In fact, it was difficult for him to comprehend such relatively carefree lifestyles at all. Spartans like Master Chief were, in every sense of the word, robbed of their childhoods. ONI had seen to it that every minute of every day was dedicated to training them in the art of war. Commonplace freedoms were not luxuries the subjects of the Spartan Program had time to afford.

Chief didn't have the chance, however, to continue these thoughts or debate the Hokage any further. The abrupt and dreadful shriek that echoed inside his helmet ceased all such notions.

—

It came without warning or mercy, the ocean of red invading her consciousness like a flood of pure malice. Her firewalls and defensive applications were swept away by its fury like leaves in a hurricane. The very core of her digital being was penetrated as if the effort was child's play, her mind and memories being prodded and scrutinized with callous leisure. It cared not what levels of force it used to achieve its goal. The agony it inflicted on her was not of its concern. To this malevolent entity, its excursion might as well have been nothing more than a game. An object of relief for a boredom centuries, perhaps millennia, in the making.

"You do not belong here... Reclaimer!"

She could only scream.

—

It took great willpower on Master Chief's part not to physically react to Cortana's static-filled suffering. A full minute passed before he managed to excuse himself from Sarutobi without raising any suspicions, all the while being forced to sorely listen to her pain as he kept up an appearance of calmness. Pushing through the ordeal without falter was one of his tougher challenges. "Cortana, SitRep," he asked when out of the Hokage's sight. The emotional depth of his voice would have been considered shallow by the means of an average person, but for a Spartan II it was the equivalent to a display of anxiety.

"... -t's... mu-...!"

"Cortana?!" He was never one to panic. He was too well adapted to surviving in a life-long era of war and strife for that to happen. But his AI partner's incomprehensible cries, so very clearly laced with turmoil, caused too much a sense of incapability for his comfort. It wasn't at all a new feeling; the nearly three-decade long conflict against the Covenant oversaw the destruction of dozens of Human colonies he was unable to save. Cortana though... she was different. He would never admit it, but she was the closest thing he had to family outside of Blue Team and Doctor Halsey. The deeds he would do to keep her safe were near limitless. To be in this situation now, hearing her in such distress and being unable to provide aid, hurt him more than any physical wound ever could.

As he continued walking at a slightly hastening pace through Konohagakure No Sato, which was more a small city rather than a village as its name suggested, he completely blocked out the world around him. The reactions and voiced opinions his presence compelled in the native people were the farthest from his mind. It was not as if they understood exactly who or what he was to begin with. To the ignorant civilians he was just a strangely large man in a strangely designed metal armor – still enough provocation for them to pause and gawk, but nothing worth bringing about much else. They were all mercilessly ignored. Chief was focused entirely on his companion and her immediate issue.

"It's... t-t-too... much-ch!"

"What's too much?" He turned another street corner to find the same market place he had been escorted through a little less than an hour ago. The dozens of people roaming around seemed to pay no mind to the supersoldier at first, but that quickly changed once the closest set of people eventually took notice of him. They no sooner began backing away, drawing the attention of others and creating a ripple effect in the crowd. Again, he barely spared them all a glance. Returning to the Forward Unto Dawn was all that mattered.

"I-I need... time."

And then silence was all that followed.

On one of the many woodland roads in the Land of Fire leading to Konohagakure, three individuals were traveling along in silence. In the eyes of a passing observer, had there been one on this particularly less ventured path, the trio's garments would have immediately painted them as foreigners. Instead of the attire commonly used by the locals, suited for the country's hot but still manageable climate, theirs' was of a style typical of a people bound to the dry and sandy deserts of the south-western corner of the continent. Their clothing was baggy and open rather than tight-fitting, designed for air to easily flow and breathe through the material. Two of them had cloth neck covers in their possession, which were wrapped around their midriffs as the scarf-like apparel were presently unneeded. Their youthful appearances, at first glance, would've given the impression they were possibly a group of vacationing teenagers visiting the country for its many popular hot springs and tourist spots. However, that couldn't have been any farther from the truth. The forehead protectors they carried, adorning the hourglass-shaped banner of their homeland on the metal centerpieces, gave evidence to their status as shinobi from Sunagakure no Sato – the Land of Wind's Hidden Sand Village.

The three's current mission, and reason behind the journey into the Land of Fire, was to attend the upcoming Chūnin Exams taking place in the Hidden Leaf. All three were Genin among or at the top of their classes, and as such were expected to represent the strength of their home and its newest generation of ninja. This made it a crucial obligation on their part to ascertain a promotion for at least one of them. Any less would've been viewed not only as a significant failure, but also an unacceptable dishonor on their names and fellow countrymen. The weight of their people was resting on their shoulders.

Although those were just the official details.

Leading the trio was the shortest among them, the young boy standing no taller than 140 to 150 centimeters. His naturally spiky crimson hair was cut low, and his pale green eyes – encircled by thick black rings and lacking distinct pupils and eyebrows – appeared to match well with his fair skin. Laying upon the left side of his forehead was a red tattoo displaying the kanji for 'love'. He wore a black short-sleeved open-neck bodysuit with his white cloth cover reaching down from his right shoulder to his left hip. Stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip was a wide leather band. This was used to carry both his forehead protector, it being tied to the band near his waist, and the massive sand gourd on his back.

Walking on the left and lagging a bit was another teenage boy, older in appearance and nearly two dozen centimeters taller. His face was covered by intricately designed violet war paint, which formed into four triangles bordering his features, two arrow-like marks below his eyes, and two pointed lines trailing the sides of his nose. His full all-black bodysuit, decorated with a half-yellow and half-red circle on the front, bore his shinobi headband over his forehead and two distinctly feline ears protruding from atop his head within the clothing's hood. A rather large object similar in appearance to a humanoid coffin wrapped in cloth was being carried on his back. A small bush of what looked to be brown hair or fur seemed to oddly emerge from it's top.

The third person in the entourage, standing on the right side of the road, was a girl taller than the red-head but shorter than her hooded companion. The four consecutive pigtails of her sandy blonde hair waved lightly with the early evening breeze, and her teal eyes stared stoically down the path ahead. Her outfit primarily consisted of a very light purple over-the-shoulder garment, which extended halfway down her knees, and a scarlet sash tied around her waist. A netting of some sort was worn beneath her attire and additionally around her right calf and left thigh. Her black forehead protector was wrapped loosely around her neck.

"What do you think about that rumor going around?"

The blonde girl gave the speaker – the hooded boy – a bored glance, not really interested in what he had to say. It had been a long journey so far, and at the current moment she wanted to appreciate the quiet provided by the great outdoors before entering the large ninja village of Konohagakure. Just because her homeland was mostly desert didn't mean she preferred the dry and arid landscape over the fertile woodlands of the Land of Fire. Knowing her traveling companion wouldn't stay quiet unless a response was given, however, she decided to indulge him. "What rumor?"

"You know, the one about the giant in green armor who fell from the sky."

"'Giant in green armor who fell from the sky'," she asked a bit puzzled, unsure of what he was talking about, before narrowing her gaze. The topic already sounded dull to her, and so might as well have been a waste of time in her opinion. "Is that supposed to be a child's story?"

A small grimace appeared on the boy's face. "Weren't you paying attention to anything the people were saying in the last town?"

The girl responded with a condescending snort. "I don't concern myself with the talk of commoners." She looked back at the road ahead, eager to end the conversation. "Especially in this country."

The adolescent boy scowled, showing his obvious annoyance with the girl's dismissal of his attempt at small talk. "They say his armor covers him from head-to-toe," he continued regardless. He was likely trying to find something to get the girl's interest back on the subject. "And he has a helmet with a gold visor that covers his entire face, including his eyes."

To this, the girl sighed. Ignoring him was only going to make his chatter worse. "How would he see anything if it covers his eyes?"

"Don't know," he said with a shrug. "Reflective glass or something like that?"

"Glass over his face and eyes..." She considered it for a moment, then shook her head. "That's stupid."

The boy raised an eyebrow to the girl's claim. "Why? I think a visor that can hide your face like that sounds kind of cool."

"That's because you're an idiot," she declared callously. Before the boy could give an angry retort, though, she spoke again. "Think about it. If the visor shatters, all of the glass will go flying into your face. Good luck seeing anything after that." She turned to the hooded boy to see him still glaring at her. However, after a moment his shoulders drooped and his body slouched forward, his expression one of defeat. "His armor sounds heavy anyways," she continued with an upward twitch of her lips. "He'd probably be an easy kill."

"Temari... Kankuro..." The blonde and the hooded boy nearly froze in place at the sound of the rough, almost tired voice. There was a heavily laced irritation in their slowly spoken names. "Quiet."

"Yes, Gaara," was the immediate response from both teenagers. They shifted their uneasy gazes toward the red-haired boy leading the trio to see him holding his forehead as if suffering from a headache. He was now mumbling, speaking about killing someone and seemingly having a conversation with himself. They could have sworn they heard him say 'mother.'

A hint of dread crawled up Temari's spine as she and Kankuro tried to keep their gazes away from Gaara. Fear was an emotion rare for her, often feeling unnatural. She was a kunoichi, after all, and one that considered herself to be among the bravest of the Sand-nin even if she was still just a Genin. However, all the courage and stoicism that made up her persona went flying with the wind when she looked at Gaara. His eyes held no passion and could have easily been mistaken for belonging to a lifeless corpse. He made her skin crawl. Made her sick to her stomach and feel the need to throw up from the anxiety. In his presence, she felt as weak and helpless as a small child. This adolescent boy, three years her junior, incited her fight-or-flight instincts to kick in. Flight was always the favored option. And what made it worse was not that he could truly slaughter both her and Kankuro without thought or effort, nor that he was supposed to be a trusted teammate. No, what made dealing with Gaara unquestionably miserable was one simple fact:

He was her brother.

CHAPTER END

Author's Note: So... it only took me 5 months... AGAIN. Please, forgive me. I had a really bad case of author's block for this chapter, particularly when it came to properly depicting Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, and I just couldn't for the life of me figure out how to write their dialogue. Honestly, I still don't even know if I did them justice, but I needed to get this chapter out there. It was taking too long, and I have the responsibility to give you guys, my fans and readers, the content I promised.

Now, with all that said... I can't promise how long it will take to make the next chapter. I'm not going to make a promise like last time only to not keep it, and so I'll be honest with you. The next chapter will be released when it's ready. No sooner and no later. How long that takes? It could be two weeks. It could be a month. It could half of a year. However long it takes, I am going to make sure it will be the best quality I can make it. I expect nothing else from myself, and I assume you all feel the same.

I hope you all like this chapter. I know the story so far has been a bit slow and lacking in action, but worry not - you'll get a scratch to your itches next chapter. Until then, though, drop a review! The more feedback I get, the more motivated I become to write!

Thank you, and enjoy!