And we're back! Welcome to Twilight Key, Chapter 30! Merry Christmas!

Holy crap. I love the new Star Wars movie.

This was the first time I had a huge amount of writer's block. It sucks. A lot. I even trashed what I had on my phone at first to start over. I'll talk a bit more about why this took a while in the ending AN.

redlox2: That's just about what I had in mind, yeah. I haven't indicated that people think that Naruto is weaker, have I? Well, even if I have, they don't anymore. And you got it exactly, that's basically their attitude right now. More of indifference.

Kairitrion Cerulean: I kind of get what you're saying. For me, I hate seeing people spell it as "Ay." I like what I have, though.

megaslayer: I named it as Kabuto?

Drakon45: They are currently convinced that Menma and Narumi are the ones indicated in the prophecy, so they don't think about it. Their minds have been set to think that for years, so why bother thinking of it. I liken it to how, when you're young, you get told these innocent lies by your parents that you believe until something specifically brings it up and makes you think about it when you're older.

The Eternal FrostbiteLeo: I have that planned out. Sorry, but not just yet. :P

Guest: Soon-ish. And I brought it up a few chapters ago. It was decided I would just do what I want.

Anyways, on with the story!

I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts or anything else. I'm just a broke college student...

Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Normal Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'

Biju/Deity Talking: "Insert witty remark here."

Biju/Deity Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'

Scene Change: Insert Place Here

Jutsu/Magic/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here

Station of Awakening

"Ugh…" Blue and violet eyes cracked open as the owner returned to awareness. Sitting up, Naruto took a moment to stretch and yawn widely. After the yawn died down, he glanced around to see that he was lying on the platform in the Station of Awakening. A small frown slowly formed on his face when he realized he was unable to remember going to sleep. Naruto's frown deepened when he closed his eyes and tried to recall the later events of the previous day.

'The invasion ended and all the genin received their orders…I worked for the rest of the day…I went to Urahara's place…We talked for a bit…' Naruto's eyes snapped back open when he finally remembered. 'The undead kage! We got rid of them, but then the remaining light and darkness started acting up.' He couldn't remember much after that, but he was pretty sure everything turned out alright. Deciding he wouldn't figure anything further out by just sitting there, Naruto stood up and looked around. "Hikari? Yami?"

"Right here." He turned his head and saw Hikari and Yami standing nearby. Hikari had a small smile on her face while Yami had her usual smirk. "Did you have a nice rest?" Hikari asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I can't complain. I mean, it would have been nice to not have passed out from exhaustion, but it still got the job done." He blinked. "How long have I been asleep?"

"It's nearly morning." Yami responded. "We decided to leave you alone and let your mind rest in addition to your body, so we waited until now to pull you in here." He smiled.

"I understand, thanks." They nodded. Naruto's smile faded and was replaced by a serious look. "I don't know how much you two know about what happened yesterday, but I'll go over the important parts. The invasion started, the heartless got involved, Gaara was nearly consumed by the darkness, I finally got a chance at him with my keyblade…" He sighed. "The heartless started to grow in number, we fought and defeated a higher class heartless, the invasion ended. Later in the day I helped Urahara dispel the jutsu that Orochimaru used on three undead kage, the light and darkness started acting up, and I passed out." He glanced in between them. "Did I say anything you didn't know? Anything you want to add?"

Hikari hummed in thought. "We know a great deal of what happened yesterday, especially when it pertained to something that involved light and darkness…"

Naruto nodded. "Great. The can you answer a few of my questions?" He got two nods in return. "Is the Gaara situation taken care of now? I used my keyblade to lock away the bijū and its darkness."

"You did." Yami agreed. "But as we said, all this did was give him a similar setup to your own seal. This means that if Gaara was ever mentally weakened enough, then the one tail would be able to try to influence him using its hatred as a medium."

"Right…Almost forgot about that possibility." Naruto sighed. "But given what Gaara has already been through, I don't see that as a big risk. He should be adept in staying at least somewhat stable with the bijū locked away as it is, especially after bearing it as he had been for so long."

Hikari nodded. "Exactly. So do not worry about that. Unless something huge happens, Gaara is safe from falling into darkness due to his bijū."

"Great. Next question. Do either of you have any way to stop the heartless from spreading in the world? I don't mean stop them completely, but maybe a way to slow them down so we have time to find the keyhole." He had a slightly hopeful look on his face, but it was wiped away when he got two negative shakes of the head in answer.

"No, we do not. Especially not with the current state that things are in." Hikari said, making Naruto frown slightly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"She's talking about how they were attracted and what they are attracted to." Yami said. "Remember that huge blast of darkness that was created after you defeated the bijū heartless hybrid?" A nod. "Such a concentration of darkness without any long term buildup is not common. That thing was enough to catch the attention of a huge number of heartless. That isn't even mentioning the damage it caused. Add on top of that the fact that there is a large amount of hatred on this world, you can bet that the heartless are interested in this place." She shrugged. "Before now, the only saving grace was that this world is relatively out of the way. This meant that it stayed off the radar of just about everyone."

"But not anymore..." Naruto muttered, getting nods of agreement from the two.

"Not anymore. Now that the heartless have started to take notice of this world, we can't stop them from coming. Maybe we could have slowed them down, sure, but not after how many took notice yesterday." Hikari finished.

The three of them stood in silence for a minute. Eventually, Naruto spoke up. "I definitely need to make finding the keyhole a priority. Urahara said that he would keep an eye out for any potential locations, but we still need to hurry." Naruto paused when a thought came to him. "Wait…Do you two know where the keyhole is?" He asked.

Yami snorted. "Don't you think that we would tell you if we knew?" She shook her head. "Sorry, it isn't that simple."

Naruto sighed. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. "Alright, last question. Do you have any idea what happened yesterday? I mean when I dispelled Orochimaru's jutsu. What was all that with the light and darkness?" This question made them frown.

"We have an idea of what happened and what caused it…" Hikari began.

"But we can't be certain until you get close to the thing that was made and feel it out. If we're right, then it's nothing to worry about." Yami smirked. "It may even prove to be the answer to one of your problems."

The crimson blond quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Which problem would that be?" Hikari opened her mouth to respond, but it was quickly covered by Yami's hand. Irritation flashed through him when the smirk on Yami's face grew.

"We'll tell you after we're certain of what it is."

"And why can't you just tell me now?"

"Because I don't want to." The simple and childish answer made Hikari roll her eyes and Naruto scowl a bit. With her other hand, Yami started to make shooing motions. "Now go. I'm sure you want to talk to Urahara. Go on, get lost."

"Tch, whatever. See you guys later." Naruto closed his eyes and focused on leaving the station. His body was soon shrouded in a soft glow before it flashed and disappeared.

Seeing that he was gone, Yami retracted her hand. It was at this point that she noticed the dry look that Hikari was giving her. "What?"

"You are so immature sometimes."

"Meh. I can live with that burden."

Urahara Shop

As he normally did when he went looking for the occupants of the shop, Naruto walked straight to the tea room. "Thanks for putting me in…the…bed…" He began while he walked in, but trailed off when he saw that unlike most times, there was nobody in the room. "Alright then…" He turned around and walked towards the shop area, but quickly saw that there wasn't anyone there either. 'Where are they?' After thinking on it for a moment, a conclusion soon came to him. 'Oh, right…' He turned and walked back the way he came.

Naruto soon came to the door that led to Urahara's lab. He reached hand out to open it, but paused when a wave of trepidation hit him. 'Please don't have anything blow up in my face…' Closing his eyes and bracing himself for whatever may happen, Naruto opened the door. When he didn't immediately feel something blast him back or impact him, he cracked an eye open before releasing a sigh of relief. "Thank Kami…" Taking a quick glance around the room, Naruto spotted Urahara and Soifon standing in front of a large monitor. On the command console was the cube from yesterday, but it was in a glass container.

Soifon glanced towards him as he approached and smirked while Urahara didn't turn away from the data he was reading. "Well, nice to see you up." Soifon greeted.

"Thanks for putting me in the bed." She nodded back to him. "What's going on?" Soifon turned back to the monitor, which prompted Naruto to do the same. It was at that point that he saw an image of the cube that was created on the screen along with a bunch of numbers and symbols. "Figure anything out?"

"Somewhat…" Urahara answered, still not looking away. "I've been analyzing the cube ever since we got it…I've made some progress in learning what it is, but I'm still missing something…Some information that will let me fully understand what it…"

"What have you managed to learn?"

Urahara glanced at him before looking back. "You've explained to us how there are different worlds out there and how they were originally one world, but they are now separated and unable to interact with each other. After you told us this, I grew curious about it and started to do a little research. One of the tests I performed was comparing the 'presence,' for lack of a better term, of each person."

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"What I mean is that every living being in existence gives off a 'presence' of where it comes from. Kind of like a finger print, but not specific to each person. Everyone who is born in a specific world has the same 'presence,' no matter who you are. But people from another world have a different one…For now, I will just call it an aura print. With me so far?"

"Yeah, I think so." Naruto could understand what he was being told, but what did it have to do with the cube? "How did you analyze the aura prints of people?"

Urahara frowned minutely. "I say people, but anyone or anything that has any form of light and darkness has an aura print…That's how I analyzed it. I just compared the light and darkness of people from different worlds. As Soifon and myself are the only known people here to have come from another world, I used my own. I don't need a lot, just enough to analyze. The other half came from various people who came in the shop. I only needed to set up a device that could read the auras people have as they walked through the door."

"And looking closer to each local aura, you realized that they all had the same aura print, right?" Naruto guessed. Urahara smirked.

"Exactly. After that discovery, he compared his aura to my own, and saw that we had an identical aura print, but it was different from everyone in this world." Soifon said.

Urahara sighed and shook his head. "I wish I had some people from a third world to gather more data from, but that is not currently an option. But do you see where I'm going with this?"

Naruto thought about it. "You can determine who and what comes from another world by comparing the aura prints. If you gathered enough samples, you could even begin to identify the worlds that people come from." He looked to Urahara and saw that he had a grin on his face. "Right?"

"You got it. That is what occurred to me after making this learning this. Unfortunately, such a thing will have to wait for the chance to meet people from other worlds to come by. Anyways, there is a reason I brought this up. Like I said, anything thing that has some form of light and darkness has an aura print." He looked back to the screen. "Such as the mysterious cube that was created as a byproduct of your light and the darkness present in the technique merging."

Realization came to Naruto. "So you analyzed the aura print of the cube." A small frown of confusion formed on his face. "So? It was created by my light and the darkness from Orochimaru's technique. While that is two different auras mixing together, wouldn't it result in the same aura print? Orochimaru and I are from the same world."

"You would think so." Soifon said. "But you'd be surprised." Urahara nodded.

"I admit that I really didn't expect anything new when I tested it. It was more out of curiosity than anything else." Urahara pressed a few keys. "But take a look at this." A large portion of the data on the monitor disappeared and the image of the cube moved to the center and was enlarged. Following this, three boxes cropped up around it. In each of the boxes was some type of graph in the form of waves. It was similar to seismometer readings or that of a heart monitor. Urahara pointed to two of the graphs. "Those two are the aura prints of Orochimaru and yourself. Can you spot a difference?"

Naruto frowned and looked closer. The aura prints were still moving as the machine continued to read them, but they were in perfect sync with each other. "No, they're identical. We're from the same world, so we they should be." Urahara nodded.

"Correct. They are identical, as expected. But the third one…" He moved the image to the cube and Orochimaru's print off to the side and brought Naruto's and the unidentified aura print to the center. "This third one was also detected in the composition of the cube. That alone is unexpected, but compare it to your aura print."

Doing so, it took Naruto a minute to spot it. "My aura print is moving at a faster rate, but only a bit. With Orochimaru, they were an exact match." His frown deepened. "But how? They should be the same. And where did this aura print even come from? It should be just Orochimaru and myself, right?"

"That's what stumps me." The cube and third aura print were brought back into focus. "They should be identical, and yet they aren't. I believe that the third aura came from the undead kage. That would explain why there is a third one."

Naruto shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. If it came from them, then wouldn't it still be an exact match? They are from this world."

"I agree with you. That is why I believe there is something I'm missing. I don't know why it is any different…"

Soifon chose that moment to speak back up. "Do you think you can figure anything out?" Naruto blinked and looked over to her. "Out of the three of us, you are the one who is the most in tune with light and darkness. Kisuke can analyze them and gather data, but you are the one who can best sense and interact with them. So do you think that you would be able to figure something out?"

"Maybe…" His eyes widened a bit. "I almost forgot. Hikari and Yami said they might know what the cube is." That statement surprised them slightly.

"They do?"

Shrugging, Naruto answered. "Maybe. They told me to get a feel of it to be certain. I don't know if what you just told me would be enough, but I would like to get a closer look at it."

Urahara nodded. "Sure, that's not a problem." He turned back to the controls and presses a few buttons. The glass encasing the cube immediately retracted. "Knock yourself out. It's safe to touch."

"Got it." Naruto stepped up to the cube and gently picked it up. He blinked in surprise at the texture.

"Surprisingly rubber like and elastic, isn't it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I didn't think it would feel like this…" He could even squeeze it and make it deform, but it quickly went back to its original shape. After his curiosity was satisfied, Naruto closed his eyes and extended his senses. Because he was holding it, he immediately found what he was looking for.

The aura the block was emitting gave off a calm feeling. The light and darkness balanced each other out and were now coexisting perfectly in the cube. Taking a closer look, Naruto could vaguely detect three different auras in the cube. One he felt originated from him, another from Orochimaru, and the third he remembered feeling from the three undead kage.

Getting what he needed, Naruto opened his eyes and put the cube back. "Didn't really learn anything new, but I can confirm for you that the third aura is definitely from the undead kage."

"As expected…" Urahara nodded. "But why is it a different aura print?"

"No idea, but I'm going to go back and talk to Hikari and Yami." Naruto took a quick glance around and spotted a chair nearby. Sitting down in it, he closed his eyes. "I'll be back in a bit."

Station of Awakening

Opening his eyes, Naruto immediately saw Hikari and Yami standing in front of him. Yami quirked an eyebrow. "So? What did you find out?"

"Urahara told me that everyone and everything that has any light or darkness has some kind of indication that is unique to them and their world."

Hikari frowned minutely. "That is not the full explanation, but that is technically correct." When she saw the curious expression on Naruto's face she waved a hand. "Don't mind me, it isn't important for now. Please continue."

"Alright…Urahara analyzed the aura of the cube and saw that there are three different aura mixed into it. Mine, Orochimaru's, and those of the undead kage. Looking closer, it was discovered that while Orochimaru and I have the same aura print, the third aura doesn't. It was close, but there was still a bit of a difference. That's what we don't get. Those were undead kage from my world, so shouldn't they have an identical aura print?"

Yami smirked. "That man is good to have even realized that much. There have been people who researched light and darkness in the past, but as far as we know, not many of them discover the aura prints."

Naruto frowned at her. "You told me that you might know what the cube is, but needed me to take a closer look first. There wasn't much for me to do besides confirm what Urahara told me. Do you know what it is? And how does it solve a problem I have?"

"Hearing what you said, we are able to confirm that the block is most likely what we believed it to be." Hikari said. "You are of course aware that the worlds are separated from one another. The space in between the worlds is known as the Ocean Between." A nod. "The things that make sure the worlds don't interact are barriers that act as a guard from outside interference. As long as the barrier of a world stands, that world is separated from the others. It is also what prevents a large amount of heartless from appearing on the world."

"Okay, so as long as the barrier is there, then the world is relatively safe…" Naruto's eyes widened. "You said that the barrier is what stops the heartless from showing up all over the place, but they are now. What happened to this world's barrier? Why didn't it stop them?"

"The barrier was doing its job just fine until yesterday." Yami told him. "It was making sure that the amount of heartless were relatively controlled, but it all came to a stop after your fight with Gaara."

Naruto caught onto what she was saying. "That explosion of darkness. It destroyed the barrier, didn't it?"

"It certainly didn't strengthen it. The barrier was heavily damaged from it, enough for the heartless who suddenly started to travel here to start breaking it completely. This world's barrier will soon collapse fully." Yami gave him a moment to think about it. "When a world's barrier is destroyed, it leaves behind physical remnants. These remnants are special for the reason that because they were a part of something that was between the worlds and the Ocean Between, they are capable of protecting those who travel between worlds."

Hikari took over. "These remnants have had multiple names in the past, but today they are commonly known as gummi blocks."

"Gummi blocks…" Given the texture and shape, he wasn't going to argue about the name. "Wait…you said that they are the remnants of the barriers that shielded the worlds. If that's true, how was one created when I dispelled Orochimaru's jutsu?"

"The gummi block you made is unique. A normal gummi block has trace amounts of light and darkness in it because it has a direct connection to the world and its heart. At the same time, it has a connection to other worlds because it is also a buffer that holds them back." Yami explained. "This means that gummi blocks are often composed from one world's aura, but is accepting of others."

"But that's not what happened here." Naruto said. "This gummi block isn't from a barrier. It was made because of the auras of people who are from this world. There was never the presence of another world to help form it."

Hikari smiled gently. "I'm afraid you're incorrect."

That brought Naruto up short. "…What? How? When did another world get involved?"

Yami smirked at him. "Before even you did. Another world was involved right from the beginning."

"Huh?"

"You said the aura prints of the undead kage were extremely similar to your aura, to the point that it was almost a match. This implies that while there was some kind of connection between them, they are still different. Now explain to me what the purpose of Orochimaru's jutsu was."

"It was…" Naruto frowned. "It brought people back from the dead and made them do his bidding…" He got two nods in return.

"Right." Hikari said. "Do you have any idea where he pulled the souls from?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "You don't mean…The afterlife is a whole other world?"

"And he finally gets it!" Yami grinned. "That's exactly what we're saying. In some worlds, the afterlife and the living realm are connected and inhabit the same world, but not this time. The afterlife of this world is a whole different world. It's connected to this one, but still not accessible. Got it?"

He slowly nodded. "I understand…The fact that it was a different world would have normally made the creation of the gummi block impossible, but because it was essentially a sister world to this one, it was compatible. The end result of the auras mixing was the gummi block we have…" He frowned when he remembered what Yami had previously told him. "But how does this help me?"

Yami rolled her eyes. "You weren't listening. I told you that gummi blocks can protect people who travel between worlds." His eyes widened. "Oh, good. You're catching on. When a large amount of gummi blocks are gathered, they can be formed into vessels known as gummi ships."

"So I don't have to risk travelling using the Corridor of Darkness…" A sense of relief washed through Naruto. "I was worried about relying on that. I'm still not good enough with corridors and it tires me out too much. Traveling long distances with them is hard."

"You just suck at it."

Naruto glared at Yami for the comment, but he didn't react to it. "So I should start gathering more gummi blocks."

"That would be a good choice, yes." Hikari said. "You may find gummi blocks as you travel. Keep in mind that there are special gummi blocks that you need if you wish to actually get anywhere. The basic ones are good for structure, but not for navigation and weaponry." While Naruto had been nodding along, he froze at the last word.

"Wait. Weaponry? Why would I need weapons on my gummi ship in the Ocean Between?"

Yami snickered. "Do you really think that there are no dangers out there? No way. There are heartless in the Ocean Between. They even have their own ships."

"…You're kidding."

Hikari smiled apologetically at him. "I'm afraid not."

"Hm…I'll talk to Urahara about it…" He smiled at the two of them. "Thanks for the information. I'll head back now."

"Fine."

"Until next time."

Urahara Shop

Naruto came back to awareness and saw that Urahara and Soifon had gone back to performing tests on the gummi block. He stood up and walked over to them. "Find out anything new?" He asked, but was rewarded with two negative responses.

"Not a thing." Urahara glanced back to him. "What about you? Did Hikari and Yami tell you about it?"

"Yeah. It's called a gummi block…"

One Retelling Later

"Interesting. Very interesting…" Urahara muttered while looking over the data again. "That would explain quite a bit…"

Soifon had an interested look on her face. She and Naruto were standing a few feet behind Urahara. "So this world's afterlife is a whole different world? I just assumed that none of you had the ability to detect its presence…"

Naruto gave her a confused look. "What? Why would we be able to do that?"

"Back in our world, the afterlife was a part of the same world as the realm of the living." Urahara explained without looking away from the screen.

"It was?" The surprise was obvious in Naruto's tone.

"Yes. Going by the standard that one barrier holds one world, it can be argued that our world was split into five or six smaller worlds." The shop owner said. "The realm of the living and the afterlife were two of them. While most living humans are unaware of the afterlife, it is still possible for some to interact with it…But that isn't the case in this world…"

"Which is why I was surprised." Soifon smiled. "It is kind of weird to know that the afterlife of this world is a whole different world."

Urahara hummed in thought. "It is interesting, but it really isn't that different. In our world, it was meant to be that way…It basically was for most people." He pressed a few keys. "Anyways, you said that gummi blocks can help you travel between worlds?"

Naruto walked up to the spot next to him. "Yeah. If I can get enough of them, then I can make a gummi ship." He frowned. "I'm still not completely sure how it works, but there are special gummi blocks out there that I need to travel to worlds. I'm going to have to start looking out for them."

"Sounds like a good idea." Soifon said. "We can make the ship, but it won't do you any good if you can't get anywhere with it."

"My thoughts exactly." Naruto turned to Urahara. He didn't like asking the man for favors, but he didn't exactly have anyone to ask for help. "Do you think you would be able to figure out how to make a ship if I bring you the necessary gummi blocks?" He asked.

In a flash, Urahara had whirled around and had his fan out. The usual annoying smile was back in place, as if it was there the entire time. "Of course! Who do you think I am, Naruto-kun? Something like this is child's play for a person as great as me!"

Naruto's eyebrow started twitching, but he tried to remain calm. "Right, thank you."

"It isn't a problem. I'll be sure to build you the best gummi ship any world has ever seen!" Urahara quickly whirled back to the computer. "In fact, I might be able to get started sooner, rather than later…Just get me one of those gummi blocks needed to navigate and I will have the ship done in no time!"

A dubious look crossed Naruto's face. "And how will you do that? We only have a one gummi block…"

"Oh, ye of little faith. Just leave it to me! I bet I can even get this done in a week or two!"

Naruto opened his mouth to question him further, but stopped when he decided it wasn't worth it. "Whatever…" He glanced at the clock. "I'm going to take a quick shower, grab a bite to eat, and then head out to meet my team."

"Sounds good."

"Sure, sure. Have fun!" Naruto instantly realized that Urahara would soon be completely engrossed in the task presented to him. With a sigh, he turned and walked towards the door. It would be best to leave before things started smoking and exploding.

Urahara was undeniably a genius…but he was still a pain in the ass.

Training Ground 12

"Morning, Naruto."

"Hello."

"Hey guys." Naruto smiled at his teammates as he walked into the training ground. Looking around, he confirmed what he had expected. "Yūgao-sensei isn't here yet." It was more of an observation than a question, but Yakumo still shook her head.

"No, she isn't. But that isn't really a surprise given how busy she must be." She gained a downcast look when she said this.

Sai nodded. "Yes, it would make sense for the jōnin of the village to have a busy schedule following the invasion."

"Exactly. I'm willing to bet that a lot of them didn't even get a chance to go home last night." Naruto said.

"You would win that bet." The three of them turned to see Yūgao appearing a few feet away in a swirl of leaves. "In fact, I'm one of those people. I've been out all night patrolling the nearby area."

Yakumo gave her a concerned look. "Are you alright, sensei?"

Yūgao smiled back at her. "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I'm not a jōnin for nothing." She looked over them for a moment. "The three of you will be doing missions without me today. I'm needed elsewhere, so I have to leave you three alone. I should be finished sometime today, so I will be come by to meet you later. This could very well be the typical routine for the next few days, although something else may come up. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

She nodded. "Then let's get moving."

Missions Office

"Hey! Who is taking the lumber gathering mission?!"

"We need someone to take the delivery mission to the border guards!"

"It's time for a patrol shift! Who's next?!"

"Why hasn't that training ground damage report been submitted yet?!"

"And what about the one for the stadium?!"

The genin of team 12 stared in bewilderment at the chaos ensuing in the room. It was filled to the brim with shouting mission dispatchers with papers covering the floor. It was clear that a backlog of missions was piling up after the invasion.

"What the hell…" Naruto muttered.

"This is…lively…" Yakumo ventured.

"It would be wise for them to acquire a more efficient method." Sai finished.

It was at that point that a nearby dispatcher noticed them. "Hey! You guys are a genin team, right?! I need you to take this mission!" He threw a scroll at them and Naruto caught it. "Get moving!"

Naruto stared at him for a moment before glancing to the scroll in his hand. His eyes then turned to Yūgao, who grinned. "You heard the man, get to it. Report back here after the mission to receive the next one. Keep doing that until I come by to stop you."

"…Right…" Naruto had to fight to keep the grimace off of his face. He just knew that today would be a pain. "I assume you're going to report to the Hokage to receive your mission?"

"You got it."

"Why are you still there?! Hurry up!"

The grin on Yūgao's face turned slightly sadistic. "Be sure to give it your all!" She disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The three of them glanced to one another before sighing in unison.

Streets of Konoha (Later)

The sun was starting to set in the sky as Team 12 trudged back to the Hokage tower to turn in their latest mission. After an entire day filled with nothing but missions and running all over the village, they were ready to call it a quits. While they weren't as tired as they had been the day before, it was still taxing to spend an entire day on the move and working.

"I hope that was the last one…" Yakumo muttered.

Naruto nodded tiredly. "That would be great, wouldn't it?" He glanced at the position of the sun. "I can't imagine us fitting in much more today. Yūgao-sensei should step in soon…"

"As a matter of fact, I'm going to step in now." They turned their heads to see a grinning Yūgao standing nearby.

'There is no way she doesn't wait for one of us to say something before appearing…' Although he thought this, Naruto was smart enough to not say anything, instead choosing to grin tiredly. "Hey, sensei. Am I glad to see you."

Yakumo immediately nodded. "I'm in complete agreement with Naruto, sensei. We missed having you around."

Yūgao smirked. "Yeah, sure. That's why you guys are happy to see me. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that me being here means that you guys are done doing missions." She rolled her eyes when she saw the two innocent looks she was getting. "You will never convince anyone with those faces." She turned away. "Naruto and Yakumo, follow me. I don't want to wind up late like Kakashi. Sai, you're dismissed."

The three genin blinked and traded glances when she said that. "Why isn't Sai coming? And late to what?" Yakumo asked.

"Sai isn't coming because it was just you two who were requested to come. That's just how it is." Naruto and Yakumo frowned, but didn't argue. "As for what we would be late to…" They couldn't see it, but they could practically feel the smirk growing on Yūgao's face. "Late to the important meeting, of course."

Hokage Tower

The three of them filed into a rather spacious room. Once they had entered, Yūgao spoke up as Naruto and Yakumo stood behind her. "Requested members of Team 12 reporting, Hokage-sama." As his sensei said this, Naruto took a quick glance around the room.

Standing in a row in the center of the room were Menma, Narumi, Sasuke, Misa, Shino, Shikamaru, Samui, and Omoi. The Raikage, B, and Darui were also present. Standing off to the side and speaking in low tones were Shikaku and Ibiki. The jōnin sensei of the present genin were standing by the other wall. Minato was standing by a window next to A. On the far wall of the room was a large screen.

When he heard Yūgao speak, he turned and smiled at them. "Good to see you're on time. The genin are to line up with the others while the jōnin stand to the side." She nodded in understanding and they moved as told. Minato glanced at the clock. "The stragglers should arrive at any-" Bam! He was cut off when the door was flung open and a body was tossed inside. "Moment." Nobody needed to double check to confirm that it was Kakashi sprawled out on the floor with an irate Kushina standing in the doorway. "Now that we're all here, we can get started. Kushina, please close the door." Kushina nodded while glaring at Kakashi, who was scrambling towards the other jōnin. She turned and closed the door.

Minato's smile grew and he looked at the genin. "Welcome, all of you. I understand that you are tired from a long day of running missions, but I believe that this is something you would want to hear."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and took another quick glance around to double check who was there. If he had to guess why they were there based on who was in the room…He felt another wave of exhaustion hit him as he realized the probable reason for them to be there.

'Damn it all…I thought we were done with this…I don't know if I want to do this again…'

"Some of you may have already guessed the reason as to why you were called here." Minato continued.

"…This is about the chūnin exams, isn't it?" Shikamaru ventured. He looked extremely reluctant as he said this, much to Shikaku's amusement. The question served to catch the interest of the genin who did not guess the reason.

Minato grinned, but A was the one to respond. "Exactly. Because of the invasion, the exams were interrupted before they could finish. This left us without any new chūnin."

"So we decided to do something about it." Minato continued. "We won't be continuing the tournament style exam, but instead be doing something new." He gestured to Shikaku. "Shikaku will explain what you will have to do." He nodded to the Nara head, who nodded back and walked over to the screen.

Shikaku started speaking as the lights dimmed. "As you all know, Orochimaru was the one to orchestrate the invasion. While he had the expected help from Oto and Suna, there was another addition that caught us off guard." An image of a soldier heartless appeared on the screen. "These creatures are known as 'The Heartless.' They are Orochimaru's newest tool to do his bidding." The screen cycled through pictures of the different types of heartless. "As you can see, they come in many shapes and forms. While they had initially only appeared when Orochimaru called them, it is obvious that they are starting to appear on their own around the world."

Naruto frowned minutely. 'Where is this going?'

"Because this is the first time that anyone has ever seen something like this, we have no information on them." He turned back to the genin. "That's where you guys come in." The screen changed to display a map of the elemental nations. "Each of you will head north towards Kumo. You will be leaving from different locations and be travelling towards different destinations. Your mission is to record and document on different types of heartless as you travel. You will be graded based on how well you do so and how quickly you complete the mission."

'I really don't like this.'

"Each of you will be judged on how many types of documents you record, with favorable judgement going to those who detail an effective method to kill the types documented. The time constraint is one week. You will have a week to travel to Kumo and document the different types of heartless." He paused to let them grasp what the task was. "The exam will begin in a few days. We are simply waiting on confirmation from the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost because you will need to pass through them. Keep in mind to avoid the Land of Sound. We have no confirmation as to Oto's exact location, but we know the general area." He glanced at the genin. "If you have questions or would like to forfeit, now is the time to speak."

"We are travelling alone, right?" Narumi got a silent nod in return. "What are the chances of getting attacked by an enemy while travelling?"

Shikaku smirked. "Good question. It's troublesome, but tensions are high between us and Oto, so they are obviously aren't our friends right now. We will have allies posted in most of the towns and villages along the way, but never drop your guard. As for the heartless, you will most likely be attacked by them. But if you keep calm, plan your moves, and conserve your energy, then they shouldn't be much of a problem." He glanced around again. "Any more questions?"

"Yeah. I was disqualified a month ago in the preliminaries. Should I really be here for this?" Misa asked.

"You and another are here because you showed skill, patience, leadership, and planning during the invasion. It was for that reason that it was decided to give you another chance." Shikaku's eyes slid over to Kakashi. "Although there was another situation where it was debated if a genin should be allowed to compete after being late, it was allowed after it was classed as a 'tactical move' to throw off the enemy…" Kakashi averted his gaze. "…Troublesome. I assume there are no further questions?" None were raised.

Minato smiled and nodded. "Great. We will contact you in a few days when we are ready to begin. For now, you are all excused from any and all duties so you have a chance to prepare. You're all dismissed." The genin and most of the jōnin left the room, leaving nobody but Minato, A, Killer B, Kakashi, Shikaku, and Kushina in the room.

Kushina frowned. "I really don't like this, Minato. We are using them as bait."

Her words made Minato's smile fall with a heavy sigh. "I don't like it either, but it needs to be done. Orochimaru has grown into too much of a threat. Just look at the heartless. We need to eliminate him as soon as possible. The best way to do that is by baiting him with what he really wants."

A crossed his arms. "This is the life of a shinobi. Some sacrifices are needed. I can't say I like this plan, but you cannot deny how effective it is."

"They are children-"

"They are shinobi." Shikaku interrupted. "Kushina-sama, I understand how you feel perfectly well. I'm sending my own son out there as well. I would like to do nothing more than to lock him up at home and wait for this entire thing to blow over, but I know that isn't an option." He sighed and looked out the window. Night was quickly descending upon the village. "It's troublesome, but we just have to have faith in them."

Kakashi nodded. "They're right, senpai." He gave her an eye smile. "Everything will turn out alright. After all, we will be stationed nearby throughout the entire exam."

Although it was obvious that she was still extremely reluctant to agree to this, Kushina eventually nodded.

Streets of Konoha

Naruto was walking down the road alone on his way to the Urahara Shop. 'There is absolutely no way that this won't go wrong. In fact, that's probably the plan…' Naruto was fully aware that this exam would take them beyond Konoha's protective walls and put them even closer to Orochimaru.

"Naruto!" He paused when he heard a familiar voice call his name. Turning, he saw Misa jogging to catch up with him. He smiled and raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey. Congrats on getting back in this thing."

Misa smirked. "As if they could deny the chance of having someone as awesome as me in the final exam." Her smirk fell and was replaced by a serious look. Seeing her expression, Naruto mirrored it. "You have a chance to talk?"

He nodded. "Yeah, that's fine with me." He was pretty sure he knew what she wanted to talk about.

"Great, let's go somewhere else. I doubt this is something we should be talking about in public."

"Lead the way."

She turned and lead him back towards the Hokage monument. The two of them walked in silence as they climbed the stairs. At the top of the monument was a large grassy field that let them see the entire village. Naruto and Misa were the only ones there due to the time.

After reaching the top, Naruto and Misa simply stood next to each other as they looked out to the village. Naruto couldn't help but admit to himself that it was a beautiful view, especially with the cloudless night sky.

Play Sword Art Online OST: At Our Parting Piano Version Extended

Looking up, he was entranced by the sight of the countless stars shining. A small smile appeared on his face as he gazed at the sky.

"What's got you smiling?" He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his friend's voice.

"Hm?"

"I asked why you're suddenly smiling." A smirk appeared on her lips. "Is it because you're alone with a pretty girl while no one is around?"

Naruto snorted. "You wish that was it."

She leaned closer to him. "No need to be shy. It's perfectly understandable." She reached up a hand and traced a finger along one of his whisker marks as she brought her lips closer to his ear. "Who knows? You just might get lucky~" She whispered.

Dead silence.

"Pft!" At the same time, the two of them started to crack up. They spent the next few minutes simply laughing. After she finally regained control, Misa smiled at him. "But really, what's on your mind?"

Naruto smiled and looked back to the stars. "Do you believe in other worlds?"

Misa blinked. "What?"

"I asked if you believe in the existence of other worlds."

She followed his line of sight and looked at the stars. "Different worlds? I…don't know. Do you?"

"Well…If we're here on this world…then wouldn't that mean that there could be other worlds out there?"

Misa considered his words. "I guess…It's possible…"

Naruto's smile grew. "When I look at the stars, I can't help but wonder. This is the only world we have ever known…How does it compare to other worlds? Are they like ours? Are there people there? Do they look like us?"

"You've put some thought into this…"

"I guess I have…"

"…If you could go to another world, would you?" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Would I go given the chance?"

"Yeah. If you had a chance to go and travel between worlds, would you take it?"

"…I would."

"Even if it meant leaving everyone behind?" His eyes widened even further and he turned his head to Misa to see that she was staring directly at him.

"I…"

"Would you leave? Even if it meant that you would have to sever the bonds you have with everyone here that you would leave behind?"

He looked back to the sky. "No. I would never sever my bonds. I fight to protect what's important to me. My bonds are the reason I fight. I would be sure to come back." Misa smiled at this and turned back to the sky.

"Good answer." They stood there in silence for another minute before Naruto spoke.

"So, you have a bad feeling about this exam too?" Although he wasn't facing her, Naruto could picture Misa's expression based on the heavy sigh she gave.

"Yeah. I'm not stupid and I know you've figured it out as well…" He nodded.

"We're acting as bait. While we may very well be promoted, they want to lure out Orochimaru, who has shown a large amount of interest in some of the genin."

"Don't act like you're not one of the ones he is interested in."

"…"

"…Just be sure to be careful, alright? That freak is nothing but trouble."

"I got it." He smiled and looked at her. "You have nothing to worry about. Like I said, I will be sure to come back." He bumped shoulders with her, prompting her to look at him. "So you be sure to come back too." A small smile blossomed on her face.

"It's a promise." Something flashed in the corner of her eye. She looked back to the sky and her smile grew bigger. "Look!" Turning his head back to see what caught her attention, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise before a smile appeared on him as well.

High up in the sky was a streak of light. It soon disappeared, but was replaced by another, with more soon following. "A meteor shower…" Misa whispered before closing her eyes.

Naruto glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" He couldn't see it, but a light dust of pink coated her cheeks, but she didn't answer. He smirked at her. "You're making a wish, aren't you? You believe in that?" She opened her eyes and glared at him.

"Shut up! So what if I do?" She looked back to the meteor shower. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"Hm…" Naruto turned back to the meteor shower as well. He wasn't sure how, but he knew what it meant. This was a sign that the barrier protecting the world had now fully collapsed. He knew this perfectly well.

And yet he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

There we go! All done with Chapter 30!

Change of plans! And a big one! I had been partway through the chapter when a big wave of writer's block hit me. I was brainstorming how to proceed when I got this idea. Well, I thought of something like it around chapter 17, but I never really considered doing it until now. I have now effectively sped things up in a manner I actually like! Worship me!

This also means that I need to finish choosing the worlds sooner. Can you guys please give me some suggestions? Just leave them in a review! Whether it be a game, anime/manga/light novel, book, movie, or TV show, speak up! I will admit here and now I am more likely to choose anime/manga/light novel or game suggestions. I also reserve the right to ignore each and every one of you to instead do what I want.

The concept of an aura print is something I just made up. I got some inspiration from the Bleach anime where Urahara tried finding the "Spiritual Sound" of the mod souls in the Bount arc…Either that, or the concept of an aura print is something that is canon and I just can't remember it fully.

I took the name Gummi Block a little too literally and didn't remember that they don't always look like blocks until a few days later…Oh well. I'll just be sure not to do that in the future.

Fun fact: I modeled Misa after Mikoto Misaka from the To Aru series. That's also where I derived her name from.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!

Until next time,

Kog6943