(Was deleted. Fixed a small error at the end.)

Yo. This chapter is something light to set up a few new ideas I have.

Once more, I would like to remind you guys that if you have any ideas for possible jutsu or abilities you would like to see, let me know. I'm open to all suggestions. The abilities can be Sharingan, Byakugan, or Rinnegan abilities. They can even be completely new stuff no one's thought of. And they can be passive, and extremely over-powered. I'm open to anything at all.

I also want to thank everyone for getting this far. Nothing else in this section.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and let's get on with the story.

General narration

"Talking"

Flashbacks

'Thinking'

Narrator

"Yami speaking"

"Bijuu talking"

'Bijuu thinking'

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Naruto Shippuden, nor the Naruto Manga. They are owned by Viz Media and Masashi Kishimoto. I only own "Narrator" and other OCs.

Two figures eye the shinobi and hound trying to keep the blond boy alive. Throughout the entirety of the fight between Naruto and Sasuke as well as the aftermath of the battle, they have been watching.

The figure fused to the ground slowly makes its way out of the dirt. "Well, well, that was certainly interesting, wasn't it? Are they the ones you seek, Madara-sama?"

The second figure walks out. Clad in a high-collar black cloak with red cloud designs billowing in the wind.

The man hums in consideration. His voice is deep, dark, and smooth, like the strumming of a bass. Despite not saying anything, his voice carries unquantifiable amounts of power. "Those two boys…They seem to have a special kind of potential for greatness."

He puts his hand under his chin and ponders on the two boys further. "The power of the Uzumaki brat may be the prize our organization craves, but there is something different about the Uchiha's eyes. He has that unique hunger for power that even Kage lack, and a special darkness that drives him. He could be quite useful when the time comes."

The white half of the plant-like humanoid hums in confusion. "But why would the young Uchiha be of any use in the future?"

The black half grunts in annoyance. "Hmph. Did you not see the look in his eyes? And the fact that his Sharingan has matured at such a young age."

The black-haired man nods. "Yes. It seems like young Sasuke has the mentality to seek what is greater than himself. Unlike Itachi, Sasuke could never be satisfied with his level of power. If he manages to kill Itachi someday, I doubt that would stop him from searching for more. Sasuke has a truly unique potential. He may have the potential to reach what awaits further beyond"

Black Zetsu's eye widens in shock. "What?! You can't possibly mean-"

"-Yes, I do mean that. The power that lies even beyond the Mangekyou Sharingan." The one called Madara walks out of the shadows. His face is concealed by a bright orange porcelain mask in a spiral pattern. The mask has two holes in it, presumably for his eyes. One hole is where the spiral converges, and the other is placed randomly where his left eye would be.

When he opens his eyes, bright, glowing, crimson pinwheels glare at the world with their nefarious gaze. His Sharingan eyes twitch a little while he looks at Sasuke's retreating form. "I've been trying to awaken it myself for half a decade now. It's taking much more time than I'd like. If anything, Sasuke would serve as a contingency. A necessary alternative, if you will."

The Zetsus remain quiet, not quite sure how to respond to their Lord's scheme. "As you wish, Madara-sama."

Madara's leer digs holes in the back of Kakashi's skull. He narrows his eyes at him and clicks his tongue in annoyance.

A wormhole swirls into existence from his right eye. Madara allows himself to be sucked up in it, and he returns to his lair. He needs to continue his careful planning. He needs to make sure as little as possible can go wrong, and he needs to make contingencies for his contingencies. He must not fail if he is to succeed at his dream. Soon, the world would be his, and everyone would finally be free from this hell.

When Kakashi gets to the village, he dashes to the hospital as quickly as he can.

He kicks the door to the hospital open. "I have a genin in serious condition! Someone, get me a doctor!"

Nurses, doctors, and Iryo-nin gather at Kakashi's call. They all gasp at the state of Naruto. "The Uzumaki? What could've possibly injured him to such a capacity?"

Kakashi remains silent. He shakes his head.

When a nurse comes with a stretcher, Kakashi hands Naruto off to the doctors. Despite their dislike for the blond, they are professionals who will work their hardest to save his life. They swore it upon the Hippocratic Oath the day they became medics.

Kakashi's job is done. All he can hope now is that the medics do theirs. And the Hokage.

…

Kiba lies awake in bed with bandages wrapped all around his body. He stares at his sister as she works to heal Akakamru from his wounds.

He's fine. They'll both be fine, but the road to recovery will be tough on Akamaru.

…

In an Intensive Care Unit, teams of Medics and Seal Experts work on keeping Neji's body alive. There is a seal around his wound to keep his blood from dripping out of it, which allows the medics to remove the stake from his torso.

His body is placed in the center of a massive sealing matrix, which uses Neji's hair as a conduit to replicate new cells for his body. Medics and Fuinjutsu users swap out in shifts to keep the seal running. Even with all the precautions taken, it's doubtful that Neji will survive. But with Shizune leading the operation, Neji does have a chance.

…

Choji is brought to another Intensive Care Unit, where machines and seals keep his body alive long enough for Tsunade to find an antidote for the Red Chilli Pill. Doctors work around the clock to sustain his failing body. It's tough work, but progress is being made.

…

Shikamaru sits outside Choji's ICU with a cast setting his broken finger. He fiddles with his thumbs as he stares deeply at the ground.

Temari sits across from him, simply watching the boy swim his way through his sea of thoughts. "There's no point in you getting frustrated, right?" She crosses her legs to accentuate her developing thighs and folds her hands in her lap. It gives her an air of haughtiness. "Don't you remember your training? With every mission comes sacrifice."

Shikamaru looks at Temari with an expression of misery. It's unnerving to Temari, who is so used to seeing the usually composed Nara with a calm and collected front.

Shikamaru's lips twitch downward a notch. "Training and actual combat are two different things. I thought I knew about missions. And I thought I knew what it meant to be a Shinobi in a world as harsh as this. I became a platoon leader for the first time on this mission. And with that, one thing has been made clear to me. I'm not cut out to be a Shinobi."

Temari scoffs. "Honestly, all you men, with such fragile egos."

Shikamaru stands up. "This mission…I depended on everybody. The only thing I was able to do as the platoon leader was believe in everyone else. Some leader, huh?" Shikamaru chuckles self-deprecatingly. "I should've done more. I was naive, and I didn't have enough power." Shikamaru clenches his fingers into a fist. "It's all my fault."

Temari's eyes narrow. "What? Are you afraid of getting hurt?"

Shikamaru puts his hands in his pocket and walks away. There's no point in wasting his breath on Temari when she refuses to see things from his point of view.

As he walked down the hall, he is addressed by his father who stood at the corner intersecting this hallway with another. "Shikamaru." Said boy stops when he hears his own name. "A girl disrespects you like that, and you just walk away?"

Shikamaru snaps. "You bet I do!" He frowns but manages to reign in his temper. "What a drag. Standing around arguing is not my thing. That's something girls like to do."

Shikaku looks at his son in slight disappointment. "And what are you?" He raises an eyebrow waiting for his son to answer, "You're not a man, that's for sure. As far as I can see, you are nothing but a coward!"

There is an awkward, pregnant pause in the hallway. People look away, trying their best to ignore how uncomfortable and intimate the scene is.

Shikaku crosses his arms. "Even if you quit as a Shinobi, the missions will continue. Someone has to do it. Your friends will be dispatched on other missions, except with someone else leading them. They will face the same exact risks, and some might die as well. And those are the ones you might've saved had you been there to lead them. Now how are you going to feel then?"

Shikamaru looks down at the ground. He tries his best to not make eye contact with his father.

"You've got a chance to reflect on your mistakes and learn from the experience. Use the knowledge of your failures to carry out the next mission and become a better leader. You won't help your friends by running away. Instead, you should try to make yourself stronger for their sake. If you really think your friends are important to you, make sure the next mission goes perfectly so that way everyone gets back safe! The choice is simple, Shikamaru. You are either a leader or a coward! So tell me, which are you?"

Temari looks on with guilt. Maybe if she was a bit more sensitive, Shikamaru wouldn't be getting grilled as hard as he is now. He's been through enough.

Everyone's attention is stolen by the sound of a metal door screeching open. Tsunade walks out of the ICU and breathes a sigh of relief. "We've stabilized Choji. He's lost an incredible amount of weight in such a short amount of time. He's malnourished and dehydrated. but the antidote managed to reverse the cell death caused by the pill's side-effects."

Tsunade walks to the bench and sits down. "He's in a coma right now. I'm not sure how long it'll take for him to wake up. It may be a few hours or even weeks. It might even last a month, but Choji will live. After a few weeks of physical therapy, he should make a full recovery. I couldn't have done it without your help, Shikaku. The Nara Clan's secret Medical Manual and herbs were a life-saver. It was so meticulously well put."

Shikaku smiles. "Thank you."

The clacks of heels clicking on the tile floors echo throughout the hallway. "Tsunade-sama!" Shizune puts her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She wipes the sweat off of her brow and smiles at her master. "Hyuuga Neji's condition has finally been stabilized. And there's more. I've just received word that Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto have returned. They've been examined and you are needed immediately."

Tsunade raises an eyebrow in cautious curiosity. "What for?"

Shizune's eyes turn downcast. "Naruto's injuries are severe. Not to the same level as Neji and Choji, but equally as dangerous. We need your help if we are to save his life. He's already lost too much blood."

Tsunade's eyes widen at the report. 'Naruto's been injured to that degree? If even the Kyuubi can't save him, then this must be serious.' Her lips quiver a touch. 'Has my cursed necklace taken another loved one away from me? I don't know if I could handle losing Naruto. If there is such a thing as justice in this world, then Naruto better live, dammit!'

Tsunade gets to her feet and marches toward Shizune. She has the most important patient in her life on the verge of death, and she will do anything in her power to make sure he makes it.

"Nara Shikamaru, your mission was a failure." Shikamaru's shoulders shake and his head dips. "However, as of this moment, your squad is alive. And if I have anything to say about it, then Naruto will survive as well. Everyone will live, and that is the most important part."

Tsunade walks with Shizune toward a new Intensive Care Unit, where the resident Jinchuriki is fighting for his life.

Shivers roam Shikamaru's body. Shuddering breaths escape his throat in tandem with desperate sobs. Tears fall off his chin and hit the floor, coloring it a saturated black. "Next time for sure… The mission will go perfectly!"

Deep in an underground lair in Otogakure, Orochimaru shows his new disciple around one of his dungeons filled with prisoners and potential subjects for experimentations.

Orochimaru's dark, seductive chuckles wander and echos throughout the cold stone walls of his home. "Sasuke-kun… You are the chosen one."

Sasuke scoffs. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. When are you going to give me the power?"

Orochimaru turns his head and eyes Sasuke keenly.

Knowing his cue, Kabuto whispers into Sasuke's ear. "A word of advice. Watch what you say if you want to live. Despite his drastic change in appearance, he is still Orochimaru-sama, so don't speak to him in that way."

Sasuke looks kabuto dead in the eyes. He projects all of his darkness and hatred with his chakra.

Kabuto flinches back in fear. Cold sweats start to break out of his body. 'W-what? The intensity of his chakra… It's monstrous.'

Orochimaru's eyes widen in glee. 'Yes! He's the one! The future lies within this child!'

A few days after the Sasuke Retrieval Mission, Naruto finally wakes up. He holds Sasuke's headband in his right hand, which he can barely move. He is wrapped head-to-toe in bandages.

He rubs the scratch on Sasuke's headband. It reminds him of the events of the past week. Naruto stares at the ceiling with dead, empty eyes. Every time he thinks, his objective and his failure play back in his mind. He couldn't keep his promise. He's failed his mission as a Shinobi, and as a friend.

Naruto hears the door to his room open up. He turns his head to see the first person to visit him. He's surprised to see the smirking face of his leader.

"Well, well. So you're awake huh?"

Naruto's confusion soon turns to a happy grin. "Hey, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru catches Naruto up on what he missed while asleep.

"I see. So everyone is okay. That's good." Naruto quickly becomes downtrodden. His eyes show deep, great suffering threatening to swallow him.

Shikamaru looks at Naruto with heavy eyes. "So… Sasuke…"

"Yeah. He's gone."

…

As she was about to open the door to Naruto's room, Sakura heard the last bit of the conversation between the two boys.

"So… Sasuke…"

"Yeah. He's gone."

Sakura's hand slips from the door handle. She loses strength in her legs, and her arm goes limp.

As Tsunade was making her way to check up on Naruto, she sees Sakura staring at his door. She quirks a brow. "Have you come to visit?"

Sakura jerks herself back to reality. "Huh? Oh, Godaime-sama! Yes, I have."

…

The door to Naruto's room opens. In walks Tsunade and Sakura.

Naruto gasps when he sees his teammate. "Sakura…"

Sakura looks at him neutrally. "Naruto…"

Naruto's eyes glistens. He clenches them shut and averts his gaze from Sakura. He doesn't deserve her in his life. He's dramatically failed her as a friend.

Tsunade looks at Naruto. "You suffered quite a serious injury, you know. You look well, considering."

When he finally opens his eyes. Naruto still can't quite force himself to look in his teammate's direction. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes widen, but just as quickly, she forces herself to grin. "Why do you apologize?" Sakura walks toward the window and opens Naruto's blinds. "Being who you are, you probably got reckless again, right?" She asks in jest.

She looks at Naruto's reflection through the window and giggles. "You look like a mummy."

Naruto's eyes water. "I'm so sorry… I-"

"-Hey, the weather is really nice today. I have no idea why they keep these curtains closed in hospitals."

Shikamaru looks away uncomfortably.

Naruto explodes. "Sakura! I… I haven't given up. I'll keep my promise no matter what, dattebayo! I promised on my life! That's what I said, so I meant it!"

Sakura's grin turns into a sad smile. "It's okay, Naruto."

Shikamaru has had enough. "Sakura! What he's trying to say-"

Naruto interrupts the Nara heir. "-If I said I'm gonna do it, then I will. Don't forget. I never go back on my word. That's my Nindo, dattebayo!" Naruto forces himself to grin. It's a fake grin, but thankfully, everyone bought it.

Smiles break out around the room. First from Shikamaru, then Tsunade, and at last, Sakura manages to crack a true smile. 'Thank you, Naruto.'

But Naruto's smile is empty and non-existent.

Once everyone leaves his room, Naruto stays laying on his bed, pandering about the events of the last week. The way he lost control of himself while speaking with Sasuke… does that mean Yami is gaining more power? That… is not a fun thought. If something as dangerous as Yami succeeds in its goal, then the world will be an infinitely worse place. And it'll be all his fault.

And then there is the Kyuubi. That creature made him lose all his inhibitions. Such power and freedom were intoxicating. What an amazing feeling. But it was also terrifying. The way he lost total regard for human life there… Maybe he really is the monster the village thinks he is.

Naruto gets out of bed and walks to the bathroom in his hospital room. He grimaces at the cold bite of the tiles on his feet and scrunches his face at the less-than-pleasant stench of the bathroom. It's a nauseating mix of the chemically septic smell of hospital disinfectants trying to mask the offensive reek of the brown stains on the toilet seat.

He ignores it and makes his way toward the bathroom mirror and begins to remove his hospital gown. His right shoulder stings badly. That was where Sasuke's Chidori struck him. It was twice, in fact.

Naruto feels the warmth of the gown wrap around his feet. The tiles suddenly feel tolerable, and his toes relax from their curled state. He grabs at the bandages on his chest and begins to undo them.

When Naruto gets deeper into the layers of strap padding, the pain in his shoulder worsens. It's not a sharp, stinging pain, like with a fresh wound. And neither is it a burning, throbbing sensation, like an infection. It's a dull, deep ache with the occasional numbness.

At last, the bandages fall, and Naruto observes his right shoulder. A cracked, pronounced scar the size of a small child's fist makes its home on the lateral part of his right chest. Streaks of jagged lines and divots of scarred burns mar his otherwise healthy, youthful skin.

This is a scar that is unlikely to ever fully heal. Naruto has been branded for the rest of his life. His scar is a physical reminder, a symbol of his failure.

Naruto's eyes water, but he shakes his head to rid himself of such dour emotions.

Naruto finds a bundle of spare bandages inside a cupboard in the bathroom and reapplies the bandages on his chest. He walks back to his bed and sits in it, his mind racing. 'I'll get to healing as fast as I can, and then I can bring Sasuke back! I don't know if it's possible, but I have to try! I can't try once and give up!'

Naruto hears a knock on the window of his hospital room. He rushes to draw the curtains and see who is trying to get his attention.

He sees a familiar white-haired giant of a man sitting on a super-sized toad. Naruto purses his lips in puzzlement. "Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya smirks. "Yo!" He shoos Naruto away from the window, allowing him to jump and sit on the ledge.

Jiraiya clears his throat. "I've come today to tell you something important. From here on, you are my only disciple. I'll try my best to make a full-fledged shinobi out of you within three years."

Naruto rests his chin on his hand. "Why three years?"

"I've received some disturbing information regarding the Akatsuki. We have reason to believe that the Akatsuki are preparing to make a move, and we have 3-4 years before they come after you." States Jiraiya in a serious tone.

Naruto grunts. "I don't care about that! Do you think I have time to care about what happens three years down, dattebayo?!"

Jiraiya looks like he got egg on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"If I don't go after Sasuke immediately, he might be killed by Orochimaru!" Growls the Uzumaki.

Jiraiya crosses his arms and snorts. "It seems you've learned the true purpose for Orochimaru seeking Sasuke."

Naruto blinks. "What? So you already knew?"

Jiraiya sighs. "I was looking into Orocimaru's immortality jutsu. He'll keep reincarnating until he finds the 'perfect' host. It seems that he can't reincarnate into a new body for three years. Since he was unable to wait for Sasuke, he just recently reincarnated. Sasuke will be fine for three years. There is time."

"That's not a lie, is it? Please, don't lie to me!" Naruto yelled that out so fast, it was the equivalent of word vomit.

Jiraiya looks Naruto straight in the eyes. "Nope."

All tension washes away from Naruto's body, leaving the bandaged blond with a dopey smile.

"However…" With the utterance of a single word by Jiraiya, all the tension returns just as fast as it left. "Forget about Sasuke. You can't help him."

Naruto's face scrunches up in disgust. "What?! Of course, I can, dattebayo! You don't understand. Sasuke has this weird mark on his neck that Orochimaru gave him! It must be controlling him! Sasuke and I are friends! There's no way the person I befriended is the same person I fought, dattebayo!"

Jiraiya looks out toward the sunset and crosses his arms. "That's not how the Curse Mark works. It amplifies a person's dark desires and weakens their inhibitions. Despite the influence of the Curse Mark, a person can still make their own choices. Sasuke went to Orochimaru of his own free will. There's no doubt in my mind he's always wished to leave the village."

Naruto's eyes widen. Sasuke's inner desire was to leave the village? No, that's impossible.

"Hahaha! It's not as impossible as you think, Hikari. Don't you remember that night with Sasuke? What he told you?"

(Flashback)

Sasuke looks Naruto in the eyes. "I don't like being in the village much. The people always look at me strangely. It's not bad looks, but they look at me with reverence. They don't look at me like they look at everyone else."

Seeing the look on Naruto's face, Sasuke can't help but shake his head. "It's not all it's made out to be. People crave respect and adoration constantly. People ask for them in tandem, but people forget that respect and adoration are two different things. When people look at you with reverence, they don't look at you with respect. People look at you and see a goal. They see me as a tool for status, wealth, and prestige. They never try to get to know you because they don't care about Sasuke. They only care about what it means to be me."

Naruto looks at Sasuke in awe. Sasuke… can understand that too?

Sasuke ignores the look on Naruto's face and keeps going. "I hate those looks so much. It's like I'm an outsider in the village. So whenever I get sick of being in the village, I go here, to this clearing. It's far from those eyes filled with empty praise. It's quiet, so no one can keep pestering me, trying to gain my favor or sell me on how their daughters are the best choice to rebuild my dead clan."

(End of Flashback)

"Sasuke was very clear, dattebayo. He said that he never liked being in the village. He felt like an outsider, and he had his own safe space where he could get away from the village. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Snides Yami.

"We know that we've been there before. We have, or should I say, I have always wondered what life would be like outside of these walls. I've wanted to leave this village many times, and I've planned my defection more times than I can count, dattebayo! So if I felt that way, then you, being me, must've felt the same. Haven't you, Hikari?"

Naruto can't help feeling the bile rise to the back of the throat. He can't deny Yami's words, and nothing makes him feel worse. Yami has made him understand that for some reason, despite relating so much to Sasuke, he can't bring himself to understand him. If he can't even understand his first true friend, then what kind of worthless friend is he?

Unknowing of Naruto's inner conflict, Jiraiya continues with his ultimatum "No matter what you do, he will not change"

Naruto clicks his tongue in protest.

Jiraiya ignores the kid's petty gesture. "I've met many shinobi, so I know the type. Orochimaru and Sasuke are cut from the same cloth."

Naruto's eyes narrow in building rage.

Jiraiya's gaze pierces through Naruto's anger. "Don't delude yourself into thinking you can bring him back! That's something an arrogant fool would do!"

"He may mean nothing to you, but he's my friend you bastard!" Spits out the blond.

Jiraiya snaps. "Just take a good look at your condition! He's the one who did this to you! Is that the work of a friend!?"

Naruto's lips quiver. "No…but…you don't get it."

Jiraiya's stern expression softens, and a small frown sets on his face. "Orochimaru and I were part of the same genin team, you know that, right?"

Naruto lifts his head. "Well, yeah, but-"

"-He and I met when we were kids. We were large parts of each other's lives. We were rivals, teammates, partners, and we helped each other grow stronger over the course of decades. We grew up together, and we saw each other's development into legendary Shinobi. We even obtained the title of 'Sannin' together. But above all, he was my best friend."

Naruto's eyes widen to cartoonish proportions. "What? You and someone as twisted as Orochimaru were…"

Jiraiya's frown deepens. "Yeah. Just like you and Sasuke. And when he left the village… All my pleading meant nothing. He left us, and in the end, there was no way he would come back. After all the agony, all that's left was my own sense of powerlessness and regret."

With his beliefs being challenged so aggressively, Naruto instinctually clings to the only thing that will allow him to keep his sanity. Complete denial. "NO! Your situation is different! The fact that Orochimaru is now our enemy means you didn't try hard enough! You gave up too fast! I won't be a failure like you, dattebayo!"

Jiraiya sees red. "You have NO IDEA what I've been through! You haven't earned the right! I spent years of my life, an entire DECADE trying so hard to track him down! I tried to talk to him and convince him to come back! I did it every single time! I even managed to get him an official pardon for his crimes signed by the Daimyo and the Hokage! Even then… it meant nothing. My effort was wasted, and Orochimaru is no longer the same person I called my best friend. He's a worse person than he was the day he left."

Naruto is stunned speechless. He lowers his head and stares at the sheets. He has nothing to say to Jiraiya. No rebuttal, no snarky remarks, and no brash yells fueled by pure bravado. He can't help but listen to every word coming from the mouth of the Toad Sage.

Jiraiya sighs. "Despite the pain, helplessness, and regret, above all, I want to save you from going through that same suffering, Naruto."

Naruto remains quiet. Shadows obscure his eyes from view.

Jiraiya waits a while longer for Naruto to respond. When all he gets is the same silence he's been given, Jiraiya slams his fist on the ledge to snap Naruto's attention back to him. "If you insist on going after Sasuke, then you'll get no training from me. I'll get the ANBU Black Ops to watch you, and prevent you from leaving the village."

Naruto gasps. "What the fuck are you talking about, Ero-Sennin?! Why can't I leave?!"

"Besides the fact that you are as much of a flight risk as Sasuke was, you are not an ordinary kid. You possess the Kyuubi no Yoko that the Akatsuki is after. This is serious. If you are going to behave like a kid, and not do what I tell you, then I'll do what I have to."

Naruto grips the sheets harshly. He gulps down a wad of spit and tries to mentally block out Jiraiya's words.

But like a needle to a balloon, his words pierce through any weak barrier he can create. "Eventually, you're going to have to deal with enemies far stronger than Orochimaru. It's time you started preparing for them. But first, I need you to give up on Sasuke. What occurred was always bound to happen. Don't beat yourself over it. Forget it, and move on."

Naruto's body shakes slightly. He bites down on his lips to stop them from trembling.

"Being a shinobi is more than just possessing powerful jutsu and a strong body. As a shinobi, it is your job to acquire eyes capable of seeing the truth and making the correct judgments based on what you see. As a shinobi, you must become smarter and wise. The longer you remain a fool, the harder it'll be for you to remain in this world."

"You know, I hate to say it because I really liked that emo bastard, but the old man is right. I think we should let Sasuke go." States Yami in an uncharacteristically serious manner.

Hikari's skull pulses with waves of mounting pressure. His logical side, his mentor, his inner self, everything is telling him to let go of Sasuke. His brain accepts this as the right move. Even he knows this is for the best, but his heart… his traitorous, stupid, naive heart takes the reigns and does what one day he'll look back on as his greatest regret.

"I…I'm sorry, Ero-Sennin. I understand what you're telling me, I really do, but… I can't help myself. If being smart means what you say it does, then I might be stuck being a fool for the rest of my life, dattebayo. I know that it's a bad idea, but my heart won't let my mind at ease. It's like my soul rejects the notion entirely. I don't really understand it myself. I wish I did. It'd make this so much easier.

Arrgh! What I mean is that I have the feeling that if I don't try to save Sasuke, I'll regret it until my final breath. Despite all the suffering I may have to endure, and all the failure I'll sustain, I have to keep trying until I know without a doubt it's impossible to save Sasuke. Even if I fail, I have to try, or else I'll spend the rest of my days wondering what would've been different had I kept my faith in him. I guess what I mean to say is that I don't want to live a life with any regrets, dattebayo." Naruto gets off the bed and bows to Jiraiya to both show his understanding of Jiraiya's words, and hide the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He bows lower to display his remorse for being unable to follow his master's orders. "Please, let me live to regret this, Jiraiya-shishou."

Jiraiya sighs with an untold amount of disappointment in his student. He tried his very best to talk him out of this. He even tried bluffing him out, but his student is too stubborn. He hopes Naruto succeeds in his goal of bringing his friend back because the last thing he wants is to see Naruto's expression when he finally understands his warning from personal experience.

Jiraiya jumps off the ledge onto his toad. "This is more than foolish. It's so colossally foolish, you might have a chance. We have a lot of work to do, so prepare for our trip."

That brings a small smile out of Naruto. So he still has a chance at becoming stronger.

Jiraiya turns around and gives Naruto a look that pierces his soul. "I hope for your sake that you succeed at your goal, Naruto. I'll be back in a week. I'll see you then."

Naruto gives Jiraiya a two-finger salute. Jiraiya and the toad disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto alone with a lot to think about.

A day later, Naruto is dismissed from the hospital. The nurses recommended that he keep his right chest, shoulder, and arm in a sleeve brace to allow them more time to heal. It's annoying, but whenever he puts too much weight on his arm, or he moves it too quickly, a painful jolt shoots up his arm, and his hand goes numb. He'll allow the brace to stay on if only so his shoulder can properly heal.

As he makes his way around the village, Lee jumps off a roof and lands in front of him. "Good morning, Naruto-kun. It's great to see that your youthfulness has allowed you to recover well. How are you doing?"

Naruto deadpans at the term. 'Youthfulness? He's never said that before. Is this some new verbal tic of his? I really hope not, dattebayo.'

Naruto clears his throat. "Um, I'm doing well. I'm alive today, so that's good. I'm out of the hospital, and that's good too. I still have to wear a brace because my shoulder is still healing, and that's not good. But I am healing fast, and that's also good." Naruto cringes internally at how awkward that all sounded.

Lee chuckles goodnaturedly. "Don't be embarrassed by your youthful disposition, Naruto-kun. Everyone has their quirks."

Naruto cringes further. 'Sure, but there aren't many as quirky as you, Lee.' He thinks dryly.

Naruto shakes his head and snorts. "You're so weird, Lee. Don't ever change who you are, dattebayo."

Lee gives Naruto an enthusiastic Nice Guy pose. "Yosh!"

Naruto laughs at Lee's antics. "Hahaha!" He wipes a tear from his eye and calms down his breathing. "Okay, thanks for the laugh, but why are you here?"

Lee's face becomes serious. "Oh, right. I was looking for you, Naruto-kun. Neji is out of the hospital as well, and he sent me to fetch you."

Naruto frowns slightly in puzzlement. "Huh? Well, why couldn't he come here himself?"

Lee grimaces. "Well, you see, it's complicated."

Naruto snorts. "Complicated' my ass! Tell him to get his lazy butt over here himself, dattebayo!"

Lee frowns heavily. "Look, just… trust me, okay? He says it's really important. I think you should hear him out at least."

Naruto raises a brow. 'Lee is never this serious and for this long. This must be the real deal.' Naruto shrugs. "Lead the way."

…

Lee takes Naruto to the gates of the Hyuuga compound. When they arrive, the guards are on edge the instant they see the blond.

"What business do you have here, gaki?" Bites the older guard.

Lee steps up. "Good morning. My name is Rock Lee, and my teammate is Hyuuga Neji. He asked me to fetch our friend, Uzumaki Naruto-kun. He has an urgent matter to address with Naruto-kun."

The guards murmur amongst themselves. "It checks out. We know of Neji's condition, so it makes sense that he'd have a close comrade run an errand for him."

Naruto perks up hearing a certain detail. "Huh? Condition? What is wrong with Neji?"

The guards collectively grimace. "That is… something you should see for yourself." The gates of the compound open. "We'll make Hiashi-sama aware of your presence here. In the meantime, wait here until we get his permission for your entry."

Lee and Naruto nod simultaneously. "Hai!"

…

The Hyuuga have their set rules for allowing visits to their compound. Although rare, most people are allowed to enter, even without permission from the Clan Head, so for Hyuuga Hiashi, this was an immensely annoying situation to be put in. But in time, he realized that this annoying overreaction from his guards held more merit than he initially thought.

When Hyuuga Hiashi came to the gates of the Hyuuga Compound, you couldn't imagine his surprise when the person his guards were so hesitant to let in was the village Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto.

His guards being nervous isn't unwarranted, but rather, the fact that the blond is at the compound at all is very strange.

Hiashi's cold, intimidating gaze crushes Naruto and keeps him in place. "Why are you here, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto shivers at the frigidness of Hiashi's tone. "U-umm… I don't know. Lee said that uhh…"

Hiashi lifts a calculated eyebrow. "You don't know? Why are you wasting my time like this? And this Lee person is…?"

Lee steps up to help his junior out. "I'm Rock Lee, Hyuuga-sama. I am the teammate of Hyuuga Neji, under the tutelage of Jonin Might Guy."

Hiashi nods stiffly. "Ahh, yes, a student of Might Guy. Despite not being able to see eye-to-eye with that man, I can respect his strength and ability as a teacher. I understand why you would be here, Lee-san, but I'm still uninformed of what Uzumaki-san is doing here."

Lee salutes Hiashi and stands in a military pose. "Hai. Neji has asked me to summon Naruto-kun for him. There is an urgent matter he wishes to speak to him about."

Hiashi's eyes widen ever so slightly, and he hums to himself. "Hmm. So you are the guest Neji informed me about. Alright. I grant you permission to enter the Compound, but you will be accompanied by one of my guards, and you will be asked to leave after half an hour. Finish your business by then."

Naruto grins widely at the Hyuuga Patriarch. "Yosh!"

Hiashi walks off. On his way back to his office, he takes one last look at the blond Jinchuriki. 'Interesting things seem to circle around you, Uzumaki-san. You have piqued my curiosity. I will keep my eyes on you from now on.'

…

A guard takes Naruto to a more secluded part of the compound, one away from prying eyes. Specifically, Naruto is being taken toward the private training grounds of the compound.

The guard keeps walking and stops once he reaches a sliding door at the end of the hallway. "Neji-san is inside. Please, be mindful and respectful. I'll be waiting outside, and I'll come to fetch you when your time is up. You have half an hour to do your business."

Naruto nods resolutely. He grabs the handle of the door and slides it open. He removes his sandals and puts them aside before he walks inside. He makes sure to close the door on his way in.

"Come, Naruto." States a familiar smooth, elegant voice.

Naruto grins. "Hey, Neji. So, what is it you want to talk about? There was so much mystery with everyone and…" Naruto's words die on his tongue as he rounds the corner.

"You look well, Naruto." Neji's smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. His hair is much shorter than the last time Naruto saw him. Neji's hair usually reaches his upper back between his shoulder blades, but now, his hair barely reaches his chin. It's longer than Hinata's hair, but that doesn't count for much. But what is surprising is just how… boyish Neji looks. The length of his old hair made him look like a girl. His very effeminate features didn't help his case.

But even that is nothing compared to the rest of him. Neji is sitting in a wheelchair, looking as miserable as he did talking about his trauma during the Chunin Exams. It's a look that makes a chill crawl up Naruto's spine. To see someone as strong as Neji look so weak… It's wrong.

"Neji… you…"

Neji chuckles bitterly. "Yeah. It seems that the injuries I sustained during my fight against Kidomaru were much worse than I thought. I guess this is better than being dead."

Naruto's hands start to shake. "Neji… I'm sorry. I failed to get Sasuke back. I made your sacrifice worthless. You nearly died! You can no longer walk, and there is nothing to show for it, dattebayo."

Neji gives Naruto an incredulous look. "Huh? What are you going on about?"

Naruto wipes his developing tears. "You… are in a wheelchair. That means you can't walk, right?"

Neji snorts in an uncharacteristically unclassy manner. That snort develops into soft chuckles. "Oh, I guess it makes sense why you'd assume that."

"Well, duh!"

Neji shakes his head. "Well, you're not entirely wrong. I can't walk anymore, but it won't always be that way."

Now it's Naruto's turn to give his friend an incredulous look. "What? So, you can't walk, but you can?"

Neji facepalms. "Ugh. I forget just how dumb you can be at times."

"Hey!"

"Alright. My injuries were life-threatening. To summarize, I died, but the medics managed to revive me. But even though I survived, it doesn't mean I came out unscathed. As ninjas, our line of work comes with sacrifice, and the sacrifice for my survival was temporarily losing the ability to walk."

Naruto smiles sadly at that. "Well, at least you are alive. That's what counts."

Neji nods in agreement. "Yeah. But the severity of my injuries makes the recovery process very difficult for me. Godaime-sama said that after my injuries heal, she'll place me into a physical therapy program. Based on her estimates, I'll be stuck in P.T anywhere between 6 months to a year. And that is only to get back to the proficiency of a civilian. I'll be stuck working my way back to a base standard for a year."

Naruto winces at that. "Yikes. That's… I can't find any bright side to that. All that work just to be like an ordinary civilian. I'm so sorry, Neji."

Neji smiles. "It's not your fault. There is nothing you should apologize for. Hokage-sama also told me that thankfully, my career as a shinobi isn't over. After I finish my physical therapy, I can work on getting back to where I left off before this mission. That itself is another arduous process. That should take about another year."

Naruto sighs in relief. "Oh, wow, that's great! I was so scared that you had to stop being a shinobi. But I didn't want to bring it up."

Neji narrows his eyes. "I understand. I wouldn't want to talk about that if I were in your position. But after all my recovery is over, I can work to catch up to everyone else. I'll work so hard that I'll still end up stronger than anyone else. That's a promise!"

Naruto slams a hand on Neji's back. "Ahahaha! If there's anyone that can pull that off, it's you, Neji."

Neji groans. His face scrunches up from the pain of the slap. "Yeah… Coming from you, that means a lot."

Naruto crosses his arms and gets into a thinking pose. "Though, I do wonder, why is your hair so short?"

Neji's eye twitches in irritation. "That's because the operation I underwent used my hair as a catalyst to grow new cells."

Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh. Hehe~" Naruto puts on a straight face. "That's cool and all, but you still haven't told me what you need me for."

Neji puts on his standard serious countenance. "Right. I asked Hiashi-sama if I could reserve this dojo because, in the Hyuuga Clan, it's custom to give a person absolute privacy while they undergo individual training. These dojos are soundproof and the walls are lined with seals that obscure the vision of the Byakugan."

Naruto's eyes brighten in awe. "Wow. That's pretty neat. So this must be serious."

Neji nods. "More so for you than for me."

Naruto frowns. "What do you mean by that?"

Neji clears his throat. "Back during our fight in the Chunin Exams, I noticed something astounding about you. Something I'm not even sure you know about."

"I know I've said this already, but what do you mean by that?"

Neji sighs. Knowing Naruto, he'll have to dumb this down. "To be honest, I'm not one hundred percent sure myself. I forgot about it until recently."

Naruto nods for the Hyuuga to continue.

Neji looks the blond in the eyes. "First, answer me this. Have you ever felt a strange pressure in your eyes? Like a strain in your eyeballs along with pulsing migraines caused by chakra build up in your skull?"

Naruto gets into his customary thinking pose. "Uhh, yeah, a couple of times. It's usually when I'm overwhelmed, so it could just be a stress-related occurrence."

Neji has to concur with that. "Okay. That is a plausible theory. I'll take that into consideration. Now, my second question. When the chakra focuses on your eyes, does your vision… change in any way?"

Naruto's eyes crease. "Huh? In what way? Give me an example. You're being too vague, dattebayo."

Neji rubs his chin in concentration. "Let's see. When the chakra is activated, has your vision gone black and white? Has your range of vision increased to the point that you can see… what is the best way to put this… you can see everywhere at once?"

Naruto immediately recalls his experimentation with his eyes the night before the Chunin Exams. The ridiculous, abnormal pain focused in his eyes and inside his skull. The sensitivity of his entire body, and his seizure. It was an out-of-body experience in and of itself. "Uhh, yeah. I have."

Neji frowns grimly. "Alright. I think I know what is going on with you, but before that, I need to perform one small test."

Naruto's eye twitches. "Hey! If you know what's going on with my eyes, then just tell me, dattebayo! There's no need to do a bullshit test like this!"

Neji's frown deepens. "Don't be so ignorant!" He chastises. "I'm putting my neck on the line here for you, Naruto! At least try to put the same effort as I am! Don't be so ungrateful! Grow up!"

Naruto's eye relaxes. His head falls, and he looks away from Neji. He's slightly ashamed of his childish behavior. He thought he got out of his bratty phase when he became a ninja, but it seems he still has a lot to learn.

He refuses to apologize, though. "Hmph. Fine."

Neji rubs his temples to try and ebb away the budding migraine. "Fine, fine. Just forget it."

Neji takes a deep breath and sighs. "Alright. This is simple. I need you to cast a quick series of hand seals, and charge chakra into those seals. Your chakra will do the rest."

Naruto salutes Neji. "Osu!"

Neji clears his throat. "Cast the following seals. Horse, Tiger, Boar-"

Naruto makes sure to do them slowly and to charge as much chakra as he can to the seals.

"Rabbit, Rat, Dog-"

Naruto can feel the hand seals naturally draw on Yami's chakra without him having to focus on doing so. It's a strange sensation for Yami's chakra to work on its own. Drawing on it is easier too, now that their right arms are fully bound.

"Boar, Rabbit, Rat-"

Naruto can feel the chakra naturally rush toward his eyes. He can feel them burn uncomfortably.

"Dog-"

Naruto feels Yami's chakra rush toward his eyes now without his nor Yami's will being imparted on said chakra.

"And finally, this modified Snake seal." Neji demonstrates the modified seal to Naruto.

The Jinchuriki forces all his remaining chakra into the seal. He can feel every bit of energy in his body and even a large amount of Yami's chakra rush and concentrate around their eyes.

All the chakra activates, causing him intense, overwhelming pain. He can feel many somethings poke from around his eyes and temples. He feels so much chakra flow in his eyes and skull. The density of it makes it feel as if his head will explode at any minute.

He can feel his eyes activate and do… something. His vision becomes black and white and he can suddenly look everywhere at the same exact time. His brain is being assaulted by the image of everything inside of the dojo.

He can see the dust bunny under a tatami mat. He can see the swish of Neji's hair whenever he twitches a muscle. He can see the design of the seals inside the walls, and he can see the roach crawling behind a display case.

The stimulation is too much. It feels like his brain is turning to mush.

Suddenly, the pain and the vision stopped. Instead, he feels a hot, prickling pain, as if two red-hot needles were jabbed into his supraorbital foramen. Both of them. Naruto collapses to his knees, where cold sweats soak his skin, and shivers roam his body. He swallows hungry gulps of air. "W…wh.. w-what the hell… was that, dattebayo?"

Neji pants. He is just as exhausted as the blond Jinchuriki, maybe more so. "I had to rush over to you in my chair. I used the Jyuuken to cut off the chakra flow into your eyes. And good thing I did too. It looked like you were on the verge of a collapse, and it'd be way too difficult to explain that to Hiashi-sama."

Naruto gives Neji a weak thumbs up. "Yeah, got it."

"Take as long as you need to recover. Our conversation is important, and I don't need you to be distracted. This is bigger than the both of us."

Naruto rolls over and sits against a wall. "No need. Let's talk now."

Neji mumbles something unintelligible under his breath. "Fine. To make this simple, you, Uzumaki Naruto, possess a Doujutsu. More specifically, you possess the Byakugan."

Naruto's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. He immediately winces and puts his hands over his eyes to soothe them. "Owie! That hurts, dattebayo!" Naruto drags himself back to his feet. He wobbles as he tries to get his balance back on track. When he steadies his movement, he rubs his eyes furiously, trying to rid himself of the internal itch.

And then… he realizes what was said. "Wait? What?! I have the Byakugan? That. Is. So. COOL! Neji, we need to celebrate! I am somebody, dattebayo!"

"NO! Listen to me, you must NEVER reveal this to anyone!" Pleads Neji.

Naruto stops celebrating and becomes apprehensive. "Huh? But why? Isn't having the Byakugan a good thing?"

Neji doesn't know what to do. He's torn between strangeling the blond and giving up. But alas, neither would be a smart choice. "Naruto, do you remember what I told you during our fight? The lineage of hatred that runs in the Hyuuga blood?"

Naruto nods hesitantly. "Yeah. I do. But what does that have to do with me?"

Neji facepalms. "Idiot! The Hyuuga has two branches. The Main Family, and the Branch Family. If I, the nephew of the Clan Head, someone who from special circumstances shares exactly half of his DNA belongs to the Clan Head and still belongs to the branch Family, what do you think they'd do to someone like you? A mutt who possesses none of the defining traits of the Hyuuga, and who possesses a Byakugan so weak that it hurts you to use it?"

Naruto's mouth goes dry, and his thoughts die before he can even process them.

Neji sighs softly. "You are already a pariah in the village proper, Naruto. How do you think you'd be treated in the Hyuuga Clan? At best, you'd be forced to be part of the Branch Family, meaning you'll be branded with the Hyuuga Juinjutsu."

"No way! I don't even possess the Hyuuga name! They can't do anything to me, dattebayo! Tsunade Baa-chan won't allow it!" Declares the blond.

Neji's expression turns grim. "I'm sorry to say this Naruto, but Konoha has a few set laws that make it so the Hokage can't get involved in Clan matters. The Byakugan is something that belongs to the Hyuuga Clan as it is exclusive to our bloodline, so the Main Branch would have complete dominion over your fate. They would have unquestioned jurisdiction over what to do with you, and nobody could help you."

Naruto's breath hitches. "No…no, no, no, no… Anything but that. I'd rather be dead than be a slave! What can I do, Neji!?"

Neji smiles softly at his new friend. "Don't worry. I'll give you my word that I will never mention a single thing about your eyes. What happens in this dojo, stays in this dojo. Clan rules be damned! I refuse to allow someone I care about to be turned into a slave when I can prevent it."

Naruto breathes a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you, Neji."

Neji nods.

Naruto hums in confusion. "But, why tell me this at all if you had no intention of telling anyone?"

Neji clicks his tongue, trying to find the right words to say. "I needed to let you know because -and I'm sorry to say this- I doubted that you would have kept quiet about your ability. And I was right to doubt you. I needed you to know how serious and dangerous your existence is. The Hyuuga have never in our recorded history ever married outside of the Clan. You are the definition of an abomination that should not exist. In the worst-case scenario, the Hyuuga would have legitimate legal justification to have you executed."

Naruto's tan skin turns 4 shades paler. His tone resembles Sasuke's ivory skin. "O-oh, wow…th-thanks f-f-for being so con-siderate, Neji."

Neji nods. "However, one thing does confuse me. Who exactly are you related to? With how little resemblance you share with the Hyuuga, and the frailty of your Byakugan, it must mean you are a mutt, and that you have weak Hyuuga blood in you."

"Hey! Just because I'm not a full-blooded Hyuuga, it doesn't make me any lesser than you, dattebayo!" Snarls Naruto.

Neji puts his hands out in a placating manner. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I mean that whatever Hyuuga blood you possess is weak because it's diluted. As I said before, never in our recorded history has the Hyuuga Clan ever married outside the Clan and this is true for both branches of the family. So that means that either one of your parents or any of your possible grandparents were bastard children of the Hyuuga Clan."

Naruto sees red. "What did you just call my parents and grandparents, you punk?!"

Neji sighs for what feels like the hundredth time that day. "Bastard child. It's not an insult. It's a real term. It means a child born out of wedlock, specifically with an unknown father. And considering how difficult it'd be for a Hyuuga woman to hide her pregnancy, it makes the most sense that the Hyuuga in your blood is some absent Hyuuga man."

Naruto grumbles obscenities under his breath but silently agrees with Neji. "Okay, fine, I forgive you. But all I learned was that just like me, you don't have any idea as to who I could be related to. And the only clue I have is that some deadbeat douchebag abandoned my Kaa-chan or one of my Baa-chan's?"

Neji's nose crinkles in distaste for Naruto's word choice. "I wouldn't put it in such crude phrasing, but yes, I guess so."

Naruto places a hand on Neji's shoulder. "Thank you, for everything, Neji."

Neji places his hand on top of Naruto's own. "Anytime, Uzumaki."

Naruto turns to leave but is stopped by a strong yell.

"Wait, Naruto, I almost forgot something!" Exclaims Neji.

Naruto groans. "Ohh, what now? We just had a moment, and now you ruined it."

Neji groans. Sometimes, Naruto can be so needlessly difficult. "I'm no longer able to use my body and train it, and I won't be able to do so for a while. However, I still have access to what separates me from the average shinobi. My chakra, and my Byakugan. And when you are trapped in your own body, with nothing to keep you awake, all you have to occupy yourself with is playing around with your chakra. And by doing so, I think I found something new. Something no one else has achieved. A new ability in my Byakugan. The next level."

Stars shine in Naruto's eyes. "Sugoi! You really are a genius, Neji! I hope I can achieve your proficiency in the Byakugan one day, dattebayo."

Neji looks away, slightly flustered. "Well, I bet you can get there in time. But right now, I want to test out my ability on you."

Naruto blanches. "No, why would I let you do that? Your jutsu hurts a lot already, and I don't want to experience some new unknown ability."

Neji chuckles. "Hahaha. No, no. It's nothing like that. This ability is a passive skill. It doesn't have any battle use as far as I know, but it is useful."

Naruto quirks a brow in intrigue. "Hmm. Okay, I'll be your Guinea Pig."

Neji nods in gratitude. "Alright. I need you to come to me and give me your dominant hand. Focus some chakra on it, and I'll do the rest."

Naruto does as he's told. He places his right hand inside Neji's hands, and channels chakra into his limb.

Neji connects his chakra with Naruto's own and activates his Byakugan. Neji's pupils become visible, and veins protrude around his temples. Neji's eyes scan the flow and density of Naruto's chakra. He sees the size of Naruto's chakra coils and their rate of growth. He searches deeper and deeper, and at last, he sees it.

Neji's eyes widen and he gasps harshly. 'W-what? Impossible!' Neji's skin turns paperwhite, and nervous sweats form on his brow. At last, when his Byakugan fades, Neji's hands tremble from anxiety.

Naruto calls to his friend. "Neji."

No response.

Naruto places a hand on Neji's shoulder. "Neji?"

Still nothing.

Naruto grabs onto Neji's shoulders and shakes the older boy violently. "NEJI! Wake up, dattebayo!"

Neji jerks back into awareness. "Huh?" The young Hyuuga looks around, and his vision focuses on the face of the whiskered blond boy in front of him. "N-Naruto…"

Naruto holds Neji gently. "Careful. Breath. Inhale deeply, hold your breath, and exhale slowly."

Neji takes a needy breath through his nose, holds it for a second, and exhales slowly through his mouth. "Thank you. I feel much better."

Naruto grins at the Hyuuga. "Yeah, no biggie." Naruto's expression turns serious. "So, what was that just now?"

Neji purses his lips. Sensing how cracked they feel, Neji takes a second to wet his lips and moisten his mouth. "My new ability is strange. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but if I were to have a guess, it's the gauging of potential. To be more specific, it's the gauging of chakra potential. Based on someone's current condition, and the rate of their growth, I can make an accurate guess as to what their compatibility with Ninjutsu is, and what their chakra would be projected to be like in their prime. And you Naruto…"

Naruto gulps down a lump in his throat. "I… what?"

Neji rubs the bridge of his nose. "Okay. I'll start small. Your affinity for chakra control is pathetic. I doubt you could ever get your chakra under a leash, and it's nigh impossible with the level of power you can achieve. If you don't fix that, you will never reach your full potential."

Naruto's jaw jumps. 'So what the closet pervert said was true. I thought he was trying to confuse me and downplay my abilities. I need to improve my control. But how?'

Neji continues. "I managed to discover your Nature Affinity. You have an affinity for Wind, so Futon jutsu will be easier for you to acclimate to."

Naruto smiles. 'That's pretty cool! So I can be a controller of the winds!' Immediately, Naruto frowns. 'But, what can you do with wind? Aghhh, just great! I got stuck with the lamest Nature of all. Sasuke can spit Fireballs, and tether lightning to his palms, and all I can do is make a puny gust of wind.'

Neji eyes Naruto's arm. "Your rate of chakra recovery is supernatural. You can drain yourself of half of your chakra, and make that chakra back up in five minutes. It's not normal, even by superhuman standards."

Naruto chuckles nervously.

Neji becomes visibly nervous. "Your chakra growth is even more ridiculous. Your already absurd chakra capacity will likely double by next year and will become 10 times greater than that in five years. And your chakra could be up to 50 times your current capacity when you reach your peak. And that's not even taking into account all the dormant power inside you. That capacity for chakra is… it's monstrous. I cannot see the limits of your chakra…"

Naruto gulps. At first, he was excited to know that he'll have twice as much chakra this time next year and that his capacity was growing so fast, but now, that projected capacity is ridiculous. He wouldn't know what to do with all that power. If he's being honest, he's… scared of his own potential.

Neji's hands start to shake. "And… and the last bit is on your chakra density. It could reach a truly unrivaled potency. I don't know how to feel about it. You have the potential to do good of the likes never seen before with all that power, but at the same time, you have the potential to achieve great atrocities of an equal magnitude with your power. That's what terrifies me. I've seen your chakra, and it's split. It's like all your good and bad qualities are bound to the fragments of your chakra. With so much power split like that, when it all comes together, I hope the good qualities take possession of all that chakra. For the sake of the world, I hope so. You, Naruto, have the rare potential of becoming either the Ultimate Hope or the Ultimate Despair. I'm honestly terrified to see the outcome."

Naruto stares blankly at the mats underneath his feet. A grim, hopeless expression slowly forms on his face. 'So you… you'll trigger unfathomable chaos in the world. You'll be the cause of untold catastrophes. You'll destroy everything… How far will you go, Yami?'

Inside the Mindscape

Yami places a finger on his chin in faux confusion. "Hmm, no. I won't cause untold catastrophes and trigger unfathomable chaos. We, Yami AND Hikari together as Uzumaki Naruto will bring destruction and calamities the likes of which the world has never seen. Feats that could never be replicated."

'I refuse! I won't allow you to make me a monster! I will make sure that I win the merger when the time comes! I'll do anything to make sure you don't achieve your ambitions dattebayo! And if the day comes where I feel like I'll fail to defeat you, I'll kill myself!'

Yami's eyes widen and he snarls. "What?! Are you insane?! You'd go so far to deny me my right to be free, dattebayo?!"

Inside his mind, Hikari gives Yami a stern, unwavering look. A look so unshakable you'd think a God was casting its unflinching judgment on you. 'I'll do whatever I can to make sure you can never curse the world with your poison. We can rot in Naraka together if that's what it takes, dattebayo!'

Yami's familiar teasing smirk cracks. His smile twists into a deep, stiff frown. His eyes lose their jovial glint and deep-rooted darkness grows in his gaze, like a flower blooming in a world without a sun. The light dims in the mindscape, and Yami's leer holds a cataclysmic element to it that didn't exist before. His face morphs to match his festering evil. The lighting of the mindscape, the feel of Yami's aura, and the emotions portrayed through his corrupted features make Yami look more demonic than the Kyuubi could ever be.

Yami takes a step toward Hikari. The light takes a step back, trying its best to keep away from the clutches of the void. The shadows creep in, closing in on the light of the mind, forcing it to scamper and protect itself. Eventually, the light has nowhere else to go as it awaits the arrival of the night.

Hikari's back touches the wall of the mindscape. He looks forward and Yami takes another step toward him. Hikari has nowhere left to go. Yami takes another step, another, and another until he is within his alternate's personal space. Yami takes another step and places his forehead on Hikari's own.

Hikari has no choice but to look ahead and deep into Yami's eyes. Hikari's pupils shrink into pinpoints and his skin loses all its color.

Yami grabs Hikari by the throat and restricts his airflow. "You speak with such confidence, Hikari. You must've forgotten who I am. " States Yami in a cold, calm tone. "When the time comes for the merger, I'll make sure there will be nothing left of you. Everything you've worked on for your entire existence will be destroyed if I choose it. Whatever remains will be used by me to bring about True Despair. I'll destroy anyone who gets in my way. And anyone who ever meant anything to you will feel sorrow and hatred whenever your name is mentioned. I'll make it so no one remembers who you are."

Hikari's body quivers like a leaf. Tremors run through his hands and his legs shake. His knees turn weak, and his arms grow heavy. Hikari's once unwavering expression turns to anger, then anxiousness, and finally, terror.

Yami chuckles. The chimes in his laughter more resemble the deep, hollow reverberation of a death bell. The ominous, and very real danger in the laughs come off as a tangible bad omen. "You fear me. It's best if you don't forget this feeling. When I finally take control, you will cease to be. The fear you will feel when the darkness consumes you and colors the blank white an inky black. The fear of knowing there will be nothing left of you, and no proof that you ever even existed. Fear that it's wickedness, not weakness.

You will live with fear every instant until the promised day comes. You'll live with the fear of the prospect of your failure. You'll live with the fear of your weakness turning to wickedness. You'll live with fear every time I gain another inch of control. And you'll die with fear when I inherit the world, and the world falls to my whims. You'll live in fear and die with hope. And you can fade into a prison of your own creation, one much worse than Naraka. I will make every breathing moment feel like you are in Hell, and when your flame is extinguished, you can finally rest in the deepest layer of the realm of fire and brimstone." Yami hugs Hikari tightly and grabs his hair firmly. He pulls Hikari closer until his lips touch the edge of Hikari's earlobe. "Da-tte-ba-yo~." Yami giggles fiendishly.

Yami blows into Hikari's ear. Hikari disperses from the mindscape in a smoke cloud, as if Yami put out a candle. "I tried to help you, Hikari, but now I see the light. I will destroy you, and there is no one who can stop me."

The Kyuubi opens a tentative eye from inside the cage. He frowns deeply at the occurrences of the mindscape. Yami has made moves that have derailed his plans. It's time he starts working on the darker half of Naruto.

Back in the Real World.

When Naruto comes back to the real world, he gasps back into awareness. He loses the strength in his legs and collapses. He hugs himself to conserve the heat rapidly waning from his cold, pallid skin.

Neji catches Naruto before he falls to the floor. "Naruto! What happened?!"

Sweat drips down Naruto's chin and his earlobes. He pants like a hound. His body had suddenly gone weak, and he doesn't have the strength to respond.

Neji pulls Naruto into a more seated potion. "Don't worry. Whatever happens, I'm confident you will make the right choice in the end, even if you choose to cause despair. After all, your eyes are even better than mine."

Naruto's frantic breathing relaxes, and his breathing returns to a more stable rhythm. Naruto may have too many questions with not enough answers to go around at the moment. He has questions that may never be answered in his lifetime. And with all that uncertainty, there is a silver lining.

The one thing he learned for sure. No matter what he says or does in the future, or what he becomes, his friends have faith in him to do what is right. They would never betray him, and as long as he keeps them around, then he can walk a stable path.

With so many things he'd like to say, Naruto settled on one thing to encompass it all. "Thank you, Neji."

That's the chapter It serves as a breather from all the action of the previous chapter. I explored a few things I wanted to, and I set a new dynamic between Hikari and Yami.

I also introduced Neji's unique Byakugan ability. He has the ability to see the potential of the person he chooses, and as he develops it, he'll be able to find new things a person can do with themselves, like finding out a person's physical potential, intellectual potential, and eventually, how they can break past their set limits to reach what lies beyond. I feel like Neji, someone who was so fixated on destiny, and his new change of perspective on the concept of destiny, something like this new ability fits him perfectly.

If you have any opinions or anything you'd like to know, please, let me know.

As always, If you have any questions or concerns, even criticism, Please PM me or Review. I'll always answer.

This is Zippy, out.