Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! Please forgive some of the ridiculous errors near the end of you find any. I had to finish the last part on my phone when my WIFI went down (thank goodness I thought to email the chapter to my phone before it went off…even thought I had to retype about 200+ words), and my phone has auto correct on it-the stupid program that it is. Anyway, just please be gentle with the spelling errors, cause I tried to fight the auto correct. By the way, I recommend you listen to What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts or Can You Protect Me by Nasri when you read the first part of this chapter. ;)

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto.

Last time:

"The snake opened its jaws and Shikamaru could see the venom dripping from its fangs. Shikamaru gulped when he saw that in the scuffle, he lost his kunai. The snake lunged and Shikamaru quickly tried to trap it in his shadow. He had it for about 30 seconds and then it broke out. Shikamaru was now panicking. How can he protect Naruto? Where was Kiba? He didn't know, but as the snake once again lunged, he threw himself in front of Naruto.

And, as the fangs graded his skin, Naruto woke up and saw his friend in danger. However, before he could do a thing, the snake clamped down its jaws.

"SHIKAMARU!""

Chapter 12: Punishment and Revelations

"SHIKAMARU," Naruto yelled.

Naruto cried as he saw the snake bite his friend, and then he got angry. He was angry at the snake. Angry at himself. He had so much more to say to Shikamaru. He had more memories he wanted to make. This snake wasn't going to take it away!

Red chakra started to leak out of him as he got angrier, and the venom in his body started to boil and evaporate. However, Naruto didn't notice this. All he saw was the thing that injured his friend.

He growled as he lunged forward and started to claw at the snake. The snake hissed and let go of Shikamaru. The Boy groaned in pain as he landed on the ground. This made Naruto angrier and he lunged forward again, scratching across the snakes eye, blinding it. The snake twisted around and graded Naruto's shoulder with it's fangs. Naruto roared in pain and retaliated by swooping at its side. The snake hissed and tried to bite Naruto, but he was too fast and he darted away. The snake and Naruto played this dance for a couple minutes. However, Naruto was still injured, so he started to slow down as all the venom, New and old started to ware on him. He breathed heavily as he dodged the snake again, but this time the snake twisted around once more, and impaled him on its fangs. The extra venom was too much for him, and the red chakra receded. Right before he passed out, he heard someone tell "Dramatic Entry" and the snake let go. However, he didn't see who saved him and Shikamaru from certain death.

…Unknown…

Naruto woke up in a place he never seen before. The place looked like a sewer, but he's never seen a sewer like this before. There were red and blue pipes running along the ceiling and the place reeked of malice.

However, Naruto was being pulled in a certain direction, following the red and blue pipes down into a dark hallway that was illuminated by a supernatural red glow. Too soon, they reached a room with a unnaturally high ceiling and a giant café with bars infrared with seals. Naruto even notice the paper that read "seal" where the door knob would normally be.

"So you finally have come to see your prisoner, have you," a familiar booming voice called.

Naruto didn't answer, of course, however, his mind was busy trying to place this voice. It took longer than he thought it should have, but, granted, this time it was much louder. This voice, it's the one that told him stories.

Naruto's eyes widened when realization had hit and he pointed at the being. The voice then got closer as giant red eyes opened.

The being laughed and said, "Do you know who I am, boy?"

Naruto nodded while he took out his journal.

"Then why are you not scared," the being said as it's invisible eyebrow raised.

"St..st…," Naruto tried to say.

"Spit it out, gaki," the being hissed.

Naruto opened his journal and tried to show the being what was written there.

"Speak," the being commanded. "Or leave."

"St…sto…," Naruto tried to say again. "St-stories."

"Finally," the being said as it for up and walked into the light. "So you've heard stories about me?"

Naruto shook his head and took out his drawing boom—replacing his journal. He turned to the page that he drew of Matatabi many years ago.

"Stories," Naruto said again as he showed the giant fox the picture.

Kyuubi's eyes widened as he saw the picture.

"How does this gaki know about this," Kyuubi thought. "I haven't told anyone about…this. Except…no that's impossible! He couldn't have heard that!"

"Gaki," Kyuubi said carefully. "Where did you hear this story?"

Naruto pointed at him, and Kyuubi was stunned. He did hear him! He must have heard everything!

"Stories…helped…me…," Naruto said slowly. "Not…so…alone. Stories… kept me…sane. I always…listened to…the stories."

Naruto then took out his journal again, and this time Kyuubi looked at it. It was filled with his stories and random sketches of events in the stories.

Kyuubi was floored. This…this gaki knew more about him than anyone! And, it seems that he doesn't hate him.

"Story," Naruto asked. "Please?"

Kyuubi chuckled and obliged. He didn't know much about the gaki yet, he liked him so far. He just needed to work on the speech issue…

…Hospital…

When Shikamaru woke up, it was to the beeping of a heart monitor. He sighed and tried to sit up, but it was too painful. He looked around and saw Naruto in the bed beside his, however, it seemed like he was still asleep. Besides Naruto, he was alone. Shikamaru looked back over to Naruto and saw more wound on him. His hands clenched as he cursed himself and his weakness.

However, before he could start berating himself, Naruto's eyes opened. Naruto smiled and quickly jumped up—however he cringed at the pain. He didn't let it stop him, though, as he painfully got up and made his way to the shadow user before Shikamaru could stop him.

Naruto then dropped to his knees by his friend, the needles in his ha d partially out, as tears came to his eyes.

"Shi-Shika," Naruto whispered, and the tears started to fall.

"Hey," Shikamaru whispered as he helped away the tears. "Everything's okay. We're okay."

Naruto shook his head and threw himself onto Shikamaru's shoulder and cried. Shikamaru just held him and whispered soothing words to him. They stayed that way until they fell asleep, each knowing the other was alive. The nurses found them this way, and sighed. But, they just fixed Naruto's IV needles and covered him up. They knew how ninjas could be.

…Homage Tower…

"How could you," Ibiki yelled. "I left them in your care to take care of them! You could have killed them!"

"I thought they could handle it," Anko yelled.

"They're genin," Ibiki screamed. "That was the equivalent of a B or A Rank mission!"

"Silence," Hiruzen yelled. "There's no use yelling about this now! They're safe, and they'll make it through. Now, Anko, I specifically told you to be gentle with them and to keep them safe. What made you think that sending them through the Forest of Death with venomous snakes chasing them was gentle or safe? Your lucky Gai made it in time!"

"Sensei did it to me," Anko said spitting the word sensei. "I thought they could handle it."

Hiruzen sighed and said, " I can't let this go unpunished. You put genins, who you were only supposed to watch as they trained, lives at risk. I'm afraid I have to demote you, Anko."

Before she could complain he continued, "You're lucky I don't take away your shinobi status or have you executed! You know their clans will call for that putting their heirs at risk! Now, you can try for your former rank in four months. Your dismissed!"

Anko's shoulders slumped, but she left without complaint.

"I'm sorry, Ibiki," Hiruzen said.

Ibiki sighed, but said, "They're really going to be okay?"

The old Hokage nodded and then let Ibiki go see his genin.

"Minato," the old man whispered. "I'm sorry."