Heh, gotta lotta mixed reactions for last chapter. Can't blame you though. I'm a right prick when it comes to deaths...but let's get on with the chapter, shall we?

Chapter 19

Sayuri shielded her face from the scalding blast of chakra, not fully believing what was happening in front of her. This brat, while an annoying one, had been nowhere near her level, but, now, she was sensing his chakra level rise to mind-boggling heights. The boy had a mad of rictus of insanity stretched across his face, and his hands were turning into long claws. His whiskers grew thicker, and the eyes...the eyes were terrifying beyond anything she had seen before.

The chakra swirled, and it coalesced above him into a great image of a fox with its teeth bared in a grimace. She widened her eyes; she knew exactly what this boy was now. "A..."

Fu had curled into a tiny ball outside of the illusion world. She desperately wanted to attack Sayuri, still perched on her branch, but the Uchiha's warning to resurface to taunt her, forcing her to rethink. Fu cried into her knees, trying to erase the images of her friends suddenly jerking and then stilling just as quick. She had done the respectful thing and closed their eyes, guilt assailing her. They had all died, one by one, while she had looked on helplessly. All of them, but Naruto...and she expected him to follow.

She cried, but then a massive presence of chakra and unrestrained maliciousness oppressed her. Fu painstakingly looked up fearfully, but her expression to one of disbelief as red chakra-red chakra-poured from Naruto. The presence increased, but she ignored it. 'No wonder he felt familiar. He's a...'

Kakuzu stopped, his instincts ringing wildly. He looked in the direction of Sayuri and the Genin. Anko and Guy also halted, and then they too felt the ominous and oppressive chakra. Guy's eyes widened, and Anko growled. "Fuck! That blonde's gone and-," She dodged a sudden kick from Kakuzu. "Hey, leave it before I slice you to pieces!"

Kakuzu did not heed her, and he stated, "So he's the..."

"Jinchuriki," growled out Sayuri, "And the one of the Kyuubi at that." She drew out her sword. "I'll have to make this quick." Naruto laughed wildly, grating her nerves, and she vanished and reappeared behind him. "Die!"

"KAH!"

She was thrown back with a burst of chakra.

Outside, Fu hurriedly stationed herself between Naruto and the bodies of his friends, and purple chakra pumped from under her skin, and her eyes turned golden. She erected a barrier made purely from the purple chakra, and not a moment too soon. Chakra slammed into her barrier, but it held firmly. 'So powerful! Is this what I'm like when I'm out of control?'

Sayuri caught herself, and she flitted over to him. "Die, dammit!" She appeared in front of him and slashed, but the chakra cloak absorbed the blow, allowing Naruto to swipe with a claw honed by the cloak. She flew to the side, a gash in her side, but she dissolved into dust and merged about ten feet from him, gash healed. She tapped her sword to her knee. "I can't believe my luck. I'd never think I'd run into the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. That was Kisame and Itachi's job."

Naruto giggled madly, and he tore toward without warning, the ground cracking where he ran. She leapt back as Naruto swipe, but then a tail swung from nowhere and bashed her to the right. Another wrapped around her neck, and Sayuri could feel the chakra burning her skin. Too bad this genjutsu forced her to experience every moment of pain that she too had. She dissolved again, and Naruto roared, flaring his chakra.

"Feisty little thing, aren'tcha?" she asked, coming together outside of Naruto's reach. "That chakra will make it hard for me to kill you, but don't worry. It's still definitely possible." She punched at him, and her arm stretched grotesquely. Naruto arched a brow at it, but then he was punched painfully on the jaw, the fist penetrating the cloak. He growled, and his arm bubbled dangerously. "What, you think you can do the same?" she taunted, her arm returning to normal, "Bring it!"

Naruto roared and punched at her. Sayuri was confident she could move fast enough anything he tried, and she was right. She jumped into the air as chakra limb scythed under her, but then another exploded from the ground under her. She swore and pushed it down with a thought, but it would not be held back. It rose up and pierced her chest, and Naruto growled in satisfaction.

Her body dissolved into dust, and Sayuri reformed near him and lashed out with a kick. He was quicker, however, and grabbed her leg. He snarled and unleashed a chakra firestorm, but she easily dissolved and reformed once it was over. She shook her head in disappointment. "I thought you'd be smarter than that, brat, but then you don't have much control over your beast, do you?" Naruto roared, and she nodded. "Yep, no control there."

Naruto giggled, and he was sentient enough to gnash out, "Enough control...to KILL YOU!" All three tails shot at her, and Sayuri teleported out of danger. They changed course, and Sayuri found herself balancing between dodging and teleporting when the tails overwhelmed her. "Quit moving!" roared Naruto, "Lemme kill you!"

"You ain't gonna have luck with that, brat!" she countered. She sidestepped a whipping tail, but then another pierced her again. She choked, but then dissolved. Naruto tensed, waiting for her to reappear, but she didn't. He sniffed the air, and his ears twitched. Then he sensed her. Naruto narrowed his eyes, and he jumped straight into the air, Sayuri emerging from under him, and her sword just grazed his stomach. "Dammit!"

He grinned, and a clone of him materialized next to him. "Heh-heh. Scorching Grand Fireball!" Naruto billowed a fireball tenfold the size of his previous one, and it swelled to a unnatural size as a cyclonic wind fed into it. She growled in frustration, and the fire washed over her. The feral blonde chuckled darkly, but it was his turn to growl in frustration as Sayuri reformed off to the side, but this time her uniform was burnt.

She batted at its smolders. "Dammit, brat. This thing was old enough, but now you've burned it! I oughta drag out your death real slow!" A shuriken appeared in her hand, and she threw it ferociously at him. "Have this! Multi Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" It split into hundreds of shurikens, and Naruto smirked as they drew near.

"KAH!"

He deflected them, but the shuriken circled back around as Sayuri directed them with her thoughts. Naruto grunted, and he cast another wave of chakra, and again they circled back. He jumped backward as they sliced near him, a few actually drawing blood that was stemmed instantly. He swatted at them like gnats, and the shuriken continued to try to injure him, but every cut was healed immediately.

Sayuri made them circled closer and closer until Naruto had only about three feet separating him from the storm of shuriken. She grinned as her hand made a single sign. "To quote a colleague: 'Art is a bang!'" The shuriken froze in mid-flight, and Naruto tilted his head questioningly before they detonated. To increase the power, Sayuri contained all of its energy into a single sphere about six feet in diameter. It glowed threateningly momentarily, but it faded.

And Naruto still was not dead. Almost all of the chakra cloak had been torn away, and his clothes were in tatters. Burns covered almost every inch of his skin, but his eyes still held that malevolent gleam. "Ain't dead yet, lady." The cloak formed again, and the burns healed. He grinned with a razor edge, "I might just have to solve this...outside of the box." The voice was different, smoother, more in control. Either he had surrendered or allied himself with the demon inside. Either one was disastrous for Sayuri.

Fu panted, still holding up her barrier as Naruto's chakra beat against it mercilessly. She had drawn out only a infinitesimal amount of her tenant's chakra, not wanting to risk losing herself. As a result, she was using a huge portion of her own chakra, and the demonic chakra served to more or less reinforce the barrier. The beating lessened, and she looked closely over at Naruto and gasped as he rigidly stood.

His body moved as if on strings, but his eyes were open, letting Fu glimpse the red, slitted irises. She winced as another, much stronger blast of chakra rocked her barrier, and she followed him warily. She traced his path out ahead, and she was stunned as she realized he was shambling toward the tree Sayuri was perched on. He stopped directly under it, and his head swiveled upward. Tails, three of them, extended forward. They stopped just in front of her, as if judging what to do, and then slid into her shoulders and gut.

Sayuri dodged another swipe of Naruto's claw, and she forced him back with a wave of a hand. He rolled across the ground, but his tails dug into the ground and slowed him to a stop. Sayuri' snorted, and she called out, "Earth Style: Earthen Pike Execution!" Naruto roared in anger as a pike stabbed through his foot, but then he pivoted to dodge another. The chakra melted the pike in his foot which healed quickly enough for him to dodge several more pikes that erupted under him. He leaped directly above them.

"Oh, yeah?" taunted Sayuri, "Lightning Style: Barrage of Lightning!" Thunder clapped, and clouds gathered in the sky. Naruto, still situated over the pikes, looked up curiously. "You chose the wrong spot to be in, buddy! Now die!" Lightning cracked, and a multitude of strikes focused in on Naruto. Sayuri laughed, confident. No one could survive that much lightning.

Naruto snarled angrily, and he pulled in his chakra cloak. Sayuri was mystified, until he released all of his chakra in a single eruption. The lightning dissipated harmlessly against the sheer force of the eruption, and Sayuri was knocked back. She righted herself mid-air, and she watched as Naruto crashed heavily into the ground. His tails cushioned him, and he stood defiantly before her.

She was about to say something scalding when hot pain arced across her body. The world shifted out of focus, the wasteland being replaced with trees and grass and the sky lightening to blue. She gasped, and she struggled to maintain her illusion world, but then it shattered. Sayuri found herself not in a tree, but on the ground, Naruto's hot breath in her face. He was on all fours, crouching over her, his savage grin horrifying her.

She looked to see what was paining her so, and her eyes found a tail buried deep into each each shoulder and another in her stomach. Sayuri could feel demonic chakra pouring into her own system, and it was burning her from the inside. She spasmed as the pain flared again, and Naruto chuckled. Her anger blossomed, and Sayuri met his gaze crazily, one of her eyes turning bloodshot. "Die in hell! Ameratsu!"

Naruto reared back and bellowed as black fire consumed his cloak and licked the skin underneath. His chakra swirled wildly, but the tails still would not retract from her body. He batted at the flames uselessly as it was an eternal fire, one that would never be extinguished. Naruto bellowed again, and the fire spread across his entire body. Sayuri laughed despite the pain, and he crashed down to roar down at her.

She felt the demonic chakra travel upward, and it reached her eyes. Her expression turned disbelieving; no, he couldn't control her eyes...could he? If he was the one controlling the chakra, could this brat theoretically force her to use her Sharingan against her will? No, it was preposterous, a wild notion of an idea...or so she thought.

Naruto grinned down at her, the black fire scorching the edges of his face. She felt a pain in her right eye, and Sayuri felt hopelessness flood her emotions as the black fire vanished. His grin widened, and she felt extreme pain in her eyes, more than what was caused by his possession of her or Ameratsu. She gasped and tried to twist away from him, but his arms clamped down on her. "Yer not goin' anywhere, lady."

She felt her eyes strain beyond anything she had experienced before, and she panicked. 'No! He's gonna make me use that technique! But, with what he's doing, it's gonna take both eyes! No! No! NO!' She struggled against him, but eventually the pain stilled her, and she gazed abjectly up at Naruto. Another painful moment, and Naruto howled in victory as her vision clouded and chakra burned dangerously low. 'Izanagi..."

Fu watched in mixed emotion as Naruto overpowered Sayuri, awe as Naruto snarled down, fear as he reared up, black fire washing over him, and awe again as he howled. She still kept the barrier erect, but now her legs were trembling in exhaustion. Suddenly, a miracle happened. She heard a sharp intake of breath behind her, and she looked back to see Neji twitching, the hole in his chest fading, and then Yakumo, then TenTen, then Lee, and finally, Tomitsu breathed.

Fu almost collapsed in stunned relief, but another chakra flare from the blonde reminded her that all was not over. Neji sat up, wincing and patting the spot where the hole had been, and he noticed Fu's fatigue and her barrier. Ignoring the purple chakra emanating from her, he looked over to TenTen who was standing shakily. "TenTen! Get a barrier for Fu-san or she'll fall!"

TenTen, not even pausing, stumbled over to Fu and slapped down the highest-grade barrier seal she had with her. She fell into Neji, eyes fluttering, and they, Team 6, and Fu watched as Naruto bent over a feeble Sayuri, both of her eyes milky white.

"Neji," said TenTen quietly, "Why is Naruto covered in that red stuff?" He shook his head, wondering the answer to the same question. "And why is Fu like Naruto except purple and no tails?" Neji jerked his head toward Fu, finally noticing the air around her was tinged purple and eyes golden. "What's going on?"

"I have no earthly idea."

"Nor does anyone else," said Tomitsu. Fu, finally looking at him, tackled him with a hug. His face grew confused and flushed, and he awkwardly patted her back. "Is...all well, Fu?"

She hiccuped and glared up at him, eyes watery. "No, all is not well, Tomitsu! You died!"

He blinked. "I did?"

"Yeah! Don't you remember?"

"I recall falling into unconsciousness, thinking I was indeed fated to die, but it seems I have somehow survived." He frowned questioningly at her. "Did you intervene and perform a miracle?"

She punched him in the arm. "No, but I wish! All of you died, and I had to watch it all! I never want to see that again!" She sobbed into his chest, and Tomitsu wrapped his arms around her, still unsure of how to react. The rest of them, except for Neji, exchanged glances. Had they really died? It felt like they had fallen asleep albeit just after having a brief moment of intense pain. Neji frowned. 'If I was dead...that would explain much...,' he thought.

A roar grabbed their attention, and Naruto grabbed the blind Sayuri by the collar and lifted her up. He laughed lowly. "You really thought you were unbeatable in your little world, didn't you?" he asked arrogantly, "But out here...you're nothing. Nothing at all." He grinned, and Sayuri suddenly stiffed. "Oh, what's this? A seal that you've nulled?"

"Please...," begged Sayuri, eyes glassy and pleading, "Show me mercy...please...please."

Naruto's face contorted in rage. "Show you the mercy that you showed my friends you killed? Spare you the pain of the hell awaiting you? I. Think. Not!" he spat "Now, let's see what this seal does when it's not nulled, hm?"

"Please."

Naruto ignored her, and he founded the base of the seal, latent with a genjutsu laced over it. He dispelled it with a tiny blast of chakra, and Sayuri screamed as she burst in flames. Naruto, taken completely by surprise, dropped her, and Sayuri writhed on the ground, still screaming. The others looked on in horror, and Naruto laughed, drowning out Sayuri's screaming.

TenTen instinctively curled closer to Neji. "I-is that r-really N-Naruto?"

Neji shook his head. "No. The real Naruto would never laugh at someone in this much pain. It can't be him." TenTen nodded, reassured slightly. Sayuri quieted, and the fire lowered as her body was nothing but a pile of ash. The blonde, the chakra cloak still encompassing his body, smiled twistedly.

"She never knew what hit her, that poor bitch," he sneered. TenTen, fist clenching, pushed away from Neji and stood to face Naruto.

"Naruto! What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded, her voice cracking. He spun, and his gaze locked onto TenTen. Neji tensed, but the gaze was more uncertain than vicious. Naruto was frozen like a deer spotted by its predator. TenTen desperately pointed to Sayuri's ashes. "Look what you've done! It's bad enough you killed her, but to drag it out and laugh at her pain? That's not the Naruto I know!"

"I'm not the Naruto you know, TenTen," reaffirmed the blonde, hand opening and closing distractedly. His savage eyes took on a torn look, and then he seemed to talk to himself. "No...no...but...how did she...did they...get...out...no...no...NO!" Naruto gripped his head and yanked his hair. "No, no, no!" TenTen came closer to him, but he snarled at her defensively. "Stay away! The boy is-NO!"

Abruptly, Naruto went rigid. His nose sniffed, and he spun away from them. "I smell her scent...elsewhere on another person...kill them!" Naruto bolted from the clearing, leaving his teammates in complete and utter shock.

Guy, having to basically strategize for the current fight and what he was going to do with Naruto releasing the Kyuubi's chakra, was understandably distracted. Anko still fought like a devil, being the more spur-of-the-moment strategist. Guy whirled his nunchaku, and he successfully brought them down on Kakuzu's arms, whatever good that did as the man hardened his skin.

Ano still spat fiery curses. "You motherfuckin' piece of-," She dodged a punch, but then Kakuzu's hand detached and wheeled back around. "SHIT!" She ducked and slashed his cloak with a kunai, managing to place her fist just under Kakuzu's chin. "Hidden Snake Hands!" Snakes trailed from her sleeve and entwined themselves around his neck, and she tossed over him her shoulder. "That's what you get, you bastard!"

"Impressive, if a bit unnecessary," commented Kakuzu, dusting himself off, "I cannot be hurt by blunt attacks, only-" Three spikes of crimson chakra speared his chest, and he looked down at them curiously. "Well, that just destroyed two of my hearts. Damn jinchuriki." He vanished and reappeared in the branches of a tree. He scanned for his attacker, but then his senses pinged. Kakuzu jumped from the branch as Naruto splintered it with a claw.

The man landed and turned to face the blonde, his gaze calculating. "So you are the jinchuriki, and, by the look of you, the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi...impressive." Naruto roared. "However, it seems you have no degree of control of it." Kakuzu nodded at Anko and Guy. "I leave you two to it then." He disappeared in a puff of smoke, having replaced himself with a clone the moment Naruto had ambushed him.

The blonde roared again, and Guy moved in front of him, aiming to soothe him. "Naruto, calm down and listen to me. You have to ignore the Kyuubi as it will only influence you to do horrible things. Ignore what it says, and you'll-,"

"They're dead," mumbled Naruto, swaying slightly, "They're all dead, sensei, and there was nothing I could do...I'm a failure."

Guy's stomach dropped. He hoped that Naruto wasn't right. "Don't say that, Naruto. It's not your fault. It was never-," He leaped away as one of the tails smashed down where he had been. "Naruto! Calm yourself, please!"

"It's my fault, and it will always be my fault! Don't say it isn't!" Naruto gripped his head and shook it. "My fault!" A fourth, indiscernible tail started to bubble up behind him, and a darker crimson spread out from his gut. "Neji, TenTen, Yakumo, Lee, Tomitsu...all dead...'cause of me." The atmosphere became heavy as the darker chakra spread further. "Please, just let me...lose control..."

"No, you won't, Naruto!"

Guy and Anko started, and Fu flew from the forest around them, four insect-like wings sprouted from her back. Her eyes were golden and focused, and her arm was coated in purple chakra, her hand holding something small. She slammed into Naruto, and she placed the object, a seal of some kind, in her hand on his gut. Naruto choked as the red chakra receded back into his body, and he fell down to the ground unconscious as the last faded away. Fu panted, and her eyes returned to normal, wings shrinking into her back.

She waved at Guy. "Hey, Guy. Sorry about the...interruption." She held up the now-blank piece of paper. "This was for me...but I felt like Naruto needed it more."

Guy didn't wave back or acknowledge what she had said. "How are the others?" he asked hurriedly.

Neji's voice answered him. "We're fine, sensei. Naruto...saved us, I guess you could say." He and the others came from the woods, and Guy let out a breath in relief. "We owe it all to him...I think." Neji scratched his nose as he received strange stares. "What?"

"You're actually complimenting Naruto and calling him by his name?" asked TenTen, "Just what the hell happened to you?"

He looked away. "A lot of things, TenTen, a lot of things." With that vague answer, he grabbed Naruto under the shoulder. "Now, if someone would kindly get the other side, we might make it deeper into the forest."

They set up campfire at nightfall, and Anko built a small fire. No one protested. It had been a rough day. Naruto was still unconscious, so they laid him in his sleeping bag, hoping he'd wake up soon. Fu, after returning the thanks of the others, hadn't spoken a word since then. No one had. The fire crackled, and Guy gazed deep into it, not caring for his night vision. Fu drew up her knees and tucked them under her chin, and she closed her eyes.

"Fu, I have a few questions," said Guy eventually.

She sighed and looked at him. "Yeah?"

"Why didn't you tell us you were a jinchuriki?"

Lee asked, "What is a jinchuriki, exactly?"

"It literally means 'Living Sacrifice'," explained Guy, "A jinchuriki is a person with a tailed beast, like the Kyuubi that attack the village twelve years ago, sealed inside them. They are capable of extraordinary feats and are quite powerful, but most are solitary. Fu here is one."

TenTen looked over at the sleeping Naruto. "Is Naruto a jinchuriki, sensei?"

Guy paused and glanced at Anko who nodded encouragingly. "Yes, he is a jinchuriki."

"What's he got?"

Again, he paused and glanced at Anko who nodded. "The Kyuubi." There was silence, all of them blinking in disbelief. Guy considered how much he should say. What he was revealing was a S-rank secret established by the Yondaime, one that no one ever broke unless they wanted to face death. However, they were in the forest, and these kids had just seen what Naruto could do with the Kyuubi's chakra.

"The night of the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago," began Guy, not heeding Fu, "the Yondaime was sent to kill the Kyuubi. Except nothing can kill a tailed beast. So he had to seal it away. Seal it away in a newborn with blonde hair and whisker marks." Everyone looked at Naruto, lying peacefully on the ground, curled up in his sleeping bag. "He wanted Naruto to be praised, but all the boy had received is a life of neglect and fear. Until he became a ninja, and then he found his own family and forgot his fear."

TenTen wiped an eye, smiling slightly at the memories of their senseless bickering. He had been the brother she'd never had. Neji softened his gaze. He remembered what Naruto had said to him before he had died, that he Neji was like an older brother, even if he was a little mean at times. Then there was Touza, the little brother figure, and Iruka, the father figure. Naruto, an orphan by birth, had found the most caring and irritating family in all of the Leaf.

"Now the question is," continued Guy, "is will you accept him what he is or will you reject him for the monster sealed inside him."

TenTen sniffed, and she shook her head. "I would never reject him, the annoying little guy he is. I accept."

Neji nodded. "I agree." Tomitsu and Lee nodded along with him, and Yakumo wiped her eyes.

"Now you must swear to keep this a secret. Never let Naruto know until he himself knows, and do not tell anyone else. Unless you feel like dying."

"What if he knows as soon as he wakes up?" asked Yakumo.

"Then there will be no secrets." They nodded, and Fu felt her heart pang at their easy acceptance of the blonde. The people in her village despised her and would not even come within ten feet of her if they could help it. She had no family to fall back on; they had either died or abandoned her. She rested her forehead against her knees. Sometimes life could be so unfair.

Guy returned his attention to Fu. "Another question: were you really in the Leaf for a family visit?"

She shook her head. "No. I was there for a spying mission. I don't even know the ambassador's name." She looked up at them. Shock registered on every one of their faces. "Guilt's been eating at me ever since yesterday. You're all decent people, and to betray you...that's worse than anything I can think of. Please forgive me."

Anko leaned close to her, eyes distrustful. "What if you're makin' this little act up too?" she asked skeptically, "Ninjas sent on a spying mission can usually act pretty good."

"Why would I? Why would I admit about being sent on a spying mission if there really was a spying mission? Why would I lie and keep on telling you that I had a family that cared about me? Why would I defend you if you meant nothing to me, if all I am is a ruthless monster? I am not acting, I can tell you that much." Fu clamped up again, and Anko, suspicions laid to rest, rocked back against a tree.

Naruto stirred, and everyone looked at him as he blinked blearily. He sat up and winced. "God, where am I?" He kneaded the side of his head. "And my head is busting. What happened?" They all exchanged looks, and Naruto arched a brow. "What's with the looks'n'all?"

"You can't remember anything?" asked Yakumo.

"No...well, a few things...things that I don't-wait..." He blinked, and Naruto almost jumped into the air as he realized something. "All of you should be dead! I saw you all die! Does that mean I'm dead?"

"No matter how much I wish for such," replied Neji dryly, "You are sadly very much alive."

Naruto spun to him, eyes wide. "Teme! That Sayuri psycho got you in the chest with a spear of some sort-,"

"Do not remind me, please."

"And I watched you die at my feet! That damn curse mark of yours, it went away! I knew you were dead!" He looked to all them. "The same goes for all of you...except for the senseis. Did you die too?"

Anko snorted. "As if. That fuckin' Kakuzu ran away like a bitch before I could properly beat the livin' piss outta him. The bastard couldn't kill me if he wanted to."

Guy smiled reassuringly. "And I am not dead, Naruto. None of us are."

"That's what they all say!"

"Let me explain," said Guy, improvising as he went along, "Sayuri trapped you in some sort of genjutsu, right?"

"Yeah, and she told us whatever happened in there happened out here."

"Kinda like my genjutsu," said Yakumo.

"Yeah! And what was with you before that sword killed you? You were all scary and dark."

She shifted. "Well...I'm gifted with the power of real genjutsu, but it comes with a cost...that cost bein' a dark alter ego."

"So that's what Sayuri was sayin'..."

Guy cleared his throat. "As I was saying, Naruto, Sayuri trapped you in a genjutsu and informed you that what happened there counted out here. She, however, lied." How he wished it was that simple.

"She did? She sounded pretty serious to me with a side of mental illness to go along with it."

"No, she lied alright. Never fully believe an opponent, Naruto. Whenever one of you 'died', they would come back to the real world and only be disconcerted for a moment. While you remained in the genjutsu, Anko and I attacked Sayuri and broke her hold over you. Apparently, you can't remember much after that, but nothing really did happen." Guy looked meaningfully at the others. "Right?"

Tomitsu was silent, torn between his honor and preserving Naruto's sense of self. He slowly nodded. "Yes, the very moment Sayuri killed me, I found myself lying on the ground, my body in the condition I had left it." He looked to Fu who failed to meet his eyes. "And Fu here was tending to all of us."

"You were, Fu?" asked Naruto. She nodded. "Thanks! Don't know what we could've done without ya!"

Anko grunted. "Don't get yer hopes up yet, Blondie. Fu here was a little spy in our midst."

"I apologized," she reminded flatly.

"Yeah, but I wanted him to know just in case he don't get too comfortable."

Fu glared at her irately. "You still don't trust me?"

"Not fully, no."

"Well, phooey."

Naruto tilted his head sideways. "You're a spy, Fu?"

She sighed and told him her mission and non-existent relationship with the ambassador. When she finished, Naruto's face grew angry, and Fu feared that he would snap at her. However, the first thing he said was, "That bastard ambassador! Saying you were his daughter and lyin' about it! That's a low thing to do to someone! I oughta find him and teach him a lesson-,"

Fu blinked. "Wait, so you aren't mad at me?"

Naruto, mid-rant, frowned confusedly at her. "Eh? Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you of all people?"

"Well," she said, thinking it was clearly obvious, "I was spying for my village on your village, and-,"

"Oh, that?" He waved it away. "Totally cool. You're really sorry for doing that, aren't you? I can sense it." He continued on his rant against the ambassador, someone that he had never really met but hating anyway. Fu blinked again. Naruto certainly was an interesting character. The blonde calmed down after a while, and the Jonins ordered them all to bed, setting Neji for first watch.

Neji sat against a tree, not bothering to activate his Byakugan, and gazed into the smoldering ashes of the fire. He could recall every second of the illusion world of Sayuri, even up until the point where he openly apologized to Naruto. Then, he died, and if he had truly died, it would explain much of what happened during the gap in between his death and resurrection.

Neji felt himself slip into a sea of black that churned and roiled endlessly. He hoped for a quick judgment and sentence. 'I may never see my parents, but my sentence will be nothing compared to what I have done in the living world.' He cracked open an eye, and a distant light greeted him warmly. He closed it, and relaxed as the sea's current carried him to the light. 'Goodbye...'

Neji sat bolt upright in a futon, gasping for breath. He blinked, and he realized he was shirtless with only pants underneath the blankets. Then he realized that the futon was very familiar to him. Then he realized he was in his room back in the Leaf. He looked around bewilderedly. 'Wha? Am I back in the Leaf? Did-did Naruto defeat-wait, I was killed...right?' He jumped at a knock at his door. "Come in!" he called, not paying attention.

The door slid open behind him, and Neji was studying his hands closely when a tray with a bowl steaming herring soba was placed on his lap. "Here you go, Neji-kun," said a voice that belonged to a person who had died months ago, "Your favorite." Neji stopped in his studying, and he tremblingly looked up into the gentle, loving eyes of his dead mother.

"K-K-Kaa-san?" he whispered.

Kinami smiled. "Hello, my little genius." She gestured to the soba. "Eat up. I bet you haven't eaten this in a long time." Out of stunned obedience, Neji slurped up the soup, scrutinizing her. Kinami seemed healthy, like her illness had never affected her, and her eyes were clear and untroubled. She caught him examining her, and Kinami smiled softly. "What, Neji-kun? Do you not believe I'm your Kaa-san?"

He set down the soba bowl with a frown. "No, I do believe that you're my Kaa-san, but then that would mean either you came back to life or...I'm dead." He considered his own words. "The most likely case would be, however,...that I'm dead."

Kinami saddened. "That is unfortunately true, my genius. Killed at such an early age as well."

"How do you-,"

"If you had been killed in later years, you would've chosen to be in a more mature body...only souls of children are stuck in their young forms." She smiled again. "But we can live the life that we never had, Neji-kun. I could never do the things mothers could do-,"

"Don't say that, Kaa-san," said Neji, "You are a great mother even when you were sick. You're my Kaa-san, and I would never ask for any other."

Kinami blinked away tears. "Thank you, Neji-kun. I...always felt guilty about denying you the things mothers could provide, but to hear that...thank you." She hugged him close, and Neji was soothed by her familiar presence. She parted and held him out at arm's length. "I'm so proud of you."

Neji nodded. "You've said that many times."

"And I'll never get tired of it." Her smile turned to sad. "However, I sense that you still hold a grudge against the Main Family." Neji started guiltily, and he looked away. "Did you not get my last words?"

"I read them," he answered, "But you stated that Main Family failed to do something, and I assume that they failed to treat your illness because you were a Side Member." Neji's choler rose. "Those selfish fiends! Always thinking about themselves and never understanding the pain they cause!" He suddenly quieted. "Sorry, Kaa-san. I-I didn't mean to have an outburst."

Kinami regarded him sadly, and she sighed. "Yes...I died before I could finish writing." She reached inside her kimono. "What if I could show you the entire message, one that fully explains what my illness was." She drew out a small piece of paper and placed it in Neji's hand. "Please read it, Neji-kun." Neji bit the inside of his cheek, and he gazed down at the paper, the words popping out at him.

I'm so sorry that I couldn't tell you in person.

It is entirely my fault, and do not hate me for it.

I lacked the courage to tell you about this disease.

\I wanted to protect you for as long as I was able

but I could only protect you for so long-

Her handwriting was still strong at this point, unwavering unlike the one he had kept.

-Please, blame me but do not hate me. I was just

being a mother. And this disease was debilitating.

The Main Family wouldn't-

Here the last message had stopped with a long streak of ink leading to the edge of the paper, but Neji held his breath as he read on.

-have been able to do anything. The disease was

Kekkei Genkai Poisoning, and you know it's incurable.

It developed after Hizashi's death, and I was scared

to tell you. I have fought it and lost. I am sorry that

I will not see you grow into a man, but...I give you

my blessing, Neji-kun.

His hand shook, and Neji let out his bated breath. He read a few times over. He finally said, "So...you had developed...Kekkei Genkai Poisoning?" Kekkei Genkai Poisoning was rare and only occurred among dojutsu clans, but the cases that were reported always ended in death. There was no cure like the note said. "And you never told me?"

Kinami looked down ashamedly. "I'm sorry, Neji-kun. I did not want to worry you, especially after the death of Hizashi. I...don't know how to defend my actions."

"You don't have to, Kaa-san," he said, and she raised her head hopefully, but she met a gaze of skepticism, "but I don't particularly believe this."

She was shocked. "Why on earth not?" she asked incredulously.

"Because you just might be trying to protect me from the truth again. So what killed you, if it wasn't Kekkei Genkai Poisoning?" His tone had remained even, but his words cut deeply into Kinami.

"A-are you accusing me of lying?"

He shook his head. "No. Lying involves an ill intent. You simply shield me too much." His gaze grew sharp. "Was the Main Family instigated in this?"

"No, this has nothing to do with the Main Family, Neji-kun! This has to do with our family! I'm telling the truth!" she cried pleadingly, "Why would I lie in the afterlife?"

"To protect me further and follow your maternal instincts," said Neji evenly, tone never changing from persistent yet gentle. "I know you well, Kaa-san." She stared at him in stunned surprise, but then she shook her head and sighed.

"He said you would find a way to wriggle your way out of this," she said vaguely.

"He?" Neji repeated, "Who's 'he'?"

"And he said that you'd be too stubborn to listen," she said, not paying attention, "I should've listened. He knows you like he knows himself. Not surprising as you two are almost exactly alike."

"Who?" inquired Neji. The door slid back, and Neji looked up to see a person who he had never expected to see again: his father, Hizashi. Neji froze, and his father smiled warmly at him. Neji's mouth moved, but no sound came forth. Hizashi sat beside Kinami who leaned her head against his shoulder. Neji finally choked out, "Tou-san?"

Hizashi smiled. "How is my little genius doing nowadays?" he asked lightly. His headband was gone, showing a blank forehead. Without the curse mark, Neji could see the striking resemblance between his father and Hiashi. Neji didn't answer, and Hizashi leaned forward to place his hand on Neji's hair. "Can't you speak, Neji?" Neji, always Neji, to his father. Not Neji-kun like his mother. He could remember all of it.

Neji smiled with watery eyes. "I can talk, Tou-san, but it's-," he choked, "so good to see you again."

Hizashi smiled and shifted his hand to Neji's shoulder. "It's good to see you too, Neji, but I hoped we could've met under better circumstances." He shifted to wrap his arm around Kinami. "I hear that you begrudge the Main Family."

"And I have good reason, Tou-san!" insisted Neji, "They ignored Kaa-san while she sick and dying, and they betrayed you and sent you off to die, the brother of the Hyuuga Patriarch! Why shouldn't I hate them?"

"Because they are not at fault," replied Hizashi, "My death was of my own choosing."

Neji stopped short. "Wh-what?"

Hizashi smiled slightly. "I chose to die for my older brother, Neji." He reached up and pointed his index finger at Neji's forehead. "Instead of listening to me drone on, let me show you." A flash blocked Neji's vision, and the room darkened to black. When it lightened again, Neji found himself standing in one of the Main Family's dark siderooms, Several ninja were there as well as the Hokage, Hiashi, a Hyuuga elder, and Hizashi.

Hiashi was the first to talk, "There's no choice then, if my life will save the village." The Hokage hmm'ed, and the Hyuuga elder spoke.

"Hold on, Hiashi. The advanced blood of the Hyuuga clan is a valuable trump card to this village. Protecting that has been the duty of the Main Family."

Hiashi shook his head. "But before that duty, if the village is drawn into a dangerous war-"

"I know," cut in the elder, surprising Hiashi, "That's why the Side Families exist. We will have to hand over Hizashi's body in place of yours." Hiashi was mute, his expression disbelieving. "Hizashi has already agreed." Neji watched as his father met his twin's eyes, and then looked away.

"But what they want is the secrets of the Byakugan abilities," argued Hiashi, "With Hizashi, once he's killed, that ability will be sealed. I don't see the Cloud Village being satisfied with that."

The elder nodded. "That may be their true intention, but the demand from the Cloud was simple: 'Hand over Hiashi's Hyuuga's body.'. If we act like we've agreed and hand over Hizashi's body, which is a duplicate of yours, they won't be able to complain any further."

"But-,"

"Hiashi," the elder said, "The time has come. Each generation has protected the Hyuuga blood in this way. You must have the heart to let go of even a sibling to protect that blood. That is destiny of the Main Family, and that's the destiny of those born as Hyuuga." Hiashi looked torn, and he flexed his hands.

Hizashi smirked, "What happened to the always-confident Hiashi-sama?"

"This is vastly different from anything in the past!" shouted Hiashi, "I can't so easily-," Hizashi slammed a palm into his gut, startling the elder and Hokage. Hiashi fell to the ground. He managed to say, "Hizashi...you..."

"Please let me go."

"Y-You have Neji and Kinami...why for the Main Family? Do you choose death?"

"That's incorrect," stated Hizashi, "I have hated the Main Family. Honestly, I still do. That's why, it's not for you as a member of the Main Family that I do this. I want to die and save you as my brother. Doing that is the first time I have the freedom to choose. I have only shown my ugly side to Neji. Yet here, I finally understand my own will.

"So please tell this to Neji," he asked, turning to Hiashi, "I am not being killed to protect the Main Family. To protect Neji, Kinami, my family, and the entire village, I am choosing death with my own will."

"Choosing death," said Hiashi in disbelief, "is freedom?"

Hizashi smiled sadly. "Brother, I wanted, just once, to disobey the Hyuuga destiny. I wanted to choose my own destiny, that's all." He walked out the door, and the room darkened again. It lightened again, and Neji was back in his room, Hizashi and Kinami still sitting in front of him. His father still wore the sad smile. "As you see, my death was of my own choosing, but not for the Main Family. It was for all of us."

Kinami pulled Hizashi close. "Even though it tore me apart, I knew he needed to do this. I laid my trust in him, and he entrusted me with you, Neji-kun."

Neji was at a loss for words. "But...but...why...why did you choose?"

Hizashi smiled teasingly. "Did you not hear my words? I chose for the sole reason to have a single choice that destiny did not govern, that I instead had free will over."

Neji blinked, and he recalled another thing. "You said you hated the Main Family. If you lecture me about having a grudge against them, then you are a-,"

"Hypocrite. I know, Neji," conceded Hizashi. He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. "But given a few years of reflection, I've come to realize I hated the concept of the Main Family, but not any of the people. I hated the curse mark once branded into my forehead, but not the people who branded me. They were as much a prisoner of destiny as I was. I hated the idea of a patriarch, but I never hated Hiashi."

He looked to Neji. "What I'm asking, Neji, is that you not hate the people, but rather the ideology that drives both the Main and Side Family in countless circles. Disobey it, and turn your destiny with the force of your determined will." Neji was speechless, and Hizashi smiled. "I know you can."

A tear fell from one of Neji's eyes, and he wiped it away. "Th-thank you, Tou-san." There was a whooshing sound, and a dark door sprung up in the room's wall. Neji stared at it. "What's that?"

Kinami sighed, partially in sadness and relief. "It seems your time is not over. You are to go back to the living."

"But I don't want to-,"

"Yes, you do," said his father firmly, "Live your life, but remember our words." Both he and Kinami hugged Neji close. "Now, accept our gift to you." A white orb passed between them and Neji, and Neji felt a huge, unseen burden lift from his shoulders. "We'll be waiting for you." A force caught Neji around the chest, and he was dragged into the door.

Neji tapped his fingers on his arms restlessly. Even now, his practical mind doubted the vision's existence. He had been dead, yes, but maybe his mind had extended his final second and comforted him with the exact things he wanted to hear. He snorted and tapped against the tree behind him. That had to be it. There was no other rational explanation. His fingers moved to his shorts, and one hand trailed inside his pocket.

Neji straightened as they found something, and he pulled out a slip of paper. On it was Kinami's note, completed. He gasped and turned it over. On the back was a message, "Of course it was real, Neji, our little genius. Why did you doubt it?" It been no hallucination.Neji was astonished, and he untied his headband and let it fall into his lap. The Leaf symbol glinted up at him. 'Tou-san died for this symbol,' thought Neji, 'And now it's my turn to defend it.'

He heard someone move, and Naruto sat beside him. "Can't sleep," explained the blonde. Neji nodded, still examining his headband. Naruto peered at it. "Why you staring at that of all things, teme?"

Neji ignored him, but then a question occurred to him. "Naruto, what you said to me before I supposedly died, do you remember that?"

Naruto nodded. "I remember everything up to there. After that is totally blank."

"Then you remember that I said I do not hate you."

"Yeah?"

"I extend that statement. I do not hate Hinata-sama or the Main Family."

Naruto looked at him strangely, Neji's face mostly hidden in darkness. "Man, what happened to you? Did that near-death experience rock ya good?"

"It...gave me a new outlook, Naruto, but most important of all I found that I should not hate the people of the Main Family, but rather the meaning behind the Main Family. The superiority, the stubborn belief that destiny controls all, the curse mark branded on my forehead." He turned his head to Naruto. "I hate that, but not Hinata-sama or anyone else." He frowned at the astonished look on Naruto's face. "What, Uzumaki-san?"

"Neji," said Naruto slowly, "Your curse mark...it's...gone. That genjutsu must've fooled it..."

Neji was disbelieving, and he looked in the reflection of his headband. His eyes widened; his forehead was bare, free from the curse mark. 'Accept our gift to you.' This was their gift, and now the bird had finally broken his cage.

Naruto heard low mutterings as he slept, or tried to after the revelation that Neji no longer possessed the burdensome curse mark of the Side Family. He could pick out seven different voices: Tomitsu's, Fu's, Guy's, Anko's, and three others he didn't recognize. Tomitsu's voice was low and fast, as if he were stressed, but Fu was calming him. Guy and Anko were conversing with the three unknowns.

They seemed to come to an agreement, and Fu's voice grew fainter. Tomitsu was quiet, and Anko whispered to him before Naruto heard her sleeping bag rustle as well as Guy's. He wondered what had happened, and it was answered that next morning, Fu absent from the group.

Anko, tending to the fire, said without looking at him, "Fu was picked up by a few of her village. Turns out we ain't that far from the Waterfall, and they heard the ruckus we were stirring up yesterday. They agreed to take her back the rest of the way." She shrugged. "Fine by me. I want this mission to be over with." Naruto rolled his eyes, and he joined in on the breakfast of bland oatmeal.

They cleaned up camp and extinguished the fire, and Guy organized them into a loose pattern, Neji situated at the back and Lee at the front. The rest of them staying close between the two boys. Guy ordered Neji to scan with Byakugan, and they started to walk until Guy noticed that Neji was not following, still standing where they had started. "Neji! You alright?"

Neji looked in fear at him, his dojutsu unactivated. "Sensei, we have a big problem."

"What?"

"I cannot use my Byakugan...it's as if...I've lost it." With the breaking of its cage, the bird had unintentionally clipped its wings.