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Chapter 28

Naruto was tired. Dead tired. None of his body felt like moving. He couldn't open his eyes to see the room he was in, let alone sit up. He groaned, and something rustled next to him. He heard footsteps, and then someone knelt next to him.

"Are you awake yet, Naruto?" The voice was unfamiliar, and fear thrilled through Naruto. How did this guy know his name? Where was he? He only remembered blacking out after being attacked by Hiru. Fear gave him energy, and Naruto flopped over on his side and opened his eyes.

He was in a bedroom with sunlight shining in, and a sickly-looking, pale boy with stark black hair peered down at him with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Naruto frowned; the boy looked slightly familiar, but he couldn't place him. "Who the hell are you?" asked Naruto bluntly.

"I'm Sai."

"Sai what?"

"Just Sai." The boy's tone was pleasant, but Naruto sensed there was nothing warm behind it. With another groan, Naruto sat up, his body protesting and creaking with every move. He looked back at Sai.

"Where am I?"

"Tazuna-san's house. I had to carry you here. You're quite heavy." Naruto blinked, and then the last memory of the fight came to him.

"You're part of Kakashi-sensei's team," he realized. "Where's my team?" Someone snored, and Naruto looked over his shoulder to see Neji sleeping soundly in a sleeping bag. "Oh. Where's TenTen?"

"The girl of your team is with Sakura and Tsunami."

"Tsunami?"

"Tazuna's daughter." Sai stood and held out a hand. Naruto took it and rose shakily. With Sai's help, he made it down the stairs. In the living room, Kakashi and Guy slept on cots, and a wonderful smell drifted from the kitchen. Naruto's stomach growled, and Sai glanced toward him. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah. Am I the first one awake?"

"Besides my team, yes. Does that worry you?" Naruto was quickly tiring of the boy's overly polite tone, but he kept it under wraps. At least Sasuke wasn't helping him.

"No, I'm just surprised. Guy-sensei's usually bouncing off the walls, and Kakashi-sensei was fine yesterday."

Sai laughed falsely. "Yes, once he set Guy-sensei down on his cot, Kakashi-sensei fell over. He overextended himself with his fight with Zabuza, and then he didn't rest enough before rescuing your team." They walked into the dining room where Sakura and Sasuke sat across from each other. Sai helped Naruto into a seat next to a young boy who stared moodily at them, and a woman served their breakfast.

"Eat up." It was a light soup, and Naruto tore off a piece of bread from the loaf in the center of the table. The woman sat next to Sakura and watched him eat voraciously. "Hungry?" she teased.

"Very. I'm starving. How long was I out?"

"Just a night. I thought your sensei was going to wake up first." Naruto nodded, mouth too full to respond, and an older man walked into the dining room and sat next to Sai. "Tou-san, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," answered the man gruffly. "I wish these new ninja would wake quicker, though." He spotted Naruto. "Looks like the blonde is up." Naruto grunted, mouth again stuffed. "Hey, don't eat all the bread. There's only so much." He looked guilty for a second before setting his fourth piece of bread down.

"Sorry, sir. I'm just so hungry."

"I bet, but there isn't a whole lot of bread left. My name's Tazuna, by the way." The man slurped his soup and took out a beer bottle. Naruto finished his meal and sat back, satisfied.

"That was good, miss."

The woman smiled. "It's Tsunami."

"Oh, Sai told me about you. My name's Naruto Uzumaki." He noticed that Sakura and Sasuke were quiet, and he tried to tease Sakura goodnaturedly. "Sakura, aren't you gonna try to cuddle with Uchiha? You used to love to." Sakura's grip on her spoon whitened, and before Naruto could realize his mistake and apologize, she stormed out. He was confused, and he caught a glare from Tsunami. "What? Did I say something?"

She glanced at Sasuke, who was standing to leave, and once he had left, Tsunami whispered, "They haven't said a word to each other since they've been here. Something's happened between the two."

"Like what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. She hasn't told me."

"Probably somethin' not good," said Tazuna, taking another swig of beer. "That Sasuke boy is a bad egg. He ain't ever had anyone to teach him a lesson in being good to people."

He isn't the only Uchiha, thought Naruto. "Do you know anything, Sai?"

The pale boy shrugged, the smile still plastered onto his face. "No. I don't know anything."

"But you're their teammate!"

"Does that mean I need to be worried about their well-being?" he asked as if it were a serious question.

"Yeah! What kinda dumb question was that?" It was Sai's turn to look confused, but then Guy stumbled into the dining room and fell into Sasuke's seat. "Sensei! How you feeling?"

"I feel like death," replied Guy, his dapper attitude gone. "I'm also hungry." Tsunami put a bowl of soup in front of him, and Guy eyed the half-gone bread loaf hungrily.

"Watch out, sensei. Tazuna-san's rather grumpy about the bread," teased Naruto, drawing a snort from Tazuna. Guy looked crestfallen, but he happily ate the soup. He leaned back against the chair and looked at Naruto.

"That was good thinking to send Gamakichi to find this house, Naruto. If Kakashi had found us later..." Guy left the sentence hanging, and the young boy looked between him and Naruto. He shook his head mysteriously, and he left. "It's a good thing he found us."

TenTen awoke with a start, thinking that she was still in danger. Even though all her body was sore, TenTen managed to look around. She relaxed slightly when she saw she was in a normal-looking bedroom, and she rose. Her stomach rumbled and twisted painfully, and she gasped and clutched her abdomen, eyes squeezing shut.

Once the pain had abated, TenTen looked to see a girl with pink hair sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up and head bent. "H-hey," said TenTen weakly. "Who are you?"

"Sakura Haruno," answered the girl, not raising her head. Before TenTen ask could another question, the girl continued, "You're at Tazuna's house, and Naruto's downstairs." She looked up, her eyes reddened like she had been crying. "I know that much," she said bitterly. "And that's probably all I know."

"Have you been crying?" asked TenTen worriedly. Sakura nodded, sniffling. She looked terrible. Not only were her eyes red, but there were shadows and bags under them, and her hair was unkempt and wild. She didn't even seem aware of her disheveled state. "Why are you crying?" asked TenTen again, a protective feeling rising in her.

Sakura shook her head. "That stupid Naruto..."

"He made you cry?" TenTen exclaimed. "That idiot! He's always runnin' his mouth! When I get my hands on him-,"

"No!" whispered Sakura fiercely, surprising TenTen. "It wasn't Naruto. It's that...that Uchiha. Naruto only reminded me of what he said to me."

"Oh." TenTen's stomach flipped, and it wasn't because of hunger. The name Uchiha made her shiver, and two red eyes gazed at her in her mind's eye. "What did this Uchiha guy say?"

Sakura trembled, and TenTen looped an arm around her comfortingly. In Sakura's mind, she kept replaying the memories from three days ago: Sakura, frozen in fear as the two Demon Brothers closed in. Sasuke, cursing at her for her uselessness and pushing her out of the way. Sai, calm as ever, battling the two assassins. Afterward, more cursing from Sasuke about Sakura, insults that sliced deep like long knifes. Sai stood by wordlessly, and Kakashi reprimanded Sasuke, but the damage was done.

"He...he said things. Things that I can't forget. Things that are probably true. He said I was useless, that I couldn't do anything, that I should've never been a shinobi."

Sakura, terrified as Zabuza whirled his gigantic cleaver of a sword. Sasuke, again cursing at her and charging Zabuza. Sai, his blank face never twitching as he and Sasuke dueled Zabuza's water clone. After Kakashi had been released from Zabuza's watery prison, Sasuke was insulting her again, saying words that reopened the wounds from the day before. This time, she fought back, infuriated that he could say such things. He slapped her. Sai said nothing, Kakashi was asleep, and Tazuna bewildered. "Kill yourself," the Uchiha spat. "Then you'll be what you're really be: deadweight."

Sakura touched her face where she had been slapped. Before Kakashi had awoken, she had healed the ugly bruise that had formed. "He slapped me," she told TenTen. "He told me to kill myself. Then I'd really be deadweight." Sakura thought about the time when she had thought that being on the same team as Sasuke would be romantic. When Sasuke had been tied to the log after the bell exercise, Sakura and Sai had fed him, hoping to pass. He had never thanked them and had even said to them in private that he had merely used them in that moment. Still, she had held on to the hope that Sasuke had some good in him. There was none, she had found. It had eroded away because there had been no brightness in his life, no one who acted a moral reminder. He was a hollow shell bent on that unknown, murderous goal.

TenTen was angry. No, she was furious. How could that Uchiha boy ever slap a girl who hadn't done anything? Ever tell her to kill herself? How could he say those things to her! Sakura was a well-meaning, decent young girl! What could have possessed him to do these things? Without a word, TenTen rose to leave. She was going to give this Uchiha boy a painful lesson, but Sakura, sensing her plans, grabbed TenTen's wrist and pulled her down.

"No! Don't go to him! He'll know I told you!"

"Exactly! He needs to know that I'm going to stick up for you, and he also needs a good ass kicking!"

"No! If you say and do that, it'll just get worse!" argued Sakura fearfully, her voice a whisper. "You won't always be around, but he will be. The things he'll say will be nastier, and I don't want to think about the things he'll do. Please, I don't want this to get any worse." Her eyes were pleading, and TenTen's temper cooled. She sat down next to Sakura.

"What about your other teammate? Don't you have another one?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't understand that Sasuke's a bastard," said Sakura bitterly. "He thinks it's normal. It's like he can't feel anything like emotion."

"What about your sensei? Could you switch teams or something?"

Sakura shrugged. "I was thinking about telling sensei after we got back to the village, but I really don't know how to bring it up..."

TenTen patted her on the back. "Just wait until Sasuke and your other teammate leave, and then tell your sensei. It's not hard."

"But if Kakashi-sensei yells at Sasuke-,"

"If you tell him everything, Kakashi-sensei won't. Senseis are good like that." Sakura was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement. TenTen smiled and stood. "Well, I'm gonna go eat. In the mean time, if Sasuke shouts at you or hit you, you can come to me. I'll be your protector. Got it?"

Sakura smiled her first smile since becoming a ninja. "Got it."

Naruto hummed to himself as he read his fuinjutsu book. Again, the inverters, the hardening matrices, the redirectors-wait, what was that last one? He flipped back a page and laid back on the soft carpet in the living room where Kakashi slept. Guy was outside checking around the house, and Neji meditated in a corner. TenTen was finishing her twin wolves carving, making sure that every fang and paw was perfect. Sasuke and Sai were still upstairs, but Sakura had come down and sat next to TenTen, watching her quietly.

As he reread the section over redirectors, Kakashi stirred and sat up, blinking blearily. He scratched his head musingly. "How long was I out?"

"Not long," answered Naruto cheerily. "About a day. It's in the afternoon right now."

"Is that so?" Kakashi said lazily. "Well, I guess I'd better get up." He tried to stand, but he collapsed instantly. Naruto caught him before he fell to the ground completely. Kakashi was unshakable. "Well, looks like I need those crutches again." Tsunami, coming from the kitchen, berated him before handing over the crutches. Kakashi tested his weight on them, and he looked over at Sakura. "Sakura, how have the boys acted? Bad? Good?"

"They've been quiet," she said. "Not causing me any trouble." TenTen glanced quickly at her out the corner of her eye but stayed silent.

"That's good," said Kakashi. "Where's Guy?"

"My rival! You're awake!" The door slammed open, and Guy bounced in and seized Kakashi in a bear hug. "I thought I'd never see the day!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now if you'd get off of me, I'd tell you and your team something very important." Guy relinquished Kakashi who nearly fell, and the white-haired man told them about his fight with Zabuza. "I didn't even finish the fight," remembered Kakashi. "A false hunter-nin came for Zabuza and took him away. I didn't think of it at the time, but later I realized the truth."

"This Zabuza is still alive, isn't he?" asked Neji.

Kakashi nodded gravely. "Very much so, and we don't have much time to whip my students into shape."

Guy volunteered, "I could always join in-,"

"No, I want them in shape, not to kill them," cut in Kakashi sardonically. "Anyway, Sakura, go and get the boys. I've got something to show you. Guy, tell me more about this Hiru man."

Before Guy could speak, the young boy from earlier this morning walked in. He glanced at the ninja all around the room and then at his mother. Tazuna was just coming from upstairs, and the old man grinned at the boy. "Inari, my little grandson, how's it going?"

"It's going fine, oji-san," answered Inari before looking back at the ninja. Naruto grinned back at him, reminded of Touza and his friends. The next words quickly erased that. "Why can't these people leave?" Inari asked Tsunami. "They're just gonna die like all the rest."

"Hey!" protested Naruto. "Ain't nobody gonna kill anybody!"

Inari rolled his eyes. "No one stands in the way of Gato. Not even you."

Naruto's temple pulsed, and he marched toward the boy, ready to give him a lesson. TenTen held him back. "C'mon, Naruto. He's just a kid."

"Well, look here, kid!" Naruto jerked a thumb toward himself. "You're looking at a fine ninja from the Leaf Village! A ninja that will someday be a hero and the Hokage!"

Inari shook his head. "You're all idiots. Especially you. There's no such thing as a hero." He turned to go upstairs, and Tsunami asked where he was going. "To my room to look at the ocean through my window, Kaa-san." Naruto seethed at the boy's attitude, and then Sakura came downstairs with Sasuke and Sai in tow.

Sasuke threw back his head and looked down his nose when he saw Naruto. The blonde didn't react, Inari's words still echoing in his mind. His eyes were trained on the door leading upstairs. TenTen gripped his shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid. He's just a kid, remember." Naruto looked back at her and then back at the door. The tension in his body eased, but it was obvious that he was still irritated.

Kakashi waved at his team languidly. "C'mon. We have to go to the forest for this one."

Seven people left. Naruto stayed behind, still wanting to rebuke the boy for his earlier comments. He stormed up the stairs, grumbling curses and planning his lecture. He was walking down the hall when an unexpected sound reached him: crying. It was a hard, gut-wrenching sobbing that loss only drew out. Naruto had sounded the same only a few weeks ago.

He came to the door where the sobs were emanating. It was slightly ajar, and inside Naruto saw Inari bent over a picture frame. On it were tears reflecting the sunlight from the open window. Amid the sobs, Naruto could hear a single word. "Tou-san," muttered Inari thickly. "Tou...Tou-chan." More tears fell onto the picture frame, and he clutched it dearly to his chest.

Naruto's irritation died at the heartbreaking scene, and he felt torn between comforting the small boy no older than Touza or doing nothing because Inari would again become emotionless. Nothing would be able to melt that icy shield, but Naruto wanted to stop the boy's sobs with some sort of warmth. He started to push open the door but then stopped. No. The picture frame held someone important to the boy. He was grieving, and Naruto would leave him to grieve. He left to join his teammates, not knowing Inari had done this ever since that incident two years ago.

"Tree-climbing!" Kakashi announced to his students. "That's how I'll train you to fight on level ground with Zabuza." Sasuke crossed his arms, scowling, and Sai smiled blandly. Sakura looked slightly distracted, stealing glances at TenTen who sat with her team under a tree. Naruto had looked up from his book at the mention of tree-climbing, and he grinned as Kakashi walked up a tree without using his hands to demonstrate. He ended up hanging upside down, and he peered down at Team 7. "This is what I mean by tree-climbing."

"What does this accomplish?" asked Sasuke derisively. "A new way to climb a tree just in case Zabuza runs us up one?"

"I don't think that is the answer, Sasuke," said Sai, earning a dagger look from Sasuke. "What is the answer to Sasuke's question, sensei?"

Kakashi scratched his chin. "Well, it helps with chakra control. I trust that all of you know what chakra is..." He explained it more in detail than Guy ever had to Naruto. The blonde didn't care. He had still mastered tree-climbing after a while. Kakashi tossed three kunai at his student's feet. "Use those kunai to mark your highest point and then try to pass it. Try to get a running start at first. Good luck." Sasuke and Sai exchanged looks before they were racing up the trees. Sai fell first, but he flipped back and landed neatly. Sasuke traveled further, and with a roar he slashed the tree and fell back.

"This is pretty easy, sensei!" Everyone looked up to see Sakura perched on a high branch, waving down at them. Sasuke curled his lip, and Sai clapped politely. "What now?"

"You're done," answered Kakashi. "You've got this in the bag." Sakura smiled and ran down the tree trunk. She sat down next to TenTen who grinned at her. Naruto watched as Sasuke and Sai flew up the tree and then marked it. Something nagged at the back of his mind. It wasn't Zabuza who was the biggest threat, he thought. It was Hiru. If he returned to kill them, he would succeed, and the chance he would return was high. Naruto could hear Hiru's favorite phrase: I never fail a contract. He had just failed one, however, and Naruto would bet his life that Hiru would come back to make sure they were dead.

"What are we gonna do about Hiru? This training goes out the window if we face him," said Naruto, tapping his fingers on his book.

Guy nodded. "I know. This won't mean anything if Hiru returns."

"Then why are we doing it? And who is this Hiru?" demanded Sakura.

"We're taking the chance that Hiru, the guy who attacked us when we arrived, doesn't return, and banking on the chance that Zabuza does," answered Guy, drawing a snort form TenTen. "What?"

"Hiru's gonna come back," she said matter-of-factly. "Remember what he kept saying over and over?"

"'I never fail a contract'," repeated Naruto. "I was just thinking about the same thing. Once he learns we're alive, we'll be dead the next day. How can we fight against that chakra draining ability of his?"

Sakura paled. "This guy can drain chakra?"

"Yes, and very, very quickly," said Guy, remembering the sudden, dizzying change from the intensity of the Gates to the lethargy of chakra depletion. "He's deadly. Very deadly, but he's overconfident. The fact that he left before we were killed shows that."

"Then we can take advantage of that!" shouted TenTen. "Make him think we're doing one thing and then, bam! We got him in something else!"

"He's a high level ninja," pointed out Neji. "We were lucky the first time. I doubt we will be so lucky the second."

"Could someone overload the chakra draining ability somehow?" asked Sakura, guessing at how Hiru worked. "Does his ability work like that?"

Guy frowned. "Maybe. He uses plants to absorb the chakra, and I bet they can only handle so much chakra in a period of time. But his plants were able to handle the Fifth Gate, so I'll have to open more." His frowned deepened. "If that's the case, I'm the only one who can beat him, but the move might kill me as well."

Naruto glanced at his sensei worriedly. "You don't meaning opening all eight Gates, do you?" Everyone looked at Guy who stared at the ground. "Do you?" Sakura had only an inkling of what Gates meant, but she could guess that opening eight of them would be lethal. Meanwhile, Guy still hadn't answered, and Naruto felt his heart flip from the tension. There had to be another option, he thought, there has to be. In a corner of his mind, something stirred, and before Guy could answer, Naruto gripped his arm.

"Before you say anything, sensei," he interrupted. "I have an idea." Naruto's eyes flicked toward Sakura. "This will have to be a private team discussion, though." Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but TenTen shushed her with a look.

"Please, I could help," pleaded Sakura. "I want to be of some use to someone."

"You did help," Guy reassured. "You were part of the discussion."

"So why can't I be part of this one?"

Team 9 exchanged looks. Naruto answered, "It's...complicated. Very complicated."

"I can handle it, whatever it is! I just want to help." TenTen squeezed Sakura's hand, and the pink-haired girl bit her lip. TenTen stood with the rest of her team and patted Sakura's hand.

"It's okay, Sakura," TenTen said soothingly. "This isn't because of you. This is a private team thing." Sakura whispered something lowly, and TenTen smiled. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. I'll be around today, right?" Sakura paused for a moment, but then she nodded and dropped her hand. TenTen turned to her team and grinned. "Let's go hear what Naruto's idea is."

"You're nuts!"

Naruto had expected backlash, and he certainly wasn't surprised that TenTen was the most vocal about it. They stood about a hundred yards away from where Team 7 was training. Neji was scrutinizing him carefully, arms crossed and one hand under his chin. Guy was a stone wall, and TenTen was demanding him to rationalize his harebrained idea.

"Look," said Naruto, holding up his hands. "I know that it's dangerous-,"

"That's an understatement! You know what happened the last two times!"

"-but it's our only chance with no one dying. If I can manage it, it won't kill me or any of you."

Guy finally moved, crossing his arms. "If you can't though, it will kill everyone. It doesn't discriminate."

"Why would you even consider using that thing!" shouted TenTen. "It's suicide!"

"No, it isn't," Naruto said forcefully. "I'm sure-I know that I can manage it."

"If you can't-," started Guy.

"I know, sensei. I'm aware of the risks, and frankly it's the safest options we have."

"No. The safest option is allowing me to open all eight Gates."

"Look, I'd rather go with the option that might kill someone rather than the option that will kill someone."

"It won't kill one," argued TenTen. "It'll kill you and then all of us!"

Naruto sighed and pressed his fingers to his head. He turned to Neji for support. "Teme, you have anything to say? You haven't said a word."

Neji shrugged. "I say we try it."

"What?" exclaimed TenTen, rounding on him. "Have you gone crazy, too?"

"No, I haven't. I just agree with Uzumaki-san. Is that too hard to believe?" TenTen was at a loss for words, and then she flung her hands up in exasperation.

"Fine! Get us all killed! I'll haunt this place forever." She stormed away. Naruto and Neji turned to Guy who shook his head.

"She's right, you know. We have to find out the hard way. This is suicidal, but I won't argue with you."

Naruto smiled wickedly. "All of my ideas are suicidal." He sat against one of the trees and closed his eyes. "Make sure there is some plan just in case I decide to go on a rampage." Guy and Neji glanced at each other; if Naruto did decide that, there would be no stopping him. Naruto took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and withdrew into himself.

He opened his eyes to find a familiar sight: a huge, barred gate that reached up into the darkness above and spanned some hundreds feet on each side. Where the gate came together, a paper lie thirty feet up with one word scrawled on it: seal. Naruto stepped forward, feeling the water splash around his ankles. A rumble stopped him, and a pair of crimson eyes opened behind the bars.

"So, you've returned."

Naruto gulped and took another step forward. "I'm here for your chakra. I'll take it by force if I need to."

The Kyuubi grinned menacingly, showing its fangs. "My chakra? You think you can control it? A puny human like you? Don't make me laugh."

"Don't make me come in there!"

"Oh, please do. Once you're in here, you'll be at my mercy."

Naruto rolled his eyes, but his heart beat out of his chest. He could feel the raw power of the Kyuubi contained by the seal, and it scared him. How had he convinced himself that he control this? Nothing but the Kyuubi itself could control it, but Naruto's determination was strong. He won't turn just because of his own doubt.

"Let me see you, all of you," demanded Naruto. "Or are you too scared?" The Kyuubi roared deafeningly and swiped with a massive claw. He expected the bars to break from the force, but they held. It roared again and came into the light. Naruto couldn't help but gasp. The Kyuubi was easily twice the size of Hokage Mountain, and its tails seem to extend its height. With fur the color of drying blood and fangs as large as a man, it was easy to see why it had been so feared.

Then Naruto noticed something. One of its tails, the farthest right, was white and smaller than the other eight. While the other tails whipped around like giant banners, this tail was dead and limp. Naruto narrowed his eyes, and then the Kyuubi grumbled, "Are you satisfied, human? Have you seen just how terrifying I am?"

"What happened to your tail?" Naruto asked, pointing at it. "It's looks like you can't move it."

The Kyuubi bared its fangs. "You should know of all people. You're the one who stole its power!"

"Stole its power?" he repeated. "I think you've got the wrong person. I never stole your power."

"Don't play innocent with me, human!" it snapped. "In order to protect that stupid girl, you stole my chakra that held sway over you! You know exactly what you did!" Naruto was bewildered, but then what the Kyuubi was talking about came to mind: Naruto detaching the orange chakra from the tail, the chakra dispersing into the water, the tail slithering back behind the gate.

"But...where did it go?"

"It became part of you." Naruto spun around to face the voice behind him, but there was nothing there. "When you took the chakra, it integrated with your entire body. You may have noticed before now." The voice sounded like three people: an adult, child, and a deep, gravelly baritone. All three were in a strange discordance that Naruto could somehow understand.

"My senses," realized Naruto. "That's why I can smell and hear better." He looked around in search of the voice's owner. "Where are you?"

The Kyuubi suddenly snarled. "Stay away from the boy! You will not give him anything!"

"Be quiet. You have no say in what I do anymore." Water in front of Naruto bubbled and rose to form a figure as tall as Naruto. Features defined themselves, and Naruto looked into his own face. Color was the last to set in, and an almost-exact replica of Naruto stood in front of him. The only difference were the blue, slitted eyes. It smiled. "Hello. I'm you."

"That can't be right!" shouted Naruto. "I'm me!"

"We are both Naruto. I am the embodiment of your chakra. Once, you were also me, but when you absorbed part of the Kyuubi's chakra, I was born from the remnants of its persona in the chakra."

"Wait, you're my chakra? But I thought this water was!"

"It is. The water is my body. I've taken this form to more easily communicate with you."

Naruto was beyond confused; he was stupefied. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, and he stared at the figure. He finally collected his wits and asked, "So what do I do now? I don't want to force you to hand over the chakra."

"Yet you'd do it to me?" the Kyuubi asked in contempt.

"You're the one who'd go on a killing spree," shot back Naruto. The figure chuckled, and Naruto grinned. "Well, how about it?"

"Well, you won't have to force me to hand you the chakra, but if I do that, I will fade."

"Why?"

"Because you will take in the remnants of the Kyuubi, the center of my person, but I want this. I want to exist as one, not two." It held out its hand. "Now there's one question: do you accept me, Naruto Uzumaki?"

There was no hesitation. Naruto seized the hand and pulled the figure into a hug. "Hell yeah! Why wouldn't I?"

The figure smiled sadly. "Because whenever you use the Kyuubi's chakra, you will have to guard your emotions. If you are happy without it, then you are in ecstasy with it. If you are scared, then you are petrified. If you are annoyed, you are enraged. It magnifies your emotions."

The blonde grinned. "Then I'll have to keep a cool head. Have a little faith in in me, dattebayo!" The figure was surprised, but then it grinned and placed its hand on Naruto's head.

"Please, do keep this head cool." It winked, and then Naruto felt revitalizing power surge through him like electricity. He stumbled, but the figure's hand keep him from falling. He clenched his fists, jaw, eyes. Power flowed throughout his body, thoroughly filling every corner. He opened his eyes, and the figure's eyes met his. They were sad, relieved, and most of all proud. "I'll see you soon, I hope." Naruto was taken aback by the statement, but then he fell the ground.

The Kyuubi chuckled. "I hope you didn't kill him. That'd be bad for both of us." The figure shook its head. "Good. Too bad you didn't get any of my viciousness. I would've taken over his body and broken out."

"The thought occurred to me," admitted the figure. "But you do not know the boy. For a month, I lived in his shoes, saw and heard what he did, and I grew to love him. He is special. He will play an important role in the world one day."

The Kyuubi snorted. "Looks like the human has rubbed off on you." White fangs showed themselves again. "But you forgot to tell him that you were born from me and the sealer's persona. Why did you not tell him that?"

"He will find out one day. Preferably when he is ready."

Naruto's eyes flew open, and he was surprised to find the moon was out. He stood, stretching out stiff muscles, and scratched his head. How long was I out, he thought, where are the others? The forest was abandoned, but Naruto could make out lights through the trees. It was Tazuna's house, and Naruto gladly opened the door and took off his shoes.

There was talking in the dining room, and Naruto walked in and sat across from Inari and next to Guy. They fell silent when he had walked in, and slowly the talking picked back up. Naruto graciously accepted a bowl of rice and ate it. He was ravenous, but he was proud of himself. There was a seed of doubt, however. What if he couldn't control it like the figure had said? What if the figure wasn't what it had said it was? He shook his head at that notion. Those eyes had disproved that.

He held up an empty bowl, and Tsunami slid him another one. He mumbled a thanks and gobbled it up. Sakura was finished and walking around the room. She frowned when she saw a picture hanging on the wall. Tsunami, Tazuna, and Inari were smiling happily, but a corner was torn away, taking with it the face of a fourth person. "Why's this picture torn?" she asked, looking back at the family. "It looks like someone used to be in it."

"It's my husband," answered Tsunami, gripping the kitchen sink tightly.

"The man who was called a hero by this city," Tazuna added.

Inari pushed his chair back and left suddenly, face hidden in shadow. "Wait, Inari!" called Tsunami. "Where are you going?" The boy didn't answer. Naruto watched him go and guessed who was in that torn corner. The image of Inari crying over the picture frame flashed in his mind. The blonde looked to Tazuna who sighed heavily.

Tsunami snapped at her father, "I told you not to talk about him in front of Inari!"

"Who was he?" asked Naruto.

"There needs to be some kind of explanation," Tazuna said. "Inari had a father back then, but he wasn't related by blood. There was a lot more laughing back then, and the two were close as if they shared the same blood. But then..."

Neji took a guess. "Gato happened."

Tazuna nodded, trembling. "Since that incident, Inari was never the same. I can't blame him. Kaiza, the man's name, was his idol. Inari worshiped him, emulated him. The two first met after Kaiza saved Inari from drowning, and then Kaiza met the family. He was such a nice man, a good, honest man." Tazuna blinked away tears.

"I heard him tell Inari once," said Tsunami, "that a man has to protect those precious to them with his own strength." She choked. "That came back to haunt Inari."

Tazuna regained his voice. "Kaiza also helped our people in times of disaster. During a storm, there was a break in the dam's gates, and the rapids around it were too dangerous for any normal man to enter. But Kaiza dived in without second thought and secured the gate. He saved the city that day. And then that incident happened. As the boy put in, Gato happened."

"What'd he do?" asked Sakura.

Tazuna clenched his fists, and his body still shook. With great effort, he said, "In front of everyone, Kaiza was put to death by Gato." Everyone stared at him, most with horror, two with indifference. "His arms were cut off, and he was hung in the square. He was accused on the trumped-up charges of terrorism against the Gato Company." Tazuna wiped his eyes. "I still remember what Inari screamed as Kaiza was executed: you said you'd protect me, the city, with your two arms! You're a liar, Tou-san!" There was a loud silence, and Tazuna finished, "From that day, Inari, Tsunami, the entire city changed for the worse. We had no hope, no courage, no anything. We just survived to the next day."

Naruto thought back to Inari's words: there's no such thing as a hero. This is why he's so bitter, he thought, his dad was killed right in front of him, the person that was everything to him. It's enough to make anyone bitter.

Sasuke sneered at the story. "Very touching. Too bad the brat didn't go, too." Before Tazuna or Tsunami could react, he left, Sai following him. The old bridge builder was furious, and his daughter laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Please, Tou-san, don't do anything rash."

"That little bastard!" shouted Tazuna. "How dare he-ah!" He turned to Kakashi. "You had better teach your student manners before I beat them into him!" Kakashi sighed.

"I doubt I can. That boy is beyond repair. I wished I hadn't taken him on."

The next day, Naruto and his team again separated themselves from Team 7 while Sakura was with Tazuna at the bridge. This time they backed up even further to about three hundred yards off. Before Naruto could tell them about what had happened, TenTen slapped him and then squeezed him in a hug. "You stupid idiot! I was worried about you all last night! I could barely eat before you came in!"

Naruto gingerly touched the red mark on his face. "That hurt, y'know. I didn't know you could slap that hard. Teme certainly needs to watch out in the future." She drew back her hand to slap him again, but Naruto smiled disarmingly. "Kidding, just kidding. Lighten up, Buns."

"Only if you keep yourself out of danger, Blondie."

"But danger loves my company." TenTen rolled her eyes, and then Guy took the reins.

"What happened?" he asked bluntly. "Were you able to do it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I think. When I first went in..." He told them about the Kyuubi and the figure and what the figure had said. When he reached the part where the figure gave him its chakra, Guy made a concerned noise.

"I can't believe you did something like that, Naruto. What if he's lying?"

He gave a flippant shrug. "Then we're screwed, but I'm positive he's not."

"What makes you so sure?"

There wasn't answer for a minute, but Naruto eventually articulated one. "You...just had to be there to see it. He wasn't lying. I'm sure of it. I know it."

Guy sighed. "We won't know until you try, though. Everyone, get back!" They retreated about fifty feet back, and Naruto shot them a thumbs-up before reaching for the power that had surged through him yesterday. It resisted at first like a rusty door, but once it had began moving, it needed little help from Naruto. He cleared his mind of any emotion and then stopped reaching. He felt like he could run forever and lift anything. The feeling was exhilarating, overpowering, and dangerous.

Naruto looked over to his team. They watched him with uncertain eyes, but then they saw his signature grin. "Hey, guys! I'm still me!" Before his happiness could bubble over, Naruto clamped down on it. His grin remained, but he wasn't in danger of fainting in giddiness. "How do I look?" His teammates were speechless. Orange chakra swirled around him, rustling the trees and their leaves and mussing his hair. His whisker marks were thicker, and while his eyes were still blue, the pupils were slits.

TenTen laughed. "You look scarier than hell, Naruto, and I like it!" She laughed more. "Even that hand print of mine is gone!" Neji smiled, infected by her laughter, and Guy clapped.

"This is amazing," he said. "I've heard of people having control of their biju, but I'd thought I'd never see it happen. How does it feel?"

"I feel fine, and I bet I could keep up with you all day, sensei."

"You want to test that theory?"

Naruto's grin widened, but he kept the giddiness at bay. "Hell yeah. I want to take off my weights, too." He reached in his jacket and pressed something. He sighed, and there seemed to be a lighter air around him. "Let's go." He was gone, and Guy widened his eyes before he sidestepped as Naruto barreled past him. "Jesus, I'm fast! I couldn't react to kick you!" Naruto ended up near Neji and TenTen. This close, they could feel the orange chakra brushing their skin, but it didn't hurt. In fact, it invigorated them, and then Naruto was off again.

Neji and TenTen chose not to enter into the fray between Naruto and Guy. They watched as the two bounced off of punches that would have sent normal men to hospital. Naruto was having the time of his life, the small grin never leaving his face. Neji sighed cryptically, and TenTen turned to look at him. "What's bothering you, Neji?"

"It's a ridiculous complaint, but I fear that Naruto has surpassed me in strength," he said. "I already knew that subconsciously, though. I might have won the last spar I had with him, but without the Byakugan and his possession of the Kyuubi's chakra, I can never beat him. It's strange to think about it, but it's true. I can't deny it."

"That's it?" she teased. "Welcome to my world. You and Naruto were always above me, and you two still are, but it looks like you've just been served a humble pie."

"By both teammates, no less." Neji winced as Naruto received a rib-breaking blow to the chest. "It's so strange to be below someone yet not envy them. I don't think I could ever envy Naruto for anything. My hardships pale in comparison to his, and he deserves everything he can achieve."

TenTen studied the Hyuuga boy. He was leaning on a tree, watching the battle. His face was outlined in the morning sun. At first glance, it seemed not so different from the icy mask he had worn more than a year ago. She knew it wasn't, however. A year had changed him, made him realize that he didn't have to shoulder all the burdens and have to grit his teeth and bite his tongue to bear them. There were others that would lend their shoulders and ears to him. She remembered the time he had opened up to her, had talked about his mother, father, clan, everything. He had seemed so vulnerable.

In the Academy, she had taken a liking to him because of his good looks and talent. The impenetrable shield of his had also piqued her curiosity, and like any good weapons user, she wanted to figure a way to pierce it. As a teammate, she had developed something deeper than a liking, something that had been drawn out by that maturity and vulnerability. She had never pierced the shield, would have never been able to. Neji had lowered it and exposed himself as he was, and she accepted him for all his faults.

"TenTen?" She jumped and blushed as Neji caught her eye. She stammered and looked away guiltily. "A ryo for your thoughts?" TenTen shook her head, blush deepening. "What? You were studying me rather intently, and I'm interested as in why."

"I-I was just thinking about how much you've-we've changed since we graduated from the Academy. It's only been a year, but it felt a lot longer to me. It felt like ten years or something."

"We had to mature quickly," agreed Neji. "We would not have survived without doing so. Out of all of us, you've matured the most."

"No, I haven't! Naruto has."

Neij looked back at the battle as he said, "When I first met you, you were an impudent girl whose temper was ignited by the slightest spark. You had no direction or any filter on that mouth of yours. I thought of you as weak, loud, petulant. You would never amount to anything." TenTen was hurt, but then Neji continued. "But now, a year later, my view has changed. You are a young woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. You have a goal: to prove your strength and courage to all who doubt you. I think of you as brave, persistent, and compassionate." He looked around at her, his mouth quirking slightly. "Though you still have some of that fire that I've grown to admire."

TenTen was speechless, but Neji didn't seem to be embarrassed or flattering. He was merely stating facts and his thoughts. She flushed with pride. "Th-thanks, Neji. I-I don't have anything to say but that because, well, I can't think of anything poetic or intelligent or lovely-,"

"Then say nothing. A thanks is all I need from you." TenTen nodded, still red, and turned back to the battle.

Guy needed to open the first two Gates to match Naruto's pace. "How ya doing, sensei?" asked the blonde. "Having trouble keeping up?" He zipped under a kick and launched a fist toward Guy's jaw. The Jonin stepped back slightly and shoved away Naruto with a foot. He tumbled away but righted himself immediately. His grin widened. "I bet I can pull out more chakra than this."

Guy cocked an eyebrow. "Can you?"

"Let's see!" Naruto reached inside and pulled at an imaginary string, and more power flooded his system. Another pull, and then the chakra refused to budge. He frowned, pulled again, and again it didn't move. Not wanting to draw on the Kyuubi's actual chakra, Naruto stopped and examined himself. His arms and legs were cloaked in a thick layer of chakra, and his hands ended in chakra claws. When he reached out, the arm sailed off and exploded a tree into splinters. He quickly pulled it back like a long limb. He grinned over at Guy. "So? What do you think?"

Guy was wary. "You have a chakra tail. Just one, though." The only thing that kept Guy from attempting to restrain Naruto were the eyes. The blue had not been washed out by the red.

"Really?" He waved the tail in front of his face. "Cool! Wanna have a go, sensei?"

Guy silently opened another Gate, and even then he doubted it would be enough. "Let's go, but let's try not to destroy the forest."

Later at dinner, Naruto scarfed down his fourth bowl of noodles and reached to dip himself some more. In seconds, that was gone, too. "I'm starving!" Everyone stared at him and the stack of bowls, and finally Tazuna intervened.

"Hey, kid, you can't eat everything by yourself. Leave us some." Naruto looked guilty and pushed his bowl away. When he had dispersed the chakra cloak, he had fallen over in sudden exhaustion and curled up in a ball as hunger had knifed his stomach. Guy had given him some rations, but that merely staved off hunger for an hour before it came roaring back. Naruto had eaten more rations and then had fallen asleep. When he'd awakened, he was back in Tazuna's, and it was night outside.

"Sorry, Tazuna-san. Training was hard today." At that, Kakashi glanced over at Guy who made a gesture saying they would speak later. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Sakura picked at her food. Naruto put his head on the table, falling back asleep. The bridge builder grinned as he finished his dinner. A towel was around his shoulders, and it bore testament to the hard work earlier.

"The bridge is nearly done! Today was a good day, too. A hard one, but we got a lot done."

"Don't push yourself too hard, Tou-san," admonished Tsunami lightly. He laughed, and Inari stared intently at Naruto. Memories of his father and his words surfaced in the boy's mind, and one sentence struck him hard: Don't cry, Inari. Those had been his father's last words, and now Inari couldn't help but cry, whether in pity for these misguided people or in grief. Naruto opened one eye and saw the tears.

"Hm? What?"

"Why do you guys bother trying so hard?" shouted Inari angrily. "You're no match for Gato's men even if you train hard! No matter what mighty claims you make or how hard you work, the weak will always be killed be the strong!" Now everything stared at Inari, and Naruto shrugged off his words.

"Whatever. You're not like me, kid."

"I'd hate to be like you! You're not from this country, but you're being so nosy anyways! What do you know about me? We're so different! You always clown around and act so cheerful! You don't know how hard life can be!" Something snapped in Naruto's head, and rage blanked out all thought for a moment before something strange replaced it: a serenity with a desire to tell the boy the truth.

"Yes, I am different," admitted Naruto, gazing evenly at Inari. "Yes, I clown around and act cheerful. But you're wrong when you say I don't know how hard life is. I know what life can throw at me, but I don't sit around and cry about it. I do something about it." The serenity left him. "But you won't! So just keeping crying, you coward!" He dashed out the door, his teammates shouts following him into the forest. He ran for a mile before plopping down frustratedly and cursing his temper and Inari. With a sigh, he fell asleep.

In what seemed like only minutes, he awoke but didn't open his eyes. He could smell someone close to him, and it wasn't any of his teammates or anyone from Tazuna's house. He kept his breathing even, and the person knelt by him. He sensed the person reaching out, and Naruto snapped open his eyes and grabbed the person's hand. "Thought I smelled someone."

The pretty girl widened her eyes, and Naruto let go of her hand and sat up. "I thought you were asleep," she said.

"I was," said Naruto. "You woke me up. Why are you out here?" In response, she held up a basket filled with leafy plants. "Plants?"

"Yes. They're herbs I need for someone close to me who's sick. Could you help me gather them?"

"Sure." She led him over to a patch of grass and described the plant she needed. He immediately picked one out and handed it to her. "Is that the one you needed?"

She nodded and put it in her basket. "Thanks for helping, by the way."

"No problem. You sure are out early for doing this."

"You are, too. What were you doing?"

Naruto remembered his words to Inari and shook his head. "I had a few choice words with someone. I got mad and came out here to sleep. I'm sure it's all blown over by now."

She noticed his headband. "That headband. Are you a ninja?"

"Yep. Leaf ninja, and a strong one at that." He grinned sheepishly. "Well, sorta strong. But I want to get stronger."

"Why is that?" she asked curiously.

"I want to become the best in my village," answered Naruto, placing another plant in basket. "I want to prove everyone wrong because they doubted I could be a ninja. I want them to acknowledge my strength."

"Is that for yourself or someone else?"

"Huh?"

She giggled and asked another question, "Is there anyone precious to you?"

"Yeah. My team. My sensei. A few people back home. Those are the precious ones to me. I'd do anything for them."

"Would you die to protect them?"

Without hesitation, he answered, "Yes, I would die for them. It wouldn't matter why. I will not let anyone else die."

She smiled proudly and stood. "Good. Then you will truly become strong. Only those with precious ones can defeat anything in their path. Let's meet somewhere again."

"Sure!" Naruto rather liked her, but then he found out that she wasn't a she.

"By the way, I'm a boy."

In the midst of his utter shock, one of her sentences seemed strange. Let's meet somewhere again. He would never see her again, so why did she say that? It mystified his subconscious, and his conscious was too befuddled to pick up on it.

They met again a day later.

Yay! Erm, well, hoped you liked it. Toodles!