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I don't own Naruto or World of Warcraft!

Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!

Two weeks had passed since Rend Blackhand's nearly successful attempt to dethrone Thrall and become Warchief of the Horde.

The people of Orgrimmar, in that time, had begun the arduous process of cleaning up, and eventually rebuilding the great city of the orcs. Thankfully, the majority of the damage had been concentrated in one place: the Valley of Strength. The many shops that lined the streets of the Valley had been destroyed in the fighting, the auction house had burnt to the ground, having been hit by an errant fireball sent by one of the dragonspawn, and even the wind rider tower was on its last legs, having been hit by dozens of projectiles that had missed their intended targets.

The Valley of Wisdom, too, had been hit rather hard. However, most of it was due to Thrall and Rend's fight, as well as the following battle of Rend against Naruto, Kaine, Rexxar and Gen'rash. While the surrounding houses had received little damage, Grommash Hold had been almost completely destroyed, and would need extensive repairing before it would be of any use anymore.

The other Valleys hadn't been hit as hard. The Valley of Honor, though it had been the site of much of the fighting, was made of much more durable stuff. For it was the residence of not only veterans of past wars, but hosted the barracks, where aspiring soldiers, and their teachers, the battle masters, lived. Suffice to say, while it had been a witness for much of the fighting, it had received the third least amount of property damage and losses of life overall.

The Valley of Spirits had also received very little property damage, for there was no reason for the Blackrock orcs to damage it at all. For the people it harbored had all fled out into the Barrens, leaving nothing of interest for the Blackrock orcs to attack or destroy. In fact, the only damage that it had received had been a result of Kira's, Kylia's, and Gen'rash's fights. The people who lived in the area where able to return to their homes without much fuss, and because of this, they were able to help the more damaged areas rebuild.

The Drag and the Cleft of Shadows had received, it seemed, the least amount of damage. The Drag had been emptied, as all of its members had flooded into either the Valley of Honor or Strength in order to join the battle. The Blackrock orcs that had moved through it, like in the Valley of Spirits, simply found no reason to damage it at all. The same held true of the Cleft of Shadows, whose residents, the craftiest and easily most ruthless of the denizens of the Orcish city, had been able to defend it without so much as suffering a single loss. Any Blackrock orc that had stepped into the boundaries of the dark area had been slain instantly; riddled with arrows or bullets, cut to ribbons by hidden blades, blown apart by explosive booby traps, or sundered by the most debilitating poisons that the rogues of the Cleft of Shadows could come up with.

Though Thrall himself detested visiting the area that was constantly cloaked in shadows, he had no doubt that its presence was beneficial, perhaps even imperative. It was not as though he disliked the people within it, (though they were a strange lot, in his opinion), but it was more that he found the area itself detestable. It never saw the light of day, was constantly filled with a haze of noxious smells, and the heat generated by the neighboring Ragefire Caverns was more than enough to deter all but those who were used to living in the shadows. It also spoke to him of the lesser, the dirtier, and the crueler aspects of war. He was wise enough to know that such things were needed, but his honor prevented him from showing any sort of admiration towards the deeds done, as well as the perpetrators of those deeds.

Nonetheless, with The Cleft of Shadows being the least damaged, it had received the most influx of residents, most of which hailed from the Valley of Strength. It was clear that many detested the idea of staying in such a loathsome place, but the rogues were still citizens of Orgrimmar, and thus were thanked quite profusely for allowing people to stay in their homes and shops.

That feeling of companionship pervaded the entire city. If one were to stand at the top of the Valley of Strength, near the entrance into the city itself, one would see an amazing sight. Thousands of orcs, all in constant motion, each so deeply focused on their assigned task: whether it be building, gathering, cooking, delivering, and other such duties, yet still able and ready to help their fellow orc whenever the need arose. The spirit of this unity, this camaraderie, was felt in almost every action the orcs took.

To Naruto, it was exactly like the spirit that had been prevalent in Konoha in the weeks following Orochimaru's attack. It brought to him a wave of nostalgia, but it made him glad to wander the streets, and to help out wherever he was needed.

But two weeks ago, Naruto, after just awaking from his exhausted slumber a day after the end of the war, had been afflicted with a great depression.

He, being who he was, had recovered from his battles in the record time of only two days, even before Gen'rash, much to everyone's surprise. Of those two days, one constituted lying in the bed of one of the many medicine tents that had been set up in the Valley of Spirits, unconscious. The other hadn't been as restful, or as companionable, as he thought it might. They were torturous, because when he first sat up, and looked over at Kira, the girl had unsurprisingly flinched.

For a single moment, there had been a glimmer of fear in her eyes. He noted that it almost immediately disappeared, right after she saw that his eyes were his own, and he wasn't baring any sort of fangs at her.

But Kira's reaction stuck. He had known that it was better than he could have hoped for, (at least she hadn't screamed), but still, he hadn't expected his friendship with Kira to last much longer. So for two long days, Naruto had to deal with awkward silences, feeble attempts at conversation, and the dread of knowing that one of his friends, his precious people, now saw something to fear in him.

This, he realized, was the exact reaction he had feared from all his friends back in Konoha. If Kira, who had been in no way affected by the actions of the Kyuubi in the past, had shown such terror, even for a second, then what would Sakura's reaction be like? What about Shikamaru's, Choji's, Ino's, Hinata's, Neji's, Lee's, and all the rest? Had they lost people to the Kyuubi? Would they show even more fear, even more disgust?

He didn't know.

And because of that, he was terrified.

Kylia, surprisingly, hadn't seemed at all affected. She spoke to him in the same even tone, stuttering sometimes, and would glance at him suspiciously when she thought he wasn't looking. She had done this before the battle, he remembered, but now seemed to do it with increasing frequency.

Finally, after one and a half agonizing days like this, Naruto had been let out, and he had quickly vacated the tent, not wanting to be stuck in there with Kira any longer.

But it was not only Kira's reaction that haunted him. It was the vision of the abyss, as well. A war was waging within him, for he didn't know whether he was more disturbed by the fact that he had been about to throw away what could have possibly been his humanity, or that he had made the right choice in resisting the offer of unlimited power. He seemed to be arguing both sides, but the outcome of both decisions did not seem favorable at all to the blonde.

The Kyuubi had been remarkably silent, and had made no comment of Naruto's experience. That made it a little worse. For a while, he had almost believed the creature had been helping him.

It made him shudder. Had he really begun seeing the creature in a favorable light? Was that why he was so quick to use the demon's chakra in a fight? He didn't want to think about that. Jiraiya had always told him that using the demon's chakra would be beneficial, and it was in a ninja's best interest to use whatever tools he possessed, no matter how sadistic or powerful, in a fight.

But Naruto knew, that since he had arrived, he had been relying more and more on the Kyuubi's chakra. Sometimes he even let himself go so far as to let the demon's instincts to invade him as well. The fight with Blood had been an exception, when the Kyuubi had given him complete control, but on other occasions– The Ventursaurus Rex, Rexxar, The Demogryphon…why was he relying so much on something that he detested?

For two more days, while Thrall, Kira and the others was still recovering, and the preparations to start the rebuilding of the city were still in its infant stages, Naruto brooded over these things. He was not, however, a good brooder. So he did things to distract himself. He practiced with his sword, or helped soldiers and guards drag the bodies of Blackrock orcs to be carted off to the middle of the Barrens, so that they could be buried with some dignity. It was disgusting work, but it took Naruto's mind away from thoughts of his own life, to thoughts of the people of Orgrimmar.

He admired them. There was nothing else to it. They had once been as persecuted and hated as he, and yet through time and hard work had forged for themselves a great nation. They were resilient, and were able to mourn their dead, but at the same time work together, to fill the gaps left by those they lost, and rebuild their lives, and recreate their former way of life.

He knew that Thrall was the principal cause of much of this. He had always heard that Thrall was a great leader, but seeing it first hand had been very different. He didn't think that he had ever seen something like it. To be able to inspire one's people, to fill their hearts with the desire to live, and to create for them a means to achieve that desire was something that only the greatest of leaders could accomplish. He had no doubt that the Shodai of his own village had been a leader like Thrall: banding together a group of people, and creating a place that they could call home. The other Kages, too, had to have at least a measure of the ability Thrall had, especially the Fourth. For it had had been him that had commanded his people to help him take down a demon, which was no mean feat.

Naruto had always had great respect for Thrall, ever since he had begun his training under the orc. But now he had a whole new respect, one that he only held for the one he had considered his hero.

The Fourth.

Nevertheless, Naruto worked hard those two days after he had been released, and did all he could to avoid meeting Kira. It was a foolish thing to do, for he knew that avoiding her was just further distancing their relationship.

After the day's work had been done, the last of the bodies had been placed on their carts, and the people were dispersing to either their homes or current residences, Naruto had found himself lingering as he walked back towards the Valley of Spirits. There was no place left for him to stay other than the tent in which he had recovered. He believed that if he walked slowly enough, that when he got to the tent, everyone would be asleep. It had worked the previous day.

He reached the large pond in the middle of the Valley, and then stopped. He saw the tents, which lined the streets all the way down to the back entrance, and decided that it wasn't late enough. So he just stopped, and admired the lustrous, moonlit surface of the pond, and listened to the gentle lapping of the water against the sides, and the wind ruffled tent flaps behind him.

So engrossed was he in his listening, that Kira got the drop on him. Again.

"Hey," she said quietly.

Naruto froze, glancing to the side where Kira now stood, gazing at the pond as well. He flinched a little on sight of her face, for the memory of the fear in it only four days prior returned.

"Hey," he said, managing a small, fake smile. "Were you allowed out?"

She nodded. "Just this evening, but I should be fully recovered by tomorrow."

An awkward silence reminiscent of Naruto's own recovery period followed. Kira broke it.

"Are you avoiding me?" she asked, her voice sounding calm, but with a tinge of hurt. Naruto winced imperceptibly.

"Eh…" he managed, but couldn't bring himself to say anything.

She now looked at him, her purple eyes drawing him in. "You are aren't you? Why?" the last word was almost pleading.

Naruto didn't answer, his mind trying to work in conjunction with his mouth so that he could find the right words to speak. He settled, then, for the only words that he could think of. The words of his heart.

"I scared you," he said. "I saw it…when I first woke up. You looked more terrified than I had ever seen you, and you were looking at me. I went Kyuubi, and almost lost it completely, so I can't blame you for hating me or fearing me…so I'm sorry, and I hope that we can still be friends, even though…"

Kira didn't respond, or even look at him for a while. Naruto looked away, too, knowing that his hopes were impossible.

"Is that all?" she suddenly asked. "You think I was scared of you?"

"Yeah," the boy said, blinking in confusion at her.

"Then you're an idiot. I wasn't scared of you, Naruto; I was scared that if I looked in those eyes, I wouldn't see you, only the demon. I was scared that I might have lost you forever. I don't want to lose such a great friend, so can you really blame me for being scared?"

Now, Naruto was staring at her in wonder. His earlier fears began to fade away, as the words hit him.

"You really…?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, smiling a little. "Besides, who'd be scared of you?"

Naruto pouted a little at the dig, but soon he grinned, as true and bright as the sun, and the melancholy that had afflicted him for the entire time he had been awake disappeared. Kira smiled back, glad that Naruto was back to his old self.

They lapsed into silence, one far more companionable than the last. Then Kira broke it again, with another question.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I can be as great a leader as Thrall?" she said, looking at him, her head tilted slightly to the side.

The blonde frowned a little. "Maybe."

She glared at him, slightly hurt. "Just 'maybe'?"

He nodded. "We've both gotta a long way to go, Kira-chan. I guess we have no way of telling what might happen along that way, but I do know that if we both work hard, even harder than before, then we can be as strong, as wise, and have as many friends as Thrall."

She nodded, feeling a little better.

Naruto then said, "But I'm not gonna stop there."

She looked at him, frowning.

"I'm gonna be a greater leader than him. I'm gonna be the best Hokage in any world, and that means I need to be stronger, wiser, and have greater and more friends than him."

He nodded, matter-of-factly, to himself, making Kira smile.

"You don't do things by half, do you?"

The blonde grinned, and shook his head. "Nope, 'cause it's my nindo!"

And so it was, that a week and a half later, Naruto and Kira, as well as Kylia, Kaine, and Gen'rash, all of who had recovered completely from their fights, found themselves immersed in the work and spirit of the city. Thrall too, had recovered, but he hadn't the time or the patience to train Naruto in any way, far too busy in the repairs of the city. He had also shut himself inside his new headquarters (a large tent set up next to the ruins of Grommash Hold) along with Cairn and Vol'jin, several days prior, and nothing had been heard from them since. Naruto expected Rexxar to be there as well, as he hadn't seen the giant half-orc since the fight with Rend.

That was fine for Naruto, because it allowed him to spend time amongst his friends, as well as the people of the city. He was amazed, that only two months ago, he had been regarded with nothing more than disgust. Now, people grinned at him as they walked past, made friendly conversation as he worked alongside them, and seemed completely at ease with him. It once again renewed his hope that he could achieve this type of relationship with the people of Konoha.

He, along with Gen'rash and Kaine, were currently rebuilding Naruto's favorite shop, Sarjak's Loon'des. It had been almost utterly destroyed in the attack, leaving its owner without a shop and a home. It was Naruto who had suggested to start rebuilding it, in the hopes that when it was finished, Sarjak would provide him with all the free loon'des that he liked.

Kaine had snorted. "I doubt it, this guy doesn't seem like the type to give things away for free."

After almost two days of working under Sarjak's keen eyes and loud barking orders, Naruto was beginning to believe that as well.

Kira and Kylia had busied themselves with helping in the less taxing and dangerous jobs, which were more to their skills. Kira, who was handy with a needle (a skill she had been forced to learn in her youth, as a part of her education), helped repair tents, fashioned clothes and even began to learn how to repair and use leather. She also helped other women orcs gather food, medicine, and other such things from the Barrens. It was a wonderful experience for her, for she got to see more of the world that she had missed out on all her life.

Kylia worked with the carpenters on repairing the wind rider tower, though they quickly wondered why they had chosen her to do this. She was at points, very clumsy, and would often drop tools or boards atop the heads of the carpenters that worked beneath her. They quickly learned to keep out of her way.

It still amazed Kira that Kylia could be so dexterous at points, wielding her small blades with a fluid ease, and at others be as butterfingered and clumsy as a toddler.

The days past like this with remarkable speed. They worked all day and at night went back to their tents, exhausted but cheerful, and all waiting excitedly for the following day. Naruto could honestly say that it was one of the happiest times in his life.

During that time, he also got to know the tauren and trolls that had arrived to help with the battle. It had quickly become known of Naruto's relationship with the trolls' leader, and because of that, the tauren and orcs now treated him even better than before, as if he were as much a part of the Horde as they were.

Kira simply reveled in the knowledge that it had been because of Naruto, as well as herself, that this had been possible. Her dream was becoming a reality.

It was a sunny afternoon, three days later, that a burly orc, dressed in the armor of the Kor'kron Elite walked up to the nearly finished, and larger Sarjak's Loon'des, saying that he had a message for Naruto to come to Thrall's tent.

The blonde hopped from his perch atop the roof, landing beside the orc. "What does he want?"

The Kor'kron Elite shrugged. "Not my business. Just go."

So he did. Saying a quick good-bye to Kaine and Gen'rash, who were putting the finishing touches on the inside of the shop, he went quickly down the street towards the Drag, encountering a plethora of friendly faces as he did.

It took him a little while to reach Thrall's tent in the Valley of Wisdom, having had to greet quite a few people along the way. The entire area, upon entering it, was packed with more life than he had ever seen. The Valley of Wisdom wasn't usually the most active place in Orgrimmar, so it was rather surprising to see it filled with so many orcs. They were all quite busy, of course. He passed dozens of carpenters, building planners, stonemasons and other necessary crafters for raising buildings, and stopped in front of the large, ornate (probably tauren-made) tent that Thrall was currently holed up in.

"Ah, good, you've arrived," said Thrall, as Naruto walked in.

Vol'jin and Cairn sat at the same circular table that the Warchief did, each one reacting in their own fashion to the boy's arrival. Vol'jin gave a nod and a wide grin. Cairn gave him a tired, ancient smile, one remarkably like the Sandaime's, if he had been a giant bull.

The blonde responded to both in the same fashion, with a grin, a word of greeting, and a nod. He then set his attention on Thrall, who was looking at him.

"Whaddya need?" he asked the Warchief.

"You've enjoyed the past few days, correct?"

"Yep!"

"Good, then I won't feel guilty saying that tomorrow, your training begins again. You will start at dawn, with me. That will progress all the way to noon, when you will then go with Rexxar."

At this, Naruto blinked in absolute confusion. "Huh?"

Thrall gave him a rare smile. "Rexxar has taken an interest in you, boy. It is doubtless what he will be schooling you in, as well. He believes that you need to learn how to use the bond that you and your fox share. There is much more to having a spirit counterpart than just a faithful companion. You must learn how to work alongside her, so that in addition to a companion, you will always have a fighter by your side."

Naruto pondered the thought of learning along with the silvery little vixen, and realized that she might be a little easier to tolerate if she were to actually be of some use.

"By the way, where is she?" Thrall asked, noticing that the fox wasn't by his side.

"Wandering, probably. She's gotten bored of just sitting around and watching me work, so she went off to explore," The blonde explained, scratching the back of his head.

Thrall nodded, smiling a little again. Then his stern, emotionless expression returned.

"But that was not the true reason I called you here."

Naruto straightened unconsciously at the orc's stern, powerful words. He wondered if he had done something wrong.

However, before he could hear what Thrall had to say, the tent flap fluttered open, and Kira, covered in dust, panting loudly, and sweating profusely, ran in. The girl's leather tunic and pants were soiled with dirt and grime, and it was clear that she had just traveled quite a distance.

"Sorry I'm late!" she said. "I was in the Barrens, gathering herbs. Your message only just reached me."

"Worry not, you have not missed anything," Thrall said, waiting for the girl to regain her bearings. Then, when her breathing evened out and she looked ready to receive the news, he spoke again.

"We have something to discuss, do we not?" he said. "It is something that led you to seek me out in the first place. I promised you that once you had accomplished the mission I sent you out for, that I would listen to what you had to say, did I not? Say it then, for you have my complete and utter attention."

Naruto was a little shocked by the suddenness. He had almost forgotten his original purpose for being here, because it seemed so long ago that he come. It felt like a lifetime, for in the past few months, he had been living in the city as if it were his own. He had prepared words to say to Thrall, when this moment arrived, but at the moment they failed him.

He felt as if he spoke them, then the companionship and bonds that he had formed with the people of Orgrimmar would disappear. He also knew that when he spoke them, he would soon be on his way to leaving the place that he no considered a second home.

It was childish, but he didn't want to leave.

Kira was shocked as well, though unlike Naruto, she was not as fearful of the consequences. She knew that she'd have to leave this place one day, and even though she loved it, perhaps as much as Naruto, she knew that both their dreams would take them away soon.

Exchanging a final glance with Naruto, she began. She poured her feelings, her hopes, her ideas out in a steady stream of words, emptying herself of everything that she had held up for this moment. She let Naruto speak some as well, though the blonde seemed to want her to do the talking, for it was her dream.

Thrall was silent when she finished. He had laced his hands in front of his face, resting his chin on them, and staring steadily towards them, but not at them. His mind and thoughts were far away, and so for a time, the room was silent. Cairn and Vol'jin had heard this story already, and they had both deferred to Thrall to make the final decision. It seemed that he was doing just that.

"Had you said those words to me that at our first meeting, my answer would have been a resounding no," said Thrall, looking at Naruto. "This plan is foolish, and the risks far outweigh the benefits. That, and the lack of knowledge I had of you and your character would have led me to send you away, without another word. I wouldn't even have considered it, and you would have never been allowed to set foot in Orgrimmar again."

Naruto nodded steadily, wondering what Thrall was attempting to say.

"So why did I make you stay your words, and remain here? In your fight against him, Rexxar saw something in you that I must have missed. He told me that keeping you around might be interesting, and I do not disregard advice as sound as his. At the same time, I too saw something in you that I could not explain. So I kept you here. I wanted to assess what you were truly like. The only way to do that was to train you personally. Over the weeks, then, I saw your true character emerge, I saw that no matter who you fight for, you fight your hardest. I saw that you accept those who are different than you, because you have been treated as they were in the past. I saw a drive and an ambition that could not be rivaled, and at the same time you have created for yourself a set of morals that keep that ambition in check, and make you all the more endearing as a warrior and a person. And lastly, I saw in you the ability to gain an ally of just about everyone. You inspire those around you, and that inspiration drives them to complete their own goals in the same manner that you constantly pursue yours. With everlasting determination, with a kind heart, and most of all, with a willingness to help even those who may say that they despise you.

"I have heard my two allies speak of you in nothing but the most glorifying manner. One has even made a brother out of you. You have aided the Horde and its people in many ways since you arrived, from the smallest of deliveries to the greatest of defeats of some of our greatest enemies. You have, using your kind heart, perseverance, and all of the qualities that I mentioned before, repaired our fractured alliance. With all of this knowledge, I have seen what you are truly capable of. I have seen that the dream that this girl, a human child, has given birth to is not at all beyond your grasp. More to the point, I find that I myself might want to share it with you. I have long been disappointed in humans, and the other races of the Alliance, but seeing that even a chosen few of them might wish to mend the lingering wounds that divide us, I realize that I want nothing more than the peace that you desire. My people, too, wish for peace. For a time when the whole of the world is open for them to see and travel, without threat that if they return, their home will not be there. Peace is something that this world has seldom known, and it is about time that it becomes accustomed to it."

Both Kira and Naruto were grinning. Neither could hold their elation, for during the course of Thrall's speech, it had multiplied in volume to the point where it positively exploded from their expressions. Thrall had accepted. They know had three quarters of the Horde, and three quarters of the Alliance (if the humans were receptive to it, that is), and soon it would be that Kira's dream might be fulfilled.

"But…"

Their joy suddenly died away, extinguished by the heavy rains of Thrall's grave voice.

"Know that this alliance is something that cannot be simply forced. Though I give my support to it, the deciding factor will be the people of the other nations, as well as my own. Know that even if you create an alliance, it may not hold together. I have seen firsthand the treachery that the other races can employ, as well as the cruelty and ferocity that they can display. If they are not willing to accept us, then we shall not be willing to accept them any more. I trust, girl, that you might open the eyes of your people," his eyes were now focused squarely on Kira, who was stiffened as she stared into Thrall's electric blue eyes.

"I hope that you can open them to the world that your father and grandfather hid from them, behind veils of hatred and disgust. Perhaps then, and only then, this alliance will succeed."

When he finished, he sat back, and looked at them. They were shaken by Thrall's final words, but also heartened.

Kira looked at him, and forgot the words about her father and grandfather. " I will do my best…no…better than that, to show my people what can be accomplished if they accept this alliance. I want no more bloodshed, ever, between our races, because there is already enough staining this earth. I have faith that they will be receptive. My father made many mistakes, I see now, but he too, before my mother died, saw a world in which our races could get along. I will not make those mistakes, and I will do my best to employ what he did not. Finally, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your decision."

Thrall nodded. And then he smiled.

"I think that I like you, child. You have the spirit of an orc, and you speak not with colorful words, but with your heart. You are already leagues above your father, I think, and will continue to grow. Just keep that brat with you, because he too needs to grow."

Kira smiled, as Vol'jin coughed and said, "In more ways den one, I tink."

Naruto's cursing could be heard, even above the din of the workers outside. They stopped, some blinking in confusion at the colorful words that he chose to rail out his blood brother.

But their spirits never dimmed.

Sakura yawned, shoving away the scroll that had been rolled out in front of her. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, trying to shake the sleep that was ready to overtake her with the speed and ferocity of a lion. She looked then, at all the scrolls around her.

She was sitting at a desk at the library, surrounded by scrolls, books, and other forms of historical documents. She was tired, as it was nearly midnight, and hungry, as she hadn't eaten all day.

She was also extremely frustrated.

She ignored her inner voice, which was using as many colorful words (perhaps even more so) than Naruto, in order to describe the scrolls and the little information that they contained.

She sighed, then, brushing an errant lock of cherry blossom colored hair from her eyes, and wondering if all this searching was really worth it.

But it was only for a moment. Of course it was worth it. It was about her friend, her teammate, and thusly it had as much worth as anything else she was doing now.

But it was unbelievably frustrating. She, with all her incredible verbosity and knowledge, could not come up with adequate words to describe how truly maddening it was for her. She hoped that whatever it was that she was trying to find was as juicy and amazing as her friend Ino expected it to be.

For the past few weeks, Sakura had been searching. She had taken her master's words to heart, and was searching for the one thing that she knew as little about as she did the actual person.

She was searching for the power that Naruto had employed in his fight against Neji, and the power that he had been using with increasing frequency in his journeys through the strange world that he now inhabited.

She was searching for the secret of the red chakra that Naruto possessed, as well as the reason for his healing powers.

And she was having more than a hell of a time trying to find it.

She had started off with the simplest and most obvious of the choices. She had borrowed one of the few actual books from the library, titled The Clans of Konohakagure, Past and Present, Second Edition. It was massive, leather bound, and had every clan, no matter how small or large, that had ever lived in it. She was seeking the one thing that she had hoped would yield the information she sought.

Clan Uzumaki; the clan that Naruto belonged to.

However, she did not find it. To her surprise, as she flipped through the last pages of the U chapter, she found that there was no clan Uzumaki. It simply didn't exist. That was shocking, because it was practically unheard of for a clan not to be listed in it. It even had her clan, and the only person in the direct Haruno bloodline that had ever been a ninja aside from herself, had been her grandfather, Haruno Koiichi. Her mother, whom had married into the clan, had also been one, and that was the reason why she had become one. Their clan didn't even have a bloodline, save for a rather remarkable ease in molding chakra.

But for Naruto, there was nothing. The only clan that existed that was even close to Uzumaki was clan Uzuki, and after reading through that, she could safely say that Naruto had no relation to that clan; the reason being that almost all members of said clan had hair of varying shades of purple.

That made her smile a bit. At least her own clan wasn't the only one that had been afflicted with a strange hair color.

But it startled her to realize that there were only two explanations for why Naruto's clan wasn't in the clan book. The first one was simple. It didn't exist, and Naruto was the first of his clan.

But why?

Had he been found abandoned, as so his name had just been made up? Or had his name been changed for another reason?

The second option was that Naruto's clan wasn't from Konoha. Perhaps they had come from a distant village or even another ninja village, and either had brought him with them, or had given birth to him while they were inside the city. Perhaps they hadn't wanted him, and so they just gave him up for adoption, and left the village.

Either way, she had nothing to go one, and so she had turned to other sources.

She had gone instead to the even larger History of Konohakagure and the Fire Country. She had no need to look through the first few volumes, as they were simply a history of the surrounding area, before Konoha had even been built. So she started with the volume closest to Naruto's birth year. She had to wade through the many descriptions and stories about the Fourth, and the fight against the Kyuubi and finally its eventual destruction. She read speedily, having read the entire set of volumes at one point or another in her youth, and knowing most of the information by heart. It was remarkable how much history a village that had only been around for a hundred or so years had. She was searching for even hint of the name of her teammate, but found absolutely nothing. She then moved back in time, searching for perhaps some mention of a predecessor, perhaps even an influential visitor from another country, bearing just a hint of resemblance to her friend.

Nothing.

So with her two most accessible sources gone, she had turned to another, less available, but hopefully still accurate source.

Konoha hospital.

Being the apprentice of the Hokage, and thus possessing many privileges that other kunoichi didn't have, Sakura had the ability to access the medical records of the village, in case she needed to check up on the medical histories of a patient that the Hokage had set her to caring for.

Naruto's was surprisingly thin. When he had looked at it, there were only two reports, and a birth certificate, for Naruto's entire life. And both were filed after he had become a ninja, the first when he had stayed after saving her from Gaara, and the second after being defeated by Sasuke. Aside from those three, Naruto hadn't been to the hospital since he had been born. There were no reports of yearly physicals, which were (to her knowledge) required for those who intended to become ninja.

So once again, she found very little to work with, at least in the area of direct information. They listed his birth date (October 10th), his blood type (B), his height (147.5 cm), weight (40.6), and all other basic facts. They also listed a report of his injuries, the expected recovery time, the actual recovery time, and little notes by the doctors that had taken care of him. But from this information, she noticed some things that began to bother her.

The first thing she had noticed was the tone both doctors took in their reports of Naruto's injuries. Not only were they rather sloppily done, but also they seemed to expect that whatever treatment they gave him would be rather useless. Their predicted recovery times, in both, said that Naruto would probably be out in less than a day. However after both she remembered he was severely depleted of chakra and heavily injured. That meant that they had known of Naruto's healing abilities, and thus didn't expect any real damage to befall him.

She wondered if their tones simply reflected their knowledge of this, or if there was an entirely different reason for why they seemed completely apathetic to his pains.

They also didn't give a reason for his healing abilities. That puzzled her quite a bit. They should have at least written something about it. Perhaps he had a bloodline, or something of that sort. But there was nothing. She wondered if it was simply the same uncaring attitude that the rest of the document reflected, or there was simply something that they simply didn't want, or weren't allowed, to write.

Finally, she turned her attention to the final document, Naruto's birth certificate. It looked incomplete, however. It didn't list Naruto's parents, just the date he was born, the time he was born (exactly twelve midnight), a few necessary medical facts, and the medic nin that delivered him. That had given her a bit of hope, but later she found that the ninja had died a few years later on a mission across the Lightning Country.

It was clear that the certificate was not the victim of the same negligence that the other reports had been. Someone had deliberately kept the certificate vague, and because it was a birth certificate of all things, it had to be someone influential.

But who? The Sandaime? And if so, why?

She realized that she was just beginning to scratch the surface of this enigma that was Uzumaki Naruto's life. There was something very strange going on, and it became absolutely clear to her when she sought out her next few sources. The people who had known Naruto for a while, and had seen him grow up.

She started off with the most obvious one, Iruka.

She caught the man just after the Academy classes had been let out. She greeted him, and the two made small talk for a while. He asked about her experiences in being Tsunade's apprentice, what Kakashi was up to, reminisced on past experiences with her and his other former students, and if he'd heard anything more from Naruto. Though he hadn't been present at the "message ceremonies" that were held in the Hokage's office whenever Gamakichi had a message to deliver, as he was usually teaching, Kakashi had apparently told him what was happening.

He'd been relieved, of course, to find out that Naruto was alive and well. He had also become fascinated in the world that Naruto had somehow been transported to.

When the subject of Naruto came, Sakura was ready, delicately asking him what he knew about Naruto's past. She said (and it was not a lie) that she was interested in his past, as she had never really known how he had spent his life.

Iruka had smiled sadly when she asked the question, and began to tell her.

"Naruto has had a hard life, Sakura. He's been alone from the very beginning. He spent the first few years of his life in the care of several foster parents, all of whom abandoned him at some point or another, and when he could walk and talk he was sent to the orphanage. That didn't work out so well, according to Sandaime-sama, so when Naruto was six, he let him have his own apartment."

Sakura was unable to conceal her shock. Her mouth dropped open, and her pretty green eyes bulged. "Six!" she hissed.

He nodded sadly. "Yes…just a few years before he entered the academy. The Hokage gave him a weekly allowance, and checked up on him as often as he could. I remember seeing him a couple of times, and though he appeared to everyone as if he was simply an exuberant, if rather annoying, boy, I could see that he was getting more and more aware of how truly alone he was."

Sakura flinched. Nobody should have to experience something like that.

"Why didn't you help him?"

It was Iruka's turn to flinch. The man's eyes were downcast, and he lowered his head to hide them from her.

"I…can't say."

"Why not?"

He struggled to answer, wanting both to tell her the true reason, and to explain his reasons for it without giving away anything illegal.

"I…had a lot of misplaced hate back then, Sakura. I had lost my parents in the Kyuubi's attack, and though in my youth I was rather like Naruto, loud and attention seeking, when I hit the teen years I grew very angry, and lashed out at just about everyone. Call it cruel…but back then I was sort of glad that Naruto was alone. It gave me a perverse pleasure to see that someone was suffering as much as I was. I regret everything now, and if I could go back in time, I would do everything to prevent myself from acting like that."

A blaze that had formed in Sakura's eyes at the beginning of Iruka's confession petered out, and Sakura looked only sad now. But she had gotten what she had needed. She thanked Iruka for his time, and added:

"I don't blame you. I didn't like Naruto very much once either. It's strange how he has that affect on you, huh?"

"That it is…" the man responded, losing himself in his thoughts as she left.

She had gotten a bit of an insight into Naruto's life. It broke her heart to hear that Naruto had gone through such agony as a child. It also amazed her that he had turned out as well as he had.

But Iruka's words had ignited a slight suspicion in her. Though he had said that his anger had been directed at everyone, his tone suggested that it had been slightly more personal. Even if he had been angry at the world, she didn't think a kind person like Iruka had it in him to get a "perverse pleasure" in seeing a total stranger feel such despair.

No, there was something else going on.

Her next stop had been Naruto's apartment complex. It was a large, brick-colored building with a greenish tiled roof, and many floors of apartments. She walked in, and using the directory at the bottom, quickly located Naruto's landlady's room.

After reaching the door marked "lady and lord of the land" ("I can tell this'll be good" she thought sarcastically) she gave a polite knock, and found herself face to face with a tall, severe looking middle-aged woman. She was dressed in a flowery nightdress, slippers, still had several hair curlers in her graying black hair, and on her face (alongside the scowl) had the remnants of a facial mask.

"Whaddya want?" she had said, glancing shrewdly at the girl.

Momentarily offset by the woman's appearance (in both senses of the word), Sakura blinked a few times, before recovering swiftly.

"Um…I've come to ask you about one of your tenants…" she said.

The woman frowned, "What did they do? I bet it was that old fart in 304 wasn't it? We're always getting complaints about that lazy son of a bitch. I'll set the bastard straight…."

She rolled up her sleeve, and made to march out the door, but Sakura quickly said, "N-no, no! It's about Uzumaki Naruto, room 401, I think."

The woman then looked at her in surprise. For a moment, she just stared at her, before shaking herself and saying, "Then come in, I suppose. Sounds like you have a lot to ask about. My name's Yamagata Maga, what's yours, dear?"

Sakura was once again baffled by the strange woman. One moment she was rather menacing and bad-tempered, and the next, when Naruto was mentioned, she seemed like a kindly old grandmother.

"Haruno Sakura," she answered, following the woman in. The room was rather large, and despite the woman's rather disheveled appearance, was neat and tidy. They entered a smaller room with a low table and a couch, as well as a small television. There was also a man, with untidy black hair, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and sandals, sitting in front of a small window at the far end of the room, watching something through a pair of binoculars.

"Oi! Pervert! Stop ogling that woman and come meet this nice girl whose come to ask about Naruto-kun," Maga shouted, grabbing the nearest object (a framed picture) and chucking it at the back of the man's head.

The picture made contact, knocking the man into the window with a loud thumping sound. He didn't yell out, or scream obscenities at the woman. He just turned, smiling, despite the trickle of blood that was now coming from his nose. He had kind blue eyes, and a small mustache.

"Why hello! This is the first time such a good-looking young lady has set foot in this room, and asking about Naruto-kun no less! What do you want to know? I'm Kentai, by the way."

Sakura glanced at the fuming Maga, who was muttering "Kentai no hentai" under her breath, and motioning for Sakura to sit.

She did. Maga went about, and fetched some tea for them, while Kentai waited patiently, smiling at Sakura. When Maga had settled on the couch next to Sakura, she glanced at the girl to begin her inquiries.

Sakura cleared her throat, and asked, "What was Naruto like when he first moved in here? Do you remember? He's my teammate," she added, seeing the questioning looks on both their faces. "I never got to know him, really, while he was here, so I just wanted to find out some more about him."

Kentai nodded. "Hmmmmm…that is hard to say. When we first met Naruto-kun, neither of us was very accepting of him, I'll admit. I know that my wife was rather stern whenever she came to collect his rent, and finding the place a mess. He was, of course, barely six or seven at that time, so I don't know what she expected. However, as time wore on, we both got rather used to his presence, even glad of it. He was quite a nice boy, if a bit loud, and always trying to please. After a few years, we came to accept his presence as somewhat of a blessing. He became a sort of tool for blackmailing the tenants who didn't pay their rents. If they didn't pay, we'd make them move into the room next to Naruto-kun's.

"My wife then invited him in, after he first failed his genin exam in order to have tea. I do recall him calling me a pervert when I offered to show him my collection of magazines…"

Maga grinned toothily and nodded. "He's got an eye for perverts. Takes after my own heart, he does."

Sakura took the information in, wondering if she knew that Naruto was at least as perverted as any guy his age. "So you looked after him, and made sure he was alright?"

Both Maga and Kentai sighed. "Truthfully, no. We simply showed him some simple kindnesses, but other than that, we never really bothered. Neither of us was too thrilled when he first arrived, but alas, I wish I could have done more to help the boy…" said Kentai.

The question "why" was already on Sakura's lips, but Maga interrupted her. "We had just lost a son, you see. He had been as light-hearted and active as Naruto, but he died in the battle against the Kyuubi. It was still fresh in our minds, and so we kept him at a distance, for fear that he would reopen the wounds that were still healing."

Sakura nodded, though she didn't think the woman was telling the truth. She had said it a little too quickly, and seemed almost nervous in telling her.

But she also recognized a new factor. Like Iruka, these two people had lost someone to the Kyuubi, and while that was not uncommon, for thousands had died in that attack, and though they had not done anything to suggest there was a connection, it was still something to think about.

She talked to them a little more. She learned that they hadn't taken an interest in the boy until his Academy years, and even then had only called him in for the occasional tea. They seemed to genuinely like him, though, so when she left, she promised to tell them whatever she could on where Naruto was.

Her next stop was Ichiraku Ramen. The old man, Teuchi, and his daughter, Ayame, hadn't much to say that Sakura hadn't already learned. She did learn that Teuchi had gotten Naruto hooked on ramen, and that he considered the blonde, without a doubt, his best customer. She learned, also, that neither had ever held any adverse feelings for him. Teuchi, upon seeing the blonde refused service from another store, had called the boy over and given him a free bowl. They had talked, laughed, and had a good time, and so Naruto had just kept coming back.

"He's a ramen connoisseur, you see. Every time I invent a new flavor, I have to test it out in him, just to make sure its fit for consumption by the others. He even has his own special flavor, the 'Naruto Special". Most people think it's named after the fish cake, however," Teuchi had said, grinning fondly in remembrance as Sakura ate a quick bowl of pork ramen.

Ayame said that she had loved conversing with Naruto, because he provided a little uplift to an otherwise boring day. She seemed glad, too, that Sakura was taking an interest in his life.

"You and your team was the best thing that ever happened to him, I think," Ayame said, smiling at Sakura. "It was the first time that he honestly had anyone that he could call his friends."

That had warmed Sakura's heart a little, and so she left Ichiraku with a renewed spirit, hoping that her last stop would provide the information she needed.

It was Kakashi-sensei.

Because the jounin was more often than not on missions, she had taken a risk in walking to his apartment, which was in one of the more deserted areas of town. To her relief, however, he was at home, and even more to her relief, his apartment was normal. She had expected it to be littered with porn of all sorts. He offered her all the things a proper host should have, and they made some small talk. She then told him why she was there, and how he could help.

"Ah, I figured that you'd be taking Tsunade-sama's advice to heart. Unfortunately, I can't really say anything. My hands are tied, Sakura. Just know that this goes all the way to the top. That's all I can say," he said, saying the last few bits a little slowly, fully emphasizing them.

Sakura looked crestfallen, and felt it too. She had been hoping that Kakashi would be able to provide her with more information. However, she filed his cryptic words away for later, hoping that they would be of some use.

Sakura had stayed a little while longer, bringing Kakashi up to date on her training status and schedule. He asked her briefly if she had perfected the mechanics of the jutsu she was developing. She confessed that she still had to generate more power, and so was working her hardest in building up her stamina. She then left, quickly, as Kakashi had asked if she had wanted to watch the trailers of the Icha Icha Paradise: The Motion Picture movie that he had recorded.

And so, exhausted, she had returned to the library, wondering if she had missed something. She used all the information she had learned to the best of her knowledge, but still found nothing more than bits and pieces to the vast puzzle that was laid out before her.

She was at her wits end.

She scanned the tops of the scrolls again, hoping to find something that would leap out at her.

Something did. She picked up the scroll, titled The Bijuu, written by some old clan of historians. She remembered picking it up earlier, but hadn't really looked at it. So she unfurled it, and found a list. The list was of nine demons, called bijuu, which had once roamed the world freely. She discovered, to her surprise, that the Kyuubi was one of the bijuu. In fact, it was the strongest of the nine, it having the most tails.

She knew all about the Kyuubi, of course, having read a dozen history scrolls (just that day) about it and its fight against the Fourth. She knew that it could create violent earthquakes and tsunamis with its tails, and seemed to have no end to stamina or strength. She knew that the Fourth had developed a special jutsu that allowed him to sacrifice his own life in order to destroy the beast.

She was about to toss it away, when a small sentence near the end caught her eye.

"The Kyuubi, like the other bijuu, cannot be slain by normal means. In fact, in the physical realm, it is all but immortal."

Immortal? Then why had every other history book she had ever read said that the Fourth had destroyed it? She read further.

"Being the oldest and strongest of the bijuu, it is unknown how many jinchuriki have housed the demon. It is unknown if there even were any, for it would take a special type of seal in order to hold back such an incredibly power demon."

Seal? Jinchuriki? What was it talking about? She looked further up the page, but all the other references were just as vague, and there was no definition for the strange word.

But the word seal still held her. Something was beginning to form in her mind.

She took stock in everything she had learned in the past few days, her heart pumping wildly as her mind worked towards the truth.

Naruto was an orphan, whose parents were unknown and whose clan was likely made up. He had an unnatural ability to regenerate his flesh after being wounded. He possessed an immense amount of stamina, and the ability to use a chakra source that was completely independent of his own.

He had been regarded with hate and apathy for his entire life, and those who had known him had always been held an unnatural fury towards him at the time they had first known him. That anger bordered on hate, perhaps even being as much.

All of the people whom she had talked to that had hated Naruto in the past, but then had come to like him, had lost family to the Kyuubi.

The Kyuubi had been defeated by the Fourth Hokage, even though it was not possible to destroy such a creature.

The Fourth Hokage was a master of seals, having been trained by Jiraiya, a legendary Sennin.

She still didn't know where she was going with the idea. It was just beyond the tip of her tongue, and then it hit her like a kunai in the gut.

She was suddenly bereft of air, as a single bit of information floated into her mind, suddenly aligning all the other information that she had gathered. It had been hovering there, in front of her nose the entire time.

Naruto had been born on the very same day that the Kyuubi had been defeated. Naruto had no parents to speak of, and his whole life was shrouded in mystery. The one that had defeated the Kyuubi had been a master of seals, and had sacrificed his life to rid the Fire Country of its influence.

Naruto used red chakra.

Naruto had more stamina than she, Sasuke, and Kakashi combined, and could heal faster than anyone.

Naruto had been alone all his life.

Naruto had been hated all his life.

She was glad she was sitting, because her knees were shaking madly at her thoughts. Even if it was for a moment, and even though she knew there was much more to consider, she couldn't help but ponder it.

Ponder the absolute worst scenario behind Naruto's mysterious power.

"Naruto…is he…the Kyuubi?"

Ooooohhhh…the plot thickens.

I enjoyed this chapter…I don't know why. I liked writing the Konoha scene particularly, because it gives us a little information on what Naruto's early life was really like. I also liked Yamagata Maga and Kentai. I dunno why either. Their inspiration are the two characters in Kung Fu Hustle, the woman who yells really loudly and the guy who's really lazy and perverted.

I also, just recently, discovered the wonderful tool that is Review Reply. That means I won't have to do a Reviewer Answer column anymore. Yay! For those who want their questions answered, and don't have an account, you can just email me, or get an account.

Well, that should be it.

Wow…short author's notes this week, huh?

Next week: What will the outcome of Sakura's investigation be? How will Naruto's other friends react? What will Naruto learn in his training?

Just wait and see!

General Grievous