Konoha's Legacy: An Alternate Version

by The Gemini Project

What if the Kyuubi never attacked Konoha? What if the Yondaime still governed Konoha? What if Naruto had a family? How durastic would the difference be? What could the consequences possibly be for Naruto or Konoha? Chp. 20 The Real Naruto

18. Chapter 18

This is the second chapter of the double update. Once again, thank you for being patient and for reading. Also, I'm happy that, so far, no lynch mobs have located my whereabouts. I assure you that this chapter will answer some questions, but will leave others open. I will deal with those situations when the time comes. For now, just enjoy, as I welcome you to the next chapter in Konoha's Legacy.

A/N: I do not own Naruto or Full Metal Alchemist.

Chapter Eighteen - Reflections: The Price We Pay

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uchiha Sasuke had always sought to be the best he possibly could at all times. He looked for the best way to improve, the best way to study, the best way to train, and the best way to succeed. Victory was his only option, defeat was not. And as the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi, great things were expected of him. As an Uchiha, he was told he should never have to rely on the assistance of others. He should always stand above the competition, and always be capable of besting his opposition. This was drilled into his mind, from the day he began training, all the way to this very moment.

Yet, for the past couple of days, he had been forced to admit his limits and accept the assistance his teammates provided. While his father may be displeased with this situation, there just wasn't anything Sasuke could do to fight against it right now.

With his body battered and sore, he felt shame for needing the assistance of his teammates. He seemed to be the burden on the team, at this time, and it simply irked him to no end. How could he possibly be this susceptible to weakness?

About one hour after leaving the company of the assembly of shinobi that were helping him and his team, they had felt a massive wave of chakra wash over them, as if bathing them in the enormity of the malevolence that coated the terrifying chakra. He could tell it belonged to Garrett, but it was much more horrible than it had been when they first encountered him that day.

He wasn't exactly sure how long after that happened that they felt the ground tremoring violently and another wave, this of something that he could only define as power, blasted them. It wasn't as powerful as it probably was up close to it's source, but it was enough to knock them off balance and off their feet. What it did do was give hidden enemies the chance to attack. Three individuals, all from Kumogakure, if their hitai-ite's could be believed, had chosen that very moment to pounce like opportunistic hyenas.

One person, sporting a vest that was a sickly shade of green, with pants that were of the same color, and with a ragged looking longsleeve brown shirt underneath the vest, had lunged for him, but Naruto intercepted the charge. Unfortunately, the blonde's heroics were of no consequence to the attacker, for Naruto was struck by the man in brown and green. Struck usually refers to being hit with an object or hit with blunt force, so it didn't seem like an appropriate term to use. Naruto wasn't struck, he was slashed.

The glint off the attacker's hands from the rays of sunlight crawling through the thick cover of shade provided by the god-forsaken forest helped prove Sasuke's assumptions. The attacker had on a pair of vile-looking gauntlets that settled on each hand. Acting as a glove, the fingers of the devices thinned at the end of the appendages, and were also very metallic. In fact, the gloves did not seem to look anything like gloves, or anything resembling a hand. It was more of a claw than a glove, and one that looked powerful and sharp. Sasuke knew he wanted to avoid being introduced to the menacing weapons.

Despite knowing this information, it did not make him anymore ready to not confront the attacker. Sasuke went for his shuriken pouch and intended to fight this person, when he saw two other's appear out of the corner of his vision and walk into direct eyesight. The reason why this halted the Uchiha's attack was because one of the two other intruders had Hinata detained and imprisoned in a binding of white material. She seemed horrified and petrified, and she was being held out in front of them, to act as a human shield, or so he thought.

Sasuke knew that he and Naruto wouldn't even have a chance of victory unless a plan could be made and acted upon in order to free Hinata. With his body still feeling raw, it was a simple understanding that he wouldn't last long in a fight in his current condition. He needed time to think. He could only hope that one of the three Kumo nin's would be talkative. "Who are you three, and what do you want with us?"

The one who chose to respond to the question wore a white, form-fitting body suit, with a blue vest over his chest, and loose, long-legged white pants. Situated on each forearm was a bracer that was hard to describe from his position. But he could see some sort of weird compartment on the palm-side of the wrist on each bracer. The hitai-ite was tied around his head with special long cloth that helped cover up the top of his head, but hair could be seen poking out from the covering. "My name is Raizen," then he pointed at the man with the gauntlets, "he's Yensui," and finally he pointed to the one holding Hinata bound, "and he is Hokumo."

The third person, the one called Hokumo, was clothed in an odd assortment of cloths that looked to be sewn together. The strange collection of fabrics were a dirty grayish/yellowish color, which gave him a hobo-ish appearance. Where the cloths did not cover, bandages could be seen wrapped around the area. His hair was long, falling to just about his shoulders and off the sides of his face and the back of his head. His face was of an eerie calm - emotionless.

"As for why we are here," continued Raizen, "it is to settle a little issue we have with your village."

Naruto was trying to stand up but seemed to be having a great deal of trouble doing so. Sasuke couldn't understand this. He and Naruto had sparred on a number of occasions, sometimes using kunais and shurikens, and Sasuke remembered slashing Naruto once across the back on the left shoulder blade. At that time, Naruto did not seemed to falter like he was now. What was so different?

His question, unfortunately for him, was about to be answered. "Just to let you know, kid, when I scratched you a few moments ago, you were poisoned. Lucky for you, though, it's only going to burn, it won't kill you, but it will hurt like hell." was the statement spoken through a metallic mask from Yensui.

This knowledge, while it changed the whole complexity of the situation in Sasuke's mind, did not seem to affect Naruto in the same way. It actually appeared as though hearing that it was poison spurred the blond onwards. Sasuke knew it was a taxing task, but Naruto managed to stand up and got into a battle-ready stance. At that point, Sasuke had had enough time to formulate a plan, even if it was a little haphazard in construction.

"Listen, I'll try to distract the other two; meanwhile, you try to cut Hinata free so we can have an even fight. Okay?" It was simplistic in nature, and Sasuke was a little embarrassed about that, but it was the best they could do. In his current situation, he knew that he would have to be the long-range fighter and leave the brute force fighting to Naruto and Hinata, when she was freed. He would have to stay away from physical confrontation and fight a distanced battle. Naruto nodded in agreement with the plan, and set off to do his part. His motion brought all attention on to him, giving Sasuke just the right moment to surprise his targets. He would have to distract Raizen and Yensui in order to give Naruto the chance to cut Hinata free from Hokumo. After that, it was fair game.

Thanks to the pill he was given from the medic-nin Vander, his chakra supplies were almost fully replenished, and there was a great deal of energy in his body. He wasn't at full capacity and capabilities, but he wasn't going to be a burden either. Launching a volley of fireballs at both Raizen and Yensui, he achieved the desired results and got them to retreat away from the attacks, and Hokumo. Naruto now had a clear angle to free Hinata.

But when he couldn't follow through with the attacks, Raizen had sprinted over to try and intercept Naruto. He tried to intercept but was intercepted by Yensui, who tried to gash him across his already raw body. Forced to retreat from close-quarters, he could only watch in dismay and aggravation as Naruto was unsuccessful in his attempts and assaulted by Raizen.

What the strange compartment's on Raizen's bracers turned out to be were conductors. Apparently, it assisted Raizen in converting his chakra to the element of lightning and conducting it for transmission off of the bracers and through the nin's hands. This was demonstrated in a disturbing exhibition where Naruto became the lab rat for the Kumo nin's demonstration.

Through the use of enhanced peripheral vision, Sasuke had managed to narrowly dodge another slashing attack from Yensui, and at the same time, witness Raizen's assault on Naruto. When the blonde was stopped, caught in the grip of white-clad shinobi, electrical currents began dancing in a grotesque ballet that both captivated and horrified. Blue and white arcs of searing voltage traveled and engulfed all that was Naruto. Besides the sound of the crackling volts, the only other sounds, that still seemed to haunt Sasuke's mind were the desperate pleas for Raizen to stop coming from Hinata, and the agonized screams coming from the twitching and spasming form of Naruto.

-----------------------------------------------------

Naruto's screams of pain echoed not just across the field that day, but also in her mind, where she and her friends were, yet again, caught in another struggle that could be the death of them. It was haunting, like a nightmare with no signs of ending. A reminder of her weakness. Just thinking about it made the words of Anko call back into her mind and had Hinata questioning herself with the very question the special jounin had posed to her during the interview, which was the first portion of the exam. Did she really understand what she was getting into by wanting to be a ninja?

But, at that moment of time, on that day, the only answer that had come had come indirectly from recollection. She recalled her father, saying he was actually proud of her. She recalled her resolve when she spoke up, wanting to participate in the exam. She recalled that day in the hot spring with Sakura and Kurenai, making the vow to herself that she would become stronger and not need to be protected. She kept asking herself why she was not doing anything about this.

The answer could not be a simple cop-out, like she was bound by the wrapping of Hokumo, because the binding was not wrapped all too tightly around her. If she worked, she would be able to break free, but there was something strange about Hokumo. He was so calm, and the calmness was so contagious that it seemed to sedate her possible aggression. But every agonizing scream from Naruto was reverberating through her entire being. He was enduring that torture because he was trying to help her. So why wasn't she pulling her own weight? Why wasn't she doing something about it?

Resolve was kicking in as she began to channel her chakra, seeking the tenketsus spread through her body that would allow her to expel chakra through. Her plan was to expel the chakra through the tenketsus and slacken the bindings enough to free herself. Byakugan activating through this process without much thought, she could see the lines that still plagued her vision. But this time, without doubt and insecurity haunting her, she became aware of something that was different than the previous times she tried to activate her bloodline.

Her sight happened to lock onto her own body and saw that some of the lines were brighter than others. Those brighter lines were coming from the tenketsus she could feel she was about to use in order to free herself. Allowing instinct to take over in her escape attempt freed her mind to focus more on this new revelation. If what she saw indicated what she thought it did, then she had discovered that her byakugan vision was not tainted but possibly excelling. She was a believer in karma, so she did not want to test her luck at this moment, and have this possible advantage stripped from her before she could make any difference in the outcome of the fight.

Once again, she recalled one of the lessons that a family tutor had taught her about tenketsus, and the Byakugan's vision based upon the tenketsu. Some of the family's reports indicate that there have been documented cases where the Byakugan was able to discern where the most used tenketsus were located on an opponent's body. Shutting down that tenketsu, which was referred to as a 'Tenketsu Gate', would hinder a foe's abilities.

Now that she was expelling the chakra with enough force to give her partial mobility, she managed to snatch a pocketed kunai and cut herself free with a quick upward motion. Hinata was now focusing her attention solely on Raizen, intending to make him pay for what he was doing to Naruto. Applying for attention towards her vision, she sought for his tenketsu, noting that the lines were also coming from him. There were small strands coming from places she knew tenketsu's were situated, but she was searching for the brighter ones with the larger strands.

Lashing out at Raizen, forcing him to disengage from Naruto, she darted her right hand out to palm thrust him in the chest, but he stepped away from the attack and began to swing at her. It was as the fist was coming towards her that she saw it. A point on his elbow that was glowing brighter than the other's on his arm. Leaning her head back to avoid any possible momentum-filled contact to be felt, she darted out with both of her hands, the left's fore and middle fingers stabbing at the bright tenketsu, and the right to stop Raizen's right fist's momentum.

After Raizen grunted from the sharp pain he must've felt, he shrugged out of her lackluster hold on his arm and continued in his motion, grabbing at her left shoulder and squeezing. The action made her wince at the pressure and the slight anxiety from her own doubt - not just in her assumptions but also of her own skill. But when the bolts of electricity did not sear and scorch her body as they did Naruto, she was relieved and elated. She had found a way to turn weakness into strength. And she might have found a way to tip the tide of this battle largely in her team's favor.

His surprise was evident, but instead of investigating the problem, the shinobi chose to ignore it and find an alternate solution for his goal. This was to use his unharmed left arm and hand to attack her. Hinata did not know if this nin from Kumo had any knowledge of the tenketsu and hakke, but his actions helped to justify a belief that he did possess such knowledge.

Knowing she did not want to undergo agonizing pain such as electrocution, Hyuuga Hinata now shifted into a more adept Hyuuga fighter. Brutal precision would mark her every action from this point on. Pushing off with her right foot, she swung with her right hand and knocked Raizen's right arm away for the moment and spun into the motion, placing her back to his front. As the left hand changed direction, Hinata thrusted her left hand out to clip his between the wrist and elbow, stopping the movement, and moved with deadly proficiency as she closed off the bright tenketsu of his left elbow.

Figuring, hoping, him to now be ineffective in battle, it was time to neutralize him. This would be where she would normally succumb to her pacifistic nature and not strike her opponent with unemotional, crippling attacks that were expected of a trained Hyuuga fighter. She didn't like even the thought of performing such an act on anybody. But this time it was different.

These shinobi were from Kumo, the very village whose leader had tried to kidnap her at one time. It is well-known that, since then, relations between Kumo and Konoha were effectively destroyed. Kumo's elders on their village's council had even demanded that her father's life be paid for the death of their Raikage. But in his stead, Hizashi, Neji's father and Hiashi's brother, would take the place of the Hyuuga head - not only to protect Hiashi, but also to protect the Byakugan. It was thanks to the Yondaime that her family did not have to suffer that injustice. Now, several years later, shinobi from the same village were after her again, this time for revenge. She just couldn't believe how shallow they must have been.

But then there was also the fact that in their pursuit for vengeance, they had attacked her teammates, her friends. If she hadn't acted when she did, then Naruto might have died at Raizen's hands, while trying to save her. Those things had combined with her drive to protect and had created a rare occurrence for the Hyuuga heir. She did not care if she hurt these men. She did not care if she crippled these men. She did not even care if she took their lives. She only cared about defeating them.

She thrusted her left elbow right into Raizen's sternum, knocking the breath out of him momentarily, and giving her ample opportunity to continue on the offensive. With her right hand, she stabbed it into the stomach of the shinobi, like one would with a knife, and continued driving it through as she stepped into the attack. Though she wasn't piercing skin, she did know how this felt thanks to her many sparring practices in the family dojo, so she understood that it probably did feel like she was stabbing him with a blade.

Having flowed through that motion, now she looked for the finishing touches. With her left foot, she moved it forward to flow into an open-palmed uppercut with her left hand. Upon connection with Raizen's jaw, she heard a creaking and cracking sound that made her stomach a little queasy, but she pushed past it to finish him off. Now that he was completely off balance, she was going to do a right-handed palm thrust into his gut with enough power to probably disintegrate the stomach and intestines.

That was when she felt a sharp, searing, horrific pain shoot through her entire body. It was so painful that she fell to her knees from the pain. It felt as if a number of metallic blades had carved the skin on her back. She tried to gather herself, tried to stop herself from allowing her mind to focus solely on the pain and make a counter-offensive, but it just wouldn't work. The searing pain was becoming more like an acidic burning inside of her. Unconsciously, the Byakugan had de-activated without her giving her eyes express permission, so she could not tell who had caused this pain. But she was fairly sure that it was the male shinobi, Yensui, who had done it.

Now sitting on her knees, her legs tucked under her, her arms draped over the opposite shoulder, as if trying to find some way to seek the wounds with touch, she was now at the mercy, or lack thereof, of Raizen. She wouldn't expect any from him, but it was still a shock to her when his knee collided forcefully against her left cheek. But she wasn't given the ability to fall backwards. He had a handful of her hair, using it as leverage to get in a forceful attack.

Pulling on her hair again, Raizen slammed his knee into her again and again, until Hinata could swear to feeling her cheek bone fracture and her mouth leak a small trail of blood out of the corner of her lip. Bruising was already taking effect, her cheek already swelling, and it even crept towards her eye. She cursed inwardly as she was pulled by her hair into a somewhat standing position, but that was only so he could get a solid punch in on her stomach. Against her will, tears formed in her eyes as the pain was accumulating to a breaking point. But the remorseless assault continued.

Raizen gripped her chin in his hand, cupped to support her jaw, but he squeezed excessively tight, causing her more pain. He positioned her face close to his, so close that she could, disgustingly, smell his breath as he spoke against her face. "So...how does it feel...Hyuuga? To feel...defeated...helpless...powerless. It's not something...you are used to...is it? The almighty...Hyuuga...Their heir...was a disappointment...I was expecting more...but this...This is what our former leader died trying to possess? Pathetic..."

No strength seemed to remain in her body. The pain from his physical attack had decimated her resolve. His verbal assault was the breaking point in her. No will remained to defend herself, her friends, or her family's honor. She felt a familiar feeling begin to spread across her. A desire to sleep. Sleep away the pain. Sleep away the shame. But before that could happen, she felt a chakra signature spike and heard the sound of something speeding through the air, like ferocious winds. Everything else...was a blur.

-------------------------------------------------------

When he had been slashed by Yensui and heard that the blades on his gauntlets were laced with a poison meant to weaken the body, Naruto had tried to summon the medicinal chakra necessary to attempt to purge the poison out of his system, but the pain the wounds caused made his chakra control sporadic.

Then, when he and Sasuke tried to get Hinata free from Hokumo, he had managed to effectively block the pain of the claw-marks across his chest out of his mind, but that did not help when Raizen had managed to get past Sasuke's attacks and intercept him.

The pain from the electricity flowing from the bracers into and across his body was unfathomable. It just wouldn't stop. His entire body felt like it was being cut and ripped asunder, and that the objects doing this were wires that could pierce skin. That was the best way to describe it. It was as if he was being stitched by multitudes of people, the needles at a scalding temperature, like a branding iron, and attached to the needles were wires laced with the most painful of alcoholic and acidic rubs.

When the pain finally stopped, he thanked Kami, or whoever, for the break in that torture. As soon as his eyesight returned, Naruto searched for his savior, and saw Hinata, free from her captor and unrelenting in an attack on Raizen's body using Jyuuken. Seeing her in full control, Naruto could now turn his attention to other things, like how was Sasuke faring, and where was Hokumo, the would-be captor.

Upon coming to that decision, Naruto saw Yensui running from Sasuke, not out of fear or to flee, but to assist Raizen. Sasuke was hot on Yensui's heels, but when Yensui locked eyes with the blonde, a shout came from his muzzled mouth. "Hokumo, detain these two while I help Raizen."

Naruto acted quickly to that command, because he did not like the thought that Hinata might become double-teamed, but Yensui leaped over him and before realizing it, he had joined Sasuke, unceremoniously, in a prison of water. Looking around, he now saw Hokumo with his right hand extended and a small stream of water connecting the hand to the prison. The prison itself seemed perfectly spherical in appearance and the borders were visible, but there was no water inside. If Naruto remembered correctly, then a water prison technique was supposed to capture a target in a sphere of water, effectively drowning the victim. So why did this Hokumo person design the prison with no water inside?

Naruto's thoughts were cast aside for later deduction once he saw the abusive spectacle that was becoming Hinata's fight. She could no longer stand on her own power, that much he could tell, and yet that bastard, Raizen, was ruthless in his tirade. Steadily, the muscles in his body were tightening, and his jaw clenched considerably, allowing his teeth to show, signifying his frustration and anger. But more than that, panic was playing a large role in his demeanor. If he or Sasuke could not figure something out quickly, then Hinata might be killed.

Thinking quickly, he studied the prison for a few short moments before pulling out one of his few remaining kunai, gripping it tightly, and slashed at the prison's walls. The end result was a slight tear before the cut mended itself quickly. Naruto figured that even if he had a large blade, he still wouldn't be able to pierce the wall and have enough time to possibly get through. No, they needed to destroy the whole damn thing. Otherwise, Hokumo would just continue to reform the prison.

In order to do that...a slight sacrifice would have to be made. Turning to Sasuke, Naruto hardened his face into one of determination. Sasuke noticed this and immediately focused. "Sasuke, we need to destroy this bubble all at once or we will not get out with enough time. I need you to take a deep breath and hold on."

Sasuke's eyes bulged upon completion of that request and seemed to try to speak to him, but Naruto ignored that and proceeded. "Fuuton: Siphon!" The valuable remnants of air that was allowed them in this prison were now fuel for Naruto. He had, literally, one shot at this.

Taking the wind now swirling around him, he compressed it, achieving the desired results. The force of the siphon was actually affecting the prison composed of water. Now that that hunch was proven correct, it was time to get free and kick these guys' ass. He expanded the compressed air, filling it out all around the sphere, as though creating another layer, but made of wind. The only thing left was the hard part: using the wind to destroy the prison.

Naruto's memory helped him in this process of his plan, for he remembered being told that high-speed, rotating winds, coupled with an accumulation of moisture, would result in creating an icy climate. Using his chakra to help him, Naruto forced the wind to swirl against the barrier. Faster and faster the wind swirled, and lower and lower the temperature dropped. Naruto was beginning to see his breath in the air, telling him he was close. Just a little more, and they could be free. That was when he saw Raizen, the depraved sonuvabitch that he was, showing off his depravity.

With Hinata's chin still in his cupped hand's grasp, his other hand - thumb looped through a kunai ring, which was hanging from said thumb - was crawling down Hinata's side, down past the left side of her hip, and then in a flash, the kunai was being gripped in the hand and the point was pressing dangerously against her...area...as he licked her jawline.

That set him off like a bomb. The wind howled in ferocity, matching it's user's own rage, and plummeting the temperature well below freezing. In a matter of seconds, the water prison had become a massive ball of ice that Hokumo couldn't contain. But instead of the ball of ice hitting the ground and possibly shattering, Naruto had already burst through and was making a mad dash at Yensui and Raizen.

Yensui had turned around and removed his metallic mask, and after taking a deep breath, exhaled a green cloud of toxic fumes. Naruto leaped into the air and created two shadow clones. The clones each grabbed one side of the real Naruto's jacket and threw him with all the strength the clones could muster towards Raizen. That man was Naruto's only target and anyone who got in his way would be destroyed. Only later would Naruto come to understand just how primitive humans could be. Even he, a trained shinobi, had acted upon feral-like rage.

With the boost in speed, he closed the gap between him and Raizen in no time, and introduced the Kumo-teme intimately to his fist. The sensations that assaulted Naruto with the successful strike of that one blow on the bastard were numerous. Happiness, sadness, anger, relief...but most of all, satisfaction. It only grew more satisfactory as he became aware that he had done some severe damage to Raizen's facial bones. The sound was very distinct. He had definitely broken a cheek bone, possibly more, and yet he didn't care. Not one bit.

After Raizen was knocked away from Hinata, Naruto made sure to hold on to her so she wouldn't fall down. This left them wide open, unfortunately, to Yensui and his toxic vapors. But Naruto was not playing nice either. As he saw Yensui take a deep breath, he shifted Hinata so that he could better make handseals. Then the poison-user from Kumo exhaled, attempting to blanket he and Hinata in the toxic fumes.

But Yensui didn't get any further. Naruto didn't let him. "Fuuton: Takaya no jutsu!" Finely concentrated wind cut through the air like an arrow as it found it's target rather effectively. The attack cut through the cloud of green, taking the toxic gases with it and slammed into the open mouth of Yensui. The end result was the back of Yensui's head being blown apart from the force. The Kumo nin fell to his knees before crumpling in a heap.

Unfortunately for Naruto, Raizen had managed to find his voice, despite having broken facial bones. "You bastard! I'll make you pay for that! Hokumo, let's finish these fools off once and for all. Screw the mission! I just want them dead!"

Attention turned to Hokumo, who had been in the middle of a stare-down with Sasuke. The quiet nin gazed around at everyone, lingering on Naruto and Hinata, until moving on to look upon his teammate, and then closed the emotionless eyes in thought. When Hokumo's eyes opened, they no longer were emotionless, but held resolve, comprehension, understanding, and determination. "No, I will not fight anymore."

Before Raizen could utter an enraged response, Hokumo continued. "It is now clear that I have been misled. I am ashamed that I went along with the ramblings of my elders, and did not question the validity of their argument. But now I see the truth for what it is. Uzumaki-san, Hyuuga-san, Uchiha-san, I hope you can forgive me for my transgressions." Hokumo then did something completely unexpected. The shinobi fell to his hands and knees in a plea for forgiveness.

During this display, Raizen had made a move to escape. But Naruto noticed in enough time not to let the coward get away. Cradling Hinata, he leapt over to Sasuke and entrusted him to keep her comfortable...and safe. Applying as much chakra into his legs as they could handle, he sped after the fleeing bastard. He was surprised with how quickly he caught up to Raizen, but didn't give it a second thought. Naruto was only concerned with making Raizen pay. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!!" Two new clones came into existence.

The two clones flanked Raizen on the man's left and right side, then switched sides by running slightly in front of Raizen. Then they started to run back towards Naruto, but were disposed of with two kunai each. But that didn't matter anymore. They had done their job. Naruto had given the two clones one chakra wire each. And the wires were still connected to his hand. The clones only had to tie it around Raizen's neck.

With a nuece in place, he set it so that the loop was secure around Raizen's neck, and allowed for the end still attached to him to be slack. Dashing towards the closest tree, Naruto fused the wires into the trunk, like he had done with Garrett earlier. Once that was complete, he then reeled Raizen in with violent speed. The Kumo-teme was gagging and spouting off curses and flailing about, but it was no use.

Making sure Raizen was held to the tree perfectly, he also bound the arms so that no hand seals could be made. When he completed the preparations, Naruto moved so that he and Raizen were face to face.

"You bastard Uzumaki!!! When I get my hands on you, I will kick your ass, the Uchiha's ass, kill my ex-partner, and then have my way with that wench." Apparently, Naruto's face had displayed his emotions, a betrayal that Raizen tried to use to gain a mental advantage. "Oh yeah, I'll humiliate and humble that Hyuuga slut like no one probably has."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" shouted Naruto, driving a kunai into the crotch of Raizen, eliciting blood-curdling screams from the Kumo-nin. Though he tried to not let the screams get to him, he couldn't repress a shudder that went down his spine from knowing that he was enjoying inflicting this pain on the bastard.

"Does this hurt? I'll bet it does. What you have done this day will not be forgiven. But don't worry, this pain will end soon enough." Cupping his hand around Raizen's chin, much like the bastard had done to Hinata, he reached into one of his pouches and extracted an explosive note. He held no remorse for what he was about to do.

Naruto brought the tag to Raizen's lips, and applied it to the vulgar orifice. The tag acted as a muffle, keeping any further noise from escaping the teme's mouth. Words were not necessary at this point. Gripping the kunai once more, he twisted it to grind even more painfully against the bastard's genitals, or what was left of them, and extracted the tool. As he continued moving back towards Sasuke, Hinata, and, uncomfortably, Hokumo, Sasuke was the first to speak upon his return. "Naruto, what happened to Raizen?"

An explosion went off almost immediately after Sasuke finished his question. The magnitude was tremendous, and even though it was set off several meters away from them all, debris was still propelled through the air into their vicinity. He looked towards his dumbfounded Uchiha teammate and stated the obvious. "I dealt with him."

This day had been hell for him, Hinata, and Sasuke. They had faced off with a devil and two acolytes, and survived...somehow. Hokumo, who had apologized deeply for his actions, continued with his pleas for forgiveness, but Naruto had not the strength to give him the justification. It wasn't that he totally despised Hokumo and wasn't ungrateful for the nin's continued displays of pacifism towards he and his comrades throughout the entire ordeal, it was just that Naruto was exhausted, bitter, and dismayed at the time. That didn't stop Hokumo from performing a truly noble act.

The pacifist handed Naruto two scrolls, telling him that he and his team had earned them in the battle. Hokumo also said that he would leave them in peace, or what could possibly be salvaged into peace, and request an audience with the Yondaime Hokage and explain the actions and agenda of their team at this chuunin exam and to be punished justly. That declaration stunned Naruto and left him speechless as Hokumo walked off, the shinobi intending to make good on the promise.

Once Hokumo was out of the vicinity, Naruto and Sasuke decided to set up camp for the evening. But when Sasuke froze suddenly, a look of desperation and disbelief plastered all over his face, Naruto became worried instantly. "Sasuke, what is it?"

Sasuke's jaw twitched, as if trying to muster the strength to speak, before responding in a quiet voice. "I...I can't sense my brother's chakra anymore."

------------------------------------------

"It's quite simple. I've already done an assessment on them. Arashi's right quadrant kidney has suffered catastrophic damage and has already gone into shock. We wouldn't be able to get him to the hospital in enough time. It would only worsen his condition. Itachi has suffered trauma the likes of which I have never seen, or could ever recall in any records. The tissue and musculature has been eaten through by...what can only be diagnosed as a fire of some kind. There is definite evidence to support that it was fire, but...it's still burning inside him. No ordinary medical treatment of any kind can save him or Arashi."

Kakashi felt something in him on the verge of shattering, probably his sanity, and would probably have broken, had Jiraiya not been so keen on a subtle hint left at the end of the diagnosis. "So, no ordinary medical treatment can help them, is that what you are saying?" When Vander nodded slightly, Jiraiya continued, "I can only guess that means you have an unorthodox medical treatment that you can try, right?"

Everyone there became so deathly quiet, waiting for a response. "Yes...sort of...but before I begin...you all have to make a vow right here, right now. You will not utter a single word as to what you will witness here to anyone, are we clear?" When everyone had begrudgingly agreed, seeing no alternative but to leave the fate of Itachi and Arashi in this man's unfamiliar hands, the healer walked over to Arashi and bent down to one knee.

Surprisingly, though it shouldn't have been considering who it was, Arashi was still conscious and capable of speaking, but with great difficulty. "Vander...what is the diagnosis." He coughed up some blood after finishing.

"Not good, friend, not good at all. You will die if something is not done. Same with the Uchiha. There's only one way, however."

"No...You can't do that...The toll it takes on you..."

"If I don't use it for these purposes, then what is the point of having it? All you have to do is lie back and wait."

"Call over Kakashi."

Vander did just that, watching warily as the scarecrow-like ANBU captain approached shakily. "Kakashi...trust him...I do...and I still trust you..." The words actually brought tears to Kakashi, a sight that was eerie, to say the least. "I'm...ready...whenever you are...Vander..."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Vander didn't waste any time past that point. Barking out orders left and right, the forest was cleared and smoothed out for precisely one mile, while searching for any possible spies. When no one was seen, Kakashi and Jiraiya were charged with the task of setting up a genjutsu around the cleared out sector of the forest so that no one could see what was going to happen. It seemed a curious request to make, since it would be really hard to see a six foot tall person one mile away, but Arashi trusted this man, so they would too. Completing that task was rather simple, actually, and when they did, they waited for whatever would come next.

Vander removed the cape and body armor he still wore, retrieved a scroll and unraveled it. What was curious was that the scroll was a sealing scroll. Biting his thumb, he streaked it across the parchment, causing a burst of smoke to cloud the viewing of whatever was taking place. When the smoke dissipated, it was seen that what the scroll had sealed into it was a field kit. Since Vander seemed to be a medic-nin, others assumed it contained medical equipment. What Vander pulled out was not medical equipment, but two more parchments.

One was a rolled-up scroll and the other a folded sheet of cloth. He focused his attention on Jiraiya and Kakashi before moving on. "I need you two to each move Uchiha-san and Uzumaki-san over to the following designated places." He told them where he needed the patients, and cut off the top portion of his body-wear, revealing a startling sight to those who saw it.

His frame was not overly ripped, nor was it under-cut, but that was not the reason his upper body had caught the attention of everyone there. Across his chest, stomach, shoulders, all of his back, and down his arms, were...designs of some kind, as though they were tattoos, but not like tattoos. He unfolded the sheet of cloth, which had a design, like a seal, drawn across it. Laying it down on the ground, he bent over it, bit into both thumbs to get a supply of blood ready for marking. Wiping his right thumb across his left arm, and vice versa, he began chanting.

It was at this point that Jiraiya realized just what Vander was doing and who he was. Without knowing, he muttered in a low, awed voice, "Wow," which did not go unnoticed by Kakashi.

The silver-haired jounin looked at the white-haired sannin in curiosity. "What is it, Jiraiya-sama?"

Jiraiya, in response, looked at Kakashi, as if judging whether he should say anything or not. Deciding that it wouldn't hurt anything, he spoke in a hushed voice so as to not draw the unnecessary eavesdropping of others.

"I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out this guy, who he is, and what he is, but now I believe I know. Arashi told me a while back that he had met an interesting person over in Lightning Country on a mission to dismantle a stronghold where Kumo-nin and the country's civilian military forces were holed up. But there was one person who was spared - who Arashi personally pardoned - and this is that one man.

"Apparently, this man, Vander, or whatever his name actually is, was a healer, but he chose to heal not only the injured from Lightning, but also those of Fire who had invaded and were injured during their attempts, even if they were captured. But during that time, something happened, something Arashi said he would never mention, for he had made a promise to not speak of it - much like we have here - but that event, whatever it was, was what ended up making them comrades.

"Anyways, Arashi said that Vander was of a different variety than your typical shinobi. Vander practiced not only ninjutsu, but also a special art...alchemy. That was actually what brought Vander to our continent, was the study and practice of ninjutsu. You see, alchemists believe that everything has a price. To gain, you must sacrifice something of equal or greater value. It's the fundamental principle of alchemy, called Equivalent Exchange.

"Alchemy is the use of materials and your own natural alchemic energies to analyze, break apart, and create anew. But apparently, the way we use ninjutsu is of the same principle theory. But instead of sacrificing material, we sacrifice our own energy. So Vander came here in order to learn how to harness and use this energy, that we know as Chakra, and find a way to incorporate it into alchemic theorums."

Kakashi's eyes were bulging at this discovery when his attention was suddenly pulled towards Vander, as a surge of power flowed from the alchemist. A blue-ish light was focused on the sheet of cloth that was laying on the ground and Vander's hands were currently placed directly on the cloth. Without warning, the light surged, it's brightness threatening to blind Kakashi, Jiraiya, and all else who were present. They were all forced to shield their eyes, lest they desired to never see much of anything ever again.

Once the light dimmed, and the odd noise that sounded like an electric generator died down, Kakashi dared to check what had just happened. His eyes...he thought he was seeing things. He rubbed them, trying to rid whatever could be playing with his vision. But when he looked again, there seemed to be no denying it. All across the vast expanse of space they had all been told to clear for Vander, a design was etched into the ground. Runes and symbols adorned the borders of circles and arcs. Where Itachi and Arashi were positioned in this design, they were inside of a circle with more runes and symbols on the circle's border. Each of their circle's had a line that branched off towards Vander's position. This line had numerous runes and kanjis etched around it, intersecting and branching off the main line, as though it was a DNA pattern.

Where Vander stood was even more complex. Three circles, one inside the other inside the other, with even more kanjis, runes, and symbols than any other portion of the design individually, helped give off an impression of hyper-activity inside the dormant design. It was haunting and eerie, but also amazing and captivating. Movement from Vander caught the attention of everyone as the alchemist brought his hands together, as one would in order to pray. "Hear my plea. Take these battered and broken souls, and mend their wounds. I am your vessel, I am your servant. Help me...help them." Very quickly, he performed five familiar hand seals, clapped his hands together, and grasped each shoulder with the opposite arm's hand, before he muttered words that shocked everyone. "Kuchiyose no jutsu: Fenikkusu."

Anko was the first to speak, the words sounding comical after-the-fact. "What did he say?"

Slowly, steadily, the marks on Vander's body glowed, as did the engraved markings on the ground shimmer. An indescribable energy began seeping from the marks on the ground, cumulating to such a mass that it was almost suffocating. Culminating and molding, twisting and shaping, focusing and defining, it became a force so great that it was almost too much just to stand on one's own feet, much less try to see into the mass of chakra and energy.

But Kakashi's sharingan eye wouldn't allow the captain to go without some sort of understanding. And what it saw was remarkable and frightening. It was a creature resembling a bird. The wingspan spread out across thousands of feet per wing. The torso was massive, shimmering an ethereal, almost holy, light. It had no feet or talons, which seemed perplexing if it were a bird that was in the midst of this power, but it did have large, massive tail-feathers. The neck rose from the massive torso, and ended with a ferocious and fearsome head. Though the characteristics were hard to distinguish, it was the eyes that caught the attention of the sharingan. The eyes blazed with an intensity that could make anyone cower and whimper like a child, and yet they glowed with compassion that was disarming.

Steadily, the light grew so bright that not even the sharingan could discern what was happening, so Kakashi had to close that eye too, to avoid becoming blind in his most useful eye. A great roar sounded, like one from a raging inferno, and in the next moment, everyone was awash with the energy, as if it exploded. The moments that followed were filled with suspense as the energy thinned and calm returned anew.

The haze that did linger inhibited the vision of Kakashi and sent the man into a mild panic. "Hokage-sama!!!" When no response was received, he tried again. "Hokage-sama!!!" By this time, others who were conscious and capable of assisting in the search were calling out to their fallen leader, hoping to get an answer. What Kakashi eventually stumbled on to was something completely unexpected...but welcome nonetheless.

The outline of blonde hair was all Kakashi needed to sprint over to his sensei's body. Upon reaching the man, the ANBU captain checked the pulse, and found one. "I've found him, and he's alive!" he shouted to all who could hear him. Now, being the captain of the ANBU squadron, it should have been his duty to check on Itachi, but a visual analysis of Arashi had caught and held Kakashi's attention and curiosity. The injury that he had inflicted upon his sensei was no longer existent. No blood, no damage. A healing technique of this magnitude, it was unheard of. Even more perplexing was that there wasn't even signs that a wound had been inflicted. No bloody smearing on the arms. Not even a small scar was present.

This strange occurrence led to Kakashi performing a medical diagnostic check. One didn't hang around Arashi as much as Kakashi had without picking up on something from your sensei's wife. The results were baffling. When one is mortally wounded, and they lose the amount of blood that Arashi lost in order to go into shock, then that whole process takes a toll on the body. The person will be fatigued, without a doubt, for the body is working hard to keep the person alive. But what Kakashi had concluded with the diagnostic check did not pan out with what should logically be the issue. There should be fatigue, there should be strain, and there should be stress, as well as a lowered and depleted chakra capacity. But Arashi showed signs as if the entire incident didn't even occur. As though he were born again. 'What the hell is going on here?'

------------------------

In a dark den, deep inside the territory of Tea Country, was the gathering place of many people on many occasions. It was the location of the 'Political Grounds' in the village of Oto. At this moment, 'political' matters were being addressed by five people - six, if you counted the one who was unconscious.

The yellow-slitted eyes of Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Three, and nukenin of Konohagakure, currently were glimmering with emotions bordering fear and anger. Anger at being slightly fearful of anyone. But one of the people interrogating him was one of the few who were capable of pulling off such a feat. This person was known only as 'Leader' in the organization he and his partner belonged to. It was difficult enough to look the man in the eyes, and it would be very foolish of Orochimaru to do so in this instance.

"Orochimaru, we are not ignorant of your actions. While you operate in the shadows, those shadows still have eyes and ears. Those shadows had informed me of your expedition into Fire Country to retrieve a jinchurriki. You allowed that vessel shelter in your hideaway and conducted your experiments. This was allowed without much question, but when you allow that vessel to go about and infiltrate a village the likes of Konoha, you risk more than the loss of a mere test subject. You risk everything that has been put into this organization. What do you have to say in your defense, Orochimaru?"

The voice of Leader was of a calm anger, that would make most men quiver. While Orochimaru was not most men, he still struggled collecting himself while being under the pressure of Leader's intense gaze and furious killing intent.

Orochimaru was saved from speaking when his partner, Sasori, spoke up - surprising to Orochimaru, in the hebi-sannin's defense. "While I may not always agree with my partner's choice of actions all the time, I do understand his motives for bringing in a Jinchurriki like Xozen Garrett. The better we understand the workings of a jinchurriki, the easier it can be to locate and track those individuals."

"So, Sasori, you would defend him, hmm?" Leader's gaze lingered over the cloaked form of Sasori, whether in scrutiny or anger was unclear. "Fine then. We'll take our leave." Turning his back to the ones who were under his gaze, Leader stopped to think before moving. "Orochimaru, do not take this lightly. Tread carefully. If you make any further passes at Konoha in the name of your petty revenge, then your life is forfeit."

Orochimaru gritted his teeth at the warning, despising his position for now, but sucking up his pride for the moment. "Hai. What would you have me do with the jinchurriki, Xozen Garrett?"

With Leader's back to him, Orochimaru had no idea of what the man's intentions were. "He does not possess a bijuu, so he is of no concern. Continue your experiments, sign him to your village, or discard him, it does not matter to me. But do not let him free again. If he is caught, measures will have to be taken."

"Understood. And I am sorry for you having to intervene. I assure you, it will not happen again."

"Good, let's hope so. Zetsu, let's go." Nodding his head, Zetsu and the Leader phased out of sight.

With their departure, Orochimaru's anger, which had come to a boiling point, was unleashed on a hapless wall. The force of the punch vibrated the isolated, dim room and caused dust to fall from small cracks in the structure. The silence that followed was more than uncomfortable to Kabuto, but Sasori didn't seem to be phased at all by his partner's outburst.

"Your temper will get the best of you, Orochimaru." spoke Sasori, in a taunting voice.

Orochimaru, instead of retaliating, chose to grit his teeth even more and hung his head, his hair falling to mask his face from possible prying eyes. He hated his predicament, he hated that he had to suck up to the Leader and was at the mercy of the man. But he needed to put up with it just a little longer.

"Orochimaru-sama, if I may have a moment of your time? It seems the genins that were sent to participate in Konoha's chuunin exam have passed. The sensei for each team that has passed the second exam must be present for instructions on the next course of action. What would you have done about this?" Kabuto bowed his head and gave the floor back to his master for a response.

"Very well. You will go as the Jounin-sensei representative." came the order from the Otokage. Kabuto responded with a simple "understood, master" before leaving him and Sasori alone.

Turning towards Garrett, who still lay unconscious on the floor where Zetsu deposited him earlier, Orochimaru paced towards the jinchurriki, desiring to know if anything...interesting...had occurred during Garrett's infiltration. Laying an open palm on the vessel's head, he saw everything that had happened that day. The fight with Cell Seven, to the interception from the adult Hyuuga, to Itachi's arrival, to their confrontation.

At this point, Orochimaru's smile grew steadily wider in triumph. His first attempt on placing the Juin Jutsu on a jinchurriki had gone over well, much better than Orochimaru would have guessed. But when he saw how Garrett had changed so drastically, it was with an odd combination of pride and anxiety that Orochimaru understood what had happened.

The youki from the demon sealed inside Garrett and the power that spread out from the Juin were becoming one. But without knowledge of how to properly use the Juin, that meant that the control needed was on a higher level than Garrett, alone. It could only mean that his tampering with the seal containing the demon had been more successful than he would have liked.

If the demon was becoming self-aware and manipulating the flow of chakra through Garrett, then problems could arise in the near future. It might mean that the demon could try and escape through a fusion of the juin and the containment seal. But if he could squash this potential problem in advance, then Orochimaru's ultimate plan for the jinchurriki could be realized. 'A vessel with this much power and my intellect would be the perfect container. Then I'll crush Konoha and Akatsuki.' Thinking back to what the next step would be in order to achieve his true objective, he remembered pulling from Garrett's mind a memory of the Firaga Ruby. That would need to be the next step.

-------------------------------

"In order to achieve the greatest power of the sharingan, you must kill the one who has the most meaning to you."

The words of Uchiha Fugaku, father of Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke, rang through the elder of the boys' mind. In essence, the power of the sharingan is demonic in nature. With the use of a demon's power, a price fitting of a demon must be met.

At that time in the Uchiha prodigy's life, curiosity was his lone weakness. The prospect of acquiring the strongest eyes and surpassing his family in it's entirety was appealing. The only issue was who was close enough to Itachi to fit the bill.

The first thought, the first notion (a horrible and disturbing one, now, after the fact) was his own younger brother. At the time, however, they were not close in any way. His little brother was an annoyance, always wanting help with everything. He never needed help or assistance, never really wanted any, and didn't care to spend any of his valuable time helping those who could not help themselves.

The next person in line was not his own mother or father, like some others might place them in this particular category, but it was his friend, or closest resemblence to one, that is. Uchiha Shisui was a revered Uchiha, just like Itachi, and power attracts other's who are powerful. Itachi was definitely the stronger of the two, but Shisui was so damned fast it was beyond annoying. If Itachi was going to kill Shisui, he would have to lure him into a false sense of security.

On that fateful night that his father pressed the issue again, Itachi made a decision. He would send a notice to Shisui, asking the young teen to meet him in a hidden area of the Uchiha compound. It was there they would discuss a matter detailing possible corruption within the family. But it was Shisui who beat him to it and asked to speak with him about an important matter involving the Uchiha family. Itachi's curiosity was piqued, but he had already decided upon this path, so he accepted and the meeting time was established.

When Itachi arrived, Shisui was already there, waiting patiently, with his back turned. It would have been so easy to sneak up on the boy and end it with an assassin strike. He would then gain the ultimate power of his family's curse. He pulled out a kunai, ready to perform the act, ready to claim the evolved sharingan...

But fate intervened in an odd way. Hatake Kakashi appeared, as if out of thin air, grasped a hold of the collar of his shirt and Shisui's sleeve and the three teleported...to the Hokage's office. Upon arrival, Itachi was met with two sword blades drawn across his neck and positioned so that a mere shift could cut the carotid artery on each side of the neck. Across from him was the Yondaime Hokage, Arashi, sitting at the desk with chin resting on finger-interlaced hands, looking at him with a devastating and calculative stare.

"Uchiha Itachi, I want you to know that I mean you no harm with this course of action, as was the intention of Shisui. But I needed to bring you here without alerting certain individuals. You are no doubt, curious as to why I have gone about such elaborate measures to ensure our meeting. I assure you it is not for some meaningless or trivial matter." Arashi paused to give him time to absorb and analyze the verbage so far, before continuing.

"I have long been suspicious of Uchiha Fugaku's actions. As much as Orochimaru was opposed to my taking reign as Hokage, Fugaku is opposed to having political power outside of his reach. It was not a matter of if, but when, he would try to push for he and the clan to gain a significant amount of power. I see that the time is approaching. You need not hide your intentions for fear of signing your arrest warrant, but I am correct to assume you had full intentions of murdering Shisui in order to gain an evolved sharingan, right?"

Itachi was baffled at the vast amount of knowledge that the Yondaime was revealing and more than a little nervous. Apparently the praises of Arashi being the strongest Hokage to date was no mindless or delirious ramblings of brainless bafoons. Deciding to trust the Yondaime, he nodded his head to signify that, indeed, he had intended to slay Uchiha Shisui. But how did Yondaime know that he was attempting this in order to gain the evolved sharingan?

"Why would you seek this power, Itachi? Why would you do so at the cost of a fellow shinobi? That action is treasonous. But that is not the biggest issue here. Tell me, Itachi...do you wish to be a pawn?"

Itachi had a feeling where this conversation could be heading, but decided to hear it out in it's entirety.

"Information that has been brought to my attention indicates that activity within your clan supports my theories. And that theory is that your father intends to use you, with the upgraded sharingan, to try and make a power move in the village. Unfortunately, without any kind of legitimate proof, I do not have the power, even as Hokage, to deal with this situation. But you do, Itachi.

"You have the opportunity to shun Fugaku's attempts and hinder his progress. This action might lead him to either quit all together, or make a careless mistake. Now, I know this is may be a hard decision for you, Itachi, for you very well may be labeled as a traitor in the eyes of your clan but..."

At that point, the Hokage had stopped speaking. The reason, a sudden spike in Itachi's chakra. "Hokage-sama...if what you say is true...then I would rather deal with the issue myself...befitting of this cursed clan."

"I will not authorize anything of that nature. You may be angry, but you must remain calm. There may be other...factors...in this matter that may be prevalent, and I will need that information. Besides, not all of the clan is cursed. You must think of your younger brother before you do anything rash and foolish. And you will need to look after him. For when you shun Fugaku, he will likely move on to Sasuke. I need you to stick with this plan, and keep your little brother on a straight path. This will be considered a high-class secret, S-class mission. Can you do this for me, Uchiha Itachi?"

(End Recollections)

The visions of that night fazed out and allowed Itachi to soak it all in once again. After that night, he had successfully shunned all subliminal attempts by his father to gain the Mangekyou, and grudgingly became a more 'brotherly' figure to Sasuke. All the while, keeping close to Fugaku in order to investigate any clan actions without anyone becoming suspicious, and reported to the Hokage on a regular basis. And for the first time in a long while, he was becoming content with his path.

But now, doubt was creeping into his own mind. If he had possession of the Mangekyou, would Xozen Garrett even had been a threat? Would he have been defeated by that person from Akatsuki...and that was when he remembered something that stood out from that encounter.

Confronting the darkness that clouded him, he fought through and forced light into the haze. His eyes opened and were attacked by the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital, his ears picking up the hum of equipment and the sharp, short bursts of sound that accompanied the previously mentioned equipment as it monitored a patient's status.

Sitting up, straining multiples of wires and tubes attached to his person, he looked around the keep, seeking any person who would listen. His gaze settled upon Uchiha Shisui, who was sitting patiently, but also with a look of surprise adorning the young man's face. "Itachi-san, you're awake?!"

"I must speak with Hokage-sama, as soon as possible, Shisui."

----------------

Meanwhile, in another room of the hospital, Arashi was looking over written statements from multiple parties involved with the incident of the previous day. From guards stationed around the village and at the gates, to those stationed at and around the Forest of Death. But nothing was fitting together correctly.

'How is it that no one noticed Garrett, or the two from Akatsuki? Did they have some sort of concealment technique? Maybe those from Akatsuki possessed such an ability, but not Garrett. He probably lacks the capacity to maintain such abilities. To hide a chakra signature of that magnitude, that must mean he had assistance. From Orochimaru? Possible, but still...how is it that not even I sensed him until he was already in direct combat? It doesn't make any sense?'

His thoughts were interrupted by a nurse walking in with a medic-nin. Standing up immediately, showing that no signs of pain or discomfort were hindering any physical actions, he stood ready to receive the information requested.

"What do you have to report?" questioned Arashi to the medics.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Hatake Kakashi has shown no more ill effects from whatever overcame him. He doesn't seem to recall anything that happened. Both Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo received minor injuries, as did Mitarashi Anko. Shiranu Genma suffered a fracture to his left fibula and damage to the left knee's ACL, MCL, and PCL from the large tree branch that fell on the leg. Hyuuga Hizashi has a multitude of pinpoint chakra burns across his body. It is believed that that is from whatever shielding technique he used during the confrontation.

"The last person, Vander, is a stranger issue still. He exhibits no physical signs of damage, no depletion of chakra, nothing pressing. Yet, his body is under strain and exhausted. It is a phenomenon that has left me, and several others in this building who are my colleagues, baffled. Whatever he did to assist you and Uchiha Itachi in recovery took a deep, yet untraceable, toll on his body."

The fact that the medics in the hospital had no idea as to what was wrong with Vander did not surprise him in the least. It was a hard concept to grasp, and even more so to explain. If he hadn't seen it, and heard it, from Vander, then he would be confused as well.

At that moment, Hayate walked in to the room. The special jounin and ANBU member stood at immediate attention before bowing in a display of respect. Arashi still, even after so many years, found it difficult to accept the formalities of the title he possessed. "Hokage-sama, I'm sorry if I am intruding, but I was made aware that you wished to receive notification of when the second portion of the Chuunin Exams was complete. As per your request, I have the information for you." Hayate then handed over several sheets of papers to him.

Skimming over wordy sections, he sought the contestants who would participate in the next portion. What he saw surprised him. "Seven teams passed, eh? And no individuals wish to drop out."

"No sir. Given your condition, and your request, we post-poned the final conclusion of the second exam for one day. No doubt that with an extra day to rest, no one will have any intention of dropping out."

"Then we'll have a first for the village...an odd number of combatants...fighting for a position in the Third Exam. Interesting." Grazing over the names, he was surprised by what he saw. 'Hmm, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata did manage to complete the second exam...good. Cell Eight did as well, as did Cell Ten. Hmm...Maito Gai's team made it as well. Two Hyuugas in the same exam from different branches. The Suna Siblings made it, as I thought. The lone team from Sound made it as well. And Vander's squad made it. He'll be happy to hear that.'

His thoughts and musings were interrupted again when another party entered the room. This person was Shisui, which raised his hopes. "Hokage-sama, Itachi-san has requested a chance to speak with you on a matter of importance."

"Very well. Is he coherent?"

"I believe so," answered Shisui. He knew that Shisui wasn't exactly sure, but it did not matter. If Itachi had the capacity to ask for a meeting, then that was proof enough for him.

Walking over to the dresser, ignoring the protests of the nurse about not overdoing anything, he dressed in a more formal attire befitting a Hokage, instead of the bland and uncomfortable garbs assigned to patients in hospitals. Once dressed and taking a deep breath, he walked out of the room and followed Shisui to Itachi's room and stepped inside.

Itachi was sitting up in the bed, but seemed to be lost in deep thought. Clearing his throat, he watched with amusement as Itachi became startled by the sudden intrusion. After a brief moment for Itachi to regain composure, Arashi assaulted the issue head on.

"Itachi, Shisui tells me you needed to speak about some pressing matter. What might this be?"

"It's about the incident with the two individuals wearing black cloaks with red clouds."

"You mean the two believed to be involved with the criminal organization, Akatsuki?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. When I attacked the one who seemed to be the leader of that small group, I recall seeing something that raises many questions, and is of a grave matter involving...my mission."

Arashi, catching on, immediately pivoted on the spot, spinning around to look at the door. Ensuring it was closed, he placed a tag with a seal on it and made handseals necessary to maintain secrecy of any subject matter spoken in the room. "Alright, you have my attention."

"He spoke to me before counter-attacking. He said that while my eyes were strong...his were stronger. At that moment...I saw his eyes shift..." Taking a moment before continuing, Itachi seemed to be looking for the right way to say what would be said next. "The phenomena that I witnessed...his eyes, shifted to resemble something of a mutated sharingan. If I am correct...then this man possessed the Mangekyou. He is an Uchiha."

"..." He was speechless. This was not what he was expecting, and it definitely was a serious matter. But the matter was only as serious as the possibilities of several factors. "Itachi, Shisui. I want you two to continue with your regular mission and follow the same parameters. The only difference is that I would like for you two to try and locate any documents that might detail any clan history. If this man is an Uchiha, then the location of the majority of the clan should contain proof of an Uchiha who has ascended in power. He might either be a rogue, cast off of the clan, or he might never have resided here, but with others in another area.

"Do not put yourself in any predicament that would reveal your true purpose. Try to gain this information without raising suspicions of those who might be loyal to Fugaku. That is all for now. Itachi, rest up and get back on your feet as quickly as possible."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I have one last question. My injury...how is it that it was healed without leaving any scarring whatsoever?"

"My friend, Vander, states that he is not as talented a med-nin as Tsunade, but he's got a trump card in grave situations. That's as much as I can say. Ask him when he's awake, if you like. I'm sure he would be willing to let you in on that little secret."

Turning back towards the door leading out of Itachi's room, he removed the seal he placed on the room and walked out into the hallway, and slumped into a bench to try and process his thoughts. 'An Uchiha in Akatsuki, eh? This can only mean trouble. Fortunately the next portion of the second exam will start soon. Hopefully I'll be able to enjoy it.'

However, a small commotion coming from a short distance down the hall had caught his attention. Several medical personnel were arguing with each other in a rather audible volume. Arashi chose to seek out whatever may be cause for such distress, but upon approaching the gathering, he overheard something that turned his blood into ice. Kakashi had disappeared from his room, and the room containing Vander was locked and unbreachable.

-------------------------

A petulantly persistent tapping could be heard coming from a waiting room in a tower positioned strategically in the middle of a dense, dangerous forest.

The tapping was coming from the anxious feet of a blonde teenager sporting a headband with the symbol for 'Leaf' on his forehead. Decked out in an amber jacket with long, black sleeves and pants of the same variety, Uzumaki Naruto was unconsciously testing the patience of his teammate, Sasuke.

They had had it out a number of times since the team as a whole made it into the tower successfully. Frustration over the series of events that had unfolded was setting in and it made for the two rivals to be at each other's throats. It might have escalated to a minor brawl had their conditions not been a pressing matter requiring rest.

Hinata had been the cooler head in the situation, but she had had a hard time trying to maintain the cohesiveness of the team. Both Naruto and Sasuke had felt a massive dip in the chakra level of the people important to them who were associated in the battle with Garrett.

What was still unknown to them was how suddenly the signatures ascended back to normal levels, as though it were merely a fluke phenomenon.

After the situation with the genin team from Kumo, they had made it as far as possible, given their condition at the time. During the evening, they had guests who came by. The team from Kagegakure had stopped by, claiming to have 'been in the neighborhood.' Even Hinata had laughed at the crack comment. But when tensions rose again, they had taken their leave. But not before offering some assistance. Their reason for this was simple, as far as Kid was concerned. "We like you, simple as that."

Their assistance came in the form of a trump card. An ace in the hole, so to speak. Apparently, the scrolls that the teams were supposed to be collecting had a mechanism designed into them that Kid had discovered after performing a diagnostic check on the scroll itself. The scrolls had a mechanism transferred into them that acted as a trigger. This trigger was pulled whenever the scroll was activated, which would happen when one would put the scroll in the door of the tower. Once the trigger was pulled, it would send you back to where the scroll was originally located, which also possess a receiver seal, that acted as a beacon receiver. With the trigger pulled, a jolt of chakra would activate the receiver seal, and would, in turn, activate an underlying seal which acted as the transporter.

To fix the problem, one of two things needed to be done. Either you had to disable the receiver seal, which was near impossible. The only other way was to release the trigger so it couldn't be pulled. That was easy to do, so he did it for them, while commenting to Naruto that whoever designed these scrolls was a genius, which made Naruto blush uncharacteristically.

That ended up being another reason for Sasuke's mood. While he tended to have a short thread of patience, his tension was much higher than normal. The reason was probably because they used the help of someone else in order to pass the second exam. But Naruto had responded with an uncaring retort: "A win is a win in my books."

But now, after being in the tower for a whole day and a half, Naruto's own patience was wearing thin and he found it hard to keep his anxiety down. What had happened to stall the exam? What would be on the next portion of the exam? How many others had passed?

Trying to take his mind off of the issue at hand, he looked over to Hinata, who was squirming due to discomfort. With a scowl, he remembered that Hinata had been cut across her back pretty badly, and the poison from the metal claws of that Kumo bastard had made it difficult for healing to go well.

Looking towards Sasuke, their eyes met for a moment before the Uchiha got the message. While Sasuke would probably admit that he had had better days, his time dealing with the issue of overheating his body was a concern of the past. With a quick glance between him and Hinata, he stood up and patted off his clothes, trying to act nonchalant. "I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll be outside if you need me."

When the door closed, Naruto watched as Hinata continued to shift uncomfortably, trying to alleviate the pain she must be feeling. When he approached her, she looked at him, realized they were alone, lowered her head and strained to not move. "Hinata, it's okay. I don't mind helping you." When he saw her tense and shudder slightly, he knew it was time to broach this topic with her. He had finally caught on the subtle signs, but he had had a hard time trying to figure when to speak with her about it. It was apparent, it had to be now.

"Hinata-chan...do you really think that you are a burden?" When her head snapped up and her eyes were wide, he knew he was treading on thin, fragile ice. He needed to be gentle with his words for he didn't want to hurt her. "Hinata, the reason I help you like I do is not because I feel you are weak or because I think that you can't handle things yourself. I think you are a strong kunoichi. You are definitely not a burden to me and you never have been. I want to help you because I want to help my teammate and my friend. Maybe I'm a little over-bearing sometimes, and for that, I'm sorry. Okay?"

A smile almost threatened to break on her face before it was squashed by her head ducking low again. He smiled and chuckled at the antics of his best friend. "Now, I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but I need you strip down so I can get to your back, okay?"

A blush exploded across her face as she shifted uncomfortably again. But this time, she did not resist the request. She turned gingerly, unzipping her bulky jacket and discarding it with a relieved sigh. The shirt she wore underneath the jacket was in shambles; at least, that was what it looked like from the back. Cuts in the fabric matched the claw marks left on her skin underneath the shirt. Removing the shirt carefully, she sat on her knees, feet underneath her, arms around her front to hide any unwarranted peepers from seeing her in this state of undress - even though she had bandaging across her chest to cover that area of her anatomy.

Telling her he needed to undo those bandages, she simply nodded and cut them as they fell away to reveal her back to be bare. Now he could work. Quickly, he began molding chakra in the procedure his mother had taught him, performing a diagnostic check on the injury.

The cuts were healing, but still not fast enough. The poison was no longer acting as an infectant. That had already been taken care of. But it had seeped into the skin surrounding the wound, creating difficulty for the body to heal the damage done. He would have to do it himself, at this point. But since he was not that skilled, he would need to have another agent assist him. Reaching into his pouch, he retrieved some ointment - the very same that Hinata had given him as a gift - and applied it to the wound carefully.

Trying to ignore her hiss of pain at the application of the healing solvent, he began feeding medicinal chakra into the wound once again, but this time, using the medicine as an amplifier. It provided a temporary cessation to the tainted tissue's inability to mend, and allowed the immuno-properties of the local blood cells to take action against the injury.

The process took a good twenty to thirty minutes, but Naruto didn't care. The same with Hinata. Every minute that passed, the pain ebbed away steadily. When they finally finished, they both rested a bit until Sasuke returned. Evening came, with word that the next morning would bring about news of the next portion of the exam. Eager and anxious, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata all had trouble going to sleep, but managed it nonetheless.

---------

The rays of the morning sun filtered into the small room, thanks to a window positioned conveniently on the very side of the rising sun. The light snaked it's way across the cold floor, and drenched the walls in the essence of morning. But no person came under it's glare. If the sun actually had a personality, then it would probably be disappointed at this tidbit of information.

There were no late sleepers this morning. Every shinobi and kunoichi belonging to a team that had cleared the Forest of Death had awoken before sun-up and were making their way toward the designated gathering area.

Thirty minutes after sun-up, the teams that had passed were all gathered together in a room resembling a small stadium. Naruto noticed this as he saw two large overhangs with stairs leading to the areas, and an overhang on the far wall that all the teams were facing.

The reason for this was because the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure stood proudly on this platform, donned in the traditional garb of the Hokage. To his left was a spiky, gray-haired shinobi with his hitai-ite covering his left eye and a ninja mask concealing his lower face. On the right of the Hokage was a large man with red face paint and a rather large mane of white hair. An audible tension was hushed into a deafening silence as the Hokage raised his hand to command the attention of the shinobi and kunoichi present.

"I would like to extend a congratulations to you who have successfully made it into the tower as was your objective. While only seven teams remain, it is more than expected. The level shown to this point is a great foundation. Your teamwork and ability as a cohesive unit is exemplary and you should all be proud.

"However, there is a third exam yet to be taken, and not everyone here can participate in that portion." The commotion that quickly ensued that statement was hushed just as quickly from yet another raising of the hand from the Yondaime. "I know this must be a bit perplexing to you all, but what must be, must be. From this point on, the only way you can support your team is through words and hope. You will not be permitted to work as a team any further in this exam.

"In order to finalize the participants for the third and final portion of this Chuunin Selection Exam, you will all be called upon to participate in one-on-one battles to determine the final participants. To the victor of their battle comes a pass into the next exam. From here, I will allow the designated proctor of this part of the exam to explain the rules." Bowing his head to the teams on the floor, and a motion of his hand for them to turn their attention to the proctor mentioned, he took a seat as the rules were explained.

"I am Gekkou Hayate, and I am your proctor for these one-on-one fights. With there being an odd number of combatants, one such fight will be a three-way battle with the last one capable of continuing to fight being the victor. The opponents will be chosen at random, and the names will be revealed on the panel present behind me."

On cue, a panel of the wall moved away to give way to a black screen. A cough from the proctor jerked attention back to him so that the explanation could continue.

"These fights will go on until one person is unable to continue fighting, but if I deem that the match is over, then it is over. Do not make me have to use force to stop a match. No restrictions, all ninja tools are available for use. If there are no questions..." Here, he gave pause to see if there would be any questions. When it appeared there would not be any, he continued yet again. "...then the first two names for the matches will be displayed in just a few moments, if you would look to the board."

All curious gazes turned towards the black electronic board for the naming of the first two combatants. First to appear on the board was the name of the round, which was obviously the first round. It was followed by a shifting of names, with a 'versus' symbol in between the two names.

With bated breath and anxious nerves, all chuunin hopefuls watched as the first two names were revealed.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Alas, this is where it must end. Not as bad a cliffhanger as Seventeen's was, but I think it serves it's purpose of keeping you wondering and wanting. As for the fights, some of the pairings have been decided, but not all. I am up for suggestions, if you have any. Feel free to give me your idea and I might consider it. If you are wondering who are in the finals, refer back to Arashi's hospital scene in this chapter for that information.

So, what did you think. I hope it was worth the wait, these were surprisingly difficult to put together, but the chapters have been made. I was a little disappointed with how this chapter played out, but I hope it was enjoyable. I do anticipate to have the next chapter up within the month, but life can always throw me another curve ball. I can only hope for the best. As for the next chapter: Like gladiators, they clash. Shinobi and kunoichi alike battle to prove their strength and worth. The spectators scout their potential opponents in awe and wonder as each ninja performs at a level unseen by any other. Their best performance saved for this moment, each ninja rises to the occasion as: The Preliminaries Commence.