Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, the original characters and plot of this fic belong to me.

Author Notes: Not much to say except that there's still tonnes of stuff which i have left to reveal. You have the main plot now, and a lot of other things which connect to it will be revealed along the rest of the chapters. Glad to know you all enjoyed the twist. There's still a few more to come.

Chapter 24: Lacking Radiance

Tenjou tried his hardest, his muscles tensed. The amount of pressure he was exerting was noticeable from the expression on his face, but he couldn't break free. A grin appeared across his face, since it had been a long time that he received such difficulty.

Sasuke's arm was also shaking, but he didn't display signs of concern. His sharingan was glinting in the sunlight, while he stood in front of a fallen Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke…" Tenjou had a pleased tone. "This is a most surprising occurrence."

Sasuke didn't respond, merely glancing into his opponent's eye. He looked around quickly, noticing Hajin glaring at him. "Kakashi!"

"Kirigakure No Jutsu!" The area started to be covered in a thick mist. It spread like wildfire, blocking everyone's sight and swallowing up the vicinity.

Tenjou felt the pressure on his sword recede as Sasuke vanished. A scream could be heard before a thunderous sound echoed through the atmosphere. It sounded like the ground had been destroyed.

Tenjou walked forward only to fall over due to misplacing his foot. Pushing out his hand, he stopped from crashing into the floor and flipped onto his feet. The mist was then dispersed, courtesy of the Tsuchikage. Tenjou stared at the environment which was now perceptible; the ground had been ripped open and there were rocks sticking out. Naruto was missing as well as his dragon companion. Looking towards his leader, he detected the infuriated character.

"Tenjou!" Hajin's voice was loud and clear.

Tenjou instantly responded, "Yes, Hajin-sama."

Hajin looked at the destruction, irritated by the fact that his effort had gone to waste. He would now have to redraw the seals, and in the process organize the land. "Bring him back to me!"

Tenjou placed his hand on his chest and bowed, "As you command." He disappeared from his position, in pursuit of the infiltrators.

Hajin walked over the now disfigured land, what had been able to cause so much damage? It was like a ripple effect running through the earth, "Gen, Tai; start clearing this mess up."

Tai spoke enthusiastically, "Maybe Tenjou-san will need some help?"

Hajin shook his head, "He can handle this on his own. I need this land flattened. This is a massive hindrance to my plans."

Gen nodded, understanding the predicament, "We won't disappoint you, Hajin-sama."

Hajin was enraged; Naruto and Genkei had been taken under his nose. He didn't expect anyone else to come and realised it was his mistake. In a few seconds, months of planning and preparation had been ruined. Not only was the Kyuubi possibly out of his reach, but he would have to spend time in preparing the summoning point again.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Let's stop." Lee stood up and brushed his clothes, the dirt falling to the ground.

Neji moved his hands to his side, shocked by the words of the jounin. He had never witnessed Lee stop in the middle of a training session, it was inconceivable. "Are you sure?"

Lee nodded, "Yeah."

Tenten and Gai both halted their training drill also, due to the unusual circumstance. Their training consisted of Tenten targeting Gai with her weapons, and the enigmatic man attempting to dodge them. Naturally, Gai had been injured on some occasions but they found the exercise was doing wonders for both of them so continued.

Gai walked towards his friends, "Lee, what's wrong?"

Tenten was twirling a kunai in her hand, "He stopped? In the middle of practice?" She looked at Neji enquiringly, "What did you do?"

Neji was slightly offended, but managed not to display that particular emotion. "I didn't do anything."

Lee laughed, "It's not him; it's me. I don't feel like training at the moment."

Gai's mouth was open, the signs of a travesty building inside him. "Where is Lee you impostor?"

Lee had a curious expression before Gai jumped towards him, aiming to kick him. Lee blocked the kick, "It's me Gai-sensei!"

Gai slowly moved his leg to the ground, "That could be true; not many would stand a chance of blocking that attack."

Gai threw a punch towards Lee, following with several others. Lee kept up with the taijutsu specialist and blocked the attacks. He ducked under one of the oncoming punches and tried to sweep out Gai's legs. Gai jumped over Lee and rolled across the ground, before standing again.

Neji and Tenten were both shaking their heads. Tenten decided to speak out before the show continued, "That is Lee!"

Gai cleared his throat, having tested the man, "I agree." He character took a serious turn, "Why don't you want to train? This is very unlike you."

Lee sighed, "I don't know. I keep getting this feeling that something bad is going to happen. It's distracting."

Neji smirked, "I thought I was the only one feeling that."

Lee pointed at Neji, "You truly are my rival! It's like someone is punching you in your stomach and then driving their leg into your ribs, crushing them. That's how it feels, right?"

Tenten was gob smacked at the graphic picture. Her stance was reflected by Neji, who responded, "Yes…something like that…"

Gai understood what the problem was, "Maybe it's Naruto." His team looked at him when he spoke. "You did become good friends with him in the short time he was here."

Lee smiled, "Maybe…" He remembered the day at the academy, when Naruto had helped him with his book. He wasn't extremely gifted in writing, he realised that but Naruto stuck with him until the end. It had been a fun experience, something Lee would never forget.

Tenten put her kunai in her pouch, "Didn't you say Shikamaru was assigned the mission you wanted Gai?"

"Yes." Gai had his arms folded.

Tenten motioned for the jounin to look behind him, "Well, Shikamaru's over there."

The team looked in the direction of the Nara to find him lying back on the grass. He was staring at the clouds, an event which they had come to expect over the years. They took off towards the chuunin, eager to know what had happened on the mission.

Gai was the first to arrive, "Shikamaru, you're back."

Shikamaru shifted his eyes to see the people surrounding him, "Yeah."

Lee continued, "How was the mission?"

Shikamaru gave a drawn out sigh, "A success. Team 7 have picked up where we left off."

"What about the rest, are they okay?" Tenten had her finger on her lip.

Shikamaru watched the clouds drift by, "Shino has gone to train but Hinata and Kiba are in the hospital. They're expected to be released in a day or two. Sakura healed them as much as she could but it's best for them to rest."

Gai had a thoughtful expression, "He didn't try and kill any of you?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes, "No…but he could have."

Lee was beaming, "Naruto-kun isn't like that."

Tenten patted the jounin on his back, "You were right."

Neji acknowledged the information, curious about Naruto. He certainly displayed something by not killing when he had the chance, he was merciful. It would have been better to kill the tracking team and then incinerate their bodies, thereby leaving no evidence. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke placed Naruto on the ground, his clothes now partially covered in his blood. Sakura was holding her wrist while rotating her hand. She hadn't ever put so much strength into one punch; it paid off but she was still feeling the effects. She moved towards Naruto to heal him but halted when Genkei rushed to him.

The dragon placed his hands over the wound on Naruto's stomach and began to heal it. The flesh began to close, stopping the blood from flowing. He observed Naruto; he was a mess and unconscious.

"What happened back there?" Kakashi was interested since it didn't seem like things were going positively for the duo.

Genkei wasn't cooperative, "That's not your concern." He faced the team, "Thank you for your help. This is where we part ways."

Sakura faced Kakashi, like she was asking if that was really the case. Kakashi closed his eye, "We need Naruto to come with us."

Genkei had placed Naruto's arm around his neck, "That isn't going to happen."

Pakkun stared at the dragon, before addressing his summoner, "We should leave."

Sakura snapped her head towards the dog, "Huh? Why?"

Pakkun cleared his throat, "I don't want to be involved with anything which may cause problems for Genkei-sama."

Kakashi was surprised, "Genkei-sama?"

The dog looked up at the group of shinobi, "He is the Dragon King, one of the 4 celestial summons. If he is involved then this is something bigger than us all."

Sakura's mouth was open, finding it hard to believe the small summon had so much authority. "Are you serious?" She received a blank stare from Genkei when looking at him. She hadn't ever heard of celestial summons nor did she have much knowledge in regards to summons in general.

Sasuke walked towards Genkei, "Let me help you."

Genkei was hesitant at first but let the Uchiha take Naruto. Kakashi addressed the shinobi, "Sasuke, what are you doing?"

Sasuke responded in a calm manner, "We don't know what's going on. If we follow this dragon, we might find answers."

Genkei folded his arms, "What makes you think I'll take you to wherever I'm going?"

Sasuke stared at the beast for a few moments, "You could use our help. The Tsuchikage will have sent someone to bring you two back."

Genkei smiled, "Observant, no doubt." He spoke in an informative tone, "The North coast of Waterfall Country, that's our destination." The Uchiha was right; someone would be coming for them, maybe even Hajin himself. He wouldn't be able to protect Naruto on his own.

Sasuke faced his team mates, "Do you agree?"

Kakashi closed his eye, "It would be a welcoming change to find some answers."

Sakura smiled, placing her hand on her hip, "Konoha will have to wait."

Pakkun looked unsettled, he was wary of the situation, "There's someone approaching."

Genkei noticed the oncoming chakra presence also, "It's not Hajin…but he's still strong. We have to hurry."

Genkei shifted on his legs and took off with the group of people following him. They didn't have time to waste on a battle. Naruto wasn't in the best of condition and his health was the priority to the dragon.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tsunade sat up with a jolt, her head throbbing. A tear dripped from her face onto the sheets of the bed. Sighing, she moved her hand to her face and wiped away the mark. The nightmares kept on occurring; the images of Nawaki and Dan's lifeless figures fresh in her mind. Moving her hand to the necklace, she clutched it.

She turned to her side to find Shizune wasn't there. The kunoichi must have had some things to do. It wasn't responsible of her to wait near the Godaime constantly, since the advisors would require her help.

Tsunade took the blanket off herself. Her feet touched the cold floor, making her hesitate momentarily. She ignored the iciness and walked to the window. As she neared it, she placed her hand on the side. The window was open, allowing the wind to blow around the hospital room.

Tsunade stared at the village, several questions running through her mind. She wondered whether it was all significant. Shizune would tell her that she has done a tremendous job but as time passed, it didn't really seem that way. She had shown a weakness which could have resulted in her death. If she wasn't able to protect herself and falter so easily, what made her suitable to lead a village?

The lives of children and innocent people relied on her decisions. And now more than ever, she felt she wasn't capable of carrying that burden. She stared at the shining moon, enjoying its majestic beauty.

Her thoughts went to Naruto, speculating as to whether her orders had been carried out. She had wanted Team 7 to capture the blonde after the celebration and was wondering whether they were successful. She didn't know anything of the current situation and it was frustrating.

She continued staring at the night sky, "What must I do?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Team 7 and Genkei were rushing across the rocky plain, approaching the borders of Earth, Grass and Waterfall Country. They hadn't let Tenjou catch up to them but he was getting closer. Genkei wasn't happy with the state of affairs; it would be foolish to let Tenjou follow them to where they were going. It would reveal the path to the Confederation's homeland and that wouldn't bode well for a number of reasons. The sun had long since faded and the stars had come out.

"We need to distract him." Genkei's voice travelled over the sounds of the streams of water.

Kakashi looked towards the summon, "What do you suggest?"

Genkei's feet splashed into the water, "A diversion of sorts."

Sasuke listened intently; his own thoughts were along the same wavelength. He stopped abruptly causing the rest of the group to follow. He placed Naruto on the ground, "North of the Waterfall Country. I'll meet you all there."

Kakashi was surprised by the shinobi, "Sasuke?"

Sasuke waved them off, turning around, "I'll take care of it."

Sakura sighed, shaking her head. She was expecting something like that to occur though she didn't necessarily agree with it. Kakashi picked up Naruto, supporting him on his back.

Genkei prepared to leave, "Be cautious, Tenjou is no ordinary man." He took off along with Pakkun and Team 7.

Sasuke started walking, his hand on his sword hilt. It had been a long time since he had been truly challenged in combat. His footsteps increased in pace, before he began to run. He continued for several minutes before the silhouette of another figure entered his eyes. He readied his kusanagi, speeding across the rocky plain.

Disappearing from his position, he emerged next to Tenjou trying to slash him in half. A clash of metal ringed throughout the air; the attack was blocked. Tenjou was grinning, "This is the second time this has occurred."

Both men pushed against each other, being thrown back several feet. They started running towards each other again, their feet splashing into the puddles of water on the ground. The sounds of their swords clashing repeatedly filled the atmosphere.

Sasuke was on the offensive, trying to attack any point which was visible. Tenjou deflected the strikes, surprised that he was being challenged. He sidestepped Sasuke and brought down his sword to cut his neck. Sasuke quickly turned around and blocked the attack; it was inches away from piercing him.

The Uchiha moved underneath the shinobi and struck him in his stomach with the palm of his hand. Tenjou coughed but quickly retaliated, smashing his elbow into Sasuke's head.

The Uchiha grimaced and flipped backwards, creating some distance between himself and Tenjou. The pain in his head faded, "It's going to take longer than usual to win this time."

Tenjou held his sword outwards, "You're confident."

The cap at the base of Sasuke's kusanagi became loose, before he threw his sword into the ground. He was holding a wire in his hand before rushing towards Tenjou. He jumped up and tried to kick him across the face, but Tenjou ducked underneath. Sasuke pulled on the wire while he was in the air and brought his sword towards him. Catching it in his hand, he slashed downwards to try and slice through Tenjou.

Tenjou blocked the attack while Sasuke lingered in front of him, in the air. The Uchiha's eyes flashed before taking the form of the sharingan. Tenjou moved backwards, causing Sasuke to fall. He then rushed at him and began to attack.

He had the Uchiha on the defensive, not giving him a chance to retaliate. His speed continued to increase before Sasuke grabbed his wrist. Twisting it, he brought his sword to stab Tenjou.

Tenjou tripped the Uchiha, causing him to miss before driving his sword into his stomach. Sasuke's surprise was visible as blood began to escape his mouth. However, Tenjou received a bigger shock when the image of Sasuke wavered and disappeared. His eyes widened when he realised, "Genjutsu…"

The shinobi sheathed his sword, recognising his fault for staring into the sharingan. He took off, running as fast as he could. After several minutes, he approached the border of Grass Country. The tracks he followed led him to this destination. He crossed the border which consisted of marshland, nearing his target. A smile adorned his visage, when he realised he was getting closer.

The brown haired man exited the marshes, his legs covered in mud and filth. He entered the forest and continued in his pursuit, before realising the tracks came to an end. Turning around, he tried to figure out where they had gone.

"Yo! What's up?"

Tenjou didn't like the sound of the voice, turning around to find a dog staring at him.

Pakkun placed his paw on the ground, "You were tricked."

In the blink of an eye Tenjou unsheathed his sword and appeared next to Pakkun, but the summon vanished in a puff of smoke. His sword was sticking in the ground where the dog had been moments ago. Sighing, he realised his failure. The Tsuchikage wouldn't be pleased with this outcome. However, he still had time and would try to find any clues as to where the group went.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was silent, not a sound being made. Naruto opened his eyes, but nothing was visible. There was no light, only darkness. Starting to get up, he wondered where he was. He sighed, reaching into his pocket and taking out the pack of cigarettes. Placing one of the nicotine sticks in his mouth, he lit it before beginning to smoke.

"That's a bad habit."

Naruto turned around when he heard the voice. A young boy was standing in front of him, a huge smile across his face. He was radiating a sort of light which illuminated the surroundings. "Who are you?"

The boy started laughing, "The question is; who are you?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I know who I am."

The boy put his hands in the pockets of his green shorts, "Really?"

Naruto was confident, "I'm…" He was struggling to answer; he couldn't find the right words.

The boy shook his head, "Come with me."

Naruto analysed the boy but it was hard to make out his features. He didn't understand why, even though he was directly in front of him, "Am I dead?"

The boy started to walk, "No, you're very much alive for the moment."

Naruto started to follow the young boy, realising that his footsteps were leaving ripples. He bent down and put his hand through the ground; it passed through completely. Taking it out, he tried to force his feet through but he couldn't.

The boy looked back over his shoulder, "This place is weird. You'll get used to it."

Naruto continued to smoke, following the boy for what seemed like hours. Their surroundings didn't change for one instant; it was completely dark with the only light coming from the young boy. "What's your name?"

The boy didn't look back, "You can call me what you want."

Naruto blew out some smoke, "How about idiot?"

The boy shrugged, "Go ahead."

Naruto was expecting a different kind of response. He observed the light coming from the boy, "How about Light?"

The boy started laughing, "Not very original."

Naruto resumed smoking, surprised by how innocent the boy seemed. Eventually, they came to a stop before Light held out his hand. A ball of energy escaped his palm and floated to the ground before bursting. Squares of white started to form a staircase, which seemed to travel on endlessly. Along them were doors of light which stung Naruto's heart by him just looking at them.

Light faced Naruto, "What do you think?"

Naruto had finished his cigarette and started another, "It's nothing special."

Light nodded disbelievingly, "Follow me."

Naruto walked up the white squares, "Where are you taking me?"

Light held his hands behind his head, "To discover who you are."

They came to a stop in front of the first door; it was almost blinding. Naruto put up his arm, guarding his eyes from the light, "What now?"

Light pointed at the door, not affected by the radiance, "Walk through."

Naruto was suspicious but followed the order. He walked into the light, letting it engulf him completely.

Naruto was throwing kunai into the tree. It had now been a year since he'd been in the encampment. Surprisingly, it was very different from what he was used to. There were only a few people present at most times. A lot of the ninjas were out on missions and only came back to the encampment to rest for a short while.

He didn't receive any glares or hate filled glances. If he asked for something, he would receive it without much resistance. However, it was still lonely for him. There wasn't much human contact since everyone seemed so busy. The year had passed quicker than he could imagine. He still missed Konoha but nowhere near as much as when he initially was kidnapped.

He had tried escaping numerous times over the past 300 days but was always caught. He didn't get punished but found that it wasn't exactly liked. He would always have his captors look at him in a disappointed fashion, like they were doing him a favour but he didn't realise.

Yuudai was still a mystery to the young man, hardly ever speaking to him unless he prompted it. Naruto walked towards the tree and picked up the kunai. His aim was horrible and it was frustrating. No one was even attempting to teach him anything and he would learn on his own. A few more minutes passed and he missed his target repeatedly.

"You're holding it wrong."

Naruto looked to his side, "You're finally back."

Yuudai walked onto the hill which overlooked the sea. "For a few days."

Naruto threw his kunai again and missed. Yuudai looked at him try and fail, over and over again before finally speaking, "I need to have a word with you."

Naruto was sweating now, "What is it?"

Yuudai motioned for him to come closer, before walking to the edge of the cliff top and sitting down. "Do you remember Konoha?"

Naruto looked bored, "Nothing's happened here to make me forget it. This place is basically the same."

Yuudai rested his arm on his knee, "People show you hate here?"

Naruto walked towards the cliff edge, "No…but…"

Yuudai watched the sea crash against the cliff, "But what?"

Naruto sighed, "It's nothing." It was true that he wasn't hated but he still felt alone. At least in Konoha, he would have the Sandaime to speak to on occasions.

Yuudai decided to move on, "There was a reason you were hated in Konoha."

Naruto was shocked by the man's words. He didn't understand why his past was so horrible but accepted that it was just how it was. To know there was a reason made him fearful of what it could be.

"10 years ago, Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi. It is a tailed beast with unimaginable power." Yuudai's voice was calm, "In order to defeat it, the Yondaime sealed it into a baby."

Naruto was speechless; his hero had sealed the Kyuubi, instead of defeating it like he thought. He shook his head, realising where the conversation was leading, "No…" He took a step back.

Yuudai finished, "That baby was you. Your attempted escapes are causing problems and I'd suggest not doing that. There are people who are hunting you and we are only trying to protect you from them."

Naruto couldn't handle the enormity of the news, his tears falling down his cheeks. "No…I don't believe you." It made so much sense but he didn't want to accept it. He turned around and began to run.

Yuudai noticed the sudden action and disappeared from his place. He caught Naruto and grabbed his hands, noticing the tears.

Naruto was trying his hardest to release himself from the man's grasp. "Let me go! Damn it!" He was crying harder than he had ever done before.

Yuudai held the blonde's hands, not releasing him. He didn't do anything, watching him cry right in front of him. His tears fell on his hands, filling him with confusion. He hadn't ever faced such a dilemma before, what was he meant to do to make him stop?

Naruto was gritting his teeth, "Why didn't they tell me? Why?" His voice was broken before he hugged Yuudai, taking him by surprise. The black haired man didn't move and let the boy cry. He was calming down and that was all that mattered. Yuudai's arms remained by his side; he was slightly in shock by the scene.

Naruto fell to his knees, panting heavily, "It took me into my…" He was back outside of the door of light, "What is this place?"

Light looked at the top of the staircase, "In order for a future, one must come to terms with the past."

Kirigakure No Jutsu - Hiding Mist Technique

Author Notes: Another chapter comes to an end. I can't say much because it will spoil things. One thing i can say however, is that the Naruto and Sakura romance will get some focus soon but it will be built slowly and believably. See you all next time.