Reviews were a little slow last chapter and I was a bit disappointed but I do appreciate those of you who did review and those of you who read it and I also understand that sometimes there just isn't anything to say anyway I am hoping that chapter was on par with the previous couple but if it wasn't I apologize. On a good note I have begun Editing Chapters 1 and 2 and only the updated prologue has been updated with the upload of this chapter. There will be added story and adjustments, so be on the lookout for an author's note or some sort of indication that they're updated. A little example of what I'm changing is I'm taking Homura and Koharu out of the conversation in chapter 1 and making it a Tsunade, Naruto conversation, also I will be adding a little back-story involving Kisho, nothing spectacular but you'll learn a little more about him.

Chapter 7

There she was staring at him with blue eyes that resembled his own in so many ways. To him it was the cutest thing he'd seen in a long time...in fact she was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. Of course the fact that this was his blood and flesh daughter standing right before him, smiling with a bit of drool coming down her chin, might make him a little biased. He reached into his pocket and wiped it from her chin gently, nah there was no biased involved, this girl was definitely the cutest he'd ever seen. He stroked her hair, slowly running his hand through the short strands of hair she had. "So soft...like your mothers'"

She laughed in a way only babies could and continued to say "Nato, Nato"

He raised his brow as he tried to make out what she was saying. "Nah-to? what the heck is nah-to?"

Sure enough, as though she understood what he was saying she sat down hard in her crib and reached under the pillow pulling some sort of object out from beneath it, and with a chuckle handed it to the stranger in her room. "Ah=ha Nato! Nato!"

He eyed her curiously as he took the item she was handing him. It appeared to be a picture of some sort, clearly the girl slept with it every night because of how wrinkled and seemingly crush it was from being clutched and rolled on. He looked at it for a moment before turning it over to see what was on the other side. His eyes remained still, no emotion showing, as he realized what she was saying. "So little one...am I Nah-to?" He smirked lightly at the picture of him showing off his outfit and his new Jounin vest he'd received the day he passed his exam. There on his left was Sakura her arms around his neck and her head resting on his shoulder smiling proudly, and on his right was Tsunade standing there like a proud mother, or maybe grandmother. He set the picture back in the crib and under the pillow. "It's a little past your bedtime I bet, here lets go to sleep" He ran his hand through her hair again and slowly laid her down in her crib, he reached for her blanket and spread it over her small frame as she looked up curiously at him and laughed lightly at the funny haired man.

"Nato, Nato"

"Shh, Shh" He hushed the girl "Nah-to doesn't wish to let anyone know he's here so it's time for bed" He started humming a lullaby. The tune was something he swore he'd heard before but, he knew no words to it, and sometimes a melody was better than actual words. He watched anxiously as little Aika's breathing became steady, signaling to him that she had fallen asleep.

"Ok" He turned around and looked at the corner of the bedroom where the desk and bookcase stood. "Now to find out what you're mother's been up to." He walked over to her desk and turned on the lamp that hovered above. "I hear you've been doing a bit of reading lately" He whispered quietly. "Just what exactly have you been reading is the question." He picked up a book with a blue cover and gold writing and as thick as an encyclopedia. "Forbidden techniques?" He moved a couple of documents to the side and opened a large scroll. "Scroll of A-rank sealing jutsu?" He picked up a vanilla folder and broke the seal. "Let's see why this was so important to keep sealed." He pulled the papers out and started reading the contents carefully.

Sakura Haruno.

Here enclosed are the blood tests and lab results of the chakra flowing through your daughters chakra network. We can confirm that some of the fox's essence has indeed entered her network and can from time to time affect her performance and health. Nothing we currently have outside the Shiki Fuujin can control the maintain the fox's chakra influence, and Lady Tsunade will not release that scroll into your possession. However, due to your daughters frail body and the fact that her chakra network has yet to solidify or grow Lady Tsunade believes with enough study we can create a formula and a special sealing jutsu to control the essence and keep her from being killed by the poison. As no doubt she has told you, Lady Hokage has granted you access to the scrolls of sealing jutsu and a limited amount of Hokage level techniques. Just as a reminder anything you check out must be reported and logged by Lady Hokage herself.

and as usual be careful Sakura.

Shizune.

Naruto furrowed his brow and quietly cursed the demon that sat sealed within himself. "So you weren't trying to figure out how to help me, knowing that would be hopeless anyway." The cold steel of a kunai rested firmly on his neck, close enough to lightly draw blood. "It's little Aika you're trying to help" Tears formed in his eyes as he imagined the pain his littlegirl went through, a whole world of hurt as she probably felt herself burning from within and at so young an age she would have no idea how to fight it or understand what was happening to her.

Her voice wavered as she tried to speak in a firm voice. "Give me a reason I shouldn't kill you for trespassing"

His own voice, no matter how he tried to mask it, couldn't hide the fact that he too was about to cry. "Why don't you give me a reason you shouldn't...Sakura"

The owner of the hotel sat by the front desk as he balanced the profits and losses from the past week. It had been rather quiet for about six hours now and it was soon time to close and lock all the doors for the night. When he first had heard that the Hokage and Kazekage had planned some sort of agreement that would require six months of usage of his finest suite, he was to say the least, ecstatic, but when the children entered, from the moment they stepped into the door, there was nothing but yelling, and arguing and fighting. He had to constantly remind himself it was for the good of the village, and his profits, that he accepted and withstood the agony of dealing with these brats.

"Damnit...it fucking hurts!"

"Kisho! it's nearly midnight, now shut up or I'll take you right back out there for another hour of training."

The look on the boy's face was clearly one of disappointment and the way he grimaced at every other step definitely showed he was in pain. "Yes sensei" His answer was clearly a dejected one, but he was in no mood to arguing or be stubborn at this moment.

Shikamaru smirked as he led the group into the lobby of the hotel and started climbing up the stairs. Kisho calling him sensei was definitely a step in the right direction, although this also could have something to do with today's training. "You know Kisho, I have a friend who was a terrible ninja early on in his life, in fact he still falls into some of the simplest traps from time to time even though he's actually very smart. However, not even he would have fallen into that many traps; in fact I expected I would have to go and disable some of the traps tomorrow and here you ended up rigging eighty-five of the ninety-four traps I'd laid out and your teammates triggered the other nine."

Shikamaru held the door open as his tired and clearly exhausted students slowly made their way into the room. He looked up to see Temari, a bag of ice fastened to her head, pouring herself a cup of tea. He smiled to himself as he ushered in the last of the genin. "Glad to see you're up and about Temari." he slammed the door shut causing everyone in the room to groan and look at him with eyes that were meant to kill. He chuckled softly and shut his eyes. "Why don't you all sit down so we can talk"

Kameko groaned loudly as she sat on the couch next to Hikaru. "Sensei...it's nearly midnight, can't we talk tomorrow or something?"

"No now please just sit" He watched as the students all climbed onto the sofa. He felt a small sense of success as he watched all four students sitting next to each other quietly and not caring that they were actually sitting by one another, their being tired he figured also helped. He started to pace back and forth in front of the students. "So...today you all met and today you all learned who you're going to work and live with for the next year. Besides that we didn't accomplish anything. In fact, I believe we took a step or two backwards. You four didn't do one thing together in the five hours we trained, you didn't even bother to stop and think where is my next step? where is the best course to get to him? and how do our skills and talents mesh together?"

"Sensei how can we be expected to earn your favor if you go and make it impossible for us?!"

"Because out on the battlefield you will always be faced with the impossible, in fact over the past eight years since we signed a truce between our villages the two academy's have slowly integrated to pretty much teach the same curriculum, therefore there shouldn't be any excuse for how poorly you all performed at our session tonight." He stopped and looked at the clock. "Alright tomorrow morning we have our first mission, so at seven a.m. we'll all meet in front of the Hokage's mansion, and none of you better be late. In addition, until you all can learn to work together and I mean truly work together, we'll be having a training sessions after every mission."

"Sensei that's ridiculous! you can't actually do that, you'll kill us!"

"You four have a duty that has been entrusted to you by your leaders. I have been entrusted by Lady Hokage to ensure you learn to work together and make this work and I have no intention of reporting to my Lady that things have failed miserably. You're all stuck in this just like I am and I intend to see this through to the end. How about you Ame? Kameko?" He watched as the two shifted their eyes away from each other.

Temari walked over to the group. "I don't know what exactly happened, I'm sure I'll be filled in, but I trust Shikamaru and I too have been entrusted by Lord Kazekage to make this work, and I'm intending to see this through. Hikaru? Kisho? do you intend to report to your Kazekage how and why this group has failed? or when the official experiment ends will you proudly report that things were successful?"

Kisho's eyes became dull as he took in what his sensei was saying. There was a bit of pride in him that he was doing something different the rest of his graduating class. "I don't want to be here, and I hate with a passion that I have to listen to leaf shinobi giving me orders." Temari's eyes dulled as she waited for him to start spewing his nonsense. "However..." he paused, gaining the curiosity of his sensei "Lord Gaara has always looked out for me...and taken care of me, he's always been there to listen when I needed to talk to someone." He sighed and looked straight into his leaf sensei's eyes. "I won't disappoint him!"

Shikamaru smirked and nodded at him. "Your Kazekage would be proud" he turned to look at Hikaru. "How about you?"

The boy put his arm around his friends shoulder. "My father would kill me if I disrespected our great leader! I'm not going to tell him anything but good reports!"

"How about you Kameko? Ame?"

Kameko looked dejected, she didn't want to disappoint her Hokage, but..."Sensei I don't know if..."

"I'm not giving up!"

Kameko turned to see Ame smiling boldly, something she rarely did due to her being shy, but here she was deciding for herself that she wasn't going to fail the leaf. "Ame..."

"Kameko how can we not keep going? Shikamaru-sensei said the Hokage personally chose us for this right? well we're not doing this just for her or Konoha, think of Leiko's face when she learns we were selected for a special project!"

Shikamaru groaned. "Ame that's not exactly why you should be..."

"You're right!" Kameko's doubt immediately faded away. "Leiko always shoved in our faces how she was better! how she was going to be a Jounin in less than three months! we're not going to lose to her or her-self absorbed attitude. You're right Ame, anything to make sure Leiko doesn't get ahead of us, right?!"

"Right!"

The boy's just stared dumbfounded at the two kunoichi and their apparent declarations of superiority. They turned their heads to Shikamaru who was smiling uneasily and scratching the back of his head. "Well, at least their enthusiastic about it." He stopped and looked directly into their eyes "You two though, I'm proud at how you two have understood your role in all this."

"Don't get me wrong Pineapple Sensei, I'm not doing this for you"

"Of course not"

"I do this for my village"

"That's all I can ask of you"

Temari smiled at how the young Kisho so openly admitted the importance of Lord Kazekage. "Why don't you all go to bed, it's late and as Shikamaru-sensei said you all have a mission in the morning"

The student's nodded and, as sore as they were, slowly got up off the sofa and started making their way to the rooms of which they'd been assigned to.

Shikamaru sat staring at Temari as he waited for the doors to shut. "Is there anything you wanted to tell me?"

Temari turned away from him and started walking towards the balcony. "Come with me"

Leiko sat at the table fiddling with string on her bow. "Damn that stupid sensei" She mumbled "I hate it when this stupid string breaks." She pulled the new string as tight as she could and began drawing it to see how powerful the pull was. "Damnit!" She cursed as it snapped hitting her arm and causing her to bleed. "Stupid thing!" She threw her bag at the wall and put her face down on the table, covering her head with her arms. "I've never been so embarrassed in my life."

"Leiko?"

"Daddy! uhm I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you" She struggled as she quickly tried to pick up her stuff. "I know I'm, I, I didn't mean to throw my stuff"

Masaki was a tall man. six-foot-four with a strong chin and a head of thick brown hair. He often had to guard the east tower through the night shifts, but for once he was given the night off and had planned sleeping a good portion of it, or so he thought. "Calm down sweetheart I heard a crash and was just concerned. Besides what if your mother came back from her mission and found that you were hurt because I was too tired to come check on you" He laughed proudly in his deep, strong voice. He looked down to see Leiko was clearly shaken by something. He knelt down and started gathering her bag and weapons that had spilled all over the floor.

"No dad it's alright I'm the one who made the mess"

He put a hand on her head and rubbed proudly. "What's the matter Leiko...you seem troubled" He watched as she put her stuff back on the table walked over to one of the kitchen drawers to grab some more string. "Here" he grabbed a chair and set it right next to where she had been working at. "I know how much trouble you have twisting the strings, so I'll give you a hand."

She turned around and smiled as she shut the drawer. "Thanks daddy" She set the materials on the table and took a seat next to him. "I really didn't mean to wake you up though"

"Leiko stop worrying about it, you're my little girl and truth be told I haven't been around much lately, so here we'll make up some of that lost time ok?"

"K"

He grabbed the medical kit she had kept on the table and opened it. He grabbed some gauze and dabbed it with peroxide. "Hold your arm still Leiko" He started dabbing the cut on her arm causing her flinch in pain. "I know you don't like this, but your mother would kill both of us if we didn't properly clean your wound." He wiped it clean and reached for the bandages. "You're awfully quiet tonight, surely you have something you can tell your old man about?" He wound the bandages tightly, but not too tight, around her arm. "Didn't you meet your sensei today? I can't imagine you failed or I'm sure you would have told me already, also I want to hear about your teammates"

She turned away from his gaze as he finished wrapping her arm. "No we passed it's just...our sensei he hurt my teammates, he...tried to fail us and I swear he didn't care for our well being at all"

The father in Masaki burned lightly in his mind as he put his arm around her shoulder causing her to rest her head on his chest. "How did he hurt you Leiko?"

"He said we'd be fighting his clones the whole time and it turns out we ended up fighting him. He said all we had to do was destroy one of his clones and we passed, he said he'd make them equal to our level so we could kill them, but they never used anything outside of Jounin techniques."

"Clones?"

"After three hours of playing with our heads, he tied me to a post and said he was ready to give Gina, Raidon, and Hiroshi another chance but, wasn't going give me one, he said he was going to make the Hokage expel me permanently from the academy and the ninja hierarchy."

"Most every test that takes place is made solely to value the ability to work together Leiko, this sensei may not have taken the best route and in fact he probably should have given you all the bell test, but in the end you all passed right?"

"Well yea.."

"And you all learned to tolerate each other a little better right? also the tradition is that the worst student of the group be tied to a post at the training ground." He watched as she turned her head deeper into his chest and buried her face. "Heh Leiko, you always were a bit too independent, but now you're a ninja and you have you learn that someone is always watching your back"

"I guess...still the smug look on Naruto-sensei's face still burns in my mind"

"Oho Naruto you say? Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Hmph, he seemed so sure of himself and Sakura-sensei, our other sensei, later took us out to Ichiraku's and we met some fat guy named Chouji-sensei and his students. This stupid Yukio kept talking about how Naruto-sensei was some great hero and deserved to be treated with respect. All he did today though was make me realize that he's nothing but a jerk, I miss learning from Shikamaru-sensei...he at least didn't treat us like crap"

"Heh, Naruto Uzumaki...I can't really explain it to you Leiko but understand, he has something in his life that causes him great pain and has brought him misfortune at times, but he overcame all that. He has had to fight tooth and nail for everything he's gained and believe me, he is truly a hero. It's because of him I'm alive today." He watched her carefully as she flinched and looked up at him, a mask of fright had taken the color out of her face, clearly showing the mere thought of her father being dead was too scary a thought for her.

"What do you mean?!?"

The mere thought of that terrible day bothered the old Masaki, but perhaps it was time his little girl found out a little more about his own life. "Four years ago a member of an organization known as Akatsuki attacked our village, he had special abilities and only Naruto was able to defeat him and after what many considered reckless he met the member face to face and came to an agreement. At the cost of the Akatsuki's life he used a powerful jutsu and resurrected those of us he'd killed in the battle. I fell early on..." He remembered that death was a cold feeling at first but, as it began to take its hold on him he remembered the warm feeling of his own mother sitting there ready to talk about everything she had missed. "I owe him greatly for everything he's done for the village Leiko and to let you know, he wasn't always as brutish as you've been led to believe...Something happened a few years ago that changed him...maybe you can help Sakura-sensei in bringing the old Naruto back." He stroked her hair as he felt her tension slowly slip away.

She yawned and shut her eyes as she wondered aloud "What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you as that's none of my business. However you're one of the smartest kids out there, I know you'll figure out when to say something and what exactly to say"

She snuggled her head against his chest "Well...we did notice something between Naruto-sensei and Sakura-sensei today, when she arrived and they looked at each other the air changed ominously, like a cold shiver was sent up our spines."

"There's a lot more to that than you know" He yawned and followed it up with a sigh. "Anyway don't worry about it, like I said you're a smart girl. Now why don't you tell me about your teammates. You mentioned Gina right? as in Gina Yamagata? Yasashiku's little girl...man I miss that joker." He smiled proudly "He was a good guy you know, always did what he thought was best for her, say you were friends when you were younger right? I remember that time your mother was all upset that you'd given your favorite hair clip to her, but you stood proudly and said that such things were meant to show your friend just how much they meant to you. Man you were such a gracious and gentle girl, of course you still are. Although sometimes you can be a little mouthy, but hey you're becoming a teenager it is expected after all. So whatever happened between you and Gina?, it seems like one day you just stopped bringing her over." He looked down to see that his little angel had fallen fast asleep in his arms.

"I really have to learn to stop rambling on." He slowly held on to her as he pushed the chair from beneath himself and stood up. Reaching around he pulled her own chair out and knelt down next to it. "Come on Leiko, let's get you to bed" She moaned quietly to show her frustration at being moved from such a comfortable position. Masaki chuckled as Leiko put her arms around his broad shoulders and he put his left arm under her butt so she had a place to bear her weight. "You're lucky you know, most fathers are too small to carry their twelve year-old daughters like this in their arms." He started rubbing her back with his right hand while he walked up the stairs and to her bedroom. He kicked open her door and set her down on her bed. "Ok sweetie here you go..." He watched her for a second as she curled up and got comfortable. Smiling he knelt down and kissed her on the cheek. "You are my little girl...I love you Leiko"

Quietly she responded. "I love you too daddy"

"Raidon what are you doing up so late? it's not like you to be studying past eight o'clock." His mother walked up and set a glass of milk next to him. "Anything you want to get off your chest kiddo?"

"Nothing really" he turned a page as he remained engrossed in his book.

"Alright, but I don't want you staying up too late. You have a mission in the morning right? you'll need all your focus for that."

"Yes mom" He listened as she shut his bedroom door. He furrowed his brow and crushed a pencil in his hand.

"You never intended to let any of us pass did you?!?"

"I don't know; honestly you haven't given me any reason to pass any of you" Naruto looked up and smiled in an arrogant manner at the boy. "Can you give me one?"

"Emotions can be a powerful tool on the battlefield Raidon Akita, and you let your anger control your actions and dictate your moves"

He growled quietly as he tried to control the boiling feeling in his skull. He wasn't necessarily angry at his sensei. He was actually angry at how he treated his friends, how could someone with that kind of attitude speak so casually about teamwork and friendship. "Hmph" he shook his head free of his thoughts. "I wonder what the others are up to"

"Damnit!" He heaved Kunai after kunai at the targets vital points. "Damnit!" When he ran out of Kunai he threw whatever shuriken he could get his hands on. "Damnit! He reached for his father's old ANBU sword, a straight katana that stood thirty-four inches in length and remained in pristine condition, you wouldn't be able to tell from a first look that it had slain the blood of many a people. "How could he see through every trap, every attack! has everything I worked for been useless? how can I get him to look at me with pride!" He charged at dummy and started swinging, with accuracy and skill, cutting the targets that marked the dummy's vital points. He stopped and fell to the ground weeping. "Why can't he just tell me he loves me...I just want to bring honor back to him...to our family..."

A dimmed light showed the shadow of a figure near the window of the house.

Gina sat down on her bed and looked to the nightstand she'd put together and fixed up. She had found an old dresser in the garbage a couple years ago and had been able to fix it up and patch up the holes in it, she then had lifted some wood finish from one of the general stores and, as she had felt, did a pretty good job fixing it up and making it look half-way decent. The mirror she had found mostly in one piece save for the upper left corner that had chipped away. Luckily she was able to find some old wood that she was able to size and use as a frame for the mirror, and then she had successfully attached it to the back of dresser.

She sighed deeply. This was how she'd lived her life for the past five years, the old saying someone's trash is somebody else's treasure had never rang more true to her. She stood up and walked over to the chair that she used to 'pretty herself up' when she needed an eye level look. She sat down and picked up her brush; if there was one thing she could do it was to keep her hair smooth and taken care of. Every night she would stroke her hair two-hundred times, some could call that being a bit obsessive, but that's how many her father helped her with she was little.

"I did what you asked me to father" She spoke aloud as she set the old blood-stained headband of her father's across her nightstand and went back to brushing her air.

"One day you'll be a fine ninja Gina, just make sure you never give up"

Gina looked to the top right drawer of her nightstand; in there was the hairclip Leiko had given her a long time ago, shortly after her father had died. Leiko was truly her best friend at the time she had needed it the most.

"Here you go!" Leiko held her hands out. "This is my favorite clip, it will help you keep your hair out of your face, this way you can stop crying and smile right?"

"uhm..."Gina spoke through tears. "Thank you"

"My dad says every girl should smile as it lights up the day!"

"Daddy...."

"Gina..." The girls turned to look at the young woman who'd come up behind the young Gina. "I know you miss your dad sweetheart, but at least you still got me right? Now how about we go visit him today? maybe we can set some flowers next to his grave would you like that"

"Yes! Aunt Tanaka"

"That's my girl" She pulled her hair back and clipped the hair clip into her hair. "Did you thank Leiko for the gift Gina?"

"Uh-Huh"

"Good, and thanks again Leiko you are a true friend"

"Thanks miss Tanaka!"

"Leiko! time to go!"

"I gotta run" She walked up and gave Gina a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow k Gina?"

"That sounds good right Gina? we certainly haven't got any plans"

"Ok"

She let a small tear escape her left eye as she remembered how her Aunt taught her to use anything and everything at her disposal to its greatest effect. When she was eight years old her Aunt had died on a mission to the Sound. It was then that she had lost everything. Leiko had become obsessed with her abilities as a ninja and slowly became more and more distanced from her to the point that she joined up with all the girls who would tease her for being a loner and virtually unapproachable. If it wasn't for Raidon, she would have never gotten to where she was today, in fact she owed him a lot.

"Hi my name is Raidon"

"Gina do you need help studying for the exam?"

"Shikamaru-sensei says to team up, want to be my partner?"

"Hey mom can we bring Gina along for ice cream?"

"Hey Gina are you ready for the final exam?"

"Leave her alone Leiko! she just asked a simple question!"

"That Naruto-sensei...he's such an ass, he didn't hurt you did he Gina?"

She smiled and shut her eyes. "He's such a good friend"

"You didn't think I'd figure it out?" Naruto's kept his back facing her as he looked over the village from the window.

Sakura stacked one book atop another as she cleaned her desk and collected the research into a single pile so she could give it a good look over it later. "I told you earlier Naruto, it's none of your business!"

He clenched his fist in frustration and turned around to look at her. "How is it none of my business! I'm A" He pointed to himself and then to her. "You're B" and then to Aika who was sleeping so soundly. "She's C, without A or B there is no C, without you or me there is no Aika! now tell me how my daughter's health is none of my business!"

"Where the hell have you been!?" She turned to show her tears streaming down her face. "You've never even seen her until tonight! you've done nothing but send money and crap, I don't want any of that!" Naruto turned away as his head throbbed from the pain of his memories. "Look at you...you can't even look at me for more than a couple minutes"

"Yes I should have been around, but I already told you. I never want that pain again, the sight of those I care about bleeding and dying in front of my eyes because I can't control what my father entrusted to me!"

"Damnit, it's over Naruto! it's been two years since that happened and the only reason it happened is because you exhausted your chakra! If you hadn't done that we might not even be here, Aika might not even be here..." She grew increasingly frustrated that he wouldn't look at her and he just seemingly brushed off everything she was saying. "You just won't listen will you..." He didn't even flinch at her words. She sighed and started unzipping her vest, if he wasn't going to listen to words then perhaps he needed a physical look. She felt her face heat up from the thought of her taking off her shirt but then it wouldn't be the first time she was half-naked in front of him, and there was no sexual intent involved, she merely wished to show him what he needed to see. She cut her bonds and let her breasts fall free for a minute before covering herself with her arms.

"Naruto..." He remained focused on the streets below as the lights from house after house went dark, signaling the hour was late. "Naruto please...look at me"

He sighed and turned around expecting to see her face looking at him passively, what he saw however was the damage he'd caused her..."Sakura..." She had undressed down to her waist not to seduce him, but instead to show him the scars that had burned so heavily into her skin, the reason she wore long sleeves on a daily basis. They were a reminder of that night, a night in which the Kyuubi came out and nearly caused him to kill her, a night in which the Kyuubi had full control and opened his eyes to see the wounded Sakura barely clinging to life.

Across her collarbone was a faded, yet jagged line of burn marks and on her left shoulder spreading down to her elbow was the worst, though all wounds had slowly faded away the mark clearly didn't belong there. "What are you doing..." She started walking towards him and slowly pulled her arms away from her chest revealing the scars that lay across her right breast and the one that ran diagonally under her left. "Put a shirt on...please" He begged as he turned away and shut his eyes the anguish he felt at the pain he'd caused her. He began weeping at the memories that burned so vividly in his mind.

"Naruto" She put her hands on his head and slowly turned it so he would be looking directly into her eyes. "They're slowly disappearing...you didn't cause this...you are not him...you are not the one who did this to me...so please...look at me...Naruto"

He slowly opened his eyes and were met point blank by her emerald ones. He ran his hand down her arm, her skin once soft and subtle was rough and ragged though the feeling of that once smooth skin was slowly but surely returning as the poison worked its way out of her system.

"The only reason this happened was because I was a fool that night"

There was a long pause as they stared into each other's eyes, nothing was said as the flame inside their souls danced wildly at the close contact they were currently having. Sakura inched closer to him, her heart beating fast as she longed for his touch and the taste of his kiss, much to her dismay however, he turned away.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go."

He started to walk away but she'd be damned if he got away from her now. She reached for his arm and forced him to turn around, their eyes meet vividly for a second time in a matter of minutes.

"please don't go"

He sighed and knew that the only we she'd understand was by letting her know, at least something. "Sakura, there's more to this than my own control. I'm sure you know that I'm sick, after all no one around here knows how to keep a damn secret anymore." He ran his hand gently through her hair as he spoke in a soft husky voice. "There's nothing more I want in the world than to touch you and feel your skin against mine as we did that night so long ago, but seeing your scars...it triggers an emotion in me that rages like angry fire, as much as you say it wasn't my fault is exactly how much it was my fault. My control over this wretched demon is not due to lack of skill or willpower. You're right in one respect, that night in the valley, I ran out of chakra and in a desperate attempt I tried to fuse with the Kyuubi using a false hope that all the work I'd put into it would play out in my favor"

She listened intently as he explained to her a little of his situation; she listened...as he opened his heart to her for the first time in nearly two years.

"After I had met Killer bee, I'd been working secretly, trying to get the Kyuubi to work with me as he did with his summons and it was because of that I lost control. From time to time I'd feel the rush of his chakra and it would boil my blood as I felt a lust to kill, so I joined the ANBU, working my way to the top I secured my control...and I remained away, constantly, so as to protect you" He set his left hand on her belly "and our yet unborn daughter"

"Naruto..."

"Three months ago was the first time I'd worked with anybody I'd known well since that battle, Sai was assigned to work with me and investigate a small fishing village on the border of the Rice Country. A week earlier there had been reports of constant attacks and we were hired to protect them from any bandits that intended on looting the town, but when we got there everyone had been killed and the village burned from the fires. We went house to house looking for any survivors until I checked a small shack that was still standing, I entered the room and immediately blacked out..the next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital in Konoha. I can't tell you the rest, the reports are classified."

"No please! don't shut me out now"

He turned away and opened the window.

"Don't run away from me...like he did..."

He stopped and shut his eyes as he tried to calm himself down. "I know you don't understand...but I'm a danger to you"

"Why are you lying to me...?"

"I only wish I were Sakura" He turned around and embraced her tightly leaving only enough room for their noses to touch "I already said there's nothing more I want than the love of a family and to love you the way I should...I just wish...I..." He felt time seemingly stop as he looked deeper into her eyes. He got lost for a moment as his body and his desire took over.

The gap between them closed as their lips met in a fiery passion, two years of being apart, two years of nothing but anger and confusion seemed to crash down to earth as their hands started to become familiar with places they'd once been. She pushed him against the wall and unzipped his jacket, letting it fall loosely to the floor and then pushed her hands into his chest feeling his muscular build and remarking in though how much he had grown in the years apart.

He didn't why he was doing this, but maybe it wasn't so bad, it had been so long since he felt so at ease, so free; maybe letting his instincts take over wasn't a bad idea.

He let his right hand rest gently on the back of her neck which sent shivers down her spine and made goose bumps all over her body, while his left hand slowly made its way down her side mentally reminding him of exactly how soft her skin was and how muscular she had become; he came to a stop at the waistband of her shorts, oh how he wanted to just rip them off and how he wanted to just rip off his own clothes and just make up the lost time...but as he realized his need for air, from the massive amount of kissing they'd been doing for the last five minutes, his senses came back to him...the pain came back to him.

He broke the kiss and gently pushed her away "Sakura..." he whispered "I'm sorry" He watched as she collected her thoughts and looked at him dejectedly. Her hair had become a mess in a mere three minutes of passion and her shorts sitting tightly at her hips had moved only ever so slightly by his wandering hands.

"You shouldn't apologize for something we both want"

He knelt down and picked up his jacket, shaking it free of lint, he stood up and wrapped it around her shoulders. "I only wish things could go back to the way they were." With that he leapt out the window as quick as he could, not being able to stand looking at her for another second.

Sakura watched as his shadow slowly disappeared into the night sky and dropped her head dejectedly. She raised a finger to her lips and dragged it slowly across her bottom lip. "That idiot...he had ramen again" She started laughing softly as she fumbled with the zipper on his jacket. "Hehe you're still the same knucklehead you've always been; no matter how hard to try to convince me otherwise." Her laughter grew louder as she felt her gut get lighter with every laugh. She finished zipping it up and snuggled into its collar, taking in his scent as though it was something new for her nose to explore.

"aha, aha momma!" Sakura turned to see Aika bouncing up and down in her crib. "Nato, Nato! Momma, Nato!" her eyes went wide as saucers and the look on her face was one of major embarrassment as she looked at her daughters' smiling face.

"Aika...just how long have you been watching us?"

Shikamaru shut the glass door behind him and turned around to see Temari sitting on the edge of the flower bed sipping her tea and watching the stars sitting high above Konoha as its cool night air permeated around them. "So when were you going to tell me?"

She looked over her shoulder to see a scowl sitting firmly on his face. "It's a delicate situation"

He wasn't buying it. "Gaara knows how important this is for our villages, with Naruto or even Kakashi next in line for the seventh and Gaara with a long healthy life ahead of him, it could secure the friendly relations between leaf and sand for decades. Not only that, but in a matter of years Suna Jounin and Konoha Jounin could be fighting battles together as one unified force, the idea of an army trusting one another under one leader is virtually unheard of"

"That Naruto kid could command not only our armies but possibly the entire ninja world if he put effort into it"

He walked over the railing and leaned on its supports. "Everything he's done has made him more of an international hero than Jiraiya or even the Yondaime, without a question he is Sannin; but why bring that up, I want you to tell me truthfully. Why is Kisho here? earlier I merely touched his shoulder and he tried kill as though it was an automatic response, as though he'd been trained or maybe forced to react in that manner."

She sighed and looked down towards the ground. "What he said before...about Gaara caring for him, is more than I ever expected him to say and I'm proud he did, but he was sent here because he is going to be a great ninja and his talent for learning is of the highest level." She took a deep breath causing him to raise a brow in confusion. "He was sent here to be protected"

Shikamaru shut his eyes and crossed his arms as he put her words together in his mind. "So...that look in his eyes was fear then, is he an abused kid?" Her silence made him believe he'd guessed right. "So are you ready to give me the whole story? if you don't then I'll have to report to the Godaime that the project is a failure, because if he's bound to react violently to different situations then I will not allow him near any other students."

"Rikku Shonji" Her eyes narrowed angrily as the thought of that name brought an awful taste to her mouth. "He's Kisho's father, a top advisor on the council and a very powerful ninja" Shikamaru watched as she inadvertently crushed the cup she was holding into dust. "That son of a bitch, he's always had Suna's best interest in his eyes, but he would go to any means necessary to accomplish his tasks."

"That sounds a bit familiar"

"But worst of all, he pushes his son past his limits. He's always been an obstacle in Gaara's way, but he took a very personal dislike to him two years ago, when Gaara intervened by chance."

He raised his brow in question "Intervened?"

"Lord Kazekage, I have the academy roster right here"

Gaara took the affidavit from Miko, the lead Jounin at the academy. He started flipping through its pages reading the skill ratings, attendance, and summary of each students skill set and potential. "Seems like a good group" He nodded approvingly at the ninja's curriculum. "I'm curious though"

"Yes sir?"

"Why is Kisho Shonji's attendance so low? clearly among the second year students he seems to be one of the best and well coordinated student"

"My Lord, the councilor took his boy out of the academy last week and we haven't heard from either of them, this isn't the first time he's done this, but his boy has comeback with a better understanding of his skills and overall he seems improved. However...I don't know what kind of training they do my lord, young Kisho often comes back with severe bruises and cuts all over his face, I wouldn't be surprised if they're all over his body"

Gaara stood up and grabbed his cloak. "Miko go get Kankurou and have him meet me at the Shonji mansion" She nodded and took off "Yuka come with me, it's time we figure out why the councilor has not responded to any of my summons or shown up to any of the meetings." The ANBU nodded and opened the door for him; the young Yuka had to admit that despite his past, Lord Gaara truly cared about each and every villager with the love of any father, she was definitely proud to serve such a Kage.

Gaara marched out of his office at a quick pace with Yuka in tow. "My lord what you planning on doing?"

He peered over his shoulder and looked at her. "With any luck Rikku will no longer be a thorn in my side, but my main concern is the boy. Normally I would look into the matter carefully, however the councilor had been ignorant and meddling ever since he was given his position. Also considering the way he gets things done makes me concerned at what he's putting his son through."

"My lord what if it's just heavy training?"

"There's a huge difference between harsh training and abuse, remember we're talking about an eleven year-old boy who's not yet a genin."

"Right sir"

He exited the mansion and made his way down the street. Feeling the aura of his brother he took a small step to the left just as he was landing. "What is it Gaara?" immediately Kankurou matched the stride his little brother was taking.

"We're on our way to the Shonji mansion, I have reason to believe his boy is in danger; I'm also going so I can find out why he has ignored my summons."

"You know how much influence he has in the village, be careful in your approach"

"When am I not?"

Yuka laughed at the witticism of the Kazekage seeing as it was nothing more than brotherly banter. She looked up to see the lights that hung outside the councilors' mansion glowing brightly and shadows being thrown off the side of it signaled that at least someone was home. "My lord the mansion is straight ahead."

"Right disappear" With a wave of his hand the two ninja hid themselves without a trace near the home of the councilor, and just within reach of his ears Gaara heard the councilor seemingly yelling. Gaara closed his left eye and made the signs to summon his eye of the sand. After it was complete he slowly set it atop the fence of the courtyard, immediately he spotted the father and son.

"You'll never survive if you don't duck!" With a swing of his arm Rikku struck the boy across the face sending him flying backwards. "You haven't yet realized your potential or your importance! if you don't start picking up your abilities quicker then I have no use for you!"

The young Kisho looked up a small tear of blood slid from his right eye. "Yes, sir"

"Get up!" In an instant Rikku was above his son as he tried to get off the ground. "Your enemies will give you no quarter! they will give you no mercy!" Again he struck him with the broadside of his hand, this time it was the hand that bore his ring, a gift from his late wife. Kisho looked up angrily at his father as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Are you crying!?"

"No sir!"

"I don't believe you, the anger in your eyes clearly isn't that of hatred, or determination. No all I see is someone who is angry at me, this is your fault kiddo, you just haven't been trying hard enough" In a flash he was behind him again. "Looks like we need to give you a bit more motivation" He reached into his pouch and pulled out a kunai.

"That's enough Rikku" The councilor looked over to the gate to see the ever impassive Gaara standing there, his arms crossed and his eyes ever vivid with anger.

Rikku spit on the ground and tucked his Kunai back in his pouch. "Lord Kazekage, what humble reasoning brings you to my doorstep at so late an hour?"

Gaara looked at the boy as he coughed and wheezed from the beating he took. "I came to ask you why you have been ignoring my summons" He waved his hand and in a blink of an eye Yuka and Kankurou landed behind the councilor, locking his arms behind his back.

"What is the meaning of this Lord Kazekage! Explain yourself!"

"You are under arrest councilor"

"And what are the charges?"

"Negligence of your son comes to mind" Kisho looked up at him with what seemed to be a small sense of relief, yet with as quick as it had come, it was gone.

"Hmph, you can fine me for ignoring your summons because that is my fault as a councilor but you can't relieve me or throw me in jail, you know how important my position is Lord Kazekage" Rikku smirked evilly at his lord. Gaara stood back not saying anything as he contemplated the man's words. He knew Rikku was right, his influence and ideas have been good for the village and ignoring summons is not a treason like crime. "And my Lord, little Kisho and I were doing nothing but training in order to improve his abilities as a ninja." He turned his look down to his boy and smiled gently at him, a smile that was warm and loving...a smile that could fool anyone. "Go on tell him Kisho"

Kisho looked back and forth between the Kazekage and his father as he struggled to figure out what he would say. "Ye--yes sir, we're only training as I have been lacking in my studies"

"See my lord? you worry for nothing and if my own son believes we're only training, then obviously that's all we're doing right?"

"Hmph" Gaara turned around and looked up at the stars. "Release him"

"But my lord!"

Rikku pulled his arms out of there restriction and looked over his shoulder at Yuka. "Your heard him Yuka...hmph always by the Kazekage aren't you, like a loyal soldier and admirer."

"Shut your mouth Rikku"

"As you wish my lord"

"You're under curfew now Rikku until I feel I can trust you. Each night you will report to the ANBU I station at your gate; also you will be followed whenever you leave your mansion"

"Hmph"

Gaara looked over his shoulder at the scowling councilor. "For one month this will be enforced and you are to be sharp at every meeting, every summons, and every gathering. If you are late by even one second the penalty is extended by one month." He looked down at the exhausted boy. "Any training for your son will now be handled by me personally" Kisho looked at Gaara with a shocked look as did all the ninja in the courtyard. "Unless he is at the academy or with me your son is forbidden to train and will be guarded daily"

"This is outrageous!"

"This is my will, and you will do it councilor. You know full well your position is ceremonious in the hierarchy" He started walking away from the group. "Yuka with me, Kankurou you will get first watch. You'll be relieved at Six"

"Right"

Gaara was already half way down the street when Yuka caught up to him. "Was that a good idea sir?"

"You saw what he was doing to his son, that was far too harsh for my eyes. I can't help but wonder if I moved too early, but I was afraid for his life. Besides..." He turned around and looked at the young guard. "Someone once told me to never doubt my decisions if I feel I'm doing the right thing...isn't that right, senpai?"

Yuka was grateful for the wolf mask she was wearing, because her face was redder than the setting sun. She had never imagined when the young Jinchuuriki of the Sand village had joined her squad she'd end up...respecting him so, in fact she wasn't sure what to think of it...but at the very least she had a crush on her former teammate. "Right..." No matter what happened, she would die for her Kazekage.

Gaara smirked and started heading back to the Kazekage mansion. Four years earlier he had left Temari and Kankurou's team in order to meet new people and become just like Naruto, Yuka was the first one to befriend him and was clearly not frightened by the fact that he had a monster inside his body.

"I don't know exactly what happened that night, but from that night on Gaara trained Kisho four nights a week. I don't know why but he took a liking to him"

Shikamaru sighed as Temari finished her story. "This certainly explains a lot of things, particularly his array of jutsu. I'm curious though, why doesn't he use a gourd to carry sand with him as Gaara does?"

"He doesn't have the chakra control, honestly we don't know what direction to take him in, but in the few moments that he does have his control, he can control sand as well as Gaara"

Shikamaru jumped on the railing and stood up looking towards the village. "Why don't you go in and get some sleep, we're taking this kids on a mission outside the village tomorrow and I'm not doing it alone"

"Won't it be a little too early for that type of task?"

"Actually we're going to a farm near here, there's an old family friend that needs some work done after the recent storm we had. their teamwork will determine just how quickly we get it done" With that he jumped and start running from rooftop to rooftop on his way back to his own apartment. "Kisho Shonji, you're definitely an odd kid, but whoever said I didn't like a good challenge" He shut his eyes for a moment and smirked as he remembered that there was one person who told that once. "If you only you were still here Asuma, I know it's only been one day, but am I doing a good job? sensei?"

"My lord... you've saved our village from certain doom, may I ask who you are?" The young man had a head of spiky hair and a well built physique and all around him lay the groaning and wounded bandits that had attacked the village aiming for wealth and women to take back to their camp. Hanging around his neck was a long scarf that had worked itself into the jutsu he used.

"My name? I am Konohamaru Sarutobi of Konohagakure!"

"Is there anything we can do to repay you?"

Konohamaru turned around and smiled proudly at the old man. "Just remember that you're looking at the future Hokage!"

Ok so this chapter I feel very good about, however I'm terrible at angst or romantic moments...or yea...so please don't judge me too harshly on the Naruto/Sakura moment I tried to put together...in fact that's probably the farthest I'll go with anything, the idea was to show Naruto realizing what he was doing so that he could stop himself from doing something he felt he'd regret.

P.S. I'm sorry if the storylines are too close together but the editor doesn't seem to want to let me put them far apart. Please read and review.