Chapter 6 : Rescue Mission - Winds of Revelation

"What do you mean that wasn't, Itachi!?" Kakashi asked letting some of his usual indifferent facade falter.

Naruto's narrowed eyes continued to study the pile of dust and bones in front of them. A frown forming on his face as he sniffed the air, his tongue flitting out to taste the air for a moment.

"It's just as I said...that wasn't, Itachi...rather it was a rather vile form of Kinjutsu. That or rather it was known as a Dead Soldier Clone. It requires the body of a recently killed person, a good amount of chakra and the blood of the person you wish to have the clone mimic. It is a bit like Orochimaru's Cursed Earth Summoning except this doesn't revive copies of fallen people but makes an exact sub-servant duplicate of a living person with all of that person's personality, powers and abilities. The reason it has to be a recently killed person is because chakra doesn't leave the human body for twenty four hours after death and this jutsu makes it easier when you either want to have someone in two places at once or to have a very good decoy since it's an exact copy of the person cloned and more stable than a Shadow Clone. I have a variation called a Blood Clone that I can do that is similar to this but it requires a large amount of chakra and a blood sacrifice from me as well as a Shadow Clone." Naruto explained.

"But who has the kind of power to do such a horrible jutsu?" Ino asked as Sakura helped her walk over next to them.

"The Akatsuki leader, Pien, would be more than capable...or perhaps someone else just as powerful." Naruto answered and turned to look her over, the wound she had gotten was still red and tender. "Why isn't your wound fully healed yet?" He asked with a frown.

Sakura scowled. "That bastard had some sort of poison on his sword, I managed to extract it but doing so cost me most of my chakra...I was barely able to finish patching her up."

Naruto went through several hand seals and his hands began glowing a rich emerald green color.

The girls gasped in shock. "When did you learn medical jutsu?" Tenten asked.

"During my training trip, Mom, sent a few medical scrolls with me so I could learn some basics like Mystical Palm, Chakra Scalpel and the Poison Purge jutsu. I learned that if I use some of my own demonic chakra with it I can make more powerful versions, including my purification jutsu. But if something is messing with my chakra, like when I was poisoned I can't do squat...besides...I'm a field medic at best, I only know a few others like the diagnostic jutsu and pain reliever jutsu...other than that, I don't know much other than mandatory first aid." Naruto stated as he quickly finished healing Ino's wound. You could see a few beads of sweat on his brow due to intense concentration since his Chakra was more potent than a humans.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun...I..." Ino started.

"Don't worry about it." Naruto said and gave her and Sakura a soldier pill each. "Take those and we'll get on our way...that is if no one else needs medical attention?"

"I'm good." Kakashi answered.

"Same here." Tenten said.

"I am fine." Hinata said with a small smile.

Naruto nodded and leapt away from them, transforming into his Fox form in mid jump. He landed with a thunderous thud and got down so his friends could climb back on.

"Alright, let's get going. We've little time to waste and I'm going full tilt until we reach Suna so all of you hold on tight." Naruto's voice rumbled.

"Aren't you getting a bit tired, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked concerned.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan, I will be just fine, it will take more than a gender challenged, mad bomber with an art obsession and a Dead Soldier Clone to slow me down. Besides, I can rest once we get to Suna if I need it." Naruto answered raising the wind barrier once again and taking off in a high speed run.

After a short while of silence Naruto decided to speak up again.

"I want all of you to promise me something." He said in a suddenly stern voice.

Curious, Kakashi asked. "And what might that be?"

"There is a good chance that by the time we get to where Gaara is being held, that Shukaku will have been extracted from him. If that is the case...I want all of you to get as far away as you can...I will handle Shukaku." Naruto answered.

The girls didn't like where this was going.

"How do you plan on doing that, Naruto-kun?" Ino asked a bit worried.

"I will destroy him and then transfer his power back into Gaara...if that demented Tanuki has been extracted then Gaara is as good as dead but if I use my own power to kill Shukaku and strip it of its power and place that power back into Gaara then his life can be restored." Naruto explained.

"I'm sensing a but here." Sakura said in a stern tone.

"If I screw up...the excess energies in the area will tear my body to shreds and vaporize me." Naruto answered nonchalant.

Kakashi frowned. "In other words...you will be completely obliterated..."

"WHAT!?" The four girls screeched.

"That's putting it mildly, Kakashi-sensei, a screw up of that magnitude would level everything in a hundred mile radius of the blast zone and since I would be in the central most part of it...you wouldn't even be able to find enough to take back to Konoha in a match box." Naruto added.

"I won't let you..." Sakura said in almost a whisper, her eyes not meeting anything but Naruto's fur.

"Is there another way...something less dangerous?" Kakashi asked, he didn't want to lose another student...he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

"We won't let you take that kind of risk!" Ino blurted out.

"I agree...there must be some other way!" Tenten said.

"Yes...d-do you know another way?" Hinata asked.

"No...I do not. But the chances of me screwing something like that up are slim to none. I know well the risks and even if you all wanted to stop me, you couldn't. I will not let Gaara die, he is a very good friend, besides...if Shukaku hasn't been removed from him then we have nothing to worry about, I'll just fix his seals and add a few more to destroy Shukaku and give Gaara its power." Naruto said as they broke into the wide expanses of Wind Countries dessert.

"Please...let that demon still be sealed in Gaara...Kami...please. I already lost one person I thought I loved, I couldn't live if I lost the person I know I love." Sakura prayed as she looked worriedly at Naruto.

"Sorry...Sakura-chan...everyone...but if I have to do it, I will. I can't let those bastards take anymore of my precious people away from me. I lost a brother because he couldn't fight his own darkness...I won't lose another to a group of mad men...I will die before I let that happen." Naruto thought as his massive form tore up the dunes at top speed.

Temari was walking towards the gates of Suna, she was deeply troubled. Her little brother was kidnapped by those Akatsuki bastards...and if they got Shukaku...she would lose him. She just couldn't...not now, not when they had started to become so much more closer over the past few years since he met Naruto.

To make matters even worse, her other brother was in the hospital with a horrible poison from his fight with one of their own missing ninja, Sassori. Temari let out a growl...Kankuro might be a baka sometimes but if he dies...so help her she was going to rip, Sassori apart! Her only hope was that Tsunade-sama got her message and sent some help.

"Wh-what the hell is THAT!?" Came the alarmed voice of one of the Chunin guards on top of the gates watch towers.

Concerned and more than a little worried, Temari leapt up to the Chunin to see what was wrong.

"What's going on, is it another attack?" She asked preparing herself.

"I...I'm not sure...look out there...north by north-west and you'll see what I'm talking about!" He said in a fearful voice.

Temari grabbed a telescope and brought it up to her eye and began scanning the dessert. What she saw caused her heart to skip a beat. A massive form was moving towards Suna at high speeds, a large spray of sand and a massive cloud of dust was being kicked up behind whatever it was. Making a quick adjustment to the telescope she looked back through it in hopes of getting a better view of what was coming.

What she saw shocked her. A massive golden furred fox with six tails billowing behind it was tearing through the dessert at speeds that she was sure that not even Rock Lee or Gai Maito could hope to achieve. At first she was terrified, was their village going to be attacked by a tailed beast? But upon studying the beast better she noticed that it wasn't like most of the other tailed beasts she had seen...they looked evil beyond imagination...this creature looked almost...devine in a way. It also had brilliant glowing icy sapphire blue eyes that seemed to cut through the dusk light.

As the gigantic fox drew closer to Suna, Temari was able to make out five human forms riding on its back. One of which she realized was Sakura, due to her pink hair and red colored outfit. But what in the nine levels of hell was she doing riding on a gigantic fox? Maybe, Naruto summoned it for them...it was the only thing she could think of.

"Stand down, that's the team from Konoha!" Temari shouted. "They were sent here to help us out!"

Temari was significantly impressed. Whatever that fox was, it was fast...extremely fast. She had only sent out the call for help last night! To think that they made a three day trip in the matter of one single day, it was amazing!

As the fox grew much closer to Suna, Temari signaled for the Chunin's to open the gates and let it in. About ten minutes later the massive six tailed fox shot through the gates and came to a grinding halt so it wouldn't damage any property. As it lay down Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Tenten and Kakashi got off of it. Temari could see that the large beast was slightly winded...who wouldn't be if they were running across a scorching dessert. What happened next though gave her a total shock.

There was a large puff of black smoke and when it vanished Naruto, with his tails and ears still visible, was kneeling down on one knee and catching his breath.

"Dammit...that dessert is friggin hot." He grumbled and pulled out a canteen of water and began gulping it down to replenish some moisture to his body.

Standing back up and working out a few kinks in his neck, Naruto put away his canteen and looked around him. He noticed many of the people of Suna were looking at him with something akin to awe. To his surprise there was no fear or hate though...it was nice. A little girl walked up to him...about ten years old, her eyes wide and full of innocent curiosity.

"That was really neat! Can you turn into other animals Onii-chan!?" She asked excitedly.

Temari stopped herself from walking over and with the other girls watched the scene taking place before them. Naruto looked down at the little girl, his eyes had softened considerably and a small smile graced his lips. He knelt back down so he was eye level with the child.

"No...I can only turn into a fox." He answered in a kindly tone.

"Okay...I...like your tails...they are very pretty." She said a bit shyly.

Naruto chuckled and patted the girl on the head causing her to let out a couple of giggles at the show of attention.

"Thank you...my name is Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki...what is yours little one?" He asked.

The little girl beamed. "My name is Ami Tanaka! Did you come to help Kazekage-Onii-sama?" She asked.

"Yes, I did, Gaara is a very good friend of mine, so don't worry about him. I promise to bring him back safe and sound." Naruto said, happy to see Gaara had gained many precious people to protect.

Ami smiled happily and hugged Naruto. He was a bit surprised but returned the gesture. Ami let him go, bowed to him and skipped off to talk to her friends. A soft half smile was on Naruto's face as he watched the little girl talk excitedly to her friends.

The five young ladies that had watched him each gazed at him with soft eyes. They wondered if he even knew just how good of a father he would make. That thought of course made each of them blush a bit as they thought of him and them having children of their own.

Naruto stood back up and looked over at Temari.

"How are things here? We heard that Kankuro was injured, how is he faring?" He asked.

Temari snapped too and looked a bit upset. "He's in critical condition. He has several large wounds and is suffering from a strange type of poison that negates medical jutsu; I was hoping that Sakura-san might be able to help."

"I will try my best." Sakura said. "Just show me where he is and I'll see what I can do for him."

"I'll come too; I have a jutsu that can purge any poison or impurity from a person. After I do that, Sakura-chan, can work on healing Kankuro's wounds." Naruto offered.

Temari bowed. "Thank you, he might be a dip stick, but he's still my brother."

"Let's go then!" Sakura said with a smile in hopes of lifting her friend's spirits.

Kakashi walked up. "The rest of us will help out around the village as best we can. After the two of you are done with Kankuro-san, rest up a bit and then we will figure out what to do from there."

"Good idea, Kakashi-sensei, let's go!" Naruto ordered and then followed the blonde and pink haired ladies to the hospital.

A few moments later Temari, Sakura and Naruto rushed into the ER in Suna General Hospital where Kankuro was still being treated. The Suna medic-nin were doing the best they could and had wrapped up the long gashes across his torso as well as the laceration on his right arm and the hole in his left shin. The poison he had been hit with negated any of their medical chakra so they had to resort to layman's methods to stem off bleeding and such.

Naruto and Sakura scurried about the room. Both pulling back their hair and washing their hands before going to look over the patient. Sakura ran an advanced diagnostic jutsu over him and frowned.

"What's the damage, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

Her frown deepened. "It's a really strange poison...I've never seen it before in any of Tsunade-sensei's scrolls or medical books. It seems that it not only negates medical chakra but it is slowly eating away at his muscles, tendons, organs and chakra coils...it's basically destroying him on a cellular level. It's also bonding to his blood, making it impossible to bleed out the poison...even if we tried some kind of blood transfusion the poison would still take effect a short time later."

Temari got really worried. "Isn't there anything either of you can do for him?" She asked.

"If I had a fresh sample of the toxins it would be possible to make an antidote...if an antidote can be made. I haven't seen a poison this deadly since that poison catalogued in Tsunade-sensei's scrolls that are secreted from Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword." Sakura said feeling bad as she continued to try to find and pinpoint the source of the poison in hopes of isolating it.

"Hold on a second...let me try something." Naruto said.

"What are you going to do?" Sakura asked.

Naruto began going through a long length off odd hand seals, some were familiar and others she had never seen before.

"I'm going to attempt to use a few special jutsu with my chaos chakra." He replied.

"Chaos Chakra??" Temari asked confused.

Naruto nodded. "It is a special fusion chakra made up of Human Chakra, Demon Chakra and Yokai...which is the equivalent of a demons Chi and Ki energies. It's a more potent form of chakra than humans use but not as dangerous as my demon chakra is." Naruto explained. "Well...a half truth is better than an outright lie I guess. But they don't need to worry about my Chaos Chakra...even if it really is more dangerous than Demon Chakra."

A soft royal purple glow began surrounding Naruto as he finished his hand seals.

"Light Arts - Radiant Purification Jutsu!" He said as the glow on his hands grew brighter and surrounded Kankuro.

Sweat began to bead on Naruto's forehead as he strained to keep his concentration, he had excellent Chakra Control, but not inhuman control like Sakura did and his Chaos Chakra made it all the more harder.

Sakura gasped as Kankuro's tenketsu points opened up and a sickly looking yellow liquid surrounded by purple chakra began leaking out and collecting in a small orb above his chest.

"Sakura-chan...place a bowl under the poison to catch it." Naruto said through gritted teeth.

Nodding the pink haired medic quickly placed the bowl under the chakra orb and watched as poison continued to slowly leak out of the tenketsu until nothing was left. Naruto gently let the foul fluid rest in the bowl and released his jutsu.

"There...now if it is possible to make an antidote, you can do so now." Naruto said panting slightly, using his chaos chakra was always draining when used for high level jutsu.

"Okay..." Sakura said going through hand seals. "Mystical Palm Jutsu!"

This time Kankuro's body did not reject the healing chakra she was placing into him. She was surprised however when Naruto also started using the same jutsu to help out. Even more surprising was the fact that while her healing chakra was a rich grass green color, Naruto's was a rich deep emerald color meaning it was by far more potent then even her master's. Not that she was surprised...Naruto had always been more powerful than most.

"This is my altered Mystical Palm jutsu, while you handle the healing of his wounds and the rebuilding of his skin and flesh, I'll use mine to boost his immune system, accelerate blood cell growth and fix the deteriation on his Chakra coils caused by the poison." Naruto said with a deep look of concentration.

"Right...you want me to handle fixing his tendons too?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, that would be a great help." Naruto answered.

Temari was speechless. The way the two worked together was flawless and the fact that Naruto knew some medical jutsu and could power them using his exceptionally potent chakra was no less than amazing. Sakura was also very impressed, she might know more medical jutsu and procedures that Naruto did but with some work he could surpass her easily. At one time that would have upset her...now...it kind of turned her on. The fact that he made a perfect medical assistant wasn't lost on her either.

Temari had to smile as Kankuro began coming around and his wounds began healing up. She had much to thank of these two, especially Naruto. Who would have thought that in the time he spent away that he would go from a loud mouthed, knuckleheaded little squirt to a mature, strong, powerful and handsome young man who also seemed to be a jack of many trades.

"Huh...where...what happened?" Kankuro moaned and winced in pain.

"Shit...hold on a second." Naruto said and adjusted the chakra so a slight hint of lighter green flowed through it. "There...that should help with the pain."

"Naru-Naruto?" Kankuro asked.

Naruto grinned. "Yup, my team and I came to help you guys out. As soon as Sakura-chan and I get you patched up and catch a bit of rest, we'll go and save Gaara."

Kankuro smiled a bit and nodded slightly. "Thank you...both." He said.

Sakura smiled. "Don't worry, Kankuro-san, that's what friends are for."

A few minutes later Sakura had finished with the wounds, tendons and muscles. Naruto finished up a moment later as he helped Kankuro's chakra coils restore themselves. Both Konoha ninja slumped back a bit. Sakura had used about half of her reserves; Naruto had used another quarter of his chaos chakra and nearly half his human chakra to fix Kankuro up just right.

"Phew...damn, Sakura-chan, I think I'll leave most of the medical stuff up to you from now on. I might have good control now but I'm still nowhere near as good as you are. I am impressed though...you've got a lot to be proud of." Naruto said with a smile.

Sakura flushed at his praise. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, you were a great help to me."

"I must thank you both too, thanks for healing my brother." Temari said.

Naruto waved it off. "We're all friends here, it was no big deal. Though I really need to rest up a bit and restore my reserves...that took a bit more out of me than expected." Naruto chuckled.

Kankuro sat up in the bed, he was still a little weak and he felt tingly all over. "Well, we have a bit of time. I heard Sassori talking about how it would take about three to four days to properly extract Shukaku...so that means we have at the least another day to day and a half left."

"It would probably be best if you stayed here though, I had to fix your chakra coils and they won't be in full functioning order for at least three days." Naruto said and took an offered glass of water from Temari. "Thanks."

"Dammit..." Kankuro cursed. "That bastard, Sassori, really screwed me up. I've never been outclassed in a nin-puppet match like that before."

"What do you expect; he was legendary here in Suna for his ability to make puppets out of his own enemies. His skills far surpass anyone we got here in Suna...not even Gaara could handle him and that Deidara person." Temari retorted.

Naruto stood up. "I'm going to go check on the others, take it easy for a couple of days Kankuro and you'll be back in top shape." Naruto said and walked out of the room.

As soon as he got into the empty hallway he dropped to one knee and hacked up several clots of blood. A scowl crossed his face as he forced his vision to properly focus.

"Damn...I used way too much chakra. That Chaos Chakra is too powerful for me to handle in such large amounts without my ninth tail. But if I try to access any more tails before my body is ready for them then the Fox-teme will take control of my body again. Heh...pretty sad, all my friends think I've become some kind of invincible super ninja, but in truth the more I use Kyuubi's Chakra and Chaos Chakra...the more damage I do to my body, if I use too much at one time...I'll die. If it wasn't for my demonic healing I would be dead by now...I just need to stay alive until I absorb the ninth tail...then my body will be capable of handling all that power...because then...I will truly be a full demon."

Now Naruto really wasn't fond of the idea that he was slowly becoming a full blooded demon or as the Elder Toad Sage that Jiraiya had taken him to see called him...a Mystical Beast. All Biju started off as Mystical Beasts a type of creature that was neither devine or demonic. All Biju had two types of Chakra, Gold and Silver Devine Chakra and Red and Black Demon Chakra. Most of the Biju, after many years and battles with others of the demonic races, lost the ability to use their devine power and fell into darkness while others did not. Nibi was one that didn't, though she rarely uses her devine powers due to only having two tails worth of power, but she retained enough to keep her mind and will free. Some, like Shukaku, went insane with their power and were lost to it...Sanbi the three tails was another who lost it and was now nothing more that a gigantic, three tailed Snapper Turtle that was more animal that intelligent being.

The Sage had said that Naruto was special...since he started off as a human and something about his unusually strong will...he would surpass the other Biju. But only if two conditions were met. He had to attain the ninth and final tail and he had to use something called the "Sacred Element" to fully unlock his power as a mystical beast. The first of which, that would ironically, have a humanoid form as its base form.

Shaking himself from his thoughts and wiping the remaining blood from his mouth, Naruto decided to worry about the old toad sage's ramblings later. Because of his Kekkei Genkai, he had a mastery of all the elements but he had never heard of or seen any kind of sacred element, in fact the closest thing he could think of was the Light Element, but that element along with Dark and Shadow were still locked away. In order for his Kekkei Genkai to gain use of those elements he had to use that damned sacred one.

Naruto sighed. "I'll figure it out eventually...better go see what Kakashi-sensei and the girls are doing." Naruto mumbled and began walking out of the hall...forgetting to clean up the blood he had spat up.

Sakura opened the door and started at the sight of the blood on the floor, there were several large splats of crimson on the floor. She glanced up to see Naruto go around the corner. A frown and a worried look crossed her features...was there something wrong with Naruto that he wasn't telling her or anyone else about?

"Naruto-kun..." She whispered worriedly.

Naruto had found Kakashi helping some Suna Jounin aiding the civilians in clean up with Tenten. Ino and Hinata were using their medical jutsu to aid any remaining injured citizens since the hospital was pretty full. Naruto went around helping where he could while just using him normal chakra. Thanks to several special soldier pills he wouldn't have to worry about his human chakra being depleted. His Chaos Chakra was slowly replenishing itself and Naruto decided that he'd just stick to using his human or demon chakra since those two were less harmful to use. No way in hell was he even going to attempt using chaos chakra again for a while since it caused more damage to him than demon chakra did, which was much less now that he was Hanyou.

He was back in his human form once again; he felt it best to hide his foxy features while helping out the citizens of Suna. The children didn't seem to be bothered by them, in fact they seemed to like it, but the adults seemed to get nervous. At least they didn't show an outright hatred of him, just a bit of uneasiness. He could live with that and he could definitely understand.

The modest repairs he, Tenten and Kakashi made to the homes close to where the battle took place were a bit rushed but they would hold good until the citizens could afford proper repairs. Naruto had wanted to use his Shadow Clones to aid in the work but he realized that he needed to conserve his chakra. He might have far more than a Kage level ninja but he wouldn't gain infinite amounts until he got his final tail, hence the need to conserve.

In some ways Suna had been lucky. Only a few casualties had been civilian and Gaara had been smart enough to lead the battle out of the village so there was also minimal damage to the village itself. Ninja casualties weren't all that high, two Genin, Six Chunin and three Jounin deaths in all. Most of which seemed to come from poisoning, though a few had been blown to pieces by Deidara's clay bombs. All things considered, it could have been much worse.

Still...even when you didn't know them, it still caused a small amount of pain to bury someone. Each of the ninja that had died, had put their lives out for the protection of their Kage and their village. To Naruto that made them more of a hero than he had ever been. To him, these people needed to be remembered for what they did in the service of their village. So, using some simple earth manipulation, Naruto erected a modest memorial stone and carved into it.

"This stone tablet is left to honor those who held the Will of Winds. The names engraved upon this tablet are the names of Shinobi and Kunoichi that selflessly sacrificed themselves to protect what they cherished and believed in. Their memories may fade in the passing of time, but their names and deeds shall be forever set in eternal stone. May this tablet be a reminder to future generations, that to be a true hero, it is not the size of ones strength, the amount of jutsu they know or how much power they possess, but it's the size of their hearts. May the Will of Winds forever blow and remain strong."

Naruto smiled as he finished carving the last bit with a small pointed Rasengan. Kakashi walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The mans lone eye going over the memorial stone and showing a deep sense of approval.

"Very similar to the one back home." Kakashi spoke.

"Yeah, I think Gaara will approve. And perhaps this will show the coming generations of aspiring ninja that just because they became a ninja...they are not all powerful. That the true heroes out there are the ones that sacrifice all that they are to protect their precious people and their village." Naruto replied.

Kakashi nodded. "Aye...is that why you still continue to sacrifice yourself every day? Is it your hope to become a true hero?"

Naruto shrugged. "I sacrifice, because that is what I am." Naruto said softly, not realizing that a group of people had walked up to listen to him, the girls were among them.

"When I was a child...I was foolish. I thought that if I became a Hokage then everyone would have to like me and respect me. I never once realized that such things as trust, respect and friendship had to be earned. I always went on and on about how I would be some kind of great hero and an all powerful Hokage, but I never really understood what all that entailed."

"Then I became a Genin...and I was greener than a grasshopper's ass. Still, with what limited knowledge I had I did the best I could. My first truly harsh lesson came from our mission to Wave...when we met Zabuza and Haku. It was during that time that I developed my Nindo and I realized that just because I was a Shinobi...I wasn't some kind of god or hero. I realized to most...I was nothing more than a tool, to be used and then cast aside when I was no longer needed. The demon sealed in me, made me a weapon, one that was hated."

"Still...I went on with my life...usually masked behind a mask of cheerful emotions and a facade of idiocy. I realized that all I truly wanted was to be accepted, to be acknowledged as Naruto and not the demon sealed within me. That didn't really happen, though I was able to make some wonderful friends...that alone was enough to save me from the hell of being alone and the nightmares that plagued my sleeping hours."

"It wasn't until the one person I grew to see as a brother betrayed me...betrayed us for delusions or power and grandeur, that I finally began to realize that my masks and facades caused me more harm than good and that I needed to train. It wasn't until I got one final bite in the ass that I realized just how much my life revolved around sacrifice."

Naruto had gone silent for a few moments, his eyes awash with various emotions as he looked at the engraving he had placed on the memorial stone he made. Kakashi had a frown hidden by his mask...he silently berated himself for not being a better sensei to his student. Sakura felt a sudden lump form in her stomach...she knew what was coming up next. The other girls frowned as well, Temari especially; she knew how hard the life of a Jinchuuriki could be because of Gaara.

"On that day that he left..." Naruto started. "The one girl that I had loved more than anything, approached me and begged me to return the person she loved the most...the one who betrayed us. It was at that time that I realized that for ones such as me...love was a double edged sword. Because of what we are few will ever see us as anything other than the weapon or demon that we supposedly are. I had tried all my life to get her to see me, to notice me...to at least acknowledge me...and the one time she did...it was to ask me to return the one she loved to her."

Sakura was feeling smaller and smaller by the minute, her stomach constricting painfully as the full impact of her foolishness as a child hit her.

"In the end, I couldn't bring myself to hate her...or anyone really. And she did give me something I sought, a way to make her happy...despite the fact that my heart had been broken as well. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but most lessons in life are. So, I put on my usual mask and made my promise to her, a promise to return the traitor to her safely...and to never stop until either he was returned or I was dead. A foolish and childish promise I know, but I never go back on my word...even if my words were of immature stupidity."

"As you know the mission failed but I said I'd keep that promise. I still will...it would be dishonorable to back out on it. But during my time away training I learned many things. I was forced to grow up and push myself far beyond the set limits of a normal human. I learned that I was first a Jinchuuriki...the power of human sacrifice. Then...I became a Hanyou. The honest truth of it was, I chose to become one so I could gain the power I needed to protect those precious to me and in one way...as a measure of revenge against the fox for taking my childhood from me. And once I gain the ninth and final tail...I will become a full demon. You see, Kakashi-sensei, I sacrificed my humanity...because that is who and what I am. Some of it was for noble reasons and some of it was revenge against the demon imprisoned in me. I am no hero, I am just a being that wants to do what they know is right, to atone for past sins and to use a power once feared by all...to protect those that it once threatened to harm. And as I slowly absorb Kyuubi's powers I am killing it...its soul will slowly be drained and then claimed by Shinigami when its power is mine. That is my vengeance for the loss of my parents and the loss of any chance I had at a normal childhood or life."

As Naruto speech ended he walked off leaving a stunned group of listeners. Kakashi had his head bowed as he remembered his sensei and his wife. He felt sick...at one time...Kakashi had blamed Naruto for their deaths; he had gotten over it when the third talked some sense into him. But a slight hint of resentment had always remained and that was what had caused him to believe Naruto was just a foolish child trying to act like a ninja. His foolish devotion to Obito blinded him to the mental instability of Sasuke as well and in the end...it had cost him.

Sakura felt sick, she felt ashamed and to be honest she just wanted to crawl under a rock and shrivel up right now. Sure she had gotten over her stupid fan girl bit over the years but she hadn't really though of the possible damage she had caused to those around her. Had she been so truly blind to Naruto? No...not completely, her inner persona had always berated her for her horrible treatment of him, hell her inner persona had even started disliking Sasuke after the Chunin Exams when Naruto risked his life against Gaara to save her. She stifled back a sob, her childish obsession and stupidity had cost her far more than she thought...but could it be fixed? Did she even have a chance to tell Naruto how she felt now? How she had discovered once he was gone...that she did have feelings for him...probably not...

"You never know what you've got, until you've lost it or it's gone..." Inner Sakura said solemnly before fading back to the recesses of her mind.

Ino also felt a blow to her stomach from this; she had been no better than Sakura was when they were children. Though she had never been physically abusive to him...unless you counted that one mission...but she had never really bothered to look his way either. Even when she had admitted that he was a friend and comrade, she never thought of him as anything else. Though she did come to realize that after he left to train, Konoha hadn't been the same without him...she still didn't admit it that she actually liked him being around. It wasn't until she saw him again after four years, grown up, mature, powerful and hot as hell did she actually really start thinking of him in that way...damn...she really had been a shallow bitch.

Tenten frowned. Like Naruto, she too had been a orphan, but she had never dreamed the poor guy had gone through such hell. Granted she always thought he was kind of cute in a playful sort of way, she had also thought that he was weak since he usually screwed off. She had seen otherwise when he beat the shit out of her crush at the time, Neji Hyuga. She had thought Neji was unstoppable...in truth it was Naruto who was unstoppable. So she watched him and was amazed with the amount of hatred he endured from others and yet awed at his strength of being. Naruto then went on to bring back her idol, Tsunade, to become the next Hokage and continued to do his best to prove that he was worthy of acceptance. She regretted that it wasn't until a year after he left that she realized that Neji and she would never be. If she had realized it sooner...she could have eased some of Naruto's pain.

Hinata felt bad for her crush. She had always looked up to him as her pillar of strength. He always was and always would be her strength. Though she had wanted him all to herself, she realized that as the last Namikaze he would likely take more than one wife. All the girls had made some head way with him...but not much and now she realized why. Naruto and his self sacrificing attitude hindered it...he seemed to think that no woman would ever love him. Indeed he had said as much that night he and Kakashi had spoke on the Hokage monument. But she still had hope that she and the other girls could get through to him...to show him that it didn't matter what a person was, it was who they were that counted.

Temari's heart went out to Naruto. She knew all too well how hard life could be for a Jinchuuriki. Gaara, until he met Naruto, had been lost in his misery and loneliness. She had tried for years to be a good sister to him but due to her damned father always trying to kill him, he gained trust issues that screwed up every chance she had at forming a proper sibling relationship. Then Naruto came along, beat the tar out of Gaara and then rather than kill him...offered him the one thing he never had before...true friendship...no stings attached or hidden agendas. Since then Gaara had regained most of his humanity and they were now a family. Temari had always been extremely grateful to Naruto for what he did; it had shocked her that another Jinchuuriki could be so compassionate. Truly, Naruto was the epitome of what a Jinchuuriki should be. Perhaps that was the reason she grew to have feelings for him over the years...and if she had her way, she'd show him that he too deserved love.

Several hours had passed since Naruto's speech. He was now perched on the Suna gates gazing out over the endless dunes of the desserts of Wind Country. He wasn't really sure what had compelled him to give that speech, perhaps it was just a need to get things off his chest. He wasn't bitter...not really, yet that speech had made it sound like he cursed his own existence.

Naruto sighed and chalked it all up to the usual teenage angst. Granted his life for the most part sucked, but it wasn't in his nature to be so angsty. It was just one of those, in the moment, things that seem to happen around him.

He adjusted his long crimson scarf as the winds had made it unravel a bit. It was now fluttering behind him along with his trench cloak...flapping in the breeze. It was getting late, by the position of the sun he'd have to guess it was about six in the evening.

He felt six chakra signatures behind him and turned to see Kakashi and the girls walking up. He idly noted each of them had rather solemn looks on their features and felt a pang of guilt. His problems were his own...he hadn't meant to make them feel bad. Had he been paying more attention he would have realized that they were all listening to him and he wouldn't have said so much.

All but Sakura and Ino looked up at him; the two former fan girls had their heads downcast and looked rather depressed. Naruto silently cursed himself...sure he wanted them to realize a few things. He was no fool, not anymore, he knew they were seeking his companionship, and in a way he was very flattered. He wasn't against the idea either, but they needed to realize all the risks involved...but not during a mission of such importance. He needed to nip this in the bud before it got any worse...they could fix things later but right now he needed his teams head in the game.

Jumping down he landed softly between the girls and placed a hand on each of their shoulders startling them. Both girls heads shot up, eyes wide as they looked at the young man they had wronged in the past. A small but true pleasant smile was on his features, his eyes holding no malice or hate...just concern.

"I am sorry you two heard what I said earlier. But what's in the past, is in the past. I hold no grudges and by the same light, neither of you should torture yourselves over the foolishness of youth. We all made mistakes back then, I made more than anyone should have been allowed to, but I move on with my life and try to make the best of a bad situation. The two of you should as well...that goes for you too, Kakashi-sensei...don't let the past haunt you so much that it destroys your present and future." Naruto said in a calm and soothing tone.

"Most surprising and unpredictable Shinobi indeed...how do you do it, Naruto-kun?" Temari thought with admiration.

Sakura and Ino were a bit stunned, how could he not absolutely despise them? Yet they could see it in his eyes, he held no ill will towards either of them...just concern for their well being. Both felt pangs in their chests...they didn't deserve such treatment but neither was willing to shun such kindness either...they made that mistake once already, no way in the nine hells would they be that stupid again.

"Th-thank you, Naruto-kun." Ino said almost shyly...completely out of her usual flirty character.

Sakura nodded. "We...will do our best to be better friends from now on, I promise." Sakura added.

Naruto nodded and gave each a gentle squeeze, both girls secretly enjoying his touch.

"That is fine, but for now we have a friend in need. We can work on all of this later. I need all of you to have your heads in the game...despite what you all might think, I'm not some super ninja...I am powerful, but I worked hard to gain what I've gotten, just as all of you have worked hard to earn your own power. Each of you...be proud of what you have accomplished so far, you all have skills that I need to make this mission a success. Now...shall we go save our friend?" He asked.

"YEAH!" They all shouted feeling better after Naruto's pep talk.

Naruto flashed his foxy grin, leapt back and turned back into his Fox form.

"Alright then, Ladies, Kakashi-sensei...let's go show those Akatsuki-teme's why it's a mistake to screw with Konoha and her allies!" Naruto boomed.

They all nodded and smiled as Naruto got down and let them climb on.

"Okay, Temari, which direction do I need to go?" Fox-Naruto asked.

"South by South-East. That was the direction Sassori was seen going when Gaara was knocked out." She said.

"You all know the drill; hold on tight, we're going to be ripping up dessert." Naruto said and tore off in the direction Temari instructed him to.

Temari climbed up to Naruto's head and sat down next to his left ear. "Thank you for all you've done for us Naruto-kun...we can't thank you enough...I can't thank you enough."

"Don't sweat it, Gaara is one of my best friends, you and Kankuro are precious people to me, I will always do everything in my power to protect each of you. I know if the situation was reversed...you'd all try to do as much for me." Naruto replied.

"More than you think, Naruto-kun...more than you think." Temari said softly.

Sakura watched and felt a bit jealous, she knew she'd have to share though and for the most part that didn't bother her. She just wanted to have a private moment with Naruto too. She had been worried about him ever since she found those blood spatters in the hall at the hospital. She could only hope that nothing was wrong with Naruto. She'd never forgive herself if she never got the chance to tell him how she really felt.

What she didn't know was that similar thoughts were going through the other girl's minds at that moment. Naruto had touched the hearts of each one in different ways. It was one of his most powerful gifts, to bring out the best in those he cares for. Though it doesn't always work, like in Sasuke's case, he still managed to help those who needed it. The key was that those he helped...they had to want it. They had to want to change; a tiger doesn't change its stripes unless it wants to.

As the dessert sands kicked up behind the massive six tailed fox, each of the team members could only wonder what battle would be in store for them once they found Gaara and his kidnappers. They could only pray that each of them survived the experience.

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto