Author's Note: Hello again everyone. I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted. I apologize. It has been very hectic recently but now things are slowing down a little bit. It is great to be back and I hope you enjoy this chapter of my fanfic. If you have any questions or comments feel free to give a review or PM me.

"blah" – talking

'blah' – thinking

"blah" – Miya talking through mental link or Summon Boss

'blah' – summon boss thinking

(note: When Naruto is within his mindscape Miya speaks normally!)

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Last Chapter: Naruto's training is progressing well and a peace treaty with Kumogakure was finally signed. However, shortly thereafter, the young Hyuuga Heiress, Hinata, was kidnapped. This resulted in a furious Jinchuuriki fighting to protect his only friend.

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Council Chamber

"Hokage-sama, this has gone on long enough. No one can refute the evidence; that thing is a monster and is dangerous. It should be taken care of immediately!" demanded Fugaku Uchiha.

"Uchiha-san" Sarutobi called, "First, I recommend that you refer to Naruto by his name, and secondly you should take note that Naruto-kun did not harm a single citizen of the leaf.

"You saw what it did to those Jounin. What would we do if that child were ever to turn against us?" barked the Inuzuka head.

"We can not ignore this threat any longer." added yet another councilman.

"Gentlemen, Ladies, if I may, I would like to point out that Uzumaki Naruto used that power to protect my child. Does that sound like the actions of a bloodthirsty demon to any of you?" asked Hiashi.

"Regardless of tonight's circumstances, what happens when someone from this village incites his rage? How do you propose we stop him then?" asked Yamanaka Inoichi.

Before anyone could answer, an ANBU guard opened the chamber doors. "Hokage-sama, pardon the interruption but I was asked to inform you that Tsunade-sama requests your immediate presence."

"Thank you, you may go." replied Sarutobi. "I'm sorry everyone. I am needed elsewhere so we will have to resume this discussion tomorrow."

"Hokage-sama, this discussion cannot be put off unti…"

"Homaru, do not dictate to me what I must and mustn't do, I am not in the mood. For the time being I will have Naruto under constant ANBU observation." Sarutobi quickly scribbled a note and handed it to an ANBU guard. He looking around the assembled council. "I am going to check on Naruto's condition. For now the village is under martial law. No one is allowed in the streets. I leave it to this council to subdue the growing crowd in the streets. You will be given thirty minutes before the curfew will be enforced." With that said Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Hiashi, and Hizashi began their trek to the Hyuuga manor.

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Hyuuga Estate

When the men arrived at the infirmary, they found Hinata resting peacefully in her mother's arms while Tsunade and Shizune worked furiously to heal Naruto. Jiraiya was mildly surprised that his teammate was still not finished working on the blonde. "So what's wrong with him?" When she didn't answer his question, Jiraiya began looking around the infirmary and picked up the bloody kunai which had been extracted from Naruto's back.

"Be careful with that Jiraiya-sama." Shizune advised. "It's laced with some sort of strange agent."

"What does it do?" asked the tired Hokage.

Tsunade sighed, "This agent is a special biochemical compound that was most likely created in a lab by a poisons expert. It is unlike anything that I have ever seen."

"How so Tsunade?"

"Sensei, it seems to target the victim's chakra and mutates it so that it progressively eats away at the targets chakra coils and organs until the entire body shuts down." she explained.

"Does it actually work? Will he be okay?"

"I was doing some tests earlier and the poison is extremely aggressive. What's worse is that I have been unable to create an antidote as of yet, and I doubt that I ever will." Tsunade admitted.

Sarutobi looked very troubled. "Is there any way that you will be able to help him Tsunade-chan?"

"Due to the location of the stab, the poison dispersed throughout Naruto's body core pretty quickly and began to corrode his chakra. Fortunately, I have some extremely good news. For some reason the agent has stopped infecting his body. I suspect that it has to do with his 'nee-chan'. When her chakra flooded his system it apparently destroyed the mystery agent."

The Hokage sighed in relief. "That's wonderful news."

"Yes, however, the toxic chakra is still in his system. As long as he's unconscious, the blighted chakra will remain suspended in place, but if he wakes up it will start to circulate again. So far I can't figure out how to remove it from his body safely."

Silence settled over the group as they gazed at the blonde child.

"Maybe I could be of assistance." stated Hiashi. "I don't know much about medical processes so correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't it be possible to guide the tainted chakra through his system until it is at a safe point to extract?"

"Hmm… that could possibly work" Tsunade claimed, "but there is so much I doubt I would be able to find and remove all of it."

"Actually Tsunade-san I am able to see the corrupted chakra with my byakugan."

After several more minutes of brainstorming the gathered Shinobi began their work. Under Hiashi's watchful eyes, Tsunade gently forced small portions of the chakra through Naruto's coils while Shizune maintained a chakra barrier around the blight to protect the selected pathways. The process involved running the chakra from the coils in his chest all the way to the tenketsu in his right thumb where it could be extracted. It was a long and tedious operation.

Three hours after beginning the procedure Hiashi sighed with relief. "Congratulations Tsunade, that is the last of it."

Tsunade was absolutely exhausted but could not stop just yet. "Now to repair the damage that was inflicted to his core systems." After another hour of work and two soldier pills, Tsunade allowed the green chakra to fade from her hands. "He should be fine, but I will need to examine him again after I have had some sleep." she explained.

"Tsunade-san you and Shizune-san are welcome to stay here for the night if you wish. There are unoccupied guestrooms just down the hall." stated Hiashi.

With a simple nod Tsunade accepted the offer as she followed Hizashi out of the infirmary.

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Naruto awoke with a start. After allowing his eyes to adjust to the bright infirmary the boy noticed several people standing in the room. All but one of his visitors wore a relieved smile on their faces. The exception was one small boy whom Naruto had never met. The boy stood against the wall glaring furiously at Naruto.

"Hello." stated the blonde. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Who are you?"

"I don't care who you are you murderer!" screamed the boy as he balled his fists angrily.

Naruto was taken aback by the young Hyuuga's hostile attitude. 'What could I have possibly done to him? I haven't murdered anyone have I?' Naruto wondered sadly. Suddenly Naruto began to see flashbacks of his many confrontations with the villagers. In almost every single incident someone had labeled him either a "demon" or a "murderer." As this realization struck the small blonde, tears formed at the edges of his eyes.

"NEJI, go to your room now!" ordered Hiashi. Though he understood the boy's distress, Hiashi could not allow his nephew to dishonor himself or the clan with his hot temper. 'Brother, why did you have to leave us in this mess?'

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(Flashback- Council Chamber)

It had only been one day since the Kyuubi-Kumo fiasco, but an urgent message had arrived from the Raikage. Sarutobi had just finished reading the entire scroll to the council and was allowing the words and demands of the lightning shadow to sink in. Within the letter, the Raikage claimed that Konohagakure had violated the terms of the freshly signed peace accord by murdering the entire delegation from Kumogakure. "Enraged by the betrayal, the Raikage demanded that the person responsible for the ambassadors' deaths be executed and the body be presented to Kumo as proof.

The Uchiha head was the first to respond. "Why don't we give them exactly what they have asked for? After all, it serves this village in multiple ways. Not only can we ensure peace with Kumo, but we will also be rid of the demon for good."

Several councilmen throughout the room smiled at that prospect but Sarutobi once again came to the boy's defense. "Absolutely not. I will not offer the boy up as a sacrifice just to appease that treacherous kage."

"Then what do you propose Hokage-sama? That we continue to send our sons and daughters to fight a war that would have ended if that boy hadn't slaughtered the peace delegation? It makes no sense to continue to endanger this entire village for his sake." Tsume Inuzuka asked.

At that point, an otherwise bored looking Shikaku Nara lifted his head to speak. "Tsume have you ever played Shogi?"

"Of course I have. What of it?"

"Who do you believe best represents the king in the real world?"

"The Hokage." She stated with finality.

Shikaku shook his head. "Actually no. In the Shinobi world there are many powerful individuals with special abilities just like in a Shogi set. In our village there are some 'run-of-the-mill' Genin and Chuunin who represent pawns; some of our more experienced Jounin act as Rooks, or Knights, or even Bishops. Each piece when incorporated wisely can be devastating. Then come the Sannin and the Hokage himself. Each of them personifies the Gold or Silver Generals (basically like a queen in European chess),these are the true masters of the board that can overwhelm most opponents with ease. Last is the King, which is best represented by the children of this village, Naruto-kun included. The King is the most precious of all the pieces in the game. Every other piece is willingly sacrificed to protect and assist the king, and although kings have little strength, a game of Shogi is determined by whether or not that one piece survives. If the king is taken then it is pointless to continue to fight. Similarly, it is our responsibility as parents and mentors to care for the needs of the new generation and to protect them from the dangers of this unforgiving world."

"That's exactly what I am suggesting we do. By eliminating the brat we are protecting our children!"

"Yes, Naruto-kun possesses a dangerous power, a power that once brought our great village to its knees, however, he has never shown any ill will towards this village. He is simply yet another king that must be defended. If we fail in that responsibility then we may very well find ourselves facing the wrath of a nigh unstoppable opponent."

"Well reasoned Nara-san." stated the monotone Aburame head.

However not everyone was moved by the speech. The pink-headed Haruno snorted in disgust. "Oh please Nara spare us all your over simplification of reality. We can fix everything with one death so what's the problem? People die every day; surely no one will miss an abandoned orphan."

"…" Silence swept through the assembled council and all eyes focused on the Hokage. With bated breath everyone waited for his response to such chilling words.

However, Sarutobi made no signs of countering.

"ahmm" All eyes shifted to the Hyuuga clan.

Hiashi's bodyguard and twin brother stepped forward to speak. "I will die in the child's sted." Shocked expressions dominated the council.

"Hizashi, you can't do that."

Hizashi turned his attention to his brother. "It is my duty not only as the leader of the branch house, but as Hinata's Uncle. Hiashi, I owe Naruto a debt which is impossible to pay, even with my death. Naruto-kun succeeded where the entire branch family failed. Because of our failure…my failure, Naruto was forced to protect Hinata-chan. I won't allow the boy to suffer for someone else's mistake."

Hiashi's frown deepened as his brother claimed responsibility for the entire affair. "Brother, this can be worked out, please!" he pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but for the first time in my life I have control over my destiny…"

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(Flashback end)

Hiashi blinked away a few tears that began to form. Not long after the council meeting, Hiashi lost his oldest and closest friend, his baby brother.

Although the secrets of the Byakugan were safe due to the caged-bird seal, Kumogakure gladly accepted the body of such a fearsome Hyuuga.

Shaking his head Hiashi refocused his attention on the young boy before him. "Naruto-kun how are you feeling?

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(Time skip six weeks)

Two days after Tsunade announced Naruto was healthy enough to leave the infirmary Sarutobi helped the young blonde move into a nicely furnished and comfortable apartment. Although the landlord was a personal friend to the Hokage and a retired shinobi, neither Sarutobi nor his two students were willing to leave the young jinchuuriki with so little protection. So, before letting Naruto see his new abode Jiraiya and his sensei spent hours erecting protective barriers and detection jutsu throughout the house. The seals that Jiraiya put around the front door and windows were created to allow selected entry to only a handful of individuals including: Jiraiya, Tsunade, the Hokage, Hiashi, Kakashi, Yuugao, and Tenzou. To improve the shortcomings of the seals, Sarutobi cast a jutsu that would forcibly remove any henge or other infiltration techniques that may be used. Even with the expertly placed security measures, the two men knew that it still may be possible for someone to force there way into the home. For that reason, the Gama-sennin worked a fail-safe into his fuinjutsu which would automatically alert the Hokage and Sannin if anything was amiss with the young blonde.

Predictably, there had been quite a few attempts on Naruto's life over the last few weeks. Most had been by villagers, but there was occasionally a Chuunin that would try.

Naruto's training was progressing without a hitch. Each day Sarutobi would drill Naruto rigorously in the basics of Taijutsu and Chakra control. The blonde was seeing less of the Ichiraku family than normal because of security concerns; however, with every opportunity he had to study with Ayame, he would absorb the information like a sponge, and he was quickly developing reading and writing skills close to the appropriate age level. Also, Naruto's studies with Jiraiya were producing wonderful results. When Jiraiya wasn't too busy researching or drinking sake with Tsunade he could be found with Naruto. The blonde was becoming quite adept in survival training and scavenging supplies from the environment around him. To practice his chakra suppression and stealth skills the two would play a variant of hind-and-go-seek, in which both players would hide from one another and seek to find the other player without being found. Needless to say the perverted hermit had never lost, but Naruto was steadily becoming harder and harder to find.

(Currently)

"Hey gaki." Jiraiya smirked as a startled Naruto lept from his hiding spot in surprise.

"How do you do that sensei?"

"I may tell you some day kid, but not today. By the way, you are doing a great job. Your decoy wasn't that bad. Just remember that you must hide the trip wire more thoroughly next time."

"Hai sensei." answered Naruto.

Jiraiya couldn't suppress his pride as he smiled at the young blonde. "Alright gaki we need to go get cleaned up. You don't want to be late to your lessons with the ramen girl do you?"

"Her name is Ayame, sensei; and no I don't wanna be late."

With that the pair began making their way back to the village.

TO BE CONTINUED

(Author's Note: Ok so there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though it wasn't the most exciting. It was really a lot more difficult to write this chapter than I had first believed, because I didn't want the backlash form the Demon chakra incident to be too over the top since there was a complaint about me going over the top in a previous chapter. Anyways, Please give me some feed back so that I can improve my story. Oh, and I will be incorporating two different time skips soon so that we can speed things up.—Historywhiz.)