Simplicity is Complexity

by OpposingForce

Three years of absense can create a lot of gaps in friendships. Despite that, however, on his return he realizes someone still loves him deeply, and yet he can't seem to find the heart to love her. NaruHina.

18. Crisis Breaks Loose

Simplicity is Complexity

Chapter 18: Crisis Breaks Loose.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, nor do I own GG. By GG, I don't mean "Good Game" I am referring to Guilty Gear.

AN: Yeah… what do you want me to say? Damn, I am really not great at this… I suppose I could start with a small greeting and let out a little bit of info about what is behind the scenes of "Simplicity is Complexity".

I will say this… it's not as eventful as you think it is. OpForce frequently reads novels, fanfictions, lemons, engage in all sorts of conversations with whoever is available on MSN, watch the Comedy Network, in which is Comedy Central in America, and watch shows like "The Colbert Report" and "Chris Rock: Never Scared", philosophize about some of the shit (like how Dan Brown is being sued by the authors of The Holy Grail) in ways that humans can apply to in life, and then try to use any sort of inspiration to put on paper and then transferred to the computer screen. Every chapter of SiC, my friends, is created in this fashion. Skillful BS taken to the extreme, yes, that is what the whole story is all about. If you haven't noticed how 'laggy' this fic really is, well, it's okay, we all make mistakes.

For readers who actually want to start new fictions on this website, and who also crave for many, many reviews and recognition from the crowd, I urge you all to visit my profile. After reading it, perhaps it should give you a very good idea about the corruption and outrage that exist on this fucked up beyond FUBAR website.

Due to the fact that one on one conversations with readers is considered illegal (TO THOSE WHO FIND AUTHORS WHO STILL DO THIS, YOU KNOW WHAT, REPORT THEM! I KNOW THIS IS A STUPID LAW, BUT IT IS THE LAW!) I have to start playing in the gray zone. I suppose that a little Q and A isn't a problem, and so I think I will just answer some of the questions that have been popping up recently.

Question and Answer Session: Where OpForce is actually talking to people than being a deliberate bitch that avoids dedication. In addition, OpForce will not mind if you choose to skip this rare session if all you want to do is read Chapter 18.

Q1: Will I continue having action scenes (meaning sparring, battle related) that involve Guilty Gear moves?

A1: This fiction was never heavy on action, nor did I really want to write one. I suck at action, I admit, and therefore I try to avoid as much of it as possible. If there will be any further action scenes, in which will probably be written out of humour, yeah, maybe I will.

Q2: Why did I make Tenten into a bitch?

A2: In every story that I write… there will be some prejudices towards a certain character to increase the drama. In DFL, it was Kiba, and now in SiC, it's Tenten. I love Tenten as a character, and it was kind of hard to shift from the character that I admired and cherished into some woman who liked to hurt Naruto. The reason why I chose Tenten to be this bitchy character was because she has made the least amount of impact in Naruto's life. Yes, it's Kishimoto's fault for not developing her character, and yet ironically, this fault of his inspired me to make my own transformations. To simply put, I just had a character who did not understand Naruto very well to have further misunderstandings, and now their tension is at a breaking point where one of them could be killing another at anytime. To Tenten lovers, I apologize for making this… witch…

Q3: How did Naruto die? Will he get his arm back? Why is he an undead?

A3: The answer is somewhere in chapter 18.

Q4: Will Naruto kick Tenten's ass after she sliced off his arm?

A4: Whoever asked me that question… or at least hinted it in a form of a statement… let me ask you something… If Naruto lost his arm, and he is out of ki and chakra… what the hell can he fight with? Fighting would be logical, yes, but to have him win? This isn't DBZ, people. I am not going to suddenly make Naruto have all the chakra in the world just because I feel like having him to win. Realism, people, this is a story based on realism –to a degree. If you get your arm chopped off and exhaust of any energy, it is not very likely that you can pull something, or anything, off an opponent who has full strength.

Q5: Does Naruto have no physical strength anymore?

A5: In all honesty, just because he has agility as his primary attribute, it doesn't mean that he lost all power. It's virtually impossible. Like I said, his body is inspired by Chipp Zanuff, a ninja in Guilty Gear XX that has incredible agility in his movement and attacks, but most of his assaults lack damage –unless you chain it into a devastating gatling combo. Naruto still has power, in a way, but a significant amount of it has been cut.

Q6: Do I know that my story is disgusting?

A6: Disgusting in what aspect? I am sure I implied a lot of sickening and revolting comments when Naruto is on his own pondering on different philosophies. Or perhaps you are referring to the sensuality and the other implications of sex. Is that really a gross thing? Out of every novel that I have read, there is always the subtlety of sex behind it. Sometimes it's downright obvious, and others are a little bit more hidden. Regardless, the theme is there, and therefore, I don't find it much of a problem to write such things. Besides, readers do 'like' to read that sort of thing, and I might as well be a Good Samaritan and deliver it to them. Moreover, I like it, too. As long as I am going in the lines of Rated T, I think I am doing a fine job at keeping it just clean enough not to get myself into trouble.

Q7: Why doesn't Naruto just admit his love to Hinata and just fuck her?

A7: Read my profile, and the answer should be very clear.

Q8: Does Hinata know everything about Naruto by now?

A8: Why yes, she does. It will be elaborated in more detail in this chapter.

Now the Q and A is officially over. I hope I played in the gray zone well enough to not get reported. And by the way, Simplicity is Complexity is coming to an end very soon. I already started on another fiction, in which I will post when it gets done –the first chapter, anyway. SIC would not have been possible without most of you, and especially not without DM 180, who actually helped me on this chapter.

This chapter is inspired by a lot of the things I have watched and read, and thus, some of the comments Chris Rock had made in his stand up comedies are in here, too, and thus, don't sue! Without further adieu, here is Chapter 18. I shall see you all again soon.

(Hyuuga Mansion's Central Courtyard)

Time seemed to stand still amongst us. There wasn't any other explanation I could give that satisfied the feeling that roamed under this wretched air. The tension appeared to have rose to a state where it was safe to consider unbearable, in which I did not deny for a second. Neji froze solid; Tenten completely halted her anger; and whereas I, unfeelingly, watched her step back with fear scribbled all over her face. The woman dropped her sword soundlessly as she fell back while losing her balance distastefully. I laughed. Her clumsiness was not something that I cared, other than the fact that it brought temporary amusement, which lasted for less than a second, but still shared its fun nonetheless.

With the amusement subsiding, I knew that I had bigger issues to deal with now.

I looked upon my discarded skeletal arm stoically before I bent over to pick it up. "You two look a little surprised," I said, unfeelingly. "Haven't you seen a bone before?" To elaborate my point, I waved my broken arm at them in a greeting fashion. Neji recoiled as if something bit him, whereas Tenten almost fainted.

"Stop it!" the weapon mistress shrieked, flailing her hands in front of herself defensively, in which practically commanding me, in a form of cowardice but got the message across nonetheless, not to step any closer. "You're scaring me! Get away from me! Go away! Go away!"

"Doshi-ta? (What's wrong?) O-re wa… kowai no ka? (Are you afraid of me?) Then perhaps you should not have chopped off my arm to begin with, ne?" I inquired darkly. "You were doing it so freely, too. I couldn't even keep up with your eagerness."

Neji, instead of displaying fear, had some concern. "Naruto…" the Hyuuga prodigy began, feeling totally farfetched at the scenario before him, in which caused him to be nearly speechless and out of subject matter. "This may sound stupid… but…"

"Do go on ahead," I said, waving my discarded hand deliberately to increase Tenten's fear so greatly that I wanted to taste it. She satisfied me so when her eyes started to have tears. I was sure Neji and the other shinobis my age had no fear over corpses. By now it should have been a custom of the most natural kind. If luck would have it, every one of them should be killing one man on average per C rank or higher mission. Given how Tsunade gave missions immediately after they completed their current one, their skills in murdering people must be at the professional level, and I did not expect any less. I certainly found no problems in taking lives away, and found it even less of an issue for corpses, for I was one, technically, myself.

"But…"

"I am sure you have a lot, and I mean a lot, of questions for me,"

"Okay then. Let me ask you this… Are you hurt?"

"Me? Oh, iie, of course not," I replied, waving it off.

"You're not even bleeding!" Tenten yelled in spite that Neji was trying to approach this crisis in the calmest way his nature permitted him.

"Why would I be?"

She gave me a death glare with all the intent of giving illusions of suffering if I didn't stop my taunting when she was still on the ground. "What the hell are you?"

"My, my, aren't you a rude one?" I commented, chuckling briskly, "I would have thought some guilt would have gotten to your senses for hacking away my precious arm off, but I think I guessed wrong. You damned bitch…"

"How is this possible then?" Neji further inquired, both curious and frightened. "How are you not hurt… and also… why did your arm lose all its flesh and turned into a skeleton?"

I decided to cut him short. "One thing at a time, one thing at a time," I said, moving my broken arm at Tenten just to watch her squirm some more. "I think some of your questions are very much self-explanatory. Look at it this way… skeleton is the archetype of death, and therefore, well, I am sure you are smart enough to realize what happened to me now. Before I go on any further, let me ask you something first instead. Why are you two here?"

"Hokage-sama wanted to find you and she ordered us to search for your whereabouts," Neji answered promptly. "She said it was an emergency."

I decided to add a little sarcasm in my response. "Was it also an emergency to cut off my arm?"

"Iie, iie, of course not,"

"Based on the amount of urgency I detected, I thought Tsunade-sama ordered Tenten to do so. Anyhow," I touched my broken arm with care and delicacy, "What did she want from me?"

"I don't know the details, but Tsunade-sama needs to discuss a matter with your blood."

That caught my attention. Aside from the arm-hacking incident, this was the most exciting and safest news I heard all day, in which actually planted a seed of anxiety in my too passive mind. I couldn't wait to hear what news they had for a poor soul like me. How I urged them to go on.

"Oh," I said, feigning my passiveness cleverly as I spoke, "What did she find out?"

"Probably something to do with whatever I am seeing here," said Neji, indicating my skeletal arm, and how I was still wiggling it in front of Tenten when she was already freaking out beyond imagination. "Care to tell me what on earth is going on here?"

That old hag must have found something amusing when she checked at my records when I had the privilege to go through surgeries in their ER. I didn't know if it was her curiosity or caring nature that agitated me more. One moment she would be uncaringly handing out new missions as though her soldiers were mechanical units that required no rest, and suddenly she became a mom. The least she could have done was give us some warning. Tsunade, in my opinion, was a very misleading woman.

"I think Tsunade will give you all the details sooner or later," I told him confidently, and smirking a little to see their disbelieving faces. "Knowing her, I mean,"

"And what are you going to do with your… arm…"

"Watashi? (Me?)" I laughed darkly before I jammed the joint roughly back into my open wound. I lied when I said that I didn't bleed. It was virtually impossible. The only reason that I said I was not bleeding was to look powerful and firm, but in reality, my wound did hurt, and the blood was invisible because it soaked into my shirt's sleeve. I grimaced as the pain kicked in, yet I endured –to the best of my ability. When I finally found the right spot, which took a painful eight seconds, the cells immediately started to regenerate in a terrific speed and in no time at all my whole arm had flesh on it once more. No doubt Neji and Tenten were unquestionably horrified. "Oh, you'll get used to it."

"Don't count on it…" the Hyuuga male told me, very surely.

I winced so more when I tried to stretch. I could not complain, though. As far as I was concerned, it was a miracle that an undead was able to regenerate body parts like this compared to a human, where they would have simply lost it forever unless some major surgery was done, yet that was nearly a supernatural occurrence. It was no pain no gain. Despite that, the wound stung a little too badly, in that I could barely move it, and on top of that energy wasn't going through like it used to be while pain became the dominant sensation. I guessed some rest was mandatory; besides, it did me some good after a ferocious battle with Hinata. Having that seed of knowledge planted, I reached for some bandages from my 'First-Aid' pouch and wrapped it around my injured shoulder before tightening it to apply some pressure. I hoped it helped, since I could feel my arm was only holding on by a thread.

Everything pointed out that the extreme brittleness was not a good sign to admire. If I ever considered delicacy meant firm and powerful, I was at a bad place to be.

I didn't think I could survive another arm-slicing accident. I might be acting cool now, but in reality, I was yearning to go unconscious but my mind and pride forbade me to do so. Indeed, it would be humiliating to faint in front of Tenten, and then later on she could use this weakness as a subject matter to bitch about how much more superior she was, again, when she fought with me. I had no intention to make her look any better, and I wasn't going allow myself to be the source of it.

"Good as new," I said, picking up my jacket off the ground, in which Hinata was hugging to her cheek as she slept pleasantly, as though we never dueled another just ten minutes ago. Perhaps she was right; all she needed to do to be back on her feet was to get some sleep. My eyes caught a great deal of chakra flowing in her veins, and it was nothing insignificant or not rich; hell, her healing outmatched my own despite my demon master, and I thought undead had superb recovery due to the help of other dead beings or the living. If a fight actually took place in a graveyard, then it was an infinite fountain of health, according to my basis, of course. No doubt about it now, Hinata had excellent recovery for a human, in which was something to be feared and admired. For someone who had such an advantage for having Anthris' demonic powers three years ago, suddenly having it weakened did bring forth a little jealousy. Then again, I suppose I still had an advantage. Although it was not beneficial for me to suffer injuries during the day, I was nearly invincible during the night, or perhaps in a field of fresh corpses, and when I truly needed medical attention all I needed to do was find a body and absorb it.

Cannibalize, in more specific terms. This word had an effective way, in my view, of elaborating the ferociousness of a dead being which had suddenly been forced back to life.

It should not be a surprise to realize that I loved meat. I was a lusty beast for flesh despite my stoic, mature, and quiet appearance. It was hard being an undead at times, since they craved for interests that differ from living humans. Sometimes… I just wished that I could tear some of it out with my teeth and savour that flavour of rawness and… the beautiful, delectable blood… And Tenten here was such a good suitor to satisfy my carnage desires, and my immense anger only complimented to the bloodshed I was yearning for. However, I kept myself in control. I could not let that savage side to take the best of me, because I was an undead, a demon, but never an annihilative monstrosity.

"What are you going to do now?"

"What do you suggest?" I questioned Neji with a great deal of sarcasm. "I think I should get going or Tsunade would have my hides."

"You are not going anywhere!" Tenten quickly objected right on the mark.

"Oh," I watched her inquisitively, "And why is that?"

"Do you think you can just walk out of this place when you were just about to rape Hinata-imouto-chan?"

My eyes actually opened after hearing that remark. "Rape?"

"Oh, you heard me, love procrastinator," the cunning mistress declared, "You must have tried to rape Hinata, but you failed if we didn't arrive five minutes earlier."

I sighed as I put both my hands in my jacket pockets tiredly. "You are really stubborn…"

"Tenten," Neji said sharply and with some anger detected. "Apologize to Naruto immediately. That was offensive."

"Oh, what for?" Tenten agitatedly demanded.

"For what, you can't go around accusing someone like that!"

"You know that's what he wanted, Neji,"

"You listen to me, woman. I'm saying this once, so you better get it through to your skull. You can't just suddenly come up to Naruto and accuse him of having the intent of raping Hinata-sama. What proof do you have? Did you see him have such motive? Did Naruto ever have that kind of thought in mind? Is he even someone who would do such a thing? I don't know why you dislike him so much, Tenten, but Naruto has been very tolerant for you, surprisingly tolerant, actually. He didn't attack you after you chopped off his arm! Instead of apologizing… you took advantage of it and relentlessly… relentlessly…" Neji didn't seem to find the right word despite his genius capabilities.

"Bitched?" I finished for him out of good nature.

"Yes, bitched,"

"I wasn't bitching!" objected Tenten sharply.

"Oh, hell you weren't," I said, sarcastically.

"Urusei en dayo!" (Shut up!)

"Baka-da omira…" (You're an idiot…)

"What the hell did you call me?" the woman roared angrily. Neji, this time, wisely intervened –mostly to standing right in front of her to halt her from doing any more damage. Knowing Tenten, she was about to aim for my head than just my leg or my arm. The weapon mistress glared angrily at Neji for a moment, but suddenly froze with a fusion of shock and fear once she noticed the seriousness and coldness in his eyes. After being with the human-like Neji for as long as she had, his old exterior was surely something she was not accustomed to after so long. Tenten realized they were the same eyes that she hated, the ones that made her shiver, the ones that caused her to have a desire to hide in the corner if things got rough, and it truly disgusted her to realize this weakness of hers and she couldn't do a damn thing about it. She sighed. She knew she was defeated, but kept her pride, and thus she grudgingly retreated –momentarily.

"Do a favour for me," I said, stuffing my hands into my jacket's pocket as I stepped away from the courtyard and headed for the hallway that gave access out of this noble labyrinth. "Neji, take Hinata back to her room to let her rest. I think I need to meet Tsunade, like now. We wasted too much time socializing, and lucky you, you don't need to have a taste of her wrath for showing up late. I wonder if her bitching is worse than Tenten's." That angered the Chinese girl, but she didn't say anything when Neji was in his serious mode. Rather, she didn't dare to say anything if she wanted to have peace with him.

"I'll do that,"

"Thank you," I patted him on the shoulder with my right hand as I said that, "And I have another friend here, too. She is sleeping in one of the rooms; so don't wake her up, please? I'll pick her up once I come back."

"In one condition though," said the Hyuuga male suddenly.

"Do go on," I gestured him to continue.

"Please tell us everything, Naruto. Don't keep it in yourself so secretly and painfully. We are all here to share your burdens with you."

"It sounds very cheesy coming from you," I said, laughing out loud with a sense of mockery and amusement, "I was expecting some of that sappy stuff from Lee. Or worse, Sakura or Ino, but from you… it sure has its different impacts."

Neji just gave me a look of flat, fake enchantment. "That sounded most encouraging…"

"Yeah, I know," I said, smirking darkly with utmost amusement, "Just take care of Hinata for me."

"You should be doing that yourself and not ask Neji," commented Tenten, folding her arms under her gorgeous breasts. Neji placed a hand on her shoulder as he shook his head; his anger had clearly faded to a degree, and Tenten, in response, softened her harshness in the best of her ability, in which was minimal.

"I would help," I told her, my hands still in my pockets, "But as a result of my body part being chopped off, I now have a hard time summoning strength to my left arm. The fault was your own when you were the one responsible for delightfully slicing it off. Perhaps you should have thought about it carefully before you proceeded with your actions."

"You dare to lecture me, Love Procrastinator?" Tenten spoke with obvious outrage, in which I could have cared less about.

"Why do you call him that?" questioned Neji, who seemed quite disturbed at that name she referred to me with. It almost sounded inappropriate and unsuitable.

"Long story," I said, snickering slightly before I started to walk out of the mansion through its hallways. "I'll leave Hinata in your hands, okay? Meanwhile, I think I should get going, or else Tsunade would have no problems skinning my flesh."

"You are just going to leave Rika-chan, Naruto?" a voice rung in my head in a sing along tone. No doubt this was Anthris and her enchanting sarcasm. Well, she was not being sarcastic just yet, but I knew it was going to be coming sooner or later.

"Iie," I replied in my mind than speaking it out loud in the realms of reality, "That's where I need your help."

"I am needed?" my demon master inquired, placing her fingertips above her cloth covered breasts. "How rare." Even in her speech, Anthris had an amazing display of sensuality, in which could lure in any men she desired.

"Come on, please, help me out here,"

"In one condition,"

"Are you taking Neji's actions as a precedent now, Anthris?"

She laughed freely and attractively. "I am not, Naruto, I just happened to have my own free will of choice. Now, you help me, and I will help you."

I took no pleasure in this, nor could I find any spark of delight whenever I realized Anthris demanded something out of me. Suffice to say, I always obeyed at the end; for it was never anything beyond my reach, but despite that, there was always a hindering kind of feeling whenever I obliged. "Call the shot," I told her, signaling her to continue with whatever she had in mind.

"I want you to touch me,"

How ever did I guess?

"Again?" I inquired tiredly as the stinging worsened in my injury. "Didn't we have one session just recently?"

"You are showing too much favoritism, Naruto," Anthris said playfully while encircling her arms seductively around my neck as our bodies met another's in our spiritual domain, in which was in the depths of my sub-consciousness. I detected no anger, and even more so when she took my cheek and kissed it. "Come on, you touched Rika for so long yesterday, and I have never seen her orgasm like that. Her wetness and stamina rivaled mine, if you recall. It just made me so jealous that I wasn't being touched and the person right in front of me was receiving a blessing from heaven."

I smirked when I saw her pout with phony rage. Her cheeks were expanded largely like balloons, and her grunting was just adorable. I know she was not hurt, but I took her forehead and kissed it tenderly. My demon master, miraculously, blushed in return. "But you were having fun while I dealt with Rika, didn't you?"

"I had to touch myself…" Anthris complained, claiming my shoulder as her own with her head resting there comfortably. "It wasn't much fun without you paying attention to me… even my climaxes didn't feel the same." There was certainly some sadness there, in which did not go unnoticed.

"But you reached your climaxes nonetheless, right?"

"What fun is it to do it by myself?" she stated, looking down with sincere loneliness in her expression. This was a good start for a guilt trip.

"Is Anthris-sama jealous?" I questioned, a little knowingly.

"You know I am,"

"What do you want me to do then?"

"Make some time for me, please?"

I gave my consent and agreement in an instant. We were both surprised that I reacted so promptly when I always hesitated and procrastinated before. "I'll see what I can do,"

"Thank you, Naruto-chan… I can't ask for a better person to be with… I love you."

Her praise got me to smile. Honestly speaking, there weren't too many people left in this world that could make my lips form a genuine smile like this one. Those people, in my strict standards, were nearly extinct. "You flatter me so, master. You are causing me a lot of trouble to remove this grin on my face. And, yes, there is one more thing-"

"Doshi-ta-no?"

She had an idea about what I was going to ask when my face was somewhat grimacing. "Itai ja ne ga… (It hurts...) How long would this arm hurt for? Kuso Tenten… she just sliced it off… Could you imagine what would have happened to me if this was still my human body?" Just picturing that weapon mistress in my head made my blood boil. It was definitely a shock to see me still standing here without making some sort of move to create some misfortune for the guilty. The location must have played a great role in my decision making; for it truly would be an idiotic move if I killed someone under the roof of the Hyuuga mansion –especially with Neji and Hinata as witnesses.

"Give it some time," she told me, delicately feeling my arm with her loving hands as her face gave a wonderful display of concern and care. "I'll do my best to make the pain go away. It must have hurt you so much, didn't it, Naruto." It didn't take her long to kiss me on the cheek, and practically anywhere else that actually showed skin, in which consisted of my neck and skull.

"Don't baby me, Anthris," I said, somewhat passively, but not necessarily unfeelingly. Bottom line was that I did appreciate her genuine worries. "I am too old for that."

"That's because I love you," my demon master stated, as if it was the most natural thing to say between a charming girl and an adolescent male. "You will always be someone that I will take care of and love. You know I won't give that much concern to anyone else, right? They don't deserve it, besides Rika-chan and Hinata-chan. I really like her, too."

This caught my interest, but I made no note of it by not responding enthusiastically. "Is that right… you like Hinata… just fantastic…"

"Do you love me then, Naruto-chan?" Why did they always have to ask questions that either resulted in a kiss or a punch in the face? This was a complexity that was nearly unavoidable, in which at the same time reduced me to a sleepless misery. At this time, of course, it would be wise for me to choose my words with some accurate precision and skill. Ever since that bitch Tenten came in, I haven't been saying anything that was considered to be in the fine line of wisdom. Her actions destroyed my precious wit; it was the most valuable aspect of me!

"You are my master, Anthris, who brought me life and salvation, in a way. I am eternally grateful to you. In that spirit, I do love you."

She shook her head objectively. "No, not that kind of love. I don't want your love to be a love out of deep respect or admiration… I want it to be… you know… intimate… genuine… true romance… and-"

I knew what she was talking about from the start, for it was obvious. However, I did not wish to tread on that topic, and not without reason. Instead of answering her, I merely decided to change the subject, in which I always did so with success, or limited success, anyway. "Tsunade will have my hides if I am any later than I already am, and if she does kill me under her rage, we wouldn't be able to have any more conversations in the future. We, and I mean especially you, wouldn't want that to happen now, would we? So, what do you say? Should I get going?"

Anthris grudgingly accepted the facts, but she did it gracefully nonetheless. "Very well," she said, removing herself away from me, but not without planting a final farewell kiss upon my lips as she did so. Suffice to say, she made this kiss memorable when she chose to claim my mouth for over three minutes. I was breathless at the end, but worse when I craved for more. I wanted more. My hopes were brutality slain when I saw that seductive face moving back, in which was a sign telling me that I wasn't going to receive any further kindness since I was senseless enough to reject it when she was in the most ideal mood. It was my turn to grunt, knowing that I lost the battle today. Then again, I could tease her to oblivion the next time I touched her. Oh, she would die from it! "What do you want me to do then?"

Seeing her being determined on the subject, I banished my previous unhappiness, which was minimal, and told her my plans. "Release yourself from my body and remain in spiritual form and watch over Rika," I instructed in a carefree fashion, for I did not dare to be the one authoritative when I spoke to my master, my creator, as a matter of fact. "I am sure she would want some company when she wakes up and not find me there for her. Your presence would do just as nice, and I am confident that she would want to speak with you, too."

Anthris found my logic to be superbly remarkable. Not like it was considered anything grand or ingenious, but my concern over my dear friend was evident. My demon master loved that considerate nature within me. She loved it with a delightful spirit. It was charming, according to her, and it was a factor that made me into the person I was today. In spite her optimism, I did not share her philosophy and rapture. I, on the other hand, despised it to the core; for it showed nothing but weakness and fragility, in which was unnecessary for someone who belong to the dead, and when it was a mandatory to continuing taking others' blood in order to keep his own stable.

"Why do I have to stay in spiritual form? I mean, it is going to be just Rika-chan and me, right?"

"Hinata is still in the picture, unfortunately. I cannot let you show yourself to Hinata, I need to think about how I am going to tell her about you."

"You say that, but you never get around doing it."

That crossed over the line. My face flinched with some distinct fury. "The events that have been happening for the past few days have not been necessarily beneficial for philosophizing, or pondering in general," I reasoned constructively. "It has been a very confusing time, if you must know, and love, which is a luxury I cannot afford, cannot be placed as first priority when other vital issues are starting to pop up like little virus that must be burned with holy magic in order to reach sanctity. Anyway, watch out for Hinata. If Rika does remove herself away from this mansion after she wakes up, then feel to return in your humanoid form. If that is the case, however, please wear something more than just your short, low cut kimono with panties that cover just enough not to get you arrested."

A happy expression reached her visage immediately. What could she be so blissful about? "How about if I wear that new red Chinese dress that I have making recently? Would that make you happy?"

"You are not wearing anything to please me here, Anthris," I told her, "I just don't want to see you being dragged away to prison due to improper dressing in public. And… are you talking about that dress that has a very long slit that reaches to your… hip?"

"That's the one!"

That dress revealed too much "leg" when she walked; I remembered it well when the dress was still in its premature stage. In fact, it was impossible for her not to show her panties from the side, since the cut was so high, and when she actually walked, it was practically commanding men to look at her since she was showing her undergarments freely. The dress itself was actually a problem, because it was at least a size or two too small for her body. As a result, it was practically a second skin to show her all of her feminine curves, in which were specially made for her hips and breasts. In fact, her mounds always looked like they were going to tear that silky clothing apart due to the size of her breasts, and the fragility of the fabric itself, as if it was saying that they could not keep up with the relentless overstretching. If the clothing was not an inanimate object and it could speak, I assumed that it would be crying for desperate help, since Anthris' unbelievably luscious body was tearing the dress apart.

Despite that my demon master had worked hard to make her dress, she could care less if it did break. Firstly, it was made out of her chakra. Secondly, she knew that she could use the dress to seduce me. All she needed was to bend down… and who knew which part of the dress would start ripping… preferably the breast area, of course, as she would say, because, aside from her crotch, that was the area I stared at most. The part I loved most on a woman was not their breast or their sex, though, even if it attracted attention. What I cherished were their lips.

"Are you sure you want to wear that?"

"Absolutely. How would you like it if I wear a pair of red silk panties with it?"

I felt my eye twitched. "Do whatever you want…"

"May I go without a bra? My breasts get so sore if I wear one,"

"You made the dress too small, woman. The fault's your own. Just wear something that is appropriate, yet flashy enough for your taste."

"Hai, hai," Anthris yawned as she acknowledged my request, shaking it off at the same time, "You talk too much, Naruto-chan. After being with you for so long, you would think that I would know how you operate, right? Don't you have some faith in me?"

I laughed. "It's hard for me to manifest such a thought when all you ask from me is to help you feel like a woman." I got her to pout pretty good, in which was something I was secretly proud of whenever I've reached this sort of success out of my demon master. If she knew I used her as a source of entertainment, I wonder what her reaction would be. Then again, I suppose it was a fair trade, since I was seen as a resource in her eyes, and as someone who could bring forth a sensation of pleasure that no one else could.

She gave me a mocking death glare, but her aura told me that she was serious enough in spite of her demeanor. "If you don't touch me, I will hurt you. I will hate you for the rest of my life if I stay dry."

"I understand, my lady," I assured her and ended it with a fashionable bow, "Your wishes will not end in disappointment." She kissed me deeply in return.

Having that said, Anthris' spirit exited from my body and moved herself (in an invisible form) to search for Rika, whereas I fled the Hyuuga mansion, not ever wanting to return unless something happened otherwise.

(Hokage's Office, fifteen minutes later)

I hated formal greetings altogether. I had nothing against being serious and solemn, but it was definitely an annoyance to be speaking in that mask to those who I didn't need to speak to. In this scenario, I was looking for Tsunade, and I had no intention by the slightest to waste my time on the guards, or other chunnins who thought my presence was anything in the fields of suspicion. Talking, in many situations, was cheap. I found talking absolutely useless in a lot of ways, and this especially went for guys. To be completely blunt and direct, I haven't had a decent conversation with any males ever since I returned to Konoha, and it had been like that for a whole month. The best I had so far was with Jiraiya, in which he was in his rare, unbelievable serious mode. Aside from that, the next candidate was Hyuuga Neji, who I talked to just now.

With us guys, we just liked to talk shit. If a woman was to be put into the equation, then the entire taste and enjoyment would shift in a drastic angle. Mark my words, I didn't say women made conversations fun, I just said they would be considered a new experience because the subject matter they preferred were totally out of the blue. It was up to the conversationalist to decide whether talking with women was more satisfying and meaningful compared to men. Everyone had their own set of opinions, and thus, my views towards girls might not be identical to that of Lee's. Although I didn't know Lee well enough as a buddy, I knew that he always carried this sense of honor wherever he went. Respect was a big factor, so to speak, and he did not dare to challenge anyone's superiority, skill, and position because he knew each person had different strengths that surpassed his. In a way, Lee was a humble and very honorable man, and needless to say, he treated girls and guys with equal respect. I, unlike him, did not give that sort of respect to everyone I meet. Others had to deserve it, for I found no pleasure whatsoever to lower my intelligence just to have a conversation with them –provided that they were idiots of the highest degree.

All the women I have encountered were annoying in one way or another. Some were clearly unbearable, and others were more tolerable. In the end, they cared a great deal for dedication. Weren't all women like that, like they always wanted a deep devotion from friends so they would have someone to rely on even when they really didn't need it? It was security, it was safety, it was reliability, and it was everything a woman wanted in life. To have friends, to have a family, it was a satisfaction that lasted a lifetime. However, there were catches. There were times where women wanted change, because they have had enough of the things they face daily. Only reasonable, I guessed; that was why new activities and sources of fun must be made regularly to keep the excitement level up. When humans got bored, there were many types of releasing stress and annoyances. Some of them displayed a downright obvious irritation; others preferred the silent treatment; perhaps some sarcasm could be used; some may even get off their butts to find something new to spend time on. To simpler terms, decisive actions were taken to rid themselves from boredom.

What fascinated me most was how women dealt with it, and it was, to an extent, entertaining to find out what sort of devils women truly were in spite their demigoddess exterior. Hinata appeared to be the number one dangerous woman on my humble little list.

Women loved dedication. Then again, however, what would their reaction be when they have had enough of whatever they desired? What if they didn't want their lover's allegiance and endless devotion anymore? Be weary, I did not say that they wanted a divorce or wanted to encourage their spouses (or other half, if they were only boyfriend-girlfriend relationship) to start seeing other people. But wasn't it interesting if the woman did not want the man to be as close and clingy like before, as though she was sick of his presence?

Allow me to elaborate on how women felt if their man was not as devoted as they wanted them to be.

Perhaps it could look something like this.

"Why are you never home?" the woman yelled out as she was near tears, "Don't you know that I am always so worried about you? You are so irresponsible! You always make me feel like I am going to have a heart attack! What if you are not faithful? Have you been going to bars? Do you not find me attractive anymore? Am I ugly to you now? Have you found another woman? Are you cheating on me? Did some of those whores asked you to sleep with them? I hate this shit!"

Hysteria came to play when a woman's self-confidence reached an all time low. It was nothing special, but I always watched out for that in a woman, since it could bring forth a living death, in which I did not crave to experience as long as I was still moving. So, conceivably it would be entertaining to realize what could happen when a woman was bored of this 'devotion' that they highly praised and favored. Perhaps it could be something like this…

"Why don't you ever go out more often?" the woman complained with distinct agitation and bother. "I don't need you in the house 24/7 after work, you know, and goddamn it, I don't need you to hog the air I breathe! Give me some space, damn you! Do you even have a life? You are useless without me around! You are such a social loser! I bet you don't have any other friends to talk to besides me! I hate this shit!"

In that spirit, it was obvious that girls had plenty of peeves over men. What were some of the other common dislikes? The list, I am afraid, was endless. Despite that hopeless reality, I was able to narrow it down. For instance, how did girls feel when the man made more money than they do?

"Why do you get to make all the decisions?" the girl said, "I am in this relationship, too! I am a human being! This isn't all about you, you know. I want a part in this! What about me? Have you ever thought about me once? I always think about you. My mom was right; all you care about is your money. You think you are better than me, huh! You never make me feel special! I hate this shit!"

With that in mind, what if the girl made more money than the guy did? Then what would happen?

"You poor mother fucker," the lady declared, "Why do you have to be so useless and poor? Stop making me make all the decisions! I want to rest, too, you inconsiderate, vulnerable bastard! Why can't you give me some free space so I could breathe? If you were more successful, you wouldn't be so helpless! There were plenty of other guys out there with more promise, but I was naïve and stupid enough to pick you! Why didn't I listen to my mother and father when I still had the chance? Now, I am stuck with nothing but a useless fuck! I hate this shit!"

Yes, women were, in many ways, bitches. The key difference was their subtlety, in which could be the only thing that could differentiate whether the girl had the potentials to be a lovely girlfriend, or the largest queen bitch humanity had ever given birth to. Sadly to say, a vast majority of the girls I have encountered fell into the negative category. This was not something I wished to cherish; nor would I ever start to appreciate them even if they were the last people alive, as if we were endangered creatures that must be protected at all costs.

Perchance I was being too rough on these stereotypical women, in which I just described them as bitches who didn't give a damn for anyone else besides, well, who else? The answer should be very self-explanatory at this rate. It was morally wrong to pick fun at cliches; yes, I knew that deep down. Nevertheless, the problem was, unfortunately, that having stereotypes was a weapon that people could use to make them feel good about themselves. In that spirit, then why did I feel so happy when I could proudly and safely accuse women at Tsunade's age who tried to hide their real visage and looks were all drunken gamblers? Come on, name one woman, in which matches the criteria I listed recently, who wasn't like that? The same principle applied to the blues. While stereotypes were made to make people feel good and confident, the blues were made to make people feel worse after hearing them. Once I narrowed it down, many factors in life seemed ever so downhearted.

Now, I was inside Tsunade's office. That hag, who looked still looked like a twenty-year-old, had her chair turned on me –meaning she was watching the outside to create some unnecessary tension between us, as though I should be fearing her authority and power, in which was affecting me psychologically and physically.

"Why am I summoned here?" I questioned, lazily falling on the couch that was on the east wall of the room.

Tsunade suddenly turned around in shock. "How did you come in? I didn't hear Shizune at all."

"That's because I didn't even meet with her before I entered," I yawned as I spoke. "I warped in here."

The Hokage was not expecting my developments, but her honorable status forbade her to show any further emotion than necessary. My eyes, of course, caught everything. Nothing could escape me –especially not something as valuable as raw fear. "You know teleporting techniques?"

"It's something I picked up, yes,"

"You know something, Naruto, this is the first time you and I had a serious talk after your training,"

"Looks like it is," I said, plainly. "So, what is it that you ask of me? What's the occasion, you know, having the influential, prestigious, powerful Hokage speaking to a mere boy who is not even worthy to be called a peon? You must have your reasons."

"Your sarcasm will not go ignored," said the current Hokage of Konoha, "You certainly grew a lot more pessimistic over the time you were under Jiraiya's care. I didn't expect that from the Naruto I met, the same person who convinced me to take on the position as Hokage in my darkest hours, could say something so negative and hopeless."

"You might not have known me very well, then," I commented with a dark laugh. "It's okay, Tsunade, no one does."

"Is that why you hide crucial facts from people, Naruto?"

I feigned my ignorance, in which was something that I was truly marvelous at as an actor. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Don't try to play dumb with me," she sharply stated, destroying every bit of acting I worked hard to put up. "It should be clear to you that I have all the evidence in the world in order for me to ask you a question such as that."

"Saa… (Very well…) What have you discovered then?"

Tsunade grunted at my attitude, in which she had all the legitimate justifications to do so, before she too out an one-inched binder from her drawers and placed it on top of her desk. "This is what I discovered. In this folder, Naruto, contains all the information the hospital gathered on you during your last visit. If you want my opinion, I have never seen such a magnificent discovery."

"You almost make me look a research experiment,"

"Don't picture it that way. You know that I am worried about you."

"Worried about what?" I inquired without enthusiasm, and giving her a small glance which looked more like a leer. My voice was quite cold, but nothing near the extreme just yet. "What do you have to be troubled about?"

"Why is it that, Naruto, your muscles have more percentage of chakra than we do? More importantly, why is your flesh not even alive, and the only way that they even look like they are living is because you have the chakra, so to speak, to make them function. Your body is almost artificial."

"Artificial?" I questioned, darkly, "What a good word you have there."

"Naruto, what I am saying is… You are already dead! You are still moving because of your chakra and blood that move in your veins. Speaking of blood, I have noticed that not only is it influenced by heavily demonic corruption, another factor is also present. Your blood carries a deep sense of darkness and smell, in which does not smell like human blood, but I can safely assume that your demonic corruption has nothing to do with it. It smells like… a living death… defiling even…"

I decided to intervene uncaringly. "You seem to have a problem with me being an undead, Tsunade. Do you have some prejudice against that? I didn't expect someone with the Kage status to have such a thought and ambition."

Tsunade, using her wisdom that she developed over the years, proceeded with me wisely. With my stoic, unreadable face activated, she had better think twice before projecting any words that come from her mouth.

"I have no prejudice. Believe me, you are not the first person who is an undead in this world. Even so, you can't say that I am not at least surprised at your changes, Naruto. Amongst thousands or hundred thousands of people in the continent, I never would have expected you to have fallen into association of the dead. I say that because I have been very concerned over the fact that Kyuubi's blood and chakra could tap into your humanity, and also because it could bring forth unspeakable horrors if a human tempered with the powers of demons. Many people wanted more power, power that cannot be obtained during their days of living, and they get fascinated with demonic magic due to the fact that it requires much more spiritual power and abilities to manipulate. If you must know, there are others that deliberately kill themselves to come back as something stronger, like a lich."

"You are not accusing me to be a lich now, are you?"

"Technically, Naruto, I am afraid you are one. You are definitely a lot more powerful than three years ago."

"You may be wrong, you wouldn't know. I certainly do not feel any stronger. Perhaps I could answer some of your questions instead of talking about if I am a lich or not. Trust me, I had no intention to become such a thing, but you can say that my demon master did not want me dead so soon. If I recall correctly, those who are considered a lich died deliberately in exchange of power. I didn't die on purpose, nor did I want power to come out of it. I just needed to live, and you can, if you want, call it a providential random event.

"As for my blood, that additional portion that you found disturbing, in which was not my demonic influence, are just the side effects of taking too much drugs, as though they are vitamin pills. Hey, my body changed, and it now requires new things in order to keep it healthy. Moreover, I apologize if you have been worried about my demonic corruption, but I, in defiance to your constant concern, didn't give it a fuck. I just allowed it to happen –especially after I received this undead body to continue living. I mean, my demon master created it, and I have to acknowledge that she put a great deal of creativity and hard work on it to make it absolutely wonderful, an art that deserves to be astonished at with utmost genuine respect. You can say that this is something that is the best gift a human can ask for when they were near a death experience.

"As far as I am concerned, there are some things that money can't buy, and one of them is the second chance of life so I could satisfy my deep, spurring, budding vengeance…"

Tsunade was not afraid of me, no, for I showed no hostility or hate for her. However, her concern over me clearly increased after my speech, in which she had the right justifications to do so. In her eyes, the only motive I had for still breathing was due to the hatred that was dwelling in my heart after all the abuse I experienced by the fools in this town. As a Hokage, she couldn't simply allow a potential killing machine walk around the town knowingly. Firstly, it was irresponsible. Secondly, that was considered a display of horrific negligence. Unless some arrangements and agreements were made between Tsunade and me, I guessed I wouldn't be leaving this room in one piece. With my left arm still stinging from time to time, I didn't think that I would stand a chance against the mighty Tsunade if she was planning to attack me.

Merely imagining the outcomes of her punch made me extra cautious. Although an undead, it was undoubtedly troublesome, as Shikamaru would say, to repair if I was in pieces. To a more extreme result, I probably could die for good.

"Did you just say that your demon master… the Kyuubi… is a woman?"

"Why yes," I told her with a mature grin on my charming visage. This worked on every woman, and Tsunade's sudden blush only encouraged me to tread further on the thin ice. "She's a woman of marvel, don't you think?" If Anthris was in my head at the moment, she would kiss me senseless to hear such praise.

The Godaime ignored my playfulness abruptly, as if she was in no mood to fool around. I merely grinned at her solemn attributes; for this was something I wasn't used to no matter how many times I saw it. "How did you die, Naruto?"

"Everyone asks that question, and I keep saying that I fell off a cliff, but they don't believe it." I lied. There were only two other people who asked me something like that. They were Jiraiya and Sawada Rika.

In defiance of the current tension, Tsunade laughed. "Not even I would believe you, Naruto, in spite how much I want to."

"Oh, but I did," I stated, insisting that my words were the truth after selling myself as a professional liar and actor. "My old self was a clumsy fool. He could trip and fall even if all he was doing was standing still like a statue. He, dare I say, was a moron that should have been killed on his very first mission, in which he almost did, but my demon master cared for him a little too much just to keep herself alive. If you recall, my lady, the demon dies if the boy dies, and thus, in order to preserve her life she has to do everything within her power to keep that son of a bitch from facing death. Despite that my old self received plenty of gifts of grace and mercy for not seeing death just yet, it's relatively shameful to see him not learn from his mistakes. He constantly got himself into avoidable trouble –especially those that were life threatening- he always had this sense of confidence that he could do anything he wanted just because he wore orange outfits, in which was another way of saying, "Please fucking kill me, I am noticeable, bitches!"

"It was outrageous. I must say that my old self survived longer than I expected. An idiot actually managed to live for thirteen goddamn years as an official shinobi, and yet he should have been buried when he was three for peeking at women in hot springs. Oh well, his idiotic decision for resting next to a cliff certainly brought him to his downfall. He was having lunch as he sat at the edge of the plateau, watching the gorgeous view as he ate the poisonous venom called 'ramen'. When he was done with his thirtieth cup, in which he left all the garbage behind for Mother Nature to consume, he leapt on his feet and yelled out, 'Let's do more training!' And then, like the dimwit that he was, he slipped on a wet ramen cup. In his extreme clumsiness, he wobbled, leapt, bounced, and tried everything in his power to maintain a balance… until he stepped over the edge of the cliff and fell.

"I don't necessarily remember how fast he fell, nor what kind of shit he crashed into during the process of the fall altogether. But in the end, he reached a verdict. He was still alive, technically, after the fall, but his left arm, by then, was holding on just barely. Then he realized something else. His left leg was torn off completely, and his right one was threatening to do so if it sustained another ounce of damage. His body was no better. He felt that he was bleeding internally, and in which he was not mistaken when branches and other sharp objects plowed themselves into his back and spine. It was the end of the moron. Who could have thought the most unpredictable ninja in Konoha would be killed in such a disgusting, dishonourable way of self-infliction? Well now, he wasn't the most unpredictable shinobi for nothing, I guessed; even at his death he had to commit something no one would have expected. Anyway, that was not the point. Knowing that my old self was going to see hell at any moment, the demon master decided to step in.

"'You really are an idiot, ne,' commented a voice in his head that sounded a lot like a woman. His vision turned pitch black as it gradually blocked him to seeing reality. In a matter of seconds, he was in a realm of darkness that was only shared between him and the demon that lived within.

"'Who are you? Show yourself!' my idiotic self demanded although yelling like that only caused his death to come sooner.

"'Sometimes I really don't know why I help you. Like, you know, after saving you from Haku and Zabuza, and then Orochimaru, and then Gaara, and then the other things… I would have expected you to cherish your life a little bit more. Instead of engaging all sorts of different shit like you are some kind of invincible moron, have you ever tried to be sober? No, I should say have you tried to grow more brains and not do stupid things that could risk your life? Come on, imbecile, why the hell would you eat a wet lunch on a cliff when you can't even manage to stand properly? Now you fell down here with the price of losing your arm and leg, and also suffering from permanent paralysis because you got something sharp jammed up your spine. Don't you think it's kind of pointless for me to keep saving you if I know that you will do something dumb the next day to get yourself back to square one?'

"Those were very, very insulting words indeed. If these words were spoken to a normal person with normal intelligence, perhaps people like Lee or Tenten, or anyone else in no particular significance, it would hurt their feelings to a noticeable degree. My old self, however, did not find it insulting. Hell, he wasn't even listening. Perhaps he was too stupid to comprehend the frustrations and sarcasm that his demon master used. He was beyond help it seemed. 'You didn't answer my question!'

"'Oh, and what would that be?'

"'Who the hell are you, bitch?'

"'You really are an idiot, ne,' the woman repeated with a audible sigh this time around, 'After that explanation, I thought I would have narrowed it down enough for you to understand who I may be.'

"'You cannot mean that you are Kyuubi…' my old self mumbled out of shock, fear, and a fusion of both. 'The last time I saw you… you sounded like a man…'

"'That was because I was in a cage,' she answered, 'And it really doesn't look good if I was in my humanoid form and trapped in a cage, don't you think?'

"'Wait a minute… if I actually needed to visit you the last time in order to talk to you… how can you be talking to me right now when I am not even there. Hell, where are you anyway? I can't see you at all in this pitch-black darkness…'

"'You want me to turn on the lights?' She sounded so seductive, and even an idiot knew how much skill she had to charm males. At the same time, however, I knew she was just trying to make some fun out of this conversation, since the fact was, to my discomfort, that I was deteriorating away. 'I'll show you how I look like.'

"And she was the most beautiful woman that boy had ever seen. Those adolescent eyes ate her up like a wolf as soon as she revealed herself in the darkness, and he had no intention of looking at anything else but her. She was the world, so to speak, and it wasn't everyday that he found such a gorgeous woman within such a close distance. Needless to say, the adolescent was gaping, especially at the limited amount of clothes that this female demon was wearing. It rivaled Tsunade's, if he recalled properly, and he was referring to the amount of flesh it revealed in the chest area. As a small bonus, according to him, this woman also showed off her heavenly legs with only her kimono reaching down to her thighs, as if her choice of clothing was a deliberate act.

"'Ano…' the boy was at a loss of words. Having a female demon, in which he thought was first a man, was too overwhelming to handle. 'You… are… beautiful…'

"'Am I?' Lady Kyuubi inquired happily, her heart skipping a beat for a second. 'Why, thank you, Naruto.'

"'Something is bothering me though…'

'"Is it my arcane sexiness? I know it has an affect on you, you cutie. It makes me wonder why I didn't show you my humanoid form earlier…'

"'No, something else…' he knew his voice was cracking due to the pressure from her aura, in which she actually was not doing anything incriminating, but my old self was feeling like he was on drugs. 'How can you be here talking to me… I thought you were behind a prison…'

"'Your seal vanished the moment your body suffered an extreme injury where not even I can heal you due to the seriousness of the wound.' The seal was broken? Wow, that sounded like some really big shit. However, to her surprise, the fact that she was now a free soul did not seem to bother the boy. Something else was amiss.

"'You mean that I am going to die…?'

"'Pretty much, idiot,'

"'But I don't want to die yet!'

"'And why is that?'

"'I just met you… like, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met… and now, the same beautiful girl is telling me that this will be the last time that we're going to see each other because of my stupidity? This is not fair! Not fair, damn it!'

"'I am very flattered,' said Lady Kyuubi, laughing charmingly away, as though it would be one of the last times I could hear her laugh. 'But you never thought of me as beautiful when I was in my fox mode. I think you are just saying that to make me feel better.'

"My old self went into a desperate panic. Firstly, he knew he was definitely going to be riding a one horse open sleigh straight to hell. Secondly, this demon goddess was starting to lose faith in him, where in reality he needed her most out of anything else this world could offer. She was his saviour, and she had proven that more than once during the course of his pathetic life. If this demon was powerless… no, he couldn't believe that. There must be a way; his life could not end like this. 'No, I am not saying this to make you feel better! I am scared! I am really scared! I don't want to die, Kyuubi-sama! There has to be another way out of this! Please, Kyuubi-sama, you have to do something!'

"She became absolutely evil with a dark shade cast over her eyes and visage. The kind dark green haired woman vanished faster than that time Michael Jackson decided to be white. 'Oh, sometimes I wish you would just die… so I don't need to endure your wretched way of living…'

"'What did you say? If I die, you will die along with me!'

"'Oh, I wouldn't know about that…'

"'Seriously! If I die, I am taking you with me!'

"'As if I am just going to die without a fight,' the female demon chuckled as she spoke. She found humour in his state of terror, in which even an idiot knew it did not feel nice to be poked fun at. At least he knew that much as a retard. Now we all obtained the enlightenment that said even retards like Uzumaki Naruto had feelings like a normal person. People had accused that his stupidity had dominated every common sense his intelligence could muster. If it gotten any worse, then perhaps executing him for good could actually be a benefit to society, in which I was confident that the damned people in Konoha would have no objection about it. 'I certainly don't want my life to end out of the foolishness of someone beyond my control, you know what I mean?'

"'You are one persistent bitch…'

"'Your influence must be rubbing off on me. You should be proud.'

"'Enough of your sarcastic comments! Tell me what I have to do to keep on living, you stupid fox!'

"'It's Anthris,'

"'What?'

"'Call me Anthris.'

"'What the hell is Anthris? Is that a new language?'

"'It's my name, moron,'

"'Oh…'

"'Ask me nicer, and with my name attached to it, and I will consider helping you,' she giggled as she finished. It was hard to believe that she could still be so light spirited although she clearly knew both herself and my old self were going to perish if they didn't act soon.

"It took at least ten seconds for the boy to respond with his decision, and it was all part of her ingenious plan to make sheer entertainment out of his emotional struggles. My old self clenched his teeth as he spoke dangerously. 'Fine… please… find a way… Anthris… Please!'

"'That's better,' she chirped delightfully. 'Now watch the master work.'

"And then my demon master told me that a new body was required in order for me to survive. She said that the damage of the injuries could eventually kill me even if I do manage to get it treated, in which was clearly impossible since I was paralyzed from waist down and lacking one arm to crawl out of this forsaken hellhole. As far as anyone was concerned, I was actually bleeding to death, but my subconsciousness was barely holding on, as though it had an undying passion to stay alive for as long as it could. She said that a completely new internal system was required, since mine was already messed up beyond repair. What else could be better used than an actual set of veins and other organs? Why, a real set of human internal system –whether it was from the living or the dead.

"My demon goddess noticed our surroundings. If I actually read the newspaper, and of course I obviously didn't back then, the crash site I fell into was actually a former gang hideout. Talk about coincidence. In fact, my luck couldn't have been any better. Just a few days ago, a gang fight took place, and needless to say, well, it left a lot of bodies unattended. In short, it was a corpse gold mine for my demon master to start her work, and she seemed just so delighted to be able to pick out the best body parts amongst that repulsively large pile of abominations.

"In order to be accustomed to a set of dead internal organs and such, I could not have any part, other than my head, to be alive. The blood, the chemistry, the biology of it all would be very improper, and in short, my body would not be able to function properly if part of it was living, and the other the dead. I might as well turn into an undead with her calling all the shots and developments. It was her creation, and I seriously doubted that she would make something pathetic and weak. I had second thoughts, of course, since turning into an undead did creep me out. I was alive, technically, but then she told me that only my subconsciousness was still living. My body, unfortunately, was already on its way to meet heaven. I had no choice but to accept that fact, and in a matter of seconds I agreed to the metamorphosis that transformed my life forever.

"I wanted to keep anything that I could from my old self, but she had other plans. That demon lady did say my human arms were clumsy and useless, and I believed her, since I did not have much of a position to disagree. In other words, she destroyed both my living leg and arm and substituted it with ones that were in a skeletal form –which still had some unholy flesh on it. It was somewhat disgusting to watch her take out bones and parts from corpses, and then marvel her for changing and sculpting it to make it unique for my new body. During her efforts when I was lying helplessly, I knew she wanted it to be the best creation she ever created –despite that it was her first. I truly admired her… I could kiss her out of extreme gratitude… I was speechless. I was no scientist, nor was I a magician, but I did realize that chakra, whether it was from a human or a demon, had the potentials to do wonders. Kakashi did mention once that Kabuto managed to use a jutsu, which required chakra no doubt, to temporarily revive a dead person to do his bidding while he made plans to escape. Chakra, as I recalled, truly could stimulate anything, and therefore, my demon master used her chakra as a fuel to force the dead to move once more.

"Her powers were extraordinary, indeed. Not only did her abilities include making an undead body, she was able to make flesh as well. This entire body, Tsunade, is made out of artificial flesh, or flesh that is copied from my DNA. If any part is broken off, the chakra would no longer flow, and as a result, it would immediately turn back into the revolting skeleton that we stole from. There was another requirement, however, to maintain this body. It isn't a difficult task, yet a downside nonetheless. Since this body does not regenerate and recreate its own blood very well, due to the fact that it is copied, and copies only had a fraction of the full result, a refill is mandatory after a certain period of time. It doesn't matter if it's from the living or the dead; I just need the blood. I can either do it the easy way or the hard way. You can simply inject a needle of blood, which can be from any blood type because my body would not know the difference, and I will not have a need to see you about another needle for the next two years. That is the easy way. The hard way, in which I call it the fun way, consists of me killing someone to consume their blood. It is fun because they would be hesitating and resisting their undeniable death; and only Kami-sama knows what amusement and delight it is for me to take the lives of those who actually want to keep it for whatever personal reasons they have.

"I think that wraps up my little story. So, what do you think?"

The Hokage was actually silent for a good three minutes. I even took out a smoke and smoked it in front of her and received no reaction. In all honesty, this got me a little worried. Not a lot, though, but just about enough for me to be a slightly more serious about the whole damned thing. The last wish I asked for was to have Tsunade agitated towards my attitude. Despite my appearances, I liked to avoid trouble.

After another minute of no response, I made the conscious decision to lighten things up when I knew better than anyone that I possessed no skill in brightening any conversation. It was still worth a shot, in a way, but that did not mean I could do it gracefully. "Tsunade…" I said, trying to catch her attention when she was still dumbfounded at what I donated just now. "Are you there? Oi, oi, oi, Tsunade!"

"Naruto…" the Hokage replied in a deadpan after an unusual five second delay. That was not the type of response I was expecting to receive. "I have a question for you…"

"Feel free to ask ahead,"

"Did you just say the seal that the Fourth made for you is broken?"

"Why, I am afraid, yes, it is,"

Suddenly, Tsunade became totally furious, and with a good cause. "And what the hell happened to the Kyuubi then? If the seal was broken, according to you, because you were seriously in a near death situation, and to be more specific it was guaranteed death, does that mean the Kyuubi is free to do whatever she wants? Look at it this way… your death should have taken her with you whether the seal is broken or not, but yet… you are alive! You understand what I am saying here? The seal is destroyed before she resurrected you! We have a demon on the loose here, and you didn't take any fucking initiative to give a damn or tell someone about this?"

"Are you accusing me of negligence?" I deliberately questioned, knowing deep down that that was exactly what she was saying.

"I can't put it in any other way," she nearly spat. "You should know what your demon… master…" that reference seemed revolting for her mouth to say. "… is capable of. You are setting out a full fledge demon on the loose on whatever soil you walk on. How can you be so reckless? Why are you suddenly so irresponsible? Can you even take responsibility of the damages that she might cause because you have no protection whatsoever to stop her? From what I could see and judge, you have no backup weapon to restrain her, and it's more than likely that she has all the power in the world to kick your fucking, sorry ass."

I snickered in spite the hostility. I looked at her for a moment and simply grinned. Her aura changed once more, this time from frustration to raw rage, in which gave a feeling of genuine death if she ever decided to take physical action. She hated my smiles, I knew Tsunade too well in that aspect. Despite that, I kept going on to enrage that anger further. "Why do you think Anthris would do such a thing? Do you really see her as a destructive monster?"

"Who is Anthris?" Tsunade questioned, honestly confused.

"That's the name of my demon master. Calling her Kyuubi is simply rude, and she doesn't like that because most women do not appreciate disrespect. In fact, referring her as 'Kyuubi' is just as bad as calling her 'bitch'. Do you like being called a bitch, Tsunade? I assume that you don't, and so call her Anthris from now on. I am sure she will have a delightful smile on her face the next time you have a talk with her."

Tsunade just grinned, a little tiredly to be precise. "You love your demon master, don't you?"

"She gave me my life. I am forever in debt to her. I am at her command."

"This is a kind of loyalty I never expected from you. You always seemed to be spontaneous type that never listened to anyone, or at least you would grudgingly accept your orders in the most disgraceful fashion. What motivated such a change? If I must admit, your enthusiasm seriously degenerated."

"And it's a fact that I cannot ignore," I said, flashing a cunning grin, "Speaking of loyalties, I am very sure that Anthris would not do anything you just listed. If it was her intent to destroy and obliterate, this town would have been gone a month ago. She is a wonderful woman, in spite whatever she did fifteen years ago. What ailed her to do something so destructive anyway, you ask? My guess is probably loneliness and jealousy towards the living who does not accept her for who she is. Isolation can do that to the mind, little human. Anthris knows that appearance is the key factor to be accepted by society, and I presumed that she knew that no one would love her once they knew her demon heritage, and thus, she developed a humanoid form as one of the most gorgeous, loving woman. Perhaps men, or humanity, in general then saw her as a sex object. She is hated as a demon, and mistreated if she becomes a woman… I guessed it drove her to the blink of her insanity. I am just taking my guesses, of course, but I have a pretty good feeling that was what happened, because she dislikes, or perhaps even despise, most men."

"So, you are saying that the Kyuubi incident fifteen years ago was due to… immoral outrage? What confidence do you have to assume such a thing?"

"I am merely putting the pieces together to make the puzzle," I stated intelligently. "Anthris loves no other man than me. She practically hates Jiraiya, but she is thankful that ero-sennin corrupted my mind, and thus her own psychological corruption could do more damage. Damn, it was very effective, too, especially when my mental stability was weak at that time."

"She corrupted you?" Tsunade's anger flared up again. This woman took things too seriously, and ninja's were supposed to read what was underneath the underneath. Damn, she didn't even scratch the surface.

"With the natural things in life, Tsunade-oba-san," I replied, kind of bored of her fury. "Like, you know… sex, and other… stuff…"

"Did you lose your virginity?" she roared, in which nearly deafened me if I was standing six feet closer. Somehow at the back of my head, my intuitions told me that Anthris and my undead body were no longer an issue to worry about. It would appear that the Hokage had no grudge to have me as an undead warrior, since all she needed to do to keep me alive was to give me blood periodically, but as for my mind, she had a second opinion.

I had no further need to stay here, and had an even less want to discuss my relationship with Anthris to her.

"I think our conversation is over," I quickly interjected and headed for the door.

"You are not going anywhere until you answer my question!" the Hokage outrageously leaped over her desk in order to stop me. I easily took one shifting step to avoid her from colliding into my delicate body, and in a chain reaction, Tsunade fell distastefully with her large breasts receiving most of the impact since it stuck out more than anything else. I didn't dare to laugh, but my mind, however, was proving otherwise. I wisely turned away just in case I broke out of my stoic face. Having her on the ground served as an advantage that I could not possibly not take, and as a result, I was able to form a set of seals which ended off with the rabbit on it.

"Maybe next time," I winked as I mockingly spoke. With that said, I vanished using 'Tsuyoshi-Shiki Teni', or better known as 'Flash Warp'.

Once I reached somewhere outside the Hokage's building, I fled as quickly as my legs could carry me once I heard Tsunade's cursing from a mile away. She truly knew how to motivate others to run even faster than they could possibly imagine, didn't she?

(Naruto's Apartment, fifteen minutes later)

It was my turn to curse when I found my apartment absolutely empty as soon as I opened the front doors. How could I be so forgetful? After talking to Tsunade, for which was practically hours, I nearly forgot that Rika was still at Hinata's mansion. That girl must have been up by now, it was… then I looked at my watch… and it said it was 5:30 PM. Great, now I realized that I just missed my lunch when I had a very lousy brunch because I ate it hurriedly to prepare myself for the sparring session, in which obviously drained all the energy the prior meal could provide with its nutrients. Knowing that I more or less stuffed everything down than savouring the flavour, I knew my meal actually did more damage than good. This kind of eating could kill me someday… I swear it…

Moving into my kitchen somewhat pointlessly, I wondered if I had anything in here that I could use to temporarily replenish my strength. I tested my luck with the fridge. Once I opened it, three shopping bags came falling out and made clashing sounds as it hit the floor. Fortunately, nothing spilled. Now I was starting to remember what I did this morning. After receiving an invitation to visit Hinata, I recalled jamming everything into the refrigerator before I ran back into my room like a sadistic moron to wake up Rika. Perhaps I should have been more prudent with my actions, but frustration seemed to have played a big role this morning, in which it was beyond my control. This self-flattery was not working at all…

I grimaced when I noticed everything in my fridge required some time to prepare, and time was not something I desired –not when my life was on the line. I did not want to cook it, because that took effort, and I was as tired and weak as most weak man could be. If I was going to eat something that needed to be cooked, then please have someone else do it for me. Yes, it was a selfish thought indeed, but humans, demons, and the undead thought alike due to the existence of our conscience. Without our consciences, we were immediately considered savages and brutal brutes, which did not know anything but senseless murder due to brains that were a size of a pea. Knowing that my apartment was completely empty, I was definitely on my own with no hope whatsoever. The only thing I had left in this place was… I didn't know, actually, and therefore I prayed and gave faith to my freezer. I never fully gave my confidence towards an inanimate object before; it would appear that there was always a first time for everything. As I opened the top part of my refrigerator, to my honest surprise, I found frozen dinners. I didn't recall purchasing these; hell, I barely knew the existence of this distressed creation. Despite that, however, I always wanted to try one although I knew what to expect out of companies that made these things. The contents, as the box listed, were a chicken filet with gravy and accompanied with a limited supply of noodles. I guessed that I could live with that, since I wasn't trying to have a fancy dinner or anything, and all I craved for was a short snack with some flavour.

I popped the frozen dinner into the microwave with part of the tip lifted up, as the instructions had it, and lastly pressed the numbers in order to make it 'burn', so to speak, for three and a half minutes. Deep down, I knew this was going to be the longest 210 seconds of my life.

Or so I thought.

The front door suddenly flung open despite I clearly remembered locking it.

Who else could possibly have another set of keys? Oh, shimata…

I had to hide!

"Naruto-kun!" came a sweet greeting that shook me from inside out. Too late… she beat me to it… "You are here, this is wonderful, indeed."

"What… what are you doing here, Hinata?" I could not help myself but to feel some dread coming from her inquiry… or statement. "I was just planning to have a bite…" Why the hell was I stuttering so badly? I was okay this morning, right? In theory, this girl should not be posing a problem. I was not afraid of her, no, but there was just something that was so elusive. The way she just entered annoyed me, but it wasn't like she did anything wrong; damn I could not grasp it. The subtle aggression, yes, that was what agitated me, since Hyuuga Hinata was never famous for being so… assertive, domineering even.

Her response shocked me. She, in fact, did not talk at first, since she nailed me to the closet door like she did less than twenty-four hours ago. She soon embraced me, but the intention of binding me never went away. Crap… what brought this on? What did I do this time? I wasn't hiding any girl from her today or anything; all I desired was a snack due to my energy insufficiency. In all honesty, I was actually used to being imprisoned and interrogated, but never expected it from Hyuuga Hinata, who was watching me with genuine concern, care, lust, desire, and hunger. Her movements were dangerously lustful, and I felt my back sweating with fear as a motivation when I saw her lick her lips like a wolf. What urged her to be this way? It wasn't like I turned her on with my charms, for I haven't seen her since this morning, and yet her emotions were so high! This situation was almost unapproachable, in my standards, of course.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata purred as she dug her head into my chest, while gently grinding her beautiful body into mine in a form of arousing. "What are you thinking about?"

It was a miracle that I refrained myself from attacking her. "Nothing…" I lied with all the intellect I knew of. "Where is Rika?"

"Rika-chan? She said that she went 'shopping'."

"Why aren't you with her?"

"Because I want to see you,"

"Is… that… right…"

"She told me to 'pick' you up, and I agreed immediately because I want to be with you." Her embrace deepened unexpectedly. "What are you doing?"

"I am just waiting for my… frozen dinner… to… finish… burning…"

She giggled as she pushed me more intimately into the door, in which was threatening to break down if she pressed on any harder. "Are you stuttering?" she questioned, almost knowingly.

"I'm tired," I plainly stated the obvious. "And… nothing…"

"Perfect answer,"

That was not a replied within my expectations. "What?"

"Aren't you at least a little curious as to why I am here?"

"Because you want to hug me when I have no intention to return the hug?" I knew those words naturally frustrated her, but not today. She seemed to be enjoying it instead. In normal cases, Hinata would pout and whine adorably to get her way, and sadly to say, I always gave in at the end. It had become sort of like a custom between the two of us, and suddenly she was establishing a new set of regulations without my consent. Fuck it all, when did she ask for my consent for anything? She just did things on her own and expected me to accept it whether I did it grudgingly or gracefully.

Now, she was laughing lightly, and yet it contained a beautiful alluring charm. "That is part of it," she said, still chuckling in a friendly manner, in which would not be so friendly later on if I knew how to predict the future. "But no."

"Then what is it?"

"I came here to get my revenge," Hinata was unbelievably straightforward. She came to get her revenge… that still did not register into my mental state after I stared at her queerly for a dreadful fifteen seconds. She didn't react much, no, since Hinata loved it when I paid attention to her and her only, and she appeared to take more pleasure in it when my dull blue eyes looked like they were gazing on the beauty Kami-sama blessed her with. Like every other woman that had an impact on my life, Hinata just had to be so gorgeous and marvelous. Her arcane sexiness could make any men die for, but she only chose to use it on me. There were plenty of other good looking guys out there and we both knew it, and thus, it was still such a complex mystery to me as to know why Hyuuga Hinata was so attracted to only me. Hell, Sawada Rika loved me for the same reasons, and I wasn't exactly cherishing it as much as she wanted me to. Up to this day, I did not know if this was a stroke of luck, or a premature gift from Satan.

Due to my immense negativity, it was no simple task for me to see love as an amenity. It was a nuisance above anything else, and this revenge Hinata spoke of was no comfort. What did I even do to deserve this?

"What are you talking about?" I choked out, looking very uneasy. She grinned, knowing that she hit the jackpot in a fashion that I did not seem to know.

"I want what is rightfully mine," she told me as she pressed herself onto me more passionately, while she took my cheek and kissed it tenderly. "I want you."

"You want me to do what?"

"Don't you have any sympathy?" Hinata purred as she kissed me again on the same spot.

"What do you mean by that?" I questioned her confusedly as I took this chance to place my hands on her hips. What in blazes was I thinking? I should have been attempting to break free, not trying to establish any unessential affection that could jeopardize everything I worked so hard for, in which was plotting an escape plan.

"You hurt me," she easily pouted with endearing features soaked in it.

"Because I am placing my hands on your hips? If it's hurting you, I will be glad to let go."

"Oh, don't do that," Hinata ordered as she used one of her hands to hold my hand before she gently pressed it on her hips to make our touch more deep. "I like it there… and I don't mind if you put it elsewhere…"

Sweat formed on my forehead in less than an instant when she pushed her breasts more forward in order to make me feel them in depth. "Elsewhere… No, Hinata, what are you talking about? What do you want me to do?"

She grinned seductively in return. "Naruto-kun, I want you to comfort me. I'll hate you for the rest of my life if you don't take responsibility for your prior actions. It's not nice to wound someone and then leave them to deal with the pain and leftovers… You aren't someone who does that to a friend, are you not? I have to endure everything on my own, and you weren't even there to be with me."

I grunted inwardly. As I relentlessly looked for a way to break free, I found it absolutely distracting to have her body making such intimate contacts with mine. I was starting to hallucinate, and without me knowing, my eyes gradually drifted to her ample breasts, in which were imprisoned by that thin, wretched tanktop beneath her unzipped blue wind jacket. Hinata's snickered increased two folds when I was exactly where she wanted me to be.

I never felt so boneless…

"I'm sorry…" I groaned out, no longer realizing what I was saying.

"I forgive you, Naruto-kun," she said, taking this chance to smother her lips over mine in a blissful kiss. "But you do know how depressed I was when I found no one by my side when I woke up? I wanted to see Naruto-kun next to me, talking to me to make me feel better, stroking my hair as if they are the best things that can sooth me, be more initiative to kiss me so I will kiss him back with twice the ardency he gave, I want him then to touch me freely because I would love whatever he desires, I will satisfy anything that he wishes…"

Move, Naruto, move, I demanded out of myself when my part of my conscience, mainly my libido, was starting to drift towards her seductiveness. Was I that helpless without Anthris in my body? Why couldn't my body move? If I did not react soon, who knew what sort of results would happen? I didn't have a curiosity to find out, and yet I was powerless to make a difference. For crying out loud, defy her! I needed to fight my way out, and damn it all… why wouldn't my body move! I had to get away from her… and fast…

"Hinata… Boku wa… iie, yamate kudosai… (Hinata… I am… no, please stop…)"

Hinata wolfishly grinned before she deepened our entanglement. There was no way that I failed to acknowledge the softness of her body, the slenderness of her curves, which parts were most sensitive, and I could not deny the fact that I had an incredibly beautiful woman who wanted me beyond my anticipation. Her eyes resembled everything in her mind, and it was no difficult task to comprehend. This girl was lusty. "Stop? No, I don't want to do that. Perhaps we can take our conversation somewhere else?"

I mindlessly, as if I was under a spell from a siren, replied to her call. "What place do you have in mind?"

When she saw me agree so quickly, in which she had me exactly where she wanted me to be, Hinata didn't waste her time in proceeding to the second phase. She broke herself away, knowing that seduction was no longer needed until a little later, but she was still holding my hand before gradually leading me somewhere within this dinky apartment. "Let's continue in your bedroom, ne?" Seeing no resistance on my part, she easily pulled my zombie like state body towards the precious sanctuary that I cherished like no other room I have entered. Hinata felt an unbelievable delight to have me captured; her emotions were even evident to the blind.

Meanwhile, however, I was not sharing her rapture. The word bedroom repeated over and over again, as though it was trying its best to warn me about the disasters ahead.

Bedroom… bedroom…

I knew the hazards once I enter, then why was I still following her lead? She smiled slyly when she noticed my attention was fixed onto her, and in a matter of seconds, we arrived at the fortified barrier, in which was the wooden door, that gave way to my sanctuary. She was close, she was ever so close… all she needed to do was turn the knob… and then victory was hers. In defiance of this fact, I couldn't imagine that I wasn't doing anything about it! It was all over if both of us entered my room, so why couldn't I move! My movements were just as bad as that time Sasuke and Sakura encountered Orochimaru for the first time… that genjutsu that paralyzed both of them with fear… my body was exactly like Sasuke's… no matter how desperately I was commanding myself, it just wouldn't budge!

What the hell did Sasuke do in this situation? What the fucking hell was the solution that he came up with?

Come on, brain, think!

"Naruto-kun," whispered Hinata enticingly to my ear as she licked it sensually before she started to plant multiple of feathering kisses on my left cheek. "Come on, don't keep me waiting… I want you –now."

I finally figured it out!

"Never!" I suddenly shouted, and at the same time I snapped out of her seduction. Hinata gasped when I roughly pulled my hand away from hers as I reached for my kunai in the holster. Once I had my hand on the weapon, I slit it across my chest, in which Hinata nearly screamed when a waterfall of dark blood gushed out from the injury as it splattered revoltingly onto my carpet-free floor. Fear… it was fear, I had to use fear to overcome this weakness. As much as I hated to admit it, I must give my thanks to Sasuke the next time we meet, for his experience was what saved me from this crisis. I had no time to cherish my temporary freedom, for I could lose it at any moment if I decided to linger indecisively. Without any further hindrance or warning, I turned to face the main door. "Alpha Blade!" I generated the ki and chakra that was needed to perform this attack and immediately dashed away before breaking the door during the process. I had no intention of caring for the minor things; all I was concerned about was reaching outside, in which I did so safely.

Or so I thought.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shrieked when she realized that her plans were now in ruins before she knew it. "No, I was so close!"

"I have no idea what you are planning," I declared and pointed at her as she, to my severe shock, began to approach me by mere walking, as if she had all the confidence in the world that victory was hers to claim. At the same time, I slipped my kunai back into its original place, but my eyes never left her for a second. At the same time, to my discomfort, the charming Hinata was no longer before me, since a new representative took her place. The person that swapped with her divine, beautiful exterior was a 180 degree contrast to the previous mask. Hinata took the role of the mastermind, in which just received a blow to her intelligence since her victims managed to outwit her. It was a minor setback, and she merely returned with higher spirits while having a smile that rivaled the devil. Her new persona frightened me, and yet I kept my cool. "But you are not taking me alive!"

Although it was a pathetic choice of action, I formed a set of unique seals to activate my trademark technique. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, six other copies of myself appeared from behind me with dark grins covering their expression. Hinata's eyes opened with some shock, it was clear that she was impressed. Little did I know, however, her face was, in fact, speaking nothing but lies and deceit as she watched me. "Have fun catching me now, Hinata."

Actions spoke much louder than words. Hinata took one look at me and my Kage Bunshins, and then she began laughing. It started as a quiet snicker, and then deepened into a louder chuckle, and soon Hinata, with her hand on her forehead, started laughing out loud darkly with her head tilted back, as though she was a pure sadist. I grimaced instantly. I didn't go on alert because she found some miraculous amusement, but rather, I found it unquestionably uncomfortable to hear this menacing laugh. It did not suit the shy Hinata, and hell, not even the more confident Hinata had that kind of nature to perform something that was so close to evil. To this mastermind persona, however, it matched a little too perfectly well.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, you are a funny man. Do you really think that a technique like that, as advanced as it may be, can fool a woman like me? Do you happen to forget why I have no pupils in my eyes?" A horrific realization struck me like an anvil was dropped from three hundred feet above. Blast her damned bloodline limit. "My Byakugan can easily read chakra systems, remember? All I need to do is activate it, and I will know which one of you has the real chakra coils. Don't you think that I have planned this ahead of time?"

"You won't catch me that easily," I retorted wisely, trying to build up some confidence to have a better edge. "Even with those eyes of yours, the extent of my improvements on this technique is far beyond your expectations."

Those words did not faze her for a moment. To my disbelief, she kept walking closer, and all I could resort to do was mimic her movements by traveling backwards with worries and uncertainties as my motivation. "Perhaps you are right, maybe I might not be good enough to identify the real you amongst these bunshins," Hinata said in a forfeiting fashion to boost my self-esteem and confidence. However, that ounce of hope was the key weapon that would make her next words hurt that much more when she destroyed it. "But I know someone who has even greater powers than my own," this was the beginning of her devastation, and I didn't even know it until it was a little too late. "I am sure Anthris-sama would know which body to go back to, right? There is no way she would be that stupid to be not able to differentiate you between a Kage Bunshin, am I correct?"

Anthris… Anthris… Anthris! Hinata knows about Anthris! Bagana… (Impossible) No, this can't be happening! What have you done… what have you done, Anthris? Why did you betray me? No… Why must I be enslaved to this torment?

I did the unbelievable: I screamed.

I didn't know what happened to me from that instant to whatever I was doing at the moment. My clones and I suddenly widened our eyes with pure fear washing all over them before the seven of us yelled in absolute horror in the loudest way we could muster when I haven't screamed like that for over two years, and finally ran off in different directions.

Hinata did not bother herself with chasing me and merely laughed again before she spoke to no one in particular, or perhaps she was talking to herself to increase her delight. "Oh, Naruto-kun, you are making this fun. Yes, yes, you are! This is fun. I will no longer wait for your answer, because I don't have to anymore, or you will just have me waiting until I can no longer take it. I believe everything Rika-chan told me… and she is absolutely right, too… Oh, Naruto-kun, this will be so sweet… That's right, run away… run as fast as you can… so you can excite this adrenaline further… excite it… excite it! Make it so strong that it will make me want to rape you when I catch you… make yourself the greatest treasure a woman can get…

"Even if I cannot match up with your speed… does it matter? Is it a big deal now that you are faster than me? No matter how much you have improved… there is always someone better… Anthris-sama… yes, Anthris-sama will make our day a heaven… and you will love it whether you like it or not! Don't concern yourself toward me not joining the fun… I will be seeing you very shortly. I love you so much, Naruto-kun… you will let me love you… I will love you.

"But now, my Naruto-kun, let our pursuit of love begin."

I kept running, and I even increased my speed despite that I had nowhere to go. As if it was a curse, my skin grew goose bumps out of the blue, and I didn't even know if it was my imagination or not when I thought I heard a wave of sinister laughter coming from the direction from my home. I banished it as a hallucination immediately. Knowing that I was a nervous wreck at the moment, I guessed anything goes, and I did not relish it for a second. Bad came to worse much too quick for my liking, and I was too certain that this was too horrible to be just a nightmare where I could wake up and forget about it forever. This was real, and everything I detected pointed out that I wasn't in a fairy tale.

I picked up a distinct demonic chakra coming my way, and I didn't even to guess who it might be. What other demon existed in this village anyway? No one, of course -other than my own.

Anthris… she was coming… and she was definitely making haste, too. I lived life to regret it… this was just fantastic…

AN: Yes, it is a very frightening ending, and yes, I know that I will get stoned for leaving this in another cliff. For a fiction that is about to end in 2 or 3 chapters, I should know by now that cliffhangers drive people kind of insane. By the way, if you people don't want a cliffhanger, care to tell me which part wouldn't be considered a cliff? In all honesty, every part I end is considered to be a cliffhanger, and I say that so profoundly is because the story isn't done. As long as the story isn't done, it needs more in order to finish it. With that said, it doesn't matter what I write, since every chapter's ending is just different due to the downright obviousness of tension.

I hope you all liked chapter 18… it was a pain in the ass to write –especially that whole seduction scene. How much philosophy and logic did I even put in here today? Damn… this BS business is hard! Anyway, the most important thing is the enjoyment of reading and writing. Like I said, SIC is coming to an end, and I really do hope that the next two to three chapter will satisfy your desires. I will do my best to make it… oh, I don't know… yummy.

See you all again –real soon.