Here's one for ya. What happens when you take a blonde, hyperactive ninja and a kindhearted, introverted Kunoichi who has a deep crush on said ninja but he's totally clueless about it? Give up? The answer…comedic genius! When these two are put together, the reactions are just priceless, which is part of why I love these guys. It's the kind of stuff that just screams sitcom. If you thought the last chapter didn't focus enough on Hinata, trust me, you'll like this one better.

CH. 5: CULT OF PERSONALITY

Naruto and Sakura had been walking without saying a word to each other. The wind was blowing softly. She was constantly checking if Naruto was turning to see her, but his expressionless eyes were to the ground. By the time they were at the corner of Ino's flower shop, she started walking a little faster than he was until she was standing right in front of him. He stopped and looked right at her, his eyes meeting hers. She felt startled.

"Naruto, we need to talk." she said in her least nagging tone. He didn't react. "Do you remember when you made me that promise three years ago? When you promised me you would bring Sasuke back no matter what?"

He nodded.

"Why did you say that? Didn't you hurt yourself when you did?"

"No. Why?"

"What do you mean "why"? You always had feelings for me and then when I come begging to you to bring him back, crying, you smile, give me a thumbs up and promise me you will do it. I mean, what happened there?"

She nervously waited for his answer.

"I guess it was because I wanted to see you happy." He was talking the same way he was before. "I guess I just liked you so much I would do anything just to see you happy, even if it meant giving up on you."

Sakura gasped. 'Naruto…'

"That day, I realized that Sasuke will always have a place in your heart I have always dreamt of having but I never really would, so I figured the least I could do was bring him back for you so you could think of me at least as a good friend. Don't worry. I'm still planning on keeping that promise."

"But that's the problem. I don't want you to do it if you'll only be hurting yourself. I don't deserve it."

"I told you I'm over it! Stop worrying about me!" He raised his voice a bit.

"That's what you were telling yourself before and now look at what is happening to you! Please! You're already in enough pain! I don't want to see you hurt."

"What happens to me is none of your business!" he now shouted. Sakura backed away from him as his eyes turned fierce. He quickly walked off on his own. It wasn't long until she caught up and stood in front of him again.

"Naruto, please listen to me." She said with all her courage. She was still shaking from the scare. "I know I can only say I'm sorry a million times and you may still hate me, but please hear me out. I'm not just sorry for what I did that day, but I'm sorry for everything. All those times I've turned my back on you. All those times I saw you as an annoying brat and beat you up for no good reason when all you were doing was being yourself and trying to encourage others. All those times I've put you after Sasuke and only came to you when it was for something for my own benefit. You are my friend, too. A great friend."

"You're just saying that." He said. "You're only respecting me because you're afraid of me. If you weren't, you would have punched me in the face for letting Orochimaru and Itachi go."

"N-No, I'm serious. I'm not just talking about your fighting skills and your strength, but you're also brave, trustworthy, and… and you always know how to help someone."

"Prove it." He said defiantly.

"Well, there's…um-" She looked puzzled while she searched her mind for a good example.

"Oh, do you remember Idate? It was your advice that helped him finish that race."

"He wouldn't have made it if I hadn't carried him halfway there." Sakura felt shot down by his comeback.

"How about that time when you…when you…" She was thinking again.

"…when you motivated Hinata during the preliminaries of the Chuunin exams? It was thanks to you that she was able to fight."

"If the fight hadn't been stopped, Neji would have killed her. She would have died because of me."

Sakura felt weak all of a sudden.

"You don't have to prove me anything, Sakura. I know who I am, and I need to change. No more will you see the goofy, innocent, naïve, and clumsy Naruto you know. If I am to stop Orochimaru and bring back Sasuke, if I want to defeat the Akatsuki, and if I want to become Hokage someday, I must take myself more responsibly. No longer am I going to rely on others to find my own strength."

It was hard for her to process those words in her mind.

"What do you mean?"

"Every Jutsu I've ever learned I have learned it from someone else. Jiraiya taught me the Rasengan, I learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu from a scroll, and it was the Fourth Hokage who gave me the Nine-Tails. There's also all those things Iruka-Sensei taught us at the Academy. I need to learn how to stand on my own two feet, like a true ninja I must create my own Jutsus and find my own strength."

"Naruto, you don't have to change anything about yourself. You're fine just the way you are. I guess I envy you for who you are. You had to find strength and confidence to fight by yourself. I couldn't do that until Lady Tsunade made me her apprentice. But look, I know I have been rough with you and never acknowledged or respected how you felt about me, and I'm aware this hasn't been the first time where I have been responsible for you feeling so stressed it has led you to use the demon's chakra, but I h-"

"Sakura." He stopped her. She took a long look with eyes wide open before he continued.

"Apology accepted." He said monotonously and without any expression whatsoever. Sakura was once again mesmerized by what he said and how he said it.

"Come on, it's very late already. Your parents must be worried."

"Wait. I want to give you something." She pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Naruto. It was a coupon for a free bowl of ramen at Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"I know it's not a lot, but I know how much you like it, so I'm sure you'd enjoy that a lot more than I would. And don't feel so bad. I'm sure that someday you'll find someone else." She smiled while she talked.

He looked at her incredulously.

"You know, someone who's perfect for you. Someone who will make you happy and that you will like a lot more than me."

Naruto stared deeply at her friend. For a moment, he was a bit surprised to listen to such possibilities he had never thought of.

"Thanks, Sakura, but no thanks."

"Huh?" She felt helpless again.

"By this point, the entire town knows about what happened. They know I'm a potential danger. They are all staring at me as if they were looking at Kyuubi himself, just like they used to when I was a kid. It's like my childhood all over again. Just take a moment and think about it.

Who in their right mind would ever even think about being with me? I'm practically a half-demon! Face it, I don't have the slightest shot at l-"

He struggled to finish the sentence. He felt as if he didn't know how to complete that last word. He knew what the word was for he had heard it before. But still, it felt like such a strange word to him. One that he rarely used and didn't hear very often. Sakura just stood there with her mouth open. Those words didn't sound like him at all.

"What's happening to you? The Naruto I know doesn't give up just like that."

"This isn't the same as winning a fight." He spoke in a way that was so deep, Sakura couldn't help but to feel completely surprised. "Hell, when it comes to that, being who I am helps, but that's completely different. You'd have to be either really desperate or crazy to like me. Plus, I don't think anybody might even feel sorry for me. They'd be too afraid I might "explode" again."

"Naruto-" She said approaching him, but he started to walk away. He turned his head to look at her while he walked.

"Besides, let's be realistic. This is real life. It's not as if by magic I'll find someone who's right for me. It's not as if a miracle will fall from the sky and hit me in the-"

WHAM! Just as he was turning at the corner of Ino's shop, someone had quickly bumped right into him and knocked him down to the ground. He did not know who it was. That person's head landed right on his chest, forcing the air in Naruto's lungs out. The back of his head hit the ground hard. He let out a short scream of pain with the little air left in him.

"Watch it, buddy! I'm walking here!" He said when the air returned to him. He tried to tilt his head upwards to see who it was. "Huh?"

He realized the person wasn't a guy, as this was his first thought. It was a girl. Apparently, she was unconscious. From what he could see, her head was covered with long, dark, raven hair that shined with the moonlight. He felt her chest around his stomach. Given by how it felt, it was definitely a girl's bosoms.

"Hinata?"

Her eyes popped open. Her face went completely pale, and almost simultaneously, turned a fiery red. She instantly hopped to her feet, freaking out.

"N-Naruto! I-I-I'm so-sorry! It-it's just- I-I mean, I was- I didn't- Th-the thing is that- I- Y-You see-" She softly squealed in frustration. She put her palms together in front of him and bent her head downwards.

'Just what I thought,' thought Naruto. 'Sacred as hell of me.'

"Hinata, it's OK." He said. "I wasn't paying attention either."

"Oh, I see. Sorry." She said meekly. She was more relaxed now. Her hands were now at the height of her chest. Silence followed.

'Come on. Say something to him.' She said to herself in her thoughts. 'Don't just stand there.'

"So…Naruto," She stared twiddling her fingers. "How are you fee-"

"Hinata?" He interrupted. "Can I have my coupon back?"

"Huh?" She looked startled for a moment. "What do you m-?" She started as she looked down to find a small piece of paper stuck to her jacket's zipper right at her chest. She gasped and let out a tiny shriek. Her face turned scarlet again.

'Oh, no!' She thought. 'A good chance to talk with Naruto and I'm ruining it! What do I do know! OK, OK… just stay calm and give him the coupon.' Hesitantly, she obeyed her thoughts and pulled the paper from her zipper and handed it to him. She was too embarrassed to look at him in the eye. When she handed it to him, he didn't say anything.

"So, Naruto," she tried to speak again, "I heard…you got out of the hospital today." She resumed her twiddling. "H-How are you?"

"I'm fine. I've been better but I'll manage." He said. He knew that despite the fact that he wasn't in a good mood right now, he had to try to hide make it look like he was.

"T-T-That's good to hear. I-I mean, not the "been better" part, but the "your fine" part." Her face only grew redder in embarrassment.

"Thanks for the flowers, by the way." He said. She looked up to him. Her face was still red but for an entirely different reason. She felt her blood quickly rushing around her head, intensifying her pulse. She was starting to feel dizzy. "I didn't mean to get you and everyone else so worried."

"W-Well, you see…" She was startling again. Her fingers moved faster. "I-It's just that-" As she struggled, Naruto looked at her confused. "Are you feeling OK? You look a little sick."

"O-Oh, don't worry, I'm fine really." She nervously smiled at him. "You see, the reason why I sent you flowers…" she searched for an answer again. "… you see, I felt that…that I… that it was the right thing to do. I mean, you gave me- well, all of us- a big scare. We were worried."

"Yeah, that's what I've heard." He said. His tone was neutral. "So, what are you doing out here so late by yourself?"

"Me? Oh, well, I went to visit my mother." She was feeling more comfortable now.

"Your mother?"

"Well, her grave actually."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said with a bit of feeling.

"Don't worry, it's fine. I really don't talk about her much. You see, I would have gone visit her sooner, but I've been busy today so I've only found the time to do it just now. I should have been home a long time ago, so that's why-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down." The blonde ninja interrupted. "You said you went to visit your mother's grave?"

Hinata gave a puzzled look at Naruto. She quickly snapped back to her senses and answered.
"Yeah."

Naruto started walking side to side along the street, rubbing his brow with his left hand, grumbling to himself. Hinata's gaze quickly followed him as he moved not sure if she should say something.

"Naruto, is something-"

"THAT'S IT!" All trace of sadness and misery was wiped away from Naruto's face. He was now jumping and smiling with his mouth open. He was so excited all of a sudden that he grabbed Hinata by her shoulders and pulled her towards himself. Her pale face went fiery again.

"Hinata, you just gave me a totally awesome idea!" He shouted. "Thank you so much!" With that, her put her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. Hinata felt a little choked, but wasn't really bothered by it. What did bother her was that she was feeling dizzy and about to faint.

"I owe you won. See you later!" He jumped as high as he could and disappeared in the distance. Hinata stood there frozen for a few seconds, feeling like her mind had been shut down briefly. When she snapped back to herself, she gasped and turned around.

"Naruto! There's something I want to ask... you." By the time she spoke, he was gone. She stared at the horizon of houses in disillusion.

"What is wrong with me?" She asked herself.

Hinata had been so distracted that she didn't notice that Sakura had been standing there the whole time. When their eyes locked, she gasped. It was just as it had been in the flower shop. They were looking at each other and neither of them knew what to do. They just stood there for what seemed to be five minutes when finally Hinata broke the silence.

"Hello." She said shyly.

"Hey," answered Sakura. "how are you?"

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"Are you OK?"

"What's that? Oh, yes, the fall. I'm OK."

"Good to hear that." Once again, the silence was so great, you could hear the gentle breeze going by. The feeling of awkwardness that neither of them could shake off returned. They knew they had to say something eventually.

"So…" started Sakura, "it's nice to see Naruto's OK."

"Oh, yes. I-I'm glad he's back." Hinata stuttered. "He looks a little different now, don't you think?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure that it's just something Lady Tsunade or Master Jiraiya told him. But…" She stopped herself before continuing. She hesitated at the thought of saying what she was thinking she would say to Hinata. "He did seem different. He's more…empathic. It's like he now wants to do everything on his own, whether it's training or bringing back Sasuke. He looks a lot more serious than usual."

'That doesn't sound much like the usual Naruto. Oh, I hope he'll be alright soon.' The Kunoichi thought.

"Hmmm." She sighed with her mouth closed. "But, do you know anything about his condition? You know, regarding the demon?"

"Not as far as I now."

"What else do we need to know?" Both girls heard a familiar voice. Someone had suddenly appeared from inside the small building by their side It was Ino, now in her normal clothing, as well as TenTen. "Lady Tsunade already explained us everything." She continued.

"Shouldn't you mind other people's conversations?" said Sakura defiantly.

"What "other people's conversations"? Thanks to that big mouth of his, I'm pretty sure the entire town heard him shout."

Hinata turned slightly away. TenTen gave a mean look at Ino quickly.

"But nobody's perfect." She added.

Hinata faced them again.

"So, what happened?" Ino asked Sakura. She looked back at her confused.

"You know, how'd it go between you two?"

When Sakura understood, her friend's point, she looked for the most appropriate words to say.

"Well, physically, he looks the same. The only thing different about him is that he doesn't seem normal, at least for him. Now, what really creeped me out was that he actually apologized to me for everything that's happened."

All the other girls got closer to Sakura, highly interested.

"He blamed himself for everything. Sasuke's escape, the demon's outbreak, what he said to me that day…it was creepy to hear him talk like that. It's just not usual coming from him in such a way."

"Really?" asked Ino, doubtfully.

"So, what did you want to ask him?" TenTen asked Hinata. She suddenly lost some of her breath and turned a little pink.

"W-what do you mean?"

"It looked like you were about to ask him something before he left."

She had no idea what to answer. She started twiddling her index fingers in front of her.

"I-I just... you see… the t-thing is th-that I wa- I-I-I"

Everyone turned to Hinata. She started to feel the pressure.

"I-I'm sorry, She finally said," but I really need to go home now. My father must be worried. Good night." And with that, she was gone in the blink of an eye. The other girls stared into the direction she had gone to.

Ino sighed deeply. "Something's never change, do they?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"Duh! She's totally crushing on Naruto, even after all that's happened!"

"I knew you were shallow, but not like this, Ino."

"Look, I know what she thinks about him. I completely understand that she likes him for him and not for the evil monster or demon or whatever inside of him. But still, it's like her feelings for him have totally remained unchanged despite what we saw. I mean, isn't she afraid that it might happen again? I'm sure she does remember what Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya told us that other day."

"I trust Lady Tsunade. I'm sure she'll know what to do to help Naruto."

"Well, she better think of something quick. According to what she said, what's holding that…thing in place is wearing out."

"Hinata must feel pretty bad right now." said TenTen, slightly changing the subject. "She still likes him, but she's more embarrassed than ever. Now that everyone knows about the demon, she must be ashamed to admit or to show, more or less, that she has a crush on the bearer of that terrible beast."

"You're right." Ino followed. "I wonder what her father thinks. He's obviously aware of Hinata's feelings and it's obvious he will want to protect her from him."

"Do you think we should do it?"

"Do what?" Sakura asked.

"You see, Ino and I have been talking this over for a while today and we think that we should do something to help Hinata."

"You mean to hook him up with Naruto?" She asked incredulously. "How do you plan to do that?"

"The details are a bit sketchy, but we're working on it." Ino said. "Interested?"

Sakura took her time before she answered. "I-I don't know. I mean, I have brought enough trouble to Naruto already. I don't think I should."

"Come on, it'll be fun!" She had walked right to her side with her eyes beaming. "You know you want to!"

"I said no." She stressed.

"Come on, you're his closest friend. We could use your help."

"I don't think I'm not even his friend right now."

"Well, how about this?" TenTen walked to her side as well. "Picture it this way. Sure, Naruto is mad with you know, but if you help him get with someone else he'll be grateful. He'll forget about the fight and things will be back to normal between you two." She explained while making signals with her hands.

"You really think he will forget?"

"Well, he may not forget about what happened, but he will forgive you."

Sakura thought over the situation for a while. She had to admit to herself that she missed the old Naruto and wanted to see him again. He was his friend after all and had helped her many times. This was a good way to set things right.

"All right, let's do it." She said. Ino shouted a small cheer. "But, do you guys have a plan?" Ino's face went blank.

"Uuuuum…"

"Then how do you expect to do anything!"

"Oh, yeah! Well, let's see you think of something! You're the traitor." Sparks were flying out of each others eyes.

"Hey, calm down!" TenTen shouted. Both girls turned to her. She spoke firmly and thoroughly. "Look, here's the plan. Tomorrow morning, we'll be spying on both of them and on what they are doing. From then on, we'll be making sure they meet each other constantly. Who knows? Naruto sounded pretty hopeless. He may get interested in Hinata. Think of it as working behind the scenes for them. We're gonna have to improvise depending on what happens. We can't tell anyone, especially Hinata, about what we are doing. Any questions!"

Ino and Sakura looked to each other. They both shook their heads negatively.

"All right, we'll meet right here tomorrow at 9:00AM sharp. Well, see you then. Good night."

"Good night," said Sakura and Ino in unison. TenTen had soon vanished. Now, the two girls turned to face each other. Ino noticed that Sakura was still depressed. She put her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll make sure it happens. He'll be back to his old self in no time."

Sakura looked up to her. Her reassuring gaze and serenity were true. She smiled.

"Thanks." She said. With a strong leap, she was gone off on her way home. As she crossed several rooftops, many thoughts swirled around in her mind while the air made her pink hair cover her face. She was thinking of what could happen if their future plans would come to fruition. What if Naruto and Hinata did wind up together? What if Naruto actually develops feelings for her? What would happen to her? What if Sasuke doesn't come back? It had been a long time, almost three years ago, since she felt this lonely.

'Wait, what am I even worried about?' She thought to herself. 'Naruto's my friend. It's not like I'm getting jealous about this whole thing. I like Sasuke, not Naruto. I mean I do like him, but just as a friend…don't I?' Her eyes widened at these thoughts.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"First of all, I appreciate that you could come here on such short notice. I know you all just returned from a mission and you must be exhausted, but it is extremely important for us to tell you this. What happened, what you saw back there, it wasn't meant to happen until you were all ready to face it." Tsunade announced in her office. She was sitting at her desk. By her left, Jiraiya was standing, eyes closed and his arms crossed, his head slightly tilted downward. In front of them were the Konoha 11, minus Sakura and Naruto.

"What I'm about to tell you is something that only the village's population over the age of, say 17, is aware, with the exception of Sakura, as she learned about this before. It's about Naruto's condition."

Ino showed a mixture of signs of confusion and jealousy when Tsunade said Sakura's name.

Jiraiya followed up on what Tsunade started. He waited a brief moment. "Naruto is the bearer of a demon. A more appropriate term for his condition is a Jinchuruki. He possesses not just any demon, but the Nine-Tailed Fox, also known as Kyuubi." Several quiet gasps and concerned stares appeared in the room. "You probably heard the stories about it.

A demon so powerful, it could create tsunamis and earthquakes with a whip of one of its many tails. In a matter of seconds, he could wipe out all life on this continent. The thing about the demon was that it remained hidden from all civilization. All of the great tailed beasts such as Kyuubi are scattered across the world away from humans. Nobody knew where it was, but someone found out and decided to exploit the creature. It was the same man that started the Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha."

One again, the entire room was in surprise.

"When he and the First Hokage created our village, they eventually started to disagree on how to run it, which inevitably brought conflict between the both of them, resulting in Madara's banishment from the village. He created the Akatsuki as a cover to operate in the shadows for his own purposes. When he learned the whereabouts of the demon, he used the Mangekyo Sharingan to possess it and use it to attack the village. That was fifteen years ago. Many brave ninja lost their lives that night to protect the village. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't take the demon out. Not only is it incredibly strong, but he's also extremely fast and possesses highly rapid regenerating abilities. Any attack against it and it would have little effect. Now-"

"Hey, but if the demon is so powerful, how could he be possessed by the Sharingan?" It was Kiba who interrupted.

"Please, don't interrupt." Tsunade said. She turned to Jiraiya. She didn't know the answer to the question so she expected he would.

"We don't know. There is a connection between the demon and the Sharingan, but it is really complex to describe. Now, as I was saying, everyone feared for the worst and thought this would be the end for our village, but the Fourth Hokage stood his ground valiantly against Kyuubi. He knew he couldn't kill it, so he thought of the only reasonable course of action: seal it away. He used a very complex sealing Jutsu known as the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. It required a massive amount of Chakra to take effect, and combined with the incredible power of the demon he was required to withstand, it was extra deadly. But miraculously, he was able to seal the power away, at the cost of his own life, of course. Now, he needed a human vessel to carry the demon. Before facing the demon, he asked other ninjas to prepare a shrine for the seal. There, the person chosen to carry Kyuubi had to remain until the procedure was complete.

It was Naruto, a newborn baby, who was elected for this arduous task that he would have to carry all his life."

"But why him?" Neji Hyuga interrupted. "Why use only a child and not someone who knows more about the demon such as yourself?"

"I said-" Tsunade was about to say sternly.

"It's OK, Tsunade." Jiraiya interrupted her. "Alright, from now on, save all your questions for when we're finished. I'll try to be as specific as possible. So please, don't interrupt. Now, to answer your question Neji, the seal works best when it is an infant who carries the seal. An older person's body might have imperfections not suitable for it to work, which would result in the death of said person and the fox would still be free. Since we couldn't do any checkups at the moment, we had to use a newborn infant. By pure luck, or coincidence, Naruto was chosen for this. He was a healthy baby and seemed right. He was set in place and it was only a matter of time before he started feeling the evil spirit's chakra enter his body. Thankfully, the only side effects Naruto experienced were the scars on his cheeks, which ironically resemble the demon's whiskers. I guess those could count as birthmarks, seeing he was so little. Oh yeah, the seal also left its mark on his stomach. After the attack, Madara disappeared again. We believe he's still with the Akatsuki. Now, it was the Fourth Hokage's dying wish to let the village know that they should treat Naruto as one of their own, not like a monster. It wasn't his fault after all that he had to carry such a heavy burden the rest of his life. But nonetheless, the villagers just couldn't forgive Kyuubi for what he had done. It was responsible for the deaths of many of their families, their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. Which is why Naruto was on outcast all his early life. His parents died the night it attacked, so he had no one to look after him. He was on his own. But what's worse about this is that he wasn't even aware of why he was treated like this. He didn't know that he possessed a demon of devastating power within him until he was twelve years old. By the time I started training him before the Chunin Exams, he already knew about it. I believe he learned it from a rogue ninja named Mizuki. Iruka once told me that when Naruto failed the admission exam into the academy for the third time, Mizuki tricked him into stealing a scroll possessing many advanced Jutsus. Thankfully, Iruka managed to stop them on time, with a little help from Naruto. He also said it was from that scroll that he learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which is quite impressive since he couldn't even perform a simple clone Jutsu during his days in the Academy. His separation from society has led to certain aspects of Naruto's personality, such as his determination, confidence, and strength. But of course, not everything was good. Due to the fact that he was an outsider, his one way of getting attention was of creating trouble in the village, such as graffiti on the faces of the Hokages in Hokage Mountain. The thrill or ability of getting away with this might have led to his cocky attitude.

In fact, some say that the fox shares some personality traits with Naruto. For example, it's hard to discipline wild animals like a fox, which is why Naruto may have taken an odd approach to certain situations, or why it's hard for him to be mature sometimes. Also, appearances can fool him easier than regular people. Thankfully, he knows his Jutsus when it comes to tight situations. At this point, I'd say it's very difficult to tell what comes from whom. One thing that is clear is that even though Naruto is naturally persistent and strong, he is granted great stamina not seen in regular Shinobi and regeneration from damage. This is all thanks to the demon sealed within him. This increases exponentially when he calls upon its power. The only problem is that Kyuubi's demonic chakra is in constant conflict with Naruto's. This caused an unbalanced that prevented Naruto from executing any type of Jutsu as successfully as others. For example, to make a single clone, he had to use the triple amount of Chakra a regular Shinobi would use to produce six. This is why he struggled so much executing any Jutsu while training at the academy. Before the Chuunin Exams, I was able to adjust the seal. You see, the Fourth Hokage was my student. He might have created the seal, but I still learned a few tricks from it."

Jiraiya had everyone in the room hanging by his every word. "Anyway, he had to struggle to get to where he is today by himself, at least until he entered the Academy to become a ninja, where he met Iruka. He had lost his parents during the attack as well. He was one of the few people who knew about Naruto's secret and the only one who respected him at the time. From then on, as a ninja, he has fought to earn the respect of everyone. This town, his fellow Shinobi, and me and Tsunade. That's what has made him so strong. But now that the story about the demon's outbreak is out, well… let's just say he's gonna start from zero again. Another problem Naruto has to face as bearer of the Nine-Tails is the Akatsuki. These rogue ninja only look for the greatest power in the world and call it their own. They have tried to get Naruto many times now, but fortunately, he's still safe. As you may or may not know, Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's brother, is a member of the Akatsuki. Recently, he betrayed his comrades and killed them all. With his Sharingan, he copied all of their abilities before they died. Now, he possesses all of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as Shark Skin, Kisame Hoshigaki's sword. He was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Shark Skin is a sword that can cut through pure Chakra and cut people into many pieces in a single stroke." Ino, who was standing in the back, shuddered suddenly and felt goose bumps.

"Now, back to Naruto. It's all these problems that have made his life more dangerous than most ninja. Now, here's why we have brought you here. It's best if you learn right now that the seal that is holding the demon in place is weakening at an accelerated rate. A faster one at which it was already decreasing." He stopped for a moment. Intrigue was in the faces of everyone in front of him. Tsunade finally spoke again.

"After several examinations on Naruto, we have found the source for this acceleration. During the fight with Itachi, Kabuto, and Orochimaru, several Chakra points and small parts of his nervous system were paralyzed, creating a blockage in his system, which prevented his access to Kyuubi's chakra. Now, whenever Naruto is faced with mortal danger or is enraged or stressed to a certain point, the demonic chakra starts to leek from him without being commanded. We believe that during this fight, the stress, anger, frustration and fear of death was too much to be handled and the chakra just forced itself into him and erupted violently, thus damaging the seal. With this power, he was able to beat his enemies easily. But, there is a great danger to using this chakra. You see, there are several states, or phases, of this power. Each one of them is marked by a number of the demon's tails formed by chakra coming out of Naruto's body. In stages 1 through 3, he can use the power while still being conscious of his own actions. If he goes beyond that, the demon takes over him and he's unable to tell the difference between friend and foe. When he reaches stage 4, a cloak of chakra resembling the fox surrounds him, making him look like a miniature version of Kyuubi. This is so intense, that it burns his body."

Hinata, who was somewhere in the middle, gulped lowly and felt her heart beat strongly. Her hands were slightly shaking.

"His blood starts to merge with the chakra surrounding him. Of course, the chakra also restores the dead cells in his body. This cycle of destruction and repair is repeated again and again at such a fast rate, that his cellular structure is damaged and becomes unbalanced. The more this happens, the more will Naruto's life expectancy drop."

Hinata led out a gasp and covered her mouth.

"As the number of tails increases, his strength increases. We used to have a theory saying that the huge amount of concentrated chakra, which is too big for his body, wouldn't allow him to move much. But new studies suggest that when he reaches stage 6, his agility is as fast as it is the fox's.

Stage 6 is the stage we think he reached during the fight, which allowed him to take out his opponents so easily. From what we know, by the time you had arrived to check on Naruto, his power had already decreased and his physical appearance was back to normal, except for his eyes, which were red, and his fingernails that had grown into claws. He was probably down to stage 1. When we checked on him, we were surprised to find out that his wounds weren't healing and the massive amount of blood he had lost wasn't recovering. It's truly remarkable that he survived. It's difficult to say at this point how long it will take him to recuperate."

"The main reason why we called you here is because we feel that now is the best time for you to learn this." Jiraiya spoke again. "It's not easy living a life when you have to go through what he goes through all his life. We know that the villagers may start to hate him more so again, but we encourage you to be more supportive. You are his comrades. You must stand by him through this just as he would stand by you if you had to struggle through something as tragic as this. Don't fear him. Respect him and treat him as you always have."

"Now, any questions?" Tsunade asked.

Ino quickly raised her hand. "Lady Tsunade, why did Sakura learn about this earlier and why didn't I? I'm your apprentice too, you know."

"Yes, but while you were focusing on my teachings, Sakura was also learning about other things, such as the Akatsuki. She learned about Itachi Ichiha and the search for the powerful tailed beasts, such as the one the Kazekage possesses. It is here where she learned about Kyuubi and what happened to it. Besides, not so long ago, she and Naruto were sent on a mission to investigate on Orochimaru's whereabouts. Back then, she witnessed the demon's power for the first time."

"But wouldn't someone teach Naruto how to harness the demon's power?" Shino now asked.

"That was a big part of his training when we left the village. He had to learn about the threat of the Akatsuki, so I had to teach him how to control the power." Jiraiya answered. "I guess I was wrong to judge Naruto's emotions. And at the rate the seal weakens, this could get harder with time"

Choji raised his hand "Why couldn't you tell people to treat Naruto right? If it's the demon they hate why should he take all the insults?"

"You can't go around telling people what to think." Tsunade said. "It's not ethical. We know it was hard for Naruto, but we couldn't just make a law regarding people's thoughts towards him or the demon. Even if it was him, they could see Kyuubi. The plan we had for Naruto was that he would be recognized as a hero for bearing the demon when he became eighteen. In the meantime, he should have been treated like everyone else. Unfortunately, things like this happen."

The room was still now.

"Well, any more questions?"

For a while, the room was quiet. Some looked around at their comrades, looking if there was going to be another question.

"Well, in that case…"

A hand was slowly and timidly raised among the ninjas. Everyone turned to look at the owner of that hand. She was trembling slowly and her hand was over her heart. Her voice quivered as she tried to talk.

"W-What will happen to Naruto if the seal breaks completely?"

Tsunade quickly took a look at a pile of papers she had on her desk. She pulled one out from in between.

"When the Fourth Hokage sealed Kyuubi inside of Naruto, both their life forces, souls if you will, got fused together. Once this happened, it couldn't be reversed. This means that if Naruto dies, so will Kyuubi. Now that the seal is weakening, the fox might jump at the chance of trying to break free, but we believe it's not even aware that it's impossible. So, if the seal breaks, our theory is that it will take over Naruto permanently. But, due to the large amount of Chakra that will be quickly expelled from his body, the rate at which it will break down will accelerate so fast, his body won't take it. Kyuubi might not even make it when he tries to take over completely. They will both die instantly."

The sound of silence was unbelievable. It felt like time was standing still.

"You…all may leave now." Tsunade couldn't help but to feel awkward. "Thank you."

Everyone left the room slowly without making eye contact with anyone. Hinata felt like an idiot. She almost regretted asking that question. She stopped and let everyone pass her by. The last one to leave the room was Shikamaru. When he stepped out and made sure there was distance between her and him, she turned to Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"Is there anything we can do to help Naruto?" She asked in a tone of worry.

"You all just came back from a mission. You must be exhausted. Go home right now and get some rest. If we need anything, we'll let you now." Tsunade said.

"But, there must be-"

"Hinata." Her voice was firm. "That's an order."

Hinata felt powerless and put her hands to her sides. She bowed her head and left. She slowly closed the door behind her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Jiraiya was standing in the balcony of his room. He was standing with his arms crossed and his gaze to the ground. Faint voices were coming from below the street. He constantly checked to make sure who was passing by. Nobody familiar was showing up. He sighed impatiently as he backed against the wall again.

"Expecting someone else?" A voice said to his right. Jiraiya knew who it was immediately.

"You're late. But then again, what can I expect from you?"

"I get enough if that from Naruto and Sakura. Don't you start with that."

"Well, I know why they say it."

They went quiet briefly.

"Don't worry." Said Jiraiya. "As far as anyone is concerned, the only truth they think Naruto needs to learn is that his parents were killed by the demon. Only you and I know the real truth."

"That's a relief. For a minute there, I thought they were suspecting something."

"If they knew, we wouldn't be here without anyone else knowing."

Kakashi took a deep sigh.

"Why did this have to happen? Not just the outbreak, but this whole problem. Why did Minato have to die? Why did Sarutobi have to sacrifice himself?"

"You know they were only doing it to defend what they stood for."

"I know, but we need them now more than ever, especially Naruto. We were fools to have been so reckless. We should have made sure that we helped Sarutobi. He knows Orochimaru better than any of us. He would be helping us if we had save him back then. He would be here for Naruto. And Minato as well. His knowledge of the demon would be priceless."

"They should have been there for him a long time ago. But what happened was inevitable. We have to face the facts. Naruto has no one like that anymore."

"What about Kushina?"

"We haven't learned anything from her since the attack. She could be dead for all we know."

"They never found her body."

"She could be anywhere. You know what they say, it's like looking for the needle in the haystack. We're not going to be tearing up the world looking for her. Besides, if she was alive, she would have returned."

"Something could be holding her back."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but there must be a reason."

"But it's like I said. We can't go looking around without any leads. We already tried looking in the Land of the Whirlpool. We found nothing there. What makes you think you'll find anything anywhere else?"

Kakashi didn't answer. Jiraiya rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

"So what will it be Kakashi? If he stays here, he'll be a danger to the people, which will only make him feel worse. If we take him out, he'll be an easier target than what he is right now."

"It's best if we stick to what we decided with the others. He must lay low and stay in the village as much as possible. As long as we are here, the Akatsuki will be keeping their distance."

"Understood."

"By the way, how's the research been going?"

"Not good. Minato was an unparalleled genius so far ahead of his time. However he designed that seal we'll never know. We've only come up with dead ends so far. This is out of my league so far."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Well, excuse but I must be going. If you ever find anything, let me know. I want to be informed of everything you discover. I don't want to be excluded from this, OK?"
Jiraiya just waved his hand. With that, Kakashi was gone.