Okay here's the next chapter of Lost. I hope you all enjoy it. Now for a time skip, because, you don't really want to go through all the training Naruto receives. Or rather… I don't. LOL! Anywho we're having a two year timeskip, which would make all the rookies and Gaara fourteen, Gai's team fifteen, I can't even remember the age differences between Temari and Kankuro. I'll check later. Anywho, the reason why I'm skipping two years? Just because I can. Also there are flashbacks to former episodes in the series. (grins) Anyways, on with the chapter people.
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Lost.
Chapter Three – As Time Goes By.
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Kakashi was staring at the memorial stone. His face shrouded with dark thoughts. He heard someone behind him, and turned to look at Iruka. The one person he couldn't bear to see. "Kakashi, what happened on that mission that's eating you up so badly? I know you would've done your best to protect Naruto." Iruka asked.
"I should've listened to him more Iruka. I didn't take him seriously. He said that we were being followed. I thought maybe he was imagining things. But he wasn't. It was Itachi and Kisame. I'll never forgive myself if he's been killed because I didn't take him seriously. He may be a Genin, but there are so many people who are after the Kyubi. I should've listened to him and checked to make sure no one was following us. I didn't. I dismissed his claims. It was my fault he got taken." Kakashi said softly. Iruka placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder.
"Naruto is a resourceful kid. He always has been. We'll find him." Iruka stated. Kakashi nodded.
"I hope so." Kakashi said quietly. The two carried on staring at the stone. Iruka, finding the names of his parents, and Kakashi, staring at the names of his friends. Neither of them noticed Sasuke and Sakura watching from the shadows.
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"Kaito! You little bastard! What the fuck did you do to my shampoo?" Hidan screamed, as he ran along the Akatsuki base corridors, clad in a towel, with his hair a bright, neon pink, standing out like a sore thumb. Naruto was running along the corridor laughing his head off.
"Don't worry Hidan! It'll come out… eventually!" Naruto yelled backwards as he ran away from the psychotic Jashin worshipper.
"Kaito! You little bastard! When I get my hands on you I'll rip your Jashin damned head off!" Hidan screamed as he ran after Naruto. As the pair ran past Deidara's room, a loud yell from the artist rocked the whole base.
"Kaito! Where's my clay you little shit!?"
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It had been two years, and since Naruto had gone missing, quite a bit in Konoha had changed. Sasuke and Sakura lived together. They were just friends however. Neither of them felt a need to change the relationship they had. Their teamwork was practically flawless. Kakashi was still their leader, even though they had become Chunin. They had had another person put on their team as a replacement for Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura immediately hated him of course, just because he was placed there to replace Naruto. The teen in question, Sai, seemed to have no emotions, and didn't care too much about why he was there, except that those were his orders from Danzo. Sakura had studied with Tsunade and become a medical specialist, hoping she could one day use her skills to help Naruto. Sasuke had studied hard under Kakashi and learned more techniques then he could ever imagine learning from Orochimaru. More than a few of Oto's finest, had tried to convince Sasuke to leave his village to join Orochimaru, several times since that particular night two years ago. But Sasuke had declined and kicked their asses. He had learned that power and revenge weren't the path his parents would have chosen for him. While he still wanted to defeat his brother, he was learning he needed to bide his time and wait for the right opportunity to present itself to him. He started to train with Sakura once a week, both of them hoping to point out any weak points to work on, and both of them hoping they would be strong enough to get Naruto back home. They believed he was still alive, no matter what. Both had promised each other, and themselves, that they wouldn't give up until they saw a body or Naruto himself. Kakashi also searched as hard as anyone else. His feelings of guilt over Naruto's abduction hadn't stopped since the day the boy had been taken. In fact the feelings of guilt had become worse. He had made the same vow along with Sasuke and Sakura, even though he didn't know it. There had been no sight or sound of Naruto since his abduction. For some reason a new assassin, known as Kaito the Nameless, had appeared suddenly, just over a year ago. He seemed to be a mercenary whose face was never seen. For this reason, Sasuke, Sakura, Sai and Kakashi were working with Hinata, Ino and Neji, on their mission today. They were supposed to be guarding a diplomat from Hoshigakure back to Konoha. As it was, the group felt oddly nervous that this new assassin might attack at any moment. Diplomats and various other officials had been killed already by Kaito the Nameless. If this diplomat was killed they'd be in trouble, as the alliance with Hoshigakure was very hard to broker. The fact that two Hoshigakure Shinobi were with them, didn't help ease the edge that had settled over them.
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Naruto had become a different person over the last two years. Constant training and studying had been his companion and the Akatsuki had been his trainers. He'd become a master of the silent kill, like the former mist-nin Zabuza, and he'd learned to track better than an Inuzuka. He'd become a weapons specialist and had his own sword. Unlike Kisame, his sword didn't have a name. He wore a hooded black cloak on his missions for Akatsuki, so he'd never been seen. Konan had become his fast friend and one of the people he looked up to. Itachi had become his brother for all intents and purposes. He was happy to play pranks on Deidara, Sasori, Kisame and Hidan on a regular basis. Although he didn't know why he felt the need to pull pranks on them. He'd also learned how to use Medical ninjutsu through study and practise in Amekagure. He was pretty good at it. Not as good as Tsunade, but he was certainly getting there. Naruto dressed in black pants, black fingerless gloves, with metal plate guards on the top of them, black ninja sandals, and a high-collared, navy blue shirt. He had arm protectors that were white on his own arms, and on the back of his shirt, he had a circular symbol with the Uchiha fan inside it and an orange swirl on the top section of the fan. His blonde hair framed his face more neatly now and no one could understand how the boy had grown so much. Konan sat with Pein discussing their next move when Naruto entered the room. "Kaito-kun?" Konan asked the teen. He looked at her and grinned.
"Hey Konan Nee-Chan. Leader-Sama?" Naruto questioned the male. Pein smirked at the boy. He'd become a loyal weapon and didn't remember anything of the past.
"Kaito, we need you to do a small mission for us." Pein said softly. Naruto listened intently. "There is a diplomat, headed to Konoha, from Hoshigakure. We need you to take him out. If anyone tries to stop you, you take them out too. If Konoha makes an alliance with Hoshi as they have done with Suna, they will be in a position to start hunting us down. This can't be allowed to happen." Pein stated seriously. Naruto nodded.
"I understand Leader-Sama. I'll take care of it. Is anyone assigned to come with me?" Naruto asked.
"No. You should be fine doing this job on your own. You are a master of the silent kill you shouldn't have too much trouble killing one man. He is being protected by two Star Shinobi and seven Leaf Shinobi. I'm sure you can bypass them." Pein replied. Naruto nodded and went to leave the room.
"I'll leave this afternoon Leader-Sama." Naruto stated seriously. He walked out of the room, and Konan looked at Pein seriously. He looked back at her.
"I know you don't want the boy to get hurt Konan. I know you care about what happens to him. He'll be fine. You worry before every mission he takes. He always comes back safe and sound." Pein stated kindly.
"That doesn't mean my worry is unfounded. If a leaf Shinobi sees his face they'll take him back to Konoha. Once they do that he'll start remembering. I told you, the amnesia he has may be temporary, and that means that once he starts seeing familiar places and people, he will remember who he was before and the amnesia he has will reverse itself." Konan said softly.
"Well we'll have to start worrying about Konoha even more. They're getting closer to finding out where we are. We may have to take the battle to them soon." Pein stated. Konan nodded and the two carried on with their small meeting.
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Sakura and Sasuke were at the back of the formation protecting the diplomat. Hinata and one Hoshigakure Shinobi were on one side, another Hoshigakure Shinobi and Ino were on the other. Kakashi and Neji were in front and Sai was behind Sasuke and Sakura. "I heard Kakashi, Tsunade and Jiraiya discussing Akatsuki before we came on the mission." Sakura whispered to Sasuke.
"What did they say?" Sasuke questioned.
"They're on the move. Still no clue about Naruto. They have a new member though. The same assassin that we're all worrying about now. Kaito the Nameless." Sakura said. The two had no idea how close to home the name would prove to be.
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Naruto was in his room checking some necessities for his journey, when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." Naruto said softly. His loudness had toned down a lot. Itachi entered.
"I hope you took what Leader-Sama said seriously. Make sure you're careful. Especially around Konoha Ninja." Itachi stated.
"Yeah I know Aniki. I'll be fine. Besides, I've been on plenty of these missions before." Naruto replied.
"None of them involved Konoha Ninja. They will do whatever they think they have to do to finish their mission Ototou." Itachi replied.
"I'll be careful Aniki. I don't even intend to get close if I can help it." Naruto said kindly. Itachi walked forward and ruffled Naruto's hair.
"Just remember the mission." Itachi stated. He left the room, and Naruto shook his head to himself. He checked his necklace, around his neck, and his weapons. Not that he'd need that many. Then he put the weapons in his Kunai holster and shuriken pouch. He slipped food and medicine pills and a couple of scrolls into another pouch, and then pulled on his black, hooded-cloak. There was another knock at his door.
"Come in." He called out yet again. This time it was Konan. She looked worried. "Hey, Konan Nee-Chan. I would've come and said bye before I left you know." Naruto said kindly. Konan smiled and hugged the teen.
"Be careful Kaito-Kun. I'm giving you one of my Origami birds. If anything happens, throw it into the air, and it will immediately set off towards me. We'll know if you're in trouble then." Konan said kindly. Naruto nodded happily.
"I'll take good care of it Konan Nee-Chan." Naruto said softly. She nodded and handed him the Origami bird. Naruto grinned and hugged Konan back. "I'll be back soon Nee-Chan. Don't worry so much about me." Naruto said happily. He left the room then, as Konan watched after him, hoping he was right for once.
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Zetsu was talking with Pein in the meeting room. "So, you want me to follow the boy?" Zetsu asked.
"Yes. I want to see how he behaves when there is no one to pull his strings. Konan cares about the boy, almost as if she bore him herself. Make sure not to harm him if it's at all possible. If that occasion even arises" Pein stated.
"Understood Leader-Sama." Zetsu stated calmly. He then left the room silently as Pein pondered on his own thoughts.
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Naruto had made it to the diplomat's camp. He'd seen the faces of the Konoha Shinobi, and he found himself extremely confused. The faces looked so familiar to him. There was a pink haired girl, and dark-haired boy and a silver haired male, with a face mask, that seemed the most familiar. It felt as though he should know them, but something was just out of reach on the edge of his thoughts. There was also a dark-haired girl that seemed familiar, and Naruto felt a fondness within him for the girl. He decided to bide his time and wait for one of them to separate from the group.
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So far things had been going well and no one had attacked them. It was evening, and the group had stopped for the night. Hinata went to get water from a nearby stream. She was gathering water in the canteens they carried when she heard a noise behind her. She spun round, Byakugan blazing, ready for action, only to see a face she hadn't seen in two years. Her eyes went wide. "Naruto?" She questioned in shock, before she went red and fainted.
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Naruto knelt down next to the fallen girl. He had had plenty of opportunities to kill the Hoshigakure diplomat, but he hadn't done so yet. He still had many questions to ask. He'd waited for one of them to separate from the group for a while. As soon as the girl had left the group, he'd approached her. But she'd called him Naruto. And then she'd fainted? He was more confused than ever. As he knelt next to the girl he'd also had a flash of memory. Something he hadn't known for two years.
Naruto was standing in a field, with three tree stumps set in the ground, in a row, and he was looking around. He heard a noise and looked behind him, to see the same dark-haired girl, dressed in a blue, long sleeved t-shirt. Her hair much shorter, but Naruto knew it was the same girl. "Hey Hinata!" He heard himself say cheerfully.
"H-Hi Naruto-Kun. Wh-what are you doing here? Aren't you su-supposed to be at the arena?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah. This was my old training ground. I just decided to look around it again and remember how far I've come." Naruto said cheerily.
"Oh." Hinata replied. Her cheeks were still red.
"You know Hinata, when I met you I thought you were really weird. But I've come to realise something." Naruto said. Hinata looked at him intently, cheeks still bright red. "I like weird people like you." Naruto said happily. "Come and watch me wipe the floor with Neji in my match Hinata right?" He called over his shoulder as he ran off. He saw the dark-haired Hinata nod slightly as he left…
Naruto looked at the girl. "Hinata... how do I know you?" Naruto thought to himself. He cupped some water from the stream and dripped it onto Hinata's face. Hinata stirred and looked at Naruto as though he were a ghost.
"Naruto?" She asked.
"My name's Kaito." Naruto replied.
"Do you know who I am?" She asked.
"Your name is Hinata… I think… I had a flash of memory when I saw you. I haven't had that in years. You were talking to me in a training ground. I said I liked weird people like you…" Naruto trailed off.
"If you know who I am, then how can you not know your own name?" Hinata asked softly. She concentrated hard so that she wouldn't stutter.
"I do know my name. Itachi-Aniki told me my name. It's Kaito." Naruto replied.
"Itachi Uchiha?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah." Naruto said. He saw the headband around her neck. The symbol of Konoha displayed proudly. He stood up warily.
"What's wrong?" Hinata asked. She didn't want to lose Naruto again, even if he had no full memories, he was still Naruto.
"You're a Konoha Ninja. They tried to kill me two years ago, that's how I lost my memories. I was told to stay away from Konoha." Naruto said. His voice showed only a tinge of fear. Hinata stared at him incredulously.
"Naruto?" Hinata tried to say the right thing.
"Stop calling me that! It's not my name!" Naruto yelled at her, effectively cutting her off.
"It is your name!" Hinata yelled back. "Naruto is your name! You're a ninja of Konoha! You love Ramen and wearing orange jumpsuits! You wanted to be Hokage one day! That was your dream! You inspired me to keep fighting even when things were at their darkest! Why would I call you anything else?" Hinata yelled back.
"Why would my own brother lie to me?" Naruto yelled.
"Because he isn't your brother Naruto. Itachi Uchiha is an S class criminal! You were on a team with his little brother! Sasuke! Do you remember him and Sakura-Chan?" Hinata exclaimed. The words Sakura-Chan clicked in his mind to form another flashback.
He was standing in a forest. A boy wearing the same style top he wore now, was standing to his left. A pink haired girl was standing to his right. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit exactly like the one he'd been wearing two years ago, when he woke up with Itachi-Aniki. He was trying to run up a tree without hands. It was a simple chakra exercise that he knew off by heart now, but he didn't seem able to do it. For some reason he found himself getting up off of the floor and walking over to the girl, who was sat on the ground watching him and the other boy attempt to complete the exercise. He bent down and started whispering to her. "Sakura-Chan you're really good at this. Can you give me some advice? Please? And please don't tell Sasuke I asked!" Naruto whispered to the pink haired female. She smiled at him and began speaking.
He felt like things were clicking when he didn't want them too. "The orange jumpsuit I was wearing when I woke up that day... could it be that it was what I was recognisable in? Could Itachi-Aniki and Kisame really have been the ones that attacked me, and abducted me? Could they have been the ones that smacked me over the head and caused me to lose my memories?" Naruto thought to himself. Naruto was so confused. Nothing seemed to make sense, and yet everything did at the same time.
"Naruto?" Hinata asked tentatively. Naruto looked at the girl and tried to make sense of what he was feeling when he did look at her. He felt this bond to her somehow. A bond he'd never really grasped with Itachi as his brother.
"You're lying." Naruto whispered. He couldn't handle the thought that she might be right, and he'd been lied to all these years.
"I'm not lying Naruto. I'm not. I admired you my whole life. Why would I lie to you?" Hinata asked him. The problem with this statement was that Naruto wasn't sure that she wasn't lying, and every time she spoke it made him want to trust her more. He felt like something was very wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He could practically smell danger in the air. That was when he heard footsteps heading towards them. He also heard a swish through the trees.
"Shuriken?" Naruto thought to himself. He listened for their trajectory and looked at the teen girl known as Hinata. "Get down!" He yelled, pushing her to the ground. He felt the sting of steel piercing his flesh as two sharpened shuriken pierced his lower back. He hissed as he sat up. He looked to see Zetsu watching him. "What the hell are you doing Zetsu? I had a mission, and you're interfering!" Naruto hissed angrily.
"You're jeopardising your mission by talking to this girl. She is a Konoha Kunoichi. She is dangerous to you. What made you protect her in the first place Kaito?" Zetsu asked blankly.
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Neji and Sakura thought that Hinata had been gone too long. They both decided to go to the stream and find her. That was when they heard shouting voices. They sped towards Hinata and heard the swish of shuriken. Sakura felt Sasuke running next to her. She looked at him and he nodded in understanding. They weren't prepared when they sped to the riverbank and saw someone shielding Hinata. They saw a black cloaked figure with shuriken in their lower back. When he sat up however, Sakura gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. The same spiky, blond hair, the same azure eyes that were still burning brightly and brimmed with emotion, and the same face, even if it had matured a little. "That's… Naruto!" Sakura murmured. Sasuke stared also, not making a sound.
"What the hell are you doing Zetsu? I had a mission, and you're interfering!" They heard Naruto hiss out.
"He's with Akatsuki?" Sasuke said. His voice conveyed shock.
"You're jeopardising your mission by talking to this girl. She is a Konoha Kunoichi. She is dangerous to you. What made you protect her in the first place Kaito?" They heard Zetsu ask.
"What the hell?" Why are you calling him that?" Sasuke exclaimed out loud. Zetsu, Hinata and Naruto all turned to look at Sasuke. Naruto got up and helped Hinata up.
"Are you alright?" They heard Naruto ask her. She nodded. Then they saw him pull the shuriken out of his back, wincing as he did so. "What I do or don't do isn't any of your business Zetsu. What the hell are you following me for?" Naruto asked.
"Leader-Sama told me to follow you Kaito. It appears you're not as loyal as you should be." Zetsu said blankly. "Your brother would be disappointed." Zetsu added. Sasuke looked at Naruto, and saw the boy look torn. Sasuke knew that face. It came when Naruto was angry and confused with himself.
"He doesn't have a brother. Naruto is an orphan with no family. What have you bastards been doing to him?" Sakura yelled. Naruto looked at Sakura with something akin to recognition. Like he'd seen a ghost.
"You're called Sakura, right?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto don't you remember?" Sakura asked. She felt her heart clench. Her friend looked like everything was too new to him.
"I haven't remembered anything for two years. Itachi-Aniki told me it's because I was attacked by Konoha Shinobi. I took a huge blow to the head and lost a lot of blood, and all of my memories." Naruto said softly. He eyed the Konoha headband on Sakura's head. He looked at Sasuke. Sasuke felt raging anger boiling up inside him.
"He's not your brother Naruto. He's my God damned brother and he's been manipulating you. I'll kill him for this." Sasuke hissed. Naruto got another flashback then.
The dark-haired Shinobi was stood there with a glowing ball of electricity in his left hand. He was younger, but Naruto could tell who he was. Once again, he looked down at himself to see he was wearing an orange jumpsuit that was exactly like the one he'd been wearing two years ago. He felt a headband on his head, but he didn't touch it. Naruto saw him behind Itachi-Aniki and Kisame. "I've fostered my hatred for you brother. I've waited and trained for this day. Now you die!" He yelled. He ran towards Itachi-Aniki, and tried to put that ball of electricity, which Naruto noticed sounded like birds singing, through Itachi-Aniki's chest. Itachi-Aniki grabbed his arm and deflected the powerful looking attack.
"Foolish little brother." Itachi-Aniki said blankly. He broke the boy's wrist. He screamed in agony, and Naruto felt something in his heart clench, and felt fear bubble up in his very being at the sound of the younger boy in pain.
Naruto was shaking his head, shock apparent on his face.
"You're lying. You're all lying. You're trying to trick me, so you can kill me. You're all lying." Naruto kept saying it over and over. The group were shocked beyond belief.
"Naruto." The dark-haired Shinobi tried to approach him. "No! Stay away from me!" Naruto yelled. Naruto was shaking and trembling like a leaf in the wind. His eyes were wide and afraid. He looked like he was about to implode mentally.
"Naruto-Kun!" Hinata called to him. Sasuke knew Naruto wasn't listening.
"Something is very wrong with him." Sasuke thought to himself. He wasn't too proud to admit that this new Naruto was scaring him. Where was the old Naruto he knew?
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Naruto felt like his brain was on fire. It was overloading with images of people, smells and sounds. Voices that laughed and yelled were playing across his mind. He held his hands over his ears, trying to shut out the sounds, but he couldn't, because they were coming from his unused, locked away, memories. He felt himself drop to his knees and he pressed his fingers into his head, trying to not think. "Naruto-Kun are you alright?" He heard Hinata say to him. At the same time, he felt himself losing consciousness.
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Sasuke glared angrily at the Akatsuki member. "What did you bastards do to him?" Sasuke asked. His voice was frighteningly calm.
"We didn't do anything. After the nice whack to the head Kisame gave him, or so I was told, he had no memories. Itachi took advantage of the situation. He believes Itachi is his brother. He believes we're his friends. He's a ruthless killer now. Trying to make him be something else will just overload his brain. Which is why he is unconscious now. He obviously doesn't know who to believe. That makes it harder for you and easier for us. He remembers us. He only has flashes of you. Any person will stick with what they know." Zetsu stated neutrally.
"But he isn't just another person. He's Naruto Uzumaki. The Naruto I know would trust his feelings, not his brain." Sasuke heard Sakura say next to him. Sasuke smirked, knowing his pink-haired teammate was right. Naruto rarely ever thought out a situation before he jumped right in. Zetsu laughed at the group.
"This isn't the Naruto you know. He knows himself as Kaito the Nameless. He has no memories of being the idiot you know. He plans his actions carefully in a battle. I've been on many a mission with the boy. He had Itachi as a trainer. He is a master of the silent kill. You'll find out when he wakes up." Zetsu said. His voice sounded smug, and Sasuke felt a glare crossing his face again. Sakura had run over to their fallen friend. She had her chakra ready to heal him, and she got to work healing his wounds. Sasuke saw the looks on Sakura's and Hinata's faces and wondered if Naruto wouldn't have two girls battling over his heart.
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"Naruto, wake up!" Naruto blinked.
"My name isn't Naruto." He said sleepily.
"Of course it is. You need to wake up." Naruto opened his eyes to see an old man in red and white robes.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked curiously.
"You don't remember me Naruto? I should feel hurt, but since you have no real memories I can't really blame you." The old man said. Naruto looked around to see a village with pastel and bright coloured buildings everywhere. There was a mountain in front of him which had four faces carved into it.
"Where are we?" Naruto asked.
"You don't know?" The old man asked.
"I'm not sure. It all seems familiar. I just can't put my finger on it." Naruto replied.
"Well, if you go to your old apartment then you might remember some more things." The old man said kindly. The old man started walking through the village.
"Hey old man! What's going on? Wait up!" Naruto yelled, as he ran up to walk next to the old man. He was smoking from a pipe as he walked. Naruto saw children running around happily. He saw Shinobi standing on the street talking to each other. He felt nervous at the sight of so many Konoha headbands. "Where are you taking me old man?" Naruto asked.
"To your home Naruto." The old man replied.
"This isn't my home. My home is back at base with Itachi-Aniki, Konan Nee-chan and the others." Naruto said softly. "And stop calling me Naruto. It's not my name." Naruto hissed. The old man said nothing. He just carried on smoking his pipe. Naruto walked along with the old man, not really wanting to, but compelled to follow him by his own feet. He no longer seemed to control his body, as it walked up to an older looking building. He followed the old man up to the top floor and they stood outside a green door with a window in the top.
"This is your home Naruto." The old man said.
"My name isn't Naruto." Naruto hissed.
"Well I can't open the door. You have the key." The old man replied. Naruto put his hand in his pocket to feel for the key, but everything was fading to black and the old man was still speaking. "Just remember the way Naruto. The will of fire burns strongest in you." He heard the old man say.
Naruto felt himself returning to consciousness and opened his eyes. He was laying on his front, and he felt some sort of chakra healing him. He turned his head to look at the pink haired girl, who was knelt on the ground, her hands over his back, with a green glow emitting from them. "It'll be alright Naruto. We'll look after you." The girl said kindly. Naruto's back was practically healed, but his mind was still racing. He stood up shakily. 'Sakura-Chan' stared at him worriedly as he turned to look at Zetsu.
"Get lost Zetsu." Naruto hissed.
"I'm afraid not. I'll have to complete your mission as you're in no fit state to do so." Zetsu said gleefully. At that point, the silver haired leaf Shinobi, along with a black-haired leaf Shinobi, a blonde Leaf Kunoichi and two Hoshigakure Shinobi, appeared. A man who was dressed in a formal yakuta was stood behind them. He was obviously the intended target. Naruto's eyes widened, when Zetsu disappeared, and reappeared behind the diplomat.
"Wait!" Naruto yelled. It was too late. The diplomat was dead before Naruto could even get the single syllable from his mouth. Zetsu grinned.
"Well Kaito, you should be coming back now." Zetsu said blankly. Even as he smiled his voice was so completely blank it was scary.
"I'm going to do something before I think of coming back to the base." Naruto said calmly.
"You're turning traitor Kaito?" Zetsu hissed.
"No. Just checking out something." Naruto stated. Zetsu glared and disappeared.
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Kakashi stared at his young student. He wasn't so young anymore. Kakashi could see the things in his eyes that his other students and younger comrades couldn't see. The suspicion in his eyes, the killer intent that radiated from his every move, the maturity his gaze held. This was not the innocent little Genin that he had known two years ago. This was a trained killing machine. A true Shinobi. "Naruto?" Kakashi questioned carefully.
"That is not my name." The boy said.
"Why do you insist it's not?" Kakashi looked at Hinata as she spoke. "We all know you. I know you know we're telling the truth. Why can't you believe us?" Hinata asked. To anyone else, Naruto would have seemed completely calm. But to Kakashi's trained eyes, there was a definite trembling of the teen's hands. He disappeared from sight. Leaving them all shocked and Kakashi wondering what exactly the boy had been told.
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Naruto watched from a tree as the girls, Hinata and Sakura, called out for him. Or who they thought he was. "Naruto!" The pink haired girl yelled. The black-haired male, who'd come with her, the one his flash had told him was Sasuke, pulled the crying girl into a hug. The long-haired male, hugged the dark haired Kunoichi as she started crying as well.
"I'm sorry to make you cry." Naruto whispered. "I need to find out the truth before I can decide what to do." Naruto added. He leapt from that branch and disappeared into the night, leaving behind a dead diplomat, two Hoshigakure Shinobi and a group of Konoha Shinobi in his wake.