Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All rights go to Kishimoto.

ITALICS – thinking

BOLD – jutsu/demon speak


Arc Two: The Meaning of Life

Chapter Three


Naruto stumbled about as he held his injured, make that completely useless, right arm. He knew his injuries were serious, and it didn't help that Kurama wasn't healing his wounds like before. Naruto didn't know how much time had passed since the operation. His only concern was for his comrades.

"How did it come to this…how did they know?" Naruto coughed up blood which stained the snow red. "I hope everyone made it out alright."

With a grunt, the Uzumaki trudged on despite his grievous wounds and the blizzard that was currently taking place. Soon, though, voices could be heard in the distance which made Naruto smile, his vision starting to get blurry. With determination, he kept his conscious long enough to get himself to the entrance of the civilian village. It was here, that Naruto succumbed to his wounds and passed out.


Council Chambers – Hours Before

Naruto, his master, Mifune, and the other commanders minus Hiroto were all sitting in the chambers read to plan out their raid against the assassin guilds. Luckily for them, they would get some help in that department through the assassin that Naruto spared. .

"Ah, there you are assassin-san, I see you still won't divulge your name." Mifune started with a smile as the assassin entered with the door closing behind her. "Now, shall we get down to business then?"

"Why did I agree to help you bastards again?" She took a breath but grimaced and held the bandage on her stomach. "Oh right, you would let me go right after saying that I would be forgiven."

"Well," Fukui let out a smirk. "You have my student to thank for that."

Naruto shrugged, "She was simply following orders," Naruto said then shrugged his shoulders. "Plus her body language in the interrogation room told me she didn't want to take the mission in the first place."

"She tried to kill you!" Takuma sneered, sending a heated glare towards Naruto. "Does that not matter to you, young commander?!"

"Yes, I am taking a risk, but I have faith in my skills. If I die as a result, it would only bring honor as I died in battle."

Hideki chuckled then cleared his throat, "As amusing as this is, perhaps we should get to the matter at hand?"

The general nodded, got up from his seat, and walked over to the Iron Country map with red circles on it which designated each assassin guild. Any other maps in the room were taken down by Mifune and stored away as he didn't want the assassin to see too much; she was still an enemy after all. That, and it would prevent Takeshi from knowing of their other plans.

On the map was four circles, each ranged four to ten miles apart, and was placed near forests and mountainous areas. The assassin was impressed on how detailed the map was as well as the accuracy of the information, but her thoughts were broke off by Mifune's voice.

"As you see, these red circles designate the four assassin guilds which we will be taking out." Mifune looked at the assassin. "Now, assassin-san, if you would kindly lead one of these commanders' platoons to the actual base, that would be most appreciated."

The assassin bowed, but everyone felt the shift in her emotions. They knew to be weary of her, and began to wonder if this was a good choice at all. Pushing those thoughts aside, for now at least, they continued.

"Each of you will lead a platoon of 75 samurai to the locations I assign to you." Mifune continued in his professional tone. "Fukui, you will take the one closest to us. It lies about fifteen miles to the north. Hideki, you will take the one four miles east of Fukui. Takuma, you will take the farthest one; it lies seven miles to the North East of Fukui's location. Naruto, you will take the one five miles to the west of Fukui. Understood?"

"Hai General Mifune!" The commanders responded with a calm look on their face.

The samurai leader smiled and nodded, "Good. Now, due to distance, all of you will be equipped with radios so that we can coordinate the raid where we can all attack at once." The elder paused and looked at the assassin. "Pick your team assassin-san."

Said person nodded and pointed to Naruto. No words were said, just a gesture. Naruto nodded in acceptance which made the other commanders and Mifune smile.

"Now that we are debriefed, go and organize your team, commanders. You have your orders…dismissed!"

As everyone started to leave, Mifune told Naruto to stay behind. Once the door clicked closed, they stared at each other with a worrisome gaze.

"You felt it too Uzumaki-san?"

"Hai Mifune-dono. The assassin's emotions shifted which makes me wonder if we should change our plans."

The general shook his head and sighed, "You and I both know that isn't possible. It was either this, or let innocent civilians suffer as Takeshi continued to take villages that we could not cover."

Naruto sighed deeply as he knew Mifune was correct. So, with a sad smile, he patted the general's shoulder and left the chambers. The elder leader was now all alone, and Naruto's simple gesture struck a deep emotional chord. Somehow, Mifune knew that Naruto would become a changed man because of this raid.

"War…a monstrosity which leaves scars on one's body, mind, and soul." Mifune sighed as a couple tears flowed down his cheeks. "May the spirits of the old guide you, Uzumaki-san."


Barracks

Naruto, the assassin, and the other commanders stepped into the barracks where the samurai were held. All the ones that were guarding villages were here minus Hiroto's group which ran the field base. Upon seeing the commanders enter, the samurai instantly stood and bowed to their commanders before they started to get ready for the mission at hand.

For the assassin, the way the samurai looked upon their superiors was astonishing. Even more so how they seemed to know what to do even though the commanders hadn't said anything. As the samurai were getting ready, she excused herself which made Naruto narrow his eyes, his thoughts shifting to the meeting in the chamber. With a discreet nod from Fukui, Naruto followed the one that tried to kill him.

With a hidden smirk, the assassin was ready to activate her hidden radio which would inform the guilds that an attack force was on their way. However, she had to quickly settle her beating heart and nerves as Naruto appeared beside the assassin.

"Something bothering you assassin-san?" The Uzumaki coolly asked, his hand on Honjo's hilt ready to deploy it at moment's notice.

"Nah, I just find it funny that they take orders from a blonde bastard of a kid." The assassin replied calmly, though took glances at where Naruto's hand was placed.

"This blonde bastard, as you so put, has done much to show those twice my age what makes me worthy of the commander title." Naruto paused as he shook his head in mirth. "It's funny really, they call me master of all things."

Before the assassin could say anything else, the other commanders appeared from the barracks with the samurai in tow. With but a few hand signals, the commanders had ordered their platoons to get in formation, something which was done without hesitation. Once they saw the samurai force was ready, Naruto and the others took turns relaying what their mission was. After debrief, more samurai came from the barracks and handed small radios to them which fit snugly into one of their ears. Once everyone's gear was checked, everyone was headed towards their destination at full sprint. However, as they travelled, they failed to notice the assassin make a discreet movement, one which activated the hidden communication device.

The transmission was sent.

Enemy forces were on their way.


One Hour Later

"Fukui in position, over."

"Copy. Naruto in position."

"Hideki in position."

"Takuma in position."

Harumasa nodded to himself as everyone checked in and, after waiting a minute, began a countdown over the radio. For when it reached zero, the raid would commence. Each of the forces were looking at their target from a mountain ridge or from the trees. The plan, which was discussed over radio as they travelled, was fairly simplistic in nature.

Step One: Blow the door open using a Ki enhanced strike.

Step Two: Rush in and kill any and all opposition.

Step Three: Once clear, head to the designated rendezvous where wounds would be taken care of and an account of dead and missing would be collected. From there, they would all travel back to the main village and relay their reports to Mifune.

It was a plan that seemed to be failsafe, however, even some of the best laid plans, no matter how simplistic, often go awry.

"We strike in three…two…one. ADVANCE!"

Everyone had their hands on the hilt of their katana as they charged and, once in range of the door, they started to unsheathe their blades in preparation for the slaughter. However, just as the teams got to the doors, they exploded off their hinges and multiple assassins poured out like a swarm of ants. With horror, they all realized that there was never any decoy base and that there was far more assassins than they originally thought. Now outnumbered, the samurai struggled to keep the mission and their lives intact.

As Hideki and the others fought against the assassins whom used poisons, stealth, and agility to incapacitate the samurai, for Naruto it was a much different scene.


As Naruto and the assassin got to the door, they kicked it down and entered the base. Upon entering however, Naruto noticed there was a lack of enemies as well as something else; the gleam in the assassins eyes. Not even able to get off a sentence, the assassin made a hand sign which prompted Naruto to use his Kyuubi cloak and get as many to safety as he could. The laughter, the cold, callous, laughter of the assassin was heard just as the building exploded which sent shrapnel flying everywhere. As Naruto's comrades were being shredded by this, some dying as a result, he couldn't keep the assassin's laughter out of his head. It was a constant reminder of Naruto's failure, one which cost the lives of his comrades.

A war cry from the nearby tree line broke Naruto from his thoughts and, to his and his comrade's horror, saw the assassins charge at them like a pack of wolves ready for the feast which lie ahead.

"No, not again, never again, I will not let any more of these fine men and women perish this day!" Naruto thought to himself, determination now set within.

After deactivating his cloak, Naruto let out an intense battle cry which those that were able bodied followed. Soon, the clang of shuriken being deflected, the penetration of flesh by a sword and the screams of the wounded and dying was all that could be heard for miles around. The screaming of the injured and dying made the laughter return, but Naruto shook it off and buried the event deep within his subconscious so he could focus on the battle at hand.

Naruto got back into the battle just in time as he had to duck under a shuriken that was aimed for his skull, then had to roll to avoid the slash of a dagger. Once out of his roll, Naruto pivoted on the balls of his feet and plunged Honjo into the poor bastard who attempted to kill him. The blade pierced the heart which killed instantly, but that is when his eyes widened as something felt off. His suspicions were instantly confirmed when the assassin he killed uttered one unmistakable word.

"Boom."

Naruto was instantly blinded, and his eardrums ruptured, but the feeling of weightlessness made him know that he was currently flying someplace. That someplace, which happened to be the nearby forest, made Naruto's screams of pain even louder. The reason? Naruto smashed violently against a tree, right shoulder first. Although Naruto couldn't hear it, the immense pain, followed by not being able to feel his whole right arm, signaled that the shoulder was broke. However, this was not the full extent of his injuries for the explosion destroyed most of his armor, some of which buried deep into his second degree burned skin.

"Hold on Kit, I'm doing as much as I can!" Kurama worriedly stated as he actually feared the condition his container was in.

"I know, and thank you Kurama."

Deciding not to touch his shoulder knowing that he could worsen the injury, and also to make Kurama focus on the internal injuries he sustained, he grabbed Honjo with his left hand and used it as a crutch in order to stand. However, upon looking at the battlefield ahead, he wished he could have died when he hit the tree. There, in the misdst of multiple explosions, was Naruto's comrades, dying in a most brutal fashion. It was here, Naruto realized one thing.

"They are mostly exploding clones…dammit, this is not good."

Jumping back into the fray with his Kyuubi cloak on, Naruto started to use his emotion sensing to pick out what he thought were the real ones then ordered his men and women to take care of them. For the remaining forces, seeming that his right arm was useless, Naruto created some chakra arms and started grabbing, throwing, and crushing anyone in his path. One, which had tried to get behind him, was quickly captured in one of these arms and crushed which resulted in them exploding. Shortly after this, Naruto turned to his right and deflected multiple shuriken with his wakizashi, one of which grazed his left cheek. To Naruto's horror, the wound started to bubble and wasn't healing like it was supposed to and, to make matters worse, Naruto felt Kurama's chakra was starting to fade, and fast.

"Heh, look boys, it seems the poison we got from Takeshi worked like a charm. It does stop the beast's chakra after all!"

Naruto glared at the three assassins in front of him, "How do they know what I hold…that should be impossible. Unless…there's a spy that is relaying all of this information. Great."

The assassins chuckled as the rushed the now handicapped jinchuriki with the intent to kill, something which Naruto wouldn't allow. As the poison entered his system, he began to feel the paralyzing effects it had. As his joints and muscles started to freeze, Naruto understood that any overexertion would only make it spread faster, but he had no choice as the three enemies were right on top of him.

With a yell and a pulse of chakra, he pushed the three back then vanished out of sight. Now behind the three, Naruto pivoted and sliced two of them across the back of the feet which severed their Achilles tendon. As they dropped to the ground in agony, the one left standing suddenly back-flipped to avoid Naruto's lunge with the katana, only to respond with a thrown handful of shuriken. Although Naruto tried his best to dodge, some still managed to embed deep into his back; the poison was taking its toll. Just as Naruto went to attack again, the Kyuubi cloak started to waver before it went out completely.

Time was of the essence, he needed to end this now or risk dying here in the cold.

Mustering what he could, Naruto added Ki to his feet and rushed the three targets, preferably the two that tried to stand despite their severed Achilles' tendon. The one that hadn't sustained any serious injury yet saw his two comrades get decapitated by what looked to be a blur, but then gasped in pain and looked down to see Honjo stabbed into his chest.

"Your friends will die today, as will you." The assassin let out a chuckle which soon turned to coughs of blood. "A new era will wash over the Land of Iron, an era which will bring the Elemental Nations to its knees!"

Not wanting to hear the man's bullshit, Naruto snarled and violently ripped the katana out of the man's stomach then lopped off his head. After he flicked the blood off, he sheathed it and looked back at his troops where his eyes widened in horror. There, all around the remains of the assassin guild, was a field of corpses. Corpses of not only Naruto's entire platoon, but of the assassins that ambushed them as well.

He was the only one alive.

Before Naruto could contemplate on this, a sharp wave of pain suddenly overtook him which made him collapse to the snowy ground below. Now on his knees, Naruto coughed then vomited out a great deal of blood as the injuries Kurama tried to heal was now coming back in full force. He knew that he needed to get to a village and fast.


With Hideki

Just as some of Hideki's forces blasted the door open, a rush of assassins came towards them, but instead of attacking, they exploded. As a result of this unexpected tactic, those that rushed the door died instantly while others behind them were wounded. As more assassins rushed towards them, this time attacking anything in their path, Hideki realized one thing.

"We were set up…perhaps Naruto should have killed that assassin when he had the chance." The samurai commander ducked and beheaded the assassin that tried to kill him. "However, it is through no fault of his own, as he is but a young lad who has experienced war for the first time."

After killing another assassin, Hideki saw that they were starting to push their opponent back into their home. Knowing it was best to keep the assassins in confined spaces, an area where they could easily be tracked, Hideki ordered his troops to push forward. Although it took some time at first, the samurai were now fighting inside the assassin's guild and the battle soon turned in the samurai's favor. Although both sides were dealt heavy casualties, the assassins couldn't keep up with the combination of Ki attacks and team tactics; something which the assassins were not skilled in.

With a grin, Hideki cut down an assassin in front of him then used a Ki enhanced kick on one that tried to come from behind. The force of the kick was so great, that the assassin became embedded into the back wall, blood pouring out of his mouth. The commander had no time to celebrate, however, as four more assassins rushed towards him with daggers drawn. Hideki simply snorted at the attempt at his life then unsheathed his katana and swiped it towards the enemies. As he turned to help his platoon, the four that were attacking had halted their movements only to fall into bloody chunks shortly afterward. Seeing the devastation before him, one of the assassins tried to sneak away to a different part of the base, but, in the confined quarters, one samurai saw him and began to pursue. It didn't take long to catch up to the enemy, but the samurai saw something she didn't like and headed back to Hideki to relay her findings.

"Hideki-sama! One is trying something with a seal, and I fear for the worst. Orders sir?"

"Why the hell do I have to tell you the orders?" Hideki said as he finished killing an assassin who foolishly tried to attack him. "If you deem it a threat, than tell the others to get the hell out!"

"At once sir!" The samurai nodded, then yelled at the top of his lungs. "Retreat! Fall back, I repeat. Retreat!"

The samurai and Hideki didn't hesitate as they knew the battle had been won. Just as most of Hideki's forces got out of the base, the samurai was correct in her assumptions as the building violently exploded. Although most got out of the blast radius in time, some weren't so lucky and died or were injured as a result. As much as Hideki wanted to smile at the success of this mission, it was anything but as evident by what was left of his platoon.

Out of 75, only 20 made it out alive.


With Takuma

Takuma's fight was much like that of Hideki's, though his forces were still intact for the most part. Out of the 75 samurai, only 30 had lost their lives but, for those still alive, most were heavily wounded. Although the base did not explode like the others, what left most of them in a sorry state is that they had to fight the two assassin leaders; Juro and his cohort. Juro's right hand man took out ten of Takuma's troops before said commander plunged his katana through the bastard's skull. The other leader, Juro, took out 20 samurai with ease, and then had a massive battle with Takuma which left the commander in the state he was in now.

The fight was brutal as Juro seemed to counter almost everything Takuma threw at him. Although he got poisoned during the battle, the commander managed to land a few blows with his katana which severed certain tendons in the assassins' body. The hands was just one of the areas that was affected, and it was these areas that lead Takuma to victory via decapitation of his opponent.

With a sigh and a sad smile, he thought about how this raid turned out to be an almost complete failure. And although he wanted to blame Naruto for his choice in letting the assassin live, he couldn't fault the boy.

"We all make mistakes, it is only human nature to do so. Naruto is but a child who is experiencing war for the first time, a war which will mature him in more ways than one." Takuma thought before ordering his troops to rest up before they headed to the designated rendezvous point.


With Fukui

The Harumasa ducked under a dagger jab, grabbed the offending limb, and threw the assassin to the ground. Once the enemy hit the snowy, ice packed, soil, a katana was driven into their skull. The elder samurai took deep breaths as he rested from his battle and looked at his surroundings. Twenty corpses of enemies lie at his feet while all of his of his troops are scattered about the battlefield; none survived. Fukui, like the others, understood what happened and didn't blame Naruto for his choice in keeping the assassin alive.

From the beginning, the battle didn't go according to plan at all and, much like Naruto's battle, it was a complete massacre. Once the door was blown open, and the wave of assassins came out, so did a massive stream of fire which engulfed anyone who was on the frontline; samurai and assassin alike. Once the flames died down, a mix of Takeshi's followers and assassins rushed out of the base and initiated battle. Takeshi's shinobi/samurai hybrids were easily taken care of thanks to Naruto's classes, but the assassins were a different enemy entirely and managed to do the most damage to Fukui's platoon. Using the hybrids as a distraction of sorts, once one of them was cut down, the assassins would strike, slitting the samurai's throats without remorse.

Fukui grimaced at the memory, but upon seeing a mix of 30 assassins and hybrids surround him, he had no choice but to raise his katana in the defense position despite his fatigue. As Fukui awaited for the enemy to strike, but they never did, instead they parted to let one person inside the circle they formed.

"Takeshi!" Fukui bore a heated glare into the person who now stood in front of him.

"Hello brother." He replied with a smile. "So nice to see you, though, given the circumstances, I guess it could be better."

"Come to finish the job Takeshi, is that what you're after?" Fukui said calmly with a bit of hate.

"Oh, you wound me." Takeshi faked being hurt. "And not even calling me brother, such a shame."

"After what you made me do…you are no such thing in my eyes." After a brief pause, Fukui's tone saddened. "Where is the person I knew as a brother, Takeshi, where did he go?"

"He perished in the fires of our parent's home." Said person replied without hesitation, then turned and left the circle, not noticing the tears that came from Fukui's eyes.

As he left, Takeshi made a signal with his hands which prompted a strange plant like creature to appear in front of Fukui and, with a puff of spores, the commander was knocked unconscious then bound in ropes to secure him for the journey.


With Naruto

Naruto stumbled about as he held his injured, make that completely useless, right arm. He knew his injuries were serious, and it didn't help that Kurama wasn't healing his wounds like before. Naruto didn't know how much time had passed since the operation. His only concern was for his comrades.

"How did it come to this…how did they know?" Naruto coughed up blood which stained the snow red. "I hope everyone made it out alright."

With a grunt, the Uzumaki trudged on despite his grievous wounds and the blizzard that was currently taking place. Soon, though, voices could be heard in the distance which made Naruto smile, his vision starting to get blurry. With determination, he kept his conscious long enough to get himself to the entrance of the civilian village. It was here, that Naruto succumbed to his wounds and passed out.

Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes, but it was here that his nose was assaulted with the smell of antiseptic, and the sight of white walls. Finally able to see, Naruto looked around the room to find himself in a bed with a lot of medical equipment which was monitoring his vitals.

"Hospital, thank Kami."

"Finally, I can hear your voice again, Kit." Kurama said with relief. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know Kurama, I honestly don't know."

The fox didn't miss the tone in which Naruto spoke; one laden with an extreme sorrow. However, before the bijuu could get in a word, the door opened in the room followed by a nurse coming in.

"Oh dear, I didn't expect you to be up so soon." The nurse said in surprise then turned towards the door. "Stay right here, I will get the doctor."

"Where can I go, I'm stuck in a hospital bed for Kami's sake." Naruto muttered to himself, something which made the doctor chuckle as he came into the room.

Dressed in the usual doctor's garb and holding a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other, the doctor was an elder gentleman who stood about Fukui's height, had a tan complexion with gray, balding hair, and many wrinkles on his face.

"It's been almost three days since we found you passed out at the entrance samurai-san." Naruto's eyes widened as he now realized his swords were missing, something which the doctor took note of. "Fear not for your swords, samurai-san, I have taken care to have them sharpened and polished at a nearby blacksmith." He said in a grandfatherly tone which held Naruto calm down. "Now, before we get to your laundry list of injuries, my name is Goro."

"Naruto Uzumaki, I thank you for healing me in my time of need." Naruto replied as he sensed Goro's emotions, one's which never wavered.

"You were a sight for sore eyes when you came in lad." Goro glanced at his clipboard and started listing everything off. "A broken shoulder blade, multiple puncture wounds, two slipped vertebrae, a cracked collar bone, massive internal bleeding, and a major concussion. Oh, and the poison was also a real kicker too. Once that was out, you started glowing red." Goro looked up from his clipboard, a smile now on his face. "Nice to have you in our care Akuma no Senshi."

Naruto chuckled then groaned as his stomach was still sore, "Nice to see I have a fan, but if it is alright, I must get back to Mifune-dono and inform him of my whereabouts."

Goro shook his head with a grim smile. "I'm afraid that is not possible Naruto-san. Your injuries were severe and you will have to be on a leave of absence for at least two weeks. We can, however, have a message sent to inform Mifune-sama."

Naruto sighed and palmed his face. "Fine, but do you mind if I write the message? What I have to say is confidential, samurai business I'm afraid."

"I understand perfectly, and I will get a nurse to give you the required materials." Goro smiled and patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Now, you must rest as I will not permit you to leave for another day." As he started to leave he remembered something. "Almost forgot, when you are discharged, I will have someone escort you to the blacksmith to pick up your swords and something special. Good day Naruto-san."

It wasn't long after the doctor left that a nurse came in with paper, a pen, and an envelope. In the span of ten minutes, Naruto wrote his message, one which was very detailed and what he would like to do because of his actions. Once the message was completed, he called a nurse to fetch the most trusted member of the village whom happened to be a boy about Naruto's age. Once given to the boy with the order that it was to remain confidential and sent to Mifune, the child happily obeyed and sent the message via hawk.


Following Day

Per Goro's orders, Naruto stood from his bed and did some light stretching before he got in the outfit he first wore when he trained with Fukui. Once discharged, Naruto was escorted to the local blacksmith where he saw the most buff guy he had ever laid eyes on.

"A lucky samurai you are to have the lost Masamune." The blacksmith said as he held Honjo by its sheath. "I can see why it picked you."

Naruto nodded with a smile and took Honjo as well as his wakizashi before he slid them into his silk sash.

"Thanks, it has served me well." Naruto replied as he took back his katana and wakizashi, slipping them into the silk sash shortly afterward. "Now, Dr. Goro said you had a surprise for me?"

The blacksmith nodded and motioned him to the back of the store. As he entered the back of the shop, Naruto was taken aback at what was on the armor stand in front of him. The armor, which looked like his last set, was a dark reddish-orange color with added black highlight to resemble flames. The front chest piece didn't have any decals, but on the back was the kanji for Akuma no Senshi which was surrounded by an image of the Kyuubi in all his glory; his mouth open in a roar.

"How did you know I contain the Nine-tails?" Naruto glared at the blacksmith as that part of him was supposed to be secret save for a few people.

"Whoa now, Naruto-san, this was all found out after Goro and the nurses found you three days ago." The blacksmith had his hands in a defeated gesture. "Their medical scans showed two chakra sources, but only one being used. Since it was colored red, and of the rumors they heard…well, I think you can piece together the rest."

Sensing no lie in his words, Naruto nodded, "I apologize for my outburst, blacksmith-san."

"I understand how samurai work, there is no need for apologies." The blacksmith smiled and motioned to the armor. "Go on, the armor is yours, free of charge."

"Nonsense, I will pay you full price." Naruto was about to go into his bag, but was stopped by the blacksmith's hand.

"Naruto-san, you are already doing us a favor by protecting our home. Please accept this token of our gratitude."

After a pause to think, Naruto smiled and shook the blacksmiths hand. "I won't forget this…what was your name?"

"Ah, silly me, I never introduced myself." The blacksmith bowed. "Taichi at your service, Naruto-san."

Naruto nodded then went and put on the armor and, once securely fastened to himself and his swords affixed on his right side, let out a whistle of acceptance.

"Not to snug, and not too loose. It's perfect Taichi."

"Thank you Naruto-san, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"An inn would be nice."

The blacksmith nodded with a smile, "It's just across the street from me. Good day, Naruto-san."

"Naruto is fine, and thank you for the wonderful armor and taking care of my swords."

"Anytime!"


Once at the inn, he was immediately given a room to himself free of charge despite the protests Naruto made. He really hated taking gratuities, and wished to pay these people back someday. Once he got into his room, he grabbed the bag which was given to him by Dr. Goro which held two objects; Tsunade's necklace, and the one he found in the burnt out church. Putting both around his neck, Naruto sighed and left the inn so that he could find a bar.

He needed a drink.

"Kit, why so glum. This isn't like you."

"You should know why Kurama, you can view my memories after all." Naruto frowned and looked to the ground as he walked. "Please, don't make me talk about what I did. Just let me wallow in my own guilt for a while."

"Fine Kit, but you should know better." Kurama replied, though he didn't like how Naruto was acting. "What would your master say if he saw you like this?"

"He's probably dead due to my mistakes…just drop it Kurama, please."

The fox whimpered sadly and hoped that Naruto would get better soon as the weather in the mindscape had taken a turn for the worse. Instead of sunny like before, it was now filled with gray clouds and a very cold wind. It was the kind of weather which described Naruto's depressed state perfectly.

As Naruto entered the bar, he looked around and found a seat at the counter and sat down where the bartender took notice of his sad state. As a bottle of sake was put in front of him, Naruto looked up into the eyes of the bartender, one's filled with understanding.

"Here kid, I usually don't serve minors, but I can tell you have seen some shit you wish to forget about."

Naruto gave the bartender the right amount of cash plus some. "Take it, please, I've had enough gratuities today."

The bartender chuckled as he took the cash, but has he was about to grab a sake dish for the newest customer, he found Naruto drinking from the bottle like a pro. With a shrug, the bartender decided it was best not to get in Naruto's way and decided to clean up around the bar.

"Damn kid, what did you see to make you like this?"

Naruto looked to his left to see an elderly man with shaggy white hair and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"I'd rather not talk about it, plus, if you look at the back of my armor I am sure you can figure out who I am." Naruto replied in a glum tone.

"Well, so that is what all the hoopla's been about the past three days." The elder laughed once he looked then paused to blow the smoke out of his mouth. Tell you what kid, how about a cigarette on me. And don't give me any bullshit about you being only 12 or 13 years old. You're a samurai for Kami's sake, who knows when you will die by the blade."

"Heh, I'm starting to like you old man. Fine, let me have one."

The elder gave Naruto the cancer stick and, once in his mouth, lit it for him. Naruto took a drag then coughed as he choked on the smoke, an action which made the elder let out a small chuckle before he responded.

"I remember my first time. So, how's it taste?"

Naruto took another drag, held the smoke in his mouth, and then puffed it out. "A little dry, but has a hint of cherries. Not bad old man, not bad at all."

A pack of them was put beside the sake bottle, "Take them kid, I got plenty back home. Before I go, just know that whatever's eating yah, don't let it get to yah. A kid like you is bound to make mistakes…remember that."

Naruto blew out the smoke with a sigh. It reminded him of what his master would say.

"Think I would get cancer because of this?" The Uzumaki thought as he looked at the cigarette in his hand.

"You have me you dolt!"

Kurama's witty response made Naruto chuckle out loud which took some of the patrons off guard for a second. It also made some of the clouds in the mindscape disappear, something which made Kurama smile. As Naruto took another swig of sake, a women at the back of the bar, who had been watching Naruto for some time, saw one of the necklaces he was wearing and quickly became enraged. Standing from her seat, she marched up to the samurai which made the other patrons fear what she was going to do. They had every right as they watched the women plant a haymaker into the back of Naruto's skull.

"Alright you samurai freak, tell me how you got that necklace!"

Naruto turned his head to look at the person who hit him and blinked in shock at her beauty.

She was a fair-skinned girl of average height, had green eyes, and had waist-length black hair cut in a hime-style with short bangs and chin-length strands framing her face; the rest was tied in a high ponytail She wore a grey-colored uniform with a right shoulder-guard, grey gloves, and an opening in her shirt which revealed some of her sizeable cleavage. Strapped to her left hip was a katana, and on her other was a pouch filled with kunai and shuriken.

"Can I help you beautiful maiden?" Naruto said with a smile.

The lady blushed a little at the title given to her, but then remembered why she was here.

"Tell me how you got that necklace, the one with the broken side!"

"Oh, this?" Naruto grasped it and held it in a way where she could see it. "I found this in a church that was burned by Takeshi's men, sadly nobody survived.

The lady suddenly felt tears running down her face, then a smooth hand wiping them away. Opening her eyes, she couldn't help but look at Naruto in wonder.

"Please, sit with me, I don't like seeing a beautiful girl like yourself in tears."

In a slow manner, the lady did then grabbed Naruto's necklace and put it together with hers. With a sigh, she let Naruto's half drop and motioned for the bartender to get some sake.

"That necklace was my mother's you know." She began as the bottle of sake was put in front of her. "Both of us fled our home village in the Elemental Nations due to the laws there, but we left at different times as to not arouse suspicion. To make a long story short, I spent years travelling around the Elemental Nations looking for her until I got a tip she was in Iron Country."

The lady paused to take a gulp of sake, enjoying the burn as it went down her throat.

"Once I entered Iron Country, I ran across a man named Takeshi who said he knew about my mother and would take me to her if I helped him with a task. After a year or so of training under him, nothing resulted from his promise and I ran away after I heard what he wanted for this country. It would be like my home village all over again."

"You and I are after a common enemy it seems." Naruto sighed at the tale, snuffing out the cancer stick he was smoking. "We've been fighting against him for months now and, because of a mistake I made on a recent mission, I fear that what we fought for will be all for naught."

The lady looked at Naruto sadly, "Do you wish to talk about it?"

Naruto shook his head, "Most of it is classified, and I'd rather not. The memory is too painful."

"And so is learning about the death of my mother!" She interjected harshly. "I told you my tale, and now it is time to tell me yours." Naruto looked at the girl who stuck out her right hand. "My name is Shizuka by the way."

"Naruto," He shook the hand with a smile, "And it's a pleasure to meet you."

After staring at their respective sake bottles for a while, the silence started to become awkward and, with a sigh, Naruto took the pack of cigarettes, opened them, pulled a stick out, and put it in his mouth. The bartender gave him a pack of matches which Naruto thanked him for. After it was lit, and Naruto took a deep drag, only to exhale the smoke later, he looked at Shizuka stoically.

"It all began when I was six years old. I had just gotten out of the academy, and was sitting on the swing contemplating my future…"


Edited: 8/16/15