A/N: Thank you again Bobboky, cloystreng, Adventure Writer 28 and Salamander Hanzo :D I'll try to keep up with the current pace and hold the story's quality at the same time, but it's probably going to start slowing to one update every couple of days or so before much longer.
"So the boy doesn't have full control over his tailed beast. It only seems to manifest itself when he'll die without it," Danzo stated as his good eye took in the scroll before him.
"That in and of itself will make this process simpler."
Folding it away and placing the scroll back onto the table of stone before him, Danzo approached the narrow hole in the outside wall allowing him to look out upon Sunagakure.
With the one tails under my grasp, Konoha will gain an impenetrable outer defense, he thought.
Any who would enter will have to seep through the walls of sand surrounding it, and when that failure Uchiha Itachi decides to betray us any further, the new formation will stall him if nothing else.
Already the ROOT commander was revising and further honing his plans for the years ahead, aiding drastically by the information of what was meant to come.
If he had his way, the jinchuriki would soon find himself raised in a different environment and situation altogether, and when the ROOT was done with him, only one more weapon would be under Danzo's control.
Yamato looked on in despair as a fourteenth empty bowl was stacked up beside the blond haired pit before him.
Naruto let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back into a stretch, smiling widely.
"Thanks Yamato-taicho!" he said.
Yamato gave him no response as he dug into his pockets for the ryo to cover the outrageous meal.
Teuchi gave the other man a pitiful look. "Really, sir, how did you not know who you were buying lunch for?" the shop owner questioned rhetorically.
"Naruto always packs away a hefty amount of noodles!" after a moment he turned back to the register, ringing things up.
"Anyway that'll be..." the number stated made Yamato's expression sour further as he turned his head to give the endless eating machine a dark look, and with reluctance paid for the family sized meal.
Putting away the ryo Teuchi turned back to them. "Next time I'll give you ten percent off," he said with a knowing smirk.
Yamato merely grimaced and nodded his head before sliding out of the seat and dragging Naruto with him.
The jinchuriki smiled at the shop owner and waved cheerily as he was hauled off, content and full for the first time since he arrived.
A few minutes later they stopped at Naruto's tiny apartment and stepped inside.
Naruto immediately sought out a chair and plopped down into it, at ease.
Yamato formed another sheet of wood a moment later and pushed it somewhat roughly into the child's hands with a disgruntled noise.
'I'm considering retracting that apology! Your response earlier was drastically out of proportion with the meal size! A few bowls? I counted fourteen of them!'
Naruto shrugged after scanning it.
"I'm sure you'll earn the ryo back in a few weeks. Either way I've already accepted your apology so you can't take it back!" he grinned.
Yamato's expression promised retribution in due time.
A moody silence lapsed after that as the Jounin examined the surroundings and Naruto turned his thoughts toward what to do, now that he more-or-less had the Hokage's permission and Yamato's assistance if he needed it.
Sasuke can handle himself for a little while longer. Gaara's situation is the one that really needs to be worked on before he becomes locked into his homicidal state of mind, Naruto thought, the problem is how to get into Suna without attracting unwanted attention, and I'm pretty sure stopping another daily assault on their jinchuriki is going to attract a lot of it.
"Hey Yamato-taicho," he piped up suddenly. The elder nin scowled, but turned his attention around regardless.
"Have you ever been to Sunagakure before?" he asked.
The Jounin raised his hands after a moment and formed another, if rather smaller, sheet.
'No. Why?' it read.
Naruto just grinned wider at him.
"Well here's your chance! I have, and I know precisely where to go."
Another sour expression crossed Yamato's face as he gave his response.
'The Hokage needs to know before you go off to cause an inter-village scandal.'
Naruto shrugged.
"So we go looking like Otonin or something - and speaking of which, getting a start on Kabuto and Orochimaru's bases would probably be a good idea afterward." He stated calmly.
Yamato rolled his eyes heavenward as if in question for what he had done to deserve this, and Naruto caught it and smirked again.
"Maybe we'll grab Jiraiya-san along the way so you have some proper back up. Besides, he was supposed to have a network of his own in place so he should be able to help out fairly easily."
Yamato did not grace him with an answer.
Kakashi was in the middle of thinking about what he could do for Sasuke when a voice he recognized and in-part loathed called to his attention.
"My eternal rival! At last I've apprehended you!"
Looking up from the sheet in his hands the Copycat Ninja saw Konoha's 'Noble Green Beast' as he was calling himself even now striding forward quickly.
Nope, not this time friend, he thought as he reached into his pocket and drew out a single kunai.
Slinging it out some distance away Kakashi waited until Gai was nearly on him before trading places with the soaring weapon, and further performing the hand seals for the Body Flicker technique even before he was fully across.
Gai's eyebrows met in determination and he knocked the weapon aside as Kakashi fled.
"Aha! You do know something of this innocent tree's fate!" he called across the distance, and with that kicked off from the ground to rush after his eternal rival.
Kakashi looked over one shoulder to see Gai rushing up from behind and grimaced beneath his mask.
Another shunshin later and to his distaste the other shinobi seemed to have tapped into a whole new degree of determination, arms swinging back and forth rapidly and legs seemingly a blur.
His broad grin reflected the sunlight so brightly Kakashi was almost blinded by it.
"No time for this right now, Maito!" he yelled back and put further distance between them.
It was only at that point that he realized with a face-palm that the other man had tricked him into one of their fruitless challenges.
Performing the hand seals for the Shadow Clone jutsu he patted the poor thing on the shoulder and gave it a thumbs up and a, "Good luck! Stall him!" before pushing it forward and heading off further ahead and out of sight.
Gai rushed past the clone shortly thereafter, paying it no attention to chase after his true eternal rival.
The clone watched him go for about a minute before sighing and shaking it's head.
Nice try Gai, nice try. You just chased after another clone, it thought, dispelling itself as the real Kakashi broke up through the dirt where he had been and shook the soil loose from his hair.
"Maybe next time, eternal rival," he murmured in distaste as he made his way back toward his home.
It was as such to his disbelief to find the object of his loathing rounding the corner of Konoha nearest and dashing back into view, and after staring for several useless seconds, he accepted the inevitable for the moment.
Hardly out of breath the other Jounin came to a halt a few feet from Kakashi and smiled brightly at him.
"An underhanded tactic for sure, but you'll still never dampen my flames of youth, Sharingan Hatake!" Gai stated in a teasing manner.
Kakashi bristled at the two terms.
"You said something about a tree, Gai. What is it?" he questioned flatly.
Maito nodded his head sharply.
"Ah yes! Do you possess knowledge over who would dare strike down this visage of beauty in which I pass every morn?" the other Jounin asked while gesturing toward the tree Sasuke had used for practice the night before.
Kakashi glanced between them.
"Why?" he asked suspiciously. Somehow I doubt this is going to end well, he added silently.
Gai gave him a knowing look.
"I recognize that shrewdness, Sharingan Hatake! You know indeed something of this tree's plight. Out with it!" though his look in turn became suspicious his tone remained light the entire time.
Visible eye narrowing, Kakashi answered him at length.
"... I was teaching an academy student how to tree climb. He's in the hospital recovering."
Gai frowned.
"How badly could a student harm themselves on such a frugal method?" he asked in a more serious tone for once.
"Determination and poor chakra control for the technique." Kakashi told him simply.
After another moment and the same questioning look still leveled at him, Kakashi continued.
"I've seen something of his skills before, and the boy is very good when he put's his mind to a task and normally doesn't have much trouble. I just don't think he's ever really tried channeling chakra so far from his core before..." the last few words were murmured as he realized something to distract Sasuke from his legs.
Gai looked back at the tree and his frown deepened.
"... This is an unfortunate occurrence. I will see to it the tree returns to it's former state if you agree to aide the student back to his own recovery?" he asked.
Kakashi scoffed.
"Of course. I've already taken him on as my apprentice. But even you can't make a tree grow any faster, Gai," he said with a hint of arrogance.
Maito's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"You, Sharingan Hakate, have taken on an academy apprentice?" he repeated in a tone of voice that made it sound as though Kakashi had just announced he was planning to move a mountain by hand.
The other shinobi frowned at him in turn.
"... Special circumstances have arisen." He stated flatly. "If that's all, Maito, I have things I need to attend to."
Turning away and walking back into his small house Kakashi missed the calculating gleam that entered the other Jounin's eyes behind him.
Now I must truly determine another who who also bares the flames of youth as myself! My eternal rivals disciple shall have an eternal rival of his own!
Sarutobi returned to his office and found Naruto sitting on the desk and snoring lightly.
This should be informing, if nothing else.
"Naruto," he called to get his attention.
The boy didn't stir.
Raising an eyebrow he drew out his pipe and rapped the boy lightly on the shin.
It was unfortunate for him that the eyes flicked open in surprise before the body fell into smoke and faded.
Sarutobi stared at where the now-apparent clone had been in disbelief before raising a hand and rubbing his eyes wearily, and it was only then that he noticed the small and flat section of off colored wood resting where the clone had been sitting.
Picking it up in curiosity he read the message left behind. 'Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto has decided to rescue a future enemy-turned-friend. ~Yamato-tenzo.' The use of Yamato's former ANBU title was probably a jab at Sarutobi, and one he would sort out later.
The immediate problem as he saw it was that Naruto was probably going to stir up trouble; perhaps not intentionally and through no fault of his own, but merely his presence, which seemed to attract it wherever he went.
Settling down into his chair he placed the warning aside and focused on the stack of paperwork for today to distract him from those very unpleasant thoughts.
"When should we move against him, sir?" one of the Root ANBU asked.
Danzo had given this more than enough thought, and he answered after a moment.
"We wait for two more days. The next time an assassain prepares to attack, go forward and kill them, and henge into their form once you've disposed of the corpse. Utilize your speed if needed to subdue the jinchuriki and bring him here." Danzo stated.
The other man nodded his head and bowed before turning and waiting for the time to emerge back into the village without notice.
Your will shall be bent to my own, jinchuriki. Your life shall be forfeit to Konoha's survival and future.
Sasuke turned from the window beside him as Kakashi entered that evening and stared at him dully.
"... It took less time than I expected to prepare something of interest." Kakashi told him.
The Uchiha heir barely stirred.
Swallowing a grimace, the Jounin held up up a small and gray if battered book, and looked down on the child.
"This book will guide you through flowing chakra out to each section of your body - though I warn you not to try out anything you see upon your legs. If you wish to practice you will not do so until I am here to ensure nothing goes wrong, and you will only use one of your arms and fingers at a time. Do you accept these terms?" he asked.
Sasuke glanced between the object and man twice before giving a small nod of the head and lifting one hand palm up toward it.
"Hn.." Kakashi offered it to the child slowly as though doubting the others sincerity to obey him.
Slowly flipping it open Sasuke looked through the first few pages without a word of thanks.
This time he did sigh softly, and sinking down into a nearby chair, Kakashi closed his eye and waited for the last Uchiha to get through at least a few chapters.
At the rate his attention is holding at that should take more or less a couple of hours, he thought dismissively, and resigned himself to whittling away the time in remembrance.
It wasn't long before he dozed off, and when he awoke some hours later, a pair of needles attached to clear and nearly-empty vials were injected into the boy's abdomen, and one of the Hyuga- clan branch-members stood nearby observing the process with the Byakugan.
"Awake at last, Hakate. Your... apprentice, if you truly think such a term is befitting of you after this level of destruction, has sustained far heavier wounds than I would have expected for a child his age," he stated.
Kakashi scowled and turned toward him, embarrassed at himself as much as he was anything else.
"What are you doing here?" he questioned in a flat tone.
The other man laughed just as flatly back at him before answering in a grim tone.
"The doctor wanted an experts opinion on the damage to the chakra pathways."
Looking down at the other shinobi, he added haughtily, "Your Sharingan didn't deliver half the information needed and couldn't see where it was needed for the chakra injections to be made."
Turning away from him and toward where Sasuke was watching them, he continued to verify the injected flow was going as it needed to.
Kakashi held his tongue and turned toward the child. Save it for later, he thought.
To his surprise Sasuke looked more alive in the eyes now than he had since arriving in the hospital, and based off of where his finger was resting in the book, he had progressed far further than just the first few chapters.
"I'm almost done," he responded to Kakashi's look in a voice of mild pain.
The new chakra burned very warmly as it passed throughout his system and it really was uncomfortable.
"Just how long was I asleep?" the Jounin asked the Hyuga as he looked out a window to see it had grown dark outside.
A grunt of dismissal was his only answer, but at length the Hyuga relented.
"Long enough. I entered here an hour ago after Hiashi-sama decided who to send to answer the doctor's request."
Kakashi had nothing more to say at that.
No doubt the Hokage would want to know what was going on if he hadn't already heard, and for now his charge was in good - more than good enough care.
"I'll be back before long, Uchiha," he said to Sasuke before standing up and departing.
About fifteen minutes passed without incident and the Hyuga stepped forward to draw out the now-empty injection needles.
"Relax your stomach and take several deep breaths. On the fourth exhalation I shall draw the first out," he explained.
Sasuke nodded without verbally answering and did as he was told - the pain was just as bad going out as it had been going in, but at least it was done with soon enough.
Pressing a small cloth to the slightly bleeding wound the Hyuga told him to repeat the motions and again drew out the second needle and set it aside, then went the extra step to perform the minor healing jutsu required to seal up the cuts.
"I'll return with another set in six hours, child. If you feel your body reacting strangely until that point alert Hakate and tell him to send for Hyuga Ko, understand?" he told the boy.
Sasuke nodded his head silently.
Ko's eyes thinned as he gave one last once-over to the pathways before turning the Byakugan off and waiting by the doorway for the Jounin to return.
End Chapter Seven.