AN: Ok got good responses last chapter so I guess I could update sooner and yes I will try to make this chapter longer for sake of all my fans.

It was a constant cycle, he would land on a branch then he would jump again, look for another branch, then land. He and Ino had done this for over a day straight, but Naruto refused to stop at all. If anything he went faster as time went on. He was anxious, he wanted to do this. For the first time in years he really wanted to kill someone.

"Naruto please can we stop! I'm so tired I'm about to fall over, we've been at this for over a day and its almost night again." Naruto growled and looked over his shoulder at his partner.

"Damnit Ino! I swear you need to get in better shape."

"What!" She yelled "Naruto, I'm probably the most in shape Kunoichi in Konoha. But no one, not even Rock Lee or Gai-sensei, has your endurance; no one." Naruto stopped on the next branch he landed on and stood still. He was still looking over his shoulder at Ino.

"Alright we stop for the night but tomorrow we leave at dawn, and when we do we won't stop until we get to the village hidden in the mist. Intelligence tells us that Sasuke is near there." Ino was already shaking her head.

"Naruto, I can't do that. Mist is almost a week on foot. There is no way I could go that far without rest."

"Fine, we go on your schedule then." He fell backwards out of the tree and spun around and landed on his feet. Ino dropped as well but she did just a small hop, lacking the flourish and grace that Naruto had used.

Naruto leaned against a tree as Ino began to look in all directions, searching for possible watchers.

"Ino we are alone, there is a river about three hundred yards from us." He said sniffing the air. She nodded and removed the mask.

"Well good, ill take a bath then." She began to walk past Naruto in the direction he had indicated. "Oh and Naruto… no peeking." It was an attempt to lighten the mood, it did the opposite. She felt Naruto's killer intent wash over her, and she leaned against the nearest tree for support.

He kicked off the tree, "I'm going for firewood, and you have no worries." Ino just nodded, unable to look at him. Ino really felt afraid of him at that moment. Was he really that angry with her? She hadn't even let the actual secret slip.

"Naruto why are you so upset….I didn't tell the secret, and Sakura isn't mad anymore."

"You don't understand Ino. You didn't keep your promise about keeping it to yourself. No, you didn't actually say it but Sakura knows that it exists and that's all it takes!" He had walked over to her as he said this and was inches away from her now.

Ino spun around ready to scream. "And you Naruto have every intention of breaking your promise to Sakura! And your promise to her is so much more important, your promise will tip the scale of whether or not Sasuke lives!"

"My promise was different; when I made that promise I thought that Sakura would never love me! Sasuke got in the way, he always did!" His eyes were red now, but Ino didn't care she had to get this off her chest.

"So that is why you want to kill him so bad, for your own selfish reasons. You're afraid that Sakura will leave you and go to Sasuke if he came back! That's low Naruto, you think so little of Sakura. She loves you I know it, I see it when she is around you." Ino was screaming. Naruto stared at her a moment before turning away from her and walking away a couple of feet. When he replied it was a whisper.

"You don't get it Ino; killing Sasuke is going against everything that I am. I don't want to do it; I want to bring him back. I would love to have my brother, but Sakura loved him first, and I know she still does. I can see it when she thinks no one is looking. She looks off as if she is thinking about something else." He paused and hit a tree next to him, it splintered but remained up.

"For the first time in my life I got something I wanted, and now that I have I will not give it to Sasuke! I will do anything to make sure I keep her! Even kill Sasuke." Ino shook her head at Naruto. So this was how bad he really was, years of torment had climaxed to this point. Now that he had what he wanted he wouldn't let it go no matter what.

"But your promise…"

"Will be broken and that's final." He jumped off to get the wood.

Ino stared at where he departed and laid her head against the tree, this was all so unfair. Naruto got what he had wanted his whole life in the form of Sakura, someone who loved him. He was so terrified to lose it that he had become almost selfish because of it.

Was he really selfish for wanting to keep his loved one? Ino thought about it as she went to take her bath.

Ino awoke with a start. She had been out after coming back from her bath. Naruto had never laid down to her knowledge. She looked over at his sleeping back and saw it empty. She shook her head and got up, instantly sensing his strong chakra signature.

"Naruto what the hell are you up too?" Ino walked in his direction.

As she walked she recalled what had awoken her, she had the dream again. It kept getting more real. Naruto's voice would echo in her head for hours after the dream.

I should have been here….

She shivered at the memory and sighed as she was approaching his position.

She breathed in quickly at the sight before her. There was Naruto, he held in his hand the Fuuton:Rasenshuriken. There wasn't any clones… he was forming it on his own! Ino had seen the technique the first time it had ever been used in battle. It truly was amazing. She also knew the drawbacks; it messed up the users arm bad.

He was performing his forbidden technique willingly, and not in a combat situation. Suddenly he brought his other hand in and the huge chakra blades on the technique began to shrink dramatically. Then it became slender, forming what looked like a real, solid shuriken! Naruto continued by spinning. Wind spun around him as he did and when he got to one hundred and eighty degrees he stopped and the wind that had gathered around him collected into the small chakra shuriken. The sound of the technique became loud then, it was a shriek unlike anything Ino had ever heard as the wind completely gathered. Naruto threw the chakra shuriken, and Ino watched as it went away from Naruto at high speeds. Ino noted that after he threw it Naruto had kept his hand out and was watching the shuriken closely. As it approached a tree Ino prepared for the inevitable blast.

It never came…

At the last second Naruto moved his arm and the shuriken followed. Naruto began to move both hands and Ino was amazed to see the shuriken go through complicated maneuvers. Spinning and turning at all angels. She thought back to when Naruto was a kid, how he always would yell about how he would be the best. Ino would laugh; she would tell him that he didn't have a chance.

Naruto brought his hands together in the shadow clone technique, and at least a thousand clones appeared around the clearing. He was so determined looking; it was as if he was built to do this, like he would do anything to make this work.

They instantly went to attacking Naruto yet none got there. The shuriken would cut back and forth across the clones as they would get close. The real thing would be constantly moving his arms, directing his attack to the nearest clone. Naruto then moved his arms to both sides and the Shuriken expanded to its full size.

The clones noticed this and started to come at him faster. They still never made it. They spread out, surrounding him. Naruto spun, gathering more wind to him as he did. The Shuriken circled him. Naruto would spin and the Shuriken would be there to take out his adversary.

Ino was smiling; maybe Naruto had finally mastered his ultimate technique.

How wrong she was. As soon as she began to think this, Naruto faulted. He looked in her direction, apparently noticing her chakra signature. The clones took the distraction as a chance to attack. Wind began to seep out of the technique. Naruto looked back at it and made some moves to force the power back in place. It didn't work, the shuriken exploded near Naruto. The pent up wind energy went everywhere, cutting Naruto to shreds.

He cried out and fell to his knees before completely falling over. His clones all poofed and Ino ran out to the field screaming Naruto's name.

Naruto laid there a day later looking at the sky. He was angry…no he was furious. He had it; he knew he had it… what the hell went wrong!

Ino sat on a log by a fire. She hadn't said a word to him since he woke up, she knew he was awake. Apparently she had no reason to speak to him so she didn't.

"What went wrong…?" He said out loud. It was quiet of course but it helped to say it out loud.

"Chakra control and focus," Said Ino not looking toward him. She poked the fire a couple of times and remained silent from there.

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking over at her.

"You can have all the determination in the world Naruto, but if you don't have real true focus you're never going to be able to get this technique down. That is what your problem always has been. You are thinking about too many things at once." Naruto didn't answer right away as he laid there and looked at the sky.

"I know that Ino I really do, but I have tried so hard and I still can't get it. I want to be able to perfect this technique so bad because I know it will be my best one. Every time I get remotely close, it blows up in my face. Like you said, it is all because I don't have focus."

"Or chakra control." Ino put in quickly. Naruto growled.

"Whatever…" Naruto slowly got up out of his bed and checked his wounds; He wasn't surprised to see he was fine.

"Well since I'm all better Ino what do you have food wise?"

"Nothing for you" She replied, her voice betraying nothing. Naruto growled low in his throat.

"Whatever Ino, I'll go find something for myself. You just sit your little bitchy self here and don't mind me." With that he turned and picked up his chopped up shirt. He sighed, tossing it into the fire. From there he pulled a scroll out of his pack and applied chakra to a seal. A complete new uniform minus a mask appeared in a puff of smoke. He grabbed the garments midair and shunshined away from camp.

An hour later found Naruto watching a large deer closely. He stared at it from the tree he sat in and grinned. He had rations with him of course but he saw no reason of eating those when he had…well fresh meat!

The deer stopped when he shuffled slightly and Naruto went into hunt mode. He lowered himself on the branch, his eyes darkening behind his hair. As the deer turned away from Naruto he made his move. Several shuriken appeared in his hand. He crossed his arms making a 'V' in front of him, and then he threw. Said shuriken hummed through the air and found their target, hitting every vital organ on the animal. A clean kill, there was no suffering.

Naruto hopped down from his perch and walked over to the dead animal. As he walked he muttered 'Shadow clone jutsu' and two clones of himself appeared on each side of him.

"You two know what to do. I'll see you at camp." The two clones nodded and Naruto handed them each a knife he had for such occasions. Naruto hated blood, on all levels and even killing this animal was hard for him. Yet he had been having more and more cravings for meat lately, and if he didn't quench the craving he would get touchy to say the least. Naruto began to walk back to camp as the two clones began to skin his kill.

He really didn't want to watch this.

He appeared at camp a little later. Ino sat in the exact same position as when he had left her. She still would not look at him.

"You lack control mentally and physically." She said when he got close enough. That was it he lost it.

"What the hell Ino! Are you finished telling me what I do wrong or should I pull up a chair!"

"You're too emotional, you're loud, you charge head first when stealth would be the best in for the situation…" She paused and finally looked at him. "You cry easily, you're too soft hearted, you put what your heart tells you first despite what the mission perimeters say."

"What's your point Ino, that's just who I am!"

"My point is Naruto that you may be all these amazing things, kind hearted, emotional, free spirited, but I KNOW YOU AREN'T SELFISH!" She screamed. She was standing up now, and the look on Naruto's face could tell a thousand stories of sadness.

"So that's what this is about then, you believe I have become selfish. Just because I want to protect something that I worked hard to get."

"I do Naruto; you aren't giving any credit to Sakura! Besides, Sasuke never paid her any attention."

Naruto looked at Ino and the memories of that fateful fight passed across his vision.

*FLASHBACK*

Naruto hit high with a fist before dropping to sweep Sasuke's feet from under him. His fist was blocked, the sweep…jumped. Naruto then felt Sasuke's own foot connect with the side of his head, sending him flying.

As he slowly stood he watched Sasuke walk toward him.

"You know Dobe, I really have to congratulate your success of becoming second best once again."

"What the hell are you talking about Teme!?" Sasuke grinned at the venom in Naruto's voice.

"I mean, I saw that kiss Sakura gave you. Way to go on being my replacement while I was away. I hope for your sake though that I don't ever want to go back to Konoha. Because if I happen to decide that I do then I'll make Sakura my first choice when I choose a woman in reviving my clan!" Naruto growled in the back of his throat. "The best part is, Naruto, I know she would be more than willing to accept."

*END FLASHBACK*

Naruto glared at Ino. "No matter what you say Ino, I will kill him. Selfish or not Sasuke will die." Ino glared back, her heart broke though, and she would regret the next words she spoke.

"Then I'll make sure you never become Hokage."

AN: Woah….. Heated, lol anyway read, review, fall in love. You know the drill. Also I'm taking ideas for things you wanna see in the story. Tell me in a review plz! Love my vani…