PLEASE READ! I've counted up the votes. The top two were Sasuke, with 28 and Itachi, with 16. There were also a variety of others suggested, too, but these were the main ones that I thought could really happen in my story-plot. However, because I do not plan to make this relationship-centric, as I've said, there will be no pairing.

What I've decided is to make a one-shot for each character relationship, SasuNaru and ItaNaru, and maybe others, after the end of this story. The two brothers will both be close to Naruto in the mean-time, but not that close.

P.S. If you have any complaints about the relationship deal, please tell me, but keep in mind I want to have a feasible plot.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy. ^.^

17

Naruto jumped from branch to branch through the forest on the border of the Fire Country and Takigakure, the Village Hidden by a Waterfall. At his side were Kiba and Akamaru.

They were searching for the rest of Kiba's team, who had gone missing sometime in the past two weeks on a reconnaissance mission. Hinata and Shino had sent them one message, stating that they'd found the base of some hostile ninja, before contact had been cut off. Kiba would have gone as well, but even two ninja had already been pushing at the limits of secrecy. They were in the midst of a war, after all. They couldn't risk blowing the cover of their operations.

All the same, they'd been sent in to determine the whereabouts of the missing team. Tsunade tried to insist that Kiba should not go, since the situation involved his team, but Naruto had told her that the man would go whether she gave him permission or not. The fifth hokage reluctantly gave in at that.

They were almost at the location given in the message from Hinata and Shino. It was within the borders of Takigakure, but it was also in the disputed territory that Kusagakure, the Village Hidden in the Grass, claimed. Ninja from the Fire country had no right to be there, but they were only going to be there for a short time, while they checked the small village that had sprouted in the disputed territory, the last place the two missing ninja had stayed.

The moment the trees cleared in front of them, Naruto and Kiba stopped dead in their tracks. Akamaru let out a short whine.

The village that they'd been searching for was not there. All that seemed to be left behind was a dark, burnt-out circle on the earth it had once stood upon.

"Hey, Kiba. Try and find a scent." Kiba didn't even argue with Naruto, like he would have in any normal situation. He just nodded.

"Right."

As Kiba and Akamaru skulked away, Naruto pressed his fingers to his temples.

"Where have you two disappeared to?"

xXx

When he woke up, he was in a room in Tazuna's home, lying on a thin mattress. Staring up at the darkened ceiling he shut his eyes, although he didn't think for a moment about trying to get back to sleep. He never had dreams anymore. It was either memories or nothing. He didn't even get nightmares; just his own messed-up past.

Naruto heaved a breath and went through the motions of checking his injuries. He clenched his hands and shifted his arms, wiggled his toes and bent his knees. His cuts and bruises from the little battle Gato had forced them into were all bandaged and well on their way to being fully healed, thanks to his demonic companion, who seemed to be resting.

Naruto pushed himself up with a barely concealed groan. His head spun and he forced the pain of his aching muscles away from the forefront of his mind, focusing next on the situation as he could remember it.

The last thing he could remember was finding Haku and Sasuke safe. He must have passed out then. It was to be expected, of course, with all the chakra he had used. But he felt too weak; far more than he could have blamed the soldier pill for.

He had only taken one soldier pill, and he knew this stiffness and the fiery ache that ran through his muscles could hardly be attributed to that. Naruto moved slightly, shifting his arm around behind him to support his upper body as he leaned back, and almost screamed when the movement pulled more harshly than expected on his tight muscles. He shut his eyes as he felt what seemed like his whole body being set on fire. His nerves were screaming at him. His muscles were clenching and only making the pain worse.

There was a demon's chakra running beneath his skin. It was poisoning him because he'd released a part of it and left a hole behind in the seal for the rest of it to slink through at its own leisure. He'd known Kyuu's chakra would become an issue sooner or later, but he'd poked a hole in the seal to get the blast of chakra he needed to take out all of their enemies at one time, and, as a result, the seal was beginning to deteriorate sooner rather than later.

He cursed. As he sat alone in the dark room, night blanketing the sky he could see from the window to his right, he shivered uselessly. The cool air of the Land of Waves brushed against his heated skin and he could almost imagine the steam rising from his limbs.

The only other experiences he'd had of consciously feeling Kyuu's chakra running through his veins was after he and Kyuu had merged their chakra pathways, something that had almost killed him. All other times, he'd been out of his mind with rage or covered by a demonic cloak. Sure, he'd been able to control it up to some point, but this was a flood of chakra rather than the pitiful trickle it had been in the past. Kyuu, the nine-tailed fox demon that she was, had more chakra than any of the other tailed-beasts combined, something she prided herself for. And, now, all that chakra was steadily entering his own chakra system.

It was an odd feeling, being in control of his body with Kyuu's chakra running through it while his body was still so young. But it was also painful. Every time he let Kyuu's chakra run through him without their chakra systems being merged, it began to burn him up from the inside, and this body had yet to build any form of resistance against it, so it was even worse.

He clenched his teeth. When he had punched a hole in the seal, he had only been thinking of Sasuke, worried about his safety as he had ever been. But he had forgotten this pain; had hoped to never experience it again after the first time. And it seemed his luck had run out on that account.

Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, using the wall behind him as a prop. There didn't seem to be anyone awake in the house besides him, but he knew Kakashi and Zabuza would hardly leave them undefended. Even if Zabuza had only just been their enemy not long ago.

Gritting his teeth he pulled the burning chakra close in around him and covered it with a layer of his own chakra, attempting to hide his presence. It seemed to work, since he navigated his way out of the house and into the woods not far away without meeting anyone along the way, making his way to the little training ground Kakashi had requisitioned for his team's practice on chakra control.

It was far enough away that his fluctuating chakra should escape notice, especially with the jutsu he planned to put to use.

The night was dark and, even with the eyes he had, heavily influenced by Kyuubi's fox-like characteristics since he was born, he could barely see his surroundings. All the same, he picked up a long stick lying on the ground next to him and half-dragged himself around the perimeter of the small training ground. He outlined a seal in the dirt as he walked in long, flowing script.

When he finished, he breathed a sigh of relief and dropped to the ground, resting his back against a tree. Then, he released the hold he'd kept over Kyuu's chakra.

The seal he'd drawn around himself was designed to keep sounds and chakra from passing its boundaries, though it was limited to a short area. It wasn't normally utilized in ninja camps because it drew off the creator's chakra for as long as it was active and it also made it so that chakra and sounds couldn't be heard or sensed by the ones inside it either.

But Naruto wasn't all that particular at the moment, and he had plenty of chakra to spare, whether he wanted it or not.

So, having prepared for the events to come, he wove his fingers into the sign he remembered Kyuubi teaching him once before, the last time this had happened.

As he finished, he felt all of his chakra rushing out of him, taking the air in his lungs with it.

He gasped for air but it escaped him as Kyuu's chakra greedily followed his own, filling his chakra system to the brim and over. He felt it, a living chakra, burning through him, activating every nerve in his body, filling every pore.

His ears rang and he closed his eyes uselessly as white stars filled his vision completely. It felt like every limb of his body was waking after falling asleep, burning as if the blood flowing through his veins was boiling.

He might have screamed then, but he knew it would only get worse.

Kyuubi had explained it once, after the first time. His chakra would leave his body temporarily and his chakra system would then be filled by her chakra. His body was unusual in that he had two chakra systems, for Naruto's normal chakra and Kyuu's chakra, closely intertwined, but even that wasn't enough room for it all. Because the seal had held back a huge amount of extra chakra before, it had nowhere to go but into his chakra system, where it gathered and expanded, stretching the chakra veins until they burst. Then, the chakra healed the veins over and the process started again.

But there was another problem. Kyuubi's chakra had the characteristics of flame, literally burning through his body. So when it travelled through his chakra system, it was also continuously destroying his chakra veins, melting them and healing them over again, making them tough enough to withstand the barrage of Kyuu's chakra on a daily basis.

Of course this process didn't occur naturally or painlessly. The chakra that escaped when his veins burst ravaged his body in a way that was not unlike the way his demonic cloak affected him, but was limited to the parts under his skin.

Normally, a Jinchuuriki was severely affected at birth when he was turned into a container for one of the tailed demons. An example would be how Gaara was plagued with nightmares anytime he fell asleep or how some Jinchuuriki gained some characteristics of the demon they hosted. Because of his father's seal, however, the most obvious difference made to Naruto was the set of whisker scars on his cheeks.

But this became a drawback since Naruto couldn't access Kyuu's chakra without causing physical harm to his body, whereas other Jinchuuriki, whose chakra systems were merged with their demon's, didn't have this problem. Merging chakras with the demon a person hosted was inevitable unless one didn't mind his or her body being torn to pieces any time they accessed the demon's chakra.

And this was the point at which Naruto could be found, writhing on the ground in agony and biting back yelps every time another burst of chakra escaped from a burst vein.

The last time this had happened had been not long after Jiraiya's death in his own time. He'd been attacked on a solo mission by a ninja from sound who had apparently had orders from Madara Uchiha to use a particular jutsu on him. One which was designed to break down the seal which held back Kyuubi's chakra. The man had been killed quickly enough, but he'd managed to complete his mission, and Naruto had only barely managed to reach a secluded cave in time before the seal began to dissolve.

Naruto gasped in short breaths, barely managing even that. His motions seemed amplified in the dark, still night. He lay curled on the ground, having fallen from his sitting position. He wanted to move, to get his body away from the painfully overly-sensitized sensations it felt from everything it touched. But still, he dug his fingers into the dirt in an attempt to put pressure on them and stop the crawling feeling that travelled all over him

The fiery chakra was still blasting through his system and he whimpered as it burst another vein, this time in his chest. He choked as chakra attacked his lungs, making him feel like the victim of one of Sasuke's fire jutsu. Seconds later, the injury was healed, only for another vein to bust in his lower back, causing him to involuntarily spasm when the chakra hit his spine.

It felt like ages before he finally caught his breath. Tears caused by the panic of his breathlessness still streamed down his face. In a sudden fit of irritation, Naruto planted a hand on the ground and pushed himself back up to lean against the tree. He coughed, and when he removed his hand, he saw flecks of blood on it. He looked at his hand in disgust and viciously wiped in on his shirt, ignoring the painful sensations the action invoked.

It didn't seem to last this long before. He thought to himself. He received no answer, which he'd been expecting. Kyuu was a bit preoccupied, since she was controlling her chakra, directing it to heal the damage it caused and speeding the merge of their chakra systems along where she could. She couldn't completely contain the damage or minimize it. The chakra wasn't really hers anymore, since it had been taken and sealed away. It was almost like a domestic-pet-turned-wild-animal, and Naruto was the woods it had chosen as a playground.

He listened to his surroundings, which were extraordinarily quiet considering he was in a forest where animals of all kinds made some type of noise at any given time of day. He knew he was the cause of this. He was sure he was emanating a huge amount of chakra, making them abandon the area in instinctive fear. He wasn't sure of the situation outside of his seal, but, as far as he could tell, he was alone inside of it.

He still couldn't see anything past the white spots that had invaded his vision and it was maddening to have been deserted by his senses in such a way. The ringing in his ears had descended to such a volume that he could only just hear the leaves rustle in the trees and be sure that there were none of the braver predators that were known to prey upon weakened people such as him. And not just animals. There were rogue ninja everywhere these days, and Naruto was sure it would only get worse in the coming future.

He whimpered and jerked when another vein of chakra burst in his shoulder and his head was jerked to one side as if he'd just been punched. Not a second later, he felt the vein being healed and stiffly moved his head back to face forward. The chakra that had stimulated his spine to move his neck dissipated slowly and left a burning trail in its wake.

He felt almost as if he had just eaten a ten-course meal and someone had managed to stuff even more food into him, except the feeling wasn't only in his stomach. He was nauseous, though thankfully not dizzy, and his limbs shook uncontrollably every time he tried to move.

He groaned when the next vein burst. It was near his kidneys and he was nearly paralyzed as the chakra ran its course there. Before that vein was healed, another burst in his right arm. He keened and rocked forward as he clutched the arm with his left hand. Another wave of fire followed as Kyuu's chakra flowed out from the still-disintegrating seal.

Suddenly, he heard the soft tell-tale sounds of movement behind him. The sound of a breaking twig next to him sent him reaching for a kunai; a hand on his wrist stilled him. He cursed the fact that he hadn't had time to set a seal to keep anything from entering the small training ground. He also cursed his temporary blindness.

"Who's there?" He said hoarsely, the words hurting his still-healing throat.

"You can't see?" Naruto relaxed minutely when he identified the voice as Uchiha Itachi.

"N-ahh!" Naruto's reply was cut off as yet another vein burst, this one close to the spine at his upper back, and another shortly followed in the calf of his right leg. He curled forward, trying to escape the pain in his back and clutch at his leg in the same motion. Itachi's hand jerked back, presumably startled at the movement.

For a moment, Naruto's gasps were all that filled the air. When the pain faded a bit, he pushed himself back to lean against the tree again.

"No, I can't." He finished. He was happy to realize, though, that he was starting to be able to see vague grey shadows now. He bit his lip as a small vein burst on the underside of one of his feet.

Itachi moved around in front of him. Naruto felt the man's cool fingers underneath his jaw, looking for his pulse. It stilled, and Naruto found himself wishing he'd kept the hand moving. The coolness felt wonderful against his heated skin. Then Itachi removed his hand entirely and Naruto only just caught himself before he whined at the loss.

"You have a fever, your heart is racing, and you're in obvious pain. Why are you out here alone?"

Naruto smiled at the tone Itachi used, which strongly suggested Naruto was an idiot.

"I didn't want to worry them. You feel my chakra, don't you? It would scare the hell out of them."

"So you leave them sleeping and go to the middle of a forest alone." Itachi deadpanned.

"Heh. It's not like I'm completely unprotected. Only ninja would be out here this late, and only an Uchiha or Hyuuga could bypass my seal. I didn't really have much time for anything else, or you wouldn't be standing there right now."

"Right." Itachi said, and Naruto wasn't sure if he believed it or not. Regardless, it was true. "So, what is happening to you? I don't see any external injuries."

Naruto didn't question how Itachi could see when it was almost pitch black. He assumed the man was either using his Sharingan or pumping chakra through his eyes. It was a neat trick. One he would never need again if he survived this.

Naruto sighed. Why was Itachi even here? Oh right, Naruto had invited him to drop by. But did he really have to choose now of all times?

"It's not really your problem. Why are you here, anyway? I know I told you to find me and all, but I really meant during the daytime."

His body jerked again as a vein burst again near his spine. He gritted his teeth and dug his nails into his hand, drawing blood. He managed to withhold his shout of pain. And a second later, the cuts on his hand healed like they were never there. Apparently Itachi saw this.

"So this is because of the Bijuu you are a host to?" He asked, ignoring Naruto's question. Naruto huffed and threw a small grin at the man.

"Yes, it is. You know, Sasuke is just as stubborn as you when he wants to know something."

"Has it happened before?" The man asked after a moment's silence.

"Yes and no." Naruto answered, remembering that it hadn't technically happened before in this timeline. He decided to take pity on the Uchiha and answer the question he knew was buzzing around in his mind. "No, it won't happen again. It's sort of a one-time thing."

He knew the man wouldn't be satisfied with that answer, given the ambiguous answer he'd received first, but he'd have to live with it. Plus, Naruto was in pain, damn it, and he wasn't in the mood to explain it all quite yet.

He heard a sigh. "What is the demon doing?" Itachi asked.

"She's merging our chakras. I punched a hole in the seal to get some much needed chakra. This is the result."

"I see. Is there…anything I can do?" Naruto almost laughed at the hesitant question.

"Why would you want to help me? I thought you were under the impression I was an enemy?"

"If I thought that, you'd be dead right now."

"Right." Naruto drawled in the same tone Itachi had used before. "Well, in that case, you wouldn't mind finding me some water, would you? I left my scroll for it back at Tazuna's house."

A moment later, after he heard the sounds of a scroll being opened, he felt the mouth of a canteen being pressed to his mouth. He tried to reach up and grab it himself, but he could barely lift his arms."

"Don't move, you'll hurt yourself."

After he took a few gulps, and the canteen was pulled back, Naruto shook his head slightly.

"Thanks. But I'm in pain whether I move or not, so it doesn't matter much. Besides, it seems as if Kyuu's almost done. Thank Kami." As he and Itachi had spoken, the pain had been slowly receding, and no more veins had burst. He jumped when he suddenly heard Kyuu's voice.

Kit, get ready. You're doing well.

Right. I'm ready. Get it done quick.

"Itachi. Go to the other side of the clearing. Now!" Naruto said aloud, having almost forgotten the man was standing there until he put a hand on his shoulder.

Being the smart ninja he was, Itachi didn't ask questions. Naruto braced himself for the final step of the process, and not a second later he felt all the extra chakra, which had escaped from his chakra system and found no place to return after the vein was healed behind it, leave his body in one last, intense burst.

Kyuu's chakra being as aggressive as it was, it couldn't be expelled from his body as calmly as he would have wished. If Itachi had still been standing next to him, the man would have been assaulted by blades of chakra. As it were, his body was now littered with cuts that had come from inside his body and he felt blood dripping down from them.

He surprised himself when he made no other noise than a sigh of relief. He slumped back against the solid tree and allowed his head to loll.

A second later, Itachi was back at his side, supporting his head with one hand and checking over his injuries. The cuts quickly healed, so he didn't find anything that needed any real medical attention, but Itachi sat down next to him and pulled Naruto's head down into his lap, not that the blond noticed all that much.

Naruto sighed again in relief. Slowly, the chakra that flowed through his chakra system was being distributed to his muscles and the torn tissues that were still damaged from the veins that had burst open. It healed and soothed and he was surprised he didn't moan in relief right then and there.

"So it's over." Itachi said.

"Yep." Naruto answered, his voice sounding infinitely better than before. He paused for a second. "Why's my head in your lap?" He managed.

Naruto didn't get an answer, but he didn't really care that much, since he fell asleep a moment later.

Now that that's through:

I'm horrible to poor Naru, aren't I? And I've made him fall asleep at the end of the last two chapters...And does anybody want to guess what happened to Hinata and Shino?

Plus, if you have any opinions on the one-shot idea, please feel free to share. ^.^ I hope you enjoyed!