First off, you are more than welcome to hire a hacker, track me back to my house, and beat me within an inch of my life. This was my first fic; it's what brought me all the attention that has led to me always finding a new story alert or favorite story in my e-mail, and I apologize for taking over half a year to update.

However, I must say, I am highly disappointed with how I've done this fic so far. It's blindingly fast, vague, inconsistent, and just plain crazy in some parts. If I was the writer I am today back when I first started this fic, I wouldn't have reached Orochimaru until chapter 12 at the earliest.

Therefore, as both compensation for my long silence and to steer this fic back on the right track, this chapter will be twice the length of a normal chapter and will incorporate my improved writing style. If it seems a complete 180 from what you're used to, so be it. I cannot live with this scar on my conscience. Forgive me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Kyuubi Speech"

'Kyuubi/Demon Thoughts'

"Animal Speech"

Sakura sat in the hollow of a large tree, even by the standards of the Forest of Death. In fact, on any other day, Sakura would have marveled at the size of the hollow, which could have been mistaken for a small cave. However, at that moment, the only thing occupying Sakura's thoughts was keeping the most important person in her life alive.

Sakura wetted a cloth with the small amount of water she had and dabbed at the lovely red-orange fur of her beloved. She had covered Naruto with a blanket, partly out of modesty, partly out of a pathetic effort to offer comfort. Sakura was using all her strength of will to keep from crying.

She did not know what was wrong with the boy she already thought of as the most precious thing in the world. She thought back to the already worn memory in her head. The man Naruto called Orochimaru biting Sasuke, the god-like surge of chakra from Naruto that made Sakura want to curl up and die under its vastness, and then Naruto on the ground, Orochimaru no where in sight.

Sakura had next to nothing in the terms of medical knowledge. But even she could see that Naruto was suffering from fatal chakra exhaustion. He barely breathed, and his body was covered in burns visible through his thick fur. His beautiful nine tails lay limp on the ground around him.

For the thousandth time, Sakura crawled over to Sasuke. The boy was unconscious, but in a way that exuded sleep rather than a coma. Sakura carefully lifted her teammate's neck to stare at the mark burned into his neck. It looked remarkably similar to the tomoe of the Sharingan eye. Sakura wished she knew how this little blemish could cause Naruto to overreact like he had.

Sakura left Sasuke and returned her attention to Naruto. His condition was unchanged. Sakura's resolve faltered, and the tears finally came. Thick, choking sobs that made every creature that heard them feel misery came from the small, pink-haired girl. Like a lit candle, her sorrow was burned through by the wonderful outlet known as crying.

Sakura didn't have the knowledge or tools or even ability to help Naruto. All she had were some meager rations, a now empty water bottle, and the basic first aid training from the Academy that was nothing more than common sense.

Sakura wished that she still had the Heaven scroll; maybe it had contained some secret that could have kept Naruto alive. However, it had been burned when Naruto had gone supernova.

Sakura sat there, letting her despair take over her. Naruto would die, and she could do nothing about it. Naruto was not just a crush. There was something about him that simply made him an integral part of your life immediately. In Sakura's eyes, watching the miniature Kyuubi no Kitsune die in front of her eyes would be akin to watching the entire village die by her hand.

Eventually, all of Sakura's sorrow bled out through her eyes. The result was her feeling like a hollow husk. It was frightening, because Sakura felt as if she would lose her whole identity if she wasn't careful.

Sakura's eyes, which had been sealed shut by her cries, now were going through the movements of one desperately trying to open their eyes. But her eyelids had cramped, leaving Sakura blind to the world. Panic filled her when her memories started to slide beyond her grasp.

She was sad for something; what was it? Why was she waiting here like this? The logical part of Sakura's brain reminded her that trauma could lead the brain to suppress what had caused it, but the pinkette had a feeling that what she was trying to remember was very important.

Sakura now tried to tear her eyelids apart, in an attempt to see the light of day. She needed to remember something, but she was losing touch with it! But despite her efforts, Sakura couldn't open her cramped eyes to let outside stimuli wash away her doubt. Frozen in place, Sakura Haruno slowly but surely started to go utterly and completely out of her mind.

Naruto had never felt so tired. Then again, he didn't know if he was feeling anything. He was in a half-realm between sleep and consciousness, between death and life, between light and dark. Any thought he had was slurred and incoherent as if he was think thinking in echoes was thinking echoes thinking in echoes in echoes echoes echoes.

There was endless sound, but there was no sound. There was everything and nothing; a void that seemed infinite, with the universe opposite it. The echoes came from the half of the area that seemed whole, coming back as twisted whispers from the void,

Suddenly there were another set of echoes, overlapping Naruto's own, canceling out any and all thoughts in his head. The random sounds and pitches made no sense to Naruto. Who was Naruto? The sounds increased in pitch, pounding a tattoo in Naruto's skull. Again, who was Naruto?

The void seemed more inviting than the whole from which the sound came. Naruto leaned toward the void. The feeling of being farther and farther away from somewhere took hold. As if everywhere and nowhere were being merged. Merged. Why did that seem to mean something?

'BECAUSE IT DOES!" Naruto sat up ramrod straight. Like marbles from a split sack, memories and facts of who he was rattled around his mind, bringing him firmly back into reality.

Naruto looked around himself. He was sitting on a small square of tile, beyond the tile, there was nothing but black. It took Naruto a moment to realize that this was his mindscape. He would have contemplated how he had gotten there when the voice of one seriously pissed off demon fox overrode Naruto's thoughts.

'I must have been out of my mind! I should have given us a heart attack the instant you had the notion to go all out! You had me for a while there, making me think you were actually worthy for me to change my ways for! Now I see you for what you are: a mindless fool with less common sense than a mite of dust!!!!'

Naruto tried to order his thoughts into some cohesive order. He was still recovering from his half-life state. When he had managed to construct a sentence, he thought back to Kyuubi. 'Okay, so I might have overreacted a little.' The Kyuubi's reply was swift and terrifying, giving Naruto a taste of what the Kyuubi was when he was mad and uninhibited. It was like the mind of a wild animal, with the cold ruthlessness of one who enjoys the hunt and the death it brings.

'Overreacted a little? You condemned us to the void, over a little mark that you could have removed in a heartbeat! But no, the great Naruto no Kitsune won't do the logical thing. No, he goes and threatens every life within a million miles with his little fireworks display, removes the nasty snake-man from existence, without even thinking of the consequence!!!!!!'

Naruto shivered. He didn't even want to compute what Kyuubi was saying. For the first time in years, Naruto felt fear. He had always taken for granted Kyuubi, never realizing the full scope of just who or what he was. Naruto felt like he had just personally insulted the schoolmaster of the universe, and Naruto was the bad child who was about to get punished. It was a humbling, terrifying experience.

'That's right, go on and feel humiliated! It's the last thing you'll feel!!!!!!!' Naruto felt one fact click in his mind. 'Wait, what do you mean by that?' Again, the feeling of being under the schoolmaster's stare, and the idea that death would be welcome if it could provide a respite from the pure, unfiltered killing intent and outraged superiority emanating from Kyuubi's half of their mind.

'You summoned enough chakra to make a new planet! How did you think your chakra system would react to that? Your entire chakra network has literally gone up in flames! The only reason you're still alive is because I'm actually taking the time to make this little island and keeping it afloat!'

Naruto started to fully appreciate how much of his seemingly invincible façade came from the Kyuubi. The stories of how he had crushed mountains with a single swish of his tail suddenly didn't seem so exaggerated. 'Why don't you just keep this place going until someone heals us?' The sensation of being a toothpick being pinched by the hand of Kami swept over Naruto. 'Wait until someone heals us? Wait until someone heals us?'

Out of nowhere, a good half of the tile Naruto was sitting on disappeared. The disappearing tile was accompanied by enough unadulterated bloodlust that a weak Genin in Naruto's place would have died on the spot. 'I'm maintaining this through a constant stream of chakra alone. And thanks to you and your little snake extermination, my stores are near nonexistent. I give you an hour tops before we topple into darkness.'

'As for someone healing us, HAH! Even the great Slug Sannin Tsunade would mark you as dead. Sure, Medic-nin can remake organs, but not the chakra network itself. The entire way the whole of chakra healing works is by sending the jutsu through the patient's chakra network to the afflicted area.'

Naruto was about to point out the loophole, when Kyuubi very quickly closed it. 'Even chakra maladies and injuries from the Gentle Fist course through the network. It doesn't matter how mutated it is or if it's closed. As long as there is a network, the jutsu will take."

"But without a network, there's nothing that can be done. Any form of chakra healing would die off because there would be nowhere to go. And don't even think of a transplant. Not only do chakra networks disappear with death, but each system is unique to each person. Using someone else's would be worse than performing open heart surgery with a sledgehammer."

Naruto sought out a retort. There wasn't one. He tried to think up a solution to the problem, so obvious or so obscure that Kyuubi hadn't thought of it. He came up blank. Naruto hung his head in shame. He had been blindingly reckless, with a foolishness that would have most people falling on the ground with laughter.

For all his big words and obvious power, he had made a stupid mistake for which the price was the ultimate one.

Just as Naruto was about to sink into despair, an epiphany broke in his mind like a spark of light. 'If we're so doomed, why did you take the trouble to set up this island?' Naruto grinned. Hope. Possible both the greatest strength and weakness of the entire human race. Apparently, that trait existed in demons too.

'Don't tempt me!'Kyuubi couldn't hide from Naruto though. Clear as day, the demon kitsune's mind held the belief that against all odds, there was a way for them to still survive. Naruto grinned. 'You made the island because you hold in your heart the hope that you're wrong. No matter how miniscule the fraction of the near invisible percent of a chance there is, there's still a chance.'

Kyuubi grumbled. 'Okay, so I'm hoping there is a way we could live. You don't have to get all poetic on me.' Naruto grinned, and stood up. 'Well, we might as well make our chance as big as it can get.' So saying, Naruto started to perfectly balance on one toe claw. Knowing what the blond was thinking through their link, Kyuubi conserved his dwindling supply of chakra by maintaining only a square inch of tile. And so, maintaining his balance, Naruto hunkered down to wait.

Hinata raced through the trees. She was keeping a pace that most ANBU would have trouble maintaining. Hinata would not have been able to dream of such speed under normal circumstances. Hinata, while greatly improving as a kunoichi, was still no higher than high-Genin level.

However, one can do things one never dreamed possible when they were worrying that someone they love was in danger. Small, weak mothers can lift trees off their children, men in critical condition can force themselves to walk to see that their wife was alright… and a young girl could run so fast she left an after-image of herself when she thought the love of her existence was dead.

Hinata had no plausible proof that Naruto was in danger. But what was proof up against the omniscient radar that every lover possessed? As Hinata kept on going faster than a cheetah with genetic upgrades, the Hyuuga thought back on the last ten minutes of her existence, filled with more anxiety and raw emotion than in the last ten years.

(Flashback)

Hinata stood with a smile on her face that was uncharacteristic for a Hyuuga. In point of fact, it was uncharacteristic for most sane humans. But then again, why shouldn't she be smiling like this? Hinata didn't take particular joy in the pain of others, but this once she would make an exception.

Hinata was standing in the open in front of a team from Iwa. Under normal circumstances, this would have been considered suicide. But when that team was crying and begging Hinata to spare them while they were trapped by razor sharp blades, it was decidedly not normal.

Hinata looked at her new gloves again, the third time in as many minutes. They were a deep purple, and felt like silk, except sturdier. They were shaped like a woman's formal gloves. At the end of each finger was a piece of metal. The base was a circle of steel that was decorated with ornamental markings. Sticking out from a depression in the center of the base were bits of chakra-sensitive metal shaped like cat's claws, sharp on all sides so that a cut could come from anywhere on the claw, not just the point..

Or at least they had been a minute ago. Now, the claws had extended with the flow of chakra Hinata put into them. Hinata had never used the gloves before, but she was a natural. The instant she had released chakra into the claws, she had skillfully arranged her fingers so that when the claws shot out,( in a straight line to be clear) they had trapped the team of Iwa shinobi against a tree in such a way that any attempt at escape was futile.

To be more specific, depending on how they moved, any one of the Iwa that tried to escape would cut off at least one of six appendages. Both arms, both legs, the head and… well, if you're male you can probably guess what the sixth one is. Understandably, the Iwa team was freaked out.

Kiba whistled under his breath, while Akamaru whimpered. Shino, as always, was as unresponsive as stone. Hinata yelled at the Iwa "Do you have a Heaven scroll?" One of the Iwa, the leader based off how the other two turned to him, cried out "No, we have an Earth scroll! But please find it in your heart to let us go alive, oh great and powerful Hyuuga-sama!"

The Iwa captain was literally crying. One might think this was pathetic, especially from a ninja from an Elemental Country famed for its emotionless shinobi. But, Hinata's left ring finger claw was so close to his manhood that as he involuntarily twitched from standing in the awkward position he'd assumed to avoid Hinata's claws, the metal caused shallow cuts in his sack. So, the young man was appropriately fearing for his life and legacy.

Hinata scowled dramatically, than pretended to think it over. "Okay, go, but remember how close you came to dying today and know that I could do it again very easily." With that chilling statement, Hinata cut off the steady flow of chakra to the claws. The pieces of metal quickly retracted, until they were no more than inch long.

The Iwa team took a second to get the blood flowing normally back to their limbs, and then ran off into the forest as if Kami himself were chasing them. Kiba waited until they were out of earshot then spoke up. "Hinata, don't ever do that to me. The Council should label that move as an S-level Kenjutsu!"

Hinata, lacking a bunch of males cowering before her, had reverted to her normal self. As such, she blushed in embarrassment. "It wasn't that bad, was it?" Akamaru whimpered again, emphasizing what was coming out of his master's lips. "Are you kidding? If I had been in there position, I would have screamed bloody murder, than would have passed out!"

Shino spoke up, in a cold calculating manner that was somehow worse than Kiba's humorous fear. "Hinata, I honestly think that the Council would approve that ranking." That of course made Hinata almost faint at the thought that she held a weapon that would have males begging her to spare them. For a brief second, Hinata envisioned a world with her as the unquestioned dictator. But it passed.

Kiba's voice was not as panicked as before, but there was still a thin vein of fear in his voice when he asked "Where on earth did you get those anyway?" Hinata smiled as she thought back to that day…

(Flashback within Flashback)

Hinata had just made it back to the Hyuuga compound after a hard day of training. She silently made it to her room, feeling odd as she always did when people stopped to acknowledge her with a quiet "Hinata-sama." Seriously, it wasn't like she was royalty. Her sister didn't get this kind of treatment.

An inferiority issue aside, Hinata walked into her room and was surprised to see a small box laid out on her bed. It was a bright red, with a violet ribbon. On top of the box was also a small, open-up card. Curious, Hinata walked forward to inspect the package. Seeing the familiar handwriting, Hinata grabbed the card and read it.

"To Hinata," it read on the front. A slight blush on her cheeks, Hinata opened the card to see what the message was inside. In a fluid yet scratchy scrawl, the result of trying to hold a pen in claws, Naruto had written to Hinata "Happy anniversary. May this gift remind you of both the lady you are and the warrior you need to be. Half my love, Naruto."

Hinata grinned and opened the box…

(End Flashback within Flashback)

Kiba whistled. "Where does Naruto get that stuff?" Hinata just grinned and shrugged. The team most likely would have gone on to find another team to confront had not enough chakra to power every light bulb in the universe for the next century blasted into them.

Hinata was instantly on the ground, her knees collapsing under the physical pressure the chakra gave off. Hinata knew what chakra it was instantly; only one person wielded a chakra that made you want to laugh and cry at the same time from the sheer amount of conflicting good and evil inside it.

'Naruto!' Hinata screamed in her head. As quickly as the surge appeared, it vanished. The instant that Hinata could think clearly, her head and heart filled with a bottomless fear and panic. Without warning, the lavender-eyed heiress raced off into the forest, heading for the epicenter of the chakra supernova she had felt, Shino and Kiba following belatedly after her, yelling questions at her that she didn't bother answering.

(End Flashback)

And that's where she was now. A good 100 yards behind Hinata, Kiba and Shino tried to keep their female teammate in sight. They were having a hard time of it. Kiba had reverted to his sense of smell to follow his teammate, since his eyes could barely perceive her. Shino followed Kiba, his logical mind for once coming up blank as to why Hinata would run off toward the source of a veritable chakra supernova.

Hinata remained oblivious to her team, focusing entirely on channeling all her fear anxiety, and dread into manic energy.

Sarutobi was racing through the Forest of Death, still in his official robes and hat, with an ANBU team behind him. The instant that the old man had picked himself off the floor, he had summoned the best ANBU team he had. Two heavy attackers, one long-range fighter, and the absolute best medic-nin in Konoha besides Tsunade. All of them wore monkey masks to show their loyalty to Sarutobi (Sarutobi translated is literally "Flying Monkey").

Suppressing his anxiety for his adopted son, Sarutobi had explained "We are going to investigate the chakra surge from the Forest of Death. If it came from who I think it came from, we are to bring him to the Hokage Hospital immediately."

The medic among them was shocked by this. The Hokage Hospital was a private center hidden in the shadow of the Hokage Monument. Only the Hokages and their most trusted allies were treated there. It was, of course, state-of-the-art. It was rumored that Tsunade had first became interested in the healing arts when she had been treated there for the Ebola epidemic that had occurred forty years before. She was cured in less than a week, a full two months ahead of the villagers who didn't die outright who'd been treated at the regular hospital.

The person Sarutobi thought had created the surge must have been extremely important.

Without further ado, Sarutobi himself had taken off toward the Forest of Death, his team getting into a V-formation with Sarutobi at the head. They were going as fast as Sarutobi could go without breaking his brittle bones, which to the old man's rage was pathetically slow compared to his speed just ten years prior. Being a senior was hell.

Team Gai was moving with posthaste towards where the chakra supernova (let's just call it that) had originated. Normally, they would have avoided it completely, thinking it the work of one of their enemies, except it was familiar to a certain branch member of the Hyuuga.

Neji did not particularly care for the Main Branch, and he absolutely despised Hiashi, but he did take notice of what happened with his uncle's immediate family. He knew that his 'sister' Hinata was dating the adoptive son of the Sandaime, and he had detected traces of an unusual chakra on her after her dates. Naturally, Neji took note of the chakra's versatility, and decided that the mysterious boyfriend was unique.

So when Neji was just sitting around with Tenten and Lee after an hour of reconnaissance, and he had sensed, or rather been blown away, by that same chakra on a massive scale, the Hyuuga had naturally assumed that something had happened to the Hokage's son, and so had come to investigate. Not surprisingly, when Neji activated his Byakugan, he was blinded by all the traces.

Tenten followed because of natural curiosity, Neji being the unofficial leader of the team, and because of her own personal feelings for the boy. They were undeveloped, and Tenten didn't know what to make of them, but she knew she felt something for Neji, and so trusted his explicitly. Lee simply followed through the desire to see who had given off, in his own words, "such a large fountain of youthfulness!" Any living thing within ten feet when he said that sweat dropped.

Ino was being dragged through the forest. She wasn't being literally dragged, but if felt that way. Why did her teammates have to run off like that? Ino was as afraid of the forest as any other person, and she didn't want to be left alone, so she grudgingly followed her two teammates who were running with fear on their faces.

She didn't see what the big deal was (yep, she's that dimwitted). So there had been some kind of chakra supernova. So what? Shouldn't they be running away from it instead of towards it? But no, her lazy partners decided now of all times to use their energy, and ran off towards the source.

Ino pouted, unseen by the lazy genius and 'chubby' boy in front of her. Why had they forced her into this? Spared from knowledge of Ino's inner workings, Shikamaru and Chouji raced with fear in their hearts. They knew Naruto's chakra when they felt it, and they knew that the man, while a show-off, would never use that much chakra unless something terrible had happened. And so, with a whiny blond behind them, the Nara and Akimichi heirs ran through the Forest of Death towards their friend.

(If you haven't spotted the trend by now, no offense, but you're an idiot. Let's see who's next!)

The Sand Siblings were riding on a large platform of sand currently traveling at high speeds. Gaara looked slightly worried, Kankurou looked downright confused, and Temari was experiencing a mix of anxiety and curiosity (I know that all you haters out there will notice I'm using the same words over again, but just be thankful that I'm updating at all! I could easily just forget about this and spend more of my time writing down new ideas that will probably never get updated! Okay, that came out wrong. Back to the story).

Before this unusual mode of transport had started, Gaara had been fighting a team from Ame. And the word fighting is being used in the loosest term of the word. He'd trapped them in a Sabaku Kyuu and kept on asking, in a polite tone of all things, for the team to hand over their scroll. While that was happening, Kankurou started debating rather having a bloodthirsty brother was better than having a pacifist brother.

This very well might have gone on forever had not there been a, for lack of a better term, chakra supernova, for it was both brief and intense. It had dispelled Gaara's sand completely, letting the team escape, while Gaara's brain went through the processes of shock and connecting the dots. He knew that chakra, and more importantly the Ichibi knew it.

Temari and Kankurou also recognized the chakra; Kankurou because one of his puppets had been controlled by that chakra and Temari because she had felt it coursing beneath her lips when she kissed a certain hanyou Jinchuuriki. Therefore, they weren't too surprised when Gaara had created the platform underneath them and headed toward where the supernova had come from. All of them were wondering 'What has happened?'

(Start the dramatic music)

Maybe it was fate, maybe it was just a coincidence, but all five parties arrived at the exact spot where Naruto 'exploded' at the exact same time. Surprise was the general emotion. The Konoha teams were shocked to see the Hokage himself in the forest, Sarutobi and his ANBU were surprised that all these teams had shown up, and the Sand Siblings were startled that all these people had dared to come near the chakra supernova.

Sarutobi, through years of experience, had learned to completely mask his emotions and become totally professional. He decided that now was the time to employ that skill. "What are you all doing here?" Most everyone, aware that they were in the presence of the most powerful man in the village, stayed silent.

However, Hinata wasn't entirely herself, and so did something very uncharacteristic: yell out in panic. "Where is Naruto? What's happened to him?" The crying heiress was literally at Sarutobi's feet, begging. Sarutobi was shocked, to say the least, but maybe it was just because Hinata had managed to get past his ANBU to get to him. Kiba and Shino instantly came over, whispering "So sorry, Hokage-sama, we apologize for her behavior."

Sarutobi just shook his head. "No, don't worry about it. Well, I think it's pretty obvious why we're all here. The question is what do we do know?" Gaara, not being so intimidated by the presence of the Hokage, offered "We're all here to find Naruto, at least that's why I'm here. We should start by finding out where he and his team are."

Ino alone was shocked. 'That chakra came from Naruto? I know that he somehow cheated and beat Sasuke, but how could he have made that chakra?' But again, the world at large was unaware of the fangirl's thoughts. For everyone else, this was just confirmation. Sure, Tenten was a little shocked, and Shino tried to wrap his mind around the concept, but it wasn't as bad as Ino's blind obsession to Sasuke.

Sarutobi instantly took charge of the situation. "Alright, if everyone is okay with being here, then we get to work. Everyone try to find out where Team 7 could have gone." No one objected, and all started using their own unique abilities to try and find Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, except for Ino who just stood there dumbly.

Five minutes later, after several sounds of sniffing, bugs flying, and people inspecting the ground, Kiba found Sakura's scent. Silently, the ANBU team berated themselves for being outdone by a Genin, but that was not of importance. The instant Kiba yelled out his discovery, everyone, including the still shell-shocked Ino, followed the Inuzuka. The sight was actually very odd: seventeen ninja, of various villages and ranks, running in formation. An onlooker would have been very intimidated.

After a minute of jumping through trees, the entire entourage arrived at the clearing containing the tree where Team 7 was. The Oto team in the trees instantly fled upon seeing the vast size of the group as well as the unmistakable Hokage's robes. The only ones who noticed were Sarutobi, the ANBU, and Kiba. Everyone else was preoccupied with the sight of an unconscious Uchiha, a whimpering Haruno, and what appeared to be a miniature Kyuubi no Kitsune with spiky blond hair covered by a blanket.

Hinata's fear knew no bounds the instant she saw Naruto. His secret was exposed! Prioritizing, Hinata went to Sakura, who seemed to be going through a psychotic breakdown. Hinata shook Sakura, yelling "Wake up! What happened?" When Sakura remained unchanged, Hinata gave a chakra-enhanced slap to the cheek.

That did the trick. Sakura's eyes flew open, and internally the pinkette thanked Kami that Hinata had slapped her. She had been less than an inch from the borderline of sanity. But then her memories came back to her, and Sakura got in a panic. "Naruto!" she yelled, turning her head to see the still near-dead blond.

This simple statement would have far-reaching repercussions. Like dominoes, you could see comprehension, astonishment, and then fear go across the faces of Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Kankurou, and even Shino, though you could barely tell with the sunglasses and jacket. All the informed members just showed panic that the secret was out.

As Hinata and Sakura rushed to their boyfriend, Sarutobi instantly tried to do damage control. Using his Hokage voice, he turned to his younger audience and said, calmly but firmly "This is an S-class secret. You are not allowed to tell anyone on penalty of death. Those from Suna, I beg you to please keep this confidential. No one must know of this."

When belated nods came, Sarutobi signaled to his team. The professionals went to Sasuke and Naruto, dragged the hysterical Hinata and Sakura off the latter, and then placed the two on stretchers summoned by the medic-nin among them. In a matter of seconds, the ANBU were with Sarutobi again.

Seeing the decimated expressions on the two girls' faces, Sarutobi said "Hinata, Sakura, you can come with me. Kiba, Shino, I'll make sure you don't fail because Hinata is gone. All of you, continue with the exam. You all can come visit after the second part of the exam is done." With that, Sarutobi and his ANBU Shunshined back to Konoha, with Hinata and Sakura in tow, leaving four very confused teams in their wake.

(I actually considered ending the chapter there, but I'm too big a softie to do it)

Sarutobi, his team, Team 7, and the Hyuuga heiress arrived at the Hokage Hospital in a flurry of leafs. They were instantly ushered in by the finest medic-nin in the country, kept on the Hokage Hospital payroll even if there were no plausible signs of danger, just in case something happened. But that's another story.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke and Naruto were being crated off toward the treatment wing, leaving a disgruntled Hinata and Sakura, an anxious Hokage, and a diligent ANBU team. The doctor's had the good grace to not even blink when they saw Naruto.

Thirty minutes later, the head doctor came out with a clipboard in hand and sad expression. Sarutobi instantly suspected bad news. The man cleared his throat, and then read off the list. "Sasuke Uchiha is unconscious, suffering from the placement of a Cursed Seal. The Cursed Sealing has been performed, and no negative effects are showing. He'll be fine in a few days."

Sarutobi felt an almighty "but" coming. He was not disappointed. "But Naruto Uzumaki is another story. His chakra system is completely destroyed. Other than a tiny independent pocket, there's nothing. He's dry. I hate to say it, but he will die, if he hasn't already."

Before anyone else could react, Sakura fell to the ground screaming "NO!" and tearing at her hair, while Hinata simply fainted with an expression of such pain you could feel it at ten paces. Quick as a flash, both were carted off by the ever-present doctors.

Sarutobi felt numb. Naruto dead? It was a cold, unforgiving concept that the old man refused to accept. Naruto couldn't die. He simply couldn't. At least half a dozen lives were hinged on the boy's existence.

Sarutobi dismissed the doctor and his team. He then sat there listlessly. He needed to think, and he couldn't afford any interruptions. For ten minutes, though they felt like days, the aging Hokage went over every possible operation or countermeasure that could be used to save Naruto. Just as he was about to give up hope, a memory flashed into focus, figuratively dusty from lack of use.

(Flashback)

Sarutobi sat in his home, enjoying his pipe and his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. It was a bright, sunny day, with just enough clouds to grand a gentle coolness without diminishing the beauty of the blue sky. It was a perfect day by all standards.

Just as Sarutobi was about to get to the part that made even him… uh, harden, none other than Kushina Uzumaki showed up at his doorstep. Quick as lightning, Sarutobi hid the godlike smut written by his student. He knew from experience how his successor's wife reacted to, as she put it, "disgusting porn that should be burned on sight!"

Kushina was now six months pregnant, and it showed. She smiled, her red hair waving in the breeze, and said in a clear, bell-like voice "It's okay Sarutobi, I'll pretend I didn't notice what you were reading." Sarutobi smiled and said "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kushina laughed, and for a moment all of nature stopped to enjoy it. Sarutobi never got over how undeniably beautiful Kushina was, in every aspect. Why, if he'd been born thirty years later…

Kushina took a moment to pat her expanding belly. For a trainaholic Whirlpool refugee who was the last of her clan, Kushina could be incredibly tender to those she cared for, which included her unborn child. When the moment passed, Kushina waddled over to her husband's predecessor.

"Minato will be wondering where I've gone, so I can't stay too long. I swear, as the Hokage, you'd think he'd have more important things to worry about than how often I do my breathing exercises." Sarutobi had a chuckle at that; hell hath no fury like Minato Namikaze when he was worried.

"I came to give you this," Kushina said, handing Sarutobi a scroll with the Uzumaki crest on it. Sarutobi looked up in surprise. Kushina was jealously secret about her clan. She'd literally break you hand if you asked too many questions she didn't like; Minato had spent a good week in the hospital for that.

"I know what you're thinking, but let me explain. After my clan died, I learned a whole new meaning for 'contingency plan.' Anything could happen to me or Minato, and I can't just naively assume that I'll live to teach my child about my clan. That scroll is a copy of my clan's history and our various jutsus."

Sarutobi opened his mouth to protest, but Kushina displayed her uncanny ability to know what you're thinking. "But what if you die first? Well, that scroll isn't the only one. There's one in the Namikaze complex and another hidden in the Hokage office. This way, in the event that Minato and I die while you live, you can teach my child when he's ready."

Without waiting to hear if Sarutobi would agree or not, Kushina got up and, with a little effort, Shunshined back to the Hokage Building. Sarutobi looked at the scroll, and then took it into his home and hid it in hi safe.

(End Flashback)

Sarutobi took a brief second to scold himself on being so stupid. He had completely forgotten about the scroll after the Kyuubi attack. He hadn't even remembered it during the eight years he'd trained Naruto. He was going senile, that had to be it.

But the moment passed, and Sarutobi saw the lifeline he'd just been given. The Uzumaki clan had been notorious for being jacks of all trades; not even Kushina had been able hide that. Maybe one of them had developed a healing jutsu that just might work. The aches and pains of old age leaving him, Sarutobi rushed towards his home.

He arrived in seconds, and made a beeline for the safe before the door had even fully opened. Removing the fake wall covering the block of metal, Sarutobi quickly but meticulously turned the dial on the safe. When the last tumbler fell into place, Sarutobi ripped open the door.

The safe was bare except for the key to the Konoha Bank given to him by the Daimyo, a few jewels he'd bought over his 68 years, and the scroll. Sarutobi took it out with a fervor that would have surprised him if he'd been fully sane. Calming himself slightly, Sarutobi opened the scroll with care.

The scroll was written like a timeline/biography, showing the accomplishments of individual members, and the jutsu they had brought into the clan, some bought from other countries, but most of them original.

Sarutobi skimmed the scroll as fast as he could, looking for anything that might indicate a life-saving operation. Just before both the scroll and Sarutobi's hope ended, he found it. An experimental medical jutsu developed by Kushina's father. As Sarutobi read the complex description, a smile graced his withered lips. This could work.

The Hokage Hospital was silent until Sarutobi stormed in. Then it resembled a broken anthill. "Alright, listen up!" the old man yelled for all to hear. "I want all of you to bring Naruto to the river, and prepare for a serious surgery. Also, summon four of the best Suiton users we have. Any that we have in the village! Let's go, go go!"

Sarutobi's orders where followed to the letter. In a matter of minutes, a contingent of twenty doctors, subdivided into four sections, with four assorted Jonin, Chuunin, and ANBU skilled in Suiton jutsu stood by the river, Sarutobi presiding over it all. When everyone was assembled, he spoke.

"Listen, we only have one chance so make it count! I've found an experimental jutsu that just might save Naruto. I need all of you to participate." With that, Sarutobi hastily handed out 24 sheets of paper he'd carefully if hurriedly copied the medical jutsu onto. As they read it, one of the doctors cried "Why, this is genius!" Sarutobi couldn't agree more.

The Sentient Whirlpool Healing; it had taken five years of Naruto's grandfather's life to develop. It was a masterpiece. It wasn't a new take on an old idea, it was an absolute breakthrough. Genius in its conception, complex in its execution, it could easily be categorized as a SS-level healing technique.

The jutsu was near impossible, but if it worked it could be a panacea. Description: A whirlpool would be created over the patient. Four teams of five medic-nin would channel a different kind of sub-jutsu into the whirlpool, making it sentient, and a living thing. The whirlpool would allow them to mix perfectly, until the whirlpool entered the patient via the mouth.

Once the water entered the patient, it would spread until it was present throughout the body. Then the whirlpool would completely scan the patient's body, assessing every single thing that was wrong, and then would fix the problem by turning itself into the appropriate material, be it blood, bone marrow, or tissue. The beauty was that it didn't use the chakra network as a medium, and therefore could possibly be used on Naruto.

When everyone one seemed to have memorized the jutsu, Sarutobi yelled out "Okay, get ready! We start the instant you're in position!" The twenty-four ninja complied, getting into the formation described in the scroll.

The four Suiton users went through hand signs with perfect synchronicity, ending at exactly the same time yelling "Whirlpool!" Almost instantly, water from the nearby river flowed through the air, until it formed a whirlpool over Naruto, a perfect rotating cone of water.

The first team of medic-nin went through their seals and yelled "Knowledge!" A stream of multicolored light flowed from them into the whirlpool: a complete knowledge of the human body, sustained and transported by chakra.

The second team did their jutsu, which was Diagnostics: the ability to analyze what was wrong. The third team did Transform, for the ability to change into what was needed, and the fourth team did Drive, the desire to actually help Naruto.

The whirlpool was now a mass of swirling light. Each team showed signs of fatigue, but they continued on. Eventually, the whirlpool turned into the described shade of green. With that, the medic-nin ceased their jutsu. Now came the part that could go wrong. The Suiton team altered the whirlpool so that it flowed in a stream into the open mouth of Naruto.

Sarutobi waited with bated breath. What if something went wrong? What if the whirlpool wasn't alive, what if it did nothing? But it was too late for doubts now. Sarutobi watched as Naruto's entire body glowed green as the last of the whirlpool flowed past his lips. Did it work?

Naruto was now afraid. Kyuubi's chakra would go out in ten seconds, and no sign of help was there. Naruto panicked slightly as he felt the tile beneath his toe flicker. Kyuubi was too tired, he could feel it through their link. Naruto jumped, the instant that the island of tile disappeared.

Right before Naruto's upward momentum ran out and he fell into the void, there was a flash of green light. Out of nowhere, Naruto's mindscape in full appeared. Naruto fell on his butt onto the wet tile, but the discomfort was almost glorious. In an instant, Naruto felt his power come back to him, and more importantly Kyuubi. Naruto laughed out loud when Kyuubi gave a sudden roar of triumph.

For a split second, Sarutobi thought it didn't work. But that thought was soon buried when Naruto sat up and yelled, at the top of his powerful lungs "WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sarutobi was too overjoyed to cover his ears.

So, what did you think? I know that a few of the more heartless out there will be nitpicky about all the flaws they can find, but I don't care. I've updated! I swear to you all, my faithful readers that I will update sooner. Ja ne!