Author's Note: No special warnings for this chapter except that it's about to get very messy, the kind of mess that would requ

Author's Note: No special warnings for this chapter except that it's about to get very messy, the kind of mess that would require a CSI team in reality. Thanks to all that reviewed. They are greatly appreciated. And, again, thanks to Cupricanka for her lovely additions. Please, review more. Seriously, I want to hear from more of you.

Oh, and another song recommendation for you all. You don't have to listen to it while reading, I'm probably the only one who sometimes uses them to bolster my imagination and excite my muse. But, you might enjoy listening anyway.

/watch?v8gzhVmJvLjE

Realm of Shadow, Shades of Hell

After barely an hour of fruitless searching, Kakashi and Hinata had run a length of perhaps ten miles. Whoever had taken Naruto knew how to cover their tracks better than most ninja, even the higher level ones. Blowing out a breath in frustration, Kakashi listened to the wind moan through the trees ominously and looked up to watch them sway back and forth, as if they were laughing at him. And, why shouldn't they? He'd lost track of one of his closest friends. Well, to be fair, Kakashi had never really considered Naruto in such a way, rather more like a nephew. One he had promised himself to watch over, if only because of the connection Naruto had to his beloved teacher. Of course, Naruto knew nothing about any of his family. He'd heard that the Sandaime had cooked up some lie when Naruto had turned six and began asking the old man why he was the one to visit Naruto in the village's orphanage instead of hopeful couples. He'd wanted to know where his parents had come from and why they had disappeared. If they had been ninja, considering the orphanage was sponsored by the Academy for the children of those members that had fallen in battle, his surname would have been among the registration lists. Apparently, he'd broken into the Sandaime's office to check.

Kakashi snorted and motioned for Hinata to halt. There was no point in continuing to track in their condition. They both needed rest and medical attention to alleviate the chakra exhaustion he knew had to be running through both their bodies. Reinforcements or a full search team would probably be necessary to capture any hint of a trail. He cursed silently as he watched Hinata sink slowly to the ground, shoulders slumping in dejection and fatigue. Her lower lip had begun to quiver and Kakashi felt his heart lurch and then slow painfully. He had failed them all again. Sakura was forever lost to the village along with all her medical prowess. Sasuke, who he'd heard had been a part of the battle and had possibly been fighting Pain alongside Naruto, was nowhere to be found.

His clones had informed him that most of the injured and dead had been moved within the village gates. Gaara and his ninja had accompanied them, some of them having been wounded and the others wanting an audience with Tsunade to discuss any repercussions or actions that might need to be taken against those that had followed Pain. He only hoped the council would authorize a proper search, despite the loss of perhaps a dozen or so ninja from Konoha. If Kakashi was successful in gaining even just two teams from his own village and perhaps a few from Suna, he felt certain they would be able to pick up the trail again. He cursed his own lack of strength silently. It wouldn't even be necessary if he hadn't wasted the last of his chakra on Chidori; he could have been using his nin-dogs right now. Sighing, he picked himself up from the crouch his aching body had automatically gone into.

"Let's go, Hinata. We'll return to the village and gather reinforcements for the search."

He watched her nod and crawl shakily to her feet and, together, they made their way back home. Kakashi, as tired as he was, took care to mark the spot before they lost it to time or the elements.

Hiroku stared down at his prize hungrily. The strange red chakra that had trailed them, connected to his prey and leading back toward Konoha, had long since dissipated. He had heard that the Jinchuuriki of Konoha could access the demon inside of him in order to use its power. That demon. . .

Hiroku curled his fists tightly while he sneered down at the boy. So, this must be that man's son. It was almost poetic, for the strongest of their number to sacrifice his own flesh and blood so the rest of them could keep playing at being human. He probably spouted some garbage about 'only doing what was best for the village' or 'protecting all that was important to him'. And yet, this boy had probably suffered more than any of them combined. It was all so worthless. He turned to spit onto the ground, gnashing his teeth together until they almost cracked.

Minato Namikaze, the supposedly benevolent fallen leader of his former home. Hiroku could never forget that name. Minato had taken everything from him, so he would take all that was Minato's; his village, his son, just as he had taken the man's wife. It should have happened sixteen years ago, the day that wicked demon had dared to try and toy with fully trained ninja. Suddenly, a humorless smile pulled his features up grotesquely. There was no need to become so emotional. Everything would be avenged, in the end. His family would know peace. Then, finally, finally Hiroku could leave the accursed life that being a 'tool' of old, arrogant men had given him.

There was nothing to see but black, black and more black. Good God, have I gone blind? Naruto's fuzzy mind had little time to reconnect with what he could, or couldn't, see of the world around him before he felt a sharp sting to the side of his head. Someone had just hit him. And, man, had it fucking hurt. Everything hurt. His arm was burning and he was so sure that his head was splitting along his temple he fully expected to find brain matter in his hair; except he couldn't move his hands. Well, he was pretty sure his left arm was broken badly, it certainly felt that way. His right arm, the one not burning with pain, felt strangely numb and smelled of slightly charred meat. Naruto gasped as a crushing wave of pain broke through his semi-conscious state. His left leg wouldn't obey him, even though he concentrated what chakra he could form on that side. For one terrifying moment, he believed it was no longer there, until whoever had hit him brushed a hand down that side. Bolts of pain ran through his hip and halfway down his thigh. Okay, not gone, but definitely broken, he thought.

He gasped again, finding it hard to take in air without pain knifing through his ribs. Fear clawed at his stomach. This was not Konoha and he was seriously, critically wounded. His friend was dead and he had no idea where Kyuubi was. Ignoring the heavy breathing from the person above him, Naruto delved into his mind in search of the God-beast. He knew that Kyuubi still lived. For him to die, Naruto would have suffered the same fate. As bad as his situation seemed, he knew that hadn't happened. Well, he was pretty sure anyway. People didn't have physical bodies, physical pain, in hell, right?

Deep inside the hollows of his own mind, Naruto sighted the cage, the golden bars and the stronger, newer seal that had appeared there when he and the Kyuubi had made their pact. Sighing, he slowed down. He could feel the pulse of Kyuubi's chakra, though it was muted. Perhaps he had poured more of it into the healing power he had granted to Naruto before the young man even knew himself. Exhausted beyond anything he'd ever experienced, he managed to remain upright until he reached the bars. There, staring out at him, were those eyes, so unnatural, so unlike anything a human could, or should, know.

"Naruto," the fox rumbled. "You must leave this place."

Naruto blinked up at him, the white of Kyuubi's fur brushing along his chest through the bars.

"I don't understand." His mind wasn't altogether able to function, even at the somewhat lowered capacity it usually did. He could see that. He saw many things, now, things that he hadn't been able to, or couldn't allow himself, to see before.

"Leave this place," Kyuubi replied, growling.

"Leave? Here? But . . . ," Naruto was having trouble breathing again. His chest hurt, his arm and hip resounded with pain sharply. Naruto felt himself begin to shiver, or maybe he was shaking. He knew what was out there. He didn't need a name for it, though he knew it. He had almost no chakra; it still hadn't had time to recover from all the battles. He was injured, mortally so. How could he . . . ? How could the fox . . .?

"Leave, now! Or we both die!" Kyuubi bellowed.

A rush of power and wind, sharply tinged with chakra hit Naruto squarely in the chest. Sucking in as much air as possible, Naruto managed to twist his body around to land on his feet a fair distance from the cage. Hitching his breathing to make allowance for all the pain the hit had generated, he glanced back at the agitated God-beast. The fox paced restlessly in his prison for a few moments before settling at the back of the cage to growl warily at Naruto. He could feel the anger, tinged with bitter fear, crackling in the air. It was not like Kyuubi to show such a thing. In his realm, in his past, it had almost always meant death. Naruto turned to go meet his fate. He only hoped if he was to fall that he could drag the other one down with him.

Naruto's next bout of consciousnesses brought more pain, an impossible amount. He could hear grunting and the same heavy breathing from before. Rough cloth covered his eyes. He could feel it bite into his forehead. Sharp pains in his abdomen now joined all the others, melding together in a roiling furnace that spread into his entire body. The man was pushing a sharp kunai into his stomach mercilessly and repeatedly, digging in and up through the muscles of his abdominal wall until the blade struck against the bone of his ribcage. Sucking in a breath through his clenched teeth, Naruto tried to move away from it.

"Oh no," a man's voice whispered close to his ear. His fetid breath made Naruto try to recoil again.

"No, no. You aren't going anywhere. I haven't even started the party."

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto gasped out between waves of pain and pressure.

"No one you know. No one you will ever know. But, I know you, murderer."

That didn't sound right. The man's voice rang in his ears dully. Sure, he had killed before, in battle, to protect his teammates and his village. But, what this man said, or how he said it, was so full of venom and hate. If he didn't know this man, than where had all that hatred come from? Naruto grunted, trying not to scream as the blade dug in again, this time on his left side.

"That's it. Feel that? I'm going to keep it going until you beg. Beg for your life, like I begged for his."

What? It was so hard to think. Naruto had enough trouble trying to keep his breathing from causing anymore injury to his aching lungs, trying to keep himself awake until he could form some kind of plan, a way out. The kunai left him, the blindfold was lifted and Naruto was assaulted with light. It hurt his eyes and continued even when he shut them tightly. Squinting narrowly, he tried again to open them. Bright sunlight filtered through a gap in a crag of rock to his left, streaming right into his face.

"Better?"

Naruto turned his head at the sound. His hands were secured above him to the rock face by a length of chain bolted to the wall that ran down to cuffs at his wrists. The cave he'd been taken to was like most caves; darkening past the edge they were situated in and full of nothing but grey, grey rock, grey walls, grey floor, all grey. Well, it was better than black and a hell of a lot better than being blind. A man sat near the mouth of the cave opposite Naruto. The white hair and lines around his face might mean he was as old as Tsunade or Jiraiya, but Naruto knew that was no sure indicator of age. Cold grey eyes glared at him. It was the same look Sasuke had tried on him at the Valley of the End. The thought of Sasuke brought him back to their conversation during the battle with Pain. Naruto shuddered. He didn't think he'd have any luck trying to convince this person to give up. Instead, he twisted his wrists experimentally in their bindings. His feet had been left unshackled. Though, what little comfort that would offer, seeing as how he had at least one shattered hip, several broken ribs that he could feel shifting inside of his body and a broken right arm, he couldn't tell. His left side, face and arm burned. Taking a quick glance at the parts of himself he could see clearly, Naruto sucked in yet another breath. Burns littered his left side and he could feel them reaching up to his left cheek. It twisted unnaturally behind him and there was a lump of what was probably bone pushing against his tattered jacket.

His heart began to beat faster as the full realization of his position hit him. He was going to die here. Chained to a rock wall, a madman in front of him and no hope of getting out of it without compromising his already horrific injuries; he was going to die here. The man's face twisted and split into a ghastly smile.

"Figured it all out, did you?"

"Who are you?" Naruto asked again. He didn't expect the man to answer. It wasn't as if the little time it might buy him would do him any good, anyway. But, Naruto had never been one to give in without exhausting every option and a few others no one had ever thought of besides.

The man sighed heavily.

"Now, why would someone like you bother with something like that? It should make no difference to you who I am. You're a ninja, after all."

Suddenly, without warning, he reached across the space between them and slashed at Naruto's face with the bloody kunai. How had Naruto missed it? Naruto could both smell and feel the blood dripping toward his chin and down onto his already saturated jacket.

"You're not all that good with genjutsu, are you? I can tell."

The man shifted again, bringing his hands up to form seals. Naruto had no hope of gathering enough chakra into himself, even with the help from his Toad training. He could not possibly hope to remain still enough to draw on natural energy, so he let the illusion overtake him. Hopefully, this man was not as good at them as he seemed to be at torture.

Red light covered every inch of ground Naruto walked on. From what Kakashi had told him, once, while laid up in the hospital after Itachi's genjutsu attack, this was how the Uchiha usually presented his illusions. It didn't matter. All Naruto had to do was survive it and get out. Of course, he then had to find a way free, but perhaps if he were to visit with the Kyuubi again . . . Naruto knew that the monster, for all that he was just as lethal and merciless as before, would not let him suffer. Something in the God-beasts' regard for him had changed. Naruto shivered and rubbed his hands on his arms. The pain had receded here, but an aching cold had forced its way into his bones. His fingertips were already going numb from it and his breath ghosted out in light puffs of visible air.

Traversing the gritty dirt, Naruto came upon a home blackened and crumbling from a recent fire. The light changed and the sweeping landscape became a city or town. Naruto recognized the gates at the west end as those of Konoha. So, the man had once been one of us? Did something happen like what had been done to Sasuke's family? Naruto had never really understood why no one had been searching for Itachi in all the time Sasuke had been in the Academy. He was sure if they had been that Itachi would have been found and dealt with. Hunter-nins and ANBU were trained for missions such as those. A stale wind blew past him as Naruto made his way through empty streets. For a genjutsu, this seemed nothing like the one Itachi had put him in or even the ones he'd heard could drive a ninja to catatonia or worse, kill them outright.

An eerie calm had settled over everything and it put Naruto on edge. Suddenly, a flurry of motion and color flew past his vision and off to the right. More motion and screams came from the right side, and then the left. It was everywhere. Townspeople and Genin ninja were fleeing in the direction of the caves behind the Hokage Mountain.

"Hurry! The beast is at the outer wall!"

"Get all the children in front. We need to keep them protected!"

The shouts of his fellow ninja, whether this was some kind of past event or twisted illusion of what this man had planned for them, were like a cool sea wind or hot meal after a long day of training. Home, this was his home.

And then, Naruto heard it; that familiar, quaking roar that jarred his very bones. The Kyuubi, the Kyuubi was here. Then, this must be the day of the attack but as this man had seen it, or lived it, whatever. Naruto turned in the direction he thought it had come from and set off as fast as possible. Reaching a tall three-story structure Naruto had never seen before, he waited. The Kyuubi crested a hill just outside the gates. His breath came faster than ever as a toad Naruto recognized as Gamabunta appeared in a cloud of smoke. Blond hair and blue eyes shining with the kind of determination he saw in himself every morning and a long white jacket, the symbol of the Hokage. This, this was the Fourth Hokage. The man he had idolized and wanted to be most like since he had learned the word ninja. He . . . he looks so much like me. An idea was trying to burrow its way into Naruto's head as he caught sight of the squirming bundle in the Yondaime's arms. That was Naruto; that was him, it had to be.

And, then the scene changed. Whirling Naruto into a room darkened by closed shuttered, a bed sat in the middle of the room covered in white sheets. A woman lay beneath them, moaning and twisting her hands in the crisp linen. Her bright red hair was drenched in sweat and splayed across the pillow. It moved restlessly as she tossed her head from side to side. Naruto held his breath as he caught the muttering coming from her lips.

"Minato . . . you have to . . . you have to come back, for Naruto."

Was this . . .? Was she . . . his mother? Taking a few steps further into the room, Naruto dragged his unwilling body forward. She looked nothing like the woman in the picture Sandaime had showed him when he was small and had finally badgered the old man into letting him see it. The hospital staff had apparently wanted to have something to give him should he ever ask, even though the couple had told the doctors they had no intention of taking Naruto with them. They already had enough children to feed, they had said, and didn't need more. According to Sandaime, they had died from starvation caused by famine that had meant no fish for the little village by the sea where they had lived and worked. Now, now, Naruto inched closer to this stranger who had uttered his name.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn't trust everything in this place, even if all illusions needed to have some base in fact for them to work. Just as he knew he could do nothing to help her when he suddenly spotted the growing patch of red where her legs came together. He wasn't so stupid that he had missed her swollen belly or what that had to mean. Well, so what if Shikamaru had had to be the one to explain it to him? It wasn't like he'd had anyone to give him lessons beyond anything ninja related. That thought brought a twinge to his chest and he rubbed at it absently as he was passed by a ghost of a nurse. He shouldn't have felt her shoulder, but the part of his brain that registered this as an illusion had begun to get confused.

Suddenly, the scene switched again and the woman, no longer moaning but still obviously pregnant lay peacefully in the same bed. Naruto could now hear the commotion of the battle he assumed had been carried over from the start of the illusion. Something was roaring in the distance and the sting of Kyuubi's chakra on his skin, like no other, confirmed it. Naruto nearly jumped at the sound of the door opening swiftly. But, it was neither a nurse, nor a doctor that entered. Instead, Naruto was greeted with the swift arrival of a much younger version of the ninja who now sat across from him - or across from the real Naruto, at least. He was wearing a ninja headband from Konoha, the leaf proudly etched into the metal tied across his forehead.

"Kushina, how are you feeling?"

The woman, Kushina he had called her, shifted and her eyes cracked open and then blinked to regard the man owlishly. Such a pretty blue color, the like of which Naruto had never seen. She smiled in Hiroku's direction which meant Naruto's as well, and Naruto felt his knees nearly give out. His mother had smiled. It was something he hadn't even known he'd been missing in his life, a smile like that with her face glowing all on its own.

"I'm feeling much better now that I know my husband is still out there. He'll keep this place, and our child safe, though it might mean his life."

Naruto couldn't even register fully that he was crying until he felt moisture drip onto the hand he had unconsciously lifted out to her.

"That's good," the man said. Naruto watched as his eyes kept flitting around the room to the window and the door, as if he was expecting an attack at any moment. Kushina had seen it, too.

"Hiroku, you have nothing to worry about. That monster won't ever do anything to harm another soul again." She had reached her hand up to his and squeezed it, but Hiroku turned away from it. His hands had begun to shake and his shoulders soon followed.

"Your family will not be forgotten. That demon will suffer through decades of imprisonment inside a human, his most loathed enemy, for what he has done."

Hiroku shook his head and turned moist eyes to Kushina.

"You are right, though it won't be the human you and that bastard had in mind."

Suddenly he snaked an arm out and the flash from the muted overhead light on metal caught Naruto and Kushina's attention. Naruto called out trying to warn her, forgetting the fact that this had already happened. Kushina made no sound at all. She simply looked up at Hiroku, an utterly pitying expression painting her pretty features.

"So, you have let yourself become just like that thing?"

Hiroku frowned at her. Reaching down, he gathered the sheets together in his hand and pulled. They fell and Naruto could see where the man's kunai had split Kushina's abdomen from breastbone clear to where her thighs met. The fact that he was seeing his mother naked and bleeding sickened him. The fact that this man meant more harm made him want to scream. But, he couldn't breath. Hiroku plunged his other hand into the wound and moved it around as if searching for something. Naruto wondered belatedly why no one had registered a problem. Smiling triumphantly, Hiroku dragged his hand, now bloody from wrist to elbow, back out of Kushina's body. With it came an organ or a sac that moved and was still connected to Kushina by a thick cord. Kushina still made no move to scream for help or fight him off. Instead she smiled and it threw Hiroku off his task for a moment.

"You won't win. Not now, not ever. If Minato doesn't bleed you dry, I'll find some way to rip your soul right down to hell even if I have to do it from there."

And, then, she threw her head back and screamed long and loud. Hiroku, sensing the urgency, moved faster. Drawing the organ to the bed, he slit it open and grabbed hold of whatever was inside. A wriggling, red, squalling infant came up from the dark. Hiroku nearly dropped it as he grunted in the effort to hold it and cut the cord still connecting mother and son. Naruto felt beyond sick. The appalling sight of his own birth, how it had come about, his mother . . . oh god, his mother, it all made him sick. Just as the doors finally burst open to emit a medical ninja and nurses, Hiroku shot through the closed window, the newborn held tightly in his arms.

The scene twisted and changed again. Naruto grew dizzy from it all. Everything he had seen, everything that was happening. He wanted nothing more than to escape it all. But, the scream threatening to rip his insides out never came. He gasped at the sight before him. He was now in the Hokage's private office, one he'd been in countless times before. It looked different. The colors were all different and there were many, many more scrolls lining the walls. The instruments, too, seemed to be more for astronomy and star-gazing than ninja work. Though, Naruto supposed the scrolls were probably all detailing some kind of jutsu or technique. The Yondaime sat with the Elders and a few advisors, some of whom Naruto recognized.

Naruto had never before seen a picture of the Yondaime, though he knew one had sat in this very office while Sandaime had held it. Tall, blonde and with blue eyes very like Kushina's, or Naruto's own, he reclined behind the desk, feet splayed out in front of him. Something about him was commanding, almost regal, despite his relaxed posture. He was currently rubbing his fingertips along his temples and frowning.

"What do you propose I do then, Fugaku? The child we had already intended to use is dead. If we'd had more than a cryptic warning from you and sooner than a few days ago that Madara was planning . . ."

The Yondaime suddenly stopped speaking. Naruto wanted him to continue, always continue. His voice, so rich and mellow, reminded him of Sasuke but was altogether different. Naruto turned to look back at whoever he'd been speaking to. The ninja behind him was black haired and dark eyed and seemed familiar. Naruto cocked his head to the side to try and remember when Hiroku, struggling bundle still in hand, broke into the conversation through a cloud of smoke.

"What the devil? Hiroku! You know that that technique is only warranted when the Hokage is in imminent danger! How the hell did you manage it with me in the office, anyway?"

The Yondaime's taut features were stressed and stretched to their limits as he faced the intruder. But, the screeching cry coming from the cloth bundle halted the tirade. Minato blinked.

"Hiroku, what? What is that? What are you doing?"

"This, my dear fearless leader, is your son."

Hiroku's twisted grin was back. Demented laughter reached the ears of all present, breaking the tense silence that had followed his words. Minato sat gaping at him until the one called Fugaku had managed to come from behind and attack Hiroku using three shuriken and a kick aimed at his legs. Hiroku had dodged them all easily while still managing to keep hold on the stained and tattered remnant. Fugaku's features were tense as he prepared for another run and Naruto thought he heard the man mutter something about 'trying to keep the child safe, he was already about to lose so much', but shook his head clear of it. He turned to watch Minato again, saw the lightly tinged skin bleed white and the brilliant blue eyes fill to brimming with tears.

"What have you done? My God, man, what have you done?"

The last part had been drawn out in a desperate plea that no one in the room had missed. Hiroku laughed again but didn't pause as he through the screaming infant at Minato and disappeared in another cloud of smoke. Minato's eyes widened and he collapsed to ground just in time to catch the falling child. The ninja surrounding him had erupted in a flurry of motion calling for medic-nins and for ANBU to start a hunt for Hiroku, but Naruto only had eyes and ears for Minato. He watched, enraptured, as the older man brought the cloth to his face and used one hand to peel back the edges. He cooed and hummed softly as silent tears coursed down his cheeks. He brought his fingers down to run them along the screaming child's face and the tuft of blonde hair on his head.

"Shhh, my boy, my beautiful boy. It's alright now. You're safe. That nasty man won't hurt you ever again. You'll be fine."

"He's so small. She was barely twenty five weeks, Minato," Fugaku said softly. He'd gone to the man's side when Minato had fallen to the floor, his feet jutting out to the side and behind him.

"I know. I know. I'll take care of it. I'll take care of everything. Have the nurses clean him up. I'll be back. There's something I have to do for him first. I need to see the Sandaime. I'll be back."

Minato was rambling, but Naruto understood. He had very nearly lost his son and had most likely lost his wife, would still, perhaps, lose them both. The medic-nin that took the boy looked sadly down at him and then up to Minato, begging.

"I'm sorry. Kushina . . . we couldn't stop him, didn't get there in time."

Minato was nodding but Naruto doubted if he had heard any of it. His heart hurt. He was gasping for air and weeping constant streams of tears now. The laughter from before had returned and Naruto could not get it out of his head.

A voice shouted on the wind, "Now you know, you self righteous prick. You'll probably use him as a sacrifice, too, huh? You'll still not have half my pain. To hell with you, your son and that wench you called a wife!"

And, with those last words ringing in Naruto's ears, the scene changed one final time to open up on the rock wall and Hiroku's face once more twisted by insane laughter. It was then that Naruto realized that he was indeed screaming.

Hiroku pushed Naruto further into the rock, twisting the kunai he had drawn and stabbed into the boy's chest cruelly.

"That house, did you see it?"

Naruto nodded, if only in the hope that Hiroku would release some of the pressure behind the blade.

"That house was mine once. I had a wife in Konoha and a job, as a ninja. She bore me a son. My clan, my family, was special. Maybe not as special as the Uchiha or the Hyuuga, but we had power. My son was to take your place. But, he died. Your father and the council orchestrated his death all so they would not have to relinquish control. It happened because we were willing to raise him, to comfort him, to teach him, when the time came, about the Kyuubi and his family ancestors, his village. They sent fire out to my home and my clan's district and burnt it all to cinders. But your father, did you see him? He would hear none of my pleas for justice. He said it was a product of the Kyuubi. Those hurricane force winds of his had blown a fire clear across the village to my land. Of course, that's nothing compared to what he did to you, his own son."

Again Hiroku attacked. This time he swept the kunai across the flesh covering Naruto's ribcage.

"Now, you see? He sacrificed you. You were nothing more than a choice; village safety over the life of his son. I would never have been like that, was never like that. My son meant everything to me." Hiroku twisted the kunai further and Naruto screamed.

Hiroku brought his face so close to Naruto's it had the young ninja gagging and clawing to get away.

"I don't have much time left. My comrades went on ahead of me and I intend to bring along your head so the Tsuchikage can have some fun with it. I'm sure he wants your body, too, seeing as how you're the last of the Jinchuuriki, something he would prize, but I've other plans for it."

Naruto could do nothing to fight any of Hiroku's attacks. The pressure from his advance was actually pushing him further into the rock at his back. He fled, straight into the waiting arms of another, hopefully more merciful demon.

The cage was the same as before. The Kyuubi was still agitated, panting at the breech between the bars.

"I told you, you need to go back."

"Shut the hell up, asshole fox. You've done more than enough damage and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of all of it. I'm tired, I'm injured and I'm dying. Let me do it in peace."

Naruto kept his eyes slanted to the ground to keep from being caught up in that gaze. It made him sick, all of it.

"Go back!" The roar surprised Naruto enough to look up. He could swear on what little time he had left that the great Kyuubi, once God then demon, now God again, was afraid. Anger burned in Naruto's chest, fighting past the pain that had gutted it not minutes ago.

"What, you want out so bad? You could have stayed out. I gave you the choice!"

"Stupid! And, what about Sasuke? Your precious village? Funny, I thought you always called yourself strong. So, you'll let some piece of rancid meat take all that away? You really think he'll stop at you? The village hurt him, not just your father."

Naruto gasped as cold tendrils of fear made their way past the anger and his shaking hands balled themselves into fists.

"I can't . . . I don't think I can . . . I hurt, this hurts. I don't have enough left to face him even if I were free."

"Yes, you do. It's just going to hurt like hell." Naruto glanced up at the fox questioningly who smiled down at him with all his teeth.

"When he lights it, use the wind, make the fire stronger and force it out at him. He will fall and you will be free."

Naruto didn't understand, but the fox was already pushing him out with his chakra. It felt stronger than before. Naruto realized that not all the pain he felt was left over from his earlier injuries. The Kyuubi really had been pouring out massive amounts of chakra to help him heal the best he could.

Now he was wet and he stank. Naruto looked up at Hiroku and something must have showed through from his conversation with Kyuubi because the man pulled back, hesitating. Naruto could smell the gasoline. It sank into his clothes and his hair and burned his skin. Naruto smiled.

"Go ahead. I've got nothing to lose, right?"

Hiroku's face came dangerously close again and his madly twisted features bore into Naruto. The sound of wood striking the rock caught Naruto's attention and the smell of sulfur held it. Gathering as much wind chakra as he could, he prepared himself.

"As you wish."

The moment Hiroku let go of the match, Naruto fired out all the wind chakra he could causing the flame to explode outward and straight into Hiroku. The blast had shifted the rock to crumble at his feet and Naruto suddenly felt his hands dropping to his sides. In no time at all Naruto had gone down on all fours to try and roll away from the growing flames. Some of it had caught on his jacket while he was still pinned and his chest and upper arms were awash in flames. It was like no other injury Naruto had ever suffered. Frayed nerve endings, some of which had already been at their limits from all the broken and torn flesh, positively screamed. Every inch of skin that the fire had touched was nearly melted away to the muscle beneath within moments. Naruto kept rolling until the pain had him retching. It felt like forever before the flames had all been snuffed out. His stomach empty and his chest and arms smelling of charred meat, he struggled to breath. Looking back, he caught a glimpse of Hiroku still battling the flames that had engulfed his entire body by now. The screaming continued until Hiroku fell to the ground, writhing. Naruto covered his ears and squeezed his eyes to try to drown it all out.

Suddenly, the screaming stopped. Naruto opened his eyes only to lean over and vomit again until he was dry heaving. The sight of Hiroku's blackened body was terrifying enough. The fact that Naruto could still see the chest rising and falling and puffs of smoky air passing the cracked and torn lips made him want to be sick all over again. Finally, both came to a stop a few torturous moments later. He had done that. That man had been insane, beyond reason, but Naruto had never in his life desired any human to suffer so horribly. He wasn't sure he'd wanted it for this man, either. Using his aching, but relatively whole, right arm, Naruto crawled away from the mouth of the cave to collapse on the ground not ten feet away. He was lucky enough, in his current condition, to have crawled under a massive oak tree by chance. It would help hide his seared flesh from the sun. Naruto had one last moment to think of what it would be like to show up in Tsunade's office looking the way he did before he let sweet sleep take him as far away as it dared.