Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any fashion.

Chapter 8: Plans into Place, the Time Has Come

--

Naruto's Apartment

Naruto took off his shirt, revealing a very finely-toned body that had years of work etched into it. He flared his chakra.

Two things happened. First, a complex seal came into view over his stomach. It was the Shiki Fuujin no Jutsu (Dead Demon Imprisonment Technique), the seal his father designed to hold the demon within him.

The second occurrence was when another seal formed on his shoulder, but smaller, simpler. It was a simple kanji for "sword", and, like implied, it was here where he kept his blade. While plain in nature, with only a simple handle, it was something he never left without. He had trained with it ever since he could hold it. All he needed to do was focus some of his chakra into the seal, and his sword would appear. When he was done, he underwent the same process to return it to its resting place.

He learned a lot of seals from the scroll Danzo gave him. The single scroll contained information on sealing techniques and various jutsu; it even had some stuff on battle tactics and the history of other ninja countries.

He never did find out what was going to happen soon. Danzo never told him. In fact, that meeting had been the last time he saw the crippled old man. He tried to get a hold of him, but he seemed to have vanished into thin air, if he wasn't in a meeting with the Hokage.

But nevertheless, he was fairly sure he could handle anything that came his way. Besides, they had safety in the village. While he sometimes doubted the old man's reasoning, there was, without a doubt in his mind, that he would never allow any harm to come to his ninja.

Still, he carried most of his supplies on him, sealed away into scrolls and tucked safely in his pseudo-jounin flask jacket.

He heard a knock at his door. After sensing the chakra, he smiled.

"Mari-chan! Come in!" Mari had definitely grown over the years, becoming a beautiful young woman. She got the rank of jounin a year ago with a fellow female, Kurenai Yuhi. She practically glowed for a least a month. She had kicked up the missions she was doing, but she still found the time to visit Naruto every now and then.

"Naruto-kun, you ready to finally graduate?" She flopped down on his couch, smiling at him. She knew he was well beyond genin level. To be quite honest, I don't even know the extent of his growth.

"Yeah, yeah, I suppose." He set down a cup of tea for her. "I don't really see why people want to actually do stuff though. You should want to lay around and just relax."

She smirked at him. "Like you, Hippie?" He rolled his eyes at her nickname for him.

His laid back, almost uncaring nature earned him a reputation as a hippie. It was even worse when he accidentally walked around the entire village with leaves stuck in his hair.

Honestly, someone could have told him.

"Have you spoken to Hana-chan lately? I heard her mother was taking her on high missions so she could get that flask jacket of yours."

Mari shook her head and sipped her tea. "The last time I spoke to her was over a month ago. She seemed to be doing well." Naruto nodded. Mari hesitated. "Have you…spoken to Hanabi-sama lately?"

Naruto's eyes darkened. "No...?" He hadn't had a decent conversation with his former friend in almost two years.

They had a falling out in the past. It happened so fast, Naruto didn't even know what happened, but he still remembered that day.

"Hanabi-chan, wait up!" Naruto called, chasing after her. She ran off right after school when he had purposely asked her to wait for him. "What's wrong, Hanabi-chan?" he asked, finally caught up with her.

She had her back turned to him. "What do you want?" He took a step back from the coldness in her voice. She had never spoken to him like that before.

"Hanabi, what's wrong? Did something happen at school?" He was genuinely concerned. He had never known the Hyuuga heiress to act this way.

"Why do you care? I thought you looked pretty chummy with your other friends over there." She didn't even disguise the venom in her voice.

He shot up. "You're getting angry because I was talking to some friends?! What's wrong with you?"

She flinched before turning around and continued running.

And that had been the last decent conversation between the two of them. He thought things would get better, but they didn't. In fact, they got a whole lot worse. She started hanging out with Sasuke, her mother died from a heart ailment, and her own relationship with Hinata was almost gone.

There was an awkward silence for a while, both caught up in their own thoughts. Mari suddenly looked at the clock. "Crap, sorry Naruto, I have to go. I'm suppose to meet Hiashi-sama for lunch."

He led her to the door before hugging her slightly. "Don't worry, Mari-chan, I'm sure everything will work out."

She smiled at his words before taking off to the rooftops.

Naruto gazed longingly after her before closing the door. He went back to room and double checked to make sure he had everything he needed.

He wouldn't be coming back to his apartment for a while. He quickly set off in the back alleys. While the rooftops were quicker, these were much stealthier, and stealth was exactly what he needed right now.

--

Unknown Location

A shadow flashed across the treetops. The unknown assailant went undetected and slipped past the border patrols, the chakra detecting devices, and even the animals couldn't find him.

The figure continued as fast as it could without using chakra, which, all things considered, was quite quick.

The ninja bore no distinct marking, no special clothing, just plain black armor with no headband. Their dark grey eyes continuously swept over the area, always alert.

Soon, very soon. A small smile came across the person's face as he took a step into Fire Country.

Kohona would rue this day.

--

Uchiha Compound

Thwack!

Thwack!

Two kunai found themselves embedded in a target dummy. One in the head, the other in the heart.

The owner yanked them free before slipping them back into his pouch. Uchiha Sasuke finished collecting the rest of his projectiles before heading back into his house.

He pondered on what to, now that he finished his training. Maybe I'll go visit Hanabi.

He smirked. He still remembered how he actually became…associates with his clan rival.

Sasuke was seething at the very form of Naruto. He had the perfect form in everything: taijutsu, weapons, ninjutsu, hell, he was even good at the theory and history parts of the Academy. His fists clenched in anger.

He kept on trying to show up the blonde to prove that he was better. I am better, he thought. He must be using people to be this good.

Sasuke froze. Maybe that was it. If the blonde was using other people, perhaps he should invest in that tactic as well. But how could that get back at the Uzumaki?

They would have to be close to him. Hold some sort of regard of his. The only people he could think of were the Hyuuga twins and that fangirl, Ino. If the blond girl had been the bimbo she was a few years ago, he could have used her.

But no, she just had to start being productive. Add to the fact that she and the twin – Hanabi I think – had been all over him, it just further enlarged his ego.

Sasuke's eyes snapped to the girls. That's it!

Maybe he could put them against each other and have Naruto forced to choose a side. He smirked. It was perfect. All he had to do now was look for the right chance to initiate it and plant seeds in their minds.

But he could wait. Patience was a shinobi virtue; an Uchiha would have to have it in spades.

The memory in mind, Sasuke cleaned up before walking out of his compound. He passed many shops on his way over to her clan district. Many of the shop owners smiled at him on the way. He gave them a small nod or an occasional smile.

Apparently, indulging in the dreams of some of these civilians had its own uses. He could get a few things here and there, nothing too special, but they told him things, whispered him things. They told him about silly gossip, the latest problems in politics, and the jackpot: things going on in Hokage meetings. The common civilians didn't have any clue about them, but the workers, the secretaries, the cleaning staff had very good eyes and ears.

He found out a lot, about how the Hokage was pressured, and even how much the village needed a strong wave of shinobi.

It would be very fortunate and lucky if a skilled ninja came up in the ranks, and an even worse thing for someone who refused to join the ranks as early as possible. Such a thing could be considered treason.

He cut off his thoughts as he came in front of the Hyuuga compound's front gates. He took no notice of the glares the guards were shooting him, nor did he care.

"I am here to see Hanabi-chan." He added the suffix to annoy them. "Could one of you get her?"

No matter how close he got to her, he was never allowed on the grounds. By word of Hiashi, he could never step foot on their territory without severe punishment.

"I do think she is busy at the moment, Uchiha," the guard spat out the very name. "Maybe some other time."

Sasuke was about to retort before he shut his mouth and smirked.

The guards looked a little confused, but then they heard the voice behind them. "Really? I was under the understanding that I was free for the rest of the evening."

They turned around to see Hanabi standing there with a cold, calculating look on her face. She changed a lot since she stopped hanging out with Naruto. She became colder, cut off from the rest of the village, and even colder towards her sister.

She walked past the guards before taking Sasuke's hand. "Come on, Sasuke. And I will deal with you two later." Her glare gave them an idea of what could come next. They shivered before resuming their duties.

--

Sasuke and Hanabi spent the day walking around the village. To Sasuke, it was another chance to let the people see him with someone else. Apparently there were people who thought him to be non-social and the next mass-murderer, but his eyes darkened at the very thought of being compared to Itachi.

He had to try and change those views.

Hanabi thought they were simply moving forward in their relationship. She never would have thought that she would be walking around with the last Uchiha, but things changed when her eyes had been opened and she stopped being played as a fool.

Hanabi was dying to get out of class. She and Naruto were supposed to stop by a new sushi shop that opened on the other side of town. Hinata was asking Iruka extra credit questions, and that mint Ino was stuck at her parents' shop.

She and Naruto would be all alone. She had been trying to get some alone time so Naruto might start to return her feelings. She at least wanted to get a long hug from him.

The bell rang and she smiled, collecting her books and starting to walk toward the boys, who were finishing up some sparring. She was slowly approaching the group when she saw some other girl there as well. She frowned a little. The girl was in the grade below them. What was she doing with Naruto?

She crept a little closer to try to hear what they were saying.

"… Please, Naruto? I really need some help with my throwing. Iruka says that you're the best in the class." The girl had a pleading look on her face.

Hanabi frowned. She was certain Naruto wouldn't blow her off for some little girl like that.

Naruto shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Listen, I'm supposed to be meeting a friend for some lunch. Can we do this tomorrow or something?" She grinned triumphantly. Naruto always pulled through.

"Please? I might not pass tomorrow's test!" She was almost in tears by now.

Hanabi's heart dropped at his next words. "I'll have to think about it. Let me ask my friend."

Hanabi couldn't even believe he was giving this a second thought. He should put her before some little girl!

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Naruto talking to her. "Hanabi-chan, Katrina here needs some help with her throwing. Can I help her for a few minutes before we go?"

Naruto didn't even have time to react to her explosion.

"What?! Naruto, I thought we were going to that sushi shop?" She sounded a little betrayed. The confusion pasted on his face wasn't making things any better.

"W-what? Hanabi-chan, I just need to help her for a few minutes. We'll still be able to go out." She didn't even believe him.

"Naruto," she glared at 'Katrina' before continuing, "come on, let's go to the shop." She grabbed his arm and started to walk away before realizing that Naruto was standing still. He had a small frown on his face and seemed frozen in his spot.

"Naruto, aren't you coming?" His eyes held a little disappointment.

"Hanabi-chan, she needs help. I'm going to give it to her." His voice didn't hold any doubts.

Hanabi's eyes were wide with disbelief. He's leaving me for a girl?

She couldn't even believe it. She snapped her mouth closed before turning around and storming off without another word.

Naruto was confused as to why she was walking off. He shook his head and just decided to let her cool off for a bit. He focused on helping the girl.

Hanabi never saw Naruto's sad face; their relationship never recovered .

Naruto never saw her betrayed look; they never were close again.

They never saw Uchiha Sasuke give the little girl a wad of bills; they would never know they were played by a true ninja.

A few days after that, Sasuke accidentally bumped into her. They started to talk, and through Hanabi's anger at Naruto, a friendship blossomed. And through a lie, a sinner would become a saint, a saint a sinner, and the world would sit back to see what happened.

--

Mizuki's Apartment

Mizuki sat down while waiting for his partner to arrive. He had spent years planning this mission. The training he had done was extreme, the information he had bloodied his hands with, the sacrifices he had made…

All of it was going to be worth it.

He had to, along with his partner, collect the 'treasures' their master wanted. Namely, the heirs of the shinobi clans in the Leaf village. At first, Mizuki thought it would be easy, but as the details of it were brought forward, the patrols they had to bypass, the alarms they had to avoid setting off, even things as small as the time when they would all be there, they all gave him second thoughts.

But the rewards would make him richer than any other. The Hyuugas would fetch for a great amount in Kumo, and the rest of them could go into any country who might need a bloodline limit. But one in particular was special. Uzumaki Naruto, he had the potential to become the biggest cash cow ever. The demon holder would be the greatest seller.

But for some reason, Orochimaru thought for certain that Iwa would pay almost any amount of money for them. Mizuki had his doubts, but he trusted Orochimaru, at least until he got his money.

He snapped out of his greedy thoughts when the doorbell rang. Getting up with a kunai behind his back, he slowly approached the door. He opened it to find a shadowed figure waiting for him.

"A snake in tall grass will make trouble."

"Poison will slowly kill all enemies."

The figure brushed past Mizuki and walked straight into the kitchen before pouring a drink.

Mizuki glared at the figure. She's always drinking and eating my food. He shut the door, making sure that no one, save her, entered.

"Any problems?" Mizuki was just asking for show. He knew nothing probably happened, otherwise she would have said something.

"No, the outlines for their patrols were perfect. They didn't detect me at all." She took a long sip from the glass of sake.

Mizuki nodded before pouring himself a glass. He had to make sure they didn't drink too much.

"Has Kabuto given you any other intel? The bookworm is always finding some new things." The damn rat. She grimaced at the very name of the spy.

The medic nin and herself had a very long history, neither one of them liking each other from day one. It was pretty ironic, if she thought about it.

"No," she paused, glass halfway to her mouth. "In fact, I haven't heard anything from him in the past few months." She noticed the man's worried look. She couldn't really blame him. Kabuto was always giving updates.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's probably just laying low so there's no suspicion if he's snooping around," she said, trying to elevate his worries.

The man visibly slouched back into the couch. "I'm going to be glad when this is all over. The damn stress will be the death of me."

They both chucked at that. "Well, don't be concerned about that. All we have to do is worry about getting out of the country, and then we're home free. The biggest problem we got is the rest of the instructors at the school."

Mizuki laughed at the very thought of them even stopping them. "Hey, you never know. Maybe one of those kids will put up a fight. The Uchiha might activate his bloodline."

They shared a look before bursting out laughing. A bunch of little kids stopping them? They must have really been tipsy. Right?

--

Training Ground 9

Naruto sat with his legs folded in the middle of the grassy plain. He was focusing on what he would have to do. He wasn't sure how many people would be coming, when they would be coming, how they would be able to do it, but he knew that it was here.

Any doubts had been replaced by the anger of someone actually coming into the village to hurt his friends.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he began to feel the energy within him.

"Whelp, you actually think sitting here will help your friends?" The dark bubbling voice in his head interjected into his thoughts.

Naruto continued to try to find his focus. "Don't ignore me, brat. You must really want your friends to die if this is all your going to do."

Naruto snapped his eyes open, the purple color blazing in annoyance. What the hell do you want, fox?

"I want to be rid of this prison, but we both know that won't happen, so I will settle for annoying you." The voice chuckled darkly at the boy's face.

Dammit, leave me alone. If anyone should be helping me, it's you. If I die, so do you. "Most powerful being ever", my ass.

A sharp pain bolted in his head. "Boy, must I remind you that I do hold power here? You had best respect that, or when you're fighting, you might run into…difficulties."

The blond boy didn't give any response.

The two held no love for each other. The fox spent every moment trying to get the blonde to use his powers, but it was to no avail, of course. Despite that, he took pleasure in the boy's reactions.

"Five enemies, three frontal-assault types, one long-range, the last unknown. They ambush you in the forest, and you have only your sword and chakra. You are ten miles away from the village. What do you?"

Naruto thought for a moment. What are their skills?

The two continued with scenarios. It gave the fox a closer look into Naruto's thinking mind, and it gave Naruto a chance to advance his tactical thinking.

They were so engrossed in their talk, they did not realize morning had come already. Naruto stood up, stretching to get the pops out. He took off to get a bite to eat before heading to school.

If anything were to happen, it would be there. That was the only place where they were all together.

"Oi, kid, try not to get your dumb ass killed."

The boy could only smirk at the very thought. The demon almost sounded like he cared. Naruto winced at the throbbing pain in his head.

--

Danzo calmly took a sip of his tea. Today was the day.

If the boy has grown, we will see today. He truthfully wished he could be there to see the fireworks, but the risk was too great. He couldn't even risk sending one of his agents to the school, for fear that someone would associate him with the transpiring events.

He looked down at his watch before getting up to meet the Hokage.

It was a council meeting today. All the clan heads would be there, important civilian heads as well, but most importantly, today was a day in which most of the village's ninja were on missions.

It was a surprise that so many missions had come in at once. It was almost too perfect.

He sighed. This was going to be a long day.

A/N

Hey guys. Any thoughts on who the woman is? Cookie for anyone who can guess. But anyways...

Next Chapter big fight scene, and probably the teams will be revealed as well.

As usual please review for your thoughts. Also there are some links on my profile that show you some things of what I want the story to look like, let me know if they fit.