Hrnn... tired... it's 01:39 am through here. This isn't funny, I'm 17, I should be hyperactive. But... sleepy. This is mostly a "by the way" chapter, the mission will be the next one. This is some of the stuff reviewers have been asking about, just to clarify on certain points. Anyway, too tired to say more. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow to lots of interesting reviews eh? Heh, even in a half-sleep state I'm still a chancer.

Disclaimer: Manga chapter 487, beyond awesome. Kinda bummed about the delayed anime episodes... but... zzz...


The rising light of dawn

Naruto and the others sat in a circle around the campfire, logs providing them with some level of comfort. They silently watched as a boar roasted on a spit above the flaming pile beneath. The smell of pork and herbs filled the moist night air, making the mouths of Yagura and Utakata water. Apparently the former wouldn't have as much of a problem with this kind of dining as he first thought.

The faint sounds of chirping crickets filled the air, mixing with the hiss of the flames as juices dripped from the boar and into the midst of the blazing fire. The only person who was moving was Naruto, who couldn't refrain from his incessant fidgeting. He was constantly glancing behind him, back into the wild he had only returned from a short while ago.

"Hey, how long do you think it'll take?" he asked, his leg bouncing up and down restlessly. Kisame watched him with a cocked brow; it wasn't hard to see what was on his mind. Looking at how quick he had collected their dinner, and what a messy job he had of it, his thoughts were as clear as day.

"Calm down, there's little chance he's still there." he said, as he took Samehada and lightly ran it across the back of the boar. Enough was shredded off for the blue-skinned Shinobi to find out that it was nearly ready, "This'll probably be a reconnaissance mission at best."

"Still, always be ready for a fight, right?" Naruto asked, undeterred by his sensei's words. Kisame sighed, shaking his head. Though he had come to accept Naruto as his protégé, even he had been surprised by just how much the boy had changed, becoming a near reflection of his younger self.

"Doesn't look like he's gonna be much use this time, huh?"

Kisame let out an inward chuckle, silently agreeing with Eko on this matter. Despite the similarities, Naruto was still unable to focus on anything else if there was a fight involved. That was probably his greatest fault, and so far the hardest to stamp out.

Several minutes of silence passed, involving more of the same as Naruto looked from the fire to the woods behind him. Both Kisame and Yagura were steadily growing more and more annoyed with Naruto's fidgeting. Both were about ready to start yelling when Gaara got to his feet, earning Naruto's full attention, "Is it ready?"

"Yeah." Gaara replied, pulling a kunai from the bag containing the herbs and other such things. Naruto did the same, pulling a kunai out from his sleeve as he stood up. The two of them grabbed a plate and began carving through the boar, using their futon chakra to speed things up. Naruto handed the slab of pork he now held to the person nearest to him, Kisame. Gaara did the same, handing an equally large piece to Utakata, who then passed on to Yagura. In no time, the sound of meat being torn apart overtook the sounds of the fire and crickets, leaving Utakata and Yagura with both incredulous and slightly disgusted looks. Gaara was the only one of the three eating that wasn't making a mess of things, and even he was a little less than savage with the small distance between him and his plate.

"Wow." Yagura commented, wondering if his appetite could take such a spectacle.

"Yeah." Utakata concurred, his brow raised as he watched the show. Neither were quite sure what to make of it. But the smell rising up their nostrils soon aroused their stomachs, and their attentions diverted as they began eating too.

Loud grunts and chewing aside, it was a fairly peaceful night tonight. Utakata raised his gaze to the moon, watching its pale light as he chewed on his food. However, the peace was disrupted as Naruto raised himself from his seat to get more to eat, and accidentally knocked his blade to the ground. Utakata raised his brow peculiarly as Naruto winced and actually apologised to the sword, righting it before resuming his intended task.

"What's the deal with that blade anyway?" Yagura asked, apparently noticing the same as his close friend, "How did it break my Genjutsu?"

Kisame glanced over to Naruto as he tore a chunk off his pork, holding the remaining part in his hand. Naruto didn't need to return the look to know what his sensei was thinking. He put his plate aside and picked Eko up, resting the blade on his lap.

"This was a gift from sensei." he explained, looking over the blade in the light, "I've been fighting with him for years now. He's called Ekokaeten."

"Kisame-san gave it to you?" Yagura repeated, looking over to the giant Shinobi, "Then it's one of those swords?"

"Yeah, the seventh sword." Kisame replied, before pushing the last of his meat into his mouth. He swallowed heavily, before sucking on the ends of his fingers and leaning forward, "Those two have grown pretty strong together, looks like I made the right choice."

Naruto laughed in reply to Kisame's words, not taking his eyes of the still glistening metal. He saw himself in the reflection of the steel, and suddenly got hit with a strange feeling of nostalgia.

* * * * *

"HEY, SENSEI!" Naruto yelled, appearing at the top of a plateau. He looked down at Kisame, who was watching him from the grassy plains below. The hot sun was beating down on Naruto's back, but that wasn't the only reason for the sweat visibly pouring down his face.

"WHAT?" Kisame yelled back up, his voice quietened slightly by the distance. Naruto pulled with all his strength, and began to make his descent down the wall of the plateau. He failed to comprehend however the sheer weight of the object in his hands, and as a result was pulled off the wall and forced to plummet to the ground, crying out at the top of his voice. He vaguely noticed Kisame shaking his head and glancing at Gaara, who begrudgingly released some sand to help Naruto out. Saved from a crushing fall, the motion was replaced by a short drop as Gaara decided he was close enough to the ground.

"Ow…" Naruto muttered, rubbing his arm and wincing.

"Hey, get the hell off me!"

"Wha- sorry!" Naruto exclaimed, falling back off of the object he'd carried with him. Kisame stepped over, looking down at the unfamiliar thing with a raised brow.

It was a giant blade, easily as big as Naruto was. It had a dark golden hilt that was roughly a half foot long, and not like that on any blade made in the five nations. It had a cross-guard in place of a tsuka, and a very wide blade that took up most of the fourteen inch guard. The blade itself was double edged, and ran down a steady recline for an incredible three feet, before meeting to a point for another final foot. There was no doubt that this blade was too big for Naruto, it was even bigger than he was!

"Damn, this is troublesome." Kisame muttered, as he took the hilt of the blade and lifted it like it was nothing. He studied it closer, noting the shallow crimson groove running along the centre of the blade from the hilt to the tip. There was no doubt that this blade wasn't made of this region, but at the same time he knew very well that this was the Ekokaeten, "However, it is very interesting."

"What the hell happened?!" Naruto demanded, waving his arms and squinting, "I was just training with him, and he just started getting bigger!"

Kisame chuckled faintly as he looked over Eko's new form. With great ease, he whirled the blade through the air, holding him in a single hand. It took him a moment to respond, and even then he kept his eyes on Eko.

"Eko-kun is an adaptive blade after all." he muttered, raising the sword to the light again, "But to change this much…"

"What is it?" Naruto asked, his sensei's slight awe having a contagious effect on him. He watched the light shimmering off the large blade, and noticed that the colour of the sheen was red where it should have been white.

"Eko used to be a standard katana." Kisame explained, his eyes narrowing as he brought Eko closer to his face, "But now he isn't even a blade of this region."

Naruto continued to remain slightly awestruck, watching as Kisame turned the sword and stuck him firmly in the ground. From this perspective, he could see that from the tip of the blade to the end of the hilt, ultimately Eko was larger even than him. That confirmed a great fear of Naruto's, how the hell was he supposed to use a blade that large?!

"Zweihaender Ekokaeten." Kisame said, in a definitive tone. Naruto looked up at his sensei with a raised brow, before turning his gaze to Eko.

"Swhyhinder?" he repeated, with atrocious pronunciation. Kisame shook his head, placing his hand on the hilt of Eko.

"No, Zweihaender." he corrected, his interest keeping him in a good enough mood to save from annoyance, "It's a blade from the far west, even further than the Land of Earth. You don't see many of them around here, and I doubt there's anyone who knows how to actually use one… well, maybe one."

Behind them, Gaara seemed to have taken an interest. Abandoning his leaf training, to which he now successfully achieved to cut halfway through, he got to his feet and walked over to the great sword. Kisame and Naruto both watched as he took the hilt in his hand and tried to pull it out of the ground. But when it didn't budge a centimetre, he increased his efforts. Brow creasing, he tried again to prise it from the earth. And once more he was unsuccessful. Losing interest as quickly as he gained it, he abandoned the effort.

"It's heavy." he muttered, before turning and heading back to his training. Kisame and Naruto followed him with their eyes for a couple of moments, before looking at each other. Naruto had at least managed to drag it along. There was no guesses about the food chain in terms of physical strength anyway.

"So, wait a minute." Naruto said, as he gripped the hilt and tried to wriggle it free himself. He managed at least a little more than Gaara, and felt sort of glad the red haired boy had his back to them, "What am I supposed to do with Eko like this?"

"You mean what am I supposed to do with a wielder that can't even pick me up?"

"There's no choice I guess." Kisame muttered, his tone contradicting the evil grin on his face, "Looks like we need some advanced strength training."

Naruto paled. Suddenly he wasn't feeling very well.

* * * * *

Naruto let out a faint laugh as he studied the blade, though he was kind of annoyed. He didn't like the person he was, and thinking back usually made him feel quite mad at himself for the idiot he used to be. It was a strange sort of regret, to dislike ones past self simply for being who they were. But it was one he carried with his memories, along with the resolve never to become that person again.

"You can quit staring anytime now."

Naruto blinked in surprise, he hadn't even realised he'd been out of it. He quickly put the blade aside, before looking around for any indicator as to how long he'd been daydreaming. The boar was a fine indicator, with most of the meat gone, "Gwah!"

He leapt to his feet, immediately slicing off one of the last remaining slabs and claiming it for his own. Yagura and Utakata were both taken aback by his outburst; they both had finished eating several minutes ago.

"So who is this person we're looking for?" Gaara asked, his own hunger also sated. He looked directly at Kisame, the person most likely to know the answers. He wasn't disappointed. The mountainous man wiped his mouth and leant forward to explain the situation.

"Back when I first started training Naruto, we were travelling through a place a few miles from here." he said, glancing at Yagura and Utakata to make sure they were paying attention, "Things were going fine, until we encountered an… old friend."

The eyes of the three listeners flickered over as Naruto started sniggering to himself with an excited look. He seemed to be getting antsy once more, which served to heighten their interest considerably.

"You may not remember, Yagura-san, but I'm sure Utakata-san does." Kisame continued, his eyes glistening as he looked into Utakata's, "A certain man by the name of Momochi Zabuza."

Naruto cocked a brow as for the first time, he saw Utakata's expression darken. Though he had only known the guy for a few days, the free spirited person had maintained a kind of optimism few Shinobi maintained. Yet at the slightest mention of that name, all of those ideals disappeared. Yagura watched his friend's face, realising there was something important he was missing.

"What is it?" the shortest boy asked, looking at the tallest in concern.

Utakata remained silent for a moment, slouching forward and staring into the fire. The flickering flames reflected in his eyes, adding to a blaze that held no physical form. The look on his face was scary, even after the company was considered. Naruto leant forward too, his intrigue rising with Utakata's deepening expression.

"A long time ago, Momochi Zabuza made an attempt on your life." he said, his tone bitter and resentful. Yagura's brow creased from this new, of course he had no recollection of such a thing, "He nearly killed you, but he made a mistake and was forced to flee. Not without killing Junko-chan first though."

Yagura's eyes widened in shock from the name, as finally there came something he could recall. Naturally neither Naruto nor Gaara knew who this person was, and even Kisame seemed mystified.

"Junko…" Yagura repeated, his eyes fixed on Utakata's face, "… She's dead?"

"Yeah." Utakata confirmed, straightening up and rubbing his tired eyes, "It's because of her that you're still alive."

Both Yagura and Utakata fell silent then, falling into their thoughts and forgetting the world around them. Naruto was left watching the two of them, wondering just who this Junko person was.

"Sounds like Utakata's got a vendetta against that guy."

"Unh!" Naruto quietly exhaled, suddenly alerted by Eko's idea. Though he could sympathise with Utakata, he also had his own wants, selfish though they may be. He didn't want to give up his own chance at getting back at Zabuza, and that Haku guy too if he could. However, a conflict would most definitely be harmful to the mission, to which he knew would take priority. So he spoke up, looking directly at Utakata, "So what do you want to do?"

Utakata let out a long, loud exhale as he inclined back, slipping his hands behind his head as he leant against the tree behind him, "I don't really have any plans to kill him myself." he said, closing his eyes, "As long as he's dead, that's fine with me. Besides, I'm not really sure I could take him anyway, one on one fighting isn't the ideal scenario for me."

Inwardly, Naruto let out a sigh of relief, followed by a secret grin. As long as Utakata said that, then there was no longer any problem. But more than that, he saw this as a great opportunity. He picked up his plate and began chewing on the cold pork, he had a feeling he was going to need his strength for tomorrow. Casting his eyes up, he watched the clouds off to the distance as the gently blew west. They seemed to be gathering, thickening, and darkening.

It looked like it was going to rain.

* * * * *

"Looks like it's getting heavier." came a woman's voice, as the rain scattered down onto the grey village below. Tall and imposing buildings filled all fields of vision, each one casting its shadows into the depths below.

"Mm." came a man's vague reply. The only light close to them was that of the flickering flames in the room behind, but that was easily discounted by the many blazing lights of the bulbs below. All sorts of colours filled the lower half of the village, an eyesore that was the lesser of evils when compared to the monotonous world above, "Yeah."

"Are you cold?" the woman asked, looking over her shoulder. Through the blue curtain hanging over her eyes, two amber lights glistened to the person sitting behind her.

"Mm-nm." the man replied, shaking his head lightly. He then leant forward just a little, resting his forehead on the back of hers. His long, red hair mingled with hers, creating a mix that didn't quite blend, but sat together well, "I'm warm."

"You sure?" the woman asked again, placing her hands on the sleeves of his black cloak. His arms were draped over her shoulders, his hands resting on her collar as he tightened his hold just a touch, "We can go inside if you like."

"There's no need to fuss over me." the man replied, closing his grey, rippling eye as his breathing shallowed, "I'm perfectly content here."

"…Ok." the woman said, in a quieter voice. She looked ahead again, shivering slightly from the feeling of his breath on her neck. It was warm, and thankfully regular. Try though she might, she found it hard not to worry a little. She often remembered how his health used to be, and was usually concerned that it might go back to the way it was.

Lightly reaching up, he touched the stud just below her lip. It was an absent minded gesture, but one he made a habit of doing every now and again. She didn't mind it, since at times like these; she barely noticed it to begin with.

"There're some things I have to take care of." she said, lightly lifting his arms off her. He didn't resist, but he followed her as she got to her feet and climbed in through the alcove out of the cold. She glanced back at him as she opened the door, giving him a smile before disappearing completely.

He listened closely to the sound of her fading footsteps, until eventually they were gone altogether. Even afterwards he remained silent, barely his breath made audible as the orange light flickered against his pale, slightly gaunt face.

"I hope we didn't disturb you." came a voice from just behind him, "You called for us, Leader-sama?"

"Yes." leader replied, without looking back. He took a few moments as he considered his words, before letting them out with equal thought, "Have you given thought to my proposition?"

"We didn't really need to think about it." the person behind him said, "We're ready to go when you give the order."

"I see…" the man muttered, raising his hand to his chest. He felt the round, solid object placed over his heart. His expression told of deep, intense concentration, "Not yet. But soon. Be ready."

"Of course."

"And don't forget," the man said, looking back to the person he was speaking to, "I want you to record all of it."

* * * * *

It was even later, much later than before. The flames were steadily dying down, but were maintained as necessary. The carcass of the pig had long since been discarded, far away to keep wild animals from getting close to camp. Kisame, Yagura and Utakata had each retired for the night, once again leaving only Naruto and Gaara as the waking ones. They stood aside from the group, so they could talk without disturbing the others.

"So what happened between you and this Zabuza person?" Gaara asked, from his position against a tree. He looked at Naruto with folded arms, his eyes half closed as he indulged in some curiosity.

"A long time ago, I was in the bingo book." Naruto replied. He stood a little away from Gaara, his hands supporting his head as he looked up at the stars, "He thought I was an easy target, so he and his little sidekick came to take me back to Konoha."

"They failed?"

"Nah, the sidekick dropped me in no time." Naruto said, in a casual tone. Gaara gave a look that said he wasn't all that surprised, but didn't comment, "It kinda bothered me how easily I got taken down, so I guess this is sort of a grudge match, y'know?"

Gaara gave a small nod of agreement, even if Naruto couldn't see it. There were some that he wished to take care of himself, so in this situation he could relate with that feeling.

"Utakata-san certainly wants him dead, Yagura-san too maybe." he said, in a mildly suggestive tone, "If you succeed, they may feel indebted to you."

"Heh, yeah." Naruto smirked, turning so he could see the distant camp, "I feel for them and all, but the situation is pretty advantageous, huh?"

"Only if you succeed." Gaara pointed out, bringing the mood down in his way. Naruto cast a glance at him, before looking up to the sky again. He didn't have any particular doubts himself, according to Kisame the training he received was much the same as what Zabuza went through, even if not to such a level. That and Eko ought to be enough for him to keep aware of the fake swordsman of the mist.

"Heh heh heh." Naruto chuckled to himself, as he pictured the look on Zabuza's face when he would find out the truth about Eko. Apparently his disinterest in the blade had to do with the fact that a plain katana was in no way intimidating, "I wonder what he'll think now?"

A sharp breeze cut through the air, running inside and around Naruto's haori like a snake slithering across his skin. He didn't pay it much mind, though he intended to head back to the fire soon. At the moment, the cold simply reminded him of something else.

Haku. That person he had been quick to trust, as the idiot he was. He didn't exactly blame Haku for taking advantage of his stupidity, as he was Naruto would have done the same in a reverse situation. No, he had no quarrel with him. However, as the person who defeated him, he almost felt duty bound to return the favour. It was part of a swordsman's honour, as Kisame had told him. Ninja arts aside, if there is an opponent you believe you could never beat, then as a swordsman it was your duty to end your own life. Because to accept yourself at the level you are, would be the same as accepting your life as reaching its highest level. The only thing left for you is death.

He remembered when Kisame taught him that rule, it had been pretty funny to him, since it emulated what Gaara had been saying for a while. He hadn't liked it, but once more it looked like Gaara was better than him. Looking over at the red haired man absent mindedly watching the trees, Naruto couldn't help but feel that he attained the level he was on because of his desire to surpass this person.

"Hey Gaara, why don't you get some rest?" he suggested, lowering his arms. He knew that while Gaara didn't sleep, his body still required some respite from time to time. It was a point Kisame had failed to notice when he had given Gaara the role of keeping an eye out for trouble through the nights.

Gaara looked at him; he had long since accepted Naruto's knowledge of this fact, "All right."

He turned away and headed back to camp. Naruto watched as he sat down by the fire, knowing that soon his eyes would close, and he would meditate through the night as he learned to do. Naruto couldn't help but smile, he still felt strange that Gaara accepted his gestures like that, even though there had been a time when he wouldn't even consider it.

* * * * *

Naruto and Gaara fell to the ground, both severely exhausted from the intense training Kisame had thrusted on them. Though they had only just recovered, their sensei had resolved not to hold back in the least and so put full efforts into improving them.

"I'll admit that I never expected you to win against those two." Kisame said, looking down at the two of them with an unsmiling face, "But to get that beat up is an embarrassment."

Neither Naruto nor Gaara were able to form a response, they had a hard enough time pulling air in and out of their lungs. Their faces were planted in the grass, their chests heaving with each massive breath. Kisame noticed all of this and decided to let up. Further provocation would most likely result in his two students overexerting themselves, which would help in no way whatsoever. He let out a sigh, before turning around and wandering off.

"Take five to catch your breath." he said, leaving them on their own.

Naruto and Gaara were both relieved by this brief lapse of strain, even if a certain someone was unwilling to show it. Naruto lightly reached out with his hand, petting Kunimei who had come to check on him. The other pups had also gathered round, watching their tired master curiously. None of them had witnessed his recent fight with Neji, and so were confused by his sudden change in attitude.

Naruto thought back to the fight, and his surprise at encountering those two there like he did. But the surprise was more leant towards Sasuke, one of the last people he ever expected to betray Konoha.

"Can't believe I ever looked up to that Sasuke guy." he muttered, rolling himself over onto his back. He watched the clouds with a troubled expression, thinking back to a long time ago, "I thought that maybe we were alike, and so I sorta wanted to be like him."

"… I already told you." Gaara replied, with his back to Naruto, "No two people are alike. No matter what you think, you can't hope to ever fully understand another person."

Naruto didn't really react to this, he had expected as much of a response. But that didn't change the fact that it bothered him, he didn't want to believe in such a philosophy.

"I've been thinking about that." he said, resting his head on one of his hands, "It doesn't matter that we're not the same, because even if we're different dunes, we're in the same desert, aren't we?"

He listened out for an answer, knowing that Gaara had probably thought of this. But it came to his surprise when none was offered, and Gaara remained strangely silent. Rolling over again, he looked at the mop of red hair with a raised brow, wondering if he was finally chipping away at the armour of sand Gaara had covered himself in.

"Even if we're different, our situation is the same, and the destination is too." he said, trying his best to picture Gaara's expression on the other side, "So don't you think maybe that's enough? That because of that we could understand each other… even if it's only a little?"

He waited longingly for a response, hoping he wasn't making a fool out of himself once again. His brow rose a little more as Gaara's head shifted slightly. But the boy seemed to have nothing to say, the inclination dropped and he remained silent. Feeling disappointed, Naruto did the same. It didn't look like Gaara had an answer after all.

"Then again…" he thought, as he felt one of the pups sniffing at his ear, "If he doesn't have an answer… maybe it's better that way."