Well hello there, everybody! We're about to hit the big meat of our story! Woo! I'm so excited! So, I am going to apologize as the next few chapters are going to be a little shorter (and I also apologize if it seems like I've rushed through the plot of Naruto...but honestly, the main events in Ari's story really only involve Itachi and the war...so...I figured you would rather I NOT repeat myself with the googoo eyes, the daily chores of Ari and Ita as they bicker like an old couple occasionally, and constant crying and whining on Ari's part to the point where she sounds like Sakura...*shivers*...) But anyway, I'm thinking of possibly writing a sequel to this, only I would focus on Hana and her growing up. But I dunno...the sequel might not come until...a lot later if I do, but comment in a review if you want more from me! I'm not opposed to doing cute and slightly ridiculous oneshots with my characters. After all, there are some fluffy little details between Ari and Ita and later on, Hana that I left out for the purpose of the actual plot, and I can always plug those in for fun if you all want :)

Also...any artist out there who is looking for something to do to kill time...I'm not the best artist myself and I was wondering if anyone was interested in doing a drawing of Ari, be it a character sketch or a scene from Broken Love thus far. I would make this a commission or offer a prize for whoever does but...I'm a broke almost college student and just a person behind the computer screen so I sadly can't offer anything up...:( But if you are willing to draw something for me, and you want me to do something via writing or some form of special recognition (I do have a friend who is an art major...she has some nifty sources), just let me know what you'll draw for. And if you're just a genuinely nice person and conjur something up, let me know too! Just post the link of your artwork in a review and I will love you forever! And if you either can't draw or don't want to, I completely understand! That's why I'm writing this shameless request after all! XD

Well anyway, enough of my ramblings,

ENJOI


Hana

Kurenai ran into the room for the third time that night upon hearing the child's screams.

"Hana! What's wrong?" she asked.

"They're coming! You have to get away!" Hana cried out, "I'm not safe anymore!"

"Of course you're safe, Hana! I'll protect you," Kurenai assured, "and who's coming? Was it a bad dream?"

"No! You don't get it!" Hana sobbed, "I'm not safe to be with anymore! The-the bad man with the scary eyes and the lady with the red hair! They found me!"

"Shh, it's alright, it was just a bad dream," Kurenai comforted, stroking Hana's hair. The little girl glared at her caretaker. Did she not get what Hana was trying to say?

"He has eyes like Daddy, but he's a bad bad man! And he has a lady with red hair! They're coming and you have to get away!" Hana pleaded, not sure how to make herself any clearer.

"Hana, it was just a bad dream," Kurenai repeated with an urgent tone in her voice, "no one is coming for you."

All but given up, Hana shook her head, fighting the tears. She lied back down in bed and tried to close her eyes, her little body shaking. Why would no one believe her? Hana was right about Daddy coming back, wasn't she? Despite her fears, Hana eventually drifted back off to sleep. However, when she opened her eyes again, she found the ice blue eyes of her mother staring down at her.

"Mommy?" Hana asked, confused as she rubbed her eyes. For an important mission, Mommy had lots of time to visit…

But as Hana sat up to turn on the light, she froze in shock as she stared at the woman before her. The whites of her eyes had turned black like Daddy's did, but her pupils were missing and her skin was gray. She slumped over slightly as if she were being held up by puppet strings. Hana let out a shriek before the red hair framing the woman's face flashed in front of her as the corpse of Chinatsu Uzumaki struck her unconscious.


Ari

I felt a horrible chill run up my spine. What was a light drizzle had become a downpour and we were all drenched, wading through the mud.

"Ugh, I feel disgusting," Saya groaned. I nodded but didn't say anything. I really hated the Land of Grass. It was more like the Land of Swamps in the spring.

"How much farther is this hideout?" I asked Ita.

Staring straight ahead, he responded, "Not too far. I'd say about a half a day's journey before we part ways."

"Oh," I said stiffly, regretting feeling the need to ask. As if he sensed my hesitance, Ita grasped hold of my hand and squeezed it tightly. I intertwined my fingers around his, enjoying his touch for as long as I could.

"Can we take a break? I'm starved," Saya asked, stretching her arms up. I rolled my eyes. Of the three of us, I was the only one living and she was hungry? Where was the logic in this?

Sighing, I agreed to the break and we found a small tea shop at the outskirts of the grass village. Ita and Saya both put the hoods of their cloaks up to hid their eyes, not wanting to cause trouble if someone found out that they were the dead come back to life. Being the gentleman he was, Ita pulled out a chair for Saya and I both. He helped seat Saya first, and then he pulled a chair out for me. I thanked him and began to sit, but as I grasped the chair, I suddenly felt weak, my fingertips running cold as the worst fear I had ever experienced struck the pit of my stomach.

"Is something wrong?" Itachi asked me, alarmed by my sudden loss of color in the face.

"Can you feel that?" I asked in a low voice, "this aura…it's far away but I can feel it from here."

Ita glanced outside the tea shop with a stern expression as he activated his sharingan. Grimacing he said, "let's make this a quick break. Something tells me that we need to stop the Edo Tensei fast."

We quickly ordered chai tea and mitorashi dango, much like we would do when we were younger. I smiled to myself, allowing this break to take me back to the good old days when Ita could practically eat his weight in dango. Usually he would stuff himself to horrible discomfort and collapse later in a food coma, his belly sticking out as he had been stuffed to full.

But Itachi restrained himself and there were no jokes told at the table. I couldn't shake the horrible fear that struck my core. This chakra…I had sensed it only once before.

And it was the night my parents died.

"It's an Uchiha, I'm sure," Saya said, using her sensory abilities to peg out the ominous chakra which battled on in the distance. "But I've never come across this man before…and hold on…I'm sensing the chakra of the five kage…what is this?"

"All five of them?" I asked in disbelief. I know they had joined forces, but for all of them to band together in front of mystery man…then that could only mean one thing.

"It's Madara…" I croaked, my chest hollow.

"Has he not shown himself in battle yet?" Itachi asked confused.

I shook my head as I came to a horrible realization, "No, Ita, you don't understand. The masked man…he's not Madara!"

"So that means," Ita gulped, "oh man, we're in trouble…"

Horror washing over the three of us, we took off heading straight towards where this hideout supposedly was.

"It's faint, but I'm barely able to pick up Orochimaru's chakra," Saya said, "at least I think it's Orochimaru…that snake has up a barrier!"

"But Orochimaru was killed," Itachi noted, narrowing his eyes.

"Which means that it's Kabuto controlling the Edo Tensei," I explained, "my team had a run-in with him when we were searching for you and Sasuke. He had transplanted some of Orochimaru's cells to get stronger."

Ita narrowed his eyes, "then this should be an easy fight. Ari, Saya, you two start looking for the masked man and take him out. He's the one who started this war and only in killing him will we end it."

"What about you?" I asked, panic striking me. It was time to say goodbye already? "And what about the real Madara?"

"Madara will be taken out once the Edo Tensei ends. And if this is Kabuto, and what you say is true, I have the perfect jutsu to use against him."

I grimaced. I had a bad feeling about Madara…if his chakra was this powerful, then I wondered if stopping the Edo Tensei could really do that much good.

"We've got incoming!" Saya warned, skidding to a stop. I grabbed hold of Saya and Itachi's shoulders, masking all three of our chakras and we leapt behind a tree. Peering out from out hiding spot, I watched as the masked man and seven of the jinchuuriki ran by.

"Dammit," I cursed under my breath, "that asshole certainly has perfect timing…"

"Ari, Saya, go," Ita said. Saya tugged on my hand and tried to pull me forward, ready to follow orders. I was a little hesitant and looked back at Ita, not wanting to let go of his hand. He locked eyes with me and frowned, but then pulled me into a tight embrace. "You shouldn't morn for someone who is already dead, you know…"

"Oh shut up," I groaned, pursing my lips. I was too numbed to cry anymore. I knew what I had to do, emotions couldn't get in the way anymore.

But then Itachi pulled me away and smiled. He reached up to the collar of his cloak and pulled down on it, exposing his collarbone and his silver necklace which wrapped around it.

I stared in awe, "you still have that? But how?"

"I don't know," Itachi smiled, "when I was revived, I was wearing it. You've always been with me Ari, thank you for that." He then poked my necklace and then lifted his hand to stroke my cheek, "and I will always be with you."

I smiled, holding up my left hand to show off the ring I still wore, "I love you. And be careful."

"Will do. And don't die just yet. Live a long life," Itachi said.

And with that, we turned to leave our separate ways. No hesitation, no morning. We couldn't afford to waste that kind of time. The masked man, Tobi, stood before me and I had to protect this world. I had to protect my world: Naruto and Hana.

"We could take them now," Saya offered in a low voice as we ran, "they haven't noticed us yet…"

"And we're going to keep it that way," I said, grasping hold of her hand, "I don't want them noticing us, not just yet. I want to see where they're going."

We followed them for hours without breaking, keeping at least a distance of a hundred yards, our chakra masked the entire time. But then I saw that little yellow glow, and before I knew it, Naruto rammed into Tobi's forehead, knocking both of them back in opposite directions. I brought Saya to a halt and we watched the situation from afar. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but whatever Tobi had said really riled Naruto. But then to my surprise, each of the revived jinchuuriki sprouted a tail.

"What?" Saya asked in shock, "they all have a tailed beast sealed inside."

"But they all had the tailed beasts ripped out of them," I noted, "did Tobi reseal them inside of their jinchuuriki?"

"Probably, the chakra from the tailed beasts feels different from the chakra coming from Hachibi and Kyuubi," Saya said, "Ari, I have a bad feeling about this…"

"I've had a bad feeling about this," I groaned. At that moment, the revived jinchuuriki began to attack Naruto and Bee, causing the two to retreat in a panic. "Let's go!" I ordered. We snuck up from behind and Saya pounced forward, blocking one of Yugito's constant attacks against Naruto. I came from above and kicked Tobi hard in the face, causing him to crash to the ground. But he barely managed to slip through me with his teleportation jutsu or whatever it was, minimalizing the damage from my kick.

"Oh? I have the half breed too? This is my lucky day," Tobi noted.

"Oh shut your mouth!" I spat back at him, "you're nothing more than an imposter who can be easily defeated, so I'd watch yourself if I were you."

"An imposter, you say?" Tobi chuckled, "well, can you defeat your entire family?"

I looked back to see all of the jinchuuriki power up into their cloaked forms. Bee had transformed fully into Uncle G and Naruto and Saya sat atop the octopus's head, all of them staring blankly at their opponents.

"Oh shit…" I managed, powering up myself as I unleashed my Bijuu Mode. I raced to the group's side, trying to help them fend off the Bijuu as best at I could, but the Five-Tails transformed and stabbed Bee with his horns. Saya was struck by the Two-Tails who blew a hole through her chest. Saya fell to the ground, attempting to regenerate as the Three- and Four-Tails both went at it with her. In the chaos, Tobi came from out of nowhere and struck me upside the head, knocking me to the ground. I scrambled to my feet, managing to dodge his second attack, but he didn't waste time with me. He went straight to Naruto.

Naruto screamed out and attempted to fight off Tobi, but it was useless if you couldn't touch him. Tobi pinned Naruto to the ground, and went to finish the boy off, "You're all jinchuuriki and half-breeds, but I guess the odds are against you, even with a sharingan on your side. If I touch you, I win."

"Shit!" Naruto grimaced. I struggled to my feet, racing to Naruto's side. But thankfully, Kakashi and Gai appeared and attacked Tobi, causing the masked man to leap off of Naruto and retreat.

"Hmph. You've received help," Tobi noted, "but two more makes no difference. Not with my eyes."

Saya managed to free herself from the two Bijuu which attacked her and she leapt to my side, all of us readying ourselves for the next attack.

"Let's not forget that we've added another sharingan into the mix," Kakashi warned.

"And Konoha's Blue Beast is here as well," Gai stated, "we shouldn't be ones that are underestimated so easily.

"The Jinchuuriki!" Naruto spat out, trying to catch his breath and speak at the same time, "Their Rinnegans are connected to their sharingan! Their left and right eyes! And they have a rod in their left breast and they-!"

"Calm down," Gai interrupted, "I can't understand what you're saying.

But Kakashi knew Naruto well enough that he was able to interpret the boy's words, "Their right eyes are sharingan and the left rinnegan. They have rods in their left breast just like Pein, I see…"

"It's amazing that you could understand all that," Gai groaned.

"Watch yourselves!" I warned as the Five-Tails came charging at us again.

"Five tails…" Kakashi noted, "Then this is…?"

"Uncle Kokuo," I answered, "careful, he uses his momentum to power all his chakra into charged attacks!" But as Kokuo drew closer, he started veering more towards Uncle G…or Tobi more specifically. In response, Tobi unleased a chakra chain from his hand and wrapped it around Kokuo's neck, choking him and pulling him to the ground. I gasped as my uncle let out a pained cry.

"Agh!" I heard him cry out. However, by the responses (or lack thereof) from my comrades, it seemed as though only Bee, Naruto, and I could hear him, "I can't let myself be controlled…by him…!"

"Uncle!" I called out in shock, resisting the urge to try and help him. But he was beyond my reach as long as Tobi controlled him.

The Five-Tails opened his eyes and glanced up at me, utter confusion written on the beast's face, "A-Ariala? You're…?" But Kokuo didn't get to finish as he was suppressed back into his jinchuuriki's body.

"Why did he stop the Bijuu's power?" Gai asked, confused.

"Perhaps he doesn't have complete control over them," Kakashi noted.

"They're too strong-willed to be controlled completely," I stated, "Tobi can't afford to let anyone else break through their seal if he wants to maintain the upper hand in this battle. We're too stubborn."

"So that's where that comes from," Kakashi joked.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm also an Uzumaki. Don't forget that." I then leapt back to stand by Naruto, both of us in front of the Hachibi.

"Naruto! Ari! Did you hear that?" Uncle G asked.

"…I did…" Naruto answered.

"That was the Five-Tails' voice," the Eight-Tails explained, "We Bijuu have feelings too. It pisses me off to see them treated that way…"

"I know," I groaned, "This really sucks, I hate seeing my family tortured like this."

But then of course, Dad had to open his big mouth as he spat, "You both say that now? The shinobi have always used us as pets! Only you and your brat Bee are different, Hachibi!"

"Are you really going to start this, Dad?" I snapped back at him, entering part of myself into Naruto's seal. I stood by Naruto, glaring up at my father. Uncle G appeared as well and made an attempt to coax my father.

"I wonder about that, Kyuubi," Uncle G said, "I know that you—"

"Just shut up!" Dad snapped back, "Considering the number of tails you have, you're the strongest one after me, now hurry up and finish this! And Ari! You're my daughter, aren't you? You're stronger than this! I'm going to bed…I'm tired of watching this eye sore of a battle…"

"If you're tired of watching this, how about you get off your ass and do something useful for once, you lazy bum!" I snapped at my father, "quit running your mouth and walk the walk, will ya?"

"I've had just about enough of your attitude for one day, young lady!" Dad roared back at me.

"And I've had just about enough of you for one lifetime! Are you my father or aren't you? Come on!" I growled back, baring my teeth at him.

"Kyuubi," Uncle G said, redirecting the argument, "Ari is right. And you shouldn't judge one's strength by the number of Tails. No wonder Shukaku resented you—"

"He resented me because that drunken bastard doesn't know when to admit he's out of a woman's league," my father snapped back.

"Dad!" I barked, my face flushing.

In response, Dad closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, blocking us out from communicating with him.

"Kyuubi! Are you listening to me?" Uncle Gyuuki asked angrily, "stop pretending to sleep, I'm not buying it!"

"Oh give it a rest, Uncle," I groaned, "he's not going to listen anyway…not like he can listen to his own daughter…or his wife for that matter…"

At that, Dad's ear twitched but her otherwise continued to "slumber". Ugh, my father could be a royal pain in the ass sometimes.

We continued to fight, slowly gaining the upper hand in the battle. Thanks to Kakashi and Saya's sharingan, we were able to see through the majority of incoming attacks.

"Hm, you're much better than expected," Tobi noted, "I'll try to be more serious…this time I'll give you two!"

I paused long enough to stare in horror as the six-tails and the four-tails both transformed, letting lose their rage. The chakra emitted from their bodies was so powerful that we were all blown back.

"Dammit!" I cried out. How were we supposed to win this? Naruto stood hastily and charged for an attack. Son Gokuu, the Four-Tails began bounding towards us. Oh crap… "Naruto! Hold on! You've used up too much chakra!" I tried to warn, chasing after him. But alas, the brat ignored me. As always.

"Ari, hold on," Uncle Gyuuki said, "Have you noticed yet? With the number of clones Naruto has made and the chakra he's used, he should be on the verge of death right now if the Kyuubi was siphoning his chakra."

"Which means…" I began. Did Dad…stop taking Naruto's chakra away? Ever since Naruto took control of his chakra, each ounce of power that Naruto borrowed from the Kyuubi, my father would take back from the boy. But if Naruto was still going then… "Dad? Why aren't you taking Naruto's chakra anymore?"

My father was silent, ignoring me.

"Kyuubi, I don't know what happened between you and Naruto but…" Gyuuki began, but Son Gokuu grasped hold of one of his tails and threw him, keeping my uncle from finishing. Naruto in return was thrust up into the air, right above the ape's mouth. Son Gokuu then opened his mouth, but Naruto managed to block the beast from chomping down on him as the boy struggled for dear life.

"Naruto!" I called out, rushing to his aid but with no idea of how to save him.

"Ari…" I heard my father's voice say in my ear. I skidded to a stop, confused. And then in a solemn voice Dad said, "Please forgive me…"


Madara

This was two easy. Like swatting flies. He hated the fact that some cretin revived him with the Impure World Resurrection. What had happened to Nagato? It didn't matter though, as long as he had been revived with the majority of his power, he would be fine, even if the Edo Tensei was broken.

And to find out that not only Ariala had survived, but another half-breed had been born as well? They would be excellent fuel for the Juubi. But then what had happened to Chinatsu? She disappeared along with Ariala after the battle against Hashirama once Mito sealed the Kyuubi inside herself. Though to find out that Ariala was living as a young woman gave Madara a feeling that Chinatsu sacrificed herself to send her child to another time.

And how perfect the time it was.

"What do you plan to do with the half-breeds? I'm curious," Kabuto stated.

"That is none of your concern," Madara said, "but our plan involved their power. The child shouldn't be a problem, though I have a feeling Ariala will not come so easily. Not a big deal of course, but she is stubborn like her mother."

"Well, I have yet to revive her completely, but I also hold Chinatsu Uzumaki," Kabuto explained, "she could easily be used as bait."

"Bring her forth," Madara ordered. He glanced down at the Kage as their jaws dropped to see yet another coffin raised from the ground. The door dropped to show Chinatsu standing limply, her skin gray as she had not regained her consciousness. The coffin disappeared and Kabuto moved to place a tag in the back of the woman's head. "Don't awaken her yet," Madara ordered, "hand me the tag. She can move about just fine without consciousness, correct?"

"Yes, but why not yet? Her powers won't be completely restored until I place the tag on her," Kabuto explained.

"I need her to do some capturing for me," Madara explained, "her full strength is not required just yet. If she captures the young half-breed and we use both of them as bait, Ariala will not waste our time."

"Oh, good point," Kabuto said. He then weaved a hand seal and Chinatsu disappeared to go find the child. Madara took the tag from Kabuto, stowing it in a safe place. This way, should the Edo Tensei end, Chinatsu will not disappear with it as her soul is not fully sealed into her new body.

This was too easy…


Kurama

He watched as Naruto struggled to stay out of the Four-Tails mouth. Ari panicked and attempted to free Naruto, but she was too small and even with her chakra cloak she couldn't make a big enough impact with her attacks to allow the monkey to let go. The Eight-Tails grasped hold of the Four-Tails, trying to force it into releasing Naruto, but that didn't work either.

Then the Eight-Tails reached out to him again, "Kyuubi, I understand that you lent some of your power to Naruto when you fought Madara…we really wouldn't mind if you would lend us that power again!"

"I'm not like you, Hachibi," Kurama snapped, "I don't wag my tails to Jinchuuriki as easily as you do." He then closed his eyes and growled, thinking back to the day it all went wrong. Chinatsu had gotten Ari out of the way as he shifted from his human form to what he really was, all nine of his tails swirling behind him as he let out a furious roar.

"Nine-Tails," Madara had said, "You are merely a momentary life, a temporary existence coalesced with energy…energy that was once a single ultimate form! An unstable force lacking in intelligence or sapience, you require a guide to show you purpose. That guide is the Uchiha! The tailed beasts are slaves to those with blessed eyes. So now…obey!"

After that, Kurama had lost consciousness as he was controlled by Madara's sharingan. When he awoke again, the First Hokage Hashirama stood before him, bloodied and beaten, but his Mokuton trapped Kurama, keeping him from moving as he stated, "Nine-Tails, you're power is too great. I cannot let you roam free any longer, forgive me!"

And not long after that, Mito sealed Kurama inside of her, glaring at him as she blamed him for the loss of her sister and stated, "If you use your power, only hatred will come from it. Stay tranquil deep inside of me."

And then years later, Kurama stared down a young Kushina Uzumaki just before he was transferred to her. Kushina had glared at him begrudgingly and said, "Neither of us have any sort of luck, do we? You keep the world at bay, but I keep you at bay…"

Kurama gritted his teeth and he let out a growl. No matter how they phrased it, humans always say the same thing…

But there was one who was different.

She was a small red-haired woman with striking blue eyes. She fought fiercely, gifted with psychic abilities and the prominent abilities of the Uzumaki clan. She had been ordered by her father, the leader of the clan at the time, to put an end to Kurama's rampages across the land. Kurama himself was bitter at the time, never able to find peace in this hellish world the old Sage had left him and his siblings to rot in. But this woman didn't fight him. At least not with effort. She instead dropped her sealing scroll on the ground and leapt onto the Kyuubi's head. She smiled gently at the Bijuu and said, "Forgive me, Kyuubi. I was told to capture you…but you're not an evil spirit as they say, are you? No, you're a gentle spirit, feared by mankind only because you are different. We're a lot alike you know…I wonder what it would take to make you let go of all that hatred that has built up from years of scorn and isolation you faced."

She was the only one who saw Kurama differently. She was the only human who ever learned his true name. After that battle, Chinatsu would search for Kurama frequently, always able to find him. And after a while, Kurama almost wanted to be found. She would sit atop his head and smile kindly to him, despite the countless times he would thrash around and try to swat her away. But then one day, her kindness finally got to him.

Chinatsu searched the terrain, struggling to make out the large form of the fox. Had something happened to him? She wondered. But the reason she couldn't find him was because, as Kurama swallowed his pride, he shrunk down to a more human form, appearing as a man with long course hair pulled back into a high ponytail, an angular face, and striking red eyes.

"Chinatsu," he said, his heart pounding. How would she react to this pathetic form of his?

Chinatsu in turn, jumped and stared at Kurama in shock. She blinked a few times, recognizing the fox within the man, "K-Kyuubi? My! You're…quite handsome as a human!"

Trying to hide the excess amount of blood that rushed into his cheeks, Kurama followed Chinatsu that day, trying to understand just what it was that drew the woman to him. And what drew him to her for that matter. They kept up this subtle dance around each other for days and months, curiosity turning to attraction, and attraction to affection. Chinatsu attempted to dissolve Kurama's hatred, showing him the beauty the world had to offer, the kindness that humans were capable of, but the only thing that could ease the bottomless pit of rage Kurama felt deep within was standing in the woman's presence.

Then finally one day, they sat on a riverbank when Kurama finally said, "Chinatsu?"

"Yes, Kyuubi?" Chinatsu said, her beautiful eyes glistening.

Gulping hard, he responded, "It's actually Kurama…"

"Kurama?" Chinatsu repeated. She then looked down and mouthed out the name a couple of times before looking back with a bright smile as she said, "I love it."

Kurama gasped as he stared at her with wide eyes. What was this feeling within him? They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before finally, they leaned in gently towards each other.

He didn't know it then, but he had fallen in love with the woman.

But now she was gone, and there was no other being like Chinatsu. All other humans were the same wretched beings so obsessed with power and hungry for control. Kurama growled as he thought back to the day Kurama had almost been freed.

"Dammit, now this brat?" Kurama cursed angrily when he stared down at the infant. He looked over to find that his four-year old daughter was fighting to get into the barrier as she screamed. But Kurama watched he two grow up, and in the end…even those two…

"Hey NineTails!" Naruto's voice echoed in his head, a memory flashing in his mind suddenly, "I wanna…I wanna take away some of that hate you hold some day!"

Kurama opened an eye and watched as Naruto was swallowed by the Four-Tails. Kurama sighed heavily, thinking back to conversations Ari had had with Naruto when he was a child.

"Everyone hates me!" Naruto would usually say as he cried, "And I hate them!"

"Oh Naruto," Ari would wipe the boys tears, "If everyone hates you, then who am I? And doesn't it take too much energy to hate? Don't you grow tired?"

"Then what am I supposed to do? I can't like them, they treat me like crap!"

"I know…but that's why you have to show them what a great person you are. And I'll love and support you all the way. I'll help you get rid of that hatred in your heart, Naruto. Instead, I want to fill your heart with love."

As Naruto was swallowed, Kurama could hear Ariala scream out, "NARUTO!" in a panic.

Perhaps there were others like Chinatsu after all…


Ari

"DAMMIT!" I shrieked releasing my chakra chains. If I could just make Uncle Son open his big mouth…

But then of course, Tobi had to use his own chakra chains generated from the rod in the beast's neck and attempt to seal the beast away. I then wrapped my chains around Tobi's attempting to keep the masked man from sealing Uncle Son, with Naruto and Dad, away.

And being my blonde-haired boy, Naruto came up with a pretty ingenious plan of escape. And it involved barfing. Of course. Suddenly, Son's stomach and cheeks ballooned out and was forced to vomit out several hundred thousand Narutos.

"Atta boy!" I cheered, leaping into the air a little.

"Ari! Help me out! We've got to pull the rod out of Son's neck!" Naruto called out. I nodded and ran to the boy's side, both of us searching for a black rod in his neck.

"You don't know when to give up," Tobi spat angrily. I looked at the chain wrapped around Son's neck as it began to disappear and my eyes followed to the last spot which they glowed. I ran towards it before the chains disappeared completely. As I drew close, I could see the black rod sticking out.

"Over here, Naruto!" I called out.

"Don't touch it! I'll get it!" Naruto asked, heading towards me. He grasped hold of the rod, but chains emerged from it and began to wrap around the boy. "Dammit!" he called out, getting stuck.

"Naruto, let go of it!" I ordered. I released a chain from my hand and wrapped it around the one trapping Naruto but he glared back at me and swatted it away.

"Trust me on this!" he pleaded. My eyes widened, but I took a step back.

"Hmph, let's see what you're going to do, Naruto…show me that you're worth trusting. If you really want to do something for us, then do what you've always done." I heard Dad say from within the boy. I raised an eyebrow. Okay, I obviously missed something here…

But then from Son's throat, I heart a clone of Naruto call out an attack as the skin of Son's neck ripple, pushing the rod out. Naruto yelped as he fell to the ground, clasping the rod tightly. He then let go of the rod and created another shadow clone, the two of them smashing it with a Rasengan before the boy fell into Son's hand.

"Yes! That's the real you!" I heard Dad say. I leapt off of Son's shoulder and rejoined Naruto, helping the boy stand.

"You okay?" I asked.

"No! Dammit!" Naruto cried out, fighting frustrated tears off.

"What happened?" I asked in minor alarm. As I did, Son was sucked into the sealing statue Tobi had summoned and Naruto staggered, struggling to stay on his feet.

"You only stopped one and you already look like you're knocking on death's door," Tobi said, "But I don't intend to be stingy here. You and Ariala both have valuable things that belong to me now. And I'm going to take them all."

"Lovely," I groaned.

"Ari! Behind you!" I heard Saya call out. I spun around to see the rest of the tailed beasts transforming, all of which stared angrily down at me.

"This is even better!" I snapped, letting out a low growl. Man…I was the kyuubi's kid, wasn't I? So where was my cool transformation, huh? I groaned, probably not coming. I was half-human still…I didn't have the amount of chakra required to take on a form that huge…and I had a lot of chakra too. Well, had…this battle was taking too much out of me. Out of all of us.

But then, Dad pulled both of us into his cage and warned, "this is bad, no matter how you look at it. And you're both about ready to fall over."

"Just…watch me…" Naruto panted as he tripped and fell to his right. I caught him by the arm, but struggled to stay standing myself.

"I could lend you some of my power you know," Dad began to offer.

"Oh good grief, don't start this shit, Dad!" I groaned, smacking my hand to my face.

"I'm not trying to take over Naruto this time, I swear! Just my chakra, and my chakra alone! Now are you guys going to accept my help or not?" Dad snapped at me with a frown. I narrowed my eyes and gave my father a confused look. Where was this coming from again?

"You know, you're a lot more talkative lately," Naruto noted, cracking a smile, "I'm happy that you want to lend me your power, but first there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Huh?" Dad and I both looked at Naruto, horribly confused.

The boy continued, "Thanks for the help back there with Madara…that really saved me!"

At that, Dad looked absolutely disgusted, "Don't thank me! It's weird! I'd just rather be under your control than Madara's! That's all I was thinking about! And besides, because of this prison I'm in, I could only give you a tiny bit of power. And now I just want to see you fight a little longer!" By this point, Dad was in the middle of a complete crap-shoot as he pulled more excuses out of his ass, "I just need a good way to kill sometimes is all!"

At that, Naruto snapped and shouted, "I was thanking you! Why the hell are you getting mad at me? I don't care if you keep glaring at me, but the least you could do is fix the way you respond! Otherwise—" But Naruto stopped and stared in awe as Dad stuck his fist out of the cage and held it in front of Naruto. My jaw dropped at the sight. Who was this fox and what did he do with my pissed-off, stubborn geezer of my father?

"Meld your chakra with mine," Father instructed.

Naruto allowed a faint smile to cross his lips as he breathed out, "Don't tell me…we're gonna play tug-of-war again…?"

"Idiot, we don't have that time!" Dad snapped. He then grinned and teased, "although I'm a bit bored, so if you want to play I wouldn't mind."

Naruto giggled as the two bumped fists, both of them smiling. Back outside, Naruto stood back on his feet, ready to fight. Gyuuki stared at Naruto in awe, amazed that my father had actually come around. Inside the seal, Naruto lifted his hands, opening the cage with his mind. Dad crouched low to the ground, a wild grin on his face. He was still sealed, but finally he felt free.

"Kurama, let's go!" Naruto called out. Naruto then brought himself to full consciousness outside of the seal as Dad lent him a ton of chakra. I lingered behind and turned to face my father, placing my hands on my hips. Dad looked down on me, his grin falling.

"Can we talk later? You'll get hurt if you just stand around like that," Dad offered.

I narrowed my eyes and spat out, "No. You owe me."

Sighing heavily, Dad's ears flattened and he looked away, "I know…okay, go on."

"What the hell is going on with you?" I barked, "First you try to kill Naruto, heck, you wanted to kill me! Then you practically disown me, and now all the sudden you're best friends with your jinchuuriki? Explain. Please, before I lose what's left of my sanity!"

"Ari, I'm not sure you would understand," Dad heaved a heavy sigh, "I don't understand even. But…I just get a feeling…humans…they are arrogant and selfish creatures, obsessed with taking control of absolutely everything. But your mother was different. There was a unique light to her, a possitive light that attracted everyone who passed by, especially me. And Ari…I'm sorry I never saw this before, but you carry that same light within you, and yours is so much more powerful that you were able to pass it on to Naruto and gave him the strength to purge his own hatred, and help remind me that mine had left me when I met Chinatsu."

"A light," I groaned, "if I'm such a positive light, then how come you were screaming at me back on that island?"

"Because I didn't understand where your choices were coming from," Dad told me as he closed his eyes, "I shunned you because your eyes were opened wider than mine and I could not see the things that you could, even when they were right before my eyes." Dad then lowered his furry hand, gesturing for me to step onto it. I walked into his palm and he lifted me to up so I his eyes could meet mine, "Ari, you're right, I promised your mother that I would not disapprove of your actions even if I could not understand them, but I broke that promise. I did the same to you as Chinatsu's father did to her, and I am so terribly sorry. I don't want to leave you alone in this world, I don't want you to suffer because of your stupid idiot of a father any longer."

"Dad…" I heaved a heavy sigh, the tears stinging my eyes. I closed them and managed a smile, "can you still shift to a human form?"

Dad raised an eyebrow but shrunk down as I asked until he was standing at six-feet tall and on two legs, towering over me, but still much closer to my height. "Why do you want me to-?" Dad started but I cut him off as I threw my arms around him crying.

"I missed you!" I wept, "Welcome back!"

I buried my head into my father's chest, crying happy tears for once. I felt a little ridiculous, wondering if I looked like Hana did whenever she threw her arms around Itachi. I pushed the image away, I didn't want my mournful tears to sour the moment I was having with my father. I had shared too many happy memories with Itachi to let my grief overwhelm me any longer anyway.

"Ariala," Dad muttered as he slowly wrapped his arms around me. He let out a chuckle and said, "a carefree spirit as always. I hate to ruin the moment, but you best open your eyes and guard yourself before you're struck with Matatabi's Bijuu Bomb. She'll never forgive you for being so reckless and setting a bad example for Hana."

I spat out a laugh and dodge Aunt Tabi's attack just in the knick of time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Naruto had transformed, creating golden chakra version of Dad who ran around freely, fighting against the remaining Bijuu. I released my own Bijuu Mode as Saya and Kakashi ran next to me. Unable to hide the determined grin on my face, I felt as if I were finally on top of the world.

But of course, since this is me we're talking about, little did I know that Madara and my mother were about to beat me to the dirt yet again, and then kick me while I was down before I could rise back up and be able to live in peace with my flower, my lover, and have a the family dinner Mom and I always dreamed of for once.