Chapter 2: A New Identity

Sasuke watched in horror as Kiba's body disappeared into the abyss that was the deep woods ahead. No crashes could be heard, but the raven knew that the dog must have landed by now and most likely very far away.

The blond's growling increased in volume and the Uchiha quickly turned his attention back to the fox. Behind the demon, a hint of a fifth tail began to grow as the crimson glow surrounding the latter intensified in color and warmth. The creature's claws dug deeper into the ground as if trying to find control and the rocks under his palms crumbled into sand.

The situation was becoming dire for the raven, but Sasuke knew that he would never be able to outrun the beast. Not in the state he was in. Another part of his mind also struggled to understand why he was still alive and why the fox was not attacking.

From all he knew, the demon had been the sole source of the massive destruction around and yet, gleaming through his deep crimson eyes, was a desperate look of loss and confusion. The vertical whisker marks marring his cheeks had darkened and thickened into his skin and his sharp ears had grown in size, but the fox kept in place, shaking in his efforts to restrain his urges.

There was a tinge of hope blooming somewhere in Sasuke's mind with every second that passed, but he could tell that it would not last. Already, the fifth tail had grown to half the size of the others and the blond's strong canines had elongated to frightening lengths. A near tangible sense of fear had begun bubbling into the raven's system, but he forced the emotion down with all the Uchiha pride he possessed. There was no time for it and he would not allow himself to succumb.

With some effort due to his injuries, he activated his sharingans and squinted when his vision was assaulted with waves of crimson chakra. Through it all, it was the first time he'd taken notice of the wide gash running along the blond's left side. The long wound resembled one received through the use of katanas and looked deep enough to kill.

Through all the red glowing around the fox, Sasuke had missed the pain etched into the demon's features, but now he finally understood. The blond was most likely one of Orochimaru's experiments and had tried to escape, resulting in his current state. Unfortunately for everyone, however, he seemed close to losing all control and Sasuke just happened to be in his path.

Just as the blond's pupils constricted into thinner stripes, a loud rubbling suddenly shook the forest and a large clay cage sprung from the ground, imprisoning the fox within it.

The next events went by as fast as a blur and within the few seconds after the fox destroyed the cage and a new one was made to bind him, a large group of ANBU masked shinobi had appeared all around the field. Leading them was the lone unmasked man whom the raven recognized as the leader of the foxes: Asuma Sarutobi.

Inside the multiple layers of clay bindings and metal shackles, the fox roared in anger, emitting large bursts of destructive chakra that crashed through the remaining trees and rocks. The land shook with his temper and his tails wildly trashed into anything within contact.

All around him, the ANBUs held onto their stances with strengthened chakra holds and quickly surrounded the raging fox despite the shaking bonds that barely held him in place. Cracks riddled the whole structure roughly build around the blond, but it stubbornly held on.

Sasuke's view of the scene began to be obstructed by the several ANBU members that had gathered in front of him, but from the distance between two adjacent bodies, he witnessed the Sarutobi fox efficiently run through multiple seals with his hands. Beside him, a circle of shinobi jot down as fast as they could some of the most complex seals Sasuke had ever laid eyes upon.

With his sharingans still active, he could make out some of the simpler seals, such as the sign for dog, which was commonly used for protection.

Before long, a gold-shaded light began to glow around the drawn out symbols and Asuma came to a halt with his hand seals. He whispered a few words that escaped the Uchiha's scope, but as the last syllables left the man's lips, the seals written on the ground suddenly stretched out from the floor and into the air.

The golden symbols flowed into the sky like a long string of chakra and slowly wrapped around every one of the blond's limbs, restraining his movements to the bare minimum. The fox growled and roared, trashing harder than ever in his crumbling cage before the crimson glow left his eyes and he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

All the shinobis took a collective breath of relief when the four tails and a half began to shrink and disappear, along with the blond's large claws and canines. The burning glow surrounding his body deemed into nothingness and finally, his ears morphed back into their usual size.

From the corner of his eyes, Sasuke could see another ANBU ninja coming out of the woods, holding an unconscious Kiba over his shoulders and hoped his friend would be waking up soon. He then let his eyes flutter close and fell into a deep slumber.

Naruto felt a familiar heat warm his face and body, relaxing his tight muscles as he sank deeper into a strange softness. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt as comfortable and enjoyed the distinct lack of cold surfaces beneath his tired back.

He had no idea where he was and could not see anything beyond the bright nothingness that surrounded him. Nonetheless, somewhere in his mind, he knew that he was sleeping or at least unconscious, but didn't mind staying like that for just a few moments more.

Life, however, never quite worked that way and he slowly began feeling a wrenching soreness gnarl into his limbs, as if reawakening after a long slumber. A large area across his left side began to burn at where his skin made contact with a rough surface he could not identify.

His senses were coming back to him and with them, the smell of antiseptic that immediately hit his nose and made him cringe. Past his closed eyelids, he could already feel a disconcerting brightness seeping in and frowned at the feeling. But it wasn't until he could distinctly hear the rustling of clothes and the clink of weapons hitting against other surfaces that it registered in his mind that he was not home.

Sitting next to the mysterious blond's bed, Sasuke tried not to lean into the seat's back, for he was still recovering from the injuries he'd suffered a few days prior. His wings were safely tucked away, but he knew he wouldn't be flying for at least a week or two. He'd broken more than a few bones and, additionally to the rib injury sustained during his last mission, he was in no shape to carry out any sort of shinobi work.

Thus, with nothing better to do and having been recently discharged from his own hospital room, he'd decided to come pay the handsome fox demon a visit. Asuma, who was on constant guard duty inside the closed room, was a little hesitant to let him in, but reluctantly agreed when the Uchiha wouldn't back down.

In any case, the blond fox was no longer a threat and was highly restrained to his hospital bed with various fox-oriented jutsus found within their headquarter libraries. It had not been a quick job and many ANBU members had worked tirelessly on a strong enough seal, but with the help of their knowledge on fox chakra, they'd created a strong enough binding that they all assumed would be enough.

Still, having always been on the careful side, Asuma, along with a changing shift of fox ANBU, stood guard outside and inside the blond's room. Being fellow fox demons, they assumed that they might stand a better chance at keeping the stranger in place. After all, it was common knowledge that only a fox knew how to successfully bind another.

And so, sitting quietly near the blond's bed, Sasuke contemplated the unconscious man with a critical eye. He couldn't name what he'd felt when he had stared into the stranger's bright crimson eyes, but he did know that it hadn't left him indifferent. The turmoil of emotions running through the fox's gaze had captured his attention and he couldn't let it go, no matter how much he tried.

Taking a deep breath, he heaved a sigh and ran his tired fingers through his dark strands. He then glanced back down again and took in the peaceful look on the blond's whiskered face. The doctors had said that the fox would not be waking up any time soon due to his grave injuries, as well as the severe dehydration and malnutrition he was under. Wherever Orochimaru or whoever it was had kept him, they hadn't done a good job at keeping him healthy…or maybe they didn't care.

Of course, Sasuke knew that there was a high chance that his guess was wrong and that the blond was actually a spy from another village, but until the ANBU figured out the fox's origins, it would be the story he'd stick to. After all, he needed something to pass the time.

Suddenly, frantic beeping sounds tore through the room as the machines began going wild. Sasuke felt a nearby ANBU quickly drag him away from the patient before the walls began to rumble.

The raven never took his eyes off the blond fox and immediately took notice of his limbs slowly beginning to move. All around him, ninjas and nurses filed into the room and double checked the seals or verified the medical equipment. Nonetheless, the place kept shaking and it was only getting worse.

"He's waking up!" a nurse yelled over the noise of a flower vase crashing onto the floor. She then scurried her way towards the door, followed by the rest of the medical staff when Asuma gave them the sign.

"It's too early," Sasuke heard another mutter on her way out and just as the door was about to be closed, he snuck out of the way of a busy ANBU agent and remained inside the room. After all, despite his injured state, he could still fend for himself and he absolutely wanted to witness the blond's awakening.

Soon, the area had been sealed off and only the fox demons and the lone raven were left inside the near-empty room. The rumbling had already stopped and the machines were unplugged, for the noise had become unbearable to the demons' sensitive ears.

On the bed, the blond was shifting within the strong binds, but was not quite awake yet. Chakra restraints had been put in abundance on his person and despite the shaking he had caused, no permanent damage had been made on the place.

All around the room, the ANBU reached for their weapons or seals with batted breaths as they all waited for the inevitable struggle the blond would put up. Sasuke, for his part, stayed in his corner where he had a clear view of the fox's face, which was currently marred with a deep frown at the brow.

Without warning, a deafening ripping sound echoed through the room and one of the blond's arms had been freed. Asuma and the foxes quickly produced a long metallic chain in response and it wrapped around the limb, slamming it back into the bed.

A loud growl escaped the stranger's lips, but nothing more. He kept trashing around in the small hospital bed, but the multiple metallic binds sealed around his frame kept him in place. Within the next few minutes, the struggling had stopped and the room became eerily quiet.

The ANBU foxes were panting from their efforts at keep the seals grounded in their locations, but Sasuke did not focus on them. Instead, he kept his gaze on the blond's face and was soon rewarded with the brightest cerulean blue eyes he had ever witnessed.

Coincidentally, just as Naruto's lashes fluttered open, the first sight he had come to see was that of a familiar-looking raven-haired man with white bandages running across his shoulders. Through his dark gaze, the blond could make out hints of curiosity and couldn't help but wonder where he'd seen the man before.

'Who is he?' he asked himself, momentarily forgetting the panic that had run through him at realizing his chained-up predicament. He knew he was getting distracted, but something simply told him that he'd met the raven before and fairly recently at that.

Concentrating hard, he could remember flashes of green, a crescent shaped moon and a large spread of the darkest and most enchanting wings he'd ever laid eyes upon. He could recall feeling lost, confused, hurt…he knew he had heard growls and the sound of crashing trees. But through it all, he had the image of this man's dark onyx eyes imprinted into his mind and it never left him.

"Who are you?" he finally croaked out, finding out the hard way just how dry his throat had become. His voice was deep and raspy from disuse and a rough cough wracked his frame when he opened his mouth to speak again.

Sasuke blinked when he noticed that the question was directed at him and a confused murmur spread across the room. The blond kept an unwavering gaze on him that secretly made him feel nervous, but Uchihas did not show such weak emotions. Instead, he squared his shoulders and walked out from the corner.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he answered and returned the other's gaze with the same intensity.

Naruto was too tired to register the name, but he knew he'd seen those eyes before. And just like that, it all came back to him: the lab, the chase and the deep dark woods. He had been imprisoned in Orochimaru's basement for who knew how long and had finally escaped.

"Where am I?" he asked and finally directed his gaze towards the whole room.

It was stark white, just like any other hospital room he had ever been in. However, it was filled with men and women with vulpine designed masks. Despite the intimidating scene, Naruto knew that, at any rate, he was no longer in Orochimaru's lab where sunlight would never be seeping through the small and clean windows.

Asuma, who had watched the short exchange in silence, stepped forward and put a hand up to stop his agents from tightening the seals. From the pained look pinching the blond's otherwise placid features, they had done an excellent job at keeping the bindings firm.

"You are in Konoha hospital," he told the young man and took note of the marginal widening of the latter's bright blue eyes. 'He didn't know,' he concluded from the subtle wonder etched into the fox's features and crossed his arms in thought.

Just then, the door slid open and everyone turned their attention towards the new arrivals. Near the frame, a rather short man wearing a triangular shaped hat and long red robes walked into the room, followed closely by ANBU guards with different designs marking their masks.

"Hokage-sama!" the agents in the room saluted and bowed as the old man made his way inside.

The Hokage had a pleasant smile on his lips and waved for them to relax their postures. As he did so, Asuma walked up to him and crouched down on one knee.

The aged man gazed down at the leader of the foxes and grinned. "I see the rumors were true," he began and Asuma looked up.

"Yes sir," he answered cordially. "The doctors had estimated a few more weeks, but the fox seems to have an unusually fast recovering rate."

The kage nodded and gestured for the man to stand up again. Asuma did so and made a sign for one of his agents to approach. Immediately, the ANBU holding an official scroll marched forward and bowed as he held the object up.

Taking it from the agent, the village leader unrolled the document and scanned through the report before clamping it close again. He then motioned for the ANBUs to leave and right away, they systematically filed out the room without a sound.

Before long, only Asuma and Sasuke were left behind along with the Hokage and the door was quietly shut behind them.

"Son," the old man turned his gaze towards Asuma once the ANBUs left. "Seal the room."

As soon as the words were said, the fox leader made the signs and what Sasuke recognized as a high-level security seal formed around the area in which they stood. Its effects would render all conversations taking place within the room inaccessible to anyone outside.

The Hokage then turned his attention to the quiet blond strapped to the hospital bed and closed the distance between them. When he stood slightly above the fox's head, Naruto averted his gaze out of respect.

"An uncanny resemblance," he heard an old raspy voice mutter and glanced back up at the aged face of Konoha's leader with confusion in his blue eyes. The latter stared down at him thoughtfully before smiling in a strangely reassuring way.

"Tell me boy, what is your name?" the Hokage finally asked him and the blond blinked at the question.

"N-Naruto, sir," he responded, frankly surprised the man wasn't more hostile. After all, he had just crashed more than half the woods outside his village and injured at least a few of his agents.

"No last name?"

The blond paused for a second before answering, mostly because he rarely used his family name. Being an orphan of unknown origins, no one really bothered giving him anything more than something to call him by until his recent adoption into his dear friend's family.

"Subaku," he finally replied and at the look of surprise and slight suspicion that crossed everyone's faces, he could immediately tell that Gaara had not yet been successful with reforming the peace between Konoha and Suna.

It a well-known fact that the Sand and Leaf did not exactly get along, but they were not enemies either. There was simply tension since the last Hokage's death, which had occurred shortly after the latter paid the previous Kazekage a visit with his family. No one had survived on the Leaf side and since then, relations were not good. Many Konoha citizens still blamed Suna for the Namikazes' deaths, but there was no proof and hence no incentive for war. They were still allies on paper, but were only linked by formalities such as the Chunin Exam.

As silence ensued after the blond's words, Sasuke wondered what a member of the Kazekage's family had been doing in the woods outside Konoha's gates so late at night and completely out of control. He wanted to ask, but since the Hokage seemed oddly satisfied with so little details, he kept quiet and listened on. After all, he still didn't know why he was allowed to stay along with them.

"I see," the older Sarutobi slowly nodded in some kind of comprehension and reached into his pocket for his pipe. "Now inform me about your presence here in Konoha," he continued and held the wooden smoking device out to Asuma. The latter snapped his fingers and lit the tobacco.

Naruto watched their smooth and silent coordination with slight awe, wondering whether that was how fathers and sons interacted. It looked strangely neat and the blond felt a little envious. But getting back to the matter at hand, he took some time to gather his thoughts before answering.

"I… was imprisoned in a lab for an undetermined amount of time," he began and Sasuke's eyes lit up in interest. 'I was right!' the Uchiha silently gloated in his mind, but kept his face neutral to the outside world.

"I don't know how I ended up near Konoha," Naruto finished rather lamely, but with honesty gleaming through his large blue orbs. He lift his hand towards the back of his head in his usual manner, only to remember his bound state when his arm stayed glued to the bed. For a brief moment, he glanced down at the mix of metallic and wooden chains wrapped around his body and wondered if it was all necessary.

Meanwhile, the Hokage puffed out some smoke and shared a look with his son before speaking again.

"I see," he grunted into his pipe. "Then am I right to assume that you've had previous experiences with a missing nin named Orochimaru?"

A look of disgust momentarily crossed Naruto's face at the mention of the snake's name, but it did not escape the shinobis in the room.

"Yes sir," the blond finally said in a firm voice.

Naruto had been surprised at first when the Hokage had brought up the crazed scientist, but then recalled that the snake had originated from Konoha. Surely, if there was one nation that despised his sick experimentations the most, it would be the Leaf.

Despite having lived his whole life in Suna, he knew more about Orochimaru than the average shinobi and was well aware that the old bastard had used his own ninjas to fuel his demented work. It was not a secret that he was wanted as an S-classed criminal all around the world.

As Naruto relived old memories, the Hokage watched him with a knowing smile. He then turned his head towards his son again and they came to an agreement through gaze telepathy alone, or so it seemed to the Uchiha.

Sasuke would never have been able to understand his father so well, even less stand to stare at the man for more than a few seconds. So how the Sarutobis always seemed to pass messages through furtive glances, he would never know. What he could tell, however, was that they had come to a decision and it most likely involved their blond visitor.

"Naruto," Sarutobi senior began and smiled wider at the curious look in the latter's eyes. "I have a proposition for you."

The blond stared at the Hokage for a second before grinning. "Anything's better than the interrogation room," he joked and Sasuke secretly wondered how much the stranger knew about that particular department.

The Hokage laughed at that and shook his head in amusement. "Oh no, not for you," he chuckled and then suddenly turned serious. "That is, if you accept our offer."

Naruto felt the change in atmosphere, but somehow knew that the man was not serious. Call it a natural talent, but he had always been good at gauging another person's emotions. It came in handy at most times, but had also caused him much pain during his childhood.

The Hokage waited for the blond to sober down before explaining.

"In exchange for your help in our search for Orochimaru, I will allow you contact with your family in a month's time," he paused to take a puff of his pipe. "Furthermore, you will be allowed to work on missions and access the grounds outside Konoha after two weeks of constant ANBU surveillance."

Naruto nodded as he listened to the man's words. He had honestly expected worse and while two weeks of probation did not seem fun, he didn't really mind. If it meant getting to speak to Gaara again in a while and hopefully improve Sand relations with Leaf through the elimination of a crazed snake, he was all for it.

Last he'd been in Suna, Gaara had a specific group of shinobi working on tracking down the missing nin. If he could somehow get the two villages to join forces, Naruto hoped that the damage done by the previous Kazekage between the two nations could possibly be mended. Not being one to drown himself in delusions, the blond had no doubts that the Sand could have had a hand in the Fourth's disappearance. He simply didn't know how, but he'd get to that one day.

Finally done with his inner ramblings, Naruto glanced up at the Hokage from his trapped position on the bed and grinned.

"Deal," he said before pausing and attempting to move his fingers, "though I'd love to be untied before we discuss any further."

He sent his best pleading stare up at the Hokage and the latter chuckled at his try. He then gave his son a look and Asuma sighed. The fox leader made a few signs and slowly, the chains began to unwrap themselves from Naruto's body and gradually dissolve into the ground.

The blond tried to sit up, but winced as the action stretched at his recovering wounds. Sasuke, who had been still the whole time, walked over and helped him up. The Uchiha reached over the fox's back and carefully heaved him up against his pillow before taking a seat beside him on the bed.

"Thanks," Naruto muttered at the raven and Sasuke grunted in response.

"Hn," was all he said, but the blond could tell that the Uchiha genuinely did appreciate the acknowledgment. It was all in his dark yet expressive eyes.

"Well," the Hokage interrupted the moment with a cough. "Since this matter is all well and agreed upon, we'll need a new name for you."

Naruto cocked his head to the side in his usual manner, but stopped halfway when he felt a sharp pain stab into his neck when he tried. Instead, he went with the subtle eyebrow quirking he'd seen Gaara attempt a million times.

The Hokage gave him a sympathetic look.

"You see, relations between Konoha and Suna are still fragile at the moment," he elaborated and Naruto nodded in understanding. "Hence, we'll be calling you Naruto Uzumaki from now on."

"Spiral?" the fox asked curiously and the old man shook his head.

"Whirlpool," he corrected and Naruto smiled. He rather liked that.

A/N: Want more chapters? If so, leave me some feedback and spread the word! Thank you for reading thus far :)