TimeShifter: Chapter 1 was a pure setup chapter, and I do mean 'pure'. It's a lot of information to process, but it's necessary setup for the next several chapters.

Chapter 2:
Comrades

Neji looked at Tsunade with his confident grin. "My opinion of Naruto hasn't changed in the slightest." Hinata almost gave a relieved sigh, almost. "He's dense, rash, and incorrigibly stupid…" She felt rage and unconsciously prepared the seals to bring Neji pain, if only the slightest trickle. Then he saved himself. "…but I love him like the brother I never wanted."

Tsunade, Hiashi, and Kanaeru watched Hinata with trepidation. When her cheeks turned a shade of rosy happiness, they visibly relaxed…until the Kyuubi controlled Naruto decided to chime in. "Um…somebody mind helping me? I'm in a lot of pain here." As his ever so gracious host, Kyuubi didn't like being ignored.

Hinata's eyes widened. "N-Naruto-kun!" She rushed to his side and knelt beside him immediately. In the years, nearly thirteen she reminded herself, she'd known him, she never saw him as weak as he seemed then. "Wh-What's wrong?" She ignored the faint she felt.

Naruto breathed through gritted teeth. He obviously couldn't speak, so Kanaeru spoke up for him. "From what I can tell, his chakra is flaring causing strain on his chakra network. His tenketsu are literally almost backfiring, and he's been opening and closing gates because they are acting like dams instead of nodes."

Hiashi carefully calculated his words and answered before anybody else had the chance. "Uzumaki-dono, what is causing it? Surely the Kyuubi is afraid of dieing if the boy does, but I cannot imagine why such a sudden flare-up might occur." He was careful to mask his emotions, but there was clear disdain at the mention of Kyuubi.

Kanaeru narrowed her eyes and lightly gripped a loose link of chain. "Tempting…but he has no contempt for the boy at least." She reasoned with herself that attacking was a bad idea, especially after what Konoha suffered to the Kyuubi's rage. She took in a deep breath. "I can only imagine he was never properly trained on something important to his legacy."

Kyuubi was getting frustrated, and even he had a threshold. With a loud snort, he controlled Naruto into a controlled rage. He fought back the bubbling, red chakra. "Pain… Somebody… Help… Please!" His eyes clenched shut in a vain attempt to fight the massive migraine.

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Hyuuga Neji, Hinata, I have a mission for you." If it were Naruto, she knew she'd have to spill out some impressive rank for the mission. Hinata and Neji, however, immediately went to attention to await orders; though, they already guessed what they were. "Take Naruto somewhere open enough to perform what is needed. Help him control his tenketsu through any means you know how."

Hinata hesitated, and the Kyuubi possessed Naruto noticed. She was not getting away that easily! "No!" He bellowed, clearly in two voices. He was leaking chakra excessively and seemed in less pain. "The chakra control has to be precise, and the chakra pressure must be exact." As soon as the excessive leak stopped, he doubled over in pain again.

Hiashi raised a brow at the Kyuubi's choice of words but showed no other reaction. He sent a harsh look at the teens. They had a mission to accomplish. "Well, what are you waiting for? You were specifically selected for this mission. Now, go!" His command did not go wasted as Hinata and Neji quickly supported Naruto and left. He breathed a heavy sigh.

He turned to Kanaeru who was looking out the window in deep though. "I hadn't seen it in over twelve years." Tsunade and Kanaeru turned to him with curious expressions. "Three years ago at the chunin exams, Neji closed off all Naruto's tenketsu. It should have been over; the boy never showed the necessary skill. Then he called on the Kyuubi and, somehow, opened each tenketsu like it was nothing."

Kanaeru smiled at him knowingly. She had the answer she needed. He was never trained properly because nobody knew. "Thank you, 'shi-kun." Hiashi cringed, and she laughed. Tsunade still has a curious and confused look on her face, so she elaborated. "It seems he has the gift after all." Tsunade mouthed understanding.

Hinata and Neji carried Naruto to a training area with wide space. It wasn't one of the designated, numbered training grounds. It was just a wide area set aside for aspiring shinobi, an academy training ground for taijutsu. Naruto collapsed to the ground as soon as they released him.

"Byakugan!" Neji activated his kekkei genkai to see just what was going on with Naruto and his tenketsu. He was stunned by what he saw. He quickly turned to Hinata. "Tsunade-sama was right. His chakra is tearing his insides apart…" He paused to watch as one tenketsu opened too wide and another closed too tight. At least he knew what was causing Naruto so much pain. "Hinata-sama, prepare yourself."

Hinata nodded with a small affirmative. She closed her eyes and molded her chakra. "Byakugan!" Her visual spectrum changed, and she gasped at what she saw once her eyes opened. "Na-Naruto-kun…" She watched Neji lower himself into a stance, and she nodded in understanding. They weren't fighting Naruto, but the stances allowed for quick and agile strikes which they needed to make.

Hinata looped around behind Naruto while Neji took the front. Neji was the first to move, and Hinata felt that familiar pang of doubt. He struck two tenketsu before speaking up. "Hinata-sama, you have to help. It is your responsibility as a shinobi. Naruto needs you, and the Kyuubi requested you." He had to shake her out of her self-pity.

She nodded. She knew he was right. She closed her eyes to steel her resolve. When she opened her eyes, she lashed out with unnerving accuracy and speed. He was taken aback for a moment before pushing forward himself. Quickly, they found a pattern to how the tenketsu flared. They molded chakra to open or close tenketsu as appropriate, and Naruto started to recover.

Neji was surprised by something he saw in Hinata. After the thrashing Naruto handed him at the chunin exam three years ago, he learned to be more watchful for what kind of strength one had. He was the first to admit she was not 'weak' as he first shrugged her off as, but he never saw her quite as accurate as she was dealing with the strange condition afflicting Naruto.

He decided to test her. He carefully molded chakra to close a particular tenketsu which needed opened. It was a feint, but she didn't notice. She didn't have enough time, so she just reacted. She opened a tenketsu she was aiming at and shifted her feet for a spin. At the end of her spin, she slid her arm under his and flicked her wrist with a burst of chakra to send his high.

Neji was stunned, and he could only watch as she expertly parried his strike. Hinata even continued. She opened the tenketsu he made the faint for, noticed two more flare-ups, and took appropriate action. Before he lowered himself back into his stance, she was already behind Naruto taking care of her job. "B-Be more careful Neji-niisan."

She wasn't being rude, and Neji nodded in understanding. He wasn't going to test any more theories. He already had his answer.

Tsunade threw herself back into her seat. She didn't know what was going on, but she was sure she didn't like it. She gave Kakashi and the two ANBU a commanding glare. They dispersed immediately to keep their eyes on Naruto. Kakashi was also moving to retrieve the nearby Yamato. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Oh yes, an evil migraine was on its way.

Kanaeru guffawed boisterously. "Ah, I like that pup, Neji." Tsunade and Hiashi looked at her quizzically. She wore a broad smile as she answered them. "The girl obvious likes the boy, and the pup was insulting him rather directly." She seemed to glow in mirthful exuberance.

Tsunade cleared her throat to get the red-head's attention. When she had it, she asked the question resting in her mind. "Not to be rude, but what business do you have here? It's a long way from Whirlpool." Her voice was serious, so it was easily understood she meant business.

Kanaeru bowed slightly. The joy wasn't shaken from her voice, so she didn't sound as regal as she could when she got down to business. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I did crash in unannounced." She giggled slightly, and Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I'm here 'cause of the last message we got from Jiraiya-sama. It was his usual gibberish, but we deciphered most of it. He said, 'Konoha can help understand the rest.' Wasn't my first choice to come here, but the heir is more important than trivial feelings."

Tsunade nodded as she listened and waited for her to finish. After a moment's pause, her eyes went wide, and a resounding thud announced how quickly she rose to her feet; her fists slammed hard against the desk. "You mean you understand that code?!" She bit her lip. "That could have helped a lot the past few days!"

Kanaeru shrugged. "I was still on the road, and I didn't know you needed help with that gibberish." Tsunade almost interjected, but she wasn't finished and held up a hand. "Besides, we have an old grudge with the Uchiha. As long as the heir was safe, we were content to go about things like we usually did."

Tsunade let out a sigh. She couldn't really argue with her. "For all we knew, the Uzumaki was wiped out some years ago. I wonder how many knew…" She was brought out of her internal musings by another heated debate between Kanaeru and Hiashi. Well, it was about as 'heated' as a playful argument between two, old friends. Her vision blurred as she pushed back the anger. "All right you two, stop acting like kids!"

Hiashi feigned insult. "We were only discussing the merits of having the Sharingan as an ally to Konoha." It was an old argument. Though the Hyuuga weren't big fans of the Uchiha, they figured having them as allies was far safer than allowing them to aid the enemy.

Kanaeru scoffed. "We are talking about the same arrogant brats, right?" She added the emphasis with a smirk. She didn't trust the Uchiha and had her reasons. She enjoyed pointing out all the traitors who came from the one clan. She was well aware of Itachi and Sasuke's behavior, and she venomously knew Madara from history.

Tsunade slammed her fists on the desk again, badly splintering it. "I already said enough, so that's enough!" They piped down in their own ways. Kanaeru wore a smirk similar to Naruto's, and Hiashi just put on his expressionless mask as he crossed his arms. Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose as she spoke. "Just tell me why you're here…"

Kanaeru puffed her chest in confidence as a wicked grin took her face. "You know Jiraiya-sama's books…?"

Kakashi watched from several yards away as Hinata and Neji wore themselves out 'attacking' Naruto. He had his usual lazy expression with his nose buried in his favorite book. Yamato stood beside him ready for anything. "You know, for the Kyuubi being in control this is rather pedestrian."

Kakashi nodded. "Hinata and Neji are on the brink of chakra exhaustion." Yamato nodded, and Kakashi continued his observations. "Naruto's body also seems to be doing better. Though I doubt he'll be able to mold chakra properly for a while, they don't have to rush for his tenketsu anymore."

Yamato chuckled. "Knowing Naruto, he'll bounce right back. Those two, though, might need to rest for a day or two." Kakashi just nodded and continued reading. Yamato sighed. He never understood the infatuation his senior had with those books, so he decided to keep his attention on the teens. He noticed something and was about to speak up. "Hey…"

However, when he turned to his senior, there was only a swirl of leaves. Kakashi was clear across the field as he caught Hinata as she fainted. Neji barely hobbled backwards before he slumped. He nodded to the senior jonin in thanks, and Kakashi returned it. "Not a problem, Neji. Now, we need to get the three of you home." He looked over his shoulder. "Yamato, get Naruto home. I'll escort the Hyuuga."

Yamato stood and started walking towards Naruto, and Kakashi was already helping Neji along as he carried Hinata. Naruto waved back and forth, and his eyes rolled back and eyelids lolled. Yamato's eyes went wide, and he pushed chakra to his legs to propel himself forwards. However, the accompanying thud announced his slow reaction. Naruto passed out and fell to the ground.

Kakashi and Neji felt a nervous sweat when the looked back to the stone-faced Yamato. Kakashi chuckled with a reply. "Well, it's been a hard day for all of us." If not for Neji's exhaustion, he would have just vanished from sight. As it was, he was forced to walk along to help Neji home.

Yamato sighed as he picked Naruto up. "Let's get you home." He wasn't so constrained, and he disappeared in a whirl of leaves to get his young charge home. There was a feeling that the blond genin might be seeing his eyelids a lot in the coming days. Overwhelming news tended to have that effect.

Tsunade was still nursing a headache when Kakashi and Yamato walked into her office. Kanaeru left with Hiashi after being dismissed. They apparently had a few more things to discuss. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but parts of their conversation stuck in her mind. The former ANBU and undercover ANBU were called for specific reasons, and one of those reasons was to discuss a revealing subject.

They offered polite bows, and she started the conversation. "Kanaeru revealed Jiraiya has been in contact with the Uzumaki for the past fifteen years, a little more intensive in the past three." She watched their faces for a reaction, but one decided to present itself verbally.

Kakashi actually put his book away to speak up. "Hokage-sama, Sarutobi-sama also wrote until he was killed." He wasn't surprised by the surprised glares he was receiving. "Jiraiya-sama likely intensified his writing to reassure the Uzumaki and keep them abreast of the situation."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and rested her chin on tented fingers. She was angry. "How long have you been withholding this information?"

Kakashi sighed. "This is going to be harder than I thought…" He thought about it for a moment before answering. "I've known since Kushina saved my life." Tsunade raised a brow to the answer and opened her mouth to reply, but he quickly continued. "Why do you think Sarutobi-sama entrusted me with ANBU patrols to protect him and then be his jonin sensei?"

Tsunade raised her brow. "He has a point." She sighed. She wasn't about to argue pointlessly. "Was it a secret?" He nodded. "Was it one you couldn't even tell me?" He nodded again, and she felt the vein in her forehead twitch. "Are you saying Sarutobi-sensei couldn't even trust me?!"

Yamato carefully took a step back, but Kakashi didn't flinch as he answered. "He wasn't called the Professor for assuming everything would turn out perfectly. The Fourth didn't have a successor, and he didn't exactly have his top choices in the village. He may have trusted Koharu and Homaru as teammates, but he didn't trust Danzo's influence over them. If I may be so bold, he didn't have much reason to believe you would become Fifth."

She recognized his words for what they were, gentle chastisement for doubting Sarutobi. She bowed her head in apology, but he waved it off as unnecessary. She gruffly sat back in her seat and turned it to look to the Konoha night sky. "Kanaeru was kind enough to share some information for us. I'll be giving Shikamaru that information tomorrow to help crack the code, or gibberish as Kanaeru calls it."

Kakashi's face showed obvious amusement. "That's excellent. Naruto should be back to normal come morning, but Hinata and Neji are suffering from chakra exhaustion. It might be a few days before they're back up to form." He paused to consider giving her some information on the Uzumaki clan. After careful consideration, he came to his decision. "Nah, she'll find out soon enough from the tomboy's temper."

Tsunade nodded. She figured they might be wiped from whatever the Kyuubi put them through. She was primarily just glad it all ended without incident. She did have one strange thought. "How did Kanaeru get away with just walloping him upside the head?" With a heavy sigh, she turned to her subordinates. She put that thought aside in favor of sleep. "You're dismissed. Get some sleep, check on them in the morning, and report to me."

Kakashi and Yamato bowed and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Tsunade was left alone to her thoughts while she packed up to head to her bedchambers. Naruto had a lot of work ahead of him. The toad sage invited him to sage training, and she wasn't about to let him pass up that offer. His aunt was in Konoha, and she, no doubt, wanted to ensure he was trained in his legacy. She, on the other hand, had a killer headache begging her to smash something to rubble.

He woke with vision swimming in red, and he felt his body wracked with pain. He put his hand to his forehead to massage his throbbing head only to find his spiky, blond hair matted in place. Groggily, he gave up on the headache after a moment to sit up, and he looked at his shaking hands. "Wha…?" He couldn't remember ever waking up in that condition before.

He slowly turned to his dresser and the mirror angled towards his bed. He was the same Naruto he was everyday, azure eyes and whisker marks staring back at him. He saw a smudge in the mirror and realized his vision was still blurry. Blinking, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes…and saw a beautiful red-headed woman sitting on his balcony railing with a chain around her right arm and huge smile on her face.

He spun around, got wrapped in his blankets, and fell to the floor. The woman fell back in raucous laughter which could have mistaken her for an Inuzuka. "Good mornin' Naruto-kun!" He pulled himself up to look at her, so his arms were resting on the edge of the bed and his chest against it. "I see you're a fast healer." She wore an amused smirk. "Just like nee…"

He stood and rubbed the back of his head nervously. She stifled a giggle noticing he didn't seem embarrassed. He was only in boxers and tee-shirt. "Uh, yeah… I've always bounced right back from just about anything in a night… Though, I don't remember getting injured…" He was at a loss, and he neither recognized the woman nor realized why she was just outside his room.

She grinned so wide her teeth showed and eyes closed. "Once you're dressed, you're mine all day." He gave her an incredulous look. "I'm a worse slave-driver than Jiraiya-sama when it comes to training, so you'll be grabbing your weights to come with me." Her face quickly contorted into a wicked grin promising much pain.

He was taken aback for a second until something she said sank in. He looked down to realize that, besides the blanket wrapped around halfway up his calf, he was only in his underwear. He gaped at the woman and pointed and accusing finger at her. "Ah! You perv!"

An angry spark flashed across her eyes, but she covered hearing what he called her. She smiled sweetly as she answered him. "Me? …a perv?" She giggled at the very thought of the accusation. "Nah, boy, you aren't my type." She paused for a moment as if considering her words. She wasn't. "Now, Kakashi swings more my style." She let the thought hang in the air, and she immensely enjoyed the look on Naruto's face.

He looked mortified as he turned the corner into the bathroom, barely stopping to grab the battle dress Neji had been forcing him to wear. "I knew it! You are a perv!" The bathroom door slammed behind him, and the sound of a shower starting could be heard.

Kanaeru nearly fell off the railing in her laughter. "Oh, the kit's too much!" She jumped onto the balcony to wait for him. "Honestly, did he forget to ask for my name? Maybe I shouldn't tease the kit too much…" She thought on that for a moment as she sat on the edge of his bed before banishing the thought. "Nah!" She was going to milk this family reunion for all it was worth.

After a few minutes, the bathroom door creaked open, and he walked out as he put on his jacket. He looked forlornly to his orange jumpsuit. He never realized how easy it was to forget about it when he was getting dressed. Then he spotted the red-head sitting on his bed. He heaved a sigh. He figured there was no point arguing with her or fighting. He already knew plenty of perverts. "Well, you never introduced yourself."

She smiled as she looked over her shoulder at him. Oh yeah, she was going to have plenty of fun with him. "What's that, Naruto-kun? You aren't going to ask how I know your name?" She, of course, knew nobody in Konoha didn't know who he was.

He looked at her like she said the dumbest thing he ever heard, and she found herself stifling a giggle once more. "Everybody in Konoha knows who I am! I'm the great Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to be Hokage!" He puffed his chest and crossed his arms. He appeared completely confident in his statement.

She crooked her neck with a finger to her chin. She wanted the illusion of being in careful thought, and it served to annoy the genin that she actually had to think about who he was. "Oh! You don't mean that Naruto; do you?" She carefully watched his face light up. "Didn't you used to pull all those pranks?" His face immediately planted firmly in his mattress. She giggled, especially proud of his graduation present…painting the Hokage monument.

He grumbled as he sat on the bed, back to her. He made a point to sit several feet from her. "Just introduce yourself already, nee-chan!" She seemed nice enough; he noted. She just teased him a bit too much, and Kyuubi seemed oddly anxious around her. "I'd prefer knowing the name of my sensei."

"Oh, nee knows how to make kids!" She giggled inwardly as she shifted on the bed and crawled next to him. He stiffened when she spoke with lips unnervingly close to his ear. "Ka-nae-ru." He jumped reasserting his statement that she was a pervert, but she didn't hear him through her laughter and tears.

Naruto grumbled all the way to the training ground. He had his arms folded over his chest in annoyance as a proud Kanaeru walked beside him. When they got there, she put her hand over her brow as if spying something interesting. "Oh, boy, is that your girlfriend over there?"

Hinata was standing next to Neji waving as Naruto approached with the red-head from the other day. She wondered, nervously, why the beautiful woman was walking next to her crush, but she reasoned that somebody Kakashi's age wasn't after the blond genin. She didn't hear the question either, or she might have fainted.

Naruto, on the other hand, was standing right next to Kanaeru, and his reaction was better than she expected. He turned beat red, turned his face to the ground, and mumbled some more. She giggled and slapped him, playfully, across his back. He looked up to retort, but he noticed something about Hinata and Neji. His face paled, and he rushed up to them. "Hinata, Neji, what happened to you two?!"

Kanaeru's cheeks warmed with a happy flush. He showed a sweet concern for his friends, and she was sure she could play matchmaker between him and the Hyuuga girl. She was sure Hiashi wouldn't like it, but she never concerned herself with his opinion in the first place. She approached just in time to hear Hinata's explanation after Neji managed to calm Naruto enough to quiet down.

"Y-You don't re-remember, Na-Naruto-kun?" He shook his head vehemently to her question. She looked at him like he was losing his mind, a first for her. "Neji-niisan and I had to combat your flaring tenketsu for over an hour yesterday!" She was flustered enough to get a sentence out without stutter.

Naruto rubbed his cheek in confusion. It took him a few seconds to remember what tenketsu were, but he was more curious why she and Neji had to 'combat' them from flaring. Never being one to leave questions unasked, he blurted his mind. "Why did you and Neji have to do that?"

Hinata blinked. She remembered that Kyuubi was in control of his body, so she wondered if maybe he hadn't told her indomitable crush. "You mean Kyuubi didn't…mmphmm…" His hands were over her mouth with a pleading expression, and it took her a moment to realize he didn't know both Neji and Kanaeru knew about it. She didn't realize Naruto thought Kanaeru was from the village and knew anyway.

Neji rolled his eyes. Like Hinata, he figured Naruto thought the red-headed kunoichi didn't know either. "It's fine, Naruto. I know all about the Kyuubi, and she…" He indicated Kanaeru, but a warning glance from her reconsider what he was about to say. He gently coughed to feign a reason for his pause. "…she's known for a while."

Naruto blinked and was about to respond before Kanaeru interrupted him. "It's okay, Naruto-kun. These two saved your life after Kyuubi requested their help." She winked at Hinata. "I was there when you rushed to his side when he was in pain, very dashing!" As a tomboy, she didn't think twice about using the word 'dashing' to describe the shy Hyuuga.

Hinata's face lit up in both embarrassment and realization. Kanaeru was the red-head in the office with the Hokage the previous night. She thought she heard her father mention something to one of the groundskeepers about a relative of Naruto… Her eyes widened, but a warning glance from Kanaeru seemed to tell her not to mention the relation. She nodded in absent understanding.

Kanaeru clapped her hands with a bright smile on her face. "Now then, let's get down to training!" She turned to Naruto. "First thing's first… You have an excess of chakra, so I doubt chakra control was ever much of a concern for you. Tell me, which is easier for you? Kage Bushin or Kawarimi?"

He answered automatically. "Oh! It's Kage Bushin for sure!" He was extremely proud of the fact that he mastered Kage Bushin so easily all those years ago. To him, it proved he wasn't the 'dead last' everybody made him out to be.

Hinata fidgeted. She always impressed with Naruto's boundless energy, drive to succeed, and seemingly limitless potential. Neji just gawked, but he did share a common thought with his cousin. "How can such a difficult technique be less difficult than Kawarimi?"

Kanaeru nodded and cupped her chin in her hand. "As I thought…" She paused for a moment to watch a passing cloud. "Now, I ask any other ninja, like Kakashi, and they'd answer the opposite." Naruto nodded, not sure where she was going with this. "Tell me, who would win in a fight between you and Kakashi…"

He opened his mouth to blurt out his answer automatically, but he blinked at realizing something. Even when he fought alongside Sakura, the fight with Kakashi was anything but decisive. He looked down as he blinked. "Even if he said I have four times as much chakra as him, I'm sure he could still win…" He noticed her nod and about to speak, but he had more to say. "He has a lot more experience than me, and he also knows nature manipulation of chakra! He's been teaching me, but I'm still a long way from mastering it."

Her smile widened. She was proud to see how mature he was. Neji stared in disbelief, and Hinata silently praised him. They had both expected him to blurt out something along the lines of how definite his victory was.

Kanaeru straightened up and looked over her shoulder. "Oh! Gayt, it's about time you got here." Naruto blanched at seeing the armor, but he was more surprised that he hadn't sensed the walking tank…and still couldn't. "I'd like to introduce you to Naruto-kun. I'm going to train him until that old toad gets here to pick him up!"

Gaara tensed as flames headed towards his wife. He wanted to interfere and rip every ounce of blood from Keita's body, but he trusted Matsuri to finish the fight properly. He lowered his head until his chin touched his chest, and he released a guttural, ill content groan.

Matsuri watched the approaching flames. For the first time in the fight, she rapidly ran through hand signs. A twitch on her lips betrayed, to allies, an attempt to stop a smirk. To enemies, it betrayed a growing frustration. "Doton: Dojinheki!" The sand around her rose, creating a dome to protect her, and the flames quickly engulfed the dome.

Keita felt his technique hit the Dojinheki, so he poured more chakra into his technique. He knew the weakness behind such a barrier. It could only withstand an attack utilizing less chakra than it. He started to laugh even as he continued to twirl with his sword tightly gripped. He felt and watched the flames encircle his body in a tight dome before spreading quickly outwards. "This fight is mine!"

Temari felt the knot in her stomach as the flames continued past Matsuri. They were still coming, and the genin were in danger. She made a move to step forward, but Gaara stopped her with a raspy voice. "Don't. This is Matsuri's fight." She looked at him confused and felt the approaching heat. Then she saw the sand before the flames ripple

Keita finally stopped when he felt the Dojinheki crumple under his Soudai Horeiki. He closed his eyes to catch his bearings for a second before turning to his opponent. He knew she was charred under his attack. He felt his attack hit a person while still at full blast. Even if he wasn't feeding the flames chakra, they'd continue for several seconds.

He marched confidently towards the frozen monument which was once his opponent. He wiped his brow. More sweat accumulated than he thought, and it felt a lot warmer all of a sudden. He didn't care. He defeated his opponent, and he had more than enough strength to move on. As he got closer to Matsuri, he noticed she seemed to glisten in the sunlight.

Keita wasn't deterred. He didn't feel her chakra nearby, and he knew he burned her inside that dome she created. There was no way to escape without him noticing something. He wiped his brow again. "Why's it so hot all of a sudden!" He attributed it to the desert, a place he couldn't wait to leave. His mission was almost done anyway.

When he was barely a foot away from the monument he created, he carefully appraised her and figured out why she glistened so. Her body was encased in glass. He smirked. "Dumb girl. Covered yourself in sand to protect yourself from my jutsu? Don'cha know them flames are too hot? If you didn't die from the heat, you die from suffocation."

He didn't bother hiding his growing smirk. He had obviously been underestimated. He looked to Temari and Kankuro. They were the highest ranking sand nin remaining, that he could see. He thought he saw something in the canyon shadows, but dismissed it as a trick of the desert. He chuckled at the thought of desert illusions. "After all, those same mirages are making that blond cutie look like three blurred together." He barely stopped himself from drooling.

Keita collected himself and addressed the two protecting the weak genin behind them. "Oh, you can give up now. That was barely a warm-up, so I'm more than ready to keep going. If you'd just given me what I asked for, you wouldn't be short one chunin." He waved his hand and played a great benefactor. "Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not a cruel man. Just give me that stuff now and I'll leave without hurting anybody else." He laid eyes, specifically, on the genin.

"The Soudai Horeiki is a powerful, jonin-level ninjutsu." His eyes went wide as he heard the voice. It was coming from all around and reverberating as if meeting some distant mountains or cliff faces. He spun around trying to catch whoever was talking, but the intonation was eerily familiar. "Its origins date back to a long-forgotten clan; though, the Shoka claim rights to it."

He growled at the implied insult. "The Shoka clan is made of Katon and weapons' masters! Any other countries using our jutsu are nothing more than thieves." He hated when his family legacy was called into question. He hated those doubts, and he knew they didn't promote him past chunin because they were jealous of his abilities. Completely flustered, he smashed the monument to Matsuri's death to smithereens.

The glass shattered and fell to the ground, but some shards stuck, painfully, between his knuckles. The rest of his hand was protected by Yuuan. His eyes narrowed when he noticed something. A very thin layer of water was stuck to the inside of the glass. It quickly evaporated in the growing heat and took along with it the visage of Matsuri.

He heard two, disapproving clicks, and he imagined the girl mocking him by flicking her tongue off the roof of her mouth. "My, my, is the great Shoka Keita so easily distracted?" She added emphasis for sarcastic insult, and the angry glower on his face was proof of his growing rage.

Even as she seemed to reform from the very sand surrounding them, he still had enough sense to place things together. He thought the glass figure was a mortal monument to her defeat at his hands. It was really an empty glass shell lined with water in a carefully, deceptive illusion. "Aren't we cheery? You're only advantage was that you are a Suiton user. A lot o' good that does you." He scoffed and spread his arms wide. "This is a wasteland without a drop of water in sight!"

Matsuri raised a brow in curiosity as her natural color returned to her. "Oh? Does that mean I can't beat you because you're in your natural element? Don't forget, Doton and Fuuton are also perfectly in their element out here." To Keita's great detest, she managed a bright smile with a twinkle to her eyes.

He rushed forward with Yuuan drawn high. "You'll pay for that, girly!" He swung wildly to cleave her arm, but she swept her jouhyou out in one, clean motion. He pressed his physical advantage when her arms quivered slightly, but he was still impressed that she could block his powerful strike with such a flimsy weapon. He decided to add his weight advantage by gripping the one-handed sword with both hands.

She smirked. "Some weapon expert he is." She knew she couldn't win head-on against his strength and weight advantage. She was also experiencing why he was never promoted to jonin. He concentrated all effort on taking off her arm, so she easily shifted her body weight to force him to lurch forward. Without skipping a beat, she twisted under his weight and sent a powerful elbow strike into his ribcage.

He lost sight of her as he heard a sickening crunch. She cracked and bruised some ribs in that simple deception. She wasn't done, either. Her twist allowed his strike to continue, but it lost its focus and was awkward. She continued twisting and wrapped the blade with her jouhyou. With a simple flick, she ripped Yuuan out of his grip and flung it out of his reach.

Keita looked at his bloody hand for a moment. His wrist was strained, and glass embedded in his knuckles. Absently, his other hand held his sensitive side. "This girl is proving to be more of a nuisance than I first anticipated…" He was not having a fun time. "I need to get Yuuan back in order to use my most powerful jutsu, but I still have a few tricks…"

He smirked. He had a plan to get his stolen wakizashiback and started running through hand signs. "I'll just distract her. Katon: Hidama Mugoi no Jutsu!" With lungs full of chakra, he couldn't say the name of the technique, but he didn't need to with his experience. He violently blew out a wide stream of flames and fully expected Matsuri to dodge. When he finished breathing out, he sprinted for Yuuan.

He was forced to veer away and jump back when a razor sharp edge passed his cheek. He glared at his opponent as he rubbed the blood off. "She has my weapon strapped to her side!" She stood confidently as she masterfully rotated her jouhyou to keep him at bay. He lunged toward her only for another cut to angle from his forehead to cheek, and he had to immediately close his eye.

She utilized her natural agility to quickly loop to his new blind side. With his lack of depth perception and peripheral vision, he completely misjudged her movement. He quickly ran through familiar hand signs and drew chakra into his lungs. "Katon: Hidama Mugoi no Jutsu!" The wide flames missed her widely. He lost sight of her, and his good eye widened.

She stayed a step ahead, keeping in his blind spot. She allowed herself to wear her knowing smirk. He still hadn't noticed how profusely he was sweating and how absent she was of sweat. He started getting desperate and swung his arms in wide arcs to try hitting her. She used her jouhyou continue to lashing out at him. The razor edges sliced up the arm on his blind side.

Keita found the vision in his good eye blurring the longer he fought to gain a modicum of control. His body was heavy with fatigue, and the blood loss from even the minor injuries was starting to affect his movements. He fell to his knees, head spinning and eyelids lolling. He finally noticed something and stared at a particularly bright spot.

"Oh?" Matsuri cooed his realization. "You finally noticed; did you?" He looked at her, dizzy and confused. "You're wondering why I'm not feeling the effects. Am I right?" It was a rhetorical question, but he nodded his head as he fought his fatigue. She fought a wide smile as she answered. "Think back to the Suiton advantage I supposedly lost."

He thought, but his head hurt, and fatigue gnawed at him. He clenched his eyes shut to replay the event she asked of in his head. She spoke up to dispel his thoughts. "I am the only apprentice of Sabaku no Gaara." His eye widened in realization, and he gawked at her. Her wide smile finally won her vain fight. "You've lost this battle. It was thanks to me that Gaara-kun was able to relearn his Sabuton."

"Y-…" His head rolled. "…-ou fought me with a clone?" Her smile was the only confirmation he needed. The clone melted away, water evaporating away and sand dissolving into the desert. "H-ow d-did you…?" The real Matsuri dissolved out of the sand with the same, knowing smile.

She giggled as she used sand to tie him up. "Don't feel too astonished. Suiton is a very rare skill in Suna. I used it in combination with a genjutsu." He smiled slightly like he had a small victory. "Oh, don't worry about your…minions. They can't hear through the thick glass you so generously provided me."

He blinked, and she giggled. "You never noticed? I had you moving and burning precious oxygen just to wear you out. I opened a small hole, so we won't have to worry about suffocation." She looked over to where the bandits were pounding on the glass dome her barrier and his flames created. She rolled her eyes, took out a shuriken, charged it with her chakra, and tossed it to the spot.

The effeminate Fuuton user felt pain rush through his arm as the shuriken flew threw the dome and between the bones of his forearm. The entire dome cracked and started to fall apart. While the bandits and Keita looked worried, she simply crossed her arms and concentrated. "The key to Sabuton is to flow like water. As a Suiton user, I understood this."

Matsuri seized the rope-like sand and dragged him towards Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. The genin watched in awe as the glass about to fall on her was assaulted by the very desert. The dangerous-looking panes shrank to negligible sizes, and she was able to easily walk to and toss her captive in front of her husband and in-laws. "Sorry Temari, looks like this is my paycheck." She was grinning ear to ear.

Temari pushed her sister-in-law's shoulder. "If we didn't have a mission, I'd stay to chastise you." She gave her winning smile causing Matsuri to giggle. She gave her a hug and her goodbyes. She turned to Kankuro and his genin. "We've seen everything there is to see here, and we're already behind schedule! Let's move out!" They were out of sight quickly.

Matsuri turned to Gaara as the bandits closed in. "I'm tired Gaara-kun." She feigned weakness. "Mind taking care of the rabble?" She meant it very much as an insult, and Gaara crossed his arms to give the 'rabble' a mock serious expression.

Gaara stepped forward, and the end fight was on. Matsuri was content to watch, and her smile remained as she her husband showed he was still a Kazekage to be feared. Two bandits approached with massive clubs. They were well toned and likely related. He wrapped their legs in sand and crushed them. The rest of the bandits stalled for a moment.

He pressed his overwhelming advantage. Without the brothers Shoka, the bandits were incapable of coherent thought. They fought in meaningless groups without utilizing their maximum abilities. Gaara was able to handle most with a simple deluge of sand. Some got too close, and they were rewarded with useless legs.

He was in no mood to play. After Keita's display, his seafoam eyes were full of rage. The bandits were a pitiful lot quickly whittled down to their last group of four. In the group were the effeminate Fuuton user and the most agile looking of the entire group.

They charged as one, and Gaara watched them in mock lethargy. He flicked his wrist when the Fuuton user swept gale-force winds to erect a wall of sand. It appeared to buckle causing the man to smirk. He ordered his comrades forward…into a tidal wave of sand which swept them with enough force to knock them unconscious.

Gaara approached them with a steady gaze. "Tch, Katsurugi and Keita sunk so low as to hire this pitiful group. It's pathetic to think they were once proud rock nin." He snapped his fingers and was surrounded by his personal guard. "Make sure these lowlifes are escorted to holding cells." He turned to Matsuri. "Not to quote Shikamaru, but that was troublesome."

She giggled, knowing who he was talking about. She watched the ANBU take the Keita and his bandits away. When they were gone, she jumped at and wrapped her arms around Gaara. She purred into his ear. "That was so sweet of you to be concerned." She nuzzled into his neck when he stiffened. "You really didn't think I noticed!?"

He nodded, and she released him from the embrace. She put on a pout to feign insult and looked him in his eyes. In an overdramatic pose, she put her hand over her heart. "You wound me, Gaara-kun." She couldn't hold in her mirth and broke into laughter at his expression.

He looked at her, confused for the moment. After a moment, a chuckle broke his breath, then another. He didn't laugh nearly as long or hard as she, but the point was made. He understood she meant a joke. He put his arm around her shoulder and walked back to his tower and place of work with her head rested against his shoulder. It had already been a long day.

It was a great victory for Suna, not just Matsuri. She received pay for an A-rank missing nin, but Suna received fame and recognition from Iwa for taking down one of their biggest headaches and retrieving two powerful, treasured weapons. The bandits following Keita were rounded up in short order and put in prison. Some were deported to their home countries. Matsuri gained fame at home and abroad, and Suna attained political power.

Temari and Kankuro were on their way to Konoha with those thoughts in mind. His genin were still excited over the decisive battle they got to observe. Nobody died, but that only proved the shear potential Sabton held, not that anybody but Gaara and Matsuri were even capable of it. It was still an awe-inspiring moment in their short careers.

They left before they could get too much information, but the siblings knew Keita was worth more alive than dead, unlike Katsurugi. He was being sent back to Iwa to hold trial. They had another mission to perform, so they were carrying it out. They were to arrive in Konoha in three days, and they had very important information to relay.

Naruto approached Gayt and held out his hand. "Nice to meet'cha!" He grinned widely as he waited the heavily armored man to return his greeting. The only greeting he got was a small nod, like a half bow. After an uncomfortable moment, he scratched the back of his head. "Gee, tough crowd…"

Gayt's visible eye showed obvious curiosity. "On the contrary, I am honored to meet you. I am…" He observed Kanaeru for his permissions. The warning glance he got was the answer he needed. "…a faithful servant to Kanaeru-sama." It was an honest enough answer. He was still curious as Naruto was giving him an incredulous look. "Is something the matter? You may ask me whatever you want."

Naruto thought he was too polite. Plus, there were odd things about him. He never resisted sating his curiosity, so he asked away. "I've never heard a name like yours, and there's that weird, blue light zipping around you." Hinata gasped and was about to interject to apologize for him, but she was surprised by what she heard next.

Gayt politely nodded. "My name is foreign, from another continent. It means 'eternal warrior' as that is what I am." He wasn't surprised by the questioning looks from the three teens. "That, however, is a long story I do not wish to delve in. As for the blue light Naruto-kun noticed, she is a longtime companion. Her name is…" He was interrupted by a loud cry from Naruto.

"You mean that blue shimmer is a living person?!" He thought he heard Hinata call his name in concern. "Gee, I never would have guessed that." After a moment, something seemed to sink in. "Oh, you were about to introduce her! What's her name?" He could have sworn she flashed red for a split second.

Gayt talked to the blue light in a language he didn't understand. She was zipping around while he talked, flashes of red obvious. After a few moments, his soothing voice seemed to have an effect. He rolled his eye after a moment. "I call her Star; I believe it's Hoshi in your language."

This is a much slower chapter as far as new information goes, and most of that information actually reinforces stuff learned previously. Chapter 1 really was meant to overwhelm the characters.

The way Neji spoke of Naruto at the beginning of the chapter is much more similar to what nakama means - a very close, trusted friend.

To alleviate any concerns, Matsuri did not combine elements. She made a Suna Bushin and layered it with a Suiton-based genjutsu.

As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.

Story Word Count: 8,046
Story Page Count: 16

Terms and Jutsu:

Kawarimi - Body Replacement: A very low level technique, Kawarimi does as its name implies.

Kage Bushin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Technique: A very high level technique, Kage Bushin makes solid-body clones of the user which dissipate after being attacked, exhausting their chakra, or being dispelled by the user. They know all the user's techniques, and they even transfer new knowledge once dissipating.

Doton: Dojinheki - Earth Release: Earth Barrier Wall: A very high level technique, Dojinheki makes a solid wall of earth capable of deflecting jutsu using less chakra.

Sabuton - Desert Release: Roughly, this is the special ninjutsu Gaara developed thanks to Shukaku. In truth, it is Doton taken to a whole, new level. Unlike with Ichibi, Gaara and Matsuri cannot use sand unconsciously. It is a conscious effort and drains chakra faster, but it is worth the effort...as can be seen by Keita's loss.