The Dishonored Raven, the Fox that Never Was, & the Man that Wept

By Pyro Yuki

~Author's Note~ (Please review!)

Man, having three Animation classes at once is NOT a smart choice. -.- I'm always on the computer, but not for writing. My normal levels of creativity are being sucked into ideas for my classes. That's why the last chapter was a bit of a snooze. Things will kick up. I'm sure.

BTW- I'm not asking for Commissions and really don't have the money anyway, but if any fans out there want to improve their drawing/artwork skills and have a DeviantART account, then I wouldn't mind seeing some FanFic art of DRFNMW. I'm not asking or demanding. It's up to you.

But if you do make something, please PM me or say so in a Review and where to find it. I'd love to check it out. In fact, I'm making something on Sasuke with my version of the Hyuga crest in it. I'll show when I'm done.

Again, supper sorry for no new updates.

Please Enjoy~

… Tends to mean a tiny time skip or some other scene

Italics are thoughts. "." Are words.

Disclaimer: All original characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 11: Divided We Stand

Naruto had never seen anything so…so…so…so WRINKLY! No WONDER the other Naruto had always called her Granny Tsunade! Judging by the spooked faces of his friends, they were thinking along the same lines. Losing chakra had NOT served the Sanin well at all.

"What are you looking at, boy?" Tsunade snapped, scowling at Naruto with an annoyed vengeance, almost reading his thoughts.

"Er…Nothing." Naruto looked away, unable to stare at her any longer.

"Tch! Why'd you bring all these kids? I thought maybe you would come back to me for my help but not with these brats."

Naruto made a fist by his side. He wouldn't blow up at the shell of the Tsunade that he knew…wait, that he knew? He had never seen Tsunade or Shizune before in his life and yet he felt like he HAD known them for at least a couple months. It was wrong since they had no idea who he was. Plus the only reason he DID know them was because of the dream-memories.

A gentle but firm hand placed itself on his shoulder, throwing him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Kakashi-Sensei smiling at him kindly. "Why don't you all go relax a bit in the other rooms? You must be exhausted and hungry."

"But I'm not-," *GRRRRBBBBBB*

The roaring stomachs of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Neji said otherwise. They hadn't eaten in hours while running after all. A blush came to Naruto's face, as the others.

"Let's get something to eat. Come on, you two." Neji ushered Sakura towards the door and Sasuke and Naruto soon followed. The door closed firmly behind them.

"Please, they just don't want us kids in the way. Honestly, you'd think they'd realize that WE are their best hope. At least for now." Sasuke glared back at the door. It was obvious to everyone that he was upset.

"Well whatever they think, I think I need to talk with you all about something." Neji stated, opening up the kitchen drawers searching for food. They found a few dozen cups of ramen. Naruto's mouth watered. For some reason, he had been craving ramen ever since this morning and only now realized it.

Sakura placed a large teapot on the stove to warm the water up and maybe make some tea. Sasuke sat down at the table with Naruto, looking over at Neji, who was also sitting.

"It's about the memories you both got in your dreams. I just want to tell you both this: don't let those memories tamper with your personalities." Neji folded his hands and stared at them with his chin resting on top.

Naruto and Sasuke gave a sharp start but Neji continued. "I've had a whole year to figure out who I wanted to be. You two don't have that luxury. You need to figure out who you are now as soon as possible. It may sound like a simple thing, but when I first realized how cruel I had been to Lady Hinata in the dream-memories, I spent three whole weeks trying everything within my power to make it up to her. I was completely out of my ordinary character…and it showed."

"I remember that. Hinata was worried that something was wrong with you. You were pretty much at her beck and call." Sasuke spoke out.

"I was. And I would have continued to be like that if she hadn't asked me if I had done something wrong to her. I realized too late that I was behaving like another person based off the deep feelings of the other me. I forgot that those things had never happened and there really was no reason for ME to act like that."

"So if I put too much thought into those dream-memories, I'll become a whole other different person?" Naruto asked in a serious voice. Neji nodded. That would explain the ramen, Tsunade, Shizune, Pervy-Sage, over re-actions to his mother's presence, and the need to explode in anger at every little small insult. He WAS becoming a whole other person! He glanced at Sasuke.

Sasuke was scowling in his own thoughts. "I have been feeling pretty angry at a lot of things. Small things I never would really get angry over. But over all that, I have a strange need to get stronger. Not for this cause, but to get so strong, no one will possibly get in my way of killing Itachi Uchiha. It's strange and scary, really."

Naruto's eyes grew wide at finding that out. Sakura placed the ramen down in front of them. "Umm…" Everyone turned to her.

"Uh, I may not have these dream-memories or whatever, but…but please don't change who you are!" Sakura's voice grew quiet until that last outburst, startling Naruto and Sasuke. "I don't want any of you to change, even if we have to get stronger to fight our friends…o-or classmates, I guess. Just be yourselves. And I know I may just be sticking my nose in something I can't understand, but…" Sakura cupped her hands in front of her, looking very sad. Whether it was not being included or just sad for them, no one could tell. "Please don't change because of this. It's not fair to any of you when we have to think about saving the Leaf Village."

Silence followed with that and a look between Sasuke and Naruto. They both knew that their Sakura and the over confident Sakura they dreamed about were NOT the same person, but they were glad for it. This time, Sakura was someone to lean their troubles on.

"Thanks Sakura. I have been acting kind of different, haven't I? I promise that if I'm going to change, it will be a better me. Okay? Right, Sasuke? You and I were friends, even rivals, in those dream-memories, so our friendship isn't going to change, right?" Naruto looked between the two.

Sakura looked relieved while Sasuke smirked and nodded. "Yeah."

"We better eat this ramen before the adults get back." Neji cut in, but with a calm and satisfied smile. Sakura sat down as the group started to eat the instant ramen in silence. They weren't going to let their friendships waver because of the dreams. Naruto was sure of that. It was going to be a long and hard road ahead, but they would walk it together as true ninja would.

But Naruto was helping himself to a third ramen cup anyway when the door finally opened. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over, eager to know what they had been talking about.

The adults left the room one by one, but it was to everyone's surprise when Tsunade joined them. She was leaning greatly on a very fine crafted cane though.

"What are we going to do now, Kakashi-Sensei?" Sasuke asked first.

"We've decided to start your training at once. There is nothing more important at the moment than getting you four up to speed with ninja skills. Once we get the simple basics down, we will move on."

Neji looked surprised. "Is that a wise move? We could be spotted here in the Fire Nation and reported to the Village. Can't we just learn the basics on the go?"

"I like your thinking, Hyuga, but between traveling and training, it's too much for all of us. We only just got our chakra back. We don't want to overexert ourselves in training just yet." Anko stated.

"For the moment, we will all be training you. We are going to be training from morning until nightfall tomorrow. It's a lot to take, but the sooner we do this, the better." Kushina voiced out.

"Yes. It will be a chance to shed our old rusted skins and release the youthful souls within!" Guy stated brazenly, raising a fist to the ceiling.

"What about Miss Tsunade?" Sakura asked, looking at her.

"I've agreed to help you all see it through. If you all succeed, the whole ninja world will be saved. You need someone with medical knowledge anyway."

Naruto got the feeling that it was more than that. It sounded more like a promise that if she helps them, she gets her chakra back and her pretend youth. Though by going on her looks alone, that would probably be a good idea.

"I wanted to ask you something. Whatever happened to Orochimaru? Where is he now?" Sasuke asked, making Naruto's blood freeze at the much hated name. How could he have forgotten the terrifying man that had caused so much pain to the other Naruto?

"He's been dead for two years now. He couldn't use anymore of his jutsu so he died in the agony that comes from years of body switching." Tsunade tipped her head, obviously wondering how he knew that. Anko frowned but her eyes shined with relief. He was gone. No wonder her curse mark had vanished. She was free.

"So, uh, where are we training?" Naruto asked. Tsunade smirked. "Have you ever heard of Tanzaku Castle?"

…

"Naruto, you can't do a Clone Jutsu like that," Kakashi-Sensei was reminding him for the tenth time. The boy had given up on that Jutsu since the first three attempts that ended in horrible failure. Now he seemed to be trying something else.

"I'm not TRYING a Clone Jutsu! I'm trying a SHADOW Clone Jutsu. The other me could do it! I should be able to as well!" Naruto told the older man, who raised a curious eyebrow.

Naruto's forehead was sweating badly as he kept making desperate attempts to mold his chakra. But it wasn't only him that was failing. Sakura had no idea what she was supposed to do and Sasuke had never used real chakra before. But unlike them, he had been training for years for the day when he would receive his chakra. He seemed to be able to make a simple Substitution Jutsu just fine.

"Ra! Why is it so hard to use Jutsu?! The other me could do it since he was nine!" Naruto yelled out in frustration. He thought it would be just like getting on a bike again. That the "old" feelings would just sink back in!

"Because unlike the other you, YOU haven't gone through the practice classes leading up to using Jutsu. And you've never felt chakra flow through your body enough to control it and use it with hand signals yet either." Kakashi-Sensei reminded him with a sigh, looking up from his book.

"But still! It feels like I've known how to use chakra for years, but now I can't seem to-"

"You need to stop relying on those dreams you and Sasuke had and start listening, Naruto. You three are all learning from the ground up in one day. You've shown me just about what I had expected from the start. BUT if you continue, you should be able to learn the Substitution, Transformation, and Clone Jutsus in probably three days."

"But we don't have three days, right? We're on the run, remember?" Sasuke panted, sweating from using up so much chakra and energy well into the evening. Sakura looked no better. She had only ever studied the 'theory' of chakra.

"Correct, but this place is pretty out of tune with the ninja community. And we also have Neji checking every hour for enemy signs with his Bakugan as far as his limits can go."

"Is that wise?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask. He knew Neji since he was a baby, but after what happened at the Chakra Ceremony, he wasn't so sure he knew who he was anymore. Or anyone else for that matter.

"Neji would NEVER betray us, Sasuke! I can't believe you'd even-"

Sasuke turned to Naruto and gave him a slightly cold look. "You're in the same boat as him after that "stunt" you pulled with your mom."

Naruto was speechless. He was right after all.

"Sasuke, stop fighting! We have to focus on training for now. Leave that for later." Kakashi spoke out sternly. Sakura looked frightened. Naruto just held Sasuke's glare. He tried not to feel the stab of guilt in his chest.

Sasuke straightened himself up and turned to walk away. "I think I'm all out of chakra. I'm going to go wash up." He spoke over his shoulder, though he didn't look back.

No one said anything for a while. Naruto was too ashamed about how Sasuke was right. He had betrayed Sasuke and Hinata's trust. Shattered it like glass, and he had still never made it up to them. He knew it was for the Leaf and that alone had steeled his nerves for his actions back then. But that was over with and the haunted look of Hinata's face would appear fresh in Naruto's mind each moment of rest or piece. He didn't even want to think about how Hinata was dealing with losing both Sasuke and Naruto in 48 hours.

Sakura looked at Kakashi, hoping for him to say anything. He patted her shoulder, "Come on Sakura, Naruto. Let's go eat dinner. Things will all make sense sooner or later."

Sasuke was tasting the potato soup being served that night with bread. The table was just as icy as before with the younger crowd. Everyone else took turns cooking, cleaning, and making the whole place homely.

"I think you'll be interested to learn where our next place is going to be, Naruto. We're going to the Land of Water to the Village hidden in the Mist." Kushina spoke first, to break the ice. But her news just startled everyone.

"Why the Mist Village, Mom?" Naruto looked just as startled.

"Well, the Mist Village is really well hidden in…well, the mist. It will be a great hiding place to learn some new jutsu as well. If we are allowed into their village."

"When are we leaving?" Sakura asked.

"Well…about that, it's only going to be Naruto, Neji, Jiraiya, and me. We are splitting up." Kushina stated with a very quick glance to Jiraya and Kakashi.

Every younger ninja looked even more startled at that news. Sasuke and Neji stood up even. "What?!"

Chapter End~

The group is splitting up and going to different nations to escape Obito's wrath. Where will each of them go and what training will take place? Only time will tell.

Next Chapter: Traveling into the Mists