Shoton of Konoha

by Arch-Daishou

Tribute: Stormy Rebel. By the actions of a traitor, a unique bloodline awakens within the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. How far will fate be changed for Naruto Uzumaki now with the gift of Shoton (Crystal Release). How will the balance shift when powers beyond even the Akatsuki begin to stir. First fourteen chapters remain as they are in tribute to my late friend Stormy. Miss you amigo.

28. Developments

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto

Co-author and Beta: Etheral-23

What's this, a chapter so soon after the previous one? We know we usually take longer because we have other fics to work on.

Ethereal-23: I actually wanted to progress a bit more with the plot of this one and Arch agreed, so here we are. Enjoy!

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Developments

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Kabuto could swear he could see the killer intent pouring throughout the room via his master who slowly paced about. It also did not help matters that Manda who also present and looked ready to devour both him and Orochimaru.

It has least been a day or two since arriving back at one of their hideouts after the botched invasion of Konohagakure. The plan was brilliant in concept, but too many unknowns had come into play. And even with the month they had to readjust before the third stage, they just could not count for all the variables.

Never mind their 'supposed' aid within Konoha never acted like promised. 'This was a disaster,' the medic-nin sighed.

Kabuto wasn't even sure he could return to Konoha as a spy, this event would make the peaceful village keep their guard up and tighten their security. His position was compromised, now that he had returned to his master's side.

The spectacle wearing shinobi nearly froze when he saw the calm rage in Orochimaru's snake-like eyes, a bead of sweat ran down his cheek. "Kabuto" He stood straighter at his name being spoken. "Did you manage to procure samples of Naruto-kun's blood?"

"Y-Yes" He nearly stammered. "I managed to sneak away some of his most recent blood samples from my hospital shifts. It's being analyzed as we speak"

"Good" Orochimaru spook, though by the tone of his voice he wasn't all too pleased as he should have been in other circumstances. "At least it is something"

The great snake's tail banged on the stone floor with such force it sent vibrations through the whole chamber. The oto-nin that stood outside the chamber could only tremble at the sheer killing intent emanating from the giant serpent. Their master enraged was far more than enough for them to give him space, and enraged Manda only made their deaths all the more likely just by being near.

"Do not give me that, Orochimaru!" The strongest of the snakes growled. "We were promised spoils of war, and a new nest for our clan!" Manda raised his head higher, looking down on them with murder in his slit eyes. "And now dozens of my kin are dead!"

Orochimaru merely looked at him with a bored expression. "There were too many unknowns and unforeseen variables that made themselves present. Princess Maiyuri, those highly skilled shinobi with giant summons, Konoha's quick response to my attack which suggests they had been tipped off-"

"I care not for your excuses!" Manda roared. "How will you repay us for that mess you got us into?!"

"I distinctively remember you agreeing on the chance of fighting Genryu once more"

The medic-nin swallowed hard as the great serpent lowered his head down to his summoner; "Genryu is a blind fool. I could have killed him easily had it not been for that drunken old toad interfering."

Orochimaru's expression did not change; "Resorting to excuses yourself Manda?" He got an angry hiss in response to his question.

"I am not weak like you humans."

"So I have heard from you countless times before. Yet one dragon and toad proved your better."

Kabuto swore he felt the temperature in the room drop. Last thing they needed was his master and Manda fighting and destroying everything. "I demand compensation for my kin's sacrifice" The leader of the snakes growled, staring directly at Orochimaru's eyes.

"Demand;" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "After their failure you dare to make demands out of me?"

"'Our failure'," Manda's voice was like roaring thunder. "How dare you...!" His entire body trembled in barely contained rage. "I should devour you so you learn your place!"

Orochimaru solemnly stared at the purple snake before letting out a soft chuckle; "My place? Oh Manda, have you already forgotten? I am your master. Perhaps it is you who should remember his place"

For the longest time, dead silence hung in the room, till Manda raised his head back up with his eyes showing what looked like realization; "No," the great serpent said calmly; "I shall remember this day well." Manda vanished in a puff of smoke.

A large breath he did not realize he was holding escaped from Kabuto. He adjusted his glasses as the snake Sannin sat down on a wooden chair by a table. Orochimaru rested his elbows on the table and joined his fingers before his face; it was hard for the medic-nin to tell what was going on his master's mind.

"Kabuto" Said the snake sannin. "How is Kimimaro's condition?"

The medic-nin grimaced. "It's getting worse every day. He doesn't have long"

The eyes of Oto's founder narrowed a fraction. "I see" It was a waste; Orochimaru had once planned to use his immortality technique to swap his body with Kimimaro's so he'd be in possession of his powerful Kekkei Genkai. Kimimaro's disease had changed all that.

That hadn't stopped him from looking up ways to heal his condition, Kimimaro was a tremendously powerful asset back when he was at his prime, yet his sickness weakened him every time it got worse.

Orochimaru weighted his options. The Sound Four were all dead, the list of capable shinobi under his command had shortened drastically after their failure at Konoha, and he needed to have Kimimaro at top condition once again.

"We cannot afford to lose him as well. Make the preparations, Kabuto" He ordered, his eyes gleamed in the darkly lit room. "We're going to find the only one who can heal him"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

A long and loud groan came from the throat of the blond Uzumaki as he laid in his hospital bed, dryly looking out the window. So he had mild chakra exhaustion and fractures to his ribs, he could have been lying in his own bed catching some sleep. By the Gods he hated hospitals; he would have run off if not because he was scared by his mother and Sakura to stay put or else.

It had been three days since that snake bastard's invasion. Konoha was a mess, while buildings can be rebuilt, people couldn't...

Naruto wasn't sure how big the death toll was between Shinobi and civilians, while lucky not in the triple digits, it was still too many as far as he was concerned. He heard from Jiji a mass funeral was to be held in a couple days. This was a bad week...

On a plus side they did capture some enemy shinobi along with Gaara and his siblings. Temari and Kankuro didn't put up a fight when they saw their younger brother didn't show any resistance. He had begged his Jiji to let him see his fellow Jinchurriki, but all he got was 'heal first then we shall see'.

"Finally awake I see" He didn't even hear the door opening, but he certainly heard the voice of the ice user as she entered the room.

Haku was not wearing her ninja clothes, but rather a plain dress, not unlike the one she had worn back in Nami when gathering herbs. She had her share of bandages, but she was nowhere near the state of Naruto, nor the other two jinchuuriki resting on different rooms.

"Hey" Naruto greeted her tiredly.

"You keep struggling against your greatest opponent eh?" Haku smile with mirth. "Doctor's orders"

She giggled as he mildly glared at her; "I told mom I'd be fine in my own bed, but no I was out voted by her and Sakura-Chan." he slammed the back of his head on his pillow.

Keeping her smile, the Hyoton user walked over beside him; "Even the future Hokage needs a doctor." she heard him grunt but said nothing. As much as she mentally steeled herself, in her heart she knew it would hurt saying what had to be said. "Naruto-Kun," he looked her way; "I need to say something to you."

The blond sat up; "Something wrong?"

"You really care Sakura-San don't you," Well why beat around bush as Zabuza says.

His face froze. "Uh... Well I..." He tried to say something, anything. But what could he say? She just came out and asked that of him out of nowhere. And well, what could he say?

He tried pushing the issue away for the longest time because honestly, they were all still very young, there was a lot of time to figure things out. What did they know about true feelings? But they had been thrust into this dangerous life of shinobi, and suddenly they were expected to act and reason more maturely. Perhaps it was a mistake, forcing children to develop and grow up mentally faster. Forced to endure things no other child should, some of them had done so even before becoming ninja, but that didn't make them any more mature. Maybe that was the reason there was so many psychos out there...

He digressed, but it was connected to how he truly felt. And the truth was that he had no idea.

Haku was so kind; she had such a good heart in her despite her upbringing. Someone who was so strong and loyal. She had been open about what she felt, but...

Sakura, there was something in her. He couldn't explain it; it was like he saw hints of the person she was becoming. Strong and kind as well, but among those gaps he saw a light that rivaled the sun. A light he was drawn too.

"Can you look at me the same way you look at her?" She asked. "Can you be capable of doing so one day?"

Haku was important to him, and he cared for her very much. But he couldn't see her in the same light as he did Sakura, they were different, it wasn't that one was better or anything. It was just... oh gods, this was so messed up. He groaned, running his hands over his hair in frustration.

His cerulean shift when feeling Haku's hand on his whiskered cheek; "You're trying to figure it all out. Sakura-san is the same in truth. The heart can be a very complicated thing, and my previous actions did not help matters."

"Huh? But you didn't do anything wrong," Naruto tilted his head.

"Maybe not. But I certainly didn't make things easier"

She couldn't keep doing this to him. Leading him on in hopes of that one day his heart would go to her. Not when she wasn't the only one who had feelings for him.

Haku had seen for the longest time now the way Sakura looked at him... and recently she had noticed the young Hyuuga looking at him the same way. The ice user had the feeling they had a longer history with him, and given the chance they would form an even stronger bond than the one him and Naruto could ever make.

She didn't want to take that from them, she wasn't selfish enough to do so... So she decided to end things, and for that she wanted to confirm that things wouldn't truly be as she hoped they were.

Haku took long resolute breath; "You knew Sakura-san long before knowing me. And I have seen her glance to you from time to time. As you told me, you both train together; spend time together in a friendly manner. She is just starting to truly see the person you really are. And for that reason I shall stand aside."

Naruto looked in shock as she continued; "My over-eagerness in the forest, while I will never regret it, also confused you and your feelings. So I shall only remain as your dearest friend."

"Haku..."

"It's ok" She took one small moment of self-indulgence and planted a kiss on his forehead. "You should grow and learn what you feel on your own, that way you will find out what you truly want"

Neither of them said anything for what felt like an eternity. It was the longest, most heavy silence either of them had experienced so far.

"You'll always be important to me" Naruto softly promised.

She rested her forehead with his, "As you are to me," she whispered as she hugged him and he returned it with equal warmth.

Letting go, Haku took a seat and brought it up to Naruto's bed and sat down; "Mizukage-sama has summoned aid to help your village rebuild."

"Really?" That was great news.

"The Hokage has promised to help Kiri, if we want to build a strong relation with the Leaf, then we must also aid our allies in their time of need" The Hyoton user said with a smile. "I heard that a certain group of enthusiastic volunteers from Nami will also come here to help with the reconstruction"

"Wait" His eyes widened. "The old man Tazuna too?"

"Indeed" Haku smiled warmly. "You really left an impression on them" He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

A knock on the door gained the attention of both. Naruto smiled at seeing the rest of his team, Sakura wore a relieved smile on her face while Sasuke tried not to let his look that relieved. Karin was smiling happily at him, while Kakashi has his typical eye smile. "Yo" He greeted them with an open palm.

Chojiro and Kouhei were next, the swordsman was smiling shyly while the whip user had no restraint in showing all his teeth in a wide grin. The ninjas of Kumo, Karui and Omoi entered as well, greeting him with cheer.

"Good to see you didn't die" Or at least, whatever passed for cheer with Omoi.

"It wouldn't kill you to show more spirit!" His teammate shouted at him.

"I heard you took on Shukaku" Kouhei grinned as his long flowing brown hair swaying with each slight movement of his head. "Man, I wish I could have seen that. Nobody takes on a bijuu just like that"

Before Naruto could even speak about how he hadn't been alone, Karui crossed her arms and sniffed proudly. "Our Third Raikage once took on the Hachibi all by himself"

A pouting glare came from the blond while Karui just smirked at him. Haku only rolled her eyes when Karin spoke up; "How is Yugito?"

"Exhausted from using too much of Nibi's chakra," the ebony redhead supplied; "Along with a few scrapes and bruises, sore as hell but good."

"I'm glad," Sakura smiled as she sat on the foot of Naruto's bed.

"Oh by the way" Kakashi eye-smiled. "There is someone else who wants to see you"

Naruto's eyes went to the door and the widened in disbelief upon seeing the princess standing there and smiling at him.

"I hope you're feeling better, Uzumaki-san"

"M-M-Maiyuri-hime!" He exclaimed in surprise. His face must have looked ridiculous because the others laughed at his expression.

The princess her throat while as she entered the door. "It is my understanding that you and Nii-san are the ones responsible for stopping the Shukaku" To their surprise, Maiyuri gave a short bow at Naruto's direction. "For that, you have my most sincere gratitude, Uzumaki-san, you and your comrades. And I thank you all for aiding in the defense of our village as well" She stood straight once more. "I know our nations don't have a good history"

The foreign ninja didn't know how to respond, they just had the heir to the royal family of another nation express gratitude to them. They could only bow back in return. "Y-Your words are very kind, Maiyuri-hime" Chojiro stammered out.

The princess closed her eyes and smiled heartily at them. Naruto couldn't help but smile back, for a princess she wasn't as stiff as he would have expected, plus the fact that she was a great fighter was simply badass. He just had to know where she trained.

"Hey, hey, Maiyuri-hime" His teammates, and pretty much everyone in the room, paled at how carefree and informal his words were. "I didn't see you fight, but I heard you were totally awesome! Where did you learn to fight?"

"Naruto!" Sakura harshly whispered. "Mind your manners with the princess!"

'This boy is going to be the death of me' Kakashi thought with dry dread. 'Or my career...'

Sasuke just 'tch' ed' in annoyance at his lack of tact.

"Hehehe" Jaws dropped when Maiyuri just giggled, not at all bothered by how he had spoken to her. "I trained with fire monks, and given instruction in swordsmanship at the capital"

"Really? Man that's so cool," Naruto praised in his usual fashion.

Kakashi sighed, might as well just roll with his attitude seeing as the princess had no trouble with it apparently. "We are thankful for your assistance, Maiyuri-hime. You really put your skills to the test" He smiled at her from behind his mask. 'Now let's hope you don't make a habit out of it…' He thought, but didn't dare say it to her face.

The soft pink haired woman nodded in return. "It was my honor defending this loyal village of our nation" She walks towards the window and stares at the reparations going about. She lets out a weary sigh; "All this bloodshed, and for what? Money, power or revenge;" She scoffs with disdain. "Decisions made with poor judgment in desperation, Suna should have known better"

"Apparently the treaty with the Land of Fire was affecting Sunagakure too much monetarily, we were getting more missions than them" Kakashi brings up. "They were willing to do anything to regain their daimyo's favor"

Sakura has to shake her head to process that. "Wait that was their reason for all this? They were going bankrupt?" Money, of all the things Suna could have betrayed them for; it had to be money…

"No doubt many of their shinobi resented Konoha because of it" Karin threw in her two cents.

"Undoubtedly" Maiyuri has to agree. "Yet they could have talked with their daimyo about it, instead, they decided to simply invade Konoha" She chuckled humorlessly, her voice laced with barely contained venom. "I have to wonder what they would have done had they actually succeeded. Did they expect their daimyo to look favorably on them for breaking a treaty that was beneficial for his nation? Did they think there would be no retaliation from the Land of Fire?"

The young shinobi all shared a look. "Uh, no offense" Kouhei spoke up. "But if Konoha had been destroyed, then there wouldn't be a chance for Land of Fire to retaliate, their ninja would be gone"

Maiyuri actually stared back at the boy in surprise; she looked at Kakashi with mystified look on her face. The Copy-Nin rubbed his neck and shrugged. "Right, I guess nobody covered this with you huh?"

"Covered what?" Naruto wondered.

"Ninjas aren't the only military power of the Nations" His sensei said. "The capitals have their own standing armies"

"So what?" Sasuke shrugs. "They may have armies, but they're not ninja" A ninja and his arsenal was easily worth five to ten regular soldiers.

That got the princess to sigh. "I have heard about this, but I didn't really think it was true. Huh, ninjas and their pride…"

"Right" Kakashi mentally smacked himself for not having this talk with them sooner. Though it wasn't like he was alone in this, he knew for a fact that both domestic and foreign ninja had this false pretense that the world was actually theirs. "Let's put it this way, have any of you heard of the Land of Iron?"

"The country led by samurai" Haku answered, curious to where this conversation was going. "Of course, while samurai still exist in plenty of nations, theirs is the only one whose entire military is made up of them"

"Uh-huh" The silver haired man nodded. "They are not ninja, and yet, none of the nations want to start a war with them. Can anyone tell me why?"

The young shinobi pondered the answer for a moment. "Because…" Chojiro shyly tried to answer. "They're strong?"

Kakashi eye-smiled; "Exactly," He eagerly nodded. "They're not ninja, and they don't have to be. Samurai have a refined training and knowledge of chakra which suits their style. They know of various techniques we could label jutsu, but the samurai do not recognize them as just, their arts are not ninjutsu after all"

"W-Wait" Omoi blinked. "I don't get it"

"They don't fight like ninjas…" Sakura slowly said, the meaning of Kakashi's words reaching her. "But can be as powerful as them, just in different ways"

Naruto's slowly widened. "Then by that logic, the militaries of the nations-"

"Are just as much, if not a greater threat, then the forces of a shinobi village" The princess solemnly finished for him.

The young ninja could only remain silent at that revelation. All this time they never really thought of what people who weren't ninja could be capable of, well… anything that could make them a threat against other ninja. Bandits could only be a threat in numbers, and a well-placed arrow could easily end their lives if they weren't careful, but they never considered a non-ninja to be capable of actually standing up in straight fight against a trained shinobi.

But real samurais, and real soldiers in service to an actual military force from a country… they never even considered it. Ninja were too used to the nations depending on them for a lot of things.

"Warriors are trained differently from ninja" Kakashi explained. "Overall, they tend to be physically superior to a ninja, while our training is mostly focused on the mastering of techniques. But they too can develop their chakra mastery with time and do other types of techniques on their own" He got weird looks from the others, to which he chuckled in amusement. "What? You didn't actually think ninjas were the only, or the first, to use chakra did you?"

"I can assure you" Maiyuri chimed in with an amused smile. "Some of the things the monks can do might as well be called 'magic' compared to the methodical jutsu"

"But… I-I don't understand" Karui said, sounding lost. "If that's how things truly are, then why are ninja and ninjutsu so prevalent?"

It was the princess who answered, starting with a short sigh. "Before the founding of the hidden villages, the nations would fight on their own. Over time they began employing more and more ninja to stop conflicts before they escalated, or stopping them before they even began. It got to the point where ninja all but replaced the main armies as the first line of defense and invasion"

Kakashi took over. "Because of this, ninja were forced to gather in larger clans and groups. Their techniques and styles began adapting to prioritize open combat and large scale warfare, stealth still had a role but as time went on it was expected for ninjas to fight in open wars" He let out a short laugh. "Compared to the ninja of old, we're actually… pretty terrible at being shinobi"

"…Are you kidding me?" Naruto deadpanned.

"Oh not at all" His sensei just cheerfully informed him with an eye-smile. "We're not supposed to fight large scale battles. We're not supposed to develop even flashier and bigger techniques. And we are most definitely not supposed to form military forces on our own" He scratched his cheek. "The role of shinobi got… very twisted as with time"

"By the time the villages were founded, the new role of the ninjas was pretty much set. They would act semi-independently, the nations could disown any knowledge of their activities to stop incidents" Maiyuri explained with a wave of her hand. "Jutsu had long since become a practice people associated solely with ninja, replacing other types of practices and techniques, even if this was a false assumption" She shakes her head in disappointment. "But by having the ninjas fight wars for us, the direct armed conflict between nations became a thing of the past"

"Yet that didn't weaken their forces in the least" Kakashi resumed, this time much more somber than he had been a few seconds ago. "The main militaries still have to deal with other things, and so they keep up their training and development. The truth is that the armed forces of the capitals outnumber the ninjas in a village with a solid margin"

"If the nations were to fight against each other with their armies instead of the ninjas…" The princess said with a foreboding voice. "Then the resulting war would be a greater bloodshed than any of the great ninja wars"

There was only a shocked silence for a full minute.

"And now, we are waiting for the delegates of Suna and the Wind Daimyo to negotiate with the Hokage and my father. Suna went behind their leader's back and have violated our treaty, if this situation is not resolved… then I fear it will escalate into a conflict that will involve more than just Konoha and Suna"

XxX ~ the next day ~ XxX

When the morning sun came over the village of Konoha, Naruto could not have gotten out of that damn hospital fast enough. About an hour after he woke the doctor came in and told him he was cleared to leave. He only saw a blond blur passing him by which made the man chuckle.

Getting home, having some real breakfast by his mother and a shower. Naruto put on a simple dark burnt orange shirt and black pants as he left home and walked through the reconstruction going throughout the village.

'Least the debris was cleared out,' Naruto thought absently but the place was still a damn mess.

Though, he was very surprised by quite a few of the villagers openly greeting him; and even thanking him for protecting the village against the whole invasion and Gaara. That felt weird...

Anyway, Jiji told him where they were keeping Gaara. They had special cells built on the inside of the Hokage Mountain to detain high-priority threat prisoners. And the Sand jinchuuriki more than qualified as such, though from what his mother had told him, he was now much calmer than before.

Of course, that in part had to do with the seal his mother and Jiraiya had placed on him. Working together they had completely rewritten the seal that kept Shukaku inside Gaara, adding various defensive layers while taking away the in-built flaw of the seal loosening whenever the host lost consciousness. They didn't need the Shukaku rampaging in the middle of the village.

That had also allowed for the poor boy to finally be able to rest. As Kushina told Naruto, Gaara had slept for days straight. The blonde at least felt relieved Gaara could for once close his eyes and let the world go; hopefully Suna would not be taking away the new seal...

Entering the whole holding cells had been easier than he expected. As a ninja of the village, he was authorized to know the location of their higher security cells located within the village. So once he entered the guarded entrance located on the lower right side of the cliff where the Hokage Monument was located, all he needed to do was take a flight down of stairs where he entered a whole section of finely cut walls with various prison cells.

The place was dark, but alit with torches. Curiously he felt a soft breeze, so at least the place despite being built inside the earth wasn't airtight, otherwise both guards and prisoners would suffocate. The hallways spread into different sections of holding cells, but his destination was at the end. He noticed pretty much all the cells were empty, which was a good thing he supposed. The less dangerous people held in their village the better.

His heart skipped a beat when caught glimpse of the only cell with prisoners. There, the Sand Siblings and their mentor were sitting on the ground with defeated gazes on their visages, except for Gaara, who calmly sat in the middle of the cell with his eyes closed, almost in a meditative position. His sea-foam green eyes opened, showing the slightest hint of emotion upon seeing Naruto. Though his brother and sister did not look at him with such kindness.

He eagerly walked faster so he could talk with him, that's when he saw his first obstacle. "I'm apologize, Uzumaki-san" An owl masked ANBU informed him. There were at least four ANBU standing in front of the cell, plus the others he was sure were hiding in the shadows somewhere. "But until further notice all interaction with the prisoners, particularly Sabaku no Gaara, are strictly forbidden"

"Oh come on" He grunted. "Jiji told me I could see him"

"Hokage-sama" The ANBU annoyingly reminded him of the proper way to address their leader.

"Yeah, yeah" He waved it off.

The owl ANBU sighed. "Regardless, Sarutobi-sama did not inform us of your visit" He ignored Naruto's cry of frustration. "I'm sure it must have slipped his mind with all the repairs going, but until he or someone of authority tells us, we-"

"It's okay" The familiar voice of his mother announced, Kushina walked up to them and stood with her right arm over her waist. "He can pass" She smiled sweetly.

"Uh..." The owl ANBU didn't seem to know how to reply. "Uzumaki-dono, I still have orders. And besides the danger-"

"I designed the seal with Jiraiya, what, you doubting my work?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh no, no" It was amusing to see his mother make an ANBU so nervous. "B-But protocol-"

"Don't tell me about protocol, boy. I served in the ANBU far longer than you"

"Way I hear it; she didn't follow it much though..." Another ANBU muttered.

Kushina gave that ANBU a glare before resuming. "Besides, I outrank you, so I authorize it"

The owl masked man stared at her for a moment. "...Didn't you leave the ANBU?"

"You trying get smart with me boy?" The redhead frowned unamused. "Cause I don't like it when people get smart with me. Tends to piss me off, and you probably heard what I do when that happens"

The ANBU weighted his options. After a millisecond of deliberation, he stood aside. "You can pass"

The former Jinchurriki smiled pleasantly patting the Owl ANBU's shoulder; "see was that so hard?" She looked to son, "Go ahead Sochi."

The blond nodded as the cell door was opened, walking inside Temari and Kankuro glared while their Jounin sensei at least gave a nod to Naruto as the boy sat crossed legged in front of Gaara; "You look better."

"Sleep can do that," his voice was still dry and toneless but the blond had a guess that he was still going through a lot. "Why are you here Uzumaki?"

"Friends do pay each other a visit," Naruto coyly spoke tilting his head.

The Suna puppeteer gave some false cheer; "Oh that's nice, then be a pal and let us out."

"Kankuro," Baki spoke up; "We should be grateful we are allowed to be alive presently."

The young teen lightly grumbled before noticing Naruto giving him a long look; "What?"

"...You know; you look better with your sister's make-up on."

"Eat a dick, Uzumaki" Kankuro angrily replied.

The blonde was about to reply, when; "Kankuro, Naruto" The puppeteer froze the moment his younger brother spoke up. "Don't antagonize each other, our situation is bad enough as it is" What surprised those presents was how calmly Gaara had spoken to the, bereft of any murderous intent and threats he carried, even to his own siblings.

After a few seconds of silence, both the Konoha and Sand ninja that had insulted each other turned their gazes and scoffed. "Sorry..." They both said, trying to convey as much sincerity as they could.

Naruto scratched his head before looking at Gaara once more. "So uh..." What he could say in a moment like this, he wondered. "How's sleeping?"

Gaara actually pondered before answering. "It is... refreshing. I believe the term would be. I've come to find that my body feels less burdened after I have slept"

Temari was very grateful for that. For all Suna did, helping her little brother like that. These tree huggers were a lot more than people thought them to be.

Naruto beamed at that; "Mom and Ero-Sennin are the best Fūinjutsu masters in the village. Glad they could help ya."

"That woman is your mother," The blond nodded as Gaara looked outside the cell seeing Kushina wave at them pleasantly; "She is weird." Both Uzumakis face fault at that. A few chuckles came from the Anbu guarding the cell.

"That's Uzumaki in general..." Baki muttered to himself.

"So, what do you think will happen with your village?" Naruto curiously wondered.

"With fortune, peace may be restored without either side falling into war" The jinchuuriki explained. "The eyes of the other nations will be on us after today, waiting for a change to strike at our weakest" It was a subject that deeply disturbed his teacher and siblings, they worried about what they would do to their village, now in alliance with Kiri, Konoha could very well lay siege on their land if they wished so. Specially after they broke the treaty...

The blonde smiled cheerfully. "Well, don't worry. I'm sure the old man Hokage will stop war from breaking out"

That got him a few strange looks from the others.

"...What the hell is your problem?" Temari whispered, loud enough for the others to hear her.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion.

"We invaded your land, killed your comrades, and now you're just... hoping our villages stay on good terms?" The concept of someone forgiven them so easily was foreign to her. "Why do you even care?" Why did he care enough to help their younger brother..?

"Because being angry and hateful isn't going to help our villages now is it," Naruto retorts back in a dry tone. "Mom filled me in on why you guys did this, and let me say your daimyo is an asshole. But you guys think this could have helped your own village out?"

Baki spoke up for them; "We were desperate Uzumaki, with missions being outsourced and income dropping, we felt an aggressive action was needed to gain the right people's attention."

"How did that work out?"

The Suna Jounin only looked to the ground; "We lost our Kage, betrayed by our supposed ally and potentially damaged relations with not only the Land of Fire, but our own Daimyo. I had expected the headsman's axe." Gazing back up he saw a light glare from Naruto; "Yes Uzumaki?"

"This is for Temari and Kankuro; Gaara said he was alone growing up. Where the hell were you guys? You knew damn well he needed you."

The girl with four pigtails lets out a soft breath and rests her head against the wall. "Our father forbid us from interacting directly with him, then we were assigned on the same team when all of us became ninja"

"So?" Naruto didn't like what he heard. "You just went along with everything he said?"

Temari glared at his direction. "As I understand it you weren't raise by a parent, so you don't know how a small child, like we were at the time, must behave. When you're a kid you must always obey your parents, even if you don't like what they're doing you don't have a say in it. You do as you're told because your parent knows best" Every word of her was laced with anger, but Naruto didn't know if it was at him, or at herself. "Particularly when your father is the Kazekage, what he does is for the betterment of the entire village, and you're just supposed to accept it"

Naruto wanted to argue against it, he still thought it was wrong. But the truth was is that he never really ever listened to any adult growing up. He wasn't raised by his mother; he didn't know what it was to listen to an adult so close to someone. The closest he's had to a family figure in his younger days had been Jiji, but even then Naruto didn't do half of the things he was told, and Jiji didn't raise him directly. So it was hard to blame someone for something they had no control over, particularly when they were little kids. A child doesn't question his parent's authority as he was coming to understand.

It made him wonder for a moment, when his mother was taken to Konoha so she could become the next Jinchuuriki, did she protest. Did they even ask her if she wanted that role? As he turned to see upon his mother's thoughtful face, he got his answer.

"You do what your father tells you" Her voice came barely above a whisper. "Because you have the outmost trust in him, even if you don't want it, even if you're afraid, mainly because you don't fully understand. It's part of your role as a dutiful child"

So he could kinda understand now. As kids, those two didn't have much of a choice.

But... "What about when you grew up? When you became a ninja and finally began making your own choices?"

"By the time that happened" To his surprise, it was Gaara who answered. "I was far too unstable, and they couldn't get close to me without risking their own lives. I did not make things easier"

Temari glared hard at the Kyuubi Jinchurriki; "And even when Gaara was like that, don't ever think I did not keep trying to be there when we became a squad. I love my little brother," her voice held immense conviction.

"I know I was an ass about it, but I am on the same boat with Temari. We love Gaara, even when he threatened us back then," Kankuro grunts.

Turning his sea foam orbs to his siblings, Gaara let out a sigh; "I never did apologize for that yet."

Temari's gaze went from scornful to understanding the moment her eyes shifted to her little brother. "It's okay, what they made of you wasn't your fault"

It looked like she wanted to get close to him, her and Kankuro, to hug him or place a hand on his shoulder. But it seemed like neither of them knew exactly what do to, or how to proceed with him at physical contact, like they were afraid of making even the smallest mistake.

"Gaara" Kankuro said his voice full of emotion. "We're your siblings, we care about you. From now on, we shall always be your family"

For what felt like an eternity, Gaara said nothing. His gaze just fell to the ground, his face barely showed any emotion."...Thank you" But his voice was another story, there was sadness, melancholy and joy mixing in one heartfelt tone. He lifts his head to look at Naruto's blue eyes. "Thank you"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

After bidding farewell to Gaara, knowing that he'd be alright with his two siblings. Kushina had taken him to introduce him to his newest family member, Lyn. The wild haired woman looked very interesting, and her personality by what he had seen firsthand seemed to be right up his alley.

The problem was... "Mom, why are we stopping at every store?"

"What? I'm browsing" She said, looking at the window of a store that was clearly closed.

"You were taking me to meet Lyn" He reminded her.

"Hey, there's plenty of time for that. Meanwhile you never know if you'll find something nice for the house. Oh!" She got an excited look on her face. "Like this Buddha!" She pointed at a particular object on display in front of a store... which was a life-sized bronze statue of plump Buddha.

Naruto sweatdropped. "Are you even Buddhist?"

"I could be..."

"Mom... are you stalling?" Naruto saw the dry contempt look and irritated feeling radiating off his mother; "Y-you really don't like her do you?"

A long sigh came from Kushina as she crossed her under her bust; "I don't hate her or nothing bad like that. It's just Lyn and me never really got along. Never mind competing with each other, but she is an Uzumaki and you should meet her," why did she sound so annoyed just saying that.

"And her girlfriend Kya?"

"I don't know anything about her, Saito-Nii and Samenosuke won't even tell me," Kushina huffed loudly.

"Why do the two of you don't get along?"

Kushina stopped and spun in place with the most angry look on her face. "Because she could never accept I was Tsukiko-baachan's favorite!" She shouted to the point it echoed around the village. Naruto gulped at the sight of her angry visage.

"Why don't you come up here and tell that to my face!" To their surprise, Lyn's voice echoed back, coming from the top of a nearby building. There at the top of the structure they saw the figure of the wild maned Uzumaki looking down at them.

A quick wall-walking up to the rooftop and they found a rather nice garden with various chairs around it. Samenosuke, who was laying over one of the long chairs, waved at them. He wore a simply tan shirt and jacket with jeans. Soujiro and Saito still wore their traditional kimono, and were kneeling by a small fountain in the middle of the garden. Sitting at another table, Karin, wearing a simple shirt and jeans waves to Naruto while she reads.

Lyn stood right in front of Kushina with a hand over her hip. She seemed to dress very fashionable to better show off her natural beauty. On her torso was a dark tank top with a very low cut in the back, though the great width of length of her red hair covered her bare back. She also wore a long dark skirt with an opening which let long shapely legs free; she stood elegantly with heeled sandals.

The naginata wielder sized Kushina up, looking at her from top to bottom. "Hmm, I see the years haven't been kind to you honey"

"Hun, I was frozen within a seal, I have not aged for nearly twelve years, I am still twenty four years old thank you," Kushina snapped back.

"Chronologically you're thirty six like us," Saito correcting his cousin and earning a dark glare from the former Jinchurriki in return.

"Ohhhh so that explains it" Lyn smiled mockingly. "You haven't finished developing yet, you poor little girl" She said through puckered lips. "I guess not all of us are as blessed with such... endowed looks" To further her point, she crossed her arms under her ample bosom and pushed them up.

"Grrrrrr" If her killing intent could get any higher, the plants around Kushina would wither and turn to dust.

"Hey now!" Samenosuke called, sitting up. "We have minor presents, so no cat-fight... wait until they leave" He finished with a cheeky smile.

Naruto and Karin shared a look that said; 'Well, this is our life now...'

"Oh and what lovely little things they are" The spectacle wearing girl was suddenly taken from her place and was being smothered against Lyn's chest in a tight hug. "I got to know little Karin-chan better and she's adorable~. Oh she has the same eyes as Hisao-Kun" Karin let out a long gasp as she managed to at least get her face free. "They remind me when Tamamo-chan was little and adorable like them"

Naruto lifted an eyebrow. "Who's Tamamo?"

"Oh she's an Uzumaki like us" Samenosuke explained as if it was no big deal.

"What?!" That got surprised gasps from Kushina, Naruto and Karin.

"Mh-hm!" Lyn smiled cheerfully. "We met when I signed the fox contract, turns out Eiji survived and was living with them for years, Tamamo's his little girl"

"Eiji..." Kushina tested the name slowly. "Eiji..." She rubbed her temple in an attempt to remember. "Nnnnnope. Doesn't ring a bell"

Naruto gave her a deadpanning look. "How can you not know the name of your own relative?"

"Honey, we were a BIG clan. We married into so many other families and smaller clans we ended up with various branches throughout Uzushio. You'll forgive me if I didn't know everyone's names..."

Ok, fair enough. Naruto supposed.

"Oh I have to introduce you someday. She's a few years older than you, I think you'll like her" The wild haired woman said happily.

"She is... interesting" Saito carefully said. "She um... well, you'll understand the day you meet her"

"She's funny" Soujiro simply said. "She makes me laugh"

"You can laugh?" Karin exclaimed in surprise.

"Anyway" Lyn dropped the spectacle wearing girl, who fell to the floor with an 'oof'! "Let me take a better look honey"

Naruto's eyes watered in pain when his cheeks were suddenly stretched like rubber by the naginata wielder's hands. "Ohhh those cute whiskers marks you have~! And that... blonde hair..." She said the last part a bit strangely. "Yikes, you're really blonde, boy. Though you'd at least have some red in your roots"

"I know right?" Samenosuke exclaimed with just as much surprise. "Weeeeeird"

The blond Uzumaki pried his cheeks back from Lyn; "I got that from my dad's side damn it! I couldn't help it!" Gods he was getting sick of that already with Samenosuke!

"Well..." Lyn shrugged; "Namikaze is a strong bloodline in its own right, but the men..."

"Are so nancy you could mistake them for girls," Samenosuke supplied.

Lyn nodded; "But Kushina had weird taste in men so I shouldn't be surprised about that."

"Oh kiss my ass dattebane..."

The wild haired Uzumaki just smirked cheekily. Oh how she loved to get a rise out of Kushina. She had missed that so much... But not her, definitely not Kushina. That was what she told herself.

The Namikaze bloodline being brought up reminded her of something important she needed to disclose with the boy. "Naruto" She said softly yet in a more serious tone, taking the boy and his mother aback by the sudden shift. "There is something you must know, someone you need to meet. My uh... partner Kya, you have to meet her"

"Everyone's been so quiet about her" He mused. "Why? What's the deal with her?"

"Kya is like you, she is a Namikaze"

Time sort of stopped for both mother and son as Lyn, Saito, and Samenosuke saw the enormous shock written on their faces. "She's... Namikaze," Kushina nearly whispered.

Naruto's emotions were running like crazy as his heart started racing; "Just like dad."

Lyn waved her hands to both of them; "Now before either of you go near her, understand she's been through... a lot... Hell it took years before she ever even opened up a little to me."

"But she's family," Naruto blinked.

The buxom redhead sighed placing her hands on the blond shoulders; "She doesn't view things like Uzumaki do."

"Past tragedies have made her extremely guarded. Myself, Samenosuke, and even Soujiro she has never confided with," Saito also explained. "She's cold but not cruel."

"Oh..." He replied in understanding. "B-But I can still meet her right?" There was someone from his father's clan, right here on the village. He wasn't going to let this chance pass up.

Oh that hopeful look on his face really didn't make things easier for Lyn. "Well... yes, you can" She said. "Just, don't get your hopes up too much. Like I said, it takes time to get to know Kya"

"Where is she?" He asked.

"Atop your Hokage Monument, probably by the tree line meditating" The wild haired redhead answers. "She does that a lot"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Just at the tree line next to the Hokage monuments a faint breeze sways Kya's blond hair while she meditates quietly. Despite the invasion days ago, and her protest on even coming here, Konoha did hold a sense of tranquil calm about it. The air and wind felt quite soothing in Kya's silent opinion. There was something… spiritual about Konoha.

She could do without the mass of people though; she never was a people person, even when she was a little girl.

Faintly her brow twitched feeling a presence standing in front of her, Kya mentally sighed. So he was released from the hospital. She knew he would come to find her when after meeting Lyn.

Naruto did not say anything as he soon sat quietly in front of his fellow Namikaze who slowly opened her eyes. Neither said any words as they only stared at one another for several minutes. "You look Namikaze, but other than Saito I had you pegged with a loud Uzumaki personality like the others."

The younger blond scratched the back of his head; "I usually am," Kya figured as much; "But you looked peaceful sitting there, so I didn't want to be rude."

Hmm, so he does have a few manners.

"Thank you for that" She graciously nodded, before resuming her meditation and closing her eyes.

Naruto tilted his head; "Uhhh... My name's Naruto, though you probably already know"

The female blonde exhaled through her nose in a bit of irritation. "Kya" She simply replied without opening her eyes, and fell silent once more.

The Uzumaki huffed in annoyance at her lack of initiative to even make conversation. "So, I didn't know there were other Namikazes out there" He tried to break the ice.

At least he got an answer from her. "The clan traveled far and spread a lot. Eventually we fell to enemies"

"Yeah, that's what my mom told me" Kya still did not open her eyes. "That's very rude you know. I'm trying to talk to you here"

"And I am trying to meditate. Something I feel you could learn a thing or two about" She coldly replied.

"Oh come on" He exclaimed in exasperation. "Don't you wanna ask me any questions? Just talk? You know, get to know each other?"

"For what?" She replied in a somewhat bored tone.

He growled, feeling his temper rising. "Don't give me that, we're supposed to be related"

"You have other relatives. Go bother them"

"You're the only other Namikaze around, shouldn't we be like family and get to know each other. And I hardly know anything about our clan," the blond Uzumaki slumped forward.

A throaty sound came from the buxom mocha blond; "That's the Uzu blood in you talking. Namikaze are not as tightly bound to their familial ties. And if you want history, go look at your father's old things. There is bound to be something."

It wasn't her place to explain the Namikaze to him; you found your own way; that was the nature of their clan.

Naruto tried not to let the disappointment creeping on him be reflected on his face. After having met Saito, Samenosuke and the others, he counted meeting them as blessings that he held dear to his heart. Hearing about another Namikaze made him feel that perhaps this was karma or something for the years of solitude. That he finally began to understand what it was to have a family through deep bonds of emotions and blood.

But meeting Kya, hearing her talk to him like that, seeing how... detached she was about the whole thing, he couldn't help but wonder if he had been a bit naive to expect the same from her.

"Okay..." He finally said, his gaze becoming downcast. "I um, I won't bother you anymore"

Kya sighed as she felt Naruto vanish from his spot; "Find your own answers kid, that's how Namikaze do it."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"You should have seen him Minato" Kushina smiled fondly, looking at the sky as she sat in front of a gravestone. "Fighting for the village, taking down that poor boy and helping him all the same... Well, I guess you did see him, better than I did. I just arrived when the fight was over, but you get what I mean"

She shifted into cross legged position and looked down at the stone with the name 'Minato Namikaze' engraved on it. "Our son is sure something else... I can't tell you how blessed I am just to see him grow. I missed so many years of his life, so I ain't missing anymore"

Kushina was grateful the cemetery was not hit during the invasion, after spending a month training her son, she finally had the strength to see Minato's grave. But soon after arriving she could not stop talking. Letting her husband know just how amazing their son has become.

As well as Saito and along with the others being alive and coming to Konoha.

The former Jinchurriki let out a breath; "There is so much I want to teach our son. Thanks to Tsukiko-Baachan I got the chance. You know I think I'll take Sochi to Uzu... Even if there might be nothing left, he should see the homeland of his clan."

"It is our legacy after all" She said with reverence. "And he could use it after meeting that Kya..." She grumbled out the name with irritation. "How that woman came from your clan I have no idea. Here I thought you were a bunch of soft-spoken Nancy boys"

The wind suddenly picked up, and a long part of her hair wrapped around her face. She grunted and untangled herself, glaring at the grave as if suspecting somehow her late husband was responsible. "Oh don't get like that, you grew up very handsome... though your personality still was the same" She mocked in jest with a wide loving smile on her face. "I miss you..." She planted a soft his on the tip of her fingers and run them over the stone gently. "I love you"

She hardly minded a few stray tears seeping from her eyes. Rubbing her eye as she finally stood back up, the redhead looks to another area; "Mi-chan..."

Her feet soon started the path to the Uchiha graves.

Just like with Minato, she had postponed visiting her beloved friend's grave as well. She didn't know how to handle it, not after the horrible truth that Hiruzen had revealed to her in private.

The hidden truth behind the Uchiha's massacre…

Her stomach turned violently at the mere thought. A coup, a fucking coup, the Uchiha had planned on rebelling against the village. According to what she had been told, there were elements in the clan who weren't happy with how the village was run, and after the Kyuubi attack there was a certain amount of people who suspected of the Uchiha, basing their suspicions on Madara's control of the Nine Tails with his Sharingan years ago back during the village's founding.

She didn't want to believe it. More specifically, she didn't want to believe Mikoto had anything to do with it. She couldn't have, she just couldn't have. Mikoto loved the village, she disagreed with her clan on so many regards... but again, Mikoto's freedom had always been taken to the clan, perhaps in her absence her friend had simply lost any will to speak for herself.

And the worst of all, she too had been slayed by her oldest son's blade...

Oh Itachi. That poor boy, the things he was driven to for the protection of his village and his brother. The sweet little boy who used to call her 'Aunt Kushina' grew up to be a puppet trapped between his clan's machinations and his loyalty to Konoha. Who in the end was forced to make a terrible choice, and in turn his brother hated him for a truth that had to be kept from him...

Saying she had been vocal about that was an understatement. And it took both Hiruzen and Jiraiya to calm her down and promise not to say a word for Itachi's sake. Who, her nephew in spirit was doing gods knows what. It felt like she was betraying the friendship she had with Mikoto. But to protect Itachi, and Sasuke, she agreed to stay silent.

'Damn you Fugaku. Damn you to hell,' she mentally seethed as she made her way to her friend's grave.

Kushina froze as she saw a familiar raven haired teen already there. Sasuke was standing silently while gazing with a solemn expression at his parents' tombstones.

The Uzumaki matriarch stayed silent as she approached, but the young Uchiha already had felt her presence. "I come here from to time to time" He muttered, as he felt she did not want to interrupt anything by remaining silent. He would have preferred it that way, on other times, but lately he found the presence of the red-haired woman to be... calming.

Kushina said nothing; she just stood at his side, offering comfort by at least being in close proximity. She refrained from placing a hand on his shoulder, letting the boy get comfortable at his own pace. She noticed the bouquet of flowers placed at their grave. It was of a mixed variety.

He must have noticed her looking at them and then to him then said "I uh..." He muttered. "I would have brought them something specific but I don't know what type of flowers they liked"

Kushina slowly sighed. "Your mother loved blue flowers. Blue dandelions, blue iris and the like. Said they remind her of the sky and the sea" Symbols of freedom, what she wanted above all else when they were growing up.

"Hmph" He nodded in thanks, he knew now what to bring next time he visited.

The Uzumaki knelt respectfully over the grave, tracing the name with her fingers. "I loved your mother, and I miss her so much" Her eyes reflected nostalgia and melancholy. "We were on the same team, Kakashi's father, Sakumo was our sensei" Sasuke took in the revelation in stride; the barest opening of his lips was all the surprise he showed. "One day on a mission our teammate died... We swore to always be there for each other ever since. Then, Minato suffered a loss too; his own teammates fell in the line of duty. The three of us were placed together in the same team, the three of us stood together against everything the war threw at us, and we got stronger so we would never lose another person ever again..."

The Uchiha's eyes flew wide at that revelation; her mother was teammates and fought alongside the Yondaime Hokage and the Red Death! As he had been hearing from Kushina's tales, his mother rivaled the redhead as deadliest Kunoichi other than Tsunade Senju.

But no one ever told him that! "...Mom never talked much about her Kunoichi days... Always made her sad even mentioning it."

"We were a very tight knit trio," Kushina faintly smirked. 'Oh... But better not mention what the three of us did when we turned eighteen,' she lightly blushed. Sasuke might get a bit pissed knowing about certain… things his mother, her and Minato had gotten into.

She blames it on too much sake, and vehemently decided to stay quiet on the matter. 'Sides, better to avoid giving more traumas to the kid.'

The word trauma, though having passed as a brief thought of dark humor. Set a train of thought which made Kushina think of the things she and Mikoto had gone through, the times they nearly died, the day her Sharingan awoke... and the one where her dear friend had revealed something to her, a secret of their clan.

Mangekyō Sharingan, the next evolution of their dōjutsu. A mutation created when undergoing intense psychological pain during which the brain would release the toxins which would cause their eyes to change. Already the Sharingan had to be awakened in times of emotional duress, but the Mangekyō... Mikoto told her that if she ever awoke that state, then her mind would be at risk of falling to emotional instability, irrational thought process, and downright dementia.

The Mangekyō put the brain through an even greater stress, causing further release of toxins on the brain, if they weren't careful...

Kushina eyes widened as a thought hit her like a lightning bolt; she quickly turned to face the young boy. "Sasuke" She surprised him with the seriousness of her voice. "I know this is very painful for you, but the night Itachi struck, his eyes were different weren't they?"

"W-What are...," Kushina grabbed his shoulders looking at him with a rare serious look he thought she was capable of doing.

"Did his Sharingan have tree tomes or did it change?" She had to know! The matriarch watched Mikoto's youngest think for moment before his eyes widen.

"They were! They looked like a three bladed shuriken!" He blinked seeing Naruto's mom shudder out a sigh as she dropped her hands to her sides.

Kushina bowed her head; "He gained the Mangekyō... Damn it!"

"Mangekyō..." Sasuke tested the word. "Is that... Is that the power he spoke of?" He said, more to himself than to the Uzumaki. His words caused the redhead to look at him in surprise. "That level of power..."

"Listen to me" She shook him slightly, her voice strong and commanding. "Whatever he told you, whatever you think that power holds it IS NOT worth it" Kushina stressed the words as much as she could. "Your mother told me about those eyes and the price they come with"

Sasuke looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

And so Kushina told him everything Mikoto once told her.

"Mental degradation?" He muttered. "The Mangekyō can really affect someone's mind like that?"

"The effects are worse with prolonged use, or so your mother said" Kushina said. "She theorized it could be treated or fought back with enough mental fortitude, perhaps by trying out meditation or other types of spiritual and mental training" A theory Kushina dearly hoped Mikoto herself never had to try out.

"Is..." There was something in Sasuke's voice, a sort of sadness mixed in with hope, hope for answers at long last. "Is that what happened to Itachi? Did the Mangekyō warped his mind?"

Right then, right there, Kushina wanted to tell him the truth. The poor boy was not responsible for what happened, and was constantly dealing with the pain brought to him by the choices of others... but she also understood that by doing so she might put him on a path of where they'd be no return. "It's... It's possible" It wasn't a lie, not entirely. Who knows what Itachi's mental state was right now?

"Sasuke, please promise me. Never seek out the Mangekyō; the few who had it were driven insane. Madara Uchiha being a prime example." She gently placed both hands on Sasuke's cheeks; "Swear it to me Sasuke."

Hesitantly, but the young Uchiha conceded with a nod. If that was the truth as his mother had told Kushina, then those eyes were not worth it. Those things might have driven his brother insane to do the atrocities he did, damn it...

"Good" Kushina sighed in relief. "Good..." With the gods as her witness, she wouldn't let Mikoto's second child fall the same fate as so many others of his clan had.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Ayame giggled as she watched their ramen stand's favorite customer engulfing down the first free three bowls of ramen given to him for free. She couldn't stop laughing when seeing the blond's jaw drop upon hearing it. But as far as she and her father were concerned, Naruto earned it for the exams and saving the village.

Gulping down the broth of the second bowl, Naruto started on the third; "Ou gi re awume -you guys are awesome-!"

The brunette still sweatdropped at the blond lack of table manners. "Thank you Naruto-kun, eat up."

And Naruto did, happily. Until he was distracted by a voice calling his name. "Oi Uzumaki" The blonde turned to see a passing chūnin, or perhaps a jounin, nodding at him as he went by. "Good job" He said approvingly.

Naruto could only stare, his mouth full of noodles, at the Konoha ninja as he left. There it was again, the sight of other people looking at him with appreciation and respect, acknowledging him... He swallowed, feeling that weird filling in his stomach once again.

He stared at his bowl, not knowing how to process these emotions he was feeling.

"And here I thought you'd never stare at a bowl of ramen with anything but a smile" A much more familiar voice spoke, Naruto excitedly turned to see Iruka-sensei smiling at him. "Hey"

"Iruka-sensei!" The jinchuuriki smiled, overjoyed, those confused feelings were now pushed aside for the moment. Iruka sat next to him and gave him an analytical look.

"So, care to tell me what's got you down?"

Nothing went pass him. "It's... a number of things" He decided to keep the Haku part that was far more private than he felt comfortable sharing. Kya too, he didn't want to bother him with all his problems. "First is the ninja and other just... acknowledging me" Naruto said. "I mean, I'm not sad about it but... I can't really explain it, it feels so weird and I don't know what to make of it"

"Ah" His academy teacher smiled in understanding. "Yeah, you're not used to it. You wanted it for so long but you never knew what to do with it. It's something new to you and it creeps you out somewhat"

"That's an understatement..."

Iruka just chuckled and ruffled his head. "Hey, don't worry. Those ninja know what you did, you fought for your village like any of them would. They respect that, and are starting to see you for who you are. All that? It's you, your efforts baring fruit"

The scarred faced Chunin swore this had to be the quietest Naruto had ever been as the blond blinked at him. Man this kid really had changed from the loudmouth prankster he had remembered. Sure he was still brash, but not at the level he used to be. And he was damn impressed by how far Naruto had come.

And he was grateful people around the village were finally acknowledging the boy as a proud Shinobi and not the damn Kyuubi. Maybe seeing how crazy Gaara was and how hard Naruto had fought for the village was what finally made them realize that.

Taking a deep breath, the blond slowly smiled. Not his usual kind Iruka knows, but a small, gentle smile. 'And you did it without even becoming Hokage first.'

"Hey" Iruka placed his arm on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you" His smiled widened when Naruto's gently smile turned into his typical sunny grin. He truly was so proud of how far he'd come... Iruka wanted to see how much Naruto would grow up; he wanted to be there when the time came for the boy to shine like the sun.

He would be there, he promised, to see him be the hero he was meant to be.

"Hey, hey, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto excitedly said. "Wanna eat some ramen? My treat! Then you can come to dinner at my house too if you want!"

On that Iruka blinked, that's right, he had not visited Naruto since the return of his mother Kushina and those other Uzumaki had also showed up. The whole village was buzzing at that news. Honestly he felt it would be a bit awkward showing up there, hell he hadn't even met Kushina-sama yet.

Scratching the back of his head, the Chunin gives a hesitant look; "I don't know."

"Oh come on Niisan. You just got to come over and meet mom and the others."

The suddenness of Naruto referring to him as such that big smile on his face made Iruka blush in embarrassment, while at the same time being overjoyed that the boy thought of him like that.

He avoided looking at him directly as he kept rubbing his head. "W-Well, if you insist..."

"Awww" Ayane cooed. "Look who's all embarrassed"

"N-No I'm not!" The chunin tried, and failed to defend himself.

Naruto and Ayame both laughed at Iruka's glaring pout at both of them. Oh what the hell, why not. Granted he wasn't sure about those stories of that Samenosuke Uzumaki guy floating around.

They couldn't be that bad could they?

XxX ~ several days later ~ XxX

Hiruzen barely remembered the last time something like this had happened, after a long life of dealing with political schemes and negotiations some of it tended to blur together. Yet it was not every day not only the leaders of two villagers, and their lords, would gather at the same place.

It was thanks to careful maneuvering and the cards they held in their hand, namely Suna's jinchuuriki being their hostage, they managed to arrange a meeting at a safe bunker that was in close proximity to Konoha.

They sat around a rectangular table, standing in the middle of Konoha's delegation was the daimyo of Hi no Kuni, Lord Akiha Sasaki himself. The daimyo donned his regal robes and elaborate hat, he sat with a calm and soft smiling expression on his face as he fanned himself.

Hiruzen himself sat at his right, while princess Maiyuri sat at his left. The princess seemed to carry an air of resignation, quite the contrast to her usual spirited self, and the Hokage could guess why. Akiha-sama had not been happy that Maiyuri didn't return to the capital once he heard of what transpired in Konoha, the daimyo had a few choices of words for his daughter, believing he had been too lenient with her.

Sarutobi did not doubt the princess's freedom would be severely limited from now on. Yet Akiha-sama had allowed her to take part of the proceedings, as she had participated in the battle itself, and she still needed to be groomed for her future role once she inherited his place.

Next to Hiruzen sat Koharu, and at the other end of the table was Homaru. Thankfully Danzo wasn't present, when it came to matters involving foreign affairs, the old ninja most often was absent. Which was for the better, his work was easier the less people knew of his presence and influence on Konoha. His former teammates kept a calm expression on their faces, but they no doubt were feeling vindictive. He couldn't blame them; Hiruzen himself doubted he might be able to forgive Suna anytime soon. But still, he had to help solve this situation so it wouldn't lead to a full out war.

Gods, he was too old for this job…

The wizened Kage casted a look at their entourage, standing up was Shikaku, their commander was flanked by various elite ANBU, who kept under their custody the three Sand siblings and their teacher. They would be the trump card for this negotiation, especially young Gaara. His heart went for the boy, truly, but he had to think of his nation first.

They steeled themselves when Suna's delegation arrived… but looked on in surprise when they realized it wasn't who they were expecting.

The warriors accompanying the diplomats weren't Sand ninja; they were the royal guard of the Wind Daimyo, armored warriors who wielded katanas, spears and bows. And the daimyo, well, most of the people present had met the Wind Daimyo before.

Lord Kuraseki Sayaka was an average heighten goatee man who had the strange disposition of both being highly religious like his clan and yet hedonistic. His policy of outsourcing various missions to Konoha instead of Suna, whose fee was higher than the Land of Fire's hidden village, made him very unpopular with the shinobi population.

This man wasn't Kuraseki. The man standing before them was a large man, with squinty eyes. In comparison to his face, his nose was rather small and inconspicuous. He had a thin mustache and a small pointed chin-beard. He also wore a necklace with a white sphere-shaped charm on it. The man in front of them was Tsukaru Sayaka, Kuraseki's brother.

And it was him who was donning the Wind Daimyo's robes.

"What is the meaning of this?" Homura demanded. "We requested for Kuraseki-sama to come"

Tsukaru sighed heavily; his squinted eyes looked at them solemnly. "My brother is dead" His response drew several gasped breath from those present, including the Sand Shinobi under their custody. "Upon my clan's right of succession, I inherited my brother's place as daimyo of Kaze no Kuni"

"Oh Heavens above…" The Fire Daimyo fanned him in agitation. "I had no idea"

"We made sure word wouldn't get out until the Chūnin Exams were over" The large bellied men took a seat at the other side of the table.

Koharu noted something. "Where is Suna's delegation?"

Temari swore under her breath, she shared an uneasy look with Kankuro. Already things had fallen out of hand, just what the hell was happening in Suna?

"That… is one of the reasons I am here" Tsukaru explained. "Suna is currently under a military blockade by the capital's forces"

Baki drew in a sharp breath while terror was written all over the older siblings faces. Gaara merely closed his eyes in contemplation of this news.

"Tsukaru-dono" Hiruzen spoke up. "I think I speak for everyone with me when I ask; what is going on?"

The large man fiddled with his fingers. "Before we received reports of Sunagakure invading Konoha with the aid of Otogakure, effectively violating our treaty" He casted an angry glance at the Suna shinobi. "My brother was assassinated"

The princess's eyes widen in disbelief. "Assassinated?" And they were keeping a blockade on Suna, then that means; "You believe your own shinobi did it"

"It was easy to connect the dots" The Wind Daimyo replied. "Our shinobis were not pleased with my brother's policies, and seeing as the time-frames coincide, we feared Sunagakure was taking measures to overthrow us" He turned his gaze to the only senior shinobi of the Sand in the room. "Is that not what you had planned, Baki?"

He was drenched in sweat; Baki could not believe what was happening. Suna would have never executed the plan unless they had confirmation that Konoha had fallen, and with the number of ninja that withdrew from the battle-

"Baki" The newly crowned daimyo spoke with authority. "I order you to tell me the truth"

The Sand jounin swallowed the lump on his throat, and sighed in defeat. "Yes… It's true" Temari gasped in shock while Kankuro swore, they had no idea, and nobody told them this was part of the plan…

They could feel the killing intent coming from the royal soldiers on Kaze's side. They glared at Baki with murder in their eyes, silently crying accusations, labeling him 'traitor'.

"I see… so it is as we feared" The daimyo replied.

"B-But it couldn't have been us!" Baki quickly jumped in defense of his village; if they weren't careful then Suna would be put to the torch. "The plan would only be put into effect once we defeated Konoha! And nobody in our forces had any idea, only the council had debated it!"

Hiruzen could hear the desperation in his voice, he was telling the truth. He hated doing this, but losing Suna would affect the balance of power in the Elemental Nations. "If I may play the devil's advocate here" Everyone's attention turned to the Hokage. "It sounds like it was a sloppy work, you said you knew your brother was assassinated the moment you saw him?"

"Eh, yes" Tsukaru nodded. "A deep wound on his back, he had been stabbed on his bed"

"Hmm" The Professor narrowed his eyes. "The assassination of a daimyo, especially one from the Great Nations, isn't something to be done lightly. Suna would have taken steps to make sure the blame couldn't be placed on them, particularly with their known dislike for Kuraseki."

"You're actually saying it was someone else?" Tsukaru's eyes slowly widened.

"Yes"

Baki let out a sigh of relief, he couldn't belief that after what happened, and Konoha was willing to save them…

"I am surprised you would defend them, Hiruzen" Homura said gravely. "After they invaded our home and drew our people's blood on our own soil"

"Believe me, I have not forgotten, and I do not do this lightly" He replied. "But we should keep the peace and balance of the nations, otherwise we may have another Great War on our hands" Already they had reports of Iwa ninjas scouring their borders, their old enemy was already looking for holes in their patrols and defenses. It was better to keep the allies they could have.

"If it wasn't Suna?" Akiha wondered. "Then who was?"

His daughter's head perk up as realization dawned on her. "Perhaps the same person who killed their Kage"

Koharu growled with disgust. "Orochimaru…"

"That snake again" Homura spoke with pure venom.

Sarutobi sighed and closed his eyes.

"That… would make sense" Tsukaru stroked his chin. "He'd want us to be fighting among each other for his personal benefit" He pondered in thought for a few seconds. "I suppose Sunagakure couldn't have been responsible, not with the instability they had"

The shinobi of the Sand sighed, feeling their knees grow weak with relief. Only Gaara remained calm throughout the entire exchange.

"But make no mistake" Their daimyo spoke harshly. "All this was possible due to your actions, and don't think I will forget your council was actually planning on assassinating my brother. You have jeopardized our treaty with Konoha, one that provides our nation with much needed food and other resources" His gaze turned mournful, and they could see remnants of sympathy in his visage. "I could have helped you, I knew how much my brother's policies were hurting your village financially, I had spoken to some of your councilmen about it, even you Baki… I suppose that's why you planned on murdering Kuraseki, so I would take his place"

Baki's head bowed in shame.

"With time, I could have done something to change my brother's mind… but I guess it's too late for that"

It was a long while before anyone said anything. With a resigned sigh, Tsukaru joined his hands over the table. "Now, for the other reason of what I came here today; I am sure Konoha would like compensation for what happen. I am open to your terms so we can keep our treaty intact"

Baki would have protested to that, Suna's council wasn't here to speak for itself, but given the circumstances it was best that he remained quiet…

Akiha cleared his throat. "The Fire Court is willing to continue upholding our treaty, so long as Konoha's demands are mostly met" He turned to Hiruzen.

The Hokage nodded before speaking up. "We want monetary reparations for the rebuilding of our village. We are willing to return Sunagakure's jinchuuriki to them; so long as he keeps the new seal we placed on him for the holding of his bijuu"

Temari looked at their younger brother, her first instinct was to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but refrained. She… wasn't sure how to act in this moment; she wasn't used to acting like a sister towards him.

"Hmm" The Wind Daimyo stroked his chin once more. "I imagine you want Suna to be the one who directly pays for the reparations"

"Yes" Koharu nodded.

Kankuro grimaced, this was bad. The reparations would take a lot from their budget, and they were already tight as is was, the one way they could pay was-

"We can use the gold dust to pay for reparations"

Baki let out a sharp gasp as everyone turned to face Gaara, who had spoken for the first time since they arrived.

The redhead had finally opened his green eyes and was looking at the delegation. "We have used the gold dust as a commodity to pay for expenses during times of dire economic strain. And I have no doubt we still have much of it stored in our reserves"

"But Gaara" His sensei spoke. "That gold dust is Rasa-Sama's weapon, an heirloom of your clan; it was with great pain that the choice was made to sell it in the first place. It's a symbol-"

"I too am a symbol" Gaara spoke, his voice was bereft the anger and murderous intent they had come to expect from him. "As a jinchuuriki, I am a symbol of our village's might, just like the gold dust, but we never hesitated to use such symbols when we needed it, be it for war or for the prosperity of our village. And now we must use it again, to make the first step so we can pay for our mistakes"

His siblings looked at him in disbelief. Was this… was this really Gaara? How much his fight against the Uzumaki had changed him?

Tsukaru stared at Gaara with a mixture of surprise and admiration for what the boy was proposing just so their village could make amends. He had heard the boy was much different, a psychotic thing who lived only for the slaughter. But seeing him now... he couldn't believe this was the same boy.

Hiruzen smiled despite himself, feeling a renewed sense of hope for their villages.

Gaara himself didn't believe he was doing anything special; he was only doing the right thing. He told himself it was something Naruto would do.

"Would Suna abide by it?" Akiha asked.

"They won't have much of a choice" The redhead replied. "The military is ready to act if they need to, and I believe they will have the support of eager Konoha shinobi if it comes down to it"

"Hmph" Koharu said. "Of that you can be certain"

The Fire Daimyo fanned himself. "The Fire Court is also willing to lend aid personally if it is necessary, seeing as Konoha itself is not currently in a good position to embark on a campaign"

Gaara nodded. "Then they will abide, it's either that or destruction"

Nobody said anything for a moment. The sand shinobi merely accepted it; they had made grave mistakes and were now paying for them. This was the first step towards owning up to them, to Konoha and their nations.

"Well then" The Wind Daimyo said, voice filled with relief. "I believe we have an agreement then"

As the details were ironed out, Maiyuri was lost in her own thoughts. She could only lament that such things like the jinchuuriki were practiced in the first place. Her hands tightened angrily at the feeling of impotence. Suna's actions towards their own leaders, shinobis going rogue left and right, a system designed to perpetuate and feed on conflict and chaos… It just couldn't remain like that, things had to change.

'One day… I'll change things'

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Jiraiya was standing outside the cell block, arms folded with his back standing against the wall when he saw Ibiki came out. "Well?"

"He sung like a canary"

"You're an artist, Ibiki" Jiraiya replied sardonically. "So what do we have?"

The expert interrogator turned serious. "It's as we suspected, they had inside help. Says they were guided by ANBU to avoid our patrols and defenses, and then they made preparations to quickly summon their forces that's how they arrived en mass so swiftly"

The first bit made Jiraiya frown. "ANBU?"

"Yes, or at least people masquerading as them. With dark cloaks and masks"

"Then we have no way of confirming whoever helped him were actually ANBU. Could have been traitors or plants for all we know" He was already going through the possibilities on his head.

"What do we do then?" Ibiki asked.

"Hmm, inform the old man, tell him to run a check on our ANBU first, to get a confirmation of where they were and what they were doing. After that-"

Before Ibiki's eyes, Jiraiya vanished in burst of smoke, leaving the interrogator bewildered at what had just happened.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

A puff of smoke, and Jiraiya was suddenly displaced far away from Konoha. "-we need to…" He stopped and blinked when he realized he was no longer on his village. The Toad sage recognized his surroundings immediately, after all, this place held great importance to him.

He was standing on Mount Myōboku, the land of the toads, where he had trained to become a sage. More specifically, he was standing before the gates to the Great Toad Sage's chambers.

"Jiraiya-chan!" A small white bearded and cloaked toad croaked his name, and so Konoha ninja saw the great sage Fukasaku and his wife Shima standing in front of him. "Good to see you finally arrived, lad"

"W-Wait, what?" He quickly shook away the confusion with a shake of his head. "Why did you bring me here? I was doing something very important back in Konoha"

Fukasaku rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. You can go and spy women later, right now this is truly important"

"Hey I'm serious!" He had said the same when he was summoned while he had been spying on women, but this time he was being honest…

"Listen Jiraiya-chan" Shima spoke up. "The Great Sage wants to see you"

That made Jiraiya stops for a moment. When the Great Toad Sage called you answered, no questions asks, whenever he wanted to talk one could be sure it was of utmost urgency.

"Okay then, lead the way" The toads quickly opened the doors and allowed for him to enter the chamber.

In the room was a great cushioned throne where a large old toad, even older than the sages accompanying him, sat. He was easily as big as Gamabunta, his skin was a pale brown and there was a patch of white on his belly, it was very wrinkled, a good indicator of the giant toad's age. He wore a professor's hat with tassels and an orb on top of it. He also had a necklace with the toad's village kanji for 'oil'. Behind the throne were rows and rows of giant scrolls.

His eyes were squinted, pretty much closed. The old toad exuded an aura of serenity and wisdom, he had been a teacher to many great sages throughout many generations, a kind being who had guided Jiraiya when he was young and had so many questions.

This was Gamamaru, oldest of the toads and the great sage of Mount Myōboku.

"Ah, Jiraiya" He smiled upon feeling the presence of their human sage. "It's so good to see you my boy"

"It's good to see you too, Gamamaru-sama" He always showed Jiraiya more respect than any toad here did, so he responded in kind. "What is so urgent that you summoned me from Konoha without warning?"

The toad hummed in reply "Hmm, you remember the prophecies I once gave you, right lad?"

How could he ever forget? Gamamaru had once told him he'd become a pervert without equal (something he lived up to with pride) and that one day, that he would become a talented ninja, walk the world as a sage, observing all creation, watching as nature took its course, and that he would write a book about it.

All those things had come true. But there was one Jiraiya had yet to see fulfilled.

Gamamaru had also once told him that he would train a student with the power to save or destroy the world, and that his actions would dictate which path the student was to take.

At first, he had thought his student to be Nagato, after all he possessed those legendary eyes, and he was so full of promise to carve a better future for his homeland. Then Hanzo struck, and all that awaited their future was tragedy.

Then came Minato, a boy who shone like the sun, patient, wise and kind even for his young age. He had been sure he would be the one… until that horrible day…

Then… perhaps it could be Naruto? Would he be the one to-?

"The prophecy has been broken"

The Great Sage's words made Jiraiya's thoughts come to a halt as he took in a sharp intake of air. His eyes widened as he looked up to the old toad.

"W-What did you just say?" He couldn't even begin to comprehend the meaning of those words. How? How could the prophecy be broken? "What do you mean by that?"

The old sage grew pensive. "Hmm, the future is always fluctuating like a stream, taking different paths. Even the smallest motions can change its course completely" He tried to explain as best as he could. "To look into the stream and see the paths the current course will take, that is within my abilities, but I cannot beyond that. I cannot see beyond the ultimate destination of the stream. The paths can change at any time… But to think they would long after I first received these visions…"

"So… what does this mean?" The subject was beyond disturbing to Jiraiya. What did these mean to the world? What was going to happen now?

"I do not know, but your pupil will not be the one to decide the fate of this world" The great sage replied. "I… I now see many figures, all of them will play a part in the shaping the world in the coming years. But for the better of worse, I cannot say"

Jiraiya needed to know more. "What else can you see?"

Gamamaru rubbed his temple warily. "I see the past, what we thought long lost actually playing a greater part in the future. I don't know what it is, or what it'll do. But it is… a shadow of history long forgotten; remnants of an old age, ancient powers will act upon the world once more"

The great sage leaned back on his throne. "Hhmm, listen well Jiraiya. There is something coming, something this world has not seen in ages. I do not what it is, my vision is clouded by fog… smoke created by the fires of war…"

War… That word alone made Jiraiya's body shiver with dread. Whatever it is that was coming, it would be involve a war.

Jiraiya had seen more than enough for a lifetime; he feared what this meant to those he held dear, to the village, to the world at large.

"Jiraiya" The great sage spoke seriously. "I'm not sure what's coming, but I am certain it involves the past, a past we the animal clans thought lost. The time has come for you to know the history of the world"

The human sage's eyes widened. "You mean… the true history of the Sage of Six Paths?"

"Hmm" Gamamaru hummed in thought. "While we eventually must tackle the subject, we first go back to a time long before that"

A time before the Sage? Jiraiya didn't even consider the possibility of a time before the knowledge of chakra.

"This is a tale from a time when the world was much different and had another name. When spirits and gods walked the earth and warriors of great power carved legends without equal… This story in particular is about a great hero whose actions would unknowingly start a chain of events that would forever change the world as it was known then… It began long, long ago, in a land called Japan…"