The trek to A's castle was silent, sleep hanging over the company like the warm blankets they had been forced to leave just as the sun was painting the sky brilliant shades of orange and pink. Naruto stifled a yawn, glancing at everyone else; while Karui and her group seemed fine, Kakashi and Sasuke looked as if anyone were to utter a word, they would break their necks. As for Sakura, she was failing miserably at hiding her disdain for both their present company and the fact that they had to be awake if her glares were anything to go by. Naruto prayed to whatever gods were above to not have to deal with a sleep deprived, rage driven Sakura; he had to once, and he considered himself lucky to still be alive. He shivered at the memory, pulling his cloak around him tighter to play it off as a chill from the morning mist. As his mind replayed the memory, he failed to notice Kakashi halt, causing him to run into his back.

Kakashi turned around, raising an eyebrow at his clumsiness. Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Guess I'm still asleep," Naruto said jokingly.

"Well, wake up," Samui said, turning to face the group with Karui and Omoi flanking her sides. "You're about to meet our leader, and he certainly doesn't enjoy his time being wasted. So, if you want to leave here with your limbs intact, I'd be alert."

"Is that a threat," Sakura growled, hand twitching slightly. Naruto gulped audibly as he looked back at her, noticing the offensive stance she had taken unconsciously. Karui scoffed, grasping the door handle as Omoi did the same.

"Not so much a threat as it is a promise," Karui said, yanking the door open, "Just because you're the alleged heroes doesn't mean you'll be treated any differently if you waste his time."

"As if I'd expect anything more from a pack of orcs," Sakura muttered, "Impatient and resorting immediately to violence."

"Would you like to say that a little louder princess," Karui growled, hand reaching for her axe. Sakura opened her mouth to retort only for Naruto to slap his hand over her mouth, grinning nervously.

"N-Nope, no words to be said here," He said, ignoring the death glares Sakura was sending him. "S-So, if we could just see Lord A, we'd be incredibly thankful, right Sakura," He said, looking at her hopefully. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him before giving a short nod; he sighed in relief.

Samui watched the exchange with indifference, merely turning on her heel as she headed into the castle. Kakashi and Sasuke followed after her silently as Naruto and Sakura took the rear, his hand on her arm and the other still over his mouth. As soon as they had entered she lightly bit his hand, causing him to yelp and jerk his hand away.

"What the hell," Naruto hissed, waving his hand in the air to try and ease the sting. Sakura merely turned her back to him, walking briskly down the hallway.

"That's for putting your hands on me," She called behind her, strides slowing as she caught up to Sasuke and Kakashi. Naruto sighed, shoulders slumped as he trudged behind them, grumbling incoherently. Sasuke glanced out of the corner of his eyes towards her before directing his attention back to Kakashi's back.

"Whatever your prejudice is, set it aside," He spoke after some time. Sakura's head whipped towards him, a scowl on her face.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your prejudice," He repeated, meeting her gaze with his own, "With the way you're acting, you'll cause us to lose this opportunity at best."

Sakura glared at him, arms crossed over her chest. "Well excuse me for thinking this is a doomed cause either way," She hissed. Her body relaxed slightly, eyes losing their hardened edge as she lowered her voice. "I've seen how they work…No amount of begging or pleading will convince them, so you might as well be hostile while you still can save your hide."

"This is an act of diplomacy, not war," He said, slightly taken aback by her change in tone. "They've done it in the past, so certainly they still know the difference between the two."

Sakura bit her bottom lip, seemingly gone into thought. Before she could utter any response though, Samui halted their procession in front of large wooden doors crudely engraved with symbols. She turned around to address them, posture demanding attention from them.

"You are about to be in the presence of our lord, and while you may not show the most respect to us," She gave a pointed stare at Sakura as she spoke, "You are expected to be on your best behavior. One small misdemeanor can, and will be, your last."

As she finished speaking, the door creaked open; a female's head poked out, grey hair framing her face despite the bun she had put it into. She looked at the gathering before giving a polite smile and bow.

"I apologize," She began, "But could you come back later? Lord A is in a….meeting, right now."

"With who, if I may ask," Samui turned around; a loud crash could be heard within the office, causing Naruto to wince. The female orc before them sighed, looking at her as if an explanation was unnecessary.

"Who do you think?"

Suddenly, the doors burst open as a body was thrown out; the group spread out, watching as it crashed onto the ground. The orc groaned as he held his head in pain, sitting up on the ground, his light blond hair ruffled from the impact. The female orc sighed, stepping aside as another male orc stormed out of the office, grasping the other by the front of his shirt; in his grasp, he offered him a grin, the blue marks painted on his cheeks moving with his smile.

"Brother, you're taking this so seriously," He said, "I just wanted a little day trip. Master Sabu is in the village down the mountain today."

"We are in the middle of preparing for war, and you want to take a trip," The other snarled, "B, do you not understand there are people who want you dead?"

"I would take Gyuki with me if that helps."

"That makes it worse," He roared, shaking him violently. When he had finished giving him a good throttling, he dropped him to the ground, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You are not to leave the village, especially since we are expecting Kakashi's band any day now."

"Speaking of which," The female orc said, tapping his shoulder. The male orc looked back at her curiously, prompting her to gesture to the people in the hall. "Kakashi's band is here for their meeting, Lord A."

A turned his attention towards them, surveying their appearance. Naruto stood hidden behind Kakashi who merely looked bored at the display of aggression. Sakura stood in an offensive stance, axe already drawn in preparation for a fight, while Sasuke mimicked her pose with his hand on the hilt of his sword. A glanced down at the female orc, still keeping his eyes trained on those prepared to draw their weapons.

"Mabui, have I done something wrong?"

"Nothing that can't be fixed," Mabui sighed, heading back into the office. "Now pick up B and come back inside so that we may discuss things civilly." She said, placing emphasis on the last word. A nodded, picking his brother up by the scruff of his neck and dragging him back into the office. Naruto gulped as he came out from behind Kakashi, flinching slightly as he watched A throw B straight into the office.

"Please tell me we're not going to die," He murmured, face pale after having watched it. Karui snorted, heading into the office behind Samui and Omoi, the others following them in.

"This is normal for them."

"That doesn't answer my question," He replied, quickly following them in. As soon as he stepped into the room, the massive doors closed behind them. He took in their surroundings, feeling himself unwind a little as it appeared to be any normal aristocrat's study, albeit on a much larger scale. He watched as the orcs seated themselves, leaving his group to stand in the center of the room, as if they were on display for their amusement. A cleared his throat, taking his seat behind a massive desk with Mabui at his side in front of a large window overseeing the entire village; they turned their attention to him immediately.

"Now, if you'll excuse my earlier transgression," A began, "I would like to formally welcome you to the village of Kumo. As I have been informed, you are here to enlist the aid of Gyuki and my brother B in the upcoming battle against the Lady Kaguya; however," A said, leaning forward, "If you cannot impress that you will win, I will not risk the safety of my people in a fool's quest."

"That's not really your decision brother," B interjected, "If we find them worthy, we'll follow them to the end. Your help would be welcome, but on you we won't depend."

"If they don't impress me, there's no way in hell I'll be letting you go out there!" A growled, glaring at B. "You and Gyuki are pillars for this village; without you two, we are defenseless!"

"Defenses aren't worth anything if we all die anyway."

A growled threateningly, feeling his eye twitch at the comment. "We'll have a better chance at survival," He grumbled, "But, enough! Let's hear your words before we make any decisions."

Naruto felt all eyes trained on him as A finished speaking. He took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself as he stepped forward. He met B's eyes, working to summon the same feelings that he had used with Shukaku to get him to agree to help them. B watched him curiously, head tilted to the side as he began to speak.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I am the son of the past king of Konoha. I come here with my comrades, Sasuke Uchiha of the Uchiha elves, Sakura Haruno of the Haruno dwarves, and the mage Kakashi Hatake, to request that you and Gyuki side with us in the upcoming battle against Kaguya. We already have Shukaku of the wind on our side, as well as the army of Suna; with you on our side, we will stand a better fighting chance."

The room was silent; Sakura smiled slightly, impressed at the confidence that had resounded in Naruto's voice. B's brows furrowed as he contemplated the words, chin resting in his hands. Naruto felt his body tense as the seconds passed, sweat beginning to form on his brow the longer the silence continued.

"Well, he's got potential," B finally said, looking over at A, "But, for a future king, he's not really inspiring. Felt like he was just reciting a script, and being a piss poor actor the entire time."

Naruto felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance at his response. "What the hell is that supposed to mean," Naruto questioned, frowning at B; B merely smirked slightly as another voice answered.

"It means that you're not fully connected to yourself," A deep voice replied. Naruto's head whipped towards the source of the voice, eyes widening as he looked out the window. There, poking his massive horned head through, was a large brown dragon resting on a plateau outside the window. A rumbling indicating a laugh came from the chest of the dragon, turning its black eye toward Naruto.

"Don't be afraid," He said, "I'm not as ill-tempered as that uncouth Shukaku."

"Y-You're…"

He nodded. "I am Gyuki. I meant to get here earlier to help A scold my idiot of a guardian, but when I came I saw that you were already in deep conversation. I didn't want to interrupt, so I listened in on your speech, and I must say, it was a rather…uninspiring talk. Although I must admit, it was quite an improvement over your speech to Shukaku; there wasn't any stammering."

Naruto felt the back of his neck flush in embarrassment as a few chuckles could be heard in the room. "A simple no will suffice," Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Gyuki again chuckled, resting his head on the floor.

"I never said that I refused," He replied, "I merely said that I am uninspired to follow you. A good leader needs to be able to ignite a fire within his people, no matter how hopeless a situation may seem. Dragons follow this same paradigm, though perhaps are more difficult to convince since we are ancient, wise, and overall more stubborn; but, it isn't a lost cause."

"The way you're talking, it really kind of sounds like it."

"That's only because you haven't connected to your inner self yet," He replied. Naruto stared at him questioningly, prompting him to continue his explanation. "All guardians of the dragons have to be connected to themselves in order to protect their charges. This is to ensure that they can control any urges that may come over them, as well as to keep the more unruly dragons from overtaking their minds. Without that connection, the guardians become nothing more than slaves to the dragons; with it, they are one of the most powerful forces in the land."

"Two questions that this raises," Naruto said, hand stroking his chin thoughtfully. "One, why do I have to do this? I'm not your guardian, just asking for your help in battle."

"Dragons have a very strong self-preservation instinct. We won't do anything when we think our hides are on the line. Or did you perhaps forget your experience with Shukaku?"

Naruto gulped at the memory, ignoring the smirk on Gyuki's face. "Fair point….But then, if I have to do this, my next question is how do I do it? Do I just sit and meditate for a few days? Or is it something a lot more complicated?"

Gyuki chuckled. "Well, you're not essentially wrong," He said, turning his head to look at B. "Shall we show him and his comrades what I'm speaking of?"

"Will I get to go see Master Sabu if I do it," B asked hopefully. A cracked his knuckles as Gyuki rolled his eyes at the question.

"If you keep it up, your brother is likely to kill you, and then we'll have a larger problem on our hands," He replied, withdrawing his head from the window. B merely sighed, shoulders slumped forward in defeat as he headed towards the window. He raised his hand, motioning for the others to follow as he jumped out, landing on the plateau beneath the window where Gyuki sat. One by one, each member of the group jumped out, landing on the ground solidly. As they brushed the dust from their clothes that had arisen when they landed, Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the full size of Gyuki.

"Oi, quit staring and come on up," B said, already straddled atop Gyuki. They looked between each other, Naruto finally speaking up after a few moments.

"But how," He asked, "There's no straps or a saddle! And, hopefully this isn't an insult, but he's huge!"

B shrugged. "Start from the tail and work your way up? That's usually how first-timers do it."

Naruto swallowed nervously, slowly walking towards his tail, the others following closely behind. He felt all eyes on him as he carefully climbed onto the tail, hoping that whatever he was doing wouldn't hurt the dragon. He stood up, arms raised out to his sides for balance as he began to walk along the dragon's spine towards B, keeping his eyes focused on the guardian. Their antics seemed to not bother Gyuki, as he stayed perfectly still, breath coming in easy, steady puffs. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Naruto sat down behind B; behind him, he felt the brush of Kakashi's robes as he sat as well.

"Alright now, hold on tight," B said, patting Gyuki's back. Naruto squeezed the dragon tighter with his thighs, figuring that without reins that was how he held on. Suddenly, he felt arms slide around his waist, causing him to jump. He twisted in his seat, staring questioningly against Kakashi.

"You're going to want to hold on to him," He said, gesturing towards B. Suddenly, Gyuki got into a crouch, massive wings spreading. "And soon."

Naruto quickly turned around, arms wrapping around B's middle just as Gyuki leapt from the ground, wings flapping a few times as he worked to get into the air with the added weight. Naruto tightened his hold, eyes screwed shut as he fought against his body's desire to lean backwards; he could distantly hear Sakura scream. He wanted to wonder if she was alright, but the lurching of his stomach could only allow him to focus on keeping his breakfast where it belonged for the moment. B merely hollered with exaltation as they continued to climb, hands spread out to touch the clouds that they passed. Eventually they leveled themselves in the air, the current flowing beneath Gyuki's wings; Naruto dared to open his eyes at that moment.

The sky was a clear blue, the shades growing darker the higher he looked, the sun shining brightly on them. Thick clouds covered obscured his view of the village; the higher points of the mountain range pierced the clouds, some at the same height as them, and others still climbing higher into the skies. Squawking caught his attention next, causing him to glance down as he saw a flock of birds flying beneath Gyuki. He laughed as a flap of Gyuki's wings caused the birds to scatter, squawking angrily at the dragon as they got back into formation.

"This is amazing," He breathed out, sitting up straight again. He spread his arms and closed his eyes, feeling the rush of air flow through his clothes and surround his body. "Are you guys seeing this?"

"A-Absolutely," Sakura called back shakily, keeping her eyes shut tight. Her arms had his waist trapped in a death grip, her body pressed as tightly against him as was physically possible. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at her, raising an eyebrow at her behavior.

"I thought you said you weren't afraid of heights?"

"I-I'm not," She said, breathing to try and calm herself, "I-I just strongly dislike them."

"This seems like fear to me."

"N-No, it's," She began, but screamed as Gyuki dove towards the ground, burying her face into Sasuke's back. At the front Naruto laughed and yelled, feeling the wind rush through his hair; B joined him in the revelry. Eventually they leveled in the air again, this time far below the canopy of clouds above them, yet still high above the ground. Below them, a thick forest could be seen with a river running through it. Naruto noticed that they seemed to be following the river, prompting him to look forward; in the distance, he could make out a large waterfall in a clearing. They landed in the clearing, B hopping off the dragon with ease as the others struggled to get off safely. Sakura was the first to get off, having jumped and landed with shaking legs, glad to have gotten off the beast.

"Welcome to the Falls of Truth," B said, gesturing towards the waterfall, the sound of the pounding water almost deafening. In the middle of the lake created by the waterfall stood a small island, large enough for a single person to sit on it. "Here is where Gyuki and I stay; it's far from the village, but close enough that we can get there with ease when we fly."

"This is also where you will connect with yourself," Gyuki said, laying on the ground beside the lake. "Go to the island, sit in the center, and meditate. There, you will begin connecting with yourself."

Naruto looked at the island, still not understanding how this was any different from normal meditation. Still, he did as he was told, wading into the cold water; it came up to his knees at its deepest depth. He pulled himself onto the island, taking off his boots and pulling them off, dumping water back into the lake. After getting rid of the water, he sat down in the center of the island, crossing his legs and folding his hands in his lap. He glanced behind him, meeting the gaze of B and Gyuki as they watched him.

"How will I know it worked?"

"You'll know," Gyuki replied, "Now, just close your eyes, and focus on clearing your mind."

Naruto turned back around, fixing his position to a more comfortable one, figuring that he might as well get ready for a long wait. He closed his eyes and, remembering what Iruka had taught him on how to become clearheaded, focused on regulating his breathing. Soon he felt the familiar sensation of floating in his mind, the only sound tethering him to reality being the relentless pounding of the waterfall. However, he felt a tugging sensation at the back of his mind, as if something was trying to escape; he ignored it, focusing instead on riding the waves of his subconscious. Still, the tugging continued, growing stronger and more insistent as time passed, almost as if it was intent on ruining his state of mind. He continued to ignore it, mind focused on regulating his breathing, knowing that whatever it was would pass eventually.

"I will never pass."

Naruto's eyes shot open at the voice; standing on the water across from him was a mirror image of himself. However, instead of the blue eyes that he was familiar with seeing, this image had black and red eyes staring back. Naruto stood up slowly, keeping his eyes trained on it at all times.

"Who…who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious," The image asked, smirking, "I'm you. Or rather, the you that exists deep within your mind. You could say that I'm the real you, given that I shape all your ideas and truths."

"Shape my….what," Naruto stammered, taken aback at the sudden turn of events. Never in the times that he had practiced meditation had he encountered such a creature before. "There's no way you're the real me! How can you be me, when I'm standing right here?"

"Because I'm the you that exists in your mind, within your very soul. I am the manifestation of all your fears, your anger, your distrust of the world. And you are merely a front to the world; a mask that hides what you truly feel."

"Wha…" Naruto balled his hands into fists. "What the hell are you talking about? Are you the reason why I can't connect with the dragons?"

"You could say that," The other Naruto said, smirking, "Rather, it's because you won't accept this reality that they won't accept you. But, you're used to rejection, aren't you?"

Naruto grit his teeth, looking down at the ground, nails digging into his palms. "Be quiet."

His smirk merely grew. "No family name, living with someone with a disrespectable position, the only future in sight was to be a poor blacksmith. Yet suddenly, along comes a mage, with promises of a kingdom and a future of royalty. It's far too good to be true, isn't it?"

"I said be quiet!"

"Why should anyone ever respect a street urchin like us," He continued, "They never have, and deep down, you know they never will. After all, just because you take a pile of shit and cover it with gold, it's still nothing more than a pile of shit."

Naruto shouted, quickly drawing his sword and charging towards the image. He thrust his sword towards its heart, only for his blade to be instantly parried by the image. The other Naruto smirked, pushing the blade to the side and thrusting his sword towards Naruto's heart. Naruto ducked, his left hand catching him as he fell; immediately he thrust his sword towards the clone's abdomen. Despite his quick movement, the clone slammed the edge of his shield into the blade, knocking it out of Naruto's hand. He then raised the shield and brought it down with the intent to bludgeon the real Naruto to death, aiming directly for the abdomen as well. In response, Naruto dropped his other hand to the ground to steady himself as he pulled his knees towards his chest, feet catching the shield before it hit its mark; with a shout, he kicked the image off balance, leaping up on his feet. As the clone stumbled from the force he grabbed his sword from the ground, pulling his own shield from off his back.

"Heh, not bad," The clone said, smirking at him as he regained balance. "Of course, I wouldn't expect less of myself."

"Why the hell won't you just disappear," Naruto snarled, crouching into an offensive stance. The clone merely laughed, not at all perturbed by his display of aggression.

"Why should I, your core truths, disappear? After all, deep down, you know I'm right. And deep down, you don't really want me to disappear. Without me, who else would you have left? No one will follow you, and those so called 'comrades' will turn their backs on you as soon as you cease being useful. You're just a pawn in a larger game of chess."

Naruto stared at the ground, feeling a sense of hopelessness at the way he had described their quest. "Have I…really thought that all along," He thought, racking his mind for any thoughts that could have led to that. The Naruto clone smirked, sheathing his sword as he began to walk away, seemingly pleased with his work.

"Think of what I said," He said, heading into the falls. "After all, if you can't trust yourself, then who can you trust?"

Naruto's head jerked up; he expected to see the copy in front of him, yet all he saw was steady stream of water falling from the rocks. He looked back at the ground, realizing that he was still in the same position as when he had begun the meditation. He ran his fingers through his hair, hands pressed against his temples as his mind replayed his conversation with the clone.

"Was that…a dream," He wondered as he stood up, legs aching from having stayed in the same position for so long. As he looked up at the sky, he could tell that some time had passed since they arrived. The sun now stood high in the middle of the sky, the air having grown slightly warmer since the morning. He turned his gaze towards the banks, smiling despite himself as he saw that Kakashi had leaned against a tree to take a nap, while Sasuke and Sakura were still keeping watch around the area. He began to wade through the water, catching their attention; B was the first to speak.

"So, how was it?"

"What kind of sorcery was that," Naruto asked, gesturing towards the lake. "I mean, one minute I'm alone, the next there's some man that looks like me standing on the water! Then, we talk and have a fight, and when he leaves I seem to wake up to be alone again!"

"A man," Sakura asked, looking at Sasuke. The elf merely shrugged, not knowing what Naruto was talking about. Concerned, she turned back to face him, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Sasuke and I patrolled a bit, and neither of us reported anything suspicious…"

"It is the waterfall." Gyuki stated lazily, opening a single eye to stare at them. "The falls have an enchantment cast upon them to have a person meet their core persona. The fact that you were able to proves my point from earlier: there's potential, but it needs to be refined."

"Alright, so how do I 'refine' it?" Naruto asked, kneeling down in front of the dragon to stare directly into his large black eye. Despite the dark color, he could still a slight reflection of himself in its eye. "Because when I tried to fight him, he just matched me move for move. How am I supposed to fight that?"

Gyuki gave what appeared to be a shrug, yawning as he stretched. "That, I cannot tell you. The path to self-discovery is unique to each person. It depends solely on how you're able to reach people."

"Huh? Reach…people?"

Suddenly, the sound of an off-key chord was strummed, causing everyone to flinch; all eyes were turned to B, who had somehow pulled out a stringed instrument. He strummed it again, hitting one of the keys, before finally beginning to sing.

"I reach them through song, some reach with their fists," He crowed, "Your sense of right and wrong, conveyed in a short list."

"B," Gyuki snapped, glaring at him, "How many times have I told you to stop doing that without preparing everyone around you? I can't stand that wretched noise, and I'm sure you made the elf lose hearing!"

"I'm sure he's fine! Isn't that right Uchiha?"

"I'm sure I'll live," Sasuke replied, rubbing his ears slightly. B merely smiled, beginning to climb up onto Gyuki.

"Well, let's head back to the village!"

Sakura visibly paled as everyone else began to climb up onto the dragon. "C-Couldn't we just walk back to the village?" She asked, gesturing towards a path. "I mean, it's such a beautiful day and it doesn't seem like that long of a journey."

"It's much faster this way though! Plus, I don't hear anyone else complaining."

Sakura merely made a small sound of displeasure in her throat as she climbed back onto Gyuki, resuming her earlier position behind Sasuke. She glanced at his back, blushing lightly as she remembered how she had clung to him as they flew. As she sat in thought, Sasuke glanced back at her, noticing how she hadn't wrapped her arms around him; he sighed, pulling her by the arms until they were wrapped around him. She yelped, face darkening as she looked up at him questioningly.

"You weren't holding on," He replied, turning back around, "If you don't hold on, you'll end up falling off. And then I won't hear the end of it from Naruto or Kakashi if you fell off."

She nodded, cheek resting against his back, telling herself that the slight fluttering of her heart at his actions was only because she had been startled, and not because she thought he had cared or liked her arms around him. With those thoughts in her mind, Gyuki flew back into the sky, heading back towards the village.

"He's ready milady."

Kaguya smiled, bringing her goblet to her lips; she sipped elegantly before gently placing it back on the table. "Shall I alert Lord Orochimaru and Danzou?"

Gedou nodded, resting his head by her feet. "If he leaves now, he should reach the border in two days."

"Good," She said, stroking his head gently, "I'll get one of the guards to bring him before me. It's also about time for Deidara to redeem himself, don't you think?"

"Kakuzu has said his arm should be perfectly fine now," Gedou noted, looking up at her questioningly. "Where are you thinking of sending him?"

She smiled. "To Kumo my dear."

Sasuke sighed, walking through the house towards his room. Ever since they had returned from the waterfall of truth, Naruto had been uncharacteristically quiet and lethargic. While he wouldn't admit it bothered him, it was troublesome to not have someone willing to keep his skills sharpened while they did nothing. He had gone to Kakashi's room, but the mage had mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a note saying that he was "out on business with A" behind on his dresser. As he passed by Sakura's room, he couldn't help but notice that the door was ajar; usually, she would've kept a door closed, claiming she "needed her privacy". Thinking something was wrong, he gently pushed the door open, prepared to attack if he needed to. As he glanced inside, he saw that nothing was out of place; everything was put away neatly, and there weren't any signs of struggle.

"Do you need something," A voice called out, causing him to jump slightly. His head whipped towards the window where the sound had come from. There, on the window ledge, sat Sakura, head tilted to the side as she stared at him in curiosity. He felt the back of his neck heat up slightly as he opened the door more, stepping into the room.

"I thought…something was wrong," He muttered, glancing down at the ground. Sakura blinked, a small smile forming on her lips.

"I thought elves liked quiet," She teased, "Don't tell me that you miss Naruto being loud and obnoxious?"

"Tch, of course not," He replied, glaring at her. She merely shrugged, going back to glancing out the window. He stared at her, unsure if he should leave or if he was allowed to sit with her; she appeared to be deep in thought. Just as he was about to excuse himself, she began to speak.

"I…apologize for my behavior recently," She said softly. "It's just…many things have happened that have cast my opinion of orcs in a negative light."

"No one has a positive opinion about them," Sasuke replied, stepping towards her slightly. She looked at him, eyes showing sadness despite the small smile playing on her lips.

"Will you listen to my story," She asked, scooting over on the ledge, patting the spot next to her. Tentatively, he walked towards the spot, sitting down to face her. A few moments passed after she had spoken, her face showing how she silently struggled to find the right words to begin the tale; finally, she began to speak.

"On the other side of the Cherry Mountains, there was a small village. It wasn't exactly prosperous, but its inhabitants were happy. There…there was a woman, that my father knew; her name was Mebuki. She is, was beautiful, or at least so I've been told by my father. Eventually, she had a daughter, with eyes a brighter green than hers…and hair the color of the blossoms that covered King Kizashi's mountain."

Sasuke stayed silent as she swallowed back tears, continuing with her story. "Because Mebuki was unmarried, and I…I mean, the child, looked similar to King Kizashi, the villagers believed that the two had an affair, with the child being born out of wedlock. But, despite their harsh attitudes, they were very happy together. King Kizashi visited whenever he could, and to…to her, it felt like she had a family. But, then…one night…a pair of orcs came from the North. They…they slaughtered the entire village, even those that were defenseless. I watched people beg for their lives, pleading desperately to at least let their children live; but they showed no pity, no mercy. They came to our house, breaking down the door…Sh-She tried to fend them off to give me time to run, but it was useless.

"They killed her…they killed her right in front of me," She whispered, tears beginning to fall, "I was hidden in a cupboard, praying to whatever gods there were that they would give me a quick death. But before they could find me, King Kizashi came…apparently, someone had sent a runner to the mountain, begging them to save us. When the orcs saw them, they fled; I crawled out of my hiding spot and over to my mother, crying for someone to help her. He found me like that…picked me up, and took me back to the kingdom. And while I wish I could've said that was a happily ever after, it wasn't. After all, if people didn't take too kindly to the bastard child of a commoner, how would people feel about the bastard child of a king?" She finished, giving him a watery smile, tears still streaming down her face. Before he could stop himself, Sasuke reached out, gently brushing a tear from her cheek. Sakura jumped slightly, hands coming up to furiously scrub at her face.

"Look at me, blubbering like a baby," She sniffled, "And yet, you've gone through a loss far worse than mine."

"No one person's loss can be compared to another's," He replied, "What may seem small to one person may be large to another."

"I suppose," She said. "Still, ever since that day, I have hated the orcs, and believed that they are vile creatures."

"Every race has evil, and we shouldn't judge the majority based solely on the actions of a minority."

"Easier said than done," She huffed, drawing her knees up to her chest. They sat in silence, the air heavy with their previous conversation. Sasuke watched as she rested her chin on her knees, staring out the open window; a breeze blew in, ruffling her long hair.

"If they prove you right," He finally spoke, catching her attention, "Then I'll help to make sure they pay."

"The one wishing to avoid conflict is now promising to bring it about?" She asked, smiling slightly. "What could possibly bring about this change of heart?"

"Comrades protect comrades." He answered; if he had been truthful though, he would have replied how a small part of him wanted to punish whoever caused the tears to stream down her face like that. To cause such an atrocity to a young child…the voice from Danzou's castle wished to slaughter the entire village as retribution for her. He pushed the thoughts aside though as she spoke, her voice pushing the dark thoughts away.

"It's a promise, hm?" She muttered, looking out the window. Sasuke directed his gaze out the window as well, grunting quietly in response. Unbeknownst to the both of them, Kakashi watched from the doorway, a slight smile on his face.

"I told you she'd come around," He thought to himself, quietly making his way to his room, leaving the two of them alone to their thoughts and the company of the other.

A/N: The holidays came and went, so I was busy. But this is a monster of a chapter I realized. Like, holy crap. I apologize to those of you with short attention spans. There just…wasn't a good place for me to end it.

*edit* The lovely TigerPriestess pointed out to me that I screwed up dragon names at one part. So I went and fixed that for you all. Sorry for any confusion dearies!