Opening - Resistance by High and Mighty Color

The room's walls, ceiling and floor were all a smooth, pale grey. Each of the six surfaces was molded from a single piece of concrete, with the sole exception of the door, which was steel.

Said door slammed loudly behind Naruto, Hinata and Neji.

The table Hiashi sat at was polished redwood, with a panel of iron under the surface. It was supported by four wooden legs, and was lit from underneath by a lamp set into the floor, to make detecting bugs that much easier. The Byakugan could see through solid objects, but things shrouded in darkness were still hard for it to see. This was not a five-star restaurant, it was a stronghold disguised as one.

"Come, sit down," Hiashi commanded.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama," Neji replied, and glanced expectantly at Hinata, who like Naruto said nothing. All three children stepped forward and seated themselves around the table in black leather chairs.

"I've already checked the room for bugs myself," Hiashi declared, and added, "Our meal will be brought shortly. Naruto, feel free to check for poison, I won't be offended."

"Thanks," Naruto responded, then glanced around. "So what's with the interrogation room?"

"This room is completely secure. Nothing the four of us discuss here will ever be leaked. I admit, it's not very charming, but it serves its purpose."

"Speaking of which," Neji spoke up, "Why are there four of us? Why am I here?"

"We'll get to that later. First, I need to ask a certain question of you, Naruto Uzumaki." Hiashi triggered his Byakugan and aimed it at Naruto. "The slightest twitch in your movement indicating a lie can kill you, I hope that's clear. What exactly is the nature of your relationship with my daughter?"

"You're kidding," Naruto deadpanned. "You called us here, into this kind of secure room, to ask me whether I'm dating Hina-chan or not?"

"Hina...chan?" Hiashi echoed, noting the blush that immediately spread across his daughter's face. "...To answer your question," the Hyuuga Clan leader leaked a bit of killing intent into his voice, "No. That sort of subject wouldn't require this kind of security, but it's only the first subject we have to discuss. Nevertheless you will answer it."

"Yes, I'm dating Hinata," Naruto replied with a trace of his own killing intent, "Yes, I love her," Hinata nearly fainted at this being said in front of her father and cousin, "And no, I don't tell her so nearly often enough."

"...I see." Hiashi turned to Hinata. "And what do you feel about all of this?"

"U-Uncomfortable," Hinata squeaked, then glanced at Naruto when the latter started chuckling. She let herself smirk a little as well.

"...I don't know why I even bothered asking," Hiashi admitted. "You've been stalking the boy for three years now; your feelings for him are quite apparent."

"Eep." Hinata slumped forward, smacking her forehead into the table, which immediately woke her back up. "Wha!?"

"Now then, next question, Neji?"

"Yes, Hiashi-sama?" Neji answered immediately.

"Remove your forehead protector." Neji gritted his teeth, but did as he was told, revealing his Caged Bird Seal. Hiashi pointed to it, and said, "Take a good look at what the Hyuuga Clan stands for. Hinata, Naruto, this is the Hyuuga Clan."

"H-Hiashi-sama," Hinata hesitantly began, "I don't understand where this is going."

Hiashi sighed. "You won't even refer to me as your father." He withdrew a scroll from his kimono, and laid it on the table in front of Neji. "I wish I could've given you that sooner, Neji. Your father was my brother, I loved him, and I have clearly let him down. Over and over again."

Neji read through the scroll's contents silently, while Hinata spoke up, "Y-You never answered my question. What's the point of all this?"

"The Hyuuga Clan is dying," Hiashi answered simply, "And there's nothing I can do about it except this."

Neji set down the scroll, and glared at Hiashi. "What do you mean by that? By all of it!?" he turned on his Byakugan, and looked his uncle in the eye. "Is what that scroll said completely true?"

"Every word of it," The clan head replied without hesitation. "Surely by now you've begun to see what I mean."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. "I'm completely out of the loop here."

"The Main House of the Hyuuga Clan is suffocating itself. Choking on its own arrogance. The Clan Elders have my hands tied, and I have no support from the Branch House, so all I could do was watch, until now. Now, it's finally come to my attention that the only Main House Hyuuga left with any humility has grown a spine, thanks to you, Naruto."

"You mean me," Hinata realized. "Now you know I'm stronger than I was before."

"That's right. I'm not sure how long it's been since you found this strength, Hinata," her father smiled at her, "And I can't wrap my head around the fact you've been hiding it, even when sparring with Hanabi and talking with me, but it's clear that you have the potential to lead the Hyuuga Clan when I step down."

Hinata blinked. "I... expected this conversation to go in the absolute opposite direction," she admitted. "You're offering for me to take Hanabi's place as the next clan head?"

Hiashi nodded. "Hanabi has a strong will, but she is misguided. I've allowed her to grow up thinking that Hyuugas are born superior to the unwashed masses outside the clan compound. She truly believes that... and if she takes my place, if one more Hyuuga Clan Head thinks the way she does... we'll end up seeing another Uchiha Massacre."

"What do you mean by that!?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Someone's gonna kill the whole Hyuuga Clan?"

"Someone..." Hiashi shook his head. "This is the moment of truth, you three. Any further discussion on the subject will require me to reveal S-rank village secrets, so I need to know if I can count on you. Will you help me save our clan?"

"I don't understand," Hinata admitted, "But I want to save the clan, yes."

"You have my word," Neji added, and pointed to his forehead. "Anything's better than this."

"I'm in too," Naruto agreed.

"Itachi Uchiha was ordered to wipe out the Uchiha Clan, to prevent a civil war that would ultimately lead to the destruction of Konoha. The Uchihas believed they were better than the rest of the village, and thought themselves fit to rule Konoha. Fugaku Uchiha intended to take the Hokage's hat after assassinating his predecessor."

"Then what the hell's Itachi doing in Akatsuki?" Naruto immediately asked.

"Working as a mole for Jiraiya's spy network," Hiashi answered simply. "After he carried out his mission, he knew he'd have to leave the village permanently. I personally discussed it with him, when the mission was being planned. He decided to further help Konoha, even as a missing-nin."

"And you think the Hyuuga Clan is going to plan a coup, just the same way," Hinata realized. "You want me to take your place, so I can stop that from happening. I'll work with Neji to abolish the Caged Bird Seal, and the Branch House will cooperate with us because we haven't been oppressing them for years already. And the elders, you said they had your hands tied... they've been manipulating you?"

"They've completely prevented me from making a move to free the Branch House," Hiashi admitted. "They'll do the same to you unless you make the changes as soon as you take the position. In order to take power from the elders, you'll have to free the Branch House so the elders will be too afraid to harm you, for fear of an uprising."

"So what do I do?" Naruto asked.

"That's simple. Become Hokage and marry into the Hyuuga Clan."

"Eep." Thunk. "Wha!?"

Naruto turned bright red, glanced at a dazed Hinata, then turned back to Hiashi and asked, "Come again?"

"The Hokage is as powerless as I am when it comes to stopping the elders, because he can't interfere with 'private clan matters.' But if the elders get to Hinata and do to her what they did to me, only a Hyuuga acting as Hokage could save her. So you'll have to become Hokage and marry Hinata before she becomes clan head. That's not a problem, is it?" he forced out a significant amount of killing intent.

"The only problem is that you keep making Hina-chan faint," Naruto shot back. "She's gonna give herself a concussion thanks to you!"

"My apologies, but this issue must be addressed."

"Hiashi-sama," Neji began, "you mentioned the elders did something to you, to prevent you from moving against them. What did you mean?"

Hiashi pulled down the collar of his kimono, baring his right shoulder, and the Caged Bird Seal on it. Neji stared at it in disbelief. "You see, I know how you've suffered, Neji. At least partly."

"H-How long have you had it?"

"Three years ago, I made a move to have the Caged Bird Seal replaced with a new seal that couldn't torture the bearer. This was my punishment. The entire event was kept secret from even the rest of the Main House, let alone the Branch. Up until that moment, I foolishly believed the clan leader actually led the clan."

"Ah, I get it," Naruto announced. "The elders aren't supposed to be allowed to do that, but once they'd already done it there was no one who could stop them. But if I was Hokage, and... married to Hinata," he added with a blush, "I could have them arrested for that. And they couldn't put the seal on me 'cause that'd be treason! The whole village would come down on them!"

"Exactly. So, will you do it? Will you become Hokage, marry my daughter, and overthrow the elders?"

"I was kinda hoping to pop the question myself, ya know!" Naruto glared at Hiashi and pointed at him angrily. "You didn't have to do it for me!"

"Ah, but I did," Hiashi smirked. "I had to go through the entire conversation at once, which entailed arranging a marriage between you and my daughter, and specifying that it must be done after you become Hokage. Otherwise the elders will brand you with the seal to keep Hinata in line, and you won't be able to become Hokage if the Hyuuga Clan has total control over you."

"I came here thinking you might even try to kill Naruto-kun for being in a relationship with me," Hinata spoke up. Hiashi blinked at how frighteningly calm she suddenly was. "However, I take it this means we have your blessing?"

He nodded. "I can't help but notice you're not blushing or stuttering at this point."

"I find that once I've fainted twice in the same conversation, nothing else can shake me."

"All I have left to bring up is the dowry," Hiashi replied.

Eh... Kurama, what's a dowry?

You're quite lucky I know this one, idiot. A dowry is money that changes hands when the bride marries the groom. The concept is a bit dated, but it seems this is yet another tradition the Hyuuga Clan refuses to budge on.

Naruto shrugged and stood up, stepping back away from the table. "Going somewhere?" Hiashi asked, confused, then his eyes widened as Naruto began making hand seals.

"Ninja Art: Seal Summoning Jutsu." Hiashi blinked, but continued to silently watch Naruto's perplexing actions once it was clear the boy wasn't aiming a ninjutsu at him. Naruto lifted the thin stone lid of his portable vault, and pointed to the considerable mountain of gold within. "I'm a little disappointed that you expect me to put a price on Hinata," he declared angrily, "but take as much as you want."

Naruto, you impatient buffoon, I wasn't done! It's the bride's family that gives a dowry to the groom's family! You've got it backwards!

"Oh."

Hiashi couldn't help it; he burst out laughing for the first time in what felt like years. "F-Forget I s-said anything!" the clan leader choked out between laughs. I'd expected the boy to come up with an interesting answer to that, but this, this is too much! He kept giggling like a child, ever more grateful that the walls of the room were soundproof. "H-Hinata," he began after he'd managed to calm himself down, "You have my blessing," he finished, smirking.

X

The moon's getting full, Gaara noted. Shukaku is going to fly into a rage, any day now, and I'll have to resist his full mental force for the first time. I wonder how that'll play out.

You're an idiot if you think you can stop me under a full moon, Shukaku snarled. I'll make you pay for defying me for this long!

"We'll see." Gaara closed his eyes for a moment. "It's a pleasant night, isn't it?"

The Ichibi Jinchuuriki was seated atop the wall surrounding Konoha, just to the left of the open gate. the nearly full moon and the stars around it were shining down in full force, unhindered by even a trace of cloud cover.

"You talking to us?" Gaara's eyes opened, and glanced down at two figures in black, hooded cloaks. The one who had spoken was an adult man whose entire face was shaded by his hood. The other looked to be a young girl from what Gaara could see of her. They were about to pass through the gates of Konoha silently, and they were apparently unarmed.

"...No. I was talking to myself," Gaara replied. "What brings you to Konoha?"

"Tonight, we're missing-nin," the girl answered. "Tomorrow morning, we hope to be Konoha-nin."

"I see. Refugees." Gaara closed his eyes again. "Why come here in particular?"

"From what we've seen of Konoha," the girl admitted, "It looks to be the most welcoming and promising environment." she glanced up at the sky. "And you're right, it is a pleasant night."

"Good luck," Gaara replied, and watched them pass him and enter the village. He stretched out on the rooftop and blinked up at the stars for several minutes. Maybe I should start reading novels to pass the night, he decided. I'm getting tired of just staring up at the stars. He blinked at the sight of a shooting star briefly lighting up the night sky. As per usual, he declared silently, I wish I had something to end my boredom tonight.

That's the same thing you always say! Keep wishing for some damn company, but you're stuck with me, it never-

"Hey Gaara."

-works?

Gaara tilted his head back to see Tenten standing behind him. "...Tenten. What brings you out here, this late at night?"

"Ah, c'mon, it's not that late," she protested with a smirk. "I went to your brother and sister looking for you; I was gonna ask you to train with me tomorrow morning, but they said you come out here every night. Why?"

"I don't sleep," he admitted. "Ever." he pointed to the black rings around his eyes. "That's how the stigma of the One-Tail develops: through chronic insomnia. And a ceiling is an incredibly boring thing to stare at for twelve hours, every night, so I come out here."

"And stare at the stars instead?" Tenten shrugged. "Why don't you just grab a book or something?"

"I thought of that a few moments ago."

"You're not kidding."Tenten chuckled and sat down next to him. "Do me a favor and avoid anything with 'Icha Icha' written on the cover."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gaara replied, not bothering to wonder why. "You mentioned wanting to train with me tomorrow?"

"Yeah." she paused to gather her thoughts. "When I came looking for you, Kankurou mentioned that your sand's the perfect defense against blades, so I figured if I could find a way around it, there'd be pretty much no ninjutsu that could defend against my weapons."

Gaara blinked. "But... you said you were already looking to train with me, and then Kankurou and Temari told you I'd be here. Now you say Kankurou gave you the idea after you started looking for me?"

Tenten looked up at the sky, hiding her reddening face from him. "Okay fine, I just wanted to hang out."

"And you felt you needed a reason?" he asked, confused. "It's not like I have anything better to do than to 'hang out' with you. What reason could I possibly have to turn down your company?"

Before Tenten could answer, she heard a familiar metallic whistling sound coming from behind her back. Dosu jumped up from the road to the roof, and bared his Melody Arm. "Hm, fortune shines on me tonight. Both of my intended victims here together. I can kill you both with one swing of my arm."

"Such a busy night... I see Konoha was rather lenient with your punishment," Gaara remarked. "Leave now, or I will be... less so."

"Thanks to Zaku, I'm on bail," Dosu answered. "Apparently he fears for his safety in the presence of a certain Uchiha, and he spent most of his savings to free me and have me as a bodyguard. Money well spent, in my opinion. Once I've killed you two, I'll have nothing better to do than watch his back. And if Sasuke actually comes after him, I'll thoroughly enjoy turning his insides to a pulp with my Melody Arm."

Just kill him.

For once, we're in agreement. Gaara didn't bother to move anything other than his sand, which he wrapped around the entirety of Dosu's body. "Tenten, I don't suppose you have any objections to me killing him, do you?"

Tenten glanced down at Dosu with pity, then answered, "No. He's an enemy of our villages and of us personally. Leaving him alive is downright stupid."

"Agreed. Sand Coffin." Dosu never even had time to scream; the sand condensed into a smaller cloud, leaving no room for his body, in an instant.

"Ah, genjutsu. I see why Kin loves it so much." Gaara glanced up at the second image of Dosu to his right, with mild irritation.

"Genjutsu," Gaara repeated, then glanced at Tenten. "Hit me. It doesn't matter where, so long as it's hard enough to cause pain." Tenten shrugged, and brought her fist down hard on his chest. "Thank you." the sand wielder sat up, and turned to glare at Dosu, who stood on the roof twenty feet to his left. "Now please leave. My mind isn't particularly stable right now."

Dosu chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that. You're going to stay here and die. I was talking to Tenten." Gaara stood and folded his arms over his chest, as the cork sealing his gourd of sand popped out.

"Why should I leave?" Tenten asked. "I can help!"

"I agree, but I need you to put some distance between us. Go home, Tenten, I'll see you tomorrow morning. For now... let me prolong my existence by killing Dosu." he grinned evilly.

"You're gonna let that demon out, aren't you?" Tenten laid a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what it's telling you, but you don't have to listen!"

Gaara's thoughts ground to an immediate halt. I'm warning you brat, don't defy me again! If you don't let me have this Oto punk, I'll rip your mind to shreds come the next full moon. And that's... what? Two days away?

"You're right." Gaara blinked. "If I let Shukaku have his way tonight, I'll make a terrible mess of your village, not to mention I'll be turning my back on the progress I've made against him so far."

You're an arrogant little fleshbag, aren't you? I swear I'm gonna rip my way out of this meat cage, and then I'll step on you, and squish you into a sandy paste, you got that?

Gaara turned his attention back to Dosu, and reached for him with killing intent and all of his sand. "I'll make it fast," he declared.

"No attack is faster than sound," Dosu shot back, and swung his arm in a wide arc, firing a blast of controlled sound waves that attacked Gaara's and Tenten's inner ears. He leapt away from the sand that kept reaching for him, and readied his arm for another attack.

"What is that?" Gaara murmured. "It's warm and wet like water. I can't see it from here," he rambled quietly, "Tell me, what is it?"

Tenten shook her head as clear as she could, and tried to stand upright only to double over again, clutching her ears. Something in Gaara's tone absolutely terrified her, but she managed to look up at him, and noticed he was still standing straight up, but his ears were bleeding badly. With that much blood, I can safely guess his balance is completely destroyed, so how is he still upright? Is it just because he's not moving out of a stable position? "G-Gaara," she choked out through the pain, "You have to kill him."

"Yes, Mother."

Mother!?

"Sand Coffin." The relapsing psychopath's sand wrapped itself around Dosu faster than his eye could see, and crushed him into paste before he had time for a Substitution. Gaara turned to her with wide, bloodshot eyes and a pained expression, with thin dark cracks spreading over his face. "Tenten... what is it that's dripping down from my ears?" he hesitated for a moment. "Is it... my blood?"

She could just barely make out what he was saying enough to reply, "D-Don't worry, Gaara. We can get to a hospital, or find a medic-nin..." she stood up straight, and tried to step forward, only to swing wildly off-balance and crash to the ground. Her head hit the rooftop, knocking her out cold, shortly followed by the Jinchuuriki at her side when he tried to move as well.

A black-cloaked blur shot out of the darkness and crouched between them, hands alight with the green chakra of medical ninjutsu. The girl's older companion emerged from the shadows at a much more leisurely pace, and called up to the roof, "What are you doing?"

"Healing them," she answered simply. "We have no reason not to."

"How's this for a reason not to? The longer we're here without announcing our presence, the more likely the Konoha-nin are to get the wrong idea. They'll think we're infiltrating them, especially with these cloaks."

"Black was your choice, not mine. I suggested white or pale blue."

"Don't bother trying to change the subject. You know you're too soft for your own good." the man turned away, and grumbled, "The problem is, it's starting to wear off on me."

X

"I just don't get it," Naruto admitted. "Why would the Fourth... why would otousan seal you in here so perfectly?"

"What do you mean?" Kurama asked. "Isn't that obvious? He wanted me to die in here when you did."

"No, that doesn't add up. He didn't have to seal your chakra so perfectly for that. Was he afraid you'd manipulate me?"

"No," Kurama said thoughtfully. "I can still talk to you. If he wanted to seal off my voice, he could have."

"Then why?" Naruto ran his hands through his hair and groaned. "What's the point? If we could combine our powers, we'd be ten times as much of a threat to Akatsuki! And otousan would know that! He must've had a reason to keep you from giving me your chakra-"

"Quiet." Kurama looked up into the simulated night sky of Naruto's mindscape. "Do you feel that?"

"What is it?"

"Killing intent." the Nine-Tails scowled. "From Shukaku."

"What!?" Naruto sprang to his feet. "Gaara let him out!?"

"No. It's still being filtered, I can sense that much. Gaara's containing my brother's power, but giving in to his thoughts instead... hm?" he blinked. "It's gone. Now I can only sense the boy. He's pouring out his own killing intent."

"He's in a fight?"

"It looks that way. I admit, he's got some decent killing intent for a mortal. It doesn't fall that far short of Shukaku's, which pretty much means... whoever he's fighting is a dead man walking." one of the strongest beings ever to walk the earth, a demonic walking ocean of chakra, winced. Naruto felt exactly what Kurama had; Gaara's killing intent had cut off with no warning whatsoever, which meant either he was dead, or more likely, his opponent was. "That was fast," the Nine-Tails remarked. "His opponent must have been a pushover, and an annoying one at that, for so much killing intent to be directed at him."

"Can you sense Gaara? Is he all right?"

"I've got nothing, kid." Kurama laid down on the floor of his cage, and snorted in annoyance. "If this damn cage was open, I'd be able to access the Tailed Beast Dimension and even take you there. We could talk directly to Shukaku, and likely Gaara as well."

"Tailed Beast Dimension?" Naruto repeated. "You mean there's a dimension where all of the Tailed Beasts can meet up and talk? About stuff like AKATSUKI PLANNING TO KILL US ALL!? And the Fourth SEALED THAT OFF TOO!?" Naruto punched the ground, hard. "What the HELL was he THINKING!?"

"Easy, brat, take it easy. Come take a look at this." Kurama reached up from where he was laying, and flicked a spot on his cage. "Come tear this paper off, I think you'll find this interesting."

Naruto nodded, stood, and levitated himself up to where a piece of paper was stuck to the cage where the two apparent doors met. It bore the kanji for 'seal' in bold script. Naruto tore it off, hoping against hope that the doors would spring gently open, but underneath was an intricately designed swirling lock with the mechanism exposed. "A lock?" Naruto frowned. "I already knew about this. How does seeing the actual lock help us?"

"Think about it, halfwit. There's an actual physical lock visible on the seal in your mindscape. A lock you can see and touch. Every lock has a key."

Naruto's eyes widened in realization. "I get it! Otousan wants us to unlock this gate at some point! There must be instructions for opening the lock somewhere. Maybe he trusted it to one of his friends... but why even make us wait?" Naruto sighed, and weakly punched the lock, to no effect.

"Oh, now it's pretty obvious. My chakra's corrosive if I want it to be. Your dad must've thought it was best if we learn to cooperate perfectly before you get access to my chakra."

"Corrosive?" Naruto repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a demon, kid. My chakra's different from yours. Hotter, heavier, darker... what I'm getting at is if you, say, demanded use of my chakra, I'd be hostile enough to you that my chakra would burn your coils like acid. That'd weaken you in battle, and possibly shorten your lifespan, and that's just if you're using my chakra the same way you use your own. If you put on a tailed cloak..."

"Tailed cloak?"

"External manifestation of demonic chakra in the rough likeness of its source demon," Kurama lectured. "There's two different kinds. Version One manifests a transparent layer of chakra around a Jinchuuriki, with a number of tails indicating how actively the Jinchuuriki draws on the demon's power. In our case, between one and nine. But that chakra is like boiling water, both in appearance and effect. If I'm not all buddy-buddy with you, it'll burn your skin as well as your chakra coils. It'll also impede your judgement, and shorten your lifespan outright."

"So, what's Version Two?"

"Version Two, if I'm not cooperating, will burn away your skin entirely." Naruto winced. "Yep. Your blood will leak out of your whole body into the cloak, staining it red. Well, to be fair a Version Two cloak is usually dark red anyway, due to the density of the chakra. It can act like a sort of armor for the wearer, stopping blows that would blow an unprotected body to bits. If you go deep enough into a Version Two state, say six of my tails, you'll start manifesting an additional layer of protection through a skeleton over the chakra cloak."

"So, if we get this seal open, will I be able to use those cloaks without hurting myself?"

"It'd take some time for your chakra to sort of melt together with mine. How should I put this... You've got a blue piece and red piece of clay or soft candy, and you squish them and knead them together for a while. At first, you can still pop them apart into red and blue, but if you keep at it, the colors mix in the middle, into purple. There's still a red part and a blue part, but the two flow together rather than abruptly change. If we hit that stage, you'd be able to safely use my chakra to an extent, but if you use too many tails in either cloak, it'll start to become unstable and show the same drawbacks I told you about."

"So when we open the cage, we'll have to wait a while before I can use your chakra."

"That's right. And after that, if we keep melting our chakra together, it'll all be purple. That's years down the road, but when that time comes, you'll have almost as much chakra as I do, and it'll show demonic traits all by itself. Well, I'll still have mostly red chakra, since I have so much more than you, but yours will all be purple."

"Demonic traits?"

Kurama nodded. "Nothing to worry about. It won't affect you or anyone else negatively, but for instance, you could pour chakra into someone to give them a Version One or even a Version Two cloak, with no tails since you're not a Tailed Beast. It'll look more like you than me."

"How could a chakra cloak like that look like me?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"Ridiculously bright orange?" Kurama suggested sarcastically. "If that isn't obnoxious enough, you might add golden flames over your whole body."

"Bright orange isn't ridiculous! I started out wearing it for stealth training and it grew on me, okay!?" Naruto shook his fist angrily at the demon.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, brat. You really should know by now that you look completely insane in it." Kurama chuckled.

"Hey, you're one to talk!" Naruto pointed out. "Your fur is bright orange too."

"That's not by choice!" Kurama countered angrily. "And I'm a fox! I'm supposed to be orange! Furthermore, who would dare mock the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, an ancient demon the size of a small city who can level mountains with a flick of a single tail? On me, orange looks damned intimidating! My victims see me coming from countries away, and they can only sit there and await their doom. They know by know that running only means they die tired."

"Whatever helps ya sleep at night," Naruto echoed with a smirk.

"Why you! You might want to think twice about letting me out of this box, kid! The first thing I do when I get out is look for a snack!"

"...Kurama." Naruto floated back down to the ground, and idly glanced at the paper that had covered the seal. "Sorry to go all serious on you, but... What are you really gonna do when I let you out? If we ever find a way, ya know?"

"Step one is helping you beat the Akatsuki into a huge red stain on the ground. Then I want to truly be free again. Maybe I'll strike an agreement with Konoha that I make a home out of some wilderness in the Land of Fire, in a spot where no one cares to go. If that fails, well..." the fox looked around and considered its surroundings. "It is rather cozy in here. As long as it's a den and not a cage, I'm satisfied with staying right here in this seal, at least until you die."

Kurama chuckled at Naruto's relieved grin. "Eh, don't get too touchy-feely about it. Where else am I ever gonna find a cave for me with a cozy bed of the same size as me, and a convenient giant snack dispenser that never even needs a refill?" the demon glanced up at the sky again. "Get some real sleep, kid. I'm all but certain that Gaara's alive, but whatever just happened to him might happen to you next. Be ready for it."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks, Kurama." he looked down and smiled slightly. "I've got a lot of things I need to be ready for, especially after today."

"I told you not to get touchy-feely, weren't you listening?" Kurama scowled as Naruto began fading out of his mindscape. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Naruto closed his eyes and faded completely away into silent sleep. "Che. Brat's too damn sappy about everything."

X

He woke late the following morning with a groan as the sound of someone knocking on his door rang out through the nearly-empty Uzumaki Clan manor. "Ugh... coming... I'll be right there!" he called, and stood to shake himself awake, then made his way to the door and pulled it open with a yawn. "Yo, Hina-chan!"

"Hi, Naru-kun," she greeted. "Can I come in?" Naruto nodded and stepped aside so Hinata could enter.

"Have you seen Gaara yet this morning?" Naruto asked. "Me and Kurama felt his killing intent last night when we were asleep."

"He and Tenten were attacked last night by Dosu Kinuta. Dosu's dead, but they were found unconscious at the gates with blood coming out of their ears." Naruto scowled, recalling the weapon Dosu had wielded. "The weird thing is, their ears were completely intact when the ANBU picked them up. Someone must have healed them and left them there."

"That is weird," Naruto agreed, "But I'll take weirdness over the Akatsuki coming after the Tailed Beasts any day. So how's Gaara doing now?"

"He's fine, so is Tenten," she replied. "They should be released from the hospital any minute now, if they haven't left already. I wonder who healed them, though..." she trailed off, and blushed slightly. "So, do you want to talk about yesterday?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered the previous day's events and summarized it all in a single sentence. "We're engaged." he blinked. "Actually, not yet we're not."

"Eh?" Hinata's eyes widened as Naruto got down on one knee. "N-Naruto-kun!?"

I should've got a ring last night, or maybe I could've made one, Naruto silently recalled. "The choice still has to be ours, ya know? Hinata... will you marry me?"

The dark edges of Hinata's vision with her inactive Byakugan began to creep in toward the center. She saw stars blurring over Naruto's smiling face, and began to feel lightheaded. No... not now... I can't faint now! I won't faint now! "Y-yes..." she squeaked, and closed her eyes for a moment. I won't faint. Not here, not now, and never again. "Yes, Naruto-kun, I will!"

She opened her eyes, and smiled back at him. I can see him clearly. None of those stupid stars are in the way. She helped Naruto to his feet, and they kissed. I'll make sure it stays that way. I'll never faint again... I'm stronger than that now. "Naruto-kun..." I'm strong enough to say these words, without fainting this time... "I love you."

"I love you too, Hinata-chan."

Nothing. I don't feel the tiniest bit lightheaded. She grinned, then kissed him again. I've really done it! It's like a dream, but I never have to worry about waking up... I never have to worry about this feeling going away.

Even when the moment ends, this happiness can't be taken from me.

X

Gaara's eyes snapped open, and he stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling. "...Where am I?"

"Hospital," Tenten replied quietly from the bed next to him, and he glanced over to her. "How much do you remember?"

"I remember Dosu attacking us. I killed him, then you collapsed, and I tried to do something." Gaara scowled. "I hadn't thought of anything I could do, I just moved, and got nowhere. I fell, hit my head, and passed out... Odd." he blinked and concentrated, but no fragments of his sand armor broke off. "My armor shattered apart. That's never happened before."

"Armor?" she asked curiously.

"It's a layer of my sand infused with chakra that I wear over my skin at all times, to protect me from any attack that might get through the Shield of Sand..." Gaara froze, and glanced around. He sat bolt upright and asked slowly, "Where... is... my sand?"

Tenten's eyes widened, and she sat up too. "Oh, crap. You used it to kill Dosu, and I don't think you ever put it back into your gourd! You weren't even wearing your gourd!"

"That sand was a part of me," Gaara replied, and climbed out of the hospital bed. "I gathered the strongest minerals I could find in the desert, and poured my chakra into it, over a period of years... It was a perfect weapon." he glared at the door. "If I can't recover it, I'll have no way to replace it until I return home. I'll be defenseless."

"Alright, I'll go with you," Tenten decided, and sat up to stretch. "I know that sand means a lot to you, but if we can't find it, I might be able to help you make a replacement."

"...Make a replacement?" he echoed.

"I'm not saying we won't try really hard to find your own sand," Tenten added hastily, "But I know this trick I can do with a forge. You said your sand is made of 'the strongest minerals,' right? What about diamond?"

"There are a few traces of diamond in it, yes. Why?"

"Diamonds are compressed carbon crystals," Tenten lectured. "The same substance that's in coal. I know how to heat and compress the coal fuelling a forge. It takes a Fire Release user to superheat the flames to that point, but it'll produce high-density, crystallized carbon fragments. Diamonds. The only reason people don't get rich off the trick is the diamonds don't look like gems. They're rough little black lumps, but they're the same in composition. With tools made with existing diamonds, or the proper Earth Release ninjutsu, I can grind those lumps into a powder for you! Diamond sand!" she finished excitedly. "Do you think you could manipulate pure diamond dust?"

Gaara chose this moment to try out his newly mastered smile. "I'm certain I could. That would be the perfect weapon for me... I'm honored that you would go to that much trouble."

"Gaara, let me tell you something important about me," Tenten replied with a grin. "No one ever thinks to wonder why every single weapon in my scroll collection is different. I love making new weapons, exotic ones no one's ever seen before. That diamond sand would be easily the coolest weapon I've ever made. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it," she admitted.

"The gourd was made of sand as well," Gaara said thoughtfully. "I suppose I'd need a new container for a seperate substance."

Tenten grinned even broader. "Here's what I think: A katana. Store your sand in a fuinjutsu on the guard. Not the blade, since you might need to release it without drawing your sword, and not the hilt, since your hand could be in the way of the seal if you're wielding it, but the guard... you could release your sand whether you're holding the sword or not, and either way, your opponent will think you specialize in kenjutsu, and plan a strategy against that, only to find out you're a ranged fighter!"

"And the blade itself would help counterract my lack of skill in taijutsu," Gaara added. "I'd never have thought of anything like this... it's brilliant. Thank you, Tenten."

"Eh..." she recalled the events of the previous night. "Gaara, sorry to change the subject, but what was the deal with you last night? You called me 'Mother.'"

"...I said that?" Gaara murmured. "Tenten, I wasn't referring to you. The demon inside me had me fooled for years into thinking it was my mother. She died giving birth to me. Last night, Shukaku manipulated me again, but I'm not sure how he could have made me relapse like that."

It's simple, brat. My mind is stronger than yours, since we're so close to the full moon. And tomorrow night, I'm gonna break free of this seal once and for all... killing you in the process. I hope it's messy! The demon started cackling and rambling incoherently.

Tenten noticed the worried expression on Gaara's face, and asked, "What's wrong? Is it talking to you?"

"Shukaku intends to escape my seal tomorrow night, during the full moon. If he succeeds..." Gaara shook his head. I've finally begun to make bonds, I've finally found people to care about... I won't let it all be destroyed. "I'll have to get away from any sources of sand. If I can do that, he won't be able to build a body of sand... he'll be powerless. Ideally, it could leave him weak enough that he won't be able to break out of the seal..."

"What happens if he does?"

"I don't know," Gaara answered truthfully. "If a Jinchuuriki's tenant is extracted forcefully, they die. If the host willingly frees the beast by opening the seal, they live. But if Shukaku breaks free himself... I just don't know."

Tenten paled. "Gaara, we can't take that risk! Look, there are some shinobi here with incredible fuinjutsu skill. We have to find one, today. Maybe Jiraiya? He could probably put a way stronger seal on you. But we've gotta do something!"

"Tenten, you use fuinjutsu yourself... what do you know about the Eight Trigrams Seal?"

"Only that it's way, way above my level," she admitted. "Why? Is that the seal holding Shukaku?"

"No. The seal I bear is called the Black Lions Seal. It's a numbered seal, with two points."

"Only two..." Tenten breathed. "I'm not a sealing expert, but even I know that a two-point seal holding a Tailed Beast is bad. If either one of those two points fails, the other takes the entire load of the contents. Half the total chakra of a demon of that caliber, suddenly slamming into a half-broken seal from within... that's a scary thought. We gotta get you to a fuinjutsu master, right now. Come on!"

She made for the door, and jumped when it suddenly swung inward, revealing Naruto and Hinata. "Oh thank Kami! Take us to Jiraiya!"

"Jiraiya?" Naruto repeated, then his eyes widened and locked on Gaara. "His seal," the bearer of the Nine-Tails growled. "It's failing, right?"

"We have until tomorrow night," Gaara said simply, "at the latest."

Hinata nodded. "Follow us."

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