Chapter Two

Deep breath. Count to three. Exhale.

Naruto stared out at the window of the Yamanaka Flower shop. He watched the crowds pass by the shop, with a few people waving to him with massive smiles. As Hokage, he was the silent father in the background, ensuring his children lived comfortably. He protected them just as much as they protected him.

"Sorry about that." Ino came out of the backroom with a dirty apron. "Had a last-minute order come in for a dozen of roses. I thought it would be better to take care of them instead of letting Sai butcher another order. He's a master with the brush but still can't put together a bouquet to save his life."

"There is no need to apologize. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice." Naruto closed his eyes and sighed. It was the second time this week he had requested an appointment. Despite the hassle it caused, Ino always managed to make time for him. Many people believed his fellow blonde to be a stuck-up uncaring drama queen when in reality, she had a heart of gold. If there was a heaven, Ino would be at the top of the list to get in.

"It is no trouble. I understand that this is a difficult time for you." Ino gestured to the staircase leading up to her office. "Losing someone close to you in such a manner is traumatic."

Naruto went to his usual spot on the grey sofa at the center of the room. He found it amusing that Ino took 'couch-time' literally. She fiddled with a book of matches to light the incense sticks that would flood the room with mind-numbing smoke. Once the room was prepared, she sat in her chair and took out her notepad. "Let us begin with something you said last time. During the funeral last week, you mentioned feeling guilty for crying so much. Why?"

Ino never held back from the tough questions.

"I cried more than Sakura did." Naruto closed his eyes as the smoke slipped into his nostrils, tickling his nose hair and caressing his aching mind. "Sasuke was her husband. So why should I be grieving more than she?"

"Trust me when I tell you that Sakura is an emotional wreck at the moment. She hides it well in public but can barely contain it in private." Ino jotted something down on her notepad. "Sasuke might have been her husband, but he was your brother in many ways. He was family to both of you. So your grieving does not invalidate Sakura in any way. Have you spoken to Sakura yet?"

"No." Naruto rolled over to face away from Ino. "Sasuke's death has created a firestorm. Committing suicide in a church does not create a great image for Konoha's shinobi. The daimyo is demanding a full investigation into what exactly happened."

"I see. Make sure you do not allow your busy schedule to prevent you from healing. You need Sakura at this moment. Sakura needs you at this moment. Heal together with those you care about." Ino turned the page in her notebook. "What of your dreams? I forgot to ask about those last sessions."

"Can we talk about something else?" Ino remained silent and stared at him. Clearly, she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "No more Hinata. It has been my mother each time since I heard about Sasuke's death."

"Interesting. In a way, this will force you to move on from Hinata. A mind can focus on only a handful of subjects at once." She paused, noticing his unusual stiffness. "Is there more?"

"Yeah. We were fucking on an altar." Naruto forced his eyes shut in a futile attempt to block out the images from his dream. He withered on the couch as blood rushed to his groin. "In a church. We were on top of the altar next to a broken statue of Amaterasu."

Ino's brows narrowed. "A church? It seems that Sasuke's death is bleeding into the dreams."

"It has made sleeping very difficult."

"I bet it has." Ino placed the notepad on the table and leaned back. "Have you considered medication? I can prescribe you sleeping pills that will knock you out pretty well. Sai uses them occasionally."

Naruto rolled back over to face Ino. "I'm not having issues sleeping. It's the dreams that are keeping me awake."

"There is nothing I can give you that will stop those." Ino reached for his hand, but he pulled away. "The issue is your sleeping. I've asked Tenten about your sleeping habits, and they worry me a lot. Over time, your exhaustion will start to damage your mental health. When was the last time you had a full, uninterrupted night?"

"Before the divorce. Boruto was out of the village visiting a festival with Shikamaru's kid." Naruto smiled as the memories of his old life came back. "I left the office early that day to spend some alone time with Hinata. You should have seen the surprised look on her face when I swept her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom. We went at it like rabbits. No dreams that time. Afterward, we went on a date to Ichiraku. Ayame actually cooked us dinner that night as a special treat. We went to bed that night thinking everything was going back to normal." His smile faded as the following morning came back to him. "Hinata wanted to ride me one last time before work. I can still remember the look when I called out my mother's name. It wasn't the first time, but it hurt twice as much after the wonderful day before."

Ino remained silent as she wrote down her observations, casually glancing at her patient every so often. Finally, Naruto retreated inwards to brood on the life that should have been. He missed those simple days when the Uzumaki lived under a single roof. Life was hard but manageable, knowing that he always had a family to come back to. Now, only an empty house waited for him in the evening.

"Why does everyone in my life leave?" Naruto could not contain the tears that rolled down his cheek. "My parents left me when I was born. Pervy Sage went off and died. Kurama said we were best friends but wanted to go off to be with his own kind. Hinata and my own children abandoned me. Sasuke took his own life. Who's next? You? Shizune? Tenten or Lee?"

Ino did not respond but allowed him to vent. She placed a box of tissues next to him and lit another incense stick. "Have you tried mediation? Sai and I recently joined an awesome mediation group that…." A sharp knock at the door interrupted.

"Honeybun. A panda needs to speak with Lord Hokage."

"Tell them to come back in an hour!"

There was a brief pause before a new voice spoke. "Lord Hokage! Father Yayoi has arrived! He is waiting for you in your office."

Tenten. Naruto dried his face on the shelve of his shirt and smiled at Ino. It was faker than the illusion Tsunade used to hide her age. "Sorry for cutting the session quick. Duty calls!" He ignored her shouts of protest when he climbed out her window to take to the rooftops.

Shizune waited for him at the doors to his office with a tray of tea and a handful of cookies. "He arrived minutes ago, sir. I thought you two could use some refreshments to talk."

Deep breath. Count to three. Exhale.

"Good thinking. What should I expect?" Naruto grabbed a chocolate-chip cookie from the tray and nibbled. He skipped his usual breakfast for a cup of coffee mixed with sake at the office.

"Bookish and modest. He is a veteran of the church and a true man of faith. Are you sure you want to do this? T&I can take care of interviewing him."

"No. Sasuke is…was my brother. I need to get down to the bottom of this." Naruto flashed a foxy grin that did little to banish the doubt written on Shizune's face. "This is a mission for the Hokage. Has Lee returned with Sasuke's belongings?"

"Not yet, but he should be back at any moment. I'll notify you the moment he returns." She hesitated before continuing, "Hinata stopped by while you were visiting Ino."

Deep breath. Count to three. Exhale.

"What did she need? Tenten delivered the child-support payment to her yesterday."

"She wanted to check in on you. So I told her to come back later."

"Make sure I have a meeting or something when she shows back up." Hinata was the last person he wanted to be comforted by. "Wish me luck."

"Luck wished!" Shizune flashed her own attempt at the foxy grin. It lacked the charm he had but was cute in the way only Shizune could be. He felt lucky to have such a person by his side.

Father Yayoi was taller than Naruto expected, even when seated. The aged priest stood when he stepped into the office and bowed deeply. "Lord Hokage. It is an honor to meet you."

"The honor is all mine," Naruto extended his hand to the man, who took it gently. "Apologies for dragging you across the country. Please, take a seat and enjoy some tea prepared by my assistant." Shizune entered on cue with the tea and cookies. She poured each man a cup before departing.

"It is understandable that you wish to speak to me. However, I am afraid I can offer no more insight that I haven't already given to your agent."

"Agent?" Naruto tilted his head and poured a bit of sake into his tea. He had yet to learn of anyone from Konoha that had spoken with the man. Tenten had strict orders to bring Father Yayoi straight to his office. "I have not sent anyone to speak with you."

Father Yayoi frowned and shook his head. "The young lady visited my church a day after the incident and asked about Sasuke. She wore one of your headbands."

"Really now?" Naruto took out a small notepad and a pencil. "What did this young woman look like? I need to make sure she gets paid for her mission."

"Ah. Tall…very tall. Almost your height, Lord Hokage." A faint hint of pink crossed the man's face. "She wore a very revealing outfit that left very little to the imagination. It appeared to be some kimono, but in a style I've never seen before."

"Hair color? Eye color?"

"Blonde. She had beautiful white eyes."

"Did she mention her name?" Naruto maintained his warm smile but felt a knot forming in his stomach. A particular clan in Konoha was famous for their white eyes, but he had never heard of any of them having hair that was not black or brown.

"Hanae, I believe. She asked about what happened along with what happened to the body. I told her that the coroner had collected the body and shipped it back to Konoha for burial. I do not mean to get the young lady in trouble, but she was extremely unfriendly."

Naruto frowned at the idea of someone posing as one of his ninjas mistreating civilians. That was not the values or image he wanted to show the world. "Really now? How so?"

"She grew frustrated when I could not give her the exact location of the body. Then, threatened to report me to…well…you, my lord. I asked that she leave my church if she was going to make such threats."

"Hm. Well, you are not in trouble with me. I shall speak with this kunoichi and reprimand her. Panda!"

Tenten appeared behind him in a kneeling position. "Lord Hokage?"

"Please take this and pull the file for anyone named Hanae or who matches this description. I might have already sent someone to collect Father Yayoi's testimony and misplaced the report. Now, if you wouldn't mind…let's go over what happened that day…."

"No such person exists in the records or archive room." Tenten sat on Naruto's desk with her mask dangling from her belt. "The only Hanae to ever have been in our ranks was a woman who died during the Third War." She placed a photograph of a short woman with black hair that looked the opposite of the woman the priest described. "As for the eyes…the Hyūga are not the only ones with white eyes. A clan in Iwa has nearly identical-looking eyes to the Hyūga minus the Byakugan. To my knowledge, there has never been a Hyūga with blond hair except for your son. I sent one of my men to the local library to see if anything exists in those archives, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

Naruto lifted the photograph up and frowned. "Why would someone pose as one of our kunoichis to ask about Sasuke's corpse? She must have been in the area to get there so quick. I mean, she knew about it before we even got word."

"Maybe she was after his eyes." Tenten grimaced at such a thought. "Those things would be worth a king's fortune on the black market. She could simply be a passing missing-nin who tried to take advantage of the situation. The bigger question is what caused Sasuke to suffer such a breakdown? Lee and I spoke to him not but two months ago. He seemed totally normal. An asshole, but normal. No offense."

"None taken. He would have liked the compliment." Naruto poured another cup of sake. "The toxicology report found nothing in his system that would have caused madness."

"And the sensors found no lingering chakra on him that suggested a genjutsu. Anyways, his Sharingan should have countered any illusion. One would have to be a true master to use a genjutsu on an Uchiha. Kurenai, widely considered the greatest genjutsu user in Konoha history, could not pull off such a feat against Itachi." She paused and rubbed the back of her head. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Like you need to ask."

"Perhaps the most obvious solution is the correct solution. Sasuke suffered a lot of trauma in his lifetime. Who knows what sort of mental problems were lingering in his subconscious. Maybe he just went crazy."

Naruto hated to admit it, but that was a real possibility that even Ino hinted at in past conversations. "You very well could be right." He looked out the window towards the setting sun. "Lee should have been back by now. The village is only a day and a half away, and he probably sprinted the entire way there."

"I don't like that the police didn't send Sasuke's stuff back with the body. They could have messed with critical evidence."

"Nothing we can do about it now. Let's hope Lee gets back soon." Naruto sighed and shook his head. "If he is not back by morning, send a team out to look for him. Wallop him if it turns out he decided to crawl back to Konoha or something."

"Gladly." Tenten hopped off his desk and yawned. "Mind if I head home? My replacement has arrived." She waved at the cleverly hidden man in a flamingo mask.

"Dismissed. I'm about to grab something to eat." Naruto walked with Tenten out of the Hokage tower. He frowned upon noticing Hinata waiting on a bench across the street. "Just my luck."

Tenten cracked her knuckles. "Want me to scare her off?"

"I got this. Have a good night." Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. Luckily for his ex-wife, he was too tired to be angry. The extra cups of sake helped. He sat next to her and crossed his arms. "Evening. What do you need?"

Hinata looked down and poked her fingers together. It was an odd tick whenever she grew nervous. He always found it cute. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm alive." Naruto shrugged. "Been busy with stuff, ya know? Sorry for skipping my day with Himawari."

"I understand. You're grieving and need time alone." She rested her hands in her lap. "I am sorry for what happened last week with Boruto. I was wrong to tell him you would have approved his time off."

"Yeah…it was wrong of you." Naruto looked up at the rising moon. "Don't worry about it. Nothing you can say can make him hate me more than he already does. Though, did you really have to tell him about our sex life?"

"Pardon?" Hinata's head tilted like that of a confused hound.

"In my office, he brought up my dreams when he was throwing his tantrum." He waited for a moment before continuing. "I never told him about those."

Hinata's eyes widened at the implications. "I would never tell him details about those. I made a promise to never speak to anyone about what happened." Seeing the doubt in his eyes, she grabbed his hands. "Naruto-kun, I did not tell him about what happened." The veins around her eyes began to bulge as she stood up. "Leave this to me. I will find out who told him that, even if I must beat it out of him."

"Calm down." Naruto pulled her back onto the bench. "Brat probably overheard one of our fights and was saving it for the right moment."

"He needs to be punished. He had no right throwing that in your face."

Naruto could not help but chuckle. "We both know you aren't the disciplinary sort. He'll find a way to soothe your rage with a pitiful speech about how much you mean to him." He relaxed his hold on her when she did not try to stand back up. "You were always too afraid of becoming like your father."

"Yes." Hinata closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. His craving for physical intimacy allowed the gesture without protest. "I made a mistake with him."

"We both did," he admitted. "I might have been Hokage, but I should have taken my duties as a father more importantly. Old Man Third raised four children while being Hokage. I could have done the same." They sat together as the day's warmth turned into the night's chill. "So, you have a boyfriend?"

A soft chuckle escaped Hinata's lips. "Your daughter is as dense as you were."

"Eh?"

"Kiba. Kiba got into a fight with his mother the other week, so I allowed him to spend some time at my place. Himawari struggled to understand the difference between a boy friend and a boyfriend."

Naruto smiled at his daughter's blockhead. She was truly his child. "You're allowed to date. Don't hold back due to me."

"If I was going to date again, Kiba is at the bottom of my list. His living habits are atrocious. The fact that he is a thirty-year-old man still living with his mother does not help." Hinata shook her head. "I do not think I will ever date again."

"Because of me?"

"Yes."

They remained seated for a little longer in silence. Then, finally, Hinata broke away from him. "I better get home before Himawari decides to cook dinner herself." Both parents shuddered at the memory of the last time their daughter tried to make something in the kitchen. The odor of burnt cheese still could be smelt in the kitchen at times. "You are not alone, Naruto. If you ever need someone to talk to…"

"I'll keep it in mind." He wanted to end this conversation now. His Hinata-quota had reached its limit for the week. "Say…does the name Hanae ring a bell to you?"

"No…I…don't know…anyone by that…name." She looked down and pushed her fingers together. "Why?"

"Ino mentioned someone named Hanae back from our academy days." Naruto smiled and waved. "Have a good night, Hinata." He watched as she turned the corner before gesturing for his ANBU. "Keep an eye on her. Report to me immediately if she goes to the Hyūga Compound or receives visitors from her clan."

"Understand, Lord Hokage. Should I inform Captain Panda of my assignment? She will not replace me until morning."

"Don't worry about me." Naruto waved the man off. "I'm the strongest ninja in his own village. The risk to me is practically zero."

"As you say, Lord Hokage." Flamingo disappeared in a rush of leaves.

Alone and starting to feel the first twinge of hunger, he decided that a quick stop by Ichiraku would improve his mood. The food lacked the same magic from his childhood, but ramen was still ramen at the end of the day. He never had a bad bowl of the divine noodles and wouldn't until the world was coming to an end.

His own opinions on Ichiraku were not shared by the rest of Konoha. A massive line had formed outside the restaurant that went around the corner. While he knew the place was popular due to him, this was unlike anything he had seen. He took his place at the back of the line and glanced at his watch. This was going to take a while.

"Lord Hokage!" Shizune came running up to him with a big grin on her face. No longer the wallflower he knew at work, she was dressed in a beautiful blue dress with makeup that highlighted her best features, including a smile that radiated a love of life. "What are you waiting in line for?"

"Because I'm hungry?"

She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Come on, silly. The Hokage does not wait in line! Kurenai made reservations the other day. I'm sure Ayame will let you jump ahead."

Naruto cursed for forgetting that Shizune had started to date Kurenai shortly before his divorce. The two seemed like an unlikely couple but made each other happy. He hoped to officiate their wedding in the future. "I do not want to interrupt your date…."

"Nonsense! You're practically family. Plus, Kurenai enjoys talking to you." How the former Genjutsu Mistress grew to like him after the divorce remained a mystery. Before he could resist, Shizune dragged him down the street, laughing all the way. She entered the restaurant through the reservation doors. "We have one more joining us, Nai!"

Kurenai, dressed in a simple red dress, turned around and gave him a soft smile. The woman always looked tired but seemed more energetic whenever Shizune was around. "Ah! Lord Naruto. It is a pleasure."

"Apologies for crashing your date." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "You know how she gets whenever her mind is made up."

"That I do. You are always welcomed company." She turned to the head waiter. "Add one more chair to our table."

"But ma'am…"

"I will handle this party." Ayame came out of the backroom with a giant smile on her face. She no longer wore the outfit of a waitress but the suit of a CEO in charge of one of the largest restaurant chains in the Elemental Nations. "It has been a while since I last served my favorite customer. Are you here for our new bowl?"

Naruto grinned at seeing his old friend. Ayame and her father practically raised him in the days before he became a ninja. He wouldn't be the man he was without them. Any ramen made by her hand was destined to be great.

"New bowl?"

The three women stared at him with shocked expressions. "You don't know about the new flavor," Ayame shook her head in disbelief. "And to think that you call yourself the king of ramen."

"To celebrate Ichiraku's two hundredth store, her father created a brand-new flavor of ramen. It is creating waves in the culinary world. People are lining up for hours to try it." Shizune smiled at Kurenai. "It came out a few days ago. I'm surprised she was able to get us reservations so easily."

"Oh, I have my ways."

"Well, I am looking forward to trying it!" Suddenly more excited than he had been in years, Naruto raised his fist in the air.

"I'll prepare your bowls myself," Ayame declared, taking off her jacket in favor of an apron. "Take them to the VIP section upstairs."

"Fancy," Shizune giggled as the waiter laid them up the stairs to the area reserved for important people. Naruto had visited the upper level once or twice since becoming Hokage but preferred the more laid-back atmosphere of the ground floor. "I heard Ayame spent over a small fortune remodeling the VIP section. She brought in some foreign designers to craft a one-of-a-kind room."

A small fortune was an understatement. Naruto's eyes widened at the lavishly designed room where the wealthy elites visiting Konoha dinned. Each table, made of wood imported from the islands far to the south, sat low to the ground and was surrounded by silk pillows instead of chairs. Exotic lanterns hung from the ceilings and served as the only light source for the room, creating long shadows that danced as the flames flickered. Sweet smoke poured out from burning incense burners designed to look like mythical beasts. Naruto recognized the scent as sandalwood, and his mind relaxed instantly.

The grand feature of the entire room was the fountain at the center. Made of solid gold with ebony marble trim, it featured nine levels of pooling waters that flowed from the top. Statues of dancers pranced on each level save the top, which was reserved for the magnificent goddess. Naruto approached the fountain and examined the She that overlooked the entire restaurant. She inspired feelings of terror and arousal as if she were the living embodiment of humanity's darkest carnal sins. He was not the only one who felt disturbed by her. Each dancer looked upon their goddess with horror and desire as their bodies twisted into bone-breaking shapes. He joined the women at the table to avoid looking at the blasphemy of design.

"I'll prepare your first three bowls right after I fetch you some sake if that is alright with all of you."

Kurenai chuckled and shook her head. "One will be more than enough for me."

"Nonsense." Ayame gestured to one of the nearby tables. The man and woman, both dressed in the most expansive brands, shuffled bits of red meat into their mouths using their fingers. Crimson droplets rolled down their faces. "They're on their sixth bowl already. A few people have already beaten your record, Naruto!"

"Guess I got my work cut out for me." Something about the two dinners suddenly made Naruto lose his appetite. Still, it was too late to head home without offending Shizune or Ayame. "Prepare two bowls for me. I'm extra hungry."

"I told you that you shouldn't have skipped lunch." Shizune gave him a stern look like a scolding sister.

"It will take me a few minutes to get everything ready. Enjoy, and let me or any of the waiters know if you need anything." Ayame bowed and disappeared into the kitchens.

"This place looks amazing." Kurenai smiled at rested her hand on Shizune's.

"Reminds me of the places Pervy Sage took me during my training trip." The former Toad Sage enjoyed stopping at exotic brothels in the Land of Fire port cities. Apparently, the foreign women could do stuff the lovely girls of the Nations wouldn't even dream of. He believed that the old pervert just paid them more.

Naruto drowned out the mundane conversation of the two women in favor of examining the murals painted on the world. Each one depicted a scene straight from mythology, such as the first sermon of the Sage of Six Paths or Amaterasu's accent into the heavens upon her mortal death. His eyes stopped to examine the Old Sage. The man looked much like how Naruto remembered him, with the Rinnegan represented by a pair of diamonds. However, it was the first time he had ever seen the Sage represented in such details anywhere in the world. Two sons stood behind him, representing the Senju and Uchiha clans. A third figure, partly hidden by a push, observed the scene from afar. His eyes narrowed to get a better look at the figure.

It appeared humanoid in shape but with the features of an animal. The creature, obviously female due to the eight small breasts that ran down to her abdomen, lacked the face of a human but grinned with the extended muzzle of some type of canine with deep red fur. Two ruby eyes glistened in the dim lights of the lanterns. The monster had a single bushy tail with a snow-white tip to complete the look. Beads of sweat rolled down his neck as the few contents of his stomach tried to come up. He recognized the beast in the mural. It matched every detail of the monster that took the shape of his mother down to even the finer detail, like the curved claws meant for the sundering of flesh.

"Here is your sake," Ayame came with two bottles and three cups. "Just came in from the Land of Wind. They make some amazing sake."

"Tsunade always orders her stash from there." Shizune poured the three cups. "Are you okay, Naruto?"

Deep breath. Count to three. Exhale.

"Totally! Just really looking forward to this ramen." Naruto tried to force a smile on his face to not ruin the experience for Shizune or Kurenai. The effort paid off as the two women returned to their conversation. However, he remained fixated on the creature on the wall until Ayame returned with the bowls of ramen. She placed his down first and smiled.

"Give me your verdict, Ramen-King!"

Naruto pushed the monster from his mind and took up his chopsticks. The food smelled good, with the aroma of spiced chunks of meat mixing well with the sweet red chili broth. He picked up a long, black noddle and brought it to his lips as the women looked on with excitement.

Immediately, every tastebud in his body screamed out in revulsion. The sweet coppery broth mixed with the pungent noodle that tasted like rotting meat. He wanted to spit it out yet forced it down to keep from insulting Ayame. The former waitress cheered as he returned for a piece of meat. It tasted slightly better but was unlike any pork he had ever eaten. Shizune and Kurenai started on their bowls, eating with a ravenous speed that lacked his hesitation. He finished the first bowl and excused himself to the restroom. Between seeing the creature that stalked his nightmares to the vile ramen, he leaned over the toilet of the first stall and vomited.

The world around him spun as he stumbled out of the bathroom. He returned to the table and nearly cried upon seeing a second bowl waiting for him. Shizune, face stained red with the juices, managed to look up at him.

"Are you okay, Lord Hokage?"

No. He did not feel okay, and he knew he did not look okay. "I'm fine. Just a little under the weather from everything. Hate to bail on you two, but I need to rest."

His eyes fell upon the scene of the Sage's sermon. The creature was gone from her hiding spot. He looked at the other murals to find where they had gone to. A fresh wave of vomit threatened to spill out as he saw that the scene of Amaterasu ascending to heaven had been changed. The Lady of Light lay on the ground as a broken mess with her eyes plucked out. The creature stood triumphantly above her with both claws raised to the sky. He ignored the questions of concern from Shizune and Kurenai on his way to the exit.

Neon lights and the chattering of the crowds stabbed at Naruto's senses. He covered his ears and closed his eyes to block out the storm of humanity, pushing through the people eagerly awaiting their chance to taste the new ramen. Finally, someone sent him to the ground with a scream of frustration. He crawled forward to escape as a crowd began to form around him.

"What the hell is wrong with him?"

"Watch where you're going, punk!"

"Do you know who I am?"

"Stay back. He looks sick."

"Is that the Hokage?"

Naruto lurched forward just as another wave of vomit erupted. He whimpered and collapsed onto the ground. His hands reached out to the crowd in a plea for help, but they moved back.

"Help…me…" None came forward.

Pain washed over his body when more vomit came. He rolled over onto his back to stare up at the night sky. Only a few stars managed to slip past the light pollution that blocked the celestial realm above. Then, consciousness started to fail him, and darkness crept into his vision.

Salvation came in the form of soft hands and softer words. Finally, someone lifted him into a warm embrace. "I just got back and already must save you. Good thing I like you a lot."

He tried to stare at the face of his savior but saw only darkness. "Are you…a goddess?"

"I am hatred incarnate."

Naruto smiled as the last shreds of consciousness slipped into the void. "Kurama…"