Part Two: Legacy/Valley of the End

Naruto laid a flower before the picture of Hiruzen Sarutobi in silence.

The village was mourning the lives lost in the brief war against the Sand and Sound Villages, including the Third Hokage. He'd been slain battling Orochimaru.

Kurama couldn't say he was surprised. The old monkey had been a student of the First and Second Hokages, well beyond his years as a fighter. Though he'd been deadly enough still to cast the Reaper Death Seal and cripple Orochimaru. That was useful.

Gaara and Fu had headed back to their respective villages–for now. The three of them had agreed to take some time to recover and prepare for their escape. A plan like theirs needed to be carefully calculated. They had agreed to meet on the outskirts of the Leaf Village in a few months.

While Naruto trained and prepared himself, Kurama devoted his spare time to plotting their escape route. Where they would go. Where they could hide. What they would do afterwards when they got away.

If they got away.

The fox stirred as he felt Naruto's emotions roil. The boy was staring at the picture of the Third Hokage, frowning and confused by something that wasn't quite grief.

The old man had given him a place to live. Money to survive. But he'd not done much else. Naruto supposed he couldn't force the villagers to like him, but even so…the Hokage had done little for his happiness. He wanted to know why.

"He's gone, boy," Kurama rumbled. "It does no good to wonder on questions that can never be answered."

Naruto heard him, though he said nothing. He cast one more glance at the Third Hokage's picture and left him behind.


Kurama really needed to teach Naruto how to use sensory abilities. Assuming, that is, they survived their unexpected guests.

A short training trip planned with Jiraiya had quickly turned into a nightmare. They'd only traveled to a small, nearby town when the Uchiha decided to remind them that they were not completely extinct.

Naruto opened the door, expecting Jiraiya, and found Itachi Uchiha staring down at him. That Sharingan immediately gave his identity away. The boy froze and Kurama rumbled to life within him, fangs bared.

"Hello Naruto," Itachi murmured.

"Really? This kid has the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him?"

His eyes jerked away from Itachi as a tall figure stepped around the other man. Blue flesh, a giant wrapped weapon at his back. A scratched Hidden Mist forehead protector. Kurama sensed his chakra and knew he was a major threat; to say nothing of the fucking chakra parasite he was carrying with him. He'd seen too many of those in his life.

"You will come with us," Itachi said.

"Naruto," Kurama growled in his mind. "We need to stall. The Toad Sage should return soon enough."

Naruto collected himself as best he could and fired off the first round of ammunition that came to mind. "You killed the Uchiha Clan."

"I did."

"Did you get the man who freed the Nine-Tails?"

That gave Itachi pause, but Kurama sensed the brief flicker of surprise. He knew! He knew the attack was caused by the Uchiha!

"He's aware," Kurama told Naruto.

"I have no–"

"Bullshit," Naruto snarled, angry with the attempted lie. Angry with the Sharingan, with the Uchiha, with all of it. "Who killed my mom?"

Now Itachi's eyes actually went wide. His partner stared at Naruto, then to the Uchiha with a fascinated expression, though he said nothing. He seemed just as interested.

But Itachi regained his cool within moments. "It doesn't matter. Let's go outside."

His partner reached for that big damn weapon at his back. "Itachi, it'll be problematic if this kid puts up a struggle. Maybe I should cut a leg off to make sure…"

Kurama started infusing chakra; something to give them an edge when this inevitably broke out into a fight. They had a chance to escape, but it would depend on if he got the timing right.

He was hoping that maybe, just maybe, Itachi would go for a genjutsu.

"That would be too messy. He'd scream," Itachi dismissed his partner's idea. "I'll take care of it."

"Look into his eyes, Naruto," Kurama ordered.

"But–"

"Do it!"

Naruto trusted him. He looked at the Sharingan.

Itachi dragged them into a genjutsu and Kurama acted the second he felt the flux. "Reverse Genjutsu!"

Then the three of them were in Kurama's mindscape, having dragged Itachi in and Naruto with him via the Uchiha's own genjutsu.

Itachi was visibly surprised as the massive fox sneered down at him. He found himself trapped in a cage similar to Kurama's own prison. The Uchiha blinked at them.

"A neat trick. I didn't think your control of the Nine-Tails was so advanced."

"Answer the question," Kurama snarled. "Did you kill the masked man who enslaved me?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. If he was surprised that Kurama could speak, he didn't comment on it. "I did not. Though he did participate in the destruction of the Uchiha Clan."

"Who is he?" Naruto demanded, storming up to the cage with fury in his eyes. Kurama, however, knew their position was more delicate than it seemed.

He had cast a counter-genjutsu, but the amount of chakra he could slip through the seal wasn't enough to trap someone like Itachi for long. All the Uchiha had to do was flex his power even a little and the trap would fall apart like a house of cards in a breeze.

That he didn't immediately free himself was surprising.

"It's Madara Uchiha."

"You lie," Kurama spat. "I know Madara's chakra. Better than anyone else. The man who took me from Kushina Uzumaki was not him."

Itachi's brow furrowed and the fox pressed him further. "Either you are lying, or…you have been lied to. Is he still alive?"

"...He is."

Kurama's jaw clenched. Another fucking Uchiha to deal with. Fantastic. He'd really hoped Itachi had killed the bastard during the massacre.

Itachi gauged the fox, then Naruto. "He is part of the same organization as myself; Akatsuki. They are planning on capturing the Tailed Beasts in the near future."

Both of them bristled, but Kurama was the more cautious of the two. "And yet you tell us."

The Uchiha said nothing and the fox's curiosity grew. He had had every opportunity to break free of this (frankly weak) genjutsu. He'd even cooperated with them.

"...You are not what you seem," Kurama voiced his suspicion.

"I am what I have made myself to be."

Naruto said nothing, brow furrowed as he glanced from Kurama to Itachi. The fox focused his chakra again and their…guest made a sign with his hands. Their time was up.

"Even the most beautiful trees have roots surrounded by darkness. Be wary," Itachi warned, and broke the genjutsu.

They snapped back to reality. Itachi's partner–the other Akatsuki–was holding his weapon's grip, having realized something was off with the genjutsu casting. Naruto tensed, ready to move.

Sasuke arrived, getting their attention as he challenged his elder brother and vowed vengeance. It bought Kurama a few more seconds to do what was necessary.

"You're going to cast a new jutsu," he told Naruto.

"Are you crazy? If I've never used it–"

"You don't need to do it well. See that weapon the blue one has? It's a chakra parasite. They latch onto Tailed Beasts and suck the chakra from them for sustenance. But they don't like eating certain…flavors of chakra. I've gotten rid of them before. Be ready."

Realization dawned on the boy as Kurama channeled the chakra he'd prepared specifically to deal with the damned thing. To cause a distraction to buy more time.

All they needed was time.

The blue one seemed to recognize that Naruto was trying to pull something and again grasped his weapon. "Now, now, let's not interrupt such a touching reunion, shall WE?!"

He shouted in pain as the grip of his weapon suddenly burst with spikes, slicing into his flesh. The living sword flailed and writhed, hurling itself along the ground in an effort to get away from the negative chakra Kurama pushed into his host.

Naruto slapped his hands together. "Tailed Beast Art: Bitter Spirit!"

A pale shadow burst out of flames and gave chase to the parasitic sword. Its stunned master watched the blade scramble past Sasuke, who was so focused on Itachi that he barely noticed.

Kurama almost snorted at the mockery of his power Naruto had cast. It was meant to be a fox, but as it stood, it was little more than a tiny, pale will-o-the-wisp. But it was his first attempt and it did the job.

Sasuke charged Itachi with Chidori as Naruto flew through hand signs. Foxfire Jutsu!

The blue-skinned Akatsuki scowled, recovering from his surprise, and leapt back as the fiery creature roared to life and charged. Naruto was already making another move. "Sasuke, get out of the way!"

He sucked in a breath and spat at the foxfire. Air Bullet!

In the tight space of the hallway, the enhanced inferno consumed everything. But the Akatsuki wasn't helpless. His hands flashed through his own symbols and a Water Style jutsu formed a wall to guard against the flames.

A blast of steam filled the hall and Naruto started to retreat–only for the walls, floor, and ceiling to be enveloped in flesh. He heard Sasuke screaming, but didn't dive in to attack. Not when he couldn't see a damn thing.

Kurama felt Jiraiya's chakra surge and relaxed somewhat. "The old toad is here."

The steam cleared after almost a minute, during which time they heard the sounds of fighting, a tremendous crash, and then silence. Naruto shifted uneasily, but Kurama calmed him. He could sense the two Akatsuki fleeing; Jiraiya was with an unconscious Sasuke.

That had been a little too exciting, but the encounter had held quite a bit of value, Kurama thought.

"I am teaching you sensory skills starting today," Kurama told the boy. Naruto just nodded as he approached Jiraiya and his wounded teammate.


Kurama demanded a meeting with Jiraiya the day they left the Leaf Village to find Tsunade. The old toad was surprised, but accepted the invitation when Naruto passed it on.

Now the Sannin stood before Kurama's cage with Naruto in the boy's mindscape, observing the seal with fascination.

"I see Minato did his job well," Jiraiya commented. Kurama sneered at him.

"He learned enough of the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing jutsu to be a nuisance, I'll grant him that," the fox said grudgingly.

Jiraiya hummed and crossed his arms. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Kurama told him what Itachi had passed on. Naruto had asked him about it; the boy had realized something wasn't quite right with their encounter. The fox had watched enough top-secret information exchanges from within his other Jinchuriki to know when someone was trying to hand over a message discreetly.

Jiraiya's brow furrowed instantly when they mentioned the roots in the darkness. "Danzo, huh?"

"Danzo?" Naruto frowned with him.

"An old ally of the Third Hokage," Kurama rumbled, recalling the man with no small amount of suspicion. "He works in the shadows of the Leaf. If I remember right, he was in charge of a special sect of ANBU black ops."

Jiraiya nodded, though he said nothing. "I'll do some digging, but Root was shut down after the Uchiha massacre. For Itachi to mention him in such a way…Interesting."

The message had been passed on. Kurama would leave that to the Sannin for now, ponder it himself another time. But he had another request.

"Teach Naruto the skills Minato possessed," the fox ordered.

Now an eyebrow rose on Jiraiya's face. "Oh?"

"Do not be coy," Kurama growled. "You taught the boy's father, you and I both know you have extensive knowledge of the Uzumaki Sealing jutsus. If this…Akatsuki group means to capture us, he will need such skills."

Naruto listened in silence, brimming with curiosity. Though he already knew Minato Namikaze was his father, he knew little of the man's prowess and (rather impressive) jutsu mastery.

"Those aren't easy abilities to teach to a Jonin, let alone a Genin," Jiraiya warned, though he didn't refuse the idea.

They certainly weren't, but they were necessary nonetheless. They needed Naruto to learn those skills; they needed the Yellow Flash come again. A foe so powerful and dangerous that the enemy would sooner flee on sight than face him. Frankly, all of the Jinchuriki needed that kind of reputation if they wanted to find any sort of peace after fleeing the villages.

"I think you will find Naruto is up to the task," Kurama replied. The boy beamed at his certainty.

The old toad seemed somewhat amused by that. "Very well."


They started with Rasengan. Kurama resisted the urge to snort when Jiraiya told Naruto what they were going to learn. Sealing jutsus would be practiced during resting times, but his chakra control would be practiced and refined with mastery of Minato's–

"Borrowed," Kurama told Naruto that first night he'd tried the Rasengan. "He borrowed it from the Tailed Beasts."

"What?"

"Minato encountered the Four and Five Tails Jinchuriki during wartime," Kurama explained. "He faced our strongest attacks–the Tailed Beast Bomb–and based his development of the Rasengan on that."

The boy was fascinated by the idea. Kurama recalled first seeing the technique from within Kushina. "He was going to give it some needlessly long-winded name, as he always did. Your mother named it Rasengan. Minato created it to keep her safe."

Naruto's eyes flashed with longing. "Can you help me learn it?"

"Of course," Kurama snickered. So they began.

The boy had a lot on his plate as they traveled. If he wasn't practicing Rasengan or Jiraiya's Sealing jutsus, Kurama was dragging him into the mindscape to learn some of his own techniques. The knowledge of Akatsuki preparing to hunt the Tailed Beasts had made both of them agitated. It was pertinent that they be aptly prepared.

To continue his training to master Kurama's abilities (and to ensure they stood a better chance against the Akatsuki next time), Jiraiya had loosened the Eight Trigrams Seal; not much, but enough to get a decent amount of power through. It would take time for Naruto to get used to wielding that much chakra, though. Such power was overwhelming with his current skills.

But Naruto had never been a quitter and he never would be. He pushed himself to his limits, devoted every waking second to his training and was met with success before long. Jiraiya had only demonstrated the Rasengan a few times, but Kurama was intimately familiar with the technique in ways even the old toad wasn't.

The boy was dedicated and had learned from Kurama many times. And given that Rasengan was a jutsu personal to his family…well, it only fuelled his drive.

Naruto had it down in a week.

Kurama couldn't help but laugh at Jiraiya's face when the old toad woke up one morning to find Naruto standing there with a Rasengan in his hand. The boy had bags under his eyes, mentally and physically strained, but there was victory surging through his blood that made it all worth it.


Tsunade was a headache to deal with, as was common with Hashirama's family. Damned Senju.

Kurama didn't focus on her much; she possessed incredible physical strength, sure, but her healing techniques were pale shadows of her grandfather's. He sensed her briefly before dismissing the woman to focus on his own thoughts.

Naruto didn't particularly care, either. She was to be Hokage for a village he intended to leave soon enough.

But of course, it wouldn't be a trip if all three Sannin didn't show up at some point.

Orochimaru wanted the woman to heal his arms. Kurama sneered at the naive idea; as if the Reaper Death Seal could be so easily undone. Unfortunately, they were on more even terms since Tsunade had stupidly drugged Jiraiya.

Orochimaru engaged the old toad in battle while his assistant fought the rest of them. Well, "fought" might be too strong a word. He was arrogant and too sure of himself, too certain that Naruto was an inexperienced Genin.

They summoned a pair of giant snakes and battle was joined. One of them managed to catch Naruto in its jaws when the boy was leaping away from debris.

He was already pissed. Kurama was in the same boat.

"Fuck this," Naruto snarled. Fire Style: Burst Breath!

The snake screamed in agony as the inferno raced down its gullet and cooked it from the inside out. Naruto leapt from its open jaws and climbed atop its head. He spotted Kabuto engaging Tsunade and Shizune.

Kurama was feeding him chakra nonstop. "We'll drag him into a genjutsu."

"I'm not good at your genjutsu yet."

"I'll do it. Kill him when the opportunity arises. Do not hesitate. His chakra is a match for Kakashi's."

Naruto created a storm of shadow clones and charged the man. Most of his clones were outright destroyed by the skilled fighter; his precision medical ninjutsu was similar to a Gentle Fist art in some ways.

He drove Kabuto into a trap, letting the man believe he was relying on sheer numbers out of desperation. The arrogant smirk said it all; he was confident he could best the boy.

But Naruto was as crafty as the fox who taught him, and he was a ninja. Ninja were killers.

A pair of hands shot from underground and snatched his ankles. Another clone Naruto had prepared before they'd engaged him, set to lie in wait. Now stuck, the rest of his clones leapt onto Kabuto. He beat a few back with some admittedly impressive taijutsu, but he showed an opening eventually.

Naruto got up close and Kurama snapped a genjutsu on Kabuto immediately.

It wasn't a refined genjutsu, but Kurama's presence leaching into the man was enough to make him freeze for a few valuable seconds. He snatched Kabuto in his claws, teeth bared in a mockery of a grin as their enemy struggled to break free.

Kabuto did get loose, but not fast enough. He snapped himself back to consciousness as a Rasengan drilled into his face.

His clones helped drag Kabuto down as the Rasengan ripped and tore away the flesh, bones, and brains. The final impact of slamming the man's skull into the blood-soaked dirt was telling.

Kabuto's face was a twisted, cratered mess. Kurama sensed around, but no substitution or clone had been created. Their ploy had worked.

Now for the snake.

Orochimaru seemed to realize he was in far more danger with his assistant now dead. Naruto wasn't a match for him, but Jiraiya seized the opportunity to drive him off. The crippled Sannin had no jutsu that could match his rival, even if Tsunade wasn't participating yet.

Wisely, the snake fled. Kurama considered it a pity Jiraiya hadn't killed him, but he blamed Tsunade's drugs for that.

In the end, Naruto was the least banged-up of the group, even discounting Kurama's healing. That fact amused him to no end.


Tsunade spoke to him later that evening. Naruto was eating when she sat down beside him with a bottle of sake in her hand. Kurama snorted in the boy's mind; she'd retained all of her grandfather's bad habits.

"That was impressive today," she told him. "Only a few ninja have mastered the Rasengan."

"My dad picked it up from the Tailed Beasts," Naruto replied, taking another bite. "And I had a great teacher."

Tsunade's lips twitched, though she didn't look at him directly. "Yes, Jiraiya does have a talent for teaching."

She'd never know Naruto meant Kurama, though the toad sage had been the one to put him on that path. But Kurama knew; a flicker of warmth filled him at the boy's meaning.

"He's teaching you all of Minato's jutsu?"

"Mmhm."

"Which reminds me," Jiraiya suddenly approached them from behind. Naruto looked over his shoulder, a spoonful of soup half-raised to his mouth. "I think you've earned this."

The old toad handed him a unique kunai that Kurama recognized immediately. One of Minato's old blades.

Naruto took it as Jiraiya explained its significance. "You're not quite ready to really use the Flying Thunder God jutsu, but I think you'll get there sooner than later. It's useful if you need to make a quick getaway; I wouldn't try it in battle until you're more experienced. Teleportation is tricky at best and fatal at worst."

But it was a keepsake of Minato that was important to Naruto. He had Kushina's old scarf, but nothing of his father to remember him by. The kunai filled that hole just a little.

"Thanks."


Tsunade agreed to become the Hokage in the end. They returned to the village so she could heal those injured from the short war (including Kakashi and Sasuke, both incapacitated by Itachi) and Naruto continued to study jutsu. Kurama refined their plans to leave; not long now.

Naruto had managed to get a hold of old Uzumaki scrolls at the village library. The ninja in charge had asked him why and on what authority he was making such demands. The boy had offered him a sneer and reminded the idiot that he was the last of the Uzumaki Clan.

Authority? That knowledge was his right.

The dumbass ended up taking it to the Hokage and Tsunade reprimanded him on the spot, allowing Naruto to take the Uzumaki scrolls for his study. Legally, they were all his anyway.

There was a lot to learn, but it was all there, in almost two dozen scrolls containing generations of knowledge from his dead clan.

Most of it was information on the feared Uzumaki sealing jutsus. Useful tools to say the least, Kurama reflected. They'd be valuable for many things. He learned to make the seals for the Flying Thunder God jutsu and knew (in theory) how to execute it. He prepared one of the seals at his home in case he ever needed to warp there.

Naruto was holed up in his apartment or practicing on the training grounds for the weeks following, but even then he left clones at home to keep working on Sealing jutsu. He encountered a few of his fellow Genin during that time, though he didn't spend too much time with them. Jiraiya was off on another mission while Tsunade focused on getting the village under her control.

Sakura managed to drag him to the hospital one day to check on Kakashi (who'd abandoned his bed by the time they got there) and Sasuke.

The Uchiha boy wanted to fight. His eyes were intense; Kurama could sense his roiling emotions and sneered into Naruto's thoughts.

"He's jealous. Weak and insecure in his own strength."

Naruto eyed the Uchiha for a few seconds before he refused. He had better things to do than beat some brat still in a hospital bed.

Sasuke didn't take no for an answer. He threw a glass of water at Naruto and it shattered against his back, soaking his clothes. Though the broken shards didn't pierce his flesh, it still hurt.

Naruto slowly looked over his shoulder at the fuming Uchiha child. Anger boiled in his gut. "Really?"

"Why won't you fight me? I never took you for a coward," Sasuke accused.

"Fuck yourself."

Naruto grabbed the three-pronged kunai in a moment of anger and channeled his chakra into the seal. Kurama barely registered what he was doing before the boy teleported to the marking in his apartment and immediately collapsed, gasping. The Shadow Clones he'd left there popped out of existence.

"That was foolish," he berated Naruto. The child was exhausted; unused to spending so much chakra in one go. "You can't just use teleportation on a whim. You aren't skilled enough yet to use such tremendous amounts of chakra."

"I needed to try it sometime," he groaned.

"Not from halfway across the village in a fit of temper!" Kurama reprimanded, tails lashing. "You have to be smarter than that!"

Naruto was probably angry enough to retort, but the exhaustion outweighed his emotion. Kurama's lips lowered to hide his fangs. "Well. You pulled it off. That's enough for now. You'll know what to expect next time."

"Uh-huh," Naruto curled up on the floor, still holding the kunai, and passed out. Kurama just sighed, feeding his chakra into the child to help him recuperate.


Naruto rested most of that day once he woke up, though he practiced Sealing jutsu in his apartment in the meantime. Nothing impressive, just containing and releasing simple things; tools and weapons and the like. But it was practice that would build into greater things.

They were just days away from leaving to join Gaara and Fu.

There was something the boy wanted to do before that. Kurama wasn't sure, but he knew Naruto wouldn't be able to leave–really leave–if he didn't try.

He managed to track down Hinata the day before they left. She was helping Ino do some work at the flower shop. Though her body had recovered, she was still technically on rest to ensure she'd fully healed.

Naruto dropped in and talked to them for a short time before Ino sent them to the back room with a smile and a wink that made Hinata blush furiously. Kurama felt a vague pulse of amusement.

Adolescent humans. Silly things.

Hinata had begun to work on watering a few flowers that had clearly seen better days. Naruto cocked his head at the wilting petals. "Those don't look too good."

"Ino's family hasn't been able to spend quite as much time on them as usual," Hinata explained, frowning. "A lot of people have been coming to buy flowers since the war, but there's rebuilding that needs to be done and missions to complete…her mother has been working overtime, even with Ino here."

Naruto walked over to stand beside her, gently touching the wilting plant. He closed his eyes and Kurama allowed a sliver of chakra to slip through. The flowers shivered, grew brighter and flourished in seconds.

Hinata was stunned. "How?"

Now he shifted uncomfortably. "My chakra…well, what I used wasn't my chakra exactly–"

"The Nine-Tails?"

The soft murmur caught Naruto off-guard. Hinata didn't look wary so much as curious. He nodded hesitantly. "Is…that okay?"

She nodded back, a faint smile forming on her lips. "It's okay. You used that to heal me, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," she looked back to the blooming flowers, shaking her head slightly. "I didn't know the Nine-Tails could do that. Everyone's so afraid of it."

"His name is Kurama," Naruto said quietly.

She was startled. "I didn't know it—he had a name."

"He keeps it secret," he looked at her meaningfully.

Hinata dipped her head. "I won't tell anyone."

It was quiet between them for a few moments. Then Hinata spoke again. "Can he hear me?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for helping me out, Kurama."

The fox twitched within Naruto, not expecting such a direct referral from the shy, soft-spoken child. He didn't give a reply to Naruto for her, but something like approval radiated from his prison.

"He says you're welcome," Naruto cracked a slight smile. Hinata seemed happy with that.

They got to talking for a while as Hinata continued watering flowers, with Naruto occasionally giving little bits of Kurama's chakra to the plants that were really struggling. He asked about how she'd been doing since the short war between the villages.

He'd found out not long after parting ways with Gaara and Fu that Hinata had been subject to an attempted kidnapping. Though she'd been retrieved unharmed, it had infuriated Naruto and only the knowledge that her would-be kidnappers were dead calmed him.

"I should've been there," he scowled.

"It was chaos," she reminded him softly. "You had your own battle to fight. You couldn't have known."

Naruto was still troubled by the notion that someone had taken her from right under his nose. Kurama quietly rebuked him. "You cannot lock her up and keep her safe from the world like a treasure, boy. She is part of a powerful clan and a ninja; danger will always be in her life, just as it is in yours."

He knew the fox was right, but Kurama could sense the answer didn't make him happy. He'd have to come to terms with it eventually.

Hinata had been doing well since the exams, though. She was slowly reintegrating herself into her family; her father was trying to repair the damage he'd done to their relationship and had seen the error of his ways. She was talking with her little sister again. Neji was being trained by her father, too.

All in all, it seemed the Hyuga Clan was finally mending the broken bridges in their family. Hinata wasn't the heir and that was fine with her. She told Naruto she didn't really want to be. Hanabi was better suited to that role; stronger and sterner despite her younger age.

She sounded happy. Naruto was glad to hear she was doing well.

"What about you? I heard you ran into Itachi Uchiha with Sasuke," she frowned worriedly. Naruto took a breath.

"I came out of that fine. Kurama protected me from Itachi's genjutsu," he murmured. Naruto hesitated and Kurama quietly encouraged him. If he was going to do this, he needed to stop putting it off.

Time was running out.

"Itachi is part of an organization," he told Hinata in a hushed voice. She stepped a little closer to listen, expression serious. "They're going to start hunting Jinchuriki soon."

"Like you," she whispered. Fear–fear for him–gleamed in her eyes.

Naruto swallowed and met her gaze. She was the only person he'd ever fully trusted besides Kurama and now he had to…

"I can't stay here, Hinata," he finally said. "I can't stay in the village. There are others like me out there, they'll be in danger. Two of them were at the Chunin Exams. We…"

She figured it out while he was struggling for words. "You're leaving."

"I have to. It's not just me and them, there are more Jinchuriki. Some of them are just–just weapons for the villages, they deserve better than that. And with the Akatsuki hunting us–"

She shook her head and raised her hand, laying her fingers over his mouth with a ghost of a touch. Naruto froze, heart racing and afraid she might turn on him then and there.

"I know how badly the village treated you," she whispered. There were tears forming in her eyes and something in his heart clenched painfully. "How some of them still treat you. And now these–people hunting you…What do they want?"

"They want the Tailed Beasts. To steal them from the Jinchuriki," Naruto took a shaky breath. "My mom was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before me. Someone took Kurama from her, set him loose on the village under a genjutsu. The guy who did it–he's one of them. He's in the Akatsuki."

"They'll kill you, won't they?"

"Yeah."

There was silence between them for a few moments. Hinata finally took a long, deep breath. "Will you ever come back?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. If I run off with the other Jinchuriki…I'm sure they won't just let me leave. The Leaf will send someone after me. They want Kurama under their control just as much as the Akatsuki. He's nothing but a weapon to them."

Hinata reached for his hand in a moment of daring and squeezed tight. He squeezed back.

"If the other Jinchuriki are like you, then they're people, not weapons. They deserve better than that. You deserve better than that. You have such a big heart and nobody cares to see it."

She finally looked up at him with tears streaming down her face, but there was a wobbly, upward curve to her lips. "Promise to be careful?"

"I promise," Naruto struggled to get the words out. He yanked her close by her hand, hugged her as he'd never hugged anyone before. She was nestled against him, squeezing with all she had and he was hurting, but those short minutes were a relief. She hadn't condemned him.

"I'm gonna miss you," he told her. "A lot."

"I'll miss you, too," her breath whispered into his ear. "Kurama, take care of each other."

The fox dragged her into his mindscape for a brief moment, unable to help himself. He stared down at the girl, who watched him with wide, shocked eyes. Kurama studied her closely, studied the child that had defied the vast majority of his expectations for so, so long. Even now, knowing what she knew, he could not sense any sort of cruelty or negativity towards Naruto or himself.

"You have a good heart, Byakugan Princess," Kurama sighed, perhaps more softly than he'd ever spoken. "Be well."

And they parted.


They left in the night.

Naruto had everything prepared. Supplies, weapons, all the Uzumaki Sealing scrolls he'd stored. He'd had it all ready to go at a moment's notice for days. The last items he put into a sealing scroll for safekeeping were his mom's scarf and his dad's kunai.

Now he slipped out of the village in the early morning, well before the sun came up. Nobody saw him leave.

He traveled to the village outskirts, past the first town several miles out, and waited in the woods at the agreed meeting place. Naruto sat down amidst the trees and closed his eyes, feeling with Kurama.

It was about an hour later that they sensed Chomei and Fu. Shortly afterwards, Shukaku and Gaara were close enough to feel as well.

Fu got there first, faster with her wings. They reunited quietly, both of them tense, until Gaara finally joined them. He looked a lot better than Naruto remembered; though he still had dark lines around his eyes, he seemed to have gotten some actual sleep. His chakra didn't feel nearly as agitated. Clearly, Shukaku had given him a break.

The three Jinchuriki sat together and joined their beasts in the shared mindscape.

"So we're really doing this," Chomei was shivering with excitement.

"I hope so! We did come all this way," Shukaku rumbled.

Fu glanced at the other beasts. "Where are we going?"

"The Village Hidden in the Whirlpools," Kurama declared. "The ancestral home of Clan Uzumaki. It's on an island off the coast of the Land of Fire."

"It's a ruin," Chomei said bluntly. "The Land of Lightning and the Land of Water destroyed it because they feared their Sealing jutsu so much. All the bridges and safe crossings were destroyed."

"And our enemies won't expect us to hide in a dead land. It's close enough to the Disputed Islands, unclaimed by any of the Hidden Villages. Between the wreckage, whirlpools, and territorial uncertainties, it's enough to serve as a home base."

Shukaku pondered the idea for a moment. "Hm. Sounds fine to me. There are a bunch of islands there, right? We can make several bases."

"Naruto has a number of Sealing jutsu scrolls from Clan Uzumaki and has begun to learn basic Teleportation jutsu," Kurama added. "With our chakra reserves, we can set up bunkers and traps to make quick escapes should it be necessary."

"Good idea," Chomei praised. "I didn't think of that."

"What about the others?" Shukaku changed the topic. "Is it just the three of us doing this?"

"We'll need to meet with the other Jinchuriki and our brethren," Kurama admitted, glancing down at the children. They were content to listen. "I'd suggest the Hidden Stone Jinchuriki first. Son and Kokuo have been there for a long time now. And a group called Akatsuki is close to their territory."

"Akatsuki?" Shukaku queried.

Kurama explained and the other Tailed Beasts bristled at the idea of such dangerous ninja trying to hunt them down. Fu and Gaara's expressions hardened.

"According to the Sannin Jiraiya, it's possible the Hidden Stone works with Akatsuki from time to time. That puts Son and Kokuo's Jinchuriki in the most immediate danger after us. So my plan is as follows; we set up a base in the Land of Whirlpools and then try to make contact with Son and Kokuo. Gyuki and Matatabi are in the Land of Lightning; we'll reach out to them afterwards. I've no idea where Saiken is, and I do not know if Isobu has been reincarnated yet."

"Reincarnated?" Fu wondered aloud.

"When a Jinchuriki dies with a Tailed Beast still inside of them, the Tailed Beast 'dies' as well," Shukaku explained. "But we reform after a while. Isobu–the Three Tails–died with his Jinchuriki some time ago. I haven't felt him since, but eventually he'll be reborn."

Gaara nodded and hesitantly looked amongst the group. "Then…we're ready?"

Kurama grunted. "We'll head north first to set up a false trail–towards the Valley of the End, then we will travel east towards our true destination. There will be pursuers. We will be hunted. One Jinchuriki running off is a problem. For three to join forces and abandon their homelands is enough to alarm the villages. You must be hard now. They will come and they will do whatever is necessary to retrieve us from within you."

"We keep each other safe," Naruto said. "Promise."

"Promise," Fu agreed with a grin. Chomei's wings fluttered.

Gaara's voice was quieter, unused to such talk. "I…promise."

Shukaku agreed and Kurama was satisfied. "Then we leave now, with all haste."


Everything was quiet at the start of their journey, until they ran into a group of Sound ninja–Orochimaru's subordinates, apparently en route to retrieve Sasuke from the village.

"The kid is the Nine Tails Jinchuriki," the only woman of the four said. "Lord Orochimaru might want him."

"Our mission is to retrieve Sasuke," another pointed out. "Not–"

"We don't have time for this," Kurama hissed into their minds. They were close enough that limited telepathy between the beasts and their Jinchuriki was possible. "They serve Orochimaru, they're enemies. Wipe them out."

"I'll do it," Gaara muttered, eyes narrowed as he began to build up a massive quantity of chakra. "Give me a moment."

Fu's wings suddenly vibrated until they produced a high-pitched, thin screech. A genjutsu of Chomei's creation. "Tailed Beast Art: Dragonfly Song!"

The Sound Four recoiled from the terrible shrieking, but only the big, hulking brute of the group was caught long enough to matter. Naruto lunged at him with a burst of speed enhanced by Kurama's chakra and slashed the man's throat open. He gurgled, clutching at the mortal wound as he fell and died.

"You fucking brat!" The woman howled, readying a jutsu only for Fu to drive a savage kick backed by blistering speed into her. She blocked it, if only just, and was sent flying away. Naruto took the opportunity to spit Air Bullets at the other two, who retreated further.

Gaara went through a flurry of hand signs before clapping his hands together. "Sand Tsunami!"

Naruto and Fu retreated as sand roared up from the earth in a tremendous wave, swallowing the forest before them. The enemy ninja danced furiously to escape, only to cringe as Fu cast another sound-based genjutsu on them. It gave Gaara's sand a chance to snatch the group and bury them alive.

But their chakra started to spike. Naruto called a warning. "Their Curse Marks–"

"I know," Gaara slammed his hands into the sand. "Giant Sand Burial!"

Shockwaves roared out from where he cast the jutsu, compressing and crushing everything within the sand. Trees creaked, groaned, and fell over as the bark splintered under the insane pressure. Someone screamed amidst the wreckage; one of the Sound Four, though Kurama couldn't identify which one specifically. But he felt two of them die within moments.

"One left," the fox told them. "Injured."

"Ha! They didn't expect to get their asses busted like that!" Shukaku cackled. "Serves them right!"

"Enough. We finish the last one off and move," Kurama growled. "No survivors, no witnesses."

"Gaara, how's your chakra? Are you doing okay? That was some jutsu!" Chomei said cheerfully.

"I'll be fine," Gaara muttered, sounding…not uncomfortable, but certainly not used to praise. Naruto set a hand on his shoulder and he briefly stiffened.

"Here," Naruto pressed some of his chakra into the other boy, rejuvenating some of the lost energy. Gaara nodded his thanks, though he didn't quite relax.

Kurama helped Naruto track the last of the Sound Four–the woman–and found her with her legs crushed and useless. She tried to play a flute as they approached, the curse mark empowering her chakra, but the Tailed Beasts snapped their Jinchuriki out of the attempted genjutsu with contemptuous ease.

Fu launched a silken string at the woman and bound her tight, dragging her in close. She tried to throw a kunai at them, only for Gaara's sand to intercept it. Another genjutsu courtesy of Fu with her wings stunned the last of Orochimaru's agents and Naruto leapt over to drive a blade into her heart.

And that was it.

"That genjutsu is handy," Naruto told Fu.

"Right? Chomei taught me that one first. It's really quick to start, so it stuns people fast, but it isn't very powerful. If they've felt it once or twice, it's more or less useless."

They weren't hurt, which was the important thing, but to overwhelm their enemies so quickly had cost them time and chakra. Not to mention a big move like Gaara's Sand Tsunami in the middle of the forest would attract attention.

"We have to move," Shukaku advised. "I love a good show, but someone is gonna take notice of this."

"Agreed," Kurama grunted. "Let's go."

The Jinchuriki acknowledged them and ran off.


Unfortunately, Gaara's massive jutsu did draw attention. A group of Leaf ninja had been dispatched to find and retrieve Naruto after it was discovered that he'd slipped out of the village.

It was most of his old classmates. Shikamaru was at the head with his team, as well as Kiba, Shino, Neji, Tenten, Sasuke, and Sakura.

Naruto knew Lee hadn't come due to his healing injuries, but he was relieved that Hinata wasn't there. He didn't want to fight her.

It was clear Tsunade had sent his old classmates to try and convince him to return peacefully, (or overwhelm him if he refused) but they obviously weren't expecting Naruto to have company.

They caught up to the group at the Valley of the End, near the border they intended to follow east. Naruto's new team stood on the statue of Madara Uchiha while the Leaf ninja stood upon Hashirama Senju's likeness.

Shikamaru stared at the group of Jinchuriki and Naruto could practically see the gears turning in his mind. "You planned this a while ago, didn't you?"

"That's none of your business," Naruto retorted.

"Of course it's our business!" Kiba snarled. "What the hell are you thinking, running off with this psycho and–who's the chick, anyway?"

"Hidden Waterfall's Fu," she answered with a grin.

"Whatever! Hinata was a fucking mess when we found out you left, you know that?! She's worried sick about you!"

Naruto's heart clenched painfully, but he couldn't back down now. "I can't stay there, Kiba."

"So what, you run off with enemy ninja?" Ino frowned disapprovingly. "What do the three of you even have in common?"

Fu's smile turned nasty. "You might not like the answer to that."

"Enough," Kurama rumbled in the minds of the Jinchuriki. "The longer we stay here, the sooner the more dangerous ninja will arrive. Either they back off or it's a fight."

"Naruto, we have orders to bring you back to the Leaf. I don't want to fight any of you, but if you don't surrender, we won't have another option."

Naruto's fist slowly clenched. "Don't make me do this, Shikamaru."

"We should be the ones saying that!" Sakura finally lost her temper with him. "You just left us! We're a team!"

"I have a new team."

Sasuke's eyes flashed with the Sharingan. "It's that easy for you, huh?"

Naruto felt rage flux within him at the sight of the dojutsu. "You're part of the reason I won't stay in the village. You and those damned eyes."

"Naruto–" Kurama growled, warning him not to stall, but the boy's anger was cresting like a great wave after years of building and there was no stopping it now.

"You know what this place is called? This is the Valley of the End, where the First Hokage fought Madara Uchiha to the death. Madara put the Nine-Tailed Fox under a genjutsu with the Sharingan and manipulated him," Naruto snarled. "The fox was sealed away into my mom years later. One of your fucking clan attacked her right after I was born and stole the fox! An Uchiha set the Nine-Tailed Fox on the village all those years ago!"

Sasuke looked genuinely shocked, as did most of the others. Gaara and Fu said nothing, though they watched him carefully. Naruto wasn't anywhere near done.

"The Uchiha as good as killed my mom," he hissed furiously. "My dad was the Fourth Hokage; he died sealing the fox into me. I'm the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki now! That's why so many people in the village treat me like garbage. Your clan is responsible for all of that!"

Kurama felt the boy's chakra spike as he clapped his hands together. Naruto's eyes flashed red, pupils slitting. "If that weren't enough, the old Third Hokage put me on a team with you and Kakashi so the Sharingan could control me! You're a chain around my neck and I won't be your weapon!"

Gaara and Fu both flexed their chakras, realizing a fight was inevitable for how agitated Naruto was. The Leaf ninja tensed, ready to defend themselves.

"Naruto," Shikamaru held a hand out in an attempt to calm him down. "Come on man, I get why you're pissed but don't–"

"Fire Style: Burst Breath!"

A stream of intense, focused flame seared across the river between the two statues. Sasuke retaliated with a Fireball jutsu and the resulting blast created enough heat to make the water steam and boil beneath it for a few moments.

Sasuke was scowling. "I didn't know about any of that! What do you want me to do about it?"

"There are only three Uchiha left alive," Naruto's voice was a near-feral growl. "I want that number down to zero!"

Fu finally chose to act, hands flashing through signs. "Water Style: Raging Wave!"

The river roared to life in a massive flood and surged towards the Leaf ninja, who were hurled over the cliff towards the lake despite attempting to dodge. All three Jinchuriki leapt down after them, watching as the other teens struggled to collect themselves.

While they regrouped, Kurama dragged the six of them into joined telepathy. "We have to make this quick. Overwhelm them, kill them if you must."

"Sure you wanna do this, Naruto?" Fu asked as she settled into a fighting stance. "They're your friends, aren't they?"

"I'm not turning back now," Naruto replied. "I've made my decision: I choose us."

The Leaf ninja had all swum up from the lake, now standing on the waves rising and falling from Fu's flash flood. Sasuke was the first one back, Sharingan flashing and temper ready to snap.

Kurama sneered at the sight, but it was Shukaku who spoke. "I've got an idea."

The plan was quickly shared amongst their group and approved. Gaara hung back, made hand signs and focused his chakra with a slight boost from Shukaku. Fu and Naruto charged their enemies.

Naruto immediately summoned an army of Shadow Clones, more than enough to even the odds. Sasuke blasted a fair few with a Fire Style jutsu, though he was stopped when Naruto spat an Air Bullet and pummeled him beneath the surface of the water.

Kiba and Akamaru were juiced up on food pills and lunged with their classic two-man assault into the clones. Shikamaru hung back with Ino and Choji, probably trying to formulate a plan. Tenten was hurling a veritable storm of blades into Naruto's personal army, cutting down the clones one after another while Neji defended her from any who got too close.

Shino had been thrown back close to Sakura and was setting his bugs loose. Fu lit up at the sight. "An insect jutsu?! I've never seen someone else use that before! That's awesome!"

"I accept your compliment, but you're still my enemy," Shino replied, sending his chakra beetles flying towards her.

Fu beamed, hands rushing through signs. "You're cool, but I can't let you do that. Don't take this personally!"

Her wings suddenly vibrated with a unique hum, barely perceptible to the human ears. She made one last sign with her hands. "Tailed Beast Art: Great Insect God!"

Shino's beetles suddenly stopped in the air, swarming in confusion before they wheeled around and flew towards their master. The boy watched in shock, then horrified disbelief as Fu took total control of them. They ignored his chakra commands despite Shino's frantic signals.

"Sorry, but Chomei is the greatest of all insects!" Fu told him proudly. "They answer first to him!"

Shino fled and Sakura too when she set the chakra beetles after them. Fu couldn't focus on them too long, however, as Kiba and Akamaru leapt into the air as high as they could in an attempt to strike her.

"Hey! Leave my teammate alone!"

He slashed at her with his claws only for the wind to get blown out of him when Naruto shot up out of nowhere and knocked him down with a ferocious punch. Fu flipped past Akamaru (who had transformed into Kiba) and kicked him into the water.

"Ino, now!"

Naruto barely had a chance to react to Shikamaru's voice as he fell back to the water, then he heard Ino a second later. She was aiming for his landing. "Ninja Art: Mind Transfer jutsu!"

He went numb, frozen for a moment and blank in his thoughts. Ino's voice sounded in his ears. "Sorry Naruto, but you can't–"

"Bad move, girl."

Ino froze and Naruto had a brief glimpse of his mindscape, where Kurama was staring the girl down. She stared at the fox in sheer terror as he sneered, then roared so loudly it was nearly a physical force.

She was immediately evicted from Naruto's mind, shrieking as she was forced back into her own body. The girl collapsed and would've sunk beneath the waves if Choji hadn't caught her.

"Ino!"

"It didn't work?!" Shikamaru recoiled as Naruto lunged at them. He knew full well the Nara boy was the smartest (and probably the most dangerous, given enough time) of their class.

Unfortunately, Sasuke chose that moment to reinsert himself into the fight. He'd recovered from the Air Bullet and shot up from below the water, driving a fist into Naruto's chin. The blonde spat, snarling as he was hurled back.

"You good?" Fu asked as she flew by.

"I'll be fine," he growled. Most of his clones had been destroyed by now, though they'd done their part just fine. Ino was down, Shino compromised with his insects turned against him, but the others were preparing to attack.

Unfortunately for them, Gaara had completed his preparations. He stretched his arms out and made a slow lifting motion. The Leaf ninja stared, but couldn't see anything. No sand left his gourd.

And then Shikamaru had a moment of pure horror as he figured it out. "Get out of the lake!"

Too late.

It was wet and messy, but the lakebed was sand; powdered rock ground down from the battle between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, and yet more had been made in the decades since by the elements.

A great, soaking dune rose above the waves at Gaara's command, surrounding the Leaf ninja like the maw of a great beast. It was slow and they managed to leap up and above it before it could get too high, but Fu was happy to enact the next part of Shukaku's plan.

"Water Style: Water Dragon jutsu!"

Three of the creatures erupted from the waves all around the trap and struck at the ninja still in the air. One of them grabbed Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji in its jaws before slamming them back into the center of Gaara's trap. Another caught Kiba, but not Akamaru, snapping after the transformed ninja hound while the boy scrambled to escape its maw.

The third smashed into Neji's Rotation, but Fu fed it chakra until their adversary fell back to the lake, where he was crushed beneath the waves. Naruto spat Air Bullets at the others, driving Tenten back into the trap (though she leapt out just as quickly to his annoyance). Sakura and Shino were still trying to retreat from the swarm of insects chasing them in a frenzy, but an attack from one of Fu's Water Dragons tripped them up.

The beetles swarmed both of them and they cried out as the insects feasted upon their chakra, caring nothing for their once-allies. Fu subsequently hurled them into Gaara's trap when they were fully drained and immobilized.

Gaara brought his hands together and clamped them tight, forming a huge sphere of sand to encapsulate the ninja within. He could've easily killed them then, but instead he gave a great heave and the sphere was thrown against the cliffside. His chakra adhered the sand to the stone, pinning the Leaf ninja there and leaving them completely trapped.

Only Sasuke, Neji, and Tenten had managed to avoid capture.

Naruto placed his hand on Gaara's shoulder as the boy briefly sagged. "Here."

More chakra was pressed into him to help with the recovery. Lifting the lakebed had been a massive effort for how drenched and weighed-down the sand was. But between Naruto and Shukaku's (grudging) assistance, he was ready to fight again in moments.

"Fu?" Naruto asked.

"I'm good! Water jutsu are a lot easier when there's lots of water around," she snickered.

"Enough with the games," Kurama ordered. "Yes, most of them are done, but two of the three left are troublesome. End this. We will not be alone for much longer."

They became serious at his warning. The chakra of their Tailed Beasts surged through the veins of the Jinchuriki and they attacked.

Gaara engaged Neji, sand flying rapidly from his gourd and a little more rising from the lake again. It forced the Hyuga on the defense; his fighting style was not suited to dealing with Gaara's in any way.

Tenten tried to put some space between herself and Fu as she frantically hurled weapons at her, but juiced up on Chomei's chakra as she was, it was an effort in futility. Fu blitzed around Tenten in a split-second and twisted, driving a brutal kick backed with incredible momentum into her spine.

The breath was blown out of Tenten as she was sent skipping across the waves. Fu chased after her, Water Style jutsu surging from the lake at her command.

Naruto and Sasuke slammed into each other, catching the fists thrown and engaging in rapid hand-to-hand combat. The Sharingan helped Sasuke keep up, but Naruto was savage and faster than ever with Kurama's chakra empowering him. Every blow he landed jarred the Uchiha child far more than what he received.

A punch caught Sasuke in the stomach and sent him airborne. Both boys instantly unleashed Fire Style jutsu upon each other, generating another explosion. Sasuke landed on the waves, easily regaining his balance.

Not far away, Naruto could see Fu as she finished Tenten off and flew back to rejoin them. Gaara was struggling against Neji, who was just slippery enough to avoid being hit despite being unable to get in close. But with Fu coming back to assist, he was certain they could overpower the Hyuga boy.

"Naruto, we're trying something different," Kurama decided. "This has gone on too long already."

His power bubbled up and out of Naruto's flesh. He roared, canines sharpening to fangs and nails turning into claws. He fell to all fours as his hair and whiskers bristled, eyes going red. Chakra swelled around him, taking the rough shape of the fox within with a pair of long ears and a single, flowing tail.

Sasuke stared at him, uncertain and stunned by the transformation. Naruto howled, loosing a shockwave, and leapt for the Uchiha.

Now when he struck, the chakra cloak lashed out with Kurama's will even if Sasuke could dodge Naruto's attacks. He was slammed again and again, sent skipping across the waves. Every time he tried to regain his balance, Naruto was back on him, slashing like a madman to bring him down.

Sasuke was still going and it was pissing him off. "Will you drop dead already!?"

"I don't get how you can just turn on us like this!" Sasuke retorted. "Did any of it matter to you? I don't give a damn why the Hokage put us on the same team! Both of us were alone for years! I thought we had that in common, at least!"

"Whose fault is that?" Naruto snarled, chakra tail lashing. "You knew your family! Mine was destroyed by your fucking clan as soon as I was born!"

"I didn't have anything to do with the Uchiha who set the Nine-Tailed Fox loose! I didn't kill your parents!" Sasuke protested.

"You're one of them! That's all I care about!"

He slashed again and his chakra arm struck the quick guard Sasuke threw up, sending him skidding across the waves. But he kept his footing and met Naruto's glare with the Sharingan.

"Did you ever even think of us as friends? Or was I just imagining things?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed and he rose up from all fours to stand properly. He held a hand out and the Rasengan formed, gleaming and spinning with beautiful violence.

"You are my friend," he answered. "And I have hated you from the first day I saw your Sharingan."

And he charged. Sasuke swore, forming Chidori and rushing to meet him.

The impact was devastating, but Naruto was the stronger of the two with Kurama's power bolstering him. Desperate as he was overpowered, Sasuke dragged his friend into a genjutsu with the Sharingan. Naruto's Rasengan vanished and the Chidori slipped past–

And then Kurama seized the Uchiha with his own power, dragging the boy into his mindscape for an instant that made an eternity's difference.

Sasuke stared up at the fox. Kurama's lip curled to expose terrible fangs.

"Until the Sharingan is destroyed forever, there will never be peace. Goodbye, whelp."

The Chidori faded, though it managed to scrape a mark through Naruto's forehead protector around his neck. Sasuke snapped out of it a moment too late, watching as Naruto's hand came down in a blur of motion.

And all he knew was pain.


Kakashi arrived shortly after the battle concluded with Guy and several more Leaf ninja. The young ones were all alive, though in various states of injury. Most had been trapped to the cliff wall by Gaara's sand and had to be slowly dug free.

Neji and Tenten were unconscious, though they quickly came to. The worst off by far was Sasuke.

Across his face were bloody claw marks that left a terrible wound. Kakashi knew in an instant that Sasuke's left eye was ruined. The boy was thankfully out cold, probably from shock and blood loss.

Naruto was gone.