Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


Naruto was, for a lack of better words, bored. Despite having not been within Konoha for just over thirteen years, there was almost nothing that had changed in a way to incite his interest. A lot of the village was actually still being rebuilt from the Ichibi's rampage. Personally, Naruto found it strange that a jinchuuriki was able to get so far into a rampage in the first place. Konoha was only recognised as the strongest village due to its history with the beasts, or more accurately, its habit of having shinobi that were unnaturally adept at containing or controlling them.

The concept of the weakest of the Bijuu causing so much destruction before someone among the plethora of legendary shinobi managed to put a stop to it sounded almost laughable. Still, the aftermath was not something Naruto could laugh at. Even if he disliked the village, there were too many innocents being effected. Only someone as sadistic as Orochimaru could really be pleased at the destruction of an entire village. But, that didn't mean that the redhead couldn't take a little bit of enjoyment in the fact that everyone was too busy to notice his presence half the time.

As it were, he had been walking around the village mindlessly for a good majority of the day. Actually, he had been at it since late last night. Needless to say, Naruto wasn't at all surprised to find that the hotel room provided so affectionately by Tsunade was being watched by ANBU. He had never intended on staying in it, but after finding all of the ANBU assigned to keeping tabs on him, he just couldn't resist messing with them. And so, it stood to reason that the majority of the ANBU that had been following him for the past several hours were about ready to call it quits.

Naruto would have been tempted to continue the game longer, all week if he was dedicated enough, but having lapped the village so many times already, he was getting bored. Deciding to give up, Naruto headed to the one place that he actually wanted to visit in the village. It took a while, and an awful amount of dawdling in a futile attempt to lose his tail, but eventually he did reach his destination.

All in all, Konoha's cemetery wasn't a flashy place, and it didn't need to be. If there was one thing that Konoha was good at, it was respecting the dead… most of the time. There were a few exceptions depending on one's opinion on how far respect should go. The attempted cover up of Naruto's existence and connection to his parents was one thing that could easily be seen as disrespectful, with the subsequent removal of the Uzumaki clan history being another. Thankfully, both had been very short lived in the scheme of things.

The teen walked lazily through the cemetery until he happened upon the two gravesites that he had been intending to visit. Each was just as simple and elegant as the others were. Not even a symbol out of place to distinguish them as more important. Sitting down on the grass in front of them, Naruto stared intently at the names. Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. His parents. The two people who he knew loved him unconditionally, yet also the same two people who bestowed a terrible burden onto him.

A burden that nearly cost him his existence… in more ways than one.

Glancing over to the side, he saw a blank space next to his parent's graves. "And here I thought that I would remain dead in the eyes of this village" he drawled.

"A little difficult considering that you are still alive," someone said from behind him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the voice. "I was also under the impression that you spent most of your time at the memorial stone, not the cemetery"

Kakashi walked up and stood next to the boy. "Most of the time I do" he replied. "But I thought I would make an exception today. After all, the dead aren't going anywhere. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I ignored you over them, not when I have so much to make up for" he looked sideways at Naruto with his one visible eye. "I like the hair by the way"

"How long did it take them before they finally got rid of it?" the teen asked curiously.

"Hmm, a little while. The Sandaime wanted to try and maintain the cover up for as long as possible. In a way, I think he believed it would help you out a little. Keep you safe, you know, until you established yourself outside of the village," Kakashi answered. "But eventually he had to let the truth out. The village somewhat fell apart after Itachi slaughtered the Uchiha clan. Telling them that you were still alive was a decent distraction from things"

Naruto frowned. "I shouldn't have been dead in the first place"

The jonin sighed. "I know. And I am partly to blame for letting it happen. I should have seen the flaws in the Sandaime's plan. Perhaps I could have persuaded him to not go through with it"

Naruto yawned. "Well, there's nothing you can do about it now. Probably best that you stop dwelling on the past" he said.

Kakashi took notice of Naruto's tired voice. Combined with his slouched posture, and his half-lidded stare, the boy seemed in need of a good rest. "I take it you didn't sleep well last night" he commented.

"Haven't slept yet" Naruto replied with a smirk. "Going on three days now, actually. Been a little preoccupied with some of my recent targets. That, and I was having a little fun leading the ANBU around on a mind numbing wander"

"I can assure you that they weren't Tsunade's idea," Kakashi said. "The elders, along with some of the clans, aren't too comfortable with letting you wander the village as you please. Taking your profession into consideration, I don't think I blame them"

"It's not like I'm going to kill anyone inside the village. That would be stupid and suicidal"

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "True. But you could have very well been hired to do other forms of dirty work. I understand that stealing clan secrets and techniques is one of the things you did for another village"

Naruto shrugged. "There was a lot of money involved. I wasn't exactly in a position to reject the offer at the time"

"I'm not judging you for it. I have no right to. After all, my hands aren't exactly clean either. I'm just trying to justify the actions of the village. Whether you like it or not, you have amassed an interesting reputation over the past few years. It only makes sense that people would be suspicious of you"

"I don't really care what they think, or how suspicious they are. It only makes things worse when I can't even sleep with the comfort of knowing I'm not being watched like a hawk," the boy groaned. "And to think, all of this crap, just because my parents put a giant demon fox in my stomach"

There were a few awkward moments of silence, followed by the near audible sound of Kakashi deadpanning at the boy.

"You do realise that the fox isn't actually in your stomach… right?" the jonin asked.

Naruto's eye twitched. "Yes, Kakashi… I am aware"

Kakashi merely eye-smiled. "Just making sure. You were a bit young when you left. Who knows what sort of crazy things could have made their way into that little head of yours"

Naruto's eye twitched more violently. "I suddenly remember one of my reasons for leaving this place," he growled.

"Really?"

As if to spite him, the jonin's eye-smile seemed to intensify.

"…I hate you"


Tsunade smiled as she watched Naruto and Kakashi interact. While the jonin did need to be encouraged to do so, it was obvious that he was glad to finally speak with the boy. Cancelling the jutsu, she placed the crystal ball back in a draw of her desk before resting her chin on her hands. She glanced sideways at the small file on the edge of her desk. The medical report that contained a decent amount of information on the girl that Naruto had brought with him.

There was absolutely no doubt in the Hokage's mind that the girl was Orochimaru's subordinate, which only made things more complicated. Naturally, her first course of action should have been to have the girl arrested and moved to the criminal sector of the hospital, but she couldn't find the willpower to do it. If she did, then she would certainly be jeopardizing any possible hope of fixing her relationship with Naruto, but if she didn't, then it could lead to a negative reaction from the clans. The elders were going to react badly to the whole situation anyway, so Tsunade didn't even bother counting them in the scheme of things.

Giving up on the mental battle of morals, Tsunade decided to wait until she told Naruto everything before she thought about making a decision on what to do with the girl. With the reputation the young Uzumaki had earned, it wouldn't be too farfetched to think that he was merely trying to find out the girl's worth before selling her to Konoha. A smart move considering the bounty that the Akimichi clan would no doubt place on her head. Naruto would be looking at a small fortune should that be his plan.

Still, there was always the chance that he would want to keep the girl. What his intentions with her would be, Tsunade wasn't entirely sure, and she didn't really feel like assuming either. Needless to say, the Hokage's understanding of boys, even of Naruto's age, combined with the obvious physical appeal the girl possessed, didn't add up to the prettiest of pictures. While she could hope that he was a better man than that, it was still a possible scenario.

Sighing deeply, Tsunade closed her eyes. "I'm getting too old for this"

"Don't say that. You're still as beautiful as ever, Tsunade"

The blonde held back the urge to growl. "Now is not a good time for you to be here, Jiraiya," she said irritably.

The man in question was quick to lose his otherwise goofy attitude. Not moving from his perch on the windowsill, he looked out over the village. "So, he's still mad as hell I take it" he said disappointedly.

"Did you really think he wouldn't be?" Tsunade retorted. "The forewarn message he sent me with a toad specifically said that you were not to be told about his being in the village. Which begs the question… just what in the hell are you doing here?"

Jiraiya frowned. "I'm still his godfather, whether he likes it or not. Even if the toads aren't happy with how I went about things, they aren't quite prepared to lie to me for Naruto's sake"

Tsunade sneered. "So basically, they told you that Naruto wanted to keep you out of the loop, and you decided to some here anyway" she said. "And in what stupid part of your mind did you think that was a good idea?"

The toad sage glared at her lightly. "So what? You get to see him and I don't?"

"You moron! He only even looks at me because I'm the Hokage. He is only here because he needed my help with something. If it wasn't for that, I'm sure he'd still be happily leading you on a wild goose chase through the elemental nations," Tsunade said angrily. "Why can't you just grow up for once and realise that barging into things like this is not a good idea!"

"How else am I supposed to do it?" the man asked. "He wants nothing to do with me. How am I supposed to see him if I don't impose on moments like this. From what I understand, he's stuck here for a little while, and that gives me time to keep an eye on him"

Tsunade growled. "Your meddling is going to set him off. As soon as he catches wind of you being here, he might drop everything and vanish again. The elders still want him contained to the village, which you know damn well isn't going to happen. Are you going to pick up the pieces after he's torn his way through our shinobi to get his freedom?"

"Maybe it would be for the best," Jiraiya said. "Akatsuki is becoming more active. It's only a matter of time before they make a move. The longer that Naruto continues with this lone wolf act, the more danger he is in. If we can just keep him here, at least until I'm sure he can protect himself from them, that would better than nothing"

The Hokage grit her teeth, gripping her desk hard enough to strain the wood. "I will not allow you to hold Naruto here against his will. I am the Hokage, and this is my village. No one, not even you, will lay a hand on Naruto while I'm in charge. If you try to keep him here, by any means, I will have you stripped of your titles and shinobi rank," she said bitterly.

Jiraiya looked at her sternly. "You're really going to let him leave? I'm keeping tabs on a group of S-rank criminals that are showing interest in the jinchuuriki, and you're just going to abandon him because you don't feel like making a hard decision to protect him?"

Tsunade smiled sadly. "I already abandoned him. We both did. I'm simply sticking to my original mistake for the sake of a good cause," she said softly. "If there is one thing I do right with my life, it's making sure I never do wrong by Naruto ever again. And besides, I think it's about time that we told him about the Akatsuki. If he chooses to stay here for his own safety, then good. But if not, then that's okay"

"We shouldn't be giving him the option at all. He isn't ready for this. If we don't keep him here, if I don't train him, then he won't stand a chance"

"Maybe he will. We don't know, and we certainly don't have the right to decide for him. Sarutobi already tried that approach, and we both know how it turned out" Tsunade said. "Maybe it'll be best if we just admit defeat on this one. Naruto deserves his freedom. And if he wants to die, then he is free to do so on his own terms. The best we can do is be here for him if he decides he needs us"

Jiraiya shook his head in disappointment. "I'm not prepared to let my godson die because of his own arrogance. If the Akatsuki get a hold of the Kyuubi, it will only end in death and destruction. As the Hokage, you should be putting the safety of the village before your own feelings. Naruto needs to be contained here"

Tsunade turned and glared at him. "Naruto is not a shinobi of Konoha. He is not bound under my authority, or yours. He can do as he pleases, and that is exactly how it will remain. You are not to do anything to interfere with him at all. That is an order, Jiraiya. If you go against it, I swear, I will personally see to it that you regret coming back here"

Jiraiya continued to stare at the Hokage sternly before turning away with a grunt. "Fine. Have it your way. But once he's out of the village, even you can't stop me from protecting him"

"If his reputation is legitimate, then I won't have to" Tsunade countered. "Now, get out of my village before Naruto learns that you're here. I'm about to have more than enough problems to deal with without him being any angrier at me"

The sage went to leave, only to stop suddenly and look back at Tsunade. "I understand that Naruto brought a girl here with him. Apparently she was in bad shape, which is probably the thing he needed help with. Who is she?"

Tsunade sighed. "I have no idea. Naruto wouldn't say" she lied. "Not that it matters anymore. The girl passed away overnight. I have only waited so long to tell Naruto in hopes that he would find a reason to stay here for a while. He will most likely leave in the night after I give him the news"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That's too bad," he grumbled, dropping out of the window and making his way out of Konoha, leaving Tsunade alone in her office.

Neither of the two renowned shinobi took notice of a tiny toad, barely out of its tadpole stage in life, dispelling itself from its hiding place in a bookshelf.


Naruto stared at the toad before him in disbelief. He knew that the Hokage's office had lax security as far as Kage offices went, but he was actually astounded at how bad Konoha's was. Getting a toad in there was apparently the hard part; because once it was in, not a single person even found it before its mission was complete. To be completely honest with himself, Naruto almost felt like the accomplishment was cheating on his part.

Still, the information he had received was worth a little cheating in the long term. While still pissed off at the toads for selling him out, he was somewhat sated by the knowledge of Tsunade so readily opposing Jiraiya for his sake. It was actually rather interesting to see just how devoted the woman was to making up for her mistakes with him. She was actually going to much greater lengths than Naruto had anticipated, and from the sounds of things, she was prepared to go further. The direct lies to her own teammate were of significance in that regard.

While Tsunade didn't actually know that Tayuya was in fact one of Orochimaru's personal guard, she wasn't stupid enough to have not picked up on the girls true identity. But she was still telling Jiraiya the half-truth about not knowing who she was, since Naruto still had yet to confirm anything. The real lie came with claiming that Tayuya had died overnight, which was definitely not true since Naruto was currently sitting at the end of her hospital bed. While her appearance was a little deceiving of the fact, she was still most certainly alive.

Dismissing his summons, Naruto adopted a thoughtful expression. His presence in the village was already causing problems at an alarming rate, and it was pretty much gospel that more problems would have wormed their way into the works of things by the end of the day. That gave the jinchuuriki approximately a week or so before things completely turned upside down and he would be forced to leave for the sake of the natural order. Thankfully, if he was able to guilt trip Tsunade into working overtime, he could be gone before things got really bad.

The door opened suddenly to reveal the livid expression of a boy, his eyes set almost exclusively on Tayuya.

'Or maybe the bad stuff could come barging right through the door' Naruto thought to himself. 'Shit!'

The boy wasted little time in identifying Tayuya before pulling out a kunai. Naruto was just as quick to put himself between the boy and Tayuya, not entirely sure as to what was happening, but not willing to let the girl die before he knew if she was worth caring about. The boy seemed to have already planned ahead for Naruto's intervention, his hands joining in a seal before his shadow speared out towards the jinchuuriki's own shadow. Naruto was left immobilised, watching as the boy made a break towards Tayuya, kunai gripped tightly in his hand.

Flaring his chakra, Naruto overpowered the boy's technique, spinning around in time to grab him by the collar of his shirt and yank him back before he reached the girl. In his rage, the boy spun around as well, only to blindly drive his kunai deep into Naruto's stomach. Whether it was reality finally catching up to him, or perhaps the sensation of the blood soaking through his fingers, something seemed to knock the boy back to his senses in time to admire his handiwork.

Letting go of the kunai, the boy stared at his shaky hands before looking up fearfully at the cold blue eyes of his unintended victim. Naruto, for the most part, didn't care about being stabbed. It happened surprisingly often in his line of work, and it hadn't even gone all the way through, so it would heal quite quickly so long as he didn't exhaust himself somehow. What he did care about though, was what reason the boy had for barging in as he had and attempting to kill Tayuya.

Before he could question the kid, a new presence made itself known as a man raced into the room. He looked like an older and battered version of the kid, so Naruto made an instant connection of relation. That being said though, Naruto also recognised the man as the head of the Nara clan, which would mean the kid he was holding was more than likely also a Nara. Considering that Tayuya had just recently killed either an Akimichi or a Hyuuga, the latter seeming a little unlikely for her, then it stood to reason that the girl had probably killed this kids friend and teammate. A generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team grouping being abruptly put to an end.

"Is this yours?" Naruto asked in a bored tone, shocking both the kid and his apparent father.

The man in question seemed more focused on the kunai stuck in Naruto's gut, along with the blood that covered his son's hand. "Shi… Shikamaru… what have you done?" he asked in horror.

Naruto carelessly threw the boy to his father. "Get out. If I catch you trying to kill her again, I'll kill you myself," he said casually, pulling out the kunai from his stomach and tossing it to the still stunned father. "And don't forget to take that with you"

"Shikaku?"

The three all turned to stare at Tsunade with varying expressions as she walked in on the scene. Naruto maintained his bored disposition, but did harden his gaze at the Hokage's appearance. Even if she had intrigued him with her decision to lie to Jiraiya, he wasn't going to let her get off that easily. Shikaku and Shikamaru, for the most part, were just looking at the Hokage in silent horror. Shikamaru was still in mild shock, and his father was in the middle of racing through every possible lie or excuse he could think of to get his son off the hook.

Tsunade observed the situation rather quickly before setting her eyes on Shikamaru. "Brat, you had better have one damn good explanation for this," she said, her voice holding a tone of warning.

That was enough to force Shikamaru back to reality. He grit his teeth angrily, pointing accusingly at the still sleeping girl on the bed. "She was with the group that helped Sasuke get away!" he exclaimed. "She was the one that Chōji stayed back to hold off! She killed him!"

The Hokage quirked an eyebrow at him. "And how are you so sure of that?"

"I can sense her chakra. There is no way I will ever forget it," he growled, before going slightly pale and turning slowly to look at Naruto. It was one thing to sense the chakra of the more powerful shinobi in the village, but Shikamaru was absolutely terrified of the amount that the older boy had in his body. It was inhuman. And strangely enough, it held similarities to the girl's. It made the realisation that he had stabbed the guy a bit more jarring.

Tsunade held back a groan as she rubbed her eyes. "Perfect. A sensor type. Just what I need to deal with," she muttered. "Shikaku, you are to keep your son at your side at all times, effective immediately, until I say otherwise. The girl's identity is officially classified as an S-rank secret. You should know what will happen if either of you decides to let the information slip"

Shikaku nodded in understanding before glancing at Tayuya. "And what of the girl? Mind explaining why we are caring for an enemy, lady Hokage?" he asked. "And what about him?" he added, looking pointedly at Naruto. "What is his connection to this?"

"I do not like to explain myself twice. Both topics will be covered in the upcoming clan meeting, which I have no doubt will be happening within the next few days, if not hours" Tsunade replied irritably.

The elder Nara frowned. "I'll deal with my son. I trust that there is a reasonable explanation for this"

Tsunade sighed. "As reasonable as it could be"

Shikaku was quick to leave, dragging a still vengeful Shikamaru behind him as he went. Tsunade closed the door and locked it before turning to look at Naruto worriedly, her eyes set on the stab wound.

"Are you alright?"

Naruto offered an unenthusiastic shrug. "The room is a little cold" he remarked flippantly.

"Dammit, Naruto! You just got stabbed! Act a little human about it!" Tsunade snapped.

"Why are you here, Tsunade?" he asked bluntly. "I thought I was supposed to see you this evening about the test results"

Tsunade groaned. "Well, as I was just telling Shikaku, there is no doubt going to be a clan meeting in regards to this mess, especially now that Shikamaru has just identified that girl as the one who killed Chōji" she explained. "Since everything is going to blow up in my face, I thought I might as well talk to you first so you have time to get out before you get dragged into this"

Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "That's very considerate. But I get the feeling that the clans and elders are already aware of my still being here, and will therefore be expecting me to attend, regardless of my intentions"

"Yes, that is most likely the case, but they can't stop you from leaving before the meeting is even called. I haven't commanded you be kept here, so there is nothing stopping you… for now anyway"

The jinchuuriki nodded in understanding. "Well then, what showed up in the test results?" he asked.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "The simple answer… she is definitely not an Uzumaki. By blood anyway" she answered.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Elaborate" he said impatiently.

"Her bloodwork showed no matching DNA with any on file Uzumaki DNA we have here. That being said, tissue samples did show some matching DNA. Her chakra is another story entirely. It's a complete match for an Uzumaki chakra type," the Hokage explained.

"You know that makes little sense, right?" he asked her.

"I've concluded that this girl was one of Orochimaru's more elaborate test subjects. Many of her vital organs have been transplanted multiple times, but her body's ability to accept alien tissue and chakra is beyond anything I've ever seen. It could potentially be a rare Kekkei Genkai, or a genetic trait of sorts obtained through experiments. Needless to say, it is likely the sole reason she is still alive after all her injuries. Her body is simply designed for survival"

Tsunade handed Naruto the test result file. "While she isn't an Uzumaki, there were other things that I found that I believe you might find interesting," she said. "For one, it appears as though here entire chakra network was transfused with the chakra of an Uzumaki, which, when considering her body's ability to accept foreign tissue, resulted in her adopting the unique chakra. Many of her organs also register as a DNA match to an Uzumaki, but without a sample from the donor, I can't be one hundred percent sure"

Naruto sighed in disappointment. "So she's just a lab rat," he muttered, checking over the file to make sure Tsunade was telling the truth.

"Yes and no" the Hokage commented softly. "There is something I left out of the official report. I didn't want it to be kept on file in case someone found it"

"You know, if you keep taking these suspenseful breaks in your explanation, I will get annoyed," he said, looking at her to continue.

The blonde rolled her eyes at him. "While examining the girl, I checked her reproductive organs. Normally, Orochimaru would sterilize any female subordinate he has unless he had specific intentions of breeding them. This girl is not only unsterilized, but also has the perfectly healthy reproductive organs of an Uzumaki. Technically speaking, she has the potential to give birth to full blooded Uzumaki children"

That was enough to catch Naruto's attention. He looked at her with wide eyes, glancing rapidly back and forth between Tayuya and Tsunade. "Seriously?"

"As far as I can tell, yes. Although it might not work that way. Her body's ability is still a mystery to me. She heals in a similar way to you, which makes dating the organs difficult. They could have been transplanted very recently, which could indicate that her body simply hasn't had time to adapt to them fully and absorb them completely. The DNA might potentially be rewritten to her original DNA, which could explain why there are indicators of numerous transplants. Overall, she is a medical anomaly. As for the children, they could go either way. They could take after her, or they could take after the Uzumaki whose organs she has. In case you were wondering, the chances of them being full Uzumaki would be greatly increased if you were the father," Tsunade said.

The boy shook his head. "Not my intention" he said quickly. "But, I won't deny that it is interesting. Seems like Orochimaru is, or rather was, trying to breed some Uzumaki for his ranks"

"I wouldn't think that this girl was his only attempt, although she is most likely one of the few successful subjects. Her age is also convenient. Physically, I'd put her at about sixteen years. While it would have been possible to impregnate her earlier, I'd guess that Orochimaru wasn't quite ready to take many chances with her. That being said though, since she is technically able to give birth with little to no complications, and since she has a high chance of producing full blooded Uzumaki children…" Tsunade trailed off.

"The elders will want her kept in Konoha to rebuild the clan, probably getting rid of her after they have enough children. I bet some of the clans will also be interested in her. Combining existing clans that have secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai with the extreme vitality and chakra potential of an Uzumaki would make Konoha unstoppable," Naruto guessed irritably.

The Hokage looked at the girl sympathetically. "If she stays here, it'll be a living hell for her"

Naruto looked at Tayuya coldly. "We could kill her. Make sure she couldn't be used for that," he suggested.

"We could" Tsunade agreed. "But do you really want to? She is one of the last people alive that could potentially continue the Uzumaki clan. Killing her would be putting your family one step closer to extinction"

The two remained in a tense silence for several moments, both staring thoughtfully at Tayuya.

Eventually Naruto sighed. "Go and sort out the clan meeting. I'll deal with the girl. Keep an ANBU squad guarding the room just in case"

"Will you be attending the meeting?" the blonde asked curiously. "You are still technically allowed to"

"Maybe"

Tsunade accepted the answer and walked to the door, pausing just before opening it. "Naruto, don't do anything rash" she said without turning around. "Don't make a mistake like I did. Make sure you won't regret the decisions you make," she continued softly.

"Stop trying to guilt trip me, Tsunade," he said, making her flinch slightly. "But thanks for lying to the toad. Make sure to think carefully before cashing in the I.O.U."

The woman smiled and quickly left the room. Naruto sensed the four chakra signatures that quickly positioned themselves at each of the potential vantage points outside the room. He groaned and scratched his head. Sauntering back over to the bed, he sat himself back on the end of it.

"This is going to be a really big mistake," he mumbled, looking down at Tayuya.

She wasn't in any condition to be moved yet. Taking her apparent Kekkei Genkai into account, moving her wouldn't be too dangerous, but it would definitely slow down her recovery. If he were to take her and run, then he would be slowed down considerably, leaving both of them vulnerable. In the end, it was just too risky.

"I hope Tsunade doesn't mind cleaning up this mess. Oh well… I'll pay for it somehow," he said, drawing his sword slowly.

"Besides… they already took all my money. I'm sure they can afford to clean up a little blood"


A/N:

So, as promised, this chapter is a little bit longer than the others. Unfortunately, it is also comprised primarily of dialogue explanation stuff, so I imagine that it wasn't all too exciting to read. I apologize for that, but I really needed to get the explanation of Tayuya's condition out of the way. Hopefully, everyone is a little happy with the unique way I am going with her, I just wasn't mentally okay with simply calling her an Uzumaki for the sake of the story, so I created a reason. Anyway, I'm not sure how long it will be until this is updated again as I will probably be working on my other fanfic. Chapter lengths are completely random with this story as well. I have done word requirements with chapters for other stories and it is hell. Chapters will be as long or as short as they are required to be.

Reviews have been good so far, no negativity that I am aware of, which is good. Keep posting reviews guys. Anything really, just make sure to let me know what you think, even if it's bad.

Next chapter should be a little more eventful, so hopefully it'll be good.

Till next time.

Soul out!


Update: Rant.

Subject: Shikamaru stabbing scene.

After a couple of reviews, one of which being more harsh than necessary, it has become very apparent that the scene where I had Shikamaru stab Naruto is a real story breaker for some people. Funnily enough, their reasoning for this is, in a way, understandable, but also wrong and not properly thought out. So, I have come back to this chapter to explain right here and now that that scene was in no way about Shikamaru, a genin (as is the main complaint) getting the better of Naruto. I stated in this chapter that Naruto doesn't care about being stabbed because it is a minor wound for him, I continue to do so in the next chapter even. His getting stabbed was simply me showing how little care he actually has for putting effort into defending himself from a genin, who he knows couldn't kill him. As for getting caught in the shadow jutsu, they were in a small room, Naruto was standing his ground between Shikamaru and Tayuya, and he had absolutely no idea what Shikamaru would be capable of. They were at most eight feet away from each other in a small room. The shadow jutsu was a merely a surprise. I even had Naruto break it effortlessly just to show how useless it was against him.

This issue is clearly my fault, and I do take responsibility for not making things clearer. To those of you that read this scene and didn't understand what I was trying to convey, yet still continued to read the story, thank you. To the handful that have a stick up their ass and drop stories because of a single thing they didn't understand or agree with, piss off and go read Twilight.

And now I can confidently say that I have definitely pissed a few people off. With that, I'm going to end this rant here. Hopefully this clears up this scene for those of you that are actually enjoying this story, and hopefully it gets that handful of people off my back about it in the process. Again, I'm sorry for not making it clear enough, and I'm also sorry for having to come back to do this in such a shitty mood, hence the unfriendliness.

Thanks for reading.