Naruto had no idea how much time passed since he fell unconscious, and he didn't care. His upper body shot up the moment his eyes opened. A second after, he threw off the blanket covering him before getting out of his 'hospital' bed. Stomping out of the room only took three. The dim light of the halls and his lack of navigational knowledge didn't deter him.

In the same bandaged form he retrieved him with, Orochimaru stepped out of a hallway into his path. "Just what are you doing out of be–"

"Train me."

"Now, now!" He nearly licked his lips at his lack of response. "You should rest first."

"I came to you for power and to destroy the Leaf, remember?"

He tilted his head. "You're not the least bit curious who your parents are?" Naruto looking down made him smile. "Your father was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage himself." He laughed as the boy's eyes widened. "Kushina Uzumaki was your mother and the previous Nine-Tails jinchuriki." His smile shifted into a frown when he drove a fist into the wall. "I can't teach you any ninjutsu if you break your fingers."

Play-acting performed, Naruto wafted his bruised hand. "What did you have in mind?"

"You are capable of molding your chakra into wind. I know quite a bit of wind jutsu and can teach you how to mold your chakra into fire so you can combine both. If neither is in your interest, all other base elements are on the table with many of their jutsu. Taijutsu is out of the question for now."

He raised an eyebrow at the last bit. "How do I mold my chakra into fire?"

"Well, you're not exactly turning your chakra into fire but the cause and fuel for it." Orochimaru held up an educational finger. "Fire is actually the result of a complex reaction between various factors."

"Then how do I cause it?"

He lowered it. "You must focus your chakra into a volatile form. It will react with its surroundings and produce fire. Is wind your affinity?" He hummed at a nod. "Wind as an element is your chakra in pure, concentrated force. You must make it wild and unguided. Fire is scattered force that consumes everything in its path. Wind goes so well with fire because it directs and amplifies it."

Naruto blinked at what had to be the best and only interesting education he ever received. "What are earth, water, and lightning?" He was genuinely interested.

"Earth is chakra in pure substance: think of your chakra in unchanging and immovable form. It can made in different states, but that requires knowledge of materials as well as expertise. Water is substance without proper structure. Like and unlike earth, it can be in different states in fewer ways but has the advantage of being far more malleable. It is scattered like fire and unchanging like earth."

"So earth beats water because it's not concentrated or immovable enough and water beats fire because it doesn't have structure to be consumed and is scattered too?"

"Yes." Orochimaru patted his head and smiled at a blush. "Lightning is chakra in two opposite forces that are attracted to each other. It is volatile like fire but concentrated like wind."

"It beats earth by being concentrated change and wind beats lightning because its pure force messing with whatever dynamic the opposing forces have." Naruto looked away as the man caressed his scalp.

"Very astute. I can go into detail on how kekkei genkai elements function, but you have none to take advantage of. You performed the Vacuum Blade Jutsu when we last met, so you already know how to infuse your breath with chakra. Concentrate on infusing it with unstable and scattered chakra. When you breathe embers, you will have attained the ability to mold your chakra into fire."

He slipped out of Orochimaru's grasp. "Got it." Looking down another hallway, he started walking, aiming to familiarize himself with his new surroundings as he practiced.

"I forgot to mention Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Anko knew who you were the entire time."

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. "Anko-sensei… They knew?"

"Kakashi was Minato's student, Minato was Jiraiya's student, and Anko was mine. Jiraiya wouldn't shut up about how his student was going to be a father and he chose him to name the baby. And Kakashi was one of your mother's guards while she was pregnant. As for Anko, I mentioned it in passing a few times when we were together. Not the kind of thing you forget, but she could have."

"...Huh." He would've been grateful Orochimaru couldn't see the look on his face if it weren't for the pure agony in his chest. "How could...they do that to me?"

"Those you care for are typically the ones that hurt you the most. The consequences of love I'm afraid. Life is often tragic like that."

Walking off again, Naruto focused on molding his chakra into the volatile, scattered form Orochimaru described out with his breath as much as he could. The pain in his heart only grew and distracted him. He roamed the halls for what felt like hours before he found the entrance. It was still raining when he stepped outside. Neither the droplets nor the cold could take his mind off what he learned. After a few steps off the stone, he collapsed on to the grass.

"Just kill her along with everyone else."

"I don't want to hurt Anko-sensei." He whimpered. "I want her to hold me and tell me it's okay. I want to smile and laugh with her. I want her to lick me and let me play with her tits."

"Did you really forget all about the Hyuga Girl?"

He hugged himself as warmth spread all over his body and soothed his aching heart. "Hinata." Remembering their intimate time together, he wistfully sighed. "I still have Hinata." He blinked. "...Who Sakura and Sasuke knew I had sex with, which means everyone else did." The warmth began fading. "Who...granny is punishing with paperwork… Who jackass Neji and asshole Shino think I'm a bad influence on." Cold, icy despair took hold. "Wh-Wh-Who technically helped me commit treason...which is punishable by death." A long and wheezing wail left his lips.

"Her father is the clan head, correct? It may not be wise, but he will protect his kin. She managed to defeat you in combat, so she is still a valuable shinobi, at least more than most of your pathetic classmates. If they seek your return, willing or otherwise, they will keep her as bait."

"I made her a pawn… I put her in danger."

"She did it to herself and for you. There is a great chance she will live. And even if there were none, laying on the ground crying about how no one loves you will accomplish nothing. Every second you spend moping lowers the chances of you seeing her again and fulfilling your goal. It's time to let go of all these pointless feelings of yours, Naruto."

He pushed himself up. "I know." Concentrating shaken chakra into his exhaling breath, he put a hand over his chest. "This just hurts." He balled his other into a fist and drove it into the nearest tree. "Over and over and over!" Forming another with his chest hand, he kicked a crack into the trunk before sending the tree toppling with it. "And over again!" Red chakra bubbled over him and dissipated just as easily.

Kurama watched him wander, weary and tired, through the thicket. What it was hoping for wasn't what it expected so far. Naruto's mental state was clearly far more unstable than it was in the village. While not quite at the level after he learned the truth from his father, it still wasn't ideal. It was no longer interested in freedom as it was seeing their shared desire fulfilled.

Inky blackness only vaguely illuminated by torches permeated the area. Clinking, ruffling, muttering, and groaning could barely be made out. It wasn't designed to be torturous, but its intended purpose assured minimal comfort was more or less the result. Most of its inhabitants expected it to be far worse, all things considered.

Danzo Shimura, ever true to his nickname, stepped out of the darkness in front of steel bars. "Mitarashi." He watched the flame-marked woman bundled in seal papers turn to him.

Her mismatched eyes lacked any feeling nor life. "Are you my executioner?"

"Feeling sorry for one's self benefits only civilian women and children." His old self would've shaken his head at her turning away. "As you are now, you are of little use to anyone, much less yourself." His eye narrowed at her stirring. "Do not mistake my presence here as some foolish attempt to be the next man you devote yourself to: I have no interest in being anyone's emotional crutch nor maintaining a volatile tool like you." Her almost inhuman hissing didn't faze him. "A war is coming, and far more than just the Leaf will be at stake. We need shinobi, not brooding miscreants."

"Then why the hell did you come to me?" She twitched as he stepped towards the nearby shadows.

"How were you going to save that boy when you can't even save yourself?" Her eyes widening let him know his message was more than received. "It's time you stopped looking for someone to hold your leash." With one more step, he disappeared.

Anko parted her lips to make another disparaging comment about him playing up his moniker but was too distracted by his words to say anything. As much as she didn't like him and thought it was a ploy to use her, he had a point. Even Naruto was pushing her to spend time with other people before he left. She had no idea how to go about it though. It was far easier said than done, but it wasn't as if she could stand going through the same pain again and again.

She sat properly with a groan. "Why didn't I bother to remember all those Sealing Jutsu?" Looking down at her bindings, she squinted at the characters. "Oh yeah, it's a bunch of drawing where fucking up once will either cause it not to work or blow up in your face, literally." She tilted her head. "Speaking of which." She bit her lip until it bled, dipped the tip of her tongue red, craned her neck, and began altering the characters with added infusions of her own chakra.

The seals began glowing. A second later, they reacted as she wanted them to: igniting due to her unstable nature-infused chakra mixing with normal chakra. Fire spread from one tag to the other until they all slipped off her. It could've possibly exploded and injured her, but she didn't care.

Anko raised a normal hand to her black-marked chin. "What was it again? Tiger, hare, bird, rat, hare, ram?" Her lips mouthed several of the hand signs before nodding. "Tiger, snake, horse, ram, tiger, hare, and rat." She went through the sequence and managed to correctly manifest the most brute-force counter curse seal to exist in her palm. Sarutobi knew how to perform it but refrained from using it on her Cursed Mark because of how rooted it was. "This is going to fucking hurt if it just doesn't kill me." With a shrug, she slammed it against her neck.

The Leaf Village's anbu holding cells were filled with blood-curdling screams for the better part of a minute before they stopped.

People didn't think anything of Kiba. He wasn't sure if it was because he didn't stand out among his clan, his fellow shinobi, or in general. When he reached the compound, he got a few looks but neither man nor animal approached. No one was in his home, his mother and sister having gone off on a mission the day before. His back hit the couch cushions with the weight of a corpse. Akamaru, a leg in cast, limped across his collarbone to lick his face. They stayed in that position until several scents they were familiar with wafted by.

"We're back." Tsume walked in, ninken at her side, and sniffed. "You're bleeding." Walking over, she raised an eyebrow at him. "The hell happened to you?" His lack of response made her laugh. "Got your ass kicked again, huh!?"

Hana shook her head as she walked toward her room. "May as well just give up if you're going to be gloomy after every loss."

"You're right." Kiba closed his eyes. "I'm not cut out to be a shinobi."

"…What?" She stopped in her tracks and looked to him.

Tsume scowled before grabbing his shoulder. "Hey." Receiving further silence, she pulled him up. "Hey!" His eyes opening on reflex showed her they were watering. "Kiba?" Her voice was gentle, unlike its usual guttural growl. She slid her arms around him. "What happened?"

Tears streamed down his cheeks while Akamaru whimpered. "I… I can only tell jonin about it."

Hana made a bewildered face. "You can't be serious." She began moving when her mother jerked her head toward the front door.

Sure it was just them two, she listened to everything he had to say. Her eyes widened in horror at the beginning and stayed that way. It was all too much. His initial opponents were inhuman ninja she wasn't certain she could beat, a fifth of Naruto could still toss him around like a child, 'Kimimaro' was someone powerful enough to threaten even their Hokage, and their failure meant the next Shinobi World War was near a certainty. Kiba had taken part in history without even knowing it.

"I was completely worthless..." He sobbed. "Naruto was holding back and helping us the entire time. Shino was twice the ninja I ever was, but he still got killed by that white-haired bastard. He died alone, not knowing if we'd live and knowing it was our own comrade's fault." Shaking, he buried his face into his mother's flak jacket. "...It should've been me."

Tsume held her child tighter. A council meeting was sure to be called soon, and there would be much to discuss if they could even find the words. Two clan heads lost their heirs. One's, while disinherited, may as well have killed them herself. Their second newest member was sensei to one and intimate with the sensei of the other. As much as they needed to be cool-headed for what was coming, she doubted they could keep it all in.

What was left of Team 10 sat in waiting by a park all members were familiar with. Their parents took them there all the time in the past before they became ninja. On some level, they were sick of the place and hated it. Neither of them could stand the feeling of nostalgia it gave off now. Inoichi, having returned some time during their report, received the news first after his daughter practically screamed her heart out into his chest. Messages were sent to the Sarutobi and Akimichi compounds for their heads to meet friends there when they came back.

Choza came into sight right as Asuma did, having been sent off around the same time as Inoichi. "Hey, guys!" He looked to the park itself. "Can't believe you finally managed to convince the kids to come back here." Focusing back on to them, he noticed an unmistakable absence. "Where's Choji?"

"Did…" Asuma drifted off as he took in the looks on their faces. His eyes widened and his cigarette fell out of his mouth. "What happened?"

"He ate too much again, didn't he?" He shook his head before their silence lasted long enough to tell him otherwise.

Shikamaru couldn't bring himself to look into his eyes. "...Uncle Choza." He swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I know, I know. He's an Akimichi. But any Akimichi knows that the best meals are the ones that don't make you want to throw up afterward."

"Choza," Shikaku said, looking him dead in the eye and stomping out Asuma's cigarette. "Choji was sent out with Shikamaru and Ino on a squad of nine composed of mostly their academy classmates." He continued on, giving the short version, until they ran into Kimimaro.

"There was nothing any of us could do against that guy," Shikamaru said.

Ino nodded. "Until Choji…"

"The Three Colored Pills." Asuma grim expression grew worse. "He actually used them."

"All of them," Inoichi said.

Choza stepped back. "No…" His vision blurred as Ino burst into tears. "...My boy." Pain engulfed his chest. "My little boy." He buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

"And Naruto?" Asuma asked as the Yamanaka embraced their long-time family friend.

"Our mission was a failure," Shikamaru said. "...Did you know who his father was?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was one of the orphans made the night of the Nine-Tails' attack."

"Naruto is Lord Fourth's son." Shikaku shared his look of remorse.

Asuma blinked. "And he found out… And my old man had to know…" Shaking his head, he groaned.

Shikaku joined the Yamanaka and put a comforting hand on the sobbing Choza's shoulder. "There are more details that will be discussed at the next council meeting."

"Like how our Hokage sent a team of genin and chunin after two Kage-level ninja?"

"I'm sure you're not the only one who will make that point and not the only one who will realize none of our options were even close to acceptable." He sighed as Asuma, not knowing what he'd do in the same position, relented.

The time for anything to be done towards preventing their predicament long since passed.

For once in her early tenure as Hokage, Tsunade had free time. It just so happened to come at the absolute worst moment possible and was gifted to her by someone partly responsible for it happening. She did what anyone else in her situation with a habit for alcohol would: drink. There was still enough sense in her not to overdue it, fearing how she'd be judged by the council at the end of the day.

A familiar face opened the office door. "You have them running around like ants out here." Jiraiya stepped in, closed it, and raised an eyebrow at the bottle in her hand as well as the cracks beneath his feet. "Really?"

"Really." She set it down with a groan.

"What happened?"

"...Do you remember when Orochimaru came up to me in disguise, I kicked him away, and your dumbass ran over trying to act like a hero?"

He laughed, partly out of embarrassment. "Yeah, why?" His smile shifted into a frown. "Did he do something again already?"

"I…" Drifting off, she tilted her head. "Didn't you say Naruto got along with you before he started hating you?"

"So Naruto was involved?"

She glared at him. "Answer the question, you idiot."

"...Yeah, he thought I was a pervert, but it wasn't like he despised me before the attack on the village." His expression grew somber. "What happened, Tsunade?" Anxiety beat in his chest when she downed the rest of the bottle.

She shook it and sighed. "Jiraiya… Naruto found out Minato was his father when he lost control of himself: apparently, you can leave some simulacrum of yourself in seals." She squinted at his disbelieving eyes. "Kushina was an Uzumaki and nearly killed her anbu guards dozens of times just to hug Minato. You don't think he was capable of something that ridiculous, even considering all the other crazy things he accomplished?" Looking off to the side and away from his horrified face, she pondered what else to tell him. "Oh! And Naruto has always known he was the jinchuriki before that traitor 'Mizuki' even told him." She scoffed. "No wonder he was pissed all the time." She blinked at the question in his eyes. "...The seal wasn't strong enough to keep the Nine-Tails from talking to him." Laughter left her lips as his expression grew even worse. "So it turns out every other jinchuriki can talk with theirs and ours couldn't because we tried our best to restrain their connection to the Tailed Beast!"

"Tsunade… Where is Naruto?"

"The Land of Rice." She threw the bottle into the wall next to him before he could leave. "You are not running off and dying like an idiot!" Her stern eyes locked with his. "Not now when the village is weak enough as is."

"What else am I supposed to do? Just sit back and do nothing while he corrupts my student's only child?"

"Anko has a Cursed Seal that is running rampant, and she can't even stand. Help her and both of you can start working towards finding him."

A rat-masked anbu flickered into the room, inclined her head, and kneeled. "Lady Hokage." She did her best to ignore the shards by Jiraiya. "Anko Mitarashi broke free from her binding seals and is in critical condition: it appears she managed to remove the Cursed Seal at some cost." The ground shaking made her jump.

"Can one thing go right today!?" Tsunade rose from her chair and walked toward the door. "You're coming with me."

Jiraiya shook his head with a sigh before following. "That girl never ceases to amaze me in the worst ways possible."

"She was Orochimaru's favorite, wasn't she?"

For the first time, they went to visit their teammate's student in the hospital. Jiraiya was no stranger to it. She didn't make them a habit, but it happened every so often for one reason or another. Trouble may as well have been her middle name. Little did anyone know how much she and her sensei had gotten up to.

It took some time for Naruto to stumble upon civilization. The town wasn't nearly as big as anything he had seen in The Land of Fire, but everything he saw in The Land of Waves paled in comparison. When he entered, more than a few looks were thrown his way. He easily stood out with his worn state of dress, odd breathing, and shambling gait. Most were cautious rather than hateful, rightfully fearing strangers, but he remained unaffected, far beyond caring anymore.

Nearly half an hour passed before his path was blocked by three men brandishing weapons. A few were on nearby rooftops. Without looking, he could tell there were just as much if not more behind him. They were all shinobi: their stature and presence told him as much. It wasn't as if he made any effort to hide his status as one either.

A young man several years older than him stomped forward. "This town is ours." He grabbed the collar of his shirt with his free hand. "So unless y–" It fell away from his wrist with a lesser spurt of blood than the one from his severed throat.

Naruto, having drawn a kunai he coated with wind chakra, grabbed his collar in turn and hefted him over his head, blocking shuriken from on high. Glancing back, he saw them drawing shuriken too. He blew wind chakra over the kunai, spun-threw it at their center, let go of the collar, and made the snake sign before the body could fall on him. The body was sent flying along with the charging front men while those behind him were cut in two by the forming wind scimitar.

Those above either drew more shuriken, kunai tied to explosive tags, or prepared hand signs when he, also preparing hand signs, began running up the wall to join them. The ninja closest to Naruto threw a punch with his free hand into an elbow, shattering his own fist. He got a knee in his liver in return and was moved in front of more ninja tools. One on an opposite roof with an explosive tag kunai prepared to throw it before a beam of wind from his target's mouth tore through his wrist, severing the ligaments needed to hold things. The tag exploded a second after the kunai touched the roof, consumed him, and blasted his allies off balance.

Seeing an opening, Naruto leaped towards them. He blew beams through each man's heart before his feet even touched the tiles. The two he left behind threw shuriken and spat fire after him. His hands formed the snake sign as he blew one last beam through the shuriken thrower. The fire ball was sent back in far greater force with a clap of his hands, burning all three.

The two surviving ninja that were blown back ran away. Naruto sat down and let them, preferring to resume his fire breathing attempts. Even if they were fetching reinforcements, it likely wasn't anything he couldn't handle with ease. A shinobi on the same level as him wouldn't be caught dead leading weaklings unless they really wanted to lay low. It took a few minutes for him to hear sandals clacking against tiles from behind.

"So you are just a brat." A stern-faced stranger in a kimono with a sword strapped around his back frowned when he turned his head. "I've heard of kids somehow being stronger than experienced shinobi, but I've never seen it until now." He drew the sword from the sheathe. "Even if I could use someone like you, I can't let you live after pulling something like this. Do–" A shiver ran down his spine when the boy stood up, drew a kunai, and breathed over it all in one instant. "...Who the hell are you?" He squinted at the forming blade of wind.

Naruto didn't bother answering. He charged forward and swung with one hand as his opponent did the same with two. To his surprise, the blade of his enemy erupted in fire, consuming his own. Time froze. Sasuke took place of the stranger, only his Chidori was somehow piercing his Rasengan. Even though it hadn't been the case, it may as well have. He wasn't fast enough to kill him or, at the very least, lacked the means to before Anko arrived. There was a hole in his heart. All he needed was more expertise in wind chakra and chakra control. In that second, Orochimaru's description of wind chakra came to mind.

The man watched his enemy duck and twist out the path of his scorching blade. He turned the edge back towards him just as he waved his free hand. Then he stopped. With every once of his being, he focused on moving but could not. Then blood gushed from his throat. A second was all he had to realize what happened before he faded from the world.

Dropping his kunai, Naruto jabbed his pointer finger out and a jet of wind emerged. He pulled it back before adding his middle finger to produce a more blade-like emission. Four of his fingers made produced the equivalent of a massive one. He clenched his hand twice and shook his head. It was child's play in terms of chakra control when compared to the Rasengan. Sasuke would be dead if he just figured it out sooner.

"B-Boss?!"

Naruto picked up his head, walked to the edge of the roof, and threw it down to the crowd of civilians intermixed with ninja. He gave them several minutes to process before frowning. "...Is that it?" His face scrunched in anger, eyes turning red. "Is that it!?" He embedded his foot into the tile. "Come at me with knives, kunai, shuriken, and swords! Use explosive tags! Hide behind cover! Shove women and children in front of you! Douse me in water and electrocute me with lightning! Cover yourselves in oil, light yourself on fire, and come at me! Fight until you can't move anymore! Struggle, endure, and contend with me!" He growled loud enough to make sleeping babes far away cry. "Make me want to live, dammit!"

One by one, each began to prostrate themselves, forehead planted firmly on the ground. Not a single person dared resist or hesitate. They understood full well what he was, even if he didn't say it or they didn't know it. His words were that of a shinobi beyond any other. Whoever their former lord was didn't even approach the foot of his ability.

A choked, disappointed sigh left his lips. "…Do any of you fucking idiots have a packet of ramen on you?" Tears of joy sprang from his eyes as several hands shot straight into the air. "Well what the hell are you standing around for?! Get them!" He sat down and covered his face with a palm while they obeyed.

"Naruto."

"Don't you fucking start with me!" He paid the shaking supplicants no mind. "I haven't eaten all day."

"We both know that's not the issue here."

Naruto fell forward, rolled off the roof, and crashed into the ground before them. "...I'm staying right here until the ramen comes." He resumed his fire chakra training. "When they're here, the sexiest and cutest women will carry me and bathe me. If any of you have a problem with that, you can either go fuck yourselves or finally grow a pair and try to kill me. The rest of you can fuck off." They obeyed, to his further disappointment. His eyes scanned those who remained and rested on one. "You're not cute or sexy." He rolled them when she skittered away, saddened and terrified.

Much like the severed head of the man he just killed, he lacked the strength to pick himself up. It was an ailment of his mind rather than his body or lack thereof. He'd fallen before, but everything he used to pick himself up was gone. Kurama already roused his hatred to get him out of a lesser pain. Neither was sure what to do to get him out of the pit he'd fallen into or for how long it would work. He was depressed.

AN: Consider this a late Christmas present.

I've decided not to split this into two different stories, as you can probably guess by the fancy new chapter titles (They're references to things in the chapters, other related stuff, and appropriate Naruto songs in case you haven't noticed). Also decided not to do a time skip or at the very least not in terms of years. That would be very uninteresting to be honest. I've already thought of a few arcs and plots. Hell, I might even rip-off filler. I unintentionally did so when I thought of a way to have some characters reunite with Naruto earlier than others. You can probably take a guess as to how. That's still a maybe though.

Things may be taking a darker turn. And I know the story is already pretty dark. I just have ideas that I can see having narrative weight. They're also really fucked up. I can justify them through things I've already established, and I have established many things. It's to the the point I'm debating whether or not that would be good for the story or I'm just being a sadist.

Rest assured, things will be moving. You know I like these downtime aftermath chapters. Besides, I always go out of my way to establish things in them. Try and pick up what I set down in this one.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of a review or PM.