AN: Who else was excited for Akodi and Son Goku's first interaction last chapter? I didn't like the idea of keeping Son in a sewer like Kurama and figured it'd be best to have a jungle as a mindscape. More will come from this later!

Akodi awoke to the beeping of monitors and the sterile smell of his hospital room. He instantly felt the pain. The deep, internal pain that seemed to be exploding from his veins. His voice was hoarse when he tried to speak and he vaguely remembered screaming when he passed out.

He attempted to lift his head and strongly regretted his decision when a sharp jolt of pain shot down his neck and into his back.

Elida was at his side immediately. "No honey lay back down. You shouldn't move." I'm so happy you're awake!" Tears streamed down her eyes as she gave him her gentlest hug so as not to hurt him. She quickly examined him and saw how much discomfort he was in. She reached back and gave him a cup of water with a straw and held it for him to drink.

"What happened?" He asked once he was done drinking and regained his bearings. His voice hoarse and it felt like he swallowed a thousand shards of glass.

"You almost died is what happened." An assertive female voice said as Senju Tsunade walked through the door. She had long blond hair split in the middle with a purple diamond in the middle of her forehead and she wore a green haori. She activated the security seals and walked to his bed.

"The Yonbi's chakra took over your chakra pathways and began poisoning your body. It ate away at your chakra coils and pathways. You're probably feeling pretty dreadful right now, am I right?"

He slowly nodded in agreement, but quickly winced as it sent more sharp pain in his neck and back.

Don't worry, I'll increase your medication so it won't be so bad. The damage was systemic and I wasn't entirely sure you would live. At some point, the corrosive chakra in your system suddenly moved towards the seal on your abdomen and diminished entirely. Only after this did your pathways start healing, and at an incredible rate might I add. Would you be able to tell me why?" She leveled him with a look and Akodi knew she would see through any lie he would feed her.

Akod sighed and took another sip of water before he began. He slurred his words from the medication and didn't seem entirely lucid. "I met the Yonbi. His name is Son Goku, I think. He has a lot of names.. Anyway, we talked and he said he would heal my body afterwards". He said, still feeling a little loopy from the pain medication. He looked up and blinked at the shocked faces of the two women staring at him.

"You spoke with the Yonbi?" Elidai asks timidly, fear on her face.

"What do you mean you spoke with it?" Tsunade stood close to his bed and leaned down, her blond bangs overshadowing her face but her eyes piercing into his. "The Yonbi is a demonic form of chakra. Are you telling me the tailed beasts are.. Are sentient beings? That they can have thoughts and speak?"

Akodi curled in on himself slightly. He's seen Tsunade before when treating her dad in the hospital, but on the receiving end of her "treatment" she was quite terrifying.

"Umm.. Well.. He was in a cage and we were in a jungle. He said something about my mindscape? Anyway, we talked and he told me someone locked him in the cage and that humans were full of hatred. He looked really hurt! So I apologized to him because he didn't deserve to be there against his well. Oh, I also told him I was happy I met him and that we were going to be an amazing team! He laughed at me a lot afterwards, but I think the Monkey King and I can be good friends." He progressively slurred his words and seemed under the influence of strong painkillers towards the end.

Again, Akodi blinked at the mixture of confusion and horror on their faces. Elida and Tsunade shared a look and Tsunade signaled for the ANBU in the room. At once, 4 shadows appeared, already taking a knee before standing. Their porcelain masks of various animal shapes.

"I want to remind you all that this information is S ranked classified. Not a whisper of tonight ever happened. Understood?"

"Yes Tsunade-sama!" a chorus responded before vanishing at her dismissal.

…

Hyuga Hinashi sat in the hospital waiting room, replaying in his head images of Akodi falling to the ground in pain. As stoic as Hyuga typically tend to be, Hinashi always thought of himself a little different than the rest. Others in his clan tried to hide emotions and appear as though they had none. He didn't feel the need to do so and found it impossible at this moment to stop his eyes from watering in worry. As Hinashi sat there, a nurse walked into the waiting room and appeared in front of him.

"Hyuga-san. Thank you for waiting. I'm sure you'll be relieved to hear that your friend has woken up. He is, however, very weak and needs his rest. But, if you keep your visit short I think it should be okay for you to see him".

Hinashi jumped out of his chair and bowed deeply to the nurse. "Yes, thank you. I promise I won't be long."

He followed her down a series of hallways to a secluded section of the hospital that he'd never been to before.

She stopped at a room and knocked once before entering. Elida was sitting in a chair next to Akodi, who was sitting in bed fussing over his blankets. Once he looked up and saw Hinashi in the doorway his eyes widened and smiled so big it was as if the universe was centered around him.

"Nashi! What are you doing here?" Akodi asked, still grinning happily.

The nurse answered for him. "Your friend here has been waiting for hours in the other room for you to wake up. Now that you're awake, I allowed him to visit. But please keep this visit short, you need your rest". She leveled them both with a look, then smiled politely at Elida and let herself out of the room.

Akodi looked at the young Hyuga prince, who appeared the epitome of uncomfortable standing by himself in the corner of the room. "You.. Waited for me? I had no idea I made you worry that much."

Hinashi slowly walked over to his friend, his observant eyes scanned him for injuries. "You almost died. I thought you were going to." He said solemnly, eyes glued to the floor.

Elida walked over to him, unsure if she should embrace him but settled with a hand on his shoulder. "He scared us both today, it seems. Thankfully, he is okay now."

Hinashi nodded at her and looked at Akodi. "What happened to you? You were fine and then suddenly you fell, screaming in pain."

Akodi looked to his mother with apprehension, thought it over, and nodded to himself. "Mom, I would like to tell him what happene-"

"Absolutely not, Akodi!" She cried out. "You know how important this is."

Akodi didn't back down, and looked his mother in the eyes with conviction. "Mom, it is my secret to tell. I want him to know. It isn't fair for me to hold onto this and not be able to talk about it with someone. Please Mom."

Hinashi stayed silent, understanding something very important was being discussed and waited patiently for the story to be told. "It seems as if there was something Akodi was hiding." He thought to himself.

Elida bunched up the blankets in her hand in worry before resigning herself to her son's wishes. She knew that once he put his mind to something, he was going to do it whether he had her blessing or not.

"Nashi. I have a secret to tell you, and I need you to promise me that you will not tell a soul. I was told this was S ranked classified information. But I trust you." He smiled at Hinashi, who brightened at the approval.

Elida quietly activated the security seals and spared a glance at the vent where an ANBU was watching. When they didn't move, she allowed herself to exhale and sit in the chair and let her son make his decision.

When it was clear Elida wasn't going to stop him, Akodi began. "You may want to sit for this. Again, you can't repeat a word of this to anyone. Not even your clan."

Hinashi nodded but stayed standing bedside, ready to hear what he had to say.

"A few years back, before we met, there was a situation in the village. I can't tell you how or why, but my Grandfather had somehow come in possession of one of the Bijuu. The Yonbi, the four-tailed Bijuu."

At this, Hinashi raised his eyebrows and his eyes got wide. His heart rate quickened and his palms became sweaty, but refrained from wiping them on his shirt. He had heard about the Bijuu in passing. They were supposed to be demons of incredible chakra and used for destruction. He was curious as to where this story was going but remained silent and patient for the rest.

Akodi took another sip of water and adjusted his position sitting upright in the bed. "My Grandpa was running low on time and if he didn't reseal the Bijuu permanently then it would escape and destroy the village! I overheard the conversation and volunteered to let the Yonbi be sealed into me. You see.. That much chakra must be sealed into a human being. There weren't many other choices, but it's okay! I'm happy the Yonbi was sealed into me!" He said when Nashi's face turned into one of horror and then concern.

"What.. What do you mean, it was sealed into you?" He asked, choosing his words carefully. This was a lot of information but he was doing his best to try and understand. Akodi was trusting him with an important secret, and he did not want to ask too many questions.

Akodi continued, "Everybody thinks that the Bijuu are demons who only want to kill people and destroy the world. But that's not true! When I was unconscious, I entered into what I think is called my mindscape? I'm not entirely sure, but I met the Yonbi. His name is Son Goku and he seemed really sad and hurt! He doesn't want to be caged. He didn't choose to! He said that he was taken and sealed into a shinobi to use for his power. He didn't like that he was being used. I told him that I was glad I met him and that one day, we would be an awesome team. And I think that the three of us, Hinashi, would be the best team ever!" He beamed at Hinashi, who was looking at his friend with disbelief on his face.

Elida sat quietly in the chair, looking at Hinashi to see what his reaction would be. This was a lot of information for an eight year old to handle. He looked to be thinking deeply about what he was told, before he spoke up.

"You say you are happy the Yonbi was sealed within you. I will honor your request and trust. I will speak of this to no one, and.. Thank you, for trusting me with this." He smiled at Akodi, who smiled twice as big back. "So, why did you get sick?"

"Oh! So, Son had too much of his chakra in my chakra pathways, but he fixed it and said he would heal me!" Akodi spared him the details and got straight to the point. He didn't want to worry Hinashi again.

"Will this happen again? What if too much of his chakra gets into your system?" He was imagining what he would do if they were out on a mission and Akodi needed emergency medical attention. What if they weren't anywhere near a hospital?

Akodi thought for a minute before answering. "No.. I don't think so. We talked about it and Son and I are a team! Well, we will be eventually.. But I believe in us and I know we will be! So no, I don't think this would happen again."

Hinashi, and Elida for that matter, weren't entirely convinced and shared a look. Hinashi nodded regardless, before answering. "If you say so. I am glad you are feeling better. I must be heading back. Father will be wondering where I am, but I will not tell him your secret. You have my word." He nodded his head and a small smile appeared on his face before bowing to Elida and seeing his way out the room.

Elida exhaled loudly before walking over to her son and wiping the messy hair out of his forehead. "You need to get your rest. The Hyuga heir seems like he will honor his word." A smile appeared on her face. "You sure made a good friend".

Akodi lays back onto the bed and smiled at her. "Yeah. I did. We can trust him Mom. I'd trust him with my life." And with that, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep, with the eyes of his mother and the ANBU watching over him.

…

Over the next few weeks, Hinashi went through his daily routine. First, he would wake at dawn and perform the motions of the Gentle Fist that had been honed into him since he was three. Then, he would shower and eat breakfast with his family before going to the academy.

Normally, the academy was boring and he had nothing to do but pretend to appear engaged. Since his conversation with Akodi, his mind hadn't stopped thinking about Akodi's situation. So much so that he went to the library and rented every book within his clearance level with any sort of mention of the Bijuu. He would bring the books to class and instead of reading the propaganda textbooks given to him, he would slide the cover of the textbooks over his rented ones and read stories of Bijuu and the Sage of Six Paths. Most of them were fantasy and stories of legend but it did give him more insight and satisfy his thirst for knowledge. According to the books, Bijuu were monsters of immense power and chakra, which was similar to what he had heard beforehand. But what Akodi said described Bijuu differently. He said he had a conversation with the Yonbi and it had even expressed feelings.

Hinashi honored his word and hadn't whispered to a soul of his conversation with Akodi. How could he, nobody had ever trusted him with such a sacred secret before and he would not ruin Akodi's trust in him.

When he had gotten home after seeing Akodi in the hospital his father questioned him on his tardiness. All he had said was he was waiting for a friend at the hospital and wished to be alone. His father seemed quite satisfied when he used the word 'friend' and let him go without questioning. Was it that hard to believe he had friends? Or was his father just happy that he was making friends and not a loner prodigy like so many before him?

Thoughts of the previous prodigy known as Hatake Kakashi entered his mind. Kakashi was only three years older than him yet already promoted to Jonin two years ago. Rumor has it, one of his teammates was killed during his first mission as jonin team leader earlier this year. Soon after, his other teammate was killed and Kakashi was never the same afterwards. Hinashi had never met him, but he had heard stories that he was not pleasant to be around. Rumor has it the boy was antisocial to the point it was as if he was scared to get close to anybody else. Hinashi didn't want to be a loner. He vouched to keep his friend and anybody else he got close to safe.

…

One hot, sunny morning Hinashi was on his way to the academy when he noticed a young boy with black hair out of the corner of his eye. The boy looked roughly three years old and was carrying packages of food, stacked way too tall for him to see. As the boy walked he missed the step of the curb and started to fall forwards.

Hinashi was there in an instant. He balanced the boy back upright and caught the two packages before they hit the ground. It was then he noticed the Uchiha crest on the black of his high collared shirt.

"Quite the reflexes you have there. Thank you for catching him. Itachi, you must be more aware of your surroundings, and your limits. That was too much for you to be carrying." Uchiha Fugaku appeared out of the shop Itachi had just come out of, carrying his own packages of food.

Fukaku had brown hair and onyx-colored eyes that matched his sons, with creases underneath that became more pronounced with the stern look on his face. He wore the standard Konoha flak jacket along with a black shirt underneath with the Konoha military police symbol on both shoulders. He also wore an open fronted apron with white diamonds on the bottom to complete the look. Overall, he looked very intimidating and something inside Hinashi screamed that this was a dangerous man who could kill him in a millisecond if he wanted to.

Itachi looked up at his father and quietly answered. "Yes, sorry father." He turned to Hinashi and bowed his head. "Thank you for helping me. I did not mean to inconvenience you."

Hinashi looked the child up and down with his lavender, pupil-less eyes. The boy was quite polite for his age and his eyes held an understanding within them that was far above his age. He seemed quite intelligent, despite his age. He first appeared timid but on second glance, seemed a peaceful child. He didn't have the cockiness most often associated with the Uchiha. "If this is Fukaku Uchiha's son, then he must be the heir to the clan." Hinashi thought.

He stepped back and addressed Itachi. "It was no problem." He then turned to Fukaku. "My name is Hyuga Hinashi, Uchiha-san. It is a pleasure to meet you. Your son appears quite intelligent for his age."

The Uchiha clan head studied Hinashi before giving him a "Hn". He turned away and signaled his son to follow.

Itachi bowed again to Hinashi. "I am Uchiha Itachi. It is a pleasure to meet you. Again, thank you for your assistance."

"Itachi, come." Fukaku said over his shoulder and Itachi scurried along after his father.

Hinashi looked at the young boy and thought of his own upbringing. His own father was clan head of the Hyuga, a noble clan just like the Uchiha. He wondered what kind of upbringing this young boy had as well and if it was similar to his. He had a feeling he would be seeing more of them in the future.

…

Hinashi walked into his academy classroom and sat next to Akodi and Shisui as always. The two dark haired boys were arguing about which fire style technique was better, the Uchiha's Grand Fireball Jutsu or the Sarutobi's Burning Ash Pile Jutsu.

"No way! The Grand Fireball Jutsu is too slow, it's way too easy to dodge!"

"Easy to dodge!? It's so big that there's no way around it!"

"The Burning Ash Pile Jutsu hits the opponent with ash before igniting in fire straight at the opponent! Especially if you catch the opponent off guard. It's the best fire technique!"

"You can't even do it yet! At least I can do the Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

"No point in doing it if you can't hit anybody with it!"

The two boys clashed foreheads together and grit their teeth in a battle of will.

Hinashi ignored them and pulled out his book. The false cover said 'History of Konoha' but the book was actually about how each Bijuu had specific properties of chakra, each with their own abilities.

A particular mention of the Yonbi and its abilities piqued his interest as he raised an eyebrow, and subtly looked over at Akodi. Comprehension clicked in his head right as Mr. Immimoto began the day's lecture. He would have to talk with Akodi later about what he read. In class today they were covering Tobirama Senju's leadership style and all the village improvements he implemented during his reign.

It would be a long lecture.

During lunch break, Hinashi pulled Akodi aside to sit by a tree. As they pulled out their bento boxes he performed a subtle Byakugan check, confirming they were alone. Once they were alone and nobody was in earshot, he pulled his book out and handed it to Akodi.

"I found something interesting you might want to look into." He handed the book over.

Akodi stared at the cover for a second before sending him a confused look. "History of Konoha? I know. We were reading this in class today."

"No not that. That's just the cover I put on the book so Mr. Immimoto wouldn't notice. Look at this part right here." He pointed to a paragraph.

Akodi began to read in a whisper. "Each Bijuu construct grants its jinchuriki the ability to use its chakra nature(s). The Ichibi grants its host the ability to use Magnet Release, useful for trapping an opponent, as well as using sand as an offensive and/or defensive weapon." He skipped ahead a bit to the paragraph Hinashi was motioning towards.

"The Yonbi grants its host the ability to use Lava Release, combining Fire Style and Earth Style to make Molten Lava. Previous hosts were able to use this both as an offensive weapon by shooting balls of molten rock at enemies or having it erupt from the earth. It has also been seen used defensively as lava armor, protecting the Yonbi's host from an enemy's taijutsu".

Akodi's eyes bulged wide and a huge smile came across his face. "Nashi!" He said as quietly as he could in his excitement. "This is amazing! I had no idea I could do this. I'll have to talk to Son about it!"

Hinashi took his book back with a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips. Seeing Akodi smile always had that effect on him. They were just so infectious.

"I think it could be very useful, but be careful practicing. Only do so with your father around in case something happens." Then he quietly asked, "Do you talk with Son often?"

"Mhmm" He nodded his head happily. "I try to visit him every couple of days when I meditate. He doesn't always say much, but I'm sure we'll be good friends soon!" He said optimistically. "I'll have to ask my father about this. I'm sure he'd know more about it. He did fight the previous host! Oops.. I wasn't supposed to say that."

Hinashi's eyes widened and stared at his friend before they both laughed heartily.

It was nice to have a secret only they shared.

…

Later that evening, once Akodi returned home from the Academy, he sat next to his father outside. Akinji's progress with his physical therapy had been slow but effective.

He was able to leave the village on simple missions, mostly escorting high ranking civilians. His chakra pathways had almost fully recovered and the speed of making his hand signs were as good as they were almost five years ago. He continued to have scarring along his left arm but there was little they could do about it. His muscle bulk had returned and he was almost ready to start taking long, A ranked missions again. He had taken back his role as captain of the Hokage's guard. He loved being a shinobi and taking missions, but truthfully he enjoyed the time spent with his family.

The Sarutobi clan had deep familial love for one another. They were not a large noble clan like the Uchiha or Hyuga, but they had strong bonds. It was a big reason why they had such a strong Will of Fire - because they valued their teammates and treated them like family.

Akinji sat in the peaceful silence with his son in the Sarutobi compound, breathing in the fresh air when his son spoke up.

"Dad, I learned something new today at the Academy. Hinashi found a book that said Son had the ability to grant its host Lava Release! Isn't that cool!?" Akodi said excitedly with a sparkle in his eye.

Akodi, of course, had done extensive research of his own once his son was made a jinchuriki and learned all there was to know about the Yonbi and its abilities. He knew first hand what Roshi was capable of before being taken down. Lava Release was a very deadly tool for a shinobi to have and was part of the reason why he trained Akodi in both Earth Style and Fire Style from a young age. Of course, Akodi had taken to both chakra natures easily enough and progressed quickly to harder ranked jutsu.

Akodi was similar to his father in which he could perform all five chakra natures. Fire style was his natural elemental ability, but was more than adept at Earth style as well.

"That is cool, little one" he said as he ruffled his son's hair, who in turn beamed up at him. "Before we can start combining the two natures, you must first become more proficient in each. To combine them, you must mold fire nature in one hand, earth nature in the other, and then combine the two together to make Lava Release. It requires intense concentration and years of practice. But I have no doubt you'll pick it up soon." He smiled proudly down at his son.

Akodi kept looking up at him with stars in his eyes. Akinji silently hoped his son would never stop looking up at him like this.

Akinji continued. "There are some in Iwa born with the kekkei genkai of something similar. Besides using molten rock for a lava release, I have heard of some using a form of Rubber Release. Although, when I fought Roshi, he only used lava release. And I'll tell you, it was truly frightening. You'll grow up even stronger I imagine." He squeezed his son close and kissed his forehead.

"I will, Dad! I promise! I'll work hard every day and become the strongest shinobi in the village! No, the world!" He stood up and started jumping excitedly.

Akinji let a big smile fall across his face as he took in the moment. "Well with motivation like that, what are we doing sitting around. Let's get started!"