Naruto eventually found himself standing on a small mountain, looking over the vast lands of forests and rivers that made up Fire Country as the sun began to set. Not even two miles to his left was the Daimyo's Palace. None of this surprised the golden fox.

What did, however, was his company for the ride.

"It's been some time, Asuma."

The son of the Sandiame smiled at the older man, dressed in dark robes with a short blade on his hip. "Agaragi, it's good to see you're still around," he said, noting the greying hairs of the man's head, pointed beard, and thin mustache.

"The Fire Daimyo needs someone competent to handle his personal guards," Agaragi said with a small smirk that vanished into a scowl. "Tell me, Asuma, is there anything your village can tell us about this creature?"

"Our golden friend outside would know the most," Asuma informed, deeply wishing he could pull out a smoke but did not out of respect.

There was a loud grunt of acknowledgment, making Agaragi quirk a brow.

"I imagine living with that must get bothersome," the captain of the Fire Guard mused.

"We...get used to it," Asuma answered carefully.

"I was talking about him," Agaragi countered seriously. "In any case, I'm sure our foxy friend will fill us in on anything important. Come, the Fire Daimyo and his advisors await."

Asuma nodded grimly as he followed the captain. But he quickly realized that this wasn't to the throne room, meeting room, or private office of the Daimyo. That made him furrow his brow, wondering just where they were going.

The answer came as they reached a room on the third floor, guarded by four soldiers. "My Lord, Captain Agaragi and Asuma Sarutobi have arrived," one of them announced through the door.

"Enter!"

They both obeyed and found themselves in a large open room with a long table in the middle. It was obviously a place for meetings and feasts. At the table sat the Daimyo, surrounded by retainers, officers, military men, and others. But what captured Asuma's attention most was the room had a large open balcony.

Through said open balcony, one could see a golden Kyuubi on a nearby mountain, idly watching the horizon.

"Gentlemen," the Daimyo greeted as they both bowed deeply to him. "Welcome back to Moegara Castle, Guardian Sarutobi."

"Thank you, My Lord," Asuma answered gratefully, looking up as his eyes flickered back to Naruto in the distance. "It's good to be here, if not the circumstances."

The Daimyo nodded and waved for them to have a seat. "Tell me, Asuma, what does Konoha have to say about this?"

Asuma paused as he not only saw but felt Naruto lay down on the mountain while placing his gaze on them. Many in the room looked over on instinct but didn't comment on it otherwise.

"Nothing much, I'm afraid," Asuma answered after a moment. "According to those that engaged it, this creature seems to be made of bones and has some form of chakra cloak to conceal it. Naruto also claims he senses Bijuu chakra within it. Most of the parties involved thought it was the former Kyuubi, back from the grave in some fashion, but they all report that the skeleton looks more like a reptile than anything else."

"For those of us not knowledgeable of such things, what does having Bijuu chakra mean in terms of its being a threat compared to possessing regular chakra?" one of the advisors questioned.

"It's much more potent than a human's chakra, toxically so in some ways. A true Bijuu is also notoriously dangerous as an enemy because they're made of chakra entirely, making them not only powerful but unkillable in the conventional sense," Asuma explained, a bit awkward to be saying this with another Bijuu present, who was still just silently watching the conversation.

"But does having Bijuu chakra make it, in fact, a Bijuu itself?" the daimyo questioned with a hum.

"We're honestly not sure, my lord. It survived being beheaded, among other things, so we can't say anything definitive yet," Asuma answered.

"Hmm. Perhaps another opinion should be asked then," the daimyo suggested, glancing outside slightly.

All eyes went to Naruto.

Asuma furrowed his brow as Naruto closed his eyes in thought, hands draped lazing over each other before his voice boomed over the castle.

"It's not made entirely of chakra. Those bones are real. They break, they burn, they crumble to dust. They don't fade away like my blood does. It was trying to eat my chakra at one point, so I thought it might be the ghost of the Kyuubi trying to reclaim his old power, but I think that bastard would be coming after me relentlessly instead of running away to attack random villages," Naruto elaborated.

"Would you say it is worthy of being called a Bijuu-level threat?" Agaragi questioned with a frown.

"It's not that strong, really. Strong enough to be a threat, yeah, but it's mainly just that it can disappear and hide that's a problem. I'm pretty sure any summon boss or upper-class Jonin could drive it off at least."

"So this monster is like most groups of bandits. Power isn't the true problem, but in how hard they are to uncover and deal with," the daimyo mused with a nod to himself.

"That said, there's a trick to killing it. What it is, I don't know. A core, a weak point, something. If it couldn't be killed, I don't think it would keep leaving," Naruto mused out loud.

"A question, if I may?" an advisor spoke up, somewhat nervous to be addressing the faraway Bijuu. "Do we know...why it attacked at all? What does it gain from these villages? Or is this just a malevolent spirit, death for death's sake?"

"No idea," Naruto admitted with a shrug. "Maybe it just wants an army of skeletons, maybe it needs to feed on bones to keep "living." I don't know and, I don't think Konoha figured anything out yet."

All eyes turned to Asuma who shook his head. "No, we haven't. This creature's motives are a mystery still."

"Sorry, but then that's all I have right now," Naruto finished.

The Fire Daimyo nodded. "Thank you for that input, Naruto. Does anyone have any questions for his testimony?"

"Not a question, but an observation."

Asuma smiled a bit as he turned to the bold monk.

"And what would that be, Chiriku?" the daimyo questioned.

"The reports made several mentions of our Kyuubi being able to sense the monster due to, among other things, a distinct sound of rattling bones," the ninja-monk repeated, glancing out at said Kyuubi. "Would that be true?"

Naruto nodded pointedly, before glancing sharply at the sun. It would only be another hour or two before sunset and nightfall.

Asuma noticed several people shiver as they felt the guard and ire of the Kyuubi rise. It was a small thing, but potent. Especially against those untrained in using chakra. Like the turning of the wind, bringing a mighty storm closer.

"Then I believe I know what it might be," Chiriku said with a concerned frown. "A Gashadokuro."

The room went silent at that and the temperature seemed to drop, and Naruto tilted his head, ears perked in interest.

A man in armor coughed nervously. "Forgive me, Guardian Chiriku, but I was under the impression that the Gashadokuro were just a bad bedtime story. Unlike the Bijuu, there have been no known sightings of them in hundreds of years."

"And there haven't been any large-scale battles in nearly twenty years," an advisor noted. "A Gashadokuro is said to be a giant skeleton formed from the corpses of soldiers that died in a great conflicts."

That wasn't entirely true, Asuma knew. There had been plenty of large-scale deaths, but still, nothing recent or near enough to link to this, so the point remained.

"If it is a Gashadokuro," the Fire Daimyo stated calmly. "How would one go about vanquishing such a foe?"

Chiriku shook his head. "I am not certain, My Lord, I apologize. I shall have to consult the older texts in the temple. Unfortunately, the general is right; with the last supposed sighting being centuries ago, most tales of them now are just myths and legends."

The Fire Daimyo nodded. "If we cannot destroy this creature, we will need to find a way to contain it. Or, if possible, appease it."

"The reports did say it was looking for something at dawn," Agaragi mused, stroking his beard. "But it could have just wanted to see the sunlight. I'm no expert in the supernatural, but most stories have the undead longing to return to their lives among the living."

The Fire Daimyo sighed. "I am not surprised, but there is little we can do for now. Let us just hope that the speculation that this creature only returns during the moonless nights is true. Captain, General, Ministers? Make plans for sending aid to the villages attacked. I must send out messages to the other daimyo. I'm not sure if this will put them less or more at ease after wondering why our good Bijuu raced so fiercely to the north. You're all dismissed."

They all bowed and began to either gather into their own groups or leave for other duties now that the Daimyo himself left. Naruto shifted on the mountain and began to shift his gaze over the horizon. Asuma found himself gathering with Agaragi and his fellow Fire Guardian, Chiriku.

"A Gashadokuro," Agaragi said under his breath. "The living give us enough trouble without the dead getting involved."

"It is possible I am wrong, but considering the name is literally "Rattling Skeleton" I couldn't help but mention it," Chiriku said solemnly.

"Do either of you mind telling me what's going on?" Asuma suddenly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm? What do you mean, Asuma?" Agaragi questioned in confusion.

"Naruto just got here, but everyone is already treating him like a visiting lord," Asuma pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "If I'm not wrong, the daimyo chose this room just to include him in the meeting as much as possible."

"Obviously so, Asuma," Chiriku acknowledged, hands folded in his sleeves.

"I understand Naruto was still a boy just months ago, shinobi or not," Agaragi stated. "But he's a Bijuu now. And the Fire Daimyo wants to retain a positive relationship with him. And yes, we value the giant fox's input on fighting the giant skeleton."

Asuma nodded, but he definitely felt like there was something else going on here. He glanced at Naruto again and-

Naruto was staring at him. Not glancing, staring directly at him.

Asuma wasn't sure why, but that made him more uneasy than he expected, even as Naruto looked back to the northern directions.

Nightfall came, and tension had been high as the sun crept down over the horizon. Naruto kept vigilant watch as the sliver of the crescent moon shone across the lands, sensing for any sight of his foe. No one knew if the creature would return this night, or where it would appear if so.

"Naruto?"

It came as a whisper.

"Naruto, is that really you?"

His eyes turned to the palace once more. He could feel several guards and servants jump at his sudden attention. But he focused his gaze on a single balcony.

There was a little girl with brought hair. Naho, niece and ward of the Fire Daimyo. Her brown eyes looked at his gold form with fascination, wonder, and...confusion.

He remembered her; The little girl who had been so infatuated with Sasuke that he had to henge into Sasuke just to escort her. Unlike most girls that had fawned over the Uchiha, at least this little girl did it because he had protected her on some occasion.

"I...I heard the stories. But it was hard to understand. You...BECAME a Bijuu? And Sasuke...Sasuke tried to kill you?" Naho asked, her voice lost.

Sasuke didn't try. He succeeded. But Naruto wouldn't say that aloud. Not here, not to her. He didn't need to put that on her. But he wasn't going to lie to her and paint Sasuke any better.

"Yeah, yeah he did," Naruto answered, as soft as his voice could be.

"Why?" she choked out. "Why would he...? And to you...? I don't understand!"

Naruto sighed. "Naho. Don't worry about that, or me. Please. Besides, it kind of worked out for me, right?" he added, his smile not meeting his eye.

It wasn't a lie or a truth. Not yet. It was somewhere in between; between the hatred and fear of so many, against so many little yet wonderful things.

"Good night, Naho," he said, turning his gaze to the horizon again.

"Good night, Naruto," Naho whispered softly. Despite everything, like everyone else, she was happy Naruto was present in case the monster showed up,

Yet it did not, and hours after the sun rose on the next day, all of Konoha paused at the growingly familiar sensation of Naruto's approaching footsteps, returning from his night at the palace.

He very much expected it when Tsunade appeared on his nose. "Nothing?" she asked with a thoughtful frown.

"Not a peep, Old Hag," Naruto answered, glancing down at the village for a second. "So, are we bothering keeping this a secret or can I just talk freely?"

"The village has already been informed that a skeleton monster attacked villages in Fire Country and that you went off to protect them," Tsunade remarked. "Just don't mention anything about zombie plagues and it should be fine."

"Great. But yeah, I either made that thing leave to lick his wounds or he can only show up on certain nights," Naruto explained. "Also I know it's obvious, but the Daimyo wants to be kept in the loop."

"Let me guess, he wants you to return tonight, just in case?" Tsunade asked knowingly.

"I can't really blame him. But even if that thing did show back up, I'm pretty sure our boney friend targets places with more people, if he targets anything at all," Naruto remarked. "I'm heading down to my beach for a moment."

"What? Why?" Tsunade asked with a furrowed brow.

"Mainly morbid curiosity, partially paranoia. If it turns out he's hiding at my beach while I'm away, I'm going to be very annoyed," Naruto pointed out. "I'll be back up here by noon, so I'll be well on my way back to the Daimyo's place before sunrise is even close."

"Fair enough," Tsunade granted. "Tell us if you find anything."

"Obviously," Naruto remarked with a yawn, Tsunade keeping her feet attached to his nose with chakra. "You know, I don't HAVE to sleep, but I still enjoy sleeping."

"Trust me, I know. Medical Jutsu can help you pull an all-nighter without health problems, but that doesn't make it enjoyable," Tsunade agreed in sympathy. "Oh, and Naruto? If the creature happens to be at your beach? Be careful. Those seals around the beach might just hide any battle you both have. If you somehow don't break said seals."

"All the more reason why I'm paranoid that it's hiding there," Naruto agreed grimly. "But thanks, and I will, Tsunade."

Tsunade smiled at him before vanishing from his nose.

"Be back later, folks," Naruto said, waving to the village as he turned to leave. He smiled, just a bit, as he saw and heard several returning the gesture…his friends mainly. Konohamaru and his friends yelled about hoping he kicked some monster butt. A few other little kids waved their little hands. Teuchi and Ayame yelled a farewell.

Others didn't. Others were still uncertain or happy when he left. He tried not to focus on them.

The walk between the beach and the village was normally peaceful, but the relative quiet was almost unsettling now.

His beach had been much as he had left it. He could still see the dent in the ground where he sprung forward from his sleep, bolting to the north. The collection of ships was still there, seagulls and other birds scattering from them, disturbed by his footsteps.

One of them had been dragged back into the sea, he could tell by the drag marks and broken wood. If he had to guess, the octopus. Probably looking for Naruto, or maybe there was just something tasty hiding in that ship.

His ears flickered, his nose sniffed, and he studied the area. Nothing and no one was here. No spies, no watchers, nothing.

Good.

He walked out into the sea, wandering around the ever deeper floor, darkness creeping in around him. Before he even got a few miles out, he was surprised to find a large bubble rushing towards him. It enveloped him, dragging him into the open air within and-

"NEPHEW!" Seiken greeted in relief and concern, slamming into Naruto with the tail-version of a hug. "You're okay! I was worried when I felt you fighting. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm...fine, Seiken," Naruto greeted, a smile slowly working onto his dumbfounded face. "You could sense me fighting?"

"Mmmhm," Seiken answered, nodding, looking Naruto all over still. "I also felt what you were fighting, but I have no idea what it was. What WERE you fighting nephew?"

"Well, umm..." Naruto paused, not sure how to say this delicately. "Does the word "Gashadokuro" mean anything to you?"

"Nope!" Seiken answered instantly, making Naruto sweat-drop. "Why, what is it?"

"Some think that's what it might be. They said they were things that used to show up hundreds of years ago, so I thought you might know what they are," Naruto elaborated.

"Oh. I probably do? But I don't know that word," Seiken explained. "Tell me what happened, and I'll see if I can think of anything."

"To be honest, I thought it might have been the Kyu- I mean, Kurama's ghost or something?"

Seiken stared for a moment before tilting his slug head sideways. "A ghost?"

"Well, it has Bijuu chakra, right?" Naruto started.

"Yes, I felt some, but just a tiny bit. Kind of like the Zero-tailed," Seiken mused.

"There's a zero-tailed!?" Naruto said in surprise. "You know what, I'll ask later. Whatever I fought, it had a giant skeleton cloaked in dark chakra, disappears between villages, kills people for their bones, and makes little skeleton minions out of them! Know anything like that?"

"Maybe! Did you try taking off the head?" Seiken asked in thought.

"Yes! I thought for sure that was its weak spot, with the glowing eyes, but it just grew a new skull," Naruto answered in exasperation.

"Nephew? Did the bones rattle?" Seiken said with utmost seriousness.

Naruto eyed him warily. "Yes? All the time?"

"Mmm," Seiken looked down in thought. "I think it is something our family fought in the old days. I didn't know the human's name for them changed. We called them Hakaju and they-"

Naruto blinked as Seiken stiffened and leaned forward. "What? What is it?"

"It bit you," Seiken said in concern, looking at Naruto back.

Naruto glanced back. "You can...tell?" he asked slowly.

"Nephew, I am a Bijuu and much older than you. I can tell when another Bijuu has been hurt," Seiken all but scolded. "You should be careful. Chakra-eaters normally die trying to feast on us, but the Hakaju are one of the few that don't."

"That sounds like a problem," Naruto said, tilting his head curiously.

"We'll worry about that in a moment. Now, are you hurting?" Seiken asked in an almost parental tone, coming closer to examine the wound that human eyes couldn't see.

"Not really? Throbs a bit, almost like after you stub a toe," Naruto remarked.

Seiken looked to Naruto, his charka radiating amusement. "I only know what that feels like from my hosts. I have no toes of my own!"

Naruto smiled some now. "It's not infected or anything, right? Can we even get those still?"

"No, and mostly no? Another chakra tainting our own is like an infection, but it normally just makes us very, very mad," Seiken warned. "This isn't tainted though. This is like a scratch on the surface of your chakra. You probably burnt most of it away just by fighting."

Naruto sighed in relief. "So, is that thing going to get as strong as a real Bijuu?"

"No. We could defeat one with a single swing of a tail. The problem, as you know, is that killing them isn't that easy. Since they're already dead," Seiken reminded.

"So, this is a zombie?" Naruto guessed.

"It is undead," Seiken agreed tentatively. "I-"

The tailed slug suddenly stopped, head-turning completely around, staring into the water of the sea.

"What is it?" Naruto asked in concern.

"Kiri ANBU. They've been looking for us again. I should slip away. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Nephew? Find where this Hakaju calls its grave. That is the most important thing for dealing with this for good," Seiken advised.

"How would I find that?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"It will feel compelled to attack anyone that trespasses. Even in the light of the moon or the sun, it will still attack," Seiken said quickly. "I'm sorry, I must go. I'd rather not have the humans make a fuss for you over our meeting."

Naruto nodded in agreement, the bubble dispelling as water rushed in around them. Seiken gave him a quick hug before bolting away much faster than Naruto thought a giant slug could move.

Naruto was left in the darkness of the sea with only the glow of his own chakra illuminating his surroundings, as he began his trek back to dry land and Konoha. "Hakaju, eh?"

Meanwhile

"Well, this is unexpected," Danzo stated with some honest surprise.

Tsunade almost thought he was amused. "Didn't expect me to ever call you out of retirement?"

"I am also surprised you knew of my own summon," Danzo mused, his one eye giving her a searching look.

"Sensei told me," Tsunade answered bluntly, nodding to the portrait.

"Of course he did," Danzo accepted with a sigh. "Very well, you want to make us of me and my Baku."

"Unless you think it would be underqualified?" Tsunade offered in turn.

"It is smaller than many boss summons, but I doubt it would be useless," Danzo responded without really answering.

Tsunade hummed. "The current strategy requires at least one person in the village at all times that can summon something powerful enough to drive this thing off, or can do so themselves."

"A wise move," Danzo agreed.

"Be a little honest here, Danzo," Tsunade said firmly, giving him a small glare. "Jiraiya's spy network picked up nothing about anything that might have caused this. Do you know anything to the contrary?"

"No," Danzo admitted. "Troubling. Now, tell me; Have we deduced any connections between the locations this skeleton creature attacked?"

"Besides being in northern Fire Country? No, nothing so far," Tsunade explained. "Naruto said it seemed to be looking for something before the sun rose."

"Looking to the North," Danzo reminded. "I doubt Orochimaru could do something like this without us catching wind of it, but he might have done it accidentally. Kami knows he was one of the first to collect any leftover samples of Uzumaki's chakra."

"If the snake-fuck isn't involved, he will get involved."

They both glanced up, somewhat annoyed at Naruto's commentary. "We're well aware of that, Naruto," Tsunade stated in exasperation.

"Could you not give the villagers ideas to worry about?" Danzo requested.

"You're kidding, right? Most of them already assumed he was part of this. Most of them are surprised I'm implying he's not," Naruto remarked.

"I guess we shouldn't be surprised, so soon after the Chunin Exam and Sasuke Uchiha's attempted defection," Tsunade accepted with a headshake.

"Kiba, by the time you can smell it, you or someone else is probably already in danger," Naruto's voice continued on.

"I hope he finds a way to have more private conversations someday," Tsunade said, rubbing her forehead.

"You and me both, Old Hag, you and me both," Naruto lamented gruffly. "By the way, Shizune's back."

Tsunade and Danzo looked to the door expectantly. "...Hm?"

"I meant she just got back in the village. I can't see through walls! I wouldn't know if she was at the door," Naruto pointed out, somewhat amused by that.

"Yet he could tell we were looking at the door," Danzo murmured. "I'm sure your apprentice will have much to report, Lady Hokage. If it wasn't obvious, I accept being called back in for this situation, if the need for me and Baku arises."

Tsunade nodded, dismissing the elder as he left. "Naruto? You need to head back up to the Daimyo's palace soon."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto remarked. "Just tell me, does Asuma have a summon or not?"

"No. Sarutobi-sensei, his father, did but he never signed the contract with Enma," Tsunade explained. "However, he does have a history and rapport with those at the capital."

Naruto hummed in understanding. "Well, I should head out. The closer it gets to sunset, the more worried they'll be that I might not show back up."

"They who? The daimyo?" Tsunade asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, just his brownnosers. What's the word? Syco-pants or something?" Naruto mused. "Right, that word, Sakura, thank you."

Tsunade shook her head. It was certainly an interesting time in Konoha. It was also a bad time to get drunk. Naruto's booming voice did not mix well with headaches.

End of Chapter

To everyone who guess it was a Gashadokuro, congrats! Have an internet cookie! Still, yeah, a few meetings happened. And Naruto knows the name the Bijuu use for the Gashadokuro- Hakaju, aka a Grave Beast.

And yeah, Naruto and Seiken are hidding their interactions, as they're not sure people would like the idea of the bijuu having meetings. On the other paw, Naruto has a rather warm reception by the Daimyo and his court. Or as they said, they appreciate the giant fox's input on how to deal wit hthe giant skeleton.

Early viewing of chapters 22-23 avaliable on my pat-reon:

p a treon . com (slash) akumakami64