Naruto watched as chaos took a hold on the village. 'The invasion started. I hope Ero-sennin is still in the village.' Naruto with the help of Kurama, dispelled the genjutsu trying to take him over and just in time too as his danger senses rang at him. He turned around to see an Oto shinobi with a Kunai ready to pierce him. He caught his wrist and twisted it causing him to drop the kunai. He then knocked him out with a punch to the head. He turned his attention to the fighting area and saw Shikamaru, Sasuke and Genma fighting with the sand siblings and their sensei, Baki who were trying to protect Gaara.

"Naruto, go help them. Your fight is not here. Let us handle the citizens and most of the invaders. Go!" Kakashi ordered as he and Gai started taking out several shinobi each.

Naruto gave him a two fingered salute and rushed to his team. Naruto saw an opening and kicked Kankuro in the back. He was too focused on Shikamaru and his puppet that left his back open.

Seeing his opponents, Baki sweated a bit. A jonin of Konoha, who he believed he had a good chance of winning against. However, it was the genin that he was worried about. Two of them had already proven that they could beat Temari and Kankuro, and with the Uchiha, he had no reason to believe he was lacking in skill either. He looked towards Gaara and saw that he was already going through the tailed beast transformation but was vulnerable.

"Temari, Kankuro," he said in a low voice. "Gaara is going through his transformation and is vulnerable. He is key to this invasion, you must get him out of here to a safe area."

"Hai, sensei," Kankuro said as he carried Gaara away. Temari sent a final wind jutsu to the Konoha-nin before she followed suit.

Shikamaru used an earth wall to block the wind jutsu only to see that the siblings had disappeared. Genma made a sound of irritation before he turned to the genin. He didn't know why but the decision made sense. "Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara. I'm going to assume you are both chunin level. You guys will go follow them." He said. He hated sending genin but he had no choice, everyone had their duties.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I have orders from Kakashi for you to report to Neko. Now-" Genma was cut off by an explosion from the Kage box. Two figures were seen to have left the box and were on the roof. Naruto saw the Anbu rushing towards the Hokage but were stopped as a purple barrier was erected. 'The Shishienjin (Four Violet Flames Formation) , a barrier that burns anyone who touches it. They must have strong shinobi for them to use that barrier.'

"Hey!" Genma called to get back their attention. "Don't worry about the Hokage for now. He is the strongest shinobi in the village and he has his anbu guards. Now go ahead with your orders!" Genma ordered as the three genin dispersed, leaving Genma and Baki to face off. "You guys have. a lot of nerves attacking us like this…" he said lazily.

Baki scoffed and pulled out a kunai, "shut up and fight, tree hugger."


Naruto expanded his senses and found Neko and her team of Anbu near the residential area before using a shunshin to appear beside her. "Naruto Uzumaki, reporting," he said with a bow.

"Naruto, you are working with us today, if only temporarily. We need to protect the civilians and your shadow clones will be useful. A new wave is coming. We have to make sure they stay as far away from the civilians as possible. Understood?" Neko said.

"Hai, Neko-taicho." Naruto released his resistance seals and he could feel blood pumping. The flames of battle erupted within him. Adrenaline flowing through his veins. He saw the Oto and Suna shinobi approaching and launched himself towards them. His speed was faster than most chunin. He unsealed Arashi and started knocking the shinobi out. Multiple were hit on the back of their heads, some were hit in the ribs and overall they were stopped by Naruto who still had Arashi in its sheath. He stood in the middle of a group of ten knocked out men, not a single drop of blood spilled.

'Kurama, wanna help?'

"Tch. As if I want to help this shitty village…"

'Ok, if you say so...' He flared his chakra, getting everyone in the immediate vicinity to pause what they were doing. "YOSH!! Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! " He exclaimed at the top of his voice. Immediately, 300 clones surrounded the area and people were gaping at the sight. Even the Anbu were impressed at the sight. Well, all of them except Neko. They had heard of Naruto's use of clones but they have never seen it in real life. In sync, the clones all disappeared in a shunshin and appeared everywhere around the village. 'Show off.' Neko thought with a smirk on her face. Naruto left a clone with the Anbu team as he left in the direction of Gaara and his team.


With Naruto Clone Group A

A team of Naruto made their way to the hospital. The hospital was one of the most vital parts of the village and it needed to be protected. No matter how inhumane it may be to attack a hospital, there is still a possibility. Naruto landed at the front of the hospital gates and saw it had descended into chaos. Medic-nin ran here and there to give immediate first aid, while doctors attended more serious cases and nurses rushed to help in any way they could. The hospital perimeter was guarded by chunin and was overseen by a high ranking jonin and Anbu.

Seeing as he could not use any medical ninjutsu and had no medical knowledge, Naruto helped by gathering any injured he could find. They spreaded out and used their sensory abilities to find any injured people.

With Naruto Clone Group B

Another team of Naruto clones made their way to the academy building. The academy was another vital part of the village. It was where the next generation of shinobi were located. If an enemy managed to knock out the village's future, the village could easily fall in its coming years. The group arrived to see a group of at least 30 Oto and Suna shinobi fighting a group of 10 Konoha-nin. Naruto recognised Iruka and Kurenai, who were probably placed on duty there. They were forced on the defensive or else they would leave the academy students vulnerable.

Two Naruto clones landed in between the group and created a water wall. Iruka was shocked to see Naruto land in front of him but quickly regained his bearings. "Naruto, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm a clone, Iruka-sensei. Sensei, you and the other instructors need to get the students away. Let the rest of us distract the attackers," he said.

"He's right Iruka. Get the instructors and move the kids to safety. Me, Naruto and the rest of us will handle the attackers," Kurenai said. Iruka looked between the two. He couldn't help but think of the dangers he was exposing Naruto to. However, he had chosen this life as a shinobi, he knew the dangers that come with it. He had to trust in Naruto. He had to believe in him.

"You better stay safe," he said as he ruffled Naruto's hair before he went to find the other instructors.

Kurenai turned her attention to Naruto or rather the multiple Naruto in front of her, "don't you slack on me, gaki. Now that the Chunin instructors are gone, we are even more outnumbered. I've heard great things about you, let's see how great you are."

"I've heard great things about you too, sensei. Care to put your genjutsu to the test," Naruto replied with mischief in his eyes.

"Are you challenging me?" Kurenai asked with a smirk. "Alright, gaki. Let's do this," she said as she weaved through hand seals. The Naruto clones who held the water wall dispelled, letting both sides see each other again. Before the enemies could rush towards the konoha-nin, they were frozen in place. " Magen: Jubaku Satsu (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death) " Kurenai muttered under her breath. From the perspective of the Konoha-nin, the Oto and Suna shinobi stopped in place. However, from the Oto and Suna shinobi's perspective, a tree had sprouted from the ground and wrapped around their limbs before binding them in place. "Everyone, now's the time to attack, before they dispel the genjutsu!" Kurenai ordered as the remaining Chunin and Naruto attacked the group.

At the South Gate

Giant snakes led a platoon of Oto and Suna shinobi as they broke through the south wall. " Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu (Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Jutsu)! " Was heard before two giant toads dropped from the sky and landed on the snakes. One of the toads was blue and had katanas on his back while another was magenta in colour, had a shield on his back and wielded a sasumata. They were Gamahiro and Gamaken respectively. Jiraiya landed on Gamaken's head with his arms crossed. 'I can't believe Orochimaru would go as far as invading his own home…' he thought.

"Hiro! Ken! We have some cleaning up to do. We have an infestation. Let's do this!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"I am clumsy but I will try my best," Gamaken said as he readied his sasumata.

"I've been looking forward to a fight," Gamahiro simply stated.

The two toads started striking at the platoon of shinobi in front of them as they dodged any large scale ninjutsu. Jiraiya was on top picking off any stragglers that may have avoided the toads.

Naruto landed on Gamaken's head as he joined Jiraiya. "I didn't think you were still in the village, Ero-sennin," Naruto said.

"Tch. What did I say about that name?" Jiraiya asked, to which Naruto only rolled his eyes. "Anyways, sensei predicted that Orochimaru might use his snakes to break the walls so he asked me to stay to counter them." Jiraiya explained before he spotted another platoon of shinobi incoming.

"Ken, give me some oil! Wanna help Gaki?" Jiraiya said as Gamaken spewed out oil from his mouth. Toad oil was two times more flammable compared to regular oil and worked well with fire jutsu. " Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)! " Jiraiya shot out a large fireball from his mouth and alighted the oil immediately after it made contact. " Futon: Daitoppa! " Naruto shot out a ball of wind which amplified the already massive flame. Naruto watched as the shinobi tried to scatter from the blaze. Some were lucky, some were not. Others were met by Gamahiro who was unfazed by the big ass fire burning beside him.


The real Naruto had entered the forest surrounding the village. He could sense a potent chakra in the air. A chakra filled with malice and hatred. A chakra similar to that of Kurama's. No doubt it was the chakra of the one-tailed beast. He landed on a tree and saw the source of said chakra. Gaara was unrecognisable. He was covered in sand with only his feet exposed. He had blue lines and markings all across his sand body. His head had taken the shape similar to that of a raccoon and he had a tail of sand.

He turned his attention to Sasuke who was facing off against Gaara alone. He looked winded, no doubt having fought Gaara for quite awhile. He sensed Shikamaru and apparently Shino, who were a few hundred metres away, probably in their own fights. He looked around his surroundings and noticed Temari on the ground, holding her arm as she had a pained expression on her face.

He threw a kunai at Gaara who was about to swipe Sasuke with his tail, to get his attention. "Oi! Over here, sandy!" He shouted. Gaara stopped mid swipe and turned towards him, allowing Sasuke to get a kick on Gaara's chin before running away to join Naruto.

"Looking a bit worse for wear there, emo," Naruto said mockingly. When he looked at Sasuke close up, he noticed that he had several cuts and his shirt was slightly torn.

"I don't know what you mean, blondie," he replied with a smirk. "It's not like I just a fought fucking sand raccoon monster or anything. Just another regular Tuesday."

Naruto would've laughed if not for said raccoon rushing at them. Gaara had a hand lifted up ready to slice through Sasuke and Naruto with his long and sharp nails. Naruto grabbed onto Sasuke's shirt and light stepped them away. "Where's Shikamaru?"

"On our way here, a bunch of Oto-nin ambushed us but Shikamaru said he would take care of it. Kankuro stopped escorting his brother to join the group of Oto-nin but Shino came. So right now, they're both fighting. I took out the sister before I fought Gaara."

Naruto nodded and looked at the opponent they had to fight. "Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, mother wants to kill you…You will prove my existence," Gaara said in a deep voice and a maniacal smile appeared on his face. Gaara rushed towards them at high speeds. Naruto and Sasuke dodged backwards but Gaara kept at them. They jumped through the trees as Gaara tailed them.

"Any plans?" Naruto asked as he dodged a sand bullet from Gaara.

"I've tried to use the Chidori but it can't pierce fully through the sand and my fire jutsu are not strong enough to turn the sand to glass," Sasuke replied.

Naruto created an explosive clone who jumped towards Gaara and exploded. The explosion blew a few trees away and shook the ground. It was bigger than the one he used against Neji. However, Gaara was unfazed and simply shrugged it off before continuing his chase. 'Damn, he took that explosion like it was nothing.'

Naruto and Sasuke kept on dodging and weaving as they came up with a plan. Gaara continuously sent sand shuriken and wind bullets their way. The area was too small for them to fully dodge and they received small cuts. They traversed through the trees until they came up to a clearing with a small lake when a light bulb lit up in Naruto's head. "Sasuke, keep on leading him to the lake! We're gonna hit him there!" He ordered and the Uchiha nodded.

They dropped down from the trees and ran to the lake. Gaara dropped down behind them and used a jutsu. " Futon: Mugen Sajin- Daitoppa (Wind Style: Infinte Sandstorm Devastation) " Gaara inhaled causing him to swell up before releasing a strong gust of wind mixed with sand. Naruto turned around and created a water wall but the jutsu managed to overpower the wall and sent Naruto and Sasuke flying towards the lake. The jutsu was boosted using Shukaku's chakra which made it many times stronger.

"Argh!!" Naruto and Sasuke crashed in the lake causing water to splash out. Naruto was sent further back as he was closer to Gaara. His had multiple cuts on him and his shirt was torn. They climbed out using chakra to stand on the water. They were drenched and Gaara was slowly approaching them. Sasuke turned to his left and his eyes widened. For the first time ever, he saw Naruto's face. Apparently, his clothes weren't the only things that were torn. Sasuke gestured to his face and Naruto's eyes widened. "Damn. You know what? I'm surprised it took this long to happen. We can talk later."

Putting his shock aside, Sasuke looked back at Gaara. "What now?" He asked.

"I need you to use a lightning jutsu," Naruto replied.

"And electrocute ourselves?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. 'Is he dumb?'

"It's going to be fine…I think," Naruto said oh so convincingly while he created a clone.

Naruto and his clone went through several hand seals and Sasuke's interest was piqued. This was the first time Sasuke had seen Naruto use more than one hand seal. He concluded that it was going to be a strong jutsu. He himself went through a few hand seals. 'Ox, Monkey, Bird, Rat, Hare, Tiger, Monkey, Horse, Snake and lastly Bird!' " Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Dargon Jutsu)! " Both Naruto and his clone exclaimed. Two water dragons rose up from the lake they were standing on and rushed towards Gaara. Sasuke felt his clothes getting drier as if the water was being absorbed right out of it.

Gaara saw the two dragons rushing towards him and immediately manoeuvred out of the way. However, he noticed that the dragons followed him. One of the dragons drove straight at him and crashed into the ground as he dodged. However, the other dragon had flanked him and crashed into his side. He was sent flying backwards into the tree line. He crashed and broke a few trees before he stood up. His sand was now soaking wet and he felt much heavier. "Sasuke, now!" He heard. He turned his attention to the duo before pain began to hit him and he shouted.

Sasuke had used his Chidori to conduct electricity to the trail of water that Gaara left behind and eventually electrocuted him. Gaara's sand may have worked as protection from electricity before. However, now it was soaked and the water in the sand worked as a conductor. Furthermore, his feet were still exposed, hence the electricity also travelled from the water to his feet before shocking his body. Sasuke had to admit, that was a good plan. Although, nobody would ever hear him say it. He looked towards Naruto who was slightly panting.

"Man…I still haven't gotten that jutsu down…Too much chakra," he said in between pants. He was starting to feel chakra drainage from the amount of clones and jutsu he used. Some of his clones had dispelled but he still had a lot more needing his chakra. Naruto and Sasuke watched as Gaara rose to his feet. He looked at the duo with murder in his eyes.

"Uzumaki, Uchiha…I will kill you!" Gaara exclaimed before more sand started to surround him. The sand kept increasing in volume and speed as it surrounded Gaara. The sand shot out to the sky all at once before a puff of smoke appeared. As the smoke cleared, Shukaku, the one-tailed beast, stood in its glory.

"Naruto, that is Shukaku…" Kurama simply stated before Naruto felt his chakra entering his system. "I will not have my jinchuriki die to Shukaku of all things."

'Aww, you do care, Kurama…'

"No. This is to protect my pride. Shukaku will never let down if he manages to kill one of my hosts."

'Whatever lets you sleep better, Kurama…'

"Sasuke…Hold on," Naruto said as he made hand seals and slammed his hand onto the ground. " Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)! " An array of seals appeared below them before they were engulfed in smoke and were lifted several metres upwards. Whatever Sasuke was expecting, he certainly wasn't expecting to be standing on a toad. 'Naruto…What in the world? How strong are you?'

"Naruto, why have you summoned me?" Came the voice of Gamabunta.

"Chief, we need your help," Naruto said as he gestured to Shukaku.

"Shukaku of the Sand…" Gamabunta muttered with narrowed eyes. "Ok, I will help," he said as he leaped towards Shukaku with his tanto unsheathed.


Meanwhile back in the village

A Naruto clone had been fighting with Kakashi and Gai in the stadium when he sensed an increase in the number of chakra signatures coming from within the barrier the Hokage was trapped in. He rushed to the barrier and what he saw within got him worried. The Shodai and Nidaime Hokage had been revived by Orochimaru. "Anbu-san, we have to get the Hokage out of there," he said as he turned to the Anbu beside him.

"We already tried. We went underground, overhead, and tried to pierce through the barrier but it wouldn't break. The barrier is stronger than usual and it's probably because of the chakra they're using," the Anbu with a bird mask explained.

Naruto turned his attention to the four users and noticed that they were in their own small barriers. Furthermore, he saw that their bodies were covered in black flames like Sasuke had been in the forest of death. 'They're using the cursed seal to boost the barrier. No wonder it's so tough to break. Shit, what can we do?'


Gamabunta launched towards Shukaku and brought out his tanto. Shukaku brought out a hand to grab the toad but Gamabunta quickly stabbed his sword through its arm. He pushed against it but the tanto would not go fully through. He readjusted his grip before leaping above Shukaku and slicing the arm off but he lost the tanto at the same time.

"Uzumaki, Uchiha…this is the END! I will show you the true power of the sand spirit" Gaara said as his voice slowly became deeper. He sat at the top of Shukaku's head with half of his body submerged in sand. " Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu (Playing Possum Jutsu) " Gaara closed his eyes and went limp before a new voice came.

"I'm finally free!" Exclaimed the voice. Shukaku had fully taken over. The jutsu forced Gaara to fall asleep, allowing Shukaku to take over his mind. Gamabunta sent a water bullet towards Shukaku who countered with an air bullet. The two continued trading jutsu and cancelling each other out. 'What is this battle…' Sasuke thought in awe and disbelief.

"Uchiha, prepare your strongest fire jutsu," Gamabunta ordered, surprising Sasuke. He hadn't expected to be part of the battle. Gamabunta leaped backwards and gathered oil in his mouth. "Here comes the oil!" Gamabunta spewed out a large stream of oil at Shukaku. Seeing this as his cue, Sasuke released his jutsu, " Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu (Fire style: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu) !" The fire dragon shot out towards the oil and lit it up to cause a vortex of flames. Naruto and Sasuke could easily feel how hot the flame was as it travelled towards Shukaku.

Seeing the massive blaze heading towards him, Shukaku erected a sand shield with his arm. He would dodge it but due to his big bulky build, he couldn't move fast enough and any of his wind jutsu would only power the blaze even more. Sasuke and Gamabunta kept up their jutsu for as long as they could.

After a few moments they smirked as they saw the results. Shukaku's arm had turned molten and was dripping from its previously solid form. Sasuke felt pride in his chest before he fainted from chakra exhaustion. He had already used his Chidori too many times and with this fire jutsu, he was completely out.

Before Shukaku could do anything, he was hit by a water bullet in the chest. He staggered backwards but didn't fall. However, Gamabunta appeared in front of him and grabbed his shoulders to stop him from moving. "Naruto, now! Wake him up!"

Naruto leaped off Gamabunta's head and punched Gaara in the face. "Wake the fuck up!" Gaara opened his eyes to see Naruto standing in front of him. 'This guy, he stopped my jutsu…' Gaara sent sand streams towards Naruto who dodged them. "You will be killed, Uzumaki. You will prove my existence…" Gaara said in his regular voice.

Naruto was attacked relentlessly by the sand as Gaara used his jutsu again and went back to sleep. Naruto dodged and weaved but he could not move closer to Gaara. "Chief!" He called as Gamabunta wrapped his tongue around Naruto to protect him from a 360 degree sand attack. Gamabunta used his tongue to throw Naruto towards Gaara. He reeled back a fist, "I said wake the fuck up!" Naruto exclaimed as he punched Gaara again. However, this time, Gaara did not wake up. Sand started to wrap around Naruto. 'Shit. I can't move my arms. No, I can't lose like this… He will destroy the village. I can't let that happen. I promised…I promised to protect everyone I care about!' Seeing it as the only option, Naruto head butted Gaara with all the strength he could muster. Gaara's eyes opened suddenly as his head was sent reeling back by the hit.

"No, I just got here. I don't want to go already!" Shukaku yelled before Gaara's mind took over. Shukaku's form disappeared in a puff of smoke causing Gaara and Naruto to fall. They landed on opposite trees glaring at each other. Gamabunta placed Sasuke's unconscious body down gently before disappearing in a puff of smoke. They rushed towards each other when the smoke cleared. Naruto punched Gaara and sent him to the ground. He used a shunshin and appeared in front of him. Gaara's chakra had been drained from summoning Shukaku and could not afford to retaliate.

"How can you be so strong?!" Gaara asked with fear in his eyes. He started to slowly back away when Naruto approached him.

"It's because I have my friends and those I consider my family. They showed me love and made me strong. We didn't talk much during the fight but I could see it in your eyes," he said as he now stood over Gaara with a sad smile plastered on his face.

"No, get away from me! You will not erase my existence!" Gaara screamed as he desperately tried to crawl away.

Naruto crouched down and winced in pain. He had probably broken a bone or two when Gaara hit him with his jutsu. He stared into Gaara's green eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It hurts doesn't it? That loneliness and pain. To feel as if nobody cares about you and as if you don't exist to them. Whenever I look at you, I see what I could've been. What could've been if I hadn't met my Nee-chan and Nii-san. What could've been if I hadn't opened up and made friends. I know how it feels to be a jinchuriki, I am one after all. However, Gaara, you're not as lonely as you think. You're siblings, they definitely care for you. To them, you're not a monster, only their little brother. And if you ever need a friend, I can be your first."

Gaara stared at Naruto with wide eyes. 'Is this truly the way to get strong?' He thought. All he could do was nod and Naruto gave him a grin. Two figures landed behind him, both looking like they had better days.

"Get away from Gaara you fucker!" came the demanding voice of Kankuro

Gaara gazed towards them before looking back at Naruto. He finally saw the concern his siblings had for him. Maybe Naruto could be right. "Temari…Kankuro…This fight is over. Let's go home," he said.

Naruto smiled at him and looked towards the sand siblings who were cautious in approaching. "I won't stop you. In fact, I don't think I can last much longer. You guys should go before any more Konoha-nin come," he said as he passed the sand siblings to go towards Sasuke.

Kankuro slung Gaara's arm around his shoulder and the three made their way back to Suna. "Kankuro…Temari…I'm sorry," Gaara managed to say after much hesitation.

Kankuro and Temari nearly lost their footing. 'Did Gaara just say sorry?' They both thought. "It's okay Gaara…" Temari replied, gaining a smile from Gaara. This time, his smile was genuine, no longer a maniacal one.

Naruto slung Sasuke's arm around his shoulders and started their track back to Konoha. He could feel his chakra level getting lower than it had ever been. Many of his clones had dispelled but there were still a few left. He continued walking until a memory from a clone hit him. His body became weak and his knees started to shake. He fell to the ground with Sasuke's body by his side. He was on all fours as he tried to keep himself balanced. Tears poured out from his eyes and stained the ground beneath him. He heard footsteps and looked up through watery eyes to see a small dog wearing a blue vest. 'Jiji…' was his last thought before he let his body rest and all he saw was black.


"Naruto, my boy. You've grown up so much since that small boy that Kakashi took in. Your parents must be proud of you. I know I am. The jutsu I used, there's no way to save me… My time's up. Take care of Konohamaru for me. Naruto, I want you to remember this: When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew. That is the will of fire…Remember Naruto especially when you become Hokage."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and immediately light bombarded his eyes. He squinted his eyes as they tried to get used to the light. He looked around and realised he was in the hospital. He looked to his right and saw Sasuke lying in a bed. He also realised that many of his friends were in the ward seemingly waiting for the two of them to wake up. "You're finally awake," came the voice of Kakashi who was sitting in the chair in between his and Sasuke's bed, reading his book.

Kakashi's statement brought the attention of his friends who rushed to surround his bed. "How long was I out," he asked. He sat up with a groan. Most of his injuries had been healed by Kurama but it was still sore.

"About a day or so. Sasuke's yet to wake up, although I shouldn't be surprised with your recovery rate," Kakashi said as he closed his book to look at Naruto. "Had us worried for a while there, Otouto. That was quite bad chakra exhaustion." Kakashi ruffled his hair and gave him an eye smile.

Naruto finally turned to his classmates who looked ready to burst with questions. However, he noticed that they seemed slightly wide eyed. "What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Your mask. It's our first time seeing you without it," Ino said with a slight blush. Naruto's eyes widened and didn't know how to respond. He looked towards Kakashi questioningly.

"The nurse wouldn't let me put a spar on no matter how hard I tried. Everyone saw your face cause I had to travel through the village to get you to the hospital," Kakashi explained.

'Oh man…I feel so naked without my mask…' Naruto thought with a sigh. He turned back towards his friends and they started asking him questions. He recalled his and Sasuke's entire fight with Gaara and what happened until they fell unconscious. "You and Sasuke fought a tailed beast and won?" Choji said in awe. "Yup."

After they cleared questions about their fight against Gaara, they started asking other unrelated questions that were on their minds. "Why did Kakashi-sensei call you Otouto?" Asked Sakura. "Who was that purple-haired lady from the stadium?" Kiba asked. "Why do you wear a mask?" "How do you create so many clones?" The questions went on and on and Naruto started feeling slightly overwhelmed. He hadn't even answered any questions before another was asked. Luckily, Kakashi was there to save him, "Ma ma…You guys are overloading him. He just woke up, he should rest. Maybe you guys could ask him another time?" Kakashi said before practically shooing them away. Everyone except Shikamaru said their goodbyes and left.

"Man, you guys are troublesome, you know that?" Shikamaru said. "I wish I could've helped but after taking out the group of Oto-nin, I had to take Shino who got poisoned to the hospital. As you saw just now, he's fine."

"I'm not troublesome, just trouble finds me." Naruto said with a chuckle. "You holding up okay, Shika?"

"Yeah, aside from a few scratches, I'm good."

"Glad to hear that."

"Shikamaru, since your teammates are out right now, we won't be taking any missions. The genin were planned to take missions to help with cleanup but that's clearly not possible. So you can either work with another team or work with your clan to clean up," Kakashi said.

"Must I work?" Shikamaru groaned.

"I was told to order you to work… so, Shikamaru, I order you to do something," Kakashi said with a wink.

Shikamaru smirked before leaving. 'It's been awhile since I cloud watched…'

Naruto looked out towards the window to his left and saw buildings in rubble. Part of the wall had also been destroyed. Shinobi and civilians alike were rushing here and there to help as much as they could. He looked towards the Hokage mountain and it was like a stab to the heart. "When is the funeral?" he asked as his voice broke. Tears started streaming down his cheek. He didn't want his friends to see him in a state of weakness.

Kakashi moved to give a small hug. "In two days…I didn't think you would know about it," he said.

"I had a clone there. It was…I was holding his hands and he said that…he was proud of me and believed I could be Hokage…before he…he passed," Naruto said in between sobs. "He's gone, Nii-san…" Naruto cried in Kakashi's arms before falling asleep.


Two Days Later

Kakashi stood in front of the memorial stone as he stared at the names of his past teammates and sensei. He heard footsteps behind him but did not look. "Are those for Hayate?" He asked.

Yugao came forward and placed a bouquet of flowers on the memorial stone. "And you, senpai? Paying respects to them?" She asked as she made a silent prayer for Hayate.

"We should hurry, the funeral is starting," Kakashi said as he started to move away.

"Maybe you should come earlier."

"I did…I've been here since dawn. With having a genin team, I've been visiting less often. However, when I do visit, I get lost in time and hours pass without realising," Kakashi said.

"How? How do you do it, senpai? How do you cope?" She asked as her voice broke.

Kakashi looked up to the sky as dark clouds started coming overhead. "I used to come here everyday, but ever since Naruto came into my life, I've been going to it less and less. This place…it's a place where I think of the many mistakes I've made in the past. They say, to endure is the way of a shinobi… They're right but nobody ever said you have to endure it alone…" He turned to look Yugao in the eyes. "You don't have to do it alone…" he said softly before he disappeared in a shunshin.


It seemed the world knew whenever people were in mourning. On the day of the funeral, the sky had opened like it did for Hayate and let its tears fall. The whole village had gathered for the funeral of all the lost shinobi and civilians. The most prominent being Hiruzen Sarutobi. Everyone wore black as they buried the fallen shinobi and civilians who were caught in any crossfire. Naruto stood with the rest of friends. Sasuke had woken up a few hours after Naruto did and was healthy enough to attend the funeral. Konohamaru stood by Naruto as he cried rivers. He held onto Naruto's shirt like it was a lifeline. And maybe to him it was. Konohamaru had lost his parents to a shinobi mission gone bad. Until now, he usually had his grandfather and his uncle, Asuma. However, it looked like it was time for his grandfather to leave this world.

'It's a shinobi rule, to never show one's emotion. And here I stand in front of you, Jiji trying my best to follow that rule.' Naruto thought as he placed a flower in front of the Hokage's photo. 'Thank you, Hokage-sama…' Naruto bowed to pay respects before moving on, a lone tear slipped out from his eye.

"He's gone…Naruto-niichan," Konohamaru sobbed into Naruto's shirt.

"A person isn't truly gone after they've passed away." Iruka spoke up, getting the attention of those around. "When someone dies, they take their dreams, their past, their future all with them. However, there are things that they never take with them…"

"Their bonds…" Naruto continued.

"Their memories…" Kakashi said.

Iruka looked up at them and smiled in thanks. "They continue to live on through the people they left behind. The bonds they made when they lived with others will be cherished. They will live forever in their memories and everyone will remember who they were."

Konohamaru looked up at Iruka and nodded. Iruka smiled and ruffled his hair. Naruto gazed at Hiruzen's photo, 'Jiji, we will never forget you. You're touched all of our lives here…I hope I can be like that one day. To have influenced as many lives as I can, no matter how small…'


The sky turned a golden orange as the sun started to set behind the horizon and the moon started to take its place in the darkening sky. Naruto sat on Hiruzen's stone head as he watched the darkness slowly engulfing his village. ' The fire's shadow will illuminate and once again… always love speaking in riddles, eh Jiji. Never making it easy on me,' Naruto thought with a chuckle. He sensed a presence approaching from behind him.

"Anything wrong, ero-sennin?" He asked.

Jiraiya stepped out from the shadows and stood beside Naruto looking out at the village. "Do you wanna come on a mission with me, gaki?" He asked hopefully.

"A mission? What kind?" Naruto's curiosity was piqued.

"The new Hokage kind," Jiraiya replied with a grin.

"The new Hokage? Are you not the new Hokage?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no. They did ask me but my skills are best not kept behind a desk. So, are you on, gaki?"

Naruto looked out towards the village as he contemplated his answer. "Ok. When do we go?"

"Tomorrow, 8am at the main gate," Jiraiya said before disappearing in a shunshin.

Naruto looked out towards the village yet again. 'The new Hokage…'


This finally marks the end of the chunin exams arc. Can't believe I've actually written 20 chapters. Did not think that I will actually write that much when I started. Anyways, we're getting ever closer to the end of Naruto. Thanks for reading, Ja ne.