Naruto: Kōkai

by Ken Miyamoto

After the failure of the Sasuke Retrieval Mission the Council of the Hidden Leaf decides to punish Naruto with banishment from the village forcing the hand of Tsunade. Now alone and no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Naruto decides to take his newfound life into his own hands. Follow Naruto Uzumaki as he tries to find his place in the ninja world.

30. Chapter 30

Yo, It's Ken.

I just wanted to apologize for the longer than usual wait on this chapter, man this short week because of the holiday kicked my butt and this chapter didn't help but mostly because during the writing process I wasn't satisfied with what I was writing causing me to re-write it a couple of times to something I was satisfied with publishing for you guys to read so I hope you enjoy this one I ended up having fun writing this chapter too.

Now let's get to reviews, shall we?

CloudWalker2740: I figured this one was coming and I get where you are coming from. However, I wanted to put my own little spin on the concept while it also adds to the story so allow me to take a shot at it and I hope you can enjoy the story. Thank you again for reading!

Alexander4443: Thanks, as always bro! See you in the next one!

Dragonkeeper10: Hey there! Tayuya's survival was one of my favorite parts of the chapter to write honestly, I got to begin the exploration of this character and I'm really looking forward to writing both Tayuya and Naruto going forward as this arc really changes everything going forward. As for the swordsman you'll have to read the chapter to find out more about that and that's all I'll say for now. Now as for the Tayuya being and Uzumaki... interesting :). Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope to see you again in the next one!

Krieger Techpriest: Krieger! Hey there! Also, yes, no massacres this time... lol Yes, our blonde is suffering from a little memory loss and the shenanigans are something I'm looking forward to and I hope you are too. Tayuya now enters the mix a character that I've been looking forward to writing for a while now and I'm glad she's here. The absolute mad lad indeed lol. Thank you again for reading and I'll see you again in the next one!

Gamesdean1: Hey there Dean! Random Shisui would have been fun but alas it's Tayuya and she's here to be a character I'm glad she was a welcome surprise. The whole Kurotsuchi situation is something a lot of people are looking forward too, myself included but time will tell. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

Kanakire: I love all the Naruto factory reset jokes, they are just great lol Tayuya's shitmouth is one of the reasons I was looking forward to writing her admittedly but there are other reasons like plot and character lol Thank you again for reading!

Javiur: Hey there! Thank you for stopping by and enjoying the chapter! Yes, Naruto has lost his memories now I get to play with the mystery element a little bit emphasis on a little bit. You'll see what I'm talking about soon, but I will say it wasn't Yugao's fault. The amount of care that goes into Naruto's sword is something I love seeing too, I'm glad you enjoy it plus you'll have to read and find out. The wait is over the next chapter is here! Jump in and tell em what you think! Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

Abash1: The Tayuya being an Uzumaki theory shows up again we'll have to see and unfortunately, I'm not a spoiler's guy but Tayuya and Naruto will get closer as time goes on but as for how things pan out, you'll have to read and see but I'm glad there's a lot of love for Kurotsuchi. Thank you again for reading.

Kopi Susu Dingin: Hey there Kopi! I hope you're feeling a little better man, thank you again for all of your questions and responses on Discord I'm always a big fan of talking with you about the story and stuff! Also a linear path of Naruto's memories coming back sounds interesting but you'll ahev to read and see as they slowly return to him. As for the reaction of the others about Tayuya traveling with Naruto, It'll be interesting to see but time will tell for that one. Thank you for enjoying it, I'm sorry for the delay but here's the new chapter for ya! Thank you again for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

Levitress: I'm really glad you enjoyed the time with Naruto and Kurotsuchi and I hope you continue reading, while Kurotsuchi isn't present at the moment that does not mean she's gone, she'll be back and I can't wait to write for her again until then we'll be here moving forward in the story. Thank you again for reading.

Zipzapdoowoop: Welcome back and I mean it when I say that also thank you for joining the Discord feel free to ping me with any questions or even just to chat I'm happy to talk about things! Now then as per usual with your reviews I love reading them and I'm glad you came back to catch up with the story, so I'll answer some of your questions. I did notice that in places it could be a little disjointed, I usually try to be flexible with my writing style and try to change up the formatting and even how scenes are written but I'm taking a look into the issue, and I am going about trying to fix it as we move forward, thank you for the feedback I appreciate it. Naruto losing his memory abruptly was a bit out there but the next couple of chapters will explain I promise bear with the mystery element I'm trying out. Now I won't get into spoiler territory but with Tayuya being the new companion it wouldn't be wrong to say that she will eventually go to Uzushiogakure with Naruto once he regains his memories. Also a secondary element will involve Tayuya's legs being healed that will be soon but I won't say much more for now.

Well, when it comes to the characters of the world, I really wanted to make them three dimensional and grounded with things that could happen in the world they are being written in as this allows for characters to be written in more complex manners. However, that being said, if you were looking for a pure evil villian the likes of Sukuna or Doflamingo. This is the arc for you. I always wanted to write an antagonist that acts as direct opposition of the main character in an unredeemable way, and this is the arc that character finally arrives and all I can say is I can't wait to write them.

Lastly, welcome back once again. I'm so glad this story is one you were able to come back too and still enjoy reading, the story will only go up from here so stay tuned and stick around we're glad to have you. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next one.

Kabudio: Hey there! Holy crap, you're re-reading the story now? I'm super honored you enjoy it this much. I apologize for the late chapter, but I'll be making up for this I promise so stay tuned. I'll take my time so that I can write the best chapter I can right rather than rush it and make a mediocre chapter but here it is so go on and read. There actually is a Discord! If you want to join in every release I enter the link in the bottom of the author's note before the next chapter title drop so, check that out and we'll be glad to have you. Thank you again so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next one!

Jagsboy: Jags! Hey there and thank you again for joining the Discord and asking your questions I'm always more than happy to answer them and chat about stuff! You are also so correct, the memories being lost is just a small issue but Naruto's character still shines through so he would still do the same for Tayuya absolutely. As far as pairings go for right now, I do have a plan but I want to put the pairings into the readers hands so they can decide which pairing they like the most because I will be taking out time to dive into them in this story so there will be plenty to see. One thing I do want to clarify is the amnesia doesn't really wipe the slate clean as much as it provides and even playing field if that makes sense but let me not get too ahead of myself there but please take your time to look between the two pairings as time passes you'll know which one I promise.

So Tayuya being an Uzumaki comes up a lot and while I can't say much at the moment I will say that while I do mention her as a pinkette adding the 'Reddish' detail to that was no mistake and that's all I'll say on that. Tayuya is an interesting character when it comes to her development and it's a character arc I'm ready to dive into while she travels with Naruto, I'm pretty excited for it. I don't know how you do it but you are right on the money with that one, I'll let you read but good job connecting the Sasuke thing there man. I'm glad you love the story and I hope to keep it that way.

Thank you so much for reading and I'll see you in the next one!

There go the reviews, as always if you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback feel free to leave a review I read them all and will respond to as many as possible in the next chapter if I miss any it isn't personal I promise.

Something crazy I just realized is that, the one-year anniversary of Naruto Kokai is coming up! That's crazy to me, time really flew by since I uploaded this on a whim and already, I've met a bunch of fantastic people and wrote a story that you guys can enjoy and that makes me super grateful. I'll save the mushy stuff for the anniversary but I do have to say that there is a certain chapter I want to release on the anniversary day so that means back-to-back chapters until that one arrives. The grind is going to be real but these next few chapters are ones I've been looking forward to so I'll be writing them with excitement as we really get into this arc so look forward to that!

You guys know there is a Discord as people may hate me for updating the link with every chapter release but hey a guy can only try haha. Anyway I know a lot isn't going on at the moment but I'll have some stuff coming and I also drop updates and sneak peeks on the new chapters so if you joing you can check those out there. Not to mention I love chatting with you guys and answering questions so feel free to come by and chat, though as always it's up to you. You don't become any less awesome because you didn't join haha. The link is here, hope to see ya! /2CcUyJwYME

Thank you all so much for your patience and your support of the story!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

-Ken

Next Time! Chapter 31: Remember You

{...}

Chapter 30: The Gamble

"Hey."

"What?"

"I think I remember something now."

"Shut up and walk, Shithead."

Tayuya said while the young man gave her a look while he was walking, "I'm being serious, it just came to me and it feels pretty familiar." The boy said while the girl sighed.

"What is it?"

She asked while the blonde reached into his pouch just underneath her thigh before he quickly pulled out a book. "Look! This book, I saw it while I was looking for that clover and when I opened it up, I remembered the story a little!" The blonde proudly announced while he presented the green hardcover book to the pinkette who grabbed it from his hands.

"Make-Out Paradise Innocence?"

Tayuya asked while the blonde nodded his head, "Yeah, it's a love story between Akihiro and Honoka. A couple of young teens as their relationship moves into adulthood. The thing I remembered was that I was frustrated with how Vol. 2 ended and luckily came across this one… I pin down when that was exactly though." The blonde said while Tayuya huffed.

"A book nerd and a pansy. This last year has been rough for you, Shithead."

Tayuya said while the blonde shot her a glare, "Oi, it's a good story… I think. I haven't read it yet but if I had it with me then it must be." The blonde said while the girl rolled her eyes.

"That could just mean you have shit taste."

She retorted while the blonde huffed in response to the girl, "What else you got in this pouch?" The girl asked while the blonde shrugged.

"A lot of small scrolls, money, that book. Nothing with my name on it unfortunately."

The blonde said while Tayuya stuck her free hand into his pouch pulling out an orange scroll before she opened it up, "A sealing formula? A rather complex one too. I'll add that to your secret talents list." Tayuya said while she messed with the scroll.

"You have a list?"

The blonde asked while the girl examined the scroll further before she placed a hand on it, "No, you idiot. Why would I- woah!" Tayuya reacted as a puff of smoke revealed a sword that flipped in the air before landing in front of them.

"Watch it! You tryin' to kill us or something?"

The blonde said while the pinkette gave him a glare, "Why do you have a fucking sword popping out of a scroll?" The girl asked while they both looked toward the sheathed blade sticking out of the ground.

"Woah…"

The blonde trailed off while the pair looked toward the sword, "Pick it up." The girl said while the teen boy grabbed the sword.

"I had this with me?"

The blonde inspected the blade before he unsheathed it, the metal sang slightly while Tayuya looked at the blade. "What the hell? This looks custom made, the quality is incredible." She appraised while she saw the engravings in the blade.

The blonde assumed a stance holding the sword in his hand as if it was a reflex before he skillfully and quickly cut into the air with the sword. Tayuya's eyes widened as she watched the blonde wield his sword with trained precision in a stance she had never seen before.

"It feels so natural… This sword. I remember holding it, a lot. Yeah, someone made this for me."

The blonde recollected while he dragged his fingers over the engravings in the metal, his finger touched the swirl near the hilt.

"Kaze no Yakusoku."

The blonde spoke while Tayuya continued to look at the boy in surprise, "Can you remember anything else? Like who made the blade or where it came from?" The girl asked while the blonde shook his head.

"I'm trying but it's still super fuzzy, I can pin any names down but this sword… it feels warm."

The blonde said as he gave it a smile before the pinkette watched his expression, whatever history the blonde had it was a long one.

He's seen more than she originally thought.

This along with his sheer physicality fighting off multiple high ranked ninja with mostly Taijutsu and deflecting an A-rank jutsu said a lot about his time in this past year alone. If this was the guy while his memories were gone.

She wondered what kind of monster he was with them back.

"Hey, let's put that back before you poke an eye out."

Tayuya said while the blonde skillfully spun the sword before he caught it, "I don't know, I'm pretty good with this thing. You got nothing to fear with this in my hands. Pretty cool, huh?" The blonde said before he was cooked on the back of his head.

"Quit getting cocky and listen, you crazy bastard. I don't need you swinging that around like a manic when we get into town."

Tayuya scolded while the young man huffed, "Alright alright." The blonde said before he passed it over to her where she resealed the sword into its scroll.

"You said you had money, right?"

The girl asked while the blonde nodded his head, "Yeah, it's in the wallet." The teen said while Tayuya reached in and grabbed the wallet.

She pulled out the green frog-shaped wallet before she gave the blonde a look like he was an idiot.

"Oh cool, it's a frog."

The blonde commented while the girl sighed, "You're a literal fucking child." She spoke while the young man chuckled.

"Whatever, you're just mad you don't have a cool wallet."

The teen holding onto the blonde's back said while she opened the wallet, "Shut it." She said while her eyes widened slightly at the stuffed wallet.

Why was he carrying around this much money? If he got robbed, then whoever did it would have a hefty payday.

She would have figured his mission earnings would be stored somewhere other than on his person.

He was an idiot, but this was ridiculous.

That led into her line of thinking that there was something more to the blonde's situation other than what she originally thought. Why didn't he store this at his home? When did he have the time to get a sword made? Why was he completely alone? And most importantly.

Why was he being hunted by those ninjas in Kusasa before they had left?

The blonde was a giant puzzle that only brought more questions the more she thought about his situation.

Nothing was adding up.

"Hey, did those nicknames they were calling you earlier ring any bells? You know, like Blue-Eyed Demon or the Dancing Blade?"

Tayuya inquired while the blonde looked into the air with thought, "Not really… I guess I was some kind of demon or something." The blonde spoke while the girl gave him a look.

Sure, he was a Jinchuriki but the title knowing this guy as he was right now didn't make a ton of sense.

Was he really up to something more that earned him that title?

"Oh, I got it!"

The blonde exclaimed while Tayuya gave him a look of surprise, did he really just remember something important from that prompt? "You and I were partners in crime! That explains the evil sounding nicknames! "The blonde exclaimed while Tayuya's expression sank into utter confusion and slight exhaustion at the teen.

"Oh, yeah. Right on the money, Shithead. We were a duo, I was the leader, and you were the muscle. Heh, you even called me Boss and Mistress back in the day."

Tayuya spoke sarcastically while teasing the blonde for his suggestion while he gave her a look with his blue eyes.

"Wait really? I was right? I knew we were friends! How could I forget you, Boss! Look, I remember now."

The blonde said while Tayuya sighed heavily, "You really are a massive fucking idiot." The girl said while the blonde huffed.

"That's pretty mean, Boss."

The blonde said while Tayuya groaned, "Quiet, listen. We need supplies, clothes, food, water, probably a few tools for journeying around. We're using your money to buy the stuff once we make it to the next village. Got it?" The pinkette demanded while the blonde gave her a salute.

"Sounds good, Boss!"

The teen boy responded while Tayuya groaned, "Quit calling me that, Dipshit." The girl growled while the boy nodded his head.

"Whatever you say, Yuya."

The blonde spoke while Tayuya's eyes widened slightly at the nickname while the blonde gave her a fox-like grin. "Don't ever call me that again, Shithead. It's lame." The girl complained while the blonde kept walking forward toward the next village that they could see in the distance.

"Whatever, Yuya. I like it."

"I'll kill you."

The pair spoke amongst themselves while they walked toward the village, Tayuya wondering what else she would end up finding out about the mysterious blonde as the day went on.

Not knowing that soon she would find something far worse than she thought.

{...}

The village the pair had entered was bustling with the lively movements of large crowds of people as they moved through the streets from building to building, from the first glance taken at it since they entered the settlement it was far larger than Kusasa yet not on the scale of a full-fledged Hidden Village.

The large number of people circulating through the village meant that they would have plenty of cover, yet on the downside it also meant the volume of potential bounty hunters was larger as well.

They would have to be careful and keep a low profile.

"Hey Boss look!"

The blonde exclaimed while Tayuya flinched at the sudden exclamation, "What?!" the girl asked while the young man pointed at a large black building with a large colorful sign over it.

"That place looks pretty busy; I mean just look at all the people leaving in and out of it."

The blonde said while Tayuya looked toward the building and the well-dressed people walking into the building, the girl raised an eyebrow. "Must be some kind of casino, that could explain the large volume of people here. Not to mention the sketchy figures." the girl inspected while the blonde grinned.

"So, they are our kind of people. Eh, Boss?"

The blonde said with a chuckle while Tayuya groaned, "Stop calling me Boss you idiot! No, they are not our kind of people. They are a bunch of useless gangsters and nobodies with too much time and far too many problems. We are highly trained killers. Stop getting distracted, we have a goal." the girl said while the blonde sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Get clothes, find lodging, get out of here as soon as possible. Oh, and find you a new chair!"

The blonde listed off while Tayuya gave him a look, "What little ole me too heavy for the strong idiot to carry around? How pathetic…" the girl said while she looked toward the blonde who kept walking.

"..."

"...Oi, you're supposed to disagree!"

"About what? You're right you are kinda heavy."

A meaty thwack sounded while the blonde began to rub the back of his head from the swing from the girl he was carrying, "Shut up dumbass!" the girl growled while the blonde chuckled before he turned his head to look toward her.

"I seriously don't mind carrying you around, Tayuya. I just figured you wouldn't want to be carried around everywhere. I know how you feel about being mobile and didn't want to take that from you y'know?"

The blonde spoke earnestly while Tayuya looked toward the blonde for a moment before she sighed heavily, "You aren't fooling anyone with that nice guy act, Idiot. Keep moving." the girl said while the blonde smirked at her.

"You're welcome."

The blonde said before the girl groaned before tugging on the young man's ear as hard as she could while the pair walked toward the nearest clothes shop.

Shortly after they arrived the bell jingled announcing their arrival, the teen boy looked around the store with awe while Tayuya didn't look too impressed or at least did a good job at hiding it while they slowly walked into the store.

"Let's find something to get you out of those rags."

The girl said while the blonde walked further into the store until they reached a section where there was a cushion he was able to place Tayuya at, the girl sighed while the blonde began looking at the clothing on the racks.

"Find something discreet but easy to move in, we need to be able to move at a moment's notice and as fast as possible since we'll be on the run for a while. Nothing flashy or pointless."

Tayuya said while she looked toward the young man who swung a cape from in front of him to him back dramatically before he gave her a look, the blonde tried to make the evilest look on his face before he grinned at the sitting girl.

"Hell no."

Tayuya responded almost immediately while the blonde groaned, "Aw, come on. It's a cape! Capes are cool besides I think I can look like a pretty bad guy in this." the blonde displayed the cape again while the pinkette glared at him.

"Ditch the damn cape you idiot, I literally just said nothing flashy. Capes are stupid anyway."

Tayuya said while the young man gave her a look of mock hurt before he placed a hand over his chest, "How dare you? Don't worry Mr. Cape, the boss is just a spoilsport." the blonde spoke to the fabric while the girl groaned.

"Put the damn cape back!"

Tayuya yelled while the young man grinned before he laughed taking the cape off, "You think you must be the funniest damn thing out there huh? We are trying to find clothes to evade potential assassins and you're goofing around." the girl scolded while the teen boy continued grinning while moving clothes on the rack.

"That's because this is fun. Shopping for disguises and sneaking around from other bad guys. How can I not goof around?"

The blonde said while he pulled a black jacket off of the rack putting it on while Tayuya looked toward him, "That's what you're calling this? Fun? Running away from people trying to kill us? Constantly having to look over our shoulders to ensure there isn't a blade at our necks? Yeah, oh so super fun." the girl said sarcastically while the blonde chuckled before the girl felt something land on her head.

Tayuya's eyes widened before she saw the brim of a hat on her head while the blonde in front of her in the black jacket took a step back admiring his handy work before he gave her a grin.

"If people are after our lives, then why not have a little fun in spite of them? If they catch up, I'll just beat them anyway then we'll run again. Explore all sorts of places along the way. Yup, super fun to me. Also, yeah that hat is way better than your cap."

The blonde spoke while Tayuya gave the grinning boy a strange look, even after everything this guy would have possibly been through without a single memory to his name still remained so positive. She spent a large majority of her time since they left thinking of plan after plan to ensure their survival at least until his memories returned back to him.

Yet he was just enjoying the adventure, this wasn't just life and death for him. It was something more than that, it always has been from the start. For her it was survival, just making it another day. For him it was a precious experience.

The boy who had the eyes of a beast and fought like one was also the same person that could laugh goofily in the middle of some clothes store.

What kind of person was this guy?

Why despite the fact that they were both ninja could he live a life while all she could was run from death?

How could an idiot covered in scars shine like the sun while she cowered in the dark like the moon in the expanse of the night sky?

Despite the fact that they were only feet away from each other, even now. Tayuya couldn't help but feel the amount of distance between them. How far apart they were as people. Yet not once since he arrived ever so suddenly.

Did he try not to close that distance the best he could.

Tayuya looked at the hat she had taken off of her head that the blonde placed on her before she looked at the cap Orochimaru had given her, she looked between them for a moment before she looked up toward the blonde who now had an orange scarf around his neck on top of the black jacket.

"I was just thinking that this scarf looks kind of badass with the black jacket, definitely bad guy material, right?"

The blonde spoke while trying to make an evil face while Tayuya stared at him for a few moments before she looked down at her lap and snorted, "You look stupid, ditch the damn jacket." the girl said while the young man sighed heavily.

"Ever the critic huh?"

The blonde said while he took the jacket off, his hands touched the scarf while Tayuya looked toward him, "…You can keep the scarf." the girl spoke while the young man gave her a look as he grinned slightly while she rolled her eyes.

"Listen, you wouldn't know a bad guy if you were literally carrying them around with you. Let a pro show you how it's done. Grab that shirt over there, the black one."

Tayuya instructed while the blonde smiled and grabbed the shirt before he started stripping off his own, causing the girl's eyes to widen, "Get in the damn dressing room, Dumbass!" the girl yelled throwing a hanger the boy just barely dodged before escaping into the dressing area.

"You missed!"

The blonde said while another hanger hit him in the middle of his forehead while Tayuya smirked at him, "I didn't that time, now hurry up and change." the girl said before the boy chuckled disappearing into the dressing area before shortly afterward he stepped out of the room with the clothes on.

The black shirt was sleeveless revealing his arms while he had picked out orange pants with black stripes on the side of the pants paired with black sandals. He was also wearing the orange scarf wrapped around his neck while he did a brief pose.

"Do I look like a ninja now? I feel like a ninja!"

The blonde said excitedly while Tayuya huffed, "I suppose that ain't too bad of a look. It's passable at best, Shithead." the girl said admiring her handiwork the time while the blonde rubbed his chin with his fingers deep in thought.

"I feel like I'm missing something."

The blonde said before he walked back toward the racks, Tayuya watched him push through the clothes before his eyes lit up at his target. He then pulled out a simple black and orange jacket from the rack before he grinned quickly putting it on.

"That's more like it."

The blonde said while Tayuya sighed, "Why? You looked more badass without the jacket. Also, what is up with you and the color orange?" the girl asked while the blonde grinned before he walked toward the mirror to look at himself.

"I don't know it just feels like… me."

The blonde said while he looked into the mirror, he looked at his blue eyes and then his blonde hair before his fingers led to the small necklace around his neck. The blonde slowly reached his fingers up to touch the gem before he closed his eyes.

There was a flash of a blonde woman in a green jacket staring toward him, she looked beaten and bruised while he was on the ground. A gray-haired young man kicked him while he was on the ground, the woman was saying something to him that he couldn't hear.

"I'll never back down, that's my ninja way!"

The younger blonde said while the woman stared at him in shock while he walked in front of her, "You ready to lose that bet? That cursed necklace is mine." the young man said while the woman he stood in front of looked toward him in shock.

Multiple flashes of the woman gambling and laughing echoed in the blonde young man's head while he looked at the strange yet warm memories, he also remembered her at a desk somewhere she had paperwork in front of her.

"Hey Granny… Thanks for everything."

The young man said in his memory while the pained look on that woman's face barely caught his eye before he walked out of the room where she was sitting.

Who is that?

He called her Granny, and he protected her when he was younger. She was sad when he was walking away from her on that rainy day. Why? What had happened to him that he had to walk away?

The blonde continued to close his eyes while he felt his memories continuing to flow, he remembered another flash of memory showing him a purple haired young woman walking away from him while he was sitting in front of a campfire.

"I won't die until I kill you…"

The woman spoke while he watched her walk away. Who was that woman and why was she so familiar? Yugao… her name was Yugao, she came for him. He doesn't know where he was, but she came for him for some kind of reason.

He made her a promise.

The young man thought harder while another image flashed, this time it was an image of himself packing his things from that campsite, he was getting ready to leave but then he felt something barely hit him on the side of his head he had managed to mostly dodge it but still got hit a little.

It didn't feel hard, but it hurt.

The young man watched his own hands frantically make a hand sign, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" the blonde yelled before his clone appeared quickly pushing him out of the way of something before an explosion separated himself and his clone.

The young man watched as he coughed before slowly out of the smoke a figure walked out toward him, the figure was wearing a white decorated fox mask on his face while he approached the downed blonde with a blade gleaming at his side.

The figure's eyes behind the mask seemed to glow red before the young man watched the memory of himself beginning to evade attacks and run before, he felt it.

He was falling.

Then his body hit the water.

Was that what happened to him? There was more there had to be more, if he kept digging and kept pushing then maybe he could remember.

He could finally know why he couldn't remember.

The young man pushed and pushed trying to remember even more before he found himself standing in a dark room, his feet were slightly submerged in shallow water while he slowly turned his head toward a large wall of bars.

"It looks like you're beginning to hear me again, Brat."

A deep voice spoke from behind the bars while the blonde watched as red eyes suddenly opened behind the bars of the cage.

"Shithead!"

Tayuya called, causing the blonde to jump while he took several deep breaths before he looked toward the brown eyed girl sitting on the cushion, "You, ok?" the girl asked while the young man took a few more breaths before he took a deep one.

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. Just uh super excited about the new clothes. I got a little lost in thought admiring them, nothing to worry about!"

The blonde quickly spoke while the girl tilted her head, "Yeah… right. You remembered something, didn't you?" Tayuya asked while the blonde chuckled, rubbing the back of his hair.

"I said don't sweat it, it wasn't anything major. Look, you can't distract me from my job."

The blonde said while he pulled out a dark blue cap with a growing smile on his face, Tayuya flinched while looking toward the hat.

"Your turn, Boss!"

The blonde exclaimed while the girl sighed, "You're lucky I can't fucking run. I was tired of this dress anyway." The girl spoke while she decided to ignore the blonde's weird reaction to whatever he remembered when he looked into the mirror earlier.

She better be getting some kind of universal brownie points for this good deed, she's going to need something for the torment she was about to go through.

Turns out.

Tayuya really hates clothes shopping and after the whole ordeal…

So did the Blonde.

Now equipped with a new wheelchair and clothes Tayuya felt oddly refreshed, who knew that changing clothes would be a refreshing experience?

"You didn't have to hit that hard, those punches could have killed a normal person."

Yup, super refreshing.

"You aren't a normal person, Shithead. You'll live."

Tayuya now with her original cap on now with a navy-blue crop top and black leggings stretched a little in the wheelchair while the blonde pushed her around.

"You were totally peeping on me, you massive perv."

Tayuya said, trying to justify her violence against the blonde who gave her a look, "I was blindfolded! I couldn't see a thing I promise." The young man said while the girl narrowed her eyes at the blonde.

"You were way too good at helping me change for a blind folded person. I see through your bullshit like glass."

Tayuya said while the blonde groaned, "I told you; I can sense your what's it called… chakra, yeah that! It was like an outline I could follow; not to mention you were directing too!" The teen defended himself while the girl huffed.

"Well, I hope you got a good long look at my 'Chakra' cause you aren't getting a free peep again."

The girl huffed while the blonde shook his head, "I'm telling the truth, I promise. It's a weird sense thing!" The blonde exclaimed while Tayuya glared at him.

"You suck at lying, I don't see a Byakugan in your face. There are almost no sensor types that exist that can do that alive, certainly not an idiot like you."

The girl said while the blonde titled his head, "Oh, that word is kind of familiar… anyway I wouldn't take peeps at you anyway. I'm a gentleman, it's part of my ninja code." The blonde said proudly while Tayuya gave him an amused look.

"Yeah, since when?"

"Since I just decided right now."

"You're full of shit, way to fit your nickname there."

"You're just mean."

The blonde said while he huffed, "You know what, you wanna be like that then dress yourself. Don't blame me when you take a couple of hours putting on your pants by yourself." The young man said while Tayuya gave him a look.

They both stared at each other for a moment before Tayuya snorted and the blonde cracked a grin before they both started laughing.

"Fuck you, Shithead."

Tayuya said while laughing before the young man chuckled, pushing her toward their next destination, "Yeah yeah. You know you love having me around." The blonde said while Tayuya felt herself stop laughing for a moment.

Ever since the Shithead showed up in her life after the incident at the river, she's been different.

Way different than she was before.

She used to be stoic and crass, yet when this guy started hanging around, she's laughing at shitty jokes and tolerating another person. She stopped paying attention for a few moments letting her guard down, now all of the sudden someone made themselves at home in her space.

Not just anyone, but the same person she was having around until he got his memories back and became her executioner.

Had she gotten so weak during that year of practically rotting that she would latch herself onto the first person to show her some semblance of kindness?

How weak.

How pathetic.

Blondie was a distraction; she still had her goal, and she didn't need him to make her accidentally forget about it. She didn't want to be some fucked up lab cadaver for Orochimaru so Blondie is the better of all evils there.

She can't allow herself to get close to the same person who was going to be responsible for taking her to her grave.

"Yuya?"

The blonde asked while Tayuya gave him a look, "I said don't call me that. Hand me the bag with our old clothes." The girl demanded while the young man complied.

"Listen up, these clothes are a liability. I'm getting rid of the evidence."

The girl spoke while the blonde's eyebrow raised, "Oh, sweet. Burning evidence sounds cool, lead the way." The blonde spoke while the girl gave him a look.

"No, I'm doing it alone. I need you to fuck off and grab more stuff. You know, like for camping and navigation."

The girl said quickly while the blonde gave her a confused look, "So we're splitting up? I don't know if that's a good idea. This place is pretty big and-" The blonde was cut off by Tayuya's glare.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need you constantly with me like some lost goddamn puppy. I'm a cripple not a corpse, I can get around on my own with this chair, you just be a good underling and find us some lodging."

The girl said while she could see the slight change in expression in the blonde's expressive blue eyes that stared toward her. "I didn't mean it like that." The blonde said while Tayuya stomped out whatever little twinge of guilt she felt in her gut before she turned in her chair.

"Whatever, just go. I'll be back."

The girl said before she started wheeling away leaving the blonde staring at her retreating form as she disappeared into the crowd with the bag of clothes in her lap.

Tayuya wheeled her way through the village until she managed to exit from it before she found herself back in the woods. The treeline should give her enough cover to not look super suspicious burning clothes, plus it gave her plenty of air.

That blonde was like dog fur, unless you shook him off, he would cling to you. She needed this breather to avoid becoming too used to his presence. Also vice versa. She didn't need him chickening out when the time finally came, she was doing them both a favor.

Tayuya quickly made a small flame in a little campfire, the girl then pulled the clothes out of the bag she was chucked multiple pieces into the fire watched it burn the cloth while the brown eyed girl was barely phased from the heat.

Tayuya tossed the last of the clothes into the flames as they grew from the burning material, the girl watched the fire burn before her hand went toward her hair pulling at her cap.

Her cap slid from the top of her head as she stared at it, the man that left her for dead and is sending people to kill her gave her this hat. It was a reward for surviving her procedure of receiving the curse mark, she's held it with her ever since.

Other than her flute it was her most precious item, as far as belongs went that she ever had this was it.

The last of her past.

Tayuya stared at the dancing flames for a few moments longer before she was about to toss the cap into the flames.

But her hand didn't let go of the cap, her hand trembled while the hat sat over the flames ready to be burned. "Miserable little Tayuya." The voice echoed in her head while the girl found herself clutching onto the cap close to her body, safe from the fire before her.

Why?

Why didn't she just let go of it and let it burn…

No… why didn't she want to let go of the cap and burn it like it should have been?

For Orochimaru the day he gave her this cap was probably a pretty minor and unimportant one compared to the Konoha Invasion.

But to her, it was one of the most important days of her life.

If she let this cap go… then would everything she was just burn away with it?

The memories? The experiences? Was the man that she admired and looked up to the most really just going to let her burn away like this?

It was hard to think about.

She tried her best not to think about it, she spent a year trying not to think about it. But she did, Miserable little Tayuya.

Still trying to clutch onto briar hoping it was the clean stem of a rose.

Tayuya held onto the cap tightly when she felt another presence before the sound of quick footsteps. Quickly reacting, she quickly threw herself out of her chair hitting the ground just barely avoiding something swiping at her.

"Fuck me, I was having a moment! Out of all the times some fuck chooses to pick a fight and it's no-"

Tayuya's words died in her mouth as she stared toward her approaching assailant, she stared at him for a few moments as he took a few more steps toward her. Blondie was somehow right… splitting up turned out to be a bad idea in the worst way possible.

Turns out when you speak of the devil.

A sword tip stopped just before her throat while she looked into the red mirror wheeled eyes of the Sharingan.

He would arrive.

"She really was alive."

Karin said while Tayuya's eyes flicked toward her before they flicked back toward a black-haired young man.

"Long time no see, little Sasuke. Looks like you're finally out of diapers… shitting yourself like a grown man now?"

Tayuya taunted Sasuke who held his sword closer to her neck, "I don't have time for your games, Tayuya." The teen spoke while the girl held her ground.

"So, Orochimaru sent his golden boy to take my head from my shoulders. I'm so honored. Who's the girl? Last time I checked, Orochimaru didn't hand out free side pieces, damn do times change."

The girl taunted further while Sasuke glared at her, "Your false bravado isn't fooling anyone, no one's afraid of big talk coming from a speaking corpse." Sasuke rebutted while Tayuya huffed.

"Go to hell. Can you make it quick? I wanna be long fucking dead before I hear you start passing and moaning about your familicidal brother? How is the revenge thing going by the way? You still look like the same weak dead weight loser I carried around half the country. It's a shame your brother gets to bury you before I do, an even bigger shame I can't even watch you lose." The girl said while Sasuke gritted his teeth before he winded his sword back for a swing.

"That's right you emo fuck. Do your worst."

Tayuya said while she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, her heart pounded wildly before Karin took a few steps forward.

"Sasuke wait! She's the chakra signature, the one that was extremely close to Naruto's."

Sasuke's sword stopped while Tayuya's eyes opened, they both looked toward the girl who pointed at the downed Tayuya.

"Yeah, it was hard to determine when we were further away because I could really only sense Orochimaru's chakra the most. Now that we're looking at her, I've confirmed it."

Karin said while she pushed up her glasses, "She's the one that's been close to that Uzumaki impostor." The girl spoke while Sasuke huffed looking toward the pinkette.

"Naruto..."

Sasuke said while Tayuya looked back toward the black-haired boy trying to think for a minute about who they were talking about until it clicked.

"Shithead? You're looking for that bastard too? Golly aren't we popular? Came all the way out here because you were missing your main squeeze? Aw, poor little Uchiha."

The girl spoke while Sasuke grabbed her by the throat, lifting her until he pinned her against a tree while he glared at her.

"Enough of your crap, where is he? Where's Naruto?"

Sasuke asked while Tayuya grabbed his wrist, "What makes you think I owe you a damn thing, Princess? Why don't you grab your bitch's leash and go back to being a lap dog!" The girl snapped at the black-haired boy who squeezed her throat.

"You knowing where Naruto is, is the only thing keeping you alive. Now talk, I don't have the patience to deal with you."

Sasuke said while Tayuya choked slightly, "Still… doesn't… answer my question. I've been waiting to die all year… just fucking do it already." Tayuya maintained her bravado while Sasuke glared at her before he let her go.

Tayuya dropped to the ground at the roots of the tree while the black-haired boy sighed, "You know Tayuya… out of the Sound Four. You annoyed me the least. You genuinely seemed like you were the serious one. That gave me just a sliver of respect for you." Sasuke spoke while Tayuya spit to the side.

"Get to the part where I care, would fucking hate to doze off because of your boring ass speech and die in my sleep."

Tayuya taunted again while Sasuke huffed, "You're weak, the last of your little squad. A broken cockroach, with no purpose. Just waiting to shrivel up and die." The black-haired teen spoke while Tayuya glared.

"Talking a whole lot of shit over there, can you take a hit too?"

The girl growled while Sasuke huffed, "You think I'm going to stand her and wait for you to crawl to me like a bug? No thanks, I'm a busy man with a mission. So, I'll cut to the chase." Sasuke said while he crouched right in front of Tayuya.

"Your purposeless life, waiting for death. I can end that; I won't have to kill you to do it. You'll get to live."

Sasuke spoke while Tayuya continued to glare at him, "I'll be honest with you, you were the least of my concerns coming out here. Killing you is barely a favor. No, my reason for being here is bigger than you. It's him. Naruto. You know where he is, and I have something you want." Sasuke said while Tayuya scoffed.

"Yeah, real big talk Uchiha. Like what?"

The girl nearly spat while the black-haired boy narrowed his eyes at her, "Redemption." The teen said while Tayuya gave him a look.

"You were humiliated but Shikamaru and his team that was sent after me, left a useless piece of trash alone to die in the woods. A waste of a curse mark. That's why you were abandoned, why you're a loose end. You tell me where Naruto is, and I can redeem you in Orochimaru's eyes."

Sasuke spoke while Tayuya's eyes flared, "Bullshit! Quit lying through your fucking teeth. I'm dead to that bastard, that's why you're here!" The girl shouted while Sasuke didn't flinch.

"That's because you're a liability running with that mark, you won't be a liability any longer if you make yourself useful. You'll be bringing in the Nine Tails to him, the same Nine Tails that's avoided the Akatsuki for months. That's something none of your dead teammates could do."

The black-haired boy said while Tayuya gave him a look, "Stop." She said while Sasuke kept his eyes on hers.

"He'll fix your legs, welcome you back, you'll be a hero. Redeemed and will have avenged your entire team that you lost."

Sasuke continued to speak while Karin looked toward the boy, she could feel his chakra darkening while Tayuya shook her head. "Shut up. You're lying. I'm useless, I'm broken." The girl protested while Sasuke stood firm.

"You won't have to be anymore, all that's needed is Naruto. You bring him to me, and I'll take care of the rest. Why defend your enemy anyway?"

The black-haired boy asked while Tayuya looked away, Sasuke brought up that point. It felt crazy to even consider but he was right at the end of the day he was on the squad that killed the Sound Four.

Sakon, Kidomaru, Jirobo.

Would she really be redeemed if she brought Naruto to Orochimaru? Would he fix her? Would he give her another chance? Tayuya looked at the cap in her hands as she thought about the man before she clenched her finger around it.

"Shithead… has no memories right now. He has a condition that gave him amnesia."

Tayuya confessed while Sasuke's eyes widened while his Sharingan faded into his normal dark black eyes.

"...You're lying."

Sasuke said while Tayuya shook her head, "I've been stuck with the dumbass, I have no reason to… a doctor said it'll take days to get his memory back around two at this point." The girl spoke while Sasuke stood up.

"That's perfect! The Bingo Book entry has him listed as a pretty big threat, if he has no memory capturing him should be a breez-"

Karin's words died in her mouth from a heavy glare that Sasuke was giving her, causing her to quiet down.

"...Two days, right?"

Sasuke asked while Tayuya looked toward him nodding her head, "Right." The girl spoke while he sighed.

"You have two days, there's a village near the edge of the Land of Grass toward the Land of Fire. Take him to the outskirts and we'll bring you both to Orochimaru. That's the deal."

Sasuke said while Tayuya gave him a look, "I hate to be that person, but I've seen him fight even without his memories and he's strong. You really want to face him with his memories back?" Tayuya asked while Sasuke gave her a glare.

"I'm still stronger than him, no matter what. He'll lose. All you need to worry about is bringing him to me. You screw around, the deal's off and I'll kill you."

Sasuke said while Tayuya gave the teen a look before she looked at her cap again, "Do you seriously think… that bringing him Shithead would redeem me? He'll take me back?" The girl asked in a rare vulnerability causing Sasuke to turn away from her.

"You've known him longer than I have. Ask him yourself."

Sasuke said, turning away from the girl while Karin followed him, "Two days. No more, no less. I'll be waiting." The black-haired teen said while he began walking away with Karin following him closely behind.

Tayuya sat there staring toward their backs as they retreated into the forest.

"Sasuke, that was really impressive with the way you managed to put her in line. Taking advantage of her weakness like a true ninja… though I have to wonder. Do you really think facing that imposter at his full strength is a good idea?"

Karin said while Sasuke kept looking ahead not even sparing her a glance, he clenched his hand into a fist before he sheathed his sword.

"The only one that's going to kill Naruto is me. I've nearly done it before."

The black-haired boy said while his eyes narrowed while walking ahead staring into the distance coldly.

"This time, I won't spare him."

Sasuke said while Karin stared toward the teen boy for a moment before she sighed, "He's so dreamy." The red hard girl said before she caught back up to the boy.

Meanwhile Tayuya sat there for a few more moments against the tree before she got back into her chair quietly wheeling herself back into the village while clutching her cap.

Tayuya couldn't even hear her own thoughts with how quiet it was, even the crowded village sounded muted to her as she rolled back into the settlement.

It still sounded too good to be true.

It probably was too good to be true.

However, she knew what kind of man Orochimaru was. It's basically because she failed that he even considered her dead weight. If she managed to bring back the Nine Tailed Fox, then that would go the distance for her redemption.

That could possibly be just what she needed.

He would be proud of her; he would fix her legs and allow her back into the fold. No more waiting for death.

No more being powerless.

Being carried around like she was helpless.

She would be useful again.

No longer miserable.

That thought made the girl feel a little warm on the inside as she wheeled forward, she looked up, spotting familiar blonde hair and a smile.

"Hey there Yuya, welcome back! That took a while, was all the evidence nice and burned up?"

The blonde asked while Tayuya couldn't make eye contact with the boy as she nodded her head in response. "Yeah, 'course. You take me to be some half-assed ninja?" The girl said while the blonde chuckled before he grabbed her chair and began to push her toward their lodging.

"Course not, I can count on you, Boss."

The blonde said while Tayuya kept staring at her hat while her fingers clutched it tightly while she sucked in a breath.

How was it that warmth that she felt thinking about…

Could suddenly feel so cold?

{...}

Chopsticks scraped the bottom of a bowl while the sound of slurping could be heard echoing in the small room the pair of teens were sitting at, Tayuya stared at her bowl while the blonde boy dug into his food hardly as if he hadn't eaten in days.

"Wow! It feels like I haven't had this stuff in forever, you can't go wrong with ramen!"

The blonde spoke while he continued to eat his food, Tayuya watched him eat before she looked toward her own mostly full bowl. Normally her appetite could potentially match the voracious blonde's but after the events of the day she felt full.

Like she couldn't stomach a bite of anything.

"Boss?"

The blonde asked while Tayuya gave him a quick glance, "What?" the girl asked while his eyes flicked to her bowl.

"You barely had anything to eat, we're only here until morning then we gotta move again. You should eat up; we need the energy. Especially if I'm going to be transporting your wheelchair too."

The blonde spoke with a slight grin while Tayuya blinked at the blonde, not giving him a response while he sighed before he grinned a little.

"Y'know I remembered another thing earlier… you know how I call you boss? Well once upon a time I could summon a giant toad, I'm talking absolutely massive. You wouldn't happen to be a giant toad would you, I'd be lying if I said I would be surprised."

The blonde spoke while a fist hit his shoulder right as he was about to drink his broth spilling some on himself in the process.

"Ow ow! Hot Hot Hot!"

The blonde exclaimed while Tayuya felt her face twitch before she quickly tried to even it out but the smile on the blonde boy's face already indicated to her that she had already been caught by the blonde.

"There she is."

The blonde said while Tayuya rolled her eyes before she looked at her bowl, "...How do you do that?" the girl asked while the blonde sipped away at the broth in his bowl before setting it back down on the table.

"Do what?"

The blonde asked while the girl gave him a look, "That. Clearly, I'm not in a great mood yet you aren't even a little deterred, it's like you're too stupid to register when someone doesn't want to be bothered. Yet, you still try anyway. How?" the girl asked while the blonde rubbed his chin.

"Well, I guess there is one secret method I like to use."

The blonde spoke with a little grin growing on his face causing Tayuya to huff, "Let me guess, because it's nice being nice? Predictable." the girl spoke while the blonde chuckled.

"No, I just… care. I mean helping people is awesome and all but it's different when you help somebody you care about y'know? Their happy tends to be your happy."

The blonde explained while the girl felt something twist in her while she gave him a look, "Why? Friendship can't be oh so powerful that it fixes everything. What happens when somebody you trust betrays you? What then? Do you just stop caring?" the girl asked while the blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it depends. Being betrayed by a friend hurts… more than anything. Sometimes there are two sides to every story and other times it's just a selfish thing. It's pretty hard to pin down but it's really up to you. Whether or not you want to trust them again if ask for a chance. You can care or not care it's up to you. I usually choose to care though."

The blonde spoke while Tayuya sighed, "Why? If you care about people and trust them and then they betray you, why even care at all when it can happen whenever?" the girl asked while the blonde stared toward her.

"That's the thing about friendship, I'd like to think it's a gamble on somebody that works out. You'll never know if you don't try and if you try and fail then you'll be able to try again. Caring is a learning experience, a pretty crappy one sometimes but when it works. It's awesome."

The blonde spoke fondly while Tayuya gave him a confused look, "...What would you betray someone for, Shithead?" the girl asked while the blonde tapped his chin.

"Good question, I don't think I would."

"For anything?"

"Nope."

"Not at all?"

"Not even a little."

"Money?"

"Nah."

"Women?"

"I'm a gentleman, I shouldn't have to betray someone for the affection of someone else."

"Whatever, Power?"

"With moves like mine? I prefer the old-fashioned way."

"...What about family?"

Tayuya asked while the blonde looked toward her, "Purely hypothetical. I get that you don't know your parents, just what if you did and someone needed to fall for you to reunite with them? Would you betray them then?" the girl asked while the blonde took a breath.

"I might sound crazy for this, but can you really call someone family if they ask you to betray people for them? I don't have to know my parents that much, if they asked, I'd still say no."

The blonde spoke while Tayuya gave him a confused look, "That is crazy… What if they are all you have? Outside of them there's no one else out there and nothing else." the girl asked while the young man smiled at her.

"There's always someone else. So many people out there in the world, nothing is the best place to start to be honest and once you find someone. Well… Friends can be family too."

The blonde spoke while Tayuya looked at the blonde with shock, to his very core being as a person he shined far brighter than anything she had ever seen. He's living in a way she could never dream of. Nothing stumps him when it comes to what he cares about, and he always finds some kind of solution.

He was nothing like her.

Yet they were both beasts all the same.

Tayuya suddenly felt a hand grab hers, "What are you doing?" the girl asked while the blonde quickly moved to carry the girl on his back before he flashed his trademark grin at her.

"I said friendship is gambling on somebody and it's working out right? That gave me an idea, the best cure of indecision is to have fun."

The blonde spoke before he started moving them toward the door, "Wait you seriously aren't-" the pinkette was cut off by the blonde closing the door to their room behind him.

"We sure are!"

The blonde held up a poster for the casino in front of the the face of the girl, "You've got to fucking kidding me." Tayuya said while the blonde took them both out of the door before they spotted the large colorful sign of the casino.

"Let's make some friends."

The blonde said a little too confidently while Tayuya gave him a look before a heavy sigh came out of her mouth, much to her surprise despite all of the talking he did about how they were going to have fun at the casino presumably sneaking in.

Instead, they weren't anywhere near the colorful environment of the casino.

"Oi, Shithead. What the hell are we doing out here?"

Tayuya asked while the pair were on top of one of the building rooftops, the blonde stared down at one building in particular. "That casino in the middle of the village, I asked around about it." the blonde said while the pinkette holding on to his back huffed.

"And?"

The girl asked while the blonde motioned to the abandoned looking building surrounded by trees, "Turns out, it's some big scheme by the local Yakuza. They're funneling the villager's money through the casino, those big shots we saw earlier they're just to keep up the ruse. The rest of the village on the outskirts is suffering from extortion and stuff." the blonde spoke while Tayuya looked at the building as well.

"I figured, anybody with a brain could have figured that out. My question is what the hell that has to do with us?"

Tayuya asked while the blonde grinned at her, "Well, we're the bad guys, right? So, what better to show those Yakuza who's boss than stealing the money?" the young man said casually while the girl's eyes widened.

"The fuck do you mean steal the money?! You'll get us both killed trying to break into a place probably infested with thugs and goons just for some random villagers?"

The girl spoke in a slightly panicked tone while the blonde shook his head, "No, of course not… How would we get killed if we don't get caught? You're a ninja and I'm good on my feet. We'll work together and heist the crap out of these goons." the blonde explained while Tayuya slapped a hand on her forehead before dragging it down her face.

"If this is your idea of fun, then you're officially fucking crazy."

"...Thank you."

"That wasn't a goddamn compliment!"

"Yeah yeah."

Tayuya growled while the blonde chuckled, "If this was the case then you're probably better off alone. I'm dead weight, I'll just drag you down considering I can't fucking walk." the girl said while the blonde shook his head at her statement.

"That's not true at all, You're my eyes and our tactical expertise. I'll work on moving us around and breaking down stuff. We're the dream team, I can't do this without you."

The blonde spoke while the girl stared at him for a moment into his innocent looking blue orbs as he stared back at her, "Urgh, goddamnit! If you get us murdered, I'm killing you again in hell!" The girl raised her voice and the blonde beamed at her.

"I knew it! That's fine by me! Let's go!"

The blonde yelled while he suddenly jumped off of the rooftop toward the trees, Tayuya held on to the boy tightly while the wind whipped past them wildly from their descent. The blonde flipped before landing on a tree branch.

"We'll go through here, right? Navigate through the trees?"

The blonde asked while Tayuya, who was straightening out her frazzled hair, looked toward him, "Yeah, it's not like we can walk in through the front door. We'll take the trees until we get close enough to the building." the girl spoke while the blonde gave her a salute.

"Sounds good, just one more thing."

The blonde spoke while Tayuya gave him a look, "What?" she asked while the young man took his scarf off wrapping it around the girl's back and his abdomen fastening her to him.

"Hang on tight."

The blonde said while their sudden closeness made the girl huffed, "Perv." she grumbled while she felt the familiar sensation of cutting through the air as the blonde began to jump through the trees quickly, for a guy with no memory his reflexes were still impressive.

Hopefully impressive enough to get them out of here alive.

The blonde flipped before he landed on the last tree branch before there was a short clearing with the old building right in front of them, "Shit." the girl spoke while the blonde looked around as well.

This place was guarded by multiple men in the windows and the entrances, Tayuya's brown eyes scanned over the building while the young man scratched the back of his head.

"This place is a little more fortified than I thought."

The blonde chuckled while the pinkette glared her eyes toward the top of the building where a hanging bell was, "It's almost as if they're guarding a shit load of money or something… crazy right?" the girl said sarcastically while the blonde gave her a look causing her to smirk.

"Ha ha, very funny."

The blonde spoke but couldn't help a smile while Tayuya nudged her head upward, "This is a bell tower, unfortunately for these fucks that means there's an entrance at the very top. We'll take that in." the girl spoke while the blonde nodded before he firmly planted his feet on the tree branch.

He launched them both into the air toward the bell, they flew through the air above most of the windows before landing against the wall where the blonde grabbed onto the window frame of one of the higher rooms of the building.

"Alright, climbing time."

The blonde spoke in a hushed voice while Tayuya raised an eyebrow, "Hell no, this wall is sheer. We're using chakra to climb instead, way faster and less stupid." the girl spoke while the blonde blinked at her.

"We're using chakra to climb? Sweet! How do I do that?"

The blonde asked while the girl groaned before she held her hand out, "Give me your hand, carefully." the girl spoke while the blonde did while his other hand was still keeping them dangling. Tayuya took his hand in hers while she made the Dragon hand sign with both of their hands.

"Woah, that feels a little strange."

The blonde said while Tayuya gave him a look, "It should at least in your case. Now I need you to do us both a big fucking favor and concentrate. Concentrate on your feet then slowly stand up on this wall." the girl spoke while the blonde blinked.

"Ok ok, concentrate. My feet… think of my feet."

The boy said out loud while Tayuya stared at him, "We're going to fucking die." Tayuya said while the blonde shot her a look.

"Hey, I got this. Believe in me."

The young man said while he took a breath, he planted his feet on the wall before he let his hand go. Slowly the boy stood up feeling his chakra channeling through his body, specifically his feet while he grinned and did a silent cheer. The blonde then slid a little bit causing Tayuya to cling on to him.

"Blondie, if you drop me, I swear on everything I'll kill you!"

The girl whispered aggressively while the blonde chuckled, "My bad, but I told you. I got this!" The blonde responded while Tayuya rolled her eyes as the pair scaled up the wall.

They made it up to the bell where Tayuya found the opening, "Drop down here." the girl ordered while the blonde complied sliding under the bell where he fell for a little bit before landing on a wooden beam. The girl immediately took a look around the inside of the building.

They were pretty open floors but there wasn't an opening for them to jump down to get to the bottom where she assumed they were holding the money.

"Boss."

The blonde whispered while Tayuya glared at the blonde, "What? I'm busy planning out our move because your dumb ass couldn't come up with a plan-" the girl was cut off by the blonde pointing downward where she spotted a suited man standing directly below them.

They both looked toward the man before they looked at each other, they shared this look for a few seconds before Tayuya smirked.

The suited man looked around before the blonde suddenly landed on top of him instantly rendering him unconscious, Tayuya then looked around for any other targets or witnesses.

"Hey, there's a door right here."

The blonde spoke while the girl gave the door a look, "Yeah, toss him. Quick." the girl said while the blonde lifted the suited man before he opened up the small door ready to toss him, but he stopped when all he could see was outside.

"This isn't a room."

The blonde whispered while Tayuya blinked, "So? Fucking toss him." the girl said while the blonde gave her a look.

"Just like that? He'll die."

The blonde said while the girl shrugged, "One less loose end, now stop being a whiny shit and toss him." the girl growled while the blonde looked at the suited man and then the window.

Shortly afterward the pair was running toward the stairs while the suited man instead of being tossed out of the window he was tied against the beam they came in on, "You suck at being a bad guy. That guy is going to come back to bite you." the girl complained while the blonde opened the door to the stairs.

"We can't just kill people; besides we'll be out of here before that guy even wakes up. These guys won't even know what hit them."

The blonde said while the girl rolled her eyes at the grinning blonde, "Careful, it looks like for a while we'll have to take the long way down. This place is crawling with these goons." the girl said while the blonde nodded his head.

Then carefully the blonde ran down the stairs where they made it to the next floor, the blonde jumped upward grabbing on the beam while Tayuya held onto him looking around at the multiple Yakuza members talking amongst themselves while on patrol.

Tayuya gave the blonde a nod while he quickly crawled on the beam above before he swung them through the door to the next level of stairs, the blonde quickly went down the stairs where the duo had found the Yakuza sleeping quarters.

The blonde's foot made one of the floorboards squeak causing both teens to look at the sleeping men, they barely stirred while Tayuya put her hand out. The blonde quickly took it, the girl then made the Dragon hand sign again before the blonde quickly jumped from the floor to the wall.

"See? I told you you were important."

The blonde said while Tayuya huffed before she looked away from him, "Keep moving, we're getting close." the girl spoke while the blonde ran across the wall until he reached the door to the stairs, opening it while he gave the girl a grin.

"I'm not too bad at this whole ninja thing huh?"

The blonde spoke while Tayuya chuckled before her eyes widened, right in front of them one of the Yakuza members was walking up the stairs while yawning. He covered his mouth with his hand while finishing his yawn.

The man then opened in his spotting nothing in front of him, he looked around for a moment in his same spot. Meanwhile above him the blonde had his arms and legs outstretched holding him and Tayuya above him after their close call.

Tayuya and the young man watched the Yakuza member look around as they waited for him to leave, the girl's eyes widened as she watched a bead of sweat crawling from the blonde's forehead to his nose. She looked toward the Yakuza member who was still inspecting his surroundings.

Right as the bead of sweat was about to fall Tayuya positioned herself quickly to stop the drop from falling and hitting the stairs, the bead of sweat dropped but the girl reached her hand out catching it with her fingers. While they both looked down at the Yakuza member shrug before he started walking up the rest of the stairs.

"Ha!"

Tayuya said while the Yakuza member suddenly looked up at the pair from where they were holding onto the ceiling, "Fuck." the girl said as the Yakuza member was about to alert the others, but the blonde quickly dropped down on the man, sending them tumbling down the stairs.

When they got to the next level, the blonde quickly pinned the unconscious man to the wall with multiple kunai before covering his mouth with binding, "Still a waste of materials." the girl spoke while the blonde opted to give her a look before he jumped upward to the beams on the ceiling.

The blonde crawled while Tayuya inspected the room, "There, the big double doors. I'm betting the money is through there." the girl spoke while the blonde snickered.

"You're betting… because these guys are running an illegal casino?"

The blonde asked while Tayuya stared at him for a moment before he grinned before shutting his mouth at the bad joke causing her to make an amused expression before he continued to crawl across the beam positioning them to land between the two men by the doors.

"Ready."

The blonde said while Tayuya looked down toward the men, "On my count. Three. Two. One." The girl counted down while the blonde let go of the beam they landed between the two men. The blonde put one in a choke hold while Tayuya grabbed the other in a harsher stranglehold.

The Yakuza member the blonde was holding onto quickly passed out from the blonde's hold before he set him down gently, Tayuya meanwhile stared coldly at the man in her hold while she was strangling the life out of him as hard as she could.

Just another few moments.

"Tayuya?"

The blonde asked, snapping the girl out of her stare before she looked back toward the young man for a moment before she huffed, dropping the unconscious man from her hold. "One of these bastards got a key?" the girl asked while the blonde grinned and began to check their pockets.

"That double takedown was kinda awesome, we should do stuff like that more often."

The blonde said while he was digging through pockets while the girl huffed, "Shut up and find that key." the girl spoke before the blonde kept searching until he found it.

"Got it."

The blonde spoke before he twirled it in his fingers before he stuck the key in the lock turning it to open the door to the stockpile of money, slowly the blonde opened the door revealing the large room making his jaw drop at the sight.

"Holy shit."

The girl said while they both marveled at the amount of money that was in the room, it was in piles and large stacks. "How in the hell are we supposed to move all this Ryo?" the girl asked while the blonde beamed at her before he produced a couple of bags he brought.

"These and plenty of effort?"

The blonde said with a sheepish tone while Tayuya stared at him like he was the dumbest person she had ever seen in her life, "You're an idiot." the girl said while the blonde laughed in response. Her hands went to his pouch where she dug into it.

"I'm stealing one of your sealing scrolls, maybe two looking at all this money."

The girl spoke while the blonde jumped toward the stacks, while she was performing hand signs the blonde took one of his bags and started to stuff money into it.

"This is pretty exciting, isn't it? We're robbing the Yakuza."

The blonde said in awe while the girl rolled her eyes before she laid the scroll on top of the money pile, "That's an odd way to say fucking stupid but hey who am I to correct a dumbass?" the girl asked while she channeled chakra through her palm into the scroll.

In a large puff of smoke, the money pile suddenly disappeared into the scroll causing the blonde to stare at the scroll with surprise, "Yeah, one more of these and your shitty bags will be made useless." the girl smirked while the blonde gave her a look.

"That's cool and all but it looks like it takes a lot of chakra. You, ok?"

The blonde asked while Tayuya looked at him before she huffed, "That was nothing, Shithead. You're worrying over nothing. I have plenty of chakra so might as well use it. Not like I'm doing much else with it." the girl spoke while the blonde blinked at her.

"Let me do the next one."

The blond said while Tayuya stared at him for a moment before she scoffed, opening the scroll before handing it to the blonde who grinned. After another scroll, they still ended up having to use the bags to stuff the rest of the money into.

Then they ran into the big problem.

Two big problems.

"It's locked."

The blonde said pushing on the two massive doors that happened to be their exit from the large stockpile, "Locked? What do you mean locked? At any moment any of these bastards are going to find their friends and come rushing to this place. We're trapped like fucking rats fi we can't find a way to get these open!" Tayuya yelled while the blonde sighed.

"Look, we'll find a way."

The blonde spoke while Tayuya growled, "I fucking knew that this was a stupid idea! There was just something about it that felt off! Now we're trapped all because you wanted to have a little fun playing at the bad guy you know you fucking arent!" the girl panicked while the blonde gave her a look.

"You done?"

The blonde said simply with a small grin on his face, "Fuck you." the girl growled while the blonde pushed on the big doors as he nodded his head.

"Just because the door is locked, doesn't mean we can't get out. I've already found a way."

The blonde said while the girl tilted her head, "You found a way? What, you're gonna pull a key out of your ass like a damn magician?" the girl huffed while the blonde took a few steps back.

"Well, I don't know much about myself admittedly but I kind of think of myself as a traditional kind of guy. So, if we broke into this place, it's only fair we break out, right?"

The blonde said with a confident look on his face while Tayuya immediately put together the blonde's plan, "Are you insane? This place is still flooded with these bastards, the minute they break these doors down they'll be on the pursuit. Then what?" the girl asked while the blonde chuckled.

"Then we'll run. I'm pretty fast apparently."

The blonde spoke confidently while the girl stared at him, "We're going to run? Holy shit just when I think you couldn't get more ridiculous you manage to clear my expectations with ease." the girl spoke while the blonde looked toward the door.

"Have a little faith, we'll make it. I know we will."

The blonde said while Tayuya looked at him and then the doors before she held onto him tight, "I'll bury you If we get caught!" the girl said while the blonde's blue eyes flared with excitement before he narrowed them at the door in front of them.

Yakuza members patrolling outside walked around the large wooden doors while keeping a careful eye on their surroundings, they heard a slight rumble as the group of men looked toward the wooden doors they were guarding.

Suddenly the doors exploded sending splinters flying everywhere, the men hit the ground in an attempt to avoid the flying wooden pieces while the blonde and Tayuya hanging on his back flew out of the mess where they hit the ground running.

The blonde sprinted while laughing while the pinkette looked behind them at the quickly shrinking building as they made more distance between it and themselves, she looked at the laughing blonde while the wind blew through her hair.

There it was again.

That feeling of freedom.

Tayuya chuckled while the wind blew through her hair while she began laughing with him as he darted across the forest, they kept running until the blonde began to slow down once they got far enough away.

The teens' laughter continued while it died down, the stars in the sky shined in the dark night while Tayuya stared toward the bright moon, "So… What are we going to do with the money, Mr Bad Guy?" the girl asked while the blonde grinned but didn't say a word.

Tayuya stared toward him while she sighed, "Fine, don't tell me then. I totally didn't risk my neck for the sake of your dumbass idea of fun." the girl said while the blonde chuckled.

"It was fun, I didn't think it was going to be that fun though. It's nice having you around for that. Even if you get all panicky and pessimistic."

The blonde said while Tayuya narrowed her eyes at him, "Excuse me for not being 100% ok with getting skinned by Yakuza goons for a laugh…" the girl said while the blonde chuckled.

"I mean that though… You've done a lot for me so far and it hasn't even been that long since we met. There are a lot of people in the world that I could meet and form all kinds of bonds with… but I'm glad I met you."

The blonde spoke while the pinkette felt a burning sensation in her chest before she looked toward the back of his head, "You think far too highly of me, Dumbass. I'm not important, I'm just another shitty person in this big bad world. At any moment I could just toss you away when you run out of usage for me and yet you still treat me like this… I don't get it." the girl said while the blonde grinned at the girl.

"We just robbed the Yakuza; our history may be riddled with all sorts of crimes. As far as I'm concerned, the fact that we stuck together like this only makes sense."

The blonde's grin shrank until it became a more genuine smile on his face that rocked Tayuya to the core when he was giving it to her.

"We're accomplices. That means we're in this together, no matter what."

The blonde said while Tayuya looked at the boy speechlessly, she then noticed that they were walking into an area that was a broken-down village. She looked around with confusion while the blonde continued walking forward.

Slowly she watched as people in dirty clothing started walking out of their houses, they stared toward the pair while they walked forward. Tayuya had her guard up while the people slowly approached them, the blonde watched as a small boy in diary clothes walked up to him.

He had a curious look on her face while the young man grinned at him, the blonde then took the two bags of money he was holding and gave one of them to the boy who stared at him in shock.

"Go ahead. It's yours now."

The blonde said while the boy looked back at his parents while he ran over to them, with the bag of money while the blonde wasted no time handing the other bag to an older man who looked at the blond teen with shock as he smiled at him.

"You… you…"

The older man teared up while the blonde boy just smiled, Tayuya looked toward the people realizing they were also villagers from the village they were staying at while the older man began to tear up.

"Don't worry, it's yours now. No one else's. I won't let anyone take it."

The blonde said while the older man sniffled before he put his hand in the bag and started handing out money to the other villagers that had come out of their homes as well, Tayuya watched the villagers share their newfound wealth with each other while she felt something she couldn't describe.

The blonde then turned around and began walking away while the villagers continued to share the money with each other, "Thank you!" The sound of the boy's voice yelling caught the teen's attention while he turned around.

The rest of the villagers began to thank him as well while the blonde started toward them with a smile on his face before he wordlessly gave them a salute before he continued to walk away from them back to the village they were staying at.

"...That was stupid."

"I know."

"If you knew then why?"

"Because I wanted to."

"..."

"The rest of the money is going back into the village's hands."

Tayuya stared at the blonde's back while he continued to walk carrying her, "They are going to come back. The Yakuza." the girl said while the blonde continued to walk forward.

"Let them. I'll just have to beat them too."

The blonde said confidently while Tayuya stared at the boy wordlessly, even after all of that talk about being the bad guy and that they were accomplices in their crimes they never did together. He still out of his own volition chose to help those people.

Blondie wasn't a bad guy… Nowhere near it.

'You don't have a single bad bone in your body.'

Tayuya thought to herself as she rested her face into his shoulder while the pair continued to walk toward the village into the night.

{...}

Morning had arrived after the pair of teens dropped off the rest of the stolen money from the Yakuza base, they raided. Tayuya wanted to get an early start to get them to the next village as soon as possible.

"You got everything?"

The girl asked while the blonde nodded his head as he stuck the last of his supplies into his bag, "Yup, all good here. You got your chair?" the blonde asked while the girl gave him a look as she turned in her chair.

"I wouldn't be able to move around and ask if I didn't, Dumbass."

"I'll just take that as a yes."

The blonde said while he adjusted his bag on his back, "The next village is a few hours away, we'll stop there before we do anything else." the girl said while the blonde smiled at her.

"What's wrong? Feeling a little homesick? If the next village is a few hours away then, why not bypass it and just go ahead and travel until nightfall? I'm more than happy to carry you around until then, maybe even push you in case you're feeling fussy."

The blonde teased while instead of her usual snarky response she stared at him quietly for a moment, Sasuke's words from earlier echoed in her head while she took a deep breath. "It's just… better if we try to take our time moving from place to place. I'm crippled remember? I can't do all the crazy traveling you can. We'll rest there for the day and travel again." the girl responded while the blonde gave her a thoughtful look.

"That's my bad, I wasn't thinking about you. You're right, so we'll do that."

The blonde said with a smile while Tayuya looked away from the boy, it was clearly a lie. While she was crippled, she wasn't dainty, she just didn't want to move too far away from where she was supposed to meet the emo Uchiha.

Right now, Blondie was her ticket. Potentially her ticket back to where she belonged, and she would do what it takes to get back to that because it was all she knew.

Even push down this weird, awful feeling growing in her about her actions.

"I'm sorr-"

The blonde was cut off by the sound of something crashing outside, "Fuck, I think they got your invite." Tayuya said while the blonde quickly went outside closely followed by the pinkette. When they both made it outside the blonde's eyes widened at the sight of the small army of men.

"You'll tell us who stole the money now! Spill it or we'll gut this entire village!"

The head of the Yakuza faction yelled at a shorter bald man he was holding in his grip, "I told you, we don't know!" the man yelled back at the Yakuza leader while the dark haired bearded growled.

"The more you defend that thief, the worse off you and your village will be. Now spit it out! Who did it!?"

The Yakuza roared while the small army of suited men stepped forward, the crowd of scared villagers retreated backward while they watched the bald man look firmly into the Yakuza's eyes, "I s-said we don't know! Now leave." The bald man spoke defiantly while the Yakuza head gritted his teeth.

"Fine, then… Kill them all."

The Yakuza head ordered while the sound of a bag dropping to the ground caused his attention to look toward the direction of the bag, there the blonde teen stood glaring his blue eyes toward the Yakuza head who glared back.

"It was me. The one you're looking for is right here. Let him go."

The blonde spoke while the Yakuza head looked between the bald man and the blonde before he shook his head, "I know who you are. The Blue-Eyed Demon from the Leaf. You stole from us, Demon. I'll let him go, if you drop your weapons and come with us. No struggling or else this village pays the price." the man spoke while the blonde glared toward him.

"Fine."

The blonde spoke while he took off his pouch letting it drop to the street, "Shithead, what are you-" the girl was cut off by a confident smile from the blonde who turned his head back toward the men walking toward the Yakuza members.

"I'm sorry."

The bald man apologized while the blonde gave him a quick smile, "Move, Demon." the Yakuza head growled while the blonde watched him let the man go.

"Don't worry I got this."

The blonde said while the bald man hurried to the rest of the crowd of villagers standing behind the blonde, the teen made his way to stand in front of the Yakuza head who stared him in the eyes before he threw a quick punch into the blonde's abdomen.

"You carry a large bounty on your head, you were a fool to think you were going to get away with whatever the hell you wanted. Your reputation means nothing in the eyes of the Yakuza, trash will always trash. Blood will always be paid in blood."

The Yakuza head said while he punched the teen across his face twice as hard as he could, "We're going to take our time with you. Breaking you apart and making you beg for your life before handing you to the highest bidder. How pathetic, a ninja as feared as you trading in his life for disposable trash." the Yakuza head growled while slowly the blonde turned his face to look the man in the eyes.

"You're doing it wrong…"

The blonde said while the Yakuza head gave the boy a look, "What did you just say?" the Yakuzua head asked while the blonde spit a little blood to the side.

"Scare me? No, that's wrong… You really want me to not protect these people? To just lose?"

The blonde asked while Tayuya looked toward the boy with surprise while he stood to his full height just a bit shorter than the Yakuza boss but enough to stare into his eyes with his blue ones. The rest of the Yakuza could barely react when a fist cracked against the cheek of the Yakuza boss sending him flying into the casino smashing through the window and several tables.

"Nah, you'll have to kill me."

The blonde spoke with a glare while the rest of the Yakuza attacked the boy, the teen dodged a few swipes before he backflipped avoiding more strikes while the members of the Yakuza began brandishing swords to attack the boy with.

The blonde made it into the casino when one of the Yakuza goons began swiping his sword at him wildly, the blonde avoided the slashes before his back hit a pool table. The goon slashed downward at the blonde twice who rolled out of the way of both slashes that cut into the table as the blonde kicked in his knee.

The teen then grabbed the goons head and slammed it into the table, he barely reacted to another several slashes being swung at him. He then rolled over the table landing on his feet on the other side grabbing a few of the pool balls.
The blonde then began to throw them at the approaching army of goons causing them to block the incoming projectiles, the teen then kicked the table onto its side before kicking it toward the men sending a few of them to the ground.

The blonde quickly backed up while the approaching overwhelming number of men pursued him through the casino, the blonde made his way to the slot machine where one of the goons nearly cut into him with a jumping slash.

The tenn leaned backward from the strike kicking into the goon's side twice before sweeping his legs and sending his face crashing into the floor, the blonde then ducked under another slash from another Yakuza goon, the men began to pour into the maze-like machine layout while the blonde avoided multiple strikes from all sides while one cut into his arm.

The blonde winced before slamming his knee into the goon's abdomen he then spun and kicked him into the wall as another goon slashed at his feet, the blonde jumped over the slash landing on the blade with both of his feet before he kicked the goon in the face.

The teen turned catching the swing of another goon with his hand, the teen put the goon's arm in an arm lock before he jumped on top of the machines taking the goon with him where he proceeded to slam the goon into the tops of the machines.

Blades swiped at his feet while the blonde jumped and stepped to avoid the swinging blades, the teen hopped on one foot slamming the one of the swords down pinning it. He kicked his foot downward disarming the goon, the blonde flipped catching it out of the air where he spun throwing the sword.

The hilt smacked across the face of one of the goons while the teen landed on his feet on top of the machines, the blonde avoided another swing before he jumped into the row with three of the goons. He lifted his leg kicking the first of the goons he landed in front of twice smashing him into one of the machines.

A sword stabbed forward cutting into the blonde's cheek while he kneed the second goon in the chest before punching him into another one of the slot machines smashing it, the teen ducked under a slash from the third goon as he turned around and slammed a hard kick into the man.

The goon smashed into another one of the slot machines going through it completely while pieces of the screen showered around him displaying all 7's and a 'Jackpot' before dying out to black.

The blonde made it out of the maze of machines while a good number of the goons still remained applying pressure to the teen, more strikes rained on the boy while he was beginning to tire, and more hits landed on him. The blonde tried to gain ground, but their numbers began to push the boy back.

The blonde flipped trying to catch a breather, but he was kicked in the face by one of the goons while another rolled off of the goon's back kicking the teen into another waiting goon who grabbed the boy in a hold, the teen struggled while another goon held him in place.

The blonde managed to fight off one of the goons holding him while the other let him go, the teen looked over right as another goon had slammed a heavy dropkick into him. The window of the casino shattered while the blonde bounced and rolled out of the building back onto the street where the crowd of villagers and Tayuya watched him hit the ground.

The blonde panted while the Yakuza boss being helped out by a few other goons chuckled while looking at the downed teen, "You fight well, Demon. However, not even someone like you can fight an army. You're weaker now, weaker than the rumors say. End this farce and face your punishment. Your foolishness will be the cost of these people's lives." the Yakuza boss threatened while the blonde placed a hand on the ground while panting.

He looked back at the crowd of people who stared toward the boy and the Yakuza with fear in their faces, he gritted his teeth while looking toward them. His eyes then landed on Tayuya who was making a rare expression he doesn't think he's seen on her yet.

Concentrate.

Concentrate.

The blonde struggled to his feet while his cheek and nose bled, he glared while wiping a hand across his face. "You still stand after that?" the Yakuza boss asked while the blonde coughed before he scoffed.

"I'm… still breathing. That alone says you screwed up badly. I said it once and I'll say it again and again. If you want to hurt these people…"

The blonde trailed off while he felt the chakra within him channeling through his body, he saw a flash of a young version of himself putting his fingers together to make a hand sign. He also thought back to Tayuya helping him form the hand sign last night in the Yakuza base.

The teen copied the motion creating multiple puffs of smoke around him.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The Yakuza boss and his goons backed off from the blonde as the smoke began to disappear revealing clones that had appeared around him cracking their knuckles while the blonde glared toward the Yakuza boss with his ice blue stare.

"I said you'll kill me!"

The blonde yelled while the clones yelled with him, "Kill him!" the Yakuza boss yelled while one of the clones launched themselves into a group of the goons while another joined that clone tackling several men with a punch.

The Yakuza boss watched while the clones beat the goons back matching their numbers, the small torrent of clones split around the Yakuza boss not attacking him while the blonde walked toward the man slowly who backed away from the blonde.

"Someone! Any of you!"

The Yakuza boss called but when he looked back, he was watching the clones overwhelm and defeat the goons with ease, he also watched as the clones began to attack at the walls and the beams of the casino making the building shake.

When the boss turned around a hand grabbed his collar as his dark eyes were staring directly into serious blue ones, the Yakuza boss grabbed the teen's wrist in an attempt to pull it off of his collar, but the blonde's hand didn't budge.

"You built this place to crush these people under your boot, to own them and take away everything they earned. All for the sake of nothing."

The blonde spoke while the Yakuza boss struggled in the blonde's grip, the walls continued to crack while the building began crumbling. The Yakuza boss roared as his hand grabbed his sword to try to stab the teen with only for the blonde to smack it out of his hand into the dirt.

The blonde pulled the struggling boss in his grip a little closer staring deeper into the scared man's eyes while he stood unwavering.

"Your turn."

The blonde said while he let the Yakuza boss go, the man felt as if he was moving in slow motion as his feet were about to touch the ground. His eyes registered the teen winding his fist back while just as his feet touched the ground a hard punch cracked across his face.

The Yakuza boss spun in the air from the impact of the punch before crashing into the wall of the casino, the Yakuza boss coughed as he smashed into the wall of the building.

The villagers and Tayuya watched as the entire building crumbled and fell apart smashing on top of the Yakuza members in the building, multiple puffs of smoke from the clones disappearing came from the rubble while the blonde turned his head at the sound of multiple footsteps.

The teen spotted more Yakuza members that had arrived as backup but stared toward the crumbled building in shock as they turned toward the blonde who glared at them.

"You're next."

The blonde spoke while the men looked at the boy before they dropped their weapons, they ran toward the destroyed building and began digging out their fellow Yakuza members. The Yakuza boss coughed while he was pulled out of the rubble.

"Listen closely. You ever show your faces here or anywhere else again trying to take advantage of people. I'll hunt you down and crush you all again."

The blonde spoke firmly to the terrified Yakuza boss, the men pulled the other goons from the rubble while the blonde pointed a thumb in a direction out of the village.

"Now leave."

The blonde ordered while the Yakuza boss looked at his men, "Go go! Get me out of here damn it!" the man yelled while the goons all ran for their lives while the blonde watched them run away out of the village. The teen then sighed before he turned toward the crowd.

"You can keep your money now. It's all yours."

The blonde spoke while the crowd erupted into cheers swarming the teen, Tayuya watched as they all gathered around the teen while she had both the teen's pouch and his bag clipped onto her for safekeeping.

This idiot even without his full strength displayed courage and talent that even she couldn't have imagined, it's as if everything he touched found some kind of way of working out in the end. That image of him being the sun still remained in her head.

The sun that she was considering snuffing out.

Was he really so wrong for just trying to exist? He never asked to be born the way that he did but instead of letting that define him, he stood in acceptance of it. So much so that he was the crappiest bad guy in the world, no… it was even worse than that.

He was a hero.

Strong enough to move forward, to face anything without fear. That was something that Tayuya could never reach. She felt envious of the blonde, that sinking feeling earlier no matter what and without fail was cured by the unstoppable blonde.

Tayuya felt a small smile grow on her face while the crowd tossed the ten into the air, the teen laughed while the crowd celebrated him. Another toss sent him into the air where he saw Tayuya and gave her the biggest grin he could muster.

Another toss in the air caused him to spot something that made his smile disappear in an instant, he felt like he was falling slower as his expression morphed into one of horror while the figure took a few more steps toward the rest of the crowd. In his hands he held a blade that had two tips as if the tip of the blade was split into two, he was wearing a black cloak and…

A fox mask.

The blonde quickly flipped, landing on his feet before stumbling and hitting the ground while the crowd looked at him in surprise, "Shithead?" Tayuya asked while the boy gave her a scared look before he looked back at the crowd.

The man in the fox mask pushed through the crowd while his blade gleamed in the light stomping toward the teen on the ground, the blond began to breathe faster while the man approached closer. The eyes of the mask turned red in the blonde's vision while he closed them.

He saw a visage of a campfire he was standing in front of was putting out, then he suddenly jerked before quickly putting his fingers together, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he heard himself roar out while smoke crawled toward him.

He felt his finger clutching into the earth while his head pounded back away from the fox mask who stepped through the smoke staring toward him, the eyes of the fox mask turned red again while the man pointed his sword at him.

His head continued to pound as he was dashing through the woods, the leaves crunched under his feet while the fox masked man was in close pursuit. He was breathing heavily while his head continued to pound even harder making his vision blurry while the masked man chased.

He felt himself trip and fall toward the river below him, the masked man watched him fall while the eyes of the mask continued to glow red.

Then he hit the water, and everything went black.

The blonde's eyes opened while the fox masked man lifted his blade to slash the boy with it, "Demon." the masked man said while he slashed at the air. The teen had scooted himself backward still staring toward the fox mask.

"Blondie?"

Tayuya asked while the blonde looked toward her, he got to his feet scooping her into his arms before he blasted himself forward with wind trying to make as much distance between himself and the masked man as possible. "Oi Shithead, what the hell are you doing?!" the girl yelled while the blonde ignored her dashing from branch to branch as fast as he could.

"Don't tell me you're beginning to remember me, Demon!"

The fox mask yelled while the side of the tree he landed on exploded after a kunai with a tag hit it, the blonde spun before landing on another tree branch before jumping ahead. "Blondie! Who the fuck is that guy?! Why are running!?" the girl yelled while the blonde kept dashing ahead.

The masked man kept close pursuit while the blonde narrowly avoided another attack from the man, the way that he swung his sword cut through the air with the grace and killing intent of a highly experienced swordsman that had taken many other lives.

The blonde flipped while he almost tripped up on a branch, "Shithead, come on. Fight him!" the girl yelled while the teen kept running.

"No… Not him."

The blonde responded while the girl looked toward the blonde in shock as he continued to run, landing on another tree branch, the masked man swung around the tree slashing the blade toward the blonde who leaned backward avoiding the slash.

The blonde saw his reflection in the swiping blade while he fell backward off of the tree, the masked man jumped down stabbing his blade downward. "Oi! Fuck you!" the girl yelled while she threw a round sphere into the masked man's face.

The sphere glowed before it detonated into a bright light, the masked man flipped backward onto a tree landing on his feet covering his eyes with his hands. His cloak had fallen off revealing an orange hair tied in a ponytail while he placed his hand on his arm to cover something.

"Run run run, Demon! I'll just find you again and again!"

The masked man roared into the air while the blonde ran holding onto Tayuya tightly while she stared toward the blonde's face.

The boy who was like the sun, the beast with blue eyes, that unstoppable hero that would beat anyone in his way that threatened the people he decided to care about. She had seen many looks on the boy's face, when he was happy, when he was serious, when he was annoyed, and when he cared about something.

But this face…

It wasn't like any face she expected to see on him.

That brave young man who would fight an army, steal from powerful people for the sake of bettering others, and travel around with the woman who wanted to kill him and call her his friend. Was…

Afraid.