I know I said I wouldn't have this chapter up for until the end of the week, but some things have come up recently I wasn't doing so hot in embryology, and fearing for her equipment's safety, my teacher "kicked me out". I've had to repeat a couple of courses, and I dropped one, but NEVER has something like this happened to me where the teacher wanted me out. So, I've been pretty upset about it lately, since the odds of me graduating on time have just on down. It looks like I may have to take even MORE units next quarter. I'm even considering signing up for it again if it's offered, if nothing else just to see her pull her out. Since Muay Thai is not until tomorrow, and I've got nothing better to do, proof-reading and editing this chapter has been my best outlet for now. Be warned, if I do go over 17 units next quarter, you probably won't get any chapters until the end of March. The reason you've seen such fast updates now is because most of these I had most of these chapters written since summer, and this is the last of those that are already done. But I'll continue working on this, even if progress slows considerably.

Full-metal-sousuke: Sorry about that. I couldn't find anything on the Biju, minus those shown in the manga. I've replaced it with the dog, just to make it a little more true to the anime. If you know what animal the seven-tails is, please let me know. Also, I just remembered that the two-tail jinchuriki is from Kumogakure. I'll come up with an explanation for that later.

Naruto stared at the man before him. He had to get to the bottom of this. "Who are you?" he screamed.

The Rikage turned his head around annoyed. He squinted at Naruto, then smiled. "Why, you must be Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto gave a look of surprise, and screamed "How do you know my name?"

The Raikage laughed menacingly. "I traveled to that Chunin exam in Konoha back in the day. I was older than you, and I was already a Chunin, but my team and I came to learn about any upcoming ninjas. I'll never forget you. I used to think I was the only one of my kind. Then I saw you. Only a jinchuriki could've called upon a second chakra source." Naruto could only stare nervously. The Raikage continued, holding his hand out. "You see, I contain the Houkou within me. It's a lonely existence isn't it? No one takes care of you. No one helps you in the ninja academy. No one even hopes that you achieve your dream one day."

Naruto stuttered "D-Dream?"

The Raikage said "The position I'm in now was my dream. To be Raikage. I hoped that I could win the respect of all my people and show them the person I really was." Then, the young man's face hardened, his placid look replaced by a frown and hateful eyes. "But then I realized that they would never respect me. No matter how many times I went on a successful mission, no matter how many people I helped, no matter how many enemies I killed in superb fashion, they would always despise me. They were only using me. So to teach them a lesson, I overthrew my predecessor and took over." The Raikage walked across the back of his summoned animal.."Sure, I had to deal with assassinations. And rebellions, much like I am at this second. Even attempts to defect from Lightning country." He turned around and opened his arms as if he was about to greet and important person and said in a happy tone "But hey, I'm okay! So long as I rule, they will regret the day they neglected and tormented me! That, my friend, is justice!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and screamed "You bastard! All you did was prove them right!"

The Raikage sneered "What else do you think was going to happen? Everyone has a breaking point. It's not like I was born a monster. If they didn't want a monster, they should have treated as a person. The logic is quite simple." The Raikage then pointed his finger at Naruto and asked "Did your people treat you any differently?"

Naruto tried to search for the right words. Yes, he once hated everyone who ever looked down upon him. When he found out about the demon inside of him though, he began to sympathize with everyone. "My dream is to be Hokage." Naruto said, looking down at his hands. Then he stared at Kenji and held up his fist. "But not like you! I will win their respect. And I will not use such an honorable position for simple revenge! I want to protect them!"

The Raikage stopped his pacing and looked at Naruto with rage. "PROTECT? THEY DON'T DESERVE YOUR PROTECTION, ONLY THE SAME SUFFERING YOU HAVE ENDURED!" he screamed.

Naruto furrowed his brow and said "That's coming from someone I don't even know."

The Raikage calmed down immediately and laughed. "Of course! How rude of me!" He walked down the tail of his beast towards Naruto, bowed in a European manner, with his right arm across and his left behind his back. "I am Kenji Strife, the Seventh Raikage. It is a pleasure to meet with you face to face, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened a second later and he grabbed Mana. Naruto jumped out of the way to avoid a fatal blow by a shuriken, only to have it graze his eye. He fell to the floor and flipped away. The blonde reached into his pouch and tossed some of his own shuriken. Kenji preformed hand signs and a wall of water surrounded him, blocking the shuriken. Then three Kenji's came out.

"Damn! He knows the Kage no Bushin too!" Naruto screamed. He formed his own clones and charged head on. The different clones collided and a confusing battle ensued. Each involved a Naruto vs. Kenji scenario. One of the Kenji clones got his opponent in a jujitsu move and stabbed him in the heart with a keris (an Indonesian dagger made in a "wave" pattern). At another area, a Naruto clone flipped up in the air and threw a kunai. The Kenji clone caught it, but failed to notice the explosive tag in time and was destroyed. Meanwhile, the real Naruto and Kenji were caught in strength vs. strength struggle.

"Impressive." Kenji said, as the final clones killed each other. The red-haired jinchuriki gave an evil smile. "You are quite good. You should just stab that bitch who's Hokage in the back and take over."

Naruto growled. "Tsunade is one of my important people, you monster! I will never become like you!"

Kenji asked sarcastically "Are you so sure? I was similar enough to you before I became what I am today." The two broke off and charged again.

"I'll hit him with this!" Naruto thought as he charged up his Rasengan. Before he could get close, however, something came from Kenji straight towards Naruto. Naruto side stepped, but he was still cut badly. As the Kyuubi container, held his side in pain, the mysterious object returned to Kenji. It looked like a buzz saw, and it seemed to be attached to a chain around Kenji's wrist.

"That was an interesting move there." Kenji commented. "But mine is more efficient. I call it the Rasenzan!"

Naruto pounded his fists on the floor. "His moves are similar to mine! Let's see how he likes this!" Naruto bit his thumb and made the signs necessary for a summoning jutsu. After completing it, a huge toad appeared, bigger than the crocodile that Kenji had. By then, the docks were completely demolished.

Kenji whistled and said "Wow! Now that's impressive!" He pointed his thumb towards his crocodile and said "However, did you honestly think this one here was my strongest summon? You insult me!" Kenji bit his thumb and made the exact same signs to summon an even bigger crocodile, which was also jet black in color.

The giant toad and croc collided, and the toad pushed the croc underwater. Naruto smiled at first, but it faltered when Kenji laughed. "Fool! Don't you know that a crocodile's strength is best used underwater?" He yelled.

Just then the water seemed to have exploded out of the ocean. It revealed the croc with his jaws locked on the toad and spun it around. Naruto jumped off cancelled the jutsu to save its life.

"A smart move on your part." Kenji said. He then pointed his finger at the Hokage-hopeful. "But pointless. For you see, you are going to die here anyway."

In a farthest corner of the sea, a giant sea slug slithered across the ocean floor. While it was arguably slow, it was in fact a bit faster than most ships, especially on stormy days. The slug carried a giant bubble on its back, and if one were to look closely, they would see Neji, Kakashi and Sakura. All three were in their meditative sitting positions, at first not saying a word.

Finally, Sakura broke the ice. "What do you think Naruto would be like as Hokage?" she asked.

Kakashi's eye widened at first, than closed to show he was smiling. "Well, that's tough to say. I'd imagine, for one, he wouldn't allow any child to grow up like he has. He always seemed fond of little kids, especially when they feel quite lonely." Sakura signaled for him to go on. "I'm also quite sure he wouldn't follow tradition." Kakashi said.

"Tradition?" Sakura asked.

"Well, for one, most of the hokages have tried to avoid war by making peace with the other nations. This may sound logical, but the fact is many of these countries have broken peace treaties with us time and time again, and they are quite cruel to their people, unlike us. Take the Mist Village for example. While they have reformed since Zabuza killed his classmates, they still live up to the name 'Bloody Mist' very well. They torture their prisoners before they interrogate them, their children are taken away from their parents at the age of 3 for training, and Kunoichi are generally looked down upon. When they are used, they're usually scouts in brothels, which requires them to perform the job of a whore daily."

Sakura looked like she was about to shout, but caught herself in time. Kakashi sighed and said "Believe me, I'd rather not make any peace with scum like that either. But the fact is their forces closely match ours. Even if we won a war with them, we would find ourselves in a position similar to the Sand-Sound war. We would be totally vulnerable to other countries, even those outside the Five Shinobi Nations." Kakashi opened his eye. "I doubt Naruto would want to do that. Granted, none of us can completely change any country to our liking. But he would find existence with such a place inexcusable, I'd imagine."

Sakura looked outside the bubble, even though their was really nothing to see. "Naruto would never blindly lead troops into battle as Hokage, at least not just to prove a point."

"Which brings me to the other reason why he wouldn't follow tradition." Kakashi replied. "Naruto is not the type of person to send people off and potentially get killed. It's very likely that he would be at the front lines of battle. This is discouraged among all Kages; after all, if the Kage dies, the village itself is doomed, especially in wartime."

Sakura laughed lightly and said "Yeah, I guess Naruto wouldn't be the type to stay put at a desk. He would think that we see him as unreliable again." Sakura sighed. "That worries me."

Kakashi leaned back against the bubble and continued. "Those are the only major two flaws I see in him being Hokage, though I have no doubt he can actually make those work in his favor. He has a knack for that. I'd also imagine he'd be great with finances, and I could easily see no one in the academy failing their graduation exam OR their bell test."

Sakura blinked for a minute. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Kakashi said "Believe it or not, Naruto is great at managing a budget. He lived by himself his whole life, so he had to learn everything about money. He has much more than he lets on. He just doesn't like to spend it." Kakashi stood up to walk and continued. "As for school, I'm not saying he'd make it easier. He would just make sure that everyone learned. Naruto told me himself that he hated his days at the academy, not because they were too hard for him, but that none of the teachers would help him, and the kids themselves would get help from their parents. He won't just let anyone pass; I'm just saying that he would make sure everyone has an equal opportunity."

Sakura gave a small smile "Yep, that sure sounds like him." she said.

Kenji and Naruto continued their battle. Though the destruction was great in the first part, by now they were using mostly taijutsu, and there was not much left to destroy. They walked on the water and battled kunai vs. keris. Naruto's team looked on horror. But, Iori offered hope.

"Sensei said he wanted to be Hokage, right? He's basically fighting evenly with another Kage! I'm sure he can win!"

Yuji then shook his head no.

"Yuji!" Shiguri screamed. "I was feeling a lot better after that little pep talk Iori gave, and you had to go and ruin it!"

Yuji said "Sorry, but it's not an even battle. Naruto-sensei is struggling to keep up, and the Raikage's techniques seem to be similar but better moves than those of our sensei." He stood up and helped his teammates up onto the support wire. "We're going to have to get him out of there. Follow me." Yuji landed on the water without sinking, but remembered his teammates couldn't do the same. Yuji scratched his head dumbfoundly and said "Oh, um…I forgot you two couldn't do this." Iori just gave him a nasty look saying 'Don't rub it in'. Yuji then tossed a wire to them. "When I tug, you two pull." He then ran towards the battle.

Naruto stepped away from Kenji panting. He had scratches everywhere, whereas Kenji for the most part looked fine and still had plenty of energy.

"Why aren't you using your inner demon?" Kenji asked with a smile.

Naruto growled "I will never rely on that fowl being ever again!"

Kenji sneered and said "But it's a part of you." He twirled his keris, as if he wasn't warmed up. "Its charka slowly becomes yours, it heals your wounds, and because of its violent nature, it will gladly give you power if only to taste a little freedom." Kenji continued. "When I left with my plans of conquest, I didn't just go off and learn new techniques. I 'bonded' with my inner demon you might say. He and I both have an understanding. Right now, the way we are fighting, he has never felt more alive than the time I conquered Kumogakure. And it is also the reason why despite the fact I'm using as much of my normal chakra as you, I'm not tired."

Naruto noted how this guy was like Garaa in many ways. However, Garaa was psychotic at the time of their fight; this guy knew exactly what he was doing and held a position over his people. "Would I become like him, if I became Hokage?" Naruto wondered. The blonde tightened his grip on his kunai."No."

Naruto made more clones, and Kenji did the same. However, both sets of clones stayed in place, and did not attack. Finally, all of the clones dispersed. Naruto held in his right hand the Futon Rasengan, and the Hahonryuu in his left. Kenji, on the other hand, had his Rasenzan surrounded by water, and seemed to be gathering up earth in his left. Both finally charged, and clasped their hands together.

"Guffu Sika No Jutsu!"

"Doro me no Jutsu!"

A whirlpool and a mud sprout collided, and just as quickly vanished. Mana managed to save her men in the chaos, as Yuji hid behind a thin stump.

"Did he beat him?" Mana wondered.

The mist cleared, and it was Naruto who was left standing. However, he did not escape unscathed. The cuts and bruises he had doubled. Normally, the Kyuubi would be healing him, but Naruto tried his best for the past few years to stop relying on its strength. Though to this day he could not recall what he did in his four tailed form, he remembered when Sakura got hurt. Granted, it wasn't too bad, but she still needed some rest during the mission, and she became sick after it was over. She was fully recovered now, but if it were more than a scratch…Naruto would have never forgiven himself.

Back to the matter at hand, though…Kenji was unconscious, floating in the water. Naruto grabbed his arm as he felt a sudden pain shoot through it. He walked over to where Kenji floated, and picked him up with his good arm. "It's time to end this! I'm going to let the people of the Lightning Country know that you have been defeated, and you will be tried!"

Kenji suddenly opened his eyes, but instead of bright yellow, they were jet black with no pupils. "It's not over yet!" Suddenly, his body crackled with electricity and Naruto was forced to let go. Green Chakra surrounded Kenji, his mouth grew fangs and his nails became claws, and 2 tails emerged. "This is the true power of a Biju! Keep in mind I'm only using forty percent."

Kenji charged, and Naruto pulled a kunai ready to defend. However, Kenji vanished right in front of him. Before Naruto could even register it, a voice said "Behind you."

Naruto turned in a panic only to be met with a fist. As he flew back, Kenji sent out a chakra hand to grab Naruto. Once that happened, Naruto began twitching uncontrollably. "Every time my chakra touches something, it sends an electric current through it! I bet you can't move right now. In fact I don't think you can even hear me. Why am I even talking to you?" Kenji laughed manically and flung Naruto behind him. Not surprisingly, Naruto was flung back far. When the water settled, it became clear that Naruto was loosing consciousness. Kenji, still in his partially transformed state, walked over. The water around him was crackling with electricity, causing Naruto to wake up and scream in pain. It wasn't as bad as being in contact with the source itself, though.

"Tsk tsk, Naruto. Tsk tsk. I was hoping you would show me a good fight. Without my powers, I'd say it was decent. With them, you were horrible. I don't know why Orochimaru sees you as a threat."

Naruto blinked and asked "O-Orochimaru?"

Kenji calmly replied "Yeah. When I left Kumogakure, I went right to him. I trained under the absolute worst of conditions, and used the drugs he had to enhance my powers. He also offered me an army…not that I really needed it, but I didn't want to kill everyone. Not just then, at least. He also used his influence to put a lock on the country's economy and in my hands. In exchange, I gave him Kumogakure's soldiers as experiments."

Naruto's eyes started to turn red after hearing Kenji, barely suppressing the demon within. "You-"

"That's it!" Kenji yelled jabbing his finger enthusiastically. "Use the demon within! It will make this a fight to remember!" Just when Kenji pulled out two keris to provoke Naruto further, a smoke bomb hit him square in the face as soon as he sensed it coming. Kenji hacked like mad and struggled to keep himself above the water's surface, running away.

Naruto finally lost consciousness, but before he could drown, Yuji swam over to him and tied one of his wires around his sensei's waste. He pulled on his life-line, and the two were pulled away.

Naruto began to regain consciousness. It was night, and he could see a camp fire with Mana and his team gathered around, as well as several other ninja. When Mana looked right at him, he said "You're about to say I shouldn't get up, huh?" Naruto began to sit up, and when he felt the sharp pain his back, he could see she would say that with good reason.

Yuji than ran up and rested his hands on his sensei's shoulders. "Sensei, I'm sorry we pulled you out, but we couldn't let you-"

Naruto smiled at him and said "Don't worry, you did a great job. There's more to ninjutsu than simply winning battles." Naruto's smile turned into a death glare, but it was pointed at Mana, who was looking quite ashamed. "You have a lot of explaining to do. Particularly about Kenji."

Mana looked at him sadly. "He already told you everything." She replied.

Naruto, looking unconvinced, said "Not everything. The person in the photo looks completely different from the one now." He pulled out a photo from his shuriken pocket that was identical to the one Kenji had in his palace. Only in this one, a boy in a standard ninja outfit with a mask like Kakashi, and facial features almost identical to the younger Kenji's was in the corner. "I pulled this out of your pocket right before we were attacked."

"It's just a photo of when he was younger." Mana shot back. "When WE were younger."

Naruto looked at it, his face becoming more solemn. "I used to put on a face like this all the time. A lot of people just thought I was being a goof who was happy. But the truth is, I was doing it to mask my pain. And in this photo, he's doing the exact same thing." Naruto used a stick to pull himself up, walk over, and handed it back to Mana. "That's not the kind of look someone like us would give. Something specific must've happened." Naruto sat down right in front of Mana. "I need to know what finally made him snap."

Mana tried to remain emotionless, but tears were sliding down her checks. "It was Kyo's doing." She said. "And I had a hand in it too."

Two young boys and a girl in between them sat in the Seiza position. One was Kenji, to his left was Mana, and the boy on her left was Kenji's twin brother, Kyo. Their Jonin leader, Moto Seto, addressed them. "Now that you have been accepted as Shinobi, you will have to perform shinobi duties. Espionage, guardsmen ship, rescue….assassination. Failure is not an option. And I will see to it that none of you do. That is all." The Jonin dismissed them, and the trio made their way to their respective homes.

"Man, this is so boring!" Kenji shouted. "None of this is going to help me become Raikage!"

Kyo just closed his eyes emotionlessly and said "Like father would ever allow you to hold his position."

Kenji's face immediately scowled and he screamed "What did you say?"

Kyo just rolled his eyes. "You know what I said." With that he walked away.

Mana was looking at Kyo dreamily. After all, he was one of the Raikage's sons. He was handsome, talented, and just plain cool. "I've got to go on a date with him!" Mana thought to herself.

"Um…Mana." Kenji said from behind her. He had a slight tint of red on his cheeks. "I…I was wondering…" He twitched his fingers in much the same fashion as Hinata. "Would you like to go out on a date? With me?"

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two as they stared at one another. Then Mana turned her head and said "Hpmh!"

Kenji simply looked at the ground and headed home. Which right now was a little Shanty on the outskirts of town.

The team was ambushed by mist ninjas. Seto dealt with most of them in superb fashion, but there were a few that were giving him trouble. Kyo and Mana held their own. Kenji, still not well-versed the basics of training, was pinned to the ground by a couple of other nins. Mana spared a look at Kenji, and then she was knocked to the ground, her weapon flying out of her hands. As she was pinned to the ground, Kyo ran towards her. Suddenly he spun around to block another kunai. The owner of the blocked weapon was young boy with glasses and silver hair, who simply smirked at him.

"My, you are quite good." The teen commented. "Just what we would expect from the son of a Raikage. However, with us, you can become even stronger. Kumogakure will hold back your superb talent."

Mana knew that Kyo would never take his offer. Or that's what she thought she knew.

Kyo suddenly relaxed, though still on guard. "Even stronger than a Kage?" Kyo asked.

"He's actually considering it?" Mana thought in horror.

The stranger replied "Oh yes. You could possibly even become greater than the sanin."

Kyo smiled wickedly underneath his mask. "Why not? The village doesn't mean much to me anyway. Besides, these annoying fan girls are getting to me." He looked at Mana, with a cruel smile. Mana, in turn, looked on in absolute horror and despair. Kyo turned and walked with his new ally. "What's your name again?" he asked.

"Kabuto. Yakushi Kabuto. What would you like my men to do with your team?"

Kyo just waved his hand and said "Whatever you want. I don't care." Kabuto turned around and give them the thumbs down.

Mana closed her eyes, her world spinning and her mind in confusion. Just as she was expecting death, she felt the incoming kunai stop. When she opened, she saw Kenji had grabbed her opponent at the wrist. But Kenji was also changed. He was surrounded by green chakra, his hands and mouth developed fangs and claws, and his eyes became jet-black.

"You will not lay even a hundredth of your filthy hands on her!" he screamed. Kenji punched ninja right in the face, sending him a good thirty meters. Kenji went right after him, and jumped up and down on his opponent's torso as he slid on the ground, breaking all of his ribs. The mist nin coughed up blood, and due to his mask, was forced to swallow most of it back in. Kenji grabbed his enemy by the throat in a choke-hold, shocking him with electricity as well as cutting off his air.

Mana looked on in a different kind of horror; This time, it looked like one of her commrades would be lost to madness. "No! I can't loose him too!" Mana realized at that moment just how much she cared about him. She may not have been in love with him, but he always supported her, tried cheering her up, and brought humor to their all too serious group. Finally she reached him and embraced him from behind. "No!" she screamed. "Please, don't do this! I don't like seeing you like this!" The electricity burned her skin caused her pain no training could prepare her for, but that did not matter to her. Finally, Kenji's eye color returned to normal, and the green chakra disappeared.

He looked in horror at what he had done to his opponent. Then, he turned around and saw Mana with burns all over her body. "Did…Did I do this?" he asked.

Mana didn't know what to do at first, but nodded, telling him the truth.

Kenji's eyes began to well up. He turned around to run, but Mana grabbed his wrist.

"It's not your fault!" Mana cried. "If it had not been for you, we would have all been dead!"

Kenji finally stopped squirming. "Kyo…Why did he?..." Mana simply caught him in an embrace, and the team walked away in silence.

"What are you thinking, Raikage-sama?" Seto yelled.

"You expect me to list my own son as a traitor?" The Reikage replied.

Seto stated, with malice in his voice "He openly betrayed us when he was offered power. He didn't even think about the consequences."

"He was my only son."

"You have another son, far more worthy as a cloud ninja, you bas-" Before he could finish, one of the guards punched Seto in the gut and he kneeled to the floor.

"That's enough." The Reikage said. "Just be glad that I won't have you up for execution."

A month had passed since then, and Mana could not believe what was happening. The Raikage refused to list Kyo as a missing nin. Mana was boiling inside. If she had the power, she would've killed the Raikage right there and then. "How could such a man be chosen to lead our village?" She ran, but at first she didn't know where. The Raikage kept Seto in solitary confinement for a month, Kyo was gone, and if she told her parents everything, they would all be put to death. That left…Kenji. When she tried to look for his hut, she couldn't find it. "I know it was here…where?..."

Suddenly, Kenji came into view, carrying some wooden supplies. Needless to say he didn't look too happy. Not at her, just in general.

"This has been a crappy month, hasn't it?" Kenji asked. "I fail the Chunin exams, my brother becomes a missing nin…and on top of that all, the villagers burned down my shack again."

This wasn't the first time it happened. Mana was curious as to why the villagers hated him so, but she was so wrapped up with Kyo she never thought about asking him…or even help him. "I should start now. He's been nothing but a good friend to me…and I've been so blind." she thought. That was easier said than done. "K...Kenji…can I…help…you?"

Kenji turned around, stunned. Mana had never offered any help to him before. But he wouldn't let that turn her offer down. He smiled his goofy smile, scratched the back of his head and laughed."Sure! I'd like that!" The two of them got the work done much faster than Kenji could have alone.

Things have been going great for Kenji the past five years. At least when compared to his childhood. He became a jonin, Seto was training him, and he and Mana were sharing a close friendship. Perhaps more. Things could be better though. He recently found out why the villagers hated him: He contained a demon within. His own father put it into him, and his mother was sacrificed. He lost all respect for his father that day. He wanted to become Raikage more than ever; he wanted to redeem his family's name and prove himself a worthy cloud ninja. "And I will make sure no child like me will suffer ever again." When he opened the door to his stone hut, he was greeted with a surprise.

"Happy Birthday!" Mana screamed as she hugged him. Inside was a cake with candles.

Kenji was speechless, and just stared blankly at the display that was so simple and yet had so much meaning to him.

Mana noticed his stupor. Inside she panicked. "Oh no! I knew I should have taken more time! I should have at least got more gifts than just a couple of books!" Mana let go and looked away."I'm sorry. I didn't have much time, but even then, I should put more effort into it. If you're disappointed…"

Kenji got out of his stupor and corrected his mistake. The jinchuriki hugged the girl from behind and nearly shouted "No! It's perfect!" They sat down, had the cake and just chatted. Despite the simplicity and familiarity of it all, Kenji was having the time of his life with the girl he loved. Then, tears came down his face.

Mana became concerned, and asked "What's wrong?"

Kenji sniffled "This is the best birthday I ever had."

Mana leaned into his shoulder. "I think I can make it a bit better." She whispered in his ear. She looked him in the eyes, and kissed him passionately. Kenji was shocked at first, but soon he kissed back. It didn't stop there, however; they took it all the way. Kenji collapsed on Mana, exhausted. They lay there in silence, and then Kenji happily drifted off into sleep.

Mana couldn't believe what happened, but it didn't upset her…she was quite glad. She found everything she ever wanted in Kenji, when she thought it would be in Kyo. "I love you." She whispered into his ear before she drifted off into sleep.

Months passed, and Mana learned something: She was pregnant. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this, but she had to tell Kenji. Suddenly, someone knocked on her door. A friend of hers was at the door, looking excited.

"Mana! It's Kyo! He's finally come back!" Mana didn't know what to say, but before she could do anything, her friend dragged her out. Soon, they reached the street where a group, mostly girls from her class, were surrounding a ninja in tattered clothes: Kyo. He still looked nearly identical to Kenji, but his hair was much longer, he no longer wore his mask, and had a few scars. Everyone was glad that their hero had returned. Mana, however, could only look in disgust.

"If it wasn't for those bullshit orders, he wouldn't be welcomed back like the hero he is not." She thought.

Suddenly, Kyo turned towards her. He smiled, but Mana could tell it wasn't genuine. "Mana! I've missed you so much!" As he walked towards her, Mana tried to say "Kyo, wha-" She never finished, as Kyo cut her off with a kiss to the mouth.

Kenji ran through the streets afraid. Not of an attack, or another angry villager. No. In his hand was a wedding ring. The legal age to marry in cloud country was eighteen, and his birthday was coming up soon. The ring wasn't as flashy as civilians usually had, but it was still a beautiful silver color. He was going to ask none other than Mana to marry him. There was no one else he wanted to spend his life with. "We've been through so much…I've come this far…she has to accept me…she just HAS to…"

But when he noticed the crowd, he stopped. He saw Kyo in the center, smiling and shaking everyone's hands. "How? How could they just welcome him back? He abandoned a village that loved him! I stayed here and protected it, regardless of how everyone treated me!" What really got to him, though, was Kyo kissing Mana. His Mana.

Mana moved her eyes and screamed "Kenji! It's not what it looks like!"

Too late. Kenji with tears in his eyes, slammed a small box onto the ground and fled. Mana ran towards the box and found the ring inside. Just then, she began to cry. "He was going to ask me to marry him. Oh no!"

Just as she was about to chase him, Kyo grabbed her shoulder. "Leave him. It was my mistake to leave you in the care of a monster like him. Now, we will be together forever, just like you wanted all those years ago." Instead of a romantic kiss, he was punched in the face and sent flying. The crowd gasped in shock. The penalty for attacking someone favored by the Raikage was severe.

Mana didn't care about that. "You are the worst piece of trash I have ever known! You gave up your loyalty to Kumogakure all for power! You left us to die! You betrayed me! But not him! In spite of everything we have done to him, he stood by us! By me! He is more human than you or your joke of a father ever will be!" Just than, two other cloud ninja knocked her out. Kyo sneered "Throw the bitch in prison!"

Kenji stood atop a hill at the outskirts of the village. His normally happy smile was replaced by a look of pure rage. He clenched his fist and screamed "I gave you everything I had! I made myself stronger everyday for you! I nearly got myself killed so many times for you! But what do I get! You flock to my brother like he never did anything wrong! You never acknowledged me as a person! For that, I will make you pay! You hear me? No Raikage will protect you from me!" Kenji sprinted in the opposite direction immediately afterwards.

Two years had passed. The lightning country was going about business as usual. Kyo was part of Kumogakure's ANBU squad, and was supposed to succeed his father. However, the two only saw or spoke to one another during diplomatic situations. Anyone who really knew them knew that they hated each other. The only reason the Raikage even said Kyo would take over was because he feared the allies Kyo might have.

Mana spent those last two years in prison. Her baby, by Kyo's orders, was aborted in the cruelest way imaginable; her stomach was stabbed over and over until the doctors confirmed the fetus was destroyed. Though the physical pain during the ordeal was terrible, the pain of loosing her child was beyond unbearable. She knew it was done not to justify putting her in prison, but to make sure that she would give up all hope, which she nearly did. Mana kept track of the days, and once a month, said a prayer for him. "Please come back Kenji. I want us to start over. Back to how it was supposed to be…"

A lone figure stood outside the cloud village, covered in a cloak with lightning decorations. A young man with glasses, Kabuto, stood behind him.

"Any second thoughts?" he asked.

"None." the mystery man replied.

"Shall I send in the troops Lord Orochimaru has prepared?"

The figure said "Only to secure the area. The lives of these people, however, are mine."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Very well. Your brother didn't turn out to be very useful in the end. He was nothing but a spoiled brat, believing even under our apprenticeship the world revolved around him. He refused much of the training, and getting him to do missions for us was even harder. You were different, though. You very rarely asked for anything, and when you did, you made sure you earned it. We have never seen anyone minus Sasuke with as much potential as you. I just need to be sure that our deal is still valid."

The person turned around and said "Oh, it will be upheld. You'll see."

Kyo patrolled with some ANBU guards, bored out of his mind. "This sucks. I guess I should go and make use of Mana again. She could've been my wife, but no, she had to spit in my face. Now she's nothing but a cheap-"

His thoughts were cut off when he heard a grunt. Kyo's eyes widened as he saw one of his comrades fall dead from a kunai in the back of the neck. Everyone tensed up. One by one, the ANBU guards were pulled under by something. There was no struggle, and Kyo knew they were all dead. He started trembling.

Then laughter came. "I must be dreaming! The great Kyo Strife, son of the Raikage, trembling with fear!"

Kyo turned around to see a mysteriously cloaked figure. The figure lifted his hood and revealed his identity: Kenji!

Kyo stuttered "B-Brother!" Then, he removed his mask, opened up his arms as if to hug him and said " I've been so worried about you!"How have you-" Kyo was immediately backhanded to the ground.

"Brother?" Kenji screamed. "Brothers are supposed to look out for one another, protect one another, and love each othe!." Kenji walked menacingly towards Kyo, who had a kunai behind his back. Kyo tried a slash, but Kenji caught his wrist. Then, electricity started pouring through his body, torturing Kyo. It wasn't enough to make him unaware of everything else, but it did keep him paralyzed. "I did all of those things for you once." Kenji hissed. "Tell me, did you?"

Kenji threw his brother against the metal rail that stood at the edge of the city. The two brothers battled, but it was not one of those epic battles between two brothers in myth. No, Kenji beat his brother to the floor. It lasted no more than fifteen seconds, and it was completely one-sided. A couple of ninjas came behind Kenji, but not to attack. "Take him." Kenji said as he was pointing at his brother. "I want him alive. For now."

The ninjas took him and disappeared. Kenji put his hands against the railing and leaned forward. "Now, for the rest of you…"

"Raikage-sama! We're under attack!" a cloud nin screamed.

The Raikage stood and ran towards the window. "How many?" he yelled.

"Only one hundred men! And one of them has been taking out our best ninja!"

The Raikage turned around. "That's impossible!"

"It's true, sir! He's created so many doppelgangers, and our troops are falling one by one! We can't stop him!"

Suddenly, a crash was heard in the room, knocking the jonin guard unconscious. There stood Kenji, his feet firmly placed in the ground. He stood up, with a look of pure rage in his eyes. "It's been a long time…Raikage Strife."

The Raikage opened his arms and put on the best fake smile that he could. "Kenji, my boy! I've missed you so…"

Kenji threw a kunai at hi recovering bodyguard, then rushed up to his father at an incredible speed, so the two were face to face. "I leave for a couple of years, and NOW you decide to treat me as family. But for your information, we never were one. I know you sacrificed my own mother to put a monster inside me! To make me a weapon that you soon wanted discarded! I stayed in the village when I shouldn't have after Kyo defected!" The Reikage tried to appear unaffected. "Besides, if you really are welcoming me with open arms, why do you tremble with fear? I should also add Kyo tried that trick as well."

The Raikage clenched his teeth. "I must kill him now!" He tried making some hand signs, but Kenji took two keris and pinned his hands to the floor. Then, Kenji sent electricity from his hands to his father's. The Raikage screamed in pain. Kenji just smiled. "You were once considered the greatest of cloud ninja. Let's see how great you are when your hands will need to be amputated."

Suddenly, two sound ninja burst through the door. "Everyone has been secured. Lord Orochimaru-"

Kenji smiled and held his hand up. "Oh yes, I forgot." He leaned towards his father and smiled sinisterly. "It looks like you lucked out old man. I'm not going to kill you after all." The Raikage could only look at his son in fear; he knew it was a fate worse than death. "You'll become a guinea pig for one of the legendary sanin. You should be honored."

Kenji pulled his daggers out of his sire's hands, as the two ninja carried him off. "Nooo! Nooo!" he screamed.

"Hold it!" Kenji yelled at the two ninja. He walked over to his father, and took his hat off. "Now you may take him."

As the two carried his father away, he looked out the window with his new hat. "It looks like I achieved my dream after all. If my scumbag of a father can do it, no reason why I can't."

Mana heard the commotion at the top. She didn't know what was happening. Could it be good or bad? Suddenly, she heard some keys cling. A figure came to the cage door, but not a guard; it was Chizuru, a friend of hers. "Chizuru! What's-"

"Shh! Kenji came back! He-"

Just when the door open, Mana caught her friend in a hug. She cried out of joy. "Please! You have to take me to him!" Chizuru looked at her friend with a face of fear. Mana saw it, and asked "What's wrong?"

"Mana…Kenji took over Kumogakure. He killed so many shinobi. He overthrew his father."

Mana gave a look in horror. "It can't-"

Chizuru only nodded yes slightly.

"The Raikage deserved it! Kenji's only trying to protect us!"

Chizuru screamed "I heard him declaring to someone that he would take his personal revenge on Kumogakure!"

Mana's eyes widened, and she fell to the floor, grabbing her head. "No…"

Just then, Chizuru heard someone coming in the dungeon.

"What should we do with the prisoners?"

"The boss said he doesn't particularly care. I say we just kill them! It'll be fun!"

Chizuru scooped her friend up, and fled. After they escaped a good ways away from their home, Mana whispered something inchoherent.

"Get Seto-sensei. He didn't sugarcoat anything that happened back then. He can reason with Kenji. He-"

"I'm sorry Mana." Chizuru replied. "There was no way I could tell you before, but Seto-sensei is dead. He tried to kill Kyo, and he was beheaded."

Mana broke down completely and wailed on her friend's chest.

A couple of days later, cloud village was occupied by several sound ninja. They had no headbands to indicate where they came from, but they proved to easily match every cloud ninja. Kenji declared himself as the Seventh Raikage. Since then, things were never the same. The monument with the previous raikages was destroyed. A curfew was installed. Much of the actual village was deserted. Most of nins were transported to barracks with their families, to be kept an eye on. One day, all the citizens were called towards the palace.

Mana stealthily leapt between roofs to get to the bottom of everything. Though she had been out of practice, she was still good at being at stealth. Finally, she found a place at the top to hide herself and get a better view. There she saw Kenji in the Raikage robes and hat. Mana noted he looked quite handsome too. But when he lifted his face slightly, Mana couldn't believe what she saw. Kenji was no longer the happy-no-lucky child she knew and loved. His face was cold, hardened. "He has changed…" Mana thought. Then she looked at his side. There was Kyo, his face battered and bruised. He was tied in chains, and had a look of utter fear on his face.

Kenji raised his voice and hands, yelling "Citizens! Today you will witness the execution of the greatest scum of the Kumogakure, and of all time; Kyo Strife!" Some heads turned, wondering how this monster could possibly justify the killing of their greatest hero. None dared speak, however.

"The last Raikage was so protective of his own child…" Kenji said "…that he hid the truth from you." Kenji roughly grabbed Kyo at the back, forcing him to grunt. "He told you that rouge ninja abducted him and that he was never seen from again. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. The truth is that he abandoned you. For power. Power he did not need. Power he could have obtained through more honorable means." Kenji then slammed his brother to the floor. "Power he always had!" There were collective gasps from the crowd.

"He secretly has been giving information to enemies, taking this village's money. Even if he was appointed to Raikage, he probably would simply sell you all as slaves!" Kenji drew his brother close. "Is the story of your defection true?"

Kyo said without hesitation and with much fear, "Yes." The crowd gasped.

"And your continuing activities?" Kyo began to cry. "Well?"

Kyo screamed "Please! I don't want to die!"

The story that Kenji told the crowd began to sink in. Kenji, on one knee, simply smirked. "Mercy, please!" Kenji just laughed at him. "If there is one nice thing I will ever be forced to say about you, it's that you crack me up! HAHAHAHA…."

Kyo pleaded between sobs. "I'll leave. I'll never come back. You can even take an arm from me. Just let me live."

Kenji picked up his brother, with an evil smile on his face. "Tell me…" he asked. "If our positions were changed, would you do the same for me?" Kenji then drew a keris at lightning speed, and his brother's head rolled off.

Mana looked on in horror. She suffered at the hands of Kyo more than anyone, she knew no words could describe how loathsome he was…but she could never bring herself to kill a man in chains, pleading for his life, no matter how deplorable his past was. What's more, the Kenji she knew would have never done something like that either. Kenji then turned to the crowd, seemingly satisfied with his kill.

"We ninja of the Kumogakure are like brothers. And a brother betraying another is unforgivable. Which is why everyone who betrays Kumogakure will be executed from here on in! But not like this! No…Every traitor brought to me alive will face their death, prolonged by one minute depending on the ones who came before. For example, the next traitor will suffer a painful death for one minute. The next, two minutes. The next, three minutes. I think you get the idea."

Mana did everything she could to stop herself from crying. "That's not Kenji! That's a monster!" she said in her mind over and over again. Soon, she snuck out of the village, never to return again.

"Too many betrayed, leaving a chance for prisoners to escape. So instead, all of the citizens had seals placed on them, to prevent any betrayal." Mana finished. "I managed to save a few. The seals are easy for another to remove, once you understand them, but security is so tight and almost everyone is too afraid to disobey. I did bring you with the hope of defeating him." Mana's tear-stained face stared at the fire, now nothing bu a bunch of embers. "But I was hoping you could reason with him as well, show him what he forgot. But now I know that's impossible…"

Naruto felt a pit in his stomach. He realized…he could have become this man. He still could. What was to prevent him from becoming Kenji? Naruto, for the first time, was not scared of the beast within him, but he was truly scared of himself.

Naruto's genin team was horrified that someone who was an ordinary person like them could do such things. But at the same time, they were disgusted that someone would seal a demon inside a child and treat him like a monster. "I can't blame him. Not for turning out this way." Yuji commented. Shiguri just stared passively.

Iori asked "Sensei, what will we do?"

Naruto stood up and said "You will go back to Konoha and consider the mission a success. We got Mana-dono here safe and sound. Although the way things are right now, it seems more like we're feeding them to sharks."

Mana was hoping he would stay and fight, but wasn't surprised by his statement. After all, she did trick them. "Miss Kono, do you have a ninja that could escort them?"

Mana looked up, shocked. "B-but I got you and your team involved in a battle that was not yours!"

Naruto gave a determined look when he said "It's not their fight… but it is mine."

Yuji yelled "Sensei! We can help you!" Naruto had his back to them, as he put on his clothes.

Shiguri yelled "What is it? You don't believe in us?"

Naruto turned around, his eyes red for just a split-second. "Yes! I don't believe in you!" he yelled. The team stared at him silently. Naruto calmed down, and put his hands over the heads of the two boys "My first C-ranked mission was really an A-rank. While our client did deceive us, he was only trying to help his country. But we encountered two S-class criminals. One of us nearly got killed." Naruto finally finished dressing. "I don't want to take that chance with you guys."

One of Mana's men appeared, whom she nodded to. He walked over to the kids, and patted the two boys on the back. "Come on. Let's go." He said.

As they left, Mana turned to Naruto. "Why do you stay and fight?" she asked.

Naruto said "You know I'm a jinchuriki too, right?"Mana nodded affirmitively.

Naruto said "He's exactly what people thought I would be. I don't know how many jinchurikis there are, but I'd imagine they all went through the same things as we did growing up. If I don't stop him now, people will only continue to think of us as weapons and monsters." Naruto put out the embers, and as the smoke cleared, he said "Not only that, but he has a link with one of Konoha's most dangerous enemies. An enemy who has my best friend imprisoned." Naruto turned to face Mana. For some reason, he smiled. "Don't worry, I'll help you out! I promise! I wish I could say the same about returning Kenji to you, but…"

The jinchuriki was caught off guard when Mana placed a quick kiss on the cheek. It was simply to express gratitude, but Naruto was still a bit embarrassed. "I have to accept that the man I loved died a long time ago." Mana replied. "Though I want him back more than anything, I know it's impossible. Don't try, please. You'll only get killed. But I thank you for considering it."

Naruto sighed sadly. "I will try. I feel most everyone deserves a second chance…"

Kenji paced back and forth in his tent. He couldn't believe he let someone like Naruto get away. Worse, it was a genin that came to his aid. Suddenly, a presence entered his tent and broke him out of his thoughts. Normally, anyone doing so without permission would be killed. But this was not one of his subordinates.

"It's hard to believe that someone who claims to be a kage could fall for a genin's tricks like that." Orochimaru said. Kenji rushed up to him and drew his kriss. Orochimaru parried with his kusunagi, but he could barely stop Kenji's attack. He was still physically stronger than the sanin.

"It's only natural for an individual like him to have such gifted students." Kenji hissed. He withdrew and turned around. "What is it about him that gets you?" Kenji asked.

Orochimaru's face turned into a cold example of rage. "He has been nothing but a thorn in my side! Worse, he's been trying to steal Sasuke-kun from me!"

Kenji asked "Kill him?"

Orochimaru spat "No, bring him back to Konoha. What a fool! Sasuke-kun is like me! He will do anything for power, and cares about nothing else."

Kenji hid his face from the snake, clearly boiling with rage. Uchiha reminded him of his brother: Having all the talent, the admiration, and tossing it aside. "Still, I need this snake. When I'm through with him, I'll kill him!" Kenji calmed himself and said to Orochimaru "I will be the one to handle Uzumaki. However, he could have gone for help. I would like to request some assistance to deal with his team and the rebels."

Orochimaru replied with a sinister smile "Sasuke-kun?"

Kenji could tell Orochimaru was testing him. He frowned in annoyance and replied"No, someone who I will not kill on sight. At least, not immediately."

Orochimaru grinned. "How about your father? I have done some lovely experiments on him, and I think he is ready for battle. I am very eager to test him."

Kenji gave a quizzical look. "May I see him?"

Orochimaru led him through a corridor of mazes, until finally, they came to a rattling cage. A huge roar came forth, blowing Kenji's hat off. Orochimaru leaned near Kenji and whispered into his ear "What do you think?"

Kenji just smiled "He's perfect."

Hopefully, this shows you Kenji is only 50 percent Gaara rip-off!

On an unrelated note, can people tell me what so many fans have against NaruSaku? I've gotten several reasons for liking SasuSaku and NaruHina, but never for disliking NaruSaku. I also have to say, when fans of the other two pairings describe "romantic" moments in the manga and anime, if I were staring them in the face, I'd be like "What the hell are you smoking?" I generally try to be open-minded about alternative pairings. In fact, quite a few of them can be quite fun. However, when the fans think such pairings are dead certain, especially when the two people have hardly any interaction, it just annoys the hell out of me. I also heard from other NaruSaku fans that when they put forth an argument on some Naruto fan sites, they get flamed by the other fans.

To the SasuSaku and NaruHina fans: I understand there is nothing I can do to make you switch over. Just understand this: I like NaruSaku simply because it's practically the only pairing hinted at in the manga. If there was more evidence for SasuSaku and NaruHina, I'd go with those. But there isn't. I respect your right to enjoy your favored pairings, so long as you respect my right to enjoy mine. But, if we do happen to have a conversation about this, I want to get a couple of points across:

1) Kishimoto, or any mangaka for that matter, would NEVER say what pairing will occur in a series they're in the middle of writing. Stop saying that Kishimoto said it will be SasuSaku. Telling the public what's going to happen in your series pretty much ruins it.

2) Kishimoto said he MIGHT settle on A pairing. It could be anyone. We may get no pairing at all (although I think leaving the pairings neutral would be a waste). And in that statement, when the interviewer said "We hope Hinata gets her chance.", and Kishimoto replies "I hope so too.", that DOES NOT mean that NaruHina will happen. Personally, it seemed more like a joke to me, and in fact I view it as Kishimoto saying he doubts he will go that way.

3) Do not compare the romance in Naruto to DBZ. A lot of SasuSaku and NaruHina fans use DBZ, specifically VegetaXBulma, as evidence that Kishimoto will go with a pairing that's not main guyXmain girl. True, Kishimoto is a DragonBall fan. However, he said he loved the stories up until the Frieza saga. So, he probably did not like the idea of Vegeta knocking up Bulma either. Also, Akira Toryiama never gave a damn about romance in DragonBall. He just hooked up people randomly. As for the twist with Vegeta and Bulma, he did that to anger his readers, because he wanted to end DragonBall at the Frieza saga. The readers demanded more, and it was a move intended to disappoint the fans.

4) Stop saying Kishimoto will make your pairing happen based on fan demand. To that, I say "FROM WHERE?" If you are one of those fans who watches Naruto for free on youtube, or uses other sites to look at free manga scans( I've done this to, but I plan on buying a few volumes), chances are Kishimoto won't listen to you, because you're practically robbing him. This occurs mostly outside of Japan. Naruto is an ANIME made for a JAPANESE audience. If Kishimoto makes his decisions based on fan demand, it will be based on the fans in JAPAN. For what it's worth, I don't know what pairings, if any, the Japanese fans are rooting for. But I bet neither do any of you. There's also a possibility that fan demand on certain things may compel him to do the opposite. I remember reading in Rurouni Kenshin that Watsuki got a letter from a fan saying "I bet Aoshi will become the kind of person who helps Kenshin in the end." And Watsuki thought "Hm, I think I will make him a bad guy…" Besides, it's his story. He may take some fan demand into his consideration, but unless someone writes a compelling argument against what he was originally planning, he's not going to deviate from it.

5) Stop saying NaruSaku will be abusive to Naruto. It's not cool for anyone to beat their significant other in real life. However, this is a shonen manga; the idea of girls kicking the crap out of boys is meant to be comical, showing they may wind up running things, and is often a sign of true love. If you are one of the fans who makes the abuse claim, and love InuYasha, Ranma ½, Rurouni Kenshin, Love Hina and Yuyu Hakusho, you need to either take back that statement or boycott the pairings in those other series….4/5 of which would be too late though. If you mean emotional abuse, not even at her worse did Sakura ever do anything to put down Naruto, and the one time she did, she thought she was talking to Sasuke. It just annoys me when you take some of the interactions a bit too seriously.

Rasenzan-Swirling Disc

Doro Me-Mud Sprout