Author Note

Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter of Cursed Eyes.

Last chapter has received a good number of reviews so I truly appreciate it. I understand that the path of the needed hero, instead of the wanted one, is not to everyone's liking. It's true that this Naruto is perhaps the complete opposite of Canon. You can say that this Naruto is more attuned to the one that Canon Naruto had met in Waterfall of Truth. Ever since he was a child, he has been dealing not only with the consequences of his own life, but also with the afterevents of the Uchiha Massacre. It made him more reserved and an introvert, as opposed to the exuberant Canon Naruto, who in my frank opinion hasn't truly embraced the dark side.

There was never a part where the dark side was shown in his personality. He was very much the same Naruto afterward.

I don't know if the manga covered this or not, but the anime sure didn't.

Last but not least, I saw from the reviews that some believe it makes little sense for him to protect Konoha despite him being hated by the villagers. I'd gather that a shinobi's duty trumps anyone's desire to do whatever it is they want to. Uchiha Itachi is the prime example, here. He had chosen the greater good over the health of his own family, going as far as to kill his own parents for that. Many of the village's ANBU could be accounted for as well…they are nameless, no one knows about their existence and yet they work day and night for the village's protection. None of them shall ever receive any form of gratitude for their service and their life for the village.

I see no difference for Naruto. Also, he has his precious ones in the village to protect and work for a better life. Without them, perhaps, his drive would be zero, but for now, he has those he considered his precious people.

Going forward, then, this is going to be a filler chapter, before I continue with the next course of events.

Here is the chapter, so please enjoy and later on tell me your thoughts.

Cursed Eyes

Chapter 36 – Nadeshiko

Beta: Scheffinator

Despite the number of casualties being non-existent, since Nagato used his last breath to revive everyone, the damage to the village's overall structure was quite extensive.

Tsunade's Office became flooded with damage reports, indemnification requests from local vendors, general supplies shortage…the Hospital has also lost quite a lot of utensils, helping the injured. Digging into the village's savings was never a good thing, since the Hokage needed to run some numbers afterwards, in order to cover the deficit. And the only method of income the village had was its shinobi and kunoichi force. As such, Tsunade and Shizune had to come up with a system of dividing the available force for missions…however, some of the necessary missions wouldn't bring in revenue.

Some shinobi would have to be used for restocking supplies of all kinds, including shinobi weaponry, hospital supplies, amongst others.

At least, Tsunade could use the entire Genin on her list for those assignments, allowing Chuunin and Jounin for the income missions.

Aside from that, the woman still had to place Akatsuki into account. Despite Naruto now adding yet another enemy to the list of deceased members, the organization was still out there, after the Bijuu. Jiraiya had reported that both Gaara and the Raikage's brother were recently captured…so it stood to reason that someone was still out there calling the shots, which brought nothing but headache for the Shodaime's granddaughter.

With Naruto now being the last Jinchuuriki alive, most of the higher-ups now considered that it would be in everyone's best interest to keep him protected or isolated somewhere in the Elemental Nations where the organization couldn't find him. The plan had its merits of course and if he was less capable than he is right now, Tsunade would consider it. The truth of the matter is that right now the damn kid is probably S-ranked level already with the fox's chakra helping him, so it's probably hard for anyone to be able to defeat him, much less capture him.

Pain's invasion had also lowered most of the shinobi's impression about the resident Jinchuuriki, so Tsunade had listened to Itsuko's request that her boyfriend could be sent for an easy assignment away from the village to cool his head off.

The ANBU was worried about her boyfriend's mental health, after Pein's fight.

Ever since then, his body was there with her, but his mind…just wasn't.

She reached out to Kotetsu and Izumo and came to their house to try and cheer him up, but to no avail.

The orphans and the not so little anymore Misao came close to forcing a smile, but not even they managed to.

Not even Kasumi and Kakashi managed anything and they were the ones who knew him best.

Tsunade then reached out for Asuma to reunite his old Genin Team for a simple B-ranked mission that would take place in the Land of Water. Sending an S-ranked shinobi on a simple B-ranked mission was a complete waste of revenue, but at least this way, the resident Jinchuuriki can cool off some and come back, restored. Right now, it is only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose…with Sunagakure and Kumogakure losing their Bijuu, the shift of power starts to spin uncontrollably. Konoha is now considered the strongest of the elemental nations and said image was enough for the other villages to start invasions or skirmishes in select locations in the past.

The pervert is already out there with his spy network to anticipate possible movements, but he could only do so much to follow through with the other four hidden villages.

Not to mention the fact that Orocohimaru is still out there doing Kami knows what with his life.

====An island in the Land of Water====

Naruto's old team was having lunch after they completed the mission…

A B-ranked assignment concerning the investigation of a series of crimes conducted in a small village in the Land of Water.

Nothing out of the ordinary for Asuma's team with Shikamaru as the main strategist, but this time the Nara Heir stayed in the village and Naruto went in his place.

While the pineapple-haired genius would offer a more subtle approach to things, with Naruto on the team, Asuma had to adapt a few things. In the end, Ino and Chouji knew how Naruto worked. His Sharingan would allow him to know when a person was lying through his teeth. Which was the case when they talked with the village leader, a retired shinobi from Kirigakure who turned out to be the one behind the atrocities…hiring local gang members to cause havoc while he would snoop inside the village's houses and businesses and collect, without none being any wiser. Once the case was made, Asuma contacted the local authorities with jurisdiction and arrested the village leader.

With that out of the way, lunch was on Asuma's as they went to a BBQ restaurant as per Chouji's suggestion.

"Oh I am so mad…" With the mission done and done, it was time for the team to talk about the events of the last couple of days, mainly the Pain invasion and the after treatment displayed by the villagers to Naruto.

From the team, Ino was obviously the most infuriated by her friend's treatment.

"Just let it go, Ino, it won't make much of a difference." Ino, though, wasn't hearing Naruto's disinterest request.

"No, I will not let this go, Naruto…you're our friend and our teammate…the nerve of some people…blaming you for what happened…hell, even some in our class think the same!" Naruto did remember the look on Kiba's face when he thought his mother was killed by Pein. Naruto knew that mainly it was him as the others didn't know him well enough. Shino would never bother with illogical thoughts, Hinata he had a hunch wouldn't think of him as guilty, though he wouldn't place his hands on the fire for Sakura.

"Ino, even though all of them were brought to life in the end, you can't simply erase the fact that they had lost their lives…people tend to grieve in their own way and some are tempted to hide their pain by using an outlet." Asuma was calmly drinking some tea, while doing math in his head at the amount of food Chouji was eating, with reckless abandon. One thing he sincerely hoped for was for his team to become Jonin, so he wouldn't need to treat them to lunch as much. He has a daughter on the way for Kami's sake. He couldn't afford to take an Akimichi for lunch every time.

"Don't you think I know that, sensei…my family practically shrinks for the village for Kami's sake…but…"

Ino was about to comment further when Asuma placed the tea back on the table with a sigh…

"I know…I'm not saying I agree with them, Ino, but it's a touchy subject." Naruto wasn't very keen on convincing his teammate much, focusing instead on finishing his set of beef. It simply occurs that the toll of facing this much opposition was sort of weighing down on him. Itsuko tried to cheer him up afterward, even the others tried as well. But, he couldn't stop putting his mind to work and thinking of the what ifs in life.

"Naruto, let's order another batch!" Naruto's attention turned to Chouji, who was simply looking at him with a smile on his face. The Sharingan wielder couldn't help but envy his friend sometimes. It didn't take much for a smile to surge on Chouji's face.

"Sure, Chouji, at least leave a bit more for me, okay…or else Asuma-sensei will go broke."

Chouji nodded with a content smile and ordered more for the table. Asuma chuckled at Naruto's comment, but Ino became infuriated.

"Hey, how are you not bothered by it all, Naruto!? If it was me, for certain I would be ripping my hair off at this point!" She said so, while closing her fist in an exasperated manner. Naruto's eyes lost focus at this point.

"Hmmm, I don't know what to say here, Ino…I guess I am quite experienced in shouldering the village's hatred, after all."

He said so with such calm as if it was stating the obvious and it unnerved his teammates and his sensei. It even made Ino speechless.

Sarutobi Asuma looked at his prodigy student, wondering if he really believed that or if he was attempting to convince himself of the inevitability. Naruto's life was already altered because of the fox in his gut and the Sharingan implanted in his eyes made it only worse for him. The bearded Jonin often conversed with Kurenai about what he could do to alleviate his student's life, but Asuma couldn't come up with anything…at least not something that he alone could do. Naruto has loved ones in his life, it was just a matter of allowing time to mend the spiritual pain in his life.

"Well, let's go then, the boat that will take us to the mainland will only leave tomorrow, so let's find an inn nearby to rest and go back in the morning." Asuma called at the lunch's end and Ino jumped at the opportunity to have a nice bath by herself.

As such, the team leader paid the bill and the team left the restaurant to search for a place to stay for the day.

===Outside the Restaurant===

The town they were in happens to have a considerably sized harbor with three loading docks, though not many people could be found walking by, only a few workers here and there.

Still, it was a peaceful little town without much going on…the team turned right to search for a nice little inn to stay in, when the ground started shaking and they could hear explosions and screaming. Quickly turning, they saw what appeared to be two women seemingly running away from a strange looking machine that was causing all the havoc in the town. Naruto could see that both women were kunoichi, not only from their chakra capacity, but from the visible and hidden weapons that they carried. The machine, on the other hand, appeared to be moving through the use of chakra coming from a black haired man with glasses.

"Let's go, Asuma-sensei. We need to help." The Jonin turned to Ino.

"We don't know what's going on here, Ino. Let them sort it out, it's not our problem." The Yamanaka snarled at that and then turned to see the machine sending missiles at the women who merely evaded the destruction.

The older one took a step forward to urge the man to stop.

"You again, won't you ever quit bothering us?" The man, however, sneered at the woman's question.

"My business isn't with you, it's with the princess next to you."

"Impossible, I won't allow this." Said the elder woman, before turning to her companion. "Lady Shizuka, there is no need for you to dirty your hands with a man like him," the smaller one, though, dismissed her concerns and started walking.

"It's my destiny, isn't it? Please stand back." The man with glasses only smirked when the so-called Lady Shizuka removed the full white overcoat she was wearing, revealing her kunoichi outfit. Naruto's eyebrows lifted somewhat, impressed at the woman's speed as he saw her positioning on top of the strange machine, before her extended leg glowed in green chakra. The assault took less than a second, as the attack smashed through the machine, cutting it in half and sending the man in glasses flying. Lady Shizuka had placed the overcoat back on, before Ino and Chouji could follow the girl's movements.

"Amazing! Did you see that Chouji…she had just kicked the man's ass with one move." Chouji simply nodded with his chin dropped.

"See, Ino, they had it covered. Let's go." Asuma chuckled as he turned to walk away. The team moved to follow him, when the older woman's voice reached them.

"Wait just a moment, you all." The team from Konoha turned to see the woman addressing them all. "From that headband, you are all from Konohagakure, correct?" Ino, Chouji and Naruto turned to Asuma who approached her. She carried such an imposing figure, being the same height as Asuma with a slender figure and very angular face framed by her short brown hair along with a dark shade of red lipstick. She wears a short, backless red, full-body suit over mesh armor, along with a pair of arm-length gloves and a light orange sash.

"That's correct…is there something you need of us?" The woman nodded.

"May I ask you something? It's about Lord Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin." Asuma turned briefly to Naruto and then returned to the woman.

"What about him?" The woman who was still due to introduce herself, continued unimpeded.

"Do you know anyone in the village who is his student?" Asuma's eyes traveled briefly towards Naruto yet again, but said nothing.

"The only known student Jiraiya-sama has ever taken under his wing was none other than the Yondaime Hokage, but as I am sure you know, he is no longer among us. May I ask why the interest and I am still due to catch your name?"

She didn't appear the slightest bit apologetic, however, though crossing the arms.

"My name is Tokiwa and I find it hard to believe that a man of his knowledge would not pass it on after the Yondaime's passing."

Asuma snorted, as it appeared that she was indeed fishing for classified information.

"Whether you believe me or not, Tokiwa-san, is none of my concern. So if you don't mind, we shall take our leave." The Jonin turned to leave, before Tokiwa urged him to stop.

"Wait, I apologize for the rudeness of my behavior…as a matter of fact, we were on our way to Konoha to talk with your Hokage regarding this matter. It's a matter of extreme importance for my village, Nadeshiko." Asuma hummed once or twice and Tokiwa realized that she needed to give him more information than she really wanted to. "Fine, it's a long story to explain…at least allow me to buy you a cup of tea as an apology for my rudeness, Konoha Jonin." Asuma released a sigh in dismay as Chouji jumped at the opportunity to get a free meal out of a stranger.

"Chouji, Ino, please go find an inn for us to stay for the day. Naruto and I shall converse with her." Both Ino and Chouji wanted to stay, of course, for different reasons…Chouji for the food and Ino for the gossip.

However, she relented and dragged a tearful chubby Chuunin towards the town's different hotels Naruto and Asuma chuckled at the display, before they followed Tokiwa towards an establishment of her choosing.

Once their order was served and Asuma and Naruto introduced themselves, Tokiwa began her explanation.

"The relationship between Jiraiya-sama and the village of Nadeshiko goes back several decades. At one point, he tried sneaking in the village for reasons unknown and attempted to escape our grasp. Our village leader managed to stop him and they got into a fight. At the time, she made a proposition for him…a duel between them and her hand in marriage as a reward." Asuma and Naruto both lifted their eyebrows in surprise at the proposition and Tokiwa was already anticipating the response. "Nadeshiko village is matrilineal, you see…to put it bluntly, only women are born into our line."

"Oh, I see…" Asuma could only offer such a reply, while acknowledging the real reason Jiraiya attempted to infiltrate the village. Naruto was thinking along the same line.

"And so, candidates for leader leave the village in search of strong men and challenge them. Men who defeat us are brought back to the village to become our husbands, that's the law of our village."

Asuma couldn't help but laugh, which caused Tokiwa to frown. The bearded Jonin lifted both his hands in apology.

"Sorry, I wasn't laughing at you…just the situation. I could bet that his answer was yes…" Tokiwa snorted at the attempt of an apology.

"Hmmm, their battle resumed with neither one gaining over the other, until Jiraiya-sama urged them to stop…with a promise of postponing the duel. And if the rematch never occurred, then their students would seek each other to continue the fight."

"So that means…" Tokiwa nodded, while Naruto was already picturing the headache of having to deal with this mess.

"The Kunoichi that fought with Jiraiya-sama has passed away due to an illness and Lady Shizuka happens to be her student. With her passing, Lady Shizuka became the village leader. She thus needs to duel with Jiraiya's student in order to fulfill the law of our village. And considering that you had decided for him to tag along with us and seeing the way you're looking at Naruto from time to time, then he must know something about this, right?" Naruto caught on to what Tokiwa was saying. Well, it's not like Asuma was making an effort to hide it and Tokiwa was experienced enough to catch on to his mannerisms.

"Asuma-sensei is right that Jiraiya had only taught the Yondaime Hokage. So only he could be considered Jiraiya's student." Naruto could point out about Nagato and Yahiko as well, but those were dead as well. "He had only taught me one technique…"

"I see…then you are to duel Lady Shizuka and fulfill the oath Jiraiya-sama had formed." Naruto, though, negated her intention, much to her frustration. Asuma couldn't help but scratch his head in exasperation at the situation in hand.

"Sorry, but I have a whole list of reasons not to accept, Tokiwa-san." Naruto allowed a brief interval of thought in his head about Itsuko and her obvious choice of words to this situation.

"A promise is a promise, Naruto…this needs to happen." Naruto simply closed his eyes and got up, before bowing at her.

"I appreciate the tea and dango, but my answer is the same. Asuma-sensei, I am going to find Ino and Chouji, see ya." He left via shunshin, leaving Asuma and Tokiwa alone, before Tokiwa urged him to wait. The woman in question turned to Asuma, who could only scratch his head and curse his student for leaving him to handle this situation. A part of him was really cursing his decision to stick around, instead of leaving right away. Still, the Kunoichi Jonin was looking at him, for his input on this matter, so he just got up as well.

"I am sorry Tokiwa-san, but I must meet up with my team as well, you heard his answer." He bowed as well and turned to leave.

However, from the look in her eyes, it was clear that she wouldn't take no for an answer.

===An Inn nearby===

Of course, Ino wanted to hear it all after both Naruto and Asuma arrived and she was ecstatic to hear about the love story.

While Chouji and Asuma didn't think it like that, both had decided to stay out of this, leaving Naruto to explain to the blonde kunoichi everything.

To this day, Ino was still due to know about Itsuko, but she at least knew that her friend was in a relationship with another kunoichi, though she had yet to know if it was anything serious. She had tried to badger for information from Asuma, Shikamaru, and Choji, but none of them knew much either. Well, Shikamaru knew next to zero and didn't bother to hide it. Choji was considered Naruto's friend, but the Sharingan user explained that he couldn't reveal her identity and even apologized about it. Asuma was also tight-lipped about it, since he knew about Itsuko.

With everything settled down, the team were having dinner, all of them dressed in white and blue kimonos, while Ino bombarded Naruto with questions and teasing about the Nadeshiko situation.

"Wow, Naruto, to imagine that you are the first of our class to become Jonin and now you're the first to get married." Asuma and Chouji all chuckled at their teammate's misfortune.

"I am not going to go through with this, Ino…I said that already."

"Considering that this Lady Shizuka was that kunoichi who made that attack, I'd imagine her to be quite strong, Naruto. Who knows, perhaps, you can see where it goes."

Naruto only rubbed his forehead at Chouji's playful comment.

"Regardless, we have a timetable to return to the village as soon as possible. So, let's go to sleep early and head out first thing in the morning.

She may go to Konoha and take it up with Jiraiya himself."

With Asuma's decision and after dinner, Ino went to her room, while the men went to theirs to get some sleep.

===At night===

While Chouji and Asuma were fast asleep, the same couldn't be said for Naruto.

The situation at hand was completely forgotten from his mind, as he was caught wondering about his own life.

After Pein's fight, Naruto wondered about the reasons that Nagato turned into Pein. The Uzumaki had never wandered in this area…attempting to find peace...ever since he was born, his life was a roller coaster of emotions. Deep turns or rather decisions made in his regard that flipped his life from one side to the other. First, with Itachi attacking him and burning his eyes for good, then with the implantation of Sasuke's eyes, thus giving him the Sharingan. With Itachi, Akatsuki and even the fox's constant machinations, Naruto could only work his way out of one mess after another.

In fact, the only choice he was able to make and he was glad for it, was his relationship with Itsuko and their commitment to treating the village orphans. Naruto didn't recall saying anything about taking over Nagato's place or even following up in Jiraiya's footsteps to search for peace. Still, Nagato's story was still vivid in Naruto's mind. He was pensive about the length he would go to, if he lost his precious people. Just the thought of it…just the thought of losing Itsuko made him lose sleep.

Kakashi, Kasumi, Ino, Chouji, Asuma…they too, but with Itsuko, it was something that he dreaded more and more…his anger peaked at the possibility of losing her.

Looking at Chouji and Asuma, Naruto released a sigh and got out of his futon. Walking quietly outside so as not to wake them, he caught himself staring at the moon up above, illuminating everyone in its majesty. Being a shinobi meant that he would walk close to death every time he woke up. It was not like Naruto was a stranger to the feeling of losing someone important. He had Sasuke and Itachi's memories to go by. He could feel their anger passing through his veins every time he relived Sasuke's nightmare. However, those losses were never his to begin with…and that's what scared him. To realize that becoming like Pein was quite possible.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto allowed himself to just look up above, in search for answers that…no one would give him. When he looked down, however, and saw Tokiwa on ground level, Naruto only released a sigh in dismay.

'I should have known it wouldn't be this easy…' To make matters even worse for his sanity, he had heard the fox's laugh inside his gut.

Of course, the beast would be amused at his conundrum.

Getting down to at least talking to her, Naruto decided to be blunt.

"I thought I had my answer quite clear, Tokiwa-san…it's not nice for you to follow us around. One could get the wrong idea."

Tokiwa had simply placed her hands on the sides of her waist, not budging in her intention.

"There is no escaping me, Naruto. I told you that this needs to happen. You are an important candidate for a husband."

Naruto snarled this time and Tokiwa backed down a bit.

"Listen…I don't have time for this…if Jiraiya made a promise, then take it up with him. Besides, I am already in a relationship back in Konoha."

Naruto had really considered that this would be enough for her to back down and leave him alone.

"Irrelevant…" Tokiwa felt the immediate spike in chakra the second she opened her mouth. Naruto controlled his anger and closed his eyes, before he did something foolish. Today just wasn't the right time to push his buttons.

"Sorry about startling you, but the answer is still the same." Tokiwa's mission took precedence over her slight fear. "I had already turned you down, I don't know about your village tradition and I am not taking part in such a duel."

"Don't say that!" Naruto looked at Tokiwa's eyes to see her protesting.

"If you're that eager for a fight, then find someone else…" Naruto chose a dismissive tone, before getting up and going back to his room, when Tokiwa got angry this time.

"Please don't say such things!" She screamed, before smashing a nearby rock and breaking it to pieces. "Lady Shizuka doesn't enjoy this either. She is actually too kind hearted to follow through with the village's tradition. However…" Tokiwa then looked up towards the sky in anger, while traveling down memory lane. "A couple of years ago, Lady Shizuka fell in love with a tradesman that was allowed entrance into the village." Naruto stood with his back facing Tokiwa, but he had stopped walking. "Because of the village's law, however, she could only choose a husband after dueling with him. This man was also infatuated with Lady Shizuka and attempted to fight his way to make their love a reality…it wasn't meant to be, however as he was attacked and easily killed." Naruto's eyes had lost all color as he pictured his worst nightmare, while Tokiwa finished. "No one knows for sure, but some believed it was a plot by a few concerned about the future of the village."

Naruto turned to see Tokiwa this time and she could see the pain in his eyes. She prayed that she could get through to him.

"Certainly, he wasn't fit for Nadeshiko. From that day on, Lady Shizuka locked away her heart. From that day on, all that she could think of was her duty, seeking and challenging those who are strong. It's like she was punishing herself, really."

"So you wish for me to fight her, then?" His tone indicated nothing, but it was different from a firm rebuttal.

"I can see that you're strong, Naruto…thus you may be able to put an end to her fighting. I…I realize that is a selfish request, but please would you agree to fight Lady Shizuka?" Naruto looked at her intently for a while, not saying anything.

===Next Day===

Next day, Naruto's team had to bear witness to a little showdown from his teammate in a secluded forest nearby their hotel.

After walking away from Tokiwa the night before, Naruto had awakened Asuma up to express his desire to go through with Shizuka's request.

The bearded shinobi looked at his prodigy student strangely, at first, wondering if Naruto had gone nuts. This Shizuka person could be strong for her age and all that, but Naruto had gone up against S-ranked shinobi on a daily basis and won by himself. If he defeated her, then he would have to marry her by this village's laws. Naruto last night has expressed no desire to walk away from the love of his life and from the village he had sworn to protect. No, he had a different set of goals in mind, which was to avoid having to have this conversation in Konoha with Itsuko close by and deciding to do something about it.

Still, Tokiwa stood in between him and Lady Shizuka, while Asuma, Ino and Chouji observed from atop the hill.

"Naruto…" the aforementioned shinobi turned to Tokiwa. "I truly appreciate that you have agreed to a duel."

Naruto took a deep breath and then turned to Shizuka who looked at him apathetically.

"Let's get this over with, already." Shizuka frowned at the dismissal, but removed her white robe.

"I'm here to fight you…so I can see how strong you are."

Naruto didn't have to wait long until Shizuka initiated the attack, with a chakra charged fist that packed quite a punch as he saw from yesterday.

Sidestepping the attack, he could see the damage to the floor where he was standing moments prior. Quickly engaging in a Taijutsu match, Naruto had responded to Shizuka's attack with a swift kick that the woman blocked with her arms and once again, charged her super fist to skewer him. Naruto could attest to the skill of doing that in a short times' notice, without much preparation. However, like Kakashi's Chidori, It left you quite open once he was able to evade. Landing a quick disorienting Genjutsu, Naruto this time managed to land a nice strong kick to the side of her stomach. Shizuka felt that immediately as the air came out of her lungs.

Deciding to create some space, after recollecting herself, Shizuka gripped a gigantic load of kunai to hurl at Naruto from a distance. Naruto, merely, went through hand seals.

Doton Doryuheki (Earth Style: Earth Style Wall)

The never-ending barrage of kunai met resistance with Naruto's earth wall, forcing Shizuka to stop her assault and advance once more. Her advance was put on hold once earth spikes emerged from the ground, all of them ready to turn her into a pincushion. Still, using her chakra fist, Shizuka was able to slash the spikes to pieces and advance, despite the never-ending growing spikes around her. She reached the earth wall and smashed it as well with great force to catch Naruto by surprise. However, she soon found out he wasn't behind the earth wall, but a few distance behind her, going through hand seals.

Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)

Shizuka cursed this blond fool for pushing her like this, but used great evasion to jump away from the ball of fire. Deciding that enough was enough, Shizuka focused on wind elemental Ninjutsu and placed two fingers in front of her mouth.

Fuuton Ressenpu (Wind Style: Gale Fan)

Naruto's eyes widened as he activated his regular Sharingan to see the huge wave of wind about to cause great damage to his body.

Once more, he lifted the earth style wall technique to block the wind gale from hitting him. Shizuka allowed the momentum to shorten the distance with two kunais in hand to battle against him in short range. Naruto saw the attack coming and released his sword. It soon became a dance of sparks as it didn't seem like one opponent was gaining over the other. Tokiwa observed the display in amazement. She already knew the strength of Naruto's chakra, but she had yet to see his overall skills. Such an amazing specimen that would no doubt bring great female offspring to the Nadeshiko village. Asuma, Ino and Chouji, in the meantime, merely observed.

"Asuma-sensei, this Shizuka girl is quite skilled. I thought Naruto would beat her easily, I mean he managed to defeat the leader of Akatsuki…but…"

Asuma turned to Ino and merely smiled.

"Well, Naruto has been in death matches since a long time ago, I guess he's just enjoying a fight without his life hanging in the balance. Plus, I don't know if you know, Ino, but so far he is still unable to use anything below B-ranked ninjutsu."

"Huh! Why not!? Naruto! Finish this thing already!" Chouji only chuckled at Ino's outburst.

"Don't worry Ino, he's enjoying himself, we can allow him at least this much."

"Plus, I don't think he will prolong this match for much longer, Shizuka is getting tired it seems." Asuma concluded, while crossing his arms.

Back to the fight, indeed, Shizuka was getting tired and her foot work was getting sloppy, still she pushed forward, trying to overcome this obnoxious prick from defeating her. She needed to be strong, she needed to be the best out there and she would prove once and for all that this bastard won't defeat her…because if he did, then Shizuka couldn't allow that lingering thought to pass and create some distance, before going through a long series of hand seals. Tokiwa looked on in surprise as her lady was pushed like this.

Fuuton Dai Ressenpu (Wind Style: Great Gale Fan)

The Huge Tornado Gale that left her mouth managed to hit Naruto dead center, before a great deal of dust and debris lifted from the battlefield. Ino had even screamed Naruto's name in surprise at him being hit by that. Tokiwa had to get away from the blast as she was close by, while Asuma merely whistled in appreciation at a wind release attack of this magnitude so successfully executed. However, Asuma could very well see that Naruto, the real Naruto, was merely standing a few meters to her right, only observing his opponent.

Shizuka, for her time, began to search for breath and kneeled on the ground. Still, she felt that she was able to defeat him.

"Huh…huh, it's over!" Shizuka looked around and couldn't find him.

"Ah, yes it is." Her eyes widened as she turned to see her opponent just standing there, completely unharmed.

"H..how, I hit you, I saw my technique hit you?" Naruto's Sharingan was on full display.

"What you saw was merely a Genjutsu, in the end…the one you hit was merely an afterimage of me." Shizuka knew her chakra was no more. Hell, even her breathing became a much more strenuous activity. "Now, let us begin…" Shizuka didn't have time to ask what he meant by that, when his red Sharingan eyes morphed into the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. When she next opened her eyes, Shizuka was back to the hidden location in the outskirts of her village, meeting with Sagiri, her lover. The feeling that she had buried deep within came full force as she felt the love in his eyes, while holding her chin.

(Naruto OST Soundtrack: Samidare)

'Sagiri, how is it possible…you're dead!' The man in question merely smiled and that alone was enough for Shizuka's heart to melt.

'I may no longer be around you Shizuka, my love…but it pains me to see that you have locked your heart away…you're much too beautiful and strong to be held back by the village's rules.' She looked around to see the moon illuminating the set of trees.

Her mind had completely blanked out and all she could feel now was that for some reason she was here with her beloved.

'I can't go against the village, Sagiri…I…' the man in question instantly grabbed her hands and looked deep in her eyes.

'Yes you can, you alone have the strength to do that…choosing your husband through dueling is a mistake…you must find someone you love…I know you can do it, Sagiri. Your happiness is all that's important in the end.'

Her mouth wanted to say that she could do it, but she hesitated.

'You must never lock your heart away, Shizuka-chan.' Shizuka's eyes widened as she was now by the former leader's resting bed, holding her hand. 'I know you bear the burden of your destiny, but remember…there is no need to lock your heart away.'

With Sagiri's loss, she had done just that…locking her heart away…it became too painful to consider the alternative of having to divulge herself to a man she didn't love…to a man different from Sagiri. But, perhaps, there was another path she could take. It could take time and perhaps it could never come into fruition, but she would get stronger and see the world…perhaps one day, one day she could find someone to whom her heart can belong. With that thought in mind, it was like an unbearable weight on her soul had been lifted, she closed her eyes and allowed a peaceful smile to resurge in her lips, a feeling she had forgotten for a long time.

In the real world, Naruto had truly allowed a few tears, feeling Shizuka's pain. Tsukuyomi has never been used for that purpose before, but in his right mind, it was something he planned on doing more often for those who need help.

He then turned to Tokiwa who was transfixed by the peaceful look on her master's face.

"Well, it seems my job here is done, Tokiwa. Now, we must depart back to Konoha." The elder kunoichi had awakened from her stare and turned to Naruto.

"Wait, what have you done to her?" Naruto was turning his back to leave, but turned once more to look at Tokiwa and then at Shizuka.

"I merely awakened some of her deep memories, the ones that she had repressed, after what happened. She should not be bound by the rules of the village anymore, or at least work her way into finding someone worthy for her to be with."

"But…"

Tokiwa was at a loss on how to proceed, but she couldn't take her eyes away from the peaceful look on Shizuka's face.

Naruto then reached for where his team was located and Asuma smiled at him.

"I take it you are ready to go, then?" Naruto nodded with a smile as he followed after his team towards the city harbor.

===Aboard the Boat back to Konoha===

After the events in Nadeshiko, Asuma's team climbed aboard the boat that would take them back to Konoha.

Asuma, Ino and Chouji stood in front of the boat, simply gazing at the majesty of the ocean in front of them, while absorbing the gentle ocean breeze. Naruto opted to stay by himself, by the starboard. The thought of what could happen to Itsuko came bombarding in his brain. Still, unlike before, Naruto had simply allowed the feeling of the ocean breeze to wash over him and clear his mind some. It allowed him some perspective on this matter. The feeling of dread was still there, alright. However, while his thought focused on what he would do if Itsuko died, he was still due to consider Itsuko's suffering if something were to happen to him.

Thinking back on Shizuka's situation and the distance he had placed himself before the mission, Naruto had realized the foolishness of his way of thinking.

Shinobi's life span just did not allow him to think long term…period.

What he could do, what he needed to do…was to enjoy the moments with the woman he loved for as long as he possibly could…for as long as they were allowed to from destiny. A smile surged in his mind as he missed her…arriving in Konoha, he would certainly apologize for being distant…he would certainly make amends from his foolish behavior.

===In Konoha===

While Asuma's Team was still due to return, a kunoichi from Kumogakure stood observing the gigantic gates of Konohagakure.

Tall, fair-skinned, short straight blond hair, blue eyes, calm and stoic visage, considerable sized breasts similar in size to Tsunade's, Samui stood observing workers go about their work and shinobi-kunoichi performing their chores inside the village. To her trained and experienced eyes, it could be said that a gigantic force was responsible for the damage done to the one that could be considered the strongest of all hidden villages. Still, she had received an important mission from Raikage-sama and she needed to go about it as soon as possible. However, it looked somewhat disappointing in her mind that an enemy shinobi stood there for longer than a minute and so far no one appeared to stop her. In Kumo, it wouldn't take long before at least a kunai appeared at her throat for trespassing.

As soon as she took one step closer, though, an entire team of ANBU morphed around the large breasted Kumo kunoichi, with a long purple haired ANBU taking the lead and placing a hand on her ninjato.

"State your name and reason for a Kumo shinobi to approach our gates?"

Samui, though, stood calm and collected, while ignoring the obvious focus from some of the shinobi from the ANBU group.

Her choice of clothing was chosen to allow some breathing in that area, but if it serves to draw the attention of the enemy, then it works just as well in the end.

"It took your sweet time realizing I was here, ANBU…I was wondering just why Konoha is feared if it took you this long to know I was here." Itsuko, though, only smirked from behind the mask and her team took a step back at the slight spike.

"Oh, it took us less than a second to pinpoint your position." Samui focused on the ANBU leader, as she didn't sense any deceit in her confident tone. "The sooner you took a step closer to the gates, your intention became clear. Now, you're still due to answer my question, Kumo-nin." Samui hummed and reached out for a scroll inside her kunai holster.

"Raikage-sama has an urgent message to the Hokage and my mission is to give it to her and await Konoha's response. Time is of urgent importance in this case, hence why I was sent here." Itsuko observed the scroll in Samui's hand.

Going into standard protocol mode, Itsuko released her hold on her sword and crossed her arms.

"I see, protocol dictates that the scroll should be first checked out and then freed for Hokage-sama to verify the contents." Samui nodded and Itsuko continued. "While we verify the scroll for hidden traps, you shall be escorted by me and my team inside the village. Once verified that the scroll is free of any hidden traps, you can be allowed passage to converse with Hokage-sama. Should we verify anything wrong with the scroll at our discretion, then, you shall be taken to custody, your chakra sealed and your weapons removed. Those are my terms, yes or no?"

Samui considered her options right now, but considering the situation right now in Kumo and with the loss of Bee-sama, she had no choice.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with the scroll, but she would be at Konoha's whim right now.

"I understand, please verify the scroll then." Itsuko nodded, took the scroll and gave it to one of her subordinates.

Author Note

Ok, that's it for now.

A nice little filler chapter that I had long ago thought of doing, before continuing with the story.

With Samui in Konoha to deliver the Raikage's letter to the Hokage, we now begin the next arc of the story.

Lastly, I have recently created a page for those who wish to follow my stories more personally, send suggestions and occasional polls to help me.

P-atreon: Anime-Enthusiast

Next update: Nidaime no Sairin