A Bewitching Dance

by Haerrlekin

When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw a beautiful, red-haired woman with violet eyes and a warm smile. Oh, and a white void, but that was besides the point! In which Naruto fails to summon Gamabunta and goes splat in the chasm; Jiraiya did a whoopsie, Kurama is a jerk, and Hinata brings good vibes. Who knew that crippling, life-threatening injuries could feel so good?

15. The Hunt for Healing

Heya.

This chapter marks the beginning of the next arc, starting in full swing. Let's not waste too much time; I'll save any announcements and the like for the end of the chapter.

Enjoy

---

Jiraiya's silence thus far was cause for worry, as far as Naruto was concerned. The old man's condition wasn't getting any better, and every day that passed without news was a day that made his nerves incline that much more.

That left two options on the table:

Hunt down Jiraiya and demand some answers, potentially distracting the Sannin from his mission and doing more harm than good.

Or dive headfirst into his own training to keep himself occupied.

Thus, he'd found himself regularly lurking about on Sasuke's own private compound. It was a modest place, belonging to a close cousin of his before the massacre had rendered it unoccupied; the property bordered itself just outside the ruins of the once proud Uchiha clan district, and Naruto didn't doubt that his friend had chosen the spot with intentionality. It was just close enough to remind him of his pain, so that he would never forget why he trained so hard.

The two boys shared the space, engaged loosely in their own joint searches for productivity.

"I remember this place," Naruto hummed in thought. He'd often seen Sasuke staked out here in their youth, often training or lounging about; the former, much more so, ever since the massacre.

"My father used to take me here." Sasuke sighed, despondently. His eyes panned about, stubbornly refusing to meet the other boy's. "This is where I learned my first fire jutsu… The pier is a good failsafe in case you catch fire."

"Great, if I end up lighting you ablaze I'll be sure to dunk your ass right in." The blonde's grin was met by a glare from his teammate, but Naruto spotted a near-imperceptible twitch of the boy's lips as the ice was broken.

"Focus. I don't have all day and I won't repeat myself… Elemental jutsu generally takes more energy than non-elemental jutsu. Because of that, even a C-rank jutsu like the fireball jutsu can be pretty taxing if used recklessly… Normally that wouldn't matter seeing as you've got more chakra than freaking god." Sasuke frowned deeply as his eyes took in his friend's disheveled appearance. Naruto held himself well enough, but the dark circles underneath his bloodshot eyes were a dead giveaway. "But since you're recovering- well, just take it easy, alright?"

Naruto knew that was the closest thing to a verbal show of concern he was going to get from the Uchiha. Repressing the urge to snark back at him, Naruto simply offered a thumbs-up. "Don't worry. Believe it or not, I'm pretty good at knowing my limits." At Sasuke's disbelieving glare, he huffed. "I do! I just choose to ignore them most of the time!"

"Well don't ignore them. If you keel over and die in my backyard, I'm feeding you to my cats."

"Not if I eat them first," Naruto grumbled. Still, he obeyed as Sasuke bid him closer.

"The Uchiha's' fireball is iconic in the ninja world for its versatility. I'll start by showing you the hand seals... There are six." Slowly, he contorted his hands into the individual shapes, synonymous with the technique. Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

True to its name, a sizable gout of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth, thickening and swelling in size as it coalesced further from his body and reached its perfect, spherical shape. Once its completion had been reached, it careened off the side of the pier and further above the water before eventually fizzling out a good distance away.

"The fireball jutsu is special in that its properties can be changed at the point of casting, and even for a good while after, if you're good enough. You can either shoot it as a stream of fire, or condense it into a ball. My father was even able to make it explode after a set distance, though I'm still struggling with that part."

Naruto already knew all of this. It was why he'd wanted to learn it in the first place. There was a reason that the Uchiha had taught this jutsu to all of their young, as Sasuke had been helpful enough to supply. Between the flexibility of the jutsu and the great control required to shape and modify it, learning the Uchiha's patented fireball was as good as any fire-style nature training. Slowly, Naruto wove through the hand seals that Sasuke had shown him, attuning to their feel as his chakra roiled within. The temptation to rush his own attempt was strong, but Naruto mastered it. "Do it again for me."

Sasuke's curious frown was sign enough that he had also noted his teammate's restraint. Still, he did as requested, weaving through the seals with far greater speed than before. Wanting to show off a bit, he took an exaggerated breath, letting oxygen and chakra fill his lungs until his chest swelled. Then, a massive gout of flame spewed from his jaw in a persistent cone. He held it for three full seconds, before letting the flames die out with a stymied cough.

Naruto locked onto the boy the moment he began his cast, letting his senses explore Sasuke's chakra as it contorted to fulfill his will. The results of his yin-style training made themselves well-known as he did so; the usual passive chakra sensitivity afforded by his Mind's Eye technique had only grown in its potency since he'd begun training with Kurenai. Its active application was leagues ahead of even that, being sharper and more detailed than it had ever been before! He felt his friend's chakra as it weaved in tandem with the seals he had cast; he tasted the flames as they gathered within, and mirrored their motions as they blew out across the pier, as if he himself was as one with them.

"Happy?" Sasuke jeered, confidently.

Naruto was silent for a moment, considering what he'd been shown.

Fire style was an alien feeling to him, likely because it ran so contrary to his natural alignment of wind. Although Naruto had not even begun to develop his wind nature yet, he knew well enough what it should feel like; he tasted its essence in himself, every time he reached within.

Wind was free; it was loose, like leaves dancing just on the surface of his skin; potentially graspable, but always just out of reach. It was invisible and prone to change, and it hated to be controlled.

In some ways, fire should have been similar. There was that same resistance to manipulation that made wind so exciting to him. Yet, where wind resisted the call with an airy jeer, fire was intense, almost furious in its passion. It lashed about and crackled, squirming and burning and roaring too; it roared, not with a plea, but a demand to be free to burn without reproach.

To master wind would be to accept its freedom and dance in tandem with it.

The only way to master fire would be to beat it at its own game. To become a fire, himself; one so massive and uncompromising that he'd swallow them up and make them his own.

It was only when Naruto began to feel Sasuke's concern coiling through his chakra that he remembered to respond. "Very… Let me give it a shot."

One-by-one, he formed the seals, letting his chakra roar beneath the surface, just as Sasuke's had shown him. The visualization was a bit rough around the edges, and his chakra was sluggish in its current state, but the spirit was there.

'Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger…' "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu," He intoned, intently. A deep breath, then a short blast of sparks spawned from his lips, followed shortly by a blackened puff of smoke. "Gack!" Naruto choked on the smoke, scrunching his eyes together tightly; tears sprung up in his eyes as the fumes stung them. His body shuddered lightly and he bowed his head as he struggled to regain his bearings, choking out several more heavy coughs in an attempt to clear his lungs.

There was an empty silence between them for a moment; Naruto, eyes squinted, was struggling against his own discomfort; Sasuke simply seemed astonished for a moment. Then, he snorted at his friend's failure.

"It's better than I could manage when I was a kid, so there's that. You've gotta really push to make sure none of it halts in your throat. I've got some breathing exercises I can show you that should help- " Looking at the blonde's pain-filled expression gave Sasuke pause. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Naruto affirmed, plastering an easy grin in place. He wiped the drool from his lip with his bare forearm, then put himself upright. Clapping his palm across his chest, Naruto blew out another puff of smoke. "Never better. Let me try again."

---

Naruto hadn't even bothered asking him for help. Logically, Kakashi understood why. The two were barely on speaking terms as it was; he shouldn't have expected the boy to be so quick to forgive, certainly not after all that had come to light between them.

Sighing, Kakashi forced himself to reevaluate. It wasn't just that the boy had not forgiven him, but that he hadn't even considered his sensei as a valid resource.

Kakashi would have gladly taught him the fireball jutsu, or any other jutsu, had his student asked. Hell, with how guilty he felt, he would've even taught the boy his Chidori too, if only to earn back a modicum of his student's trust…

So why hadn't he volunteered, then? There had been plenty of time between the boys' discussion that he could have spoken up. He could have used the moment to solidify his place as their teacher; to take the chance to teach them all something of value, and make one of the many steps required to earn their trust back as their instructor.

Had he truly learned nothing?

Naruto's grief-stricken face flashed in his head and Kakashi clenched his fists, his failures doubling back to remind him of his own shame.

Was it indecisiveness? Anxiety?

Or was Kakashi really just that hopeless?

He'd been mulling all of that and more over, the last couple of days. From the moment his students had made plans to teach each other, not even looking for his input; from there, to that very evening, where Naruto and Sasuke had trained diligently, ignorant of his own presence as he covertly watched them work.

Days later now, and the boys had not even bothered to come to his team meeting, today. Frankly, he was not of the mind to blame them this time.

Instead, he could only sigh again,

He needed to make things right, but how?

"You're at level five trying to skip to fifty, instead of thinking about how you can optimize your transition to six."

Huh… Maybe there was some wisdom there for himself, as well. Instead of rushing to the end, perhaps he was better suited simply doing what he could, and growing from there?

"Um, K-Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura whined, anxiously. "Are you okay?"

He could see clear as day that she was just as bothered as he was; only now was it beginning to occur to her that the two of them were far from forgiven, as far as Naruto was concerned. What's more, Sasuke seemed to have gone and made his stance perfectly clear, as well.

In that case, "It seems Naruto and Sasuke are a bit occupied for the day, huh?" Kakashi smiled at the girl in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "While they're off with their own business, how about I show you a thing or two, eh Sakura?"

He did not miss the way her eyes lit up.

---

When they met for lunch at Hagura's Dango, Hinata knew on sight that Naruto was not well. She'd watched the boy for so long in their youth, she could spot the tiny nuances of his moods better than even her own. The byakugan's passive insight only helped her case…

Not that any of it was hard to spot.

For all of the flak that Naruto had gotten in their youth, whether that be for his attitude or style, he'd always taken remarkably good care of his appearance. He showered daily, even in spite of the ice-cold water that his shower seemed to exclusively produce. Unruly as his hair typically was, he at least made an effort so that it never looked tangled or matted; now that it was so much longer, he seemed to have doubled down, making sure to take extra care to ensure it looked good. His clothes were always clean and well-ironed, too; his selection was rather limited, so he had all the more reason to hand-wash them as often as possible.

Though, he seemed to be making small expansions to his wardrobe, in the last few days.

All of this to say that it was rare to see him terribly out of sorts unless he was coming straight from a training session.

Thus, it was easy for Hinata to see that something was wrong with the boy.

He smelled strongly of pomegranates and honey, his preferred body wash and shampoo combo -also her favorite scent, and she didn't have to look far to wonder why. Even still, he looked rather disheveled. He had clearly made the effort to clean up, but Hinata could see it all the same.

His poncho was wrinkled and faintly grass-stained, like he'd rushed to clean it but had missed a few spots in his haste. The edges of his locks were dry and frayed too, and the obvious dark circles under his bloodshot eyes certainly weren't doing him any favors.

Noticeable burns lingered at the corners of his lips, which were dry and cracked. He even looked a bit paler than usual.

"I'm okay," Naruto suddenly said, clearly anticipating her concern. Clearly, he had heard that particular question often, the last couple of days.

For a moment, Hinata considered just letting it lie. She knew Naruto would prefer it. Besides, he certainly didn't owe her any explanations.

But she was far too used to having her own problems ignored to let it lie in good conscience.

"Y-you're not," Hinata pushed back, firmly. "Who hurt you? I'll- um…" What would he say in this kind of moment? "I'll gnaw t-their legs off."

Hey, that was actually pretty good!

Naruto grinned, clearly of the same mind. "It's my own damn fault," He finally admitted, after a moment. "Kurenai-sensei has been helping me practice yin-release, but I'm terrible at it, especially without my chains to lean on. I've been doing a lot on my own time so she doesn't have to keep babying me."

Hinata knew about Naruto's work with her sensei. It was hard not to, with how often she'd seen him present at their training grounds, much to Kiba's endless complaints. Plus, it wasn't like Kurenai-sensei was being particularly tight-lipped about it. "Ku-Kurenai-sensei… She seems really pleased with your progress though?"

That was an understatement. Hinata didn't think a day had gone by that her sensei hadn't gushed about him. Hinata knew the woman had been in desperate search of a student to learn her craft. Not a single one of them among Team Eight had been suitable for anything more than the absolute basics.

Only now was she beginning to understand just how much it really mattered to Kurenai, and she wouldn't deny the faint guilt she felt at having never expressed any real interest in the woman's craft.

"Only because I'm running myself ragged to make sure I don't fall behind." Her crush… Boyfriend? God, Hinata didn't think she was ready to even call him that in her own head! Naruto shrugged, helplessly. "I don't want to waste her time, ya know."

Hinata understood. She understood perfectly. Far too often in her life, she had worried that exact same thing. Still, "I d-don't think Kurenai-sensei could see you as a waste of time… She really likes you, you know?"

Neither of them missed her use of his verbal tic. Thankfully, neither of them were quite so inclined to bring it up. Naruto in particular still seemed rather absent.

"Yeah… Sorry, I know I'm not great company right now," He finally admitted. "It's not cool of me to- well, you know."

"I know," Hinata affirmed. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and spoke slowly, not wanting her stuttering to pollute the poignancy of her words. "I think… I think it's really sweet of you, that you're trying so hard to be respectful of Kurenai-sensei and I. But I think it'd be even sweeter if you tried to be considerate of yourself too… I-if that makes sense?"

Naruto looked a bit guilty, at that. Or perhaps even a bit lost…

How rare was it that her crush enjoyed the luxury of putting himself first? Hinata knew from experience how difficult that could be, at times.

A long sigh, then, "I'll take a nap after lunch," Naruto finally acquiesced. "Does that work?"

"Ok," Hinata allowed, unsurely. Then, she thought twice. "A-actually… No."

Naruto blinked rapidly, obviously confused. "No?"

Not trusting her words for the moment, Hinata simply shook her head. She was thankful that he was at least patient enough to let her organize her thoughts. "You need rest now. Forget our d-d-d-date…" Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she forced that word out. She took another moment to compose herself. "Let's find some place where you can lie down… P-please?"

Naruto glared back, though it lacked any real heat. "I was promised lunch and I'm getting my damned lunch, lady. So it's either dango, or I'll gnaw your legs off."

Hinata rather liked her legs exactly where they were. "A compromise then." She smiled sweetly at him, a second rush of heat building superfluously in her face. "Y-you find u-us a place to rest, and I'll b-buy us lunch… Does that sound good?"

He grinned back, and Hinata could see the budding cheer in his eyes. "I'm buying next time then." He paused and quirked his head, as if listening for something that had escaped her notice. Then, boldly, he snatched her hand up in his own, brushing her knuckles with a featherlight kiss that lit her face ablaze. "Um… See you soon." Then, not waiting to see the results of his labor, he rushed off. Hinata could only take solace in the fact that he seemed only marginally less embarrassed than she was. She took a moment to compose herself, the telltale lightheadedness telling her that she was on thin ice, despite her recent improvements.

"Dango, dango… Just think about dango," She muttered, dutifully. "Don't think about- just don't!"

By the time she'd composed herself well enough to finally get on line, Naruto was long gone, in search of a fine napping spot. She had not bothered to ask him where he would go and he did not bother to tell her.

Her eyes would find him just fine, they knew.

---

Jiraiya couldn't -wouldn't, even- deny the pride he felt, watching Minato's boy lounge about under a tree with a pretty girl. A couple of discarded wooden dango sticks lay forgotten on a tray in the modest bit of space between them.

Naruto's eyes were shut, his face relaxed in a visage of serenity that he knew the boy desperately needed.

He'd kept an eye on the kid, of course. Hiruzen may not have been present to enforce his orders, but Jiraiya had always respected the old man far too much to disobey him, even in his absence. Hell, even if he hadn't ordered his watch, Jiraiya would've done so, if only to keep the kid safe.

That is to say, he'd seen just how hard the kid had been working, so obviously intent on putting his time to good use in the Toad Sage's absence. The boy was overworking himself…

No, that was an understatement.

The reality was that the kid had become his very own slave driver. Well over a dozen clones were hard at work, even now as the boy tried to steal a wink of rest at his cute girlfriend's insistence. They'd been at work the days previous, too; they'd been at work in the morning, and unless Jiraiya did something about it, they'd be at work this evening as well. Jiraiya knew that, were the boy not occupied with young Hinata Hyuga, he would be among them, any thoughts of rest and relaxation completely forgotten.

Surely though, the results spoke for themselves. For all the negatives that the boy's efforts had procured, there were at least two-to-three advantages, which had risen in turn. His chakra was notably stronger than when they'd last spoken, even just a few days apart from one another; his mind seemed sharper too, even in his obvious exhaustion. Were he not so thoroughly conked out, Jiraiya was sure the kid's passive sensory perception would've clocked him on the spot, close as he was.

The burns on his lips were another thing entirely. As far as Jiraiya was aware, Naruto did not have a natural affinity for fire-style. Still, between his clones and his own slavish dedication, his development of the art was in full swing as well. Just that morning he'd watched the kid finally produce his first proper fireball. The fact that it had exploded in his face had done little to stem his pride in his godson.

But his current pace was unsustainable. Were he at one-hundred percent, it would've been a nonfactor. He knew better than most just what the upper limits of jinchuriki' stamina looked like. But Naruto's body was still far from being fully healed, and the kid was pushing himself far too hard for his current condition.

All the more reason to make sure he saw Tsunade, asap.

With his mind made up, Jiraiya dropped down from the tree branch he'd stolen, right above the pair.

"You've really gotta work on your awareness, girl," Jiraiya heckled Hinata, who let out a barely audible squeak upon noticing his arrival. Taking an exaggerated look between the two, he grinned. "Having fun?"

Hinata blanched. "J-J-Jiraiya-s-sama! W-what are you d-d-d-" She forced her mouth shut, squinting her eyes tightly and clenching her jaw as she forced herself to breathe. "What are you doing here?"

Huh… Not bad.

Jiraiya offered the girl a goofy grin as he approached, closing the last few steps between them and breaking more firmly into friendly spacing. "I'm actually here for that knucklehead, you see. We've got business, he and I."

Hinata looked between the two, not quite suspiciously, but certainly unsure. "Sorry, b-but could it wait? H-he's not doing t-too well."

"Yeah…" Jiraiya shrugged, uncomfortably. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"I'm fine," the boy in question slurred. His lone visible eye had cracked open just enough to glare Jiraiya's way. "How long were you planning on stalking us anyways, you old pervert?"

So he'd known he was there the entire time, then, huh? Jiraiya didn't even bother feigning as if he weren't impressed. "That spirit control you've been doing has been working wonders if you can sense me even while you're zonked the hell out like that, kid. Not bad!"

"You. What. Want." Naruto ground back, an irritated sneer fighting tooth and nail to breach the last shreds of the blonde's decorum. Hinata looked particularly surprised, seeing the boy's sudden hostility.

"Hey, you're the one who told me to come find you when I caught a lead. But if you'd rather I let you sleep in, that's fine too-" He yelped as the kid snapped up to his feet with surprising speed, gripping his kimono top in an iron fist. A grin slipped in place as Naruto growled.

"Let's go."

"Yeah, yeah," Jiraiya acquiesced with a roll of his eyes. He gently pried the boy's hands from his shirt with little effort, then patted him on the shoulder. "Relax a bit, kid. I'm not gonna leave you hanging.. I promise." There was the slightest dipping of the kid's shoulders at his comforting words, though the boy said nothing in acknowledgement.

Peering behind him, he spotted the curious eyes of Hinata, and an idea sprung in his head. "Actually, I'd been meaning to ask you, Hinata. I want you to come with us."

She blinked, owlishly. "Come? Where?"

"This twerp and I are searching for someone who can help fix up the Third's injuries, and it's pretty important that we find her as quickly as possible. You've got a neat set of eyes that are well-equipped for tracking, and I figure I could probably teach you both something cool along the way, if you're up for it." Jiraiya shrugged, already knowing what the girl's answer would be. Still, just to sweeten the pot further, "Plus, I've no doubt she can fix Naruto up to one-hundred percent too, if we can get her to cooperate."

"I'm coming," She said, immediately. "When?"

"No later than an hour from now. Rush home, grab some supplies, and meet me at the North gate as quickly as you can. We're leaving as soon as we're all accounted for."

---

For the longest time in his life, Sasuke Uchiha had held one goal in his heart; a single idea, which had pushed him through all of his hardships and seen him confidently to the other side of it all.

The execution of Itachi Uchiha.

It was that goal which had allowed him to weather the aftermath of his family's massacre.

It was that ambition which had pushed him past his limits against Haku and awakened his sharingan, back in Wave Country.

Hell, it was that very same hateful yearning which had allowed him to survive against the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, back in the forest of death…

But when it had come time to face that out of control Gaara, his hatred had failed him.

Perhaps his hate had simply been too weak; maybe he had allowed himself to grow soft, during his time with Team Seven. Had he forgotten his role, his purpose as an avenger?

Naruto was right about one thing: His tenure under Kakashi's tutelage had done little to help develop his skills as a shinobi.

Or maybe that wasn't quite right; Kakashi had given him far more than Naruto and Sakura could've even dreamed of asking from the man.

But it wasn't enough. After all, it had been Naruto, one of the very two students who had been neglected by the Copy Ninja, who had so thoroughly handled him in their fight during the Chūnin exams.

The weight of his blows had shaken Sasuke's limbs so hard he'd felt them hours later. His speed and unpredictability had required every bit of his sharingan's focus just to perceive.

Just within the few short exchanges they'd had before Shukaku's arrival, Naruto had made his superiority over Sasuke painfully obvious.

What's more, it had been Naruto who had led them all against the sand demon, and it had been Naruto Uzumaki's efforts which had ultimately won them the day.

Sasuke had simply played support. No, more scathing still, he'd been reduced to bait! His Chidori, which he had slaved away at developing for a whole month, had been reduced to little more than an excavator for sand. Its value had been overhyped, solely for the sake of a distraction, as Naruto had embarrassedly admitted, later on.

His gut lurched just trying to stomach that thought. Him… Him! Sasuke Uchiha, the sole survivor of Itachi's massacre; the only, only one capable of putting that monster down for good… He was so pathetic that his only value had been as bait.

"Fucking bait!" He hissed to himself, hysterically. Sasuke grit his teeth, grinding them so tightly together he could taste the blood in his gums. Sakura's later assumption that he'd been the one to put down Shukaku had only added gasoline to the fire within, forcing Sasuke to admit to her that he'd been little more than the blonde's sidekick in that fight.

It was hard enough to keep the resentment he'd been feeling under wraps, after all of that. But as if to further call him out, Naruto had gone and found progress with his clan's most iconic jutsu within days. It had taken Sasuke weeks to even produce the tiniest puff of flame, and Naruto had managed that and more on his first attempt! Days later, and he was already hot on Sasuke's tail with the jutsu; just a few more, and he'd outdo him entirely.

God, the humiliation! Was that truly all he was worth? Six months as a team under one of the finest ninja Konoha had ever produced; one entire month all by his lonesome under the man's direct tutelage, and the best he could manage was as being somebody's distraction!

Then, Naruto's words came to him, anew.

"You distract yourself far too much… Your emotional state is super important to the growth of your chakra. When your chakra is allowed to be fueled by those emotions, you'll grow much faster."

If that were the case, then why had he not grown enough? He'd focused on nothing but his hatred for years, since Itachi's betrayal. Oh, he'd grown by leaps and bounds since then; he'd managed to utterly eclipse all of his peers by the time they all graduated.

And yet, only months after, Naruto, the once-dead last of the academy, had gone ahead and reversed their roles, to the point that Sasuke had genuinely doubted if he could beat the boy, wounded and crippled as he was after the wounds he'd sustained against Shukaku.

Naruto could barely even walk without the aid of crutches; his chakra system was damaged to the point that he could barely even cast a jutsu without extreme pain. And yet, he'd questioned his odds against him… How was it that he, once so sure of himself in all that he did, was no doubt-

"You distract yourself far too much…"

Huh… Was that it? He'd spent the last few minutes in a tizzy, brooding to himself over the blonde's superiority, instead of putting that time to better use.

Naruto's rough condition obviously hadn't eluded him. Even wounded and worn down as the guy was, he was still finding time and energy to push himself far harder and faster than Sasuke could have dreamed of doing.

Was that the difference between them?

"Your problem is that you're currently trying to feed your growth with negativity… You can only burn coal for so long."

Was that why he'd lost focus? Was hatred simply not enough anymore?

Sasuke clenched his fist, letting the pain refocus him as his nails bit bloodily into his flesh.

If not hatred, then what else did he have?

---

They'd moved out without delay, pausing only long enough for Hinata and Naruto both to scrounge together some bare necessities before they were off, chasing Jiraiya's supposed lead.

Hinata had spared only just long enough to track down Hanabi to inform her of her absence, trusting that her younger sister would inform their father, in turn.

No doubt that her father would be incensed that she did not come to see him, herself. With Naruto and the Third's health both on the line, Hinata found that she did not really care.

Naruto had thankfully made the effort to send a clone after Kurenai, letting her know of their departure. To his surprise, the genjutsu mistress had sent the boy off with a hug, drawing from him a promise to continue his practice while outside the village.

Unnecessary, as his yin-training was quickly becoming a constant in his daily routine. Still, it had helped his mental just a bit to receive such affection from the woman, as he had embarrassedly admitted to Hinata as they departed through the north gate.

"One of my contacts has a vested interest in keeping track of Tsunade -she owes him a lot of money, you see. Last he saw her, she was headed toward Tanzaku, where a big gambling tourney is being hosted by the fire Daimyo's nephew. It's a whole 'coming of age' thing, or whatever nonsense. Point being, there's a lot of money and expensive shit on the table; Tsunade wouldn't be Tsunade if she didn't gravitate to any means she could find to ruin her life… It's part of her charm, you see."

Naruto and Hinata both blanched at the man. It was the former who spoke first. "So she's just some idiot gambling addict? And you want her to put her grubby paws all over Gramps?"

"Hey, those grubby paws of hers have been honed with blood, sweat, and tears, and by the most elite medic in the world, to boot! Vices aside, she's a bloody genius at healing, kid. She could probably stick your head back on after she got done knocking it off."

"Um- About that," Hinata cut in, hesitantly. "Is Tsu-Tsunade-sama's strength as incredible as the stories?"

Jiraiya scoffed. "Trust me kid, those stories don't do her any justice. Take whatever you're imagining and triple it. Then, triple it again! Whatever image you're imagining now, you're still underselling her. I once watched her split a mountain with the clap of her ass cheeks." At the duo's horrified expressions, he let out a boisterous laugh. "I'm just screwing with you! I don't doubt that she could though!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed with annoyance, quickly refocusing onto the myriad tree branches ahead of them. "Whatever, Pervy Sage. So long as she can un-deadify the old man, we're making it happen. Even if I've gotta drag her back to the village kicking and screaming."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, but wisely refrained from reminding the boy of his own condition. They'd only been traveling by treetop for a little over two hours, and he was already beginning to look exhausted. Still, the kid hadn't so much as raised a peep in complaint. Jiraiya knew that the boy would travel all day in that condition, if that was what was needed. Judging by young Hinata's own concerned visage, he knew that she had come to the same conclusion.

"Hey kid, we can take a break anytime if you nee-"

"I'm good." A two-word response, spoken casually, but with an underlying lilt of steel. Naruto didn't even look at Jiraiya, instead redoubling his pace. Sweat pooled heavily along his brow, pooling messily around the bridge of his nose and spilling haphazardly. If the boy even noticed his own condition, he certainly didn't act like it.

Hinata and Jiraiya looked at each other helplessly, then Jiraiya tried again. "Look, Tsunade is lazy; she's probably doing civilian travel. Besides, we've covered a ton of ground already! We don't need to overdo things too muc-"

"I said no!" Naruto snapped. He struggled with his words for a moment, tripping hopelessly over his words in his frustration. Then, he actually tripped, stumbling on a narrow tree branch and nearly flying off its edge, if not for the quick reflexes of a worried Jiraiya.

"Shit!" He finally shouted, his frustration laid so bare that Jiraiya flinched away. "Every second that we spend dicking around, telling stupid jokes and taking it easy, the old man takes a breath that could very well be his last! I won't have it! We're not stopping and having him die on me because my dumb, reckless ass was too weak to make the trip!"

In his mind's eye, he saw Hiruzen's frail corpse, limply settled on his hospital bed. Above it, a generic analog clock hovered against the wall, each arm ticking along coldly to an uncertain future. Hiruzen's withered fingers began to chip, slowly cracking apart like smashed porcelain with every second.

Naruto blinked back tears of frustration as that image, trying to set his focus back onto the terrain around them.

Why did every tree they passed have to look so old and withered?

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata cut in, hesitantly. Her eyes found his, and the ice in his visible eye melted, just a touch. "S-s-sorry… I'm tired. C-can we take a break? Just a small one, please?"

He came to a stop on the next branch, struggling with himself for a moment. Then, muttering, "You suck…" He leaped downward, skidding along the tree-side and sliding down to a sloppy, seated stop at the base of it.

Sighing in relief, Hinata made to follow him, but caught Jiraiya's grin from the corner of her eye. Quizzically, she looked his way, only to see the man's palm raised, just short of her face. "Nice one, kid."

Hinata blushed, quickly clapping her palm against his own before descending down to join the blonde as he sulked. Dropping down to him, Hinata winced at the dark glare the boy shot her way. "S-sorry…"

He glared for a moment longer, before sighing, tiredly. "You're right. I'm being a baby…."

"I didn't say that," Hinata pushed back, perhaps steadier than she felt. "You're not being a baby. You're scared."

"I'm not-" Naruto started, only to quickly correct himself. "Yeah… I'm terrified."

There was no point in pretending otherwise. Besides, he didn't quite have it in him to lie to her. Not when she seemed to see through him so easily, as of late.

"Can I?" Hinata waited only just long enough to see him nod before she dropped down next to him, scooting so close that their knees and shoulders were touching. Her face had lit up like the bottom of a kettle pot, but she made no moves to undo her rather bold approach.

Looking up, Hinata spotted Jiraiya lurking above, just close enough to keep an eye on them, but very clearly trying to give them their space to talk; she appreciated that the man was at least trying to be tactful.

Hinata withheld a sigh. She wasn't confident that she was the best person to be offering comfort to another person… But she'd be whatever she needed to be, for him.

"I'm… scared a lot of the time too," Hinata finally admitted. As Naruto raised his head to look at her, she forced herself to hold his gaze. "A-about lots of things. Scared that I'm not strong enough to lead my clan; s-s-scared that I'm always making something- anything worse." A chuckle. "Sometimes, I'm scared about w-what I'm going to eat for dinner…"

"Pfft!" There it was, a chink in the armor. Hinata felt something warm bubble up in her chest as her boyfriend snorted. "I bet. Those rice balls you packed look like they've got hands," Naruto teased. Hinata matched him, happy to see him bounce back so well.

"They do. I made them with extra spicy Kumo pepper sauce… I-I like my food better when it f-fights back."

"My favorite meals are the ones that might actually just kill me," Naruto agreed, his smile growing sharp and toothy. Then, quickly as it had come, it fell, and Hinata missed it so dearly. "The old man is… There was a time when he was all I had. He's done a lot of stuff that I hated, and sometimes I really wanna punch him. Okay, a lot of the time, actually… But I love him… I love him so much," Naruto whined, his body shuddering as he choked down a sob. "And I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't do everything I could for him, ya know?"

"I know," She affirmed. "We'll save him." She spoke with confidence, perhaps more than she even felt, really. Repeating her words again, she bumped her head against his shoulder. The gesture reminded Naruto of an affectionate cat.

"Yeah…"

Sensing a resolution, Jiraiya finally dropped down before the two, a silly grin back in place. "Alright! Now that we're done soothing this doofus' precious feelies-" Jiraiya ducked to avoid the shuriken that said doofus had hurled at his head. "-Why don't I teach you both something while we take our break?"

The promise of training was all it took to twist Naruto's sullen glare to something more pleasant; the interest in his eyes gleamed so clearly that Jiraiya had to withhold the urge to roll his eyes at the boy's one-track mind.

"Um- Jiraiya-sama, what is it that you can teach us?"

"Why, what can't I teach you?" Jiraiya struck a flamboyant pose, pressing his fists against his hips and letting loose a loud belly laugh. "Need I remind you that I am the legendary Toad Sage, Jiraiya!? My bag of tricks is beyond deep, I'll have you know!"

"Deeper than that chasm you threw me in?" Naruto snarked, mercilessly.

"I said I was sorry!" Jiraiya whined. Still, he sensed minimal resentment from the boy, and thus his grin remained. "Look, I'm even teaching you and your girlfriend a sick new jutsu you can't learn anywhere else. Observe!"

Like a magician showing off a trick, he thrust his arm out. The Toad Sage upturned his hand and took a steadying breath. The muscles in his arm tensed, as if bracing under a great weight, and a perfect, bluish sphere began to swirl into existence from the center of his palm.

Hinata gasped, her byakugan unconsciously activating to better perceive the phenomena that had emerged before her. Then, she squawked in surprise as Naruto lunged to his feet, accidentally bowling the girl over in his haste.

"Sorry!" Even as he crouched down to help her up, Hinata noticed that Naruto's eyes never left the still-building sphere in Jiraiya's hand.

Jiraiya grinned, enjoying the attention of the two. "I knew you would be impressed. This here is the Fourth Hokage's signature jutsu, the Rasengan!

As this piece of news reached them, Hinata blanched. "Y-you w-want to teach us Lord Fourth's jutsu?" She thrust her thumb at her chest in bafflement. "Y-y-you want t-t-o t-teach me that!?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Jiraiya frowned her way in puzzlement. "You've got the right qualifiers for it. You've got pretty strong chakra, since you're a Hyuga. Plus, your control is damned good too -again, 'cuz you're a Hyuga. Being able to see the flow of chakra with those eyes of yours should definitely help. Whether you'll be able to master it is its own thing, but I've got no reason not to at least let you try… Unless you've got an issue with it?" His eyes panned over to Naruto ever-so-discreetly, and Naruto understood the man was speaking more to him than he was to Hinata.

After all, he was offering to teach his girlfriend his father's jutsu.

Inwardly, he could sense Kushina's own apprehension, though he couldn't quite place the reason. "It's your call, love."

"We'll master it together," Naruto said, almost immediately. Hinata's gaze shot his way, and he smiled. "We can make a contest out of it, if you'd like."

Hinata's face contorted clumsily, as if trying to smile but lacking an important piece of itself. "Y-yeah… Yeah, o-ok."

"Right then! Turn your attentions this way!" Jiraiya waved the chakra sphere in his hand around like a toy, using the movement to drag their eyes back to him. "What can you kids tell me about this big ol' ball I've got right here?

A few moments passed as the pair observed.

Naruto frowned, thoughtfully. He'd heard of the technique. There had once been a time when his father had been his idol; he knew more than most his age about Minato's two most iconic jutsu. His time with Kushina had only helped to fill in many of the blanks in his knowledge.

Still, she'd been rather hesitant to teach him either jutsu up to this point. This was his first time actually getting to see it in person.

"I knew Jiraiya would want to teach it to you, eventually. Better to focus on the things you could only learn from me, seeing as we were on a harsh timetable, up until recently. As for the other, you're just not ready for it yet, to be completely honest. Especially in your current condition; if you tried it, you'd probably die."

Sensible enough, even if that latter part did sting to hear. Naruto chose to put the conversation out of his mind, refocusing onto the discussion.

"I-it… It's not just a sphere." Hinata leaned closer, the telescopic vision of her byakugan allowing her to focus solely on the object of her attention. "It's a huge concentration of chakra, focused into a single point and woven together from all sides… Like a miniature vortex." She looked between Naruto and Jiraiya, as if seeking confirmation. The latter nodded, encouragingly.

"What do you think, brat?"

Taking his queue, Naruto shrugged. "It's like a drill and a bomb wrapped up in one. Like Hinata said, you're taking a massive concentration of chakra and spinning it all into one central point. As it spins, you're condensing it as best you can and continually feeding it more chakra to keep it sustained."

"Yep! See, if I stop channeling my chakra, it starts to weaken." He did so, and the two kids watched as the ball began to fizzle out. "Eventually, it just goes out entirely. Now let me show you what this baby can do." Jiraiya's chakra shored up again, reinforcing the sphere as he approached one of the nearby trees. He plunged the sphere into its body, and both of his observers gaped as the technique effortlessly drilled through the massive structure. It cleaved all the way to the other end, tearing the tree apart until it had been severed entirely, leaving the massive plant to crash down onto its side with a massive 'thump'.

"As you can see, this thing can deal some serious damage. It can punch clean through someone's body without stopping, and that's just the damage that we can see!" Jiraiya approached the felled tree, using a kunai to crack open the surface, surrounding the initial point of contact. Naruto and Hinata were able to observe the fine, powdery mush that the tree's inner flesh had been reduced to.

"As it drills into the body, all that excess chakra unravels and cracks about like a bunch of whips, completely blending the insides to mush. Anything you don't immediately tear apart gets rendered down to a fine goo, on the inside." Jiraiya clapped his hands, even going so far as to take a short bow. "Needless to say, this jutsu was classified as an A-rank assassination jutsu for its sheer effectiveness at sending people to the great farm in the sky."

"Uh… Aren't there more effective… And humane ways to kill a guy than sticking a blender in their body and setting it to pulse?" Naruto complained, looking a bit green. "I thought the Fourth was supposed to be a swell dude. This jutsu has the mark of a sociopath." He could see Hinata's own terror-stricken face nodding in agreement.

"Er- well, you don't have to blend people with it!" Jiraiya laughed nervously. Honestly, he'd never even considered that. "That's the real beauty of this jutsu. It's actually really versatile in what you can use it for because of how it works. Since the flow has to be sustained to make it work, you can increase or reduce the intensity on the spot, changing stuff like the chakra amount and even the spin speed. This baby right here can be anything from a fist-sized blender to just a really strong punch."

Thankfully, his words seemed to have at least somewhat soothed the consciences of his two students.

"I-in any case, let's talk about how to cast this thing! Which now brings us to the three core mechanics behind this jutsu. Step one is to create the sphere! You've both got some experience shaping raw chakra; take that experience and use it to pop these!" Reaching into the inner-side pocket of his haori, Jiraiya procured a pair of inflated balloons and threw one at each of them. "Think about what you gleaned from my demonstration and give it a shot!"

Catching the ball, Naruto only spared Hinata a short glance before setting his attention solely onto the object in his hand. 'Any advice?'

"Aren't you supposed to be in competition with your girlfriend? I didn't take you for a cheater!" Kushina chided him. Naruto could just see the woman wagging her finger his way, disapprovingly.

'I love cheating. It's actually my favorite thing in the whole world,' He snarked back at her, facetiously. 'I said it to motivate her, woman! Besides, it's not like I'm not going to tell her too!'

"Fine, fine! When Minato taught it to me, he compared it to a microwave set on spin. Spin it around in all directions and steadily increase the concentration as you go; get familiar with the rhythm first and build it up from that initial state."

With a nod, her son looked Hinata's way, ready to share the advice Kushina had given, only to blink slowly in surprise as a 'pop' sounded from the girl's direction, followed by the splash of water.

"That wasn't so bad!" Hinata stared at the ruined remains of the balloon she'd held suspiciously, as if waiting for herself to somehow fail after the fact. She was so shocked that her byakugan began to recede.

"I thought as much! Coming from a clan like yours, you've no doubt got a ton of experience shaping your chakra. Doubly so if that stick-in-the-mud pops of yours has gotten you started learning the rotation yet. Not quite one-to-one, but I'm happy to see I was right about you." Letting Hinata blush under his praise, Jiraiya turned his gaze to Naruto. "Well, how about it kiddo? Or are you going to let your girlfriend make a fool out of y-" He stopped short as a similar pop came from Naruto's own balloon. "Huh…"

"I don't know why you're surprised about me," Naruto complained with a roll of his eyes. He carelessly shook the excess water from his hand. "I had to refine my chakra control a ton to be able to nullify Neji's gentle fist. I can technically eject and shape chakra from any point on my body."

"Well yeah, but I figured with your chakra being so out of sorts you'd-" Jiraiya suddenly narrowed his eyes, suspiciously. "Technically? Oh you cheating little shitter, you're using those chains of yours, aren't you!"

"Hey, if Hinata gets to use her magic eyeballs to make a fool out of this step then I get to use my magic chains. Fair is fair." At Hinata's inquisitive look, he clarified, "My chains are a focus; they help refine my chakra."

"Oh!" Hinata looked intrigued.

"Nu-uh! Nope! No crutches allowed! How do you expect to grow if you're constantly taking the easy way out, huh?" Jiraiya crossed his arms, petulantly. Really, he just didn't want to accept that both kids' natural advantages had managed to make such short work out of an exercise that had taken him days to figure out.

"Quit being a baby and show us the next step, you perverted old dork! I'll learn it without my chains on my own time. You know, when I'm not technically on disability leave."

Sulking, Jiraiya produced another set of balls, these two clearly made of a sterner material. "These are rubber. You're gonna want to apply the same method to pop them too." Grumbling, he chucked the ball right at Naruto's head, groaning childishly as the boy caught it.

Said boy paid him no mind at all. Pursing his lips for a moment, Naruto considered the instructions they'd been given. "So the first exercise is about understanding the shape needed to destroy something from within with minimal effort. This one is about maintaining that shape but with greater power." Shifting the ball in his grip, he tested his first attempt on the ball, noting without surprise as the rubber ball barely even budged. "A lot more power…"

Casting a glance Hinata's way, he realized that she was staring at the ball intensely. Her teeth began to grit as her output of chakra began to increase, dramatically. The rubber ball began to shift, beneath the surface. It warped in shape several times, then a tiny hole erupted in its flesh, letting out a surge of air.

"Ouchies." Hinata flexed her fingers, noting their tenderness and allowing the rubber ball to slip from her grasp. At the center of her palm was a small burn mark.

Gently taking hold of her wrist, Naruto silently stared into the girl's injured palm. His chakra perception allowed him to easily identify the source. "You overtaxed the chakra point in your palm."

"Mhm…It's like using my sixty-four palms, but more intense." Almost exactly like that, actually. The concentration of raw chakra needed to burst the rubber ball exceeded what she could do, comfortably. But if she could push past her limits to do one, then she could absolutely do it for the other. "I-instead of steadily b-building up to pass my limits, I-I'll… I'll need to pass my limits right out of the gate… May I have another?"

"Careful kid. You might need to do some practice first to get to a point where you can do it without pain."

Hinata consciously resisted the urge to scoff at Jiraiya's words, instead catching the second ball he'd given her with both hands and cupping both palms around it, top and bottom.

This time, she'd try focusing her chakra from two separate points through both palms to reduce the strain required. Hinata barely heard as Jiraiya whistled, noting that "Minato did it that way too, when he first started developing it."

Closing her eyes, she allowed her focus to build, exploring the sensation of her chakra building up to the limit of what she could expel.

A breath, then she pushed again, this time taking herself farther than before. Both palms burned, and that burning only grew sharper in its pain as she breached well past what her hands could take without injury. Her focus did not wane. The pain she felt…

She'd felt worse.

"Hey kiddo, dial it back a bit, will ya?" Jiraiya stepped forward, wincing in concern as a loud sizzling began to emit from both of the girl's palms. "Wouldn't want to see you hurt yours-" He stopped, instead going wide-eyed as the sphere in her hands rapidly spasmed before it finally erupted with a loud 'bang' and strew rubber bits outward. Hinata curled inwards, squinting her eyes in preparation for the blowback, which sent her tumbling back into Naruto's prepared chest. "Huh… Well I'll be damned."

He would've expected the girl to take much longer to get it down.

Though…

Looking at the Hyuga heiress' shaking palms, Jiraiya frowned at the painful looking burns she'd endured. Naruto crouched down with her, bracing her by her shoulders to account for the weakness in her legs. Her boyfriend let her sit, slipping a gentle palm across the small of her back and propping her up. Wincing at her obvious burns, Naruto slowly began to pick rubber bits from her hair and clothes.

Well, it was less 'getting it down', and more 'being too hard-headed to quit.'

She and Naruto had a lot in common, in that sense.

Speaking of which, "Your turn, brat."

Naruto's own attempt seemed to go about as well as Hinata's first attempt. Sweat pooled at his brow, his body shaking slightly as he concentrated his chakra. As his chakra swirled about in his palms, Naruto knew instinctively that he'd have no luck. Still, he wouldn't have been himself if he didn't at least try-

"Stop, now." There was a severity to Kushina's warning that Naruto was unused to hearing, and so he cut his flow on the spot.

Rarely was it that Kushina tried to take any sort of reins as an absolute authority for the boy. Despite her own strong personality, she typically respected his own independence enough to let him make his own choices, merely offering advice or choosing her words more as suggestions than direct commands.

Still, Naruto knew an order when he heard one.

What? I wasn't going to go overboard!

"You've been going overboard. You shouldn't even be attempting to learn this jutsu or any jutsu while your body is so messed up. I let it slide with the fireball training, and even with doing the first step here. But you're already burnt out from travel and I'm not letting you blow your coils again. End of discussion."

He was getting really damn sick of being like this. The Kyuubi's influence had always ensured that he was quick to heal from any injuries. Even the worst of them had usually been quick to mend, taking no longer than a day or two for him to bounce back.

Maybe he was just a bit spoiled by his condition's pseudo-regeneration.

Now though, he was forced to sit around and do the minimum at such an important time, and because of the Tailed Beasts' chakra, no less!

Naruto's fist flexed, him taking a deep breath to control his fury. An urge to snap back at Kushina swelled within, but Naruto smothered it with a sigh..

"I can't do it." Tossing the rubber ball back into Jiraiya's hands, he scowled. "It won't end well." He bore Jiraiya's curiosity with little more than a low growl, wishing the man would stop eyeing him so weirdly. Hinata's own concerned stare was less annoying, but only slightly, when it was so clearly prompted by his own impotence.

"I'm gonna lie down for a bit… My head hurts." Without waiting for a response from his companions, Naruto dropped back down, leaning against his tree and closing his eyes rather pointedly. "Wake me up when we're ready to move again."

Even after he'd closed his eyes, Hinata continued to look his way, sadly.

What had happened? He'd seemed so excited to learn just moments ago, only to lose his fire so quickly… Never before had Hinata seen the boy be so quick to give up on something, before.

Looking back at Jiraiya, she saw her expression mirrored on the man. He shrugged his shoulders, seeming just as lost as she was.

"He's probably right. Wouldn't wanna worsen his condition and all that. Besides, there's no rush…I-in that case, I guess I can show you the final step, kid. You can help him out once he's feeling a little better. Well, after we get your hands bandaged up."

---

Naruto had popped up into their shared space with a frightening scowl on his face, barely even paying his mother any mind in favor of sitting quietly on Uzu's beachside. The waves perfectly represented the boy's mental state, roiling about with reckless abandon; they crashed into each other with force, excess water shoring up and soaking the bottom cuffs of his pants. Above, the menacing heat of the two looming suns bore down on him, almost mocking in their energy.

Sidling up to the boy, Kushina took a seat of her own and bumped his shoulder with her own. "You know, if you keep sulking like that, your face will get frozen that way," Kushina teased her son, trying to prod at his face to get him to smile again. Her son bore her efforts impassively, not even attempting to stop her. "Then that sweet girlfriend of yours is gonna have to settle with seeing that ugly scowl of yours every day… Do you really want her to be stuck with a mid-faced guy for the rest of her life?"

"You're mid," Naruto finally bit out, petulantly.

"Impossible. There's no way a mid woman could've gone and made such a good-looking young man," Kushina sang back with a grin. She gathered her son into her arms, breathing a sigh of relief when he allowed her to hug him. "You know I'm not just trying to discourage you, right?"

"Yeah… I shouldn't be getting pissed at anyone anyways. It's my own damn fault… If I'd been smarter, or stronger, or less reckless- or hell, any and all of those, I wouldn't be in this position to begin with." Kushina had heard her son say such demeaning things about himself far too many times, the last few days.

"What would you do differently, if you could go back and do that fight over?"

Taking in the curious expression of his mother, Naruto pursed his lips, thoughtfully. "I guess I'd want to find a way to subdue Shukaku that doesn't involve tearing my body apart."

That was as good as any place to start. Gripping her son's forearm, Kushina helped him stand. Grabbing his hand in her own, she began to lead him on a walk as the scene around them shifted.

"Then let's go over that… Do it again."

"Pardon?" Naruto looked at the scene around them. Their environment blended into something resembling a forest; massive trees loomed overhead, each so tall and imposing that their shadows had cast their surroundings into an unnatural darkness. Naruto spotted a myriad of torn branches and damaged surfaces, many of which looked terribly familiar.

The sounds of combat not far off only confirmed his suspicions. "This is mine and Sasuke's fight with it."

"Great thing about you having me here: I've got nothing better to do, so I can record these moments for you when you forget to. Now, you had the right idea trying to learn from your Chūnin exam fights. Because of it, you were able to build a working strategy that let you beat that Hyuga boy without issue." Letting her son ponder that for a moment, she released his hand, instead coming behind him to rub his shoulders, soothingly. "I admire your dedication, X'omaa… But right now, you're trying too hard to just make yourself stronger and not taking enough time to just let yourself heal. Boosting your yin-chakra, trying to learn new jutsu… All of that is well and good, but you're doing too much, son. Remember what I told you: your ability to learn from your mistakes and refine your decision-making is just as important as your actual power."

"Power aint the only way to win a fight," Naruto muttered in remembrance. "... Fine, fine, you win. I'll tone down my training a bit and focus more on not being a big, dumb-dumb stupid idiot."

Kushina smiled.

---

The sun's body had already half-submerged itself beneath the horizon when the boy on her back began to stir.

Hinata felt her cheeks redden at the dreadfully embarrassing conversation she knew was soon to come. Not far ahead, she could already see Jiraiya's grin assembling itself in real time; he clearly had no intentions of being of any kind of help.

"You know, the villain in me is demanding I lick the back of your neck."

How was it that he always found a way to set her face ablaze? "I-if y-y-you do that… If you do that I'll d-drop you on your butt."

"Oooh I'm so scared," Naruto mocked back. He chuckled, leaning forward to rest his head over her shoulder. "You know, I remember when you could barely say my name without suffering from heat stroke."

Hinata had no answers for the boy. Frankly, she was still trying to figure that out, herself.

"Also, you could've just woken me up instead of kidnapping me in my sleep." Beneath his jokes was a lilt of seriousness hugging at his words' coattails, like he was trying to appear more casual than he really felt.

Was he embarrassed? It was hard to tell with him, sometimes.

Giving herself just a moment to find her voice, Hinata responded, her words deliberately slow so as not to stutter. "You burned yourself out already trying to travel while you're hurt; so much so that you couldn't train, and that- um… Well, that made you upset. So- well, if you have to choose between traveling or training, then I'll carry you the whole way so you won't have to worry so much."

"I… I don't need to be carried," Naruto asserted, just as slowly. "B-besides! I could definitely use the exercise!"

Ah, so he was embarrassed. Perhaps if she were just a touch bolder, she'd have it in her to tease him back, for once.

Something to work toward at a later date. For now though…

Hinata was quiet for a long moment. "You were upset, earlier." His sudden silence only confirmed her thoughts. "You feel like you aren't doing enough, and I get that. But Naruto-kun, you're not taking care of yourself, and- well, that makes me worry."

She wasn't really sure what else to say, other than that. "I-I just want to help you, is all… So please, let me share some of your burden, Naruto-kun." The last few words came out, almost as a whisper.

It was hard enough to speak on her feelings when they were face-to-face, let alone while his body was pressed so closely to her own. But Hinata knew without needing it spelled out that her b-b-b… Her boyfriend needed her support, even if he didn't quite know how to say it out loud.

Naruto said nothing in response to her words, simply taking a long breath and resting his cheek on her shoulder. There was a silent affection in the gesture; a subtlety that she wasn't used to seeing from him. Still, he said nothing, even as the sun continued its steady descent below and the moon shyly took its place; he said nothing, even when Jiraiya finally stopped them for the night and recommended they set up camp. Even when the Toad Sage sidled up to them, clapping a hand across the boy's shoulder and trying to whisper his own words of comfort, Naruto barely acknowledged him, offering little more than a stiff nod.

They assembled camp in silence, and it was only when they had gathered around a tiny campfire, rations passed around and their stomachs partly full, that Naruto finally found the words he'd been looking for that entire day.

"Sorry for snapping at you earlier," He breathed, an airy rasp in his voice. His eyes panned up only for a second, just long enough for Jiraiya to know he was speaking to him.

Jiraiya tilted his head, thoughtfully. "Don't worry about it kid. I get it; I really do."

"Mhm…" The blonde said nothing else in favor of cramming a nutrient bar into his mouth and chewing silently.

It felt wrong, seeing him look so defeated.

"Kid, we're going to save him. It's going to be okay, alright? Just- well, just try and cheer up a bit. You're supposed to be the fun one, remember?"

Naruto twitched at that. A deep breath, and he finally raised his head and slapped on a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah."

Jiraiya regretted asking him to do so.

When morning came, they packed quickly and set out without delay, Hinata once again insisting on carrying Naruto for the day. To both hers and Jiraiya's surprise, he barely even complained.

To Hinata's credit, she didn't seem to be phased at all by the boy's weight, something which Jiraiya was quick to point out.

"It's because she's strong as shit," Naruto piped up for the first time that day. Hinata blushed at his praise.

"I- um… I eat my vegetables," Hinata agreed, shyly.

"I shouldn't be surprised, really. You are a Hyuga, after all. You Hyuga folks are jacked"

Hinata seemed nonplussed by Jiraiya's offhanded statement. He'd referenced her heritage a lot, since they'd begun their trek. Hinata knew better than most just how well-known her clan was for their strength. But those comments usually came in relation to their chakra control, their eyes, or even just their natural talent.

Well, barring herself…

In any case, never before had she heard the words 'Hyuga' and 'jacked' in the same sentence.

Jiraiya seemingly struggled for a moment to explain, growing openly thankful as Naruto cut in to explain.

"I got this… So you know how I'm doing spirit control with Kurenai-sensei to overcome my alignment mismatch, right?" At Hinata's nod, Naruto nodded back in a 'there you go' sort of way. "You and I are pretty similar in that way. The Hyuga have an incredibly strong physical energy, which is partly why they have such a big focus on taijutsu, even though their control should lend itself well to stuff like ninjutsu or genjutsu."

He paused for a moment, considering how to further explain to the girl. "Remember, yang-chakra is all about our physical energy, which determines our natural strength and physical abilities. Some clans, like the Uchiha or Shikamaru's clan, are more yin-leaning, which leads them to be more analytical or have skills that are centered more on the mental or spiritual side. Hence, the sharingan's optical genjutsu or Shikamaru's shadow jutsu." They shared a nod again, confirming they were still on the same page. "In the case of clans like yours and mine, we are yang-leaning, meaning we've got a higher aptitude for the physical side of chakra. My clan's dances are largely yang-based and rely on an incredibly strong physical body and yang-chakra to make them work. As for yours- well, I'm still trying to understand exactly how the Hyuga work in that context, but I know the gentle-fist uses largely yang-chakra; the only real applications of yin-chakra I've seen from you guys is activating your byakugan, and even that's more yang-oriented… Somehow."

Jiraiya and Hinata both seemed taken aback by that final bit. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean 'somehow'?"

This was the first he was ever hearing of such a thing.

"Er- well…" Naruto simply shrugged. "So we understand that stuff like dojutsu generally are powered with yin-chakra, right?"

Hinata gave him a blank look. "I-I do now."

"Now doesn't that sound familiar?" Kushina jeered within, good naturedly.

"Oh dear… Okay bear with me while I do some nerd talk, then. So since yin-chakra is centered around the brain and spirit, and the senses are processed through the brain, we generally use yin-chakra to interpret or enhance sensory-based information. Because of that, dojutsu like the sharingan or byakugan, typically use yin-chakra to activate and sustain themselves."

"O-oh… That makes sense." Naruto could practically see Hinata's brain starting to whirl. She was quite intelligent, once she stopped doubting himself. Another way that they seemed to be alike, as he was starting to realize. "So… If my clan relies on the b-byakugan for a lot of our techniques, but we're inherently yang-leaning, then how does that work?"

Even Jiraiya looked interested in whatever answer Naruto would give. Unfortunately, "I don't know!"

Both of their faces fell at Naruto's shameless admission.

"Well that's lame. And here you'd almost convinced me you were actually smart, brat."

Naruto simply rolled his eyes. "I have never, under any pretense, even tried to pretend that I was a smart guy. Chakra just makes sense to me, I guess… I have a theory, but it's pretty outrageous, honestly."

"Ah, w-will you tell us?"

"I mean- I guess I can. Just don't blame me if it sounds dumb." A long breath, then, "So my chakra sensitivity can 'taste' peoples' chakra; the closer I am and the harder I focus, the more I can pick out the nuances, like the different alignments or nature transformations that are being used. Whenever you use your byakugan, your yin-chakra is activated to do so, but it rapidly starts to drain. At the same time, your yang-chakra skyrockets- and I mean really shoots up. Like, nearly double. The veins around your eyes start to show because your blood flow to your brain and optic nerves shoots up, and your adrenaline levels go through the roof. You get stronger and faster, and your reflexes improve in tandem with this increase. My theory is that activating your byakugan causes your body to shelve the majority of your yin-chakra and use it to increase the production of your yang-chakra, leaving behind only enough to keep your byakugan active for an extended period."

Hinata frowned. That would explain why she had so much trouble adapting to Kurenai-sensei's genjutsu training. She'd always found it particularly challenging to cast even basic ninjutsu when her byakugan was active too, even in spite of the increased control that it afforded her.

"I-is that w-why m-my… Is that why my clan focuses so hard on taijutsu?" Did that mean she just wouldn't be able to learn ninjutsu or genjutsu at all?

Sensing her concerns, Naruto simply scoffed. "If I can find the means to work past my own imbalance, then I'm sure you can too. Boosting your yin-chakra with spirit control should help strengthen your byakugan, and also give you more to convert for your taijutsu anyways… Probably. I'll help you, if you want."

Accentuating his offer, Naruto planted an affectionate kiss on her cheek. Hinata froze as he did so, her face going alight with a scorching heat at the point of contact. It spread rapidly, until her entire face had been swallowed up and was left looking like a bright-red tomato. "P-please excuse me," She muttered, coming to a complete stop and letting a quizzical Naruto down from her back. Then, she fainted.

"Ah, whoops. She's been doing so well lately that I forgot she does that." Exchanging a look with Jiraiya, he shrugged. "Throw me that balloon. I want to give it a shot while we wait for her to stir."

---

The Hidden Sound village, or Otogakure, was really less of a village and more of an interconnected series of hidden bases, dotted throughout the nations. They didn't have a main base, per se, but Orochimaru did certainly have his favorites.

One such base was situated just past the borders of Rice country, and was where the Snake Sannin had found the largest source of traffic for his underlings' services; it was through these services that he was able to find the revenue needed to continually expand his bases, and it was also through this revenue that he was able to continue to meet the highly costly financial demands that came with his research.

Hence, none of Orochimaru's forces were necessarily expendable. Every ninja under his banner was one that pulled their own weight, bringing funds into his coffers at the bare minimum. The rare few who managed to interest him beyond that served as beloved test subjects, through which he could continue his coveted hunt for the secrets of ninjutsu.

Of these test subjects, few had his fondness quite like his Sound Four. They were a specialized team of highly disciplined servants, and while perhaps individually weak by his standards, each sported unique skills that were enhanced greatly by the gifts he'd seen fit to impart upon them.

Jirobo's earth-style had served well in helping to excavate new bases in the past. His ability to siphon chakra at great speed was also a coveted skill, which allowed him to easily subdue the more… Rowdy of his test subjects.

Kidomaru, whose unique, spider-like physiology and great tactical mind had granted the young man a high aptitude for long-range assassinations, through the use of his spider silk and bow. For his service, Orochimaru had even granted him the spider summoning contract, one of the man's most priceless artifacts that he had been fortunate enough to pilfer, long ago.

Sakon and Ukon, conjoined twins with a unique ability to manifest themselves through their shared body. Beyond their talent for espionage, they were highly proficient with taijutsu, and also the only one of his protegees to have managed to learn how to summon even one of the nigh-impenetrable Rashomon gates.

Lastly, Tayuya, objectively his most elite genjutsu specialist. A shame that she seemed not to take to many other talents, but her unique flute genjutsu was formidable enough to make up for that, ten-fold.

Each of them had been lovingly branded with a piece of him, sporting the curse mark which Orochimaru had painstakingly crafted in his pursuit of immortality. It was his life's work and his greatest source of pride, ranking higher than even Lord Second's reanimation jutsu, for him.

Even just the initial activation of it could boost their abilities, as much as ten-fold. The second level of activation, reserved only for his favorite pets, made the first look pathetic in comparison.

That very gift, which he had once gifted these four, seeking to push them well past the limits of average ninja and into the heights of greatness, was now being used to punish them grievously for their failure.

The room was filled with beautiful screams as his curse mark boiled them from within. It scorched their flesh, angry molten-red sigils creeping across the surface of their skin and branding its agony into their very souls; a gentle reminder of just who they belonged to.

Of who they had dared to fail.

"I want you four to understand just how much it pains me to do this to you," Orochimaru hissed, the fury in his heart staining his words with a sibilant whisper. "I remember a time where each of you would have sooner gut yourselves and stand proudly in your own mess than ever allow yourselves to fail me… And yet, it was at the most crucial moment of our lives that you each chose to let me down. Do you understand just how much I lost, because you allowed your faith to fail you?"

"My lord! Please my lord! It was not my intention to fail you! I swear-" Jirobo screamed himself hoarse as Orochimaru's attention shifted from the other three, squarely onto him. "I s-s-swear on my life a-and soul that I will not rest u-until-" His screams only increased as Orochimaru began to grit his teeth. Jirobo's arms and legs flopped about, slamming limply and bruising themselves against the hard stone floor. His neck muscles bulged, the young man lost control of all bodily function. He spasmed about in a growing pile of his own filth, ultimately failing to retain control of his body as Orochimaru's ministrations continued to torment him for his weakness. A light froth had built up at his lips as his seizure reached its apex.

"Hush now, boy. You will do what I tell you and only what I tell you, understood?" Orochimaru did not wait for a response from the boy; did not expect one. Instead, he shifted his gaze back to the other three, who had once again been called to remember their agony as the Snake Sannin's rage remembered his targets.

"You four had one job. Hold the barrier until I finished off the old man. Not only did you fail to do so, but you-" Tayuya choked loudly, clamping her jaw and refusing to let so much as a whimper wander from her lips, even as Orochimaru's attention shifted solely onto her. Bloody spit bubbled up at her lips and trickled down on either side. The girl's nose leaked a mix of blood and snot as she convulsed. "You had the nerve to demand that I hurry up; you disrespected me and betrayed my trust. What say you, my dear?"

Her convulsions ebbed, just a touch; just enough for her to find the words that they both knew would see him punish her even more intensely than the rest.

"I-in m-m-my d-de-defense, m-m-my l-lord… Y-you were tak-taking pretty fucking long!" She let loose a rough, defiant laugh that made Orochimaru's eye twitch.

Any other time, and he might've found her cheek somewhat endearing. Now though, he really just wanted to hear the girl scream. A shame and boon in equal parts, that she was made of sterner stuff than the rest of her peers.

Again, she clamped her jaw as his rage once again gripped her body and soul. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her fingers ground against the stone so hard they bled.

He held her punishment for twenty agonizing seconds before his fury had finally ebbed to a more manageable level.

Truly, her resilience was as impressive as always. Not a surprise, considering her origins.

"Alrighty, that should do." Coating his face with a fresh coat of cheer, Orochimaru clapped his hands, and each of them scrambled to their knees, prostrating themselves before him, save for Tayuya, who lay near comatose. "Please understand I will not be so gentle with you, next time... It is clear to me now that the four of you have grown too reliant on my curse mark; your individual strengths have hit a plateau. Unacceptable! You lot are forbidden from using my gifts again until you have proved your strength and re-earned my favor. The blessings I have offered you are not to be taken for granted."

They had obviously grown complacent in recent times, relying so heavily on his boon that their personal growths had ground to a crawl. With it, even one of them should've been more than enough to handle the average jonin; as a group, their strengths should've been more than enough to give even the truly elite a run for their money.

Without it though, they were pathetic, and that irked him something fierce.

If only they had Kimimaro's drive… Perhaps it was time that his prized Kaguya retook his leadership; no doubt, the young man would be quick to whip them back into shape, once his illness had been taken care of.

Ah, but where was he?

His pets remained prostrated, patiently waiting for their master's words. Through their shared link, he could taste their terror.

Good. He'd been spoiling them a bit too much, as of late. Their most recent failure had shown him that.

A clear reminder from time to time would do wonders to keep them all in line, moving forward.

"Clean yourselves up and be ready in the morning. I have business with an old friend of mine and will require an escort to help see to Kimimaro's needs; consider this your one and only opportunity to earn my forgiveness. Kabuto!"

His right hand was quick to appear, having been waiting nearby for exactly this moment.

"Make sure my pets here are ready for our trip. Then get Kimimaro ready for travel. We leave bright and early!"

"Understood, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed low, a wide grin worn shamelessly. As he stood upright, he sent a leer their way. "I must say, the stress these four have caused you is most concerning. Please take some time to look after yourself, my lord; your complexion is looking quite pale."

"Oh shut up, boy." Orochimaru chuckled, leaving the apprehensive Sound Four at the mercy of the young man.

---

Konoha was every bit as lively as he remembered it; at this time of the year especially, when the sakura trees were just starting to bloom and their petals dotted the scene with pink adornments. An outside dumpling stand was a new fixture for him.

It reminded him that his old home was still changing; still thriving, even in his absence.

For a moment, so tiny that he nearly missed it, the faintest hints of resentment threatened to bubble up in his chest. It swelled up quickly, twisting into a frown that shaped itself just underneath his collar. Then, just as quickly as it had come, he stifled it all, setting his features back into a neutral state.

"This place really does have everything huh, Itachi-san?" Next to him, a blue-skinned giant of a man set yet another plate onto the short stack that he'd assembled, thus far. He grabbed a tiny pitcher of broth between two of his massive fingers, tipping it back and downing the dipping sauce within. "Would it be weird of me to order another?"

"I wouldn't judge you for it," Itachi hummed back, absently. His twin, crimson eyes panned about lazily, taking in their surroundings. He ignored his partner as the man made to order yet another platter of dumplings. "Actually, ixnay that one, Kisame. We shouldn't loiter around for much longer."

Kisame's shark-like face puffed up in what Itachi could only presume was the man's take on a pout. "Shame. I was really wanting to try the seafood dumplings." Then, he grinned; his sharp, dagger-like jaws gleamed, showing the crimson-eyed man his own reflection in them. "But duty calls, and all that, hehe."

They both stood as one. Kisame grabbed a massive, wrapped bundle with a long handle sticking out, hefting the mass and easily slinging it over his shoulder. "You got this one right, Itachi-san?"

Itachi merely bobbed his head and tossed some cash onto the table, not caring to voice the fact that he'd gotten the last meal, or the meal before that too.

Not like he was spending his money on much else, these days.

As the two began to walk, he sensed a trio of presences hot on their tail. Not a surprise; they'd been watching the two since they'd touched down at this rest stop. A discreet glance at Kisame told him that his companion had noticed them too.

"That's far enough, you two." Itachi recognized the voice of his old commanding officer. Before he could fully master himself, his body had begun moving to heed the man's order, slowly turning to meet the two eyes of Kakashi Hatake. The man's one transplanted sharingan eye was mirrored coldly by Itachi's own pair.

"Good evening, Kakashi-san." Itachi inclined his head shortly. "Nice weather we're having."

"Bit cloudy for my tastes," Kakashi snipped back, pointedly looking him up and down. Two more ninja arrived to back up the silver-haired jonin. "You know, a big part of the whole missing ninja thing is not coming back to the village you've defected from… What's up with that?"

"Nothing you three need to be concerned about." Itachi glanced between the three, committing the other two ninjas' faces to memory.

Kurenai Yuhi, the Leaf village's premier genjutsu mistress.

Asuma Sarutobi, son of the Third Hokage and an ex-member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, who served directly under the fire Daimyo.

Lastly, Kakashi Hatake, the legendary Copy Ninja, and one of the premier candidates for Fifth Hokage, what with the Third's current condition.

"Just a bit of business. Oh, and a teensy bit of pleasure," Kisame piped up. He patted his belly and burped. "We're really not looking for any trouble with you lot. But while we have you, we are looking for somebody."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "So it's as I thought." He looked them up and down again, obviously noting their uniformed appearances. "Black cloaks with red clouds… You're representatives of Akatsuki."

"What the hell is Akatsuki?" Asuma wondered aloud, clearly less in-the-know than their apparent leader seemed to be.

"An organization of S-classed rogue ninja with an uncomfortable interest in the Tailed Beasts." Asuma and Kurenai both paled at the man's words. "Obviously, they're here for Naruto."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, not missing the deadly glare that had settled on each of the three's faces. Clearly, Kakashi was better-informed than he would have expected of an outsider. Just another reminder that he shouldn't underestimate the man. "You clearly know more than you should, captain… Kisame, we're taking him with us. I'm sure he knows exactly where we can find our quarry."

"Say less, Itachi-san!" Kisame shifted the bundle on his shoulder before swinging it outwards. "It's been a little too quiet here for my tastes anyways!" A wild, toothy grin possessed his jaws. Then he lunged forward at blinding speed, completely at odds with his massive size.

"I've got it!" Asuma called out, speeding past Kakashi. His hands blurred into his utility pouch, before he'd gone and donned a pair of trench knives. Flipping them into a reverse grip, he crossed them in front of themselves to intercept Kisame just as the shark-like man slammed his club-like bundle onto him.

The water beneath their feet surged, and Asuma's face twisted in pain as his leading shoulder was instantly dislocated under Kisame's horrifying strength. Still, he held strong, even when Kisame gripped the body of the bandaged mass and forced it down until it was weighing heavily on Asuma's shoulder.

"This baby here is a real special sort of blade, I'll have you know. Back in the Mist Village, we called it Samehada… Shark skin! You wanna know why we call it that?"

Before Asuma could even voice a response, the bundled mass began to shake. Then, without warning, a mass of grayish-blue spikes burst from the bandages, stabbing deeply into Asuma's shoulder.

"Gah!" Asuma's face scrunched up and the man fell to one knee.

"Surprise! Samehada is a quirky thing, you see! First it shreds!" Taking advantage of Asuma's position, Kisame snagged the man by the collar of his jonin vest and ripped the blade free; blood spilled messily into the lake as the blade was wrenched loose from his flesh. "Then, it feeds." Asuma's eyes threatened to roll to the back of his head as a sudden weakness overtook him.

Lifting the man off his feet, Kisame made to finish him off, but was abruptly distracted by the rapid whirl of metal. Instinctively, he positioned Asuma's body to be used as a human shield, only to be surprised as a set of shuriken went wide. His eyes caught the glint of ninja wire, just as the throwing stars pulled it taut and began to encircle his body.

"Nice one!" Kisame complimented Kakashi as the wire worked to wrap tightly around him. It pinned Asuma and him together, leaving the Mist ninja no room to use his blade to free himself. His grin only widened as the water beneath them erupted to reveal a rising Kakashi, a kunai poised in his grip. "Little help, Itachi-san?"

He needn't have said anything, for Kakashi couldn't even finish his attack before the water droplets that had been disturbed by his arrival instantly coalesced into a shape vaguely reminiscent of a shark, just by Kakashi's head. The jonin only barely saw its appearance in time, its speed was so great. A wide-eyed Kakashi dove to the side just as the water shark detonated, blowing apart the vest and back-flesh of the pinned Asuma and sending Kisame tumbling away, mostly unharmed.

"Hey, that was one of mine!" Kisame accused Itachi, grinning. "And no mercy for one of your old comrades, huh? You really are heartless, Itachi-san." Looking down at the man still pinned to his chest, he grinned. "You still alive there buddy- huh…"

Pinned to his chest was not a man, but a ruined pile of wooden shrapnel.

A substitution? Wait was that a paper bomb-

He didn't get to ponder it much further, just beginning to form a hand seal before a sizable explosion went off in his face, engulfing him entirely.

A good ways away, Asuma burst from the water, gasping. Gripping the surface of it, he pulled himself to his knees and clutched his ruined shoulder.

"Thanks for the distraction Kakashi," Asuma wheezed, dragging himself to his feet. Not far off, Kakashi rose as well, offering him a thumbs-up.

"Don't underestimate this bunch, Kisame. Konoha elites are not to be toyed with." Itachi called out to the smoke cloud, lazily. An arm cut through it all, revealing the still-grinning face of Kisame.

"Relax, Itachi-san. I'm no amateur." Kisame stood, his clothes mildly singed but otherwise unharmed by the surprise attack. "I had plenty of time to make a water wall out of all of the moisture we've got here. Speaking of which, you guys really oughta think twice about challenging a Mist-nin on their terrain of choice."

Carelessly, Kisame hefted himself back to his feet, slinging his now partially-revealed blade over his shoulder yet again. Itachi stood close by, just behind the man.

"This won't end well for you." Itachi's crisp monotone nearly hid the violent warning lurking just beneath. Every word was clearly enunciated and void of passion, and sent alarm bells ringing in Kakashi's head. His mannerisms were so much like how Sasuke tried to act. But Itachi was the real deal. He was so unlike Sasuke, who merely played cool.

No, he was truly dead inside, and dangerous beyond belief.

"Surrender peacefully and no one needs to get hurt."

"You know, I liked you better before you started wearing nail polish." Rolling his shoulder, Kakashi once again positioned himself in front of Kurenai and the wounded Asuma. "You're not getting your hands on Naruto. I'll kill you both or die trying before that happens."

"So die trying then. Got it." Kisame was all too happy to trade barbs with the man, once again preparing for combat.

"Just once, I wish people would choose the easy way," Itachi sighed, dully. He raised his fingers to form a hand sign, but stopped mid-way. "Oh now that's interesting."

The world around him began to shift, warping and twisting with all of the finesse indicative of the machinations of a genjutsu master. A wave of vertigo threatened to overtake the Uchiha, but he refocused himself to block it out. Then, a massive tree burst from beneath him, swallowing him in its embrace. His body melded into it, becoming entirely paralyzed.

"It's always nice to meet another genjutsu practitioner. This looks like a remix of the full body bind; simple, but certainly effective… Unfortunately-" Itachi rolled his eyes up, locking his gaze onto Kurenai, who had begun to meld away from the tree; the kunai in her grip sang with her malice. "Well, at least you tried."

In a flash, Kurenai was in his place, locked down within the tree's illusory embrace. Her eyes widened and her jaw hung loose at the new development. Then terror struck her as Itachi stared her down, just a foot away. He palmed a kunai of his own and made to strike.

Kurenai flexed her own chakra, attempting to disrupt her flow and break the illusion that Itachi had reversed onto her, but her chakra was sluggish. She could potentially shake his hold, but not quickly enough to respond to the incoming attack.

So he had used a yin-reversal method, swallowing up her own attacking chakra with his own and flipping her illusion onto her. What's more, he had not just reinforced her illusion against her in that way, but even gone a step further by suppressing her own chakra to keep her from fighting back.

All without little more than a glance.

That short exchange told her everything she needed to know about Itachi Uchiha; the young man before her was a true master of genjutsu, with a yin chakra that eclipsed her own and even young Naruto's, as well.

Kurenai bit through her lip, tasting blood and freedom both as the illusion cracked under the shock of pain. Just in time too, as she was able to narrowly duck to avoid a killer strike, courtesy of Itachi Uchiha.

The Uchiha killer offered an appreciative nod, just before he slammed a kick into her hastily raised guard. A flick of his wrist followed, before he put her out of his mind in favor of a rushing Kakashi.

Kurenai's body shuddered under the force of his kick and she was sent tumbling backward, skipping painfully over the water and rolling prone, a ways away. Water burst upward as she crashed through its surface, submerging herself to avoid the brace of shuriken that attempted to follow her position. She felt her shoulder's flesh part sharply as metal tore through her, but her vitals were well protected, leaving her the freedom to reevaluate her odds.

It was rare that she met her match in a contest of illusions; rarer still that she found herself so obviously the inferior in an engagement. Those eyes of his were certainly his greatest advantage, providing a lens of sorts through which he could augment and focus his already impressive yin-chakra. If she wanted to have any impact in the fight, she needed to find a way to neutralize them.

She couldn't get to think much further before the surge of water all around her alerted her to an attack from the Mist ninja. Dozens of small sharks shaped themselves from her cover, threatening to tear her apart with his village's iconic viciousness.

Kurenai burst from the water, narrowing her profile and leaping high to avoid Kisame's sharks as they leapt after her, intent on dragging her back under. She spotted Kisame moving to intercept her and clasped her hands together, willing the man to lose sight of her. His sword shuddered, the only warning she got before his briefly clouded eyes reaffixed to her, his wild grin widening.

"Womp womp!" Kisame cackled as he swung Samehada with his full body, tilting just enough in mid-air to avoid one of Asuma's rapidly approaching trench knives, wreathed in a high concentration of wind-natured chakra flow. On reflex, Kurenai caught the blade just as it passed between them, and positioned it to guard. Kisame's monstrous strength smashed right through the defending weapon, devouring the flowing chakra and shattering the blade; its shards deeply decorated the flesh of the Leaf Jonin's palm and forearm.

The force of the blow dragged Kurenai along for a ride as Kisame spun, a manic laugh in play. He shifted her body just beneath him, intent on crushing her beneath the water, where his tiny sharks still remained and were eager to feed.

Wincing, Kurenai snatched one of the still-airborne metal shards with precision, stabbing into his bicep, shoulder, and collarbone in a flurry before lashing out with a sharp kick that did little against the man's incredible bulk, only serving to make a pittance of space and prevent his anticipated follow-up. Kisame merely laughed at her efforts as he landed heavily onto the water, seeming completely unbothered by the wounds she'd carved into his flesh.

As Kurenai skidded bodily onto the water's surface, she rolled behind Kakashi for respite, who was already mid-clash with Itachi. Their sharingan eyes tracked each other with terrifying focus, the former spotting the subtle twist of Itachi's fingers just quickly enough to make a hasty escape. Kakashi pushed off from his foe, anticipating a blinding fast brace of shuriken.

A distraction, his cycloptic crimson eye amended just in time for him to change his strategy. His fingers blurred together, a jutsu's name already dancing on his lips.

'Tiger, snake, rat, snake, tiger.' "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

Some of the surrounding water rose just in time to interpose itself between Kakashi and Itachi, absorbing a whip of water that cracked against its body hard enough to split the defensive structure. Kakashi and Itachi's eyes met yet again through the cracks in the copy ninja's defense, just before a second Kakashi burst from underneath, once again making to puncture Itachi with a pointy object.

"I never thought I'd see the day that Kakashi Hatake of all people got predictable." Itachi sighed, then his arm snaked out to snatch Kakashi by his throat, not even letting the man finish his attack. He didn't get to enjoy the victory though; Itachi's eyes narrowed with interest as the man in his grip began to lose his shape, the very same instant that a screeching, lightning-clad fist burst through his torso and buried itself in Itachi's heart.

"I'm not that washed up. Not yet." Kakashi's masked sneer revealed itself to the shocked Itachi as the water clone between them fell apart, leaving just the Copy Ninja with his fist through the Akatsuki member's chest.

"I'm glad." Itachi gave his foe a bloody smirk -the first hints of humanity he'd seen in the young man up to this point. Then, his body expanded without warning. Kakashi had no time to even react before he was engulfed with an explosion so intense that it blew even the neighboring Kurenai and Asuma off their feet.

Their bodies were sent skidding across the water's surface, the pair just close enough to cling to each other for support in the face of the horrifying explosive blowback.

"Ah! Kakashi!" Kurenai howled, surprise and fear filling her in equal measure. Asuma let out a shuddering breath as the pair watched the debris clear.

The smoke was just beginning to clear when Kakashi's mangled form finally jumped away from the nexus of the bomb's radius, staggering just short of them in a huff. Across from him stood a pristine Itachi, joined closely by a grinning Kisame.

"So the stories really are true then! The Copy Ninja really is one tough son of a bitch!" Kisame let out a hearty belly laugh, even going so far as to slap his knee as he took in Kakashi's condition. "Too bad for you, you've only got one sharingan eye compared to Itachi's two, huh? I guess the math aint mathing in your favor!"

Itachi let out a curious hum. "If I'm being honest, I truly have nothing but respect for your mastery of that eye… You saw the swell of my chakra just in time to anticipate the explosion, and repurposed that lightning jutsu of yours into a barrier to soak up the worst of my clone's explosion. To spot that and respond in such a short amount of time… You have my compliments, Kakashi-san." Then, he narrowed a severe glare onto the injured man before him. "But do not presume that that borrowed eye of yours is a rival for even one of the real deal."

Quick as a flash, the 3-tomoe pattern in his eyes twisted together, forming a shape reminiscent of a 3-pointed shuriken.

"Close your eyes!" Kakashi warned his team. He knew it was a pointless order, as not even he was able to respond in time.

He was just thankful that Itachi seemed to only have eyes for him, at that moment.

"Tsukuyomi."

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That's the chapter. Obviously this chapter is the beginning of the Tsunade search arc. Obviously there's a lot that goes into this arc. A lot of people that need to be introduced and a lot of interactions that essentially set the stage for later chapters.

Some events should look sort of familiar, some, not so much. I don't want to just rehash the same arc, but with a stronger Naruto. I'm committed to at least trying to write a relatively unique take on the story.

Let's talk about some specific stuff:

First off: Yes, Hinata is tagging along with Naruto and Jiraiya, this time around. I have plenty of reasons for this; the most notable being that I think it's a great opportunity to explore hers and Naruto's relationship without as many extra bodies to distract from them. This also means she gets to be present for a lot of formative events for Naruto and also experience the growth that comes with those as well.

I also think she offers a pretty grounding presence for a Naruto who is obviously struggling with a lot of personal issues at this point and might need some support.

My biggest worry when writing Naruto in this fic is that he'll either become some OP edgelord who just pieces up everyone without issue (so boring), or that he'll be too clownish and immature to really take seriously. Hinata being here helps me strike that sweet spot of getting to have him be pretty reasonably immature (he is like- 13, after all) but also have an active presence that brings out the better aspects of him.

Which honestly brings me to a big element of Naruto's character that I'm trying to work on.

I kind've want Naruto to be a bit of a dick at times. I like him when he's a bit petty and even a touch insensitive at times, because it adds a lot of flavor to his character that I feel got lost in the transition between part 1 and part 2. At the same time, I've said before that this Naruto should be somewhere between Part 1 and Part 2 in terms of attitude and maturity, so I like getting to inject some moments of tenderness or emotional intelligence in him to show that he isn't just one note. I don't want him to be unlikeable, but part of part 1 Naruto that I REALLY liked is that Naruto was occasionally just an immature jackass. It added this spice and personality to his character that I think part 2 kind've lost in the mix of everything. That's probably why a lot of people call part 2 Naruto "ninja jesus". He feels like someone who pretty much is without flaws or particularly grating characteristics. Part of that is just maturing, but to be honest, if Naruto maturing means losing all of the qualities that made him interesting to me, then I think I'd rather have him be a bit immature for a little longer.

Here, his goals are clear. He wants to save Hiruzen, but he knows he can't do it alone. His only real option is to rely on Jiraiya, who as we've established he doesn't necessarily hate, but doesn't really like or trust, even if he is somewhat warming up to him as things progress. I'm trying to capture that essence of a Naruto who is desperate to become stronger, and who is being heavily affected by this handicap which has been imposed largely by his own recklessness. I want him to be self aware enough to understand that his circumstances are his own fault, just immature enough that he might occasionally lash out over it, and ultimately, just mature enough that he understands that doing so is wrong and feels shame and guilt over it.

It's a complex balance that I'm trying to strike, and I'd really appreciate feedback on whether you all think I'm managing to land that balance well.

Now for the last thing before we move onto announcements (and I'll keep both short). The Jonin vs Akatsuki fight clearly went a bit differently here. The end result is the same, because I don't think it should be different. But I always felt like that encounter really just made the Jonin all look like fodder. Especially in Kurenai's case; it felt like she existed purely just to get bullied by Itachi, and that never sat right with me. My goal here was to have Itachi and Kisame still feel like these overwhelming threats who could pretty much do whatever they wanted, but give the Jonin just enough agency that it at least felt like they were deserving of their opponents' respect. To do that, I just had them do a bit more. We'll see down the line if that leads to anything else (spoiler: it will).

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Last thing is the promised announcement. I've made a discord! I'm sorting out one or two more things on my end before I open it to you all, but once I do, it'll be in my profile for anyone to enter. There are no real restrictions, so long as you mind the rules and don't do anything inappropriate. This should serve as a hub for any of you who want to speak more directly to me and maybe have a dialogue about your thoughts regarding the story in a way that a review just can't accommodate for.

Release date is currently set for this upcoming Friday: 12/22/2023

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Thanks for reading and thanks for your patience with this admittedly lengthy note.