Wow, would you look at that...I finally uploaded. That was my longest break yet, and I don't think i'll a break as long as that until at least February. Anyways, enough yapping and enjoy.

7 Years Ago

A knock on the door was heard which caused Ohnoki to look up from the stack of papers in front of him. "Come in," he said before the door was opened to show a young blonde. The blonde had a sense of pride within him as he walked with his head held high even in front of his kage. He stood at the centre of the office before bowing his respects.

"You called for me, Tsuchikage-sama?" Deidara politely asked. Even with his pride, he held great respect for Ohnoki.

"Ah Deidara-kun…you're getting bigger by the day. I've asked to see you here for a special occasion," the fence sitter said, surprising Deidara. "Your actions as a trainee of the explosion corps has reached my ears. Your senpai has told me of your importance in defending that town near the border. In light of that, I've decided to reward you with a promotion to Tokubetsu Jonin. I hope to see you soon for your full promotion to jonin," Ohnoki informed with a proud smile.

Deidara looked at the vest Ohnoki handed him like a child in a candy store. "I will do my best, Tsuchikage-sama," Deidara exclaimed as he bowed as low as he could. A large grin was present on his face.

"I expect you to, Deidara-kun. Now, go celebrate," Ohnoki observed the blonde leave the room with the brightest grin.

Deidara continued to hold on to his vest tightly all the way out of the Tsuchikage building. "Deidara-senpai!" He heard a voice call out his name from behind him. He turned around to see Kurotsuchi chasing after him. She stopped in front of him in a panting mess. She looked up from her knees to see the new vest clutch in between Deidara's arm and body. "T-that's….y-you got promoted!"

"Haha as you can see, Ohnoki-jiji promoted me to tokubetsu!" Deidara smugly said as he flaunted his new vest.

"Shhh…if he heard you call him jiji, you'd be turned to dust," Kurotsuchi teased as she snatched the vest away from him. She looked at the vest mesmerised. "I want to be like you someday…I want to be recognised as the next great shinobi of Iwa…" Kurotsuchi mumbled underneath her breath.

She gave back the vest but caught a solemn look on Deidara's face which lasted merely a second. "It's great, no?" Deidara had a great smile on his face but the smile never reached his eyes. Something nobody saw until his last day as an Iwa-nin. "Nice seeing you around Kurotsuchi! You should get back to training," he said as he started walking home.

"Bye, Deidara-senpai, talk to you later!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed to the receding form of Deidara.

'I don't think anyone will ever want to be me, if they knew…' Deidara thought as he walked the streets of Iwa. He observed the happy citizens frolicking and mingling around bitterly. He reached home and threw his new vest on the dining table. He sat on his sofa and stared at the single item on his coffee table that was not a clay sculpture.

"I just got promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin, Okaa-san, Otou-san…" he said bitterly as he picked up the photo frame of their family. "They don't know…They live their lives so happily and will never know…" He gripped the photo frame harder. "That's the kind of village this is…They will never understand, appreciate…" He clenched his left fist while the other gripped the frame tighter.

His teeth clenched as he thought of his parents. "They will fucking run us to the ground with missions, expecting us to follow protocol…Ha! They never followed it when it came to you did they? And those people will live on not knowing that. I will show them what I feel…My pain! My art!" Tears flowed as freely as the blood from his palm. The frame shattered under his grip and sliced his palm open. Blood was scattered all over his clay sculptures.

The Present

Naruto sat on the edge of his father's stone head. The stars were shimmering in the night, while the moon was at its smallest. A warm breeze blew on such a cool night. He heard a soft pop next to him and welcomed the toad that came with it. "Nice to see you, Gamayubin. How's life been treating you?" Naruto said as he received two scrolls from the messenger toad.

"I've been fine, Naruto-sama. You seem to be in contemplation," Gamayubin pointed out.

"Well…you can't blame me for what is going to happen in a few minutes," he said before using a small wind jutsu to shred the two scrolls he had read. "Thanks for the help, Gamayubin. I will contact you later for my replies."

Gamayubin gave him a nod and a wave before he disappeared in a puff of smoke as small as him. 'A trade agreement with Iwa and missing people in the Land of Rice Paddies…interesting,' Naruto thought as he disappeared in a shunshin.

Naruto appeared in the hospital outside Kakashi's private room. He entered the room to see Kakashi laying down with his eyes closed. "I know you're awake," Naruto said as he placed his new jonin vest on a nearby chair. He stared out the large window at the end of the room and observed the villagers mingling below.

"Ah…you got me," Kakashi opened his eyes and sat up on his bed. His body was still weak from chakra exhaustion even though it had been four days. The doctors said he would need nearly a week to fully recover. "What brings you here, Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he observed Naruto's back closely. "What's got you so worried?"

"Worried?"

"You can't hide it, Otouto. I know you well enough to see that you're very worried," Kakashi said. Naruto sighed and took a seat beside his bed. He stared at the floor and took steady breaths.

"I'm worried about how they would react," Naruto confessed. "I'm meeting everyone after this and I'm worried h-how…if they…"

"Naruto…" Naruto perked up and shifted his attention from the floor. "Why are you worried? Remember when your teammates first found out about the kyubi? What did they do? They never shoved you away, did they? True friends will stay with you no matter what happens. If they don't, then maybe you weren't friends. Believe in your own friends and it'll work out."

Naruto nodded as he took Kakashi's words. 'What is wrong with me? Why am I worried about this?'

"You're afraid of being alone…Sad little Naruto…HAHAHA" Naruto heard the dark voice speak in the back of his head.

Before he could retort, his attention was pulled to the door which slid open. Naruto smiled at the person who entered the room. "I figured you'll come, Neechan," Naruto said as he walked up to her. He was taller than her now and seemed very far from the little boy she helped train many years ago. "The three of us need to have a conversation about what's happening with you two," Naruto whispered as he gave Yugao a hug. "Welp, I need to get going. Ja ne!" Naruto left the same way he came.

"Well I don't know how to feel about having that talk…" Kakashi said passingly before he realised his mistake.

"What do you mean, you don't know how to feel?? Are you embarrassed that we are a thing? And is that an Icha-Icha book beside you?" Kakashi's life flashed past him as he let out an uncharacteristic squeak.

'Oh, Naruto. Why didn't you take me with you…'

Naruto's heartbeat grew faster and faster as he approached training ground 7. He could sense all of his friends and their respective sensei there. 'It's been awhile since you were this scared…The last time you were, you held your vixen in your arms in Snow…'

'I don't know, Kurama…I ju- wait a minute, did you just Kurotsuchi-chan a vixen?' Naruto stopped on a roof near training ground 7.

'She's a female, and female foxes are called vixens. So…she's a vixen,' Kurama replied.

'I see where you're coming from and she does…kinda fit the whole v- NO no it just feels wrong…how about something else?'

'Mate?' Kurama suggested.

'Better but still seems off. Besides we haven't done any…mating?? Why can't you just call her by her name?' Naruto asked.

"I do not call any humans unless they have significance to my l-' Before he finished his sentence, he shut his mouth.

'Oh…what was that you were saying…Kurama-chan…' Naruto caught what the fox wanted to say but he needed to hear it. 'Can you please, pretty please, finish that sentence for me..?'

'Go fuck yourself.'

'I love you too, Kurama…' Naruto said with a chuckle. Naruto sat on the roof for several more minutes as he stared at the moon above. 'Thanks Kurama…I really needed that. I can't believe I was scared of such a small thing. They're my friends, I have to believe that they can continue to be as such.'

Kurama stayed silent as he let Naruto talk himself out. 'I can't lie, being scared feels nostalgic…Haha, maybe I'm going crazy after all…' Naruto stared at Akashi which he placed on his lap. 'I remember being scared all the time when I was younger. Scared that I won't get food, scared that I'd get hit…Scared to live but when I met you and Kakashi-niisan took me in, I forgot how to be scared. Looks like life wants me to remember…' He thought as he stood up and took several deep breaths before disappearing with the wind.

Moments later, Naruto found himself sitting in a stump before all of his seated friends. He was thankful that the sensei watched from afar to give Naruto more personal time with his friends. Team 8 and 10 were curious as to what the meeting was about. He noticed Hinata observing him passively in between talking to Choji who was munching on chips. Kiba was impatient as he tapped his finger repeatedly on the ground. Shino looked as calm and patient as he usually did while Ino was plain curious.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Team 9 already had a sense of what the meeting was about. They were all present when Deidara exposed his secret status as Konoha's jinchuriki. However, they knew that they needed to hear the whole story behind it. Shikamaru stood at the back of the group with his arms crossed. He nodded to Naruto in assurance who took it as a sign to start.

"You scared little bitch…you're nervous aren't you!? HAHAHA!" The dark voice tried to goad him into losing himself. "You'll lose them all, Uzumaki! You will be shunned like how those villagers did years ago!"

"Naruto-kun, are you okay? You seem to be circulating a lot of your chakra," Hinata's voice caused him to tune out the voice and return back to the present.

"Oh, sorry about that. Circulating my chakra usually helps me keep calm," Naruto said with a smile. He pressed his palm onto the stump he sat on and a flash of white exploded throughout the area.

"What happened?" Choji asked as the white light disappeared nearly immediately.

"That was a privacy seal. Only people in the immediate vicinity can hear what is about to be said," Naruto explained.

"What would you be saying if it needs a privacy seal?" Shino asked as his curiosity grew.

"Some very classified information," Naruto said, stirring confusion among his friends more than curiosity.

"If it's classified, shouldn't Tsunade-sama be the one who shares the information," Ino pointed out. Naruto nodded in agreement.

"That would usually be the case, but this is not a normal case. The information I'm about to share can be shared only by two people. The Hokage, obviously and…me. Of course when you listen to what I say, please do not tell anyone else."

Hearing this, their curiosity increased. Naruto had never acted like this before but then again, Naruto can never really be predicted. One moment he's a ruthless killer, another he can be the most kindhearted man while another moment he can be the greatest goofball.

He wondered how he was going to say it and in the end decided he should tell the whole story. "So, what do you know about the date October 10th?" He asked.

"That's the date of the Kyuubi attack."

"That's correct, Shino. Sixteen years ago, the Kyubi appeared in the village and started rampaging. The Yondaime Hokage killed it but ultimately lost his life too. Anyone else heard a different story?" He looked around to see several shaking of heads.

"Good…but that story is only half the truth. The Yondaime did defeat the Kyubi but he did not kill him. The Bijuu are entities of chakra and hence, cannot be killed."

"But why did our parents tell us it was killed?" Kiba asked. Naruto heard Kurama growl slightly from either Kiba's mention of killing him or calling him an "it".

"It was to put you at ease but it was most likely due to its illegal nature," Naruto said, sparking curiosity in even the members of Team 9, Sakura and Shikamaru. "You didn't know about this, did you Shika?" Shikamaru shook his head.

"You see, the true nature of Kyubi's defeat was made a secret…a secret that was supposed to be upheld by those in the generation before us. It was a law passed by the Sandaime and the Konoha Council nearly immediately after the Yondaime's passing. The law, if broken, would result in death," Naruto informed, getting surprised looks from his friends.

"But why keep it a secret?" Neji asked.

"To protect the young boy who had been placed with Konoha's greatest burden," Naruto said with a pained smile. "Chakra can never be destroyed, only change in form. As such the Bijuu can never be killed, only sealed. That gives birth to people like Gaara and me, the jinchuriki of the bijuu."

Naruto observed various states of shock and disbelief on his friends' faces; however, he pressed on. "To defeat the Kyubi, he was sealed into me as a baby by a very powerful jutsu which sacrificed one's life. The Yondaime passed away to seal the Kyubi into me. Knowing that the citizens will be blinded by their hate towards the Kyubi, Sandaime-Jiji passed that law. A law that would help protect me from their hate spreading to those of my generation, you." Naruto gestured to his friends.

"But now, I extend to you what the Sandaime didn't. A choice. A choice on what you want to think of me. Just know that no matter what, I'll always see you as my comrade. If you decide that you want to change your stance on me, I'd understand. If not, find me, we'll go out for some ramen…" Naruto finished his statement, removed the privacy seal and disappeared with the wind.

Silence reigned for several moments as the Konoha teens took their time to process Naruto's words. "That was…unexpected," Shino was the first to break the silence and the group from their shock.

"I can't believe Naruto-kun had such a burden on him," Hinata said as she stared at the ground with glossy eyes.

"Tsk, I can't believe them!" Kiba smacked the ground with his fist.

"Can't believe who, Kiba-kun?" Lee asked.

"You heard what Naruto said. The Sandaime had to pass a law just to protect Naruto. It wouldn't exist unless something happened," Kiba pointed out.

"That's surprisingly good thinking from you, Kiba," Neji said, getting an "oi" from Kiba.

"I didn't know about the law…" Shikamaru spoke, causing everyone to turn their attention to him. "I knew…We, team 7, knew. We knew since before the chunin exams about Naruto and the Kyubi. Ever since I had a great sense of respect for him. He never once thought of the Kyubi as a burden. In fact, he never let any of that stand in his way. We've all known Naruto for a very long time, do you really think such a status being known to us will change things?" He got several shakes of heads.

"We're his friends," Sakura started, pulling everyone's attention. "Naruto will fight for all of us. The way he fought for Gaara, Sasuke-kun, for Hokage-sama to come back. It just shows what kind of person he is."

"Naruto is one of a kind. He'd do anything for any of us and for this village. Even if our elders don't see him in the light, we will take his side. Usually I'm a man of history, but this time history in our eyes has been rewritten," Neji said as his byakugan activated. "Even without these eyes, I can see that our elders were not right to treat Naruto badly."

"Naruto-kun was the most youthful…he took all the hate but did not retaliate. If Kakashi-sensei had not taken him in, maybe he would've suffered more," Lee said in a tone several levels lower than his usual.

"He wanted to show them…show them that there's a difference between water and the glass it's in…" Tenten added.

"We should find him," Ino suggested.

"I agree," Choji said.

"We should split up. Neji and Hinata, go with Ino, Lee and Tenten. Shino, go with Sakura while I'll go with Kiba and Choji. Understood?" Shikamaru's tactical brain immediately went into action. He received nods of acknowledgement from everyone. "Ok, disperse!" He clapped his hands and they were all gone from the training ground.

"You didn't have to worry, Kakashi," Asuma said as he smoked a cigarette while leaning against a tree. Kakashi had his arm slung across Yugao's back as he watched the Konoha teens disperse.

"He's in good hands, my rival," Gai said.

"Yeah…"

"Should we get a drink since we're all here?" Asuma suggested after Kurenai had taken his cigarette and put it out.

"I don't know about that," Kakashi said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You see…I think Tsunade-sama will kill me twice if she catches me drinking."

"Make that thrice," Kakashi paled slightly at hearing Tsunade's voice. Shizune and her made themselves known to the group. "You shouldn't even be out of the hospital," Tsunade's doctor's voice was at full strength.

"B-but."

"Kakashi…go."

She received confused looks from the group of jonin. "I know how you feel Kakashi…Just come back before the midnight rounds. Come on, Shizune. Unless of course you want to join them," Tsunade said, getting a look from Shizune. She could see the twinkle in her eyes.

"Go on, just promise I get to drink my own sake," Tsunade permitted her.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. But it's not like you don't drink everyday anyways," Shizune said with a big smile.

"Oh ho ho, you're lucky I'm in a good mood today, or it'll be your ass in the ground right now," Tsunade said with a smile that matched her shinobi. They all shared a look before they bursted out in laughter. "Have fun but you're still working tomorrow," she said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

Five Days Later

Team 7 and their new teammate Yamato found themselves in the Land of Rice Paddies. Why would four jonin be such a place one may ask? They were there to investigate the case of missing people across various towns. Naruto and Shikamaru thanked the elderly couple they were interviewing before they left their small abode.

"With that, we have two young men aged 19 and 25 and a lady aged 45…" Shikamaru read off their findings as the two of them set off to meet Kakashi and Yamato. "They have no links to each other and just went missing one day."

"The other town had four people missing…And they were all found to have no links to each other. Interesting…" Naruto said while scratching his cheek. "I don't like this one bit. Ero-sennin specifically pointed out this case for a reason and there's only one good explanation behind this many disappearances."

The two teens reached an inn which they had been staying at for the past few days. It was in the town of Paku, in the land of rice paddies. It was a small town located in the middle of the other towns and villages. They would venture out and collect information in the morning and come back to discuss in the evening.

"Anything good?" Kakashi asked while sitting down on a rocking chair that came with the room. He had his book out while Yamato was off segregating information they had already gathered.

"Same as usual. Missing people and no links except for being missing," Naruto said with a puff as he took a seat on the ground. "Found anything Yamato-san?"

"Why couldn't Tsunade-sama send an intelligence team to do this case," he complained as he started re-sorting a bunch of photos he had spread on a table.

"You know why, Tenzo…It's cause of the-"

"The possibility of running into Orochimaru. Yeah…by the looks of it, it's becoming more and more possible," he said warily while staring at the photos.

"But something bothers me," Shikamaru spoke up. He took a sip of coffee he had just prepared. "Orochimaru usually experiments on people that won't be missed. You know, orphans, homeless people or criminals. But so far all of our victims are husbands, wives or children of people."

"You never know when it comes to that snake," Naruto spat bitterly. "He's someone with barely any morals. You'd think he'd care if someone has a family or not?"

"They're both true," Kakashi pointed out. "For the longest time, he would do as Shikamaru says. Why? To hide his tracks. But a snake has to come out of his hole from time to time. I don't know why but it might be a way for him to show the world that he still exists."

"I-" Naruto wanted to say something but he suddenly had a far off stare.

"Naruto? You okay?" Kakashi asked.

"We have to go," he said in a serious tone before he leapt for the window.

"Hey, Naruto!" Shikamaru called out but Naruto ignored it and left the room.

"Come on! He's got something!" Kakashi called out as he jumped after Naruto, Shikamaru and Yamato not far behind him.

'Come on…where are you, you bastard.' Naruto leapt across the roofs and was near the outskirts of the town in no time.

"Naruto, what's going on?!" Kakashi shouted as he caught up with the blonde.

"I sensed a familiar chakra signature," he explained as he led the group through the dark paddy fields. The moon shone brightly, lighting their way through the land.

"Orochimaru?" Yamato asked.

"No, someone I hate even more," Naruto's blood started to boil just thinking of the man. His team looked at him curious and confused. He had never said anything about such a person.

'Keep it in check.'

'I'll try…' Just thinking of their last meeting had him furious. 'I promised Ero-Sennin to at least try…'

"Who are we chasing, Naruto?" Shikamaru inquired as he took in the scenery around them. They were getting further and further from the cluster of towns in the Land of Rice Paddies.

"Geto Junpei," Naruto spat out his name in disgust. "Questions later, his picking up pace."

Confusion grew even more among his teammates. They had so many questions but currently they needed to catch up to the man first. They increased their speed and the environment around them turned into a stable blur. Passing by in their haste. Every so often they would change direction but for the most part they headed more and more east with the moon ahead of them.

They found themselves at a gaping cave entrance. They couldn't see the end of the cave as it was shrouded in darkness. "Are you sure he went through here?" Shikamaru asked as he wrapped some shrubbery and an unused cloth around a stick he found on the ground.

"Positive. My sensing ability is blurry now and that usually happens due to thick walls or seals to prevent sensing," Naruto informed as Kakashi moved ahead of the group.

"Gentlemen, we don't know what to expect so keep your guard up. I'll be in front, Naruto behind me while Yamato at the back. Ok, let's go," Kakashi ordered before lighting the makeshift torch Shikamaru created.

Stalagmites and stalactites covered the cave's ceiling and ground. It was deep and got colder as time went by. Although it was deep, the cave did not branch out much. They followed the cave with Kakashi leading the way. After what felt like an eternity, they were met by a wooden door that was at least 3m tall.

"What have we here? Yamato?" Yamato stepped up beside Kakashi and examined the door.

"It's a wood found only in the Land of Rice Paddies and the Land of Fire. It's been here for quite a few years by the wear and tear on the door…" He said as he touched the door. He could feel every groove in the wood. He could tell that sitting in such a cave has moistened the wood quite a bit.

"You know quite a lot about trees, Yamato-san," Naruto commented.

"I can only master my jutsu if I know what I'm working with. The wood I grow from my body is artificial but many times I'll need to use natural wood. So, it's good to know about trees and plants in general. We can't be shinobi all the time." Naruto agreed with his statement. Sometimes you just have to slow down and take life for what it really is.

Yamato's index and middle finger turned into wood as he inserted them into the keyhole. His fingers moulded into a key which fitted the keyhole and wiith a simple click they were in. The inside was a large contrast to the cave outside. It was developed with concrete walls and torches which dimly lit the corridors. "This looks similar to the last hideout I was in," Naruto said as Yamato nodded in agreement.

They travelled down a staircase at the end of the corridor which led to what seemed like the main level. Rooms lined the sides and the floor split two ways at the end of the corridor. "Shikamaru come with me, you two-" While Kakashi was talking, an Oto-nin strolled past them. He had his head down and was deeply engaged with the Icha-Icha book in his hands. He stopped in his tracks and looked up before comically slowly turning around.

"Wait a min-" Before he could say anything else, Shikamaru stabbed him with anaesthetic poison which placed him to sleep nearly immediately.

"Where'd you get that from?" Naruto asked as he pulled the unconscious man into one of the plethora of rooms.

"Ino gave me a few syringes before I left. She said I'd know what to do with them," he replied with a shrug.

"Anyways…like I was saying, Shikamaru and I will go right while you two go left," Kakashi said as he got nods of acknowledgement.

"This base feels similar to the last one I was in," Naruto said while walking along the wall. The ceiling and floor might have been booby trapped and no logical person would think to booby trap the walls.

"Orochimaru is a man who loves consistency. It shows in his work and his bases. This base and the one you visited are laboratory bases. They share the same layout. Meanwhile, there are storage bases and prison facilities," Yamato explained.

"You've been to a few bases, Yamato-san," Naruto commented before the door in front of him swung open. An unlucky Oto-nin stepped out only to be knocked out immediately after.

"I was part of the team that searched for Oto bases after Suna's invasion," Yamato said when suddenly an explosion rocked the base. Alarms and sirens started to go off around the base as Oto-nin rushed out of their rooms. They ran out to the sight of Yamato and Naruto. "Damn, come on, Naruto! We have to find out what happened."

Yamato went through several hand seals before pressing his palm on the wall. Wooden branches sprouted out from the doors along the corridor to form a dense barricade between the oncoming Oto-nin and them. However they turned around to see more rushing towards them. "The explosion came from this way, we have no choice," Naruto said as he pulled out his sword.

"Looks like it," Yamato agreed. His arm turned into wood before it extended towards two Oto-nin rushing towards them and placed them in a bind. Naruto pushed off the wall and leapt in between the two captured Oto-nin. He knocked them out with a split kick to their heads. A swarm of Oto-nin awaited them with weapons and jutsu at the ready.

Naruto and Yamato rushed towards them side by side. Yamato rushed through hand seals while Naruto channelled wind chakra to his blade. "Doton: Doryu Taiga (Earth Style: Earth Flow River)," the ground around the Oto-nin suddenly turned into mud which swept some of the Oto-nin off their feet.

Naruto leapt at them and his sandal met the face of a man trying to regain his balance. He used that as leverage to shoot forward. He smashed his knee into an Oto-nin, knocking him out. He landed and was immediately swarmed. A water bullet was shot at his back which he sensed. "Toad Style: Tongue Pierce," Naruto whispered. He shot his blade out at lightning speed through the core of the water bullet causing it to burst into water droplets. "Suiton: Mizu Shuriken (Water Style: Water Shuriken)!" Naruto called out as the water droplets merged to form shuriken in midair before shooting out towards the Oto-nin which surrounded him.

He felt a hand grab his ankle and saw that it was an injured Oto-nin. Before he could pull away, another Oto-nin was ready to slice his head off. He bent backwards and narrowly avoided the blade for his neck. Naruto could clearly see the shock on the man's face. He didn't expect Naruto to have such quick reflexes. "Rasengan..." the familiar blue orb formed in his palm in a quick second and the Oto-nin found himself thrown into the wall. He backflipped to right himself and landed beside Yamato who had taken out his fair share of Oto-nin.

"It's like they're never ending," Naruto said.

"You know water jutsu, right? We can end this in one swoop," Yamato said as he went through hand seals. Naruto understood his plan and smiled.

'Good thinking…' "Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Style: Water Trumpet Jutsu)!" They exclaimed as large jets of water shot from their mouths covering the span of the corridor. The water formed into a wave which swept the Oto-nin and sent them back to where they came from.

The clattering of footsteps sounded throughout the mostly quiet base. It was an eerie silence. The Oto-nin had been either defeated or had evacuated. The flickering of flames led them to a rubble site. Natural light shone through the underground base as a gaping hole stood where the ceiling used to be. Four figures stood looking over two others. "Kukuku…Naruto-kun, Tenzo-kun…How nice of you to join ussss…" The cold voice of Orochimaru rang in his ears.

A familiar pair sharingan eyes met his as he joined the rest of his team. "Naruto…"

"Sasuke…" No more than their names were said but they understood each other. They observed each other closely, trying to get to know as much as possible. They knew they had grown stronger but just how strong was what they needed to know.

Naruto shifted his sights to Sasuke's right hand side. The smirking form of Kabuto taunting him. 'If no one's going to wipe that smirk off his face, I will…' he thought as he remembered the traitorous acts the man did. He was the reason Hayate was killed and was one of the reasons Suna managed to invade Konoha. He involuntarily clenched his fist at the thought.

He turned to the man who had caused dozens of problems for Konoha. The man who was regarded so highly at one point that he could have been Hokage. He wasn't surprised to see that Orochimaru was looking at him curiously. Naruto was the student of his rival and he had a student of his own. He was experienced enough to see how much a difference their teachings made and it was close. A few years ago, Naruto would have thought he would never hate someone as much as Orochimaru. However, that was proven wrong by the man beside Orochimaru.

"Geto…" Naruto said his name like it was a curse.

"Oh ho, missed me, blondie?" Geto had a large grin on his face. "Did you enjoy my little gift last time?"

"Miss…hate…eh along the same lines, right?" His teammates looked on curiously, wanting to know more about Naruto's relationship with Geto. Orochimaru, Sasuke and Kabuto were also silent as they did not want to interfere with Geto. Naruto was flowing chakra throughout his body, ready to react in any way possible.

"I heard she survived…Hehehe how fun!"

"Oi! If you touch her again, I swear…"

"HAHAHA! Why? Scared of a little despair? HAHAA!" Geto laughed like a mad man as he pulled a cleaver which was strapped to his back. He carried it across his shoulder and tapped it. "You recognised this, don't you…I'm going to make sure you'll beg me to kill you with this after I'm done with you."

"If you went to your brother's grave, then you should know why he died…" Naruto said through gritted teeth. "His sacrifice will be in vain if he saw you like this…"

"Do. I. Care? NO! All I care is YOU KILLED HIM!" Geto's chakra bursted uncontrollably, causing the ground to shake slightly.

"Kukuku, Geto…Careful now. Save it for the future," Orochimaru said as he licked his lips with his snake-like tongue. Geto huffed and got his chakra under control again.

"I said it last time, and I'll say it again. I will make you feel despair," Geto said before placing the cleaver back to its strap. "And you did just like I told you to," he said with a grin.

Seeing Naruto look back at him in confusion caused his smile to grow. "You don't think this is all by chance did you? With the help of Orochimaru-sama, you were brought here. Missing people from four close-by towns and villages would get Konoha's attention, but how do we get yours? Or more specifically, the Toad's? Make it happen in this land, and too much for him to ignore but too little for him to follow up. Naturally, he would send his apprentice and the plan is in motion…"

A sense of fear sat in the hearts of the Konoha-nin. Naruto's teammates feared for what he may do to Naruto. Meanwhile, Naruto's mind was anywhere but in his body. He feared for those he loved, those he couldn't protect. "You might want to check on…oh what was his name?" Geto scratched his chin as he faked trying to remember.

"If you lay a hand on any-"

"I won't. But I can't promise anything about the squad I sent to Konoha," Geto said with a shark-like grin. Water droplets started making themselves known around the area. Kakashi and Sasuke could see Naruto's chakra laced around the water droplets with their sharingan. "Oh, I remember his name now! Iruka!" Naruto's eyes widened in horror.

"Water Style: Piercing Drop Duplet!" All the water droplets that had formed in the area zoomed into a single point in the room - in between Naruto's palms. Two thin high-pressured blasts of water shot off towards Orochimaru and Geto in a V shape. Geto brought up his cleaver and used the flat side to deflect the jutsu which sliced cleanly through the wall behind team 7. Meanwhile, Orochimaru merely angled his head slightly and dodged it.

Wooden and earth pillars rose from the ground to hold back the remainder of the ceiling from collapsing on them. "I hope you enjoy, Naruto!! AHAHAHA!" Geto exclaimed before they disappeared.

"GETO!! I'LL FIND YOU AND MAKE YOU PAY!!"

"Come on, Naruto. We need to go before this place crashes on us," Kakashi ordered before leapt through the gaping hole. The rest of the team followed suit as they made a beeline to the inn.

I believe last chapter I said this chapter will be very chill...Looks like that was scam :)

I was looking for Deidara's backstory and I got was about him bombing Iwa. There wasn't a reason behind the bombings or if Deidara had any connections with Ohnoki and Kurotsuchi other than being an ex-shinobi for Iwa. So i thought, fuck it imma do my own thing.