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Chapter Text

Lightning streaked the midnight sky as howling rain battered off the glass window. The dismal weather provided a perfect setting for the events that may have to transpire on this night. A stream of street light illuminated a figure sitting at his desk with only the power of a desk lamp to help him read through his papers.

Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure and in many ways probably the greatest Kage in history, had been through a lot of things in his lifetime. He had fought and killed an entire army – including their most powerful shinobi – with a single jutsu. The blonde man had faced down and sealed the mightiest beast in all of the elemental nations, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. With the assistance of the Hokage that had come before him, he had trapped the beast in the body of his own daughter. Many in his village now considered the girl their saviour.

Tonight however he had to make a big decision. A decision concerning a cornerstone of his village's strength and thereby their key to peace. This person, one of those who kept Konoha as the greatest of the big five could be a traitor. Worst of all, it might mean his own son was potentially implicated.

Minato never could understand his eldest child. His shinobi record was impeccable and his way of working and dealing with the lifestyle of one born to kill was that of a consummate professional even from the beginning. But there was also the fact that he was apprenticed to the possible traitor Minato was waiting for the final judgement on. Minato was proud of his son, he was a shining role model as a shinobi, a top-class ninja and a master of all their arts. The problem was he had never really understood his son, never truly figured him out as a person.

In the beginning Namikaze Naruto had been a happy child. Minato had been forced to leave most of Naruto's early upbringing to his beautiful mother due to Minato's responsibilities to the village. Still, he had found time when he could for the cheerful boy. Then their wonderful daughter Kimiko came a short few years later and life – for a while – had been truly blessed.

Then that damned beast of calamity and destruction had come across their peaceful village.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune had attacked their village and the battle that had taken place had been horrific. Their great power, the one that had nearly managed to destroy Iwagakure no Sato a mere few years before, had been impotent against its unstoppable rampage. Many shinobi lost their lives before Sarutobi, Kami rest his soul, sealed the beast into Minato's daughter at the cost of his own life. After that everything had changed irreparably. The scar upon their happy family life stayed obvious to even the most oblivious of shinobi to this day.

Kushina had begun to dote on her daughter because of her important duty as jailer to a Bijuu and Naruto, never showing a hint of resentment for the sudden loss of his mother's attention, had retreated into his father’s study. The boy hadn't understood what was going on and latched onto a seemingly throwaway phrase by Minato about the value of knowledge. He had, only six years old, begun to look through the books in there, desperately trying to comprehend it. It would have been impressive, even awe-inspiring, had not it been so terrifying. The boy had shown a deep mania about it, eating or sleeping only when forced to and with Kushina so obsessed with tending to her daughter's every least need Naruto had been forgotten... Minato had worked around the clock and Kushina could not bring herself to let go of her daughter even for a second, all the while Naruto faded away.

Until an offer had come from an unlikely source…

The man scribbled his signature onto another deployment document and, after giving up to his worries just this once, dropped the quill. He leaned back in his chair, contemplating deeply about the choices he had made in life, the choices that too many times ended in soul-wrenching regret.

“Hokage-sama,” a voice in front of him breathed. The aged Hokage jumped in surprise of being taken off guard and straightened his somewhat dishevelled appearance carefully. His jounin vest was zipped up and the wrinkles in his pants and famous white coat smoothed out. Sitting up straight, he spoke

“Report son.”

The owner of the voice took time to answer. That was not a good sign, Minato felt a stab of worry in his guts instantly at this. His son never hesitated. Minato could only see a bad omen with how the weather was like outside. Suddenly the rain even seemed happy when the windows suddenly rattled even harder with the howling wind. Nature itself seemed to build towards a crescendo.

“It is confirmed Hokage-sama,” Naruto replied in the darkness like an disembodied voice. Minato could not feel his suppressed chakra at all, it was like a ghost was in the room. “Shishou, Orochimaru-sama, is a traitor.”

The worst possible conclusion of the investigation Namikaze Minato had commissioned into one of their most prominent shinobi had come to be. The blonde Hokage placed his elbows onto the table and leaned his head on his hands. The man released a groan that normally wouldn’t be appropriate in front of one of his soldiers but at the moment he did not care. This revelation meant his son was potentially a traitor too.

“What proof do you have?” He asked silently.

“I’ve located a number of laboratories this morning while monitoring him that I never knew existed and inside…” His son’s voice wavered for a moment before he took in a breath and continued, “... Inside them the work of a madman was evident Hokage-sama. A menagerie of psychotic experiments, many of them done on human beings. Mitarashi-san was with me as a witness. Hokage-sama, he must be stopped, my master or not, something like that cannot be allowed to continue.”

The man released a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he heard Anko Mitarashi, the oldest apprentice of the two, was there to witness his son’s investigation. She was notorious for falling out with her master a couple of years ago. The split was well known and genuine, Anko was reliable in this matter. “Is he fleeing?” Minato asked now.

His son had managed to compose himself and answered directly. “Preparing to Hokage-sama. I request that an ANBU team, Mitarashi-san and myself be deployed to pursue and incapacitate him as soon as possible.”

Minato allowed his head to shoot up in the direction of the darkness and clapped his hands to turn on the lights to a flickering burn.

His son’s long blonde locks, cut in the style of his master but instead fastened in a large ponytail, came into view. It contrasted with the pale white flesh that once was a normal pink until god knows what treatments Naruto had consented to undergo. A stern yet still smooth teenage face stared at him with respect but you could see there was some torn emotions mingled among the cold pale blue eyes, eyes that were slitted like his master's. His forehead protector was seated on his forehead, the band being a part of what kept his long hair out of his face along with the band that made the large ponytail spill behind his head and along the back of his loose-fitting snow-white shirt which was held together at his waist by a maroon sash. Said sash had one strap of cloth hanging down on the side, the end of the strap displaying the Uzumaki whirl in orange. His pants were in the same colour as the sash and followed his legs down to the black sandals. His hands were hidden behind his back in attention. The Hokage searched for anything related to hesitation of requesting to hunt down his own master and found nothing.

His son's duty was to his village first, a noble if somewhat detached ideology concerning human life considering his nineteen years of age. He thought of the big picture, just like his master, and even shared the man's obsessive nature to gather more knowledge, more power, more means of being that little bit better than before. It didn’t stop Minato, used to seeing the uncaring looks on a killer's face, being bothered by how eerily calm his own flesh and blood was being at a time like this.

“Are you sure about going yourself?” he asked gently, “I can easily assign Anko-san the duty of leading the mission.”

Naruto did not react, only stood still as a statue. An unsettling reaction, considering the nature of the task given to him. Minato was equally much unnerved and proud over that his son could keep himself frosty at a time like this.

“I am the best to deal with him.” Naruto answered after a second, “Mitarashi-san herself will tell you that out of both apprentices I am the better of the two. She is competent, very much so, but I am superior, both in jutsu, in combat tactics and sheer power. What more, I am the one who has ventured deep into master's authorized research and I understand how he thinks, Hokage-sama.”

Minato thought to himself about how Naruto never called him father these days. He hadn't done so for years. However: that was irrelevant at this moment in time.

The leader of Konohagakure no sato weighed his options. To mess around finding a suitable captain for a hit squad, not to mention squad members, was dangerous considering the time frame. Hunting down Orochimaru was probably the most difficult task in the village, even for his fellow sannin. The ANBU commander, Uchiha Itachi, had offered Naruto a place in the black ops several times, something that said a lot even there. That the Uchiha prodigy would make such an offer said it cleanly: he rated Naruto above pretty much everyone in the ANBU at the moment, perhaps even above Hatake Kakashi. The latter, Minato's former student and trusted right hand man, was on another assignment right now on the Kumo border. It seemed he had no choice yet even so he didn’t like the idea of pitting his son up against a legendary shinobi and his own teacher to boot.

“Approved...” Minato sighed eventually, “Take squad seventeen and I will have Jiraiya sent your way as soon as possible.. You have permission to kill but I would prefer if you took him alive for interrogation. Leave the locations of the bases on my secretary's desk.”

“Yes Hokage-sama.” Naruto said, immediately moving out. He spun around and was on the way out of the door within seconds. Minato only barely had time to give him a few last words.

“Be safe.” he said gently.

His child never had the chance to reply.

Minato sat back into his chair, swinging it to look out towards his village, the place he had spent his whole life protecting. Too little said and actions that he wished he could change dominated his thoughts until the call he received hours later told him just what the outcome of the battle had been.

____________________________________

Dashing through the last of the trees of the forest, Naruto Namikaze was approaching the field he had agreed to meet his master in. Barely thirty minutes ago he had organized his squad for the upcoming attack.

Training ground seventy nine: A grass-covered field of sandy soil, the grass sparkling slightly from the slight rain illuminated by the dying streaks of lightning. Here and there large, proud trees stood, planted here over a hundred years ago by the first of the Hokages. This had once upon a time been the sannin's playing field, back when Konohagakure no sato was younger, still a fledgling village, albeit a powerful one. It was ironic, considering what soon would come to pass here. Orochimaru was the only one amognst them who still used this place to teach or to train. Under the inky cloudy sky, now that the lightning was finished, all Naruto could perceive was his master's chakra signature, deep in the darkness just to the south of him. The man was in a perfect position to ambush his own apprentice if need be. Naruto stopped moving at top speed now and instead assumed a brisk walking pace, heading directly at Orochimaru.

“Well Naruto-kun,” Orochimaru said from seemingly nowhere. As always it was with some playful affection, “What is the news?”

“Shishou,” Naruto greeted neutrally, “Otou-sama has figured out that you are responsible for Yamato-sempai and the artificial bloodline baby experiments.” He listened for a reaction and smirked to himself, knowing he could not be seen in the darkness. He was rewarded with a quiet, snake-like hiss. “He also seems to have somehow worked out the connection between the labs in the outskirts of fire country and you.”

Of course that was only the laboratories Naruto actually had mentioned to the Hokage. There were plenty more he had failed to mention. Like for example where shishou kept the hard copies of his notes. Those old underground ROOT stations did come in handy, especially since even the Nidaime had been kept in the dark when they were constructed by Danzou many years ago. That was of course before the Uchiha police and the rest of the ANBU walked into them and slaughtered every one of the ROOT members who refused to surrender on orders from the Yondaime. Those tunnels went so far deep into the soil that nobody even heard the battle. Danzou, the treasonous master of ROOT who had performed countless bloody deeds motivated a deranged kind of loyalty to Konoha, had died at Itachi's hands.

Naruto waited for a response, the silence hanging uncomfortably over the mood for a long time. The old man was also leaking a very diluted amount of killing intent just out of sheer frustration. The moon had come out briefly and further vanished into the cloud cover three times when his master spoke again. It seemed his plotting master had come up with a solution.

“I must leave.” The blonde had expected this solution. He may have hidden his fear but Naruto knew Orochimaru was not the type to stay and die for his beliefs. “I will go first to our main hub in Oto and then two days from now you will follow behind with all my data.”

Naruto smirked again. This was going exactly to plan… One more push. He could barely sense Anko coming in from behind and if he struggled to do so his master, who did not know who precisely to look for, would not notice her. She was already briefed about the situation, knew to make the ANBU team wait further back until they were needed and to let the act he was supposed to be playing go through. Her poisonous hatred of the elder snake sannin made her see nothing but the eldest Namikaze child’s own point of view.

“I’m sorry master,” Naruto began, speaking softly, apologetically. This was the climax of months of planning and careful painting of a flawless façade of tormented loyalty and anxiety. Balancing the apparent pain of knowing his master was suspect and his devotion to Konoha had been hard to say the least. Yet he was standing here now, at the end of it all, and it had come together completely. Only a few more minutes of acting and it would be complete

“What do you mean?” Orochimaru asked coolly but underneath that there was a distinct hiss that his master only used when he was about to slaughter something. The man barely had time to finish his words before Naruto struck. Drawing his sword, Naruto dashed forwards and was inside Orochimaru's guard in one split-section. With a furious swing, he sent his sword in a short, clipped arc aiming at Orochimaru's guts. He almost hit, Orochimaru leaped backwards and snarled with anger, but Naruto was after him in an instant, continuing to press his advantage with blindingly fast slashes and stabs, each of them only being avoided barely by Orochimaru and many times not even that. It was first after over thirty seconds that Orichmaru, with a backflip that helped him avoid Naruto's low swing, could summon his own sword. When he landed Naruto was upon him, their swords clashing and their faces ending up only inches from each other.

“I have not been on your side since I discovered your true nature.” Naruto hissed into the man's face.

The sannin stared back at his apprentice, his teeth gritted and his muscles trembling. Then a cruel, mocking laugh filled the air, it was laced with more killing intent than before, almost overwhelming. The old snake had been triggered to bloodthirst, now it was too late to go back.

“So you finally made your move... Naruto-kun...” the old snake said with a low, gleeful hiss. “I knew you'd do it eventually, your hunger is even greater than mine.”

“Your lies won’t help you now shishou.” Naruto said, “Just surrender and let us get this over with.”

“Never.” The sannin surprised Naruto by not going into a monologue, instead he just lunged forwards, twisting his wrist and sending both Kusanagi and Naruto's sword flying before his palm flew at Naruto's chin. Naruto dodged it by contorting his neck in a way that was not only superhuman, but outright unnatural, to avoid it. Naruto returned fire with two fingers aiming for the eyes. For nearly five minutes, cloaked in the darkness that stopped anyone interfering from outside, Naruto the apprentice and Orochimaru the master duelled in pure Hebi style taijutsu. The blonde and the raven haired ninja timed their movements to aim for vital spots. Punches that targeted the temples of the head, tensile fingers with elongated fingernails that tried to gouge out eyes, strikes aiming for pressure and tenketsu points, grasping, cobra-like lunges at the oesophagus to tear apart the delicate organ, kicks flying towards the crotch or to savagely damage ligaments: the style was all about incapacitating and killing through the weakest parts of the human body.

Naruto was eventually forced back by a kick to the chest, taking the air out of him. His cheek was slashed by a follow-up attack meant to blind him. This was pointless, there was no more to be gained from this. Orochimaru wouldn't leak any more information as it was. Naruto redistributed the chakra to his feet and pushed himself back a few meters to gain some ground.

“Already winded Naruto-kun?” Orochimaru gloated as Naruto landed several feet away. Still, the man’s blood was on Naruto's hands and feet so the snake had to be wounded somehow. The unrelenting darkness made finding out nigh impossible. Still, his cheeks, forehead and thighs had been struck at least twice, Naruto could tell that much. “I trained you to master Hebi, something even Anko-chan couldn’t do, and it was supposed to teach you to fight in the dark. Have I been negligent somewhere? Was I too hasty to declare you competent?”

Naruto did not answer. Instead he weaved a set of hand seals and inhaled before exhaling a gigantic white hot fireball. The entire area lit up as the extremely overpowered blast of flame travelled much farther than normal and set the nearby trees ablaze, showing its extra purpose of helping its creator in the battlefield.

Orochimaru looked even more evil in the flickering light of the bonfire behind him. His green shirt was torn in many areas, his pale cheeks were tinted red from several nasty gash marks and even, to Naruto's surprise, on his higher torso one gash could be seen. That was considered difficult for any Hebi user fighting against another one. He had not moved from his position when the fireball had come at him, the snake had simply avoided his fireball by sinking into the ground and then just as easily slipping back out again to avoid the attack. It was a nice combo that had the bonus psychological effect of fooling an enemy into thinking he had just withstood the attack.

Shame Orochimaru was fighting his apprentice.

“Naughty, naughty apprentice,” Orochimaru japed joyfully, “Incinerating your master is a bad way to show your gratitude Naruto-kun.” Even with his gloating Orochimaru's black locks were smoldering, indicating he hadn’t been as prepared as he was making himself out to be. Naruto knew what to do now and that was to keep up the momentum. His master could talk a priest into selling his own soul.

He surprised his master by creating a seal-less shadow clone and jumping into the air. His clone formed the necessary hand seals and inhaled with the end result of a gigantic gust of wind that tore the forest apart. The original in the air followed suit, generating another, smaller fireball that exploded in intensity when it came into contact with the hurricane, pinning Naruto's mentor to one spot to avoid being blown away. Orochimaru's arms were not capable of forming seals as they were shielding his face from forest debris and so this time it seemed that he was devoured by the fire.

Nearby Anko had nearly broken her cover by cheering prematurely. The ANBU team had joined her position and had been more quiet than his overly enthusiastic fellow snake summoner. They were all waiting for the moment that Naruto would need them and right now it seemed they were surplus to requirements.

Naruto was no fool though. His follow up dispersal of his clone as he landed behind it provided himself some smoke cover that would shield him from his masters move from below, where the man no doubt had retreated with much haste. Sure enough, Orochimaru shot out of the ground with his sword once again in his hand and Naruto felt the slice of a blade against his shoulder as it tore into his flesh. Naruto's unnatural reflexes contorted his body to absorb as much of the impact as he could.

Naruto reacted by channeling some chakra into his open palm where a seal had been painted marked. With a puff of smoke two dozen shuriken appeared in his palm, laying there in a perfect pile. With a graceful twist of his entire body, he sent the shuriken flying towards his his master in one spin. Before they got there however he formed another set of hand seals. Those shuriken soon turned into a thousand and rained down pieces of metal in a hellish storm of sharp spinning objects.

Naruto grimaced at the sound of metal clanking off metal as his master used his skillful sword skills and his Kusanagi to swat any shuriken that got near him out of the way. It had been an ambition of the younger Jounin to one day inherit the sword and examine the poison that dripped from it, a poison that he himself was immune to after finalizing the snake contract with Manda long ago.

Naruto used the man's preoccupation with the kunai to cover him while he flung his arm towards his sword. From his sleeves a long, green snake shot out, zooming through the air like a kunai in flight, wrapping itself around his sword and with another move, Naruto retrieved the blade, the snake retreating into his sleeve once against and the sword ending up in his hand.

His other hand ran along the wrist of the first now, touching the seals there, and summoning four kunai with explosive tags tied to them. He threw them all with one hand, aiming square at his master who only just now had finished deflecting the story of shuriken, lighting their fuses with chakra and. The explosion was deafening, it shook the ground and made everything in several kilometres' radius shiver. Naruto leaped backwards, allowing the shock wave of the explosion to knock him further backwards towards his team.

When the smoke cleared there was nothing left where Orochimaru had stood. All that was was a gigantic hole, over a dozen meters wide. Naruto himself was standing over a hundred meters away, having slid to a full stop amongst the trees still standing.

Then it came, fast enough that it was almost above his ability to follow it. Naruto parried a strike from a sword. The blur landed above him and the blonde was made to spin slightly to almost float directly along the path of the sword stab meant for his stomach. Naruto back flipped from his position on one side using it as a springboard onto a nearby tree. He channelled chakra along the blade and unleashed a great blade of wind at his master. Orochimaru slid some blood from a wound onto his thumbs and made a series of one handed seals on both hands. The result was two giant purple serpents, about twenty feet tall. The attack bounced off one of their hides and decimated yet another of the ancient Shodaime's forestry efforts.

The snakes attacked and Naruto found himself being flanked from both sides as Orochimaru attacked from the front. The blonde waited until the coordinated serpents lunged and propelled himself into the air, landing on the one coming from the left and slashed at its eyes. It hissed as blood poured and fell to the ground writhing in agony. Continuing his travel though the air, and flick of his wrist stabbed the blade into the tree, his feet landed on the blade and propelled him towards his master, their blades meeting once again.

“Surrender,” Naruto said through clenched teeth. “it's over one way or another for you.”

Orochimaru slipped into his intimate space and took the time to whisper, “How confident Naruto-kun, yet it is bravado only, your time at being on top of this battlefield is over.” His old master went to smack him on the head with the hilt of his sword when Naruto unleashed a serpent from under his sleeve only for it to be caught in mid strike and crushed under his master's pale fist.

Naruto felt himself being pulled forward and into the path of the Kusanagi. Crimson splashed over his eyes as it penetrated his shoulder. He pushed off his master, wincing as his barely functioning pain responses registered the wound as the sword slid back out of his body. He discard his blade, feeling the burn as he used his hands to form several seals and slammed his hands into the ground. The crater shook from the makeshift earthquake and knocked Orochimaru off balance as the ground caved in a little more, deepening the mound ever so slightly with all the loose soil. Naruto saw his chance and again formed a set of seals and slammed his hand into the ground and stole a massive chunk of loose soil out of the ground. He threw it at the sannin and then, without thinking, finished with yet another set of seals and unleashed one last but very small fireball that lit the grass on it. The gigantic bomb that was crashing down like a meteor hit the ground and exploded from the impact, covering everything in a huge mushroom cloud of dust because the walls of his crater were so high.

Naruto fell back and examined his sword wound. His genetically manipulated cellular regeneration system was already at work as it closed over the wound bit by bit. The bleeding was already, with some pressure applied, slowing to a trickle. The acting was needing a final push. His pain was almost nothing but he had to force his master to attack. Then he recalled something that would make him do it.

“Hokage-sama knows about Otogakure no sato,” Naruto yelled. He wasn't telling the truth this time though, the small village where his master had gathered nukenin and rouge scientists was one of the more attractive prizes Naruto had set his sights on.

“You filthy traitor.” Orochimaru's voice hissed angrily, “You will suffer for this Naruto!”

No kun honorific? Naruto knew he had made the snake seethe. A massive gust of wind knocked Naruto over and he was soon met by a burrowing snake bursting out of the ground and trapping him by the waist. Naruto exploded to be replaced by a block of upturned earth. The snake didn’t even see the pair of summoned shuriken perfectly thrown into its eyes to blind it as well. As it writhed along the ground in agony Naruto took his retrieved sword and stabbed it at its weakest spot by thrusting it into an eyeball and into its brain. It crashed into the ground and and lay there still, a casualty of two feuding summoners of its contract.

His master was nowhere but that was to be expected. Naruto searched what he could see of the tree line from above, and felt the thrum of the ground beneath him but with the upturned earth his earth-sensing skills were nigh-useless and even with the light from the fires it was hard to see anything.

He assessed his options. Orochimaru, his shishou, liked to do three things unbecoming of a scientist. One was to murder, rape and pillage if he got the excuse to. The second was his love of inhumane experiments. They might be scientific in medot but the glee with which he used cruelty was sickening. The third was his love of games and that love had potentially kept the blonde Jounin alive.

Suddenly the whole world turned into a hazy purple, the people he loved the most lay dead at his feet. Kimiko with her fiery red locks lay beside his mother Kushina who held her dead daughter in a embrace meant to save her. The Hokage, his father the Yondaime lay dead with Hiraishin kunai thrust through his body. He had seen enough when Rin, the brunette medic of his father’s former gennin team, seemingly held his foot and cursed him with her eyes.

“Using genjutsu?” Naruto mocked. “How unfitting of a monster like you shishou. I expected something more than what a genin could pull off with enough chakra control.” He formed a single seal and effortlessly removed the genjutsu by surging chakra throughout his body to remove the oppressive energy interfering with the five senses. His world was back to normal but only for a brief moment when he felt the edge of a blade touch his spine and at the last second he twisted his torso to the side, sensing the slice of the Kusanagi passing by him. Naruto reacted like taught and sent an elbow meant for his master's throat.

He was more surprised than pleased that it actually connected. His shishou was really getting slow in his old age. Naruto had grazed his throat and made him splutter before his neck elongated to lunge forward, baring his fangs.

The overexcited sannin did not take Naruto`s younger body and speed into consideration however and was surprised when Naruto gouged out one of his eyes with a stabbing move with his hands. The sannin lurched back in pain with his neck flying back like a demented whip. Nothing in his modified body could remove the pain of a lost eye. The blonde shinobi discarded the piece of matter off hand and rubbed the strange but not unfamiliar texture of his sensei's blood into his fingers.

Orochimaru was covering his bleeding eye with one hand and his Kusanagi was held loosely but still ready for an attack. Again Naruto had managed to prevent Orochimaru from using any of his powerful ninjutsu and the understanding of his master had saved him. He had not died yet but now his back up was a hindrance. The rhythm of battle was firmly even. Outside stimuli was a hazard he could not deal with.

Naruto removed his shirt, now saturated in his life blood, and was found to be wearing nothing underneath where his two major sword wounds bled less than any normal ninja’s would. His toned torso already had the signs of previous battles and his shishou had added to them.

The elder snake summoner was huffing and puffing. His stamina was depleted from being unaccustomed to injury and his breathing was way off. His chest rose faster than it should have done and soon the blonde was forming a plan. He could use that technique he thought as he stared at his unassuming Chokutō. He could use that other one too but how? He needed a moment and so he would have to create one.

Naruto created a simple academy level clone with no seals and used it to dash over to his master's blind side. He evaded and shifted between him and his partner trying to confuse before the real Naruto went off to attack the sannin's good eye and his clone the blind side.

Orochimaru fell for the bait and ruthlessly, with abandon, sent a horde of snakes from his one free arm at his clone. It vanished with a puff of smoke to his horror as Naruto sent off a blade of wind from his weapon.

The sannin dived forward like a drunken lout to dodge the fatal blow and rolled perfectly even with only one hand to balance himself forward back onto his feet. His sleeve unleashed another horde of snakes that were soon stopped in their tracks by quick thinking as Naruto threw his sword into the air and formed some hand seals rapidly. He spat out a line of mud that grew into a wall of solid earth. The snakes fell into it hook, line and sinker. Naruto moved to finish off the snakes and made some more seals. The wall became a dome and imprisoned the serpents, creating an odd sight as a dried lake and a bump that might have been the grave mound of an ancient sea monster.

The blonde Jounin channeled chakra to his feet and jumped onto the top of the mound he made and used it to overlook his surroundings just as his blade came to land next to him in the soil.

Orochimaru didn’t even bother hide his ire at the treatment he was suffering. His gouged eye ball was now revealed and it was comparable to the throat of a snake for seemingly how fleshy it looked now it was nothing but a hole. Blood flowed freely, like a demonic waterfall, down to his forked tongue that lapped at the blood absentmindedly. It was like being a psychopath was second nature to him.

“Doton, Katon and Fuuton jutsu?” Orochimaru laughed out loud, hiding his agony terribly. Glimmers of insanity haunted his golden eye. “You always fought too cautiously Naruto, like you never listened to me. You think you are my equal, boy, but I know you better than you think. Now you'll pay the price for your betrayal, you two-faced whelp!”

The sannin laughed to himself and Naruto knew what was coming. He made a hand signal for the group waiting to back him up to retreat as his master took some blood from his eye directly, flicking some flesh off with his sharpened finger nails, made the required hand seals and built up a lot of chakra. In a massive puff of smoke what he feared most came forth. Still: the old man had made a grave mistake. Maybe the pain had dulled his thinking but summoning him without a tribute was just asking to be eaten. The battle was over, several scenarios were figured and assimilated into his next charge.

Manda, king of snakes rose high to overlook the terrain. His purple scaly hide was shiny against the glowing Kusanagi blade of Naruto's former shishou. His immense size and powerful appearing body were mere calculations for Naruto`s final assault. Soon hopefully it would be over.

“Why have you summoned me Orochimaru?” the snake bellowed.

“Kill Namikaze!” Orochimaru ordered.

“No,” it replied and swatted his tail at the snake. The sannin leapt over the lazy attack effortlessly and landed on the same spot he had vertically vacated from.

The sannin was infuriated. “Why not?!” His master was really out of it if he was reduced to yelling rudely at the king summons.

“Did you just yell at me, human?!” Manda hissed back at the impudent shinobi. “You have no tribute and you ask me to kill what will one day replace you when your body finally gives way.”

“He has turned his back on me for power and information!” Orochimaru yelled, revealing how deeply his hypocritical outlook on life was entrenched. “He is a coveter of knowledge and has betrayed me to steal what is mine! Filthy traitors who play me are dead to me!”

Naruto was happy the ANBU team plus Anko was much further away now. He couldn’t sense them anymore. They were gone and nobody could question his story now that Orochimaru was finally doing what he did best, talking. Naruto was using the time to gather his chakra and focus his breathing.

“It is the law of nature master.” He said, “One must devour another to survive and today I eat what is yours to further my goal of becoming the greatest shinobi of them all. To do this you need to die.” Naruto gestured to the sky. “Isn’t that what you taught me?”

Manda hissed in approval, his long pink tongue was sharp enough at the elongated points to tear a tree down. “He at least remembers the laws of the snake.” Manda said, “ Perhaps you should practice what you preach Orochimaru. Goodbye,” the snake started hissing in amusement before adding, “Goodbye and thank you for letting me see you one last time before you die.” The snake man blanched as Manda swiped the snake sannin again by the use of his tail. Orochimaru leapt into the cloud of dust the snake made as it vanished with a snickering hiss.

The moment had come. Time to kill the sannin and the last of the evidence that he had played both sides of his village. Naruto ran a line of blood in a squiggle along the hilt of his retrieved sword and channeled chakra into it. A black seal started forming from hilt to the tip of the blade. A intricate array of fuin started to glow in various colours until it was done.

“I better keep up with Manda-sama's wishes,” Naruto said now. The snake defied him by waving Kusanagi at him tauntingly. The Jounin knew he had taken the bait.

Naruto jumped down from the mound at high speed with his sword raised above him. Orochimaru took it head on before Naruto had even touched the ground and blocked his sword strike directly with his own blade. Naruto landed on his feet, shifted his footing and pushed his sensei’s blade upwards. As Kusanagi went flailing into the sky, Naruto stabbed his sword into Orochimaru’s shaky leg and leapt back to abandon the blade. A single hand seal later and the blade started to hiss with smoke.

Naruto knew to run and slid underground as the explosion took place. He waited underground as the explosive fuin, similar to the kunai he had thrown earlier but about ten times as powerful, exploded. The cavern he had made crumbled beneath him from the sheer force and for about two minutes he waited with his hand touching the ceiling of the earthy tomb until he was sure no more shock waves were present and slid back up to the surface.

The devastation was utter and complete, the nearest trees had been annihilated, the ones further out broken and blackened, the outermost had caught fire. The ground was devastated and the air filled with earth and dust. Naruto raised one hand to cover his mouth, coughing as he stumbled up to where Orochimaru had been. He eventually found the epicentre of the blast, his master being nowhere to be seen. Only Kusanagi could be seen, the blade jutting out of the ground, proudly, defiantly, without any scratch.

As if some strange quirk of fate, at this very moment something landed next to him. Naruto turning to look at it and he was almost amused when it turned out to be his master's head. The head must have been torn off by the detonation and flung into the sky. Picking it up by the air, Naruto held it up to look his master in the eyes one last time. The dead, unseeing eyes had understandably lost their manic, vicious glow and the head was torn off right at the start of the neck, leaving even the underside devastated by the blow.

“Thus it ended.” Naruto said, leaning his head to the side a bit as he spoke to his master. “Had you hoped for more I wonder? I will admit it was anticlimactic.” With that, he fell silent, discarding the head after a while. Instead he walked over to Kusanagi, retrieving the blade and feeling the weight of it. This was one of the prizes he had sought, a masterfully created blade, as valuable as a minor nation and as deadly as its army.

Naruto let his body collapse at last. He hit the ground harshly but still reasonably upright. He finally examined his wounds properly and was pleased nothing truly major had happened to him. The wounds were deep but they were at least closed and that was always a good thing. He just need to get Rin to heal him up and check his vitals for any anomalies and he would be all right in a few days or so.

The real challenge started now. As he sensed the ANBU team plus Anko that were now all freely displaying their chakra signatures he knew that he had to get along with his plan. Orochimaru of the sannin's data was quintessential to retrieve. Next was convincing the village not to restrict his shinobi license to keep him in Konohagakure no sato`s perimeter. It would put everything back months as he was analysed over and over again by the interrogation bureau. He had to play his position as the Hokage`s only son to the maximum.

“Naruto!” Anko appeared in a blur next to him. She had this rare concerned look on her face that was ambivalence with the shit eating grin plastered on her face. Her eyes were watering from happiness or from simply being pleased he had survived when she would have died fighting their master. “Are you all right?”

“Some minor wounds,” Naruto said, “maybe a few broken ribs but I can't be sure. It's my dulled pain receptors.”

Anko nodded but she didn’t really understand. She had had her parents still alive during the first few years of her apprenticeship and they had banned Orochimaru from messing with her physiology at the time when it had to be done. Later in life the modifications would simply kill her as her body would have lost the malleability needed. Naruto however had managed to convince his mother that the alterations were all part of being an apprentice and she had reluctantly relented.

“Namikaze-sama,” a woman with purple hair in the garb of an ANBU with a cat mask on landed to the other side of him. Her team flickered in moments later and formed a protective circle around him. “We'll report back to the Hokage, anything you want us to tell him?”

“Report to the Yondaime that the mission is complete.” Naruto said, “The traitor is dead. I will be there shortly. Have Heisei Rin report to me. She’s aware of my medical needs.”

“Can you handle a shunshin Namikaze-sama?” A younger male with the mask of a boar sat down and began the green chakra of medical jutsu until Naruto waved him off. “It is just first aid sir.”

“It would have little effect.” Naruto explained, “My body has been altered, normal medical jutsu are useless. Rin-san is about the only one who understands my physiology.” Naruto pulled on Anko`s wrist with his bloody hand and waved his Kusanagi at her. She understood his intentions and poured chakra into the blade. Naruto commanded mentally for the blade to shrink down to the size of a Kodachi and slipped it into a hole of his shirt, tearing the fishnet as he did to make a makeshift sheath.

Just suddenly a very large toad, orange and packing a long Nodachi style blade, landed right in the center of the clearing just next to where Orochimaru lay dead.

The old man kneeling on top of the natural enemy of the snakes was late as usual. Only his sister's godfather Hatake Kakashi was more tardy than the man who just had shown up. But he was a sannin still and also his godfather.

The look of remorse aimed at the blonde was not completely unexpected. The man and the dead sannin until recent times had been extremely close. Jiraiya had used Orochimaru as his confidante until Orochimaru took training Naruto Namikaze so seriously that both of them rarely were far from the other.

Naruto put on a neutral face when he stared back, his blue eyes were colder than ice. “Jiraiya-sama.” he said calmly, knowing that his godfather was conflicted.

The man leapt off the toad and landed next to him. Anko was already ready to spring into action.

“How did he die?” Jiraiya's deep voice asked. The man was torn inside that was to be sure. His eyes were filled with grief and tears. Such emotions were things that Orochimaru had taught Naruto as soon as he began his training to be irresponsible. Mourn in private, not on the job was something he had heard a lot until he made genin and truly understood what the elder snake meant after his first mission to Kuma no Kuni resulted in the ten year old genin slaughtering a whole village of bandits.

“Do you have to ask that now?” Anko snapped. The toad sannin nodded and his toad exploded into smoke to vacate the area.

“I want to know how he died.” Jiraiya stared at debris around them the corpse. “What sort of jutsu does this?”

“A fuin,” Naruto answered, croaking for real as some blood spilled out of his mouth. His injuries was a lot more serious than he thought. The sannin seemed agitated at the answer. “A high yield explosive fuin on my sword, I stabbed it into his leg. There's only pieces left of him now, if you wish to see it the head should be over there.” Naruto calmly described how he had ended his teacher's life.

The sannin was stiller than the leaves in the trees around the crater now. Then, without warning, Jiraiya grabbed the injured blonde by his fishnet shirt and tore him face to face. A snake shot past Naruto`s neck from behind and its large head snapped at the sannin in warning.

“Was there no other way?” Jiraiya asked.

Naruto remained impassive. To change roles so quickly would not fool the retired spy master. “There were, however this was the safest option..”

The sannin shivered, seemingly frozen from the drizzle that had just started . Then, without warning, he punched Naruto clean across the face, showing it was anger rather than cold. Naruto's neck slightly elongated and snapped backwards just in time to see Anko's enraged features scream and to order her snake forward. Naruto caught the serpent’s neck and furiously shook his head at the thing as he pulled his head back into position with the sannin still holding onto him heatedly.

“Enough,” Naruto whispered, “It’s a bad time for both of us. Despite what he had done shishou was important to both me and Jiraiya-sama. Stand down.” Naruto pushed himself off from the slightly shamed old man’s grip and fell straight back to earth as his legs had stopped obeying him. “Damn!” he swore now, “I lost too much chakra. Anko, if you could…” The woman stopped staring poison at her senior and touched Naruto's shoulder to activate a shunshin. The last thing he saw was a swirl of leaves.

____________________________________

Naruto hit the floor hard as he landed on the red carpeted floor after the shunshin. His guts suddenly churned and he spat up more blood all over the shampooed present from Kaze no Kuni`s daimyo.

“Naruto!” Rin said in shock and the woman was in front of him in a second, making sure that he made eye contact with her. His eyes were a tad blurry but it was unmistakably her. The purple stripes on each cheek was unmistakable to him. Her warm brown eyes were wider than normal as she frantically produced acupuncture needles from her pouch at the side of her standard Konohagakure no sato jounin uniform and stabbed them into his pressure points. Immediately Naruto felt better and soon was leaning into the protective embrace of Anko from behind.

With an internal sigh he realized that the territory marking wars had begun again. He didn't interfere and just let them glare at each other. Why did the those two women have to be so damn protective?

“He’s hurt so be careful.” Anko snapped.

Telling a medical kunoichi of Rin's caliber to be careful was a bit of a slap to the face. She merely ignored her and started muttering familiar terms under her breath like “Cellular regeneration will need to be slowed down” and other such things about his closed over external wounds.

The Yondaime looked absolutely exhausted. His mother was at his side and she seemed as shocked as Rin, however in her case she seemed only uncertain. He and his mother were not on the best of terms, mildly put, and she seemed uncertain about what to do. The sky behind them was filled with angry clouds that threatened to besiege the world again. His father himself plus the two elders Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, people who could have retired after the Sandaime perished in the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago but were too stubborn to do so, were waiting patiently.

“Report,” his father commanded.

“Hokage-sama,” Naruto noticed the suspicious looks in the elder shinobi's eyes as he clumsily got to his feet. They were probably eyeing the Kusanagi stored in his vest. “I eliminated Orochimaru as per instructed if I was unable to bring him in alive. I request that his.... remains... are moved to the Konoha research institute. They should be studied, if nothing else to map out the full extent of my own modifications.

“Approved. It’s not like he's got a family to claim the body.” Minato said, ignoring the glasses wearing Homura trying to protest. “Go to the medical center and get rested up. I will officially appoint you director of the research and development division tomorrow morning.”

Naruto took a breath. After so long he was in control. “I most humbly accept Hokage-sama.” He wasn't in the clear by far so he kept his answer succinct and respectful.

His mother smiled even if the old bats beside her didn’t. “Go get some rest and begin your duties when you can.” Minato said. “I will summon you soon to discuss the best course of action regarding your master's bases.” The Yondaime walked right into Naruto's trap. The council members had backed down as always and just looked sheepish. His father was less tolerant of annoying comments than even the old man Sandaime had been, plus it didn’t help that his father never associated with them outside of work.

Naruto considered trying to be familiar but figured it wouldn’t look good to suddenly be affectionate beyond the normal exchanges. “Thank you.”

Chapter Text

The slow, dripping sound of water outside became a steady background choir to Naruto as he looked around the spacious underground chamber. It was a large room, filled with vats, tables, diagrams and countless other samples of the paraphernalia of science. A single, red light panel in the ceiling illuminated the room and gave the place a hellish glow, which were reflected in the large vats. Naruto quietly moved through the laboratory and methodically checked the equipment.

After nearly five years of disuse it was still in good shape, something that gladdened him. The pipes to the vats were somewhat clogged and the place was filled with dust but otherwise it was in top shape, some quick cleaning and the place would be back in action.

This laboratory had been one of the first places Orochimaru had shown him during his apprenticeship. Only six years old at the time, Naruto had been introduced to the world of science in this very room by his new teacher. Biology, chemistry, physics, Orochimaru had shown it all to the young boy.

Naruto opened the lockers at the far end of the room now and was making a list of all the chemicals that he needed to procure. As he rapidly scribbled down the lacking components in a notebook he had brought along he remembered the first time he had been here. At the time of his apprenticeship Naruto had been a confused and sad little child. The incident with the Kyuubi and its subsequent imprisonment in his little sister had thrown his life into chaos. His father had hardly even been home for months and his mother had focused all her attention on little Kimiko, the whole debacle having made her violently protective of her daughter. Naruto, however, had slipped between the cracks and been forgotten in the chaos. He had been smart enough to realize at least
some of what had happened and what he had understood had made him pull away from the rest of the world.

His mother didn't have time for him and Naruto hadn't wanted to be a bother. The child had instead gone into his father's study and begun to read. Everything that had happened was confusing and strange to him and Naruto, believing that there was good reason for why his mother didn't even notice him any more, had become determined to figure it out. For months he had been hiding in the story, reading everything he could come across. It was a silent testament to his accurate analysis of the situation that it had taken his mother months to notice that Naruto never left the study other than to eat.

With the list finally done he made one final check of the place before he shut off the lights and left the room. Closing the door via a secret switch he watched how the wall slid back into place, soon having become a seemingly solid piece of the long walls of the catacombs he was in. Channelling chakra into his feet, he began to move through the damp hallway, his feet touching the water below them without any sound or movement. This made his journey almost ghostly in it's silence.

Orochimaru had been like water to a parched throat for Naruto. Even if the snake was anything but loving or caring had had at least been nurturing and stimulating. Working from the principle that the greater the challenges, the greater the gains, Orochimaru had pressed Naruto to the limit. Through clever riddles and puzzles, hints made to trick Naruto into learning and harsh sessions of mental and physical training Orochimaru had molded him into a copy of himself. The snake expected unquestioning obedience that surpassed even one's self-preservation instincts but in return he gave knowledge, skills and abilities beyond any other shinobi. Naruto had been a genin by eight, a chuunin by ten and a jounin by thirteen, only the genius child of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Itachi, being his peer by then.

As he got to the end of the long corridor he had been walking through he came to a flight of stairs which he soon begun to ascend. Unlike his Uchiha peer, Naruto's successes had been hidden, even from his parents. Orochimaru hadn't molded him into a fighter as much as a scientist. Indeed, many of the things that had motivated his sensei's praise and recommendations to the Hokage were things only select few people could even understand. His parents weren't fools, Minato had created not only one but two jutsu that were both pure masterpieces, but the esoteric and abstract studies Naruto focused on were largely riddles to even him. As part of his jonin-exam he had shown how create tattoo-seals that would regrow even if they were damaged by wounds to the flesh they were marked on. His father had been intelligent enough to see how valuable it was but couldn't even begin to understand the mechanics behind it. In fact, he wasn't even interested in understanding. To Minato it was a tool to be used, nothing more, and Naruto had gotten a pat on the shoulder and the rank of jonin for it.

That was the moment he had begun to chafe under Konoha's lead. He had become more and more annoyed with how they casually dismissed the sciences he devoted everything to as nothing but a tool. The unraveling of the mysteries that had been constant fixtures in mankind's lives, the understanding of the world around them, the gradual comprehension of reality itself was nothing to most of the people in Konoha. He wasn't like his master, however, that he believed this to be reason for treachery. Naruto knew where his loyalties lay and they were with Konoha. The fact that he saw knowledge as something with a value in itself and that they didn't was not nearly enough of a reason for him to betray his village, the cost was too high and the gain would only be an idealistic one.

Naruto pushed open the door at the end of the staircase and soon came out into a small, cramped room filled with tools. Grabbing a bag of take-out food that had been standing by the door he walked across the room and pushed open another door, coming out into a side-alley in the middle of Konoha. The day was bright and sunny, with birds singing, a gentle breeze and all those things that would make people say “what a lovely day” ad infinitum whenever they needed a reason for small talk.

Still... the fact that Naruto wouldn't betray Konoha didn't mean he couldn't salvage his now dead master's secret network of laboratories, secret bases and troves of knowledge for himself and, by extent, Konoha. Even if he's have to be careful about it he could funnel the discoveries made in those places into Konoha. He would have done it openly, were it not for the phobia of science that the revelation of his master's misdeeds had caused in Konoha.

People had gotten the idea that science was something inherently bad that would make you kill babies for fun and Naruto had spent the weeks since his master's death fending off random accusations against the science department he now was the head of. At some points the Hokage had been forced to command the shinobi police to remind the people that assaulting shinobi departments equalled an act of treason. Fortunately the situation had never escalated into lethal violence but some of the more rabid hate-mongers were now getting to spend the coming years in jail, having been convicted for sedition.

Naruto used a small jutsu to clean himself of the smell that hung around him and when he came out of the alley he set his headings for the science department, a small, rectangular building near the outskirts of the city. His usurpation of Orochimaru's underground network had gone smoothly this far and hopefully nothing serious would mess it all up, too much was at stake. As he opened the door to the laboratory he was met by one of the assistants, a shrewd young boy, fifteen years of age, whom Orochimaru had rescued from the medic-program, named Yakushi Kabuto.

“Hey sensei,” the silver-haired, bespectacled boy said with a smile as he passed Naruto by in the lobby, holding a clipboard in his hand. “Good you came,” he continued, “We've had some problems isolating the components of the latest batch of samples.”

“I'll be with you in a minute,” Naruto said, wondering what had happened now, and Kabuto left. The boy was only a few years younger than Naruto and very sharp, not to mention his skill both as a scientist, medic, fighter and not the least, hiding all this. Naruto didn't know what his master had intended to use Kabuto for but he was glad that he had managed to draft him to his cause. With a dozen people like Kabuto he could revolutionize the department. Heading up the stairs he traversed another sterile white corridor and opened the door to his office.

Considering that he was the leader of an entire branch of Konoha's shinobi organization it was a joke, the room was no bigger than anyone else's, about six square meters all in all and with shelves lining the walls, making the actual usable space about three. A desk with an office chair and a computer stood by the far end of the small room, the latter displaying several windows of data. Naruto put his take-away lunch down by the computer and grabbed the white lab-coat that hung from the hanger on the door to his office. He really wished that they could get some more space, they were cramped like hell here.

Putting on the lab-coat, he set his steps towards the second lab, where most of the natural scientists working here spent their time. Hurrying down the stairs, he headed left and pushed open the door at the end of the hallway and entered the lab. Naruto tore a pair of rubber gloves from a nearby dispenser as he passed by and put them on with practised ease. Kabuto was currently standing by one of the large, white tables at the end of the room, slowly twirling a small testing tube in his hand. Several other scientists were filling the room in other places, walking back and forth as they saw to their respective jobs.

“So what do you have?” Naruto asked as he came up beside Kabuto.

“I've managed to determine the sort of poison, it's a necrotoxin as we thought,” Kabuto said, “The real issue is with the carriers of the toxin.”

“Do you know what it is?” Naruto asked. Necrotoxin meant that it was a poison that attacked the cells and killed them in the area of infection. In its wake these kinds of poisons left nothing but rotting, dead flesh that never recovered. If severe poisonings had taken place amputations were usually the only recourse, only the greatest of medic-nins could resuscitate dead flesh.

“That's the problem,” Kabuto said, “If I'm reading this correctly it's not anything inherent to the carriers, it's a pathogen found in their bloodstream.”

“What?” Naruto asked now, his eyes actually widening.

“I've got the enzyme analysis, the bacteria culture results and the DNA-analysis right there,” Kabuto said, indicating a pile of documents on another desk. Naruto hurried over and started looking through the papers.

Almost the very same day that he had become head of this department a clan of bloodline users had begun to make a mess in the eastern parts of Fire Country. These shinobi were a bloodthirsty and ruthless sort, seemingly committed to chaos for chaos' sake, and they had left a trail of massacred caravans and villages in their wake. This clan used a strange bloodline limit that involved their blood, which was a deadly poison that had already claimed three Konoha shinobi's lives. The science division had managed to get hold of a few corpses and had been working around the clock for a full month now to understand their biology and the poisonous jutsu they used.

And if what Kabuto had discovered was true that had some extremely interesting implications. Naruto had managed to rifle through the pile in a few minutes and sighed when he was done. Kabuto was right, it was a pathogen, a bacteria foreign to their bodies, that was the cause of their blood's lethality.

“Doesn't make sense, right?” Kabuto asked from the bench where he was, Naruto realized now, doing a double check of the initial analysis to see if they had made some mistake that would have screwed up the later, more extensive and in depth, analysis's.

“It does...” Naruto said, “Partially at least. It's a chakra-bacteria, perhaps the bloodline limit evolved as a defensive reaction to a disease of some sort and the bacteria became a part of their natural bacterial flora? Perhaps they are merely carriers of the disease and the techniques they use are simple clan techniques. Perhaps their bloodline limit takes the shape of the immunity?”

“That's quite an assumption,” Kabuto said. “Still, we don't know how bloodline limits emerges to begin with so perhaps...”

“What's relevant is how we use this,” Naruto said, “Okay everybody!” he yelled now, summoning the attentions of the rest of the gathered scientists. “We've managed to isolate the agent,” he went up to a chalkboard and begun to rapidly draw on it. “It's a blood-based pathogen, seemingly part of their natural flora. This is its chemical composition of the radical agent...” In only a few seconds he had finished scribbling a large model of the molecules that formed the radical agents in the toxin. He now turned to look at the gathered scientists, the brightest minds in Konoha. “... and now we need to use this to create a weapon against them. Antidotes, remove their inherent immunity, airborne agents that'll neutralize it, whatever you can come up with. Co-operate all you want and need, I want a full page of ideas from each lab-group within forty-eight hours. Get to it,” Naruto finished.

This was the most irritating of the researching part since it was so uncertain. Now they knew what it was, the question was how they were going to deal with it. This was a way of getting ideas that he preferred. It gave the teams a chance to shine and gave him several angles of approach.

“Kabuto,” Naruto said now, “Inform the Hokage that we've determined the nature of the bloodline, when you get back you're with me.”

“Yes sir,” Kabuto disappeared in a moment, using shunshin to head to the Hokage's office as soon as possible. If there was one thing Naruto valued highly it was efficiency and Kabuto aimed to please. It wasn't a matter of sucking up as much as adapting flawlessly to the standards that were being used.

Rolling his neck, Naruto set about to work on ideas himself. The hard part was over and now all they had to do was to wrap it all up. Naruto sank down on one of the footstools standing by the bench and begun to look down into the papers. His mind soon begun to submerge into the pure, focused state of mind where nothing except him and the problem existed, the state of mind he called home.

_________________________________

Kabuto appeared in the corridor outside the Hokage's office in a puff of smoke. He knocked on the door as soon as the smoke had cleared, eager to get back to the laboratory. After a second he opened the door and stepped inside. The office made Kabuto slightly astonished. He had been here before, many times, but the sheer size of the place, when compared to the cramped little locker that his master called office, was incredible. The room was easily as big as two of the science division's laboratories taken together.

It was annoying to Kabuto, if the mightiest man in Konoha had this kind of space, why was the man who gave Konoha truth itself, one of the most valuable commodities a shinobi could have, given what amounted to little more than a locker to sit in?

The Hokage was sitting behind his desk as usual and a group of shinobi was standing in front of him, giving their reports. Kabuto recognized them all. Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, Sarutobi Asuma and Inuzuka Tsume, these were amongst the top of the Konoha shinobi, living legends all of them.

“Am I disturbing something?” Kabuto asked mildly, slipping into a practised mien of submissive friendliness. “I can wait.”

“No come in,” the Hokage said. “Have you made any progress with the poison?”

“We have, Hokage-sama,” Kabuto said as he walked into the room and saluted the man. “Namikaze-sensei wanted me to report that we've managed to isolate the radical agents and determined its origin.”

“Keep going,” the Hokage said. It was frankly almost pathetic Kabuto thought to himself. The mighty Yondaime Hokage of Konoha was like a child with the open anxiety in his eyes now. His heart was laid bare as soon as you mentioned something where his estranged son was involved.

“After some extensive test we have determined that the cause of the toxin is not the blood itself, but a pathogen resting in the blood,” Kabuto explained, “They are carriers of a strain of bacteria we've never seen before. Namikaze-sensei theorizes that the purported bloodline is in truth merely a combination of their immunity and clan techniques developed to make use of the infections that now have become a part of their natural bacterial flora.”

“Impressive,” Sarutobi Asuma said with a small whistle. “Makes good sense too.”

“Thank you very much sir,” Kabuto said, pretending to shine at the praise he was given. With the Inuzuka matron in the room he couldn't help but being nervous though, they could smell someone's deceit easily and he was glad that the smell of disinfectant and laboratory was surrounding him. “We are currently revising methods of combating the poison and we'll have a list ready in two days in case you want a copy, either way we'll start producing whatever solution we've created within the week.”

“Thank you for your hard work,” the Hokage said. “Be sure to pass on my congratulations to Naruto as well.”

“I'm sure Namikaze-sensei will be gladdened by the Hokage's praise,” Kabuto said, now came the part he really had been looking forwards to.

“How is he doing?” Minato suddenly, out of protocol, asked Kabuto. Now the situation had changed drastically, now it wasn't the matter of a Hokage asking about his subordinate, not the least. It was a father asking about his son, the son he knew he had estranged and felt guilty over. Minato's soul was laid bare to Kabuto, his anxieties and regrets as clear as day.

“He's doing fine sir,” Kabuto asked, keeping up the pretence of being a socially inept lab-worker. Minato seemed relived by this and now Kabuto delivered the killing blow. “Without a family or anything else to distract him he's devoting everything to this job and I can safely say it's my pride to work for him,” the Hokage visibly flinched now, Kabuto's words about Naruto having no family cutting him all the way into the soul. Suppressing the small surge of triumph inside him Kabuto bowed to the Hokage.

“Do you have any more questions Hokage-sama?” He asked with the same friendly tone and witnessed how the Hokage only shook his head, seemingly not trusting his voice.

“D-dismissed,” the man said after a few seconds and Kabuto bowed to the Hokage again.

“Yes sir,” he said with a snappy salute, “We'll keep up the good work.” With that, he turned around and left the room with quick steps, leaving a devastated Hokage and four Jounin that suddenly felt very uncomfortable with being in the room. Kabuto smiled to himself and corrected his glasses as the door slammed shut behind him. Things like these were the bespectacled young man's way to show his loyalty, like how the house-cat would leave small presents left on the pillow of his owners in the shape of captured mice and birds.

Kabuto wasn't a cat however, his craft was mental, and with a small guilt-trip like that the Hokage would be much more malleable when funding would be discussed. The loving and sincere Hokage wouldn't be able to say no if Kabuto and his master played this well and could give the man some subtle images of how his son had not only been estranged but sent to work himself to death at a small, underfunded and overworked department. Raising his hand, he formed a one-handed seal to use a shunshin back to the lab. They had a lot to do as it were, a lot indeed.

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As Naruto kept scribbling in the notebook he had beside him, alternating between it and the microscope he was looking into, he frowned to himself. The pathogen was much more resilient than he had expected and as it looked now they had hit a dead end. Was there no way to kill this damned bacteria? It was almost as if it instantly adapted to whatever anti-agent it was subjected to, either that or it was multi-resistant. Neither option was attractive, that would limit their options immensely.

“Still no results?” Kabuto asked. The boy was right beside him, carrying petri-dishes filled with samples of the bacteria back and forth between the oven they used to raise the temperature to the levels where the bacteria would grow faster. Along with the seals marked on the sides of the oven they could get results a hundred times faster than a mere oven would have done.

“None,” Naruto said, “It's either adapting or multi-resistant. I'm not finding any solutions at the moment.”

“So you'll wait for the teams to give their suggestions?” Kabuto asked and Naruto nodded.

“I'll keep mapping the bacteria out but I'll wait for the suggestions. There's always something you've missed...”

There is was Kabuto thought to himself when Naruto muttered the last words. That small dash of humility was one of the things that separated Naruto from his megalomaniac sensei. He certainly had inherited Orochimaru's pride in his work and his canniness, not to mention his obsessive devotion to science. But unlike Orochimaru Naruto was obsessed with statistical rigor. Review, revise and redo at the least hint of inaccuracy, Naruto took any misses due to the human factors of forgetting a certain aspect, forgetfulness, absent-mindedness or clumsiness, as a personal insult.

“Those samples won't grow by themselves,” Naruto said now, still looking into the microscope and Kabuto hurried to the oven. Of course, there was the issue of this. If one didn't perform to his fullest while working with him there would be hell to pay.

“So what did the Hokage say?” Naruto asked after a few seconds.

“Ah yes, Hokage-sama was pleased,” Kabuto answered truthfully, his lips curving upwards in a sunny smile. “He wanted me to pass on his thanks for out hard work.”

“Not that,” Naruto said atonally. “I'm not stupid, what did he say?”

“He asked me how you were doing sensei,” Kabuto said now, deciding to drop the facades, what use did he have for them in front of this man?

“And you said?” Naruto asked. He was still looking into the microscope and his hand was gripping the pen. However, he had stopped taking notes, showing he was focusing on Kabuto.

“That without a family to distract you you could dedicate all your time to this,” the silver-haired young man said. Naruto suddenly give up a small sound of amusement.

“Let me guess,” his sensei said, “You tried to guilt-trip him, did you not?”

“It was all for the good of the department sensei,” Kabuto said, his smile becoming more crooked as he pushed his glasses into position. Naruto looked back at his subordinate now, a slow smile setting over his lips.

“You didn't think I would have problems manipulating my own father for funding?” He asked Kabuto. For a second Kabuto actually faltered now, there was something aggressive about the smile his sensei was having. Chi was slowly building and Kabuto suddenly felt nervous.

“Did... I speak falsely sensei?” he asked, trying to keep his cool as a smile on his face. “After all, your estrangement is well known and it is not like they have tried to reconcile with you, have they?” Had he miscalculated somewhere? Kabuto had been certain that Naruto had seen his father in a less than favourable light.

“Is that all?” Naruto asked, having folded his hands in front of his torso and drilling holes into Kabuto's face with his eyes.

“Not at all,” Kabuto said, remembering one of the things that had made him nervous. Unlike Orochimaru, who's clever manipulations could be offset by his psychotic tics and lust for suffering, Naruto was like a machine, almost overly much so at times. Yet the programming of said machine was a mystery, Kabuto could never really know if gain or care would be on the list for the day. “We're badly underfunded and overworked, something you can bring up during negotiations for funds. Also, the guilt will make him more malleable for other suggestions, such as perhaps call off eventual investigations into your work.”

“Enough,” Naruto said now, a small smile setting on his lips again. This time it wasn't a challenging smile though. Naruto turned back to look into the microscope, “keep up the good work Kabuto, with a little work this department might just grow.”

“Thank you sensei,” Kabuto said. False alarm it seemed. It was not with a little relief that Kabuto returned to the oven to keep an eye on how the bacteria grew. His sensei seemed to really like to keep people on their toes, remind them to not get sloppy.

Naruto, on the other hand, was glancing at Kabuto. The boy was a prize indeed, sharp, clever and wily all at once, someone like that was someone you could take to great heights and only get good results no matter what. Also, Naruto did have the clout necessary to take a personal apprentice. It was something to think of, that was for sure.

“Mitarashi Anko has arrived!” Naruto nearly shot out of his footstool now as the yell echoed through the laboratory. His reverie was interrupted by the loud yell as, through the laboratory door, Mitarashi Anko came like a whirlwind, sashaying inside with her large coat swirling behind her.

A cheeky grin was plastered across the face of his fellow former apprentice of the snake sannin as she came up to him and leaned on the table behind it. Naruto had turned back to look into the microscope as soon as he could, hoping that she'd go away. No such luck however, Anko took the microscope and pulled it away from him. Naruto was left turning towards her with a sigh.

“I think I spilled some infected blood where you have your arm right now,” he told her. Obviously it was a lie but the only way to deal with this woman was a pre-emptive strike to take the initiative. Anko's reaction wouldn't wait; the woman had been out in the field and fought the blood-users, she knew what their blood could do. Her eyes shot wide open as she pulled back in second and swiftly tore off her coat in an attempt to get the supposedly blood-soaked cloth away from her skin.

Naruto idly noticed that she still had only a fishnet under the coat.

Anko's horrified look lasted only for a second more before she noticed Naruto, who now was leaning his elbow against the bench, his hand up to support the side of his head with three fingers as he looked at her with a smile. One of his legs was resting on the knee of the other and his very presence radiated smugness. Kabuto had noticed this as well and the young boy was doing all in his power to not start laughing.

“You're a dick, you know that?” Anko told him now, fishing up the coat and putting it on again. Not with any great hurry though, the other scientists had turned to look too and they all seemed very interested by the sight of Anko's choice of clothing. Still; who cared?

“Was there anything special you wanted?” Naruto asked mildly. This was one of the few irrational hobbies he had, to annoy and to trick Anko was something he enjoyed immensely. It was her personality really, her over-the-top attitude and cheeky behaviour made it so enjoyable to make her lose it. Anko flipped him off and slapped him over the head.

“When are you done here?” she asked, adjusting her coat, “It's my birthday and I need someone to booze with.” Now that Naruto had not expected. He was somewhat taken aback by her blunt and seemingly careless admission. Anko was an orphan, one of the many left in the wake of the third shinobi war, and by virtue of being a fellow apprentice Naruto was one of the few who could say he stood the woman close. Still, that she'd come and ask something like this was new to him.

“What about Yuuhi?” he asked, thinking of the red-eyed chunnin Anko had befriended a good while ago. Any of your team-mates?” Anko rolled her eyes.

“Kurenai's got her ass full with studying and would drag along a book to booze,” she told him, “Also she goes out in a second. 'Sides with me being Orochimaru's apprentice half of those I could drag along would expect me to poison them.”

“Is that so..” Naruto said. He really didn't want to leave his work; he had made good progress thus far and saw no reason to quit now. Also, Anko's way of drinking didn't leave much space for anything other than passing out in an alley. “What about the other half?” he continued now. Anko's response was a sour look.

“Well I'm asking you!” she said now, “For the love of Kami Naruto!” she said loudly now, “You've been holed up in here for weeks, I've hardly even seen you! Is it too much to ask that I can at least can take a drink with you on my birthday?!”

“Very well,” Naruto said now. When she put it that way it wasn't really an option to talk back. “Does beginning at eight work for you?” That way he could wrap this up and finish for the day. Anko smiled at him now, having changed track in her emotions in a second straight. With the smile staying she slapped him on the back with a cheery expression on her face.

“Good man,” she said happily, “Machi's, at eight, be there.” With this, Anko turned around with a swirl of her cloak and walked out, making sure to let her hips sway for the scientists as she left. Naruto slowly shook his head as he dragged back the microscope and peered into it. Anko would probably never change. Bipolar, nigh sadistic and hedonistic, his fellow apprentice was in many ways his polar opposite. Still, Naruto wouldn't deny that she was skilled at what she did. Orochimaru had moulded Anko to be a fighter, a warrior and a killer, and that was what she was.

Also, after the Kyuubi incident and Naruto's subsequent apprenticeship to Orochimaru Anko had been one of the reasons he had kept his morals. Naruto wasn't blind or foolish, but he knew that morals were relative things. With hardly any contact with his family or indeed the rest of Konoha, Naruto had been left alone with the snake and his other apprentice. A few years older than him, Anko had been a lifeline for him to normality and to sanity with her constant cheekiness and cheer. As irritating as she might be at time, Naruto did appreciate her, much like how he appreciated Kabuto's aid here at the laboratory.

_________________________________

Minato Namikaze felt like a scum as he left the office for the day. Closing the door behind him, he stretched his neck and began to make his way through the crooked hallway. His eyes were downcast as his feet automatically found their way through the hallway and down the stairs that were at the end of it .

Minato didn't believe that young assistant had been intentionally harsh with what he said, from what he had been told and what he had seen Kabuto was the quintessential harmless geek, a socially awkward bookworm who didn't have a malicious bone in him. Yet, his comment had cut Minato down to the bone.

“With no family.”

It hadn't been the comment itself as much as the many things Minato had realized from it. Things came together for him in seconds after the young assistant's comment. Throwaway comments by other villagers, the whispered rumors he had heard, things that hadn't made any sense up until now. For one, so many people referred to Kimiko as “the Hokage's child” amongst other titles. He had always been perplexed by it and guessed it was a turn of phrase or something. Now he wasn't sure anymore.

Was this how Naruto was perceived in Konoha these days? That he was ostracised and cut off from his family, no longer a part of it? Did Konoha see him as the black sheep of the Namikaze family? Orochimaru hadn't been popular in the village, being considered a ruthless and immoral person by most of the villagers. Minato had thought that he had seen something different in Orochimaru though, that had been why he gave Naruto to him, as a way for Orochimaru to prove himself.

Yet now... Orochimaru had been all that people had thought he had been and his son was tainted by the guilt of association with him. Had it gone so far that people thought he had ostracised his son? Put him into a dead-end employment to keep him occupied and under control? Minato knew the science division was considered the lowest of the divisions in Konoha, real shinobi were meant to be out in the field, not looking into microscopes all day, and employment there was often seen as a dead end for the bookworms.

It was with a deep sigh that Minato stopped by the bridge that crossed the stream going through the city. Leaning on the railing, he looked out across the water with his arms folded on the railing and his head resting on the arms.

Not in his wildest dreams would he have guessed that this would happen. Naruto was a brilliant boy, his determination to learn and to improve was the most pure Minato had seen – even back when the boy was a child. His “perfect solution” – supposed to give Naruto a good sensei and give Orochimaru tighter bonds to this village – had backfired and it had been Naruto who took the blow. Tainted by association with Orochimaru, his father's hesitation in showing him kindness, his own refusal to be apologetic... Kami-sama what was his son going through...?

_________________________________

At six o' clock Naruto decided to go home. They had achieved enough for today, having discovered the secret behind the poison and started working on possible countermeasures. Twelve hours of hard working did take its toll, even on trained shinobi, and Naruto didn't want anyone to mess up. When working with highly toxic blood he had decided to take safety first. That meant that they'd work in three shifts from now on, each covering eight hours and keeping the wheels constantly spinning.

As Naruto made his way through Konoha his mind was spinning with possible ideas for countermeasures and the appliances of them. It amazed him that he had thought that the hard part had been over, the weakness of this damned bacteria kept eluding him. Still, great discoveries weren't made in a day so he'd have to be patient.

Also, with the lab that was lying below the city – waiting for its master to come back to it and resume its usage – he'd have a lot to do in his spare time from now on. Personnel would be impossible to get for it, he'd instead have to do like his master and make sure it was automated enough to be of use. There was no way he'd be able to use the lab to full capacity.

Naruto actually felt an eagerness he hadn't felt in a long time about this whole thing. After several weeks of passivity and struggling with the slight budget and staffing problems Konoha's research and development division suffered from it was good to feel that he was getting back to the massive amounts of available capacity he had had during his master's time.

The fools of Konoha feared science these days, thought it a vile and destructive power. Science was so tightly linked to Orochimaru these days that any scientist would be seen as virtually the same as him no matter what. The only development people wanted to see was that of singular shinobi developing their own jutsu through years of experimentation. Sometimes he hated people, their ignorance and stupidity irritated him to the point of teeth-grinding frustration. He knew that logically speaking it was to be expected, their fears and suspicions about Orochimaru had turned out more correct than anyone would have wanted.

Yet, it didn't stop the fact that people were looking at him and his employees with wariness and suspicion these days. It was almost like they had become the village pariahs. As he got to the apartment building where he lived he fished out the keys out of his pocket and checked the mailbox. Seeing that there was nothing there he walked up the stairway, avoiding a cat that came running down at the same time as he was walking upwards. It seemed that the old woman at the end of the floor had left the door open again...

His apartment was one of the standardized ones with about forty square meters of space. The left part of the cross-shaped hallway led to large bedroom that doubled as living room and with windows against the east where the sun would rise. Naruto had also put in several bookshelves and a work desk there. The bathroom, positioned to the right, was quite small, only barely fitting in the shower, sink and toilet, but at least it was newly renovated and clean. Several lockers made up the walls in the hallway and gave ample storage space where he kept his uniforms and clothes. Due to his limited amounts of clothes he had even managed to stores some books there too. Straight ahead was the kitchen, lying in a room shaped like an L with the dining table hidden behind the wall.

Naruto had moved into this apartment about four years ago when he had started to earn enough from the missions and work his master did that he could get his own place. He hadn't been comfortable at home, feeling like an unwelcome stranger in the family where his father was a distant and constantly working figure and his mother focusing all she had on his sister.

When Naruto came to his door he had only grabbed the handle before he realized something. The door was unlocked! True to his training, Naruto's body tensed at once and his heart begun to pound faster as it readied for battle. His mind worked at top speed as he reached into his clothes and took out the dagger and the poisoned senbon he carried there at all times. Having pressed himself against the wall beside the door, Naruto held the weapons in one hand and took out a mirror which he used to glance inside the slightly ajar door. He couldn't see anything inside there but that didn't mean they weren't there.

Assassins? Naruto thought about the possible enemies of Konoha and which factions that could benefit from his death. But no, assassins wouldn’t leave the door open. A burglar? Was someone stupid enough to break into a shinobi apartment?

Yet: when the smell came wafting from inside the apartment, however, Naruto's battle-readiness came crashing down in seconds. A groan escaped him as he pocketed the mirror and weapons before he slowly pushed his head into the wall, suddenly feeling so very exhausted. Getting up from his hunching position, Naruto walked inside. Making his way inside the apartment he went directly for the kitchen.

As he entered it he came eye to eye with a person that currently was seated at one of the chairs at the table. Said person was very small, even smaller than people that age usually was. In fact, this person stood only about 130 centimetres tall; however the vibrantly green eyes and the blazing red hair did a lot to compensate for the stature. The round face with the whisker marks on the cheek was also noticeable, as were the brightly coloured clothes, a kimono-style vest as well as both arm and leg-warmers in orange with red details and black bicycle shorts. Finally, the fact that she was currently slurping down a whole cup of instant ramen made her impossible to not notice. Namikaze Kimiko, jinchuuriki of the kyuubi, Konoha academy student and his sister.

“Hey oniisan!” his sister said with a smile, just having slurped down the last of the ramen she was eating. “How's work?!”

“Exhausting,” Naruto said, blinking at what he saw. The workbench in the kitchen was covered by empty ramen cups, he counted at least a dozen of them.“What are you doing in my apartment?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“Mom told me I can't eat ramen at the house anymore,” Kimiko said as she went over to the bench and opened another cup of ramen which she filled with hot water from the boiler. Shaking it, she then took another cup standing there and pulled off the lid, making steam come out. Naruto sweatdropped, was she queuing the ramen now, preparing another cup while she ate? Seeing that kind of methodical efficiency when something like ramen was concerned chafed with Naruto somehow. “So I just figured I'd come here to eat instead,” Kimiko finished as she sat down with the new cup in front of her.

Naruto ended up staring at his sister. This girl was unbelievable. “Wait....” he said now, rubbing his temples. “Run that past me again, are you planning to use my apartment as a storage space for ramen?” Kimiko smiled brightly at him and smiled.

“It's a perfect plan!” she said, her mouth filled with ramen that hung out of it, like a beard. She swallowed before she continued, “They won't stop me going here, right? And I won't disturb you since you always work. Everyone becomes happy!”

Naruto only looked at her for a second before he walked towards one of the cupboards; suddenly he needed something to drink. When he opened the cupboard where he kept his tea his eyes suddenly widened as an avalanche came crashing down on him. It was a tidal wave, a deluge, and Naruto had no chance to stop it before it was too late.

“Gah!” with a shocked and undignified sound Naruto was thrown to the floor as the tidal wave of ramen cups buried him. Kimiko shot to her feet with her eyes wide, knocking over her ramen cup in the process.

“Oniisan!” she yelled in panic and threw herself on the giant pile of cups. She began to rummage through it as fast as she could only to have Naruto's head rise from the middle of the ramen pile. His eyes were glaring daggers at her and he didn't seem to notice the cup of shrimp ramen that was resting on his head.

“How many cups did you bring here?” he asked calmly, removing the cup from his head as he rose to his feet, towering nearly one and a half feet above above his short sister. Like with the rest of his family, he didn't feel any hate for Kimiko. What did did feel, however, was a monumental annoyance over her personality.

Kimiko grinned with an embarrassed look on her face as she scratched the back of her head. “Eh.... about two hundred...” she said.

Naruto hit her now; with his fist he gave her a light hand-chop on the head. It wasn't painful but it was effective. Kimiko flinched and closed her eyes as her head sunk down a few centimetres.

“idiot!” he told her, “Are you planning to live your entire life on this slop?”

“Ramen isn't slop!” Kimiko protested shrilly before Naruto raised his hand again, making her stop.

“It's a slop consisting of salt and fat,” Naruto said, “It's the most useless food there is, providing nothing necessary or even healthy. And where's did you put the things that were in there before?” he continued, pointing at the cupboard. Kimiko, who was just about to vehemently defend her beloved ramen, was stopped in her tracks now A confused blinking happened in her face as her eyes opened and closed. For about three seconds she looked like an owl before she opened her mouth.

“Uh oh,” she said slowly. Naruto sighed now and walked over to the sink. Opening the locker below the sink he peered into the trashcan. Sure enough, the tea he had bought a few weeks ago was mashed down into the trash along with the other things he had had in that locker.

“Kimiko...” Naruto said as he looked into the trash. His voice was as calm and gentle as it could be but Naruto could feel how Kimiko froze behind him. “Come over here,” he continued, speaking with a calm and soothing voice. He didn't look back but he could tell that Kimiko was currently approaching, no doubt shaking life a leaf. Naruto pointed into the bin as Kimiko came up to him, making her look down into the cupboard. The girl silently obliged and steadily refused to make eye contact with him.

“You see that bag of tea there?” he asked, making Kimiko nod. “That tea costs about twenty ryo a pound. I had just bought it.” At this, Kimiko flinched. “Other things too, the crackers, the rice, you threw my food away.” As usual Kimiko never thought before she acted. Naruto could imagine her rushing over here and getting into the house, opening a cupboard and throwing out everything that was there to stow her ramen there.

“Y-you can take some of my ramen...” Kimiko said in a tiny voice. However Naruto shook his head.

“I don't like ramen,” he said, “I like nutritious food, like the food you've just thrown away. Do you understand? It is like I'd replace your ramen with vegetables. Look at me.” Naruto continued. Kimiko didn't move though.

“Look at me.” Naruto said again. Now Kimiko slowly moved, turning to look up at him. He was met with two giant tear-filled eyes, his sister on the very edge of crying. Her eyes were large and tear-filled, about to spill over, and her lower lip was trembling. A whimper seemed about to spill over her lips. His sister was about to start crying, seemingly having understood what she had done and reacted on this in her usual instant fashion. Naruto sighed before he reached up and patted her on the head, making the girl's eyes widen as she seemed to calm down.

Little thoughtless, impulsive and energetic Kimiko, the girl carried her heart on her sleeve and could go from rage to sadness on a moment's notice. As Naruto patted the girl's head she turned to look up at him and smiled, an errant tear making its way down the side of her face. Kimiko wiped it away with her sleeve.

“Sorry oniisan.” she said sheepishly. “Do you want me to pick it up and clean it off?”

“You take the ramen cups.” Naruto said, “And stack them properly this time.”

Kimiko nodded and Naruto reached down into the trash-bin, feeling very grateful for the facts that all those things had been in sealed wrappings and that he just had taken out the trash yesterday. It was then that he heard the “eeep” from Kimiko and looked back to see what had happened. Kimiko's ramen cup had been knocked over and the broth was now covering the entire table, drenching both it and the floor in broth. Naruto didn't even react now, only pulling back to get the rag from the sink, glancing at the clock he saw that he had about forty minutes left before he was supposed to be at Machi's. He just hoped that he could clean this up too without Kimiko causing any more chaos.

Chapter Text

Having managed to chase Kimiko out of his apartment Naruto had managed to get a quick something to eat and showered. As it was now however he was forced to use shunshin to get to Machi's in time, having left the apartment with only five minutes to spare. Thankfully Kimiko had not set the apartment on fire and as soon as she had stacked the ramen he had chased her out.

When she had asked what he was doing all he had had to do was to mention Anko and she had instantly fled. Kimiko and Anko had met two times before, both those times Anko had frightened Kimiko to the point that the girl these days would be frighted by the mere mention of Anko.
Especially the second time came to mind, Kimiko had called a by then eighteen year old Anko an old lady, provoking Anko to chase Kimiko halfway around Konoha with a kunai in each hand. It was with a huge jump that Naruto reached one of the taller rooftops in Konoha and looked out across the city.

Looking down, he could spot Anko standing by one of the walkways hanging over the main street. The unique thing about the bar she had told him to come to was that it was located high above the streets, at a place that was impossible to reach unless you were trained, ie a shinobi. The owner was a well known eccentric but the shinobi-only clientèle was appreciated by many people.

Naruto got down on the street with one accurate shunshin, appearing in a swirl of leaves right next to Anko. Anko turned to look at him, surprised but not started by his sudden arrival. Looking down at his watch Naruto saw that he had arrived on the second. “Right on time.” he said as the leaves finally dispersed. Anko blinked before she started to laugh.

a bark of Anko's trademark laughing – a low semi-chuckle – could be heard from Anko as she looked at him. “Good grief Naruto.” she said, “You've gone THAT anal about appointments?” she laughed again after this, seemingly already a bit tipsy. Naruto only shook his head though.

“It was Kimiko” he said, “She had broken into my apartment to store ramen there, in about five minutes she wrecked half the kitchen and I had to clean up.” Anko stopped laughing now. For a
second she looked at Naruto with a strange look on her face before she begun to howl with laugher.

Anko's almost malicious laughter rung through the streets before the young woman could recover and took a deep breath. “Holy shit Naruto, doesn't that brat ever grow up?” she asked, provoking
Naruto to shake his head.

“I'm seriously starting to wonder about that.” he admitted as they both leaped high skywards and landed on the board that formed the “porch” for the bar.

Deftly balancing on it, they both headed into the inn. It was a large, circular room with several circular tables arranged in two circles, the smaller inside the larger and the smaller positioned on a lightly raised part of the floor. In the middle of the room a giant pole went right through the building, being what held the bar this high up in the air.

At the far end of the room the bar was located. The mood inside the room was quite dampened, the lights were dimmed and the volume was low. About two dozen shinobi sat scattered in small group amongst the low tables, seated upon the pillows used to sit on.

The smell of cut wood inside the house was thick, giving the place a distinct but yet mild smell that to Naruto's enhanced senses was quite refreshing. The soft fragrances, the dim lighting and the music played by an old man holding a shamisen made this place an oasis in many ways. Here shinobi could retreat to a place where the senses were dulled and soothed, a place of rest and comforting emptiness.

Naruto could spot several ninjas he recognized. In one corner, sitting alone, Morino Ibiki was seated, sitting with his back against the wall, one leg pulled up to his chest and the other stretched outwards, the table beside him and several sake bottles lined up on it. As usual his grim face was unreadable. Further away a group of shinobi were discussing something over Machi's special: a giant bottle of saké easily about two litres big. Naruto could recognize Shiranui Genma, Yamashiro Aoba and Namiashi Raido amongst the group.

Anko plopped herself down on one of the lower circle tables, making sure she took a space with a window down towards the village. She looked up at Naruto and grinned as she made a gesture.

“You go get some drink.” she said cheekily, “I'm the birthday child after all.” She leaned back against the wall now, folding her hands behind her head and crossing her legs. Leaning back
like this she raised one eyebrow and looked at him expectantly. Naruto put down his jacket by the table and headed towards the bar.

Well there he was met by the old and almost infirm Machi, the woman who ran this place. How the old woman kept getting up here was anyone's guess, she was old enough that jumping was impossible for her. “Hello there Namikaze-san” the old woman said politely “what can I get you?”

“Two bottles of saké.” Naruto said, thinking about how Orochimaru had given them saké several times. The man had meant that they'd have to be able to master anything adults could in order to
master infiltration missions. Naruto had been capable of drinking sake easily at the age of twelve. Still, it was first now that he had started to consider it a relaxing past-time.

“Warm?” the woman asked and Naruto nodded.

“Tobi-kiri-kan” he said, ordering the warmest sake available. The woman nodded and soon two bottles with hot sake stood in front of him. Carefully taking the bottles by the necks he made his way over to the table again, the cups balancing on the backs of his hands. Reaching their table he put down one bottle in front of Anko who made a smacking sound with her tongue

“Yum!” Anko said now, straightening herself up and turning so she sat by the table properly. Naruto sat down and carefully poured up his sake, some steam rising from it. “Tobi-kiri-kan” meant that the sake was at least 55 degrees celcius warm when you drank it and it was easy to burn your tongue. The very name “tobi-kiri-kan” meant “hot enough to jump up” As he finished Anko had readied her glass too and she looked at him with a challenging grin. “Ready?” she asked, making Naruto look at her with a raised eyebrow. The smile on Anko's face said more than a thousand words and Naruto instantly got what she meant.

“As you wish.” he said, taking the cup in his hand. “Kanpai.” he said to her.

“Kanpai!” Anko replied with a cheer, taking the small cup and downing the contents all at once. Naruto followed suit and swallowed the saké as swiftly as he could, feeling the intense burn as the sake made its way down his throat. No matter who you were, swallowing sake that hot was not easily done.

The burn would remain as it travelled down your throat, seemingly sizzling your innards before it settled in the gut where it would feel like you had swallowed coal for a while. Naruto's eyes widened as he crossed his arms in front of him and leaned forwards, Anko gasping as she started pounding her fist into the table.

“Holy shit!” she croaked, “Feels like I've deepthroated an oni!” she started breathing deeply and her eyes were blinking rapidly with tears starting to form. Naruto didn't say anything at first. This was partly because he wasn't able to but also since he saw the quip and thought it too easy to go on. In the end he decided to do it anyway since she'd most probably be annoyed if he didn't.

“I don't even know how you'd know what that's like.” He said, taking a deep breath and recovering. Anko laughed at this and poured up another cup of the hot saké.

“Well not all of us are spending all our time in a lab.” Anko said innocently, “If you ever peeked out of your testing tubes you might discover quiet a lot, you might even get laid.”

“I'd rather unravel the secrets of reality than stick my penis in someone and grunt for an hour only to get an endorphine rush for my troubles.” Naruto deadpanned, making Anko collapse from laughter. It wasn't loud but Anko nevertheless collapsed onto the table, lying with her face buried in her arms as she shook with laughing. It took a good while before she could look up at Naruto again, her face red from laughing now.

“You SO have to get laid.” she snickered as she took her saké glass and swept it in one deft move. Naruto followed suit and yet again the burning sensation made him tense up and choke. As he recovered he looked up at Anko and sighed.

“I have gotten laid,” he said, “didn't you know that.” Anko blinked now, looking at him.

“No I didn't.” she said, “The heck, when did that happen?” she looked genuinely surprised now.

“It was three years ago.” Naruto explained, “Orochimaru wanted to complete my infiltration training and dragged me off to a brothel in the capitol, quite a high-class place too. He grabbed hold of one of the older prostitutes, somewhere around 30 I think she was, even though she seemed younger. He told her to “show me what it meant to be a man”. One hour later it was done, apparently I am a natural.” Naruto spoke of the whole thing with an utterly disinterested voice and took a small sip of the saké. “This actually works better at small sips.” he added, looking up at Anko. suddenly the woman fell forward again, her head smacking against the table.

“So you were a virgin who got to screw an experienced high-class whore...” she whispered, “You last for a god damn HOUR.... and you act like we're talking about the newspaper deliveries after that?!" Anko was suddenly almost frightened by Naruto, how the bloody hell could that boy remain that impassive?! She looked up at Naruto only to see him shrug.

“It was enjoyable.” he said, “Don't get me wrong. But I can't see what all the fuss about sex comes of. I mean, sex sex sex, people talk about it all the time, if it's not this then it's that and all is sex. I've gotten tired of all the constant yapping about it and in the end I felt like it was better to just forget about it.”

Anko sighed at what Naruto said and took another sip of her sake. “Get more booze.” She said, making Naruto raised his eyebrow quizzically and raise the bottle to shake it. About half the bottle was still filled. “Just do it!” Anko snapped, “If this is who I’m boozing with I’ll need a lot more to make it funny.”

“You were the one who invited me.” Naruto pointed out as he got up, “what do you want?”

“Sleet.” Anko said. This time it was Naruto’s turn to sigh.

“If you end up in hospital tonight I’m not accompanying you. Got it?” Anko shrugged and Naruto went over to the bar. From one extreme to another: now it was mizore, “sleet”, sake served at below zero temperatures and which actually turned to sleet when you poured it. Naruto dreaded what would come now and he decided to order a bottle of normal sake, served at body-temperature. Anko’s desire for extreme kicks wasn’t one he shared by far. However as he turned around to look at Anko he felt like sighing, was she already getting that drunk?

At her table Anko had just taken off her coat, now sitting with only the fishnet shirt covering her torso. Naruto noticed that the group who had been sharing the giant bottle were now glancing at her with an embarrassingly obvious interest. He was half a mind to go sit with Ibiki, seeing as the man kept his eyes to himself. Yet… he was here with her, wasn’t he? Naruto walked back to Anko and sat down, putting the bottle of mizore in front of her.

“Knock yourself out.” He said, putting the normal-warm bottle in front of him. “Can you please put on the coat again?” he continued. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Drink saké,” Anko said with a grin as she took her bottle and started to pour the saké, “It helps.” The freezing-cold sake poured from the bottles, seemingly like diamond dust, and landed in the cup with the faint faint sounds revealing that it was more sleet than liquid. “I was thinking of getting laid tonight and this way I kill two birds with one stone.”

“What?” Naruto asked, having no way to be able to keep up with Anko’s manic train of thought. He stared at the woman in disbelief now, refusing to accept that it was him being thick that stopped him from understanding, the woman had to be crazy. Anko grinned as she took a swig of the sake, soon widening her eyes and getting goosebumps all over her skin as the literally ice-cold sake went down her throat.

“Whoo-hee!” Anko cheered, “This feel like going down on a Yu...”

“No.” Naruto said, cutting Anko off. “I know what you are going to say, don’t say it.”

“But…” Anko begun now, blinking as her lips begun to curve upwards at the grim face he was giving her.

“I said no.” Naruto said, this time more forcefully and with a glare that drilled into the woman. “And put on your coat again!” Naruto wasn't distracted by her lack of clothing, what he was was annoyed by it. Anko started to laugh again now, grinning at him like the Cheshire cat.

“Only if you figure out what two birds I'm killing with one stone here.” she said, pouring some more sake for herself as she grinned at him.

“Remind me why I subject myself to this.” Naruto said. “The first is that you're hoping to make people want to sleep with you and since you're lazy you prefer to just strip and wait for them to come to you..”

“Oohhh.” Anko said now, “That one knew where it took, and next?” Anko leaned to the side, one arm supporting her head and the other on the table in front of her. The grin was still there.

“Other than irritating me I cannot... and that's the reason.” Naruto concluded, missing only half a beat as he understood why Anko was doing this. She wanted to annoy him. Naruto realized he probably just had gotten to eat up his annoying of her earlier this day.

“Dingdingdingding!” Anko cheered, “Good boy.” she applauded him and put on her coat again. Before Naruto could stop her though she had confiscated Naruto's cup and poured some of the ice-cold saké into it. “Let's ride.” she said as she had poured some for her too. “kanpai!”

“Kanpai...” Naruto said with a sigh, thanking his master for the enhanced alcohol tolerance he had thanks to the genetic modifications. Anko might lack them but she had built up her own tolerance and Naruto would need every spliced gene he had if he was going to keep up with her.

Downing the ice-cold Mizore he shivered as he was reminded of an assassination mission in the land of snow where he had had to swim under the ice of a lake to drag the target underwater. The cold had been numbing even with the gear he had used and the Mizore reminded him of the mouthfuls of ice-cold water he had taken. He shook his head as he felt how the freezing cold actually cleared it somewhat. Still, the taste went to hell...

“Let me ask something Anko.” Naruto continued, deciding to address something he had been wondering. Anko looked up at him and smiled widely.

“Okay.” she said, “But only because it's my birthday and I'm in a good mood.” Naruto decided to let that one pass.

“Is sex really that important to you?” Naruto asked her, genuinely curious. Anko's appetite was infamous throughout Konoha and according to the rumour mill every bachelor in Konoha had sampled her. That probably just meant that a large part of the shinobi bachelors had slept with her, Naruto knew how stupid the rumor mill could be and he also knew Konoha's population numbered about 200.000, that meant 100.000 men, somewhere around 15000 of them in the 18-28 age bracket that usually made up bachelors. This included counting attrition due to age in the upper brackets. Even so, he decided to knock off about 3000 more, partly to make it more manageable and partly because many were married when they were 28. So 12000 then. That meant that she'd have to sleep with someone every night for over thirty-two years straight which fell on its own implausibility, especially since every year 1200 more people would join the crowd.

Anko raised one eyebrow at this and looked at him.

“If you mean important as in “I fucking love it”, yeah.” Anko leaned back now, heaving folded her legs in under the table and using them to support herself as she leaned backwards. “How so?”

“Why?” Naruto continued, “As said, it is a rush when you get to the finish and the journey can be exhilarating too but I just can't see where it becomes so wonderful that you have to spend, what is it, five times a week, having sex.”

“Seven if I can manage.” Anko admitted without the least hint of embarrassment over it. “And I think you've kinda got the wrong idea about it all.” she continued, giving him a disbelieving smile, “First of all, I get multiple orgasms.” Anko held up a finger now, another soon following it as as smug smile started to adorn her lips. “Second, with a good partner I can be on it for hours.” a third finger rose now. “Third, there's about a thousand different ways to do it and they all makes you feel good in a different way. Fourth.” a fourth finger rose now, “Getting a good lay makes the entire next day for me and fifth.” now her last finger rose and suddenly a shadow passed over her face and her smile died. “I do get lonely at times you know.” she finished, the joviality gone from her voice.

Naruto blinked now, taken aback by what Anko told him. The sudden solemnity of her statement was not what Naruto had expected from her. Indeed, the whole admittance gave him a realization that was uncharted territory for him. Anko was lonely. For Naruto, who couldn't think of having seen Anko in any other mood than either sadistically eager or cheekily grinning this was an unfamiliar situation.

Lonely. The concept was absurd to Naruto; Anko was a woman he always had pegged as indomitable, she took anything with a large grin and went on, insults and hurtful actions sliding off her like water. Naruto blinked slowly before he shook his head.

“It doesn't make sense.” he said. “You'll have to explain this one to me. How does sexual gratification compensate for social isolation?” Anko looked at him with a tried stare that was extremely clear in what it said. “You're an idiot” is what it said and Anko sighed and shook her head.

“What about this.” she said, “I feel needed. I feel like there's someone who gives a shit about whether I live or die, at least for a few moments. Unlike your family mine is dead. I don't have any bratty sister worshipping me and hiding stuff in my home. When I die there's gonna be one more name added to the memorial stone and in about a month nobody will remember me as anything other than Orochimaru's apprentice. I'm fine with that, this is my life, who I am and I like doing what I do. But if I can for at least a few seconds feel like there's someone who would cry when they carve the name on the memorial I'd rather take that than lying alone every bloody night.” Anko grabbed hold of the first bottle of saké and took a deep swig of it, the liquid having cooled enough that she could do this without scalding herself.

“You get how jealous I am at you at times?” she continued, glaring at him. “Your family loves you like hell and they are only looking for a chance to shower you with apologies for how they dumped you with the old snake and forgot about you. But you? You've got your head stuck up your ass so far that you can smell your own breath and won't even look up from your microscope to see what you've got right in front of you.”

“This spiel again?” Naruto begun, having been heard that many times before. “I understand how you mean but why do I owe everyone else to fix things up with my family? Is it because it is impolite to everyone without family that I do not care for them? When did my private life become a matter of official scrutiny?”

“Yeah, it's SUCH a burden to have people who love you and accept who you are.” Anko drawled, “You arrogant prick, what the hell do you think will happen? That you'll lose your ability to do research? Are you only able to do one thing at a time? What about breathing? You have to stop staring into your microscope to do that?!”

Naruto saw where this was heading, the worst part was that he couldn't admit what he stood to lose. The troves of knowledge and the labs he had salvaged from Orochimaru demanded all his attention as it was and if he came closer to his family he'd run too much of risk to be discovered. He had to settle this, preferably quickly.

“I never said it was a burden:” he said, making soothing gestures, “But neither is it anything I want. I simply don't care, I have my own life, they aren't involved in that.”

“Bullshit.” Anko snorted, “You're more screwed up that me Naruto. We were that psycho's apprentices for over a decade both. You remember how it was, you seriously think that you've walked away without any issues from that? I remember how you cried in fear more times than I can count and then one day out of nowhere you become the block of ice you are today. If you're trying to sell me that you ain't got some issues from that you're gonna be the biggest liar in Konoha.”

“Don't single me out Anko.” Naruto said now, about to lose his cool, “We're shinobi. Do you think this work lends itself to mental health?”

“That's what I'm saying you idiot.” Anko sighed, “You're already in a business that'll screw you up royally and if you haven't got anyone who is there to be important to you, what do you have when everything go to shit? You're already afraid enough to be hurt that you're a machine who holds your family away from you. Stop ignoring the fact that you've got issues and deal with them, aren't scientists supposed to see the entire picture?”

Naruto was on the verge of sighing. Anko was so off the mark as she could be. He wasn't a hurt little kid or broken victim of his life. He was the man who had conspired to kill his master to take over his underground laboratory network and who was prepared to manipulate his father for more funding. Even Anko had maternal instincts it seemed, and those were currently making her see not Naruto the shinobi, but Naruto the child. Still, it worked in Naruto's favour, Anko's blindness would make it easier for Naruto to hide what he was doing. He'd still have to disarm the situation somehow though.

“Perhaps you should focus on your problems instead.” He said, trying to turn this around. “I'm a grown man, I can handle this myself. Shouldn't you be the one doing something about your problems?”

“Why do you think I'm drinking?” Anko asked, sourly taking a swig from her bottle.

“Now that sounds like a damn good solution to me.” Naruto and Anko both started as a giant bottle of saké landed on the table. Both turned to look who owned the bottle and was met with the group of five shinobi who had shared the bottle by one of the table. Shiranui Genma, Yamashiro Aoba and Namiashi Raido. First now Naruto recognized the last two, the two young chuunins Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo. All of them looked really drunk. “Mind if we sit down too?” Raido asked.

“You've got a present for me?” Anko asked, “It's my birthday you see.” Her words made the group hesitate and look at each other. Anko looked at them with an open expression, utterly neutral and patient. Naruto winced at the sight, knowing that Anko was on the hunt, when they said no she'd use that expression to grind them into dust with guilt. It was then that Genma smiled and pushed over the bottle to Anko.

“Happy birthday to you.” the man smiled, starting to wave his arms to make the others join in. “Happy birthday to you!” the entire group sung how. “Happy birthday dear Anko, happy birthday to you!” the voices of the five drunken shinobi created a terrible mess of a choir as they all, in different paces and scales, tried to sing the short verse. Yet, Anko sat on her pillow with eyes wide open. She stared at the five men as they sang to her and Naruto was sober enough to realize she was blushing.

As the five men all finished singing Anko was speechless and blinked for a few seconds, her eyes locked at the group standing by the table and her mouth opening and closing. After those few seconds had passed though she sat up and grabbed the large bottle. With a mighty heave she put it to her lips and started swallowing the contents in large mouthfuls and it was nearly thirty seconds before she put it down with a large bang, having downed almost half a litre.

Cheers rose from the other shinobi and Anko slammed a hand into the table. “You pass!” she yelled, her eyes glittering with manic joy, “Sit down and let's get ready to party! Slave, more drinks!” she yelled at Naruto, who realized that the evening was over, from now on it was headway to unconsciousness for these people. As he went to the bar he slowly shook his head, wondering why he did this. Still, it wasn't for nothing that a tiny smile settled over his face. As stupid as it was, it was cathartic too.

_______________________

It was with a slight groan that Naruto opened his eyes. His head was pounding as he slowly looked around the room with one eye. Somehow he had managed to get home after last night despite the humongous drinking binge and he had even gotten into bed. Naruto slowly sat up in bed and started to mentally recount the events of last night.

After the other shinobi had sat down by their table they had started drinking with a much greater fervour, Anko's sudden happiness over what had happened had put her on the verge of crying and she had hidden it with raucous partying. The other shinobi hadn't been slow to join in and Naruto, even though he tried to take it easy, was more or less forced to drink at their pace by Anko. The whole thing had become a wild party of the exact variant that Anko thrived in. If he remembered correctly she had been all over Genma by twelve o' clock, which was also somewhere where Naruto had lost his memories of what had happened.

The last thing he remembered was Izumo and Kotetsu hanging on him and declaring that they had the “utmusht reschpegt” for Naruto and that they thought Naruto was a “truu schinnobi” who “dinna descherve th´trettment” he got from the rest of the village. It had been a surprise to hear the two chuunin confess this, even though he doubted they would have said it without that amount of alcohol in them.

Speaking of alcohol, Naruto felt like shit and he started to do a mental check-up of himself. The amount of ethanol – the scientific name for the alcohol in liquors – he had consumed yesterday had dehydrated him, leading to headache, dry mouth and the feeling of lethargy. Furthermore, inside the liver the ethanol had been converted to other chemicals, sparking a series of reactions that led to the feeling of nausea and, should he be so unlucky, diarrhea, vomiting and flatulence. The other symptoms of weakness, hyper-salivation, sweating, sensitivity to light and a murderous hunger were present as well. Naruto slowly got up from the bed, knowing what had have to do now. As he passed through the hallways he mentally checked off what he needed for this.

Getting to the kitchen, he started to rummage through the cupboards and fridge after what he needed, eventually having it all out on the workbench. He tried to ignore the nausea and focused at the task at hand, heating the plates and digging a frying pan out of a cupboard. Cooking was never something he had put any special pride in but he did acknowledge the benefits of a varied diet, therefore he was skilled enough that he could create at least decent meals. It took about half an hour but eventually his hangover-remedy was ready.

Two bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches along with another two fried eggs to increase the cysteine and amino acid levels in the body and replenish the lowered salt levels. a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk to rehydrate the body and to gain calcium and vitamin C. a third glass of baking soda dissolved in water against the nausea. Unless he was going to medicate himself, something definitely not recommended in this state, this was as good a cure as he could come up with. The empty glass and the equally empty plate standing on the table suggested that he had eaten before he went to bed too. Naruto was grateful that he had done so, he shuddered to think of how he would have felt if he hadn't done so. Sitting down to eat, he chomped down on the sandwich, savouring the taste.

Idly, his thoughts came to visit Anko and he wondered how she would feel now. Probably twice as hungover as him and lying clamped between one or two of the shinobi they had been drinking with. Genma would definitely be there, perhaps Raidou too considering their close friendship and Anko's appetite. Naruto almost pitied his fellow apprentice, he couldn't imagine it being especially fun to be hungover and wake up with people you didn't really know.

After the breakfast was finished Naruto paid a visit to the bathroom and afterwards he leapt into the shower, taking a cold shower to help his body reactivate. The kick of the adrenaline did a lot to activate him even though it momentarily aggravated the symptoms, not the least the headache. He was done in about two minutes and wiped himself off quickly. Thankfully it was a warm spring and he could let the hair dry naturally, he didn't like having to sit with a hairdryer for an hour. Perhaps he should cut it short?

It was as he got out of the bathroom that he felt the smell of hangover that had been settled throughout the apartment. He opened what windows he could and cleaned up the kitchen, already feeling better. Glancing at the clock, he noticed that he had an hour left and decided to take a short walk. Today was Friday and the lab would only work half-time, starting afternoon. However, Friday also meant weekly check-up.

Once every week he had to go to the hospital and get examined by Heisei Rin, one of his father's students and also one of the best medic-nins in Konoha. After his master's death it had been for the best to alleviate some of the suspicions against him by agreeing to the check-ups. His alien metabolism and body-functions unnerved most people and there were also, admittedly, some legitimate concerns about what Orochimaru had done to him. As much as Naruto liked to claim otherwise, he did not understand everything that had been done to him. He could figure it out, there was no doubt about that, but they were too occupied at the lab to allow him time to do that. At the moment, however, it was for the best to consent to the check-ups and be grateful for the fact that if anything happened it would be discovered.

Putting on his shinobi clothing he idly thought about how much they made him stand out from the crowd, even amongst shinobi. As Orochimaru's apprentice he had been given permission to dress in whatever way that was optimal for his training and the wide, snow-white shirt along with the maroon sash and trousers made him an exotic figure. Still, they made him distinct and for shinobi at his level the benefits outweighed the cost, making him easily recognizable added to his intimidation-capability. Also, the wide shirt was easy to pull down, freeing his chest and giving him better flexibility, something vital at his level of agility. Of course he couldn't wear it in the lab, the sleeves could knock over things, catch on fire or any number of other things, this forced him to use the kind of standard clothes most shinobi used when he worked there.

Never the less, now he could wear the outfit he felt at home in and when he had finished cleaning up and making the apartment spotless again he left it, heading for the hospital. He didn't go straight for the hospital though, instead using the opportunity to take a brisk walk around Konoha. Light exercise was also one of the remedies, it made the blood start pumping again and increased to oxygen levels throughout the body.

Outside the sky was overcast, throwing a gloom over the city. Still, there was no rain in the air and judging from the looks of it a brisk wind was pushing the clouds away, blue sky being visible in the far distance. Naruto savoured the air and the lack of piercing sunlight as he made his way down the stairs to the main street since despite the food and the shower his head still hurt and sunlight wouldn't have helped. There were no cures for hangovers after all, only time could nullify the symptoms, the other methods only mitigated them.

_______________________

About an hour later Naruto made his way into the Konoha hospital, pushing the double doors open and walking inside the waiting room. The fresh air and the cool wind that blew through Konoha did wonders for his headache and he felt nearly totally recovered. Thankful of this fact, he made his way to the third floor where the waiting room for advanced medicine was. He was right on time, his session with Rin beginning at nine exactly.

Naruto entered the small, comfortable waiting room, noticing that it was empty as usual, and sat down one one of the plastic chairs lining the walls. Leaning back into the chair Naruto put up one leg on the other knee and and rested his arm on the armrest, supporting his head with his hand. He never looked forwards to these check-ups. It wasn't that Rin was unskilled, far from it, it was her meddling.

a student of his father like Hatake Kakashi, Heisei Rin had during her first years as a shinobi seen one of her teammates, a young Uchiha who had been in love with her, die. The event had deeply affected the then twelve-year old girl and she had retired from active duty, requesting transfer to the hospital. Nowadays she was well respected and the second in command of Konoha's medical shinobi, second in skill and clout both only to the head of the hospital.

Yet, the scars after her dead team-mate was still there and she had, ever since Naruto became her patient, steadily worked with trying to bring Naruto back with his family. She couldn't stand seeing people who should be close being apart from each other and it reflected in these meetings. Like Anko had shown herself to think last night, Rin was convinced that Naruto was a hurt and miserable child longing for his family.

Was there only Orochimaru who had faced him as an adult? It seemed as if the rest of Konoha thought he was the same person he had been when he had been turned over to his former master, a small and confused child. Even worse was the part that he, whenever he talked with her, couldn't really being himself to fully believe that he wasn't either.

Footsteps interrupted his thoughts and he looked up just in time to see Rin enter the waiting room. As always she was wearing the doctor's coat and her warm brown eyes shone with kindness, accentuated by her kind smile. Naruto got up and took Rin's extended hand.

“Once more, right?” Rin said to him, jokingly referring to the routine that had started to arise here. Having to do this once every week was quickly starting to lose what little charm it had had to start with. Naruto shrugged, having long since accepted the need for these tests. He didn't see any need to tell her the reason he disliked doing this was the fact that if he didn't cooperate here and stay the full hour he'd be marked down as “uncooperative”, something he couldn't afford. He silently followed Rin into the examination room and pulled down his shirt, knowing what was to come. The wide shirt was open at the front, giving him the ability to fold it down on the sides.

“So how has the week been Naruto-kun?” Rin asked him as he sat down on the bed inside the examining room.

“Tiresome.” Naruto sighed, “With the blood nin on the lose we're run ragged to find countermeasures. If we dare to say that we're hard pressed to find an solution they think we're just being lazy.” he rolled his eyes at the concept and Rin chuckled now. Thankfully she knew how working in the labs were.

“As always...” she said, “It's a pity they don't understand.” she continued as she turned around with a small syringe in her hand. He silently held out one arm and Rin put the syringe to the skin by the armpit. Focusing, the woman pushed her chakra into the needle and as the needle begun to glow it slowly sunk into his skin, taking almost half a minute to get all the way through.

“It seems as if the subdermal snakeskin has thickened.” Rin mused as she extracted a blood sample from him, “We should check that.” When she had filled the syringe she pulled it out and expertly covered the spot where she had pierced the skin with a tissue. Naruto took it over and held it against the skin. As Rin put the blood-sample into a testing machine he glanced at the tiny wound, seeing that it had already closed.

“Within ten seconds.” he said. His regeneration remained unchanged. Naruto already knew that but it was best to let Rin make her conclusions. People believed and trusted what she said, not so with him.

“That means the regeneration has remained the same.” Rin said, “let's take a look under your skin.” She said as she took a small circular metal piece from the desk and put it against his skin. “Are you ready?” she asked and Naruto nodded, knowing what would come. With a powerful twist Rin dug the razor sharp end of the tube into his skin. Naruto could feel the pain but he did not even flinch, having gotten used to the dulled pain responses. Rin quickly removed the tube, the circular patch of skin she had cut away following, and under his pale skin something unseen before amongst humans was revealed.

Snakeskin, pale white snakeskin was visible through the wound, flexing slightly as Naruto moved his muscles. He still wasn't used to this sight, the reminder of his unnaturalness. Rin took up a scalpel and begun to press it against the snakeskin, forcing the small blade against the scales. She pressed it quite hard, the blade in the end almost bending from the pressure, yet the snakeskin did not give way even one millimetre. As his human skin slowly, slowly started to cover the snakeskin again Rin removed the scalpel and nodded to herself.

“It's strengthened all right.” she said, “I could probably pierce it with a sword if I stabbed hard enough but all most light weapons will do to this is scratching the outer skin.”

“Were you planning to take any tissue-samples?” Naruto asked. If so, she'd have to extract them with a chakra-scalpel. However Rin shook her head.

“I don't think so.” she said, “At least not now. As aggressive as it is, we know it's not malignant. It might be worth doing a couple of MRIs though and I'd like to set another appointment for a full batch of samples. Still there's no panic, you can go on with your everyday life for now.”

“Glad to hear it.” Naruto said, surprised that she hadn't started to talk about his personal life yet. Yet, the old saying “speak of the devil” came true now as Rin's next topic turned out to be just that.

“So how has life been other than with work?” Rin said as she took up a notepad and begun to scribble on it. “I heard that Mitarashi-san had her birthday yesterday.” Rin didn't like Anko one bit, thinking that the woman was too unstable and too violent, Naruto had already figured that out Yet, she did not show it now, instead smiling openly at him upon asking the question.

“The rumour mill seems to be working quickly here.” Naruto remarked, “Yes, it was her birthday, she dragged me off to Machi's. Did any of the people we were drinking with come here with alcohol poisoning?” he added, thinking it was best to check with her. Rin chuckled at his question.

“Sorry Naruto-kun.” she said, “Those things are confidential after all.” Naruto shrugged, having expected that, and Rin continued. “How was it?” she asked and Naruto looked up at the ceiling. Eventually he decided to answer, what harm would it do to talk about it?

“It was enjoyable.” he admitted, “I'm not as big on it as Anko but it feels cathartic to do it once in a while.”

“Cathartic how?” Rin asked and Naruto explained.

“If you get too bogged down thinking about something you'll eventually freeze mentally, you won't get anywhere since you're too deeply entrenched. Things like these frees up the mind and lets you mentally start anew the next day.”

“Good thinking Naruto-kun.” Rin said with a smile, “There are many people twice your age that has yet to grasp that.”

“Many people twice my age aren't me.” Naruto said dryly, provoking Rin to look up at him with a wry smile.

“Now be nice.” she told him, “Let's just check your lungs and heart and wrap this up.” She took the stethoscope from its resting place around her neck and put the plugs in her ear. The cold metal soon landed on Naruto's chest and he took a deep breath, letting his lungs fill up, and exhaled after a few seconds. “May I ask you something Naruto-kun?” Rin asked after he had taken a pair of breaths.

“What?” he asked.

“Do you ever feel uncomfortable in your body?” Naruto almost felt like he had gotten a punch in the gut now. The air got stuck in his throat and he coughed, making Rin jump slightly as the cough resounded in the stethoscope.

“What brought this about?” Naruto asked as he cleared his throat.

“Just a question.” Rin told him, “With all that's happened to you I thought it would be a good idea to ask.”

“Okay...” Naruto said, feeling very uncomfortable suddenly. Was he? He had never thought of it like that before but now what she said it he started to wonder. No, was the immediate answer, I'm not sure, was the second thought that plopped into his head. Looking down at his arm, where the skin had now fully healed, he found himself unable to come to a satisfying answer to whether he was.

“I don't know.” he said after a while, after a while adding “I don't think so. It's the price I paid as a shinobi and I've got you to check me up. Furthermore the benefits are massive for me as a shinobi and even if people think I look unpleasant that's not enough to really outweigh it.”

“Why do you think that people fell you're unpleasant?” Rin asked him, Naruto sighing now.

“Heisei-sensei.” he said, looking at her with a patient look on his face. “I'm a snake, last time I checked the Orochimaru-style was not the vogue. I am more or less a carbon copy of that man, only with a slight palette swap, and everyone who looks at me are reminded of him. Yes I think I'm considered creepy around here.”

“I'm not so sure about that.” Rin said, “I've actually heard people say otherwise.”

“Yeah well idiots are thirteen a dozen.” Naruto said, dismissing the whole idea. “There are people who think that Madara was a hero as well, all you can do is ignore them and hope they grow up.”

“Are they idiots because... they don't agree with you?” Rin asked carefully, making Naruto grit his teeth.

“Heisei-sensei.” he said, glaring at her. “Think.”

“I am thinking.” Rin said, “And I don't see what you mean. You're you, not Orochimaru, and people know how much you sacrificed for Konoha, why are you so insistent that they should only see your master and not you?” Naruto sighed, actually not finding any answers. He leaned forwards and suddenly he remembered something. a chuckle escaped him now.

“Utmusht reschpegt,” he said, quoting the two chuunin yesterday. Rin raised an eyebrow and Naruto clarified. “It was a pair of the people we were drinking with, they had the “utmusht reschpegt” for me. And I never doubted that I would get acknowledgement as a shinobi. That's not the issue.”

“Do you want to talk about the real issue?” Rin asked and Naruto shrugged.

“It's the fact that when most of Konoha looks at me it sees a seven-year-old child.” he told her. “Boo hoo, poor suffering little boy, what a tragic life, how he must suffer. But I don't.” He stood up, feeling too aggravated to sit down. “I don't suffer,” he said, “I don't regret what's happened, I'm not unhappy and I don't need a shoulder to cry on.”

“Then what do you feel about it?” Rin asked Naruto found himself stumped. Really, what could he say now? The only thing he felt about Orochimaru was triumph over his success and contentment that the despicable maniac was dead. Yet how the heck could he tell her that? That he had conspired to kill Orochimaru and take over his organization? That he was glad it had succeeded and now could feel almost giddy over the possibilities this meant for him?

“Happy.” he said eventually, it was technically the truth. Rin raised an eyebrow here and Naruto clarified. “For all that Orochimaru was, he was never a father to me, he was a source of knowledge. He challenged me, drove me to improve, guided me to become who I am. Yet: he did it for his purposes only, I, the person I am, was never a part of his thinking. It's how things were really, he used me, I used him. There were no love between us. And he betrayed Konoha. He did all those things you have heard about. He deserved what was coming to him, he betrayed all this village stood for and he paid the price for that.”

“What about the things that you stood for?” Rin asked him, yet again hitting right on the spot and forcing Naruto to stop and think. Eventually he spoke the truth.

“Science is a tool to serve man.” Naruto said, “Sometimes sacrifices has to be made but over all, it can't, mustn't, violate the basic foundations of man.”

“What are those?”

“For one: Free will.” Naruto said, “a shinobi can choose to drop out of academy, he can choose to refuse missions, he can choose to retire. Of course there might be consequences but he can still do it. Prison and banishment might both be preferable options to him and if so he can act on it. Those people in those labs? They never had that, they were taken, twisted, made into monsters, without any chance to say no. He had abandoned science and was playing god, toying with other people to satisfy nothing but his base power-lust. That's in the other direction of what I believe in and he wouldn't stop, never, so he had to die.”

“Do you feel that the human experiments in themselves were not something wrong, merely the way he conducted them?” Rin asked, making Naruto look at her before nodded.

“Yes.” he said, “With proper surveillance, people who volunteered as subjects, good routines for giving the subjects medical attention if needed and making sure to minimize the risks for them there's no logical reason to forbid it.”

“You think?” Rin asked.

“Yes!” Naruto exclaimed, “Of course there are people who will say “No, you can't. It's an abomination to nature!” We were “abominations to nature” as soon as we begun wielding chakra! The sage of the six paths supposedly created the moon! What's “natural” about that?! They are following their instincts, the same animal instincts that tells them “he made you angry, hurt him” or “she's beautiful, take her”. Is that the kind of things that should forge the decisions we make? Blind fear and conservatism? Yes: we are walking into dangerous territory but that's no reason to stop. That has never been a reason to stop, why should it be that now? We aren't at the end of history as some people want to claim, we're in the middle of it. It's still floating on and if we start thinking we've discovered what we ”need” according to some arbitrary standard we'll fall in the end, like all powers who stopped changing and developing did!”

“What's your view of it all?” Rin continued, silently listening to him with an attentive face.

“They view what I do as an abomination when I am making certain that not only will Konoha live and thrive tomorrow, it will be equipped to stand in a hundred years.” Naruto said with a dry voice. “And the only reason they don't treat me like my master is that they are too busy pitying me. Yes I am kind of annoyed by this.”

“I understand.” Rin said. “Yet as you said, hadn't a pair of chuunin come to respect you? Might that not mean that there are more people out there who does it?”

“I'm not going to hold my breath.” Naruto said.

“Why not?”

“Because people are stupid.” Naruto said. “And Konoha has put a pride in despising all that I do. Murder, poison, torture, theft, that's all fine when it's done for Konhoa but the things I do aren't. I
won't apologize for how I serve Konoha and they'll hate me for it.”

“You don't think you can change how they look at you?” Rin offered, making Naruto shake his head.

“As said, I'm not going to apologize.” he said, “I have better things to do than to grovel in front of narrow-minded idiots in order to make them see what they should have seen to start with.”

“Do you have to grovel?” Rin asked. “You're right, they are wrong to condemn you but unless you give them a chance, how can they know? Science is hard for many to understand and if you give them a chance to understand more easily I think many could come to their senses.”

“I...” Naruto begun before he stopped and a chuckle escaped him as he realized what he had been about to say. “I shouldn't have to.” he said with a dry voice, realizing the stupidity of it all.

Chapter Text

“We're approaching this from the wrong end.” Naruto said as he leaned back in his lab chair and sighed. For three weeks they had been holed up in the lab, trying to crack the secret behind the necro-bacteria. Yet no matter what they had tried the bacteria refused to divulge its weaknesses. It adapted to anything they had tried, often within minutes, and thus far the only thing that seemingly neutralized it was exposure to air. Having failed to combat the bacteria itself, Naruto realized they had to find some other options. He spun around in his chair, meeting the eyes of his co-workers, and looked at them.

“I think we all can see it, this bacteria refuses to be defeated, we need other options.” he told them, “Any ideas?” He looked around amongst his co-workers and saw that they all were stumped. “Yet again, what do we know?” he said, rubbing his temple, “Necro-toxin,” he begun with a tired voice, sounding as if he was reading from a list, “it reacts on foreign tissue by releasing an enzyme which facilitates a rapid spread of necrosis in the affected area of the body. Multi-resistant and works much like an antibody in their hosts. We've tried the ideas we could come up with on the first go, It's time to find another way, we're standing still as it is. Dismissed, we'll try to find a new path after the weekend.”

None of the gathered scientists dared oppose him, they had all learned enough about their superior to see that he was in a foul mood at the moment. This bacteria was obviously artificial, having way too much resilience and lethality to be anything natural, and their superior was not happy over it. Even if none of them dared to say it they were all thinking the same thing. Was this a legacy of Orochimaru? Was this one of the snake's creations?

Either way, they had been told to leave the labs for the weekend and so they did, vacating the sterile chamber and leaving their superior and his assistant alone. Naruto sighed as he spun around in his chair and pushed the microscope away. He leaned forwards and folded his hands in front of his face. Kabuto glanced at his master and after a few seconds he decided to speak up.

“There must be some way we can fight the toxin.” he said, “If it is Orochimaru's creation there will be a weakness to it.”

“It has weaknesses.” Naruto said, “It's only that we can't use them. If this was his creation it must be one of his finest.” Naruto stood up and walked over to the window, staring out towards the setting sun that cast its lights over the village and making it bathe in yellow which reflected in his pale blue eyes.

“Such is the pride for my hubris.” Naruto thought to himself, his hands supporting him at the sides of the window as he leaned towards it. “I thought I had figured you out, that I knew what you did. But I don't, I know nothing. It's not even a question about if it is yours, only when you developed it. Knowing you something like this might as well have been one of dozens of things you created. And I knew nothing of it.” Naruto's hands clenched against the sides of the window as anger rose in him. “I'll reveal it somehow.” He swore to himself, “No matter what you created I swear I'll outdo you you psychotic maniac. Someone who merely seeks to play god will never outdo me.”

“Let's call it a day Kabuto.” he said after a while, not turning back to look at his assistant. He didn't need to, he could more or less sense how Kabuto bowed as he spoke up.

“As you wish sensei.” with that, Kabuto left the lab and Naruto was left alone in the room. After a few minutes of staring out of the window he sighed and pulled off his gloves before he threw them into the nearest bin. Was he staring himself blind at it or was it simply as hard as he thought? He needed to crack it soon at any rate, as it was he would soon become too swamped to be able to handle things. The labs needed work still and as it was he hadn't even checked up on Oto, having been locked here for too long.

He hardly even knew how the place looked, the snakes he had sent north to give reports to the person now running the place, a young girl named Karin, approximately Kabuto's age, who had been in charge of one of the more outlying laboratories. The girl was brilliant though and Naruto had made her his representative in Oto, where she enforced his rule with fanatic loyalty.

Naruto was grateful he had managed to salvage so many of Orochimaru's most loyal and capable workers. Claiming that it was Konoha who had killed Orochimaru had done wonders for ensuring the loyalty of the many twisted, damaged or fanatical people Orochimaru had gathered. Still, there was so much left to do and as it was he was stuck in Konoha, working on a seemingly impossible case with resources that were a joke. Karin's reports, furthermore, would have been perfectly suited for a lab report, explaining exactly what it intended to, but nothing more.

As it was they gave Naruto only a tentative grip on the shinobi village that was his. He had hardly any control over the situation he was in right now and all that was needed was a single uncontrolled event and it would all come crashing down. The massive amounts of prisoners who would be needed to dealt with, several unique genetic conditions amongst the more exotic bloodline and clan technique users, power-hungry people who wouldn't want anything more than to usurp his power. He needed to get to Oto, but how?

This question kept tormenting him as he left the building and headed home. The world was blooming fiercely around him, summer and all its life having arrived in full force. grass, flowers, bushes, trees, it was all teeming with vitality and Naruto idly waved his hand to chase away a small bumblebee that flew near him. He had to drop it, he was staring himself blind but as soon as he tried to turn his mind away from it all he could see was Orochimaru's smirking face. He couldn't stand the thought of pulling back, it felt like that would mean that Orochimaru had won, even if only for the moment.

Passing one of the teahouses he felt the smell of tea and dango and a sudden impulse made Naruto decide to stop. It was just as well to indulge himself in some snacks, perhaps it would work to clear his head.

“So even mister ice likes dango huh!?” Naruto froze in his tracks and a twitch appeared on his forehead in a millisecond, even before Anko's arms had wrapped themselves around him from behind and a grinning face was leaning on his left shoulder. “Took you this long to acknowledge the food of the gods?” the woman grinned, “Poor boy, let me buy you some.”

Having appeared seemingly out of nowhere, Mitarashi Anko dragged Naruto inside as the young man tried in vain to see a way out of the situation he had suddenly landed in. Had he been that far into his thoughts? He hadn't noticed a thing! The stupidity of the situation was unavoidable however, he ended up seated beside Anko outside the shop as Anko dropped a giant plate of dango sticks in between him and where she proceeded to sit down, handing him a can of iced coffee.

“If you spend fifty ryo on dango, can't you at least buy some actual tea?” Naruto asked as he accepted the iced coffee. As usual it had gone near instantly and Naruto realized he was trapped in Anko's webs again. Damn woman... yet, what did he have to lose? Nothing. To win? Hopefully get his mind of that damn bacteria.

“Oh grow up.” Anko said, making another tick appear on Naruto's forehead and making him reassess his view of this whole thing. “You look like shit anyhow,” she continued with her mouth full, already having dug in on the dango and stuffed an entire stick's worth into her mouth. “You need the coffee.” Naruto decided to not say anything and opened the can without a word, taking a deep swig of the ice-cold coffee. He wouldn't admit it but the taste was heavenly, refreshed him and cleared his head to a surprising degree. Reaching to the side, he fished up a dango stick and chomped down on it.

“So how's the research going?” Anko asked him after a while, her mouth still full. “Standing still as usual or is it going backwards for once?”

“Yes.” Naruto deadpanned without missing a beat. His dubious answer made Anko chortle and she nearly spat out a spray of dango before she could cover her mouth. Bending his head forwards he dodged a slap to the head and took the opportunity to grab another dango stick. “The bacteria is most likely his creation,” he said as he rose to an upright position and Anko stopped, not following up with another slap and instead meeting his gaze with a hard and focused one.

“Orochimaru...” she said, the word almost hissed like a curse as her eyes got something steely in them. Naruto nodded as he took a sip from the iced coffee.

“It seemingly lacks all weaknesses, we can't neutralize it.” Naruto said, “Every time I think I've found the solution it turns out to be a dead end and I can see that bastard smirk in front of me.” he grabbed another dango stick, “as it is we're running out of options, I can't...”

“Yuki!” someone screamed behind them now, interrupting Naruto. Both he and Anko both looked back to see a corpulent and middle-aged woman in an expensive kimono and her hair in an elaborate hairstyle a few benches away leaning over someone who was currently lying on the ground, seemingly shaking. After a second they both realized it was a small boy, seemingly around seven years old and as corpulent as the woman standing over him, and he was rapidly turning blue.

“Holy shit.” Anko said, having stood up, and Naruto was already heading towards the lady.

“What happened!” he asked as he knelt by the boy's side, the woman he guessed was his mother seemingly near hysteric.

“He... he ate some of the dango and then fell down!” the woman cried as she did her best to comfort the child, putting her hands on the boy's chins as he only got more and more blue and blue. Makeup was running down her face as tears were flowing down her cheeks. Naruto swore internally, this wasn't good, the boy had gotten an allergic reaction to something and would soon choke. Looking around, he saw the dango stick the boy was holding in his right hand, it still had one red and one green dango stick on it.

“Anko!” he snapped, “the three-coloured dango sticks, what gives the white ones their colour!?”

“It's eggs,” Anko said, hurrying over, “is he allergic?!”

“Class one hypersensitivity.” Naruto nodded, he could see it easily, the boy was suffering from anaphylactic shock, his body had leapt amok when exposed to the substances in the egg and now the throat had swollen shut, becoming like a red tumour sticking out of his expensive clothes. Naruto was too focused on the situation at hand to notice it but if he had he'd have realized that the boy must be of noble birth, his clothes were made in the finest silk, as were the mother's kimono. Furthermore both of them had very pale skin and the kind of droopy face that was more or less the primary identifying features of the Daimyo's family. Yet as it was his mind was totally switched into examining mode and his only interest was how to save the kid.

“He'll choke soon, get me a straw!” Anko didn't question him, she only threw herself over the bench and dashed for the teahouse, tearing one of the straws from the large, straw-filled mug on the counter. Naruto grabbed hold of the woman and shook her.

“Calm down.” he commanded her, the woman was only aggravating the boy's condition, frightening him. He had to get her to calm down, shove the reality down her throat. “Your boy needs you, calm down.” The woman, even if her black eyes were wide in fear and shock and her entire body trembled, nodded stiffly, understanding. Anko returned now, handing him the straw and Naruto took it from her.

“Get a medic-nin, quickly!” he snapped and Anko left in a blur of motion, being halfway to the rooftops before Naruto had even turned back to the boy. He leaned over the boy, who now was seemingly near panic.

“It's okay Yuki.” the woman said as she stroked the boy's round chins. Her voice was trembling but it held, “You'll be fine, you'll be fine.”

“Do you hear me Yuki-kun?”Naruto asked, looking straight into the boy's eyes. The boy nodded, doing his best to not give in to the panic he no doubt must feel now. “You're being very brave,” Naruto told him, “I know it must be horrible but you're really brave. I'm going to put this into your throat so you can breathe, just stay calm and when you can breathe, do it, okay?” The boy nodded again and Naruto grabbed his neck, forcing his head backwards until he was looking backwards, his throat was red and his face swollen, the swelling was bad indeed.

Opening the boy's mouth Naruto forced two fingers into it, holding the tongue down as he pushed the straw into the boy's throat. The boy's hand flew up and his mother quickly took it, holding it as she whispered soothing words to her child. The straw didn't easily make its way down the boy's throat but Naruto kept pushing, it was either that or the boy's death. After what seemed like minutes the straw started to slid easier and a whistling sound came from it as air made its way through the thin straw, giving the boy much needed air.

“Easy now Yuki-kun.” Naruto told the boy, knowing that he would want to pant deeply, something that would suck the straw into his lungs. “Breathe calmly, you'll live.” he kept saying to the kid as he reached into his clothes and pulled out a senbon needle, one of the non-poisoned ones, and turned to the mother. “I'll sedate him,” he told her, “That way his body will calm down and he'll be at peace. May I?” he showed her the senbon needle so that she'd understand what he was going to do. The woman nodded, currently busy taking deep breaths from the relief. Naruto nodded before he turned and showed the needle to Yuki.

“I'm going to put you to sleep with this needle now, okay?” he said. “It won't hurt and when you wake up you'll be at the hospital and the doctors will help you. Okay?” the boy seemed to after understood him but all Naruto could see in his eyes was fear, the needle must have seemed very big and intimidating to him. “This way you can tell your friends that you've gotten real acupuncture, right?” Naruto continued with a smile, the boy had to be calmed down. It seemed to work and the boy eventually nodded, trying to smile despite the straw that currently was lodged in his throat. Naruto smiled back at him and slowly pushed the needle into the side of his neck, gently piercing a nerve cluster and sending the boy into a coma. First now Naruto could take a deep breath from relief as the boy became limp and unmoving. He had done it.

“He suffered an anaphylactic shock due to the eggs.” he told the mother as they both gently helped the boy up on the bench. “His body understood that something harmful had entered the body but it couldn't find anything to react on. This made his immune system go crazy since it didn't find anything to attack, meaning it attacked his own body. That caused amongst other things the swelling. He'll be better off asleep until professional medic-nins get here.”

“Oh thank you...” the mother sighed, “Thank you so much, I-I never thought that there was eggs in those dango.” Her statement made Naruto amazed at her ignorance, her child was allergic and she hadn't even bothered to check what the food he ate contained? He kept his mouth shut though, realizing there was nothing to win on pushing the subject. Never the less: the fact that the woman had missed what was right in front of her and nearly caused her son's death because of it made him infuriated. How blind could people be? How...

Naruto froze. Looking down at the now unconscious boy and his swollen throat he had an epiphany that made him slack-jawed. Realization flooded him and he almost gasped.

“That's it!” he blurted out, having suddenly figured it all out. It was so obvious! As the mother turned to look towards him all she got to see was the slight of a swirling mass of leaves where Naruto had been. She blinked in confusion at his sudden vanishing as Naruto had already gotten halfway back to the labs.

Wild-eyed, Naruto landed in front of the building and unlocked it before he dashed inside. He ran up the stairs and straight to the lab. Grabbing one of the coats and a pair of gloves as he passed by he threw himself into work. On the paper it all worked out, he had seen that, now he had to figure out how.

Early the next Monday a lone figure made its way through the streets of Konoha, walking towards the laboratory building. Kabuto was heading towards his workplace to be first man there, as he always were. For all Naruto's claims of planning to keep him, Kabuto knew that his sensei had betrayed Orochimaru, Kabuto's initial sensei, to usurp his organisation. Kabuto did not want to give Naruto a reason to think he was anything other than totally loyal to the young man.

As Kabuto entered the laboratory building it was with surprise that he noticed that the door was not locked. The silver haired boy was certain he had locked it before he had left. He had stayed for a while to clean up and his sensei had left before him. Now however his eyes narrowed as he realized what it had to mean. Someone was here. Pushing his glasses into position, Kabuto entered the building, deciding to try to engage the intruder. If someone destroyed any of what they were working on here sensei would be furious.

He could see light coming from the second floor, in the lab. After a few seconds he decided to investigate and walked inside. Everything on the first floor was untouched, no signs of intrusion. He knew he had turned off the lights and locked the door though. As Kabuto silently hurried up the stairs he could hear one of the machines in the lab being turned on. Who broke in to a lab to start the machines? Kabuto pulled out a kunai and sneaked over to the open lab door to glance inside.

What he saw in there surprised him. Inside the room none other than sensei himself was standing The man was leaning against one of the computers with his hands supporting him against the sides of the screen as he stared at it. Unlike usually his hair was not pulled up and he seemed almost hunched over as he stood in front of the machine where rows of text were rapidly passing by. Kabuto hadn't expected this; how long had sensei been here? Pocketing the kunai, Kabuto headed inside to greet him.

“Sensei.” he asked tentatively, only to be greeted with Naruto glaring backwards at him. With the hair down and his snake eyes almost shining Kabuto's heart skipped a beat as he saw a near total copy of Orochimaru in his sensei's face. The hair hung down on the sides of his face where the eyes were glowing with an almost maniacal light. His teeth were ever so slightly bared and Kabuto could see even here that they were clenched.

“Oh,” Naruto muttered, “It's you.” this was all he said before he turned back to the screen to stare at it. The constant flow of text didn't seem like it was about to relent any time soon.

“Did you discover something sensei?” Kabuto asked carefully. He didn't want to disturb Naruto, the man must have stayed here all night, his eyes were bleary and seemingly unfocused. Kabuto knew that he'd probably be very irritable right now.

“The bacteria.” Naruto said atonally, his eyes not leaving the screen, “It's not like an antibody, it is an antibody, it works not similarly, it works identically. That means that even if we can't fight it we can fight the carriers. An anaphylactic shock would make it start poisoning them. I'm seeing if the idea works in practice.”

Kabuto found himself unable to say anything when Naruto was done talking. Such a concept, it was a wild guess at best. Something made Kabuto wonder if his sensei had snapped. Having spent the entire night, or even the entire weekend, working like this was the deeds of an unbalanced person, not the calm man he knew his sensei as. The sounds that then came from Naruto only further aggravated Kabuto's guesses, his sensei laughed.

That alone was something strange and unheard of, but the laughter that came from Naruto was outright unbalanced.

“Ehehehehehee...” Naruto chucked, his head downcast as the texts had stopped rolling on the screen. His hands were clutching the screen with enough force to make his knuckles go white. “Hehehehe-hahahahaha!” Naruto stood up, throwing his hands out to the side and looking towards the ceiling. “I did it!” he yelled, making Kabuto step back in shock and fright. “Do you see me now you old fool! I did it, I outsmarted your creations! There's nothing you have created that I won't figure out!” In manic joy, Naruto was laughing wildly, a tint of seeming madness in his laugh.

“So...” Kabuto said, “Shall I report to Hokage-sama sensei?” Naruto's head snapped to the side now, seemingly having forgotten Kabuto's presence there for a while. An unsettling smile spread over his lips as he looked at his assistant.

“Oh no.” He said, “Not quite yet, I'm not going off half-cocked here, first we're going to...” It was then that Naruto stumbled, loosing his footing and stumbling to the side. He eventually collided with a locker, making a bang echo through the room as his hand flew up to his head.

“Sensei!” Kabuto was at his side in a second, reaching out to support him. As he landed his hand on Naruto's shoulder he realized that Naruto was trembling. “You were here all night, were you not?” Kabuto asked, Naruto nodding.

“I came across a child who suffered an allergic reaction to eggs.” Naruto said, groaning as he rubbed his eyes. His voice was back to normal now, sounding only exhausted. “I got the idea to try anaphylactic shock from it and headed back to the labs at once. Been working non-stop since then.” Naruto waved away Kabuto and rose to his feet. “What was I doing?” he continued, having been snapped out of his exhaustion induced insanity.

“You were...” Kabuto began.

“It was a rhetorical question.” Naruto said as he shook his head, mumbling tiredly, “Report to Hokage-sama, start looking for ways we can apply the data and be snappy about it. I'm taking the day off. Got it?” Naruto drawled, looking at Kabuto with an exhausted face. Kabuto nodded, smiling respectfully at his sensei.

“Shall I keep hinting about the funds sensei?” Kabuto asked, getting a nod from Naruto.

“You know what to do.” Naruto said, walking over to the window and opening it before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves that was sucked out through the window. Kabuto went over to the computer, leaning in to start reading the final analysis the computer had spat out. His eyes danced over the figures and the data, taking it all in and processing it. Sensei was right, the idea worked. Kabuto's face twisted into a smirk, realizing how the counter-agent would work.

“How terrible...” he thought to himself.

“... And sensei believes we can start synthesize a counter-agent against the necro-bacteria within forty-eight hours.” Kabuto finished his report, standing at attention in front of the Hokage. The man was impressed, one could see that on him.

“You sure don't let the grass grow under your feet.” he said, “Didn't the labs open for the week only thirty minutes ago?” Minato glanced at the clock. Kabuto almost grinned at this, the man made it too easy.

“Well...” Kabuto said, “Yes,” he said, grinning uncomfortably, “We always strive to be effective...” With a balanced and well-estimated dose of seemingly uncertainty he opened the door, inviting Minato to bite. The man's eyes narrowed immediately now and Kabuto could see that the man had swallowed it. He internally thanked both Orochimaru and Naruto for having done all they could to present him to the world as a naïve and awkward nerd, that was the only thing that stopped Minato from realizing how he was duped.

“Is there something I should know?” Minato asked, making Kabuto raise his hands in a defensive gesture.

“N-not at all Hokage-sama.” Kabuto hurriedly said, “We checked it very well, the counter-agent will work as intended.”

“I meant about how you got the results so quickly.” Minato interrupted him, “Speak up, that's an order.” there was a hint of steel in Minato's voice, something Kabuto respected. The man didn't leave hints of suspicious or unknown factors alone, not even when his son was involved. Pretending to flinch, Kabuto got an uncertain look on his face.

“Well...” he wet his lips, making a show of how anxious he was. “Hokage-sama, this project was severely hamstrung from the beginning by our crippling lack of funding and our progress was a slow crawl at best. Sensei didn't want to make a fuss about it though, however when we left the lab last Friday we... we overheard some of villagers.” Kabuto straightened himself up, feigning a look of anger on his face. “They were whispering that the bacteria probably was Orochimaru's creation and that it wasn't strange that the snake's apprentice wouldn't want to reveal his master's secrets.” his lips formed into a thin line as he noticed how Minato's eyes widened.

“Forgive me my audacity Hokage-sama,” Kabuto said, being proud of the fact that he could make his voice tremble with seeming anger, “but sensei has worked tirelessly to uncover the secrets of this bacteria, the suspicions that it might be Orochimaru's creation only spurred him further. Those people had no right to say that and even if sensei didn't show any reactions he was badly hurt by the remark. He went back to the lab and worked non-stop all weekend to figure it out, he didn't even sleep and was near a collapse when I got there this morning. He didn't want me to say anything, but I have to speak up, he's running himself ragged, with minimal funding and personnel, to uncover the secrets people expect him to lie about, it's not fair!” the naïve exclamation gave it all a perfect finish and Kabuto seemed to tremble where he stood.

He knew that he had taken a chance, yelling at the Hokage could very well be seen as insubordination. Yet the man didn't seem like he was planning to have Kabuto thrown into jail. Indeed, he seemed more interested to keep his trembling hands under control. The Hokage could hide most of it, to many it would just seem as if he was thoughtful, but Kabuto could see it, the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha was devastated by what Kabuto said. Not only was his son ostracised, he was becoming more and more seen as Orochimaru's successor. How it must hurt for the man to hear this about his son.

“I... I'm sorry Hokage-sama.” Kabuto said now, “I was out of line.” Minato only raised one hand however, motioning for Kabuto to be quiet. The boy obliged and the Hokage sighed.

“It does you honour that you speak up.” Minato said, his voice seemingly calm but Kabuto knew what to look for. The man was horrified by the story Kabuto had painted for him. “Dis... dismissed.” Kabuto gave the Hokage a sharp salute and left the office.

Naruto had crashed into bed the first thing he did when he got home, the exhaustion making him trembling and powerless. Only getting home had been a chore. He could have started himself awake with acupuncture but he needed to sleep, the acupuncture wouldn't do anything with his exhausted mind, only his body. When he finally had gotten up the long flight of stairs and through the damned door he hadn't even bothered to get undressed, only collapsed on the bed with the fervent wish to sleep in his head. How had he managed to stay focused the entire weekend? The bliss of sleep overtook him swiftly, his body and mind joyfully accepting the sleep. He could feel how he, in only seconds, drifted away into the land of dreams.

“Oniisan!”

Something slammed into Naruto's gut, knocking the air out of him and sending a shockwave through his body. His body became paralysed by the blow but the adrenaline in him made him move still. His body was stiff but he could still move, with a surge he pushed the attacker off him and in wild shock he grabbed after the opponent's body. He did get hold of something and twisting around, he slammed the body against where his body knew that the window were.

Naruto's heart was pounding as he dangled the intruder out of the open window, his teeth bared and his eyes wide in shock and fright. His fist was clenching the intruder's clothes and he panted, at first not being able to identify who it was due to the startling attack. Fear had made the adrenaline pound in his ears. After a while he managed to calm down enough that he could see clearly. The intruder was being dangled out of the open window, the face staring at him in shock

Said face, however, belonged to Kimiko.

Naruto ended up staring in disbelief at his sister, his eyes wide as he slowly took in who it was. The girl was staring at him as he clutched her shirt at the chest area, holding her straight outwards. Only a few seconds later Naruto had pulled his hand in and unceremoniously dumped Kimiko on the floor.

“You asinine little brat!” he exclaimed, speaking from his heart as he saw Kimiko cough on the floor. Kneeling, he put a hand on her back and patted it to stimulate her breathing again. “What were you thinking of, jumping me like that!?”

“I...” Kimiko croaked as she massaged her chest where he had clenched her shirt, “I was saying hello!” she looked at him with a face that was actually angry now, her brow furrowed. “I didn't expect you to be waving me around like a string of ramen!”

“I was asleep!” Naruto yelled, still shocked and having the adrenaline working overtime. “Don't you learn to not jump sleeping people at the academy any more?!”

“Sleeping at this time ?” Kimiko asked, her face suspicious now. “Ah! I know what it is! It's that scary snake lady, she's making you get bad habits, you were out drinking and skipped work!” she pointed an accusing finger at Naruto, her entire face a visage of righteous accusation.

Naruto gaped now, staring at Kimiko with his mouth wide open, gaping like a fish. He couldn't believe his ears, was this hyperactive little gnat seriously accusing him of neglecting his responsibilities?! This brat!? This tiny little ramen broth-guzzler dared accuse him of skipping work like he was a lazy academy student!

“I did not...!” he yelled before he stopped, a teasing little part in the back of his mind getting a distinctly Anko-like grin as it sing-songed that yes, technically he HAD skipped work. Today was Monday, he was meant to work. Even though nobody would fault him that didn't change that yes, he had skipped work. “Or I... I mean...” Naruto started to flounder, not knowing what to say. He didn't lie unless it was a matter of missions and technically Kimiko was right. That meant that he had been outsmarted by this microscopic twit!

“That's it, isn't it!” Kimiko yelled, Naruto gaping in front of her. “She's corrupting you! She's corrupting my big brother!”

Whack. The ridge of Naruto's hand hit Kimiko's head as Naruto stopped Kimiko in her tracks.

“Will you shut up?” Naruto sighed. “Also,” he took a quick peek at the clock, “Aren't YOU the one skipping out on things?” he pointed out when seeing that it was only one in the afternoon. Kimiko froze here, making Naruto grit his teeth as he grabbed Kimiko by her pigtails. Ignoring her yells of protest, he bent low, actually kneeling so he'd be face to face with her.

“Listen here Namikaze Kimiko and listen well.” he told her, his eyes drilling holes in her face, “Not only are you only mid-ranking in your class, you are even refusing to take what chances you have to actually improve, instead going to bug me! You are six months from graduation, when you will be thrown into active service, expected to fight and kill. Do you seriously think you've got the time to muck around?”

“Well why don't you teach me a jutsu then!” Kimiko fired back, her eyes narrowed into that fox-like, petulant look.

“…What?” Naruto asked, having been thrown totally out of the loop by Kimiko. He blinked as he looked at her now.

“All that stuff they teach at the academy is boring!” Kimiko said, untangling herself from Naruto's hands. “You know all kinds of cool jutsu, teach me one!”

That was it. Kimiko's irreverent attitude and Naruto's grouchiness both reached their peaks in that moment. Naruto's eyes turned serpentine and he let to of her pigtails. Biting himself in the thumb, he proceeded to make a series of lighting-fast seals, too fast for anyone but the ones possessing the sharingan to follow, and slammed his palms into the floor.

a series of seals spread over the floor and made a giant poof of smoke erupt in the room, covering everything for a second. Kimiko threw her hands up to cover her face but when the smoke quickly cleared she opened one eye to look. However both her eyes went wide as she saw what was in front of her.

a huge snake, easily thirty feet long and with a body as thick as two feet at its widest, with purple scales and a triangle-shaped head. Said snake looked at her and hissed, it's giant mouth opening wide.

“Gyaaaa!” Kimiko screamed before the snake lunged.

a few seconds later the snake was lying on Naruto's floor, content and with its belly swollen to epic proportions. Said belly twitched every now and then, as if something was moving inside.

“There!” Naruto snarled as he stomped into the kitchen to make a strong cup of coffee, “a cool jutsu!”

a few minutes later Naruto was sitting by the kitchen table, a large mug of strong coffee in his hand. He had unsummoned the snake after only a few seconds, making the animal vanish and a mucus-covered Kimiko land wildly flailing on the floor. Booting her into the shower, he had told her to clean up and get out into the kitchen when she was done.

Standing on the other side of the table a steaming hot cup of ramen was currently standing. Naruto figured giving her something to fill her mouth with was the best way to stop her from using it against him. Also: he did admit to himself, even if he'd never tell her, that he had overreacted. Feeding Kimiko to a snake was such an overreaction that it wasn't even funny and he felt embarrassed over himself. Had he really become this unbalanced by the stress lately?

Kimiko came out of the bathroom now, wearing one of his towels wrapped around her body. She peeked into the kitchen, her face appearing from the doorway, suspiciously peeking at him. She wasn't going to enter of her own free will. Naruto calmly gestured towards the ramen-cup however and within seconds the situation was solved. Kimiko almost instant-moved onto the chair and opened the ramen-pack with blinding speed.

“So what do you say?” Naruto asked as he looked at his sister slurping down the ramen with a blissful look on her face. Kimiko paused for the faintest of moments before she sucked the ramen dangling from her mouth into it and grinned.

“You're forgiven oniisan.” she said, making Naruto actually have to fight a small smile. Where was that wit during her studies?

“Anyhow Kimiko.” he started now, deciding that he had to address this issue of hers. “Do you know how many risks you take every time you use a jutsu? How many things that can go wrong?”

“Huh?” Kimiko actually stopped now, the magic word of “jutsu” having grabbed her attention. “Uhhh... one I guess?” she asked, making Naruto sigh.

“And that is...” he asked patiently.

“Chakra depletion.” Kimiko explained, “you run out of chakra and die. But that's not a problem for me,” she continued with a grin “I never run out!”

“Did you know there's actually five things that can happen?” Naruto asked, seeing Kimiko furrow her brow and shake her head he continued. “First there's depletion: that you run out of it, as said that is something that can kill you. Then there's feedback: that when you release the chakra back into your body the pulse becomes too powerful, overloading the body and can cause any degree of damage, from light to fatal. There's overload: that you mould too much chakra, ending up with a massive amount of chakra you can't use and that eventually slips out of your grip, something ten times more powerful than feedback at best. There's something called arrhythmia: that the chakra flow in your body becomes irregular and you can't synch with it, meaning you will be unable to use chakra, sometimes forever. Finally there's explosive decompression: you try to store it for too long in specific tenketsu, chakra focal points, and it ends up blasting the tenketsu to pieces, meaning you will become unable to channel chakra to that place.”

His dramatic descriptions of the dangers of chakra use had obviously caught Kimiko's attention, she was staring at him with wide open eyes, even having stopped to eat ramen.

“Wh-why didn't they ever tell us that!” Kimiko blurted out now, staring in shock at her brother. It obviously rattled her, the girl had grown up in a family of such legends and had ever even heard about that.

“Because it's not an risk for any of you.” Naruto said. “In the end, it's chakra, life force. Do you think it'll be that dangerous? Of course it isn't, it's perfectly safe the vast majority of times and when you do end up with something like this it's usually because you went way, way over your actual skill level, like for example an academy student wanting to try high-level jutsu.” he added dryly and Kimiko flinched. “Also, each of the jutsu you're taught there are picked in equal measures for their ease of use, their versatility and their usefulness in preparing you for using other jutsu. Bunshin teaches you to wield chakra from your tenketsu, all of them. Kawamiri teaches you to make it flow in certain directions and Henge teaches you how to alter chakra`s very nature.” Naruto described this with motions of his hands, informing his sister on how it worked. Of course he knew this, Orochimaru had had him find this out by himself when he was much younger than Kimiko's was now.

”Really?” Kimiko asked, her face getting a suspicious look on it. “You're not just making this up so I will go back to study boring things?”

“Am I a liar Kimiko?” Naruto asked softly, making the girl flinch. “I am a scientist.” he said, “This kind of knowledge is what I eat, breath and drink. Konoha wants its shinobi to be strong but the risks involved in training little children are immense, their chakra system isn't fully ready, they are mentally unprepared, if you rush things the results will be catastrophic. If all it took was a devoted teacher and a great student to be that good, do you seriously think the academy would waste time on those things you learn?”

“Well...” Kimiko said, not knowing what to say.

“Kimiko...” Naruto said again, actually smiling now, “Thinking that you can just waltz into the academy and already know fifteen jutsu, be about mid-chuunin level in close combat bla bla bla, those things are the foolish fantasies of deluded morons without any concept of how this world works. Progress is sometimes made by one giant leap, I'll admit that, but it's the constant and steady working, year out and year in, that pays off. Believe me I know that.” he added with a smirk as he took a deep sip of his coffee.

“Yeah... hey wait a second!” Kimiko protested now after having looked at Naruto with almost a reverent look on her face. “You became a jounin when you were my age!” Naruto nodded.

“I did.” he said, “You want to know why?” His blatant admission made Kimiko lose some momentum and the girl nodded, slurping up the last of her ramen. “Because when the Kyuubi came, I became obsessed.” Naruto bluntly stated the only name besides Anko that he knew Kimiko feared. She knew what was inside her, knew what she was. She also knew that one day she would have to call upon it and that there were others like her.

“How do you mean?” Kimiko asked, making Naruto continue.

“I cannot describe it, but a fire lit inside me. a terrible thing that whipped me to act. I couldn't resist, I had to do as it told me. That's why I went to the library and didn't come out of there for months. You could say I went crazy, but that makes it sound worse than it was. Still, I got such a drive, such a desperation, to understand what had happened, how it worked, why you lay there with that seal on you. I hope you never have to experience something like that Kimiko, you can't stop, it drives you on, no matter if you're hungry or tired. You work until you drop and resume first thing when you wake up.”

“But how does this work with your skills?” Kimiko said.

“Because I was lucky, or unlucky, enough that Orochimaru noticed me.” Naruto said. “He took that obsession and shaped it, turned it onto more creative pursuits. He told me that he'd teach me all I needed, but I needed to become a master of many things first. After a while, it wasn't about understanding any more, it was about advancing. It became my life goal, to become better, to reach a bit further, to climb that next mountain and see what was beyond.”

“Yeah, and you got taught jutsu!” Kimiko returned to her favourite subject.

“I wasn't taught advanced jutsu at the age of six,” Naruto told his sister, “I learned theory, physical training, sciences. It was first when it became a jonin that he really taught me high-level jutsu like the things you want to learn, and that was after six years of ceaseless working. No weekends, no free afternoons, nothing except constant work. I knew a few things before that, true, but you'd know them too, if you kept up in your studies, pushed yourself all the way every day. If you do that then in the end you'd find one more secret, one more technique, be it that the teachers decide to give you something small, perhaps that someone teaches you something, even that you come up with it yourself, there are ways to learn those things you want to know. If, you, truly, devote, yourself.” he punctuated each of the five last words by pounding his index finger into the table.

Kimiko sat silent now. The girl had her eyes downcast and looked into the table. a solemn look was etched on her face and it was easy to see that something had gotten her down. In the end, a small sniff made its way across the table and Naruto blinked. Soon tears was starting to make their way down Kimiko's cheeks. She was crying...

“But how...” she asked. “I'm not lazy... I'm not!” she sobbed, “But I just don't get it, I can't even do a bunshin. E-everyone else... g-gets it like nothing, b-but I'm still only making b-blurred shapes! I just don't get it!” Naruto almost groaned now. He couldn't handle situations like this. What was he meant to do now? Hug her? Say something smart? He thought furiously and in the end remembered something he had learned. Reaching forwards across the table, Naruto put a hand on the sobbing Kimiko's head and softly ruffled her hair. Old and well known rituals in between people were always comforting and he guessed that this was the best he had for Kimiko.

“Kimiko.” he said softly, thinking back on a case study he had done along with several medic-nins a while ago. “Did you know that there's a genin in Konoha who can't even use chakra?” Kimiko looked up at her brother through tear-strained eyes now, surprise evident on her face. “He was born with severe chakra arrhythmia, one so severe that it would never flow smoothly. It was impossible, utterly impossible, for him to use any ninjutsu or genjutsu at all. But now he's a genin. I worked together with Tsunade-sama and managed, only just, to give him a small, small pool of chakra to use. Not much, he'll never be able to use anything more than the academy three, but he didn't let that stop him. He worked hard, refused to quit and eventually, by focusing on what he could do, he passed. What he lacked in chakra usage he made up for in sheer willpower and taijutsu. He's apprenticed to one of Konoha's top three in taijutsu and part of what will become a dedicated assault-team. And if some nobody who barely has neither chakra nor control could do that, you most definitely can.”

“R-really?” Kimiko whispered, wiping her nose on her sleeve. Naruto nodded.

“If you work.” he said, “Train until your hands bleed, study until your eyes hurt, think until your mind hurts. There's a law in science: for each action there must be an equal and opposite reaction...” Naruto stopped and noticed that Kimiko's face was a mask of pure “I don't get it” and he shifted tracks. “Basically, no pain, no gain.” he translated and now Kimiko understood. “Do you have extra-curricular classes?” Naruto asked now, making Kimiko nod. “Then sign up for help with the chakra control, sign up and go, every day. Even if it's boring, you're tired or whatever. Go, and you'll do it.”

“Every day?” Kimiko looked at Naruto with an apprehensive look on her face Naruto nodded.

“It will be tough,” he said, thinking back on how a normal day had meant sixteen hours of work for him, and here Kimiko was apprehensive about stepping up from seven to nine hours. “But you'll learn how to do it.” he continued, “Also six months of two extra hours per day beats repeating a year, doesn't it?”

“I guess.” Kimiko said, apparently not looking forwards to it.

“So what about I teach you a jutsu when you pass?” Naruto asked, making Kimiko's eyes open wide. She looked at Naruto with stars in her eyes and wide-open mouth.

“Really!?” she squealed, looking at Naruto as if he had just promised her all the ramen she could ever eat. Naruto nodded. “OhmygodyourethebestbigbrotherEVER!” Kimiko squealed as she tackled him, flying over the table and landing on him with her arms wrapping themselves around him. Naruto “oof-ed” as he was thrown to the floor only just managing to make sure he landed without hitting his head. Kimiko was now attached to his chest like a tumour, squealing into his chest in wild joy.

“Get... off...me...” Naruto groaned, doing his best to push his little sister, now acting much like an overly affectionate monkey, off him. It took the better part of a minute to do this since Kimiko was strong when she wanted.

“What kind of jutsu will it be?” Kimiko asked, “Something like how to breathe fire? What about a summoning jutsu? No! Shunshin!”

“You'll see.” Naruto said as he got up from the floor. “But if you want it, you must go every day.” he told her, “No skipping, no slacking. Got it?” Kimiko eagerly nodded and Naruto smiled. Any slightest hint of uncertainty was gone and she was one hundred percent devoted to the idea now. “Good.” he said, “Then it's a promise.” Kimiko grinned at him before he stomach suddenly growled, loudly. Naruto sweatdropped as he could almost feel the rumbling in the air. Kimiko's grin turned embarrassed now.

“Eh... I'll go make some more ramen.” she said, zipping over to the cupbord to fish out another cup. Naruto swore to himself that he had to check that girl's metabolism some day. She was only 130 centimetres tall, a midget even for her age, flat as a board and scrawny as well. How could she scarf down that much ramen and still want more? Where did it all go?

“All right everybody!” Iruka yelled, getting the class' attention, “That was it for today. Make sure to read up on hypothermia until next week, there will be a test!” he finished with a roar as the students had started to leave already. This provoked a series of groans from them as they had expected a lazy weekend. Iruka shook his head as the students left, thinking that they seemed to get lazier for every year.

However as he gathered his notes he saw something that surprised him. One of his students had stayed behind and was currently standing in front of his desk. Said student was the one that used to vacate the room as soon as possible usually: Namikaze Kimiko, the hellion daughter of the Hokage. The girl was standing in front of him with her eyes flicking back and forth and an uncertain look on her face.

“Did you need anything Namikaze-san?” he asked her, one eyebrow raised at her. To see Nakmikaze Kimiko of all people stay behind after class ended was something he'd never have expected to see. The girl glanced at him for a second before she looked away again, a blush starting to spread over her cheeks.

a blush...

On Namikaze Kimiko's cheeks...

Iruka had seen that look before, a lot of times. In fact, he knew that embarrassed look well enough to precisely know what it was. Last time he had seen it was when that bun-haired girl who graduated last year had confessed to his colleague Mizuki.

Was she... Iruka found himself frozen, a lump forming in his gut as he stared at his student. By the gods, what was he going to do?! What had he deserved to have this happening to him? Wasn't he the man who berated her on a daily basis, wasn't she meant to hate him!? suddenly, as if to spite him, images popped into Iruka's head, images Mizuki had shown him on several occasions... BDSM images.

No! he was not allowed to think of his student being submissive in a bondage outfit! By kami-sama, hadn't he matured even beyond that?! And Hokage-sama... Hokage-sama would slaughter him of he found out. Iruka could only imagine what the usually soft-spoken and smiling Hokage would do if he found out one of the teachers was drooling over his little princess. He had to deal with this somehow... he was an adult and a teacher, he had to find a way to deal with this!

“Namikaze-san?” he asked again and Kimiko seemed to almost twitch a little. Not good, not good! What was he going to do? Turn her down, it was the only option. Of course it was! What else was he going to do?! Turn her down kindly but firmly, tell her that even though she was pretty he could not violate his duties, that was the only option! Kimiko mumbled something now which Iruka couldn't hear beyond “I” and he felt like his legs were shaking. The girl stared into the floor, seemingly too embarrassed to even look at him.

“E-excuse me?” he asked, dreading what would come now.

“I want to take extra classes!” Kimiko yelled now, her shout making Iruka's heart leap into his throat with fright. The girl's teeth were clenched now, as were her hands, and she has an almost angry look on her face

“Huh?” Iruka asked, staring dumbly at his student. “What? Oh yeah! Extra classes? Of course.” he stuttered as he tried to regain his composure. Extra classes... of course, what the hell had he been thinking! How arrogant could he get, of course she wasn't going to confess to him! Iruka felt a wave of contempt boil up in himself as a row of tiny chibi Mizukis danced around his head singing “hentai, hentai, you're one of us!”

“That's an impressive choice Namikaze-san.” he said now, trying to ignore the rows of silver haired perverts doing rings around his head. “Was there anything special you thought about?”

“Chakra control.” Kimiko mumbled, having folded her arms in front of her tightly. She looked almost as if she was forced to do this. Iruka smiled now. It was almost a conditioned reflex to him, whenever his students made a good choice he always smiled.

“Is that so?” he asked with a positive voice, “That's a good idea Namikaze-san.” he said encouragingly. Digging through his papers, he got out a small sheet which he handed to her. “Fill this one out and give me it tomorrow, okay?” he said as he handed her the sheet. “You'll need a parents' signature as well.” he said as Kimiko looked at the sheet with a suspicious look on her face. After about half a second she looked up at him and grinned though.

“Sure sensei, see ya tomorrow!” With that; the girl left the room at her usual pace, top speed. Iruka was left looking after her with a smile on his lips. After about two seconds of being alone in the classroom however Iruka groaned and slapped his hand over his face.

What had he been thinking?! The scarred teacher gritted his teeth as he turned around and begun to pound his head into the blackboard. His hitai-ate clacked against the blackboard as he kept up the pounding, feeling like a total idiot and a pervert at the same time. He was so disgusted with himself that he couldn't believe it.

“Am I interrupting something?” a dispassionate voice said from the window, making Iruka freeze. The chuunin quickly turned to look towards the window and a cold hand gripped his heart when he saw the speaker. Sitting in an open window, a window that had been closed and could not be opened from the outside, with his legs crossed and his body leaning slightly forwards, was Namikaze Naruto. The older brother of Kimiko, the Hokage's first born and – most notably – the apprentice of the late sannin Orochimaru, the sannin who had died at said apprentice's hands.

Balancing effortlessly on the windowsill, the young man's arms were resting on one knee, one straight across it and the other supporting his cheek with the elbow supporting that arm on the other arm. His pale face, more reminiscent in shape to his former master than his father, was impassive and his eyes, pale blue and slitted like a serpent's, were fixed on Iruka. The pale blonde hair was as always fixed in a ponytail except for the few bangs hanging down on the sides of his face, framing him in a sickly pale yellow aura. This, along with the exotic garments he wore, loose fitting and pale, made him easy to identify indeed.

Iruka felt how he grew cold. This young man, three years Iruka's junior, was one of the deadliest men in the village, rivalled only by his father and Uchiha Itachi, the head of the ANBU. He had proven himself this by killing Orochimaru – the man who had once contended with the Yondaime for the seat of Hokage – when the man had been revealed as a traitor. Without the least hesitation the man had revealed Orochimaru's treason to the village and – on order from the Hokage – killed his master, the very man that the Hokage had put him with.

Iruka couldn't stand Kimiko's older brother. He didn't hate him though, instead he feared him. The cold-eyed man was in many aspects an almost perfect copy of his master, seemingly even more ruthless and manipulative at times. What more, where Orochimaru had had a sense of humour and a playful attitude that could calm people Naruto only showed coldness, coldness or anger. His eyes were like those of a viper waiting to strike and Iruka always felt like a small mouse when he looked at the man.

“Well?” the man asked again, starting Iruka.

“N-no, not at all.” Iruka said hurriedly now, swallowing as he looked at the man. “What can I help you with Namikaze-san?”

“Kimiko.” Naruto stated, getting down from the windowsill, “She'll be attending extra classes from now on. Being that you're her teacher you'll be the one who teaches those classes.”

“Y-yes?” the chuunin asked. There was one of the things that freaked him out with this man somehow, the way he always set the field before a discussion, lining up facts in that dispassionate manner. It was creepy somehow.

“Her attendance record.” Naruto said now, looking up at Iruka from where he was standing, now leaning against the windowsill. “When the year is over I want a copy of it.”

“Pardon me,” Iruka said now, “But why?” He couldn't see why this man, a man who was well known to have nothing to do with his family,would take an interest in that. a smile spread over Naruto's face now.

“It's a carrot on a stick scenario Umino-sensei.” Naruto said, “I can't make any precise quantifications, but Kimiko's levels of chakra are easily twenty times as great as anyone else's in her class. It follows logically that she should have vastly greater problems with controlling that chakra.”

“Yes.” Iruka said, “That is why I was so pleasantly surprised when she asked for extra classes, I know that has been a problem for her.”

“It's more than a problem.” Naruto said, “it's a potentially debilitating issue of hers. By offering a gift and keeping an eye on her attendance I've created something that can act as previously mentioned carrot for her, making her keep going where she'd normally quit. It's not a perfect solution, but it is the best available.”

“I guess I must thank you then Namikaze-san.” Iruka said, “It makes me happy to hear you taking an interest in this, I am sure Kimiko-san's growth will benefit from this.”

“Does it?” Naruto asked now, making Iruka pause. The young snake-shinobi looked at Iruka with a piercing gaze now. “I'll be frank with you Umino-sensei,” he said, “I know of your history, what you lost to the Kyuubi no Kitsune,” Iruka stiffened now, memories welling up inside him as he through about that dreadful night, the night he had lost his family to the Kyuubi no Kitsune's ravages, “and I wonder.” Naruto continued heavily, “can you honestly claim that you feel no antipathy against its carrier? When seeing the being that hold your family's murderer inside it live happily, surrounded by a loving family, when you lost all to the thing it holds... Do you truly feel nothing?”

Iruka stood transfixed by Naruto's glare. Now more than ever he felt like a watched mouse in front of a serpent. It felt as if if he said anything negative or dared to sound the least fake Naruto would strike him down here he stood. It was not killing intent or anything like that, it was sheer force of will. The snake-like young man had Iruka transfixed, even without even implicit threats of violence Iruka dared not speak falsely.

“I...” he begun, swallowing both to clear his throat and try to force down the lump in it. “I hate the Kyuubi...” he said, “I despise it from the bottom of my heart.” Now he looked up, meeting Naruto's glare. “But Kimiko-san isn't the Kyuubi,” he said, putting all his strength into the words, “she is Namikaze Kimiko. a constantly enthusiastic, sometimes dim, always friendly and ever passionate little girl. She's one of my students and I will do...”

“Enough.” Naruto said now, having raised one hand to cut Iruka off. “I believe you.” he continued with a wry smile, “If you were insincere you would not have told me of your hatred for the kyuubi. Your answer is more than adequate, forgive me for my rudeness.” There was something about Naruto's tone that seemed almost mocking to Iruka.

“It's all right.” Iruka said with a forced smile as an errant bead of sweat made its way down Iruka's face, “It's not strange for an older brother to look out for his sister after all.” Iruka realized the very second he had said that how stupid it sounded. Talk about token excuse, Naruto wasn't a man to do these things usually. Indeed, wasn't he ostracised from his family? Naruto's eyes drilled into Iruka for a second now, a flash of irritation going across them. “a...anyway.” Iruka continued quickly now, attempting to cover up his faux pas. “I don't see any reason to not let you know, especially not if you're the reason she's taking them. Shall I send you a copy when she graduates?”

“Weekly updates if possible.” Naruto said, his voice inferring that it wasn't really a suggestion. “Also: don't tell Kimiko, I want to see if she does it without knowledge of my surveillance.”

“I'll avoid telling her.” Iruka promised and Naruto nodded.

“Good.” he said, “I'll be waiting for your reports then, Umino-sensei.” With that, Naruto dropped backwards, out of the window. Iruka gasped as the sight of Naruto falling backwards, throwing himself against the window. He wasn't teacher for nothing and could see that falling like that was a non-recoverable drop. By kami-sama, what was he doing! When Iruka got to the window, however, he looked down only to see nothing where Naruto should be on the ground. There was nothing there, not even the tell-trace signs of a shunshin having been used or the vanishing smoke of a kage bunshin. He had vanished into nowhere!

Iruka found his legs trembling. S-class shinobi... they were always terrifying, one way or another.

Naruto poured the sample into the bottle and watched as the liquid inside it turned deep blue as the two liquids mixed. He smiled widely, enjoying the fact that he had managed to do it immensely. Production of the counter-agent was going smoothly and even better, the necrOtoxin was stable. They had just gotten hold of another copse and Naruto had decided to check if it evolved over time. One month was very little admittedly but it was the biggest timeframe they had. To his immense delight it hadn’t, being just as susceptible as always to it.

Still, it was something of a shame. Despite all the setbacks and frustration Naruto had been happy while working on this project, it had truly been an immensely challenging task set before him and while it was a rush to have solved the riddle he now was left with nothing but routine job. Hopefully this gave them good enough rep that he could make that request for extra funds soon. Putting down the glassware, Naruto turned around and pulled off his rubber gloves. Making a quick note in the open notebook on the table, he decided to call it a day. The days after a major project like this most activity was done, they were without job until some more stuff was shoved their way.
How stupid was that? There wasn’t even a decent organization for keeping track of their assignments. Next after more funds that was Naruto’s highest priority to do something about. It was merely a matter of getting working routines. However it was with that though; now was time to go home. Kabuto was not at the lab now, having been called in to the academy for something, and the rest of the crew had taken the day off.

The journey home was uneventful. Naruto swung by the store to pick up some vegetables and rice, noting to his droll amusement that the check-out girl seemed almost terrified by him. He had long ago stopped caring however and left without saying anything. When he got home he noticed something in his mailbox though. Picking up the envelopes in it, one brown and unmarked and the other white and bearing the seal of Konoha hospital, he got inside his house and put away the groceries before he turned to see what it was about. The first letter was unmarked and unremarkable, Naruto having a feeling he’d find little in the way of fingerprints on it if he checked that. Inside, however, was something more remarkable, namely a printed out report on Kimiko’s progress on the extra lessons.

Naruto raised one eyebrow at the sight, impressed by Iruka’s diligence. The man detailed his initial estimates and suspicions about causes for her lack of chakra control, the planned schedule and how the first set of lessons had worked. The language was clean-cut and official but even so Naruto could sense that the man was amazed at the diligence Kimiko showed, the girl worked with fanatical determination. Iruka finished with some rough estimates on how long it would take her to improve to reasonable standards and Naruto nodded to himself. The data seemed to support his estimates. Perhaps if that man ever got tired teaching kids Naruto should offer him a place on the team, this kind of thoroughness was something you always needed more of.

The other letter was not nearly as interesting or even welcome however, it was from Rin. The woman had to go via the official channels in this work, he knew that, but it didn't change that he couldn't work up enthusiasm over being told that he had a full day of sample-taking to look forward to. With his snakeskin the entire procedure became a messy one involving chakra scalpels. The labwork sucked enough time out of him, with the hospital looming ahead he'd have even less in the way of time. Was he ever going to get to Oto? With a short sigh, he pulled off his shirt and went to the bathroom.

During his quick shower, Naruto pondered on what to make for dinner. The choice at the moment was between vegetable stew or fish soup. Due to the many changes done to his metabolism and the massive amount of research done on it Naruto was keenly aware of the processes in his body. This had left him a bit of a health freak, he always aimed at balancing his diet, the occasional mass intakes of alcohol notwithstanding.

As he got out of the shower his brow furrowed a bit and he got out of the bathroom with a bathrobe on. He wasn’t expecting anyone. It was probably Anko here to drag him out or something. When he answered the door, towel still in his hand, he was surprised to say the least by who was standing on the other side of it.

It was Kushina, the woman standing anxiously in the door with a small plastic bag in her left hand.

“Hi…” she said, the anxiety clear in her eyes. She smiled though, doing her best to overcome it. “Am I interrupting something?” she continued.

“No not really.” Naruto said, wondering what this was about. Admittedly he was going to make dinner but he was more curious what this was about. He wasn't quite afraid but he still felt anxious.

“I just came by to see how you were.” Kushina said, hesitating for a second before she continued. “I brought some food in case you hadn't had dinner yet... it's chicken curry.” she finished lamely. Naruto thought about what to do. He didn't want her here, it made him uncomfortable. He couldn't throw her out though. The ANBU was watching him, the black ops regularly checked on him, mapping where he went and what he did. Obviously they did that, after the incident with Orochimaru it was natural that they'd watch him, no matter what he had done.

ANBU commander Uchiha Itachi wasn't a man to take any risks with the peace of Konoha. The head of the ANBU was one of the few men that Naruto knew would be too risky to even consider taking on. Having mastered the sharingan early in his life and been an ANBU captain by the age of 13, Itachi was easily Naruto's peer in terms of raw talent and power. Also: unlike Naruto, his loyalty to Konoha was genuine. Said loyalty was actually deep enough that the man once had been ready to massacre his entire clan when they had plotted against Konoha. Thankfully Minato had managed to make sure that never happened, amongst other things welcoming Itachi as the head of the ANBU and letting the Uchiha police be lauded as heroes after they had tracked down and wiped out a fraction of treasonous ANBU called Root. Nowadays the Uchiha were loyal Konoha shinobi, fanatically loyal. If Itachi had been ready to kill his family Naruto did not hold any illusions about whether he'd easily commit himself to killing the son of the Hokage. Naruto did not fear Itachi, but he knew enough to stay the hell away from doing anything that might put him in the ruthless Uchiha commander's bad books. This meant he had to play along with this and play along well.

Damn it... “You're right on time.” he told her. “I was just about to make dinner. Come in.” Kushina stepped inside, relief evident on her face. For a second she seemed about to hug him or something. She didn’t however, opting to just nodding at him. They both proceeded to the kitchen in awkward silence, Naruto begging for it all to end soon. Kushina pulled up the bag and took out a plastic box from it, the smell of curry filling the room. Naruto almost startled a bit when he felt the smell, recognizing it. He couldn't place it but nevertheless felt a distinct stab of recognition. Kushina didn't notice it, instead putting the box on the desk.

“I just wanted to give you this.” she said now, backing off a bit. “I didn't want to intrude on anything.” Naruto realized to his exasperation that he'd be the mature one here if anything was to be done. Trying to think about it logically, he couldn't help but understand however. Both Kushina and Minato had seen the possibility that they might, just might, get their son back after the entire deal with Orochimaru. After years of guilt, regret and uncertainty they would be unbalanced, something like this could unbalance anyone. And since he for now needed to play along he'd just have to take command. Looking over the box, he saw that she had prepared a quite generous amount of food, enough for two. That would have to do.

“You know, I couldn't possibly eat all this.” he said, expecting Kushina to flinch a bit and not being disappointed the least when she did. He wasn't going to make her feel bad though, the opposite. “Would you mind helping me?” he asked her, seeing how she was deeply surprised. She'd decline at first of course, not wanting to seem too pushy. This time he was surprised though.

“If it's okay with you.” she said, the shivering in her voice actually having abated a little. Would you look at that... it seemed that there was a reason the rumours abounding about Kushina and her active years spoke of her courage and eagerness. That couldn't have been easy to say.

“Then have a seat.” he said, motioning for her to sit down. Naruto started going through the cupboards and pulled out the utensils that would be needed, moving with speed and certainty.

“You know,” Kushina said after a few seconds, “I must say I'm surprised by how neat your apartment is.”

“Oh?” Naruto asked, looking back at her. Kushina smiled, showing without words that she was not intending it as a slight on in any way.

“Yes.” she said, “I mean if you compare it with how your dad lived when he was a bachelor.” Kushina chuckled at herself as Naruto put down plates, glasses and utensils on the table.

“Somehow I'm not surprised...” Naruto remarked drolly as he waked over to the box, opened it and put it out on the table. It would do to have it like that just fine. “For all his virtues he never has stricken me as a tidy man.”

“Believe me you don't know half of it.” Kushina said as she slowly shook her head. “I used to find month old coffee mugs everywhere in his apartment. At one time I found some dirty socks lying on a half-eaten bowl of ramen. Ugh...”

“I can't stand untidiness.” Naruto said, starting to mentally balance what he could and couldn't say. That was one of those things that worked just fine. “I get irritated when it's dirty around me.” he said as he put half the curry and rice on his plate, “Not to mention that being a scientist gives you a quite good estimate of just how many different bacteria that can thrive on old dishes.”

“I don't want to know do I?” Kushina asked as she took the rest, Naruto actually hearing a bit of sass in her voice now. He recognized it because it was so much like Anko in some ways. a mother with Anko's personality? Also, Kimiko was said to be her mother's daughter in manners, something that gave Naruto a strange series of images in her head of a larvae with Kimiko's face that turned into a pupae that wore Anko's coat and then became a butterfly looking like his mother. Had he accidentally inhaled fumes at the laboratory again?

“Let's just say that I'd rather eat out of the toilet bowl.” Naruto said. “at least when bacteria concentration is concerned.” Would you look at this, thus far it worked out just fine. Please let it stay this way. Naruto said “itadakimasu” along with Kushina and dug in. Normally he didn't bother with that tradition, however it was best to avoid upsetting her and in situations like these, tense situations, the least things could become huge.

The curry was really good. Obviously he must have had this before, he could remember the taste almost before he dug in. Throwing a quick glance at Kushina he guessed that she took cooking seriously enough to make her own curry dishes. It was good though, one of the benefits of his enhancements was his sharpened sense of smell and since smell and taste went hand in hand he could taste the ingredients in the curry down almost to the amounts used of each. What he noticed most keenly was the comparative lightness of it. Usually curry was greasy stuff but this was more smooth, almost silky. That didn't stop it from being quite hot though.

“Perhaps your answer would involve trade secrets but I still must ask.” Naruto begun, musing on the taste. Kushina looked up at him. “You've taken inspiration from Water Country with this curry, haven't you?” Kushina seemed surprised.

“What gave it away?” she asked after a second. Something strange had appeared in her eyes now, Naruto becoming uncertain. Had he said something bad? Was there some factor he was unaware of?

“The chilli.” Naruto said. “the burning sensation, it's unique. I spent some time learning to identify it.”

“Learning how to identify chilli?” Kushina asked, raising one eyebrow.

“How to identify different poisons.” Naruto corrected. “the piquancy in chilli comes from a substance called capsaicin. Technically speaking it's a toxin which affects the mucous membranes in the tongue, an irritant. Short version: the effect is much like being burnt. Either way: only Water Country uses chilli to any great extent, it's there that it's native. Therefore I guessed that you took inspiration from there.”

Kushina sat silent for a second now. For a while she looked almost sad. Naruto still didn't get if he had done something wrong. Somewhere that subject seemed sensitive. Eventually she shrugged though.

“Yes and no.” she answered. “Far as I know it's a recipe from Whirlpool, my mother taught me it.”

“Whirlpool?” Naruto asked, confused. Here was a new detail. Was Kushina from out of Fire Country? How had he missed that. Now suddenly pain blazed in Kushina's eyes, shame and guilt flooding them. The mood dropped like a rock and she blinked, eventually looking away. Naruto realized what it was about. If it was true that Kushina was from Whirlpool it was obvious she'd feel bad about this now. Her son didn't even know that after nineteen years.

Silence reigned for a moment now. Naruto balancing his words and trying to figure out the best thing to do. Kushina was looking away from him now, the first glistening of tears appearing in her eyes.

“Naruto...” she said suddenly, Naruto wondering what would come now. He was getting that uncomfortable feeling again, something telling him to just get her out of there and never think about it again. “I know this all is very inadequate and you probably don't have any reason to believe it...” she swallowed, her voice breaking a little. “But I'm so sorry...” Kushina had to swallow before the grief overwhelmed her. Naruto felt a sudden stab at this as well, as if someone had planted a dagger in his guts. He couldn't breathe. “I let you down in the worst way,” Kushina continued, “we both did... and not one day goes by that I don't wish I could undo it. You don't have to forgive us... I just wanted you to know how much we regret it all.”

Naruto prided himself on control and logic. He didn't feel, he thought. To be ruled by emotions was a failure to him. Yet right now he couldn't answer. The words he had thought would mean little and nothing struck him mute and paralysed. He wanted to scream suddenly, felt like something built up inside him and would make him explode if he didn't let it out. He kept his control though, settling for a deep sigh. Looking away from Kushina, he put down the chopsticks he was holding and folded his hands.

“I don't hate you.” he said after a second, admitting to the truth. Looking up at Kushina again, he could see the sudden rage of emotions in her face and raised one hand to cut her off. He'd need to say this in one go. “I don't have any reason to hate you, if you feel you “let me down” you can rest assured that I've come to terms with it, the circumstances were extraordinary to say the least. Yet at the same time: I have nothing that binds me to you. Not in that way. I don't know if you're looking for the boy who left home twelve years ago with Orochimaru but if you do: he's gone. I am what you see in front of you, nothing more or less. My interactions with you feel like I'm trying to achieve something I can't, because I'm no longer that Naruto. I am no longer a child, and not just in the way most children say that; I have become an entity completely separate from you, one heading in a different direction. I do not want to create enmity or awkwardness but I don't know if there's anything else to create.” How could such a short speech drain him so badly? Speaking straight, without any fancy verbal twists, Naruto felt it as if he puked out his soul. It scared him, made him feel vulnerable. It was as if the snakeskin under his hide became useless, making him soft and weak.

Kushina slowly nodded, Naruto feeling a pang of something in his gut at the look on her face He should have done it differently. Sloppy, so sloppy. If he couldn't placate an emotional woman in a situation like this, what did he really know about wordplay? He should have been able to give her what she wanted, make her think it at least. Or just that? Naruto found himself actually getting uncertain. Did he want her to think it or did he want to be it?

“This might seem silly then...” Kushina said after a second, her voice steadier than Naruto had expected. “But would you like to give us a second chance?”

“How do you mean?” Naruto found himself asking.

“a clean slate.” Kushina said, “At least a try. We try to put the past behind and start anew, learn to know you as you are now.”

“Do you think that's possible?” Naruto asked, being surprised when in Kushina's eyes steel appeared.

“My mother once said that your children's happiness has to come first.” she said. “If something stands in the way of that, be it someone else, poverty, the ghosts of the past, then you beat the cr...” Naruto saw how her eyes widened and she stopped herself just in time. “the snot...” Kushina said after a moment. “out of it and move on. You're still my son, that won't change, and if you want me to forget about that Naruto so I can see you as you are now then I will.” Out of nowhere there was nothing but steel in her eyes. Naruto saw a determination he'd never seen in those eyes before. It was immense, implacable. He had seen that only a few times before, mostly in the eyes of people resolved to fight until the bitter end, yet now they were in Kushina's eyes.

Naruto found everything he had thought about his family placed upside-down. Logically he had known what might come but to sit here and have Kushina offer something like that, with some of the most sincere eyes he had ever seen, was something altogether different. Thinking it over, Naruto tried to weigh pros and cons, feeling as if his mind was clogging up as he did so. One of the most important things in his life right now was the underground laboratory network; he wouldn't ever give that up. Would it become a greater risk if he accepted Kushina's proposal?

Perhaps not? Naruto did admit that by tying himself closer to his family again he could gain extra leverage on his father to call eventual investigations off. Not even Itachi could disobey Minato's direct commands. Still, the risks were large but so were the gains. In the end Naruto made the call, the factor that made him make that decision having nothing to do with risk-analyses or plans on manipulation however. It was something else, something he hardly even could name, something he hadn't relied on for years.

“I have my own life now.” he begun. Sending Kushina's disappointment, he hurried to continue. “One where you are often not a part, even parts where I do not want you to be one. But if you want to make the try, I'll do what I can.” Naruto had to force the last words out, the apprehension almost choking him.

Chapter Text

Inside the Hokage's office a full dozen elite shinobi stood gathered. Four teams all in all had been assembled for the mission ahead and stood in two rows of six at attention. In front of them the Hokage sat, leaning back with a seemingly relaxed posture but with sincerity in his eyes. He was flanked by two people, one of them being his assistant, Hyuuga Hizashi, and the other being his son and also the head of the science department, Namikaze Naruto.

“You're all here because the time has come to hit back against the blood-nins.” Minato begun, swivelling slightly in his chair, “our reports indicate the entire clan will be converging in the next week at the Hizuri pass. When they do, you will hit them fast and hard, ending them in one strike. Hizashi?”

“Yes sir,” the Hyuuga said respectfully and stepped forwards. Pulling down a map over the pass from the roof, the man took up a pointer and started showing the attack plan. “The targets have, according to reports, set up a base in this area,” he indicated one of the more inaccessible parts of the pass. “Three weeks ago we started a misinformation campaign saying that the Daimyo would take that route during the current month. From the looks of it they've swallowed the bait. From here they'll be able to strike at the caravan from here, here and here.” he showed three areas of the pass, “cutting off anyone who goes through there from escaping and stopping any and all attempts at relief. Teams one, two and three will approach the camp from here,” he indicated a steep cliff wall. “attacking them from behind as team four sends a genjutsu of a faux caravan through the pass. When they strike at the caravan you attack them from behind, boxing them in and finishing them in one strike. Namikaze-san?” he finished now, turning to look at Naruto.

This was it, the big moment. Naruto realized that he felt a sting of anxiety. What he did now would be his first high profile appearance in this role since he took this post. Picking up the black box on the table, he opened it for all shinobi present to see.

“This is the main weapon during this attack,” he said, not a sign of anxiety present in his voice. In it rested a series of what looked just like smoke bombs, only that they were a soft yellow. “The pathogen in their blood that causes the necrosis is for all intents and purposes identical to antibodies, meaning there's a weakness that can be exploited there.” picking up one of the bombs from the box he held it up for them to see. “These bombs contains a substance that will make the blood-nins go into anaphylactic shock, with a bit of luck we will be able to end the battle in moments. Questions?”

“Will that not be a risk to us as well?” one of the shinobi asked, Naruto seeing the suspicion in his eyes from miles away. Naruto gritted his teeth for one instant, knowing however that he should have expected this. It was probably for the best to do an unquestionable demonstration. With one swing of his arm, he sent the smoke bomb into the floor and made it detonate. Yellow smoke filled the room in a second and shouts of surprise and even shock came from the shinobi. For one instant it seemed as if chaos would erupt but just as the first coughing started a surprised exclamation could be heard from one of the younger jounin. Said jounin was Anko's friend, Kurenai, who had been promoted only days ago.

“Vanilla?” she asked incredulously, just as the smoke cleared and order returned. Several of the Shinobi blinked, many of them showing confusion on their faces.

“Vanillin.” Naruto said, “the substance that makes vanilla taste as it does. Tests strongly indicate that the blood-nins are hypersensitive to a compound consisting of, amongst other things, vanillin. One deep breath of this is all that's needed to make their death a matter of when and the answer given in seconds. I will personally oversee the attack, to make sure that the compound is working and also, if it doesn't, join in on the attack to prevent what deaths I can.”

“Science personnel out in the field?” the shinobi who had asked the question said, his voice showing what exactly he thought about it.

“I was the one who killed Orochimaru.” Naruto remarked, deciding to shove that fact down their throats for good measure. “Also it seems I still have plenty of reason to prove my loyalties.” he added with a venomous tone on his voice. He shot a glare as cold as a cobra's past the first row and straight at the man who had said it. To his surprisingly immense delight the man squirmed under the gaze .

“Some people are limp in both heads...” a voice could be heard muttering from the right end of the first row. Several heads turned to look at the speaker who turned out to be none other than Mitarashi Anko. Several of the shinobi could be seen going tense at this and Minato quickly folded his hands in front of his face. He tried to look stern but it was not anger that gleamed in his eyes.

“You're on escort duty for that remark Mitarashi-san.” he said with a voice that, to his credit, was only slightly forced. The sceptic shinobi, meanwhile, had gotten beet red in the face. “Anyhow.” Minato said, robbing the man from any chances at retorting. “If there are no further questions, move out! Team three, you go find Shiranui Genma as a replacement for Mitarashi, Mitarashi-san, you stay here.”

The teams all answered affirmative and left, all except Anko, who stayed behind. Minato folded his arms, looking at her with a slightly exasperated look on his face.

“Do you believe that was an appropriate comment Mitarashi-san?” he asked, the amusement gone from his voice now.

“But he is!” Anko said empathetically. “Seriously, I gave up after thirty minutes. I think he might be a eunuch or something.” Naruto groaned at this, starting to rub his temple. She was in top shape it seemed.

“So you believe that is the only reason he didn't react to you?” Minato was a smart man but now he was foolish enough to ask that. It could happen to the best really. Anko gave him a glare that was almost withering.

“Dude,” she said, addressing the Hokage it the least respectful way possible. “Hormones are hormones and if you're stimulated the right way an old goat can make you blow your load. Women really can rape men you know.”

“I believe we got a bit off topic here!” Naruto interfered, seeing how Minato was getting more and more uncomfortable. Hizashi, meanwhile, was standing ramrod stiff, the poor traditionally-minded Hyuuga not knowing what to do. “Hokage-sama, I would like to request that I can bring Yakushi Kabuto with me. I am considering grooming the boy for apprenticeship and want to give him a taste of field-work.”

“I see no reason to deny that request.” Minato said, happy to get away from the topic that had arisen. “However, I would like to give you one more escort, just in case.”

“May I suggest Uchiha Shisui?” Naruto asked, moving rapidly. “Firstly: the ANBU are still keeping an eye on me, allowing one of them – current or former – to come along is the best way to avoid a complaint. Secondly, he's the most skilled of them barring commander Itachi, who for obvious reasons cannot take such an assignment. Thirdly I noticed that each team had one Uchiha or Hyuuga, there's no reason my team should be without.”

“Suggestion taken.” Minato said, raising one eyebrow and nodding slowly. Naruto could see the approving look on Minato's face, seeing that the man understood and approved of his political skill . Naruto felt something at this; something in his gut. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling though, just alien. “I'll have Shisui sent to meet you at the gate.” Minato continued. “Further questions? Then move out.”

“Yes sir!”Anko said with a grin and a salute. “I'll take good care of your boy like always.” she added, making Minato flinch and Naruto grit his teeth. Oh ancestors, there was no way she couldn't be aware of how that was going to be interpreted.

“A... are you...?” Minato begun before he could stop himself, Anko pouncing on the opportunity.

“That's for us to know and for you to find out, perhaps in nine months.” There was something equally much horrified and petrified in Minato's face now. Anko kept going though. “I will say though that he's incredible, even the first time it took an hour with expert techniques to get him to the finish.” she continued, hammering it in for all she was worth. Minato's mouth was moving up and down, the man not managing to find an answer.

“I do nothing with her.” Naruto said now, grabbing Anko by the scruff and dragging her outside. His voice was flint hard and his teeth clenched. He had to get them out of here, if this kept up Minato would end up berating Anko for an hour or something, an hour they didn't have.

“Aww, he's so shy.” Anko cooed just as the door closed to the Hokage's office.

- - - - - - - - - - -

“So what?” Anko said as she, Naruto, Kabuto and Shisui were all jumping through the trees. Naruto still looked like a thundercloud. “As you said yourself, you don't see him as family: therefore I can say what I want to.” she spoke in a relaxed tone even as they were leaping at near full speed. The trees swished past them, turning into blurs.

“Barring that that is the most deranged kind of logic I've ever heard I hardly appreciate your crude insinuations!” Naruto responded, glaring back at her. “If nothing else, lying to the Hokage causes problems for both of us.”

“I'm not the one lying.” Anko said, “We do do things together, don't we? What about that drinking spree? That's something right? Furthermore, I did take care of you while we were both apprentices and he WOULD find out the truth sooner or later, even if the truth is that we do nothing. It's not MY fault Hokage-sama connects everything to sex.” She said that last thing with a wide grin, being in her element at the moment.

“Okay I give up,” Naruto said with an exasperated voice, “you win, can you please try to stop behaving like a psychopathic nymphomaniac? I know rising above one's nature is hard but try at least.”

“I love it when you talk dirty to me.” Anko purred. Meanwhile, Kabuto was doing his best to feign a neutral expression and Shisui's face was a study in complete control and focus. The Uchiha special policeman did stare straight ahead however, refusing to look at either Anko or Naruto. If that was because he wouldn't be able to stop himself from laughing then or if he was too disgusted was anyone's guess.

Naruto didn't say anything more from this point on, deciding to not bait her any more. Or wait, he was able to do something, at least for now. It did mean an escalation perhaps but it was too good to not do it.

“Look, behave from this point onwards and I will tell you the code word to use my special tab.” he said, keeping a straight face flawlessly. Anko's face shone up now however, hook line and sinker it seemed.

“Now you're starting to get my attention.” She smiled widely. “Special tab huh?”

“Yes, one of the many things Orochimaru gave me.” he said, “I can drink as much as I please and pay later. You can use it if you swear to stop acting like a genocidal slut for the rest of this mission, do we have a deal?”

“We most certainly do.” Anko grinned, “Come on then kiddo, let's wrap this up as soon as possible. With that, she started moving faster. Dashing ahead, she was soon several meters ahead of them and rapidly increasing the distance. Naruto sped up, knowing that Kabuto and Shisui could keep up. Silence at last.

Anko was as good as her word and the silence lasted for several hours, until they reached Hizuri pass. The four stopped right before it and started moving normally, not wanting to be spotted. They all got into position soon, a large peak from which one could watch most of the pass and which lay only a short dash from the ambush spot. The four of them hid behind some large cliffs, watching the surrounding mountains. Shisui especially kept his Sharingan active and scanned the area.

“No signs of movement yet.” he said quietly, calm as all Uchiha tended to be. Naruto nodded slowly, Checking his watch, he saw that they still had seventeen minutes.

“Then let's go over it one more time.” he said, drawing up a crude map of the pass in the sand and going over what they could expect. One team to put a genjutsu on the blood-nin to make them think the caravan was approaching, three teams to hit them with the compound and finish off survivors and Naruto's team as observers or if need be backup.

“Should the genin be here then?” Shisui asked when Naruto was done, looking at Kabuto.

“I have Hokage-sama's permission.” the young boy answered. To many that would have been a suspect or at least an unsatisfactory answer but to the Uchiha, ever sticklers for rules, it was quite enough.

“Boring.” Anko muttered, the woman unsatisfied about being stuck on backup duty. Naruto gave her a quick glance though.

“The tab.” he told her, making her shut up instantly.

Checking their equipment one more time, the team turned to look through the pass again. Now came a part that few stories ever told about; the waiting. It was only a few minutes, for many shinobi waiting could consist of hours, and the team was skilled enough that it was no problem. The minutes ticked past slowly but steadily but in the end a faint movement in the west made them all glance towards it. Sure enough, they could faintly spot a caravan making it's way towards the pass.

“Seems the genjutsu-users decided to go with the dramatic option.” Kabuto remarked as they saw a large caravan, dozens of animals and almost a hundred people. Two mounted soldier squads could be seen at each end of the caravan and more marched inside it, sat on wagon or what have you. In the middle of it all a giant wagon with elaborate decorations was being dragged by four large oxen.

“Admittedly, for the Daimyo to travel in anything less would be suspicious.” Naruto remarked. “Shisui, do we have movement?” The Uchiha had only cast one glance at the caravan before turning back to scan the other side of the ravine. For several seconds he didn't say anything but then gave an affirmative sound.

“Twelve... no sixteen. They're making their way towards the edge of the cliff. North-northeast, by the outcropping. Naruto turned to look and his sharp eyes could only barely make out the figures. The Sharingan truly was a powerful ability, to Shisui those people were like small flames running across a dark surface. The figures were quit easily spotted when they came out in the open though, not wearing any special camouflage. Naruto felt a small sting of anxiety. The blood-nins, his former master's creation, the monsters that had only been one of the many things that lunatic created. Naruto took a deep, slow breath, readying himself for what would soon happen.

The seconds passed as slowly as the minutes had and the caravan seemed to crawl forwards. Anko pulled out a kunai and begun to slowly fiddle with it, her eyes deathly sharp: Kabuto meanwhile was seemingly fully relaxed but his hands were clenched. Shisui kept his eyes forwards, slowly reporting on what he could see. The targets had lined up along the edge, planning to strike all at once from the same direction. Naruto thought that it concurred with the reports. Massed force would cause chaos and in that chaos they'd butcher or infect everyone that came close, that had been their modus operandi thus far.

“The teams are moving into position.” Shisui reported after a while. This time Naruto couldn't see anything but he had no reason to doubt it. When Konoha nin moved you generally didn't see them if they didn't want to be seen. The caravan was almost under the cliff the blood-nins were hiding on. The moment of truth would come soon, very soon.

Then they struck. The blood nins all leaped off the edge without a single sound. It was surprising, knowing their bloodthirsty nature, that they were so graceful. It was first mid-air that things happened through. They must have been making seals from the beginning for now several of them unleashed what together became a nightmarish barrage of crimson projectiles. Swarms of smaller projectiles, several larger bolts, even something that looked like a giant serpent that threw itself over the caravan with jaws wide open.

As the barrage hit the moving caravan the entire thing flickered and vanished, the genjutsu having played out its role. In its place came the shinobi however, leaping from seemingly nowhere, the Konoha nin were everywhere and the smoke bombs were flying in instants. Not ten seconds after the blood-nins had attacked yellow smoke detonated all over the mountain-pass, obscuring the area with thick fog. Naruto found himself smiling, thinking that it was a success. No way the blood-nins would get out of that unharmed, with a little luck it was already over. The Konoha-nin moved to make a ring around the large cloud that had been created, when it cleared they'd rush in to deal with any intruders and the two Hyuuga present were already staring into the cloud.

When it cleared the blood-nins were all down, not one of them standing up, all of them lying down and twitching. Several of them screamed, the blood in their veins having turned against them and now eating them from inside out. Naruto smiled to himself and stood up. Mission successful. Now it was just as well to perform an act of compassion. Naruto leaped off the cliff and down to the literally bloody pass below, drawing his sword mid-air. He landed in the middle of the screaming blood-nin, stabbing the first in the heart and pulling out with one deft motion, flicking the blade to get rid of the blood.

“Finish it!” he yelled, “These people have only minutes of excruciating agony left, give them that grace at least.” Ending another, he felt a small sting of compassion. In the screaming hellscape that had been created Naruto was confronted by what he had wrought. Sixteen people had died this day, people who most likely had never wanted to become what they were, who might have been driven mad by what they had become. This was the price of duty, as the other shinobi started helping him with the only mercy he could give Naruto thought about this. He was neither bloodthirsty nor psychopathic enough to be without all empathy but he still did not regret it.

In the end, they had ceased being victims and become victimisers, over a hundred people had died thus far, hundreds were crippled. Going over to the last of the survivors, Naruto thought that it was really all in a day's work. They had challenged Konoha and paid the price, there was no real room or need for morals or compassion in this field. Raising his sword, he idly thought that the man below him, a gaunt, pale-faced person looking almost like a corpse already, didn't show any outer signs of being poisoned. Unlike the others, who in many places had gotten grey patches of skin where their blood had killed the flesh in seconds, this man was unhurt. He realized in the last moment what that meant. Pulling down his sword, he only just managed to block a vicious stab towards his gut. Nevertheless, the power was enough that he was thrown backwards, the blood-nin leaping to his feet in an instant and brandishing a wicked-looking sword with jagged edges. Naruto felt how he shivered at the blow, realizing something. This man was the leader, he must have held his breath and now that the smoke had vanished, he was unharmed.

“Stay back!” he yelled as he regained his footing. The kind of power was nothing to scoff at, this man was good!

“You filthy little wretches!” the man snarled, moving his blade in a long arc. Naruto could seen how blood streaked out of his sleeve, onto the sword. “I'll make you all rot, you will bleed and rot!” spittle flew from the man's mouth as the sword was completely covered in crimson blood, Naruto getting a very good feeling for what that meant. Blocking that thing would get you sprayed with poison, indeed even going close was a lethal prospect.

“Like your friends?” Naruto asked him now, sneering a bit at him. With a flick of his shoulders he removed the clothing gave his upper body full freedom of movement. He'd have to take this on, it was why he had come along wasn't it? The man swallowed his insults though, turning the ghoulish face into something almost demonic. There was little to no humanity in those eyes, only cruelty and hunger. “Aren't you in luck then?” Naruto asked, tossing the Kusanagi into the air so he could free his arm and grabbing the sword again when it came down. “Sometimes fate is kind, even to wretches like you. The creator of the thing that did this is right in front of you.”

“Grrr....” the man snarled, panting unevenly, even drooling. The insanity was clear, he was psychotic. There was not like he lacked reason to be that however, the necrOtoxin didn't hurt him but it could have psychedelic effects, the suffering wrought on them by Orochimaru could have twisted them as well, this kind of mentality worked well for attack dogs meant to cause chaos. Naruto only smiled at him, cackling haughtily.

“There there doggy.” he jeered, “Try not to drool, there's enough liquids made from your kind around here. Did you perhaps misplace your napkin?” That was all that Naruto need to say, the man launched himself at Naruto, roaring as he swung the blade in a wide arc. a stream of bloody drops flew from the blade, straight at him. Naruto jumped into the air, landing against the cliff wall with his feet locked to it. The man followed however and Naruto kept jumping away, going this way and that, keeping up the route upwards.

Vaulting over the edge of the cliff, Naruto vaulted backwards and landed hunched together just in time to see the snarling blood-nin come after him. Said man flew through the air though, sword raised above his head. Naruto had hoped for that and he now whipped out Kusanagi, letting the blade elongate and fly towards the man. Mid-air, he was defenceless. The blade flew forwards, elongating at massive speed as it aimed straight at the man's heart.

Yet, in an amazing show of animal dexterity, the man slapped the blade aside and used the momentum to vault upwards, the combined difference in heading making the blade miss him only just. The blood-nin landed a few meters from him, not a scratch visible on his ragged clothes. Naruto retracted Kusanagi's blade and raised it again with a smirk. He still had won half a victory, the man was away from the others, minimizing the risk of any of the Konoha-nin being poisoned.

The fact that he was up against a drooling madman with sword skills superior to his was a different matter. Naruto found himself quietly wishing he had had more time to practise his sword skills; they were not his strongest suit, even after months of daily training. Against this man he'd need all the range advantage he could get.

The man pounced at him again, the bloody sword forging a crimson arc through the air Naruto backstepped to avoid the swing, bending backwards enough that his head almost touched the ground to avoid the spray of poisonous blood that came from the blade. Pushing down his hands, he used the momentum to kick the man in the face and vault backwards, gaining some distance as his opponent reeled from the hit. Now Naruto, leaped backwards into the air, his eyes intense. With some breathing space the initiative was his to take. With one rapid seal he summoned a shadow clone, it and he both flashing through seals as fast as they could.

The clone spat out a stream of fire that encircled the man in a thick ring of several meters high flames. Naruto himself slammed his hands into the ground, causing the very earth around the man to rise and swallow him and the fire both. The clone landed beside Naruto two seconds later, both of them knowing what would come now. Sure enough, the blood-nin smashed through the rock prison and out into the air. The fire inside the dome had only needed that short time to swallow all the oxygen in there however. This led to oxygen rushing inside the now cracked dome and the flames flaring up again explosively, Naruto and his clone both weaving another jutsu.

They unleashed two giant vortexes of wind that spun straight into the flames, whipping them to even greater intensity and ending up in creating an actual tornado right on the spot where the blood-nin stood, a tornado of fire. The temperatures were searing enough where Naruto stood that he had to leap back before he caught fire. It was over, nobody survived that.

Throwing a quick glance at his clone, Naruto realized something different, a solution that could very well take care of a problem he had been wrestling with. Why hadn't he thought of that before? He gave the clone a quick jerk of his head towards the north, saying without words what they both understood. The clone nodded and in the next second it was gone, dashing away at top speed.

Naruto, meanwhile, watched as the fire died down quickly, lacking any real fuel to keep raging. He leaped down from the higher ground he had assumed and walked over to the rubble in the epicentre of the explosion. To his surprise and delight both he found the blood nin's body there, scorched beyond recognition and twitching. He must have used some kind of protective jutsu when trapped, it hadn't been enough to endure the backdraft and the burning tornado though.

a choked, slow sound came from the man's throat however, the mouth cracking as it slowly opened. Naruto became outright amazed. He was alive! Even after that he still clung to life! Naruto couldn't help but respect that kind of willpower but it didn't change anything. Retrieving a syringe from his pouch, Naruto stabbed it into the man's chest, piercing the heart and extracting a full syringe of blood from him. When he pulled it out the man was already dead, there being no signs if the burn wounds had killed him or the pierced heart.

Standing up, Naruto suddenly felt a sting in his right arm. Looking at it, he saw that he had been hit. a large patch of his skin was hit by blood, the skin already having turned grey and dead. He then heard the sound of people approaching, looking up to see Anko and the others come running towards him.

“Is it over?” Anko got up to him, looking at the smoking corpse beside him and blinking. “Never mind.” she added after half a second.

“It's over.” Naruto answered. “Was there any other surprises?” he continued, looking at the others. None of them seemed hurt. That was good. He however...

“Holy shit!” Anko noticed the infected skin on his arm and paled. “Oh no.. medic!” she yelled in shock, looking back at the others.

“Don't bother.” Naruto said, wishing he could have done this before they arrived. He retrieved a kunai from his pouch and with four rapid cuts he carved through his skin, framing the poisoned spot in deep cuts. With a quick pull that was accompanied by a sickening tearing sound he tore away the skin cleanly, throwing the now loosely flapping part onto the dead shinobi. “I am just fine. It regrows.” He decided not to sneak around with this fact and instead held up the arm, showing the white snakeskin that lay under his skin to the Konoha shinobi.

Gasps could be heard amongst them. Several of them, including Kurenai, looked outright queasy at the sight. Naruto wasn't surprised through; he had expected this. Yet, he'd be honest with this at least, it'd perhaps shut Rin up if nothing else. Her talk about being honest and not concealing so much of himself would show how naive it was, they'd be disgusted and pull away as fast as they could.

“A small memento of my former master.” he told them. “He didn't hesitate to play with whatever he got his hands on, apprentice or no. Still, it saved me this time.” the white snakeskin was impervious to poisons, having deflected the necrOtoxin and stopping it from piercing deeper. The pores on it that made normal skin grow above were most likely devastated through, it'd be interesting to see what they cooked up to fix it at the hospital. “I believe we're done here.” he continued, “time to head back to Konoha.” Without another word he turned around, leaping up on a cliff to start the trek home. He could hear how Shisui, Anko and Kabuto all fell in behind him, none of them saying anything.

Yet, far away, several hours later, a lone figure flew through the trees and landed at the root of a large tree. Seated at the base said tree was a shallow pit that seemed too shallow to even offer decent protection from the rain. The figure headed towards it however, not stopping before he collided with it and instead of colliding passing right through it. The insubstantial pit concealed a deep tunnel lit by torches. a guard stood by the entrance, one wearing a headband with a single musical note on it. At first said man drew a kunai, turning to face the intruder. When the figure stepped into the light however the man took a step back at first, falling to his knees in the next second.

“W-welcome to Otogakure Naruto-sama.” the man said hurriedly, his voice one of utmost humility.

“Get up.” Naruto said. “I'm here to see Karin-san.”

Of course Naruto-sama.” the man said, getting up from the floor and pocketing his kunai. “Please, follow me.” the man showed Naruto deeper into the base, deeper into the heart of Otogakure no Sato. a flicker of a smile passed over Naruto's face at one moment, delight over the situation evident before it faded.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Seated on a metal footstool with his arm up on the examination table Naruto rolled his eyes. The third doctor they had gotten hold of to examine the wound had started to fuss over it to an almost sickening level.

“Doctor!” he said to the middle-aged woman whose face had turned into one of utmost pity and understanding. “I was very well aware of what I did when I cut off the skin. The risks, the benefits, the causes and the results, I know all of it. Kindly focus on whether of not the pores are damaged beyond repair.” He never thought he'd think this but he wished that Rin would get here soon. The woman was the resident expert on his physiology. For the moment however he had been put with a fussy grandmother-like doctor that seemed as if she wanted to pat him on the head and give him a teddy bear to comfort him. Couldn't Konoha's medical personnel show some more professionalism? Compassion and empathy didn't do anything. Yet his prayers were answered and Rin appeared in the doorway only a few seconds later.

“Oh, Heisei-sensei!” the grandmother-figure said and got off her chair. “So good you could come.”

“No worries Ono-sensei.” Rin replied, “I'll take it from here.” the old doctor left the room and Naruto found himself almost breathing a sigh of relief. Rin's eyes glittered as she sat down to examine the wound.

“You don't like Ono-sensei?” she asked him and Naruto looked at her with a murderous look on his face.

“I cannot understand how you drew that conclusion.” he drawled, letting the sarcasm overflow. Rin, who already was examining him, chuckled at this. She kept working though, quickly and efficiently. After only a few minutes she had taken some samples and done some basic check-ups.

“I can't be sure.” she told him, pulling back to write something down.“But it looks as if the pores sealed themselves when the toxin started eating through your skin. If so you'll have the outer layer back within the month. I need to get the test results to be sure though. Do you want me to mail them to you?”

“Yes please.” Naruto said, delighting in her professionalism. Rin wasn't done however.

“Naruto-kun...” she begun. “Do you want to talk about it?” her eyes turned from her notes to him again, the inviting look of compassion and attentiveness having appeared in them. Naruto sighed, guessing it was just as well to spit it out.

“I don't plan to lie about, sneak around with or apologise for what I am.” he told her. “I showed them, the rumours will spread and we'll see just what the measure of a mutated person like me is to these people.” There was a glint of understanding in Rin's eyes.

“That was very brave of you.” she said sincerely, Naruto shrugging.

“Bravery had nothing to do with it,” he said, “it seemed like the most expedient option at the time.”

“Would you care to elaborate on that?” Rin asked, Naruto nodding.

“I had just defeated a dangerous foe, showing my loyalty and being wounded in Konoha's service. We'll have to see if that outweighs being a freak.”

“More a “freak” than for example the Aburame?” Rin asked, her tone showing just how she viewed the use of that word. “Konoha has a lot of curious people, you will only be one more. And as you said, you're the hero of the mission.”

“We'll just have to wait and see.” Naruto said, admitting to himself that she did make a point, however minor.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Far to the north Naruto did not make any such concessions. Folding his arms, he looked at the person in front of him with a harsh look in his eyes. They were standing inside a large office where bookshelves lined three of the walls and computer screens filled the fourth. The girl in front of him, a red-haired, red-eyed girl around Kabuto's age, flinched under his gaze.

“So not only has the opposition to my takeover continued.” he said quietly, “They have even organized to the level that civil war is just around the corner. Did I misunderstand something in your reports then?” he asked mildly.

“I... I have no excuses Naruto-sama...” the girl, Karin, said with a stutter, looking down into the table in shame. “I hoped to have the situation under control when you'd get here.” The situation in Oto was teetering on the brink of disaster. Karin's reports had claimed everything was mostly calm, that the dissent that was was passive. The truth was different though, nearly half of the personnel at the main base had rebelled and many entire outlying laboratories had entirely cut off communications. If he hadn't gotten here now who knows what could have happened. Already the situation was on the brink of being utterly unresolvable.

“But you didn't.” Naruto said, “What more, you lied to me.” Karin seemed about to sink through the floor with shame. “Do you have any good news?” he asked. He was close to screaming. This couldn't happen! It mustn't happen! He hadn't gone this far just to let his prize slip away! Yet now it was... more and more it was falling apart.

“Yes.” Karin pressed forth, nodding eagerly. “Naruto-sama, I did let it go this far, yes, but it was for a reason. The dissidents have lined up behind some of the late Orochimaru-sama's closest servants. I figured that with a good figurehead breaking them in one blow would be much easier.”

“I take it there was a problem.” Naruto could hear it in her voice and his voice was a dry as the desert sands.

“Fucking right there is a problem!” a female voice snarled behind him and Naruto looked back to see a depressing sight. Through the doorway five people came in, Naruto recognizing them well. The first four were some of Orochimaru's deadliest servants, the infamous Sound Four. They were an elite team of shinobi who had been marked with one of Orochimaru's most vile creations, a cursed seal that made them puppets of the man. It gave them the ability to transform into monstrous shapes many times stronger than their human shapes. Even without that they were skilled enough to be chuunin at least, their relative youth being the only thing that limited them. Yet the fifth person was the most depressing sight.

Kimimaro, a boy of the now extinct Kaguya clan. Kept captive in a cave for most of his life by his kinsmen that feared his power, the boy was even as a young child the most powerful user of the Kaguya clan's unique bloodline limit, the Shikotsumyaku. The boy was sickly but still a deadly fighter beyond what most of Orochimaru's subjects could even dream of. He was one of the last Naruto wanted to fight here.

“Then let's hear it Tayuya-san.” Naruto said, turning to look at the foul-mouthed girl that had addressed him. The girl scowled at him, her brown eyes lacking any kind of warmth or acceptance. Naruto kept his mind working quickly, while the girl was hot-blooded and foul-mouthed she was still very intelligent, it wouldn't do to let her outsmart him.

“I'll put it bluntly shithead.” the girl growled with killing intent seeping out of her. “You ain't welcome here! We're Orochimaru's servants, not his prissy little fag of an apprentice's so you can just ...”

“Enough.” Kimimaro said softly, putting one hand on Tayuya's shoulder to silence her. The girl froze at once, her fear of him being evident. That was probably the best testimony to Kimimaro's strength, the sound four feared him this much. Naruto raised one eyebrow and looked at Kimimaro as the boy stepped out in front of him.

“Are you going to challenge me Kimimaro-san?” Naruto asked quietly, not showing arrogance or bravado to the young boy. The Shikotsumyaku was one of the most intriguing things he had seen and he had relished at the chance of examining the boy's alien physique closer.

“I lived for Orochimaru-sama” Kimimaro said. The boy's eyes were eerily calm. a lesser person would have been unnerved by them. “He was my reason to exist, without him I am nothing. Do you plan to take his place?”

“I plan to make my own place.” Naruto told the boy. “I am me and I will be myself. I do not plan to become Orochimaru number two, I plan to make my own place in this world, become something greater than he ever was. You can either follow me or die. The choice is yours to make, will you be a servant or a corpse?” He'd be damned it he crawled or made concessions to these people.

Then, Kimimaro knelt. The boy dropped down and bowed his head to Naruto in a gesture of obedience. The sound four behind him all stepped back in horror, obviously not having expected this.

“I was but a tool for Orochimaru-sama.” the young boy said humbly, “a tool to make his will be done. You are the man who was his apprentice, his legacy. If you will have me I am yours, now and forever.” Naruto couldn't help but smile cruelly. The boy really was an obedient dog in all he did. Amazing. He truly didn't know how to live for himself, instead clinging to his master. If he realized that Naruto was the one who had killed Orochimaru... Naruto preferred to not think of that, instead kneeling to put a hand to Kimimaro's jaw. Lifting his face, he stared into the boy's serene eyes.

“Then you are mine.” he told him. “Now and forever. No matter what comes, you will serve me. Understood?”

“Yes, my master...” Kimimaro said, a tone of satisfaction being in his voice. He was home, he had a master now: he could live again now. What a tragedy this boy was, so utterly broken. Naruto glanced up at the sound four, dropping the gentle façade and instead hit them with a blast of killing intent.

“Corpses or servants?” he asked them as he rose, his voice threatening and severe. It was a psychological trick, after having been that far down and that gentle and then shifting both altitude and attitude he came to seemingly tower above them as far as they could tell. The sound nins soon broke, each of them kneeling. Jiroubou first, the brute recognizing a superior shinobi. Kidoumaru knelt next, realizing he had no chance to win. Tayuya followed, the girl's face showing how much she hated doing it. The unofficial leader of the sound four, Sakon and his siamese twin brother Ukon, bowed in the end as well, only their pride having made them stand that far.

Naruto smiled at the sight, seeing that the elites of Oto bowed to him now.

“Rise.” he told them, the five shinobi all obeying. Naruto smirked slightly, enjoying this immensely. “I want order restored in Otogakure.” he told them. “By any means necessary. Restore my control over the outlying bases and deal with whomever opposes me. Crush them, no mercy. Kimimaro, show your devotion to me: you're the second in command in Oto from now on.”

“By your command Naruto-sama.” the shinobi all murmured. Naruto felt anger boil inside him, anger at whomever dared to oppose him. None was allowed to do that, none was allowed to claim the legacy his master had left! It was his! He would take it, refine it and use it for Konoha no matter who got in his way. He'd rather see it burn before he let anyone else have it. He showed none of this though, instead glancing at Karin. The girl seemed shocked at having been relieved of command but didn't say anything.

“Karin, I leave it with you to aid Kimimaro. Do not let the traitors win this and I will be with you soon.” he said. That was all he needed to say, Karin obeyed. With that, the shadow clone dismissed itself, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile, far to the south, the real Naruto startled as the memories of the shadow clone rushed to him. Rin, who had be padding the bared snakeskin on his arm with a disinfectant, glanced up at him.

“Did I hit a nerve?” she asked, Naruto shaking his head.

“It's all right.” he said, having to strain himself to not groan. Damnation. Things were not playing out as he had wanted them to. a new solution had to be found and Naruto thought about it. Even with the sound five on his side he had no illusions that the vast majority of Orochimaru's scum would like nothing better than freedom, a freedom where they could use their new-found powers to do whatever they wanted. Still, he could solve this, one way or another he had to. a plan was already building inside his head, a plan that he had considered but not refined. That he did now, if he pulled it off it was a good alternative

He'd need to play it well though. Staying focused, he headed instantly for the Hokage's office when he was done with Rin. He kept up an appearance of haste, almost mania, like he had discovered something earth-shattering. The people of Konoha kept out of his way, the glow in his eyes evidently frightening them. Yet, Naruto didn't care, bumping into people on a few occasions and when he reached the Hokage's tower he practically leaped up the stairs and got into his father's office by slamming the door open.

Minato was sitting in his chair, reading some report, and when Naruto slammed the door open he was evidently startled. Hizashi, who had been standing by one of the bookshelves, was equally startled and the man actually made half a move to adopt a fighting stance, however slightly.

“Hokage-sama!” Naruto yelled before he came up to the man's table and put one hand down on it. “It's not over!”

“What do you...” Minato begun.

“Those blood nins, I wasn't sure but now I am. They are Orochimaru's creations!” Minato startled again at this before his eyes narrowed.

“Explain!” he demanded, Naruto nodding.

“Those blood nins didn't develop their skills naturally, I understood that now, the... never mind.” he said, seemingly having been about to launch into a long explanation. “The thing is that Orochimaru must have had a much larger network than I ever was told of!” he continued now, he was restrained but still emotional. For the Hokage that would set off warning flares, huge ones. That he even showed emotions was a huge thing. “That very network is probably filled with kami knows what horrors that man developed! I only knew of laboratories in fire country but he must have have them all over the elemental nations! The blood nins came from one of those very laboratories!” Naruto, seemingly too excited to stand still, started to pace around the room. “For all we know,” he said, “Kami's grace, we might have unleashed an entire army of mutants and whatever scum that man had gathered throughout the minor nations. Knowing him, each of those will have some kind of bond to Orochimaru.”

“Hokage-sama...” Hizashi begun now. “If the other nations find out that one of the sannin was the one behind those laboratories they'll blame Konoha.”

“And we'll end up cementing every single one of the minor nations where Orochimaru worked against us.” Minato finished through clenched teeth. “Damn it!” He got out of his chair now. “Naruto! Your new mission is to track those laboratories down. I'm transferring you to field duty for as long as it takes to root out every last bit of Orochimaru's labs. You, as his apprentice, stand the best chance of moving amongst them, they'll know you. Locate them and wipe them out. If you need aid then contact Konoha, a force of ANBU will be on standby. We will make contact with Jiraiya and deploy his entire network. His agents will inform you of their finds. I expect you to cooperate with him” Naruto saluted. Having Jiraiya on his tail wasn't what he wanted at the moment but it would have to do.

“As you command Hokage-sama.” he said.

Chapter Text

Naruto looked out across the barren landscape where rocks and dust was all that could be seen. After over a week of investigation their first lead had appeared in the most unfortunate of places: in the northern parts of Earth country. Iwa still held a deep grudge against Konoha and this had forced Naruto to move quickly. This base wouldn't just create antipathy against Konoha from Iwa's side, that existed aplenty already. It would provoke a war. Naruto had therefore moved here with all due haste, avoiding the Iwa sentries and heading straight for it.

He did not know what the northern laboratories held, Orochimaru had been silent about it, but whatever it was it was probably something big. Walking amidst the stone pillars, he kept eyes and ears open. The entrance was, according to Jiraiya, hidden some distance away but it wouldn't be strange to find traps of some sort around the place

The wind blew cold under a clear sky, red rock the only thing that could be seen for miles in all directions. He was high above sea level, enough to, combined with the latitude of this location and the time of the year, make the place very cold. The wind was near freezing in temperature. Yet, the cold didn't bother him at all. The only thing in his mind was the destruction of the place ahead.

After several minutes of careful advancing he came to notice a building in the mountainside, one with a large flight of rock stairs leading up to it. What he noticed even more, however, was the man currently laying on the ground at the bottom of these stairs. He was quite easy to notice, especially since he did not have his head. Naruto knelt by the corpse and pushed it onto its back to investigate.

Someone, something, had torn off his head with immense force, the giant wound where his neck should be was ragged enough that it seemed to be a bite wound. The broken fingernails suggested the man had struggled however. Also, judging from the state of his clothes and the fact that his ribs were broken something had grabbed hold of him to do it. The discolouration on the front side of the body as the blood had slowly ran down into it as there was no longer a beating heart to pump it around along with the stiffness and the lowered body temperature meant that he had died a while ago. However it was not long enough that the corpse had had time to start getting bloated. From the temperature Naruto estimated the time of death somewhere between eight and ten hours ago. Judging from his clothes he had been a scientist.

Now Naruto was interrupted as something forced it's way out of the door. Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of what came at him. It had reddish-brown skin, large horns in the same colour. It wore the simple clothes of a patient or, if his first guess as to what exactly this place was was correct, a research subject. The thing's eyes were black with yellow irises and he currently growled. His mouth was much too big for a human, instead being more the size that it could bite one off, and the hands were even bigger. Naruto could only stare at the sight initially. What kind of aberration was this? However after only a second he smiled, understanding something.

"So this was where you developed the cursed seal," he muttered to himself right before the monstrous mutant roared and threw itself at him. It practically flew down the stairs, pouncing at him with eyes glowing with insane fury. Naruto, still kneeling, let his hand fall to the Kusanagi and one split-second before he was caught by the monster he shot forwards, coming to his feet right behind the monster, the sword drawn. The mutant stood still, blinking in shock before it fell down, a killing blow having been delivered to its neck.

Naruto whirled the Kusanagi around as he walked up the stairs towards the building. Thank the fortunes they had discovered this place early on, if Iwa had found what would seem like a Konoha experiment to create monsters there definitely would have been war. Getting in through the door, he came face to face with a nightmarish vision. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, it was all either covered in blood or the marks of battle. Corpses lay everywhere and some distance away he could see a pair of figures hunched over one of them. From the sounds of it they were eating.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and with a flick of his arm he sent two kunai straight towards them, neither of the mutants able to react before their skulls were pierced. Death was instantaneous for both of them, swift, clean and effective.

Naruto kept moving down the hallway, his steps now being light and swift. The research subjects were evidently insane to one degree or another. Perhaps the mutations had made them crazy or the experiments themselves had caused it. Whatever the reason though, they were a threat. For Konoha's sake he had to destroy them. Stalking through the hallways, he soundlessly and without being spotted dealt with the mutated victims of Orochimaru's experiments. Many times he simply cut them down from behind. Other times he used poisoned senbon needles. In a few cases he used a poison mist jutsu to kill large crowds of them. Whatever the methods, they died quickly and as painlessly as he could afford.

After two hours of this bloody, merciless work he found himself standing outside the office of what had been the head scientist's room. The place had fared no better than any other place in this base, the tables being overturned, the glass covering the floor and the paper scattered all over the place. Yet, Naruto went through what paper he could, wanting to see if anything worthwhile still remained. After only a few minutes of quick reading he found something, something very interesting indeed.

Orochimaru hadn't created the cursed seals it seemed, he had derived them from an outside soirce. Several of the papers spoke of a research subject apparently named "Juugo". From what Naruto could discern this Juugo was, one way or another, the source of the cursed seal. Naruto read these files with great interest. The implications of that were stunning. Even when not employing the methods his former master had used it was easy to see that there was a lot to be gained here. The mutated victims of his master's hubris was one thing, but the actual source...

He needed to find him. Naruto went through the documents, seeing if he could find where exactly Juugo was held. It took some time, the entire office was a mess. He did come across quite a few interesting titbits however. Amongst other things Kimimaro had been placed here for long periods of time, it seemed as if the sickly Kaguya had had a calming influence on Juugo. It was first when Naruto checked the dead head scientist's pockets that he found something really interesting however. This interesting thing was a key ring. According to the reports Juugo was kept in a special cell and while on the way here Naruto had seen a cell with much stronger reinforcement than any else. That had also been the only cell not bust open.

It didn't take Naruto's mental facilities to put two and two together and he didn't waste any time to head for the door. It was an impressive construction indeed. At least one foot thick steel, extra chains going across it and nearly a dozen locks. It was easy to see that the scientists here had feared whatever was inside this room. Naruto started opening the locks, one after one, with a sense of anticipation. Whatever was in there didn't thrash around, everything was deathly silent. When the last lock opened the door swung open automatically, Naruto taking a step back and making sure to bounce on his feet, ready to act if he had to.

He had to. A roar came from inside the room, a hoarse, guttural outcry that sounded much like whatever was in there screamed "jackpot". Only a second after that the person captured inside was upon him. Naruto had only just enough time to perceive a large, burly person with orange hair come crashing out of the cell. Even with his agility and trained reactions it was only barely that he managed to get out of the way before he was body-slammed into the wall. Leaping through the air and landing several feet away, he was first now managing to get a good look of Juugo.

He was massive, nearly two meters tall and with a heavy build. His back-combed hair was orange and his eyes red. Black spots covered his face and his fist was currently transformed into the reddish skin that was a clear sign of the cursed seal. It was also the size of Naruto's torso and had created a massive crater in the wall. His eyes turned towards Naruto, nothing but madness visible in them. With surprising agility he got his fist out of the wall and headed for Naruto again, accelerating to the kind of instant speed he had had while coming out of the cell. Naruto, still off balance, was unable to dodge this blow and Juugo's fist buried itself into his gut. His eyes widened, what kind of insane power was this! It was like a high speed battering ram, amongst all of Konoha's shinobi only Maito Gai could hit with this kind of power!

Naruto for one second looked like he was going to puke his guts out, then suddenly his attacker became aware that he had in truth punched his fist into one large writhing mass of snakes. Naruto, meanwhile, was gone. A crescendo of hisses came from the snakes as they all bared their fangs, over a dozen mouths dripping with venom going for Juugo's bare arm. None of them had time to bite him however, Juugo's arm morphed into a giant spiked club, impaling the snakes instantly. Flinging his arm to the side, he made it morph back to its natural shape just in time to look down and see Naruto's hand sticking up through the broken floor. With a choked cry Juugo was pulled into the ground, all the way down to his neck, and Naruto burst out of the ground a few meters away.

But Juugo wasn't done it seemed. With a roar he made the ground around him explode, Naruto stepping back in shock and a moment later Juugo was at him again. This time Naruto was ready however. Making the snake seal, he took a deep breath and blew a cloud of deep green gas into Juugo's face. When Juugo came out of it was stumbling and with wide eyes. His feet seemed suddenly unable to keep up the speed he was going at and he crashed into the ground, Naruto being upon him in an instant. Pushing a senbon needle into the young man's spine, he made Juugo cry out in pain. Leaping off him, Naruto was greeted with the sight of the black marks receding and the madness leaving his eyes. According to the reports Juugo had a split personality, one of rage and blood thirst, the other of gentleness and pacifism. Naruto's acupuncture had calmed him and now the man lay paralysed on the floor.

"Juugo I presume?" Naruto said, hunching down in front of the restrained man. Juugo seemed confused now, at least at first. The young man looked around himself, blinking confusedly. Then the fear came.

"Oh no..." he said, his voice trembling with fear. "Oh gods..."

"Calm down," Naruto begun. "I will not hurt you, not unless you give me a reason to."

"Put me back in!"Juugo yelled now, wild fear in his eyes as he struggled against the paralysis that held him. Naruto almost recoiled at the sheer desperation in his voice "Please!" the young man screamed, "Put me back in before I hurt more people!"

"This base is destroyed," Naruto told him. "There's nothing left here. Soon it'll collapse unto itself."

"What..." Juugo begun, despair beginning to appear in his eyes. "I... I wondered why they didn't make me do more tests but... oh gods..." Juugo gritted his teeth now, clenching his eyes shut as he looked down into the floor. "I don't know who you are... but please, kill me," he begged Naruto.

"Do you fear that your curse will make you kill more people?" Naruto asked softly.

"I don't fear, I know!" Juugo exclaimed. "Please! Show me that grace. If I can't have this thing cured... then I might as well die."

"You seem awfully quick on giving up on life," Naruto told him. "Have you really so little hope left? Do you truly think there's no way left for you to find a cure."

"I tried!" Juugo yelled, "Went to Orochimaru because I thought he could help me. But he didn't... And if I try to find someone else... I'll just kill more people the next time I snap! I don't want to kill people ever again!"

"No you won't," Naruto said. "Juugo. I know that you must be afraid. But this is no time for you to give up. Let me release you and we'll talk face to face." With that, Naruto pulled out the senbon needle paralysing Juugo. The young man got to his feet now, with immense speed to boot, and back-pedalled before turning around and running back into his cell. Naruto sighed before walking over to the cell. Understanding that Juugo was very unstable, he didn't go inside, instead he leaned against the outer door-frame, kept his body out into the hallway and looked in no particular direction. He folded his arms and begun to speak again.

"Juugo-san," he said. "You may not know who I am. I am Orochimaru's apprentice, my name is Namikaze Naruto."

"N..Namikaze?" Juugo asked slowly, recognizing the name by the looks of it. "As in... like Konoha's Hokage?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "My father apprenticed me to Orochimaru, a Konoha shinobi. But then we found out what he had done. Not only here, but throughout the elemental nations. He promised you a cure, didn't he?"

"Y... yes," Juugo said.

"But then he betrayed you and used you as a test subject," Naruto continued. "My master wrought untold suffering, playing god and caring not one whit for who got in his way. I aim to undo what he caused, as much as I can at least. But there are people out there who would use Orochimaru's bases and laboratories for the very same kind of things that he did."

"Well what do you want from me?" Juugo asked him.

"I want to help you," Naruto said. "Juugo-san, if you will help me make sure that nobody can ever do these kinds of things with my master's laboratories I swear that one way or another I will find a cure for the people suffering here, your condition, your friend Kimimaro's and so on." Was it sincerity? Yes, in a way. "One way or another" was a delightfully vague phrase that could mean anything. Yet, for Juugo it seemed to be enough. The magical word, "Kimimaro" brought him slowly out of the cell. His head became visible in the doorway as he carefully looked at Naruto.

"K...Kimimaro?" he asked. "Is he with you?" Naruto nodded.

----XXXXXXXX----

In the deep caverns on an island far out in the ocean Naruto walked silently beside the weasel-faced scientist who kept grandly prating on about how delighted and honoured he was to see "Naruto-sama" here and how his projects had made such amazing progress recently. The man seemed intelligent enough, of that there was no doubt. Yet as Naruto walked through the dark, dimly lit laboratory with all the large test tubes throughout it he came to the conclusion that it was not the intelligence that was the issue here. It was what he could see in the man's eyes, the cells lining the corridors and other things. Juugo, who was walking behind him, seemed almost terrified, the man evidently not enjoying being back here. Naruto had gotten him out of the hospital clothes he had worn and given him some sturdy farmer's clothes along with a large cape.

"This project of mine will revolutionize the shinobi world," Amachi continued to pontificate about his work. "When the kaima transformation is perfected nations like this one will become invincible, ruling the seas with as much power as the lands! Boats will become irrelevant and only your forces would be able to be safe on the seas, any other would risk death at the hands of the kaima-forces!"

Naruto pursed his lips at what he saw. This man had developed a quite fascinating ninjutsu, the "Kaima form". When using it, the user turned into human/fish hybrid with increased strength as well as the ability to breathe and move with immense speed under water. It was reminiscent of the cursed seal, only that it's powers were focused on sub-marine activities. What was truly impressive was that apparently Orochimaru had pulled the plug on this project years ago but Amachi had still kept going. The man had achieved practically half the results available with only what funding he could scrape together by himself.

Naruto was impressed, that level of devotion was always an asset. Yet, was it devotion or mania? The man seemed to harbour a deep resentment for Orochimaru for pulling the plug. Too much indicated that the man simply was a maniac for Naruto to be calm about it.

"I'm intrigued..." Naruto begun and Amachi's head immediately snapped to look at him. The man was pathetically eager to please. "Tell me more about the process itself, the clinical trials et cetera. How did you find research subjects in this place?"

"Wherever we needed to Naruto-sama," Amachi answered with a smug voice. "The waters around this island is filled with fish, more than anywhere else, and now and then fishermen brave these waters. It is amazing how many of them keep doing it despite the risks of being... shall we say "spirited away" by the kaima.

"And the risks of discovery?" Naruto continued, Amachi smirking.

"None," he said, "Sea Country is nothing but simply fishermen and farmers, they are dirt poor and I've made sure that the Kaima's first targets are the money deliveries to Water Country. They have nothing to put up against us." Naruto nodded. He was right. The people of Sea Country probably thought of the events here as some kind of monster, which wasn't that far from the truth. That meant there wasn't anything to lead them back to Konoha when this lab was gone. Looking around, he came to think of something.

"You speak of the Kaima," Naruto said. "How many shinobi have you given this ability?"

"Ah..." Amachi said now. "The enhancement isn't quite finished yet Naruto-sama, I've refrained from deploying it until it is perfected. The Kaima I use for the attack is one of the research subjects. The original in fact!" Naruto almost spat at this. That cinched it. This man was as psychopathic as his master. A research subject meant a kidnapped villager of fisherman, someone turned into what he would think of as an abomination and used as a weapon.

"I want to see this subject," he demanded, Amachi bowing his head.

"As you command," he said and turned to one of the shinobi beside him, a man with a heavy-set face and, for some reason, sunglasses. "Go get her," he said and the man bowed before he vanished. Naruto took in the information silently. A woman huh? Amachi turned back to him and continued to prattle about things. Naruto endured it all silently when in truth he already had made his call. The only thing that interested him at the moment was the Kaima. From what he could tell, perhaps, this had been a part of the research into what would become the cursed seal? The transformation did sound similar to Juugo's abilities, as did the enhanced powers. Behind him Juugo was already fidgeting, Naruto could tell he wasn't happy to be down here. He didn't want to be reminded of all the experiments and all the trials. What more the story of this "Kaima" probably hit close to home for him. A being created from the results the research on him had caused, it was not hard to see how he could consider it partly his fault that this woman had been turned into the Kaima.

Pursing his lips, Naruto thought that he'd have to pay close attention to Juugo now. The young man was the reason why the sound five and many other of Orochimaru's creations existed. The psychological consequences needed to be made clear. The guilt could, perhaps, be used as a controlling influence over Juugo's aggression He filtered out the madman's blabbing and silently took stock of the situation.

After a while the shinobi returned, Naruto pushing himself off the table he had been leaning against. As the shinobi held the door open another figure came into vision in the doorframe, a small, scrawny figure with a lifeless posture. In the sickly green light from the test tubes Naruto saw the Kaima.

Many would have called her appearance heart-rending. She was not a woman, she was but a girl, perhaps twelve years old and small for her age. Her sunken face and large parts of her body was covered in bandages and she walked with the almost sleepwalking gait of someone who had lost all hope. Her clothes hung from her body and her dark hair was uneven despite the attempts of the bands in it to impose some kind of order. The worst part however was her eyes, not lifeless like her steps but instead filled with silent pain.

Naruto knew eyes well, he always kept his gaze on the windows of the soul and he knew to read them. He did it well; at a few occasions people had thought he could read minds. What he saw in the young girl's eyes was subtle but not impossible to see. There was self loathing, sadness, loneliness, but also determination. Something with that girl suggested she was not totally crushed, something suggested that she still had something to hope for. What more, from behind him he could hear a sharp intake of breath. He was right, Juugo was horrified by what he saw.

"At last!" Amachi said as he walked up to Isarabi and put a hand on her shoulder. The gesture seemed like that of a father and her daughter but the way Isarabi looked away from him destroyed the impression. "This, master, is Isaribi," Amachi said, "She is my greatest achievement. Isaribi, this is our new master. Show him proper respect." The girl did not show any reaction at this, she didn't even look at Naruto. She was like a torture victim, just waiting for it all to end. Amachi seemed to get nervous now. Isaribi's non-compliance bothered him, a lot, and he ended up grabbing hold of her.

"Didn't you hear me!" the man hissed, grabbing Isaribi's wrist and tearing her to the ground. "Show the master proper respect!" Now first the bandaged girl showed emotions. A gasp of pain escaped from her as she was torn to the ground, hitting the floor with a loud thud. The very next instant things went south. Naruto was almost overwhelmed by the sheer flood of killing intent that came from Juugo and before he could do anything the giant had shot past him, roaring as he slammed into Amachi and pinned him to the wall behind the man. The black spots were already spreading as Juugo's fist became one giant sledgehammer which he pulled back, fully intending to crush Amachi to a red paste.

"Juugo!" Naruto roared, letting his voice crack like a whip and launching all the killing intent he could at the man. While Juugo's killing intent was a flood, Naruto's was a spear. He focused his killing intent into razor sharp precision and drove it straight into Juugo, making the man stop instantly. The black marks receded from his face, his very physique cowed, as he looked back. His eyes were wide and sweat already had broken out on his brow. Naruto let his hand travel down to Kusanagi and grab the handle. "Let, him, go," he said, balancing every syllable for maximum efficiency, his voice was a low hiss and his eyes narrowed.

Juugo let go of Amachi eventually, the man dropping to the floor with a croak. He didn't go back behind Naruto though, instead the man hurried to Isaribi, kneeling by her side and helping her up.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a concerned voice, his massive hand large enough to almost make Isaribi's vanish in it as he took it to help her. Isaribi didn't answer however, she instead merely pulled away from him with an angry look on her face. Juugo recoiled almost as if he had been hit at this. The girl got up from the floor and ran over to Amachi's side, helping him up. The man got up from the floor with Isaribi's help, croaking as he massaged his throat.

"My apologies Amachi-san," Naruto said, not moving from his place. What he just had seen had disgusted him enough that he wouldn't have pitied the man even if he had been the kind to feel pity. "But please refrain from physically attacking your subjects from now on. My servant does not appreciate such things."

"I... I understand..." Amachi croaked, pulling away from Isaribi's help. Naruto gave him small smile of approval.

"Now, do continue, tell me about the latest discoveries..."

----XXXXXXXX----

The young girl walked listlessly along the cliffs. Around her the crashing of waves whipped small drops of water through the air, several of them hitting her without her noticing or caring. The cold wind went by the looks of it equally unnoticed as the sun continued down into the sea far away, the warmth more and more vanishing. She was heading towards a small, dinghy cabin further away. It was semi-hidden behind a small ridge of rocks sticking out of the ground, almost as if it wanted to hide itself.

This was her home, or at least as much as she could claim any place to be this. A more accurate description might be hideout, that didn't imply that it was where her heart was. It was a place to get some warmth and a place to make food, nothing more. The walls were covered in graffiti and behind the rocks right next to it kids used to hide and throw rocks at her. They didn't know she was the Kaima but the fact that she had returned from being spirited away was enough for them to torment her. Thinking – correctly too – she must be some kind of monster they had constantly made her life hell.

As she got close to the cabin she realized something. There was smoke coming from the hole in the roof and light could be seen through the crack and tears in the walls. Taking a sharp breath, she instinctively hunched down behind the rocks and looked towards the house. Her brow furrowed in uncertainty at the sight. The first thought that came to her was whether someone had lit her cabin on fire. Fear made her way into her at this. She only had this hideout, if she didn't have it she'd be forced to sleep in Amachi's laboratories and she didn't want that. Anything but that too.

Then the wind turned, for a second the wind blew from the cabin and Isaribi was surprised when the smell that came wafting towards her was not that of fire and smoke, but instead a deep, rich smell of food. She could smell red meat, some kind of spices and vegetables. Her mouth watered at the smell and she felt her stomach growl. It smelled good, incredibly good. For a girl that hadn't been able to get a really filling meal in years it had almost entrancing effect. She was used to live a simple life, where the meals were, if decent enough to survive, small and simple. The smell that came towards her, of spices and red meat, was beyond what she could ever afford, especially since few people even wanted to trade with her. She ended up raising her hand to her mouth to stop the saliva from dripping out, so powerful was the effect.

She could hear talking from the cabin but was too far away to make out what the voices said or even what kind of voices they were. She was still uncertain and afraid, people didn't come here usually, Amachi and his cronies refused to even go close to her cabin. In the end she slowly moved closer to the cabin, moving as silently as possible across the rocks. She did it knowing that the sound of the waves would drown out what sounds she made.

Getting up to the decrepit cabin, she leaned in to look through one of the smaller cracks. Inside the small cabin, her cabin, two men were sitting. She recognized them, they were the two men who had been in the labs today, one of them had attacked Amachi. They were both sitting around the cooking fire, something bubbling in the pot hanging over it. The smell was even stronger here as well, that wonderful smell surrounded the entire cabin.

She didn't know what to make of the two people. The big man seemed like he was a good person. When Amachi had hurt her he had attacked in blind fury and he had wanted to help her up. It wasn't that she hadn't appreciated it but she didn't want Amachi to get hurt. She hated him but he was her only hope. If he vanished so did her only hope of becoming normal.

The other man terrified her though. He was handsome enough, with pale skin, equally pale blonde hair and blue eyes. Yet those same eyes were slitted and seemed more like a snake's. He hadn't shown any emotions other than one instant of sudden, choking fury when he had stopped Juugo. She didn't know who he was but she knew that he frightened her.

"The food is ready soon," he suddenly said, "come in and we can eat." The girl went cold at this, realizing that she was talking to her. But how did he... "I can see you through the cracks," the man continued now, making the girl even more scared. Yet, she didn't show it, she did not plan to cower. Instead she opened the door and looked at them, suppressing her fear and looking at the man angrily.

"This is my home," she said lowly. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," the man said. "I am here to talk with you, Isaribi-san. I felt it fitting to bring an incentive," he indicated the pot. "It's a bit improvised but it is the best I can make. Care for some?"

"No," Isaribi lied, the man's intrusion angering her. "I want you to get out of my home!" she shouted now. She was scared, the man frightened her, but she hid it behind aggression.

"Do you think it's wise to demand that of me?" the man asked now, his voice getting a kind of neutrality to it, like he was merely pondering something. "Amachi is your master. I am his." He said is so neutrally, so detachedly, that it took Isaribi some time to recognize the threat for what it was. She ended up gasping at the realization, freezing as she understood what this man could do if he wanted. A small tremor went through her and she ended up lowering her head. Without saying anything more she walked into the cabin, closing the door and sitting down.

"You didn't need to do it like that," the large man said now, scooping up some of the contents of the pot into a bowl and handing her it.

"I did," the snake-like man said, "There's no time for anything else. But let's eat first, that there's time for," he finished and got some stew for himself as well. Isaribi looked down at the contents of the bowl and she felt once again how her mouth watered.

"We managed to find some wild boar on the island," the large man told her now, Isaribi looking up at him and seeing how he smiled at her. "It's good. You may not think it but Naruto-sama is a great cook," he continued. Wasn't his name Juugo the girl wondered?

Isaribi didn't say anything, nor did the man named Naruto, he merely fished up a piece of meat and chomped down on it. Eventually Isaribi gave up hesitating and begun to eat as well. Juugo hadn't been lying, it was really good. The red meat and the rich sauce made it taste like the kind of food she ate as a child, when her parents were still alive and they were celebrating something. And there was so much of it too, by the looks of it she'd have food for several days if these two wouldn't eat it all. She tried to not show how much she enjoyed it however.

"Did you enjoy it?" Naruto asked later when Isaribi was done with the food. Isaribi, who had emptied the bowl, found herself wincing a bit. Somewhere she had forgotten to seem neutral and eagerly eaten as much as she could. She felt sleepy now. She still wasn't quite comfortable with the man and only looked away though. Naruto shrugged at this, leaning back against the wall and folding his arms behind his head. "Suit yourself," he said. "Instead, let's talk about what Amachi has promised you."

Isaribi sat up straight at this, it was like a shock wave went through her. The gasp that came from her was followed by her feeling her throat choke up. Her eyes became fixed on Naruto, the shock soon giving way to hope. She suddenly found herself hoping. Did that mean... was he here to cure her! Isaribi hadn't really felt hope for years but now it hit her like a thunderbolt. Naruto sat calmly by the wall, his legs folded.

" Or rather," he said now. "What did he promise you?" he clarified what he had meant and Isaribi felt nearly all her hopes choke in that very instant. For one second her pulse had raced and hope filled her heart, now it was crushed however. The sudden, choked emotions made her have to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from making the tears come forth, the abrupt and sudden crushing of her hopes finding only that place to get rid of all the pressure that was created inside her chest. Naruto's eyes remained on her, calm, piercing and almost hypnotizing in their frightful depth. "You obviously hate serving Amachi, yet you still show him loyalty, even to the extent to hurry to his side when Juugo attacked him. Why?" Naruto's voice was calm yet demanding. "What did that man promise you?" Isaribi didn't say anything. She remained seated out of fear only. Yet she did not want anything more than for the two men to leave. Naruto's eyes kept staring at her, staring into her.

"He promised to cure you, didn't he?" he said all of a sudden, Isaribi feeling it like an ice spear was driven into her heart. "Those bandages, they hide scales don't they? The scales that remain even after you turn back from being the Kaima?" Isaribi didn't move, she hardly even breathed, in one instant she was pretty much paralysed with fear. "Amachi said that at some point, whatever it was, you will be cured," Naruto continued, "You hate him, hate what he makes you do. Yet you persist, knowing that unless you do, you will spend your entire life as the Kaima."

"Stop it!" Isaribi lashed out now, getting to her feet. "Shut up! Get out of here!" she screamed at him. "Who even asked you to come here and meddle?"

"The fact that he lies!" Naruto exclaimed, making Isaribi freeze once more. Naruto's eyes had turned cold and grim. "This man, Juugo," he indicated the man beside him, "He was in the same situation when I found him. Show her Juugo," he continued, the man nodding as he raised his arm. Isaribi was treated to the sight of said arm changing, growing, turning red, the fingers elongating into long claws. She involuntarily took a step back in fright at the sight, horrified by the sight.

"I was born with this," Juugo said quietly. "Along with it came a red haze of madness that sinks over me at times, I can't control it. I sought Naruto-sama's master out, hoping he could help me. He didn't. Instead he locked me away in a cell and experimented on me. Naruto-sama freed me when his master had died."

Isaribi stared at the arm, only partially hearing what Juugo said. The shock was immense for her, she couldn't believe what she saw, and in the end her legs gave away under her. She collapsed to the floor, staring at Juugo's formerly human but now monstrous appendage. Blinking, she slowly started to shake her head.

"My former master, Orochimaru," Naruto begun now, "created labs like Amachi's all over the known world. In all those he and his underlings committed despicable atrocities, atrocities much like the ones you've been subjected to Isaribi-san. If Amachi told you he'd heal you he lied, for a man like that nothing, absolutely nothing, matters other than their science. When you are no longer of any use he will dispose of you, as he has done before."

"No... no..." Isaribi couldn't handle it all now. All the shocks and the revelations became too much for her to handle. Still remaining sunken together on the floor, she only stared between them, not knowing what to say. Confusion, disbelief, uncertainty, it became all too much for her and before she knew what had happened tears were running down her face. She didn't notice it at first, when she did she wiped away then with a confused look on her face "I..." she said now, her voice breaking. It was then that Juugo made his move. Going over to her, he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let it out," he said gently to her. "Don't hold it back, you'll only hurt even more." Isarabi gritted her teeth now, clenching her eyes shut as she tried to hold back. Her entire body trembled and her knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists. Juugo, in the end, moving to embrace her. "Just let it out," he said again, Isaribi snapping in the end. The girl begun to cry, letting out the torrent of pain and suffering that had been inside her for so long. All that had happened became too much for her to bear alone and without reservation she accepted Juugo's embrace, clutching onto him as she wept in fear and grief and despair. Naruto silently left the house now, leaving the two of them alone. Walking out on the cliffs, he considered the ramifications of what was happening right now.

Isaribi was vulnerable, very much so. Naruto didn't doubt that she'd come with them, having broken her hopes for Amachi to help her she'd latch on to any other hope. Juugo, meanwhile, was doing perfectly. He had a soft spot for that which was weak and pained and his actions would make Isaribi bond with him. Perfect. Juugo was the source, Isaribi was a well-developed sample of this metamorphosis being imposed upon others, albeit in limited form. Those were two prizes valuable indeed.

Naruto remained out on the cliffs, considering the situation as the last of the sun sank into the ocean. After a while Juugo came out of the cabin, carefully closing the door behind him as he came out to Naruto.

"She fell asleep," he told him. "She cried until she was exhausted." Naruto noticed the large tear stains on Juugo's cloak.

"I guessed she would," Naruto said.

"Did you really have to do it that way?" Juugo asked. "You broke all the hopes she had, destroyed her."

"I do not have time to be gentle," Naruto said, indicating his hitai-ate. "My superiors sent me out with the explicit purpose to destroy the laboratories and whatever remains of Orochimaru's sick network. Search and destroy, I take a risk merely by taking you in."

"I understand," Juugo said slowly. "What will you do next?"

"Tomorrow she'll have had some time to adjust," Naruto said. "She'll have some reservations but this," he reached into his clothes and took out a folder with some papers in it, "Will convince her that I was right. Either way, Amachi will die tonight and his base will be destroyed.

"I can't wait..." Juugo said, Naruto looking up to see the first signs of blood thirst appear in the man's eyes. The anger in him found fuel in what he had seen at the base. He truly was disgusted by it. If Naruto brought him along he would actually enjoy destroying it.

"Not you," Naruto said. He didn't need to give Juugo any positive reinforcement of his destructiveness. "Me. You will watch over her. Keep her in your mind at all times, she is dependant on you now. If you slip she dies, understood?" Juugo looked away.

"If you know that, why do you make me do it?" he asked, worry on his face.

"Precisely because of that reason," Naruto said. "If you hope to ever come in control of your condition you must recognize the triggers that make you slip and the ones that holds you back. Kimimaro was a calming influence and I believe that girl can be that for you as well. Therefore she is your ward now, her safety is your job, not mine. Mine is to deal with my old master's leftovers." With that, Naruto walked away from Juugo, heading back towards the hidden base.

"Tell her that if she comes with me I will do what Amachi lied about doing," he said, "I will meet you at the harbour tomorrow." With that, he walked away. Isaribi wouldn't let this chance go. She already trusted Juugo a bit and with her old, false, hopes crushed she'd latch onto these new hopes. Forcing her to make a quick choice would force her, if she were to have any reason to go on, to grasp after what hopes Naruto represented.

Getting back to the base, he was met by Amachi, who kept grovelling to him right until Naruto, with one smooth movement, drew his sword and decapitated the man. The man's face did not even have time to get a surprised look on it as it flew through the air, nor did any alarm have the time to be raised before the shinobi standing nearby was also dead, a shuriken having buried itself cleanly between his jaw and Adam's apple

As he had done before, Naruto begun to calmly, methodically and mercilessly destroy the base. There were only a few shinobi and scientists here, meaning that the wet work was quickly over with. What more, the cliffs here were not that stable. He only needed a few earth jutsu to make the caves collapse. Yet, he needed to take care and therefore the work took time. Nothing was allowed to remain of this place, explosive notes were placed in carefully selected areas and portions of the caves, when he was done and had gotten out the explosion caused a chain reaction that made the entire cave system fall apart. As the caverns fell apart behind him where he now stood out on the surface of the water he looked to the east to see the first rays of light appear on the horizon. All in a night's work. He'd have time to sleep on the boat.

When he got to the docks he was met with Juugo standing by the walkway up to the ship. Isaribi was standing beside him with his arm on her shoulder.

----XXXXXXXX----

It was in River Country, a medium-sized county that lay sandwiched between Fire Country and Wind County, that Naruto found the next major part of Orochimaru's legacy. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that the legacy found him. They had been walking through it, heading towards Wind Country, and were currently in a deep forest when it came. The large trees around them were silent, the wind having died and only the occasional sound of birds being heard. There were no other travellers along the forest road they journeyed along.

Naruto realized something as they travelled. Things were too silent. The occasional bird cries that came were too regular, they came at nearly perfect intervals. Someone was hiding the fact that they had made the birds fall silent. He kept walking through, carefully glancing around him to see if he could spot anything. Neither Juugo nor Isaribi noticed anything. They were walking right behind him, Isaribi having kept up all the way without any complaint.

There was nothing he could see, at least not at the moment. He mentally formed a tiger-seal with one hand and moulded chakra. It was hard to do it without hands, yet he was near precisely in good enough control of his chakra that he could do it.

"Kai," he said quietly but intensely, forcing the foreign chakra in him out of it. The cries of the birds vanished, leaving only silence. Naruto focused, listening after the least sounds around them. He couldn't see or hear anyone but he could feel someone out there. There was a low, subtle killing intent that he only now felt. Whomever was out there was good.

Then! Naruto leaped backwards just in time to avoid a swarm of projectiles that burrowed itself into the ground he was walking on. He made a sharp vault backwards, his body forming a half-circle as he spun backwards, his sword coming out to deflect another swarm of projectiles. Landing right in front of Isaribi and Juugo, the latter having already taken a step to cover the former, he first now realized what the projectiles were made of. To his surprise, they were made of crystal. Dozens of small needles made out of pink crystal of some sort were scattered on the ground in front of him.

"Not bad," the woman who now had appeared in front of them said. She was a tall, slim woman with deep blue hair, almost black, and dark eyes. Her features were regal and her lips full and she wore a green, fur-rimmed coat over her red clothes, a coat with a large white flower on the side. Gloves covered her hands and a wide, rope-like belt held her coat. The beauty of her face was somewhat warped by the smirk on it. "It would have been boring if you'd have been done in that easily."

"Far would it be from me to deny a woman her pleasures, Guren-san," Naruto said, holding his sword in front of him. With his other hand he motioned for Juugo and Isaribi to back away. A small smirk spread over his face. Jackpot! He had feared that finding this amongst the utmost of Orochimaru's servants would have taken months, she was a recluse and as Naruto's star had risen in status amongst Orochimaru's people Guren's had fallen. She had gone into hiding over a year ago, not being able to handle Orochimaru's lost interest in her.

She was deadly, easily on a Jonin's level in sheer skill and experience and with a blood-thirst that made her nearly completely fearless in combat. What more, her unique, curious bloodline limit, which she had mastered to an astonishing level, made her twice as deadly. Her powers revolved around the manipulation of matter into crystalline structures. It a power that while seeming quixotic had been refined into a lethal series of combat jutsu. Shōton, Crystal Release, it was named.

"So you say," Guren said, "But you haven't made yourself easy to find, running willy nilly all over the elemental nations, destroying Orochimaru-sama's bases as you go." The last of her words was clear of all the previous amusement, instead they were cold. Naruto didn't show any emotions at her words. Guren was a wild card, Naruto didn't know what made her tick or what her goals were. What more, he had been the one to kill Orochimaru and here that didn't work in his favour. Yet, her abilities were an invaluable prize for many reasons.

"Orochimaru is dead," Naruto said. "As his apprentice, what is his is now mine."

"I'd have a much easier time believing that if your stinking hands weren't all over his passing!" Guren said, her eyes narrowing in anger. "Tell me something," Guren said as she raised her fist, a disc of chakra appearing at the start of her lower arm. It moved up along her arm and its wake was left a long crystal blade. "How did you find the heart to kill the man who became your father when your real parents dumped you for their jinchuuriki spawn?" With that, she attacked him.

Moving as fast as the wind, she leaped into the air, pulling one arm back as she begun to descend towards him. A scream ripped it's way out of her throat and Naruto leaped to the side before he was cut apart by the woman's swipe, the blade slicing through the ground cleanly. Guren leaped after him and Naruto's sword clashed with her, their faces ending up only inches from each other. Naruto's face was cool, Guren's was ice cold. Yet the emotions were there. Anger, shame, thirst for revenge. Guren was like so many of Orochimaru's underlings, the ones truly loyal to him. She had had nowhere else to go, Orochimaru had been the sole person to show her any kindness and had in return gained her utter trust. Unlike Juugo, who had sought out Orochimaru in desperation, unlike Isaribi, who served in hopes that she would be cured of what Orochimaru's people had done to her, Guren's loyalty was true.

Naruto stopped resisting her now. Relaxing, he rolled backwards as Guren ended up falling forwards and onto him. Only Naruto's feet stopped her, he lifted them to kick her – with all his power and with both feet – in the gut and send her flying into the air. Still lying down, his hands flashed through a series of seals and when he was done he spat out a fireball of immense size towards her. As the giant orb of searing hot flames engulfed Guren, Naruto leaped to his feet again and looked around. He only got a split-second of warning before the swarm of crystals hit him. These were not needles though, rather thin crystals in the shape of snowflakes. Naruto was thrown to the ground as he was hit by them but when his body hit the ground it turned into a pile of leaves.

High above Guren, who had only just escaped the fireball and now stood on a crystal platform, opened her eyes wide as Naruto appeared behind her, his sword piercing her from behind. Guren fell apart as well now, she however fell apart into small, green crystals. Guren appeared behind him at this, stabbing a crystal lance against his back. Naruto managed to avoid it however, grabbing hold of her lance to get leverage enough to kick her in the face. The only thing that stopped her from being launched away was that she managed to hook onto Naruto's other leg with hers. With said grip on him she stabbed at his face with her crystal blade. Despite Naruto's agility, the shining blade still drew blood from his cheek. Naruto grabbed hold of her arm and twisted it, shattering the crystal blade and in the process kicking Guren in the guts.

The two fell towards the ground, trading blows as they fell. Neither of them could score a clean hit and neither of them let go of the other until the very last second. Right before they hit the deck they both kicked away from each other, shooting away from each other and both landing hunched down on the ground as they slid along it. Naruto shot towards Guren again, closing the distance between them with immense speed. Guren pushed away, planning to meet him, but she stumbled and fell, unable to move. She crashed into the ground and looked down to see a hand sticking up out of the earth, holding an iron grip on her ankle.

She cut it off with a crystal blade and when she looked forwards again Naruto was right on top her. She leaped back, managing to avoid the blade. Yet all she did was crash right into another clone behind her, this one wrapping its arms around hers and locking her in a vice-like lock. She tried to struggle but Naruto was upon her before she had time to do anything, his steel stopping right at her throat.

"Enough!" Naruto yelled as he laid his blade right in front of Guren's jugular. She had nowhere to go, it was over. Guren's eyes still burned with anger, with frustration and helplessness. Yet, she was outclassed here. She was one of Orochimaru's best servants but Naruto had killed Orochimaru himself, she couldn't defeat him. "Do you want to know why I killed Orochimaru!" he asked her. As a reply he was spat in the face. He wiped it away however, his eyes narrowing. "Tell me Guren-san, do you remember Yukimaru?"

"Who?" Guren responded after a while, at first she was quiet but Naruto made her talk by pushing the sword against her throat.

"Yukimaru!" Naruto said, "A boy, light brown hair, deep purple eyes, he should be nine years old now."

"I don't know anything about that brat," Guren said through gritted teeth.

"You should!" Naruto hissed, "Eight years ago you were lost during a mission. You were found and healed by a woman and her little son," Guren blinked now, a look of remembering coming over her face. "When you came back to Oto Orochimaru told you that if you wanted him to take you back you would have to kill that woman and give him the child! And you did!" Guren flinched now, Naruto could see she had suppressed that memory. Just like so many of Orochimaru's subjects she was not brought up to be evil, merely lonely, broken. She had been a small, terrified little girl craving love, security and to mean something to someone when Orochimaru had found her. She had frantically lapped up Orochimaru's poisoned affection, not knowing or caring what it would cost her.

"Th... that..." Guren stammered now, shaken by Naruto reminding her.

"And guess what," Naruto continued mercilessly. "Yukimaru is dead! He died two years ago. That fiend I called a master forced him to try to use his powers to control the three-tailed beast. Yukimaru's mind broke under the strain and he became a vegetable. He hadn't even been laid in a hospital bed before Orochimaru pulled the plug on him." Guren stared at him now. She was horrified, it was easy to see. For all her sadism and all her blood thirst, she had a clear definition of acceptable targets, children did not fall within those boundaries.

"That's why I killed him!" Naruto continued. "I loved him, honoured him, saw him as a father. But when I found out about what he had done, how many lives he had ended... Hundreds, Guren-san. Hundreds of lives, many of them children, was ended, warped, destroyed by Orochimaru for the sole purpose of him wanting to play god. His kindness was a poison. A poison he fed us just so he could keep toying with us. We repaid him time and time again and all he gave us was the reward of being discarded when we did no longer suit him."

Guren stared blankly into the air, Naruto could almost see the memories and the thoughts flying through her mind. He had ripped all she knew of Orochimaru apart, turn out her sole source of comfort and left her lonely. The pain for her had to be incredible. It was pity that made him do what he did now, he removed the sword from its place at her jugular and dismissed the clone. Guren fell to the ground, landing on her back and ending up back-pedalling away for a few steps. Looking into her eyes, he saw only despair. Then she got to her feet. Turning around, Guren stumbled away, moving unsteadily at first but eventually managing to flee into the forest and vanishing.

"Naruto-san!" Juugo yelled behind him, Naruto looking back to see Juugo and Isaribi coming running towards him. "What happened? Who was that?" the large man asked, Naruto sheathing his sword.

"Someone who has lived a lie," Naruto said, feeling a sting of pity for the woman. He didn't say anything more however, he started to walk again. His two companions didn't press the matter, instead they kept walking, reaching the next town, a hot springs village, by sunset.

They got a room at of the smaller inns where the innkeeper, a tiny old woman, was delighted to see them. The travelling season was long since over and she personally accompanied them to their rooms, asking if they wanted a bath before dinner. Naruto glanced at Isaribi and politely refused the offer.

"The girl with us does not like to be seen without her bandages," he said to the old woman. "Her drunken father abused her severely, the scars are there even today." He could see how the woman was startled by the revelation, shock and pity filling her eyes. She wasn't done though.

"If that is your concern you needn't worry sir," she said quietly, "The baths are empty and I will make sure no other guests gets in them while you are there." Naruto considered it. Why not? It would be a nice relaxation for them all. In the end he looked back at Juugo and Isaribi. Had either of them even been in a hot spring before? Probably not. Also: it would be a good way to tie their loyalties to him, performing acts of seeming kindness like these.

"Juugo-san, Isaribi-san," he said, both of them looking up at him from inside the room. They had been sitting by the window, looking out across the town. "I've reserved the hot spring if you wish to clean up. We will have to ourselves if you want to."

"Hot... spring?" Isaribi asked. It seemed she got a bit uncertain.

"You can go in alone if you wish," Naruto offered, already knowing her answer. As uncomfortable as it might make her to bathe with two men, the idea of being alone was even worse. Isaribi shook her head and the trio soon had gotten into the water. Never the less, Isaribi kept her towel tightly wrapped around her body, Juugo keeping his around his waist as well. Naruto was the only one that kept it in it's traditional place, above the head as to not get it wet.

"This is great," Juugo said after a while, breaking the slightly awkward silence that had been created. "I never thought these springs would feel so great, they always smell so horribly," he was looking into the water with a slightly sedate look on his face. He moved his large hands through it, watching the ripples.

"You're right," Isaribi said, she had sunken down into the water with a surprise look that quickly turned to delight. For one moment she seemed to forgot that she had taken off the bandages and that the two men now could clearly see the patches of scaly skin that covered the areas normally hidden by them. "The water doesn't feel like the waters of the sea at all. It's... softer." She seemed genuinely fascinated by the water.

"It's the minerals in it," Naruto said. "This kind of water – warm and volcanic – has a lot of different minerals in it. It does good for the skin. Depending on the mineral contents it can have wide variety of effects"

"Really?" Isaribi said, looking up at Naruto.

"Yeah..." Juugo said. Naruto realized first now that the man, for some reason, had transformed his hand into a large, red set of claws. Lowering it into the water, he soon pulled it out to reveal his normal hand again. "See?" he asked Isaribi with a tiny smile, who only blinked at it.

For a few seconds she looked like a living question-mark but then, all of a sudden, she giggled. Raising her hands to her mouth, she tried to stop it but she couldn't, she just kept giggling at Juugo's attempt at humour. Naruto, meanwhile, was amazed at it. To see Juugo joking like that was not something he had expected. In fact, it was way beyond anything he had expected. Looking between the small Isaribi and the large Juugo, Naruto got a feeling that he had managed to succeed perfectly with them. They had bonded quickly, becoming almost like family. He smiled, delighted over his success with them.

The peace was interrupted however when the door to the baths was slid open and someone entered. They could see the outline of someone through the steam. Isaribi gasped and within a pair of seconds she had retreated behind Juugo. Juugo himself took a step forwards to give her more space to hide. Naruto didn't do anything so dramatic however he still spoke up.

"Excuse me," he said, "But we were promised that we would have the baths to ourselves."

"I know," a voice responded which made them all startle. The speaker came out of the steam clouds, revealing herself to be Guren. She had a somewhat subdued look on her face and slid silently into the water, placing her towel on her head as well.

"I can't say I was expecting this," Naruto calmly said, watching Guren as she took a deep breath. "What do you want?" he continued, Guren opened her eyes and looked at him at this.

"I might ask you the same," she said. Her voice was eerily calm. "You killed Orochimaru... Now you're destroying his entire network of outposts. What remains after that? Those two, will you kill them? Burn Oto to the ground? What do you want?" Naruto looked at her, surprised by her calm demeanour. Paranoia came to him now, was she planning something?

"I want..." Naruto begun, starting to carefully measure his words. He had to make this sound good. "I want all the pain and horror Orochimaru caused to become a thing of the past. I want his sick vision to burn and those he tormented to be saved. I may be blowing up bases and killing people in the dozens, but in doing so I separate the villains from the victims."

"Two people?" Guren asked, Naruto nodding.

"Most of the bases I've found are either empty, torn apart by revolts or still controlled by his underlings who have butchered whomever opposes them," Naruto said. "I understood what was going on too late. Too many good people have died, both due to Orochimaru and my ignorance in realizing just how many bases he had throughout the elemental counties. This might be too little, too late, but I must do it. I must try to save whomever I can. I do this because of kids like Yukimaru. Because even being what I am, a shinobi, there are things I just cannot allow to exist." Guren nodded slowly at his words. The pensive look on her face remained and after a while she sighed.

"I'm coming with you," she said. The reaction was quite big. Juugo exclaimed a "what?", Isaribi got in even further behind him and Naruto raised an eyebrow. Guren wasn't deterred however. "If what you say is true..." she continued. "Then I have to do something."

"To redeem yourself?" Naruto asked, Guren eventually shaking her head.

"No," she said, "To make it up to those I've hurt. Thinking back on it the only difference between Orochimaru and Yukimaru's mother... was that he found me first. That and that her kindness was genuine... Looking back at everything now... if fells like I've lived a lie for all these years. I need to get out of it, do something real." Naruto nodded slowly, a look of understanding coming onto his face.

"I understand," he said, smiling slightly, "We seem to have reached the same conclusions. I won't cast you aside Guren-san. But I can't give you any guarantees we'll live through this." Guren looked at him with a dry smile.

"Did you expect me to mind that right now?" she asked him, Naruto shrugging.

"I felt it was best to be honest," he said. "But tell me, how did you get in? You obviously used the changing rooms and the old woman said she'd not let anyone in." Guren smiled.

"I overheard what you said about Isaribi and told the innkeeper that she was my daughter, " she revealed. Naruto raised an eyebrow, impressed by the woman's wits. Sinking into the water, he took a deep breath and exhaled as he went back to enjoying his bath. There would be little of this ahead, he should enjoy this while he could.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Things had worked out quite splendidly after that. Isaribi had surprised them all with her acceptance of the idea of playing Guren's daughter. That had made it easier to handle the situation that arose when the innkeeper gave them two rooms, one for the men and one for the "mother and daughter". Juugo hadn't liked it but Isaribi's willingness to play along had calmed him as well. Indeed, when Isaribi and Guren had come down for breakfast the next day they had played the role with distinction, Guren especially seemed to have hidden a quite competent set of motherly instincts within her. With Guren located and part of the cause Naruto could in rapid succession destroy half a dozen more bases, freeing dozens of prisoners on the way. Most of them dispersed into the countryside, wanting only to head home, but several of them came with him and the small group that had formed.

As he made his way north through the smaller counties between the greater ones, the group grew. The four that had left the hot springs village became a dozen, then two dozen, then three dozen. They were nearly a hundred people when they passed over the border into the Rice Field Country. They were at the moment staying in a small inn in one of the farming communities. There hadn't been enough space for all of them but the villagers had been eager to please, lodging several of Naruto's followers in the nearby houses and barns. The generous payment he had offered probably helped with that.
Naruto had gotten his own room, the people following him had not even expected anything else. The man he had sent ahead to make preparations for their arrival had made sure that Naruto would get a room to himself and he even had demanded that Naruto got a personal servant, which he had gotten. Still, Naruto had sent the girl away but kept the room. He preferred to be alone anyhow. Not because he felt he was entitled to it, more that he wanted to keep his distance.

He currently sat by the window, looking out across the moonlit village. There was a lot on his mind. Thus far things had gone splendidly, the bases were generally only smouldering ruins now and nothing remained that could connect them to Konoha. All that remained was Oto itself, a message sent by Jiraiya hinting that it was most probably hidden somewhere in this country. Obviously Naruto knew that but he couldn't show it now could he? The question was how did the situation in Oto look. The Sound Four and Kimimaro would do a lot to keep the place there but their brutal methods, courtesy of him, would either stir even more unrest or they would suppress them for the moment. It was then that he felt something and looked up towards the ceiling.

"I didn't expect you to come see me personally," he said and a second later Jiraiya came swinging in through the open window, having hid up on the roof. He hadn't met his godfather personally since that fateful night when Orochimaru had died. When looking at him now, Naruto felt the sting of his punch. He wasn't happy to see him; he still hadn't forgiven his godfather for that punch. It might be irrational but so was Jiraiya's decision to hit him for doing what had to be done. Until the man could actually cough up an apology things would remain frosty between them.

"And hello to you to kid," Jiraiya said, giving a wry smile. Naruto didn't move a muscle and Jiraiya soon became serious as well. "I need to speak with you," he said, Naruto raising his eyebrows now.

"About what?" he asked.

"You are insistent on using those people, aren't you?" Jiraiya asked and Naruto narrowed his eyes. So that was what it was about? The entourage he had gathered could seem strange, he did understand that. What did it make people think? Was he gathering his own power base? Were they hired mercenaries? What were they? People would want to know those things.

"Do you prefer the deaths of more Konoha shinobi?" Naruto asked Jiraiya, playing it safe and close to heart. In the end, Jiraiya was someone who loved Konoha. It was a low kick but Naruto didn't care.

"That is not what I meant and you know it," Jiraiya said, Naruto baring his teeth somewhat.

"Come clean Jiraiya," he said, intentionally omitting the "-sama" that Jiraiya's status had given him. "Don't skulk around with it, tell me flat out what you mean. Do you have an Orochimaru-comparison lined up here? Do you want to shove some more guilt-mongering down my throat?"

"If you're done trying to talk around the matter, then answer me," Jiraiya persisted. "What are those people to you? Convenient tools? Do you hope to "save" them? When the final battle is fought, what will you do then? Your orders, our orders, is to deal with any and all threats left behind by Orochimaru. When the battle is over, then what? Are you planning to betray them? Lie to your father about them?"

"You let me worry about that," Naruto told him with an ice cold voice, "run off to Hokage-sama and report me, perhaps you'll even manage to get back at me that way. Just in case hitting me for doing what had to be done wasn't enough." Petty, yes, but he did it anyhow. A knocking on the door stopped Jiraiya from responding and the man climbed out quickly. Naruto raised his voice now.

"Come in!" he said loudly and the door slowly shot open, revealing one of the shinobi travelling with him. It was Guren, the woman standing in the doorway with a pensive look on her face. The woman had been a surprise for Naruto in these last weeks. She had taken to the group of misfits and mutants that came with them almost like a she-wolf to her cubs. Naruto might be the leader of the group but of all the people possible it had been the once blood thirsty and savage Guren who had become the heart of this band. You truly never knew what some people might hide behind their usual façades.

"Am I disturbing you?" she asked, remaining out in the hallway. Naruto shook his head.

"If you had I wouldn't have said "come in"," he told her and Guren stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "How are the others?" he asked her.

"Tired, uncertain, short-tempered," Guren said, shaking her head, "I am reminded of the mission you and I did that one time in Fang country."

"Ah, yes..." Naruto sighed now, not remembering that mission fondly. It had been an easy enough mission, striking at a few bandit groups. Orochimaru had let Naruto and Guren both lose at them wanting to see how well they could kill. What had made the mission go poorly was Naruto's then inability to kill coldly and Guren's spiteful hostility towards him for it. They had been two young shinobi, all alone in a strange land, and instead of supporting each other they had sniped at each other constantly. Their relationship had only gone downhill from that time. "It is strange that we find ourselves here now," Naruto remarked eventually, "I never would have thought we would be capable of acting so cordially towards each other."

"There are a lot of things I never thought would happen, yet they have." Guren said.

"That is true indeed..." Naruto mused. "What did you want to speak about?" he asked after a few more seconds.

"The children," she told him, coming up to the window and sitting down on the floor next to him. Naruto idly noted how gracefully she moved. There was something almost regal over her moves as she sat down a few feet from him, her legs folded beneath her. Naruto had an inkling of what it could be but didn't plan to guess. Therefore he motioned for her to speak up.

"What of them?" he asked, Guren taking a deep breath.

"When we head out for the main base..." she stopped now, biting her lower lip and showing how uncertain she was, "I think they should stay here. I fear that if we bring them to the labs they will be put at too great a risk."
The children she was referring to were Isaribi and the children of the Fuuma clan. Said clan was one of the worst cases of "how the mighty has fallen" Naruto had ever seen. They had once been a deadly force, near a greater village in power, but now was broken and scattered to the winds. Their signature weapons was now commonplace and their reputation gone. Orochimaru had more or less taken several of them hostage, hoping to squeeze out the last of the clan's secrets. With him gone, the clan had come along with Naruto hoping to save those of their kin that still were trapped at the main base.

"Any more so than here?" Naruto asked. "We are travelling in a hostile country. We could leave them here but what is to stop them from being put at risk here?"

"We could leave some people to look after them," Guren offered. Naruto shook his head.

"We can not do that," he said, acknowledging to himself how grim that stance on the matter was. We are but a few dozen men strong and the main bases... how many will be there? How many whose only wish is to kill any and all who stand between them and their dream of using the bases as their own robber hideouts? And they will know the layout of the base, we'll walk straight into an ambush. Every last man we will bring into that battle will make a difference, can we take that risk by leaving people behind here?"

"We have to!" Guren said, "I am with you Naruto-san! Juugo as well and you are beyond both of us. Even between the three of us we could very well do it."

"Could we?" Naruto asked, "besides, let us turn the issue on its head. Do you think you could convince Isaribi to let both you, the mother she never had, and Juugo, her reason to go on, leave?" That was a low blow, very low. Naruto saw how Guren winced at this comment. She still hadn't accepted what had happened during this journey. What initially had been an act, that Guren was Isaribi's mother, had more or less become reality. The lonely, pained girl had clung to Juugo's and Guren's affection both. Juugo treated her like a little princess and Guren seemed to think she was made of glass when seeing how gentle she was with the girl. Yet, the memory of Yukimaru must torment Guren badly indeed, she still hadn't managed to accept what was a plain fact, that Isaribi loved Guren like she was her mother. Naruto struck against this painful spot mercilessly. "And also," he continued, "do you think that Sasame or the other Fuuma children would accept not going to fight for their kidnapped kinsmen's life and freedom?"

"They are but children," Guren said now, "We cannot take them into a war zone like the main labs will be. They aren't strong enough to survive there, they'd only become people we'd need to look after. And even if we fail and fall, shouldn't at least they survive? This isn't a battle they should have to fight!"

"Your compassion does you honour." Naruto said, looking out through the window. "But I cannot afford it."

"Naruto-san!" Guren protested and Naruto raised a hand to cut her off.

"You must understand this," he said, weighing his words, "I don't do this because I seek to save singular people. I do this, too little and too late, because I have to stop Orochimaru's legacy from causing more pain than it already has. That facility could become a nexus for criminal activities unequalled in this part of the world, the missing-nins there could cause immense losses, in lives and property both. And that's not even counting what would happen if the trail from there leads to Konoha, that would be the kind of incident world wars are spawned from. You have my word, as you've always had, that I will do what I can. Yet do not ask for more, because I cannot give it. That facility must be taken, no matter the cost, and if those children fall..." he stopped himself now, feeling a small sting of revulsion at this whole matter, "then so be it," he finished coldly.
Guren sat silent now, for a short while not saying anything. Then she got to her feet, Naruto's eyes widening now as she raised her hand. Anger blazed in her face now and Naruto acted on instinct. Just as the slap she was going to give him was only a foot from his face he shot up, blocked the strike with his left arm and let his right hand shot out, grabbing her by the throat. One split-second was all it took for Naruto to intercept her. With narrowed eyes and bared teeth he stared her down now.

"Do not even think of it," he warned her coldly as he clenched her throat in his hand, "I will not suffer you or anyone else lashing out at me because I don't cater to your desires. I have my duty and I will see it through, fall in line or get out of my way." Shoving her backwards, he let go and watched as she regained her footing. "We move out at first light," he now said, "make sure they're ready by then. Good night." With that, he sat down again and looked away. Internally he found himself cursing. That was not a good way to handle this yet his hands were tied. Naruto found himself despising the nature of his mission. These last two months of constant travelling all over the elemental countries, the constant fighting and destruction that had to be done in utmost secrecy. That was all that mattered. Guren left the room now, slamming the door shut and Naruto turned to look back out of the window, coming to see Jiraiya hunching on the rooftops, the man's eyes resting steadily on him, accusing him. The old man had seen everything it seemed and his judgement was clear. Naruto looked back at him, not flinching. He wondered when his godfather had become an enemy. Had he, by killing Orochimaru, earned Jiraiya's actual hatred?

If so, let it come. He was Jiraiya's equal, if not in experience then at least in skill. What more, he was still young, the toad sage ageing. A small smile crossed his face, a direct challenge towards his godfather. Didn't they say that without rivals and enemies one's life would never be more than half a life?

-------XXXXXXXXX-------

It was a beautiful day in the small trading town. The sun stood high and a cool wind made the heat bearable. It was for the people that inhabited this place a good day, be it for working the fields outside the town, for trading or whatever they did during their days. It was also a good day for the the large, burly man currently standing in one of the back-alleys of the town. He stopped the swarm of shuriken launched at him with a series of rapid moves of his hands. They turned to a blur for one instant and when they came to a stop he held over a dozen captured shuriken between his fingers. A sneer spread over his severe face, his focus blazing from the eyes beneath his headband. Further down the back-alley they were standing on his two opponents, both of them ragged, unkempt men, took a step back in shock.

"Th... that's impossible!" one of them said, a wiry, scarred man with a mask over his face and sleeveless martial artist clothes. His partner, a man wearing simple peasant's clothes and a straw hat, didn't find the words to answer.

"The Fuuma clan mastered the use of these before even the time of the great villages," the man told his two attackers, letting go of the shuriken which fell to the ground without a sound. "You're fighting me with that which we know best." He now reached to his back and retrieved the massive cleaver he carried there, a weapon easily as long and wide as himself. Yet, he seemed to wield the blade effortlessly.
The two men took each one step back and sounds of fear came from them. Then they both turned and ran away. Neither of them wanted to challenge the massive man and his Zanbatou. Yet, they had barely even gotten to the end of the before they were stopped in their tracks. The earth below them collapsed and a whirlpool of sand and dirt appeared beneath their feet, neither of them managing to do anything before they were both sucked into it, sinking down to their necks in the ground. On the main street people recoiled in fear, the sudden chaos making them run away.

The zanbatou wielder put his sword back on his back and walked up to the two captured men as another figure appeared from the ground. This second man was a hunchbacked, buck-toothed man with brown skin and a hideous face.

"Good work Kagerou-san," the massively built Zanbatou-wielder said.

"All in a day's work Hanzaki-dono," the buck-teethed hunchback answered. "Now..." he continued, hobbling over to the two captured shinobi, "let's have a little chat about bases, shall we?" a leer spread over his face as he leaned in over the two captured missing-nins.

"You... you'll never get away with this!" one of them yelled, "our master will kill you all!" Hanzaki rolled his eyes at this.

"That's the fifth time you people start with that line," he said, "don't you have anything more original in store?"

"Guess Orochimaru really did have a thing for the cookie-cutter scum," Kagerou added. Without any further ado he walked up to one of the men, managing to move perfectly across the ground that was loose enough to have captured both the enemy men. With a grunt he stomped on one of the men's heads, namely the masked one's, and pushed his head deeper into the soft soil. The man's yells of protest was muffled by the soil and Kagerou didn't spare him a second glance, instead turning to the other man.

"Have you ever been buried alive?" he asked him. "You can't breathe, neither in nor out. You just lie there, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to escape, unable to do anything but slowly die. Your friend won't get out of there and unless you answer me you'll suffer the same fate." Muffled cries came from the masked man as he desperately tried to get out of the soil that held him. His comrade stared in horror at the fate that awaited him. Cold sweat started to appear on his face

"Just tell us," Hanzaki said, folding his burly arms as he towered behind Kagerou. "Or are you ready to die for your new master? Did the death of Orochimaru make you that eager to find a new reason to die?"

"No... no!" the man yelled, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know! Just.. please! I'm not gonna die for him!"

"Him?" Kagerou asked, making the man hesitate for a bit. Kagerou's eyes narrowed now and the hunchback put one foot on the man's head.

"S-Suigetsu!" the man shrieked, "He, he showed up in Oto a while ago, saying that he was gathering an army and that we were a part of it!"

"Did all of Otokagure go along with it?" Kagerou demanded, the man shaking his head in response.

"N-no, some of Orochimaru's old servants refused to follow him! They've been fighting Suigetsu ever since. We were sent to gather people from the other bases to crush them!"

"Where were you going to bring them?" Kagerou asked, the man looking around. His friend's movements were only getting more and more desperate.

"To the forest north of here! The entrance is hidden beneath a large tree, amongst the roots. It looks like just a shallow hollowing-out! There's a genjutsu covering the entrance!" Hanzaki and Kagerou exchanged gazes and after a while the former nodded. Kagerou nodded as well and turned back to the man. Without another word, he stomped the man's head into the soil and walked away, making a seal to make the ground return to it's original shape and leave both the men buried alive.

"Let's get back to Naruto-sama," Kagerou said. "Our kinsmen would never join this kind of filth. We need to hurry." Hanzaki gave up a grunt in agreement and the two of them leaped away to the inn where their leader would meet them.

Naruto, meanwhile, stood outside the town, far into the forest and watched his surroundings. He was surrounded on all sides by deep, oppressive forest and had gone here to get something done he should have done a long time ago. With a deep inhale he bit the skin of his thumb deep enough to draw blood and put his hands together. One rapid series of seals later he put his hands towards the ground, seals spreading outwards in several straight lines. A burst of smoke now erupted from the ground, a giant, powerful burst that covered the entire area in smoke for a second. When it faded, another being was in the clearing.

Long enough to be able to wrap itself around a castle, purple and with a triangular, horned head, the new arrival was none other than the king of snakes, Manda. The giant entity hissed, a sound that made the world shiver, and rose up towards the sky. It towered above Naruto, several dozen times as big as him, and each of its eyes were as big as Naruto. Manda turned its head to look at Naruto, having only just turned to face Naruto when a large wound burst open on it's forehead. The hiss turned into a scream that shook the world as Naruto flew through the air behind Manda, his sword out and covered in Manda's blood. He landed on a tree branch and spun around, whipping the blade to the side and nearly completely removing the blood that way. Manda had stopped thrashing quickly and turned to face Naruto. The snake's eyes were glowing with rage, it's mouth open and the very earth trembling with the sounds of his fury.

"You insolent whelp!" the snake snarled, "How dare you lay your hand on me?" The giant body of the snake was swaying back and forth as it prepared to strike. Naruto, meanwhile, gave the snake a psychotic grin.

"It was the easiest thing in the world you old worm," he said, adapting his old master's mannerisms. "There will be changes from now on," he continued. "My master never could subdue you, but I will," he twirled the blade and motioned for Manda to come at him. "If you have the guts somewhere in that old bag of skin, then come on," he jeered, egging Manda so it wouldn't run.

The snake didn't retreat. Instead it lunged with such speed that Naruto only had time to open his eyes wide in shock before he was swallowed. The snake bit off the entire giant branch Naruto was on, swallowing it all in one go. The rest of the branch fell down to the ground with a loud crash as Manda scoffed, still seething with anger.

Then a slow chuckle could be heard, Manda's eyes widened and it turned to look at another branch, higher up in the trees. There, to it's amazement, Naruto was standing and currently laughing.

"You'll have to do better than that," he said. "Surely you aren't thinking you're chasing after an old ox?" Naruto walked along the branch, smirking as savagely as he could, all to rile the beast up. Manda hissed once more and with immense speed the snake wrapped itself around the trunk of the tree and climbed higher, reaching the branch Naruto was on in only seconds.

"Let's see if you are as cocky when I eat you whole!" the titanic monster-snake snarled, towering above Naruto where he stood. The snake-nin only smiled widely in response.

"I prefer not to deal in things that will not happen," he shot back with a wicked smile. He had only just finished the phrase when Manda's eyes widened. A scream ripped its way out of the giant monster's throat and it begun to thrash again, the muscle spasms making the entire trunk be crushed. The tree collapsed with a deafening roar, dragging Manda along with it as the monster kept thrashing. Naruto meanwhile leaped off to land on another tree and proceeded to watch as the snake kept thrashing on the forest floor, screaming in pain loudly enough to scare every living thing in the forest and to be heard even in the town far away. Naruto, however, kept watching without any emotions on his face. He stood there, calmly, as Manda screamed in pain, on and on.

It took over a minute before Manda stopped, the screaming starting to abate bit by bit and in the end only leaving one giant, exhausted snake that shivered on the ground beneath the branch Naruto was on. It took Manda one full extra minute to be able to get up again, the snake slowly lifting its head from the ground and turning to look at Naruto. It's eyes were glazed over, still somewhat in shock.

"What... what did you do to me...?" the snake croaked, its every word an epic challenge for it to push out. Naruto smiled and raised his hands. Flashing through a series of seals, he stopped with the ram seal and put one hand on the tree beside him. Seals out spread on the bark of the tree, out from his hand and formed a large diamond-shaped web of patterns. Leaping off the branch, Naruto landed on the branches of another tree and raised his hand into a one-handed tiger-seal. Focusing for one second, he made the entire tree explode. The ground trembled from the explosion and small fragments of wood were thrown all over the area, Manda instinctively turning away it's face to protect itself as it was showered with small splinters. Its thick skin protected it from the fallout of the blast.

"The shadow clone you devoured branded that seal into your throat," Naruto said as the sound of the explosion was gone. Manda looked up at Naruto, it's eyes wide and it's mouth open as it hissed in anger and fear. Naruto, meanwhile, smirked. "It is a personal favourite of mine, that seal, and it will never go away," he continued. "Try to disrupt it or remove it and it will detonate, try to contain it and it will detonate, disobey me and it will detonate, kill me and it will detonate. You, unless death is preferable, will now serve me." Naruto towered over the branch, looking down on the ancient serpent with a small smirk on his face that soon warped into expressionlessness.
Manda hissed, its frustration clear as day. Fear of death intermingled with its pride, the struggle being one that made it shiver. Naruto stood patiently on the branch overhead and waited for the old snake. There was no way out for it however, Naruto had personally created that seal, a variant of the kind used on explosive tags, only applied by touch and much more powerful. He had created an A-rank jutsu out of the most basic shinobi tool, a jutsu that now would blow the head off Manda if it did not submit.

"A servant or a corpse, what will it be?" he asked Manda, raising his hand to form tiger-seal.

A deafening hiss came from Manda, the seething hatred in the snake's eyes obvious. Then it lunged, throwing itself at Naruto in one final, defiant attempt to kill him. Naruto only sighed and yelled one word.

"Kai!" with a scream, he sent the pulse of chakra that detonated the seal, blasting Manda's head clean off its body. A torrent of blood and flesh flew in all directions, Naruto throwing himself backwards to avoid being covered in the remnants of Manda. It was with a sigh he watched the rain of blood and he slowly shook his head. "Fool," he said to himself, not grieving but only pitying the snake monster. In the end, he had been too stupid, too irrational, to see reality. A pity, but such was life. Naruto waited until the blood-rain had abated and leaped down on the ground again. Biting his thumb again, he drew some blood once more and made the summoning gestures. Standing amongst the blown-asunder remains of Manda, he summoned another of his tribe.

The snake that now appeared in a titanic detonation of smoke was only marginally less gigantic than Manda had been, towering high up against the roof of tree-branches above, higher than the Hokage tower. Unlike Manda, he was coloured deep green with a deep red underbelly. His head was slimmer, more like an arrowhead than a shovel, and he lacked Manda's horns. Yet, he still was larger than any of the beasts in this world and his golden eyes glowed with predatory intelligence. The being radiated power, just as much as Manda had seemingly. Another hiss, one rumbling the earth, came and Naruto leaped off the newcomer onto a tree branch.
"What is your name, warrior of the snake clan?" he asked, the snake looking at him for a few seconds.

"None master, lord Manda has not bestowed me with any," Naruto chuckled at his remark, how typical of Manda.

"So he feared your power," Naruto said, "the old worm wanted to stand as the sole ruler, did he not? And when a challenger appeared he denied him the right to even a name, wanting to break his spirit that way. Was I close?"
"You know of our ways well," the snake said. "The forest is stained with blood, blood reeking of him. Shall I assume you have done what many of my kind has craved for a long time?" Naruto nodded.

"I called for the strongest of the snake clan," Naruto said, "You are here, that is all the evidence I need. You had no name you said, how about "Manda"? Do you enjoy the idea of taking that name?" The snake laughed at this, a low, serpentine hiss that made the ground shake once more.

"To think that a being like you could bring about the undoing of "He-who-was-Manda"..." the tremendously large snake said, "Truly there is a lot hidden under that skin of yours. So is that your proposal? I am given the honour of this kill and in return I shall obey when ordered?"

"Well put, lord Manda," Naruto smiled, slightly bowing his head to the new ruler of the snake clan. It had been too long coming, having a contract with a summoned beast that didn't obey was risky to say the least. Manda had been a liability, one Naruto couldn't afford now. But this seemed much more promising, the snake that now vanished in a detonation of smoke would be a valuable ally. And allies he needed, a lot of them. Naruto was thinking about what lay ahead for him. The entrance to Oto lay only a short distance from the town. When the shinobi he had sent out had managed to find out details they'd move in. Things hadn't worked out as he had hoped. His inability to get to Oto quickly had caused chaos to break out and as it was he could only save bits and pieces of it. Oto was lost, plain and simple, civil war was a fact and by the looks of it his side wasn't the ones winning. Yet... the Fuuma clan, Juugo's strange ability, Guren's bloodline limit and more. Would they tip the scale? He wasn't that optimistic, that was why he had dealt with the snake clan's smug superiority. Yet, there was still a way to salvage this. By playing his cards in a different way he could still make this situation balance out to his advantage. Not via Oto, as said it was lost, but a new idea was forming in his mind, already having become quite coherent. They just needed to be able to win this battle.

Yet, could this small band tip the scales? The sound five would be fighting against who knew how many psychopaths, missing-nin murderers, mutants, criminals and the entire rest of the scum spectrum. They and whomever in Oto still held loyalty to Orochimaru and thereby him. His force would locate Oto here, probably, and then it was a quick rush into the base to contest the rebels claims to it. Him and at least a few dozen people. Against how many? Hundreds at best, thousands at worst.

Yet it had to be done. Orochimaru's labs was too great a prize to be discarded or granted to anyone else. If only the blood nins hadn't shown up when they had. What could he not have done if he had gotten to Oto earlier, managed to assert his power better? Yet there was nothing to do. This suicidal attack was his only hope really. Still... that didn't mean he couldn't pull upon some extra resources.

Chapter Text

Dashing through the treetops, Naruto kept his eyes peeled and his mind awake. The deep forest was dark and silent, not one sounds could be heard barring the quiet swooshing sounds that went through the treetops, right below the foliage. The swooshing came from him and his followers, they were moving through the trees in a loose formation and all of them ready. a few meters diagonally behind him to the left was Guren, Juugo being to his right. The rest of the shinobi with him were further behind. All of them were tense and moved as silently as they could, they were in hostile territory. The foreboding forest, with its dark shadows, lack of animal noises and the possible threat of an ambush lurking behind every tree trunk, put them on edge.

Landing on one tree branch, Naruto held up a hand to command the others to stop. They all did, coming to a stop all around him, either on his branch or another. They all knew what was at stake, having left those who couldn't fight behind in town along with a pair of men that would get them to safety if Naruto and his men never returned.

Naruto looked around himself, looking after the entrance. The underground complex that was Oto went on for miles and the entrance they were going after was a smaller back-entrance. He officially didn't know it, Guren didn't know it and neither did anyone else here. Therefore he had to pretend looking for it. They were in the right area at least.

“Fan out.” he commanded, “Find the entrance.” The others obeyed without a word, leaped down to the ground and begun to search. Meanwhile, Naruto stayed up on the branch and looked around. Not knowing how the situation was in Oto, he might just as well come across a blasted hellhole conquered by Suigetsu's forces long ago.

Why did it have to be Suigetsu he would have thought if he was that kind of person, however he merely analysed it. Suigetsu was a character he always had had problems with. The former Kiri-nin was intelligent, of that were was no doubt. What more he was ruthless, skilled and his strange ability, the one to turn into water at will, was very intriguing. Yet he was also as violence-loving, as cruel and as immoral as any man Naruto had ever met. He respected only strength and loved only bloodshed, even Orochimaru had had to seal him away.

It was not simply blood-thirst that drove Suigetsu however, he was not a victim of passions he could not control, lusts that were twisted and wrong. He did have seemingly good sides, he liked animals and could be very caring for them. However when it came to humans there were only two kinds of them. Those he could gain something from and those he killed. He simply had no empathy whatsoever for any other human being, he gladly killed for pleasure even as he in the next second could pet a small animal. It wasn't even simple psychopathy, those showed empathy to nothing. Whatever was wrong with Suigetsu sat deep and made him a relentless monster. It made sense that in the wake of Orochimaru's passing he'd attempt to gather an army, such mass-scale murdering would be a delight without equal to the man. Also, the question was how you defeated a person who only turned his body into water and then reshaped it, free of any damage, when you hit him.

“I've found it!” one of the Fuuma ninjas said, Naruto snapping out of his thoughts and leaping down to the ground. Sure enough, the woman had found it and waited just in front of the opening. The others gathered up as well, Naruto turning around.

“I'll take the lead.” he told them all, seeing how they gave small signs of understanding. “Keep your guard up and your weapons ready. We are entering hostile territory but stick with me and do not attack unless I tell you to.”

“Got it.” one of the men, Fuuma Hanzaki – leader of the Fuuma nins with him – said as he took his large zanbatou from his back. Right next to Naruto, Juugo formed his arm into a large scythe-like blade and Guren cracked her neck. The latter didn't do this without giving him a cold glare however. Naruto ignored it, nodded to everyone and turned around, walking in through the genjutsu, seemingly disappearing straight into the tree. The others followed him without a word, moving silently.

The guard that had been posted here the last time was no longer there. Called away? Killed? Was the post simply abandoned? Whatever the case was, everything was deathly silent. Naruto motioned for the others to follow him as he slowly increased speed. From walking to jogging, from jogging to running. The group was soon making their way down the endless corridor leading into the base at high speed.

They ran for a long time, through and with utmost silence. The base seemed dead. There was none here, not even as they reached the more developed areas, where intersections and doors to other rooms begun to appear. The group stayed together, Guren having taken the lead as they reached the more sprawling parts of the base. She knew this base in and out, having spent years here. Yet for most it seemed as nothing more than endless, featureless tunnels with the occasional door and intersection, all of it basking in a dull, dim light coming from overhead.

This place was a labyrinth, jut as Orochimaru had wanted it to be. Many intruders who had managed to get into this network had ended up dying here, in the many different paths and turns that made up this complex. Naruto could barely recognize the different hallways. The place was depressing, truly and deeply depressing. The endless, featureless hallways and the standardised rooms were enough to wear on anyone's mind. Being down here too long wasn't healthy. The mind craved varying experiences, endless, featureless sameness drove people insane. He knew for a fact that one of Ibiki's methods of torture was to bereave a person of all their five senses via genjutsu, after only hours many had broken from such an experience.

It was then that they could feel the ground shake beneath their feet and the dull, distant sound of an explosion could be heard only instants later. Naruto narrowed his eyes now. The battle was under way, they could hear it. It was close too, as they kept moving they soon came across one of the larger hallways and there they stopped their run. The hallway was a total mess. Several dozen people lay across it, all of them dead, and craters, thrown or discarded weapons and scorch marks of different kinds could be seen everywhere. And blood; there was blood everywhere, pools of it covering the floor, running in small rivulets along the floor and down the walls.

“Wow...” the hunchbacked Kagerou said after a few seconds as he looked around. “Someone cleaned house here.”

“Someone?” another Fuuma-nin asked. Several people in the group seemed uncertain of they were to be horrified, awed or indifferent to the carnage in front of them.

“Take a look at the bloodstains.” the massive Hanzaki said. “On or around the bodies? Look at the shapes of it. All the corpses have it in some way and from the looks of it nearly all of these guys died the same way. They were cut.”

“Perfectly.” Naruto agreed, having walked up to one corpse to analyse it. The man was lying in a pool of blood, his hands were clutched around his neck and his face locked in a visage of horror. Naruto peeled the hands away and looked at the throat. “One swift blow to the carotid artery.” he said when all he could see was one small wound. Looking down however, he noticed that his chest and his thighs had been pierced too. “One to the aorta and one to each femoral.” Naruto was awed, the man had gotten each of the four greatest arteries in the body, one in the neck, one in the torso and one in each thigh, cut in an instant. “He must have bled out in seconds.” he finished.

“This was Kimimaro...” Juugo said, looking at the corpses. There was something almost tender in his eyes. Naruto guessed it had to do with the reminder that his closest friend and most important person was only a short while away now. The alternative was much darker. “I can almost see it...” he continued, “he must have attacked them when they were bunched up. He grew blades from his hands, his knees, his back, his elbows and more. He danced around them, keeping them here while at the same time cutting them down one after one. He called it the Dance of the Willow. Nothing can touch him when he dances like this.” His voice was tender, loving, longing. Hadn't Naruto known about the kind of bonds that could form between people in exposed, traumatic situations like the one Juugo had been in he would have pegged it for being love.

“He's... he's on our side, right?” someone asked, obviously queasy by the carnage in front of them.

“Yes.” he said. The corpses were fresh, rigor mortis was not present and the blood hadn't even dried. Kimimaro must have just done this. It was the final proof of what he had expected, Oto was in a state of civil war and Orochimaru's old servants were massacring each other in their struggle for dominance. Looking back at the band he had brought with him, roughly half the number of men and women who had died here, he dryly wondered how low exactly his odds were. a chill went up his spine now as he felt something. He tensed for the faintest of moments before he identified it and felt a small smile spread over his face. Looking up from his hunched position, he saw a shadow up on the ceiling.

“You can come down.” he said, “I know you are there.” for a few seconds nothing happened but then the air rippled and a lone figure came falling down from the roof. Twisting as he fell, Kimimaro landed on the ground with cat-like grace. Hardly a sound could be heard as he hit the ground. He landed in front of Naruto, ending up in a kneeling position.

“Oto still stands, Naruto-sama.” he said with his soft, calm voice. “We have taken serious losses but so has the enemy.” Kimimaro was spotless, not one drop of blood could be seen on his clothes and he was totally unhurt. Yet, it was easy to see that he was weakened, his brow was sweaty and his breathing was shallow.

“What's the situation.” Naruto said, standing up.

“We've barricaded ourselves in the main labs.” Kimimaro said, “The leader of the traitorous ones, Suigetsu, wants to take them. I no not know why but he's gladly sacrificing hordes of minions if it means he can get the labs. This group was the latest he sent.” a sudden, wracking cough tore its way through Kimimaro now, his body suddenly shook and one hand flew up to his mouth.

“Kimimaro!”a voice yelled behind Naruto and Juugo came running past Naruto, up to his friend. The large man knelt by Kimimaro's side and put one arm over his shoulders. “Are you all right?” Kimimaro seemed to be on the verge of responding and pulled away his hand. Naruto saw now that it was covered in blood. Blinking, he realized that Kimimaro's condition must have caught up with him. He had been stable the latest time far as Naruto knew but this war, a constant siege by relentless foes, must have worn down what strength he had.

“Juugo...” Kimimaro said, there being a tone of wonderment in his voice “Why are you...?” he continued as blood ran down his cheek and he had to hold up a hand to his mouth again. Juugo took a tighter grip around Kimimaro and helped him to his feet.

“Be at ease Kimimaro-san.” Naruto said now, leaning in to hold up the Kaguya boy's face by the cheek. “You've done your duty.” he told the blood-spitting shinobi who looked at him through eyes clouded in pain. “Rest now, I'll take it from here.”

“I can still... fight.” Kimimaro whispered, his voice being iron despite his condition “Just... get me back to the labs and Karin can fix me up. I'm still useful...” Naruto cut him off at this, using a senbon to make him fall asleep.

“Guren, you know where the labs are. Right?” Naruto asked and Guren nodded. The group headed off again, Juugo still carrying the unconscious Kimimaro.

When they reached the labs they found a bleak sight. The corridors around the labs were devastated, covered with corpses and the faint smell of burnt flesh. There was enough destruction that the doors and indeed the very door-frame was gone, leaving only an almost cave-like entrance into the labs. Ninja wires were strung criss-cross through the air, forming web that could slow down attackers but it was torn in many places. Glass and wood splinters covered the floor and many of the lights were broken. It was a mess. It saved him a lot of the job though, he'd only have to clear up the last pieces when he destroyed these labs but the carnage evident here would be a loss, how many valuable individuals had died here? There was still life of course, here and there shinobi could be seen. As Naruto entered they came out from their hiding places behind furniture and broken vats, their eyes weary and their clothes torn and bloody.

“Not one moment too early Naruto-sama.” Sakon's voice said from the shadows, Naruto looked to the left to see the man leap down from the support beam he had been standing on. He had a bandage wrapped around his neck and a large pad on one side of it. His face was gaunt and exhausted and one of his sleeves were torn. Yet, he still landed with grace and skill. When he saw Kimimaro, being carried by Juugo right behind Naruto, he went even paler than he was. “Oh shit... don't tell me.” he asked, the man obviously dreading the thought of Kimimaro having gone down.

“He is alive still.” Naruto said, “Where's the medics, do you have any?” Sakon shrugged. Even the sound four seemed to have been run so ragged that formalities were out of the window. Understandable, Naruto saw the devastation around them and wondered how long they had held out here.

“Karin.” he said, a low chuckle coming from right behind him. Some of the shinobi behind him startled now, not prepared for this curious trait of Sakon's, namely Ukon: his siamese brother who's head jutted out from the back of Sakon's neck.

“Yeah, and I can't say I'd mind some more of her “healing”.” Ukon said behind Sakon's neck. In contrast to the new arrivals, some of the already present sound shinobi chuckled at this. Naruto left it at that and instead turned to one of said shinobi, a man wearing a balaclava and clothes that showed little of his body.

“You.” he said, the shinobi startling at being addressed by him. “Show Juugo here were Karin is,” Naruto told him, indicating Juugo and the unconscious Kimimaro. “Tell her to keep Kimimaro stable but don't let him run around again. He'll die if this keeps up.”

“Yes Naruto-sama!” the man said, rapidly saluting and motioning for Juugo to follow him. Juugo did so without any words, however right before he left the room he looked back at Naruto.

“I'll be with you as soon as I can.” he said before exiting. Naruto nodded and looked back to Sakon, who was rummaging around after something inside his clothes.

“Where are the others?” he asked, Sakon shaking his head slowly. The exhaustion was easy to see.

“Spread out.” he said. “Kidoumaru went down to the lower levels, hunting infiltrators. Jiroubou went out to smash some of the tunnels to funnel them into the kill zones we have set up. Tayuya took a kunai to the gut. She's with Karin. She'll be back in action soon though, isn't the first time we've taken serious wounds.” Naruto liked what he heard, each of the sound ninja performed well, they split up and worked in ways that each corresponded to their abilities. In a situation like this that was better than having them in one place.

“And Karin is still awake?” Naruto asked, He knew of Karin's special power, she had seals all over her body, seals that together with her chakra could heal anyone who bit down on her body. The process was draining however. Here it sounded as if she had been the sole medic nin for this entire force for who knew how long. Sakon nodding with a wry smile.

“Jiroubou suggested she'd take it easy a while ago, she nearly scalped him on the spot.” he chuckled. “Doesn't change much though, we're still pretty screwed. You heard who's in charge of the traitors?”

“Suigetsu.” Naruto answered with a nod. a short distance away one of the sound ninja spat when he heard the name.

“He's been throwing prisoners and experiments at us like confetti.” Sakon told him, “we kill five, ten take their place and every now and then one of us goes down as well. We were almost two hundred at the beginning, now we're somewhere around half that and he hasn't even sent his really powerful people at us yet.” Naruto thought of the massive amounts of corpses he had seen on the way here. He nodded, realizing that it was as bad as he had feared but that they had held their ground admirably. The most important now was to remain calm, if he seemed to lack confidence, why would anyone else have it? He made an indicating motion with his thumb towards the group behind him.

“We're about one hundred and fifty now then.” he said, Sakon looking behind him and getting a small smile on his face He was grateful, that could be seen, but there was no relief on his face, he didn't think their chances had increased at all. He went somewhat pale again when he saw Guren however. Said woman only smiled at him however, almost viciously so.

“Long time no see boys.” she said with a smirk. There was something almost feline about her, the eyes of a cat that had seen a mouse. Sakon's response went along the same line, he seemed to want to shrink into the size of a mouse and scurry away.

“Does this happen to us because we do evil things brother?” Ukon asked from behind Sakon's head. The anxiety in Sakon's face didn't abate, he was obviously terrified by Guren. Naruto looked between them, wondering what the story behind this was. That was not relevant at the moment however.

“Enough.” he drawled, making Sakon and Guren both snap back to have their attention on him. “We've got a war to fight, you can play later.” he said before turning around and looking at the others. “Everyone!” he said loudly, “This is Sakon, he'll tell you where to go. Keep your eyes peeled and your weapons ready, they can come at any time. I'll be with you soon. Is Karin in there?” the last part was aimed at Sakon as he pointed towards the door the shinobi had just existed out of.

“Third door on the right.” Sakon said and Naruto left the room at once. Behind him Sakon started handing out orders to the other shinobi quickly. His usual playful sadism was gone, probably ground away by the incessant fighting. Naruto got through the ruined passage quickly and reached the third door. He opened and was greeted with the smell of blood, death and disinfectant. Inside the situation was even bleaker. The large room, once a fighting pit, was now a makeshift field hospital. The wounded and the dying were lying side by side, many of the former crippled or maimed beyond saving and the latter beyond recognition. Only a few people were on their feet. First he noticed a pair of young people, not much more than genin, one boy and a girl. The girl had long, black hair and a round face, the boy being much more rough-hewn with his unruly brown and angular face. They were sitting by one of the “beds”, if the sheets spread on the ground could be called that. The person lying in the bed was not much older, probably the same age, and his face was wrapped in bandages. He was awake if the low grumbling Naruto could hear from him was any indication. The next and last person also moving...

“Kin! Zaku!” Karin yelled, her voice almost hysteric as she knelt by a wounded woman's side. “Get off your asses and help out! Check the third row!” the two kids hopped onto their feet instantly and ran off to check on the patients. Naruto nodding to himself. Considering the situation she was in Karin had done a fine job. Was this good? No. Was it efficient? Barely. Was it the best one could do in a situation like this? Yes.

“Karin.” he said, the girl startling at the sound of his voice. Looking back at him, she treated Naruto to the sight of her face revealing her shock. Turning back, she finished the injection and got to her feet. She wiped her hands off on a bloody apron she was wearing and came over to him. He now got a good look on her face, If Naruto had thought Sakon had looked exhausted Karin was near death.

“Gods am I glad you are here Naruto-sama.” she said. Her voice was almost quivering. “They've been pressing us for days. I was certain we were dead when that man came in with Kimimaro over his shoulders.” she continued, there was something almost sleepwalking over her voice.

“Hey, easy.” Naruto said. “Sakon told me about the situation here. What is Kimimaro's condition?” Karin shook her head. She indicated one of the corners, where Kimimaro was lying on one of the few actual beds that were in the room. Juugo sat by his side, quietly talking to him.

“Bad.” she said, “He's been going off willpower during the last day, he should be in bed as it is but he's pretty much what's been keeping us alive. I'm keeping him going via this.” she waved an arm to indicate what she meant. “But that can only do so much...” she ran a hand through her hair now and her frustration was evident.

“Then keep him sedated from now on.” Naruto said, “I'm not taking any chances with him.” Karin was too tired to even object and only nodded. a thought stuck Naruto now and he looked towards the two kids working with the wounded shinobi. “Why are there children here?” he asked.

“You mean Kin and Zaku?” Karin asked, throwing a glance at the two genin. “They were part of one of Orochimaru-sama's ideas. He was planning to make Oto an official village, those two and their teammate Dosu, who's lying over there,” she indicated the boy with bandaged head and face, “were meant to be part of the first generation of real Oto shinobi, people trained from their early years, just like the other villages.” Naruto blinked in surprise and looked at the kids again. How many projects had Orochimaru kept going at the same time?

He watched the two genin as they moved amongst the bodies. They were so unlike the genin back in Konoha. These were surrounded by death and suffering, worked to exhaustion with the threat of death hanging over them. Back in Konoha they'd be sitting in school benches, studying their shinobi arts in peace and calm, their innocence still intact and their minds unaccustomed to fear. The two kids were at the moment pulling a blanket over the face of one of the wounded shinobi, signifying his death. Only a few feet away from the corpse their friend lay.

How grim... the realities of war. Not the clean-cut, well supplied wars of the greater villages, only an ugly, low-class war between two sides without any resources but men to throw at each other, in his case not even that. He noticed how the two genin were talking to each other. They were whispering quietly but he could still hear them, only barely but still. Zaku was asking Kin about whether Naruto was who Zaku thought he was, Kin guessed that indeed, Naruto was “Naruto-sama”. Zaku was whispering something about going to ask Naruto something. Kin tried to stop him, hissing he was stupid to do it. Zaku, raising the volume a tiny bit, hissed that he didn't care and that he had to know what had happened.

“I can hear you, you know.” Naruto said, making both genin startle, Zaku almost flew backwards and Kin gasped. Naruto motioned for them to come up to him and the both obeyed, admittedly with quite a lot of trepidation. Naruto got a bit better look at them as they came up. Their clothes were worn but practical, the design was somewhat different from those he and the sound four wore. Their eyes, furthermore, didn't show inexperience or fear. He liked what he saw, the question was what lay beneath it. He looked at the boy, a boy seemingly slightly older than Kimiko and with a headguard on the sides of his hitai-ate. The kanji for death was embroidered on his shirt.

“What did you want to ask me Zaku-kun?” he asked. He didn't think about it but somehow the speech patterns of Orochimaru came to mind for him and he addressed the boy in the same way as Orochimaru would have. Still, technically he was the leader of Oto and Zaku, being a genin, warranted that sufflix.

“...” Zaku was silent initially but after a while he took a deep breath. There was something in his eyes, it seemed like determination. That or pride at least, whatever it was Naruto didn't think this guy knew how to back down. “a while ago they told us Orochimaru-sama had died.” Zaku said now. “But they didn't tell us how. You were the one who came with the news, you gotta know how he died. Who killed him?” Naruto was amazed, no respectful titles, no grovelling, not even being addressed by name. Judging from his the girl turned to stare at Zaku in horror this kind of insubordinate behaviour was as shocking as it seemed. He considered slapping the boy for it but refrained, at the moment it wouldn't serve any purpose.

“I will excuse your manners this time.” he said calmly, folding his arms in front of himself. The boy obviously had some kind of loyalty to Orochimaru. The question was how Naruto could best break or at the very least de-fang it? “As for your answer, he himself did.” he continued, Zaku's eyes opening wide as he heard him. Naruto kept going, weighing his words carefully. “His hubris and rapaciousness became his undoing.” he continued, “the wise scientist, the seeker of truth, became a power-lusting madman playing god and caring not one iota for who he hurt in the process. In the end he betrayed his village, dying because of this.”

“Wha...” Zaku stared ah him, the effect the words had had on it. “That's bullshit!” he yelled after a second, “Orochimaru-sama would never..” Now Naruto backhanded him. He lashed out, hitting Zaku with a blow that made him stagger backwards before Naruto caught him by the shirt and dragged him closer. Holding him up in the air, he dangled the boy in front of his face

“Listen here you little whelp.” he said quietly but with a voice sharp as a knife. “Orochimaru was my master, the father I got when my real father forgot I existed. He was that for ten years for me! Don't you dare talk back to me about his death. I was there. I saw him betray everything he had ever stood for, I saw him degenerate into a monster and I saw him die!” Letting go of Zaku, he let the boy drop to the floor and towered above him, glaring down upon his now lying form. He let his anger and his frustration pour of him, mentally pressing the boy towards the floor. From the look on Zaku's face it was easy to see that he had put himself in respect, even fear, with the boy. Then an explosion rocked the ground and Naruto tensed, his head snapped to look around himself. The others had heard it too, Karin looked up from the woman she was treating, Juugo was already on his feet, Zaku looked around from his lying position and Kin gasped. a shinobi burst in through the door moments later, the man's wide eyes being the only thing visible due to his balaclava and clothes.

“Naruto-sama!” the man yelled, “They're coming!” Naruto didn't need to know more, he was out of the door before the man had finished speaking. Moving like a bolt of lightning, he was out in the hallway and heading towards the entrance faster than anyone could see. Anger burned cold inside him, not seething rage or white-hot fury, rather ice cold intensity and battle-readiness, the anger that ends lives without a moment's hesitation and is only restrained by cold logic. Cold did not imply passive or restrained, when he came out into the large laboratory room where the battle was under way already he acted with overwhelming force.

a swarm of mutated people in ragged clothes had charged into the room, throwing themselves at the loyalist shinobi without any sense of self-preservation. Sakon had grabbed hold of one of them and thrown him against his friends, sending them flying simultaneously as his brother behind him kicked backwards, sending the two that had tried to sneak up upon him flying the other direction with broken necks. Hanzaki was right next to him, roaring as he cut one of the attackers in two with one swing of his blade. The others were fighting too, most of the fighting taking shape as up-close, ugly brawling, space was too limited to allow too much finesse or indeed little else than simply fighting to the kunai.

Naruto's response ended it however, he moulded all the chakra he had, picking out the enemies from his people mentally with immense speed. He had not been in the room for more than a second before he pushed the energy outwards. No seals were needed, he knew this jutsu that well, and all around him the inexperienced, untrained wave of cannon fodder sent into the room stopped moving. He paralysed them all, only for a few seconds but enough that the people around him managed to finish every person present in the room. That was the first move.

Next, he moulded more chakra, flashing through seals before he inhaled and blew towards the entrance with all he had. Out of his mouth a veritable stream of small fireballs flew, dozens of them. In the cramped space that made up the hallway the oncoming attackers had nowhere to run and they were all incinerated as they, one after one, was struck by the fireballs. That was the second.

Thirdly Naruto made one seal, the snake seal, and slammed his hands into the ground. This move wasn't offensive, rather defensive. The floor in front of the entrance exploded as something huge rose from it, obscuring all vision. Surprised outcries could be heard from around him as the thing, whatever it was, rose into the room and completely covered the entrance. The smoke eventually cleared, revealing a giant demon face where the entrance used to be.

Some of the shinobi gasped at the sight of this demonic thing, Sakon being one of them. The fact that the demon face turned out to be merely a sculpture fastened upon a giant iron gate that had appeared between them and the hallway calmed some of them however. Naruto rose from his kneeling position, having ended the battle in the room, killed all the incoming enemies and sealed the gateway within only a few seconds. Turning to Sakon, he spoke up.

“Show me the other entrances.” he said, not pausing for one moment but instead directly walking towards the exit, motioning for Sakon to follow him. Sakon fell in line beside him in seconds. He was used to these kinds of power displays, Orochimaru had been his master once. Naruto left the others to gawk, them and Zaku and Kin, who only first now came out into the room. Naruto brushed past the two genin, leaving them to gawk at the sight. Effective, Zaku would be told what Naruto had done by the awed shinobi and hopefully the display would cement if not loyalty then at least respect from the young genin towards Naruto. The was secondary at the moment however. The gate he had summoned, Rashomon, would only hold for an hour at best. Then the enemy would come again, he needed to assess the situation before that happened, assess and restructure the defence.

He had a good guess what Suigetsu was after but he didn't want to be hasty so he kept it to himself. It was a good bait... Some part of him thought that the coming days would be very interesting, how far could he and the others with him be pushed before they broke from the strain? Another started to feel something. Not fear, merely an uncertainty, he truly did not know if this would work out. Those thoughts were ruthlessly squashed however, he had a mission and wouldn't falter this close to the end.

----XXXXXX----

The battle deep down in the tunnels of Otogakure no Sato became like a nightmare. Naruto's arrival changed the situation but only marginally, they were still hard pressed by the legions of slavering mutants, monsters and mercenaries sent against them. They just didn't get any rest, the Rashomon gate soon fell and the battle started again. What more, that was only the main entrance, the one that allowed for the most space, and the hordes came constantly. There was seemingly no end to the number of freaks Suigetsu could throw at them.

Yet, at the same time, with the strongest and the best of the shinobi they had tied up there, the enemy came from all other directions as well. They dug around the laboratories, trying to create new passages into their hideouts, came from the lower levels, tried to blow poison gas into the labs.

Was it day? Was it night? How long had they been down here, fighting for hours on end, retreating to eat what little food there was and catch only singular hours of sleep? There was a seeming constant howl in the air, a weird mix of countless sounds that produced an endless, hellish choir framing the battle.

Zaku felt how he shook. Despite what he had told himself he couldn't stop it. He didn't know what it was, only that he wouldn't stop shivering. It wasn't like he had reasons to shake though. Orochimaru-sama, the man who had taken him in, saved him from the life as a street urchin, was dead and according to what his apprentice had said he had deserved it. Said apprentice, a guy that seemed like he was made of ice, apparently hated him now. Lastly and finally they were all going to die, an army of mutants were besieging the labs, their numbers were dwindling, Dosu was down for the count and in the “hospital”.

They were currently standing on the support beams in one of the lower laboratories, looking down at the broken equipment and scattered bodies that lay there. Kin was a few meters away and one of the newcomers, a hunchbacked, buck-toothed little repulsive gnome that Zaku seriously couldn't get how he could move with such agility. When the enemy came, drop down and kill them. Easy enough, what more only stragglers and the occasional infiltrator came this way. Also: having promised himself a long time ago to never give up or give in Zaku would hold this room even if they sent an entire army, he was committed to this.

So why couldn't he stop shaking?

He was terrified, wanted to run away, wanted to find a place to hide, get away from all this. He didn't want to die here, not for a guy that hated him, not with Orochimaru-sama a dead monster, not for something as pointless as this... If he'd die here he'd still be nothing, a nobody that not a single person cared about.

“You okay?” Kin asked quietly from her position. She hadn't shown the least fatigue, the little bitch. Zaku merely “tch-ed” at this. His nerves were shot to hell and he almost snarled at her. Kin had grovelled to that Naruto from the start, no doubt being in his good books now and he was heading for what? a kunai to the jugular?

Why was he even muttering about this to himself right now? They were in the middle of a giant battle!

He clasped his hands tightly, staring at the entrance and wished that there would come something, or someone. Anything would be better than this waiting. It seemed like he had never done anything else now, waiting and fighting.

Then something moved in the tunnel, Zaku startling at the sound. His heart skipped a beat and he looked down, seeing how people begun to move into the room. There were a lot of them too, first only three people, then six, then twelve. The group moving into the room was huge!

“Oh shit...” he muttered, looking Kagerou. “Get help, now.” he told the hunchback. One glance at Kin said the words they both needed to exchange, a silent agreement. They had done this before after all... only then Dosu had been with them. Zaku gritted his teeth as he stepped off the support beams. Landing a few meters away from the infiltrators. He smiled grimly at them.

“What the!?” one of the figure yelled, “Where did he come from.”

“Get him!” someone else yelled, raising the large sword he carried. Zaku didn't give the guy time to do anything else however. Raising his hands, he moulded chakra and fired. From his palm and the hole there a blast of air shot out, air mixed with chakra. The blast flew towards the man, impacting with him and sending him flying. With a scream, he hit the wall behind him and fell down unmoving. Zaku grinned now, raising his arms and crossing them by the wrists.

“I don't think so.” he said slowly, remembering his training. “You see, unlike you, I'm one of Orochimaru-sama's chosen shinobi. One step forwards and you'll go the way of your friend.” Zaku now pointed both hands towards them, glancing up to meet Kin's gaze. The girl held her senbon needles at the ready, nodding at him. “Who wants to start?” he asked. Just had to hold them... just had to hold them long enough that the others could be warned. He was terrified, shook, but he wasn't going to let them get past him.

“You little shit...” someone hissed. In the gloom and through his own terror, Zaku couldn't see who it was. He could hear the anger in the voice though. “Get him! He can't kill all of us!” the voice cried out. Zaku's guts turned ice cold.

“Shit...” he thought as the horde started running at him. They screamed as their raised their weapons. Zaku fired of his blasts at such a large spread as he could, gritting his teeth. Was this the end?

----XXXXXX----

Naruto slowly put down the unconscious Zaku on the bed inside the “hospital”. The young genin was covered in wounds, several of them severe. Yet, he was alive, having held back the infiltrators until the very end when reinforcements had rushed into the chamber he was in. Looking at the twelve-year-old, seeing how close he was to death after such a fierce effort, he eventually made his call. Rising from his kneeling position, he turned to look at the people gathered around him. Guren, Kimimaro, Juugo and the Sound Four all looked at him.

“Meet me at the main entrance in five minutes.” he told them calmly, “be sure to have taken soldier pills before that.” With his instructions finished, he walked past them, into the deeper parts of the laboratories. More precisely, he opened the door to one of the storage rooms. a wave of cold hit him as he opened the door, revealing a large room with shelves along the walls and in the middle of the floor both. He walked in, caring not for the almost freezing temperatures inside, and started examining the shelves. It took him some time but eventually he did find it, retrieving a series of small tubes from one of the shelves. Looking at the contents of them, he smiled to himself. Here was something he'd have good use for, if he could deploy it that was.

Putting it in his palm, he made a one-handed seal and let the vials vanish in a swirl of space-time distortions. He flexed his fingers with a smirk before leaving the room and walking back through the ruined tunnels and getting to the main entrance. The shinobi posted there looked at him, their eyes filled with exhaustion but respect as well. This was it, if he guessed correctly Suitegsu would be waiting for the sounds of battle, having gathered his entire horde for one, massive attack. It suited the man, it was precisely as complex as the mad killer made his plans. The others were waiting for him, all of them having the kind of alert glow in their eyes that were deep enough to be a lasting one but shallow enough to show that they were the body going on afterburner thanks to the soldier pills. Naruto cracked his neck and met their eyes, none of them flinching or turning away.

“We go on the offensive, hit them hard and fast.” he said, “Wait for my signal, stick close and do not hold back one iota, wipe them out.” it was probably redundant, yet he'd rather be safe than sorry. Turning to the other Oto shinobi, he gave them their final instructions. “Fall back and fortify the innermost perimeter, dig down and do not leave your positions if you want to live.” he narrowed his eyes, speaking with a low voice to accentuate how important this was. When shinobi of his and, to a lesser extent, the people that were going to follow him, fought it was not safe to be close.

Without further ado, he walked out of the room, towards the larger halls. It was time to end this, all bets were off and now everything was permitted. With the moment he had been waiting for having arrived, Naruto walked into the dark tunnels with his seven, hand-picked shinobi following him. Eight men against what? Eight hundred? So be it.

----XXXXXX----

The main hall of the giant complex that made up Otogakure no sato was tremendous in its size. Having served mainly as a large fighting pit for when Orochimaru pitted dozens of slaves, captured shinobi and mutated people against each other, the square room was stark, had thick iron bars in countless holes in the walls through where the next victims of the pits were herded. Now however, being close to the labs yet far away that it gave secrecy, it was filled with people. Hundreds of them, mutants, robbers, fallen shinobi, all sorts of people, yet they were all united by two things. The first being that the darkness that had taken them as slaves, servants or what have you, now was inside them as well. With the tyrant of Oto dead, they did not seek to go home or to forget, instead they sought only to inflict pain on the world around them. The second was the young man standing at the balcony from where Orochimaru had used to witness the bloody spectacles taking place beneath him. He was not a very imposing figure, being mid-height and with an average built body, it was not those qualities that made him stand out. What made that was the cold, ice blue, almost fish-like eyes, and the shark-like teeth filling his mouth. He currently stood leaning forwards against the railing of the balcony, looking down at the horde moving below. His face was lit by torches sitting on the corner of the balcony, the rest of the room being dark. The giant horde of people beneath him seemed almost like a huge mass of squirming vermin.

“Move, move!” he yelled, his face in a menacing grin as he looked down at the dark mass squirming beneath. “You've got thirty more seconds to be ready before I cut you all up like sashimi!” the cheer in his voice was seemingly genuine, yet in the voice was still an unmistakeable tone of sincerity, he meant every word of what he said. The large sword strapped to his back gave extra weight to his words as well. The horde below him moved, unsheathing weapons, moving up so they were closer to the door, in all ways they readied themselves for what they all knew would be the final push. Sadistic grins sat on many lips as they thought about what would wait when they were done with these last pests. The world above their heads would burn, the fighting and pillaging awaiting delighting them all.

The shock was therefore total when the doors they had gathered in front suddenly exploded. Not inwards either, outwards. With a deafening roar the doors flew off their hinges and were sent flying into the air so far that they came to hit the back end of the giant hall, several hundred meters away. The people closest to the door had been thrown back, sent flying uncontrollably, and they landed with cries of pain. Thousands of eyes turned to look at the door as the dust settled, shock having struck them all mute.

Eight figures now stood in the doorway, facing down the horde without the least hints of fear. At the front of this small troupe stood someone that few could see without at least a small tinge of fear. As pale skin as Orochimaru yet light blonde hair and ice blue eyes, clothed in wide, spacious clothes. None of them had any doubt of who it was, being familiar with him from stories if nothing else. It was the apprentice of Orochimaru.

Then something broke the spell of shock that had settled over the horde. Laughter rang through the hallway now, breaking the thin veil of disbelief and shock that had rested over the chamber. Hundreds of faces turning to look up at Suigetsu, who had broken out into merry laughing.

“Have all the chemicals gone to your head Naruto?!” he shouted after a while, “Or did you just catch your master's hubris?”

“No, I simply decided to end it.” Naruto said. “And let us dispense with the expected clichés, you'll ask how eight people will be able to do anything. Allow me answer it in deeds, the only language you've ever understood.” Naruto now moved with immense speed, raising his hand and slashing his thumb open along one of his fangs, flashing through hand seals and then slamming his hands against the ground. All this happened before anyone could realize what he was doing and prevent it.

Naruto pushed with all he had, shoved as much chakra as possible into it and shouted from the exertion. It was not just chakra enough to summon a snake, not only chakra enough to summon one of the dreaded snake lords, not even merely chakra enough to summon Manda, the king of all snakes. It was above and beyond it. It was nearly every last drop of chakra Naruto could muster, a true and total explosive discharge of chakra. It was more than most people would even get close to feeling in their entire life, even amongst jonin, and the very air shivered as he unleashed his power.

All or nothing, the world begun to rumble and an explosion shattered the floor under Naruto's feet, making it twist and tilt and a roaring sound fill the chamber. Yet again the horde in front of them were blinded, the sound of what sounded like a waterfall of gravel filling the air for several seconds. When the smoke cleared again, however, they saw that it wasn't gravel that had made that sound. Yet all of the people in the chamber found themselves suddenly wishing, so badly, that it had been that.

Naruto and his companions were no longer standing at the same level as Suigetsu's horde, instead they were more like on Suigetsu's level, now standing all on the heads of the six massive snakes that had appeared in the room. They were immense, overwhelming in size. They easily reached the the roof, staying low to be able to fit in the room. Each of them were a dark green, had giant yellow eyes that seemed to glow and fanged mouths that could hold dozen people easily. As they hissed the air shivered, the humongous serpents looking down on the horde with contempt in their eyes.

“Sakon, Tayuya, Kidomarou, Jiroubou, you're with me.” Naruto said calmly, “the rest of you, kill!”, on the last word his voice struck like a whip, cracking with force as it echoed through the room. However soon it was drowned out by the seething roars of the serpents as they threw themselves at Suigetsu's forces, the carnage being a fact within instants.

Juugo, Guren and Kimimaro all leaped off the snakes they stood on, landing on the floor and throwing themselves head first at the foes. Juugo's face went from unwilling and hesitant to savagely delighted as his arms morphed, changing into two huge battle axes. Throwing himself into the horde, his arms flailed around him, cutting down several people with each swing. Guren was a few dozen meters to his right, the woman's face filled with fierce joy as she, with two small crystal blades on her wrists. She moved through them like a scythe, firing crystal projectiles in all directions. There were few who even reached her to be sliced down by her wristblades. Yet Kimimaro was the most elegant of them all moved with the grace of a dancing swallow and with the precision and speed of a diving peregrine falcon. He danced through them, using whatever space there was, whether he had to step around, below, above or even through he never ceased moving. From his body spikes of razor sharp bone shot out, slicing into arteries, piercing organs and cutting tendons with seemingly effortless skill. The giant snakes, the strongest servants of the new Manda of the snake clan, they crushed their enemies like insects, devouring them whole, spitting out clouds of smoke that killed dozens of people, the carnage was total.

What more, Naruto and the Sound Four all had leaped through the air, making massive leaps that brought them above the carnage, like a swarm of birds of prey. They landed in blurs of motion on the large balcony whereupon Suigetsu stood. Naruto was in the middle, the sound four at the corners. Each of the sound four raised their hands as soon as they landed, forming a tiger seal and within a second the air around the balcony blazed. Walls of purple chakra formed around it, capturing everyone on the balcony inside it. a second later another barrier formed, this one inside the first one and on the other side of the sound four. a dual layer had now formed, one trapping Suigetsu and Naruto on the balcony and the other shutting the rest of the chamber out. With the sound four between them and now safe, the barriers that had formed was impenetrable.

“I have you now.” Naruto said calmly, drawing Kusanagi from its sheath. Suigetsu looked around himself in surprise initially. He seemed like he couldn't believe his eyes. Yet, it did not turn out to be fear which had caused the shock. Turning to Naruto, the young man laughed with his teeth bared and a glow in his eyes as he drew his sword as well.

“I can't believe you'd be so stupid...” he grinned bloodthirstily. “Sealing yourself in here with me, without both stamina and chakra... I'm going to enjoy this!” he roared, swinging at Naruto with immense speed. The sword turned into a blur, Naruto leaning backwards to avoid it. Sweat already ran down his brow and his breath was ragged. Dancing backwards, he avoided Suigetsu's sword as it came at him again and again, each time with more and more slim margins.

“Having problems Naruto?!” Suigetsu yelled as he swung at Naruto, managing to nick the other. Naruto did not answer, instead leaping backwards with a somersault that brought him above a wide swing of Suigetsu's cleaver. As he landed by the edge of the purple-flame cage created for them he had retrieved a soldier pill from his pouch and flicked it into his mouth, biting down, he smirked at Suigetsu.

“For the moment, yes.” he said, raising his sword. “Within five minutes my body will have fully absorbed this pill and my current state will be but a memory. Come on, despair as you fail time and time again to destroy me and I regain my power bit by bit.” his grin was sadistic, superior. It was the grin of a maniac squashing an offensive bug. Suigetsu's face, although surprised at first, turned angry. His eyes narrowed and his muscles tensed.

“You cocky little bookworm.” he growled, “I'm gonna cut you open and make snakeskin boots out of your skin!” With that, Suigetsu grunted as his body pulsed. The muscles swelled up, almost as if they were inflated, and the shark-toothed ninja attacked once again. Naruto leaped out of the way once again, however this time he leaped forwards, slicing Suigetsu's body in half as he dove under the man's sword. Suigetsu didn't even noticed it, only a splash of water came from where the wound should have been and he spun around, crashing his blade into the floor and sending bits of it flying everywhere. Naruto snarled as the shower of stones and rocks hit him, sending him tumbling to the floor for one single instant after which he was on his feet again, leaping at Suigetsu with his blade raised.

The two continued their deadly dance inside the cage, stunning feats of acrobatics and blindingly fast swordstrikes being displayed. Suigetsu and Naruto were both powerful and skilled both, enough that the battle fought inside this cage put the one raging outside to shame. Perhaps not in blood spilt, but in sheer blinding ability. Naruto was as powerful as Juugo, as refined as Guren and as graceful as Kimimaro in his moves and Suigetsu much the same. What he lacked in the two latter categories he compensated for in sheer brutality, becoming a hurricane of death. Yet, an impasse was reached, Naruto's strikes did nothing to Suigetsu and Suigetsu could at most nick Naruto, something that to Orochimaru's bane and apprentice meant nothing.

After several minutes something became evident inside this cage. Despite Naruto's claims, he did not recover. The man only grew more and more sweaty, his breath more and more ragged and Suigetsu's sneer turned slowly into a grin. As Naruto was knocked backwards, landing on his back and sliding along the floor, his opponent roared in triumph.

“Suck on that bookworm!” Suigetsu yelled. “Not so fun to leave your study and come out into reality, right?” Suigetsu advanced on Naruto, his blade raised high. Naruto only sneered at him. He leaped to his feet but Suigetsu was upon him, kicking him in the chest and forcing him down. “Oh no you don't!” the shark-toothed shinobi grinned. “Boots should stay on the ground.” he said, raising his sword, Naruto only looking at him.

Then, the wall behind Suigetsu exploded. The man froze and for half a second things went almost quiet in the chamber, the fighting dying off as people were blinded by the sudden blaze of sunlight from the giant hole that had formed in the wall. Suigetsu looked back and saw how out of the blaze of light that had formed on the wall several dozens of meters away seemingly spewed out pinpricks of darkness. Dozens of figures leaped into the chamber, explosions and blasts of chakra and fire filling it as the figures attacked. It took Suitegsu half a second but he then saw the figures more clearly. They wore black and grey clothes and armour, their faces obscured by white and red porcelain masks and weapons in their hands. Suigetsu stared at the sight, shock and horror filling him as he realized who the people who now had landed on the floor below and were busy cutting down his army like a scythe through wheat were. It was Konoha's ANBU!

“And thus the proverbial cavalry arrived.” Naruto said, Suigetsu looking back just in time to see Naruto having leapt to his feet and formed a single seal. Moving at top speed, the man grabbed something that appeared in his hand and Suigetsu did not have time to move before Naruto crushed whatever was in his hand and with one powerful palm strike drove it all into Suigetsu's gut with full force. “And you dropped your guard.” Naruto said, Suigetsu's eyes widening. He had only just enough time to register a sudden, explosive pain in his guts before he exploded. There was no other way to explain it, in one instant Suigetsu exploded, a cascade of water and steam shooting in all directions as the detonation ripped through the air.

Chapter Text

Minato hurried into the hospital, his gut churning with worry. Only the heightened activity in and around it made him uneasy. Medic nins and nurses were going back and forth, people being taken this way and that. All of them were carrying the wounds of war too. Stretchers, blood, crowds of wounded, the sounds of suffering. It reminded him of war... not since the Kyuubi he had seen such a rush at Konoha's hospital. Yet the faces of those who worked here were familiar, the faces of the suffering ones weren't.

They were from another village or clan, the uniformity of their clothes told him that. However he could see that this village/clan was a poor one. Many of them were wearing clothes that were mishmash attempts to “fake” the look of uniformity, to pick together something roughly similar to what the others were wearing from what was available. Also, most of them were wounded one way or another. The worst injuries had been taken into surgery already but still dozens of people were sitting in the waiting room or just outside. Many of them had the long-suffering, patient looks of someone exhausted who just wanted the pain to end and was perfectly happy to sit still, hoping it would go away. Making his way amongst the wounded, he only got more and more worried. Where was Naruto in all this?

Over an hour ago Jiraiya had landed in front of the Konoha hospital. Or rather, Gamabunta had landed with Jiraiya on his head. The giant toad boss had spat out Naruto and a large group of other people, most of them wounded in one way or another. An emergency call had been sent to him, he had been at the academy at the time, and the messenger had said Naruto was in the emergency room. What had happened to his son?

The chaotic hospital was filled to the brim with people. Nurses and doctors, the wounded and also dozens of Konoha policemen. By doors, corners and by waiting rooms the heavily armed policemen stood. Many of the unknown shinobi flinched under the heavy, piercing gazes of the Uchiha policemen, some distance away a pair of them were arguing with a young red-headed girl who currently was flailing and swearing in a way that made Minato almost flinch. The girl seemed enraged about something and the policemen calmly but firmly responded to her accusations. After a while she was pulled back by another shinobi, this one a young man with pale white hair and skin. He whispered something to the girl, who punched her fist into the wall in response. The mood was oppressive, stressed and almost desperate. The fear and uncertainty of the unknown shinobi, the tense watchfulness of the police and the stressed out struggles of the medics to treat everyone.

Rounding a corner, he had the fortune of seeing the assistant of the head of the hospital further ahead. She was wearing surgical clothes and a facemask, pulling off the latter as she moved down the hallway in the other direction. He called out his name, breaking into a jog as he caught up with her.

“Shizune-san!” he shouted, the black-haired woman turning around when she heard him. She seemed about to answer him when Minato came up to her, wasting no time in asking what was on his mind. “Where's Naruto? Is he okay?!” Worry was almost consuming him. After all this time of neglecting his child Minato couldn't deal with the thought of his son hurt. Shizune raised her hands, motioning for him to calm down.

“He's alive and will remain so Hokage-sama.” she said, Minato feeling a wave of relief showering over him. “However,” Shizune added now, hesitating a little, “he's in bad shape.” she eventually said. The relief was followed by anxiety shoving a knife in his gut and Minato flinched.

“How bad are we talking?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“You'll have to ask him what exactly he did,” Shizune said, slowly shaking her head as she pulled off the rubber gloves she was wearing. “He seems to have stood right in front of a chemical explosion. Rin-san is with him, she can tell you more.”

“Where?” Minato asked, looking around. That did not sounds good, not at all. What the hell had happened?! The worry almost made him sick. Shizune told him and Minato was off within a second. Hurrying through the hospital, almost bumping into medical personnel at several times. In the end, when he reached the door, he tore it open without a second thought, being inside the room within one instant.

The room inside was a single bed room, light green wallpaper and the bed right by the window. His old genin Rin was sitting by the bed, facing the headboard of it. What more, in the bed, bandaged enough that most of his skin was covered in clear white cloth, Naruto lay. The bandages made him look almost like a mummy and he lay staring listlessly up towards the roof.

“Oh, Hokage-sama.” Rin begun as Minato came into the room.

“Mission complete Hokage-sama.” Naruto said with the low, steady voice of someone exhausted and badly hurt. “With some reservations.” he added dryly.

“I understood that.” Minato said, thinking of the many strange people he had seen outside. They were not Konoha shinobi. “How is he?” he asked Rin now. He had just been about to ask Naruto but bit his tongue. His son was an adult and he remembered what Kushina had told him, months ago now, after she had gone to visit him. Despite the long dormant father instincts that made him want to see Naruto as a little baby he forced himself to be calm. Rin looked at him for a second before she turned her head to Naruto, who rolled his eyes.

“Is there a reason he shouldn't know?” he asked dryly. Rin sighed before she turned to Minato again.

“Honestly sensei, he's got Orochimaru's... enhancements, to thank for even being alive.” she begun. “Apparently his idea of how to deal with an enemy shinobi able to turn into water was to shove caesium into his body at point blank range.” there was something almost angry over her now.

“Caesium?” Minato blinked. He knew that was some kind of metal. But how would that...

“Caesium reacts with water,” Naruto said from the bed, “Violently. It's like an explosive tag, only the water becomes corrosive enough to dissolve glass as well.”

“Oh gods...” Minato said, getting a churning feeling in his guts. The level of ruthless pragmatism was at once impressive and frightening. He could only imagine what that must have been like for whomever Naruto had fought, that suddenly the water that was his body burned and exploded, turning into a toxic explosion... Yet, of greater concern now was his son.

“Will he recover?” he asked. Naruto was supposed to regenerate, but now he looked like someone condemned to stay here for a good time. He didn't even dare to think about what the bandages would conceal. If it could dissolve glass... how did Naruto look now?

“Yes.” Rin told him, “But it'll take time, as it is we're looking at a recovery period of at best one month. He suffered from chakra depletion and physical exhaustion both already before the explosion, that combined with the damage to the skin made his body go into shock ”

“I knew what I was doing.” Naruto said, Rin scoffing. Looking back at Naruto, she turned to face him properly and put her hands on her hips.

“Honestly?” she asked him. Minato could tell she was angry. “You knew what you were doing? Honestly?!”

“Yes.” Naruto said dully.

“I beg to differ then!” Rin snapped now, “What kind of... What kind of utter madness possessed you to do something like that?! You got yourself bathed in one of the most dangerous substances there are! And you say you knew what you did?!”

“I had not slept for three days, was at the brink of desperation and exhausted.” Naruto said, “Under those circumstances it seemed as the best option. I was going to leap away, the reaction simply happened too quickly. What more, I infused my snakeskin with chakra when I realized it was too late.” Rin calmed down now somewhat. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed.

“Whatever the reasons, you just came closer to death than you've ever gotten before.” She told him, “And that includes the night Orochimaru died.” Naruto turned to look out of the window now. He didn't answer, content instead with almost sullen silence. Minato looked at his son, eventually coming to think of something. Could it be... the scenario seemed plausible, he'd have to check though.

“Rin-san.” he begun gently, “can you step outside for a while?” Rin turned around to look at him. “If you're done that is.” he added, “I need to debrief him. Judging from the commotion outside we're all going to have a lot on our hands soon so I'd rather not be held up here.” Rin had been calmer but Minato's sudden attitude made her flare up now.

“What the...” she spun around now, looking at him with an incredulous look on her face. “Sensei, he's your...” she begun, enraged by the fact that suddenly Minato seemed to only see Naruto as a subordinate that had to be debriefed.

“Now, Heisei-san.” Minato said, his voice getting a tone of steel in it. He hated doing it but that's how it was to be Hokage. Rin's eyes showed her disappointment but she obeyed, walking outside after telling Naruto she'd be back within the hour. Minato sighed as he walked over to the window and looked out of it as well. It was a good view, you could see out across Konoha, the Hokage's tower visible in the distance as well as the faces of the old Hokages. Turning around, he leaned against the wall next to the window, seeing Naruto's bandaged face clearly now. One eye, the nose and the chins were covered, as were the forehead. “Who are the people outside?” he asked. “Your orders were search and destroy, yet you've amassed a following that would put a minor village to shame.”

“Allies.” Naruto told him. “Not all of Orochimaru's followers approved of him. Many of them were slaves, press ganged or otherwise. I enlisted them to help me bring the labs down. In too many cases the labs had turned into dens for fledgling bandit gangs, ruthless minor villages etcetera. Not to mention the main base, it had become the breeding ground for an army of raiders which would make the blood nins' ravages look like an academy training session. I needed support to bring them down.”

“You had the ANBU on standby for that.” Minto asked. He was starting to get worried. It didn't add up. If it had been Jiraiya he might have understood it. His old sensei always picked up strays but Naruto? No, his son was cool, focused, worked from the bigger picture and did not let distractions get in his way. Minato knew that, he had thought he knew that at least. When he sent out Naruto he had known that the mission would be finished as soon as possible, possibly at the expense of innocents. Yet here he was, with a veritable caravan of stragglers having come with him.

“I did.” Naruto said, looking up at the roof. “There are other reasons for why I brought them with me.”

“Such as.” Minato asked.

“Isaribi.” Naruto said. “Juugo, Kimimaro, Guren. Others too.” Now Naruto's eyes turned to look at his father. “I will willingly confess this.” he begun, “You sent me out in my capacity as a shinobi, yet this matter, Orochimaru, means I cannot be just that.”

“Keep going.” Minato said, once again being confronted with the fact that he didn't understand his son.

“I am two things Hokage-sama.” Naruto told him. “a shinobi and a scientist. As a shinobi I am expected to see the mission through, that is the full extent of what morals I am to possess.” Minato flinched a bit at it. He needed to revise the shinobi rules, soon preferably. Putting the mission first was one thing, being an emotionless killer was another. “However, as a scientist I am bound by other rules.” Naruto continued, “My master was an example of what happens when a scientist won't be bound by anything but ambition. If I go down that path, Konoha will demand my head and you will be forced to give them it. Therefore I am bound by ethics I cannot abstain from. This mission was not, could not, be one I did as merely a shinobi. These people are my master's sickening legacy, the victims of his misdeeds as a scientist.”

“And therefore you decided to drag them along instead of setting them free?” Minato asked.

“What freedom?” Naruto fired back. “Isaribi is mutated by Orochimaru's experiments, she was ostracised by her home village and used as a weapon by Orochimaru's cronies. Juugo was born with a bloodline limit that drives him to insane blood thirst; he was desperate enough to seek Orochimaru out despite his reputation, hoping for a cure. Kimimaro is dying; he's a Kaguya, last of the bloodline, and a disease his physique makes nigh incurable is slowly killing him. Those are just three examples. Tell me: what “freedom” awaited them?”

“Is that why you brought them here?” Minato asked. “Did you hope that they'd be given help here?” he didn't show it, but to an extent hope had begun to bloom inside him. The thought that his ice cold son might have begun to show compassion made him deeply happy.

“No.” Naruto said, making the happiness Minato had felt deflate in one instant. “Nothing so simple.” he continued, “Firstly: commander Itachi forced my hand. With all due respect Hokage-sama, for all his skill and value to the village the man is a zealot. He would have, without the least hesitation, killed the people who worked with me in destroying Orochimaru's labs and the remnants of his vile experiments just to tie up some loose ends. It would have been unethical of me to accept this and therefore I had to do what I did.” Minato sighed mentally. He needed to have a talk with his ANBU commander. While he appreciated the man's zealous loyalty, it was true that he was ready to go to extremes and did so far too often.

“Secondly:” Naruto continued, “traitor or no, Orochimaru was still part of Konoha when he committed these atrocities. With the stance Konoha has assumed on its shinobi, that we are as one great family, sharing honour and shame both, it is not relevant why he did it, his crimes are still ours to an extent. Therefore, if we are to consider the ethical code of this village more than a convenient image, to consider it a true code of ethics, non negotiable and sacred, then we have a responsibility towards these people.” He was right Minato thought. That was the view he had had of it as Hokage, all his life, that they were all one big family. Good deeds and misdeeds of any one shinobi affected them all... He had just not wanted to see it like that when Orochimaru was concerned. But his uncompromisingly rational son was currently ramming it in that it applied to Orochimaru as well...

“Thirdly:” Naruto continued, “I will not lie to you in this matter Hokage-sama, I hope to study them. Many of these people, suffering as they might be, hold endless promise. If we can understand the mechanisms behind Isaribi's abilities and even more so Juugo's transformations, might we not in the future be able to develop true shape shifting jutsu? If we can understand Guren's and Kimimaro's DNA; the mechanisms behind the bloodline limits, is it not possible that one day in the future we can give our shinobi those abilities and, most importantly, do so without the appalling cost that Orochimaru's attempts demanded?” This point unnerved him. Minato did understand what Naruto meant. What more he wasn't going to ignore what he said about avoiding having to resort to such abominable methods as Orochimaru. If he had ignored that point and blindly lashed out, as most people would do, he knew he'd earn Naruto's utter contempt. Yet still, the thoughts of human experiments sickened him.. But was it his morals that spoke or simply his baser instincts?

“Lastly:” Naruto kept going, wrapping it all up. “aiding them will benefit Konoha. Juugo is a juggernaut in combat, as powerful as Maito Gai, the Kaguya had locked away Kimimaro, fearing his power, Orochimaru's special fuin squad are with me as well, their fuin are of a kind I've never seen before. You, who forged the bond between Kumo and Konoha, could forge loyalty towards the village in them. Should they suffer for having once obeyed a man who used and manipulated them, played on their weaknesses and desperation? Or should we, when it benefits us as well, show them genuinely the things Orochimaru played at showing them?” Now Minato saw one of the main things that made him unable to understand Naruto, the cold, calculating attitude towards people yet one that still was combined with a strange yet still firmly moral view of the people involved. Not because it was “the right thing to do”, but rather because it was the most logical thing to do. So many times logic seemed cold, amoral, but with Naruto the benefits of decency were taken into account, made part of the calculation.

Minato listened in silence to Naruto's speech. His voice was low, hoarse, yet he spoke with patience and steadiness. It was amazing to listen to, like a diplomatic report. Several reasons had come together and all as one pointed towards the most rational choice of action. Things like these showed his son's brilliance, he juggled several factors and trails of thought all at once, working them into one bigger picture. Also: when faced by these arguments, could he really say no without coming across as petty? Or stubborn? Yet there were still some issues.

“Only a few months ago they would have been our enemy.” he said after a while. “They are not Konoha shinobi, taking them in would be unprecedented, not to mention a huge security risk.

“I know.” Naruto said. “Respectfully, if there's nothing more I would like to rest. Even for me this is quite painful.”Minato flinched again. His son's stoicism made him forget that he still had gotten a large part of his skin corroded off his body. Nodding, Minato got off the windowsill he was leaning against.

“I understand.” he said, “Your report can wait. Focus on recovering for now.”

“Understood.” Naruto said, closing his eyes. Minato leaving without a word. Closing the door, he sighed right before someone bumped into him.

“Hey watch it you piece of shit beanpole!” someone yelled as Minato stumbled to the side half a step. It was the red-haired girl he had seen earlier. She had hurried past him and her shoulder accidentally hit him. Currently she was glaring at him with bared teeth and a posture that spoke of someone being inches from using the fists. “What!?” she snarled at him. “You got a problem!?” Minato blinked at the situation, shocked by her behaviour.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked her gently. The girl just stared at him with a look saying “how stupid can you get” on her face.

“How fucking...” she begun, “No! I'm just fucking hunky-dory, asshole! How couldn't it be with a bunch of bloodthirsty Uchihas waiting to slit our throats and a fucking Hokage who takes his sweet time showing up to decide if we can even fucking live?!”

“Excuse me, what?” Minato asked now. What exactly had she been told? “Forgive me, live?”

“As per the word of your fucking Uchiha attack dogs asshole!” the girl snarled. “They've been telling each of us that our fucking lives depends on whether your fucking Hokage is in a good mood! Like if he has gotten enough dick to be happy or whatever.”

Minato was reminded of Kushina when she was younger, only even more angry and with the language to match. He pitied and envied whomever would fall for her, said guy would be in for the ride of his life. Still though, what did she just say? Minato felt a stab of anger now. Damn his ANBU commander, what exactly had Itachi said now?!

“Who exactly said this?” he asked. “Was it Itachi? Sharp lines in the face, neck length hair, a necklace with three beads visible on the front?”

“So that's the fucker's name?” the girl said. “Weasel, makes sense.”

“Where is he now?” Minato cut her off with a demanding voice.

“The fuck's with you?” the girl begun.

“Where?!” Minato asked, harsher this time. The girl shut up instantly, her eyes widening somewhat as she pointed towards the main waiting room .

“Come with me.” Minato said now, spinning on his heel and starting down the hallway. “We'll clear this up. Now.” he said the last word with a tinge of barely contained anger in his voice. Stalking out into the waiting room, Minato was treated to a scene that made him all the more angry. Some of the Oto shinobi as they evidently were, had become anxious enough that a scuffle had broken out between a pair of them. Nothing serious, it was mainly a wrestling scuffle. The Konoha policemen were already on it however, both of the shinobi being torn down to the floor and put on the ground. Their hands were roughly torn behind their backs and cuffed as they protested. Other Oto shinobi got up now, frightened and angered by the rough manhandling of their fellow shinobi, and more Uchiha policemen stepped out, frowning as they waited for the least opportunity to strike.

“Enough!” Minato thundered, making the air shake as he roared at the top of his lungs. The police all instantly froze and the Oto nins also stopped moving. Minato didn't know it but unwittingly he had begun to exude an almost overwhelming pressure. Sheer frustration made him nail everyone to their positions. “Get off those men at once, officers.” Minato ordered the policemen, who instantly were off them and released them from their cuffs. “Leave this room, go find commander Itachi and bring him here, now.” Minato continued, the Uchihas both saluting and leaving. Sighing, Minato did all he could to calm down. He made a gesture with his hands for people to come closer. They did, reluctantly but still.

“I know you are all scared right now.” he begun, speaking gently and reassuringly. “You're in a place most of you will have known only as a hostile one. You're tired and wounded after the greatest battle you ever have fought. What more, these people don't really help.” he shot the Uchiha police officers a withering glare, one that told them he'd let them all know later precisely what he thought about what he just had seen, in thorough detail. “Yet I want you all to know this.” he told the Oto nins, “As long as you are within Konoha's walls, you are safe. That goes for all of you. Not one of you are an enemy of ours. You will get the best treatment we can give you for your wounds and I swear that after that you are free to leave if you wish.” Minato looked around, seeing suspicion, weariness, fear and anxiety in the eyes of the Oto shinobi.

“That ain't what that Uchiha butcher of yours said!” someone scoffed after a moment, Minato smiling sadly

“Fortunately my word trumps his.” he said. “I will speak with him, that I swear.”

“Well who are you then?” another Oto nin asked. “That guy's supposed to be second only to to your Hokage.”

“Is it not obvious?” Minato asked with a smile, several of the Oto shinobi tensing. Shocked gasps could be heard from several of them, every last eye now being wide open.

“You... you...” someone croaked

“I am Namikaze Minato,” Minato said, “the fourth Hokage of Konoha. And as I said, you are safe inside Konoha's walls, you have my word on that.”

What happened next made Minato surprised to say the least. The Oto nins fell to their knees, even those who were wounded. Almost as one, they bowed to him, deep enough to actually kowtow. Shock and fear was evident in their movements, like they were peasants in front of the daimyo, who they just had accidentally offended. Normally he'd have expected something like this to create a storm of whispers and stares, but they all kowtowed before him in silence, terrified. Minato was appalled by it. Not by their show of respect but by what it represented. Was this what Orochimaru had taught his shinobi to do to their superiors? The man's narcissism became evident once again. Thank the gods he was gone...

“Don't bow to me.” He said, “Rise. You needn't show me such respect.” The Oto shinobi now got to their feet, uneasily and hesitantly. The reflex of submission was clear in them. What they thought of him seemed secondary to their absolute fear of him as an authority figure. And this to a man who was all too used to bicker with his subordinates on a regular basis... gods... The Uchiha he had sent away returned now, Itachi with them. Minato became thankful for the distraction. He didn't know how to deal with the terrified, submissive Oto shinobi, an overzealous Uchiha was much more in line with his talents. Turning from the Oto nins and to Itachi, he raised a finger and cut the man off before the man could say anything.

“You.” he said, pointing at Itachi. “That room,” he added, pointing at the break room to the right. “Now.” there was a bit of a growl to his voice now. Itachi followed him into the room, Minato closing the door as calmly as could be. Yet his shouts were audible out into the waiting room, making it all too clear what the Hokage of Konoha thought of his ANBU commander's harsh attitude towards the Oto nins.

----XXXXX----

When Kimiko heard that her big brother was finally back from his mission she had almost leaped out of the school window. It had only been Iruka-sensei who had stopped her, literally too. The man had grabbed her as she was halfway out of the window, dragging her back to her seat and threatening to rivet her there. That school day had been the longest of her life and when it had ended she had left it in seconds, running down the street at full pelt.

It was first when she arrived at the hospital that she stopped. She came to a halt already when she reached the entrance through the wall that ran outside the hospital. The sight of what was happening outside the hospital was not a normal one. There was total chaos, Kimiko had to step aside to not be run down by several people running into the hospital. This gave time for her two friends to catch up with her. Kimiko first now remembered that Sakura and Ino both had come with her.

“Finally...” Ino panted, leaning forwards to rest her hands on her knees as she panted. “How is anyone... supposed to be able to keep... up with you!?” Sakura, who was leaning against the wall beside her, didn't say anything but judging from her ragged breath she agreed. Glancing in through the gate, Sakura furrowed her brow.

“What's going on here?” she wondered. “It looks like there's a war going on.” Kimiko only got paler at that.

“Oh no... oniisan!” she cried out before she ran straight towards the main entrance again with her two friends after her. Kimiko ran as fast as she could, crashing in through the gate and manoeuvring amongst the people inside as good as she could, a brave attempt that never the less came to an abrupt stop when she crashed right into the legs of someone, grunting in pain as she fell down. Rubbing her jaw, Kimiko looked up angrily before her face went pale.

Standing above her, towering even, was a giant of a man. He was built like a giant brick, with enough muscles that his upper arms seemed bigger than Kimiko's torso. The man was bigger than she and her two friends put together, with a head to spare even then, a head where his carrot-coloured hair stood around it. The man looked down at her, gods he was big! Humans didn't get that big! That was an ogre! Kimiko found herself shocked mute by the sheer massiveness of the man and now more than ever she realized just how very very tiny she was. Her two friends came up behind her now, both freezing in their steps as they saw the giant who now raised a hand, Kimiko almost panicking! No! The ogre would eat her! She threw up her hands trying to protect herself as the man opened his mouth.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice reverberating in Kimiko, making her not only hear but even feel what he said. She opened her eyes now, looking up through her still raised arms and saw that the man was holding out a hand towards her. His massive face had a look of deep concern on it, almost a fatherly look. Kimiko blinked, slowly lowering her arms. “You didn't hurt yourself, did you?” the man continued.

“Uhm...” Kimiko found herself speechless for a second. She didn't really know what to do here. It was first when the man smiled at her that she felt safe enough to reach up and accept his offered hand. The man pulled her to her feet like nothing, Kimiko feeling like he could have thrown her several meters away as easily. “No I'm fine...” she said awkwardly, the man looking relived.

“That is good.” he said kindly. “Are you looking for someone?” he continued now, Kimiko remembering why she was here.

“Yeah!” She exclaimed, “my big brother! He just came home from his mission!”

“What is his name?” the giant asked.

“Naruto!” Kimiko answered at once. The giant's face became surprised now, his eyes widening.

“Really?” he asked. “If so, he is at the end of the hallway, room 152.” Kimiko shone up now.

“Thank you!” she said, accelerating to full speed in seconds, straight down the corridor and her friends darted after her as well. After a few seconds Kimiko skid to a halt however, looking back at the man before she ran up to him again and bowed. “And I'm sorry I thought you were an evil ogre that was going to eat me!” she said loudly and clearly before turning and running again. Left behind was the giant, who looked after her with a face that was now utterly flummoxed.

Kimiko crashed into room 152 with all the noise and lack of subtleness that was her trademark. She tripped on the threshold, coming into the room stumbling and not regaining her balance before she crashed into the floor. Groaning with pain, she looked up and saw something surprising.

The hospital room looked little like she had expected. There was all the usual stuff, a bed and a window and all that, but there was also piles of books, binders and dossiers all over the place. Several tables had been carried into the room to give space to them and oniisan's assistant, kabu-something, was standing by the bed, looking down on her.

“Look who came to visit us sensei.” the guy said, blinking as he looked down on Kimiko's prone form.

“Judging from how the entrance was loud enough to wake the dead I can hazard a guess as to who it is.” a dry voice said from the bed and Kimiko was on her feet in one instant, first now able to see her big brother. What she saw made her gasp. He was covered from head to toe in bandages and had his hand hooked up to a drip, she could only see one eye and his mouth. That one eye was at the moment fixed on her. “I'm glad to see you didn't skip school this time.” her big brother said, Kimiko's eyes welling over. Her big brother was home! The state he was in only worsened it and Kimiko threw herself on Naruto, giving him a tight hug.

Said hug ended up producing a massive response. Naruto gave up a loud exclamation in pain, loud enough that it made Kimiko fly backwards from fright, Kabuto stumble halfway to the wall, Ino and Sakura both shrieking themselves and a doctor come running in from the corridor.

“You microscopic moron!” Naruto exclaimed a few seconds later, “I've got no skin under these bandages! Don't hug me! You're rubbing the bandages into open wounds!” Naruto panted, shivering as the doctor came up to him. The white-clothed man who just had entered exchanged a few whispered words with him before he pushed some buttons on the small panel below the drip container. Naruto groaned now, taking a deep breath, and Kimiko stood by the wall, almost paralysed as she didn't know what to do. She seemed about to start crying. After a while Naruto sighed, lifting his hand. “This hand is unhurt, you can hold it. But watch the drip, okay?” he said, more gently, and Kimiko was upon it in an instant, taking it and holding it tightly.

“What happened to you oniisan?” Kimiko asked, Naruto doing a tiny shrug.

“You could say that I stood in the middle of an explosion.” he said. “What about you? How has your extra classes gone?” Kimiko shone up somewhat now and begun to talk. The girl had a lot to tell him and Naruto patiently listened to her, inserting questions and suggestions here and there. Kimiko was so happy her brother was back that she forgot all about her friends. It was Naruto that commented on it in the end.

“Who are your friends?” he asked, Kimiko realizing that she had totally forgot about them.

“Oh, right!” she said, turning to her two friends. “Come on!” she said, waving for them to come closer.” Sakura and Ino both came up, looking somewhat queasy at the sight of all those bandages. Kimiko pushed them both closer however..

“This is...” she begun before Naruto cut her off.

“Don't.” he said slowly but with force in his voice. “Manners Kimiko, let others introduce themselves.” Kimiko shrunk back a bit at this and closed her mouth. “Now, what were your names?” Naruto continued, the girls first now able to take the initiative.

“Yamanaka Ino.” Ino begun, “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Naruto said.

“Haruno Sakura.” Sakura followed up. “Kimiko-chan has told us a lot about you.”

“Like how she uses my home to stock ramen in?” Naruto asked dryly, provoking a “hey!” from Kimiko. Sakura and Ino both only blinked however. At least initially, then they looked back at Kimiko, small smiles on their faces.

“Oh really?” Ino asked now, a velvety sound in her voice. Kimiko swallowed at this. Her friends had teased her about ramen for as long as she could remember. This seemed like a minor disaster, something they'd tease her about for weeks! Not good, not good! “Ramen again Kimiko-chan?” Ino asked, putting her arm over Kimiko's shoulders and leaning in with a wry smile.

“That reminds me.” Naruto said now, adding a dry “for some reason.” Kimiko immediately turned to him again. She was as eager as could be for a topic switch. “Could I ask a favour of you three?”

“Sure!” Kimiko said instantly. Anything to get her friends off this topic. “What do you need?! We can do it right now, just ask anything!” she babbled, Naruto raising one hand to stop her.

“Firstly, ask the girl hiding by the entrance to come inside.” Naruto said and Kimiko blinked. Looking towards the entrance, she only just noticed a small strand of dark hair that quickly withdrew from sight. She quickly peeked out and saw a girl roughly her age. She was black haired and blue clothed, looking almost a bit like oniisan in that there were bandages on her face and along one arm and leg. Kimiko wondered if she had been hurt or something.

“Uhm... hi.” the girl said now, looking uncertain. Kimiko smiled at her though and waved for her to come inside.

“Come in!” she said enthusiastically, the poor girl ending up half dragged into the room despite her obvious hesitation. “Are you oniisan's friend” she asked her. “Where are you from? Did you come to Konoha just now?”

“I was going to show her Konoha...” Naruto said behind him, Kimiko looking back at her brother. “However...” he indicated his bandaged body and Kimiko rushed over to grab his hand again.

“Don't worry oniisan, I've got that covered!” she told him, overjoyed at the chance to help her brother. Naruto smiled somewhat and Kimiko turned around. She left as she had arrived, like a hurricane that swept up people around it like leaves. This sole little girl, tiny even for her age, managed to sweep three other girls with her with none of them seemingly able to do anything. After she had left Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“It really is too easy,” he said, his voice dry as desert sand. “Now, what did you say about the sample's miotic phase?” Kabuto killed the grin that had settled on his face and went back to reading out loud the latest findings to his master.

----XXXXX----

Naruto was enjoying a peaceful nap, taking the opportunity to rest when it was the only thing available anyhow. With Kabuto's daily update of the progress at the labs and himself confined to a bed for the coming weeks he didn't mind sleeping the days away as well as the nights. His body was powerless, no matter how much he slept he still was tired, his inability to stomach more than minute amounts of food as well didn't help either. So he therefore slept.

He awoke however when something came into the room. It was faint indeed, Naruto feeling only a faint presence of whomever had entered. This light presence, however, was enough for him to be roused out of his slumber and ready his body. He opened one eye lazily, seeing, to his surprise, that it was his godfather who had entered. Jiraiya sat down by his bedside now, hands clasped as he looked at him .There was something in his eyes, Naruto was too tired to pinpoint it however.

”To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, exhausted enough that he was not going to try to be more sarcastic than that. Never the less, Jiraiya's presence didn't soothe him. The old man smiled at him, a wry grin showing humility and respect in equal measure.

”I am very proud over you.” he said, ”And I know Minato is as well.” Naruto only looked at him now. Blinking once after a while, he raised the sole visible eyebrow. ”The sound-nins.” Jiraiya said, ”You showed, more completely than anyone could have asked, that you aren't your master.”

“I thought that was already clear.” Naruto said. Jiraiya's smile died somewhat.

“You know well how deep his schemes went.” the old man said, “There were still people who thought you might be hiding something.”

“It wasn't that I asked about.” Naruto said, “I said that I believed the actual evidence exonerated me, not that the villagers had admitted to be wrong about me.

“Evidence? Do you think so little of yourself?” Jiraiya asked, Naruto not showing the frustration he felt. The man had nailed him, totally. He was a shinobi after all and Orochimaru had taught him well. Jiraiya was right. Usually people had seen “poor little Naruto” and thought him as a pitiable victim...but Jiraiya didn't. He saw him, the lethal, secretive Naruto that was now. Evidence against a shinobi? What nonsense, secrecy was their craft, not truth. Naruto realized that he couldn't use that angle any longer. It should make him angry, yet it only made him content.

“Considering most of this village wants to give me a lollipop, yes.” he answered, dry as the Suna sands. “An interesting observation, that in order to be seen as who I am I should earn their antipathy.”

“I've never hated you.” Jiraiya said, his face severe now. “I've only ever feared you. Or more accurately, for you. When you killed Orochimaru I saw nothing in your eyes. You spoke of pain and necessity, but your eyes showed only satisfaction. It... made me angry. And then, you danced circles around me when I tried to work out a direct answer from you about the sound nins, making me more and more worry what you intended. But I never hated you. I know you feel you must guard yourself, but let us in, at least a little.”

“I did once.” Naruto said frankly, “After that, I cannot do it again. I don't show my hand to anyone, it's how I do things. As does Anko, as does Itachi, as does Kakashi and many others. Why am I expected to do things differently?”

“Because when Itachi swore himself ready to murder his family there was iron determination and grief in his eyes in equal measure.” Jiraiya told him, “Kakashi turned around to save his teammate during the war, Anko fell out with her master in as explosive a way as was possible. And:” the man smirked a bit now, “You risked your life to save those who suffered from Orochimaru's schemes. You are not held to different standards Naruto, you've been under scrutiny, yes, but now you have proven yourself, shown your mettle.”

“Meaning?” Naruto asked.

“I can't speak for Konoha,” Jiraiya said, “But at least I know that you're a true Konoha shiobi, one of her absolute finest, a pride of the leaf.”

“Please don't get melodramatic.” Naruto said, feeling uncomfortable to say the least with Jiraiya's praise. He had to turn his eyes away, finding it hard to look at the man, while continuing to tell himself he was not embarrassed.

“Good thing I'm not, brat.” Jiraiya chuckled with a massive, shit-eating grin. Naruto tensed at the disrespectful address and stare at him. What had the man just called him!? “I gotta go now.” Jiraiya said, getting up from his chair. “Get well soon brat. Here's for the health by the way.” he continued, putting down a small book on the bed before leaving with a final wink. Naruto reached for the book, curious what it was about. When seeing the title, “Icha Icha Paradise”, he tossed the book out through the slightly open window without a second glance.

----XXXXX----

It was not long after Jiraiya's visit, the next day more precisely, that Naruto found himself with another visitor. Noon had just come and the sun was high in the sky outside his window when the door slowly opened. Naruto, who had been dozing, opened his eyes and glanced at the door through the sleep haze. The head that peered in through the door was red, however it was also not on the rough height of a reasonably short pony so it couldn't be Kimiko. Via a process of elimination he got who it was.

“Come in.” he said, his voice a bit hoarse. Kushina stepped into the room now, an uncertain smile on her face.

“How are you doing?” She asked him as she came up to him. Naruto looked up at the corner pondering the answer.

“Considering the circumstances, quite fine.” he responded eventually. “I am lucky I am in this shape to be honest. It could be much worse.”

“Dare I ask?” Kushina cautiously asked, Naruto shrugging.

“I'll take the risk.” he said, “My pain receptors were set into hyperactivity, meaning I could be laying here constantly screaming just for one instance. That particular example would be especially bad since all the best analgesics are opiate-based, I am near immune to drugs, meaning there would be no effective way of dulling the pain.” The more Naruto had heard about what happened to him the more he realized what an utterly harebrained idea it had been to deal with Suigetsu that way. Thinking back on it, he had found some other possible ways of dealing with the water nin, however they were all very advanced. Launching him into the sound four's barrier would have been a no-go, he would have been boiled, perhaps even steamed, but he would have gotten out mainly unharmed bar some scalding. The Caesium idea had been the only idea he had known, and it had been so stupid. Kushina, meanwhile, looked a bit pale but she gave a thumbs up either way.

“Always look on the bright side of things.” she said, her voice quivering a bit. Naruto wondered what she saw when looking at him. Did she remember Kimiko's first months after the Kyuubi was sealed in her, the months where she had been screaming and trashing in pain? When she, due to the new and foreign chakra source in her, had suffered to such levels that she had been almost impossible to reach? Seeing her firstborn having avoided this very same painful fate only barely must be a terrifying sensation. Kushina now turned over to the table where, to Naruto's immense annoyance, Jiraiya's gift lay, recovered from outside by a helpful nurse. When noticing it, she raised two eyebrows in surprise.

“It's a gift.” Naruto said tersely, “And a particularly persistent one at that. Persistent and annoying.”

“Ah.” Kushina said, picking the book off the table. “Want me to help you with it?” she asked.

“Be my guest.” Naruto said, only to sigh mentally when Kushina stashed it into her pocket. “...Really?” he asked, looking at her with an incredulous look on his face..

“Yes?” Kushina asked. “They're really good actually.” Naruto realized once again the chasm between them. Did Kushina really like that kind of sappy dramas? An errant thought crept into his head however that he hadn't actually read the book in question however. It was wrong to form an opinion without actual data, period. He pushed that thought away, not planning to start reading it despite that, and watched Kushina fuss a bit over the flowerpot by his bedside. Naruto didn't know who exactly had sent him them but it was a large flowerpot of well tended to flowers, daffodils more precisely

“Same goes for the flowers.” he said, “In that they are a gift. I don't know from who or why.”

“They are daffodils” Kushina told him

“That much I knew, is there perhaps some meaning to them?” Naruto asked the woman, who now pursed her lips and thought of it.

“Daffodills...” she said again “They're quite the hardy flowers, they sprout as soon as spring comes, can even shoot out of the snow at times. Perhaps that's the meaning? Hardiness and recovery?”

“Ironic...” Naruto said. Kushina raised one eyebrow now. “They are toxic.” he said, “Mainly the bulb but also the leaves. Don't eat them, you'll get diarrhea, vomit and go into convulsions. When it happens it's usually because people mistake them for onions. And I realize how absurd it is that I know such things,” he added with a dry smile. Kushina only smiled, this time it wasn't forced or awkward.

“It's what you do, isn't it?” she said, “Any other things I should know before I try to eat flowers?” she added with a more cheery attitude, Naruto impressed by the attentiveness she showed.

“Don't eat directly from the flowerbeds in your garden.” he said, “There's a lot humans can't process there. Humans grow flowers for their looks only, meaning there can be a few quite nasty things in there. Poisons, hallucinogenics and so on. ”

“Wow.” Kushina said, “I've always looked at a flowerbed as just a beautiful arrangement.”

“It's all about looking at things on the depth.” Naruto said. “Underneath the underneath as Kakashi-san would say.”

“You've got that right.” Kushina said. Anything more was interrupted with the door to the room slamming open and a storm of killing intent flooding the room. Mitarashi Anko now stood in the doorway, her coat fluttering around her and her face locked in a grimace of utter fury. Kushina took a step back in shock and Naruto raised one single eyebrow. Despite the rage flooding the room, he wasn't perturbed the least. In fact, he was amused.

“You...” Anko hissed, her voice an enraged snarl, more serpentine than anything else. “You slimy little piece of fetid dog-shit...” the snake mistress stalked into the room, towering above him with pure fury on her face. “You think that was funny!?” she roared at him, Naruto looking at her with a placid look on his face.

“Yes.” he said, “Very much so in fact.” he smiled at her.

“What was funny?” Kushina asked now trying to intervene. Anko reached into her coat and took out a small note she shoved into Kushina's hands.

“This!” she snarled, “He told me to say this loud to the bartender at Machi's in order to get access to the tab he had there!” Kushina took the note and looked at it. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she read the letters on it.

“Try pronouncing it.” Naruto offered.

“Amahor.” Kushina said, blinking once, then twice, and then her lips twitched upwards somewhat. “Oh gods...” she said before hiding her mouth behind her hand.

“I take it it didn't go well?” Naruto asked the still seething Anko with a mild tone.

“You mean other than that I'm the laughing stock of all of Konoha right now!?” Anko roared into his face.

“Consider it due repayment for your liberties with what constitutes truth or not.” Naruto smiled widely. Anko now snapped. With an enraged scream she reached for him, fully planning on grabbing him. However she was stopped in one instant by Kushina, who grabbed her by the wrist.

“That's quite enough.” she said, a placid look on her face. She seemed calm as could be, however killing intent radiated off her, as intense as Naruto ever had felt it. “Naruto is badly wounded at the moment and a prank is not enough reason to attack someone Mitarashi-san.” she spoke gently as she slowly pushed Anko's arm up and the woman herself back towards the door. “If you want to take revenge on my son, you will not do so when he can't even defend himself.” she scolded Anko, “You leave, right now, and come back when you've cooled down to apologize. Understood?”

Naruto found himself almost floored by the situation. Kushina was blazing, a sustained killing intent, continuously at S-class level. Anko Mitarashi, one of the more lethal amongst the Tokubetsu Jonin, was shoved backwards like she was a rowdy child, and the gentle tone with which she was addressed was as fitting with that analogy as it was clashing with the savage pressure Kushina put on her. All she could do was stare in shock at the woman currently pushing her back and who even even was doing so effortlessly. In the end, the door closed, not quite slammed shut but never the less it was quite roughly. Taking one single deep breath, Kushina cooled off almost instantly and the chakra blaze disappeared. After another second, she turned back to look at Naruto with one eyebrow raised.

“Amahor: “I'm a whore”?” she asked him with arms folded. “Really?” Naruto nodded.

“Yes.” he said. “I deemed it a good retort to her actions.”

“You mean “she started it”?” Kushina said, actually giggling a bit now.

“Not quite, but almost.” Naruto admitted. “It's a contest of sorts. Judging from her reaction, I've won quite a few points.” Now Kushina broke down. Kushina suddenly exploded with laughter, grabbed hold of her stomach as she doubled over in paroxysms of wild laughing. Naruto rolled his eyes a bit, however he couldn't stop himself from chuckling as well. Things felt good now, very good. He had failed to absorb the labs, sadly enough, but he had saved many interesting specimen, made it a massive reputation boost for both himself and for Konoha and given the Hokage half a dozen reasons to increase funding for the laboratories. What more, the matter with Jiraiya was resolved, he had given Konoha ample reasons to trust him, Anko had been totally tricked and his mother was laughing. Yes, right now things were good.

----XXXXX----

A few days later Naruto awoke from a short, uneasy nap, one of the many he got these days. When he opened his eyes he found that he wasn't alone. While he had slept someone had come into the room and was currently sitting on a chair next to the bed, looking at him. It was Guren, the woman sitting by his side, leaning forwards with her hands clasped.

“Hi,” she begun a few seconds after seeing that he was awake. Naruto found himself wondering when this parade of visitors would cease. Several of the Oto nins had come by in the latest days, Kimiko wouldn't leave him alone and the list just kept on growing.

“Good day,” he answered. The pain had lessened quite a bit recently, he only felt tired as it was.

“Evening more like it,” Guren informed him.

“Evening, morning, night, I am just as wrapped-up.” Naruto said, making a tiny shrug, Guren chuckled at this. “What brings you here?”

“I spoke with the Hokage today,” Guren begun before pausing for a moment.

“And?” Naruto asked. It took Guren a while to speak up.

“...many of the people we brought here are orphans,” she begun, “people who lost their families or who simply never had any.”

“He had a preference for those kinds of people.” Naruto said, “They were easier to poison with false kindness.” Guren nodded in agreement.

“Indeed,” she said, “The Hokage agreed. Even here in Konoha they are alone in a way. So it was decided that if we want to, the people who came from Oto can get status as a Konoha clan.”

“What?” Naruto found himself surprised to say the least. What was now this?

“The paperwork has already been taken care of and they are looking into giving us a small district in the south of Konoha... a home. ” The sheer emotion in her voice at this was evident, the wild warrior had finally come to a place she could call home.

“What will your clan name be?” Naruto asked, awed by the whole thing. The Hokage didn't let the grass grow under his feet did he?

“We discussed it a bit,” Guren said, “some wanted to take “Oto” as a name but most of us just wants to forget that place. After some time we decided upon Tsubaki.”

“I take it finding a clan symbol was an easy task after that.” Naruto permitted himself a small smirk. How poetic. Not only was the flower on Guren's coat a Tsubaki, Camellia, but it was also the name of Kimimaro's second war dance. The woman only chuckled, folding her arms and leaning back with a smile on her face. “But Tsubaki Guren then?” Naruto asked, “congratulations,” he added cordially and she gave him a smile. “Was that why you came?” he now added.

“Part of it was,” Guren said, “Guess who got appointed to clan leader,” she leaned back now, “until someone else comes up as a better candidate, that's me. So not only am I beautiful and strong, I am now as politically powerful as you.” she spoke in good tone even with the haughty remark, Naruto recognizing the olive branch hidden in the words.

“Oh the horror,” Naruto said, Guren rolling her eyes and for a second she hesitated.

“I'm here to make you an offer,” she said eventually.

“What offer would that be?”

“I thought you were little better than Orochimaru that evening before we headed for the main facility,” she begun. “You seemed to be made out of ice with how you talked about risking Isaribi and the others. But your actions show another side of you. You blew yourself up to save us all, you even gave us a home. We owe everything to you and I've seen and heard enough to know your relationship with your biological family.”

“And your offer?” Naruto insisted.

“I could make you part of our clan,” Guren said, “As clan leader I have that authority.” Naruto stiffened when she said this, a cold wave spread through his body from surprise. What was she saying? “your real family gave you away to Orochimaru, you don't owe them anything. I want to offer you a part in our family, we who all suffered under Orochimaru. Our family won't abandon you, won't expect you to be something you're not.”

“I...” Naruto begun, “I am surprised you would make such an offer to me of all people.”

“As I said,” Guren told him, “I won't resent you for doing your duty. It is because you didn't want any more of us to die that you lie here now. We owe our lives to you, a new home is the least we can give you.”

“I...” Naruto begun once more. What was the woman thinking? Were she truly so dedicated to the role she had gotten that she'd do something like this? It was absurd, adopting himself into another clan? a rag-tag clan of survivors and mutants? “I will consider it.” he said, feeling a sudden need to get her out of here. He felt like he needed to be alone, like he had to. The weight of her offer had made him unbalanced. “Would you mind letting me rest?” he said, telling himself that it was exhaustion and the drugs that made him feel so upset.

“Okay.” Guren said, getting off her chair but now she hesitated, remaining there for a few seconds. She looked down at him and Naruto could see that she was struggling with something. After a second however she proceeded to once again make Naruto dumb-struck. Leaning in, she gently touched his forehead with her lips, putting her hand on his head. “Thank you Naruto-san, for everything,” she whispered to him, straightening up now and leaving the room, exiting with dignity and grace worthy of a clan leader.

Chapter Text

Rin slowly removed the bandage from Naruto, revealing the pale skin beneath. It was marked by the bandages that had pressed against them and even paler than usual, almost pallid, from the lack of exposure to any kind of light. Yet, it was whole, unmarked by the alkali burns that had covered it. Dropping the bandage onto the table, Rin slowly shook her head.

“It's amazing.” She said as she leaned back, taking in Naruto's appearance. He was naked from the waist up and sat on a stool with a pair of standard issue trousers on. Not at one place was he marked now, even his hair had recovered. Most would have been scarred for life, Naruto was now unhurt. “Your recovery is really fantastic.” she told him, “It's almost scary in a way.”

“I am a scary person.” Naruto said with a wry smile. He was happy to be out of that blasted bed he had spent the last few weeks in. At last he could move, at last he had a chance to get out of here. “Anything more you need to do?” he asked, eager to get out of the hospital.

“No.” Rin said, slowly shaking her head. “This is everything. You're a free man. Come back in one month for check-ups, but until then there is nothing.”

“Were I the kind to do so I would do backflips down the halls.” Naruto said as he stood up, flexing his muscles. He was stiff after one month in more or less a hearse. Gods it would be great to get to do some exercising. He couldn't wait, there was so much to be done after all this time.

“Oh gods no.” Rin said, as happy as he was. “We already had one of those last week.”

“Let me guess, Gai?” Naruto asked, knowing full well how destructive that man could be when overjoyed. Rin nodded and Naruto chuckled. Putting on his clothes for the first time, he enjoyed the feeling of the fine fabric immensely. He was back now, reborn almost, and it made him uncharacteristically giddy. The giddiness kept up as he left the hospital, savoring the fresh air. He'd be cleared for active duty by tomorrow, it would mainly mean the laboratories. However, he wasn't going to wait that long. With one single seal he vanished in a swirl of leaves, reappearing outside the laboratory building the next second.

Walking into the building, he realized that after all this time at the hospital he didn't even feel the antiseptic smell any more. Never the less, he was happy to see this place again. By chance, Kabuto came walking through the corridor now.

“Naruto-sensei!” Kabuto exclaimed, Naruto motioning for him to come up which the boy did quickly. “Finally recovered I see.” his assistant said, “It's good to see you on your feet after all this time.”

“Believe you me, I share that sentiment.” Naruto said, “One month in bed is something I don't want to do again. What is the situation here? I want to know everything that's been going on while I was away. Compile the daily reports and give me an overview. I want it on my desk tomorrow.”

“It shall be as you ask” Kabuto responded, “I take it you'll go back to full time service?”

“I need to work out one month of stiffness first.” Naruto told him, “Besides, at three in the afternoon I cannot get much done. Either way: report, eight o clock tomorrow.”

“I'll get right on it.” Kabuto said before leaning in “Really, it's great that you're back.” he whispered, “Karin-san was put with the science division and has been pulling rank on us all.” Naruto grimaced.

“I'll take care of that.” he said. In one way it made sense that Karin had ended up with him. On the other hand, had the integration of the Oto nins gone that swimmingly? That needed to be looked at. Heading out from the labs after that, he set his sights on the Hokage tower. Cracking his neck and flexing his shoulders, he leaped up on a nearby building, choosing to run towards the tower this time. With light and quick steps he shot across the rooftops, feeling how his body nevertheless was sluggish, not responding adequately. When he landed it was much harder than he had wanted, instead of a near soundless tap upon landing it became a thud, a sound that made him cringe. He had been taught to move gracefully by a man who had punished his lack of grace with punishments he strongly suspected would be considered torture by the Torture and Interrogation division. Should he look into that perhaps?

Heading up the stairs, he managed to find just the kind of people he was looking for. The two Chuunin Izumo and Kotetsu were both walking down the stairs, stacks of paper in their hands.

“Long time no see, Naruto-san.” Kotetsu said when seeing him. Naruto responding in kind.

“That it is.” he said, thinking back on the “utmuscht reschpegt” evening. ”It is several months since Anko's birthday now.”

“Yeah about that...” Izumo asked, “Was it a good party?” Naruto raised an eyebrow and the goateed ninja smiled awkwardly. “Last thing I remember is that we sang to Anko and then I wake up in the net below Machi's.”

“Drooling on my pants no less.” Kotetsu chuckled.

“At least I wasn't topless” Izumo retorted.

“As illuminating as this is.” Naruto cut in with a dry voice making both chuunin remember just who they were talking with. “I was hoping for some information.”

“Sure, take your pick.” Kotetsu said, raising his pile somewhat.

“How is the integration of the former Oto shinobi going?” he asked, making the two chuunin share a glance Naruto wondered what exactly it meant, had something gone badly? While he was very grateful indeed that he hadn't been offered the post as leader over the Tsubaki clan (what a horrid thought, he didn't have time for that nonsense) he still had an interest in finding out how they fared. Shrugging after a second, the two chuunin turned back to look at him.

“Would you believe it, it's pretty much gone perfectly.” Izumo said, making Naruto raise his eyebrows in surprise. “Yeah I didn't believe it myself either but apparently the Hokage decided to tell the lords to eat a dick and simply let the Tsubaki clan as they're called now do some trials and get ranks after that. Apparently some of them razed half of training ground 22 during those.”

“Those dudes are jonin now.” Kotetsu added. “You know that crystal-using woman?” he asked and Naruto nodded. He remembered keenly Guren's visit and the offer she had given him. “She's become acting clan leader and apparently she's also slated for a genin team next graduation. a lot of the others have gotten, what did the yondaime call it, “contact persons” amongst the jonin and tokubetsu jonins. They basically hang with that guy or girl, go on missions with them and whatever. Some of the kids got booted into the academy and were told to endure it, they're all gonna graduate here soon and the teachers been dancing through the streets about the whole thing.

“Really?” Naruto asked. “How does that work?” Kotetsu grinned

“Apparently the Tsubaki kids were not amused by their Konoha peers. Lot of them have seen battle already and they've made our kids feel inadequate. Apparently discovering there's kids your age that already are veterans made a lot of them double their efforts. The Sarutobi kid got humiliated by one of those kids and a sound jutsu a few weeks ago and after that he trains until sunset on a daily basis.”

“And there's been no catches?” Naruto asked. This sounded a bit too good to be true.

“Well there's a whole lotta snags here and there.” Izumo informed him, “But the Hokage usually responds boot first to that and stomps it into the ground. The Uchiha had some issues about the whole thing and Hokage-sama apparently gave them a three hour lecture, something about “gathering scattered clans being the foundation of Konoha” and so on.”

“So...” Naruto said, grinning internally. Perfect... “And your personal opinions?” he asked now, both the chuunin shrugging.

“If we can be chummy with people who grow bugs inside them I can be chummy with the Tsubaki folks.” Kotetsu grinned. “I'm all for giving them a chance.”

“Same for me.” Izumo said, “Long as it works out, why not?” Naruto remembered once again their claims of respecting him and found himself thinking that Konoha really needed more of this attitude.

“That's good to hear.” he said sincerely. “On another note, are any of the training fields taken? I'm looking for sparring partners.”

“I think field seven's got some people at it.” Kotetsu mused.

“Yeah, Genma and some others are there with their Tsubaki charges.” Izumo supplied.

“That's right, that special fuuin squad.” Kotetsu agreed. “Genma, Hayate, Raido and Aoba all got a charge each, they're apparently fantastic with special seals but kinda blow at the basics. They only got to chuunin through that and Genma and the others have been drilling them ever since.” Izumo chuckled. Naruto got a sinking feeling in his stomach. He couldn't possibly imagine that they had taken to that well. He know how proud the sound four were, taking orders from Konoha tokubetsu jonin couldn't be easy to stomach at all. He needed to take a look at that.

“That will have to do.” he said, “Good luck with your work and I'll see you later.” both the chuunin said their farewells as well and Naruto leaped up onto the rooftops again. More and more the tensions begun to be worked out of him, leaving him more and more softened up, not enough however, he still felt sore when landing by training field seven, a large field, free from grass and most vegetation, instead only filled with rocks and sand. It was somewhat reminiscent of Iwa in many ways, bar of course the quartet of exhausted people standing a few dozen meters away. All of them were panting heavily, Tayuya leaning against a rock, Jiroubou was lying flat on his back, Kidoumaru leaning forwards with two of his hands on his legs . Sakon was the only one standing even normally. Naruto was a bit surprised to see that they were all wearing Konoha outfits, he really hadn't expected the sound four to be seen wearing those uniforms.

Looking around, Naruto detected the four tokubetsu jonin, tokujo as they were usually called,. Right before they appeared standing on the rocks surrounding the, admittedly former, sound four. Genma stood, as always, with the senbon dangling from his lips, his posture relaxed and his hands in his pockets. Next to him was the stoic, ever watchful Raidou, the scarred fighter looking as grim as usual. Gekko Hayate, the third man and one of Konoha's finest swordsmen, stood – deathly pale and absently coughing into his fist – on the other side of the group. Lastly, Yamashiro Aoba stood with his arms folded and a scowl detectable behind his sunglasses. Naruto had already stepped into cover and hid himself, wanting to see a bit more of this without being spotted. He willingly admitted to himself that quartet was a good selection of shinobi, each of the four tokujos picked for this was a highly competent professional. How did they work with their assigned Tsubaki charges however?

“Wanna take this Genma-san?” Raido asked, Genma shrugging. The sound four looked up at him, each of them clearly frustrated. It hovered over them, a massive cloud of sheer impotent rage.

“You're still not getting it.” Genma begun, seemingly as weary as they were of this.

“Yes, yes!” Tayuya exploded, “Fucking teamwork! We fucking get it you needle-sucking prick! Why don't you go suck a dick and just...” she was interrupted now, Raido leaped off the rock he was standing on and landed in front of Tayuya, ending up with his face only a few inches from hers. Tayuya tried to pedal backwards but only hit the rock behind her. She swore now and her attempts to get away to the side were stopped by Raido stepping to the side to follow her. After a few seconds she stopped, only leaning backwards as Raido kept staring into her face.

“Behave.” Raido said icily as Tayuta turned her face to the side, trying to get away from him in any way possible.

“You... fucking...” Tayuya's voice was shivering, she seemed terrified of him. Naruto nodded to himself. He had already suspected it and only got further confirmation of it now. Tayuya's anger was a defense mechanism, designed to push people, men especially, away. He wondered what that girl had suffered through. Raido, on whom her insults ran off like water and who pushed himself into her comfort zone without a second thought, was terrifying her. Raido only pushed himself yet another a bit closer, Tayuya flinched and fell silent for several seconds now, Naruto could see she fought with her anger and fear, eventually managing to get it under control. “Fine.” she hissed and Raido slowly stepped back. None of the other former Oto nins had done anything to intervene, only looking at the whole spectacle. Naruto noticed how the other tokujos seemed to have been waiting for something. He decided to enter the stage now and stepped out from the rock he had been hiding behind. The very instant he did it each of the tokujos noticed him, as well as Sakon and Tayuya.

“Good day.” he said calmly, becoming now a witness to the wide range of reactions his arrival caused. The tokujos greeted him quite casually, most of them with some eased up salute. Tayuya and Sakon got uncertain looks on their faces while Jiroubou got up and knelt towards him, Kidoumaru just about to follow suit before he realized that neither of the top two in the sound four would kneel.

“Naruto-sama.” Jiroubou said respectfully, bowing his head. The young man showed his deep respect openly and without shame. Naruto decided to curb that trend however, raising one hand to stop him.

“Don't.” he said, “We are equals now.” The look on the four faces of the former Oto nins showed how absurd they found the concept but Naruto persevered. “You are konoha shinobi now, like me, and I make no claims to Orochimaru's seat. So don't kneel to me Jiroubou-san.”

“Too tired to stand up fatass?” Sakon said, booting Jriubou as his teammate got up from the ground, Hayate cleared his throat now, making Sakon stop and give the man a sour look. Naruto could tell this was a rocky set of relationships. What to do about it however?

“Good to see you on your feet again.” Genma said as he got down from the rocks along with the others.

“Yeah, kudos for even lasting a week without going crazy” Aoba smiled. Naruto decided to play along with the social banter. He was satisfied to see people were more open now with him.

“I usually work at a lab.” he said, “it was just like usual in that regard. Admittedly the whole “immobilized and skinless” bit was a new one.” he added dryly. Small chuckles were had at this from the others and Naruto noticed how the sound four seemed to not believe their eyes when seeing how casually they interacted. Orochimaru had stood above them as almost a god and Naruto hadn't done much during his initial visit to do away with that view of things. Now, however, that was changed, forever if Naruto had any say. “How are things going here?” he continued.

“Well enough.” Aoba shrugged, Naruto noticing how the former sound nins looked at him like he was crazy. “Can't say we're lacking challenges however.” he added dryly.

“Yeah and it's all sunshine and rainbow-shitting faeries for us too.” Tayuya said snidely, Raido gave her a warning look, something that made the girl tense up and grit her teeth.

“Do I come at a bad time?” Naruto asked. The tokujos exchanged a few glances before Aoba spoke up.

“How so?” he asked curiously.

“As just said, I've spent one month in bed and I was hoping to work out the stiffness. I wanted to see if you were available for a sparring match.”

“Actually...” Genma said, the four people looking amongst each other. “That might actually be perfect.” Leaning in a bit, he whispered to Naruto. “These guys seem to be immune to the concept of actually being a team, they get teamwork, they just don't trust each other.”

“Yes...” Naruto said, “I'm in. Which ones of you would like to begin?” He asked politely. Hayate chuckled at this, breaking off into a small cough at the end.

“Is all of us okay?” he asked, “I have a feeling we won't have a chance otherwise.”

“I'll second that.” Aoba chuckled as he adjusted his shades.

“Thirded.” Raidou said while Genma nodded in agreement. Naruto bowed his head slightly at this.

“I'm honoured.” he said. These four might only be tokubetsu jonin, but even that spoke highly of their abilities. They weren't as rounded as a true jonin perhaps, but that didn't make them weaker, it only meant they were a bit less flexible.

“Now what?” Sakon asked, Hayate turning to him.

“You might want to step back you four.” he said, “This will get violent.” The sound four took the man's advice and got some distance between them and the tokujos, Naruto standing perfectly still all the time.

“When you're ready.” he told them, keeping his focus on the four shinobi standing in a semi circle in front of him. Flexing his shoulders somewhat, he took a deep breath as Genma reached towards his mouth, taking the senbon from it and holding it up. Dropping it, he let the large metal needle fall from his fingers and plant itself in the grass, the fight beginning the instant it landed.

The tokjuos went on the offensive instantly, Hayate and Raido turned into blurs of motion as their swords came out. Naruto begun to rapidly backpedal as the Kusanagi came out and he had to move with all his speed as the two tokujos rained down rapid-fire blows at him, Hayate's intricate, dizzying swordplay and Raido's lethally precise, almost bloodthirsty, creating a confusing weave of attacks that pressed Naruto backwards. They were good. Both of them had easily jonin level sword skills and they used every bit of it. What saved him was his sheer speed, sheer agility. The adrenaline kick-started him and he danced through their attacks, managing to get out of the whirlwind of blows they created with an inhuman series of impossible steps that pressed his body near its limits. To Raido and Hayate, it seemed as through he simply vanished and reappeared between them. His sword moved at top speed as he gave them each a slap across the face with the broad side of the blade.

Hayate dodged however and Raido parried, both of them leaping forwards and making Naruto turn to follow. That way, he nearly missed when Genma moved in. Going in low, the man moved gracefully and subtly enough that he almost didn't spot him. With a well rehearsed move, Genma spat out the senbon that now was back in his mouth towards Naruto's unguarded spine, chakra making it fly at impossible speeds. It was a great move, it could have worked, were Naruto not who he was. With one fierce spin, he blocked it with his sword and came face to face with Genma, kicking him in the face and sending him flying backwards. The tokujo managed to block it, only barely but still, also it left Naruto exposed as two more attackers came from behind. Spinning around to face the two swordsmen, Naruto saw that Raido was gone, leaving only Hayate on the offensive. Or rather, the Hayates. Three shadow clones had appeared and Hayate was going all out, the frailness was gone from his eyes as he weaved around in a whirlwind of feints and sidesteps, the shapes perfectly working together to create one swirling storm of steel and death.

Naruto smiled grimly to himself as he reversed the grip on Kusanagi and took the risk. Making an one-handed seal, he shaped the jutsu as fast as he could and suddenly he wasn't in the middle of Hayate's attack. Rather, he was behind him, each version of him. He had woven his own shadow clones, getting in behind Hayate's clones and his clones all struck, aiming for the necks of each copy of Hayate. Right then, the crows came. Out of nowhere, Naruto found himself swarmed by a large murder of black ravens, the birds swarming around him and blinding him. His clones vanished from the scratches the crows made on them and Naruto was blinded when the black blade came. He perceived Raidou, as barely as it was, but the black sword the man carried was impossible to spot properly and it was only when it bit into his skin that he felt it.

That was enough, however barely.

Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke, vanishing from the near area. The tokujos all instantly begun to look around, Aoba directing the crows he had been controlling to spread out and scan the area while Hayate and Raido both kept their swords at the ready and Genma retrieved several additional senbon.

When Naruto reappeared, it was with a boom. The ground beneath the tokujos' feet exploded and Naruto reappeared, Aoba being his first target. As the pieces of dirt and dust flew all around them Naruto came out in front of Aoba, grabbing his hair and slamming his elbow into the man's stomach. He was pleasantly surprised with the man's quick thinking as Aoba locked his arms around Naruto's legs, immobilizing him enough that Raido could get a glimpse of what was going on. Accelerating to full speed, the man stabbed towards Naruto with his eyes blazing. He was fully into it, Naruto could see it. His eyes were blazing with that specific combat-lust Konoha nins showed so often. Not blood thirst, only sheer, primal enjoyment of the struggle, the challenge. Naruto admitted that he enjoyed it as well, he was on the razor's edge, being put to the test in all ways possible. Snaking out of Aoba's lock, he parried the blow and deflected it to the side, letting his other arm wrap itself around Raido's arm and with a brutal twist, he sent the man flying through the air just in time for Naruto to realize that just behind Raido a swarm of senbon were flying. He had to bend backwards, ending up almost playing limbo with the deadly swarm of chakra-empowered needles. In the split-second lull between the back-bending and the subsequent rising he saw another metallic gleam amongst the dust just as Hayate's blade came, forging an arc through the air as it swung straight down towards his now vertical throat. When his blade hit however, it only cut through dirt as Naruto switched his position with some of the dirt all around him.

A few dozen seconds later the dust cleared, showing Naruto standing upright with his blade in hand. Some dirt covered his uniform and he was breathing slightly faster. The tokujos, meanwhile, looked no worse for wear. Aoba had some problems with his breathing still, Hayate had assumed a defensive position while Genma twirled a senbon in his hands and Raido seemed to almost growl.

Twirling his sword around, Naruto whipped it to the side with a smile. He couldn't help it. This was one of the few times he really had enjoyed a fight like this. They were an honor to Konoha, truly valuable assets who fought all out. Yet... Naruto saw the gap between them skill-wise. It was nearly an abyss, great enough that it became insurmountable. Kicking it into top gear, he charged Hayate and the man's eyes widened as Naruto slashed out towards him. The man managed to deflect it, however it was only a feint and Naruto struck him right above the Adam's apple, only just so powerfully as to precisely not crush anything. Never the less, along with the elbow swipe that hit the side his neck, it meant that Hayate went down fast and hard. a loud exclamation came from the side as Raido attacked with a roar. He was fast but Naruto was faster, he disarmed Raido with a hyper-aggressive move that left the scarred tokujo free to return the favour. Their two swords were sent flying however Raido's hand was out to the side, leaving Naruto open to unleash a swarm of lethally swift, snake-like thrusts with his hands that almost simultaneously hit over a dozen nerve clusters which sent Raido tumbling to the ground as well, paralyzed and temporarily unable to breathe.

Naruto sidestepped him with an almost ethereal grace just in time to come face to face with Aoba, who had his hands full with shuriken he unleashed point blank in a deadly shower of razor sharp metal. Naruto avoided them with a lighting-fast series of steps and met Aoba, the man's taijutsu being all the more defensive. Naruto only realized in the last second what was going on. Looking back, he saw another swarm coming towards him courtesy of Genma and avoided it by leaping backwards, avoiding the swarm and at the same time getting distance between him and Aoba. It was then that he saw the gleam. The sun had gone behind some clouds, making Naruto first now realize that Aoba and Genma both had tied thin ninja wires to their projectiles. Aoba caught the wires as they came past him, gathering them up as Genma did the same and with a pull in each direction, they tightened the noose around him.

Naruto escaped downwards, into the ground, just as the noose would have caught him, and the next second he burst out again, this time behind Aoba. The man didn't have time to react before Naruto stabbed him in the back with a needle, blocking his neural system and making him drop as well. Right as he did, Genma appeared behind the dropping Aoba, his hands already having made the seals. The very instant Aoba was out of the way, Genma spat out a giant fireball right into Naruto's face. Or rather, where his face just had been. Naruto stepped across the falling Aoba, his arm out to clothesline the still fire-spitting Genma. Twisting the man through the air, Naruto tore him to the ground and locked him in a chokelock. Genma's hands flew up, grabbing at Naruto's arm to pull him away. It was useless though, like a python, Naruto steadily clenched his arm around Genma's throat harder and harder, in the end the man tapped out, stopping to resist and giving the sign he surrendered.

Naruto let go and released the breath he had been holding. Genma, meanwhile, dropped to the ground and coughed hoarsely, holding his throat with one hand. Around him the other tokujos were struggling to get up as well. Hayate was weakly getting up to his feet, Raido only having managed to get up on all fours. Aoba was still paralyzed and Naruto made sure to pull the needle out, freeing the man from the neural block. The former Oto nins had left their distant viewing posts and come up now. Their reactions were quite interesting. Jiroubou hurried over to Aoba to help him up while Tayuya stopped a few meters from Raidou, seemingly conflicted. Kidoumaru gave Genma a hand however and Sakon who initially had been standing still eventually came over as well. Interestingly enough, it was after his head suddenly had jerked forwards a bit and a faint voice had said something. It seemed as if the normally asleep Ukon had taken exception to his siamese twin's reluctance to help out.

“That was a new experience...” Genma croaked, his voice sounding like he had been gargling himself with strong liquors for a decade straight. “Being stopped halfway through a fire jutsu. I feel like I've gargled lava.”

“Are you okay Aoba-san?” Jiroubou asked as he helped Aoba off the ground. The tokjuo only gave him a thumbs up, affirming Naruto's estimate that Jiroubou was the one who had integrated the best with Konoha in many ways. It helped that Aoba as a character was a competent balance of social butterfly, intellectual and joker to make him likeable to anyone.

“Please tell me you're staying down.” Tayuya said to the still kneeling Raidou, the remark never the less lacking her usual spite. “It would be a change to have to call the medics myself for once.”

“I'm pleased already.” Sakon smirked as he came up, Naruto stopping him.

“Good to hear that.” he said, “Because it's your turn now.” the former sound four looked at him, wide-eyed. He could tell the concept was absurd to them, however he only looked at them, inquisitively, openly.

“Kick his ass Jiroubou.” Aoba said, patting his charge's shoulder. The other tokujos did similar things before retreating as well, leaving the confused and shocked sound four.

“Hey.” Kidoumaru said, “Wait, what?” he looked around, his head going back and forth.

“Are you outta your fucking...” Tayuya looked equal parts perplexed, shocked and terrified. Jiroubou gave up a quiet groan, getting the look of someone bracing himself for something extremely painful while Sakon only blinked.

“Admittedly, let's even the odds somewhat.” Naruto drew his sword and stabbed it into the ground before he stepped back. “And for motivation. If you last as long as they did, I will appeal to the Hokage to have you made full Jonin.” Now he could see the gleams of ambition and pride light up in their eyes. The prospect was juicy as could be to them and they took out their weapons. Naruto looked towards Genma, who smiled as he threw his senbon into the air, the needle landing between Naruto and the sound four a few seconds later. The sound four moved the very second it landed, however so did Naruto.

This time the battle didn't become drawn out. Naruto leaped past the swarm of kunai sent flying against him and met Sakon, the fastest of them, head on. Without mercy or restraint he attacked the man where he was the most sensitive, his twin-brother. Spinning around, he slashed Ukon across the face with a kunai, tearing open a gash across the man's face. Sakon, not expecting or being able to handle the attack on his sleeping brother, flinched in shock and tried to pull away, meaning Naruto could easily trip him and grab the arms Sakon shot up to protect his brother to dislocate them both. He turned around just in time to come face to face with Jiroubou's fist. He grabbed it and sent him to the ground as well, using a swift twist with some ninja wires to wrap the man's arms around his own neck and making it impossible for him to get up. Tayuya only first now had managed to produce a tone from her flute, so swift was Naruto. That was also the only one she had time to produce before Naruto tore the shirt below her open vest up, over her head, making her breath stop from the shock and fear. Mercilessly, he used her trauma against her and proceeded to push her backwards into the ground and stabbed his hand into her solar plexus, knocking all breath out of her. Kidoumaru was the only one left now, the man desperately throwing himself at Naruto who stood up and dislocated his six arms in a heartbeat. The battle was over in a fraction of the time the one against the tokujos had lasted. The sound four were beaten in moments and unlike after the last battle there was none of the good cheer. Instead, the tokujos came hurrying up, each of them rushing to their charge's side. Raidou knelt by Tayuya's side, rapidly pulling her shirt back down to cover her again. With a glare, he looked towards Naruto.

“Was that necessary?” he asked through clenched teeth. This time there was anger in his voice. Tayuya, whose face turned out now to be pale and shivering, didn't even pull away from him. “It's all right,” Raidou said quietly, “nothing will happen, breathe...” How interesting... Naruto filed what he just saw away for future reference. Meanwhile, Aoba cut the ninja wire from Jiroubou and Genma helped Kidoumaru with his dislocated arms. Hayate did the same for Sakon and his twin brother, taking out some of the first aid supplies he carried. Naruto looked at Orouchimaru's former elite, leaning against one of the rocks as they got up. They weren't down for the count mentally. They were too proud, to headstrong, to only let that beat them. He had scared them however, some of them deeply. He waited for them to meet his eyes and spoke up first then.

“The difference between you and them is simple.” he said. It felt a bit silly in a way. The tokujos had worked for nearly a month with these people and now he just came here, using the respect and attention they still paid him to shove them into the right track. “Trust.” he watched the sound four, seeing that they didn't understand. “Tayuya, would you trust Jiroubou to catch you if you fell down a cliff? Sakon, would you use a bridge made from Kidoumaru's wires? Go down that road, ask yourself those questions. When I attacked you, did you care about each others lives? Or did you just think of how you were to survive? Your instructors trust each other enough to perform combination attacks where the least hesitation would kill them. Do you?” The former sound four looked away, he could tell that he had managed to hit just the right spot. With that, he bowed his head towards the tokujos. “Thank you for your hard work.” he said formally before he raised his hand, formed one seal and vanished. The Tsubaki nins would integrate in the end, they would find a new home and Konoha would be stronger for it. All was as it should.

------XXXXXX------

An evening later on, a few days only after his sparring match against the tokujos a knock on Naruto's door made him look up from his papers. His brow furrowed and he took a look at the clock, it was nine in the evening. Who came over at a time like this? He had taken some work with him home and was at the moment sitting at his workdesk, going through a series of x-rays handed him by Rin.

“Can you see who it is?” he asked now, looking at his bed where Kimiko was sitting with a comic in her hands. His little sister had been over here since he got home from work, having said she had “brother time” to catch up on. Naruto hadn't managed to drive her out yet and she insisted on pestering him with questions about everything, mostly the x-rays. Kimiko seemed reluctant for a second but got off in the end, going over to the door and leaving Naruto free to look for ten more seconds. The x-rays were of Kimimaro, the sick boy had caused a commotion to say the least amongst Konoha's medic nins. Senju Tsunade herself had seen the disease as a personal challenge and she, along with Shizune and Rin, were working constantly on the boy and even Naruto had been asked for his opinions on him. It was extremely hard to say what it could be though. The x-rays revealed a few things of interest but was that enough? Of particular interest was the enlarged spleen, the boy evidently would have a much more intense blood syst... his train of thought was cut off now when Kimiko's scream came from the hallway, a shrill scream of fright and fear accompanied by someone's malicious laughter. Naruto got to his feet and was halfway out his work room with his body kick-started when Kimiko came almost flying through the air towards him. Her eyes were wide and her face pale and she threw herself towards him, getting around him and hiding behind his back within half a second. The next second Anko came from the hallway, the woman having a manic grin on her face as she walked hunched over and with her hands out. .

“Here, kimi-kimi-kimi” the woman grinned sadistically, Naruto held back a groan when he realized that Anko was bored and out to play. “I've got something for you..” she sing-songed evilly as she closed in on Kimiko and Kimiko buried her face in Naruto's clothes.

“Please stop bullying my little sister Anko.” he said, “What did you want?” Anko looked at him now, straightening up and giving him a wry smile.

“That's friendliness for you.” she said and shrugged, “I was bored, decided to come over to see if there was anything going on.”

“Let me guess,” Naruto asked as he tried to get Kimiko out from behind him, “you were out of alcohol?” Anko however had already opened his fridge and was going through it.

“You got any food that isn't designed to be boring?” She asked, Naruto sighing.

“Well there's a bunch of ramen cups...”

“No!” Kimiko yelled, “She can't have those!”

“...In the middle locker.” Naruto continued. Anko only looked back at him and shook her head.

“Nah, I don't like ramen that much. Got any dango or anything?” Obviously that'd be her question. With his little sister still cowering behind him, Naruto decided to try to break this up. Kimiko feared Anko, incredibly much so, and he could do without having to stand as a bulwark between the woman raiding his fridge and the girl hiding behind him. Taking out his wallet and fishing up a bill out of it, he figured he could save Kimiko from Anko.

“Here Kimiko.” he said, handing the bill to her. “Take this and go buy some snacks. I'll leave it up to you to choose. And no, Ramen isn't a snack.” Kimiko wasn't totally stupid it seemed, she took the bill and was out of the apartment in a second flat. Anko looked after her and grinned a bit.

“You shoulda asked her to buy some tartan paint.” she said as Naruto walked into the kitchen as well and took out some tea out of the locker still filled with his food. “Seriously though, you don't keep any snacks around normally?”

“There's some celery sticks in the back of the fridge.” Naruto said, knowing well what her reaction would be. To Naruto's surprise however, Anko did indeed take one of the celery sticks out of the fridge and chomped down on it. a few seconds of heavy chewing later she made a face and threw the remaining celery stick in the sink however, Naruto catching it only just before it hit.

“Rabbit food.” she said absently and closed the door. “You could at least keep some saké or something around. If you've got ramen I mean.” Naruto took a bite out of the celery and munched on it as he started to boil some water.

“The ramen is not mine.” he said, “Kimiko is hoarding it here ever since she got a ramen ban back home.” Anko laughed at this.

“Right,” she said. “I'm...”

“You're not building up a hoard of dango and saké in my house.” Naruto cut her off. “By the way, other than making an ass out of yourself at Machi's for not spotting a prank that was on an academy student's level, what have you been up to these last weeks?” Anko gave him a sour glare but then sighed. Naruto got a bad feeling now, Anko got something almost pensive on her face. “What?” he asked now.

“Nothing.” she said, Naruto now having begun to boil the tea.

“You wouldn't look like that if there was nothing.”

“No.” Anko said, “I've done nothing. After that thing at the hospital I went home and I've been just sitting there. Watched TV, taken a walk now and then, there hasn't even been any missions to do.” This made Naruto wonder. That didn't sound like the Anko he knew.

“Did something happen?” he asked. The stint of melancholy he had seen during that evening at Machi's was present once more. Anko seemed almost depressed all of a sudden.

“Not really.” Anko said. “It's just... well it's been coming for a while now and it kinda hit me just then. When I was about to go out that evening I just didn't want to do it.”

“Just like that?” Naruto asked.

“Yep.” Anko said, “Just like that everything I use to do feels pointless. Go out, get wasted, wake up with some dude I can't even remember the name of, rinse and repeat. As you said, sex isn't any good replacement for being lonely. When I saw your mom fussing over you at the hospital... we'll I haven't felt so lonely in years. It made me question everything I'm doing.” Naruto found himself straightening up mentally. His mind switched over, pushing Kimimaro aside and focusing onto Anko. The fact that his usually seemingly invincible Anko was so down was enough to unsettle him. Of course he logically knew that Anko was just a human but he had always known her as the woman who took everything in a stride and lived for simply having fun. Therefore he found himself so focused, it unsettled him, this Anko, and it had to be fixed now.

“Have you thought of a solution?” He asked. Normal people would have seen Anko's words as a sign to start fussing over her or show pity or support. Naruto only saw a problem and went in as he always did. Find out what was known and thought about it before, map out the issue at hand and find a solution. An Anko that was unhappy and depressed was wrong, like the sun rising in the west instead of the east.

“a bit.” Anko confessed. “Mostly just vague plans though.”

“Like for instance?” Naruto insisted. He needed to know this if he was going to be able to say anything. Anko threw her hands up.

“New hobbies, I dunno.” she said, “To be honest though, I've been thinking of cleaning my shit up a bit more. Trade in this outfit for the normal clothes, stop boozing and sleeping around.”

“That's very ambitious.” Naruto pointed out, “Do you truly think you'll be able to pull through with that?”

“Well thanks for the support!” Anko snapped, “So what, I shouldn't try?”

“Don't put words in my mouth.” Naruto told her, “If you're hoping to create a plan it must be a feasible one, not a desperate attempt that aims way too high and just makes you give up.” That was a risk in cases like this, Naruto knew of it. a will to change or improve could all too often be foiled by setting the goals too high, feel that you achieved nothing and then fall back into the old patterns. Anko groaned and looked down.

“I know.” she muttered, “Always so bloody rational aren't you?” Naruto shrugged.

“Yes.” he admitted, “Back to you however. What do you hope to achieve?”

“Remember my birthday party?” Anko asked and Naruto nodded. “I said I wanted to feel that someone would miss me when they carved my name on the memorial stone. I still want that. I want to wake up with a guy and feel that he actually means something.”

“A relationship then.” Naruto summed it up. That was a tricky one. Anko had built herself into the corner on that one, with large parts of Konoha having “sampled” her she was not in an enviable position when it came to building serious relationships. For a man it was one thing, but for a woman completely different. Women, even kunoichi, were expected to be pure, sweet and caring women all too happy to leave outside work and become obedient and competent housewives. Anko couldn't cook more than decently at best, he couldn't see her give up active duty and even less so that she'd accept to become a housewife. What more, pure, sweet and obedient were some of the last adjectives available to describe her. Ironic really, as kunoichi they were expected to master sex as a weapon amongst others as well, how exactly they were supposed to be chaste virgins and whores at the same time Naruto hadn't ever been able to figure out. Anko had at least one thing going for her though. She was not yet past the 25-year mark after which it was commonly accepted – for some reason – that you were “too old” to ever find someone to marry you, once more only for women of course. Anko sighed again now and gave him a wry look.

“Yep, the number one whore wants to go steady with someone.” she told him. “What about that?”

“Unexpected, but plausible.” Naruto admitted. “Is there anyone special you are thinking of?” Anko sighed and shook her head.

“Nope, mostly because the faces I wake up next to turn into a blur within hours of them leaving.” She said. “Most of my attempt of chatting them up later just makes them think I'm looking for more sex.” Naruto admitted she had a point, it wouldn't be easy for her to find a way out of the situation she was in. “You got any idea what I could do?” Anko asked frankly now. Naruto saw that the tea was done now and poured up a pair of cups, one for him and one for Anko.

“To be perfectly honest.” he said as he offered her one of the cups. “No.” taking a sip of the tea, he looked her straight in the eyes.

“What, just a no?” Anko asked him now. Naruto nodded.

“Let me explain.” he said, “I can understand your craving for a relationship, there is nothing strange about that, yet can I help you? No, I don't think I can. I can however recommend someone who could.” Anko blinked now.

“What, who?” she said with a furrow in her brow. “Oh wait...” she continued now as her eyes widened, “oh no, no way in hell, don't even think about it.” she told him, putting the cup away. She had understood Naruto thought to himself.

“Any special reason?” he asked her, moving to sit down at the table and motioning for her to sit down as well.

“Are you for real?” Anko asked incredulously, “That I'd go crawling to her for help... never!”

“You know.” Naruto said, “I am hardly the authority on relationships. I haven't had any partner either and my only experience with sex is in a brothel, as I believe I told you.” he added.

“Well... don't you have anything to offer?!” Anko asked now, almost despairingly. Naruto found himself seeing clearly into Anko's being. Like with Naruto, Orochimaru had scarred Anko, in many ways. She, for all her bluster and cheek, was vulnerable, afraid, and the few, few people she held close she clung to desperately, living in fear of losing them. The sheer fact that Yuuhi Kurenai had gotten so close to Anko had been a surprising achievement for both her and Anko.

“Not beyond what I just suggested.” Naruto said, “For your own sake, I suggest you look beyond your differences. Even if you aren't the best of friends,” Naruto blinked now, realizing that he couldn't have made a greater understatement even if he had tried. “I sincerely suggest you try to look beyond that. Rin, for all her flaws, is a professional. You're aiming to remake yourself and I cannot help you there, my focus is the world outside. Rin, however, is a master in psychology. She has even helped me.” that was something he had to be force out of him, he hated to admit it but he had to do it.

“So I can sit and watch that bitch laugh under her breath at me?!” Anko exclaimed, Naruto now slamming his hand into the table, hard enough that the wham was so loud Anko startled and shut up.

“That will be quite enough Anko.” Naruto said, his voice cold. “I know of your issues with her, but in insulting her like that you are insinuating she isn't a consummate professional. I care not one whit for her personality or her life, but I've spent nearly a full year as her patient. She doesn't laugh at you, ever, and she does not let her personal life get involved in her work.”

“When the hell did you take her side?” Anko asked now, lashing out at him.

“She has given me a full year of respectful treatment, she's earned it.” Naruto told Anko, “Exactly like how you've earned that I do everything I can to help you. Yet, if you are going to irrationally lash out at me simply because I cannot pull a magical solution out of my ass, then you know where the door is.” these last words he said with a growl in his voice. Anko flinched now, being silent for a minute. Naruto could see the distress in her body language, she hated it. The mere thought of submitting herself to someone who had several times clashed with her and who she despised was not a very fun one to say the least. Taking a slow sip of his tea, Naruto now saw how Anko sunk together, deflating almost like a balloon.

“Fuck...” she muttered sourly to herself, Naruto trying to think if there was any encouragement he could offer.

“What you're trying to do will be hard.” he said, “If you're not ready to take all possible routes it will be impossible. Yet, Rin will not laugh at you. If she gives you even one mocking smirk, I will eat my lab coat.” He gave Anko a small smile now, hoping the joke would lighten the tension a bit. It failed to do so and Anko just groaned.

“I hope that wherever that snake bastard is he's suffering.” she said angrily. “You really trust Rin though, don't you?” Naruto only nodded in answer and Anko sighed once more. “I dunno, all I can see is her cracking my skull open and scrubbing my brain until I'm happy with being a submissive little bitch of a housewife. I don't want to be that, the very thought makes me wanna puke, but I can't stand being alone like this.” Anko now buried her head in her hands, her despair evident. Naruto was stumped now and decided to just be silent. Yet, after a few more seconds the sound of the door opening was heard through the house and Anko looked up. “Be right back.” she said now, vanishing into the hallway. Only a second later Naruto could hear Kimiko's terrified scream and a loud cackle from Anko. Chuckling quietly to himself, Naruto took another sip and wished this would work out. Anko deserved to be happy.

Chapter Text

Anko deserved to be happy. As the rain came crashing down on the roofs, the streets and the trees and grass Naruto thought this to himself once more. She deserved happiness. After such a life she deserved to have someone that mattered to her, that she could wake up next to and smile contently at. Someone she could argue with, someone that could make her more angry than anyone else yet who later could make her so happy. Someone to share existence with, become a “together” with, a “we”. She deserved that.

Not this... of all things possible not this Naruto thought as he looked down at the coffin in front of him.

From what he had understood it had been a routine mission. a crime lord had taken over some outlying villages in the depths of some small backwards country, enforcing their brutal rule. Three Konoha nins had been dispatched to clear them out. Anko had been one of them. It was a simple mission, in and out, clear them out. It had seemed an average, almost mundane, mission. Of course, that was only because the filthy whoresons to peasants who had come crawling begging for their aid had failed to mention that said crime-lord was an a-ranked missing nin, one with a ten million bounty on his head!

The other two shinobi, chuunin both, sent had said that it had gone so fast. In one second he had just been there, unleashing a devastating wind jutsu that could have razed the village and killed them all. Anko had been the only one capable of reacting, managing to parry the attack and launch herself at the man. The battle had been short and brutal, Anko managing to kill him before the two chuunin even got to him. Yet, the man's blades had been poisoned. Bloodwhisper poison. It had gone into Anko's blood-stream, destroyed its ability to coagulate and slowly dissolve the very walls of her arteries. Anko had died in incredible pain, coughing and screaming. They hadn't said it but Naruto knew she had, he had used the very same poison several times. It always had the same effect.
-
Standing in front of the coffin in black funeral clothing Naruto found himself not even able to care about the rain that came crashing down at him. Around him the other funeral attendees were standing with umbrellas in their hands. Naruto somehow found something offensive about their measures to shield themselves from the rain. He wanted to tear those things out of their hands, throw them to the winds.

He didn't however, he didn't find the strength to do so. Frankly, he didn't find the strength to do anything as it was. All he could do was stand there, watching the coffin in which Mitarashi Anko now lay, dead. Death.. such an absurd concept. For someone to be dead... it made no sense. Human life, human existence, was built around the countless processes of the human body. Air was inhaled, the oxygen absorbed and sent out into the blood, carbon dioxide being sent out of the body with the exhale. The blood pumped around by the heart, each beat incredibly powerful and sending litres of blood moving. The flow of the blood through the liver and the kidneys where it was cleansed of impurities, to the brain where the oxygen was released to reach the sensitive brain cells without the accompanying blood cells. Muscles, nerves, lymphoid system, glands and organs, from the deepest cores of the cells out to the whole of it all, the bones, organs, flesh, muscles and blood all encased in the epidermis.

For all that to have ceased... all of it being reduced to still, unmoving bits. It wasn't a human any more. Mitarashi Anko wasn't dead. She had ceased to be. In this world there were no longer any such thing, no longer such a concept, as Mitarashi Anko. She existed only as a memory now, a collection of scattered and fragmented images in the mind, no different from a thought-out hypothesis. She was gone... and Naruto was left alone.

“Naruto-kun...” a voice said beside him. He didn't look, he didn't need to. It was evident that it was Rin. The woman stood next to him with her umbrella in hand, looking at him with those concerned eyes of hers, eyes that he in a fit of irrationality felt like he wanted to tear out of her head. He didn't do that, he simply stood there, watching the coffin.

The ceremony had been over with in a respectable amount of time. The priest had not rushed anything, nor had he spoken simply standard phrases. His words, pitiful and inadequate as they were by their very nature, were at least acceptable. It had not dragged out either though, being concluded in a sombre and dignified manner. The coffin would now lie here for a while, for people to say “goodbye”. What kind of absurd idea was that? Goodbye? There was nothing to say goodbye to, just a rotting pile of flesh and bone in no way relevant to the woman that had disappeared. In fact, why was he even here? He should be doing something, work on a project, read a book, train himself. This standing here was idiotic, served no purpose. Yet, he did not move.

“She loved tea ceremonies,” Rin said now, Naruto first now reacting.

“I didn't know that,” he said, his voice hoarse. It felt like something had kicked him in the guts. Why didn't he know that fact? Was this a lie by Rin to provoke a reaction in him? No, Rin didn't lie.

“She confided it in me only the day before she headed out,” Rin told him, “We were talking about what she liked, after a while that tidbit came out. She had only participated in a few but told me that she had thought now and then about attending more of them.”

“I understand,” Naruto whispered, now looking around himself. The attendees were beginning to break up. a trio of figures were already heading away from the group, namely the peasants who had requested Konoha's aid. They had claimed to want to pay respects to the woman who saved their families... It seemed as though more were going to leave as well. Leave huh? That made him think of something. “I shouldn't be wasting time here,” he muttered to himself now.

“What did you say?” Rin asked him, Naruto shaking his head.

“Nothing,” he said, “never mind. Thank you for attending this ceremony Heisei-sensei.”

Rin looked at him, worry in her eyes. “It was the least I could do,” she said eventually and Naruto nodded.

“I thank you for that.” With that, he looked towards the east, towards the village proper. “Bye for now,” he said, starting to move towards the village once more. There was nothing to be gained by standing by her grave. She was already gone. Instead, there were other things to do. He knew that the peasants were staying at the inn by the city square. That was where they would be heading right now, to pack up and head away from the village. There was however a section of that road which went between two neighbourhoods, flanked on both sides by high fences. Speeding up, Naruto made sure he'd catch up with the peasants there. It was cold, almost immobile and fixed inside him, yet never the less it consumed him. Cold, harsh fury. He found himself whipped into action, refusing to stand idly by now. Not now, not here, not with the evident lies he saw! Rounding the corner, he could see the backs of the peasants and the long, lonely road they were on.

With one shunshin, he moved up to stand right behind them, letting the landing be hard enough that it kicked up a gust of wind that none of them failed to notice. They all looked back just as Naruto's hand shot out, grabbing hold of the middlemost peasant's throat and lifted him into the air. Their outcries of shock and fright, combined with the choked sounds the man Naruto held, echoed across the street. Pushing upwards, he hoisted the man a full foot up in the air, leaving his feet dangling, his hands gripping Naruto's in panic and his face getting redder and redder.

“So you “didn't know”,” Naruto said, his voice glacial, it cut through the sound of the falling rain light a knife through water. “So it just “happened” to be an infamous A-rank missing-nin there?!”

“S-sir,” one of the other peasants begun now, “I swear, we didn't know he was a ninja, we thought he was a mere bandit!”

“We promise, on the graves of our ancestors!” the last one said.

“Why not on the grave of the woman who died because you conveniently failed to mention something that would have made the mission fifty times as expensive?” Naruto asked, his voice sinking into a hiss, “Tell me, what precedent does it set if you are allowed to live?” he continued, “If you get away with this, what's to stop every dreg in the five nations to lie about the missions they ask us to do to lower costs?”

“We won't let anyone know anything about any of this!” the second peasant swore. “We didn't mean for anyone to die! We grieve her death like she was one of us!”

“Oh really?” Naruto asked as the rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance, “is it not rather that you'll go home now and celebrate this, not sparing one thought for the woman who died because of you?”

“No, we swear!” the peasants answered, their friend getting more and more red in the face from being choked. Naruto looked down at them, feeling his utter contempt for them well forth. These snivelling, parasitic worms. What motivated any part of their dirt-covered existence? He wanted, more than anything else, burn their village to the ground and crucify them all on the nearest hill. He wanted to, but he didn't. Instead, he threw the man he held by the throat to the ground and towered above them, glaring at them with a frozen glare.

“Then go to the Hokage's office,” he told them, “Let him know you're going to petition the daimyo for extra taxes in order to pay off this mission. And obviously you will pay generous interest to compensate as much as you can for this valiant woman's death.” Now he hunched down in front of them, still glaring at them, “that, I hope, is not too much to ask for. Is it?” he asked lowly.

“No!” the peasants all answered fearfully.

“I swear on my mother's soul that we'll honour her death shinobi-sama!” the third one said. They were scared nearly witless Naruto realized. He must seem like the shinigami himself right now, a terrifying, inhuman being promising death.

“I trust you know where the office is,” he said and the peasants all quickly nodded. “Then move, now.” he finished the discussion and the peasants all scrambled to their feet, running away as fast as their legs could carry them. Naruto got to his feet, sighing deeply in an attempt to rid himself of the festering feeling in his mind that he had been too kind. He now looked backwards, seeing how Rin stood a few meters away only. He could tell she had been watching, her face showed her shock, and she seemed to have been moving to stop him. Another stab of anger came to him now and he gritted his teeth.

“I'm not that irrational,” he said, almost lifelessly, before he turned away from her and left. He didn't go home however, he couldn't make himself do that. Blindly he wandered the streets of Konoha, stalking the roads without any real thought as to where he was going or indeed how far or for how long he wandered. He merely walked through the empty streets with a nearly sleepwalking gait. It felt as if he wanted to disappear, that if he walked for long enough perhaps is body would dissolve into the water and vanish into the earth.

Anko... he remembered the first time he had met her, a small child only just apprenticed to Orochimaru. Anko, already then having her weird sense of humor, had leaped out from behind a door wearing a monster mask as Naruto had been about to go to bed. He had been terrified and ran away with Anko chasing him halfway around the house before Orochimaru had tripped her and told her to stop it. That was all she had done the first weeks, terrorize and prank him. It was only after a good while that she showed another side. Naruto had a few months into his training been subjected to a powerful genjutsu as part of his training to ignore pain and fear, he had been a mess that night. But Anko had come to him, sat in bed with the then seven year old boy, ruffled his hair and told him that surely he wasn't so much of a scaredy cat that he cried for that, not after all the training she had given him. She had always been there after that, like an older sister she had looked after him, always been ready to, in her own special way, comfort and support him.

But she was gone... had ceased to exist... and Naruto was left alone. Naruto ended up stopping and looked up towards the sky. The darkness was falling, the overcast sky pitch black. In the far distance he could even hear thunder. He closed his eyes and let the rain come down now, not even able to dryly remark to himself how dramatically fitting the entire world seemed to be. All he did was standing there, letting the rain whip against his skin and the cold seep into his very being. Let him wash away, let him freeze to ice, let the ice melt and let him vanish into the sewers and out into the river. Naruto found himself incapable of caring any more. He didn't know how long he stood there before someone called out to him.

“Naruto-san.” a voice said through the sound of the falling rain, provoking no response from him initially. Yet when the voice called out once more he turned his head somewhat to look. It was Guren that had spoken. She stood a few meters away under the cover of an umbrella, worry in her eyes. “You will catch a cold,” Guren said now, coming up with the umbrella. Naruto held up one hand to motion for her to stop however.

“Being wet and cold doesn't increase the risks of getting sick,” he said, “that's a myth.”

“Still,” She insisted, “you can't stand out here like this.”

“Because?” Naruto asked snidely, “I don't recall you having any responsibility for me.” Guren sighed now.

“Then what will you do?” she asked him, “Just stand here?”

“For a while,” Naruto said, “An hour or two perhaps. Then I'll go home, fall asleep and when I wake up go back to work.” That was all that would come out of this... out of Anko's death. What he felt wasn't going to infringe on his duties. He had this evening to suffer, to grieve, to feel the loss of, and then it was back to work. Anko was a memory now, memories stayed in the back of the head where they belonged. That was what he had been taught after all. Guren didn't stop looking at him however.

“I've got a better idea,” She told him eventually, Naruto glancing back at her, “Do you know where you are?” she continued, Naruto looking around for the first time now. He didn't recognize this part of Konoha... “You're right outside our home, the Camellia district. Come with me, we'll get you into some dry clothes and give you something warm to drink. Come on.” Now Guren took his hand, leading him through the street and towards the nearby district. Naruto didn't find it in him to object., he didn't have the strength to. Instead, he was taken to one of the buildings inside this place that had become the Tsubaki clan's home.

Only a few weeks ago there had been nothing here but a meadow, some trees and the brook that ran through the area. Yet when the Tsubaki clan had been officially recognized and made part of Konoha Guren had been told to pick a good place to build their district. She had and then, the next day, the entire district had just stood there, homes enough to house the entire new clan as well as their coming children and families had spring up in one night. Naruto had suspected that shodaime's bloodline still was hidden away somewhere but never gotten anything confirmed.

However it had sprung up, Naruto hadn't thought more about that then and right now he wasn't able to care. He only allowed himself to be led into one of the buildings, Guren folding her umbrella and ushering him inside. The building seemed to be built after all available standard designs, a small hallway with a larger kitchen/dining room further in, a bathroom to the left and a living room to the right, No words were spoken yet Guren gave him a bathrobe and dry underwear along with a towel and let him into the bathroom. Somehow, Naruto found himself beginning to resent her yet he still didn't object, he just towelled off and got into the dry clothes. When he got out Guren had already made tea and put out two mugs on the table in the living room. Like he was an old invalid she led him in there to sit down on the giant sofa in there and sat down next to him. She nearly shoved the mug of tea into his hands and Naruto took a swift, deep swig in irritation. Let him get scalded, at least it'd make her look like a fool. More and more her meddling started to irk him. The tea however turned out to be only just cool enough that it didn't scald him. Glancing at Guren, he could see in her eyes that she had anticipated this.

“It's like with Yukimaru for me,” she said now. “ It hurts, you don't know where to go or even if you want it to go away. At times, it feels like it'd be better if you went away.”

“Don't try to tie Yukimaru and Anko together,” Naruto said now, only barely stopping himself from snapping, “He was a boy you saw one time. Anko was the only thing that kept me sane.”

“His mother was the only person to ever show me genuine kindness,” Guren responded, “But you're right, they aren't the same and I can only imagine how you are feeling.”

“So why am I here?” Naruto asked, drinking another mouthful of tea.

“Because I care about you,” Guren said, “as does the entire clan.” Naruto found himself almost revolted by what she said. Wrong, wrong down to the very core, they didn't care about him, they wouldn't if they knew the truth! They saw a saviour where there was only a man who had thought to continue Orochimaru's work! Wrong! False! Naruto found himself clutching the tea mug in his hands. He took a few deep breaths, staring straight ahead, in an effort to calm down before he did something drastic. Guren leaned forwards, putting a hand on his wrist. “Easy.” she said, “Naruto-san, you don't have to be alone. I mean, I can't take your sorrow off you or make it lesser, but we're here for you. If you need, in whatever way, there's an entire clan here who honours and respects you. In whatever way we can be, we're here for you. Naruto snorted, only further and further enraged.

“So “you'll do anything to help me”, is that it?” he asked bitterly, looking at Guren with narrowed eyes.

“Yes,” she told him plainly. There it snapped for Naruto. He was so disgusted by the ignorant desire to help him she showed, that utter, revolting lack of knowledge of what lay behind his actions in truth. He put the mug on the table with a small slam and turned towards her. Naruto couldn't take this, not that starry-eyed devotion, and he now acted to break it, to make her recoil in horror and throw him out, as he deserved. He leaned in and kissed her, deeply too. Like with all things he had learned the things taught to him by that whore who had taken his virginity remained clear in his head. He now used this knowledge, letting his tongue and lips run over Guren's, capture her completely with his aggressive kiss as his hand reached around to capture her head as well. This was it, he could feel how she recoiled, she'd push him away, recoil in disgust and throw him out now that he had spat her kindness in the face. In a twisted, despicable show of his pathetic nature he did what Anko had done, let carnal desire talk., He didn't use it as the shield against loneliness Anko had though, he used it as a sword to stab into the kindness offered him, that was how wretched he was.

When his punishment came, it came fiercer and more powerful than he had expected. He had expected her to freeze up, shove him off her, look at him in shock and betrayal. What he hadn't expected was a punch to the gut, powerful enough to lift him off the sofa. Naruto gave up a choked sounds as the air was expelled out of him savagely, Guren's fist feeling like it touched his spine. First now managed to understand what appeared before his eyes again, Naruto found Guren standing up, shoving him back into the sofa and placing a crystal blade against his jugular.

“No.” she told him, calmly and decisively, “that I will not do for you... not now.” Naruto had landed with a near crash and still gasped for breath, feeling like he would vomit. He stared at Guren, feeling his eyes mist up from the shock, “You're not good for much other than lying there right now so listen up,” Guren told him. In her voice was the old Guren, the blood thirsty and proud warrior who answered any slight with blood, “I want to help you,” she told him, “but I won't let you fuck me with the only intent to escape your pain. Mitarashi was your friend, she deserves more than you throwing yourself at the first show of kindness like a randy dog.”

“Then don't!” Naruto snarled with his breath back, “Throw me out of here! Don't try to give me what I can't even tell you what it is!” Guren didn't remove the blade from his jugular, yet in her eyes Naruto saw only more and more of that accursed pity and compassion.

“Just cry,” she told him, “Think of when you first met her, when she begun to matter to you. Think of her last birthday, think of what was so special about her. Think of that, cry.” Now Guren let go of him, stepping back and heading off. “I'll dry your clothes for you,” she continued, “You can take the sofa tonight.” With that she exited, giving Naruto some privacy.

Naruto, feeling the adrenaline in him mix with all the emotions that raged like a storming sea in his soul. Numbly, he sat up with a slight forwards hunch. All those things Guren had talked about came to him now, memory after memory parading itself in front of him. Feeling choked, Naruto took a deep breath only to realize that it shivered. With it came a pressure, a tingling feeling in his eyes. Reaching up, he put his face in his palms and gritted his teeth. a shiver came to his body, a jerk as his breath made a sharp intake. Soon Naruto found himself sitting there, silently shaking as his eyes flooded and his breath became ragged.

“Damn it...” he said quietly, “Damn it!” he couldn't say anything more as the grief overwhelmed him. For the first time in nearly eight years he cried, crying in pain, grief and loss.

-----XXXXXX------

The next morning Naruto awoke slowly. He felt exhausted despite the sleep he had gotten and felt like his eyes were swollen. Yet the most startling realization came after that when he realized he wasn't at home. Sitting up straight in bed, he realized it wasn't a bed but a sofa. He looked around at first, feeling a wave of distress, before the memories of yesterday came to him. After a few moments of stillness he sighed, realizing that it wasn't a bad dream. Anko was indeed dead and he...

Naruto groaned, remembering what an absolute fool he had made out of himself, both at the funeral and when Guren had found him in the rain. He had screamed at Rin for no reason, lashed out at the funeral attendees and when Guren had gotten him indoors after his long trek through the rain he had tried to force himself on her! How humiliating... Naruto felt his guts churn as he wondered how he was going to be able to show himself in public after this.

“Good morning,” Guren said from the doorway, Naruto slowly looking towards her. She seemed no worse for wear the woman, standing in the doorway, leaning against the door-frame with her arms folded. He couldn't see any disgust on her face however, that had to count for something.

“I was going to make a dry remark...” he begun, “but good morning to you too.” Guren gave up a small “heh” at this and Naruto winced.

“There's breakfast if you want to,” she said, “I'm heading down there in five too.”

“You have breakfast together?” Naruto asked idly now. With some sleep between him and the funeral things seemed clearer. At least he wasn't going to randomly lash out at people now.

“Many in the clan wanted to keep that tradition,” Guren said, “They always ate together in Oto and to suddenly make your own breakfast seemed so lonely.”

“Where's my clothes?” Naruto asked now, not planning to go anywhere in the bathrobe he was wearing. Guren threw him a small bundle now and Naruto caught it. It was his clothes all right, dried and folded both. He put them down on the table in front of him and stood up, “Do you mind?” he asked Guren now as he planned to get changed.

“Actually yes,” Guren said now, “I think I've earned a look at least, don't you think?” she gave him a sly smirk now and Naruto winced a bit. Was she referring to yesterday? He didn't quite know. If so it was a low blow, otherwise it was just a bad joke. With a sigh he discarded the bathrobe, he was after all wearing underwear. Guren chuckled as he without any real shame begun to don his clothes.

“You're not one to tiptoe around with what you've got I see,” she remarked, “nice abs by the way.”

“Since I became Orochimaru's apprentice there wasn't much room for modesty,” Naruto said as he put on his trousers, “Especially not after he gave me the subdermal snakeskin. My epidermis is more or less just there for show as it is.”

“I understand,” Guren said quietly now, some merriment gone from her voice. Naruto looked up at her now as he put on his shirt.

“Do you?” he asked, more curiously than anything else.

“I am the clan mistress of the Oto survivors,” Guren reminded him, “I've seen nearly everything.”

“Point taken,” he said. That was true after all, despite the new name, this group was still the rag-tag collection of people who had survived Oto, they were mutants, maimed people, human labrats and all sorts of people. An idle thought came to him about what kind of absurd end results they might see if this clan became an united bloodline due to all the various bloodlines and mutations that existed here. Most probably this clan would become a long-time favourite client of the medic nins and the R&D department both. He wondered what blood would carry through in the end. Of more interest however was whether there was any way of getting out of this. He didn't want to have breakfast with a hundred other people right now. Naruto didn't see any way out however and when it came down to it, did he have the right to say no after yesterday? Ugh... he winced once more at the memory of what he had attempted, he was disgusting...

Guren showed him to the larger building in the middle of the district and into what had to be the dining room. It was mostly empty at the moment, the low tables being put up with four long tables vertically down the length of the room and a fifth table horizontally along the short ends of the latter four. Guren took her seat at the horizontal table, motioning for him to come and sit down beside her. Naruto did so, realizing he was sitting at the place of honour, right next to the clan head. The whispers that came from the already present Tsubaki clan-members upon seeing him made him cringe, he hated these situations. Guren came to his rescue now however, clapping her hands to get their attention.

“That's enough,” she said, “Naruto-san came here to eat breakfast, not to have people gossip about him to his face.” The whispers stopped quickly, Naruto taking a small sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, Guren not smiling as she looked at him.

“The worst is yet to come.” she warned him, Naruto getting a sinking feeling in his stomach again. Only a few seconds later the door on the far end of the room was slammed open, Naruto watching in amusement how Sakon and Jiroubou came inside, both looking utterly exhausted. Sakon seemed to only have thrown his clothes on and had the shirt hiked open and hang off one shoulder while Jiroubou was yawning massively and scratching himself under the shirt.

“Morning...” Sakon muttered sourly.

“Ain't the food done yet?” Jiroubou added. Naruto decided to enjoy himself a bit and before they saw him he corrected his posture so he sat with a straight back and folded arms.

“How undignified,” he said, letting his voice hold some disapproval in it. Sakon and Jiroubou both nearly leaped out of their skins from fright when they saw him. Sakon backed into the wall and Jiroubou didn't move a single muscle, instead looking like he was about to faint.

“Good morning to you too,” Guren said with a small smile, there being something blood thirsty in it, “please, do take a seat and try not to embarrass the clan any more,” she finished with a glacial tone in her voice. However, she then winked subtly at Naruto who found himself forced to suppress as smile. Sakon and Jiroubou both put their clothes into order and sat down by the tables, neither of them saying as much as a peep.

Naruto had to admit to himself, that was indeed entertaining. More and more people arrived and their dishevelled, sleepy appearances became a steady source of amusement. Dry remarks and disapproving stares made them nearly either break down and cry or run away in fear. He shouldn't take this much pleasure in it, should he? Within not too long time the room was filled and the mood suddenly was outright oppressive. He could tell they hadn't expected to see him here.

“The awkwardness is so thick one can cut it with a knife,” he muttered to Guren, “it is almost pleasurable.”

“Welcome to my life,” Guren said, “Right everyone!” she now spoke out, “As I said earlier, Naruto-san has come over to share breakfast with us. He's not here to investigate us or lead us into a hopeless battle, so let's just enjoy our breakfast as usual.” With that it seemed that the signal to begin breakfast was given. Several people came out from one of the side rooms now, carrying with them large pots of what to Naruto's sensitive nose seemed to be fish of some kind. When one of said pots were put down in front of them he raised one eye. Indeed it was fish, soup more precisely. Quite interesting, he had never had that for breakfast. The set up became quickly evident. They seemed to take turns being the ones who made breakfast, Naruto wondered if they had set teams or randomly chose people to cook each day:

Still, the soup did taste good, was nutritious too. Looking around, Naruto silently took in the sight of the Tsubaki clan at breakfast, analysing what he saw. Juugo sat some distance away with Isaribi beside him. Soon he would head out to work alongside his contact person and Isaribi would do whatever she did all days. Not ninja training, Naruto knew that Isaribi had blindly refused to have anything to do with it so what she did remained to be seen. Still, the two seemed very happy, talking about something he couldn't make out. Isaribi didn't even wear her bandages any more and Naruto could tell her scaly skin was steadily receding. Glad to see that Tsunade-sensei's experimental treatment worked. Zaku and Kin sat further away, Zaku having healed from his wounds, and beside them sat a third person, their team-mate Dosu who had been incapacitated and wrapped in bandages during the battle. How poor had medical treatment been at Otogakure Naruto wondered, the boy had been a scarred mess under the bandages covering his head but now his face was almost completely back to normal thanks to Tsunade as well. The three of them were silently eating, having a look of complete focus in their eyes. Seemed like they were taking the academy seriously. Yet in a way, the most curious thing he saw was that Tayuya was one of those who came with the food. To see the fierce and hostile woman do something like this voluntarily was strange.

“Can't believe your eyes I take it, Naruto-sam... Naruto-san,” Sakon said now, catching himself at the last moment. Naruto looked at the man who currently was sitting two seats away from him, Kimimaro sitting between them.

“That would be a good description, yes.,” he admitted, “To see Tayuya serve food makes me want to check for a genjutsu. Sakon grinned maliciously.

“You haven't heard the news then I take it,” he said, “she's gotten the hots for her contact person and wants to become more feminine in order to...” No more was said for Tayuya was walking past them right then and without missing a beat she turned the pot over and shoved it down over Sakon's ears.

“Shut your fucking mouth!” she snarled, beet red in the face, and the next second her eyes came to meet his. Naruto, sitting with the bowl in one hand and the chop-sticks in the other, raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, seeing how the embarrassment blazed in her face.

“Such massive response for so little, you only invite further teasing,” Naruto said as Sakon begun to flail wildly with the pot still stuck on his head. Kimimaro wasn't even paying attention and simply ate.

“You're not leaving the district until you cleaned that up,” Guren said, not having even looked at it either. Were these kinds of things standard? Naruto didn't know, only that Tayuya fled, taking the pot off Sakon's head and leaving him drenched in soup as she retreated out into the kitchen.

“Oh man, I just washed these clothes too.” he sighed before he begun to eat again. Naruto felt a sinking feeling in his guts. So this kind of things were normal? The Tsubaki clan suddenly seemed less idyllic than it had initially appeared, even more so when suddenly a chop-stick came twirling through the air, Kimimaro catching it right before it hit his face. Looking down along the rows of tables, Naruto saw how a pair of the Tsubaki clan members had begun to fight over something and right now one of them was drenched in fish soup and was right in the middle of performing a suplex on the man responsible. This made a third one spill his soup all over himself and he got up as well, enraged. The whole situation was rapidly going south when Guren acted. Right before anything more could be made, a large crystal spike shot out from the floor under the table, piercing through it and rising all the way to the roof with a deafening crack. Everything fell silent and Naruto stared to his side at Guren, who had put her hands together in a seal and was currently glaring hopes at the two offenders.

“That, is, enough,” she said, her voice quivering a bit. Yet it wasn't grief or embarrassment. No, right now Guren was smiling, that blood-thirsty smile she had when she was really worked up, really hungry for battle, and just begged the world around herself to give her a single reason to fight. If she got it, Naruto knew there would be little left of whomever she fought. Her smile was wide, maniacal and bared her teeth, the two shinobi who had begun to fight right now held onto each other with expressions of pure horror on their faces. “Go and help Tayuya-san in the kitchen,” Guren continued, the two fighters both scrambling away with small yelps of fear. Naruto looked after the two in disbelief. Scratch everything he had thought about this clan, it was insane enough that Kimiko would take to these people like white to rice. Sighing, he went back to eating. It was best to pretend nothing was out of the ordinary, he was a guest after all.

Breakfast was soon done without any larger intermezzos and Naruto had work to do so without much further ado he got up to head out after the meal was finished. He got company to the edge of the district by Guren however.

“I can't say I was expecting a breakfast like that,” he told her, “Yet for all the strangeness I saw little actual dysfunction. You seem to have created a good home for them.” he admitted. The people here were strange, many of them had deep issues, yet what he had seen hinted that it was a good place for them.

“I'm doing my best,” Guren said, “There's a lot of work, not the least with the team I'll probably get soon.”

“Good luck with that,” Naruto said as they reached the end of the district, “also, thank you for the breakfast... as well as other things.” he added after a second, thinking of yesterday. He still was ashamed of himself, especially over his sexual harassment of Guren. He just hoped his apology would be enough for her, he knew it wasn't for him.

“You're always welcome here Naruto,” Guren said and Naruto nodded.

“Thank you,” he said once more, bowing to her. “Until later Guren-san.” With that, he left the district and headed off. Sunday, that meant there weren't even any work to be done at the labs. He had nothing to do, nothing whatsoever, and in the end he headed home, not bothering to check the mailbox and instead just collapsing onto his bed when he got to the bedroom.

-----XXXXXX------

Several hours later found Naruto still lying on the bed, having remained there all this time. Everything had come crashing back for him when he had neared his home and the feeling of loss had nearly paralysed him. He hadn't even bothered answering his phone when it had rung a couple of hours ago, instead listening to the answering machine as it recorded the message. It had been from Rin. She had petitioned for him to get a week off from work and it had been approved. He still felt weak from everything that had happened, yet more than anything else he felt ashamed of himself. Threatening the farmers, trying to force himself on Guren... Was he really no better than this? Was he really nothing more than a broken little boy? It was so embarrassing, so shameful, to admit to these weaknesses. He couldn't ignore what had happened, so that left him here, with nothing to do but to stare up at the ceiling.

What the hell was he going to do now? Rin's message said that she would schedule appointments for him during the following weeks, she'd come over to him. In the meantime, she had urged him to take it easy, rest, give his submerged thoughts and ideas time to bubble up to the surface. Naruto was appalled by the idea however, he hadn't had “time off” longer than singular days before, what in the gods' names were he even going to do? Think of Anko most probably. Was that how this worked? Think enough of her and cry enough times that in the end it stopped hurting? He hated psychology, sitting up in bed, he let himself vent on that science. It was the single most ill-defined field of study there was, lacking any kind of overarching theory or paradigm. It tried to measure and comprehend internal processes, things that couldn't be quantified! How the hell did one make a serious science beyond the quack-stage when everything it dealt with were by definition abstract and subjective!

Sighing, he got up and walked over to his kitchen to get some tea to drink. Once again he was getting prejudiced. Pouring some water into the boiler, he reminded himself that he still had a language. Humans could communicate, they had languages with hundreds of thousands of words, what more the chemical reactions that created emotions and traumas were always the same, anger was the same for all even if it might manifest in various ways. Obviously there were grey areas and poorly defined parts of it but no worse than that they could be addressed with enough data, data that could be acquired via communicating with the subjects studied and then extrapolated upon. No, the issue wasn't that psychology would be a pseudo-science, it wasn't, it was him. He was put on edge like hell by what had happened.

So what to do? He needed to deal with this, the head of Research and Development couldn't walk around breaking down as soon as a trigger arose. Wait... triggers? An idea arose for Naruto, one inspired by his training with explosives. The best way get rid of volatile materials was to let them go off in a controlled environment. He wondered what exactly Rin would think of his amateur-psychology now that he tried to apply that to the human psyche but decided to act on it anyhow. He wasn't one for staring on the ceiling, instead he left the house and headed down town.

Thinking back on the times he had spent with Anko, he remembered many things, places and people and as he walked through Konoha he kept his eyes open, doing all he could to spot those places. He'd go there, recreate the circumstances of his last visit with Anko there and then he'd just see what happened. Amateurish as it might be, it was better than lying at home.

As chance would have it, his first stop became the teahouse into which Anko had dragged him that one time when he was being frustrated about the blood nins' secrets. He'd seem strange when he did this no doubt, but he didn't care. He instead walked up to the counter and begun talking with the woman behind it. a few minutes later he sat with a giant pile of dango, fifty ryos worth of them, along with a can of iced coffee. Anko had been too cheap to get coffee that time. Cracking the can open, Naruto found himself freezing. How had he done that day? Had he taken a bite of dango or a swig of coffee first?

Okay what was this, was he getting that unhinged? Naruto grunted and took a swig of the coffee. Disconnecting his mind as well as he could, he sat there, slowly emptying the can as he chewed down on the dango. He could see why Anko had liked dango so much it was quite nice food. It came to him now, he could almost see Anko's face, the widest, most shit-eating grin ever on her face.

“Damn straight mister ice!” she seemed to say, “About time you acknowledge the food of the gods!” a single dango stick hung out from between her teeth as she said it, her voice somewhat muffled by that she spoke through clenched teeth. Happy, go-lucky, enthusiastic and random. That side of Anko was one it seemed had slipped most people by. Her promiscuity, arisen from her loneliness, overshadowed that and had made her been seen as a slut. But in truth, the real Anko had been a jokster more than a whore, she had always been in many ways a child, impulsive and carefree.

How had that happened? Anko had held onto her inner child through everything that she was put through. While it changed into something somewhat more sinister, it had still been there. He? He had shattered and been recreated as an Orochimaru-clone. Did that mean Orochimaru had not pushed Anko as hard? Or had he simply been weaker

“Mooo-rooon.” He didn't need Anko to be here to know what she would have said in response to that. She'd even do that thing where she brayed like a sheep when saying it. Weakness and weakness, it must have been a matter of different coping mechanisms. To Naruto, obeying and becoming as Orochimaru wanted to was the easiest way. Anko had refused, lashed out and become more and more random and devil-may-care in her attitude.

What if he had gone down that route as well? As a child he had been in many ways like Anko, loving pranks and being infamously loud. How would that have looked? Orochimaru's two crazy students. They'd have wound each other up, daring each other to the level of absurdity, Naruto could tell that. Neither of them would ever have backed for challenges if the other one didn't. He could just imagine the two of them vandalizing the Hokage monument by painting the Hokages to look like transvestites and the likes. Shivering a bit, Naruto found himself glad that hadn't been the case. Still... if he had been that person he would no doubt have enjoyed it, massively. Two wild peas in a pod... If they had talked about this between the two of them Anko would have asked now why he had chosen to be such a damn bore instead.

“I don't think I chose,” he thought to himself, leaning back as he looked up at the sky, “It just turned out that way.” Orochimaru had been out to make Naruto a carbon copy of himself. Knowing what the man had known, the jutsu he had had at his disposal, it was a genuine question of what the man had planned. One of the most worrying jutsu Naruto had seen documented spoke of actual mind-transfer. The user pushed himself into the mind of the victim, sealed the victim's mind away and took over the body like a parasite. a technique disgusting beyond words but then again, that was a good description of Orochimaru. If it hadn't been for Anko, who had been there to throw monkey-wrenches into everything Orochimaru did, would he have stayed loyal to his master, in the end being used by the psychopathic man as his new body?

Anko had been his guardian angel. Through her random and stumbling methods she had saved him, once for certain, perhaps even twice over. And he hadn't even been able to help her to a better life... Why not him instead? He who wanted for nothing as it was? Why she who wanted so much more?

Survivor's guilt, Naruto's mind clasped down on that detail instantly. There he had it, he owed Anko so much and hadn't been able to do anything for her, there was a massive source of regret and angst. He'd have to remember that. Digging out a small note-block, he scribbled down the details and pocketed it.

Taking a stick from the pile of dango he still had, a good forty ryo's worth, he went on. The clients, that village who had li... who had not mentioned the a-rank missing nin. Forcing himself to be rational, he concluded bitterly that if the hokage, the administration and indeed Morino Ibiki himself hadn't concluded that the clients had lied then it was pretty rich that he would claim that they had. As rich as it would be out of him to speak of trust when doing that would show the lack of trust he had for his fellow shinobi. It tasted bitter, like ashes in his mouth, but the peasants had to be cleared of all charges. An errant thought crept into his head that perhaps he could at least do something, something small. Going to the village and threaten the villages with bloody murder for what they had caused perhaps. Naruto slapped himself in the face now, how asinine was not that? Petty, pointless and satisfying only his basest urges. That was not his role to do... bah!

It was what it was, the undeniable, unchangeable reality grinned him in the face. Anko, was, dead. There was nothing to do about it, no bargains to be made, no magical technique that... Naruto opened his eyes wide now, remembering something. His second visit to this teahouse ended as the first one had, with him leaving in a swirl of leaves as he headed home as fast as he could.

Reappearing right outside his apartment door, Naruto threw himself in and opened one of the lockers in the hallway. Behind a secret trapdoor in the wall there he had hidden one of the scrolls he had taken from Orochimaru before killing him. The scroll was about as large as his forearm and about as thick as well, with a protective seal on it and a red silk wrapping. It was a collection of Kinjutsu he had promised himself to go through one day. Today turned out to be that day and Naruto lit his workdesk lamp as he nearly flew into his chair, opening the scroll to begin to read it.

His eyes poured through it frantically and after about five seconds he saw it, something that made his heart pound. He had been wrong, there really was a magical technique that could bring her back. Edo Tensei, Impure World Resurrection. a summoning technique that brought people back from the dead if he read the scroll correctly. Taking several deep breaths, Naruto put up one hand to his mouth to bite down on the fist in a way to calm himself. He had to read this carefully, if he misread anything here it'd be catastrophic.

Carefully pouring over it, he saw how the technique would work. It was based around two things. Firstly the technique needed a DNA sample from the person who was going to be resurrected. Secondly, a human sacrifice. That made sense Naruto thought. Action and reaction, the effort you put into something defined the end result. The soul of the sacrifice was used as energy for the technique and was driven out of its body whereupon the DNA of the one to be resurrected could be used to implant that very soul into the body. Naruto had to stop again to breathe, leaning forwards he supported his forehead with his hand and tried to not hyperventilate. It was all there! Some bits were missing but it was really just to connect the dots to complete it!

Yet, despite Orochimaru's attempts to break him down and via Anko's constant meddling Naruto had acquired one specific trait that stood hard as steel in him, a trait that now clasped down on it all, locking it in a savage grip and refusing to let go. His ethical code. To be as thorough with everything as could be. To always strive for the fullest understanding of the implications and consequences of what he created. To make his discoveries with means other than human misery. It was iron clad and not even now could he abstain from considering those factors.

Firstly: the soul used to power this jutsu was explicitly stated to dissolve, being used as an energy source and falling apart when used. That not just implied the utter annihilation of that person, it outright stated it. It was murder beyond murder, for no higher cause than his grief.

Secondly: even if he did succeed with this, what would that lead to? The barriers of death broken, if that was not a can of worms to break then what would be? How sought after would not this jutsu be, now that every great leader or beloved companion could be brought back? And with the appendix to the notes in this scroll, the appendix detailing how the summoned soul could be controlled... That made it even worse. Not only could dead kings and the likes be brought back, they could even be controlled that way!

Thirdly: if this Jutsu did what it promised, that meant that the afterlife, in whatever shape, really did exist. He would be tearing Anko from the afterlife, from the place she had gotten there, bringing her back into a place where she no longer belonged for his own desires only. Knowing nothing else of the afterlife, Naruto would have to assume it was uniform for everyone, meaning Anko would be bereft the family that would be awaiting there.

Fourthly: Summoning the dead back to life... Konoha had banned even human experimentation. It would take days to finish this jutsu, days during which he'd be a giant target for Itachi's investigation. Naruto had only just now managed to build up a good reputation in Konoha, if he was caught with this all that would be forfeited, the Tsubaki clan would be irrevocably tainted by association with him too.

Damn it... Naruto stared down at the document, realizing slowly how much this jutsu could change. For good, and for evil. Orochimaru had cared not one whit for the repercussions, only for the gains when he did his discoveries. He was haphazard, single-minded and outright crude in his research, things that appalled Naruto thoroughly. Naruto wanted clean-cut research, as controlled as possible and performed in such a way that the consequences could and would be dealt with.

And this... truly this was the apex of his master's deranged research. But it could give him Anko back. It was really there, really possible. And besides, he could kill some deranged killer nobody would miss.

Wait what? When exactly had he allowed himself that kind of cretinous logic? A life was a life as far as his research went. The instant you started choosing which people that were more or less worthy of life you invited a whole scale of different peoples' values, a scale that would be made without any sensible overarching theory and thereby being nothing more than an arbitrary bullshit scale not worthy of be taken the least seriously. Slamming his hand into the table in a sudden explosion of anger, Naruto took some deep breaths before he rolled up the scroll completely, pouring over the rows of text in their entirety. Yes, all of it was about the Edo Tensei. There was nothing more.

For a few minutes he sat there, holding a pencil in his hand as he tried to see what derivatives of this was possible. Five, ten and fifteen minutes passed, Naruto sighing in the end. No, there was nothing here, it was too much of a specialized spearhead jutsu. The research notes when it was developed would be a goldmine but the finished jutsu was near useless in respect to what could be derived from it. With that concluded, Naruto dug out another scroll from his workdesk, opened it and spread it on a table. This one was adorned with a series of complex rings made up out of markings and in the middle there was a small area untouched by ink. He placed the scroll in there and made two seals, ending in the tiger seal, and the Edo Tensei scroll burst into flames in seconds, the smoke being sucked into the scroll as it burned fiercely, nearly explosively. Naruto sat with his back against the backrest as he watched the scroll explode only a few feet from his face, the shockwaves and the smoke being devoured by the scroll.

If he brought back Anko he'd sacrifice his standing in the village, the Tsubaki clan's frail future, his ethical code and most probably Anko would punch him in the face first thing she did. It'd open a can of worms unlike anything else and unleash something Naruto did not think he could truly control. No invention of his would ever rule over him. He was the master of his life and what came out of it, not some deranged creation left behind by his master.

“I'm sorry Anko,” he thought to himself, “But I cannot do this... not for you.” he watched with a numb sensation as his only hope of ever seeing her again was consumed and fell apart into ashes that eventually swirled around and vanished into the scroll as well. Yet, despite that, there was something that made him see Anko in front of his mind's eye, grinning at him with a dango stick in her mouth. He wanted her to be happy, and how could he do that by becoming Orochimaru? He found some comfort in this, even as the tears slowly started to run down his face once more.

Chapter Text

It was a few hours later, the day had turned into afternoon moving towards evening when it rang on the door. Naruto, who had spent the day reading a book, felt a sudden sting of reluctance to open at first. Whoever it was it wasn't anyone he wanted to see. Yet, he closed the book and hit himself once in the head with it. He was being irrational again. Getting up from the bed, he walked over to the door and opened it, seeing little before he was pile-dived by his little sister. Kimiko crashed into his mid-section, wrapping her arms around him even as he stumbled backwards.

“Are you okay oniisan?” she asked, Naruto hearing the urgency in her voice, “Is there anything I can do for you? I'm so sorry she's dead, I wish there was anything I could do..” Kimiko's mouth continued babbling and Naruto found himself groaning. For the love of...

“Get off me!” he said, pushing her off him and landed her on the floor. Leaning down to grab her head, Naruto looked right into Kimiko's eyes, seeing that they were red. Had she been crying? All over her face were the marks of the kind of stupidly genuine and thorough sadness only she could show seemingly. What he was going to say died in his mouth and he eventually sighed. “Come here Kimiko,” he said, ushering her into the kitchen where he sat down on a chair and motioned for her to sit down on another. For a second his little sister hesitated, then she sat down as well. “What are you talking about?” he asked her, “tell me outright.”

“I, I mean Anko-neechan's death,” Kimiko said, “I heard about it yesterday and I came here but you weren't here and I got scared and thought...”she was beginning to babble.

“Quiet.” Naruto told her forcefully, Kimiko flinching and quieting down. Naruto sighed once more, leaning back as he rubbed his eyes with one hand. This was going to be complicated. “You don't need to worry about me Kimiko,” he said eventually, leaning forwards again, “I'm a grown man, what's happened is painful, very much so, and I feel as if everything is pointless. But I don't need you to take care of me. You hardly even knew Anko, so why are you so upset?”

“She was important to you!” Kimiko said, “I, I know I didn't like her very much in a way. I actually wished sometimes that she would die, I felt like she was taking my big brother from me,” she looked down at her feet now. Naruto knew well that it was just a child talking, an ignorant child whose words shouldn't be taken that seriously. Never the less, it felt like a stab in the guts when he heard what Kimiko had wanted. It took him some effort to remain calm. “But now...” Kimiko continued, “I feel like a horrible person for ever wanting that, I feel like I'd do anything to get her back so you wouldn't have to deal with all this.” By all gods, she really was broken up about all of this and Naruto was once again reminded of the massive abyss between her and him emotion-wise. And what was he going to do? He didn't have the strength to yell at her now and after a while he spoke up.

“Don't worry Kimiko,” he told her, “I won't berate you for anything. But this is something I'll have to deal with on my own. You don't need to get involved in this, you shouldn't. But still, thank you for coming over.” Kimiko looked up at him now, with eyes still tear-filled, and after a while she got off her chair and almost ran around the table, crawling up into his lap where she proceeded to hug him.

“Can I at least hug you?” she asked and Naruto found the sudden embrace, not rough like her entrance, making him flinch almost. Her small arms were warm and she made sure not to hold him too hard. It did something, indeed it did a lot, and Naruto found himself almost overwhelmed by the feelings that flooded him. In the end, he returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around his little sister and holding her close, one arm holding her head and the other under her arms.

“You can...” he whispered quietly, not able to say much more and instead holding onto his sister, his grip tightening for a couple of seconds as he bit back his tears. He found himself presented with an undeniable fact, one that had been true all along but which was possible for him to realize only just now. He loved his little sister, this tiny, impulsive and at times dumb as a rock girl Kimiko, he loved her so much that he all of a sudden did not know what to do with it all. Naruto realized in that moment what overflowing with emotions meant, there was no way for him to channel it, no way to truly express how much the little girl now curled up in his lap as she hugged him meant to him in this moment. He was no longer alone, no he hadn't ever been it. For all this time, ever since she had first begun to harass him, she had been here, fumbling and clueless but nevertheless she had, with a loyalty and love firm as steel, been here for him.

“Thank you Kimiko...” he thought to himself, “I love you.” They were words he couldn't speak, things he perhaps never would be able to express, but Namikaze Naruto in this moment understood that he cared for her as much as he ever had cared for anything or anyone. He'd do anything for her, he could shamelessly admit that right now.

The brother and sister remained like that, holding onto each other for a long time, Kimiko being clueless about what she had taught her brother in that moment.

____________________________________

With all that had happened recently Naruto had had ample opportunities so test his strengths and map out his weaknesses. Months on the move while searching for Oto and not the least that last, terrible battle, had tested him to his limits. Naruto had built up a complete picture of his abilities and weaknesses during his Oto travels. One in particular had stood out, a glaring weakness that hurt his eyes to behold. His swordplay. Even with the Kusanagi no Tsurugi in his possession he was little more than a novice with the sword.

This was why he had taken this leave as a chance to begin frequenting training field 101, the training field that had sprung up close to the Tsubaki district, a large forest, more open and spacious than the others. It was a perfect place to put himself through his kenjutsu drills. Fortunately, he had a perfect ally in teaching him. At the moment, Naruto and Kimimaro had both pulled off their jackets to free their torsos and arms so they could move as freely as possible. They needed it, both of them were moving in ways no human would be able to, the pale bone-wielding last of the Kaguya, now one of the Tsubaki, had just dodged under a swift slash from his opponent, crouching far enough down that there were barely two feet between the sword passing over him and the very ground. Countering with a swift ascent and a stab towards Naruto's side, he found his attack thwarted by Naruto putting one hand on his and using it as leverage, one he needed only very little of, to leap over him. Kimimaro reversed the grip however and leaped after, the two of them ending up mid-air where Naruto kicked towards Kimimaro's face, the leg blurring in the last second and then coming suddenly from the other direction thanks to a bindingly fast twist of the knee. Kimimaro avoided it, leaning his head further back than any human could, and the kick passed over his head. Using the momentum he had, Kimimaro rotated backwards and kicked upwards, a bone spike shooting out of his foot and nearly piercing Naruto's head. Kicking away, Naruto separated from Kimimaro and the two of them landed several meters from each other, Naruto swiftly raising his sword in front of him and Kimimaro twirling his two shorter bone blades around.

“Well?” Naruto asked now, singular beads of sweat having begun to appear on his brow. Kimimaro caught his swords and brought them to a halt now.

“You have progressed well Naruto-sama,” the pale boy said with a voice as soft as always, “There is a flow to your attacks now, I only see a few of the thousand tiny mistakes you made in the beginning.” Naruto nodded at his opponent's words. Retrieving his scabbard, he sheathed the Kusanagi and bowed to Kimimaro, who returned the bow.

“Good.” Naruto said thoughtfully, putting the Kusanagi into his belt. “And as I have said before Kimimaro-kun, your only limiter is your disease. How are things progressing for you?”

“They are progressing well.” Kimimaro absorbed his two short swords into his body. “Tsunade-sama told me that they are considering many different treatment methods. Even if they do not work out, the medicine she's made for me will give me up to five more years.” Naruto looked at Kimimaro, almost chuckling at his fatalism. Even now the boy clung to his unemotional, resigned look on things. It was cathartic to watch however, with the death of Anko only a few days behind him it was somehow calming to see someone who faced his oncoming death with such zen-like grace.

However it was with that though, that was not why he was here. Naruto now held the Kusanagi horizontally in front of him, letting his index finger run only a single millimetre over the blade. When he reached the end however he flicked his finger at the tip of the sword, sending a single note resonating, shivering through the air. After this, he sheathed the Kusanagi, the blade still ringing.

“Let us do it once more,” he said, letting one hand slowly wrap itself lightly around the scabbard, his thumb pushing the sword out of the scabbard by only a single inch. Kimimaro nodded wordlessly, obediently doing as his master said. For despite his oaths given to Konoha and the respect he felt in front of the seemingly godlike Hokage, Naruto-sama was still his master, now and forever, as Kimimaro had sworn. Two slender swords came out from his wrists again, right into his hands, and Kimimaro held up them both, greeting Naruto with his swords and Naruto did the same, The next second both of them moved, with a speed only select few in Konoha could hope to equal they threw themselves at each other, Naruto being the first to attack thanks to his greater reach. His attack was a wide, blindingly fast such which saw the Kusanagi move out of the scabbard and in an arc that would have cut Kimimaro diagonally in two, from one hit up to the other shoulder. Yet, Kimimaro avoided, throwing himself under the arc of the sword and stabbed at Naruto's chest. Something happened though, when there were only inches left to Naruto's aorta, the biggest of all the arteries in the body, his eyes widened, his fingers turned numb which left his swords to fall from his hands and all of a sudden vertigo hit him, a savage one which sent him crashing into the ground without any control. Naruto skid to a halt, sheathing the Kusanagi in the process, and looked back to see a heaving, panting Kimimaro lie prone on the ground several meters away, trying to push himself off it. His swords lay discarded and he was utterly out of the fight, incapacitated.

“That, as someone said, will have to be called a success,” Naruto said, walking over to Kimimaro. The last of the Kaguya did not remain prone for too long. Already when Naruto came over to him he had gotten to one knee and despite shivering heavily he soon came up on his feet.

"What... what was that Naruto-sama?" the young boy asked, wiping his mouth with one sleeve.

"I have no name for it." Naruto said, he was not going to let go of any information on his latest creation to anyone. What it did was to make Kusanagi vibrate at a high frequency, too high to be heard by the human ear. This chakra-created vibration would affect the inner ear of anyone who was close enough to hear it, roughly a foot at most, and would make them lose all sense of balance. a trivial little technique really, some basic understanding of ninjutsu, anatomy and physics and thus a new technique was born. Admittedly it was not he who had come up with the concept however, the idea had come from one Tsubaki Dosu's sound projecting device on the special gauntlet he wore. Said gauntlet had the same effect, albeit via a slightly different method. It had inspired Naruto to create this, now nameless, technique. He looked forwards to continuing to develop it, his battle with Suigetsu had pointed out that he needed to grow as a swordsman, The Kusanagi currently sheathed at his hip was a masterpiece, an artefact as powerful the most legendary of swords, and it would be wasteful to not use it to its fullest extent. "Never the less, I have manhandled you enough for today. I thank you for your help Kimimaro-san, it was valuable." Taking a deep breath, Kimimaro straightened up and bowed at him despite still being dizzy.

"It was my honour Naruto-sama,” he said, Naruto idly thinking to himself what a two-dimensional character the man was. Almost totally bereft of emotions beyond uncertainty and satisfaction at his duty, utterly submissive and completely uninterested in anything but previously mentioned subservience. Surely there had to be something below that exterior, some quirk, habit or interest. Maybe a fondness for origami? a preference for a certain sort of underwear? Why not an obsession with looking pretty? The image of Kimimaro came unbidden, an image of Kimimaro lying on his stomach on the bed with his legs crossed in the air behind him and with a nail file in his hands. Naruto caught himself now, realizing what he thought about and decided that yes, he must have inhaled something at the lab recently.

He noticed something in the corner of his eye now. Something was near, standing a distance away between two large trees, semi-hidden as it looked at them. Not expecting to see anyone else here, he reacted powerfully. Finely honed instincts activated him fully and the Kusanagi came out, Naruto pointing it towards the hidden figure and extending the blade. Kimimaro only first now noticed and turned his head towards the hidden figure just as the Kusanagi grew and shot towards the figure, the blade stopping as it crashed into the tree and pierced it, only inches from slicing through the watcher's head.

A small shriek of fright came from the watcher and first now Naruto saw who it were. To his surprise, it was Isaribi who had shrieked, the sword having buried through the tree right next to her jugular. Beside her, Juugo stood with wide eyes. He hadn't had time to react.

“Unwise to sneak up on me like that,” Naruto said, not showing that he felt somewhat embarrassed at the moment. He was still in Konoha he reminded himself, why this hair-trigger temper? Retracting the Kusanagi's blade, he sheathed the sword quickly.

“Uhm... sorry,” Isaribi said, still somewhat pale. Getting out from beside the now pierced tree, the girl was breathing a bit quicker and her voice shook a bit, “I, well, me and Juugo-san heard you were here, we just wanted to say hi.”

“Yes,” Naruto said now, “it has been a while, has it not?” Considering how they had travelled together, only the two of them for a good while it could be seen as somewhat cold of him the fact that he hadn't even talked with them since they got to Konoha. “I see that your treatments are progressing well,” he continued now, pointing at his cheekbone to clarify. This perked Isaribi up, evidently she was overjoyed to be rid of the Kaima transformation.

“Yes, really,” she said happily, “Tsunade-sensei tells me I'll be rid of it within a few more months.” Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. Now there was an optimistic estimate. As Isaribi and Juugo came up to them Naruto decided to ask.

“May I examine it?” he asked and Isaribi nodded. She trusted him enough to let him do that. With a furrowed brow Naruto leaned in now, raising his hand and examining the girl. Prodding at the skin around the scales still noticeable, he could feel the skin around the edges being much softer. What exactly had Tsunade come up with? It felt as if she had cut it out at the source, stopping Isaribi's body from producing the cartilage that made up the scales and instead letting the skin grow back as the scales were gradually worn out. “Fascinating...” he said to himself, “next time you see her,” he now told Isaribi as he ceased his examination and stood up straight again, “give Tsunade-sensei my regards, this is a true achievement on her part.” Isaribi smiled and nodded, a smile showing her utter joy over being rid of the scales. “And what about you Juugo-san?” Naruto continued, “You were integrated into a team I've heard, how is that going?” Unlike Kimimaro, who was off active duty for the time being to recover, Juugo had been placed with a Jonin. Having informed them of Juugo's ability and its mental side-effects, Naruto had been pleased to hear that the administration had taken measures to ensure that the Jonin he was with would be able to handle it. He didn't know who it was however.

“It's going great actually,” Juugo said, “I was a bit worried at first, my contact person has a genin team but it works out perfectly.”

“Who is your contact person?” Naruto asked now.

“Maito Gai-san,” Juugo revealed and Naruto nodded. It made sense really, the green beast of Konoha was as much a juggernaut as Juugo ever could hope to become. If Juugo ever snapped Naruto could only see Gai taking him on without hesitation, enjoying it massively to boot. The man was a juggernaut, absurdly strong, frighteningly skilled and with a will of pure titanium alloy.

“How have you found him to be thus far?” Naruto asked, while he found the choice sensible he knew that many people, idiots mainly, would be unable to look past the man's eccentricities. His philosophy of “youthfulness” made him a running gag to many of the more cretinous Konoha villagers but Naruto had no problem with the man. As he had once said to Anko: the man was no more of an idiot than the other villagers and at least he had a world view that was his and he stuck to it.

“He's... very passionate,” Juugo begun uncertainly, Naruto raising an eyebrow.

“Meaning?” he asked and Juugo grinned awkwardly.

“Well, the first thing he did was tell his genin to watch from afar and then order me to transform fully,” he explained, “He said he would not accept me unless I showed him everything I could do. I transformed, everything faded to red and when I woke up I was lying in the hospital with bandages all over. The first thing I saw was Gai-san hobble past the room I was in with one leg in a cast and a crutch, a bandaged head and a his other arm in a sling as Tsunade-sensei was chasing him, screaming about how she'd “smash his idiot brain out of his empty head”. I think she was wielding an entire vending machine too.” Naruto couldn't help but smile slightly at this.

“It seems your reputation preceded you Juugo-san,” he said, “I've never heard of Maito-san being that eager before.”

“Others said the same too,” Juugo admitted, looking somewhat pensive about the whole thing, “I was pretty worried enough, it didn't feel right that the first thing I'd do was to show that side of me to my contact person. I was almost about to ask to be suspended from shinobi service.”

“Really?” Naruto asked and Juugo nodded.

“Gai-san talked me out of it however,” he said, “He and his team came and visited me during the day. One of the boys, Rock Lee-san, said that he was looking forwards to fighting me too one day.” Juugo got something awkward in his smile now, yet he also seemed happy. “Gai-san promised me that he'd make sure I never slipped again and that he looked forwards to teaching me controlling it.”

“The man is like that,” Naruto said, “One could put him in front of a rockslide and his first reaction would be to see if he could stop it with his bare hands by smashing the rocks aside. The worst part is that I am not sure he would fail either. But you are happy with the team?” Juugo nodded.

“Yes, very much so,” he said, “The genin are great kids and they have a fantastic teacher. I'm happy to be part of their group.” Naruto felt for some reason like something almost welled over inside him now. Part of their group huh? Forcing himself to seem impassive, Naruto never the less felt a sense of triumph, of contentment, that Juugo had been so accepted. “Oh, also,” Juugo said now, “One of the genin, Rock Lee-san, said that you had helped him as well with his chakra.”

“Ah, yes, that case.” Naruto remembered it well, he and Tsunade-sensei had managed to work together to an astonishing degree on that case. When the woman wasn't focused on delegating everything on her table or drinking herself silly she was brilliant to say the least. “The boy was born with a severe case of chakra arrhythmia,” Naruto begun the story. “His chakra was, to put it simply, impossible for him to get a hold of. Ninjutsu and genjutsu both were impossible for him to use. He was studying at the academy but had no real chance of mastering any of the academy three jutsu and thereby wouldn't have been able to graduate. Tsunade-sensei and I worked together in an attempt to stabilize his chakra network. I suppose one could call what we achieved a success, he was given a series of seals tattooed on him which help stabilize his chakra network enough that he can use the academy three. Still, that's the extent of what he can use, we came no further with it.”

“That's not “just” I'd say,” Juugo commented and Naruto shrugged.

“Perhaps,” he said, “our goal was to give him full functionality, as it stands the only help we gave him was giving him the ability to pass the genin exams.”

“Wasn't that the goal?” Isaribi asked.

“No,” Naruto said, “I never base my projects around a real life scenario, I aim at general achievements. In that case, the goal was to habilitate him so he could use his chakra network fully.”

“Uhm,” Isaribi said now, “Sorry but what does habilitate mean?” Naruto felt a small tinge of irritation but chose not to acknowledge it. She was just a child after all.

“You know what rehabilitate is?” Naruto asked, Isairbi nodding. “Rehabilitate is restoring someone to normal condition. Habilitate is when normal condition never existed. What we are doing with you is rehabilitation, restore you. What we did with Rock Lee was habilitation, give him a skill he was born without. From that perspective it was only a qualified success, we did help him graduate but his chakra network is still underdeveloped and will remain stunted.”

“That seems sort of harsh,” Juugo said, “he is a ninja now and he can become a successful one by specializing in taijutsu, right?”

“That would be like saying my treatment was a success simply because I've gotten five more years,” Kimimaro cut in now, “Isn't that the case Naruto-sama?” he asked, “Yes I will live longer, but I'm still going to die ahead of my time. A real success is achieved first when it is complete, when I will live to die at the same age as others.”

“Much like that, yes,” Naruto said, noticing that Kimimaro was quickly comprehending his mindset, “What we learned with Rock Lee became too tailor-made for any further applications. If we had achieved a real success we could have used that technique for others as well, as it is we'll have to tailor it from scratch for every new patient, that's not an efficient method.” He noticed now that Isaribi listened very closely. There was a look of focus in her eyes, she didn't just listen but she outright devoured his words. Naruto realized with no small sense of triumph that the girl had come to idolize both him and Tsunade-sensei. The two people who had saved her, cured her from that damned Kaima curse, obviously that was idol material. Should he perhaps direct her towards the labs? Or why not towards the medical corps? Either was possible and the front line shinobi got plenty enough people anyhow. “Part of it is that we are always understaffed,” he said now, “most of our personnel comes via the students who fail the final academy tests, making us a second-rate field of work. Many promising people leave the shinobi services altogether rather than being second-rate and constantly reminded of their great failure. Being out in the field is the only “real” shinobi work, what we do is something they give to occupy the losers.” Yes, he hated that system and had repeatedly requested changes to it. Thus far nothing had happened however.

“That's stupid!” Isaribi exclaimed now. “So stabbing someone is considered better than healing them?” Naruto shrugged, seeing how upset it made her.

“Konoha is a military village,” he said, “We are defined by our mercenary work and military capacity. That's what makes the five great villages great. Still, that very reality is what Hokage-sama tries to change.”

“I heard of that,” Kimimaro said, “But I have yet to see what he actually has done. There's a lot of talk but I feel as though his achievements are supposed to be obvious.”

“Other than making Suna an ally of Konoha's, negotiating a full non-aggression treaty with Kumo and, most recently, absorbing the remnants of Oto into Konoha?” Naruto said the last part with some amusement in his voice, “Many kages would have been happy to slit all your throats and call it a day.”

“Kumo of all villages?” Juugo asked, “All I've heard says their kage is the most belligerent man there is, that he respects only strength.”

“Nine years ago Kumo used peace negotiations as a pretext for trying to kidnap the heiress of the Hyuuga clan Hyuuga Hinata,” Naruto told them. “The ambassador/kidnapper was killed and Kumo used that as an excuse for demanding the killer to be handed over, the killer being Hyuuga Hinata's father and the head of the Hyuuga clan.”

“What?!” Juugo asked, “Wait, so they wanted him to be handed over for defending his daughter against a kidnapping attempt?! What kind of... what?!” The man was speechless.

“The laws were on their side,” Naruto said, “The man WAS protected by diplomatic immunity and Kumo spun it very well.”

“So what happened?” Isaribi asked.

“The short version is that Hokage-sama went to Kumokagure on his own and beat up the entire village,” Naruto chuckled, realizing fully how absurdly powerful that made Minato. The man was a living god indeed, having added “Konoha's Golden War God” to the list of monikers after that. “I was not there but as I've understood it he took out a hundred shinobi within instants, defeated two jinchuuriki and proceeded to beat the Raikage until the man was unable to even stand,” he elaborated, seeing how even Kimimaro was awestruck by it.

“That is the most incredible thing I've ever heard of,” Kimimaro said. “If it was not you who said it Naruto-sama I would assume the man who said it was lying.”

“I know,” Naruto said, “the man seems to enjoy doing the impossible. He hasn't been too open with it and prefers that it isn't mentioned. He means that there's no reason to keep reminding the Raikage of his humiliating defeat.”

“How graceful,” Kimimaro said, “I would not have let him live for that insult.”

“The man tried to kidnap a child and earns that treatment.” Juugo seemed no more enthused by it.

“It is for Hokage-sama's dream of peace,” Naruto said, “He means that it will only come if we can be graceful enough to let things that doesn't really matter slide.” The conversation was cut off somewhat now when Juugo's stomach suddenly growled, almost roared even. Naruto blinked and looked at him. “hungry?” he asked, Juugo turning bright red.

“Uhm...” he begun awkwardly, Isaribi beginning to giggle.

“Come on Juugo-san,” she said now, grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him towards the Tsubaki district, “let's get you something to eat. Oh, would you like to eat dinner with us Naruto-sama?” She asked now, stopping and looking back at Naruto. Naruto didn't find the idea all that appealing. More socializing... ugh. He had a book waiting for him at home.

“I wouldn't want to impose,” he begun, Kimimaro of all people answering him to that.

“You will not impose,” he said softly, “Guren-dono made it clear that you're always welcome, no matter when. You would be an honoured guest.” Right, there we had Kimimaro's ever so slightly more outlandish trait. He was sticking to his idolization of Naruto even now. Naruto found himself wondering how easy it would be to convince the man to for example sleep with him. Not that he would ask that obviously, but it was an interesting thought experiment to consider. Just how far went the man's adoration of him? Also Naruto thought, that settled it, he really must have gotten affected by some strange chemical.

“I find myself without excuses then,” he said with a slight bit of humour in his voice. That was the case, he was outmanoeuvred and had no way to say no politely, yet he still took it in good humour. Following the group towards the district, he kept up the conversation about this and that, being cut off however as they actually neared the district.

Something was going on at the Tsubaki district, they could all hear screaming and cursing. They sped up somewhat, hurrying to the district to see what was going on and the very first thing that became visible when they got there could be simply described as chaos. At least ten people were at the moment slugging it out in a battle royale-style wrestling match in the middle of the street, several more people cheering, and around the entire spectacle more people were chasing each other, Naruto noticing the girl who seemed to be in the lead of it all.

Namikaze Kimiko.

Holding what looked like Dosu's sound projector in her arms, the girl was doing her best to avoid her pursuers, Zaku and Dosu, tossing it to the side with a yell of “Sa-chan, catch!” and the device did fly straight into the waiting arms of one of the former Fuuma kids, Tsubaki Sasame. This girl, a willowy, red-haired girl, danced away from Kin's attempt to grab her and weaved to the side to dash past her. Naruto found himself staring at the entire thing, almost absently instant-moving up to Kimiko and grabbing her head.

He didn't mean to, but he inadvertently leaked out some killing intent, putting pressure enough on his surroundings that the entire riot stopped in five seconds straight, people all looking in his direction. Breathing slowly and carefully, Naruto turned his hand in order to make Kimiko face him. His sister obeyed, having a somewhat terrified look on her face.

“How long have you been here?” Naruto asked calmly in the silence that had arisen, almost eerily so. Kimiko blinked in response, not getting him at first.

“Uhm... hi oniisan... uhm... thirty minutes?” she said after a while, giving him a wide, frantic grin in an attempt to alleviate the mood. It didn't work.

“And in those thirty minutes, Namikaze Kimiko, you have managed to cause a complete and utter ruckus,” he said evenly, once again failing to comprehend this little girl. How did she do it? Did she have a natural talent for causing complete and utter chaos!? Forget about the bijuu in her, they should weaponize this ability!

“Uhm... well...” Kimiko was starting to cold sweat now, he could see it.

“Give me that!” he heard Dosu yell from across the street, the boy having used the chance to tear his sound projector from Sasame's hands.

“You, Namikaze Kimiko, are a natural disaster.” Naruto told his sister, equally much awed at the chaos she had created and exasperated at it “They should issue public warnings when you're out and about! What exactly where you doing this time?”

“Uhm... Dosu-kun was being mean about that sound-thingy on his arm, he said it made him better than any of us,” Naruto was about to groan right there. It seemed that Dosu would learn today that to his sister, that was a challenge of epic proportions.

“And then,” he continued evenly.

“Well... me and Sa-chan decided we were gonna try to take it from him,” his sister continued explaining, “Just a little bit, just to teach him a lesson!” she added quickly when seeing the look on Naruto's face.

“And the fight here?” Naruto pressed.

“Well, uhm Kidoumaru-san grabbed hold of Sasame when we were running and threw her to the ground and then Hanzaki-san punched him in the face and it kinda just grew from there.” Naruto wanted to crawl under a rock and die from shame. Was there nothing his little sister couldn't make an unholy mess of? Standing up, he noticed that most of the clan had turned to look at them and Naruto pointed for Kimiko to look at them. When she had reluctantly turned towards them he bowed, making sure to push Kimiko's head down so she bowed as well.

“People of the Tsubaki clan...” he said now, know that if he could he would have been bright red in the face right now, “on behalf of my sister I most sincerely apologize for her behaviour.” Now someone landed in front of them, having leapt from a nearby rooftop, and when Naruto looked up it turned out to be Guren, who stood up now with a smile on her face.

“Your apology is appreciated Naruto-sama,” she said formally, standing in front of her clan with arms folded, “Dosu!” she commanded now, the boy startling a bit before he stepped out and came up to Guren's side. “Arrogance is a character flaw you can do without,” she told him, “and your remark was impolite, especially to a guest.”

“Hey, she started it!” Dosu begun, Guren silencing him with one glare.

“And you are old enough that such a remark is unbecoming of you,” she told him, Dosu eventually looking away with an angry scowl before he bowed his head.

“I'm sorry,” he said tersely, Naruto seeing how he hated doing it.

“I'm sorry too,” Kimiko said, “even if you are a dum...” Now Naruto slapped her over the head, making the girl flinch and keep her mouth shut.

“None of that,” he warned her, “besides, you should go home for dinner.”

“Not quite,” Guren said now, “I've already spoken with Kushina-san and she said she would not mind if Kimiko ate here at all. Dinner starts in five minutes.” Naruto felt a sense of dread now, realizing how badly this might turn out. He had seen what the average Tsubaki breakfast was like, with soup pots crammed down over peoples' heads and fights breaking out. He dreaded to say the least what could come if Kimiko was allowed to be present during a whole dinner, Kimiko however shone up and dashed away from him towards the main building.

“I take no responsibility for what happens now,” he told Guren as the Tsubaki clan members all broke up, heading for the dining room. Guren smiled.

“We can handle a hundred lunatics,” she told him, “I think one more can be handled.” Naruto shook his head.

“I will hold you to that...” he warned her before they as well headed towards the dining room.

____________________________________

Two hours later, with the entire debacle over with and with a minimum of casualties, Naruto and Guren both sat on the porch of Guren's house, the sun setting in the west. Naruto was leaning against one of the pillars with a somewhat exhausted look on his face and Guren had dug out a jar of saké she had opened and put between them along with a pair of cups they were drinking out of now.

“Your sister really is adorable,” Guren said after she had taken a sip. Naruto sighed, admitting to himself the dinner had gone not terribly wrong at least. Kimiko had fit in with the clan like she'd been born into it and yes, he did mean that in the worst possible way. Still, he had managed to keep her at least somewhat restrained, exhausting as it had been. Still... taking a sip from his saké, he looked towards the setting sun.

“She is to idiots what her father is to shinobi,” he said, “at times she seems to be almost retarded, she has no concept of considering her actions before performing them and seems to mainline sugar and caffeine both.” With that, he took a sip from his saké as well, remembering Anko's last birthday as he did so. “Yet despite that I love her,” he finished. He was through denying it to himself. After that evening three days ago Naruto had decided that his life was too fragile and too short to not make sure to clearly define where those he cared for stood with him. Still, he hadn't turned into a complete sap and he wasn't going to run around declaring his love for people left and right. Besides if he even mentioned it to Kimiko she'd become even more insufferable. Guren smiled at him.

“If you don't mind me saying so,” she begun, “you seem so much more calm now.”

“I am,” Naruto said, “it still hurts when I think of Anko, yet now I can find strength in it, purpose. You want to know the most absurd part?” he asked and Guren nodded, “all it took was for that little midget to come over to my apartment and give me a hug.” He had expected Guren to laugh, but she didn't.

“I know the feeling,” the woman said, “a pair of weeks ago Isaribi embraced me for the first time. I loved her before, yet when she did that, when I really felt her in my arms, it was as if it only became so much stronger, so much clearer. I was floating on small clouds that entire evening.”

“I've been wondering if there is some way to physically measure the effects of being embraced,” Naruto said now. “It seems to have quite large effects and it would be interesting to see if it can be mapped out.”

“We're a fine pair of weirdos aren't we?” Guren said suddenly with a small chuckle, “Sitting here and being in awe over what a hug can mean.”

“You're right,” Naruto said, remembering himself, “this is getting outright saccharine,” he said dryly and poured himself some more saké, “let us switch subject before I develop diabetes.” Guren cackled with amusement at this remark and nodded.

“Yes, let's.” she smiled, “Yes by the way, I came to think of it, when you said that about measuring the effects of a hug.”

“Yes?” Naruto asked her.

“Isn't that ever in the way for you?” Guren asked him as she leaned back, supporting herself with her arms, “It feels like no matter what you see you want to measure, examine, define and categorize it. It feels to me like you're losing something, that you can't see the sunset because you are too busy to think of all the tiny details that it consists of.”

“On the contrary,” Naruto said, “I think I only appreciate it even more now that I know what it truly is.”

“How do you mean?”

“I could explain,” Naruto said, “but it would end up with me ranting.”

“I don't mind,” Guren said and Naruto nodded.

“Do not say I did not warn you,” he said dryly before beginning. “Far beyond the sky, across an endless void of utter nothingness, rages an eternal conflagration, an orb of light, bigger than our minds ever can comprehend. It is so hot that the matter it consists of is turned into plasma, the stuff of thunderbolts and flames. This plasma is created at the core of this titanic thing, at temperatures so hot the entire world would be annihilated if even a tiny speck of this core touched our atmosphere.” Naruto now wet his throat with some saké and paused for a pair of seconds looking at the sun.

“From the core,” he continued after a while, “this light and energy takes hundreds of thousands of years to slowly reach the surface of this giant. From there, it hurls itself out into space at such speeds that only Hokage-sama's jutsu comes anywhere near it. An eternal wind of solar energy, carrying with it such power that if we could harness it we would be gods. It impacts with our world at immense speeds, layer upon layer of protection, magnetic fields, different parts of the atmosphere etcetera being the only thing that makes this world inhabitable and not scorched by this endless barrage. Right now, the sun is red not because it has changed colour, but because of the angle the light strikes our world, this changes the wavelength of the light, changing the colour of it.” Now, for some effect, he dipped his finger into his saké, grasping it with chakra and creating a small drop of saké in the air, drawing a ring around it with some more saké.

“Our world spins around this giant orb of plasma,” he said, indicating the ring around the orb, “the direction we face determining whether we see a giant orb of light in the sky,” he now drew a line from the circle to the orb in the middle, “or if we stare out away from the sun,” now he drew a final line away from it all, “When we do, we stare out into an endlessly vast eternity, filled with millions upon millions of titanic flames as fierce as our own sun, yet who are so far away they seem only like twinkling pinpricks of light to us.” Looking at Guren, who he could tell was listening from the awake look in her eyes, he nodded, “You see “the sun”, I see all that.” He let that be the finish to his little rant and channelled the liquid back into his cup before he took another sip of saké.

“All of a sudden I feel so inadequate,” Guren said with a small chuckle, “Like I'm making myself wilfully blind to the true magic of the world.”

“You are,” Naruto said, “or, not wilfully,” he corrected himself, “but many times people would rather stick their fingers in their ears and start shouting if someone tells them that the sun is not some deity but rather something vastly different. They are the reason I'm so antisocial.”

“Can't say I blame you,” Guren conceded.

“Good thing you're not me,” Naruto said, “Despite all that I've said, I still find humans the most fascinating of all things that exist, as well as the most frustrating. Now, tell me of the Tsubaki clan, how is it all going?”

“You did want to get out of here before tomorrow, right?” Guren asked him, “Don't ask me to talk about the clan, I'll never stop.”

“I took two minutes to just spit out what the sun is to me,” Naruto reminded her, “Fire away, today seems to be the day of the rant.”

“I would be lying if I said it was going flawlessly,” Guren told him, “Many of the people here are still scarred by what Orochimaru did to them, at times even what they themselves did to others or to themselves. You know the fights that break out all the time? They're only partially about the petty things they break out over. I'm working like crazy to make it all work. You remember what your sister said about Hanzaki punching Kidoumaru? He and the former Fuuma clan members are terrified that anything will happen to Sasame, she's the only one left of their leader's family, their little princess, and many times what is just some rough-housing by the others appear like an assault on her to them.”

“Yet there seems to be some progress at least,” Naruto said, “For example, I never would have imagined Tayuya gaining a crush on Namiashi-san.

“Neither would I,” Guren smiled, “But I fear the worst is yet to come there. Do you know what happened to her?” Naruto shook his head.

“Something traumatic, that's all I know.”

“Her father sexually abused her,” Guren said, “she was ten years old when he began, only days after her mother's death. Eventually he started whoring her out to his friends.” Naruto listened in silence. How terrible. No wonder the girl carried herself with such hostility. “She eventually killed him,” Guren continued, “Him and three of her “clients”. Kidoumaru was a circus freak, being paraded around as an “it” to laugh at. Sakon and Ukon were thought to be a demon child and constantly abused because of it, the reason Ukon sleeps all the time is brain damage, he cannot be active more than short periods. Jiroubou was thrown out of his family onto the streets for being too hungry all the time. Kimimaro was locked in a cell most of his youth, his clan fearing his powers too much to him be free. They all carry such scars with them... and once again Tayuya, can you imagine if she ever tried to actually take a relationship to a physical level?”

“The vileness of human nature really is a self-perpetuating cycle,” Naruto said before taking another sip of saké. “Do you deal with this on your own?” he continued, seeing how Guren shook her head.

“Oh no,” she said, “I have much help from the medic nins, them and the fire temple.”

“Fire temple?” Naruto asked. That was a new one, he had always had very little to do with the monastic order that lived there. His scientific mindset and their spiritual mixed very poorly, leading to both sides staying away from each other. Guren nodded.

“I've gone there a few times to talk with the monks,” she told him, “I'm responsible for keeping a clan of suffering people together and help them get better but I'm not the most stable person myself. I go there for spiritual guidance I suppose you could say.” Naruto felt somewhat disappointed by this. How irrational... Yet it was not his place to criticize, not when he himself complained about how few were willing to understand his point of view.

“Has it worked?” he asked politely, Guren shrugging.

“I haven't snapped and killed anyone yet, so I guess it has.” Naruto found himself silently comparing the two. After all, he was talking to Rin, who was educated in psychology as a way to help her patients. Religious figures had been around to give moral guidance for centuries before that science even was defined. He supposed that even with an underlying philosophy as inaccurate and superstition-laden as the beliefs of the monks they did have centuries of trial-and-error experience in aiding people find peace. Also: if it worked for Guren he could just as well shut his mouth and be happy for her sake. “Can I ask a random question?” Guren suddenly asked, Naruto nodding. “Do you have any interest in women?” For a second Naruto only sat still, too surprised to answer. That wasn't a question he had expected, that was for sure.

“Interest meaning?” he asked, Guren just giving him a patient look.

“You tell me,” she said and Naruto furrowed his brow.

“I do appreciate the female form,” he said, “let's start there. Women are beautiful beings, they can be aesthetically pleasing, alluring, cute etcetera, they can possess an incredible spectrum of appeal. And yes, I do appreciate that. But does said beauty make me want to pounce them like a dog in heat?” he remembered the time four days ago and flinched. He still despised himself for that. “No,” he said frankly.

“Which woman in Konoha is the most beautiful then?” Guren asked now, Naruto was grateful she didn't bring that night up but he nevertheless gave her a dry glare.

“I should point out that you sound like an academy student asking the boy she has a crush on if he likes girls like her.” Guren responded with a snort now.

“I do don't I?” she chuckled, “let's call it an academic interest then.”

“Har, har, har,” Naruto said as dryly as he could and Guren grinned at him in return. “However I don't think of it like that,” he admitted now, “I see different traits which I may or may not find appealing depending on the mood or other factors. But if I would have to provide samples...” Naruto pondered this for a moment. “In the aesthetically pleasing category I have long found Yuuhi Kurenai appealing, it's her colours I think, raven hair, pale skin and those red eyes. It comes together with her lines and forms a quite exotic form of beauty, unique and complete in and of itself.”

“I've seen her,” Guren said, “I understand what you mean.”

“For alluring...” Naruto said now, smiling dryly after a moment. “You will laugh, but Utatane Koharu while she was young probably is the highest I can come to perfecting that ideal.”

“I don't know what she looked like then so I can't really say anything,” Guren shrugged, “but how do you mean?”

“I saw some old photos of her and I was struck by the dignity in her. It wasn't just something that came with old age, she and Mitokado Homura has always had it. A grace and dignity that gave their entire beings a distinct sort of appeal. Not sexual even though the lady in question wasn't lacking there either, but rather a form of sheer visual and charismatic appeal. Much like you in several ways I must say,” he added now, “the clan leader role agrees with you, you have a lot of charisma and the actual power you project has its appeal.”

“And cute?” Guren asked now, seemingly not too embarrassed by his words. Thank the gods for that, it would have made things awkward. .

“Cute is a harder one,” Naruto said, “it is wrapped up in so many psychological factors such as the protective instinct and all that... I suppose Hyuuga Hinata for a long time came close to the ideal I have there,” he said thoughtfully. When it came down to it, the demure and polite Hyuuga heiress was a perfect little lady, especially when she had been younger. It created this adorable contrast when she, only seven years old, would do all she could to ape her parents' graceful manners. She had grown so fast though that she was more moving towards actual beauty nowadays. The for her age well-developed female attributes the girl had these days did not mesh with the “cute” ideal.

“You've thought about this a lot haven't you?” Guren asked.

“I think about everything a lot,” Naruto admitted, “including what exactly I would seek for in an actual partner.”

“We get to the juicy details I hear.” Guren said now and Naruto shrugged.

“Not really, because I do not know,” he admitted, “what would it take to spark my interest? Intelligence? Perceptiveness? No, those are things I want in an assistant, not a lover. So to answer your question, I have no idea.” Guren snorted now, Naruto raising an eyebrow in response. The now mistress of the Tsubaki clan waved her hand now and shook her head.

“I'm sorry,” she said, “It was just so funny to hear. You can explain how the very sun works, you have all the categories of how someone can be attractive worked out, with examples. But you have no idea about what could make you love someone.” Naruto had to smile now, a slight bit awkwardly.

“I did say humans were the most frustrating of all beings,” he responded.

“That's as true as can be,” Guren said, “You know, only today I overheard some of my clansmen talk about what would happen if Kimimaro and I married.” Naruto raised an eyebrow at this now.

“Okay?”

“Yes,” she said, “the discussion eventually veered off into whether his or my bloodline ability would trump. Their conclusion was that it would be for the best to keep both bloodlines and therefore both Kimimaro and I should build up harems to create as many kids as possible.” Naruto groaned at this and Guren laughed, “I will assume from your reaction that it doesn't work that way.”

“No,” Naruto said, realizing he'd have to begin to rant again, “Plainly put, that's a stupid idea if I ever heard one. Let's say that Kimimaro gets ten wives and they each birth him five children. Sure, you will have a fifty children who might have the Shikotsumyaku, but then what? If they take wives and husbands outside the clan all you will end up with would be “the blood being spread too thin” so to speak, even within most bloodline clans the abilities tend to be recessive. For example not even all the Uchiha can develop the Sharingan, no matter how much they train. The Kaguya clan only had a few Shikotsumyaku users even at its peak. Your bloodline is not recorded anywhere, having appeared first now. The end result would be the bloodline ability vanishing even faster as more and more genetic material without those bits that create the bloodlines are brought into the family.”

“And what if they intermarried in the clan?” Naruto smiled dryly.

“They would be marrying their half-siblings, you'd have thorough inbreeding within a few generations. Each of the children would have identical Kaguya DNA, meaning that the hidden weaknesses and frailties in it would be even more present and powerful in the children as the parents both possessed these. There's a term called “Minimum viable population”, the amounts of individuals needed to ensure a species' survival in nature. It's usable with the bloodlines as well and plainly put, with only one individual left it is doomed to either extinction or at least obscurity, there simply isn't enough variation within the species', or clan's, DNA to make it a viable one.”

“I thought as much,” Guren said, “would it be possible to “scrub” the DNA so to speak? Identify and remove those bits that cause the weaknesses?”

“It'd be like emptying the sea with a ladle,” Naruto said, “only creating mutations such as mine is a massive job and then there was already a set series of bits to be implemented, trial and error having determined the consequences. Here there's an entire set of DNA to decode fundamentally and then replace every single faulty bit within it. That is the sort of challenges that would take centuries to complete, centuries under which the entirety of that clan would be test subjects.”

“Right, never mind that then,” Guren said. Naruto knew just as well as her how little anyone in the Tsubaki clan would accept that. They had only just now left Otogakure and did not want to go back to that kind of existence.

The evening passed like that, Naruto and Guren talking about whatever came up as the sun set in the west and dusk turned to night. In the end, as the stars twinkled overhead and the skies were clear, Naruto decided it was time to go home. Yet before said his goodbyes and left, he asked Guren one final question.

“I am not the most perceptive man in some fields,” he begun, so I hope you can forgive my frankness now.”

“Let's hear it,” Guren said.

“This evening,” he said, “Shall I consider it the formal recognition of our bond of friendship?” Guren blinked owlishly at this question and Naruto continued, “I am not one for noticing subtle changes and what this or that kind of treatment or interaction signifies. Also I take my friendships very seriously. So therefore I must ask.” Guren looked at him for a second and eventually she snapped her fingers.

“Give me your cup then,” she said and Naruto gave it to her. Guren poured up the last of the saké in the flask into them and handed him one. “To our friendship,” she said, raising her saké cup towards him.

“To our friendship,” Naruto smiled. Thank the gods for that, a clear statement. He wouldn't have to tiptoe around, uncertain of what this whole thing meant. Emptying the cup, he grimaced however, “though saké really needs to be drunken quickly before it goes bad.”

“Yeah this tasted terrible,” Guren said, “a lesson for next time?” she asked now.

“I wouldn't mind do this again.” Naruto said, “Next week, same time?” he asked and Guren nodded. With that, Naruto now said his goodbyes and headed home. He was in a thoughtful mood, strolling through the streets of Konoha with his gaze turned upwards. He made sure to take that darkest route home, watching the skies above him. The stars were sparkling above him, thousands of them, millions he couldn't see. Each of them one titanic ball of superheated plasma around, who knew, planets like this one might spin. It was a moment of introspection for him. The universe was so infinite, so endlessly vast, so where did that leave him, Konoha and indeed this entire world? a speck of dust upon a single grain of sand at most. Yet from where he stood now, it seemed like a giant tapestry, the sky, with the stars spread out over it like countless small pinpricked holes in said tapestry. Primitive cultures had believed the stars to be openings in the sky that showed the fires of the world of gods, the afterlife.

The afterlife, where Anko would be. How did it look, this curious place? Was it the garden paradise the teachings of the fire temple spoke of? Was it perhaps just endless silence and darkness? He'd never find out now, something he still felt an aching feeling over. Four days had passed, Naruto still feeling the pain fresh in his mind. Yet at the same time, it was manageable. He'd live, he'd continue his existence. He'd never forget Anko, nor stop missing her, but he would not let her death destroy him. Indeed, if she could he had no doubt she'd have haunted him if he had broken down. He could envision her standing by his bedside, kicking at him and telling him to go out and get laid or something.

Was it too sudden? Finding resolution in only four days? Somehow it felt as if he did something wrong, that he wasn't properly grieving to be resolved so fast. Then again, who decided how fast or how slow grief was dealt with? Anko kept messing with his head even in death it seemed, Naruto found himself envisioning how his dear friend made a rude face at him and grinned widely. Smiling sadly, he decided to go home. It was time to let go of this, go back to the rest of his life.

“Goodbye Anko,” he said to himself, deciding to let this one small moment of irrationality pass.

Chapter Text

As Naruto walked in through the door to the labs, his week on leave over, he felt the smells of disinfectant and chemicals keenly, smiling to himself. Yes, this was where he belonged. It was good to be back. Despite the things that had happened in these latest days this was where he belonged and he headed for his office as soon as possible, bumping into Kabuto on the way. The young boy was happy to see him, he could tell that from his face.

“Sensei!” he said, “It's good to see you again.”

“It's good to be back,” Naruto said, “what have I missed?”

“Not that much,” Kabuto said, “there's been quite a lot of correspondence for you, I've processed it to the best of my abilities however, there were some letters demanding an instant answer.”

“Let's take a look at those,” Naruto said, Kabuto nodding and the two of them heading to his office. Wandering inside, Naruto saw that the place was still in immaculate order. Good, he hated messes and if it had been messed up he'd have to punish someone. The pile of mail however was nearly two feet high and Naruto sighed, going for the small pile consisting of the copies of the important letters. “Let's see here,” he begun, “the Aburame asking for lab access?”

“They had some issues with diseases amongst their kikaichuu and requested to use our labs to find the source,” Kabuto said, “I let epsilon team work with them.”

“Reasonable,” Naruto said, “Specialized Treatment Research update.”

“Most of it was about Kimimaro-san as you can tell sensei,” Kabuto clarified, “I let them proceed with their suggestions.”

“Yes,” Naruto said, “but inform them that I'd advise a greater focus on the bone marrow.”

“It shall be done,” Kabuto said, Naruto now having gone to the third mail. He stopped as he read this however, blinking a couple of times.

“What the hell is this?” he asked, holding up the mail for Kabuto to see.

“Hokage-sama has decided to broaden the scope of recruitment for the labs sir,” Kabuto said cheerily, “If we approved of it we could recruit directly from the academy instead of only getting to pick from the ones who flunked.”

“I'm talking about the thing he asked in return,” Naruto said coldly, all of a sudden feeling how he got so tired. Holding out the paper to Kabuto, he continued, “Fifth paragraph, fourth line.” Kabuto took the paper and looked at it, blinking for a couple of times before his face went from normal coloured to pale.

“Oh... uhm... well...” he begun.

“You missed that bit did you not?” Naruto asked softly, his voice having a lining of pure ice to it.

“I...I...” Kabuto's face was going towards green now, the boy looking utterly terrified and somewhat ill. “I have no excuses sensei...” he croaked after a while, bowing deeply to Naruto.

“I suppose I'll have to look at the bright side,” Naruto said icily, “You've just proved that I should never allow you to be in charge of anything. What time is it?” Naruto threw a quick look at the clock and frowned even deeper, “Oh look, if we head out right bloody now we will be just in time. Call for Karin, we leave.” Naruto said that with a snarl in his voice, stalking past Kabuto.

____________________________________

Five minutes later Naruto walked through Konoha towards his destination with a scowl on his face. He had wanted to be more accepted in Konoha, true. Yet, this specific part he hadn't anticipated as a result of succeeding in this. Mainly because it was stupid. Yes, that was a good word for it. Walking up towards the shinobi academy with Kabuto and Karin flanking him, he found himself nearly muttering to himself. For one damn week he had been out of office, one single week, and in that short time his usually premier apprentice had managed to miss something that now bound him to one of the most asinine tasks he ever had agreed to.

“You don't have to do this Naruto-sama,” Karin said beside him as they walked up through the gates to the academy, the girl was mortally offended that he had to do this. “This is below your dignity,” she said, looking at the large academy building as if it was something foul, “We can cover for you on this... thing.” she said, the contempt dripping off her words.

“Our response said I would and thus I will,” Naruto cut her off as he glared at the building himself. “My word is not negotiable and I do not plan to change that, despite what's happened.” The curse of keeping an ethical position was that sometimes the things you had to do were... not distasteful, that wasn't the right word. The right word had already been found, namely stupid.

“Who knows,” Kabuto said with a small, forced smile. Naruto had a hard time telling if he was glib, tried to be genuinely optimistic or just tried to make the best out to the massive mistake he had done. “It might become a valuable experience.” he began, Naruto shooting him a lethal glare.

“Yes, having to sift through a group of barely-literate little whelps whose only interest is trying to find the sharp edge of a kunai will indeed be an experience worth its weight in diamonds. And to also find someone amongst them with a mind high enough above the amoeba stage that dragging them around the laboratories for the upcoming weeks will not result in a rage-induced self-lobotomy? Oh that will be an even more precious experience,” Naruto drawled, the venom marinating his every word. Kabuto flinched at his words and Karin gave him a dry glare. Idly noting down that he would have to subtly encourage Karin to think for herself and not just agree with all he said, Naruto saw the teacher of the class he was to see stand by the building entrance. Umino Iruka stood with his arms crossed by the entrance, looking up to see Naruto just now. He smiled, a gesture Naruto couldn't reciprocate.

“Good day Naruto-san,” he said with a polite cheer when Naruto came up. The son of the Hokage nodded in response but otherwise didn't move a single muscle, only walked into the building with Iruka right beside him. “I've gathered the students for you in the lecture hall.” the teacher continued.

“Then let's get this over with,” Naruto said as he walked down the halls of the academy, looking around idle. He was about to add a remark about how he had more enjoyable things to do, like a multiple root canal. Still, he managed to abstain from it, realizing that would be too petty. “Who should I be especially wary of?” he asked instead, Iruka looking at him in confusion. “Amongst the students.” he clarified, “which are the reasonable ones and which are nothing but loud, obnoxious gremlins?”

“...N-none of them,” Iruka said. He was taken aback by Naruto's words “They are children. Of course some of them can be troublesome but I wouldn't call them gremlins...” Naruto gave him a dry glare now. The rational part of his mind pointed out that Iruka, as a teacher, couldn't walk around and badmouth his students, that would go against his ethics. Naruto stopped himself now before he wished that Iruka didn't have said ethics. Did this whole thing really irk him far enough that he wished people lacked morals to make it more convenient for him? It did, didn't it? How vexing.

Arriving by the lecture hall, Naruto heard the cacophony from inside it and felt his stomach churn. These loud-mouthed, obnoxious wastes of space... and he had to find a temporary apprentice amongst them.... Naruto didn't want to do this, he wanted to leave this building and not return. He didn't want to have anything to do with these whelps! Opening the door and walking into the room, Naruto looked at the whelps where they sat lined up. Thirty-two of them all in all, sitting in rows of eight. Most of them seemed bored out of their minds, some of them where sleeping. There weren't even a single one of the Tsubaki-clan children here, at least they would have paid attention. Naruto sighed internally. This wouldn't be fun at all. At least Kimiko wasn't there, the girl already having chosen to keep up the extra classes as he had mandated. Walking up to the podium with Karin and Kabuto flanking him, Naruto cleared his throat to get the kids' attention.

He didn't. A few of the kids looked at him but most of them didn't even seem to notice him. Naruto looked at the students for one second, realizing that heavier measures were called for. With one swirling movement of his wrist, Naruto summoned Kusanagi. Unlike his master's method of storing the blade, a giant snake rising out of the mouth who in turn spat out the blade, Naruto preferred the “less is more” route. This storage method might not have the sheer horrifying effect that his master had, but it brought the sword into his hand in one instant. The blade ended up in a backhand grip and with a blur of motion Naruto vanished from his position as the Kusanagi began to sing. It's one-note whine echoed through the air in a lighting-fast staccato and several of the students ended up jumping in their seats as something flew past them. Naruto then reappeared only a moment later at the exact same spot, sheathing the blade. The students who hadn't paid attention now realized that the notebook in front of them, each of them, was cut neatly in half, not a single scratch on neither the table nor any of them, not even those who had had their hands on it.

“Now perhaps we can pay attention,” Naruto said acerbically, holding the Kusanagi and its scabbard in front of him as he sheathed the sword. This time he got the attention. The students all kept their eyes firmly at him, none of them daring to even look away. Naruto now stood straight.

“For you who don't know it,” he began, “I am Namikaze Naruto, head of the Research and Development division of Konoha's shinobi forces. Ours is the division who tackle the more abstract and indirect challenges the shinobi of Konoha face in the line of duty. To take examples from amongst us: imagine that a clan like the Inuzuka were enemies of Konoha. If such were the case, there's a substance that can be extracted from common chocolate that is lethal to dogs and which could give Konoha an edge. If the Nara clan were our enemies, perhaps specialized light bombs could be used to undo the shadows their jutsu use? If we would fight the Hyuuga, would there be a way to counter their byakugan, create “fake” chakra signatures that makes their dojutsu limited in its usefulness? This is the purview of our division. Many imagine that solutions like that are thought up in the heat of battle, split-second solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems. They rarely are. Instead, a Konoha shinobi in such situations retreat, bring back the information to Konoha and if there is no currently available tactic we are the ones who tackle the problem, investigate it and find out the solution of the specific challenge. We create the weapons that carries Konoha's shinobi to victory.”

A hand came up in the air now, a brown-haired young boy Naruto didn't recognize.

“My dad says that weapons doesn't matter, that it's all about your ability.” Naruto twitched at this. Obviously. The very first word out of the mouths of these whelps was a clumsy attempt to make him look like a fool.

“Is that so?” he asked mildly, “Then please, tell your father to either leave his ninja tools at home during his missions from now on or stop lying. Ninja wires, explosive tags, soldier pills, smoke bombs etc. Those are staples of what shinobi do, the tools that makes him able to do his job as well as he does. Believing that equipment doesn't matter is at best naivete and at worst idiocy. Yes, the fourth Hokage is known for his special shunshin, but without the specialized kunai through which he can use it it would be a meaningless jutsu. Everything from weapons to drugs enhance the performance of Konoha shinobi, we are the ones who create that and we know one thing, nothing is impossible IF you have the right tools.”

”So like,” one of the girls at the back rows said, Naruto looking towards her. ”a love potion or something like that, is that possible?” she asked, Naruto only staring at her for one second. In one instant, he had become one molecule's width from leaving the room that instant in disgust. Love potion. Of all the asinine, infantile, idiotic tripe-ideas possible they had to pick that! In one second, Naruto came to hate the entire class, hate the Hokage who had decided on this thing, hate Kabuto for getting him into this and himself for being here. He wanted to kill someone, preferably that girl or even more preferably, himself.

To his immense surprise however, another of the girls raised her hand now. After one second he recognized her, it as Haruno Sakura, one of Kimiko's friends. When most of the class sat with their eyes focused on him, waiting to hear if it was possible, Sakura it seemed already had a comment on it. At least he hoped so, if she had something even more asinine to come with he'd really have to kill himself he felt.

“Did you have an answer for that, Haruno-san?” he asked calmly despite feeling on the verge of being murderous. Sakura took down her hand and nodded.

“Love potions...” she begun, “From what I've heard they're impossible to make.” Naruto only barely managed to feel a small ray of hope at this. Begging that it would be rewarded he motioned for her to continue. Sakura swallowed, “Love potions is about creating a made-up attraction in someone towards someone else. But love is very complex, you can't really direct it just like that. Even if you could, would it really be love, or just mind-control, making a person addicted to someone else like to a drug? You could make something like that, but it wouldn't be love, just enslavement.”

Naruto blinked now once, twice, and ended up looking straight at the girl. Her explanation was spot on! Perfect even! She deconstructed the basic premise, pointed out the logical flaws and wrapped it up with the ethical implications. Suddenly this entire class seemed like a much better idea. Had this little girl hidden that brain all this time? Naruto found himself eager now, eager to see what that girl hid. It could be a fluke, she could be quoting, he had to know.

“Quite right Haruno-san.” he said, seeing how Sakura sat a little straighter at this. “Though, there are some options in that general direction. Are you familiar with any?” Sakura was given a bit of pause at this, sitting still and furrowing her brow. Naruto looked straight at her, hoping to himself she could deliver. “Let us see what you have Haruno.” he thought, “Amaze me, show me there is such a thing as a knowledgeable mind in this cesspool.”

“Well...” Sakura begun, “pheromones could work like that, the chemicals could make people consider someone more attractive... Aphrodisiacs, stuff like drugs and the likes that make people more...” Sakura blushed fiercely now and Naruto decided to be merciful.

“I understand,” he said, internally smiling to himself. For several minutes he continued now, throwing out questions on a wide variety of topics, yet all of them demanding that someone could think well. Admittedly, some of the other students could give decent answers but Haruno Sakura, every time he asked her, had an answer that made him want to smile. What a find, what a precious little find. “Now, before I go I have one question for you.” he said after half an hour. “a while ago, in the course of duty, I fought an opponent capable of turning into water. I defeated him with caesium. Whom amongst you understand how I did it from that fact? Naruto looked around and only one hand shot up into the air. It was Haruno's. Naruto nodded. “Thank you for your attention, I know it must have been hard to give.” he said, finishing off with a slightly snide remark that seemed to fly over the heads of most of the whelps in the room. As he left however, he found himself smiling. This had gone much, much better than he ever could have even dreamed. Karin and Kabuto followed him out and Karin closed the door, leaving a large group of kids who instantly begun to talk amongst themselves when they were gone. Naruto slowly shook his head at this.

Iruka met him in the corridor, surprised at his early exit if the look on his face was anything to judge from. It might be that or the smile currently having settled on Naruto's face though.

“Already done Naruto-san?” he asked, Naruto nodding.

“I noticed one of the students, Haruno Sakura,” Naruto said now, stopping in front of Iruka. “Would you care to enlighten me on your opinion of her and also her grades?”

“Sakura?” Iruka begun, “She's a lovely little girl, she's top in the class in most theoretical exams and she's got a razor sharp mind.”

“But?” Naruto asked.

“She tends to focus too much on that aspect,” Iruka admitted, “her taijutsu is somewhat lacking and her physique could be better.”

“Meaning an untrained, weak bookworm?” Naruto asked, seeing once more how Iruka flinched at this harsh description. “I was the same,” Naruto said now, “it wasn't an insult to her, merely an analysis.” Naruto was already pondering and it all pointed in one direction for him. “I want that girl,” he said now, “”I want her at the labs as soon as possible. She is much too intelligent to be wasted as a plain shinobi grunt.”

“I'll see what I can do...” Iruka begun, Naruto shaking his head.

“That is not good enough,” Naruto said. “She will come to the labs. Do this, and I will remember it.” Reaching up to put one hand on Iruka's shoulder, Naruto looked him straight in the eyes. “Give her to me Iruka-sensei,” he said steadily. “You claim to want the best for your students, are you then going to throw her out into shinobi service when her talents mean she's much more suited somewhere else? Send her somewhere were she cannot reach her full potential? Give her to me.” Naruto, for the first time in he didn't know how long, felt an almost manic desire to get his hands on that girl. He could see that she was brilliant, her mind was genuinely sharp, dedicated to analysis and problem-solving. This unspoiled mind ripe for shaping, he had to get his hands on her! She could become an asset on the level of Karin and Kabuto, he knew it!

Iruka seemed to almost cold-sweat, Naruto knew well of his antipathy towards him. Iruka feared him, considered him cold, unreadable and ruthless, an Itachi without the hundred percent certainty of loyalty that Itachi had.

“I will see what I can do.” Iruka said once again, “I cannot promise anything, but I will make sure to do whatever I can.” Naruto slowly nodded. That would have to do. Letting go of Iruka, he gave him a small bow and walked past him, heading for the exit. The smile was still on his face and he looked towards Kabuto.

“I stand corrected.” he told the first of his assistants, “Something good really did come out of this. Something very good indeed.” little Haruno Sakura, what immense luck he had laid eyes on her. His department still struggled, yet every new brilliant mind would be another reason for the Hokage to increase funding, and that little girl would be one truly fine feather in his hat.

____________________________________

Sakura looked around herself with the anxiety slowly mounting. She didn't feel a little out of place here, standing in the entrance of the Konoha Research and Development. The foyer was empty at the moment and she was treated to the sight of empty corridors, white painted walls and a staircase to her right. They had said someone was gonna meet her here, but thus far nobody had come to see her. After a while she begun to slowly walk into the building, looking around herself. For being a high-tech lab it seemed almost stark. All the doors were closed so she didn't really see anything. Was there even anyone here?

That question got answered, with a massive interest, when a door about five meters ahead of her blew off its hinges, being launched into the wall and hitting it with a crash drowned by the explosion rocking the building. Sakura screamed, loosed her footing and landed on her ass. Black smoke came pouring out of the room now, along with several stumbling men in labcoats. Some of them were coughing. Sakura only stared at the scene, seeing how the last man who came out was a younger man, a few years older than her, with silver hair now blackened, a soot-covered face and broken glasses. Shaking his head and absently slapping one hand against the left ear, he looked up and came to lock gazes with her. Sakura, still shocked, ended up staring stupidly at him. Then, a smile spread over his face and he walked up to her.

“Ah, good day Haruno-san.” he said with a cheer in his voice very much at odds with his ravaged appearance. “We've been expecting you.” he continued, offering her his hand to help her up, “Please, come with me.” he said. “Naruto-sensei is eager to see you.”

Sakura stared at the still smoking young man with wide eyes, wondering exactly where she had come. Yet, after a while she extended her hand as well and was helped to her feet, Kabuto giving him a sunny smile.

“My apologies for the mess.” he said when Sakura had stood up, “We've been working on pretty volatile experiment lately..”

“No really?!” Something asked inside Sakura, “you've still got bits of you sizzling you lunatic!” Too well behaved to say that outright however, Sakura only stared in shock at first.

“Uhm... “Kabuto-san.” she begun, “You... you're kind of.... burning!” she exclaimed eventually, pointing at the man's shoulder where a small flame still clung to him. Kabuto looked to the side and first now realized that the small flame still was there. With a quick pat he extinguished it however.

“Ah, sorry about that.” he said sheepishly. “I'm still a little bit dizzy to be honest.”

“Sh... should I call the medic-nins?” Sakura asked, Kabuto waving his hands dismissively.

“No worries.” he said, “We had all the proper safety precautions in place. The explosion was just a bit more volatile than we expected. It really looks worse than it is.”

“But... but...” Sakura said, dumb-struck by the entire thing. What was this?!

“I've come to a madhouse!” The small voice inside her screamed and she was seriously considering bolting for the exit. Kabuto only kept smiling however.

“Now, instead of standing here, let me take you to see Naruto-sensei.” he said, motioning for the stairs. Sakura looked from the stairs, back to him and then a quick glance towards the exit. Perhaps... if she ran really fast...

“Do it!” that thing inside her yelled. But in the end she didn't however, knowing that skipping out of this would send her grades through the floor most probably. So she smiled, making sure to hide the look of anxiety on her face, and ended up following the still somewhat smoking Kabuto up the stairs and to the second floor. She tried to ignore the smell of smoke around him as Kabuto showed him to the far end of the second floor and the door there. Kabuto gave a quick knock on the door and a voice soon came from inside .

“Come in.” it said and Kabuto opened, giving Sakura a look of the laboratory that was inside, a small, neat place with several giant blackboards along the walls and some chairs and a table at one end, a large bench along the other. The blackboards were filled with scribbles of all kinds and in the middle of the room, in front of the central blackboard, Namikaze Naruto was standing with his back to the doorway and was apparently looking at the blackboard, one arm folded over the chest supporting his other arm, which was holding the hand in front of his face.

“I take it from the explosion you succeeded.” he said and Sakura didn't know what to do now, standing at the entrance with a sheepish feeling. One part anxious and one part really eager. This was Namikaze Naruto! The man said to be the most intelligent man in Konoha! She felt like she had so many questions but couldn't think of any of them. Instead, she stood silent as Kabuto closed the door behind them.

“One might say I did sensei.” Kabuto answered cheerfully, “Also, look who came to see us.” At this Naruto looked back, his serpentine gaze falling on Sakura which rendered her instantly paralysed. She didn't know what to do now, stood like an idiot at first. In the end, basic sense prevailed and she could at least give a bow.

“H-Haruno Sakura reporting for the apprenticeship trials,” she managed to push out, suddenly feeling very small. Kimiko's older brother really was handsome but he was also, very, very scary. She now was surprised however, when Naruto smiled. It wasn't really a scary smile either, it almost seemed normal.

“I've been expecting you, Haruno-san,” he said, turning to face Sakura. “Welcome to Research and Development. I hope my...” Naruto looked at Kabuto now and got a patient look on his face before loudly patting his shoulder, looking at Kabuto dryly. Kabuto flinched and with a sheepish look on his face he slapped out another fire on his shoulder. “...sizzling assistant hasn't put you off too much,” he continued, “We have a lot to discuss, you and I,” he continued. “Please, have a seat,” he said, showing Sakura one of the chairs by the table. Sakura, still a bit apprehensive but at least relieved by the pleasant greeting, sat down by the table.

____________________________________

Naruto found himself in a shamelessly good mood after the meeting with Haruno Sakura. His estimates had been correct. The girl was indeed very sharp. For her age, she was perceptive and had a very good head for numbers and estimates. The vital curiosity was there as well, marginalized as it was. Naruto was quite convinced that if anyone were to be blamed for the more asinine traits Sakura had shown it should be Yamanaka Ino. a reluctance to physically train too much due to fear of becoming too muscular, an exaggerated concern for her appearance, an obsession with whatever her favourite boy of the hour would be doing at the moment. Naruto found himself much more accepting of Kimiko's more infantile sides after the nearly hour long talk had been over.

Still, that didn't change it that she was a great little find. As Naruto sat in his small office, behind the desk in his comfortable chair, currently reviewing today's data, he realized he was still smiling. What a lovely little find. With her asinine sides soon squashed and her mind turned to the benefits of a more rational world-view, he would have a great little potential assistant.

Training his own assistant from scratch, what a strange idea. He hadn't expected to think of such things that fast. He was still young after all. But when thinking about it... it made sense after all. Why delay it? It would take a lot of his time, true, but not so much that he'd be totally disabled as a scientist. What more, Kabuto and Karin could most probably take care of the legwork, he would only have to be there during the critical phases.

Looking out of the window towards the forest outside, Naruto thought about it. Otokakure had been lost and the labs he had hoped to use were now gone. Barring the lab underneath Konoha of course, that small but well-cut gem still remained. But other than that... he had failed there and now it was time to move on. Sakura, meanwhile, was something he found purely by chance. If he didn't take the chance now she'd end up as a front-line shinobi, perhaps even dying in the line of duty. No, that couldn't be allowed to happen. Things had even cooled down somewhat at the labs. Finding more effective ways to produce explosive tags, smoke bombs and the likes was run-of-the-mill work that held few real surprises. The time really was perfect for Sakura to come onto the stage.

Oh what irony, had he not noticed her, what then? She would have gone onto her shinobi career, perhaps dying, perhaps becoming an average, unremarkable shinobi. Naruto knew that despite what everyone might say, it was the front-line shinobi that mattered, the other divisions were where the losers, the cripples and the unsuitable ended up. Medic nins were somewhat higher ranked, nobody talked down to Torture and Interrogation due to the sheer animal fear they generated. However groups like Research and Development and the Cryptoanalysis teams? They were hardly even considered proper shinobi. Understanding and discovering that which was hidden was only good for one thing, supporting the front-line shinobi who went out on missions.

However it was with that, for now he had other things to focus on. Kabuto's successes with the experiments today was a good step forwards. Explosive tags were a staple of the shinobi craft, there were many things you could do with a heavy explosive. Yet, they were expensive, one tag costed approximately a hundred ryo when counting man-hours, materials and so on. If the project they currently worked on was successful then they could cut that price down by sixty percent, to only forty ryo. It didn't seem much but over a year Konoha used about fifty thousand tags, meaning 5 000 000 ryo were lost replacing them. Saving 3 000 000 ryo annually was very much worth it, especially in the long term perspective. If the other tools were made more cost-effective too – Soldier pills costed over 300 ryo each and smoke bombs 10 – then Konoha might save somewhere around 20 000 000 ryo every year. That was a good payment even for an S-class shinobi in the bingo book.

Yet, it wasn't a dramatic, manly struggle of life and death, and therefore the most he and his subordinates would get would be a pat on the head and a “good work”. Bah... His achievements in the field of battle had earned him some personal respect in Konoha but the many brilliant assistants and scientists he had under him counted for nothing. More and more he thought about it, realizing that he still chafed under Konoha. Being ethical did indeed have its drawbacks, especially when there were so few tangible benefits.

From darkness to darkness, why was he in such a dark mood now all of a sudden? This was a good moment, he had found a great future assistant, and his work was proceeding smoothly. Why now more than ever did Konoha seem to rankle him? Naruto dug out a pen and paper now out of his desk to start to make some sketches on what lay ahead in his seemingly current big project, Haruno Sakura. That gave him more peace of mind, a focused goal to strive towards. The first goal was to strip her of her infantile traits. Her reluctance of physical training was one great hurdle, what could he use to work around that? Unlike his master, he was reluctant to break her by force. He'd rather trick her into learning, brute force was and remained the recourse of those who couldn't come up with a better route. Obviously enthusiasm was the best, but how to teach when the student didn't want to be taught, as was the case with Haruno Sakura's physical reluctance?

Naruto smiled wickedly to himself. a little known fact about building muscles was that not only did it not shrink women's bust size (unless it was taken to the kind of levels only Maito Gai bothered with) but building the pectoral muscles could even make the bust seem somewhat larger as the fat depots that the bust were were pushed further out by the increase in muscle mass. Along with some suitable dietary requirements foisted onto her she'd both attain a much higher level of healthiness as well as be given a good way to be motivated though the possible bust increase. Naruto could tell her minute bust was a source of embarrassment for her. Obviously it was utterly preposterous for a twelve-year-old to expect to have any sort of bust at all, but it would motivate her.

Naruto chuckled to himself when realizing that he was sitting here thinking about how to trick a little girl into exercising and eating properly in the hopes of building a larger bust. Was he perhaps starting to show signs of developing his master's perverse outlook on things? This really showed what a bizarre mindset he had grown. Still though, she mustn't find out it was his actual plan. Instead, by giving her a few assignments in that direction it should work out the way he wanted to. With the girl developing a healthy body for a healthy mind they could proceed from there. If she turned out to be a genuine asset perhaps, just perhaps, he could even make her his apprentice...make her to him what he had been to Orochimaru.

Naruto mentally stopped there, knowing that he was being too hasty. One thing at a time, Haruno Sakura might even turn out to be a waste of time, too caught up in her infantile chase after boys to realize her full potential. There was no way of knowing really even though Naruto would fight tooth and nail to not let that become the case. He looked at the picture of Haruno Sakura that was included in her folder. What he had seen a glimpse of already when at the academy and which had been revealed to be an outright beacon of intelligence couldn't be allowed to vanish out into the field service.

“You'll be mine Haruno Sakura,” he muttered to himself absently, finding himself unable to even consider letting her go.

____________________________________

Life sucked!

That was the only thing Namikaze Kimiko could say to describe it as she stared angrily on the small wooden stick that balanced horizontally on her finger. Of all the things she had expected when applying for these extra classes this was not it. The latest weeks she had had to spend two hours every day with trying to, in Iruka-sensei's words “Make the stick spin without touching it or moving your finger.”

Yeah, that was what she did for hours on end these days, making sticks spin. Or wait, she didn't. She had stared at the blasted thing for a week now and thus far the only thing she had gotten was headaches and several cracked sticks. Sure she knew what she was meant to do, that wasn't the issue, the issue was that as soon as she tried to funnel chakra into the stupid thing it snapped cleanly in half!

Sitting outside the school, under the tree with the swing, she tried to focus on how exactly she was going to do it. Iruka-sensei stood a few meters behind her with his arms folded and his back against the tree, she was keenly aware of the demon's presence. Scowling at the stick, she tried one more time. With all the care she was able to muster, Kimiko funnelled a small amount of chakra into the stick again, watching as it started to tremble.

Hey, that was good, that she hadn't been able to accomplish before. Focusing as hard on the stick as she could, Kimiko watched it intently... only to have it shoot off the finger and nail her straight between the eyes. Kimiko yelped and fell backwards, clutching her forehead.

“Looks like it was a good idea we didn't do this the traditional way and used senbon needles,” Iruka remarked and Kimiko, currently feeling tears running down her face from the pain, felt embarrassed enough to die. Not enough that she had to suffer through this, her tormentor Iruka-sensei was the one to see it!

Kimiko knew that he had hated her from the first day. She had been told right off the bat that he wasn't going to go easy on her just because she was the Hokage's daughter and proceeded to yell at her for every little thing that happened. And now she was stuck with him teaching her all this... Stupid Iruka-sensei with his stupid scarface and smug attitude, stupid..... stupid meanie! Getting up again, Kimiko took up the stick and put it on her finger again. At least she could balance it decently now, it had only taken her three weeks of practice.

“Consider the possibilities to do it another way,” Iruka supplied now, still smiling at her.

“How would I do that?” Kimiko asked and Iruka shrugged with an “I don't know” look on his face.

“Do you have any ideas?” Iruka asked and Kimiko twitched. What kind of stupid sensei was he?! Wasn't he meant to know this? Iruka-baka!

“How would I know?!” she snapped now, “You're the sensei! I came to you because I don't know this!” Even through this Iruka kept smiling.

“Tell me Kimiko, what are you trying to do?”

“Are you kidding me!?” Kimiko got up on her feet and begun to flail at him. Iruka had to put out one hand to hold her back and did so effortlessly. “Stupid, stupid sensei!” Kimiko yelled, “You told me to do this, have you already forgotten or what?!”

“No I know very well what you're doing,” Iruka answered her, still being that calm. “But still, you tell me, in your words, what you're trying to do.” Kimiko stopped flailing now and turned around, folding her arms and refusing to look at him. If he was gonna be like this then forget it! She didn't have to do this, she could be actually learning something instead of being out here with a senile dummy of a sensei! “Kimiko-san,” Iruka continued after a second.

“I'm trying to make the stick spin,” she told her after a second in a petulant voice.

“Good, and how do you do that?” Iruka said, acting as if she had answered some really hard riddle.

“I'm channelling chakra into it to do it.”

“Why?” Iruka asked now, his arms folded as he leaned against the tree.

“Because that's how you make it spin?” Kimiko asked, looked at him with a sarcastically curious face.

“How would it do that?” Iruka asked her now, raising one finger. “Think closely Kimiko-san, this is important.” Important how?! She still didn't get anything. “Come on, try to explain how you're thinking.”

“Well the stick has to move, right?” she told him, frustrated beyond belief. “So you put chakra in it and make it spin somehow... I dunno, make the chakra move or something.”

“How?” Iruka asked, “It's in the stick, how do you control chakra that's left your body?”

“I don't... hey wait that's impossible!” Kimiko exclaimed with wide eyes. Pointing an accusatory finger at Iruka-sensei, she proceeded to chew him out as best as she could. “You've been just messing with me, haven't you!? This is revenge isn't it!?” Iruka only smiled however and picked out a small shuriken from his pouch which he balanced on his index finger. The shuriken begun to spin at high speed instantly.

“It's not impossible Kimiko-san,” he told her. “It's not the goal that is faulty, it's your method. Think again, what do you need to do to control chakra, how do you do it, what are the limitations?” Kimiko only stared at the sight, her brain furiously working. She wished she hadn't fallen asleep during those lessons now, if only they hadn't been that boring! Walking back and forth, she held her head in a gesture that had become almost the signum of her thinking furiously.

If Iruka-sensei was correct, he probably was anyhow... didn't that mean that...? But then it would.... or wait, was that the trick? But how would that...? Gah! Shaking her head, Kimiko wrestled with the thoughts, her mind flitting back and forth.

“Wait..,” she suddenly said... “Wait, wait!” she added after a second, her eyes wide and her body tensing up. Her mind still bobbed about a bit but she felt like she had it. Practically throwing herself on the stick, she plucked it up and was about to put it on her finger but stopped. Instead, she focused on her finger for a few seconds, not balancing the stick on it until after about a dozen seconds. Carefully she put it down and her face shone up at what happened next. The stick slowly, unevenly, begun to bobble around, making a circle. It wasn't an even circle and it wasn't any fast, but it still spun!

“Yes!” she squealed, the stick falling off her finger as she clenched her hands and punched into the air. “I got it!”

“Well done Kimiko-san!” Iruka said now. “So what was the trick?” he asked her, Kimiko turning around, Kimiko spinning around.

“I don't put the chakra into the stick,” she said, talking so fast that she stumbled over the word. “Instead I make like, a cushion of it on top of the finger and makes it spin, then when I put the stick on finger it follows along!”

“Exactly!” Iruka said. “That's the key to a lot of things, remember that!” Kimiko nodded eagerly. “The key is not to affect the item itself but how you interact with it,” Iruka continued, “If you master this you can climb trees with no hands, you can walk on water, you can do lots of things!”

“Walk on water?” Kimiko's mind had been brought to a screeching halt now and her face became one filled with amazement. Iruaka chuckled at this.

“Oh no Kimiko-san,” he said, “Don't even think about it, that's way beyond your level.”

“Oh come on Iruka-sensei!” Kimiko complained. “Come on, at least let me try, please?” She put her hands together in a pleading gesture. Iruka was adamant however.

“I don't think so,” he said, “I can however say that I think you're ready to try tree-climbing.”

“Please?” Kimiko gave him her best puppy-eyes but to no avail. Iruka shook his head.

“Before you've mastered tree-climbing there's no chance of you mastering water-walking anyhow.” he told her with a smile. “Tell you what though: you can go home now. Practice the spinning while you're home though, if you can get it to spin perfectly evenly within a week you might, just might, finish tree-climbing in time to try water-walking before you graduate.”

“Okay!” Kimiko said, immediately accepting. She'd spin that stick all night long if she had to! She bowed to Iruka “Thank you sensei!” she said before running off, looking back to wave her hand at Iruka.

Overjoyed at her success, she skipped home. This was great! Her earlier antipathy towards Iruka was gone (for now) and she now longed for the next session. Not to forget, her parents might perhaps give her a treat as a reward for this success! Perhaps even ramen... Kimiko giggled at the idea as she rounded a corner. As she did however she moved a bit too fast and turned too sharply to avoid bumping into the person that came around said corner. With a grunt of pain Kimiko bounced off the figure and fell to the ground. Angrily, she looked up to see who it was, her eyes going wide when she did. About four decimetres higher than her, with loose clothes and pale blonde hair, he was currently looking down at her with folded arms and snake-like eyes.

“Oniisan!” she said when she saw that it was her big brother. Kimiko pretty much bounced to her feet now, about to jump her brother. However she was stopped before she reached him, Naruto's hand stopped her via the face and she ended up standing there, on arm length's distance.

“And to think you're only six months away from graduating,” Naruto said, looking at her dryly. Kimiko didn't let that perturb her however, her oniisan was like that. Instead she only grinned at him, planning to surprise him.

“Wanna know what I learned today?” she asked, Naruto raising one eyebrow. Kimiko now grinned before realizing something. She didn't have the stick! Looking around in panic, she tried to find something else.

“Well?” Naruto asked patiently, Kimiko flinching. Damn it, she wanted to show her big brother what she had learned!

“I need a stick!” she exclaimed, looking around frantically. There was nothing here, not even a reasonably stick-like rock or something!

“What, did you learn to play fetch?” Naruto asked, his voice getting drier and drier. Kimiko felt the frustration now, eventually stomping at the ground in anger. Damn it! Why now of all times?! Naruto's hand landed on her head now and brought her to a stop. “I don't know what exactly is going on here,” he said as he leaned in next to her, “but don't you think there's a more constructive solution to this than to stomping around like a raging bull?” Kimiko calmed down now, her oniisan had that effect somehow, and begun to think through the entire thing. Sticks... where could she get that? After a while she realized where.

“I got it!” she exclaimed now, perking up as she thought of the dead trees close to the river. Breaking into a sprint, she begun to move towards it as fast as she could. She was too eager to show Naruto what she had learned to stand still. “Come on oniisan!” she yelled as she moved, turning around the nearest corner as she headed for the river.

The river wasn't far away, only a few blocks, and Kimiko got there quickly. Leaping over a small fence, she landed next to the path along the river and ran towards one of the dead trees. When she got there, she gave up a sound of triumph when she found a stick that was just big enough for her to use. As she held it up a voice came from above that made her startle.

“You really are strange,” her oniisan's voice said from above. Looking up, Kimiko saw him standing there, looking down at her with the same expression as usual. Leaping down from the tree, Naruto landed next to her and raised one eyebrow. “Well?” now Kimiko grinned and held up the stick on her finger. At the beginning it lay still but after a while she managed to make it move again, slowly, unsteadily, but still moving. Now Naruto showed a bit more reaction, both eyebrows rose and he seemed genuinely surprised.

“Whaddya think about that?” Kimiko asked, grinning widely. This was awesome! Her big brother was one of the smartest and strongest ninja there was and to manage to surprise him like this was awesome! If she could ever become half as good as her oniisan was then she'd be one of the best shinobi ever! Naruto looked at the spinning stick now, slowly nodding.

“Your sensei is skilled,” he said, Kimiko getting a tick on her forehead now. Her sensei? Was that it? She had worked her ass off to figure this out and all he had to say was that Iruka-sensei was skilled?! The disappointment was even more intense than she had expected and she ended up gritting her teeth. Her sensei was skilled... after all this, after all she had done he didn't even think of her! suddenly the tears begun to come. She clenched her hands and stared into the ground, so incredibly frustrated that her big brother didn't even care about how hard she had worked. In the end, she lashed out, threw the stick at him and stormed away, feeling the tears run down her face.

About a minute later she was sitting behind a tree by the river, facing it as she sat with her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She sat with a petulant scowl on her face, still angry on her big brother. After all she had gone through.... he didn't even care. Not one bit, when all she wanted was for him to praise her... he didn't even care. Now the tears begun to come again. That her big brother didn't even... Kimiko sniffled now, something that gave her position away. a few seconds later a shadow fell over her but Kimiko didn't look up. She didn't care.

“What exactly is the matter with you now?” a tired voice came from beside her, her big brother looking down at her from his position beside the tree, leaning against it.

“Go away!” Kimiko snapped, looking down into the water. Naruto only sighed, an explosive sigh followed by him sitting down by her side.

“Kimiko...” he said, his voice even. “Why are you like this? What exactly did I do now?”

“Go away!” Kimiko snapped again, “Go be with Iruka-sensei if you like him so much!”

“When you're done snapping at me,” Naruto said, calm as ever, “Then tell me why exactly you are like this. I don't get it. Why are you like this? What did I do to deserve this.”

“I worked for weeks on this!” Kimiko snapped now, her voice breaking a little, “I did as you said, I worked until my head hurt all the time! I even stopped being with Ino-chan and Sakura-chan just so I could figure this out! But you don't even care!”

“What do you...” Naruto asked now, “Are you this upset because I'm not I didn't praise you instead of your sensei?”

“I just...” Kimiko said now, the tears coming freely. “I just want you to be proud over me,” she sobbed, gritting her teeth in a desperate attempt to choke back the sadness. “I want to be as great as you, become a ninja as good as you... but you won't even tell me I've done well when I've done all I can...” She closed her eyes now and buried her face in her arms, not able to say anything more. After a while however she felt how Naruto's hand landed on her head, gently stroking her hair.

“Kimiko...” her big brother said, his voice calm now, even gentle. “Kimiko,” he begun again, “Do you believe I doubted your dedication to this? That I didn't think you'd throw yourself into this with all you had, give everything at every moment and never give up?” he asked. Kimiko looked up at him now, raising her head only a little to look at him through tear-filled eyes. She still wasn't happy, but she did look at him. Naruto knelt by her side, one hand on her head. “Kimiko, I know that you're doing everything you can,” he said, his slitted eyes looking straight into hers. “I know that you've not given up at all, that you keep struggling no matter how hard it is. Did you doubt that?”

Kimiko sniffled. She didn't know what her big brother meant by that but it kinda did seem like he was trying to say he was proud over her. She didn't know however and in the end she was honest.

“Then... can you say it?” she asked and looked up at him. She just needed to hear it, that what she did really mattered to him. Her parents had always supported her, Kimiko guessed they'd support her even if she tried to jump over a volcano. But not Naruto, he said what he meant, he was honest to her, didn't hide anything, and when he said she had done good it really meant she had. Naruto looked at her for a moment now and in the end he leaned in a bit further.

“You've risen to this challenge admirably Kimiko,” he said now, almost whispering. “You've done everything I could expect from you and when the time comes, that jutsu I'll teach you will be well deserved. I am proud over you Kimiko.” Kimiko's eyes watered now again and within a second she had thrown herself onto Naruto, embracing him as she sobbed, overjoyed that her brother actually cared. Naruto accepted the embrace and quietly stroked her over the hair. There they remained, hiding behind the tree and not being spotted by anyone else, a rarity indeed in Konoha. After about a minute Kimiko let go of him, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She grinned at her brother, a bit uncertain still, and Naruto gave her a wry look.

“Are you done now?” he asked, Kimiko nodding with a grin that only became wider now.

“Yep!” Kimiko said.

“Good,” Naruto said, getting up to his feet now. “Now show me once more,” he said, handing Kimiko a long, sharp needle. Kimiko now looked up at him with surprise in her eyes. What? But... that needle was sharp! She still remembered how she had hit herself between the eyes earlier today and her uncertain. “This is the traditional method Kimiko,” Naruto said, “In the life of a shinobi the least mistake will kill you. Are you saying you're not ready to become a real shinobi?” Now that Kimiko took exception too. Her eyes narrowed and she took the needle from his hand, balancing it on her finger and beginning to spin it within seconds. It still wobbled but it went a bit faster this time. Naruto nodded at Kimiko, who felt the sheer joy well up in her again. She did it! She really could do it! The joy in her channelled itself into effort and she focused, trying to make it spin faster and faster. And it did move faster, for half a second it even stopped wobbling, spinning instead straight and clear...

Right before it launched itself off her finger and straight towards her eyes, Naruto's hand catching in right before she got hit by it. Kimiko became frozen stiff now, the danger having passed before she could notice it. This left her paralysed and shocked only.

“It seems there's still a lot for you to learn,” her brother said, pocketing the needle with a quick twirl of his fingers. “Never the less, good work Kimiko,” he added, Kimiko feeling embarrassed and happy in equal measure. She grinned up at him again, Naruto giving her a small nod.

“You're the best oniisan!” she said, “Now I gotta go home, see you tomorrow!” she said before dashing off, leaving her brother behind. Her big brother remained standing there, looking at her as she left. After about ten seconds she had vanished around a corner, waving at him as she disappeared around it. Naruto meanwhile, calmly folded his arms and leaned against the tree beside him. With a dry smile, he spoke up.

“Did you want something Itachi-san?” He choice to remain standing where he was, not moving or even looking back at the ANBU commander standing behind the tree he was leaning against. He had sensed the man the instant he had arrived, getting a feeling Itachi wasn't trying to hide himself more than casually.

“I'm impressed by the growth of your young sister,” Itachi said, his voice as eerily calm as it always was. Naruto felt a sense of wariness now, knowing well what Itachi thought of him. He kept what he felt thoroughly hidden however and played it cool. Itachi wasn't going to kill him in broad daylight. The man evidently wanted something however and Naruto couldn't help but feeling a slight sense of curiosity at it. What did this man want and why bring up Kimiko?

“It would be stranger if she didn't grow,” he said neutrally.

“Yet so quickly,” Itachi said thoughtfully, “and all it took was you giving her a single nudge. The influence you can have on a human individual... it is amazing is it not?”

“If you know someone that well, yes.”

“If you know someone...” Itachi didn't seem like his usual self Naruto thought. There was something hidden in those words of his. A challenge? An accusation? A joke? An extended hand? He couldn't tell and in the end he decided to be frank about it.

“What did you want with me Itachi-san,” he said now. After all, being frank was his forte. Why not go on the path that had defined him thus far. “Thus far your main goal has been to find out if you have to kill me,” he reminded the man. “Has that changed? Why are we chatting?”

“Because I've come to suspect for quite some time now that your sister and my younger brother Sasuke have begun to develop... a less than platonic relationship.” Naruto blinked and for a few seconds he found himself standing still. Looking back to the corner where Kimiko had vanished, he looked back at Itachi and raised one eyebrow.

“We are talking,” he begun slowly, “I assume, about the girl who lives for eating ramen, being loud and cause an unholy mess wherever she goes.” This was... he didn't find words. What the hell was this man talking about? Had the ANBU commander gone insane?

“And the boy who has gone so far as to dress up as a nerd to deter girls showing an interest in him,” Itachi supplied. “I am no less surprised than you.”

“And this was relevant for me, how?” Naruto begun, “if anything, shouldn't you report this to her parents?” Really, how sappy did people think he was? Was the ANBU commander of Konoha planning to consider him Kimiko's caretaker from now on?

“I expected you to be someone who didn't acknowledge her existence,” Itachi said, “yet you are not only helping her grow as a shinobi, you even hold her. We are perhaps not as dissimilar as some would think. From one big brother to another, what will you do?”

“This is absurd...” Naruto begun. Two of Konoha's coldest were standing here discussing their younger siblings' romantic inclinations. What exactly had Itachi been smoking, it had to be hallucinogenic that was for sure. “I wash my hands of all of this,” Naruto continued, “Kimiko is doing enough to drive me up the walls as it is and I will not pretend to be capable of dictating where she turns her affections. Partially because it's too stupid and I do not need the migraine, furthermore it is none of my business.”

“I understand,” Itachi said, “my apologies for the inconvenience,” he got off the tree now and bowed slightly to Naruto, who found himself returning the courtesy. The next second however, the ANBU commander was gone, having moved on the spot and left without even Naruto being able to tell where he went. In plain sight he had managed to vanish from Naruto's perception utterly and Naruto found himself startled and even in awe. Looking around, he tried to spot any trace, no matter how minuscule, of where the man had gone.

Nothing. There was nothing in front of him. Itachi had vanished like smoke in the night. Naruto swallowed, not knowing if it was the casual and probably even unintended show of how easily Itachi could have killed him or the preposterous issue he had wanted to talk about that unsettled him more.

____________________________________

In the basement of Research and Development's building a sealed chamber lay. Reinforced with seals and heavy building materials both, it was a foreboding place rarely used these days. However, today it was in use. Haruno Sakura entered the said room with a somewhat awkward posture. She seemed uncomfortable in the white lab coat she just had been handed and seemed a bit like a scared little mouse as she looked around herself. The seals on the walls, floor and roof, the bubbling vats along the walls, the dim lighting, it all created an unsettling place that the little girl evidently found unplesant. From his position by table at the far end of the wall Naruto stood, his attention had at first been focused on the large, complex experiment in front of him however in the reflection in one of the flasks he saw that she still had her hair out freely. Idly thinking that he should give her some chance to discover that it was not a good idea in the labs herself before he remarked on it, he only motioned for her to come up to him without even looking at her at first. .

“Good day Haruno-san,” he said when she did come up to him, this time he took the time to look straight at her. Sakura bowing hurriedly in response. Her anxiety was very much evident from her fidgeting. Admittedly his piercing stare, directed straight at her, didn't help her calm down. That was fine, Naruto didn't intend for that to be the case.

“Good day Naruto-sensei,” she said respectfully, a bit of a quiver in her voice. At least her manners were impeccable. Couldn't Kimiko have those manners instead of being a hyperactive gnat? Naruto shrugged mentally at the pipe dream before getting to the task at hand. Today was Sakura's first lesson and Naruto had decided to take a page out of his dead master's book, he had decided to put her to the test. He needed to probe deeper into her, see what she mentally was made of. If she had what it took already from the beginning it would speed up things, he therefore had a little surprise for her today.

“I am sorry to delay your first class Haruno-san, but something has come up,” he told her now. “I must leave for half an hour. While I am gone, can you see to this experiment for me?” he indicated the contraption on the desk, a complex combination of glassware, tubes and several burners. “We are attempting to create a new type of smoke bomb and if this experiment pans out Konoha will benefit greatly,” Naruto explained as Sakura came up to it and looked at it, her eyes flitted across the contraption like a nervous hummingbird. She didn't understand the first thing of it.“Nothing must happen to it, understood?” he said sternly, Sakura nodding. “Good,” Naruto said. “Once again, I am sorry for delaying like this. I will be back in thirty minutes.” With that, he turned around and headed for the exit. His coat billowed behind him as he exited, closing the door behind him and leaving Sakura totally alone in the room. The girl watched him leave, anxiety evident even more than before and it only was aggravated when suddenly something happened at the door. a seal appeared in the middle of the door, spreading out across it in the shape of black lines of symbols. It wrapped itself around the wall relentlessly, almost like a spider's web, and at the end both the door and the wall around it was covered by the seals. Sakura was shut inside the room now, cut off from the rest of the world with no way whatsoever to escape.

Outside however, Naruto didn't walk up the stairs to the rest of the labs. Instead he walked into the door at the other end of the small basement he now was in. Opening it, he walked into the observation room there where Karin and Kabuto both already were seated, watching the one-way-glass panel that made up the wall between this one and the one Sakura was in.

“Fidgety little thing sensei,” Kabuto said with a smile as he saw him enter. “It will be interesting to see what she can do,” he continued, leaning back in the chair he was seated in.

“The line between optimism and stupidity went long before thinking that,” Karin scoffed, looking through the glass wall with contempt in her eyes. Unlike Kabuto she sat leaning forwards, her arms crossed on the table in front of her.

“Are you questioning my judgement Karin-san?” Naruto asked mildly, noticing how Karin flinched.

“N-no Naruto-sama!” she said hurriedly, “I just... I do not see why a whelp like this is worth your time,” she babbled, still afraid of Naruto's judgement.

“So why not then ask?” he continued just as mildly, “Now either you question my judgement, or you don't attempt to understand why I do what I do. And you know what Karin?” he asked, leaning towards her with his hands on the table. Karin's eyes were wide now, sweat breaking out as she realized she had offended him. Her heart was racing and she looked at him, paralysed by his glare. “I.” Naruto begun, “Do. Not. Need. a. Sycophant. As. My. Assistant.” he accentuated every word. “Stop grovelling, stop sucking up to me, stop agreeing with every last thing I say,” he told her, “use your mind, the analyses you make, not the ones you think I want you to make. I have as much use for toadies as I have for a third foot. Now start the experiment.” With that, Naruto took the third seat in the room, throwing up one foot to lean it on his knee as he watched from his position between his assistants. Karin seemed about to say something but Naruto threw up a hand to cut her off. “Don't,” he said, not looking at her. “For now, focus,” he said, forming the hand into a single finger pointing forwards, into the room.

“Starting in three, two, one,” Kabuto said, flipping the switch on a small remote in front of him. The action wasn't big, but it created a response in the other room. The large instrument on the table begun to slowly sizzle. From one of the flasks a small stream of smoke started blowing out. Sakura leaped into the air, yelping as she looked towards it. Kabuto at this actually gave up a small snort at the sight however any further merriment was quickly crushed when Naruto gave him a quick glare. Inside the main room the sizzling sound begun to mount, a whistling coming from it as a pair of the liquid-filled flasks begun to boil. Sakura stared at it in horror, looking around for a few seconds in panic.

Of course she was frightened, the experiment that she was told mustn't be damaged was currently starting to sputter and hiss like water thrown on a hot stove. She didn't know what it was and as it looked, it would soon explode. But how would she react? Would she flee in panic, throw herself at the door and cry to be let out? Would she try to stop it? What exactly would be Haruno Sakura's reaction to this? Naruto needed to know that before doing anything further with her.

As it looked, he was pleasantly surprised, seeing how Sakura eventually decided to act. Defying the sputtering, hissing infernal machine, she forced herself to approach it, her approaching cut short for a few seconds when one of the glasses exploded and made her jump back. Yet despite it, she still got up to it. Naruto could see that the smoke made her cough but she still tried, desperately, to understand it. The little girl forced herself, despite evidently being terrified, to do something, anything, with that kind of courage that made him wonder if she was that devoted or simply that thoughtless. Yet, what was she going to do? That thing was a self-sustaining system, it would burn itself out and end with a loud, but harmless, bang. a pity security glass cost a lot but then again, it was worth it. Sakura's hands ran over the system of bottles, flasks and burners, she frantically tried to make sense of it. Naruto could see how she bit her lower lip, blinking in the smoke and trembling of fear.

“She's terrified but still keeps going,” Kabuto said as Sakura's hands flew up to cover herself from another bursting flask. “I'm impressed.”

“She knows she has to stop it or choke to death before you get back,” Karin said, Naruto nodding.

“Being that rational in a situation like this is quite impressive for a twelve year old,” Naruto said, “What more, she hasn't attempted to simply destroy it all to stop it.”

“Good for her,” Kabuto said. They all knew that simply smashing the giant contraption would only result in an explosion that'd render her deaf for a week.

Inside the room Sakura kept struggling in fear and desperation, however now she begun to get more violent. She grabbed onto one of the hoses, tearing it off the flask it was on and directing the spray from it away from her. Holding her breath, she then proceeded to unplug it in another spot, then yet another, and when she reached the fourth Naruto actually sat up straight.

“Is she...” Naruto said, watching the whole thing intently. When Sakura then proceeded to shut off two of the burners but left the third one intact his eyes opened wide. She was! She was disarming the contraption, leaving the stabilizing agents going while unplugging the destabilizing ones! a wide smile spread on his face now, an incredulous and awed one, as the machine inside the room slowly begun to calm down. Sakura stumbled away from it, collapsing on all fours as she coughed. Only six minutes and thirty-two seconds into the trial Sakura had amazed Naruto and he got out of his chair, heading for the door at once to see his new assistant trainee.

Opening the door to the lab, he felt the stench of chemicals and watched the prone, coughing form of Haruno Sakura. She shivered, was wet from chemicals that had splashed over her and cut a pitiable figure indeed. Yet she had succeeded, remained cool and even, against his expectations, managed to stop it.

“A diamond in the rough, that is what you are, Haruno Sakura,” he thought as he looked at her. She was disoriented enough that she didn't even notice him, from the sounds of it she was sobbing now that the adrenaline had settled and the weariness sat in. Naruto would have felt pity at her, perhaps ashamed of himself, if this wasn't how he had spent so many days, weeks and months when he was an apprentice. If anything it almost felt nostalgic... he was warped indeed.

“Well done, Haruno-san,” he said now, Sakura's head shooting up to look at him. She looked miserable, red-eyed, with tears trails on her cheeks, her hair wet and messed up. Naruto walked in to her, Sakura getting to her shaking feet with what seemed like an almost fear-driven effort.

“S-sensei...” she begun, forcing down the sobs in her voice. “The... the experiment... I had to stop it. It was about to-to... I had to...” she was rambling, the shock having stunned her. Naruto took his two hands and slapped them together loudly, Sakura flinching at this and nearly flying backwards in fright.

“There never was an experiment,” he said heavily. “This, my little assistant, was your first lesson.” Sakura had frozen now, looking at him. She didn't understand, being so certain she had somehow messed up. Naruto waited for her to start speaking again before he said something and instead simply watched the little girl.

“L...lesson?” she asked eventually.

“Yes,” Naruto said, “That if you think this life will be any easier than the common shinobi duty you are mistaken. Ours is not a cosy life in safe little laboratories where we play around at our leisure. We work around the clock to solve every single riddle Konoha's shinobi bring home, put weapons in their hands that will allow them to triumph. When courage, skill and brotherhood fails, we stand there to forge new weapons for Konoha's shinobi to bring to bear. Every last second we delay, the threat Konoha has faced will only grow,” he now indicated the still somewhat seething contraption on the table, “And if we do not find a way to defeat it, it will at best be stopped at a terrible cost, at worst Konoha will fall. That's why we are here, because the world changes and we are the ones who change Konoha to be able to face the new world that form every new day.” Stepping to the side now, Naruto made the doorway clear for Sakura to see. “If you still want to become a normal shinobi, then you can leave and we will not speak of this again, but if you are willing, I would be proud to have an assistant with your perceptiveness, ingenuity and mental acuity.” a flair for the dramatic never hurt, now the choice seemed almost physical to Sakura, the choice her mind was to make her body could show. It would make it easier for her, all she had to do was to take one step in either direction.

Sakura, however, just looked back and forth, from the door, to the seething contraption on the table, to him and then again to the door. Naruto waited calmly for her to make her call, not planning to press her but still desiring the answer soon. He was rewarded however, Sakura eventually taking one long look back at the machine before she answered.

“I...I accept your offer Naruto-sensei,” she said carefully, hesitantly. Naruto felt like he wanted to smile widely but kept himself himself calm. He got her! He had done it, this little gem was now his!

“The first of many,” He thought to himself in grim satisfaction. In the very instant he had been allowed to recruit more than the ones who flunked he had gotten himself one of the top students. Feeling shamelessly content with himself, Naruto bowed to her.

“Welcome to R&D, my apprentice,” he said and Sakura bowed to him, still shivering a bit. Naruto realized she had to be cold.

“Thank you Naruto-sensei,” she said, her voice trembling a bit. Now Naruto decided to show her some pity.

“Kabuto!” he said now, his assistant coming into the room a second later. He wasn't going to let the girl walk across Konoha covered in harmless but reeking chemicals. He wasn't that unpleasant. “Go and take a shower,” he told Sakura, who nodded, “your training will start tomorrow.” he continued, “Kabuto, show her the showers and get her some spare clothes.”

“At once sensei,” Kabuto said and Sakura was led out of the room and up the stairs. Naruto however, remained behind looking at the contraption Sakura had managed to disarm. Once again he marvelled at the girl's achievement. He truly had not even considered the option that she would have managed this. Such ability, such focus... This would be thoroughly enjoyable. He was interrupted now however, as a messenger came down the stairs and up to him.

“Yes?” he asked absently as the man saluted.

“Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately,” the messenger told him with a sharp salute and Naruto had to force himself to not groan. What was it now?

“Tell him I will be present that instant I am able,” he said, trying to hide his frustration.

____________________________________

Having quickly freshened up, Naruto reached the Hokage tower within thirty minutes. There wasn't without a certain amount of frustration that he headed up the stairs towards the office proper. What exactly did the man want with him now? He did not encounter anyone on the way however that could give him a clue so instead he knocked on the door and entered.

“Pardon my intrusion,” he said formally, noticing that the Hokage wasn't alone. There was one more person inside the room, a woman more precisely. She was pale skinned and had auburn hair with was done up in an elaborate haircut with a topknot as well as several bangs going down over her right eye, revealing only the left eye as light green. Her clothes were blue and were paradoxically very modest from the chest and down yet consisted of very little above that, giving her a highly generous cleavage. At the moment she was sitting in a chair in front of the hokage's desk, having spun around to look at Naruto as he entered, her legs being crossed and her left elbow leaning on the armrest. Meanwhile, the hokage had something slightly haunted in his eyes.

“Oh my,” the woman said with an undertone of admiration in her voice, “you Namikaze men certainly come in a wide variety of flavours, do you not?”

“Oh, Naruto,” Minato begun tersely, standing up. “Let me introduce the fifth Mizukage of Kirigaure, Terumi Mei.”

“Greetings,” Naruto said, bowing somewhat. Perhaps impolite to greet a kage with those words but Naruto had little love for Kiri. Of all the villages, it was probably the one he despised the most. Not for any personal reasons, rather for its history of utterly asinine policies. In many ways he felt Kiri as a village was too dumb to live.

“Terumi-dono, this is my son, Namikaze Naruto,” Minato continued, the woman bowing in her seat somewhat.

“A pleasure meeting you at last Naruto-san,” the woman said, sounding almost as if she was purring. She seemed very happy for some reason, “I have heard much about you,” she continued.

“My reputation seems to precede me,” Naruto answered, what the hell was this about? “You summoned me Hokage-sama?”

“Yes,” Minato said, “Me and Terumi-dono have been negotiating the conditions for a closer cooperation between our villages, would you like to explain Terumi-dono?”

“Why thank you Namikaze-dono,” the woman said with a very warm smile, almost glowingly warm. Naruto could see how Minato swallowed nervously. Already Naruto felt that it was getting stupid in here but he endured as the woman spun around to look at him, sitting with her back straight, her legs crossed and her hands clasped in her lap. “As you've no doubt already heard,” she said now, the almost sultry cheer she had been displaying suddenly running off her. In one second, she went from alluring to proud, “my village has not weathered these last decades well. Our fourth Mizukage was a madman, a cruel monster who in his misguided attempts to strengthen us only brought us to the edge of ruin.”

“I believe I know what you are referring to, yes,” Naruto offered in an attempt to be polite. The Mizukage smiled somewhat.

“Training our shinobi in pairs only to have them try to kill each other during graduation, purges against bloodline users, the list runs on forever.” The woman now smiled sadly. “Now, the Hidden Mist is left weakened, depopulated and scarred by the actions of my predecessor.”

“You're quite frank with this information I must say,” Naruto remarked, the woman giving up a small “heh” at this.

“And it was not already well known to each person in this room?” she asked. “I swore, the moment I took the position as Mizukage, that none of that ever would happen again.”

“Good that,” Naruto said, “there is more than enough mind-numbing idiocy in the world even without that. Also forgive my rudeness but was there something you wanted me for?” Mei smiled widely now, the sultriness peeking out again.

“What a frank little boy you are,” she said, “I cannot say I hate that however.” Naruto twitched a bit at this remark. “But yes,” the woman said, becoming serious again, “there is. The reason I sit here is that your father and I have negotiated the terms of a pact of cooperation, one in which you are a key component.” She smiled once more at this and Naruto, for some reason, got a split-second image in his head of an arranged marriage. He saw in front of himself the Mizukage and him both kneeling in front of the high priest of the fire temple as he blessed the couple and right there Naruto decided he had to get some some fresh air later

“And what role am I to take in this Hokage-sama?” Naruto asked calmly, making sure to not let the weird thoughts show. Minato had now regained his composure and could speak calmly.

“Terumi-dono has offered as part of this pact a long-term exchange of scientific discoveries made by our two villages.”

“The catch being that my village's research and development was left in shambles by my predecessor,” the Mizukage cut in. “like everything else he touched.”

“Which is why Konoha will help Kiri rebuild and expand their capacities in those fields, a mission I'm going to send you on.” Naruto blinked. Now wait here just one second... what in the name of everything that existed was this? Had the man got hit over the head with a rock? What utterly... what kind of preposterous... how naïve... had he gone insane?!

“Is that an order Hokage-sama?” Naruto asked, managing to keep his disbelief in reins. Minato managed to disappoint him quite severely.

“It is,” he answered, “Starting one month from now, your assignment is to develop Kirigakure's research abilities, in whatever direction you see fit and Terumi-dono approves, to make it a capable and independent organisation whom Konoha can cooperate with.”

“Are my duties here to be suspended during the course of this mission?” Naruto asked mildly, ready to strangle someone. “With these duties,” he added, “I also refer to the apprenticeship you personally suggested and which was approved only just now..”

“I will leave that to you to do as you see fit with,” Minato said, not catching on to the verbal stab hidden in those words. “Focus on doing what you can with your apprentice during the oncoming month, congratulations on that by the way, and when she finishes the academy she'll be sent along with you.”

“I am very much looking forwards to working with you Naruto-san,” The Mizukage said, looking at him with a delighted smile, like the cat that just had gotten the mouse and Naruto couldn't help but shivering a bit. Why was she looking like that at him? That wasn't the look of someone eager to get to work. That was the look Kimiko had when she just had opened a can of ramen or Juugo when his dark side took over. Hungry, eager, pleased, the Mizukage had an ulterior agenda here and Naruto did not like it. Saluting them both, he decided to retreat.

“Am I excused Hokage-sama?” he asked mildly, the Hokage shaking his head.

“There were some additional issues I wanted to address.” Minato turned to the Mizukage now, “Terumi-dono, did you need anything more?” he asked politely, the woman shaking her head.

“No Namikaze-dono,” she said with a purring voice, “That should be all, thank you, very much.” With that, she stood up, bowed to him respectfully and exited, her hair spilling behind her all the way down to the knees. When she had closed the door Minato sunk down into his seat like a deflated balloon.

“Uuuugh...” he groaned, hanging with his arms over the armrest and his back against the seat almost, looking exhausted, “That woman is more slippery than a god damn eel,” the man sighed as he pushed himself up.

“I hadn't noticed Hokage-sama,” Naruto said neutrally, Minato looking at him, giving him a sad smile.

“I understand that this mission comes at an inopportune time for you,” he said now, “and you have my apology for the trouble it causes. This mission however, is worth it.”

“You need only give me the order and I shall obey,” Naruto reminded him. Why was the man doing this? Was he trying to sate his own conscience or what? Minato nodded, reaching into his drawers and taking out a small envelope.

“For your eyes only,” the man said, there being an undertone of steel in his voice. Naruto took the envelope and put it inside his clothes, bowing towards the man.

“Was there anything more?” he asked now, feeling the frustration keenly. If the man thought that those ham-handed genin-level assurances endeared Naruto even the least to him then he was dead wrong. Not here, not now that he was slapping duty after duty on him and making them seemingly mutually exclusive!

“No you are dismissed,” there was something almost dismissive in the man's voice and Naruto felt a sting of irritation, exiting without a word. Minato was left in the room, looking after Naruto with a conflicted look on his face, it eventually vanished as a sigh went through the man and he went back to his work.

Naruto meanwhile headed home, feeling how frustration only grew in him. Bother after bother, what the hell was the man thinking?! Handing over one of Konoha's premier assets to a foreign power with the explicit intent of strengthening them?! Was he insane? And what more... building up an entire department was months and even years of work! Work during which Konoha's research would be outside his control, during which he would be more or less banished to Kirigakure. That utter fool! It was utterly bizarre, leaving Naruto to chafe in Konoha, more than ever. He could serve a village who didn't love him, he could do research despite being hamstrung by seemingly arbitrary rules. But this... banishing him to Kiri, that village of utter cretins and savages, was not acceptable!

He reached his home quickly, irritated enough that he slammed the door open and opened the envelope as soon as he had closed it again, teeth gritted and eyes narrowed. Standing in the hallway, he read the letter inside thoroughly, running his eyes over it twice. When he was done however, he stood still for a while, just staring at the document and eventually obeying the last line of the letter

When you have finished reading this document, destroy it.

Burning it to ashes with a quick jutsu, Naruto walked over to the window, leaning against the window frame and for a long time he ended up standing there. His eyes stared out at the world outside. They were cold, serpentine, impossible to read. The anger had suddenly vanished, Naruto not finding place for it any more, what he felt now being beyond it.

“So be it,” he said eventually, his voice ice cold.

Chapter Text

The morning of the day after the meeting with the two kages Naruto had gotten out of bed early, headed to the laboratories and begun work again, planning to making the most out of his month left in Konoha. That was now thee weeks ago. These three weeks Naruto had been as productive as could be. He had found an almost furious source of focus and worked at full effect. Experimenting, documenting, discovering and developing. All of it was at the core of what he did, nothing straying even one inch outside of it. Good times lay ahead for the labs though despite his upcoming exile to Kirigakure. Kabuto remained the brilliant assistant and Karin more and more grew into her right, starting to take more and more initiative with the results being pleasurable to say the least. Along with this came heavily increased funding, approved by the Hokage and Daimyo both.

Three weeks exactly after the meeting the entire R&D division were gathered in their brand new main laboratory. All one hundred of them stood there, not even cramped inside the grand room filled with computer screens and panels, large instruments of all kinds and some vats bubbling in the far end of the room. In the middle of the circular chamber something quite unique was hovering in the air. a dozen people were sitting cross legged around it in a perfect circle with their hands each forming one of the twelve animal seals and encasing the blade in a soft green bonfire of chakra. Also, all around them different instruments were placed, all of them aimed squarely at it. “It” was something that had taken R&D a week to be given access to even partially, the legendary sword of the second Hokage, the Raijin no Ken. This marvellous creation, a blade forged out of solid lightning chakra, was to use Kabuto's quip a mystery wrapped in an enigma inside a riddle. Like how the Nidaime had summoned water out of thin air he had created a blade purely from chakra.

Naruto had with this grand experiment one goal, figure out how it was done and see if it was possible to replicate it. The sword of lightning was in the right hands something that could turn the tides of battle. If they could create more of its kind they could outfit an entire army armed with swords forged out of water, air, fire, earth and lightning. That would be something able to defeat the world itself. Of course the end result would be vastly inferior to the actual blade, Naruto didn't delude himself into thinking they could mass produce the real deal. Even then the costs would be astronomical and demand immense ability and knowledge. Only this examination demanded all they had. But if not now, then perhaps in a decade? If not then, perhaps in a century? And if they succeeded, what could not the possible gains be? It was a clear, well-defined project which he had decided he could leave his people with while he was gone. However as it was now a century seemed like the most probable time period at the moment.

“Boost the input with fifty percent,” Naruto said, looking at the screen in front of him, “Do another full scan at that level.” His orders were obeyed in a second, the scientists all around him doing as he said and the twelve people furrowing their brows as they channelled even more chakra into the item. They had been here for hours now, examining part of the sword in as thorough detail as possible. Not the blade, pure chakra was a remarkably uninteresting thing to study unless one specialized in Chakragraphy. No, it was the hilt that was the really interesting. How could it bind the chakra to it like that? What was this metal that could not only conduct chakra but actually help keeping it stable enough to actually be solid. Having been ordered to not as much as dent the weapon, he had been forced to study it as a whole and it proved stubborn in keeping its secrets.

“No change,” Kabuto said from the left where he was studying a series of panels. “We're still getting only ghost readings, inconsistent such.” Naruto nodding, even now all they could get were reflected echoes of the chakra channelled into the weapon. The blade itself said nothing whatsoever.

“Channelling crew, how are you holding up?” he asked.

“We can still keep this up for a while longer,” one of them said through gritted teeth, “I'm at my output limit though.” a chorus of grunted agreements with his assessments followed and Naruto nodded.

“Crew change, we'll attempt one final boost,” he ordered now. Several other scientists left their monitors and instruments now, hurrying up to the circle of channelling people and one after one switching with them. Yet, something happened as the last of the channellers were replaced, suddenly the readings spiked for just a second. All across the lab monitors flared up, scans picked up countless new things and Naruto looked up from his screen with eyes wide. Only a second later everything had gone back to the usual though. “What happened?” Naruto demanded.

“We suddenly got bombarded with data,” Karin said. “For 2,4 seconds we had a veritable cascade of information, if only bits and pieces.”

“Matsumoto!” Naruto demanded, making the last of the channellers startle a bit. “What did you do?!”

“N-nothing!” The young woman said, “I just begun to channel chakra.”

“How?” Naruto asked rapidly, “Do you have some sort of personal habit when you begin to channel? Do you begin with some special sign?”

“No,” the woman said, “I use the normal technique.”

“Damn it,” Naruto said, frustration welling up. There had to be something about her specifically. They had stood here for hours and only now, with Matsumoto starting to channel, something had happened. He needed to know this. He was leaving in a week and needed a breakthrough before that! “Start double checking everything, consider every opti-wait!” he yelled now, “What's your chakra affinity Matsumoto?!” he exclaimed now. The woman's eyes opened wide.

“Lightning,” she said, breathlessly as she understood.

“Everyone in here with lightning affinity, sound off!” Naruto yelled, several voices sounding off. Naruto smiled and made a gesture for them all to step forwards. “Get into the circle,” he ordered, “change with the others. Matsumoto, you stay.” The scientists obeyed all and hurried forwards, taking their positions in the circle. Now Naruto felt a sense of eagerness. Perhaps that was the key? If the blade rejected foreign chakra, perhaps it'd more easily accept chakra of the same element as it? He had seen worse hypothesises.

“On my signal, begin to mold lighting chakra,” Naruto said when the circle consisted only of people with lightning affinity “Ready, begin!” his command snapped and the circle instantly begun to shape lighting chakra. The attempt was rewarded massively, the screens flared up with information, a steady stream of data bombarding the instruments as the sword begun to give up its secrets. “Are we documenting this?!” Naruto exclaimed, getting a “yes” in response. He felt wild joy bubbling up in him, smiling wildly and felt something almost maniacal settle on his face. Frantic activity had broken out as notes were taken throughout the room. Numbers and graphs danced across the screens, too much information to take in all at once so every bit of data that came in was recorded and copied onto the laboratory's data drives.

This frenzied cascade of data lasted for only five minutes. The massive output of lightning chakra being too much for the channellers to handle and in the end they had to break off, gasping for air and sweating as the exhaustion took their toll on them. Yet in its wake there were no signs of the scientists slowing down. Several of the people inside the room were still going through what they had found, some of them actually laughing with awe and disbelief at the treasure trove of information acquired. They could only barely make out the grander picture in what they saw, only understand singular iotas of the information, but that was enough.

“This is... I can't believe this,” an older man with thinning hair gasped, hiding his mouth as he was close to tears.

“We did it!” one of his colleagues cheered, actually embracing her colleague in a display of almost childish delight.

“Calm down people, we aren't done yet,” Naruto said loudly, getting their attention. “Start analysing what we've got, every bit of it, cross reference each others' findings and begin to compile what we have! You have two days to do it. Gamma group, what did the spectroscope analysis give?” With that, he headed over to the rightmost part of the room where a printer had just finished spitting out a long string of paper with a graph that danced up and down along the length of it.

“I've honestly got no idea Naruto-sama,” a man in his late forties with thick glasses and a bald head said. “This looks like nothing I've seen before.” The man put the long stream of paper on a large blackboard nearby, fixing it there with magnets. “This large spike here for instance,” he said, pointing at the left part of the graph. “What's this supposed to be? Molybdenum?”

“Not a chance,” Naruto said, “that's molybdenum,” he continued, pointing at a different spike. “This must be something else, but it's lying straight in the middle of... Chakragrapy! Are there any presence of non-lightning chakra?!” he yelled across the room.

“Tertiary presence of earth chakra, most probably...” a man answered.

“Don't speculate Roujin, just tell me!” Naruto said, the man flinching.

“Earth chakra as said, “ the man said, “also some water chakra, that's only trace amounts though!”

“Then that's it,” Naruto said, tapping his finger on the spike “Despite the sword being a lightning artefact the Nidaime's water affinity is showing. What was your theory on the earth chakra?” Naruto asked now.

“It is probably from the smith that helped him make it,” Roujin said.

“Most likely so,” Naruto said, “And at that point in time it must be Takumi village artisans of some kind. However, I find this more interesting.” He said, pointing at another spike, a smaller one. “Why is there dysprosium in there? Did we get any estimates of the distribution of the alloy components?!” he asked out across the labs.

“From what I can tell...” an older woman said, “If there would be dysprosium in there it's more towards the middle if anything.”

“Is it the same for nickel?!” Naruto asked, already beginning to see a possible pattern..

“It looks like that,” the woman said, “That is a guess though. We'd need more data.”

“In due time.” Naruto said, “Run a dosimeter scan on the sword, just above the guard; check for even the least elevated traces of ionizing radiation!”

“What are you thinking sir?” the bald man beside him asked.

“Somehow this blade is self-sustaining, able to remain stable even when not held or used. The chakra can be in the object, but what gives it its push? You can create a hybrid between ceramics and metals, cermet, that consists of dysprosium oxide-nickel, it absorbs radiation extremely well. It is quite possible, though I'm only speculating, that radiation could be the missing component. You see the plutonium here?” he pointed at the spectrogram once more. “If it is in the middle, coated in this cermet, you'd have a core that could project the radiation upwards only, a steady stream of pure energy that, together with chakra and fuin, might just be what creates the blade itself. Do we have any readings on the radiation?!” he broke off from his explanation now and looked towards the sword itself.

“It's faint, but it's there,” the man checking said, “you could write it off as a fluke though.”

“We'll have to return to that later,” Naruto said. “Keep mapping out the rest of the elements present,” he commanded and left the man without waiting for an answer. Instead, he headed over to another set of consoles where several people were standing in front of a large plastic panel on the wall with lights behind it to help illuminate the many X-rays that were set up across it. “What do we have beneath the grip,” he asked the woman in charge there.

“Unclear shadow figures at best,” the woman said with a husky voice. “There's dozens of seal tags beneath the wiring,” she said, referring to the taut leather bands that made up the outermost layer of the grip. Being seemingly superglued to the metal they had to resort to X-rays to get a look under them. “Several layers, I can only make out fragments of them,” she said as she took up a pen and made circles in the air above the legible parts of the seal. “This one is a lightning release seal of some sort, that much I can tell.”

“Makes sense,” Naruto agreed, “run it past the chakragraphy group, we might be able to deduce the others' via their findings.” The doors to the lab opened up now and Naruto gritted his teeth, knowing who was coming in. He focused back to the work for another dozen seconds before the voice spoke next to him.

“Namikaze-san,” the voice said and Naruto glanced at the chuunin, Iwate he believed the man was named. “Hokage-sama sent me to remind you of the council meeting today.” the man looked uncomfortable, it probably wasn't fun telling him of all people that he was two hours late to the meeting.

“Consider your mission fulfilled,” Naruto said dryly, not making any motion to head out. The chuunin remained there for a few seconds, eventually coughing anxiously. “The hospital is down the next road.” Naruto said acerbically.

“Pardon me, but he expects your presence,” the man said.

“Then kindly inform Hokage-sama that we are in the middle of a great breakthrough and I am not going to abandon that to sit and listen to people twitter on about things I don't care about for three hours,” Naruto growled, “now if there was nothing more, you're disturbing our work.” The chuunin practically fled the room, hurrying out of it and Naruto swallowed his irritation. It was always something wasn't it? Suddenly he was in foul mood, very foul, and found himself scowling. “Chakragraphy! Get your damn findings in order!” he snapped.

“Working on it,” the chakragraphy head said hurriedly and Naruto sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Once again he was lashing out. This upcoming mission was putting a strain on his nerves.

“I'm stepping out for ten minutes,” he said, “keep compiling and comparing.” Those were the last words he said before leaving the room. Annoyed at his outburst, he headed for the break room, a large kitchen and dining room with a radio in one corner, several round tables with metal chairs around them and a small kitchenette at the far end of the room. Naruto quickly got himself a mug of coffee from the coffee pot, shivering as he felt the taste of it. How long had it been boiling? It was like drinking tar.

“Did you get everything down Sakura?” he asked now, turning around to look at Sakura who stood right by him with a clipboard and a pen in her hands. She had a labcoat on and her hair put up in a ponytail to minimize the risks of getting it burnt by acid or what have you.

“Most of it sensei,” she said, holding out the clipboard so he could see. Naruto leaned in and looked at it, pleased by what he saw. Due to the more inane of the academy's rules he couldn't quite start training her yet however, as it was she could only do basic things like documenting what they did and such things. This was what they had done up until now, Naruto now taking the clipboard from her to see what she had gotten down. Sipping on his coffee he thought that he couldn't wait for the coming months to pass. The notes were crisp and drawn with a hand used to quick note-taking but were still easily legible. Sakura would even clean up the notes later, she was almost obsessive with tidiness he had noted early on. After having sifted through enough of the crow's feet most of his personnel put out it was a joy to behold

“What questions did you come up with?” he asked now, motioning for her to sit down. It gave him peace in a way, training her. She was someone who at least had the potential to be his intellectual equal given enough hard work and it gave him pleasure forming her from the ground up. Things he hadn't even thought about had popped up, like for instance such a simple thing as why you used hair bands in the lab if you had long hair.

“Dysprosium,” the girl begun, “I've never heard of that, what is it?”

“Number 66 on the periodic table,” Naruto said, “It's a metal that doesn't exist naturally in its pure form, only in different minerals and the likes. The art of extracting it is lost to time.”

“Lost when?” Sakura asked. “Forgive me sensei, but how do you forget something like that?”

“When the world falls apart around you,” Naruto said, “you know of the ruined cities, do you not? The giant cities of cement, glass and steel bigger than any village.” Sakura nodded and Naruto continued. “They existed before the first shinobi war. Back then human civilization were at levels unheard of today, we have only bits and pieces of information but what we've seen suggests they were advanced enough that we'd be no more than savages to them. Yet, something happened, their civilization died out and mankind regressed to this level. Even today a large part of what we know is simply knowledge we've scavenged out of these cities.”

“Do, do we know what they were named?” Sakura asked now. Great, her sense of curiosity was triggered. Naruto had to nip this one in the bud.

“No,” he said plainly, “also let's leave this topic, it depresses me.” he said it with a tone of finality, Sakura withdrawing only reluctantly. She had learned a long time ago that a “no” meant “no and if you persist you evidently haven't done enough demeaning and tiresome duties recently”.

“Do you think these discoveries mean we can create more swords like it?” she asked now, Naruto shaking his head.

“If that was the case then all you'd need to know to make a sword would be to put a piece of hot metal on an anvil and hammer at it. We know nothing yet, nothing solid. In best case we'll learn how to, at immense costs, create inferior copies, a more modest guess is that we'll learn more about how chakra metals work and will be able to do more with them. Indeed, you saw that spectrogram?” He asked and Sakura nodded, “It takes a lot of work, can take weeks, just to figure out what you're actually seeing. Yes, certain wavelengths give this or that feedback, but what does that actually mean? Our eyes are opened, now we have to figure out what we actually see.”

“That's a shame,” Sakura said thoughtfully. It as just a throwaway comment but Naruto decided to nip that attitude in the bud as well.

“Not really,” Naruto disagreed, “it would be a mighty boring world if you instantly understood everything you saw around you. Mystery is the spice of life, if everything is understood and discovered, what then?”

“Will that ever happen?” Sakura asked now. “That we learn everything about everything?”

“No,” Naruto said, “The more we learn, the more we understand how little we know. For every new discovery a dozen more questions pop up and it is most likely impossible to understand everything..And good thing too, because when it comes to something like this, it really is the journey, not reaching the destination, that matters.” Yes Naruto thought to himself, this was where he belonged. Sakura was a stimulating little find indeed, imparting this knowledge to her gave him a sense of satisfaction. The labs, meanwhile, were going splendidly to say the least. He had finally managed to create an efficient organization and the massive increase in funding had meant they now had top notch equipment and resources. And with this damnable mission coming up he'd have to leave it all behind to go to Kirigakure of all places. Ugh...

Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall above the door, he saw to his irritation that it was approaching four. He'd have to let Sakura go now, apparently she couldn't be here for more than two hours daily. While Sakura did show great interest in what they were doing here and what he had to offer her he hadn't gotten to the point that he could convince her to stick around even in her spare time.

“It would seem time is running out once more,” he said, “Do you have any final questions?”

“Yes, actually.” she said, “What does the molybdenum do in the sword? Does it add some properties or something?”

“It increases the metal's resistance to acid and heat,” Naruto told her. “It's not a very known technique these days though, very few craftsmen know how to use it.”

“Wow... that sword really is really well made isn't it?” Sakura said in wonder.

“It is one of the greatest swords in the world,” Naruto said in agreement.

“Then why isn't it used?” Sakura wondered, “a sword like that... if Hokage-sama would use it, wouldn't he become even more powerful?”

“Respect for the departed,” Naruto said with a voice dry as sand. He made sure not to elaborate on how stupid he considered that stance on the matter. “Off you go then,” he said now, taking the clipboard from Sakura. “I'll grade these for tomorrow, you can come in the usual time.”

“I understand sensei.” Sakura said, getting up and bowing to him. “I will see you tomorrow.” she said and left, Naruto looking at the notes she had taken. Slowly sipping on the coffee in his hand, he pondered what he saw. She kept it succinct as always, the mistakes made were minor ones mainly, while she didn't tie the knots together as well as she could have had already when taking the notes she did keep it open. Once again the ideas for what he could do with her when he could begin to train her in earnest came to him. He wanted to stay here, not having to leave the labs to go off to some pissant village to save them from the consequences of their own idiocy. It chafed so badly having to do what he had been ordered to, yet he wasn't at the stage that he'd get unruly quite yet.

Still, he found himself grouchy, in a foul mood to say the least, and he wished someone could come by for another asinine reason so he could snap at them, couldn't Kimiko come dragging with something idiotic like she always did instead of taking her studies seriously? Now he winced however, realizing what the hell he just had thought about Kimiko. Rubbing the bridge of his nose again, he sighed deeply. That was an uncalled for way of putting it. No matter how you looked at it Kimiko had progressed, living up to the demands put on her by academy and village both. Her sensei didn't play favourites and had taught her well recently, no, Kimiko had learned well. The weekly status reports had all drawn the same conclusion, Kimiko's chakra control improved steadily, already being good enough that the Bunshin trials couldn't possibly be a problem any more.

The weekly status report... Naruto blinked, realizing he hadn't been home for over four days, the latest report should have come two days ago. He hadn't even been home to check his mail. That wasn't good. Devotion to the job was one thing, neglecting your other duties because of it was another. Should he send Kabuto to retrieve the mail? Wait, what? Where did that thought come from?! Kabuto was an assistant at the labs, not a servant. Shaking his head, Naruto thought to himself that it seemed that it was filled with cobwebs for some reason. Not good... hadn't he once said that clearing out your head regularly was beneficial? More and more Naruto, when standing there, realized he had to unplug for at least three minutes. suddenly kicked off the trail of “science only” that his mind was running down, he felt all of a sudden so tired. After another sigh he swept the last of the coffee, shivering at the disgusting taste, and put the mug on the desk behind him. Just as well, for now nothing vital would happen within the next few days. They had data to sift through, standard work, he could grant himself at least one evening off. Exiting the room, he saw in the corner of his eyes how Kabuto stood by the wall a few meters from the door.

“Shall I tell them you headed home for the evening sensei?” he asked when Naruto looked towards him, his master nodded in response.

“You're a perceptive man Kabuto.” he said. He wasn't quite sure he liked how much his assistant seemed to have figured him out. Kabuto only bowed to him.

“I have learned from the best sensei.” he said. Naruto scoffed lightly at the remark. Yet, he could leave the labs in some peace, realizing he almost winced at the heavy sunlight outside. Was he turning into a mole or something? This wasn't good at all. It made him grumpy, he felt pathetic.

____________________________________

Walking home through the village, he felt how the air all of a sudden was so much cleaner than he was used to. It invigorated him, while he still was irritated and tired he also felt energetic, a drive welling up in him. Perhaps things would work out better than he had thought? Some actually good food, some good rest and perhaps a long walk around one of the training grounds. Yes, that sounded good. It'd help him keep his mind of the idiocies that awaited him.

Going into the grocery store, Naruto begun to rummage around for something more promising than the dull bentos from the nearest store he had lived on recently. He made sure to buy a large bag of different vegetables, noticing that they were fresh and smelled very promising. Just the many smells in the vegetable aisle of the store made him feel a sense of contentment. There were something about fresh vegetables, that smell of life. After so long in the sterile lab these many smells of earth and plants made him happy. To his delight he even managed to get hold of something amazing in the seafood aisle, a large sign over the ice-filled display cases shouted out that they had gotten in swordfish cutlets and were selling at extra price. Yawning, Naruto got himself three kilos, which was the max per household. He could freeze in what he didn't use now, swordfish was a delicacy. Today he'd eat better than he had in weeks. Still, some more coffee would be in order when he got home and he bought some luxury beans as well. It cost a lot but it was worth it. He felt somewhat happy as he took the bag in his arms and headed home, balancing the bag on his arm. About five minutes later Naruto turned around the very last corner on the road home only to see, the very same instant, the smoke billowing out of the window of his apartment.

“Oh for the love of...” he said, dropping the grocery bag in the next second and dashing towards his apartment. Gritting his teeth, he dashed up the stairs in seconds. What had happened?! The door stood wide open as well and Naruto saw some smoke coming from there as well. It was, however, when he got into the room proper, feeling the burnt smell and hearing how something was burning in the kitchen, that he also heard coughing from it. Emotions of fear, anger and exasperation all burst through inside him and he ran into the kitchen, seeing something that made him want to scream.

Kimiko... his little sister was standing in the kitchen, stumbling around as she tried to blindly wave a piece of cloth at the fire. Was she trying to put it out with air like a candle?! The fire meanwhile, came from a large pan on the stove, the intensity of the flames making him realize she had managed to fill the pan with oil and put it on fire! a greasefire! Also, on the workbench beside the stove he could see an unholy mess where Kimiko had tried to chop something with a kunai of all things! Naruto then raised his hands to his head and opened his mouth wide when he saw that said kunai was one of the experimental ones he had developed and hidden at home, a tool meant for distraction by producing sparks and smoke. That little... was she aiming to cause devastation!? Kimiko looked up towards him now, Naruto seeing her face being covered with soot and her eyes running. Naruto could just stand there for a second, not able to understand what he saw.

“Oh... hi onii*cough*san.” Kimiko said hoarsely.

“What in all hells are you doing you microscopic moron!” Naruto exclaimed, running up and tearing the cutting board off the workbench, placing it like a lid on the pan to choke the greasefire. The kunai, meanwhile, went out of the window at top speed and buried itself in the water tower on the other end of the street. Finally, a wind jutsu produced enough of a gust that most of the smoke was blown out of the apartment. Blinking, Naruto looked at his sister as her coughing started to abate and she could stabilize herself.

“I...” Kimiko coughed, “I wanted to try to make dinner for you... It... didn't go well.”

“That is putting it mildly!” Naruto yelled, “Where did you even find that kunai? Are you trained in making a mess of everything you see?! For the love of... you've ruined my entire kitchen!” he waved at the working table, indicating the massive mess there. “And you..” It was then that Naruto realized something. Kimiko was bleeding. The hand that had held onto the cloth was drenched in blood and he acted instantly, grabbing her hand by the wrist now, tearing away the cloth and revealing that her hand was almost soaked. a deep gash ran along her palm and had cut into several blood vessels. “Sit down.” he said. Kimiko only blinked at him. ”Sit down!” Naruto yelled now, frightened by it. This was a lot of blood, way too much to be dismissed. A stab of fright came at the sight, something like this was dangerous! Kimiko obeyed, sitting down on the chair by the table, and Naruto knelt by her, holding her hand with one of his and hovering his other above it. Soon a soft green glow came from the upper hand and Naruto had closed the laceration within a minute. As he let go of Kimiko, he looked up at her face, not saying anything at first. Kimiko however, soon looked away in embarrassment, Naruto then saying something

“Look at me.” he said sternly, Kimiko eventually obeying reluctantly, looking at him hesitantly. Naruto grabbed hold of her head with both hands now “I have said it before and I'll say it again. ” Naruto begun, hardly believing his eyes, You, Namikaze Kimiko, are a natural disaster! What were you even doing?!”

“Uhm... I was thinking of frying ramen in oil.” His little sister admitted after a while. “I figured that if I tried to do it like they do at Ichiraku's it'd become really good.”

“And therefore you used a pan full of oil as the highest temperature, thinking that'd be a good idea?” Kimiko nodded. “And where did you get that kunai?”

“Uhm.. in the back of your sock drawer.” his sister grinned nervously

“What were you even doing in my sock drawer?” Naruto asked, dreading the answer.

“Looking for kunai...” Kimiko admitted and Naruto only blinked. “The knife wasn't any good! I thought that I should find a real kunai to cut with, they're really good for that.”

“That's because you were using the wrong knife you idiot!” Naruto exclaimed. “That knife is meant to fillet fish with!” Kimiko seemed to shrink in the seat now and Naruto groaned, looking back at his now ruined kitchen. Not one spot seemed to have escaped Kimiko's efforts. Stains on the walls, a mess on the bench, the floor was sticky and there were burn marks on the ceiling.

“I'm...I'm sorry.” Kimiko said now with a tiny voice. Naruto looked up at her, seeing that she was looking down into her lap, the redness was spreading over her face.

“Do you know how much work it'll take to clean up my kitchen now?” Naruto asked, “How much it'll cost? I'm not rich Kimiko, I don't earn large bounties like field shinobi do.”

“I'm sorry.” Kimiko said, her voice even tinier, “I just wanted to surprise you... it's been going so well on the extra classes recently. I wanted to make dinner for you so I could surprise you when you got home and tell you. You're leaving in just a week... I just wanted to do something for you before then...” Naruto sighed once more. He couldn't prepare those cutlets in this mess. Indeed he wouldn't even be able to make a microwave dinner; even the microwave had been devastated, looking like an explosive tag had gone off there. Yet, a single teardrop came down from Kimiko's face now, landing on her hand and Naruto gritted his teeth. He couldn't remain mad at her. Kimiko was too honest for her own good. She had to stop carrying her heart on her sleeve. Putting his hand on her head, he stroked her hair in an effort to calm her down.

“You know what.” he said, realizing the mail had to wait.”Let's go out and you can show me how far you've gotten. Then we'll eat out, okay?” Kimiko looked up now, blinking a bit before she hugged him.

“You're the best oniisan.” she said. Naruto only smiled and ruffled her hair a bit more. In truth, all he wanted was to get her out of his home, now preferably before she caused it to spontaneously combust. Booting her into the shower, he then tossed some clothes in after her (clothes he had had lying around since he was younger) and went to clean up as much as possible. Five minutes later the kitchen only looked half-ruined, the groceries were in the thankfully not too devastated fridge and and Kimiko had gotten out, wearing his old clothes. She looked weird in them, he did admit that. Already at twelve Naruto had become as pale as he was now but Kimiko still had her vibrant, almost reddish skin and her red hair. It clashed a bit when seeing Kimiko wear a white tunic and trousers. It'd have to do though. Naruto closed the window and they both headed out, ending up in the park. It was as empty as usual, not many came here, and Naruto leaned against one of the trees in the small tree cluster they had gone to.

“So.” he said, “let me see what you've learned.” he internally only sighed however, not too eager to watch Kimiko spin a stick or balance a ball or whatever Iruka had decided to let her do. Kimiko only grinned at him however and the next moment she was running towards one of the trees. Naruto blinked as she, when reaching the tree, changed direction and soon ran up along the trunk. a faint possibility arose in him now, only getting more traction as she just kept moving, eventually reaching a high branch where she turned once again, this time taking a few last swift steps on it before she stopped, remaining there. Kimiko looked down at him and grinned, now standing upside down under the branch.

Naruto blinked, admitting to himself that he hadn't expected this. Had Kimiko managed to advance to this level? How intriguing, it brought up many questions. One hand left its position folded around the other and reached up to absently stroke his jaw, his classic thinking gesture. With a consistent and clear goal as well as a devoted trainer she had seen massive improvement, in only a few months she had gotten to this level. Naruto instantly found himself amazed, pondering the possibilities for his little sister if she had gotten this far so fast, but forced himself to calm down, he didn't have data enough to make more than speculations and that would have to wait.

“Impressive.” he told her, Kimiko beaming like the sun and making a fist-pump of joy. That was also what shook up her concentration and left her unable to maintain her grip on the branch above her. Naruto sighed for a split second before he moved faster than the eye could see and shot up to the branch, landing with his feet towards the underside of it and locking himself there just in time to grab Kimiko's foot before she fell any further. Kimiko had just given up a yelp of fear when she stopped, she hadn't been able to tell what happened. Looking up at her from his upside down position, his little sister met his dry glare with an apologetic one. “Not so impressive.” Naruto amended, “work on that.”

“You got it oniisan!” Kimiko said, “Shall we eat now?” she changed track instantly. Naruto nodding. He dropped from the branch now, twisting in the air and landing with Kimiko in his arms.

“I know a...” he begun but Kimiko cut him off, leaping out of his hold.

“Nope!” she said, “I get to decide!”

____________________________________

About a minute later Naruto wondered what he had gotten himself into as he looked on the small ramen joint in front of him. “Ichiraku's” the name of the joint was. a small place at the outskirts of the central town. It was pretty much just one large booth with a few flaps of cloth hanging down halfway down in before the row of eight seats. Something in Naruto felt queasy. So this was what Kimiko considered the best place in town? An unhygienic dump that looked like one giant fire hazard. Kimiko however was already inside and Naruto gritted his teeth. He had to do it hadn't he? It was just as well to consider this a data gathering session and try to ignore the fact that he hated this kind of food. It made him feel greasy, sullied somehow.

“Hi again old man!” Kimiko said as she got into her seat, Naruto could hear her all the way inside and started towards it, sighing once more. “Five miso ramen for me and one for my brother!” Right, that was over the line, pushing the covering aside and entering, Naruto felt the reek of ramen clearly. His sister was seated upon one of the footstools with her hands already eagerly tapping on the hardwood table in front of her. Right in front of said table the actual bar was and behind it the two peddlers of this greasy waste. One was a man in his mid-fourties something, with a sunken face and squinting eyes, the other was his daughter, a girl somewhere approximately his age. Thankfully they were at least wearing hats to avoid hair from getting into the food.

“I can order myself.” Naruto said, more icily than he intended, and sat down beside her. “Good day.” he continued, bowing his head to the man who evidently was the proprietor of this place.

“Good day and welcome to Ichiraku's!” the man greeted him jovially, “Namikaze Naruto isn't it? Your little sister has told us a lot about you, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. What can I make you?”

“What can you offer me that will not be a salt and fat saturated gunk?” he asked evenly, not taken in by the man's enthusiasm. Said enthusiasm evaporated in an instant after his remark too, the man stopping for a second and looking at him. His look was accompanied by a “hey!” from Kimiko.

“What did you call my ramen?” the man asked now, riled to say the least. Naruto wasn't going to back down however.

“Salt and fat saturated gunk.” he repeated, “I have as little respect for ramen as human sustenance as I have for raw meat. The stuff you serve here might please someone like my sister, yet she considers the epitome of cooking to be to pour hot water into a mug and seal it for two minutes. I, however, want more than just fats and salts out of my food, Can you offer me a meal that will be more than a prime source for coronary heart diseases and salt-induced strokes?”

“You...” the man said, hissed almost, as his face was getting redder and redder. Naruto only met his glare however with his own. He did not feel any desire whatsoever to be diplomatic about his disgust for this “food”. The man was about to do something drastic now but his assistant (were they related perhaps?) intervened. She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled almost angelically at him when he looked at her.

“I will take this father.” she said sweetly, the man looking at her for a few seconds before scoffing and walking off to the other side of the kitchen to work on Kimiko's food. The girl turned to him and gave him another of those professional thousand ryo smiles. She was good, he couldn't tell at all what she was thinking, at least not from the face. He could see other signs however that indicated that she wasn't quite as upset as her father. Not “quite as” upset, that was. “Is there anything special you would like?” she asked and Naruto shook his head.

“I've already made stringent demands.” he said, “I will not strain your parameters any further than that.”

“I see.” she said, “Your meal will be ready soon sir.” she said and turned to the workbench where she immediately begun to work on something.

“You can't say that about ramen!” Kimiko said now, sounding hurt. Naruto looked at her now, seeing how angry she was.

“I can, because it's true.” he said, “I took the liberty of examining one of those ramen cups you hid in my apartment.” he told her, Kimiko's eyes widening.

“Hey!” she begun now, Naruto hand-chopping her lightly in the head now. Kimiko yelped.

“Let people finish when they talk.” he told her, “I made a rough estimate of the nutrients in it and the results... On average a normal human should eat about two point four milligrams of sodium per day, just one of those ramen cups you stock up on fulfils...”

“What's sodium?” Kimiko asked and Naruto sighed.

“Salt, Kimiko.” he told her, “Sodium is what makes up salt.”

“Why don't you just say that then?” she asked him accusingly.

“I did.” Naruto muttered, “Either way, one can, then you've eaten all the salt you need for that day, and you eat twenty times that daily.” That was beyond just a health concern, that was an outright health risk.

“Well the more the better!” Kimiko said and Naruto gritted his teeth. This tiny twerp didn't know anything at all about the human body.

“No.” he told her, “that excess salt only hurts you. Do you know what the kidneys are?” Kimiko blinked.

“Uhm, they sit here.” she said. Pointing at the sides of her lower back. “And they.. uhm don't they make the wee?” Naruto flinched at her description of their function. It was right, yes, reasonably right at least, that had to do. He just had to ignore the fact that it was the most idiotic way of putting it he had heard.

“Yes,” he said, “They do a lot of other things too, amongst other things they break down the salt into the components...”

“What's a component?” Kimiko asked and Naruto twitched.

“Parts...” he said through gritted teeth. “The parts that make up salt. Sodium is a part of what makes salt.”

“Then what's the other parts?” Kimiko asked. a murderous glare from Naruto made her flinch back and push out a quick “Sorry!”

“This sodium is changed in the kidneys, it becomes a hormone that makes your body hold onto moist... to water. Too much salt means you'll get too much water in the body.” The talk of water made Naruto thirsty and he took a swig of water from the glass standing in front of him.

“Hey...” Kimiko said now, “Can't that be a good thing?!” she asked, “then like, I might get bigger boobs!”

Naruto's first answer to this was “PFFFFFTH!” as he spat out the water in his mouth, making the girl behind the counter leap to the side in fright at the desk right next to her was sprayed with water. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Naruto said “sorry.” before turning to Kimiko.

“What?” he asked now, looking at her. Kimiko only nodded. “No.” he said now, “Backtrack, what kind of insane reasoning is that?! How would that ever help you with that?”

“Because of the water,” Kimiko said, “Boobs are jiggly, right? I've seen granny Tsunade's boobs. They're like water balloons. Doesn't the boobs do that, store water I mean?” Naruto sincerely wanted to bang his head against the desk now, having to restrain himself in order to not do so. No! This was not okay! This ignorance, this stupidity! He could not be related to this person! Naruto felt genuine desperation at the fact. Kimiko was dumb as a rock, as ignorant as anyone he had ever seen.

“No,” he said. “The bust is there to make milk for when you get a child. It contains glands that...”

“What's a...” Kimiko begun.

“A gland is an organ that creates something meant to be released from the body, no urine is not one of those things,” Naruto cut her off and said in a monotone. “Either way, the only thing that will be stored there is fat. And before you get ideas, the fat you eat is much more likely to end up at your hips rather than at your chest so before you'll see any real increase from that you'll have become fat.”

“But what if I...”

“No,” Naruto said, “Drop this. You are not going to be able to artificially increase your bust size.” He hated this so much, feeling like he had to be blushing bright red. Sitting at a ramen joint like this and talking with a twelve year old about boob sizes. This was not okay, sister or not this was not acceptable. He wasn't going for even a second reveal that Tsunade had been doing that for decades, where she once had been modestly endowed she now possessed mammaries large enough to lose one of Hatake Kakashi's summoned dogs in. And why was he even using such an absurd comparison?

“You're no fun,” Kimiko muttered now. Naruto just wondering when the food was going to come. Now preferably. Kimiko however wasn't done. “Hey, when I'm done, what jutsu are you gonna teach me?”

“That is for me to know and for you to find out,” Naruto said. He honestly hadn't considered that. If he was going to there were so many things he needed to know first. Was it going to be an elemental jutsu? If so, what kind of affinity did she have? It went without saying that her affinity would determine what kind of jutsu she'd learn. If it was wind, fire or earth he was covered, water would be harder however. Not to mention lightning. If she took after her father in affinity then he'd be in a sticky spot, not knowing any lightning jutsu whatsoever. Non elemental jutsu were trickier to learn overall but then again, anyone could learn them.

“Oh come on, you can at least give me a hint!” Kimiko whined, Naruto chopping her in the head once more.

“Here's your meal sir,” the girl said now, smiling as she put forth something Naruto hadn't expected. The noodles and the broth was served separately, in two different bowls, and the broth had a distinctively different appearance to boot.

“Hey what's that?!” Kimiko exclaimed, sounding deeply upset when she saw this.

“It is tsukemen Kimiko-chan,” the girl said. “If you serve the broth and the noodles separately...”

“Then it won't be ramen!” Kimiko exclaimed, “It doesn't say Ichiraku Tsukemen outside now does it!” Naruto however only bopped her over the head once more to shut her up.

“Shut up and eat your ramen,” Naruto said absently. Kimiko now noticing four bowls waiting for her. So... tsukemen. Interesting concept. Naruto found himself intrigued. That would allow for a distinctively different meal. He wouldn't get as much of the broth in him either, the broth being the main source of the unhealthy components. Breaking the chopsticks in two, he said “Itadakimasu.” and fished up some of the noodles. He was only further impressed when he noticed that the noodles didn't seem to be made from wheat either. Dipping it in the broth for a few seconds, he fished it out and dug in.

He found himself genuinely surprised now, positively such. The taste was much different from the usual slop that went under the name ramen. Chewing thoughtfully for a few seconds, he felt that he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, however whatever it was, it was good. Actually, for being simply noodles in broth it was really quite good. He looked up and noticed that the girl was looking at him with an expectant look on her face .She was eager he could tell. Putting down his chop-sticks, Naruto looked up.

“I'll bite,” he said, “What have you done with it?”

“Did you like it?” she asked.

“Answer my question and I will answer yours.” Naruto said, not going to reveal his hand quite so fast. The girl smiled at him once more.

“Okay!” she said with a chipper voice, “What I did was that I first used rice noodles instead of wheat ones, also, most of the salt in the broth is actually swapped out for soy sauce, if you do it right you won't feel too much of a difference in taste. Also, the frying is a bit tricky but if you use the right kind of oil is gets a bit healthier. Seaweed and tuna, meanwhile, are healthy to begin with.” Naruto raised one eyebrow. That was impressive. The frying tended to drench the noodles it with the worst kinds of fat, the saturated ones. What she basically did was skirting around this problem by using the right kind of ingredients and methods to make sure as much of the fat was polyunsaturated instead. Fascinating .That kind of thinking wouldn't go amiss at the labs.

“That is quite the ambitious thing to do,” he told her. “What oil are you using?” the girl was caught off guard by this.

“Well, we often use lard,” the girl said, Naruto nodding as he took another bite.

“That's not good,” he said, “Lard is much more saturated fat-wise, what you are looking for would be polyunsaturated fats. As a comparison, polyunsaturated fats you usually find in fish, saturated fats can be found in things like lard, fat meats, chocolate and so on. I'd recommend sunflower oil. As cooking oils go, it is as healthy as can be.”

“Got it,” the girl said, nodding eagerly. “Is there anything else you can think of?”

“It is an ambitious suggestion,” Naruto said, “But the main problem with ramen dishes tends to be the lack of minerals and vitamins. Everything that adds vegetables of all kinds would be beneficial though they should be as fresh and unprepared as possible Vitamins begin to fall apart the second a vegetable has been taken out of the earth. Don't!” the last word was pointed to Kimiko whose eyes had opened wide at the prospect of her beloved ramen place beginning to fill the food with vegetables. She had just gathered air for another massive “hey!” when Naruto cut her off. “Whole grains, is it possible to make noodles out of that?” the girl nodded and he continued. “I cannot remember too many specific vegetables however.” Naruto said now, “Though I think there are some books at the library about the nutritional values of all kinds of produce. If you're interested it could be worth looking up.”

“Stop destroying Ichiraku's!”Kimiko exclaimed shrilly now, “Don't listen to my stupid brother Ayame-neesan! You're making perfect ramen as it is! You don't need any more veggies in it!” she was flailing in panic, evidently horrified by what might happen here. Naruto bopped her on the head once again.

“Don't interrupt,” He said to her, “To wrap up what I am getting at, you'll have to look at each single component and see how you can individually make it healthier, preferably without compromising the taste.”

“Hey, so you do like ramen then!” Kimiko yelled with an accusing tone in her voice and Naruto once more bopped her on the head.

“Fats, sugars and salts are, when it comes down to it, the best seasonings there are,” he continued without even paying her any more attention. “You can't escape that fact. Yet, the fact also remains that they are also the most unhealthy. You have started down a very intriguing road I will admit.” he offered candidly to the girl, genuinely delighted by her willingness to experiment. “Keep this up and I might have to stop by more in the future.” Now Naruto was stopped by Kimiko throwing herself at him in panic-induced fit of rage. Locking her arms around Naruto's neck, she tried desperately to stop him from keeping this up even if she had to choke him to do so. Her big brother didn't even blink however, he only stabbed backwards, his arms dislocating and giving Kimiko several painful but not harmful finger stabs at her elbows, neck and even her solar plexus. Twisting the now dislocated arms around as Kimiko fell off him, Naruto snapped them both back into place. He kept eating in peace as Kimiko groaned in pain behind him, not sparing her a look.

“You're mean!” Kimiko groaned, getting to her feet unsteadily. Naruto could tell she was giving him a death glare.

“Don't attempt to choke me and we will not have that problem,” Naruto said. “May I have some more water please?” he asked, holding up the glass to Ayame. The two owners had watched the spectacle with wide eyes but Naruto chose to not make a big deal out of it. In the end Ayame took his glass. “Thank you very much,” Naruto responded. “Attacking a trained shinobi is risky, we are conditioned to strike back instinctively,” he continued looking at Kimiko. “I could have broken your neck. Thank you once more,” he added towards Ayame who gave him a now full glass of water, “I think my little sister is done with her meal by the way.” That remark was a bit mean but it served its purpose, making Kimiko catapult into her seat and begun to scarf down.

“No I'm not done at all!” she yelled with her mouth full, Naruto giving her one more bop on the head.

“Don't talk with your mouth full.” he said, Kimiko whining at him.

Before too long they were done at Ichiraku's and Naruto paid the meal. Ayame accepted the payment with another thousand ryo smile while her father only grunted. Seemed as though he hadn't earned himself a friend there. Whatever, Naruto parted ways with Kimiko now, eager to get home and start cleaning up the mess only partially taken care of. Also, Kimiko had homework to do so a quick reminder of that got rid of her. She really was easy to push at times. Yet, as Naruto headed home he found himself in a much better mood. Thinking of the mission that lay ahead, he all of a sudden couldn't be quite as angry any longer. It was still stupid that he had to do it, but he could see its value, having been reminded of it thoroughly now.

____________________________________

“So tomorrow you leave,” Guren said as the two sat outside her house sipping on some tea. It was dusk this time as well, the dusks had become good times to meet for them. It was late enough that a lot of the disrupting activity in the compound had died down but not late enough to make the following day troublesome. Shinobi as a rule needed to keep their sleeping patterns in perfect order, early to bed and early up was a rule every one down to the academy students knew and followed.

“That I do,” Naruto said, “an envoy from Kirigakure will escort me it seems.”

“It stinks,” Guren said eventually after a few moments of silence, “for all intents and purposes you are exiled. What is the man thinking?” She was bitter about this, had been ever since she heard about it. It chafed for the Tsubaki clan to see their saviour sent away on a mission that might very well take years to finish, especially since Naruto had made his visits to the compound a part of his weekly schedule.

“I don't want to know to be honest,” Naruto answered with a sigh, “most probably something naïve.”

“The entire clan has been enraged about it.” Guren said, “he could have sent anyone but he has to send you. And he sends to a place which only a short while ago was hostile to Konoha as well.”

“We're building bridges,” Naruto said dryly, “somewhere that trumphed even our shinobi service.” He added that with a sour mutter and Guren snorted.

“Are you sure you do not want me to lodge a formal complaint?” Guren asked him now, “I've got a lot of clout being clan leader and all.”

“Not enough to challenge the Hokage,” Naruto said, “and besides, your clan's standing is frail as it is.”

“Some things are worth fighting for even though you're frail,” Guren said bitterly, Naruto now looking towards her.

“I need you to promise me something,” he said eventually, Guren raising an eyebrow as she met his gaze. “Something you must keep secret no matter what.” Naruto stressed that point.

“You have my word,” Guren said calmly and Naruto nodded.

“If the choice ever comes up,” he said steadily, “do not risk the Tsubaki clan. They deserve a chance to live and for all its flaws Konoha is a good place for them.”

“What are you getting at Naruto,” Guren put away her tea now, looking sternly at him, “you make it sound as if you are going to go rogue.” Naruto smiled at her now however.

“Don't worry,” he said, “I'm not going to go to Kiri just to become a missing-nin. Never the less, swear that you will put your clan first.” Guren was silent for a while now, looking at him quietly. Naruto found it hard, yet he met her gaze still. Eventually the woman sighed.

“I can never tell what you are thinking,” she said, “but I swear. To me my clan will come first, no matter what happens.”

“Thank you Guren-san,” Naruto said, “yet do not think so much about this. It was your comment about wanting to use what little influence you have for me that provoked that remark.” Putting down the now empty cup on the porch beside him Naruto stood up. “Not everything must be wreathed in symbolism and hidden meanings,” he told her, “and with that, good bye,” he bowed to his friend, “I'll see you again in the coming year no doubt. I will not move to Kiri permanently. Never the less, good luck and thank you for these moments.” Guren stood up now, seeming like she was about to do something yet after a moment she bowed to him as well

“Good luck Naruto-san,” she told him, still looking somewhat uncertain.

“Once more Guren-san,” Naruto said with a smile, “I am not going to become a missing-nin.” Guren chuckled now and Naruto left, looking back to give her one final nod before he vanished around the corner and out towards the exit. It was however with a slight sense of grim fatalism he found himself walking the streets home. The night was dark and a bit chilly, hiving him little in the way of comfort. Not that he suffered from it yet at the same time, nature did little to help him relax. While not being a sentimental person Naruto nevertheless found himself taking the long way home, wanting to take in the sight of Konoha before he left it for who knew how many months or perhaps even years. Being maudlin ill suited him but he still dwelt a bit wandering the only place he had ever called home for whatever such a title was worth.

What did it mean to him? “Home” was a blurry concept in many ways and he had felt it uninteresting to ponder more closely. Yet as it was he did not quite know. Perhaps there was something to the concept. After all the human mind craved stability, fixed points in life. A safe and familiar place was part of what it wanted. A den, a nest, a home. Was that apartment he lived in that for him? It was his own, yes, and all things considered he supposed he had a special attachment to it. A frightening thing to admit in a way, a weakness that could be exploited. Still, knowing the weakness was the way to dealing with it. Naruto fiddled with the thought in his mind as he walked, still considering it when he got up the stairs and wandered towards his apartment door.

When the door was open he sighed. Someone was in his apartment and he felt a sense of frustration. He didn't want to deal with whatever was inside, was it Kimiko come to bother him? Opening the door, he saw that the lights were on and someone were inside the kitchen. He removed his shoes and stepped inside the kitchen, fully intent on confronting the intruder. Yet, he found himself surprised by who it was. Inside his kitchen, currently making tea, Kushina stood.

“Quite a surprise,” Naruto said slowly and was treated to the sight of Kushina startling, actually making a small “eep” before she spun around and came face to face with him. Blinking, Naruto found himself thinking that the reaction was so much “Kimiko” that it was frightening. Or? Kimiko was her mother's daughter he once again thought. “I didn't expect to see you here,” he continued It had been a while since Kushina came over, two weeks now. She used to come over in the afternoons to drink some tea generally. Their chats had mostly never been more than casual; not at all like with Guren. It therefore wasn't something he had expected to see her here.

“Oh, hi,” Kushina begun, “I came over to see how you were... since you leave tomorrow, yanno.” Oh Kami-sama... Naruto could tell she was flustered to say the least. That weird little verbal tic of hers had come out to play again as it always did when she was flustered or uncertain. Naruto mentally tuned it out, knowing he'd get ideas about scratching his ear drums out of his head if he paid it any more heed. “You weren't here,” Kushina continued quickly “I decided to wait for you and... well I suppose I ended up making some tea... sorry...” rubbing her neck, Kushina gave him an awkward smile as Naruto kept one eyebrow raised. Tea was it? He had had tea only just now at the Tsubaki compound. Besides it was getting late...

Bah! In the end he liked tea. Naruto tuned out the complaints in his head since he didn't want to cause drama and nodded. Still, a small sting was justified as it was.

“If you've prepared my tea I might as well drink it,” he said, giving Kushina a wry smile.

“Sorry,” she said once more, still embarrassed but nevertheless relieved.

Pulling out a chair and sitting down, Naruto accepted the cup of tea Kushina poured him and took a careful sip. For a few seconds now he enjoyed the silence and the scent of his tea. Not that he actively disliked this, it only made it more complicated. He still didn't know how to approach Kushina in a natural way. Would that show in time? He didn't know.

“So you leave tomorrow,” Kushina begun and Naruto nodded.

“That I do,“ he said, hoping this wouldn't become a repeat of the conversation with Guren.

“You'll get to do something nobody has ever done before,” Kushina continued, “are you nervous?” She seemed a lot more enthused about this than Guren had been. Obviously, Minato was her husband after all.

“Mostly about having Kiri shinobi gnaw at my heels thinking I'm dinner,” Naruto said dryly. Kushina snorted at this, quite loudly too, and ended up having to cover her mouth with her hand.

“That's not very nice to say,” she begun and Naruto pondered the difference between the woman sitting in front of her and the legendary “Bloody red Habanero” as Kushina had been called in her youth. Truly the habanero had lost its sting if that made her chide him.

“I'm not a nice person,” Naruto said, “what more I would lie if I said I was eager about this.”

“How so?” Kushina got a small crease on her forehead as she asked this, a show of her concern. Already when he had refuted the claim of being nice she had seemed as though she wanted to say something. There had been a sudden spark of anger in her eyes but it had come and gone. Now she seemed only careful again.

“Kiri is a village of savages who until recently was run by the single greatest idiot in the elemental nations,” Naruto said frankly, “they've been reduced to paupers by their own idiocy and if it was my call they would pay the price for it.”

“Even those who had nothing to do with it?” Kushina asked him, her arms folded on the table in front of her as she leaned forwards. Naruto could tell she was attentive and he decided to bite.

“Shinobi villages are the embodiment of training systems, philosophies of warfare, social engineering, administration, world view etc. They are a complex organism with countless factors all pulling in one coherent direction. In Konoha this takes the shape of the “Will of Fire” philosophy as well as our balance between valuing the mission and your team mates lives. In Kiri said direction was bigotry and violence.”

“I didn't think you would be so cynical.” Kushina said, sounding almost disappointed. “You were ready to die to give Orochimaru's victims a new home. Don't you think Kiri deserves a chance at least?”

“Orochimaru's victims were transplanted from that setting into Konoha.” Naruto knew there were similarities but not enough to validate her point. “If they are capable of leaving that place behind mentally remains to be seen. Kiri will still be Kiri. We aren't talking about transferring a flower to a different soil, this is to make a cherry tree spout plums.”

“Do you really think so little of them?” Kushina asked.

“Does that surprise you?” Naruto asked, “Systematic slaughtering of half their graduates, purges, massacres, civil war, corruption, rampant machismo-driven militarism etcetera. And indeed, they were the ones who destroyed Uzushio, your home. Why so concerned for them?” Naruto finished with that question. Having looked into Kushina's lineage Naruto had found quite the grand story and part of him wondered why he hadn't looked deeper into it before. Yet the most interesting thing here was that which he had said: the fact that Kiri had Kushina's home village's blood on its hands.

“Because it must start somewhere,” Kushina said softly, looking down at her tea mug. “Sure I've hated Kiri. I've hated Kumo for how they captured me. I've hated the Kyuubi for what it did to Konoha and to our family. I've hated myself for forgetting you...” Looking up at Naruto, Kushina had a sorrowful yet still resolved look in her eyes. “but hatred leads nowhere. Where could it go? Eye for an eye? Should I want another village burned to the ground for what happened to mine? Someone has to begin if the world is to change and in the end, I've got a good home, loving husband, a wonderful daughter and a son who is in many ways better than I deserve to have.” Naruto flinched a bit internally at her remark and watched as Kushina smiled, this time almost radiantly. “I think I can justify being the one to take the first step,” she continued, Naruto almost wishing he could believe in that dream. But he couldn't, being simply too cynical, too reluctant to place such high hopes on people. “Listen to me,” Kushina said now, shaking her head. “I'm sorry, I didn't come here to lecture you. I wanted to give you something actually.” Reaching into her clothes, Kushina took out a small, nondescript, scroll which she put on the table. “Here...” she said. “it's something I thought you could bring with you to Kiri. If it ever gets too annoying down there then perhaps this can take your mind off things.”

“Thank you,” Naruto said, surprised by her gift. He hadn't expected to be given anything by her and especially not now. Taking it, he felt a slight tingle of curiosity. What exactly was in this scroll? The possibilities were quite diverse as far as he could figure and precisely therefore he decided to wait with opening it. Kushina seemed happy over his acceptance of the gift and looked at him, a smile on her face and her eyes almost glowing from the delight. Naruto was uncomfortably reminded once more of precisely how much he seemed to matter to his mother.

“Oh goodness look at the time!” Kushina exclaimed and Naruto startled. Indeed it turned out as he looked at the clock. It was almost midnight. “I need to go now, you've got an early day tomorrow and all.”

“That and a long set of months ahead of me,” Naruto added and Kushina smiled. Following her out into the corridor, Naruto found himself having to stop as Kushina stopped in the hallway, the woman not moving for a second.

“Naruto...” she said eventually. Her voice was timorous and she looked back at him uncertainly. What did she want now Naruto wondered, being surprised to say the least when she turned around and embraced him. He froze as her arms wrapped around him, not knowing at first what to do. Therefore he stood still for several seconds as his mother hugged him, her head resting on his shoulder. “Good luck Naruto,” she whispered, “I love you.” With that she let go of him, stopping her embrace before Naruto could force himself to respond to it. Smiling at him, Kushina retreated from his apartment and left, leaving her son to look after her and wonder what exactly he was expected to do. Sighing, Naruto eventually shut the door, walked back to the kitchen, retrieved the scroll, tossed it into his bag and went to bed.

Chapter Text

Naruto had woken up early on the day of his departure from Konoha for Kiri. Everything he needed was stowed away in seals he carried with him. The plants in his home all lined up on the kitchen table for the Tsubaki clan to water, something they had insisted on being allowed to do. The food that would spoil was put in bags for same clan to take for themselves. With the windows properly closed, the door locked and everything he needed packed, Naruto headed away from his apartment and towards the main gate where the Kiri envoy would wait. The man had “politely” as he put it, chosen not to enter the village and instead waited by the gates. Once more Naruto found himself royally irritated by everything and sighed as he got down the last flight of stairs.

He didn't want to do this, he truly didn't want to do it. Of all the places to go to it had to be the village of blood-thirsty idiots. The new Mizukage's attitude was a qualified relief at best, Naruto was not going to expect the entire village having lost their asinine attitudes in so short a time. So he'd go to a village of savages, try to make them stop gnawing on the bones of their fellow shinobi and make them try to comprehend the arts of science.

Stopping at a corner, Naruto slapped himself in the face to chase out the irrational petulance that settled in him. For one thing he had more examples of Konoha shinobi eating their dead than Kiri (Inuzuka deviant, long story) and whatever he thought about it all it was his orders wasn't it? Yes, those orders who now were memorized in his head as he had burned the document. He gritted his teeth and hurried his steps. Emotions were irrelevant, the mission came first, even more so in the case of this giant of a mission.

Approaching the gate, he saw his escort to Kiri wait for him. The man in question was a tall man with a severe face. He wore seal tags for ear-rings, an ankle-length robe and an eyepatch. His hair stood upright and was that kind of blue hue common in Kiri. It had been something about a show of trust, the Kiri got to escort him all the way from Konoha's gates. Naruto didn't know how that worked and he didn't want to either, instead he came up to the man and met his gaze.

“Namikaze-sama!” the man said promptly, bowing towards him. “My name is Ao and I am assigned as your escort to Kirigakure no Sato, sir.”

“I will be in your care,” Naruto said formally and returned the bow, deciding to give this man a chance to prove Kiri different from what he had expected. The formalities and the professionalism didn't tell much though, he'd have to prod the man during the journey. “Shall we be off?” he asked.

“Waaaaaaait!” someone cried behind them, a very much familiar voice, and Naruto groaned silently before turning around and being near tackled by Kimiko. She came flying through the air as usual and crashed into him, forcefully enough that Naruto stumbled backwards as Kimiko wrapped herself around him and buried her face into his chest .

“Damn it you midget!” Naruto snapped as he managed to dislodge his arms from her grip. “Get... off... me!” he groaned, trying to push her off him.

“I don't wanna!” Kimiko exclaimed, “you can't go! I'm not letting you!” Naruto couldn't tell precisely but sounded almost as if she was on the verge of tears.

“It's my mission,” he said to Kimiko, wishing she'd stop embarrassing him in front of this Ao person, “I'm a shinobi Kimiko, you will be too soon. I can't not do this.”

“But I'm not even done at the academy!” Kimiko whined, “you said you were going to teach me a jutsu if I went to the extra classes, how can you do that in Kiri?!” Sighing, Naruto now stretched his arms out to the sides before giving Kimiko a rapid series of strikes with his index and middle fingers that made her muscles all loosen up and turned her limp. Grabbing her before she could fall down to the ground, he put her down in an upright position that kept her on her feet. Hunching down, he looked her straight in the eyes.

“We'll find a solution for that,” he told her, “I won't move permanently to Kiri, I'll come back for a few days in a few months or so. And when I come back I will teach you that jutsu.” Kimiko, who seemed like she was about to start crying, looked at him through red eyes.

“Do you promise that?” she asked him with a tiny voice, Naruto forcing himself to smile at her.

“I promise,” he said, ruffling her hair now, “now stop crying, Konoha shinobi can't be crybabies.” Kimiko nodded now and wiped her eyes on her sleeves before giving him a bright smile.

“You got it oniisan,” she said, bravely keeping her cheer up, “but it's a promise!”

“It is,” he said, “and I will expect you to have become a fine shinobi when I see you again.”

“You bet!” Kimiko grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up before her face changed into a visage of fright at what she heard now.

“Namikaze Kimiko!” Iruka's voice roared from the end at the street, her teacher coming running towards them at full speed. His face, meanwhile, was enraged and Kimiko took a step to the side.

“Uh-oh,” she said, “Gottagoseeyouoniisan!” she squealed before spinning around to dash away. Naruto however, sighed before he whipped his hand out, a sharp, snapping strike that struck Kimiko in the right spot, making her go limp again. Catching her by the scruff of her jacket, he held her up and when Iruka came up to them he offered the still limp girl to him, holding her out towards him.

“Is this yours?” he asked, Iruka nodding.

“Thank you Namikaze-san,” he said, Naruto seeing how the man was doing his best to keep as calm as possible. Taking Kimiko from Naruto, Iruka now pulled out a length of rope which he begun to tie her up with, making sure to keep her fully restrained. He was quickly done and before Kimiko had regained her mobility she was fully restrained and hoisted up on her sensei's back.

“You're mean!” Kimiko yelled at Naruto now and Naruto chose to not comment on that, instead taking out a small seal tag from a scroll he carried. He put it on Kimiko's mouth, the girl not making one sound after that.

“You might want to use this Iruka-sensei,” he said to Iruka, who had raised both eyebrows at this. “It's a gag seal,” Naruto explained, “it won't impair breathing but will make her as quiet as can be. It is reusable and can only be destroyed with fire. Use it well.”

“Oh thank Kami for that,” Iruka said with a deep sigh, “I must get back to class, I'm sorry about this.”

“No worries,” Naruto offered and Iruka departed. Sighing, Naruto suddenly found this whole mission a much better idea. Turning back to Ao, he watched the man stand stiff with a strange look on his face. “Yes?” he asked mildly, the man shaking his head.

“Nothing Namikaze-sama,” Ao answered, his voice struggling to maintain its neutral tone. “Shall we head out?” he asked now.

“Let's,” Naruto said, realizing all too well that he had been made a fool in front of this man. Therefore, he immediately leaped into the trees from the position he stood at. From this spot it was easily a hundred meters to jump and it was from the ground to the trees as well. Quite the leap even for a jonin, yet to his surprise Ao kept up, managing to follow him on that jump. It seemed plausible that this man was one of Kiri's better jonin. Still, it remained to be seen just how far that capacity reached and therefore Naruto decided to set a high pace, leaping through the trees at as high a speed as he comfortably could keep up.

As a rule of thumb, the consistent speed genin could set while travelling was about half of the average chuunin speed, which was about a third of jonin speed. High level jonin could set a pace half again as fast as their more average ilk. Naruto right now put himself to the very edge of that pace, moving so fast that the trees turned into blurs. Unlike the normal speed shinobi moved at which turned them into blurs moving through the trees, this pace kept him from being seen at all, the only thing noticeable was the rustling of the leaves by the draft he kicked up. Or rather he and Ao as it turned out; Ao could keep up with him.

____________________________________

The two of them could keep up this pace consistently as they moved through Fire Country, the journey proceeding in silence with only a few short breaks as they approached the harbour to the small nation Wave Country, a semi-independent island-state close to the major shipping lines from Kiri. They were to take a boat from there to Kiri apparently.

Neither Naruto nor Ao said anything during this journey, both of them content with silence thankfully. Naruto had a lot to think about as it was and preferred to get the journey over with quickly. It wasn't until they reached the shores of Fire Country and stood on a cliff overlooking the sea with Wave Country visible some distance out into the sea that anything was said.

“Wave Country Namikaze-sama,” Ao said, “we'll rest there and head for Water Country with the first ship tomorrow.”

“I understand,” Naruto said, acknowledging what the man said. The discussion wasn't over yet however.

“If I may be nosy Namikaze-sama,” Ao said now, “was that really Namikaze Kimiko, the jinchuuriki of Konoha, we met at the gates?” there was something perplexed in his voice.

“That is the case,” Naruto said in response, “however incredible it might seem.” He added dryly. Ao seemed to be given pause at this, standing silent for a few seconds.

“Konoha is a curious place indeed,” he said thoughtfully after a while.

“Pardon me?” Naruto asked.

“To see a jinchuuriki that can behave as such,” the man said, “It makes me wonder how Konoha climbed to the heights it is at now if you are so lackadaisical with your children.”

“We compensate by not murdering half our academy students before they can go out into the field for no other conceivable gain than the satiation of a deranged machismo ideal,” Naruto responded pointedly. “Let's get into town,” he continued when he noticed how Ao flinched as his retort. Leaping down from the cliff, he took the lead now and headed towards the small stretch of land that reached out towards Wave Country. a man with a straw hat sat in a small boat in the harbour there, a harbour with only a few ships and with piers that looked like they had seen better days. He looked up as they drew near.

“Ferry across sirs?” he asked as he stood up, leaping out of the small rowing boat.

“No,” Naruto said, instead simply leaping off the harbour and landing on the water. Both him and Ao were skilled enough that they'd get out to Wave Country without having to use boats. Walking on water had the irritating tendency to only get harder the longer they did it, something that led to shinobi having to use boats when taking longer trips, even elites like him. Still, getting to Wave Country was easy and just as the dusk was starting to throw its red light over the world the two of them reached the island nation, arriving at the biggest settlement there.

It was, all in all, a quite depressing sight that met them. Evidently Wave Country was in a state of decline. The roads were dirty and the buildings dilapidated. Many of the rice paper walls on the different buildings he could see had holes and tears in them and in many cases the colours of the other buildings had begun to flake long ago which left them with a patchy look. Decay and poverty, it stood around the entire settlement like a bad stench.

“How charming,” Naruto said absently to himself in a sarcastic tone. “We're staying at the best inn this place has,” he said after a while, “that way we will have a chance not sharing quarters with the rodents.” Ao nodded but didn't say anything and after a pair of quick questions they had found the place in question. Impressively enough the best inn, a combined inn, restaurant and bar it seemed, was not only in good shape but outright opulent. It was a large, newly built place which was filled with finely clothed business men and the likes. The bar was in glass and ebony and he could see all sorts of games being played further in in a small casino. It was strange to see such a dirty town have a hotel such as this. He'd have expected it in the fancier parts of Tanzaku Gai perhaps, but not here.

Coming up to the front desk, they were immediately greeted by snobbish receptionist who took one look at them and whose face twisted into a look of disgust that Naruto in all honesty found fascinating. In one second, every single muscle had moved, shaping the face into such an expression of bile-filled contempt that it was almost sublime.

“Yes?” she asked, her voice marinated in utter, cold and arrogant ice. Naruto bowed to her however, deciding to play along.

“Good day miss,” he said politely, “do you have any free rooms?”

“No we do not,” the woman said, her voice frigid like the furthest reaches of the north, “none suitable for,” she sniffed now, “your kind of people,” she finished with the venom almost pouring from her voice. Beside him he could notice Ao getting offended, the man clenching his firsts. He only smiled however, locking gazes with her and proceeded to start putting pressure on her. Focusing his killing intent he slowly pushed at her, very subtly at first but he let is slowly rise and focused his entire mind onto it. The woman, who had at first coldly looked down at them soon lost some of her hostility. Anxiety was already showing on her face. He let the killing intent jump somewhat in power, opening his eyes wide and letting the smile grow as he bared. A psychological trick, as it was now all his moves would be interpreted as hostile. Wide eyes that unblinkingly watched the woman, bared teeth ready to tear out her throat. She was terrified already, cold sweat was breaking out on her brow and she swallowed. She reached slowly for something under the counter, an alarm button or something, and Naruto leaned forwards, making her recoil as she tried to get away from him. Having now claimed the space over this button, she couldn't call for the guards.

“Are you sure?” he asked now, calmly. Letting the killing intent jump once more in intensity, he was now hitting her with an amount on the level that most civilians would be nigh paralysed by it.

“I... I'll take a look sir...” the woman gasped, nearly scared out of her wits. She couldn't resist him, her will was subdued by his brute force. It was crude, even immoral, but Naruto was in a bad enough mood that he let that be trumped by his irritation at her arrogance. She looked down into her books for a few seconds, before she looked up “Room 323 is free sir, is that acceptable?”

“Much obliged,” Naruto said, dropping the killing intent fully and leaving the woman to almost pant as the pressure suddenly vanished. “Our keys?” he asked and the woman swiftly handed him the keycard. “Thank you for your hard work,” he said, bowing slightly to her and heading for the stairs. Ao followed him, blinking with his one remaining eye.

“I... can't say I was expecting that Namikaze-sama,” the man said eventually as they reached the top of the stairs, Naruto looking back at him with one raised eyebrow.

“No?” he asked as they started down the corridor, Ao clearing his throat.

“The impression I had, sorry if I'm insulting, was that you Konoha shinobi would rather leave without complaints in that kind of situation.”

“I had an unique master,” Naruto remarked dryly as they turned around a corner, “I'll just blame that.”

“Oh I don't have that much reason to complain,” Ao said now, “I've always wanted to stay here.”

“What is this about either way?” Naruto asked now as they walked towards their room. “The entire town seems like a gutter, yet here we have a place not just rich but outright opulent? What gives?”

“This town and indeed most of the nation is more or less directly controlled by the Gato Company,” Ao said. “They control all transport to, from and through it. Most of the country has lost all its sources of income thanks to that. There's two jobs for these people, either work at the docks for slave wages and in hard conditions, or they are one of the executives who come through here. This hotel is for them, even shinobi like myself are not usually welcome.”

“Gato Company it is?” Naruto said to himself. The Gato Company controlled the majority of all transports in the world, caravans, trains and ships, they had a stake in it all and used it ruthlessly. This did seem just their style too, with the executives living like nobles and and the workers living in squalor. Truly there was something about money that made people become reprehensible characters. However it was with that though they had now reached their room and Naruto unlocked it and opened. What he saw made him almost a bit disgusted. Luxury was one thing, this was outright tacky.

Polished floor in which he could almost see his own reflection(why?). A bathroom with two sinks (why?), a shower and a tub as well as a jacuzzi(why?). Silk sheets on both beds; beds large enough to hold three people(why?). A genuine chandelier in the room which they had to put in an actual recess in the ceiling so it would fit(why?!). Not just a mini bar but an outright bar(and once more: why?).

“People with enough money really do seem to lose all connection to reality,” he found himself saying, “this is ridiculous.”

“Quite so,” Ao said, seemingly just as appalled by the ostentatious display of an abundance of money and total lack of temperance both, “I feel like after tonight I'll have to spend a week in the forest sleeping in the mud to wash off the excess.” Naruto found himself snorting at the remark. .

“I understand what you mean,” he sighed, “we might as well take it for what it is however.” Walking over to the bar, he started going through the bottles there and eventually found something, “What's this?” he said, “Kakita Saké? Really?” he was even more dumbfounded now. The Kakita family had been annihilated during the third shinobi world war. Their Saké was a rarity these days. And they served it here in the bars in the rooms even? This place got more and more tacky. “Oh well,” he said and took out the bottle along with two saucers. Putting it all on the table, he motioned for Ao to sit down at the table on the chair opposing him. Ao obeyed after a moment of hesitation.

“For all intents and purposes I will be part of Kirigakure during this mission,” Naruto said when Ao had sat down. The admission tasted like ashes but he didn't show that. “To that end, I would like to offer to drink with you Ao-san.” Thankfully there were formalities around this, explicit codes he could follow easily. Sharing a bottle of saké was considered a bonding ritual, an expression of friendship, or at least acquaintanceship. “Would you do me the honour?” Naruto asked and Ao bowed his head.

“It would be an honour Namikaze-sama,” the man said politely. Naruto now opened the small serving bottle, pouring from the larger bottle into it. As a tradition you got your sake in a small serving bottle and then poured it into the tiny saucers from which you drank. This made refilling frequent and it was tradition to fill the cup for your drinking partner. With Anko the serving bottles had been drunk from directly, this however called for a more formal set of behaviour. With the first round of saké soon poured, Naruto raised it and Ao reciprocated the gesture, the two taking a swig from the saucers both before Naruto spoke up.

“Until now,” he said, cherry-picking his words, “the image I have had of Kirigakure is as a place of savagery. I can tell however that this is an image that will come to change soon. Would you care for being the one who change this view Ao-san?” Ao hadn't made any visible cues showing what he thought of Naruto's words, yet he nodded now.

“I would be honoured,” he said, Naruto realizing now that the severe look he carried must be his standard face. He didn't look like a man meant to smile. “Kirigakure is a changing village Naruto-sama,” the man continued now, “the rule of the yondaime left our village in shambles and when he finally was overthrown there were few amongst us who did not cheer for the godaime when she ascended to the post as Mizukage. To many of us she is like a bodhisattva having come to deliver us.” Naruto raised one eyebrow now. Now that was a high title to ascribe her. A bodhisattva, one of those who had reached enlightenment and could enter nirvana but who stayed in this world to guide humanity. He saw the comparison but there was still something unsettling by the level of idolization going on here.

“And those who did not cheer?” Naruto asked now.

“You mean like I?” Ao asked, a wry smile settling in the corner of his mouth.

“Evidently,” Naruto said, “I will not judge however, so feel free to state what you felt on it.”

“I held the old ways to be the right path,” Ao admitted frankly. “Even in the academy, as I slew the boy who had become like a brother to me, we did not hate each other. We said that the one who fell would go ahead and wait for the other on the shores of the river of the dead. When I one day cross it I'll carry with me stories enough to last us both until the end of time. He's been with me for all these years, a guiding light for me no matter how dark the road got.” There was something almost gentle in the man's voice now, the smile no longer wry but almost soft, mixed with a deep melancholy and also a steely resolve. “Yet now I am told to be a pitiable victim for it,” he said after a while, “that or a cold-hearted monster. The sacrifice we both were willing to make is now spat upon. Yet Namikaze-sama, even I believe in Terumi-sama's vision. I am considered an old codger, a remnant of the old days who constantly complains about how she's making our new shinobi softer, weaker. But even I admit she is the best thing that has happened to Kirigakure in decades.”

Naruto found himself re-evaluating his view of Kiri quite thoroughly now, surprised by the depth to the man. There were something almost heart-crushingly naïve over his thoughts on the murder of his classmate, yet at the same time it was mired in a resolute yet weary maturity. He found himself with a suddenly increased respect for Ao. There was nothing savage about this man and he resolutely shoved those thoughts into the trash-bin of his mind where it belonged. Offering Ao some more saké and getting his saucer refilled as well, Naruto raised his saucer.

“If I may,” he said, “to your friend.” Ao smiled, a smile where the melancholia was clear, but raised his saucer as well.

“To Saizo,” he said, taking a swig of the saké.

“Yet, what of the others?” Naruto asked, “Konoha's bingo books are filled with former Kiri nins who have gone rogue. Hoshigaki Kisame. Momochi Zabuza, Gozu and Meizu the demon brothers, the list goes on.”

“Many opposed the godaime, that is true,” Ao said bitterly, “when she ascended to the position they ran away, becoming mercenaries and simple scum. If Mizukage-sama had not personally requested that I stayed at her side I would have gone back to the Hunter-nins a long time ago.”

“You were a hunter-nin?” Naruto asked, Ao nodding.

“I was a captain for many years,” Ao told him, “I left the service three years ago when seemingly all my missions were to eliminate bloodline users instead of actual missing-nins. Rather than being imprisoned for it I joined Terumi-sama's resistance movement. Since then I have been in many ways her right-hand man.”

“A lofty position,” Naruto noted, “congratulations.”

“I wonder,” Ao snorted, “I seem to clash with Mizukage-sama daily. For some reason she still keeps me around though.”

It made sense to Naruto. She wanted someone there to question her, to stand in opposition to her with grace and with reasonable views on it still. That way she'd have to check herself, measure her ideas against him if she wanted to be able to look herself in the mirror. Intriguing. What more Ao was cunning as well. What had he revealed this far? That Kiri loved its current kage. That Ao opposed many of her ideas but still honoured her. That she kept a man such as him around to remember to not be blinded by her power..That those who opposed her were now simple bandits and the likes. All of it reflected well on the Mizukage indeed and equally much on Ao, thus far it was hard to tell he had even measured his words. This would make for an interesting evening indeed.

____________________________________

Having left their disgustingly opulent hotel room early the next morning, before even breakfast was served in fact, Naruto and Ao made their way to the harbour. Transportation there was easy to get hold of, a Gato Company freighter was departing only minutes after they got there. It wasn't really hard to motivate the captain to accept two shinobi as passengers. There were talk of pirates in the waters between Water Country and Wave Country, having Naruto and Ao on board was a free insurance just in case.

That turned out to be a good choice by the good captain, roughly halfway a ship wearing no merchant house insignia and which was built for speed and manoeuvrability started to approach. Naruto had been sitting by the main mast reading when the ship first was sighted and got over to the railing to watch.

“Looks like a pirate ship to me,” he said calmly, the book still in hand as Ao came up beside him.

“No trading vessel would go up against the wind like that,” Ao agreed, “They are pirates, no doubt about it.”

“Would you like the have the honour Ao-san?” Naruto asked. One measly ship was little challenge, if both of them tried to destroy it one would only get in the way of the other.

“I've plenty of experience dealing with these kinds of villains Namikaze-sama,” Ao said, “I think it would be better for you to do it.”

“Fair dues,” he said, watching how the ship already was getting within arrow range. This set went to Ao it seemed. There was no real way of saying no that wouldn't boil down to a shameful “dun wanna!”. Putting away the book and taking off his shirt, Naruto leaped into the water head-first and soon disappeared under the surface. He swam quickly, like a snake down through the water until he got about ten meters below the surface. That was enough for what he was going to do. While he was going to deal with the pirates he preferred not to reveal what cards he was carrying just yet. Therefore, he now bit his thumb and made the seals underwater as fast as he could.

Up at the ship it was impossible to see what happened. One moment the ship had been steadily approaching and the sailors had been getting more and more nervous. The second the water had exploded around all of the ship and a thunderous sound had echoed across the sea. When the water came down again, revealing the area where the ship had been, there was no longer a ship but only pieces of driftwood that eventually, after a long time, came bobbing up to the surface. Naruto meanwhile came aboard the merchant ship only moments after the detonation, being handed a towel by a grateful sailor and Ao nodded towards him respectfully. Naruto hoped that would be enough to keep his skills hidden.

The new Manda had been accommodating indeed, understanding Naruto's intentions and hiding himself with the giant water cascade before he dragged the ship under and tore it to pieces several hundred metres below the sea. Naruto never thought he would have seen the day but the new king of snakes was actually a quite pleasant figure. He had a dry sense of humour and a reasonably intact sense of good manners. Compared to his predecessor he was an outright charmer.

Wiping himself with the towel, he considered just how much different everything were outside the village. Even now he felt free in a way he never had. In the village it was eternally the same pattern it seemed, lab work, go home, be pestered by Kimiko, perhaps do something with Anko or, after what had happened with Anko, the Tsubaki clan. Routine, predictable... tedious even. He didn't know what it was, but he felt it clearly enough to be able to identify it. He wanted to be rid of it, no longer stoop to countless expectations and rules he couldn't believe in.

“How long until we reach shore?” he asked the captain.

“Three hours with this speed shinobi-sama,” he was told and nodded. Good, the sea was tedious after all. Taking his book from the barrel he had left it on, he sat down by the mast again and went back to reading, this time he kept reading until they reached shore.

____________________________________

Not really surprising anyone, the area around Kirigakure was wreathed in thick fog. Naruto could only see a few hundred meters at best and the humidity had already made his clothes somewhat damp. He needed to consider switching into the kind of fabrics Kiri used if he was going to remain here for any longer time. He and Ao had been moving through the cliffs for a good while now, Naruto realizing one could easily get lost here. So what was awaiting them at the end of this trip? Naruto felt a certain anticipation, wanting to see how this new Kiri looked.

Yet, when crossing over a small ridge, Naruto could suddenly feel something. Both he and Ao stopped for a second, having noticed it both. Seconds later, a distant screech could be heard in the air, Ao gasping as he heard it.

“What's going on?” Naruto asked, worried by the sudden look of horror on Ao's face. The man didn't answer at first, instead making a seal and focusing for a couple of seconds before he begun to tremble.

“Ancestors preserve us...” he whispered, “the Rokubi has broken free!” He almost yelled it, Naruto startling at his words as well.

“What, how?” Naruto asked at first but after a second caught himself, “wait, irrelevant, move!” the last words were roared and both he and Ao moved within instants, dashing down the ridge and towards the village. The sensation in the air only grew and Naruto could soon feel it, leaping through the mist he felt a slithering, choking sensation in the air, like something coated him in a thick, oily substance that made everything harder. Biiju chakra... He could recognise it clearly, despite being so different he could feel the kinship the thing that gave off that chakra had with the Kyuubi. This terrible, inhuman sensation of sheer evil, overpowering and vile in equal measures. It made his heart beat faster, he gritted his teeth and his eyes came to be narrowed. He was not going to let this sensation overpower him.

The village soon came into sight, consisting largely of dozens of big, round houses several floors high. Yet the thing that drew both their attention as they moved as fast as possible was what was to the south of the town. Through the mists they could see it, a giant, shapeless thing stretching towards the sky, screeching with a voice that made the ground tremble. The sheer chakra the thing generated made Naruto want to puke.

“Go and report to the Mizukage!” Naruto commanded Ao, “I'll keep this thing contained until you can muster a counter-attack!” Ao looked at him, seemingly hesitating for a split second but then nodding, veering off and heading for town proper. Naruto meanwhile dashed straight forwards until the thing came into view proper. It was huge just like the Kyuubi, a fat, bipedal slug-like creature with pasty white skin and six large appendages flailing behind it much like tails. It dripped of slime and Naruto could feel the stench of chemicals from already where he was now.

Quickly checking the area, Naruto saw a robed man who was currently doing his best to backpedal away from the beast, only managing to be noticed instead by the demonic slug. The creature turned one eye antennae at the man and spat at it, spewing a stream of toxins at him, hundreds of litres of acidic toxin unleashed by it. It was only barely that Naruto managed to reach the man but he did. With one final instant movement Naruto bridged the several hundred meters between him and the man, his hands already making seals when he landed. Slamming his hands into the ground only instants before the flood of toxin would have hit the man, Naruto erected a large, thick earth wall between him and the attack. The toxins hit the wall with a giant splash that drenched the area in toxins and quickly begun to corrode the wall. Still, it stopped them from being hit by the initial attack, giving him a few more seconds.

Naruto made a series of additional seals, Naruto slammed both palms into the barrier and made a swarm of sharp rock spears shoot from it, striking the Bijuu in several places. As it roared in more anger than pain, Naruto grabbed the man and got him out of the immediate area as quickly as possible, creating three shadow clones that attacked the Bijuu head on.

Landing on a small ridge far away enough that the Bijuu was not an immediate threat, Naruto roughly put down the man and first now he got a good look on him. It was an older man, only just beginning to bald, with a long, droopy moustache and thick glasses. His face was etched in shock and horror both yet he still sought Naruto's eyes, showing he was coherent.

“I'm Namikaze Naruto!” he introduced himself swiftly, “What happened?”

“Namikaze Naruto?” the man asked breathlessly, still somewhat unfocused, “Oh, oh thank the gods. You have to help me!” he said, getting to his feet quickly and staring in horror at the Bijuu.

“Slow down,” Naruto demanded as he got to his feet as well, “what's happened?!” The man held up his hands to his mouth in an expression of his state of mind. He was distraught.

“Oh gods no... Utakata!” the man yelled, “the jinchuuriki of the six-tails, I tried to extract the demon from him, yet it broke free! We have to re-seal it, otherwise he'll die!” Naruto made a mental note of making extremely sure to take the man to task for this later. Extract the bijuu, was he insane?! No time for that however, Naruto looked back at the Bijuu and saw it fight off his clones who currently were striking it with each of the three elements he could shape. One spat giant gouts of fire that seemed to just extinguish as it hit it. The second unleashed giant blades of wind, blades that seemed to dissipate as it hit. The third used earth jutsus, the spikes and boulders bouncing off it. That was that then, elemental jutsu were useless.

“Damnation,” Naruto hissed, feeling his heart pound. His training kept him cool but something in him wanted to curl up and scream in fear. “We'll have to contain it,” he said eventually, “that thing is a walking natural disaster!” he winced as one of his clones were destroyed, giving him a first-hand experience of being drenched in corrosive alkalis.

“You're right,” the man said, “And we need to be fast, do you carry any containment seal tags?”

“I do,” Naruto agreed. Introductions could wait but he wanted to know who this man was, he seemed to be a knowledgeable person. “I'm the faster one, I'll apply them.”

“I'll cover you!” the man said and the two dashed at the Bijuu, the last of Naruto's clones being annihilated. Naruto idly realized that it wasn't the matter of tiny scratches either. If either of those clones had been him he'd be dead by now. This made for quite the welcome to Kiri indeed and Naruto reached into his clothes, pulling out a series of seal tags. Holding four of them in each hand, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaped into the air. Now now he needed to go all out!

Below him the man responsible for this followed his line of thinking and created a massive dragon of water from a nearby brook. The thing slithered along the ground, striking the Bijuu from the side in a crashing cascade that only further enraged the thing. The man now had to leap away as the Bijuu spat a glob of pure chakra that carved a path of utter destruction through the landscape. As luck would have it it wasn't aimed at Kiri. That would have annihilated the village.

In the air now, Naruto span around and threw the seal tags through the air. It took a special technique to throw paper pieces but Naruto had mastered that one. He let the seal tags all shoot down towards the Bijuu, landing around it in a circle. With the area defined, Naruto made a series of seals and soon the seal tags begun to glow. Rays of light now shot through them to form an octagonal cage that rose high into the sky and entrapped the Bijuu behind blazing walls burning with a dark red colour. It roared in frustration now as Naruto landed in front of the barrier with the cold sweat run down his face. There, this seal would hold for now.

Only it didn't. The beast roared now, Naruto seeing how it only seemed to grow, and the barrier took only moments to collapse. This powerful barrier, one that could hold back entire armies, shattered and Naruto swore right before he was sent flying from the shockwave that roared across the world. Flipping around, Naruto gritted his teeth and landed beside the seal master.

“That's...” the old man said, his voice barely audible as the ground shook and the Bijuu still screeched. “That's impossible!” he could finally spit out, Naruto grimly smiling to himself. No not impossible, only unexpected. Still it did not help him right now did it?

“Stay back!” he commanded, bit his thumb and decided to put it trust in his allies. A rapid succession of seals followed and a burst of smoke heralded the arrival of Manda. The giant snake rose into the sky, hissing with a deafening volume as it looked around. It towered as high as the Bijuu, the monster having momentarily stopped to take in the sight.

“One day is it pirates,” the snake said dryly, taking in the situation quickly. “the other it is Bijuu. One cannot know what to expect when working with you Namikaze.”

“That seems to be true,” Naruto said grimly from his position atop the snake's head, “I need your help, that thing burst through my containment seals like it was paper and anything stronger would take time.”

“So you need me to buy you time,” the snake said smugly. “Beware though,” he urged, “the Rokubi is immune to even my poisons and you cannot squeeze a ball of slime to death. What more, its mere touch brings decay and corrosion.”

“Can you do anything else?” Naruto asked now, starting to get outright scared.

“Remember who you are talking about,” Manda hissed, “All I just said might be true, but that won't stop me!” the snake now roared, throwing itself at the Bijuu as fast as lightning, Naruto leaping off its head and landing beside the old man. The Rokubi screeched, spitting another cascade of corrosive chemicals at Manda yet the snake parried it, meeting it with a torrent of poison from its own mouth. Wrapping itself around the Bijuu several times, Manda opened its mouth wide and bit down into one of the Bijuu's tails, tearing large chunks out of it.

“Manda won't hold him forever!” Naruto roared to the man beside him, “do you know the Twin Iron Wall Barrier?!” The man nodded quickly.

“I'll take the northern half,” he said, Naruto and him both dashing towards the epic battle that raged ahead. Manda screamed in anger and pain as its skin begun to bubble at the mere touch of the Rokubi and Naruto realized that it wouldn't be long before he was dismissed. Yet, before that happened the snake twisted, managing to tear the Rokubi to the side and it crashed into the ground, Manda sinking its fangs into the thing's head.

“Die your giant bag of mucus!” the king of snakes snarled, looking towards Naruto the instant before the damage became too severe and Manda disappeared. Naruto grit his teeth and hurried to his position, pulling out several Kunai which he stabbed into the ground around him to form the first part of the barrier. Hoping that this would work, he was taken aback when the Rokubi got back up, faster than he had expected this thing to move, and with a scream, it unleashed a cascade of slime, almost as if the slime that covered it exploded off its body and Naruto's eyed widened just before the area where he stood was blanketed by toxic slime.

It was this close, but Naruto managed to escape underground, blowing the ground above him up as he came out of the earth to get rid of the acids that now covered it. When he got up he looked around and realized grimly that most of the world around him was being corroded away, trees, plants, even rocks were eaten at by this creature's secretions. His seal ring was destroyed and while he couldn't see it, he realized grimly that the seal master had been struck as well.

That did it Naruto thought. The Kiri backup had to come soon and he had no option left. If that was all that he could do, then he'd cut this thing up like a fish! Summoning the Kusanagi, Naruto opened both the celestial gates he had access to inside him and charged at full speed. The Rokubi had only him to focus on now so it spat out another torrent of corrosive slime, this one in the shape of countless bullets the size of his head.

Naruto moved like a wind through the barrage, using every last bit of his speed and agility to move through the storm of corrosion and in the end he leaped skywards, fast enough that he dashed out of the creature's field of vision. All it saw was that he vanished but in truth he was coming from above it, the Kusanagi at the ready. Yet then, the creature's left eye antennae turned, looking straight up at him, and it lashed out at him with its tails, Naruto being sent flying through the air as it struck him.

He crashed into the ground far away, snarling as he got up to one knee. This was impossible! That thing... Naruto realized that every last thing he had tried had failed. He couldn't come up with anything more, he came up short no matter what. And what more... he saw it in the corner of his eye first only, yet when looking down he saw that his hand he been covered with the alkali toxins and was currently falling apart in front of his very eyes!

It was then that he noticed someone had come up beside him. Looking up, he saw the Mizukage standing there. The woman was standing with her arms folded and her feet spread, her face showing her anger.

“Not a moment to soon,” he said, his voice hoarse.

“Thank you Namikaze-san,” the Mizukage replied, “I won't forget this. We will take it from here.” With that said, the woman stepped forwards, past him and out on the wide circle where everything was corroded away. Leaping to his feet, Naruto saw now how the woman made some seals he couldn't identify due to being behind her, and then something happened. The Mizukage took a deep breath and proceeded to spit out a veritable torrent of lava towards the Bijuu, a storm of large globs of it that struck the beast like a tsunami. Lava? A bloodline limit? In Kiri? The giant beast reeled, actually falling back under this titanic storm of magma. Naruto found himself awe-struck and now the Mizukage roared.

“Ao, Tsurugi!” she commanded and two people dashed past Naruto, one of them Ao and the other a man with long black hair and a Kiri uniform. The two charged at the Bijuu at the head of a dozen Kiri nins each, all of them hunter nins Naruto realized. Spreading around the bijuu, the hunter nins all wove the same jutsu, forming long watery ropes which they all threw at the Rokubi while it still screamed from the lava barrage that had struck it. Managing to catch the Rokubi with all these ropes, the hunter nins proceeded to use another jutsu. Lightning this time, it coruscated through the ropes and gave the bijuu a massive shock. The Mizukage had now leaped up in the air and while high above it she made new seals, this time spitting out a giant cloud of vapours at the demon, vapours that scalded the beast the instant it touched it. Not even the slime protected it and Naruto understood quickly. Two bloodlines, she could control three elements to the level that she could mix them freely! Yet that wasn't going to help, physical punishment didn't do more than delay this thing!

Thinking furiously, he managed to come up with one final solution, there was one way to deal with this thing. Therefore, he got to his feet and dashed forwards. The Mizukage landed a few dozen meters ahead of him and he dashed past her, yelling to her as he did so.

“Cover me,” he said, “I'll end this now!”

“Wait damn you!” the Mizukage answered, yelling after him in distress, “you're already wounded!”

“I need only one arm for this,” Naruto said, too quietly for her to hear it, but now he saw what to do! It was obvious, why hadn't he seen it before?! Leaping into the air right as the smoke and vapours that had covered it begun to disperse, Naruto focused what chakra he still had into his remaining hand. Yet the smoke dispersed, revealing a very, very angry Bijuu. Screeching one more, it spat a stream of corrosive liquids at him and Naruto had to act on instinct .Channelling his chakra, he wove it around his dead hand and created a blade of wind just as he swung, managing to cut through the stream only barely. Twisting desperately to fit through the opening, he nevertheless saw the entire arm that had swung be struck by the alkalis as well as several globs that hit his skin. The pain nearly made him scream and he managed only barely to land on the creature's head, watching how his arm was slowly corroded away from his body as well. With pain blazing in him now, stronger than ever before, Naruto managed only just to focus.

“Not good enough you slimy wretch!” he snarled, using his still existing hand. Purple flames blazed on the fingertips and he struck the Rokubi right between its eye-antennae, screaming as he did so. Through the pain, he could only barely feel how the Bijuu screamed and flailed, starting to collapse under his feet as the chakra that made up its body was imbalanced enough so that it fell apart. He managed to leap off the creature, trying to land on his feet but crashing into the ground with an exclamation of pain. He pushed himself up however, forcing himself to get to at least a kneeling position and watch as the Rokubi fell apart, transforming back into the shape of what had to be its jinchuuriki.

“Namikaze-sama!” a voice yelled through the haze of pain. Looking to the side, he saw Ao come running at the head of several other figures he couldn't make out. It hurt... by all gods it hurt! Naruto found himself almost awed. What had happened? Did this alkali attack somehow bypass his dulled pain receptors? He tried to make himself think, could the process as it ate at his body release electrons that fired into his nervous system? The formulas were in his head yet the pain obscured them. People came up to him, a man knelt by his side and begun to use a healing Jutsu. Naruto idly felt like everything was sort of similar to the night Orochimaru had died, and he pushed the man away.

“Don't bother,” he said, keeping his voice steady, “healing jutsu does not work on me.”

“Sir,” the man begun, “We have to...”

“I said don't bother!” Naruto snarled, forcing himself to his feet and looking around. Seemed like half of Kiri had arrived. Dozens of shinobi were all over the place as well as hunter nins. The Mizukage, meanwhile, was approaching, running towards him and when she came up she started at him in shock.

“By all the gods...” she said breathlessly, her eyes betraying her horror at the sight of his mutilated body. “What are you standing there for?!” she demanded after a second, “help him! He gained those wounds fighting for our village!”

“Useless,” Naruto told her, focusing to keep his head clear. The corrosion dug into his body, was it already at the organs? “I cannot be affected by healing jutsu, get me a soldier pill instead.” Naruto said now, the medic-nin hesitating for a moment, “I said give me one!” he snarled and the Mizukage now nodded at the medic-nin, who quickly handed him one which Naruto bit down on. The feeling of refreshment was potent, yet it didn't dull the pain. That was fine, Naruto knew what would do it. A pity he had to give a first impression like that, but he was currently missing an arm and that took priority.

His head snapping upwards, Naruto went stiff as his body begun to convulse, after a few seconds his mouth began to open, yet it didn't stop when it had opened fully, instead only expanding more and more until it was so big that it actually made his head shrivel up like a small sack at one end of it. With a squelching sound, Naruto burst forth from this mouth, shedding his old exterior like a snake shed skin. He came out covered in slime, dripping with it, yet his arm was back where it should be. His old skin dropped down to the ground and Naruto stepped out from it almost like as if it was a cloak that had fallen to the ground and pushed his now oily hair back to get it out of his eyes. It stuck to his head closely, just like his clothes stuck to his skin.

Looking around, Naruto saw how the Kiri nins stared at him in shock, some in disgust. Even the Mizukage looked as if she couldn't believe her eyes. Just like being back home he thought bitterly to himself before walking past them without a word to where the Kusanagi lay on the ground. He picked it up and sheathed it, dismissing it with a twist of his arm.

“Wait!” the Mizukage said now, coming up to him. “You were first on site,” she said, “what happened here?” Naruto didn't answer, only looking towards where the Jinchuuriki had appeared. The Mizukage followed his gaze and saw the commotion there as well.

The jinchuuriki had awoken it seemed and right now he was standing up, backing away from the seal master Naruto had saved. So he had survived? Good that, Naruto wanted answers from the man. The old man was standing with his hands up in a desperate, pleading gesture and the Jinchuuriki seemed to be enraged.

“Utakata, please!” the old man implored, “you have to understand why I did it.”

“Shut up!” the jinchuuriki screamed, lashing out against the man, “I heard it all, I felt it! You tried to kill me!” A young boy perhaps fifteen or so, the jinchuuriki of the Rokubi was wearing a loose blur robe and an orange belt, his hair hung down over his face and obscured one eye. What more at the moment he was livid to say the least.

“No!” the old man pleaded, “that's not it!”

“Shut up, shut up!” Utakata screamed, “I trusted you! Get away from me you...” Naruto had heard enough there. Still having the adrenaline pumping in him he found his temper being short. Using an instant-move to get up behind Utakata, he kicked the jinchuuriki's legs out from under him, making him crash into the ground. Utakata yelled out in shock, his eyes turning to Naruto at once, eyes filled with rage.

“What the hell are you doing!?” the boy snarled, Naruto looking down at him with narrowed eyes.

“I am sorry,” he said lowly, “Namikaze Naruto, newly arrived from Konoha. You see, in Konoha we also have a whiny little jinchuuriki brat who just doesn't know when to let people finish what they were saying. I'm disciplining her on a daily basis, it carried over when I saw you. Instinct.” Not caring a bit for the boy's emotional distress, he only found himself disgusted that the old man responsible hadn't even been allowed to talk. What more, he wanted a damn answer! The boy, stunned by Naruto's words, bared his teeth now. Naruto had enraged him. His eyes turned golden now, the Bijuu chakra coming out again as he already was angry and now got pushed much, much further. Naruto twisted his hand, bringing the Kusanagi into his hand within a split-second and put its edge against Utakata's throat before he knew what had happened.

“Do, not, even, think, about, that.” he warned the boy, his serpentine eyes glaring straight into the boy's now golden ones. “I put your prisoner away once and I can do it again. In Konoha I've made the jinchuuriki of the nine tailed fox cry and beg for my forgiveness repeatedly.” It wasn't a lie, just an omission of the context so he was good. “Now you are going to sit here, and you're going to behave while I demands some answers from this man, answers that may or may not forfeit his life!” he finished with a hiss, Utakata staring at him only. Naruto turned towards the old man, whipping the Kusanagi towards him and elongating it until it rested against the old man's throat. Shock and surprise could be seen around the Kiri nins, however nobody moved, Naruto realizing first now that he was blazing killing intent. Right now someone was going to burn for this and Naruto would not stop until that had happened! The Mizukage interfered now, coming up to the scene.

“Namikaze, what are you doing?!” she asked, her eyes showing her confusion yet also her anger as she saw one of her shinobi threatened by Naruto. There was force in her voice and anger equally much. Naruto ignored it however, not planning to stop for anyone, not even the nine bijuu.

“I'm demanding answer out of the man who caused this,” he told her before turning to the man who apparently was named Harusame and who was the cause of all this. “You!” he snarled, “attempted to extract the bijuu from him. What, were, you, thinking?!” his voice had sunken into a hiss. “Answer me!” he snarled, the old man standing with his back against a large rock now and raising his head in an effort to try to escape the sword resting against his neck.

“Utakata...” the man begun, “the seal on him had begun to deteriorate.”

“And your solution was not to repair the seal but to try to extract the tailed beast from him?!” Naruto snarled.

“Yes!” the man snapped now, fear mixing with anger, “I've seen him used enough as a weapon. He was just a boy when we put it into him, his entire life he's been alone because of what we did to him! We made him a thing, a weapon, and I couldn't watch it any longer! I wanted the thing out of him so he could live a normal life, so he'd become a human to these people!” With bared teeth and tears of anger and frustration forming in his eyes, the man met Naruto's glare. Naruto saw only conviction in his eyes and his anger begun to bleed out, Kimiko's face appearing in front of his mind's eye. She had always been seen as a human, most people her age didn't know what she was and she had gotten a normal childhood from it. Yet here... this boy evidently hadn't, he had been the jinchuuriki weapon and in the end... had it gone this far? Had one of the village shinobi been ready to risk this much to save him from that fate? Naruto realized his anger was gone. The frustration remained however so he sheathed his sword and walked up to the man, knocking him lightly in the chest with the handle of the sword.

“The Bijuu cannot be extracted,” he said quietly, staring into the man's eyes, “not without the jinchuuriki's death. It is coiled around his very chakra, tear it out and the chakra will follow. That is the long and short of it.” With that, he walked past the man and up to the Mizukage, bowing to her. “Terumi-sama,” he said politely, his voice bereft of all emotion, “Namikaze Naruto reporting in, furthermore you're welcome. If there is nothing more, may I request that I am shown to my quarters?” The Mizukage looked at him for a short moment, then sighing.

“Ao!” she commanded, “show Namikaze-san to his quarters. I have some things to discuss with Harusame,” she finished, her voice getting a frozen edge as she looked at the man who didn't meet her eyes. Naruto bowed slightly to the woman and walked past her, Ao coming up beside him. The man was still somewhat shocked, he did not say one word as he led Naruto away from the entire scene and in towards town. The journey became slow and silent, Naruto choosing a walking pace and neither saying anything. As they walked through town Naruto saw the commotion amongst the civilians. They didn't know what was happening any many of them were evidently scared. The sight made him want to look away.

In the end, they reached one the circular towers, one higher than the others, and Ao showed Naruto his apartment, it was on the seventh floor and faced to the south. Naruto was handed the keys without a word and opened the door, looking back at Ao to give him a respectful nod before entering. First now one of them spoke.

“Namikaze-sama!” Ao said, his voice firm, “If not for you, many Kirikagure shinobi would have died today. Thank you very much for your heroism.” Naruto looked back to see how Ao bowed deeply to him. In response he nodded slowly, not able to do anything more.

“You're welcome,” he said and closed the door, taking a deep, shivering sigh the moment it had shut. His heart was still racing, even now, and he found his breath harder and harder to keep even. He was afraid, he was terrified. Now that it all was over, he realised how utterly horrified he was. The six-tails had made the old fear bubble up again, it was as if he was seven years old, feeling how the kyuubi only came closer and closer to the village no matter what happened. He had been so scared, petrified, back then and in the chaos that had followed no one had even realized how scared he had been. Obviously they hadn't, his little sister had been screaming in pain. Even Naruto had forgotten about it but now it had bubbled up, that old fear and all it carried with it, abandonment, being a liability to those he loved, loneliness and desperation.

He walked through his apartment, finding the bathroom quickly and getting into the shower to wash off the slime and dirt that covered him. While standing in the shower he stared into the wall, leaning against it with his hands. So much was mixed inside him. His rational mind telling him he was too upset to make any real analyses yet the other part of him whispered that he had shown himself as the snake to all of Kiri. They were disgusted by his technique, he had made an all but positive impression on the Mizukage, the jinchuuriki and indeed also that sealing master Harusame, though as it seemed he was an even bigger master of idiocy. What was he even doing here? The whole thing seemed so, so stupid.

And also, most of all he felt his weakness, helplessness. No matter what he had done today he had been thrown back by that monster. His final trick against the Bijuu had been a fluke, a desperate trick that succeeded. The memory of his battles with Suigetsu and Orochimaru came back as well, reminding him what a mess he had been after both those fights. There was no way around it in the end... how arrogant hadn't been, thinking he was one of the absolute elites. He still was weak, he still had so endlessly far to go but instead he had become complacent, content with his false sense of invincibility. Pathetic...

Strangely, in the middle of it all he found himself missing, more than anything else, Kimiko. The little idiot would have sat by his side, poking at him as she wouldn't have gotten why he was like this. She would have gotten worried, offering him some ramen, perhaps she would have even cried, terrified by what had happened to her big brother. She would have chased away this blackness that settled over him, choked him and made him lose all hope and strength. But she wasn't here; she was elsewhere and he was alone.

Chapter Text

The next morning Naruto had awoken early, unsealed the things he had brought along and made sure to install himself in the apartment. It was bigger than his old one, with a quite nice view that peeked just above the covering mists and gave him a view of a world of mists, cliff peaks and the tips of several buildings. The apartment was somewhat too spacious in some ways, what was he going to do with a ten by ten meters living room for example? He supposed that this apartment had been for some toady of the fourth Mizukage, tyrants usually poured rich rewards over their more important underlings. Still for him it was just space he didn't need; the kitchen and the bedroom at the moment would be plenty for him. He could very well seal off the living room and never use it by the looks of it.

That reminded him of something he needed to do. Walking over to the kitchen, he began to inspect the lockers, fridge and freezer to see how much space he had there. None it turned out, the lockers, fridge and freezer were all stuffed already with all sorts of food. Raising one eye, he reached into the fridge and took out a bottle of teriyaki sauce. Interesting, this was a high quality brand. In fact everything in here was. Hmm, an interesting gift. Oh well, it freed him of the obligation to have to stock up himself. After some light breakfast and a shower, Naruto noticed that a newspaper had been delivered to him and currently lay on the mat in the hallway. He took it up, noticing that it was the Water Country newspaper. Did they get it delivered here? What a good idea, why wasn't Konoha subscribing to the Fire County newspapers?

Sitting down by the breakfast table, Naruto could indulge himself with a second cup of tea and some time for the news. The emotional distress of yesterday was gone thankfully and he was back in his familiar, rational mindset. He pondered what had happened yesterday as he poured over some news about piracy; apparently it was on the rise again and the daimyo had stated that within three years it would be dealt with. It was accompanied by a dramatic picture of the daimyo standing in front of his palace at a speaker's pulpit and with three figures visible on the rooftops of the palace behind him, people Naruto could tell wore Kirigakure clothes. How dramatic. Quite the picture however, well composed and it projected the shinobi as extensions of the daimyo's will. A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts now and he heard how the door opened.

“Forgive my intrusion,” a voice said out in the hallway, Naruto not saying anything. It had been the voice of a young boy, someone he didn't recognize. For a short while it was silent, then Naruto could hear the careful steps as the newcomer walked into the apartment. After about ten seconds or so the speaker came into view from Naruto's place in the kitchen. It was a young boy indeed, perhaps twelve or so. He was slightly below average in height and somewhat scrawny with short blue hair and glasses. Yet what Naruto noticed more than that was his posture. This boy looked uncertain, afraid even, and there was this fidgety character to him, he seemed like he wasn't even certain of what was left and right.

“Good morning,” Naruto said calmly, the boy startling a bit as he had been looking the other way. He was wearing a Kiri headband however, on his chest it sat, and Naruto wondered just what was up with him. Was this a Kiri genin? What Ao had said two days ago about coddling the shinobi came to him now.

“G-good morning Namikaze-sama!” the boy said, bowing deeply, “My name is Chojuro, I-I've been sent to show you to Mizukage-sama's office... sir.” Naruto blinked. This was not what he had expected. With Kiri's reputation as the bloody mist village it was strange to say the least to see one of their genin be a flinching little scaredy-cat like this.

“Very well,” Naruto put down his newspaper and stood up. The dishes were taken care of already with the exception of his tea mug, which he gave a quick rinse and put on the desk for later use. “Shall we be off then?” he asked and Chojuro nodded almost frantically. Naruto decided to not comment on the boy's manners and instead he was led to the biggest building in town, an outright fortress that towered high in the misty air. It radiated power and to many it would have seemed intimidating. To Naruto it was only projecting a false sense of superiority. He knew that Kiri had about a third as many shinobi all in all as Konoha. What more it did not have clans such as the Hyuuga or Uchiha, having long since slaughtered many of their bloodline users. It did have a jinchuuriki and he hadn't seen what the Mizukage was capable of yet, but all in all Kiri was a second-rate village compared to Konoha. The boy escorting him had been throwing glances at him through the entire trip towards the fortress and after a while he spoke up.

“Is...” he began, “It is true what they say about yesterday Naruto-sama?” he asked hesitantly, “That you single-handedly re-sealed the Rokubi?”

“No,” Naruto said, “I merely managed to be the one to drive the thing back this time.”

“But...” the boy said, “the Rokubi vanished, it went back into its cage...”

“For now,” Naruto said, “and we were lucky it didn't kill hundreds of people. The next time we won't be.”

“I'm certain that Mizukage-sama has already made plans for if that happens!” the boy said, Naruto making a note of his passionate defence of the woman. She really did seem to be well loved, this woman. Heading up a large flight of stairs, they eventually came to the door to what must be the Mizukage's office if the two burly jonin standing guard outside were any clue.

“Namikaze-sama!” one of them said when seeing him, both of them saluting “Mizukage-sama is expecting you.” Naruto wondered where this show of respect came from, no doubt some instruction from the Mizukage. Entering the office with Chojuro at the lead, Naruto looked around. At least the office seemed somewhat similar size-wise. It was big but at the same time the space was well used. The Mizukage was waiting for him there, the woman sitting in her office chair with a scroll she looked up from when Chojuro saluted her.

“Mizukage-sama!” the boy said, Naruto hearing the anxiety in his voice clearly. “Uhm, I've brought Namikaze-sama as you wished.”

“Thank you Chojuro,” the woman said warmly, Naruto making a note of how the boy seemed like he was about to melt from the sheer bliss. Now here was a crush as obvious as the one could be; it was outright awkward. “I won't hold you any longer,” the Mizukage continued, Chojuro saluting her and leaving. Turning towards him, the woman now smiled at him, a smile at full force. She shone so much Naruto felt like he was staring into the sun. “Quite the first day in Kirigakure, wouldn't you say Naruto-san?” she said, Naruto not liking the way she pronounced his name. There was something to it.

“Quite the day indeed Mizukage-sama,” Naruto said, “I only hope it won't have to happen again.”

“Don't worry about that,” the Mizukage answered, “Bijuu breakouts something I feel my village can survive just as well without. Still, I want to thank you once more for what you did yesterday. You saved many lives.”

“Thank you,” Naruto said, “and while we are on the subject, what happened to the man responsible?” The Mizukage sighed at this, Naruto seeing how it was big for her.

“Harusame is our foremost seal master,” she said, “he's without peer and he has served the village loyally for a long time. Yet I cannot ignore what happened yesterday. He would have taken away one of our most valuable assets, maybe even destroyed the village. And yet, if we imprison him he will not be able to serve the village, something we can ill afford.”

“Are you certain I should know this?” Naruto asked the Mizukage, who smiled.

“For good or ill you are now part of Kiri's top assets,” she said, “your opinion will matter to me, especially since you were there. So what do you think?” Naruto didn't show anything, yet he noticed that he was put on the spot here. He had hoped for a quiet and unremarkable mission yet here he was trust into the centre of Kiri politics.

“Harusame's actions can tell us either of three things about the man,” he said after a while. “These are that he either is blisteringly incompetent, insane or simply desperate enough to try something he must have known was impossible.” The Mizukage listened to what he said silently, a thoughtful look on her face, before she spoke up.

“Harusame has always been a good man, what more he's deserving of his master title,” she said thoughtfully, “that leaves us with the third option.”

“And execution would only turn the jinchuuriki against Kiri as well.” Naruto realized that this situation was messy as could be. “Something will have to give Mizukage-sama,” he said now, “he cannot escape this unscathed.”

“I wonder...” the Mizukage said. “How were you planning to set up the Research and Development department?” she asked suddenly, Naruto blinking. “Will you follow the Konoha system with recruitment and so forth?

“No,” Naruto said plainly, “That system is based around giving research and development only the second rate people who couldn't become field shinobi. Respectfully, that system I will not accept setting up here.”

“I see...” the Mizukage said, “so what was your plan?

“Let the teachers make recommendations,” Naruto said, “When they approach graduating enough signs of their suitability must have appeared. From there, let the children do several tests and the best ones in the field works sent to that, the best researchers to the labs and thus forth.”

“Fundamentally separate services then?” the woman said, slowly nodding to herself. “That works, it saves Harusame's skin as well.”

“Pardon me?” Naruto asked, the Mizukage smiling.

“You'll see,” she told him mysteriously. “But before that, I want to give you something.” She now took up a small box lying on the table and handed it to her. Naruto took it and opened it. It was a black box of smooth polished wood and inside it, on a blue cushion, lay a Kirigakure forehead protector. Looking up at her with a raised eyebrow, Naruto wondered what the Mizukage was thinking. “You'll be with us for these coming months,” she said to him, “perhaps years, and I want to give you this as a show of trust. I've already cleared it with the Hokage,” she held up a small paper bearing the fire insignia, “and if you so desire you will be considered a Kirigakure shinobi for the duration of your mission.”

Naruto found himself surprised once more. This Mizukage was a generous woman indeed. And it would help him, there was no denying that. As a Konoha shinobi he'd always be somewhat suspicious, with this it'd be illegal to work against him for the Kiri shinobi. Besides he wasn't much for that talk of the “holy connection” one carried in the forehead protectors. It was an easy choice in the end so Naruto untied his Konoha forehead protector and put the Kiri one in its place. It didn't quite fit perfectly yet but would adapt. The Mizukage smiled once more, this time even warmer than she had at the boy Chojuro.

“You might want to step over here now Naruto-san,” she said, “I want you on my side of the table for this.”

“I wouldn't mind knowing what is about to happen,” Naruto said as he got over, the Mizukage winking at him.

“Just be ready to back me up,” she said impishly, “I'll leave the rest to you. Tsurugi?” she said now and a man stepped out from the shadows, Naruto having wondered when exactly he was going to reveal himself. He got a good look now on this Tsurugi as well. The man had a severe face, even more so than Ao, and it was very pale as well, leaving his black hair to frame it in stark contrast. He also had a a short beard along with a scar over his left eye that had only just avoided blinding him on it. “Naruto-san, allow me to introduce the commander of Kiri's hunter-nins Tsurugi. You are already familiar with Namikaze Naruto are you not Tsurugi?” the Mizukage said and the man bowed towards him, Naruto returning the gesture.

“You made a deep impression on all of us yesterday Naruto-sama,” he said with a calm and deep voice.

“I hope it was mainly a positive one,” Naruto responded neutrally.

“Oh it was,” the Mizukage said, “If nothing else I must say you look quite appealing when oiled up.” Naruto tensed at that remark. What?! He felt like his entire body warmed up and then got cold from shock and stared at the Mizukage.

“Excuse me?” he asked, blinking. The Mizukage rolled her eyes now.

“Oh please,” she said with a slightly amused look on her face, “I cannot be the first person to tell you what a handsome young man you are. Tsurugi, would you show in Harusame now?” Naruto was about to point out that she was indeed that but caught himself. He had a good start here, this was not the time to appear pitiable. He therefore did his best to calm down and took up position by the Mizukage's side of the desk and soon Tsurugi showed Harusame inside. The seal master had a somewhat despondent look on his face, looking as if he had spent the night in a prison cell which he most likely had.

“Mizukage-sama...” he said listlessly, bowing towards the woman who sat with a grim expression on her face.

“You are here to answer for your actions yesterday Harusame,” the woman said, steel in her voice, “in the very best of cases you would have robbed Kirgakure of one of its most powerful shinobi, in the worst case you would have destroyed the entire village. What do you have to say to your defence?”

“Nothing more than I already have said Mizukage-sama,” the man answered, “I was tired of seeing Utakata being called an “it”. I couldn't take it any longer that he, who gave more to the village than almost anyone else, was derided and looked down upon even in this age, where Kiri is supposed to have found its heart.” Despite his situation he spoke with conviction and steady pride. Naruto could tell he was committed.

“Fine words,” he said in response, “yet as stated, you gambled with a village in a vain attempt to achieve the impossible. That speaks of little in the way of virtue or indeed even sense to me.”

“I made all the research I could,” Harusame answered, “The area where I did the ritual was as prepared as I could make it. But no, I hadn't foreseen that this would go do bad.”

“And even now justifications is all you have?” the Mizukage asked, her voice and face both unreadable.

“I have been a shinobi all my life Mizukage-sama,” Harusame answered, “I've always known that sometimes you have to take risks. Sometimes not being completely sure you can do it isn't justification enough to not doing it.”

“Let me free you from the obligation of seeing the world like that then,” the Mizukage said, “you are no longer a field shinobi, you are stripped of your shinobi rank and the remainder of your working life will be spent in penal servitude.” Her judgement fell decisively and harshly. Naruto could see that Harusame had steeled himself for what was to come and he didn't flinch when hearing his judgement. Bowing his head, he accepted it silently. During this moment the man didn't see the Mizukage however, the woman looked back at Naruto and held out a hand towards Harusame, almost as if she was offering him to Naruto. It was now that it clicked for Naruto. So that was what she meant and why he was here.

“Welcome to the Research and Development department of Kirigakure Harusame,” Naruto said now, the man looking up at him. Surprise was etched in his face, “I've convinced Mizukage-sama that they are better uses for you than working in the rice fields or a mine for the rest of your life,” he continued, feeling somewhat conflicted. On one hand this man was evidently skilled and it was hard to hate him when having heard his motivation. Deplore his actions perhaps, denounce his carelessness, but not hate. On the other hand however it created a very, very bad precedent. If the first new member of the Kirigakure Research and Development department was punished with this service then it gave the wrong impression of the service. It wasn't meant to be a punishment to work there. “From now on, you will work for me.” He said nothing of this however, instead only welcoming his new assistant.

“I... I am grateful Naruto-sama,” the man said now, assuming a deferential language instantly. “My skills is at your command.” Good, that was that taken care of. As it seemed he had gotten himself a Kabuto in Kiri, albeit this one had a vastly superior amount of experience. Things were starting off well on this front at least.

____________________________________

Though it had started off well it quickly took a turn for the worse. Indeed the very second he came into the labs everything quickly spiralled down to a much lower level.

“Once again reality has surpassed everything I could expect.” those were Naruto's first words spoken when he saw the state the labs were in. He spoke slowly and with a disbelieving look on his face. What he saw during his brief tour...this couldn't be real.

Evidently not a single ryo had been invested in the labs for decades. There were windows broken here and there and boarded up to the best of the researchers meagre abilities. The glassware was chipped and dirtied. Computers he could forget about in an instant, they still had some old punch card machines! The books in the library were badly eaten by moisture and even worse, by silverfishes! Were they in a mouldy old barn?! Silverfish insects in a library?! And the staff was even worse! Lazy, unmotivated, thick people who seemed to have snuck off into this department for no other cause than getting an easy life! Still, having gathered them all Naruto had stared them down and laid down the law firmly.

“From now on things will change here,” he said as he stood in the only well-visited part of the labs, the staff canteen. The people around him were looking at him worriedly. No wonder really, he had to be projecting outright killing intent right now. “I am here to see this joke remade into a real research and development department, one that Kiri can be proud of. What I am seeing now is as far from that as possible and amongst all the jokes thus far on display, you are the worst of them all.”

“Hey wait a second!” one of the staff said now, standing up in his seat. Naruto locked eyes with him and gave the man a clear vision of his own death. A powerful genjutsu Orochimaru had created made the man fall back into his seat as his legs gave way under him. Panting in horror, the man now shut up.

“Still, you will have one chance,” Naruto continued, “Those of you willing to to really devote yourself to the duties of this department, namely the unravelling of reality's every last secret and the shaping of these things into something Kiri can use? Welcome aboard. Those of you who are lazy free-loaders looking for an easy ride in life? Get out of my sight. Today. And let me at once say that if you remain behind, thinking you can outwit, hide from or be unnoticed by me, I will break you before I throw you out. Is that understood?” His voice was as cold as steel and he stared down the staff, seeing how they all nodded frantically, “work begins as five o clock tomorrow, five in the morning that is,” he said now. “We, and by that I mean you, will clean up this mess you've left all over this place. Discard everything that is broken or ruined, throw those punch-card machines out into the yard and for the love of all gods get rid of those cobwebs. Dismissed!” the researchers evacuated the canteen as quickly as could be, Naruto sighing deeply when he and Harusame, who followed him silently now, were the only ones left.

“You don't let the grass grow under your feet Naruto-sama,” the old man said now, Naruto hearing respect in his voice.

“This grass was long overdue for mowing,” he said in response, “I'll need you to take stock of what the labs actually have available that can be used. I need to see the Mizukage.”

____________________________________

“Ten million?” the Mizukage asked incredulously, Naruto nodding.

“With all due respect,” Naruto said, “What you had wasn't a poorly managed science division, it was a joke. I thought they stopped use punch card machines around the time the great villages were founded. You cannot compromise that far, not if you hope to get actual results out of this. I will need funding enough to make that place more than a place that would have been modern but never the less a decayed ruin back during the age of the first kages!” the Mizukage sighed now, leaning forwards, the lady pinched the bridge of her nose.

“And where would you say I will get those funds?” she asked slowly, looking up at Naruto now. Of course, Kiri was still a somewhat poor village, it was isolated from most of the other nations, its only regular employer was Water Country, which had little in the way of good experiences with shinobi historically.

“That is not my mission Mizukage-sama,” he said, “If I am going to accomplish this mission I will need money. Ten million, and then I will haggle for every last bit of glassware still as well as hiring smugglers to avoid having to pay the Gato Company's ridiculous transport fees as well as the tariffs on importing equipment into the country.”

“Slipping under the nose on the world's richest man and spitting in the face of our greatest employer by not paying his taxes?” the Mizukage asked, “quite audacious I must say.” She was smiling though as she said this and Naruto shrugged.

“It is either that or paying another ten million in tariffs and transport fees.” He said.

“Oh well,” the Mizukage sighed, “you will have your money Naruto-san.” She looked up at him now, “but I hope you will use them well.”

“I promise I won't spend them on anything but the most cost-efficient,” Naruto said.

“Oh I was more thinking along the lines of a thousand high quality shampoo bottles or something like that,” the Mizukage said all of a sudden, “what do you use anyhow, I cannot see even one split end anywhere.” Okay what was that Naruto thought now. What exactly motivated a remark like that and what did she even mean?!

“What?” he asked now before he could stop himself.

“Your hair,” the Mizukage said, “it's beautiful.” Naruto for some reason wanted to throw himself out of the window, partially from explosive frustration and exasperation and partly from sheer embarrassment. His hair? What in the gods' name was he going to say about his hair?! For a few seconds he just stood there, gaping like a fish, and the Mizukage eventually took pity on him. “Ah,” she said, “never mind that. We can take that some other time.” the eye not covered by her hair was glittering with amusement however and Naruto realized to his amazement that the woman was playing him. She was toying with him! All of a sudden Minato's remark about her being more slippery than an eel came back and he cleared his throat.

“Yes...” he said eventually, his voice still forced. “Shall I start corresponding with the people I'll buy the equipment from?”

“Do so,” Mei said before smiling implishly, “Oh, and I will include an additional fifty ryo in case you need to buy some hair products not available in Kiri.”

“Respectfully Mizukage-sama!” Naruto began now, almost snapping.

“Yes, yes, I won't snoop anymore,” the woman said, “on you go, I know how much you have to do so I won't keep you. Still, lovely hair.” She smiled angelically at him now and turned back to her work, effectively finishing this discussion.

“So this is what an oncoming migraine feels like...” Naruto thought as he exited. This would be a set of very long years...

____________________________________

Things quickly moved into a routine in Kiri. Naruto found himself spending every day doing a few very distinct things. Firstly, telling people off. Even with the worst freeloaders driven out those who remained were incredibly lacking and Naruto did not go one day without calling at least one person into his office for a little chat. Thus far three people had left said office crying and Naruto didn't know if he was more disgusted or disbelieving. In his private moments he admitted to himself that Harusame was invaluable to say the least. The sealing master was a much gentler leader than he ever could be, Naruto having seen him convince several people about to leave to stay and give it another attempt. Naruto crushed them and Harusame put them together... It was a strange work-order but it worked. At least the question of who would take over when he went back to Konoha was already solved.

Secondly: he was still acclimatizing himself to this new village where he still half expected to see displays of savagery and brutishness yet saw very little of it. If anything Kiri as a whole seemed uncertain, hesitant even. Many of the older shinobi still held an almost bitter belief in the system they had been raised in (obviously, the alternative would be to admit that their entire lives had been great tragedies) while the younger ones spoke of it like some evil legend. He quickly realized how vital the Mizukage was to holding it all together. Without her leadership everything would come crashing down, violently.

And yes, the Mizukage, there was the third routine that had emerged and by far the most vexing. It was irritating enough to make it not just annoying but indeed infuriating. The woman seemed to enjoy throwing curve-balls and strange remarks at him, all too often focused around his appearance to boot. That, or hers. That was by far the most irritating part of this very vexing routine, when she could suddenly ask him a random question about herself. Once she had asked for his opinion on his hair. Hadn't that been an amusing one? (No it hadn't)

“Could you tell me what you think of my hair?” she had asked him out of nowhere at one point.

“Dare I ask why you want my opinion?” he had answered, knowing that something stupid would come.

“I was thinking of dyeing it,” she had told him and Naruto had groaned, seeing that she'd drag him into a discussion on hair dyes if he didn't get out of this.

“I would say it is quite all right as it is now,” he had answered, not seeing the trap until it was too late.

“Why thank you...” the Mizukage had outright purred at this, looking at him with eyes that could melt ice.

“If there was nothing more I'll go back to work.” he had said, exiting the room with a twitch forming in his brow.

With all these things piling along with the rough awakening he had had against the Bijuu upon his arrival there was little wonder that Naruto found himself stressed out. Irritation became a constant companion and he found himself having to grit his teeth all day as it was. In the end therefore he had done something drastic. Having tracked down a secluded training field far away from Kiri, he had begun his days with sending a shadow clone over there. His chakra reserves were at least strong enough that he could consistently keep it active all day.

It solved two issues at hand. Firstly this clone spent the days there training his ninjutsu and pondering the possibilities for expanding his repertoire. Secondly when he dismissed it during the evenings his mind was flooded not with frustrations and irritations, but rather the intriguing problems of how he was going to grow as a shinobi. He doubted Rin would approve of it but he had to. Without the calming effects this infusion of memories carried with it he would sooner or later do something he would regret.

Sitting by his kitchen table, Naruto was scribbling on different options available in a notebook. It was outright cathartic to disconnect from idiot Kiri freeloaders under his command and a Mizukage seemingly intent of driving him up the walls. Instead he now could sit and scribble on possible solutions for his lack of strength. He had been wrong in thinking that fixing his swordsmanship would make him stronger, it had only made him be without any real weaknesses and through that he had no real strengths either. Vexing really... when one had two careers that each demanded so much something had to give in the end. Unless he came up with a way of cross-pollinating them so to speak. Right now he was was drawing up the first steps to something that could achieve just this.

Still, he had other fields to expand on as well. Orochimaru had shown him much after all and it would be a breach of his ethics to blindly throw it all away. The man's personal library had been confiscated and was now locked away in Konoha, yet the concepts behind them were still in Naruto's head. That he could use. Indeed that he had to use. Those were techniques that no normal human could use but he was designed to be able to use. For all his talk Naruto admitted to himself he had been unwilling to delve too deeply into those techniques but now that had to end. What more... ah yes of course, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi was still his and there was few limits to what it could achieve with the right techniques.

Taking a short break to look out through the window and into the night outside, Naruto could see how one of the lights died in one the few windows visible above the mists. People were heading to bed it seemed... he probably should as well. He made sure to hide the scribbles however, for now they were only vague ideas but in that notebook he would soon have the very blueprints for what he would become. Top ten in Konoha? Top five? Nonsense, there were only number one and two when one came to the battlefield and number two died. From now on there would be no repeats of the battles he had fought thus far, scrappy battles that left him half dead as well. It was time for the white serpent to truly awaken and Naruto's pride would accept nothing but the entire world trembling at its power. .

____________________________________

One of the somewhat unexpected benefits of the peace in the ninja world had been the increased safety for messengers of all stripes. Nowadays a message could be sent from Iwa and arrive in Kiri only three days later and counter-intuitively enough it was between the great villages that the correspondence increased the most by this. Naruto was no exception to this, getting a letter from Kimiko only after about a week. Sitting by the workdesk, he was reading the letter after just having gotten home from work, a workday that had been just as annoying as always.

Hey oniisan! the letter began, Naruto half having expected to see it written in crayons.

What's Kiri like? Are they all grim and scary people who like to eat each other? Kiba said they were like that. Do they have you doing anything fun or are you just sorting through papers or something? I'm doing great though, school is going much better since I started the extra sessions with Iruka-sensei and you better be ready to teach me that jutsu you promised! When you teach me the jutsu, can't you bring home one from Kiri? That would be so cool! I'm currently second in the rankings!, only Kono-baka is ahead of me and I'm gonna take him on too, don't you worry oniisan, I'll be at the top of class when I graduate.

PMS or whatever it's called: I wanna ask you something. Do you think students could use genjutsu to cheat or something at the academy? Cause Sasuke-baka has been kinda different lately. He's acting cooler somehow. I feel funny when I look at him, do you think he might be doing something with genjutsu?

Having finished the letter, Naruto sighed deeply. Truly his sister was a living proof that even the gods fought in vain against stupidity. Yet, in this one case he found himself happy for that. Even her ignorance was preferable to that special brand of asinine behaviour that lovestruck little girls could exhibit. The mere thought of Kimiko acting like that... Naruto shuddered in disgust. No, just no, better that she remained this ignorant about it. He wasn't going to be the one to tell her what it no doubt was... still, it was just as well to answer it expediently. Also it did not make him happy that Itachi had been right on the money when this was concerned, somehow Uchiha Sasuke had earned his bratty sister's affections.

When writing his answer, he pondered how to best answer her questions without giving anything away. Kiri no doubt checked his letters. They had claimed they didn't but Naruto wasn't that trusting. In the end, he managed to put something decent together.

Good day Kimiko.

Kirigakure has in many ways turned out to be a village standing at the precipice of a great shift. It has been an eye-opener to come here, that I cannot deny. The ubiquitous stereotypes and rumours are more and more turning out to be false. What instead comes in their place is a village more reminiscent of Konoha than I ever would have expected.

Work has been quite tough during the initial phase. There has been a lot to do and many things have been achieved. It is still a distant goal but I believe that this village can gain a capacity for research and development equivalent to Konoha's within the time frame of my mission. I will have to disappoint you however, the treaty between Kiri and Konoha are contingent on a mutual trust and jutsu theft would undo this trust.

I would like to advise you not to become arrogant in your struggle for first place, both Uchiha Sasuke and Sarutobi Konohamaru are very talented and your predilection for the physical aspects of your training will only carry you so far. In all forms of battle the key to victory lies in attacking your opponent's weak points, therefore the key to invulnerability lies in controlling your weaknesses. Make sure to not neglect the more cerebral aspects of your training, therein lies the key to your victory.

Namikaze Naruto

PS: I would not worry overly much over what you describe. It is quite possible you have only caught a persistent illness of some sort. Focus on your training and pay it no mind, in time it will have gone away.

He finished and decided that would have to do. He was no good with writing these kinds of letters. If she had asked him for a mission report he would have done so flawlessly, yet a familial letter like this? No, that he did not know how to do.

Still, he posted the letter the following day and within a few days he got an answer to it.

Hey oniisan!

Thank you for your letter. I hope you're having a good time. I'm sorry to hear about your work being tough but you can do it. Fight on! And are you sure you can't sneak out just a small jutsu? One they won't miss? Don't worry about Sasuke-baka and Kono-baka oniisan, I've got it covered!

Naruto was surprised by the brevity of the message but that was before he noticed the post scriptum on this letter, this time spelled right.

PS: What does precipice, ubiquitous, reminiscent, equivalent, contingent, predilection, cerebral and therein mean?

Sighing almost explosively, Naruto deflated in his seat and let his head land on the table. Of course! Who the hell had he been thinking he was writing to? There was more to come however

PPS: I told mom I might have a cold and she did a check-up on me but I'm not sick at all. Are you sure it isn't anything Sasuke-baka is trying to pull?

PPPS: Apparently I can stick as many of these in a letter I want if I just keep adding a P each time.

PPPPS: It's fun!

Naruto washed his hands of it all now. His attempt to redirect it had been crushed and he was being pushed for details. Nope, not his problem, he wasn't going to have anything to do with Kimiko's crush. Not his department and besides, he was in Kiri, hundreds of kilometres away. Still, perhaps there would be a point to discouraging the Uchiha from taking any actions if Kimiko could reveal her infatuation with him. After a second of consideration Naruto shook his head when remembering a few things. Firstly they were both only twelve years old. Where did that idea come from anyway? Was he getting paranoid now on top of everything else?

____________________________________

Thankfully, not even Kiri expected him to work non-stop and after a couple of weeks, when things had begun to work at least decently, he found himself with a day off. This day he planned to spend on the training field just like his clone usually did. The irritating thing about clones was that they couldn't train physically, only spiritually (and by all that existed did that term annoy him) which meant that if he wanted to train with the Kusanagi he would have to do it himself. To this end, he got out of the town early on and headed for the training field. He left early both to get as much time as he could and also to not have the Mizukage bully him with something on his day off. Damn that woman, what exactly did she get out of harassing him like this?!

The field he had been training on was a large, open field between two large cliffs. It was secluded, open enough that he had all the space he needed... and the Mizukage was sitting on a large stone in the middle of the field.

“Good morning Naruto-san,” the woman said genially, sitting with one leg pulled up to her chest and her arms crossed on the knee of said leg. On her face was a smile so innocent and so pleasant that it seemed to almost shine. Naruto was near blowing a gasket now. Why?! What had he done to deserve this?!

“I did not expect to see you here Mizukage-sama,” he said doing his best to keep the venom out of his voice. As it was he felt a distinct desire to kill something however and a twitch had begun to appear in his eye.

“Oh, I decided to take a little walk,” she said innocently, Naruto struggling not to hyperventilate.

“And that it would bring you here, on my day off no less,” he said, not able to stop himself from putting emphasis on the last words. He wanted to scream at her to go away, that he didn't come to Kiri to be constantly harassed. Yet he forced himself to be calm. She was still the Mizukage after all, his superior...

“Fate is a mysterious little thing,” the Mizukage said happily before chuckling, “oh don't look like that, you look like you swallowed an entire lemon.” He felt as if he had it as well, the irritation was growing to the level that he was sincerely feeling like he would gain an ulcer.

“What is your purpose with this?” he asked now, speaking frankly. The Mizukage smiled once more.

"Today I was hoping to offer you what might be a favour for both of us,” she said, “I know you have come to this field to drill yourself in swordsmanship. Yet, a sparring partner would be much more beneficial for you, wouldn't it?”

“Did you have anyone particular in mind?” Naruto asked, still wary. The Mizukage nodded.

“Does the only remaining member of the seven shinobi swordsmen sound like a decent candidate?” she asked him and Naruto stood still for a moment, trying to figure out. She was hiding something, that was for certain. Yet, Naruto didn't know who this was and had a distinct feeling that she would keep the information under wraps. Then again... she wouldn't leave him alone if he said no, he knew that much already. Once he had likened Kimiko to a clingy primate, this woman was like a damn tick!

“Where is he?” Naruto asked eventually.

“He should be here any minute now.” Mei said, “It would be mutually beneficial I think, neither of you have met a blade such as the Kusanagi or the Hiramekarei before, am I right?”

“You are up to something,” he said after a moment, “are you not?” The Mizukage looked at him with a smirk. Yep, she enjoyed this.

“I swear that the one approaching us right now is one of the seven shinobi swordsmen,” she said, “and I swear that he has come to spar with you if you are willing.” Now Naruto felt as if he was walking into some sort of trap but he couldn't tell what it was in that case. In the end, he had to yield.

“Very well,” he said acerbically, the Mizukage giving him a kind smile.

“Thank you Naruto-san,” she told him, “you honour my village with your helpfulness. Oh, here he comes.” She said now, Naruto looking back. He could sense someone approaching, yes. It was very faint however, whomever was approaching was good if he could hide his chakra signature that well. His approach was blocked by a large boulder, meaning Naruto didn't see him from here yet soon the swordsman stepped out from behind the rock. It was a man, yes, he was carrying the double-handed sword Hiramekarei in his hands, yes. However, it was also the very same young boy who had shown Naruto to the Mizukage's office, Chojuro. The boy was standing with the Hiramekarei strapped to his back, struggling under the weight and sweating already.

“Forgive me... for being late... Mizukage-sama” he panted, “this sword is very heavy.”

“It's all right Chojuro,” the woman smiled kindly. “Naruto-san just accepted your offer.” Chojuro shone up at this, the boy looking at Naruto happily.

“Thank you very much Naruto-sama!” he said, “It... it is a great honour for me to spar with you!” Naruto, meanwhile, could only stare at the boy, then towards the Mizukage, and then back to the boy. He had no words, he literally had no words for this. Once again the woman had completely made a fool out of him. In the end, he turned around.

“I'm going home,” he said. Never mind the Kusanagi training, he didn't care any more. The only thing that he cared about was to get away from that woman. This damn tick of a Mizukage, she drained him of all strength and just left him feeling exhausted and annoyed! She was worse than Anko raised to the power of Kimiko times Jiraiya! He literally couldn't take this any more so he didn't, instead having turned around to leave.

“What's the matter Naruto-san?” Mei asked. Naruto knew that he shouldn't turn around and answer. Just walk away, just let it be and ignore the whole damn thing. He knew he should, but for some reason he couldn't. Instead, he looked back at the Mizukage, which he knew he shouldn't do.

“Really?” he asked acerbically, “really?! This is your sole remaining shinobi swordsman?! This snivelling whelp?!”

“Uhm... I...” Chojuro said, stumbling on his words and making Naruto even more pissed off.

“Appearances can be deceiving Naruto-san.” The Mizukage said mildly, “you will be surprised.” Naruto realized there was nothing to do, either leave or oblige. In the end, it was his simple desire to see the Hiramekarei in action that led to him yielding. Forcing his breath down to an even level he looked back.

“Take your stance!” he snapped at Chojuro, the boy nodding and reading his sword, stumbling as he pulled it up. He could hold it at least, that was always something.

“Ready!” Chojuro said with an uncertain voice as he held the blade in front of him “...I think.” he added after a moment, Naruto taking a deep breath in disgust. Spinning his hand, he summoned the Kusanagi and raised it to point it at Chojuro. With one mental command, he made the blade extend and the razor sharp sword's tip shot out like a striking snake towards the boy. Before Chojuro could even react the Kusanagi and the Hiramekarei met, the latter pushed into Chojuro as the former struck. The boy lifted off his feet, eyes wide as the Kusanagi tore him off his feet. It was only the fact that his sword kept the Kusanagi from piercing him that let him survive that attack. As it was however, he still tumbled over the ground and landed face down, groaning in pain as the Hiremekarei nearly had flown out of his hands. Naruto looked in disgust at the pitiable figure he cut.

“Get up!” he ordered the boy, “you're one of the seven shinobi swordsmen, is that all your village is worth?!”

“N...no...” Chojuro said with a quivering voice, pushing himself to his feet. “I... I'm not defeated yet...” Naruto thought that the was at least something, he at least didn't give up this first, meaning he was in this one category not the absolute worst possible. “I... I'll attack now!” the boy now yelled, raising his sword and charging towards Naruto. Not too horrible speed Naruto thought, yet still it was pathetic in so many ways. When compared to shinobi like Hoshikage Kisame this whelp was... ugh. He now raised the Kusanagi and cut towards the boy in the air, letting the sword extend in the last split-second which created an almost whip-like blow which struck at the boy's legs with the side of the sword and caused him to stumble. Retracting the blade, Naruto watched as Chojuro came to faceplant in the dirt, motivating Naruto to facepalm.

Chojuro looked up now and got to his knees, Naruto seeing almost tears of frustration in his eyes. The boy glanced at the Mizukage, Naruto following his gaze and seeing something. The Mizukage's face now had lost its mirth. All Naruto could see in it from the quick glance was disappointment, almost shame as she sat upon the large boulder. Naruto didn't get what game she was playing at here. After having praised the boy's skills she now looked as if... that sly woman! She was doing this to bait Chojuro wasn't she?! She hoped to provoke the love-struck boy into actually taking this seriously! Almost snarling, Naruto now attacked the boy and struck him seven times. Once over the face, two crossed blows over the chest, one against each wrist and one against each thigh right over the femoral arteries. Chojuro lifted off his feet from the force inherent in the seven strikes and fell on his back, lying still there.

“Get up!” Naruto demanded, “I hit you with the flat side. Don't take your eyes of your opponent unless you want to die. Now fight seriously or I swear that I will kill you!” he locked eyes with the boy now, his killing intent flooding the area. Chojuro seemed willing to do something more than stuttering now though, Naruto saw how the kid wiped his mouth on his sleeve and when he pulled it away the boy's teeth were bared, sharp teeth like that of a shark. Finally some fire in those simpering eyes. Not that it would help but at least the boy would do something now. It was then that he vanished. Moving much faster than Naruto had expected, the boy suddenly wasn't there. Interesting... Naruto looked up and saw Chojuro come at him from above, the bandages covering the Hiramekarei unfurling as the chakra around it blazed, taking the shape of a massive hammer.

Chojuro brought it down upon Naruto with surprising speed and force and Naruto leaped backwards to avoid it, watching the ground shatter when Chojuro hit. So that was the Hiramekarei in action? How delightfully intriguing. Naruto wanted to examine that sword, the similarities with the Raijin no Ken were evident. Chojuro wasn't done yet though. Looking up, the boy charged once more with the hammer still shaped and this time he struck from below. Naruto decided to check the chakra weapon's texture and hardness so he put one foot against it, bending the leg with the blow and reached down with his hand, running one finger over it. When his leg was fully bent he used this force to launch himself away from the boy, going below the surface and replacing himself with a clone that launched itself into the sky. Much like he had thought, the texture reminded him of glass, smooth in a way rarely seen in nature and solid as stone. Now underground, Naruto could still hear what happened above.

“M-Mizukage-sama!” the boy said now, evidently delighted, “I got him!” so that boy hadn't noticed had he? It was fine, that had been a very swift exchange. And what was the Mizukage going to say? He decided to wait and listen.

“Not quite yet,” the woman said, a tone of mystery in her voice. She really took every chance to be difficult didn't she? Naruto now reached up through the earth and grabbed the boy by the ankles, dragging him down into the earth before Chojuro could do more than scream in shock. Appearing out of the earth in front of the boy whose head now was the only thing visible, Naruto hunched down.

“You are pathetic,” he said plainly, looking into the boy's surprised face, “you swing like a windmill and look everywhere but at the actual fight you're in. I don't know if you were chasing flies or trying to hit me. To motivate you Mizukage-sama has to look as though your miserable display is the greatest shame she's ever beheld and indeed I cannot imagine that would be far from the actual truth. Whatever actual swordsmanship you're showing drowns in the sea of all this nonsense you keep doing. Final verdict: You are completely useless.” It was in that instant Naruto felt a stab of cold in his spine upon realizing that the Mizukage was now right behind him! Forcing himself not not move, he only looked back into the woman, not having sensed her at all as she moved in behind him. “This boy is useless for my purposes,” he said, forcing himself not to show how badly she startled him, “fighting him will be mere bullying, it doesn't give me anything.”

“Then perhaps I would be a better partner?” she asked him, smiling as angelically as before. Naruto felt another sudden cold stab, in his stomach this time. He was confident in his abilities, that had never been an issue, but a kage offering to spar with him? Naruto remembered keenly how the woman had battered the Rokubi upon his arrival, her powers making the creature reel.

Forget it, he wasn't going to back off, not after having schooled the boy this severely. He wanted to test himself and Naruto stood up. Kage or not, if he was beaten he'd get insight into his weaknesses, if he won it would be the most satisfying victory ever.

____________________________________

About one hour later Naruto could be found in one of Kirigakure's bars, sitting at the far end of it with a saucer and a serving bottle of saké. His entire body was covered in burns or soot and his hair had gotten singed. His shirt was torn and there were still some smoke coming from him. A satisfying victory it had not been. Instead, Naruto had gotten it clearly pointed out just how far he still had to go. Plainly put, the Mizukage was well deserving of her place, being absurdly powerful. Naruto wondered if either her bloodline abilities made elemental jutsu easier to use or if she simply was a jinchuuriki in secret; how much chakra did she have? What more, her jutsu seemed created for levelling city blocks. He was reminded of an actual volcanic eruption in the sheer destructive power. The fact that he had survived as long as he had was an achievement in and of itself, no matter how bitter that realization was.

After weeks of the Mizukage constantly harassing him he had somehow lost sight of the fact that she still was a kage. He supposed it was a human psychological reflex, someone that you found annoying was also someone you'd rather not have to admit that they were superior to you. Taking a sip of saké, Naruto noticed that the bartender was looking at him.

“Yes?” he asked, the man had been glancing at him for over a minute now.

“Would you...” the man began, “would you like some ice bags or something?”

“No I am fine,” Naruto responded and went back to his saké. The Mizukage was plainly put an incredible shinobi, worthy to say the least of her seat. If she had been in Konoha when Minato became Hokage she would have been one of the principal candidates and Naruto was sure it would have been uncertain who would have won until the very end. A shinobi force a third the size of Konoha did in no way translate into the Mizukage being a third as powerful. It was a humbling as well as humiliating realization.

Taking another sip, Naruto tried to process what had happened and what to do about it. Which were his weapons of mass destruction with the exception of explosive seals? A good question to consider Naruto thought, noticing that he had company. Ao sat beside him with his own saké.

“Good day Ao-san,” Naruto said, Ao not looking at him.

“I see you survived Mizukage-sama's proposal,” the man said, Naruto for an instant getting a paranoid question in his head about the use of the word proposal.

“If you are referring to our sparring match, yes.” He decided to make it clear what had happened so that's what he said.

“I was,” Ao said, “Mizukage-sama looked almost radiant when she got back to the office and I decided to come here to see how you had fared.

“Quite pathetically it seems at the moment,” Naruto muttered, “Your village can be proud of its Mizukage, she's well deserving of her place.”

“You lasted for thirty-seven minutes,” Ao said, “I lasted for eight, Tsurugi-dono is the captain of Kirigakure's hunter nins and he lasted for seventeen.”

“She seems to work her way through Kiri's more capable men,” Naruto said, flinching when he realized how that sounded. “For sparring-matches that is,” he amended. What was that about? Where did he get that kind of thinking from?

“I wasn't thinking of anything else,” Ao said, making Naruto flinch once more. What was going on with him?

“She introduced me to Kirgakure's only remaining Shinobi swordsmen,” he continued, deciding to leave this topic, “It was... a surprising meeting.” Ao made a sound of disgust now.

“I know what you mean,” he said, “If the boy could just stop waffling all the time and man up he would be a good shinobi. As it is nobody could believe he is one of the seven shinobi swordsmen.”

“Can I ask why there are no other swordsmen?” Naruto asked, “it cannot be that Kiri lacks candidates.” Ao sighed.

“Two of the blades are with Momochi Zabuza and Hoshikgaki Kisame,” he began. “The rest are lost,” he said eventually, his voice bitter, “At the end of the fourth Mizukage's regime Kiri was falling apart bit by bit and we still don't know how much that was lost. What we do know for a fact however, is that Nuibari, Kabutowari, Shibuki and Kiba all are gone.”

Naruto felt a sting in his guts when hearing this. That was tragic to say the least. What a disappointment, the swords of the seven shinobi swordsmen were amongst the few things he had been truly looking forwards to when working in Kiri. They would have added immense amounts of information to the research into the Raijin no Ken. Yet as it was now, only one sword was available. Or, two if he was perfectly frank, there probably would be a lot of research done into the Kusanagi later on. Yet... what would Kiri think of that? Demanding to examine the Hiremekarei would be something that Kiri, after having lost so much, would probably not be very eager to allow a Konoha shinobi to do. For in the end, no matter what headband he wore, that was what he was.

“A great loss,” he said eventually, deciding to probe the waters at least, “I've always found that so... so sad, so unnecessary, that when a great craftsman dies his secrets have to die with him.”

“What do you mean?” Ao asked.

“It's unnecessary,” Naruto said, “Why must knowledge disappear just like that? Is that even justified, that merely because someone was the one to discover it they must hoard it to themselves? Knowledge belongs to no one, it belongs to whomever can comprehend it. Yet here we all sit, holding such great knowledge and power locked up within villages, clans and artefacts.”

“Maybe...” Ao said, “Yet who decides who's worthy of knowing things they have no right to?”

“And some clan of nobodies has more right to the secrets discovered by their great ancestor than someone as great as said ancestor? Blood is just that, blood, it carries nutrients and oxygen for the body, it does not determine one's worth in anything.”

“And yet, we have the bloodline limits,” Ao pointed out. “Also, are not you descended from both the legendary Uzumaki clan as well as the fourth Hokage himself.

“A few things there,” Naruto said now, “firstly I resent bloodlines,” he admitted, “they make people “special” and with that comes a sense of entitlement. If there is anything that more easily causes superiority complexes and arrogance I have not heard of it. Secondly, neither the Uzumaki nor the Hokage gave me anything in life. What I learned I learned through my sensei, a man who was born into a normal family and who scratched and crawled his way to the absolute top. What is to say that so many more could not have reached as far as any clan prodigy could if the tools available for them were not merely the second-rate abilities not restricted to a clan or such?” he paused now, after a second deciding to show his hand. “You should know what I am talking about.” he said to Ao, “that's a Byakugan eye you are hiding beneath your eye-patch.” Ao tensed at this, not saying anything initially and Naruto smiled, bingo.

He had seen only a glimpse of it, yet upon their arrival the gestures Ao had made had been perfect copies of the ones the Hyuuga used to focus their Byakugan. Not to mention the swelled arteries around the eye when he had did so and indeed the very fact that he had seen instantly what was going on. With that, it made even more sense why he had been sent to pick him up, Kiri didn't miss the chance to spy a little extra on Konoha and Ao had no doubt seen what Naruto had done with the pirate ship as well. Still, thus far it had been guesswork only but Ao's reaction gave it away. Eventually the aged shinobi sighed.

“They don't call you Konoha's clever snake for nothing,” he sighed, Naruto raising both eyebrows at this.

“I have not heard that nickname before.” he said, not sure what he thought of it. At least it wasn't “white” snake, yet at the same time it felt awkward. Though, he might as well take it for what it was worth, a show he was that famous.

“I have,” Ao said, “many times. When Orochimaru died a year ago most of us didn't even know he had an apprentice. But he did, and said apprentice could even kill him. It was after you defeated an entire clan, one never seen before, by creating a poison only affecting them that said nickname began to circulate. There were discussions in Kiri on how we could acquire the secrets of that poison.”

“4-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde,” Naruto said with a smile, “that was the key component. Shall I write it down?”

“Why do you reveal that information?” Ao asked now, surprised. Of course he was, for all he knew that was some special new chemical which was a perfect killer.

“Because it doesn't matter any more,” Naruto said, taking a sip of his saké.

“Do you take your achievements so lightly?” Ao asked, “I was in the hunter nin corps for twenty years, yet not even I can recognize that poison.”

“It isn't a poison,” Naruto said with an amused voice, “It is vanillin, the compound which makes vanilla taste the way it does. Those shinobi you mentioned turned out to be severely allergic to it, enough that it was lethal to them, thanks to the experiments which had given them their abilities.” Ao looked at him, blinking in surprise. Naruto realized he had only further motivated his nickname. If the man had known it had come from a random thought that had hit him when seeing a kid getting an allergic reaction... best to not say anything.

Things fell silent for a while now, leaving Naruto to go back to what he had been thinking about. Yes, he was famous, would perhaps carve out his own niche in history, yet against such people as the Mizukage he was nothing. Especially not as he had lived lately. Leisurely ten hours work days six days per week was not acceptable. He was not even twenty yet, he should be pushing the pace even higher. Killing Orochimaru had made him complacent, thinking he had been amongst the absolute best. Not acceptable, now that the Mizukage had shown him the error of his ways he saw that even clearer. That would also be the first time he admitted to himself that he was grateful to that infuriating woman. Yet in the end, he had seen so much more in her these latest days. She was a sublime annoyance, went all in for infuriating her, yet she was also very intelligent, wily like a fox, insanely powerful and very charismatic. He was reminded of his father in some ways, those people who truly stood on top, towered above things and commanded such respect. She was one of those people who there were only a few words that could describe...

“Amazing...” Ao said beside him, Naruto deep enough in thought that he didn't catch what Ao meant initially.

“That would be a good word...” he said absently before catching himself, “or wait, what are you referring to?” he asked hurriedly.

“That you weaponized vanilla of all things Naruto-sama,” the man said, “I would never have come up with such an idea. As expected of Konoha's clever snake.” He smiled respectfully at Naruto now yet Naruto had already turned to stare down into the bar, being near beating his head into it repeatedly. Where in the name of all that existed had that burst of sudden admiration come from?!

Forcing himself to calm down, Naruto tried to comprehend where that had come from. For one moment there he had felt this weird sense of happiness. Thinking of the Mizukage for some reason had brought him a sense of rightness, like everything was as it should be. But why had he felt that when thinking about her?!

Then it clicked for him. Anko. That was who she reminded him of in so many ways. Cheerful, friendly and above all else this constant teasing. It hit him now. He had missed that, he had missed Anko's teasing, her meddling and her constant interference. And his annoyance with the Mizukage... had that been because of simple inability to stand it... or because that hadn't been her role to Naruto's mind, but Anko's? The trail of thought bore thinking about, that was for certain, yet now he had another thing on his mind.

“You seem deep in thought Naruto-sama,” Ao said, “am I intruding?”

“No not really,” he said, pouring himself some more saké, “I remembered a lost friend.” melancholy had settled over him now.

“I see,” Ao said, “may I return the favour from that evening in Wave country and propose a toast to said friend?” he asked, Naruto nodding.

“To Anko.” he said, raising his saucer.

“To Anko.” Ao answered, the two downing their saké solemnly. It was a strange thought, was the snake mistress' place in his heart being usurped by the Mizukage? No... that was one thing he never would let happen. Nobody would take anything of that which was Anko's from him. He was one of the few things she had had. He would not betray that, no matter where she was. The Mizukage's mischief had to end, Naruto drawing on his experiences with Anko to find a solution.

Push back, that was the key. Push back and do so hard, make her feel like she was out on too deep waters and eventually retreat.

Chapter Text

Naruto idly wondered what exactly he was doing here. Sitting in a large conference room in the Mizukage fortress, Naruto could see several of Kiri's most prominent shinobi present here or there. Ao and the head of Kiri's hunter nins, Tsurugi, sat some distance away. A pair of elders were here, including one that seemed like he should be at home tended to by a nurse rather than be here. Chojuro was sitting some distance away as well, Naruto thinking that the boy really got all doors opened for him thanks to that sword he carried. Several other shinobi could be seen as well and lastly he and Harusame were also present.

The Mizukage's messengers had been silent about why this meeting had been called, only saying that it was important. Naruto hoped that it was, he had better things to do than sit around here. He hadn't liked meetings in Konoha and just because he was in Kiri it hadn't sweetened his disposition towards it, not one bit. The major reason he was here was truth be told because he had to defend R&D from any and all detractors and these kinds of meetings were hotbeds of derision usually.

The Mizukage entered the room now, the shinobi all standing up to greet her with Naruto being no exception. Taking her seat, the Mizukage gave each of them a quick look and a small nod, Naruto not sure if he was paranoid or if she also gave him a small smile. Either way, they soon sat down and the meeting became under way.

“You are all here because I need your opinions on the course of action our village shall take, “the Mizukage began the meeting. “Kiri's greatest handicap as it is is that our shinobi are viewed as savages, we are known for two things to most people; the tyranny of the fourth Mizukage and the atrocities of our shinobi during the civil wars, civil wars that led to the bloodline purges. Even the Daimyo, who is our greatest client, is wary of us, He thinks of us mainly as monsters waiting to strike once more.” A good analysis of the situation Naruto thought, Kiri was not in an enviable seat. It was almost diametrically opposed the high regard Konoha was held in. “Yet,” the Mizukage continued, “within a few months the Daimyo's birthday will come. Being that it is his fiftieth it will be a grand event. Dignitaries from around the elemental nations will come, including many daimyos. My idea, which I want your opinions of, is that we aim to trump all other birthday gifts by giving him the Sanbi.” Naruto almost choked at this. Giving the daimyo one of the tailed beasts? There had to be something to this, otherwise she would be pathologically insane. It seemed as many others had made that conclusion as well, for they all began to look at each other, murmuring as they did so.

“This is preposterous!” one elder began, being cut off by Tsurugi who, with a calm but still forceful remark took over the word.

“Respectfully Mizukage-sama,” he said, “I believe you should explain somewhat further, as it is I fear many of us are suspecting that you have gone insane.”

“Nothing of that sort Tsurugi-san,” the Mizukage answered mildly, “I am not saying give him access to the beast's power, rather something to the effect of this: we capture it, seal it away behind dozens of the most powerful seals we possess and make sure that the only way to open it will be a set of keys, keys handed to for example the daimyo, the high priest of the water temple and us. We show him the container holding the thing during the ceremony and seal it away into a cave with him as audience, making sure to add a little speech about how we hope for the sealing of that thing to be a symbolic first step on the road of world peace etcetera.” That sounded a bit more sensible as well, doable too. Naruto found himself intrigued by the proposition, yet, one question remained.

“And the gains for Kiri would be what exactly?” Ao asked.

“A reputation as something, anything, other than blood thirsts war-mongers,” the Mizukage began, “we are also rid of that thing infesting our waters. I cannot think of any more effective gesture to show how little we now follow the teachings of the fourth when we seal the very thing that was in him.” Ah yes, that was right wasn't it? The fourth Mizukage had been a jinchuuriki, holding the three-tailed beast within himself. Upon his death the thing had escaped out into the sea and had since roamed free.

“And this hare-brained idea is even possible?” The elder who had been the first one to object asked, an old man with a long beard and a bald head. The Mizukage looked towards Naruto and Harusame now. Naruto glanced at Harusame for a second, the two silently gauging their opinions on it, and in the end Naruto shrugged.

“It's been done with all the other bijuu,” he said, “evidently there's some way to do it. However if the question is whether Kiri can do it in it's current state...” Naruto pursed his lips.

“That was what I asked,” the elder cut him off snidely, evidently not one with a calm temper.

“No your question was if it could be done,” Naruto remarked absently, “either way...” he began, only to be cut off again.

“You insolent little piece of...” the elder began, standing up in his seat. Really? Really? Was the man so easily riled? “Who do you think you are?!” the man roared now and Naruto noticed how several of the Kiri shinobi got embarrassed looks on their faces. The Mizukage for one hid her eyes behind one hand. Apparently this man was very powerful as well as very obnoxious, otherwise that would haven't been tolerated.

“The man who right now is your village's foremost chance of ever recovering from your past mistakes,” he said, “now quiet down until Mizukage-sama allows you to speak!” Naruto used a technique he had not used many times before and let his arm extend, whipping it towards the man and despite him being several meters away Naruto reached him and shoved him into his seat before his arm retracted back to its usual length. One of the many advantages of what Orochimaru had done to him was to be able to do this. He noticed that the elder was too shocked to speak. He couldn't help but also noticed that very few of the other people present seemed to have taken offence at his actions.

“It's a sad day when a Konoha shinobi is more focused on aiding our village than a Kiri elder,” Tsuruki said and Naruto could see several people hiding their smiles at this. He had to admit he had enjoyed that quite a lot. Still...

“As I was saying,” he began, “It can be done, however Kirigakure will have to focus a lot of resources into it. The sealing techniques to be used during the actual sealing, the container for the beast, the materials and the procedures, everything will have to be perfect. Do you have a team in mind for example? Depending on who we send the set up will be altered.”

“Do you have any suggestions?” the Mizukage asked him, Naruto furrowing his brow.

“Hmm...” Naruto said, “If I can choose freely... Utakata to begin with..” That would be a hard one Naruto thought, the jinchuuriki had been hostile to Naruto from the beginning. After understanding what his master had attempted the young boy could only see Naruto as someone who had enslaved Utakata's master for trying to save him. Still, if nothing else Naruto could swing Harusame at the boy. “Furthermore, Ao-san and Tsurugi-san should both be present.” The two experienced hunter nins were both first-class elites, Naruto being reminded of Kakashi in many ways with both of them. “Harusame-san and I for sealing and respectfully, I believe you should be on the field as well Mizukage-sama.”

“The Mizukage out in the field?” another shinobi asked, this one a younger man with short, spiky hair and sharp features.

“We are, after all, talking about sealing a Bijuu,” Naruto pointed out, “If we are not ready to commit everything we have then we should not even consider it. When the Kyuubi struck against Konoha hundreds died. We avoided what could have been the end for Kiri only thanks to the Rokubi being weakened by its escape.”

“Should we not send the one shinobi swordsman we have as well then?” another elder asked, pointedly nodding towards Chojuro. Naruto got a neutral look on his face, determined to not let his contempt shine through too much.

“No and that is all I will say for the sake of the dignity of involved parties.” Bluntly put, Chojuro was useless. Amongst normal shinobi that might be understandable, he was but a child yet. Hopefully maturity would come with age. Yet amongst a group as elite as the seven shinobi swordsmen his presence was outright bizarre. He needed to find out if the swords imprinted on their owners, that was the only sensible explanation he could find.

“Nonsense,” the Mizukage said now, “obviously he will be part of it. Namikaze-san, how long until you will be able to seal it?” Naruto sighed to himself, not showing how the woman once again exasperated him. Evidently the boy was the Mizukage's little pet.

“A month,” he said, “thankfully Harusame-san and I both learned some valuable lessons when resealing the Rokubi. A month should be enough to tailor something to work against the Sanbi with great effect.”

“Should be?” the belligerent elder remarked sourly now, having recovered enough from the shock to muster this final remark. Naruto was about to say something but Harusame spoke up now.

“There's a lot to determine honourable elder,” the man said mildly, “such as for example which trigram should be turned to correspond to which cardinal direction, if the Earlier Heaven or Later Heaven arrangements are to be used. Should we indeed use any of the traditional arrangements or instead aim for perhaps building a seal from the five elements instead of the eight trigrams? Yet, you seem critical that it would take a month to determine all these factors. We would gladly welcome your wisdom in these matters if your skills surpass ours. Would you say a seal using a basis of five or eight directions would be for the best?” The elder's face had shown its confusion already halfway through Harusame's little speech and at the end it was easy to see that he had no idea whatsoever what they were talking about. Naruto found himself hiding a smile. Quite the velvet-covered dagger, this little speech. Either the elder backed down and admitted his fault or gave an answer he and Harusame could both ruthlessly pick apart.

“Enough,” the Mizukage said, “Elder Hida, if you have nothing but snide remarks to offer then you may leave. Your grouchiness gets us nowhere.”

“And you think this idiot plan will?!” the elder now asked angrily, “I've seen enough, this is lunacy! Not only do you give the last of the seven blades away to a snivelling infant and hand over our village on a plate to Konoha, now you're even going to throw away the Sanbi instead of making it our weapon?!”

“I suggest you change your tone elder Hida,” the Mizukage said now, coldly. Naruto sighed, evidently this was one of the more overt opponents to the Mizukage. With the man being an elder with a lot of obvious clout she couldn't deal with him as was her right without suffering the consequences. And he just had to be one of these belligerent troublemakers with more passion than sense.

“My tone will change when you stop dragging our village into oblivion!” the man yelled, stopping now as Tsurugi had gotten in behind the man. The hunter nin commander was now holding a long, wicked looking Kiri style Kunai against the man's throat. The cold gleam in the man's eyes showed that he was ready to slit the elder's throat without hesitation.

“Know your place,” the man whispered, his voice as cold as the frozen north, “Whatever you think about yourself, remember she is Kage. She can order me to slit your throat here and now and wipe out your entire clan with impunity if she desires. And your uselessness is more and more starting to outweigh the fallout of your death!” if the man's eyes had been cold then his voice had been outright frozen, in a state of tonal absolute zero.

“Stand down Tsurugi!” the Mizukage ordered, the man instantly withdrawing and pocketing his Kunai. “Elder Hida,” the woman continued, sitting in her chair as if it was a throne and with cold power radiating of her. “Every last word Tsurugi said was absolutely true.” Her voice was as cold as Tsurugi's, “It has not been your high standing or your allies which have stayed my hand this far. It has been the promise I gave that all of Kiri would see a better future, not just the parts which were on my side when the civil war ended. For the sake of yourself, your clan and indeed all those who look to you for guidance. Do not force my hand, for I will do what I must to keep this village together.”

The elder looked at her now, hostility evident in his eyes. Eventually he left the room, retreating with his back held straight and his steps heavy. Slamming the door shut, the man left the entire meeting in a decidedly awkward state. It was in the end the Mizukage who spoke

“Now that we got that out of the room,” she sighed, “does anyone else have any objections?” she looked around the room, none of the present people saying anything. It seemed as if few were eager to be associated with the belligerent elder and eventually a course of action was decided upon.

The broad strokes of the suggestion offered by Naruto would be used. They would start with striking at the bijuu as hard as possible, weakening it between the offensive of the Mizukage and Utakata and two twelve-man teams of hunter nins led by Ao and Tsurugi respectively. When the beast was weakened enough it would be sealed by a sealing unit under Naruto's lead. Eventual wounded would be treated on-site by a medic-nin team under the head of the sharp-faced man who had spoken up about the Mizukage being in the field, chief medic Kiri (Naruto chose to ignore the man's ironic name). The container for the Bijuu would be a large, lacquered and elaborately painted clay jar. Beautiful but not too costly, also some extra seals would make it all the more durable. Simple and sensible. While Naruto hadn't seen Utakata's powers he had been told the boy had mastered his Bijuu quite skilfully and was considered a top asset in the village. As people got up to leave however, the Mizukage once more let her more irritating side peek out.

“You can remain behind Naruto-san,” she said as people were leaving, “I've got some final questions for you.” None questioned this, Naruto sighed internally however and leaned in to Harusame.

“We meet tomorrow at the labs at five,” he whispered, “we'll need to have a definite seal within the week so don't expect any days off.” Harusame nodded and left like the others, leaving Naruto and the Mizukage alone. “So what did you want to ask me Mizukage-sama?”

“You see,” the woman began, “I am thinking of the Water Daimyo's reception. I'm uncertain of what to wear,” Naruto would have turned around and stormed out at that instant if he hadn't committed himself to hitting back. If the Mizukage was surprised that he remained she didn't show it however, she only continued. “I am torn between two different dresses at the moment, a white traditional dress or a navy blue one I recently acquired from Kumo. What would you say I should wear?” Naruto racked his mind, trying to come up with the best way to hit back. In the end, he decided upon overwhelming assault. Biting down the wave of nausea that came over him at what he was about to do, he went for it.

“That's hard to say,” he began while he slowly walked up towards the Mizukage, watching her look at him somewhat surprised, “especially since I haven't seen you in either.” He put on a smile now, the kind of smile he remembered Anko once having told him that he should do more since it was capable of making anyone weak in the knees. He just thought he looked like an idiot but it worked, Anko had sworn that several times, so he went with it. Leaning in towards her, putting both hands on the armrests of her chair, Naruto continued. “This is what we do,” he said lowly, giving the Mizukage full view of his chest. “when the bijuu is captured I'll come over to your house, as part of the victory celebration I'll determine what fits you the best.” He now had leaned in almost completely, the woman having retreated into the backrest with wide eyes. This was stupid! Naruto felt like he'd either cause an international incident or make a total tit of himself. Yet he was committed so it was all he could to to continue. He now leaned in beside her head, whispering sultrily in her ear. “Of course, there's a risk both dresses will end up in crumpled piles on the floor. But I don't think you'll complain then. I won't give you time to.” He made sure to softly breathe into her ear as he spoke, ignoring the small part of his mind that screamed at him that he was being a disgusting slut. With that he stood upright again, seeing a beautiful sight.

The Mizukage sat stiff in her chair, staring at him with wide eyes and a slight blush on her cheeks. The woman's usual playful personae was totally gone, in its place sat a woman blushing like a schoolgirl. Naruto couldn't help but smile smugly at the sight. It worked, all these cheesy idiocies actually worked!

“Will that blush be part of the outfit?” he asked before turning around and leaving. He made sure however to look back when he exited through the door, raising his hand to give her a cheeky little two-finger salute, “until later Mei-chan.” With that, he exited, closing the door and feeling how he almost broke down the instant the door closed. It worked! Despite the fact that he felt sullied by what he just had done it had worked! The Mizukage had been utterly dumbfounded! Praying that this would be enough to make the woman back off, Naruto headed out from the fortress and home.

It was too late to go back to work and Naruto could begin cooking first thing he did when he came home. Now he needed something else to focus on and forget the cheesiness he had had to pull to get the woman off his back. He did however make sure to open his window when cooking and when having made dinner, a simple fish/rice/vegetables meal, he heard something outside. Something came in though the window, slithering up around one of the legs of the kitchen table and Naruto reached down, letting it slide onto his hand. Raising it, he now looked down on the tiny, black snake that now rose from his hand where it had coiled around his fingers.

“Welcome back Kagehebi,” Naruto said, “What did you find out?” When pushing the elder back he had unbeknownst to anyone also given him a small passenger. This was said passenger, the smallest of the snakes, Kagehebi. Wreathed in shadows and subtle enough to nest anywhere, this snake now hissed lowly.

“The human walked across town to another human,” Kagehebi said. “One named Hiruma. He stormed in and demanded something to drink. Hiruma squirmed like a worm, even as Hida ate him out of the house. Hida cursed the tainted blood of the whore woman who had tricked her way to the post of Mizukage as well as the traitorous two swordsmen who had robbed him of any chance of claiming that post. Hiruma tried to make him calm down but Hida roared that he had to keep his tongue enough during the day.”

“Interesting...” Naruto said. “What else did he say about the traitors?” Kagehebi hissed in amusement.

“That he hoped the two would be devoured by worms and maggots in the deepest pits of the underworld for refusing his offer and condemning Kiri to destruction. “

“And Hiruma?” Naruto asked, liking what he heard.

“He snivelled and grovelled,” Kagehebi said in amusement. “I do not think he finished even one sentence before Hida bellowed something at him. A roaring bull and a grovelling worm; that is the true form of the opposition to the Mizukage.”

“So there is little to fear from them,” Naruto said, “they are little more than the old toadies and the most fanatic followers of the old order.”

“Indeed master,” Kagehebi said with an amused hiss, “shall I bring about their ends? My poison cannot be traced or seen, they will both seem to have died in their sleep.”

“Do it,” Naruto said, “make it seem as though Hida drank too much and ended up falling into the river. Leave Hiruma however, can't have both dying at the same time. That would be suspicious.”

“As you command,” Kagehebi said and left, crawling out of the window swiftly. Naruto continued his meal, feeling very positive about things all of a sudden. This day had seen a lot of things cleared up. The Mizukage was dealt with, the exact nature of the Kiri opposition defined a bit more and indeed also dealt with and also he had a clear goal to work with in the labs. Now he could focus back on his work for now. Summons really were handy were they not? .

Which reminded him, he really should write to Konoha soon. The Tsubaki clan for instance, yes that would be a good destination for the letter he should write. Probably addressed to Guren, some standard phrases asking about the clan etcetera. They didn't need to think he had gone that sappy. Sitting down to write, he pondered how to formulate himself while letting his pen run over the paper, not leaving any marks. Eventually he stopped moving the pen, looking down at the completely empty paper. With a small chuckle he exchanged pen for one that produced ink and started to write the message meant for Guren.

Good day Guren

In the weeks since my arrival to Kirigakure I have had a busy schedule to say the least. Kiri is in many ways a village on the precipice of its greatest change in history and ironically I have found a certain element of satisfaction of being here at the apex of these events. Its new Mizukage has little in common with the psychopath whom she took the position from. Instead I see, perplexingly enough, many aspects of you in her. Charisma, force, a style of leadership I would almost call motherly yet which nevertheless is capable of steely force as well as playful kindness. At times the latter has become a liability however and the less I say about Kirigakure's only remaining shinobi swordsman the better.

Personally I have seen all too much of my work spent even restoring Kirigakure's research facilities to an even habitable state. What I saw when I arrived I would not have housed swine in, what I have now might perhaps be suitable for humans. Still, one should not put an overly large focus on the negative and I have already found at least one man that I an confident will become the head of
Kirigakure's R&D department when I head home.

How are things proceeding for the Tsubaki clan? Being as I am confined to Kirigakure I've had little insight into what has come to pass for you. Has there been any breakthroughs with Kimimaro's treatments for instance? Give me as many details as you are able, I am quite eager for what news you can give me.

I hope this letter finds you in good spirits
Namikaze Naruto

It would have to do Naruto thought, taking a small sip of the tea he had standing beside him. Leaving the letter to dry, he headed to bed.

____________________________________

When Naruto came to the labs the following day he noticed that there was someone inside the main lab. Or rather, from the voices it had to be two people. It was early in the day, the mists were still cool and hadn't even began to be warmed to make Kiri the damp almost tropical place it was in the afternoons. This early on, before the sun had even risen, it was usually only he and Harusame at the labs so Naruto became intrigued. He hid by the doorway, listening in on who it was. To his amusement he could hear that it was Harusame, his assistant at the moment arguing with someone who had to be Utakata.

Even now, when Naruto had been here for a month, the jinchuuriki hadn't said a word to him. Admittedly Naruto had had more important things to focus on, namely everything else he did, but the antipathy Utakata felt towards him was obvious to say the least. Now however, Naruto did relish this opportunity, realizing it would be a perfect time to see what motivated said anger more precisely.

“...I did and I am not ashamed of it,” Harusame's voice said from inside, “This punishment is one I can bear with pride, for I did all that for the sake of what I believed in.” It started good Naruto thought, it seemed Harusame was as prudent as he had given impression to be.

“But...” Utakata said from within the room as well, Naruto hearing the uncertainty in his voice, “if you tried to free me...” now he fell silent for a while. “It isn't right...” he concluded slowly after a moment of silence, “this isn't right any of it.”

“What isn't?” Harusame asked mildly.

“That the Mizukage made you a slave!” Utakata snapped, “and to that... that ice-cold snake bastard!” how cute, it was almost something Kimiko could have said.

“Now, now Utakata,” Harusame said with a bit of reproach in his voice. “Naruto-sama deserves better than that from you. He was the one that saved my life and if you cannot respect him for anything else, honour him for that.”

“Why?” Utakata asked, “he saved your life only to control it, he's a heartless monster!”

“How ironic,” Naruto said and entered the room. He was treated to the right of Utakata startling and looking back at him in fright. He hadn't noticed him at all Naruto could tell. Moving into the room, Naruto made sure to give the impression of having been in motion all the time. “To be called a monster by a jinchuuriki, I must say that was a new one.” He passed Utakata by and walked up to the samples they had grown overnight. “Any changes Harusame-san?” he asked and his assistant shook his head, “I think we can safely discard the living ink idea then,” Naruto continued and gave Utakata another look. “Yes?” he asked, staring down the boy.

“I never chose to become a jinchuuriki,” the boy said lowly. He was calmer than Naruto had expected. How old could he be... probably around Kabuto's age, somewhere in his mid-teens. Naruto moved to take out the samples and without any real ceremony he dumped them all into the chemical sink.

“Obviously,” he said, walking over to another desk. “I haven't heard of anyone volunteering for that-do we have any viable samples for the trigram trials Utakata?” he now asked towards Utakata who nodded. “My point remains however,” Naruto said as he walked over to the large table where a scroll lay spread. Taking up a small ink brush, he began to draw symbols on the scroll as he continued talking, “Someone who has been an “it” his life should know better than to throw around invectives like that.”

“I remember what you said when you came here,” Utakata told him, “How you bragged about making Konoha's jinchuuriki, your sister, cry for mercy repeatedly. That heartless enough for you?” Naruto laughed out loud now. So he had latched on to that piece of information. How droll.

“Firstly,” Naruto said, “she begs me for forgiveness, not mercy. There's a distinct difference between the two. Secondly: she's a hyperactive little idiot who constantly makes a mess out of my things and when she realizes what she's done she becomes so ashamed of herself that she starts crying and saying she's sorry over and over again. Where do I become a heartless monster in that equation? Let's attempt to combine the earlier and later heavens Harusame-san. I've got a feeling that might be the right key.”

“A bold suggestion Naruto-sama,” Harusame said, “If I may, are you taking inspiration from Uzumaki techniques?”

“Not really,” Naruto said, “I've been taught nothing of the Uzumaki secrets. Perhaps I'm threading the same paths as the...”

“You lied!” Utakata exclaimed incredulously now, Naruto forcing himself to not smile. This really was way more fun than it should be.

“Not lied,” he smirked, “merely omitted the context. There's a difference there as well. But let me supply the context. As a general rule Konoha's jinchuuriki isn't harassed or alienated at all. The Hokage has seen to that. She goes to the academy and trains much like everyone else. If anything she's considered Konoha's little sweetheart. Indeed, once a year the jinchuuriki of Kumo and Suna comes to visit Konoha so they can play family together. Now if there was nothing else get lost, I have a seal to finish. Let's put the later heaven as the outer and the earlier heaven as the inner.” He finished, talking to Harusame at the end.

“But...” Utakata said, blinking where he stood. The boy was dumbstruck and didn't know what to do.

“Get lost!” Naruto said, making Utakata almost scurry out. By the gods could people be annoying at times. Still, that took care of that, in more than one way too. “Yes,” Naruto said to Harusame as they both drew the seal, “We're on the right path. Some tests first obviously, but I think this might be it .

“The chakra will filter through the inner heaven and when it reaches the outer heaven it will be stabilized,” Harusame agreed, “dispersing harmlessly into the area.”

“Of course it's going to reek of evil,” Naruto said, “but I think considering what we try to achieve that'll be a positive thing.”

“Shall I inform Mizukage-sama?” Harusame asked, Naruto thinking once again about how well they cooperated. Harusame really was a master in more than one way. Naruto was grateful to have him on his team.

“Do so.”

____________________________________

Off the coast of Water Country's main island cluster a group of shinobi stood upon the water. The skies were clear and the waves small, giving them all easy foothold upon the water. The Mizukage stood in front of the group, flanked by Tsurugi and Ao and with two dozen hunter-nins at her back. Utakata stood a few meters to her right with Harusame at his side and on the old sealing master's other side Naruto stood. Chojuro, last of the seven swordsmen, stood to the left of the Mizukage.

“Mizukage-sama,” Ao said, standing with his heads together in a seal and the veins around his hidden eye having grown. “the Sanbi is starting to surface.” Naruto silently thought about the scroll he now carried on his back. It was a giant of a scroll, enough to warrant a leather strap to keep it in place. Within it lay two things. Firstly, the “Two Heavens Seal” which was the name Naruto's creation had been given. Secondly he also carried the container which would hold the beast when it was sealed. It wasn't without a certain sense of worry that he waited for what would take place now. While they had did all the calculations and tests they could it was still not something he enjoyed to go into a battle with an untried seal as the ace in the hole. The water began to boil now ahead of them. They had tracked the Sanbi to this place and decided to simply wait. Like all of its kin the Sanbi was arrogant beyond belief, not accepting intruders inside its territory. Naruto just hoped that this wouldn't be a repeat of his battle against the Rokubi. While the Sanbi was lesser in power compared to the Rokubi it was still a bijuu. What more it wouldn't be weakened by having been sealed as the Rokubi had been.

“Get ready.” the Mizukage commanded, Naruto summoning the Kusanagi and noticing how the others readied as well. To his surprise even Chojuro seemed to have partially gotten his act together, standing with the sword in his hand and without any overly obvious signs of his fear. Still, this one time Naruto didn't blame the boy either. He was terrified as well.

The surface now exploded a few hundred metres in front of them, the Sanbi appearing in all its terrible greatness. A giant, vaguely turtle-like creature with its three scaled tails resembling those of a shrimp flailing behind it. It stood on the water now, green and red in equal amount, and with one giant eye it looked at the group in front of it. Naruto could only barely make himself look into that eye. These monsters were truly the most terrible things to exist. What had spawned this kind of horror? What insanity brought such a thing into being?

“Let's go!” the Mizukage yelled, beginning to make her seals swiftly and only a second later she inhaled, spitting out a torrent of lava towards the creature. Even bigger than the one she had spat at the Rokubi, this seeming tidal wave was met by the creature spitting a titanic beam of high-pressurized water at the beam. The two attacks met midway between them, the explosion being almost deafening as countless cubic metres of water was evaporated in seconds. Ao and Tsurugi both moved now. Having learned well their lessons from the Rokubi they led their hunter nin cadres at the creature and just like against the Rokubi they launched a swarm of watery ropes at it, planning to stun it. Then however, the creature lashed out, its tail sending half of Tsurugi's squad flying. While all of them landed on the water upright and alive, it still meant that many of the ropes fell apart. Even more remained however and soon the crackling of lightning made the beast scream in pain and anger both.

“Utakata!” the Mizukage roared now and the jinchuuriki spat out a stream of bullets which flew towards the bijuu and detonated upon impact. “Chojuro!” the Mizukage continued and Naruto looked at her in incredulous surprise. Yet, the boy still moved, forming the Hiramekarei into a giant hammer as he charged. “Naruto!” the Mizukage commanded him and Naruto looked at her. What was she thinking? Yet, he still moved as well, catching up to Chojuro quickly and as the hunter nins had to leap away to not be eviscerated by the Sanbi's three, spiky tails he and the boy were both upon it.

“Hammer and nail!” Naruto yelled, knowing what they'd have to do. “You go high, I go low!”

“I understand Naruto-sama!” the boy yelled, sounding to his credit only a little hysteric. Leaping high into the sky, Chojuro brought back his hammer as Naruto shot forwards, getting in under the Bijuu's head. Having seen how the boy moved, he could make enough calculations to estimate when he had to move. The beast turned its head back towards Mei and Naruto right then finished his countdown, stabbing his sword upwards and letting it extend as fast as it could. He pierced into the soft underside of the Sanbi's head from below just in time for a crash to sound through the world as Chojuro struck it from above with all his might, throwing the creature's head towards the surface and letting even more of the Kusanagi be driven into its skull.

Screaming in pain, the Sanbi rose up and flailed wildly. Naruto only just managed to pull out and leap away before he was torn apart. Instead however, he now landed about a hundred metres in front of the creature. Not enough. It was only angered now. No matter how deep the Kusanagi had gone it was only a needle's prick to this creature.

The Mizukage came running past him now and Naruto accelerated to catch up to her just as the woman spat out a stream of vapours. These didn't reach the bijuu however, it only screamed, a chakra-infused scream that sent shinobi flying and undid the Mizukage's attack. Naruto however fled downwards, having prepared for this. Idly thinking that Water Country really had been a place where Manda came in handy, he summoned the giant snake and when it had appeared all he needed to do was to point upwards. Manda understood and if Naruto wasn't mistaken the giant serpent even grinned.

Shooting out of the water a dozen seconds later, Naruto saw how Manda had wrapped itself around the Three-tails and unlike the with six-tails there were no corrosive slime to be wary of this time. Rather, the king of snakes ripped giant chunks out of the three-tails and sent litres of black blood spurting through the air. He wasn't alone however. Ao and Tsurugi had both recovered and attacked the beast for all they were worth, Ao even managing to strike the creature right in the air with an explosive seal tied to a Kunai. The Mizukage were there as well, leaping over the monster's body as it thrashed. She spat out another stream of vapours, right into the largest of the beast's wounds. Even Chojuro was in at it, hitting the creature's head with the Hiramekarei transformed into a giant longsword.

Harusame, never having been a fighter to the level of these people, came up to Naruto's side calmly, looking at the battle with a focused, yet calm look on his face.

“Shall we proceed?” he asked, Naruto nodding. They had the upper hand now but who knew when that would turn? Opening the scroll, he let it unravel fully and with a whipping motion he threw it into the air.

“Get clear!” he roared, infusing his voice with chakra to be heard further away (another little Oto-trick). His comrades in arms didn't need to be told twice and they all got off the creature, Manda disappearing in a puff of smoke that obscured the Sanbi during the full three seconds it took for Naruto to complete the many seals needed. For him, having to do forty seals wasn't an issue. Rather than sacrificing any strength by making the seals fewer in number he gladly did as many seals as he needed to ensure that this would be as powerful as he could make it.

Finishing the final seal, a dragon seal, Naruto watched the giant scroll form into a spiral where the lacquered urn appeared in the middle. The Sanbi looked at him first now, its sole bleeding eye still betraying its confusion. Naruto smiled grimly now as the lid of the seal opened and what seemed like hundreds of ropes made out of chakra lashed out of them, ensnaring the beast in instants. They began to pull at the creature now, the Sanbi struggling for all its might and making the sea boil around it as it tried to get free. It roared and thrashed but it was no use, the chakra ropes would not relent and the monster only was pulled closer and closer. The fabric of space itself started warping and made it seemingly stretch out and shrink as it was pulled bit by bit into the urn, a shrill, shrieking sound coming from either the urn or the creature, Naruto didn't know. Then, the remainder of the creature instantly was pulled into the urn and the lid landed over the opening again, the giant scroll wrapping itself tightly around the lid several times over to keep it closed. Finally, three crystal needles shot out from the sides of the lid, penetrating the paper. The urn now landed on the water and Naruto caught it. It was about his size and Naruto quickly took the three crystal needles, one blue, one red and one yellow.

“That, as the say, was it,” he stated as the others came up around him. The others couldn't hide their joy now, several shinobi cheering. The Mizukage smiled widely, Naruto seeing her happiness over that it had gone so smoothly. Holding out the three needles towards her, Naruto smirked ”I would say royal red would be the best colour for a daimyo's key,” he offered as the Mizukage accepted the three needles, the keys needed to open the seal that now held this giant beast inside the urn and would do so until the end of time if Naruto had any say in the matter.

____________________________________

In Kirigakure that evening there were outright celebrations amongst the population. With the outbreak of the Rokubi in fresh memory the capture of the Sanbi became a great achievement that everyone were overjoyed about. It was accompanied by all the usual hubbub, drinking, revelling, poor music being played way too loudly. Naruto was in a good mood however, choosing to follow the flow for this time. He and Harusame had both taken refuge at one of the saké houses and sat at the moment with a bottle of high quality saké they both were enjoying. It wasn't Kakita sadly, Naruto having decided he should attempt to get hold of a few bottles of that at some time, but the Bayushi brand was quite good as well. At the moment Harusame had gotten a bit more than was good for him and the old man was swaying where he sat, trying to explain something.

“And if we...,” the old man slurred, “make sure to... to keep the circle intact... We... we could achieve a whole new... level of... of control.”

“Interesting...” Naruto said, long since having tired of the man's ramblings. He was one of those unfortunate who became even more eager about their profession when drunk but who took five minutes to describe even the most basic details. Harusame couldn't hold his liquor Naruto had realized, not at all, and he felt a bit embarrassed over what he had done to the man. Naruto was used to keeping the pace with Anko, a woman who had been a near sponge when drinking. Harusame had evidently neither Anko's experience nor Naruto's hardiness. He was at the moment drunk enough that he'd most probably fall asleep at any moment. Still, it worked for Naruto. As it seemed he'd have about twenty minutes more before Harusame fell unconscious, then he'd drag the old man to his apartment before going home. He already looked forwards to coming home, that little thing he had been working on was very promising indeed.

“Namikaze-sama,” a man said beside him and Naruto looked up to see a Kiri shinobi stand there. The man saluted him and Naruto once again thought about what a high esteem he enjoyed with these people. While he still was “Minato's son” he didn't have the backlog of being Orochimaru's student. “Mizukage-sama sent me to remind you that there still was a matter she needed your opinion on.” Naruto blinked a couple of times now. What matter could that possibly be? Hadn't he fully explained how the seal worked? Was there something with the bijuu? No that matter was dealt with as well.

Oh wait...

With all that had happened Naruto had actually forgotten about his asinine little episode towards the Mizukage during that meeting. Damn it... the woman was calling him on his bluff. She must have seen through it and now she was pushing back. If he yielded now however he was done for, then she's go back to harassing him, twice as intensively. Looking back to Harusame, who had fallen asleep face down into the table. Naruto sighed. Push had come to shove it seemed and he wasn't going to back down.

“I should see to that then,” he said and indicated Harusame, “would you mind helping this one back home?” He couldn't just leave the man here after all. The man who had given him the message shook his head.

“Not at all,” he said, “I was ordered to ensure that you were freed of whatever duties you had found yourself with.” Naruto felt a twitch in his eye at this. The woman really did want to push him didn't she? Fine, let it never be said he wasn't ready to fight this out. Getting to his feet, he helped the man get Harusame up from his chair and the man awoke enough that he could at least half stumble away muttering something about how something would revolutionize the way everyone viewed seals. Naruto meanwhile, headed in the opposite direction, towards the Mizukage fortress.

Would he be able to do it? Not just a minute or so of stupidity awaited this time but several minutes at the very least. She'd try to call him on this bluff and he was committed now. All he could do was to keep that attitude up, eventually she had to relent. This kind of game was only funny when one was at top, if the tables were turned and you were left the hunted rather than hunter it'd be frightening. He silently thanked Anko for having taught him that as he hurried up the stairs, fully intending to make the Mizukage sweat. Or rather, make her relent, that first term was too ambiguous.

Reaching the door to what he had been informed earlier was the Mizukage's quarters, he took the time to straighten up. The first part of any bluff was to look the part. If he turned up ragged and unkempt it'd work against him. As it seemed he looked as immaculate as usual and he could with that comfort at least knock on her door. It wasn't long before she opened the door, Naruto gritting his teeth internally as the battle began, the battle that would determine if he was left alone or if he'd be mercilessly teased for as long as he remained in Kiri.

The Mizukage opened the door well. The first impression that hit him was that of she wearing a yukata, modest and still easy to take off. No doubt to hasten the costume changes. She leaned against the doorway, not sultrily enough to be called out on it but there still was an element of seductive appeal to it. Kunoichi indeed, Naruto could tell she was capable in that field as well.

“You're late,” she began with an undertone of teasing. She went on the offensive at once it seemed, planning to exploit what could be interpreted as reluctance or uncertainty on his part .He wasn't planning to let her get away with that though. So... what would Anko suggest that he did?

“So eager?” he asked mildly. He couldn't possibly keep the slut-like attitude for as long as this would take but he could still keep a playful, teasing attitude. “My goal here was primarily giving an opinion on your clothes, did you perhaps expect something else?” That was his riposte, insinuating she was not in control but rather victim to her passions and craving him. Power-plays were one of the most basic psychological games, the one who had the power was the winner and the loser was nothing. What an absurd game tough: two focused professionals trying to call each other out as either a coward or a slut. The Mizukage only chuckled at this, walking to the side with a seductive sway.

“Welcome into my parlour,” she said. Classical references? Not bad at all. Entering the almost penthouse-like apartment, Naruto looked around. Quite luxurious, almost opulent in fact. It was modern to a large part, with sofas, armchairs and the likes instead of the spartan traditional designs. Naruto got the feeling that this woman appreciated her luxuries. Still, it remained tasteful unlike that aberration of a hotel room back in Wave. He focused back onto the task at hand. The door closed behind him and Naruto couldn't help but feel a sting of anxiety. This was it, he was now in the spider's parlour. Fortunate for him that this fly had stingers of his own and did not easily fall into any nets. He had Anko's advice, his knowledge of psychology and his ability to read people, all quite skilled weapons. Then again, he was going up against a true master of these things with only improvised weaponry. Still, yielding was not acceptable.

“Shall we get started then?” He asked the Mizukage, deciding to go all out. Best to get this over with, throw in some juicy remarks inspired by Anko and pull out with grace. Seating himself in the large sofa inside the living room straight ahead , he sat with one leg resting on the other knee and with his arms spread wide as he looked up at her with a smug smirk. She only looked down at him, Naruto seeing a playful twinkle in her eyes. What would she attempt? He got as clear an answer as humanly possible when she grabbed her yukata and took it off. Naruto nearly had a heart-attack now, forcing himself to sit still despite that he wanted to look away and shield his eyes. Turned out however the she was playing with him quite fiercely, wearing one of the dresses, the navy-blue one, beneath the yukata. Thanking his self-control for that he hadn't shied away, he only raised one eyebrow and let his eyes run over her, thoroughly. His heart was beating from shock yet he kept his cool.

There was no denying it, she indeed had all the components needed to be classified as a true beauty. Pale skin, auburn hair and green eyes. The lines of her face and her body did their part as well and Naruto admitted to himself that he found a lot to appreciate. Good that, it made it easier to give her an intense, not analytical but rather consuming look. He didn't pour over her curves or clothes with his eyes, rather he took it all in at once, as if he tried to consume her. He was so thankful Anko had pointed out that one time where he had given a scroll he had been reading the same look. She had asked if he was going to read it or sleep with it from how he looked at it. Sort of embarrassing yes. Still, it came to its right here.

That dress did indeed do a good job. It gave her a refined, elegant appearance even while showing off quite a lot. A bit too much almost so Naruto made sure to let his eyes dwell on those parts. Keeping his hungry gaze, he never the less analysed it all calmly. Yes, it was indeed an appealing dress yet what was the purpose? She was Mizukage, not an escort or trophy wife. That dress put too much emphasis on her admittedly very well shaped body, leaving too little room for her presence, her charisma. How was he going to put it? Hmm, overwhelming praise probably.

“Enchanting indeed,” he said mildly, leaning forwards. She hadn't flinched the least under his hungry gaze, “but I fear that your body will become a more desirable prize than any keys we could offer the daimyo. Such an outfit would burn you into the mind of every nobleman present as an alluring goddess of lust. Do I complain? No, but I don't think that's what you were going for.” Shivering internally, he made sure to focus on his breathing. Talk about cheesy, he should be flogged for saying these things.

“And your goal was to judge my clothes only you say?” the Mizukage said, folding her arms and raising one eye-brow. “I've heard less glowering praise from courtiers.”

“The difference being that I mean every word,” Naruto smiled. Well, in a way it was true he supposed. Still, it skirted the very boundaries of truth. Still, he just had to keep heaping passionate praise on her. Like every woman who had come to value her looks as highly as the Mizukage had this kind of praise was bound to hit the right chords.

“The next one then?” the Mizukage laughed, leaning forwards a bit and putting her hands on the backrest of the armchair she stood behind. There was something tingling about her laughter. Naruto got a feeling of equal much amusement and liking from it as of what he almost wanted to classify as enjoyment. She was enjoying this wasn't she? Gritting his teeth, Naruto decided to up the ante. Enjoyment was it? She thought him an amateur flailing around no doubt. Time to take it to the next level Naruto thought as he outwardly kept smiling.

“If you don't wish to try what else that dress can allow,” he said softly, making sure to let the words slither out of him. Yep, that was it, an outright invite more or less. Anko would have cheered at this, he knew it. She couldn't possibly accept that one, she'd have to back down now and they both knew it. The Mizukage only laughed however.

“Oh no no no no,” she told him, “it won't be that easy Naruto-chan.” Twitching internally, Naruto nearly scoffed at the nickname. Still he had earned it with his idiot decision to call her “Mei-chan.” A miscalculation on his part, while it might have been a tactical victory it seemed to have strategically opened a whole new part of the playing field, namely the stupid nicknames.

“I referred to how easy it is to sit and walk in,” he said neutrally, “what were you thinking of?” This was one of Anko's favourite tricks, making people question who was the dirty one. Hopefully it'd work. All he got in return was the woman looking at him now, this time having that same kind of hunger in her eyes. Not pleasant, he didn't like to be looked at like a rabbit was looked at by a snake.

“Where was this wit previously?” she asked him huskily, Naruto feeling a cold shiver down his spine. She was indeed going all out. This was it, now he'd have to hit back with all his might. Standing up, he came over to her now and leaning in, coming close to her face, perhaps two decimetres. Just keep thinking of Anko he told himself, just remember those details his fellow apprentice had let slip.

“Waiting and watching Mei-chan,” he whispered. Ugh, what a thing to say to a kage. He should be strung up for that. “Some things are all the more delicious if you take your time. Time to be thorough and... devoted to it.” It was possible to self-asphyxiate on your own vomit and right now Naruto wanted to do that. Mei put a finger on his forehead now, pushing him back a bit and waggling said finger at him. Time to get physical, Naruto grabbed her hand as fast as he could now and pulled her closer again, the woman giving up a small gasp at this as he came even closer to her now. Leaning in to whisper into his ear now, he decided to test her. “So what about that next dress?” he asked softly, the Mizukage pulling back now, giving him a wink before she retreated to her chamber to change.

Naruto could have cheered right there. He did it! He had the upper hand! She was in too deep and she knew it. A little more and she'd end up pulling out completely. In this moment he was ten times as grateful towards Anko as he ever had been. These details and tricks he had noted from her had saved him completely. He had a kunoichi and a Kage both in the corner! Patiently waiting, he listened to the barely audible sounds of the Mizukage changing and planned what to say next.

Roughly two minutes later she came out again, this time wearing a white dress much more modest. It was much better he thought. It accentuated her poise, her grace and her charisma perfectly and what more it hinted clearly at her more carnal beauty without doing anything else. Only suggesting the physical beauty and letting the body being a vessel for the personality. Perfect, this one made her a Kage first and foremost.

“Hmmm,” Naruto said slowly, watching her intently. He had to play this a little more and walked back to the sofa where he sat down. “Come,” he said and indicated the sofa, “take a seat.”

“What are you planning little boy?” she asked him now, slowly walking in a circle around him.

“I need to see you seated to form a full opinion.” Naruto braced himself. Time for the corniest line thus far. This would be so stupid. Yet the prize... The Mizukage eventually sat down next to him. She did so very gracefully and with an amount of regal charisma that would put most daimyos' wives to shame. Chuckling, Naruto took a breath before speaking.

“It's just one thing that I'm wondering about,” he said slowly, leaning towards her.

“What?” the Mizukage asked slowly,

“The presence you exude now,” Naruto said, almost completely certain that Anko would celebrate with streamers and confetti if she could see this, “I wonder how to address you. My lady... your majesty... mistress?” So, so, so stupid. It was horrible, he never wanted to do these things again. Yet apparently it worked, he could see the effect it had on the woman. She blinked at this and fell silent for a second. Eventually she sighed, Naruto feeling a rush from the triumph.

“You win,” the Mizukage said now, Naruto after that remark honestly having a hard time to understand what was happening. It was as if a lot of things happened at once, or perhaps his perception of time was skewered. After a few moments of utter lack of any sort of understanding he tried to take stock of what was going on. He was still in the Mizukage's sofa, having however leaned backwards into the thick pillow by the armrest. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say pushed back however, the Mizukage currently was on top of him, her mouth locked against his, her tongue inside his mouth and her hands roving inside his shirt.

Wait...

What?

It took a few seconds for the enormity of it all to sink in. Despite the absurdity of the concept, despite the seeming impossibility of it all, he was currently being ravished by the Mizukage! She was kissing him with a hunger, a passion that when experienced first-hand in this manner made him overwhelmed with impressions and experiences, his mind honestly refusing to work. All he knew all of a sudden was that he found himself fighting back. Suddenly he didn't care any more, corny lines and this supposed game they played taking a back-seat... no it didn't even board the same train as the rush of endorphins that hit him. Reaching up, he grabbed her head and returned the kiss. He didn't care whether he did it well, only that all of a sudden a mania, a madness, had hit him and left him unable to not act on this. Said madness stayed with him for a good while, leaving him unable to think clearly until several hours later.

When this happened he blinked, finding himself having moved from the sofa to the bed. He was totally naked and still felt small shivers running through his body. The light was out and all he could see was illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the windows. Slowly sitting up, he looked to the side and saw the Mizukage lie beside him, a sheet draped over her lower body and leaving the upper body exposed as she was as naked as him. She lay on her side, with one arm under her head and the other running down in front of her belly. What more she seemed to be asleep.

Slowly looking forwards again, Naruto came to raise his knees somewhat to get into a more upright position and with a somewhat haunted look in his eyes, he buried his face in his hands as the dread started to fill his guts.

“This... went a lot further than intended,” he thought to himself, thereby guaranteeing his place as winner of the understatement of the century trophy.

____________________________________

Naruto sat upright with his knees up to his chest and the elbows resting on them as he buried his hands in his hair. Breathing slowly, he tried to comprehend the enormity of where he was and more importantly, who sat beside him. Said person was the fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure and yes, he had apparently just had sex with her. He had, during a mission to another village, managed somehow to get into the position that he had had sex with the supreme commander of a foreign shinobi village.

This just couldn't be happening. This was a nightmare given physical form and let loose upon him. He found himself putting his hands together and tried to expel any genjutsu that had been thrown on him yet it had no effect. Looking down at the woman sleeping calmly beside him, her naked body glowing in the moonlight, he slowly shook his head. This was bad... No, this was beyond bad. This had to be his single greatest mess-up ever!

Anko... blinking twice, Naruto realized something now. He had taken pages from Anko's books hadn't he? Equally much what she had done to attract people and the things she had done to repulse him. Yet, there hadn't been any real difference between them. She had done it to him knowing he'd only scoff or be annoyed by it. To others however, to people who didn't scoff, it was seductive. How stupid could Naruto possibly be?! He had used those tricks and had the opposite effect of what he had intended! He had seduced her without even intending to! An image of Anko flashed by in his mind, the woman rolling on the floor laughing hysterically at him. Even in the grave she was messing with him, having finally landed him where she felt he should be, in bed with a woman. The fact that she was the Mizukage of Kiri no doubt made the entire thing funnier to her just like how it made it all more terrifying to him.

What the hell was he going to do? This would cause a massive incident, he'd be the laughing stock of the entire town, Konoha would laugh their asses off as well. With Jiraiya in the lead they'd line in the streets to laugh at him when he came back to Konoha. He had built his reputation as a stoic and focused man. Yet here... like a blind horn-dog he had actually ended up unintentionally seducing and having sex with someone and to boot it was with the god damn Mizukage!

What was he going to do? This was so bad, he had to do something, anything, to lessen the impact of this. Escape would be the first thing on the list. It was the middle of the night, it was the best way to subtly get out of here. Naruto therefore slid carefully out of bed, making sure to not make a single sound as he got his clothes together. This turned out to be more of a challenge than he had expected however since they were all over the place. Why was his shirt crumpled up and lying on the kitchen floor of all places? At least his trousers and sash were in a sensible place, right next to the bed. His shoes turned out to be harder to find however. Why in the name of everything that existed were they under the sofa?! It took him five minutes to find them! In the end however he had found everything and suited up, sneaking out of the Mizukage's apartment with the full intent to never talk about this ever again nor ever return here.

What he didn't notice however was the Mizukage's eyes slowly opening when he left the apartment, the woman slowly beginning to smile as the door closed with a nigh imperceptible thud. The smile was a pleased one, that of the cat that had gotten the mouse, and a soft chuckle left the woman.

“Oh no little boy,” she said quietly, “it's not going to be that easy.” Stretching where she lay, the Mizukage pulled up her blanket to cover herself fully and turned around where she lay, still smiling equally much pleased with herself as expectant.

Naruto meanwhile, was fleeing through the village as quietly as possible, moving via the rooftops and side-alleys. He was terrified and via that moved even more subtly. To a trained shinobi, especially one of his calibre, this only made him all the more stealthy, the fear being transformed into an intense carefulness. Not one single risk was taken. Naruto moved like a shadow, a scurrying terrified shadow.

The undefinable sense of dread remained with him until he got home. Opening the door and walking inside, he proceeded to close and leaned against it. What, the, hell, had, happened? He took a few deep breaths, trying to collect his thoughts and failing. His mind was still racing in circles, recalling scattered details of what had happened, remembering sensations and experiences, taking note of the fact that her scent still clung to him. What a bloody mess. Running a hand through his hair, Naruto walked into the kitchen to make some tea. He needed to focus, tea was the best way to help him with that that he could think of. He prepared a pot of it and gritted his teeth at how his hands were shaking. Naruto could feel it, he still was high on endorphins after this. Alongside the feeling of dread a base, bubbling feeling of joy was stirring, Naruto ruthlessly suppressing it. This was not something to be happy about, not one damn bit!

In the end, he sat down at the kitchen table and poured tea into the mug he had put forth. Bringing it up to his nose, he took a slow, drawn-out sniff of the tea to feel its scent before he took sip of it as well. Yes, it was a good tea. Yet the very instant he put the cup down he felt it again, the soft, feminine scent of the Mizukage's perfume and sweat. Both had seeped into his clothes and now constantly reminded him of what had happened. He eventually took off his shirt, gaining a little reprieve from the constant scent of woman inside the room. Too dangerous, her scent was a weapon in and of itself. Were she adding something to her perfumes, Naruto found himself all too easily slipping back into thinking about her scent. No, probably not. That wasn't a Kiri technique far as he knew. No the explanation had to be found with him. After this... incident, his body reacted to the memory of the immense rush of endorphins that had been triggered. Yet this powerful? He was reminded of his mental fortitude training, when being made addicted to drugs had been part of the training. This was like that, only in a way even more insidious.

Focus. What did he have to do now? The best way would be to quiet it down, make sure it was never mentioned again. Maybe, just maybe, the Mizukage would let it slide. She didn't need an incident, he was valuable to her and if he requested being taken off the mission she'd lose a key player on her board. Shaking his head, Naruto kept focusing onto the task at hand. He'd have to stay away from her for now, keeping to the labs and sending Harusame if summoned to the office. Still, could he risk insubordination? No, not really. Damn it! How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been so blind! This was beyond a disgrace.

Yet, that was the only option, pull away, focus and stay away to keep himself at such a level that he could keep up his work. Said work, finishing things here at Kiri, needed to be done as soon as humanly possible as well. His idiot attempt at fighting back had led to disaster, now the flight reflex had to come into play. Sighing deeply, Naruto found himself dreading so intensively what would happen if this got out. What kind of terror balance could he erect here to keep her silent about it as well?

Sitting like that, frantically trying to undo the consequences of his loss of self-control, Naruto slowly sipped on his tea as dawn approached, the young man not getting any more sleep this night. When his alarm went off inside his bedroom only at the break of dawn he startled in his seat, looking up and realizing first then that it was morning. Sighing deeply, he realized he had been sitting here, with his shirt off and thrown out in the hallway and onto the floor. The pot of tea was nearly finished as well and Naruto got up to get into the shower, making sure to fish up the shirt from the floor. Resisting an obscene impulse to smell the shirt he instead threw it along with all his other clothes into the wash and leaped into the shower. Work would clear his mind, it always did. The labs were his sanctuary, here as well as back in Konoha, and berating idiot subordinates might help him focus again.

Getting into a new set of clothing and making sure to start the washer before he left to get rid of the Mizukage's scent, Naruto could leave with at least a somewhat acceptable feeling. He had cleaned up, gotten a good idea on how to act now and there was work for him to bury himself in. It felt as if he might be able to salvage this mess. He had to really, as it was things probably couldn't go any worse.

When he came to the labs however it turned out that yet, they really could. Inside his office, on his chair, someone was sitting when he entered. Naruto felt a twinge of anger at this. What was this? Sitting in your superior's chair and having spun around to look out of the window, not even looking back when someone entered. It only added to his frustration and made him grit his teeth.

“I wasn't expecting any visitors,” he said icily. Whoever sat there would be sent out of the room crying he resolved himself right now. Right then however, he felt a scent that made his stomach freeze to ice, namely the very same scent his clothes had been covered in, the Mizukage's. Spinning around in his chair, the woman came to face him. She sat with her legs crossed and a divine little smile on her face.

“Good morning to you too Naruto-chan,” she said sweetly, Naruto half about to throw himself out of the window and keep running until he reached Konoha. Struggling with the shock, fright and frustration he ended up just standing there looking at her. Blinking repeatedly, he tried to make his brain work again instead of mentally screaming curses.

“I... wasn't expecting you Mizukage-sama,” he began stiffly, the woman leaning against one arm-rest and supporting her on her elbow with a smile that turned more and more amused.

“Oh really,” she chuckled, “after last night I think we've progressed beyond titles wouldn't you say?” Naruto wanted to make a sound reminiscent of a whine now. No, no, no, no. Was she going to become like this now? Some part of him was now not only frustrated, startled and shocked but outright disappointed. Was this all it took? Had this somehow made the woman smitten with him and now she'd become a love-struck little girl? He had to nip this in the bud.

“Last night was a mistake,” he said tersely, walking past the desk and grabbing his lab-coat, “don't expect anything more to come out of it.”

“Really now?” the woman said, her voice sinking into a low, amused tone of musing. There was a direct challenge in it, Naruto could hear it and it made him cringe.

“Yes,” he almost snapped, “now respectfully Mizukage-sama, we have work to do so if there were nothing else...”

“There is actually,” she answered him, Naruto falling silent at the commanding tone that rose in it, “I want to address the members of your department, would the break room be an appropriate locale?“ Naruto found himself stumped, not following at first. It took him a second to connect.

“...Yes,” he eventually said, “it is the biggest room we have as it is.”

“Good,” the Mizukage said, “when would you say your staff will show up? I've not been made aware of the routines put up here yet.” Naruto, now snapped into work-mode by the woman's crisp and official language, found himself just going with it and he cringed at this, realizing that that was indeed an oversight on his part.

“I apologize for that,” he said, “also, work starts at six o clock, in thirty-seven minutes.” Of all people possible it was now Harusame that looked inside, the man looking more than a little hungover.

“Oh, Mizukage-sama!” he said when seeing the woman, saluting her before turning to Naruto. “Apologies for my intrusion,” he said, swallowing now before continuing. “I heard voices,” he explained his intrusion. He really looked like hell but had come into work still, thank god for that. Now if he only could get this woman out of here!

“Perfect,” said woman said crisply now, “set up some notes around the facility Harusame-san, I want everyone gathered in the main as soon as they arrive. I've something to tell them all.”

“As you command,” Harusame said, making a small “ulp”, “...Mizukage-sama” he finished and hurried out, Naruto feeling a slight sense of panic at this. The man left him alone with this damn woman!

“He seems to have had a lot of fun yesterday wouldn't you say?” the Mizukage asked now, Naruto not even looking at her.

“As long as it does not interfere with his job I do not care,” he said tersely, trying to think of a reason to get away. She laughed for an answer, Naruto cringing a bit at it.

“So stiff,” she cooed at him, “I thought you would have loosened up after last night.”

“How stiff I am is no concern of yours!” Naruto said, not seeing the trap before he had run straight into it.

“Last night it was,” the woman smiled, making Naruto groan internally. Getting up from her seat, she walked past him now and an errant lock of her hair brushed against his face, Naruto feeling cold shivers throughout his entire body. “Are you coming?” she asked right before Naruto could feel any sort of relief that she was going away.

“Why?” he asked, fully planning to lock himself into his office as soon as she was out. The woman looked back now, folding her arms and giving Naruto a wry smile which along with a raised eyebrow made him flinch again.

“Because I hoped to address your department,” she said sweetly. Embarrassing was the least one could say, Naruto wanted to disappear. How scatter-brained could he be? Damn this woman, she was making him lose all focus! He began to walk without a word, swiftly passing her by and heading for the break room, trying to not listen to the giggle he heard from her.

Half fleeing to the break room, Naruto grabbed a cup and poured himself some of the coffee in there. He needed it right now. Yet, he only got even more frustrated when he took a swig and nearly spat it out when realizing it was old as well as ice cold. Forcing himself to swallow it and putting the cup down on the bench with a near slam, he realized he was losing his composure. He couldn't deal with this shit, he just couldn't. When he then felt two hands land on his shoulders he nearly flew through the roof and in the very next second the Mizukage leaned forwards over his shoulder.

“There there,” she whispered gently, “don't be so twitchy, you were amazing last night.” With that, she kissed him on the cheek.

Naruto would for the remainder of his life have a hard time to admit that he did what he did now. It was amongst the most humiliating things to have happened to him yet in the end the fact was plain to see. He flailed in a startled panic. Rapidly backpedalling away from the woman, he waved his arms frantically to get her away from her.

“Stop that!” he hissed, all dignity having flown out of the window. The Mizukage only looked at him with almost uncontrolled amusement in her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hand and shook from suppressed laughing. Yes, she was enjoying this. Playing with him like a cat with the mouse and for some reason she got under his skin with a facility he couldn't comprehend. He was saved now however by the arrival of several of his subordinates. Snapping into a more dignified posture, he forced himself to look calm and while he was given a few weird looks the Mizukage thankfully sucked all attention to herself. Leaning against the wall, he stood there and waited for this whole thing to pass. With the Mizukage now having turned her attention to the others he was given a few seconds of peace, why were they looking at him like that though? In the end, with everyone having gathered (except for a few absentees, Naruto already planning out how to tell them off for being late), the Mizukage could address the reason she was here.

“I want each of you to take the victory of yesterday to heart,” she began her little speech, Naruto realizing where it was heading already there. Standing tall in front of the group and with Naruto leaning against a pillar by the wall to her left, the Mizukage spoke kindly and sincerely. “It is a great achievement for a department which only months ago stood in ruins. You, all of you, can now stand tall knowing that in one way or another you achieved something great, something that now will benefit our village immensely. You are not, as some would made you think, second-rate people used to come up with new toys for those who matter. You are each as valuable as any field shinobi; you are Kirigakure's weapons against time, some of the ones who will define our village's future. The work you will do will shape our village today, in a year and in a century. You've seen what that achieved, the Sanbi has been sealed not due to some secretive master's obscure technique, but rather due to the united effort of you all. And even if some of you perhaps were not directly involved; don't let that bring you down, this department has a bright future ahead of itself. Thank you, all of you, for your hard work” With that, the Mizukage gave the gathered personnel a small bow, Naruto finding himself humbled by her words.

She understood what the work he did meant, how it could define a village in the long run; how it brought rewards beyond the most immediate and how it therefore was the most important weapon of all. It struck him to his core to hear it, hear how Kiri's leader had that attitude that he had longed for more people to show. He had been planning to say something but didn't find the words. The Mizukage looked back to him now, winking at him before leaving, and Naruto ended up nodding in response more on instinct than anything else.

It was then that he noticed that with the Mizukage gone the entire room was staring at him, many of them with disbelieving looks on their faces. What were they gawking at now? With a sting of irritation Naruto met their gazes steadily.

“Yes?” he asked calmly, several of the scientists looking away but most of them kept staring. It was in the end Harusame who acted. The man was pale as a ghost and raised his hand to point at his cheek. He did this frantically, Naruto blinking now and reaching up to feel at his cheek. He ran his finger over it and pulled it back to look at it. At the very instant he saw what now covered his fingers his world ended.

His fingertips were now smudged with a deep red colour, colour which apparently now sat on his cheek and which had been clearly seen by every single person in this room. Blinking twice, Naruto found himself unable to move. He literally couldn't move; the shock rendered him physically unable to move in any way. Or rather, his eyes could move and they did, flying to look towards the doorway out of the break room. The Mizukage was there still, looking in through the half-open door. When Naruto's gaze met hers she smiled angelically at him, pouting with her lips. Lips in the very same colour as the one on Naruto's fingers. Waving goodbye, the woman now vanished and left Naruto standing there in front of his subordinates with lipstick from the Mizukage's lips on his cheek.

Damn...

That...

Woman!

Chapter Text

Naruto sat by his work-desk in the safety of his apartment, currently having his face down into the surface of said piece of furniture. These days he just didn't find any strength to do anything more after work was done than to apathetically sit around like this. Any thoughts of having been able to take on the Mizukage was long since violently dealt with, chopped into pieces and put into an acid bath to dispose of any evidence they had ever existed. Instead, Naruto found himself fleeing all day long. Whenever the woman came into the room he had to find an excuse to get out as soon as possible (worked about a third of the time, the other two thirds he usually was left a shivering wreck when she finally left). Whenever a message came from her it would be bound to carry the scent of her perfumes or a kiss mark at the end. And all the meetings! She called for him constantly, having all of a sudden developed a taste for “daily updates” on how his work went.

No she didn't say squat about the labs during said meetings!

She was seemingly devoted to the task of breaking him, Naruto having long since given up trying to comprehend why the hell she was doing this. Amusement? Was is really so funny to watch him squirm? Apparently so and it drove Naruto up the walls. Why had he ever thought that he was going to challenge her?! He could have dealt with the previous level of harassment but this... no.

Pride was the only thing that had kept Naruto going this long. He refused to indulge her, simply refused. He was not, no matter what she did, going to break to her. She might be as intelligent and capable as she was beautiful; she might be able to push his buttons like nothing; she might do so with an almost childish joy. Naruto was not, no matter what happened, going to allow her the satisfaction of victory. He just couldn't do that. That humiliation was one he was not going to accept no matter what happened. He might be fleeing her daily; he might be constantly harassed; he might be laughed at behind his back by a larger and larger segment of Kiri's population. But he was not going to let her win.

At least he had one comfort in the current situation. Naruto was pretty certain that it couldn't get any worse.

Turned out five seconds later that yes, it really could. Naruto now heard a sound from the left, right where the door out of the room was. Looking up, one of the absolutely final nails in his coffin of humiliation was driven in in such a flamboyantly obvious moment as could be.

Jiraiya was standing in front of the doorway. That was not the most horrible part of it however. He was at the moment, believe it or not, wearing a thong and little else. Yes, the old man was dressed in a thong, a red such. While he was underneath the clothes still well muscled and had little in the way of sagging he was still wearing a thong! That still wasn't the most horrible part however. The most horrible part by a long shot was the fact that he at the moment was doing some kind of obscene dance involving a lot of humping the air and while he was at it he was singing as well!

“Mister lover lover!” Jiraiya sung with his deep voice, a perverse grin plastered over his face, “mister lover lover!” Naruto found himself merely despairing, too far driven to be shocked or anything such. He just looked at the entire scene with wide eyes for several seconds. There were no words, there literally were no words do describe this horrifying sight properly. The world had seemingly decreed that Naruto was to be driven insane and as far as he could tell it worked.

Screw it, if he was going insane at least he'd be the murderous kind of insane. Standing up, Naruto summoned the Kusanagi to him and grabbed it with both hands. Raising it above his head, he began to slowly walk towards Jiraiya, his movements stiff and his eyes wide. Yes, that was a good idea, drive this demon away with steel! Jiraiya kept dancing, seemingly not even realizing what was happening, and when Naruto reached him he swung the sword, cutting through the man.

As it turned out however, it was merely a bunshin that flickered and vanished when Naruto had struck it. The real Jiraiya came into sight now, standing further away in the hallway. Thankfully this one was wearing clothes and he wasn't dancing either, merely standing with his arms folded and he was leaning against a wall. He was still grinning massively however, laughing at Naruto who now stood with the Kusanagi in one hand as he started at his godfather.

“Feeling a bit under the weather brat?!” the man laughed, Naruto feeling another surge of desperation. This had to be a bad dream or something. But no it wasn't, it was reality and reality was despicable.

“Don't do that!” he said slowly, dismissing the Kusanagi, “I've got enough to deal with without your perverse antics.”

“Oh I bet you have!” Jiraiya grinned, making a spanking motion accompanied by him making a whipping sound with his mouth. “Because damn if that woman isn't one fine lady!” he cheered.

“Shut up,” Naruto said, “even better, go away.” He turned away from the man and went to sit down again.

“Are you blushing?” Jiraiya said, halfway dashing up to him and putting him in a headlock to get a better look on his face. “You are!” the man cheered as he now stared into Naruto's face, adding “well, almost,” after a second. Naruto lashed out now, his anger making him grit his teeth and deliver a swift, agile kick aiming for Jiraiya's face. The impact was hard enough to make a cracking sound reverberate through the air and Jiraiya stumbled away. Naruto was upside down now in a hand-stand and spun into an upright position, seeing to his disappointment that Jiraiya had blocked it. At the moment the old man was shaking his arm with the grin still on his face.

“You were not funny initially and right now you're getting very tiresome,” Naruto growled, at the moment about to take to even more violence. Jiraiya scoffed however, making a dismissive gesture with his hand.

“What's tiresome is watching you stumbling ass-first into the bed of one of the hottest women in the elemental nations,” the man told Naruto. “Why do you have all the luck?”

“Luck?” Naruto asked slowly, staring at the man, “luck?!” he yelled after a second, “I'm being driven to the edge of my sanity by that woman! She's intent on driving me into my grave, not one day passes by without me being harassed by her! How is that lucky in any way?!”

“Because she's got a...” Jiraiya began now, raising his hands to made a circle-like figure with them. Getting a manic look on his face as he leaned forwards, the man now almost yelled, “...great ass! And you've got first dibs on it!” The man now said, throwing his hands out to the sides and grinning maniacally. Naruto turned around and banged his head into the wall behind him.

“Please don't remind me...” He groaned, standing with his head still into the wall. “It might be hard for you to comprehend but I don't want to do any of that. I don't care about sex or relationships, I don't care about that insane woman's mind games. I want to be left alone to do my bloody research! And stop that!” he snarled, grabbing a nearby book off the work-desk and hurling it at Jiraiya who had begun to chant “humpy humpy humpy huy” The toad sage ducked under it easily however and just kept laughing.

“So what do I get for not telling your dad about this?” he asked, Naruto freezing where he stood. Oh no... no, no, no, no! He had completely forgotten about that! Not enough that he was sexually harassed on a daily basis and made the laughing stock of Jiraiya of all people; the mere fact that he was fraternizing with a foreign leader during a mission was enough to be a severe killing blow to his record. That was the height of non-professionalism, something people were utterly disgraced by! Once again things had become even worse and Naruto ended up sinking down when his legs gave way. He only just managed to land on his bed instead of the floor and buried his face in his hands. This was too much. He couldn't handle this. Where had the unflappable and ice cold persona that had outwitted and killed Orochimaru gone? It was lost, having vanished like ashes in the wind and its place this wreck was left. He didn't know what to do right now, had no way to put together a plan to deal with it.

“You get nothing,” he said eventually. There was nothing left to do. He wouldn't beg, he wouldn't lie. Instead he'd just face the truth. That was, it seemed, all he could do. “Go on,” he said bitterly, not looking up at Jiraiya. “Tell him. Have me pulled off this job and replaced. Disgrace me and make me the laughing stock of Konoha.”

“Hey, what's this?” Jiraya's voice said now, “this isn't the Naruto I know.” Jiraiya sat down at the work-desk, turning the chair around and leaning forwards. “What's the matter with you?”

“I've spent the last weeks being humiliated, toyed with and used by a woman hell-bent on breaking me,” Naruto said, “that's the matter!”

“Are you gay?” Jiraiya asked now, straight out of the blue. Naruto only looked up at him and gave the man an ice-cold glare.

“I'll pretend you didn't say that.” he told his godfather. “No! I just don't have any need for any of that shit! Unlike what seems to be the rest of humanity I do not care about sex! I have no need for relationships and I don't lose my ability to think the instant a piece of naked skin appears before my eyes!”

“Says the nineteen-year old,” Jiraiya chuckled.

“Fine,” Naruto said, “if you want to be like that: she's the leader of a foreign village!”

“An ally of Konoha that's already signed several long term cooperation treaties,” Jiraiya noted smugly, “besides if the Mizukage's banging a Konoha nin it only further strengthens the bonds between our two villages.”

“...” Naruto didn't say anything; he just looked at Jiraiya silently now. “Is that an order?” he eventually asked, his voice glacial. “Is that my mission now, to submit to her for the sake of Konoha?” the venom dripped off his voice.

“Oh-ho-ho-ho!” Jiraiya chuckled ,”don't get ahead of yourself brat. All I'm saying is that you've got no risk of being punished for tapping that.”

“Then why even drag it up?” Naruto said sourly, “one word, “no”, is that too much to ask for? That this one single word is respected? I'm begin sexually harassed on a daily basis!”

“You strike me more as annoyed than victimized,” Jiraiya said, “Besides...” the man got off his chair now and sat down next to Naruto, leaning in towards him. “Isn't she quite the woman to be “harassed” by?” the old man whispered with a deep voice, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. “Imagine,” he whispered. “Those sultry lips slowly locking themselves against yours, those long legs wrapping themselves around you, that voice of hers moaning raggedly, that magnificent chest heaving and those slender fingers curling themselves around your shoulders. Isn't that quite the prize after all?” Naruto had been looking straight forwards, his face impassive the entire time. Now however he turned to meet Jiraiya's grinning face, looking at his godfather for a couple of seconds before reaching up and shoving two fingers into the man's eyes. “Gaaaaah!”

Jiraiya collapsed back and rolled off the bed, clutching his eyes as he cried in pain. Naruto got up from the bed, ignoring his suffering and instead heading for the kitchen. He had to get something to eat and Jiraiya could roll on the floor for a while. That however, was not to be because a knock on the door brought him out of his train of thought. Sighing, he looked back at Jiraiya.

“Keep your voice down,” he said, “I don't need you being revealed in my home.” With that, he went over to the door and looked out through the little spyhole in it. Thankfully, indeed more thankfully than he could say, it wasn't the Mizukage. Rather it was Ao. Naruto therefore opened the door for him. “Good day Ao-san,” he began, wondering what the man was doing here.

“Good day Naruto-sama.” the man said, bowing to him. “Mizukage-sama wanted me to remind you of the reception tonight.”

“What about it?” Naruto asked quizzically. He didn't have anything with that to do after all, the Mizukage and two bodyguards were the ones to go. Oh wait... oh no don't tell him she...

“Mizukage-sama decided that being the one who sealed the beast you should be present during the reception,” Ao told him, Naruto already about to break down again. Damn that woman! Telling him that first now of all times?!

“And when do we head out?” he asked calmly, not planning to let this show even though he was near doing something drastic.

“In one hour,” Ao said, clearing his throat in an show of how awkward he felt. “She expects you to dress for the occasion. You'll rendezvous at the main road.”

“Understood,” Naruto said, closing the door in Ao's face and letting his head fall forwards to hit the door. An hour was it? Dress for the occasion with the occasion being a daimyo's reception? What kind of proper attire was he supposed to scrounge up in one bloody hour?! Once again things were straight to hell.

Jiraiya came out from inside the bedroom now, blinking as tears ran from his poked eyes. The old man was still grinning though.

“I heard that,” he said, blinking as he did so, “you're screwed figuratively as well huh?”

“Go away,” Naruto said atonally. “I'll just use a Henge.”

“Won't work,” Jiraiya pointed out, “Daimyo as powerful as the Water Daimyo will always have some expatriate Iron Country samurai hidden amongst the staff. They'll detect the henge and think you're up to no good. You'll cause an incident.”

“And you have a better idea?” Naruto sighed.

“Nope!” Jiraiya said, “as I said, you're screwed.”

“Just go away you old....” Naruto was cut off now, feeling a sudden itch from the tattoo wrapping itself around his right arm. This tattoo of a snake wrapping itself around his wrist was the key to the snake contract. Yet for some reason it was currently clenching down at his wrist, intensively enough that it couldn't be ignored. “What the hell?” Naruto was quite ready to assume Manda was trying to rebel or something. Pulling back the sleeve of his shirt, Naruto raised his arm and bit down on the head of the snake. Through this, he mentally linked himself directly to the giant serpent. “What do you want?” he asked brusquely with his thought, getting a reverberating hiss that sounded like a cackling laughter as response.

“Truly this contract with you has been a boon for my kind,” The lord of the snakes said, “I cannot remember the last time I laughed as much as I have these last weeks.

“Respectfully eat a dick lord Manda,” Naruto responded, “if you can see what I do I think you'd be able to tell that I have no time for you right now.”

“Oh but let me at least repay you for the entertainment you've given me,” the snake lord hissed, “Call upon my clan, we have put together a little something I think you will have great use for tonight.”

“You better not be wasting my time,” Naruto warned the snake, not finding this amusing at all. Was even Manda laughing at him? Naruto felt very alone all of a sudden. When even the beings with which he had contract were laughing at him, what remained that wasn't grinning in his face.

“Don't worry, now summon it,” the snake told him, “you do not have much time.” Naruto got paranoid now, wondering what the snake was up to. Lowering his arm, Naruto nevertheless run a finger along it to retrieve the blood he'd need for this. He didn't have much else to go on as it was and swiftly did the needed hand signs before putting his hand against the floor.

What appeared however wasn't a snake of any sort. Instead what appeared below his hand was a neatly folded Kimono, far as Naruto could see it was a formal one as well. It was in dark green and red, the colours of the new Manda. Yet the most impressive thing about it was the fact that it seemed to be made out of snakeskin. Blinking, Naruto touched the fabric and found himself awestruck. It was keratin-based no doubt, being clearly made from the proteins that formed the basis for snakes' scales and also things like horn, hair and nails. Hair perhaps was the best way of describing this, it was as soft and supple as the softest hair yet at the same time it had that the slight shimmer of snake scales. Jiraiya whistled now, having come up to look at the kimono as well.

“Now that's something,” he said, “damn, I've never seen a fabric like that.”

“Enjoy,” Manda said in Naruto's head, having kept the connection between them open.

“I'm reminded of a certain fairy tale,” Naruto muttered, nevertheless happy. This would be a victory indeed. No doubt the Mizukage had expected him to end up flustered and having to beg her for help. Thanks to Manda it would not be that easy however. “Never the less, thank you very much.”

“Try it on,” Manda said, “my kin shed many scales for the sake of that kimono, I want to see the end result.” Jiraiya laughed now, the man not having heard the conversation

“Having Manda as your personal tailor!” he laughed, slapping his knee with mirth. “Hey Manda!” he now yelled into Naruto's ear, “Come by Mount Myoboku some time, Gamabunta said that if you were like the rumours suggested he'd not mind sharing a bit of saké with you.” Naruto now shoved his head away, hearing how Manda chuckled in his ear and with gritted teeth, Naruto was told what Manda thought of the offer.

“Stop yelling in my ear,” he said angrily to Jiraiya, “and Manda says he'll expect the saké to be as good as the toads can make it.” Jiraiya gave him a thumbs up and Naruto turned back to the Kimono to open the belt that currently kept it in a perfect square. He wanted to see how it looked more precisely so he did so, standing upright and letting the kimono fall open. When he got a better look at it however he blinked, his eyes widening. “You're kidding me...” he said slowly, hearing how Manda burst into wild laughing inside his head.

____________________________________

Glancing towards the window, Naruto for a second seriously considered the option of throwing himself out of it and land head-first on the ground below. Humiliation upon humiliation, he honestly felt like it was just as well to give up. Yes he had been given clothes that were suitable to say the least for a formal occasion like this. Yet, at the same time it was an outright obscene article of clothing, mainly thanks to the way the front was cut. Standing in front of the mirror, Naruto looked at the sight with a distinct feeling of panic in his chest. He was at the moment showing off more or less half his chest, a V-slit going almost down to his navel. Neither it nor the nipples were showing but that truly was how far the modesty of this thing went and Naruto felt like a whore when he looked himself in the mirror.

“Why so glum?!” Jiraiya asked with a wheezing voice, the man currently doing his best to laugh his head off. “You're usually showing off just as much chest, what's the issue now?”

“The issue, you old fool,” Naruto began and did his best to not hyperventilate, “is that the clothes I normally wear are meant to allow mobility, the revealing parts are a side-effect. This is the opposite. It's the difference between disembowelling someone and surgery to address appendicitis. I've moved from necessity to obscenity in this thing!”

“And I know someone who will have a field day,” Jiraiya grinned. Naruto seriously contemplated another outburst of violence against the man. Yes... the Mizukage would go all out on him. Oh gods! Naruto felt miserable to say the least. “Thirty minutes until you head out brat!” Jiraiya yelled now and Naruto cringed. Was there no way to get out of this?

No, there wasn't. Naruto realized he had no way out of what awaited him. Sighing once more, Naruto slowly shook his head.

“Very well,” he he said. “There's nothing else to do.”

“I so have to get into that reception,” Jiraiya giggled, Naruto seriously struggling with an impulse to draw the Kusanagi again, decapitate the man and use his skull as a flowerpot.. It was either this outfit or crawl to the Mizukage to beg for aid. And as much as this embarrassed him it didn't leave him at that woman's mercy. The humiliation was his and did not connect to her... at least not initially. Naruto just knew she'd be all over him. Sighing one final time, Naruto headed for the door and what no doubt would be the most despicable night of his life. Locking the door with Jiraiya still inside (the old fool would get out somehow anyway), he thought back on his training in enduring torture. Find a happy place, think of it, remain there no matter what the outside world threw at you. As it looked he'd need that tonight...

Making his way through the misty village he made sure to not bump into anyone on the way. Right now he didn't need that, not at all. Could Manda at least not have included a Haori with this bloody thing? Anything to cover himself up with? No that was not to happen and Naruto's opinion of Manda's sense of humour had dropped like a brick. Was this truly how stupid the snake's humour in truth was? That his humiliation was such a cause for amusement? Evidently, Naruto remembered still how the creature had howled with laughter.

He was now only a few hundred metres from the gate, more and more beginning to feel slightly sick. For the first time in over a decade he found himself genuinely wishing he'd suddenly come down with some virulent disease and be excused from this whole thing. Anything but having to wear this damnable outfit!

No, with only one corner left before the spot where the Mizukage would wait Naruto realized that there was nothing to do so he steeled himself before he turned the corner, knowing well what to expect right now. Harassment and humiliation. This would be dreadful indeed...

The Mizukage did indeed wait beyond this corner, standing there in her white evening outfit. She was radiant in many ways, as expected by a kage. The Kage hat was on her head along with the wide Haori-like jacket that was another symbol of her position. White and blue where her colours, Naruto idly realizing that with the hat slightly drooping down she achieved a mysterious as well as regal look. Indeed, she would be in her element right now, this majestic queen of Kirigakure. A shame indeed that this element included mercilessly hounding and harassing him. Could he run perhaps? What would the consequences be if he simply refused? Insubordination was the answer, one of the more severe crimes a shinobi generally could commit. No, Konoha couldn't afford that.

Why did he have to be so ethical?

She stood with two attendants in the form of Ao and Tsurugi, both of them in Kiri uniforms. The queen, her consort and the two attendants, was that the look they were going for here? Seemed that way, and Naruto would be the consort. Ugh... And there the woman noticed him, looking up and her single visible eye came to look straight him.

Indeed her reaction could fill a book with how much that went over her face. The eye widened for a second, her mouth opening only the slightest. Yet in almost the same movement Naruto saw how her lips slowly began to move upwards, her mouth widening as well and forming into a smile. Even from several metres away he could see how her eye narrowed slightly again, that glittering quality coming over it. Yep... she liked what she saw and Naruto seriously felt a sting of fear, a distinct feeling of being hunted, being powerless, a deer facing down a hungry wolf. He'd never survive this so he might as well face his death like a shinobi. He therefore moved up to her, bowing his head slightly and fighting to keep the look of reluctance off his face.

“Mizukage-sama,” he greeted her politely, wishing he could bring something to protect himself with. Even a kunai would be a blessing to have, the woman's gaze seemed to cut into him with the edge of one at the moment.

“Oh my...” the woman responded almost breathlessly, folding her arms in front of her, “have you been hiding such an outfit all this time?”

“It was what I had available,” Naruto answered, “shall we move out?” Please let them move out, they had a long way to go and just maybe they could avoid what would come now.

“Wait a moment,” the Mizukage said, her voice slightly husky. Already that predatory look had appeared in her eyes and both Ao and Tsurugi became very interested in something far away from her and Naruto. Both of them looked away now as the Mizukage came up to him, Naruto unable to stop himself from taking a step back in anxiety. Like a snake, the woman lunged forwards, her arms going past Naruto's head and Naruto almost whimpered. Was she going to molest him on an open street?! Unable to escape, Naruto ended up closing his eyes and bracing himself.

Yet, the molestation he had been expecting never came, instead, the Mizukage reached back to his hair, pulling off his hairband and letting his hair fall freely down instead. Pulling back, she gave him a sultry smile and adjusted a couple of locks on the side of his head.

“There,” she told him with a smile, “that's much better.” She evidently wasn't planning on pouncing him right now and Naruto swallowed in a way he hoped was subtle. Seemingly not, the woman's smile got a little more sinister and she ran one finger down his exposed chest. “Later Naruto-chan,” she whispered before turning around with a spin. Her kimono and haori both billowed around her and she reached up to adjust her hat, leaving Naruto standing there petrified for a few seconds. He genuinely couldn't move, feeling the chills still through his body. Damn that woman!

“Let's go!” the Mizukage exclaimed now, beginning down the road, “I want the daimyo and his whole menagerie of noblemen to stare in awe of us. Let's show them Kiri's glory.” Ao and Tsurugi both followed her and after a second Naruto could force him to move as well, falling in right beside her. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to be in Kiri. He didn't want to be in this outfit. Right now he didn't even want to exist. Words could not describe how much he wanted to flee. Yet he didn't. Like when Orochimaru had died and like when he had for months struggled to find and destroy the labs left behind by his master he did his duty. The absurd part was that he had not dreaded anything during either mission as much as he did this evening.

____________________________________

At the palace of the daimyo of Water Country that evening there was indeed a giant crowd of people. Hundreds of noblemen as well as dignitaries from across the elemental nations had arrived. There even were several daimyo present this evening. Many of them from minor countries yet both the fire and lightning daimyo were present for the occasion. Countless red paper lanterns hung in long ropes across the courtyard from the corners of the pagoda to the walls beyond and colourful streamers accompanied them, both swaying in the light breeze. Sounds of chatting and laughter could be heard as the nobles interacted, entertained by musicians and dancers both. Even beyond the actual centre of celebrations others had found ways to entertain themselves, more than one group of guards having smuggled along a bottle of liquor to entertain themselves with. Here and there a serving girl or dancer found their attention caught by suitors both noble and common, some in more carnal ways than others. It was all in all a quite splendid example of the entertainments and lives of the nobility of the elemental nations; opulent, wasteful, self-indulgent and useless, the parasitic pleasures of a fat, complacent class of people blinded by their false sense of superiority towards the rest of the world.

Naruto would have thought much the same even if he hadn't been in the situation he was in now. Yet being here with a woman intent on driving him insane and two very reluctant aides who seemed to know very well how doomed he was his judgement became even more harsh. They were at the moment standing up on the roof of the giant pagoda that formed the keep in this palace, looking down at the celebration. Even in these clothes it had been an easy task to sneak past second-rate Iron Country expatriates and inebriated guards. The Mizukage was in front of the small group, Naruto doing his best to retreat into the shadows behind them and disappear. The box which had been shoved into his hands was a bother and he wanted to throw it away.

“They seem to have fun,” the Mizukage said genially as she watched the people below. “Can you see the water daimyo anywhere Ao-san?”

“Yes Mizukage-sama,” the man said after a few seconds, “by the pond. Five fingers away from the dancing geisha.”

“I see him,” the Mizukage remarked before she chuckled, “poor man, I wonder how long he has been sitting there.” Naruto saw the man as well, seeing the daimyo sitting formally there on a platform with a queue of nobles in front of him. It seemed he had been sitting there for a good while, a patient look of weariness having settled on his face. Or maybe he always looked like that, Naruto didn't quite know.

“It seems the nobles are called up to him one by one,” Tsurugi said, the man hunching down at the edge of the roof. “The majordomo is holding a list of names.” Naruto saw it as well, an old man standing by the side of the daimyo's platform and reading off a list. “Are we on the list Mizukage-sama?”

“We are,” the woman said with a smile, “right after the nobleman with the yellow kimono.” Naruto saw who she was talking about, a fat, stocky nobleman with a high black cap and a chicken yellow kimono. Now he got curious and decided to ask something, knowing well the risk he took.

“An agent of the village?” he asked, the Mizukage chuckling.

“A man with a lot of dark secrets,” she said, “in return for us not telling the world he does us favours now and then.” Naruto took in the information with great interest. So that was how it was? Furthermore, she hadn't done anything towards him so Naruto could feel a sense of relief. Premature it turned out however, the Mizukage reached up to touch his neck. Naruto gave up a choked gasp and flinching away as her finger ran over his semi-exposed collarbone. “There we go,” the Mizukage said now as the yellow-clothed nobleman came up to the daimyo, bowed deeply and handed over a large box of some sort. The daimyo returned the bow with a nod and the yellow-clothed noble withdrew. The Majordomo read off the list now, the procession below now stopping and even from up here Naruto could see that the daimyo got something confused in his movements. “Let's go,” the Mizukage said now and she and Naruto both vanished off the roof, moving down to the ground and landing in front of the daimyo swiftly and nearly soundlessly.

Their arrival might have been silent but it caused quite the stir. Several noblemen gasped, one even yelled out in fright. The daimyo tensed and left his posture somewhat as he raised his hands slightly, his face betraying his surprise. The playing geisha however did not stop, being too professional to be disrupted. The Mizukage as well as Naruto both had landed in a kneeling posture. As “commoners” they were expected to do so after all. The Mizukage took the advantage of this silence now and began to speak.

“Honoured ruler of Water Country,” she said with a clear voice, “upon this glorious day the village of Kirigakure gives you its most sincere congratulations.”

“I did not expect to see you amongst my guests Terumi-san,” the daiymo said, having regained his composure quite swiftly. “Never the less, you are welcome tonight.”

“Your hospitality is an example to all of us,” the Mizukage answered sweetly, Naruto realizing that there was a barb hidden in that statement. Many Water Country nobles would probably not have allowed shinobi to be present here. “allow me to offer you this gift,” she now motioned for Naruto to hand it over. No doubt he'd cause a scandal here... the boy-toy consort of the woman ruling Kiri... bah! Nevertheless he did as he was told and walked up to the Daimyo, opening the box in front of the man. “This,” the Mizukage said behind him, “noble daimyo, is one of the three keys to the container in which we six days ago, at great risk and through much efforts, sealed the three tailed giant turtle.” Closing the box now, Naruto gave it to the servant standing ready to accept it and listened to the murmurs that broke out. Even the daimyo raised an eyebrow.

“Did you now?” he asked warily, the Mizukage standing tall as she answered.

“Yes my lord,” she said, “and this demon will be sealed away in the furthest, darkest place we know of. Never again shall any single man or interest be able to control such a fiend. With three keys it has been sealed. One of these keys will remain in our village, the head priest of the water temple shall have one and the final one will rest in this palace. With this we place our hopes that one day the state, faith and shinobi can work together for the betterment of Water Country. Until then this fiend shall in no way trouble our nation any longer. Such is our gift to you honoured daimyo, we hope it is adequate.”

“It is Terumi-san,” the daimyo answered, his face unreadable. “Thank you, and I hope this night is pleasant for you and your consort.” Naruto cringed at the word “consort”. He knew that had been that woman's goal, yet at the same time it infuriated him to hear it. He was right now surrounded by people who saw him as the... the what? The underling? The toy? The lover? Naruto shuddered at the thought, memories of that night coming unbidden to him. How was it he had put it once? Stick his penis in someone and grunt for an hour just to get a rush of endorphins wasn't it? Good to have been reminded thoroughly how addictive said rush could be.

“I hope the same for you my lord,” the Mizukage answered kindly, bowing towards the man and withdrawing from the platform. In one smooth move she left the queue and hooked arms with Naruto, dragging him away. It took all agility Naruto had to not stumble as he was pulled away by a woman now holding him in a vice-like grip. “Come now Naruto-chan,” she purred as Naruto began to cold sweat, “we've got a party to attend.”

____________________________________

Roughly two hours later the party had moved into a slightly more relaxed atmosphere. The daimyo had at last been allowed to stand up and walk around, no doubt being overjoyed over not having to sit with folded legs any longer. Noblemen and dignitaries of all sorts were all over the place and the mood was at its peak.

Naruto thought so at least, for him it was somewhere around frightened and stressed out. He had managed to slip away for now, currently hiding by the keep walls. He was shivering and still felt his heart beat somewhat swifter than usual and it was not cold or exhaustion that did that.

Damn that woman, truly and deeply damn that woman! How did she manage to get under his skin so well? What was it with her that made him so terrified, so powerless? Seemingly everything he did to challenge her provoked an even bigger response from her and attempting to flee made her enjoy hunting him down. He knew there'd be hell to pay when she got hold of him again but he didn't care. He needed these five damn minutes to breathe! It was then that a movement in the corner of his eye made him startle and turn to face it with the full intent to fight or flee. It turned out to be Ao however, the man standing some distance away with one hand raised in a gesture of peace.

“Don't worry,” he said, “it's just me.” Naruto released a shivering breath, realizing what a wreck he was.

“It seems to have gone well tonight,” he said, Ao nodding before he threw something at Naruto, who caught it. It turned out to be a bottle of Saké.

“Here,” he said, “I think you'll need it.”

“What for?” Naruto asked, begging that Ao of all people wouldn't have understood how humiliatingly toyed with he was. Ao gave him a dry look however and Naruto cringed. Yes... he understood. Screw it... uncorking the bottle, Naruto took a swig of the saké and offered Ao the bottle when he was done. Ao accepted it.

“I... believe I owe you an apology,” the man said after a while, having taken a sip of saké and now handing it back to Naruto.

“Do you?” Naruto wondered. Did he mean the Mizukage? .

“Mizukage-sama...” Ao said, “she has set her sights on you, it is easy to tell. I should perhaps have warned you early on, perhaps this could have been avoided.”

“Is this a common occurrence?” Naruto wondered. Somehow it vexed him that the Mizukage would be a man-eater who did these kind of things all the time. Ao shook his head.

“No,” he said, “the opposite in fact.”

“Then how could you have known?” Naruto took a sip of his saké and handed it over.

“Because once upon a time Mizukage-sama was a young woman fifteen years of age who had gained a serious crush on her sensei,” Ao told him. “She's a prodigy as a shinobi and the kunoichi arts are no exception. Her teacher, a seasoned, hardened man, ended up fleeing into the hunter nins to get away from her. He could not bring himself, an old bachelor, to view his student in that manner. Yet if he had stayed he wasn't sure if he would have been able to endure.”

“Were you that teacher?” Naruto asked and Ao nodded with a sigh.

“I was,” he said, “and Mei-chan as I named her then adored me. I couldn't return it however, not even when she more or less told me that she was okay with if I only loved her physically.” Naruto cringed at that remark. Yikes... the Mizukage must indeed have had it bad for Ao. The aged shinobi looked up at the lanterns high above now. “after that I know of only one relationship she has ever had.”

“Could you tell me of it?” Naruto asked. He needed to know these kind of things, if he hoped to win against her he needed every last bit of data available.

“It's a long story,” Ao said, “and I don't think it is mine to tell.” Naruto cursed mentally. Damn this stiff-neck, couldn't he give him anything to work with?! “I can tell you this however Naruto-sama,” Ao said now, “Mizukage-sama is not a lustful man-eater who throws herself at anyone she comes across. She might joke and make suggestive remarks, but that is as far as it goes. She would not have gone this far with you if she hadn't been truly smitten by you.” Naruto blinked twice now, hardly believing his ears. Wait, wait, what?! After a few seconds he had to grind his thoughts to a total halt and start from the beginning.

Fact: the Mizukage had harassed him constantly for weeks, several times sexually.

Fact: this had really kicked off after he had tried to hit back against the primarily innocent teasing with a more sexuality-focused type of teasing.

Fact: after this the Mizukage had gone up to that level of teasing as well.

Fact: Ao was telling him that the Mizukage was not a slut, only playful, and if she went past that it was because she was truly into someone.

Conclusion: …oh hells no!

Naruto swallowed, all of a sudden feeling somewhat light-headed. Of all the absurd possible... Was this really happening?! Somehow it only added to his sense of panic to realize that he was not merely being toyed with for someone's amusement but rather that she was dead serious about it. Suddenly he had trouble breathing and blinked several times.

“That...” Naruto said slowly, “that's problematic...” That was the least you could say, this was disastrous! Utterly and completely disastrous! He had to pull out, Ao had fled to the hunter nins, he could flee back to Konoha. Even the humiliation of confessing what had happened to the Hokage was preferable to this utter mess!

“And while I may be the wrong person to say a thing such as this,” Ao said severely now, “as I said that night in Wave: Mizukage-sama is our beloved queen, the woman who saved us and does so even today. No matter what you will do I would advise you to tread carefully. If you carelessly hurt her you will have a village out after your head.” Naruto sighed, hiding his face in his hands out of sheer despair. This too?!

“Nice apology,” he said after a while, Ao not answering. When Naruto looked up, he saw that the man was gone. Swearing to himself, he felt the desperation only building inside him. What, in the name of all that existed, was he supposed to do?!.

Flee it turned out. A rustling in the bushes a bit further away startled him to the level that he instant-moved away several dozens of metres, right in amongst the crowds again. He thankfully got in right behind a smaller group and didn't cause and ruckus but he swiftly made his way through the crowds, keeping himself on the move as he tried to think. It was like crawling up a muddy slope, no matter what he did he kept sliding down.

And evidently fate had indeed decreed he was forbidden any sort of breaks for now a voice rung out through the air.

“Oh!” a woman yelled, Naruto halfway leaping out of his skin (epidermis and subdermal snakeskin both) as he looked to the side and saw a woman he hadn't seen in a very, very long time. It turned out to be the wife of the fire daimyo, present with her husband as well as two children and indeed even her white cat Tora, who looked as tormented as always. Naruto could all of a sudden sympathise with the poor creature as the fire daimyo's wife came more or less steamrolling up to him. Naruto was reminded of a walrus in her movements; they were about as graceful. “I never would have thought to see you here young sir shinobi, what a positively delightful meeting!” she exclaimed loudly, Naruto wanting to punch her to make her quiet down. He didn't need attention right now! “Dear!” the woman said now, ushering her husband up to him. Compared to his wife the fire daimyo was a scrawny, droopy-looking sort of man currently holding a small fan in front of his face (why Naruto didn't know, it was near chilly outside). “This is the mister shinobi I told you about, the one who saved Yuki-chan's life!”

Oh Kami-sama... Naruto remembered that now. He hadn't even thought about it that one time... had that been the son of the daimyo? Why hadn't he made more note of that before?! Wait, irrelevant, he needed to get out of here!

“So you are the one I have to thank for my son's life.” the fire daimyo said now, looking at Naruto. Naruto could see that he was thinking intensively, “Yuki-kun, I assume you have thanked this man.”

“No father,” the boy behind them said, much more like his mother than his father in body shape. He seemed more interested however in the giant toffee apple he was holding.

“I need no gratitude daimyo-sama,” Naruto said hurriedly, bowing to the man, “it was my duty as a bystander. Think nothing of it.” Right, that should be enough. Now he could run away.

“Your words honour both you and your father Namikaze Naruto-san,” Naruto silently took this blow as well, realizing that the fire daimyo knew who he was and he realized this wasn't going to be easy. Already he could see that the man was planning something. “Yet with you having met Yuki and my dear wife both, perhaps this would be a good time to introduce you to my beloved daughter Noriko.” Naruto wanted to do something drastic now as the daughter of the daimyo was ushered out in front of him. He couldn't get away could he?

“It's good to finally meet my brother's saviour,” the girl began, her voice honeyed enough that it dripped with it. ” Looking up at him, the girl smiled sweetly in an attempt to hit him with her full charm. Admittedly she was reasonably attractive and it might have worked if Naruto wasn't who he was and just had spent weeks being sexually harassed by a kunoichi. What more, he didn't fail to notice that the daimyo and his wife exchanged a wink now.

“Oh it is time for you to go to bed Yuki-kun!” the daimyo's wife now exclaimed, grabbing Yuki and retreating swiftly, leaving only the daimyo and his daughter at Naruto's side. That however changed the very next instant.

“I do believe that is the lightning daimyo over there,” the fire daimyo said genially, “could I perhaps ask you to watch my daughter for a moment Namikaze-san? I don't quite trust that man to keep his hands where they should be.” With that the daimyo vanished as well, leaving Naruto standing there with a young girl who had a gaze suspiciously much like the Mizukage's at the moment.

“Parents,” the girl giggled now, playing the role well. “if it's not one thing it is another.”

“Indeed,” Naruto said, wanting to run away again. So embarrassingly obvious what they were attempting here. With a Hokage who was a legend across the elemental nations the fire daimyo did what all nobles would do to another power they could not crush. He tried to tie himself to it. Shoving his daughter in front of the firstborn of the Namikaze was a textbook play and the girl here seemed to be aware of it. That was part of why he hated nobility, this girl fully accepted her role as a tool for marriage and right now went all out trying to ensnare him. Whore...

“Would you care to walk a bit with me Namikaze-sama?” the girl asked now, Naruto realizing there was no real way out of the situation. What a bloody mess.

“It would seem I've no way to refuse,” he said neutrally. The girl gave him a radiant smile, Naruto almost able to time what she'd do perfectly. An invitation to walk under the trees would most probably follow now and that indeed came. There they'd have privacy enough to talk but not so much it'd cause a scandal. As they began to walk under the trees she could gush over him a bit, try to stoke his ego and figure him out in order to seduce him the most efficiently. Bah... at least he could figure this little slut out, she'd be a good distraction, predictable and conventional. He'd have nothing to fear here.

It was then that the whole thing was prevented when when suddenly Naruto felt a distinct spike of killing intent behind him and how his guts froze to ice. Not good. The girl evidently felt it as well, shrinking away from him with a look of fright on her face. Slowly looking back, Naruto came face to face with the Mizukage, the woman standing there with her arms folded and a genial smile on her face. Yet the aura she projected promised a world of suffering.

“Princess Noriko of Fire Country isn't it?” the Mizukage said with a voice carrying a lining of pure ice. “So nice to meet you, I hope you don't mind however if I take back my company for the evening from you.” The word “my” was given massive emphasis and the tone in the woman's voice made it very clear what would happen if the girl dared to object. Princess Noriko backed off and fled, not even saying a word to Naruto for goodbye. Naruto was left looking straight into the eye of a woman who now evidently was utterly enraged.

“Is this a habit of yours?” the Mizukage asked him, still smiling, and Naruto found himself wondering what the hell she was on about. He could tell she was enraged but at the moment he hadn't a god damn clue as to what had provoked this. What was she talking about? What was a habit of his?

“I've no idea what you are talking about,” he told her frankly, being treated to a flash of anger in the Mizukage's eye and the sight of the smile vanishing from her face. His answer seemed to only further upset her for some reason and Naruto would have sighed had he not known it'd only enrage her even more.

“You disappoint me,” the Mizukage said now, only further flummoxing Naruto. Disappointed her?! What in... what was she even talking about?! With Naruto still having no idea once more of what was going on the Mizukage turned around and left, leaving Naruto to stare after her as she retreated. He still had no idea whatsoever what she was referring to and right now he was only even more confused than he ever had been.

It had to be something in the water, some water-borne parasite which caused confusion and insanity. A remnant of the civil war or something, a parasite created to drive people insane and which still was present here and there. That was the only easy explanation he could think of for why these insane things kept happening. No other option was available, no sensible or rational explanation was present or even conceivable for all of this! Naruto therefore remained standing where he stood, looking after the Mizukage as she left and simply not understanding anything.

____________________________________

It was with a groan that Naruto collapsed into bed after having gotten home at last. After the utterly incomprehensible spell of anger from the Mizukage they had left the party early. Naruto was thankful for that bit, he couldn't stand noblemen. But perplexingly enough he had ended up wishing he could have remained behind during the trip back to the village. The Mizukage hadn't even looked at him and the ice cold aura had stood around her the entire way back to Kiri, where they had split up without a single word.

Naruto had gone home directly, getting out of the kimono and into bed instantly. He was too tired of all these absurd things that he wasn't even going to try to decipher this day. Things were steadily building towards being more like a bad dream than reality for him and he was more and more starting to consider asking the Hokage to be taken off the mission. Whatever he thought he understood about the Mizukage was evidently wrong and he stood gawking like a fool on a daily basis. What a bloody nightmare....

So exhausted was Naruto that he failed to notice someone entering his apartment. Silently, a figure slipped in through the door and down the hallway. On bare feet it moved into his bedroom and came up to the side of his bed. First now Naruto's finely honed senses felt the presence and his eyes snapped open.

The one to have entered turned out to be the Mizukage. She had changed out of the formal wear she had attended the party in and now wore the same Yukata she had worn that time Naruto had gone over to her, a visit he still shivered when thinking back on. Her face at least had lost its coldness, now only looking... sad?

“Is there no place you will not hound me to?” Naruto asked now, exhausted enough that he decided to spill it. No more politeness, this was too much. Was she even sneaking into his apartment in order to play him for her own amusement now? Sitting down by his bedside, the Mizukage reached up and put one finger on his lips, Naruto not able to help the sudden shiver that went through him. Letting the finger wander over his face, she now reached down to cup his cheek. “What do you want?” he asked her now, knowing he probably should slap her away but for some reason not doing it.

As it turned out however, he didn't get an answer, at least not a verbal one. Instead the Mizukage leaned in, catching his lips in a kiss before he could say anything more. The kiss was tender, soft, and Naruto could tell she put her all into it. Even with his limited experience that had to be the case, it made him light-headed. Pulling back from him, the woman looked into his eyes and Naruto could see the look in it.

“I want you,” the Mizukage whispered. Her words hit Naruto in the stomach with all their raw desire, making his mouth dry up and his heartbeat quicken. He found himself nailed to the spot, unable to move as the taste of her lips lingered on his. For some reason he didn't even trust his voice now yet he still managed to force out the words that now came.

“Don't you understand what you're doing?” he asked her hoarsely. “I am a Konoha nin, here only temporarily. You are a kage, your foremost duty is to your village, a village I don't belong to!”

“I know...” Mei said, Naruto having a harder and harder time to see the Mizukage anywhere in her. It was not a kage sitting by his bedside, it was a woman.

“So why are you here?!” Naruto hissed, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy. Her scent was unmistakeable, especially to his honed senses, and it was impossible for him not to remember that night, have bits and pieces of it slip out through the iron web he had sealed it away with. It laboured his breath

“Because I want you to tell me,” Mei said, her thumb slowly moving over his cheek. “tell me I should go away, tell me you don't want me, tell me to disappear from your life. Then I will, but not until then.” With that, she reached in once more and kissed him. This time it was deeper, her tongue came out and moved into his mouth, coming to struggle with his. Naruto found himself nearly overwhelmed by it all; it was like something detonated inside him. Mei pulled back from him now, remaining close to him however.

Naruto realized he should be overjoyed. Finally a sensible reaction from her; she offered him an easy choice to make to end all this. With a few words he could rid himself of all this nonsense, focus back on his mission and not have himself driven to ulcers on a regular basis.

So why exactly did his mouth refuse to move? Why for some reason did he more and more begin to not care about his mission? Why now, far away from Konoha and deep in the mists of Water Country, did he start to feel his control slipping. Looking into her eyes, he felt himself more and more overwhelmed by them. It was now that the realization hit him. It hit like one of Juugo's punches, powerful enough to break your spine. She was so beautiful! It was unlike anything he had seen before; her beauty seemed to seep into him and claim every last bit of his mind. Having finally dropped his guard out of relief, he now found himself struck with the full force of her fairness.

It was so absurd, it was stupid even. Had he fallen this far? Was he really, in this pivotal moment, so utterly consumed by Mei's beauty that he, like a smitten teenager, couldn't even do what he had to? Yet the images only paraded themselves in front of him. The shinobi, the kage and most of all, the woman he found himself realizing that he could not say no to. It was simply not doable, no matter how irrational it was.

“You're making me sacrifice all I am,” he said slowly before he reached in to kiss her.

Capturing her lips, he took her head in his hands to pull her closer. Damn it all to hell, she destroyed his life and yet he couldn't deny her. He instead attacked her, letting the passions kept sealed up within him out to reign freely over him. Yet nevertheless he was overwhelmed now as Mei pushed him down into the bed by throwing herself at him and kissing him with a fervour that made him lose all understanding of time. From her lips and tongue to the arms that wrapped themselves around him she showed her passion, making him shocked at the sheer intensity before he rose to the challenge. Feeling her intense desire, he refused to be unable to give her what she wanted and kissed back even harder, his hands reaching into her hair and tangling themselves in it. He wanted her! He needed her! It was a craving, a mania as fervent as he ever had felt it, and Naruto submitted fully to it.

First now they broke up, gasping for breath for a second before attacking each other once again, Mei getting into the bed proper and she tore the bed-sheet off him almost violently, pushing herself against his body. Naruto responded by pushing her to the side where he could untie the knot holding her yukata together and open it. She wore only her lingerie beneath it, Naruto being no slower to unclasp her bra as they began to kiss again. He threw the piece of cloth away and trailed the path of his mouth down to her neck, knowing well the sensitive spots there. His hand meanwhile began to explore her breast and his hand gently kneaded it, the other still tangling itself in her soft hair.

As she pushed her body against his he could feel her warmth, a warmth that almost seemed to burn him. Be it the clothes she had worn, her excitement or what have you, it made Naruto only even more aroused to feel her almost scorching hot skin. He pushed against her, craving the very sensation of her skin, and gasped as her warmth nearly flooded his senses. What little wasn't occupied by feeling her heat and tasting her lips was occupied by hearing her breathing as it, ragged and swift, made her chest heave.

Having now ended up on top of her, Naruto trailed his hand down from her breast, along her stomach and down to her black lingerie. No delays there, he simply tore it down to free her from it and open up the path. Snaking out of her undergarments, Mei reached down to remove his as well and Naruto couldn't be rid of them fast enough. Freed from the constraints of the fabric, he could now place himself on top of the woman he couldn't get enough of. He kissed her once more, as hungrily as he could, and felt her taste as his arms almost clung to her, holding her as close as he could just like she did to him. This maddening desire to become one only rose however and Naruto now pushed into her, not able to wait any longer.

Her embrace was warm and soft, Naruto gasping at the sensation that filled him. The sheer wave of ecstasy that hit him only served to further drive him, he soon began to move in and out of her, too caught up in the moment to even think of doing something else. Her warmth filled him in so many ways, a primal craving he could neither identify nor quantify enslaving him and making him thrust into her with all he had.

The night might have been cold or even freezing, Naruto had no way of knowing. All he knew was her heat, the heat that seeped through him. Like a drug it clawed at his mind, whipping him into a manic desire for the woman beneath him who currently was kissing him once more, grabbing his head and pushing it against her lips.

“Faster...” Mei whispered throatily in his ear after pulling away, Naruto almost finishing in that very instant. The throaty, lustful whisper made him only even more frantic and he sped up, hearing how she moaned in response. He couldn't think of anything else, needing more than anything else to consume her, to thrust into and remain one with her. Damn all missions, damn these weeks of frustration, damn all the issues that weighed on them, tonight all these things turned to fuel feeling the flames of the inferno inside him.

Ragged breathing that made her magnificent chest heave, slender fingers clutching him by the hair, legs that wrapped around him, sultry lips exploring his. Even there Naruto could have claimed an experience that forever would remain in him as one of the most intense and pleasurable. Yet then something happened, in the midst of his work Mei turned the tables on him. Yet another deep kiss that made his head reel, a sudden twist of her hips and legs and all of a sudden Naruto found himself being the one lying on the bed with Mei rising high above him, sitting straight up astride him as she looked down on him. Naruto hadn't expected it at all and was surprised enough that when she began to move he found himself gasping.

Having savagely torn the control from him, Mei now began to move on top of him, riding him swiftly and with a steady pace. Her hands went to his arms and raised them to her chest, placing his hands on her breasts and holding them there, Naruto understanding what she meant. He let his fingers move now as Mei's body towered above him, gleaming in the moonlight and making her outline clear to see as she moved on top of him. Her eyes were gleaming as well as they remained locked on him and her breath gave steady, gasping evidence of what she experienced. With the control torn from him Naruo did all he could, letting his fingers move over her mounds, caressing the areolae with the tips of his fingers, letting his thumbs make circles against her nipples and in all ways trying to give as well as he got.

Naruto soon came to grit his teeth, her movements on top of him too swift and too passionate for him to delay it much longer. He didn't however, making sure to keep himself off the edge for as long as he could. Not yet, he was not going to let it end this fast. Naruto clung to this moment he had gotten, restraining himself with every bit of frantic determination his iron will could bring to bear, closing his eyes and leaning his head backwards to empty his mind, all in an attempt to stall the inevitable.

It proved a challenge though, Mei only accelerated her movements now, her breath becoming faster as well and Naruto felt himself slipping. More and more it built towards the climax for him and in the end he realized it was a fool's errand to hold it off any longer. Instead, he pushed up now, beginning to move with her as fast and as strongly as he could. Pushing himself up he could embrace her once more and capture her lips with his, reaching them the very same instant that it ended for him, a moan echoing through his ears that he was too lost in the sensation to know if it was his or hers.

It wiped his mind clean when it finally came. Naruto couldn't think of anything else when the sensation stormed through his mind, his arms locked around Mei and his lips against hers. Vaguely, he could feel her cling to him as well as her body shivered. Their lips slipped from each other, their bodies gasping for air both and for several seconds they remained there, Naruto sitting with Mei astride him, the two of them holding each other almost desperately.

Sinking back down into the bed, Naruto felt how the rush of hormones through his body made him go limp, wiping away all stress, sense of urgency and indeed all but the contentment. Mei followed with him, gently landing on top of him still astride him. She let out a deep sigh of contentment as Naruto felt her weight upon him, the woman soon pushing herself up a little with one hand to push back her hair. She smiled at him now, Naruto unable to not return the smile. Leaning down, Mei gave him a kiss bereft of all the urgency and craving they both had shown only just now, this one holding only affection. Pushing herself up again, Mei now got off him and lay down beside him. Naruto looked to her where she lay and eventually reached one arm in under her armpit, pulling her closer to him to be able to hold her better. His other arm went around her waist as her arms went under his head and past his chest respectively.

Holding her close to him that way, Naruto felt a profound sense of rightness, of contentment. His rational side finally came crawling up from the abyss into which it had fallen, harshly reminding him that it was the hormones that spoke only, that there would be hell to pay for something like this. Yet, the same side acknowledged that for now there was nothing to do so Naruto didn't move, content with holding Mei close to him, feel the smell of her hair and her sweat and in the end fall asleep there, holding the woman who had outmanoeuvred and undone him in his arms as tenderly as anyone ever could.

____________________________________

“Good morning Naruto-chan.”

Those were the words Naruto awoke to, having seconds earlier felt something brush against his lips. His eyes opened, leaving the sight of Mei lying beside him with a small smile on her face. Blinking, he tried to rid himself of some of the sleepiness as he processed what he saw. Yes, that was indeed Mei lying next to him, as naked as she had been born, and she was sharing the blanket with him at the moment. Under the blanket he could now feel the heat of her body against his as well.

“So it really happened,” he said slowly, rubbing his eyes.

“Disappointed?” Mei asked him, a bit of a teasing in her voice.

“Insofar that I had hoped to be able to hold onto my integrity a bit?” Naruto said, rubbing his eyes, “yes but as said I lost said integrity so not really.” Mei chuckled at him now, propping herself up with one elbow. She lay on her side and came to look down on him as she let a finger dance over his chest, Naruto feeling the shivers keenly.

“A “no” would have worked just fine,” she told him.

“Not really,” Naruto said, “besides you should probably stop doing that.” he continued, nodding down at the finger tracing patterns over his chest. It had its effect, it reminded him of the night before and promised more. Naruto was unable to not feel the urges rise again.

“Why?” Mei asked with a sultry smile.

“Because there's...” he looked at the clock, “fifty minutes before I have to be at the labs and you in your office. Keep doing that and we won't get there on time.” Mei's smile remained as sultry, turning somewhat predatory now as she leaned in.

“Was that a threat or a promise?” she asked him, Naruto realizing that there was no point in debating this with her. He could tell she wanted more so he decided to act on it. Nearly hurling himself at her, he captured her lips in a deep kiss, forcing his tongue into her mouth and pushing her down before she even realized what had happened. When she had he was already on top of her, one hand massaging her breast and the other going down to her entrance. With single-minded determination he went at her, intent on satisfying her as quickly as he could. He used rubbing, circular motions to stimulate her as intensely as he could, Mei moaning into his mouth under his relentless stimulation and within minutes he brought her over the brink, sending her into a shivering climax that left her gasping for air.

Naruto had to struggle with himself now, throwing his iron will at the task of not continuing what he started. But no, he had work to do, they both had, and in the best interests of both of them they should at least attempt to keep this secret. So Naruto therefore slid off her and got to the edge of the bed. There however his attempts to get away got away ended when Mei grabbed him by his hair, making him stop there. Looking back, Naruto saw Mei having gotten up into a semi-sitting position, one hand having grabbed him by the hair and the predatory look in her eyes stronger than ever.

“Oh no little boy,” she whispered, “that's not how it works.” Then, with a speed and technique that left Naruto no time to respond, she twisted around, grabbing his arm and actually making him fly through the air for a short distance before she threw him down into bed again, straddling him as fast as she could.

“That was a new use for the hip throw,” Naruto remarked, feeling somewhat nervous again as Mei slowly moved up towards his face on all fours, the woman reaching down to run her tongue over his throat. That shut him up, totally, and as Mei reached down to kiss him again a small thought ran through his head, namely what Anko had said about women being able to get multiple orgasms.

Naruto was thankful that Mei didn't draw it out, she was seemingly just as content as he was for a quick resolution. Twenty minutes later, after several additional climaxes of hers, the last one shared with him, she soon gave him a kiss and got off him, smiling angelically.

“How about some breakfast?” she asked him, Naruto raising an eyebrow and, uncharacteristically, actually chuckled.

“Good to see that your priorities are still intact,” he said dryly, “I usually start the day off with a shower, not this.” Mei now ran her fingers through her hair, holding up a few locks.

“You know I really should have one,” she told him, “I've got some you in my hair. Could you make me some breakfast while I shower, please?” she winked at him and Naruto looked straight at her from his semi-sitting position. Leaning on his elbow he watched as Mei blew him a kiss and got up, heading for the bathroom.

So, breakfast it was? Naruto got out of bed as well now and got into his underwear. Stretching himself, he proceeded to head for the kitchen. They did need breakfast and he wasn't going to begin to argue just because it was her suggestion. Instead he went to work, picking out ingredients and beginning to prepare a decent breakfast. With not too much time there wasn't too much to do but he could at least spice it up a little. He had materials for most of the parts of a traditional breakfast, miso soup would be easy to make and he could get some fish going as well. He worked effectively and quickly, as motivated as he had ever been.

It was then that he realized something. He had a small smile on his face. Standing there chopping up some vegetables to make the miso he realized that he was in an outright shamefully good mood. Ecstatic even, he felt as if everything was okay at the moment. When he realized all this he had to put his knife away, covering his face with his hands.

What the hell was he doing?! Yesterday he had thrown all rules out of the window and done something idiotic. That was bad enough, now however he was standing making breakfast for the very same woman! She was the Mizukage! He was a Konoha shinobi! How was he expecting this to work out?! Why had he even done this?! The justifications he had held up last night withered under actual scrutiny and left him a horny young boy who had let his dick work instead of his brain! Hadn't he resolved time and time again to stay the hell away from her?!

Being startled out of his desperation when he heard the timer, he swore and quickly hurried to see to the soup. It had started to boil over and he quickly pulled it away. No good, this was no time to lose his focus. With this entire mess he had put himself in he needed to stay focused. Eat and shower and most of all get away from Me-the Mizukage! After that he could try to think, there had to be some bloody way out of this mess.

Working through the rest of the food almost frantically, he eventually got it all set up and ready for breakfast. Rice, miso, pickles, fish, natto and rolled omelets. The full set up. Prepared in less than fifteen minutes as well and when he heard Mei(he meant the Mizukage damn it!) come out of the shower he smiled to himself triumphantly for a second before realizing what the hell he was doing. Was he being pleased over the fact that he had fixed a full breakfast to the very woman who had dragged him down into this mess?! What was wrong with him?!

Mei entered the kitchen, wearing his bath robe no less, and when she saw the breakfast he could see the surprise in her one eye, the other hidden behind her bang as usual again. She just stood there and Naruto didn't manage to suppress the feeling of glee at the sight of her shock. As she looked towards him Naruto did his best to feign being unperturbed but that proved difficult when M... the Mizukage, walked straight up to him and proceeded to give him a kiss that sent him reeling again. Pulling back after nearly half a minute, she looked at him with that warm look in her eye, a look that gave him butterflies in his stomach.

“I was expecting toast and tea,” she told him, almost starting to giggle, “how did you... I was in there for ten minutes!”

“Fifteen,” Naruto said in a conscious attempt which failed miserably to remain cool. Instead he smiled somewhat at her. It was only a little but it felt like he was doing a Kimiko-grin. “And it is called efficiency,” he continued, taking refuge in the wiseass persona. “Shall we?” He indicted the table and Mei sat down with Naruto following suit. Digging in, the Mizukage's praise wasn't far away. After having sampled the omelet as well as the fish and the miso she looked up at him.

“Is this really yours?” she asked, “you didn't set this up in advance did you?”

“Actually I did,” Naruto remarked sarcastically but without any real barb, “I always have a high quality breakfast ready for when women come by to ravish me during the night.” He noticed Mei felling silent for a moment, looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face, before she laughed at him.

“I bet that happens all the time,” she continued, digging into some rice. Yet her pause didn't slip Naruto by without notice. Why had she hesitated?

“Not really,” he said, cutting the joke short, “I made all this, yes. Why did you ask?”

“Because this is better than I ever could make,” Mei told him plainly, “I've not have too much time to practice cooking what with leading a rebellion and then a village, true. But really, you're hurting my female pride with this.”

“I could give you some stale bread and water instead,” Naruto said, having stopped eaten to look at her with an eyebrow and a wry smile on his face.

“It'd soothe my pride at least,” Mei shrugged and smiled at him.

“I'm the one who threw all my principles out of the window,” Naruto said, biting his tongue to not say anything more, “I'd say mine is the more bruised ego at the moment. Yet I am not complaining.” Naruto looked up at Mei now, seeing that she didn't say anything and instead only looked at him with a thoughtful look on his face. He decided to go back to his breakfast and they finished it in silence. Naruto decided to get into the shower as well now so he stood up, leaving the dishes where they stood.

“I'll take care of the dishes later,” he said, “don't worry about them.” Mei only smiled at him. Naruto didn't think too much of her silence but instead went straight for the shower. As it was he was covered in sweat, his own and Mei's, as well as other things. A thorough shower was much needed, he felt a bit sticky as it was.

As he got into the now damp shower he quickly got out of his underwear and threw them into the washing bin. There was something about copulation, it sure left its scent trails on you quite thoroughly. He therefore wasted no time getting into the shower and turning on the water to clean himself. Unlike Mei he only went for a quick wash so he had within a few minutes managed to get the shampoo both in and out of his hair as well as washing the rest of his body pretty thoroughly. Fresh and clean, thank the fates for that. Now all he had to do was dry his hair and head for work. He still had about five minutes which should do.

Yet thanks to the running water he didn't hear when the door opened and it was first when it closed that he realized someone had entered. Looking out through the transparent shower curtain he could see that it was Mei. The woman untied her bathrobe and just as Naruto asked her what she was about to do she let it drop and stepped into the shower with him. Naruto swallowed as he was forced to back away in order to not bump into her.

As the cascading water came down on her as well Naruto got a full and unobstructed view of her in all her naked glory. She truly was a beauty and her curves were indeed magnificent. He hadn't have had much time to admire it before this but it became evident now. She truly was a goddess given a human body. Her heaving bosom were full and firm, the porcelain skin contrasting with the dark pointed nipples. Her slender figure exposed the toned body that carried the strength which had made her a Kage, supple white skin hiding slim yet powerful muscles. Her long, toned legs carefully cushioned her womanhood and he idly came to think to himself that her hair colour indeed was natural from what he could see there. Her arms at the moment were clasped behind her, pushing out her chest a bit further and on her full, succulent red lips a mischievous small smile played. Her auburn hair had already began to caress to her body once more as the warm water drenched it, revealing her second eye to him. Both her eyes glowed with that light of desire that made him lose control. In conclusion the woman showed in every last fibre of her being the kunoichi, the queen and most of all the so incredibly desirable woman.

“Mind me coming in?” she asked sweetly, Naruto not knowing if he was more frustrated or aroused as she stood in front of him.

“We've got five minutes before we're expected to be somewhere,” he said tersely. Mei only took out one arm from behind her back and reached up to Naruto's pale face, her hand sneaking to catch his neck and pull him close for another deep kiss. Naruto found himself resisting first after a few seconds. Pulling away from her soft lips, he looked at her with bared teeth and angry eyes. “There's no time damn it!” he hissed, knowing that if she continued he'd end up unable to resist. Already he was starting to feel that surge of desire, as potent as last time.

“Says who?” Mei asked him teasingly, pushing against him where he now stood with his back against the tiled wall. She sneaked in one leg between his and kept him thus pinned. Her hand remained behind his neck and she leaned in to kiss it, Naruto feeling the touch of her warm lips almost like a shock of electricity.

“Says the rules,” he said, reaching up to grab her head between his hands. He needed her to stay still damn it, she was driving him mad all too easily. Holding her like this he saw the surprise in her eyes, surprise and glee. She no doubt thought he was going to kiss her and Naruto had to force himself to not actually do that. “I've got a duty here, a sacred duty given to by my Kage,” he hissed, “I've already thrown this much out of the window, don't ask me to start neglecting my work as well, don't ask me to give up what duties I still haven't violated!!” Kami-sama what a mess, was he really spouting this kind of simple “holy loyalty”-talk just to get away from this woman's grasp for at least a minute? Mei only smiled at him however, releasing his neck to take one of his hands in her grasp. Turning somewhat, she kissed it before looking up at him again.

“You're that smitten by me Naruto-chan?” she asked him, her voice sinking somewhat in volume now. He could hear the excitement in her voice. This was not going well, not one bit. His squirming was to her what a twitching mouse was to a cat, too exciting to be left alone. If this went further he'd have to become violent, he was not going to fail showing up for work!

“Don't push me,” he told her, baring his teeth. “In any other situation I would, but not now!” Mei didn't back off even now but only remained there, smiling with a self-satisfied look on her face. Like the previously mentioned cat that had gotten the mouse.

“In any other situation?” she asked sweetly, Naruto understanding in a second she was up to something. That kind of phrasing wouldn't have been used otherwise. Also... she was still holding her other hand behind her back. Naruto narrowed his eyes now and pounced, giving her an intense kiss as he sneaked his hand behind her back and grabbed her hand. She was holding a piece of paper in it and Naruto tore away, picking it out of her hand as he pushed her away.

It turned out to be a letter wearing the water insignia, already having become quite soggy. Naruto felt it almost like his mind broke now and he looked at Mei, seeing the content smile on her face. Naruto tore it open, holding it out of the water, and folded it open to read it. Already when it saw that it was official correspondence he realized what it had to be but he never the less read it.

“In light of the sudden demands placed on you yesterday it has been decided...” he read incredulously, Mei chipping in now.

“That as a compensation you are given today off,” she said in unison with him, Naruto looking at her in disbelief. This woman... she... Naruto couldn't believe it, she had planned this hadn't she?! He realized once again how outmanoeuvred he was by her, being played seemingly effortlessly. Mei chuckled softly now, walking up to him again and putting her arms on his shoulders, one hand sneaking in behind his head as she pulled him close. “See Naruto-chan?” she whispered into his ear before running her tongue over the earlobe, “we've got all day and I plan to use it.”

“Screw it...” Naruto thought, tossing the letter aside. If resistance served no point it was just as well to submit fully and enjoy what fruits could be reaped from that. As he took her and pulled her close to deep kiss her he decided that figuring out this mess would have to wait.

Chapter Text

It was a strange day that came to pass for Naruto now. He willingly admitted that it was indeed even a bit embarrassing. It didn't do wonders for his self-image to find himself smitten by a woman who only days before had been a pest without equal. The fact that they had now spent most of the day having sex didn't help either. Where did the endurance come from? After the third time he should have been out of the game but give him thirty minutes and he was craving it again. With a partner that was just as willing he came to doing it over and over again to an almost absurd degree. He lost count somewhere around noon, which in turn was something he only knew because he looked at the clock, not because he ate or anything.

It was probably somewhere around dinner time when he found himself lying in the bed, a lull having appeared in their activities. Mei lay on her back beside him and Naruto was lying on his side, supporting his head with his hand in order to look at her.

“Tell me something,” he said a while, his voice a bit hoarse. the woman turned to look at his face with one eyebrow raised and Naruto asked the question that had been on his mind for a few minutes now. “Yesterday you asked me something,” he began now, thinking of that still confusing question he had been asked at the daimyo's reception, “you asked if something was a habit of mine; what were you referring to?” Mei groaned now, looking up into the roof with a tired look on her face.

“Kami-sama, do you have to bring that up now?” she asked him with a disappointed tone in her voice. Naruto pressed on however, not planning to relent on something as confusing as this.

“I do,” he told her, “because I still have no idea what you meant and want to avoid it happening again.” With a wry smile Mei looked at him now, sighing in the end.

“I mean how you suddenly went from nearly blowing a gasket at my teasing to half seduce me in my own council chamber only to then become cold towards me and proceed to chat up the fire princess.” Naruto felt a flush in his face and realized that if he had been able to blush now he would have. Falling back into the bed, he hid his eyes with a hand and now it was he who groaned.

“I owe you an explanation there don't I?” he sighed. There was an inherent logic there, he couldn't deny it, and it wasn't like he could make more of a fool out of himself as it was. “I... misjudged what that little display would cause.”

“How so?” Mei asked him and Naruto sighed.

“I never intended to seduce you, I wanted to spook you. Your teasing was driving me insane and I needed to stop it. I thought that going that far would make you back off in fright.”

“I did think it was uncharacteristic out of you,” Mei said now, “and that evening after the capture of the sanbi?”

“I had painted myself into a corner and had no other option but to go all the way. Then you kissed me and I lost my ability to think.”

“And Noriko?”

“I had spent two weeks being chased and teased by you,” Naruto said, removing his hand to look up at Mei. “I was a nervous wreck. She was obvious about her intents to get her claws into me and talking with her seemed like a good way to relax.”

“Really now?” Mei asked, a slight edge creeping into her voice. Naruto didn't know if it was from anger or from amusement.

“Yes,” Naruto said, “she was amateurish, transparent and no threat whatsoever. I could have fended myself against her in my sleep. You were none of those things; you terrified me and I was helpless whenever you set your sights on me. I was a mouse being played with by a cat and if I could get some moments being harassed by a snail instead it would be like a vacation.”

“You sure know how to compliment a lady,” Mei purred now, her smile growing with every word he spoke. Naruto raised his eyebrow at this yet had no time to say anything before Mei leaned in to give him a deep kiss and Naruto sighed mentally as he felt his body readying itself for another go. As said it was embarrassing yet at the same time he didn't find it in him to actually resist or refuse. Instead he chose to merely lay there as Mei straddled him once more and moments later he was once more unable to think about anything other than the Mizukage panting and moving on top of him.

It was awkward to say the least to enter the labs the morning that followed. Naruto had showered thoroughly and made sure to both clean and air his apartment following Mei's departure, washing his sheets as well to make sure there were not a single trace of what had happened. A thorough shower the following morning as well as new clothes left him feeling freshened up but still somewhat paranoid he'd have the Mizukage's scent wafting around him. He dreaded to say the least the thought of the rest of Kiri finding out what he had spent an entire day doing with their kage. Not only would it create a scandal, it'd no doubt turn most of the village against him for having “defiled” their “queen” and in case of those who didn't think like that he could just imagine the catcalls he'd get.

So for the sake of his mission, his pride and his sanity he had vowed to himself to not say one word about any of it, instead entering the labs with his usual impassive and cool demeanour. Storming into the break room, he saw to his disappointment that most of the staff was present at the moment. Judging from how they looked at him with startled faces he could see they had not expected him either. Narrowing his eyes, he felt a sting of anger at the sight.

“I leave for one day and you regress to the state I found you in,” he said coldly, seeing how they flinched. An errant thought shot past in his head about whether Mei had actually warned the labs about that he would be absent. Strangely, he accepted that it might have been the case with a kind of resigned fatalism. If she had he wouldn't be able to call her on it...

“S-sir!” one of them said, “we-we were told you'd be gone for a week!” Naruto raised one eyebrow. So that was the case was it? All of a sudden he felt a sense of gratitude towards the woman instead. This was a gift he could appreciate, a curve-ball thrown at his subordinates rather than himself which left them looking as fools. Not that this one needed any help with that...

“And that would excuse you slacking off?” Naruto began, his voice marinating in contempt. He could see the man flinching when realized what a massive gaffe he had made, “you are working overtime tonight and you're not going home until the DNA samples we got last week are decoded, fully! The rest of you are working until eight pm. Now get moving!” With a sharp snap he sent the entire crew packing, leaving only Harusame sitting by his table with a cup of coffee in front of him.

“Good morning to you too Naruto-sama,” he said genially, Naruto feeling a small sting of anxiety. The man was very calm... did he know anything?

“Any particular reason why people were not doing their jobs?” he asked evenly. Harusame was someone he had expected to keep things going. Why had the man let things collapse like this?

“Mizukage-sama informed us we could use these days to relax,” the man answered and Naruto once more felt the antipathy-turned-gratitude turn towards antipathy again. Damn that woman, was she trying to undermine him or help him? He honestly had no idea and resigned himself to a lot more headaches coming up in the future.

“She doesn't run this department,” Naruto said tersely, “I do, next time tell people that I'm the one deciding when work ends and starts. Also what new correspondence has arrived?” He'd be damned if he let her take over this department as well. It was his, he had been put in charge of it and he wasn't going to let anyone mess with his order, not even his superior, not even if she had seduced and dominated him yesterday. Why was he even thinking of that?! He was at the labs, he was supposed to think about work! Harusame took a last swig of his coffee and got up from his chair, still smiling. He made Naruto very nervous now. What was the man thinking about, did he know? If he did it'd be a disaster...

“Oh yes, that,” Harusame said. “There was actually a letter from Konoha for you yesterday.” Naruto felt those words like a kick in the gut. Correspondence from home, an itching sensation he had forgotten about something materialized in a nanosecond. Deciding to keep moving despite the pause he was given, he nodded.

“I'll be in my office,” he said, “have the teams keep working on their scheduled projects.”

“Yes sir,” Harusame said and Naruto exited, the gnawing sensation only growing in his gut. Keeping his emotions hidden, he hurried through the corridor and quickly got to his office. Thankfully the letters were right on the table where they were meant to be and Naruto snatched the letter from Konoha off the table the instant after he had entered. Official insignia on it, high quality paper, this no doubt came directly from the Hokage's office. This could be anything really and Naruto had a very intensely unpleasant sensation in his guts about it. What he had done yesterday came back to mind and he pursed his lips, bracing himself for what could very well be an order to come back to Konoha since he was taken off the mission due to inappropriate conduct.

It wasn't. Reading the letter however, Naruto found himself wishing it had been. In clear, crisp print it said that since he had not given any specifications or requests concerning his apprentice Konoha had chosen to simply send the girl to him. She would depart on the day of her graduation... two days ago... and head directly for Kiri with orders to report to him for further duty.

Anger hit him, anger and embarrassment so strong he found himself putting the letter down and slowly walking around the table to his chair where he sat down heavily, his face falling forwards and landing against the table. Right upon the letter it hit and Naruto just lay there, too utterly ashamed of himself to even move. It was the absolutely final nail in the coffin. He had forgotten even about his apprentice. The girl he had devoted all to getting as his apprentice, the diamond in the rough, had been utterly erased from his mind while he had been fornicating like a rabbit in heat.

He found himself beyond even berating himself, brought down to an even greater level of anger than he had been at before the water daimyo's reception now that the fact hit him clear in the face. He had, utterly and completely, become that woman's toy. It stood clear in front of him, he had forgotten all about everything around him and became obsessed with her and only her. So utterly humiliating; so utterly disgraceful! Naruto wanted to crawl in under his bed and vanish. Slowly lifting his head, he banged it down into the table a second later before lifting it again and letting it drop, this being something he kept up for quite a while.

____________________________________

“Why hello there Naruto-chan,” Mei purred when he entered her office. Feeling the tinge of excitement, Naruto nevertheless had it overshadowed by his exasperation. The entire situation, mainly caused by his own neglect, was still wearing on him. If it hadn't been for that Naruto had little doubt that this visit would become a repeat of yesterday. But no, he had an apprentice coming to Kiri and that couldn't wait. By everything that existed was this ever embarrassing...

“Good day to you too,” he said tersely. “I... I've got something coming from Konoha meant for me,” he began.

“Oho?” Mei asked, getting a quizzical look on her face. “What would that be?”

“Or rather, it's a who,” Naruto said. Having managed to finally get a gauge on Mei, he knew how this would sound to her. “My apprentice.”

“I didn't know you had one,” Mei said, looking curious now as she leaned on one armrest..

“When we first met I had given her a trial to see if...”

“Her?” Mei said with the faintest of edges and Naruto sighed. Yep... there it came. Sitting a bit straighter up, Mei looked at him with a gaze seemingly only curious but which he could tell hid a sharpness. She was one to mark her territory, Naruto had understood that by now.

“Yes,” he said dryly, “Haruno Sakura, twelve years old and only just now graduated from the shinobi academy. Did I mention she was twelve years old?” folding his arms, he looked straight into her eyes with the full intent to make his stand.

“What's the matter?” Mei asked, suddenly looking so innocent, “are you angry about something?”.

“I'll leave that to you to figure out,” Naruto said dryly, “either way, my apprentice is coming. In case you wonder why I haven't mentioned her earlier I spent the last weeks being hounded by you so I didn't have time to even consider her arrival. She arrives from Konoha today.” Mei looked at him now, her fingers playing absently with a lock of hair as she gave him a look he couldn't decipher.

“Make sure to take her here as soon as she arrives then,” she then smiled at him, “I want to see this adorable little apprentice of yours.” Naruto didn't know why but he mentally let out a breath. For some reason he had felt a distinct feeling of apprehension about this. He wasn't quite sure yet what it was though... had he become afraid of upsetting Mei? A curious thought indeed but for now more data was needed before he could make any conclusions, also he had an apprentice to welcome.

“I will,” he said, choosing to end this on a somewhat positive note. Coming up to her desk, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before retreating quickly. Perhaps a bit sly of him, Naruto knew however that if she was the least serious he'd have moved out of the red in her book with that small move. Was it vexing that he at the same time knew something like that yet in other aspects could be completely clueless about peoples' intents and emotions?

Yes but that was his lot in life it seemed. For now however he decided to enjoy his victory and welcome his apprentice. Some quick estimates in his head told him that she should be here within six hours or so. This wasn't a journey she could do in two days, three would be the more sensible alternative. Outside the Kage's fortress he walked into a side-alley and bit his thumb. With the blood coming from it he made a series of seals and summoned Kagehebi to him again

“Your bidding?” the snake asked calmly. Naruto had kept Kagehebi hidden since an investigation had been made into the death of elder Hida. While he didn't doubt Kagehebi's abilities neither did he doubt Tsurugi's. Yet now he was out again, this time for a less deathly purpose.

“I need you to watch the approaches to Kiri,” he said, “there will be a young girl arriving before the day is over. She has pink hair and green eyes. When she draws near, inform me at once.”

“Understood,” Kagehebi hissed and vanished into the shadows at once. Naruto looked after him and right before the creature vanished he added something.

“And tell Manda he has a lousy sense of humour.” Kagehebi only hissed in an amused way, making Naruto cringe a little. No doubt the entire snake clan had been treated to a first-hand view of yesterday. Perverted worms... But that was that taken care of. Mei was made aware of Sakura's arrival and he had put out a sentry. Now he could go back to work for now. It still smarted somewhat that he had forgotten about his apprentice but he decided there was time to make it up to her. Yes, that was a good project to work on today so Naruto therefore got back to his office and sat down with a notebook in his lap as he leaned backwards and began to scribble.

What did he have on Sakura? Average physical traits at best... that needed to be addressed. Scientist or no, she was still a shinobi and needed to be a fighter. Genetic enhancement was obvious, yet how far would he take it? Standing up, he walked over to one of the bookshelves containing some of the documents and books he had brought from Konoha. One of the things he had gotten hold of was the most recent physical check-up Sakura had done, only a week before he left for Kiri. Having requested it to be thorough, Naruto found himself rewarded with a five-page report on the girl. From her blood-type to several of the genetic defects hidden in her DNA, Naruto had most of what he needed to make a solid plan for her. Scanning the papers, he saw that she had quite good genes, adaptable. While it was somewhat late he no doubt could use retroviruses to change her DNA. Somewhat more brutal than Orochimaru's technique but all the more effective. Raw strength wouldn't be a priority, if she needed that she could use chakra enhancement. No, instead his enhancements could form the basis, agility and endurance being prioritized. He probably should avoid splicing snake genes into her though, she could do without serpentine eyes.

Yes, that was a good start physically. Indeed there was a good chance that a young girl's body, already more flexible, would respond swimmingly to these improvements. Yet jutsu-wise? What would he teach her there? First thing to do would be to make sure he knew her elemental affinity but no matter what it was what he did know was that he'd work outside the elemental jutsu as much as he could. Indeed, a good goal here was “everything”. After all, she was to become his apprentice, meaning he'd teach her everything he knew. Yet what would come first? Also why did he have to neglect this this far? Damn it... working on this, he could already feel the eagerness come to him. This was a good project, one he could devote himself to happily. Yet with that woman having nestled herself into his life he started to seriously fear that he'd end up neglecting these kind of things.

Focusing back on the task, Naruto considered the possibility of Sakura specializing more towards genjutsu. She did have excellent chakra control according to the estimates (though he'd have to make his own of course) and genjutsu had always been an under-appreciated weapon in the shinobi arsenal. Naruto wondered why; the Uchiha genjutsu was one of their deadliest weapons yet genjutsu was still considered a second-rung weapon. There were endless possibilities here, just as well to make sure to have some venues of training worked out. Why hadn't he done this weeks ago?!

“Uhm... sir,” a voice came form the doorway and Naruto looked up to see one of the assistants standing in the doorway uncertainly. A flare of anger shone up inside him and he gritted his teeth. It was only just that he managed to remain civil and instead of lashing out he simply spoke up.

“Yes?” he asked, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“We...” the young man began, fidgeting where he stood, “We ran into some issues with the samples...” he said, “there seems to be some impurities in them...”

“Impurities you say?” Naruto asked. Why did he have to have this collection of retards for subordinates?! The young man nodded for a while and Naruto only looked at him, seeing how he only became more and more uncertain. In the end Naruto snapped “then solve the problem!” he snarled, the man flinching away so massively that he almost flew backwards out of the door and fled down the hallway. Naruto took a few deep breaths and leaned back into his chair. This department remained beneath contempt still. The equipment might soon arrive, the worst free-loaders chased out and a reasonably competent second-in-command acquired, the rest of the staff was still useless. And to this he was dragging a brilliant little apprentice like Sakura? Ugh...

Returning to his work, Naruto managed to calm down and soon faded away into his work, the rest of the world vanishing as his full attention was focused like a razor's edge onto the task of finding a plan for how to train Sakura. There he sat as the day went by, working so intensively that Kagehebi had to crawl up and touch his neck with his snout to get his attention. Quickly looking at the snake now perched on his shoulder, Naruto raised an eyebrow.

“She is coming,” the snake said and Naruto stood up, smiling to himself. At last.

____________________________________

Running through the misty and mountainous landscape Sakura felt her legs burn, just like her lungs and her eyes. The sweat was pouring in rivulets down her face and she breathed harshly, having run like this for several hours now. Around her the mists seemed to creep in on her, making the world a bleak dreamscape where it seemed like she could run forever and not get anywhere. The straps of her backpack felt like razor wire digging into her shoulders and her mouth was dry. Yet still she didn't stop. Ever since she had landed at the harbour many miles behind her she had run at a steady pace. Her orders were to report in as soon as possible and any thoughts of slowing down terrified her. Already now she was uncertain to say the least, feeling a lump in her throat of pure fright.

She had told herself that it wasn't anything worth thinking about, that it was her confidence issues bubbling up again. Yet still... ever since that day her sensei had left for Kiri she hadn't heard even one word from him. Even when she had graduated he hadn't been there, not even a letter. Having sat outside the teachers' room for nearly an hour while she could vaguely hear them talk about what to do with her she had felt like she wanted to start crying. What had for all her friends been the best day of their lives had to her become an uncertain nightmare. What Ino had teased her about the weeks before had come to hit her in the guts full force. Ino had said that she was fibbing, that she didn't really have an apprenticeship, that she was making it up. Sakura had brushed it off then but as she sat there it had came crawling up into her mind again. The idea that she wasn't really Naruto-sensei's apprentice after all terrified her. Having given up on field shinobi duty and accepted an apprenticeship with someone who technically speaking was in a lower position, Sakura had endured teasing from her fellow students, her parents inability to understand it and a whole array of things questioning her choice and indeed sense. Yet for all that she hadn't even been contacted, instead left to hang and wonder what was happening.

In the end she had been told to report directly to him in Kiri and during the entire trip a gnawing feeling of dread had been inside her. One that he would have completely forgotten about her, that she would be met by an indifferent man who tossed her to the side to some dead-end position to be rid of her...

Stop it! Naruto-sensei wasn't like that! Sakura forced herself to think that there had to be a reasonable explanation, some kind of logical explanation for why he hadn't contacted her! The letters could have been intercepted or lost somehow. It wasn't that he had forgotten about her! Still, she found herself running now with a cold stone in her gut that only seemed to grow with every step. Whatever the truth was she felt a desperate need to reach Kiri as soon as possible. When she got there everything would be cleared up, Naruto-sensei would be happy to see her and she wouldn't have made this trip only to be thrown away! The world seemed to shrink around her, cliffs turning into sneering faces that rubbed her uncertainties into her.

The entire trip had been a nightmare. Leaving Konoha alone and travelling along seemingly endless roads to reach wave country, a place that had been almost nightmarish in its poverty and despondency. And that boat trip from there... ugh. Sakura knew she was a shinobi now but those sailors had been awful. The way that they had looked at her had left her locking herself in her cabin until they arrived and from there this endless trip had started.

For a girl who had hardly even left Konoha before the world seemed very big and very empty at the moment, Sakura feeling very small and insignificant. In a way she just wanted to turn around and go home again. Naruto-sensei would no doubt call that impulse irrational and Sakura tried to take comfort in it. Her master's words echoed still in her, the words he had told her time and time again about how emotions deceived you and how cold logic was the only tool that could truly tell you what happened around you. That, along with his words about the dangers of assuming things before you had any facts made her grit her teeth and continue. She had no facts about why he hadn't contacted her. Therefore she shouldn't assume anything, simple as that.

Easier said than done, she was still terrified.

She kept running, praying that her hopes would be fulfilled and that her fears turn out to be nonsense. In her exhaustion she kept moving with almost dazed steps between the cliffs and shrubberies. The dream-like landscape she was running in seemed to never end and she pushed away the errant thought in her mind that she'd remain here forever, running until the end of time.

“While I do appreciate the evident eagerness,” a voice said from the mists and Sakura startled, giving up a small shriek in fright before she stumbled and fell to the ground. Tumbling, she came to a halt in front of a familiar pair of feet. Looking up, she found her eyes met by two serpentine ones and Naruto-sensei gave her a dry look. “... I must say I didn't expect you to run all the way.” he finished, offering her a hand. Sakura found her heart speeding up as she took it and was helped to her feet. A sense of quivering anticipation and anxiety both came to her in this moment. What would come now would determine her life. What did he think of her? Was she really his apprentice? “Welcome to Kirigakure no Sato my apprentice,” Naruto-sensei said and Sakura, panting and sweating still, found her breath hitching. Swallowing, she nevertheless found something welling up out of her and only seconds later she was so happy she was so drenched in sweat. It hid the tears of relief that came from her face and she simply bowed to her sensei. It really was true... It hadn't been a dream or a misunderstanding... She really was apprenticed to the genius Namikaze Naruto!

“I'm happy to be here... master,” she swallowed again, hoping that he couldn't hear how her voice broke at the end.

____________________________________

Naruto could hear it clearly, the relief, the anxiety, the fear that had been resting under the surface. Sakura was way too open with her emotions. Of course she was, he hadn't taught her anything yet. The self-reproach was close and while Naruto wasn't planning to flagellate himself he did make sure to once again resolve himself to devote the time she deserved. Disgraceful was only the first word capable of describing the mess he had found himself and Sakura was the one who suffered for it. A failure on his part, quite the sizeable one as well. It wouldn't happen again. Naruto knew he'd taken Sakura from field duties and in many ways put her into a socially speaking lower position by claiming her. If he's neglect her on top of that it'd be unethical to say the least. No, he'd fix this mess he had landed her in and do so now.

“Come,” he told her and stepped to the side to give her way. “The Mizukage is waiting for you,” he motioned for Sakura to come with him and she obeyed wordlessly, still struggling with her emotions. Naruto decided to let it slide this one time, he was after all in no real position to lecture about letting one's emotions get the best of you... for the first time ever. Ugh...Yet, as he almost tenderly showed Sakura the way to Kirigakure he nevertheless planned out what awaited for the girl; tender was the last word to describe it.

When they reached the village Naruto silently studied Sakura, seeing how she looked around herself. He wondered what she was thinking when seeing all this. Then again he was her master now wasn't he? Naruto decided to use it and spoke up as they passed between two of the large, cylindrical tenements.

“What do you see?” he asked her, Sakura startling a bit.

“Uhm...” she began, “it's very different from Konoha.” Naruto had to fight to not roll his eyes.

“Specify,” he said.

“It's... the buildings are different,” Sakura said, “most of them are so tall, much taller than in Konoha.”

“Thoughts on the matter?” Naruto pressed on and Sakura kept going.

“Well.. I wonder if that has to do with the terrain,” she told him, “A lot of the terrain as I got here was mangrove or swamps. It... Does the terrain mean they have to build upwards on what space they have available? Perhaps that's their natural defence; if they'd drain the area they'd lose the swamps?” Naruto had to fight himself again now, this time to avoid smiling. What a discerning little mind, he'd have a lot of pleasure out of teaching her.

“A reasonable assumption,” he told her as they drew near the fortress, “here, the Mizukage's office is in this building.” Sakura looked up and Naruto could see that she was surprised. Indeed, this ostentatious place did strike her with awe. He dreaded how she'd react to Mei-he meant the Mizukage!

Whatever he meant though he knew that Sakura most likely would be helpless. Already she was a little uncertain girl, how would she react to the trickster that was Terumi Mei? He'd soon find out he thought to himself as he guided Sakura in through the building, up the stairs and towards the Mizukage's office. He was apprehensive still, hoping, even praying, that this wouldn't become a repeat of the sniping hostility that had existed between Anko and Rin. If it did Sakura would be crushed. Also, for some reason Sakura was fidgeting. It seemed as though she wanted something.

“Yes?” he asked as they walked through the long hallway leading to the Mizukage's office. Sakura flinched and Naruto wondered what precisely concerned her now. She hadn't seen the Mizukage yet had she? No, she hadn't. So what was it?

“I-It was a long trip master,” she said, “can... can I really appear in front of the Mizukage like this?” Naruto sighed. Of course... good that he was reminded that her vanity still existed.

“The Mizukage is a shinobi Sakura,” he said dryly, “as are you. Some sweat is to be expected after a long journey.”

“Right,” Sakura said hurriedly, withdrawing her question as fast as she could. He'd have to get her to her apartment soon he thought, he wasn't overly disposed towards having dirt all over himself either.

“Here we are,” he said now, nodding towards the door ahead behind which the Mizukage would be waiting. Opening the door without further ado, he ushered her inside to meet with the waiting Mei. Mei was sitting behind her desk with a saintly little smile on her face, radiating pleasantness. A small apart of Naruto's mind thought that he had to study just how she did that. For some reason she was shining with pleasant kindness and friendliness through and through. It was fascinating, just like many other things about that woman. “Mizukage-sama,” Naruto spoke up as he came in, “my apprentice, Haruno Sakura.” Stepping to the side, he let Sakura pass him and up to Mei. The girl was trembling as she did so.

“Mizukage-sama,” Sakura said, bowing her head deeply, perhaps a little too deeply than strictly needed too. Naruto made sure to fold his arms and give Mei a very pointed look. Right now Sakura was a shivering little wreck almost. Mei's usual playfulness could very well crush her.

“It is good to finally meet you Sakura-san.” Now Naruto had to raise an eyebrow as Mei spoke up. Her voice was dripping with honey, not merely polite but outright sweet. The woman gave her most radiant smile as she addressed Sakura. “I have heard much about you from your master,” Mei continued and Naruto flinched. Ugh... Was she trying to cover for him now? “I hope the journey here wasn't too hard on you,” Mei continued and Sakura seemed put at ease by the woman. Yet Naruto could only feel wary.

“No Mizukage-sama,” she said, “the journey went well.” Mei seemed to almost shine with happiness now.

“I take full responsibility for that your master couldn't come to Konoha to accompany you,” she said sweetly, “if there's anything I can do to make it up to you then let me know.” What was her game here? Naruto only started feeling more and more unsettled. This was too pleasant even for Mei.

“No, it's all right,” Sakura assured the Mizukage, “I understand that Naruto-sama's position here demands a lot out of him.” So noble and yet so false. Naruto could tell that Sakura was telling Mei that equally much to convince herself that was the case.

“More than you know,” Mei told her, “he's been invaluable to say the least; you have a brilliant master and you can count yourself lucky to have him.”

“I do,” Sakura said, bowing her head once again and Naruto found himself staring at Mei. The woman first now looked towards him and gave him a small wink. Gods what was the woman doing now? There was a feeling in the air. Mei was up to something. It kept going as pleasantly as it had started. Within a minute Sakura was in awe of Mei, within five she'd no doubt have told Mei anything. Naruto saw himself in the end forced to intervene.

“Respectfully,” he cut in, “if there was nothing else I'd like to show my apprentice the rest of Kirigakure. I wish for her to be settled in as soon as possible.”

“Of course,” Mei said with a saintly little smile, “I won't keep you. Welcome once more to Kirigakure no Sato Sakura-san. Before you leave however I would like to offer you something.” Mei reached into her desk and took out a quite familiar box from one of the drawers; it was the box in which the Kirigakure headband Naruto now wore had been offered to him. He blinked, not having considered that she'd do this. It came to worry him. For him the headband meant little, yet for Sakura who only just now had earned her Konoha headband... it would be a totally different matter for her and Naruto came to suspect that the girl might come to see this as a much greater thing than he had. “For as long as you stay with us Sakura-san you will for all intents and purposes be a Kirigakure shinobi, with all the rights that comes along with it. To make this clear to the village, I would like to offer you this.” she put the box in front of her and opened it, Sakura's eyes widening. Sure enough, a Kirgakure headband lay in the box.

“I... I...” Sakura only stared at it, stuttering somewhat as she looked to Naruto with the shock evident in her eyes. Naruto motioned for her to look back to Mei.

“Let me at once say that I ask no oaths of you,” Mei continued kindly, “nor am I expecting you to change village. This headband is my way of ensuring that you will be given as much as any Kiri shinobi should be given, nothing more. When you leave us you can return it or keep it if you so wish There are, in no way, any strings attached to this headband.” Sakura looked at the band for a few seconds before looking back to Naruto for guidance. Naruto decided to wash his hands. This was her call to make.

“It's your decision,” he said, “I wear mine because it is more convenient. Yet the choice is, as said, yours.” Cruel perhaps but Naruto was not going to dictate how she approached this. Sakura looked back to the headband and then up to Mei's face again. The girl swallowed, hesitantly raised her hand, and then she bowed suddenly, doing so so deeply that her hair fell forwards and obscured her face.

“Thank you Mizukage-sama,” she said uncertainly, “but I can't accept your gift.”

“Don't worry,” Mei said kindly as she closed the box, “I understand why. Yet my offer still stands if you should change your mind later.”

“T-thank you Mizukage-sama,” Sakura said, sounding like a broken record now. Naruto decided to take the initiative now.

“Until later then Mizukage-sama,” he said somewhat forcefully. Mei's doting was wearing on his nerves. He still couldn't tell the woman's angle and would rather get Sakura out of her reach as soon as possible. Mei smiled once more.

“The keys to her apartment has been delivered to your office, good luck.” Naruto nodded towards her and with that he and his apprentice departed the office. As they got out into the hallway Naruto noticed that Sakura was trembling. Studying her for a few seconds, he realized it had to be as much the sheer excitement as the exhaustion. She was running on her last leg no doubt. Whatever he had planned would have to wait, right now the girl could probably last through a quick show where the labs were and no more.

“Come,” Naruto said, “I will show you where the labs are and we'll get your keys while at it.”

“Y-yes,” Sakura answered, still a bit awestruck.

As they headed down the stairs Naruto decided to try to activate her a little. She was tired, yes, but he could probably jog her mind a little at least.

“Tell me Sakura,” he began, “what is your impression of the Mizukage.”

“She's very beautiful,” Sakura began and Naruto rolled his eyes.

“How perceptive,” he said dryly, “anything substantial?”

“Well...” Sakura continued, “she seems to care a lot for her appearance... went out of her way to be friendly...” Naruto got suspicious now. Was this really all Sakura could do? Where had that perception gone?

“Is that all?” he demanded as they left the building.

“I'm sorry master,” Sakura said, “but... I must be too tired. I'm sorry but I'm just getting these really strange impressions that has to be my mind playing tricks on me since I'm so tired.”

“I asked for your impression,” Naruto told her, “give me it.”

“Uhm...” Sakura said, looking almost awkward. “I'm sorry sensei, but the impression I was getting was that she seemed really into you.” Naruto went cold and then hot at this remark. What in the name of...?!

“What?” he asked with a calm voice that stood in utter contrast to how deeply he had been startled by that. Had even this girl seen it after only a minute?! Not good at all!

“It's just that I was reminded of this book I read once!” Sakura said hurriedly, “in it there was this woman who just had found a man and it had a scene where she starts doting on his daughter from the very first moment. I was just so reminded of that in her behaviour, I'm sorry.” A book, a bloody romance book by the sound of it. Really? Was this what he and Mei was? A cheesy romance novel book?! It made him a bit ill to think of it.

“Don't be sorry, be proud.” Naruto thought to himself. Still, what an utter mess. He had to nip that in the bud right bloody now! He did not need Sakura finding out about this.

“How amusing...” he said slowly. “I won't say you're wrong Sakura. However there is always the risk of misinterpreting the signs we see in people. I am very important to her, yes, and she does hold me in very high esteem. I am, after all, the man here to rebuild their research division. We've already had several successes at that. Let's just say I've given her little reason to regret throwing her lot in with Konoha.” Yes, that would suffice Naruto thought, deflect her train of thought onto a safe track.

“I... it just seemed to be more than that,” Sakura said and Naruto looked at her. Damn it girl, stop digging your way towards the truth!

“What we make of subtle signs tells a lot about ourselves as well I suppose,” Naruto said, “are you a romantic Sakura?” Was he really doing this? Shaming Sakura into thinking she was wrong by questioning her ability to see things objectively?

“Uh, well...” Sakura began with a flustered voice. As Tsunade would have said; Jackpot. An ugly trick to be sure, yet Naruto decided it was necessary. This girl was many things however one for keeping things hidden was not one of those things. Naruto did not care overmuch for having to answer for the fact that he had fallen for the kage of another village, not yet at least. Once again the right mess he was in became evident. Keep it quiet for now it was? When precisely would be a good time? When he came back to Konoha? When the Hokage personally discovered it? When/if Mei became pregnant with his child? He was stalling the inevitable, nothing else, and once again everything sensible told him he should terminate this relationship post-haste. It told him to do so, but he was clear-sighted enough to realize he wouldn't. It was probably denial speaking to him, Naruto couldn't be sure, but he knew he wouldn't do it. It simply wasn't on the map for him right now to do that. And why was he pondering this when he had a neglected apprentice to consider?!

“No matter,” he told the girl, “it is irrelevant in either case.” Her being a romantic was irrelevant, yes. Now just to keep her from following up on that lead and he'd be safe. “Let us focus back to the task at hand,” he continued, “pay notice to where we are going, the Kirigakure laboratory buildings are this way.”

“Yes master,” Sakura said and obediently followed him. Like him, she seemed relieved that they had gone off the subject. Naruto was content keeping it that way so he pointed out the building where he worked to her the instant it came into view.

“There it is,” he said, “the science department's facilities lies in that building.” He admitted to himself that the single-story building didn't look too impressive, especially not when compared to the facilities in Konoha. Sakura didn't remark on it however and they headed inside. They were fortunate to meet Harusame right away as the man came out from one of the side rooms and Naruto waved for him to come up to him. “Harusame-san,” he said, “this is Haruno Sakura, my apprentice from Konoha, she will be with us here from now on. Sakura, this is Harusame, my right hand man here.”

“It's an honour to meet you sir,” Sakura said politely, bowing to Harusame and the aged sealing master returned the gesture.

“And a pleasure to meet you young miss,” the man said kindly. “I didn't know Naruto-sama had such an adorable little apprentice,” he continued, Naruto idly thinking to himself that it was truly the man's age that moved that remark from creepy to grandfatherly. Sakura blushed fiercely however, stammering out an uncertain “thank you” in response. The girl had no self confidence whatsoever it seemed. That needed to be addressed. “Will she be accompanying you Naruto-sama?” Harusame continued and Naruto nodded.

“Partially,” he said, “I will go over her schedule in detail with you later. For the moment I am only showing her the facilities. Now excuse us, come Sakura.” He departed somewhat brusquely, true, but he felt that he should show Sakura the facilities as fast as possible. The girl needed to get a good night's sleep before he began running her ragged tomorrow.

“I'll see you later,” Harusame said, giving Sakura a kindly smile. Where did that grandfatherly attitude come from Naruto wondered. This was the first time he had seen something like that from the man. Was Sakura luring out a new side in him? However it was with that though he proceeded to show Sakura the labs, taking note of the fact that the girl did notice the difference in equipment available clearly. He idly wondered what her reaction to the mess that had been when Naruto arrived would have been.

The tour was brief and succinct, Naruto getting to his office within ten minutes and giving Sakura her keys. The girl's eyes were already beginning to droop, he could tell she'd most probably fall asleep as soon as she got to her apartment. Still, she never dropped her manners and when she departed she made sure to tell him how happy she was to be here.

“I... I wanted to say that coming here is the greatest honour I can imagine,” she said as she was about to live, “I just hope I can be worthy of your teachings.” Naruto felt a bit awkward when confronted with her evident admiration of him. Not even a word about the “snake”, no inability to understand his perspective. She worshipped him. Good, that'd make things easier.

“We will see tomorrow,” he told her and Sakura nodded before departing. Yes, tomorrow he'd begin training her. He had quite the evening ahead of himself. By tomorrow he'd need a full schedule over how she'd be trained in order to implement it the most efficiently.

“What an adorable little girl...” a voice said behind him and Naruto sighed.

“Isn't it unbecoming of a kage to hide like this?” he asked as the wall beside him rippled and Mei appeared with a smile on her face. He had sensed her only barely Naruto admitted and as Mei sat down on his lap without any real ceremony he gave her a dry glare. Mei wasn't perturbed at all however, instead only wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Will I have to share you with her now?” the woman asked sweetly as she leaned in to give him a small kiss, Naruto wondering what would happen if one of his subordinates came into the office at the moment.

“Maybe...” Naruto said, Mei raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe?” she asked and Naruto nodded.

“Did you know that when you summon a shadow clone the things it experiences are transferred back to the summoner upon it being dismissed?” Naruto said to himself.

“I've heard of it,” Mei said, “why is that?”

“Because even if I delegate as much as possible to Harusame, spare hardly any time for you and rush my apprentice's training there's simply not enough time for me to do all that I have to,” Naruto told her. “I've painted myself into a corner it seems, especially since I've got nothing whatsoever planned out for that girl's training.”

“Sorry about that,” Mei said, giving him a wry little smile.

“Don't apologize,” Naruto said absently, “I should have remembered it despite your harassment. I'm expected to be better than a horny teenager.”

“Aren't you only 19?” Mei asked him impishly and Naruto gave her a dry look.

“Emphasis on the “horny” part,” he told her. “In any case: I'll most likely have to work with clones summoned daily these oncoming weeks. There's just not enough time.”

“That's a very dangerous form of training,” Mei warned him, her face serious now. “I know of people who broke under the strain of doing that.” Naruto knew she had a point. Having entire days' worth of new information dumped into one's head daily was a strain on the mind.

“I'm not they,” Naruto said seriously, “I have a capacity most people can only dream of, my mind has been sharpened since I was seven in ways most people haven't ever heard of. It's extreme but it is a viable option for me.”

“Does it have to be?” Mei asked, “I could take you off your lab duties you know. You've done enough to last a year already and surely Harusame can keep things running while you are gone?”

“Not just yet,” Naruto said, “things are still too fragile, there are too many uncertainties here, too few working routines, too many freeloaders I need to throw out. I need to be present in one way or another. I need to be it here, during Sakura's training and most of all in my training. I don't plan to end up as I did after fighting the Rokubi again.”

“You were terrified,” Mei asked softly, “weren't you?” Naruto looked at her without saying anything and Mei kept going. “When fighting the Rokubi,” she told him, “I understood it first afterwards... your actions were much more rash, almost frantic, than I've seen since. Looking back at it now, it seemed as though it was personal, that you had to defeat it in order to not break.”

“A bijuu is a terrifying thing,” Naruto admitted, “They are aberrations against the natural order, if such a thing can be said to exist. They defy reason and comprehension, being riddles of pure destruction and terror given form. Someone once speculated that they're weapons, bred in the old world as a final weapon against their enemies, that it was they who brought about its downfall.”

“I've never heard of that hypothesis,” Mei said and Naruto shrugged.

“It's one of many,” he said, “others claim they were created by the sage of six paths for some purpose. Whatever the truth, they are frighteningly powerful.”

“I saw that,” Mei said before her voice turned teasing, “and you, little boy, dodged my question.”

“I did, didn't I?” Naruto told her with a small smirk, “let me propose a trade: I tell you the truth about this and in return you tell me who, beyond me and Ao, caught your affection.”

“Who told you about that?” Mei asked now, Naruto hearing how the barbs came out in her voice.

“I suppose that would be another secret,” he said calmly. “Do you have anything to offer in return for it as well?”

“Never mind then...” Mei sighed. “you're remarkably uncute at times, do you know that?” Naruto only smirked.

____________________________________

When Sakura arrived the next day she had to Naruto's irritation company. Naruto had no real problem with company in and of itself. It was more the exact person she came with that made him annoyed. For some reason, when he looked out of the window to see the approaching Sakura, none other than Chojuro was with her, the scrawny little swordsman was walking right next to her, the Hiramekarei hanging off his back as heavily as ever. He was smiling though, kind of awkwardly but still. At the moment he was telling Sakura something, the girl's eyes widening at what she was told. What was going on here? Two one-handed seals and the other hand put against the window glass gave him the answer as the sound jutsu he silently wove let him hear their conversation through the very glass.

“...didn't go well really,” Chojuro said, “I suppose I was really pathetic...” he added with an awkward laugh.

“I'm sure you did all you could,” Sakura said, sounding a bit awkward as she said it.

“It was Naruto-sama who told me I was pathetic,” Chojuro told her now and Naruto could see how Sakura flinched.

“Well...” Sakura said, “master can be a bit strict at times. I'm sure he wanted to help somehow.” For a second the two were silent now, Naruto smirking to himself. How droll.

“You...” Chojuro said after a while, “you care for him very much don't you?” Naruto raised an eyebrow now and both heard and saw how Sakura became beet red.

“What, what, what...” she began with a flustered voice, Chojuro freaking out in response.

“Ah!” he yelled, starting to flail, “I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. I-I just meant that he's very important to you!”

“Oh, uhm...” Sakura said now, managing to recover her composure. Really, there was a lot to be done with her to say the least. “Yeah,” Sakura continued and Naruto silently listened to her words. This would be interesting. “He's... in Konoha he's a legend. A lot of people can't even begin to understand what he does, some fear him for it. But he's so smart... when he works it's like he's just stocking the shelves of some grocery store but in truth he's effortlessly understanding things that most people have never even heard about. He's a genius, someone you just know will any day now discover things that will revolutionize everything we know. It' s... it's like the second coming of the sage of six paths.” Oh for the love of... how smitten could you become? This was outright embarrassing, was he seriously being compared to the mythical figure who supposedly invented the arts of the shinobi from scratch? He wanted respect for what he did but this was worship! He removed his hand from the window now and shook his head slowly. He couldn't keep listening to this. How awkward.

Sakura entered about a minute later at full speed, with a lab-coat on and already putting her hair into a ponytail. Much in the way he did Naruto thought to himself. He as a rule was just eager to get started, was Sakura of the same mindset or merely mimicking him?

“Haruno Sakura, reporting for duty,” she said briskly and Naruto smirked to himself. No matter, he had another thing to jibe her about.

“Getting friendly with Kiri's sole remaining shinobi swordsman I see,” he said with a pointed voice, being treated to Sakura flinching a bit. It was not enough for it to be really amusing though. She wasn't embarrassed or ashamed, only awkward.

“Y-yes,” Sakura said, “Mizukage-sama told me Chojuro-san would personally see to my safety when I was in Kiri.” Naruto went from amused to irritated in a split-second. Damn that woman... what was her game now?! Pairing Chojuro with his apprentice? She was playing some game again, Naruto knew it. Why was this happening to him? Why the hells... oh, right. It stuck him right there, bits and pieces he had gathered coming to him in an instant.

“Really now?” Naruto said with a bit of an edge in his voice. It wasn't fun to know he was dancing on her strings, not one bit. Bah... “Evidently Mizukage-sama is playing games with us both,” he said.

“What do you mean master?” Sakura asked asked.

“That snivelling whelp couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag,” Naruto said as he turned to look at her, “Whatever reason he was placed to guard you was, protection wasn't one of them.”

“M-master, he's right outside!” Sakura exclaimed.

“So?” Naruto asked, having felt the boy's presence remain when Sakura entered. “You come inside right now!“ he told the door and soon Chojuro came inside, flinching under Naruto's gaze.

“Y-yes?” the boy asked with what actually sounded like resolve in his voice, however shattered by his stutter it was.

“Go back to the Mizukage and let her know I'm neither amused nor impressed,” Naruto said icily, Chojuro looking like he wanted to run away.

“But... but, I am here as a bodyguard!”

“Did you talk back to me you little whelp?!” Naruto hissed, in one instant having crossed the space between them and leaned in to glare into Chojuro's eyes with his only a foot from him. Chojuro fled. Smiling grimly to himself, Naruto turned around to meet Sakura's surprised face. “Yes?” he asked.

“Master...” Sakura began, “I... wasn't that a little too harsh?” she eventually said.

“The amusing thing about shinobi swordsmen is that they are cut off from the rest of the village,” Naruto said, “none other than a shinobi swordsman may train a shinobi swordsman. With the rest of the shinobi swordsmen wiped out Chojuro has no sensei to teach him. The other Kiri shinobi cannot help him, it is illegal. What more, if the Mizukage changed those rules there'd be an uproar.”

“What does that have to do...”

“What would you say Chojuro's greatest weakness is?” Naruto continued calmly, Sakura blinking as she looked at the door where Chojuro had vanished.

“His indecisiveness,” she said after a while, “master.”

“Exactly,” Naruto said.

“And...” Sakura said slowly. “If he cannot stand up to you when doing his duty...”

“He will remain indecisive and therefore useless,” Naruto finished smugly.

“And being that you are a Konoha shinobi, you're the only one who can ignore that law!” Sakura finished breathlessly.

“Indeed,” Narito said, allowing himself to take a single second to enjoy the awed look on Sakura's face, “close your mouth,” he added, Sakura promptly shutting it.

“Sorry master,” she said sheepishly.

“No worries,” Naruto said, “instead, let us get down to business. Come over here...” he motioned for the girl to come up to him as he spread out the seal-covered paper in front of him. Sakura came up to him and attentively watched the scroll, Naruto feeling a sense of satisfaction that he had managed to come up with a good solution to this situation. Being absent from this girl's training would be devastating for her growth.

It was extreme, he didn't doubt that. Of the coming months he fully expected to have little in the way of memories later on. Keeping five shadow clones active constantly was risky, very much so. Then again, he wasn't one to shirk from his duties. Even if it led him down extreme paths.

As he had said to Kimiko that one time though: no pain, no gain.

Chapter Text

It was in the early stages of the night, one hours left until midnight, and in the entire laboratory complex of Kirigakure one single light was on. It was the light of Naruto's office and Naruto currently sat behind his desk with a large scroll open in front of him and a brush in his hand. In front of the larger scroll a smaller one lay open as well, this one covered in seals, and Naruto was busy copying every last .

It made sense Naruto thought to himself, drawing line after line across the paper. Kushina had been an Uzumaki before she became a Namikaze. Uzushio had been her home and she was now one of the very few remaining of that clan. That alone should have made him realize what her gift would be. Obviously the “little gift” she had given him would be every last bit of Uzumaki fuuinjutsu she had known. It infuriated Naruto that he had let this treasure lie untouched for weeks yet looking down at the paper now, he felt more than anything gratitude that he hadn't let it lie forever.

His family on his mother's side truly had been sages in what they did. Their seals, the seals now his, were masterpieces pure and simple. They were works of arts combining graceful and elegant design with a frightening power. Naruto found himself feeling a bit like he had been a child playing with clay before this. Had he known the fuuinjutsu hidden in that scroll when he had arrived the battle against the Rokubi would have been over in a minute at most. Too late for that however, both for it and the Sanbi, which now lay sealed away in a secret cave far away on an unremarkable island. As Naruto kept his brush moving however he took that for what it was: proof that even before he had known anything of the trove of knowledge given to him both those things were sealed away now, one with his creation.

Still, with these things he could have made the Twin Heavens seal much more streamlined without sacrificing any of its power. That was probably what chafed the most he supposed.

Drawing seal after seal, Naruto explored the Uzumaki clan seals down to their base components. Secret after secret unravelled in front of him and he knew that when he was finished here he'd have gained an understanding of fuuin he wouldn't hesitate to call sublime. It was almost frightening, the possibilities endless. When he finally was dismissed in... 56 minutes and 32 seconds... he'd still have gained more knowledge in these 12 hours than many did of fuuin in their entire lives.

____________________________________

“This, Sakura, is the next part of your training,” Naruto said as he held up the small syringe with a blue liquid in it in front of his apprentice. They were inside the third lab, being alone here at the moment. “Retrovirus?” he asked now.

“A virus that affects the DNA of its host and incorporates its own into the host,” Sakura answered quickly, “It mutates the cell it attacks and makes it produce more of it.”

“Any possible applications?” Naruto asked.

“Uhm...” Sakura stumbled. She was great with reading up on facts but her ability to speculate still had a ways to go it seemed. “I... guess?” Naruto smiled slightly.

“If the retrovirus' DNA carries sequences that'll introduce new traits to the host you can genetically enhance people,” Naruto said, “This retrovirus is named M-942-C, it is a further development of the retrovirus that changed me into who I am today. Today, you will start taking it.” Sakura stiffened and looked at the vial with a startled look on her face. Naruto understood it had to be terrifying. After all, he was quite mutated as it was. “I will however leave you with a choice.” Reaching back, he put the syringe down in the holder next to two others. “The one I held, C, is designed to give you the most in the way of physical enhancement for the least changes in appearance. B,” he now indicated the black liquid, “is a lighter variant, one that will keep the enhancements you are given to a basic level. You will remain fully human however at the same time you will not be able to learn some of my more advanced techniques.” Indicating the syringe with the blue liquid now he kept going, “this one, D, is much more potent. You will in a manner of speaking cease to be human, what more your appearance will become like mine. Yet at the same time, the gains for you will be immense. You'll be able to learn everything I can teach you.”

“I understand,” Sakura said, looking at the syringe. She swallowed, looking like someone standing on the edge of a cliff about to jump. Naruto waited silently, knowing this was a great choice for the girl. What she'd choose would define how he'd come to train her, how much he could give her.

In the end, when she made her call, Naruto was given no reason to be disappointed. She chose D. Picking the syringe from its resting place, he looked straight into her eyes to see the resolve there. With a small squeeze, he pushed what air was in the syringe out of it and put it to Sakura's arm, slowly injecting her with the first of countless doses of the retrovirus that would change her forever.

“Welcome to my species,” he told her when he was done, Sakura mutely nodding in response. Now there was no turning back for her.

____________________________________

“When did you first suspect it?” Manda asked Naruto, who was sitting on a high cliff next the the giant snake. Naruto was high up enough that he was at an about even height with Manda and currently he looked into one of the creature's giant eyes.

“When I found enough about Mount Myouboku,” Naruto replied, “The oddness that the toads would have such a place and the snakes would have nothing made me investigate it further. The toads are not superior to the snakes after all, if anything it is the opposite.” Manda hissed slowly when Naruto was done. It was an approving hiss, Naruto could hear it.

“Flattery will get you far with us,” Manda told him with a bit of a jest in his voice. “Yes, there is such a place: The Ryuuchi Cave. Your master knew of this place and came to it several times.”

“And he kept that hidden from me like so much else...” Naruto mused. “Respectfully then, I will assume that the title of “Manda” doesn't denote the ruler of that place after all.” Manda hissed again, this time in amusement

“The White Snake Sage is the one and only ruler of the Ryuuchi Cave,” Manda said. “That he has ever been and thus he will remain forever. My predecessor was little more than a thug of rank amongst my kin.”

“Interesting,” Naruto said, “and awkward at the same time,” all of the sudden his solution to the old Manda's attitude came into a new light. “I suppose your predecessor's standing is one saving grace but I never the less feel I might have acted hastily that time.” His words to Manda that time had demanded the snake's loyalty, tried to enslave him. Did this White Snake Sage know of that? If so he had a problem.

“Do not fret,” Manda told him, “my predecessor had few friends even amongst his kin. The White Snake Sage was happy to be rid of him. While you still killed one of his kin, he is ready to forget about it.”

“I detect a “but” somewhere here,” Naruto said, Manda hissing. His tongue played in the air as he looked at Naruto for a few seconds. There was something gleeful in the giant's eyes.

“He will only grant you an audience provided that you can figure out a small creation of his,” Manda said, the snake rising up and letting his tongue come out again. This time a box was resting on it and Manda carefully put it beside Naruto. The box was roughly a decimetre along each side and each side held a series of small tiles with snakes on them. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he watched it. A puzzle box? “Open it and the White Snake Sage shall receive you,” Manda told him.

“Delightfully roundabout,” Naruto said dryly, it seemed he'd have to keep yet another clone active for the coming weeks. This puzzle box was way more elaborate than anything he had seen before. He could already tell there had to be thousands of combinations possible. And only one of them would open it... Still, it was a small smile that settled on his lips. The more he learned about his snake partners the more he appreciated them.

“No one has opened it before,” Manda hissed smugly, “it will be fun to see if you can break it before it breaks you.”

“I hate to spoil your amusement,” Naruto responded, “but it'll take more than a box to break me.”

“We shall see,” was all Manda answered.

____________________________________

Naruto launched himself through the air, legs first, and managed to wrap them around his opponent, twisting to the side the instant he locked them around him and sent them both to the ground. Sitting up, he got himself closer to the now prone opponent and struck for his neck only to be blocked in the next instant. Seeing the narrowed eyes of his opponent made his danger sense trigger violently and he vaulted backwards just in time to avoid a torrent of fire from hitting him. His opponent got up and spat again, this time sending the streak straight forwards instead of straight up, and Naruto went down into a split to dodge it fully and the very instant it ended he spun to his feet and attacked again. He lashed towards the throat of his opponent with a lightning fast stab of his hand only to find it blocked and his opponent responding by striking for his jugular. He stepped to the side, letting the arm pass him by and rotating as he brought up his elbow to strike his opponent's temple. It was blocked however, his opponent pulling back to parry with his arm and with a sharp twist of his body sent his fist straight into Naruto's side. Or rather he would have if Naruto hadn't bent out of the way with a superhumanly agile twist that sent him down again, this time to sweep the legs out from under his opponent's feet. This time Naruto's fist was already at his opponent's face when he landed.

“Dead,” he said calmly, Tsurugi looking up at him with a respectful look in his eyes.

“It's been a long time since I tasted defeat,” he said as Naruto helped him up, “a humbling experience.”

“Thank you for your aid,” Nartuo told the man, feeling nevertheless a slight sense of frustration. Kiri had suffered indeed if this was the best taijutsu fighter the village had. Tsurugi was a brilliant shinobi to be sure but he was an assassin, a hunter, and not the kind of dedicated close-quarter fighter Naruto had hoped for. The man in question stood up straight now kept his gaze steady. He showed not one hint of that he just had been beat. He cracked his neck and spoke up again.

“Respectfully Naruto-sama,” he said, “the odds were skewed in your favour, a hunter nin doesn't operate in this way. Would you care to see the odds evened?”

“What did you have in mind?” Naruto asked, wondering if the man had noticed what he was thinking. Tsurugi gave a small nod now.

“Something slightly more devious,” he said. In the next moment Naruto's eyes widened as he found a swarm of watery ropes wrapping themselves around him. “Take him down!” the hunter nin captain commanded and Naruto's body was racked by spasms as the lightning jutsu hit him for full effect.

In the next moment he literally exploded. Naruto's body was annihilated in a detonation that tore the ropes asunder and left the hunter nins which had captured him stumbling backwards in shock.

Meanwhile, below ground, Naruto smiled to himself. This was much better...

____________________________________

The explosion rocked the mountain range as an entire peak vanished in a blazing light. When the light faded it was no longer there. The only thing that stood in the massive crater where once a mountain peak had been was Naruto. He panted, was sweaty and shivered yet nevertheless he smiled as he looked around. This was what he wanted to see. Finally a success and it was a quite sizeable one to boot. It had taken months, would have taken years if not for his mother's scroll, but now it was complete.

Looking down into his hands, Naruto watched the seal that now covered the palm of his dominant one. A circle of elaborate calligraphy and shapes surrounded a single kanji, one drawn so finely it seemed almost ethereal. It glittered in the sunlight, residue from the chakra still filling it. It was enough, the sight of his creation working so splendidly, to make him almost forget that his arm was trembling still. The pain was still there but he couldn't care, not even when it was noticeable enough that it made his head ring. Naruto had little doubt that few others would be able to handle the feedback from this technique, not even he should use it lightly. But he still could use it. His creation was his only to use and it only made him even more satisfied.

Looking around himself, Naruto decided to himself that the pain was worth it, indeed it was more than worth it! This creation was something he could call his magnum opus, his masterpiece, and even if he from now on would be able to create nothing more he would still be be content. Only to have reached this far was a source of immense pride Slowly flexing his fingers, he smiled as he let the seal fade by channelling the chakra away from it. If Konoha heard of this technique it'd end up in the scroll of forbidden techniques before he knew it. And why not? That was where it belonged. A technique like this was the stuff of legends!

And wherever it would go, before it came to that he should be able to get at least some mileage out of this masterpiece. He couldn't wait to see the faces of whatever foes would be the unlucky ones to taste it.

____________________________________

Left, up, right, down, down, down, down, left, up, down, up.

Naruto moved the blocks on the puzzle box with enough speed that it was almost a blur in his hands. The carvings on each tile of the puzzle let him do this using only his somatosensory system, his touch. It was seemingly almost idly that he did it but nevertheless his mind made the calculations quickly and precisely.

Down, left, up, new side, right, right, down, up, up.

From this position the side he was working alone had 68.934 plausible combinations he hadn't tried yet. There was a pattern hidden here, one he had only sensed thus far. Even now, after weeks of working, he had not figured out yet even though he was doing all he could to solve it. The White Snake Sage was a master puzzle maker indeed, it frustrated Naruto to no end that he hadn't figured it out yet.

Right, up, new side, right, down, down, left.

Thus far he had spotted seven different systems, all which had turned out to be dead ends. One after one the leads seemed obvious and then turned out to be false. The logic became more and more abstract and Naruto had long since realized that it was designed to feel like the secret coiled around you, choking the life out of you. That was at least how he felt at the moment.

New side, left, left, right, down, new side, down.

He supposed there was a metaphor hidden in the box itself. The puzzle was one thing but if he knew the snakes right the answer was much more unconventional. After all, the snakes prided themselves on being sly, on thinking outside the box so to speak. Was it all just a bad pun perhaps? It would suit Manda's humour.

Down, right, right, right, down, up, left.

Stopping now, Naruto sighed and raised the cube to look at it closer. He was getting nowhere as it was, there had to be something else to this blasted item. Examining the small openings along the edges, he tried to figure out just what the trick was. Was there a hiden way of opening it? A subtle lid or something? It had to be, he wasn't getting it open this way. Every system and every pattern he had found thus far was false. He was more and more just wanting to smash the box open as it was...

Wait a second... A thought struck him in a second straight, making him stop as he remembered Manda's words. “Open it” he had said... but he hadn't specified how. Naruto considered the implications and after a while he sighed, realizing that had to be it. It was too in line with the sense of humour he had been exposed to from the snakes to not be it.

Throwing the thing into the air, Naruto flexed his fingers to prepare his hand before he struck at it with a lightning fast knife-hand blow that shattered the box.

The very next instant he wasn't sitting on the roof of the high-rise building where he had been sitting. Rather he was seated somewhere far underground, in a huge chamber lit by countless lights and in front of a titanic throne upon which someone that had to be the White Snake Sage sat. The snake was tremendous in size, only barely smaller than Manda, with a headdress and a chain around its neck. Its scales were large and frayed from age, what more they were a pale white.

“Well played Namikaze Naruto,” the Snake Sage said and Naruto heard the amusement in the snake's voice. Getting to his feet, he bowed his head somewhat towards the snake.

“Bad humour seems to be a surprisingly large part of the snake clan venerable sage,” he said, “never the less, it is my honour to finally meet you.”

“Already you've surpassed your loutish master,” the White Snake Sage said with an approving hiss. “I will expect great things from you Namikaze Naruto.”

In the next moment Naruto found himself back on the rooftop where he had been sitting. He had left the cave just as subtly as he had been cast into it, standing on the rooftop with the shards of the puzzle box lying at his feet. With it cracked open, Naruto now saw the small scroll which had rested in the middle of it. Before the wind could catch it Naruto's fingers closed around it and folded it open. The contents made him smile. While he had no doubt that the White Snake Sage was a wily as could be and that he'd have to fight for every bit of recognition and ability this first gift was enough to make this bond entirely beneficial still.

____________________________________

She was trembling more and more these days. Naruto had noticed it seven days ago and now it was clear as day. While his young apprentice tried to frantically hide it it was obvious. Her hands shivered, her breathing was somewhat laboured all the time, she blinked a lot more than usual and there was slight twitches happening all the time here and there on her body. Being interested in seeing how she reacted on it Naruto had chosen to not say anything and kept up work as usual.

Of course, that was before Sakura stumbled and fell onto the floor, the dozens of petri dishes she was carrying all crashing into the floor. Yep, that was a clear sign if there ever was one it had gone to far. Naruto, who had been looking into a microscope, raised his head and sat straight when hearing the sound. Slowly nodding to himself he pondered the sound and thought that yes, this was a reasonable frame of time for the pain to start building. The tremors first as the neural system more and more began to fire random signals due to the synapses swiftly mutating. After a while, 20 days since the first injection, it had began to affect the muscles as well, causing her to be permanently sore. Within a month or so she'd start developing the subdermal snakeskin and would be hypersensitive to any touch. Truly his apprentice did not have a pleasant set of months ahead of herself. In truth, they would be agonizing. He'd probably go a little easier on her than Orochimaru had done though; Naruto's master hadn't let him rest the least. Still, only a little.

“Is there a problem?” he asked calmly, not even looking back at her.

“I... I'm sorry master,” Sakura said behind him, her voice trembling. She was badly affected, he heard it clearly. The D formula was indeed way superior to the one he had taken. Of course it was; he had created it after all. “I-I'll clean it up a-a-and make new samples.”

“So there is no problem then?” Naruto asked, deciding to take this opportunity to shake Sakura out of the mindset that made her blindly obey his instructions even when she had to know rationally that she was in no shape to do it. She wasn't meant to be ignorant enough to ignore her body but learn to listen to it, interpret every last sting and sensation it fed her. It was data she was being fed, ignoring it was the choice of savages and cretins. “Anything I should know?” he kept going, baiting her to see if she understood.

“No!” Sakura answered, sounding almost terrified. Nope, she didn't understand what he meant and Naruto decided to take the dramatic option, scaring her into remembering this lesson.

“If so then why did you just now destroy dozens of samples?” he asked, letting his voice turn cold and almost feeling how Sakura flinched behind him. “Are you trying to sabotage my research efforts?”

“No, master I...” Naruto spun around now, coming to a halt after having turned half-circle and looking her straight in the eyes.

“Or are you simply clumsy enough to not even be trusted with a simple tray of petri-dishes?” he asked. He glared at the girl where she stood on her knees, having done her best to pick up the remains of the dishes but now being frozen in place. Sakura was badly frightened already, her eyes wide as she didn't know where to look or what to say. Her hands shook and her mouth opened and closed. “Which is it?!” he demanded, standing up for effect. Sakura shot to her feet now as Naruto began to advance on her, eventually backing into a corner. She shook like a leaf, terrified no doubt that he was angry enough to cancel her apprenticeship. Sakura's lack of self-confidence was a potent tool to say the least; shove a pair of well placed comments into it and she'd do anything to compensate for whatever her mind told her she was.

Perhaps he was being overly harsh, perhaps this was too much merely to teach her a lesson. Naruto supposed that was quite possible. Then again though, he wasn't only aiming to teach her. For the latest weeks they had had a constant nuisance at the door, namely Chojuro. The boy hadn't dared come inside during the work in the labs yet and Naruto had decided to get more drastic in his attempts to make the boy toughen up.

“Stop it!” a voice came from the doorway. It was a shrill, quivering one but nevertheless it was there. Naruto internally smiled as Chojuro rushed inside the room, taking up position between him and Sakura. About bloody time he thought as he met the boy's eyes. Chojuro bared his teeth and looked at Naruto with equal parts fear and determination in his eyes. Good eyes though, not simpering. Another push was needed though, Naruto needed to see if the whelp could keep this up. If he did, that meant he could boot him out and focus back onto his apprentice. Now, how to test him?

“Get out of my way you snivelling wretch,” Naruto said slowly, nailing Chojuro with his gaze. The boy flinched but remained where he stood.

“You can't do that to her!” Chojuro told him angrily. Naruto narrowed his eyes and let his voice sink into a hiss.

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?” he asked, “she's my apprentice and I do whatever I please with her. Get out of my way or suffer the consequences.”

“Chojuro-kun...” Sakura began, Chojuro not looking back at her. “Stop it, he's right... I...” by all that existed Sakura was right now a mess. Terrified by his anger, frightened by the changes to her body, startled by Chojuro's intervention and scared by what she feared would happen to him.

“Mizukage-sama ordered me to watch you!” Chojuro told her with a quivering voice and Naruto mentally applauded him. It seemed as though the little whelp finally got it. Hopefully at least. It could just be motivated by some asinine infatuation with Haruno. Naruto had seen enough to notice that Chojuro had began to develop a view of her as more than a friend indeed. “And you're wearing a Kiri forehead protector!” Chojuro kept going now, “that means you're her subordinate too and-and Mizukage-sama won't accept you attacking Sakura-san!”

“You insolent little maggot,” Naruto said, letting his voice drift to wards sounding incredulous and amazed. He even smiled a little. “Do you think that anything that slut says carries the least meaning to me?” Naruto knew he was going over the top here but then again, if it worked who was he to complain? In Chojuro's eyes anger now flashed, the boy enraged by the insult given to his kage.

“It will if you know what's good for you,” the boy said, Naruto for the first time seeing nothing but cold anger. How amazing. That was what he wanted to see. Still though, he needed to test the boy a little further at least. Was it just a desperate stand after all? Had he finally found his spine? Naruto decided to let his sword to the talking and with a twist he summoned the Kusanagi, swinging it at Chojuro's neck. Not fast enough to be a serious attack though, slow enough that he should be able to parry it.

And parry it had did. Splendidly, the boy let the Hiramekarei meet the Kusanagi mid-air and the clash resounded through the air. Chojuro didn't even flinch. He only held the Hiremekarei in an iron grip, staring Naruto down with eyes promising only pain. Naruto smirked now stepping back and unsummoning his sword. In one instant all the anger he had projected vanished and he could see that Chojuro was surprised.

“And it only took you two months to show some guts,” he said dryly, looking at the boy. “Still, better late than never I suppose.”

“W-what?” Chojuo said, lowering his sword with an idiotic look on his face.

“Short version;” Naruto began, “you're a a shinobi swordsman and the Kiri shinobi cannot teach you, it'd be illegal. I am not one so Mizukage-sama told me to teach you a lesson you needed to learn.”

“L-lesson I...” Chojuro stuttered.

“The Hiremekarei's strength depends on its wielder's strength.” Naruto kept going, “Not strength of body but strength of conviction. If you want to be a worthy swordsman then you need to be convinced. Don't doubt, don't hesitate. Choose your course and stick to it. If not then your sword will not work with you. Now please stand out of the way,” he said, brusquely but not aggressively pushing Chojuro to the side, “I have something to discuss with my apprentice.” Wanting to get this over with quickly, Naruto hardly even took a breath now.

“You,” he began, “Haruno Sakura, are not a tribal savage who can justify having such an idiotic concept in your head that you can ignore what your body tells you. Input and output, you know these things. You've been given droves of input saying that your body is incapable of performing well. You are not in an adequate physical shape to do work like this and yet you do nothing about this, instead blindly pushing forwards even as you're incapable of performing to a sufficient degree. What would you have done if those petri-dishes had contained virus samples? We would have had to evacuate and decontaminate the entire building. I am not training you to be a mindless grunt, an ignorant savage or a dull-witted field shinobi. Your work is going to be done as much here,” he pointed at Sakura's forehead now, “as here,” he now pointed towards her arm. “And if you ever show this kind of mindless trudging on in the face of a pile of data saying you shouldn't you are out on your ears. Understood?” He had spoken calmly, if rapidly, and Sakura's eyes were wide. What a day for her. She'd remember this her entire life no doubt. Good though, this little trauma would mean she remembered it.

“Y-yes master,” she said breathlessly and on the verge of tears. She stumbled on the words and nodded frantically.

“Good,” he said, “take stock of your physical state, you have ten seconds, then report to me.”

“Y-yes!” Sakura said and Naruto returned to his seat. Looking back to his papers, he began to scribble something on a notepad.

“If you're just going to stand there Chojuro then you can clean up the mess Sakura caused,” he said as he kept writing, “she's got other things to do, you don't.”

“Hey!” Chojuro spoke up in protest just as Sakura was about to start speaking.

“Quiet you,” Naruto said, “Sakura is making a report.”

“Uhm,” Sakura began, she really had to stop stuttering like that. “Muscle pains in seemingly all my muscles. Trembling hands, spasms, laboured breathing. Pains behind the eyes and in the nose. Fatigue and-and weariness.”

“Suggestions?” Naruto asked. That was beyond what he had thought. He should check that.

“I-I'd suggest taking me off any training that demands physical activity for now,” Sakura said, “for the time being it would be better to focus on mental training.”

“Suggestion approved,” Naruto said, tearing out a page from the notebook he had been scribbling in and handing it to her “For the upcoming months you will be more or less totally out of action physically speaking; your trials have only began. Focus on reading these books.” Sakura took the list and looked at it. It was an entire paper filled with book titles, a good fifty of them. “I want you to have read them all and written a five-to-ten page report on each within the coming three months. If you have questions feel free to drop by, your training has priority over most of my other tasks.”

“Yes master!” Sakura said, the girl bowing to him now in gratitude. “Thank you.”

“Remember,” Naruto said, “you're meant to think, not merely obey. Leave the blind obedience for fools, grunts and beasts.”

“Yes master,” Sakura said again, Naruto now twitching. His body was shaken by a sudden twitch and he did a sharp intake of breath. “w-what's the matter?” Sakura asked and Naruto shooed her away.

“Nothing you need to be concerned with,” he told her dismissively, “head home and begin working.” Sakura bowed her head and left, Naruto slowly shaking his head when he was alone again. He hadn't been expecting that. An accident during training had destroyed a shadow clone and made him experience every last bit of what it had gone through at once. It had experienced a lot indeed, right now Naruto's head felt like it was going to split in two. Damn it... it seemed as though he'd have to go home early today.

The door to Naruto's apartment opened slowly and quietly. In the darkness of the night the care with which it was open did little to disturb the peace. All the lights were out and there was hardly a sound in the apartment so when Terumi Mei slowly entered. The woman moved gracefully as the mists through the hallway and her single visible eye gleamed in the moonlight streaming in through the windows.

Without making any sounds she got through the hallway and into the bedroom where her eye landed on Naruto. The young man was sitting on the floor with his legs folded and his eyes closed. With his hands resting in each other he seemed like he was meditating and Mei slowly came up to him. The woman sat down by his side and looked at his face. He didn't seem to have noticed her presence yet and she chose to not say anything.

“I'm thankful for your discreetness,” Naruto murmured after a while.

“How are you?” Mei asked him softly, concern in her visible eye as she looked at him.

“Compartmentalizing.” Naruto said, “I'm having nine clones going, nine lives, nine sets of training. I need to structure the memories.”

“You said that wasn't a problem for you,” Mei said, a bit angrily.

“It isn't,” Naruto informed her, “if I spend the nights meditating and going through self-therapy.”

“That's insane...” Mei began, sounding a bit disbelieving.

“I've gotten almost a year's worth of training out of these last weeks.” Naruto said, felling silent as his brow furrowed. He gritted his teeth and his breathing went a bit ragged for a while. After about a minute it went back to his normal state. “It is extreme,” he said, “but I needed to do it. Give me five more minutes please.” He finished and Mei did so, waiting quietly. “There,” Naruto said when those five minutes and some more had passed. “I think that should be it for now.”

“What should be it?”

“That I've created a coherent enough set of memories for the last weeks that I won't slowly be driven schizophrenic by it. Admittedly I might have somewhat understated the risks when each clone is doing completely separate tasks.” Naruto rubbed his forehead and Mei sighed.

“Why?” she asked him, “this is not intensive, this is insane. Why must you push yourself to these limits?”

“Because I can,” Naruto said, “because I am brilliant, because anyone else would break under the strain but I do not. Because history hasn't ended, because we don't know how far a human can reach even with such titans as Hokage-sama and you present.”

“Is that all?” Mei asked, reaching up to push an errant lock of hair out of Naruto's face.

“Yes,” Naruto said, “Or at least a major part of it. I am not a warrior Mei,” Naruto now looked at her, “I'm not devoted to “protecting my loved ones” or any such. My devotions concern facts, discovery and evolution. I don't want to have the power to keep a certain part of this world from changing in ways I don't want them to. I want the power to understand and to shape it.”

“Why?” Mei asked him.

“That is a question I am asked a lot,” Naruto said, “and one that those who want to become the best at wreaking violence upon someone in order to subjugate them to their will never have to answer.”

“Well?” Mei asked, leaning her head to the side.

“Why not?” Naruto asked her, “where is even the issue? Wanting to understand this world down to the core, wanting to know the mechanics that makes it tick, the laws that everything is ruled by... Why do people find that so odd?” Naruto looked at her now, “I've never understood that.”

“I think they wonder what your agenda behind it all is.”

“Isn't the truth itself enough?” Naruto asked. “Evidently not, the fact that I love understanding things isn't good enough for them, I must have a more base agenda... I hate people.”

“Not me I hope,” Mei said and leaned in to give him a small kiss.

“For some stupid reason: no,” Naruto said and accepted it. Mei captured his lower lip between her teeth as she pulled back now, giving it a small bite before letting it go..

“Be good,” she said told him a bit teasingly before her voice turned sincere. “Also, please promise me you will take it easier with this,” she said, “you said it yourself that you're balancing on the edge of insanity.”

“Oh believe me I will,” Naruto said, “six weeks of this is plenty for the coming year. I'm not going to risk having my mind break, from now on I will do conventional training. In what spare time I can find between the labs, Sakura and you of course,” he added dryly. Mei smiled at him.

“Don't worry,” she said, “as I understood it Sakura-chan is working independently for now and Harusame can take over most of your duties. You'll have your time”

“I noticed you didn't remove any of your time with me from that equation.”

“Why would I?” Mei asked, raising an eyebrow as she leaned in to kiss him again.

“Of course, how stupid of me,” Naruto said dryly.

“You're learning,” Mei smiled. “and now don't mind me,” she added. With one move, the woman straddled Naruto and gave him a deep kiss. “Time for your reward champion.”

____________________________________

“Good morning Naruto-sama,” Harusame said as Naruto entered the building. Naruto nodded in response but was given pause when seeing the looks on the man's face.

“Quite a grim look on your face,” he said, “what's happened?”

“The equipment we ordered,” Harusame began and Naruto got a sinking feeling in his guts. That equipment was supposed to arrive within the week. New computers, research material, lab equipment. Ten million Ryo's worth of equipment. Why was he looking so grim? “It's been stranded in Wave country.”

“Oh for the love of...” Naruto began. “what has happened?”

“From what we can make out a sabotage attack at the docks has made the Gato Company shut down all outgoing transports.” Harusame said, “until the perpetrator is found no one leaves Wave. The smugglers can't leave for Kiri without being given away.”

“Someone shall burn for this,” Naruto sighed. The good mood with which he had started the day for once had been done away with completely. Instead now frustration filled him and he rubbed the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. “I will see Mizukage-sama about this matter at once.” Spinning around, Naruto left the labs with quick steps. It always was something it seemed. Had everything gone too well these last weeks for misfortune to be able to stay away any longer? He'd have to convince Mei to do something.

____________________________________

“Well that's not good.” Was Mei's comment when Naruto had told her what he had just heard from Harusame. The woman leaned back in her chair with her hands clasped and her eyes narrowed. “Knowing that little cockroach of a merchant he'll gladly let the ship sit for months if that is what it takes.”

“And while it does the labs are at a standstill.” Naruto said, “not to mention that a lot of the equipment there will deteriorate to an useless state if it is away from proper storage facilities for too long. We'll lose millions if that equipment is allowed to sit!” Naruto said, “unless it's extracted as soon as possible we might as well but a new set of equipment. Not the least since this means they have time to double check the cargo manifests, which they will if they are looking for someone.”

“Gato hasn't made any requests for Kiri shinobi,” Mei said, “the worm prides himself on his personal shinobi army. Other villages' shinobi aren't welcome. We could have solved it peacefully that way.”

“No such option Mizukage-sama,” Naruto said. Whatever she was going to do she had to do it now.

“Oh well,” Mei said after a second, “I suppose Kaito's team was getting fat anyhow. The exercise will do them well.”

“Kaito?” Naruto asked and Mei nodded.

“Yamada Kaito, Honjou Tsubame and Nagare Shien,” she said “a chuunin team specializing in “repossession” of stolen items. Admittedly a cargo ship is a bit bigger than the usual stuff but they'll cut it.”

“How soon can you send them?” Naruto asked. He wanted those items secured as soon as possible.

“Within the hour,” Mei said, “give me a kiss and I'll have them sent within thirty minutes,” she added impishly. Naruto giving her a dry look. He didn't say anything, only looked at her for a minute straight and in the end Mei raised her hands. “Fine, fine,” she said, “no fun at all,” she added with a mutter.

Within a short while the trio of shinobi had been summoned to the Mizukage's office. They were all in their mid-teens. Kaito was a ragged-looking young man with a wild haircut and who wore a vest and armguards. Tsubame was a brown-haired girl with a ponytails and suspiciously wide sleeves on her clothes. Shien meanwhile was a gangly fellow with red hair held in a tiny little ponytail, spectacles and a vaguely aristocratic look on his face.

“Your mission is to head to Wave Country,” Mei began, “for the last week the cargo ship “Fortune's Wind” has been held up in the main harbour there. A sabotage attack on the harbour has made the Gato Company lock it down, no one gets in or out. Your job is to extract the Fortune's Wind from there and to bring the contents to Kirigakure.”

“What opposition can we expect?” Shien asked swiftly.

“Unknown,” Mei admitted, “you will definitely have to tangle with the Gato Company's thugs, perhaps even missing nins. You're to avoid bloodshed and violence as far as possible. We do not need an incident with the Gato Company”

“What's on the boat Mizukage-sama?” Kaito asked and Mei looked to Naruto.

“Research equipment,” Naruto answered, “Ten million Ryu's worth of it. Most of it is fragile and a lot of it needing special storage space, space the ship it's on doesn't have. Speed is of the essence.”

“You move out at once,” Mei said. “Secure the ship and contact us as soon as you are heading for Kiri. Notify us at the latest within the week's end. Good luck.”

“Yes!” the three shinobi all saluted and left, Naruto finding himself wanting to pray that it would work out.

One week later there had not been a word from any of them.

____________________________________

“That is out of the question!” Mei told Naruto, her face frigid. Naruto was as cold, glaring her down with a gaze that could cut through rock.

“I'm not making a request here,” he said angrily, “I'm stating a fact! Already you've lost a team and lab work stands still while those items remain stranded in Wave Country!”

“Weren't you the one saying you had plenty to do?” Mei asked pointedly.

“This takes precedence!” Naruto said, “my entire work here will be undone if those things don't get out of there! Already parts of it will have deteriorated and I'm not letting all of it go to waste!”

“Forget it!” Mei said sharply, “I'm sending a jounin team this time. I'm not approving you going there, end of story.”

“That only works if I am actually your subordinate,” Naruto informed her coldly, “And in case you have forgotten; I am not. I am not subordinate to you and I don't need to obey your orders.”

“Don't you dare!” Mei snapped in anger at him and Naruto calmly met her eyes.

“Watch me,” he said plainly. “I will not be bullied into submission on this matter. You can either accept it or not, you should be smart enough to realize my position here. Your move!” With that, he turned around and left, hearing how Mei seemed to sit down behind him. When he reached for the doorhandle however she spoke up again.

“Please,” she said quietly, Naruto stopping by the door. Looking back, he saw a glimpse of Mei's eyes. Worry and fear were in them both. It was only for a split-second before it was gone again though, going so fast that Naruto could very well have mistaken it for something else. Not in the mood to take the risk however, he turned around and folded his arms.

“Is there something I should know?” he asked her calmly. He made sure to push down any irritation he still felt and asked neutrally, looking straight at her. Mei sighed, looking to the side for a pair of seconds before answering.

“Wave country is under Gato's control...” she began and Naruto was about to raise an eyebrow but forced himself not to. Sarcasm wouldn't help here.

“And?” he asked.

“I've been getting reports for months now... that so are some of the renegade Shinobi swordsmen.” Naruto blinked, realizing instantly why she was so tight-lipped. Shinobi swordsmen serving Gato as well as all the other scumbags under the man's control; that would mean that Gato had to be even more militarily powerful than anyone had expected. Mei hadn't only an unsteady village, belligerent elders and a complete lack of trust amongst the elemental nations to deal with. They also had a Gato corporation that very well could be countered an a challenger to Kiri.

This was bad, tremendously so even. The shinobi swordsmen were Kiri in many ways. The Mizukage might be the Mizukage but to Kiri in many ways the swordsmen trumphed even that. With more than one with Gato and only one in Kiri there was a genuine question of legitimacy for the village. Mei didn't want Konoha to find out about this but Naruto realized now that she had told him something that could end her rule if used well. Naruto sighed, realizing just how much it must have taken for Mei to reveal this.

“Then we solve that situation too,” he said “if Gato loses his pet swordsmen and the swords then there's no issue, is there?”

“Please Naruto I do appreciate your confidence but we are talking about the shinobi swordsmen! Two of them!” Mei was agitated now, he could tell. And why shouldn't she be? The shinobi swordsmen were legitimate threats no matter who you were. Still. Naruto couldn't help but feel a sense of smug confidence at the moment. He had via the shadow clones gained a full year of intensive training, training where he hadn't just ground on with what he knew but instead unlocked several new weapons in his arsenal.

“Spit a fireball at me,” Naruto answered. Mei only looked at him with a look showing her confusion. “A small fireball please,” he said, “trust me.”

“Why?” Mei asked, “and what does that have to...”

“Mei!” Naruto interrupted her, “fireball, please.” He moved into a stance and readied himself. Mei looked at him for a second before she obliged. With a pair of quick seals she molded the chakra, inhaled and then spat a small fireball at him. It was tiny even, perhaps a decimetre or so across. Still it would suffice. Naruto put up his hand and formed a tiger-seal with the other hand.

“Kai!” he said just as the fireball hit his hand and when he did so it dissipated. It didn't explode or impact or anything such. It merely ceased to be, was snuffed out like a candle. Naruto smirked to himself as he lowered his hand and watched Mei's dumbfounded look. A success indeed and Mei's beautiful face was a glory to behold.

“What...” she whispered, “how did you...”

“A little secret,” Naruto said, “but take it as a show of my capacity.” Now Naruto gave her an attempt at a more honest smile. “I will not fall to them Mei. I will return. And when I do, I will bring you some of those missing swords of yours. Take care.” With that, he turned around and left the room.

Chapter Text

The day was still early when he sat out and Naruto decided on the swift option. He summoned Manda by the beaches rather than take a boat and as he sat on the head of the giant snake as it swam through the waters towards Kiri he pondered his situation. Idly looking at the seal that now adorned his hand. Flexing his fingers, he wondered if he'd get to try this jutsu while in Wave. Whatever had dealt with those three chuunin would at least be a worthwhile target, if nothing else to deny Gato that asset. If it was those prodigal swordsmen, all the better.

“You seem eager,” Manda remarked and Naruto looked down. An interesting predicament arose from the fact that he was sitting on Manda's head. He was used to meeting people's eyes when talking, yet how should he do that now?

“Does that show?” he asked. Despite the wind blowing past him thanks to Manda's speed the snake could hear him and it hissed.

“If you know what to look for,” it told him. “did sleeping with the Mizukage get monotonous?”

“Behave,” Naruto said dryly, “and yes. I am very much eager.” He smiled to himself as he looked towards the horizon. “I have during these last two months acquired a lot of new jutsu. All that remains is field testing them. If they pan out I might have created something revolutionary.”

“You have a lot of fingers in a lot of pies Namikaze,” Manda said, “this partnership is only becoming more and more interesting.”

“Thank you,” Naruto said. Getting praise like this was somewhat weird. Still, it wasn't unwelcome. “Also that reminds me, did you have that saké with Gamabunta yet?”

“I did,” Manda answered, “the old toad is quite the mahjong player.” Naruto found himself laughing at this.

“How droll,” he said, “if I may, how do you move the pieces without hands?”

“I told one of Gamabunta's children to either help me or be eaten,” Manda responded with an amused hiss.

“That works too I suppose,” Naruto said with a chuckle. After this the conversation petered off however and Naruto found himself considering what was to come. Mei knew at least something about what had happened to the chuunin. There was a reason of some sort for why she was so adamant he didn't go there. Knowing her it most likely would have something to do with Kiri's more notorious shinobi. Naruto guessed a lot of the traitor nins would have gone over to Gato's side and that was a troubling prospect in more ways than one. Blood would be spilled in Wave, the only question was whose it would be.

While disappointed with Mei, he nevertheless felt a grim sense of eagerness. Gato's missing-nins were as far as he was concerned fair game. Merely by employing them the man was defying the great villages, in a more belligerent time the man's throat would already be slit. Still it never hurt to be on the safe side so Naruto therefore exchanged his Kiri headband for his Konoha one. Hell if things were as he suspected they indeed might be this mission was more in Konoha's interests than Kiri's. Irritating issue this, balancing two different missions at the same time. He'd be relieved when it was over.

Day turned to night and to day again. When they reached Wave afternoon had settled in and a heavy mist lay over the world. It seemed gloomy and Naruto decided to take the land-route in order to avoid the ruckus a giant snake swimming into the main harbour would be. Alone and on a mission. It had been a while hadn't it? Naruto dismissed Manda and started in through the wilds. Not really surprising him, the rest of Wave was as decrepit and as uninteresting as the harbour town. It really was evident that the Gato Company did its best to suck the life-blood out of this place. What a vile man really.

Still, Naruto made good headway towards his goal, the harbour on the other end of the island and he didn't bump into anyone. Instead he moved quickly and silently, starting to approach the harbour after only an hour.

On the way however he came to bump into something big indeed.

____________________________________

It was about ten minutes from the harbour town that Naruto heard the sounds of fighting. From the sounds of it it was a quite big one as well and he decided to investigate. Not really a surprising decision, he needed to know what could be found in the area and a fight no matter the belligerents was something worth looking into. Changing his heading in moments, he leaped through the trees yet a little faster and it took him onto a minute before he reached the area and could get an overview of things. What he came across however made him freeze in shock.

To his amazement one side of the conflict consisted of none other than two of the demons of the mist, namely Hoshigaki Kisame and Momochi Zabuza. Wearing some kind of black cloaks with red clouds upon them, the two demon swordsmen were nevertheless easily identifiable both through their bloodthirsty presence and the giant swords they wielded. At the moment they were eagerly attacking the other side and Naruto could tell that the battle was going badly for their opponents.

That was not what caused him to freeze up and find himself unable to act for a moment however. It was rather the fact that the other side consisted of people he recognized. Not the trio of chuunin from Kiri or anything like that. Oh no, the group of people currently seemingly only moments from defeat were four in number, four who wore Konoha forehead protectors. The leader of the quartet was none other than Hatake Kakashi who at the moment were fending of Zabuza's furious assault with what seemed like a bolt of lightning gripped in his hand. The remaining three were all genin. First Sarutobi Konohamaru who was lying face-down on the ground with blood running from his face, the second was Uchiha Sasuke who at the moment was trying to move, forcing himself to his feet with teeth gritted and a kunai in his hand. The third, who currently was being held by the throat and slammed into a rock by Kisame, was Kimiko.

She screamed in pain, a multitude of wounds visible all over her, and when she looked at Kisame with anger in her eyes the fear intermingled with it, as did her tears.

Naruto in his life had faced many mysteries. Some of them tantalizing, some of them giving him a base sense of that he was touching something forbidden. Some of them were both though, some of these mysteries were equally much terrifying as they were alluring, secrets and mysteries that he wanted nothing more than to understand yet which every fibre of his being warned him to stay away from.

Today he found such a moment. In one second everything fell away around him. It was as if reality, or rather his perspective of it, was snapped in half. What remained behind he could not tell whether it was perfect clarity or deranged madness. What he did know was that his mind, which had grasped perfectly at all things around him, been able to take stock of dozens of things, analyse them and draw conclusions in instants, suddenly had no such capacity at all. Instead he had only one setting, only one goal, only one thing that mattered in any way whatsoever.

Death. Two people was dying today. Plain as day, as obvious as gravity and as simple as one plus one it stood clear to him. Hoshigaki Kisame's and Momochi Zabuza's lives were forfeit.

Thus it was decided and thus it was acted upon. He launched himself forwards with a speed he couldn't honestly tell if he ever had shown before and the twist of his hand that brought the Kusanagi into his hand was lightning fast. His body was as supple as a whip, better than he could ever remember it being, and when he struck against Kisame he did so with the force of a bijuu. One, two, four, eight, twelve, he struck the man twelve times and even though none of them did more than graze the missing nin he kept going without missing a beat. Indeed it seemed as though Samehada cried out in pain from the sheer force as the swordsman reeled away from Kimiko, having dropped her and raised his sword to defend himself.

Smashing his foot toes first into the soft ground he got momentum enough to stop almost mid-leap and twist around, ending up with his chest up and the Kusanagi lashing out towards the other side with its blade extending as fast as any eye could see. It hit the Kubikiri Houcho straight on, managing to penetrate the thick metal and made Zabuza lift off his feet from the impact.

Zabuza was going through the air and Kisame reeling. Naruto unsummoned the Kusanagi even as it drove into Kubikiri Houcho and instead formed seals. With another foot landing on the ground he now stood leaning forwards and spat out a massive cloud of virulent poison straight into Kisame. That was not enough however. Lashing his hands out to the sides, he summoned two large piles of shuriken and with a twist of his arms he sent them flying towards both of the swordsmen, leaping up into the air and vaulting before he wove another ninjutsu. This time it was fire that he spat, a massive swarm of fireballs that struck Kisame and Zabuza both, making them vanish in a storm of fire.

Naruto meanwhile landed in front of the giant conflagration of fire that now raged in front of the group. He stood only a dozen metres away from the inferno, not registering the heat. Behind him he could hear movement and after a while a voice cried out.

“Oniisan...” it said weakly, being nevertheless filled with so much joy, relief and happiness. He didn't even manage to identify the emotions by name, instead only raising one hand.

“Quiet!” he demanded with a voice bereft of any kindness or recognition. “It's not over yet,” he continued, pushing off his hakama to free his chest and summoning the Kusanagi again. As if on cue, the flames began to sizzle and in a storm of water they vanished, revealing the two black-robed assailants again.

Kisame and Zabuza looked only a bit frayed around the edges. Some patches of soot here, some smouldering threads there. Yet beyond that there was no sign of the furious assault they had suffered. What more Kisame was grinning widely and from Zabuza a dark chuckle came. The bloodthirst stood around the two demons of Kirigakure as dense as the mists around them. It made the water swirling around them seethe and boil.

“Well, well, well,” Zabuza said, “if it ain't the clever snake of Konoha.”

“Namikaze Naruto in the flesh,” Kisame said, “a surprise indeed to see such an illustrious man here.” Naruto didn't respond to what they said, being beyond words as it was. Instead he slammed his hands into the ground and threw up a massive earth wall that collided with the water swirling around them, soon transforming into mud. It went fast due to the sheer violence of the impact between them and only seconds later Naruto slammed his fists into the mud again, this time the skin on his arms began to move like if something crawled beneath it.

It did, seconds later the arms burst open in several places and snakes crawled out of them. By the dozens and the hundreds the snakes dove into the mud, crawling through it and in instants the two shinobi swordsmen found themselves not only standing in a field of loose mud but one infested with countless snakes as well. The snakes shot out of the mud by the dozens, wrapping themselves around Kisame and Zabuza both. Sinking their fangs into the two swordsmen, the snakes found their effort thwarted as the two fell apart. Collapsing into water, the two swordsmen vanished and in the next second the lake beyond began to roar.

Zabuza had appeared on the water, flashing through seals so fast that his hands became a blur and Naruto produced several Kunai from his clothes with explosive tags on them. With a twist, he send them flying towards Zabuza and charged again. The kunai were stopped however. A tidal wave rose from the lake, high enough that it towered above the trees. The explosions that the came when the kunai impacted did little to divert the deluge that rushed forwards, straight at Naruto. Zabuza meanwhile was on top of the wave, running at the very edge of the tsunami with his sword whirling.

If he leaped up he was a prime target for Zabuza, if he leaped into the water he was a prime target for Kisame who currently was moving inside the water, swimming as fast as Zabuza was running. Naruto sneered however. Throwing the Kusanagi over to his other hand and letting it land in a backhand grip, he spread the fingers of his now free hand wide and narrowed his eyes. Forming an one-handed seal with the hand holding the Kusanagi he shoved his hand forwards, into the tsunami just as it reached him and cried out.

“Kai!” he roared and in the next moment the tsunami was no more. All momentum vanished, all the force was neutralized and all that was left in its wake was a mass of water free-falling towards the earth. Kisame was torn down into the ground and Zabuza found himself without footing mid-air. It left the swordsman unbalanced enough that when Naruto leaped towards him he had no way of dodging. Instead he parried, the Kubikiri Houcho stopping the Kusanagi only inches from Zabuza's head. The sword was stopped, but that did not mean the attack was neutralized. Zabuza's eyes widened in the next instant and Naruto bared his teeth as he saw that the sound-attack had effected him.

With all sense of direction being torn from him, Zabuza was unable to respond as as Naruto struck again, this time tearing up a massive slash-wound straight over the demon of the mist's back. A scream came from Zabuza, an enraged and surprised one mainly, and Naruto spun around mid-air. He held onto Zabuza and now moved the Kusanagi to stab the man straight through the heart. His opponent had already suffered what to swordsmen such as these was a great humiliation: a wounded back. Now he could die in disgrace and failure. Naruto stabbed, feeling such a profound sense of rightness when doing it that he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

The smile turned into a snarl now however. Kisame had managed to get out of the water and thrown himself up into the air, knocking the attack out of the way before it hit Zabuza. Grabbing his fellow swordsman and slashing at Naruto, Kisame propelled himself away from his assailant and landed further away. He was still grinning.

“Now that's more like it,” he said viciously, “I'd gladly stay and cut off some bits of you but I think we are done for today.” With that, he lashed out and struck the water. Knocking up a cascade of water, the Shinobi swordsman and his wounded compatriot had both vanished when it fell again. Naruto landed in front of the cascade with bared teeth and he nearly snarled again when seeing that his two opponents had gotten away. The battle was over but he still had what felt like a frozen sheen in his mind. Cold, calculating fury that just wouldn't go away choked him and as he sheathed his sword he looked back towards Kimiko and her group. Coldly and almost uncaringly he quickly took stock of the situation. Kakashi had fallen unconscious, Konohamaru still didn't move and Sasuke was helping Kimiko to her feet by having taken one arm around his neck and dragging her up. What more another person, a civilian, was coming out of hiding a short distance away from the group. Naruto reached the group quickly, checking Kakashi and Konohamaru both in seconds. From the looks of it Kakashi merely had overexerted himself and Konohamaru's bloody face came from a broken nose.

“Oniisan...” Kimiko began, Naruto looking up to see that she already had gotten an eye swollen shut, several scrapes and bruises and a small trail of blood was running down from the corner of her mouth. Forced however to act, he didn't show any of the effect seeing her in that state had on him.

“We're not clear yet,” he said tersely before turning to the civilian, a bearded, gray-haired man with a tired face, glasses and worn clothes. “You!” he exclaimed and the man startled, “are you the client? Is there any place close we can head to? These two need attention.”

“My... my home is close by master shinobi,” the man managed to tell him and Naruto nodded.

“You take this one,” he said and indicated Konohamaru. “Move!” he continued as he picked up Kakashi, “we need to get into shelter as soon as possible.” It was in this manner he drove the group as fast as possible towards the available shelter. The area around them still was filled with mists and they were way too close to the water for him to be calm. Kiri shinobi and water was a potent mix and he didn't trust Kisame's claims about them being done for today. As it was his priorities were clear. Firstly get them to safety and stabilize Konohamaru and Kakashi. Secondly get a run-down of what had happened until now. Thirdly find out who more than Zabuza and Kisame that were going to die for this.

The man's home was a large if worn-down two-story building at the outskirts of the nearby town and as they came into the house, the civilian first, they were greeted by a woman in her thirties whose first expression was surprise warping quickly into fear.

“Tsunami!” the man yelled, “get the guest room fixed up. This kid needs help!”

“Oh gods...” the woman said breathlessly with one hand up to her mouth in shock before she managed to get moving. Naruto felt an errant thought shoot through his head about what a bloody noise they were making over a concussion and a broken nose. Nevertheless, they got both Kakashi and Konohamaru put into bed and within the minute Naruto could see about correcting the boy's nose. By the looks of it the nasal bones were nigh shattered and if left to heal naturally he'd end up with an utter mess of a nose. It'd be detrimental to his career if he couldn't even breathe through it.

Kneeling by Konohamaru's side, Naruto ran one of his hands over the nose while the other steadily pushed the bones back into position before healing the fractures. By the door however Kimiko was standing, the girl looking at the scene anxiously.

“Is... is he going to be okay?” she asked timidly, Naruto feeling a sting of irritation.

“He suffered a concussion and a broken nose only,” he told her frankly, “if this is all it takes to break him he shouldn't be a shinobi to begin with.”

“Hey!” Kimiko began, no doubt instinctively, but after that she sort of floundered. It seemed she couldn't figure if that was an insult or not. Naruto ignored her and as the woman, Tsunami, came into the room with a bowl of water and a towel Naruto reached out with his bloody hand and the woman offered him it to clean himself. A quick rinse got rid of the blood and Naruto moved to check Kakashi as Tsunami went to clean off Konohamaru's face.

The former student of the Hokage was unconscious, thoroughly so judging from how his body was entirely limp. There was literally no control in his limbs, not even the fitful one that came with sleep and which kept you stable. Kakashi was like a bag filled with bones and meat. Chakra exhaustion. One couldn't fault the man for not having gone all out to keep his students out of the fight, he'd give him that.

First issue was addressed it seemed and Naruto stood up, seeing Kimiko and Sasuke both stand by the doorway, Kimiko as if she wanted to throw herself into the room and fuss over her teammates and Sasuke standing with his arms folded leaning against the opposite wall. Curiously the boy had lost his glasses and his posture seemed quite different as well. The once unkempt geek now seemed much more like an actual Uchiha. As he looked towards them Kimiko's eyes showed her worry and at the same time her trust in him. She was completely convinced he'd have saved them from near death or something.

“Exhaustion only,” he said, “give him a few days of rest and he'll be on his feet again. Oh, and Tsunami-san?” he turned to the woman, “when the genin, the younger one, wakes up he'll most likely want to puke. Would I impose if I asked you to watch him? He'll probably wake up within a few minutes.”

“I owe you my father's life shinobi-sama,” the woman said and bowed from her kneeling position, “I'll gladly watch the boy.”

“Good,” Naruto said, brushing past Kimiko. “You two come with me,” he told Sasuke and Kimiko brusquely. Without looking back, he headed back down into the kitchen where he found the civilian they had escorted sitting in front of a bottle of saké.

“How are they?” the man asked worriedly.

“Unconscious but alive,” Naruto told him, “could I ask you to vacate the kitchen? I need to hear their story.” Naruto didn't miss the fact that the man got somewhat stiff now. Suspiciously enough, it seemed that he got worried at the thought of hearing the story Sasuke and Kimiko would have to tell. “Surely that will not be a problem considering I saved your life?” he asked, letting his voice turn frigid and the man swallowed. There was fear in his eyes and he retreated out of the room. “Sit down,” Naruto continued, turning towards Kimiko and Sasuke. The two did so and Naruo walked over to close the door into the kitchen before turning back to them. “I want to know your mission and what has happened thus far. Give me every detail without any exceptions.” He made sure to emphasize the last part and Kimiko looked towards Sasuke worriedly.

Yes, something was going on here and Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that he'd be in an even fouler mood when he knew what that was.

____________________________________

The door slowly slid open, Naruto stepping out into the hallway. It didn't really surprise him that the man, Tazuna as his name evidently was, was standing only a short distance away. Walking up to the man, Naruto proceeded to lock gazes with him and his eyes cut like knives into the man's as he spoke up. What he had been told had made the sense of sociopathic clarity return in force and while he was calmer he was no less out for blood.

“Tell me,” he began with a deathly calm voice, “do you have any family members beyond Tsunami?” The man in front of him had hired Kimiko's team for an escort mission, claiming that they'd face only bandits. Konoha had believed him and sent a team of three genin and one jounin, Team 7, with him.

“Wh... what?” the man asked. It was easy to see he was taken aback by the question. Naruto didn't say anything and instead only stood there, waiting for the man's answer. “Why do you want to know that?” Tazuna asked after a while, Naruto wasting no time but instead punching him in the gut. A short, quick punch his hit guts and the man keeled over with a choked exclamation. He was a liar! He had lied to Konoha! Wanting to get away cheap he had omitted the fact that he was hunted by Gato and the man's cadre of shinobi.

“I will ask again,” Naruto said icily as Tazuna clutched his stomach at Naruto's feet, “which other family members do you have?” Naruto had resolved himself to bring the man down on the floor a world of horror and pain for this. The fears he had held when Anko had died came back in full force. Vile dregs that lied to Konoha about the details of the mission and caused the death of shinobi had exploited the leniency shown the last time this happened..

“What the hell is your...” Tazuna began and this time Naruto kicked him in the face, sending the man in an arc backwards where he eventually hit wall. Blood started to stream down his nose and Naruto drew the Kusanagi. No more, never again. He'd send a message to the entire world right now!

“This is your last chance,” he said, “which other family members do you have?!” With that, he placed the Kusanagi against the man's jugular, glaring at him with all the fury of a bijuu.

“I.... Inari!” Tazuna answered, “my... my grandchild!”

“Good,” Naruto said, “for the time being we are guests in your house,” he explained, still holding the tip of the blade against the man's throat. “Yet when we leave you will have chosen one member of your family. Inari or Tsunami, I care not which. That person will die when we depart from here. That is what you will reap for having tried to deceive Konoha.” He might have objected to this if he had been in a more rational state of mind. As it was however, he was not. He was livid, angrier than he ever could remember being, and the anger came to give him focus, a sociopathic such that coldly and logically calculated just how this man could suffer.

“O... what are you doing Oniisan!?” Kimiko exclaimed disbelievingly behind him and Naruto ignored it, staring into the man's eyes as the colour vanished from his face.

“But... but...” the man began. Naruto wasn't done however.

“Be aware that your hospitality in this moment is what makes me give you this leniency,” he cut the man off. “If you withdraw it, try to trick us or run away from us then I will kill them both and I will do so first after a long session of gruesome torture which you will be forced to watch. Then I will crucify you upon a hill overlooking the town. As you hang there bleeding to death I will proceed to raze both the town and your bridge until not one brick remains atop another. Do I make myself clear?” he had not raised his voice one decibel during this speech. He felt as though he was too angry to do so. “Do. I make. Myself. Clear?” he repeated his question after a while, the man nodding. Seeing his face gave some sort of satisfaction at least. The sheer horror evident in it was a small reward but a reward nonetheless. Sheathing his sword now and spinning around, he came face to face with Kimiko who was halfway about to throw herself onto him. From the looks of it she wanted to disarm him or something and Naruto simply moved faster, slapping her.

The sharp slap echoed through the room and Kimiko stumbled away with wide eyes. She came to a halt first a metre or so away and looked up at him. The look of shock, disbelief and sense of betrayal in her large eyes could have made him falter at any other time. It was immense. Kimiko's emotions had always raged and as she looked now she could very well not know what she was going to do. But this time it did not make him hesitate or regret what he had done. Naruto merely took one step forward, glaring at her.

“I expected better of you Kimiko,” he told her with a still glacial voice, “your client outright admits to having lied to you and not only do you overlook it, you demand that you continue the mission. You've defied mission parameters and chosen to act in a manner not just foolish as I'd expect but outright treasonous!”

“Y... y...” Kimiko began, still clutching her cheek as her eyes seemed about to mist up.

“At this point,” Naruto said, “what you've done is tantamount to treason! I can not comprehend that you, even you, would sink this low. And that goes twice for you, Uchiha Sasuke!” he snarled, looking towards Sasuke who looked as if he didn't know in what direction he should flee. “The two of you...”

“You dummy!” Kimiko yelled now. The girl lashed out in anger at him, kicking towards his shin and Naruto's eyes narrowed. Reaching down, he caught her leg and shoved it upwards in order to make her fall flat on her back. Pulling out the Kusanagi scabbard and all he put it against her chest, locking his gaze with her.

“Right now, Namikaze Kimiko,” he told her with a low hiss, “I am not just very disappointed with you. I'm disgusted.” Pulling away the sword, he started down the hallway towards the exit. Staying here solved nothing, he should be out reconnoitring the area. “You two stay here,” he snapped at them, “and if you leave the house I might as well consider you missing-nins and get it over with at once. Looking back towards the group, he pushed out the Kusanagi an inch or two out of its scabbard by using his thumb. “Do I make myself clear?” he asked with a growl before leaving the house and slamming the door shut.

____________________________________

Sitting amongst the higher branches of a tree deep in the small forest right next to the bridge-builder's house, Naruto watched the full moon with an impassive face. Three hours had passed since he left the house and he had used that time well. Efficiency and clear goals did wonder for how expedient one could be. Secure the area, prepare it defensively, get estimates. It was a mission he could have done as a genin. The forest and the general area had been reconnoitred and he had a good overview of the situation. A few dozen powerful seal traps were hidden amongst the trees as well. Any shinobi that tried to move that way would be dead before he knew what hit him. The very tree Naruto was sitting in carried one of those seals right now, it was sitting only a few metres above his head. Naruto had sat down here to gather his thoughts after having done what he needed to and as the night went on the young man pondered the day that had passed.

What an utter mess they were in. Hoshigaki Kisame and Momochi Zabuza, the two people he had equally much expected and feared he'd meet here. What more Kimiko was caught in the crossfire due to such an asinine reason as the one he had been told. After they had been attacked by two shinobi during a supposed C-rank mission, something meant to be shinobi-free, the fact that their client had lied to them had come out in the open. Thanks to Kakashi's quick action none was hurt bar a small scratch on Kimko. And what had they done? The mission had ended the instant the truth about how their employer had lied came out, they were expected to head back at once and leave the liar to his fate. Yet, for some utterly insane reason they had continued the mission as if nothing had happened. In the end they had arrived at wave and walked straight into Kisame and Zabuza. That bumped this mission up to an A-ranked at the very least, S-ranked in his opinion.

Whatever respect he had carried for Kakashi was undone at the moment. How could the man have become this stupid, this utterly idiotic? He had risked his entire team on the behest of Kimiko! Kimiko whose stubborn pride had made her cling to a mission that already was terminated! That little idiot!

She really didn't realize what an utter mess she had caused for all of them. Naruto looked towards the harbour and the half-finished bridge visible there. He wasn't even going to try returning to Konoha as it was. Kisame and Zabuza would be too risky to take on and he knew the two renegade swordsmen would wait for them if they tried to go over the strait. Two swordsmen versus him, Kakashi and three genin?

No, that wasn't going to happen. Especially not when considering who those two swordsmen were after. Black cloaks with red clouds, a dawn... an Akatsuki. Too much came together and made sense for Naruto to be the least happy about it. And yet the most terrible implication lay in the fact that they showed up here and now. Were they working with the Gato Company?

There'd be a lot of time to find out the details though. Kakashi would be out of action for days by the looks of it and they'd be confined to Wave until the bridge was finished. That was the only real way they could get away from here. The sea, once more, would make them sitting ducks for the shinobi swordsmen.

Naruto eventually decided that there was nothing more to be gained from sitting up in a tree like this and with a spin he rolled off the branch. Effortlessly, he landed on the ground and began walking towards the bridge-builder's house. It was just as well to go back and get a few hours of sleep. He had to the best of his abilities fortified the perimeter and if the two swordsmen now would be able to break through it would be out of his hands.

That was usually the hardest part to accept and live with, the fact that there was nothing more to do. Yet to Naruto there was a much harder truth to live with. In his mind the incident at Tazuna's house still stood firm. Kimiko's look of disbelief, shock and even horror was branded in his soul. To see his little sister look at him like that burned in him. Idiot though she may be, that little girl held a special place in his heart and to see her look at him with those eyes was not pleasant. After having been separate for so long they had come to meet again in the field of duty and Naruto, while not seeing any real reason to re-evaluate the choices he had made, did admit he had been crude and brutal in the enforcement of said choices. His idealistic sister had been faced fully with his coldest side. As a shinobi he had to be cold, focused and ruthless, something Kimiko hadn't seen in him before.

Sighing, Naruto slowed down as he looked up at the moon again. What a monster he must seem to her. The bridge-builder she had sworn to protect had been told by him, her beloved big brother, that one of him family members' life was forfeit thanks to his actions. It clashed savagely to say the least, her idealism and his pragmatism. Naruto didn't doubt this would be painful for her.

Still, that didn't matter. Naruto remembered Anko's death like it was yesterday. How he had stood in front of her coffin, looking down at the wood shielding him from seeing the face of the woman who had saved his sanity. She had died thanks to lying, deceitful clients who saw Konoha's shinobi as expendable weapons only. He remembered the pain and the outright madness which had come in the wake of her death. For no better reason than the lies... no not the lies he had moved past that! The “mistakes” of the client, she had died alone and unloved.

There was an element of selfishness to it, Naruto had enough clarity to see that. Anko's death had nearly shattered him. For all his talk of being above Orochimaru, Naruto long had suspected it wasn't moral as much as fortune which had kept him off that path. Anko's death had brought up the possibility and it had brought more than enough data with it to make the premise plausible. If he lost what mattered to him, Kimiko, his research... Mei. What would happen then? With everything gone and with the power to possibly, perhaps, bring them back... would he be able to stay away from it? Only with Anko he had balanced on the edge... he didn't want to experience that once again.

He could become his master, he knew it. For all his claims of being superior to Orochimaru he knew the same vices lurked beyond the surface. His vices were different from most people yet the same as his and for that he was judged harder. Naruto knew his vices were those of wanting to control his surroundings. Pride if anything would be his downfall, the day he refused to accept there were things beyond his control he'd cross the line and start down that path. And as his power grew that line only crept closer and closer.

For now he held it at bay due to the beacons in his life showing him the path. Kimiko, he knew, shone the brightest amongst those beacons. Anko's death had nearly undone him yet Kimiko had saved him, shining all the brighter for it. If she died as well Naruto could see his life play out in front of him. Hunt down the responsible, find no satisfaction in his eventual revenge and being left in a black abyss with the memory of Kimiko burning as a source of fanatic mania that could spur him to any level of deranged experimentation.

He had already lost Anko to clients not telling the full story. He'd be damned before he lost Kimiko to it as well. Anyone who touched his little sister would die, plain as that. Zabusa and Kisame would die. If Gato worked with them he'd die. The organisation behind the two renegade swordsmen would die. Plain as that, no hesitation or uncertainty, there was nothing but death in store for them. And if she hated him for it... well, at least she'd be alive to do it. It was a somewhat disgusting stance to take in the matter yet Naruto couldn't to anything else. The girl that had become his anchor to reality as firmly as Anko had ever been was sacred to him. It was possessive, irrational and frankly quite pathetic but at the moment he didn't care, anyone touching her would die.

Stepping onto the porch of Tazuna's house, he pushed the door open and walked into the house. It was in the middle of the night and everyone was asleep. Or no, not all of them. Sasuke was sitting by the kitchen table, seemingly asleep but the boy's attention was focused on the door. They had at least put out a sentry.

“Password?” Sasuke asked as he came inside, Naruto raising an eyebrow and not responding. “Good,” the boy said after a while and Naruto wondered just again how Uchiha Sasuke could have agreed to do this. Merely such a thing like that, a deception that would have given away if he was an agent even if said agent had tried to guess, was proof of his skill. He didn't doubt that Sarutobi Konohamaru was the same and they served under a man he had thought eccentric but capable. Indeed even Kimiko had her capabilities... a real Rookie Ace team that had gone off track like this.

No, no matter what Kimiko might think this was not acceptable. He didn't care if her idealistic view of the shinobi world shattered of if she came to hate him. As he passed by the room in which Kimiko was sleeping he could hear her mutter inside. Something about “show you”. What she was dreaming about he didn't know, only that the dream she seemed to live in had to end soon.

Dark thoughts came creeping to him now as he took up position sitting sideways in one of the open windows with the Kusanagi resting in his hand and one leg up on the windowsill. Orochimaru had brought him out of what idealism had remained in him in the most thorough manner possible and he had done the same, albeit in a more limited form, with Sakura. Perhaps it was time for Kimiko to be subjected to that as well?

Naruto remained seated there as the night passed by, watching out across the fields with ice in his eyes and cold rage his soul.

Chapter Text

“Good morning Naruto-san,” the cheery if somewhat weary voice of Hatake Kakashi said as the sun was slowly rising over the sea in the distance. Naruto had heard him exit his room, heard the sounds of what he guessed were crutches. He looked inside first now though and saw the man standing a pair of metres away supporting himself with crutches.

“I had expected better from you,” he said plainly.

“Hm?” Kakashi said genially, “what was that you said?” That oh so irritating habit of the man was still intact. Naruto supposed that was a good sign that Kakashi was going to recover but it only made him want to hurt the man at the moment.

“The instant the demon brothers appeared the mission was terminated,” he said bluntly, “your client lied to you and you still keep going. On behest of that little idiot younger sister of mine too!”

“It doesn't look better than that,” Kakashi smiled, “does it?” he asked. “I must thank you for your intervention though. Quite the splendid display there, I thought you went to Kirigakure to build up their science division, not revolutionize ninjutsu.”

“Unlike you I am doing my job,” Naruto said coldly, “recover as soon as possible,” he said as he turned to look out across the lake, “we're in a deep mess as it is thanks to your idiocy.”

“I know you were scared by what happened to Kimiko,” Kakashi said now, “but what happened to Anko-san will not happen to her.” Naruto felt it as if he had been dipped in cold water, his body tensed for a second and his breath hitched almost imperceptibly. That swine... he gritted his teeth before turning back to Kakashi with narrowed eyes.

“Are you really going to go there Hatake?” he asked icily, “Then tell me, what Rin are you trying to save this time? Or is it that you hope to get rid of another Obito?” If this fool wanted to strike at his sore points Naruto could give as well as he got and rammed his comment straight into the bleeding wound Kakashi still carried over the death of his team-mate Uchiha Obito. Many years ago, when only twelve years old, Kakashi had seen his team-mate Rin captured during a mission and the second team mate, Obito, had convinced Kakashi to abandon the mission and help her instead. Rin had been saved and Obito had died, something Kakashi and Rin both still grieved over. Kakashi didn't seem to react however, instead he only looked calmly at Naruto.

“None and none,” he said evenly, “and your sister will be safe, between you and me not even the demon swordsmen will stand a chance.”

“You've missed my point,” Naruto said angrily, “the mission was terminated. You kept going, defied protocol and currently balance on the edge of insubordination. And to what end? That you can complete an already terminated mission for the benefit of a client who lied about the mission parameters!”

“You've seen what Gato has done to this country,” Kakashi said.

“Irrelevant,” Naruto said, “you're a shinobi, not a monk. This is business, services and payment and nothing more. He claimed there were no shinobi but there were. Ergo: he gave false parameters and the mission is aborted on the spot. This became an S-rank mission the instant two shinobi swordsmen showed up and yet here you are!”

“As are you,” Kakashi said genially, “it seems we all are that until the bridge is complete. Looking forward to working with you Naruto-san. Now if you don't mind I was thinking of taking my squad out for some training.” With that, the man turned around and began to hobble his way towards the stairs away from Naruto.

“The life of one of the bridge-builder's family members is forfeit when we leave,” Naruto told him, Kakashi stopping. “I will not see Konoha's reputation be undermined like this and I will make an example here.” The copy-nin now looked back lazily.

“Hm?” he said absently, “you said something?” and with that, he departed down that stairs and left Naruto to only more and more desire to cave the man's head in.

He decided to forget about it however and instead he looked out towards the sea. With a single leap, he threw himself out of the window and landed in the trees expertly. It was time to scout the harbour and look for the “Fortune's Wind” as well as any traces of the missing chuunin. While at it he could take a look around to see where the two swordsmen might be holed up as well. He kept low, bouncing between the trunks instead of jumping up to run amongst the booby-trapped branches.

The trek to the harbour took only a few minutes owing to the abandoned feeling of the forest. Few people seemed to come here. Naruto didn't know why but neither did he sense anything he needed to be concerned with. Instead, as he reached the harbour, he disguised himself. He silently created his henge while in mid-air and the young shinobi elite that had started the leap had been replaced by a graying but still muscular man with a short beard and plain clothes in an instant. He landed soundlessly behind a few crates on the closest of the piers making up the harbor that one had been Wave Country's greatest source of income. As he stepped out from behind them however he saw the deplorable state they were in at the moment. While there was no shortage of ships it was still easy to see how much Wave suffered. None of the ships moved in or out of the harbour, few workers could be seen and the crates standing around didn't seem to have been moved for a long time.

Starting down the pier, Naruto carefully looked around at the ships he could see. One of these would be “Fortune's Wind”, the ship carrying Kiri's now deteriorating supplies. He'd have to locate it as fast as possible, especially since he now had to juggle this assignment and the end result of Hatake's asinine choice to continue his mission. The first pier seemed to be a no-go however, the only vessels he saw there were large, bulky cargo ships belonging to the Gato Company. Pursing his lips idly, he acknowledged that it'd take way too long to search the piers one by one and decided to instead ask around. There seemed to be something like 30 piers out there, way too much for individual investigation. Walking down the harbour with a slow gait, he patiently took in his surroundings. It was as bleak as he remembered when being here with Ao several weeks ago. More so even, it seemed like the slide into despondency was constant and still ongoing.

Yet so what? How had Kakashi drawn the conclusion that this became their problem?! How could that man be so stupid?!

Naruto spotted a worn sign saying “Harbour office”. Perfect, the ledgers there would hold what he needed so without speeding up he turned up the road leading there. He could see it even from here so without further ado he headed there, idly noticing that there were hardly anyone outside as it was. Not too much of a crowd to melt into. Things got slightly hairy when a group of mercenary thugs came walking down the road straight towards him. Obviously they were no threat but the ruckus a confrontation would cause would be a risk. Naruto therefore quickly hurried over to the other side of the street and made sure to not look at them. It worked though, the mercenaries didn't go after him. Vermin... something like this was good enough for them, to have simple workers hurry across the street away from them.

Reaching the harbour office, Naruto took a glance around and to his contentment there were no one watching so he therefore opened the door and snuck inside. The insides were little better than outside, only a single desk amongst the five inside being occupied by a hunched-over, tired bureaucrat who looked up when he came inside.

“Hey!” he exclaimed angrily, Naruto deciding to cut it short. He was not much for sweet-talking either way so he moved as fast as he could, tearing the man out of his seat by his throat and pushing him against the wall. Clenching his windpipe, he stopped the man from making any sounds and with one swift move he shoved thin needles into several of the man's nerve-clusters. When he removed his hand from the man's throat he remained where he stood, wide-eyed and silent.

“These needles are currently pushing into several of your nerve-clusters,” he told him calmly, “if I remove this one,” he poked one of them, “you will die. If I remove this,” he touched another,” you will be wracked by such pain that you will wish you were dead. This one,” he touched a third, “will let you speak. I will pull this one out now and you will answer all my questions. Otherwise I will pull out the second needle and leave you here. Not the first needle, that will be for whomever finds you to clumsily pull out. Only that if the second needle is pulled out before the first, the pain remains for the rest of your life. Understood?” He pulled out the third needle now, only just enough for the man to be able to speak.

The man's breath became accompanied by terrified whimpers the instant he pulled it out and Naruto stood still, waiting for his answer. It didn't come however, the man just looked at him in terror. Right, Naruto realized that he was dealing with a mere civilian. Of course he'd be terrified out of his wits right now. Patting him on the chin, Naruto asked again.

“Understand?” Now the man spoke up, a terrified whimper of an answer.

“Y-yes,” he said, looking like he wanted to cry but couldn't due to the needles sealing his body.

“I am looking for a ship,” he said evenly, “where are the ledgers for the ships currently in the harbor?”

“The.... the bookshelf,” the man answered, “a green binder with the month's name on it.” Naruto put the needle back into the man and walked over to the bookshelf where he found the binder fast. Opening it, he began to quickly flip through it. The ledger was a mess, ship entries having been put in at random instead of any real order. Still, be it by sheer chance or fate, he found the entry for Fortune's Wind quickly. He memorized the position of the ship before putting down the ledger and walking over to the man again.

“Now let's take a few more questions,” he said evenly, “how long has the harbour been sealed up and why?” he asked before taking out the needle again.

“A, a month or so,” the bureaucrat said, “ever since Kaiza tried to burn down one of the warehouses.”

“You're getting ahead of yourself,” Naruto said, “Kaiza?”

“He opposed Gato,” the man explained, “he said that we had to fight back but Gato had him executed.”

“So why is the harbour still sealed up?” Naruto asked.

“Be-because Gato wants to stop Tazuna's bridge from being built, he said that as long as that bridge is being built the harbour will remain closed.”

“Where is Gato now?” Naruto asked.

“I don't know,” the man said, Naruto narrowing his eyes and touching the second needle, “I promise!” the man yelped quickly, “he just shows up out of nowhere, flanked by those swordsmen of his!” Now Naruto perked up. That sounded interesting.

“Swordsmen?” he asked mildly.

“Some renegades from Water Country, Hoshigaki Kisame and Momochi Zabuza. They're his muscle and rough up anyone who even gets close! They've killed several people just for coming close!”

How disgusting. To think that two swordsmen of Kirigakure would have sunken so low. That was beyond even the depravities of the deranged third Mizukage. He didn't like what he heard. Still though, it seemed as though he had gotten all he needed from this man and he therefore reinserted the third needle along with a fourth one in the final nerve-cluster. The man went limp, falling down to the floor and Naruto removed the needles mid-fall, leaving the man to his sleep. He'd wake with a murderous headache and memories that were hazy at best. Just for good measure he looked around a little and smirked when finding the small stash of liquor under one of the desks. Dragging the man up to his desk, he proceeded to place out the bottles on said desk (emptied of course) and with that he left the office. It would suffice for now. He'd go to take a quick peek at the ship and the surrounding piers before leaving as soon as possible. There was no reason to delay.

Carefully closing the door, Naruto started towards the pier, pier number 21, where Fortune's Wind would lie. Things had gone well but only seconds after closing the door Naruto saw in an instant that it wouldn't remain that way. He didn't allow himself to show any physical reaction but the sight of what came towards him from further ahead made him feel a stab of anxious wariness.

Hoshigaki Kisame and Momochi Zabuza were coming down the road, both the swordsmen flanking a man who Naruto supposed had to be Gato. The short, squat man with a balding head and a walking cane looked quite out of place where he stood between the two towering shinobi swordsmen. Naruto remembered that he was undercover and quickly looked away, starting to move towards one of the side alleys not close by.

His escape would unfortunately turn out to be cut short however. A wave of coldness shot through Naruto and his eyes widened. In an instant his senses had gone from being alert to screaming danger and he moved on instinct, escaping upwards as he could feel the blow coming diagonally from the right. Shooting into the air, he vaulted around and landed on the roof of the building hunching.

He had done the right thing, Momochi Zabuza had launched himself at his former position. Judging from how his sword was out and held straight out to the side he could tell Zabuza had moved to maim him. The swordsman was looking at him with narrowed eyes and Naruto let the henge fall away. There was no point in having it up as it was and instead he only remained where he was, hunching down and putting his fingertips against each other.

”You've recovered swiftly I must say,” he said calmly, ”how is your back doing Momochi-san?” It was just as well to provoke the shinobi swordsman.

”Itching for payback,” Zabuza growled. ”Didn't think you'd have the guts to show your face here.”

”My my,” Kisame said from further away, drawing his sword as well.

”What?! Who is that?!” the man Naruto guessed was Gato demanded now from his position beside Kisame. The squat man looked up in shock at the sight. ”Answer me damn you, who is it?!”

”Namikaze Naruto,” Zabuza said, ”the clever snake of Konoha.”

”At your service,” Naruto answered dryly.

”Is that so?” Gato asked now, a venomous form of interest appearing in his voice. The magnate sounded intrigued to say the least and Naruto wasn't hard-pressed to understand what the man was going to attempt. Zabuza seemed like he was about to attack but Gato brushed up to the man and held out his cane to stop him. ”I've heard a lot about you, clever snake of Konoha. ” Gato said while completely ignoring the fact that Zabuza was clearly growing more and more angry behind him, “I understand you were the one who put a stop to those pesky blood nins in Fire Country not too long ago?”

“I did,” Naruto said, “how so?”

“A poison exclusively affecting only your enemies wasn't it?” Gato said with an oily smile, “surely something like that should earn you more than the harsh life of a shinobi, don't you think?” Gato was nothing if not predictable Naruto thought. It would be interesting to hear just how far the man was ready to go though. He was not one to pass by such a detail.

“Is this the part where you make me a better offer?” he asked neutrally, Gato smirking.

“Whatever paltry resources your village is giving you I will quadruple it,” he said frankly, “what more, thirty percent of said funding is for you to use as you see fit.” Now that was truly intriguing. Tempting even. Naruto hadn't expected the man to offer quite that much. Then again, as a transport magnate with a majority stake in nearly every part of the elemental nations he had that wealth no doubt. The inherent limitations in being part of a mercenary organisation who mainly did short-term missions and which poured a lot of their income into running a town as well became evident. Gato could throw around resources Konoha only with great difficulty could muster.

Never the less. Naruto decided it was best to rattle the man a little to shake those ideas out of his head. That was why he launched himself at the man, whipping out the Kusanagi and while Kisame leaped in the way and blocked each of the ten swift strikes he sent towards Gato Naruto still managed to shoot past them both, coming to a halt a dozen or so metres away.

“Pathetic trader,” he sneered as Gato still reeled in shock, “I am a shinobi,” he said icily, standing up straight, “my loyalty is not bought with simple gold unlike your two pet swordsmen.” He didn't have time to say too much more now however, Kisame launching himself at him and the Samehada collided with Kusanagi with enough force to make the air shiver.

“Glad you're not disappointing me yet Naruto-san,” the man grinned maniacally, Naruto smirking back.

“Not planning on it,” he said before adding two words. “Bunshin Daibakuha”. It might be silly but it gave him a shameful amount of pleasure to see Kisame's eyes widen in shock just before his clone body exploded in a loud detonation that sent the missing-nin flying backwards. The explosion rocked the harbour and the debris was sent flying dozens of metres in all directions.

Naruto, meanwhile, had fled downwards and now moved through the earth. He had found most of what he needed and also provoked both Gato and the two demon swordsmen of the mist quite severely. Worked for his needs, however he guessed that the locals would suffer the reprisals for this. Also, as he crawled out of the dirt in the forest close to the harbour, he noticed that he hadn't quite escaped this unscathed. His jacket was ripped in two places, one clean tear and one part where it had been shredded. His skin had already healed under the former and was doing so under the latter. A small smile spread over his face, the demon swordsmen were indeed lethal. He had missed this...

____________________________________

On the way back to Tazuna's home Naruto heard something in the forest and as he was leaping from one tree to another he acted in an instant by stretching his hand upwards, catching a branch and flipping himself higher up into the foliage to hide. Doing so soundlessly, Naruto proceeded to look down at what was going on and saw to his surprise how Kimiko's team stood below, listening to Kakashi explaining something to them. Naruto made himself a little more comfortable and decided to listen in.

From what he could hear the man was taking them through an advanced chakra training exercise. Water-walking was it? Not too bad an idea Naruto had to confess. In the situation they were in new jutsu would only be a new and foreign weapon they would not be able to use as smoothly as they'd need to due to it being so unfamiliar. Best to polish what already was there and chakra control was as basic and as vital as skills could get. Besides, with two shinobi swordsmen in the area it was a lost cause to think that these genin, ace team or not, would be able to take them on. He and Kakashi had reached the same conclusion, that if these genin would fight anything it'd be thugs and the likes. That would demand endurance and ability to conserve your strength as said thugs could very well be in the dozens and even hundreds.

Once more, what in the blazes had gotten into Kakashi? How could the man have done something so asinine?!

Below him the three genin had now started practising the Water-walking on the lake nearby and Naruto watched silently. Sasuke excelled from the beginning and the young Uchiha managed to get out to almost the middle of the lake within minutes. For Kimiko and Konohamaru things were going worse however, neither of them could get much further than a few seconds of time above water before the water under their feet exploded and they fell crashing down into the water. They were doing the exact same mistake, the two. Too much chakra, too much explosive energy. Neither of them were going to make it out there unless they relaxed.

Naruto remained there now, watching the scene below. Kakashi and Sasuke departed and the two genin remained below him, doing their best to get out to the middle of the lake. They still hadn't seen him he thought. If Kisame or Zabuza came after them they'd not notice it before it was too late. Therefore Naruto decided to keep an eye on them. To the hells with that bridge builder. The important thing here was Kimiko.

Still, the watch became trying for him as he watched, time and time again, how Kimiko failed for the exact same reason. Could she not see it? Could she not realize that she needed to calm down and aim for a measured effort? She had already completed easier exercises through that very same method, why couldn't she apply it here as well?!

After several hours of work Naruto was beginning to lose faith in that the two genin below him really deserved the title of Rookie Ace. Blindly trudging on in the face of constant failures wasn't ever good and both Konohamaru and Kimiko seemed too bull-headed to realize that. At the moment they were taking a break, both of them sitting down with water running in rivulets down their faces and with ragged breath. It was hard to look at really. Naruto wanted to leap down and correct them but he didn't and stayed put. This was a hurdle they had to get over on their own.

“Damn it!” Konohamaru yelled below. “How the hell does that Uchiha prick get it so easily?!” Quite the fierce guy, that one. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the language but remembered that Sarutobi Konohamaru had a lot of anger issues. Considering his history it wasn't that strange either. Kimiko didn't say a word however. She just got up again with the seeming intent of continuing. Naruto felt a twinge of something unpleasant upon watching her. There was none of her usual zest present at the moment. She moved almost mechanically and merely started towards the water at a quick run.

Naruto could see it already before she reached the water, there was no way she'd be able to do it. She was unbalanced, ran too fast. When she reached the water she indeed failed, running only a few steps out into the water before she fell over. She came to slip and crashed into the water. When she landed she cried out in pain and Naruto shook his head. He saw it, her foot had landed on the side and she no doubt had sprained her ankle. Sinking to the ground, Kimiko clutched her leg which at the moment no doubt was in quite a lot of pain. Naruto gritted his teeth and resisted the impulse that would have him leap down and see to her injury.

In the end though, it was actually Konohamaru that came up to her. The boy walked up to her and grabbed the girl before he pulled her to shore and knelt by her side.

“Sit still,” he told her and touched her ankle which provoked an outcry of pain from Kimiko. “Yeah, twisted ankle.”

“It'll be okay soon,” Kimiko said and Konohamaru looked up at her.

“No it won't you little idiot,” he told her, “an ankle like this can take weeks to heal. Don't you know anything?”

“I know enough!” Kimiko snapped and shoved at him. Konohamaru fell back on his behind and looked at Kimiko, who petulantly looked away from him with folded arms. Sighing, the young Sarutobi scooted backwards a bit and folded his legs.

“So, you gonna moan a long time about this?” he asked. Kimiko only scoffed and kept looking away. “You know sitting and moaning won't do anything, right? It's your fault for being such a fangirl in the first place.”

“What are you talking about?” Kimiko asked, now looking at him with an angry look on her face.

“About that snake-eyed brother of yours!” Konohamaru snapped. “Yeah boo-hoo, turns out he didn't like your call to keep going with this mission. Deal with it, that's what life's like. People you thought you could rely on turn out to not be worth shit and you're left alone. Fuck him, if he doesn't like this he can eat shit and die. You keep sitting around like you expect him to come around and say “sorry” but you know what, he won't! And the longer you sit around waiting for him the more you'll eat shit for it!” Naruto was surprised now. Now there was quite the little rant. Konohamaru had carried a sizeable pile of issues for a while now it seemed, to have been triggered that easily. Kimiko looked at him for a while now, eventually turning around a bit to face him a bit more.

“Did,” she began after a while, “did something like that happen to you too?”

“Yeah,” Konohamaru said after a while. “And as I said, you'll only suffer if you think it'll work out.”

“What happened?” Kimiko asked. “Come on, tell me,” she insisted when Konohamaru didn't say anything at first.

“You know my grampa was the third Hokage, right?” Konohamaru told her after a while. Kimiko nodded. “He gave me my name. Konohamaru, after Konoha. He did it right before he went and died dealing with the Kyuubi. After that I've been the “honourable grandson” to the entire village. I'm not me, I'm just someone whose expected to become the second Sarutobi Hiruzen. And on top of all that, when I was four years my only living relative left Konoha. Asuma, my uncle, left me alone in Konoha to go and become one of the shinobi guardsmen. And me? His only relative? I dunno, fuck me I guess. He didn't care he left me alone to be the “honourable grandson” to everyone. He had a big juicy career to pursue.”

“That's awful!” Kimiko exclaimed and Konohamaru scoffed.

“That's life,” he said, “and you know what? Fine. Fuck him. I don't need him. I don't need anyone. I'll become a better shinobi than him or anyone for the matter. I'll show them all and make them feel like idiots for ignoring me.”

“I'm in,” Kimiko said now, provoking Konohamaru to look up at her.

“Huh?” he asked.

“You're right!” Naruto watched his sister grin, “I won't get anything done if I sit around and cry. Let's get back on this and figure it out somehow. We'll become the best shinobi in Konoha and show them all, deal?” she asked as she stood up. Her foot was now fully healed and she stood without any problems. Konohamaru's eyes went wide at the sight.

“How the hell...” he began and Kimiko grinned.

“I'm awesome like that,” she said, “come on! Race you to the middle of the lake. Or are you too scared I'll beat you?” she finished with a grin that raised Konohamaru's hackles within a second.

“Bring it on bimbo,” he told her dryly as he stood up.

“You got it, jerk,” Kimiko teased before she began towards the lake again. This time her movements were much more fluent and when she started out across the lake she got half again as far as she had before. When she finally fell through the surface she came up again with a cheer. The zest was there again and Naruto slowly shook his head. She would never change would she? The thought made him sigh yet nevertheless there was still an element of happiness in seeing it. He twisted around now, falling off the branch and propelling himself from the tree. With lightning-fast and completely silent moves he leaped between the trees, around the two below and towards Tazuna's house.

_____________________________________

The days passed slowly, too slowly for Naruto's liking. It seemed almost like the world had decided to forget about the urgency of his mission and took its time in whatever it made happen. And what more; despite what he had done at the docks there were no reprisals from neither Gato nor the two demon swordsmen. Everything just floated steadily on even though Naruto had been sure something would give very soon. That both the magnate and the rogue shinobi had chosen to bide their time didn't sit well with him. It felt as though something was brewing on the horizon and he didn't know what it was.

Meanwhile Kimiko was growing by leaps and bounds in front of his eyes. Thrown out into the real world, his sister had responded at the same time as swimmingly as could be and as poorly. She just would not yield in her asinine beliefs and yet at the same time the passion and the ferocity with which she devoted herself to said beliefs were frightening. He was, to put it bluntly, more reminded of Maito Gai than anyone else when he saw her dedication. She just refused to give up, clung to her convictions with an iron grip. And indeed in doing so she even avoided the most usual pitfall of stubbornness; that which made it simple, bull-headed pride.

Inari, the grandchild Tazuna had mentioned, had evidently found their presence grating for for he had sneered at them and told them they were all going to die, that there were no such thing as “heroes”. Kimiko had responded to that with a quiet yet forceful statement that he was wrong and that she'd show him that. She didn't take it as someone being wrong, she took it as a challenge to overcome. With that, she her departed to go train again and Naruto, who had been standing outside the room at the moment, wondered just why that dedication couldn't be aimed somewhere more sensible.

Three days now after his arrival Naruto hadn't traded a single word with her however, instead keeping his distance and keeping both eyes on the world around them. He was of half a mind to seek out Gato and his pet swordsmen and end it before they made their move but another told him that was what they wanted. So therefore he simply waited.

The night had fallen and everyone was asleep bar him. Sleep didn't come easily to him during missions and instead it felt like he spent the nights in a kind of semi-asleep state which the least motion startled him out of. As it was he was sitting on the roof of Tazuna's house and looked out across the bay when something caught his eye. Further out along the shores of the bay someone stood. Said figure was watching the house and when Naruto's gaze fell upon him the figure waved. With narrowed eyes, Naruto fell backwards off the ridge of the house, pushed himself off it with his hands and formed a seal mid-air to create a shadow clone which he sent off towards the figure. He himself landed upon the bridge going out to the house and did his best to hide his presence. No reason to abandon his post after all.

Naruto waited patiently, making sure to not move more than needed but to nevertheless keep an eye on the world around him. It would have been too easy to sneak up on the house from behind while he was away with that unknown figure over there. Who would it be? While he waited calmly he still felt a sense of curiosity at who exactly it would be. Another Konoha shinobi? One of Yamada Kaito's teammates? Some kind of Wave country resistance? Possibilities abounded and what more, the figure had seemed clearly intent on catching his eye. Perhaps this was the moment things finally started to give in whatever way. If so it was not a second too soon.

After a while, say fifteen minutes give or take a couple, the shadow clone he had sent to meet the mysterious figure was undone since the fifteen minutes of activity it had gone through all came rushing back to him and making him remember in perfect detail every little titbit that it had perceived. What it told him was quite extraordinary indeed. One might even call it stunning. Of all possibilities that had been up in the air this hadn't been one he considered. And yet it was so perfect. When considering what had happened it struck him as more than just possible that this had been the fallout. It was an actually quite plausible interpretation of it all! Especially when considering.... Naruto raised a hand to his mouth now, beginning to lowly chuckle. The chuckle rose up to a slow laugh and Naruto felt his shoulders quiver.

Sometimes life gave you lemons and you made lemonade as they said. And yet sometimes it gave you uncut diamonds. Naruto felt the gears in his head begin to move at an astonishing rate.

“Sorry Hoshigaki,” he said to himself as he considered all the possibilities available, “you took a gamble and it failed.”

____________________________________

Something did indeed come to give after this nightly meeting. It was only the following day that things went south again. Tazuna's family alongside with Kakashi's Team Seven and Naruto was eating breakfast a sound outside made Naruto and Kakashi tense at the same time.

“We're getting visitors it seems,” Naruto remarked.

“Frantic visitors,” Kakashi added just before the door was torn open and a sweating, gasping man stumbled inside. Naruto remembered the man as one of Tazuna's workers.

“Tazuna!” the man exclaimed desperately, “Gato's thugs are at the bridge! They're tearing it apart and killing anyone who even goes close!” Tazuna looked up with shock on his face and Naruto raised an eyebrow. Interesting in a manner. Mere thugs? Not the two swordsmen? Then again there was a logic to it when considering the events of last night. The swordsmen and Gato seemed to be running separate agendas. Kakashi was on his feet quickly, as were his students. When Tazuna looked to them in shock they were already standing.

“We'll handle it,” Kakashi said with his ever so calm voice. Tazuna nodded however.

“I'm coming with you,” he said. Naruto supposed the man had a point. As the local leader of the people his presence would be justified, if risky. Then again with Team seven guarding him he guessed it'd be reasonably safe. Kakashi hesitated for a split second but eventually nodded.

“I'm not,” Naruto said calmly. Tazuna and the genin all looked in surprise at him. Kakashi's face was much more placid. “I'm not here to deal with thugs. That's your duty, a self-proclaimed one I might add.” He focused back at his breakfast, idly thinking that he should try using the kind of spices Tsunami was using. She made quite excellent breakfast.

“Don't worry,” Kakashi said with his placid cheer. “Enjoy your breakfast Naruto-san. ”

“I am,” Naruto said, “may I have some more rice please?” he asked Tsunami. In the corner of his eyes he noticed how Kimiko's eyes were wide and how she seemed almost livid. Still, Team Seven and Tazuna both departed without any further ado and Naruto looked up at Tsunami, whose face was a study in conflicting emotions. He probably had left quite the negative impression on the woman with this. In the end she obliged however, giving him some more rice yet the mood that settled when Tazuna and Team Seven left was quite strained to say the least. Naruto ignored it however and focused on eating.

“What?” Tazuna's grandchild Inari asked spitefully now, “too scared? You should be, they...”

“No you little idiot,” Naruto said calmly, looking at the boy with eyes that made him fall silent instantly. “Some mere bridge-workers aren't interesting to Gato. He wants your grandfather, a grandfather that will turn up with shinobi backup here. Gato will try to get around that by sending thugs here as well to kidnap you.” Inari didn't say anything after this and Naruto went back to his eating.

“Kidnap us?” Tsunami asked. Evidently she was frightened by the prospect.

“Yes,” Naruto told her. “Or rather try to, they will not succeed. That much I can promise.” Yes, that was the most reasonable scenario. Kakashi and him were a match for Kisame and Zabuza and with three genin any average thugs would be dealt with. Therefore Gato had to tip the balance, namely by striking at Tazuna's weak spot: His family. Of course if Kisame and Zabuza were both at the bridge things would get hairy but with the supposition that both Kakashi and him would come after them it got sort of pointless. Where would the two swordsmen be? That was the real issue as it was. At the bridge or here? Finishing up his breakfast, Naruto thought that it would be interesting to see. Tsunami took care of the dishes now and Inari walked over to the door to look outside. Naruto stopped him however.

“Don't.” he warned the kid. “If you look outside any one watching will know you expect company and feel no reason to be afraid about it. Don't show our hand.”

“How do you know that?” the boy asked sullenly.

“Because that's what I'd think,” Naruto said before taking out a scroll from his sleeve and opening it. “A shinobi looks underneath the underneath,” he continued before falling silent. He had almost slipped off into lecture mode there he realized. Was he that confident in his victory here? He supposed he was. That realization was almost awkward in a way. Considering his last battles and how battered he had came out of them it felt strange to realize that he was far beyond that now and would be able to handily defeat himself from six months back.

“What?” Inari asked quizzically and Naruto looked at the boy for a second before flicking a finger at his forehead. “Ow!” the boy yelled and covered up his face. Naruto now moved to flick a finger at his chest but Inari covered himself with his arms, leaving his head open for Naruto's other hand come up and flick him on the forehead again at the exact same spot.

“Something like that,” he said evenly before focusing at his scroll. Having copied over some of the more esoteric elements of his mother's clan techniques onto it, he started to mentally go through them again. He followed the patterns, trying to determine the flow of chakra and how it would be affected by the different configurations. A thing one noticed with fuuin is that it wasn't building blocks, one did not simply create a cage by adding this or that piece. It was much, much more complex than that. The patterns were incredibly much more abstract and to the untrained mind it seemed utterly arbitrary. Naruto loved it however. It reminded him of the number-puzzles that during his time as Orochimaru's student had been one of the very few entertainments he was allowed. What had happened to those anyway? He probably had the small folder with them at home somewhere and felt like he wanted to look it up.

Mentally making a note of that, he realized that some of the seals had a roughly similar function. They provided a “grid” for the chakra and with some fixed points already specified the chakra was funneled into a system where it played along, creating a web of interlinked symbols that would only further enhance the seal and truly lock the chakra away. How devious, the sealed entity contributed to the strength of its own prison. He wondered if there was any way around the flaws in said system. For flaws it had indeed, being susceptible to simply being overloaded by sudden chakra surges as well as that the chakra used to create the seal needed to be similar to the chakra it was going to seal. If there was though it'd revolutionize the way seals were used. A project for another time he supposed. It was then that Naruto noticed something.

A knock on the door brought him out of his reverie and Tsunami walked to open it. Naruto's eyes narrowed however and he reached out to silently stop Tsunami. Motioning for her to come closer, he leaned in to whisper to her.

“Grab your child and get to the safest place in the house,” he whispered silently, seeing how Tsunami's eyes opened wide. Fear made its way into those eyes and Naruto raised a finger to his lips. The woman nodded tensely and hurried towards the stairs up which Inari had disappeared. Naruto meanwhile rolled up his scroll and tucked it away. That woman disappeared up the stairs just as Naruto swirled his hand to summon the Kusanagi and with one move he stood up and whipped the sword straight towards the door. He extended the blade as fast and hard as he could, nailing himself to the floor with chakra to get more force behind it.

Sure enough, the blade shot forwards like a bloodthirsty snake and went through the rice paper door like nothing. Whatever was behind the door got caught by it and was thrown backwards, hard. Letting the sword extend until it hit what must be a tree, Naruto retracted the blade and walked over to the door which he opened.

About a hundred metres away from the door, by the trees along the shoreline, Hoshigaki Kisame was standing with his back against a treestump and with the Samehada in one hand. The other was currently tearing off an already ripped sleeve where it seemed the Kusanagi had caught him. His grin was almost demonic. Walking out and closing the door behind him, Naruto concluded that the two shinobi swordsmen had split up. A tactically sound move he supposed yet it would not avail them.

“No manners to people these days wouldn't you say?” Kisame asked him. The beast was overjoyed, he could tell that. Naruto knew this would be a very hairy fight right now. Some people grew to the challenge when given a powerful opponent and he could tell that Kisame would be one of those.

“Please just die,” Naruto said before charging across the water. He was tired of waiting, tired of having to wrangle with Kimiko's idiocy and Kakashi's seemingly encroaching senility. This ended today. In one second he was a third of the way already and had summoned two shadow clones. One of them leaped into the air and spewed out a swarm of powerful fireballs that landed behind Kisame and detonated with enough force to set fire to the woods. The second lashed out with both arms and a swarm of snakes shot out of his sleeves towards Kisame with an almost deafening choir of hissing. Naruto meanwhile readied the Kusanagi, letting his chakra play through it and making it sing the song Naruto had introduced to Zabuza already and couldn't wait to introduce to Kisame.

Kisame didn't disappoint. Instead of swatting aside the snakes and thereby leave himself open for Naruto's blade he simply charged him. Dashing past the snakes and out on the water, Kisame whirled the Samehada around to strike Naruto with all his might. He could try, Kusanagi's song would get to him as well.

The two of them clashed on the lake with enough force that the water around them was pressed aside explosively. The crash rung across the lake and yet Naruto found himself surprised as Kisame ducked to the side and kept his head away from the Kusanagi. When their swords met his head was almost three feet away which rendered the Kusanagi's song useless.

“It won't be that easy this time Namikaze-san,” Kisame grinned savagely as the two of them stood there, testing their strength against each other. “About one foot, right?” he asked, “That's how close one has to be for that little trick of yours to work isn't it?” Naruto gritted his teeth now and realized that Kisame already had figured it out. Annoying but then again that trick was not one of his aces either.

“Perceptive,” he answered, “I'm impressed.” With that however, he fell backwards and put his hands to the water as the Samehada flew over him courtesy of the force Kisame put into it which no longer meant resistance. Kicking upwards, he only barely missed Kisame's jaw and vaulted backwards, making sure to spit out a cloud of poison as he did so. Kisame had vaulted backwards as well and the cloud ended up covering him completely. Naruto wasn't done however and merely spat out a stream of fire which produced a quite massive result. The cloud, already mixed with the air around it, was lit on fire and the detonation was powerful enough that Naruto found himself pushed back on the water several metres. Leaping backwards again, he landed on the earth wall summoned by one of his clones to protect Tazuna's house and watched as the smoke settled.

When it did it revealed a troubling fact. Kisame was gone. The bastard had escaped down into the water it seemed and while the detonation might have rattled him there it wouldn't have hurt him. Naruto gritted his teeth and leaped away just before the earth wall was torn to shreds by a single mighty swipe of Kisame's sword when the swordsman came leaping out of the water just below the wall. Flying through the air, he found himself clashing mid-air with Kisame as the beastly shinobi came at him with his face locked in a manic grin.

Kisame was enjoying this, Naruto could tell. This was life for him, the only place he was truly at home in. It was at the same time a frightening and pitiable realization for Naruto who moved his sword as fast as he could to deflect every blow. Yet for all his skill Kisame was a little bit better and his sword much heavier. Cut after jagged cut burst open across Naruto's skin and even through his dulled pain receptors he could feel the burning sensation. Samehada was a madman's creation, that much was clear.

Still, Naruto had his advantages and used one of them, namely his mobility. He wrapped one leg around Kisame and with a series of moves he tore himself around the man to end up behind him. Back-to-back as they were Naruto had the advantage as he locked Kisame's arms and legs in place with his own. Now he used another of Orochimaru's techniques to extend and make his arms snake across his chest and lock around the man's throat from behind and the Samehada to his chest with the Kusanagi. Tearing himself forwards into a fetal position, he began to choke the life out of the man by pulling both his neck and leg backwards. Kisame snarled chokedly and struggled against the binds furiously.

“Struggle all you want,” Naruto hissed as they now were in free-fall towards the water. “It only speeds up the inevitable.”

“I...” Kisame hissed chokedly, “Might say... the same!” his last words were roared as he tore his arms forward and slammed them together to make seals at a blinding speed. His sheer strength overpowered the powerful lock Naruto had put him in. Raw power made him put his hands together and form the seals which, when they hit the water, turned out to have produced quite the nasty result. The pressure that hit Naruto was immense right from the get-go. It shocked him enough that Kisame, now in his element, could slip out of the grip and swim away from him.

The water they were in only rose now, forming a massive bubble above the sea around them in which the pressure only built even further. Naruto gritted his teeth and force himself to keep his mouth closed lest the air in his lungs was squeezed out of him. Kisame seemed to have no issue whatever swimming through the water however. Indeed right in front of Naruto's eyes something quite impressive was happening. Somehow Samehada and Kisame was merging. The swordsman was becoming one with his sword, producing a semi-humanoid, shark-like monstrosity.

This was bad. Naruto realized that his hubris seemed to have gotten the better of him again. He couldn't dispel this jutsu as it was and if the pressure didn't kill him Kisame would. Kusanagi was still in his hands though that gave little comfort. He could barely move as it was and Kisame now started to swim towards him at high speed. His intent was obvious and his success assured. Naruto was trapped in this massive orb of super-pressurized water.

Pressure. Density. Sound travelled faster through something the more dense it was. Naruto realized how he'd get out of this now and as Kisame approached he tightened his grip on his even as he started to feel his vision clouding. It didn't matter in the long run though. Chakra moulding was something he had done since he was a child and he once again let the Kusanagi sing. This time however, he had no restraint about it. He let the single note ring through the water at a volume that made the entire bubble of water resound. The entire bubble and Kisame's inner ear. Vertigo hit the swordsman and his darting journey through the water ended up swerving wildly to the side as the pressure explosively sunk around them both. Naruto found himself able to move now even though his inner ear was just as badly affected. With only calculations done in a split-second to go on, he nevertheless raised his foot and when Kisame crashed into him he could propel off the man and send himself shooting out of the water bubble and onto the land below.

Retching and feeling how his entire world spun, Naruto could do little more than recover and while he managed to get to his feet quite quickly he nevertheless was unable to do more than merely lean against the tree he was by. His breath came unevenly and his head spun. It was all he could do to remain on his feet as the water from Kisame's collapsed bubble came rushing around them. As his head began to settle he wondered just what had happened to his goal of ending his fights without being half dead. Still, at least he wasn't mauled just yet.

A sound made him open his eyes and he saw Kisame a short distance away. The man seemed just as frayed as him and his grin had turned more bloodthirsty as well as having lost all its cheer. Now it was just blood that mattered. Naruto pushed himself away from the tree and smirked as he raised one hand to motion for Kisame to come closer. Kisame obliged, roaring as he ran across the watery forest floor at high speed. The water was kicked up around him, following him into a roaring tidal wave as he clashed with Naruto, who sidestepped his blow, smashed his knee into his solar plexus and with his free hands dispelled the tidal wave before turning around and aiming a chopping blow for the man's neck. This time however Kisame was the one to place his hands to the ground and duck under the blow before aiming a kick upwards which Naruto only just avoided .

With both of them moving away from each other due to sheer momentum in their respective spin and vault they ended up with a few metres of distance with each other. Naruto used this, spitting out a blast of high-pressurized air which Kisame met with a cascade of water. This explosion whipped up a fog around them and Naruto put his hands together. Would he be using this form now of all times? It seemed like that and when Kisame came at him with a roaring haymaker charge he deflected the flurry of blows the man unleashed with a series of moves with his elbows. His hands darted in and out, deflecting the blows and between each moving in to make a seal. In the middle of his furious swarm of blows Kisame found himself struck straight from below as Naruto summoned a single, thin but compressed pillar of earth from below which impacted with the missing-nin's jaw.

Stumbling backwards, Kisame was unable to dodge Naruto's next series of blows. A series of powerful, stabbing strikes to sensitive spots on his body ripped out pieces of flesh in him as large wounds burst open all across him. Taking one large step forwards, Naruto spun around and kicked Kisame straight in the neck with a jumping spin-kick that sent the man crashing into the ground before finishing it with a lightning-fast series of seals that made the earth rise again. This time it was a large spike that shot up out of the ground. It tore its way up straight below Kisame and ended up impaling him, leaving his body to rise up limply from its fixture on top of the stone spike jammed through his chest. Naruto almost was surprised when the body fell apart into water. His body dissolved and the water came running down the spike and mixing with the water below.

Looking around, Naruto tried to see where the man had gone yet there was not a sign of him. Where had he gone? Naruto stood still for a while, looking around and keeping himself in a stance ready to act in a second. Nothing. It was then that Naruto realized something and within an instant he was moving at top speed towards the bridge builder's house, tearing the Kusanagi out of the ground while he was at it. Had the man snuck past him?! Naruto shot out of the forest and reached the house within half a minute. He half expected to see it cut in two but to his relief, no. It was untouched and when he burst into it one of the first things he saw was Tsunami's face looking out from under the stairs. When she saw him she opened it with the intent of coming out, revealing Inari clutching her with a fearful look on his face. Naruto blinked and looked back out. Nothing behind him either.

Kisame had fled. There was no other way to look at it. The man had fled the field and left Naruto behind. And yet... Kimiko. Naruto realized this before his mind could even articulate the question of “why”. Of course, with Naruto here he could go back to the bridge and finish the job. Having been thwarted here, he could shift to the bridge and between him and Zabuza they could finish what they had failed to do upon Naruto's arrival here.

“Stay hidden,” he told Tsunami and spun around, running off towards the bridge area as fast as he could. A series of lighting fast leaps took him across the lake and up amongst the trees as he darted forth to reach his destination as fast as possible

____________________________________

When Naruto arrived at the bridge what met his eyes as he came in through the mists that stood thick around it was no less than a bloodbath. Leaping through the air and landing on the closer end of the bridge, Naruto saw in an instant that Gato had sent not only Zabuza to the bridge but also a veritable army of armed thugs. Many of them were already down for the count and their bodies scattered across the bridge yet even more were still on their feet and busy engaging the genin of Team Seven.

Kimiko was at the moment fending off two large men with long, cleaver-like blades, the girl backpedalling furiously to get away from them before slipping in between their swords with fast leap and following up with a kick straight into one of the men's side. Meanwhile Sasuke was doing something strange, namely standing totally still and with a kunai he was deflecting every last blow a tall, wiry thug with two long blades were aiming at him. Naruto saw first after a second the gleam in his eyes and realized that the boy's Sharingan had been awoken. He no doubt was in awe over its powers now. Less in awe however was Konohamaru, who dodged under a large club and with a roar kicked his assailant in the knee from the side. It shattered with a loud crack and the man fell screaming to the ground where Konohamaru followed up with a kick straight into the man's solar plexus. Further away, meanwhile, Kakashi and Zabuza were clashing. They were far enough away that Naruto couldn't see them but the oppressive feeling of their chakra as well as the sound of crackling lightning told him enough.

At the moment however he had more important issues to deal with. Despite the impressive bodycount and the fierce fighting of the team seven genin it was plain to see that the thugs were bloodthirsty and experienced murderers and highwaymen who knew fighting down to the core of their being. To inexperienced genin like team seven these kinds of opponents were amongst the most risky. While slow and clumsy compared to shinobi, these thugs were unpredictable, canny and fearless. Naruto knew well that many genin had died at hands of people like these, their speed useless against people who could read them clearly and exploit their lack of experience. People believed shinobi immortal versus non-shinobi and yet they were all but, at least when it came to the genin.

Good then that he wasn't a genin. Naruto had ceased moving for half a second but burst into motion again now. Drawing the Kusanagi, he leaped in and finished it. Three seconds was all it took, three seconds of lightning-fast, pinpoint accurate strikes moving so fast that normal eyes couldn't see them. Konohamaru and Kimiko both came to a stop as all of a sudden the opponents surrounding them died in scores for each rapid heartbeat in their chest. It was only Sasuke who could even follow Naruto, the boy's head turning wide-eyed to follow him when Naruto dashed past him mid-swing. When Naruto came to a halt beyond the group and whipped the Kusanagi to the side to let the blood fly off he could look back and watch all the remaining thugs, 47 of them all in all, fall to the ground dead or dying.

Sheathing his sword, he used a wind jutsu to kick up a storm that scattered the mists and left the sight that now met his eyes open for all to see. To his surprise it turned out that Kakashi had not only held Zabuza at bay. He had indeed even ended the man. The very first sight that met Naruto's eyes was that of Zabuza standing stiffly upright with his eyes wide in shock. No doubt the cause of said shock was the hand currently rammed straight through his torso; Kakashi's hand. The lightning had faded from Kakashi's hand but Naruto understood it clearly. This was the Chidori's work. Having cut through every last defence Zabuza had put up, it had ended the man in one single instant. One hit, one kill. Kakashi's technique was indeed a piece of art.

And yet... strangely enough Kisame was not here either. His partner's death could have been given meaning had Kisame been able to snatch Kimiko from them. The window of opportunity would have been faint but nevertheless there. So why had he not struck? As Kakashi tore out his hand out of Zabuza and let the corpse fall to the ground he looked up to meet Naruto's eyes.

“The family?” he asked quickly.

“Safe,” Naruto told him, “Kisame ran away. I thought he went here.”

“I didn't notice him,” Kakashi said and first now Naruto noticed the trembling exhaustion in the man's voice. Kakashi was on the verge of collapsing again, chakra depletion had once again affected him. That was in many ways Kakashi's only real weakness, his poor chakra reserves and as it was now he was at his limit. Naruto thanked his fortunes that... and of course it wasn't really over.

Naruto looked towards the far end of the bridge and through the dispersing haze, almost a hundred metres away, he saw how an entire host of people, shinobi by the looks of it, had boarded it. Their weapons were exotic and what more, well cared for much like their clothes. It was evident these were well-fed and cared for shinobi. Unlike the butchered thugs these were people who were valued elites. Gato's private shinobi army. Naruto counted them to almost a hundred, with these mercenary shinobi's master standing in front of them with his What more in the middle of this host Gato stood.

“If you want something done properly you do it yourself,” the man smirked. “Game over shinobi. I win again.” Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man's arrogance yet saw where he was coming from. With only a jounin and three genin, all of them exhausted, on his side it seemed like a poor situation to be in.

“So it take it your little alliance with those two is done with,” Naruto said as he began to walk towards Gato. The trader only laughed.

“Call it alliance if you want,” he gloated, “I call it stoking some shinobi cultists' ego until they do what I want them to. It's funny really, how so many of those high-and-mighty super ninjas turn out to be utter fools when you push the right buttons. “Once again Namikaze,” Gato said as Naruto had gotten far enough that only he heard him, “My offer stands and I'll even increase it to five times what you get now.”

“You utter worm,” Naruto said, feeling almost a bit awed at the man's one-way mindset. “Do you still think that you can buy me with mere money?”

“Isn't that what you shinobi are in the end?” Gato asked mildly, “Don't be so high and mighty Namikaze-san, it doesn't become a scientist to be so deluded. You shinobi sell your arms and abilities for money. Not for for hope of a better tomorrow or whatever the latest hollow nonsense weaklings like to blather on about would be. Money and nothing more.”

“Cute,” Naruto said as he stopped about ten feet from the man, “Let's listen, where do you wish to take this?”

“The time of the great villages are ending,” Gato told him, “You are too specialized, you shinobi. You are creatures meant for war and nothing else, you cannot exist without it. You are a sword. In peacetime it sits, oiled in and cared for on its stand. And what weapon oil do you buy with money gained from fighting for a peasant drunkard with delusions of grandeur? It's not principles that makes shinobi feel such contempt for me and my kind. It's blindness, blindness to the fact that we are the same. Around me now stands an army that could level even minor villages, one not restricted by clan nonsense, split loyalties or confused ideas about its place in the world. You are a scientist Namikaze, aren't you? Gotten any chances to study the Uchiha Sharingan yet? What about the Byakugan or perhaps the corpse of the Shodaime Hokage? How much of all those riddles you want to examine are kept from you by contemptible warrior savages who think that violence and fighting is an end rather than a mean? Five times whatever your village gives you. No arbitrary restrictions or boundaries. Access to my entire network of contacts. And most of all, freedom from all these things that tribe of ninjas who thinks it rules the world force upon you. A man of clear-sightedness such as you should see where I'm coming from.”

“I do,” Naruto said, nodding. Gato made a splendid point. It was an alluring possibility. A shame the man was a greedy, sociopathic snake to whom nothing mattered other than money Naruto thought as he cut his head off with one fluid, dashing sword-attack. The swing brought him into the middle of the group of shinobi before any of them could react and Naruto didn't give many of them time to do so. “Die,” he said with an emotionless voice and opened both of the celestial gates he had control over. Kusanagi moved and began to sing once more, its song forming the backdrop to the dying screams of almost a hundred rogue shinobi.

Ten minutes later the battle was over. One person lived at the end of the bridge and Naruto came walking back towards team seven drenched in blood and with countless small yet rapidly-healing wounds on his body. Kakashi looked at him with a wary look on his face and the three genin seemed somewhat shocked by the sight. Unlike against the thugs who all had died from clean and small cuts this had been a blood bath. Cut off extremities, bisected bodies and heads split like melons were everywhere and the amount blood that ran freely was immense. A disgusting, reprehensible mass murder wrought by his hands. Naruto was as crimson as the bridge behind him. One arm was covered fully as he had stabbed it through a missing-nin's heart. His clothes were halfway to rags. Droplets of blood had been sprayed across his face and hair when he had decapitated a woman only a few inches from him.

“It is over,” Naruto said almost bitterly. “Not by some high and mighty moral stance, not by hope or heroes. In blood and death, where we live, it ended. Your mission in Wave is over. Go home.” Indeed it was over. Kisame had fled, Zabuza and Gato were both dead. Now to get the Fortune's Wind and go back to Kiri. The idiocy of his sister and an acute reminder not only from Gato but also from Kisame of how in chains he still was in so many ways. Finally it all was topped off with an utter bloodbath. Naruto scowled to himself as he snapped the Kubikiri Houcho from the ground next to Zabuza's corpse and sealed it into a scroll for safekeeping. Kimiko didn't say anything to him and frankly Naruto felt it was for the best. The massacres that just now had taken place at his hands were on her shoulders in a manner and if even one more asinine word came out of her Naruto didn't know what he would do.

It was then that he saw Tazuna. The man had been helping a wounded builder to get away and was as it was tending to him close by. Almost idly, Naruto grabbed him and pulled him up to look him in the eyes. The man's eyes opened wide and Naruto, in his numbed, angry state could see the fear in them.

“An S-rank mission costs one million at least.” He told the man, “Something like this would probably cost ten million. You will pay fifteen million to Konoha over the coming years. Get it done or I will come back and make every last threat I've made come true.” Without awaiting an answer, he threw the man into the cargo container nearby before stalking off. Wave country's air tasted bitter, like ashes in his mouth and he just wanted to get away from it all. That was why he headed down into the harbour and towards the Fortune's Wind, finally being able to visit it without being thwarted by the shinobi swordsmen

“Where are you going?!” Kimiko's voice rung out and merely this fact made Naruto stop and struggle with the irrational burst of anger that arose in him.

“I'm going to complete my mission,” he told her, not even looking back before departing. That was why he headed down into the harbour and towards the Fortune's Wind, finally being able to visit it without being thwarted by the shinobi swordsmen.

The Fortune's Wind was the kind of model called a junk. Despite what the name might imply however it was a well built, sturdy vessel however the crew was nowhere in sight. Naruto had searched the town during his days here and found nothing. Now at least though he could examine the ship. Leaping aboard it, he quickly found his way down into the cargo hold.

There however, as he picked up a torch from the wall and lit it, he sighed as he found out what had happened to the three chuunin sent to retrieve it. With tattered, bloody clothes and countless nicks and bruises over their bodies the three young ninjas stood chained to the wall. Gato's shinobi had noticed them it seemed and the three had paid the price for that. One of them, the young man Nagare Shien if he remembered correctly, weakly looked up at him now as the light fell down on him.

“You're... still wasting you... time...” he said with a dull voice. “just give up, you won't learn anything!” he hissed with a breaking voice. So at least they hadn't broken during interrogation. Always something Naruto supposed. He didn't say anything but instead only lashed out to cut their chains and freed the three. They slid along the edge of the ship wall and came down into a sitting position. He was so not in the mood for giving them medical attention but he forced himself to do so nevertheless. Four people would be better than one to get this blasted thing finally back to Kiri.

And so it did, an hour later the Fortune's Wind was finally setting sail and the swift Junk headed out of Wave Country's harbour and headed towards Water Country, Naruto honestly feeling that he would be happy if he never had to go back to this place.

Chapter Text

Arriving back at Kiri, Naruto worked expediently and swiftly, making sure that the three chuunin were sent to the medic nins and that the lab equipment was as soon as possible put into proper storage. 7,564 percent of the equipment was lost as it was already and Naruto refused to let even one more iota be damaged. What more, the sense of exhaustion, numbness and frustration at the entire thing just made him want to take a long shower, make himself a good dinner and lock himself in his room with a book for a day or five. Yet, just as he was making sure that the gear was taken away he felt the holder for the scroll in which the Kubikiri Houcho had been sealed rub against his arm.

Of course, he had to bloody go and report in that, report to a woman who most likely would treat him like dirt for having been so defiant. The situation favoured cynicism and while Naruto stalked away towards Mei's office a long row of scenarios shot through his head. The contents were roughly similar in most cases; Naruto walking inside, Mei acting like a prick and Naruto exploding with anger. Overall Naruto felt like he had been much more emotional than he used to be these last months and right now it felt like it could go south very, very fast.

When he came into the Mizukage's room he found himself with a mental check-list, cynically prepare to tick them off one after one. Mei looked up from her paperwork when he entered and already at the cool look on her face he ticked off the first item on the list.

“Mizukage-sama,” he greeted her, almost hissing at her when a wave of irritation hit him.

“You're back I see,” she said calmly, icily even. Naruto now all of a sudden realized that he wouldn't be able to handle this in as civilized a manner as he wanted. He merely took out the scroll and summoned forth the Kubikiri Houcho mid-air. The giant cleaver sword spun around and crashed blade first into the floor. Mei jumped a bit in her seat from sheer surprise now and her visible eye went wide.

“Momochi Zabuza is dead,” Naruto told her, “Hoshigaki Kisame got away. Also Gato got involved and he as well as his entire shinobi army is, as it stands, dead. Was there anything else, Mizukage-sama?!” he almost snarled the last words and for a few seconds Mei only stared at him in shock. Naruto, after the initial outburst, suddenly realized what he had done and for a second just wanted to sink through the floor with embarrassment. Mei however leaned back.

“ANBU,” she said, “leave, now. No one enters this room until I give the word.” Surprised, Naruto looked around as the hidden elite ANBU posted here departed and while they did so Mei got up to pull the curtains behind her shut. A few seconds later they were alone in the room and Mei looked to him. “What happened?” she asked. Her voice was softer now and had lost any inkling of its coldness.

“Pretty much what I said,” Naruto told her with as much calm as he could muster. Mei didn't buy that answer however. Not if the way she came up to him and put a hand on his chin was any inclination. Naruto stopped her however, sweeping the hand away.

“Naruto,” she said now, “What's wrong? This isn't like you.”

“Look,” he began, “Things happened, not all of them pleasant, but under the circumstances Kiri weathered this as well as could be and...”

“Naruto,” Mei cut him off, “I don't care about that right now. What happened to you? You are livid,” she said, “I've never seen you this furious before. Please, talk to me.” Naruto found the strength leaving him fast now. A soft touch and a kind word after which he lost his anger. Was he really this ensnared by her? Wait, yes he was.

“You don't have to involve yourself in,” he began.

“But I want to,” Mei told him, “please,” she said, slowly dragging him towards the desk where she sat down, gently steering him to sit down there as well. Sighing explosively, he eventually gave in, sat down on her desk and hid his face in his hands. Mei put a hand over his shoulder and another on his leg now.

“I don't even know where to begin,” Naruto said tiredly. Indeed where was he going to begin? This entire mission had stirred up so much dross from the bottom of his mind that he didn't know where to start.

“Start at the beginning,” Mei said gently and Naruto sighed. He didn't want to but eventually did.

“When I was an apprentice to Orochimaru I had a fellow apprentice,” he just knew how this would sound to Mei. “Mitarashi Anko,” he added after a second.

“Really?” Mei said curiously and Naruto felt the hackles rise again.

“Yes and don't you dare make a thing out of this,” he said icily before forcing himself to calm down again.

“I wasn't going to,” Mei told him with a somewhat taken aback voice which only made him feel even worse.

“I'm sorry,” he sighed again. “Either way, she was in many ways the reason I didn't become a second Orochimaru,” he told Mei, “she was like a sister to me, my closest friend. It might have been by simple virtue that I didn't have any others but still. She was a chaotic, defiant and crude woman but at the same time she was... she mattered to me, incredibly much. And she died because she was sent on a mission where we were told there'd only be bandits but a rogue jonin was there as well.” There, Naruto had said it. He had spoken aloud of that time, that event that still pained him in some ways. Mei seemed to feel for him too if the way she took his hand in hers and squeezed it was any inclination.

“I wanted to kill the clients,” he told Mei, “I almost did it too. I was so certain they had lied. I refused to think of it only as a mistake. I came this close...” he said, holding up his thumb and index finger with only a millimetre between them, “To killing a man over it and after it I was a wreck for several days. And the thing is this,” he began, getting to the issue at hand, “That time I lost someone due to a simple mistake, a plain lack of information. In Wave however...” he began, petering off. He felt a surge of anger and frustration at it all again.

“What happened?” Mei stroked his chin now, gently urging him to continue.

“Momochi Zabuza and Hoshigaki Kisame were there, and so was Namikaze Kimiko, my sister,” he forced himself to say. “They had been on a C-ranker escorting a client to Wave... a client who had lied about the mission parameters. He was being chased by Gato's shinobi but hadn't told them since it'd make the mission to expensive for him... and my idiot sister refused to abandon the mission when she found out about it. The mission was terminated, the client had lied and thereby rendered the entire thing null and void and yet that little idiot demanded they'd keep going. What more her sensei, who I thought had some kind of basic ability to use his head, had agreed!”

He let it all spill out now, methodically revealing every last bit of the events that had taken place that he could tell her of. His threat to the bridge builder, the clash between him and Kimiko, his disappointment and anger and how it all had ended in a blood-bath. It all frustrated him so immensely and left him so tired and enraged. His sister was in such immense danger and the little idiot refused to see it, refused to acknowledge the plain fact that she had duties beyond her own impulses. It almost came pouring out of him and while he kept his voice even he couldn't stop himself from telling Mei everything. He was so tired of it all and needed to vent so he did. And yet through all of this, his ranting, his frustration and his agitation, Mei sat silently and listened. She did not interrupt him with questions or made any remarks, she just listened to him.

Naruto fell silent after what felt like an entire hour of ranting. After having gotten it all out of him the frustration was not gone perhaps but at least spent. The tension he built up felt like it had vanished and all that was left in its place was the release, the catharsis. Sitting on Mei's desk, he realized that he was breathing somewhat harshly when Mei leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek.

“Seriously?” he asked her now but nevertheless did so without any actual venom, “that joke wasn't funny the first time you humiliated me with it,” he reached up to wipe the lipstick off but found that there wasn't any.

“It was hilarious the first time.” Mei smirked at him as she leaned back to support herself against the desk, a motion that pushed out her chest somewhat. “Don't worry though,” she continued, “I'm using a different brand than that time. Do you feel better now?”

“Not better as much as less,” Naruto said, “thank you for entertaining my ramblings. And once more, my apologies for snapping at you.”

“You brought me a sword and a missing shinobi team,” Mei said, “It'll have to do for this time. So the gear is retrieved now?”

“A little less than a tenth was destroyed,” Naruto said, “But it's within tolerable parameters. Within the week it all will be set up and the R&D division will finally start making serious progress. The... the wave mission was in all things a staggering success for Kiri. Not only was the Kubikiri Houcho retrieved, Gato is now dealt with once and for all and the seized equipment was retrieved at no loss of personnel.” Yes, that was the truth. For Kiri it was such a success no matter his personal view of the matter.

“My hero,” Mei whispered in his ear and Naruto felt a shiver at her hot breath. How amusing in a manner. After his first meeting with Konoha again, and his sister no less, in months he had been furious and yet now, back in Kiri, Mei had disarmed him within the hour. Faced with it head on, he realized that he didn't like the idea of someone, anyone, having this much control over him. And yet as he looked at Mei, seeing the wry little smile on her lips, he realized that he didn't really mind as long as it was her. Infatuation was a fascinating psychological phenomenon wasn't it? A year ago he'd have scoffed at the very concept and yet here he was.

“Is this going to end the way I think it will?” Naruto asked Mei now, seeing the Mizukage purse her lips at this.

“I've no idea what you are talking about,” she said innocently and Naruto rolled his eyes. Yep, it was going to go that way. Mei was a master at playing him it seemed. She nudged and hinted him in the direction she wanted him so subtly that in the end he was the one taking action. And right now, after things had gone as they had gone, there was no doubt only one thing on Mei's mind. Was he in a position to complain however? No not really; it was on his mind as well. Damn this woman for so easily making him relax.

“You win,” he said dryly and saw the small gleam of triumph in her eyes right before he leaned in to kiss her.

Getting to her apartment was something of a tricky question seeing as how the ANBU were right outside the door yet let it never be said that either of Mei or Naruto were not well deserving of their shinobi skills. It was not long before they got back to her quarters and even that time was like an age compared to how long it took them to go from the window through which they entered to the bed. Naruto still, as said, had frustrations to work out and if Mei found anything objectionable about the intensity arising from this she did not show it. The opposite in fact and Naruto realized something fascinating.

If he did it well enough, using what he had learned about her, he could make her lose control. Not from sheer shock like when he had first started to bite back during her teasing. No, tear the control from her by simple skill and leave her unable to retake the initiative which actually put her at his mercy. And Naruto being who he was refused to not exploit the initiative.

Some time later, Naruto having no idea how long, he found himself lying in Mei's bed with the owner in his arms and her back against his chest. She wasn't asleep, that much he could tell, but she did not move an inch. She seemed content where she lay and Naruto found himself forced to admit that so was he. Here, holding a woman he logically should have nothing to do with and being far away from the Konoha R&D division he was content to be. He wanted to remain here in Kiri for now. Konoha to him felt like one massive mess he'd be happy to not have to deal with as it was. Sighing to himself, Naruto thought that he really didn't mind that this mission would take several more months to finish up.

____________________________________

Early the next morning Naruto decided to pay a visit to his apprentice. Having been gone for over a week during the most intense phase of her mutations, Naruto felt it the most prudent to visit her and get an overview of her current state. There shouldn't be any issues but then again, at the bleeding edge of science many things were uncertain. If Sakura's mutations ended up turning malignant quite a lot of nasty things could possibly happen. Even at a cursory consideration Naruto could think up a dozen ways this could kill her. The most nightmarish of these would probably be if the formation of her subdermal snakeskin which was based in the genetic disorder called Ichthyosis ended up going haywire. Her death would be the stuff of nightmares. Naruto remembered when Orochimaru had shown him what he called a “harlequin baby”: a baby who was born with a hardened skin which cracked and broke into what looked like plates and which without exception would die within days of birth.

No Naruto thought as he walked up the stairs to the third floor of the giant high-rise where Sakura had been given a small apartment. That shouldn't happen. The risks were minimal of something like that coming to pass and even if it did he had other retroviruses which should reverse the process. Sakura would no doubt be in a lot of pain as it was but that would be all. Even that was cause for some concern or at least some attention however so that was why he currently was heading towards her apartment.

From what he could see when he looked around it seemed to be a sort of pleasant “neighbourhood” she lived in. Two doors to the right he saw several children's toys scattered around the door and the walkway and directly to the left the windows were filled with flowers. Some normalcy would probably do the girl well considering all the strange things that was happening to her. The door was open he realized as soon as he touched the door handle. A bit careless in a manner he supposed but then again he left the door open as well. They were amongst allies so it was a forgiveable lapse in watchfulness. When he opened however he heard something inside. Voices were talking inside and Naruto smirked to himself. It did not take his mental acumen to figure out who her visitor would be. That boy really did take his assignment seriously didn't he? Or perhaps...

Either way Naruto snuck inside and closed the door behind him soundlessly. The apartment was mostly unlit and the voices came from the bedroom it seemed. An errant thought flashed through Naruto's head at this. He thought about what sights might be beheld if one entered his apartment under similar circumstances. He shuddered at the thought and slowly shook his head. If that was the case Sakura had taken that little acquaintanceship several miles too far. Still there was no reason to make claims without data to back them up so he therefore silently moved towards the bedroom and glanced inside.

To his relief nothing improper whatsoever was going on. Sakura was lying in bed and Chojuro was sitting by her bedside currently pouring some tea for her. His apprentice looked bluntly put horrible. She was pale, sweaty and radiated discomfort. An idle thought struck him that she would make for a good painting as she looked now. With some well-arranged lighting and a decent artist to capture it she'd really cut it as a drawing capturing the essence of disease and weakness.

“Thank you,” Sakura said with a broken voice now as Chojuro gave her a mug of tea before she slowly sipped of it.

“Are you sure you don't need any more medicine Sakura-san?” Chojuro asked now with a voice betraying his naked concern. “The drug-store is still open.”

“No,” she told him, “master told me...” she said weakly before being cut off by a savage attack of coughing that left her unable to answer and which made her shake. It was almost a minute before it broke off and Naruto nodded to himself. A raw throat was to be expected. She really shouldn't talk too much as it was. “He told me...” Sakura began again, “that my body... normal medicine won't work on it.”

“But why...” Chojuro said, “I don't understand why he has to do that to you. What kind of...” the young swordsman petered off now and seemed unable to explain what he wanted.

“It's a side-effect,” Sakura told him, “I had to give some things up to...” she was broken off by another barrage of coughing now, “to learn what he could teach me.” She croaked the last words. Chojuro didn't seem convinced however.

“But what has he even taught you...” he said now, “he did this to you and then left on some errand...” Now Naruto decided to intervene and with a few subtle moves he got inside the room at least partially.

“Said “errand”” Naruto began as he leaned against the doorframe. The reaction to his appearance was Sakura gasping and Chojuro almost flying off his seat in shock, “was to save more or less every bit of progress we have made here.” He stood now with his arms folded and a dry look on his face, “I would appreciate if you did not belittle my work,” he added and watched how Chojuro flinched again. “How are you Sakura?” he asked and Sakura swallowed. He could tell that doing so was painful for her but she answered him nevertheless.

“I... I think it is starting to get better, a little.” He wondered if she was trying to impress him or if she was trying to tell herself that such was the case. In any case she was hardly looking like anything was improving.

“Good” he said nevertheless and glanced at Chojuro. “Would you mind?” he asked frankly,“I need to talk to my apprentice.” Chojuro initially didn't seem too interested in obliging and looked towards Sakura for a second. His protective instincts were embarrassingly obvious and Naruto mentally rolled his eyes at the spectacle. Motioning him to come up closer he leaned in to whisper in his ear. “If you are that frantic to help her there is a brand of elbow grease that could help her. It is called Dihydrogen monoxide. I have seen it in Kiri.” Fishing out a small bill out of his wallet Naruto pushed the boy towards the door and while he still seemed hesitant he nevertheless obliged eventually.

“I-I'll be back as soon as possible Sakura-san,” he said before departing and Sakura nodded understandingly towards him with a small smile. How adorable were they not together? Naruto shrugged off the thought after a second along with one about how many things he thought about now that he had refused to consider before meeting Mei.

“How are you truly?” he asked after Chojuro had left and he had seated himself on the chair said swordsman had been using. He leaned back and clasped his hands now as he waited for her answer.

“I...I...” Sakura looked down at the sheet covering her now. Her unease at the thought of speaking what she'd no doubt perceive as ill about her master's work was obvious.

“I ask not for what you think I want to hear” Naruto told her frankly now. “I am asking for the truth and nothing but the truth.” Now neither of them spoke for a while. In the end however Sakura did break the silence.

“I'm scared” she said with a tiny voice. “I don't know what's happening to me and it only seems as if it gets worse every day. I'm thinking that...” she trailed off now and fell silent.

“That?” Naruto asked calmly.

“That... you've done some mistake” she admitted. “That I'm dying.”

“Have you felt it like your skin is getting stiff enough to prevent your actions?” Naruto asked her now. “Uncontrolled muscle spasms or seizures? Sudden fainting? Strange smells that no one else feels?”

“No...?” Sakura answered him.

“Then there shouldn't be any risk to your life” Naruto stated plainly. “you are in the final stages of your transformation however. This is the most trying part but there will be nothing but improvement from where you are now.

“Did you... feel like this too?” Sakura coughed.

“Not quite” Naruto said. “I spent five years mutating like this and while it was never at this level of intensity for me I was not excused from any part of my training. Also...” Naruto looked dryly towards the door where Chojuro had exited. “I did not have such a caring nurse.” He looked towards Sakura who blushed somewhat at this.

“But master...” she said. “Weren't you in Konoha then? Didn't your family...” she broke off into another coughing fit now.

“It was they who handed me to Orochimaru to essentially get rid of me.” Naruto told her this to him old truth but Sakura's reaction was immense. She stared at him in pure shock and her head began to slowly move sideways in denial.

“What?” she asked incredulously. “But that... how could Hokage-sama do that? He isn't... master... I don't understand.” Of course she didn't understand. The mere idea of the grand hero of Konoha Namikaze Minato abandoning his son to a complete monster seemed preposterous.

“Let's begin with this,” Naruto said “There is no cartoonish villainy involved here. Hokage-sama is not some soulless card-carrying manipulator who threw me away because I was inconvenient. What happened was the attack of the Kyuubi no Kitsune against Konoha. Do you know where the Kyuubi went Sakura?” He thought to himself that it was time that Sakura learned of this fact.

“Didn't Hokage-sama kill it?” Sakura asked and Naruto shook his head.

“You can't kill something like that so easily,” he said “It was sealed away into one of the few things able to contain a thing like that: a human.” The look that came over Sakura's face now was horrified yet at the same time understanding. The implications made her reel and the enormity of what it meant was clear to her yet at the same time she knew enough to see how and why to some degree.

“That...” Sakura said with the shock still evident on her face. “What do you even call that?”

“Jinchuuriki.” Naruto informed her. “The “Power of human sacrifice”.There are nine tailed beasts and at the moment eight jinchuuriki. The three-tails is sealed away in a hidden location, all the others are sealed into humans. Sabaku no Gaara of Suna. Nii Yugito and Kirabi of Kumo. Roushi and Han of Iwa. Utakata of Kiri. Fuu of Taki and finally, Namikaze Kimiko of Konoha.”

Naruto guessed that this string of revelations really formed a quite massive hat-trick for Sakura so he therefore decided to remain silent for a while and let her process these facts.

“Kimiko-chan...” Sakura sat still and slowly blinked. It was obvious to see how completely the feet were swept out from under her by the revelation that her old friend was a container for a demon. Naruto wondered if she'd fall down the usual pitfall that people for some reason kept bumbling into and denounce Kimiko as the same as the Kyuubi. Probably not and if she did he'd slap it out of her in a moment.

“You no doubt have some questions,” Naruto said now. “Let's hear them.”

“Kimiko... does... does she know?” Was the first question.

“She does and hates it.” Naruto knew that well. Kimiko hadn't one good word to say about the demon inside her. “Unlike most Kages however Hokage-sama decided that Kimiko was to be given a normal life. The fact that she is a jinchuuriki is information classified as need-to-know only.”

“But... but why did that make Hokage-sama give you to... to that man?”

“What do you think happens to a family after the father has decided to seal a demon inside their newborn daughter?” Naruto asked this softly. After all these years and all that had happened he remembered that time with a dispassionate pity more than anything else. “And what more said father has an absolute responsibility for the greatest shinobi village in the world which now is devastated. The mother meanwhile is left at home with a child desperately struggling to adapt to the horrifying new chakra present in it and who screams in pain almost constantly. There was not much room for another person in the picture. Human weakness and tragic yet perhaps understandable oversights on their part left me alone. Then they discover that they essentially abandoned their first born son and at that very moment Orochimaru was there to drip his poison into their ears and claim me for himself. One can dress it up however one wants though. The fact of the matter is that I was abandoned to Orochimaru by my family. Under the most understandable of circumstances perhaps yet still.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Sakura asked now and Naruto supposed she had a point. This was pretty much his entire past laid out for the girl. Considering that he hadn't really been that frank with her about his past it did come across as curious that he was spilling it all now.

“Because in order to understand why things happen as they do we must know what lies behind it,” he said “Look beneath the surface of things and seek the explanation for the present in the past. I have no shame about what I am. I have no reason to be. Do you?” Now he switched track “What is that boy Chojuro to you?” Sakura's face told Naruto much more than he needed to know as it turned beet red in an instant. Sighing, Naruto idly thought to himself that he probably was the worst possible person to give Sakura the little speech he would have to give now. The accusations of hypocrisy could have been made by Kimiko so obvious it was.

Still they should have time before Chojuro came back. That which he had sent the boy to chase after was the full name for H2O, water. Knowing the general lack of science understanding in Kiri the boy would be away chasing it for hours.

____________________________________

“Careful with the equipment you fools!” Naruto snapped as several of the lab assistants were busily bringing said machines into the large office that would become the main computer hub in the labs. One of them had stumbled and almost fallen with the machine in his hands. Naruto had already killed over a hundred people to secure these goods and was not going to tolerate anyone damaging them.

“How exciting Naruto-sama,” Harusame was standing right beside him being his usual calm and patient self. “This really will be the R&D departments rebirth.” The man looked around himself with a kindly smile.

“Unless these idiots end up breaking it all,” Naruto muttered to himself as much as he said it to Harusame. As if to tease him with the possibility one of the women carrying a tray of sensitive equipment stumbled a few metres away, coming to desperately fumble forwards before crashing into the floor. Naruto's eyes opened wide now and he raised his hands in a horrified gesture as he witnessed the whole thing. Then, just before the woman crashed into the ground she managed to tear the tray upwards and when she hit the ground chest first the equipment on it remained on said tray.

“Safe!” she yelled out desperately and for a while everything was silent in the room as every eye there was turned on her. After a few seconds everyone began to slowly applaud the woman's quick thinking, Harusame amongst them.

“Well done,” the man said and the woman blushed fiercely as she quickly got to her feet again, tray in hand.

“Please avoid tossing more of the equipment around,” Naruto groaned as he covered his face.

“Sorry sir,” the woman said quickly as she got to her feet. Naruto noticed that she had gotten tangled up in the power cables that criss-crossed the floor. The labs were a bloody mess as it stood but Naruto supposed that was to be expected.

“Should we see if we can get some genin in here to take care of cables and the likes?” Harusame asked and Naruto nodded. That would be a convenient solution. Getting some genin in here to do the menial labour would free up lab personnel for other tasks and it'd also give the young shinobi a chance to look at all the exciting new toys the R&D division had.

Things were looking up as it seemed. The Kiri science division would be decently capable after this. Sadly there was still years or work and millions of Ryo's worth of investment left until it reached anything even close to Konoha's level. Yet as it was they'd have a sufficient ground to build on. Within a year the first new assistants from the academy would begin to trickle in and give it perhaps... five years Naruto estimated, and they'd be well on their way to having an organisation that'd be world-class.

Naruto latched onto a small realization there. This was why he liked being in Kiri. Life was simple here. It had been a new start for him, one without the stigma of being Orochimaru's apprentice, without his messed up family situation or indeed any of these things. A researcher came into the room now with a stack of papers.

“Sir,” she said as she came up to Naruto, “Here's the first feedback from the chakragraphologic instruments.” Naruto took the papers from her quickly now and poured over the reports.

“You've already calibrated?” he asked after a second and the woman nodded.

“Yes sir,” she said, “we noticed the background chakra threw off our readings and I took the liberty to calibrate. The original readings are on the next page. Naruto turned to said page and nodded to himself.

“You are now acting head of chakragraphy until I find someone better or make it official.” Naruto was positively surprised. Said woman had when he arrived been a slacker whom he had taken into his office and made cry on a weekly basis. She really had risen to the challenge in the end it seemed. “Also just so you know,” he added, “If I find out you took the credit from someone else, which I will...”

“You'll reduce me to a sobbing little girl before throwing me out from the highest window we have,” the woman added with a cheeky smile, adding “Sir” after a tiny pause. Naruto looked dryly at her but couldn't help giving her a wry smile. She did indeed get it. This was the kind of attitude he wanted to see. He didn't mind some cheek from his subordinates as long as they remembered that they were as said his subordinates and did a good job. Cheek was something he felt people could earn.

Now however a new person came into the labs. This one did not belong in the labs Naruto saw. He was wearing a shinobi outfit and carried himself militarily, meaning a field shinobi. Said man came up to him and made a formal salute.

“Namikaze-san,” the man said and Naruto mentally sighed, “Mizukage-sama requests your presence immediately.” How could he have known that was exactly what the man wanted? Naruto gave the report back to his newly selected head of chakragraphy before turning to Harusame.

“You've got the labs until I return.” With that, he departed along with the man. It vexed him to leave but an order was an order. “Any details on what the matter concerns?” he asked as he and the shinobi both left the R&D department's building.

“A messenger just arrived from Konoha,” the man said, “I don't know the details but Mizukage-sama looked as if she wanted to kill someone when I was summoned. Naruto got a sinking feeling in his guts at this. Messenger from Konoha and an enraged Mei. The scenarios were many and few of them seemed even the least attractive. Thinking about the wave mission, Naruto wondered if it would be tied to that somehow. There were quite a few ways Minato could make a fuss here but he found himself praying that wasn't the case.

At the Mizukage's office Naruto could practically sense the anger emanating from it and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Something told him that he'd most probably find a corpse inside the office and he noticed that the man beside him seemed antsy as well. He opened the door and came inside with a bow.

“Namikaze Naruto-sama, Mizukage-sama,” the man introduced Naruto as the latter came into the room. Mei was present indeed and at the moment she was looking as furious as he could remember her looking. With her single visible eye as cold as ice she was at the moment drilling holes with her gaze into the messenger. Or rather messengers, there were two of them. Izumo and Kotetsu were both standing at attention in front of the woman and looked as if they would have very much preferred being elsewhere.

“Long time no see Naruto-san,” Izumo said when their eyes met. Both his voice and his smile was very forced indeed and Naruto felt a sting of anxiety. What exactly was going on here?

“Indeed,” he said before getting to the heart of the matter. “Judging from the mood in here someone will die soon. What is going on?”

“Yes,” Mei said with a frigid voice, “Why don't you tell him what you just told me?” Izumo cleared his throat awkwardly now and Kotetsu took a breath before speaking up.

“Hokage-sama...” he began, “Has put your mission on hold Naruto-san. You're going home as soon as possible.” Naruto felt it like he got cold inside and blinked. It took him a second before he was able to articulate a response.

“What?” he asked incredulously. This went beyond what he had expected. Sure enough, there had been the clash in Wave which had said quite a lot but that it would... Naruto found himself deeply worried about what this meant. And not only that, they wanted to take him back to Konoha, IE away from what he had spent months building here! He found himself wanting to yell “no” all of a sudden but kept his mouth shut. It came like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, the realization that he'd be forced to leave not only Kiri, but Mei as well, within days!

“The terms of the agreement made between Kiri and Konoha was contingent on Kiri being politically stable,” Kotetsu said, “There only recently was a large battle with over a hundred dead missing-nins, mostly Kiri, in Wave. Two shinobi swordsmen were present and one of them is still at large. Hokage-sama doesn't want to risk one of his premier assets.”

“So therefore he has thrown our agreement out of the window?” Mei asked with a small smile that was colder than the polar ice. Naruto became almost afraid at the sight. She was angry, she was as angry as could be.

“Not completely Mizukage-sama,” Izumo said quickly now, “He merely wishes to make sure his top researcher is as safe as can be.”

“And that couldn't be assured in Kiri?” Mei asked mildly.

“He... didn't give that impression to us,” Izumo coughed awkwardly. The mood inside the room was rapidly approaching absolute zero, the temperature where all atom-based movement ceased and time stopped. Mei did not scream, snarl or yell. She didn't even scowl but the implicit fury in her every move made Naruto wince. And why shouldn't she be enraged. Naruto hadn't expected this to come to pass at all. What it implicated almost left him with a sense of vertigo and he gritted his teeth. Damn it all to hell!

“A “premier asset” was it?” he asked the two icily and they looked towards him.

“Well, yes.” Kotetsu said now. Bless the two chuunin, they had absolutely no idea of the things going on behind the scenes and were now just try to complete their hardly enviable duty without stepping too hard on too many toes. They were landing with iron plated boots on Mei's toes however and Naruto hated his mission so much in this moment.

“Your mission is complete,” he told the two. “Leave, now.”

“But we...” Naruto took a step forward now, leaning in so he was only a few inches from Izumo's face which shut the man up instantly.

“I said,” Naruto told them as calmly as could be, “Leave.” Izumo and Kotetsu both halfway fled the room with only minuscule amounts of dignity and as the door shut behind them. Naruto was left looking at Mei, who still sat in her seat with an aura of restrained fury about her.

“What is that man thinking?” she asked after a couple of seconds. “Did he seriously not think this would come across as a massive insult?”

“I don't know what to say,” Naruto told her sincerely, as sincerely as he could. He couldn't comment on Minato's reasons however. He knew, he understood, and he hated it. “Damn it all to hell...” Naruto said. “I must speak with Harusame. We'll have to draw up a plan for how to handle this.”

“You're just going along with this?” Mei asked now all of a sudden, the emotions crawling into her voice.

“What do you want me to do?” Naruto asked, “he is my Kage, defying him equals treason.”

“This is...” Mei began with some fervour now, “I can't... that son of a!” eventually the steam left her and she deflated in her seat. Naruto hated Minato in this moment. Mei had put so much hope in the alliance, risked so much, and now it seemed as though it came around and shafted her massively. When he came back to Konoha he'd strangle the man until he made amendments for this insult. “Do what you have to,” she eventually said with an almost dead voice, “Let me know what your plans are soon.”

“I will,” Naruto said, leaving the Mizukage's office with rage in his heart again. He stormed through Kiri with gritted teeth and narrowed eyes yet at the same time with a mind working at high pace. He'd have to speed up the formation of the Kiri R&D hierarchy, today.

Damn it all to hell! Naruto stormed into the R&D division's building and headed for where Harusame had been when he left. The man thankfully was there still so Naruto called out without any further ado.

“Harusame!” he yelled and to his irritation he watched how the entire room startled in fright, “My office, now!” he turned around and left for the office.

Only some months he had been here but the office that had been his had become a home. He looked around at the small office, sighing irritably before he sat down in his office chair.

“Naruto-sama?” Harusame said as he came into the room.

“I'm leaving within the week,” Naruto told him brusquely, “I got a message from Konoha. Apparently Hokage-sama has recalled me for idiot reasons. We need to set up the final configurations for the division within the week. After that I am out of here and you will be the head of Kiri's R&D division. Understand?” Harusame blinked, shock evident on his face, yet in the end he nodded.

“I... understand,” he said almost breathlessly before clearing his throat.”Well yes... what are you planning?” he said as he sat down in front of Naruto's desk.

“I think Chakragraphy is taken care of,” Naruto began, “that woman seemed reliable. Same for Metallurgy, Theoretical Medicine will be taken care of if we convince Kiri to leave the medic nins. Any suggestions for Chemistry?” Harusame pursed his lips and slowly stroked his moustache. Naruto once again cursed the situation. He liked working with Harusame. And yet this was an order and Naruto would obey, no matter how much he hated it.

____________________________________

The days that followed ran by slowly but inexorably. A sudden return to Konoha he had neither planned for nor wanted slowly drew near and there seemed to be not a single person happy about the current state of affairs. Mei had been enraged. When Naruto had met Ao two days later the man had been irate about it as well. As for Sakura, she didn't know how to take it. Going home was a plus for the little girl evidently yet she still was in a very bad state from the retroviruses and returning home as a mutant frightened her. Harusame and R&D were not furious as much as devastated by the news. The progress they had made all of a sudden hung in a precarious balance as the only one who really knew how to build on it would vanish. Naruto had gathered his staff in the cafeteria the day after the news came and told them what would happen.

“This is not something anyone of us wanted,” he had finished his speech with, “Yet reality isn't one for playing fair. However even if I vanish I wish to make it clear to you this. When I came here words did not suffice to describe what I found. Now however, you have made significant progress and while the current state would not be acceptable in Konoha, having gotten this far in these few months is an impressive achievement I can only take partial credit for. My goal here was to ensure that within a few years the exchange between Konoha and Kiri would be one of equals and that can still happen. That responsibility however, will have to rest on your shoulders. Good luck, and thank you for this time.”

Naruto supposed it was his imminent departure that made people feel that they had to give a good last impression or something but during the days that followed he'd end up inundated with gratitude and well-wishes from the staff. How a man who had been such a demon to them could provoke such immense gratitude didn't pan out from him. Still, it was nice that they had at least understood why he had done it like he had.

Still, the big problem looming over his return to Konoha was Sakura. The girl was still in a very bad shape and ideally shouldn't travel anywhere at the moment. And yet there were few choices in the matter so Naruto therefore had taken a measured risk in performing acupuncture-treatment on her to minimize the symptoms of her condition. She'd be able to travel but Naruto made sure to prepare several doses of powerful sedatives for the nights where she'd be in immense pain. The girl had agreed obviously. She'd still take a kunai to the chest for him if he'd as much as hint about it. That didn't help Naruto's frustration over the sense that once again his apprentice was getting shafted.

And Mei... Mei had been furious ever since. She just couldn't accept what was going to happen and the nights for them became intense affairs. Not in the good way either. After their trysts she'd cling to him almost as if she tried to physically keep him from leaving. Naruto cursed himself for not having found another resolution to all of this as he held her. For how else could this have gone? He was here on a mission, two missions, and neither lasted forever. He honestly doubted that he could have shaken himself of this addiction to her and cursed himself for the fact. This weakness, this frailty, jeopardised everything and yet he could not see any way out of it. It was too intense, too fulfilling. He loved her immensely. Perhaps it would vanish in time but as it was his flames burned as brightly as they ever would for her. He was not the cold, calculating machine he had wanted to be, not when it came to her. And he hated the fact so much now that the dream came to a sudden, crashing end.

It was during their last night together, between desperate lovemaking and unspoken pain trying to create memories to last, that one of Naruto's greatest challenges came. Mei was holding him to her chest and ran her fingers slowly through his hair when she spoke the words.

“Stay with me,” she whispered to him. Naruto looked up at her seeing the sincerity in her eyes.

“I cannot,” he told her, “You know that. I would be a missing-nin, a traitor to Konoha.”

“To hell with Konoha,” Mei said through clenched teeth. “I more or less signed away Kiri's independence only to be spat in the face by that man. I trusted him!” Naruto gritted his teeth and felt the frustration boil up again.

“It's not...” he began, “Mei, it's not that easy. Kisame and Zabuza, they were wearing cloaks. Black cloaks with red clouds.”

“So?”

“The Akatsuki,” Naruto said, “I've only heard bits and pieces,” he did as he carefully skirted around the truth. “But they are dangerous, way more than the sum of their members. Konoha is doing this out of fear, not because they don't care for the treaty.”

“They are taking you from me!” Mei told him heatedly, Naruto closing his eyes.

“I know,” he said, “And yet... Damn it. I can't do anything about that. I just... all I can do is do everything I can for Kiri. I will hound the Hokage until he makes amendments for this.”

“And me?” Mei asked, driving home the point that pained Naruto the most. It wasn't about the Mizukage, it was about Terumi Mei, the woman. And what the hell was he going to do there? What kind of reassurances or comfort could he give her?

“I don't know,” he said, meeting her eyes and seeing the pain in there before he moved in for another kiss. One last night. It seemed like that was all that would come out of this. Almost as suddenly as it had come to be it would end. Minato would have a lot to answer for. If there was one thing Naruto looked forward to it'd be raking the man across the coals for this. For now though, he just held the woman he irrationally loved so much, held her as he built memories to last him after this, memories where he tried not to include her tears.

Chapter Text

The morning of his departure from Kiri was cold, wet and silent. A thick fog lay over the village and seemed to muffle all sounds around him. As Naruto closed the door to the apartment that no longer would be his, he thought about how he had arrived here. This was so utterly different. Back then the Rokubi was on the loose and he had almost died fighting it. Now it was quiet, peaceful and almost dead around him. It was eerie in a way. Heading down the stairs, he idly patted himself to see that everything was there. The seal scrolls where he carried his possessions were all where they should be. Kusanagi for once was not sealed but rested on his belt and his usual array of shinobi gear within easy reach. Yes, that was it. He was leaving Kiri. Sakura had been told to wait by the road out of the village yesterday. Farewells had been made to those who should be given such. Whatever measures that could be taken to ensure that the Kiri R&D didn't regress to the state he had found it in had been made as well. And Mei? Nothing to do there. There were no goodbyes that could suffice for her. It would never have occurred to him but it really was easier managing a science division than managing a relationship.

Heading for the village exit, he looked around at the once alien but now quite familiar village of Kiri. Dismal, wet and cold compared to Konoha, he nevertheless had come to appreciate it. Now he was going home to verdant, sunny Konoha. The thought didn't appeal to him one bit. Kiri had been a fresh start, a way to get away from all the old history that sat like an iron collar around his neck.

Yet all good things came to an end it seemed so he therefore made his way silently and expediently. No reason to dwell where he was, the loss would be the same no matter what he did. Would he ever return here? It was hard to say. Probably not. His quiet walk was a silent, unspoken farewell to Kiri, the village he had first in his ignorance despised and now come to acknowledge and indeed hope for.

And yet it turned out it wouldn't be a silent farewell. As he approached the outskirts of the village he noticed that there were more than one person over there. There were many in fact. Dozens. As he came closer through the mists he noticed who it was. It was Mei standing there by the road with Harusame, Tsurugi, Ao and Chojuro flanking her. What more three rows of Kiri shinobi, a dozen in each row, stood behind her at attention. Sakura was standing by Mei's side, thankfully looking well enough to travel.

“I did not expect this grandiose a send-off,” Naruto said as he came walking down the road towards the group. Mei looked at him, the very image of a Kage's grace and nobility. And yet he could see the pain in her visible eye.

“You deserve it Namikaze-san,” she said. “Though your time with us was short you have been a blessing to us. Your very first day you thwarted the escape attempt of the Rokubi, saving many of us in the process at great personal risk. You've aided us not merely as a scientist but as a shinobi as well, given us all an example to aspire towards. Your skill, dedication and ability is one that would have made you one of Kiri's most exalted shinobi had you been born to us. And yet, even now I want you to have a memento of us to remember the respect and friendship of Kirigakure no Sato which until this day and beyond is yours.”

A fine little speech. Proper, noble and generous. Along with it she handed him a quite beautiful gift as well. A mask much like the ones widely used in Kiri, with eye-slits and no features. It did not carry the insignia of Kiri on the forehead however, instead of was marked with a Kanji. “Kai”, the kanji of unravelling, understanding, explaining, answering. It was personalized for him and quite evidently a lot of consideration had gone into this gift however symbolic it was. Naruto forced himself down the mental path of utter detachment, feeling once again how he hated this situation.

“I am honoured,” he said evenly as he looked into Mei's eyes, mentally speaking the words he could not say out loud. “I'm sorry. I don't want to leave you. I want to do more for your village. I want to stay with you. I hate this situation. I will do everything I can to come back to you.” In the end, all he could say out loud was a simple, insufficient “Thank you.” When he broke eye contact with her and turned around he somehow felt like he was leaving a part of himself behind. “Let's go Sakura,” he told his apprentice as he began down the road out of Kiri. The formation of Kiri shinobi saluted him as he passed by yet Naruto refused to look at them. Instead he left Kirigakure no Sato, left it for what probably would be forever.

____________________________________

Aboard the small ship heading from Wave country to Fire country the lone passenger cabin was occupied by two people. The bed inside the room was taken by Sakura, who had only barely gotten to the harbour they had set out from before her condition came back in an episode even more brutal than her usual state. She was at the moment in a state of near unconsciousness, fitfully drifting in and out of unconsciousness. Naruto was keeping watch by her bedside, monitoring her for any signs of her body finally not being able to handle the strain any more. The risk still was minor but it was not minimal as it once had been, leading Naruto to hold this vigil over the girl.

Poor girl. Yanked from her future as a respected shinobi to a societally speaking lower position. Forgotten by her master and forced to travel all alone to Kirigakura no Sato, a place she at that point had known only as a home of monstrous murderers. There she had been subjected to such a painful thing as these enhancements and finally, when she had not only settled in but found someone precious to her in Chojuro, she was yanked back to a Konoha she now feared would be disgusted by what she was becoming. Naruto supposed her true test was yet to come. Would she be able to handle it, the fear and possible rejection of her peers? Whatever it would be though, Naruto knew she'd at least be given insight and understanding beyond any of those fools. She'd stand way above them all, his apprentice. If people would reject her, at least she'd have the truth and all the tools to understand it he could give. That was in the end all he could do for her.

The girl was sweating profusely so he leaned in to touch her forehead again. Her temperature was somewhat worrying at the moment. It had been hovering just above what he was comfortable with for the last thirty hours. It wasn't quite bad enough that he'd have to cool her yet but at the same time he had made sure to take away her blanket and open the windows. She would benefit from being a bit cooled. Still he wasn't cruel enough to leave her without any kind of blanket so therefore she had gotten a thin sheet to drape herself with. That, along with the water he told her to drink in her more aware moments, would have to do.

Leaning back on the chair he was sitting on, Naruto played with the mask in his hands. It seemed so delicate, this mask. And yet at the same time he could tell it was durable. Ceramics of some kind. Kiri had a long tradition of working with it. There was a lot of mud and clay in the swamps to be worked with. Raising the mask, he slipped it onto his face and marvelled once more at the fit. This mask would sit on his face without even needing any straps or anything to keep it there. What more despite the slits being so thin he could see very well in it.

Kai. Explanation and unravelling in the same symbol. Kanji were curious things in that way. And the only thing most shinobi knew about it or cared about was the fact that it was a weapon, a way to destroy illusions. And to him it was the way of life, unravelling the mysteries of the world and explain the secrets hidden within. It was in the end the ultimate goal for any entity that had moved past simple procreation as a life goal, should be at least. And yet here he was, stuck in this tiresome life of his as either a murderer for hire or a weapons' manufacturer for villages devoted to keeping up their position as the monopoly on violence for hire.

Kiri had been different. There the shackles of the old days had been cast off and Mei built something new, however fragile it was. He had been respected, honoured, and Mei had let him do their research – what little could be done – in whatever directions they wanted. Of course she was looking for more esoteric or simply formerly unknown routes to give Kiri strength. Yet at the same time... to finally work on things like the meta-chakra hypothesis had been delightful... the taste of freedom. He could do the research he wanted, look for the greater connections in the tapestry of reality instead of constantly sifting through sand looking for a slightly better explosive tag or a somewhat more swiftly digested soldier pill. Even swamped with building a reasonably capable science division out of mouldy old books, punch-card machines and idiots it had nevertheless been a hint of something better.

What did he want in life? When Orochimaru had died Naruto had wanted to claim his research network for himself. When that had failed he had sought to save as much as possible and the fact that he had integrated many of the old Oto shinobi into Konoha was a great victory. Especially considering how many exotic bloodlines and strange abilities that had come within his reach even in Konoha. And now...

It all came back to knowledge. He wanted, as he always had, to understand the world. And as Kisame had said, as Gato had said, he could not do that in Konoha. Now he'd go back to this tepid existence of conjuring up weapons for mercenaries, occasionally visiting the Tsubaki clan, dealing with his mother and getting harassed by Kimiko.

And yet what option was there for him? Annoyingly enough not many now that he had taken on Sakura as an apprentice. Treason was not tied to him any longer. It'd devastate Kimiko sure, disgrace his father, but that was all to be expected. Yet the Tsubaki clan whose standing was yet so fragile in Konoha? The little girl that was his apprentice? They'd suffer even more. The clan might be cast out if their loyalty to him stood firm in the case of something like that. And Sakura? Either the life of a missing nin or such despair that it might kill her. No, something so plain as his boredom was not worth all this fallout.

“Master...” Sakura's voice said from the bed and Naruto looked towards her. She seemed awake again.

“Drink,” he said, motioning towards the mug of water by the bedside. Sakura obliged slowly, managing to swallow a decent amount of water before she fell back on the bed.

“Are we...” Sakura asked with a hoarse voice. “is it much time left?” She was staring up at the ceiling as it was.

“Two more days,” Naruto said, “Then another three to reach Konoha.” Sakura slowly nodded in response to his answer.

“Can you...” she asked with a broken voice before being wracked by coughing, “Can you make me better then too?” Naruto pursed his lips. That was really not advisable at the moment. That technique would put a strain on her and right now strain was the last thing her frail body needed.

“No,” he told her, “It's too dangerous.”

“So I'll remain like this?” Sakura asked and Naruto nodded.

“There are limits to what even my skills can accomplish,” he told her.

“I just didn't think...” Sakura said weakly, “that this is how my shinobi life would...” another series of coughs rattled her, “Be like.” That remark made Naruto think. Even though she would be a scientist she would also be a shinobi. He had said he'd teach everything he knew and that included martial skills as well as scientific. Perhaps... when he got back...

“One month,” Naruto told her. “Within one month you will be back at peak physical condition. And when you do, I will mould you into such a shinobi that none of your peers will stand a chance again you.” he gave her a small smile now, “Patience my young apprentice. A snake knows to wait for the right moment. Yet when it strikes it is to kill. And I promise you, Haruno Sakura, that I will make you one of the most lethal serpents in the world.”

“I understand,” Sakura said attentively and obediently. Naruto smirked, thinking that the gift he had planned for the girl just as well could come now.

Bonding with the snake clan was a given for Sakura. However Manda, when Naruto had brought it up, had made it clear that until the girl was a worthy ally he'd consider her like air. Respect was earned amongst the snakes, period. Still, as a favour the great snake had agreed on a matter connected to this. Sakura could at least get a smaller option so therefore Naruto reached forwards to hold a hand out in front of Sakura.

“While you lay here,” he told Sakura, “May I introduce your partner from now on: Hebihisui.” As Naruto said this a small snake crawled out from inside his sleeve and down on Sakura's belly. The girl startled somewhat and looked wide-eyed at the one foot long, jade-green snake that rose up to look at her. Its tongue came out as it tasted the air with its serpentine gaze locked on Sakura's face. Naruto meanwhile looked back to watch the scene.

“H-hi...” Sakura said eventually. Her uncertainty was plain to see.

“Greetingssss..” the snake hissed in response. “You are not well it ssseemsss.”

“Ah, well...” Sakura said, “not at the moment no, but I'll become better.”

“Are you molting?” the snake asked and Naruto smirked to himself. Hebihisui was very young indeed. A child of the current Manda, the jade-green little snake had little knowledge of the world outside of the Ryuuchi cave. Sakura would become Hebihisui's window out into the human world just like Hebihisui would become Sakura's window into the world of the snakes. Manda's child and his apprentice, Naruto had high hopes for this little bond.

Just as well. As he watched Sakura weakly explain to Hebihisui why she was in such a bad state Naruto thought that it really felt like there was little more to have hopes about. Getting up, he headed for the exit out of the cabin.

“I'll give you two some time to get familiar with each other,” he said before exiting without waiting for an answer. Outside the darkness was beginning to fall. The sailors were hard at work and Naruto silently walked up to the railing of the ship. Leaning against it, he looked out across the gold-coloured ocean and let himself sink into his thoughts. There was an element of introspectiveness to the ocean. There wasn't much to look at, leaving more time for your thoughts.

He missed Mei. Missed her so much that it hurt. And once more though: why? Was this merely an infatuation on his side? Or had it been something mutual? Also perhaps most important of all, why was he doubting her still? He felt like he had spent these last months in a kind of haze, a haze brought about the feeling of being in a totally new place without ties to the old world as well as the affair with Mei.

He had lost himself in the mists of Kiri. How poetic. Naruto sighed, feeling how some of the antipathy towards the idea of going home slowly dissolved. Some of it, not all. There was little sense in feeling such antipathy towards the idea after all. He'd be back to working at a lab with a budget. Mei had done what she could but Konoha still had ten times the budget and a very capable staff. The Raijin no Ken had been forbidden to talk about in correspondence so Naruto guessed he'd have a massive backlog of findings to go through. The Tsubaki clan would be delighted to have him back, Guren especially. Indeed he even had a reason to want to see Kushina again, namely thanking her for her splendid gift.

What didn't he want to see then? Kimiko he supposed. There still was much that could and should have been said between them. Naruto didn't question his choices during the Wave mission. Perhaps the extremeness he had shown in enforcing them but little more. And yet when he had left, disgusted by the blood-bath and livid by the situation Kimiko and Kakashi had placed their team in, he had not managed to spit out what should have been said. That needed to be addressed. After all he had gone to Kiri for her sake. Burrowing his head in the sand was counter-productive as well as silly.

And Minato? Naruto supposed there was a torrent of issues between them at the moment. Yet how many of those would have existed if Naruto had kept his dick in his pants? Sighing deeply, Naruto thought that there were few people to blame other than himself in this matter.

That didn't change his mind though. He still didn't want to leave Kiri. Or rather didn't want to leave Mei. He supposed that if Mei had lived in Konoha it would not have been an issue but now she didn't. Kiri was a part of her in so many ways. Remove Kiri and you removed what made her Mei.

All of a sudden Naruto found so much greater desire to throw his lot in with Minato's vision of world peace. That would make any further relationships between him and Mei possible instead of as it stood now impossible. How utterly disgusting! He'd change opinion in one of the greatest political issues of his time because he wanted to be in a relationship? Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking that he really needed to think this over. It'd be the first time he seriously thought about anything in a matter where Mei was concerned wouldn't it?

Naruto remained at the railing for a long time, staring out against the last light as it vanished down into the ocean. At one point a thought idly passed him by that he seemed to make a habit out of staring into the night whenever he was deep in thought. Did it help? He didn't really know. When midnight came he had just as many questions in his mind as answers. He supposed however that there was a certain satisfaction to be had in what he saw when he entered the cabin again. Sakura and Hebihisui were both asleep, Hebihisui loosely curled up around Sakura's neck to absorb her warmth.

____________________________________

The small harbour town was quite bustling with activity when Naruto and Sakura walked off the ship they had travelled with. Sakura had had some problems walking down the gangway but managed to get down without Naruto's help. It was barely though and Naruto had decided there that the travelling was done for now. That was why they had checked in at an inn at noon. This was one of those traditional inns that could be found everywhere, with sliding doors, tatami mats and futon beds. Naruto did prefer the simple but rustic feel of this compared to that garish monstrosity at the Gatoh-run hotel in Wave. He had gotten Sakura put in bed for more rest. They'd catch a caravan to Konoha as soon as Naruto could find one. Minato could say whatever the hells he wanted, Sakura was not travelling by foot in this state.

Thankfully a caravan was soon located. It'd head out in two days' time, leaving Naruto with little to do but to watch over Sakura and read through what scrolls he carried with him. He got more time for the latter seeing as how Sakura, already having become quite pale, seemed to strike a chord with the proprietor of the inn. The girl had hardly been put to bed before the woman came up with a massive bowl of shaved ice. Or rather two bowls Naruto supposed. The other had been shoved into his hands before he was booted out of the room so the stern-faced woman could take care of “the poor little dear” without “ignorant men running around”.

Naruto guessed he should have been insulted. He was only amused however. Also while his bowl was notably smaller it was quite nice. Melon flavoured too, a taste he silently admitted that he enjoyed. Sitting down by a table in the common room, Naruto for the hundredth time read through his mother's scroll at his position by the table. He still found new things to consider in it. The Uzumaki fuuinjutsu was still one of the most beautiful things he had beheld, a true work of art. What wouldn't he have given for a chance to talk to these old masters, to hear their reasons and their explanations for why they had done what they had done? There were literally things he couldn't tell the reason for at all, something that only excited him. These people had possessed minds equal to his, perhaps even beyond.

Naruto found himself startled by the realization. He stood so far above the average mind in so many ways that is surprised him to find things he couldn't take on. Who were his peers mentally? He had people that respected him and which he respected as well. Anko had been a sister in all but blood. Guren and Ao were people he respected and liked both and so on. Yet intellectually? Orochimaru had been one before he revealed himself to be a madman living for the thrill of playing god. Naruto acknowledged the dead man's brilliance but also the fact that he was a pathetic wretch. Tsunade? She was brilliant sure but said brilliance was so rarely coaxed out from behind the facade of drunken carelessness that it didn't really matter. Harusame? Almost but not quite. The man was good indeed, but not a genius. His father? No, Minato's mind was not turned towards the sciences at all, the man lived through his fellow man too much for them to have anything in common.

Naruto guessed he was alone. The normal distribution of talents in people left a lot in the middle, the average, but very few both of the utterly moronic and the truly brilliant. Where were his peers? He gritted his teeth once more, feeling the frustration before he took a spoonful of shaved ice. No reason to get worked up over that after all, there was little he could do as it was. Better to focus on the scroll. He could almost feel a bond growing between him and the old masters through it. Their genii shone through the paper and he could only imagine the discussions they could have had. No matter what would come a heartfelt thank you to his mother was in order for this scroll. Idly tracing a finger over one of the seal patterns, Naruto noticed yet another little interesting titbit about these seals. Fascinating... they seemed... His train of thought was interrupted now when the proprietor came down the stairs.

“Are you finished taking care of her now?” he asked idly.

“The girl is not in a good state sir,” the woman said as she walked by, “I must insist you rest here for at least a week.” Her tone was frank, almost impolite, and Naruto wondered just how she could keep a business running with that attitude.

“Noted,” Naruto said evenly, “We are leaving in two days with a caravan. I've arranged so she can lie down during the journey.”

“She is hovering on the brink of death!” the woman said now, looking back towards him with anger in her eyes.

“I am well aware of that,” Naruto said, “I put her in that state.”

“You what?” she asked and Naruto sighed.

“I put her in that state using... let's say drugs,” he said calmly as he looked up towards her. “We are shinobi as you might be able to tell.” He now knocked a finger towards his Konoha forehead protector. “She is transforming right now into something more than a human, a quite trying process.” The woman stared at her and Naruto wasn't even perturbed to see the disgust and horror in her eyes. He was really too used to that look. “Yes?” he asked calmly, clasping his hands in front of him.

“N-nothing,” the woman said before she scurried away. Once more the plebian mind of the “average” people recoiled in fear without even pondering that it might be their preconceptions that were wrong. The understanding of what people like him ended at the doors of the R&D divisions still. With a sigh, he took another spoonful of shaved ice. These two days couldn't pass fast enough. Even as controlled and as limited the R&D divisions of the great villages were... they seemed to be the only thing he'd get.

A sudden spike of adrenaline shot through Naruto and he tensed for a moment, becoming as taut as a steel spring as he looked to the side. Someone was out there! Someone immensely powerful. Just for one second he had felt it but the sensation was almost overwhelming. And yet there was no feel of aggression to it, merely a message of its presence. His eyes went to the window and he looked out to see if he could spot anything.

He did. What he saw made him roll up the scroll and pocket it before exiting the building. He didn't head for what he had seen however, instead turning right and beginning a brisk walk through the town. He walked fast enough to hurry but not enough to be noticed. Any pursuers would have to hurry somewhat, leaving them less time to think. At one market he thankfully found a small crowd and walked straight through it. In the middle of the crowd he did a switch however. One second he walked there, the second a kage bunshin walked there and Naruto had slipped down into the earth as fast as he could. This way any shadows he had gotten here would be sent on a merry chase, leaving him to slip through the earth back towards the inn and the small alley nearby.

It was a right menace to move more than short distances through the earth but Naruto managed to cover the entire distance. When he came out of it it was inside the alley and in order to remain subtle he came out slowly. He supposed revealing himself to his Hokage and father both like this, slowly slithering out of the earth like a snake of some sort, didn't give the best impression. Yet Naruto did not care and therefore silently exited the earth this way to stand in front of Minato, whose three-pronged Kunai hung by the entrance to the alleyway.

“Hokage-sama,” he said evenly as he looked at the man. Namikaze Minato had lost his coat at the moment and wore only standard shinobi gear. It struck Naruto how little it did to remove the man's charisma.

“Naruto,” Minato smiled at him. So awkward, that smile of his. The desire was there true but he had no confidence in it. “Welcome back. It seems Kiri didn't take too much out of you.” How little the man knew Naruto thought. Just as well though, if he had any idea of what had transpired there his head just might explode. Especially with Mei... Naruto remembered how freaked out Minato had been during Mei's first visit to Konoha by the woman.

“I heal quickly,” he said evenly. “What brings you all the way here here?” Minato's face lost the small smile it held.

“I need your intel on the Akatsuki issue,” he said and Naruto nodded. There it was, the secret second mission for which he had been sent to Kirigakure. Akatsuki, dawn. A name and little more yet it had gotten Jiraiya himself scared. Few in numbers but immensely powerful. A few weeks before he headed to Kiri something had hit Takigakure, killing every last shinobi there and taking the jinchuuriki of the seven tails. Jiraiya's estimates had placed the number of attackers at two. What more two other members' identities had surfaced, namely Hoshigaki Kisame and Momochi Zabuza. The assumption had been close at hand: Kiri was involved somehow. Naruto had gone equally much to ferret out what relationship Zabuza and Kisame had with Kiri as helping their R&D to grow. The nature of this organisation needed to be discovered.

Still, there was one very pertinent issue at hand before that.

“First I want to know just what compensation Kiri will have for you tearing up the deal she accepted at great hesitation.” He told Minato, the man raising an eyebrow at first now. After a second he sighed however.

“I was informed by the messengers the Mizukage... didn't exactly take the message with equanimity.” The Hokage's way of putting it formly dripped with diplomatic sensitivity.

“Did you expect that?” Naruto asked with narrowed eyes and Minato shook his head.

“No,” he said with a wry smile lacking all amusement, “I expect her to want to roast me over an open fire for this, with good reason. Still, any eventual compensation will be contingent on what you've found out.”

“Kiri is not involved,” Naruto said, silently admitting that the man was right. If Kiri really had been sponsoring the Akatsuki the cancellation of his mission there would be the least of Mei's problems. “The two swordsmen are renegades and what more, the Akatsuki doesn't discriminate in its recruitment. Any village seems welcome.”

“What makes you say that?”

“They tried to recruit me,” Naruto said plainly yet at the same time with a small smirk, “Hoshigaki Kisame approached me in Wave country a few days after I thwarted their first attempt to seize the nine-tails. He asked me how long I was planning to remain in bondage to a father that abandoned me, a village that treated me like a pariah and a system that considered what I loved an appendix to their weapons' manufacturing.” He smiled dryly, remembering the experience that night quite keenly. Kisame had been amused more than anything else, seeming as if he enjoyed baiting Naruto with the promise of freedom. He couldn't have assumed it'd work right off obviously. It had been a seed planted to grow in his head. And grow it had. Naruto was still debating whether to take a bottle of weed-killer to it.

Minato's reaction was a slow nod with sad eyes. A thought passed by in Naruto's head at this point. Just how much insight did Minato have into his son? Assuming he was blinded by love and shame and only saw a little boy would be silly. Minato hadn't made Hokage by being stupid no matter what cretins might think. And yet Naruto doubted he knew even partially about the true extent of Naruto's... dealings... in Kiri.

“Were you tempted?” Minato asked now, Naruto feeling a stab of anger. Did he keep believing that about him?

“I am loyal to Konoha Hokage-sama,” he began evenly.

“That was not what I asked,” Minato cut him off now.

“Then what do you want to know?” Naruto asked, feeling his hackles rise. “What hoops am I expected to jump through this time?” Minato seemed to get agitated as well, raising a finger and opening his mouth to say something before falling silent. A sigh came from the man and after a deep breath he spoke up again, more silent this time.

“He's right,” Minato said and now Naruto found himself blinking. What in the name of... what had he just said.

“Hokage-sama...” Naruto began now. “There evidently is a lot you want to say. I have no idea of what you are thinking about right now. Feel free to tell me what you need to say.”

“You are a genius,” Minato told him, “One of the finest shinobi Konoha has seen. No, more than that, one if its finest citizens. And yet...” Minato waved a hand helplessly. “Your parents abandon you to a monster, the people fear you thinking you are the same as the man you and no one else stopped at great personal risk. The mind that should have been let free to understand the world is kept tied to producing cheaper smoke bombs and in the end you're yanked from even that to spy on a foreign village. You've got plenty of reason to hate Konoha and even if you don't you still got plenty of reason to just want to get away from it. I don't have the right to expect loyalty from anyone if all they seem to get for it is distrust and fear. You are no exception to that and I can't wave my authority around expecting you to instantly acquire an ironclad loyalty to Konoha. And considering all of this... If it was someone else, would you seriously be surprised if that person went rogue?”

“I am not other people,” Naruto said. He felt strange at Minato's tired tirade. The man understood more than he had expected. “Other people dig themselves down in petty grievances and irrational spite which blinds them to the greater picture. I don't.”

“Is that why you slapped Kimiko?” Minato asked.

“Hokage-sama,” Naruto began now with narrowed eyes and bared teeth. “You cannot be unaware of what she did. She all but mutinied.”

“And yet you hit her,” Minato said, “I don't question that you got upset, I was too. But... I don't know if you think I should just die or if you are simply apathetic towards me. But Kimiko... I know you care for her. I also know you want to be rational and measured. And yet you became so livid you hit her.” Naruto felt like he wanted to snarl at the man. He hit way too close for comfort.

“She earned it,” Naruto said, “That little idiot consistently fail to realize what she is! She is a jinchuuriki, carrying the mightiest of the tailed beasts within her! If she had died Konoha would have lost something irreplaceable.”

“Konoha or you?” Minato said, “She is my daughter, don't you think I'm well aware of what it means to be a shinobi? It's the same with every mission she will ever go on.”

“It damn well isn't,” Naruto said, “That peon lied to us, said there were no shinobi on the mission!”

“Are you surprised by that?!” Minato exclaimed now. “He tried to save his country! Tens of thousands of lives rode on whether he could get our help. In any other situation you'd call someone like that a hero!”

“Heroism is utterly irrelevant,” Naruto hissed, “We are shinobi, not priests.”

“Is that it then?” Minato asked, “Are we really nothing more than murderers for hire? Money or nothing? Is someone's safety, someone's right to not see their homes burned, their families murdered, their possessions taken from them, really just a matter of money? And if it is, where the hells is the difference between us and Gato?”

Naruto hated, absolutely hated, when conclusions he had implicitly drawn without really thinking about it ended up being used against him by someone else. It had happened very few times but now it hit him full force. He did believe there was more than simple money-hunger to being a part of Konhoa. There were virtues at play in it, the stabilizing influence of the great villages on the world. He had told Gato that much, that his loyalty wasn't for sale. And yet Minato drove it straight into him now, this reasoning he was working with led to that exact same conclusion.

“Is that it then?” He nevertheless echoed Minato, “For your adorable little vision we should line up and die? We should submit ourselves to serving the needs of every little needy peon in the elemental nations?”

“We already line up and die,” Minato said, “Do you think that shinobi only die if clients lie about missions? Do you think that Mitarashi-san's death is something unique? Shinobi die by the...”

“Don't you dare!” Naruto snarled now, enraged. “You do not use the woman who did more for me than you've ever done!”

“She got more in death than almost any other shinobi!” Minato halfway yelled now. “Do you know what stands by the main road to that village where she dies now?! A shrine to her! They got the local priests to inscribe her name into the prayer wheels at the temple. They have made her a spirit of protection! What better outcome of her death are you envisioning?!”

“One where she didn't die because of lying peons!”

“So better if she died on a mission where the client was richer and therefore didn't have to lie to save everything he loved?! Is that it? They should have paid better? Then we could die, then we could lose those we love. Then name after name can be carved into the memorial stone and no one cares. Because we got paid?” Naruto wanted to scream. He did make a good point. More than that, he made an excellent point. There was no escaping it. There just wasn't...

“It's not our bloody job to look after needy peasants who can't...”

“Who can't what?!” Minato now snapped, “Who can't take on rogue shinobi, the litter from our villages, that victimize them?! While villages burn and people are murdered our job is to make sure fat merchants' profit margins remain the same and tyrant lords can keep brutalizing entire nations because we murdered those who would stand up against them?! We have all this power, all this ability, and the only thing we should do with that is to keep feeding a status quo?!” Naruto wondered what was going on. How in the name of everything that existed had he ended up defending a traditionalist shinobi philosophy? Didn't he resent that very view for its short-sightedness?

“Make some damned sense,” he said now, “What do you want?”

“I want that to change,” Minato said, “I want a shinobi to become not a killer but a guardian. I want life to matter even if you're not rich. I want room for more than mercenary work and hired killing in our lives. I want this fighting and dying to matter beyond gold.”

“And that's why Kimiko is excused for putting herself in a situation where we might lose the Kyuubi? Where it might have fallen into the hands of a group of madmen we know nothing about?”

“Should I chain her to Konoha?” Minato asked, “The Akatsuki could have turned up at any time.”

“And her mutiny?” Naruto asked icily.

“Team Seven chose to act for something more than gold,” Minato told him, “They wanted to save people, not earn money. It wasn't ideal at all. It was reckless of them to go ahead but I won't punish people for showing a motivation that stands above greed. Not when it is that very quality I want to see in Konoha.”

“This is absurd,” Naruto hissed, “How can you possibly think that...”

“Because I am the Hokage,” Minato cut him off frankly, “And my word is law. I'm using that for something, anything, other than ordering more people to their deaths.”

“Cute,” Naruto said, not able to take this any more. “Let me know when that leniency will extend an inch beyond the only child that matters to you.” Disgustingly petty as it was, that was nevertheless how Naruto ended it, spinning around to leave.

“You do too,” Minato said, “Which is why I haven't brought up Mei yet.” The revelation hit him straight in the spine, nailing Naruto to the ground. Shock and horror both flooded him at the realization that Minato knew. Jiraiya that bastard, he had revealed it all! The Hokage knew of his fraternization with the leader of a foreign village! It was over. This was the stuff that broke careers. Naruto realized he was utterly and completely screwed. Yet he did not back down.

“Do what you please,” Naruto told him. He would not grovel. That stood as firm as when Jiraiya had dangled the possibility of telling Minato in front of him.

“I'll do nothing,” Minato told him, making Naruto blink where he stood. What? “If you've found someone that is not my business,” Minato continued, “I'm happy for you. And the reason I am that is no different as to why I let Kimiko get away with this.”

“Yes, this pretty little dream of yours,” Naruto began, trying to fend himself. “Delightful, utterly delightful. When do you start handing out cotton candy to whoever wants it?”

“If this dream of mine means you can be with the one you love,” Minato asked, “Isn't it worthy of consideration?”

“Don't play Rin Hokage-sama,” Naruto told him acerbically, “You are not succeeding.”

“Then what do you want?” Minato asked. “I've told you what I aim for. What do you want?” Naruto only looked at that man.

“I want to do my research,” he said. “No more, no less. I want to look into the heart of what makes the world around me tick. Understand the fabric of reality that lies beyond what we can see. Find the hidden threads binding it all together. That and no more. Period. It has always been that.”

“I'm not sure I believe that,” Minato told him. “Wait!” he said forcefully just as Naruto was about to speak up again in anger. “I believe that is what you want to be. But I don't believe that's all you are.”

“And what insight brought you to that conclusion?” Naruto halfway hissed.

“The Mizukage,” Minato said, “If your only desire was your science. How did that happen?” Naruto would have blushed if he could. Indeed he had a point here. That didn't mesh did it? And how the hell did you explain something like that? That he was played like a fiddle and almost bullied into falling for her? “Do you want to go back to her?”

“I don't see how that...”

“Just answer yes or no,” Minato said, “And whatever you say, you have my word there will be no repercussions. I trusted you on the Tsubaki clan Naruto. And it's worked out amazingly well. I'm happy they are part of Konoha. Now trust me and let me help you.”

“Fine,” Naruto said. He didn't like where this had turned at all. It was getting way too personal for his taste. Yet at the same time he realized he'd never, ever get a chance like this again. Minato, his father though he may be, was Naruto's Hokage, the supreme authority. He was all but pleading with Naruto to tell him what he wanted and if there was one thing Naruto knew of Minato then it was that his word was sacred. “I... I do not know what to make of Mei,” he admitted. “It all seems way too risky, way too convenient that she's just happen to fall for me. I know that fact.”

“And?” Minato pressed and Naruto gritted his teeth.

“And I don't care,” he admitted, Minato smiling sadly.

“Naruto,” he began, “In this world we live in now you'll never be able to find out, not truly. But I want you to have the opportunity. Just as I want Kimiko to go on missions to help people, not make money. Is that not worth fighting for? To at least have the chance?”

“Don't try to motivate me with arguments based on emotions,” Naruto told Minato. “Call me what you want, I still let reason guide me.” So he said but Naruto more and more began to doubt himself. Was he simply being difficult at the moment, automatically refusing the option that seemed emotionally attractive because he instinctively assumed it'd be irrational?

“Fine,” Minato said, “As long as we remain effectively mercenaries we'll continue to see constant warfare. The five villages' lifeblood is war, no matter how we want to look at it. And who benefits from that? Not the people, that's for sure. The nobility perhaps, they are the only ones with money enough to buy our services, meaning they've got control of their realms on tap for whomever is the richest. And we? We live and die as killers, many of us far too young when we die in some meaningless battle or ambush or failed assassination or what have you. I lost both of my teammates before I turned fifteen, they died in some forgotten battle against an enemy I can hardly remember who it was.” Naruto listened in silence, his uncompromising rationality pointing out what good points Minato were making. Indeed he had thought the same thing many times before. Then again Minato cared about these things. Naruto didn't, not in the same way. Or did he?

“And this links to the previous issue how?” he asked acerbically.

“Imagine a world where we aren't mercenaries but guardians. Where our villages are supported by a modest tax levied across the nation and in return we keep the peace not because we were paid but because it is our duty. We no longer assassinate people but protect them. The wars of old are but a memory since each village's remit extends only to the borders of the nation it lies in. If anything we cooperate keeping the peace and there's no longer anything to fight between us about. We can freely exchange information and even personnel between villages, learning from each other and each growing stronger for it. And if a scientist in Konoha wants to move to Kiri for the sake of his personal life, sure. The transfer is merely a matter of filling out the right papers and the other party agreeing to the transfer.”

“Do you seriously believe that will work?” Naruto asked. He had calmed down quite a lot at the moment. Losing his temper did not help him here. He knew that so he had forced himself to calm down and think rationally. Personally and emotionally he had a stake in creating something like that. Mei for instance. Also it was a given that a job like that would place less strain on shinobi overall. He did not care for the idea of everyone around him becoming as detached as he could be, especially since he had been lucky he didn't become even more messed up. And from a larger perspective? It wasn't really something to discuss. A possible end to war, greater stability and through that prosperity which would perhaps make science more relevant to the common man. And also since the end of war befitted almost anyone it'd be in the common interest of the vast majority of people to go along with this idea. Basic self-interest actually worked in Minato's favour here.

“I think it's worth fighting for,” Minato said, “But I cannot do it alone. And right now the Akatsuki might very well be the single greatest threat to this dream of mine.” Naruto wondered where it chafed for him precisely. After all, objectively Minato's dream seemed more and more beneficial to him. He knew well that the attractiveness of an idea mustn't cloud one's rational judgement but was there really any dichotomy between them? No, of course there wasn't. The very idea was outright idiotic.

There Naruto changed his mind completely. Evidence had been laid forth and taken into consideration. Arguments for both sides had been scrutinized and Minato's side came out looking more solid. With that in mind there was only one logical path to walk down, namely Minato's.

“Therefore...” Minato added and Naruto tensed. There was something in his voice that made him worried. “When you get back home... I need you to find a way to allow Kimiko to access and control the Kyuubi's power as soon as possible, a mission you'll have Carte Blanche during.” Naruto was surprised by this though not overly so. After Wave it was evident that Kimiko was utterly helpless if any real shinobi would attempt to grab her. It was a reasonable idea to bring her up to speed. And yet that Minato, who had been so anti-”human experimentation” as possible, would ask him to do this was still surprising. Then again everything for his little girl Naruto supposed. Either way it made countless new options spring up, options Naruto had theorized about but no more now became feasible.

“I'll need all your notes on the seal,” he said, “As well as the Uchiha police 100% off my back while I work. It can be done,” he added when he saw Minato's surprised face as the man was about to say something, “But don't even think that it will be easy for her or me. Is that acceptable?”

“You've pondered this before, haven't you?” Minato asked and Naruto nodded.

“I fought for my life when I was seven,” he said evenly. “Kimiko is a jinchuuriki yet she is twelve and this mission was her first real taste of danger. The discrepancy vexed me even when I was fourteen. An eventual boost of her control has long been a theoretical side project of mine.”

“I'm sorry,” Minato said, Naruto looking at him.

“I have a hard time believe you truly feel sorry for sparing her what I went through,” he said dryly.

“Not that,” Minato said, “I should have been on Orochimaru's case like a bloodhound from day one. I shouldn't have let you out of sight.”

“Hokage-sama,” Naruto cut him off. “Let's start with this. Whatever has happened has happened. It's too late to change that. What more I do not resent what I am. I am not the same genetically as you and other people. To some that makes me inhuman. To me it makes me more than human, something I am not necessarily proud of but thankful for. Yet as I told Kushina: Move on, accept that the boy you seek never will come back. You failed, he grew up without you and is not suffering because of it. Deal with this fact, not only for your own sake but for the world's sake. Too much rides on you to allow you to wallow in self-loathing and regret over something that cannot be changed.”

“You don't pull your punches at all do you?” Minato smiled now somewhat forcedly. It was easy to see he was struck by Naruto's words and not necessarily in a positive way.

“We're both adults,” Naruto said, “Consider it a proof of my belief in your rationality, that I do not coddle you. When can I get my hands on your notes?” A conflicted look came over Minato's face now. He seemed all of a sudden hesitant for a few seconds, running his hand over his face. Eventually though he took a deep breath.

“In three days time,” he said, “A ruined house about an hour south-southwest of Konoha's main gate.”

“Got it,” Naruto said, “What more, to keep your hands clean throughout this my personal recommendation is that we appear still estranged.”

“No,” Minato said now. “It's enough that I'm practically asking you to continue down the deranged path of Orochimaru,” he hissed. “I won't let you take the fall for it too!”

“Calm down will you?” Naruto said. “You're misunderstanding me. I'm widely considered cut off from my family, enough that Guren-san offered to make me a member of her clan – don't you dare use that against her by the way – and if we use that people will not consider the possibility that I'm working on Kimiko's seal. If nothing else: how could an estranged child with no evident interest in patching things up get his hands on the necessary – for they seem to be necessary to get anywhere – notes to accomplish anything with the seal?”

“And if you are discovered, then what?” Minato asked heatedly, “What about the Tsubaki clan? They love you enough to line up behind you no matter what. Can you risk them becoming pariahs in their new village?”

“Do you not think I am aware of that?” Naruto asked coldly, “They worship me, hold me up like an idol after I saved them. And to continue on this line: what about Sakura, the very girl half dead at that inn right now because she chose to follow me all the way? The R&D department which reputation and status is still fragile at best in Konoha?! I'll destroy it all if I'm discovered. I know that. I know it as well as anyone can. Do you think I wouldn't consider this before accepting this assignment?”

“Then...” Minato said and it was easy to see he didn't understand. “Why?”

“Because if this dream of yours is going to come true you'll pay for it in blood, sweat and tears,” Naruto elaborated. “I did not explicitly state at any time I believed it impossible. Naïve, yes. Distant, yes. Impossible? Considering that you single-handedly trounced Kumo I honestly do not know. And yes, if your dream will be realized I have a personal stake in this matter, an immense such. But.” Now Naruto raised a finger. “It's bigger than personal stakes. And unless we are ready to sacrifice it will not come true. I'm doing this precisely because I have things I hold dear. As you said: is that not worth fighting for? Besides, if I am revealed, do you not think I will have quite the compelling case for seeking out the Akatsuki for protection?”

“What?!” Minato exclaimed, Naruto raising a hand.

“Merely an option worthy of considering,” he qualified his statement, “You need weapons against the Akatsuki, I'm offering to become one. In many ways I am a potential kunai to be planted against their heart under the guise of being one of them.”

“No,” Minato said, “Out of the question! I'm not going to have you take a fall like that. It's too dangerous and if you fail you'll die and be remembered as no better than Orochimaru!”

“And yet if the situation has progressed to the level that such a thing would be needed,” Naruto said calmly, “Do you think we will have any other options? Keep the possibility in mind, that's all I'm saying.”

“Duly noted,” Minato said tersely, “This discussion is over now!”

“As you command Hokage-sama,” Naruto said with a dry voice and folded arms. Minato flinched at this but didn't relent.

“I don't...” He began before sighing. “Damn it Naruto. I've asked enough of someone who isn't even a...” he petered off now but Naruto knew what would come.

“A real shinobi?” Naruto asked mildly yet with venom lining his words.

“A field shinobi.” Minato said, “I know you want to focus on science and I don't begrudge you that. I want you to be at the head of R&D. You are producing miracles there. The Kiri mission was bad enough to send you on. My hope was that it'd be a one-time incident, and even then I only sent you because of the threat the Akatsuki posed. Look just... Let's change subject. How is your apprentice doing?” Naruto smiled wryly.

“She is currently at that inn,” he pointed over his shoulder, “The retroviruses I've given her has made her severely ill and your summon back to Konoha came at a somewhat unfortunate time.”

“Will she be okay?” Minato asked, Naruto silently thankful for that the man didn't go down any of the many paths of accusing judgement open to him at the moment.

“Within week or two,” he informed the man, “I sped up the “transformation” if you so will. I felt it better to have her suffer a month of sickness rather than five years of discomfort. When she's recovered I will begin her training in earnest.”

“First now?” Minato asked.

“I am taking my time.”

“Don't get me wrong,” Minato said, “She is your apprentice but she is still a Konoha shinobi. How long will it take before she is capable of serving in a field role as well? I assume that is what you are preparing her for.”

“Three months,” Naruto said calmly, “By the time of the chuunin exams you will see what I can accomplish. Sakura will be beyond any average genin and even though she's not meant to be a field shinobi you'll see. She will triumph over anyone in her path.”

“You believe in her that much?” Minato asked. He seemed happy somehow.

“Not quite,” Naruto admitted, “I believe in myself. Sakura is an uncut diamond and she will take a lot of work. But I am confident it will pay off. She'll become a priceless jewel and when the chuunin exams come I will show her off to the entire world.”

“I'm looking forward to seeing it,” Minato said. “Do you want me to bring her back with me to Konoha?” He held up one of his three-pronged kunai now to imply what precisely he meant. Naruto pondered the option for a second before nodding.

“Might be for the best,” he said, “Travelling in the regular manner would put a strain on her. Make sure to keep the medic-nins off her however. Their meddling might upset the process. The results would be... unpleasant.”

“How unpleasant are we talking?” Minato asked.

“Ranging from possibly fatal to the stuff of nightmares,” Naruto said plainly. Minato blanched somewhat.

“I...” he said, “I understand. What about Rin?”

“She should be fine,” Naruto admitted. “She knows enough to not meddle at least. This works to both our favour though. If you take her now it'll be a slight towards me, you're meddling with my apprentice. We'll become even more estranged officially, giving you plausible deniability towards what I am doing to Kimiko as well as a motive. You meddled with Sakura, I meddle with Kimiko. It's perfect.”

“Naruto, no” Minato began.

“Just do it!” Naruto hissed now, “Do you think having approved human enhancement on your own daughter will be something your reputation of benevolence can survive coming out?! You took the step when reaching out to me and I will help you. But these are the consequences!”

“I'm not going to be the one dealing with them!” Minato hissed. “I've hurt you enough!”

“Father!” Naruto snapped now, Minato freezing in place. That one word, one he must have thought lost to him from Naruto, brought him to a standstill. “I choose this.” Naruto spoke slowly and with a forced calm. He did not like how much using that word had taken out of him. “Whatever has been we are here now. And I choose this because I believe in this dream of yours. If your claims of regret hold any water then let me do this. I can be sacrificed in a way you cannot. I have the expertise and the skill to pull both these enhancements and any possible infiltration off. I have a plausible motive.” Naruto was struck by something now. There was a reason why he argued so heatedly for this and it was not a purely logical one. It made him somewhat embarrassed but he did not hide it. “And finally: they went after Kimiko and I will not rest until they are dead for that.” How much of this was based in a desire to get at those who had tried to hurt that little idiot he still held so dear? He wasn't sure. He knew it was a lot and felt ashamed of the fact.

“I...” Minato began with a somewhat strained voice. “I understand...” his gaze was darting back and forth, showing his agitation. “Very well... good luck.” Naruto felt a sting of shame at this, realizing just how low a blow he had delivered. He could have asked for the seat of Hokage after using that word and Minato would have given him it.

“Take Sakura and return to Konoha,” he said now, feeling it'd be best if they cut this off now. “When I return I will get to work as soon as possible. I swear, Kimiko will have every last iota of control I can give her. If we're lucky, this new estrangement will not lead anywhere and we can put it aside when the Akatsuki is dealt with.”

“Business as usual then Naruto?” Minato asked with a sad smile and Naruto nodded. Without any real further ado Minato departed, leaping through the air and into an open window at the Inn where he vanished. Naruto remained there for a while, pondering just what had happened. A deep sigh came from him before he left the alley and headed back to the Inn. While there was no real need for it he nevertheless went to check on Sakura. The bed was empty and the girl no doubt back in Konoha already.

“Damn it...” he muttered to himself. His sense of obligation had made him begin another mission already. He wondered just what would come now. Something told him this would become big and while he hoped he would be proven wrong he did not feel too optimistic. So that was it then? Not even back in Konoha and yet in this short moment so much had changed. The paths we took in life seemed to hinge not on how long something would take, but how long it would take to acknowledge the obvious. Realigning to serve that goal the most obvious was merely a matter of efficiency. He supposed he was unusual in this regard yet Naruto hoped this would serve to their advantage.

Chapter Text

It had never quite struck him before how immense the gates of Konoha were before. First now he looked up and felt a sense of amazement over the size of them. It felt like the Mizukage fortress of Kiri could have been fit through the massive gates. Yet at the same time it was fitting when considering what was to come. When he came in through these gates a new mission would start. Kimiko... his sister was now his responsibility. He'd take her and give her full control over the demon inside her, make her the weapon the horrible attack of the Kyuubi no Kitsune had given her the ability to become. He'd continue his master's work in more than one way and yet at the same time define the differences between him and Orochimaru.

And he hadn't even gotten back from Kiri before getting this mission too... Or rather he had given himself it. Minato had warily extended a feeler in his direction and Naruto acknowledged that it was him who had grabbed hold of it and dragged Minato all the way into it. After having acknowledged the validity of Minato's dream he had decided to move quickly. After all few things were so important as acting decisively and that had led him from resenting his withdrawal from Kiri to Konoha to already making plans for something this big. Efficiency could produce some quite silly-looking results at times and Naruto supposed this one took the prize. From dislike and even some resentment to being a convinced ally of the man's cause in the span of minutes.

By the gatehouse he saw the two chuunin Izumo and Kotetsu posted. It seemed their usual duties consisted of constantly being in the backdrop of what happened and Naruto couldn't help but feeling a bit of pity for them if that was the case. He did like the two chuunin even though they hadn't interacted too much. The two, after all, held the “utmusht reschpegt” for him as per their own words that one time. Why did he find that quote so amusing by the way?

No idea really. However it was just as well he remembered it. There was little else to be amused by at the moment, especially since he had an estrangement to play up. Konoha thankfully was pretty silent overall. On his way to the Hokage 's office he met no one in particular. Oh there were one or two people he recognized or could identify certainly. However there were none of those people who would demand an actual greeting. Naruto was thankful for that as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come. He pondered just what level of coldness he should display towards Minato. Seething rage would be much too far. Acting ice cold and dismissive would be better but still too far. His usual calm and composed manner would be too little. Somewhere between calm and ice cold, yet where? Naruto supposed it'd show when he reached the tower. And lo and behold, he was there within twenty minutes.

He did not enjoy what was to come really. Even though he did not have any overt affection left for his parents he still didn't like the fact that he'd pretty much stab them where it'd hurt the most. Necessary as it was, Naruto had found himself with a quite surprising amount of respect for Minato after he had realized that his own and Minato's dreams were best strived for together. Nevertheless, it'd be a valuable piece of misdirection the coming weeks and months.

Entering the mission hall on the lowest level of the building where Minato kept his office, Naruto came to finally run into someone however. It seemed the shinobi of the village were still going through the daily debriefing and the team currently inside the hall were quite familiar indeed. It turned out to be to Naruto's dismay considering what was to come none other than Guren herself. The woman was standing with three genin around her. Tsubaki Dosu, Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata all were being debriefed at the moment and to his amusement the nature of their mission seemed quite clear.

The Daimyo's wife were inside the hall holding a cat in her arms and gushing over the “nice shinobi” who had helped her find her cat. Naruto idly wondered if the woman ever would get a clue about what the animal really thought of its owner. From the looks of it the three genin had learned quite well what the cat thought of being captured. Dosu's sleeves were ripped up, Hinata had a bandaged hand and Kiba's face was a patchwork of red scratches. The scene in its entirety meant that Naruto at first wasn't noticed, especially since he entered silently. He therefore leaned back against the wall behind him, waiting for the woman in question to depart which she did within moments.

“As the lady said, well done” Minato said with a smile showing his compassion with them, “What you've done today might not appear like the things you wanted to become shinobi for. Yet with this the daimyo's wife holds us in the highest regard and through that, the daimyo himself. Unpleasant or tedious missions can have an even greater payoff when looking at the bigger picture compared to the classic hunting and fighting missions.”

“Can I go home now?” Kiba asked. “I'm gonna have to see the docs about a tetanus shot.” Dosu slapped him over the head at this. Minato only chuckled however.

“You may,” he said before his eyes turned up and fell upon Naruto. The smile vanished in an instant and Guren noticed it quickly. She turned back towards him and the surprise that settled over her face was evident, as was the happiness. Naruto kept his cool facade though as he pushed himself off the wall and withing further ado walked up to the Hokage.

“Naruto-san...” Guren began but Naruto did not even give any of the four Tsubaki clan members a fleeting glance as he passed them by.

“Namikaze Naruto reporting back from Kirigakure no Sato...” he said, letting a second pass before he added. “Hokage-sama”. He drawled the term, spoke it as if it was something unpleasant. If it affected Minato he did not show it, only leaned back with a somewhat unperturbed look on his face.

“Welcome home,” he began, playing it off well. “I trust you encountered no difficulties on your way home?” That cheeky little... Naruto was awed. He was all but dangling the prospect of ripping into him about how he had taken Sakura from him. The show was going well though.

“None other than that I am suddenly not in charge of my own apprentice,” Naruto answered mildly. “But surely you know that. You were the one who took her.”

“What?” Naruto could hear Kiba whisper behind them and he could just imagine how Dosu shrugged with an “I haven't got a clue” look on his face.

“Very well,” Minato said, “I will expect a full report on your impression of Kirigakure as well as your estimate of the progress we have made there.”

“That I have made you mean,” Naruto decided to go on the offensive. How much leniency had he been shown by this man before? As it was Naruto already wanted to strangle him. His father was a consummate actor when needed it seemed.

“You went as a shinobi of Konoha,” Minato said, looking at him with a pair of ever so slightly narrowed eyes. “Did you not?” Naruto threw up a hand now.

“I have neither energy nor inclination to bicker with you,” he said, “Were there any other hoops I should jump through or may I go see my apprentice?”

“The girl is at the hospital right now,” Minato said, “And she will remain there until she is cleared by Heisei-san.”

“Hokage-sama...” Naruto began now, seeing a glimpse of a world where Minato's guilt and self-loathing wasn't nearly as strong as here and his distrust of Orochimaru's legacy way greater. This could have been his father, a man who distrusted him and refused to compromise his values or court anything that might risk his village. The thought was somewhat awe-inspiring in how utterly it would have affected him. “I distinctly recall making an official request for her to become my apprentice and what more I remember you approving it. Did the rules change when I wasn't looking? Because as far as I know she is mine!” he hissed the last word.

“She is a shinobi of Konoha, like you,” Minato told him evenly yet with steel in his voice. “What more she is not your plaything, especially not for... “that”.” Naruto felt it like a lance of ice through his body now. “That”... Human enhancement. There it came. That outwardly final statement of his opinion of it. Minato's voice betrayed his disgust. There was no way that Naruto would be able to go with the moderate estrangement he had planned for as it was. That was much too great a challenge.

“Hokage-sama,” he began, leaning forwards and supporting his arms against the table. “I honestly believed you would be capable of a greater perspective. If nothing else for the fact that I am your son and perhaps the shame you might feel over throwing me away to Orochimaru to dote on your newly produced jinchuuriki could inspire you to try to see another perspective. Yet evidently I was wrong and you are as much of an absolute cretin as any I have seen!” he hissed the last words, feeling as if he vomited out years of built up, stagnant resentment towards this man.

“That's enough!” Minato snapped now, his sheer presence filling the room as it did when the man got agitated. “I have already shown you leniency on this. Spitting in my face for it isn't earning you anything. I want your report within three days. Now unless there was anything else you wanted said you are dismissed!” Naruto looked into Minato's eyes now, seeing the steel in them waver and seeing something strange for an instant. He'd almost describe it as... relief. Catharsis even. Was that it? Was Minato hamming this up to punish himself for what was going to happen now? It shocked Naruto somewhat and he found himself silent for a few seconds. In the end however he only chuckled.

“No,” he said evenly, “Evidently there is nothing more to be said.” With that he pushed off the table and stormed out of the chamber while forcing down the actual agitation he was feeling for some reason. It was an act after all but at the same time it hit in many ways a little too close to heart. Still this went better than expected. Perhaps too well though. The estrangement would now be top news across Konoha within the day's end. He knew for a fact that with two Tsubaki clan members having been eyewitnesses there would be an uproar in the Tsubaki district. He'd need to address that with Guren. For now however, Naruto focused on something else, namely making a scene at the hospital.

It was then that the door opened behind him and Naruto glanced somewhat to the side, seeing Guren beginning to come out of the room. He therefore moved as fast as possible, vanishing in a blur of motion before she spotted him. He needed to take one thing at a time now. The important thing now was to see to Sakura both to see if there had been any complications and also make bit of a scene about how he was “denied” her.

____________________________________

The hospital was only a few rooftops away and Naruto saw no reason to take the normal route as it was. Instead he came down from a giant leap just by the entrance, soundlessly hitting the ground with a cat-like grace as always. Heading inside the hospital, Naruto wasted no time tracking down Rin. He knew where her office and usual rooms were so instead of going up to and arguing with the receptionist he went straight for it. And yet fate seemed to have decreed that there'd be aggravations along the road today when he was stopped by a nurse.

“I'm sorry sir but visiting hours are over.” She told him with a somewhat intimidated but still resolute voice as she blocked his path. Naruto realized tiredly that this could not slide. He had made a show of being in the grip of ice cold fury. This woman had made a big mistake. Naruto went for the harsh but collected option, namely squeezing one of her pressure-points which made her stiffen up for a few seconds as he moved past her. When she could turn around he had already rounded a corner and effectively disappeared.

Easy part over. The hard part came when he saw that the light was on in Rin's office. Rin was a frugal person in many things, she'd never leave it on if she wasn't there. That meant she'd be present and also that the time to clash with her had come. How would he fool a psychiatrist? He supposed by not thinking too much about it. That way he'd make it convoluted so he instead brushed up to the door and opened it.

“I'm not done yet Ono-sensei,” Rin said inside, her voice being somewhat annoyed.

“Good thing I am not she,” Naruto said with a cool yet not unkind voice. Rin turned around now, seeing him stand in the doorway with one arm resting against the door-frame. “Where is Sakura?” he asked before the woman had any chance to do anything more. She had moved to begin rising out of her chair with surprise in her eyes. Not the negative kind either, and that made it all the more unpleasant.

“Naruto-kun?” she asked. “I didn't know you would be back this early, how are you?” Naruto guessed she really was happy to see him.

“As well as can be expected for someone who has been exiled for months to a village of morons and been called home only due to the sister that replaced him in the eyes of his parents being threatened. And before I forget one of said parents steal my apprentice right from under my nose.” He made an effort to speak only coldly. The situation as he painted it made him angry merely from the recollection of it. Kiri had been good to him, that interpretation of his parents' actions was petty-minded as could be and he had told Minato to take Sakura. Yet still his chafed him somehow. He knew logically those things but nevertheless he felt things about it.

“Oh...” By everything that existed did Rin's face for one second seem unhappy. Miserable even. The woman must see it like all her hard work was falling apart before her eyes. “Come in,” she said after a moment, “I've got time if you need to talk.”

“What I want is my apprentice,” Naruto told her. “Minato took her from under my nose, claiming I couldn’t be trusted with her. How is that for reconnecting with my family Heisei-sensei?” he asked now, letting himself play it up a little. “My own “father” claims I cannot be trusted with my own apprentice?”

“Naruto-kun...” Rin began and Naruto could almost see the concern roll off her in waves. He knew she would take Minato to task for this later. For now however he held up a hand.

“No Heisei-sensei,” he said, “I am not going to talk about this. I'm not going to subject myself to any more therapy to convince myself I am in the wrong on this. Minato abandoned me to Orochimaru. Fine: the circumstances were extraordinary. He orders me to kill the man after he has been a father figure for me for twelve years. Very well: the man's experiments were abominable. He sends me to a village of savages to save them from their own idiocy and wallow about in their swamps. So be it: if Konoha needs it. But he takes my apprentice from me. My student. The girl that was given to me! I was given her, entrusted with her to raise her into a shinobi and now the man reneges on that!” he began raising his voice moderately. Not yell but very well show agitation. This needed to be measured.

“Naruto-kun, no!” Rin cried out now. “He was only... startled by what he saw. I know you did everything you could for her. And she is fine, strained but fine. You balanced her on the edge and I know you would have kept her there. But Hokage-sama...” Minato would have seen only Orochimaru's vileness again if this had really happened. How well did not Naruto understand this fact? Yet he kept up the act.

“That man won't listen,” he told her grimly, deciding on one more final push. “And I've grown tired of trying to address a brick wall. Where is Sakura? My apprentice comes with me now. And because of the respect I still hold for you; do not challenge me. For both our sakes.” There he hit it, the limit of what he could do without going too far. Rin's face told him enough and he crossed his arms, patiently waiting for her answer.

“Naruto-kun...” Rin began again.

“No,” Naruto said again, giving her no chance to salvage this situation. He could tell that she'd mentally prepared herself for the worst. Her dedication to her profession truly was first-class. Naruto felt a sense of disgust over how he swept it out from under her feet. “Where is she?”

“I'll show you,” Rin attempted, “Just...”

“You will tell me,” Naruto said to block that attempt as well, “And then I will leave you to your work.”

“She is in room 231,” Rin eventually acquiesced. The defeated look coming over her wasn't pleasant to behold. She, who had done so much work to make him warm up now saw every last bit of it undone. Months of work falling apart. He felt for her at the moment yet would not stop his work.

“Thank you Heisei-sensei,” he saw curtly now, turning around. “Until later, if ever.” With that, he closed the door and headed for the room in question. Truly not something he liked having done. Rin was in the end a person motivated by the best of intentions, yet who still had respected him and his beliefs. Then again... he had already began to weave the facade and couldn't stop halfway. Callous? Oh yes most certainly. Naruto in some ways found himself awed of how he could, after these months of emotional highs with Mei, revert to the ice cold snake he had been trained as.

Room 231 wasn't far off thankfully and Naruto didn't waste any time storming into the room. Sakura was indeed there, the girl being hooked up to a drip and a couple of monitors. She still looked miserable, a frail, weak child lying there alone and forgotten about, retroviruses tearing her body apart and remaking it into something alien. Naruto couldn't help but be reminded of how many nights he had spent looking like that under Orochimaru's care.

“How fond memories, are they not?” a voice came out of nowhere, jeering at him. What was that? A voice of some sort had spoken to him, an all too familiar such to boot. Orochimaru… his old master’s voice had said that. Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head at this, trying to clear it. After this he unceremoniously moved up to her, inspecting the equipment as she looked at him.

”Master...” she began. Naruto could hear the anxiety in her voice. Of course it would be there. For all she knew Minato had all but kidnapped her from Naruto's side. He wouldn't be surprised if she blamed herself somehow.

”Nutrition drip with at least 45 percent nutrients useless to your system,” he muttered, ”Cardiac monitoring? Blood flo...” he now genuinely found himself insulted and leaned in, removing the offending pads monitoring Sakura's condition from her. Holding up a handful of them, he looked into her eyes. ”This, my apprentice, is the final evidence for that you and I are surrounded by fools,” he said with a cold voice. ”None of the things I have done to you affects your heart rate or blood flow, nor does this asinine drip add anything more than token nutrient supplements. Indeed they know this, they have an expert on my physiology in this very hospital. Yet they still fall back on tradition; even with the knowledge that it won't work they refuse to listen to that and go with what their petty minds can conjure up.”

”I'm sorry master,” Sakura said, seeming terrified.

”Of what?” Naruto asked intensively but not harshly, ”That you in your condition could not resist that jackass we call Hokage from taking you from my side? Do you believe I demand you to be able to do that?”

”No...” the girl answered. Naruto could tell she had regretted apologizing the instant she had done it so he decided to drive one more spike of a harsh lesson into her.

”Then do not apologize for it!” he snapped, watching how she flinched. ”Get up, the attention of these fools will not help you now.”

”I understand,” Sakura said obediently, slinking out of her bed and Naruto turned around when she made a move for her usual clothes instead of the hospital gown she wore. He folded his arms, staring intently at the cold door. Screw it all he decided. Sakura would suffer for this one way or another so he could at least pay her all the attention he could. A pair of weeks left until her condition was back on top and Naruto knew what would come for her then. Training so intense she'd wish for death yet in the end this little gem he had been given and which was his by right would shine as bright as any other jewel in the five elemental nations.

”Go home,” he told her as she got dressed behind his back, ”Tomorrow you'll have an assortment of scrolls sent to you, jutsu scrolls. You'll have them all thoroughly memorized by the end of the month when your physical training starts. Do not attempt to use them before that but read them until you can recite them from heart.”

”I understand,” Sakura said with a weak yet brisk voice.

”What more,” Naruto said, ”At six o' clock in the mornings from now on you will be present and ready for training at training field 13. Wear light exercise clothing and bring whatever questions you have about the scrolls.”

”I understand,” Sakura said again. ”What will I train in?” There it came Naruto realized. How delightful despite the situation, she was independently asking questions now.

”Forms,” Naruto told her, ”It's time you learn my taijutsu and some of it can be done already now.”

”Despite my weakness?” Sakura asked. She did so carefully but she did ask.

“What a little fool,” Orochimaru's voice seemed to say again and Naruto furrowed his brow. Was he starting to imagine things? “You need to whip that out of her soon.” Had he started imagining things now on top of everything else? If so that was outright depressing.

”Attempting ninjutsu would be harmful right now but your body should already have started to reach its final stages of transformation.” he informed her, ignoring that little memory. ”You have, I suppose, noticed a not insignificant improvement, right.”

”Yes,” Sakura admitted as she came past him. There was still a frailty to her walk but the stumble was gone at least. What more she didn't tremble nearly as much as she had. It might be a bit early but no more than that between his attention and her determination it would work out. ”I assumed it was the hospital's work who did it at first but... as you said master, the nutrients in the drip didn't make sense to me.”

”They shouldn't have neither,” Naruto smiled. ”Let's go.” Master and apprentice now walked out of the door only to come to face with the fact that the hospital wasn't quite about to let them go yet. A small procession was coming towards them consisting of four burly orderlies, the nurse he had paralysed earlier as well as none other than Tsunade's aide Shizune.

”Naruto-san what do you think you're doing?” she asked heatedly as she came up, the orderlies moving into position around him.

“And here comes the fools to question you,” Whatever this delusion he suffered from came of it was persistent, Naruto gave it that.

”Fetching my apprentice,” He said, ”Get out of my way, now.”

”Out of the question!” Shizune exclaimed, ”I don't know what has gotten into you but your behaviour is unacceptable! Haruno Sakura...”

”Haruno Sakura's condition could be better judged by a blind rat than you!” Naruto snapped, noticing how the orderlies just seemed to wait for a signal to spring into action. This called for extreme measures unless he wanted it to bit by bit escalate for a good while now. ”Shizune-san, you know your four gorillas won't stop me; not for one second. Nor will it prove anything other than your ignorance of the balance of power in this situation. But you know what it will prove? Just how far I have been pushed.” He now leaned in, coming closer than a foot to Shizune's face. “Do you truly want to find out?” he asked with a low and ice cold voice. Shizune had come to lean back somewhat now to get some distance from him and Naruto could see the cold sweat break out on her forehead.

”I seriously do not recommend this...” she began now weakly. The fire had gone out of her though, that was easy to see.

”Your recommendations mean nothing to me,” Naruto told her before pushing his way past her, ”Sakura, let's go.” He said this without looking back, hearing how his apprentice nevertheless fell in line beside him. No more people barred their way into the hospital and outside it Naruto and Sakura parted ways. ”As I said,” he told her out there, ”Six o' clock tomorrow. Training field 13.”

”Yes master,” Sakura said yet before she could say anything more now, Naruto put a hand on her head and leaned in.

”The most deadly serpent in the world, my apprentice,” he said lowly to her, smiling as he felt the eagerness grow inside him despite everything happening. ”You will become it,” he promised her, ”And when the chuunin exams come you will triumph.” Sakura's eyes widened now and he saw her look at him with naked surprise on her face. She looked like she didn't believe him at first, like she didn't dare believe him. Yet after a short while the disbelief changed, becoming eagerness. In the end she bowed deeply to him.

”I look forward to learn from you,” she said quietly, her voice trembling.

”Six o' clock,” Naruto told her, ”I will see you then.” With no further ado he departed, heading straight for his apartment through a Konoha that was in all ways pretty much as he remembered it. Time had stood still here it seemed, remaining the same verdant and bustling town it always had been. And yet this place with which he had usually felt a kind of wary acceptance soon would become colder towards him than the mists of Kiri ever had been. Minato was the sun around which Konoha orbited, spitting at said sun wouldn't do him any favours in the upcoming months.

When he got up the stairs back to his apartment however there was someone waiting for him there. He had expected to come home, get some tea and sit down to start working on the plans for Kimiko yet that was not to be. Guren was waiting for him outside his door, sitting on the railing right across it in fact. Naruto paused, mentally sighing. Of course she'd be here. After what she had seen in the Hokage's office of course she'd be concerned. Guren who had been ready to risk the frail standing of her clan for his sake. She looked in his direction now, spotting him and getting off the railing she sat on.

”Long time no see Guren-san,” He said with a sincere attempt to appear at least pleasant. ”I saw that your team was selected from within the clan.”

”Never mind that,” Guren said heatedly, coming up to him with quick, angry steps. ”Naruto-san, what the hell happened back there?” she asked him with a disbelieving look on her face.

“You've gained her love Naruto-kun,” Orochimaru's voice told him, “Use it well.” Naruto felt a blaze of irritation at this. What the hell was going on with him? Why did for some reason his master speak in his mind now of all times? He had to examine this and soon. For now though he raised both hands to stop her now.

”Guren,” he said, trying not to show how rattled his dead master's sudden commenting made him. “This has been a very long journey for me, not the least with the... matters I had to attend to the very instant I got home. Right now I just want to get inside, perhaps brew some tea, and breathe for five minutes. Would you care for some tea and some light conversation about how the Tsubaki clan has been doing? Please?” he finished with a brave smile, putting on a facade of being on the verge of another explosion. Guren looked at him with naked worry on her face. In the end though she did take one step back and in the end smiled at him as well.

”Okay...” she said, having switched tone now. ”Tea will be fine.”

”Thank you,” Naruto said with a still voice as he walked past her and unlocked the door. The Tsubaki clan was a problem in the end. Perhaps the months that had passed would have changed it but he didn't feel too confident of it. Still, as he walked into the familiar old apartment that was his and looked around he started to plan out just what would come now. The Tsubaki clan were if nothing else useful if he could find a way to use them without implicating them. It was worth considering at least Naruto thought as he silently rummaged around for tea supplies, having started to boil water within a couple of minutes and sat down at the kitchen table. As he did so he sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair as he looked at Guren. ”So...” he said now. ”How has the Tsubaki clan done?”

Guren seemed uncertain at first, no doubt not knowing how to handle the situation in the best way. In the end however she began to talk, weaving him the story of how the Oto survivors' months in Konoha had been. Ups and downs as it turned out. Guren's team had become almost totally integrated. A few members of the Fuuma clan had gotten positions at the hospital where their chakra thread techniques saw interesting new uses. Then on the other hand Kidomaru had been more and more withdrawn, nowadays not even leaving the district. Something pained him and made him isolate himself to the level that he had refused to even continue as a shinobi. A few weeks ago a wayward insult had caused a street fight in the city between a few Tsubaki clansmen and some other Konoha shinobi.

”Better than you feared, worse than you hoped?” Naruto asked after a short while, getting up again to pour up the hot water and prepare the tea. Guren nodded.

”It's driving me up the walls,” she admitted, ”I see every success and wonder how it could have been made a greater one and every failure makes me wonder how it could have been avoided. I don't think I'm cut out for being a leader. ”

”Sounds to me like you are an excellent leader,” Naruto said as he put the tea into the teapot, ”Perhaps not the most lasting kind, but capable while you last.”

”I had hoped to last longer than a few more months before going berserk,” Guren said with the sarcasm dripping from her voice. Naruto could only smile wryly at her answer.

”Do you appreciate it?” he asked now, ”What do you, does the work satisfy you as well or merely frustrate?” He set the table with two mugs and the teapot now and sat down again, pouring tea for them both.

”It does,” Guren said impassionately, ”It really does. But at the same time I want to do more for them, be able to provide more.”

”Perfectionism can be both an asset and a liability,” Naruto told her, ”Believe me I know that.”

”Yeah...” Guren said now, looking straight at him. ”Can you tell me what happened now?” she asked and Naruto supposed there was no escaping it. She wouldn't let go of something this big.

“Why would she?” Orochimaru's voice chuckled and Naruto gritted his teeth.

”It was an inevitable confrontation,” he said as he sighed, preparing himself to lie to Guren of all people. All of a sudden he felt an obscene sense of gratitude Anko was dead. He would never have been able to lie to her. ”He and I have never seen eye to eye. We had at least some tacit respect for each other but two days ago, as I was heading back here, he got the first reports from his spies about the genetic enhancements I gave Sakura. She's currently in a transformative phase and if he hadn't given me a direct order to come home at once I would have waited due to her condition. And yet he decides when seeing the state I had to make her travel in to take her from me.” He narrowed his eyes now, carefully balancing the appearance of anger. ”Abandoning me, handing me off to Orochimaru, ordering me to kill the man twelve years later, sending me to Kiri... But Sakura? No, that was it, that was enough.”

”That son of a bitch...” Guren said now, slowly shaking her head. ”I don't know what is his problem. Does he have it out for you?

“He does not comprehend what I do and choose to act with fearful caution instead of devoting any of his precious time to understanding it.” Naruto said dismissively. It sort of grated on him to say such things about Minato after he only a few days ago had shown how much he actually did understand. Guren swallowed it though.

“You're not alone Naruto-san,” she said now with sincere compassion in her voice as she reached across the table and put her hand on his. Her reaction surprised Naruto in its tenderness. “We still believe in you,” she said tenderly. “And we always will.”

“I said it before and I'll say it again,” Naruto said as he pulled away his hand. He was getting a bit uncomfortable now, not anticipating that Guren would get this caring about the whole thing. “Put your own clan first, don't drag them into my personal issues!”

“You are my clan Naruto-san!” Guren said impassionately, “Damn it, why can't you get it into your thick skull that no matter what surname you've got you're as much a Tsubaki as any of us! We love you! You saved us all and we'd take a kunai to he heart for you, every last one of us!”

“Don't involve me!” Naruto snapped now. He had made her swear on this! His teeth now became gritted and his heart started to speed from the worry. Damn it all it had been his goal to distance himself enough from the clan that this wouldn't be a risk! “I didn't ask to be embroiled in your clan obligations so don't force me into it.”

“Where do you see coercion?!” Guren asked now, shaking her head. “Naruto... It's not about coercion or demands, it's about love, gratitude. Do you only see obligations when we say we want to help you? Is there no other conceivable reason for why we do this?!”

“I've told you already,” Naruto growled as he stood up, frantically trying to disarm this situation before it went too far. “If you want to pay me back then became loyal members of Konoha's....”

“Fuck Konoha!” Guren snarled, standing up as well now. “The Konoha that spits on you? Won't accept you after all you've done?! It wasn't Konoha who saved us Naruto!” She said as she walked around the table, wrapping him in a tight embrace that left him frozen. “It was you,” she whispered as she leaned her head against his shoulder, “Only you.” Leaning back, she looked into his eyes with a tenderness alien in her eyes to him yet very much so familiar in another gaze. Her lips were just as tender he found out a second later as Guren kissed him, putting one hand on the back of his neck. It was brief but no less sincere, no less clear in its meaning. Guren, when pulling back, didn't need to say the words that she now spoke.

“We love you Naruto...” she whispered, holding him in her arms lovingly, “I love you,” she continued and left no doubt as to what she meant.

Damn it all to hell.

Naruto could at first only look back at Guren, her kiss and the enormity of the situation as well as the irony overwhelming him. Guren had just confessed her love for him... and the worst part was that Naruto keenly understood he could have accepted her. Looking at her, he saw a woman who like Anko had shared his Orochimaru-infected past and who held so many admirable and indeed desirable traits. She understood him in many ways and had been there for him a long time. Indeed, that one evening before he went to Kiri she had asked about what he found attractive in women. That time he very well could have saved himself the time and answered “Guren”. She already was important to him and as she leaned in again Naruto concluded in his dazed state she was on her way to become much more than that.

That was why he stopped her, holding up two fingers to block her mouth as it drew near him again. Pulling back from her gentle, warm embrace he schooled his face in impassiveness even though it made him want to scream. He knew she was amazing, someone he could actually connect with on an emotional level. And yet he had already found one. The warm, gentle feelings Guren caused in him withered and fell apart into nothing in the fire-storm that Mei was in his life. Guren could not blind him in the way Mei could.

“I neither want nor need the affection you offer,” he said, silently marvelling at how poorly he seemed to be handling this situation. Turning around and leaning towards the kitchen desk, he stared out through the window as he spoke with a cold and harsh voice. “Thank you for your concern Guren-san, but you should leave now.”

“Naruto for kami-sama's sake!” Guren said desperately. And why shouldn't she sound like that? She had just been rejected. The man she held dearest in life had not only been ostracized and humiliated publicly by the Hokage, but he spat her in her face when she offered him her kindness, her support, her love. Naruto couldn't help but silently curse the fact that he had earned such trust, such loyalty, from the Tsubaki clan generally and their matriarch in particular. This was not conductive to his mission! He raised his hand to cut her off before her plea finished ripping out his soul no matter how much he felt he deserved it.

“That is all I have to say,” He told her, hissing as he did so. It hurt to do it, hurt in a way he wasn't used to. Not physically but mentally, emotionally. It felt like it rent him inside to do this to Guren of all people, the woman who was such a close friend and could have been so much more but for Mei. He all of a sudden wanted to just drop the mission and give Guren the truth. But he didn't do so. It wasn't his mission to do so. He instead only stood there silently and eventually he heard how Guren left. Her steps were calm and she did not slam the door, instead departing with her grace and dignity intact. Behind she left an unmoving Naruto who glared out of the window with a smouldering gaze.

“Now that could have been handled better,” Orochimaru's voice came from the side and Naruto was so tired, so fed up, that he lashed out at the man.

“You are dead so shut up!” he snarled, Orochimaru only cackling even fiercer.

“Is not the apprentices we leave behind a kind of immortality in its own right?” the man purred and Naruto's knuckles turned white as he dug his fingers into the hard wooden kitchen desk.

“You never settled for something like that,” he hissed, “You were a deranged twit playing god who ended up hoisted on your own petard. You're a figment of my imagination, the result of me being tired and fed up with this shit!”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Orochimaru smirked, the reflection of his face vaguely visible in the now. Naruto turned on the tap now, taking a handful of water and splashing onto his face. After this he left the kitchen desk and head to his workdesk instead. Picking out the scrolls he'd need along with a heavy notebook and a few pens, he went about his assigned mission. The two teacups remained behind in the kitchen, their contents growing cold as Naruto worked with a focus born from anger and determination both. Worked on how he could transform his sister into the perfect jinchuuriki. Worked to rid himself of that persistent mirage.

Obviously most plans would have to wait until he could get access to the scroll Minato had promised him. Only then he'd know the particulars he'd need to be aware of in order to get anywhere. Still, there were at least some work possible to do. The adventures in Kiri had given Naruto relatively solid experience with the nature of bijuu chakra. The Rokubi and later the Sanbi had both been valuable experiences to fight. With those experiences he could tentatively establish a pattern. Naruto had little doubt the Kyuubi would make them seem like irate pups though. The nine-tails was in a class of its own

How similar didn't he seem to his master right now Naruto realized with a sinking feeling in his guts.

“Dabbling in the dangerous and insane,” Orochimaru said, this time almost tenderly. “Doing so because you want to make a little sister that adored you into a perfect weapon. Alienating those who love you. It really is so familiar”

Naruto realized after a while that he had stopped working and just sat playing with his pen as he supported his cheek with the other hand. All of a sudden did he found himself doubting everything he was doing. But he had gone through this before. If you looked at the great picture you had Kimiko, who under no circumstances could be allowed to fall into enemy hands. The most powerful of Jinchuuriki was too great a prize to lose, especially to some insane group who were targeting jinchuuriki specifically. Not only did they have the power to do so but there were an agenda of some sort at play. And on the personal plane? He loved Kimiko and wouldn't allow those targeting her to succeed. What more, when it came to something like this, that the Akatsuki had actually teased him with a possible membership however tentative it was... It was too much of an opportunity to lose. What had happened with Guren was unfortunate... tragic... but it was necessary. He knew this, so why did he still feel a sense of fear, of dread?

He didn't know so he ignored it. He shoved it mentally to the side, focusing instead on what he could do, namely prepare for the challenge that lay ahead of him.

Chapter Text

The large, muscular man was stretched out across the table with his arms and legs held in unrelenting steel fetters. His clothes were in tatters and his face already disfigured. The jaw was shattered and the tongue burned out, leaving him capable of little more than moaning. And in front of him, holding a scalpel in his hand, a young, trembling boy stood. Little more than twelve years old he was, with skin and hair discoloured by human experimentation and rendered pale and washed-out. His eyes were wide as he looked down on the man and he could be seen biting his lip.

“What are you waiting for?” the boy's master asked softly, “You have your task, open him up and disconnect the organs in the order I specified.”

“Master...” the boy said now with a shivering voice, “Shouldn't he at least be sedated?”

“What for?” Orochimaru asked. “He is dead either way, what does it matter if he suffers some discomfort at the end? No my dearest little apprentice, he will remain lucid through this.”

The man could hear them clearly and he looked in their rough direction, his blood-filled eyesockets staring at them and making the boy flinch at the sight. He moaned frantically, begging wordlessly for mercy, help or whatever. It was impossible to tell for the boy.

“Start cutting,” Orochimaru whispered his demand into the boy's ear and the boy grimaced in fear before he slowly reached out, taking a deep breath and then sinking the scalpel into the man's chest. The man's dull moaning turned to frantic, animal shrieks and the horror was evident on the boy's face. The command of his master all but controlled his movements, made him do it even though every fibre of his being screamed for him to stop it. He could feel the sensation of stabbing the man, cutting into his body and how skin and muscle had different resistance. The tremors as the man struggled desperately to somehow get away shook through him and forced him to be extra careful even though his entire body shook and how he could swear he wet himself from sheer horror.

The skin was peeled back, ribs removed one after one, organ after organ removed. In the end, after an eternity of struggling, thrashing and shrieking the man didn't move any more. His organs lay piled up on a tray by his calf and his body was limp. The boy, meanwhile, stood still in front of the result of his handiwork, staring at it with pure horror in his eyes.

That was when Naruto awoke.

____________________________________

Konoha's mornings were damp and cool, as mornings tended to be. Unlike Kiri however, where the humidity was raw and oppressive, Konoha's mornings were more pleasant, refreshing almost. Along with the rays of light from a swiftly rising sun that warmed the mists and the slow breeze that came in it was a silent, beautiful sunrise in the village. All of these things were lost on the man walking through the village. Naruto was still in the foulest of moods after the events of yesterday as well as the night which left him walking with brisk steps and icy gaze towards the training field where his apprentice would be waiting. With Guren having been alienated thoroughly yesterday he had little if any reason to be the least joyful. What more, his night had been filled with memories of one of the more gruesome parts of his training with Orochimaru. It had been years since he had nightmares and he had awoken sweating and trembling. Still, despite that he felt a certain sense of satisfaction that he'd be getting at least a short while of simply training his attentive little apprentice.

Even with this entire business with Kimiko having come up Naruto had meant every last word he had said about Sakura being an uncut gem and come hell or high water he would realize her potential. Every little chip carved out of her made her shine more and more. A gleam had turned into a sparkle already. Give it time and it'd be blinding in its radiance. And though he was assigned to focus on Kimiko he'd devote every last scrap time left to his apprentice. No more would she be set aside. Now she would shine, not the least since they'd be rid of annoying distractions.

Or so he thought.

As he came walking through the mists he could see the shape of what had to be Sakura in the distance however, to his immense irritation there were another there as well. A stab of not only irritation went through him as he knew, just knew, that there'd be some other asinine interruption now. There evidently was a physical impossibility that he'd actually get to focus on doing his duty as Sakura's master! So irate he was that he came stalking out of the mists with clenched teeth and icy visage.

The man standing by Sakura's side turned out, somewhat predictably, to be Haruno Kizashi, Sakura's father, a man who was part of the “civilian” demography in Konoha. The denomination was misleading, Konoha's shinobi cadre was mainly made up of people from this background. The only real difference were that their families hadn't all been shinobi for decades and centuries, no more. Indeed even Minato was a civilian by background, at least of course until he had become Hokage whereupon he was apparently a real “clan” shinobi according to whatever invisible hand decided such things.

All of this was utterly irrelevant to Naruto at the moment. The man stood with his arms folded and smouldering anger visible in his blue eyes. His grown-together sideburns and moustache were quivering as he looked at Naruto, and his spiky hair could have burst into fire so angry he seemed. And logically why shouldn't he be? His daughter had for some reason taken a less honourable path as a shinobi and gone to the village of bloody mists of all places. From there she had come back pale, gaunt, weak and suffering. There were ample reasons for any concerned father to be angry. Naruto knew this, but he struggled to care.

“Haruno-san,” he said evenly as he came up to the man and stopped only a few feet from him. He met the man's smouldering expression with a frozen one of his own. It was fire and ice that clashed in their gazes.

“My daughter's apprenticeship with you is at an end,” the man told him bluntly, growling as he did so. He was irate indeed, livid even. It was barely that he kept himself restrained.

“Curious,” Naruto remarked, unable to stop himself from doing so snidely. “I was unaware that decision was yours to make in any way, shape or form.”

“Father,” Sakura cut in now, trying to placate the man standing in front of her. Kizashi cut her off with a swift move of his hand though.

“It bloody well is when my daughter comes home mutated into that... whatever the hell you did to her!” the man snarled at him with eyes blazing. Naruto could only roll his eyes.

“How extremely eloquent,” he said acerbically, “Your complaint has been noted, now feel free to leave. I have an apprentice to train.”

“Didn't you hear me?!” the man snarled now.

“Her physical potential is raised beyond the limits average human,” Naruto snapped now, “She will have access to an immense trove of unique and powerful jutsu and abilities. She's trained by the best and will become the best and if you didn't blind yourself to this you'd be able to see that too!”

“And the fact that you've turned a beautiful little girl into... this, doesn't factor in anywhere?!” The man hissed as he indicated his daughter's appearance. Sakura flinched at this. Her father's disapproval didn't help her at all.

”No,” Naruto said bluntly, “Not one bit.” Now something blazed in Kizashi's eyes. A blaze of rage where there had been merely anger. “I look at her and see ability and potential to be fulfilled. Not, like you seem to, a producer of grandchildren or some frail flower to be shielded!”

“You arrogant son of a...” Kisashi said now. He was incredulous, too angry to say anything. “How dare you?”

“Because you have precisely zero authority over what I do with my apprentice.” Naruto told him lowly, “She is my subordinate and the instant she donned that forehead protector she stopped being your daughter. Now as I said: You are interfering with her training so leave! Or are we taking this to the field?” He asked mildly, seeing how Sakura's eyes opened wide in horror. But surely this was enough, surely the man wasn't going to be foolish enough to challenge him of all people?

Kizashi looked at him, Naruto seeing how the man hesitated. Good. He'd realize he was out of his depth and scurry away. And yet... he didn't.

“You got it,” Kizashi said after a good while, spinning around and walking five meters away before turning around and taking up his stance. Sakura looked after her father, naked fear on her face, and Naruto couldn't help but sigh. Fool... He was committed, no doubt about it. Naruto turned to Sakura, seeing how she looked at the entire scene with despair in her eyes. Her father and her master were about to clash and unlike her furious parent Sakura had no illusions about the differences in power between them. Yet the look of fear on her face now hurt his eyes. Did she truly think so little of him? She seemed afraid she'd lose her father today.

“Wipe that desperate look off your face,” he told her lowly, Sakura startling and quickly obliging. “I will not maim him. Nevertheless watch closely, this is my taijutsu.” With that he walked five meters away as well, the two coming to stand ten meters away from each other. Naruto hadn't assumed a stance because he knew he didn't need any. Kizashi was by no means a bad shinobi, that should be noted. What he was was average, boilerplate, run of the mill, a decently competent shinobi whose only remarkable feature was how much more than he could chew that he just had bit off. “Whenever you are ready,” Naruto told him after a few seconds and the next instant Kizashi had attacked him.

He came in with a high kick for Naruto's head and Naruto simply leaned back and raised the arm that was on the side the leg came from. When the sweep came his arm caught it, absorbing the momentum which let him rotate with and send a flat-palmed strike straight into Kizashi's chest with enough force to send the man flying backwards. He crashed back first into the ground, yet came to a stop quickly. The man looked up to see Naruto complete the upper-body rotation and come back to his original position. Naruto didn't need to say anything, only give him a superior smile.

Kizashi leaped to his feet with a snarl, charging again and this time delivering a rapid series of blows. At least he learned from his first mistake. Naruto this time threw up his arms and blocked the man's blows as they came, deflecting them without too much trouble. He therefore could adapt to much more base moves, showing a Sakura who hopefully was paying attention how these moves worked. As Kizashi's straight came Naruto smacked his palm into the crook of his arm to stop the blow from reaching all the way forth. An uppercut was struck to the side with a sweeping blow. A left hook avoided by leaning back and then followed with Naruto grabbing the arm and sending the man flying with a quick, sharp throw.

Kizashi only seemed more and more incensed by how Naruto toyed with him and when he landed his eyes blazed. Enraged he now raised his hands and Naruto's eyes widened as he watched the man make the seals which culminated in Tora, the tiger seal. Inhaling the man proceeded to spit out a cloud of fire towards him. Sakura gasped. Naruto narrowed his eyes. The heat came at him at immense speeds.

Naruto didn't dodge or sidestep or anything. Instead he merely raised one hand, formed a seal with the others and as the flames were close enough for their heat to be felt he cried out.

“Kai!” he roared and yet this time the jutsu wasn't merely neutralized. Space itself seemed to warp in front of him, forming a spiral in reality into which the jutsu flew and seemingly got sucked in, Naruto's hand flying back and stopping as he now held his hand clenched like a claw around a small, bright spot of fire. For one second the shock on Kizashi's face was complete, then Naruto shoved the hand forwards and opened it. This made the blaze return and this time it emerged from his hand, flying back towards its original summoner.

Kizashi disappeared in a cloud of fire and smoke, Naruto hearing how Sakura screamed in shock and horror. He wasn't done though. Naruto moved into the cloud, moving on instinct and experience as much as anything else and came across a scorched, singed, but living Kizashi. He came up behind the coughing man, towering behind him for a split second before his opponent noticed him and spun around with a wild swing. Naruto blocked it and overextended the man's arm before he proceeded to end it, thoroughly. A stab into the solar plexus with two fingers to paralyse him. Sharp blows to the major nerve clusters. Heavier blows to sensitive veins and arteries. None of the blows were fatal or permanently crippling but that was the keyword: Permanently. As the smoke cleared and Sakura became visible again she got to see her father fall through the air and land on the ground with a thud.

He wouldn't be spitting any more fireballs at Naruto now. He would not fight him. He would do nothing more than hobble home in disgrace. Haruno Kizashi was utterly and completely defeated as well as humiliated.

“Father!” Sakura came running up to them now, the fear evident on her eyes as she despite her weakness darted past Naruto and knelt by her father's side. Naruto felt something akin to a stab of... resentment? He did not know so he instead walked away, coming to stop at the rock where Sakura had been sitting. After what had happened he decided to give the man a few minutes to process his losss. If he'd still make a fuss Naruto would have to consider making his crippling permanent. He didn't want to look now though. The farewell vexed him somehow.

Was he jealous? Could the issue at hand be how Kizashi had been ready to fight against a vastly superior foe with no chance of winning in order to “save” his daughter while Minato had dug his head into the sand and hoped for the best? Was he jealous of Sakura for having this kind of father?

He shouldn't be. That was preposterous. He had long since come to the conclusion that circumstances and Orochimaru's manipulations if not exonerating his parents then at least made their actions understandable. It made rational sense and should be all that mattered... and yet it didn't.

Kizashi eventually got to his feet with Sakura's help. For a while he merely stood in front of her, doing his best to put on a brave smile in front of his daughter. He whispered something, Naruto making out the words “always”, “home” and “love”. It infuriated him to hear. The man's cheesiness made him grit his teeth and he focused on a distant tree. Couldn't that miserable fool just leave yet!?

He did eventually and Sakura came back. She seemed subdued but at least focused and when Naruto turned to look at her she bowed.

“I'm sorry for my father's actions,” she said with no small effort, “Thank you for your restraint. I...”

“I don't want to hear anything more about this asinine interruption,” Naruto told her and he had to struggle to keep calm. Once more his haven of peace was torn asunder by the idiocies of the common man. He stood up now, holding up one hand to keep her from saying anything more. “You should know the first stance,” he told her now, turning around with folded arms. Sakura nodded quickly, sinking down into the stance.

”Look at the angle of your feet, try to shift your weight like this,” Naruto said, putting his hand on her hip and pushed her slightly to the side. ”Lower the shoulders,” he added, knocking her on the left shoulder twice. ”Left arm slightly outward, right arm forward just a little...” he continued. ”Now bob on your feet, let your arms move a little, circular motions.” Sakura obeyed, beginning to sway as she moved. “Now the first routine, go!” He watched as Sakura, clumsily and hesitantly, began to do the routine.

It was awkward, full of errors and slow but it was there. The foundation was indeed in place. Small, subtle moves that would have been just a little bit too difficult for humans to pull off bit by bit came more and more easily to her. About ten minutes later, as she was doing the routine for the tenth time over, Naruto realized he was smiling slightly as she went through a low spinning kick. His attentive little apprentice did indeed seem to catch on. This was at least one thing in his life that wasn't infuriating at the moment. Sakura's talent for abstraction did wonders here he realized after a while. Small cues in her moves made him deduce she was thinking at it as geometry. She moved from stance to stance and while the transitions were shaky indeed the actual postures sat very well. When they were done two hours later Naruto knew that this would go even better than expected.

“I want you to keep doing these routines three hours a day,” Naruto told her when they were done for the day. “How is your studying of the scrolls coming along?”

“They were coming along well master,” Sakura told him, gasping a little. “I've come across some troubles but... Hebihisui helps me whenever that happens.”

“Good,” Naruto said, “Remember though that a favour demands a favour in return.” Sakura nodded.

“She likes quails,” she said now. “I promised her I'll catch some when I'm better.” Naruto couldn't help but smirk at this. Hebihisui evidently was a bit of a gourmet, quails were the kind of birds that you found on the Daimyo's table.

“Interesting,” he said, “I'll leave the handling of that to you. Same time and same place tomorrow.”

“Yes master.” Sakura said with a bow. “Will you be at the labs today?”

“Partially,” Naruto told her. “If I am not there I will most probably be at home. If there is anything you need I should be there. Now I head to the labs though.”

“Good luck master,” Sakura said sincerely, “I guess the staff will need to be whipped into shape again,” she added with a smile, Naruto raising an eyebrow. Where did that cheek come from?

“Now that you mention it, he said, spinning his hand around to retrieve the Kusanagi from the seal on his forearm and stick it in his belt instead. “This one goes here for now,” he said, giving Sakura a small smirk as he saw surprise and relief both come over her face. “Off you go now.” he said and Sakura nodded as she took a few steps back before turning and leaving.

She was getting comfortable in her role as apprentice. Good, her formal and/or terrified earlier mannerisms were tiresome in the long run. Naruto wanted respect and obedience, not worship and submission. A scientist that was a sycophant was a flawed one.

And yes... the department. Naruto had put off checking in with them, having decided to drop in at around eight o' clock when things were usually settled into the daily routine at the labs. They would no doubt know he was back and if Naruto knew the department correctly his desk would have an immense pile of reports on amongst other things the Raijin no Ken, the project he had been forced to leave when going to Kiri. It was going to be interesting indeed to see what they had found out, especially since he had some observations about the Hiramekarei during the last couple of months.

Still, at the same time he remembered Kabuto's faux pas with the correspondence the last time he had been away for merely a few days. A few days and Kabuto had made such a mistake as that particular one. It had landed Naruto with Sakura of course so the end result was positive. That didn't change that it was an immense mistake though. He just hoped the labs hadn't turned into a kindergarten thanks to some other screw-up. Kabuto was a valuable assistant indeed, and Naruto hoped that the events of last time would be an one-time occurrence

____________________________________

It seemed indeed that the whole mess with the correspondence had been a one time occurrence. When getting back to the labs there didn't seem to be any disasters happening. Things were running smoothly. People welcomed him back respectfully and enthusiastically. Naruto even ended up talking with a few of the scientists in the hallway for a moment, the two of them happily updating him on bits and pieces about the Raijin project. Headway had been made, immense such, and Naruto for a while actually had troubles wrapping his head around the fact. He mentioned at two times that they should look into this or that, only to have one of the scientists tell him that had been done the following week. Being back in an established, well-funded organization with ironclad routines and top-notch gear made all the difference in the world.

In his office the correspondence was neatly stacked as last time, only the two piles were bigger. Kabuto's neat handwriting sat on the already handled matters, detailing what had been done. A small surprise was Karin's handwriting on equally many letters. The girl was coming into her own, that was for sure. They had handled most if not all incoming matters that didn't need his specific signature expediently and cleverly. A few of the solutions actually made him nod to himself in approval.

Indeed everything seemed to be going splendidly, down to the last detail. At least until he walked into the small side-office that had been set aside for Kabuto and Karin. Being that they worked equally much as his secretaries as vice heads of the department Naruto had decided to give them their own space. He had been told they most likely were there by the head of chakragrahpy, Roujin, and walked into the room without any real ado, fully expecting to see them hard at work by their desks.

Yes. That was where he expected his two diligent aides to be. At the desks, working correspondence, double-checking lab results or something similar. He did not expect to find Kabuto sitting on his desk with dishevelled clothes and with Karin, whose shirt was unbuttoned, straddling him. He did not expect the placid young man's hands to be under the now open shirt and the fiery young woman's hands holding Kabuto's cheeks. He did not expect gasps, ragged breaths and moans to fill the air instead of scribbling. In short, the sight of Kabuto and Karin making out was one he never, not in a thousand years, would have expected.

Naruto was surprised to say the least, dumbfounded even, but he still could act. Reaching up, he knocked on the door and got the two randy teenagers' attention. With, if he could be honest, quite immense results. Karin glanced up first, mouth still locked towards Kabuto's, and when she saw him she all but flew off her partner with a look of abject horror on her face. Naruto idly noted that she was wearing quite racy undergarments for someone her age. Kabuto's head now span around and he looked towards the door as well, becoming as pale as snow as he saw Naruto as well.

Naruto could do little more than to raise a hand to rub the bridge of his nose as Kabuto and Karin scrambled to cover up. Karin in the end all but threw herself behind the desk to cover herself. Kabuto thankfully had bit of an easier time but fumbled with the buttons to his vest. In the end Naruto raised a hand to cut them off.

“My office,” he said, “Ten minutes. Make sure to be straightened out until then.” With that he closed the door and walked back to his office where he sat down heavily in his office chair and proceeded to bury his face in his hands. If it wasn't one thing then it was another? Was that how it was going to be? Kabuto of all people? And Karin... Karin who had seemed to come into her own so well...

When the two showed up about ten minutes later both of them were as immaculate as they were timid as they snuck inside and stood in front of his desk. Naruto had been checking some of the correspondence marked down for him and looked up from it now with a sigh. Both Kabuto and Karin looked like they wanted to sink through the floor.

“You surprise me,” he told the two of them, watching how Kabuto tried to say something. “Let me finish,” he said firmly and Kabuto flinched, backing down from saying whatever he was going to say. “You surprise in that I truly did not expect the two of you would end up in... shall we say that kind of relation to each other. Let me finish!” he said more strongly now as Karin tried to speak up. “Now I hope you understand that I want to run a professional department,” he began sternly. “The very last thing I want is for this organization to regress into some soap opera where old relationships, factionalism and spite keep us from doing our job. Anyone, literally anyone, who lets their personal life interfere with their job here is out on their ears at the very first strike. No ifs or buts, I do not accept unprofessional behaviour from my staff, is that clear?” Neither of them said anything. “Is, that, clear!?” he added forcefully after a few seconds.

“Yes...” Karin said, doing her best to stare at the pile of letters on his desk.

“Y-yes Naruto-sensei,” Kabuto stammered.

“Now with this in mind,” Naruto said, “Do you believe this... relationship will work out?”

“Well...” Kabuto began awkwardly, rubbing his neck. “It's...”

“It's not really a...” Karin said after a few more seconds.

“A what?” Naruto asked mildly.

“I don't know if relationship is the right word... kind of...” Kabuto eventually managed to squeeze forth.

“So it is mainly about the sex?” Naruto asked, equally much exasperated, amused and amazed. Exasperated at the two youths whom he never would have expected this from, amused at how awkward they were about it and amazed that he could speak so frankly about this. Karin's face went even more beet red than it already was and Kabuto started fidgeting even more. “Well carry on then,” he said after a second of deliberation. Some teasing would do them good. “Just don't leave bodily fluids all over the desks and take all the necessary precautions to avoid pregnancies.”

“No!” Karin blurted out now. “It's not like that!”

“So it's not about sex nor is it about a relationship,” Naruto said as he once again rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know what, forget it. I refuse to get involved with this. If you can keep it professional then good. If you cannot then you are out of R&D, head first. Got it?” The two now nodded, the shame evident on their faces. “Good, now I do not want to hear one more word about any of this.” He told them heavily. “Now about this issue with the Aburame,” he continued, holding up a piece of correspondence. It seemed the problems the kikaichuu-using clan had had only had intensified. Kabuto and Karin had chosen to devote quite a lot of resources to it. Too much perhaps. Naruto wasn't sure and wanted to hear what the two had to say for themselves.

Thankfully, so very thankfully, there were no more idiotic incidents after this. Things had gone splendidly for the labs in his absence. The Raijin no Ken projects were progressing well but would benefit from his input, several minor breakthroughs had happened in other areas and the inflow of new assigments had slowed down to a trickle, leaving them room to focus on what they had already. And yet in the middle of this he'd be focused on a secret project even more tantalizing than the Raijin no Ken. At least he could see that things would work well here. He'd need to drop in regularly and keep up to date with their findings obviously, but Naruto supposed he had achieved the final goal for any organizational head, he had made himself pretty much expendable. Good... and at the same time it stung a little.

“Compile all the findings as of now,” he finished after about thirty minutes, “With calculations and test results, and have it mailed to my apartment by tomorrow.”

“You won't be here?” Kabuto asked and Naruto gave the young man a sour look.

“Not more than sporadically,” he told him. “I cannot be “trusted” evidently,” he said with all the venom he could muster. “I'm taking time off for some personal pet projects, if Minato wants to complain he can burn in hell.” Karin's eyes opened wide and Kabuto blanched somewhat at his venom. Good. Even these two needed to believe it.

When he departed the R&D department it was after having thoroughly spread a sense of his foul mood. An unexpected issue however that arose was the enthusiastic backing he got from more or less the entire staff. Matsumoto had said she thought Minato could eat shit for this. Roujin had found the whole thing a “joke” and several division heads had promised to make a formal complaint.

Amusing. He was the one who'd be struggling due to once again being a pariah in large parts of Konoha, but Naruto didn't envy his father the least for all the people that'd be kicking down his door to berate him for this.

____________________________________

That evening, Naruto had secretly left Konoha and headed south-southwest from the main gate, coming across the ruined house where the scroll Minato had promised him would be. The house evidently was some old farmstead long since abandoned with the founding of Konoha. The roof had caved in and moss and lichen covered most of the planks still in place. Naruto stepped in through what once had been the door, making sure to watch his steps as the floor was rotten. Now where would that scroll be?

“Nice that you're on time,” a voice said and Naruto looked to the side. By a rotten, half-destroyed table sat, of all things, a toad. It was orange and black and carried two bands around its belly. “Was afraid I'd have to wait here all day.”

“So you are the keeper of the scroll I was promised?” Naruto asked. It made sense toad seals would be involved here. The toads were masters of all sorts of esoteric lore. The toad in question nodded and waddled out from where it stood.

“Kinda,” he said as he came out onto a part of the floor that seemed more solid, “Gerotora's the name, I'm not just the keeper of the scroll though.”

“Okay I'll bite,” Naruto said now with a smirk, “What do you mean?”

“I am the scroll,” Gerotora said before he grew to very well over two meters, the two bands separating to reveal that his mid-section was one giant scroll which now unwrapped, revealing meter after meter of intricate seals, something that left Naruto with both eyebrows raised.

“Now there's a solution,” he chuckled, walking up to the scroll. “So this is it then?”

“It's all here,” Gerotora told him, “For you to use. Never thought I'd see the day when I'm showing this to the snake clan's chosen human of all people,” the toad added sourly.

“It is my understanding Gamabunta and the recent Manda have started a rapprochement between the Ryuuchi Cave and Mount Myōboku,” Naruto said mildly, “If you toads now really are the better people shouldn't you support your king's efforts?”

“Yeah yeah,” Gerotora said dismissively, waving a hand, “I'm here to do my job.”

“Lovely,” Naruto said, not really caring overmuch about the toad's view of Gamabunta's decisions. “Merely the yang chakra huh?” he said as he watched the meters of text detailing the function of the seal that sat on his sister's stomach.

“Yep,” Gerotora agreed. “The Yin chakra is safely tucked away inside the guts of the shinigami itself.”

“Seems like my good father had plans for the girl already then,” Naruto smirked at the sight. The Kyuubi's chakra was indeed split in two. The giant toad scroll detailed how the fourth and third Hokages had split the chakra of the giant beast into its two base components. The Yin chakra, the “dark” chakra, the chakra that created form out of nothing, was sealed into the Shinigami when the beast was sealed into Kimiko. But the Yang chakra, the “light” chakra that breathed life into form, was sealed inside her still. A fundamental imbalance, sadly. Still it explained why she had such a hard time with subtleties, her chakra was literally shaped to be overt and blatant. That was okay though, he hadn't planned to make her a covert agent. “Interesting,” he added after a while when he noticed something “So the man put off the choice whether to give her full access to the Kyuubi's chakra or lock it away for good until now,” he added, seeing how the seal was stuck halfway between sealing the Kyuubi away for good and giving Kimiko all its power.

“What are you planning?” Gerotora asked him suspiciously.

“Breaking that seal open and making Kimiko the perfect warrior obviously,” Naruto told him. “It's all here.”

“You're out of your mind!” Gerotora said, “How do you expect a twelve-year old girl to control the raw energies of one of the most powerful creatures in the world by herself?!”

“Not by herself,” Naruto said. “There are other ways of doing it.”

“Then you have to enlighten me,” the toad said now, folding his arms. Naruto shook his head though.

“Not quite yet,” he said, having raised one hand to his face to stroke his cheek. His other arm was holding the first under the elbow as he pondered what he saw. The sheer brilliance of the scroll's contents were evident for all to see and Naruto's mind worked furiously to see what could be done with this. A whole lot as it turned out... a whole lot indeed. “Perfect...”

____________________________________

With the scroll acquired, the lab prepared and most if not all of his affairs in order Naruto had only one thing left to do before the mission given to him by the Hokage could begin in earnest. It was an important piece of the mission, indeed it was the most important of them all. Kimiko. If she could not be swayed into going along with these experiments the mission was over before it started. Covert operations were like that.

The girl in question had been stranded on D-rank missions ever since the Wave incident and wouldn’t be too hard to find. What more his sister was a creature of habits, and Naruto had seen the notes left for him by Minato. His sister’s usual walking routes were all mapped out with a surprising amount of detail. Good, that’d make this a lot easier. He was not confident enough in his stealth to think he could stalk Team 7 without their jounin-sensei noticing that they were being followed. No, much better to let her come to him. Naruto therefore had gone to sit down on a park bench along the road Kimiko always took when going home after a D-rank day.

Naruto couldn’t help but feel grateful that Orochimaru never had put him on these kinds of missions. D-rank missions were as necessary as any others, mainly because they never, ever ran out, were good for working out kinks in team cooperation and built public relations with the civilian population. Still, having to clean up people’s yards and chase missing cats were the kind of missions Orochimaru wouldn’t have tolerated for his apprentice. The man would have considered it an insult and that pride was something Naruto possessed as well.

Looking up at the clouds, he pondered something that had struck him early on when returning to this place. Kirigakure had been a humid, raw place wreathed in fog, one where the humidity crept in everywhere and sunlight rarely if ever was anything more than distant rays shining through the thick fog. In comparison Konoha was so verdant, so green. It was a paradise in so many ways, maybe a bit too hot at times but that was all. The sun stood high above on a sparsely clouded sky and the wind blew warm and gentle.

He supposed that he got another bit of understanding and respect for Minato’s vision. Verdant, green and wealthy Konoha could have stood as an emperor but instead it wanted to stand first amongst equals. A blessed village spreading the wealth and building instead of warring… yes, he approved of that. If nothing else, what could not happen if it worked out? With cooperating villages focusing on the area of their jurisdiction and with all benefiting from the successes of one the possibilities were endless. A Research and Development division for all of the elemental nations? The “Elemental Nations’ Institute for Research and Development” perhaps? As said, the possibilities were endless and Naruto could only dream of what kind of funding something like that could get. It would be an entire village’s worth of scientific studies and projects. And also, with the endless fighting over and focused into less brutish, more constructive projects, it could very well lead to a golden age of scientific progress.

Indeed, the more he thought about it the more tantalizing it became. He had to reach that distant goal, perhaps even no matter what. And if this Akatsuki cult was in the way of it then it had to be dealt with. With extreme prejudice if that was what it took. And if it meant that his sister had to realize her fullest potential one way or another, so be it.

“No matter what and so be it,” a voice seemed to purr to him, “How familiar Naruto-kun.” Naruto flinched now, feeling how the anger came to him. There it was again! That damnable voice! He had thought it gone after yesterday but now it taunted him again. And what had the voice said? “No matter what and so be it, how familiar.” What did that even mean? Naruto brushed the thought away after only a few seconds though.

Right now it didn’t matter at all. What mattered was that he saw Kimiko come walking. She seemed all in all in a good mood, skipping along the path with that slight bounce of hers from what he could tell. He had purposely taken up position on a bench beside a shrubbery obscuring him enough that she wouldn’t be able to tell it was until the very last moment. The memory of Wave had to be still fresh in her mind and Naruto had a few guesses about what her first reactions might be like. Stonewalling him, dashing away, taking the long way around him; all those things were plausible options. So therefore he sat here silently and still behind the bushes, watching her through the tiny openings in the shrubbery with a steady look on his serpentine eyes.

His greeting was calm and to the point. “You seem in high spirits,” he said and Kimiko halfway flew two feet into the air. She hadn’t even noticed him and came down with wide eyes and startled body language. All of a sudden he found himself uncertain of what to say. Seeing her wide eyes and trembling body left him hesitating. What to say to the girl whose last meaningful interaction with him had consisted of him hitting her?

“Yeah…” Kimiko said after a second, hesitation and uncertainty all over her face. She looked like she wanted to run away more than anything else.

“Like everyone else she fears and hates you.” Orochimaru’s voice came back, startling Naruto and making a sudden surge of anger hit him. He almost showed it, feeling how his hackles rose at the sudden accusation coming from seemingly nowhere. Still almost was not quite and he could remain impassive.

“I owe you something, don’t I?” he asked her, watching the girl’s brow furrow. “A jutsu,” he clarified after a second, watching how Kimiko’s eyes widened. She didn’t say anything though and Naruto kept going. “The deal was that if you attended the extra supplementary classes without skipping any I would teach you a jutsu when you graduated. I didn’t however. To me that means you’ve accumulated interest on that promise. If it is not too late, can I still teach you what I promised, this time teaching you much more than just one jutsu?”

Naruto got no answer. Or rather, he got no verbal answer. The rough, overjoyed embrace Kimiko gave him without any reservations was answer enough in so many ways.

____________________________________

“What is this place?” Kimiko asked as she looked around the underground facility. It was now in top-notch condition both as Orochimaru had not skimped on quality equipment and Naruto had sunk many hours into fixing it up. The long row of vats filled with luminescent liquid still stood slowly bubbling along one wall, illuminating the tables, the lab equipment and finally the lockers along the other wall. The water had been cleaned away and the grime that had settled in removed. It was now in full working order

“This,” Naruto said as he stood beside Kimiko, noticing that she seemed a bit hesitant, “Is my lab. This is where I work my “magic” as you once called it. And what more, this secret lab will be where I will teach you everything I promised.”

“Won’t like sparring and so get a bit hard with all this stuff?” Kimiko asked, “It looks expensive, won’t we break it?”

“Sparring isn’t what you are here for,” Naruto said quietly as he put his hands on Kimiko’s shoulders from behind. “You are here to have my magic worked on you. That thing inside you Kimiko,” Naruto continued and felt how his sister tensed up. “It is what we will work on here. Its power will be yours.”

“That thing is evil,” Kimiko said now, looking at Naruto with honest fear in her eyes. “Oniisan, it attacked Konoha and killed lots of people.”

“That doesn’t change what it is,” Naruto told her, “It is powerful, one of the most powerful things in the world. And it is you, it is part of you. It has been since the day you were born and will remain so until your death. But that doesn’t mean it must be simply a prisoner. It can be a weapon as well, one of the most powerful weapons in the world. Your weapon.”

“I don’t know…” Kimiko said. The girl was still apprehensive despite Naruto’s speech. “Mommy said that thing is pure evil.”

“Good and evil doesn’t exist,” Naruto told her, “The Kyuubi is no more evil than a wildfire or a tsunami. It’s destructive, savage and violent, yes. But I can help you control it. My work, my magic, can shape that thing’s power and let you make it into whatever you want. It’s the ultimate jutsu, one that allows you to become an avatar of the most powerful thing there is.”

Kimiko still didn’t speak. The idea terrified her, Naruto could tell that. She needed just one final push though.

“Kimiko,” Naruto said now, leaning in, “Do you trust me?” If he had gotten tiny reactions thus far the reaction he got now was immense. Kimiko nodded rapidly and intensively, looking at him with her eyes filled with adoration.

“I do,” she said heatedly, “I really, really super-do. I just…” now she petered off, clenching her hands and looking to the floor

“You are afraid,” Naruto whispered as he knelt in front of her, still keeping a hand on her shoulder. “But Kimiko,” he said as he gently pushed up her head to with his free hand, “Trust me.” He said as she looked at him again, “I will not fail at this. I will not fail you.”

“Do you promise?” she asked him timidly now and Naruto felt once more the surge of affection for this little girl.

“I promise,” he told her gently, “More than I’ve ever promised anything before.” Kimiko bit her lower lip now, the struggle evident on her face for a second before she nodded.

“Okay,” she said with a tiny voice. “I’ll do it.” Naruto ruffled her hair now as he stood up with a smile. Perfect… With Kimiko having accepted the first examination could begin

“Good,” he said as he turned around to pick up some things from a table. “Now please lie down on this table and hike up your shirt. I must examine your seal more closely.” He added, knowing that Kimiko would ask “why”. Kimiko obeyed and got up on the table where she hiked up her shirt to reveal her stomach. Naruto looked down at the girl where she lay, saw her balled-up fists, stiff posture and eyes clenched shut. After a few exasperated seconds he shoved a finger into her bellybutton, making the girl squeal and be almost catapulted off the table. Without even exaggerating Naruto could swear she got a good second of air-time. “Will you calm down?!” he asked a Kimiko that had ended up in a crumpled-up pile by one of the walls. “I’m not going to shove any needles into you or carve you open so stop acting like it.”

“Sorry,” Kimiko croaked and slowly untangled herself from the wall. After a few seconds she was back on the table and did a conscious effort to be a bit more relaxed. Naruto meanwhile put his hands together in a seal and closed his eyes as he began to carefully mould chakra.

“Start moulding chakra Kimiko,” he told her and opened his eyes after a few seconds. Kimiko had obeyed him and had put her hands together to mould chakra herself. The seal had slowly began to emerge on her stomach as she did so, a black spiral surrounded by symbols. The craftsmanship was unmistakeable. This was indeed an Uzumaki seal, one of the finest seals in the world. Removing his hands from each other, Naruto let chakra flames dance along his fingertips as he carefully put the fingers to her stomach and began to trace the pattern. As he traced it a dull red light came to be left in its wake, turning the black ink into a colour and luminescence more reminiscent of glowing coals than anything else.

Fascinating… Naruto could see the nature of the seal laid out in front of him. It was all but exactly as the scroll had described it. The chakra was spit into its yin and yang components and left one locked away inside the Shinigami and the other inside her body. He could only imagine how powerful Kimiko would be if she had from her very birth been expected to channel this power. She’d be as strong as him or maybe, probably, stronger.

There was a lot to be done, a lot of exciting, revolutionary work on a nigh-forbidden subject during which he had free reins. How delightful. For now though he was done.

“I’m done,” he told Kimiko, “You can pull down your shirt now.”

“What did you see?” she asked him as she climbed down and straightened out her clothes.

“A lot,” Naruto said with a smile as he leaned against a table behind him. “Tomorrow, when soon as you are done with your missions, you will come back here and we’ll start working on your ascent to become the most powerful genin in Konoha.”

“Really?” Kimiko asked and Naruto nodded with a smile. Most powerful he had said, not the best. It was an important distinction and one that Kimiko did not make. “That’s awesome!” she said now, evidently having gotten intrigued by the idea. “I can’t wait to see the looks on the guys’ faces when they…”

“No!” Naruto cut her off now. Blast it all, he had forgotten about that. Obviously she’d want to brag. Kimiko startled at his exclamation and looked at him with wide eyes. “This is our secret Kimiko,” he told her, “Yours, mine, and nobody else’s. Can you keep this secret with me?

“Uh-huh!” Kimiko said passionately, nodding quickly. “Not a word to anyone, gotcha.” Naruto would have liked to believe her but didn’t. Kimiko was much too impulsive after all.

“Good,” he said however, planning to use a bit of a low blow to seal the deal. “That’s a promise,” Kimiko nodded happily and reached out her hand to shake on it. Naruto shook it but didn’t let go afterwards. “I know you will not betray our secret, betray me.” The girl’s eyes widened again at this and she shook her head furiously. “Betray”. The magical word that would make Kimiko utterly adamant about keeping her mouth shut. Betraying her big brother? That was a crime unlike anything else and she’d never, ever do it. Naruto now let go, confident that it’d be a wrap now. Manipulating her really was too easy. She was still so pure, still so innocent.

“And how much will remain when you are done Naruto-kun?” A voice all too familiar seemed to ask him. “How much will you let remain?”

“Quiet you” he thought to himself, wondering why he was even responding to an errant thought that dressed up in his old master’s mannerisms. He shook off the question and focused back on Kimiko.

“Off you go,” he told her and Kimiko quickly departed, leaving Naruto alone in a lab that quickly went almost oppressively silent. He looked around himself as he became lonely, thinking to himself that he needed to set in some better lighting here. It was still gloomy and dark down here. Perhaps this was perfect for a snake to sleep in but not so ideal for working in. The main source of light was the vats, and Naruto walked up to them to stare into the slowly bubbling glass containers.

He really should ponder what to do with these. The contents were monstrously expensive and he was loath to get rid of them, especially since he was underfunded as it was. And for all the vile things Orochimaru had done with them they were still valuable.

“As you said Naruto-kun,” Orochimaru’s face said in the reflection, “Good and evil does not exist. There is only power.”

“How delightfully simplistic master,” he muttered. “I see death didn’t make you less of a cretin.” Inwardly he was getting very worried however. Was he getting delusional on top of everything else? Was his proximity to his master’s old forte, human experimentation, whipping up ghosts of the man to haunt him?

Worrying and somewhat shameful. Wasn’t he stronger than that? Did his mental fortitude reach no further? It’d be for the best if this project got wrapped up as soon as possible no matter the case. Naruto therefore grabbed his things and departed the laboratory. As he turned halfway to kill the lights on his way out it seemed as though Orochimaru sat on the workbench where Kimiko had laid, legs crossed and body leaning forward with the arms crossed over his knees. He seemed to smile.

“I’ll be seeing you,” he chuckled where he sat, “Naruto-kun…” he purred in that obscene way of his. Naruto flicked the light switch and left without saying anything. It was irrelevant: nothing but errant fear and concerns taking too much space. In time they would abate as he got into the routine and cleared up whatever subconscious nonsense was nesting down in the depths of his mind. Too much was at stake as it was for him to stop; too great plans were in motion. He couldn’t afford to get cold feet due to his mind playing some initial tricks on him.

Chapter Text

Routine was the foundation of Naruto’s life in many ways. Get up at five o’ clock and exercise. Eat a light breakfast and pour over some of his notes while doing so. Six o’ clock the training with Sakura began. Initially it was only two hours due to her condition but Naruto steadily escalated the amount of time she trained per day. He had said one month but Sakura was back to top condition in three weeks. Either her body adapted better than he had thought or she simply had learned to ignore the weakness.

Three in the afternoon Sakura’s training was done, and Naruto could focus on the preparations for what would happen at five when Kimiko was done with her regular shinobi duties. In the secret lab of Orochimaru’s he went to work at her, taking samples, running tests and experimenting with solutions. Kimiko endured it all with the patience of a child waiting for something good. A side-room to the labs had been repurposed into a sparring room where seals covered the walls. Here Kimiko could be drilled in fighting while simultaneously being monitored by several different instruments. Sensor pads sat all over her body and the wires connecting them to the machine had been wrapped into one big cord that stuck out from her back. The sweat ran in rivulets down her body as the seals continuously changed the conditions inside the room. Not in a perceptible way though, rather they drenched the room in different kinds of chakra, bombarding the jinchuuriki with differently moulded chakra to see which would provoke a reaction. Naruto spent hours standing there with his hands together to mould the chakra needed.

To put it in R&D terms: Project Sakura went swimmingly and the goals were generally reached ahead of schedule. Project Kimiko, meanwhile, went slower but the results were very promising.

Once again Naruto marvelled at the brilliance in the combination of Uzumaki and Toad seals. Already the Uzumaki had been master artisans when it came to their seals. Combine it with the esoteric lore of the toads and you had nigh miracles. This was where he belonged in so many ways, literally on the cutting edge of so many scientific disciplines. That Minato had sat on this treasure trove for so long…

And yet he was neither content nor happy. From some deep abyss of his mind Orochimaru's ghost had come crawling out and it did not leave him alone. His nights were tormented by the darkest, vilest visions of his past, traumas he had struggled to leave behind. Again and again he was thrown into situation after situation he had wished to forget. How he had vivisected a living man. How he had poisoned an entire family of peasants, how he had tortured a man in front of his siblings to make them crack. Vile, abominable acts that had fed only Orochimaru's sadism and left Naruto in shambles.

The days were no better. Orochimaru would not leave him alone. For the first time in nearly a year, Naruto walked by his master's side and silently endured the man's comments on everything that he did. Whenever he trained Sakura Orochimaru hung at the corners of his awareness, urging him to take the training to the same depths he had with Naruto. He detailed how Sakura should be tested and, if broken, discarded. He spat at her weakness and jeered at her mistakes. When Naruto was at the labs Orochimaru sneered at the staff and their work. Lazy, insolent and pathetically limited he called them, denouncing them from beginning to end. With Kimiko he became the most insistent. Naruto had to endure entire lectures, repeated such, on what path he should take in his work on her. He insisted and indeed nagged Naruto with the patience of a devil.

His grand project constantly belittled, his division insulted and his apprentice mocked. Over and over and over again. Naruto endured it for what else could he do? Anko was dead, Guren and Rin ostracised and along with the former most if not all of the Tsubaki clan. Mei was far away. Naruto stood alone, and he endured. He could take it after all. Had he not endured years of this under Orochimaru's tutelage? Surely these few months would be harsh but manageable?

As it would turn out, they weren't.

His nights haunted by screams, sobs, wails and pleading for mercy, his days taunted, belittled and spat upon. Alone and constantly tortured by the darkest and vilest bits of his past. Naruto began to slip. Perhaps it was pride, perhaps it was ignorance. Perhaps it was simply the sheer fact that insanity warps your very perception of reality. Whatever it was he did not see the fact before he passed the point of no return.

Before he stood, three months later, in the ruins of the Konoha arena with the Kusanagi buried deep in his father's gut.

____________________________________

The Chuunin exams were for many shinobi one of the biggest events of the year. Holidays arose from the culture around them. O-bon came from the Fire Temple's ceremonies in remembrance of the dead as lay brothers spread the customs to the people. New Year's celebration arose where they arose simply because the first calendars chose to cut off each year at that point and the symbolism became strong enough to warrant celebrations. The Chuunin exams, which was the gateway to second of the three tiers of shinobi life, became great spectacles wherever they took place.

The Genin exams were private affairs mainly. Families honoured and celebrated their newly appointed shinobi family members in whatever ways they saw fit. Many celebrated and cheered, some treated it as a solemn ceremony for the first step towards death, some did both. Yet all saw it as the first step towards true adulthood.

The Jonin exams had never gotten any real recognition due to their secrecy. Jonins were the elite weapons of any village and the villages kept these finest warriors' secrets hidden and safe. To the average people a chuunin left for the exams and came back as a new person. Rumors abounded about what these exams entailed. Gruesome trials by fire, designed to break lesser men and forge the already seasoned chuunins into warriors above and beyond normal humans. The solid facts, however, were few and far between.

Yet the chuunin exams, standing between them, became all the greater for it. Already seasoned genin left behind the last shreds of their childhood and innocence, rising to become leaders and commanders of their fellow shinobi. They had not become great enough to warrant such secrecy as with the jonin exams however, meaning the villages could show off at their leisure. Five great villages as well as countless small met to test their mettle and show their strength to the world. The ground could not have been more fertile for noblemen and couriers to attend and see which village deserved their gold the most. And when surrounded by your ilk from across the elemental nations, why not spend the days with the art of diplomacy and politics?

Also with so many nobles and important people came the others by the thousands. Even one of the great villages could find their population increase half again during these times due to the sheer influx of merchants, courtiers, travelling entertainers and countless other sorts of people looking for the best martial entertainment in the world as well as the many, many side-attractions these exams offered. Merely the sums put into gambling on the fights could measure up to the wealth of entire clans in how much money was moved.

Of course, all this only concerned the third part of the exams. Since the beginning of these exams the villages had silently agreed to weed out the ones who would disgrace their villages before the exams began. Hundreds of genin gathered every year to be measured. Hundreds were found wanting and only dozens would be given the coveted title of chuunin. This much secrecy the villages still held onto.

To Naruto, it was one big spectacle, a show for the masses that made the shinobi simple entertainers who danced for the noblemen to curry their favour. As preferable as it was to the wars of the olden days it was still humiliating... demeaning even... a pathetic game for people who should fear them, not treat them like entertainers...

He looked up from the notes that lay strewn across his workdesk and to the figure that stood in front of it. It was only the two of them inside his office and the notes strewn around the workdesk were all about this second figure. Plans, schedules, jutsu, milestones to reach. It almost annoyed him as he flipped through them, seeing that every last goal he had whipped up now had been reached. Nothing ever went perfectly yet against all sense and reason it did indeed seem that his intensive training of Haruno Sakura had done so. Every last goal had been reached and every last lesson taught perfectly. The girl standing in front of him right now had learned everything he could teach her at this stage.

“Three months, Haruno Sakura,” he said hoarsely. He himself was a wreck. As vile as the days were these days, the nights were infinitely worse. Jeering and taunts he could deal with. Constant, visceral reminders of what he had been forced to do under Orochimaru, not so much. There was too much to do though, too much to focus on, that he had forced himself to a drastic solution. Not Shadow Clones, that would be going too far as it was, but instead he simply worked himself to exhaustion. Six hours of sleep had become four after the first two weeks, four becoming two and two becoming only singular, small bursts of sleep. “In these three months you have gone above and beyond what I expected of you. You were a weak, untrained and unfocused child when I found you,” he continued, his voice breaking a little. It felt, in some ways, like things were floating together. He was less and less certain of things, needing to double check more than ever. Yet he endured. “Now you are a sword sharpened to a razor's edge, a poison mixed to the utmost potency. You are truly, in every way, my worthy apprentice,” he finished, looking up at the girl.

Haruno Sakura's transformation was all but complete. Her eyes had become pale green and slitted, her hair almost white with only a slight hint of pink. The latter was much like her skin, a skin that had an almost deathly pallor over it. Her clothes had changed as well, Sakura losing her old clothes in favour of a black unitard over which she wore a thigh-length tunic of the model that rapidly had gotten the name “Tsubaki tunic”, inspired as it was by the old Otogakure clothes. Who would have thought that the fashion of a village consisting of rejects and freaks Orochimaru had gathered would have become “hip”? Black sandal boots covered her feet, a red sash held the tunic at the waist and she carried on her back a large scroll. At the moment pride shone in her eyes, Naruto's narrowing at the sight.

“Apprentice,” he said again, “student, unfinished product. You are still weak, remember that. You might have completed this part of your journey, but you are still little more than one of the thousands of cannon-fodder shinobi who are of little concern to anyone. Do you understand?”

“I understand, master,” Sakura said. She had become so calm these last weeks. She had eased into the patterns of how life was as his apprentice and followed the routines with confidence and certainty. He could belittle her, spit on her, abuse her, and she took it with patience and attentiveness, looking only to see what lessons needed to be learned. Yet how much of that was wrought consciously by his hands and how much was Orochimaru's whispers influencing him? Damn it all to hell he'd be glad when this mission was over. He was not in a good state at the moment.

“I am done feeding you small pieces of knowledge bit by bit, it is time for you to find your own prey, your own strength. The chuunin exams are drawing near... they will be your proving ground. Three trials, only those who reach the third are even considered for promotion. I expect you to reach that third stage, is that understood?”`he asked, glaring at his student.

“You got it master,” Sakura told him, showing some surprise at the revelation but keeping her cool. “Only... I am just one shinobi, the exams demand three-man teams.” Naruto smirked, having expected that from her.

“You can come in now,” he said a bit louder and soon the door opened behind Sakura, revealing two people who entered the room. Kabuto and Karin had thankfully, after their first massive faux pas, kept their relationship out of the labs and Naruto had hardly seen as much as a wistful look from either of them towards the other. It was something he thanked his good fortune for, he didn't dare to think what Orochimaru would have commented on that.

“Pathetic, useless, degenerated.” Orochimaru's voice whispered in his head now, Naruto gritting his teeth. “You've taken a perfect tool and allowed it to deteriorate to nonsense.”

“Shut up,” he thought before turning his attention to his apprentice and his two assistants. “Kabuto and Karin will see you through the exam. They will, for all intents and purposes, be your team during the exams. Spend the oncoming days with them and learn what you can from them. When the exams begin I want you working together flawlessly, got it?”

“Yes master,” Sakura said attentively, obediently, the little apprentice that only grew stronger as her master seemed to crack more and more. He just had to endure though. The Chuunin exams were just around the corner, when they were finished all this would be over and he could focus on recovering from this ordeal.

A little more than one month remained. Five weeks all in all and no more. He would be able to do it.

____________________________________

“Again,” Naruto demanded with a harsh voice, watching Kimiko move inside the circle painted on the floor inside the large, subterranean room. She was worn, dirty and exhausted. Eldritch symbols glowed all over her and her eyes were glazed over as blood ran from her nose. She obeyed him, breathing raggedly as exhaustion nearly made her collapse. Her appearance was pitiful and no doubt many would have taken exception to it. Naruto couldn't care however, repeating the mantra of “I did what I had to,” inside his head. It had to be done, the threat was too immense, and it was better to be a bit too extreme than too soft and thereby lose everything. “Again!” he commanded with a near snarl, Kimiko's movements becoming more and more sluggish until she, in the end, lost her footing and fell to the floor.

Snarling at it, Naruto stood up and walked towards Kimiko to drag her up, enraged at her slip-up only to have it all knocked out of him when Kimiko, dazed and exhausted, looked up to him. For a split-second there was fear in her eyes. She had in her daze forgotten where she was and only knew that there was something threatening, something evil, coming for her, and Naruto's anger ran off him like water. Realizing just what kind of behaviour he had shown he came to stop. What was he doing? He gritted his teeth before he walked up to her and knelt by her side, using a small towel to wipe the blood of her face.

“That's enough,” he told her, struggling to keep his voice under control. “Well done,” He added, Kimiko looking up at him as he wiped the blood from her nose. She blinked and the awareness returned to her eyes. Through the exhaustion which made her tremble she smiled at him, happy for the praise and Naruto could only feel sickened at himself. What was he doing? To Kimiko of all people?

“How pathetic Naruto-kun,” that hateful whisper said in his mind and Naruto snarled inwardly, the man not leaving him alone still. It drove him crazy, frayed his nerves and left him more and more unbalanced.

“Shut up!” He all but screamed mentally. The old snake never left. He was always there, niggling away at his subconscious and offering him no breaks. He felt the anger surge through him but forced himself to restraint as he helped Kimiko get up and threw her a towel.

“Wash up,” he told her, doing his best to not seem brusque as he turned away to wash his hands. “We're done for today,” he told her, not looking at her as he knew there were things in his gaze now he didn't want her to see.

“Did I...” Kimiko said slowly now, her voice hoarse and broken. “Did I do bad?” She sounded terrified and Naruto couldn't help but look up and see her reflection in the mirror before the sink. Her battered appearance was only made worse by the look of fear and uncertainty on her face. He shook his head at her question though.

“No,” he said, “But time is short. Get back to your usual work and as always, do not betray me,” he added for good measure, Kimiko flinching before she nodded and eventually left, leaving Naruto to stand by the sink.

“Like stealing candy from a small child, is it not?” Orochimaru asked and Naruto snarled now, his fingers clenching into the porcelain sink hard enough that it almost cracked.

“That is it you miserable old snake,” he said slowly, raising his hands as his eyes narrowed. Staring into the mirror now, he began to make seals and moulded his chakra.

“Oh please Naruto-kun,” Orochimaru's voice said tiredly, the man yawning in the back of his head.“Do you think that will help?”

“Watch me,” Naruto said lowly, focusing on his reflection as he threw the genjutsu. One second later everything faded away and he felt himself fall deep down into a black abyss. Everything spun around for him, Naruto loosing his footing completely, before he woke up to the sound of dripping water. Quickly, he stood up and looked around himself. He was in a basement-like place, with plumbing running along the walls and water on the floor. Somehow the place was illuminated despite no visible light sources. Naruto knew why. He was inside his own mind.

The genjutsu he had been using had changed how he perceived the world in a very specific way. It had let him gaze into the deepest recesses of his mind, move inside it and even change it. He had not used it thus far, having much to little knowledge of this part of the mind to deem tampering with it anything but a fool's errand. Yet as it was he cared not. He was tired of this old snake interfering, tired of him mocking every step he took, tired of his comments and his snide remarks! He was going to track down him and tear him out of his mind one way or another.

“I'm coming for you, snake,” he said loudly, starting down the hall with swift, determined steps. The splashing of the water around his feet and the dripping of the water filled him as he walked, corridor after endless corridor meeting him. There was no point in trying to draw a map of this place, the recesses of his mind. You decided where you wanted to go and then came there. Naruto walked through these halls, looking through layer after layer of his subconscious. Had he been less manic he would have taken his time here, studied the dark corners of his mind to see what was there, to understand himself better. Now he did not care but rather stormed through the hallways, looking around section after section of his mind.

It was impossible to say how long he stalked the dark pits of his subconscious, looking for that treasonous bit that entertained the presence of the snake, yet when he found it he felt like he had been there for an eternity. Deep down in his mind, near the “core” if such a thing could be said to exist, amidst his most base personality traits, so far down you could almost see the DNA codes, he found the source. A door, one seemingly intended for a prison, sat on the wall, seals covering it. The small window in the inside of it looked like a prison cell, with a prison bunk bed, a small table and other furniture. Naruto could care less about the furniture though, all he cared about was the man sitting on the bed at the moment, looking up at him.

“Orochimaru,” he said lowly, his voice filled with hatred. The old snake sat on the bed, looking up at him with a smirk. He wore Oto-style garments, no doubt since his self-image hadn't been of himself as a Konoha shinobi for years before he died, and his hair hung down over his pale face.

“Naruto-kun,” he said, looking at Naruto with a sick smile on his face. “You found me,” he sing-songed, “My question to you is now; what do you think you can do now?” he asked where he sat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his wrists crossed. Naruto gritted his teeth and reached for the seals, planning to tear them away but Orochimaru called out now. “Ah-ah-aah!” he said with a warning yet amused voice. “Not so fast Naruto-kun,” he warned with a grin. “Look closer.”

Naruto felt the hatred blaze in his soul as he watched the jeering man inside the cell yet he did listen, beginning to study the seals. They were layered deeply, a quite impressive work of fuuin he could admit despite his condition. Yet at the same time, what he saw hit him like a punch in the gut. These seals were implanted inside his head, at the very core of his being. He realized it with a sinking sensation in the stomach.

He could not remove these.

Not alone he could not. These seals would come off, sure, but his mind would follow while he did so. It would be like tearing out a key thread in a fabric and watch it unravel bit by bit. He could not stop that, not without help. And the sick part, he realized, was that there were only one clan that could help him. The Yamanaka clan, one of Minato's most staunch and outspoken supporters.

How would that happen?

There was no way, absolutely no way, that he could get their help without revealing what was inside him. The Yamanaka he knew of able to perform such a procedure would be in the ANBU, meaning under Itachi, the last man he wanted on his back right now! The hand that had been reaching out for the seal slowly lowered, the frustration written clear over his face.

Orochimaru began to laugh now, throwing his head back and laughing wildly. Mocking, cruel laughter seemed to echo through his very soul as Naruto stared at the seals, frustration being traded for desperation. The laughter echoed through him, more and more intense, and Naruto found himself grabbing the bars of the small window, realizing that he was sliding down towards the floor, landing on his knees and stared into the water covering the floor.

He could not get rid of this. He was trapped with it. If he told anyone who could help him about this the project would be terminated. He'd have to abort what he was doing and go back to being under scrutiny. It'd be the end for his project to strengthen Kimiko, it'd leave her helpless if the Akatsuki came after her! He gripped the bars so hard his knuckles turned even whiter than they already were, staring into the ground in despair.

After a while Naruto stood up again, gritting his teeth as he stared into the cage where Orochimaru grinned at him. He stared at the man, hatred in his eyes, as Orochimaru chuckled still. Amusement sparkled in his eyes as he sat there, looking at Naruto with a gleeful stare.

“Did you think I would leave a part of me inside you without failsafes?” he asked mildly, bobbing back and forth where he sat. “You really didn't have a high opinion of me, did you?” he clucked happily, Naruto turning around now, not able to stand the man's presence any more. He walked away, planning to leave when Orochimaru's crooning voice came behind him “You failed,” he heard behind him, reality collapsing around him again as the rage overwhelmed him.

Naruto came back to the real world in a second, finding himself standing in front of the mirror, his fist having bit straight into it and shattered, glass filling the sink and blood covering his hand. Raising it slowly, he looked down on the white skin where crimson blood and gleaming shards of glass both could be seen. He stared down at it, feeling almost numb at what he saw.

Orochimaru was still with him... and the only way to get rid of him... was to reveal him to the fanatically Hokage-loyal Yamanaka. And if he did... everything was in vain. He leaned forward, supporting himself against the mirror and staring into the bloody, glass-filled sink. Orochimaru's cackling still filled his mind, driving him towards the edge of despair. Only to it however, not over it. Naruto looked up into the mirror, staring hatefully at his own reflection.

“You haven't broken me yet,” he said, “And when the exams are over... I will turn myself in. I'll be done by then either way. Good luck breaking me in five weeks, sensei,” he spat before he looked down, picking the shards of glass out of his fist. Five weeks... might as well be five years.

____________________________________

Naruto washed out his face and looked into the mirror, a sense of slow dread filling him. It shouldn't, after all this was a joyous day, the start of the chuunin exams. For days genin of all villages had been coming to Konoha and Naruto had done his best to stay out of the way. Many of the genin had been Kiri genin and as he looked out from behind the curtains of his windows as he exited the bathroom, he pondered how little he needed to meet the young shinobi who heralded from the village where he was something of a hero. It vexed him that he needed to stay out of sight like that but he didn't need the added complication them praising him would inevitably lead to. He didn't want to see anyone right now, he wanted to crawl into a dark hole, curl up and wait these coming weeks out.

Not possible he thought as he stared at the letter he had gotten this morning, a letter officiously informing him of how the chuunin exams would proceed. Since he had entered his team into the exams he would be expected to be available during the trials, preferably constantly present as well though that was not mandatory. His hopes of staying in the background completely, however, were for naught.

He had spent a full hour making sure his appearance was immaculate, almost like a young woman going out for a rendezvous with someone she fancied. He had to appear unperturbed lest people started suspecting...

“How very nostalgic Naruto-kun,” Orochimaru purred in his head. “From where I stand it's all so familiar. This was how I spent so many days. Putting up this asinine facade so that they wouldn't figure out who I truly was.”

“How fantastically uninteresting,” Naruto said atonally. “And look how much good it did you.” Orochimaru only cackled.

“Dear Naruto-kun,” he said and Naruto could almost see the man shaking his head. “How little you know...” Naruto gritted his teeth and did his best to ignore the man as he once again baited him with something. Naruto could tell Orochimaru knew something he didn't know but he refused to ask, refused to give in to the man, just refused. Instead he snatched the documents he'd need for the day off the kitchen table and marched out of the house, checking himself one last time in the mirror. His head was up in the usual tail for the first time in weeks and at least outwardly he seemed as though he wasn't falling apart at the seams. It would have to do... four weeks and three days left... He left the house dreading what was to come, telling himself over and over that he would be able to endure this. Silently cursing to himself, he hoped that at least his team, especially Sakura, would do well in the exams. He had little more to hope for at the moment...

Naruto's hope was at the moment standing in front of the mirror in her room, looking at her naked reflection and pondering the changes her apprenticeship had bestowed on her. She was pale as a ghost, the colours washed out of her, and her eyes were slitted. Her skin was soft and smooth but all the same she almost felt like there was something beneath it now. Reaching out to touch the mirror, she stared at her visage, a question coming over her that she had barely entertained for months now, being so fixed at her duties as an apprentice.

Would any boy find her beautiful like this? Master had an aura of danger about him, an exotic handsomeness that stood on its own, that was what it was because it was so distinct. But she was a girl. Would she be called a freak now? Was that the price she had paid for her abilities? The things she could do now awed her but she couldn't help but worry what the others would say... Ever since coming back she had been isolated from the others, so obsessed with her training she hadn't even said hi to Ino or Kimiko. Whenever they had been available she hadn't and vice versa. This would be the first time they would meet since... since before she left for Kiri. It felt like it had been years ago... would they even accept her? Sakura wasn't stupid, she had seen the looks her master got, the whispers in the corners and the way he kept out of the spotlight. Was that what would happen for her as well.

A slithering sensation moved up her leg now and Hebihisui came up on her shoulder now, the small snake having grown to two feet now. The snake rubbed against her cheek for attention and Sakura looked to her with a small smile.

“You are uncertain about sssssomething,” Hebihisui said, her cold eyes looking into the mirror to meet Sakura's.

“Yeah...” Sakura said, “I don't know how the exams will go, what we'll have to do. I just hope... I just hope I can make master proud...” she sighed. If she at least could do that she'd give him something to be happy about. Master seemed as though life was one big chore for him right now, especially with how Hokage-sama had taken her from him that one time. Sakura still wasn't sure that she could accept that happening herself. Hokage-sama was a hero but taking her from master like that wasn't something the girl could forgive, not really. And with all that it felt like she was master's only hope for something good. Hebihisui hissed lowly now.

“Only one way to find out,” the snake said and Sakura nodded.

“I suppose...” she said, picking up her clothes and slowly getting dressed. The clothes she wore were not that different from her usual garb but still were in a way. She wasn't Sakura the bookworm in these, she was something else, something more dangerous, something more important. Like this she was master's apprentice, the next generation of a legacy that in Konoha was feared, misunderstood, respected, near worshipped. She donned the clothes slowly, almost reverently, like it was the holy garments of a priest. To her it almost was. She tied the sash around her waist with great care and slung the scroll over her shoulders before she left the apartment she had gotten. Her master had demanded she moved out from her parents' home and Sakura had obeyed. He had a reason for that, he had for everything.

Her team was waiting by the large building where the exam would be taken. Perhaps “team” was a strange way of putting it, Sakura wasn't sure. There was none of the close bond that existed within most other teams, none of the camaraderie. Sakura had been told straight off the bat that they were there to help her reach the finals and earn the title of chuunin, nothing more, but all the same she was meant to trust them. Not a trust earned from trials and travails suffered together but simply from professionalism. They were told to do something and would do it no matter what it took because such were their orders. She wasn't sure what she thought of it, but she nevertheless was grateful for Kabuto, who looked up from his book with a small smile, and Karin, who looked much more neutral when Sakura came into view.

“Ready to shine?” Kabuto asked her genially as he closed and pocketed his book, Sakura smiling shyly.
“I'll do my best,” she said, her reservedness against the man coming mainly from the dirty looks Karin seemed to shoot her when she became too friendly with the man. Sakura was ready to bet her life that there was something between the two. Thankfully Karin was at least polite at most times. She could even be really nice at times. Right now she leaned forward and knocked Sakura on the head however.

“Oi,” she said, “Is that really all you can muster, favoured apprentice?” she asked, pursing her lips but nevertheless smiling wryly. Sakura flinched a little but took a breath and shook her head.

“Sorry,” she said, “Let's do this,” she corrected herself, Karin smiling a bit wider now and slapping her on the back as they entered.

“For luck,” she said, Sakura giving her a braver smile. Her two sempai were inspirations all of their own to her and she couldn't help but feel confident with them at her back as they entered the building, taking care to stay in the background. See, not be seen was a good rule in most things and this was no different. They stayed calm as a small commotion took place by one of the rooms, some people blocking the path for the genins. Sakura furrowed her brow as she saw two unfamiliar Konoha genin send another genin flying backwards, telling him he had no place in the exam. Sakura at first felt a sting of disgust at the sight of this rampant bullying, and she flexed her hands, feeling in a way the power that she now held in them.

Her mind started thinking, reducing the situation to abstract numbers, listing what was known and possible vectors of approach. Two men, one standing by the other. The right using some kind of large kunai, the other seemingly unarmed. Go through the crowd, low to stay hidden, and strike at the weapon's user first. Disabling blows to the testicles, solar plexus and adam's apple, to let her focus on the other. Use superior agility to outmanoeuvre the new assailant, sweep legs out from under him during his retaliatory kick, rise up and axe kick to exposed sensitive areas, finish with short blades held to the throat of each and ask what they were doing. It was a plan and Sakura was just about to act on it when she blinked, remembering why she was here. A cool, logical voice in the back of her head told her that she wasn't here to play hero, that she was a ninja, and if someone couldn't get past a couple of thugs like this they weren't really fit for chuunin anyway.

So she turned away, noticing that the door they stood in front of wasn't really the door they wanted either way, no matter what the genjutsu on the sign above it said. She couldn't help, either, but notice that Kabuto and Karin both nodded approvingly at her. They had figured it out hadn't they? She gave them a small smile, not able to be wry about how they had pretty much been waiting to see what she'd do. Still, as she snuck up the stairs with them towards the actual exam room, hearing a commotion downstairs, she couldn't help but feel confident about it. Already she had nailed the first test and that was always something, right?

She hoped it was at first before she shook her head and focused. Not hope, know. Hoping and praying was to surrender one's ability to affect the situation. She was as prepared as she could be, she knew that she thought as she entered the exam room, freezing in the doorway. It was packed with people and she shrunk back, instinctive fright at the collection of all too familiar faces. She was about to hide behind a crowd of Kumo genin when she heard a voice call out, freezing at it.

“Sakura-chan?” it asked and Sakura flinched, looking to the side nevertheless and seeing a surprised face look at her. It was the last person she had wanted to meet in a way. Her old friend, Yamanaka Ino, was standing further away with her teammates, Tsubaki Zaku and Nara Shikamaru. Sakura didn't think too much of those two people however, busy staring into the face of one of her oldest friends, a person she hadn't seen in months and who now saw her, in all her snake-like glory, for the first time. Ino, who had impressed upon her the values of looking good, of keeping immaculate and beautiful and who had devoted so much to making Sakura as beautiful as herself even when Sakura said she'd never becomes as good looking as Ino. Ino, who had teased her about the apprenticeship, light-heartedly questioning it and not being able to hide her worry when she saw Sakura off to Kiri all those weeks ago. That Ino stood now there, looking straight at Sakura and what she had become.

Sakura wanted at first to flee, frozen stiff by the clash of her life and her old and could only stand there, dumbly staring back at Ino before one of her master's lessons came to her. They seemed to be almost programmed into her sometimes, words of wisdom and rules that were as natural to recall as breathing was.

“Never ascribe to evil what you can as well ascribe to ignorance. People doesn't understand much, if anything, and what they don't understand they fear. If old friends are horrified by what you have become, peons question your work or other shinobi whisper things about you it is not because they are evil or your enemies, they are just idiots.”

Master was harsh in his assessment of a lot of things, but he wasn't wrong, and Sakura found some reprieve in this, realizing that if Ino was horrified by what she saw it was just because she couldn't comprehend it. She didn't see what it really meant, what it had given her. And though master didn't have the patience for ignorance these days, Sakura had, so she smiled at Ino as she walked up to her.

“Ino, it's been so long,” she said as a greeting, friendly but not like she was going to throw herself into her arms. Every last move, every last blinking carried consequences and master had told her that over and over again. “I haven't seen you since the graduation, how are you doing?”

“I'm... fine,” Ino said, the conflicting emotions playing over her face. Sakura wanted to flinch again at the sight but kept her cool. Master would be furious if she broke down at something like this. So she stood her ground, kept talking as Ino stood silent.

“That's great to hear. Have you gotten to do any real missions yet? Anything noteworthy? I heard some teams have only gotten to do D-rank missions. But you didn't go there, right?” she asked, a bit teasingly.

“Of course not!” Ino said now, actually getting a bit of a fire in her eyes. “We've gotten to do several C-rankers, right guys?!” she asked, looking at her two teammates for backup. She was worried but tried at least.

“If you call sitting in mud and sobbing doing a C-rank then heck, you've done a bunch of them!” Zaku said, rolling her eyes. He was looking at Sakura with a more curious look on his face. He didn't seem apprehensive but still uncertain. There was something hesitant but still eager in his face, she couldn't decide what though. Ino, meanwhile, turned towards Zaku with bloody murder in her eyes, a look from which the Tsubaki genin shrunk away with a sudden worry in his eyes. Meanwhile Shikamaru was only sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Sakura couldn't help but hide a smile at the sight but nevertheless felt a small stab of envy. A real team, a family almost. She couldn't help but envy Ino, even as the wall on the far end of the room exploded into smoke, revealing the proctors for the first test, proctors led by a massive, scarred man with the coldest pair of eyes Sakura had ever seen. Any rambunctiousness was swiftly curtailed by their arrival and Sakura felt a whole new kind of fear settle over her as the first exam began.

Chapter Text

Naruto was huddling down in the laboratory, having chosen to not hang around with the other Jonin commanders as they awaited their apprentices' results. He had too much to do as it was, working with a frantic, almost desperate speed as he tossed a large scroll to the side, half-snarling as he looked over the new one in order to see what, if anything, he had missed. It gnawed on his mind, made him even more insane than he no doubt already was as he realized he was hyperventilating. Sinking down on a chair, he eventually came to put his hands over his face.

He was doing well. He knew he was doing well. No matter what Orochimaru cackled about inside his mind he knew that objectively he was in a good position. Sakura was ready, Kimiko as well. Both his charges would be able to face what lay ahead of them.

“A snivelling fangirl and a little idiot,” Orochimaru purred. “Certainly your proudest achievements.”

False; Kimiko was brash and sometimes naïve, true, but not truly idiotic, she was canny when pushed and could produce quite deep insights. Sakura's adoration of him didn't cloud her judgement much beyond what one could expect from a twelve-year-old. Naruto intoned silently this to himself, remembering that despite all other things he still had his logic. Even if things were counter-intuitive they could still be true. Orochimaru's poison was one of warped perspectives but X was always X no matter the perspective. He took deep, calming breaths to steady himself and opened his eyes to look down on the scroll once more. Tracing the letters on it with his finger, he kept breathing deeply but steadily as he studied it and arrived at the conclusion he hated to reach but which nevertheless was the only objective one. He had done everything correct. It made him almost articulate a thought aimed at Orochimaru about this point going to him but he didn't, refusing to indulge the ghost in his head by acknowledging its presence.

What he had done was something splendid in and of itself, siphoning the Kyuubi's power through the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and into his own creation, the Gates of Heaven and Earth Seal. It used a bit of his knowledge, some of the Uzumaki secrets and lastly a whole lot of his newly gained knowledge of Kimiko's physiology. The results had not been fully field tested yet but that was what these exams were for. And they would work, one could babble invectives until the world fell apart but that didn't change the statistics. 100% were always 100%. Period.

Something moving in the corner of his eye made him look to the side and see that he was not alone. Another was here with him now but thankfully it was Kagehebi, the small, black snake having slithered up one of the legs of the table and hissed slowly as it looked at him. The dead eyes of the serpent showed nothing as Naruto lowered his hands to look at the creature.

“Your apprentice has conquered the second exam,” it hissed, Naruto blinking to himself. Already? Throwing a quick look at the watch, he found himself grimacing when seeing that it was early afternoon. He had been down here for over a day then...

“How long did it take for her?” Naruto asked, trying to not betray how unbalanced he still was. No doubt the snakes already knew but Naruto refused to admit it nevertheless.

“Two days and thirteen hours,” Kagehebi said, “She decided to wait until the best teams had cleared the forest to take her pick of the weaklings. Her reason as given to your assistants was that she didn't want to 'wear herself out against the best'.” Naruto couldn't help but smile widely, triumphantly, at this. Excellent... no, perfect! That was precisely what he had hoped she'd start to think like. Everything went so well with Sakura that Naruto didn't dare believe he actually was getting that much of a break. His brilliant little jewel of an apprentice was shining like a star right now.

“And Kimiko?” He asked after a while, savouring the pride in his apprentice and feeling how Orochimaru's voice actually fell silent.

“Seven hours later,” Kagehebi hissed amusedly, “Hers and several other teams ended up in a battle royale deep in the woods. I counted four teams all in all being knocked out of the exams due to crossing the Ace Team's path.”

“Is anything revealed about her new abilities?” Naruto asked. That would be annoying to say the least. After all he had gone through to keep it under wraps he'd really prefer if it wasn't revealed

“No,” Kagehebi told Naruto to his delight. “Her team-mates and she were able to handle everything thrown at them with little trouble. None of them were killed or even maimed.” Naruto couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh at this. Somehow so many more things were much more funny in his worn, frayed state right now and the way Kagehebi had dismissed everything that wasn't getting killed or maimed as “little trouble” amused him deeply.

“Where are they now?” he asked after recovering. He looked to the snake with a deranged smirk on his lips and a glow in his eyes. His two jewels were shining so brightly and his chest was about to burst with pride. And now there was a full month before they'd be expected to fight in the final exams, there was so much to be done!

“Resting before the upcoming preliminary fights,” Kagehebi said and Naruto blinked. Preliminary? “Many teams made it through the exams, there will be matches to determine who'll reach the third exam.” Naruto felt a sudden stab of worry and stood up, Orochimaru cackling in his head once more. “You will go?”

“I refuse to show my hand that early,” he said, eyes narrowed. “One month will be too much time for people to adapt to what I've trained them in!” He spun around to head for the door, only pausing when he caught a glimpse of his sensei in the mirror he passed by. Only it wasn't Orochimaru he realized and came to a halt upon this. Orochimaru didn't have blonde hair. Stopping completely, Naruto looked at his own reflection with a sinking feeling in his guts. Was this what he had been transformed into by the stress of the latest weeks? Looking at the reflection, he felt a wave of revulsion and turned to walk into the small toilet nearby. There, he turned on the lights and began to clean himself up. He had always prided himself on being well presented. Order and cleanliness mentally and physically was his preference, how had he let himself slip this much?

“Oh aren't you the most precious little princess Naruto-kun?” Orochimaru cooed as Naruto combed and straightened out his hair. Thankfully he at least showered still but the rest was a mess. “Hoping to impress the ladies perhaps? Missing the embrace of that mist whore?” Naruto paused for a second, feeling the rage well up in him at how he referred to Mei, but he refused to comment on it and instead kept working on his appearance. “Because a whore she was, dear Naruto-kun, bedding you so that she'd get another tool in her negotiations with Konoha. And you, my ignorant little apprentice, swallowed her lies in one, needy bite.” Naruto kept gritting his teeth as he worked, efficiently and expediently cleaning up his appearance and doing everything in his power to not bite. Even as the bile welled up inside him and he felt a desire, almost need, to throttle Orochimaru somehow, he didn't do anything about it and instead spun around, his hair back in its normal ponytail and a splash of water washing the worst of the exhaustion out of his face. Looking up, he seemed back to normal bar the murderous look in his eyes. Irrelevant at this point he thought and left the hidden laboratory. Orochimaru's cackling in his head only made him further and further livid, however silent said anger was.

Konoha was sunny as always, precious few signs of the ongoing exams visible amongst the populace. Perhaps the group of Kusa genin he saw walking through the streets with a defeated, angry look on their faces. But other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't know what he had expected honestly. Something off perhaps, something different to mark the effect his isolation had had on the village. A preposterous thought really, but it was still there as he walked along the streets. People didn't pay too much notice of him and the few who did soon looked away. People remembered his clash with Minato. That was objectively good, no denying that, but all the same it vexed him.

“Why would it vex you?” Orochimaru asked, “To see what Konoha truly thinks of you, beneath that thin veil of politeness, isn't that a good thing?” Naruto didn't reply even as the question made him slowly doubt inside. Was there actually a truth in that he found himself wondering, deciding however that he was being too emotional, too influenced by Orochimaru, to make clear judgements there. He therefore didn't bother with it, finding whatever Konoha thought of him massively irrelevant considering his mission and purpose.

And yet fate was not done playing its cruel game with him he thought as he rounded a corner and bumped into, of all possible people, his mother. The woman came to freeze as she saw him, the sudden shock and naked emotion blazing in her eyes. It was almost painful to see Naruto thought as he realized, in one fell swoop, that Minato had not told even Kushina what they had planned. His mother all of a sudden stood in front of him, all her shame and longing blazing in her eyes. She looked surprised to see him, like she had given up on even laying eyes on her, and Naruto felt his emotions well up, only this time they weren't as dark as before, only regretting the entire situation he was in. She made a small move towards him, an attempt to muster a smile, a hand raised in greeting. For a split-second the hesitant greeting was clear, implied and only barely began though it was, and the sincerity was so immensely obvious. It was intense, it was enough that he almost slipped. Yet he had a role and he played it therefore, brushing past her with a raised hand and one word on his lips.

“No,” he said with a heavy voice, a voice carrying an entire battering ram of faked emotions. He shot her down before she could take off, making it clear that she had nothing to gain by addressing him. A frown to her smile, narrowed eyes to her raised eyebrows, a hand cutting off her before she could say anything. The meaning he served her was clear. 'I do not want to talk to you, I do not want anything to do with you.' He slapped it straight in her face and left her behind without a second glance, reaching training field 44, the forest of death, within ten minutes. Well there, he exploded into motion, leaping up into the trees and beginning into it with a blinding speed.

All of a sudden he was eager to see what Sakura and Kimiko could deliver and therefore shot through the woods like an arrow launched from a giant bow. Only a few creatures, if any, could even follow him. One particular giant lizard took his passing by as an invitation to snack on him, its giant tongue shooting out to try to ensnare him, yet Naruto sliced the appendage in two, sending a crescent of wind-chakra with the Kusanagi straight towards it which brought about the end of the offending animal in a second. Its blood sprayed over the forest, Naruto already dozen of meters away, landing in front of the tower in the middle of the forest only about a minute later.

Pushing his way inside, he was met with a pair of chuunin watching the door. The two startled at his sudden appearance and Naruto looked to them, an instant sense of disgust coming up inside him at how they suddenly seemed hesitant, almost afraid of him.

“The preliminary matches,” he said heavily, “Where are they?” One of the chuunin pointed at a door that lay up a flight of stairs, Naruto giving them a nod before he passed them by and up the stairs. The tower was old, decrepit and only partially cleaned up. Reminiscent of the sewers really, a place of scavengers and rats he thought, opening the door and coming out on the walkway above the large chambers where, from the looks of it, the preliminaries were fought. At the moment Tsubaki Zaku and Aburame Shino were staring down each other, Naruto leaning on the railing in silence without paying too much to the other spectators as he studied the situation.

Zaku stood staring at Shino with, simply put, rage on his face, rage and helplessness. Shino meanwhile was as cold as his clan tended to be. They had been staring at each other for a few seconds when Zaku snarled and raised both his hands towards Shino to fire his air-blasts when a voice cut through the air.

“Zaku, no!” Guren's voice yelled out loud, the boy freezing in place and Naruto gritting his teeth. He did not want to hear that voice right now. “Your compressors are blocked! You'll blow your damn arms off!” The look on Zaku's face told Naruto all he needed to know, Namely that Zaku knew that yet had been ready to do it anyway. The young genin, a veteran of the battle of Otogakure, ended up slowly sinking to the floor, head lowered in shame as his fingers dug into the stone beneath his hands. The winner of this round, Aburame Shino, someone who had not even seen one large-scale engagement thus far in his life, raised a hand to retrieve his bugs as the proctor, none other than Hayate gave him the victory. Naruto couldn't help but smirk joylessly at it. How utterly humiliating for the scion of a new Konoha clan to be defeated in such a manner. Zaku had been ready to maim himself to avoid it.

“Even someone like Zaku's been dulled so utterly,” Orochimaru remarked. “Truly Konoha's done him good,” the man said sarcastically, Naruto ignoring it as his presence first now was noted by a bystander, one who didn't have the sense to leave him alone. Sarutobi Asuma came up to him, a small smile on his bearded face.

“Come to watch your apprentice Naruto-san?” he asked, leaning against the railing as he looked down on the field of battle. He smiled at Shino as the boy looked up to him before looking to Naruto again. “Her number hasn't come up yet. I think a lot of people are eager to see what she can do now. Knowing you, it'll be quite a lot,” he added with a wry smile. Asuma was one of those ever-pleasant types, easygoing, calm and dependable. Right now Naruto felt his skin crawl at the man's presence.

“I must say, that was quite a brutal treatment of the Tsubaki boy,” Naruto remarked evenly, “Is it a personal vendetta from Shino's side or is that Tsubaki antipathy that widely spread?” Asuma grimaced a bit at this, taking a small puff of his cigarette before replying.

“Most probably something of Shino's,” he said, “I think there's some antipathy since the academy between the two. I've no details but I think Zaku was... less than impressed by the Aburame.”

“And his big mouth got him in trouble,” Naruto rolled his eyes. Once a fool always a fool he thought, honestly more interested in the screen that was starting to randomly select the two new fighters. Sadly the match that came was fantastically uninteresting, the Hyuuga heiress squaring off against a branch clan member, Neji if he recalled correctly. Having seen the juuken plenty enough before, Naruto chose to only idly watch and instead locked eyes across the platform with Sakura, who was approaching him now. She came up and bowed her head respectfully. Somewhat dusty, she nevertheless looked in good shape from what he could tell. “How are you doing?” he demanded of her.

“Well thus far master,” she said, giving him a quick, concise report that matched what Kagehebi had told him. Naruto added in some small questions to probe her reasoning and choices and Sakura's replies were satisfactory to say the least. He therefore put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in.

“Your next task is to do what Shino did,” he whispered, “Make your opponent submit, don't knock him out, have him voluntarily surrender.” Sakura looked up at him, her eyes wide in shock. Naruto could only smirk grimly at it. She had been confident up until now, now she was doubting her ability to handle it again. Good, he didn't need an arrogant apprentice. Leaning back again, he looked down towards the match. It had ended much like he had guessed, with Hinata being defeated. Admittedly he hadn't expected Neji to look that mauled upon winning and from the look on the winner's face he hadn't expected it either.

“Impressive,” Asuma remarked, Naruto giving a non-committal sound as he looked to the board again to see Tsubaki Dosu's and Akimichi Chouji's names come up. This might be a bit more interesting he thought as Dosu leaped into the arena, Chouji needing almost to be coaxed down into it by his sensei. Naruto couldn't help but notice just how coldly enraged Dosu looked and he looked between the two combatants before he realized something.

“Oh...” he said, understanding what was going on. Dosu had just seen his family member utterly humiliated and right now he stood in the ring with a team member of the guilty party. He looked down into the arena, dispassionately thinking that this would become an ugly affair.

And so it did. Dosu charged Chouji instantly, the sound projector on his arm ringing as he lashed out in wide, sweeping moves from which Chouji had to back-pedal in half panic. The poor Akimichi boy didn't see he was being driven against the wall and when his back hit it, Dosu's strikes fell. Naruto could see the horrified looks around at how the Tsubaki genin unleashed a furious barrage of blows against the boy, punch after punch hitting and sending shockwaves through his opponent's body, shockwaves that ripped at the skin and deeper. Naruto saw it clearly and almost winced. Dosu was enraged indeed if his brutality was anything to go by. After nearly a full minute of blows Dosu stepped back to look at Chouji, the boy leaning unsteadily against the wall, before he raised the sound projector and pushed a button on it.

The result was immense, Chouji gave a sudden, massive spasm before he fell to the floor, puking uncontrollably. As the Akimichi boy fell down, the vomit flooding forth from his mouth, Dosu turned around to look at Shino, raising two fingers to point at his own eyes before pointing at Shino and making a slicing motion over his throat with the thumb. Behind him Chouji just kept puking, his body unable to stop. Even at the medic nins came up he kept vomiting and vomiting, stopping only when he was rendered unconscious with acupuncture. Naruto looked at the boy was carried off past his teammates. Shino didn't show anything resembling a reaction to it and Kin only slapped Shino over the head.

“That's what happens when you show off,” she whispered coldly to him. Naruto could tell from reading her lips. “Chunky's condition is on your head, Bug-boy, hope you're happy.” He raised an eyebrow at this and looked to Asuma.

“Work in progress, this team of yours,” he asked mildly, Asuma not replying. He evidently didn't take it well. Naruto didn't care however, seeing how Sakura's name came up now, Sakura's and Kiba's. He raised an eyebrow again at this. That was not a match-up he had hoped for, the Inuzuka were monsters in close combat, relentless predators. He looked to Sakura impassively however. “Remember what I said,” he told her, looking down to the arena to see what would come now.

____________________________________

Sakura walked into the arena, realizing her heart was pounding now. With her two teammates having dropped out and left her alone in the race and now matched up against Kiba-kun of all people she was not happy, and that was before the mission her master just had given her. Make Kiba somehow surrender? How would she even do that?! She stepped down into the ring with an attempt to look nonplussed about the whole thing, but her mind was running at top speed to figure out what to do. Kiba, meanwhile, was just as she remembered him. Cocky, confident and boisterous.

“Sucks to be you Sakura-chan,” he said with a grin as he cracked his knuckles, Akamaru walking silently beside him. “Maybe you shoulda stayed a real ninja instead of going for bookworm, hell you might even have had a chance then.” The sting of anger came quickly to Sakura now as Kiba trash-talked her. The Inuzuka boy didn't stop though. “Really, just drop this, call it quits, we both know how it's gonna end, don't we?” he asked, smirking at her as he rolled his shoulders and his neck.

“Fight!” Hayate yelled now and Kiba looked at her, raising one eyebrow and waiting. Sakura only frowned at him now though, raising her hands and assuming a stance. Kiba's response was to roll his eyes before he attacked. Like someone had flipped a switch he charged, his legs carrying him swiftly towards Sakura and his hands flying out to the sides as chakra began to glow around them. Sakura took one deep breath, focusing on calming down as Kiba reached her and unleashed a flurry of claw-strikes towards her.

He was good, Sakura could tell why too. Predatory instinct. He struck without any kind of hesitation, it was the blow of a predator out for blood, one carrying none of the hesitation another human might show. Instinct and bloodthirst, however limited it was, made her have to focus on keeping up her defence. She began to twist and weave around, remembering the lessons her master had drilled into her. Gritting her teeth, she moved as fast as she could around the claw blows, receiving only nicks and scratches at best. Sakura, meanwhile, waited through the storm, waited for the right moment. When it came and Kiba's claw swipes ended up making him overextend himself a little, she bent backwards and used the force to send a rising kick towards his jaw, forcing him to leap back as she vaulted away from him as well, landing on her feet again and coming to face him.

“Is that all you can do?!” she asked, grinning a bit now equally much from fear as excitement. She was actually doing it! She was holding off Kiba right from the start! But how to make him surrender? The guy was fearless and stubborn both, she knew that, she'd have to somehow to strike where he feared to be struck... but how?

The answer hit her right there. She blinked, feeling something cold in her gut as she wondered just how she was going to accomplish THAT of all things. Kiba, meanwhile, had raised an eyebrow. He didn't seem to have expected her to be that good and Sakura made sure to keep moving, remaining on her toes easiest that way.

“So you can dodge, big whoop,” he said, making a seal before he got down on all fours, growling a little. “Dodge this,” he said as his canines grew, his face became less human, his voice more bestial. A hue of animalism came over him now as he charged again, this time even faster. Sakura leaped away again pulling out several kunai and launching them at him in an attempt to drive him off yet Kiba avoided them all, lashing out against her and managing to scratch her pretty bad. And she was supposed to defeat him without resorting to violence?! Another scratch tore up her tunic and she had to roll away from the guy, barely dodging a kick towards her head. She couldn't dodge the next blow however, having instead to roll with it and coming to tumble across the floor, ending up face down almost five meters away from Kiba.

What was she going to do? What was she missing? It had to be something obvious, something she could work around. Sakura lay there frantically thinking as Kiba's voice could be heard. She didn't even register what he said though, being too focused on figuring this out. Her mind focused to becoming as razor sharp as ninja wire, attacking the problem as she ran everything she knew and had been told through her head, moving first when Hayate spoke up.

“The winner...” the man said right before Sakura stood up, getting up to a kneeling position before she pushed himself up.

“Now I know,” she said, actually smirking somewhat. Of course! That was how she could do it! Kiba was one massive double-edged blade, that was his strength and weakness both. “Is that really all you can do Kiba? Right now it's your stench that knocks me over more than your blows. Seriously, I know your family is big on dogs, but do you have to smell like one too?” she asked, trying to provoke him. It seemed to work, Kiba growled now and charged, Sakura moving fast. She carried a whole lot of things on her, one of her favourites being the small bottle she carried on her left hip which she pulled out as she backed away, uncorked and swung in front of her, the opening towards Kiba. A small cloud of smoke came from the bottle, Kiba not able to stop before he careened into it. Sakura used this, stopping her retreat and sending a low sweeping kick towards him just as he came out, making him fall to the ground. Her aim for the legs ended up missing however. Thanks to her newfound flexibility she was unable to fully aim and ended up striking higher up, between said legs.

Kiba howled now. Not just due to the low blow but also the fact that the cloud in question was filled with ammonia, a chemical whose stench was intense enough to make humans reel. For Kiba right now, it had to be hell on earth. Sakura leaped to her feet again, looking to Kiba to see if she could finish it here. Her master's words stopped her though, damn it, she had to make him surrender!

Kiba looked up now, rage in his eyes. Any restraint was long gone now and he called Akamaru to him, the dog leaping up on his back where he stood on all fours. Tossing a pill to the dog, who ate it and quickly grew in size as well as turned dark red, Kiba growled as he charged again, Akamaru with him this time. Dog and man both attacked and Sakura for a second wondered which was the more bestial. It was all according to her plan (which she by Kami-sama hoped would work) though so Sakura took it, beginning to fight back as fiercely as she could. Kiba had speed, she had flexibility, and while she wasn't an Inuzuka in close quarters she could at least hold her ground somewhat. She wasn't planning to beat him that way anyhow. She merely waited, and waited. Through the blows and the claw-strikes she waited, through the snarls and the pain, through the blindingly fast combat she patiently waited once more, seeing the opportune moment first after over a minute of ferocious fighting.

She lashed out towards Akamaru, the dog biting her arm, hard, before tearing away and carrying a chunk of skin with it away from her. The yelp that followed made her smile through and she lashed out, managing to drive Kiba away for a second as she reached a kneeling position.

“Surrender!” she screamed, “Or the dog dies!” she added, opening her eyes wide and gritting her teeth in a frantic, adrenaline-fuelled attempt to look intimidating. Kiba, enraged though he was, blinked at this and looked to Akamaru. The dog wasn't on his feet any longer. Instead Hebihisui was wrapped around his throat, hovering its wide open jaw directly over Akamaru's heart. The intense fight stopped now, Kiba shocked out of his fury. “Hebihisui's bite can kill an ox in a minute!” Sakura said now, her voice quivering a bit. “What do you think it'll do to your dog?!”

“You... you... bitch...” Kiba said, the rage returning to his eyes slowly. Sakura held out her hand with the fingers spread.

“Five seconds Kiba!” she snapped frantically, “The match or Akamaru, your call but make it fast! Four! Three!” she began, counting down with a giant lump in her stomach. She couldn't do this. She was bluffing, she couldn't just cold-heartedly kill Kiba's partner. The Inuzuka lived not just with but for their companions, this was tantamount to killing Kiba herself! She trembled, realizing she wouldn't be able to finish the count. Kiba looked to her, slowly lowering himself a bit. This, however, made Naruto-sensei visible behind him and Sakura saw only one thing in his eyes. Pride, glee, joy. Master loved what he was seeing, was amazed by it. He who had been shafted by everything and everyone finally got what he wanted, and Sakura felt her hesitation melting away at the sight.

'I'm sorry Kiba, I've got a debt to pay,' she thought. “Two!” she yelled now, eyes narrowing as her voice became ice cold. “One...” she said, holding up just one finger now and staring at Kiba with an almost challenge for him to do it. All Kiba did, however, was raise his hand.

“I give up!” he yelled, the rage once again gone. Fear and worry was all his eyes held. The bravado and cockiness was gone, fear for his partner's life all there was to see in him now. Sakura looked away from him as she made a signal for Hebihisui to return to her as Hayate spoke up again.

“The winner is Haruno Sakura!” he called out. Sakura's own partner came crawling up her leg to wrap herself around Sakura's neck much like a necklace as Sakura turned away and headed for the stairs. She felt sick, like she just had eaten something unpleasant. The thrill of victory was nowhere to be found, only a sinking sensation that she didn't like at all. But master was happy, that was something at least. She'd given him reason to be proud of her. She wasn't useless, she was strong. She had shown him that she was worthy, that she could learn everything he had to offer, that he didn't need to consider her some tertiary concern but that she deserved his full attention. So that was okay. As long as she never again was all but forgotten by him she was content.

____________________________________

Naruto just couldn't stop smiling as he watched Sakura walk away. A wide, triumphant smile was plastered all over his face as he watched his brilliant little apprentice left her defeated opponent behind. He raised his hands to begin applauding her slowly, feeling a sense of glee at how she had figured out how to do it so fast. When Sakura came up the stairs he walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, actually smiling at her.

“Well done,” he told her lowly. “This is what I hoped for when taking you on. Today you touched excellence Haruno Sakura. Keep this up and you will become my equal one day.” The praise was a bit more overwhelming than he had planned but he gave it anyway. Mainly because he could almost feel how it vexed Orochimaru in the back of his head. The naked emotions Sakura's eyes showed at his praise made him twitch, reminded him how different she truly was to him after all. She had the wits, the raw intelligence, the analytical ability, but not the emotional numbness. Letting go of her now, he heard the sound of footsteps and looked up to see Kimiko come running towards him.

“Oniisan!” she greeted him as she came up, “when did you come here?” she asked. Naruto noticed she looked a LOT more dishevelled but not the least exhausted. Of course she wouldn't be...

“Since Zaku's match,” he told her dryly, “you need to pay better attention,” he added. Kimiko looked down into the ground now, embarrassment radiating off her. Naruto rolled his eyes at it, thinking that just like Sakura, Kimiko might have grown in ability but not in maturity.

“Because you refuse to break the little brat,” Orochimaru pointed out. “She could become a great weapon if you didn't waffle around so much.”

“Yes yes...” Naruto thought absently in response. He was in too good a mood to care overly much about the old snake in the back of his head. A new match came up now, Naruto being unable to pay too much attention to it as Kimiko began to, in her usual manner, bombard him with an eager recap of how they had done in the exams thus far.

“Did you know the Ame nins use needles, almost like you oniisan? Me and Sasuke and Konohamaru fought against some of them, a guy who used umbrellas spitting needles and he made it rain with them, is that why they're called Ame, ame as in rain, since they make it rain needles?” she babbled happily, Naruto eventually reaching out and pinching her lips together to stop her. Unprepared for this, Kimiko's cheeks ended up inflating from the air still rushing out of her mouth, and her eyes widened in shock.

“Enough,” he told her as he let go again, “Watch the matches, you'll face off against these people later on, study them and try to find their weaknesses instead.” He turned to watch the intensive fight between a Suna and a Konoha kunoichi he couldn't remember the name of. The match was fast-paced and brutal, ending in a resounding defeat for the young Konoha kunoichi. Her thrown weapons were no match for the Suna kunoichi's wind techniques. “Conclusion?” he asked Sakura as the konoha kunoichi was carried off.

“Her technique was the wrong kind to deal with wind jutsu,” Sakura said. “She didn't have any other way of dealing with a wind user. She should have a more diverse range of techniques.”

“Suggestions?” he asked, once again feeling a gleeful pride over his apprentice.

“She should have some kind of close-quarter weapons,” Sakura said after a while. “Those chains of hers could have been used to hold onto things and force a way through the wind gusts.” Naruto nodded, noticing after a while that Kimiko was giving Sakura a sour glare. Jealousy? Really? He was about to whack Kimiko over the head but held back, thinking he'd probably only exacerbate the situation. Sakura didn't seem to have noticed it anyway so it was no big deal. The new match was determined and Naruto looked to the board to see Kimiko's name show up, Kimiko and Nara Shikamaru's.

Kimiko leaped into the ring almost immediately, her eagerness radiating off her and standing in massive contrast, Naruto noted, to Shikamaru. The guy seemed to almost flop down the stairs to the arena, looking more like a victim of the sleeping sickness than a shinobi getting ready for battle. Naruto pursed his lips however, knowing that the Nara might seem lethargic but there was a reason they were over-represented amongst Konoha's strategists. Talk about a match of total polar opposites... he leaned forward to see just what would happen now.

“You ready for this, huh Shikamaru-kun?” Kimiko asked with a grin as she bobbed up and down on her feet, hands already raised to her guard. Shikamaru stood slouched together meanwhile, looking at his opponent with a tired look on his face.

“Troublesome...” he muttered and rolled his eyes, “Yeah yeah, let's just do this,” he continued as Hayate started the match. Kimiko charged instantly and Naruto sighed, covering his eyes as he knew what would happen now. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he looked up after a few seconds and saw Kimiko standing stock still, having been caught in Shikamaru's shadow jutsu completely. Shikamaru, holding his hands together, had ensnared the girl with his family's signature jutsu completely. Her shadow was controlled and through that, Kimiko was controlled.

Struggling against the jutsu, Kimiko nevertheless was forced back step by step. “Sorry Kimiko,” Shikamaru said with the same careless attitude. “When you rush in like that you'll get burned.” Kimiko mimicked his movements, backing away with the exact same walk despite the obvious signs that she struggled to regain control of herself. It was hopeless though. After a minute Shikamaru gave a small smirk before he threw himself backwards, head first, and landed in a bridge with his hands and feet only touching the ground. Kimiko wasn't able to follow all the way however, her head impacting with the wall behind her with a loud thunk.

Naruto shook his head his sister slumped down against the wall, seemingly unconscious. A fine feather in Shikamaru's hat he supposed, having defeated a member of the Ace Team. Looking towards Sasuke and Konohamaru, however, he noticed that the two guys only seemed to be waiting for something. Looking towards Kimiko, he noticed how she was, despite the blow to her head, she was getting up again. Impressive, in a brutish way, but futile as far as he could tell. Shikamaru turned around and sent out his shadow towards Kimiko again just as the girl began to walk forward.

Yet she didn't stop. Even as the shadows grabbed hold of hers, silently and invisibly ensnaring her, she didn't stop moving. Naruto heard the gasps from the spectators now, the silence otherwise being almost oppressive now as there were no sounds of fighting. He himself pushed himself up from the railing, brow furrowed as he looked down towards Kimiko in surprise. It was then that he sensed it. A small tinge in the air, a quiet vibration, more like a memory than anything, but he nevertheless could identify the quivering sensation in an instant.

The chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune was subtly permeating the air in the chamber. Naruto looked down now, managing to catch a glimpse of Kimiko's eyes, her red eyes. Now a smile spread over Naruto's face again. Success! Kimiko was pulling out the Kyuubi's chakra finally! The humiliation must have helped her wrest control over the bijuu's chakra and finally she was using it, albeit in a very limited fashion. Nevertheless, this was just the breakthrough he had been hoping for!

Shikamaru, horrified by the fact that his shadow jutsu didn't work, ended up breaking his seal and Kimiko acted instantly when the shadow jutsu fell apart, charging him with a sudden explosion of movement that surprised even Naruto. The young Nara boy, however, raised his hand as quickly as he could now, yelling out.

“I yield!” he called out, Kimiko grinding to a halt just before her fist impacted with Shikamaru's face. Literally only inches from having sucker punched Shikamaru, the girl stopped. Her face showed her surprise, and then her annoyance.

“The winner is Namikaze Kimiko!” Hayate called out as Kimiko lowered her hands.

“Really?!” she asked now, a bit of a whine in her voice.

“I had 53 scenarios for beating you, none of them addressing how I was gonna do it if my jutsu doesn't work on you. How'd you do that anyway?” Shikamaru looked just as annoyed at the moment, frowning a bit at her. Kimiko grinned however, waggling her eyebrows at him.

“Secreeeeet,” she sing-songed as she turned around and skipped towards the stairs again, giving her teammates a cheeky grin and a victory sign. She gave Naruto one as well and Naruto couldn't help but smile dryly as she skipped up the stairs. The girl really thought that was a great achievement of her, didn't she? As Kimiko came up to him and balanced on her heels, leaning forward, he met her eyes with a neutral expression. “Pretty sweet, huh?” she asked, Naruto now deciding to bop her over the head.

“That was just as brutish as I've resigned to expect from you,” he informed her. “You still run in, you still slug it out. You're no more refined than a thrown rock and I do not care if you can muscle your way through what is at hand at the moment. Sooner rather than later, an opponent who uses his brain will kill you because you didn't think.” Putting a finger against her forehead now, he glared into her eyes as he leaned forward as well. “You've got something in here, I know that for a fact. Use it or you'll die! Two of your teammates are able tacticians, have nothing imprinted upon you?” He asked her, knocking his finger on the forehead now and pointing towards the arena below. The display had chosen the new combatants, Sarutobi Konohamaru and Uchiha Sasuke, and Naruto ended up knocking Kimiko on the head again, pointing towards the arena. “Look and learn,” he said, the tone in his voice brokering no back-talk. Kimiko rubbed her forehead, a tear threatening to leak out from her eye, but as Naruto didn't seem to be paying her any attention she turned to look at the match as well, albeit with a frown on her face.

Naruto couldn't help but dryly smile at the sight of the two young ace genin in the arena. Sasuke was cool, focused and calm. He stood calmly bobbing on his feet, fists balled and raised as he watched his opponent. Konohamaru, meanwhile, was trembling with emotional energy. He wore his heart on his sleeve one might say, the need for him to win radiating off him. Naruto had a feeling that if this would turn ugly it'd be due to Konohamaru, who stood at a low angle and hands raised somewhat higher.

”Begin!” Hayate commanded and Konohamaru was off like a thunderbolt, charging Sasuke with wide eyes and gritted teeth, the face of mania. Twirling his left hand, he lashed out and a telescope-staff snapped out to its full length. With a surprising amount of skill he lashed out towards Sasuke. It was a flurry of blows delivered with pinpoint accuracy and ferocious speed. Sasuke avoided though, dancing around the blows even as several of them grazed him. Nevertheless driven back, the Uchiha prodigy had to get away by dodging to the side and using Konohamaru's momentum against him. The Sarutobi genin flew past Sasuke, who darted in the opposite direction, made a vault and landed on his feet. Wiping his mouth, where a small bruise was forming, he smirked through the sweat, no doubt cold sweat. His Sharingan was already active.

Konohamaru didn't stop though, merely ran forward and using the staff as a vaulting pole to launch himself into the air, where he hit the wall and pushed away to come to fly through the air above Sasuke, where he flashed through seals as he slowly rotated, ending up face down a few meters above Sasuke. There, he spat out a torrent of small fireballs that flew down towards Sasuke, who ended up disappearing in a cloud of fire as the swarm of firebolts struck all around. Konohamaru wasn't done though, sending out a kunai towards the railing on the walkway in the direction he had leaped from, a shuriken Naruto realized was tied to a ninja wire. As the wire wrapped itself around the railing Konohamaru was brought to a halt and he fell downwards now, directly into the flames with his staff raised high. A scream, enraged such, resounded through the air as he brought it down with massive force and struck right in the middle of the already dying flames which killed them completely.

Naruto stood with both eyebrows raised. Reckless, brutal and over-the-top, but he would be damned if that wasn't precisely the kind of skill he'd expect from a purported ace genin. He also noted now that the shape that seemed to have been Sasuke was in truth a pile of rocks. Rock replacement was hard he thought as he looked up to see that Sasuke had escaped in the most audacious direction, directly upwards. Silently, he fell down towards Konohamaru, who only turned around when he saw the shadow. Spinning around, he blocked Sasuke's kunai stab with his staff and now a furious exchange began. Sasuke's two kunai versus Konohamaru's staff. The Uchiha kept himself as close as he could, denying Konohamaru the full range of his staff's techniques, but the Sarutobi didn't lack answer and kept Sasuke at bay enough that the kunai couldn't reach him. He looked to Kimiko, who was staring wide-eyed at her two teammates.

”That's what I meant,” he told her dryly before looking back to see that the two genin were at a stalemate, kunai pushing against staff as their faces were only inches from each other. The two were muttering something to each other, Naruto couldn't hear, but he noticed how Sasuke was smirking while Konohamaru was still enraged. Sasuke loved this, Naruto could tell, but Konohamaru was still focused on winning beyond all. How interesting Naruto thought, looking to Sakura for a second. The girl's face was completely focused on the match, her brow furrowed and her lips slowly moving as she was silently studying what had happened.

No, he decided after a second that his apprentice still was the best. As fascinating and indeed alluring the prospect on training either of those two young aces down there was, Sakura was his and she was more than just a fighter, something he valued above all other qualities. Those two bruisers down there would blossom either way, Sakura was his to carve into a perfect diamond.

The two young genin suddenly threw their weapons aside almost simultaneously and dove in, beginning a brutal exchange of fists and kicks. Once again the difference stood clear. Konohamaru was a bruiser, swinging his elbows and his knees as ably as any other weapons, struck to wound and maim as much as anything else. Naruto knew his tutor was Ebisu, a by-the-books perfectionist, and thought that the man must be despairing at the sight. Sasuke meanwhile fought in an almost classic manner, perhaps with some level of Uchiha audacity. When you could decipher the moves of your opponent you could afford audacious moves. That probably was what would end this battle too though, Sasuke had full view of Konohamaru and his Sharingan was active. Konohamaru had to know that though, so why was he doing this?

As it turned out, Konohamaru just kept going. He simply did not relent. Even as the sweat ran off him, his breath turned ragged and his fists trembled he kept going. And Sasuke, meanwhile, felt the very same exhaustion as well. His eyes were still reading Konohamaru perfectly, but bit by bit his body became unable to keep up. Konohamaru's grin turned more and more triumphant as he kept going, furiously punching at his opponent with manic ferocity. After a while Sasuke was unable to keep up, raising his fist to block but being too slow. Konohamaru's blow hit him straight in the gut, the solar plexus more precisely. Sasuke flew back now, tumbled along the ground and Konohamaru kept going, leaping at him to finish it but then suddenly he came to a complete halt. Wide eyed, Konohamaru looked around and first now realized his situation. He was wrapped in ninja wires, several wires holding his arms, even more his chest and several his legs. Naruto smirked, thinking that in his berserker rage Konohamaru had failed to note the many wires Sasuke were throwing out around him and indeed ended up ensnared by his own blind aggression.

“Give up,” Sasuke said, getting up as he panted. He was exhausted, but not broken, and Konohamaru only ended up getting more and more tied up as he snarled, struggling against the wires. “You're not getting out of that Konohamaru, you know it.”

“Screw you,” Konohamaru growled, staring with not just rage now, but hatred, at Sasuke. Sasuke got up now, starting towards Konohamaru. “I'm not beaten, not yet!”

“You'll rip yourself to shreds getting out of here!” Sasuke yelled now. “Damn it, don't you see what I mean? This blind aggression of yours, it'll end up killing you.”

“DON'T YOU DARE LECTURE ME!” Konohamaru screamed now, “DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!” he said, starting to strain more and more against the wires. They dug into his skin bit by bit, blood starting to seep from the wounds carved into him as he struggled.

“Konohamaru!” Sasuke yelled, his teammate not listening as he struggled against the wires, which began one by one to snap. In the end, they all snapped and Konohamaru was upon Sasuke, pure rage in his eyes as the blood streaked down the wires in small rivulets. Uncaring, Konohamaru pounced Sasuke, grabbing the sides of his head and squeezing his thumbs into Sasuke's eyes.

“THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN THE REST OF US YOU UCHIHA FUCK, I'LL TAKE THOSE FUCKING EYES OF YOURS AND WE'LL SEE HOW STUCK-UP YOU ARE BY THEN!” he screamed, Naruto sighing as he covered his face. How utterly pathetic. Konohamaru was way worse off than he had thought. And now Sasuke would pay?

As it turned out, he didn't. A sudden series of cracks broke off Konohamaru's screaming and Naruto looked up to see that Sasuke had managed to twist away Konohamaru's hands, knee him in the face and elbow him in the neck. The young Sarutobi was down, falling unmoving to the floor. Naruto raised an eyebrow, impressed by Sasuke's ability to handle that situation. Also, he glanced to Asuma, whose face showed hid dismay and horror at what he had witnessed. The man's hand was up, covering his mouth.

“The things being abandoned by your own family can do,” he said mildly, having no respect for Asuma and his abandonment of Konohamaru at the moment. Obviously one might point to the stress Asuma had been under himself and how hard the death of his father had weighed on the elder Sarutobi, but seeing how Konohamaru had become he didn't care. “Come Sakura, we've got things to do,” he continued, motioning for Sakura to follow him as he started to walk away. After a while he looked back to Kimiko, who was staring in horror at the scene below where Konohamaru was being carried off by medic nins. “If it wasn't obvious,” he said dryly, “It would be the Uchiha you should model yourself on,” he told her before turning and leaving with Sakura in tow. The preliminary matches would conclude soon and Naruto didn't care overmuch for the battles coming after this.

Chapter Text

To Namikaze Minato, these last weeks had been overall good. Things had proceeded well, all the other kages had accepted the invitation to the final exams. There were no great calamities on the horizon, Jiraiya had gotten more intel on the Akatsuki. It was good all in all. Except for one very specific part of his life. Namely his son. Naruto had all but disappeared from public view after his return to Konoha and the rumors buzzed all over the place about it. Some said he had gone mad, some that visiting Kiri had given him ideas and so forth. It made him a bit sick to see how his son was so easily doubted still, but he couldn't deny that Naruto's assessment of the situation had been spot on. In a way, he felt a little proud of his son's perceptiveness, but that drowned in the snide distrust the boy was shown.

That was not the worst however, oh no that was not the worst by far. The worst thing was those who didn't distrust Naruto, those who respected him, honoured him and indeed looked up to him. Several times over the last weeks he had been reminded, criticized and indeed yelled at for what he had done. It had started with Rin storming into his office. His old apprentice had been livid, asking 'what were you thinking?!' time and again. Minato had had a hard time keeping a straight face as he saw the shock and pain in Rin's eyes. She had devoted herself to Naruto for months and suddenly it was all torn apart by her old teacher. She had been on the verge of tears and laid out, in clear yet precise psychological terms of what this would do to Naruto. Minato had schooled his face into impassiveness as Rin elaborated on how his actions would reinforce Naruto's feelings of isolation and antipathy against the village, something that would reach a boiling point sooner rather that later. He had, in the end, half ordered her out of the room with some token words about a leader having to make hard choices. Minato had wanted to wash his mouth with soap after that.

Yet then Guren had come. A woman he had been delighted to see become part of Konoha, someone who had been thrown into the role of a leader and out of love for her fellow Oto survivors had stepped up to the challenge even as she was struggling with her own problems. Someone who had made them more than just charity cases and into a Konoha clan he knew would be as important to the village as the Yamanaka or Hyuuga. Someone he respected and indeed admired. Someone he wanted to see as one of his closest subordinates due to her loyalty, tolerance, kindness and honour.

She hadn't been upset though. Worse, she had been ice cold. Coming into Minato's office with that strange serenity that utter despondency could give someone, she had asked him if he found any pleasure in it. When asked for elaboration, she had told him that Orochimaru had delighted in it, using people's loyalty to him to make others suffer, force people to choose between loved ones and him and always making sure it was him. She had described that twisted mind games the old sannin had used in vivid detail, and while she never said it her implications were clear. To her Minato was no better than Orochimaru right now, playing Naruto against the village as he was. She had stood in front of him when done, looking him over with eyes bereft of any of the trust Minato had gained with her and told him how glad she was that Orochimaru was dead. Minato had been forced to hide his hands as they had began to tremble at the denouncement.

Nothing explicit was said, meaning there was nothing that would land her in the brig. Of course there wasn't, she was too canny for that. But to hear that calm, dead voice implying clearly how much she hated him made him sick to his very core. Yet the die was cast, the pieces had been moved and he and Naruto both would have to live with the consequences of his choice.

Nevertheless, he prayed that night, literally prayed to the kami, that this situation would be resolved quickly. Minato hated that he was turning those who respected Naruto against their hokage and as it turned out, Rin and Guren were not the only ones who had an issue with the situation. Over the course of the following days he became almost inundated with complaints about his actions. From expertly written complaints that stuck to form like white on rice to scrawled notes wondering how much he'd torment his own son before he was happy. Each note twisted the knife a bit further in him and made him resent the entire situation more and more.

Yet his subordinates' denouncement, his old genin's disbelief and shock, his trusted clan leader's cold hatred, none of it could compare, at all, to what happened a few weeks later. The exams were underway and Minato cherished every day that passed by because it was one less day until they could drop this farce. Like a man suffering from severe depression, Minato lived one day at a time and tried not to let the weight of everything on him crush him. He therefore walked up the road to his home with somewhat heavy steps but nevertheless with resolve in him. He didn't like it but he trusted Naruto, he had to really.

Entering the house in silence, he took off his shoes and walked into the kitchen. He thought he heard Kushina from there. Sure enough, his beloved was in there, sitting silently by the table. She didn't seem to be eating or reading anything.

“I'm home,” he said sweetly, thinking to himself that Kushina was one of the few still burning lights in his life as it was. His beloved wife meant the world to him in so many ways and he was happy beyond words to have her by his side, especially now. His wife didn't answer however. In fact she didn't even move from the spot. Minato glanced to the side to look at her now, he had been hanging off his coat.”Sweetie?” he asked, being met with only silence still.

Now he got worried and walked up to her to place a hand on her shoulder, wanting to see if there was anything wrong. It seemed to be that way, judging from how Kushina tore away from him, first now speaking up.

“Don't touch me!” she snapped, her voice hoarse, as if she had been crying.

“Kushina what's wrong?” Minato asked now, worry hitting him like a punch to the gut. What had happened to her.

“Don't talk to me!” Kushina snapped again, looking at him with red eyes, red from tears that still streaked down her face. She stood up now, looking at him with a gaze he had not seen from her in years, pure anger and indeed rage. And all of it aimed square at him. That was also all he knew before the slap hit him. Straight to the cheek it fell, with enough force that he stumbled backwards and felt how his head spun. When he finally regained his footing Kushina stood still, staring at him with the rage still in her eyes “I saw him...” she said now, her voice quivering with emotion, “All he told me was 'No'! He talked to me before this, he wanted things to work out between us. Now he didn't even look at me!” she almost screamed now and Minato felt how a cold fear spread through him.

“Honey...” he began desperately. The pain in his cheek pulsed in synch with his guilt as he took a hesitant step forward, hands raised in an attempt at a calming gesture.

“No!” Kushina screamed now, livid. “You did this! We abandoned him and now you destroyed any chance for me to get him back! Damn you! I hate you!” she screamed, advancing on him now and slapping him again. Minato could absorb this blow at least somewhat but his wife still had most of her strength since her shinobi days, leaving him still reeling physically. Physically because her words had struck him deeper than any blow could make. To him, the days when Kimiko was just a newborn child remained lucid still. Kushina screaming at him in rage, Naruto all but disappearing, his village desperate and frightened. He had been unable to do anything about the first and second thing so he had thrown himself at the third and hated himself for it when the consequences had become clear. He had hated it so much, so much that he would have preferred the days before the Kyuubi hit Konoha to when after it had hit them.

Now he gave up. Already he hated himself, as did the people who stood his son the closest, and the rest of the village only encouraged his ostracism of his son. And now Kushina screamed out her hatred for him. He deserved it, Minato knew it, and he gave up trying to hold this farce going.

“It's not real!” he yelled out in despair, Kushina only staring at him.

“What do you mean it isn't real?!” She yelled at him, “He said it to my face!”

“No, not that!” Minato exclaimed. “It's a facade, a deal we made! He needed to seem ostracized... it was his idea!” Minato began, suddenly finding himself vomiting it all out. The deal he had made with Naruto, the fear he had felt after what happened to Kimiko and the genuine threat it posed. The demand Naruto had made that they remained disenfranchised from each other. All of it he told Kushina, tears flowing freely from him as he revealed to his wife, his soulmate and the mother of his children, what he had wrought, the illusion of cold distrust he had to play up now when he, for the first time, had reached some kind of understanding with his son. In the end he had sunken down on a chair, his forehead resting in his palms and his fingers grabbing hold of his hair as he struggled to keep composure. Damn this entire plan of his and damn how he had agreed to let his son take the fall. He was so sick of it, so sick of every last bit of what he had done to Naruto, and yet he was too weak to protest when Naruto demanded they keep it up.

He then felt two soft hands place themselves on his head and looked up to see Kushina sit down next to him, eyes still red and face still marked by tears. Before he could say anything more Kushina had pulled him close in a rough hug, her voice still quivering as she spoke.

“I swear to all the gods Minato,” she whispered hoarsely, “I'll make you suffer for hiding this from me.” Her hand ran over his head and she held him close, Minato not daring to believe that she hadn't walked out on him or something. He felt like the scum of the universe, being given a blessing he didn't deserve. “Even if Naruto told you to, why did you accept it?”

“Because he insisted that if it came out I allowed him to do his thing with Kimiko... my reputation would be ruined. I didn't give a damn about that, but he told me that if I wanted my dream to come true I'd had to accept sacrifices. He told me it... and called me father. I couldn't say no to him Kushina, I just couldn't.”

“When he's done... will you take him back?” Kushina asked lowly.

“I swear I'll do more than that,” Minato told her empathetically. The catharsis of spilling everything filled him with a kind of euphoria and he spoke these words with all the conviction he had. “I'll tell him, in front of all Konoha if that's what it takes, that we've been wrong, that what he does isn't anything evil, that it's something great, dangerous but great. To hell with the detractors, he'll have official support from me for anything,” he vowed it with all his heart, Kushina pulling back now and giving him a smile through tear-filled eyes.

“You're an idiot Minato,” she told him quietly. “That it took you this long to see it.” Minato looked at her, smiling through the tears as well.

“I really am,” he said, “And Naruto is a better son than we deserve.”

------xxxxxx------

Standing on a mountain plateau far away from Konoha, a few dozen kilometres behind the Hokage monument more precisely, Naruto looked at the girl in front of him. Sakura stood in front of him with an attentive, focused look on her face. She was cleaned up somewhat after the preliminary battle and was back to her usual tidy appearance.

“You've learned forms, jutsu, techniques” he told her. “You've tested them in battle. You have at the moment learned all I could reasonably teach you at this stage. So why are we here?” he asked, looking around himself. Sakura didn't answer him and Naruto looked back to her. “Immersion,” he told her. “There's nothing left for you, but constant training. You're here because during the coming weeks you will not learn any powerful new jutsu or skill, you will simply use what you have, sixteen hours per day. You'll eat, sleep, and fight, nothing more. Is that understood?”

“Yes master,” Sakura said, a look of confident eagerness on her face. She loved this situation, he could tell, and a part of him found it chafing to see.

“She's getting ideas of being more than a worm,” Orochimaru drawled in the back of his head. “Beat it out of her, now.”

“Why would I do that, you idiot?” Naruto replied mentally, “Her eagerness only facilitates her learning process. If she enjoys it, she will invest more of herself into learning. I know you consider harshness and fear the only pedagogic method worthy of your time but shock and awe, old snake, I've surpassed you there as well.” Not giving the snake a chance to reply, he called out. “Begin!” he yelled and Sakura began instantly, charging him with all her speed and ability. With an impassive face, he blocked her first attacks and pondered them as he deflected a series of sharp kicks. Not too shabby, but not good enough. He lashed out with a blow for her jaw and frowning when it connected. True, he had been fast, but all the same she had neglected her defence.

“I said fight, not show off your moves,” he told her. “You should have been able to dodge that.”

“Yes master,” Sakura said quickly, wiping the small trickle of blood from where she had bit her lib as she stood up. The fire was still there and Naruto's eyes narrowed as she came at him again, as fast but without the reckless overextension. Another sweeping blow for her jaw was dodged, albeit barely, and Sakura even delivered a counter kick to his leg. While he stepped back to avoid the blow, it was nevertheless a reasonably good kick.

Reasonable, not too shabby, good enough. What, precisely, was he doing? Was that enough for him all of a sudden? Had averageness replaced excellence to him?

“You know I wondered that myself,” Orochimaru remarked and Naruto's eyes narrowed now as he delivered a sharp blow to her mid-section, a blow that made Sakura's eyes widen as her hands went to her stomach and she collapsed, gasping for the air that her paralysed solar plexus couldn't retrieve. Stepping up, he raised a foot to send a kick for her head. While he held back, it would probably send her unconscious anyway. Then, however, he found himself surprised as Sakura's hands shot out when he kicked. The girl stepped up, blocked his kick with both lower arms and leaped up, a flying kick for his face actually surprising him with the sudden burst of activity. Slapping her and sending her flying backwards, Naruto nevertheless smirked as Sakura twisted through the air and landed on her feet. Then though, she stumbled and fell on her ass.

“Not bad,” he said as he, in a fantastic show of immaturity, blew a mental raspberry towards Orochimaru. “How's that for passable, old snake?” He asked. Things really got easier with Sakura in his sights. The girl kept giving him positive surprises and nothing seemed to infuriate Orochimaru more than his apprentice's successes. Thinking back on it, Naruto realized that Orochimaru had generally been relatively quiet when he was training Sakura.

Yes... that was how it was, wasn't it? His brilliant little apprentice. The girl that was his to shape, his to shape into the best shinobi of all. The girl that, in the asinine situation he was in, was the best thing in his life. Almost more so, dared he say, than Kimiko. Kimiko... his sister. The girl that no matter what he did never understood anything, never changed, ever blundering forward. Why could she not have learned from Sakura?

“Because she's useless,” Orochimaru said. “She's had everything given to her, much of it taken from you in a manner. She has the Kyuubi, natural talent and a father that is the Hokage. She doesn't need to struggle. Not when she is a jinchuuriki, not when her father forgives her rule violations, not when her brother gives her the Kyuubi's power to play with.”

“Kami-sama you are a pest,” Naruto told him, ignoring the small urging inside him to agree with the old snake. Meeting Sakura's next series of attacks now, he forced himself to forget about his idiot sister and focus on his brilliant apprentice instead.

------xxxxxx------

Hours turned to days and days turned to weeks as the final exam approached. As the exam tournament drew near a steady stream of visitors and dignitaries did as well. From all over the elemental nations people came, from nobles to nobodies, and before the day of the exam thousands upon thousands of people had arrived through Konoha's gates. The gate guardians had been given reinforcements and all in all twenty lines had formed, each line being processed and getting their papers checked.

No matter who you were the checks were mandatory. A shouty nobleman from River Nation found this out the hard way when he tried to bully his way in with the help of his bodyguards only to be taken down by shinobi in three seconds and thrown out head first. Shouting about how the “insolent ninjas” would regret it, the man was dragged off and the leader of the group behind him in the queue couldn't help but smile somewhat at the spectacle.

“Oh me, oh my,” she said as she came up to the booth and handed over her papers without even needing to be prompted. “People certainly get excitable about this, do they not?”

“You don't know half of it ma'am,” the tired shinobi in the booth said, not even having looked up, as he scanned the papers with practised ease before he noticed the seal on it. Stamping the paper and handing it over, he sat up somewhat straighter in his seat. “Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato, Mizukage-sama,” he said with a more respectful tone as he looked up, now also seeing the Kage outfit she wore, “Hokage-sama awaits your arrival, just one second,” he said and leaned back to call for an escort to show her the way. Mei only smiled and nodded somewhat in response before she looked in towards the city.

It was such a peaceful place, this village. The serenity almost hovered over the buildings and the sense of security was palpable. She couldn't help but wish that one day Kiri might be like this too. Sunlit, verdant, peaceful, prosperous. And to think that such a beautiful place had born a little sourpuss like Naru-chan she thought, smiling to herself at the thought.

“You're smirking like that again,” Ao said quietly as he glanced towards her.

“I suppose I am,” Mei admitted happily as they walked into town. The streets were bustling with activity, Shinobi and civilians intermingling freely as they ran about their errands. She couldn't help but enjoy the sight of it. The sight of it as well as who she knew she'd soon meet made her shamefully happy.

“Dare I assume the presence of a certain friend of Kiri has a part in this?” Tsurugi asked quietly as he walked a few steps behind Mei. The Mizukage only looked back towards him and smiled even more radiantly.

“Maybe there might be something to that,” she said merrily, “You never know,” she said as another Konoha ninja came up to them with a respectful bow.

“Mizukage-sama,” he said, “If you'd please follow me.” The man showed them the path towards the Hokage tower. Following the man, the small group made its way through the bustling streets and Mei found herself marvelling at it a little. Here she was one of many high nobles and important people. In Konoha now so many movers and shakers were present that merely being the Mizukage.... well one might say it actually became something that was “merely” instead of something that changed everything. For now, however, she didn't care overmuch about that. She had other things to think about.
“Tell me something,” she said to the man guiding them. “Recently, Namikaze Naruto, one of your shinobi, came to our village on a mission from the Hokage. Are you familiar with him?” Her voice was honeyed and non-threatening, the idle questions of a beautiful woman. It was strange how often merely that worked for her. She did notice how the Shinobi seemed to tense a bit at this, a small hesitation going through his body that made him slow down almost imperceptibly for a tiny fraction of a second.

“I am, Mizukage-sama,” The shinobi replied neutrally as they walked. Mei could tell there was a small undercurrent of hesitation in his voice. He didn't want to talk about Naruto. Why? She locked onto this fact instantly and began digging deeper.

“Yes, he's a figure to make an impression, isn't he?” she asked. “He sure made quite an impression in Kiri, I'm sure you can understand,” she added with a wink. She was deliberately vague, implying things in a way that could be taken many ways. The shinobi nodded, Mei seeing a look of distaste flash by on his face.

“I... suppose I can,” the man answered after a second. He was uncomfortable. Why? Mei got more and more suspicious but only smiled even more sweetly at the shinobi to disarm him.

“Yes,” she said warmly, “Dare I ask what's happened with him since his return? I think I can make a guess, but I can't help but be interested to hear it from the source.” The shinobi grimaced a little, clearly balancing on the edge. The way he glanced at her cleavage made it clear where this man stood and Mei decided to be a little shameless. She winked at him with a coy little smile. “Please?” she asked with a voice positively dripping with allure. The shinobi smiled a little, Mei almost laughing at how easy he was. Poor man, he seemed positively starved for female attention judging from how easy it was to wrap him around her finger.

“As you said, you can probably guess,” the Konoha man said. “That man has hardly appeared since he returned. Apparently he clashed with Hokage-sama upon his return when Hokage-sama told him human experiments were forbidden. He's refused to serve as a shinobi since out of spite, some people are saying he's crawled into some dark pit to secretly experiment on whatever people he can lure with him.”

Mei went ice cold at this, all mirth and curiosity vanishing in moments and simply being replaced by anger. What she heard made her feel like a bucket of freezing water had been poured over her head. She couldn't believe her ears at first. To hear that Naru-chan was this poorly viewed in Konoha made her shocked. And those claims about human experiments? Preposterous! Knowing the strain between Naruto and Minato, Mei found herself with a sudden outburst of antipathy against the latter. Already he had torn Naruto from Kiri and violated the agreement between the two villages for reasons so immensely petty that they could only be viewed as a diplomatic insult. Now Naruto was ostracised to this level?! All of a sudden she found her teeth gritted and she quickly schooled her features into a cheerful expression again. Couldn't have this man get any hints about why she was asking.

“Is that so,” she said with a small smile. “I suppose we'll have to hope he does not eat them as well,” she said, inwardly wanting to throttle the man. Blissfully ignorant of the fury he had awoken, the Konoha shinobi shrugged.

“According to some of the rumors...” he said, Mei close to breathing fire at this point. “It's all rumors though,” the man added, “Mostly unsubstantiated, as usual.” Though he was candid enough to admit this it didn't sweeten Mei's disposition at all. She threw a quick glance back at her people. Tsurugi's face was unreadable yet Ao's clearly showed his displeasure clearly. The old Jonin was scowling, looking like he was ready to crush something with his fists. Mei remained calm though. At least until they reached the Hokage's tower she'd need to be balanced. Decorum was, after all, the bread and butter of social interaction and she'd wait just a teeny-weeny bit little longer before she tore Minato's eyes out of his face.

At the tower they were shown to Minato's office quickly and expediently, not even having to wait outside the door to boot. Making a few finishing touches to address any imperfections in her appearance that might have come from the journey, Mei Terumi stepped into the Hokage's office with all the grace and dignity of a true kage. She was met by the Yellow Flash of Konoha sitting behind his desk with the paperwork filling his desk. He looked up to see her and instantly stood up when identifying her. Mei entered, regal as a queen, and bowed her head as she removed her hat. She smiled at him, but it was a frozen smile. By Kami-sama did she despise this man right now.

“It has been some time Terumi-dono,” Minato said with a polite, pleasant voice. “Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato once more.”

“It was a long journey to get here,” Mei said. No pleasantries about it being nice to be here, no gratitude for the man. It wasn't very overt but Minato would pick up on it. He was not a fool, just an idiot. “May I sit?” she asked now, coming up to the desk and placing a single hand on the backrest of the chair in front of it. She didn't wait for him to give his permission. “So tell me, how has the exams gone this far?” she asked, pleasantly but with a steel edge hidden beneath the surface. She fixed the man with her smiling face yet steel in her gaze. She had made him squirm during her previous visit, now she'd make him suffer.

------xxxxxx------

Minato was on the verge of swallowing poison when Mei finally left the room. Her adoration for Naruto was clear, he could think of few other reason for the abject hatred against him that had radiated from the woman. She had been all smiles and pleasantries yet under the polite surface he could tell rage was boiling. And of course why not? She didn't know that he knew of her and Naruto's “relationship”, but Minato knew that had to be it. With his son's plan starting to wear on him more and more, he started to question the entire damned setup. Why did he have to pretend Naruto was an outcast again? At this time it seemed only to help him get migraines and ulcers as well as serious thoughts about self-harm from the sheer self-loathing that these kinds of meetings left him in.

Blast it all straight to hell and shove a kunai up its ass, he was in a foul mood right now... The question rubbed in him now, whether it'd actually be that giant bloody fall to take. Hadn't the faith people had in him gone further than this? Wouldn't they be able to work this out despite all this? And did Naruto seriously think he'd approve of an idea as crazy as trying to insert him into the Akatsuki?!

He sighed deeply as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and eventually turned in his chair to look outside. Konoha lay outside the window, as peaceful and as beautiful as it always had been. So different from how he felt, the turmoil that this entire scenario, seemingly more and more stupid by the second, was causing him. If there was one good thing about all of this, it was that it strengthened his conviction that it was the right thing to do to publicly ask Naruto's forgiveness and exonerate him completely as soon as the exams were over, he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

------xxxxxx------

The day had come. All of Konoha was abuzz with excitement and eagerness as the Chuunin exams were set to start. Eight candidates for Chuunin had been selected and people had flocked from all around the elemental nations to see them compete in the grand tournament that was about to start. Flags fluttered in the wind and banners hung on the walls, happy chatter and laughter everywhere.

Naruto, seated in the front row, couldn't help but feel as disgusted as he'd ever felt at the spectacle made of it all. He supposed on some degree he could agree with the sentiment of it all. Rather than have it a tense and secretive meeting of shinobi it was instead a feast for everyone, an event where commerce flowed freely, people intermingled and the mood lightened. It might be politically sound, yet all the same it was disgusting to see how people who strove to be the perfect killers became showpieces for peons and fat nobles... Leaning back a little in his seat, he rested his head against the ridge of his left hand and watched the ring below. Soon the fighting would start but until then he was stuck sitting here and trying to avoid drawing too much attention as well as scaring off whatever attention did land on him.

“Is this seat taken?” a voice asked mildly and Naruto closed his eyes for a second. It seemed he had attracted the attention of someone who wouldn't be so easily scared off. Hatake Kakashi came up to him now, sitting down beside him and smiling at him. Naruto didn't look at the man. Having been out of town to train Sakura in the wilderness for the last month, he hadn't had to deal with the idiots of Konoha, but now he faced them again it seemed. “How exciting, isn't it?”the man said, “We both have students in the exam. I'm curious to see what you've done with Sakura.”

“I take it you've spent time preparing your own protege,” Naruto said dryly and Kakashi smiled.

“I did actually, and it's going to be quite exciting to see how well he'll do.”

“'He',” Naruto remarked. So the man had trained the Uchiha...

“I couldn't possibly try to improve on your training,” Kakashi said now, “I agree with your assessment of Kimiko and called in an old favour to help her out with the basics.”

“'Basics',” Naruto remarked again. “Ebisu...” he smiled dryly. “I'd have thought he'd prefer to stay behind and salvage the wreck that was the young Sarutobi.” Kakashi's smile disappeared now. The man leaned forward, clasping his hands.

“I told him to take this month off and think about his future,” the man revealed now. “No matter his past, he was about to maim a teammate. I talked it over with him, time will tell if he'll hear me.”

“I'd have thought you'd drilled that out of him by now.”

“Spite and resentment are easy to hang on to,” Kakashi said without any cheer in his voice, “If he simply refuses to see, there is little I can do. This month will have changed everything, or nothing changed, and he is done as a shinobi. I'll see him after the exams.”

“Hmh...” Naruto didn't really know what to say to that. It wasn't his business to get involved in what Kakashi did with his students, but he supposed he'd heard of worse ways of doing it.

Once again; Kakashi was a sensible man, so why had he gone along with that idiotic wave mission?

It was then that he noticed someone by the Kages' booth. Sitting amidst her equals, all in their Kage robes and hats, was she. She, Terumi Mei, the Mizukage. He hadn't seen her in months and it was as though he'd forgotten how she glowed. Her curious hairstyle, her ever present little smirk, that half-lidded eye visible which seemed lazy and sultry but which in truth hid a sharpness few could hope to match. The entirety of her being still made him speechless when suddenly confronted with it. What more, her eye was fixed on him, meeting his now. A slow wink and a smile from her came now, an acknowledgement of him and the joy it brought her. Naruto found himself reminded of happier times now in Kiri, before this entire mission of his, before his idea to court a solution the worst possible scenarios and everything that had piled up on him.

“How revoltingly clingy,” Orochimaru's voice drawled, “Are you so infatuated with her?” Was he? He had thought of her a lot recently, yet had he thought about her? About what it was? He pondered the question now, meeting it head-on and considering the options. There was a question that needed answer there. The conclusion was evident, perhaps embarrassingly so, so it did not take long.

“Well you miserable old pervert,” Naruto eventually replied mentally, “I...” he smiled dryly, wondering how long and how much he had denied this. “I love her,” he stated as much to himself as to the old snake, no longer planning to lie to himself or keep the truth hidden from even himself. How could he deny that simple fact? Easy, he couldn't. “I love her in that every fibre of my being wants to be with her, make her happy in every way I can and that she drives me to be a better person. She gives me hope and joy, stimulates my mind and listens when I speak of what I do. Even her irrational sides make her all the more vibrant. So sorry, old snake, that I am not that much of an emotionally hollow shell that only can act on anger, annoyance or smugness. I know it must haunt you to be confronted with people having a greater emotional range than your own, yet no one forced you to settle in and watch my story unfold. You are free to leave, in fact I'd even prefer that, for your constant whinging that my face and state of mind is not permanently locked in a sour scowl or a perverse grin like yours is... honestly quite pathetic,” he finished.

Thankfully Kakashi, if he had noticed the exchange of looks, didn't say anything. Instead a call went across the arena and Naruto turned to look to his father as the man stepped up, beginning a speech about the purpose of these contests and things Naruto had heard before. He tuned it out and pondered what would come instead. Down in the arena Genma stepped out now, looking around himself with his usual placid look as he waited for his chance to do his job. Naruto looked instead to Mei again, her gaze still on him, and he nodded very slightly, thinking to himself that he would probably do something drastic when this was over. He'd go see her and damn the consequences. After all this nonsense, he'd earned that.

Thankfully Minato was not one to drag his speeches out and soon the call came for the exams to begin, a large display showing the names of the first pair to fight. Naruto smirked when seeing it. Tsubaki Dosu Vs Aburame Shino. This would be a bloody match. Naruto didn't doubt that both sides had an axe to grind. Shino had chosen to defeat Zaku in a way that would show off his skill and ability. The defeat, while elegant, had certainly drawn attention both good and bad. The fledgling Tsubaki clan had gotten to watch a fellow Konoha shinobi utterly humiliate one of theirs in front of not just Konhoa but representatives from many villages. To a clan still so uncertain, so eager to be recognized and respected, that was a slap in the face of the worst kind.

Dosu's response to his family member's humiliation, meanwhile, had been truly Oto-esque in its brutality. From what Naruto understood it had taken Chouji a week to be able to properly eat again, the residual chakra in his system making him puke uncontrollably whenever he ate. One boy's pride and eagerness had led to another's anger and vengefulness, and now they'd meet to either settle the issue or sow the seeds of a clan enmity. Naruto couldn't help but want to see where this went though. To his understanding, Dosu was as close to the clan prodigy as one could come among the Tsubaki genin and Shino was the son of the Aburame clan head. While no Konohamaru Vs Sasuke (which incidentally still had been as good as a fight between genin got, at least before Konohamaru's pathetic meltdown), it'd nevertheless be interesting.

The two Genin came out into the arena now, neither of them making any big show of their arrival even though the crowd cheered for them. Their eyes were locked at each other, Naruto smiling dryly at the sight.

“Oh my...” Kakashi said with a non-committal voice.

“Indeed,” Naruto said as the call to begin sounded and the two Genin were at each other like bloodthirsty dogs.

------xxxxxx------

“Oh me, oh my,” Mei said airily, watching as the two Konoha genin slug it out. Shino had unleashed a swarm of bugs towards Dosu, who leaped, dodged and whirled with his sound projector blaring. Mei could vaguely hear the sound even up here, down there it must be almost deafening. The bugs that came close lost their control and tumbled limply to the ground, completely disoriented. Even up here one could see the blood-thirst in their moves though. “Your village of peace is certainly showing the way,” she remarked snidely, “Why those two youngsters down there seem positively serene, what a fabulous example to set.” Minato didn't reply, sitting silently as he watched the battle. Mei could tell it didn't sit well with him though. She decided to keep going, this wasn't over before he was crying.

The sight of Naru-chan had improved her mood a lot, yet all the same she was still furious at Minato. Looking at the basic facts he had reneged on a deal she had given up a lot for, insulted her village by questioning its ability to keep the lands safe, offered little but muttered courtesies when asked when Naruto could come back and finish his job and finally taken her beloved Naru-chan from her. It really didn't matter that she loved Naruto, she'd make the man's life hell for the insults and betrayal to begin with.

“Don't you agree Raikage-dono?” she asked mildly, “For a village that speaks so highly of peace, this is like watching my own graduation in the age of the bloody mist.” The giant man was sitting slouched in his seat, legs wide and one hand on the armrest to support his chin.

“Ain't gonna with that,” he said, “Brats lookin' like they gonna kill each other.”

“And after all this talk of peace and unity, Konoha's genin seem bloodthirstier than ever,” Mei kept going now with a massive smile towards Minato, a positively radiant one. “It certainly makes you wonder...” she said, her smile a bit vicious.

“Let's not get hasty,” Minato said now with a forced smile, “This particular fight is a personal rivalry only, it shouldn't cloud Konoha's stance overall.” Down in the arena Dosu's sound projector had been blocked and bugs quickly crawling over the ground towards him. The Tsubaki boy didn't hesitate though. Instead, the sound projector blew off his arm and Dosu leaped backwards, making hand seals before he whipped his hands to the sides and something happened. A ripple was in the air around his fingers now and he lashed out, bugs dropping out of the air like flies now. The boy had used a jutsu replicating the effect of his sound projector. Now Shino was on the defensive, Dosu having effectively two sound projectors to use.

“Is that so?” Mei purred, “But from what I heard the preliminaries made this fight look positively friendly. The young Aburame humiliated his opponent and provoked him into blowing his own arms off, only the intervention by his opponent's clan head saved him. And the Tsubaki, why he went in to hurt his opponent as gruesomely as possible. And oh, didn't the young grandson of your predecessor try to gouge out the eyes of his Uchiha opponent? An Uchiha who was his teammate no less? Sound like more than one personal rivalry there Minato-kun,” she said, her smile still intact.

“All those things are coincidences,” Minato said, “It's true that the preliminaries were somewhat brutal this time, but the bigger picture...” He was interrupted now, the Tsuchikage giving up a bark of cynical laughter.

“Of course they are,” the old man said, “Why should Konoha ever be judged for anything? Overlords judge, they're not judged. It's not the subjects' place to do so,” he sneered. Mei kept up her pleasant façade. The old Iwa nin still resented Minato deeply after he'd destroyed an entire army of Iwa nins. With his village politically isolated, contracts drying up and more and more allies turning away from him, the Tsuchikage had little other than his bitterness to cling to. Two against Minato, then. With one more, Minato would be in a very precarious seat. The Kazekage was a lost cause, the man sitting quietly and watching the fight. Mei knew that his son was close with Minato's daughter. But the Raikage was still in the open.

Down in the arena Dosu was upon Shino now. Delivering one brutal palm strike after another, the Tsubaki genin made his Aburame peer spasm uncontrollably as the shockwaves tore through him and he was driven backwards. Yet all the same, Dosu's blows fell slower and slower, with less and less force, and after a while he missed a strike, tumbling to the ground and landing flat on the ground. He didn't get up, and Shino remained standing, slowly raising a trembling hand to call back the bugs that had hidden under Dosu's coat. Before they even reached him however, he spat out blood and collapsed as well. The battle was declared a draw and the two genin carried out of the arena.

“How very representative,” Mei smiled widely at him now, noticing how the Raikage gave up a small, agreeing grunt. The man was beginning to edge towards her. She glanced slightly at Minato again now, pondering how to make him suffer some more.

------xxxxxx------

Naruto looked to the board now, patiently waiting for his apprentice's fight. The Dosu/Shino match had ended overall well, with a double knockout that didn't reflect too poorly on either genin. He doubted they'd be promoted though, their hateful mutual vendetta was a pretty sad thing. He glanced at Mei and saw her in discussion with the other Kages about something. He didn't see what it was obviously, but Minato seemed uncomfortable. The draw came up now, Naruto rolling his eyes when Kimiko's Uchiha teammate was picked to fight against Temari, a Suna genin. Naruto remembered after a second, that was the one who had utterly crushed that weapon using genin in the preliminaries.

“This'll be interesting,” he couldn't help but dryly remark, finding himself actually approving of Kakashi's company in a certain way. His intellect and skill were both the real deal even if his judgement didn't seem to be that. What more he was a subdued man, meaning no nonsensical pleasantries. Kakashi only smiled as the two genin got into the arena and Naruto glanced to Mei once more, catching her giving him a small wink before he returned to look down.

The match started and both genin were off, Temari whipping her fan open and delivering a massive torrent of wind chakra that tore through the earth and kicked up a massive cloud of dust as the ground was rent. Naruto sighed now, shaking his head. “And there she lost,” he thought. She had just lost sight of an Uchiha with an active Sharingan. Sure enough, Sasuke was suddenly in the air above him and came down silently, his leg out and swinging downwards to deliver an axe-kick to her head. Temari surprised him though, turning around and whipping out the fan again to send Sasuke flying.

Only she didn't. As Sasuke flew backwards he fell apart into leaves and branches and Temari, who had been forced to spin around as fast as possible, didn't have the balance needed to turn around once more. Therefore she couldn't stop Sasuke as he came up behind her and punched her in the lower spine, paralyzing her and making her drop limply. Naruto raised an eye, admittedly surprised at the canniness of the genin. There was one to watch, most certainly. If he refined this speed and tactical sense he'd become a lethal one. Once again truly an Ace Genin. Also: Naruto didn't even need to look to know just how smug Kakashi looked now.

“Well done,” he said dryly, “You've molded top rate material into a top level asset. What an achievement.” While he didn't resent Kakashi's presence, he nevertheless thought it would be good to take him down to earth a little. Naruto was of the belief that genii could be considered immune to skilled teaching. They'd usually prosper either way, no matter if the teacher was a master of just mediocre. True talent would not be denied.

“Which is why I'm eager to see what you've done with Sakura,” Kakashi said mildly, not the least perturbed by his snide remark. “You're right about geniuses. I'm eager to see what you've done with a more unconventional genin like Sakura. I never got to quite see what she was capable of in the preliminaries.” Naruto smirked at this and looked to the board as another name appeared. It was Kimiko's turn it seemed, and she'd fight Neji. It seemed her changes in the coming months would be pivotal now. If she had not adapted, the Hyuuga prodigy would beat the living tar out of her. Looking around himself, however, he noticed something. While Neji had gotten into the arena, Kimiko was nowhere to be seen. Naruto's brow furrowed in irritation now. Was she going to be late for the exams of all bloody things now? Sighing, he slowly shook his head. Certainly characteristic of her, he could not doubt that, yet he'd hoped she'd have matured at least a little. Some uncertainty came over the scene now, the proctor looking up to Minato to see what he was going to do. Minato shook his head however and Naruto grunted. He couldn't show that much favouritism and Naruto sighed. “How embarrassing for everyone involved,” he drawled, Kakashi not saying anything as the proctor raised his hand to declare Neji the winner.

“Waaaaait!” Then however, a shadow flew by overhead. Looking up, Naruto saw something come vaulting over the roof of the arena, falling freely through the air down towards the ground. He raised an eyebrow as the figure twisted in the air, turning upright and landing below. A small cloud of dust was kicked up as she made a forward roll to absorb the impact and come up into an upright position. An honestly quite superb landing considering the drop and the Kimiko that stood up now was changed as well.

Firstly, her clothes were different. She now wore a plain vest along with track pants and fingerless gloves. The arm and leg warmers were gone and her hair cut into a bob. Naruto blinked at the sight, seeing for a split-second something that was way, way different from the old Kimiko. The sheer impression of the figure that rolled into a standing position after the massive drop was almost diametrically opposed the old one.

“Am I late?!” Kimiko asked frantically now, looking to the proctor with wide eyes. “Please don't tell me I'm late, I hurried here all I could, I forgot time and I'm sorry I promise it won't happen again...” Kimiko kept babbling, Naruto sighing as he closed his eyes to rub the bridge of his nose. Of course... same old, same old. He wondered just how much Ebisu had managed to teach her. Other than a style change, he didn't see much... yet.

Minato sighed now as the proctor looked up, waving an impatient hand for the match to begin and Genma nodded, starting the match off without much further ado. Naruto couldn't help but be interested to see what this would turn into.

To no one's surprise, Kimiko attacked first. Naruto watched what would come, half ready to dismiss the last month's efforts, yet to his surprise she was not beaten up in seconds. What she unleashed was an honestly quite impressive array of kicks and punches. She was acrobatic indeed, striking seemingly from all directions, up and down as well as left and right, as she moved in a circle around Neji. Nevertheless, the Hyuuga prodigy held his ground and spun with her, deflecting every blow as Kimiko cartwheeled, vaulted and spun around him to deliver her barrage. After a while he lashed out and Kimiko leaped away right before it hit. When she landed however Naruto smiled. She had ninja wires in her mouth, wires going into the ground around Neji, and she made the seals quickly. Finishing with the Tiger seal, she unleashed a fire that ran along the wires at immense speed and down into the ground all around Neji, where explosive seals were ignited. The ground around Neji exploded now.

“Impressive,” Kakashi said with a raised eyebrow. “Though the Byakugan sees everything, it can only focus on one thing at a time. Her rapid attacks kept his attention while she planted them around him.”

“Canny,” Naruto added. “Seems like her thick skull finally caved in,” he said as the dust cloud cleared, revealing the orb of chakra that Neji had formed. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. The Kaiten, the Heavenly Wheel. One of the Hyuuga's innermost secrets, an absolute defence, and Kimiko had forced Neji to pull that one out already now. Whatever Ebisu had done, he owed the man a commendation. Where did this cleverness come from? Or rather, how had she managed to adapt her admittedly already sizeable ability to think outside the box to battle like this? Naruto didn't know, but he did know he was impressed.

Neji and Kimiko met now, Naruto's surprise gaining plenty of reasons for why it existed in the following battle. Kimiko had always been acrobatic and agile as well as having an energy that few could equal. Yet now that was combined with an economy of movement and a sheer mindset that made her absolutely lethal. If she'd been decidedly above average earlier, and that mainly to her brute force, she was now fighting almost like a true ace, and that WITHOUT using said force. Naruto found himself watching the battle intensely now, feeling a small sense of disbelief at the sight. While Neji was every bit as good as he had been in the preliminaries and even more so, Kimiko actually kept up with him. Blow after blow was exchanged and her style became more and more apparent. She moved in all three dimensions, her unpredictable attitude combined with a fighting style that made the most use of it to produce something that, honestly, he wondered if anyone but Neji could keep up with so this well.

Naruto glanced to the side after a while, a strange curiosity coming over him now. Throwing a glance towards Gai and Lee, he saw that the former was standing with tears in his eyes, his lips quivering and a triumphant fist clenched in pure joy, no doubt at the birth of another taijutsu expert. The latter, meanwhile, looked like a fish from the way his mouth hung open .What more he was... was he blushing?! Oh for the love of... he turned back to look at the fight again, seeing how an impasse had been reached. Neji's gentle touches couldn't quite nail Kimiko due to her constant, erratic and explosive movements, but neither could Kimiko get quite past Neji's fluid, graceful guard.

It all came to an end in a split second, A blow by Kimiko being intercepted and turned into a thrown by Neji, who did manage to send Kimiko flying and slam a palm into her gut but reaped a knee to the back of the head for it. Kimiko crashed into the ground and groaned while Neji came to stumble from the shock and pain. They both got back up quickly though, Neji resuming his stance and Kimiko leaping to her feet. Naruto pursed his lips, having a good idea of what would come now.

Sure enough, it did. Neji unleashed the sixty-four palms technique now, beginning the spin that took him through that lethal series of strikes that could completely cut off someone's chakra. And yet Kimiko, little idiotic Kimiko who finally was blossoming, kept up. She began to move as well, taking the lightning fast blows but nevertheless deflecting them to the best of her abilities. At the end, when the thirty-two blows came, she indeed leaped through the air, making a somersault with a large number of spins that meant Neji's blows struck nearly randomly. She even finished with a kick to the gut that sent Neji reeling backwards. She did end up on her knee though. Those blows must still have hurt badly. He had counted at least three nerve clusters being hit.

Yet now... now it all went even further. Kimiko stood up and put her hands together. A guttural scream came from her, and then the entire arena was awash in the chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Naruto actually clenched the armrest a little now, forcing himself to sit still as Kimiko was surrounded by a corona of pure, red chakra. Her features turned more bestial and the residual chakra seemed to whip like tails around her. Yet then she inhaled. A massive inhale came from her and the chakra seemed to be sucked into her mouth with a hissing sound of rushing wind that echoed around the arena. When she exhaled, only smoke came from her mouth. The aura was gone, yet not the power. Her eyes had turned red, the marks on her cheek were much more clearly visible and her teeth had turned into fangs.

Naruto could not help it. At the sight of Kimiko's bijuu powers, now actually reined in and under control, he started smiling. Was this it? Had she finally done it? Had she transcended her childishness and become a true shinobi at last?

Now Kimiko moved and did so at a speed beyond what she had displayed before. She blurred out of existence seemingly, reappearing behind Neji and lashing out with a swift blow that forced the Hyuuga to turn fully around to have the strength to block her. He was sent skidding backwards however, Kimiko following after him with the dust billowing around her from her speed. What had been a closely-fought contest of skill became a brutal beatdown now, Kimiko moving as acrobatically before but doing so now with brutal, even bestial, strength and aggression. It was beautiful to behold as she tore through her opponent's guard and landed blow after blow.

Yet the Hyuuga prodigy wasn't out of the game yet. With a lunge to the side, he managed to get a single split-second free from her, one he used to sink into the sixty-four palms stance again and unleash it point blank. His movements were a blur as he struck again to cut off Kimiko's chakra, yet Kimiko stopped him in an instant. Not by a fancy counter or an elaborate defense, but simply by headbutting him. Naruto could hear the dull crack of craniums colliding even where he sat and raised an eyebrow. 'How brutal' he thought as Kimiko proceeded to give the staggering Neji a flying spin-kick that sent him tumbling along the ground for several meters. He came to a halt first when he hit the wall, unmoving.

Naruto kept himself cool now, seeing how the crowd went ballistic and cheered wildly as Kimiko's victory was proclaimed. The girl in question threw up her hands as well, giving up a shrill victory cry that echoed through the arena. She looked up to him now, their eyes meeting for the first time in a month, and Naruto nodded slowly, admitting to himself that he was honestly blown away by her progress. He raised his hands to applaud her, seeing how her face split in a grin so wide it could have made her face fall off. Kakashi applauded as well.

“It seems your handiwork surpasses mine,” Kakashi offered candidly, Naruto scoffing.

“Hardly,” he said, “This progress is Ebisu's handiwork, last month she was not even close to this.”

“You didn't hear?” Kakashi asked now and Naruto glanced at him. “After your denouncing of her in the preliminaries she was despondent, feeling as though she'd never impress you. She came to me begging for any help I could give. All Ebisu did was to show her how to use what she already had.”

“Hmh,” Naruto said slowly now. “I suppose I should have been harsher with her from the start then,” he said after a while.

“Maybe so,” Kakashi said mildly as the screen showed the final battle pair. Naruto already knew what it would show however, and he wasn't happy. Haruno Sakura versus Sabaku no Gaara.

He looked down into the ring and saw how Gaara entered it with his usual taciturn movements and stony visage and he smiled joylessly himself. This had to be the truly worst possibly match-up for Sakura. He concluded there was no hope of her winning this, yet nevertheless he watched as Sakura came into the arena herself and, when she looked up towards him, mouthed three words. 'fight to win'. It didn't matter if it was hopeless. She was a shinobi and she'd have to fight even though it was hopeless. Eyes narrowed and even the least hint of any mirth gone from his face, he settled in to watch how she handled being in a hopeless situation.

------xxxxxx------

“As you command, master,” Sakura thought to herself. She was terrified. She had seen what Gaara was able to do in the preliminaries, how he had decimated Rock Lee and could have killed him as well had he not stopped at the last moment. Yet all the same master had spoken. She wasn't going to disappoint him. She'd made him proud thus far and she'd do it again, no matter how hopeless it was! She spread her feet slightly and raised her heels somewhat, raising her hands. Gaara stood facing her, his pitiless teal eyes locked on her.

“Begin!” Genma called and Sakura, instead of going all out from the beginning, instead began to walk to the side with her gaze locked with Gaara's as well. She wouldn't flinch. She might be staring down a Jinchuuriki and she might have little hope of winning. But as master would have said, that was irrelevant. She was on the job, had a mission and would see it through. Her mission, defeat an elite genin with the power of a demon at his command.

Gaara lashed out, sending his tendrils of sand flying towards her and Sakura stood still, letting her grab her. She was almost unearthly still as the sand wrapped around her and squeezed. Sakura seemed to fall apart now though, her body turning to wood and leaves as it was revealed to be a substitution, Sakura instead appearing to the side of Gaara and sending three kunai flying against him. Gaara's sand snatched them out of the air however, the Suna genin seeing the explosive tags hanging off them only just as they burst aflame and detonated. A shockwave tore through the arena, throwing up a cloud of dust around Gaara.

As the smoke cleared, however, the sand had formed into a perfect protective sphere around him and neutralized Sakura's attack. Sakura kept moving though, dancing to the side with spinning movements, sending wave after wave of kunai at Gaara, explosions rocking the arena as she did so. After a while Gaara tired though, starting to catch the kunai mid-air. The explosions became choked inside the heavy globs of sand now and Gaara raised a hand, whipping it out towards her and sending a swarm of sand bullets from the ground towards her.

The swarm tore through the air around Sakura, yet Sakura showed of just how agile she was now as she danced through the bullets with inhumanly graceful movements. Her hand lashed out as well, sending another swarm of kunai at her and these were caught as well. Lashing out with the main body of sand at her now, Gaara opened his eyes wide when, suddenly, the sand flying towards her fell down to the ground limply. As they did, the kunai he had caught became visible, a few of them having black, vibrating orbs tied to them. Naruto raised an eyebrow now. Sound projectors? It seemed she had learned from the Tsubaki clan as well.

Sakura blurred into motion now and came as Gaara, drawing another kunai and stabbing towards his face only for sand to catch it. As the same lashed up against her she blew out, sending a stream of smoke towards his face. It was blocked as well and Sakura pushed back as Gaara sent the sand outwards in all directions, like an explosion. Sakura was struck and sent flying away from him yet she span around and landed on her feet still.

Garra stepped forward now, raising both hands and clenching them roughly. The vibrating sound orbs were crushed under the same as he sent the sand after her in force. Sakura only stood up straight though, almost as if she didn't expect to be hit. In the very last moment, however, she leaped to the side, starting to duck and weave between Gaara's sand tendrils, once again showing off her skills quite well yet this time Gaara kept going after her, not relenting. People around them began to look at each other now, shrugging and shaking their hands. They dismissed Sakura now, thinking it'd be impossible for her to win in the situation she was now. Naruto only smirked however, seeing what his student was doing. Her wide, sweeping movements as she danced away from his blows did more than let her duck, they also let her whip up wind, make air move inside the arena.

After a while the results began to show, with Gaara's sand beginning to move more erratically, with less purpose to them, slowing down bit by bit. Garra's stoic pose starting to crumble as he stumbled to the side, raising a hand to his head and shaking it. Naruto's smile turned into an evil grin now. Perfect. From the very start of the match she had been silently spreading poison into the air, a simple sedative that her movements and the battle overall had whipped to now lie like a blanket over the entire arena. And though Gaara breathed slowly thanks to his still posture, by now it had affected him as well. Gaara was done for, unless he could capture her soon he'd fall unconscious before long. Naruto smiled to himself, thinking that victory could be attained despite the situation being hopeless.

Then, however, things went pear-shaped and did so massively. Gaara, seemingly losing it, fell limply towards the ground, hitting it with a thud, yet right as the proctor was about to declare Sakura's victory, a blast of killing intent flooded the arena and Gaara's body was wrapped in sand. Naruto sat straight up, staring into the arena as Gaara's body was lifted into the air, sand coalescing around it as a massive beast formed inside the arena. Sakura took an involuntary step back as the being overshadowed her, Naruto's eyes opening wide as well. Made out of sand, in the rough shape of a demonic, twisted racoon, the monster stood, Gaara's upper body limply sticking out from between its eyebrows. The Ichibi! But how had he...?

The Ichibi laughed now, a shrill, thunderous laughter that shook the arena as it slashed for Sakura, who only just avoided it. Slamming its tail after her, however, the beast managed to unbalance her enough to grab hold of her and pull her up to its face, holding it there as it squeezed her. Sakura screamed, trapped in an inescapable grip by a demon from the dawn of history as it slowly crushed her body.

And yet. Time and time again Sakura surprised him, time and time again she did better. She screamed, her mouth opening wider and wider until she seemed to have dislocated her jaw. And then, in a spray of fluids, she burst forth from her own mouth, shedding her skin and leaping out of it. The pressure put on her now discarded shell only worked to propel her upwards, out of the grasp and into the air. Screaming herself with a hoarse, hissing shriek, she launched herself at the still comatose Gaara, her knife gleaming as she slashed for his throat.

The Ichibi's tail took her out of the air again, slamming her into the wall and advancing on her with a mocking, uproarious laughter. Naruto understood first now what was going on. It clicked for him as he realized that Gaara did not control the Ichibi, not at all. It had broken through the seal placed on him and now was in charge. Suna had screwed up the creation of this jinchuuriki!

He was out of his seat and off in a heartbeat. Not even ANBU could have stopped him as he descended on the bijuu with teeth bared and eyes gleaming. Slashing at the tail and the lower back of the Ichibi, he tore its sandy body to shreds with large, sweeping motions of the extended Kusanagi and, as he reached Gaara, his fingers glowed purple as he slammed them into his back. With the five elemental seal applied and effective the Ichibi began to fall apart, the sand that made up its body falling back into the arena, with Naruto catching its Jinchuuriki by the neck of his clothes.

Standing in the arena now, Naruto looked around and first now people started to move, with a trip of Suna shinobi leaping into the arena and coming running towards them.

“Gaara!” one of them cried, Naruto sneering in pure disgust now. With a flick of his arm, he sent the jinchuuriki flying towards them. The Jonin leading the trio catching him. “Gaara, please, wake up!” he exclaimed as Naruto walked over to Sakura, lifting her gently in his arms. She was a mess... a beaten up, brutalized mess thanks to that psychotic monster. She was unconscious and limp, one could have been forgiven to think she was dead.

“What a tragic day,” he said now, his voice low but filled with venom. The entire arena was silent. “An animal from Suna is shown more concern in Konoha than a girl of this village, who grew up with all of you, who hoped, struggled and dreamed. Yet for choosing a different path to serving Konoha she is now worth less than a rabid beast, an uncontrolled psychopath let loose by a collection of desert barbarians who shouldn't be allowed to play with a kunai!” he snarled, looking towards the trio of Suna shinobi with hate blazing in his eyes. “If she dies,” he said, speaking from his heart. “you die as well.”

“Naruto!” Minato's voice snapped from the kages' balcony. “Enough! Leave the arena!” Naruto looked up at his father, seeing him stand there with his eyes squarely locked down at him. Naruto wanted to, so badly, use this chance to stab him straight in the heart with the meanest, mote spiteful comment he could think of, yet all he did was to stare back at him. He remembered still why he did this. Even though he wanted to, even though Orochimaru urged him to, he didn't do it. He merely turned around and headed for the exit of the arena. As he stood by the stairs, however, he froze. It was as thought a bolt of lightning struck through his spine and rooted him into place. Once more the arena fell silent and a slow, clapping sound echoed through it. Naruto slowly looked back and turned up, up, up, until he gazed towards the roof of the arena building.

There, upon the roof, stood a group of figures who were gazing down on the spectacle. They were diverse in appearance and size, yet all eight of them were identical in one aspect. The wearing black robes with red clouds upon. The Akatsuki.

The leader of the group was the one who was applauding. He was a slight man, with dark red hair hanging down his face and head, nearly obscuring the eyes. Yet all the same Naruto found himself very, very anxious as he looked at the man, even now. The man's hands were slowly pulling away from and colliding with each other in a drawn-out, mocking applause.

“Well done, shinobi,” he spoke, his voice echoing through the arena, its tone just as mocking as its applause. People stared in mute surprise or shock up at them. In a few cases, the case of those who knew who these people were, the shock was instead horror. “Once more you gather here to celebrate your perfection of the art of murder. Once more you throw your children at each other for perverse amusement, once more you celebrate the ideals of the hour, and once more, nothing has changed.” He finished just as a large group of ANBU blurred into existence around them, hands at their weapons. Naruto knew it was futile though, and only the next second he was proven right. Two of the other people moved now, one of them Kisame and the other a white-haired man wearing a scythe, lashed out around them and tore the ANBU group apart.

“That isn't nice of you,” Kisame drawled as he shouldered his sword, “interrupting a speech like that.” He grinned as the dismembered remains of the ANBU fell down into the arena. The silver-haired man only gave up a contempt-filled snort. Down in the arena, however, fear began to spread. It was obvious these people were violent and very powerful. By the kages several elite shinobi had landed, ready to protect their masters with any means necessary.

“Parasites, creatures feeding off death and blood, with life, chakra as your weapon.” The red-haired man continued now. “Spout what ideals you please, in death and blood your existence grows. I am Pein, I am the vengeance, I am the retribution. A new age has come for the shinobi world, an age whose dawn is today, a crimson dawn, an Akatsuki!” he said, raising his hands, and in the very next second the other Akatsuki-nins blurred into action and attacked, a tremendous battle beginning throughout the arena.

------xxxxxx------

Chapter Text

So many things happened at the same time. One of the Akatsuki members, a blonde, effeminate man, looked to the kages where they sat on the balcony. Minato stood up, eyes widened and he had just pulled out a few Kunai. The Raikage was halfway up on the railing, pulling off his robe with bared teeth and Mei stared at the attacking Shinobi in rage. The blonde Akatsuki-nin only smirked though, a cold, haughty smirk, and threw something at them. Naruto only just had time to see what it was, a swarm of small birds, clay such, before the entire balcony was engulfed in a massive explosion.

It as well as a large part of the arena was torn to shreds, near annihilated, and debris was sent flying in all directions with the shockwave. Both wreaked havoc among the people who only a minute ago had watched the exams eagerly, killing dozens and ensuring the panic was complete. Shinobi all around tried to respond, but in the stampeding crowd it was hard to do anything. Naruto could only throw himself towards the exit, landing at the stairs fast and looking back to see something that made his blood run cold.

The nine shinobi landed by the Suna shinobi and what happened went fast. One of the shinobi, a dark-eyed, masked man, leaped forward and as Temari tried to drive him back with a blast of wind from her giant fan. The man only took it though, leaping headlong into the blast and ploughing through it. He smashed the fan out of Temari's hand and, with a massive blow, sent her into the ground with her neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Kankuro screamed in rage, lashing out with his hands as his two puppets came out, blades bared as they launched themselves at the man. Yet halfway towards his sister's killer his hands suddenly twisted. Naruto could only barely see it, yet the chakra threads he manipulated the puppets with had become twisted and new threads lashed themselves around him, hoisted him into the air as another figure, a hunched-over, almost bug-like figure of a man, suspended him mid-air as the chakra threads pulled, snapping nearly every single bone in his body, including the spine in five places, before he dropped Kankuro limply onto the ground.

Baki had Gaara in his hands and leaped upwards, trying to escape, yet the man who had introduced himself as Pain raised one hand and held the palm towards Baki. The Suna shinobi was suddenly pulled back, as if an invisible force had grabbed hold of him and pulled him back towards the Akatsuki. Pain caught Baki by the neck, clenching his hand and not just breaking Baki's neck, but outright separating the head from his shoulders.

Grabbing the unconscious Gaara now by his clothes, Pain put one hand on his forehead and Naruto could scarcely believe what happened now. As Pain pulled away his hand something came out of Gaara's mouth. A blazing red miasma of something was pulled out of his body, nay his very soul! Naruto understood what was happening, even though it shouldn't be possible. Pain was pulling out the Shukaku by sheer force! The bijuu was whining in panicked protest, shrieking as Pain pulled him fully free from the jinchuurki in which it had been contained. Pain inhaled sharply now, the miasma of pure chakra that was the bijuu being sucked into his mouth, swallowed whole.

Naruto was not just frightened now. He was terrified. The man had, against all sense and reason, eaten a bijuu straight out of its host!

The man's eyes turned to Naruto now, Naruto being even more terrified by the sight of his eyes. He quickly leaped out of sight, yet the eyes that had looked at him remained with him. Pale eyes, lilac coloured and with several concentric rings in them. As he the main corridor came into view he saw how people were flooding out of the arena, running in panic, and he swore, putting Sakura down as he looked back towards the entrance to the arena. 

Lilac eyes with concentric rings. Strange jutsu he'd never seen before that seemingly manipulated gravity itself. The implications were terrifying to say the least, yet Naruto didn't want to make any conclusions. He didn't know, however, if it was due to lack of data or simple fear.

“You infantile brat!” Orochimaru yelled in his head. “It's him! The Sage of Six Paths! That was the Rinnegan, you know it is!” For a change, his old master was utterly terrified as well. None of the mocking, none of the taunting or belittling, just fear.

“It makes no sense,” Naruto thought. “He's dead since centuries, if he even existed! Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence,” He thought grimly as he stood up now, summoning the Kusanagi and heading for the entrance to the arena again.

“Wait a second, are you seriously going to...”

“I don't wear this headband for fun,” Naruto thought. “They need to be contained. And for all your faults, old snake, you taught me well.”

Orochimaru's voice fell silent after this as Naruto turned the corner to the entrance again, only to come face to face with with the silver-haired scythe wielder that along with Kisame had butchered the initial ANBU response. Naruto's response was as instant as it was brutal. With one lightning-fast step he closed the distance between them, cut his head off and kicked the body into the arena, the head rolling down the stairs and out into the sand as well. Naruto whipped the sword to the side to clean it off as he marched into the arena.

“One down, seven to go!” he stated loudly to draw their attention. The sight that met him, meanwhile, made him queasy. He counted at least two dozen Konoha shinobi dead around them now, the Leaf's warriors having responded fast and died bravely trying to keep these monsters contained.

Naruto drew their attention quite effectively now, a lull in the combat happening now, like the eye in the storm of the chaos still going on around them. The man who had called himself Pain and which more and more suggested him being the Sage of Six Paths looked to him with an unearthly calm, Naruto not meeting his eyes for even a second. Kisame, meanwhile, came up beside the red-haired man with the Samehada bared and a wide grin on his face.

“Might wanna do a double check on the 'one down' there mister,” the shark-man grinned, Naruto not responding to it until a voice came from beside him. From the ground in fact.

“For fuck's sake snake-boy, you had to go for the head...” Naruto blinked, looked down at the head and seeing it looking up at him. The silver-haired man was still alive. His head was looking up at him, talking as he glared at Naruto.

“Of all the absurd...” Naruto said before stabbing the Kusanagi straight into the man's mouth, stabbing so the sword went vertically into his mouth, keeping the jaw locked open and stopping him from talking any more. Kisame burst out laughing at this.

“Ouch!” he grinned, the blonde man wincing.

“Yeah, that hurt,” he said, grimacing as he looked to the silver-haired man's head, from which angry mumbling could be heard. Naruto whipped the sword towards them now, sending the, wildly swearing, head flying straight at Pain, who only caught it and tossed it to the masked man.

“Fix him,” He said. “Is this where you die, Namikaze Naruto?” he asked now. “Alone, reviled, all but abandoned? Is the role of the abused spouse, so desperate for affection from the very man who abuses her, so dear to you?”

“What is with you people and trying to make me defect?” Naruto asked as he noticed how some new arrivals landed right behind him. Glancing to the side now, he smirked when noticing who had shown up. Several Konoha nins stood around him now. Itachi, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma and Ibiki had all shown up, flanking him now. With Minato still unaccounted for, and he refused to think that blast had killed him, this was as good a line-up as Konoha would ever get. Seven versus Six however... not very good odds. It'd have to do for now though. “And even if I was going to join your little carnival, you really should consider another angle than the apocalypse to use. Unlike certain people at the mental level of a ten year old, I'm a man looking forward. Shocking, I know.” He said, noticing in the corner of his eyes how the others were preparing themselves. Itachi drew his sword, Gai cracked his knuckles, Kakashi raising one hand to make a Chidori.

“The one-eyed man is king in the land of the blind, yet all the same his vision is impaired,” Pein countered now, “Allow me to restore vision to you,” he added as he raised his palm and pointed it at Naruto. Blinking, Naruto realized what was going on just in time to leap to the side before an invisible shockwave passed him by, totalling the entrance behind him with a deafening crack, almost like thunder as he landed the Akatsuki and the Konoha nins were clashing. Gai roared as he lashed out with a furious kick towards Kisame. Kakashi's Chidori blazed as he struck towards a blue-haired woman who took the blow yet turned into, paper arcs that swirled away and reformed further away. Ibiki went up against the blonde man, his eyes narrowed as he no doubt cast a genjutsu upon the man. Asuma leaped at the black-eyed man who had taken the silver-haired immortal's head, his trench knives covered in chakra.

Itachi struck at Pein, unleashing a furious barrage of blows. Naruto saw the Mangekyo activating in his eyes and how he narrowed them just slightly as he met Pein's eyes. Naruto wanted to hope, yet when Itachi suddenly spasmed, went stiff and fell down, he only felt fear. Perfect, had that man just countered the Tsukuyomi of all things?! It was near desperation that made him lash out and send a swarm of snakes out of his sleeves at the Akatsuki warriors. Partially to distract and partially to see what they'd do. Asuma's opponent just let them hit him, the snakes biting him to no avail as his skin seemed hard as steel. The blonde blasted them to pieces with those clay projectiles of his, the woman shredded them with chakra-infused paper shuriken and the hunchback summoned a row of puppets to do the same. Kisame merely waved his sword to shred them and Pein used that palm jutsu of his to send them flying away.

These people were a menagerie of strange abilities. Naruto couldn't help but smile grimly now, realizing he'd gladly have done near anything to examine these people's abilities in controlled circumstances. Not like this. All the same though, he took the Kusanagi and went for the nearest man, the black-eyed man with steel of skin. Slashing at him, Naruto managed to give him a wound yet he hissed at the feeling of how shallow the blow became. He could even defend against the Kusanagi was it? Time to see how he liked him getting creative. Smashing his foot into the ground, Naruto came to a halt, spun towards him and pushed, letting the Kusanagi extend and send him reeling backwards. Naruto aimed him at the blonde, hoping to disrupt him as well (why wasn't he being affected by Ibiki's genjutsu?!) And yet that damn man only planted his feet and grinded to a halt, holding the Kusanagi between his palms.

Naruto kicked towards him and thankfully his agility at the very least was still there. He struck the man in the throat. Momentum was still there and the man took a step back, but it was like kicking a steel door! Thankfully Asuma was with him and together the two Jonin went in, striking at him in unison. As tough as he was, Asuma's wind-chakra coated knives and Naruto's Kusanagi rapidly began to chip away at him. The battle was raging around them still so they'd had to be fast!

They weren't fast enough it turned out. While chipping away at the nigh invulnerable Akatsuki, both of them suddenly found themselves blasted away. For a split-second he was hit by a complete sense of vertigo along with the sheer force, feeling his head spin and trying to recover as he tumbled over the ground. That was gravity, no doubt about it. The vertigo gave that away and Naruto moved on instinct, spinning around and getting to his feet. His vision was swimming but he still could see the fight.

Not good, not good at all. Ibiki was down. Gai was already on his sixth gate and Kakashi was badly slashed up. Itachi, getting to his feet with blood running from his mouth, had a maniacal look on his face. He was on one knee still, staring up at Pein who towered above him, like he was supplicating before a deity. The Uchiha genius wasn't down for the count yet though. Hissing, Itachi unleashed a storm of black flames from his eyes, aiming straight at Pein, point-blank.

And yet it was for naught. Pein raised his arm and the flames warped around, being sucked straight into his hand and vanishing.

They were so screwed right now, weren't they?

“ Run damn it!” Orochimaru's voice screamed in his head. “You can't win this, this is beyond even you! It is the Rinnegan, the ultimate bloodline!”

“ I don't believe in ultimate anything,” Naruto responded, feeling somewhat distant, disconnected. “Ultimate implies you can't get higher. You can always get higher.”

“ That's irrelevant! Run!”

“ ...No.” Naruto said as his vision and mind both swam a bit from the blow, smiling morbidly as suddenly the silver-haired scythe wielder came at him. How had they reattached his head again? “If nothing else, I'll be rid of you in the afterlife.” He felt so detached as Itachi went down as well and Gai was struck, being sent flying by Kisame and the blonde both. Naruto meanwhile was being backed up against the wall. Was this where he died? How stupid... Other Konoha shinobi, as well as a few Kiri and Tsuchi, were coming at the Akatsuki with desperate courage, fighting hard and dying fast. Bodies hit the ground one after one, not getting up again. Naruto struck at the silver-haired man now, managing to drive him back only to come face to face with Pein again.

Blinking, he had no time to do anything else before Pein's hand landed on his forehead, the eyes flashing before he felt the world collapse around him. He fell, deep deep into a dark abyss, without any ability to slow his descent.

When he opened his eyes, he looked around to see a dark, dank corridor. Ankle-deep water covered the floor and the distant sound of dripping filled the air. The air, as opposed to the damp, musty one one would expect from a place like this, was utterly clean, with nothing resembling any sort of scent. Naruto knew where this was. The deep recesses of his soul where he'd been but few times before. Yet what was he doing there. Looking around himself, he heard footsteps behind him and hurriedly, with pounding heart, he looked back to see Pein advancing on him. The impossibly powerful man was coming from the shadowy hallway with slow, menacing steps, eyes focused straight at him.

Naruto didn't need much more than that to join the dots and realize what was happening. Pein was attempting the same thing that he had done to Gaara. He was attempting to devour Naruto's soul. Heart pounding, Naruto got to his feet and began to run. Through the sudden, animal fear that filled him he still understood what was going on. Naruto had trained in mental techniques, self-hypnosis etc, meaning his mind had a set of skills that Gaara hadn't, namely to fight in his own mind, envision concrete versions of abstract concepts. This gave him, what, a few seconds, to think of something.

Still, even in the situation he was in Naruto managed to think of something. He looked down to his palm, to the faint outline of the Kanji that was there. That would be it, that was his only option. Naruto focused himself, focused as intensely as he could, and the corridors warped around him, changing into the ones surrounding this freeloader sensei's cage.

“Naruto you fool!” Orochimaru screamed as Naruto backed up against his cage, having turned to face Pein again as the mysterious juggernaut of a figure came towards him with the same steady, unrelenting pace. “You've killed yourself! Thrown it all away! Even your life! You die like this?! Like a dog?!”

“Damn you're whiny,” Naruto said, smiling with a maniacal anxiety welling up inside him. This was insane, guesswork and speculation, betting all on the least possible outcome. But as Pein came towards him, hand raised, reaching for him, he knew one thing for certain. Fortune favoured the bold, and if insane courage was the best bet, then be as insane as possible. “KAI!” Naruto roared, gathering every last iota of strength he had as he lashed up with his palm and placing it against Pein's wrist. At the first touch he felt the torrential flow of chakra, the insane power that was wielded. It was like the touch-equivalent of staring into the sun, stars exploded inside his head. Yet despite that, he felt the flow. Felt it, and could control it. Pushing to the side, he managed to direct Pein's soul-devouring attack away only just, pushing it past him and straight into the cage, where it landed on Orochimaru's head.

Everything fell apart again, vertigo hit Naruto and he felt how he fell again, deep into a spiralling maelstrom of howling chakra and a distant, enraged scream, more monstrous than human.  It twisted, turned, warped, turned inside out and spat him out finally, leaving Naruto to stumble away, dizzy, before he felt himself hit the wall. Out of pure instinct, he raised his sword and slashed blindly to keep people off him. When it cleared, he noticed how a lull had appeared in the battle, the Akatsuki members standing all taken aback as, in front of Naruto, Pein had sunken down to his knees, panting himself with a disconcerted look on his face.

It worked! It had worked! Against all sense and reason it had worked! He'd deflected the soul-devouring attack, managed to save himself. “How's that for killing myself old snake?!” He thought triumphantly, the silence in his head an even greater victory.

All the same. This had been an one-off victory he realized as Pein looked up, eyes narrowed. Now they really would want him dead. But if that was it, if all he could do was spit them in the face before he died, then there were worse ways of going. He just wished he could have held Mei one last time, as silly as it was. And yet, as he stared up at the Akatsuki he saw how a single kunai hit the ground between them, a three-pronged kunai that was followed by a yellow flash and a sudden tug. In the very next split-second, Naruto was on the ruined roof of the arena, Minato's hand holding his arm as the Hokage stared down at the Akatsuki, the four other kages flanking him.

“That took longer than it should have,” he drawled, looking at Minato, who didn't respond but instead pulled out another group of kunai as he and the Kages all charged. What followed was, for the exhausted Naruto, honestly a bit hard to follow. The mighty kages clashed with the enigmatic Akatsuki, explosions rocking the arena that bit by bit started come crashing down. Blasts of elemental energies and stranger forces as well flew this way and that. Naruto, chewing down a soldier pill, leaped back into the fray after a while and came face to face with Kisame.

“You're just full of surprises aren't you?!” the manic Kiri-nin yelled as their swords met. Naruto's teeth were bared in grim anger, Kisame's in sick glee. “I don't know how you did that, but I want to carve you open to find out!”

“Yes yes, very scary, you get an A in Gibbering Insanity!” Naruto snapped back as he sidestepped a blow to slash at Kisame's arm. “Your reward is a bib for your drooling!” he said as he managed to give the man a decent wound. Kisame only smashed the sword into the ground to send a cloud of gravel and sand flying at Naruto.

“Surely that doesn't beat your honour roll placement for snooty smugness!” the man bellowed as Naruto didn't manage to avoid a blow of his own that tore up the side of his lower arm. “Ever thought about just relaxing and enjoying life?!” Naruto leaped forward now, actually coming in close enough that he could headbutt Kisame. Could, and did. His forehead smashed into the man's nose and sent him stumbling to let Naruto slash at his abdomen.

“Somehow I don't think it's life you enjoy,” Naruto growled as Kisame parried him again. Naruto, who had been stepping forward, used the momentum to launch himself over Kisame and into the air.

“Guilty as charged!” Kisame hissed in a sickeningly happy was as he leaped after Naruto, the two clashing mid-air. In the chaotic battle one thing was clear though, even as Naruto was busy with his own opponent. This wasn't going well at all. Every new blast fired this way or that tore out of the devastated arena and struck out into the city. All the while the Akatsuki just kept wreaking havoc, even the Kages unable to gain the upper hand.

Nearly ten minutes later, amidst the ruins of the arena, Naruto found himself thrown backwards by an errant blast of energy that separated him and Kisame. He crashed into the hallway where he had placed Sakura, one of the few parts still standing. He ended up out of sight of the battle and got up hurriedly before noticing that Minato was there as well, the Hokage groaning.

“We're not beating them,” Minato said now, exhausted but determined.

“And Konoha's being blasted to bits.” Naruto added, feeling a sinking feeling in his guts.

“They came for the bijuu, and they got what they wanted...” Minato spat as he stood up, the roar of battle outside almost drowning out his voice. “Will that plan of yours work?” he asked, Naruto going cold at the realization of what he meant. Silently, he tried to think it though. Maybe. After all Pein had all but explicitly tried to recruit him and even now, as the Akatsuki couldn't reach the others, Kimiko would no doubt be far away from the battle as it stood, they remained here. Was it because of him? Naruto pondered it, realizing after a while that despite Pein's attempt to devour his soul, there were few other sensible explanations. Damn it all....

“Probably,” he said eventually. “I don't know, but probably.” He said, sealing his fate.

“Do it,” Minato commanded. “Do whatever you have to. We're not winning here, better to cut our losses.”

Thus it was commanded, and thus it would be done. Naruto listened to the words silently. The unthinkable had happened. The disaster plan had to be put into effect. Forcing himself to remain calm, Naruto nodded and motioned towards the exit into the devastated arena. Minato silently began towards it. Naruto followed him.

“Take care of Sakura,” he said quietly, “Give Mei what you can. Don't let the Tsubaki suffer for this.” He told her just as they reached the entrance. Minato's body was just being illuminated by the sunlight outside now before Naruto raised the Kusanagi, shoving his sword straight into Minato's back. The blade went deep, heading straight into the man's back, straight into the liver as well. A shocked, breathless gasp came as Minato stared down at the sword before Naruto pulled it out. Pushing his father so that the man fell down to the ground, he stepped forth with a bloody Kusanagi still in hand, taking in the shock on the faces of the people watching.

Of course they'd be shocked. Who wouldn't be? Mei maybe. She didn't know, and Naruto didn't have the strength to look towards her as he ostensibly betrayed his village, ostensibly turned into the monster they'd feared.

“It's painfully obvious this isn't going anywhere,” he spoke, amazed at how effortlessly it went. He felt as though he should be trembling uncontrollably but in fact he was way too calm. “Is that offer still open?” he asked, trying to remain in-character to the utmost of his abilities. This was risky, risky as all hell. A liver-shot to his father, the man would be dead if he didn't get medical attention soon. “Konoha isn't the top dog any more and I've little left to gain here.” As he spoke, he kept his eyes straight on Pein. Not to the few Konoha nins still in the arena and definitely not to Mei. He didn't have the ability to do so, feeling a slight sense of vertigo at the insanity of what he was doing.

The man with the Rinnegan eyes looked straight at him, the unearthly calm in the eyes making the already upset Naruto only all the more fearful. What if he failed? If he did, then he was dead now.

In the end however, Pein smiled. A cold, dead smile as he raised his hand and held it out towards Naruto, who cleared the distance to them with one single instant movement. Looking back now, he steeled himself as his eyes fell on the Konoha shinobi as well as the Kages. Anger. Shock. Disbelief. Pain... It was all there, and all of it was oh so well deserved. Naruto heard almost absently as Pein spoke.

“Your city in ruins,” he said, “Your finest betraying you. Your jinchuuriki dead at your feet. All your power turning into dust, into nothing. The nothing that you will become. Today the shinobi world begins to slowly die. Despair, blood-soaked murderers, for that is all you will know from now on.” he said as he raised a hand. The air began swirling around the entire group now, Naruto looking around with a furrowed brow, taken out of his thoughts by the realization of what was going on. Instant movement for an entire group? That his father could do that he understood, but Pein too? So shocked was he at this that he didn't hear the desperate cry before in the last moment.

“Master!” Sakura's voice cut through the air, Naruto turning to look and, in the very last possible moment, saw his apprentice hurl herself through the crowd, moving as fast as he'd ever seen her before. She leaped at him, a desperate, confused grasp after the man that had given her all. Naruto didn't say anything, only silently hated himself for how he'd once again fail her trust. Then again she'd be in Konoha, under Minato's wing, and that was all he could give right now.

It would have, if she hadn't hurled herself faster than he'd anticipated. She reached for him, managed to actually catch him, and before he knew what had happened she was pulled with them all. Naruto's eyes widened in the exact moment as the jutsu pulled them away, quite frankly teleporting them from the field.

“ No! You idiot girl! Not this!” He thought furiously as they all, for a second, felt how they pretty much was turned inside out, the rough teleportation more akin to being roughly thrown off a cliff than anything else, and when they landed it was with a rough thud. Naruto managed to land and remain on his feet, Sakura neither. Still holding onto his arm, she all but hung from it limply. Naruto saw how bruised she was first now, wondering what kind of frantic panic that had made her thrown herself so heedlessly after him.

He didn't need Orochimaru to tell him what the answer was. It stood clear as day.

“ Damn it... damn it all...” Naruto could have kicked himself. So driven he'd been in his desire to make Sakura all he could be that he'd torn everything from her. Kimiko had come to envy her, doing so with the kind of passion she did in everything. Her parents didn't understand and only feared it. Most of the village had looked down on her... he could have not just kicked himself now, but slit his own throat as he stood there, the Akatsuki around him and Sakura hanging off him, as he realized he'd torn everything from Sakura, and that his insane manouver now had forced it all to a head, forced her to choose, and she'd chosen him! Naruto wanted to reach down, grab her and shake an answer of how she could be so blindly loyal, so devoted as to go something so stupid , yet the Akatsuki still surrounded him and demanded his attention. He therefore looked to Pein, making sure to mask his emotions again.

“So, yes, with this brutish recruitment drive of yours finished, what comes now?” he asked the man in front of him, mentally steeling himself for what was to come. He'd thrown himself into hell, and Sakura had been sucked along. How would any of this end?