Yo! Back out with another chapter!

Sorry for the last chapter i know it was a bit much but i thought it was necessary for Narutos character developed.

Thank you to all those who reviewed, favourited and followed! All criticism has been noted and appreciated (To an extent)

Enjoy!

Light rain tapped against glass as Naruto sat unmoving by the windowsill. His hair un-kept and hanging loosely between his shoulder blades.

The last week had not been his finest. In fact, he couldn't even remember the following few days after the incident. It was all a blur. A hazy nightmare one normally wakes up from sweating, heart beating rapidly. But it wasn't a dream. It was real. Too real. He could still see it. Hear it. Smell it.

He closed his eyes as his face contorted painfully, a grimace forming. Opening them he focused his gaze on the streaks of raindrops that weaved their way down the paned glass.

Reaching to his right, the blond brought a cup of sake to his lips and swallowed it whole. Savouring the warm burn on the back of his throat. Not that he could get drunk. But that warmth, that fleeting burning sensation was a distraction. And a distraction was what he needed.

A soft knock on the door broke Naruto out of his musings and after a quiet call to enter the door slid open.

"Hey kid, how you holding up?" JIraiya stepped into the room, eyes glancing down at the near empty sake bottle.

"How'd you think?" Naruto retorted, his eyes like ice as they locked onto the older man's own before facing back to the mountain rain.

A short silence followed when neither said anything, Jiraiya stood unsure of what to say or do so simply did nothing.

"Well, just checking you're doing ok." He said, before hesitantly making his way back towards the door.

"Wait," Naruto called softly. Jiraiya stopped and looked back at his godson, "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"I know kid, I know," He moved back into the room, sitting down on a cushion at a table in the centre of the room and poured himself a cup of sake, "you really shouldn't drink so much of this stuff you know, it'll be the death of ya."

"I think being a ninja will be the death of me," the blond replied, a twinge of humour lacing his low tone, "besides, a certain fox makes sure any toxic substances that enter my body are destroyed so, all I can get is the taste, not the feeling… or the liver issues."

The older man let out a quiet hearty laugh, "I don't know whether that's a gift or a burden, but I guess you could beat anyone in a drinking contest, even Gamabunta." He raised the cup to his mouth and took a small sip, "Kumo always did make good sake." He mumbled mostly to himself.

Naruto let a ghost of a smile tug at his lips as he watched his godfather, "I think it's a bit of both."

"Huh?" The sage questioned as he looked up from his cup.

"You said you didn't know whether it was a gift or a burden, I think it's a bit of both." Jiraiya gazed at the teen with an inquisitive look, prompting him to continue, "A lot of my life has been shit, mostly due to the Kyuubi and people thinking of me as some sort of demon or monster, and that takes its toll… it has taken its toll," he looked out the window and sucked in a breath. Deep within his mindscape, a large lone eye opened slowly "but at the same time, I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for the experiences I've had, the things I've seen... and I guess, even if the fox is a stubborn mean bastard, he's always been there, so I've never really been alone at all."

Jiraiya smiled fondly at his student, "I've never thought of it like that," he said.

Naruto simply looked back at him with a soft grin of his own, "I guess no one but me and the fox can."

Way down in the sewers of the blond's own mind, the single open eye closed slowly, and a sharp toothy grin revealed itself in the dark gloom.

"Damn human brat."

"Wait so why do we have to train this Konoha brat again?"

A vein on Naruto's forehead began throbbing painfully as he tried his best to keep a neutral façade. He'd just been introduced to the team that were going to be helping him with his kenjustu and they weren't happy about it to say the least.

"Because we made an exchange of sorts with Konoha and this is their end of the bargain," A gave the red haired teen a stern look, "and because I told you so."

"But what if Karui falls in love with him and kidnaps the guy which causes Konoha to invade initiating another ninja war?" Karui turned on the boy with short cropped white spiky hair with fire in her eyes.

"Shut up Omoi, like that would ever happen." She huffed and crossed her arms

"Actually, out of all the ridiculous delusions Omoi-san conjures, I think this one is fairly plausible," The pale blond girl said before turning to the Raikage, "I think it is worth considering, Raikage-sama."

"What! You too Samui?" The red-haired girl protested, her hair seemingly coming alive

"That's enough! You are to train Uzumaki here no questions asked, do you understand?" the man roared, his grip on the table causing the wood to creek.

"Hai hai Raikage-sama" Karui muttered dismissively causing the man to slam his hands on the table in anger.

"It shall be done Raikage-sama, we will train with Uzumaki-san," Samui interrupted, her voice smooth, cold and neutral, effectively diffusing the situation.

"Good, now be gone, you're all just as insufferable as my brother," the man said looking back down at his paperwork.

"Uzumaki-san, meet us at training ground three at 9 tomorrow, don't be late." Samui said as she turned to the blond before strolling out the room. Karui and Omoi followed her, the latter sending Naruto a glare that could stop any ninja in his tracks and the former with a lackadaisical grin.

"Are they always like that?" Naruto asked curiously as the team left the office.

"Yes," The Raikage replied as he looked up from his notes before looking back down. Naruto inwardly groaned, he wasn't looking forward to dealing with a team that seemed to have an even stranger dynamic that team 7.

He noticed after a short while the A was staring at him, an odd cross between confusion and anger across his face.

"You still here?"

Training ground three was an open rocky plain that stood atop a levelled mountain peak about a ten minute walk from the village centre. Slowly trudging up uneven steps, Naruto sighed to himself and observed the surrounding scenery. White clouds pretty much as far as the eye could see. Not that it was a bad view, in fact he found it quite peaceful.

"Oh, there he is," Omoi commented has he shifted the lollipop to the other side of his mouth.

"You! What the hell took you so long it's nearly 12?" Karui shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the blond as he climbed the final stair and stood staring neutrally.

He blinked slowly, "I was walking through the village and had to keep stopping to admire the scenery, the view is really something, isn't it?" he shoved his hands into his pockets and approached the team.

"Well, you're not wrong there! Kumo is better than your shitty leaf anyway…" the firery haired girl admitted nodding sagely, "Wait! That's still not an excuse, you're still late!" her anger re-ignited as her eyes narrowed.

Naruto rose an eyebrow but decided not to respond, instead turning to the blond-haired kunoichi who had been observing quietly, "So, how does this work?"

"Hey, don't ignore me!"

"First, I'll have you spar against members of the team using kenjutsu only so we can judge your skill level," she replied swiftly.

"Bet he has no skill to judge," Naruto sent a quick annoyed glare the girl's way before returning to the blond, who didn't seem fazed.

"Next, we'll take a look at the techniques you've acquired and attempt to decipher them, then once that's completed, you'll simply have to practice your katas until they feel natural." Samui looked at the blond with a tilt of the head, her shoulder length her bobbing to the side, "You understand?"

"Err, yeah?" Naruto asked, slightly confused by the succinct description.

"Cool," The blond kunoichi turned to look at her female teammate, "Karui-san, you spar with him first."

"Yes! I was hoping I'd get to go first! I'm looking forward to wiping that look off your face Uzumaki!" She challenged as she squared up to him, drawing her katana from its blood red sheath and holding it out in front of her.

Naruto copied the action except held his Katana, which was slightly shorter than Karui's, in a reverse grip across his torso.

"You call that a stance," The girl laughed heartily as she raised an eyebrow, observing the blond's form, "Samui I'm not sure I should go against the guy, I might kill him!"

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is then, tomato-san," Naruto quipped, a sly grin stretching across his lips.

"What did you call me?" Karui replied darkly, her white banana shadowing her golden eyes.

"Did I say something wrong?" Naruto tilted his head innocently, "Tomato-chan?"

"Uh oh."

"This isn't gonna be cool."

"You're dead Uzumaki!" The kunoichi raged as she charged forward, katana raised above her.

Naruto was surprised by the speed at which she charged and fumbled back, parrying weakly against the arching strike. Not giving him a moment to recuperate, Karui shifted the katana in her hands to the side and struck horizontally across the teen's chest.

Naruto ducked under the sweeping blow before rolling to side, only to look up to see the a katana inches from his face rising up in an upwards slash.

Quickly, he yanked his head to the side however didn't manage to escape without a small cut to his cheek that ran through his whisker marks.

Omoi whistled, "Damn she's really going for it," He commented.

Samui simply watched on with observing eyes.

The Uzumaki withheld a snarl as he watched the smirking Karui saunter around him with her sword poised in front of her. He was outclassed. They'd only exchanged a few blows but he was already aware that her talent in kenjutsu far outweighed is own. However, what he did have was power, and his speed.

Charging his legs with chakra, the blond smirked before shooting towards the girl sending a plume of dust into the air behind him.

Karui's eyes widened as a blond blur appeared by her side and she swiftly brought her katana up to meet the gleaming metal that swung down.

After his strike was blocked, the blond jumped back before going on the attack again, this time appearing low and in front of the Kumo kunoichi, slashing horizontally at her legs.

Karui hopped backwards, avoiding the slash while striking diagonally as she retreated, catching Naruto on the shoulder.

Unflinching, Naruto continued this method of using his superior speed in order to fluster the kenjutsu practitioner. Karui however continued to use her adept skills to deflect and counter the blond's chaotic attacks.

To the untrained eye, it looked like a barrage of yellow blurs and sweeping metallic slashes appearing at every angle around the kunoichi, who in turn seemed to be on her back foot. What Samui and Omoi saw however, was Karui, while barely being able to keep up with Naruto's intense speed, skilfully deflecting his attacks and in return, peppering the Uzumaki with small cuts. His speed allowing him to evade the full brunt of the counters.

"He's doing surprisingly well… for someone who knows near nothing of kenjutsu," Omoi said pointedly.

"I don't know whether it's cool, or idiotic," Samui replied, causing Omoi to give the blond a curious glance.

Back with the fight, Naruto had paused in the middle of the field.

"What's the matter brat? Out of breath?" Karui asked, a shit-eating grin on her face.

The blond laughed in response, "You serious? You obviously don't know me very well of you think I'm already tired." Karui frowned as she noticed the blond was indeed not even panting lightly.

"Well you've sure looked better, with all those cuts," her grin returned with full abandon,

"What cuts?" Naruto asked innocently, looking at his arms. His robes were in tatters but the cuts which were once thin red lines were now nothing but faint pink marks that marred his tanned skin.

"What!? I could have sworn I slashed you up all over! Where's all the blood?" Karui shouted, lowering her sword slightly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto replied casually, looking to the side, "Tomato-chan."

"That's it! You're dead whiskers!" Karui retorted causing the boy to frown slightly, but he said nothing.

"Alright, I've seen enough." Samui interrupted from the side lines, her arms crossed under her large bust.

"Samui? I had him, this guy ain't shit!" Karui protested.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think you did 'have him'" The blond kunoichi began calmly.

"Whaddya mean! Course I did!"

"Karui." Samui cut in sharply, "Look at Uzumaki-san," She then nodded towards the other blond, "He doesn't look worn at all, no doubt he could go on for a lot longer. Additionally, he seems to possess advanced healing. No doubt you are far more advanced than him in terms of kenjutsu, however he would simply outlast you if it came down to it.

Karui opened her mouth to retort but closed it quickly, deciding to huff loudly instead while turning her chin up at the blond.

Naruto scoffed, "Seems like all that was just talk huh?" He taunted.

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge Uzumaki-san," Samui turned to the teen, "You're kenjutsu is sloppy, chaotic and clumsy," Naruto frowned, "And that's a compliment," Karui smirked, "If Karui-san here had been using any of her potentially maiming or lethal techniques, I assure you, you'd be in a lot worse state than you are now."

"Oh really?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at the redhead, "You ever consider that I may now some techniques like that too?"

Samui gave him a dead stare, "Of course you do Uzumaki-san, we're ninja, we all do. But that's beside the point."

"Well what is the point?"

"The point is your kenjutsu sucks." Omoi helpfully intervened.

"Thank you, Omoi. That is indeed the point." The corner of Samui's mouth tugged upwards as a hint of mirth appeared in her eyes before it disappeared as quickly as it came, "Now let's take a break, we'll meet back here at two to begin your training."

Naruto sheathed his sword and shoved his hands into his pockets before walking away towards the stairway.

"Oh and Uzuamki-san," Samui called after him, causing the boy to stop mid-step, "Try not to be late this time."

"Aren't you a little young to be sat at a bar kid?" Naruto looked up from his cup to see the same kunoichi who had met him at the village gates. Yugito if he recalled.

"Really? I'm a ninja aren't I?" Yugito smiled a small smile as she rose an eyebrow.

"I'm glad you didn't give me that 'old enough to kill, old enough to drink' line. Gets old after a while."

"How many young shinobi you talking to in bars?"

"Enough," She looked around and noticed the looks being sent their way, and looked down at the blond who appeared to be oblivious. However his obliviousness was mere tolerance. You live with something for your whole life, you get used to it.

"Let's get out of here kid, these bars are too sad and lonely for a young guy like you," Naruto looked at her inquisitively, "I didn't approach you because you were drinking."

Naruto nodded almost to himself before finishing his drink and placing some coins on the counter. He let Yugito lead him out of the bar and they began a slow walk into what appeared to be a more residential area of Kumo.

"I thought Kumo was more of a militarised village." Naruto commented as he observed elderly citizens sat playing cards and heard kids playing in backyards.

"It is," the kunoichi replied, "But they still have families, and once we've retired, they don't exactly kick us out the village,"

He bobbed his head in response, ignoring her us of 'they' instead of 'we'.

He knew why.

"Wait, where are we going?" He asked after the pair turned down a small alleyway.

On either side of the tiny street stood rickety wooden houses. The ground covered by old cracked cobbled stone. Potted plants sat at every other door and the soft misty cloud combined with smell of damp wood gave the path a homely chill.

"My safe haven," She replied as she stopped and entered through an inconspicuous doorway consisting of a simple shoji. Hanging overhead was a sign consisting of a plain plank of wood displaying the word 'Murasaki's' in white paint.

Naruto followed the kunoichi through the open door and stepped into the building, sliding the door shut behind him. The inside consisted of plain planked wooden walls which looked worn with age. Paintings of cloudy mountains and photographs of various shinobi hung from nails and a cloak rack stood next to the doorway. In the centre of the small room was a U-shaped oak counter, the middle open and stretching further into another room which looked like a kitchen. Stools were placed around the counter which was decorated with cups filled with chopsticks and soy sauce vials.

"A sushi bar?" he said, mostly to himself as he looked at the blond.

"Not 'a' sushi bar," the woman grinned, a rare hearty grin, "the sushi bar."

"You got that right Yugito-chan!" A deep, smoky voice laughed as a man came walking out from the kitchen wiping his hands on a rag hung over his shoulder, his white apron dirtied and a cigarette placed loosely between his lips. He wore a stern, wrinkled face with sharp knowing eyes that showed years of hardened experience yet an unrelenting kindness.

Naruto decided immediately that he liked this man.

"So, who's the Leaf brat?" he asked, nodding in Naruto's direction.

"Ah he's Jiraiya of the Sannin's apprentice. The Raikage struck some deal with Konoha and now he's getting kenjutsu tutoring." She replied as she stepped up the small step that surrounded the doorway and sat on a stool at the front of the counter.

"Jiriaya of the Sannin aye? That shits the real deal!" The man whistled as he took his cigarette from his mouth, his sharp black eyes landing on the boy, "Kid doesn't look like much though."

"Yeah well neither do you old man, what sorta chef smokes in his own restaurant anyway?" Naruto quipped, not impressed by the constant referral to himself as a 'kid'.

The man leant his head back and laughed loudly, "Ah Yugito-chan I like this kid!" he took a drag and looked back at the blond, pointing two cigarette filled fingers at him, "But this place ain't a restaurant, and I ain't no chef." He exhaled the smoke out of the corner of his mouth.

"Alright alright ojii-san, don't tease the boy too much," Yugito scolded lightly as she reached behind the counter and grabbed herself a bottle of sake and two cups. She placed them down on the wooden surface and looked round at Naruto, still standing in the doorway, an unsure look on his face, "well don't just stand there, come sit down."

Naruto placed himself next to Yugito and watched as she poured two drinks and pushed one in his direction.

She brought the liquid to her lips but paused midway as she noticed the blond's curious stare, "What?" she asked as she swiftly downed the drink and poured herself another.

The old man went back into the kitchen and the sound of chopping echoed through the room, joining the chorus of boiling pots and a burning stove.

"Nothing," he said, before he finished his drink in one gulp also.

The sake was strong and left a sweet but burning sensation that lingered at the back of his throat. The feeling that spread throughout his chest was warm and inviting and lasted longer than that of the sake from the bar and the inn.

He liked this sake a lot more.

"The feeling doesn't last long, but it lasts longer than your standard stuff." Yugito commented glancing Naruto's way out of the corner of her eye, her newly filled cup poised in front of her mouth, "With your standard sake, the feeling is gone pretty much as soon as it the back of your throat. But with this stuff, well it lasts just that little bit longer," She finished her second cup and placed it on the table with a sigh.

The old man, who could be seen chopping at his station, sent the pair a knowing glance before returning to his cooking.

"Is this how you cope?" Naruto asked, staring into his reflection in the clear liquid.

"Cope with what?"

He shrugged, "the stares, the comments," he looked her in the eye, "you know what I mean,"

The kunoichi sighed again and even though she was still young, there in the dim light of the small sushi bar, the lines on her face seemed more pronounced than ever and the weight in her eyes ten times as heavy.

"Well there is no such thing as coping," she replied, tracing her finger around the rim of her cup, "Every day I wake up I'm coping. Every time I manage to sleep I'm coping. To cope is to live. And to live is to cope," She looked at the blond who quickly averted his eyes, "You understand?"

"Not really," he laughed in spite of himself, "but I think I get the point."

A short silence followed as both sat in a quiet contentment, nursing their drinks and watching the old man who wasn't a chef rush about his kitchen in his place that wasn't a restaurant.

"So what's the deal with you and the old man?" Naruto looked up at the older blond.

"Oji-san? We've been acquainted for some time now" She smiled and leant on the counter, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand.

"Oh Yugito-chan don't be so cold! This one's been coming here since she was just a snot-nosed brat with a foul mouth and the sense of humour of a brick wall!" The old man shouted over his cooking, before letting out a throaty laugh.

"Just keep to yourself you senile old crone!" She barked back before looking at the boy, "He's always treated me well." She paused for a moment, "You have someone like that in the leaf?"

Naruto nodded, smiling, "yeah… Teuchi oji-san and Ayame nee-chan." His eyes drifted to the photographs of grinning shinobi holding up cups of drink at the counter that decorated the walls, "I used to have jiji but, he's gone now."

"How'd he pass?" a bitter look crossed Naruto's face.

"Betrayed by one of his students," Yugito frowned, that was no way to go, even for a ninja, "Fucking snake,"

"Snake?" she asked curiously.

"Orochimaru." Naruto said the name as though the letters were acid in his mouth.

"Your grandfather was the Sandaime Hokage?" Yugito asked her eyebrows raised comically.

The old man looked over from his cooking in interest.

Naruto allowed himself a small grin, "No," He said, "I was alone growing up and when I got kicked out of the orphanage jiji got me my own apartment and gave me an allowance so I could take care of myself." He sighed, "Sometimes he would come round to visit and we would go out for ramen. And whenever I barged into his office or pulled pranks he never got angry."

"He doesn't sound like the feared God of shinobi that we were taught could destroy a whole army singlehandedly." She mentioned offhandedly.

"I don't know about that. To me he was just the nice old man that visited now and again and gave me money for food. He wasn't just the Hokage you know?"

"Yeah," Yugito breathed as the old man who wasn't a chef went back to his cooking, "Wait, how old were you when you were kicked out of the orphanage?" she asked tentatively.

"Dunno, like six?"

"Six!" She echoed.

"Yeah, they didn't like me very much…" He said with a sheepish grin which seemed false and unconvincing.

"That's… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," She muttered as she topped up Naruto and her cups.

"It okay, I guess."

"Alright kids enough with the mopping! Grubs up!" the old man announced as he placed a large tray on the counter with plethora of sushi along with miso soup, steamed rice and a large salt-grilled sea bream.

The man pulled out a stool from the side of the counter and sat down heavily. Then grabbing a cup, he poured himself a drink, snapped apart a pair of chopsticks and began eating.

Yugito, who had already begun, paused, her chopsticks ensnaring a piece of sashimi inches from her face, "What's up kid, you not gonna eat?"

Naruto froze for a moment, watching the other two as they eyed him curiously. Then, grinning mostly to himself, he plucked a piece of salmon maki from the tray, dipped it in soy, dropped it into his mouth, and chewed enthusiastically savouring the taste.

It was no Ichiraku ramen, but it was good. Damn good.

"What a surprise, you're late… again!" Karui commented dryly as she watched the blond approach the team with a blank expression, hands in his pockets.

"I must say Uzumaki-san, your affinity to tardiness is very uncool." Samui said, her eyes showing a hint of annoyance.

"Yeah I'm sorry, I went out for sushi and then got lost…" he replied with a shrug.

"Well at least that's a reasonably valid excuse," The redhead sighed.

"… On the road to life."

"Oh for the love of-" Karui threw her hands up in exasperation.

"How uncool."

"I like this guy." Omoi commented amiably causing Naruto to grin at the boy giving him a nod.

Both his female teammates turned on him varying degrees of annoyance.

"What? He's got a whole thing." He shrugged.

"It's not even really my thing." The blond butted in as he stood in front of the team.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Karui asked.

"Well it's my sensei's thing, I'm just copyin' it." He replied plainly.

Karui looked at him disbelievingly, "Why would you do that?"

"Cause it's fun."

"Cause it's fun?"

"And to annoy you."

"Ugh I'm gonna kill you one day whiskers."

"You can try, I'll even give you the first hit," He paused and looked at her dead in the eyes, "Tomato-chan."

A fire lit in her eyes as her hands clenched into fists.

"Alright that's enough flirting you two." A voice called from behind the group causing the redhead to frown and the blond to raise an eyebrow.

Naruto turned on his heels and saw a tired looking Yugito walking towards them, "Oh Yugito, what're you doing here?"

The older lady shrugged, "My mission got cancelled so I thought I'd check what the resident dog is up to."

The cloud shinobi laughed at Naruto's expense, Karui seemed to be especially enjoy the jab.

"Wait, how'd you know Yugito?" Omoi asked as he looked at the blond.

"We met in a bar."

"A bar?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, maybe you and Karui could go to a bar sometime? She loves bars." He added thoughtfully.

"Nah, I'm okay." Naruto replied dismissively.

"Wha- Omoi!" Karui punched her teammate in the shoulder, "And you, I wouldn't wanna go with you anyway."

"Although if you two do go together…" Omoi continued in a world to himself.

"We wouldn't!"

"Nah I'm okay thanks."

"… Then my theory of Karui falling in love and abducting Naruto will become plausible… and a fourth shinobi world war could in fact be triggered."

A silence followed as they all stared at the shaggy haired boy who simply moved his lollipop to the other side of his mouth in response.

"Anyway, what do you have planned for Naruto here?" Yugito asked, attempting to steer the conversation in a less hostile direction

Samui seemed to step forward at this point, "Well we were going to look over some of Uzumaki-san's techniques and instruct him on how to perform some of the katas correctly."

"Umm," Naruto mumbled while raising his hand slightly, in a futile attempt to get the groups attention, "I don't wanna be difficult but, these techniques that I'm trying to learn aren't just some random generic forms I found on the side of the street. Their techniques from my clan." Karui rolled her eyes at this point, having being used to dealing with pompous clan members before, "Even though I don't have any clan members, well, that I know of anyway, I don't want anyone else learning them… if that's okay."

They all stared at them him dumbly.

Karui felt a twinge of regret at the harsh thoughts she had held towards the blond just because he was from a clan.

Omoi tilted stared thoughtfully, Samui stoicially, and Yugito gave a sympathetic smile.

"Well shit whiskers," Karui spoke up, eager to break the ice, "That really complicates things, you know?"

Samui frowned as she searched for a solution. She did afterall respect the boy's wishes for his clan techniques to be kept a secret.

"I have a solution," Yugito intervened, her face resolved with a faint smile on her lips, "Why don't we leave Naruto to look over his techniques and katas for the rest of the day. Then tomorrow, he'll perform them and team Samui will offer alterations and improvements that can be made to his form. He will then take another day off to apply any suggestions then reconvene once again and vice versa," She looked at the group in their eyes one at a time to approve they were following, "It's not the easiest method but I think it's the best given the circumstances."

A plethora of shrugs and nods came from the group and Yugito smiled in confirmation.

"It's settled then," She then turned on her heels and began strolling away.

"Wait, Yugito where're you going?" Karui shouted after her.

"Sushi." She called over her shoulder.

"We just got sushi." Naruto stated after her however she merely waved a hand in response before dissappearing in a cackle of electricity.

"You went for sushi with Yugito-sempai?" Samui suddenly asked.

"Yeah…"

"What was it like?" She questioned quickly.

Naruto paused, unsure of what to say and flustered by the normally stoic girls sudden interest, "Cool?"

The blond nodded in affirmation, "Yes, Yugito-sempai is very cool."

"Right, enough fangirling." Karui grunted as she wrapped an arm around Samui's shoulders, "We're off whiskers, have fun failing at your katas!" She grinned over her shoulder.

Omoi trailed after the pair lazily, "See ya Naruto."

The Uzumaki watched as the group reached the mountainous stairs before Karui unhooked her arm and turned to look at the blond, "Oh and whiskers, don't go into the mountains over there." She pointed at the large mountain range that stood wide in the near distance.

"Why?" He asked, more to satisfy the girl than due to his own curiosity.

"Because a monster lives there," She replied dramatically with a smirk before laughing loudly and walking down the steps.

Naruto stood by himself and took a moment to enjoy being alone. It was quite ironic really. The once attention starved kid who wanted nothing more than to be constantly surrounded by people just wanted to be left alone.

The change wasn't in the fact that he didn't want to be around people, more so that he found it difficult interacting with them. His sure and certain approach to socialising had been shattered and he found himself lost in a strange mid-way point between a brooding Sasuke and a teen Naruto.

He ran a hand through his spiky blond hair and gazed over the mountain Karui had warned him to stay away from.

For a second, he considered heeding the girl's words, however his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to go there anyway.

"She was basically telling me to go there…" He muttered, as if convincing himself he was justified in doing so.

When he reached the edge of the training grounds, the blond realised he would have to jump from peak to peak in order to delve further in to the maze of rocky pillars. Each standing individually, the formations were dotted with patches of foliage and stretched down through the blanket of clouds.

Pumping chakra into his legs, he launched himself onto the nearest one grinning to himself as he felt the wind billow through his hair and whip at his clothes.

Upon landing, he used his hands as well as his feet in order to stick to the side of the mountainous rock before coiling his muscles and jumping again, leaving a dent in the hard surface.

Using this method, Naruto continued to jump from peak to peak until he saw one that stood above the others. In front of the formation was a flattened, circular area with stairs leading up to it and then stairs ascending further up the mountain.

With one final, powerful jump, he managed to land near the top of the stairs, breaking a few in the process.

'Well that wasn't easy.' He thought to himself as he dusted his clothes down.

Turns out the distance between the spikes were farther that he'd initially thought and it had taken a lot of chakra to fuel the jumps in between.

Looking around, he noticed the stairway had a gold trim at either side, giving it the feeling of a temple and Naruto momentarily wondered whether he was trespassing on holy ground.

He shrugged non-committedly. It didn't matter either way.

Hesitantly, he began climbing the white rock steps. After a short while, he reached the first mid platform and admired the enormity of it. His gaze however was drawn suddenly to a figure that sat perched in the middle of the arena in front of the second stairway.

Walking closer, Naruto noticed the man was sat in a meditative pose. His legs crossed and arms placed between them, one hand lying flat on top of the other both face up. He wore dark round glasses and his hair was white and pulled back into cornrows.

As the blond approached him, the man's lips twisted into a grin and he slowly got to his feet giving Naruto a clear view of the many swords that were strapped to his back.

Standing way taller than the teen, the man remained still as the he walked within ten meters distance.

Naruto could feel the power emanating from the guy. It was overwhelming, and felt dauntingly familiar. In fact, it was so familiar he instantly recognised it. This man was a jinchuriki. A powerful one at that. He was on another level to Gaara, himself and even Yugito.

Naruto knew this man could kill him if he so pleased.

A long second passed where neither party said nor did anything. Naruto saw the man's hands twitch and brought his own to his sword and took a cautious half step back.

That long, tense moment was instantly shattered however as the man grinned, opened his mouth and brought his hands in front of him in a strange display of gestures.

"Yo yo yo! Well if it ain't Mr. Nine?

Bee's the name and I'm feeling fine.

I've been waiting,

Situating

Contemplating

Ever since you and Two was dating

In ma gut, I got the Hachibi

An if you got beef then might as well leave!"

He pushed up his glasses up with his index finger and left his right hand outstretched, fingers frozen in a strange contorted pose.

Another silence followed as the wind blew between the pair picking up dust from the rocky platform and Naruto groaned inwardly as his guard dropped.

Why were all cloud ninja so weird?

Yo thanks for readin'

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