Chapter 8: The past and the present.

To the Guest review: I initially did write few lines out there with Naruto having a fuin tattoo on his arms in Chapter 3, but it seems that I deleted it in the end. In any case, I will keep your suggestions in mind. Thanks!

The Warring States Era, The Senju-Uchiha battlefield

The fifteen-year-old Tobirama was lost in time as the battle raged on around him. His clansmen were killing the Uchiha's and were being killed in turn. He already killed a few of their adults, not regretting his action for a moment.

Another Uchiha adult jumped in front of him. The remnants of the burnt ground around him. A pyromaniac clan.

No. This was not an Uchiha. Tobirama looked at the battle armor of the man in front of him. He had dark blue pants and torso with the light blue pieces of plate armor on him. And a feral look of hate on his face. So some of them joined the Uchiha's in this attack...

The young Senju gripped his sword tighter. He knew very well what these monsters were capable of doing. His brother, Kawarama died because of them. By a rejects of their clan. The Hagoromo clan. Allies of the Uchiha. If the Uchiha's had their palms covered in Senju blood, then Hagoromo's had the entire hand up their shoulders drenched in it.

"You wretched little bastard." The man grinned evilly as he looked at him, preparing to attack. "I'm going to enjoy killing Butsuma's brat." Just what he needed. Another vengeful and delusional idiot.

Tobirama did not move, his grip on his sword was unwavering. "You are welcome to try." It wouldn't be the first time he fought against them. This would be nothing.

"Oh, I will. I fucking will!" And he charged towards him, engaging into the kenjutsu skirmish.

The Hagoromo shinobi had the raw power, he had the strength. But Tobirama had the speed necessary to avoid his strikes, and retaliate in turn.

"You're a fast little fucker, aren't you?"

Tobirama did not answer as he went for an attack. He moving his blade towards the enemy, attempting to strike him straight into the chest, but the men reflected his attack with his own sword. And once again, Tobirama was on defense.

The Hagoromo shinobi went for his own attack, trying to slice Tobirama's head from his shoulders. But the younger Senju man evaded it, by simply crouching down at the speed that his opponent was unable to follow.

As he crouched down, Tobirama sliced the left leg of the men, incapacitating him.

"Aghhh." He yelped in pain. "You fucking son of a whore!" He dropped his sword right away, gripping his leg in pain, attempting to stop the bleeding. In vain.

"This is the end." Tobirama stated as he now stood above him. His face was stern, but with no pleasure, he would do this. Only for duty. He held his sword above him, while his wounded enemy still knelt on the ground. When he looked up, his face was full of fear. But he did not beg. A true shinobi.

Tobirama ended his misery with one precise strike. His sword moved straight into the enemy's neck – ending his life.

The Senju teen did not wait for the light of the Hagoromo shinobi to leave his eyes. There was no need for it. Every second was of importance in this battle. He was tired himself after the hours of fighting, but for the sake of his clan, he would keep moving.

He jumped through the battlefield that was sprinkled with dead bodies, both of the Uchiha and Hagoromo's shinobi, but of his clansmen as well. Though, in far fewer numbers.

He jumped on the nearby rock, looking around the field. In one corner near the hill, he saw the three of his clansmen surrounding an Uchiha shinobi.

Uchiha Izuna. Tobirama saw they surrounded him of all people. But before Tobirama could join them, another Uchiha attacked him, and he was forced into a defensive position for a mere moment, before killing the man. Again, with his sword. It would be pointless to waste chakra on him, and the others. That was reserved for a tougher beasts. Beasts like Izuna for example. Luckily, lately, the number of those who could pose a bigger threat dwindled in both the Uchiha and Hagoromo clans.

He looked towards the rock where Izuna was. Tobirama focused his chakra, sensing their strength. His three clansmen were above the average power, in comparison to the others on the battle. But Izuna was wasted. He would die. Just like Itama did.

Tobirama went to join them, and deliver the justice for his younger brother, and many other clansmen. The war was prolonged because of the Uchiha's lack of will for peace. No matter how much Hashirama tried to milk it from them. Or better said - milk it from Madara.

About ten feet far from their location, Tobirama sensed Izuna gathering chakra in his eyes.

What?

And then he sensed the chakra surrounding his three clansmen.

"Amaterasu!"(1) Izuna shouted, and the black flames erupted near all three of his clansmen, spreading all over their bodies.

No! Tobirama moved through few hand signs, clapping his hands in the end, and focusing his chakra and the water in the air around him.

"Water Style: Water Shockwave!" He sent the massive wave of water towards them, wanting to extinguish the unfamiliar black flames. Izuna jumped above, to the hill that was behind him. All the while covering his right eye with his hand.

Once the water settled down, his clansmen laid dead on the ground. And the black flames still surrounded them.

"What!?" Tobirama questioned as he saw the flames still burning, not being toned down a bit, if anything, their reach extended. They were as black as the eyeliners from the eyes of the Kyūbi. And wicked as the eyes itself.

"Ha-ha-ha. I thought you were smarter than that, Tobirama!" That impudent vermin Izuna taunted, but he still held his hand on top of his eye. "You should just see the look on your face right now."

Tobirama did not fall for his taunts. The emotions were useless on the battlefield, but it did not change the fact that the rabbling of that Uchiha vermin annoyed him, even more than he wanted to admit. "What sort of the attack was that?"

"The ultimate power of the Mangekyō Sharingan!" Izuna grinned in satisfaction. "This is why the Uchiha clan is superior, Tobirama. You will never reach our potential!" He removed his hand from his eye, revealing traces of blood he did not have before.

So that's how it goes. Tobirama narrowed his eyes as he saw the state of Izuna's right eye.

Whenever he used that ability, his eyes would take the damage as well? If his theory was correct, there was possibly a cooldown between the time when he could use it again. Or maybe Izuna just opted not using it, due to his currently low chakra reserves.

Whatever the case was, in either a foolish moment of pride, or just a pure ignorance – Izuna partially revealed much to Tobirama in a matter of seconds.

"Tobirama!" His brother shouted from behind as he jumped near him. Hashirama looked tired as well. His fight with Madara must have ended in another stalemate, as he could sense Madara's chakra appearing near Izuna at that same time.

"I'm fine, elder brother."

"Pheww. I'm glad to hear it." And he's back on his idiotic mindset. Sometimes, Tobirama wondered how his brother lived for so long. "What are we going to do with them?" He inclined his head at the two Uchiha brothers who stood on the small rock-hill twenty feet in front of them. Madara looked more tired than Hashirama and even more tired than Izuna. If his younger brother has a death wish he might stay and die.

Hopefully, he does. Tobirama gripped his sword once again as he looked at the two Uchiha brothers. But Madara opted for a different approach, as he and his brother disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Or not. Rationality outweighed Madara's pride this time.

"Man, that intense. I have never fought against Madara with such passion." His elder brother exclaimed, falling on the ground in relief. "He can sure give a strong punch. That golem of his, he-he."

"Hashirama!" Tobirama sneered, and his brother tensed. "Look!" He pointed to the three burning bodies of his clansmen, and unextinguishable black flames. "And not just them, but look around you. What's there to celebrate? The Uchiha's have a new power to help them!"

"Oh, they have that as well, huh?" Hashirama scratched his head for a bit, giving him a foolish grin in return.

Tobirama sighed. And then it clicked him. "That as well? What are you talking about? Does it have something with Madara's golem that you mentioned?" He crossed his arms, waiting for Hashirama's explanation.

"Yeah." And finally, he turned serious. "Madara called it Susanoo. He summoned a giant skeleton avatar of chakra around him. You did not see it, we were too far from the battle anyway..."

"Izuna called those flames of his – Amaterasu."

Hashirama nodded. "It seems they both awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. And both of them have different abilities as well."

"Great, another troublesome affair." Tobirama muttered. He could sense when and where Izuna would send his flames. If he was fast enough, he could evade Izuna's attack if it ever came to that sort of attack again.

Hmm. This required the additional studying, as well as training.

"At least we've won this battle, Tobirama. No need to be grumpy with that." Their cousin, Tōka, said as she walked towards them. "Tough, I admit that the Uchiha's are getting more troublesome as time goes by."

"Oh? And what could they do to annoy you to such extent, Tōka-chan?" Hashirama asked, smiling.

"Stop calling me that!" She complained. "You're a clan leader, Hashirama. Do you know how much is it affecting the morale of our clan when you praise Madara and the Uchiha's at the every step you take, or when you're acting so irresponsible?"

"I... It's an honorable and healthy appreciation of your rival." Hashirama insisted. Will he ever forget that part of his childhood, and a friend that chose to turn back on their dream? Tobirama remembered very well who it was who severed that 'bond' as much as he loathed using that word.

"She is right, elder brother."

Hashirama buried his face into his hands. "Not you too, Tobirama. How many times do I have to tell you..."

"Enough with that!" He shut him up. "For heaven's sake, grow up already. Neither you nor Madara are children any longer. What happened between you two is a history."

Again, in his childish manner, Hashirama pouted. Never mind then. He's still going through puberty. "How did your part of the fight went on?" He asked their cousin who stood there, watching them argue in amusement.

"Not bad, to say the least. One Uchiha slut managed to copy one of my genjutsu's, but I got rid of her before she could pass it to the others. More and more of them are awakening Sharingan. I even saw one of them using one of your Water techniques, Tobirama."

Tobirama frowned hearing that, ignoring the crude language she used. Another troublesome affair that will need to be dealt with. "What is the status of our forces?"

Tōka answered. "We have lost approximately thirty-six shinobi." Both Senju brothers frowned at hearing that. "The enemy, however, lost more than a hundred. We have beat them. Soundly." She said, smirking. Finding at least some satisfaction in a lake of tragedy.

Those were the good news, as his other clansmen cheered around him. He did not join them, however. It was just postponing the inevitable. With the way this was going, they might lose eventually. The Uchiha's and Hagoromo's were much more numerous than the Senju's.

"I believe we won't be having another battle in the next few years after this." Hashirama stated.

Correct. More time for them to recuperate and increase their training. God forbid more of them awake the Mangekyō. Why did the Heavens give them such dangerous weapon? As if the copying of the other's abilities was not enough. The Uchiha's were getting stronger, at the fast rate with the way things were going until now.

The speed! That's right. That shall be the counter to Izuna. Ideas already appearing in his mind, Tobirama allowed a small smile to grace his face, as his clansmen still cheered for victory around him.

He would counter their copying as well. The battle today proved that the Senju's were stronger. But anything can crumble when countless termites overwhelm you. And their wooden fortress would not stand forever with that in mind.

"Tobirama." His brother addressed him with a sad smile. One that was lacking the usual spark in his laughing eyes. "It is time to bury the dead."

"Right." He nodded. He just needed to remove that black flame from the three bodies. But maybe he could explore the basis of those flames as well.

Time for some Fūinjutsu application.

Konohagakure no Sato, The Hokage's Office, Present day

Sitting in his office in the Hokage's Tower, the Sandaime read the contains of Iwagakure's newest edition of the Bingo Book, that his old friend, Maruboshi Kosuke, brought from his latest border patrolling mission. Hiruzen sighed, placing the said Bingo Book on his table. As if they needed more trouble. Ōnoki most likely couldn't resist but place another burden on his shoulders. Hiruzen was tempted to jump straight to Iwa and challenge the Sandaime Tsuchikage for a duel, but discarded such notion, immediately.

"Thank you for delivering this to me, Kosuke." Naruto's caretaker nodded, serious expression in place. He was on a patrol duty by the land around Land of Grass, engaging a group of three Iwa brothers. Before the three brothers fled, one of them dropped the Iwagakure's latest Bingo Book.

To both Hiruzen's and Kosuke's shock, initially, the book had the abundant information regarding Naruto. His real name included. They had another break in security. The surveillance of key archive buildings should be monitored more closely. Or everything should be transported to a more protected and hidden underground facility. It really should.

"What do you make of this, old friend?"

Kosuke was silent for a moment before answering. "Given the date they have published the book, I'd wager that the Ōnoki-dono is placing this as a warning, although a possibility of an assassination attempt should not be discarded."

"I'm of the same mind as you." Hiruzen nodded. "We should not be lax with the defenses of our northern borders in any case. I believe Kumo already knows about this as well."

"Mhm. You said that one of the emissaries recognized Naruto-kun? Maybe they got the info from Iwa and proceeded to investigate the credibility of it."

"Maybe. I don't know." Hiruzen said. "It does not matter in the end. His identity would be revealed anyway, but I'd prefer it if we did not have any interference before the eventual day. Something like that is not possible now."

"You assume that either Iwagakure or others might send the assassins to eliminate Naruto-kun?" Kosuke asked with a frown.

"Indeed. His team is already one member short due to the semi-failed mission I have told you about. I need to find a suitable replacement first..." Hiruzen said, looking at the Eternal Genin, contemplating the potential development.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Kosuke asked.

"Maybe I do." Sarutobi was smiling now, as the realization came to Kosuke.

The man sighed. "Hiruzen, I already have told you before, but I have no intention of advancing further in ranking..."

"You don't need to be promoted in the long run." Hiruzen interjected. "You just need to fill the place for the first two rounds of the exams. It is allowed to quit before the third round. It certainly happens all the time. "

"But surely, there would be someone else who is more suitable to be their teammate." It wouldn't be Kosuke if he did not refuse one of his offer of being honored as it is due. He would accept this in any case. The refusal was much meeker than usual. Sarutobi mused he still clung to it due to the tradition or his silent stubbornness.

"I somehow doubt that very much." Hiruzen continued smiling.

Kosuke sighed, but then gave a smile of his own. "Duty falls upon us all, and we should not flee from it."

Sarutobi nodded. "Indeed. It will be only for the duration of the Chūnin Exams. I won't force you further than that. That is of course, unless you want to join another team in the near future."

"He-he. I think I will pass on your offer, Sandaime-sama. When are Naruto-kun and his team due to return to the village?"

"He is scheduled to return today I believe. He should finish his little trip to Uzushio by now."

"Mhm." The Eternal Genin grunted. "I suppose this little task won't be meaningless. I'll do my best to guard our future generation the best of my abilities."

"I couldn't ask for a better guardian, old friend."

"What will you do with Iwa now?" Kosuke asked him, going back to the most important subject at the moment.

Hiruzen contemplated for a moment, looking at the map of the Elemental Nations that hung on the wall to his right. There wasn't much he could do here. For all intents and purposes, Ōnoki did not breach any peace agreement from the Third War.

"Nothing but wait. I'm more concerned about the Raikage's involvement than I am with Ōnoki. In any case, I won't be lax with our defenses to the north. If either Iwa or Kumo decide to invade us. They won't be our ending."

Kosuke nodded. "Have you decided what will you do with the Raikage-sama's offer, regarding the Chūnin Exams?"

"I spoke with the elders, Jiraiya and Hiashi..." Kosuke listened. Hiashi was a primary concern for making this decision. The past between his clan and Konoha's rival village was tense, at best. In reality, it was hostile, bordering a stalemate war-like state. Just like he had to move Yamanaka's from the north-western borders of the Land of Fire, he had to move the Hyūga shinobi away from the North-eastern border. Less to provoke another war, even if the occasional skirmishes occurred over the years.

"He was not against the decision to allow Kumogakure's Genin to participate, but he suggested we should limit their numbers for better surveillance. I thought the same. So only five teams will participate."

"Just that?"

"He also said that he will bar his daughter and her team from entering the exams. Kurenai has also told me that she has problems with Hinata's self-confidence. Hearing the experience from the girl's peers at the exams might help her exit her shell, at least a bit I hope."

"It might annoy her other teammates, they are from Inuzuka and Aburame clans, yes?"

"They are. A tracker team-" He was interrupted by a knock at the door, with the voice of his secretary.

"Hokage-sama." His secretary spoke behind the doors. He allowed her to enter and continue. "Naruto-san wishes to speak with you. Does he have permission to enter?"

"Of course." Minato's son was always welcomed. And from what he knew he hadn't seen Kosuke in a long time as well.

A moment later, Naruto entered the room.

"Old man." He greeted him, and right after he saw Kosuke in the room as well. "Uncle Kosuke?" Naruto approached and hugged his surrogate uncle. "I haven't seen you in months. How are you?"

"He-he. I have been doing rather well lately. But you can blame Hiruzen for placing so many duties upon me..."

"Guilty as charged." Hiruzen smiled. "But someone has to do it."

"It sure does."

"So, Naruto-kun. How has your mission passed? No problems I assume?"

"Nope. It went on perfectly fine. Well... As fine as it can get with me." Naruto said, scratching the back of his head and having a small smile on his face.

Sarutobi raised his eyebrow in question, but otherwise said nothing. Kosuke was silent as well waiting for the boy to speak.

Naruto pulled a scroll from his pouch, placing it on the table in front of him. "In this scroll, there is one missing-nin from Amegakure. I killed the other two, but I did capture one of them. You might want to check the things that are happening in the Takigakure by the way. From what I overheard of their talk, it can be prevented if we act on time. And I believe the Torture and Interrogation Unit might find her useful regarding one of our bigger problems..."

"What sort of problems?" Hiruzen asked, as he took the scroll into his hand, casting a small glance at it, before looking back at Naruto.

"The Akatsuki problem." Both he and Kosuke frowned at hearing that, and the following report from that part of the mission. Defeating three missing-nins was not an easy job for a Genin, and Hiruzen certainly felt pride at listening to Naruto describe it. Taking a prisoner even more so. Connection to the Akatsuki, however, opened a new front for them to fight against.

"You can rest easy that I will have my men look into this, Naruto-kun. And indeed, we have heard conflicting reports from Amegakure lately. Some say that Hanzō is still alive, and some say he is dead. I don't need to remind you to keep it to yourself. Especially considering the fact that the Akatsuki might be connected to this."

"My lips are sealed. But you will tell me if you find something, right?" Naruto asked. And he had the right to know. But Hiruzen couldn't in the right mind tell him everything.

"I will." He said, mouth placed in a thin line as he did. "How did the rest of your mission go? No more missing-nins to trouble you?"

"Sadly, no." Naruto smiled as took the seat to the nearby chair. "I searched through the various temples on the island, including the one near Konoha, one that was abandoned."

"Found anything interesting?"

"A lot of masks, both in that temple, and the ones on the island. Your former teammate, Homura-sama, was pretty pesky when it came to that during our report. I swear. It was as if the man almost considered those masks his own property..."

Hiruzen sighed, rubbing the side of his head in annoyance. "He and Koharu got rather complacent in their position. I'll warn him not to do it again..."

Naruto waved it off. "I was meaning to ask you something else..."

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" He said nothing else, only unsealing another scroll, that revealed a large Fūma Shuriken. "I assume there's more to this?"

Naruto nodded, pointing on a sealing formula that stood on the edge of the weapon. Hiruzen recognized it right away. "Is this..." Judging by the Kosuke's expression, he did too.

"It's an Uzumaki sealing formula..." Kosuke said, as he took a closer look. "Did you found this on the island as well, Naruto-kun?"

"Yes – I mean, no." He corrected himself. "It was stuck within the forehead of a Giant Merling, a summon of the Uzumaki clan." He continued describing Team 7's fight against the Giant Merling, and discovery of the Fūma Shuriken and it's task of keeping the Uzumaki summon out of his realm.

Frown on him and Kosuke deepened as Naruto told that tale. "I assume you got a theory of your own?"

"I do, and I was wondering if you know something about that?"

"I'm afraid not." Naruto narrowed his eyes at his answer. "While the possibility of more Uzumaki's surviving is not out of the question... I can't be sure that those two shinobis who fought one another, are one. A tradition of the Uzumaki clan dictates that family stands before the power. That was the reason why the first Uzumaki's separated from the Senju clan in the first place."

Naruto was ruffling through his hair the entire time. "I guess. But it won't kill to hope, would it?"

Hiruzen smiled a sad smile. "No, it wouldn't."

"By the way. I found this map as well." Naruto said as he pulled it out of his pocket, spreading it across the table. "Apparently these may be the colonies and estates of the Uzumaki clan across the continent. See." He pointed at the Uzumaki clan's temple near Konoha, followed by the few islands south of the Land of Fire. "These three islands are listed in a possession, but otherwise I know nothing of them..." He muttered by the end, no doubt annoyed for not knowing what it was. His expression was almost like that of Minato when something did not go his way.

Back on the subject, Hiruzen looked at the map more throughout. He did not recognize any of those islands, nor did he ever saw them on any other map out there.

"Have you ever heard of these?" He directed the question to Kosuke, who leaned forward, looking at the map with a frown.

"I don't believe so..." Kosuke stated, looking up at him. "I never saw islands south to the Land of Wind on any other map. Naruto-kun, where did you find this map exactly?" Hiruzen never saw them either. Maybe no-one bothered to travel there in the first place. No one but the Uzumaki's.

"In an old building in Uzushio. It was something akin to a museum of sorts I believe. It was behind one painting."

Hiruzen decided to give his own opinion. "I can arrange for an expedition to be made in the following months, after the Chūnin Exams."

Naruto gave a slow nod. "That's fine with me. As long as I get to go, of course."

Sarutobi smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way. So what else did you brought from this mission?" He probably gave Homura less of the information than he believed.

"Hundreds of headbands, a statue, few paintings that stood in some buildings. Those that survived at least. And dozens of masks of course."

"Do those masks have any purpose?" He saw Naruto's lips morphing into a thin line.

"I found them in temples, but I don't know of what use can they be, yet."

Hiruzen suspected there was more to this than meets the eye, but let the matter go. If he knew anything about them, he would have told him. As he did with the potential location of the Akatsuki.

"Khm. In any case... I'm glad your mission was successful, but there are other matters I need to address now."

Naruto sat still, listening.

"I'd rather prefer if we had your other two teammates for this, but you can relay them this information tomorrow."

"What information?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The status of your third teammate of course." Hiruzen said and smiled as he looked towards Kosuke, before turning back towards Naruto. The Senju quickly connected the dots and gave a large grin in return.

Three hours later, at the Ichiraku ramen's stand

"So you got the idea of combining wind and water to create a tornado, wind strengthen by the water when needed?" Kosuke asked as he and Naruto sat in his favorite stand, eating ramen and talking of various things that happened for the past few months since he became Genin.

He also couldn't believe that his surrogate uncle would be also his teammate. The old man outdid himself with this arrangement.

"Pretty much." Naruto said once he ate the last noodle. "I mean, it is not impossible if you get my meaning. Iwagakure and Kumogakure have plenty of shinobi who combine the two elements to create a new one in turn."

They did, but it did not mean that the user of those advanced nature transformations was always stronger than the one who does not have it. He thought he would find something on Uzushio, but aside from the masks he did not know the use of, he did not find much. The supposed 'colonies' of the Uzumaki aside.

"Kumogakure and Iwagakure have the blood necessary to do so, even if those who utilize those abilities are not clan-based." Kosuke said.

Naruto knew that as well. Lava release, Storm release, Boil Release, Magnet Release, Swift Release. Just to name some bloodlines who are common in those villages. Well. 'Common' is a generous word. From what he knew, less than two percent of shinobis in those villages, respectively, could use those elements. Still, it gives plenty of prestige to the village's name. One that washes away their defeats in the past wars. Or at least they wanted to believe.

They had the blood, or DNA, necessary to create those advanced elements in the first place. Few people did it in the past, and passed on that ability to the future generations. Hence why those advanced nature transformations are not attributed to the clans. As you did not know who is humping who in those two villages.

"Prepare me another one, Teuchi-san." Naruto said, getting the positive reply from the owner. After which he placed his hand on his chin in a thinking pose as he waited for another bowl of ramen. "I don't think there was anyone with tornado release ever recorded to exist."

His surrogate uncle chuckled. "I don't think I ever heard or saw someone with it either." (2)

"It doesn't kill to be original somewhere, doesn't it?"

"I guess not. Hiruzen tried to combine Fire and Earth into Lava, but was never successful in doing so."

"True." Naruto nodded. "Yet his combination techniques are renowned across the Elemental Nations... Speaking of the other nations... How do you think Iwa got the info of me?" The old man and Kosuke told him of that development after briefing him of the new addition to his team. Being in Bingo Book was something he expected, but not so soon into his career as a shinobi. It was something he dreamed about many times. But now that he saw his picture in one of them – it was as if kunai hung under his neck.

Yet at the same time, he was not as afraid as he thought he would be. Excitement was a better word to describe the feeling he was having, but the traces of both fear and paranoia were there, deeply hidden. But they were there.

"I don't know. It is possible that someone leaked it from the village. Or that Iwa made a connection of their own. Everything is possible."

"It won't hurt to be curious." Naruto muttered, as Teuchi came back with his bowl of ramen. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Naruto." The Ramen owner smiled. For a brief moment, Naruto wondered if he was the one who leaked it, after previously making a connection somehow. But he shook his head, ashamed of his thoughts. Neither Teuchi, nor his daughter looked the type of people who would do such a thing. A traitors even less.

As he ate his bowl of ramen, Kosuke spoke once again. "You shouldn't worry yourself that much, Naruto-kun. The Tsuchikage is not someone to risk the safety of his village for an assassination incident in the peacetime. The wisdom comes with age as they say. And after many failures of Iwa in the past, I don't think he would act rashly and in open. The Yondaime Raikage on the other hand was never the one for the assassinations anyway, even if he is too rash and impulsive sometimes. That man would sooner kidnap the target and use it to strengthen his village somehow."

Though, Kosuke used a rather polite tone, Naruto understood the meaning of those words. The Tsuchikage would make it an accident during one of his missions. So as to make no connections to Iwa. The Raikage on the other hand would try to kidnap him – like he tried to do with Hinata – and perhaps use him as a breeding tool for his own future forces. Naruto's Bingo Book could certainly tempt the village leaders to do such a thing. Bloodline theft was common long ago, but it doesn't mean that the practice is forgotten or banned. And even if Naruto did not have any particular bloodline, the prestige of his clan, and the knowledge about the strength of their blood and chakra was known across the nations.

For a moment, as he ate his food, Naruto thought who would the Raikage use to do that, if he ever opted to that alternative, that is. As he thought about it more, he realized that the kidnapping was out of the question, for he was not a three year old. However, there were other ways to do get what one wanted.

Looking at the two pieces of egg and brown meat in his bowl, Naruto remembered the two Kumo emissaries from the previous week. His lips moved slightly upwards as he thought of such things. Though he promised himself to store that info for later.

Kosuke chuckled, seeing his reaction, but Naruto did not comment on it. He merely continued eating the food in front of him. His smile still on his face.

The ate and talk at the Ichiraku's for an hour or so, before deciding to go and train a little. Tough Kosuke had something to add regarding that.

"It seems we won't be able to train for longer. It looks like it's gonna be a stormy evening and night."

"Yeah. It looks like it." Naruto said as he looked at the sky.

Tomorrow, Konohagakure no Sato, The Hokage's Tower

Heavens, that man never learns. Hiruzen thought as he looked at the large entourage of the Fire Daimyō's court approached the Hokage's Tower. Much more than it was necessary for a simple, if political visit. Had this been a welcoming ceremony for a Chūnin Exams final matches, it would have been one thing. But this was pointless in a larger scale of things. Aside from the fact that the Feudal Lord arrived a day earlier than it was arranged. Hiruzen had to scramble everything at the fast rate.

It looks like they've all brought their wives and children as well. Hiruzen mused it was a way for a royal court to show off their power, or as to present themselves as a true reigning power of the Land of Fire.

A completely unnecessary show of 'power'. Granted, by the official laws, the ones that Shodai Hokage-sama agreed upon, the Daimyō of the country was at the top of the hierarchy. A system that was copied by the others as well. But unlike the other villages, Konoha always had a good relationship with the Daimyō and his court. However. Everyone knew where the real power resided here. But there was never a need for manipulation.

Hiruzen stood at the front. The two of his bodyguards, Namiashi Raidō and Shiranui Genma flanked him from both left and right. The village elders, and the other various village officials stood not far behind him. Along with the heads of various clans of Konoha. A welcoming ceremony was a tradition in any case.

Many villagers flanked the main street that led to the Tower. Throwing flowers at the streets through which the Daimyō's carriage walked over, cheering at the sight in front of them.

Koharu and Homura had a content look on their faces, while the reaction of the various clan heads varied. From the indifference to a content smile, but even the annoyance and boredom.

I can't blame them.

The main carriage-wheel stopped in front of the entrance of the Hokage's Tower. Hiruzen could both see and sense few of his shinobis that stood either hidden, or in open, protecting the Feudal Lord and his entourage. Ever since that incident a few years ago, when Itachi's team was attacked by an unknown missing-nin, he strengthened the protection of the Daimyō. In both the Capital, and during his travels. After the debacle with that incident as well as that of the Twelve Guardian Ninja's, this was a far better improvement.

Better safe than sorry.

"Daimyō-dono." Hiruzen gave a slight bow to the man, followed by the rest of his council and the clan heads. The Daimyō gave a content smile in return. "Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato. Your presence emanates peace, joy, and prosperity whenever you come here. I hope your stay at Konohagakure is pleasant for its duration, along with your court."

He seemed pleased with his words, giving few hums and nods here and there. "I see. I see. It is always a pleasure coming here, Hiruzen. We have much to discuss in the following days, yes?"

"That we do, Daimyō-dono. I'm glad you were welcoming of Konoha's suggestion regarding the Wave country."

"Ah, yes. That one. But I'm interested in the increasing of the defenses of our country as well." He clapped his fan onto the palm of his hand. "I forwarded the request to the Land of Hot Water regarding the Gatō and his scheming, in any case. They won't be able to protect criminal activities that come from their country any longer and we can send your shinobis to investigate it in detail." He motioned for a young boy, an attendant, to approach holding a box filled with scrolls in his hand.

"Thank you for your assistance, Daimyō-dono." Hiruzen said, motioning for one of his own assistants to take care of the documents. "We will make sure something like that never happens again."

"Right! See to it." Daimyō said, turning towards the others present who were still there, having a look of satisfaction as he looked around. Tough, he made a slight flinch under Danzō's impassive stare.

Sarutobi sighed at the show in front of him. He proceeded to remedy the situation by going onto the subject of the lord's visit. "Shall we discuss about the border defenses, Daimyō-dono? It is the purpose of this visit, and just two weeks before the Chūnin Exams are to start." He sent a glare towards Danzō, warning him to stop with his games. It was as if the man turned to jester whenever the Feudal Lord visited. No doubt he was still bitter regarding Minato's election as the Yondaime and his reinstatement to the position after the formers death.

Danzō in turn, did not budge at all, though, his lips turned slightly upwards for a moment.

"Right, right. The defenses." The Daimyō turned Sarutobi once again. "In your letters you mentioned this prodigious young shinobi that came up with it, Sabiru, right?"

"Indeed, the young man advanced in his career at the astonishingly fast rate." Not as fast as Minato, Kakashi or Itachi did, but fast nonetheless. Especially for someone who came from an orphaned civilian background.

"Then I look forward to meeting this young man in person. A young mind who cares for the well being of his country must be an exceptional person. Don't you agree, Hiruzen?"

Hiruzen simply hummed, nodding in agreement, even if he was not fully on board. Too many times prodigious shinobi turned rogue for whatever reason. He learned not to be too enthusiastic. While Shikaku himself deduced nothing suspicious from his new underling. So Hiruzen placed aside that worry for a while.

He had other people to warn him about potential traitors. And until now, their job was highly successful, for there was a decrease in the numbers of missing-nins that came from Konoha in the past two years.

At the Naka bridge

"You're late." Sasuke stated with a glare, as Naruto and Kosuke walked towards the middle of the bridge where he stood. "And where is Kakashi?"

"Good morning to you too, Sasuke. And yes, I'm well, thanks for asking." Naruto stated, dryly. Seems that someone woke up on a wrong foot this morning. "As for Kakashi-sensei... He won't be joining us today, or the next week for that matter."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow in question. It seems that Kakashi-sensei did not told him of the development for the next few days.

"The Daimyō and his court just arrived at the village. I think he'll be busy with the meetings and all that." From what Kosuke previously told him, the Daimyō's visits were a rarity in the village, outside of the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams. And whenever he visited Konoha outside of those, it was due to the talks of the security of the Land of Fire. And Kakashi-sensei being one of the higher-ranking shinobis of the village, as well as a member of the clan, even if it was reduced to only him, was expected to be present at those meetings.

Sasuke nodded, proceeding to ask the following. "And who is this?" He nodded his head towards Kosuke.

"This is our new teammate, Maruboshi Kosuke."

"A pleasure meeting you, Sasuke-san."

As soon as Naruto introduced him, Sasuke narrowed his eyes in his usual unhappy manner. Naruto sighed. "Sasuke, besides being our new teammate, uncle Kosuke was also my caretaker when I was younger. And even without that, he is one of the most respected shinobi's in the village."

"If that's true, then why is he still a Genin?" Sasuke asked back with a tone of disappointment.

Naruto went to answer, but Kosuke cut him off, wearing his usual kind smile in face. "Being a shinobi is more than wearing a high rank next to your name in a Bingo Book, Sasuke-san. That is what your clansmen, and my old friend Kagami, would often say to me."

"You knew the Uchiha's?" Sasuke's eyes bulged for a moment as he asked that. Naruto moved a feet away towards the railing of the bridge, as to not be in the middle of this conversation. Sasuke acted as weird as he could get this morning.

"Indeed I did. We were both students of Naruto-kun's ancestor, Senju Tobirama."

Sasuke said nothing else, but giving a small nod and deciding to change a subject. "So what are we to do for the next week, while Kakashi is busy?"

"Train, what else?" Naruto shrugged it off. "We are to participate in the Chūnin Exams that will be held here, and uncle Kosuke can help us improve in the meantime."

Sasuke placed his hands into his pockets and gave his usual grunt in affirmation. "Hn." And they went to the Training Ground 7 to train.

Training Ground 7

For the duration of their training, Naruto told Kosuke to spend more time with Sasuke, improving his skills in whatever field that was necessary. Naruto was training with his clones in the meantime.

Attempting to combine wind and water wasn't that hard when using clones. The entire time water would strengthen the vortex, but would eventually disperse the wind itself, as it was too strong for a simple, yet a bit materialized air to hold together.

He decided to move to another aspect of his training, space-time ninjutsu. For the past few months, he focused more on developing different seals, so as to increase his overall Fūinjutsu abilities. And in general – it worked. But space-time ninjutsu, or the Flying Thunder God of his father and great-grandfather was tied tightly to it.

Yet for the world of it, he couldn't understand the mechanism of it. Neither his father, nor great-grandfather left any specific formulas to make one. Only that one could make their own formula. He heard that his father taught three shinobi of Konoha how to do a lesser version of the technique, but that version of the Flying Thunder God was more of a regular space-time technique that was used for simple teleportation. Not for fighting a war, and decimating enemy armies.

He continued writing various seals on the papers in front of him. Most of the seals he picked from various books that he had in his possession. Some belonged to his father and were very helpful in enlarging his repertoire of Fūinjutsu. But being the original in something, and leaving something to the village arsenal was always a welcome sight in Konoha. And for one's legacy as well.

Hence why, Naruto wanted to create his own seals. He did not lack the ideas of developing new seals. But bringing the realization to fruition was another thing.

At the moment he wanted to develop a sleep-inducing seal, one that worked without poison. A seal similar to the Temple of Nirvana Technique. Where a victim would not notice anything strange happening to them once the seal was placed on their forehead. And a seal that would leave no trace of foreign presence within their bodies.

If only he could salvage more from Uzushio, but apart from the mask, that he was yet to figure out the purpose, there wasn't much.

Naruto was lost in thought that for a moment he would have missed Kosuke and Sasuke approaching him. Lifting his head up, Naruto addressed them.

"Judging from the looks of you, I assume your opinion of uncle Kosuke has changed?" He said to Sasuke, smiling.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted in affirmation, a content look on his face, wiping the sweat from his forehead that fell down his face. "I did not expect him to be this strong, I admit." He took his bento with food, that laid by the nearby tree, returning to where Naruto and Kosuke sat under the sky. The weather was much different than it was this morning. With the sun hidden by the grey clouds, shadowing the training ground.

"How strong opponents do you expect at the Chūnin Exams?" Sasuke asked him, as he ate from his bento.

Naruto laid freely to the ground, placing his hands on the back of his head as he stared at the clouds. Himself taking a pause from training. "Depends on the village, I guess."

"The others will send their best." Sasuke stated.

"That they will..." Naruto said, he turned his head towards Kosuke who sat and ate silently. "Uncle, what do you think? I never watched the Chūnin Exams when they were held in Konoha." Less to make someone from the outside see him back then and make an unwanted connection.

Kosuke digested his food before responding back. "Usually, Taki, Ame, Kusa participate in the exams Konoha is hosting. Tough, with our alliance with Sunagakure, they send their shinobi as well. Sometimes. Some other minor villages send their Chūnin-hopefuls to participate, but it depends on their candidates as well as leaders and our relationship. Like Tsukigakure in the former case. And before our enmity, the Genins of the Land of Woods would participate as well."

"I suppose we are to be wary of Suna-nins then? With them being one of the Great Five, they are most likely to be the biggest threat?" Sasuke asked, while Naruto listened and contemplated his words. Even if they became allies from former enemies, no Konoha shinobi should expect to get all lovely-dovely with their western rival-turned ally.

"Yes, but you should not discard those from the minor nations either, Sasuke-san." Kosuke said, before continuing. "This year, Kumogakure will send their own shinobi, as well."

This information surprised Sasuke, but not Naruto. He knew that already. But Sasuke's look of surprise quickly morphed into a satisfied smirk.

"Getting excited for the opportunity to copy techniques from the Lighting affinity-based village?" Naruto asked, seeing his reaction.

"Getting back to them in kind, I'd rather say." Sasuke responded back, looking at the ground as he ate, his satisfied smile still in place. "Won't it be against the rules if we have an experienced shinobi on our team?"

"You mean uncle Kosuke?" Naruto questioned. "Well, in truth, it won't. As there is no such a rule that prevents the shinobi of a certain age to participate, as long as they are officially ranked as Genin, of course. And despite everything, uncle Kosuke is known as the Eternal Genin to the other nations."

"Indeed." Confirmed Kosuke with a nod. "Tobirama-sama created the Chūnin-exams in the first place to assert the power of the other villages among many different reasons. Judging their new generations is a good way to measure the strength of the others."

And to eliminate the potential threats as well. Naruto added in his thoughts.

"Then it won't stop them either from infiltrating some of their own stronger shinobi to the exams." Sasuke stated with narrowed eyes.

"He-he. True. They could do that. But it doesn't happen very often." Kosuke began explaining. "First, it wouldn't be hard to find it out. In my case, those who know of me – know that I'm also a Genin. Second of all, if it ever happens, the purpose of the exams is the advancement of a certain Genin or Genins to a final round. But also for the various clients and nobility to be entertained, as well as to show them the strength of the shinobi they could hire for whatever reason they need to. Placing a higher-ranked shinobi into the exams can't be hidden forever. It would cause a village to lose a face in that case. The Bloody Mist did that few times in the past, but their reputation was already at it's lowest. Making it all meaningless in a larger scale of things." Kosuke explained to Sasuke.

Naruto stretched his muscles as he rose up to stand. "You can test yourself against the other contestants when the time comes, Sasuke. For now, I'd like to spar with uncle Kosuke. I haven't done that in months." He said with a grin.

"Hn. Do as you wish." Sasuke shrugged it nonchalantly, but his mood soured right away as the haunted look appeared in his eyes. "By the way, I'll leave earlier today..."

"Is everything okay?" Naruto asked, not looking at Sasuke, but simply tightening the bandages on his arms.

There was a moment of silence before Sasuke said in a low tone, his eyes filled with various emotions as Naruto took a good look at him. Sadness, bitterness and hatred. "...Tomorrow is the day... The anniversary..."

Naruto stopped his movements in an instant, a memory returning to his head as he looked at the ground with narrowed eyes. "Right... The massacre..." He said lowly, turning his attention towards Sasuke, shooting him a look of pity. A look that Sasuke didn't pay attention to, as he was still lost his thoughts. Due to his own pride, but perhaps even general personality, Sasuke requested that the day of the massacre not be an official day of mourning in the village. Naruto understood his reason, and even supported them.

Given the fact it is tomorrow, no wonder he was all so gloomy this morning...

The Uchiha nodded as he stood up. "I won't be coming to train tomorrow. If you see Kakashi before I do, tell him he should first inform us he won't be there, so we don't waste our time."

Naruto's face morphed into a minor scowl from a look of pity right away. "I will..."

Sasuke was hard to get along with, and one always needed to be careful about what he should say around him. Still, he should not discard uncle Kosuke's help when he offered him. Seeing his surrogate uncle not bothered by his words, Naruto let the matter go. He still recalled a memory when one of their Academy's classmates said something inappropriate regarding the Uchiha's in front of Sasuke.

Ironically, there were no girls back then, as they had a class of their own. And the image of a silent boy needing their love was preserved, as no-one spoke about it ever again. But the memory of the angry Sasuke needing to be restrained from nearly killing their classmate was probably imprinted into every boy's mind back then. Not that Sasuke could beat him, but provocating on that ground was unnecessary and shameful.

As Sasuke left the training ground, Naruto turned to Kosuke. "Sorry about that. Sasuke can rather be... very unsociable, sometimes."

Kosuke waved it off. "Don't worry Naruto-kun, I understand his feelings very well."

"Still, he should be more considerate to others." And respectful.

"Everyone has their own day when they are something they are not, Sasuke-san has his own in turn." Kosuke said, continuing. "But now I'd like to see how your kenjutsu training has been going." As soon as he said that, Naruto unleashed the Nidaime's Sword of the Thunder God, deflecting Kosuke's attack.

"Careful not to get too dependent on that sword. Any blade can be broken if you know how to do it." Kosuke said, smiling, slipping his sword down and going for another slash, one that Naruto deflected again.

"Oh, don't worry about that. The only reason I'm using it is because my ninjatō was left home." Naruto said, smirking. "But don't worry, I won't be using any of its abilities, so just imagine it's a regular sword, like yours."

"I doubt that's possible. Whenever I see you with it, it's like I'm looking at the past." Kosuke said with a nostalgic smile.

Naruto returned the smile, but said nothing in turn. He was proud of the fact that he was compared to his ancestor. The only thing he wanted was to one day reach the level of experience and the abilities Tobirama had.

They continued with a sword-to-sword fight for a time. Despite not having a suitable partner to spar for the past few months, Naruto did keep up with his training. His clones were helpful as always.

They went up to spar for another half hour or so, when a hawk was noticed circling in the sky above them.

"It seems I'm summoned for by Hiruzen, Naruto-kun. We will continue our training tomorrow." Kosuke said.

"Sure thing, I'll train a bit more before going home."

"Just make sure you don't overdo it." Kosuke said with a smile and then left.

Training on one of the training grounds was lacking on this occasion. Deciding to train with his affinities a bit more, Naruto went towards the secluded river pathway with a canyon to the north-east of his position.

The canyon of the Naka River in Konoha was a rather secluded place, located in the eastern side of the village. The north-eastern side to be more precise.

As soon as he got there, he took a look at the river torrent below him.

This won't do. He thought as he looked down. The river's passage was too small for it to be of any use. Originally, he considered using the Wind element to create something from the water, but the more he looked below, the solution for another problem of his arose within his mind.

The river flew fast towards its destination. And a single point in the torrent could not be traced with a clear eye of the civilians – unlike the way shinobi could. As soon as the person would lay an eye on one point, in a matter of micro-seconds, it would disappear to whatever way it went.

The start and the destination.

"Heh." Naruto exclaimed with a smile as the idea came to his mind. For too long he contemplated the real idea behind the Flying Thunder God, but all it took was observing the flow of nature.

Still, he decided to train with his affinities a bit more. The Flying Thunder God would come later.

He jumped down on a rock in the middle of the river.

He spent the next few hours practicing various techniques, having a short pause after each one. The river was fast, but he did eventually manage to take the surrounding water with his Wind chakra into a minor vortex. However, he did not feel any different, and the vortex itself wasn't particularly strong, in addition to being a waste of time trying to make one on a river. In the end, Naruto decided to move from those notions and continue practicing his

Focusing on the surrounding water that flew down, Naruto went through the few hand signs, exclaiming the technique once everything was in its place. "Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"

The massive vortex of water broke through the river's flow, rising up and being sent towards the opposite direction to where it came from.

For a mere moment before the river's torrent returned to its place, Naruto caught a glimpse of a sealing paper that was placed on the rock below him.

Hmm. Naruto mused inwardly, moving his hand into the water that filled the previously empty space to pluck the seal from the rock.

"Soul–Body Separation Technique." Naruto said as he looked at the paper in his hand, immediately recognizing it. But as he looked at the paper, he saw that it was damaged beyond any use or repair. The lower part of it was shredded for a bit, but the upper half remained visible.

Kisuke. Someone sealed this Kisuke's soul away. Naruto did not know the man, but he realized the implication of this right away.

The man was as good as dead, for his soul would remain trapped in this piece of damaged paper.

"Damn it!" He muttered, before placing his index finger on top of the rock as he knelt – proceeding to extend his senses on the surrounding areas.

Nothing. He did not sense anyone in the nearby radius. Not a single trace of any faint chakra, except for the various other chakra signatures, which didn't add much to his clues.

Kisuke's body was already dead, most likely. Or it sunken somewhere within the village and someone found him. Hopefully.

Naruto decided to go to the village and consider his option along the way. He opted for not involving Sasuke or uncle Kosuke into this. There was no need to do it.

As he reached one tower of the village, he considered his options on what to do

His first option was to go to the old man and report this. But knowing he was probably at the meeting with the Daimyō, it wouldn't be of any use. The archives would be pointless, as he did not know how the man looked like in the first place.

Naruto looked around the village. It was nearing the evening, many people were walking through the streets. But among them, he saw a familiar head. One that he hadn't spoken to in a long time.

She could help.

Sakura walked towards the hospital through the bustling streets of the village. She forgot one of the books at her training room when she went home for the day. Shaking her head at such lack of diligence at the same time, along the way.

Her training was going well. The seniors at the hospital were very polite and helpful. And she was hoping to become just like them. She saw the look of content and happiness whenever they would help a patient, but also a look of gratefulness from the patients as well.

The week has already passed since she began her initial training. And two weeks since the Wave mission. The unpleasant memories of that incident did not fade, but it did strengthen her resolve.

For the first few days after her former team returned to the village, Sakura did not dare to leave her room – opting to stay in her bed and let her tears dry. Her mother got restless with her behavior and demanded an explanation, one that she eventually got, but a pretty lacking report. As Sakura had to omit many of the things that happened during the mission.

However, explaining everything to her mother, helped her in making a decision on where should her life go on. Her mother was supportive. Ecstatic better said, on the notion that her daughter could become a medic-nin. Apparently, it was a more noble calling for someone like her.

As she walked towards her destination, her thoughts drifted to her former team. She hadn't seen either Naruto or Sasuke since she day she left the Hokage's Tower. She met Kakashi-sensei when he accompanied her to the hospital, intending to introduce her to the staff there. Or he just wanted an excuse to talk with the nurses there? She quickly shook her head, dispelling those thoughts.

Ino has pestered her for a whole afternoon the day after she started her training at the hospital. Asking her various questions on why did she decided to quit the regular shinobi duties in the first place. Sakura did not say everything to her. A blabbermouth that she was, Ino would most likely spread the gossip around the village. And that snake Ami would most likely gloat in satisfaction at Sakura's 'fall from grace' as Ino eloquently called it.

Fall from Sasuke's grace.

Sakura did not consider it as one. As she was never in his grace in the first place. A failed mission to the Wave certainly helped shape a new worldview for her. And that included a previous reassessment of the last Uchiha. She wasn't sure if she was ever truly in love with him. Whatever her previous feelings were, she was not sure if she held them any longer.

As she thought about it again, Sakura came to realize how shallow she acted around him sometimes. No wonder he couldn't stand the sight of me.

And lastly, her thoughts drifted to her last teammate, one that gave reasons for her fears of shinobi life, and for her tears the days following the return to the village. She did not hate Naruto, but after witnessing the power and hatred of his tenant in the Wave, she was not sure if she would ever forget the feeling from back then.

The sheer amount of chakra he emanated was nothing but exceptional. But it was not something which presence she wanted to feel ever again.

"Sakura." Sakura heard the voice speaking behind her. She promptly turned around to see her former teammate, Naruto, standing behind her.

She already walked into the street which led towards the hospital. And as it wasn't in the center of the village, there weren't many heads walking around to notice them.

"Naruto?" She spoke in a whisper, her eyes widened. She quickly reminded herself that the fox and Naruto were two different things. No beings. Naruto is a human being, just like she is.

"I can't say we haven't seen each other in a long time, but it's good to see you again." He said with a thin smile on his face.

"Uhm. I'm in a bit of a hurry, Naruto, we can speak some other time, if that's okay with you?" Sakura hastily said, shakenly, turning around and proceeding to walk faster. Or so she wanted. Naruto quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"It's not okay, actually. I need your help right now." Naruto said to her with a serious expression, quickly replacing the smiling one from a moment ago.

Sakura tensed for a moment, but reluctantly nodded in agreement. "What do you need help with?"

And so Naruto began explaining to her why he needed her.

The Konoha's hospital

"This way." Sakura said as she led him through the halls of the hospital, not turning her face to him for a second.

He stopped her again, just like back on the streets. "Sakura." He began. "I can understand your fear." Naruto said. "Somewhat." He added when he saw she would not turn around. She still did not turn around. "And I don't blame you for it." It's not like I have a reason to. "But I assure you I have a fox under control."

"You wish!" The Kyūbi snarled within his mind, but Naruto ignored it.

"And I won't repeat the same thing like what happened in the Wave. I promise."

"I understand." Sakura slowly nodded, turning back to him, but the fear and tense look in her eyes did not disappear. Naruto was thankful that she was willing to give him a chance. "By the way, why did you come up to me? Wouldn't it be better if you went to Kakashi-sensei, or even the Hokage-sama in the first place?" She asked as they continued their walk towards the room.

"The old man is currently with the Feudal Lord, I think. Kakashi-sensei is the same for that matter." Naruto said to her as they continued their walk. "You're the first person I know that I met on the streets, and I had a feeling I shouldn't waste any time."

Sakura said nothing as they walked further down the hallway. And they soon arrived at their destination. A moment before that, Sakura told him how they found Kisuke in the first place.

"A shinobi patrol in the village found him being stuck by some branches in the river, so they brought him here." Sakura said, her previously fearful face turning to the one of confusion. "But from what some nurses said... Nothing could wake him up. The most confusing part is, not even a Yamanaka nurse could enter his mind and read his memories of what happened. It was like... there were none." Sakura looked at him as she finished her thoughts.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he added his own theory. "It's not like they could. The sealing-paper that sealed his soul took away his memories as well, along with his spiritual body."

"You said you have the paper? Maybe we could wake him up with it." Sakura said with a hopeful expression, but Naruto interjected her.

"The seal was heavily damaged. On purpose. Whoever did it, must have had a reason to not want this man to return to our world."

He paused for a moment.

"He probably wasn't sure what would have happen if he destroyed the formula, so he opted on just damaging it. Two negatives equals a positive after all."

"So if the suspect who used the formula in the first place simply destroyed it – he would have undone his initial work?" Sakura asked him.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Possibly. Maybe. I don't know." He admitted with an annoyed look. "I only know of this technique in the first place, but I don't know the side-notes of 'what-ifs'."

"So there is something that even you don't know of?" Sakura said, a small smile morphing on her face. "You know... I always thought you had an answer for everything."

"Well. Though luck this time." Naruto said, annoyed, getting a short laugh from Sakura.

"We're here."

Something is not right. Naruto thought as his senses rilled up as soon as they reached the doors to Kisuke's room in the hospital. There was another person in there. He placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder, an action which startled her for a moment.

"Naruto?" Sakura said as she turned her head around.

"Wait." Naruto simply said. The figure behind the doors opened it, revealing the young man with light blue hair and eyes. And a Jōnin's vest on himself, revealing his high rank in Konoha's hierarchy.

Despite the Academy teaching the future generations the chain of command and the respect necessary when addressing one's seniors, Naruto couldn't help himself to trust the man in front of him. His senses warned him not to trust him. And he wouldn't in any case. The man's chakra reeked of malicious intent. A look of disdain on his face said enough of him if one couldn't sense his chakra.

And Naruto knew that look all too well. A look of hate from a person who lost someone from the

Kyūbi's attack on the village thirteen years ago.

That would have angered Naruto early on in his life, but he learned not to be bothered by those looks anymore. The disdainful look was the least of his concerns.

"Uhm... Wh-" Sakura began, but Naruto shushed her quickly, grabbing the hold of her shoulder with his left hand and moving her behind him. Sometimes it puzzled Naruto how innocent she could sound. Kisuke was dead, the ECG beeped a continuous line behind the unknown man, indicating that the heart of Kisuke did not beat anymore.

"What did you do to him?" Naruto asked the man, looking straight-up into his eyes. The Sword of the Thunder God was at his belt, a mere inches from his right hand, being ready to be used. But as he considered his options if it came to the fight, Naruto discarded that route. Making sure that Sakura stays alive was his current priority.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The blue-haired man said with a fake smile. "I merely visited my old friend, once I heard he got into the hospital to see if he's well. Tough, by the looks of it, he doesn't seem too well."

"Wait, that sound!" Sakura said behind him, finally noticing it. Naruto turned to look at her, telling her to stay silent. But as he did that, the man in front of them revealed the kunai from his sleeve, taking the hold of it, and moving to stab it into Naruto's head.

Unfortunately for him, Naruto was quick to notice his moves right away, and was ready to counter his attack.

He moved his head slightly to the right, grabbing the blue-haired man's hand with both of his own.

As soon as Naruto saw the attack was coming, he kneaded the chakra in his body, transformed it into the water, and shaped it into senbon as he grabbed the enemy's hand.

Heavenly Weeping! Naruto thought inwardly as he shoot the senbon needles towards his attacker from his mouth. The traitor unfortunately quickly noticed it and simply lowered his head, deflecting the senbons with his forehead protector. The sounds of senbons clashing with the steel filled the air, after which they fell to the ground.

Naruto let go of the rogue-nin's arm, jumping back and picking Sakura up, proceeding to jump the right side of the hallway again.

The whole affair happened in mere seconds, leaving Sakura perplexed.

"Wh-why did he attacked us!? Naruto?" She asked, both confused and afraid.

Naruto did not manage to answer her as four kunai's were sent flying to their direction. Quickly moving through the hand signs, Naruto exclaimed:

Wind Release: Gale Palm!

The kunai's, which were lighted with the explosive tags, returned to the attacker, exploding a moment before they reached him back. The walls and roof around the enemy crumbled, and the light in the entire hallway disappeared. The air was filled with smoke from the explosive, as well as from the dust of the levered walls and the roof.

"Khm. Khm. Khm." Sakura coughed as Naruto held her in his arms.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

"I... I think so... Naruto. Why did he attack us?" She asked once she took a hold of herself.

"Because he's a traitor. That's why." He bluntly answered her. He sensed the man rising from the smoke at that moment. "And he's about to do it again!" Naruto quickly said, making two shadow clones in an instant. The two shadow clones grabbed Sakura and went back to the center of the hospital without a uttering a word.

"He-Hey!" Sakura squealed as they took her. But they disappeared from his sight soon after.

Naruto in the meantime unleashed his ancestor's sword and slashed at his attacker. It was not to be. However. As the enemy quickly used the replacement with the nearby fire extinguisher. Naruto in the end cut through the fire extinguisher with the Sword of the Thunder God, releasing the sodium bicarbonate in the air.

In a matter of seconds, Naruto turned off the Nidaime's sword, grabbing it with his teeth, and then going through the few hand signs.

Swift Wind Wall!

A wall of wind surrounded him, pushing back both the previous smoke from the explosion, and now the substance from the fire extinguisher.

As the wall of wind protected him for ten seconds or so, Naruto sensed his attacker fleeing the scene, probably towards the mountains behind the Hokage's Rock. It was the easiest way to escape the village, even if one would need to bypass any patrols there, and in the surrounding countryside.

Dispersing the wall of wind around him, Naruto received the memories of one of the two clones who escorted Sakura, at the same time. She was safe, and the other clone was explaining the situation to the medics at the main hall. A large commotion arose with the explosion and more people would come here soon. But at least there wouldn't be more victims.

Naruto jumped through the open roof and went to chase after the enemy. The sun was already setting, and if he wasn't fast, the traitor would flee the village. Unpunished.

He made another clone, and jumped towards the direction when he went, intending to capture him alive.

Vengeance.

That was all that Sabiru thought about. Vengeance for his dead parents and siblings that went unpunished. The Kyūbi incarnate walked free, while his parents lay dead. On top of all of that, the kind old Hokage himself always loved parading that demon brat around the village. Showcasing him as a victim, and not those who suffered from the attack of that stupid fox.

It all boiled down as time went on. The brat graduated from the Academy with the highest score. Rivaled only by the Yondaime Hokage and Uchiha Itachi. It made Sabiru angry. Angry with a cry of vengeance, and angry with jealousy.

He was an orphan as well. Everyone he loved died from the attack thirteen years ago. But no one paid any attention to his accomplishments. Everyone praised the demon brat, and how he will bring glory to Konoha one day.

And maybe even become a Hokage in his own right.

It made Sabiru angry how some of his so-called friends could so easily forget what the demon actually was. Forget about everything.

In the end, it made Sabiru forget about the loyalty to Konoha. Wishing upon its destruction for their idiocy.

He was always courteous to give a polite smile whenever the talk about the Kyūbi brat was in place. Less to make someone suspicious of him.

But it was all in vain. For one of Orochimaru's lackeys noticed him, and offered him a deal. A deal he couldn't. And shouldn't refuse. Kabuto did not know of his real goals. Only that he is an ambitious young man who thinks that the ideology of peaceful coexistence that Konoha preached was worthless and stupid.

Or perhaps he knew, but did not care, as long as he did his task. Perhaps it was because Kabuto did not fully trust him. He never mentioned the purpose of changing the parameters of Konoha's northern border patrols, or location of Orochimaru. But it wasn't too hard to figure it all out.

I might need to call for aid from Kabuto if it gets too hard. Prodigy or not. Naruto was very strong for him to handle all alone. Maybe if he killed him and released the Kyūbi, he could destroy Konoha without any interference from Orochimaru? The possibilities were endless.

He stopped running once he arrived to the nearby forest behind the village. "This should be enough." He noticed Naruto coming out of the hospital's roof from the distance few moments ago, and would most likely follow him until he captured.

Don't get too cocky!

"The mission is compromised." He said to himself once he placed the final sealing tag at its place. Once he got rid off the Kyūbi brat, the pink-haired bitch would be next. Would have to be next! If she did not already blabbered him to the others.

And the moment after, Naruto appeared not far from his position.

"Took you long enough. It seems that the others were wrong about your prowess." Sabiru said smirking, looking straight at Naruto, who stood on one branch of a tree not far from him. But too far from a trap he made. I just need him to come a little closer.

Naruto on the other hand had a mask of indifference on his face. Like he did not consider him worthy of anything else.

"Why did you kill Kisuke?" Naruto asked out of blue.

"Because I could. That's why!" Sabiru answered, with a smirk still on his face. The answer did not get any sort of reaction from Naruto, so Sabiru decided to poke him more. "Did you knew him, by any chance?"

But no answer came, and that annoyed Sabiru who scowled.

"You always carry yourself as if the others don't matter at all. Don't you?" The others did not matter. And Sabiru did not care for that. He stopped caring long time ago. "I guess that could be expected from a harborer of the Kyūbi? Am I right?"

And that got the attention from the brat. Naruto jumped forward to land near his position, but the midway through, Sabiru jumped back, going through the few hand signs.

"Sealed Binding Formation!"

The sealing tags on the trees lighted and activated, stopping Naruto in his movements the moment he jumped to the ground where he previously stood.

Sabiru landed on the closest tree.

"I admit I expected more from the newest Konoha's prodigy." Sabiru said as he looked down at Naruto who was snarling in anger as he couldn't move. "But I guess it doesn't matter in the end, doesn't it? As soon as I finish you, your pink-haired friend will be next."

He jumped down from the tree and started walking slowly towards Naruto who still couldn't move due to the restraints from his sealing tags.

"Well then. The time for vengeance has come I suppose." Sabiru said plainly as he walked closer. He drew another kunai from his pouch and went to slice Naruto's head off, but the moment before he approached a smirk morphed on Naruto's face.

"It has." That caught Sabiru by surprise, but he widened his eyes as he sensed the chakra rilling up in Naruto, nearly enveloping him in an explosion. One that he managed to evade in the last second, but not without suffering slight wounds on his body.

A wind slash. He moved both of his hands on whatever wound he could, just to stop the bleeding.

"But not for me." Siad Naruto, who appeared unscathed on the ground not far from him.

"I see..." Sabiru said, growling as he rose up. "You used a wind element in conjunction with the Great Clone Explosion to trick me."

"Bingo." Naruto was smiling mockingly at him.

Wretched bastard. Sabiru thought as he stood at his battle position. "Killing those Academy students a few years ago must have given you some ideas?"

A few moments ago, when he compared him with the Kyūbi, at least he got an angry and impulsive reaction. Now. However, all he got was a cheeky smirk and a satisfied remark. "Plenty of them."

That confidence annoyed him to no end.

"You're wrong if you think I'll lose so easily. I wasn't made a Jōnin for nothing." He said in a brave tone, but the belief in his own bravery was slowly fading, just like the blood from his wounds.

"Oh. I wasn't hoping either." Naruto said as he stood in his one pose. Still with a smile on his face. One that Sabiru did not know of. "I don't know what beef you had with Kisuke. But whatever it was you'll answer for killing him."

"Then bring it on demon brat." Sabiru said, but he did not wait for Naruto to attack, for he did it himself first.

It wasn't too hard to follow the traitor of Konoha. Naruto's sensory ability could sense far and wide. And once he noticed that his target stopped moving in the forest, Naruto could easily deduce he was making a trap.

For that reason, he made another shadow clone to gouge out his opponent's abilities first. As soon as the clone arrived at the forest he easily noticed the hidden sealing tags on few trees. With nothing to lose, he engaged him in combat, dispelling with the clone explosion technique, combined with the wind element. Similar to when he used it on the playground at the age of six, that even his victim noticed – trying to poke a reaction of displeasure, or even impulsiveness that would give him leverage in the following fight. But he would be damned if he allowed it.

"Then bring it on demon brat." The enemy said, ending their short conversation – leaping forward to attack him, ignoring his own words.

The skirmish was a bit different than the one at the hospital. Naruto could see that the man was badly injured, having a few visible wounds on his body. As the fight continued, the enemy was getting tired more and more.

At one point he jumped backward, going through the few hand signs along the way.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" He exclaimed, sending a moderate-sized ball of fire towards Naruto.

Naruto in turn did not waste any time. Going through his own hand signs, he molded the chakra in his body, spitting the stream of water from his mouth in the end.

Water Release: Water Formation Wall!

That put to stop the fire attack, but just as he stopped the elemental attack – Naruto sensed the thinnest bits of foreign chakra trying to invade his body.

Flaring his own chakra in turn, Naruto stopped the genjutsu from taking over him, even if he doubted that any sort of lower-level illusion would have a use against him.

And at that moment, his opponent emerged from the smoke that evaporated the air in front of him, with a kunai in his hand – intending to stab Naruto straight into his eyes. Yet, as the wounds still held firm on his body, it was easy for Naruto to evade the attack by simply moving his head leftwards.

The moment he did that, he grabbed the attackers hand and sent a kick with his knee to his abdomen.

The blue-haired traitor whimpered in pain as he struggled to get the air to his body. The strike was so strong that he did not bother holding his stomach with his arms as the natural senses left his body along with the air.

"Aghh..." He continued breathing erratically, falling on his knees, his eyes widened as the realization of what happened, came up to him. "I will...I will..." He repeated, moving his right hand to grab a kunai that was laying on the ground beside him.

Naruto kicked kunai away, flying before looking down at his beaten opponent. "Don't even think about it. Accept your punishment like a man." The old man coming. Naruto could sense it, along with a squadron of his shinobi. The ANBU's and Kakashi-sensei. The clone that warned the old man of what happened has dispelled the moment the clone that engaged the traitor was dispelled.

The information from him returned to Naruto, and he did not fight the smile from appearing on his face from the memory of the bedazzled Daimyō and his court.

"Sabiru!" The old man said as he appeared with his men behind Naruto. Naruto turned around and could see that his face was stern and angry. And the air around them got heavy. Naruto never felt this presence of the Sandaime before. Not even during their spar a few months back. But now he understood why he got his reputation.

"Sa-Sandaime?" The man, apparently named Sabiru whispered in fear.

"What is the meaning of this? Explain!" Short and simple.

But Sabiru could not say anything, he was too afraid to speak. His eyes were constantly wavering in fear. He knew the end was near. Peaceful and sometimes tolerant Konoha could be, but it did not mean they wouldn't execute the traitor when one appeared or the opportunity arrived. Or that they could gift them as a plaything to the Torture and Interrogation Division.

"The demon brat attacked me in the hospital Hokage-sama! He pursued me all the way here..." Sabiru said at the fast rate, as Naruto snorted at his foolish words. His lies were interrupted by the Hokage.

"You really expect me to believe that? Come on. Shikaku would not place you into his division if you would use such a lame excuse." The old man almost sounded bored. "Now... Why did you murder Maboroshi Kisuke, after attempting to kill him once before?"

Apparently, Sabiru did not deign to answer that, as his breathing stabilized. He gulped once, as he looked at Sarutobi in the eyes. Naruto could see his eyes moving wildly in one place, whilst looking at the old man. It was like he lost a touch with reality.

"You know... I think that is a really good question, Sandaime-sama." Sabiru spoke with a sly smile on his face. He moved the fingers of his right hand to his right arm, whipping a trace of blood that was there. Naruto kept silent once the old man came, stepping aside, and letting his ANBU surround the traitor.

The old man sighed. "You can act like a fool as much as you want, though, I doubt Ibiki will be kind to you if you continue doing it. Take him away."

"Yes, sir." The two ANBU's grabbed him and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Followed by another two ANBU to be there just in case.

Only Naruto, Kakashi, the Hokage, and another two ANBU's remained there in the clearing.

The old man was still having a stern look on his face, and Naruto had a hard time deducing what he was actually thinking. After a moment, he took a good look at the surroundings where the battle between Naruto and Sabiru was fought, and he cracked a small smile in his direction. "Good job, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled at the praise, as Kakashi-sensei also placed a hand on his shoulders gifting him one of his eye smiles. "Well done."

"Eh. Thanks." Naruto said, contently. "By the way, I'm sorry I had to break your banquet with the Daimyō and his court. Though it did not look like either of you enjoyed it that much."

"Heh. I think only Hiashi and the other Hyūga's did." Sarutobi said with a smile. "Sorry I had to summon Kosuke away from your training today. The Daimyō wanted to meet with him as well. He's an avid fan of the older generations."

"Sounds like a tedious business. You really have to entertain the Feudal Lord's court, don't you?" Naruto asked as he took down his headband, wiping out the sweat that concentrated on his head. A long shower was something he avidly missed now. As well as a long and peaceful sleep.

"A small token of our gratitude to them. The Capital did not need to support us financially, or with food during the past wars, but they did anyway. No reason to break that bond now. As you don't know when the next war will emerge. You should never forget that, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded.

"Now." Sarutobi began again as he came close to him. Expecting a pat on his head, he was caught by surprise as Sarutobi pulled his left ear, holding it as he spoke. "I hope in the future, this reminds you to come to me first if you ever discover a spy. We were lucky this time, but if the other villages ever infiltrate one of their own, they will do it with someone much stronger than Sabiru."

"I understand." Naruto said quietly.

"But good job, nonetheless." Sarutobi said as he let go of his ear, giving a small smile in return.

He simply smiled again at the praise. "I should be going home now. Sensei, I think someone should check on Sakura to see if she's okay. She wasn't hurt or anything, but it's better if someone explains everything to her."

"I'll be sure to do it." Kakashi said, who watched the entire affair in silence. "By the way... How did Sasuke reacted to our new teammate? I forgot to tell him yesterday." Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Or this morning..."

"I think he was content. Though, he was wroth with you for not tell him beforehand."

Kakashi sighed. "I'll make amends some other time."

Naruto waved it off. "I'll see you some other time sensei. Old man." He gave both of them a short nod before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

The Senju clan compound, 11:50 PM

A sealing tag warned him that someone channeled chakra to the outer walls of the main residence, and Naruto walked towards them to see who it was. He decided against simply sensing who it was, more so because he was genuinely curious at seeing a rare visitor to his home. And in a rare childish moment of his, he wanted to be surprised. In any case. Whoever it was – he knew who lived here

Rubbing a towel over his head, drying his hair after a shower, Naruto walked slowly, thinking about everything that happened as soon as he arrived back at the village. A day since he arrived, and the following, he discovered a traitor to Konoha. It made him think about the reason why Sabiru would try and betray the village.

"Well then. The time for vengeance has come I suppose." Those were the Sabiru's words during the fight. Naruto shook his head and sighed as he walked further towards the residence's gate. The guy must have lost someone during the attack, and seeing Naruto walk through the village without anyone's care in his mind must have made him resentful towards his own home. I should talk with the old man regarding that.

Many people had lost their loved ones back then, but outright vengeful attack has never happened. Granted, Sabiru never attacked him on the streets directly, but the basis of that hatred gave birth to something more sinister. Something that in the end ruined the man's life.

Naruto wondered if there were others whose lives were destroyed because they allowed their hatred of him to overwhelm their common sense.

Soon after he reached the gate. Opening it, he saw Sakura standing there, looking around at the buildings night-covered buildings.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked, getting her to turn around and greet him with a smile. "What are you doing here this late?"

"I...I wanted to say thanks. For saving me today." Naruto waved it off.

"I got you into that trouble in the first place. No need to thank me." He answered with a shy smile.

Sakura shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You still saved me, so thank you."

The silence stretched, and the only sound that could be heard were those of the owls, but the sounds of the people in the distance could also be heard.

"Uhm... Would you like to enter, perhaps? I can make us some tea if you'd like?"

"Sure." She said, still smiling.

As they walked towards the building. "We'll have to sit outside. The house is protected with seals preventing those not of my clan from entering inside."

"I see..." She said, seemingly understanding what she meant.

"How did you know I live here, anyway?" He never mentioned that to her. For all she knew, he could live anywhere else in the village.

"Kakashi-sensei checked on me about an hour ago. He also told me where you lived once I asked him."

"So I assume this little visit has a bigger meaning?" Naruto asked as they reached the stairs towards the engawa.

"Well... I wanted to say my thanks first, but also to apologize..." Sakura said, her eyes looking down, as if in shame.

Naruto looked at her thoughtfully before speaking the following:

"Wait there, I'll be back in five minutes."

When he returned with the tea, he saw Sakura sitting down near the edge of engawa, looking towards the stars.

"Here." Naruto said as he offered her own cup of tea.

"Thanks."

"So..." Naruto began. "I'm not sure about what you're apologizing. I don't think you've ever wronged me in any way." He knew the reason why she came, it was clear as day, but for the sake of lifting the awkward mood, he went along it, by pretending to be 'clueless'.

Sakura looked at him with narrowed eyes, feeling insulted at his words. Naruto allowed a small smile to grace his face seeing her reaction.

"I'm not stupid, Naruto. And neither are you for that matter." She took one gulp from the cup before continuing. "I'm sorry with the way I reacted when I found out about the Kyūbi and you... you know, with the way I was afraid around you today when you came to me..."

Naruto remained silent, allowing Sakura to continue, but she did not. She just continued looking distantly not knowing what to say else. Again, Naruto decided to break the silence.

"Sakura, listen. I'm not angry with you or anything. To be honest, I expected that reaction from you, and with the way you learned of it, I thought you would cut all ties with me no matter what."

"It's not like I didn't try..." She said with a bitter smile.

"In any case, I was hated by many villagers, some outright showed their disdain, even before... well you know what I'm talking about."

She nodded, seemingly getting what he was saying.

"So if the others reacted with the way you do, I'd be much happier." Naruto confessed.

"You want for people to be afraid of you?" She asked, disbelievingly.

"It's better than having them giving you those ugly looks." Naruto said sarcastically. She got the wrong message. "There are benefits of having others afraid of you. But as I said, better that, than being the receiving one at the end of the stick."

She nodded in understanding. "I wonder how'll they react once they found out you're the Yondaime's son. Do you think you'll have some fangirls of your own?"

"Who knows?" Naruto said as he leaned to the wall, shrugging his shoulders. "I may already have them in Kumo and Iwa."

"Huh?" Sakura asked, confused. And Naruto proceeded to explain to her how he already got to the Bingo Book.

"So early..." She said in a quiet tone.

"Lucky me." He smiled.

"Are you afraid perhaps?"

"To be honest with you, no. I'm not afraid. Though, there is a certain sense of thrill at knowing other villages are having their eyes on you..." He suspected that his 'alliance' with the Kyūbi might have a subtle influence on the making of his inner peace. But Sakura did not need to know that.

Sakura decided to change the subject. "Weren't you ever bother of living here by yourself?" She asked as she looked at the compound in front of them that was basically empty.

"Sometimes..." Naruto muttered. "But I wasn't always alone, as I had few people who took care of me. I will, however, need to restock this place one day. Just like Sasuke will need his own." Sakura's cheeks turned into a shade of red for a brief moment at hearing his comment.

"Speaking of Sasuke..." Naruto noticed that she dropped the usual honorific she had for the last loyal Uchiha. "How did he react to everything about you?"

Naruto shrugged. "You know him. Mostly aloof, and not caring about it. Though he was a bit curious at one point. Why?"

She looked away from him then. "No particular reason."

Naruto raised his eyebrow at her response. "You don't like him anymore, do you?"

She sat there silently, not answering, so Naruto decided to poke her a bit. "Sakura, I'm afraid I don't see you that way either."

That got an angry response from her. One that he did not see since the days from the Academy and her bickering with Ino. "And I don't see you that way either you idiot!" Naruto simply laughed at her response, causing her to calm down a bit.

"I...I don't think I do. I'm not sure I ever did in reality. It was just a simple crush, you know." She said blushing, embarrassed about her previous behavior.

"Well... I think it's better that way. Sasuke might be my teammate, but I doubt you'd find any romantic happiness with him in a relationship."

"What do you know about romance, Naruto? From what I know you have never shown any interest to any girls in our class?"

Neither did Sasuke for that matter. Naruto thought. "It's not like any of you fit my criteria for a Senju matriarch."

"And what is this criteria you speak of?" Sakura asked, a bit annoyed and insulted.

Once again, Naruto shrugged his arms. "I have no idea."

It seems that his ominous answer annoyed her even more, but she decided to let it go before another outburst. "I should go, my parents will worry, especially if they hear about the explosion at the hospital."

Naruto stood up as well, following Sakura's action. "Don't worry. I know how to leave." She said.

He hummed in response.

"Thank you once again for saving me, Naruto. See you some other time." She said before jumping off in the distance.

Naruto watched her leave before sitting and leaning onto the walls once again. He thought about many things. About the battle with Sabiru, and how indirectly he might have had a hand in his moral demise in addition to a physical one.

About how Sakura came to accept him for who he was. Something he did not think would happen any time soon. But as the old saying went on.

Good things come to those who are good.

And lastly, as many times before, he thought about his future. With an unofficial bounty on his head, he could never know what the tomorrow morning would bring.

As he sat outside, looking at the stars above him, Naruto looked at the walls of his house. The safety of the seals around his home looked more beautiful than ever, even if they were not visible at the moment. He knew they were there. His guardians.

My bed must be crying for my body right now... Naruto stood up and picked up the two cups, moving into the house, and going to sleep. He would have to get up early anyway. And sleep was paramount at the moment.

Author's Note:

(1)In one chapter of the manga, Tobirama mentioned that he saw Sasuke's manipulation with Amaterasu before. I get it that there are various translations out there, but given the fact that Izuna also awakened Mangekyō... I'm giving him Amaterasu here for now.

(2)I get it that in the novel, from where I took it, the Typhoon Release exists. But for the sake of something I'm planning to do, I'm discarding that here. The book in question is Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise for those interested. I have in mind how it will be different than the standard wind, but I won't have it in use just yet. I originally intended something else to be Naruto's bloodline, but it wouldn't just work like that, and I'll leave that for the end. But whatever I planned at first will still have its own role.

This chapter had a few important purposes. One is that I wanted to formally introduce the new member of Team 7. The second was that I wanted to set in motion a change that will happen later when the time of the invasion starts. As well as to start something with one certain technique.

I don't think there is a problem if Kosuke temporarily joins the Team 7. I saw a similar case in another story long ago, though, I forgot the name of it. And there were no problems with it.

And Sabiru is still alive, but not for long. As for whether he'll reveal much or not. It will be explained later on. He worked for Orochimaru, just like in his filler episode, but here he's captured and whatever happens to him will have its consequences.

I will be using some filler character for certain stuff, as it is much better in my opinion than creating too many OC's.

As for the masks from the temples... I have some ideas in my head on how to use them. But they will be largely irrelevant for now.

And that would be it for this chapter. 16.000+ words. Thank you for reading, and I apologize for the delay, due to my exams. As I'm done with them for this year, I'm having the next few months free to focus on this fic.

~HyperboreanRealist