Title: What could've been
Author: Kurotsuki-Tenchi
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: NaruXHina,
Genre: Action, Romance and a little bit of comedy.
Rated: M for Language, violence, and sexual content.

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters and stuff belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and therefore can only make make believe stories about them and dream about them being real. Sigh.

Authors Note: This chapter seems rushed and not as detailed as it could be, but I just couldn't work on it anymore. I literally hit the wall with this one, and I almost tossed it. (Would have if I didn't have to retype it if I did that.) So here it is, chapter 13. Please enjoy!

Daishiro of the Kiyomizu clan was one of the most emotionless ninja in existence. He didn't let emotions interfere in his work, whether it was assassination, courier, or just protection.

But for the first time in his twenty five years of life he felt a spark of fear race down his spine and he abruptly took a step back.

The three children he had been sent to assassinate had taken down his team, something that had intrigued him at first. They had each been chose specifically to take on their targets, so it was impressive indeed that they had won.

But he didn't estimate the boy to be any stronger then that, because when he had arrived the blond had been barely standing. The other two were on the ground, both suffering extensive wounds and both were exhausted past their limits.

So as he went about completing the mission however they intrigued him yet again. The Aburame had managed to drag his body far enough to prevent a killing blow to his blond teammate. However in his weakened state, he was far to weak to resist and he was quickly downed.

Next was the Hyuuga, who's body was at it's physical limit. She had manage to run and throw herself in front of the blond, taking the killing blow in place of her teammate. Her eyes had been weary, but they were focused and determined. He had never seen anything like it.

But it was the blond who shocked him the most, when his female teammate had fallen he had gone berserk. Red energy had exploded and swirled around his slumped form, while wind whipped viciously in a growing maelstrom. The only place not affected was where the blond was slumped over, his body hovering protectively over the young girl.

Daishiro had no idea what was going on, but the surge of evil chakra around him was enough to put him on edge.

"You Bastard!" The guttered shout was followed by the wind abruptly dying, and he saw fierce red eyes glowing out of the dust. "I'll kill you!" He growled before hunching forward.

Suddenly he threw his arms out, energy lashing out violently. The Diamond-hair threads snapped as if they were simple string. Daishiro watched in shock, because nothing was suppose to be able to break the threads. Especially not some kid.

A clawed fist suddenly came towards him and he barely had time to dodge, just missing the fist as it went past his face.

Recovering he jumped away from the boy, putting as much distance between him and the berserk child. As he found a reasonable distance he studied the blond, trying to figure out what was going on.

The boy's hair was more spikier then usual, wildly pointing at all angles. His marks on his cheeks were much more thicker, and darker. But the biggest change was his eyes, they were blood red and the pupils were slitted. He looked like a demon, and he had to wonder what the boss had kept from him.

Another fist came at him but this time he couldn't dodge. The fist hit him directly in the face, sending him flying across the clearing.

Doing a flip he was able to land on his feet, trying to recover. However another clawed hand raced for him and he barely put his blade up enough to intercept the rake of claws heading for his face.

However a shout from the blond had him shooting backwards, a violent swirl of red energy blasting him away. He managed to turn his body, curling around to land on his feet.

This must be the 'problematic situation' his boss had warned him about, because nothing else could explain this current change of events. If only that girl hadn't thrown herself in front of the blond, this wouldn't be happening.

"RAAAAW!" The blond shouted again, energy erupting in a wave as he suddenly disappeared. Daishiro rose his sword up, deflecting the punch. Twisting the blade he went for an uppercut, trying to catch the boy in the side.

A scream of pain erupted from the blond before he jumped away, a large gash in his side. But it didn't last long, steam started to raise from the wound and sealed it closed.

"That's interesting," He commented absently. Raising his sword as he prepared himself, dodging to the left as an orange blur headed for him.

"Looks like I'm going to have to bring out my jutsus," He replied to the shout of outrage the blond gave when he missed. Raising his left hand he formed seals, moving through them quickly. "Diamond Rain Jutsu," He said and threw his arms out.

Thousands of bright glowing white threads erupted around him, and they tangled around the blond. The orange ninja was writhing in anger, his entire body fighting them fiercely.

"These threads are reinforced with my chakra, so they are even stronger then normal." He said, holding his sword above his head. "Now your head is mine." With that he rushed forward, his blade arching towards the blonde's neck.

"RAAAAW!" He suddenly screamed, red energy sparking and crackling like lightening. It tore through the threads, slicing them into pieces as if they were mere thread.

Daishiro got caught by the blast, his body rocketing away. He came to an abrupt stop when he hit a tree, knocking it down as if it were merely a twig.

He managed to drag himself out of the tree, groaning in pain. Twirling left, he dodged an open hand swipe. It might be less devastating then being hit by a punch, but he was sure those claws weren't for show.

He shot his leg out, sending the boy flying. He had to get some distance between them. The boy went barreling across the clearing and he started another jutsu. His hand was flashing through signs fast, almost seeming to blur.

"Diamond Hurricane Jutsu," He pronounced and put his hand against the ground. Thousands of tiny glowing blades materialized and swirled around the recovering blond, blurring in their speed as they sliced at their target. There was a large column of blades spinning, looking like some glowing white tornado.

"No one can escape that attack," He stated emotionlessly. However a sudden change in the shape of the vortex had him tensing.

A burst of energy had the blades blowing outwards, sending them away with sheer pressure alone. The boy stood in the middle panting heavily, his jacket was gone and his pants almost completely shredded. But otherwise he was mostly unscathed, his body was devoid of cuts and steam curled around him.

"Well well well," Daishiro said evenly. "Seems you're a little more durable then I gave you credit for." He slashed the blade out as the blond attacked, catching him across the chest. However not before the blond threw a punch at him. Bringing his sword up he used it to block the fist.

His sword shattered, making a loud crackling sound that was akin to shattering glass. His pale eyes widened before the fist connected with his face, and he was sent flying.

He hit the ground hard, bones cracking at the landing. The shattered remains of his sword rained down around him, and he watched as they fell like rain.

Standing up he willed his body to ignore the damage, standing as if he hadn't been injured. He raised his arms in a defensive stance, ignoring the various fractures he felt in his arms. The boy had done a lot of damage with that last blow, surprising him greatly. This boy was also getting rather annoying at this point, he couldn't afford to lose.

He couldn't believe he was forced to this, if he survived this then he was going to demand reparation. His boss had not mentioned that the boy was capable of this, if he had then he would've been more careful in eliminating the blond first.

"Can't believe I'm forced to this," He mumbled. "I thought it'd happen while I was fighting some S ranked ninja, not against some demonic brat." He then held up both his hands, flashing through hand signs. With both his hands free, he was able to complete the jutsu more quickly.

He kicked out at the boy as he tried to interrupt, knocking him clear across the clearing. He will complete this, even if it killed him.

Chakra swirled around him, and he opened his pale eyes wide. "Diamond Coffin Jutsu!" He shouted, for the first time his voice rising.

The demon like boy turned to him with a growl, but it was too late. Large glowing white walls erupted up around him, before they formed a box around him. It was intended to create an inescapable prison.

There was another roar, the sounds of beating against the walls that trapped him. Daishiro coughed abruptly, blood coming out of his lungs.

It took a lot of chakra to use this jutsu, and when performed it caused damage to the insides of the one who used it. It tore through tissue and blood vessels, almost as if his body was punishing him for using something so strong. It literally tore your body apart from the inside.

But he will finish his mission, even if it meant death. Because that was what being a ninja was about, finishing his mission no matter what.

Suddenly the coffin went silent, and Daishiro got nervous. The blond was a surprise a minute, and this sudden silence couldn't be good.

A sudden blast sounded and the walls of the coffin were blown apart, they went flying and crashed. In the center stood the blond, red chakra swirling in agitation. "Impossible." He said quietly. There was no anger nor despair, only quiet acceptance of his fate.

A fist cracked into his face and he went flying, landing and rolling. He came to a stop, and he knew he couldn't fight anymore. His body was wrecked and he could barely move. He felt darkness creep up on him, and he turned to see the blond approach. There was a hazy cloud around him, softening the edges of his vision.

He felt darkness descend as a foot came into his direct line of sight. He figured if he was going to die, he might as well be unconscious for it. With that his world darkened and there was nothing.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Naruto glared down at the man, red eyes still glowing in rage. His hands were fisted tight, sharp claws biting into the flesh of his palm. This man took everything from him in the space of five minutes, and didn't even show remorse for it.

But as he looked down at the man who had killed Hinata, he felt his anger ebb away. He wanted to hold onto it, but it refused to stay.

He couldn't kill him, not even he was that cold. He felt the anger still burning, but he couldn't bring himself to kill the man. He wanted revenge, it burned through his blood. But deep down he didn't want to become like him, didn't want to kill as if it had no meaning.

Turning abruptly on his heel he went over to Hinata, where she had fallen. Her face was peaceful, her dark short hair matted slightly with blood. A large stain of blood were she lay.

He kneeled down beside her and turned her onto her back gently, looking down at her pale face in sadness. He touched his forehead to hers, as tears welled up in his eyes.

A sudden breath of air against his cheek had him blinking in surprise, he moved back to look at her. Almost too afraid to hope.

He leaned down again and held his ear to her lips. Another puff brushed against his ear, and his eyes widened. She was still alive!

Quickly digging through what was left of his pouches, he came up with bandages. Since their last disastrous mission he started to carry them around, a lot of them.

He got to work quickly, trying to stop the blood still flowing from her side. He was halfway through before he realized something. "Shino!" He suddenly shouted, and he created a clone. He paused as he noticed his clone had red eyes and sharp claws, he looked down and realized he was still changed. He shook his head, he had more things to worry about at the moment.

"Go get Shino now!" He ordered, ignoring his appearance. The clone nodded and ran off to go get him.

He bandaged Hinata's side as much as he could, he only knew so much about first aid after all. Only from the times he bandaged himself up after getting injured. It didn't take long for him to wrap her torso where the blade had ran her through. When he was done with her he turned to Shino, wrapping the large cut across his torso.

He could feel his injuries, where not even the Kyuubi's chakra could heal him. It might be able to repair simple injuries such as cuts and gashes, but it couldn't repair deeper damage. Some of his muscles were torn and various bones were broken. He was probably bleeding internally as well.

If he changed back and let the red chakra go then there was a chance he wouldn't be able to move. So with a deep breath he tried to hold onto it, he had to get Hinata and Shino to the village quickly.

I will lend you power boy, A deep voice grumbled from somewhere and he jerked around. He tried to find the voice, only to realize it had been in his head. But it will damage your body the more you use it.

"I don't care!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to sound steady. The voice was the Kyuubi, and right now he needed it's help. "I have to help my friends!"

Very well Kit, The voice replied. But don't come crying to me later when you realize how much it's going to hurt.

He felt a surge of intense chakra, reassuring him that he will be able to keep moving. Making another clone he turned to it, "Go find Kurenai-Sensei!" He ordered the clone, "Tell her what has happened and tell her I'm taking Hinata and Shino back to the village!" The clone saluted and took off, turning to run towards the location their teacher had went when they had separated. He then turned and picked up Hinata gently, cradling her to his chest. His other clone picked up Shino and he nodded to him.

With that they jumped through into the trees, making their way to the village as fast as possible. Naruto didn't let anything deter him, he would protect his friends with his life.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.

Kurenai had been hanging for about ten minutes, and she felt despair creep up on her. She had tried every trick in the book to break the bonds but they just refused to budge. Not even the small bit of ninjutsu was enough to dislodge them.

But she hoped against all hope that they wouldn't suddenly release her, the mere thought of what that could mean crushing her heart.

Looking down she tried to think of a plan, she was currently hanging in the air with her arms and legs bound against her body. There had to be something she can do, she was a Jonin of Konoha!

That's when she realized what the man had said, that only Diamond-Hair can cut Diamond-Hair. She looked down at that shining white threads again, she then realized they brushed against each other.

She experimented with different movements, trying to get the threads to rub together. If she could do it right, they should rub straight through each other.

It took about five minutes before she found a movement that got the threads to cross and rub. She continued to move that way, slightly annoyed that it looked like she was doing a stupid dance. But she didn't stop, intent on getting free.

However after a few minutes of working the threads to cut themselves, she found herself with a problem. The threads had cut through her cloths and were starting to cut through her skin. They were stinging slightly, and they weren't even that deep.

But she will not give up, even if she cut herself to pieces. She had to save her team, she will not let them die!

Continuing her current movement, a soft 'twang' sounded and she felt a thread loosen. Her right arm, which had been trapped by her side, was now free.

Lifting the limp thread with her right hand, she started to use it. Rubbing it against the thread that trapped her left arm. Thankfully she didn't have to move anymore, so the hair was done cutting her to pieces.

She made quick work of the string around her left arm, and with both hands free it made the rest easy. As all the threads were broken she drooped down, and took off running before she even gained her bearings.

She shot through the forest as fast as she could, ducking and weaving to dodge stray limbs that jumped out in front of her. She had to get to her team, before it was to late.

"Kurenai-Sensei!" Naruto's voice came to her and she looked up, just in time to see a form running towards her. She froze however when she saw Naruto, her entire body going still.

His eyes were red and slitted, and the marks on his face were darker then normal. His blond hair was even more spiky then usual and his hands had long claws on them. "Naruto? What happened?" She asked worriedly, slightly fearful for her student. He looked like the Kyuubi.

"We were attacked," Naruto explained. "I'm a clone, the other me's are taking Hinata and Shino back to the village. They're injured badly sensei."

"Naruto you can't go to the village in that condition!" Kurenai yelled, "They'll kill you on the spot!" And she feared they would. Konoha citizens were traumatized badly by the Kyuubi attack, if he went back like that... Not even she could help him.

"I have to Kurenai-sensei," Naruto said with a sad smile. "Otherwise I can't move, my body took too much damage." He then shook his head. "You have to get back to the village, and make sure they're taken care of."

"Wait Naruto!" She started but the clone already dissipated into smoke, and she changed her course. Hoping to intercept Naruto before he made it back to the village. They wouldn't care that he was doing it to save his teammates, they'll just think he was turning into the Kyuubi.

She had to hurry, she wasn't going to lose any of her team!

o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Naruto ran as quickly as he could, not even bothering to dodge the small limbs hitting him in the face. He raced across the tree tops, jumping from branch to branch faster then he has ever done before.

He knew he was moving quicker then he should, it was dangerous to travel at this speed. But Hinata's breathing wasn't steady, and blood had started to seep through her bandages. He felt her blood soak into his side, and he felt his fear go up another notch.

Luckily the fox's chakra made it possible to go faster then he usually was able to, shooting through the trees like they weren't dozens of feet off the ground.

The sudden flash of memories came to him, and he realized his clone found Kurenai-Sensei. She had warned him not to go to the village like this, but he had too.

He didn't know how much time Hinata had left, but it couldn't be much. It didn't matter to him if he got killed, as long as Hinata and Shino got to safety.

"I'm sorry Kurenai-sensei," He said softly. "But I have to help them, no matter what." He then glanced at Hinata briefly, "I'll save you." He said with a slight lump in his throat, tears burned in his eyes again as he remember what he felt when he thought she died. "I won't let you die, do you hear me Hinata?"

He knew having a one-sided conversation with his unconscious teammate wouldn't be considered completely sane, but it helped keep him calm.

He felt one of his ears twitch and he turned his head slightly, he had heard a footstep. Concentrating slightly he did what he had done not too long ago, when he had learned to sense for enemies. He tried to find the presence, the one that had tripped his alarms.

But he didn't sense or see anything, but that didn't mean he wasn't being chased. He knew that Jonin could hide their presence from him, it wasn't too much to fathom that stronger ninja could go undetected.

So that meant they were probably Anbu, the ones who patrolled the forest outside of the village. That meant he was getting closer to the village!

He sped up another notch, not even paying attention to the rushing world around him. It was all a blur anyway. He felt a shiver down his spine, and knew that his pursers were coming closer.

He had to get them to the village gates, the two Chunin who were always there would help his teammates. Anbu weren't entirely rational, they believed in the safety of the village above all else. They could attack him before he got a chance to tell them the real story.

Naruto almost cried as the gate to the village became visible, and he kicked his speed up. They would help Hinata and Shino, they had to.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Kotetsu the Chunin sat behind the booth at the village gate, where he sat every evening with his best friend and fellow Chunin, Izumo. They were guarding it again, but it seems that nothing ever happened. The only thing they did all day was check passports and watch as people came and went.

He scratched his head in boredom, letting out a sigh as he scratched the small itch that had been bugging him. He then went back to relaxing in his chair, tilting it back on two legs. He sometimes wished they were able to go on missions, it got boring quick having to sit in the same chair for six hours.

However a shudder ran down his spine and he felt some kind of presence approaching the gate... Fast. It felt dark and twisted, so much that his arms erupted in goose bumps.

He quickly got up, and made his way to see what was happening. Izumo followed and they both tried to spot what was coming at the village.

He froze as he saw two blond blurs, heading for them at high speed. The foreboding chakra was coming from them, and both he and Izumo took out a kunai.

Though before he knew it the person had stopped and he felt a small body being thrusted into his arms, his kunai clattering to the ground in surprise. He was shocked to realize it was the Hyuuga Heiress, and she was badly wounded. He saw out of the corner of his eye as the Aburame kid was shoved into Izumo's arms.

"Help her please..." That was when he realized the frantic blonde's eyes were a blood red, with slits for pupils. He would've been afraid to see the Kyuubi like kid if it wasn't for the tear streaks that had marked his dirty and bloody face. Fresh tears swimming in his eyes, with a look of desperate pleading.

He looked wrecked, with barely any of his signature orange outfit left. His skin was cut free, but was covered in deep ugly bruises and Kotetsu was sure that was a bone pressed against the skin of his left arm.

Suddenly four black forms dropped out of the sky and landed on the boy, pinning him down roughly to the ground. Naruto let out a pained cry, but he didn't resist. He held still as much as possible, not wanting incite them any more.

"Get her to the hospital, please." Naruto pleaded again, as the Anbu held him down to the ground with no chances to escape. He seemed to ignore the four men, too intent at staring at the startled Chunin's eyes. "She's hurt bad, I don't know how long she has so please hurry."

Kotetsu had never really liked the Kyuubi boy. He was loud, obnoxious and caused more trouble with his pranks then even he and Izumo did when they were kids. But the look of such worry for his friends and his pleading to help his two teammates, Kotetsu didn't care about prior feelings.

"Okay," He then looked to Izumo and they both nodded. Naruto smiled a little before passing out, his body's damage finally catching up to him.

They both took off, rushing to the hospital. They would honor the boy's wish, because even if he had looked like a demon he had the heart of an angel. Naruto had known that coming back like that could get him killed, and yet he did it to save his friends.

Kotetsu created a clone and sent it to the Hokage, hopefully the Hokage will be able to stop the Anbu in time from killing him outright. Because the blond seriously didn't deserve it. Not for protecting those closest to him.

o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o

Kurenai knew immediately she hadn't made it on time, the abrupt disappearance of the Kyuubi's chakra told her that. She sped up again, cursing herself. She had been so close to catching up to him, if she had only broken free of the thread a few minutes earlier.

As she burst from the trees she saw four Anbu and knew immediately what had happened. She jumped down in front of them, "Unhand my student." She demanded as she went into a stance, "He is injured and is in need of medical attention."

The first Anbu who had a Snake mask shook his head. "This boy is to be killed for endangering the village, we are awaiting authorization from our superiors." He then held up a katana, "If you interfere you will be arrested as an accessory of treason."

She gritted her teeth, because she knew he was right. The laws around that kind of thing were dense and complicated. She had no idea all of the pitfalls in those types of laws and she couldn't help Naruto is she fell in one.

She glanced at Naruto who had at this point passed out. He was back to normal, but his breathing was uneven.

"He's unconscious," She then growled at them. "He will not pose a threat if he's not even awake, so you can at least get off of him. Can't you see he's badly injured?"

"Negative," Snake replied coldly. "Even unconscious he still poses a danger to the surrounding personnel, therefore he is to be subdued until further notice."

"You will get off him this instant," A gravely voice stated and they jerked around to see the Hokage appear. "He does not prove a threat at this time."

"Hokage-sama, we have orders from the elders that if this situation was to ever arise then we were to override your orders." Snake replied respectively, "Therefore we cannot take any orders from you at this time."

"I don't give a hoot what those two ninnies want," The Hokage admonished. "I am ordering you to get off that boy this instance, I might not be able to have him freed but I can prevent him from being killed."

Snake immediately backed off. Hawk, Bear and Owl following suit. "Sir," They said as they bowed to him.

"Take him into custody," The Hokage replied. Ignoring Kurenai's outburst from his side, "There will be a meeting of the high council as soon as possible to decide what to do." He then turned around, "And if I see one more injury on him then I do now then all of you will be demoted so far you'll be envying the genin."

They all nodded at the threat before picking Naruto up, careful of his injuries. They then disappeared into the trees, taking him to the T&I department.

Kurenai stared at the Hokage with wide and betrayed eyes, he had Naruto arrested. She couldn't believe it, he actually had Naruto arrested.

"Why Hokage-sama?" She asked weakly, everything she thought about her leader crashing before her eyes. "Why did you have him arrested?"

"I had no other choice," The Hokage replied. "If I did not do so then the elders and Danzou will have enough of a reason to overthrow me. If that happened then they would have him put to death immediately."

"Damn politics!" Kurenai hissed, upset because their leader had his hands tied. She could tell he wanted to free Naruto, but he couldn't right now.

"Yes," The Hokage said gravely as he turned back to the Jonin. "Your other two students are in treatment right now, the best you can do is be there for them." He then shook his head, "You can report your mission to me later. Go see them."

Kurenai nodded, "Thanks Hokage-sama." She said before heading towards the hospital. He watched her go with a sad eye, upset that there was nothing he could do for her third student.

"I'm sorry Naruto," He said sadly as he made his way back to his office. "It's out of my hands right now, and I don't know if even my influence will be enough to save you." With that he was gone, and the village was quiet once again.

END CHAPTER

Another Authors Note (Please Read!): On my profile there is a pole, all my readers are encouraged to vote! I want to know what you think.