Rating: M

Warnings: Violence, Sexual References, Hidan's Potty-mouth

This story takes place during Part II of the Naruto manga series.

oOoOoOo

Part 1: The Reckoning - Escape with the Nibi!

oOoOoOo

Naruto walked steadily through the woods, his feet making only the slightest sound as they disturbed the forest floor. The sun was still high in the sky, though he knew it would set by the time he got to his destination; small rays of direct sunlight marked the path in front of him at sporadic intervals.

His current objective was to retrieve a pay-packet from a previous client and deliver the payment to the treasurers in Konoha. It was a simple enough assignment and, according to the raw intelligence, there were no expected obstacles. Despite that, Tsunade had been hesitant to give him a mission outside of the village; especially one that involved him working by himself. What with Gaara's previous abduction and rumours of Akatsuki being active in Fire Country, there was very much a present danger.

Naruto had simply countered that point against him by stating that she hadn't received any news suggesting that Akatsuki was active in the areas he was to travel, and it would take too long to find a team for Naruto to work with. A team certainly wasn't needed, at any rate – all he had to do was pick up an envelope. His argument had mostly been guess work (since when did he read or listen to intelligence reports?) but it had paid off nicely. The fact that he'd been personally requested to pick up the pay-packet was just icing on the cake for him; especially since he knew who had requested him.

But Tsunade no baa-chan had been very hesitant indeed. Almost too much so. Probably getting bullied by those asshole elders. Especially that Danzo prick, he thought dismissively.

But he'd managed to get his way (mostly through sheer bull-headedness), and now he was traveling to the Land of Waves, heading directly to Tazuna's. He was very much looking forward to it. He'd missed them, and they were very good friends.

He absently wondered if Tsuname was just as beautiful as she once had been.

The best part was that it would give him time to think about everything. Especially Sakura-chan…

He'd gone to see her off, waiting at the gates for her when she was leaving on her mission to retrieve Sasuke. The interaction between them had been civil and polite, if somewhat frigid.

"Naruto, I don't understand why you're not coming, but that's just something I'll have to deal with. We'll talk about it once I get back." And she'd smiled that tremendous smile that had once set him aflame with affection. "After I bring Sasuke-kun back, hey?"

That last comment had ruined the moment for him. It wasn't that he was jealous – he wasn't. But he did think that Sakura was burying her head in the sand and refusing to face reality. The Sasuke they'd once known was gone, and Naruto thought Sakura was going to waste her life trying to regain something that was lost even before Sasuke betrayed the Leaf Village.

And Sakura hadn't brought him back, either. The mission had failed, and she'd been avoiding Naruto ever since. He didn't know if it was because she blamed him for not coming with her or if she thought she had disappointed him. He hoped it was neither, because he just wanted to talk to her. To simply sit down and talk, share a cup of tea like real team-mates, without experiencing any interruptions (or having her beat him over the head).

And he still hadn't made up his mind about Sasuke. Would he go and get him next time? Would he forget about him entirely? Naruto wasn't too concerned with running out of time. Sasuke was strong; he would see through any plans Orochimaru made.

Well, Naruto hoped he would.

Naruto suddenly froze as a monstrous wave of chakra washed over him. It was coming from… near the shoreline? That was where he was headed. Naruto felt goose bumps break out on his arm; he'd felt similar chakra before. It was like the nine-tails, in that it held a similarly menacing aura, but it was unlike the nine-tails in that it was so much weaker.

Could it be...?

Naruto bent his knees and propelled himself into the trees fiercely. As he moved, he pondered. Is it someone like me…?

For another five minutes, he ran at speed. His legs were filled with chakra, lean and strong. His breathing was deeper, though he did not pant. He was in remarkable shape, even for a ninja. As he moved, he realised that his path had altered slightly as he'd followed the chakra and he was now heading north towards the Fire Country border.

Eventually he stopped. The chakra was very strong now; he was surely almost at the epicentre. It was a good thing he'd spent so much time around the nine-tails – it had helped him become somewhat immune to the crushing weight of a bijuu's spirit. But he could still feel the weight of it upon his shoulders.

He looked up at the structure before him. Or what remained of it. It was mostly just rubble now. An abandoned castle, perhaps? Maybe once upon a time.

Naruto ducked down to remain out of visual sight. He took a moment to catch his breath and carefully suppress his chakra. He could feel it, straining for release, but he calmed himself, and eventually it withered slightly; he could only feel the slightest trickle running through his coils. After a deep breath he got down on his stomach, and began to crawl, inch by slow inch through the rubble. The air around him was strangely silent as he slowly made his way closer – wasn't there supposed to be a battle going on right in front of him?

If Akatsuki is here, I need to be careful. I don't know anything about them, and their presence means it has to be a Jinchuuriki, or maybe even a loose bijuu. Probably not; I didn't think there were any loose bijuu.

It had long been a point of contention of Naruto's that he could simply throw himself into battle and come out victorious through sheer force of will, but Jiraiya had vehemently disapproved of such strategies. He claimed that information was the difference between life and death. Naruto supposed that explained why the only thing he ever got serious about was his information and intelligence network.

And looking at Tsunade's breasts…

Let's hope I learned some of my lessons, Ero-sennin! The one's that weren't about female anatomy, at any rate.

With his chakra suppressed, Naruto carefully shuffled forward to observe what was happening. He continued to stay as low as possible – he didn't want his cloak flapping in the wind and creating noise, nor did he want any of the people still around catching his scent. If they had anyone who specialised in tracking or reconnaissance then they'd catch his scent either way, he knew; he just wasn't that talented at stealth.

Can still run circles around Konoha ANBU, though; just like the good old days.

In the time it had taken to waffle quietly through the rubble and prepare himself, the demonic chakra had disappeared. Traces of it still scalded the air, but the almost-overbearing presence itself was gone. Naruto squinted as he spied two figures, both wearing black cloaks adorned with red clouds. One was sitting slumped against a wall, though the expression on his face spoke more of general fatigue and irritation than any debilitating injury. The other was lying on the ground, and Naruto held back a gasp as he stabbed himself through the stomach with a black pipe or pole.

Is he suicidal? Naruto wondered. And where's the bijuu? They can't seal it in themselves, and it wouldn't just run off. That means it had to be a Jinchuuriki. So, where…?

Naruto's thoughts ceased as he spied a third figure. The long blonde hair indicated a female, and she was strung up against the wall – like a side of beef in a slaughter-house. Naruto only just managed to muffle his gasp, and his entire body shook with hatred.

I hate them! I hate them!

Tears welled in his eyes as he noticed the kunai that pierced the kunoichi's hands. Naruto closed his eyes as he bit down harshly on the flesh between his thumb and index-finger to muffle his sounds of rage, trying with every fibre of his being to will away the image, but it wasn't working. When he opened them again she was still hanging, all alone in the world, left to the mercy of a group of sadistic murderers.

All alone in the world… like he had once been.

It took him an extremely long two minutes to tap down his rage and barely-controlled chakra and regain some semblance of calm. If Akatsuki had known he was here, the two minutes would have seen him captured, he was sure.

I need a plan, he thought seriously, swallowing back his nerves. First priority: get the girl. They can't get their hands on the bijuu, and she doesn't deserve to die! Second: get away. I won't be able to take two of them, no matter how much I think I could, especially not while trying to take care of someone. And they'll be trying extra hard for me if they realise I'm a Jinchuuriki, so I can't use any chakra from the nine-tails, either. That means it's all on me!

This was going to be tricky. He continued to watch for another few minutes, but decided that he couldn't wait too long. The Akatsuki bastards might have backup. He tensed as they started speaking, their conversation reaching his ears.

"Damnit, Hidan! How long does this tedious ritual last?"

"Hey, asshole! You can't rush the work of Jashin-sama! My religion is very specific! It'll be at least another 20 minutes."

"Specific!" came the dismissive snort. "Inefficient and costly would be a more accurate description," the darker man retorted.

"It's not inefficient. You're the one who slows us down with all your bounties. Besides, I just blasphemed by leaving the Jinchuuriki alive; we can't leave any alive in our next fight," the one called Hidan argued.

Naruto had known that they needed the hosts alive to successfully extract the demons, but it still sent a swoop of relief through him to hear confirmation that she was not dead.

"Well, you're taking too long, so hurry it up!" From the way they spoke Naruto got the impression that the darker agent was the more senior of the pair. And he seemed to be in a hurry. Is someone coming to help them?

Taking a deep breath, he withdrew a scroll from his pocket, still moving with slow caution to avoid early detection. With a small smidgeon of a blood offering, the scroll dissolved, leaving a short wakizashi in his hand. The blade was utterly unremarkable, but it did the job.

Stupid Ero-sennin wouldn't let me get one like Zabuza-baka.

Without even a hand seal, a number of clones popped silently into existence beside him – such was his mastery of the Kage Bunshin. "You know what to do," he whispered so quietly they had to strain their ears to listen.

A minute later he was in position as two clones made their moves. Naruto himself had shuffled around so he was in a position behind the darker one, ready to snatch the girl when the opportunity presented itself. His clones would provide the distractions.

And provide they did. One clone launched himself forward, utilising an violent descending vertical slash as he flew towards his opponent. An infusion of wind-natured chakra resulted in an enormous wave of damage and a great gouging in the earth, even as the hooded bastard leapt out of the destructive path, inadvertently leaping away from the captured Jinchuuriki.

"Hidan!" he cried. "Get ready!"

"I'm not quitting the fucking ritual!" Hidan shouted back.

"Then die," his partner replied flatly, even as Naruto's clone came at him again.

Another clone suddenly appeared, an identical wakizashi in his clenched fist, and he came down with a similar tremendous force, swinging violently at Hidan's neckline. The Akatsuki member, still pinned by his own black pipe, could only widen his eyes and open his mouth to scream as the wakizashi severed his head from his body.

The element of surprise was a most useful ally, Naruto reflected smugly.

"Hidan!" the other one growled angrily. "Quit fucking around!"

"Ow! He cut off my head! You fucking asshole prick! Kakazu, get the fuck over here and stitch me up! Hey, you! What's your fucking name?"

The clone that had just executed Hidan turned around, moving his attention from the one called Kakazu back to Hidan. "What the hell?" he screeched, looking disturbed at the sight of a talking head on the ground.

"YOU!" the head shouted. "I'm going to fuck you up, when I get my body back! You're a dead man! What's your name? You're dead, fucker!"

The clone was supremely confused, but he figured the head was separated, and the body was pinned, so he turned back to the one called Kakazu just in time to see the other clone destroyed. Bringing his short sword up before him, he engaged the enemy.

While all this was happening, Naruto himself had hastily unpinned the kunoichi from the wall and jumped a good distance away. He couldn't outrun them, he knew. He would have to go there. It would take them fourty days to follow him, even if they knew the secret paths to take. But there was no way they could know, since even he didn't.

Not even Ero-sennin knew those sacred paths.

He quickly withdrew another scroll from his pocket, and swiping a bloody thumb across it, he watched as the large scroll unrolled itself on the ground. Gathering the kunoichi in his lap, he sat cross-legged in the centre of the scroll and began forming handseals.

"He's got the two-tails!" Kakazu roared in rage.

"Fuck the two-tails! Come stick my head back on!"

"Pein will kill us if we don't bring the two-tails!"

It was as he saw Kakazu running at him menacingly that Naruto finally completed his rushed ninjutsu. "Gyaku Kuchiyose no jutsu," he whispered, and was very happy to see smoke swirl around him.

oOoOoOo

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he reappeared at his desired destination. For a moment he just sat, breathing heavily, relishing in the quiet, broken only by the occasional croak of frogs and the sound of a glistening stream of water. Then he let out a giddy laugh, adrenaline still coursing through him. "Reverse summoning, success!" he cheered loudly.

"Naruto?"

"Hey, Gamakichi!" The large toad was sprawled across the ground lazily, one bleary eye open, gazing at Naruto.

"It's good to see ya, bro. Fukasaku-sama will want to know you're here."

Naruto grinned. "It's good to be back. There really is no place like Myobokuzan!" He looked around hungrily, taking in his environs. The unconscious female kunoichi was still positioned in his lap as he sat cross-legged in the middle of a beautiful glade. Leaves and branches surrounded him, large enough for several bodies to lie on. Sunlight filtered through the overhead canopy, bathing the area around him. "This really is a beautiful place," he commented wistfully.

Gamakichi croaked happily at the compliment before his brow furrowed. "Naruto, bro… you brought an outsider? They're not gonna' be happy about that."

"It's not for long; just had to get out of there."

Gamakichi harrumphed, clearly wanting more of an elaboration, but he was willing to trust Naruto. "Okay, bro; let's go see the elders." And he began to hop away. Naruto hoisted himself to his feet and followed unhurriedly, the blonde kunoichi cradled carefully against his chest. He didn't like the way her arms flopped limply; it made him think of death – she felt the same way that Gaara had when Naruto had carried him to Chiyo-baa-san.

She must really be out of it.

He followed Gamakichi as they ventured to a clearing; a shallow pool and waterfall lay to the left and a hut-like dwelling sat to the right, located on a raised platform. A figure in an apron was waving enthusiastically with a wooden spoon from in front of the dwelling.

"Come on in, Naru-chan!" a high-pitched voice cried.

Naruto beamed and walked faster as he awkwardly shuffled the girl in his arms. "Ma!" he cried happily. "Hey!"

"Come in, come in! I made yer an extra dish, just like always!" The female elder toad gave a sound of gay laughter while Naruto tried to hide his grimace.

Damnit, I hate Ma's food!

He followed her inside the small dwelling, gently laying his unconscious companion on a layer of cushions on the floor as the elder toad gestured eagerly to the small table in the middle of the room. He obligingly took a seat on the floor and began to pick and nibble at the bland dish placed in front of him. It was supposedly healthy, but it just wasn't ramen.

"Shima-chan!" Fukasaku's voice cried from just outside. "What's that delicious smell?"

Naruto gamely swallowed a bite. He was momentarily certain that a slippery eel had just slithered down his throat. Great effort was expended so that he didn't regurgitate.

"Naru-chan is here!" she shouted back gleefully.

"Eh?" And with that exclamation, Fukasaku appeared in the small doorway of the dwelling. "Naruto-chan!" he cried as he hobbled over and clung to Naruto. "Hm, still growing; getting too tall, boy."

Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly. "What can I say?"

Fukasaku's head jerked as he caught sight of Naruto's companion. "Hm? How'd she get here?"

"Um, ahahaha! I brought her here," Naruto admitted hesitantly, a hand running through his shoulder-length golden tresses. "But, but Akatsuki had her, and I wasn't gonna' let them take her and extract her bijuu, 'cause that'd kill her, and there's been enough death already!" he stated firmly.

Fukasaku snatched a bite of Naruto's food as he pondered, flinching when his wife smacked him over the head and laid his own bowl in front of him. "Hmm. Akatsuki is a problem," he admitted. "But we don't like having outsiders here, Naruto-chan."

"I know."

"Hey now," Shima interrupted, nodding her head repeatedly like a doll and waving a spatula threateningly. "Any friend of Naru-chan's is welcome here. But she can't be allowed to discover our secrets."

"No," Fukasaku agreed. "No, that cannot happen."

"I know," Naruto said again. "I wasn't intending to let her stay here. I just had to use the reverse summoning to get away from them. Thanks for teaching me that, by the way; it really saved my bacon! They were really freaky, too," he continued, referring to the Akatsuki, "I cut the head off one of them and he just kept on talking."

"You mean he was still alive?" came Gamakichi's croak from outside. The poor toad was too large to fit inside the small hut.

"Yeah, he was definitely a weirdo," Naruto murmured. "I could have sworn I killed him. You know, dead. A lot."

"Well, maybe you can ask your lady friend when she wakes up, Naruto-chan," Fukasaku suggested, slurping at his soup greedily.

Naruto scratched his chin, his eyes crinkled in thought. "Yeah. Yeah, they were after her, and she fought them, so yeah… she'll know."

"Who is she, anyway?" Shima asked, before bursting into croaking laughter. "Unless you've kidnapped yourself a woman, Naru-chan? Ahahahaha!"

"K-Kidnapped a woman?" Naruto blanched. "Are you crazy?"

"Word is you like older women, bro!" Gamakichi teased.

Naruto paled even further. "Ero-sennin told you?"

Shima laughed delightedly. "Of course he told us. Our little Naru-chan is becoming a man!"

"Ma!" he cried, scandalised that she took such joy in speaking about his sex life. He crossed his arms and sulked. "Does that mean you'll stop calling me Naru-chan?" he muttered.

"Not a chance!" Both elders laughed this time. Naruto cursed under his breath.

"So who is she, Naruto-chan?" Fukasaku pressed.

Naruto gave another nervous laugh. "I don't really know. But she's like me, except number two, I overhead from the Akatsuki."

There was a thoughtful sound from all three toads. "The Nibi, huh. If I remember correctly the two-tails was a great big cat. Gamabanta might know more about it."

Naruto shrugged. He moved over to look at the girl he'd stolen from Akatsuki's clutches. His eyes took in the headband of Kumogakure, displayed proudly on her forehead, before allowing his eyes to roam over her face and her rather well-defined body. "Eh!" he cried in shock. "She's a woman!"

"Well, yes, Naruto-chan; that's usually what happens. Girls have breasts."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, not that! I just thought she was a girl, not a woman."

"But you like older women, bro!" Gamakichi chimed in helpfully.

"Damnit, Gamakichi! It was one woman – singular! – and I'm never telling Ero-sennin anything ever again!"

"I hope you're not calling the poor girl old, Naru-chan," Shima said with dangerously narrowed eyes.

"O-Of course not!" Man, she's scarier than Sakura-chan when she wants to be!

"Naruto-chan, I've got a very important question," Fukasaku spoke up. Naruto groaned; he knew what was coming. "When are you gonna' let me teach you some Senjutsu?"

"Oi!" Naruto objected. "I wanted to learn two years ago, and you said I was too young!"

"Well, you're not too young anymore. Your body has matured enough to handle the training and the natural energy."

Naruto huffed. "I dunno. Soon, I guess. I gotta' take care of this girl first. And finish my mission in Konoha. Maybe when things with Akatsuki calm down, I can take a break and come back for some training."

"Hm, okay. Make sure you do come back, though! It'll help you against Akatsuki. And I wanna' see you surpass Jiraiya-chan."

Naruto grinned foxily. "You've got a deal, old toad!"

oOoOoOo

"You lost the two-tails?"

The metallic voice didn't sound happy.

Nine holographic figures stood in a circle in the darkness of an isolated cave. Most seemed displeased with the unexpected call.

"Hey, asshole! We didn't lose it! It was stolen! Stolen!" Hidan cursed.

"Because you were performing that infernal ritual," Kakazu muttered angrily.

"Don't lay this on me, you fucker! That asshole came out of nowhere; that shit was orchestrated! It's like he knew exactly how to take me out of the game!"

"More like he realised what an annoying shit you are and decided to cut your head off to shut you up! Believe me, he's not the first one to think it!" Kakazu shouted back.

"Ooh, ooh, pick me!" Tobi cried, his silhouette jumping up and down on the spot, eager to contribute. "If he cut your head off, how are you still here? Tobi is confused!"

"Shut up, Tobi, yeah. This isn't a time for your idiocy, yeah."

"S-Sorry, Deidara-sempai!"

"Enough," the leader spoke. "This bickering is pointless –"

"I wouldn't have lost the two-tails," Tobi muttered quietly.

There was a moment of silence.

A shark-like laugh burst into the room. "I really like that guy!" A tall figure pointed at Tobi.

"Give me a second, yeah? Death by choking!" Deidara's voice cried.

"D-Deidara-sempai?"

"ENOUGH!" Stillness became dominant throughout the cave as Pein's voice thundered.

"Who took the host?" The question was spoken quietly by someone who had yet to speak.

"At least someone possesses the mental faculties to stay focused on task," a female voice spoke with condescension. "Thank you, Itachi."

A shadow with glowing red eyes gave a short nod, but otherwise held his silence.

"Itachi's right," came the leader's voice again. "Describe your assailant."

"He used clones," Kakazu said straight away. "And the attack did seem orchestrated, so he was likely very experienced with them."

The red-eyed Sharingan prodigy shifted.

"He was a blonde fucker," Hidan added. "With scars or something on his cheeks. Next time I see him, I'ma kill him! That fucker took my head!"

"Blonde hair, yeah? And scar-marks? Sounds like the nine-tails, yeah?"

"Itachi, you've had the most contact with the nine-tails; does it sound like him? Could he execute such a rescue?"

There was a moment of silence before Itachi spoke, reluctant as ever. "Naruto-kun has become strong."

"So it was the nine-tails?" Kisame asked. "Pity I wasn't there; that brat was the best meal Samehada ever had. How come you immortal freaks didn't realise it was him?"

"Well how were we supposed to know, asshole? He didn't use any demonic chakra like any of the others do."

"Eh?" Kisame said dumbly. "No demonic chakra? He was using it last time I saw him, you zombie freak."

"Well he wasn't using it today, so go fuck yourself!" Hidan snarled.

"Enough. This is getting us nowhere. We will reacquire the two-tails, once we relocate it. In the meantime, we can still assimilate one or two more without the two-tails becoming essential. Deidara, Tobi, you will fetch the three-tails. As far as we know it has no current host. The rest of you will continue your current assignments."

"What about the nine-tails?" Kakazu asked.

"The nine-tails must be sealed last, but it may be wise to capture the host soon – before the vessel becomes overly powerful; the nine-tailed beast is almost twice as powerful as the eight-tails, after all, let alone the rest of them. If you come across it, bring it to me."

The members all nodded and began shifting, as though to leave.

"I want the nine-tails. Alive!"

oOoOoOo

It was two hours later that Naruto appeared in a swirl of smoke, looking around fervently for any sign of danger or pursuit. He didn't expect any; no one could track the travelling habits of the toads. Except maybe Ero-sennin, but he's probably off perving somewhere.

"Right where I wanted to be," he whispered, smiling.

Once again cradling the unconscious woman in his arms, he weaved through trees and bushes, cautiously heading towards his destination. When he'd confronted the freaky Akatsuki duo he had already been quite close to the Fire Country border, right next to the eastern edge of the continent. His current location was just a little south-east of there, in the Land of Waves across the chanel. They wouldn't expect him to come back to his original destination, he knew. Plus, they would know that Wave country didn't have any shinobi, so they would probably expect him to head back towards Konoha.

They would never look for him here.

Naruto giggled at his own cunning.

With careful steps he approached a house, secluded close to the tree line of the forest. Adjusting his position so as to carry the woman with one arm, nestling her against his hip, he knocked quietly on the door. A few long seconds passed before the door was opened.

Naruto squinted. "Inari? Is that you?"

The thirteen year old who answered the door gasped. "N-Naruto-nii-chan?"

"Yo!"

Inari beamed widely and moved forward, as though to hug Naruto. He stopped, however, when he saw the woman cradled in Naruto's arms. A loud gasp escaped him. "Y-You got married?"

"W-What?" Naruto said dumbly. "N-No way! Look, I'll explain if I can come inside, okay."

"Okay," Inari said blankly, moving aside and letting Naruto pass.

"This place looks exactly the same," Naruto said.

"We repainted it a completely different colour," Inari deadpanned.

"Oh. I knew that."

"Inari? What's going on?" A motherly voice asked.

Naruto turned around to see a beautiful woman entering the room, dressed in a thin cotton robe. "Tsunami-san!" he greeted, flushing slightly at her apparel.

She looks great!

"Who's that? Naruto!" She gazed at him blankly for a moment before smiling so widely that Naruto was sure she'd tear her cheeks open. She rushed forward and embraced him in a hug, uncaring of the woman in his arms. "It's good to see you! You're here for the second half of the pay-packet, aren't you?" She pulled back to look at the lump that was poking into her chest. "You… you got married …?"

Naruto scowled. "Why does everyone assume I'm involved with this woman?"

"Well, you're holding her rather close, you know," Inari chirped mischievously. Tsunami giggled.

"She was injured!" he retorted defensively.

"Come," Tsunami bid eagerly. "Let's get her settled upstairs and we can take a look at her. Then we'll go to bed and you can tell us all about it tomorrow."

"Great," Naruto agreed. "Thanks for letting me stay. I know I just sorta' showed up."

"It's not a problem. You're always welcome here," Tsunami smiled.

Not even an hour later, the strange kunoichi had been placed in a warm bed while Naruto had set up a blanket on the floor so he could watch over her during the night. Tsunami had applied bandages to the woman's superficial wounds while Naruto waited outside.

"That should do it. She should have a shower when she wakes up, to clean off all the grime. If Inari and I aren't here when you guys wake up tomorrow, just make yourself at home. It's good to see you again." She gave Naruto another firm hug (he blushed at the feel of her), then giggled as she headed out of the room.

"Hey, Tsunami," he called after her. "Where's old man Tazuna?"

"Oh, he's on a construction job on the other side of the island. He'll be back in a day or two if you're still around. Now, get some sleep, young man!"

"Yes, ma'am!" he saluted.

And he lay down and very promptly fell asleep.

He came awake a fair number of hours later. The first thing he noticed was the smell of pre-dawn; a scent he'd always liked, with hints of moisture in the air. It made him think of rain.

The second thing he noticed was the sharp edge of steel biting into his neck. His senses shot to attention after he'd processed that fact. His eyes snapped open and his body jerked responsively. He could see a mess of blonde hair, slung forward over his assailant's face, as though attempting to hide the striking amethyst orbs of her eyes – like she was trying to look out while keeping people from looking within.

Naruto was no Yamanaka, but that fairly screamed of a lonely soul. To him at least. Or maybe he was just thinking crazy because she held a kunai to his neck.

Naruto opened his mouth to say hello when he felt the kunai jab into his skin, just a bit deeper. Her body was firm as she lay on top of him; firm and competent – he couldn't underestimate her.

"Akatsuki had me, now you do; where are they, and who are you?"

There was a moment's silence.

"Did you… mean to make that rhyme?" he asked dumbly.

The kunai dug a little deeper and he grimaced. She was damned close to piercing the skin. "Okay, okay," he soothed. "Take it easy."

"Who are you?" she demanded again, her voice a hoarse whisper. Her eyes were fierce, and he knew she felt as a cornered animal might. He would be the same way if Akatsuki had taken him.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto," he proclaimed, as though that should say it all.

She took a moment to consider this. "Alright, Uzumaki Naruto; where am I?"

"We're in the Land of Waves."

"We? What's this 'we' business?"

"I brought you here," he admitted.

"Why?" she snarled, her voice still pitched too low to attract attention. "Hoping to ransom me for money? The Raikage won't bargain!"

"Actually, I thought I'd help out someone who needed it," he replied angrily. He could understand her hesitance to trust him, but she didn't have to be so damned hostile. "Ransom?" he sneered, "Sold? Have you been beaten? Are you chained? Are you restrained and naked? No! Your wounds are bandaged and you're free to move! So why don't you get the fuck out of my face, and get the hell off me?"

She seemed taken aback by his vehemence and his passionate defiance. For a moment she gaped at him, open-mouthed.

Taking advantage, he surged into explosive plyometric action. His hips thrust upwards, elevating her lithe body with it; his hands reached out, lightning-quick, to snag her wrists and drag the kunai blade away from his neck.

It was only a few milliseconds before she reacted and they began to grapple, fighting determinedly over the kunai. It was a blind struggle of fists and wrists as she managed to free one hand, clawing desperately at his face, right before he captured it again and rolled on top of her to pin her down. The kunai clattered to the floor as he pinned her with his strong hands and dominant hips, both of them breathing heavily.

For a moment everything was quiet, save for their laboured breathing.

"Are you going to listen to me now? Or continue to act like an ungrateful brat?"

For a moment she glared up at him hatefully, before seemingly realising everything he'd just said about her being free of restraint was true. Her wrists went slack in his fists. "Fine," she muttered, as the fight went out of her.

He continued to look at her closely, looking for any sign of deceit. Her wrists wriggled slightly in his grip – a sign of some kind.

"You can get off me now," she said firmly, though a dull flush crept up her neck.

"Huh?" Naruto looked down and noticed their position; he was lying full atop her, his body perfectly cradled in the V of her hips. It was an extremely intimate position; one utilised primarily by lovers all across the world. Naruto could imagine that it was almost as if they were… "Oh!" he cried, throwing himself off her in shock, his face blushing fiercely. He shuffled back on his hands and buttocks and feet, his back slapping against the wall. "I didn't… Um, I didn't mean to, uh…"

"Well, I suppose you really aren't a rapist. If you were you would have been far more comfortable in our previous position." Her voice was filled with muted disdain.

His retort was sharp. "I was comfortable in our previous –!" He drew a sharp breath as her eyes narrowed and he realised what he'd said. "I mean – I didn't mean – I'm comfortable around women, okay!" he finished defensively.

"Of course you are," she replied, patronising to the utmost.

She continued to glare at him and he glared right back, unwilling to cede this engagement to her. Looking her over, he gulped. "Um, you should, er, close your robe, probably," he mumbled, closing his eyes firmly.

He heard her gasp and a shuffle of clothes as she did so. His face was burning. She did look good, though. He swallowed and ran a palm over his face in frustration. "What's your name?" he asked.

She was silent and he opened his eyes just in time to see her mulling over her situation. Eventually she came to a decision.

"Nii Yugito, Jounin of Kumogakure, Serial Number 11736."

oOoOoOo

To Be Continued...

A/N: I hope everyone understood all Japanese words and references to the manga. And hopefully this story isn't so very far beyond your realm of belief.

25/9/10:

The basic premise for this story was to write about a scenario where Naruto and Yugito might meet and fall in love. Initially, it was to be a multi-chaptered venture, probably racking up two hundred thousand words and encompassing the majority of the Naruto manga (part 2, at least), but I'm quite certain I have not the dedication to complete such a story. Thus, I have shortened it down to two chapters only, and this story explored the initial meeting and the potential to fall in love. So if you're looking for scenes of a highly sexual nature, you're in for disappointment.

Things I wanted to include:

A mature Naruto, who reflected on everything that had happened to him and reacted with some plausibility;

A Naruto who was not quite so singular in his ninja techniques, resulting from two and a half years of solid training from Jiraiya, beyond merely improving the size of the Rasengan and forcefully extracting the Nine-tails' chakra; and

A Naruto who, while still flying by the seat of his pants, had learned some semblance of strategy.

For anyone who claims that Naruto had it too easy against Akatsuki, I'll contend that he wasn't engaging them head-to-head, and completely caught them by surprise. He had a few clones distracting them while he essentially ran away with Yugito. He was able to dispatch Hidan so easily because the guy was still pinned by his black ritual pipe. And because it was Akatsuki, Naruto had no qualms about immediately going for the kill.

Sincerely,

bourkem