Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto or Command and Conquer, sadly that belongs to Kishi and EA (Damn you EA! You killed Westwood!)

AN: Once more, not what you all were hoping for, but the other day I was out looking over one of my favorite old crosses, a Naruto/Claymore by NHunter calledJinchuuriki and huntresses that I think was quite well done, had good build up, not overly strong Naruto, nice romance and a nice ending. After I went out and looked at his profile and saw an interesting little challenge there that really piqued my interests, and after a bit of back and forth with NH this came about ^_^.

Now to let you all know, I'm a massive C&C fan boy, I don't think there's one of their games I don't own save for Renagade, and that's only because back in the day my mom wouldn't let me have shooters (But, oddly, anime was just fine :P) and I've found a way to bring one of my very favorite characters into the Naruto-verse with a fun bloodline to boot, so I'm hoping that you all enjoy reading it as much as I had writing it ^_^ Special thanks to NHunter for taking a look first and giving the OK as well as the initial idea, and I hope you enjoy ^_^.

P.S. I'm going to try and get better about my posting times, really I am, it's just I have to be in the right mood to write and if I'm not then I'm SOL, as in I hate anything i end up putting on 'paper' and end up deleting it. That said, I think by pushing myself on my challange fics a bit more, to build up the tension on me which proves to be a good thing for me, I'm addicted to stress it seems :( Anyway, on with the show!

P.P.S. As an edit, is it just me, or does this bloody site like to screw up the uploaded stories? I posed this less than a minuet ago and there is already errors that aren't in my original documents...it blows...

The King of the Green
Chapter 1

"He who controls the past commands the future, He who commands the future, conquers the past."
- Kane

'Faster, have to run faster!'

Two small feet could be heard rushing through the underbrush, this was not a new occurrence for the youth however, it seemed more times than not it was happen.

The mad flight.

The rush of feet.

The shouts of voices.

Still the youth ran, never slowing, the only signs of such a thing being the changing of direction.

Still, the pursuer pressed on, never ceasing, and worse, it was drawing closer.

'Come on legs...MOVE!'

It would prove fruitless.

"I GOT YA TEN-CHAN!"

The little brunette felt the arm circle her midsection before the two bodies went rolling through the grass, the young girl letting out a pained 'oof' as she hit the ground before wrestling the boy to lay below her. Her hair now disheveled as she shot the grinning blond a dirty look.

"NARUTO! THESE WERE NEW CLOTHES!"

He let out a pained squawk as her fist ground into the crown of his head.

The blonds' cheeks puffed out in a pout as he rubbed his lump, "T-that was mean Ten-chan..."

She crossed her arms before her as she turned her head with a huff, "You deserved it! My new mommy bought me these! I don't wanna to mess them up!"

The boy seemed to deflate slightly, "But you're the one that wanted to play tag!"

"Ya, but I didn't think you would tackle me!"

He had the good grace to scratch his head with a small chuckle, "Sorry..."

"You better be! If not then you won't get a popsicle!"

The child's eyes widened in horror before clinging to her waist once more, "No! Please! Anything but that! Jii-jii never gets me popsicles!"

If anything her ire only grew, seeing the sweaty boy clinking to get so tightly, "Get off! I mean it! I'll tell mommy!"

The boy released her as though she were made of fire, "See! See! I let go! Can I get a popsicle!"

The pretended to think for a time before shooting him a rather devious smirk, "Weeeeelllllll...maybeeeee...if..."

He dropped to his knees pleading, "Please! I'll do anything!"

She gave a triumphant smirk, "Hide and seek."

He just tilted his head in confusion, "Hide and seek?"

She nodded, "Hide and seek."

That made his pout return one hundred percent, "But that's boring with only two people."

Her grin grew, "Tough! Hide and seek! Or no treat!" He gave a small nod before shooting to his feet, his mouth already open to answer before she cut him off, "And I get to find you! You have to hide!"

His pained moan was drowned out as she started counting, prompting the blond to take off like an arrow.

Tenten could only grin as she started her hunt, really, she knew this would be too easy, while she knew Naruto was one of the best at not getting caught in the whole village, there was no way the boy could sit still for long, it was going to be one of the easiest games she had ever won.

If only she knew what would be happening today...

While the two children turned the forest into their own private playground two other individuals were watching though the small viewing orb housed in a small-ish office.

The first, and oldest of the group, also held the most prestige, and the largest smile. He was the Hokage, the leader of the village that housed so many.

A number that was increasing by one quite soon.

The next was a rather stunning young woman that was already starting to garner a following within the Hidden Village, one Mitsuko Mayumi, a prized blacksmith from the Land of Iron that was looking to have a fresh start in the world.

Specifically in a village that would allow her to peruse her love of the forge, something that was at the very least frowned upon in the traditionalistic lands of her birth.

She was a rather young woman, one well versed in the arts despite her age. The term 'prodigy' was thrown around a lot when she was young, but when she reached puberty her father could no longer mask the fact she was indeed his daughter, and almost at once she was set upon by those that would seek to arrange marriages. Many looking at only her beauty, or the skill of her father, not to mention the forge itself.

So one day she had taken it upon herself to take her greatest work thus far, go to one of the neighboring towns to sell it, then make a mad dash away from that place in hopes of finding her future.

Upon entering the hidden village, a place that her father had always spoken of with fondness, especially for 'that old coot' that ran the place she could already tell that this was a special place.

The fact was only cemented when she had been walking by the little orphanage and a small brunette with hair reaching to the small of her back had run past her, laughing brightly all the while even as a young blond boy gave chase, a long cat-tail in his hands doing the best to tickle his friend.

While she had never been one to have an interest in family, especially at her age, something had warmed her heart at the sight of the little brunette.

She was sold, this would be her home.

There was only one problem at that time, the rather hideous look that came over the faces of the other villagers at the sight of the two, something that confused her to no end, and just added to the list of things that she would be forced to ask the elderly leader when she reached his office.

that had been two days ago, and she was sad to learn so little about the blond. All she could get out of the aged leader was that Naruto wasn't well liked due to the date of his birth, something that many had considered a bad portent, despite the fact that new life coming from such an event should have been seen as a blessing.

Still, when she had arrived that night at the orphanage with the intent to find the little brunette once more she was saddened to see just how alone the blond had been, sitting alone on his bed with his bowl of soup, seeming to just poke at it for a time, before a roll rebounded off his head earning a surprised squawk from the blond and a careful eye tracing the arc back to the object of her affection. The little girl just stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to her food and her apparent group of friends.

The smith was a woman possessing a rather unique quality, her skin was a rather dusky hue due to long hours traveling, though Sarutobi thought it could be due to the time at the forge as well, something that most smiths seemed to possess. However, this darker skin offered a unique contrast for her steel grey hair and matching eyes, something that drew the eye sharply even as her hair framed her almost to perfect face. Even the simple traveling clothes she bore looked to enhance rather than detract from her appearance, the way her obi had settled about her midsection only brought out her toned hips while the extra tautness this afforded the top showed off her respectable bust. Still, to the ninja of the village it was the way she carried herself that stood out to them all the more, the strength in her arms and the calluses on her hands that really drew them in.

She could tell that many of the older boys in the orphanage were already enthralled, while some of the girls were looking at her with almost hero-worship, thinking that she was a kunoichi immediately. However, for Tenten she had just been timid, not sure why this strange woman was looking at her with such intensity, her friend Naruto, someone who the workers of the orphanage had been trying to get her to stay away from didn't seem to like the look and had quickly dashed over to shield her from the woman, something that put a smile on both their faces.

After asking for the two to come with her into a side room she explained that she was interested in adopting Tenten and that had instantly earned the woman a hug from the young girl, and a small smile from the little blond who then hugged his friend before leaving them 'to get to know each other'.

She knew that the blond had been disappointed, however the way he had acted made it seem like he was used to being picked over for the others in the little home.

For the next few days Tenten and Mitsuko had been feeling each other out, to make sure that they would be able to work well as parent and child, something rather common for children of their age, not to mention they were still finalizing the paperwork for getting her moved into the village, and she wasn't about to let the little girl's first night as a true family be in anything less than a house.

In the meantime she had bought the little brunette some new clothing and had taken her around the village as a true parent would, playing in the park, getting a little treat at the dango stand or a street vender.

In that time, if anything, the older woman had only fallen further in love with her daughter to be, and it was clear to most that Tenten was starting to feel the same way.

However, through it all the little blond ball of energy that she had learned was Tenten's best friend was nowhere to be seen. Indeed it had only been that afternoon that the duo had found him sitting alone at a park while watching a few of the other families playing, his eyes showing a rather hollow sadness that had pulled at her heartstrings even as Tenten had run over and started speaking animatedly with him before dragging him over to 'her new mommy', something that brought a tear to the woman's eye, before Tenten pulled him off to the playground for a game of tag.

At the time she had decided that she was going to see about a package deal, the look in the blonds' eyes haunting her, however that idea was rather quickly, and sadly, crushed by the Third, who with a heavy heart had informed her that the people's irrational fear of the boy had lead to laws being passed on the civilian side that would keep citizens from adopting the boy, only a ninja would be allowed, but even then the undercurrent of the conversation had shown that he wouldn't be allowed even that small grace.

"I still don't know why you allowed for such a thing Hokage-dono..."

He let out a heavy sigh as he watched the two currently hiding in the woods, the back and forth of hide and seek just driving home the fact that Naruto was indeed just a young boy. "I'm afraid those laws were put into place during the reconstruction of the village in the wake of the Kyuubi's attack, sadly it had all been ducked through the system and interwoven into other bills that would be desperately needed by the village. To try and undo any one of them would lead to disaster. One such clause is something that you may or may not have noticed while filling out your own paperwork for residency, by signing it you swore that you would make no effort to adopt Naruto less you end up paying reparations to the village in a rather substantial sum. As it stands any funds that Naruto makes when he matures will be taxed to cover the damaged that happened on that horrible night...but I can't even overturn that without making a formal inquiry to the Fire Lord..."

The woman's dark features suddenly paled significantly even as she pulled out her own copies of the residency agreement she had signed, to be honest she hadn't read it that closely, and Sarutobi hadn't told her much more, as she was more interested in starting a business and adopting young Tenten.

After all, only a fool would allow skill like hers to go when presented with an opportunity.

"Rest assured Mitsuko that I will not be fining you, as you were wise enough to come to me first. However I would be careful as far as Naruto is concerned, there are those that have it out for him I'm afraid, it's actually to the point that I'm debating on getting him his own apartment..."

Her head jerked up as though she had been struck, "You can't be serious! He's seven! He can't be on his own at that age!"

The Kage gave a small nod, for the first time since they had met he was really starting to look his age, "Trust me, I know it won't be easy, but as it stands it seems that Naruto isn't getting the care he needs in the orphanage, by declaring him an adult and giving him an apartment then at least I can make sure he gets the funding he needs to ensure he's taken care of."

That didn't seem to be the words she was wanting to hear, but she gave a small nod and moved on, "I see, and I and appreciate your situation, but if I can make a request at least?"

"You may."

"Could you maybe give him a location closer to myself? I know Ten-chan would like to be able to see him more often, and this way I could drop in now and again to make sure he's taken care of."

The elderly leader carefully repacked his pipe as he mulled it over, however, even as he lifted it once more to his lips he gave a small shake of his head, "I'm afraid that won't be possible, the only available land for you to have a forge built is rather far from the apartment complexes set aside for orphans...there's nothing stopping you from going and visiting him when the time comes however. You can rest assured that none of my men will interfere with you or your daughter's visits."

The woman gave him something of a dubious stare, "And the villagers?"

A huff of smoke filled the air as he turned his eyes back to the orb, his words already rolling off his tongue, "Regretfully I have little control over the general po-"

His eyes went wide.

Where had Naruto gone?

This was bad...

He had never been this good at hiding before...

She was starting to get a bit frantic when her vision was suddenly obscured by a swirl of dust and leafs, coughing slightly her eyes widened after a moment of rubbing them upon seeing the Hokage, one looking just as panicked as she was starting to feel, at his side was her new mother, the woman looking just as concerned.

"Ten-chan, what happened? Where's Naruto?"

The little girl's chocolate eyes filled with tears as she dashed to her mother, wrapping her little arms around her leg, "He's gone Kaa-san! W-we were playing hide and seek, but I've looked everywhere! He's just gone! He's never been able to hide this good, I'm scared!"

Sarutobi's keen eyes quickly traversed the small clearing they had found themselves in, noting the trampled grasses, the broken twigs and disturbed underbrush, there was no single trail, just the littered mess of two children at play. With a snap of his finger the clearing was filled with the masked black ops of the village, ANBU.

"Inu, Neko, take two squads and begin searching for Naruto, permission to use summons is authorized, I wa-"

The group suddenly felt a sensation dread wash over them, one of such profound hate and malice that it almost drove the ANBU to their knees, only Sarutobi pulsing his own considerable chakra managed to offset it enough to keep the gather nin on their feet, although that was little comfort for the young brunette who had fainted, and her new mother who looked to be faring only slightly better.

Immediately all eyes turned to the north, closer to the base of the Hokage Monument.

Some twenty minutes earlier.

This was it! He was finally going to win!

There was no way in hell that she would ever be able to find him in here!

This cave had been one of the many little hidey-holes he had come up with over the years, a place that he could go to escape the glares, the hate filled mutterings, or just a place to hide toys or bits of candy or food should any of the other kids try and take it from him and claim that 'he'd stolen it'.

The jerks...

Tenten was the only one that he really couldn't say had ever acted like that, indeed she had been rather open and free with giving him things, or playing with him.

It's one reason that her adoption had hurt so much...It felt like he was going to be losing a part of himself. Still, he would never take the chance of a family away from his only friend, so he put on a smile, like he always did, then did his best to avoid her.

Anything to lessen his pain.

Then came this odd day of playing, and a promise of a treat later.

He almost never got treats, so he'd jumped at it.

Now here he was, at the entrance of one of the many shelters that the village had in case of attack, something he had never gone into before, but really, who would ever think to look for him in there?

It was perfect!

Pushing aside one of the bushes that obscured the entrance he dashed in and quickly pulled it back into place behind him, a part of him wondering why the doors to this one had been opened.

and what the sign by the entrance had meant...

Ah well, no matter, he had the perfect hiding place, so all he had to do was wait until she shouted her surrender then it would all be over, he would be the winner!

Moving further back into the cave he started to wonder at the little things, like when it was made, who had made it, who all had used it in the past.

He never saw the sudden drop off into the blackness.

And there were fewer still who would know what this place could hold, or how old these tunnels truly were.

The fall had been sudden, the stop at the end more so, one that earned a pained groan from the blond even as he struggled to stand.

This was odd...

He knew he had fallen and slid a good distance, his body told him as much, but if that was the case, where was the light coming from?

It took several long moments for his eyes to adjust to the dim room, one that, at once time, seemed to be quite lavish, if such a thing could be judged by the smoothly polished stone walls that surrounded him. Beyond that there were a number of rusted out pieces of furniture, many crumbled bits of wood.

Even bones...from what he wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that he really didn't want to know...what he did notice was that the odd piles looked to be in a specific pattern.

Like...something had been sitting here...a lot of somethings...

However, none of this caused the light in the room, no, that was the central dais.

There, with the skeletons radiating out from it, was a platform that was only slightly less rusted than the others, but there, floating above the surface a few inches, was a strange green sphere, one filled with dancing lights the likes of which he had never seen before.

There wasn't a word for how beautiful it was, the deep, emerald green glass? Crystal? He wasn't sure, but the lights within it reminded him of stars at night, though moving more quickly than he would have normally expected. It was like the great bands that would stretch across the horizon, but he never could have hoped to have seen the stars so close...

His hands were moving before he knew what he was doing, the thought of touching the stars themselves...

The surface was cool to the touch, smooth as glass, but at the same time it radiated a warmth that spread to his core, like when the old man would pick him up when he was younger...

He brought the sphere closer to his face, staring into its infinite depths even as he stroked the surface, as though it were something precious to him.

The sudden shout from above startled him, Tenten's cry of the boy's name.

The sphere fell.

The green glass shattered.

The shards pierced his skin, even as his wounds from his fall were covered and filled with the dust.

And the stars exploded across his vision.

Deep within the young blond a great set of eyes snapped open, blood red eyes widening as it felt the massive pain that rolled through its container. At once the seal began to draw on its infinite power in an attempt to heal him. Normally the small amounts that would be pulled from it would be enough for even the most severe break, but now...

The great fox could only marvel as it watched the pipes that were the 'physical' representation of not only its own, but the blonds' chakra paths have their normally dull grey steel slowly changed. First the way the limited light bounced off them, the intensity growing sharply and illuminating the room far more clearly. Then came the 'material' itself, it was slowing turning into a strange green...

If possible the creature's eyes widened further, it could somehow feel it, the kit's chakra was...changing...not just the pathways or the body...no, what was once shades of blues were changing...first teals...then the same emerald green.

The fox started to panic, it had no idea what it was that was happening to its container, for all it knew this was some form of a disease, something that could lead to the boy's end.

And if he died...

No! It wouldn't happen!

A massive flood of red chakra rushed out from the cage, forcing itself into the larger pipes that all spiraled into its cage, there was no way it was going to give up without a fight!

Deeper still, in what was almost pitch blackness, two coal black eyes caught the green and red lights, and seemed to crinkle in a smile.

Sarutobi moved with a purpose, his strides strong and his stance high, something that none of the ninja or even his advisors had seen since the last war.

He was a man on a mission, and that mission was the boy currently convulsing in his arms.

They had found him in one of the condemned shafts, the place highly unstable due to the amount of earth techniques that a nearby training ground had been subjected to over the years. It was a horrible way to find a child, never mind how close he was to Naruto, to see anyone writhing like that, shards of glass littering their body even among the bones of people who had been dead for hundreds of years, if not longer.

He had been at the boy's side in an instant, gathering him into his arms and flickering to the hospital before charging bodily through the doors to the ER, His chakra swirling around him like a tornado, the force of it alone opening the doors for him even as it fought to repress the malicious red chakra that sought to consume everything around it, never once seeming to notice the people in his wake.

"I need Akiko, Shiro and Haru now! Inu, go to Ibiki and get me seven class four chakra seals! Tenten, Mitsuko, I'm afraid that this will have to be where we part ways.

The little brunette immediately piped up from behind her mother, "No! It's my fault! I don't wanna go!"

The elderly leader gave her a grandfatherly smile, though the effect was slightly marred due to his intimidating aura, "Tenten, this wasn't your fault, it was an accident, no one could have predicted it, no one could have stopped it. Now, why don't you Mitsu-chan go and get that popsicle, then you can bring it to Naruto when we finish..."

"Bu-"

"No 'buts' now, listen to your Kage now, you're going to be a strong kunoichi aren't you?' the girl gave a shaky nod, 'Then you need to listen to your Hokage now, come back tomorrow and I'm sure he'll be all better."

The little girl felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she gave another nod, this one much firmer.

The old man felt a smile spread across his lips as he saw a fire light in her eyes, "I'll be back...Believe it!"

Hiruzen gave the girl a wide smile before shooting Mitsuko a quick look, an unseen conversation crossing between the two, silently telling her to take the child and go.

She obeyed.

As Sarutobi moved into the room he spotted the three physicians he had called for, Akiko, his personal medical nin. Shiro, the head of the hospital, both civilian and shinobi, the last was Haru, head of their limited medical ninja corp.

Not for the first time he cursed the fact he had helped in blocking Tsunade's hope for a properly trained medical ninja unit...but he didn't have time to dwell on what could have, and should have been, right now he had to worry about his surrogate grandson, and what could happen should the seal come fully unraveled.

The group moved as one, Sarutobi placing six seals on the walls, ceiling and floor, before focusing all of his considerable chakra into his hand to place the last on onto Naruto himself.

Atsuko was next, unraveling a scroll with all of her notes on every visit Naruto had ever had under her, though at the moment she was utterly out of her element, the red chakra, only now receding, was sure to disrupt the healing chakra she could bring to bear.

Shiro was barking orders at each of his nurses and orderlies, getting saline bags, anesthetic, bandages, various instruments, everything that could be needed by them be it for a cold or open heart surgery.

Haru had already gathered all the soldier and blood pills that she could find and had distributed a good number of them to her top three healers, aside from herself and Atsuko of course, still, she had reached the same conclusion as her 'superior' and knew that all she could do was wait.

Something that, as a healer, was something that she could never easily do.

For Naruto this was a new experience.

He had felt emotional pain, but beyond the odd scraped knee or sprain he had never really had an injury.

But now, now was different, he could almost feel every cell in his body, each of them crying out as though on fire, or like a tiny blade was slicing into them.

He could feel his bones, like they were trying to escape from him all at once.

Even his teeth hurt.

At the same time he could feel power, something raw and new exploding from deep down inside him, yet even as it was trying to piece him back together, at the same time it felt like it was trying to rip him apart.

Some small part of him, the part of everyone that stays rational, lucid, thought that maybe this what chakra felt like, the power, like he could lift the Hokage monument! However, through that was the pain, grating, churning, glowing, it was madness, invading his every pore, every molecule.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could last, he could feel his mind trying to fragment, to shatter, anything to escape.

Then he felt the pull...

With a sudden gasp he felt an impact, a dull groan escaping through clenched teeth before rolling over and looking where he had landed. While he had rather limited experience with such places from what he could tell it looked like a concrete hallway of some form, one that didn't seem to have any turns to it, just going on and on into blackness.

With a grunt he managed to force himself to his feet, his legs unsteady due to the pain he had been in just moments ago, pain that suddenly had vanished.

With an shuffling gait he started making his way down the hallway, one direction being just as good as another, he walked for what felt like hours on end, never seeming to make any headway.

Then he spotted the first real change to the corridors, the sight of strangely glowing pipes.

Green pipes.

"H-Hello? Is anyone there?"

Silence was his answer, but even as he pressed on some part of him knew he was getting closer to his goal.

Slowly the corridor started to widen, the hall opening into a great hall supported by a number of pillars, the once rough looking concrete looking smooth and clean, like polished marble, black marble.

The soft sounds of footfalls suddenly muffled as he found himself walking across a narrow red carpet, the whole of the room bathed in the eerie green light even as he started noticing other flashes of color, banners that matched the carpet.

Naruto was suddenly feeling rather inadequate, feeling as though this place was something meant more for lords and ladies rather than one small orphan, still, there was no other place that he could go, so he simply pressed on, a part of him noticing that the red light was growing stronger the deeper he went.

Then he was before it, as though it had simply decided to appear.

A stepped platform, one holding a great throne, and behind it, a massive cage.

And for the first time since coming here Naruto heard another's voice.

"I must admit, you...were not what I was expecting..."

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a man walk from behind the throne, one unlike any he had ever seen before. While was wasn't terribly tall, or possessing of any one trait that would make him stand out from another, it was clear that this man was not someone from Konoha. He looked to be a bit taller than the average shinobi of his home, two arms, two legs, all quite normal, but his face didn't look right to him, his cheekbones were shaped differently, as were his eyes and nose. His skin as well was different shade, paler but at the same time possessing a strange tan.

Beyond that, his head was bald, though he looked more than young enough to still possess his hair, hair that should still hold its natural color if his goatee was anything to go by. Coal black eyes looked to be sizing him up, scrutinizing him as though he were some interesting thing to learn from...

If he could be of use...

His clothing was somewhat unique, consisting a rather tight grey-blue shirt with an overly baggy collar covered by a leather trench coat made up the main look, one that had more padding or armor in shoulders and back, he couldn't tell. On the left arm there was an odd looking triangle, one with the points cut off, with a scorpion tail inside it, a simple black belt with matching pants and buckled boots finished the look, really he wasn't sure what to make of him, but he knew that he was more than a bit intimidating.

Naruto's mouth opened to ask who this man was but was beaten to the punch as he moved forward, his hands resting gently behind his back as he paced slowly before the throne, "I would assume that you have many questions my child...but for now, there are things that you must be made aware of. Chief among them being who I am, and what exactly has happened to you. Rest assured, I mean you no harm, and indeed can become your greatest ally if what I have learned thus far is to be believed. You, Naruto, are in possession of a great power, one that I myself once saw as something that could lead to the elevation of humanity to a new plane of existence, and I was right." There was something a bit unsettling about the man's smile, and the glint those eyes held.

"U-um...who are you, a-and could you tell me where I am? Am I still in that hole?"

That made the man's almost stoic look turn to a small smirk, a light chuckle echoing through the hall even as he moved down the stairs to stand before him. "The hole? No my child, we are no longer inside the temple, when you shattered the shell containing the Tacitus the powers that be found you, and quickly spirited you away for treatment...As to who I am, I have gone by many names...but the one I am most fond of is Kane."

Naruto mouthed the name a few times, the odd sound only serving to drive home the fact that this man was not from his village, "K-Kane-san, I-I don't...If I'm at the doctor then how am I here? Are you a new doctor? Where's Jii-jii?"

If anything that made the man's smile grow, "You question, and seek answers while trying to remain polite, I can appreciate that...Now, how to explain it...I suppose the simplest answer would be the most confusing...we are within your mind."

"My mind?"

"Indeed...But, we are getting ahead of ourselves, from what I have seen you have no idea what this cage holds, let alone the significance of this place, and how it has saved you this day."

"N-no sir."

That made the man raise a hand, not sharply, like some would with him, but just enough to stop him , "Sir...it has been a long time since I was called that, but I find it...inappropriate in this situation, you may address me as Kane my child, as our fates are now intertwined."

"Y-Yes si-Kane."

"Very good. Now, from what I have been able to glean from your memories you were never told about the creature held within this prison, yet at the same time there were enough...hints, that one who was a bit more...traveled, could have picked up upon."

"Prison?"

"Indeed...You can imagine my surprise when I awoke here to find such a creature, one unlike anything I have encountered in my lifetime, and that is a great deal of time, make no mistake. No, I would hazard to say that this...being is far closer to a god than even I could lay claim to...Tell me, what do you know a great fox, one possessing many more tails than such a creature should ever hold."

Naruto felt his blood run cold as heard this man speak so casually about a demon, "Well, Jii-jii told me that when I was born the Kyuubi attacked the village, that the Fourth Hokage died killing it."

That stole the man's smile, "I see...and tell me child, what would you say if I told you that you were lied to?' The boy's eyes widened but before he could speak the man dropped smoothly to one knee and placed both hands on his shoulders, 'I do not say this to cause you pain Naruto, but you must understand what you hold if you are ever to truly gain mastery over yourself. While I admit to knowing little about how or why such a creature came to be inside you, it seems to care about you to some extent, as it was responsible for saving you from the Tiberium that had acted against you. Whether this is due to the creature's desire for self preservation or something more, I cannot say, however...it has presented us with a unique opportunity..."

Naruto could only nod numbly as his mind processed what the Kane had told him, he had a demon in him...not just any demon, THE demon.

That was why he was looked at like he was...

Why he was insulted...

Why people would ignore him...

Why no one wanted him...

He felt the pressure of the man's hands increase slightly, snapping him out of his downward spiral, looking back up into the man's coal colored eyes he was met with a pained smile, as though this man knew what it was like to be alienated.

To be alone...

"Rest assured Naruto that I know what you are going through, as I have been looked at as a monster as well...perhaps they were right...but all I truly desired was my freedom, and the elevation of my children to the place they rightfully belonged...however, again we have gotten away from the matter at hand...This being used its considerable power to try and purge the Tiberium, the crystal that contained the Tacitus, from your body...something I am happy to say it failed to achieve."

"What's Tiberium?"

The man's smile returned as he rose to his feet once more, his hand extending before him to act as though he were cupping something, after a moment a large green crystal seemed to form out of nothingness to rotate lazily, "This, my child, is Tiberium...it was once the lifeblood of mankind, and the key to our ascension to something far more than what we were...I am truly surprised that the world reclaimed itself as well as it has...although it seems that the touch of Tiberium was deeper than I could have hoped, if your memories are anything to go by of course..."

Naruto's eyes widened, "You've seen my memories!"

The man gave a another small smile, "Please believe that it was not my intention...it was a byproduct of the apparent blending we have gone through, now allow me to finish."

The blond quickly shut his mouth, a part of him knew that it was in his best interest not to annoy this man.

"Very good. Now then, Tiberium is a very unique substance, one that can change anything it touches, though in humans it is quite dangerous, toxic actually, and something that only someone with the proper precautions or treatments should ever consider handling. However at the same time it gives off a great deal of energy and is comprised of a number of minerals that made it quite valuable...something I eagerly took advantage of in my time. However, that is not important at the moment, what is, is that you understand that when it entered your bloodstream your power...this, chakra, as you call it, acted as a fuel. The Tiberium would have killed you in moments if not for the efforts of the creature you hold, and in an attempt to purge it the fox's power forced not only the Tiberium to change, but you as well..."

"A-Am I going to die?"

His voice was soft, one laced with desperation, but again Kain's comforting hand came to rest on his shoulder, "No my child, in fact your body has adapted in ways that...frankly, I had only ever dreamt of..."

It had taken them eighteen long hours to finally get Naruto stabilized, yet at the same time it almost seemed as if they had done nothing.

One moment they had been applying seals, doing all in their power to cause that horrific chakra to recede, as the Kyuubi's energies, though they were trying to heal him, were also causing a great deal of damage to his body.

It was a gut wrenching sight, seeing the boy he had come to think of as his own grandson suffering like that, seeing the way his body bent and contorted itself even as he screamed.

Kami the screaming...he kept on and on until he was horse, yet even then his mouth was agape in silent horror, blood flowing from his lips as his throat tried to tear itself apart, he kept on.

Still, the fox did its job, it felt like an eternity yet the red chakra managed to force a number of the shards from the boy's body, however, rather than clattering to the floor they looked as though they had been...ground...the senbon sized slivers reduced to sand before flowing back through the open wounds, reopening them and causing another bout of convulsions in the blond as the sand was pulled into his body, following the return on the red chakra to his core.

Still, as with all things it did come, finally, to a merciful end. Akiko being the first to rush in and start applying the healing chakra to the child's body, hot on her heels Shiro and Haru went to work, the only male among them quick to get the life giving needles into the boy as Haru forced him to drink a slurry made of ground blood and soldier pills, anything to try and stabilize him.

Sarutobi stood a constant vigil, never once leaving the room while he held Naruto's hand loosely, whispering what small comforts he could before the group finally declared the job done, that he would just need to rest.

But for the elderly leader, he couldn't help but feel he should have been able to do more. He was a Kage! There had to have been more that he could do...

How many had wondered the same...

"Jii-jii..."

The man didn't even have to move, he had never left his side, "Naruto-kun, how are you feeling?"

"I want a popsicle..."

The Kage's tears flowed, even as his laughter rang long and loud.