Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Rating:T for swearing

A/N: Hey fellas. I know, I'm a liar and I should be hung at the gallows for not updating. I just started college (throws things out the window) and I've been on a writer's block for awhile. Originally this was chapter 9 and half of chapter 10, but I synthesized them together and just started working that way. I was also working on this chapter really hard because I was trying to get back to how I wrote the 1st chapter. I'm not sure that this was successful, but hey—I tried. Finally, I know this story is a SASUNARU fanfic, but I think I might have to change it to 'EVENTUAL SASUNARU', urrp. Sorry folks who came because it said SASUNARU. Their relationship'll just have to wait after I finish the plot;; But yeah… Haha; So here you are, and I hope you enjoy it!

-Underground-

-Chapter 9-

Naruto wasn't the type to avoid people. He liked being near people, in their faces, being loud near them… He was a people-person. Of course, he would strategically avoid a person if it were to affect his mental, emotional, and/or physical being… but for some reason, Naruto couldn't think of avoiding Sasuke.

Something about Sasuke screamed 'I know something you don't~' and him being a curious guy, Naruto wanted to know what. He was curious of Sasuke. Even if he wasscared shitless by their first meeting, the blonde had thought about it—about Sasuke—about him being in a cave like that.

Why was he there?

Why was he left there?

Why was he the only person in the whole village of Konohagakure still alive?

What was that cave?

Who was Sasuke?

All of those questions had crossed Naruto's mind at least once… and Naruto wanted Sasuke to answer them.

But now, as Naruto sat in his last class before school ended, Neji wanted Naruto to avoid the raven like the plague. Sure, Neji had given him a damn good reason to avoid Sasuke (Sasuke was freaky and seemed like he could kill if he wanted to) and sure, usually Neji was right with his predications (almost 96% of the time). But Naruto had doubts about avoiding Sasuke.

And it frustrated the living crap out of Naruto.

The blonde couldn't think of making himself avoid Sasuke, and yet he didn't know why. Sasuke pulled him in. And Naruto was hooked. And that made Naruto mad.

'Fucking teme,' he cursed. 'I'm scared of the guy, yet I can't avoid him.'

He groaned and slid his hand through his hair.

He had known Neji for a couple of years now. He had reason and experience to trust Neji's decision. Sasuke (who wanted to butt rape the blonde) only knew Naruto for a few short days. Neji obviously had prestige over Sasuke. So why couldn't Naruto bear the thought of avoiding Sasuke? !

'He excites me?' Cue the red face and mental screaming.

'He's interesting?' Naruto snorted at the thought of Sasuke's interesting duck-butt hair.

'He knows something?' Obviously, Naruto nodded. But what?

'The… the Uchiha treasures?' Light blub!

That had to be it. Of course Naruto knew Sasuke couldn't be the treasures. If Naruto avoided Sasuke, then it could potentially mean for Naruto that he would never find the treasures. If this was a video game (his mind sometimes thought things through like a video game), Sasuke was like the last puzzle before getting to the boss/treasure. Of course, the producers of this video game would have to make this puzzle as hard as fuck, but the reward for the player's efforts would be recognized and given.

'I should beat the things I need to know outta the bastard. Then I'll avoid him like Chouji avoiding a diet...'

Naruto cackled quietly, thinking of mental images of him beating a pathetic and scrawny Sasuke saying 'where's the treasures-ttebayo?' 'gunna hold out on the good stuff-ttebayo?'

"Uzumaki!"

Naruto looked up, his eyes wide. Asuma looked at him with a frown.

"C'mon Naruto. Lunch's over."

"Sorry Asuma-sensei."

Naruto tugged his notebook out and grabbed his pen. Chewing the end of the pen, Naruto quickly scribbled down the notes on the board. His thought's wandered again to Neji's warning. It was strange, the things Neji was telling Naruto. Especially about the voices.

"…think about it Naruto… something calling to you…

What if it's one of those demons…?"

Naruto frowned and bit his pen again.

The blonde really didn't hear anything 'call' him when he was young. He just remembered murmuring, like a half-mute television show, always in the back of his mind—especially when he was falling asleep. Back then, right after the great quake, sleep was nearly nothing for the blonde. The murmuring kept him up.

"I believe I have proof that these 'demons' are real…"

His frown deepened. Neji was a goody-two-shoes, honestly. The boy had spouted nothing but destiny and fate crap the first time Naruto had met him, but of course after Naruto had kicked his ass the Hyuuga was a little more easy-going… But that didn't stop the pale-eyed man from being his usual-obedient-rule-abiding-self. Whatever Neji had spewed back at lunch—it didn't seem his nature. It screamed of 'coup d'etat.' Something Jiraiya would've been muttering about.

Naruto blinked and then looked back up again, scrawling the diagrams on the board.

'Why did Neji make a big deal out of it though?'

He glanced up and continued to write quickly.

'Does Neji think that the voices I'm hearing are related to Sasuke?'

Naruto chewed his pen and then spun it in his hand.

But why did Neji keep asking him such strange questions? Like the noises from the pipes? Or that gust of wind in the warehouse district? Or his tattoo?

The blonde looked at his clothed stomach and could imagine clearly the red swirl on his stomach. He put a tentative hand on it, as if it would reach out to gnaw on his hand. He rubbed it and then looked back up to continue his notes.

Sasuke was suspicious, but…

Naruto felt his face grow red again. No, Sasuke wasn't trustworthy either… He was…

The raven was more curious to the blonde than anything.

Naruto grumbled, confused at his thoughts.

"Alright. That's the last of it."

Naruto looked around, surprised. Had he been thinking so long?

Asuma stood in the front with a bored look on his face. He started," Remember, tomorrow there are no classes."

Naruto blinked and raised his hand," Why not?"

Asuma sighed and waved his hand in the direction of the TV that hung in the top corner of the room. "It's been all over the news. Don't you kids watch TV?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. The news was boring. Who watched that crap?

Their teacher grunted and answered Naruto's earlier question," Tomorrow's the day when the royal family from Sunagakure will be coming. So the President has called a holiday in 'celebration' for this fine day. As if you guys didn't need to be behind anymore in your studies…"

Naruto 'huh'-ed and cocked his head to the side. 'Royal family, huh? Wonder why they're here…'

"…. ….. … .. …"

Naruto glided on his sky-board slowly, not paying attention to his companion's long rants about how 'Ino-pig needed to spend more time studying books than boys'. He thought back to the 'Underground' and thought about another escape there. It was a simple task—just find a hole in the chain-linked fence and escape onto the nearest pole. For some reason, it was so easy to escape. Even with their strict government, it was too easy.

".. . . ….. … ."

…But that didn't matter. All that mattered was going back down there and actually bringing back treasure and not some horny bastard. Naruto grumbled under his breathe, thinking back to his sensei's 'words of wisdom:'

"It was common logic among treasure hunters: Barriers were made to keep people away from precious things, especially treasure."

Yeah right, Naruto thought angrily. 'All I found was that bastard. And look where it got me!'

"… . . . …"

"…. . . . . . …. ."

Naruto sighed and thought of Konoha again. In his mind's eye, he could still see the large village, the vines and dirt that clung to the clean but empty streets, the large red building at the end of the village… even the large stone monument with the 4 faces and other shabby forehead. Naruto mentally stopped.

"…. …. … .. .."

Wasn't there something familiar about that monument…?

".. . …. . .. . … ."

Naruto frowned but shook it away from his mind.

"Ahh, I'm so glad we don't have school tomorrow."

Naruto turned to the girl. He grinned and agreed loudly," For real! Maybe I should write that royal family a letter of thanks for this single day off."

"….. …. .. .."

Sakura hummed and then stopped in front of the supermarket. She turned to Naruto, an index finger wagging at him. "I need to go pick up some fruits for the dinner tonight. It'll only be 10 minutes." Her jade eyes lowered dangerously.

"Don't go anywhere, Naruto."

Naruto chuckled and scratched his nose. He watched meekly as Sakura disappeared behind the sliding doors. Sighing, he hopped off his sky-board and sat on a bench outside.

If he was to go back, his best bet was that red building in the village. He'd have to ask Tenten if she could sneak into their family's weapon supply and hook him up with some bombs (her family supplied precious metals and equipment to the government, and Tenten never asked what he did with the stuff he bought). That building screamed of suspiciousness after all.

The blonde closed his eyes and let his body relax.

"…. . … .. . . ….. …. . . ."

"… . . . …"

His main priority was to get down to the 'Underground' again. He had time of course, but he wanted to get there as soon as possible. He felt uneasy. After Neji's little warning, Naruto knew that he needed to get the treasures before anything bad could happen. Bad ranged from something destroying the treasures to the government finding out his little escapades. But not only that, he wanted to confirm the voices.

"…. . … . . .."

It was his main goal after all. He wanted to find out the origin of these odd voices. That was the 1st reason why he had sought Jiraiya out and studied his ass off. Now, more than ever, he needed to find something to connect to the voices. Their hollow voices bubbled in the back of his head and it was beginning to bother him. They had started to mutter quietly ever since he had met up with Sakura. It was a bit nerve-wracking to hear them again. It had been awhile.

"… … … …. ….. …."

He placed a relatively cool hand on his forehead and brushed some of his hair back.

"You'd best keep away from him and attempt to cut ties—immediately."

Naruto opened his eyes and stared at the slowly darkening sky. He squinted and wondered where the sun went, when suddenly a jingle and a faint 'thank you, please come again' was heard near him.

Sakura sighed and put a hand out. "Can you carry these?"

"…. … … . . . . ."

Naruto blinked but smiled and took a hold of the bags. As he and Sakura continued on their way to the onsen hotels, Sakura glanced at Naruto.

"Are you worried?"

"…. …. ….. …"

Naruto looked at her.

"…. . . … …"

She repeated," Are you worried?"

"What do you mean Sakura-chan?"

"You've been in a daze since school got out. Did something happen?"

"… … . . …. …"

Naruto laughed and shook his head. He lied smoothly," Nothing, just tired ya know?"

Her gaze became half-lidded but her mouth squeezed shut.

".. .. . …."

Naruto tried to laugh again," C'mon Sakura-chan! There's nothing wrong. There's no school tomorrow, I'm gunna be eating good food with you and your grandparents… There's nothing to be in a daze about."

"Bull."

Naruto stopped and looked at the rosette. "Sakura-chan…?"

"… . . ….. . ."

She glared at the blonde. "Bullshit."

Naruto blinked and then jumped back when Sakura poked him fiercely in the chest with a sharp finger.

"Don't you dare lie to me Naruto. I hate it when you lie because you think you can save the people around you when you do."

The way her eyes bore into him made Naruto feel guilty.

"… … … . . …. … . ."

"You're not saving anybody by lying. When you lie to someone, it means you look down on them!"

Naruto flinched and looked away. He wasn't expecting Sakura to be reading him so easily… He stole at glance at her as she shifted her stance with her arms crossed and her weight on one leg, the other foot tapping the ground impatiently. And besides, he wasn't trying to lie to her! He just…

".. . . . …. .. . ."

"I'm not trying to lie to you Sakura-chan… I'm just…"

"Just what?"

"I'm just afraid of something."

She frowned and uncrossed her arms. She nodded for him to continue.

Naruto stuttered and rubbed the back of his head, looking down," I have to make this decision… A kinda big one. It's not like I'm gunna die if I make a mistake, but it's been bothering me."

Naruto fiddled with the bag in his hand and gulped, continuing slowly," I mean… Okay… A good, good friend of mine gave me advice and told me to stay away from this other guy that I just become… uhh, close… uhh, 'friends' with. My good, good friend has a lot of good reasons why I should avoid the new 'friend', but I feel like I can't avoid the new 'friend.'

"I have like… so many reasons to avoid the new guy, but I just don't feel right…"

Sakura gave a small sigh and walked forward to bop Naruto lightly on the head. She smiled gently," Although your good, good friend has given you reasons to avoid the new friend, I think you should continue to stay with the new one."

"… .. . . … . . ."

Naruto blinked and Sakura laughed, continuing," I mean, you don't feel right about avoiding him right?"

"Like, I feel like the new 'friend' has something that I need to know about."

"Then do whatever your heart tells you to. Cliché I know, but the heart sometimes makes judgments that can be stronger than the brain. After all, the brain over thinks many of the situations we're put in. So stop thinking about it. Whatever happens.."

"Happens," finished Naruto. He gave a bright smile and scratched his nose.

".. . . …. . . . . . …. … . .."

Kumogakure was a fairly decent village. It wasn't as old-fashioned as Konoha, but it was still just as large. All buildings were pretty uniform in making: the first floor was made from steel and then covered up with plaster, then the second floor and up was made with cement. There were barred square windows on the first floor, while on the above floors were windows where the top was curved and the bottom was rectangular. All the roofs in Kumogakure were flat, unlike Konoha's varied rooftops. The artificial plants that grew on the windowsills of some houses were always kept tidy and was never to overgrow otherwise there was a fine given. On every corner of Kumogakure's main streets there was an *info-check blaring out propaganda and bits and pieces of infotainment into the streets. Unlike Konoha, which was surrounded by a large gate and wall, Kumogakure was surrounded by a thin chain-linked fence. In some areas, like the ports, the chain-fences would disappear. At the edges of the city, the hungry and poor lived. During the summer and winters, they would gather around the pole openings, cherishing the cool breeze in the summer to the puffs of warm air in the winter.

The pole openings—that was the only irregular thing that was left alone in Kumogakure. They opened mostly near the edges of the floating village, but in plenty of areas there were covered poles sticking out of the ground. Some poles even peeked up from the ground in the middle of the street, forcing constructors to make road islands for the poles. Some people petitioned the President to do something about the inconsistent pole locations, but the petition was killed in the Government. Some people said that it was because the Premier's own home and where the Government resided, was located inside of a larger pole. A single pole that was wide and large enough to keep the island floating. Naruto had asked the Pervy Sage if that was true, but the white-haired professor had shrugged, saying that there was a chance that it was. After all, the government building was located right smack in the center of Kumogakure, towering above the rest of the village.

For Naruto, he had grown up next to the pole openings. He had moved when he was much older, but when he was younger and after the great quake, the poles would shudder and sigh outside his window. The younger Naruto looked forward to those groans and shudders of the poles. It kept his mind off of the murmuring. But not only that, the poles seemed to speak to Naruto. Unlike the murmuring of the voices, Naruto could hear small whispers. Sometimes he could catch a short sentence floating from the pole openings. He swore he heard the pole curse once too.

He had asked Jiraiya about the poles itself, of course, and that was when Jiraiya had told him about chakra. This was long after the accident with the children on his way to school, and it was during a time when Naruto's depression was deeply rooted. This was probably around his Freshman year. Before he met his friends. Jiraiya had taught him sky-boarding then.

"Listen up, Naruto. Chakra is in everyone!"

Naruto smiled to himself at the memory of that lesson. That was the 1st lesson Jiraiya had given him on sky-boarding.

"Everyone in the Sekai has it, but only a few can actually use it. But, anyone can use it by using boosters."

"Pervy Sage, what's a booster? Like a baby booster?"

"No you dolt! Look at your sky-board… that's a booster. Sky-boards react to a person's chakra and that's how you float. Of course, zooming around and performing tricks is a whole other matter."

"How come?"

"You need to manipulate your Chakra to work. That's why you don't see many people boarding these things. Adults who don't exercise their Chakra in their youth will never be able to use it later on. That's why your generation is out there causing havoc on these boards."

"…Do I think of using Chakra?"

"Wha..? What do you mean kid?"

"Like… Like, if I.. Uhm… Say I imagine a gust of wind pushing me forward on my sky-board… would it work?"

"...Well, visualization is a way to utilize your Chakra I guess. …Bah! Just do whatever you want!"

Naruto remembered himself thinking back on the voice that instructed him on using his chakra against the kids. He slowed behind Sakura as they began to see the rosette's home.

Was he near the poles? Was that why he could hear them so clearly?

"Naruto!"

He blinked and yelped, swerving around a street sign. He heard Sakura laugh in the distance.

"C'mon, I have to prepare the food ya know."

"Sorry, sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto laughed sheepishly, gliding over to her and handing her the grocery bags. She laughed lightly and opened the front door of her house. Naruto hopped off the sky-board and pocketed it. He reached over to untie his shoe when he felt a shiver pass through him.

"…. .. .. .. . ….!"

Naruto turned around and saw a flicker of red disappear around a corner. He blinked and stood up straight, pulling his board out again.

"..! ...! ...!"

"Naruto?"

At the sound of his name, he turned around and saw Sakura standing in the hall, an apron wrapped around her. She turned her head and asked," Are you coming in or not?"

Naruto laughed again and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, sorry. I just thought I saw a cat."

"…! …. .. ..!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed," You were always fond of animals." Naruto grinned embarrassingly again.

"….! … . .. . …"

He rubbed the back of his neck. The murmuring had sounded so loud for a second, that it shocked him. He had nearly chased after that red flash too.

He stepped inside of the house and clicked the door shut, removing his shoes in the process.

"… . . .. ."

"Naruto, come in here and help me!"

Naruto turned to the sound and walked to the kitchen, sniffing the air. Entering into the neat, old-style kitchen, Naruto beamed at the busty blonde standing in the kitchen.

"Smells good, Baa-chan!"

Tsunade gave a sour expression at the nickname but only nodded, scooping some soup into a bowl. She placed the bowl on a tray of other foods and lifted it steadily. Naruto looked at the tray: besides the clear soup there was a plate of sliced tomatoes and some rice balls on top.

"… . . . .. .. .."

"Who's the food for, Baa-chan?"

"A guest, kiddo."

"The guest that we're supposed to eat with tonight?"

".. . . . …. .."

She shook her head and slowly walked past Naruto. "No. Just an old friend."

Naruto squinted at the statement and watched the ex-President disappear through another set of doors and towards the onsens and hotel rooms. It couldn't be him, right? It would be too ironic. And freaky.

"Na-ru-to!"

".. . …. .. . … . . . . .. . ."

The blonde jumped and turned around, staring at the old woman's granddaughter.

"Seriously Naruto! C'mere and help me."

Another grin and an embarrassed nod later, Naruto found himself slicing vegetables.

"…. . . . …"

Naruto sliced a carrot in half but glared at the orange food in front of him. The murmuring was starting to get on his nerves. He gave another glare to the vegetable and then cut it in half again.

"… . . . …"

Uughh, just shut up, whatever's muttering back there…

"… . …. .. ."

Naruto groaned and tossed the cut carrots into the boiling pot. He washed his hands and nodded to Sakura, who shooed him out into the dining hall. Women, he thought with a sigh, they ask you for your help and as soon as they get it they toss you. He chuckled though.

".. . . ….. . ."

He stretched his arms over his head and walked around the tidy room. The rectangular oak table (Tsunade had boasted that the oak was from a beautiful oak tree in the 'Underground') seated at least 9 people but was set-up for only 5. On the walls were pictures of all sorts. There were a couple of pictures of Tsunade during her Presidency, some of Sakura's school portraits, even a few of Naruto's, and a couple others. There was a dresser in the far back of the room where an alter was positioned with 3 photographs hanging above it. Naruto looked away from it.

He didn't like looking at his father's smiling face.

Ding-dong!

Naruto looked up and heard Sakura's light footsteps in the distance, heading towards the front door.

"Ah! It's you!"

Naruto began walking through the kitchen and then peeked into the hallway. He blinked and then jumped out, his index finger shooting out at the newcomers.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

". . . . …. .. ."

Naruto bounded up to the man and Jiraiya, who stood at the open door. He stood next to Sakura, his mouth frowned.

"You're the special guest Tsunade invited from dinner?"

". ….. . .."

Kakashi crinkled his eye and chuckled," Really Naruto? You sound so unimpressed!"

"I thought it was someone super cool. Turns out to just be you."

The guest feigned a gasp and put a hand over his black turtleneck. "You wound me Naruto! Has Iruka-kun been rubbing off you?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and Kakashi chuckled, walking into the entryway to take off his dress shoes.

Although Naruto had said that stuff to Kakashi, he was actually surprised the man was here. It had been nearly 2 years since he had seen Kakashi, yet the man looked no different (or dressed, for that matter) from how he was before. He had the same spiky silver hair, annoying turtleneck that covered half his face, and the eye patch that shielded his left eye.

". . . . . . …. ."

"Does Iruka-sensei know you're here," questioned Sakura.

There was another crinkling of the eye and Kakashi scratched the back of his head," Oh he does. But he's the one who shooed me out to come here."

Naruto scoffed," Bet it was cuz you couldn't keep your hands to yourself, you perverted lech."

Kakashi chuckled again and put his large hands atop his former student's heads, rubbing them affectionately. He gave a presumable smile and pointed out," You two have grown since I've seen you."

".. . . …. . … . ."

"Of course! I'm a growin' boy after all."

Kakashi nodded and walked past the two high school-ers, walking towards the dining room.

Naruto turned to Jiraiya and crossed his arms," That it?"

The white-haired man who had stood behind Kakashi smirked. "Why? Expecting someone else?"

Naruto blinked.

"Someone tall, dark-haired, and…"

"…. . . . ."

Naruto yelped and slapped his tan hands over the laughing teacher, glancing at Sakura who looked perplex. Jiraiya winked at his granddaughter and she 'oh-ed' silently.

"A crush?"

"Like, no!"

Kakashi sighed and placed a hand over his stomach. He turned his head towards Tsunade, his eye crinkled and mused," A wonderful meal, as usual Tsunade-sama."

She snorted lightly and stood up to collect the plates with Sakura. As Sakura turned her back to enter the kitchen, she nodded to Jiraiya silently. The old man sighed and put his fork down, standing up also.

"Kakashi, Naruto. Let's head to my study for a couple minutes."

Naruto blinked and was about to protest when he heard the chair across from him move across the floor. He glanced up at his junior-high teacher who nodded with a smile. Grumbling, he stopped eating his (and Sakura's) dessert, following the two men upstairs.

As they entered upon Jiraiya's study, Naruto found himself being pushed into a seat in front of the white-haired's larger desk. Kakashi stood next to the blonde and from the doorway, there was a click.

"Hey—what..?"

Jiraiya walked behind his desk and sat down in the chair. He folded his hands in front of his face and leaned his chin on top. There was a dense silence that hovered in the room and Naruto could feel a cold sweat beginning to form.

Breaking the heavy silence, Kakashi coughed into his hand. He looked down at Naruto who sat stiffly in the chair, looking down at his stomach. The gray-haired spoke up. "Have you been hearing the voices lately Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at his side and looked into his teacher's visible eye. How had he known? Kakashi knew that Naruto heard voices (hell, the whole village knew at one point), but he never told anyone when the voices were exactly 'on.' Naruto blinked.

They had stopped.

He furrowed his brow a little, wondering when they had stopped their annoying noise when Jiraiya gave a heavy grunt. His blue eyes looked up at Jiraiya who suddenly seemed much older than the person who had taught him how to sky-board.

"Naruto… you know what my goal is already."

Naruto nodded: the goal to overthrow the President and end his dictatorship. He didn't know why, but that was his teacher's goal.

Jiraiya nodded to Kakashi. "Kakashi, here, has been helping me while he was away at Otogakure."

Kakashi humbly stood, his head bowed. Naruto, though, sat up a bit straighter. Kakashi was working for Jiraiya? That was news to him.

"He has been… collecting information for me. Passing it to me through Iruka. There have been on…"

"Wait the hell up! Iruka-sensei's in on your coup-plan?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"He has been for quite sometime." The old man stood up and leaned on his desk, continuing.

"You might know, but tomorrow it's a no-work-no-school day."

"For Suna's royal family, right?"

"Yes. The 'Premier's' esteemed guests. They are the reason why Kakashi is here right now."

"So why did you bring me in here? Shouldn't you be chatting with Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi cut in, hoping to soothe the somewhat strained tension between Naruto and Jiraiya. "We have a feeling that the Premier is going to try and stage an 'attack' on the government, and then use the Sunagakure's royal family as the attackers. This will then trigger a war between Suna and Kumo."

"Like I said, Kakashi-sensei, what does it have to do with me?"

"Everything, Naruto: remember when I first brought you into my workshop? How I told you that if I were to teach you how to sky-board and grind, you would be willing to do whatever I say?"

Naruto sat back into his chair, holding the arm-rests tightly. Using that promise was a low-blow to Naruto's pride. Jiraiya gave a strained smirk and continued.

"You see, the reason why I'm telling you this tonight, is that I need you to be with Suna's Tribute."

"Tribute? What?"

Jiraiya frowned. "Did you not read that scroll I gave you?"

Naruto shook his head and replied hotly," It was in some weird writing… I couldn't read it. I was gunna ask if this was some sort of joke…"

The younger looked up and saw Jiraiya looking panicked. He turned to Kakashi, ordering him to go down and get the blonde's backpack with the scroll inside. The man quickly strode out the door, shutting it with a click.

"What's the big deal..?"

"Everything! That scroll… that scroll…!" Jiraiya paced himself back and forth behind his desk, gripping his white-hair. He looked at Naruto and put a large palm on the desk.

"That scroll is your mother's."

Naruto's eyes widened and he stuttered," How do you have my mom's—everything of my mom's was burned or buried with her! How could you have something of hers?"

"Long story, short: I was instructed in her will to dig it up from her grave when you turned 16 so that I could ge=ive—"

"You WHAT? ! You dug open my mom's grave," Naruto shouted standing up quickly, his teeth bared and his hands squeezed into a tight fist. "How dare you? ! How dare you? !"

Jiraiya glared at him and answered fiercely back," If you love your mother, you would know that it was Kushina's will that I give this particular scroll to you! Do you think I enjoyed going through her casket to get that?"

Naruto bit his lip and forced himself down, breathing heavily. Jiraiya watched, his breathe a little ragged too.

"I did that because it was necessary. But, moving on, you said you couldn't read the scroll?"

Naruto looked down at his lap, twisting his hands. "…Yeah… It—it was in some slanted writing that I couldn't make out."

There was a rap on the door and Kakashi pulled himself in. He carried to the desk Naruto's black backpack. He carefully opened it and pulled out the scroll that was stuffed deep in the bag. Jiraiya took the scroll and opened it. His eyes widened.

"It's been tampered with."

"What," Kakashi and Naruto asked in unison.

"This scroll has been tampered with," Jiraiya looked up and straight into Naruto's eyes. "That means someone else was there first."

There was a loud clatter and Jiraiya felt the front of his jacket being tugged forward. Naruto gripped the fabric tightly and hissed," Who? !"

Kakashi grabbed Naruto and pulled him off of the old man, trying to calm his former student.

Jiraiya shook his head, lost. "I… I don't know… It was supposed to be your mother's message to you; you were supposed to be informed of your duties as a Tribute…!"

"What? Tribute, what do you mean?"

Jiraiya pushed his hand through his unkempt hair, shaking his head in dismay. "I can't explain it. The whole 'Tribute' thing is such a complicated matter."

He looked at Naruto with a foreign emotion that the blonde couldn't figure out exactly.

"You were supposed to be informed of your duty and you were supposed to help us when we took Suna's Royal family into hiding."

"You were going to WHAT? !"

"Not so loud Naruto! As I said, the Suna royals would be pinned down on 'allegedly' attacking the government. In order to prevent this, we were going to kidnap them during the parade when they would head out to the Government Hall.

You were to help us restrain Suna's tribute while we kept them on the down-low…"

Jiraiya shook his head in dismay," Now that your mother's message has been tampered with, you don't know your duties. You wouldn't know how to calm Suna's Tribute if he got out of hand, which is likely to happen."

Naruto stepped back a little. He was that important?

"Remember what I said to you? At the docks? How the Kyuubi is the key to winning?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"I meant what I said—the only way we can truly win in a coup d'état is if we have the Kyuubi. And the only way, that I so far can understand is that we need—"

"Don't you tell him!"

The door busted open and Tsunade stormed into the room. She slammed the door shut and walked straight up to her husband, jabbing a finger in his chest.

"When you told me that you needed to speak to Naruto, you said that you needed to discuss his school ethics and his future. This is not the kind of future you needed to talk about!"

Jiraiya looked wide-eyed, but snarled back at his wife," Enough, Tsunade! You can't hide it from him forever, especially now that Sasuke's here!"

"I can, and I will! He's only a boy, Jiraiya. What you're pinning him up to is the Akatsuki, him, and the Kyuubi itself! He'll die, and he'll die all because of this war that is between me and you against him!"

"This is Kushina's willto Naruto!"

"Kushina wanted Naruto to live a life away from his Tribute roles! This isn't Konoha, Jiraiya! Stop looking into the past!"

"STOP!"

Tsunade and Jiraiya flinched, turning around to look at Naruto for the first time throughout their fight. He looked at the couple, anger ripping his insides.

"Don't you dare talk about my future without myconsent, especially in front of me!"

"Naru—"

"Baa-chan, please! I want to know what's going on. I wanna know why Sasuke being here is so important, or why I hear these weird voices, or why you two have been planning this coup for so long. I don't understand why anything's happening and I want answers!"

Tsunade stood back up stiffly, looking at Naruto. Her precious little Naruto who reminded her so much of his father. She looked down at the floor.

"You're like you're father."

Naruto looked away.

Tsunade chuckled, her throat tight," So full of determination. Minato was always bent on getting answers. But then you're stubborn too… Like your mother." She looked up at him, her brown eyes swirling with agony.

"When I lost your mother, I promised myself that I would never let anything happen to you or to your father. I promised that I would let you and Minato live a free life without having to worry about what she endured in Konoha. And then… and then when Minato died…

Naruto, listen to me."

She strode up to the teenager and put her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them.

"Your mother lived a hard life in Konoha. Living in Kumogakure, for even how short a time that was, changed her so much Naruto. I don't want you to become what Kushina was when she was living back there."

Naruto looked back at Tsunade. "Because she was a Tribute?"

"She endured so much pain, Naruto. Nothing physical, but mental—emotional. She couldn't connect to people properly. She held them away at a distance. She was scared. Always scared."

"But I'm not her, am I?"

Tsunade paused and then let go of his shoulders, stepping back to look at Naruto fully.

"I'm not her, right? I'm me. I'm Naruto. Not Kushina," his eyes flared brilliantly as he increased his voice. "I love my mom, but I'm not her. Don't just treat me as 'Minato and Kushina's kid' Baa-chan. Can't you treat me as Naruto?"

For awhile, there was a silence that hung in the air. Tsunade covered her mouth and wrapped her free arm around her chest, looking away from Naruto. She glanced back at him every so often, but said nothing. Jiraiya sighed and came up behind Tsunade, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. The busty woman only shook her head rubbed her eyes fiercely. She gave one more look at Naruto and he could literally see what she was thinking. He looked down and played with the hem of his shirt.

At last, Tsunade gave a heavy sigh and unfolded her arms. She walked up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you really want answers, you need to speak to someone who knows mostly everything you need to know."

".. .. . …. .. ."

Tsunade stopped in front of the farthest hotel doors. Naruto could see her mind tinkering. She gave herself a short nod and then pulled out a card, sliding it into a scanner on the door. There was a tiny beep and the door pushed open slightly. She held the handle and stared long at Naruto.

"He's inside."

Naruto nodded slowly. He walked forward and took hold of the handle that Tsunade let go. He stood in front of the door and thought to himself how his urge to find the answers had suddenly turned into a suicide mission. He gulped and pushed the door open.

".. . . .. . …. . ."

The room was dark, but the window was open. Moonlight pooled into the dark room, and Naruto could see the outline of the figure sitting on a chair next to the bed. As Naruto shut the door behind him, the tiny beep quickly alerted the other of the blonde's presence. There was a long silence as Naruto stood there, trying to come up with something to say. So when blue eyes stared back into swirling red eyes, Naruto suddenly clammed up.

The red eyes turned away but Naruto could hear the other stand up and approach him. The floor squeaked under the footsteps that sounded so light to Naruto, but it helped the blonde gauge where exactly he was standing. The floors stopped and Naruto knew he was standing in front of the other. He could see the outline a bit better in the dark now.

". .. . ."

The two stood dangerously near yet far from each other. Near enough to lash a punch at the other and far enough so that they couldn't exactly sense each other's feelings.

There was a quiet ticking near the window and Naruto saw that it was already nearly 10 in the evening. He had plenty of homework and he wanted to go and play games with Kiba and call Neji to tell him how crazy his night was and…

and…

"Naruto." The deep voice resonated in the darkness and Naruto suddenly forgot how masculine the other sounded. It made his legs uncomfortably wobbly and made him forget about standing with pride.

"… . … . . . . ."

"Naruto," he repeated.

Naruto looked back at him and regained his posture. He nodded stiffly and replied a bit deeper than his usual tenor.

"Sasuke."

The floor squeaked again, but this time to the side of Naruto. It continued with its noise, circling around Naruto.

"….. . . . ."

"Is there anything you need? Tsunade had mentioned that you were here tonight."

Naruto kept a calm demeanor as he felt Sasuke slid behind him and then slid around. He felt like he was suddenly meat, being circled by a starving predator.

". . . . …"

"She did, did she? She didn't say anything about you being here. Only that you'd give me the answers I need."

"….. ."

The floors stopped protesting at last, but Naruto felt a hand wrap tightly around his arm. He felt the wind for a second and suddenly he was looking up at the ceiling. The red eyes came into vision and Naruto felt the furniture he was thrown on sink a bit.

". . . …. …"

"And what questions would be needed to answer?"

"Who are you?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"You knew my mom?"

"Uzumaki Kushina. Yes, I did."

"My dad?"

"Namikaze Minato. I did know him too."

"Do you know who I am then?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Do you know what I am?"

Naruto stared into those red eyes and waited for an answer. Instead of an answer, Sasuke pulled himself up and sat next to Naruto on the bed. The blonde pushed himself up and swung his legs over the edge. Cupping his face in his hands, he stared at the door.

"You are," Sasuke began slowly. "You are the Kyuubi's Tribute."

"…Finally…"

A/N: TBC. Hmmmmrm. I tried right? Hopefully it turned out fine. Ahuuuuuu /wailing. Sorry everyone, I really might just update every few months now. Unless inspiration hits me hard. Then I'll get back to you lovely people as soon as I can~! But yes, review! Tell me anything that needs work on! I'm willing to improve as much as I can, so please—gimme your reviews! Thank you again!

*info-check: Think of those maps at the malls where you see where the stores are, where you are, and advertisements. Now think of them as a TV screen blaring out random things and propaganda. That's basically what an info-check is.

"… ....": The murmuring voices in the back of Naruto's head.

Review!

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