Welcome to Gaia! ::

its good.. but you make the story sad... crying

[Due to my Writers block >.< I will be posting this chapter right now. sorry for the long wait razz Needed the rest]

Title: For the Love of My Friends
Chapter 15: The So Called 'Alter Ego'
Rating: Mature
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"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke asked sharply. The ninja ignored him, fully occupied with licking his blade clean.

"Tainted blood.." the ninja muttered in disgust. Shaking, Sakura block the ninja's view of Kakashi, automatically thinking that the ninja wanted to fight her handicapped sensei. The ninja's icy blue eyes froze her in place. "None of you are worth my time.."

"Oh yeah b*****d!" Kiba shouted, to the point where his fear turned into anger. "Just try me! Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried, Akamaru hoping on his shoulder. Where there was a boy and his dog now stood two extremely feral looking Kibas. "Gatsuuga!"

The ninja passively watched at the cyclones came closer and closer. Lifting his hands, he stopped them in their tracks. His hands tightened in the Kibas' hair, making the boys yelp. When they stopped spinning, the ninja carelessly threw them over his shoulder.

Kiba impacted hard with a tree, his dog smashing against his chest, causing the bunshin jutsu to fall. Groaning, he sat up.

What the hell is that guy! he thought, his eyes focused on the ninja's steady walk toward him. My attack.. should have at least made him falter! He cradled his dog's body to his chest. Akamaru whimpered, darting underneath Kiba's coat.

The ninja shifted his grip on his katana, then sharply aimed in downward without a warning. Kiba almost dodged, the katana lodging in his shoulder instead of his head. The boy gritted his sharp teeth in pain, too prideful to cry out.

"Kiba!" Shino muttered, gathering his bugs to him. The others watched in horror as the ninja pulled the katana out of the boy's shoulder, then made a move as to swipe downward again.

The ninja's katana was stopped by his own hand. Icy blue eyes narrowed at his hand, which gently griped the sharp edge of the katana, blood coming out of cuts caused by it. He recognized the sharp pull of his chakra, the immobility, the subtle dance of the shadows beneath his feet.

"Nara.." he hissed.

Several feet behind him, Shikamaru stood in the same stance, his hand bleeding as well. A long shadow connected the two of them. He had moved on instinct, an instinct that had saved Kiba. Sweat poured down the curve of his face.

Ino watched them, her eyes widened in surprise. Shikamaru..

"Did your father.. Nara.. did he ever tell you that if the will of the trapped enemy is greater than yours.." Shikamaru gasped when the ninja turned completely around, the pull of his shadow doing very little to stop him. "That your own jutsu can be used against you?" The ninja stuck his arms out in front of, his left hand drifting to the wrist of his bleeding right one. Shikamaru was in for a surprise when he was helpless but to do the same motion that the ninja did.

The ninja gently touched his wrist, almost caressing it, before griping it tightly and twisting.

Shikamaru cried out in pain. His wrist was broken.

"Shikamaru!" His team mates cried, rushing over to help him. Shikamaru, with a will greater than the ninja had thought he had, destroyed the jutsu before the ninja could do anything else. The boy collapsed to the ground, cradling his wrist to his chest.

Damn.. he thought, his dark eyes focused on the ninja. Just who the hell is this guy!



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The Hokage sat at his desk, his quill dancing on top of parchment. Dotting his 'i's and crossing his 't's, he read over the letter.

Satisfied with the contents, he set it down next to an identical letter, with only a few changes in the content. He closed his ink jar, cleaned the tip of his quill, and stamped the Hokage seal on the corner of both letters.

He rolled them up, tying them with a red string. Snail beats snake, snake beats toad, toad beats snail.. The perfect equilibrium. He thought back on what Naruto had said to him. The monkey cannot beat the snake, but can beat the toad and the snail.

He walked out of his office, and gave the two letters to the chuunin standing guard, telling him to have them mailed to Tsunade and Jiraiya by use of summon birds. The man nodded and quickly walked off, presumably to go get the scroll to summon them from Ibiki.

Sarutobi retreated back into his office. If the snail beats the snake alone, the snake's offspring gang up together and would take out the snail. If the toad, snail, and monkey work together to destroy the whole nest, the probability of revenge is small. But.. how does the fox, with all of it's cunning, fit into this?


He stared out the window, in deep thought. The fox.. can defeat the toad, defeat the snail, trick the monkey, and kill the snake, all by himself. So.. why would the fox want to help the snail, toad, and monkey defeat the snake?


"..I'm giving myself a headache.." the old man groaned. He was never good at animal riddles. An Anbu swept into the room through the window. The Hokage didn't react to the sudden appearance of the ninja, being used to it.

The Anbu bowed low. "Hokage-sama." he said respectively. Sarutobi drummed his fingers on his jaw, still in deep thought. He turned to the Anbu suddenly.

"What would a fox get out of helping a snail, toad, and monkey kill a snake?" he asked. The Anbu was understandably confused. It was not a part of his job description to understand the ways of animals. Nor was it to understand the ways of old men. Shifting uncomfortably under the older man's stare, he thought.

"Maybe.. revenge?" he said uncertainly. The Hokage nodded, considering that possibility. He trusted Naruto to do the right thing but he was wary of the Kyuubi. Although the demon's violent youki that wasn't completely sealed up in Naruto had calmed down quite a bit since the boy became a genin, he was still worried that sudden increase of Naruto's chakra was a bad omen.

"Maybe. Why did you say you were here again?" Sarutobi asked absently, fingering the curtains of the large window that was almost a second door for the ninjas of the village.

"I didn't." The Anbu stood to his full six and a half feet, towering over the old Hokage. "There is a possibility that Tessai, the missing nin from the hidden rock village, has struck again." The Hokage pulled himself out of his daze. His eyes sharpening with a fire that belonged to someone half his age, he gave the Anbu a stern look.

"And no one has gone to the site?" he asked. The Anbu shook his head.

"As you have ordered, Hokage-sama." he said. The Hokage fidgeted for a second. He knew that Tessai had hidden himself somewhere in Konoha, but he had hoped that the rock nin would leave without causing any trouble. Unfortunately, Tessai had been drawn to the chakra that Naruto had let loose some three weeks earlier, and had stayed longer near the border than the Hokage had permitted him to. The Rock village should worry about their own wayward ninjas, he had thought before. That was until the deaths of a family near the outskirts of the village, all slain with a katana. There was enough evidence that pointed toward Tessai as the murderer, so the Anbu were sent after him, and that was when all hell broke loose.

"And the genjutsu specialists?" Sarutobi asked, an unreadable look flitting across his old wizened face. Either Tessai wanted a taste of the power Naruto had let out, or he was trying to prove himself to the Akatsuki. Neither was a good possibility.

"All present but for one. Yuuhi Kurenai. We think she may already be at the site." the tall ninja murmured, standing at ease.

"Damn.. How many do you think are present at the site?"

"We know that Kurenai and Hatake Kakashi's teams are there. Sarutobi Asuma might also be around there, with his team."

"Damn." he cursed again. "Nine genins involved in what could be a very dangerous situation..." And with Naruto around that kind of genjutsu using ninja.. He let the thought trail off, not wanting to think about what could happen if Naruto was hit with the genjutsu. The seal would not be protected by Naruto's will. The Kyuubi could break free and we'll be faced with a holocaust that would make what happened twelve years ago look like a joke.


He closed his eyes, seeking Naruto's chakra. His chakra was always hard to trace. It had the similar wavelength of beings of nature, hard to distinguish between him and the forest, although Naruto's chakra tended to be a lot more violent than that of a plant's. But Sarutobi was used to seeking out Naruto's chakra, the troublemaker he was.

The Hokage located him around training area twelve. The old man started to shiver. No..


"Hokage-sama?" The Anbu asked in concern. The Hokage was pale.

"Get the medics and the Anbu forces ready and at standby. Genjutsu specialists too." the Hokage snapped out. The Anbu nodded, disappearing in a column of smoke.

The Hokage walked wearily to his desk with a heavy heart. For he could tell how Naruto was feeling by his chakra, whether he was mad, annoyed, sick, or most often than not, sad. He glanced up at the pictures of his mentors and peers, the Hokages of the past. The Fourth looked at him almost accusingly, reminding him so much of Naruto.

He collapsed in his chair, passing a hand in front of his eyes. All he felt from Naruto now was...

Blood lust.


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He watched, knowing, but not seeing, as his body moved separate from his own mind from inside of a grayish dome. What.. what the hell is going on! He banged his fists usually against the barrier. Let me out, a*****e! He channeled chakra into his hand, a orb of swirling blue light lighting up his prison. Lemme out! Rasengan!

The orb hit the dome, the dome bending around it like jello. Naruto was flung back with the same amount of force. Damn.. Damn it to hell.. He dropped down to a knee, staring solemnly at his hand. What can I do? I'm pretty much screwed..


A flicker of red caught his attention. Someone was just outside the dome. He pulled himself up, running to the dome wall, trying to peer out through the cloudy veil. A single red eye met his own.

If he had been anyone else, he would have jumped out of his skin, screaming like a girl.

Instead, he shifted closer to the wall, a grin on his face. Kyuubi! he cried. You have no idea how good it is to see you! The eye narrowed a little in annoyance.

In the worst possible situation, yet you still are an annoying little brat. the fox stated. One would have thought being in such a situation, you'd be humbled. The shadowy red figure shifted and Naruto felt a violent vibration zip through the dome when the Kyuubi hurled himself at it, nearly throwing the blond off of his feet.

Dammit! Warn me when you do that! He yelled. You're not exactly a light weight, you know! Even as he scolded the fox, he couldn't help but feel the sharp pain of disappointment. If the Kyuubi couldn't destroy his prison, then who could?

The fox sighed, a heavy sigh that echoed the pain in Naruto's heart. I'm.. alive. I'm awake. Yet I'm practically possessed. I'm attacking my friends, the very ones that I went through so much trouble to help. Naruto whispered. Sooner or later they'll figure out it's me. Sooner or later I'll die as a traitor. This really.. blows.

He sat down, his back to the barrier wall. They might use the genjutsu as an excuse, an explanation as to why I went nuts but.. you know, the villagers.. they'll be so happy, to know that everything they've said all these years are true. That I'm a murderer. A person who revels in the sight and smell of blood. A cold b*****d who loves to put people in pain.


Several hundred feet larger, the Kyuubi sat in a similar position, his back to the dome. A frown, if a fox could create such an expression, was on his face. He knew this was the best possible time to strike. The seal would be weakened, not protected by Naruto's stubborn will, but by a mere shadow. He could be free, free to smell, free to breathe, free to do whatever he damn well pleased. But..

He turned slightly, looking down at the small huddled figure in the dome. He cursed silently for his weakness. Damn human conscience. Must have been a side effect for having Naruto as his host for so long.

This... genjutsu. Surely it must follow the same basic principles of a basic illusion, correct? Naruto perked up slightly. Genjutsu typically works by manipulating chakra fields in such a way that they would trick the sensory lobes of an opponents brain into detecting something that was not there, making it possible for ninja to see, hear, sense, or smell something that isn't real. Ninja are trained to detect when their mind was being manipulated, thus when detected, a simple pulse of chakra unravels the genjutsu. This.. one is slightly different. Like Henge, it physically changes the body, but also really does a number with your mind. After all, how can one say what they think they are isn't real?

The Kyuubi shifted uncomfortably, not sure if Naruto understood what he was saying. Since you think you are a certain way, and this genjutsu merely builds on those thoughts, how can you detect treachery?

But.. But wait a minute! I know my mind's being screwed around with! I know I'm not really like that other guy! Naruto shouted. Then a horrible notion came to mind. Then.. then that means..!

That the image that has been forced upon you, through the villagers insults and your own pent up guilt, is the opposite of how you truly are. And because you two clash so much, the chakra surrounding the genjutsu not only performed it's regular duty of reinforcing it, but also created another persona in your mind, one created solely from your internal image. It beat you down, and even subdued myself, gaining complete control of your body. Forcing you into this prison like dome thing and myself completely cut off from his conscious. He paused, adding unnecessarily, The genjutsu must effect everyone differently.

Naruto tapped his fingers against his leg, deep in thought, his mind swimming in the information that the fox had given him. He hated using illusions, being more of a ninjutsu artist himself. The main reason why was because illusions were so complex, so annoying, and needed a lot of patience, which he didn't have. He liked to see the results of his hard work right away, like how he could with ninjutsu and taijutsu. Genjutsu was a chess player's art.

He, as the number one most obnoxious ninja in Konoha, could only see one solution.

Then.. we can.. drive him nuts by singing the theme song of Barney? The demon twitched in annoyance.

Not what I had in mind.. he muttered. Naruto scowled resentfully, rather liking his idea.

Fine! Tell me what you had in mind, and if I don't like it, I'm gonna start singing! the blond snapped stubbornly. The Kyuubi rolled his eyes.

Only the victim can release themselves from an illusion. Only if the victim realizes that the illusion is fake, or in your teacher's case, come to terms with what they think they are, can someone like that red eyed woman help them, if they cannot break it themselves. Pausing, as if expecting Naruto to break out in an off key tune, the Kyuubi continued on. You are the only one who can break this.

I've already tried. Naruto muttered in a flat tone. It's useless. I'm still trying to kill my friends. And. I. Can't. Do. s**t. About. It.

You've given up too easily. the fox snapped. Get off your lazy a** and break it before you have no one to become Hokage for. His tone gentled slightly. But you'll need to focus. A lot. Would it help if I could find a way to stop him from attacking your friends?

Naruto blinked. Like, possessing my body? I thought he severed the connection between your conscious and his?

The Kyuubi laughing in a haunting way. The seal was the only thing that kept me from trying to possess you in our earlier years, kitling. A simple mind barrier.. don't make me laugh. With the seal practically inactive because of your predicament, it'll be child's play. The fox shook himself out of the odd moment he was having. But even if I do possess him- ultimately you- he'll still be quite real. To you. You're going to need to do the grunt work. Destroying the barrier will rid yourself of the foreign chakra, thus destroying the genjutsu and this dark version of you.

What's keeping you from taking complete control of my body? Naruto asked, a little suspicious. And totally shunting me to the back of our minds? The fox swished his tails in a bit of a temper.

A little thing called a ******** human conscience.. Kyuubi muttered.

What? Naruto asked, not quite hearing him.

Trust. Just trust me Naruto.

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Sasuke was livid. "b*****d.." he hissed, swooping down at the ninja from the branch he had been perched on. They had been fighting the ninja for the last couple of minutes, seeming to be at more and more of a disadvantage as the fight wore on. The ninja's wrist, to their great surprise, had mended and healed in a matter of moments, while Shikamaru's stayed in the same state, preventing him from using any jutsus.

Chouji had come at the ninja with a Meat Tank, only to be batted away.

Ino had tried to possess him with her Shintenshin no jutsu, only to be sent back into her body in tears and pain from the ninja's powerful mental counter.

Sakura, Sasuke, Shino, and Shikamaru's combined efforts to make him retreat crumbled the moment that the ninja announced his presence.

The jonins, either too exhausted to fight or immobile, could only watch in horror as their students were beaten back viciously. Kakashi tried time and time again to stand and fight, but with the genjutsu confusing his chakra and mind, he was as helpless as the other two.

Sasuke was backhanded across the face, sent flying across the clearing, where he landed hard on his back. He coughed up blood, swiping the drops off of his lips, a grim expression on his face. Out of the frying pan, into the fire, eh? was his only thought.

The ninja unsheathed his katana once again, landing at Sasuke's feet. The boy glared at him, undaunted by the hellish figure towering above him. The ninja brought the katana in a downward thrust. Sasuke rolled out of the way, barely dodging the would be fatal blow. The ninja then put his foot on the boy's stomach, insuring his captivity.

He tried to rid the world of the dark haired boy, but was once again halted. Sakura slide next to Sasuke, bringing her kunai up in a weak defense against the ninja's much longer blade. Crouched over her team mate, she was slowly forced down by the ninja's strength. The katana started to dig into the soft flesh of her upper arm, making blood blossom out of the wound to drip onto Sasuke.

Sasuke looked up at his pink haired team mate, shocked speechless. That's twice.. Twice now that she's done something like this.. The Uchiha, from his prone position, sent a flurry of attacks in the ninja's direction, aiming for his stomach. The ninja barely noticed, too enraptured by the blood that was coating his blade.

Shino appeared at their side, and in a blinding movement, slammed his fist into the ninja's face. The ninja backed up a few paces.

Shino helped Sasuke and Sakura up, his fist still crackling with chakra. He wasn't a physical fighter, but he had made the first solid hit against the ninja.

This slightly raised the morale of the genins.

Ino rose, making her way to Shikamaru's and Kiba's sides, the more wounded of the eight genins. Chouji stood slightly off to the ninja's left, his eyes a little glazed. They were almost sure that he had a concussion.

Hinata stood behind Kiba and Shikamaru, the only one who hadn't jumped in to fight. Her hands curled together in front of her chest as she stared at the ninja. Why..? Why does this have to happen? Her eyes focused on his, a familiar color blue. Why you..?

The ninja licked the blade again, a long pink tongue darting out to catch the droplets of blood. "Hm.. Lovely. The blood of the innocents.."

They snapped. Attacking in unison, they started to push the ninja back, causing more and more wounds to appear on his body. The closed in on him, making a semi circle around him. If he tried to go left, Ino and Shino immediately started to slice at him with their kunai, the latter of two sneaking his bugs in on the ninja at every chance he got. If he tried to go right, Shikamaru and Kiba, both handicapped of one arm, would slash low at his legs, while Sasuke would throw punches and kicks at the ninja's torso. Chouji and Sakura attacked from the middle, no matter what he did. All the ninja could do was retreat back.

Yes! Ino thought. We're doing it!

The ninja spied a weakness in their wall of wrath. He dug his fingers in Kiba's wounded shoulder, finally making the boy cry out and stumble out of line. He grabbed Ino by her hair, throwing her at Shikamaru and Chouji, who were knocked back by the throw. Chouji finally fell unconscious.

Sasuke dodged the ninja's outstretched hand, digging his kunai into the ninja's arm. Sakura did the same on the other side. Shino came in last, sending out his bugs in waves to drain the ninja's chakra.

The ninja detached Sasuke from his side, using the boy as a club to beat Sakura off. They fell off, Sasuke landing on top of Sakura. He immediately pushed himself off, trying to see if she was okay. "Sakura?" He cradled her head in his hands, careful not to touch the painful looking cuts on her neck and ears. The girl winced, despite his caution.

"I'm sorry.." she whispered. She looked like hell and was sore enough to prove it. "I can't move." he tried to pick her up and move them away from the ninja, but his legs refused to move. The ninja had tapped a nerve in his spine, making lose all feeling in his legs. Sasuke looked grim, a small bitter smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

"Nor can I.."

The ninja sent out a powerful pulse of chakra, causing the bugs to take in more chakra than they could handle. The bugs blew up. He grabbed Shino by the front of his jacket. The bug user didn't show any expression on his face, no sign of the inner turmoil and fear appearing on his face.

"Hmph. You're no fun." The ninja threw Shino at the rock the jonins were pasted to. Shino crashed hard against it, blood coming out of his mouth.

"Shino!" Kurenai called out, worry in her voice. He looked up, his chin bloody. He said nothing, passing out against her half trapped feet.

There was only one genin left standing, the only one who didn't fight him. The ninja turned, his icy blue eyes locking with a pair of terrified pale ones. He walked up to her, amused when she started to back up. The numerous wounds on his body started to close up, leaving old, drying blood and torn clothes as the only reminders of their small victories.

"Hinata-chan!" Kiba cried out, trying to stand. "Run!" She kept backing up, until she was back to back with a tree. She stared at the ninja who kept on coming. He stopped right in front of her, well within her personal space.

"You didn't attack me. Did the fear freeze your legs? Did my chakra make you falter? Or was it because you're a weak little cry baby ninja, one who knew she could not stand up to someone like me?" He griped her chin tightly with his hand, the other lightly resting on her shoulder. "Hmm? What is it?"

"Let go of her!" Kurenai shouted. "If you want a fight, let us free and we'll fight you in her place!" The chakra she had been gathering to blast away the rock slipped out of her grasp. Cursing silently, she started gathering chakra again. Out of all the training I had to become a jonin, this was one of the things that they should have trained us for, yet didn't!

Kakashi made a valiant attempt to stand, using the rock as a crutch. "Leave her alone!" the copy nin echoed Kurenai. "If you want blood, take ours. Leave the kids alone!"

"Fighting and beating a genin isn't that hard! Fighting a jonin is harder!" Asuma struggled against the steel like grip of his prison, once again cursing the burns on his arms and chest. "If you want a challenge, fight us!"

The ninja ignored the shouts of the teachers, his eyes focused on the girl in front of him. "Which one, Hyuuga?" he asked coldly, trapping her against the tree. The teachers quieted, watching helplessly.

"I.." Hinata whispered, her head dipping down to hide her eyes. "I.. couldn't... I couldn't fight you because.. because you're..." Tears trickled down her face. She looked up, her pale eyes brimming with tears.

"I couldn't fight you because you're Naruto-kun!" she cried. Something in his eyes changed, from cold uncaring, to annoyed. She had a feeling it wasn't extended to her. The ninja touched his forehead, as if to ward off a head ache. With her eyes, she could see two chakras, red and black, clashing against each other.

Someone started to snicker. The rock nin sat up painfully.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but whatever." he said, baring his yellow teeth in a grin. "Thought that the demon would immerge and destroy the village but.. this is much better." While the darkly clad ninja gazed at the rock nin pensively, the genins talked amongst themselves.

"No.. no way in hell that can be Naruto!" Kiba hissed at Shikamaru. The shadow user didn't know what to say. Ino pushed herself off of Chouji and Shikamaru, lightly smacking Chouji hoping to revive him.

"That guy.. whoever he is.." she started to say. "He has a stronger mental barrier than my dad! Even some of them Elders!" The Yamanakas were known especially for their psychic like abilities. Some of Ino's relatives had the ability to possess someone, like she and her father did, while others could see the future, read into chakra and minds, talk mind to mind, or even move things using their minds. The Elders were the strongest and the oldest of their clan. They all had very strong mental barriers.

Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other, their mouths opened wide. "N-Naruto?" Sakura whispered to Sasuke. His red eyes had faded into black. Biting his lip, Sasuke looked at the ninja before looking back at her.

"Naruto.. would never hurt his friends.." the genin said uncertainly. "That cannot be Naruto." Sakura couldn't agree with his reasoning.

"B-but, Sasuke-kun.. The genjutsu!" Sasuke looked away, knowing how much the illusion could effect someone's reasoning and personality. But for Naruto.. to carelessly attack his friends? It wasn't a concept he could understand. Although, he admitted, it must have been a similar situation for Sakura and the others when he was under the illusion, not that he could remember much.

Hinata looked at the side profile of his face, willing herself to believe that this was some sort of trick. Naruto would go back to normal, his eyes would light up in anger at the fact that he was forced to hurt his friends. Then he'd turn to her, and she'd comfort him, knowing the internal anguish he'd feel at the pain he had given them.

"Who are you." the ninja snapped at the rock nin.

"What, don't recognize me? Attacking from behind must be your way of breaking the ice.." the rock nin muttered. "My name is Tessai. And I'm your creator."

Naruto shifted, gentling his grip on Hinata, but still made sure she stayed put. She winced, then looked down, surprised to see a clawed hand gently resting on her shoulder. The red had beaten back the black. The red chakra was in full control.

Naruto, really the Kyuubi borrowing Naruto's image, was careful with the ningen in front of him. He couldn't remember how much it took for a human to break, and if he accidentally broke this one.. Well, he'd have hell to pay, knowing how the real Naruto especially liked this ningen.

A sound of amusement passed through Kyuubi's lips. "My creator huh?" No one noticed the slight shift from blue to red in the ninja's eyes.

Tessai grinned. "Yes. And unless you do what I say, in twenty minutes time, you'll go back into being a weak little genin boy who everyone considers a dead last."

Kurenai felt betrayed, in an odd way. A.. A time limit! She thought back to the Anbu that they had to kill. Guilt consumed her. No..

Naruto had shifted from a ruthless killer to a hardened predator. Hinata didn't know how she could tell the difference. But, somehow, she felt safer.

"Is that so?" he drawled. "Then I guess it would be in my best interest to listen." Tessai's grin widened even more, if possible.

"I only request two things, to prove your loyalty to me." he said, spreading out his hands. "One, take that cloth off of your head."
Kyuubi complied, his longer nails accidentally cutting into the leather strip that held his hair up. Long blond hair fell around his shoulders, but it did nothing to hide the tell tale whisker marks on his face that so clearly identified him as Naruto.

The wounded genins gasped, knowing now that they couldn't deny the truth. The jonins looked on grimly. The ninja locked gazes with Kakashi. The man flinched reflexively, but then had to gasp as well, recognizing the red eyes. The.. The Kyuubi!

Modestly looking down, more of a way to hide his eyes than in respect, Kyuubi turned back to Tessai. "And your second request, Tessai-sama?" Tessai loved the sound of that, he could tell, like every pompous power hungry being that Naruto or Kyuubi had ever faced. The nin did a couple of hand seals, summoning a rather fancy looking sword that was a bit too long for his rather inferior height, especially inferior when compared to Naruto's height under the genjutsu.

"Hold the girl down so I can kill her." Hinata immediately started to struggle. Kyuubi nodded politely, mentally gnashing his teeth together, not liking the thought of being ordered around.

"As you wish... but may I say something to the girl?" he asked, keeping his gaze fixed firmly to the ground.

Tessai was suspicious. "Why?"

"She still seems to harbor the hope that her precious 'Naruto-kun' will reemerge and save her. I do love it when people die in absolute fear.." he ended the last sentence in a hiss, his red eyes closing as if in delight. The Kyuubi was a very good actor. He actually preferred his enemies to die while in a fight with him. The scent of fear always made his nose go haywire and his head to become light headed. He knew why of course, the memory of the first dead being he had ever seen digging it's roots firmly in his mind. But that memory was hidden even from his host.

Tessai gave his permission with a nod. His new servant was crueler than he was. The fox leaned down, a very different objective in mind.

"Don't be afraid." he whispered in her ear. "Act afraid, but don't be afraid. Naruto is trying his hardest to break free of the genjutsu. He hates having you all in danger." Hinata shifted, trying to resist the urge to run away. Why is he talking in third person? Is he.. not Naruto?

"Who.. who are you?"

"Just think of me as.. Naruto's alter ego." He tilted his head slightly in an animalistic fashion, like how a cat would tilt it's head toward a sound. His warm cheek brushed up against hers. "I won't let you get hurt." Kyuubi pulled away, his eyes once more directed toward the ground. He gently maneuvered her in front of him, her arms clamped down at her sides.

She had caught a glimpse of his red cat slitted eyes. Something about them just screamed 'demon!', but she couldn't bring herself to distrust him. Her eyes met Tessai's and she instinctively shrunk back against Kyuubi. It was easy to act afraid, she mused, but harder not to be afraid. Tessai's eyes were that of a mad man's. Eyes that glinted with so much craze, so much madness, that she preferred a demon's gaze over his.

He giggled sadistically. Kyuubi frowned a little, his red eyes narrowing. Tessai was nuts. Hurry Naruto.. he thought. If you don't destroy the illusion before the time limit depletes, our new little friend will not be just a shadow, but a very real part of our minds.

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Meanwhile, the real Naruto was torn between raging at the Kyuubi for touching Hinata, and screaming at his darker self that lied just outside of the barrier, taunting him.

It is useless. You are weak. You have made the demon weak. And thus, your friends will die by my hands. Despite his darker self's calm words, the other boy's face was twisted in fury. Naruto felt delight at making him so pissed off. For it could only mean that he was succeeding.

Naruto threw himself against the barrier against, feeling the dome stretch even further. Ha ha! I'm getting closer! The barrier flung him back. Expecting it, the blond landed on his feet. Charging up with more chakra, he hurled himself at the barrier again. To his surprise, his darker self appeared in front of the stretching barrier, back handing him away.

Naruto hit the ground, rolling twice to take the edge of the throw off. He pulled himself up, a scowl on his face. Hey! That isn't fair! he shouted, stomping his foot.

Nothing in life is fair. the other Naruto snapped. I will be the only one in charge here!

Power hungry b*****d.. Naruto muttered sullenly. Just accept it! I'm cooler than you! Besides, this was my body first! He shifted his body back. And it's gonna stay that way! He ran to the opposite side of the dome, catching his evil twin off guard.

Fool... The darker version of Naruto growled, then disappeared, appearing right in front of Naruto, wasting no time in knocking him away again.

W-what? Shunshin no Jutsu! he gasped after he righted himself. But.. how the hell-

We are one. We are the same. I can do anything you can do.. and I can do it better. Naruto scowled.

You just said 'we're the same'. How can you be better if we're at the same level? The other Naruto rolled his eyes, lightly clicking his tongue.

It's not that I'm stronger than you, faster than you are, or anything like that. he said with a grin to match Gaara at his worst. I just don't care what happens to the people around me, unlike you. I don't tone down my power to keep from hurting people, unlike you. I only look out for number one, me, unlike you.

And you can't match that. Because your heart bleeds for other people. You care about what happens to them. You traveled ten years into the past to save your friends when you could have come back to overthrow Sarutobi and gain the Hokage title, which you so think you deserve.

Why am I better than you? It's because I'm not a soft fool. Because I don't stupidly risk everything for a bunch of foolish people who are never going to get anywhere in life.

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Tessai lunged forward, the edge of his blade glinting cruelly.

"Hinata!" was the collective cry. Kyuubi smirked, meeting Tessai's eyes. At the last possible second, he leapt into the air, taking Hinata with him. Tessai lost his balance and felt face flat against the ground.

"I knew it! You b*****d!" his words were muffled by the ground. He should have known that the being in front of him wasn't the blond idiot from the Uchiha's team. He was too skilled. Kyuubi landed on a thick branch, gently putting Hinata down. He turned, smirking at the rock nin.

"Knew what? That you're a git?" he said in that low tone of his. Tessai jumped up, pointing his blade at the very amused Kyuubi. He waved it around, making gasping and panting noises, as if he couldn't think of what to say.

"..B-b*****d!" he finally got out. Kyuubi crouched on the branch, supporting his chin on his hand.

"Hm. All that genius and that's all you could think of?" Tessai, in a temper, threw the blade at him. Kyuubi side stepped it. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to play with pointy objects?" His eyes sharpened. "Or did you kill her too?"

"Just.. Just what the hell is going on here!" Kiba yelled. The others couldn't help but agree.

There was a loud crack, then Kurenai dropped down from the rock. A second crack had Asuma falling down as well, less gracefully than his red eyed girlfriend. They had gathered up chakra and sent a large amount of it out of several of their opening points. The result was the rock cracking and weakening around them, making it very easy for them to push through. Kakashi looked back, watching as Kurenai lifted Shino's head up, checking his vital signs. This.. well, hell, I don't know how this looks.. the copy nin thought.

Tessai growled and started throwing everything he could reach at his red eyed enemy. Rocks, leaves, and stones hailed at Kyuubi.

"How childish.." he muttered, knocking the biggest rocks out of his way. Tessai was thinking as fast as he could, trying to come up with a solution. I'll.. I'll put him under a genjutsu too! Yeah! Then he'll forget all about me!


The rock nin added in an extra ingredient to the storm. One of his genjutsu balls. Kyuubi narrowed his red eyes at it, batting it away like a persistent fly. Tessai's jaw dropped to the ground.

"What.. What the hell!" he screeched, yanking on his hair. "That's not supposed to happen!" Kyuubi narrowed his eyes in annoyance, being reminded about how much he hated humans. Always thinking that they know everything..


Hinata clung to the trunk of the tree, feeling Kyuubi's annoyance roll off of him in thick waves. Naruto-kun.. she thought, clasping her hands together. She remembered what Kyuubi had whispered to her. I believe in you. You can do anything you set your mind to. She closed her eyes, willing her message to Naruto.

"You foolish mortal." Kyuubi snapped at Tessai. "You cannot do the same illusion twice on a ninja, especially when that ninja is still underneath it's influence!" Tessai gaped, his mouth opening and closing, no sound coming out. Kyuubi put a hand on his forehead in exasperation.

"Must I explain everything?" he decided he had to when the rock nin kept staring at him in that blank way. "You put the illusion on me.. on Naruto, actually, right? Because his internal image was the anti.. well, the anti-Naruto, a new persona was created in Naruto's mind, as a self defense. Because Naruto would know that something wrong was going on if he suddenly started acting the opposite way he normally did, and would realize he was under a genjutsu. This.. anti-Naruto gained control of Naruto's body and started to attack everyone. Naruto couldn't break the genjutsu because he was weakened and thrown behind a barrier." Kyuubi shrugged.

Kakashi looked up at the powerful figure on the branch, thinking, not for the first time, how much he looked like the Fourth. The red eyes made him nervous, and he couldn't decide which one was the bigger threat. Tessai or a Kyuubi-possessed-Naruto. Kurenai touched his head, and with an audible crack, the genjutsu that made him look half like Obito fell.

The genins crowded near the jonins, the unconscious ones just barely awoken. Sakura had one of Sasuke's arms slung over her shoulder, as did Ino and Shikamaru with Chouji. Shino blinked up at the figure in the tree, a little lost. Kiba crouched next to his team mate, his dog hidden in his coat. He clapped his hands together.

"Right." he turned to the three jonin. "Which one should we be watching out more for then?" The jonin could only shrug helplessly.

Kyuubi continued, ignoring the other humans on the ground. "I suppose this was supposed to considered a perfect genjutsu, correct? If the illusion ended up completely counteracting the victim's true self, a newly created personality would beat down the opposing force. If the victim wasn't completely unlike what the genjutsu dragged to the surface and came to terms with it, their sense of chakra and their body's would grow weak in a feeble attempt to correct itself." he nodded to Kakashi as an example. "If the genjutsu worked perfectly, the victim could be either used as a weapon, or be killed easily, which ever the user might prefer."

His sharp teeth bared in a grin. "But there is one aspect that your little jutsu didn't cover."

Tessai found his voice. "And what was that?" he asked, his voice a little sullen.

The grin widened. "Me."

[Yet another one of my quick chapters, becuase I got on a role with the story and I liked it.]

sugoi ne! very good story ^ ^

sugoi, as usual! please post the next chapter soon please! ^ ^ onegai ne!

awesome as usual!!!! i cant wait for the next chapter!!!!!

p.s.---GAH!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO SAKURA!? lol

yea!!!!!!! IVE BEEN CHECKING LIKE, EVERYDAY! WHERE IS IT????? twisted

Title: For the Love of My Friends
Chapter 17: A Little R&R
Rating: Mature

Sasuke eased himself back on the bed, exhausted by the physical therapy that the doctors had him go through. Of course, he had been this exhausted when they first started but was too prideful to tell them that. He was feeling the consequences of that pride. As soon as he pulled his legs on the bed, the door swung open violently, the door knob gouging a hole in the wall.

"You're paying for that." Sasuke muttered, not bothering to look up.

Kiba stood in the door way, his closed fist hovering in the air. "Oops. My bad." Sasuke shook his head in mild annoyance.

Sometimes, Kiba rivaled even Naruto in sheer stupidity.

The rest of Kiba's team moved around him. Shino nodded to Sasuke, who wordlessly nodded back. "How's your physical therapy going?" the bug user asked in that calm tone of his. Sasuke's face soured, giving him the response he had been looking for.

Hinata bowed quickly to him, handing him a small jar. "Medicine for aches." she said simply, her focus already honing in on the other occupant of the room. Sasuke took it and thanked her.

Room 143 had many people coming in and out of the room everyday. Hinata, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Ino were the first that had been allowed in. Chouji, Kiba, and Shino had come in a bit later, apparently because they were watching Kiba's stitches getting pulled out. Even Lee stopped by for a moment to give them(for once, Sasuke envied Naruto.) an 'inspirational' speech.

But none of them visited as much as Hinata. While Sasuke had already guessed that she liked Naruto, how much she liked him was proven by the lengthy hours she spent by his side, sometimes even requesting a cot at the end of visiting hours so she could sleep near him. The doctors and nurses disapproved, occasionally throwing a nasty glare in Naruto's direction. But they did as she wished. She was a Hyuuga, after all.

Sasuke had gotten to know her a bit in the past few days. She wasn't the type to completely ignore someone in favor of another, even with her timid attitude. Hinata would pull her chair nearer to his bed and they talk, for hours on end. About nothing really. It surprised.. no, it shocked the hell out of Sasuke that someone could make him talk so much, but when they started to talk, he just couldn't stop. Every time they did, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Even if they talked about something as unsophisticated and unimportant as whether or not Kurenai wore colored contacts.

Sometimes they talked about their teams, and more often than not, Naruto. Sometimes about their families.

Sasuke had been shocked to find out that half of the Hyuuga clan was controlled by the other by the use of a death seal on their foreheads, while Hinata had been equally shocked to hear that his entire clan was massacred by his brother when he was twelve.

Sasuke had never been impressed with her ability during the Academy, actually not even knowing that she existed until the genjutsu incident. But he was sure that this girl was the one for Naruto.

Truth be told, Sasuke fancied the idea of them getting together for a couple of minutes, but knew it wouldn't work. They clashed too much. Hinata was shy and kind. He was confident and aloof. The only real connection they had was Naruto, who Hinata happened to love with all of her heart. Naruto was the kind of force that Hinata needed in her life, while Hinata was the person who could soften Naruto's rough edges. Sasuke found himself viewing the situation from a sibling's perspective, wanting Naruto to have the best of the best, but when the best of the best came around, couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Sometimes, they didn't talk at all, zoning out into their own worlds, each unconsciously setting their heart beat to the steady beep of Naruto's heart monitor.

Sasuke turned his head to it and stared at the wriggling green lines. Most of the machines had been taken away the day after Sasuke woke up, freeing up the room around his unconscious team mate.

Why? Why haven't you woken up yet, Naruto?

That had been one of the many questions that still plagued his mind, unanswered.

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Flashback

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"Alright. Ten questions. I'll answer them to the best of my ability, and if I can't answer them at all, you get a free question." Kakashi said, his elbows resting on the back of the chair.

"Isn't it.. twenty questions?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi shrugged, showing how much he cared about rules, even those of a simple game. "Fine. Question one.." The Uchiha's eyes drifted away from Kakashi to the many presents that crowded his side of the room. So many flowers and heart shaped balloons and get well cards... Yep, his fan club had swept through. Yet Naruto..

A vase with a white flower, nine 'get well soon' cards (the ninth card had a ramen certificate on it, three free meals for the price of one. Iruka always knew what was the best gift for his students), and a limited edition Icha Icha Paradise-Volume I were the only things on his side of the room.

"Are you always such a pervert?" Sasuke wondered out loud, his eyes wide at Kakashi's idea of a good 'get well' gift.
Without hesitation, Kakashi answered, "Yes. On to question two." Sasuke winced when he realized that he had accidentally used one of his questions already.

Think Uchiha! Think! I need a vague, yet specific question so I can get the maximum amount of answers.

"Why.." The best questions always seemed to start with 'why'. "Why did I react the way I did to the genjutsu?"
Kakashi was quiet for a while, so long that Sasuke considered restating his question. But the jonin spoke before he could.

"You have horrors in your past that many of your friends do not. That's all. It has nothing to do with strength, or ability. It's just your memories and the impact they have on you." Kakashi closed his eye. "What Itachi did to you and your clan is what shaped what you thought you were and who you are now. And that's what the illusion brought out."

"Itachi didn't do anything to me." Sasuke nearly spat out his brother's name. "I was too weak for his acknowledgement, and too cowardly to do anything but run away when I saw what he did to our parents." The jonin snapped his fingers.

"Exactly. Question three." Sasuke scowled when Kakashi abruptly closed the conversation.

"Why do you have a sharingan?" he snapped, his tone almost accusing. Kakashi was about to say it was one of the things he could not answer when he saw the look on Sasuke's face. The sharingan was an Uchiha technique. Sasuke deserved to know why he, a Hatake, not an Uchiha, had the ability. Even if it did pour salt on old wounds.

"More than ten years ago," Kakashi started with a sorrowful sigh, "I was in a team much like Team Seven. The Fourth Hokage was our instructor, and my team mates were a skillful medic nin named Rin and... Uchiha Obito." Sasuke's eyes widened. The name was familiar. His late uncle, of whom Itachi had spoken reverently of.

"I hated Obito." Kakashi said bluntly, "I had a strict code. Follow the rules. Finish every mission successfully, whether it meant a team mate's life was on the line or not. He did everything I did not. He was late to every practice, to every mission, a horrible excuse for his tardiness easily falling on my deaf ears." Sasuke arched an eyebrow at him, thinking that Obito was a lot like the Kakashi he knew. Kakashi smiled a little underneath his mask, knowing what was going through the boy's mind.

"Anyway, I went on to being jonin, and the leader of our team. There was a war going on, if you remember. The Fourth went to the front line to help, while we were assigned the duty of destroying the bridge behind the enemy, so they could not get any more supplies." Kakashi sighed again. "Obito and I fought along the way, and Rin managed to get captured by the enemy. This was where we spilt paths. I wanted to finish the mission, while Obito was dead set on saving Rin. He said, and I quote 'Those in the ninja world who break rules and regulations are called trash, but those who do not care about their companions are even worse trash.'" he paused, fiddling with his glove. "If you remember, Naruto said something along the same lines during the genin exam.. That was the sole reason why I let you guys pass." Sasuke looked at his prone team mate, saying nothing.

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand in front of his face. "Obito went after Rin, I went after the mission. However, less than half way there, I started to feel guilty so I turned around and went after Obito. Good thing I did too. He nearly got himself killed. I lost my eye trying to protect him. We both went after the ninjas who kidnapped Rin, Obito activating his dormant sharingan along the way. We got Rin back, but the last ninja sent the rocks down to crush us. A rock hit me in the shoulder, dislocating it. Obito stopped running and saved me," Kakashi looked away, "only to be crushed by the rocks."

A nurse came in, a tray in her hands. "Uchiha-san, it's time for your medicine." she chirped. Sasuke pulled himself out of the haze he had been trapped in and took the medicne from her. She left to go refill his pitcher of water, not without giving Naruto a nasty look before exiting.

Sasuke juggled the medicine bottle, knowing what his next question was going to be.

"You should take that." Kakashi chided.

"And you should finish your story." he retorted, diverting the jonin's attention away from the bottle.

"Oh, right. Obito, as I was saying, saved me from being crushed by the rocks. But he was still alive. With his dying breath, he announced what he was going to give to me as a present for becoming jonin. His eye." Kakashi lifted his forehead protector and showed Sasuke the sharingan, making sure not to add any chakra to his eye, lest he accidentally put his student in a trance. "It's sad, to lose a friend. And in the end, that's what Obito and I were."

The nurse came back in with the full pitcher. She gave the medicine bottle, which Sasuke was still fiddling with, a pointed look. He popped off the cork and drank the entire thing, giving the nurse a dull look, as if to say 'Look, I drank it. Leave me the hell alone.'. The nurse left.

"Question four.." Kakashi reminded him.

"Why.. such cold eyes.." Sasuke murmured. He looked over at Naruto, who looked sickly, but peaceful. What could you have done to make everyone looks at you so, dobe?

"Hm?"

"Why does everyone hate Naruto?" The sad look on Kakashi's face faded into a blank mask.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that Sasuke, it's.. an adult thing."

Someone knocked once on the door, then pushed it open. It was Asuma.

"Hey Kakashi," the bearded jonin said, without his trademark cigarette. "we need you at the 'Kage tower. We have to welcome Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama back home."

Kakashi got up, moving the chair back to the wall. "Why do I have to come?" he muttered in an annoyed tone. Asuma shrugged.

"Politics, I suppose."

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End Flashback


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"He owes me seven questions." Sasuke said out loud in a sullen tone. Kiba looked up from inspecting the hole in the wall.

"Who?" he asked confused. Sasuke shook his head, absentmindedly petting Akamaru. The dog had decided to take a nap on his bed.

"When will you be back on your feet?" Shino asked. Sasuke shifted his attention to the bug user. He had begun to notice that the less amount of people in the room, the more Shino would say.

"Hm.. The doctor says a day or two and I can leave." The quiet ninja nodded, his attention drawing to Hinata. Sasuke followed.

The Hyuuga was sitting in her regular seat, clasping one of Naruto's hands in hers. She was talking to him softly, in such a low tone that none of the ninjas in the room could hear her.

"..And Sakura-san ran in, completely hysterical, only to find out that Konohamaru-chan was lying. You would have laughed so hard.." Hinata was catching Naruto up on current events. She knew he'd hate to be kept out of the loop. "She ran after him so he took refuge underneath your bed, knowing she wouldn't dare come closer in fear of unhooking one of your monitors. It was pretty funny."

Hinata could almost imagine Naruto smiling at that. "He stayed under there for three whole days, until we managed to convince him that she was calmer." She glanced behind her when the noise level suddenly reached a higher level than that of a sonic boom. Kiba was relating his 'near death experience' to the other two ninjas.

"And so there I was, bleeding to death, a huge a** gash on my shoulder, when this angel comes out of nowhere and starts patching me up..." he said, make dramatic hand gestures.

"You were not bleeding to death. The katana barely tore muscle." Shino said flatly. Kiba glared. All the genins who were attacked by Naruto had no life threatening injuries. Kiba had to get fifteen stitches for his shoulder, Sakura had to get five for her arm, Shikamaru had his wrist in a cast while Chouji suffered from a mild concussion. All were out of the hospital in two days flat. Sasuke and Naruto were the only exceptions. Naruto had tapped a nerve in his spine, successfully blocking it and making him loose feeling in his legs. Luckily, the doctors were able to counter act that by retapping it. All Sasuke had to do was stay for a couple of days for physical therapy.

But Naruto had yet to wake up from his slumber.

"Shuddup a**.. Anyway, this chick had this blonde hair and this weird mark on her head.. and also the hugest-" here Kiba started to make expressive gestures in front of his torso. "that I have ever seen!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, sharing an annoyed look with Shino. Apparently, the bug user had been privy to this particular story many times over.

"It was kinda strange though.. she kept on flinching when she saw my blood..."

The door swung opened. A harassed looking dark haired medic ninja looked from her clip board to Sasuke. She had a tag pinned to her pocket that said 'Shizune'. Sasuke's eyes widened, remembering the fuzzy talk he remembered hearing when he was sleeping. Oh! That Shizune..

"Uchiha and Uzumaki, right?" she asked. The ninjas nodded. "'kay. How are you feeling Sasuke?" she asked, walking up to the foot of Sasuke's bed. He shrugged.

"Okay, I guess." The medic smiled.

"Great! Then you can leave tomorrow." Shizune said. Sasuke found himself looking at Naruto. He didn't want to leave, he realized. He had a gut feeling that whatever hospitality that Naruto was receiving was because Sasuke was there. If he left.. then what would happen to Naruto?

Shizune swept out of the room importantly, leaving the others behind in silence. Kiba hit Sasuke's shoulder in a friendly way.

"Good news, eh? You'll be kicking a** with the rest of us by this time tomorrow."


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"Dammit! I swear, Naruto, you are the biggest idiot I have ever seen in my entire life!" A male voice huffed. Naruto could feel himself being carried like a child. He looked up to see Shikamaru's weary face above his.

"No.. stop.." he protested weakly. "Just leave me here.. I'll just weigh you down.." Naruto looked like hell. One of his arms dangled uselessly, while half of his shattered Anbu mask still clung to his face. Blood seemed to be a common accessory, for it was on his face, on his tattered uniform, even in his hair.

Naruto snickered. "Showed that back stabbing ******** traitor, huh? What goes around comes around..." the blond made a whirling motion with his hands, giggling helplessly.

Damn.. the poison's effects.. They had been fighting to hold the northern sector of Konoha. Sound and leaf nins had been fighting half heartedly for a year, but today, an army of sound had set up their base..

Lead by the one and only Yakushi Kabuto.

Naruto had been practically frothing at the mouth to get a go at the traitor. The Hokage had no choice but to let him lead the opposing force. After all, Naruto was one of the highest ranking Anbu members.

As soon as Naruto had laid eyes on Kabuto, he had handed over the command to Shikamaru, stating simply, "This b*****d's mine."

Orochimaru's right hand and the Kyuubi host battled brutality, but it was clear from the beginning who had the advantage.

Kabuto was older, smarter, had better chakra control, and had taken the opportunity to poison Naruto during the first few minutes of their fight. For he knew as well as Shikamaru did that the faster Naruto's healing rate was, the faster the poison would circulate through his body.

The smart thing to do was to retreat, regroup, heal, and have another go at it. Naruto wasn't known for making good choices in the heat of battle, especially against people he hated with a passion.

Even Kabuto warned him that he wouldn't last long under the poison's effects.

However, Naruto proved to have an exceptionally high tolerance to poison. He lasted a lot longer than Kabuto had predicted, and that had been the traitor's downfall.

But just because Naruto had a high tolerance of poison did not at all mean he was immune.

The blond started to shake and sweat. "J-just go.." he whispered. "I'm a goner.." Shikamaru ignored him, lugging the Anbu's limp body to where he hoped was safety. The shadow user moistened his dry lips and whistled.

Three jonins immediately appeared at his side.

"Commander sir!" was their snappy answer. He looked carefully at each one of them, watching as their eyes drifted to Naruto and widened in horror.

"Sir!" Tenten muttered in a quiet voice. "Is that.." Naruto rolled his head around to look at her, blue eyes almost glowing against his bloody face.

"Hey Tenten-chan." he whispered. "Didja see me kick that guy's a**?" Tears sprung to her eyes.

"Yes, Naruto-kun.. You did an excellent job.." she whispered back. They all knew Naruto's fate, having seen him blindly run into battle, and kept fighting on even when Kabuto warned him of his soon to be death. The least they could was bring him back to the base.


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Slowly, he pushed through the curtain of dreams and memories, emerging in reality. Keeping his eyes shut, he sighed, remembering the incident like it had been yesterday. He was such an idiot.. and because of his rash actions, Hinata had given up her life to cleanse his blood of poison.

Hinata nearly tipped her chair back in surprise. Naruto had sighed!

"Hinata-chan?" Kiba asked in worry when he saw the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

Hinata opened her mouth to answer when something else happened. The hand that she had been holding so gently tightened around hers.

"Eep!" The boys, Sasuke having a bit more difficulty than the other two, hurried over to her side at her surprised yelp. Naruto seemed to be frowning a little, like he was trying to concentrate on something. His thumb swiped along the back of her hand, sending shivers up and down her entire arm.

"He sighed and then he grabbed my hand!" Hinata told them in a hushed voice. "I think he's recovering!" The boys crowded around her.

"But Shizune-san said he'd probably be recuperating for at least another week!" Kiba hissed. Shino elbowed him in the ribs.

"But she also said it was hard to say. She couldn't read his aura." the bug user muttered. Sasuke rested most of his weight on the headboard of Naruto's bed.

"Don't elbow me, you b*****d!" Kiba snapped out in a low tone. Shino rolled his eyes.

"You guys are such.. eyesores.." someone mumbled. The four of them blinked and leaned forward.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata whispered, her voice full of hope. Slowly, his eyes opened, blinking several times to get used to the brightness of the room. He looked first at her, then up at Sasuke, Shino, and Kiba.

"Am I in heaven..?" It made sense to him. Four of his dead friends surrounding him, all living... it was like a dream come true. Sasuke, of whom he thought of like a brother and killed with his own hands... Shino, his most quiet friend who had died on one of the few missions that Naruto led... Kiba, who was his rival in many ways and had died in the fiery inferno of the Hyuuga mansion.. And then Hinata...

Sasuke rapped him in the head with his knuckles. "No, dobe. You're in hell. Also known as the hospital." A most confused look passed over Naruto's face. Then he remembered the kinjutsu.

"Alright, give me some breathing room, you idiots.." he grumbled. They backed away, all but Hinata who couldn't go very far with Naruto holding on to her. She blushed when he looked at their entwined hands and did nothing about it but secure her hand more comfortably in his. Naruto sat up, lazily scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

"How many," he paused to let out a jaw cracking yawn, "days has it been?"

"'Bout a week." Kiba said with a smile. "It's good to see you up, stupid. Things have been a bore without ya screwing around." At this, Naruto grinned.

"Strange thing, but I feel like I already know what's happened in the last couple of days." he looked worriedly at Sasuke. "Is that a bad thing?" Sasuke wordlessly shook his head.

"Hinata-chan has been telling you while you slept what had occurred." Shino said quietly. Naruto shifted to look at him. "I suppose you heard it."

Kiba slapped his knee. "Well, I say this is a cause for celebration! All of the rookie genin are in so so health, even stupid." he grinned impishly. "I'll bring the sake." Shino elbowed him again.

"You aren't old enough for alcohol."

"Tch. Old enough to carry a weapon, old enough to learn deadly techniques, old enough to kill... old enough to get completely hammered, I'd say." Naruto saw logic in that train of reasoning, but had to point something out.

"But old enough to hold your liquor? Have you ever had a hangover? Not the best thing to wake up to. And not to mention that the people you got hammered with look at you in an odd way for the next year, because they didn't get as drunk as you and happen to remember what you did and what, or who, you did it with." The rest of them looked at Naruto oddly.

"Have.. you ever gotten drunk, Naruto?" Sasuke asked in a strained tone of voice. Naruto grinned, deciding to be truthful.

"Yep yep!" Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Whatever.. I'm gonna go find that black haired chick and ask her when Naruto is free to go." he jabbed a thumb in Akamaru's direction. The small dog had made himself comfortable on Sasuke's bed and was deep in the realm of doggy dreamland. "Keep an eye on him, okay?"

He walked out of the door when they nodded.

"..He does know that Shizune doesn't know that Naruto-kun's awake, right?"

"..Let's just let him live in his own world."


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Konoha has had many famous and infamous ninjas in its hundred or so years of thriving. The Hokages were prime examples, but what was even more extraordinary was the number of powerful ninjas that were just below Hokage level.

One very well known ninja of Konoha is Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy Cat Nin. The hidden mist village especially spoke of him as a threat for he knew as many of their secret ninjutsus as some of their more powerful shinobis. If one asked an elder ninja, however, it wouldn't have been Kakashi that they spoke fearfully of, but his father, the infamous White Fang.

But even more well known than the White Fang and the Copy Cat Nin of Konoha was the legendary three sannin, a three man team taught by the Third Hokage himself. They surpassed all others before them, learning and creating summoning techniques well before most of their age and creating new ninjutsus. It was once said that if you ever faced the three of them, it was likely that you wouldn't survive to tell about it.

However, the team soon spilt up, their paths all leading in different directions. Tsunade lost her will to fight, after the combined deaths of her boyfriend and her younger brother. Orochimaru realized to achieve his ultimate dream, to learn all the jutsus in the world, he needed to walk on the road to darkness. Lost without his team mates, Jiraiya put his ninja life on hiatus, shifting to a life of writing perverted novels.

Some shook their heads, saying it was a shame that they had broken up. Together, they had been the strongest shinobis of their time.

Two of those three legendary ninjas sat in front of a table, scowling childishly at each other. Both well over fifty, they hadn't been in each others presence for several decades.

The woman sat in the left chair. She did not look her age, instead had the smooth skin and body of a twenty year old. Tsunade either aged gracefully, or did something unnatural to herself so she would stay that way. She had brownish blond hair pulled back into two pigtails and intense brown eyes that glared at the eyes of her once team mate.

He had more of a frown on his face, a face that did show all of his fifty plus years. His white hair messily piled on his shoulders, his hand twitching slightly over the large scroll that lied in his lap.

The silence that they shared was shattered.

"So.. Made your perversion a living, eh?" Tsunade asked, looking disgusted.

"Hey, at least I work for a living." Jiraiya snapped. "Surprised you came, actually. I thought you'd be too busily throwing your inheritance down the drain to answer Sarutobi-sensei's beckon."

Tsunade shrugged casually, a sight that made Jiraiya's blood boil in anger. "Hey, I was in the neighborhood."

"Yeah.. and were you on the other side of the continent when the Kyuubi attacked? I was. And I made it back here in three days."

"Just to watch your fool of a student get himself killed."

Tsunade was a very jaded woman, a fact that wasn't at all helped by her extended vacation from responsibility. The only person she trusted was Shizune. She had nothing else but money and her awful gambling habits. She could find joy only in screwing someone over for some cash.

Jiraiya never forgave her for not coming during the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha.

"When Dan and Nawaki died, so did all of my reasons to fight for this godforsaken village." Tsunade said coldly, fingering her necklace. Jiraiya bit his lip, something akin to pity in his eyes.

"Is that so?" They both hopped up in surprise when the door behind them suddenly snapped shut. "But Tsunade, many of your friends still live in this village. Are you so willing to let them be put in danger?" Sarutobi chided gently. Tsunade said nothing.

"Why did you want us here, sensei?" Jiraiya asked. Sarutobi rubbed the back of his neck, walking around to the front of his desk.

"I grow paranoid in my old age." he said dryly.

"Is that so?" Tsunade drawled, her hand on her hip. "Well thank you for the update, but I think I'll be going.."

"Don't." Sarutobi snapped suddenly. She stiffened, her hand barely touching the door. "I.. need a favor." She turned around, a smirk on her face.

"And what makes you think I'll accept?" He tossed her a scroll. She caught it, untying the red string that kept it closed. Reading it, she felt her eyes grow as wide as saucers.

"If.. or when, if you grant me my favor, I sign that, you'll never have to come back here again. And you'll stay clear of the missing nins list."

It was a standard law in every ninja village that the village that you were born in was the village you had to stay loyal to. Those who strayed from that law were branded as missing nins and were hunted down. Even if a ninja had retired and moved away from the village, he was supposed to check back in the village every couple of years, lest he be branded and hunted. Only a 'Kage could bend the law for his subordinates.

Tsunade felt bitter towards Konoha, but didn't want her name to be dragged into the mud by being branded as a missing nin. If I do what the old man wants, Tsunade thought, her gaze fixed on the scroll, I'll never have to come back here and be haunted by the memories.

"What do you want?" she asked, resigned. A ghost of a smile quirked the corners of Sarutobi's mouth.

"Humor me. Stay in this village until, say, the end of the Chuunin Exam. Whether or not anything happens, and you still are in Konoha by that time, I sign the scroll and you can leave." Tsunade nodded, shaking the scroll at him.

"Yeah, sure. I'm keeping the scroll." She walked out of the room. Immediately, Jiraiya turned to Sarutobi.

"What the hell was that for!" he nearly yelled. "You want her to leave Konoha, leave us, forever!"

"No, of course not. I think she might realize the reasons why she protected this village in the first place, if she stays here for a while. She might rekindle her love of Konoha, if she'd just stop running away from it." The Hokage murmured, trying to ward off the impending headache.

"Oh! I get it. Reverse psychology crap." Jiraiya said with a grin. Sarutobi nodded. "Well, okay. And you don't need to bribe me. I know where my loyalties lie." He left, waving his goodbye even as his eyes lit up in impish delight at continuing his research.

Sarutobi sat down heavily on his chair, twiddling his thumbs. It pains my heart to have to bribe one of my people to protect this village. It should not be a chore. It should be a privilege. A honor. He picked up a piece of paper lying on surface of the desk. It was a request to escort a bridge builder to the Water Country.

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Flashback

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Three jonins stood in front of him, a fourth shinobi thrown over the bearded jonin's shoulder. A chuunin stood a little behind them, wringing his hands in worry. They were pleading with him.

"Naruto didn't do anything wrong!" Kurenai said. "It was all Tessai's fault!"

"The kid was just as affected by the genjutsu this a** used as Uchiha Sasuke and Kakashi! If you're going to punish him, then punish them too!" Asuma said at the same time.

Kakashi stared at him with his dark eye. "If anything happens to Naruto.." Both he and Iruka started to threaten. The Hokage held his hand up for silence. They closed their mouths, looking both murderous and sad.

"Who said I was going to do anything to Naruto?" Sarutobi asked, more than a little confused. Then they told him what they had heard. Someone had found out that Kyuubi showed his face and told someone else, starting a large chain reaction so that every adult in Konoha knew about it. Then the rumors started to fly. One was that they were going to send Naruto away with Jiraiya the frog hermit, which was fueled by the pervert's sudden appearance in the village. Another one was that the Hokage himself was going to kill Naruto to assure that another incident like that would occur. Most of the adults liked that one, so when Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi came around, the gossipers were almost convinced that it was true.

Of course, the adults managed to keep the truth from their children. They didn't want to break the law.

The Hokage sighed. "A fictional story, I assure you.." A part of him was happy that the people in front of him were so eager to stand up for Naruto, but the other was sad and angry. The adults cruelty to Naruto would only increase. "I suppose the best possible thing for Naruto is to get him out of the village for a while.. until things cool down."

"So.. the kid is going with Jiraiya?" Asuma asked. Sarutobi shook his head.

"No.. I need him here. I was thinking more along the lines of an out of town mission."

"A.. C class mission?" Iruka asked, a little troubled. He wasn't sure if Naruto could handle that.

"Yes. And I think I might just have the one, if I can convince him to stay here a little longer. And not just him, but you and the rest of your soliders, Kakashi." Sarutobi couldn't tell whether the jonin was frowning or not, but he nodded.

"But Naruto and Sasuke are still in the hospital.." Kurenai trailed off.

"Sasuke will be out in a few days. His physical therapist says he's doing real well." Kakashi said. "But.. Naruto.."

"If I know Naruto," Iruka said, "I know he'll be up and ready for action in a few days as well. Even unconscious, he'd hate to be beaten by Sasuke." The chuunin smiled.

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End Flashback

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He glanced over the request, briefly wondering if it was the right thing to do. So many things could go wrong with a C class mission. The doors to his office flung open. They hit the wall with a bang, startling Sarutobi out of his seat.

"Oops. My bad." A genin stood in the doorway, looking sheepish.

"..Kiba?" the feral looking boy nodded.

"Yeah, uh sorry 'bout that, Hokage-sama. I was looking for that black haired chick, Shizune. Do you know where she is?" The Hokage righted his chair.

"No. Why?"

"'Cause Naruto's awake."


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Naruto sneezed for the nth time. "Tch. Barely out of a coma and you catch a cold?" Sasuke said with a half smile. Everyone, even Hinata, was gone.

"Kiss my a**.. stupid b*****d." Naruto said sullenly. "I'm telling ya, someone's talking about me, and that someone is gonna get their a** kicked!" With a superior air, Sasuke waved away his team mate's words.

"I don't believe in those old wives tales."

"You poor poor creature.." Naruto said mockingly. "If ya believe in them, they become real. I guess you'll never know when people are talking about you. Or maybe that's a good thing. People talk about you a lot." Naruto threw in the bait carelessly. He only had to wait a few moments before his line was tugged.

"..So what have people been saying about me?" Sasuke asked, almost painfully curious. Naruto stretched casually, taking his sweet time in rearranging the blankets.

"Oh, just things." he said in a sing song voice. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

"Dobe.." he said warningly. Naruto grinned and winked at him.

"I'd bet you'd like to know."

He was nailed in the face with a pillow. He sat right back up with a battle cry, brandishing the pillow like a weapon.

"Mocked by an infidel! I shall have my revenge!" he hopped with fox like grace on to Sasuke's bed, hitting the boy over the head with the pillow. Sasuke quickly armed himself, countering with a waterfall of cold water from the jug that was on the table near his bed. Both boys were grinning.

Even as he cursed violently and countered by shoving the other boy off of the bed, Naruto couldn't stop laughing.

It's so good to have you back Sasuke.