Notes1: I hate banished!Naruto stories. With a fucking passion. So much so that I have little to no hope of ever reading a story with such a premise that doesn't involve an evil Konoha Council, evil!Tsunade, evil!Kakashi, and...well...evil!everyone-under-the-goddamn-sun, character development be damned. It wouldn't be assassination, it'd be a straight-up execution. Most of the stories, in my experience, have come across as poorly written. They are the kind of stories that are an easy, cheap card to play out the male power fantasy that usually has Naruto surprisingly not have the Akatsuki right on his ass the moment they find out he's not in Konoha anymore, becomes - I don't know, a king or god of Uzushio (which, to my dismay, has yet to be even addressed in Boruto canon beyond it being a mess of ruins forgotten by time and canon itself) or the West (that may or may not be Temujin's Continent) or some other dimension, and scoring every single woman and child on the planet that would make Hyoudou Issei proud. And that...that's not how I imagine Naruto. At all. What I just described sounds like your typical light novel/web novel harem protagonist that's almost cookie cutter in they way they're portrayed. So it boggles my mind as to just what it is about Naruto himself that draws in all these crossovers that play off the 'Banished After VotE' trope; though he isn't exactly 'pure' (because Sexy Jutsu and its variations), he's not the kind of person that would smash any woman he can find, although I can see why he's the poster boy for the Launcher of a Thousand Ships trope.

But that's beside the point. In my previous Naruto stories, I've explained how in banished!Naruto fanfics how completely out of character it would be for Tsunade and the Konoha Council to toss Naruto - the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the son of the Fourth Hokage - out of the door and wipe their hands clean of him, especially when you have people such as Orochimaru, Kabuto, and the Akatsuki running around trying to wrangle all the tailed beasts to stuff into the Gedou Mazou. There's also my hatred of having everyone whale on Naruto, who was beaten black and blue in his fight against Sasuke; another reason why I find such a trope - as in, making everyone from Sakura and Ino (the 'banshee fangirls') to Kakashi (the 'evil man who hates his teacher's son') and even love interests like Hinata (who, in some of these stories, comes off as pure as snow to drive the romance home and become a Morality Pet for Naruto, but that could be any other girl he could be paired up with) out to be colossal jackasses. Truth be told, these archetypes wouldn't even be bad if the authors put in the time and effort to explain how and why they are so against Naruto in the first place!

Notes2: While this story started out as an intentional parody of the banished!Naruto trope, it was to my surprise that it became less wacky and satirical and more serious, critical, and even scathing of the flaws in those stories that reflect my distaste for them. It would have also riffed on the trope that Sasuke, being the last Konoha-loyal Uchiha (up to his defection), was the sacred cow of Fire Country, and would have had a scene in which the famous CIVILIAN COUNCIL mob Tsunade and Kakashi outside Naruto's hospital room and demand they exile/execute the DEMON BRAT HIMSELF for harming 'their precious Uchiha'. However, I felt it would have resulted in a massive Big-Lipped Alligator Moment that would have ruined the tone of the story and had no place in it, so I opted from going ahead with it, feeling it would be more appropriate in another parody fic closer to its first incarnation. For an even extra dose of irony, Sakura would have been the one to tell Naruto that no one would hate nor blame him for losing against Sasuke and laugh at the idea of him being banished over the whole thing.

Notes3: More than halfway through the story, I suddenly remembered that Kakashi could have also been tapped by Tsunade to assist in Naruto's training in this story. However, since this follows the timeline of the anime canon in which Naruto doesn't leave for his three-year training trip with Jiraiya right away, I like to think Kakashi would've been doing his own thing afterwards until Tsunade got a hold of him and wheedled him enough to prepare Naruto for the Akatsuki while she went about training Sakura and Ino in medical ninjutsu.

"So...how is he?"

"He's recovering quite well, actually," Tsunade says. "But he'll have to remain bedridden for the time being." She places the sake dish down on the table. Danzou makes a face at it, and Koharu sniffs, but the Hokage can't give much of a damn about it; she hasn't had that much today, so why complain?

"How long?" Homura presses calmly.

"At best? Give or take a couple weeks. The damage Naruto took in his fight put a toll on his body as well as his chakra reserves. The Fox will be working overtime to rejuvenate all the torn muscle, broken bones, and scorched pathway points before he's even allowed to go back into front-line services again. Until then, I want him recuperating."

"That would be a most wise decision," Danzou says, sipping at his tea. Eye closed, shoulders drawn close together, one would think he was the picture perfect portrait of serenity to know the Village was safe and the Beast, for all the ills it's wrought upon the world, would not be seeing the light of dawn with its own eyes for so long as Naruto lived. For better or worse, the boy had gone through enough hell already.

Tsunade, however, knows better, and tries not to show it. He's a slippery one, this man; everyone that's anyone that's a ninja (or samurai, she amends) keeps at least a few skeletons in their closets. But Danzou? Ah, a person like him, at his age, would probably have enough to fill all of Hokage Rock from the inside-out. She doesn't need classified records that may or may not have become 'mysteriously lost' in the wake of Hiruzen's death to tell her that.

So she gives him a sidelong glance and keeps her face and voice cool. "Really?"

"Of course. Isn't it obvious?" Danzou replies, meeting her gaze. "Believe it or not, I find young Naruto to be testament to the Village's safety. What matter of good would be done if we were to discard him for failing a mission? Even a broken tool has its uses before the time comes to repair it anew. It simply means he must compensate for his flaws so that he may stand to have a better chance at success for when his abilities are required again—and the sooner the better, while he's still young and his chakra is still developing. Am I not wrong?"

For a moment that seems to stretch onward, Tsunade can only stare at him. It's brief, and she has half a mind to assert her authority and tell him he's wrong. She does not. "...No," she relents, after a beat. "No, you're not wrong."

"And do you, Koharu? Homura?" Danzou asks of his former teammates. "Do you think otherwise?"

The two of them exchange glances. Tsunade spares her own out of the side of one eye, but mindful enough to not appear encroaching. That's another thing she would have to concern herself with: how much influence does Danzou have over them? They've been together since childhood, all the way back to the Second World War. How much did they know? What did they have to hide?

She watches their expressions shift, and is once again taken aback when the stoicism breaks. Slightly, but just enough to show...regret? Shame? Frustration? Or perhaps, Tsunade muses, a mixture of all three, from the way Koharu bites the inside of one cheek to how the line in the very middle of Homura's forehead deepens and the dimples at the corners of his mouth turn downward.

"No," Koharu admits somberly. "That is the one mistake we made when the boy was made a sacrifice, and that was not giving him the education he deserved."

"For all his talk of giving the boy a peaceful life, Hiruzen didn't do enough to prepare him for the future," Homura adds. "Imagine, if you will, being the son of not only the most powerful Hokage since the time of Senju Hashirama but the heiress of the befallen Uzumaki Clan. Imagine being born and blessed with the traits necessary to contain and utilize the tailed beast at him...only for it to be squandered."

"You could have fooled me," Tsunade tells them. "I would've never have believed otherwise that Naruto didn't have any potential. He was just another kid to me."

"But surely you noticed the resemblance? Surely you should've had some inkling that he looked much like Lord Minato."

"It's not like there's a shortage of blondes in Fire Country."

"Nor is there a shortage of redheads, either, but Lord Minato gave him the Uzumaki surname nonetheless despite the fact they, too, have their enemies. But then again," Danzou adds, smiling with sarcastic humor, "Namikaze isn't much better, once you recall that particular surname is only important because of Minato; there are no such records that indicate it was a powerful clan to begin with. People that think they were anything else are deluding themselves with visions of idealistic grandeur. Ah, but my point still stands; if his parents, nay, the Third, were so concerned for his safety, they could have at least had the common sense to give him another surname that would not attract unwarranted attention."

Tsunade scowls. "It's not Naruto's fault he's born to parents like them, and it's not like he asked to be born looking just like Minato. That's beyond anyone's control with the current medical technology we have."

"That is true," Danzou interjects, "but they should have done more for him. Hatred for your fellow man doesn't stop when war ends; it simply festers to a boil that gets bigger and bigger until it's fit to burst and spread and infect everything it touches. If you have accomplished great things in the name of your homeland that comes at the expense of your enemies suffering, it won't matter what name or face you'll give your child. For every jutsu out there that can change your appearance or hide your chakra signature there is always one that counters it."

"So what would you have had them do, raise Naruto in secrecy?"

"Not necessarily, but precautions would've been made ahead of time in the worst case scenario the boy lost control of the Fox: training in senjutsu, fuuinjutsu, the Uzumaki's Adamantine Sealing Chains-"

"None of which Naruto has," Koharu throws in. "It's a miracle he was able to learn at all in the Academy."

"Whether or not it was by divine intervention, you must admit he should be extremely luck to have gotten this far in life," says Homura with a sagely nod. "Otherwise, he would've been no better than the average civilian. What a damn shame it would be, having all that potential go to waste. Lord Minato and Lady Kushina would be so disappointed! Ah, but" and he sighs, uncrosses his arms to reach out and pour himself tea into a dish, "the boy is still young. If we play our cards right, he'll have all the time in the world and then some to compensate for his lack of proper teaching...and discipline."

"That's another thing that will have to be overhauled," Koharu says, accepting the bottle passed to her. "Discrimination should not be allowed under any grounds whatsoever, regardless of monetary or familial status. Or, to put it more thoroughly, whether or not one is a jinchuuriki. I suppose you have heard the incident involving Master Mizuki and the Scroll of Seals, yes?"

Tsunade nods. "I have. That brat dragged me all the way back from Tanzaku Quarters to become Hokage. I figured it would help immensely to learn more about him by going through his records. But from what I've read so far, it's only been just that one teacher. Many others could have been accounted for and yet not have been noted. That shouldn't solely be the Hokage's fault for not reprimanding them."

"True. Anyone should report misconduct, but at the end of the day the fault lies squarely on the Hokage for not taking the necessary actions." Koharu holds the dish in the cups of both hands, closes her eyes to savor the taste. "Did you know," she begins, "Lord Third told the Village Naruto was the Fox's container? It was Lord Fourth's final request: for him to be seen as a hero for being born on that night and, through no say of his own, being there at the right place at the right to save everyone from certain death. For this reason alone, Naruto should not be hated nor be assumed he is the Beast reincarnated, biding its time for when it would grow and claim vengeance on humanity."

"No," Tsunade says grimly. "He shouldn't...but he was. Wasn't he?"

"He was," Danzou responds, just as so. "He still is."

"And no one did a damn thing to show him otherwise? No one—not even the Third—bothered to make something right by him? Is that why he's been living in that house, alone, all this time? With barely any protection from somebody who might get a little too ballsy up in the head and make an attempt on his life?" The more she rambles on, the more frustrated, disbelieving, she gets; and her hands ball tight into fists, manicured nails digging hard enough to break the skin underneath. "Are you serious?"

"Now, Lady Tsunade, remember what I told you," Danzo begins. "You can't change people-"

"Then if he's so important to the Village, why didn't he get the respect or the treatment he deserved? This is Minato's son! Where the hell was everyone? Do you mean to tell me no one wanted to, I don't know, take him in and raise him? At all?"

One corner of his mouth tips up in a humorless smirk. "Memories don't just fade away overnight. People are human. They don't always forget. How could they, when-"

"Oh, that's bullshit and you know it! People are human but they're also not sheep! We have minds of our own! And don't tell me adopting him into a clan would cause a political imbalance; Sasuke is the sole survivor and not one of you did anything to support him!"

Koharu sniffs, and Homura scoffs. "What an upstanding citizen," he says. "I must have not seen you walk back through those gates fifteen years ago. Must be my eyes going bad."

Tsunade rises to get up. "You bas-!"

"Ahem," Danzou coughs, and with the ease of a lion pinning its prey takes her by the arm in his only hand and motions her to sit right back down. Between them is the silent surge of chakra that pulsates from his fingertips to her pathways like thunder striking a lightning rod only they can feel. It comes off as a grimace on Tsunade's face, equal parts disgust and irritatingly painful, and they show scandalously clear for Koharu and Homura to see.

(It's a very good thing, at least, that mind reading is exclusive to the Yamanaka Clan and not the rest of humanity. Sage forbid they learn the train of thought going through her mind right now.)

When he sees she—nor the others—aren't going to protest, Danzou nods and withdraws his hand from Tsunade's thigh. Reclines against the back of the sofa, lax like a cat basking in the sun, and assesses the three of them with a cool, clinical eye. Then he sighs, grabs the bottle of tea, and shakes it around. Frowns at the quiet, slight sloshing it makes, but shrugs and pours the last of it into his cup; it barely fills halfway. "Now then," he says, "I believe we should all admit we have made mistakes and must own up to them. Regardless of everything that has happened in the past, what's done is done. Naruto is not the Fox. He had a lackluster education and a lonely childhood that has molded him into the person he is today and what has influenced him to do what he had to do. Even if he had been adopted and raised in another clan, there is no telling he would have changed from who he is now. He would, most likely, still chase after Uchiha Sasuke and attempt to drag him kicking and screaming back to Konoha."

"That's not 'most likely,'" Tsunade tells him. "He will do it again."

"Sasuke has already proven himself a traitor to Leaf and Fire by allying himself with Orochimaru," says Koharu. "It would be in the country's best interest if both were brought to justice."

"Or, if we cannot do that," Homura adds, "we eliminate them."

"It won't come to that point," Tsunade growls. "I haven't known Naruto for very long, but I can tell you right now he won't stoop that low."

"Not yet, at least."

"No," she agrees, "but he won't. Not unless it's a last resort."

"Nevertheless, regardless of what happens, Naruto will need to be prepared," says Danzou. "I recommend he receive training as soon as he is fully recovered. Allow me to remind you, Lady Hokage, Orochimaru and Sound are the least of our concerns. Sooner or later, the Akatsuki will come for him. They will come for the rest of the jinchuuriki."

"We have three years. Three years before they make their first move. Until then, we teach Naruto everything we can: more diversity in ninjutsu and genjutsu, improve his taijutsu, diversify the Rasengan...hell, deck him out with as many weapons as possible if it means they can't touch him."

"And the Fox?" Danzou ventures.

Tsunade frowns. "That's something Jiraiya will have to show him; he's already helped train him during the Chuunin Exams. If he's still in the area, I can bring it up to them. I'd wager he'd be more than willing to do so. It should be a step in the right direction."

"It should be...if he can keep himself from skirt-chasing long enough to give a damn!" Koharu grumbles with a click of her tongue.

Tsunade huffs. "Oh, I've heard from Naruto what he did in Shukuba Town. I guarantee you I'll make sure he won't be pulling those same stunts, especially now with the way things are shaping up to be. Let him worry about catching tail after we finish dealing with the Akatsuki."

"If I may, Lady Hokage, I am also willing to lend you my aid," says Danzou. "There are a couple individuals I have been keeping tabs on for a while who may prove beneficial to young Naruto's training where it concerns the Fox."

Do you, now? Tsunade thinks, but doesn't voice it. Instead, she says, "And who might those be?"

"Individuals highly trained in the sealing arts. I have dossiers on them for you to be peruse at your leisure...but the sooner the better, all things considered. I will stop by your office later, and when you are ready I will have these ninja come forward for the usual introductions."

"You do that."

Later, when the meeting has adjourned and the Council go their separate ways, Tsunade will sit at the desk, scrounging the drawers to see if there's any alcohol to imbibe—and, much to her dismay, there isn't—and think This is enough. It should be. It has to be. The life of a ninja is a tough, cruel mistress; there's no guarantee as to when she'll finally have had enough of you and discard you for someone else who might, at best, actually live long enough to old age.

Yet no one has that kind of luxury with life and death on the line; doubly so if you're a jinchuuriki who's gone twelve and a half years with little to no academic support and psychological development from his elders and his betters that should've known better than to leave him on his lonesome. Sometimes the things that are done in the name of the greater good can go horribly wrong; and maybe it is sheer, stupid luck or maybe it's divine providence sent straight from the Pure Lands, but Naruto has had the fortune for everything so far to go horribly right.

Still, she can't forget the surreptitious glances Danzou sent her way. The way his mouth quirked upward, as though he was laughing at a joke only he knew the punchline to and relished at the sight of people stumbling over themselves trying to figure it out. The ramblings of the imperfect, unpleasing, self-fulfilling cannibalism that was human nature, appearing more psychologist and philosopher than coldblooded killer with a mind as sharp as a kunai.

She lets a few minutes pass, idly thinking of inviting Shizune out to go hit the market and browse around—a flimsy excuse to buy alcohol, yes, but both of them have been running ragged since Shikamaru and the others came back. They could use the time to unwind and figure out where to go from there.

When time's up, she calls for one of the ANBU agents sulking in the shadows of the office. He stands at attention before the desk, waiting for her to give his command.

She tells him to keep an eye on Danzou. Don't be seen, don't be heard. Report back if there's anything suspicious going on. Otherwise, return within two hours, before the evening comes.

The agent nods and vanishes in a body flicker.

Tsunade gets up and walks out of the room.

Her feet carry her all the way to Konoha Hospital. The staff greet her and, when she tells them what she's here for and if it's okay (it is, they say), send her on her way to her destination without preamble.

Naruto looks up at the knock on the door. He asks who's there, to which Tsunade tells him it's her, and she lets herself in before he gets to say it's alright and she can, he was just resting.

"How are you feeling?" she asks him.

"'m okay," he mumbles, turning his hands over in his lap. "A lot better than before." Understatement of the century right there, what with him being nearly swathed in bandages from head to toe…but he's right. He sounds better, and he's a lot coherent and responsive. It's a massive improvement compared to how he was when Kakashi brought him here several days ago.

"That's good. I want you to get better—naturally, that is," she includes, just as he's about to open his mouth and protest. "I understand you want to go back out there, but it's not going to do us any good if you overextend yourself even worse than before."

"I know," he says. "How are the others? Are they…?"

"Shikamaru is fine. The others are no longer in critical condition and are in recovery. It'll be a while yet before you'll be doing missions again."

"I see. I'm glad they're okay." Naruto falls quiet, eyes downcast and heavy-lidded, still moving his hands to and fro with sluggish monotony. She's seen that look before, so many times: on patients that have been told they will be unable to return to service ever again; patients who have had the news broken to them that someone—or everyone—on their team has died in the line of duty or perhaps defected with the lust and promise of power unregulated by the country lords; patients young and bright-eyed and glowing with hope who have failed their mission, their teammates, and themselves when the odds were sorely stacked against them.

It's the same look Jiraiya had when Orochimaru abandoned Konoha all those years ago.

Time is a flat circle, Tsunade muses. A wheel for history to operate on, over and over again, for all to observe. We can become all the more stronger for it...or grow weaker than ever before.

She's brought out of her brief reverie when Naruto speaks. "Hey, Granny Tsunade."

"Hmm? Yes, Naruto?"

"Are you...mad at me?"

"What?"

"I lost, ya know," he says. "Against Sasuke. All that running, all that fighting, and I couldn't bring him back. Not even the Fox's chakra helped. I promised Sakura I would right before we left, too." He peers up at Tsunade, sullen and weary. "What kind of a friend does that make me if I can't even do something as simple as that?"

Tsunade blinks, taken aback. "Naruto. It's not your fault."

"It's because of me he's gone, ya know. He's probably with Orochimaru right now. And here I am, in the hospital, unable to do anything about it," he growls, and clenches his clasped hands into a tight, white-knuckled ball. "I really am the dead last."

"Naruto-"

Suddenly, he sighs. He lets go of his hands, dropping them back into his lap like fish washed belly-up on a river bank. "'m sorry, Granny Tsunade. 'm sorry for everything. I coulda done more. So much more." He looks at her. "I think...I think you should banish me."

"What? Banish you?"

"Yeah," Naruto says, shrugging. "Why not? I'm the demon boy. The Nine-Tailed Fox Reincarnated. Worse, I'm the one who hurt Sasuke. He's important, too, right? The last Uchiha clan member who...who was loyal to Konoha, ya know. The Uchiha were the most badass ninja to exist, and I hurt him. I hurt the last Uchiha, Granny Tsunade. People are going to have my head for that. They're gonna want me gone and there'll be no way two ways about it." His voice pitches higher the more he goes, quickens and rambles to the point of messy, lunatic incoherence.

He stops. She sees him suck in his lower lip, then bite the inside of one cheek. His forehead scrunches up. He looks ready to cry.

He doesn't. His shoulders sag, hunching him over. "You should get rid of me, Granny. You have the power for it. But if you don't want ta, you can always ask your councilmen to do it for you. Put it to a vote. Something. Just get rid of me-"

"Naruto," Tsunade says, low and forceful, and puts a hand over his. It stops him, startles him. He stares at their hands, then looks up at her, agape. Nothing comes out. She presses on, calm and firmly. "No one is going to banish you. I won't banish you. Why in the world would I ever do that? What happened back there, at the Final Valley—none of that was your fault. Do you hear me?"

"But-"

"It's not your fault. At all. And I'm not going to send you out in the wilderness just because of that. What kind of leader would that make me, if I threw away not just Konoha's jinchuuriki but her most devoted shinobi? The Council don't have the power to overturn my decision; if it bothered them that much, they could always ask the feudal lord. But he'd be just as stupid, too, if he decided to exile you. If anything, Naruto, banishing you would be the most idiotic decision in the world. Abandoning you to your fate is just asking Akatsuki to come scoop you up for their own purposes."

"But...what about Sasuke? He's-"

"A fool," she spits. "A lonely, angry, hurting fool who wants justice for all the wrongs committed to him and his clan, but a fool nonetheless. There are better ways to search for power. Safer ways that don't involve potentially sacrificing himself to a criminal out of his mind." Tsunade releases a short, harsh breath. "If we only could have done more for him. Maybe then Sasuke wouldn't have felt compelled to go to Orochimaru."

"I could've done so much more," says Naruto.

"We all could have…but what's done is done. We have to focus on the present and the future now. There might be a chance to change Sasuke's mind. There might not be. I don't know. But we have time. We can make up for it, Naruto. All of us. For him...and for you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. So you failed one mission. It hurts, I know, but it's not the end of the world. It happens, and it's going to keep happening. None of us are perfect. If we were, none of us would be here. So don't think for a second I'm going to banish you, because I'm not. I am Hokage. I have the authority to say what can and what can't be done. The Council can bitch and moan as much as they want. They can even help, too, but at the end of the day I have the final word. I decide what's best for the Village, and what's best for everyone, right now, is keeping you here and making sure you recover one hundred percent of the way through. And if they or anyone else don't like it? Well, tough shit. Anyone who thinks banishing you—and the Fox-to the unknown because of one failed mission is an ignoramus that needs to brush up on their history and realize the consequences of what such an action would entail."

Naruto stares at her, too stunned. His mouth works, trying to find the words. When he does, it's with a strained croak. "Granny Tsunade. You'd do all this...for me?"

"Of course I would, Naruto. I would do it for anyone. Even for Sasuke, had he stayed. However, that's neither here nor there. I want to focus on you. I want you to get better. So does the Council."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. They can be cruel, but they're not the evil, conniving conspirators people make them out to be." Except Danzou, but she won't tell him that. Not yet. Not until she has the evidence to prove he's more than a shady individual. "We talked together and came to the conclusion that you're to receive training as soon as you're approved to return to service and discharged from the hospital. We're going to teach you everything we can to combat Akatsuki when the time comes. I'm even going to get in touch with Master Jiraiya and a couple other people to help the moment they're available. We will make up for all the time lost teaching you properly."

"I," Naruto licks his lips, swallows, presses his lips again. "I dunno what to say. I...thank you, Granny Tsunade. I just...I won't let it all go to waste, ya know. But…." He trails off.

"But what, Naruto?" she pushes gently.

"But...is it going to be enough? Itachi's in there. Him and that shark guy. There are probably a lot of others, too. All of them criminals. Is any of what I'm going to do gonna make a difference? I'm just a kid."

"It will be enough, Naruto. We have at least three years, at most, before they make their first move."

"Yeah. But we have three years before they move, too. Something's gotta give, Granny."

"And we'll give it to them," she says. "We'll give it to them so hard they're going to wish they had never messed with Konoha. And Orochimaru and Sasuke...they'll come to regret their decisions, one way or another." She lets go of Naruto's hand, stands up, and points at him. "You are Uzumaki Naruto, Shinobi of the Leaf and Jailor of the Nine-Tailed Fox. You are worth more here with all of us than you will be alone. I assure you, Naruto, we won't let that potential go to waste anymore. That's my promise to you."

"Granny Tsunade…I…." Naruto swallows and balls up two fistfuls of blanket. "I won't let you down, Granny," he says, more clearly and determined. "I'll get better! I promise!"

Tsunade smiles. "Good. Now, get some rest. Let me know when you've been discharged and I'll send word for Jiraiya and the others to come for you."

"Okay. And...thanks again, Granny. For everything."

She leaves, closing the door behind. All by herself, with the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead and the afternoon sun spilling through the windows on her right, the sound of her heels clicking on the linoleum is like glass shattering with each step made.

It'll be a long three years, she thinks, but it will be worth it, Naruto. Have faith.

Maybe, just maybe, you'll make Sasuke see and bring him back.

For a long time, Naruto stares at the door leading out of his room. His mind is blank, but at the same time the entire conversation he had with the Hokage runs parallel in the background like static from a television set. Rumbling, pervasive; not even lowering the volume down on the remote control could quiet the words she spoke to him.

It is not your fault.

You are worth more here than with all of us than you will be alone.

We won't let that potential go to waste anymore.

That's my promise to you.

"Granny Tsunade," Naruto breathes, and allows himself to fall backward. His head hits the pillow with a soft thump, the sheets bounce and then settle.

He closes his eyes and breathes in…

Out….

In….

From behind the bars of the cage, the Nine-Tailed Fox laughs darkly. "They think to have you control me? Ha! They don't realize what you're all about to get yourselves into."

"I'm going to need all the help I can get," Naruto grouses. "If it means I can bring Sasuke home and stop Orochimaru and the Akatsuki, then anything goes."

"Oh?" the Fox croons, grinning wickedly. "Are you sure about that? You know what happens when people make deals they can't commit to…don't you, promise-breaker?"

"You like living, don't you?" He says, pointing at the Beast through the space of one bar. From all the way down here, in the immaterial landscape between the mind and reality, he is an ant before a god.

The Fox snorts. "Who doesn't? As much as I prefer to be anywhere but here, the fate that would await me at the hands of those bastards is not one I desire to meet."

"Then suck it up and help us stay alive long enough to see this through. There's more at stake here than you realize."

It snaps his teeth at him, and then glares when he doesn't flinch—only stares, hard, back at it. "I have been alive long before you were even a sparkle in your father's balls, boy! Our deaths will mean more than setting back your precious Village. I have no intention on letting either of us die so pathetically!"

"Then either help me or not at all. Your choice, asshole."

The Fox's growls ricochet off the walls and the pipes and sets the stagnant pools of water to ripple. Lips folded back to expose black gums, teeth the size of mountains, nine tails swaying snake-like in the air behind us, it is more than ready to strike and put the brat in his place.

Except there's no need. He will find that out all on his own, with or without its aid. Humans are awfully self-centered, but they're not completely addle-brained. The boy himself certainly isn't. Perhaps he already knows this. It wouldn't surprise it.

The Beast turns away from him and lays its head down on the floor. "Begone, runt," he grumbles, and lets its eyes fall shut into light slumber.