Hey you guys I'm back! (Receives only silence and the chirping of crickets) Oookaay seems like I've been gone a bit longer than anticipated and I'm really sorry but my life has been a mess for the last couple of months and I was only able write bits and pieces… yeah let's leave it at that.

First I'd like to thank those who have Reviewed, Followed and/or Favored this story so far. It really makes up my day to discover that you like it that much.

Now I am happy to say that I finally can present to you, without further ado, chapter Nr. 4. I hope you like it and have fun reading.

Naruto

A Jinchuriki's Tale

Chapter 4: The Ballad of Uzumaki Naruto

Verse 1: Nightmares and Secrets

2 ½ Months later…

It was a nice summer day and the forest surrounding the village hidden in the leafs was quiet. The only thing that disturbed the silence was the twittering of birds and the chirping of the crickets.

The quiet was interrupted by a shadow that scurried through the undergrowth of the forest with three others in pursuit. "Target in sight Kakashi-sensei," one of them spoke into his headset "…proceeding with capture." The answer came immediate. "Good, go for it."

The three accelerated their run, catching up with the shadowy figure fast. One of the three, a blonde, exited the formation and dashed forward and grabbed the shadow with both hands, revealing that it was a brown cat.

The animal immediately started struggling, wriggling out of the teens grip and attacking him with its claws.

The blonde's teammates arrived a moment later and while the female member of Team 7 tried to get the cat off of Naruto, the young Uchiha contacted their sensei. "Target, designation "Tora" captured." he spoke into the headset. "We'll be heading back now." "Okay then, I'll be waiting at the Hokage tower."

Half an hour later…

Mission Distribution Room

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi watched as Madam Shinji the Daimyo's wife hugged her beloved cat. The later three's expression was more neutral, while the young Jinchuriki's was that of annoyance. "Next time that damn cat decides to run away I'm gonna rassengan it into a tree or something." he thought, while watching the little demons owner paying for the team's efforts.

When she was gone the team shifted their attention to Hiruzen Sarutobi. The old Hokage looked at a sheet of paper than at the team of Genin. "Another successful mission for Team 7's record. I'm very proud of you and since you have fulfilled your daily share of missions already I'm giving you the day off. Come back tomorrow morning and we will continue."

Excusing themselves they left the room, Kakashi immediately left, saying that he had to meet somebody. While the three Genin left the Academy building, they discussed what to do with the rest of the day. "So what do ya say if we use the rest of the day for some light training?" Naruto suggested. "Sounds like a good idea. I need to work on that new Genjutsu." Sakura answered, while Sasuke simply nodded. "Okay then it's decided. We meet up at my place. You go on ahead and start already because I have to go make some errands." Naruto said, parting ways with his teammates.

A few minutes later…

Team 10 was on their way to meet up with their sensei Asuma Sarutobi when they heard a ruckus coming from a nearby flower shop.

"Here take your damn flowers, now get the hell out of here you little demon brat!" shouted a gruff voice. Out of the shop stumbling, came Naruto. He was raising his arms as if to show that he was unarmed, while holding a bunch of flowers in one hand. He turned his back on the three astonished Genin and started to walk away.

"What the hell was that about?" Chouji asked, while eating a pack of chips. "Don't know. Let's ask the owner." Ino said, walking over to the shop before either of her teammates could protest. "Ah damn, might as well." Shikamaru sighed before making his way over to the store as well, followed by Chouji.

The three teens entered the building and were met by a man in his late forties. He smiled down at them. "Good day, you three. How can I help you?" he asked. "Well we saw how you kicked one of our friends out of your store and wanted to ask you why. Did he do something? And why did you call him demon brat?" Ino answered.

The man's expression darkened immediately. "You should leave kids. I'm a busy man and I don't got the time to answer your questions." he said shoving them out of his store and closing the door behind him.

Angered by the owner's response Ino started to pound on the store's door, throwing random curses at the man. Trying to calm his teammate, Shikamaru started to speak up. "Come on Ino, let it go. We have to meet up with Asuma-sensei. Maybe he can explain it to us." Hearing this, the blonde girl calmed down a bit. "Yeah I guess your right Shikamaru, let's go." she said. They started walking, while Ino threw one last angry look over to the flower shop.

Another few minutes later….

Konoha cemetery

Naruto walked through the rows of graves, wary of his environment. He knew that what he was doing could be considered stupid. 'The Yellow Flash' had made many enemies' back when he had fought in the third ninja world war. The revelation of him being the son of Minato Namikaze could cause him and Konoha many problems and so Naruto had made sure that no one had noticed him while he had entered the cemetery ground.

On the other hand there was his mother. Many of the younger generations didn't know that Kushina Uzumaki had been the fourth's wife, or didn't know her at all as she wasn't part of the teaching curriculum in the Academy. Neither was the history of the Uzumaki clan and it bugged him a little but Naruto thought it for the best, because if he ran into somebody, he could tell that he was on his way to the grave of a deceased member of his clan to honor his or her memory.

Now he stood before his parent's graves looking down on them in silence. He knelt down and put down the flowers he had bought before his mother's tombstone. "Hey… mom… dad, long time no see huh?" he said with a cracking voice. Even though he had Jiraiya, the third Hokage and all his friends, who were looking out for him, he had never felt more alone than right now at this moment.

It pained him that he had never got to know his father and mother and even though he could imagine the predicament they had been in when the Kyuubi had attacked the village, another part of him found that they had been selfish to sacrifice themselves and burden him with the task of being the fox's Jinchuriki.

He held back tears because he knew that if he started to cry now, that he wouldn't stop anytime soon. Struggling not to cry out the loneliness and pain he felt, he got back up and walked away slowly.

Half an hour later…

Uzumaki Mansion

Naruto had calmed down before returning home. He knew that his teammates were very observant and he didn't want to worry them with his personal problems. Currently he was standing before the two other members of team 7, while they sat, resting after ending their sparring session.

"Okay guys, I got something special planned for today. Anyone of you heard of 'Nature Transformation' before?" he asked, earning questioning stares from his teammates. "All right, I'll explain it to you then. Nature transformation entails the molding and defining of one's chakra into an innate type of chakra nature, altering its properties and characteristics. Nature transformation is one of two necessary techniques for creating a technique, its counterpart being shape transformation."

"For normal techniques like the Bunshin no Jutsu you mold normal chakra. For the use of elemental techniques however, like… let's say Sasuke's Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique) you mold elemental chakra. First we find out which affinity you got." Naruto explained, before he grabbed into one of his pants pockets bringing out two small strips of paper.

"These here will tell us your affinity. All you have to do his pour some chakra into them. By how the paper reacts we will see which affinity you got. If its fire it'll burn to ash, if its water it will become wet, if it is lightning it will wrinkle, if it is earth it'll turn to dirt and crumble and if its wind it will split. Here, give it a try." he said, handing his teammates the two paper strips.

Sasuke and Sakura took them and poured some of their chakra into them as instructed. Sasuke's paper wrinkled, while Sakura's not only got wet but burned away slowly as well. Naruto nodded at this. "All right seems like your affinity is lightning Sasuke and you Sakura-chan seem to be special. You got water and fire, a dual affinity, very rare to shinobi without a Kekkei Genkai." he said with a grin and Sakura blushed at hearing praise from the boy she secretly loved.

"What about you, what's your affinity Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked after calming herself down.

Naruto answered this question, by once again bringing out a piece of paper and held it that his friends could see it clearly while pouring chakra into it. The paper ripped and split into two. "Mine is wind. It's pretty rare even in Sunagakure where the most wind users live." This earned him some amazed looks from Sakura and Sasuke.

"So now that we know what your affinity is we can work with that." he continued. "But don't forget that only because you know your chakra affinity now, doesn't mean that you can't use jutsu of other elements. I can use some simple fire release techniques even though my affinity is wind. It's just a little harder to learn other elemental jutsu and they require a little more chakra."

"So, what do we do now?" Sasuke asked. Naruto thought about this for a moment then answered. "Well, Sasuke I'm no expert regarding lightning techniques. You should go see Kakashi-sensei, I know his affinity is lightning so you'll be better off with him." he said, shrugging at the last part.

"What about me Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked. "That's no problem I can help you with fire and water and we can get help from Jiraiya-sensei as well." he answered with a thoughtful expression.

Wanting to drop the topic for now, he continued. "Now, there is something else I want you to learn it'll take some time but it will be worth It." he said enthusiastically and started to explain the technique he wanted to teach them.

Later…

An eight year old Naruto ran through a forest, while shouting out for her. Branches hit him and thorns scratched him on the arms, legs and in the face and tore up his clothes. Sometimes he would stumble because he couldn't see something lying on the ground but every time he caught himself fast enough to not fall to the ground.

He didn't care about all that because he had to get to her before they did. Bursting through a bush he entered a clearing. On the other end there stood a cottage. And before the cottage there stood she.

He shouted out her name. She turned around smiling at him. He started walking towards her until suddenly her face turned to a painful expression.

Naruto cried out her name. He could see that slowly but steadily her colorful clothes turned grey. First it was only her abdomen but it spread up to her chest and down her legs.

She tried to reach out for him only for her arms and hands to become grey as well. He looked into her eyes and could see that the calm and happy expression they usually held had turned into that of dread and anguish.

He saw that her lips started to move. She wanted to say something but was cut short when the grey reached her face. "Na…!" was everything she was able to say before she couldn't talk anymore.

The last thing he saw was how the light in her eyes started to fade, until finally it was gone. She was gone. Before him stood a grey figure that once had been a person he held dear more than anything else.

Then she shattered.

"NOOOOO!" Naruto cried out as he shot up into a sitting position. His breaths were heavy, he was sweating like hell and his eyes started to tear up.

His right hand gripped his forehead, while he tried to calm himself down. A few minutes elapsed until his breath had settled and his eyes had stopped to tear. He got up from his bed and put on some clothes.

He left the building after checking on Sakura to see if his sudden yell had woken her up but to his relief she was sleeping quiet and peaceful.

The girl had "moved in" after that argument she had with her parents. The Hokage had talked to them and they had apologized only for the girl to refuse it. She had said that they should not apologize to her but to Naruto because of what they had said about him.

They on the other hand had refused to do so and so Sakura had broken off contact with them for the time being. Even when Naruto had tried to reason with the pink haired girl, stating that he wasn't mad at them and that it was stupid of her to fight with her parents over something so stupid like him, she had refused to talk to them.

Now he was walking down a street leading towards the village square. The village itself was quiet as its inhabitants were sleeping peacefully. The streets were dark and so the only thing enlightening the night was the cold light of the moon and the stars.

His walk slowly turned into a slow jog that turned into a run and finally into a sprint. He ran through the village not caring where it would lead him to and turning at random corners.

When he finally came to a halt to catch a breath he saw that he had stopped in front of the stairs that led up to the Hokage monument. He thought about it for a minute, and then started to climb the stairs.

Several hours later…

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching. His body tensed slightly to spring into action if it was an enemy. Seconds later a very familiar voice spoke up. "Hello there, Naruto-kun. What are you doing up so late in the night." Hearing the voice of the old Hokage, Naruto relaxed. "Nothing... Just thinking... Can't sleep." he simply stated, not wanting to talk with anybody about ´the dream´.

´The dream´ as Naruto called it himself was an irregular occurrence. It would show up when he was thinking about it the least. But when it came it would be enough for him to not be able to sleep for several days after the night it had reappeared.

Jiraiya knew of this and had tried to help him saying that it was best that he should try to speak to somebody about it. But Naruto, the stubborn fool he was, had answered that he didn't need any help.

He didn't want to burden someone with the problems he had. And so from time to time he would stay up for several nights and tried to forget the painful memories.

"You don't look like it is nothing Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said, his expression was serious and showed his concern for the boy. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you? Maybe I can help you." The old man offered. ,

"It's…" he hesitated. An inner voice tried to reason with the blonde, trying to tell him that it was ok if he wanted to talk to the old man. Maybe he could help him and maybe he could take away the pain and sorrow. This voice was silenced by another voice. This one told him to keep quiet. It told him that it was his burden to bear and that he shouldn't involve anyone else. "… nothing, really."

Hiruzen sighed, he wanted to help the boy, he really did but how if the boy refused to let anybody near him. "Let me tell you something Naruto-kun. I've seen a lot of people tear themselves up because of things that happened in their past."

"Your teacher Kakashi is a good example. In the third ninja world war he had to leave his best friend behind when he thought he was dying." the old man explained. "Then he was nearly forced to kill his other teammate. He didn't have to but the guilt of nearly being forced to do something like that eats away at him every day. But you know what? He's able to deal with it because of his friends. They take care of him and make sure he is okay."

Naruto looked shortly over to Hiruzen. Then his gaze turned back to the village and the horizon. It slowly started to dawn and soon the sun was going to come up. Both Naruto and Hiruzen stayed silent for a few minutes before the Hokage spoke up again.

"Naruto believe me when I say this. Secrets don't come for free, not now, not ever. They have a toll and not only on you but on the people closest to you too." Naruto had to chuckle when he heard this. "That coming from you old man is a little ironic don't you think? Me being the Jinchuriki of that old grumpy fox is an S-class secret, punished with death if ever revealed by anyone."

Hiruzen started to slowly walk away. "Yes I am aware of that Naruto kun" after a few steps he turned around a little seeing that Naruto was watching him from the corner of an eye. "…but who said I was talking about that secret?" he finished and walked away leaving a perplexed Naruto.

How did the old man know about the other secrets he kept from everyone else? Had Jiraiya told him? He did not know this and he guessed that if he had done it, that he could trust the Hokage with keeping them, confidential.

Naruto sat there for an hour or so and watched the sun rise on the horizon. Then he got up and slowly walked home. When he arrived he did his usual morning routine and waited for Sakura to wake up.

A few hours later…

Mission Distribution Room

Team 7 stood in front of the Hokage and waited for the old man to finish his paperwork. Hiruzen was looking at several papers before laying them aside and opened one of the D-ranked mission scrolls and started to read.

"All right, today I got some easy missions for you team 7. First mister Hamada needs for you to paint his house. Then a miss Takashi needs you to watch her kids while she does some errands and finally…" That's how far he got before he was interrupted by Naruto.

The blonde boy in question was normally a quiet and collected individual. What most of the people closest to him didn't know however was that he hadn't been always like that. Before his trip with Jiraiya, Naruto had been a brash, loud mouthed and impatient kid that ran into situations without thinking.

Over time he had learned to control himself with the help of daily meditation sessions in the morning. Now however the frustration of not getting a real mission took its toll on the young teen and forced his old traits to resurface. Hearing what the Hokage had to offer a vein popped up on his forehead and he finally snapped.

"You know what fuck this." he blurted out. "I've had it. I've had it with running other people's errands, I've had it with babysitting and I've had it with catching that damn cat Tora. In the time since we are a team we've completed like what hundred fifty of these so called "missions". That must be a new record if I'm right. So cut us some frickin' slack and give us a real assignment ´ttebayo. I'm not gonna move before that." With his rant finished Naruto sat himself down onto the floor with his arms crossed before his chest and glared at the old man.

To say that his teacher and teammates were surprised by the sudden outburst would be a large understatement. Kakashi was sure that the Hokage would be having his head for Naruto talking so disrespectful to him. Sasuke was looking surprised with a raised eyebrow while Sakura was staring at Naruto with a concerned expression.

The following moments were spent in what one could only call an awkward silence, while Naruto and Hiruzen were seemingly sharing a silent argument. Then all of a sudden the village leader started to smile and averted his gaze to Kakashi. "Say Kakashi, what do you think. Is your team ready for a C-rank mission?" The Jonin considered the question for a moment and then answered. "Yes Hokage-sama, I think they're up to the task."

Hearing this, the old man took one of the scrolls labeled with a C. "All right, this one should be easy enough. You are to deliver a scroll to the ruler of Takenomori no Kuni (Land of Bamboo Forests). It contains a treasure of the royal family and therefore it might happen that you may encounter bandits. But if Kakashi thinks you are ready then it should be no problem for you."

Kakashi had, before he stepped forward and accepted the scroll, seen that Naruto, while the Hokage read the basic information about the mission, tensed but for a second when he heard of the destination of the mission but shrugged it off. He would talk to the boy later and see if he could find out why he reacted the way he did.

"Okay team 7, we're heading out in one hour. Get your things at meet up with me. I'll wait for you at the eastern entrance gate." Kakashi said, whereupon the three Genin exited the office and went to get their things.

One hour later…

Konoha Eastern Entrance Gate

Team 7 had assembled and was about to head out. After telling his teammates about the climate in the land of forests, Naruto had advised them to change their clothing and pack their bags bearing it in mind.

Naruto himself was sporting a simple black shirt with short orange sleeves, black pants with two orange strips running down the sides, black sandals and a black coat with no sleeves and a hood that had the Uzumaki symbol on its back like his trademark jacket. He also wore black sweatbands with orange stripes on his wrists.

Sasuke had changed into a dark blue sleeveless shirt with the Uchiha crest on its back and short beige pants that nearly went down to his knees, his ankles were still tied in bandages and he had discarded his arm warmers, while Sakura wore a red shirt with short sleeves that showed her stomach and was similar to her qipao dress. She still wore her dark green shorts and had added something similar to a two part skirt that looked like the endings of her dress. She had added red fingerless gloves to her outfit and had tied her hair in a high ponytail with bangs framing her face.

"All right you three, you ready?" Kakashi asked, earning nods from his students. "Okay then, let's go." With that team seven embarked on their first C-rank mission.

The first hour was spent in relative silence, only interrupted by occasional conversations between the three Genin. Then Kakashi decided to speak up.

"So does anyone of you know anything about our destination?" he asked curiously, looking back at is students. Sasuke and Sakura shook their heads while Naruto stayed silent. "Sorry sensei, but I think Naruto-kun knows a bit about it." Sakura said, resulting in Kakashi focusing his gaze on the blonde teen.

"Well Naruto?" Kakashi asked, looking at the blonde teen, accompanied by curious stares from the other to Genin of Team 7. The young Jinchuriki on the other hand wasn't answering. He was contemplating of what information he could reveal without making himself suspicious. He knew Kakashi had probably picked up on his strange behavior, back when the Hokage had informed them of their new assignment, and wanted to know what it was all about.

Deciding on a few unimportant facts he sighed and finally broke the awkward silence. "Yes I know a little about Takenomori no Kuni. It's a relative small country. So small actually that you can cross it from border to border in around four days." He explained, earning surprised looks from his teammates.

"It is well known for its bamboo forests that cover most of the country and its natural hot springs." he continued. "Their healing powers are said to be only exceeded by those of Yugagakure (Village hidden in the hot springs). It has an active military even though it is a neutral country, which makes it similar to Tetsu no kuni (Land of Iron). The daimyo and ruler is a man by the name of Matsunoshin Gohda. He is well known in the Elemental countries for his ability to look at a situation from all perspectives and always choosing the best course of action… yeah well that's all I know. I know it's not much but it's something. Right sensei?" he ended his explanation with one of his many fake smiles to cover up his discomfort.

Kakashi immediately saw through Naruto's last action and knew that the boy was hiding something. Strengthening his decision of later talking to the boy, he let it go for now.

Sakura on the other hand was amazed about the amount of information the blonde was able to give regarding the small country. She herself had only read about it in a book and even than it had been only a short note.

All of a sudden a question popped up in her head that she immediately voiced out loud. "So Naruto-kun have you been there before? I mean when you were on your travels with Jiraiya-sama?"

Hearing this question, Naruto's body tensed up and the hands that were hidden inside the pockets in his pants clenched to fists. He spoke a simple 'Yes' and then accelerated his walk gaining a little distance from the group.

This reaction gained him surprised looks by the rest of his team. Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed as he gazed at the young Jinchuriki from behind, while Sakura looked concerned at her secret love.

She had witnessed this behavior before and did not understand why he would react the way he did. Living with him for nearly three months she had seen that the blonde was suffering. She did not know what it was but seeing him like this hurt her and so she finally decided that she would try to help him heal from whatever it was he was suffering, she just had to find the right time.

Evening…

Hi no Kuni (Fire Country), southwestern woods

The day had gone by rather fast and team 7 had made steady progress towards Takenomori no Kuni. As they sat up camp, Kakashi had told them that if they would keep up the pace that they would reach their destination within two more days.

To get camp up faster the team had decided to split up. Kakashi and Sakura had put up the tents not too far from the road they were traveling on and Sasuke had gone off to collect firewood, while Naruto had vanished from the face of the earth saying he would find them something to eat.

When he returned his teammates saw that he had killed two pheasants and had them bled out already. Then he made himself to pluck and gut them.

Within an hour team 7 sat around a fire quietly while Naruto was cooking a stew in a small kettle.

Sakura, who had watched Naruto work with a fascination that surprised herself, finally decided to break the silence. "So Naruto-kun how come you know how to do all this?" she asked, pointing to the cooking stew in front of her then to the scroll that had contained the ingredients for the stew and the feathers and organs he hadn't used for their meal.

At first Naruto didn't respond, resulting in Sakura thinking that he hadn't heard her. Before she could ask him again however, the blonde teen spoke up. "While Jiraiya-sensei and I traveled, we would often sleep outdoors because we either had to keep a low profile or… because we had no money because of him." he explained, chuckling weakly at the last part "That also meant that we couldn't buy normal food and so he taught me how to live off of what Mother Nature had to give."

"That meant learning things like how to hunt," he continued after taking a sip from the stew and then adding a few spices. "how to track and distinguish footprints from different kinds animals or how to distinguish eatable from non-eatable or poisonous plants. It was a pain in the ass to learn it all that but in the long run it's something good to know."

Soon their meal was ready and they ate in a comfortable silence. After that Sakura helped Naruto store the leftovers, wash the kettle in a nearby river and then seal it back in a storage scroll, while Kakashi and Sasuke gathered firewood for the night.

For the rest of the evening the four sat around the fire talking about random things and after deciding who would take which shift of the night guard went to sleep.

Naruto who had volunteered for the first shift jump up into the treetops where he would have a better view of his surroundings and after finding a suitable spot summoned a few Kage Bunshin and placed them at similar positions. After that he sat down on his branch, his back against the trunk and one leg dangling down, and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.

An hour or so went by and suddenly Naruto tensed, looked around and relaxed, recognizing the person approaching him. Not a second later Kakashi landed in front of him and sat down on the branch. Teacher and student looked at each other for a few seconds before Kakashi spoke up.

"May I ask you a question Naruto?" he asked his gaze never leaving his student. Naruto, who had known that this was coming, looked up into the sky where the stars were shining. Then he answered. "Sure sensei."

"Why did you react the way you did when Hokage-sama read the mission details?" Kakashi didn't receive an immediate answer but after a minute or so Naruto sighed and spoke. "Well like I said to Sakura-chan, I've been to Takenomori no Kuni before. Jiraiya-sensei and I helped Gohda-oosan with a small and short rebellion lead by his brother two years ago. It was then when I" he hesitated. "… I made my first kill."

Kakashi's visible eye widened a bit. He was shocked that one of his students had already taken a life. He was brought back from his thoughts when Naruto continued. "It was one of these situations where you either kill your opponent or he kills you… but still. The moment his heart stopped beating I vowed that no matter what I would always find a way to beat the people I would have to fight without killing them." Naruto explained.

Kakashi nodded slightly at what his student had said. He could understand how the young teen felt but unlike Naruto, Kakashi knew that sometimes you had to kill your enemy to make sure the threat was dealt with.

The next half an hour the two spent their time talking. Kakashi assured his student that he shouldn't feel ashamed for what he had did, because he had done it out of the right reasons. Naruto asked his teacher about his parents since he knew that Kakashi had been a student of Minato and so the silver haired man told him how his father and mother had been two of the most amazing shinobi he had ever met and thought that it was an honor to have served under his father.

He also assured Naruto that he not only saw his parents appearances and believes in him but also that he was hundred percent sure that they were proud of what had become of their son.

Finally Kakashi stood up, stating that he wanted to get some down time. Before he could jump down however, Naruto addressed him one last time. "You know sensei I never thanked you for always being there for me." Seeing his teachers bewildered expression the blonde had to chuckle. "Why are you so surprised sensei? Being the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki has its benefits. I always wondered why you never reviled yourself like Itachi nii-san, Yugao onee-san or Tenzou-san. But even if you didn't, I always knew that you were looking out for me. So… thank you."

The silver haired Jonin looked down at his student still a little surprised and then gave him an eye smile and said "You're welcome." before vanishing from Naruto's field of vision.

Two days later…

Near the capitol of Takenomori no Kuni

The trip to and through Takenomori no Kuni had gone without any problems and now team 7 was just a few miles away from their destination. Kakashi had told them that the chances of an attack happening were very slim, now that they were so close to the capitol, but that they should stay on guard nonetheless.

They were traveling down an unpaved street that was flanked by the edge of one of the many bamboo forests that gave the country its name, on the right side and a rice field on the other one, when Naruto heard something. It was the cracking of a branch and he immediately concentrated on his enhanced hearing and smell.

His nose picked up the barley detectible smell of dessert roses, which increased his suspicion immediately and heard a female voice giggle faintly.

Then his ears picked up something else. As fast as he could he brought out a kunai from his holster, turned around and cut the incoming object in two. His brow furrowed and he scowled at what he was seeing. Slowly falling to the ground were two strips of paper that burned away, the pinkish flames turning them to ashes before they touched the ground.

What he had cut through had been a paper seal and Naruto wondered who would use something like that as a weapon. He heard the giggling again and looked up from the ground where the remains of the unconventional weapon were picked up by a small breeze.

A woman walked out of the forest slowly, and came to a standstill a few meters in front of Naruto. She was roughly the same height as Kakashi and had a slim figure. She had raven black hair that was tied into two pigtails and went down just below her waist, hazel brown eyes and fair skin. She wore a white hem kimono with the inner side being red and a matching red belt, black, sandal like, boots, and black fingerless gloves.

He looked back for a second seeing that his teammates had turned around as well and were looking suspiciously at the woman. Than he picked up the sound of more steps and saw that a rather large man came walking out of the forest and stopped a few meters in front of Kakashi.

He was at least 2 meters big and was packed with muscles. He wore nothing but some old looking, greyish brown hakama pants and a pair of straw sandals. He was bald but had sideburns covering the sides of his face, dark blue eyes and had tanned skin. His torso was covered with paper seals that gave of a bluish or reddish glow or smoke of some sorts. In his right hand he held a wooden staff that was nearly as long as he was big.

He turned back around when he heard the woman giggle again and glared at her. His thoughts returned back to the paper seal, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't been able to react in time.

"Well, well, well, seems like I caught an observant one." the woman spoke, her voice was enchanting, soft and strong at the same time. "I shall enjoy playing with you."

Still looking at her Naruto slowly pulled of his wristbands while saying through gritted teeth; "Sensei… give me the scroll." Kakashi looked at his student, surprised at the tone the teen had spoken to him. It had left no room for arguments and the Jonin saw why he demanded possession of the scroll.

The inner side of his wrists was tattooed with seals. Figuring that their purpose was to store objects and other things, the silver haired Jonin brought the scroll that was meant for their client and gave it to the blonde. The Uzumaki took it from his superior, his gaze never leaving the woman standing before him, and held it against the seal on his right wrist. Not a second later the scroll had vanished from sight, having been sucked into the seal.

"I guess I'm right when I say that you are after the scroll am I?" Naruto asked, a grin forming on his face, and showed her the seal. "Well I hate having to disappoint you but you won't be getting it." The woman only sneered back at the teen until something above him attracted his attention along with his teammates.

What he saw made him react immediately. He grabbed Sakura and jumped away just as the man crashed into the ground ramming his staff where he had been standing not a second ago and creating not only a small crater but a dust cloud as well.

Naruto landed on his back sliding a few feet before stopping. He looked over to where he had stood a moment ago and wasn't able to see what had happened to Kakashi and Sasuke because of the dust that blocked his view.

He let out a sigh of relief when he felt their chakra signatures signaling him that they were okay. Knowing that they could handle themselves he concentrated on his last teammate, who was lying on top of him, his arms wrapped around her protectively.

"You okay Sakura-chan?" he asked concerned. The pinkette looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Yes, thank you Naruto-kun."

They averted their looks when they heard laughter and saw that it was the woman who was looking at them with an amused expression. "Excellent reflects. Good, very good." she said before turning and looking where her partner seemed to be. "Ganda you will get rid of the white fang's son and the Uchiha. I'll play a bit with blondie and his girlfriend."

A dark grunting was everything she received as an answer, while Naruto and Sakura, who were standing up at the moment, were both blushing at the assertion at being a couple but oddly enough didn't raise any objections.

Knowing that her partner would follow her orders she turned back to look at Naruto and Sakura while pulling a few more paper seals from the inside of her kimono. "Now then, let's see how good of a showing you make against my little playthings."

She threw the seals to the ground before her and started a series of hand seals and ending with a monkey one, then she whispered; "Tsuchi Shikigami no Jutsu." (Earth Shikigami Technique)

The seals began to emit a barely visible brownish yellow glow and out of the ground grew a several somewhat humanoid creatures, purely made out of earth and stone.

They were around 1,70 meters big and rather bulky, had hands with three broad fingers, feet with no toes, a very thick neck making it look as if it was an expansion of the shoulders and no faces. The still glowing paper tags were planted on the chests of these creatures giving them a brownish glow as well.

Sakura drew a Kunai from her holster and Naruto used the seals on his wrist to summon the same weapons to both his hands, while the faceless golems started to trudge toward them.

The two Genin went into a fighting stance and Sakura saw as Naruto tensed from the corner of her eye. "You got a plan Naruto-kun?" she asked, stepping back a few feet with him to gain a few second to strategize before engaging the creatures. "No, not yet. How about you?" she shook her head to answer his question, making him groan in annoyance. "Great."

Naruto nodded when the golems were just a few feet away from them and both Genin dashed forward.

Sakura, having decided to make the humanoid closest her target, was before it in mere seconds. The creature was slow and with her superior speed she was able to attack it without much resistance.

Piercing the creature with her Kunai up to the hilt in the abdomen she tried to cut through its ´flesh´ but had to find out that the knife could be barley moved an inch and that it was stuck. The golem used the opportunity and tried to hit the Kunoichi with a swing of its right fist but missed when Sakura, who had seen it coming, ducked under it and retreated.

Naruto who had seen everything concentrated on his own target and pumped chakra into his Kunai. He dodged a punch and cut into the creatures torso leaving a large gash, dodged another swing and cut of the arm with which it had tried to hit him.

He jumped back to regroup with Sakura and to review the success of their attack. They were surprised when the creature injured by Naruto healed the large cut and grew its arm back.

Seeing this made Naruto roll his eyes and exclaim frustrated "Ugh. Of course they can regenerate." Sakura put an appeasing hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Don't worry Naruto-kun. I doubt that they are indestructible. We just have to find their weakness. "

With that she turned to look at the creature she had attacked. The Kunai she had used was still stuck in it and seemingly it didn't intend to pull it out. Smiling she brought up a hand and formed a half tiger seal.

The explosive tag, she had wrapped around the hilt before their attack, ignited and detonated into a small explosion, blocking their view for nearly a minute.

What they saw raised their spirits a little. The explosion had destroyed much of its lower torso and right arm and had left a large hole. It was still standing but on seemingly weak legs and was regenerating.

"Okay, so they are weak against chakra enhanced weapons and explosives. How do we go from here?" Naruto thought out loud. Sakura didn't answer. She was still looking at the golem while it finished healing itself and narrowed her eyes as she analyzed the situation.

"Why he is he holding his chest." she thought "The explosion didn't injure him that much so why…" Her eyes widened and she started to grin. "Naruto-kun can you distract them for me? I want to test something."

Naruto looked at her with a raised eyebrow, curious if she had found something out but shrugged it off.

"Sure." was everything he said before he dashed off to his right, intending to flank the earth creatures. "Hey!" he shouted "You big, dumb, dirt bags. I'm over here. Come and get me."

The golems stopped, did something that could be considered as looking over to the blonde and started walking toward him. The Uzumaki grinned and grinned and created a Kage Bunshin who started forming a series of seals while the original used the seals on his wrists to summon at least a dozen shuriken to his hands.

He threw them the second the Bunshin finished the seals, clapped its hands together and spoke "Fūton: Reppūshō."(Wind Release: Gale Palm).

The metal stars flew through the air, accelerated by the strung gust of wind and hit the humanoids on several places but except that didn't do much.

Naruto and the clone started forming seals again, intending to assault them with a second barrage of Jutsu but stopped when he saw Sakura running towards one of the creatures, shouting ´Shannaro.

The humanoid turned just in time for her to slash across its chest with a chakra enhanced Kunai. It paused its movement when the seal on its chest ignited and burned away in a mere second. Then the creature turned to a pile of dirt and earth. Having seen the whole thing an imaginary light bulb lighted up over Naruto's head.

"I see the paper seals activate the Jutsu and hold it up" he concluded grinning "If they are destroyed or damaged the whole thing collapses on itself. Sakura-chan you are a genius."

Before he could jump into action however, he was interrupted by the laughing woman. She was holding a dozen or so new paper tags in her hands. "Wonderful!" she said smiling "You two are so much better than my usual opponents. But let's see what you will do now."

She threw the tags and formed hand seals at an amazing speed before shouting "Kaze Shikigami no Jutsu!"(Wind Shikigami Technique)

Elsewhere…

Sasuke dodged the swing of Ganda's staff by just an inch and continued to attack the big man. It didn't land however because the giant was able to grab the Uchiha's wrist with surprising speed and threw him against the stem of a bamboo plant.

The black haired boy crashed through the plant and landed roughly on the ground and kept rolling a few meters. He got up slowly and saw his sensei engaging the enemy.

He seemed to be faring better than himself because Ganda was dodging and blocking several well placed hits and kicks. Then however the tides changed when the big man stopped dodging and attacked himself. He let his staff shoot forward and hit Kakashi in the left shoulder with its tip. The Jonin was thrown back several meters but was able to stop on his feet, although he was holding his shoulder.

Sasuke grinned and formed hand seals. When he finished he shouted "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu"(Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique) and shot several small fireballs toward the man.

They all hit him who, strangely enough, didn't seem to consider dodging them but instead just brought up the arm that didn't hold his staff to shield himself. When the fire died down and the smoke cleared Sasuke saw why he didn't consider evading them. The giant was totally unharmed.

The young Uchiha grinded his teeth in frustration when he saw that his Jutsu had no effect whatsoever. How was he able to just take an attack like that? He should be having heavy burns but there was nothing, not even the hint of an injury.

He activated his Sharingan, the two tomoe in each eye spinning wildly, and dashed forward to attack him anew. The raven haired teen reached him within seconds. Jumping in the air and pushing himself off the staff with his hands as a stepping stone he was able to kick him in the face.

Landing on one knee he watched, smirking, as the big man staggered back covering his face with one hand. When he lowered it Sasuke was able to see that he was bleeding from his lip. Then something strange happened however. The cut he had received healed on its own leavening nothing but a small trail of blood.

Frowning the raven haired teen started a new series of attacks that he was able, perhaps to his own surprise, to land, while dodging every assault aimed at himself. This continued for several minutes and with his Sharingan activated, Sasuke was able to prevent receiving any injuries. However the strain showed and the young Uchiha was growing exhausted every second.

"How is he able to take attacks like they are nothing?" Sasuke thought frustrated "It's like they are nothing more than a mere annoyance to him. And what is this healing ability of his? Is it related to Naruto's?"

He was brought out of his musings when Ganda's staff hit him dead center in the gut. Bending forward in pain Sasuke spit out a bit of blood. He didn't get any time to recover though as Ganda brought up his left knee forcefully into Sasuke's face. The force of the kick threw the young Uchiha back on his back.

Lying there in pain Sasuke was only able to look up as Ganda came to his side and raised his staff to pierce him through the chest. He stopped the motion however when the crackling sound of electricity filled the sound. Locking to his right the giant was hit by what seemed to be a dog purely made out of electricity.

While the tall man staggered back once again, Sasuke was able to look to the direction from where the creature had appeared from. He saw Kakashi standing there his right hand encased in lightning. "I will not let you harm my student." he said calmly as he walked towards where the man was standing, still twitching caused by the aftereffects of the Raiton jutsu. Then he ran forward in a speed Sasuke hadn't ever seen him use and was before Ganda in mere seconds.

What happened next, Sasuke wouldn't be forgetting so soon. Kakashi's hand, still coated in electricity, pierced through the big man's chest. Blood sprayed from the wound and Ganda coughed up more of the red liquid. Kakashi who was looking at the man, with his own Sharingan reviled, just said coldly: "Those who threaten the ones I hold dear to me will not receive any mercy. Sayonara."

With that he ripped out his arm and let the Jutsu recede. Ganda stepped back a bit and let his staff fall to the ground. Then he spoke his last and only words. "I… am sorry… but… I have… failed you… Tenrai-sama." Then he lowered his head onto his breast and took his last breath. But even in death he refused to show weakness because his body didn't fall to the ground, it just stood there like a statue.

Sasuke, who had seen everything, was now leaning on his elbows and was looking wide-eyed at his teacher, who's right arm was covered in blood, and then at the unmoving form of Ganda, who's chest wound was, strangely enough, still healing even though he was dead. "You… killed him." Sasuke muttered quietly and as if he was in trance. He was brought out of the shock when Kakashi's voice reached him. "Sasuke, are you alright?" The Uchiha looked up and saw his teacher standing before him offering him a hand.

Simply nodding he took the hand and was pulled to his feet. Still a bit week on his legs he signaled Kakashi to give him a minute to recover. The silver haired Jonin didn't object and looked at the young teen while laying a hand on his shoulder. "You did good Sasuke, even though this was your first engagement you kept your cool and didn't panic. I'm proud of you." he said giving the Uchiha an eye smile.

Sasuke, who was still a bit dazed, was just able to nod. This wasn't the first time he was confronted with death but it was a horrible experience nonetheless.

When he had recovered enough he looked up to his teacher and asked "What now?" Kakashi looked into the direction Naruto and Sakura probably were and said "Naruto and Sakura can take care of themselves but still… We should get to them as soon as possible." With that the both made their way towards the two other Genin of team 7.

With Naruto and Sakura…

Both the young shinobi and Kunoichi stood face to face with the mysterious woman, who was smirking at them. Sakura was panting slightly. Naruto looked at her from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but feel a little concerned. They had beaten wave after wave of opponents she had thrown at them and even though they knew their weak point, it was still a task in itself to dispose of so many enemies without pausing.

"Well, as amusing as this was I think I will have to end this." the woman said, still smirking at the two Genin. She brought one hand up to her mouth and bit into her thumb. Seeing what she was doing Naruto tensed up but didn't dare to attack her. She formed the five familiar seals and slammed her hand onto the ground shouting; "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" (Summoning Technique). A cloud of white smoke erupted from under her palm and when it cleared Naruto's eyes widened at what he saw.

Besides her stood a white fox. It was a bit taller than Naruto, had four tails and the fur around its eyes as well as the one around its ankles and paws and the end of its tails was a deep scarlet. It looked at the Naruto and Sakura with golden eyes. Then it opened its snout and spoke with a soft and gentle voice: "You have summoned me Kagura-sama?"

"Well I'll be dammed" the blonde growled through his gritted teeth "I've been looking for it for so long now and it's in the possession of someone like her." Sakura got a confused look on her face and she raised an eyebrow at this. "What are you talking about?"

He pointed to the kitsune standing beside the woman now identified as Kagura. "She seems to be the current holder of the kitsune summoning scroll. I've been looking for it for some time now but it was said to have been lost some time before Konohagakure was founded." a grin formed on his lips "And now I'll be finally able to get it."

The fox who had been talking to his summoner stepped forward but stopped when his eyes fixated Naruto who's own eyes had turned red and slitted. "You should leave kitsune," the blonde said menacingly "You aren't the only one of your kind here." The fox looked at the blonde for a few seconds then he bowed and said with a low voice. "I… understand." With that he vanished into a cloud of smoke.

Kagura who had seen the whole thing looked disbelievingly to the spot where her summon had stood moments ago and then to the boy who's eyes had turned to their normal shape and color. "What the…" she couldn't comprehend what just had happened.

Naruto decided to speak up, because for the moment it didn't seem that Kagura would be attacking them. "I don't know how you got it and to be plain I don't care. But I've been looking a while for the kitsune summoning contract so I'll be asking nicely. Please hand it over."

Kagura, who was snapped out of her shock, looked at the blonde and a flash of anger crossed over her face. "And pray tell why would I do that?" she asked. He didn't answer but a voice behind her did. "Let's just say that I'd like to not use lethal force against a woman." Kagura turned around and saw that another Naruto was standing behind her, arms crossed over his chest but ready to strike if needed to.

The raven haired woman cursed on the inside for not detecting the Kage Bunshin sooner. Then something else lowered her spirits even more. It was the brat's sensei and other teammate. They were nearing their position and would be arriving soon. So Kagura decided to do the only thing she deemed right in her current situation. She turned back to the blond and the pinkette and smiled a little. "Well it was nice to play with you while it lasted but I think I must take my leave now. Good bye."

Naruto's eyes widened and he dashed forward shouting "Stop!" but it was too late. A flash of light later and all that was left of her was a square shaped paper seal that was floating to the ground.

Naruto reached the spot where she had stood and looked down at the small paper tag, then he clenched his teeth and growled frustrated "Great she escaped." Sakura walked up to him laid her hand on his shoulder and gave a weak smile. "Don't worry Naruto-kun I am sure you get the chance of obtaining the scroll once more." He shook his head sighing "This isn't about the sealing contract. If we had been able to capture her we would have been able to get some information as to why they ambushed us. These guys weren't simple bandits, they were Jonin level shinobi."

Just as he finished his explanation, the crack of a twig made the two Genin flinch and, getting ready, they turned into the direction the sound had come from. They relaxed however when they saw that it was Kakashi and Sasuke who were slowly approaching them.

"I see the big guy has escaped as well?" Naruto asked, still a bit frustrated. He didn't receive an answer and when he saw Sasuke he got all the info he needed to know and just nodded. The Uchiha had an expression he knew all too well, one of someone who saw someone else being killed in front of his eyes.

Sakura who saw Sasukes battered body rushed over to her teammate and ordered him to sit down. The Kunoichi had started an apprenticeship as a medic nin, one month after Team 7 had been formed. She had seen how Naruto had used a first aid Jutsu, he had learned from Tsunade, to heal a minor wound and the girl had immediately asked him to teach her the technique.

To their surprise she seemed to have a knack for hit and coupled with her ability of perfect chakra control, she had the Jutsu down in just a few hours. They had told Kakashi and the Jonin had talked to his old teammate Rin Nohara, a very recognized medic nin herself, and the woman had taken the young Kunoichi under her wing.

Kakashi came walking over to Naruto while Sakura was treating Sasuke. "I see the two of you were able to hold your own against that woman. Were you able to find something out?" his teacher asked and the blonde shook his head. "No, she fled before we were able to capture her but you won't believe me what I found about her." the silver haired Jonin seemed intrigued and Naruto answered his silent question. "She seems to be in the possession of the summoning contract of the kitsune clan."

Hearing this, Kakashi's visible eye widened a bit but his overall expression didn't change. He kept quiet for a few minutes and then spoke up. "We wait until Sakura has Sasuke patched up enough for high speed travel, I don't want to stay here longer than necessary. Then we get to our destination as fast as possible. Maybe our client knows something about them… if not than this got a lot more complicated."

Naruto nodded and went over to his two teammates to tell them about their course of action and fifteen minutes later the group was already heading towards their destination with maximum speed.

Somewhere else…

Near the northern border of Takenomori no Kuni laid a large lake. In the middle of this lake laid a small island and on this island stood a large fortress. Many believed it to be deserted because of the carnage that had once took place there, but they were wrong.

Since a few months this fortress was the base of a group of powerful individuals all subordinates to a man called Tenrai. This man had but one goal, become the strongest being in existence and bring a new world order.

Kagura made her way into the throne room and walked towards the large stone chair that stood at the end of it. The room was mostly empty but for the strange white candles that stood scattered around the room. Only a handful of people knew that each one of these candles represented one of Tenrai's subordinates, that the blue flame burning on top of these candles represented their lives and that Tenrai himself was able decide if they lived… or died.

Reaching the throne made of rock she knelt before her master and spoke. "I am sorry Tenrai-sama but I wasn't able retrieve the scroll. The shinobi send to deliver it were stronger than expected, they… they were able to kill Ganda. I am sorry my lord but if you give me on more chance I will…"

She wasn't able to finish because her master raised his hand and motioned her to stop. She obeyed and waited for him to speak.

After what felt like hours to her he finally answered. "Do not worry Kagura. Your failure means little to me and my plans. I am already in possession of the Jewel of Heaven. The Jewel of Earth will soon be mine… the only one remaining to find is the Jewel of Virtue. Now go I will send for you if you are needed until then wait in your quarters."

She bowed and left him alone in the large room. He waited until the door had closed, before taking a deep breath. Than he smiled a crazed smile and started to laugh.

"Soon this world be mine."

Early evening…

Capitol of Takenomori no Kuni

They arrived at there a bit earlier than anticipated and so Team 7 took their time walking along the main road taking in the peaceful vibe the village gave of, who wasn't so unlike Konoha. They saw children playing in the streets or walking together with their parents, shopkeepers were trying to gain new customers by shouting out special offers and lovers were walking arm in arm.

What differed from their home however were the Samurai guards walking down the streets. Their posture was full of pride and they seemed to be liked very much by the civilian inhabitants for they were greeted with smiles by the adults and awed looks by the children.

Naruto saw how a young teen with brown hair, tied into a ponytail, and lime green colored eyes came walking up to Sakura. He gave her an apple and talked about how beautiful she was and how he would like to go out with her, making the pinkette blush. He narrowed his eyes as a wave of jealousy washed over the blonde and he wanted to give the pushy teen a taste of what he thought about that idea. No one was allowed to talk like that to his Sakura-chan except him. He did not understand these feelings but figured that he just wanted to protect her since they had been living together for so long.

At the end of the street stood Gohda castle, residence and home of the countries daimyo. A guard saw the four shinobi approaching and waited until they stood before him until asking if they were the shinobi that were sent with the royal treasure. Kakashi answered in the affirmative and so they were led inside the castles walls.

The castle was a complex of several buildings, the main building which housed the daimyo, his family, his advisors and his most important servants, several smaller buildings for the other servant and guards, stables for the horses, a dojo for the Samurai and a shooting range for the archers.

They entered the main building, which was probably more than twice the size than Naruto's own property, and followed the guard into the main hall. The man waiting for them wore a dark blue kimono with white arms and dark blue hakama pants and white socks. His hair was tied behind his back into a traditional Samurai plait. He looked at each team member of team 7 with his bluish grey eyes and then smiled before standing up from his seat and approaching them.

"Good evening." he spoke with a quite but strong voice. "I hope you had a save journey from Konoha to here." Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke bowed before him and the Jonin answered. "Good evening Gohda-sama. I am Hatake Kakashi, Jonin instructor of team 7. My students are Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and…" he pointed to each Genin while he spoke but stopped when he saw that Naruto had stopped at the entrance and was talking to a young woman with an somewhat annoyed expression.

"Uzumaki Naruto-san. I know him already and I am happy to see that he is well. Kiku will be delighted to see him again." Hearing this Sakuras eyes narrowed dangerously and she asked. "Kiku?" The daimyo saw the look on the pinkette's face and seemed to be amused at that. "Yes Kiku, she is my daughter. She worships him like a bigger brother." This seemed to appease the Kunoichi and she relaxed.

"Sasuke-san, Sakura-san, why don't you join Naruto-san while I'll be talking to your sensei, yes?" the nobleman said and the two Genin nodded before walking over to where the third member of team 7 stood.

Naruto stopped the second they laid foot into the room and a feeling of being watched began to spread in the back of his head. He didn't see the woman that reached out for him but when her hand was just a few inches away from him he spun around, grabbed her wrist pulled her towards him and held a kunai, that he had summoned with the help with the seal on his wrist, to her throat.

The woman grinned at him and spoke up. "Well, look who's back. You've gotten better Naruto-chan." He glared at her and after a few tense seconds released her and sealed the kunai back into the seal. "How many times have I told you not to do that Ayame? I'm paranoid enough as it is" he grumbled. "And stop calling me Naruto-chan, you know I hate that." Ayame just pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Mou, Naruto-chan you're no fun."

Both looked at each other for a few seconds, before they started laughing and hugged each other. "Oh it's so good to see you again Naruto-chan. Kiku-chan missed you, you know? How have you been?" they released each other and Naruto smiled. "Pretty good. Ero-Sennin was and still is a pain in the ass to deal with but other than that I can't complain."

"Naruto-kun who's that?" Sakura spoke up and drew the blonde's attention to her and Sasuke. The Uzumaki smiled and pointed to the woman standing before them. "Ah right. May I introduce you? Sasuke, Sakura-chan this is Azuma Ayame. Ayame, those two are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura-chan. They are my teammates on team 7."

Sasuke and Sakura looked curiously at the woman and took in her appearance. She seemed to be in her early twenties, was a little shorter than their sensei and had an athletic figure, light brown eyes and black spiky hair tied to a plait behind her head. She wore a black shirt without sleeves that showed her flat stomach, long black baggy pants and black shinobi sandals. Her ankles were wrapped with bandages and on her hands she wore black fingerless gloves.

Ayame on the other hand had a mischievous expression on her face and started to poke Naruto in the cheek. "Naruto-kun eh? Well, well, well, didn't think you were such a ladies man Naruto-chan." The Uzumaki swatted her hand away and glared at her while blushing furiously. "Stop it. It's none of your business."

"Leave him be Ayame. It's not for us to decide who he wants to date." came a voice from behind one of the closed doors. The door opened and Sakura's and Sasukes eyes widened. Before them stood a man who looked very much like their sensei. He was tall, seemed to be in his mid-twenties and had broad shoulders, dark eyes and short unruly greyish white hair. He wore a black long sleeved kimono shirt and matching black pants, black boots and black fingerless gloves with black guards tied to his forearms and shins. His lower face was covered by a face mask and a scar ran down where his right eye was.

"Hello Naruto. It is good to see you again." the man said turning to the blonde, who grinned at him. "Likewise Rikimaru. Guys this is Azuma Rikimaru, shinobi and head of the Azuma clan." Naruto explained seeing his teammate's confusion. The man spoke a polite "hello" and bowed, which the two Genin returned.

Before they could say anything, they were interrupted by Kakashi who explain that they would be staying at the guest quarters for tonight and would return back to Konoha the day after tomorrow, giving them one day to relax. Before they were led outside by a servant they said their goodbyes to the two shinobi and then left for the night.

Later that night…

Naruto sat on top of the main building and stared down to the back of the castle, where it bordered to another bamboo forest and contemplated on the day. He mostly spent the time thinking about his fight with Kagura and his return to Takenomori no Kuni, a place now peaceful and striving but that once was soaked with the blood of its people.

He stopped his musings when something caught his eye. He couldn't quite make it out and so he activated his enhanced senses. He had to admit that being a Jinchuriki sometimes paid of even though it meant that you were hated by the people for just simply existing. His enhanced vision was not even near the power of a Hyuga's Byakugan but it was just enough to make out the shadowy figure standing at the edge of the forest.

Naruto felt a bad vibe coming of the figure and so decided to give it a visit. Of course it could be an enemy and so he created a Kage Bunshin which went to let his team know where he went, should anything happen.

With a few quick jumps Naruto had reached the wall. He climbed it and went to search the figure only to find the spot where it had stood empty. Looking around he made out the figures shape that seemingly had traveled into the forest.

Naruto was unsure how to proceed. Normally he would wait for backup but what if this was an enemy scout? The risk was just too high, especially after what had happened today. His mind made up he followed the figure into the dark forest.

His enhanced senses helped him following the shadow until suddenly it vanished, seemingly from the face of the earth, without leaving any traces on where it had went to. There were no tracks, no noises and no smell, nothing. Confused Naruto tensed, half expecting an ambush but no attack came.

Cursing under his breath Naruto made his way back but stopped at a small babbling brook to drink something. Kneeling down he scooped up the water to his face but stopped when he saw something in his reflection. It was a face that was watching him from over his shoulder. Wanting to turn around Naruto felt something hit his head and then unconsciousness take him away.

To be continued…

Authors Note: Well there ya got it an extra long chapter for you. I must say I really enjoyed writing it as I could do several things.

First this whole Arc. serves the purpose of character development for Naruto. In this chap wanted to show his personality. So far he has been shown as a pretty easygoing character but I actually wanted to portray him as some sort of anti hero. He is a good guy but he got some skeleton's in his closets and they eat away at him. Later on in the story he will become more relaxed but for now he is only easygoing on the outside.

Second, the Sakura in my story is already a lot stronger than the one in canon. This is because I want my Sakura to be a real badass. She really deserves to be an awesome character because she is the manga's heroine.

And lastly third many characters depict in this arc are based upon characters of one of my favorite videogames for the PS2: Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. I simply changed their appearances, personalities and adopted their abilities into the Narutoverse.

Now before I bid you all goodbye one last thing. Please Review. I'll behonest with you. I will not say that the next chapter will be released if a certain amount of reviews were written. I just enjoy writing this story to much to do something like that. But it sure would be nice to get some feedback. It doesn't have to much. Tell me what you did or didn't like. Got some suggestions or requests, I'm all ears. If you got questions feel free to ask I don't bite (much). And if you got some constructive criticism go ahead I always try to improve.

Now I wish you a good day and till next time.

chriscolossus OVER AND OUT!