Hey, guys. I am terribly sorry for my absence. I could go on making excused but I'd rather just get to writing this chapter! Enjoy!

The sound metal clashing rang throughout the forest. The stench of blood was the only true distraction.

Here in the second portion of the Chuunin exams, the true test was survival. This, however, was proving to be quite difficult. Not because of the kids competing, since Naruto and Sasuke possessed ample strength to take on most challenges, but because of a certain someone who snuck in with a simple goal in mind. Orochimaru is currently blocking the way of Team 7 from reaching the tower to complete the second phase of the exam.

"Get out of our way, kid." Sasuke said in a collected manner.

"Or… what? What will you do, Sasuke-kun?" The disguised snake dribbled out.

Upon hearing his name, Sasuke was phased and confused.

"How do you know my name?" He yelled.

"Oh, I know far more than your name, Sasuke. Which brings me to my next point…" His fangs extended as he readied for battle. Team 7 all tensed up and prepared themselves for a fight as well. Then, before anyone could act, Orochimaru's head shot out rapidly aiming to seemingly decapitate Sasuke.

"Sasuke, no!" Naruto began moving towards his rival to hopefully deflect the head with his chakra force, but he was a moment too late…

A figure was in front of her beloved in a fraction of a second, taking the blow from Orochimaru right in her neck. Sakura froze in shock one moment, and dropped the next. Paralyzed and numb from the toxins, she was effectively out of commission. The head retracted as fast as it shot out, leaving Sasuke shocked too.

'She… she just took that hit… for me? Without hesitation… I was paralyzed with fear, yet she…' Sasuke has long forgotten the benefits of love, and that left him perplexed. Naruto, however, uses his passion to his full advantage and charges the Sannin.

"Yes, come at me, fox! I may have lost my Sasuke-kun for now, but you… I can make use of you!" Orochimaru spat as he dodged and guarded all of Naruto's surprisingly well delivered strikes. While focusing on his speedy hands, he failed to notice a chakra-enhanced knee crush straight into his gut.

"Take that, you bastard!" Naruto shouted as he took the chance to sling his shin into the side of the snake's head, sending him into a tree.

Pulling himself out of his dent, and wiping the blood off of his mouth, the Sannin spoke. "I would be a fool if I didn't commend your strength, young Naruto. However…' He was now standing for a moment, before flickering behind Naruto. "… You are a fool for challenging m-" What he didn't expect, however, was an elbow right into his mouth, cracking a tooth or two. And with that, he disappeared in retreat.

"Run away." Naruto said with a fierce look to both himself and to his long-gone enemy. After assuring himself that the strange man was gone, he joined Sasuke in checking on Sakura.

"How bad is she?" He asked Sasuke.

"It's unsteady, but she has breath and a heartbeat. She needs medical attention, though. And Naruto… How did you..?"

"We can have that talk another time, we need to get to the tower quick."

As they arrived to the building, they called for medical attention immediately and some medic nins arrived and took Sakura, asking what happened.

"Some weird guy stopped us in the forest and bit her and poisoned her. Just help!" Naruto was slightly panicking. Without another word, the medics flickered away and brought her to the infirmary.

"Well… What now?" Naruto asked quizzically.

"We wait." Was all Sasuke could say. He was in deep thought. First of all, Sakura basically sacrificed herself for him against an enemy with noticeably terrifying strength who showed up out of nowhere knowing all about him. Then the guy targeted him which scared him too much to move. Lastly, as if all of that wasn't odd enough, Naruto jumped in and beat the guy senseless, making him retreat. This was all just too much for such a short amount of time. Sure, Naruto is strong, but that was a whole other level. 'Just what kind of training did he do?' the Uchiha pondered.

"Hey, Sasuke, Naruto!" The sudden shout brought him out of his thought. He turned and saw Ino running up to him and his teammate. Her own teammates following suit dejectedly behind her.

"Hey, Ino." Naruto greeted her in a surprisingly calm and kind manner. He knew she wasn't stupid, even if she had an unrequited love for Sasuke. She still wasn't a total fangirl like the rest. Sasuke, however, remained silent. He didn't appreciate her yelling and interrupting his thoughts. Sometimes thoughts were all he had.

"Uh, hey… Where's Sakura?" While they fought, the aforementioned pink haired girl was still her best friend and her absence frightened her.

"Don't worry, Ino, she's in the infirmary. She's hurt but it's not bad." Sasuke felt the need to answer this time. Some would say it was due to the return of a conscience.

"Oh… well that's good. Hey, Naruto, are you okay? Your face…"

At this, Naruto was slightly confused. He hadn't felt any pain in his face, yet when he touched it, he felt a large gash on his cheek. When did that happen?

"Uh.. Yeah.. I'm fine, thank you.." He answered passively.

"Well… Okay… I'll see you guys later then, I have to get going." Ino could feel the signs Shikamaru and Choji were silently shooting her. They didn't like Sasuke very much with his condescending attitude.

"Yeah, see you later, guys!" Naruto waved them off.

Ino and her team were walking away when a spontaneous and ear piercing ringing sound was heard from the emergency room. The two teams shared looks as their hearts dropped before sprinting full force to the source of the noise.

"Clear!" the doctor shouted before pressing the defibrillators into Sakura's chest.

"Damnit! She's in shock!, She needs more Chakra!" On his command, a medic nin approached and flowed the energy into her system. After a few fateful seconds that seemed to never end, the two Genin teams entered just as Sakura stabilized. At the same moment, the medic nin dropped to her knees out of exhaustion. She turned around to face the teams she heard enter. Now was as good of time as any to inform them of the girl's condition.

"Okay, listen…" She could see the distraught looks on their faces as they expected the worst.

'Let me start with saying, she's not dead…" She felt relieved as they all seemed to feel also.

"The toxin, however, was from a curse mark. That is all I can say for now, as the details will be explained at the discretion of the Hokage if needed. I can say, however, that her Chakra network is completely destroyed. Aside from being bedridden for weeks, I'm afraid she will be disqualified from the exams. As well, her ninja career is unlikely to continue. I am deeply sorry." The medic nin told them as much as she could, as bluntly as she could.

Ino dropped upon hearing the news. Her longtime friend and rival, crippled. Shikamaru and Choji each stood with a hand on her shoulders in comfort. Naruto felt guilty at not being able to help her, yet was relieved that she was at least alive. Sasuke, however, was writhing in guilt. It was his fault. He couldn't move. She is like this because she was protecting him. His conscience is now back in full.

The rest of the exams went by seamlessly and were relatively uneventful. Naruto and Sasuke both dropped out of the exams in support of Sakura and in little care of title and rank. This left only Shikamaru to get the title of Chuunin. Not for extreme strength, but for maturity and strategy. These two things would enable him to be a powerful leader.

A week passed by with Sakura still unconscious. Ino and Naruto would stop by frequently to check on her while Naruto kept up his training with Hinata.

Naruto and Ino were sitting side by side at the bed side of Sakura. They didn't have much to say to each other, but that was okay. Naruto knew that his presence, or anyone's presence was support enough. For both Sakura and Ino. Then, the sound of a silent weeping crossed his ears. He looked over and Ino was shaking.

"Ino… What's wrong? You know she's getting better." He asked worriedly.

"I know… But still… I just hate seeing… Her like this" She said in between sobs. This made Naruto's heart sink. He stood up, which made Ino stand up too for some reason. "Where are going, Naruto?" She questioned softly.

"I'm sorry, Ino, but I need to go. I have some… errands to run." Seeing the hopeless look in her eyes, he did something he would have never expected to do. He walked up and- hugged her. She was just as surprised, but welcomed the comfort. She gently wrapped her arms around his lower back and they stayed like that for a few seconds before he left without a word, leaving Ino shocked. Not only did she not expect that from Naruto, she also didn't expect the weird feeling it gave her.

Naruto was exiting the building with that on his mind. He didn't want to leave but he has to check on Sasuke. He was acting weird after what happened and it is especially worrying. He was on his way to the Uchiha compound when, oddly enough, the Uchiha approached him first.

"Hey Sasuke! I was just loo-" Naruto was cut off.

"Naruto. I want to spar with you. Like we used to. Remember?

This took him off guard. Today was odd indeed. Of course he remembers, though. How could he not? Could Sasuke finally be recovering from the massacre?

"Y-Yeah… I do. And sure. I would love to spar. But another time okay? I just want to talk right now. About you. You've been weird…"

"I'm sorry Naruto. I don't have time to talk right now. I need to check up on Sakura." Sasuke seemed so focused and… oddly enough, normal.

Naruto was left in shock as Sasuke entered the hospital before disappearing. 'Well… I was not expecting that…'

Sasuke entered the room only to be greeted by silence. Sakura was alone as Ino had long since left. He approached the sleeping girl and cupped the side of her face.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. You shouldn't be like this. You saved me, and I will never forget that. I know how to save you now, though. If I'm right about my feelings for you, then I only have one more thing to confirm before I can help you. I have to see… I promise, Sakura, it won't be long." Sasuke removed his hand and silently left the room, returning home.

Naruto headed straight to the training grounds to meet with Bear, who had only recently resumed following him. The blonde slumped up against a post as Bear appeared.

"So… I fought Orochimaru. And held my own… What does that say about me?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"It says you're smart, and he held back. Naruto, you need to understand, that man is extremely dangerous. He's a kage level shinobi." Bear only said this out of worry. That man could have killed Naruto, and he is extremely glad that choice wasn't made. Bear has grown to deeply care about the boy. "If you ever see him again, I will not hesitate to protect you, Naruto."

"I know, Bear. I know. It's just, Sasuke asked me to spar with him, and I'm afraid."

"Of what? You are far stronger than him.."

"Which is why I'm afraid. If Sasuke discovers that, he may hate me. He may fall deeper in his obsession with power. You know he wants to hunt his brother. If he finds out how strong I am, he may become desperate for other means of strength…"

Bear stared at Naruto. The kid knows a lot for his age. He truly has matured to an impressive point. But how does he know so much?

"Look, Naruto, just don't show him your full strength. Teach him. Don't let him know you're doing it, but bring him to your level. That is the best way to help him, I believe."

"Yeah… I suppose so…" Naruto stood up and was about to request some ramen before the subject of their conversation arrived. The Uchiha walked towards Naruto as Bear disappeared in an instand before being spotted.

'Well… I guess that fight is happening sooner than later.' Naruto thought.

"You know why I'm here, Naruto. I saw you fight Orochimaru. I need to know just how strong you are, so fight me!" Sasuke was already dropping in stance.

"Guess I couldn't hold you off forever. Let's go!" Naruto charged his rival, jumped in the air and created a clone only to hurl it at his opponent. Sasuke spun kicked the clone out of the way and, at blinding speed, formed hand signs to shoot fire at Naruto in the air. The blonde threw a kunai at Sasuke's head to which he dodged. A moment before hitting the flames, Naruto replaced himself with the blade and swung a foot at Sasuke's head. Sasuke bent down and dropped to sweep Naruto as he hit the ground. Naruto tripped but quickly spun to get back on his feet. This 'fight' looked more like a dance, choreographed by a professional.

"You're quick, Naruto, but you aren't going all out! What's the matter? Am I too weak for you?!" Sasuke was getting more and more enraged.

"Sasuke, quit it! You're obsessed!" Naruto was getting frustrated himself too.

Sasuke responded by appearing in front of Naruto and punching him square in the face, knocking him down. It began raining right about this time as the clouds engulfed the sky. Only a select few rays of sun peered through.

Naruto lifted himself and started walking towards Sasuke. If he wanted a fight, he's got one. As they were a few feet apart, Naruto began striking Sasuke nearly as fast as he could block. With Sasuke on the defensive, Naruto sped up his attacks slowly until, finally, one landed in Sasuke's gut, making him crumple over. This was only for a moment, however, as he adjusted himself whipped out a kunai and stabbed Naruto in the shoulder.

Bear was about to interfere until he could feel Naruto tell him not to. The blonde now had a hold of Sasuke's wrist and looked into his eyes sadly. Sasuke's damp hair clung to his face and covered an eye. He had a look of rage and unfulfilled desire. There was something else, though. Was it… realization? Or… satisfaction? Maybe a mixture of both? Naruto decided to speak through his now horse and sore throat.

"What happened to you, Sasuke? I… I thought you were recovering… We used to be so close… But look at yourself…" He felt a massive lump in his throat.

"Naruto… You are my best friend… You know that. If only you could understand… What I have to do. If you could understand my suffering… You are luckily far more hopeful than I am, however. I'm sorry Naruto. This is how it has to be…" Sasuke was being genuine. Sincere. This is far more than he has been in the past few years. Naruto was paralyzed and struck with an odd fear and despair. With Sasuke's last words, he pulled his knife back and walked away. He has a mission, and he could not rest until it was over. No matter how much he wanted to stop, it was too late now.

The next morning, Naruto woke up, trying not to think about the events of yesterday. He had a training session scheduled with Hinata, and He couldn't miss it. But first, he had to pick up a gift. It was the Hyuuga girl's birthday and he needed to show her he remembered, only because he almost forgot.

Today help clear skies and lots of sun. It was an exceptionally nice day and Naruto felt it was a symbol that it would also be a much needed good day. After the recent events, some happiness would be cherished. He arrived to the flower shop and could see Ino through the window. She was wearing a tight yellow V-neck with a green apron on, showing she was in charge of the shop at the moment. He walked in and noted her surprise at his presence. A flower shop wasn't his usual hang out spot.

"Good morning, Naruto. Not to be rude but… what are you doing here? She asked innocently. The memory of his hug still resonated in her mind, which made his presence even more uncomfortable in an oddly good way.

"Heya, Ino. Sorry to bother, but I need some flowers… Obviously. What says "Happy Birthday" well?"

So that's why he's here. He's shopping for Hinata… Wait… Why would that bother me?

"You're no bother, Naruto. Here, I'd recommend these…" She pointed him to a beautiful bouquet of lavender flowers mixed in with some yellow roses. Naruto decided they would have to do, as we was almost late for his training session/ get-together with his friend.

"I'll take 'em! Thanks Ino, you're the best!" He left with a toothy grin giving Ino a shiver down her spine.

'Weird…' She thought.

He arrived to an awkwardly posed Hinata standing with her hands behind her back, highlighting certain areas need not mentioned. The thought was quickly washed from Naruto's mind, as he too had his hands behind his back, but for a different reason.

"Hey, Hina-chan! Sorry I'm late, I just got caught up with some errands along the way." He half-lied.

"It's o-okay, Naruto-kun. What do you have behind your back, though?" The use of a nickname phased her, helping her stutter prevail.

'Damnit… Byakugan'

"Well…" He pulled the flowers into sight. "… Happy birthday, Hinata. And thank you for being my friend!"

'Friend… yeah.' Hinata couldn't help but think. She was, however, happy beyond imagination that he got her flowers and that they were lovely.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. And th-thank you for being my f-friend." Man, that stutter sure is stubborn.

"Of course! Now, we should really get to training." Hinata nodded. "I've been working on my chakra control, and I picked up a little trick from Jiraiya-sensei." He said before holding out his hand and forming a rasengan.

Hinata stood awestruck at the ball of energy that must take amazing control to use. And did he say Jiraiya?

"That's… amazing, Naruto-kun. And Jiraiya-Sama taught you that? As in, the legendary Sannin?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, although I wouldn't call him 'Sama'. He's kind of a massive pervert. He's strong, but definitely not a 'Sama'." Naruto couldn't help but correct her.

'O-Oh…" Hinata couldn't imagine someone as legendary as Jiraiya, the toad sage of the Sannin, being a pervert. Although it seems a lot of strong ninja are that way. What if Naruto becomes one…

"Yeah, but hey, I was wondering… The rasengan is wonderful, but it takes a bit too long too create. What if I could make it smaller? You know, not by reducing the size, but making it more dense. Could I do that?"

This question took her off guard. "Well, theoretically, you could, but it would take an extreme amount of control…"

"That's fine! Just another thing to practice, right? " Naruto was always the optimist of the bunch. Besides, with a few shadow clones and hours of training, he was sure he could nail this technique.

So the two ninjas practiced, sparred, and talked for a few hours before heading to get some ramen as the sun went down. Concluding their day together, they each went their separate ways. Naruto now had something he wanted to discuss with someone special.

As he arrived at his apartment, he decided to do this alone, as he was confident he could control himself and his tenant. He began meditating and entering his dreamscape to talk to Kurama. There were some things he needed to discuss.

After a while of meditation, he felt the damp ground of the cage flow into his senses. He stood up and greeted Kurama.

"What do you want, Kit?" Kurama already knew what he was thinking, due to being a part of him, yet still addressed for a reason he did not know himself.

"Hello to you too. " Naruto replied in a half-way playful tone. "I want to ask you something. More of a request." Kurama waited patiently.

"Well… I want to work with you. I want to use your chakra without all the hatred. I want to begin mastering the rasengan and that includes using your chakra." Naruto had since bcame more confident in talking to the Kyuubi as they now weren't very aggressive with each other.

"Kid, you know how dangerous my chakra is, right? Even if I let you use it, it would take an enormous amount of control to balance it with yours. I could not help you with that."

"Control, control, control. That's all I hear. I can do it, and you know that. I just need your permission. Can you trust me on this? I won't let your chakra overtake me. I've talked to Tenzo about this. He's against it, but he knows how stubborn I am."

'I see. Well, I suppose it won't harm me either way. So sure, why not? I'll give you access to my chakra, but know this, even when you balance our chakra and learn how to condense the rasengan, you won't master it."

Naruto stood perplexed. "What do you mean? What else can I do with it" He asked genuinely.

"For a smart kit, you sure are foolish."

"Hey! C'mon, just tell me!"

"Well, your rasengan is only a change in chakra shape. The next step is to add in a change in nature. Your nature affinity being wind, it shouldn't be all that hard."

So that is the final step in mastering this jutsu the Fourth Hokage began. 'I know I can do it… I have to do it'

"Thank you, Kurama." Naruto began to leave before the Kyuubi spoke up.

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Be wary of the Uchiha."

That's all he said before casting Naruto back into reality.

'Odd…' He thought.

On that note, he flopped on his bed and fell asleep soundly and suddenly.

In the dead of night, a long figure traced down the road. He headed into the hospital with an immense regret and sorrow on his mind. The only thing carrying him was his resolve for redemption. He had to avenge his family and face his brother. This was how it had to be. He entered Sakura's room, knelt down by her side, and kissed her forehead. With tears blurring his vision, he pressed his kunai into her temple and stood up. He pressed his two fingers to the same forehead he kissed moments ago and left without a sound. Left the room, then the hospital, then the village, and finally, his humanity.

Hanging off the kunai was a note. The note read…

'Come for me, Naruto.'

There it is, guys. A new chapter for a new beginning. Again, sorry for the wait, but here it is.