Here we go with the next chapter! I have gotten some wonderful ideas from some of you that I can't wait to put in! Here we go!

Let's Get Started!

The Dead Can't Be Heard

Chapter Nine

A Fathers Burden

Obito stood behind Kakashi as his friend was debriefing their former sensei, much to the blonde Kage's sadness. It had been four days since their encounter with the demon container and they had just arrived back in Konoha. "When I had arrived, Naruto was utilizing the Kyuubi's chakra and had seemingly gained control of two tails, if not more. Before I left with Obito and the surviving ROOT, he warned us not to come after him again, with the threat of killing us finalizing it all. He also had a Spider-type monster and Momochi Zabuza with him. According to Obito, he came to rescue the Lizard-type and the Giant-type Monsters. I'm sorry to say, Hokage-sama, but Naruto-kun won't come home and I couldn't risk Obito and the others trying to fight the Kyuubi and Zabuza with an Unknown."

Minato looked sad at the news, but he quickly masked it. "No, you did well to come back with this information. If Naruto-kun has teamed up with a Missing Nin, he's become far more dangerous than I would've expected. We will have to send a special team to hunt him down."

Obito looked shocked and stepped forward, stilling holding his arm. "Minato-sensei, we don't have to do that! If we just stop hunting Demihuman's then he might be willing to come back! All he said he wanted was peace!"

Minato silenced him with a hand, but it was too late, as Danzo had arrived, silently closing the door. "My apologies for my tardiness, Hokage-sama. I had to instruct my guards to conduct a ceremony for the two who perished on the mission. What's this I heard about peace?"

Obito turned despite Minato's silent order. "Naruto-kun only wants peace between humanity and Demihuman's. If we just stop hunting them then maybe, he'll come back home."

Danzo walked over beside the Hokage and sat in a chair to the side. "As I'm sure all of us are aware, that is impossible at this point. Our advances in the study of their biology have come too far to stop now. We have unearthed too many discoveries that ending our research would leave more questions left unanswered."

"But Naruto-ku…"

"STOP!"

Minato silenced the room with an abrupt order. Standing quickly and going to the window, he watched over the village as people made their ways up and down the streets. "My son wants the impossible, Obito. You know this as well as everyone else does. Peace is a great idea…but unfortunately that's all it'll ever be. An idea. None of the other villages will accept it when they figure out who he is and where he's from. No one will never accept this peace he wants. For now, you two are tasked with going and rounding up the Jonin. I want Guy, Kurenai, Anko, Ibiki, Yamato and Asuma in this room within the hour. No exceptions. When you're done, Obito, I want you to go and get some rest. You're on medical leave for two weeks."

Obito bowed and nodded, irritated that they wouldn't listen as the two ANBU left the room quietly, with Kakashi slapping the back of his head once they were out. "You need to learn to keep your mouth shut. Minato-sensei is already torn up over this, giving him false hope like that will only make it worse."

Obito glared at his platinum-haired friend. "It's not false if it's true, Kaka-baka. Naruto-kun might be willing to come back if we just stop this!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Let's just go get the Jonin so you can get some rest."

With that, they disappeared without another word, but thoughts were abound in their minds.

-X-X-X-

"C'mon, kid! You got more in you than that!"

Naruto was drenched in sweat as he defended against the frenzied and unrelenting blows of Zabuza's sword with his own basic katana blade. He ducked underneath a swipe that was meant for his neck and tried to sweep his legs out, but the Missing Nin jumped over his foot and flipped, landing an overhead kick on the blondes' head. He smashed into the ground with a light thud and Zabuza relented. "Kid, you got a long way to go if you can't even get through obvious openings. And you need to stop telegraphing every swing you make. You need to be quick and precise. Back on your feet!"

Naruto shakily stood to his feet and held his sword in a reverse grip before Zabuza bopped him on his head. "Stop that shit. It's a sword, not a kunai. That shit may look cool to a kid, but it has no merit in the middle of a full on brawl." He flipped it back around and huffed as he tried to catch his breath. "It would be easier if you actually gave me a BALANCED sword!"

The Missing Nin sheathed his own blade and crossed his arms. "That's a privilege, not a right, brat. When I feel like you aren't going to kill yourself, you'll get to have a sword commissioned."

He sighed and looked over to see Rachnera training with Zabuza's ward, a girl named Haku. She had arrived three days ago and her and Rachnera had been almost nonstop with their training. Out of nowhere, she would just appear, like she wasn't already massive for her age because of her being an Arachne, and scare him half to death before apologizing almost too much. "Can we take a break, at least? We've been going at it for three hours now."

"This was your break, now get ready, because I'm not going to be here forever. Get ready!" He was upon him, the blonde barely able to get his footing as he was already on the defensive, blocking and barely dodging fatal blows from the massive slab of iron.

He dodged to the right, using the hilt of his sword to try and hit Zabuza's wielding wrist, but the Demon of the Mist pulled back quickly and elbowed him in the gut the same way he had the ROOT ninja. Naruto, however, was able to turn midair and deflect the next blow from the mans' sword and land a light but satisfying kick to his side, putting him almost unnoticeably off balance. Before he could capitalize on it, however, Zabuza had already recovered and delivered a kick of his own, sending the airborne blonde across into a tree and knocking the wind out of him. "That was better. You actually landed a hit. Had that been your sword, I'd actually be feeling it. Name two of the easiest places to land a killing blow. Quickly!"

Naruto tried to stand despite his lack of air. "The…clavicle vein and the jugula-…"

"Too Slow!"

He was on him once again with sword raised and Naruto was barely able to roll out of the way. "NAME TWO MORE!"

He grunted as he was on his feet dodging another strike and barely deflecting another one. "Gah…Liver and Lu-…"

"STILL TOO SLOW!"

Another blow came near him, but this time it was so close that Naruto actually froze. Zabuza prepared another strike, but Naruto recovered from his frozen state and disappeared from sight. Zabuza, however, knew where he was coming from and blocked a stronger than normal blow from the blonde as he disappeared once more to cut at the Missing Nin's leg. He blocked that one as well, but he hadn't expected him to move as fast as he was. "That's better, now name some more!"

"Spine!" He tried to stab Momochi through his spine, but the Demon of the Mist dodged out of the way with an unnoticeable smirk.

"Heart!" Another stab, but Zabuza caught the blonde by the arm and tossed him over behind him before the blonde disappeared once again.

"Brain!" Using the half-moon cut in his blade, Zabuza caught Naruto's blade coming for his head and spun it around, tossing the sword away and flipping, catching the demon container on his foot and bringing him down and slamming him into the ground with a louder boom than before. Naruto, out of breath, couldn't fight against Zabuza as he stabbed his sword into the ground beside his head.

"That was a lot better, kid. Not sure where it came from, but that speed will definitely help you in the future."

Naruto rubbed the sweat off his forehead as Zabuza let him up from under his foot. "I did train before I ran from Konoha, Zabuza-sensei. I'm not completely helpless."

The Demon chuckled as he watched Rachnera and Haku train. "Yet you still can't get me remotely on the defensive. You're getting better at an alarming rate. It's only been three days and you're understanding concepts that it took me quite some time to get. Mind letting me in on the secret?"

Sitting up and watching the two girls with his teacher, he ignored the numbing pain in his shoulder from when Zabuza forced Mizuno out of his body. "You already know about Kurama. When I go to sleep, he pulls me into my mindscape and helps me with theoretical things and gives me time to practice my Taijutsu and now, Kenjutsu."

"You practice almost twenty-four seven, huh? No wonder. Wish I could do something like that. Would make a few things a lot easier."

"It's a boon and a curse, Zabuza-sensei. Sometimes I just want to relax. I'm still just a kid, in reality."

This got the man to look at him with a frown. "You really think that? Trust me, kid. That doesn't matter in the real world. You can't be a man in a fight one minute and a kid on a break the next. You're a man. You're on your own with your friends who you promised to protect. A break means death in this world with the kind of mark you've got on your head. A tailed beast and the son of a Kage makes you one sweet prize. Not to mention your exotic friends. You're a massive moving target and you can't be a kid anymore."

Naruto looked to the ground and then laid back once more. "You think it would've been best if I had just stayed in Konoha? They've all got targets on their backs now and that's because of me."

Zabuza flopped down beside him and shrugged. "Doesn't matter what I think. You made that choice already and you can't change it now. You need to live with the consequences and prepare. That's all you can do. Prepare."

The blonde demon container huffed as he stared up at the clouds through the trees. "I have no issues with that. I just want to make sure they stay safe. The world has to be safe for them. For all of us. It HAS to be. I won't stop getting stronger until it is."

"That's exactly the kind of drive I don't see in a lot of ninja. Some just get strong and then hit a plateau. They get comfortable and that's how they end up dead. I'm putting my time into you, kid. Don't let it go to waste."

Naruto sat back up and rubbed his stump of a shoulder to massage away the phantom pain. "You can count on that, Zabuza-sensei. I've come this far. I can't stop now!"

Getting up and bringing his sword back out, he glared darkly and chuckled. "Then that means you're ready for some more, huh?"

Naruto actually froze again when the cold steel of his blade smash down to his left and he cautiously looked behind him. The look he came to face was something more akin to a demon. He could see the malicious grin through the bandages and the glint in his eyes. "Zabuza-sensei?"

"Let's see how fast you move to get that sword of yours, kid." He hefted his blade high into the air and readied a strike, only for Naruto to scramble away to his own sword.

"You could've given me a warning!"

"LIFE AIN'T GIVING WARNINGS KID!"

-X-X-X-

Minato and Danzo sat in his office quietly as the Jonin began to show up. Once all were present, the Hokage stood with his hands behind his back. "As I'm sure you're all aware, Namikaze Naruto has been placed as a High Valued Target. You are all to move out tomorrow and hunt him down. The previous mission to apprehend him ended in failure. That's why this mission is changing to…kill on sight."

Asuma looked stunned, as did the rest of the Jonin. "Eh…Hokage-sama, are you sure about this? Your son…are you...are you sure you really want us to kill him?"

Minato turned his back to the window and sighed. "Naruto-kun has been reported to have accessed the Kyuubi's power and is now at two tails of power. For all we know, he could have more under his control. That is why Yamato will be coming with you on this mission. Should he begin to use this power, he will suppress it while you go in for the kill. There are too many variables and we can't leave another surprise like Zabuza to chance."

Even Yamato looked uneasy at the orders the group was being given. "I…uh…Hokage-sama. I'm not sure I can…"

"THEN LEAVE!"

Everyone took a step back as the Hokage rounded on them with glistening eyes. "If you can't deal with this mission then LEAVE! I can't allow this! There is too much at stake to let your feelings get in the way!"

Everyone shared looks with each other, an uneasy air taking the room. One by one they bowed, leaving the room. As the last Jonin left, he turned to Danzo. "Please…leave now, Shimura-san." The War Hawk rose and bowed, leaving the room as asked. When the door finally closed, Minato lost it.

He screamed, throwing the massive desk to the side and slamming it into the wall, sending papers and files everywhere. He then turned and grabbed his chair, throwing it out of the window and screaming like a madman. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He paced furiously through the flurry of papers and slammed fist after fist into the wall. "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!"

It took him almost thirty minutes to calm down. Luckily for him, that was when his wife, Kushina, decided to pop her head in the door, shock in her eyes at the mess he had made. "Mina-kun…"

He looked up, shock and tears in his eyes before standing abruptly and brushing himself off. "Kushi-chan! I…I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you! Why aren't you at home?"

She brought into view two bento boxes of nice, homemade food. "I thought that I would surprise you with lunch. You seemed stressed lately trying to get…Naru-kun back…"

He froze slightly but recovered. "Yea…the last mission failed. Apparently he's working with Zabuza and a group of monsters. It's an unexpected hurdle…"

She smiled lightly and came in completely, closing the door. "You'll get him back, Mina-kun. I know you will!" He sighed and slumped down once again and cradled his head in his hands as Kushina came over beside him. "Mina-kun?"

"I'll do it myself."

She looked slightly surprised as he stood up once more. "You're going to get a headache if you keep doing that, Mina-kun."

He went over to where his Hokage Haori hung and grabbed it. "I'm going after Naruto-kun myself. No one else has the stomach to fight against him. I have to…"

Kushina looked worried as he flung his coat on and turned to his wife. "I'm getting our son back, Kushi-chan. This is something I have to do myself."

She got up quickly and held his arm. "Mina-kun, you need to rest. I want Naru-kun back just as much as you do, but you can't do this to yourself. Take a day. Please? I don't want to lose anyone else…"

He stopped and looked at her, seeing the pain in her eyes. She hadn't spoken much about their son since he had run away, or when they thought he had been kidnapped. She had gone into shock. "Kushi-chan…I can't just let our son be alone out there. You remember what happened thirteen years ago. If that woman somehow finds him, it could easily spell the end of him and the village as a whole."

She let go and held her hands over her heart. "I know, Mina-kun...I know. But I just…"

She started to cry and Minato quickly pulled her into a hug, the scent of her hair wafting into his nose and calming him. "I'll…stay. I'll rest for two more days. After that, I'm going to Nami myself and bringing our son home. I promise."

Kushina couldn't hold it back as she began to cry even harder. "Please…please bring him back!"

His eyes got hard as he looked behind her, out the window and beyond the walls of the village, never knowing that from so far away, his eyes led straight to Naruto.

"I will. Whatever it takes."

-X-X-X-

Naruto sat against a tree, panting as though he had been running from the devil himself, which in a way he had been. For a moment, though, he felt as though someone were watching him and froze. It wasn't the eyes of his friends, as most of them were inside with Kaiza and his family. No. These eyes were determined and dangerous, yet warm and caring at the same time. For the life of him, though, he couldn't place their position. 'A trick of the mind, perhaps.'

He had no strength left to move, his training with Zabuza being close to torture on his young body and muscles. He was trying to get the bandages off of his shoulder to change them from their soggy state but was having quite a bit of trouble. Luckily, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the massive form of Tio coming his way. "Do you need help, Naruto-kun?"

He sighed in relief and leaned his head back against the tree. "That would be wonderful, Tio-chan. I can…guh…can't get the bandages off. Training with Zabuza-sensei is hell!"

She smiled lightly and knelt down beside him, unwrapping his shoulder with a tender touch and finally, for the first time since it had happened, actually got a good look at it. The cut was surprisingly clean and didn't seem to be infected. She assumed this was from his merging with Mizuno, her slime makeup devouring the infectious bacteria around the wound. As she began to dress the bandages, she heard the blonde speak. "Tio-chan, why'd you help me with Draco?"

Her smile never left her face as she lightly began to rewrap the bandages. "You were right, in the end. We are fighting for not only peace, but our lives now. But we need to learn to accept others and take risks at the same time, otherwise what we're fighting for becomes just another war. A one sided war. The stories my parents and grandparents used to tell me were about revolutionaries who became madmen. Good people who became horrible monsters. People who left their own because they felt like they were fighting for something bigger than themselves and were lost to madness. I helped you because I don't want that to happen to anyone I know…"

Naruto felt the dressing on the bandages beginning to work and the pain started to slowly subside. "Don't worry, Tio-chan. I won't be like them. I know what we're fighting for."

"But your friends…you threatened their lives if they stood against you. I won't let you start down that path, Naruto-kun. You want peace, and that is admirable. But you can't let that singular desire rule every decision. Family and friends matter more than you could ever think. If…if we could get them on our side, then wouldn't that be nicer?"

He tried to stand up, but couldn't work past his exhaustion. "It would be amazing. We could have a place to stay and work out of. But Konoha would never allow it. They've hunted Demihuman's for too long and they would more than likely use that as an opportunity to lure others there. They'd be no better than Orochimaru…"

Naruto remembered the stories of the traitor. How Orochimaru had experimented on citizens and ninja alike to try and find a way to become immortal. The thought that Konoha might be going down the same path made him shiver in sadness and anger. "I can't let that happen to any of you."

She smiled and sat beside him, staring into the forest and idly playing with the point of her horn. "I know you won't let anything happen, Naruto-kun, but we can handle ourselves to an extent. What happened with the ninja before, neither of us were paying attention. Draco-chan was angry at you and I was only trying to calm her down. They caught us by surprise."

"And they tried to kill me. They would've killed both of you and that's all my fault. I didn't mean to say that to Draco-chan but she's just so hardheaded."

"And you aren't?"

He looked up at the Ogre and she stared back with a smile. "You are hardheaded too, Naruto-kun. You want us to accept certain concepts that were so alien only a short time ago. Both of you are going to butt heads because of this. You and her just need to learn to calm down and think."

He sighed and smiled before looking forward again. "I'll try as much as I can. I promise."

Standing, Tio helped the blonde to his feet and he stumbled for a second before his second wind kicked in. "That's all I want, Naruto-kun. But…I have another question. Are you ok with this? The ninja from before said that your father had given them orders to kill you if you resisted."

He stopped and picked up his sword from where Zabuza had thrown it to. "I…I'm still shocked. I never thought that he'd do that. But…I guess that Kurama means more to the village than I thought. Having someone out to kill me on his orders hurts in a way I didn't think was possible…"

"Can you imagine how it must be killing him?"

He sighed sadly. "I…guess. He always paid more attention to work than me. We weren't all that terribly close before I ran away. Sure he always told me he loved me and that he only wanted what was best. He gave me what I needed…but I was never asked what I wanted."

Tio pulled Naruto to face her and picked him up to her level. "A true parent never wants to hurt their own child. I can guarantee that despite what he ordered…he doesn't want it to actually happen. He just wants you to come home."

"Maybe I would…but that would mean Konoha giving up on a lot that they're too attached to. Prejudice and stigmatisms abound. Everyone in the village has a superiority complex except for a select few. You and the others would never be safe there. Not until we force them to understand."

She put him down and pulled him into a hug, making him a little uncomfortable, given that he only came up to her waist. "I'm sure that he will understand one day."

He pulled away from the uncomfortable position after returning it and smiled up at her. "Well…we can hope, can't we? That's what this entire journey is about!"

"Hope."

-X-X-X-

Minato walked around his office. Kushina had left and went home while the Hokage cleaned his office and put everything back the way it was. He was happy that the room was as fortified as it was, otherwise he'd have to worry about holes in the walls. As he started rearranging the papers on his desk, Danzo soon walked in. "Hokage-sama, may I speak with you?"

He silently nodded his approval as he sat at the desk, sorting through files. "Shimura-san, is everything ok?"

Danzo nodded as he took a seat across from his commander. "I'm checking in on you. The Jonin leaving earlier seems to have left you in a bit of a bind, Hokage-sama" Minato let out a deep sigh while rubbing his temples. "Yea, it has. I've decided that I'm going to be going after him myself in a few days. Kushi-chan wants me to rest myself mentally before bringing our son back."

The War Hawk nodded. "If the Jonin specifically chosen for the task aren't up to it, then the only one left to truly handle it would be you. But can you bring yourself to fight your own son?"

"If I'm being honest, as a father I can't. But as the Hokage I have a duty to the village. That woman is still out there and we don't know if she's caught wind of Naruto-kun leaving. If he falls into her hands, then we have a crisis on our own."

Shimura gave a curt nod. "That is true. Someone who was able to tear the Kyuubi out of your wife during labor without killing her and we have no idea who she is or where she came from. The only thing that I can think of at this point is that she is some sort of monster with a connection to the Tailed Beasts. It's a stretch but the only known people capable of controlling a Tailed Beast were Hashirama-sama and Uchiha Madara and they're both dead. With only Itachi, Sasuke and Obito as the surviving Uchiha and no living relatives of Hashirama-sama outside of Tsunade, there's not many more options to explore. And she was able to get in and out…almost undetected. I'm still not all too clear on what happened after she took the Kyuubi from your wife."

Minato swiveled in his chair and looked out the window. "I still remember it as if it had only happened yesterday. She simply released the Kyuubi and unleashed it onto the village. When I confronted her, she simply told me that, "To trap majesty such as Kurama into a fleeting form is nothing short of sin." Every day I remember those words. Every single day. She didn't fight, though. After the Kyuubi was free and she had spoken to me…it was almost as if she simply wasn't there."

"She called the Kyuubi Kurama?"

The Hokage nodded before turning back to the War Hawk. "I used to and still sort of think the Kyuubi is some sort of god to this woman. She referred to it as majesty and said that containing it was a sin. If she found Naruto, I don't think he'd survive. But we haven't heard of or seen this woman at all since then. I'm hoping against hope that she's not going after him."

Danzo nodded and stood to bow before he left.

"With her out there, hoping is all we can do."

-X-X-X-

The room was moderately size and dark, yet at the same time, anyone in it would be able to see everything in it. There was a bed laden with red silk and behind it on the wall was an exquisitely painted picture of a massive, nine-tailed beast tearing down a mountain with one of its massive tails. Upon the bed laid a woman who cuddled against what could only be described as a stuffed animal made to resemble the beast portrayed in the picture above her. She was unimaginably beautiful, her jet black hair coming down to touch her ankles like layers of the finest silk. Her nude form was covered by the tails of her toy, each one playing over her curves as some dark power exuded from her. Her smiling face was immediately turned to a frown as a knock was heard on the door to the room. Her voice, despite the irritation present in it, still conveyed a tone so sweet it would've made any man or woman her willing slave.

"Enter."

The being that entered the room was covered in a rugged, plated armor that bespoke the creatures massive size. Upon its back were massive wings resembling that of a true dragon. "Milady, our scouts have gotten word of news that I believe you would want to hear."

She sat up slowly, her scarlet eyes coming into the light and glowing lightly. "Rael…you know more than anyone else that I do not wish to play these…guessing games. What is it?"

He straightened up and his wings furled. "Yes, Milady! I was informed by our scouts that the boy holding your beloved, Kurama, has been spotted within the land beset by crashing waters."

Her eyes lightened and her face immediately broke into a fanged smile. "Kura Kura-chan is free?!"

He knelt down and bowed his head. "Unfortunately not, Milady. The son of the man who confronted you thirteen years ago holds your beloved within him."

She quickly turned back to anger. "I was beginning to wonder why my beloved was taking so long to come back to me. Those vile creatures chose to trap my dear, sweet Kura Kura-chan back into one of those filthy humans once again? They'll get theirs soon enough…for now I want to go get my beloved back!"

"We can capture the boy and…"

"NO!"

The dragon-like being recoiled but kept his head bowed. "Of course, Milady. You wish to go and seek him out yourself. Allow me to assemble a guard to accompany you."

She rose from her bed with a grace that should've been impossible. Around her form, a dress of black and accenting red covered her form from thin air and her hair seemed to reach the ground, but never touch it. "No Rael. Only you shall accompany. Should this boy resist I would rather not have to dirty my own hands by touching his filth."

Rael stood into a deep bow. "Of course, Milady. When do you wish to depart?" Her smile looked intoxicating as she walked past him, her scarlet heels clicking against the stone floor. Her dark powers seemed to make the lights flicker as Rael followed her through the halls. "I cannot stand to be away from my beloved longer than I must."

"We leave at once."

END:

I do hope that everyone enjoys this chapter! I have gotten excellent ideas from some of you since the last few chapters. The most notable ideas have come from these three!

Velshard, Angelo89 and Inferno Phoenix.

I appreciate your contribution to the future of the story and I hope that others look forward to participating as well!

Elemental Shadow Out!