A word of warning: this chapter will be a tad dark. I did avoid writing out the most explicit parts, though…

Reckoning

"You're late."

"Perhaps," the pale man shrugged. Whether the old man in front of him was annoyed or not mattered little to him. "But please remember that I am no longer yours to command, Danzō…"

"How could I ever forget," Danzō stared icily at the leader of Otogakure. Orochimaru had been a former member of Root, once. The slippery man had long since changed allegiances, though Danzō couldn't say this still bothered him. That cooperation with Orochimaru had given him much, and their renewed cooperation had literally granted him the position of Hokage.

"So, why did you waste my time by calling me here, Danzō?"

"How much progress did you make with the Uchiha?"

"Sasuke-kun is growing splendidly. He'll make a fine body for me, soon… especially now that you have allowed me access to genetic material of the Shodaime," Orochimaru smirked. "The issue of controlling the boy, however, is something… I think it would be useful if you used your precious Mangekyō on him."

"Don't get too bold, Orochimaru…"

"Bold, me?" Orochimaru chuckled. "It is merely a matter of self-preservation, Danzō. What do you think would happen if Sasuke found out who actually gave the secret order to the massacre of his clan?"

"Is that a threat?"

"My, my, you are so defensive today, Danzō… of course I would not tell the boy about the truth. Hating Itachi with such a passion is just what makes Sasuke-kun so easy to manipulate. Of course, the matter of subjugating him in order for me to make him my next body is another matter entirely," Orochimaru tapped on his chin with one finger, acting as if he was thinking of something. "You know what, if you aid me in this, Danzō, I can provide you with the last living member of the Kaguya clan. I can even be gracious and add a few more sharingan to that lovely arm I made for you…"

"Hmm… that would make it worth my effort. But the usage of Kotoamatsukami requires a long recharge time," Danzō pondered. "I would need to ask for more."

"Come now, Danzō. Don't be too greedy. We both know that the Senju material which I implanted on your body rapidly accelerates the recharging of your precious Mangekyō. Otherwise I would not have asked you. After all, your little eye might come in handy once Akatsuki decides to move. But I doubt this prattle is why you requested for my presence at this location. Tell me, Danzō, why am I here?"

"Two weeks ago, one of Konoha's teams has disappeared. While acting without order, thus committing treason, this team pierced Suna's proximity and spied on their little dirty secret. With the Hyūga in their team, there is no doubt that they have seen the truth."

"Ah, so you fear that people will know about Naruto-kun… truly, is that all?"

"If only matters had been that simple," Danzō scowled. "It would not require much effort to make four rebelling teenagers disappear, even if the team consisted of a Hyūga heiress, the second child of the Inuzuka matriarch, and a prodigy of the Aburame clan. No, if that had been all, I would not have called for you."

"So?" Orochimaru was getting impatient.

"My sensors reported to me that Jiraiya was out in the desert, where he had a short skirmish with the Ichibi jinchūriki. They did not appear to have fought in earnest, and after that little meeting Jiraiya vanished. He vanished with three of the Konoha nin that had spied on Suna," Danzō's gravelly voice got even colder. "After the disappearance of Tsunade and her attendant I warned you, but this is only further proof."

"Hm… that would indeed make things more interesting."

"Interesting?"

"If Gaara-kun was not aiming to murder my old teammate, it means that he too is becoming a problem. It seems that our friend in Sunagakure is losing grip on the situation. And while Akatsuki has yet to make its first move, a change in leadership in Suna, as well as the possible release of Naruto-kun, would go against our plans."

"The Kyūbi jinchūriki has already been released from Suna's dungeon."

"…what?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, his voice venomous as he was unpleasantly surprised.

"Rasa captured one of the Konoha nin. The Haruno girl is an old friend of the jinchūriki, and it would seem that Rasa used her as leverage to get him to bend his knee."

"If that boy grows strong, he might pose a threat to Akatsuki. Especially at Gaara's side. Gaara already is enjoying a major advantage out in the desert, enough to be a difficult target by his own right," the snake sage was pensive. This would alter some of the plans.

"That alone would be a good thing. Akatsuki would lose members, and weaken, while the battle between them and the two jinchūriki would cripple Sunagakure. This is exactly why I allowed Rasa to keep the boy, rather than having to deal with Akatsuki myself. The fool even agreed to making covert payments," Danzō shook his head with a slight smile. "The timing of the jinchūriki's release is what worries me. Could it be that Rasa is aware of the threat?"

"That seems unlikely. And even if he is, Naruto-kun was imprisoned for three years. There is no way that boy can become strong enough to really become a game-changer soon. Unless my former friends of Akatsuki wait too long," Orochimaru pondered. "Perhaps I need to leak this information. Either Sasori or Kakuzu will get it through their networks."

"Provided that Jiraiya doesn't act first," Danzō warned. "Remember, if those three chūnin sided with him, he will be aware of Naruto's location as well. Worse, it would seem that he has reached some sort of agreement with Gaara, judging by the fact that the jinchūriki did not fight the man seriously."

"My old friend is becoming a rather annoying thorn in our sides… and here you were expecting him to get into conflict with Akatsuki, due to my connections with that organization and the fact that he thinks I had captured the boy at their orders. A grave miscalculation, Danzo," the pale man chided. "Now I will have to accelerate my plans for Sasuke-kun. After all, I will need his body to deal with the leader of Akatsuki."

"Jiraiya poses a threat, one we both need to be wary of, but it is not something that will stop the unification."

-Z-

It had been two weeks since Chiyo had given Temari the task of getting Naruto back to full strength. Two weeks of the harshest training Naruto had ever endured. And yet he took it with a smile. This pain was nothing compared to real torture. 'And with what Gaara told us about that Akatsuki organization, training my ass off is the least I can do.'

Inevitably, they would be coming for him and Gaara, this organization of S-ranked monsters. Each member individually formed a threat to a whole village, and yet they hunted jinchūriki in pairs. To catch them alive, Gaara had said, to use them for some nefarious goal, Jiraiya assumed. Even the Kyūbi seemed worried, most of all because of Naruto's current physical condition. Even with the seals removed it would take time for Naruto's chakra pathways to recover.

His body was a mess, and neither being a jinchūriki nor being an Uzumaki changed anything about that fact. At best it caused him to heal faster than was presumed possible, and the injuries he had sustained had been enough to cripple a normal person permanently, so Naruto figured he could not complain. Still, it was slightly embarrassing that he considered his current training regime as something that pushed him to his utmost limits, even when it was something any academy student would have been able to do. Unfortunately, three years of having his muscles literally wasting away did not just magically undo themselves overnight.

'I should probably count myself lucky that Temari knows what she's doing. Not just with getting my training back up to an acceptable level, but also about nutrition and stuff,' he scratched the back of his head. Lying there, in the bed she and Gaara had provided, Naruto couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Oh well, it is pointless to reconsider now," he muttered against the ceiling. Night had come, so it was time… time for another 'walk'.

-Z-

Eyeing him with certain degree of suspicion, Temari wondered why her charge was looking so austere. "Naruto, you know you should not be expected too much of yourself right now."

"Does that change the situation that Akatsuki will inevitably come for me and your brother?"

"…no," she sighed. "But overextending yourself won't do you any good either. You are vulnerable as long as you have difficulties molding chakra, and can barely channel any of it through your arms."

His icy eyes stared into her teal ones, unnerving the young woman. "I'm aware."

"Then I suppose you know that you can cause permanent damage to yourself if you push yourself too far?" she asked sarcastically. "You're taking a break. Now."

"Tsk," Naruto rolled his eyes, the annoyance clear to be seen. "Yes dear," he added while mimicking the sarcastic tone of voice of Temari.

Fingers twitched, and Temari had to take a deep breath to keep herself calm. For a moment she really wanted to take out her war fan and bash his skull in. While the two had established at least a friendly bond, he still kept his distance, emotionally. He knew what the Kazekage and Suna's council expected of Temari and him, but mostly refused to talk about it.

'Not that I'm too comfortable about it either,' Temari sighed. She walked away from the training ground that had been assigned to them, not bothering to look if Naruto followed her. 'Still, making jabs like this is… low. We might not be given much of a choice, but it's still no joking matter!'

Still, she did not lash out against him. Any other person would have gotten a royal beating, but Naruto… Naruto was different. She knew he hid his pain and his anger. She knew he tried his best, picking up the pieces of his broken life. But it all seemed to be so hopeless for him. With everything Gaara had told them, Temari knew that the situation for Naruto would only be getting worse. Konoha had betrayed him, Akatsuki would be hunting him, and the only outside source of help was someone he refused to acknowledge.

'It's stupid, but at the same time I can't help but understand why he thinks like that,' Temari had to admit. 'It was bad enough that Jiraiya was the one who taught Naruto's father, yet ignored Naruto himself. But now Gaara claimed that this man is Naruto's godfather as well. To be abandoned, left to your fate for so long, to be imprisoned for years without that supposed spymaster ever knowing, it isn't surprising that Naruto is bitter… Though, it seems that the knowledge that the Yondaime is his father infuriates him more than anything else.'

Temari had to admit that the theory that her father, Danzō, and Orochimaru were secretly working together was enough of an explanation for Jiraiya's confusion during the past years. Together they would be able to cover up the truth behind Naruto's abduction, especially considering the chaos of Konoha being invaded at the time of the act. Still, nothing could explain Jiraiya's complete and utter absence during Naruto's childhood. Abandoned, neglected by all but a few, Naruto must have felt like the loneliest person on the planet. Much like Gaara had suffered before Naruto had stopped him.

'How on earth did Naruto stay sane?'

Looking back at the disgruntled boy, she wondered whether or not she really knew him. Gaara had once spoken of how Naruto had reached out to him, how Naruto had shared Gaara's idea of how existence was hellish as long as you were alone. Naruto had claimed to be saved by the people who had acknowledged his existence… 'But for the past three years he has suffered more loneliness and more pain than ever before, without even a single person to acknowledge him.'

Temari wanted to believe that Naruto was reasonably sane. She really wished he was. But it just seemed impossible that he had gone through all that with suffering some deep mental scarring. She could not forget about the anger she had seen in his eyes, the moment he realized who his father was.

"Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Yesterday, what was that jōnin talking about?"

"…"

"Was he someone who… you know, during the years-"

"Mukade-san worked for the Torture and Interrogation division, yes."

The clipped tone of voice almost felt like a slap. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it, just as he didn't want to talk about a lot of things, and yet she felt the urge to push him. As gently as she could, she knew she had to help him open up a bit.

"He seemed to be happy to meet you."

"Of course," Naruto looked away. "He was a sadist. Though, he ended up as frustrated as all the others. The fool didn't have much talent for the job."

"How can you be so calm about such a thing?" she tried. She had to. She hated herself for stirring those memories in him, but doing nothing seemed like an even worse choice. 'If I don't ask him, if I let those emotions fester in his heart… Gaara had never been able to talk about his problems, he had let it fester inside as well, and he turned into a homicidal maniac. I can't allow Naruto to fall in the same way.'

It was only a glimpse. Only a fraction of a second, but she saw it. The almost predatory smile on his face. The baring of his teeth, and the slightly elongated fangs. It was merely a moment, and then he reverted to his usual apathy.

"I can't give Mukade-san the satisfaction of thinking he hurt me, Temari. I won't let my enemies see a thing…"

"Am I your enemy?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Naruto frowned. "Contrary to what I believed, you and Gaara are the only two in this accursed village who are not enemies of mine."

"Then why do you hide from us as well?"

A wistful smile was his only answer, and he remained silent yet again. She felt as if talking to a wall, and decided she had tried enough for now. Pushing him too far would be counterproductive. Worse, if she got too emotional herself she could also risk harming the fragile bond between herself and the man she was supposed to marry.

-Z-

"The girl suspects something."

'Of course she does. She's far more intelligent than I am, Kyūbi. So of course she is suspicious of me,' Naruto was perfectly calm as he walked through the nightly streets of Sunagakure. The chilly air that seeped through the darkness made the ambiance perfect for him. Even the moon mostly hid itself. 'Everyone with a brain suspects me. How could they not? Those bastards have inflicted too much pain, so of course they expect me to retaliate.'

"And yet you exclude her and Shukaku's host from your plans."

'Haven't they proven that their wish to aid me is genuine? I think there wasn't much more they could have done. Temari in particular.'

"Ah yes, your mate…"

'Shut the fuck up, Kyūbi,' Naruto was not amused when the fox brought this up.

"You're the one giving her the cold shoulder, lying to her, so don't act like a hypocrite."

'Do you suggest involving her in this?' a short silence followed. Ignoring the Kyūbi, Naruto hopped over the fence that surrounded the home of his target. He felt the surge of chakra, the silent way in which the Kyūbi showed its approval of Naruto's plans. Creating three more floating flames, the Kitsunebi, Naruto concealed his presence even more than he already had done while walking to this place.

'Temari, Gaara, and that fool of a Kazekage, so many people are watching me,' he smirked. 'Yet none of them know about my little walks by the moonlight. It is ironic how they think I'm completely powerless, just because my body is in tatters.'

"It is my power you are boasting about, brat."

'Sure it is, but that doesn't change the situation, does it? I never said that they're only underestimating me. They're all underestimating you as well. I mean, aside from Temari and Gaara, no one even seems to be aware of what you can truly do. They only respect your raw power, yet ignore the finer intricacies of your ability.'

The Kyūbi snorted something, with a sound that was eerily similar to 'sycophant', but otherwise kept quiet. Naruto knew better than most that the Kyūbi had quite the ego, and flattery could sometimes prove to be useful. Naruto knew full well that the Kyūbi had its own agenda, but right now Naruto thought that using the fox's power took priority. Of course, the idea of punishing the wicked was quite enticing to the fox as well…

Not bothering to be sneaky, Naruto just kicked in the front door. All sounds he made were muffled by the floating orbs of Kitsunebi anyway, so it wasn't like anyone could hear him. Subtlety had, under these circumstances, become pointless. He looked around, searching for the bedroom. After walking through the hall and entering the living room, he hadn't seen a soul. Considering the hour, his target was sleeping anyway.

With a devilish smirk, Naruto opened the bedroom door. And there she was. His target. A young woman, with curling brown hair. She was snoring softly, her head resting on the shoulder of what seemed to be her boyfriend. Or perhaps another one night stand. In the days he had been observing her he had seen three different men spend the night with her.

'Of course, with her profession, what guy would try a serious relationship with this whore?' Naruto glared at the woman. Looking at the four little flames that were floating around him, Naruto decided to change the game. Each flame drifted off to a corner of the bedroom, preventing any sound or sight from this room to leak outside.

Slowly he slipped his kunai out of his pocket, and stealthily he moved it toward the man's throat. His hand covered the man's mouth as the kunai plunged into the exposed flesh. Pulling the head backwards the man turned into a sickening fountain of blood, waking the woman. When she stirred, confused by the warm red liquid, she looked right into Naruto's crimson eyes.

"Hello again," he smiled, wiping the kunai clean using the bed sheets. "Long time no see…"

"Y-you… why… what do you think you are doing?!"

"Repaying you for your visits. What else could I want from a filthy whore like you?" the chuckle, his crimson eyes, the blood… the combination of it all left the kunoichi terrified. "Really, did you think I would ever forget what you did to me?" he continued. "That I would ever forgive you?"

"I did what I was ordered-"

"-to do," he finished her sentence. "Sure you did. Orders are orders, right? Unfortunately, I couldn't give a shit about that," his voice became cold. "Out of everyone who tortured me, I hate you the most."

"Why? Are you too ashamed to admit that you liked it?" the woman made a shaky attempt at taunting him.

"I wonder whether you will like it… After all, this night has only just begun," Naruto's kunai ripped right through her nightgown. He looked at her naked form, lecherously. "Not even wearing any panties, huh? Oh well… with no one to hear you, I think I might as well return the favor."

"N-no… stay away from me, you monster!"

"Oh, you don't like it now?" Naruto chuckled. "Is it because you have lost control? Is it because I'm not strapped to a table this time? You know, I think you're not afraid enough. This is such a great opportunity to try out my newfound abilities. Yes… I think I must convey my message with a little added clarity."

With disgust, the woman watched as he continued to spit out three new floating orbs of fire. The three orbs converged, creating a new one. As it hovered above her, she suddenly found herself losing all control over her body. All she could do was to wait in horror, as the new orb descended and plunged itself into her bare chest- not even leaving the faintest scorch mark.

"Yako," Naruto whispered in her ear, sending shivers up her spine as he licked her ear lobe. "Now I think it is time for you to suffer… and for you to do what I commanded. She does seem to think that orders absolve a person from guilt, so it's your lucky day."

None heard her screams. Not that anyone could have rescued her at that point. The darkness in her heart had made her the perfect target for Naruto, as all her depravity was turned against her. In the afternoon of the day after, one of the woman's colleagues found her. She hadn't come to her job, and it turned out that she would never do so again.

-Z-

It was a pretty ordinary morning, all things considered. His sister had left early, dragging an exhausted-looking Naruto along, while he had silently enjoyed breakfast. Part of him wanted to go back to bed, as he had come to enjoy sleeping. Years of deprivation of sleep due to the Ichibi's influence had left its mark, and ever since he could finally enjoy this quiet state of mind, he loved to sleep. Not that Sabaku no Gaara could be considered a lazy person, though. He took more missions than any other jōnin of his village, generally performed them quicker than most thought possible, and yet found the time and energy to hone his training to the point where he was already considered to be the strongest shinobi of his village.

Stifling a yawn, Gaara walked to his room and laid down. The slight rustling of sand made him look down, seeing more of it tickling down his body. 'Odd. I put my gourd down before… did I subconsciously create this armor? Why? When?' he blinked, confused by the very notion that his automatic defense had activated itself.

On the other hand, a small nap seemed very enticing as well. A nap which took him away in the blissful nothingness of sleep. Except that after some time something decided to interrupt him. Before he could think about it any further, a knock came from the door.

"Gaara-sama, Kazekage-sama requested for your presence."

"Why?"

"I was not told," the Anbu, at least Gaara assumed that it was an Anbu, as his father wouldn't send anyone else seemed hesitant. "It sounded urgent, though."

"Very well." Picking up his gourd was literally all he needed to do to get ready. In a swirling cloud of sand he disappeared, his own style of Shunshin. Even if they were to blindfold him, Gaara could find his father's office without a single hitch. The situation did seem relatively urgent, as the Anbu guarding the office immediately let him in. Still, as there was no one running around, no armed forces were gathering, and Gaara could sense no signs of battle anywhere near, he figured that this matter was not truly important.

Because for a moment he had feared that Jiraiya's warnings about Akatsuki came true.

"Kazekage-sama."

"Gaara," the man said tersely. "We need to talk."

"…"

The Kazekage sighed, tired of the feud between himself and his son. "There's been a murder. An unusually brutal murder," Rasa began. He saw his son's eyes narrow, and allowed himself a small smile. "No, I do not presume that you were the perpetrator, Gaara. You crush your opponents, this was different. Malicious."

"Murder is usually malicious," Gaara droned, still indifferent. Why did his father call him here for something like a murder?

"True, but there are degrees in which the act differs," Rasa shoved the file over the desk, towards his son. "Ikari was one of our tokubetsu jōnin, one who specialized in seduction and subjugation. In short, she used her body to gain whatever information we needed, or make her targets do whatever we wanted them to do. Highly skilled in the area of genjutsu, especially."

Quickly scanning through the report, Gaara couldn't help but scowl slightly. "All this… and no one heard a thing?"

"None of the neighbors have heard or seen anything out of the ordinary. Aside from the semen samples there is little we even managed to gather, as if the murderer had never even been there."

"So this is about Naruto," Gaara stared up from the file. Now it made sense why he had been called here. "Unfortunately for you, Naruto was at my home throughout the night. I'm sure you know this. There is no evidence according to this," he nodded towards the report he had just returned on the office. "Aside from that, you didn't give him the ring for no good reason."

The ring composed of gold dust had been something Rasa had 'given' Naruto upon his release from the dungeons. While it was nigh undetectable, the small adornment did have a minute amount of chakra within it. Just enough for Rasa to keep track of Naruto's exact location.

"We will find out soon enough. Follow me," Rasa gestured, leading Gaara to one of the bigger rooms in the building. Whenever there was an unusual meeting for the Kazekage and his full council, this room was used. Contrary to regular meetings, this room served as a court. With the accused seated in the center, while the councilors were positioned in a half circle- with Rasa sitting in the middle, right in front of the accused.

That Gaara saw Naruto and Temari in the middle of that room was something that greatly annoyed him, though he did not let it show.

"Why is he here?" uncaring of the listening officials, Gaara turned to his father. It was a blatant show of disrespect, especially because the jinchūriki addressed Rasa without the proper use of titles and honorifics.

"This is a hearing, Gaara. Though I see that my men were faster than I anticipated, if Temari and the Uzumaki are already here," Rasa, like his son, remained stoic in spite of the annoyance he felt. "As you have read, there is a murder that needs to be solved."

"Huh, so I'm accused of murder?" Naruto looked at the Kazekage, as indifferent as one could be. "I was wondering when you'd start looking for avenues to back out of this deal."

"Don't get too cocky, boy," one of the councilors, an older and retired shinobi, rasped. It was over a decade since the man had lost an arm, and had been chosen to serve his village in another way. Overseeing the academy, however, had given the man an inclination of treating everyone like they were among the children whom he taught.

"If being innocent equates to arrogance in this place, then yes: I'm very cocky," Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why was my training interrupted?"

"The matter of murder," Rasa took lead. "To be more specific, this case revolves around the rape, torture, and murder of a tokubetsu jōnin who also completed missions for our interrogation department. We have reason to believe you have a grudge against her."

"I have a grudge against everyone in this room," Naruto chuckled darkly. "Though I should exclude Temari-chan and Gaara from that, considering how they aren't responsible for my pleasant stay in this village. Regardless, I don't see myself slitting your throats, so I suppose a simple grudge doesn't imply I'm going to murder everyone I see…"

"Don't mock us," the elder councilor slammed his only fist on the table. "Or we might as well punish you for contempt as well!"

"Stating facts is not contempt. Calling you a senile old geezer, on the other hand…"

"Enough!" Rasa bellowed, before the old man could come with a retort. "You were brought here to answer questions, Uzumaki Naruto. It would be in your best interest, as well as in the interest of certain others, to answer those questions as completely and honestly as you can. Firstly, a simple question: where were you last night?"

"In bed, sleeping. I did wake a few times, as I seem to have some issues when it comes to sleeping peacefully. Three years of torture apparently have a certain effect on people's dreams," Naruto said offhandedly, ignoring the not-so-subtle threat that Rasa had just uttered. "Aside from that, I went to the bathroom once. I think that both Gaara and Temari-chan can testify for most of that. Though, she probably didn't hear me going to the bathroom. Judging by how she snored, at least."

The boy's stone-faced façade broke into a smirk when he noticed how her eyebrows twitched. While Gaara doubted that his fellow jinchūriki intended to embarrass Temari, he did know that it was for the best if Naruto showed the people in this room that there was a certain development between them. Gaara figured that Naruto considered that saying these things in this situation was the best way to show these decrepit old fools that her 'mission' was going well. Gaara couldn't say he liked it, but silently agreed with Naruto: if the council bought it, and thought that there was something growing between Naruto and Temari, it would at least stop them from bothering her with other marriage proposals.

"Enough with this drivel," one of the elders growled. "Answer the question!"

"I just did," Naruto sighed. "But I suppose I will repeat myself: I did not murder anyone. So, unless you fabricated some proof to claim otherwise, I do not see why I had to be dragged here."

"He raises a valid point," Gaara decided to speak up before things could escalate. Naruto's flippant attitude didn't seem to be appreciated by the people gathered in this room. "Why are we here, if there is no proof? Considering her occupation, this kunoichi must have had more enemies."

"Uzumaki Naruto, do you know a jōnin by the name of Mukade?" Rasa ignored his son, and instead continued as he had planned. Neither the Kazekage nor Gaara noticed how one of the councilmembers flinched when the name Mukade was dropped.

Naruto, on the other hand, shortly showed them a predatory smile. He had certainly noticed the slip-up. "Oh yes, how could I forget? Would you forget the people who hurt you, Kazekage?" Naruto's voice had an odd tremor, and Gaara wondered whether it was anxiety or glee what his fellow was suppressing. "Let me guess, if that bastard is brought up, I suppose the murder of which I am accused… it is that whore, isn't it?"

"Have you met Mukade-san, after your release?" Rasa stayed calm, in spite of his growing annoyance. Gaara knew that his father would not allow himself to be goaded by Naruto like this. The man loved to keep in control of the situation, any situation, and would never allow another player to take the initiative away.

"I met him," Naruto nodded, then turning to Temari.

"We met Mukade-san the other day, in the village, when we came back from the training grounds," Temari confirmed. "Why?"

"Did Naruto do anything during that meeting? Was there anything unusual?"

"Other than the fact that he obviously recalled some bad memories?" Temari frowned, wondering what her father was trying to do. "Nothing unusual happened. Again: why?"

Rather than answering, Rasa gestured towards the Anbu standing at the door. The left guard nodded and left, only to return shortly after, with a chained and ragged-looking man limping after him. There were signs of interrogation, and Gaara saw Naruto chuckle at that. In a sense it would indeed be amusing, from Naruto's point of view, to see your former interrogator being at the receiving end of such harsh treatment.

"You!" he shouted, pointing at Naruto.

"Mukade, can you repeat you accusations?"

"Ah… yes, Kazekage-sama… I… he… that demon," the brown-haired jōnin nodded towards Naruto. "He did something to me."

"Something," Naruto rolled his eyes. "Wow, I did something. Now what could that possibly be? You don't even know."

"You know damn well what you did!" Mukade shouted, his eyes wild and his entire demeanor completely unhinged. "I… I did something… I forgot, it's all blank! But you, you did something to me, I know it's you!"

"What is this?" Gaara sighed, turning to his father. "Are we here because of the ravings of a broken-down jōnin, or is there any proof?"

"He did it! Not me. Not me. Never me. I… not willingly," Mukade rambled. "I just woke up… woke up in blood… bile… I didn't do it, you have to believe me! I would never do such things!"

"Sure, blame the jinchūriki…" Naruto shook his head, wearily. "Was I really brought here because this raving lunatic accused me of something he can't even specify?"

"We found traces of chakra, indicating that some jutsu was cast over him." Whether Rasa was disappointed by Mukade's apparent insanity was something Gaara could not see. He did, however, notice Rasa's reluctance to bring up this fact.

"Is there any proof that this is linked to Naruto? And that does not even cover the fact that Naruto does not seem to be able to cast any jutsu, considering the state of the tenketsu in his arms."

"It would seem that one jinchūriki is covering for the other," one of the councilmen, Yura, remarked. "Though, he has a point. The file did not state the findings of the chakra analysis, even if it mentioned that trace amounts were indeed found. If this chakra belonged to the Kyūbi jinchūriki, it would either be his chakra or that of the fox itself. However, both are known to the analysts. Is there any proof against him?"

"During the interrogations, Mukade mentioned that Naruto was the last person he had seen, last night. However, when asked what Naruto did, he failed to provide an answer," Rasa revealed. "As you know, various members of the council were adamant that he would be heard, either to remove or to confirm the suspicions that were raised."

"Well, I guess that means we can go back to training," Naruto turned to Temari. "Though considering the time, I guess we should first get something to eat."

While the Kazekage did nothing to halt Naruto and Temari, Gaara couldn't escape the thought that something about this charade had been wrong. There was no proof, aside from the claims of a man who seemingly had lost mind, but that usually did not stop the council from acting on their fears. And Naruto had basically taunted them, ridiculing them throughout the hearing. Was it because Yura, a rather influential member of the council, had shifted the conversation away from Naruto? While he was correct in stating that there was no evidence pointing at Naruto's involvement, and that clearing him of all charges was the only right thing to do, this whole situation just seemed unusual to Gaara.

-Z-

"I cut it in half."

"In half?"

"Yeah…" he held up the piece of paper. "So what the heck was the purpose of this thing, if me doing what you told me to do caused me to wreck it? Did I screw up?"

"No," she grinned. "I'm merely surprised."

"You… seem happy?" Naruto frowned. "I'm lost. What did I just do to make you smile as if you just heard that your pet weasel got kids?"

"There are five basic natures, five elemental chakra natures that a shinobi can have. Excluding kekkei genkai, of course. This paper is something that's used to check what sort of affinity a person has. That is, the natural inclination towards one of those elements with which one is born. Yours just so happens to be wind. Because wind-natured chakra cuts the paper, whereas the other four elements have different effects," Temari kept her wide smile throughout the lecture. "And I just happen to be one of Suna's foremost specialists on futon jutsu."

While he knew her as a confident young woman, Naruto couldn't say he had seen Temari act arrogantly or boast idly, so if she made this claim he figured she spoke the truth. 'Her being the Kazekage's daughter must have meant she got the best training available from the moment she could walk,' he smiled. "Color me impressed. I knew you were a badass, but I can't say I was expecting you to be the best of the entire village."

Her smile only got brighter. "Well, Baki-sensei might be a bit better when it comes to close-range combat, but when it comes to the usage of war fans I'm the best."

"Such modesty," Naruto chuckled. "Okay, what now? Considering the limited amount of chakra I can channel through my arms, I take it that you want to focus on chakra control first?"

"Yes, I think…" Temari paused when four visitors revealed themselves on their training ground. "What are you four doing here?" she scowled.

Being surrounded by a squad of Anbu wasn't something she expected to happen. Not twice on one day. They had just enjoyed a quiet meal after the unexpected hearing, continued Naruto's training, and now there were Anbu surrounding them again? Part of her just wanted to take out her war fan and blast them all to kingdom come.

"Apprehending a criminal."

"Criminal?" Naruto looked calmly, too calmly if Temari was honest with herself. In contrast to his icy demeanor, she struggled to keep herself from seething with anger. "What is my crime this time? That I breathe? That my heart has the audacity to pump blood through my veins?"

"You know well enough what you did last night, you demon!" another Anbu shouted angrily. "Don't even try to deny it."

"Those accusations are false," Temari retorted, moving next to Naruto. "Explain yourselves."

"We don't need to," the calmer Anbu who had spoken first said, before the angry one could make the situation worse. "We were given orders to apprehend Uzumaki Naruto, the suspected murderer of one of our own."

"Tsk, that's a blatant lie, and you know it," Naruto sounded bored. "I'm almost insulted. How stupid do you think I am? The idiots in charge of your village just concluded that there was no evidence against me. I got cleared. So if you could just kindly fuck off…"

"No can do," the calm Anbu raised his arm, causing the other three to draw their respective weapons. "We have orders, and we will execute them. Resisting arrest will be seen as a transgression. And considering your status, this can be answered with lethal force."

'Lethal force? In the presence of the Kazekage's daughter? Ah… of course, it must be him, who ordered this,' Naruto's momentary confusion rapidly turned into annoyance. That explained the absence of both the eye of gold dust and the eye of sand. Both Rasa and Gaara were distracted by someone. It was definitely not a coincidence. "How careless," he couldn't help but remark. But who would pay for this carelessness? 'It's not like I can use my actual abilities in front of Temari. Or else I'd have to order her to forget. And that would go against the promise I made to her. How utterly annoying.'

"If you comply, it would not be careless."

"Fine," Naruto sighed. "Have it your way."

"No."

"Temari…"

"This isn't right, Naruto, and you know it. Don't try to hide it, I know you're aware," she huffed. "And I'm not going to-"

Red liquid spattered out, while most of the color was drained from his face. Of all the things he had expected to happen, he never anticipated them to act this rashly. Seeing a blade pierced through her chest…

"Run," Temari gasped, coughing out blood as she spoke. "R-run…"

He saw her falling to her knees, trying to support herself with her war fan, but the Anbu were merciless. Two appeared in front of her, one kicking her in the stomach, while the other snatched away her weapon. The impact of the kick, along with the grievous injury in her chest, caused her to black out. She was unconscious before her head hit the sand.

"Kill him," the calmer, and apparently leader, of the four Anbu ordered. Naruto stared at Temari, her blood starting to spread through the sand of the training ground.

"You… you fucking imbeciles…" Naruto whispered hoarsely. "You just removed the sole reason why I would allow you to walk out of this with your minds intact…"

Author's notes:

Hm, I remember telling you that I had ideas for a sixth chapter, but… I had to split this into two. With this cliffhanger, though I can't tell whether I should consider you lucky or unlucky regarding the extra chapter. I had to make the cut somewhere, and this spot just happened to be the best. (I know; I'm a troll…)

Anyway, you guys didn't expect Naruto to let his torturers live happily ever after after what they did to him, did you? No… I'm afraid the Naruto of Devil's Fire is not a very forgiving person. The 'devil' part of the title wasn't chosen randomly. You'll see that in the next chapter. Whenever I may finish it.

-Ziltoid-