Back again with another chapter. Sorry for the wait. I've come to appreciate more that one of the biggest parts of writing a good story is pacing. it's easy as a writer to gloss over certain bits and be in a rush because you want to get to the 'good bits'. But waiting makes some things all the more sweet in the end. I sincerely hope anyone who does start reading this fic, reads to the most recent chapter because I look back and I feel like I've really improved since I first started out. I'm just really exciting for all the stuff I've got planned for this and discovering the direction I wnat to take. Respond with your reviews and tell me what you think.Anyway. Lets get it!

Chapter 8: Not as they appear

That of the full moon and stars above is the only light visible. This coupled with the mist makes it difficult for Naruto to see.

"Sensei!' the boy calls out to the figure dressed in white walking ahead of him. The figure continues to walk, his words seemingly not registering.

"Sensei!" the blonde boy calls out as he gives chase, seeing the figure immersed in mist, only the outline of its silhoutte being visible. He runs, the figure somehow eluding him despite its calm walk compared to his sprint.

He emerges from the mist and looks behind himself to see it completely gone along with the trees and forestry of before. The full moon and stars still hang in the clear sky as he stands in a deserted street.

He looks ahead once again at the figure, now hooded in black rather than the white from before, which has now come to a stop.

"Sensei?" Naruto repeats, his voice now laced with uncertainty.

The figure turns, its face hidden in the shadow cast by its hood, the only visible part being a single eye with three a tomoe pattern around its pupil, glowing a fierce red in the darkness.

The figure pulls off its hood, revealing the face of a boy, likely in his early teen years. His jet black hair is tied back in a low pony tail and his face is framed by centre-parted bangs that extend to his chin. Long pronounced tear-troughs adorn his face and sit beneath his eyes which bear the same tomoe pattern and glowing red.

The boy puffs his cheeks and brings his head back before bringing it forward and opening his mouth, releasing a large fireball. The orange ball of flame lights up the alley as it cannons toward Naruto.

The blonde boy can only let out a blood curdling scream as the flame meets his body.

Naruto sits up suddenly in his bed, gasping for air. The blonde places his hand on his forehead feeling it wet to the touch with sweat, all the while attempting to steady his breathing.

He lays back once again, not closing his eyes, afraid of what his mind might show him. He's been having the same dream for years now and yet he never seems to get used to it. It always has the same effect on him.

He stares at the white ceiling of his bedroom, his breathing finally under control as he he attempts to steer his mind away from its current state and let it drift to other thoughts

Flashback

"Hey Naruto. it's been awhile" Kakashi says casually. "I never even got to congratulate you for becoming a ninja"

Naruto clenches his jaw, trying to keep calm met with the sight before him: a man breaking into his home and trying to be friendly with him.

"What can I help you with?" Naruto responds.

Kakashi glances down at his book for a few seconds looking back up this time at the view of the village visible through the glass, rooftops littering the horizon and the stone faces of the village leaders visible in the far distance.

"Since when haven't you been living with your family?" Kakashi questions.

Naruto resists the urge to scoff at this. Of course. This is the reason for Kakashi's 'visit'.

"Did the Hokage send you here?" the blonde boy asks crossing his arms.

"No, Sensei doesn't know I'm here" the masked shinobi says taking note of the boys wording.

"You haven't answered my question" Kakashi utters.

"You broke into my home. I'm not under obligation to answer anything from you" Naruto retorts.

The pair of blue eyes and single black eye in the room stare into one another for a few moments of silence.

"If you want to speak with me, you approach me like a normal person. You knock on the door. This is disrespect I won't stand for. Get out" Naruto coldly says pointing at door.

Kakashi's body language remains relaxed, his lone visible eye not betraying a single emotion.

"Alright." he says standing up " I can tell you're in a bad mood. You've clearly had a long day. I'll come back some other time" Kakashi says looking at the boy who, stares right back at him.

'Those eyes' the masked shinobi says to himself staring into the blonde boys cerulean orbs, eyes that behind a cold blank stare he could tell held both sadness and anger. Sadness and paranoia akin to that of an abused stray animal that trusted nothing and no one. A kind of fear that revealed itself in territorial and defensive behaviour like that on display now.

Anger and rage akin to... nothing he could say he'd seen before. Nothing as deep as the black pits of those irises.

"Have a good night now" Kakashi says throwing up a two fingered salute before a cloud of smoke bursts from his position, only momentarily remaining present before dissipating, revealed the Jonin to be gone.

Naruto places his hands in his pockets, staring at the spot that Kakashi had been standing on for a few seconds before turning and walking to the large glass screen of his living room. He looks out over the roof-littered horizon, seeing the famed great stone faces and the red tower of the Hokage in the distance and narrowing his eyes.

Flashback end

Naruto pulls open the sliding door of his bedroom balcony, the sound of the hawk that had been on it having cut through and inturrupted his thoughts. He bends over and picks up the green scroll, examining it, before pulling it open and reading it in the light of the rising sun.

Morning Naruto, I wanted to let you know that you have the next few days off in light of recent events. Use them wisely, for rest and recovery. I'll be letting you know when we'll be meeting up again.

~Fugaku

Naruto breathes a heavy sigh, leaning back against his sliding door looking out at the golden morning sun, creeping up on the horizon, the darkness of the night sinking away from the edges of the sky.

Sometime to train alone will indeed be relished. His fights against Zabuza and Haku have made him appreciate more that he has a long road to walk to his desired level of strength.

He'd been able to defeat the ice user and her jutsu due to going into that state, something that for the time being, for his safety and that of his comrades, he can't rely on.

Uchiha Clan Compound

Sasuke lays in his bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind on the same set of thoughts, the return of his father and Satsuki and the circumstances of their mission.

Flashback

Sasuke stands across from Menma's older brother. The noise of his classmates ringing through out the grounds.

"Go Sasuke!"

"Teach that loser a lesson!"

"Kick his ass!"

Sasuke watches as Menma's brother stands across for him, awaiting the order of Iruka, his body tensing, his opponent not even into a battle stance either.

"Ready?...Go!" Iruka calls out.

A few seconds pass. One moment the two boys are standing across from one another, the next Naruto is laying on his back on the ground, with Sasuke gripping the scruff of his collar and a fist cocked back at the ready.

A shocked silence falls over the grounds in contrast to the noise of a few seconds ago. Then a few whispers and murmurs call out in surprise.

"Woah"

"So fast"

"Just like I thought"

Sasuke looks at the blonde boy beneath him, narrowing his eyes.

'He didn't flinch or tense for a moment when I came at him' he says inwardly 'The whole time and even now his body is completely relaxed. Not an ounce of fear or anxiety' Sasuke muses as he stares into the blonde boys eyes, his breathing still level.

'Those eyes' as he becomes entranced staring into those ice cold orbs.

Naruto raises his eyebrow

"Hey, its over. Get off" he utters plainly

Flashback end.

Sasuke opens his eyes once again met with the ceiling.

"I was right about you".

The Uchiha jumps out of his bed. He'll have to confirm his suspicions and all he's heard himself!

Village Centre

"That really happened? No way!" Kiba exclaims looking at his best friend with disbelief.

"That's what dad said" Menma responds looking ahead while walking with his hands in his pockets.

"it must be some sort of mistake. Nearly none of it sounds right. Ino's never been all that serious about being a ninja. Just about decent. But Naruto's hopeless. That loser was lucky to even graduate. How could he beat someone Satsuki couldn't and take on a Jonin-level ninja on his own?" Kiba says shaking his head in disbelief.

"No idea. Maybe Sasuke's father..." Menma looks down while walking unable to even find the words he thought he had.

"Nonsense. All of it I'm tellin' ya. If Naruto is strong enough to fight a Jonin then I'm ready to be Hokage" Kiba laughs.

Menma looks up at his friend as they both chuckle.

"I don't believe it. Even if it's true I still wouldn't care." he scoffs "Enough about him." Menma looks around and smiles waving at the villagers as they smile at him, murmers flowing through the crowded centre.

"its Lord Hokage's heir"

"The Fourths son."

"Say, is that?..." Kiba points ahead to a figure in the crowd. Menma looks to where his friends finger is pointing and it takes him a few moments to realise who it is.

He looks at Kiba as they smirk at each other.

"See you later bro" Menma yells as he runs ahead"

Team 12 training ground

Ino and her sensei stand across from one another in silence. The messanger hawk that had woken her up this morning had told her to report for duty as normal. She'd done so only to find she is the only one of her teammates present.

"The reason I asked you here today and not your teammates is because what I have to say directly concerns you" Fugaku says, the usual stern expression on his face.

Ino groans inwardly.

'Damn it Dad. What did you do'

"Sensei, if this is about my-" Fugaku holds his hand up, silencing the Yamanaka.

"I called you here today to let you know I'll be training you for the next few days separately whilst your teammates rest" Fugaku says.

"You're well aware that you're the weakest member of your squad, I'm sure" the Uchiha continues. Ino's head lowers as she hears the words knowing them to be true.

"The extent to which this is true however is not acceptable. Your physical condition is unacceptable. Your muscles, strength and stamina are not good enough. And besides the singluar water style jutsu you've managed to master, the only jutsu that would be of real use in a combat situation against any competent shinobi would be that of your clan, the mind transfer technique, which considering its implications I'm labelling as a last resort" Fugaku continues as Ino's fists clench, her head still down and eyes hidden.

"Naruto's feats speak for themselves and I trained Satsuki myself so I know she would have been able to defeat the Demon Brothers alone. The same can't be said for you however . The reality is Ino you're simply not a good enough shinobi. At the level you're at now you'll simply be a liability instead of an asset to your teammates. On every assignment they take, though they might not say anything, they'll have it on the back of their minds that they have to worry about you holding them back. In future that could even endanger their lives" the Uchiha watches as the floor in front of Ino becomes stained with drops as she desperately tries to stop her trembling, head still down.

"That's why I'm going to go hard on you. I'm going to put you through the most grueling training you've ever endured. And I need you to to be ready for it. Not just for your own sake but that of your teammates." the clan leader says.

Ino stays silent, now visibly shaking.

"Ye-Yes Sensei" the blonde chokes out.

Team 7 training ground.

The boy slams into the ground on his back. A foot rests atop his chest.

"Sasuke wins. Nice work" Kakashi says casually.

"Way to go Sasuke. Better try Hisa" his female student shouts, standing alongside him.

Sasuke takes his foot off of his opponents chest, it seeming as though his sensei and teammates words haven't even registered.

'Damnit. I'm wasting my time here, playing with weaklings when I could be...'

Hisateru jumps to his feet, brushing the footprint off of the front of his black tracksuit with the white leaf insignia on the right side of the chest then brushing the dust out of his spiky black hair.

"Lucky that time emo-boy" the brown eyed boy scoffs.

"For the third time in a row? Yeah right loser" Sasuke responds. His teammate frowns

"Wanna go?" he challenges

"I've already wiped the floor with you enough for my taste." Sasuke responds as he starts to walk away. Before he can however a hand grips him by his blue collar.

"Think you're better than me?" Hisateru questions.

"No, I know I am" Sasuke says grabbing his teammates own collar.

They frown at each other fists clenched at the ready. They let go of each other, hands clutching at their heads, as they hunch over, a sizeable bump appears on each one.

"Do the two of you ever stop damnit?" Kaori angrily shouts, fists raised over their heads.

Kakashi sighs watching the scene unfold. The uncertainty over allowing his team to compete in the exams strong as ever. Forget about competing against other teams, the two boys would sooner spend their time beating each other up and Kaori trying to separate them.

Village Center

Satsuki walks down the fairly crowded street, a plastic bag in hand. She considers taking to the rooftops to get home quicker but opts not to.

"Well if it isn't the most stunning girl on the planet" an all too familiar voice cuts through her thoughts.

Satsuki turns to see Menma standing alongside her, his smiling face red with a blush.

"Hi Satsuki" Menma says, hands behind his back so he doesn't fiddle akwardly with them.

"Hello" she responds plainly looking him over a bit, his heart skipping a beat as they lock eyes.

"Where ya off to?" he asks now walking alongside her.

"Home" she responds.

"Let me walk you home" he responds the smile still firmly plastered on his face.

"Shouldn't you be with your team?" she questions raising her eyebrow.

He flicks his hand in a dismissive motion.

"Don't worry about it. I'm right where I should be" he says raising his eyebrows looking at the Uchiha. She shakes her head and looks ahead as the two walk alongside one another.

Team 12 training ground.

Ino yells out in pain as she flies through the air and rolls across the ground before coming to a stop and laying in a heap, her clothes torn in some places.

Fugaku pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs in frustration. What the hell has Inoichi been doing? He watches as his student, with her palms to the ground, tries to get up and fails. His eyes move from her as his head turns to the ANBU Black op who's just arrived.

"Lord Fugaku. Lord Fourth Hokage summons you" the masked shinobi speaks.

Fugaku raises an eyebrow. Minato? Is the blonde finally ready to give him some answers. He turns to see Ino with her head raised, still not off the ground, a bruise on her left cheek.

"If I'm not back in an hour, feel free to head home. Until then, work on some training of your own" he says before disappearing in a poof of smoke, the ANBU shinobi following suit.

The Yamanaka heiress looks around for a bit to make sure her Jonin instructor is really gone before letting her head fall and rest against the ground, gasping for air.

Hokage Tower (Hokages office)

"He actually looked me in the eye and said that to me!" Inoichi exclaims looking around the room at Minato who sits at his desk, Shikaku who sits across from the village leader in one of two seats and Choza who is leaning against the wall to the right with his arms crossed.

The room is silent for a few moments before Shikaku chuckles a bit, shaking his head.

"Of course he did. it's Fugaku. What'd you expect?" the Nara head asks.

"Anyway what're you gonna do? Fight him?" Choza asks looking at his friend with a smirk on his face

Flashback

"Ready?" the Chuunin academy instructor stands with his hand raised in the air as the two boys stand across from another.

"Go!" he shouts. Seconds pass before Inoichi is on his back, his head turned to the side, having received a hard right hook. Cheers erupt from a number of the other academy students.

"Winner: Fugaku Uchiha" the instructor announces.

xxxxxxxxx

"Go!" the instructor shouts.

Inoichi runs forward intent on not letting his opponent get the first in this time. He throws a punch only for Fugaku to sidestep it with ease, spinning his body and sweeping his opponents legs out from underneath him with one of his own.

Inochi lands on his back, his opponent grabbing one of his feet still in the air. Fugaku flips the blonde boy onto his stomach using his leg and begins to twist his ankle.

"Aaaaaahhhh" the Yamanaka wails in pain, slapping the ground with his palm in surrender.

"Winner: Fugaku Uchiha!" the Instructor announces.

xxxxxxxx

The two boys stand across from one another with the instructor watching, hand raised in the air at the ready.

'Not today you're not' Inoichi muses, his hands behind his back. Fugaku narrows his eyes in suspicion at this.

"Go!" the instructor orders. Inoichi removes his hands from behind him, holding them in a triangle formation out in front of him.

"Mind transfer jutsu!" he shouts. His subconscious leaves his body, making a beeline for the Uchiha.

"Thats..." Fugaku muses, recognising the technique from his hours of studying. The boy jumps to the side, successfully averting the jutsu, his opponents subconscious missing him.

He runs forward, his opponents eyes having rolled into the back of his head as his body slumps and falls onto its knees.

"Hey wait! Hes already un-"

"Aaaaaaahhhh" Fugaku shouts drowning out the instructors voice as the fist he'd cocked back flies through the air and slams square into the unconcious Yamanaka's face, laying him out onto his back.

Flashback(s) end

Chuckles and giggles fill the Hokages office, all in the room except Inoichi laughing.

The Yamanaka looks around the room at his childhood friends a deadpan expression on his face.

"This isn't funny" Inochi angrily exclaims only for the giggles in the room to turn to full on laughter.

"Remember when he used that fire style jutsu to set his hair alight? Ahahahaha" Choza guffaws, Shikaku and Minato joining him.

"This is serious!" Inoichi once again yells "He's a loose cannon. This is only his first mission as the Jonin commander of a genin squad. Who knows what else he could pull. He can't be trusted with subordinates Minato and that's why I'm requesting you re-assign Ino to a different squad." The mood in the room turns stoic.

"I'm here as a father. Satsuki is Fugaku's student and daughter so I can't speak for her and Naruto is not only your subordinate as the Hokage but your son so whatever decision you take regarding him is yours alone to take. But I'm committed to protecting Ino which is why I'm here with this request."

Minato sits back looking at Inoichi in thought.

"What a drag" Shikaku sighs "Inoichi your position is understood but you know Minato can't just-"

"You know" Minato interrupts the Nara head.

"Apologies" he says gesturing to Shikaku for interrupting him before turning to Inoichi and continuing.

"It's funny you mention Fugaku because-" Minato himself is interrupted this time by the sound of the door opening without a knock. Fugaku walks in. He looks to the right and sees Choza. The two nod at each other in acknowledgement. He walks forward turning to Inoichi who frowns at him, not attempting at all to hide his feelings towards the Uchiha. Fugaku simply stares back blankly, walking past the Yamanaka and sitting down in one of two seats in front of Minato's desk, the other occupied by Shikaku.

"Old friend" Shikaku says shaking the Uchiha's hand before he turns to Minato.

"What's up?" Fugaku asks sitting back casually.

Minato nods at both Shikaku and Choza who nod back. The Nara stands up and leaves the room with the Akimichi without a word. The door closes and only once the sound footsteps is faint does Minato adress the two remaining men.

"Inoichi being here when I sent for you is actually convenient. Because he's relevant to what I want to discuss with you"

Fugaku raises an eyebrow, listening intently.

"A few weeks ago a Chuunin academy instructor attempted to steal the Forbidden scroll of Seals and defect from the village with it..."

Naruto's training ground

An explosion rings throughout the forest, birds taking to the skies as a ball of wind style charka erupts into a spinning sphere after ripping through several trees.

Naruto stands in the clearing of his training ground, his arms forward and palms out, panting as he examines the handy work of his most powerful jutsu.

His mastery of the technique has grown. But its still nowhere near perfect. His sensei was capable of forming them faster and with one hand.

Naruto brings his arms down staring at the palms of his hands. Then again Akisada's affinity and mastery over wind style jutsu was unprecedented. Borderline superhuman. Would such a thing be possible for him?

His thoughts are interrupted as he senses another chakra in the area clearly heading straight for his training ground. Sasuke Uchiha. What could he want? He frowns. Is this 'visitor' thing becoming a trend?

With Menma and Satsuki

The pair stand in front of the Uchiha clan compound.

"Well here we are" Menma says akwardly looking over at the Uchiha girl.

"It was great seeing you again" he says, a wide grin on his face.

"Maybe we can get together again soon" Menma says.

"Don't push it" Satsuki says walking off towards her home.

'Didnt say no' Menma says inwardly, pumping his fist into the air in front of him repeatedly.

Upon closer inspection Satsuki must admit Memma is attractive. Not as much as his brother, certainly, but attractive nonetheless.

Naruto's training ground.

Sasuke jumps down into the clearing. He looks out at the training ground everyone in the village avoids and sees him. The blonde boy stands there, clad in all black, staring right back at him. He walks forward until he's sure he is within earshot but still a fair distance away. The two stand across from each other in silence the trees shaking in the wind being the only sound that fills the clearing.

Sasuke casts a glance behind the subject of his interest and his eyes widen as he sees the other end of the clearing, some of the trees there shredded and ripped apart, laying in a row that comes to a stop at what appears to be a pit in the ground.

'What kind of jutsu could have done that?'

He looks back at the boy who stands staring at him, still not having said a word.

The Uchiha boy finally speaks.

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. I've come... to see your true power. Fight me!"

With Hisateru

He closes the door to his apartment behind him and walks forward. He unzips his jacket, tossing it onto the floor and tossing himself onto his sofa, kicking off his black sandals and laying his head back in his hands with his eyes closed and sighs.

"So how is everything proceeding?" Hisateru opens one eye to see an elderly man standing across the room. He has black spiky hair and one visible brown eye, much like Hisateru himself. His right eye is concealed by bandages wrapped around his head.

He is dressed in a long sleeved white top, a cane in his left hand and a black robe concealing his right arm and shoulder completely.

Hisateru looks back up at the ceiling before closing his eyes.

"Great" he responds.

The tapping of the old man's cane echoes throughout the room followed by the shuffling of him seating himself in the opposite sofa.

"So you've gained the trust of your teammates then?" the old man asks.

Hisateru chuckles. "Yeah they trust me. Hehe" Hisateru chuckles, his eyes still closed as Danzo raises his lone visible eyebrow at the tone of the only one of his subordinates who refuses to bow in his presence.

"Mhm. Well in any event there's something important we must discuss. Mizuki. It appears he attempted to steal the forbidden scroll of Seals,likely for his master. He failed and has been arrested." Danzo says.

Hisateru chuckles in response.

"Huh. You dont say. So that's why. I was wondering why he'd disappeared off the face of the earth" the boy says.

"Why is this 'important' to us? Isn't Mizuki the snakes boy?" Hisateru questions.

"That is true. But he is privvy to vital information concerning Orochimaru's operations. In order to protect said information Orochimaru has enlisted our help. Which we will provide of course once sufficient reward has been given" Danzo responds to the boy.

"He's currently being held at the Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional facility in solitary confinement and under regular interrogation. Our contact inside the facility, when the time comes, will assist you in getting in but his skills in infiltration and assassination are nowhere near those of yours. I need you on standby and ready at a moment's notice to act. He must be silenced before he can say the wrong things. Assuming he hasn't already." Danzo says.

Hisateru sits up and looks at Danzo. The Hidden Leaf Strict Correctional Facility. A Correctional Facility housing hardended criminal shinobi. A place where the worst of the worst go. He smacks his hands together and licks his lips. Some fun.

"Sure thing old man. Just say the word" Hisateru says smiling giddily.

Danzo looks around the room.

"Now to make sure you're keeping that head sharp. Where's your shogi set?" the elderly man asks.

Hisateru groans in response

Chapter end

Thats all folks! please review. Whether you loved it or hated it. Rate or flame. Just tell me what you think! Review please! Tell me more about what you love and hate! It motivates me to write more. Have a great day/night.