Hey all, long, long time, no... um... update.

I'm sorry for the wait, I've been Super Busy with my girls and our youtube channel* and some original stories on Deviant art. Mostly just the youtube thing.

As always this story is more or less for my amusement, so it's a rough, shoddy, first draft that has lots of errors in it. if you spot them please let me know and I will correct them.

Thank you for reading, and reviewing, and all of the positive feed back even when it's forever and a day between updates. I still care about this story and the others here on , and I do want to keep writing them and uploading.

Haunted

"We have to contain him." Tsunade, exhaustion coloring the edges of her vision a rusty shade of gray, was leaning heavily against her elbows, forehead cradled in her palms.

She and Jeraya hadn't been in her office long and dawn was only a few hours away. The events of the past week seemed swirled like the memory of a bad dream, and haunted the space between them.

"I can't see an alternative." She shook her cradled head a little. "I just can't"

Now that every one who made up team Seven was with in the walls she had tried to summon them and talk to each of them to find the answer there. No one had responded to her summoning. The team was broken and in dire need of healing, but she feared by now it might be to late for some of the members.

Kakashi was now clinically insane. There was no arguing that. It happened to the ANBU eventually, but it still hurt to know that it was Kakashi who'd fallen this time. She doubted he'd come to her unless the city was already in flames.

Tsunade expected a response from Sakura, but after every thing that had happened she wondered if her young student was keeping so tightly to the illusion of being dead that she was taking her time to respond for fear of showing her self.

Tsunade had no idea what Sai might be doing, and she wasn't surprised he hadn't responded.

Captain Yamato was a surprise. He ought to have been at her side with in minutes. But he had been poisoned. Maybe he was still almost dead. She could forgive him for being absent if he was almost dead.

That left Naruto. The one person she needed there the most. It was his fate she had to try and handle. Because his fate was the face of the whole village. They had no choice but to try and keep the fall out from every thing that had happened from becoming all all out war. They had to contain him.

Jeraya looked down at her from where he was half leaning, half sitting on her desk. "He's restless." He shifted and stared down at her. "We can't make this a prison sentence for him."

She nodded. "I know."

"He has to feel active. Like he's doing good."

"I know." She shook her head a little. "I know but we can't send him on any missions. Between the rouge ROOT agents and the Akatsuki he's a walking time bomb. We have to protect him from them and us from the Fox and..." She shook her head again. "And now the Raccoon." Slowly she lifted her head from her hands and looked up at the Toad Sage. "He has to stay in the city, and he needs to hide his chakra. We can't even rely on his death report because of the clones he set off looking for Kakashi." She took a strained breath in and leaned back, then rubbed her temple trying to get rid of the head ache forming. "I have to do something."

"Can't he leave the village? I can take him on another tour."

She looked blankly up at him. "And when the seal comes loose completely? Or the Raccoon decides to leave him?"

Jeraya frowned at that. "I don't think the Raccoon is interested in leaving him. I think it knows it's safest there, with Naruto."

She smiled a little bitterly. "He has proven resilient."

Jeraya nodded. "If he can't leave the village then we have got to find him something to do. Anything to help him cope with being trapped in the city. A job or mission that is slow or somehow... I don't know... repetitive, but can help him settle."

"What?" She asked. "Like a bunch of low ranked missions?"

He shook his head 'no'. "He never could stand those."

"We have to do something!" She glared at him. "The village is in danger. I have to protect as many people as I can to make sure it survives."

Jiraya scowled. "I know that."

"There's nothing you or I can do to lessen the impact on him." She glanced down at her desk. "Maybe I could keep him partly sedated. He doesn't have to suffer..."

"Sedated?" Jiraya gave her a hard, cold look.

She slammed her palm in down against the desk. "I'm grasping at straws here!"

"Well keep grasping because there has to be an answer to this!" He stood and turned fully towards her. "Yes, he's powerful, and the situation is extremely dangerous, but you can't lock him up or shut him down."

"Then what do I do?" She searched his face. Searched for the answers possibly written in to the well worn lines around his eyes.

He looked away. "I don't know."

Iruka slipped through the still cold shadows of the morning, his eyes again searching for any traces of the Copy-Cat ninja. Not at his post the white haired killer would no doubt be home, Iruka figured, so as soon as he was free of Sakura he had headed there. He had no plans to engage Kakashi directly now, but he hoped to plant some seed of doubt about Sakura in the unbalanced mind. Before he could reach Kakashi's residence a green flash of spandex appeared before him seemingly from no where.

"Umino Sensei!" Gai looked him over swiftly, frowned a deep, fully depressed looking frown, and then grabbed Iruka by the shoulders. "How are you?"

Iruka blinked at the sudden overwhelming concern from the other man. He gaped. "I..."

Gai lowered his voice and his eyes, but he did not let go. "I've..." somehow his frown deepened. "I've heard things bout you Sensei. I was deeply worried. My students still look up to you." Gai glanced up again. "Are you all right now?"

"I'm..." Insane and about to trick your best friend in to murdering one of his students then getting executed for it. "...fine." He managed.

Gai did not look convinced. Iruka tugged a little. "Gai..."

The green clad ninja let him go quickly. "I am very sorry to bother you like this, after all that has happened, but I must ask you some questions."

Iruka inched away. "I am very sorry but I have an appointment with the Hokage."

Gai smiled suddenly. "Allow me to accompany you! This will concern her as well. Do you mind?"

Iruka swallowed a groan. "Very well." He nodded politely. "You have a question for me?"

Gai's smile faded in a flash. "I am deeply concerned about the Hyuga children. My question is one that is rather open ended, Sensei. Can you tell me what you know of the clan?" Gai looked down sadly at his feet. "I know of Neji's father, but there are still a lot of questions unanswered."

Iruka sighed and leaned back on his heals. His mind finally unhooked consciously from his worry for Naruto and he thought of the two dark haired children he had taught only a few years before. They had booth been very good students and he could not call having to discipline them once. From a scholastic point they had been ideal. Unfortunately what he knew about the clan over all from his work in the Hokage's office cast a dark shadow on the children. The problems of the Hyuga clan were deeply rooted, and hard to articulate. Wearily he looked over at the other man. "That is a very open ended question Gai. Can you be more specific?"

Gai's eyes flashed something dark. Something Iruka found chilling and out of place in the other man. "I can. Do you know the rumors surrounding Neji?"

Iruka thought back and remembered Inochi brining him the report from Neji's mind. A deep, uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. Naruto had been the only thing on his mind at the time, and he had noticed Neji's name as the source only because he had taught the child before. "Only fragments." He admitted.

Gai drew close and pulled Iruka to him. "I need to confide the truth in you." Gai's arm tightened a little around Iruka's neck. "Because this involves Naruto."

Iruka looked deep in to Gai's eyes and for once he saw a reflection that didn't look exactly like him. "I will be silent."

"Good, come, I'll tell you everything." Gai pulled him on, towards the Hokage Tower.

She toyed with a strap of one of the guy's packs, mindlessly, and blew another gum bubble. Her feet hurt, her neck hurt, even her eyes hurt. Shiori glanced at the clock, blew another bubble, and scooted the strap around once more. "I hate my job."

The door to the Hokage tower opened silently, but was quickly followed by a groan, an ethereal bark, then three muffled laughing voices. Exhausted and unhappy, Shiori glared at the four men entering the tower's lobby. She then scowled down at the half trotting, half floating ghost dog following them.

Shou grinned wildly and tossed his arms up. "Look at what we found Shio..."

"I am not walking that thing." She snapped. Then she stood, a little unsteadily, and jabbed a finger at them. "You can do as you like guys, but I'm going to bed."

"This doesn't bother you?" Osamu asked, sounding a little surprised.

She inhaled, ready to give them each a lesson hos how you treat a lady, when Kouta stepped between her and the group.

"Triple time and three days off?" He smiled. He smelled.

She snapped her jaw shut and folded her arms. "Three days Dr. K, or I quit."

He nodded, made the sign of a cross over his heart, and stepped aside. "My lady." He bowed, a little stiffly, and indicated the door. "At your leisure."

She made her way around the desk and scowled the other three out of her way. Only the dog remained in her path. It looked up with sad, sad eyes. The sort only a dead puppy can have.

"Oh, I'm not mad at you, boy." She reached down and gave his head a scratch. He was both solid, and yet some how not, and very soft. "Hey, this looks like that dog that got killed the other day."

"We think it is." Yori knelt down to pet the fluffy, slightly glowing sides. "Do you know who it belonged to?"

She jammed a thumb over her shoulder. "Look it up your self."

"Actually." Osamu stepped up, adjusted his glasses, and looked down his nose at the creature. "A reunion may not be advisable, as that may trigger the memory of this dog's death, which could return this entity to it's aggressive state."

"That would be awful." Shou dropped down and gave the undead beast a hug around the neck. "Just awful."

"Well, then that settles it, no one is allowed to look up any thing on that ghost." Kouta leaned against the desk with a wince. "I'm not fighting with it's dark side again."

"What about other people triggering it's aggression?" Yori asked.

"It's possible any one who remembers the dog could trigger it." Osamu rubbed at his chin in thought. "Shiori..."

"I'm not looking after your new pet, Osamu."

"Awe." Kouta gave her a big, sad, wide eyed frown. "But he's a dead puppy! We can't keep him here, some one will hurt his little feelings." Almost under his breath he added, "And I'd have to unhurt them or finish the job."

"You aren't nearly as exhausted as I am!" Shiori stood and jabbed a finger into his chest. "I'm not taking on another one of your problems. It'll chew my shoes, shed ghost fur all over my sofa, and eat all my food."

At that the dog whimpered and bounded off, around the desk, and started to dig. Kouta leaned far enough over to look back upside down at the ghostly tail sticking up from behind the polished oak surface. "I think he's insulted."

"I think he's getting into your duffel bag." She gave him a sideways scowl.

A moment latter the beast returned with two slippers in it's mouth. He padded up to both Kouta and Shiori, then flopped on to his stomach. He dropped them and looked up with big, wet, sad, eyes. Gently he pawed at her knees. A little whimper floated up.

"Is that supposed to make be feel guilty?" She asked.

He put a paw over his eyes.

She glanced around. None of the boys would look at her directly.

"Fine!" She stabbed her finger at the dead dog. "But one problem from you buster and you get a one way ticket to the pound, got it?"

The dog sat up straight, barked, the trotted to the door where he opened it and looked back, waiting.

"Be a good girl, Shiori, go home." Kouta grinned. "Home girl."

She would have hit him, but the energy just wasn't there. "Triple time and three days off, Kouta, or I quit!"

He held up his hands. "OK."

Satisfied she finally had down time she walked towards the door with out a look back.

Iruka tried not to writhe under Gai's all encompassing, ridged one armed embrace. Gai was relating all of the woes of the world, and Iruka listened just enough to give the impression he cared. He did hurt for Neji, but Neji was alive and for the moment safe. He could ignore the problem. It was hard to pretend to care, however, when Gai lamented over Kakashi. Iruka had to bite down very hard on his tongue to keep from verbally lashing out over the Copy Cat Ninja. Gai was hopelessly devoted to him, full heartedly with out any reserve.

Iruak felt almost sorry for him. Gai didn't deserve to be so wrapped up in the legend that was Kakashi. The white haired killer didn't seem capable of feeling affection any more, and no matter how large Gai's heart was that alone could never bridge the gap between the two men. It would be more than any mere mortal could accomplish to fix Kakashi's problems.

"He's been through so much for his team." Gai nearly wailed, thought at the moment he was keeping him self more quiet than usual. "I know he'll pull through this. Naruto can get him through this. I still have hope."

Hope. That reminded Iruka of the conversation he had just had with Sakura. Iruka shifted uneasily under the still tight grasp. "He's been very cruel."

"Naruto will get through to him!" Gai declared and gave Iruka a rough squeeze.

Naruto alone couldn't save every one. Iruka was sure of that. He sculpted his voice in to a tone of gentle worry. "Should Kakashi not want to be reached, then what?"

Gai stopped in his tracks. "I know Kakashi. He is still in there. Naruto can find him. He has to."

"There is the possibility though. His father..."

Gai cut him off there. "I won't let harm come to him!" He gave Iruka a dark, steady look and frowned. "Not from another person, not from him self, not from anywhere!"

"Gai." Iruka curled in under the heavy arm. Something like pity formed in Iruka over Gai, but it was small and useless against his hatred for the silver-haired man. "Insanity seems to run in his family. There's no telling how badly damaged he is mentally at this point."

"You do believe Kakashi will be OK, don't you?" He gave Iruka a needy, desperate, broken look. All the weight of the world seemed to be in his dark eyes.

Iruka took a moment to formulate his response. He forced him self to try and smile. It felt dry and flat. "Of course, Might-san. What could possibly stop him from healing?"

That seemed to be enough for Gai. He smiled and gave Iruka a painful squeeze. "Good, let us get to the Hokage tower at once, then!"

"So, Tex, question." Kouta dropped down behind the desk and propped his feet up.

Osamu glanced up from the notes he was jotting down. "Yes?"

"That dog died here and you think more deaths will make more of these critters, right?" He reached back and laced his fingers behind his head. Now that the whole group was back Shou and Yori had gone off to clean up, leaving the other two team mates to watch the front. In the silence Kouta couldn't get the images of the raving beast out of his mind, even if he had brought its sanity back. "We'll see more of these things?"

"Yes." He looked up from his notes and over his glasses. "Was that your question?"

"No, that was a question." Kouta pulled one hand free and pointed at Osamu. "You got a plan, right?" They could take on one dog, sure, you didn't need equipment for that sort of thing, not really, but any thing larger, or a group of them, was beyond them at this point.

"I am going to do more testing." Osamu turned back to his notes. "In order to formulate a plan we need to know exactly what we are dealing with."

Kouta rolled his eyes in an attempt to look as though he wasn't worried. "Because more accurate information on how we are screwed is so vital to..." Before he could finish the thought the front doors were slammed open and two men entered.

Kouta snapped to a proper sitting position and held up a hand, halting the two men. "Whoa there, friends, you got a reason to be here after dark? Ain't nobody on the arrival list right now."

The man with the pony tail turned a cool gaze at him. "We wish to speak with the Hokage. I am her office assistant."

Osamu, not looking up from his work, waved them on. "Umino Iruka and Might Gai have clearance beyond the need for the admittance list."

Kouta tossed his feat back up on the desk, and shrugged. "OK then." He tried not to stare at the younger man with the pony tail.

The smaller man kept his eyes locked on to Kouta for a moment, and the self proclaimed ghost hunter had to fight the urge to openly frown. There was a deeply haunted look in his eyes. A hollowness that struck him as familiar. "Move along boys." He said casually, taking note of the coldness.

The taller man with the bowl cut dragged them both on, spouting thanks and gratitude while he went. Then once they were gone the lobby fell silent.

"Osamu?" Kouta asked after a moment.

"Yes?"

"That guy, Umino, he gives me the creeps." He laced his hands behind his head again. He had seen eyes like that. It was never a good sign.

Osamu looked up and pursed his lips in thought. "Can you be any more specific? Can you clarify or quantify the feeling?"

"Nope." He looked at his blond friend and let his face relax into what ever shape and expression it wanted to. He could feel him self frowing.

Osamu stood and gathered some equipment. "I will add him to the list of observation interests."

Kouta nodded, glad his feelings ranked hight enough to warrant their own scientific investigation from his friend. You didn't survive what they had been through together with out a deeper level of trust and intuitive connection. "Thanks."

Shou stepped in to the room, towel drying his hair. "Hey, your turn Kouta. Thanks for letting me shower first."

Kouta dragged him self up and made a grand gesture towards the desk. "Osamu, buddy, would you like to baby sit the lobby next?"

Osamu shook his head. "No, I'm going to go set up some chakra sensing equipment and try to get a clear reading of the free floating energy city wide. I want to know if another manifestation event is building, or if it has stabilized."

"I'll take the desk." Shou smiled. "Though I'd rather go out with you and run the tests."

Osamu reached in to his pocket and drew out a radio. "We need to make sure our duties to this city are fulfilled first and foremost. This may not be our home, but it's home for now." He handed the radio to Shou. "We can keep in touch this way, and you can help me keep track of readings."

"Right!"

Kouta slapped his hand down on Osamu's shoulder. "You mingle nice out there. Watch your back, try not to make any more friends with the dead, and don't let the natives know you are a Cubs fan."

"I don't watch football." Osamu deadpanned.

Kouta's eyes narrowed a little. There were some thing you just couldn't teach a nerd. "Baseball, Tex." He corrected dryly.

Shou snickered.

"Just be safe, OK?" Kouta nodded towards the door. "If that one guy was spooky, who knows what sort of other crazy people are out there."

"I heard that blond kid was spotted again, the one with the demon sealed inside of him. People say he's dead, and others say they saw him." Shou let his head fall into his open palm. "Sure would be cool to get a reading off of him. Hope he's OK."

Kouta scowled a little. The thought of using kids as weapons and tools had never settled with him, and it wasn't going to start now. "The sooner we can get out of this place the better. This whole city is starting to creep me out."

"We can't find a way back with out information on exactly how we got hereor where here is exactly." Osamu gathered his supplies and made his way to the door. "I'll keep you informed."

"Good luck." Shou waved.

Osamu nodded and walked out.

"Hey." A voice called from the other room. Both Kouta and Shou turned to see Yori walk in, also drying his hair off with a towel. "Osamu just go out again? Alone?"

"He's just running tests." Shou held up the radio. "He said he would keep in contact with us."

Yori turned to Kouta. "Level with me, what do you think he's thinking?"

"I think he's thinking that we need more information." Kouta shrugged and grabbed the towel off of Shou's shoulder. "I'm going to go get the dog slobber off of me. Let me know if anything world shattering, or apocalyptic happens, till then..." He waved his hand around.

Haunted. Every thing here was starting to feel haunted. He tried not to let the unease unsettle him.

For every suggestion on what to do with Naruto Tsunade tried Jiraya had a good counter to it. The situation was starting to look desperate.

All she could think of in the long run was that she had too sedate the blond, suppress his chakra, and keep him locked away. Then while the teen slept, hidden from the world, she could order the enemy hunted down and eliminated. It would keep Naruto safe, but it would almost certainly cost too many lives. Not only that but once Naruto was revived from his coma he would be furious. There would be no telling if he could keep the Raccoon calm after that.

Drugging him until the danger was over was not an option then.

Simply locking him away while he was awake, however, was like trying to plug the faucet with your finger. The water would just explode out and soak you violently after only a few moments.

They could not leave him free to roam. No village could keep a secret indefinitely. They had a good cover going to explain the sightings after he had been reported dead, but that wouldn't be enough to fool the enemy for long with his chakra now broadcasting his existence like a new sun in the night sky.

That Energy was a beacon, and eventually cover up or no it would be noticed.

They had to hide him. If he didn't let them the whole city would fall.

She groaned and put her head in her hands. There was so very little she could do. She felt trapped, and it was suffocating. Naruto would feel that a thousand times over if she went through with it.

Jiraya was at the window, looking sullenly out. Frustration and anger was radiating off of him now. She wasn't completely sure who the anger was directed at, her or the world or at the enemy, but it didn't matter. It meant he wasn't in the mind set to help her think up a plan any more. She couldn't blame him, not now.

Team Seven had been his pride and joy. There was so little she could do to fix it for him, and even less he could do. It ate at them both.

"Jiraya I..." A knock at the door interrupted her. Not in the mood for others she straightened up and snarled, "Go away!"

The door swung open violently and Gai stood, eyes flashing, face dour. "Thank you for letting me in!"

"I didn't!" Blue eyes narrowed viciously. "I told you to go away." She snapped.

He blinked for a moment. "Forgive me, I thought you said..."

"Never mind." Jiraya rumbled crossly from behind her. "Say what you have to say then leave."

"Very well." Gai stepped in and straightened up.

"May I enter as well?" A second figure stepped into the door frame. Iruka was bowed slightly, causing his pony tail to flop lifelessly over his head, like a broken tail.

Tsunade sat straight up and sighed. "Yes, fine."

"Thank you." Iruka straightened up and then fussed with his disheveled hair.

"What do you both want?" Jiraya turned from the window and leaned against the desk with his arms folded tightly over his chest.

Gai spoke with out reserve or apology. "I would like to be temporarily assigned Hinata, Shino , and Kiba to my team, as well as my own students."

"That's not normally done." Iruka commented, looking only half interested.

"True. Reason?" Tsunade folded her own arms and glared up at the interruption standing before her.

Gai looked down, solidly, with out flinching under her gaze. "I have reason to suspect something is very much amiss with the Hyuga clan." He dropped his voice and added, "Neji has been violated by his uncle. I... I wish to..." He shuddered visibly and shook his head. "Forgive me, lord Hokage, this is a difficult matter to speak of, but it does concern Naruto."

Tsunade saw Iruka shift and give Gai a small, fleeting glare.

Jiraya straightened up and unfolded his arms. "Start from the beginning and try to simplify it." He jabbed a finger at the man and added, "With out crying."

"Very well." Gai nodded a little and tried to present him self calmly. "You know the events surrounding Neji?"

"We read your submitted report." Tsunade replied. "Also the reports from Hiashi, and from Ibiki." She folded her hands over her desk and remembered the chaotic, but strangely collaborative reports. "I know about these events." Ibiki would be starting his own investigation independently of the police force in a day or two. Tsunade wasn't sure she wanted to know what ever he would discver surounding Hiashi.

She had set him in a seat of supposed power on a whim in a moment of crisis, and now she was regretting the idea. Still, he had been chained down by sixteen years of paper work back log and miles and miles of old red-tape. If he really was serious about becoming the chief of police he'd have to sort that mess out before he could make any moves on his own.

It was a paper thin prison, and she hoped the Clan leader had what it took to break out with out burning the whole city down in the process.

"I am not sure I believe every thing you reported, Might Gai, but I am sure some thing unfortunate happened that I can not change."

"Then I will say this: I do not believe returning Hinata or Neji to the Hyuga house is safe for them. Not after what has happened."

Ibiki had been characteristically dry in reporting the facts, but an undercurrent of incredulity over the accusation by Gai on Inioichi had struck her as odd. Hiashi's report had been uncharacteristically vicious and she had chalked it up to the stress of the resent clan events and his new binding position. Between the two reports and Gai's she really didn't have enough information on the situation at the moment to evaluate what Gai was asking for: total access to the Hyuga students, so she turned to the one man who always seemed to have relevant information, she turned her attention to Iruka. "You have had a few encounters of your own over the years with Hiashi. What do you think?"

Iruka looked up dully and took a long moment to answer. "They would be safest with Might Gai until this can be sorted." He relied, flatly.

"Why?" She demanded, looking for the rock solid bottom line she could defend a decision against.

Iruka shifted where he was, strung out looking and disheveled. Then he dropped his eyes and lowered his voice just a little. "There are many reasons, I can not name them all..."

"Name one." She leaned forward and pined him with a gaze. "That's all I need."

Iruka glanced at Gai, who was staring back with such intensity that it looked as though he might combust. "Please, Sensei, if you can think of any thing, you may be saving our students lives. Naruto would want them safe." Tears formed in his dark eyes. "I can't let them come to harm by some one of our own village!"

Iruka rose to attention then, a little slowly. With a set jaw he turned to meet Tsunade's gaze. "Gai loves his students, Lord Hokage, Hiashi loves the out dated system his clan is oppressed by. I believe that endangers the future for the students, for the clan, and by larger part for the city it's self."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and gave Gai a cool look. "Your request is granted."

Gai very nearly wept, but Jiraya leaned forward and scowled him in to stoicism.

"Now you." She turned her full attention to Iruka, cutting off Konoha's green beast. "What do you want?"

The paper worker glanced around and shifted on his feet. "Naruto's house was vandalized." he said after moment.

Jiraya stiffened and bristled. ""What? What do you mean his house was Vandalized?"

"Trashed." Iruka's voice took on a darker, sharper tone. "Walls smashed, windows broken, his things are every where." He clenched a fist. "They wrote things on the walls. Horrible hateful things." Iruka ran a hand over his head and some of his hair snagged and pulled loose.

Gai looked aghast. "When did this happen?"

Iruka shook his head and closed his eyes. "In the short time between when we all thought he was dead, and when he returned."

"Where is he now?" Jiraya asked, his hands making twitching, crushing motions he didn't try to hide. "Is he OK?"

Iruka nodded. "Right now he is at Lady Shizune's house under the care of a clone. He's sleeping for now. When I found him..." For a moment Iruka closed his eyes. He swallowed hard and took a breath. "He was crying, and after that he was sick to his stomach."

Tsunade let this information sink in. It settled like a lead weight and added nothing to solving the problem before her. The hatred and anger in the city was mounting. Fear was doubling, and it would only get worse over time. If an enemy didn't kill Naruto then one of the villagers would.

"I.. I will go to repair the damage immediately!" Gai declared, then he struck a pose.

The apartment was just the beginning of the ruin that was coming their way, she could feel it. That damage would spread like an infection from an open wound.

"No!" Jiraya grabbed him. "We are trying to keep the fact that he is alive secret for now."

Feeling wholly buried under the weight of the situation she made her mind up. "I'm going to prepare a medical team and have Naruto sedated." She reached to open her desk up to gather the needed papers to write up the order. "We'll take him somewhere safe..."

"No!" Iruka slammed his palms down on her desk hard enough to crack the varnish. Startled she recoiled in her seat and drew a weapon on reflex. The look in the teacher's eyes was darkness, blue lined terror, and filled with deadly intent.

"Stand down!" She commanded, and held the blade warningly between them.

Iruka was blind to her weapon and growled low, "You'll kill him! I won't let you do this to him!"

"I am trying to save him!"

Silence filled the room for unfathomable moments. Iruka bristled and glared, and his fingers drew up into fists. "Don't you dare..."

Before he could finish Gai snatched him up and, gracelessly, tossed him into the nearest wall. Then, spinning on his heal, he bowed low before Tsunade. "Fogive him!" He was crying now. "A teacher's live for his students knows no bounds or rules!"

Tsunade glanced over at Iruka, who was trying to stand up again. Movement caught he attention from her side and she looked up. Jiraya was moving towards the paper worker, extending his hand to offer assistance back up. The older man looked almost as angry, but resigned too.

She let her weapon go and sank back into her seat, feeling hollowed out. "Then what?" She asked. "What do we do with him? He'll bring death to us all if we don't act quickly. Does he want that? His dream is to lead this city. He can't do that if it's filled with bones and ash!" Her throat burned with emotions she foung to keep in check.

Iruka took the hand offered to him and Jiraya pulled him up. More subdued, but not ready to back down yet, Iruka continued, "We can hide his chakra, or suppress it... something. Don't confine him. He can't..." Iruka shook his head and wrung his hands together. "He can't live like that."

"We can't just hide his energy." She argued. "Not with out hiding him too. We can't let people see him."

Gai straightened up from his bow. "What about a transformation? He can change into nearly anything. He can hide in plain sight."

Tsunade turned to give the man a dark look and started to argue with him, that it would take to much energy even for Naruto, and what would that help any way, but Iruka jumped in on the idea before she could protest.

"He could do it for a few hours. I know he has the energy needed to keep it up for a while just to escape confinement. He could do it."

"But he can't just wander around." Tsunade argued. "To hide that much chakra we'd need to create a barrier that is sealed. It would need to be maned by four or five people, changing shifts, round the clock. We would only risk it failing if we had to move it around constantly."

"He might stay still if we gave him some thing to do." Jiraya pondered for a moment, open again to trying. "If he thinks what he is doing will help him on his way to becoming Hokage he'll sit in one place and do training exercises over and over and over again for days on end. I've seen him stay in the same spot so long he killed the grass under him."

"That." Gai said with a frown, "Sounds like what civilians do when they get stuck on factory work. I wouldn't have thought Naruto to train stationary like that." He visibly shuddered.

Tsunade again reached for her office supplies. "I want his freedom as much as any one, as much as him, but I can't..."

"Raman shop." Iruka said sddely, distantly. "Ichiraku."

Tsunade and the other two men turned to look at him. "What?"

"Naruto does not want to endanger the city." Iruka looked up at her, his pony tail loose and falling in strands all around his face. A smile started to form under the frown of his scar. "It's perfect. He loves that place. The people there love him!"

Jiraya glanced at Tsunade, Tsunade glanced back silently questioning. "Can you elaborate?" She asked, daring to hope that maybe their might be an answer that could keep Naruto from becoming a prisoner against his will.

Iruka smiled a calm, flat smile and straightened up all the way. Thoguh he looked tierd he also looked like the world was coming around right again. "Naruto can change his appearance and work at the Ichiraku. He would spend several hours there every day, in virtually the same place, have plenty of work and interaction with people. It's challenging, working there, I've seen how hard it is. At the end of the day he can come stay with me."

"That could work." Jiraya looked at Tsunade with a little hope starting to show. "If it gives him enogh to do it could work."

"Civilian work?" Gai gazed around the room, something like disgust crossed his face. "For Naruto?"

Iruka tossed Gai a withering glare. "You would rather he be held in a drug induced coma?"

"No, but it's..." He wrinkled his nose, "there is no growth of spirit with out a goal. What goal can Naruto possibly reach for in a task that is the same day in and day out, with out any change? How can he be better tomorrow than he was the day before?"

"How about empathy towards the civilians in his city?" Iruka answered icily.

"He'll be alive and as free as we can allow him to be." Jiraya added. "I'm for trying this."

Iruka turned dark brown eyes on Tsunade. "Well?"

"What will his disguise be?" Tsunade folded her hands over her desk once more, prodding the plan, looking for holes. She pointedly ignored Gai, who was giving them all distrustful looks. "And won't it be strange for someone new to the city suddenly living with you and Shizune?"

Iruka mulled it over for only a moment. "Refugee. Naruto's cover story could be that his character is a refugee who was training to learn medicine, and now is recovering under Shizune's care."

"That seems a little high profile." Gai pointed out.

"Naruto could pose as a distant relative." Jiraya offered. "You did say she had family up north."

Tsunade nodded slowly. "Naruto would have to be invisible to the enemy the whole time. He would have to be good, expert, at this character. Does he have that ability in him?"

"Does he have a choice?" Iruka asked coolly. His eyes drew a sharp focus on Tsunade, as if daring her to defy him. As if pleading with her to help him.

Naruto did love the Raman shop he and Iruka ate at, and the old man and his daughter knew the blond and were a part of the small number of civilians who knew and trusted Naruto. On her order they would go along with this idea. They might even be accepting of the plan and willing to try and make it work.

Gai's point, while biased towards a shinobi life, was valid though. Naruto's drive to become Hokage was relentless, and he couldn't stay still if he thought he might be stagnating. The real question was would it be engaging enough to him to keep him from causing an incident?

She chewed on her thumb nail and stared through the three men in her office and at the image of Naruto with pigtails serving Raman to other people. People, she realized, who may talk about him and say horrible things in front of him. She knew he was used to that, at least.

A dayly grind with people he trusted, working like a common, normal, every day person. She wondered if he could pull it off.

He had just killed a legend. Could he really stand all day and ask people 'if they wanted a side with that'?

She really could not stomach the alliterative. Quietly, with a small nod, she acquiesced to Iruka's suggestion. "OK, lets try it."

The paper worker's demeanor shifted to something less ragged looking, more stable. It was at that moment Tsunade realized just how far from normal Iruka had looked these last few days. "Thank you." He said, and she saw he was genuinely glad for the decision.

Gai made a face, but kept his opinions to him self. She only took a moment's notice of him before addressing the Paper work Ninja. "Iruka, shower and sleep. You look like a corpse."

He looked him self over and started to fuss with his hair again.

"And send Shizune to me. We'll hammer out the details for the arraignments."

"Yes, Ma'am." He let his hair go and bowed.

She turned her attention to the other man. "Might Gai, I want you to assemble your new team and bring them here as soon as it is convenient for everyone. Dismissed."

Gai bowed to, and then both men left the room, satisfied for the most part.

When the door closed, and she was sure she and Jiraya were the only ones in the room, she leaned forward and folded her arms over her desk, then lowered her head down. Exhausted she let her self just rest on the new plan. It was risky, a gamble. She loved gambles.

For the first time in many days she smiled. "This could work."

A rough hand settled over her shoulder and started to rub. "I can't believe that just happened."

She almost giggled. "Believe it."

the last test set Osamu stood on the roof of one of the city's taller buildings and looked out. Shadowy figures moved along the roof tops, and whispers of human activity floated through every dark corner. Never the less he couldn't pinpoint one one human.

"Extraordinary." He adjusted his glasses. The city hidden in the leaves was a large, living thing, and it apeared to be only half asleep in the dark, waiting. A Lying dog of war, ready at an instant to fight.

A hiss and a pop brought his attention back to the sensor he had set up. It was sparking and smoking. Carefully he reached down and prodded it. It had burnt up from the inside out.

Worry settled into his features and he grabbed the radio. "Shou, come in, this is Osamu. Do you read me?"

Static hissed for a moment before Shou's voice filtered back out. "I hear ya. Have any news? Over."

"I do. I've only had the sensors set for a moment, and one has already over loaded. I can't be sure if this one was faulty, or if this is a recurrent pattern until I check the others. Still, if the equipment was working as it ought to then we are on the cusp of a situation that could be extraordinarily dangerous. Over." He gave the sensor a nudge with his foot. It had been designed to measure and record chakra equivalent to a hundred strong men, or in electrical terms ten dozen lighting bolts. The power needed to burn it up was extraordinary.

That sort of power could level a mountain.

"Class seven?" Shou asked, worry tinting his own voice. "Class eight? Over."

"I don't think I could quantify it." Osamu rubbed the bridge of his nose and took a breath. "I am going to check the other sensors to be sure. Out."

"All right. I'll let the fellas now. Out."

Osamu looked again out over the city and wondered what was so big it could contain that much power. This was no longer a question of if there would be malevolent manifestations, it was a question of when. And more frighteningly, a question of how big and how many. Any death now could be the spark to set off a powderkeg.

Iruka opened the door to Shisune's house and searched for Naruto. He was still curled up against Fuka, but looked much more relaxed.

"Any news?"

Iruka stepped in all the way, shut the door, and pulled the band keeping his hair in place out. Loose strands fell every where. He caught a look at him self in the mirror. He did look dead.

He felt dead.

"Some."

Fuka frowned a little. "Information on Kakashi?"

"Killing him will prove difficult, and we may have to take out Sakura and Might Gai as well. They are both determined to protect him." Iruka rubbed his face wearily.

"That can be arranged." Fuka ran his fingers through the messy blond hair. "What about Naruto?"

"He is to work at Ichiraku's under the cover of a chakra mask and disguised as a civilian." Exhausted Iruka felt joy at that and that only. Talking to Gai was a bad dream. Talking to Sakura seemed like it had happened a thousand years ago. They didn't exist any more. Memories of a reality he didn't belong to.

Only Naruto seemed to matter now. He stepped up to the couch and looked down at the child he loved. "We are to stay here under Shizune's care." Gently he stroked Naruto's cheak. "Tsunade wants her to report in right away so they can make the araingments."

Fuka looked up cooly, with a flat dry smile. His hair was all in place, and his cloths clean and straight. Iruka noticed he had on a different shirt. "I will pass the message on."

Iruka blinked, slowly, then felt something like fear. The killer of the Akastuki was smiling coldly up at him.

"Good work." The clone said. "I'm impressed. Even with out initiative you managed to get something done." He stroked Naruto's cheek. "Then again Naruto was always the energy you needed when you had nothing else." He looked up, a shark grinning over a limp fish free floating. "You did good, Iruka." He lifted his hands and formed a seal. "Release."

Iruka closed his eyes and felt his body evaporate. Then, once more, he found him self in the dark confines of Fuka's inner world. This time he didn't fight it. All he needed to know was that Naruto was safe and free, he could fight to free him self latter.

Fuka looked up at the mirror he had been alone with all evening. It had been just him and Naruto, with Shizune now and then, but a new image was there. He could see Iruka deflating, giving into the energy depletion of a body being split in to two entities. He'd recover now that he was tucked again into Fuka's mind, but it might take hours, or even days.

On the other hand Fuka felt stronger than ever.

Satisfied with how things had turned out Fuka shifted his focus to Naruto. The boy was squirming, waking slightly.

"'Ruka?" He blinked, ace tear streaked and red.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I was..." He glanced at the mirror once more. "Talking to my self. I won't do it again tonight."

Naruto nodded and went back to sleep.

Fuka sank into the couch, stroked the container to two demons and smiled. "Good night, Naruto."

...

Author's notes:

I've been planing this story for several years. This chapter... THIS chapter introduces some thing I've been wanting to do with the Naruto character for AGES! I worked in a Cafe, and when I would do dishes (Yay Dish Pit!) I would write this story in my head. It was during that time that I realized Naruto would need to lay low for a while while I did a few other things in this story, and thus was born the idea of him working at Ichiraku Raman. It was fun for me then to toy with the idea while I fought with the cutlery, And while I no longer work there the Idea is still a lot of fun for me! I can not WAIT to start in on the next part of Fox and Wolf for that reason.

While I am getting my passion back for writing this again, I will warn you that even though I don't have a "Job" at the moment, I am working hard almost every day to build up the youtube channel "DiamondDenizens". It's an all girl gaming channel that I am in charge of, and we play Minecraft mostly, with other little live action things on the side, and we do it all for charity. So if you are interested in hearing my real voice or seeing my ugly mug do go hunt the DiamondDenizens down and give it a look-see.

If not I'll always be here. Maybe not as much as we would all like, but I'll be here never the less. ^_^

I also am starting a story on Deviant art that is about a boy who will grow up to be a knight, and fight dragons. Only the first chapter is up, but if you search for TTSnim on Deviant art, you'll find my stuff there. I've also made a number of rambly journal posts about it where I admit that I drew a OT of inspiration for the story from Naruto as well as other stories and narratives.

Thanks again for all the kind words. They do inspire me to keep updating! 3