Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't have screwed him like that. It's gotta be tough as the main character and the comedy relief.

Goraikou Senpuu - The Retrieval Mission was a success but in the end, he still lost. Because of a severely beaten Sasuke, Naruto is exiled from Konoha. But just because he is banished from Konoha, doesn't mean that he won't stop protecting them. (Naruto x Harem)

Chapter 1 – Exile

Much of Konoha's ninja populace waited anxiously at the village gates for the Sasuke Retrieval Squad to return. Most wished Sasuke's safety. Some wished for the whole team to be safe. Few wished for Naruto to return alive. Many of these thoughts varied but for Naruto, the only thing that mattered was to keep his promise to Sakura, more so alive then dead. Then he could see the looks on every doubter's face at the fact the bane of Konoha has defeated the genius, Uchiha Sasuke. That would be nice.

What many people didn't know about Naruto was that he was very intelligent. He knew that with his status, he could not afford to look as smart as he was because of the reasoning that a smart demon, was a dangerous demon. And even then, that didn't always work.

"Coming from the ones who can't tell the difference of the container and the contained, let alone a human and a guardian. Naruto thought as he coughed up blood and continued his agonizing journey to Konoha. Yes, the infamous, "Bijuu", were guardians, not demons.

"Careful kit. That gaping hole is a serious injury, so watch how you move your body." Kyuubi advised.

"It would be easier if I didn't have my teammate on my back." Naruto strained out in his mind.

"Teammate? He wanted to kill you for his own gain! You should have never moved your Rasengan from his heart!" The Ninetails growled angrily.

Naruto smiled a bit and calmly stated, "I had a promise to keep."

"But I don't want you to die in the process, kit." The fox spoke softly.

The kitsune's host was touched. "Aww, you do care." He thought with a small smile, becoming happy that the beast was concerned for him.

The guardian grinned mischievously. "Of course I do. I don't wanna die yet."

The golden-haired boy's face contorted into a deadpanned look. "Should have known." He thought back dryly.

"Love you too, kit." Chirped Kyuubi, ending the conversation.

As Naruto felt the guardian's presence fade from his mind, the village gates start to come into his line of vision.

The Kyuubi jinchuuriki panted as he paused, fighting his aching body to continue moving. "Come on…we're...almost there!" Naruto said, motivating himself. He felt his consciousness slipping as he pushed himself harder to reach the gates of Konoha. As soon as he saw Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sakura, he smiled before coughing up more blood, the pain becoming unbearable as it knocked him unconscious.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Tsunade, going in to medic mode. She quickly looked at Sasuke and started analyzing him.

"Many deep cuts on his sides, chakra burns, chakra exhaustion, left hand is near fried, and a bit of head trauma." The Hokage whispered to herself. Then she looked at Naruto and examined his current state.

"Open wounds, burns, chakra exhaustion, chakra burns, and a hole in his right lung. Much blood is lost and his pulse…"The Hokage place her fingers against his neck, feeling the blood pumps coming slower by a small margin. Her hazel eyes widened in shock. "He's fading slowly! Kakashi! Carry Sasuke and follow me to the hospital!" She ordered while gently picking up Naruto, running to the hospital at full speed. With Kakashi following suit, they both were on their way to the medical facility.

"Dammit!" Kakashi thought heatedly to himself. "Naruto... If I wouldn't have taught him the Chidori, you wouldn't be in this condition!" Regret began to shine in the silver-haired jounin's uncovered eye. "My dealings with you and Sakura were wrong. I...I favored Sasuke because I saw myself in him." Kakashi looked at his jinchuuriki student as he was being carried by the Hokage. "I swear I'll make this up to you. No matter what it takes."

Meanwhile, Sakura was conflicted with worry. "Sasuke-kun..." She thought, running to the hospital. Her jade eyes narrowed, grimacing as she thought about her other teammate. "Naruto...why did you try to kill him?" She whispered bitterly to herself. "You know I love him..." She ran to the hospital, praying that Sasuke would be alright.

As the pink-haired genin ran to the hospital, an ANBU with a neko mask was following the Hokage and the former ANBU captain to the hospital.

"Don't you dare die, Naruto-kun..." The masked kunoichi thought in concern. She knew the golden-haired boy from the missions of trying to capture him whenever he did a large scale prank, which happened quite often when he was at the academy. The woman knew that it was an act and as time passed, she grew inquisitive of the boy, desiring to know more about him. Wanting to sedate that curiosity, she followed him one night.

Flashback

After training for five hours straight, he tiredly went to the Hokage Monument and just sat down, staring at the full moon. By this time, she was already beyond impressed from his training. "He's more skilled than what he shows." The ANBU thought, silently landing a few feet away from the golden-haired child.

As she moved to get closer Naruto asked softly, "Is there something you want?" He turned his head at her with melancholy eyes.

"I was just curious about you." She said simply. Naruto looked at the masked kunoichi briefly, unsure if her reason was a genuine.

Brushing her off, he chuckled and said, "Why? I'm the "demon brat" that everyone seems so fond of thinking." The purple-haired woman looked at the Kyuubi container calmly, understanding that he did not believe her.

"Some of your actions just seemed to be...forced." The neko woman replied in a gentle tone, catching the blond's attention.

Silence reigned for a moment. "So you wanted to get to know me for yourself?" The jinchuuriki asked with surprise and well-hidden hope. The prospect of this woman that could be a potential friend had given the blond boy a bit of spirit, longing to have another person he could talk to...maybe even cherish.

The kunoichi giggled quietly to herself. "Yeah. Why not? If we have questions, just go to the source."

Naruto's eyes lit up a bit. "Well then, fire away Neko-chan."

The ANBU moved and took a seat next to him, taking in the lunar shine of the illuminating planet above them. "Why do you do the things that you do?" The Ninetails' host closed his eyes not wanting to show the emotions that swirled in them.

He gave her a foxlike grin. "Because I'm awesome like that!" The ANBU shook her head, stopping the orange-clad male.

"That's what I'm talking about. You smile and move like everything is alright, but it isn't." Naruto became calmer, more distant, making the elite kunoichi give him all of her attention.

"I hear the whispers." The child started. "I know the village treats me differently from everyone else. I tried to figure it out." His blue eyes gazed upon the night sky. "Some nights I can't sleep. The question forever running in my mind...is there something wrong with me? Do they know something about myself that I'm unaware of?" Anger flashed across his face. "If so, why won't they tell me instead of criticizing me and calling me all these absurd names! At least have the nerve to say it to my face!"

The cat operative looked at the whiskered-cheek boy, sympathetic that he had been pushed that far. The fox's jailer continued, "It began to eat at me. But one day, I just decided to let it go." The woman stared at the him, beckoning the child to explain. "I quit trying to understand them because they won't take the time to understand me. So I decided to smile, trying to find the positive side of things. I smile to show that I'm stronger than their words. That I'm unfazed by their hate. That...I'm not alone like they think I am..." A smile of resignation formed on the jinchuuriki's face.

The purple-haired ANBU allowed a softer expression on her masked visage. "Don't you have a friend that you can go to?" Naruto sighed and began swinging his legs from the ledge.

"I do, but he has to tend to everyone and I don't want to be a bother..."

The kunoichi looked back at the lunar planet above them before she asked, "Who is he?"

The blond child's gave a serene smile. "Hiruzen-jiji, the Hokage."

The female ninja couldn't help herself as she giggled from the name. "Doesn't he get mad when you call him that?" She asked. The blue-eyed boy turned his gaze to her, grinning foxily.

"Sometimes, but that's okay." The golden-haired boy moved on to the next question, calmly looking at the woman's mask. "So, anymore questions?" The shinobi held her gaze with the child.

"Are you always this trusting?"

The masked woman heard a small laugh escape the jinchuuriki's lips. "No. You're just different." He answered with a amused expression.

A small smile graced her hidden features as she tilted her head towards him. "How so?" The female ANBU asked curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well, when you chase after me after I do a prank, you try, but you show no hostility. In fact, I think you enjoy it sometimes." He answered. The purple-haired woman thanked Kami for a mask to hide her shocked face.

"So what's your name?" Naruto asked looking back at the moon. The woman quietly laughed, bemused of the boy beside her.

"I cannot tell you that. Not while I'm in uniform, anyway." She replied.

He smiled and said, "Figures..." His azure eyes gleamed in curiosity. "Can I see what you look like then? I'm sure you're really pretty..." He said as he leaned closer to her.

The question and compliment caught her off-guard, a light blush painting her cheeks, not that he could see it anyway. She grinned to herself as she replied teasingly, "You're cute, but not that cute."

Naruto's cheeks gave a rosy hue from the compliment before giving her a brilliant grin. "Cute enough to get your attention, right?"

A melodious laugh emitted from the violet-haired woman. The Kyuubi jinchuuriki's flirting was refreshing to her, finding it a pleasure that someone had a silver tongue with their word. Naruto's face flushed, finding the ANBU kunoichi's laughter enjoyable and pleasurable to his ears.

Finally finished, she replied, "I suppose you're right, Naruto..." She giggled a little more before she continued. "I'll show you my face once and I'll tell you my name but must not tell anyone. Understand?"

Naruto grinned as he gave a thumbs up. "You have my word!" He said enthusiastically.

Smiling, she nodded and pulled off her mask, thus showing her face. Dark perceptive eyes illuminated under the moon with her small nose and soft, supple lips. Her soft skin tone was enhanced by the lunar planet's shine, making her look angelic yet deadly.

Naruto was mesmerized and made sure to engrave her face in his head. "Beautiful..." He whispered in admiration. She gave the village pariah a beautiful smile and slowly moved her lips by his ear.

"My name is Uzuki Yuugao, Naruto-kun. Remember it." She whispered.

Naruto graced her a genuine smile and replied, "Believe I will, Moonflower-chan."

She smiled softly and stood back up to put her mask back on, turning away to adjust the identity protecting object. When she turned to wave her goodbye, he was already gone.

"Definitely more skilled than what he shows." She said quietly to herself. Yuugao stayed for a few moments longer before she made a decision within herself. "You won't alone anymore, Naruto." The elite shinobi looked at the sky before she too disappeared into the night.

Flashback End

Ever since that night, they began to grow close to each other.

"Naruto-kun..." Yuugao thought in worry as she continued to run towards the hospital with Tsunade and Kakashi.

Timeskip - Two weeks later

Naruto had all of his valuables as he walked in the dead of night. "So you're leaving without saying your farewells to your friends?" asked Kyuubi.

"Yeah…I don't want my friends to feel bad for me. And I can't bear with the fact that the council finally got their wish." The container thought bitterly.

"After finally healing up, they gave me a three days to say goodbye, but with the way it has been lately, I rather not." said Naruto as he thought on how Sakura just ignored him ever since he came back from that mission.

"Besides..." He started, his eyes glazed in melancholy as he smiled in resignation. "No one would miss me."

At this, Kyuubi went silent in remorse, ending the discussion. The wind blew lightly as Naruto let a sorrow-filled tear drop. He began walking into the darkness, not to be seen or heard from in the years to come.

A/N: Alright! My first chapter is done here. I hope you enjoyed this cause I sure did!

More will be explained in the next chapter.

Suggestions are open and please review!