Yo, sorry I'm late to update, but you know, this old lady crossed the road in front of me, and I stopped to think just how independent the lady was, so I stood there for a few weeks thinking to myself.

Anyway, I decided, fuck the rules, and suck on my glow-in-the-dark Gibson EB-O 1961 Edition!. Yes, I have one of those…and it cost vey much…no, it's not actually glow in the dark.

Anyway, I'm not leaving so I guess you guys just gotta put up with my crappy story, oh well, what can ya do about it?

"When I signed up for the Jonin exams and passed them, I assumed I had to do...well, you know...Jonin shit? Leaping from trees and launching exploding kunai, chopping off heads and having legendary epic battles with S-rank nuke-nin..." sighed a jet black-haired shinobi, whose hair resembled that of Naruto's, he was maybe twenty years old, however.

"Well, maybe you should have stayed a Chunin, huh, Seigi? Because apparently you're too good of a shinobi to do this work...YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED A CHUNIN!" screamed a dark haired woman, in her early twenties, as she fixated her ruby-red eyes on the one known as Seigi, who scowled in response. He knew that she was even more stressed out then he was, due to having to lift dead bodies, who had their eyes removed...it was a copper-smelling, bloody mess...that did NOT mean he had to make it easy on her

"Sorry, miss princess, but I'm not somebody who likes to stoop down to do damn morgue jobs, when I had to face a bunch of damn Anbu for a stupid promotion...jeez, I don't even know why Minato-san listened to that Danzou prick...making me work my ass off just to last just a full minute against a four-man squad of Anbu..." he growled, feeling his eye twitch at the thought of what pain he had to deal with during his one-minute death match...Kurenai and Kakashi looked at him, before both raising their eyebrows in confusion.

"What Anbu squad?" asked Kurenai.

"Yeah, Sensei told us all we had to do was participate in a combat course, and be one of the Final Eight competitors in the Jonin exams..." added Kakashi, causing Seigi's eyes to twitch as realization hit him head-on.

"WHAT! You're tellling me I had to do all that shit for nothing! And all the while, misses tart there! Gets the easy way out!" he shouted, causing Kurenai to lash out at him fro calling her a tart.

"If you two are done whining and arguing like an old-married couple, I could use a hand over here" waved Kakashi, as he groaned, trying to pull two Uchiha bodies towards a scroll.

Oh K-Kami...what do they feed these people?

"Wuss...can't even pick up a d-...a d-de-...d-dea...d-d-de-dead...zombie!" yelled Seigi, as he grabbed Kurenai by her shoulders, whirling her in front of him, to use her as a human shield. The newly-promoted Jonin rolled her eyes as she looked on to the 'zombie' corpse, which seemed to be attempting to get up...wait...it was...m-moving?

"AIIIIIEEEE!" she shrieked, jumping up and latching her arms around Seigi's neck. Kakashi lifted an eyebrow, before walking over and flipping the corpse around, widening his eyes to find that the 'corpse' was actually alive, and healthy...not really.

"She's injured! Seigi! Kurenai! Get a medic! She's alive!" ordered Kakashi, as he began performing the only medical jutsu he knew... which only involved slowing down the amount of blood loss. He could tell it was a female Uchiha, although she looked no older then maybe twelve. Kurenai and Seigi instantly snapped into what they called 'military mode' and sprinted in seperate directions, already knowing each other's roles. Kurenai was the fastest-moving out of the three of them, so she would go alert the medics, and since Seigi was just a bit slower, he would let the Hokage know of the recent update.

There could be other Uchiha survivors that they did not know about.

...

Naruto sighed, as he sat down in an empty bench, just a few dozen meters from the main gate that lead away from Konoha. Here it was, a chance to start a life where nobody underestimated him, where he could hold the jealousy of others, instead of him being the one who would be jealous...the opportunity to become a true shinobi, without the thoughts of his family holding him back, to actually hinder his progress...

"You look bored, Naruto-kun" stated a purple haired woman, as she came and sat down next to the blonde. She could read a look of...confusion?...on the boy, although she couldn't tell what he was confused about. He turned to look at the ground, not knowing what he could do about it.

"...hey, Anko-san...I have a question..." whispered the blonde, trying to think of a way he could get the woman's help without actually drawing attention...

"Yeah, what is it? I'll be glad to help" smiled the Tokubetsu jonin, hoping to get her mind off the current news she had just heard...

"Okay...so suppose I like this...girl...but she ignores me for Na-...I mean, another guy...and there's a second girl, and she likes me, and even her Rai-...I mean, her dad likes me...and I may like that girl...what should I do?" he asked, biting his tongue twice as he almost let Narumi's name and the Raikage's title slip. He could have totally blown it right there.

"Well...if this 'girl' ignores you for another guy, then she's honestly not worth it...but, if you like that other girl and she likes you, and if her family is even supportive of you...then the choice is pretty obvious, plus...who knows, maybe that first girl will come crawling back to you" she smiled, completely oblivious to the fact she had just sealed Naruto's decision and fate.

"Oh...thanks, Anko-san! I gotta go! See ya!" grinned Naruto, as he shot up and ran away towards his house. Anko, who was just then getting a bad feeling about what she had answered, frowned.

"...did I just fuck something upp badly?..." she asked herself, as she sat alone.

In all truth and honesty...she already knew the answer.

"...damn...well, now to go to the Hokage-sama..." she shrugged, as she dug her hands into her pockets, taking a casual stride. No need to rush, if the future was most likely going to hold severe headache, why make it come sooner?

...

Narumi sighed as she sat in her couch reading a Kunoichi Fashion magazine, licking her lips each time she found a cute jacket or a nice pair of pants that she liked. As fun as reading a magazine was, it wasn't enough to make up for the disappointment that came when Kurenai-san told her she had to come home due to some urgent matter. Suddenly, her hopes rose up as she heard the front door open and close, and a blonde spiky-haired boy walk in. Ah, entertainment.

"Hey, what's up, gaki?" she grinned, as she tossed the magazine aside. She remembered once hearing Jiraiya call Naruto a gaki, and she decided to simply stick with that name...usually...

"...Naruto?" she asked, noticing a calm and quiet aura, something she wasn't used to with him. Usually, he almost emitted almost an impassive and irritated feel...something her parents were seemingly oblivious to, yet she could easily see. She chalked it down to jealousy, and at that moment, decided to tease him about it, although after a few years, he stopped reacting and even replying, so she quit. As she perked up, she could hear the rustling of clothes.

What is he doing?...

Finallly letting her Uzumaki curiosity get the best of her, she stood up and tip-toed upstairs, quietly sneaking just beside the doorway to her brother's room. The door to his closet was slid open, and he was hastily packing and shoving things into a his bag and item scroll.

Two pairs of shirts, jackets, boxers, pants, and a pair of ninja boots went to his bag. A large pile of kunai, shuriken, unused exploding tags, ramen cups, a few gallons of water, and some matchstick boxes went to the scroll...was he going camping? Could she come too?

"...dang...come on..I gotta get going before mom and dad get home...she said...and leave before...send the hunter nin after us" he groaned, finally shoving the item scroll into his bag, which he then slung over his shoulders.

Just then, Narumi could have sworn she felt a mental slap across leave a giant red hand imprint of her face.

He was running away!

"Naruto! Stop!" she screamed, suddenly losing her normally-relaxed demeanor. As she slammed the door open, she widened her eyes as she watched him leap out of the window, using a chakra enhanced kick to launch himself at a high speed. She quickly tried to follow him, but she only managed to stay a few feet behind him.

"Naruto! Wait! Where are you going!" she yelled, hoping he would hear her and answer her question. For now, all she could see was his blonde hair tussling in the wind, and the loud rustling of their father's jacket...wait, why had he taken his jacket?

"Don't follow me, Narumi!" he yelled, not acknowledging her question, knowing that anything he said could risk leaking out his intention to join Kumo. Narumi, however, refused to give up on her questions. She may not have ever openly admitted it, maybe not even to herself, but she found Naruto as an anchor to the real world, somebody who no matter what she did, would never truly accept her. He was the one person who let her know that the world was not perfect, that not everybody would bow down and listen to her. He was the one stain on her picture perfect world that she cherished, just for who he was and for the fact that he kept her away from a life of so-called 'Namikaze-Uzumaki' glamour. He was the reason she continued training with her Father, to show him that she wouldn't be some diva that expected to get what she never earned.

"No! I'm not going to stop, Naruto! Don't run away from this! Don't run away from our family!" she screamed, gradually catching up to him, inch by inch. She was still at least four feet behind him, however. As she began to take in his image, she quickly began to see just how much he resembled her father...his face...his hair...even his eyes, the once-sapphire blue eyes he had, the eyes that had an innocent twinkle to them...they now resembled her father's...just slightly cold, yet calm.

"I said get back!" shouted Naruto, aiming a palm at Narumi, who suddenly felt a gust of wind push her backwards, into a pile of bushes. She groaned as she sat back up, dusting off some twigs and leaves...her shirt was also cut and scratched...ruined.

"Damn it, and this was my favorite shirt..." she sighed, before remembering who she was after. Quickly leaping up, she landed on a small railing on the side of a house roof, before jumping again. She had to catch up to Naruto quick, and any shinobi who even wanted to become a genin, knew that even a single second was like an eternity to them...let alone the ten seconds she spent sitting up from the wind burst.

"Gotcha!" yelled the familiar voice of Naruto, as he flew from the corner of a building, dropping kicking Narumi to the hard packed dirt of the streets below. He would leave her a goodbye present, one that neither she, nor their family would ever forget.

...

He hated the rain, to be honest. It always made him go quiet and somber...and he HATED that! It always threw him off his groove, and it made him lose the rhythm and flow he relied on to write his lyrics.

"Bee-sensei...you're horrible at rhyming and rapping" sighed a dark haired boy next to him, causing him to look down.

"Omoi...shut ya trap boy, my swag ain't a thing which you can toy" he replied, as the boy named Omoi, raised an eyebrow.

"...that didn't even make sense...'which you can toy'?...you're going to force an image in which the world will stereotype 'rappers' as people who have neither respect, nor sufficient knowledge and maturity to properly employ common language in their own speech" answered Omoi, as Bee sweatdropped at his words. He couldn't have himself force a label of idiot-based IQ on all the rappers!"

"Fine!...but how can I fix these lyrics of mine?" he asked. Omoi held up two fingers, before looking at him lazily.

"One...don't rhyme constantly as it can, and will, send your creativity to waste...second of all, when you rhyme, make it come from within your mind and 'spirit' as those lyrics will strike a chord unlike any other you currently make, and thus will resonate within the ears and senses of others, like the sound of calm and serene ocean waves across a warm, sunny beach, while also rumbling with the roar of thunder" answered Omoi, who caused Bee to almost freeze.

"Yo...that was poetic, dude...it was cool..." he whispered. Omoi just shrugged.

"Eh...I wonder what they have for lunch in Konoha..."

Little did Omoi know, but Bee had already begun digging in himself for a rap that would truly define, not only his own soul, but that of another...but what? What could he write? His life? His mind, the things he went through?

...Was it right or wrong...to live and die as a shinobi, to grow up spilling blood all along...letting my innocence pass by, that I let my childhood die...and now I'm paranoid for every time I breathe...or was I addicted to the dark side...letting war and death ruin my life, where I could've grown up nice, but in the end I switched roles, all I ever did was dig a six foot hole...can I be forgiven for my sins, my damn scowl seems to scare little kids...and who was I to bid, my entire soul for a single fight...now my heart's darker then the pitch of night...do I give up or keep my head up high, pray to Kami that it'll end alright...

Without even realizing it himself, Killer Bee had just begun to write a song that would echo a growing ripple in the sand of time, and the sea of fate, creating a tsunami that not even the Rikkudu Sennin would believe.

...

They had been travelling for almost the entire day now, and Naruto was honestly surprised that his family hadn't sent an Anbu squad after them...but then again, he wasn't too shocked, either. They had never paid attention, nor had they even acknowledged him...so why start now? One less mouth to feed.

"You seem upset, kid" stated Karui, as she looked at him, as she set up a campfire. It had already grown to nighttime, and there was no way they could reach Kumogakure safely in the darkness. They would have to rest up, and maybe risk a few hours.

"Nothing...family issues...just some personal stuff..." he replied, looking at the ground. Karui nodded, remembering when she had heard Naruto's rant on how his family ignored him.

"So tell me, why do you want their attention? They've never given it to you before, so I figure they're not worth it...its like having a crush on a girl who never even talks to you, and believing she deserves more then one chance..." she asked. Naruto looked down at the ground, as he leapt past tree branch after tree branch.

"...its not their attention in specific I want...just to have somebody tell I did a good job...someone who will look at me and say that I'm Naruto Uzumaki, not 'the Yondaime Hokage's son' or 'Narumi's little brother'...I want to be my own person, and be drowning in my family's own damned shadow...even my mom casted her shadow over without gaining fame...she was the most beautiful woman in Konoha, and my dad was of course the 'sexiest' bachelor before he married, and now everybody expected me and Narumi to come looking like gods and godesses...they raised the bar so high for me, that even if I had the Sandaime's skills, they would only tell me 'do better'...and I hate it..."

Karui couldn't help but only stare at him, astounded at what he suffered, without actually suffering any physical or emotional pain...it was all mental...how the hell had he not snapped by now? And how fucked up was it, that she herself, expected a kid, not even a full genin yet, to have snapped already?...no kills, no torture, and already he was getting fed up with his own village. He needed a way to vent his emotions, otherwise he woulld eventually succumb to them all...and she hoped her suggestion wouldn't come back to haunt her.

"...rap about it, rap your emotions..." she sighed. Naruto turned to face her, utterly perplexed at her idea.

"...rap?..."

"Yeah, rap...it's a style of music writing...your form verses, by rhyming words, remember?...didn't I tell you before?" replied Karui, as she began to feel as if she had once before mentioned it. Naruto shrugged.

"I have no idea...so like...I make a line, rhyme it with the next, then keep doing it like that?"

Karui nodded, relieved he understood the main concept of it.

"Just rememebr to vary it a bit, so instead of making it all one main rhythm, your line rhyme with a variety of words" she added. Naruto took a deep breath, before looking forward again.

"Enough with all whining, pissing and the stupid bitching, I'm sick of the words being spit, the asses not lookin at me as a kid, branding me with high expectations, without looking at the limitations, or the family that put a road block, on my path and practically left me dropped...and that's all I got..." he said, finishing his quick verse. Karui couldn't see her own face, but she could swear it felt like her eyes were popping out and her jaw hitting each branch she leapt off of.

Here was a kid, who just a minute ago didn't know what rap was, yet, just now raps better then what Bee-san had ever done in all his life?...its wasn't right...not at all...

"So, where is this guy we're meeting up?" asked Naruto, as he felt his legs gradually growing numb and tired. Karui sighed, know why he was asking, she could read it in the amount of chakra he was focusing on his legs. She couldn't blame him, they were sprinting at full speed for almost a few hours now...at least, it felt like a few hours...how long had it actually been?

"Naruto! Don't you have a watch!" she yelled, noticing him slowly falling behind. She quickly lessened the chakra in her legs, so she could keep a steady pace to match the blonde's. He had stamina, almost as much as she did, but he was still only a newly made genin, nowhere near her three years of experience and physical progression. As Naruto pulled out a small pocket watch, he widened his eyes, shocked at the time.

"We've been running for almost six hours!" he exclaimed, suddenly smiling. Karui, on the other hand, stared at him.

"What?...what's so special about that?" she asked. Naruto grinned at her, before point his finger in an apparent south-western direction.

"We're closer to River country then anywhere else! We took the main gate, which originally lead north-east...but when me and you circled around, we came in reverse! At most, we're only another ten or so hours away from being out Konoha border limits!" he grinned. Karui simply stared back, before suddenly asking a question aloud.

"...HOW the fuck could you possibly know that?" she asked, causing Naruto to shrug.

"I don't know...I once tried to impress my dad with knowledge of the layout of all the countries, both major and minor...it was a failed mission from the start..." he sighed. Karui mentally cursed the blonde's family.

"So...we get to River Country, then what? That's the total opposite direction of where we're heading, Naruto...we were supposed to head northeast, not southwest" she added, before being surprised by a soft smile from the boy.

"That's easy, but also hard...we circle around Fire Country" he replied, causing Karui to deadpan at his answer.

"CIRCLE AROUND! Do you have any idea how many countries we'll have to cross and travel through! River country, then head westward to Wind country, possiblly stay at Sunagakure, then head northward, entering Rain Country, where we most likely risk being killed by Amegakure, then we have to go we west again, crossing Bird and Bear country, then go north, entering Earth Country, again risking not only being well within Iwagakure's jurisdiction, but also endangering OUR lives due to you being famous as Namikaze Minato's son! And if we do travel safely, even then, its not over, since we have to then cross Takigakure and Waterfall country, followed by Fang and then, the newly sprouted village Otogakure in Sound Country! Finally, we'll get to Claw country, with a short time in the former Whirpool country, and THEN will we be safe in Kumo's safety, by which it will have been well over a year!...actually...possibly even more, if anything goes wrong!" she screamed, at the top of her lungs. Covering his ears, Naruto smirked painfully, as he gave her his own opinion.

"Didn't think you'd be scared to travel with a cute kid like me...oh well, I'll let the other girls have me" he shrugged, as he turned back to his own direction and continued leaping away. Karui quickly scoffed at him, before following pursuit, quickly gaining speed.

"Wait up! Nobody ditches Karui, the future Queen and Godaime of Kumo!" she yelled, before hearing a loud laugh.

"Ha!"

Deep down in their soft, red, beating, highly vulnerable, and fragile hearts, they had a bad feeling about their decision.

After all, they could've just crossed from Rain into Grass Country and cut a third of the trip off the schedule.

...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NARUTO IS GONE!" roared Kushina, as she was held back and restrained by Tsunade, who was desperately trying her hardest to stop the young mother from maiming Seigi, Kakashi, and Kurenai, who were now slowly moving behind Minato, who was moving behind Jiraiya, who was...well...pissing on the side wall.

"What?" he asked, as he looked back onto the staring crowd, Kushina still bearing a pissed off and annoyed look on her face.

"...you just urinated on the wall..." growled Tsunade, as her eye began to twitch. Jiraiya, however, just shrugged and zipped up his pants.

"So?...the restroom is just too far away, and you can't expect an elderly man to make it that far"

"...your not elderly, bastard"

"SHUT UP!" shrieked Kushina, as she immediately began trying to claw at Kurenai, who 'eeped!' and jumped back in response. Seigi, on the other hand, lost control and jumped out the window, sending shard of glass flying everywhere, before Tsunade let Kushina go. The redhead didn't even hesitate a single second, before following Seigi out of the window, and onto the streets.

"So, where would Naruto be headed?" asked Jiraiya as he crossed his arms. Seigi's cries in pain could be heard, followed by Kushina's sounds of snarling rage...and the tearing of clothes and skin...followed by a random arm flying in the distance...quite a beautiful site, had it been Orochimaru watching.

"We don't know, that's the problem...usually kids leave these melodramatic good-bye notes, stating the reasons and motives behind their departure..." replied Tsunade. Jiraiya and Minato quickly looked back at her, before realizing something.

"When did you get here?" they asked in unison.

Suddenly there was a loud thump! and they all turned to see Seigi sprawled against the glass window behind Tsunade, before slowly sliding down, onto the street below, leaving a trail of drool and blood against the window. Not even a second later, Kushina came flying by, causing Seigi's screams of pain to commence once again. Tsunade ignored it, before turning back to the four other people in the room.

"About an hour ago, right after I was informed about the...Uchiha...matter...also when I found Narumi knocked out on the street...she said Naruto snuck from a side alley, while she was chasing him down, so he got away" she answered, as an awkward silence took the room. Minato soon cleared his throat, breaking said silence.

"So...how's Fugaku's family doing?..." he asked, causing Jiraiya to lowered his head, a dark cloud forming over them.

"...Minato...everybody is fine, except Itachi...he was seen beheading some of the Uchiha...he's being pursued by the entire Anbu force as we speak" whispered Jiraiya, causing everyone to grow silent once again.

"Nah! Just messing around!" he laughed, as he scratched his head, before flying threw the wall, as Tsunade fist clashed with his face.

"IDIOT!" she screamed, before turning to face Minato seriously.

"But really...there were rumors of a man with a orange mask that covered his face..." she added. Minato quickly scowled, before turning away, leaving behind Kakashi and Kurenai at the hands of Tsunade.

"I'll be back...until then, send these two home...and find all of Seigi's body parts..." he sighed, thankful of the man's experimental kekkei genkai.

As long as Kushina didn't rip his head off his torso, he can re-attach any body part and heal any scars...

"So the kid ran away, huh?" asked a soft and calm voice, as Minato closed the door behind him. He didn't even bother pausing as a hooded figure faded into appearence beside him, as he continued walking.

"Yes, Naruto-kun ran away...damn, and this isn't going to do anything good for my fatherhood confidence" he scowled. The figure smirked, as she followed the Hokage.

"You are a pretty crappy father figure, you know" she added, causing Minato to roll his eyes.

"So what do you want, last I heard, the infamous Mei Terumi was banished from Kirigakure for trying to start a rebellion against it's Mizukage" replied Minato, before suddenly stopping to face the her now. She had let her hood down to reveal a beautiful red-haired woman, no older looking then her mid-Twenties, despite her actually being in her early thirties.

"Easy, for the same deal I offer any potential client...you pay me, and my organization will do any service you require...except prostitution, you can use your own hands for that...but, in your case..."

"Find me Naruto Uzumaki, before anybody else, bring him here safely, unharmed, healthy, and willingly" he replied, not even bothering to hesitate a single word. Mei suddenly grew a serious look, before taking a deep breath.

"Fifteen thousand ryu, per week...and a twenty percent bonus ryu bonus for the completion" she stated, grinning back. Minato nodded, before tossing her a heavy small bag.

"Wh-urghh!...shit...you carry this much money around?" she gasped, as he lifted it up. Minato shrugged.

"Kushina and I's bank accounts are full, so we have to keep cash" he replied, making Mei scoff.

"Lucky bastard"

"Not really, otherwise Kushina would've shared me with you"

"In your dreams, you just happened to pick the wrong redhead, blondie"

"That's what Kushina said before our first date" winked Minato, causing Mei to blush, before he vanished in a yellow flash.

"...pervert..." sighed Mei, as she began to leave.

...

"I hate oatmeal" whined a red headed boy, as he crossed his arms with a pout, causing his older sister to twitch, as a vein began popping out in her forehead from stress.

"Just...eat it, little bro...do it for sweet older sis..." she begged, gritting her teeth together.

"No!" he cried, slamming his fists on the table as he began to throw a tantrum. The girl quickly threw the bowl into the air, as she began strangling the boy, causing his tongue to start waving in the air, almost as if she was shaking a ragdoll.

"Damn it, you cheeky bastard!" she cried, before pausing, still choking the boy.

Why am I doing this?...

"Aggh!...can't!...breathe!" gasped the boy, before the girl quickly punched him, knocking him out instantly.

"Just shut up...stupid kid..." she growled, standing up and walking away to the living room, where another boy was sleeping...allegedly...

"What's the matter with you?" he asked, paying note to her heavy footsteps. The girl groaned, before throwing herself onto the couch opposite of his.

"I hate babysitting him!...why can't I ever meet a normal guy?...somebody blonde, like me...always in a positive mood...understands my crappy daddy issues...that would always be there for me, not matter what the situation?" she sighed, before hearing a snicker.

"Heh...sure, and I'm just suddenly going to find this magical person roaming around in the desert in about a month, seeking a new path in life...ooh! ooh! And he'll have this friend, who's slowly beginning to understand him, helping him grow into a mature and formidablle shinobi legend!" laughed the boy across from her, before feeling a sharp pain shoot through his face as the girl swung a lamp at him. The girl sighed, before falling asleep.

If...only Gaara and Kankuro weren't...wasn't such a...spoiled...bitches...I'd leave...this town with them...and not leave them...here...sleeeeepppyyyy...

...

As Ei walked down the dirt road that lead away from the village of Konoha, he suddenly stopped.

"...Karui..." he whispered, before shrugging.

Oh, well, it's her mission, not mine...but she better get to Kumo before the end of next year...