Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and if I did, I'd probably run the whole thing to the ground, especially with my lazy outlook and laid back attitude x.x

The Remnants of War

Summary: Post-Fourth Shinobi War. The Shinobi Alliance was ultimately victories in their struggle against the Akatsuki-led forces, but at what cost? Watch as Naruto Uzumaki, pariah-turned-hero, struggle with the ghosts of his past and possible demons of the future. Is he able to let go and embrace what is to come, or will he simply be consume in a cycle of never-ending pain and regret...

Ages:

Naruto Uzumaki- 21

Yakumo Kurama- 24

Hanabi Hyuga- 16

I'm not certain about the age difference between Naruto and Yakumo, and Narutopedia does not specify an age. I'm assuming it's a 3 year difference, as when we meet the Kurama Heir in Part 1, Naruto was about 12 years old, so a 15 year old Yakumo does not seem out of context.

Authors Note: Was pretty miffed that the anime brought such Genjutsu Talent in the form of the Kurama Bloodline into the series, only to forsake it...Well, this is to (partly) rectify that :) Please check out "Yakumo Kurama" on Narutopedia if you are not familiar with her.

Please Read: I do not follow the manga, and I was about 10 episodes out-of-date with the anime when I wrote this. The first scene is practically my summed up version of the Fourth Shinobi War so please don't flame (if you know you're going to, please refrain from reading on 0.o), and rested assured, it's practically only the first scene :)

Chapter One

"Konoha Chunin contestants Karui Aburame, Hanabi Hyuga and Akira Haragashi, please come forth to receive your Chunin Attire and accompanying Documents!" announced the proctor of the very first Chunin exam hosted at Iwagakure No Sato, just a year after the devastating Fourth Shinobi War. Due to the death of the Third Tsuchikage, the Fouth had his hands full familiarising with the needs and demands of his new post. Furthermore, he also has to deal with the added work from the recent war. Determined not to appear weak after their loss, the new Tsuchikage had personally requested the honour of hosting the exams, and the other Kages, glad for the reduced paperwork, gladly agreed to his proposition.

The desperate war effort against the Akatsuki had came to a definite end only a year ago. Each battle fought was a desperate bid of skill, power and untold amounts of blind luck. The Shinobi Alliance were hard pressed, even with good ninja who readily gave their lives for the sake of not only the Ninja World, but the Elemental Nations as a whole. Tobi, in a last ditch effort, had released a monstrous jutsu fueled by seven of the nine Biju, effectively taking out more than half the advancing forces that were to root him out once and for all.

Needless to say, the masked juggernaut had greatly rued his disposal of Kabuto Yakushi, mainly before prying all the secretes of the Edo Tensei. The former medical-nin had taken extreme caution in preserving "Lord Orochimaru's secretes", and even with that unpredictable space-time jutsu of his, Tobi was ultimately unsuccessful. The snake-like man was brought to a bloody end at the height of Tobi's upcoming victory. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, the slippery serpent had somehow unlocked a way to sabotaged the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, much to his incredibility and rage. Kabuto did so in an effort to prolong the war effort and sought a way to spew up his own reign of chaos, seemingly enjoying the death and bloodshed. By doing so, he had no doubt foiled Tobi's master plan. Sending seven Chakra Monsters on a rampage within the Grand Akatsuki Hideout itself... It effectively took out all White-Zetsu reserves that were being bred. A game-changer, indeed.

According to gathered Intel, the white army had numbered another 100, 000- a force that would have surely crushed the faltering Alliance. It was after that blessèd miracle did Ninja and Samurai gain an adequate amount of time to recuperate and regroup. With Tobi dealing with the traitorous, or not so traitorous Kabuto, as well as seven of the nine Legendary Beasts, it was sufficient to say that everything came crashing down around his shoulders. What Katubo had hoped to achieve in addition to bringing further confusion to the war was never known, and probably never will.

Finally, after terrible losses from the massive Tailed Beast Bomb that had completely blocked out the sun, Twenty Thousand ninja charged with the final blow had been roughly decimated to Seven Thousand in number. With Naruto Uzumaki and Kirabi leading the charge, the remnants of each army had clashed in an epic battle of blood, gore and vengeance.

Or so Hanabi had heard.

While almost every single ninja of chunin rank and above fought in the front-lines, fresh out of the academy genin like Hanabi, and genin in general, were left to defend the village. While Konoha herself had not come under attack, Kumo and Suna were not so privileged. During the first year, the Village Hidden in the Clouds had almost been razed to the ground, very much like Konoha had been after Pein's Invasion. The reasoning behind the attack was to flush out and capture the two remaining Jinchuriki, both residing within the perimeter of the village. It was also said to be the incident that lead Naruto Uzumaki and Kirabi into the war effort. Suna, on the other hand, had to suffer a month's time of siege. Their natural graphical advantage, as well as Lord Kazekage's Ultimate Defense, had been able to hold off horde after horde of suicidal attacks that would have surely crushed any other village. Lord Gaara's mastery over sand easily granted him the title, 'God of the Desert ', and as a result from their past encounter with Deidara of Akatsuki, Suna had also taken time and effort to muster the most impeccable anti-air in the the whole land. The boast was effectively put to the test, and needless to say, not a single life form roamed the skies of Suna during that time.

How the Akatsuki were able to mysteriously to transport an army of that proportion and size underground, across half the Elemental Continent, as well as through a damn whole desert without detection remained a mystery in itself. It was a blessing that the Kazekage himself was settling domestic affairs within the village or it would surely have fallen within the first few days of the attack.

In the end, it was Kakashi Hatake and his company's timely arrival that had lifted the siege a day before the exhaustion of the (stored) water supply. The situation was in such a complete rut that before Kabuto had staged his coup d'état, the Kages themselves were in heavy debate, regarding whether or not to send mere genin to bolster front-line forces. Oonoki, the late Third Tsuchikage, also renowned as Oonoki the Fence-Sitter, had argued bitterly that genin of each village had not participated in Chunin Promotion Exams in two years, and even the laziest of them were sure to be low chunin level by now. Had that pivotal incident with Kabuto not taken place, Hanabi was sure to have seen blood already- lots and lots of it. As it was, Hanabi and her team, occasionally with their Jonin Sensei, had undertaken many C-rank, B-rank, and even a couple A-ranks missions in the later days of war.

Desperate needs had called for desperate measures, and even though genin were mostly charged with guarding supply routes and defence of the village- C and even B-ranks, the promising ones were dispatched for higher ranking tasks. With all the prominent ninja so preoccupied with the war, field promotions were far and few in between. The Hidden Leaf itself had even prohibited such promotions, stating that it was far too dangerous for inexperienced chunins running amuck amid all the commotion.

As a result, the lavender eyed genin- now chunin, was withheld from the more… uglier and gruesome side of war. Most, if not all genin teams of Konoha were ordered to stay at at least 50 kilometers away from large-scale battles- those that could turn pretty ugly, pretty fast. Sure, she had participated in minor skirmishes, but nothing that could cut down more than 10, 000 ninja in one sickening blow... Even the indestructible Hyuuga Main House Technique, Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, rumoured to be tougher and sturdier than Lord Kazekage's Ultimate Defense, was unable to save the countless Hyuga lost on that fateful day. However, Kaiten is a Main House Technique and Hanabi also knew that the few Main House members that had participated in the assault mostly perished in the forthcoming mêlée, not the opening march. Now, as it is, the ruling house of the Hyuga Clan was basically reduced to Hanabi, her father, and a couple of elders who had not ventured outside village exterior for who knows how long. Not that there were many to begin with, for even before the war, the Main House only numbered around 20 members, vastly insignificant compared to the much more numerous Branch House.

Nevertheless, it had taken a full year for the Villages to collect their remaining strength and begin hosting Chunnin Selection Exams once again. The newer generation were starting to grow a bit restless and each and every village strives to regain some of its lost power. But one precious thing war had brought was unity, and despite its substantial price tag, the Shinobi World did seem a friendlier place, though admittedly sadder. No longer do Iwa-nin harbor intense hatred for Konoha, nor does Kiri ninja distrust Iwa. For a time, the flames of war were dulled, but one would never know when it might rear its ugly head and once again consume the World in utter and complete chaos.

That was something Hanabi was determined to oppose, for the war had left the young Hyuuga a genin of 12 to an jonin level shinobi at the blooming age of 16. While not a genius on the level of her late cousin Neji, who had perished in the final assault along with Hinata, she was still considered a prodigy. The sudden memories of her former brother-like figure and kind, delicate sister immediately resulted in a searing ache in her chest. A flash of pain instantly passed across her flawless face, only to be replaced by an impassive façade of nonchalance and apathy; it slipped away as quickly as it came, for time had dulled the hurt, the agony, the pain, but the magnitude of sorrow and regret were far too great for a mere child of sixteen to bear, even after a full year of lamentation.

'I am a Hyuga', she forcefully thought, 'one to become Clan Head. I will not betray the trust installed in me by Hinata and Neji. Grieving will have to wait. Father is in need of me.'

With new-found determination, the kunoichi known as Hanabi Hyuuga, Heiress of the Legendary Hyuga Clan, went forth amid a crowd of cheering and laughter; the child sobbing painfully in a cold, forsaken corner completely banished, never to rear her tear streaked face until a time that would call for her once again.

XXXX

Six Months Later

Tsunade Senju, Godaime Hokage of Konokagakure No Sato, and last of the Legendary Three Sannin, contemplated her next crucial decision as she rested in the welcoming embrace of her Hokage seat. Hanabi Hyuuga, newly promoted jounin and one of her most talented ninja, was tasked with a diplomacy mission to the still-rebuilding Kumogakure no Sato. While under normal circumstances, such a mission would not have resulted in such a migraine, but as it is right now, tension between villages may seem low, and even to the point of non-existent, but experience dictates that all it would take is one false move for it to come crashing down on everyone's shoulders.

While sending Hanabi to Kumo may seem foolhardy, the Godaime wanted to continue building ties between the Hidden Cloud and Leaf, and what better way to show ones sincerity than sending a Main Branch Hyuuga? And the Heiress to boot. But that was where the crux of the problem lay. Hiashi, while in agreement of the plan, was desperately protective of his only remaining family member. While the Clan Head went to extreme lengths to mask it, the loss of his eldest daughter and nephew had hit him hard- harder than anyone would have thought. Many of the Hyuuga noticed too, for whenever leaving Hanabi's side, a slight flicker of pain would flash across the man's otherwise impassive visage; rumour had it that he was even engaging his daughter at light conversation at the dinner table; ones that did not involve politics and life of a shinobi. It was a great pity that those changes came at such hefty prices.

Not surprisingly, Hiashi had, in the literal sense, put his foot down regarding protection that was to be provided to Hanabi. While the Fourth Raikage was a honourable, albeit rash man, he did not retain his old man's passion for gathering bloodlines. Unfortunately, one could not say the same for any remnants of the Third Raikage's reign. While duty-bound and powerful, A's father had a fetish for collecting Kekkei Genkai, constantly gathering them to strengthen the military might of Kumo. Despite that quirk and its obvious consequences, Tsunade had somewhat respected the man, even up to his heroic death at the hands of Ten Thousand Shinobi. The Kage had fought for three days and nights, and eventually perished due to the ungodly number wounds he suffered, all to ensure the safety of his comrades. Truly, a man to be remembered.

Back on track, the Godaime needed to send guards strong enough to ensure the Heiress's safety while at the same time not arise suspicion of her, and Hiashi's, minor concern.

Who to dispatch...

Suddenly experiencing an epiphany, Tsunade sprang to her feet. She would send them, she realised, and maybe she could hit two birds with one stone! The presence of such powerful figures may result in some minor alarm in the rebuilding village, but it was insignificant. She was absolutely positive it would all work out neatly and perfectly in the end, or so she hopped.

XXXX

Two Weeks Later

As Naruto and his ANBU squad crossed the borders into Fire Country, they were immediately assaulted by a minor genjutsu. This particular genjutsu was nothing if not ordinary, for all it did was confound the target, or target's, sense of direction. The Sly Mind Affect Technique itself is an E-rank supplementary jutsu, which causes the victim(s) to travel around endlessly in circles, but in the hands of a master, it can deceive even A-rank ninja.

No, what troubled Naruto was the technique that was sure to follow. The Blonde ANBU Captain, who also held the capacity of Deputy-Commander of said organisation, only knew of three Genjutsu Users in Konoha that utilised the subtle art to such an extent to actually initiate their attack with it, especially on a fully equipped ANBU squad. The crazy thing was that two of them were currently in ANBU itself! Who would dare attack the Hokage's personal forces in Konoha held territory, not so long after the war?

"Commander, my kikaichu detect a triple layered illusion currently assaulting our senses, and one hostile unknown roughly 50 meters east," supplied the Owl Masked Agent on Naruto's right.

Cursing his luck, Naruto issued his command. "Owl, protect us as we break free. Tiger, stall him."

"Hai," they chorused.

After a minute of futile struggle, Naruto cursed. Quickly drawing upon half a tail's worth of Kyuubi chakra, the ANBU Captain unleashed it all in a searing torrent of pain and anguish. Wincing, the Blonde immediately surveyed his surroundings. He, unsurprisingly, found his team in a different part of the forest than they were a second ago, and before long, an explosion was heard to his left.

Creating two shadow clones to watch over Owl and his remaining teammate, Naruto quickly rushed to the site of action, or rather, lack-of. There, dishing out precise jukken strikes to the cold, chilling air stood ANBU squad member Tiger. The Hyuuga was thoroughly engaging an illusionary enemy with, dare he say it, barely controlled gusto! Different tones of maniacal laughter was emitted from the masked man as his voice rang throughout the clearing. The worrying thing was that actual bruises began appearing on the ANBU's body... There was probably only one genjutsu user in the whole Elemental Country that was capable of such a feat. To trap a Hyuga in a genjutsu and induce a personality shift? There was absolutely no doubt.

Shaking his head, Naruto called out to the darkness, "Yakumo, show yourself, and drop whatever it is you're doing to my subordinate this instant!"

Before he had even finished his little speech, a women with a dove mask in one hand, donned in standard ANBU attire, virtually materialised before him. "But what fun is that, Naruto-senpai? Your ANBU companion is clearly enjoying himself as he spars with a vastly superior opponent, brutally witnessing the might of a true jukken expert!" she finished with flourish, a coy smile plastered across her face.

With long brown hair and light brown eyes, the lithe woman before him carried a look of utter and pure innocence. One may have even mistaken her for a civilian had they not sensed the aura of strength and confidence she radiated. It was only during the third and last year of the war did Naruto have the pleasure of being reacquainted with her, and needless to say, it came as a complete shock. No longer stood the weak, frail and feeble little girl that had sought vengeance and retribution. Instead, a women who had found her ultimate place in the world had stood in her place. Despite her physical weakness, her drive, her passion, and her determination to become the best had, like Lee, brought her further than any would dare dream of accomplishing.

But one thing everyone had not foresaw was with the growth of her skills and abilities, so grew her unique and sadistic personality. Some may even relate her quirks to being trained by Kurenai Yuhi and the mother of all things morbid, Anko Mitarashi herself! But no- Naruto knew it was all her. The way she expertly utilised her seemingly harmless outer appearance to such efficiency- it frightened even to the ANBU Commander himself. Naruto's ultimate theory was that this was Yakumo Kurama, the real Kurama Heiress, for without the influence of Ido, the monster who had been generated within the girl's mind, her personality was able to flourish without hindrance. And if memory served, the Yakumo roughly 9 years ago was also in possessed of a killer sadistic streak...

However, there were times when her actual sanity was in question, and our blonde hero couldn't help but wonder whether overcoming her inner demon may had resulted in the Heiress unintentionally gaining a more wilder and darker side; it was a clearly plausible explanation... But regardless, she was probably one of his closest friends after the war, and seeing her dominating nature in action did, though he hated to admit it, turn him on somewhat.

Mentally cursing his slight machosistic tendencies and subsequently placing the blame on Tsunade and Co, Naruto forcefully focused his attention back to the situation at hand. "You forget. I am fully authorised to install any measures of punishment to any member of ANBU. In addition, a report of this incident will be filed to the Hokage herself!"

Licking her lips seductively, the coy women replied, "I'm certain Naruto-senpai would personally perform those penalties himself," she ended with a wink, practically purring "and I'm absolutely positive that Hokage-sama is... too grossly enthralled with her new stash of Mount Myoboku sake, which is rumoured to be the richest in terms of taste and strength, to squander her precious time going through petty, little complaints." In short, she bribed the damn Hokage! Guess being able to materialise whatever one so desired with a flick of a brush did come in pretty handy... Dropping the subject at hand, Naruto continued sarcastically, "And I assume Baa-chan has such an insanely important task for us that it cannot wait a single day so I can freshen up aft-"

"Don't act like that Naruto-senpai," she interrupted while giggling, "you're a glutton for big, bad missions and everyone knows it!".

Smiling slightly beneath his mask, Naruto brushed the comment off with a casual wave of his hand. Shaking his head, the man thanked Kami for sending Yakumo to him. With so much lost to the world, Naruto treasured those that were precious to him even more than before, if that was humanly possible, and he had no doubt the past year would have literally been Hell had the constantly cheerful woman not brightened his days with her deadly, but vastly amusing antics.

Within a flash, the members of his ANBU squad appeared by his side, with Tiger seemingly glaring holes at their newest addition. Sighing, Naruto quickly scanned through the document sent by Lady Tsunade, and immediately stiffened as he reviewed the mission requirements. Seeing the blonde's inner turmoil, Yakumo, without missing a single beat, issued commands in his stead. " Under direct orders of the Hokage, senpai and I are to commence with our new mission. You three are to continue your way back to the Hidden Leaf, and during this time period, Tiger is appointed temporary captain of the squad."

Quickly snapping out of it, Naruto gave them a curt nod, confirming her orders. Without a word, all three ANBU departed in a gust of leaves or a burst of smoke, leaving the Kurama Heiress and Jinchuriki alone in the clearing. Gazing into the night sky, the Deputy-Commander of Konoha's so called "Shadow Elites" contemplated his next move. While the mission itself was classified A-rank, with a very slight potential of progressing into S-rank, it was the client herself that came as a shock. Creating a shadow clone to confront the Hokage in his stead, the blonde ninja refocused his attention to his long-term partner. "Any suggestions?"

"Our mission requires us to rendezvous at the boarders of The Land of Fire and The Land of Hot Water in three days. The journey itself will only take two, so time for rest and recuperation can easily be factorised. There is a town nearby and I have already reserved two rooms for us."

Smiling despite himself, the blonde unsealed a coat to cover his ANBU attire, and also motioned Yakumo to do the same. It would only do more harm than good pouncing into a civilian town dressed as they were. Naruto had learnt on his first mission as ANBU that people tend to act uneasy in the presence of such highly ranked officers. In truth, it wasn't really the cloths they wore that set people on the edge, but rather the seemingly omnipotent authority they represented. No one wanted to mess with the Hokage.

Giving him another one of her innocent smiles, his companion, in a blink of an eye, dropped her standard ANBU garb, only for it to be replaced by an elegant dress with an intricate design that hugged her in all the right places. Giving him a "come get me" gesture, accompanied by a playful wink, the infuriating woman leapt away in the direction of the town. Surprisingly, still moving with the grace of a ninja despite the hindrance provided by the dress.

Sighing, Naruto quickly followed suit, already dreading the mission that is to come.

And that's it folks! Tell me what you think!

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Thanks in advance :)