Hey everybody, Blue here. It looks like yet another idea has sprung up in my head for no apparent reason so I might as well get it down while it's still there preferably before it starts to take up space. Go ahead and take a look at what I've got and we'll see how far this thing goes on for. Hope you guys like it, and I don't own anything from 'Naruto'. Enjoy!

"Iii" = speech

Iii = thought

Chapter 1: Dirt Path to Destiny

Walking down the road on a bright early summer day, a male figure moved at a leisurely pace that was as steady as it was casual. His faded blue yukata showed years of wear, same as the faded orange sash that held the flowing cloth in place, the ends fluttering lazily at his side like ribbons on a kite. His shoes, a pair of simple open toe sandals, were by far the best cared for items he had, having gotten them at a supply store less than two years prior. At his back was a simple rucksack that held all that he owned while an equally simple straw hat covered his hair and most of his face in shadow from the summer sun. At his hip, practically brand new but barely used was a katana, sheathed in a subtly noble navy red scabbard, its hilt guard shaped like a whirl of wind edged with flames. Having been walking for most of the day, the traveler wasn't as oblivious as his façade would lead most to believe. From under his hat, cerulean blue eyes glanced back and forth at the trees on either side of the road, sharp nose twitching at the various scents wafting through the air. On top of barely sensing many chakra signatures amidst said trees, all of which were skillfully concealed, Naruto Uzumaki was more than certain that he was being followed.

The young man, a healthy 24 year old of average size and a lithe form that deceptively hid untold amounts of strength, was certain his latest admirers were from the Hidden Leaf Village since they were the most likely. He'd wandered through the Fire Country for years, no differently than today but to have so many watching him was unusual. Any other person would've been oblivious to their presence, even the most skilled shinobi but not Naruto. Possibly due to the fact that Naruto wasn't human, accustomed to walking about in human form, so not just to go undetected but to observe his mortal neighbors. Most of the time was simply watching and learning so to avoid potentially dangerous misunderstandings. As of yet, Naruto had avoided trouble for close to fifteen years as he wandered the vast country, only going to the borders to speak with his fellow demon and friend Gaara of the Sand and sometimes Bee from the Cloud Village from the Lightning Country. If there were others, only they knew who they were and where. Which brought Naruto back to why a bunch of talented, albeit potentially, foolish shinobi were following him around. He had to admit he was curious but usually such things didn't bother him unless they decided to do something stupid. Like attacking him head on or sneaking up on him when they though he wasn't paying attention.

Sure enough, a figure dressed very much like a Leaf Village shinobi wandered into the road, plain as can be which Naruto couldn't decide was extremely bold or undoubtedly stupid of the man. Blue eyes flashed red for a moment from under the brim of the hat as his vision enhanced just enough to see who it was. Silver hair, possibly platinum blonde, stood up and to the side almost unnaturally over a face masked from the nose down and the left eye covered by his headband, the leaf symbol plain on the band of metal. His dull green jacket, with its many pockets, looked standard like the rest of his attire, all the way down to his open toe sandals and fingerless gloves. Though his expression, at least that he could see, and his stance were both casual and nonthreatening, as though the man was bored or tired. But the look in his single eye told another story: this man was deathly serious and ready for anything, calculating as best he could what to do should things come to blows. Willing to give this stranger a chance to have his say in things, Naruto didn't react and simply kept walking. His best advantage was to keep his charade going for as long as possible before pulling out all the stops to destroy his impending opponent. Though once he was at least close to ten feet away from the man did Naruto stop, tilting his head in confusion at him.

"You lost, friend?" he asked with a casual tone, light and friendly. He had to be cautious about what he said too.

The man's only eye curved as proof that he was smiling in turn, also speaking in a polite tone. "No, but I am looking for someone."

Naruto hesitated, frowning a little. Not even two minutes in and already a red flag? Just what is going on here? He thought before smirking kindly. "Oh? Sounds pretty serious if someone like you is out here lookin' for 'em, though I'm sure you've got the skills to find them easy enough. Who for? They're not missing I hope."

"No, not missing. Just a person of interest, that's all." The shinobi informed him, though smiling had begun to sound very serious.

But Naruto's own smile stuck as he chuckled despite being perplexed. "Person of interest? Now you're just confusing me, friend. Speak plain will ya?"

The man's voice lightened slightly in response. "I'm sorry, that's my fault. You see, we're looking for someone whose part of an organization called 'The Nine'." As he spoke, the smile had fallen, the shinobi watching his counterpart carefully for his reaction.

Almost instantly Naruto froze. Only a select number knew that name and as far as he knew, this man and his cohorts shouldn't be among them. Unless something happened…else a bunch of ninja wouldn't be cornering me in the middle of the woods. Naruto decided to keep testing the waters on the matter. "Huh? The hell kind of name is that? I think you're askin' the wrong person about those kinds of things. I've got no interest in all that shadow stuff. Better luck with the next fella who comes walkin' through here maybe."

Only the ninja's grim expression didn't change. "Don't mistake me sir, I'm certain I'm talking to the right person on this."

"Is that so?" Naruto retorted with a light snicker of amusement, the casual expression hiding his own awakening ire. The man before him had no idea he had walked into an almost literal minefield. "And if I did know something about these 'Nine' you speak of?"

"That would depend on what you say, or how cooperative you are. I'd hate to be rude to you, who's been polite so far." The shinobi said with as much cordiality as he could manage though his serious look didn't fade.

"You don't say…. Well then I have a question for you too."

The man blinked, maybe surprised but didn't deny him. "Please, ask."

His smile widening almost devilishly, Naruto reached up to thumb his hat back to reveal, if slightly, his blue eyes as they shimmered with power and intent. "What does nearly thirty, high level Leaf ninja, want from a random traveler like myself?"

The man's only eye widened a margin, appearing shocked to the core that Naruto had discovered his comrades so easily. All around him, he could sense the same feelings of shock and fear from those who surrounded him. Hmm something's definitely happened if even they're spooked. I need to get as much as I can from this one while it's still friendly. With that in mind, Naruto kept his smile casual and his voice civil. "Didn't mean to startle you there, friend. Just askin' a simple question, that's all."

Before him, the shinobi somehow managed to recover, shaking off his awe to resume their ever polite conversation. "R-right. Well if you must know sir, we've had reports from the Wind Country of a very powerful skirmish near the Sand Village that involved a man named Gaara. Do you know who that is?"

Naruto found himself feeling shock, blinking his surprise before nodding. "I do. He's a friend of mine. Someone's attacked him?"

"They have, and they were determined. Chased him all the way to the village too, before the shinobi guards and defense forces there drove the attackers off. Lucky for him he had family in the city to take him in. You though, from what I understand you have no one." the shinobi pointed out, though he wasn't the first. True Naruto had no real ties to anyone or any one place but that was one of the reasons he liked wandering about: there was no one but himself to worry about.

For the first time, Naruto had the sense to look thoughtful. "True, but the Hidden Leaf shinobi don't just show up for just a visit." Blue eyes still cast in shadow seemed to glare at the man before him. "You want something from me."

The shinobi nodded, not denying he was there for more than just conversation. "Yes, or rather for you to do something: come with us."

Once again surprised, Naruto stared for a moment. "Come again?"

"The Hokage has ordered we offer you sanctuary in the Leaf Village, to prevent your capture of death to this unknown enemy." The shinobi said, polite though now perfectly serious as he spoke. His lone eye had become hard as stone as well.

Naruto didn't move or speak, his mind already ablaze with calculations. "I sense a catch."

Reluctantly, the shinobi nodded once more. "Just one: you won't be allowed to leave until the threat has ended, should you choose to leave at all." When Naruto didn't respond he quickly added. "You can accept or refuse at any time. We were told to give you at least three days to consider granted you didn't try to kill us first."

"So I see. Well since you and your friends aren't dead, just three days?" Naruto asked casually, almost flippant about openly threatening the many shinobi surrounding him outright. In their hiding spots, he could sense another wave of uneasiness at his words.

"Three days, two nights. Plenty of time." The shinobi stated, about to bow politely and turn away as he said. "Good day."

Naruto raised a hand, stopping him. "A moment."

"Sir?" he asked, pausing in his retreat from the road.

For a moment, Naruto almost couldn't think of what to say. "Your Hokage… is honestly interested in the welfare of me and the rest of the Nine?"

The man's response was as honest as it was genuine. "She is, as are the rest of the villages. This is an international collaboration. You think I'd lie to you?"

"If you were, your pulse would betray you and you'd be dead." Naruto deadpanned, the man's nervous gulp almost audible but the blonde ignored it. "But that's beside the point. I'm not about to kill a man because I hear something I don't like. But I'm more than willing to kill the men dumb enough to try and attack my friend."

"Am I to assume your answer is yes?" the shinobi asked, suddenly sounding hopeful.

Instead Naruto shook his head, but didn't deny the man an answer. Their conversation had been going quite well that the demon felt comfortable with simply telling him. "That can be decided when I hear it all from the Hokage herself, no less. Even if you aren't lying to me, I could still be walking into a trap after all."

The shinobi considered this, nodding slowly as he mulled over the blonde's words. "How cautious of you. That's wise. In that case, my friends and I are more than willing to accompany you there, for your safety should more than just are watching you."

"There aren't. If they were, I'd have killed them by now." Naruto stated bluntly, giving the one eyed ninja another polite smile. "Send all but five of your most trusted men back ahead of us. The less of us there are, the less likely we're to be noticed. Send some to act as a forward guard if you like. Makes no difference to me."

"Interesting tactic. Again, most wise of you sir. We shall kindly consider your advice."

Consider my ass, you'll do it anyway. Mostly because it's what you were going to do once I agreed, it at all, to whatever it is that you're actually offering me. At least there won't be so many of them anymore. Naruto thought absently as he sensed the various signatures shift and move, near all of them converging on their commander on the road while others hung back to cover the vast open spaces between them and Naruto. Whether it was to protect him or keep him from escaping mattered little as he saw the motley group of shinobi huddle together. If he enhanced his hearing he'd be able to tell what they were saying but he figured that keeping things friendly would be best. No point in spooking a bunch of free bodyguards into wetting themselves. Eventually they broke off, all but six, including the silver haired man, remained while the rest moved away and out of Naruto's range. Of the collection was a straight faced man with dark eyes, short brown hair and a face guard covering the sides of his face, also wearing just a vest and simple shinobi garb. Naruto knew just by looking at him that something was off about him, no matter how natural he looked. Next to him was a man as young as Naruto whose face may as well have been a mask, his short black hair falling to the side, his clothes black but strange as his top only came to the middle of his ribcage and he had want looked like a short blade scabbard tied to his back. What's more, his eyes of pure ebony were disturbingly open, yet empty of true emotion in a fashion that made Naruto ill.

Luckily the rest of the group seemed a bit more human: a woman in red with pink hair and kind green eyes, the various packs she had suggesting she was the medic of the group. With her was a man with brown hair, bronzed skin, dark eyes with narrow irises and red fang tattoos just under each eye while dressed all in leather. Next to him was a large white dog that was bigger than any Naruto had seen before, which only told him it must be a familiar to the man if it was so large and with a shinobi no less. Finally, the last of the group was in fact another woman, but everything about her seemed to be in contrast to the first one. Where the first was strong and confident, this one was shy, possibly nervous. Long cream jacket over dark pants, equally long purple hair set with pale skin and opaque pastel purple eyes, the girl looked like a mouse rather than a ninja. Taking them all in, Naruto was certain the large dog made seven, not the five plus the negotiator as he'd advised. But knowing that certain clans required animal familiars for their techniques, Naruto wasn't about to argue. Still from under the brim of his hat, Naruto smiled at his small triumph.

Kakashi Hatake knew that they'd gotten off easy, almost too easy, with speaking to the demon before them. He half expected the fox youkai to lash out as soon as he opened his mouth, much less walked onto the road to block his way. But instead, the man had acted like any other human did, kind and friendly until their conversation turned serious, his face ever hidden by his straw hat. The most Kakashi was able to see was the man's mouth, which always seemed to be stretched wide in a smile. Never angry, never threatening, and certainly not upset at the fact they'd been watching him for close to a week. Only when their full number had appeared did Kakashi dare approach their target, knowing that if anything went wrong, maybe any one of his friends would get a hit in before they went down. Now they had an even more difficult task ahead: getting their guest to the village without delay and preferably without getting ambushed or killed. Looking to his comrades, Kakashi let his voice fall low and serious. "Okay everyone, this mission is a go. Does everyone know their tasks?"

Their team medic and the Hokage's student Sakura Haruno waved a gloved hand to get the older man's attention. "Yes Kakashi-sensei but I have a question."

"Yes Sakura-chan?" the jounin asked, giving his former student a casual look. The young woman had come a long ways in the years since he'd taught her as a genin but now she was a strong ninja worthy of his respect.

Sakura's green eyes turned to the figure in blue, standing almost too casually some few feet away, having turned away to follow the path of a small vibrantly yellow butterfly with what she could only guess to be absent-minded boredom. Turning back to her superior, Sakura couldn't help but look perplexed. "Why did he ask for just a small group of us? Did he know we were going that route if he agreed to come with us?"

Kakashi nodded, knowing where she was coming from. "Possibly but it's hard to say with this guy. Even after years of tailing him, we know next to nothing about him and his fellow demons. But if he's as valuable to the enemy as we believe, than having him with us is much better than having him with them. For now, we have a job to do no matter how odd it is. If he wasn't important, none of this would've happen."

"I get that but see the Hokage before actually agreeing? Something's off here." Kiba Inuzuka said in his usual annoyed grumble, the large white dog next to him Akamaru let out a bark of agreement with his partner.

Again Kakashi nodded, remaining serious. "He's just being cautious, like we are. And if he does try anything, at least we'll know his intentions and hopefully stop him. We can't risk him disagreeing and vanishing where we can't help him."

"Yes but why does he matter? Isn't he just some demon?" the leather wearing ninja muttered, his inhuman eyes scanning the mystery man some feet away same as Sakura had, who continued to ignore them in favor of the butterfly.

"He's not just any demon Kiba. He's one of the few demons to be able to wield one of the demon swords."

Wide eyed, the man's mouth fell open to reveal his sharp canines as he glanced between his superior and their charge in shock. "Those crazy things? Is that what that weapon is?" he asked, taking in that their new companion did indeed have a sword, the weapon very unassuming which one could believe was the point.

"Probably but it wouldn't be too far from the realms of possibilities. That means he's not just strong, he's talented. And if the Leaf Village can prove that it's willing to ally with such as him, maybe the Demon Fox Clan will consider it an olive branch of sorts." Kakashi paused to let the tidbit of information to sink in a moment before he kept talking. "Especially when we help one of their number out a nasty bind. Plus he wants to know who's hunting him and his friend. We could at least help him in that regard."

"I suppose. He's been friendly at the very least." Hinata Hyuga, the only other female member of their group besides Sakura, managed to say in her typical nervous whisper. As strong and talented as the girl was, Kakashi had to wonder when she'd start acting more outgoing.

Still he focused on the matter at hand, also taking the time to look at the man with a curious stare. "He has, which is surprising even to me, though depending on what we do would seem to determine just how long. Kitsune of any kind are known tricksters so if he's faking even I can't tell. We'll just have to do our jobs and hope it doesn't blow up in our faces."

At that, Kiba rolled his eyes in frustration. "Great so he's a demon and a talented liar. That eases my mind, thanks for that."

"No one said this would be easy Kiba." Kakashi retorted, knowing the younger ninja was just expressing himself and meant nothing by it. Having gone on missions with the man before, he knew what to expect from him.

Standing across from him, the only person yet to speak was their latest addition and a former member of the fallen intelligence group known as Root. Calm and ever smiling that fake smile of his, Sai gave his fellow ninja a reassuring look. "He's right Kiba-kun. Perhaps you should consider staying on guard instead, should he try anything."

"Yeah I'll get right on that Sai. In the meantime, why don't you drop that creepy smile of yours? You're weirdin' me out here." Kiba retorted, his face twisting into a light scowl.

Oblivious as ever, Sai just kept smiling. "Creepy? In what way?"

Kiba didn't speak for a moment, knowing that such things were beyond the other man, due in no small part with his upbringing. "Never mind."

"Are we almost ready?" a new voice inquired from amidst them, surprising them to find it was the man in blue who had somehow come up to them without being noticed. Even Akamaru seemed surprised by the man's sudden closeness. Not seeming all that bothered by their distress, he instead handed a pair of straw hats similar to his own to Hinata and Sakura. "It's quite hot today and we're losing daylight. Also I imagine this much sun won't do well for the two ladies in our party."

Still surprised, the two women gratefully took the proffered hats, Sakura the first to find her voice. "How thoughtful of you, these will be a welcome relief thank you."

"If I may, where did these hats come from?" Sai asked, casual but appearing to scowl a bit suspiciously at their companion.

His face still hidden by his own headgear, the man in blue responded lazily. "Hm? Oh I made those ages ago, as extras. Keep them if you like, I can always make more later on." He said before pointing to the road ahead, where he'd been going from the start. "This way then shinobi-san?"

Snapping out of his stupor, Kakashi had the mind to remain calm and business-like though he too was unnerved by the man's uncanny ability. "Uh yes, and its Kakashi, Kakashi Hatake."

The man in blue remained silent for a moment before smiling wide, white teeth gleaming in the summer sun, a pair of sharp canines hard to ignore as he spoke in his ever polite tone. "I thought you looked familiar. The famous Copy-Nin himself and in the flesh. Never thought I'd ever meet you. Guess it's my lucky day! Well Hatake-san, shall we be off?"

"Yes, we shall. This way… many pardons but what was your name?" Kakashi asked, eyeing the man carefully. To be so close to a demon was rare, but to be a potential friend to one was as rare as it was unheard of. Still the man smiled, once again tipping his hat up with a thumb to reveal a youthful face, sun-kissed skin, sky blue eyes and three matching whisker scars on each cheek while tufts of blonde hair poked from under the straw of the hat.

Gazing at them with the most casual expression so far, he stated. "Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki."

Lying in a hospital bed wasn't Gaara's idea of a good way of spending his day, staring at the ceiling with his light green eyes as birds outside the window chirped loud and joyful. What's more, his only siblings had insisted he come to Konoha for medical treatment since his own village of Sunagakure couldn't treat his injuries as much as they would've liked. They would've sent Tsunade's student and protégé Sakura but she was already away on a mission to look for his friend and fellow demon, Naruto. Using a majority of his own demon healing abilities had been taxing but what was left was beyond what he could fix himself. So now, there he was, in a Konoha hospital while his only, older brother Kankuro lounged in a visitor's chair working on a puppet while his oldest sibling and only sister Temari had vanished to get more water. He'd been dozing off and on for most of the day, since he rarely slept at all, or at least he had been until his brother's infernal tinkering started to destroy his ability to rest his mind. Normally he would glare and tell him to knock it off but Gaara decided against it. It was bad enough his only family was worried about him not to mention his father, the Kazekage had been beside himself when he heard what had befallen his youngest son. Upon discovering just how badly wounded he was, his father immediately petitioned help from Konoha and a mass dispatch to the other ninja villages that something was amiss. Only a few answered but Konoha was by far the most receptive to the news of someone on the hunt for demon clan members.

"They tried to kill my son!" his father had raged, pacing to and fro in the hospital room by Gaara's bed. Though his children watched and listened, their teacher Baki, a tall man with wide shoulders, a big nose and sun-kissed skin with a cloth covering his left eye, was the real recipient of the man's words. The jounin had no choice but to stand and listen to his village leader rant on in his fury. "Yes, I know he's the only one of demon descent but that matters little. He and his siblings are all I have left of his mother and I'll be damned if some up and coming hunter thinks targeting him is a wise choice."

"What shall we do Kazekage-sama? Our men are already searching but even I doubt they'll find anything." Baki managed to say when the man finally paused for breath. By the bed, Kankuro and Temari had shared hard looks while Gaara listened in silence.

Gripped by his anger, the Fourth Kazekage whirled on the jounin, dark eyes glaring at the man as he spat. "Then keep looking! I want to know who these people are and what they intend. And while you're at it, arrange for a team to take Gaara to the Hidden Leaf. I'm well aware our own medics don't know enough to help him but Tsunade-hime's medical skills are renowned even to me. See to it he gets there safely."

"Yes my lord."

"We'll find out who's behind this Gaara, I promise. I may not show it sometimes but you and your siblings are very important to me. Never were you of any less value to me than the village is. As your leader I must chose the village, but as your father…I will always choose you. Temari, Kankuro, I'm depending on you to get your brother to safety, preferably until this whole affair is resolved. And should we fail, that is where I hope you three will succeed."

That was nearly five days ago, and after extensive examinations and surgeries, Gaara could only lie in bed and wait. He was still healing and now the lack of activity was starting to drag at him, knowing his only brother didn't know he was awake. But once a particularly loud squeak from a screw being fastened back into place came across a pitch too high, he couldn't take much more. So using his soft, disused voice he called out. "Would you stop that? You're making it hard to sleep."

From his corner opposite the bed, Kankuro jumped in his chair, nearly dropping the tiny screwdriver in his large hand as his gazed snapped up towards him. Black fabric rustled as the brunette stood up, his face clean of paint for once as he came over to the bed with concern all over his features. "Gaara! Sorry bud, didn't mean to disturb ya. All the magazines in here are over a month old and damn near everything on TV is crap. You hungry, thirsty at all?"

"Water will be fine." Gaara managed to say past his dry throat. Of the three siblings, Gaara was the only one to inherit their father's red hair and the only one to inherit their mother's demon powers. Her only, and last, gift to him before her passing as they saw it.

Above him, Kankuro nodded, his lips pursed by a pronounced frown. "Yeah Temari went to get some more from the fountain a while ago. Do I need to get the nurse?"

Gaara let his head roll about lazily, desperately tired though now his mind and body wouldn't let him. "No, I'm fine."

"Alright, if you say so. Maybe find somethin' to read that's actually more recent." His brother continued to grumble.

His smooth features shifted slightly as Gaara frowned back at his older sibling, his tired voice a bit louder in emphasis. "I said I'm fine."

"Okay, okay! Just thought I'd put it out there." Kankuro exclaimed with a laugh, his hands up in surrender before falling silent. Eventually another frown was on Kankuro's face as he gave his younger brother an honestly concerned look. "You look better."

"I feel horrible." Gaara admitted, rolling his eyes at his brother's growing smile.

"Yeah, invasive surgery and top shelf meds will do that." Kankuro watched his sibling a moment, his smile curious and full of sympathy. "Want to sit up?"

After a few seconds of thinking, Gaara finally nodded. "Yeah, can't sleep anyway."

Smiling a little wider, Kankuro leaned to the side of the bed and adjusted it so the younger man was almost fully upright just as Temari came walking in with a water jug. Surprised at the scene before her, Temari blinked her dark eyes, her sandy blonde hair rustled a bit by the wind coming through the open window. "Gaara you're up! I just got some water. Did you want some?"

"He does, I already asked him. Where did the cup go?" Kankuro answered before Gaara could respond, a bit too quickly and Gaara suspected, to keep him from using his dry throat too much after just waking up.

A smile managed to spread across Temari's face as she pointed it out on the opposite side of the bed, already moving toward it, jug in hand. "I've got it." she didn't hesitate to pour the water in, set the jug down and hold the cup for her youngest brother. Even when Gaara reached for it with a hand, Temari kept hold of it so he wouldn't drop it, helping him guide the plastic cup to his lips. "Here, drink it slowly."

Gaara nodded, doing as he was bid as another voice called from the still open door, a young woman in a nurse uniform with a cart with food trays on it. Kind and smiling at the trio the woman pushed the cart inside as she spoke. "Sabaku-sama? It's time for lunch."

Kankuro's reaction was as quick as it was typical, the brunette practically jumping at the fresh, proportioned food as though it would disappear. "Oh finally! Food! Thought I'd have to get something from the machine down the hall!"

"Kankuro!" Temari called out, but he ignored her as he gleefully took one of the trays and sat back down in his visitor's chair. Letting out a sigh, the blonde girl smiled back at the nurse as she moved to help. "Thanks let me help you."

"Oh thank you ma'am." The nurse, a small woman with light brown hair and almost matching brown eyes, handed Temari one of the remaining trays before looking at Gaara who was finishing his water. "So how's our patient today?"

"Sore, tired, the usual." The redhead stated lazily, letting Temari trade the cup for the tray with him.

Smiling a little wider, the nurse appeared pleased with his response. "All perfectly normal, especially for one as healthy as you but be sure to call on one of us should your condition change. I'll be back for the trays." She said, smiling as she left, the cart going with her before shutting the door.

"Thanks." Temari called after her before sitting down with her own tray. "Eat up Gaara. Naruto will get mad if you don't."

"I know." The youngest Sabaku sibling muttered as he too dug into the tray of food he'd been given. But in the back of his mind, Gaara couldn't help but worry. Whoever had nearly defeated him were possibly just as strong as his friend and leader Naruto. If that was true…. I hope he gets here soon. Hopefully before he becomes a target too. He thought as he took a bite of the sandwich, unsure of how he thought about peanut butter. After a moment, he decided he liked it, even the odd purple jelly that came paired with it. As he took another bite of the half sandwich, Gaara glanced between his two siblings, the pair oblivious of his scrutiny. If his attackers did return for him, he'd do what he could to keep them out of the fight that was his and his alone. Though his only real hope, in spite of it all, was that they survived, even if he didn't.

Well that was a little longer than I'd anticipated but at least I got it all in here. Again I hope everyone likes this and tunes in as it develops. Yeah, yeah I know I have plenty of other stories to keep my attention but I couldn't help it! It just popped up without warning as a 'what if' kind of thing. Anyway, I'll just move on to our next order of business:

Next:

Chapter 2: Meeting at the Leaf

Upon hearing his friend Gaara has been injured in a fight with mysterious attackers, Naruto hurries with a small group of shinobi to learn what has really happened and what the Hidden Leaf really wants from him. As he does, dark forces to intercept and possibly kill him in the hope of obtaining his legendary sword and maybe his powers along with it. Only the power of a mysterious group known simply as 'The Nine' can hope to stop what creeps along the horizon in:

Chapter 2: Meeting at the Leaf!