' ' Naruto thinking/speaking with Kyuubi
' ' ' ' Kyuubi speaking
" " normal speaking

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True Self, New Self

Chapter one: Changes.

I don't want to open my eyes, I'm dead, there's no doubt about that. I knew I'd die when I jumped in front of that attack, I knew I wouldn't survive it, but I had to protect the old man, I had to save him, at least I had to save him. I knew that even if I died the old man would be safe, this was the final attack of our opponent, after performing it, he would surely die. I smiled at that, the last thing I saw before darkness consumed me was his body falling to the ground, life had obviously fled his flesh, knowing he'd be food for the worms, just like me, I brought a nice souvenir with me to the after life.

Now that I say life, it makes me remember mine. A lot had happened, the time changes people, and I'm not an exception. Don't give me that look, I never was as dumb as I acted, it was exactly that, an act, but it was difficult to pull up, since I started traveling with the old man I had to act like a cheerful, idiotic, loud blond all the time, and it wore me out, only kamisama knows how I hated acting like him. When I was home it was easier, I did my little act when I was out, finally being able to be myself between the walls of my apartment. After a year of traveling, I gave up on trying to keep pretending, and just acted like myself. It's not like the old man would try to kill me if he knew anyway, not like the villagers, if they knew that the demon-boy was actually smart, and not the stupid, prankster moron I acted like, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself being killed in my sleep.

It was a matter of survival, to appear as harmless as possible to them, if with my mask they kept beating me up as a child, who would have known what they could do if I revealed my true self to them.

The old man took my change of attitude well, he said that he liked the quiet, serious me better than my other annoying self. He actually started training me more, and slowly we became friends, well it seemed more like a father-son relationship to the people of the villages we visited in our travels. And everything was fine for some months, since people didn't know who I was, must of them were nice to me, even some of the other sannins we encountered in our travels decided to teach me some of their jutsus, the old man's popularity helping a lot too. It seemed that my true self was more charming than I ever thought could be.

I knew that Akatsuki tried to extract Shukaku out of Gaara, but since I knew that the sand master could perfectly take care of himself, I didn't go to help him. And indeed the Akatsuki failed to abduct Gaara, and their forces where a little bit reduced, I heard that one was caught in his desert coffin, I almost feel pity for that fellow, to be stupid enough to attack Sabaku no Gaara, in the middle of a desert!.

Then I heard that Orochimaru tried to attack Akatsuki, I was on my way to take Sasuke back, after all three years had passed and it was time for the snake bastard to change his body, but thankfully the Akatsuki won the battle and Orochimaru was forced to take another body, giving me and my friends more time to get stronger in order to defeat him and take the brunette back.

Two years had passed since then, and the third was just a month apart from starting. It was then when we were ambushed at the forest. We were both too tired, after a long day of intensive training together, we were outnumbered, but we still managed to whip almost all of them out, all except that one that decided to take at least one of us to the grave with him, and it was better to be me, than the old man.

And what about my dream? you may ask. I know I said that I would never die before full filing it, but I'm realistic too, the chances of achieving it are very slim, even if Gaara could, Konoha is different than Suna. And what about Sasuke? I'm sure that Sakura and Kakashi won't give up in trying to bring him back, the last word from Konoha we had was that Sakura is doing very well on her training, and now she's like a mini-Tsunade. If Sakura is half as strong as her teacher, I have no doubts that she'll eventually succeed in bringing him back, even if it is beaten half way to death.

There's something wrong, I can hear things around me. Is there really life after death? I can smell things too, I can feel the grass under me and the wind that caresses my skin. I'm dead right? So how can I be sensing things? I notice something else too, my senses, they are sharper now, way sharper.

I don't want to open my eyes, but eventually I do, I must know what's happening.

Everything looks different, but yet it is the same. The things around me look better, the colors brighter. It's like I'm seeing things with completely different eyes. There are trees above me. I feel someone looking at me, the scent is familiar, wait did I say the scent?. I look to my side, where the scent comes from, it's Jiraiya.

Now if I'm dead and Jiraiya is here, it must mean that he died too, but he didn't. So that means, that I didn't die after all.

I sit down, I didn't realize I was lying down to begin with, not until I opened my eyes. My body feels different, very different. I look at Jiraiya with questioning eyes. He only shakes his head and hands me something, it's a mirror. I lift an eye brown, why does he want me to look myself in the mirror? He looks at me expectantly, so I give in and look. What I see shocks me.

Crimson eyes with slitted pupils looks back at me, wide with shock. My jaw drops open and between my parted lips and can clearly see long, pointy fangs, the pearly white of them, as the rest of my teeth, shocking me further, they are impossibly white, inhumanly white. White... like my skin, it had lost the tan it always had, now it is pale, not an unhealthy pale, more like, Hyuuga pale, yeah that's it. I need to recover my old skin color, at least a little bit, I decide.

My attention now drooped to the hand that was holding the mirror, my nails look like claws now, not that I'm complaining. Something fell in front of my eyes, and all I can see is yellow now. I try to pull it off, but the pain on my scalp prevents me to do so, could it be? Yes, that's my hair, it's long now, I feel my back with my spare hand to see how long it is. It reaches to my butt now, it looks good, I decide, so I won't cut it. But I feel something else there, something fluffy, and it's moving? Please tell me that it isn't... I turn around and see that what I hoped wasn't there, a tail, a fox tail, well more like nine of them. I feel something moving on top of my head, and the mirror confirms it, there are a pair of fox ears there, my human ones no where to be saw.

At least I know who to blame. I seek within my mind that fox, to demand an explanation. Kyuubi and I have been is speaking terms for a while know, he had even taught me a couple of jutsus, but he'll hear me this time... I reach his cage, to find it empty. Great, just great, now where is he?

' 'I'm right here kit.' '

'Where are you? And what the fuck happened to my body?'

' 'You died kit, and I wasn't about to sit and watch. You know that if you die, I die. Desperate times, desperate measures. The only way we could survive was if I merged with you, and merged is what we did. Now you're not human I'm afraid, your human body did die there, now you're a youkai. And for where am I, I'm still in your mind, but more like a voice in your head than an actual being, my knowledge is yours too kit, millenniums of knowledge, you should be happy...' '

'Yeah right. I don't believe you!'

' 'You don't? Then check the seal on your stomach, the one that should keep me inside your body and tell me if it's still there kit.' '

I looked at my bare stomach, the force of the attack had ripped my orange outfit to pieces. And indeed, the seal wasn't there.

''I told you so kit, now I'll leave you with the sennin, he seems to want to ask you some things too.''

I turned my attention to Jiraiya, and just like Kyuubi said, he looked like he wanted some answers too. I looked at him expectantly, giving him the permission to ask, he seemed to be waiting for it.

"Naruto what happened? I saw you when you fell to the ground after the attackers died. I checked your vital signs, their were none and when I was starting to panic your body started to glow and the next thing I know you were lying on the ground, looking like this. If I hadn't seen you change with my own eyes I could have swore you were another person."

"We... we merged Jiraiya-sama. Kyuubi and I, he said it was the only way we could have survived..."

"Kyuubi told you?"

"We have been talking for a while, I'm sorry I never told you Jiraiya-sama, but I wasn't sure how you'd react."

He seemed deep in taught for a while, until he finally spoke, the exact same words that I knew that he'd say, the thing that I knew would happen.

"This could represent a problem when we go back to Konoha."

"I'm aware of that Jiraiya-sama, before they feared me because I had Kyuubi sealed inside of me, they called me a demon, and now I'm actually one."

"If we could do something with the tails and the ears... kami Tsunade is going to kill me!"

"I think that I might be able to do something about them actually."

I concentrated, the information that Kyuubi provided me with the merging making itself very useful already, slowly I could feel the tails and the ears pulling back inside my body. I took a look at the mirror again, the fox ears were gone, but the ears I have now, although very human looking, still were a little bit too pointy to be human, but they looked great anyway. I looked over my shoulder then, the tails were completely gone. My eyes were still the same, but I liked them that way.

I looked at Jiraiya, who was examining me. He gave me an appreciative whistle, earning him a slight punch in his arm.

"I think that I found the main character for my next book!"

"Shut up ero-sennin." I had stopped calling him that a long time ago, but I still enjoy pissing him off, just not as much as the other Naruto did.

"You'll need other clothes gaki, the orange ones are completly ruined."

"Actually I'm glad they are, to speak the truth I hate that color, but I didn't pack any others, and all the money I had, you spent it on women, and I don't want to know what you did with them!" I warned as soon as the man opened his mouth to reply, I learned not to ask the first time we stopped at a village.

"Well boy, we're in the middle of a forest, at three days from the nearest village and you can't exactly walk around almost naked."

"Well you do have a point there old man, and I can't wear yours either, they're too big for me."

''Kit don't worry about the clothes, there are plenty of demon kitsunes on this forest, and I can smell one of my old subordinates nearby, I already told him to get some clothes ready for you, they should be here at any moment...''

'Thanks then Kyuubi.'

"It seems that my clothing is no longer of concern, the new clothes should be arriving shortly." he said, grinning at the confused face of his sensei.

"How?!"

"Not many know, but Kyuubi is actually Lord Kyuubi, he's the leader of the fox demons, and he requested some clothes for me, to one of his subordinates that is nearby." With that, a small silver fox hit entered the clearing we were in, dragging with his small mouth a traveling bag, that seemed heavy. I hurried to his side and picked it up.

"Are you the boy which Kyuubi-sama designed at his heir?"

'Kyuubi, you didn't told me that you told them that I was your heir!'

' 'Now now my boy, how else was I supposed to explain the fact that you look just like me, but you aren't me?' '

'Grrr... fine, it could be worse anyway, now I have a bunch of fox demons under my command... hmmm... it could definitely be worse.'

"Yes I am. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, what's yours?"

"My name is Yuki, my lord," he said bowing his little head, "My father Kuromi sent me with the clothes my lord requested, as well as me. He asked me to stay at my lord's side, in case that he'd ever need something else from his people."

"Hmmm thanks, and please just call me Naruto, the lord thing just doesn't suit me, ok?"

"But my lord..."

"Naruto."

"If that's what you wish, I shall call you Naruto then!"

"That's better!"

He turned to Jiraiya, who had a very funny face and was staring at him.

"What!?" I snapped, his staring getting to my nerves.

"You were talking in whatever language the fox talk."

"I was?"

"Yes you were! I won't ask how, because I bet that you don't know either. Now let's see what's in the bag shall we?"

"Right." I said walking to sit next to Jiraiya, with both the bag and the kit, the bag at my hands, the kit at my shoulder, where he had jumped before I moved.

I opened the bag, inside was a black cloak, with fire like designs in the borders of a silvery color, there was a pair of black pants too, loose and with many pockets, like the ones I had seen many ninjas wear before. There was a black shirt that promised to cling to my body like a second skin, it was sleeveless and it had turtle neck, and to my surprise it had the symbol that my orange outfit had in the back, but again in silver, it looked better in that color I must admit. There were other ninja accessories too, and some accessories to compliment my new outfit too. The earrings shaped like a fox tail were the ones I liked the most.

I proceed to put all the things on, except the cloak. When I went back to the clearing where Jiraiya and the kit were expecting me, I couldn't help but smile at the face the old man made, his eyes seemed about to pop out of his head.

"Wow boy, no one could tell that you had that body with the clothes you wore before! Or it was part of the transformation too?"

My body had changed, but not that much, I was taller now, that had changed, but the muscles were there before, just that they were more visible now that I didn't have that horrible orange thing on. Now I looked like a young man, which is exactly what I am, I'm almost 17 now.

"Half the transformation, half me I think old man."

"You look great, now if everything is set, I think we should get going, we have three more months of training, after that Tsunade forced me to promise we would go back to Konoha, even if it was to say hi, it's been 5 years since the last time she saw you, you know kid?"

"Yes Jiraiya, I know... Lets go then. Come on Yuki, hop on, we have a long way to go."

With that, the kit jumped to his shoulder when he bent to pick up the traveling bag, and the forms of him and his sensei disappeared in a blur, taking the tree tops as his road to the next village.

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Reviews are certainly very much appreciated, it makes me happy and willing to update faster !

True Self, New Self

Chapter 2: Kakougan Village

While we jumped from treetop to treetop, I struggled to get hold of my senses. Being able to feel, hear, smell, see and even taste everything in a 2 mile radius could drive any normal person crazy, thankfully I'm neither of them. It took me a while to find a way to turn them off, the information Kyuubi gave me is very vast, and it takes time to assimilate it all, or to find a specific one.

I follow Jiraiya almost unconsciously, so I'm able to think things over while I do it. My life just made a huge turn barely some hours ago, and no matter how intelligent I can be, it takes time to assimilate it all. I'm very aware that no one will recognize me looking like this, that's for sure, so I can't go around introducing myself as Uzumaki Naruto, not with Akatsuki still trying to kidnap me to take Kyuubi out.

I snicker at that, even if they managed to catch me, there's nothing to extract now. Not that I'll just let them catch me, they can't come anywhere near me without me noticing, so that leaves a sneak attack out, and attacking me openly is plain suicide! Anyway, we lost the pair that was following us a month ago, when we entered the woods, so I don't think that we'll have to worry about them for a while.

But that doesn't change the fact that I need to think of another name, if we happen to bump into someone that knows me, they'll certainly attack me for using that name, it will take a lot of work to convince them that I am me, and that will draw too many attention... The old man and me must come up with a excuse of why the old Naruto isn't around any longer. Yes I could henge into my old self, but I'm sick of denying myself, masking myself, and I refuse to do it again, there's no longer a reason to do so, now the villagers are harmless to me, and if my friends are really that, they'll accept me anyway.

I feel something nuzzling my cheek, it surprise me at the beginning, but then I remember that Yuki is traveling on my shoulder. He's still a kit, but something tells me that he's older than me. Maybe I should ask him, along with other things about him, if he's going to continue traveling with me, it is better to get to know each other.

"So Yuki, since you're going to be my new teammate, I think is fair enough for you to further introduce yourself! We're going to be friends, so you can ask me things too, it is good to know the person who you're traveling with"

"You're right my lor... Naruto-san! Well my name is Kyuko Yuki, my father is Kyuko Kuromi. I'm still a kit for my kind, just 95 years old. My father had train me to fight, but I'm afraid that my magic abilities are not that developed yet. I like to play and go fishing, because I love fish! I don't like the snakes, they scare me very much... And this is the first time I'll leave this forest!"

"Well you surely are older than me, I'm just 17 year old, and that is not so young for humans, but I think that for other demons I'm a kit, and a very young one. I like to eat ramen, but not as much as I appear, I like other kind of foods better, fish included, but ramen happens to be quick to prepare, and cheap too. I have trained almost my whole life, and my abilities, well you'll see them with time"

"If you're 17 that means that you're like my younger brother! Then it's settled, I shall protect you, as your eldest!" the kit said, with determination in his little eyes.

I chuckled at his antics, he shall prove to be a good companion. I noticed that Jiraiya had drop behind a little, in order to hear what we were talking, but if the look on his face is any indication, he didn't understand anything we said. I just shake my head, my attitude clearly saying that I'll tell him later, if he's still interested.

We continue our march, we are still at two days and a half travel from the nearest village, but the position of the sun clearly tells me that it's almost time to make a stop in order to eat lunch. Maybe then I can ask Jiraiya what are going to come up with to explain my presence.

Finally we stopped, there is a shallow river at our side, with plenty of fish in it. We'll have to survive with the things we find in the forest, sadly our bag with our provisions for the rest of the travel was blasted into oblivion in the ambush. I see Yuki jumping from my shoulder and running to the river, using his little paws to catch his meal. Well he was telling the truth when he said he liked fishing, he seems to be enjoying it very much. I laugh when I see that he tries to catch a fish a little to big for him and ends up being dragged away by it. I approach the river too, making a quick work of cashing enough fish for me and the old man to eat, I'm sure that Yuki won't be pleased if I catch his meal for him too.

When I walk back to the place where Jiraiya decided to lit a fire with my preys, I see a very soaked kitsune walking back to meet us, that large fish he was fighting some minutes ago hanging from his little mouth, I can see the pride irradiating from him. I give him a thumbs up, as he settled near the fire and started devouring his meal. I sit down too, preparing the fish to be eaten.

"Jiraiya?" I ask as soon as I put the fish near the fire to be cooked.

"Yes kid"

"I have been thinking about it, I can't exactly go around saying that I'm Naruto... I'm afraid that it might be dangerous, and besides there's always the possibility that someone might know how I looked like before, and it can represent troubles. I also think that no one should know about my merge either, at least not until we visit Tsunade and inform her about it, we can't exactly send her a letter telling her that, it's better if she sees it for herself. I want to tell Gaara about it though, he's the Kazekage after all, as well as my friend; because we're going to pass near Suna in our way back, am I right?"

"Yes we're going to pass near Suna, actually I was planning to stay there at least one night, before all of this happened. I agree with you in everything kid, it seems that you really are smart after all, I taught exactly the same."

"You'll never let me live it down right old man? You'll just keep pointing the fact that I used to act like an idiot before." I say with a sigh, stupid all man, he just loves to bug me.

"No, I just can't stop doing it, it's your fault after all, displaying that mask for the people to see"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. So I should pick a new name for the time being, or we could just stop going to villages all together, just to buy provisions" I almost smirk at the face of horror the old man has, he just can't live for too long without his women, but I manage to keep a straight face.

"How about Moron?" he jokes, I just glare at him. "Ok, ok, geez kid, you could give that Uchiha boy glares a run for their money" that comment make me relax my expression a little bit, yes Sasuke will have a surprise when I get him back, he'll be able to see that the dobe wasn't really one after all.

"Seriously Jiraiya, just pick a name"

"Right right... how about... Fumetsu Kaji?"

"Undying fire? It sounds nice... then Kaji it is, and I shall be called Kaji until we are back inside Konoha's walls"

"Ok now that we found you a new name, lets eat, the fish are ready"

"Just one more thing, how are we going to explain that Naruto isn't traveling with you any longer?"

"He died in the ambush, I was found by Kaji very beaten up in the forest and he took care of my wounds, he also helped my burn Naruto's body, and in a way to repay him I offer him to train him. He is an orphan, but he was raise by a sennin who had recently died in a similar situation in the same forest some months ago, he was tracking the attackers to seek revenge and that's how he found me, and the dead men that were responsible of his protectors dead. End of the story"

"But if Tsunade knows about my supposed dead she'll freak out"

"I'll send a letter to her with one of my frogs, and tell her that it is a trick to confuse the Akatsuki"

"Ok then, but send one to Gaara too"

"Alright kid, but now eat, the fish is getting cold"

We ate in silence, and after cleaning up the traces of hour little camp, we set off again. We only stopped to eat dinner and get a little sleep, going back to the road in the early morning. We were like that for too more days, until we finally reached the village, somewhere on the north west border of the stone country. Jiraiya says that it is called Kakougan, granite, such a predictable name of a village of the STONE country, all the villages that the old man and I had visit here are named after some rock type...

It is a very small village actually, but it has an inn, so it's good enough, Jiraiya told me on our way here, and now that I can see it with my own eyes, I can see it was true. I also notice that after this village, all I can see are, well, rocks, rocky plains, rocky mountains, rocks and more rocks! I like the forest better, I have always feel at home there, at since I became a kitsune demon, I feel even more at home in it, but I guess that I just can't stay inside one for the rest of my life, so I better get used to be in more 'civilized' areas again.

I can feel Yuki almost bouncing on my shoulder, he must be excited, this is the first time he sees a village. He seems ready to jump down and dash inside it, so I start walking to it, I know that it isn't safe for a fox to enter in a human village, he might get killed for it, but since he's with me, he will be safe. But I better go in anyway, before he experience just how bad the ningens can be when they want firsthand. I pet his fur in order to calm him down, he seems to like it because he settles down and let me do it.

Jiraiya guide us to a small inn almost at the other side of the village. I can feel, as well as see, people staring me. They aren't like the usual stares I got when I was in Konoha, those where hate filled stares. No, these stares are different, they make me feel like a piece of meat, ready to be devoured. A shiver goes up my spine at that, if I had my tails, I bet their fur would be all spiky. The girls around me are acting odd too, they are whispering among them and giggling, and when I look at them they blush and squeal, I'm glad I managed to get my senses under control before I got here, because those high pitched sounds would surely give me a headache if my hearing was at is was when I woke up three days ago.

I know I have seen this behavior before, but where, I wonder. My memory leads me back to the days of the Academy. I was sitting on my swing... and Sasuke was walking out of the building, there where a group of girls of the first year near me, all members of the teme's fan club, and as soon as they saw him... crap. They were acting just like those girls, the difference is that some of them seem about to jump me.

I run at Jiraiya's side covering behind him, I never liked girls all that much, they were annoying, but now, they are plain creepy! He raises an eye brown, silently questioning my behavior. I just point at the girls direction, they were just behind us, crap, they're following us. Stalkers!! I think I prefer the Akatsuki than them.

He laughs at my predicament, and I just glare at him. I can hear Yuki growling at the girls, but that only make them giggle more, they are calling him: cute kitty. Are they blind? He's a fox, not a cat, how can someone mistake a fox for a cat? They won't go away, that's clear. I just want to go into the inn and lock myself in my room, not coming out until Jiraiya says we are leaving the village filled with creepy girls.

Finally, we reach the inn, and as soon as Jiraiya check us in and the lady behind the counter gives me my key, I sprint to my room and lock myself in. After securing the windows and checking the room for any traps, some not so nice experiences in other inns, courtesy of the Akatsuki, made me get that habit, I finally relax and take time to actually look the room.

It is very simple room, it has a bed, a night table, a little desk and a cabinet for clothes, and a door that leads to a little bathroom, with just the necessary, shampoo, soap and toilet paper. I flop on the bed, it is soft, and certainly softer than the ground of the forest, where I had been sleeping for quite a while now. Just when I was starting to fall asleep I hear that someone is knocking at the door, it is Jiraiya, my nose tells me. I sigh and stand up to open the door.

"What do you want old man?"

"Kaji, my boy, they're some girls downstairs that want to meet you" he says with a smile.

"Get that scary things away from me, I don't care what you tell them, but I don't want to see them, just get rid of them will you?"

"How can you dismiss them like that, they're all quite lovely, just imagine the possibilities!"

"I said no Jiraiya, if you like them so bad, why don't you go out with them?" I say closing the door on his nose. Damn that old man and his obsession for women, I won't act as a bait for him to get new ideas for his perverted books.

"I don't like that girls either, Naruto-san" I hear Yuki say, he's on the bed, bouncing up and down on it. "They scared me back there, when they started following us"

"Yeah they scared me too" I said lying down next to the spot where he's jumping. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Yes very much Naruto-san! I never felt something so soft before, how it is called?"

"It is a bed, humans usually sleep on them, and that's exactly what I'm going to do now" I say, closing my eyes, but I can't manage to do it, I feel dirty. Even if my clothes don't get wet, a thing that I noticed when Jiraiya decided to tackle me into a lake in order to get me completely awake, I can feel the sweat clinging to my body, well we did run a lot to get here before sunset.

I get up and walk to the bathroom, closing the door behind me, just in case that Jiraiya decide to pop inside my room uninvited, I saw that the lady gave him a spare key to my room, thinking that I was his son. I don't look like the old man, why everybody insist in thinking that he's my father?. I sigh, turning the shower on, the water is warm. I undress myself and step in, enjoying the feeling of the water running on my body. I take the shampoo that was there, now I have a hair to take care of, and I'll take care of it.

I massage my scalp and my hair, after some minutes I rinse it off and proceed to soap myself, to get the dirt and the sweat off my skin, that by the way, doesn't look as pale as it did three days ago, it is a little more colored now, but I doubt that it'll get any more color than that. After making sure I was completely clean I step out and dry myself. I put my boxers on and go out again.

I went to lie down on the bed again, when I noticed that my hair was still wet and clinging to my face and my back. I'll get the whole bed wet if I lie down like this. I sigh again, I'm just too tired to wait until it dries itself. An idea suddenly pop in my head an I perform a fire jutsu, just strong enough to create enough heat to dry my hair without burning it. Wow, I just created a hair dryer jutsu, but I won't name it... maybe later, but for now, I'm tired. Mmm... maybe Sakura will want to know how to do that jutsu...

I don't know how much I slept, but when I woke up, it was pitch dark outside. This village doesn't have any street lights? Well, I guess it doesn't. I try to go to sleep again, but I can't. Well, since I'm awake now, and it's too late for any of the creepy girls to be outside, I might as well go take a look at the village. Even if it's so dark outside, my eyes can see things as clear as they were in plain daylight, if I want.

I quietly slid out of my room, I don't want to wake Yuki up, nor any of the people in the inn. When I'm finally outside, I take a deep breath of the night air. It is so cold and refreshing, it boasts my energy up. I started walking around, without the scary women, it's a very pretty village. The buildings are very well designed, and there's a small park in it's center. I walk into it, I can hear water running somewhere in the middle of it. I came across with a little fountain, quite a beautiful one actually. I decide to sit there, and take a look at my surroundings.

It's peaceful in here, I like it. I sit there, just listening to the wind flowing trough the branches of the trees. But something catches my attention, after what seemed an hour of being there, a familiar smell graces my nose. I put my senses in complete alert, there's someone in the trees around me, and he has noticed me. He's coming to me, his scent becoming stronger. And at the same time my brain recognize it, he comes out of the shadows.

Sasuke.

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Now before anyone thinks that I'm rushing the story, I'm not! You'll just have to see what I have planned for the next chapter, so relax guys!
Reviews are very much appreciated and I'll answer everysingle one of them, so please review!

True Self, New Self

Chapter three: Brief encounters



He's there, standing in the middle of the trees, looking at me. I can see on his face that he doesn't recognize me, how could he?. Even if no one else can see what I do, he always wears a mask, like I did in the past, but a complete opposite than mine, his, is an emotionless one, but I could always see trough it.

We're alike in a way, but the paths we chose are what make us different. He chose revenge, I, forgiveness. When he pierced that hole in my chest, he decided to leave everything he had, in order to gain power. But I can't blame him, even the one with the strongest will, was meant to break under the pressure Sasuke was put in.

The avenger, the villagers called him, the last of the Uchihas. Not even once I heard one of the adults calling him by his name. He was supposed to be perfect, a genius like his older brother. He was just a boy when the massacre happened, but no one ever told him that everything would be "alright", no one was there to console him. The only thing his young ears heard was words of hate towards his brother and phrases like, you must revive your clan! You must take revenge!

He grew up hearing those things, those words poisoning his mind until all he could think about was that. He had to be perfect, in order to take revenge. But a perfect ninja... isn't a person. No, you can't be human, you have to be a machine. To carry out missions with a mechanical precision, to follow orders without thinking, to feel no regret, to don't fell at all. Itachi reached that perfection and... well... we all know what happened.

Now, he only lives for his revenge. He went to Orochimaru in order to gain the power to achieve it. It's been five years since he left me there to my luck in the Valley of the End. Can you see the irony in that? He has change, I can see that. Now there's another ironic thing, he looks more like his brother now, his hair is long and tied at the nape of his neck, but he also reminds me of the snake-bastard, his clothes are almost an exact replica of the ones Orochimaru was wearing the first time we saw him.

His haori is open, revealing his pale torso, you won't be able to see any muscles that could give up the strength behind that unmarred skin. His feminine frame, giving a false sense of security to those who have the misfortune to stand on his path.

Many will say that he's beautiful, many will want to have him all by themselves. Like those girls that used to follow him everywhere he went. But no one really knows him, no one knows what lies behind his icy exterior, no one, but me.

He's still looking at me, a gentle breeze flowing between us, making my untied hair flow with it. He looks at me, and I decide that it's time to open his eyes to the truth he has refused too see all this years. I lock my eyes with his, he gasps, but it's too late, I already have him trapped in one of the illusions that my kind can produce.

[Inside the Illusion, Sasuke's POV:]

I fell dizzy. Where am I? What happened? Everything is dark around me. I can see something at my feet, someone, that person is dying in a pool of his own blood. Blood, I can feel that sticky substance all over my body, I can smell it. I look at my hands, there are bloody too, and one of them is holding an equally bloody sword.

I killed that person, I can tell that. This isn't the first time I kill someone, but never before it had been so messy. Who's that person? I take a step forward, into the blood pool. Those clothes... could it be? Yes! That corpse at my feet is my hated brother. I smile, I finally got my revenge.

A ray of light falls at my side, there's a boy under it, watching me.

"Why did you kill oniisan?" he asks.

Oniisan, why is that boy calling Itachi like that. Now is time to really look at him. I gasp, that boy, looks just like me, when I was little, before my childhood was taken away from me, by my older brother.

"Because he killed our parents, our entire clan."

"And, are you happy now?"

"Of course I am, I got my revenge."

"But now, we're alone, truly alone! He was the last person we had I bond with. I don't want to be alone!" the boy started crying and the light that let me see him disappeared.

"Look what you did teme!"

I turn around, there under another ray of light, is Naruto. But how he looks... he stands there, with a serious expression, with his orange clothes coated in blood. The hole I ripped on his chest is there, letting me see trough his body.

"Tell me bastard it was worth it? You almost killed me, and then you run to Orochimaru. You KNEW he was planning to use you as his next vessel, but you went anyway. What did you thought huh? That by giving him your body you would get the strength to defeat your brother? Now he's dead, true. But it wasn't you who killed him, it wasn't you who got your loved revenge!"

"What are you talking about dobe of course it was me!"

"Really? Look at yourself, look your at your reflection on the blood of the only relative you had left!"

I look down, but the face that looks back isn't mine. It's Orochimaru's.

"Kukuku, you were so naive, Sasuke-kun. The moment you gave me your body, was the moment you disappeared from this Earth. Kukuku, how funny, you broke a promise to yourself Sasuke-kun. You died before you got your revenge, and now, you won't be able to revive your clan either. Your goals, are no more, because a dead person has no goals." I see my reflection say to me and with, darkness consume me.

[End of the Illusion. Back to Naruto's POV]

I stand up. Sasuke is panting and sweating, his mask long forgotten. He looks at me, part with fear, but I can see deep in his eyes that he had a revelation, he won't be able to deny the truth any longer. A life of revenge and hate is a life of self-destruction, and after achieving it, there's nothing else, only darkness and emptiness. You had to see that Sasuke, so you can save yourself. I could save your body from Orochimaru, yes, but your mind, that you must save it yourself. I gave you the push, now lets see what you do next.

I walk by his side, leaving him with the feathery feeling of the barely not there touch of my skin and my hair.

"Kaji." I whisper when I pass.

[Sasuke's POV:]

The beauty of that golden haired creature sitting at the fountain got my entranced, even after that... illusion. It wasn't genjutsu, his hands never moved. That illusion, even if I know that it was only that, I must admit that it was true, all what I saw, all what I was told inside it, was the truth.

That creature stands up and walks to me, his hair floating behind him, he seems to be floating towards me more than walking, the grace of his movements is almost inhuman. He walks pass me, it was like I wasn't there, but I could feel the softness and warmness of his skin and his hair when he brushes my side, it was so light that I could think that it never happened, but I know it did.

He whispers a word before completely leaving my side. Kaji. Even his voice is beautiful. I turn around to see him, but he wasn't there anymore. Who was that creature? I feel like I should know him, but how could I forget someone like that? And how did he do that, disappearing without using chakra. I don't know if he was the one that caused the illusion, I don't think so either, if he did, there should be chakra traces behind, but I couldn't feel any coming from him, or the place.

Kaji... I'll remember him. I hope that our paths cross again in the future, but for now, I must go back to Otogakure and report to Orochimaru.

[Back to Naruto's POV:]

I walk to my room again, to my surprise Jiraiya is coming out of my room. He stinks of alcohol, and for the way he's walking I can tell that he's completely drunk.

"Yo kid, where have you.... been?"

"Taking a walk old man."

"And what.... took you so long huh?"

"I bumped into someone on the way here."

"Ohhh... and was she cute?... did you had... fun with her?"

"It was Sasuke old man."

"Sa...suke? And why I don't see.... you dragging his sorry ass with you?"

"Because it isn't time yet old man, he has to think of something first, he's not ready to come back yet."

"Really?"

"Yes, now go back to sleep, or whatever you were doing in your room."

He actually listen to me. I can smell women inside his room, disgusting... Well he won't remember anything that happened tonight anyway. But as drunk as he is, he won't be able to go shopping for more supplies tomorrow, guess I'll have to take the risk and go myself, I just hope non of the girls, or the guys, will actually try to jump me. For now I need some sleep.

[Otogakure, Orochimaru's office, Sasuke's POV]

"The mission was successfully carried out Orochimaru-sama."

"Good."

I turn to leave, there are plenty of things in my head that I need to think about, and I need some rest too.

"Before you go Sasuke-kun, there are some interesting news that I think you might want to hear."

"And what could they be Orochimaru-sama?"

"My spies in the Stone country informed me that a young ninja and his sensei where ambushed in the woods, and unfortunately, the student died saving his teacher."

"And how'll that concern to me?"

"The boy, was that Kyuubi holder. He was one of your friends, am I right?" he says with that knowing evil smile.

"He was. Now may I leave?"

"Yes you're dismissed Sasuke-kun."

Naruto... dead? No, it can't be, the dobe is too stubborn to die!

[Orochimaru's POV]

I see that Uchiha boy leave, even if he says he doesn't care, I know he does.

BOOM

"It seems that the Uchiha boy didn't took well the news of his dead friend Orochimaru-sama."

"I know Kabuto, I know. But that will prove useful in the future, the more he breaks, the easier will be for me to take his body."

[End of Orochimaru's POV and start of kamisama's]

Orochimaru smiled, and then laughed. He actually thought that Sasuke don't has anyone to live for any longer. But what he doesn't know is that in his student's mind, the image and the memory of that encounter with Naruto, even if he doesn't know that it was him, will prove more than enough to make him want to continue living and even make him leave his side...

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So what do you think? Please review!

True Self, New Self

Chapter four: Run Naruto, run!




"Why! Why do this have to happen to me!!" I screamed while running from an angry crowd of women that was following me like a pack of hungry wolves to a piece of meat.

[Flashback to that morning]

I woke up early, wanting to go and buy the things we needed as quick as possible so we could get the hell out of that village and into the wild again. I took a shower, got dress, combed my hair and decided to tie it at the nape of my neck. I put the coat on and placed the hood over my head, not wanting to be seen.

I went out to the streets and looked for the market. It wasn't long until I found it, as the reason why Sasuke was in this village yesterday, I can hear people talking about some ninjas that were hiding in the village were found dead on their beds this morning. Well that would explain the smell of fresh blood and recent dead that floated around Sasuke when I saw him yesterday, he must been in a mission for Orochimaru. Well, there's no point in thinking about that now.

Ok first of all I need some new kunais and shurikens, so I better look for a weapons stand first. I let my eyes wander over all the shops that were crowded in the street, and I spotted the one I was looking for a few meters before me. I walked there, a young woman was behind the counter. They had plenty of weapons there, the ones I was looking for included.

"Excuse me miss, how much for the shurikens and the kunais?"

"It's... Kaji-kun, is that you?"

"Huh? No! I'm not that Kaji you're talking about!"

"Very funny Kaji-kun! But you can't fool me I would recognize your voice anywhere!" she said reaching up and pulling my hood out of my face.

"Kaji-kuuuuuuun!!"

I look around in a matter of seconds I was surrounded by almost every women that was on the street.

'Crap crap crap crap!!'

"Kaji-kun, yesterday you said you'll go out with us!" one of the woman said.

"Yes Kaji-kun, you said that you were tired, but you'd go out with us today!" another woman said.

"I did?"

"Yes Kaji-kun, right after you went out to your room, you came out and told us that, don't you remember?" the woman behind the counter said.

"I don't remember..." then realization downed on me.

'I don't care what you do, but get rid of them!' I said that to Jiraiya yesterday, could it be... that old man henged into me and told them that! I could feel my anger start bubbling inside my stomach, he'll listen to me as soon as I go back, but for now... I have to RUN!!

[End flashback]

I've been running since then, I don't know exactly for how long, but for the position of the sun above me, I can tell it must be around noon now. I need to get rid of them soon... Now you may be wondering that, if I'm a ninja, I could have lost them a while ago, but the matter is, that since I don't want to draw attention to me, I can't use any of my skills! So now I'm running at a pace that any normal man would use when they're escaping, but not faster than that. And why all this women are still following me?! They should be tired by now!

[Change of POV, Sasuke's POV!]

I don't know why I'm in this village again, but when I Orochimaru told me about Naruto's dead, I just had to get out of that hole in the ground and get some fresh air. I run and kept running for a while, and before I noticed I was back in this village. I look up to the skies and wonder.

'What are you trying to tell me?'

I can hear a commotion on the streets under me, and from my spot on the roof of one of the houses, I can see a person with long blond hair escaping from a horde of women, like I used to do in my past, many years ago.

When the blond made a sharp turn on a corner, I was able to take a glimpse of his face, I was able to recognize him in an instant. It was the same man I met yesterday, Kaji was his name.

This person intrigues me, so I activate the Sharigan in order to get a better look at him. I still can't sense any chakra coming from him, but I also can determine one thing, with the body he has, he would be able to get away from his followers in a matter of seconds, but why he isn't doing it?

I still have this feeling that I should know him, and also deep, very deep inside the darkest corner of my mind, another feeling is starting to grow, the urgent need to rip to tiny little pieces those women that are following the blond. I shake my head, there's certainly something wrong with me, maybe I'll tell Kabuto to check me when I go back to Otokagure... but for now, I need to know more about this person, he looks like a powerful being, and power is what I'm looking for, power to destroy my brother with my own hands, so I will follow him.

[End of Sasuke's POV, back to Naruto's POV]

'I need to get rid of them!'

' 'Need some help kit? ' '

'Kyuubi! Please tell me how to get rid of them!'

' 'Really kit, it's not that difficult, you've been running around at you never see where you're going, the forest is right in front of you, go in there and then go back to your room by the opposite side.' '

'Kyuubi, you're a genius'

' 'It comes with experience kit, no do what I told you' '

Kyuubi's plan worked to perfection, I can't believe I didn't think about it earlier, well I can, I was too busy cursing my luck. I have many things to learn yet, but I'm sure I will learn them, with time.

Soon, I'm locked inside my room again. I'm welcomed by a very happy Yuki, who is bouncing up and down on the bed, again.

"Welcome back Naruto-san! How did the shopping go?"

"Horrible Yuki, I was attacked by those women again and I couldn't get any of the shopping done."

"Maybe I can go in your place!" he said jumping down and swirling in mid air and with a poof of smoke, he turned into a 12 year old looking boy with black clothes, silver hair and eyes, unfortunately, the change of size of his body messed up his balance and he landed on his butt.

"Nice."

"It's the only magic trick I know! But I can buy the things you need for you" ,he said trying to stand up, but falling on his butt again, "But it's a little hard for me to get used to this body, how you humans can walk on two legs only anyway?"

"Here, let me help you.", I said offering my hand to pull him up into his feet, "It's only a matter of balance!"

After some minutes of practice, he's finally able to walk without falling, and soon, he's running around in circles around the room.

"Look Naruto-san! Look!"

"Yes I can see it, good work Yuki, you're a fast learner." I prize him, patting his head.

"Now I'm off! I'll come back with the things you need Naruto-san!" he said running to the door, but I stop him before he reach it.

"Not so fast! You'll get lost if you go by you own, plus you don't know what we need!" I tell him, making him blush.

"I'm sorry Naruto-san, I got too excited."

"Don't worry about it, here.", I said making a bunshin of me and then the bunshin henged into my twelve year old self, "He'll go with you, so you won't get lost, and help you carry the things back, ok?"

"Ok Naruto-san, come Naruto-chan, we have shopping to do!" he said, dragging my bunshin out the room.

'Well at least we'll get the things we need to get out of here...'

My stomach is growling loudly, and I remember, I didn't eat breakfast before going out, and now, it's lunch time. I order some food, not trusting the women downstairs to not jump me as soon as I place a foot at the dinner hall. I eat my onigiri in silence, enjoying the peace that surrounds me in my room. When I'm done, I decide to go relax at the roof of the inn, do some cloud watching, like Shikamaru used to do back in Konoha.

As soon as I enter the roof, I know there's someone else up there. I have noticed a shadow following me since this morning, and now, I'm able to prove that my suspicious were true, the scent that reaches my nose, is impossible to mistake, the person that has been following me is Sasuke.

I keep walking like I didn't notice anything, and lay down on the floor in a careless manner. I just lay there for a couple of minutes, feeling those black eyes fixed in me.

"You know, it's not a polite thing to do young man, to follow a person, or to spy them"

I know I have caught him off guard, he's too confident on his abilities, and getting caught is certainly a surprise for him, not that he'll ever admit it, he's stubborn and proud like that. He appears in front of me, his emotionless expression trying to mask the true things that run inside his mind.

"May I know, young man, the reason of why you were following me?"

"Hn" he's not going to tell me, maybe he isn't sure himself.

"Then may I know the name of my stalker?"

He seems to hesitate for a minute, he's not sure if he should answer me or not. Finally, he comes to a decision.

"Uchiha Sasuke." So he decided that it wouldn't harm him to tell me.

"An Uchiha. It's a pleasure to meet you then. It was you who I saw yesterday at the park, am I right?"

"Hn" he answers, but he nods his head, telling me that indeed it was him.

I just look at him, waiting for him to say something, I won't force a conversation, if he wants to say something he will do it, and if not...

I can see his uneasiness under my look, and with a swirl of leaves, he's gone. He isn't ready yet, and he won't be for a while. I sigh, there's still time, and when the time come, I'll take action, but until then, I won't do anything. For now, I'll just stay here and watch the clouds, until Yuki and my bunshin come back.

The sun had set, and I can smell the scent of Yuki coming back. I go back to my room to wait for them. It takes them some minutes to arrive, but when they do, they come completely loaded with the things I asked them to buy.

"So how did the shopping went?" I said after releasing the bunshin jutsu when he placed the things on their place.

"It was awesome Naruto-san! Will you let me do the shopping in the next villages? Please?" I think about it for a minute, if things go in the other villages like they did here, letting Yuki do the shopping sounded like a great idea.

"Ok Yuki, you'll do the shopping from now on" He's happy about it, I can see that. With a poof of smoke he's back to his kit form and starts jumping around.

"Thanks Naruto-san!!"

"No problem Yuki, now if you don't mind, I'll go get Jiraiya up, so he can get dinner ok? Stay inside the room, got it?"

"Yup!" he's back on the bed, bouncing up and down, I think that he's starting to like that a bit too much.

"Don't get too fond with the bed, when we go out the only soft thing that we'll have is the bedrolls you bought, and you won't be able to bounce on them" I say before leaving the room.

Jiraiya's room is across the from mine, and for the smell coming from it, he's still there, as well as his company. I prepare myself for the scene I know I'll find when I open the door, I had too do it plenty of times before, in which I completely decided that I don't like women, the only sight of one naked disgusted me so much the first time I saw one, that I just had to admit to myself that I'll never be with one in my life.

Women are too troublesome, like Shikamaru said once. But I have to wake the sannin up one way or another, so I take a deep breath and enter the room. I thank all the kamis that the women are already fully clothed and ready to leave, they take their own sweet time doing do though, they're too busy checking me out to do so quickly. I just glare at them, the message clear, if you don't leave quickly and take your eyes from me, you might lose them. They yelp and hurry out.

When they're finally gone I turn my attention to the man sprawled across the bed, an idea popping in my head. I know from previous experiences, that no matter how much you shake him or yell at him, he won't get up. I merrily walk to the bathroom and fill a glass with water, then I go back to his bedside.

"Oiroke no jutsu*" I whisper and transform.

"Jiraiya-sama!! Please come play with me!" I said with a practiced lust filled voice and with that he practically jumps out of the bed. I drop the jutsu and splash him with the water.

"Come on ero-sennin, time to wake up and grab some dinner, hurry up" I say leaving the room. I can hear his cursing and I smirk at that. He deserved it anyway.

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*Oroike no jutsu: that's the sexy no jutsu name, but in japanese!

So what do you think? Please review!

Ja ne! ^^

True Self, New Self


Chapter five: So many things I need to know.



Finally, we are leaving this village, and like I thought, there is a congregation of women and men outside the inn, some of them are there trying to convince me not to leave, some just want to say good bye. I just walk through them like they aren't there, completely ignoring them. I had talked with Kyuubi last night about what to do concerning my fan club, and finally decided to settle with an attitude that resembled the one Sasuke used to have with his own fan club, and granted, just like Kyuubi had predicted, it worked way better than running away from them. And just like the fan girls I had the opportunity to see in the past, those girls seem unaffected by my cold attitude and keep squealing and drooling over me.

We are heading to Tsuchi no Kuni (Land of Earth) to make a visit to some Jiraiya's friend at Iwagakure no Sato (Village Hidden Among the Rocks). Even if Konoha and Iwa were enemies in the past, just about a year ago they signed a peace treaty among them and the relationships between the villages were ok now. All of that because the threat that Orochimaru and the Akatsuki represents to all the countries, peace treaties were signed among all the countries in order to defeat them, using the phrase the union makes the strength, or perhaps, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Now all the 24 countries and the 13 shinobi villages* are united as one to fight against their common enemies.

I'm supposed to find out all of my new powers and abilities on the trip there, since Kyuubi refused to tell him. He said that the information was already in my brain and I just have to take my time to find them and learn all the things that are already there but I can't remember. Is like having a file in a computer** that you have never opened, you know that it's there, with all the information you need, but since you have never sit down and read it, you completely ignore it's contents. And it is frustrating! Just think about it... Kyuubi is more than a century old, I know that for sure, so just imagine the wisdom he had gain, and the information he had collect through all those years. I have many things to learn yet.

Great, I have been spacing out again. I look back, the village is a small figure at the distance now. We're leaving this land that's ruled by a priest, and I don't know if I'm ever going to have the opportunity to come here again. I say my farewells to this place, to Ishi no Kuni (Land of Stone), maybe I'll walk over your grounds again, and maybe not. But now, I must focus on my path.

We're traveling a bit slower, I notice, because now we're carrying things in our back again, I figure. Speaking of carrying things, Yuki has been lazing around this few days, it's never good to stop training for a period of time longer than two days, especially when you're still young and learning, unless you had been injured and need to rest, and Yuki had been traveling on my shoulder all this time, the only time he walked more than a couple of meters since he started traveling with us, was when he went to buy the things we needed to get on the road again. Well, I guess that it's time for the little guy to start moving on his own two, hmm, four legs.

"Hey Yuki."

"Yes Naruto-san?"

"I think you should follow us by your own means, rather than enjoy the ride on my shoulder, if you're going to travel with us you must be strong and capable of take care of your own!"

"You're right Naruto-san! I must continue my training! Please let me down and I'll follow you with my own legs, I'll make Naruto-san feel proud of my speed!"

I stop for a second to allow Yuki to jump down and take off again to match the speed Jiraiya is using now. I look over my shoulder too see how the kit is doing, and I was a little surprised that he was right behind me, the training he received from his father wasn't half bad! I pick up my speed again, so I'm running at the old man's side now. Yuki is not far behind, but not matching our speed so well, he needs to train a little more, just like me, but he isn't falling behind yet. Maybe the next time we stop I'll ask him to join me in my training.

We keep running, and Jiraiya doesn't pretend to stop for lunch, since he keeps running and doesn't slow down, I hope that Yuki can take it...

"Hey Yuki, are you ok back there?", I said looking back, he jumps and flips in the air, then keeps running, "Guess you're!"

"What are you two whispering about kid?"

"We're not whispering old man, but I was just asking Yuki back there if he's ok, since it seems that we're not stopping for lunch any time soon"

"I just want to get to Iwagakure as soon as possible kid, we'll be there but tomorrow afternoon, since this country is so small and just next to Tsuchi, we'll be running over Tsuchi's grounds by dinner"

"Ok..."

And indeed, by the time we had to stop because Jiraiya wasn't able too see anymore in the dark with his own eyes, the geography around us had changed, announcing that we had left Ishi and we are now in Tsuchi. They were mountains all around us, standing proudly at the horizon. It was there, in one of the multiple caves in the mountains, typical on this land, that we stopped for dinner.

We divided tasks, Yuki in his human form had to pick wood for the fire, Jiraiya had to get things ready for dinner, and I had to put the camp up. When everything was ready, he sat together around the fire and talked about random things, the political and economical situation of Tsuchi, how things were in Iwa, how people will react when he get back to Konoha... Before we noticed the time had flew by and the food on our plates had disappeared. Jiraiya and Yuki decided to get some sleep and were sleeping soundly inside their bedrolls in a matter of seconds, while I decided to climb to the top of the mountain and meditate.

I'm sitting here, looking at the beautiful scenery beneath me, hearing the wind blowing by, ruffling the leaves of the trees that surround the bare top of this mountain. It's so peaceful up here... I let the wind carry me away, clean my mind of all thoughts.I breath slowly, enjoying the fragrance of the pure air around me. I feel like my soul is leaving my body traveling far away, back to my home. I can see Sakura, she's sleeping on her bed. I decide to look for Tsunade. I find her at the Hokage tower, sleeping over his desk, that is cramped with papers, she has an empty bottle of sake in one of her hands. I smile, Shizune is going to yell at her because of it tomorrow. I visit all of my friends and my teachers, they're all safely sleeping in their houses, completely unaware of my floating form above them.

I'm happy, everyone I care about is fine, I can't wait for going back and be with them again. Well, since I can visit my friends in this... what is it? A dream? Well I can't care less right now. I can feel like I'm flying to another place again, and soon, I find myself floating above a very awake Gaara. Even if he has better control of Shukaku now, he still can't sleep, or he may attempt to eat away his personality and take over his body. He's sitting on a windowsill, staring out to his village. He takes his eyes away from the image out and now he's looking at me, or so I think. Can he see me? He nods his head at me, a small smile gracing his lips, and he's looking out the window again.

Maybe I can visit Sasuke as well? The images in front of me blur over and soon, I'm over a strange looking room. There he is, laying over an examination table, with Kabuto hovering over him. There are strange looking object all around them, I take it this is Kabuto's lab. Well Sasuke looks ok, at least Kabuto isn't hurting him. This is a strange dream... I feel like something is pulling me back, but to where?

I shot open my eyes, did I fall asleep and dreamed that? No it was too real to be a dream, so what was it?

' ' That kit, was one of the many powers us the kitsunes have. ' '

' So it wasn't a dream then? '

' ' No kit, when a kitsune gains his ninth tail, he also gains infinite vision, we're able to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world ' '

' Is there anything else I should know? '

' ' There are many other things that you should know kit, but you'll learn them, with time. ' '

' Alright then, I better go get some sleep now. '

' ' I think you should. Oyasumi. ' '

' Good night to you too Kyuubi '

I jump down the mountain and back into the cave, settling inside my bedroll and falling into a deep sleep. I'm a youkai now, but there are so many things I don't know yet, but like Kyuubi said, I will learn them, with time. There's a time for everything in this life, and mine have just begun.

I woke up early this morning, earlier than my friends, earlier than almost all the living beings in the forest. It was still dark outside when I stepped out of the cave and walked into the one that was in the mountain right in front of the one where I meditate last night. There's a spring inside it, the water that comes from it falls into a little pond and then flows out of the cave. I drink from that crystal clear and fresh water, that gives me a boast of energy, it's like I took a soldier pill. It clears my mind of the sleep fog and get me ready for another day of travel.

I go back to the cave and pick a fruit from a nearby tree on my way, it's rare to find it in this time of the year, but it's delicious non the less, it's going to be my breakfast. I sit on a rock at the entrance of the cave, enjoying the dawn. The sun is slowly showing from behind the mountains, it's light bathing the fields beneath it, it's a beautiful sight to take.

By the time the sun light is completely covering the grounds and dried the dew, my partners come out of the cavers, doing almost the same thing I did before them, and soon, they're sitting around me enjoying their breakfast. When they finish, we set things ready and we're on the road again.

"Tell me Jiraiya, why such a rush to reach Iwa?"

"Because my friend sent me a message while we were at Kakougan, he says that my order was ready, and I have to go to pick it up."

"And what's so special about that order that made you be in such a hurry?"

"That gaki, is a surprise"

The old man is stubborn, so I stop asking. I can try to make him tell me, but I know that he will not tell me a word about it. I know it must be something really special, something that you can only get in Iwa. But right now, I can't think of what it could be. We're going to be there this afternoon, so there's no point in thinking about it either, I'm going to find out anyway when we get there.

Just like Jiraiya said, we were there that afternoon, and we skipped lunch again. Many years ago, I would have complained about that, but not now. The guards at the doors of Iwa let us through, they seemed to know Jiraiya, and since I'm not wearing my headband, by orders of the old man it had been securely kept inside one of my pant pockets since before we entered Kakougan, they let me through too, thinking of me as just a civilian that was traveling with the old man.

I follow Jiraiya through Iwa's streets. People here still stare at me, but at least no one is following me, you can tell that this is a shinobi village. Yuki again is traveling over my shoulder, he had jumped there before we reached the village.

We stop in front of a smith's store, and Jiraiya walks in, motioning me to follow.

"Jiraiya, my old friend, is good to see you again!"

"Is good to see you too Masamune!*** I received your message, so it is ready?"

"Yes it is, it took me 4 years and now it's ready, it is my master piece, I've never forged one like this one." the man named Masamune said, showing Jiraiya a long thing covered with black silk.

"Come here Naruto. Masamune, this is Naruto, the boy I talked to you about."

"Come boy, your sensei asked me to forge this for you. It's a present, to symbolize that you had grew up, and now you're a man." he said removing the silk from the object in his hands.

That thing... it was beautiful...


____________________________________________________________________

*There are 25 countries in Naruto's world:Land of Earth,Land of Fire,Land of Thunder,Land of Water,Land of Wind,Land of Bears.Land of Grass,Land of Rain,Land of Rice Fields,Land of Snow,Land of the Waterfall,Land of Birds,Land of the Claw,Land of the Fang,Land of Honey,Land of the Moon,Land of Red Beans,Land of the River,Land of the Sea,Land of Stone,Land of Swamps,Land of Tea,Land of Udon,Land of Vegetables,Land of Waves.
There are 14 shinobi villages: Amegakure,Getsugakure,Hoshigakure,Iwagakure,Kemurigakure,Kirigakure,Konohagakure,Kumogakure,Kusagakure,Otogakure,Sunagakure,Takigakure,Tonbogakure,Yukigakure.

**Naruto's world seems to be a mixture of Japan's feudal era and the present. They have electricity and computers, pachinko and such.

***Masamune is an important character of japanese history, I can't tell you exactly what he does, or the surprise will be ruined. Unless you already know what he is! ^^

When I write stories, I like to do research first. My daughter usually makes fun of me for that, because I have a file for each anime serie I watch or manga I read, with all the important imformation and fact about it!

Please Review!

True Self, New Self

Chapter six: I'm a Shinobi.





From under the silk, a black katana emerged. I just look at it dumbfounded. The sheath was onyx black, so polished that I can see my reflection on it, it had the kanji for fox in silver just under the hand guard, which was also made of silver. Masamune unsheathed the katana to reveal the black metal inside it, it was engraved and the legend on it said: "This sword belongs to the nine tailed warrior". This katana truly is a masterpiece.

"The sheath is made of a material that will not break under any circumstances, the katana itself is made of my special mix of metals, I assure you that this is the strongest sword in existence, it can cut through virtually everything," he said and to prove his point he turned back and slashed a rock that was right behind him, for a few seconds it seemed that the stone was unharmed but then a tin line appeared in it and the rock fell apart, cut in two, "it's made of a stainless metal also." he said finally sheathing it and handing it to me.

"So what do you think kid? Like your present?"

"It is wonderful Jiraiya-sama, Masamune-sama. Thank you very much" I said, taking it out to get a closer look at it. Then I sheathed it and securely tied it at my back, where I can have easy access to it in the middle of a battle.

The two old men started talking between them, they seem so lost in their memories. I don't know if I ever reach that age, at least not for youkais standards, there's a long way to go to reach that point. They don't notice when I leave the shop, so drowned in their conversation as they are. I want to take a walk around the village, get to know it in the time we spend here.

I step out of the shop, finally really looking at my surroundings. It's not a surprise to see that almost all the buildings are made of stone. It's a colorful village though, since not all rocks are of the same color, some buildings are red, some look like they are blue, some are green, or white... well I think you got the point. Most of the buildings around here are of one store only, but there are some that reach to two stores, and of course, there's a building that is taller from the rest, rising above the roofs of all the others structures, made of what I think is pure black marble, where I guess the Tsuchikage is.

I start to walk aimlessly around the village, just watching the things and the people in it. Some could think that Konoha and Iwa are very different, but essentially, they are a lot alike. Kids go to ninja school, ninjas carry out missions, the Kage looks over the village and the villagers work and live peacefully, a scream pierce the air, well almost peacefully.

"Thief! He took my bag!" a young woman scream. I notice that I'm in the middle of the market right now, and it's pretty crowded too, but I can still see a man running to my direction with a bag, looking back, he's going to crash with me if he doesn't stop.

And indeed, he crashed with me and bounced back, while I not even move a muscle. I look down to him and grab the bag he stole, walking over his fallen form to where the woman is. He quickly stands up and try to stab me with a kunai in my back, not a smart move to do at all. Without even looking back I side step to avoid the attack, leaving his face very close to my shoulder, and with a swift punch I knock him down, my back still turned to him. He should know better than to attack a stranger from the back, specially in a ninja village. I give the woman her bag and keep with my walk, nodding at her when she thanks me.



[Meanwhile in Otogakure]

"Orochimaru-sama?"

"Yes Kabuto?"

"I finished the tests that Uchiha asked me to do."

"And?"

"Everything looks normal, but there's something off."

"And what could that be?"

"His stress levels are lower than the last time we run test on his two weeks ago."

"What are you thinking?"

"I think that Sasuke is finding a way to relive himself from the stress, most likely someone. He might be forming bonds with someone, and that person is certainly not of the village."

"Yes, I have noticed he's strange behavior since he returned from his last mission. The Uchiha boy never calls me sama, or any honorific for that matter. Kabuto, send Kagero* to spy on Sasuke, if he talks to anyone beside the members of the village or the necessary people to carry out a mission, that person must be immediately terminated, do you hear me?"

"Yes Orochimaru-sama."

"If Sasuke forms bonds with anyone, it might pose a treat to my plans, I need a broken Uchiha willing to give his body to me, not a whole one. Oh, and tell Uchiha that he have to go retrieve something for me at Iwagakure, one of my spies there has some important information that I need."

"Yes Orochimaru-sama."


[Back to Iwagakure]

I had finish my walk around the village and now I'm back in the sword smith's shop, where he and Jiraiya are drinking sake together. Well, it seems that we're spending the night here. Jiraiya tells me to go find a room in a hotel, because he's staying with his friend and there's not enough room for three persons. I won't stay in a hotel though, I better pass the night over the mountain behind the Tsuchikage tower, so I can look at the stars and meditate again, maybe even check on Sasuke. It's late in the afternoon, so I better look for a place to sleep in without falling of a cliff before it gets dark.

There's a cave in this mountain, near the top, a very big on, big enough to fit the academy inside it actually. Well, this place is as good as any other to spend the night. I'll come here when I feel tired, for now I climb to the top of the mountain and look at the village under. The street lights and the lights of the buildings shine brightly in the darkness of the night, the night live of the village slowly starting. From up here, people look like little ants, walking over tiny lines that are the streets, I wonder if that's how the kamis that leave at the heavens see us, like little living beings in a huge world.

I decide to meditate, and I mean really meditate, not to use my recently found ability to check on my important persons. I let my mind wander, cleaning my consciousness, blocking everything from the outside world. I don't know how much time has passed, time is an insignificant thing right now, as insignificant as it should be to a person that knows that unless his live is took of his hands by some force from the exterior, he will never die or grow old, his body will never fail him, his soul will never be reclaimed by Izanagi** and go to the underworld.

By the time I end with my meditation, it's very late at night, the streets that were busy with people before I started my meditation are empty now. Oddly, I feel like I can see things from a higher point now, but I never moved. I look down and I think I might have a hear attack, I'm floating***! I'm floating inside what looks like a sphere of golden chakra. I take a depth breath and concentrate in going down, until me crossed legs finally hit ground again. I exhale, that is officially in my list of weirdest things that have ever happened to me.

I go back inside the cave, surprised to find someone sneaking out of it, even if it's dark, I can see his face clearly with my eyes, he's someone of the village, I saw him while I walked around it. I can smell that there's someone else inside the cave, as well as someone hiding somewhere around it. Both smells are very distorted for the humidity of the air inside the cave, so I go inside it to investigate who else is inside of my chose resting place.

I stand not far away from the cave entrance blocking the way out of it, even if the cave is very big, the entrance to it is just big enough to an average man to slip in with some space problems. There are holes in the cave's roof, letting small rays of moonlight to illuminate it. And there walking to me, is Sasuke.

"Move" he says, he cannot see me, the point I'm standing on is barely illuminated, so I guess that all he can see is my silhouette.

"Ara ara... someone could say that you're following me Uchiha-san." I say stepping into the light.

"Hn... you again."

"Yes, me again indeed. What brings you to Iwagakure?"

"Non of your business."

"Of course. Oh my, it seems that we have company." I say, pointing to the boy that just had appear right behind Sasuke.

"Kagero, what are you doing here?" Sasuke says turning to look at the boy.

"I'm just following orders Uchiha-sama."

"And what orders could that be?"

"Kill your friend here!"

"So you want to kill me? Well that's rude, I think I have never done anything to deserve to be killed." I say stepping forward.

"Stay back." Sasuke orders me.

"I'm very capable of taking care of myself Uchiha-san, so please stay out of this," I say my hands flying quickly through a series of hands sings, "Doton: Yomi Numa," (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld****)Immediately a small sinking swamp, because the small quantity of chakra I used to make it, forms under Sasuke, making him sink into it and making it impossible to him to move, "Don't worry I'll help you out of it when this ends." I say falling into fighting stance.

"This might be fun!" he says launching his attack, throwing a bunch of shurikens my way.

I just dodge every single one of them, catching a few in mid air and throwing them back at him. He tries next with kunais, but it ended with the same results.

"Well, it seems like attacks with long range weapons won't work, so how about this? Zesshi Nensan!" (Tongue Tooth Sticky Acid) he said spitting a liquid from his mouth, but I know this jutsu, so I jump out of the way, and as far away from Sasuke that I can, if he pretends to continue spitting acid, it better be far from him.

"Well, I really don't have time to play with you, I'm tired and I'll like to get some sleep, so... Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," I say the last part in a inaudible whisper, even if there are many jounin level persons that can do it in Konoha, it will give away the fact that I'm from there, so I'll let them think that it's any kind of bunshin, water, sand, they pick, the only thing they know for sure is that I just created three clones of myself,"Mikazuki no Mai!"(Dance of the Crescent Moon) Lets use this new sword for the first time. Along with my clones I launch a a complicated sword-dancing pattern attack, it not only confuse my opponent, but allows me to injure him badly, because I'm using my speed along with the jutsu, he just can't follow my movements, leaving him unable to counterattack. It wasn't long until he was a bloody mess on the floor, but alive and breathing.

"You're defeated, so go and get someone to tend your wounds." I say now walking to Sasuke's side in order to help him out of the swamp.

"My orders... were to kill you... and kill you is what I'll do... even if it costs my life to do it! Utakata!,"(Ephemeral Vengeance)He yells. Four firefly-like chakra wings appear on his back, making him stand up, then they continue pulling him up until he is floating above us,"Now you'll die!" he disappears and appears behind me, I'm not an idiot to think that that was just his speed, no he teletransported here. There's a massive amount of chakra in his hands and he throws it to me, with the full intention of blasting me into the next dimension, and he could do it if he wasn't in such a state. I jump out of it's reach using chakra to cling to the cavern's roof, the attack blasting the wall that was in front of me, doing a great damage. Kagero falls limp to the floor, and I jump down next to him.

"That attack needs a large amount of chakra to perform, and it leaves a person that's in great condition in a near death state, to use it in such a state was suicide, and now you're in a great amount of pain, death will take a while to claim you, now you cannot be healed due the gravity of your wounds," I sink my sword on his back, right where his heart is, giving him a quick and virtually painless death, it is better than the slow death full of pain that will await him if I just leave him there,"Rest in peace now." I look at my bloody sword, it had made it's first kill. With a flick of my wrist I clean it of the blood on it and put it again in the sheath.



[Sasuke's POV]

'Just who the heck is this guy, he defeated Kagero with almost non effort, and she's supposed to be the strongest of the three guards of Orochimaru's base, she's almost as good as Arashi, the leader of the Fuma clan, even I had some problems defeating her when we sparred.'

He's walking to me, well he said that he'll get me out of this damn swamp, that was another thing that surprised me, he was able to make a jutsu strong enough to immobilize me. The good thing about this fight was that I was able to copy some good techniques during it with my sharigan.

He released the jutsu and soon I'm standing in solid ground again.

"You better go, soon this place will be full of shinobi investigating that explosion, and take him with you."

"Hn, Kagero is a girl." I inform him while I pick her body of the floor.



[Back to Naruto's POV]

"Really?" I'm a shinobi, sooner or later shinobi have to kill in order to save their lives in battle, and this isn't the first time I had to do it. I don't feel guilty.

"Hn." and with that he's gone. I can hear footsteps outside, it's time to use one of the techniques Jiraiya had taught me.

"Touton Jutsu!"(Transparent Escape Technique*****)And with that I'm no where in sight when the cavern is full with ninja.

____________________________________________________________________

*Kagero is a kunoichi that dress like a boy, she's one of the three gate keepers of Orochimaru's hideout, she was killed by Naruto in a fight with Orochimaru while she was disguised as Kabuto, but since in my story that fight never happened, she and the other people that died at that fight are still alive. And since Naruto was able to kill her without being merged with Kyuubi, I thought that know that he is, the fight would be very easy for him! ^^ I reviewer said that she is a boy, but beleive she is a girl! If you don't then check this link! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Sound it is the only source in the net that I could find in such a rush to back my theory... for now! My information came from the book Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book. *nods*

**Izanagi: Goddess of creation and dead in shinto.

***Some folk tales about kitsunes say that nine tailed kitsune have the ability to fly, just imagine, a flying Naruto! For now, he only floats when he is meditating, if you want him to master the ability of flying tell me so in your review!

**** Swamp of the Underworld is a technique of Jiraiya, the larger the amount of chakra you use to perform it, the larger and deeper the swamp is, in normal conditions the swamp would totally cover the victim, but since Naruto doesn't want to kill Sasuke, it only make him sink to his neck, so his head is out of it, wow, that's a deja vu!

***** Transparent Escape Technique is another of Jiraiya's techniques, this jutsu is the ultimate peeping technique developed by Jiraiya. This jutsu allows Jiraiya to escape from any area unheard and unseen. It appears to be ineffective against Tsunade though. It is unknown what this jutsu actually does, but it probably makes him invisible. Besides its use for peeping, it is also very useful for Jiraiya's espionage activities. When he's about to be caught, this jutsu allows him to escape an area without a trace.


Hehe, I hope you liked the fight scene, I'm not very good at writting them! So please review!

Ja ne!

True Self, New Self


Chapter seven: Family





I'm looking for Yuki now, the last time I saw him we were at the sword smith's shop, and he told me he was going to hunt his meal. He probably is sleeping some where near the shop, so I look there. He's at the roof, laying there with his little head resting over his front paws. His nose twitch and he wakes up, I guess he smelled me.

"Naruto-san!! You're back, I was so worried about you! When I came back you weren't here anymore!"

"I'm fine Yuki, no need to worry about me."

"If you say so Naruto-san," his nose twitched again, "Hmm... Naruto-san?"

"Yes Yuki?"

"Why do you smell like blood?," his nose twitching some more, "and it isn't yours."

"I smell like blood?," I say sniffing the air around me, and indeed I stink, the smell of recently sheaded blood, Kagero's blood, floating around me,"Kuso, I need to get a bath, maybe I can find a onsen that is still open, come Yuki, we're leaving."

"Yes sir!," he said turning into his human form, I give him a questioning look,"Hmmm... I always wanted to go to one of that onsens..." he says with a sheepish look.

"Ok then, lets go!" I said jumping down the roof and starting walking to the nearest bath house, my little walk around the village probing usefull, since I learned where everything is around it.

After visiting four onsens, all closed, we finally found one that was open, Misu Hana onsen (Mist Flower bath house). I paid for both of us and soon, I was sitting chest deep inside the onsen's thermal waters, next to a hyperactive Yuki, who just decided that he was going to swim. For a kitsune in a twelve year old form, he was acting like a 5 year old kid that was enjoying his first time in the thermal waters, which for youkai standards, that was probably the truth. But I have to admit, he looked cute, swiming around like that with his shoulder lenght hair floating behind him, his silver eyes shining with happiness, his pale pink skin shinning with water drops, his legs and arms splashing water everywhere. One of those splashs landing right on my face, blinding me momentarily.

"Oi Yuki! Watch were you splash!" I said splashing him with water, and hell broke lose.

Soon a water fight started, that turned into a water war when Yuki used his magic to send a wave of water my way, so I started using water justus as well. Half an hour and a floaded bath area later, the battle ended when I trapped Yuki in a head lock, pinning his twelve year old body to the wall.

"I give up! I give up!" he said between laughs. I release him and fall to the floor laughing as well, this should be how having a little brother feels like.

Yuki is at my side, panting while massaging his sore neck. I take a look around when I manage to calm down, the place is a complete mess, it won't be a nice thing to do to leave it like that, the old lady that owns this place was very kind to us.

"Stand up Yuki, we have to fix this place up!"

"Hai, Naruto-san!"

With Yuki's help, and some water jutsus, we managed to get the water back to the pool, and the things that were carried away by it in the middle of our fight, back in place. We looked proudly at hour work, and that was the time Uzume, the goddess of dawn, decided to grace the sky with her presence, slowly dying the black of the night into oranges and yellows, while the sun emerged from the horizon. It was a beautiful sight, the cold air of the early morning, even more cold against our wet bodies, taking away any form of fatigue after staying all night up.

We made our way back to Masamune's shop, walking slowly, enjoying the almost calm atmosphere in the village at this hours of the morning. Almost calm I say, because the streets are filled with a swarm of Iwa's shinobis. They are probably looking for suspicious people around the village, hoping to find the person responsible of the explosion, just in case he was still inside the village, which he wasn't, as a matter of fact he, she is no longer in this world.

Two ninjas stopped us in our way back, asking us questions about who we are and what is our purpose in the village, which I answered with a distorted truth, I said that my name was Kaji, and that Yuki is my younger brother, and that we were in the village visiting our father's old friend Masamune. When they asked about the sword I was carrying, I said that it was a birthdy present from Masamune. We were escorted back to the sword smith's shop, where he and Jiraiya confirmed our story, so we were released from any suspicious.

After a quick breakfast with Masamune at his shop, we were ready to leave again. It seems that in a point of the conversation between the old man and his friend, the smith made a suggestion that Jiraiya thought was very good. So now, we are heading to Sunakagure earlier than expected. Masamune told Jiraiya that even if I could train by myself, sparring is an important thing if I want to become stronger, and right now, Jiraiya is no longer a suitable opponent. I need another Jinchuuriki (demon host, literally Power of Human Sacrifice, nice isn't it?) to spar with, and even if I found some hosts in my travels, the only one that I'll ever accept as my partner is Gaara. So we're off to see the Kazekage, and we will pass the next months until my training time with Jiraiya is over in Suna.

We say our farewells to the old smith, and leave Iwagakure with a new stack of weapons, courtesy of Masamune, and a bag of medicinal herbs, it seems that the woman that got his bag stolen yesterday runs a drug store and she gave them to me in a form of gratitude. Yuki is walking by my side, he got fond of his human form, and since I promised him that I'll teach him some jutsus in the way there, he decided to stay in that form, you cannot perform any jutsus without hands anyway.

If we use our normal shinobi speed, we should be in Suna in three to four days, but since we have many time to spare, we will walk most of the way there, so it will take a week for us to get there. It is a good day for walking, the sky is clear and the sun isn't too hot, since there is a gentle breeze blowing, it is a nice day indeed. We joke with each other as we walk, or just talk, sometimes we only walk in a friendly silence. It is nice. It almost feels like a family, but that I cannot tell, since I never had one. Sure I have seen many families interact with each other in the distance when I was a boy, in the distance because there always was the possibility of getting beaten by the adults if they saw that I was looking at them, maybe the little monster was trying to curse them! Ok that was a sarcasm, but it is the truth.

Sure, Iruka-sensei was like a father to me back at the Academy, back at Konoha. Sure, Sasuke was like a brother to me, even if I'm not sure if it is that how I see him right now. Sure, the old hag Tsunade was like a mother to me, or a big sister. But non of them is my real family, there are no blood bonds that tie us, they weren't there when I grew up, they all came after a long time, after I already raised myself, after I created that mask, no one saw my true self.

But this, this feels like a family. Where all the members see me as myself, where no one looks at me with hatred in their eyes, where I am accepted by what I am. I feel right, I know they have my back, I know that they'll never judge me, and that feeling is great. And I know that even if things turn bad when we're back at Konoha, they will be always by my side.

We are going to stop for a quick lunch now, quick I say, because it is going to be ramen. Oh well, maybe it isn't my favorite food of all times, but I can take it. Eight minutes later we're all sitting on the ground, chop sticks in hand, eating our ramen, and no I'm not eating like I was starving for months, I like to take my time when I eat, so I can really enjoy the food. After we finish eating, we decide to take a little break, so the food can settle before we take off again.

"Naruto-san!! Can you teach me some jutsus now?"

"Why don't you teach him your Oiroke no Jutsy brat?"

"Shut up ero-sennin, if I'm going to teach him something, it will be something else!"

"What is the Oiroke no Jutsu Jiraiya-sama?"

"Why don't you learn from the kit gaki? At least he shows some respect to his superiors!"

"Be careful of what you say old man, I may technically be a genin, but you perfectly know that I can take an ANBU squad by my own, and remember why we are going to Suna to begin with!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever brat. Now listen well Yuki, the Oiroke no Jutsu is a special jutsu Naruto here created to pull pranks on the male population of Konoha, to make it short, the jutsu turn Naruto into a very sexy and very naked human female." Jiraiya said while grinning like a mad man.

"But they deserve it! Most of them where just so full of themselves, they needed someone to trow them down of their cloud!" I said blushing madly.

"Yeah yeah kid, even before you merged with Kyuubi and turned into a kitsune, you already acted like a myobu*."

"Yeah right, if I was a myobu, you were a nogitsune**, so shut up old man!"

"Naruto-san?"

"Hai Yuki?"

"I want to learn that technique."

"You do? Doushite? (why?)"

"Because I'm a kitsune of course!" (A/N: In japanes folclore, the kitsunes are often presented as tricksters, I just have to explain that now, or some of you may not understand Yuki's reason ^^)

"Ok, ok, you got a point there, fine I give up, I'll teach it to you."

"Great, I will get to see that magnificent technique again!" Jiraiya exclaimed happily.

"There's where you are wrong ero-sennin, I'll teach Yuki the technique, but you won't get to see it, ja!," I said and placed a kekkai (barrier) around us, so he can't see what's going on inside it, "Serves him well for being such a hentai..."

"So, how do you perform it Naruto-san?"

"Just watch closely so you can do it later," I said doing the hand seals for my special jutsu, "Oiroke no Jutsu!"

I turn into my female form and watch Yuki.

"So what do you think Yuki?," I said to him, "Oi, Yuki!," I step closer to him, "Yuki?," I poke him. Nop he's out, maybe I over did it? I look at myself, the smoke that usually floats around me when I turn into this form isn't there, "Ups, guess it was too much for the kit." I sweat drop and release the jutsu.

"Argh, what happened Naruto-san?"

"Beleive me Yuki, you don't want to know." I said with a nervous laugh.

"So are you going to teach me the Oiroke no Jutsu?"

"Maybe when you grow up a little bit more." I say patting him on the head.

"Ok..." he's clearly confused.

"How about I teach you the Henge no Jutsu instead?"

"The one shinobi use to transform into another person or object?"

"Exactly!"

"Great!!" he said jumping on the spot.

After a good hour of Naruto's How to perform Henge crash course, Yuki finally mastered it and now he's running around, transformed like me. If I didn't know better, I would say that he's a bunshin of myself. Mmmmm... lets see if we can pull a prank like I did when I was a kid, the target, ero-sennin. I call Yuki over and we start planning toghether what we could do to punish the old man.



[Jiraiya's POV]



What on earth could be taking the brats so long? It's almost an hour since they locked themselves inside that barrier. I'm trying to tame my hair, that was poking in every direction, and no, no like the usual poking. I tried to break into the barrier to take a look inside, only to see if they were doing alright, really! But it repeled me with a electric shock that messed up with my hairstyle, and left my clothes a little bit carbonized, damn that gaki is going to hear me when he comes out...

Speaking of that, the kekkai is dissapearing. But inside it is only Naruto, where could that fox run off to...

"Hey brat, where is that kit huh?"

"Yuki? He said he needed to do something important and that he was right back, why?"

"No no, for nothing, he better hurry up because we need to get going, there's a long journey ahead."

"Yeah yeah, whatever old man, look here he comes!" Naruto said while pointing somewhere behind me, and indeed, there he was, still in his human form, running our way.

"Jiraiya-sama!!"

"What is it kit?"

"I found a woman in a cave right there, she looks injured, maybe you can take a look at her?"

"Ok kit, I have this one, you wait here with Naruto ok?"



[End of Jiraiya's POV, start of Yuki's POV]



"So, this are going as planned right Naruto-san?" I said releasing the henge and turning to Naruto-san's bunshin, that is henge too but he also released it.

"You bet on that, want to go and see if he falls into our trap?"

"After you, Naruto-san!"



[End of Yuki's POV, start of Naruto's POV]



I hope that my clone doesn't mess things up, ohh well, lets hope not! I said using henge to turn into a woman, but my face is covered by a veil and a hood, the rest of my clothes look torn and dirty, revealing part of my skin here and there. But there's something special about the clothes I chose, because they're the ones that most of the geishas that offer 'special services' to their customers usually wear, with the obi tied backwards. I just hope that Jiraiya notice that too, speaking of him, here he is, just like we planned.

"Are you alright young lady?"

"Hai, I just hurt my ankle that's all." I said in a sweet femine voice.

"Let me take a look at it." he said kneeling in front of me and examining my ankle, touching a lot more than the necessary and a lot higher too. Finally he takes out some bandages and wrap it with them.

"Thank you so much sir, I don't know how I could pay you." I said bowing my head a little.

"Well, I can think of something." He said eyeing my outfit, I smirk under the veil, he noticed.

"Of course." I said moving to remove his clothes.

"Wait, I want to see your face." he's drooling by now, damn pervert.

"Of course." I said removing the hood and the veil at the same time.

"KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" he fainted, his face is so pale and his eyes are blank. I hear two persons bursting out in laughter nearby, they are Yuki and my bunshin, that laughed so hard that he dissapeared in a poff of smoke.

"That was genius Naruto-san! Henge like a woman but transforming your head to the one of a frog, totally awesome!" he said between fits of laughter.

"Maybe with this he'll stop visiting that horrible tea houses and giving me bad times when I have to wake him up the morning after." I said in a serious tone after turning back into myself, a few seconds later I was rolling around the floor laughing like crazy with Yuki.

"You're great Naruto-niisan!" he said, then freezing in the spot when he realized what he just said.

"It's ok, you can call me like that, Yuki-chan." I said looking at him from my spot on the floor. I hear a poof somewhere near Jiraiya and I turn to look at him.

"Yo kid, long time no see!"

"Hey Gamakichi, what brings you here?" I said to the frog that is currently sitting over Jiraiya's chest.

"Nothing, just wanted to check how where you doing, wow kid, you have changed, so what my cousin Gamari said was truth."

"And what could that be huh?" I say with a huge smile, my mood is great today.

"He said that he saw the boy that had signed a contract with the frogs at a forest in Stone country, and that he had merged with the demon fox that was sealed in him."

"Well, it's true as you can see!" I said letting him see a glimpse of my tails and my ears before putting them back in.

"Aghhh...," Jiraiya is waking up now, but the first thing he sees is Gamakichi's face over his, "KIYAAAAAA!" he fainted again.

I just look over to Yuki, then back at Jiraiya, then at Gamakichi, who has a confused expression, then back at Yuki. Our roaring laughter can be heard all the way to Iwa, I bet. Yuki is laughing so hard that he lost control of his trasformation and is back into his kit form, yelping loudly.

"What?" Gamakichi asks. I only laugh even harder, making my stomach hurts.

This has been a good day.

____________________________________________________________________


* Myobu or celestial kitsunes are the messengers of Inari, the goddess of Rice. They are benevolent.

** Nogitsune or wild kitsunes are malicious

*** Kitsunes are trickters creatures, no matter if they're myobus or nogitsunes. The difference are that myobus target overly-proud samurais, greedy merchants and perverts! While nogitsune target poor tradesmen, monks and women! Remind you of someone?

Please forgive me if you find some grammar or spelling errors, but I didn't have time to fix them! *bows*

True Self, New Self



Chapter eight: The Reason Why.







It has been three days since we left Iwa, and of what Yuki and I like to call: The Frog Incident. Jiraiya kept yelling at us for hours after he woke up, but the face he made was priceless, so the ear full was worth it. After we explained everything to Gamakichi he made fun of the old man for hours too, and I bet one of my tails that the frog will tell his father what happened when he goes back, because he decided to stay a little longer, I think that he' s hoping that we pull another prank, and he wants to be in the front row to see it. Too bad that I have enough of my childish behavior for a while now, not that I'll tell that to the frog that is perched on my head, chatting non stop with Yuki. In this few days they have become good friends. Currently they are talking about how I was when I was twelve.

"As I was saying Yuki, Naruto was a loud mouth when I met him, and the pranks! Oh the pranks were awesome! He also was very extravagant, do you know the clothes he used to wear? An orange jump suit, non the less. The first time I saw him I thought, what kind of ninja wears orange, is like screaming to the opponents: Here I am! Here I am! Hit me!. But somehow he managed to not get killed. And he was soooo small also!"

"Hey, cut it already you two! You know that it was an act to keep the people off my back. And I have grown! Now I'm a 1.78m seventeen year old, not a 1.45m twelve year old brat!" I say, with a half pout in my face, I never liked being called small, hell even the boss called me a shrimp the first time I summoned him. It was Kyuubi's fault after all! Having him locked inside me was a little exhausting for my body, so it was unable to make me grow too much while we weren't in speaking terms. I had a grow spurt after we started getting along some years ago.

"We know that Naruto-niichan! But it is so much fun to imagine you like that!"

"Ok ok, anything else you want to know about when I was little Yuki-chan?"

"Did you have a girlfriend?" I almost tripped when he said that, wow that was straight forward.

"Mmmmm... I used to say that I liked a girl that was on my same team, her name was Sakura. But I'm not sure if I really liked her, or it was because she was always clinging to Sasuke..." The last part I said it in a whisper. Ok, I admit it, there was some times I was jealous of the bastard, ok scratch that, he never was a bastard, he just had a rough live, but I was jealous of him sometimes. Everybody acted like they loved him, for being an Uchiha, of course, not for being him, but they loved him non the less. Everything I ever got were hatefull glares and bad treatments, I was used to it, but there were seconds where I wished to have that, and after that brief moment I mentally smacked myself, even with the way everybody treat him, Sasuke was always alone and under a lot of pressure. I knew that his situation and mine weren't so different.

Gamakichi and Yuki remained silent, they both knew well that Sasuke was a delicate theme to speak off, and the wisest thing to do was to not speak of it. They are both great. A smile was placed on my face again, there is nothing to be drepresed of right now! The sky is clear, the birds are singing, and I have a family that support me.

"Hey Gamakichi, how's boss doing?"

"Father is great! He actually was a little worried when he heard that you were killed, that was before my cousin came with the news of course."

"Glad to hear that."

I let myself sink in my thought again, Yuki and Gamakichi returning to their conversation. I can't wait to see Gaara again, I need to know if he really saw me that time! Plus I have to congratulate him for becoming the Kazekage, when we first met at the Chuunin exams he was so cold... and with his moto 'Fight for only yourself, living while only loving yourself' well that wasn't exactly what a Kazekage would say. But after our fight he changed, and now he's a great Kazekage and his village love him, or so I heard, and since the information came from a Suna shinobi, I think that it is true.

I wonder if he still cannot sleep because of Shukaku... This days I have been training in order to make better kekkais, maybe I can use one of them with Gaara and seal Shukaku? Well I guess that I'll eventually know. I wish that he has time to train with me, with all his Kazekage duties, and since we are going there without telling him first. Oh well, everything will work out eventually!

Before I even notice, we are stopping for the day. Dusk is aproaching and we decide to make a camp to spend the night. It is a normal rutine now, I set the tents, Yuki gathers wood and Jiraiya makes dinner, not that I can't do it myself, I'm a great cook, after all I lived alone the most part of my life, and no one, and I mean no one, can survive with a diet based in ramen, I would have died from bad nutrition a long time ago.

The meal went smothly, but something kept bugging me since we ate lunch. I kept feeling that someone was watching us, and even now I can feel it. There is definetly someone watching us. I can't smell anything, this person or animal, is smart enough to stand in a place where the wind carry his scent away from me, instead of closer. I'm in full alert now, I know there is someone here, even if I can't find any traces of him. I look at my companions to see if they have noticed something.

"Yuki, do you feel this?" I say in the language of the foxes, so no one can understand us.

"Yes Naruto-niichan, do I tell the others?" he replies back in the same language.

"Yes, but don't let our spy notice it."

Yuki sits next to Jiraiya and start drawing things on the dirt with his finger, the old man got the sign and he's on full alert now too, discreetly stealing glances around, trying to locate him. But it isn't neccesary, he knows that we know, I can feel it, the change of the atmosphere around him.

Someone jumps from somewhere up us, the full moon letting us see him. Black cloak with red clouds, long black hair, and behind the front bangs, two red expressionless eyes watch us. Itachi. And he's alone, Akatsuki is supposed to move in pairs, I wonder where Kisame is.

"Itachi, what is your purpose here?" Jiraiya asked him.

"I'm come to take Naruto-kun with me."

"Naruto is dead." Jiraiya said, saddness clear in his voice, damn, the old man is a great lier.

"No, he isn't dead. I have been watching you for a while, and you have been calling that boy Naruto."

"The Jinchuuriki Naruto, the boy that you met many years ago, the one that is host to Kyuubi and that Akatsuki is targeting is certainly not alive. He died from the injuries he received in an ambush at Stone country. Besides, Itachi, I certainly do not look like that boy."

"You could be using a jutsu to hide your apperance."

"There's no jutsu that can surpass those eyes of yours, and you know it Itachi. If you don't beleive me, you can see it for yourself, Naruto had the sealing mark on his stomach," I say, lifting my shirt to expose my stomach, the seal isn't there,"See? I'm not Naruto."

He looks at me, then his eyes turn into the Mangekyo Sharigan, he's trying to use Tsukuyomi with me, I just glare at him, straight in his eyes. A glimpse of confusion slips pass his emotionless face, he's wondering why it isn't working.

"You cannot use genjutsu with a person that has illusion as a part of their own nature Itachi." I say with a smirk. I walk forward, I'm taller than him now, I notice with a mental smile, and I also notice that Sasuke is now as tall as his older brother, he'll be happy to know that when the time they meet comes. Now lets give him a taste of his own medicine, and make him revive his past. I put a finger on his forehead and proceed to look at his memories.

It seems only seconds to the others, but it was hours for me. I saw all Itachi's memories, with Itachi himself as some kind of tour guide inside his mind.

"So... that's why..." I say stepping back.

Itachi clearly didn't enjoy it. He saw all his past from an outside point, he even explained to me what I was looking at, since I was standing by his side. The look he is currently giving me, I cannot decipher. He's icy exterior is impossible to crack.

"Tell your leader that there's no longer a Kyuubi to extract." I say with a cold voice, so unlike me, that's the voice I use when I'm in the middle of a battle, when I'm sure that killing is unavoidable. Now that I know why he killed his entire clan, I understand, but the Akatsuki is something I refuse to forgive, especially their leader.

Itachi gives me one of that looks that say nothing, and with that he is gone.

"Ok kid, what the fuck happened here?"

"That... is none of your bussiness Jiraiya." The reason behind the Uchiha massacre is too dark, and it shall not be revealed to no one, not before Sasuke knows it.


Sasuke, now I know the reason why your family was killed, why you were left alone, the truth behind the Uchiha clan. I just hope that you get to know it, before you kill your brother, before you finish to destroy what is left of your family and you end finally, completly alone, at least in your mind.

"Come on guys, time to sleep, there's a long journey ahead." I say slipping inside my tent and into my bed roll. I have many information to process, and I'd like to sleep through it.



[Otogakure, Orochimaru's office. Sasuke's POV, three days ago]



I enter the snake's office, dragging behind me Kagero's corpse. I throw it over his desk, startling him.

"Here is your little spy Orochimaru, you really should think twice before sending someone to follow me, or soon you'll be short of minions." I said walking out.

"Sasuke-kun, did you do this?" he said pointing to the bloddy mass over his desk, tainting all the documents over it. I hope they are important, because now they are ruined.

"Hn." I walk out, not answering him, let him think what he wants.

I head to the training grounds. I have to get stronger, Kaji showed me that even if I'm stronger than before, I'm still not strong enough. Kaji... that boy never cease to amuse me, I wonder who he really is. He's a ninja, a powerful one, but I never saw a headband on him. Could he be with the Akatsuki? No, I don't think so, something tells me that he can't be with them. Someday, I'll discover your secrets Kaji, and I'll surpass you.

First, I make a beeline to the room where Orochimaru has his scrolls with the techniques he had develop, or gather. If he doesn't plan to teach me, I'll teach myself. He stopped training me a year ago, telling me that he has too much to deal with to do so. Well, I don't need him, I'll get stronger, and I'll get the power to defeat my brother and get my revenge, with or without his help.



[Orochimaru's POV]



"Kabuto come here."

"Yes Orochimaru-sama?"

"Can you tell me who killed her?"

"Of course Orochimaru-sama."

I look at Kabuto while he examine the body over my desk. After a few minutes he stops and is ready to tell me the results, like the efficient medic-nin that he is.

"Well Orochimaru-sama, I can tell you two things with the information I have."

"And that would be?"

"First, Sasuke didn't kill her."

"And..."

"Second, the chakra traces left over her are... well... weird. I have never encountered something like this before."

"Well, it seems that Uchiha found an interesting friend. I want to know more about him, take care of that Kabuto."

"Yes Orochimaru-sama." He bows and leave.

'This is certainly interesting...'

__________________________________________________________



So there you go! Please review and tell me if you liked it. And don't kill me! You eventually know the reason behind the Uchiha massacre, but not yet! I will save it for an important fight later on!

True Self, New Self.



Chapter nine: Problems on the Road.








Jiraiya tried to question me several times after Itachi's unexpected appearance, but the old man should had know by now that there's no way I ever get information out of me if I don't want to say it. Kyuubi helped me train in that aspect a lot, a good ninja should be able to hold the information he posses under any circumstances. He eventually gave up, calling me a stubborn brat.

Yuki also questioned me, but it was for information of Itachi, like who he was and why he was after me. He also asked about Akatsuki. I answered him the best I could, but I never let out anything about what I saw inside Itachi's mind, that information is for Sasuke's ears only. Not even Tsunade will be able to squeeze a thing out of me. Hell, even that bastard Kabuto that is so proud of his information gathering will not know a thing before Sasuke does. I only hope that he hears it from his brother, because he won't believe me, that I know.

But for the meantime, I have another problem. Well, more like we have another problem, one that will occupy our minds for a while. A problem that the old man created, even if he says it was an accident, technically speaking it was his fault. This problem can be a great nuisance if we don't take care of it quick. Want to know what it is? Well I'll tell you.

The old man lost our money. And I mean ALL of our money.

You know, he always insist in carrying all of our money with him. Well technically speaking it is his money, because the one that I brought to our trip is long gone. The perverted man spent it in women and by the time one year passed there wasn't any left. He spent it all in what he said was the big no no's of a shinobi: Women, sake and gambling. And he calls himself a sensei, he doesn't even live according to his teachings. Oh well, I love the old man anyway, even if he's a pain in the ass sometimes.

You may be wondering how all our money is lost. Well I'll tell you that too. It was early in the morning and we had camp near a lake. Gamakichi, Yuki and I decided to go fish our breakfast, but since the fish wasn't anywhere near the shore, we dived in the lake hoping to find them in the deeper parts of the lake. Jiraiya said that he will get a bath while we were at it and took off to a more secluded area of the lake, taking the money with him.

When we came back, the old man wasn't there yet. We waited for him for a while, but when he didn't come, he decided to look for him. When we found him he only had his pants on and was looking around his other clothes and the surrounding area for something. Then was we found out what was missing. The money. He couldn't find it, and neither could we. So now we're in problems.

"How could you LOSE the money!" I yell at him, I usually keep calm, but my patience wore off after all his questioning about Itachi.

"I don't know gaki, one moment it was inside my shirt, and the next it wasn't!"

"Yuki, can you smell the money?" I ask him, I was unable to find it that way, but maybe Yuki could.

"No Naruto-niichan, I'm sorry!"

"And you Gamakichi?"

"No kid, not a trace."

"Mmmmm... gaki, now that I think about it, we should stop calling you Naruto, even when we think we are alone, you saw what happened with Itachi."

"Stop trying to change the subject old man," I say taking a deep breath. Ok, yelling will not lead to anything. Stop the childish behavior, I scold myself,"But you're right, you heard him, from now on call me Kaji at all times, got it?"

"Hai, Kaji-niichan!"

"You got it kid."

"Ok, now lets think. We need money in order to keep traveling. Even when we reach Suna, we should be able to buy our own food and pay for our own place to stay. I refuse to abuse of Gaara's hospitality. Now, how will we get that money?"

We all stopped to think. I look at Yuki, he's playing with his hair in his human form, his face showing that he's in deep thought. Gamakichi is sitting cross legged in the ground and Jiraiya is pacing around.

"Maybe we could work Kaji-niichan?"

"Now that I think about it, it is a good idea gaki. There's a village half and hour away from here, at the other side of the lake if I remember well."

"Ok then, we will all work, except for you Gamakichi, you're our guest after all."

"I wouldn't mind to work, but if you say so. Besides, I don't know if someone would hire a frog."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

We took off at full speed. This will slow us down, so after we finish gathering enough money, we will use our shinobi speed to reach Suna before this week ends. We must find very well paid jobs in order to do so. I just hope that they aren't bad...

By the time we arrive to the village, Yuki and I have our coats and hoods on. It is a very big village, and there's a Daimyo living in it. If we're lucky we can find jobs in his house. In our way there, Jiraiya leaves our side, he says that he found the perfect job already. And I really don't want to know what could it be, since he disappeared into the tea houses area, well at least I get to not be near him when he's at that places.

Soon we're standing in front of a the gates of the Daimyo's house. If the wall that surrounds it is any indication, the house behind them should be very big. I gathered some information on our way here. It seems that one of the Daimyo's body guards is sick, as well as one of the maids there. I just hope that we can fill those spots, because the rumor around the village said that the Feudal Lord pays very well. The guards have spotted us.

"Stop there. What is your purpose here?"

"We are here because we heard that the Daimyo is in need of someone to temporally fill some vacant spots in his house. I'm Fumetsu Kaji, and this is my younger brother, Fumetsu Yuki." I said with a smile, even if the guards can see it because my face is covered by the shadows of the hood, as well as Yuki's.

"Take off your hoods." One of the guards order us.

"I don't think that that is possible, no one will see our faces before our employer does."

They talk between them. It is their job to be suspicious, after all we could be assassins. After a while one of them runs inside the house and returns with a little army behind him. Fools, if we wanted to attack the Daimyo we won't come to his front door, besides, that bunch of soldiers wouldn't be able to stop us either if we wanted to kill the Feudal Lord.

"We will escort you with the Daimyo. He likes to interview his employees personally."

We follow the guard, completely surrounded by the soldiers. He guides us through many halls and corridors before we enter a large room. A hundred meters away from the door is the feudal lord, and at his sides, his wife and his son. This man is too naive, leaving himself so open to an attack, even if the room is filled with soldiers, and putting his family in danger too. We're strangers after all, and we could be dangerous.

"My guard informs me that you wish to take the positions that are currently available."

"That's right sir."

"Are you aware that it is only for a couple of days?"

"We are sir."

"Well then. I have a spot for a body guard, which of you will take it?"

"I will sir."

"Come closer," I do what I was told, and now I'm standing a couple of meters away from him, I think that he thinks that I'm a samurai, because of my sword that is currently hanging at my side. Samurais have a code of honor, therefore the Daimyo is completely safe with one, because a samurai will never use lies to approach his victim. No, they hire ninjas to do that dirty works, they'll never do the assassinations themselves. Oh well, I will let him think what he wants, "Remove your hood," I do as I was ordered. I can hear gasps all around me, by this time I'm used to them, even if it isn't that long since I took this appearance, and even if I'm not that pleased with all that attention, it might become handy sometimes, "You're a very handsome warrior boy. You can have the job, but remember, the head of my body guards will be keeping an eye on you. So don't think of betraying me."

"I'll never think of that my lord." I should receive a prize for my acting and deceiving abilities, but then again, this is something any good ninja should be able to do, when they have infiltration missions.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Fumetsu Kaji my lord."

"Well then Fumetsu, I will like to see your abilities after this, so be ready."

"Of course my lord."

"Who is the boy that is with you."

"He's my younger brother my lord."

"Is he able at fighting."

"Yes my lord, my father and I have been teaching him since he learned how to walk."

"Good, the other position that is left is as my son's companion. There aren't many children around in this house. Is your brother able to perform any tricks?"

I smirk at that, "Of course he does my lord."

"Good, come forward boy and remove your hood as well." Yuki does as the Daimyo said. There are a few women at the room, and I can here them squealing, well Yuki is cute, no one can say otherwise.

"Well it seems that the beauty comes with the blood." The Daimyo's wife comment, making Yuki blush.

"Now we will move to the training grounds, so Fumetsu can prove worthy of the position he has."

All the persons present in the room moves out, following the Daimyo and his family out to the training grounds.

"A good samurai should be able to use a bow with expertise, young Fumetsu, there is a bow and arrows at your side, show us what you can do with one."

I look closely around, there is a target some meters away, but it won't be a challenge to hit it. No, that is what they're expecting me to do. There's another target, at the completely opposite end of the spot I am, now that is a target that only a master of the bow should be able to hit, but I have another plans in mind. I prepare the shot and release the arrow, it flies across the yard.



[The Daimyo's POV]



The young samurai prepares the shot and release the arrow, but it looks like he missed.

"He missed my lord." My body guards head, my general, informs me. I look at the boy, he's smiling.

"Excuse me my lord, but I wasn't aiming to the target."

I send one of the soldiers to retrieve the arrow, with the piece of wood it's in. He returns quickly, with an incredulous look in his face. He hands me the piece of wood with the arrow in it. I examine it closely. There, pinned to the wood by the head of the arrow, was a beetle, his wings where pinned to the wood by the arrow, and he is still alive. I look at the boy, who is still smiling. He's an awesome samurai.

"You amaze me young warrior, your skills with the bow are the best I've seen in my entire live, now lets see if you're as good with the sword as you're with the bow. General."

Kanbei, my best body guard, steps forward and grabs a wooden sword. Fumetsu grabs one as well and stands in battle stance.

"Begin."

Kanbei launches the first attack, swinging his sword forward trying to hit him, but the boy blocks his attack with his sword. Kanbei continue attacking, he's graceful when he attacks, but he can't compare with the boy. No, he looks like he's gliding, his movements are as fluid as water, he's attacks look more like an elaborated dance than anything else. I have to have him, at all costs. I'll ask him to stay after this two days are over.

I can see that the boy is holding back, he isn't using all his strength, I wonder why. Maybe he doesn't want to draw to much attention to himself, but he failed to do so. All the eyes of the castle are on him now. If his brother is half as good, he will stay too. This are the times I wish I also had a daughter, so I could marry her to strong and powerful man, like the one that is fighting in front of my eyes. He is a handsome man, I can tell that even when the only thing I can see is his face and his hair. His coat, that floats around him with the some grace that the man that wears it has, covers the rest of his body.

My young son is captivated my the two brothers two. His attention pass from one to another, not deciding which of them is more captivating. The younger brother is doing some awesome tricks, and is also speaking about life to him with a wisdom that isn't found in someone his age, he speaks with a maturity of an adult, even if the way he acts tells otherwise. ((Well he's 95 years old after all, no one can live that long and not know a thing or two about life))

Fumetsu, I have never heard of that family before in my whole life. Which is an intriguing thing, if you think of how talented are this two boys. Maybe they're from another country? I'll have someone investigate that, for now I'll enjoy the fight. It is taking to the boy too long to finish the fight, he's trying to give some credit to my general. It seems that the young man is has also other virtues hiding in him.

With a fluid twist of his wrist, he had Kanbei's sword flying from his hand and his own sword pressed against his throat. If it had been a real fight I have been one general short by now. This boy must stay, and I'll do everything in my power to make him.



[End of the Daimyo's POV, back to Naruto's POV]



I end the battle with the General, I was done playing with him anyway. Samurais can have his Bushido Code and his pride, but when it comes to a battle they cannot surpass a ninja. They can't use chakra, and they aren't as strong and fast as we are. Even a genin can defeat a samurai. But the Feudal Lords prefer to have samurais as body guards, because they do not trust ninjas other than when they need them to do a mission for them. That's why I won't remove my coat, and neither will Yuki, because the outfits beneath them are clearly ninja and we don't have any others. We could use a henge to change them, but there's always the possibility that the Daimyo has someone that is able to feel chakra in his troops, so we decided against it.

But for now, the thing that matters the most is that this man will pay Yuki and I for hour of work, and by the time we leave this house each one of us will have the triple of the amount of money that was lost. Not bad at all huh?

The two days passed in the blink of an eye and soon Yuki an I are ready to leave with all the money we earned in this few days. The Feudal Lord almost begged us to stay, but we declined the offer, and at the end he let us go, but something tells me that this isn't the end of it.

We search for Jiraiya and we found him coming out of a book store, with a satisfied face.

"Well boys, I have regained all the money that was lost. How about you two? I bet that you didn't find a job at all."

"Actually old man, we did. Just take a look at our wallet." I say pointing at Yuki, who has Gamakichi perched over his head. I wonder when the frog got there. Yuki steps forward and open the bag that he was carrying.

"Wow brats! What did you do? Steal a bank?"

"Actually we worked as body guards for the Daimyo."

"Well kuso! If I had know that that kind of job was available I would had take it. Well it is a little too late for that right? So since we have money again, shall we leave? We are way behind schedule, so we will have to run the rest of the way to Suna."

"Lead the way old man!"

We are walking out of the village when we find the Feudal Lord private army blocking our way out.

"Stop there, our lord commands both of you to go back to his house. We have orders to take you there by force if you refuse."

"I'm sorry General, but we don't have time for this. We have somewhere to go."

And with that, we jump over the heads of the soldiers and land at the other side.

"You will never stop ninjas with that kind of strategy General, Ja ne!"

The three of us use chakra to bust our speed as we run away from the village. Next stop, Suna and Gaara!



__________________________________________________________


So here you go!! Finally they are arriving Suna in the next chapter, so look forward to some Gaara interaction!!

I just noticed something funny too, Yuki's and Naruto's names!
Fumetsu Kaji means Undying Fire, while Fumetsu Yuki is Undying Snow, I didn't noticed that his names where opposites until now.

True Self, New Self



Chapter ten: Sunagakure






Did I ever mention that sand is not my favorite material in the world? When it sticks to your skin it itches, it gets everywhere and it is nearly impossible to get it out of your hair, especially if it's long. And I don't like the desert very much either, it is too hot, and if you don't have something to cover your skin, you'll get one hell of a sunburn, but if you cover yourself, you will sweat like a pig. And the nights in the desert are just too cold, below freezing point sometimes.

But, one of my best friends lives here, so if I have to deal with the desert and it's awful sand to see him, then so be it. So here I am, running through the desert, using chakra on my feet, both to run faster and to not sink in the sand, completly covered by my cloak from head to toe, the sun beating from above. Jiraiya is running a little ahead from me, leading the way, even when I know my way in all countries thanks to him and our travels. A little behind me is Yuki, with Gamakichi in his arms, covered by his cloak. He said that he's going back to tell his father everything as soon as we reach Suna, I think that he still is afraid of Shukaku, but I can't really blame him, after all that happened at the Chuunin exams 5 years ago.

I can see the walls of Suna getting bigger as we aproach them. I just hope that I don't have any problems getting in, being with Jiraiya opens almost any gates, because he's well know across all the countries, but since all of them are in constant alert for any signs of the Akatsuki or Oto. And there have been sometimes before that I watch persons with black cloaks get locked up when they are mistaken for Akatsuki members. People is a little paranoid this days. Well I guess that I will see now, since we are at Suna's front gate right now.

"Stop there! The Kazekage has ordered you too go see him at once at his office. We will escort you there."

'Could Gaara know that we were coming?'

' ' Well kit, he does have Shukaku sealed inside him, and demons can feel each other, so there's a high possibility of him knowing you were coming. ' '

'Well, you do have a point there Kyuu.'

Two guards escorted us to Gaara's office. One of the guards knocked the door.

"Kazekage-sama we brought the visitors you requested."

"Thank you. Let them in." Came Gaara's voice from behind the door. The ANBU outside the door opened it and let us in, closing it after us.

"Is good to see you again, Naruto."

"Is good to see you too Gaara. I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier to congratulate you for becoming Kazekage, but I was busy training."

"It wasn't that important, don't worry about it."

"I heard you were attacked Kazekage-sama. I'm glad that nothing bad happened to you or to the village."

"You heard right Jiraiya, some of your friends came to help during the attack Naruto, they were surprised to not see you here also."

"I knew you could handle them. I don't know what was the Akatsuki thinking. Attack the Kazekage, in Suna, when that Kazekage is the Jinchuuriki that hosts Shukaku, Gaara of the Desert, famous across the countries for his control over the sand, in the middle of the desert where you have plenty of sand to work with. If Deidara and Sasori wanted to die that bad, they could have slited their throats with a kunai and get over it, it will be quicker."

"Or in Sasori's case slit his heart." Jiraiya pointed out.

"I see that you decided to drop the mask at last Naruto. You are very good with words, I'm impressed."

"I'm not that good Gaara, really."

"I mean it Naruto."

"Thank you Gaara. I'm glad to see that you have changed as well."

"Our encounter at the Chuunin exams helped me realize many things, I'm in debt with you Naruto."

"You owe me nothing Gaara, I was happy to help you, since we were, and still are, so alike."

"But out of the two of us Naruto, you are the one that changed the most. I see that you have merged with Kyuubi."

"Hmmmm... excuse me Kazekage-sama, but I've been wanting to ask you a question."

"Naruto, who is the kid that is with you?"

"Ohh I beg your pardon Gaara, I meant to introduce him to you before. Gaara this is Yuki, a fox demon that have been traveling with us since the merge."

"It is an honor to meet you Kazekage-sama."

"The pleasure is all mine, Yuki-san. What was that question you wanted to ask me?"

"How did you knew that Naruto-niichan was him? I heard that Naruto changed a lot after he merged with Kyuubi-sama."

"I wanted to ask you something too, Kazekage-sama, how did you knew we were coming."

"To answer both of your questions, Jiraiya and Yuki. I think that you both know that I have Shukaku sealed inside me. Demons can feel each other, and the only way Shukaku would shut up is that another demon, of a higher rank, is nearby. And for why I knew that it was Naruto, is because Kyuubi is the only demon that, not only can make Shukaku shut up, but make him go and sulk in a corner of my mind, pretending he doesn't exist. Naruto is the one that have Kyuubi inside him, so it must be him. As for his apperance, I already saw Naruto before, some nights ago."

"So you did saw me. I was starting to think that it was my imagination, after all, no one else could."

"Well Naruto, non of your friends is a Jinchuuriki, so they don't have any demons that can make them able to see and feel another demons when they are using infinite vision."

"Good point."

"So, what is the reason behind the pleasure of your visit?"

"Actually Kazekage-sama, we were thinking that you could do us a favor. Since Naruto merged with Kyuubi, I am no longer a match for him when it comes to spar, plus I already taught him everything that I know. So I was hoping you could help us finish his training."

"It will be my pleasure, after all, I need practice and training as much as any other shinobi. Unfortunatly, here in Suna there is no one that dares to be my partner in a spar, and the ones that do, aren't strong enough to be a real opponent. I also can have some of the jounin in the village teach Naruto. I guess that you're traveling under another name, am I right."

"Yes, I'm Fumetsu Kaji. I'm an orphan that was raised and trained by a sannin in the arts of the shinobi, but currently I'm not associated to any village. Yuki here is my younger brother, the sannin's son."

"Good, you will be known by that name by the people of Suna," a knock on the door, "Come in."

"Yo Gaara! Your meeting with the old farts of the council is in 5 minutes, you better get going or they're going to be pissed off!"

"I know that Kankuro, thank you for remind me."

"Huh? Who are the visitors?"

"I think that you already know Jiraiya-sama."

"But of course! What kind of man doesn't know Jiraiya? Your books are awesome, I have all of them."

"Hohoho, I'm glad to see that there are men that know how to enjoy the joys of life in Suna."

Gaara and I roll our eyes at that.

"And these are Fumetsu Kaji and Fumetsu Yuki."

"Hey there, my name is Kankuro, I'm Gaara's older brother."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kankuro-san." Yuki and I answer.

"Please, just Kankuro."

"Kankuro, this people are going to stay with us at the Kazekage mansion, could you arrenge everything for their stay for me?"

"Really Gaara, it isn't neccesary, we have money and we can rent a room in a inn, you don't have to do it."

"Nonsense, it is the least I can do for you, besides, is have been a while since the last time I saw you. I can tell that you have learned many things in your travels and have seen more than me, I will like to know all the things you have learned in the past five years. It is handy when you're a Kage, to know many things about the other countries."

"If you insist, we will stay with you, but at least let me repay you before we leave."

"Your pay will be help me with my training."

"Hey Gaara, do you think it will be wise to do that? You know what happened the last time someone trained with you."

"That was a long time ago Kankuro, but do not worry, Kaji is not like the rest of the shinobi, he can handle it, without problems."

"If you say so..." Kankuro said, he's scanning me with his eyes, trying to locate something extraordinare in my look, getting nothing.

"Then, if everything is settled, I must take my leave. Kankuro I leave everything in you hands. We will see each other at dinner Kaji, Yuki, Jiraiya." Gaara said, bowing a little before leaving the room.

"So, lets get going! Since you're going to live with us, I have to show you your rooms, I just hope that Temari doesn't freak out when she knows we have guests." Kankuro said, motioning us to follow him.

The Kazekage mansion is very big, for a one story building. It has a big living room, dinner room, kitchen... It has many guest room too, each of them bigger than my apartment back at Konoha, each of them with their own bathroom. I can imagine what Gaara thinks, it is a complete waste of space. After all, only him and his two siblings live here. The dignataries that visit have their own building inside Suna for their stays, so it isn't like anybody comes here. I see many maids here and there too.

"So, here is where you are staying. The room to my left is Kaji's, the one next to it is Yuki's and the one infront of it is Jiraiya's. The room at the end of the hall is Gaara's, down the hall to the right is mine, and in front of it is Temari's. If you need anything, just call one of the maids." He said ponting each room. We are standing at the begining of a very long hall, that only has 7 doors in it. If the space between each room says something about them, I can tell that they're huge.

I go to my room to unpack my things. Not that I have many. I have to remember to go shopping for new clothes, I'm going to stay here for a while and the only clothes that I have are the ones I'm wearing. I'll ask Gaara for a good place to buy clothes later, after all, I always liked the way he dresses. The room, as I predicted, is huge. It has a king size bed, a television, a desk and some couchs. There are two doors in it, one that leads to a walk in closet, and the other that leads to what I think is the bathroom.

I drop my bag besides the bed and go to check it. The bathroom, as the rest of the room, is big. Everything about it screams luxury, but what catchs my eyes, is the tub. It is big enough to fit at least four persons in it, and I can't decide if it is a big tub, or a small jacuzzi. I think that I'll try it later, since it has a little shelf by it side with many different soaps, oils and bath salts. Yes, I will try it later, after traveling so fast, my muscles deserve to relax a bit.

I go and unpack the things that I'm carrying, placing them in different shelfs and drawers inside the closet. After unpacking all my things, the closet still looks empty, I notice. As soon as I walk out of the closet, there's a knock at my door.

"Come in."

"Hey, Kaji-kun! I'm going out to take a walk, do you want to join me?"

"Sure, why not, Kankuro-san."

"Just Kankuro!"

"Kankuro is it then."

"Good. Follow me then!"



[Gaara's POV]



The meeting with the council went smoothly. The main topic of it was the Akatsuki and Otokagure, as many of the meetings these days have been. And, like in every other meeting, we ended walking in circles. We don't have any information about the whereabouts of the Akatsuki base, or Otokagure. Neither do we know what are their plans or where are their members. So like always, the meeting ended with the same decision we have made each time, watch our borders and be careful with strangers.

I'm looking forward for my talk with Naruto, if my suspicious are right, I can collect vital information from our conversation. And even if I don't like to admit it, it will be refreshing to talk with someone that can really understand me, since we have experienced similar things through our lifes.

When I reach home, the first thing I see is Temari looking at something, but hiding herself while doing it. I wonder what is it this time. I cough to get her attention, and she turns around, kunai in hand.

"Gaara!," she says, putting the kunai away,"don't scare me like that."

"May I know the reason why are you hiding behind a wall?"

"There are two persons at the living room that I have never seen before."

"They must be our guests, why don't you go and introduce yourself, after all, they are going to stay for a while."

"Why didn't you tell me that we were going to have guests?"

"That's not important Temari. Where's Kankuro?"

"He left some hours ago with the young man that came with the men that are in the living room, Kazekage-sama." One of the maids that was walking by informed me.

So Kankuro took Naruto for one of his walks... that can't be good. After all, the last time Kankuro took someone to a tour of the city, they ended up at the red district. I had to apologize several times to the dignatary that was the father of the poor boy. Kankuro causes more problems than he resolve...

We are currently sitting at the table, waiting for dinner, and Kankuro and Naruto haven't arrive yet. No, here they are, I can recognize Kankuro's voice anywhere. A few seconds later they are entering the dinning room. Kankuro is very happy, and Naruto has a stoic expression planted on his face. That's good...

"So, how was your walk Kankuro?"

"It was awesome Gaara, you won't beleive what happened!"

"Do I want to know?" Temari groaned, but I can see that her eyes are glued to Naruto. He is a good looking man, I really can't blame her.

"The prostitutes offered Kaji here money to sleep with them! They were all over him, like bees to the honey. It was quite a sight."

"Well that was before you scared them all away, Kankuro. I can't beleive you tried to convince them into a threesome with Karasu." Naruto say, his cold expression still there, but I can see a glimpse of amusement deep inside his eyes.

"What's wrong with Karasu?"

"I don't know Kankuro, what could be possibly wrong with having sex with a puppet?" He says, sarcasm dripping from every word. I can feel a small tug at the end of my lips, a small smile forming on my face.

I can feel the atmosphere in the room lighten. That is a virtue that only Naruto posses, having the ability to make anyone feel good and at ease around him. His mere precense irraids peacefulness, that is one of the many reasons people love him. His personality is possitively magnetic. After that point everything went good, dinner has never been more lively in this mansion before, and after a good meal everyone left satisfied to their respective rooms. Even after all this years, and after leaving behind that mask that I noticed from the first moment we met, after merging with Kyuubi and after all the things he has lived through, Naruto still is trully something.



[End of Gaara's POV, back to Naruto's POV]



I will never, ever, go to a walk with Kankuro before. I can tell that he and the old man are going to be good friends, they are both a pair of perverts. I think that non of them understand that I'm still underage, and certainly not interested in women. Kyuubi told me once that he thinks that I could be asexual, since I never show any interest for anyone before.

But he has been bugging me for a while now, because I did notice that Gaara is looking very good, a little too good. But I won't think about that for now. I'm going to sleep for a while.

' ' You like him kit, you can't deny it! ' '

'Shut up fur ball, I'm trying to sleep here! Besides, Gaara is only a friend, and a friend he will remain.'

' ' Ok, if you say so... ' '

I fall into a deep sleep, that lasted for a few hours. When I wake up, it still is dark outside, but I don't feel tired any longer. I open the window to let some fresh air blow inside the room. The wind is too cold, but he carries with him the scent of someone I know. Gaara is outside, I'll go talk with him.

I follow his scent to the highest spot in Suna. He's sitting agaist a wall, looking at the stars.

"Shukaku still doesn't let you sleep I see." I say, sitting next to him.

"Even if he's been awfully quiet since you arrived, I still can't take that chance."

"I promise you Gaara, that before I leave Suna, I will find a way to change that." He smiles a little. We spend some minutes in silence.

"How did it happen?"

"The merge?"

"Hai."

"I died. And Kyuubi wasn't going to accept it. You see, we became friends some years ago. The merge would eventually happen, because of the seal our chakras were already fusing. My death only speed the proccess. But instead of only our chakra becoming one, we became one being. My body is the one of a demon now, and I possess Kyuubi's knowledge as well."

"I can see that you are conceiling your whiskers, but that isn't the only thing that you're hiding, am I right?"

"You're right. My whiskers are a dead giveaway of my identity, that's why I'm hiding them. But there are other things that give away my true nature." I say standing up again. I scan our surroundings, to make sure no one can see us. I let my tails and my ears show, they are glowing with the moonlight, the golden fur looks beautiful under this light. Not that it doesn't look good at all times, but it looks better under the moon. I hide them again and sit back down.

We spend more time in silence, just looking at the stars.

"Are you still looking for him?"

"Yes."

"It has been five years. Even your friends in Konoha stopped searching some years ago."

"I won't give up on him."

"Why?"

"Because I need him, as he needs me."

'He is fire, I am wind. Wind is the olnly element that keeps fire alive and makes it stronger.'

"Why?"

"Because after all those years living alone, after losing so many things, after all the changes in his live, I'm the only one that have always been there for him. And after he archives his goal, I will be the one that will be there for him"

"Why?"

"Because I beleive in him."

"Why?"

'He betrayed the village, and me, but...'

"Because he is like us, even if he doesn't have a demon sealed within him. The villagers always saw him as something that wasn't really him, they never saw him as a person."

"What is him for you?"

"He was like a brother to me."

"Was? And now?"

"I don't know."

"Do you... love him?"

"Yes, but there are many kinds of love."

"I'm not very familiar with love."

"Your family loves you."

"I know."

"Your people loves you as well, I have heard many people of Suna talking about how they love their Kazekage in my travels."

"Do you?"

"Nani?"

"Do you love me?"

"Yes. You're the only person that trully understands me. You are my best friend."

"Wasn't him your best friend?"

"I don't know, I don't know how I feel about him any longer. But I will not give up on him. I will never give up on my word, that's my ninja way."

'Made promises are not meant to be broken.'

"Good."

And with that, we stopped talking and just sat there, gazing at the sky.

__________________________________________________________



Again, sorry for the grammar/spelling errors.
Please review!

True Self, New Self.



Chapter eleven: Live in Suna.






It's been a month since we arrived Suna, and slowly, things felt into a daily routine.

Spar with Gaara in the morning, training with Kankuro and Temari in the early afternoon, and after that, Gaara insisted that since I'm going to be the next Hokage, I should learn how things work, so I'm studying and learning etiquette and other things that are neccesary for the Kages with Gaara until late at night. After that I take a quick nap and I spend the rest of the night with Gaara, talking about various things or just looking at the sky, a thing that I'm growing fond of. Maybe I'll join Shikamaru in his sky gazing when we get back to Konoha.

I have been working with my chakra control and my kekkais, since I will need them if I want to help Gaara with his insomnia. I have been studying some scrolls from the Kazekage private library, some of them explaining how was Shukaku sealed inside Gaara. I need to know everything about the seal if I want my plan to work.

Temari has been hanging around me since the very first day I got here. She's one of the few women that I can stand. She's strong and centered, and helps me keep my new fan club at bay when I'm out of the mansion. Apparently, no matter where I go, there are fan girls or fan boys somewhere nearby, and they always try to attack me. The good thing is, all my fans are from the civilian population of the village.

I would be in troubles if one of my stalkers was a shinobi, because they are better at stealth and not so obvious and clumsy as the regular ones. The ninja of this village were careful around me at the beggining, not enterily trusting me. But I would be surprised if they welcomed me with open arms, after all I just showed up one day and started living with their Kazekage and having privileges that not everybody has.

The first weeks were hell, even if the ninjas of the village trusted the decisions of their leader, they decided to keep an eye on me. The few times I went out with Gaara for a walk or to eat somewhere in the village, I could hear their whispers and feel they calculating looks on my. Thankfully, they ended up liking me after some time, and now they threat me like I was another member of the village and a fellow shinobi.

Even some of the ANBU capitains are trying to convince me to join the village, since I'm not a member of one. They say that they will make me an ANBU as soon as I joined, no need to pass any exams or tests. I was very surprised with their behaviour at first, but Gaara shuggred it off.

He says that I have a natural magnetism to other people, that the aura around me is able to make even the most untrusty and self centered person trust me. Even Temari was surprised when Chiyo, an old woman that was even wary of her own shadow, or so Temari said, offered me to help with my training. It was like this before, but not at this level.

Jiraiya joked with me saying that the next time we saw the snake bastard I could make him trust me to the point of doing everything I say and make him slit his own throat with his Kusanagi telling him that nothing will happen. I just glared at him, if only things were that easy.

But enough of this talk, I'm running late to my morning spar with Gaara.



[Kankuro's POV]



I have been begging Gaara to let me see one of his spars with Kaji. No one has seen one of them, the only thing we are able to see are the scratches, bruises and cuts on their bodies after they leave the doors that lock the indoor training area from curious looks. If someone is able to harm Gaara in a fight, that person must be someone very good, too good to be truth actually. And that is something I must see, since I'm helping that boy Kaji with his training.

But, he's late! He was never late before, for anything. Well... it might have something to do with the fact that I kept bugging him last night, trying to convince him to introduce me to a pretty girl I saw following him yesterday. I think I didn't let him sleep... ups?

Maybe I should go look for him, oh never mind, here he is.

"I'm sorry Gaara! I'm late! That brother of yours didn't let me take my nap last night, oh speaking of the devil. What is he doing here?"

"I let him watch our spar."

"He was that annoying huh?"

Gaara smirked, really smirked. And because of that boy.

I still can't figure out this brat! He came here out of nowhere and he's been acting all buddie like with Gaara. He's the only person that gets away with adressing Gaara the way he does. Anybody else that tries to speak to Gaara the way this boy does, leaves hurt. I really don't know what is going on here.

"So are you too done talking about me? I'm here to watch the too of you spar, not chat."

"Yeah yeah, patience is a virtue, do you know that Kankuro?" Kaji said. I just glare at him, but I know that they don't affect him, not even Gaara's dead glares do.

They take their places at each side of the arena and fall into their battle stances. They look at each other and the next thing I know is that they are gone. I look all around for them but they're no where in sight. I spot something lying against the wall that is very familiar... Gaara's gourd! He's fighting Kaji without his sand? I hear the clash of metal against metal somewhere above me, then some meters to the right. A crater forms on the floor and the crash sound came later, but I could see a black and yellow blur jumping from it nanoseconds later it formed.

Finally my eyes are getting a little used to the speed they are using and now I'm able to discern their respective blurs crashing, kicking and punching at each other. I hear a someone laugh, the voice belongs to Kaji, I'm sure. Now I'm wondering even more just who the hell is this guy, this level of fighting is too high for someone his age. Gaara is an exception because he's a Jinchuuriki.

Finally, the gourd dissapears and to the battle sounds joins the sound of sizzling sand. So Gaara really wants to win this fight. Th battle goes on and finally I can focus in something that isn't moving, sand is covering someone, and judgeing by the fact that Gaara is standing in front of the sand sphere, I guess that it is Kaji trapped inside it.

"Give up Kaji, I win."

"Really?" Came the muffled voice of Kaji from inside the sand.

Something is happening to the sand coccun around the boy, it is turning red. Gaara looks as confused as I am, well not that he is showing any emotion, but his lips are pressed in a tin line, so I can tell the difference. The air of the room is growing hot, more than the usual hot. The coccun shines brightly and I can look directly at it. When the light fades I turn to look at it, a gasp falling from my mouth at the sight before me.

There is Kaji, still imprisioned, but not by sand, but by glass. He kickes it and it breaks down and soon he's pressing his sword against my brothers neck.

"I win."

"This time."

I finally get my ability to speak back, after the shock of the outcome of the fight.

"What the fuck happened?"

"It is very simple Kankuro, sand plus heat equals glass. It is a basic knowledge you know? Maybe you should read some of the text books at the library, they are very interesting."

So that was what he was reading last night when I found him at the library. This boy is very sharp, finding a way to scape Gaara's Desert Coffin with the help of a chemestry book. Kaji is scratching the back of his neck with insistence.

"Look at you Kaji, you're all covered with sand."

"Yeah, says the guy that has a layer of sand compacted against his whole body." Kaji said pouting.

And Gaara started chuckling, making Kaji pout even more, which made Gaara start laughing real hard.

"Gaara is...laughing?"



[End of Kankuro's POV, back to Naruto's POV.]



Gaara is laughing, I never heard Gaara laugh before, and it is a nice thing to hear, very refreshing. I will make sure to make him laugh more. I smile at him while he still is laughing.

Crash!

I turn around to see what caused that sound, and what was my surprise to see that Kankuro has fainted. I turn to look at Gaara, he's clutching his stomach and laughing even harder at his brother. I take another look at Kankuro and burst out laughing too. This is just too funny, and Gaara's laugh is contagious.

It took us a long while to calm down. I'm whipping tears of my eyes and look at Gaara, who is in a worst shape than I am.

"So the Kazakage can laugh after all."

"This is the first time, tell anyone and I'll kill you."

"And what about Kankuro? He saw you."

"We will tell him that he imagine it."

"Ok..." Damn this sand itches! I scratch my head trying to get it out.

"Need a hand with that?"

"Please."

Gaara raises his hand and I can feel every single grain of sand crawling their way out and off my body, and it tickles, a lot. I suppress the urge to giggle, and sigh in releive as soon as the last grain leaves my body, the itch stopping at last.

"Better?"

"Much, thanks Gaara, I owe you one."

"It's nothing." Gaara says with a dismissing wave of his hand.

"So what are we going to do with your fainted brother?"

"We could leave him there or carry him to his room."

"I'll carry him." I say walking to the man lying at the ground and pick him up, securely placing him at my back.

"Are you ok with this?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, but remind me to tell Temari that she has to put his brother under a diet, he's too heavy!"

He just smirks at me and walk out of the training room, heading to Kankuro's bedroom. When we arrive there he holds the door open for me and I throw the unconscious man on his bed. I stretch my back at watch Gaara, who have a amused glint in his eyes. I guess this is the first time he sees his brother faint.

"What happened here?"

I turn around to see Temari leaning on the doorframe, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Kankuro asked to see our spar, Temari-san, but I'm afraid he got knocked down with one of my attacks after Gaara dodge it."

"Well, that's something that the baka of my brother could do, that's for sure." She says laughing.

"Well, I have a meeting in a few minutes, so if you excuse me, I have to leave."

"Don't worry Gaara, go ahead. I'll see you in the afternoon."

"Yes, by the way, dress nicely, because you're attending the meeting with the council with me." He says and dissapear in a swirl of sand.

Now I'm in troubles, since I arrived here I never went shopping as I said I would, and I have nothing to wear...

"Hmmmm... Temari-san, where are Yuki and Jiraiya?"

"Oh, they left early this morning, they said something about going to train at the desert and they will arrive by dinner time, why?"

"No, it's nothing." I say, walking out of Kankuro's room and closing his door behind me.

"So, what are you going to wear Kaji-kun?"

"Actually, I got no idea. You see, there was an incident on our way here and all my clothes were lost, so the only clothing I own right now are the things I'm wearing."

"How did you managed to use the same clothes for so long?!"

"I wash them at night and let the air of the desert dry them."

"Nevermind, you're coming with me!"

"Where?" I ask while Temari drags me out of the mansion.

"Shopping of course!"

I was dragged to the shopping district by Temari, that was very excited about helping me buy new clothes. Well, it seems that this kunoichi likes to go shopping like any other woman after all. But at least, she has good tastes. After visiting many stores, we decide to take a break and have some lunch. We put our bags by the table of a small restaurant and quickly a shy waitress takes our order.

"So, are you liking the clothes we bought so far?"

"Yes, that dark red silk shirt that I tried at the end was very nice, I think I'll use it in the meeting."

"Put it with the black pants we bought at the first store and with the black shoes we first bought."

"Ok."

"Thank you, Kaji-kun."

"For what? I never did nothing that needs to be thanked for."

"No, you did. I never saw my brother so happy before. You're a good friend for him."

"Is easy for me to befriend someone like Gaara. I know that you love your brother very much, and he needs to feel loved."

"Yes, Gaara had a rough childhood. I loved my brother, ever since he was born. But my father forvide Kankuro and I to go anywhere near him. I tried to play with him once when he was a little boy, but my father found out and beated me half to death. Kankuro and I had to look at him grow up from afar, and Gaara grew up without the love of a family. I oftenly blame myself for the way Gaara acted, I think I could do more for him, confront my father or something! Thankfully everything changed after the Chuunin exams five years ago. His last fight with a boy called Naruto changed Gaara a lot. He finally started to open up to us and we were able to be a family at last. I owe my life to that boy."

I hear Temari's words in silence. I can't keep lying to her, or to Kankuro. I will tell them the truth today, after I tell my decision to the old man. They deserve to know. And they are trusthworty too. They can keep my secret, I'm sure of that. I'll just have to warn Gaara first.

For the meantime, I just smile at her. The food has arrived, so we stopped talking in order to start eating.

After lunch, we spent the time in which I was supposed to be training, finishing shopping. We got back just in time for me to take a quick shower and get dressed. I arrived to Gaara's office just before the scheduled hour. Then I followed Gaara to the Council Room, the only place in Suna I haven't visited before.

I took a sit behind Gaara and listened with atention everything that they discussed, as well as the way they discussed it. It wasn't all that boring as Kankuro said once, actually is was pretty interesting. The topics threated in the meeting were very important to the wellfare of the village and the country. But suddenly, all the conversations stopped and all eyes were on me. I supress the urge to squearm in my sit and look straight forward. Some of the people in the council that I already know are looking at me with strange smiles on their faces.

"Kaji-kun." The head of the concil says.

"Yes sir?"

"The council have been deliverating about something and we have a proposition for you."

"And what could that proposition be?"

"In the time you have lived here, you have gained the trust and respect of all the villagers and shinobi alike. We wish you to join the village. Our ANBU capitans have suggested you to become one of them, because they think that your abilities are adecuated to that post."

"I'm honoured with your offer, to become a proud member of this strong village that I have learned to love and in which I have so many friends. But I'm afraid I must decline your offer, my travels are not over yet, and for the time being, I do not wish to join any village. I'm sorry." I say, bowing to them.

"Would you at least think about it Kaji-kun?"

"I'm afraid that I won't change my decision, but you can count with my support for anything the village needs."

"Very well, you're dismissed. This meeting is over."

Gaara and I bow to the members of the council and then leave. Times flies insided that room, because is dinner time already.

"After you finish your training here, you're going back to Konoha." Gaara points out.

"Yes, but I meant what I said in there. If you need my help for anything, you can count with me, even if I'm in Konoha, I will be here in no time if you call me."

Gaara only nods at me, acknowleging my offer.

"I'm going to tell Temari and Kankuro who I am."

"Why?"

"They deserve to know, and I trust them."

"Very well."

We enter the mansion and go to the dinner room, where everybody is, waiting for the food to arrive. I sit betweem Jiraiya and Yuki.

"So how was the training?"

"It was very good, Kaji-niichan! Jiraiya-san thaught me a lot of new techniques."

"Yuki here is a fast learner."

"I'm very proud of you Yuki-chan,"I say looking at Yuki then turning to Jiraiya and adding in a whisper,"I'm going to tell them."

"Are you sure kid?"He whispers back.

"Yes."

"Ok..."

"Temari-san, Kankuro. I have something I wish to tell you."

I started to tell them the whole story when I was sure no one else was listening to us. I even went as far to show them my tails and ears when I finished. I laughed mentally at their reactions. Kankuro fainted for the second time this day, and Temari was doing a fine job at it, Gaara's sand keeping her upright. When she finally recovered, she hit me with the end of her fan across the table.

"Ouch! What was that for?!"

"For not telling us sooner you blond baka!," She says, standing up and walking around the table so now she is by my side. She leans down and kiss me in the cheek,"And that was for what I told you at lunch."

"No problem Temari-san."

The rest of the evening went without hitches, and as soon as Kankuro regained consciousness he started bugging the hell out of me, but he all had fun.


____________________________________________________________________


Here you go. Again, I had to sacrifice the spelling and the grammar in order to update sooner. But I'm going to start checking the other chapters some time soon, I promise. So forgive me again!!

True Self, New Self.




Chapter twelve: Small Favors.








Another month has pass, and it's getting harder for me to not turn down the offers to stay at Suna that I receive daily. It is nice you know? Live in a village where almost everybody knows you and likes you, where people respect you. It never was like that back at Konoha, there people was very reluctant to sell me things, if they let me in their shops at all, here if I take a walk through the market I leave with fruits and flowers that the people there give me when I walk near their shops. But no matter how nice is living here, Konoha is still my home, the place where I grew up and had friends, the place I will always protect, even if it doesn't want me there to protect it to begin with. I will go back to Konoha when this month comes to an end.

But for now, I will enjoy my time here.

I'm in my afternoon lessons with Gaara. Well... I don't know if they still can be called lessons, because I now know as much as Gaara about how to be a Kage. So it is more like I'm sitting in his office helping him with mission assignments and reports. It can be boring sometimes, especially when I have to help dealing with the genins, but there are one or two that never cease to amuse me, because they act like Konohamaru. But right now, we have in our hands a very interesting mission, and a problematic situation because of it

"We may have a problem with this mission Kazekage-sama." Ryoku, code name Shikyo Taka (Death Kawk), leader of the ANBU says.

"Yes, this can represent a problem indeed." Gaara says, folding his hands over his desk.

"If we refuse this mission, people will start to think that the village is weak. But currently all the ANBU available are on missions, and if we send some of the ones that are still in the village, it will leave us open for an attack. We can't send a jounin either, because this missionn may be too dangerous and the assassination missions are for the ANBU... this is a real problem." I say with a matter-of-fact tone.

"That is exactly my point Kaji-san. So what are your orders Kazekage-sama?"

"The village security is top priority right now, submit the mission request to Konoha."

"That won't be neccesary," I say, drawing their attention to me,"I'll take this mission. I'll dress like a Suna ANBU and carry it, that way the village won't look weak."

Gaara looks like he's in deep thought, but finally he nods.

"Very well. I'll let you take this mission. Ryoku, take Kaji with you and give him an ANBU uniform and the mission scroll."

"Yes sir! Come with me to the ANBU headquarters Kaji-san." he says and dissapear in a poof of smoke, sure that I will follow him.

"Be careful Naruto, I don't want to hear Godaime's complaints later if something happens to you."

"Don't worry Gaara, you know that I'm fully capable of carrying out this mission without hitches."

"I'm very aware of that. Now go, Ryoku must be wondering where you are."

"See you later!" I say, before dissapearing in my own puff of smoke. Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker) is certainly one of the most useful techniques ever.

I land on the ANBU headquarters main hall, where I felt Ryoku's chakra. The ANBU HQ are supposed to remain hidden for everyone outside their ranks, only ANBU and the Kage are allowed to know it's location. But Gaara took me there once and since then Ryoku and other ANBU members keep taking me here for various reasons. Gaara blames it to my supposed magnetic personality, and to tell you the truth, I'm starting to beleive him...

"Please follow me Kaji-san." He says entering a door at the far end of the room, to his office.

"So, the mission is to track down and kill a missing-nin from Hoshigakure that defected in order to join Orochimaru, am I right?"

"Yes, we beleive that he's being escorted by a chuunin team from Oto. The man stole some important scrolls from the village. The mission is too hunt down the missing-nin and retreive the scrolls." He said taking out a hunter-nin mask of Suna from a drawer of his desk and handing it too me. This mask... looks exactly like the one Haku weared, the only difference is the symbol at the forehead, it is from Suna, not from Kiri. But I can let myself drown in memories right now, there is a mission that needs to be done.

"I will go to my room to collect some things I will need and I'll leave inmediatly. Do we know anything about their whereabouts?"

"One of our informants said that they were heading to Oto and were near the east border of our country. They must be reaching Hi no Kuni (Fire country) by the time you find them."

"Understood." I said, placing the mask on my face and dissapear to the Kazekage mansion.



[Jiraiya's POV]



Yuki and I have just arrived from our training session at the desert. He's proving to be a good student, just like Naruto. I walk to the kitchen to get something to drink, training in the desert leaves you very dehydrated... But I feel a chakra signature appearing out of nowhere inside the mansion and just at the same time I turn my head, I see a blond hunter-nin, or so I think because he's wearing a hunter-nin mask, walk quickly in the direction of the rooms. He looks very familiar... holy crap, that was Naruto.

"Oi gaki!! Hold on a second there!" I say running to catch up with him.

"Make it quick Jiraiya, I have to leave for a mission."

"Did youo decide to join Suna or what?"

"No, this is a favor for Gaara." He says before continue walking. I follow him to his room.

"Again?! Kid, at this rate you will carry missions for Oto too! It is the only village left, you had carried missions for all the rest, are you trying to impose a record or something?"

"What is wrong with helping the persons that had been kind to you?" He says while he gets his weapons.

"Nothing, nothing."

"So?"

"Just be careful, Tsunade will have my head if you get even a scratch on your body."

"I know, Gaara said exactly the same thing." Even when his mask on, I can tell that he has one of those foxy smirks on his lips. Damn that kid, he always get himself in this kind of messes...



[End of Jiraiya's POV, back to Naruto's POV. Current location, Hi no Kuni's west border.]




This boys are really chuunin? It wasn't that hard to find them, plus they lit a fire. I thought that maybe the missing-nin would be more intelligent than that at least. I'm perched on some tree branches above they camp, supressing my chakra so they can't spot me. I have been following them for a couple of days now, studying their behaviour in order to create an efficient plan to carry out this mission without unneccesary casualities. Tonight is the night, they have been traveling non stop for quite a while now and all of them are tired. They don't sleep on tents, the missing-nin carries the scrollss, and they take turns on guard duty.

The plan is simple, take care of the guard as quietly as possible, sneak in the camp, kill and dispose of the target, retreive the scrolls and leave. But I need them asleep first so, for now I'll wait and listen to their conversation.

"Uchiha-sensei will be proud of us." One of the boys said.

'Uchiha-sensei? Sasuke has a chuunin team? Somehow I can't imagine Sasuke teaching some kids.'

"Why do you keep calling him sensei? He never taught us a thing, and we had to go to all of our missions alone."

'Knew it.'

"Yes, he doesn't deserve to be called sensei."

"But he's Orochimaru-sama's aprentice. It is an honour to have him as our jounin teacher."

"Whatever. Go to sleep now, I'll take the first turn. We are supposed to reach Oto in two days and you will slow me down if you're tired."

'That brat... is so full of himself. Well, almost all of Oto's shinobi are like that anyway.'

Finally, they go to sleep, even the missing-nin. I wait for a few hours until I'm sure that is safe to put in motion my plan.

I sneak at the boy who is on guard. As soon as I'm behind him I hit some pressure points at his neck, knocking him unconscious and grabbing him before he falls of the tree branch he was on. He never heard me coming, my stealth abilities are too good for a mere chuunin to notice me, using my kitsune abilities as an advantage against my opponent. I'm in the woods, and this is my territory.

I repeat the procedure with the other two boys and move to my target. I stand over him, sword in hand, ready to take off his head, when he wakes up. I can see the horror in his eyes just before I swing my sword down, extinguishing the light that were on them forever. I pick up his head and place it in a bag. As a hunter-nin, I'm supposed to bring the head of my target back with me as prob of succed of my mission. With a simple fire jutsu I reduce his body to ashes and take a look at my surroundings. Mission complete, and with no unneccesary casualities.

"You boys are lucky. There is an order of kill on sight against all Oto's ninja. But I don't like to kill when it isn't neccesary, plus, you're the teme's team, and even if he doesn't like you, he won't like the idea of his team getting killed. He's too perfectionist." I say, smirking behind my mask and dissapearing. I have to get back to Suna to make a report of the mission and deliver the scrolls.



[Change of scenery! Back at Suna, Ryoku's office. Ryoku's POV]



It's been five days since Kaji-san left for that mission, and I'm still not that sure if Kazekage-sama should had let him do it. After all, the oponents are three Oto-nin and a missing-nin from Hoshikagure, and we all know how dangerous they can be... No matter how strong Kaji-san is, he will return a little worse to wear, I bet. But I don't expect him to come back for a few more days at least.

Poof!

"Hiya! I'm back Ryoku-san!"

"Kaji-san?! But what... how!"

"Mission acomplished, here are the scrolls, and the missing-nin." He says placing two bags over my desk.

"Hmmm... status?"

"Unharmed, here is the mission report." He says handing me another scroll.

"Good job."

"Here." He says removing his mask and offering it to me.

"You keep it, think of it as a souvenir."

"Thanks! Now I want to go to my room and get some rest if you don't mind."

"Of course, you're dismissed." As soon as I say that, he's gone in another poof of smoke.

Kaji-san... is something from another world...



[Back to Naruto's POV]



"Tadaima!!" I say as soon as I put a foot at the Kazekage mansion.

"Okaerinasai Naruto-niichan!" Is the only warning I get before a silver blur pounce on me.

"Hi there Yuki-chan, how have been things around here?"

"Everything is like always, Naruto-niichan! How was your mission?"

"It was fine Yuki-chan."

"I want to go with Naruto-niichan in the next mission!"

"Maybe, depends of the mission. Deal?"

"Ok!"

"So, I'm going to take a bath now, ok?"

"Ok! I will cook something for Naruto-niichan so you can eat something after your bath!" He says, getting of me and bouncing his way to the kitchen. I just shake my head, this kit is trully something!

I go to my room and take my bath, changing my clothes into fresh ones. I go to the kitchen where a nice plate of azukimeshi (Is a plate made basicly of tofu) is waiting for me, along with a smiling kitsune youkai.

"Itadakimasu!" I say before start eating.

"Do you like it Naruto-niichan?"

"Yes, it is very good Yuki-chan." I say before taking another bite.

Well... things are falling into normality again, and the time for me to go home draws near with each passing day.

____________________________________________________________________


I don't know why... but I got the feeling this chapter is shorter than usual!

True Self, New Self.



Chapter 13: Return Home.








[Otogakure. Sasuke's POV]



My 'chuunin team' is supposed to be arriving today with their package and I have to go receive them. I still can't believe that Orochimaru forced me to take a genin team like I was any jounin.

Anyway, here come the brats... without the package.

"Where's the package?"

"We...lost it Uchiha-sensei."

"You LOST it?"

"Someone came to dispose of him... knocked all of us unconscious and took it."

"And no one saw him?"

"I was the first to wake up, he was already leaving. He had a hunter-nin mask."

"Very well. But you three will be the ones that report this failure to Orochimaru." I say, turning around and walking away.

"I think that the hunter-nin was right... he is a teme." I hear one of my students whisper, I tense for a second but keep walking.

The hunter-nin called me a teme? That can't be right... or is it?



[Sunagakure. Naruto's POV]



Finally, the day to return to my village has arrived. After five years, I will return to the village that saw me be born, saw me grow up as a boy, but because of it's coldness, didn't see me grow into a man. Now it's time to go back, in order to fulfill a promise I made long ago to people I care about.

It is hard, to say goodbye to the village that has been my home these past months, where everybody looks at me with admiration and respect in their eyes, not hate. Where I made so many friends, made so many memories and have learned so many things. I must leave though... at least for now. Maybe some day I'll come back, even if it is not to stay.


I stand at Suna's gate, surrounded by all my friends and the people I met in here. They all gathered to say goodbye to me. Funny how the villages can be so different and yet so alike at the same time. When I left Konoha, I could count with my fingers the number of people that came to say goodbye to me. But it is ok, because it is for that persons that I'm going back.

"So, this is goodbye for now, ne?" I say, smiling to all the persons here.

"You won't stay even if we ask you to, right Kaji-san?"

"I'm afraid I must leave Ryoku, but I will come back to visit, or if you need my help, just send a message to Konoha and I will be here in a second." I scan the crowd, looking for Gaara, even if I know that he isn't here, no, he's waiting for me in the desert.

"Send a message as soon as you arrive, if you don't Kankuro and I will hunt your ass down and beat the hell out of you for worrying us."

"Don't worry Temari, I will."

"Speaking of your ass, you better look out, 'cause in the clothes you're wearing there will be plenty of guys after it." Kankuro said, earning himself a punch on his head courtesy of Temari. My clothes... I still can't get used to them!



[Flashback to early that morning.]



"Yo kiddo! Tsunade sent something for you!"

"Really? But we never told her that we were heading back."

"True, true. But I did told her that we will pass through Suna when we head back, and she sent this for you." he says, handing me a large box.

"What is this?"

"I dunno, but she sent a letter with it." he said and gave me a white envelope. I open it and read what is inside it.


'Gaki:
Here is something for you to wear
when you come back. I won't let
you place a foot in Konoha if
you don't have it on.
See ya.
Tsunade. '


I wonder, what the old hag sent me. I open the box to find a dark blue furisode* with a black obi, it's respective geta** and tabi.***

I look at the furisode inside the box, then at Jiraiya, who is grinning like a mad man, and back to the furisode.

"I can't beleive she expects me to wear this!" I scream, hard enough to make Yuki run all the way from the kitchen to my room.

"What is it Naruto-niichan?!"

"That old hag! She's getting back for the time I was away! I swear!"

"Well, what can I say kid? Payback is a bitch."



[End flashback]



In the end I had to wear it. When I came out, Temari mistook me for a girl, as did Kankuro, who attempted to grope my ass, along with Ryoku and the villagers. It was a nice thing that they tried hard to not laugh at my predicament, but some did, and some told me that I look hot.

But I understand them, when I first looked at myself on a mirror, I thought that I was seeing a girl too. If it wasn't because I knew better, I would swear I used the Oiroke no Jutsu, because somehow, this obi makes me look like I have breasts...

Actually, when I stand side by side with Temari, we look like twins, because we have the same hair color and stand at the same height. This situation had Jiraiya laughing his ass off for hours.

Someone is talking to me, pulling me out of my musings.

"Here you go, I gift from me. I know you know how to use them!," Temari said, handing me a couple of beautiful metal tessens. They are very light and fragil looking, but looks are deceiving... Temari trained me in their use, and I can stand against a sword and win with them, "They will be a great weapon with your wind manipulation!" She says while winking her eye. I smile at her and bow thanks, hiding both of them inside my obi.

"And this is from me!," Kankuro said, pulling out of nowhere a small sculpture of kitsune with golder fur,"If you put some chakra into it, it will move!" I bow to him thanks and put it inside one of my sleves, where I'm stashing all of my weapons, except my katana, that is hanging on my back like always.

"Hey kid, catch!" I almost get hit on the head by a heavy bag that Jiraiya threw at me, luckily I could catch it before it happened. Then was when I noticed that neither Jiraiya or Yuki had any bags with them.

"What is in this bag and why are neither of you had packed?"

"To answer your first question, it is a surprise. Don't look into it by any circunstances, only Tsunade can open it got it? And for your second question, Yuki and I will stay here for a little while, so I can finish his training."

"Onegai, niichan! Let me stay!"

"You can stay as long at it is needed Yuki-chan, don't worry about it, or about me, because I will be fine. I will be waiting for you in Konoha then." I say while placing the new bag with unknown things in it in my back along with the rest.

"Be careful on your way there kid."

"Don't worry about me ero-sennin! Good bye everybody!" I say before using a jutsu to teleport to the place where Gaara is waiting for me.



[Change of scene! Suna desert, some miles away from the village.]



I can see Gaara sitting on a rock looking at the horizon.

"So, you're going back to Konoha after all."

"Yes."

"Why? It is not like they like you very much there."

"None of the people of Suna liked you, and yet they changed ne? It is my home village, and I love it, even if they don't love me back. You're the Kazekage of Suna, you must understand my reasons." I say while walking to his side.

"You speak with the truth, as always." He says while standing up.

"I will see you again, maybe not soon, maybe in a few weeks, but be sure we will meet again." I say, offering him my hand, which he took.

"I know that."

After a moment of hesitation, I pull him into a hug and then let him go.

"Ja ne!" And I disappear, destination: The forest outside Konoha.



[Change of scene! Middle of the forest of Konoha, half an hour away from the village if you walk with a furisode and geta! Lol, I'm mean, those things are a pain to walk with...]



I mentally curse Tsunade and her weird ways to get her revenge for about the hundred time since I started walking. I'm not stupid enough to just teleport myself into the village, because I will have ANBU on my throat the second I appear in there.

Now I have a newly found respect for women that wear kimonos, it is hard to walk with these damn geta and this furisode on...I'm walking with the grace of a skilled geisha, an it is taking a large part of my concentration to do it properly. Thankfully, with each step I take my body and mind get more used to walk with these things. I think that by the time I reach Konoha I will be able to fight properly even with these motion restricting clothes on.

It is a sunny day, and I regret not taking that paper umbrella that Gaara offered me yesterday... the sun is really bothering me right now... I'm glad that the road is secluded by trees the rest of the way to Konoha.

I start to look around, trying to find things that had changed since the last time I walked down this road, just in the opposite direction I'm heading now. Nothing seems to have really changed within this forest, maybe the trees are bigger since the last time I was here. Besides that everything looks the same. Even the huge gates of Konoha that are beginning to show in the distance.

"Halt!" Someone commands, as soon as I approach the gates.

"Yes?" I say with a gentle voice, surprisingly, I don't have to fake it to sound like a girl, my voice is soft when I'm feeling peaceful anyway.

"Who are you and what is your purpose in the village?"

"My name is Fumetsu Kaji, and I'm here to meet some old friends..." I say smiling sweetly at the guard, I didn't lie, technically speaking I'm here to meet some friends too, even if it isn't the main reason.

"Very well, you may enter miss." Well, it seems that everybody thinks I'm a woman. My kitsune nature is getting the best of me in this situation, for now, I will not correct anyone on their mistake, because it will be just too much fun to see everybody's face when they realize who I really am.

I walk through the gates into the village I have not seen for five years. Everything looks like I remember it, there are some new buildings here and there, but nothing drastic. Time has passed through the village, and it had changed. Little changes, but changes non the less. I take in everything... It's good to be home.

I start walking too the nearest inn. As soon as I knew that Jiraiya won't be coming back with me, I decided to spent some time living in the village before letting Tsunade know that I'm back. I want to enjoy life in Konoha without the hate of the villagers, at least for a little while. While I'm walking, I notice that there are persons that stand to the side and bow as I pass. It takes me a while to notice that they must thing that I'm an important girl, the daughter of a daimyo or something like that, because the furisode that Tsunade sent me is made of a very expensive silk.

I just smile at those persons and keep walking. When I reach the inn I quickly rent a room and leave my things there, all the bags and my sword too, even if it isn't something unseen in Konoha, a woman walking around with a sword, with my current clothes, it may look a little odd.

The first place I decide to visit are the training grounds, for no specific reason. Maybe I'll visit the Academy after a while.

When I get there, I can see some Academy students practicing hitting a log, not far from where I'm standing. I can feel the chakra of who I think is their teacher somewhere nearby, along with smaller chakras. Maybe he's teaching them something while these ones are practicing, the little girl is the one that needs it the most, she never hits it. I just stand there and watch them for a while. I can feel the teachers' signature move their way.

"Haruka-chan! That isn't the correct posture!" The teacher, from what I can see is a woman who has long black hair, scolds the girl that is throwing kunai, making her miss her target even more than before and now it is heading my way.

"Watch out!" the other two boys that are with the girl shout. Their teacher is running my way, trying to intercept the kunai, but she won't make it in time. I just smile at them and catch it with my hand.

"I'm so sorry miss!," The teacher says to me,"Haruka-chan, apologize to the lady!"

"Yes Hyuuga-sensei! Gomenasai." she says bowing to me, but my attention is somewhere else.

'Did she just said Hyuuga-sensei?'

The teacher turns her face to me and for the first time I saw here, I really see here, white eyes, kind expression, Hyuuga-sensei... I just put two and two together. Hinata! I suppress the sudden impulse of shouting that and settle for just smile at her and her students. So Hinata became an Academy teacher huh? Somehow it suits her.

"Don't worry little miss, but what your teacher said is true. Come on, lets see your posture again." I say to her with a kind smile, she smiles back and runs back to her previous spot. After I help her take the correct stance, she throws a kunai, missing again.

"I don't know what is wrong! I always miss the target!" She says with a cute pout. I crouch down, careful to not get my furisode dirty.

"Let me tell you a little secret that helped me when I was your age and couldn't hit the target. You don't aim to the target, you become one with it. Remember that when you become a ninja, not all targets hold still, if you become one with it, you will be able to predict it's movement and that way you will never miss it. Now relax, take a deep breath and concentrate."

She does as I told her and try again, this time hitting the target square in the center. She stands still for a couple of seconds, not quite believing what she just did, before jumping up and down cheering, her two friends running at her and cheering too, congratulating her. I just smile at them, they are so small and innocent! I wish they could remain like that and enjoy their childhood, but in times of war, nobody can tell for sure if they will live to even their sixteen birthday. It is sad yes, but it is reality.

"Thank you so much miss, I've been trying to teach her that for quite a long time now. My name is Hyuuga Hinata, but you can call me just Hinata."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hinata-san, I'm Fumetsu Kaji, but please just call me Kaji."

"Oh no, I can't!"

"Please?"

"Very well, if it is your wish... Kaji-san."

"Yes it is."

"I never saw you in the village before..."

"I've just arrived."

"Ohhh... is this your first time in the village?"

"No, I lived here as a child, but I left many years ago. But it is like it is my first time, things had changed around here..."

' ' For example, the Hyuuga girl isn't shy anymore. ' '

'If I want your opinion Kyu, I will ask for it. Go take a nap will ya?'

' ' As you wish... ' '

Thankfully, Hinata didn't notice that my attention drifted away from my surroundings for a second and just keeps smiling at me. She looks like she remembered something because she turns around to address her students.

"Haruka-chan!"

"Yes Hyuuga-sensei?" The little girl says, stopping what she was doing, that was piercing a whole in the log with the amount of time she kept hitting the same spot, maybe I'm not so bad at teaching after all.

"It's lunch time already, so today's class is over, go tell your other classmates that they are dismissed for the day."

"Yes Hyuuga-sensei!"

'Lunch time already?,' I look up to the sun. 'Yup, lunch time already.'

"Kaji-san, would you mind joining me and my cousin for lunch?"

"Ohh no! I will just bother the two of you."

'So Neji is in the village...'

"Nonsense, think of it as a way of repaying you for helping me with todays class. My cousin had just arrived from a mission, and I'm sure he won't mind you joining us."

"If you insist Hinata-san, then I will go with you."

"Great! We're eating sushi, hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, besides, you're inviting me, so I'm in no place to complain." I say smiling at her. Hinata still is a very kind girl.

I follow her back to the village, to a restaurant I have never seen in my life before, guess it is one of the many things that changed while I was away. At the far end of the restaurant, is Neji, sitting on a table, waiting for Hinata. Under his sleeve, the ANBU tattoo is visible.

'So Neiji is in ANBU now, a captain, I bet one of my tails on it.'

He looks up when Hinata calls him, his eyes showing gentleness towards her. I'm glad they are getting along better than when we were at the Chuunin exams. Then he looks at me and his eyes turn from gentle to calculating. He's looking for something, and I think he found it because he relaxes and smile a bit towards me and his cousin.

"Neji-niichan, this is Kaji-san. She helped me with today's class at the Academy and I invited her to lunch as thank you. I hope you don't mind."

"Don't worry Hinata. Hello, I'm Hyuuga Neji."

"Yoroshiku, Hyuuga-san. My name is Kaji."

"Are you new in the village?" He asks me. That is typical of Neji, gathering information...

"She said that she just arrived today but she lived here when she was little."

"Really? May I know the reason why you came back, Kaji-san?"

"I came back because this is, after all, my home village. I left some precious things behind when I left, that's why I came back."

"I see."

No one said nothing more after that point, we ordered our food and ate in silence. After that, Neji left to hand over his mission report and I was left alone with Hinata again.



[Hinata's POV]



Even if I only have known her for a short time, I can't help liking Kaji-san, she's so polite and gentle, and has a peaceful aura around her that makes me feel at ease. I enjoy her company so much that I decided to do something a little bit rash.

"Kaji-san?"

"Hai Hinata-san?"

"I was wondering... my friends and I are gathering in about an hour to do some training, since it's been a while since all of us are in the village at the same time... I was wondering if you will like to come with me, I will like you to meet them." I say, starting to poke my fingers together, a thing that I stop doing after Naruto-kun left the village five years ago.

"I will love to go with you Hinata-san." I look at her, she has a bright smile on her face, that makes her look even more beautiful.

"That's great."

"And who are this friends of yours?"

"Ohhh, just the Rookie Nine!"

'That means Sakura, Hinata, Lee, Neji, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru, Tenten, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino. That will be very funny!"

"Ok, so where is this meeting?"

"At the training grounds where we were before."

"Ok, how about you show me the village while we wait?"

"I will love too!"



[Time skip! An hour later, the training grounds. Naruto's POV]



We arrive late to the meeting, and I can't deny I'm looking forward to see how is everybody doing, and in which rank are they. From the distance I can see the group of people gathered at the center of the training grounds, and one of them, Kiba, is waving at us energetically.

"Hinata-chan!!"

"Hello Kiba-kun, everyone!"

"Hello Hinata-chan, long time no see!," he says with a huge smile, and then he spots me, "Huh? Who is your friend Hinata-chan?"

"Everyone, this is Kaji-san." Now everybody's attention is on me, it seems that I been picked as the item of everybody's curiosity.

"Yoroshiku." I say bowing slightly to them. They don't seem to know what to do, for an unknown reason.

"Hello there beautiful lady! I can see the spring of youth radiating from your body. I'm Rock Lee, taijutsu master and jounin of Konoha." Lee introduces himself, shaking the rest of the rookie nine out of their trance.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, jounin, medic-nin."

"I'm Yamanaka Ino, jounin, mind manipulator."

"I'm Nara Shikamaru, ANBU, shadow manipulator."

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba, jounin, and this is my nin-dog, Akamaru."

"Akimichi Choji, jounin, member of the Akimichi clan."

"Aburame Shino, ANBU, bug master."

"I'm Tenten, jounin, weapon master."

' ' There is your magnetic personality again kit. These people just revealed almost everything to you, being a complete stranger to them. ' '

' I'm starting to believe this is one of your jokes Kyu... '

' ' Hey don't look at me! This is all your body's doing, blame the kitsune's abilities if you want to, but I have nothing to do with this. ' '

"I'm Fumetsu Kaji, and I'm not currently affiliated to any village. It is a pleasure to meet you all, Lee-san, Haruno-san, Yamanaka-san, Nara-san, Inuzuka-san, Akimichi-san, Aburame-san, Tenten-san." I say facing each person at the same time I say their names.

Ino was the one that reacted first.

"Please call all of us by our names and drop the honorifics, it makes us feel old!" She says while laughing.

"Kaji-san, you said that you aren't affiliated to any village right?"

"Yes that's right?"

"But I did saw you stop that kunai that was flying your way with your hand... That's not something a mere civilian can do..."

I can feel that someone has thrown something at me behind my back, so I quickly take out one of my tessens and block it. It was a shuriken, and the person that threw it, was Neji.

"Neji-niichan, why you did that! It is dangerous!"

"Kaji-san, you have been trained as a shinobi, am I right?"

"Yes you're, I have been training as a shinobi since I was little. A sannin from another village taught me almost everything I know."

Everyone remained silent, scanning me with their eyes, and again, it was Lee the one that broke the tension.

"That's great, your youthful spirit shines even brighter when you fight!" Lee really should stay away from Gai, he's acting even more like his sensei now than when I left the village. But I'm glad that he said that, because now everybody seems to be more relaxed.

"Kaji-san, I will like to spar with you, if that's possible."

"That's stupid Ino-pig! She will ruin her beautiful furisode if she spars with you!"

"It's alright Sakura, I will like to spar with Ino very much, lets just refrain from using sharp objects deal?"

"Deal!" She says, falling into fight stance. Everybody backs down, leaving us space for our sparring match, everyone but Akamaru. You know, kitsunes and inus don't get along and usually an inu is capable to scare the hell out of a kitsune enough to make him turn back to his original form and flee, but not me, since I'm used to dealing with dogs, plus I'm in a higher rank. I just glare at him with a look that clearly said don't-even-dare, back-down-and-shut-up.

Akamaru understood my message perfectly and he run away to hide behind Kiba, he's a dog, but a nin-dog, therefore he's smart enough to know that I'm way out of his league and he should not piss me off.

I smile at Ino and take a defensive stance. This furisode restricts my movements, so I can't launch the first attack.

She seems to know that because she's the one that throws the first punch, that I dodged with ease. She kept kicking and punching, but she was met with nothing but air. That goes on for about ten minutes until she gets frustrated.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu! (Mind Body Switch Technique)." She says, before her body collapses in a heap on the ground. That, wasn't a smart move.



[Inside Naruto's Mind. Ino's POV]



I'm standing before the metal bars of what looks like a huge cage.

"You know, it isn't polite to sneak into somebody's else mind." Said a man with long red hair that is leaning against the bars of the cage, but outside them, snickering.

"Leave her alone you overgrown fur ball!" Came Kaji's voice, at the same time she appears out of tin air before me.

"Awww... but it is so rare to have visitors other than you..." Kaji rolls her eyes and punch him in his arm.

"Stop being an smart ass, I'm sorry Ino, but you better go." He says and right after that I feel like I'm pulled out if her mind and back to my body.



[Back to the outside world and Naruto's POV.]



I'm going to have a serious talk about this with Kyuubi later, but for now I must act fast. Ino is standing up.

"What the hell was that!" She says. I run as fast as this damn furisode lets me and place one chakra filled finger on her forehead, making her forget everything she saw inside my mind.

"I win." I declare.

"Yes... you win." Ino says, a little dizzy because of my chakra.

I turn to look at the others, who are clapping their hands and smiling at me. It wasn't such a spectacle, after all, I didn't use any jutsus or weapons.

"Hey Ino-pig, what did you see inside Kaji's mind huh?"

"Nothing."

"What? Nothing?"

"Yes nothing."

I laugh mentally, I erased everything of that incident from her mind.

"Well, that is weird."

"A little."

"You can drop your Byakugan now Neji, you won't find anything unusual with my chakra patterns." I say, turning to Neji.

He nods and releases it.

"And you shouldn't be wasting your energy with that Sharigan, copy-ninja Kakashi, because I didn't use any jutsu." I say looking straight to the trees, where Kakashi is hiding.

"Hehehe, busted." He says jumping down and joining us.

"Well everybody, it was a pleasure to meet you all, but I really should return to my room. It was a long trip and I will like to rest for a while."

After receiving many varieties of 'Go ahead' and some requests of joining them tomorrow, I leave the training grounds.

This was interesting, I gathered some useful information about my friends, and at the same time managed to fool them all. Well, I never told them I was a girl did I?

' ' You can be evil sometimes kit ' '

' You don't have the right to say anything about being evil Kyuu. And what happened back there, you know it is dangerous if someone knows I have a second mind inside my body. '

' ' But you solved it right? So where is the problem? ' '

' Next time, don't let anyone in got it? '

' ' As you wish... ' '

' I'm glad, everyone is still alive. '

' ' Yes, but it is luck. Because they can die at any moment with the lives they live. ' '

' I know, that is why I'm glad. '


____________________________________________________________________


* The furisode is a kimono worn by girls and young women with long swinging sleeves.

** Geta are wooden sandals/footwear, worn by both sexes.

*** Tabi are split toe socks.

And in case you don't know what a obi is, it is the wide sash worn around the waist, on top of the kimono, tied at the back. And tessens are "fans"

True Self, New Self.



Chapter 14: Breaking the News.







It has been two days since I came to Konoha, and for some reason unknown to me, I keep using the furisode, but using am undetectable genjutsu on it to change it's colors everyday. I'm not pretending to be a girl really, I just failed to inform them of my gender. Besides, it will be funny to see their faces when they find out, like I said, my kitsune nature is getting the best of me.

I have been hanging out with the guys these days too, catching up with them by hearing their conversations. Everyone is still the same in a way... but Sakura really needs some anger management classes, after seeing her beat Kiba to an inch of his life after he made an improper comment about her. Shino is still quite, Shikamaru still lazy, Kiba just can stop being a loudmouth, Ino is still very concerned about her appearance at all times, Neji is still arrogant, but now it's only once in a while. Well, I think that you got the point.

I'm heading to meet the guys at the training grounds, to look at them while they practice. It came to my attention the way they train, each of them pair up with a person that has what they lack, in order to improve their skills even further. I can't think of a better way to improve, having a rival that forces you to get better and better in order to beat him.



[Shikamaru's POV]



We're waiting for Kaji to arrive so we can start with training, somehow, she became an important part of our group, ever since her "spar" with Ino. I never said anything, but I could see that Kaji was holding down on her, her eyes told me so. This is so troublesome, I can tell that she's hiding something from us.

I take out a cigarette from one of my pockets and lite it. Kaji's eyes are something that caught my attention since the first time I saw her. Those almonds shaped red eyes that seem to pierce you when she looks at you, they are filled with something that I never seen in someone her age, a thing that I could find in Sandaime's eyes. Her eyes tell that she knows pain, that she has seen many things, lived through many situations, and that those experiences brought her wisdom.

Tch... this girl is truly troublesome... but not the way other women are. No she's troublesome because she knows too much, even if she doesn't speak more than what's necessary, but when she does, her words are filled with that wisdom I can see in her eyes.

But sometimes, I can see a sliver of something that remembers me of someone... but I really can't point who, because sometimes she let us see her sharpness, and she had outsmarted some of us a couple of times too...

Well... here she comes... now that she's here to witness our training session, we can finally start.



[Jiraiya's POV]



Well, finally, the kit got a hold of the techniques I have been teaching him and we're back at Konoha. Mmmmm... I wonder how the brat broke the news to Tsunade, I hope he softed her up for me and she doesn't beat me for what happened. Anyway, now I will find out, because I'm standing in front of her office's door.

"Ok, here we go kit, don't let the woman scare you."

"Don't worry about me Jiraiya-sama." I smile down at him and knock the door.

"Come in."

"Hi Tsunade! Long time no see!"

"Jiraiya! So you're back already, why didn't you send a message that you were coming back?"

"What, missed me so much? I wanted it to be a surprise."

"You wish, so tell me, who's the kid and where is my Naruto?"

"This is Yuki... wait, what do you mean with where's Naruto? He left Suna two days ago, he was supposed to be here already." I clap a hand over my mouth, I shouldn't have say that! I can feel a killing intent floating around my ex-teammate, kuso, I'm fucked.

"WHAT!" she punchs her desk so hard that it breaks in half.

"Come on my old friend, calm down, I'm sure that he's ok..." I say inching back to the door.

She notices my attempt to flee from the room and grabs me by the collar.

"YOU WILL GO FIND NARUTO NOW AND YOU WILL NOT COME BACK UNTIL YOU HAVE HIM!" She screams at my ear and throws me from the window of her office. I have to use chakra so the fall won't kill me. Seconds after I hit the ground, the kit appears by my side, completely terrified.

"Damn that brat, he's going to hear me for this..." I say dusting my clothes.

"Are you alright Jiraiya-sama?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ok. I had worse from her, don't worry."

"She's scary..."

"That's half the reason why she's Hokage."

"And the other half?"

"That monstruos strength."

"Ohhh..."

"Hey Yuki, can you smell that baka gaki that's your oniichan?"

"Hai! He's somewhere in that direction." He says pointing to where the training grounds are.

"Ok, then lets go and hunt down that brat."



[Naruto's POV]



I sit over a blanket that Ino brought for me under a tree, watching my friends train. Everyone is here... no... wait... where's Akamaru?

As on cue, I can hear barking at the distance followed by a scream, that sounded very familiar to me. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see what was happening.

I turn to look the way the scream came but I'm tackled to the ground by a silver blur. I look down to my chest to see a silver fox kit peaking his head out of my furisode.

"Yuki? What the hell happened?"

Seconds after I ask, Akamaru came barking, following his "prey" but when he sees that it is with me he stops dead in his tracks and runs to hide behind Kiba.

"Ohhhh... that. Don't worry Yuki-chan, he won't hurt you."

"But he's bigger than me!"

"You were in human form when he attacked you, am I right?"

"Hai, why?"

"And who was bigger then?"

"Me...ohhh! Right, I will change right back!"

"Wait! No inside of my furisode!"

"Hehehe, gomene." He says jumping out and turning back.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

That was Kiba, kuso, I forgot that they were here for a second there. I turn to look at them with the most innocent look I could manage, but somehow I know that me eyes aren't helping. They are all looking at me with questioning eyes, some with scared looks too.

"Niichan? Who are these people?" Yuki says before I can stop him.

"Niichan? As in a boy?"

'Kuso.'

"NARUTO YOU FUCKING BRAT! WHY DIDN'T YOU GO REPORT WITH TSUNADE WHEN YOU ARRIVED!" Came the voice of Jiraiya, who is a little banged up.

'Kuso, busted... three, two, one...'

"YOU'RE NARUTO!" Came the collective yells of almost all my friends present, excluding Shino, Shikamaru, Hinata and Neji.

'Ohhhh well!'

I drop the genjutsu that was conceiling my whisker marks and scratch the back of my neck nervously, this won't be pretty.

"Hello guys, long time no see." I say, bracing myself for what I knew was coming.

"YOU CAN'T BE NARUTO, YOU'RE A GIRL!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER!"

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOU!" The avalanche of questions threatened to bury me when thankfully Shikamaru stopped them.

"This is so troublesome. He won't be able to answer any of your questions if you do that."

"Thanks Shikamaru."

"No problem, so you really are Naruto?"

"Yes."

"But you're a girl!" screamed Kiba.

"He never told us he was a girl Kiba-san, we just assumed he was because of the way he looks." Hinata pointed out politely.

"That's true."

"But that's a furisode! It is a girl kimono."

"This is Tsunade's way to make a prank I guess..." I say like it was an everyday thing.

"But what happened to your eyes? And your hair?" Sakura asked.

"Well, a lot had happened in these years."

"It has something to do with... him?" Sakura asked in a whisper.

'Now, what did I missed here?'

"Him?"

"She's talking about Kyuubi." Said Neji behind her.

"Wait a second? You know about him?"

"All of us know. You really didn't think that they could keep it hidden from us, did you?"

"But how?"

"After you left the adults of the village made a party to celebrate, needless to say, we weren't happy at all about it and we demanded our parents to know why the people of the village were so happy about it, and at the end they told us."

"Oh."

'I figured out that much.'

"But, Naruto-kun, our parents weren't happy about that party." Said Hinata.

'What? Well, that was unexpected.'

"For some reason our parents like you fox-boy." Kiba said.

"Really?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun. They say that you're the vessel, not Kyuubi himself. They finally understood it during the chuunin exams." Said Hinata.

"And we agree with them." Said Ino.

"Thanks guys I... OUCH! Why did you hit me Sakura!" I say holding my head, even if it really didn't hurt.

"That, is for being a baka and because you didn't tell us you were back, even pretending you were someone else."

"Yes fox-boy, what's with that?"

"Well... it is a loooong story, and personally, I don't want to have to tell it twice. So how about you come with me to Tsunade's office so I can tell all of you what happened in one go."

"Are you sure you want to tell them gaki?"

"Yes old man. So," I said standing up, "Shall we?"

"Are we going to meet the scary woman again Naruto-niichan?"

"You mean Tsunade? What did she do?"

"She threw me out of her window when I didn't show up with you, what reminds me, why in all seven hells you didn't report to her when you arrived?"

"I wanted to spend some time in the village without getting hateful looks from the villagers, if I went to Tsunade, then everybody would knew that I was back."

Everyone felt silent around me.

"Neji, my eternal rival! It is true that you're leaving for Suna on a mission today?" Lee said trying to break the tense atmosphere.

"Yes."

'Suna. Gaara. Shukaku. Byakugan... right! That way it will work!'

I stop dead on my tracks and turn to face Neji.

"What's wrong Naruto?"

"I have a favor to ask you."

"And what could that be?"

"I have been working for the last few months in a sealing jutsu to help Gaara with his problem with Shukaku. I managed to finish it, but unfortunatly the only way it could work was if I was able to see chakra patterns, but only Hyuuga's can do that. And I was wondering if you could do it for me."

"What kind of jutsu are we talking exactly?"

"It has two parts," I say looking for the two things I have being carrying with me since I arrived, "First, he takes this potion, it will make his two chakras separate and Shukaku's one concentrate in one spot, you should be able to see that with Byakugan. Then you just open this scroll that I made for the occasion, it will use my chakra to build a barrier around Shukaku similar to the one I have. Can you do it?"

"No problem."

"Great!"

'I kept my promise Gaara.'



[Tsunade's POV]



'If something happened to Naruto I'm going to skin that frog pervert alive with my own hands.'

I'm pacing around my broken desk, when I feel Jiraiya's chakra outside the door along with several other, followed by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"I'm back."

"I see that, where's Naruto?," I say scaning the little crowd that had gathered inside my office, all of Naruto's friends are here, along with the Yuki kid and some girl that I don't recognize, but she's wearing the furisode I sent for Naruto,"And why is that girl using the furisode I sent for Naruto?"

"Come on Tsunade-baa-chan, you too?"

"Well fox-boy, you do look like a girl in that."

The girl shoots a glare at the Inuzuka boy. That was when I noticed that she was wearing the necklace I gave to Naruto, and he'll never take it off, so that means...

"You're Naruto!?"

"In the flesh! Long time no see Tsunade-baa-san."

I move to look him closer, he doesn't look at all like the boy that left Konoha five years ago to train.

"What happened to you?"

"Well, that's why I gathered everyone here, so I can tell you all."

"Gaki, are you sure you want to tell them?"

"They're my friends old man, they deserve to know. I'm tired of lying and hiding my true self, you know it."

"Ok."

"You better sit down."



[Naruto's POV]



I wait until everyone is sitting and I begin to tell them everything, from the truth about what really happened in my childhood, to the mask and the merge. By the time I finish, some of the girls are crying, some of the boys sick about the way the villagers treated me, and some just plain serious. The first one to react was Tsunade, she walked slowly to Jiraiya and beat him unconscious, then she walked to me and hugged me hard. That made the girls snap out of it and joined Tsunade in the hug.

"Girls... can't breath..." I whisper, but it was Shikamaru the one that rescued me from them.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I couldn't do anything to protect you."

"Don't worry Tsunade-neechan, you weren't here when I was little, and you weren't there during the attack. There is nothing you could possibly do."

"Naruto... I'm sorry I treated you so bad back at the academy, and when we were at team seven. It's just... that you always looked so cheerful, like you didn't know pain, like you didn't know anything."

"Well Sakura, that was the idea. Now I'm done hiding."

The atmosphere in the room was heavy, I can feel the depression rolling out of my friends on waves. I don't like that, I prefer to see them happy.

"Hey Tsunade-neechan, can I take off the furisode already?"

"Of course Naruto."

"Thanks." I create a clone and send him to fetch the outfit that Yuki brought me when we met.

"Hey fox-boy, so if you really are a fox, shouldn't you look, I dunno, more foxy?"

"Actually," I say, grabing the bags that my clone brought me, one with the clothes, one with the mysterious things in it, and walking to the small room besides Tsunade's office, the one she uses to relax from time to time,"I think that all of you will love this." I say closing the door behind me.

I change my clothes and let my ears and tails out. After checking that everything is in place, I walk out. I hear the collective gasps and a smirk forms in my lips.

"Is this foxy enough for you Kiba?"

"Wow you're hot." Ino stated, and everybody in the room nodded, even if some of them will deny it later.

"Well thank you Ino."

"Yes, if I wasn't dating Shikamaru, I would definetly be after you."

"I totally agree with you there Ino-pig. But I have Lee already." She says hugging her very proud boyfriend.

"Well, even if you did, I'm afraid that I wouldn't be interested girls." I say flashing them a smile that made them squeal.

"And why is that Naruto?" Tsunade asked.

"That's because they are gaki likes boys." Muttered Jiraiya, getting up from his spot on the floor. I shoot him a death glare.

"Up already Jiraiya?" I say, venom dripping from every word.

"Now that I think about it, I'm going to remain unconscious for a little bit more." He say laying back down.

"Is that true fox-boy?"

"Well it is, have a problem with it Kiba?"

"Actually no, I'm Shino's boyfriend ya know?"

"Really, it seems that opposites do attract some times." I say completely amused.

"None of us care if you like boys, Naruto-kun. I think it is cute."

I smile at her, so she got over her crush, I'm glad.

"Ok, this has been very cute and all, many things have been revealed and we are all happy, but I need to speak privately with Naruto, so scatter!" Tsunade said, using her best Hokage tone. Everyone stood up and hurried out the door, the last of them closing the door behind him.

"So, what is that matter that you want to talk with me Tsunade?" I say, rearranging the fur of my tails absently.

"How did this merge truly affect you?"

"Like I said before Tsunade-neechan. My body isn't human any longer, and I have Kyuubi's knowledge, but besides that, there's nothing different, I'm still me. What? Are you afraid that I will go in a killing rampage like he did?"

"Of course not!" Traduction: Maybe.

"Don't worry about it oneechan, Kyuubi's not that bad, he's completely harmless. He has help me a great deal through this years, some kind of weird paternal figure of some sort."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Completely," This was when I remembered the mysterious bag and I move to fetch it, placing it over her lap, since his desk is broke,"Here, Jiraiya told me to give you this. Don't ask me what's inside of it, because I don't know."

She sighs, moves to a smaller desk and unloads it's contents over it. From the bag, a lot of scrolls roll down. I move my chair closer so I can take a better look at them. They have the emblem of every shinobi village I have been in, and all of them are addresed to the Hokage. She looks at me, then at the scrolls, back at me, with the question evident in her eyes.

"Don't look at me, I don't know what they are either."

She sighs again and grabs one, opening it to read it. She looks surprised of what it says, and her reading speed increases exponentially with each one she reads, her eyes growing bigger and bigger each time she finish reading one.

By the time she finish reading the scroll number forty six, I'm worried that her eyes just may pop out of their sockets.

"Tsunade-neechan?"

"Do you know what these scrolls say Naruto?"

"Honestly I have no idea."

"These scrolls are from every sensei you had through all these years," she say pointing at the bigger pile of scrolls,"They have a list of the techniques they had taught you and their opinion about you and about in which rank they think you should be. And these," she say pointing to the smaller, but still big pile of scrolls,"Are the mission reports from every single mission you have done so far, and recommendation letters from every Kage and village leader, except Otogakure."

"Really? I wasn't aware of any of these."

' Well, this is unexpected... I never knew that all of them did that for me. '

' ' Well, what can I say kit, there's something about you that makes people love you. ' '

' I thought my magnetic personality came with the merge. '

' ' No, the merge only made it stronger, but you already had that ability within you. ' '

"Do you know what this means?"

"Actually, I don't have a clue!"

"This means that as soon as you pass the chuunin exams that start in two weeks, you will have ANBU begging you to join them."

"Really Tsunade-neechan, I seriously doubt that they will ask me to join. There aren't many people in ANBU that like me enough for that."

"Nonsense! Most of the people in ANBU don't dislike you, some of your friends are ANBU."

"In that case, many things had changed in this village since I left."

"Well, it has been five years. So, can I sign you up for the exams?"

"Aren't they supposed to be in teams?"

"No, this years there are so few genins taking the exam that it will be individual."

"Really? Well that's odd. In that case sign me in."

"Now that it's settled, where are you going to live?"

"I guess that they sold my old apartment huh?"

"Actually they did, I made your stuff be moved to a house that is rightfully yours." She says with a smirk.

"My father's house, am I right?" I say with a bigger smirk. Tsunade told me who my father was before I left. It was funny I didn't noticed before, since we looked so alike.

"Exactly, here are the keys and a map so you can find it." She says handing be both items after retrieving them from her broken desk.

"Thanks, I will take my things there then."

"Good, now go! I bet your friends are waiting for you so you can go celebrate your return."

"Very well. See ya Tsunade-neechan!"

I say before running out of her office to meet my friends that are waiting for me at the front gate of the Hokage tower.

I'm glad to be home, with my friends.

'Tadaima...'



____________________________________________________________________



Fact!: When a kitsune with only one tail encounters a dog, he will be so frightened that he will turn back to his fox form and flee to a safe place, acording to japanese kitsune myths.

Edited by Zahin

True Self, New Self.




Chapter 15: Welcome Back.









[Otogakure. Orochimaru's Office. Sasuke's POV]



"Why did you call me?"

"Oh Sasuke-kun, do you have everything ready for your mission?"

"Yes, me and my...team," I say the last word with clear distaste,"are ready to leave for Konoha's Chuunin exam, disguising ourselves as Grass Nins."

"And what's your objective?"

'Like you don't know.'

"To gather information about Konoha's current situation to facilitate the invasion at the end of this year."

"Good. Now come here."

"For what?"

"To play of course."

I can't help but smirk, his tone of voice gives up what he truly means with that. He's a fool if he thinks that I will follow every order he gives me.

"Why? Got bored of fucking Kabuto? Well I can't blame you, he always looked to me like a frigid bitch. Unfortunately for you, I'm not your lapdog, and I don't want to be your fuck toy either. Now if you excuse me, I'm leaving." I say turning around and leaving the office and an angry snake behind. By the time he gets over the initial shock, I will be long gone.

'He can go and fuck himself for all that I care, literally if he wants.'


[Meanwhile in Konoha, Naruto is meeting his friends outside the Hokage Tower.]



"Sorry for the wait."

"What took you so long, fox-boy?"

"Yes, of what were you and Tsunade-sama talking about?" Asked Sakura.

"Not much, really. Small things like where I was going to stay."

"That's something important fox-boy! Your apartment was sold, right?"

"If Naruto-kun doesn't have somewhere to stay, you can live in the Hyuuga compound if you want. I don't think that otousan will refuse, right Neji-niisan?"

"True."

"That's very nice of you Hinata-chan, but I already have somewhere to stay, arigato gozaimasu."

"Oh, ok then."

"So where are we going?"

"We're going to a new sushi place, my father told me that it is very good." Answered Choji.

"Sushi? That sounds great!"

"Naruto-niichan?"

"Yes Yuki-chan?"

"What is sushi?" (Insert general anime fall here!)

"That's right, you never ate sushi before, ne? Well you will see when we get there, I assure you that you will like it."

"Ok!" He said grinning.

'Kuso, that face is going to get him in troubles...'

"Kyaaaa! Kawaii!" Ino and Sakura squealed while glomping the life out of his body.

'Knew it... I'm sorry Yuki, but you will have to get out of that problem by yourself, with those looks, you will have to learn how to deal with fan girls as soon as possible.' I say mentally sweat dropping.

"Poor boy, he has a troublesome live ahead."

And all the boys present just nods their heads.

"Speaking of troublesome things... The Neji fan club and the Yaoi fan club are following us." Said Kiba nervously watching and sniffing around.

"But we have new additions," Said Neji, with his Byakugan activated,"There are some girls and boys that I never saw following us before."

"I guess that the fox-boy is getting himself his own fan club."

"Kuso... not that annoying things again..."

"So, you had encounters with that devil spawns before?"

"Too many times for my liking actually."

"Girls, we have a RFG case going on, care to cover us while we escape?"

"No prob, we will take care of them. Ok, anti-RFG formation."

'Wow, they have a plan for this cases? I wonder just how many times they were stalked before they came up with it...'

The girls and the boys that weren't being stalked formed a circle around Neji, Kiba, Shino and me. They made three Kage Bunshins, that henged into us. After that, we used the teletransportation jutsu to go to the roof tops.

We followed our friends from there, and watched how the poor clones were trapped and dragged away by their fans, before they disappeared in a poof of smoke. Thankfully, the rest of the trip to the sushi store went without incidents.

Like so many times since I returned to Konoha, I'm standing before a restaurant I never saw before. It is small, to tell the truth, we will fill it on our own. Thankfully, it is empty, so we will all fit in.

"Oh my! What wonderful customers just entered my humble restaurant. The heir of the Hyuuga clan, the ANBU captain Hyuuga-sama, the heir of the Akimichi clan, the heir of the Nara clan, our dear boy from the Inuzuka clan, Hokage-sama's apprentice Haruno-san, the heir of the Yamanaka clan, the heir of the Aburame clan, Konoha's taijutsu master and Konoha's own weapon master Tenten-san. And their wonderful friends! To what do I owe the honor to have such distinguished people in my restaurant?"

"We came here to celebrate to return of our dear friend Naruto!" Lee announced happily. But happily wasn't the way the restaurant owner received the news of who was one of the wonderful friends with his distinguished customers, if the hateful glare I received from him was any indication. I just hope that nothing bad happens.

"So, what will you order?"

"Mmmmmm... lets order everything from the menu, what do you think guys?" Choji said.

"That's great, but I have a better idea, could you please prepare a plate with all the different kinds of sushi you have for each person?"

"Sure, no problem."

After gathering all the tables into one big one to fit all of us, we started chatting about random things.

"So, I see that you and Sakura finally got together. I'm happy for you Lee!"

"Yeah, thanks to you! When you told me to keep trying and don't give up, I got the courage to continue."

"Don't thank me, it was all your doing. I'm just glad that Sakura saw what a good guy you are at the end."

"Yes, Lee is a very sweet and caring boyfriend and he respects me as a person and a kunoichi. I still wonder why I didn't notice him before."

"Well I do, for the same reason I didn't notice Shikamaru before. After Sasuke left I really saw him for the first time and decided for getting him!"

'So, Sasuke's leaving has a bright side after all.'

"So it was Ino the one to ask you out Shikamaru?"

"It got too troublesome to keep turning her down after some time..."

"Yeah, yeah love you too lazy ass."

"And Kiba and Shino together. Well, there is something I never saw coming. You two are like fire and water if you ask me."

"We all were surprised with that as well. The loudmouth with the quiet guy! It seems that opposites do attract sometimes."

"Well, he's not always that quiet, you should hear him when we AUCH!" Kiba screamed, while a single bug crawled down his hand and back to Shino.

"I think Kiba, that you were speaking more than the necessary. Right Shino?," I say grinning, and Shino nods his answer, like usual,"Well, changing the subject, I must admit as well that I'm very impressed with the ranks you have. You surely are very good!"

"Well, you are very good as well Naruto."

"I must remind you that I'm still a genin Sakura."

"You may be a genin, but only because you missed the chuunin exams the past five years!"

"Come on, don't be like that, give yourself some credit fox-boy!"

"Yeah, everyone here saw your fight against me. You won without using any jutsu, any weapon and without hitting me even once! That are not the skills of a genin, they are the skills of an ANBU captain like Neji."

"I think that even Neji-niisan will have some problems fighting Naruto-kun. After all, when he fight you he couldn't move freely, because he was wearing a kimono. Right Neji-niisan?"

"Even if I don't want to admit it, it is true. Now that you mention the Chuunin exams, are you going to participate this year?"

"Yes, Tsunade-neechan sign me up for them."

"In that case I will suggest your name to become an ANBU to my superiors. I'm sure they will let you in."

"And it also means that all of us are going to see you in one moment or another, because we're part of the examiners for this year tests!

"But don't think we will go easy one you because you're our friend!"

"I will never dream of that."

After that, I mainly talked with Kiba, who was sitting by my side and bombarding me with questions about my trips. When the food arrived and everyone started eating, I just kept talking with Kiba, without eating anything from my plate. I just hope no one notice it.

"Hey Naruto, why aren't you eating? If you don't want it, I will eat it!" Kiba say while stealing a roll from my plate.

"Wait Kiba! You really don't want to eat that."

"Why?"

"Come on, you're a member of the Inuzuka clan, smell it and tell me if you notice something."

I was receiving curious looks from everyone in table.

"Are you serious?"

"Just do it."

Kiba put the roll under his nose and quickly sniffed it, right before throw it as far away as he could.

"What's the matter Kiba-kun?"

Kiba took my plate and smell it too, before it went through the same fate the first roll had.

"All of the sushi in Naruto's plate is rotten!"

"WHAT?" Came the collective exclamation of my friends.

"Don't worry about it guys, it happened all the time. Why do you think I only ate at Ichikaru's?"

"Sir, please come here." Said Neji with a rather calm voice, even if I can see in his eyes a great deal of repressed anger.

"Hyuuga-sama, is something wrong?"

"Would you care to explain us why Naruto's sushi is rotten?" Asked Hinata, her white eyes glinting with something I never thought I would live to see in my whole life, cold and unadulterated fury.

The man fidgeted under the angry looks of all my friends, he must feel like he's trapped, and trapped people are dangerous and do rush things, but in this case, that could work against him. He finally snapped and threw the knife he was holding at me. I don't even flinch and before the knife even got close to me, Kiba caught it.

"Why are you protecting that monster?! He's not human, he doesn't have feelings! He's just a ruthless assassin, he killed my daughter! He's a demon that should be exterminated!"

'Baaaaaad move...'

The repressed anger and the killing aura flared around my friends in an almost visible way. This is so bad...

"How can you blame Naruto of that?! He was a newborn when Kyuubi attacked! It was not his fault what happened that day, he didn't do anything. The only thing he did was sacrifice himself so the rest of us could live, he's an hero!" Ino said, trembling with anger.

"Don't you dare to say that Naruto-kun is not human. He's more human that you or any of the villagers. You beated up a child, a small child that couldn't defend himself. And you call yourselves human?, don't make me laugh!"

"How can you say that he doesn't have feelings. He's more filled of youthful spirit and emotions that any of us!"

"Even if I was his teammate for a short period of time, I can assure you that Naruto has feelings. He's a good boy, sweet, caring and sincere. He's a great man and a respectable ninja. The only monsters here are the villagers that treated Naruto the way they did."

"Even if Naruto was a demon, he never did something that make him deserving of extermination. If there is someone that deserves that, is you people. Naruto has all the right to claim revenge for the way he was treated, but he won't do it. He loves this village and the people in it. And even if he did wanted to take revenge, I think that non of us will move a finger to even try to stop him, personally I think I will help him." Kiba growled.

"Minna...(Everyone...)"

"This is too troublesome, lets go. And you," Shikamaru said pointing to the scared man, "word about Naruto being back must never leave your mouth, or you will hear from us again."

When we stood up, I tried to pay the man for the sushi, after all I don't want to give him more reasons to hate me, but Shino stopped me. We all left the restaurant quietly, but my friends are still altered about it.

"Naruto, I'm sorry you had to go through this. It was supposed to be a happy celebration."

"Don't worry about it Neji. When people lose something important to them, they feel weak. They couldn't protect that something dear to them, and they blame themselves. But after a short time, they realize they couldn't do anything about it, and search for the responsible of their loses. If they can't find him in person, they turn their anger to the nearest thing to that person, like a familiar or a friend. In Kyuubi's case, the only thing that is close enough to him is me. I'm not Kyuubi, true, but I was his vessel. If they curse me, hurt me, Kyuubi will know. They throw their anger and sorrow at me, and that's how they find peace. I don't blame them."

With that, the atmosphere around us finally became less tense. They know that I'm telling the truth, and they can't deny it.

"I think... that we should keep Naruto-kun's arrival a secret for the time being. No one has to know yet. Naruto deserves to live peacefully inside his home village at least for a little bit longer."

"This is going to be too troublesome, but I agree. Sakura, go inform Tsunade-sama about this. Make a ninja file for Fumetsu Kaji and add it to the village's records."

"Roger!" She said before leaving.

"For the rest of us, just keep in mind how we should call Naruto, we must use that name always, unless we're a 100% sure that no one is hearing us. And Shino, keep an eye on your boyfriend. Remember Kiba, do not call him fox-boy."

"Hey I don't need to be watched over! I can remember something important like that."

"There's a difference between remembering something and actually doing it."

Kiba pouted and everyone laughed, everything is all right again.

"So Naruto, where are you staying?"

"At my parent's house."

"Your parent's house? If I remember well you were an orphan and nobody knew your parents..." Ino pointed up.

"True, true. Both my parents died the same day I was born. But everyone knows my father."

"Everyone knows your father Naruto-kun? Who was him?"

"It was Yondaime-sama, am I right Naruto?"

"As sharp as ever, right Shikamaru?"

"Naruto's father... was Yondaime? But how nobody knew about it? It is almost impossible that the villagers didn't know that their Hokage was married and that his wife was with child! Things would have been so different if the villagers knew who was your father!"

"There are many chances of that Ino, but my father didn't wanted that future for me. If the villagers knew about my heritage, I would have been pampered and spoiled. At the end, I will be unable to take care of myself, I would be a useless spoiled brat. Also, my father wanted me to be seen as an hero for what I did, even if that back shoot. If the truth was known, I will carry a life similar to Konohamaru's, I would never been seen as myself, but as Yondaime's son, and everything I ever achieve won't be because of my own hard work, but because I'm his son. Do you see my point?"

"Wow, I feel like I don't know you at all. You act so different from the Naruto I knew. It will be easier to call you Kaji, because you truly are a different person."

"Naruto-kun is very intelligent."

"Thank you Hinata. And don't worry Kiba, I'm still the same, the only thing is that I dropped the stupid blond act, no offense there Ino."

"Don't worry. But that doesn't answer how no one knew that the Hokage was married"

"There is a very simple reason for that. My mother was a ninja from Amegakure, and when she left with my father she was cataloged as a missing-nin. If someone knew that my mother was in Konoha, it will risk a war because we were hiding a missing-nin. My father knew that, and so did my mother, so they kept their marriage and their child a secret from everyone except some close friends, namely Jiraiya and Tsunade."

"So, Kaji! Need any help moving your things from the inn?" Kiba said, clearly trying to change the topic.

"I don't think so, but if you want to come along, then you can."

"I'll go! It isn't everyday you can go to Yondaime's house."

"We will go to, right Shino?" Kiba asked his boyfriend, who just nodded.

"I have to go prepare everything to go to Suna, so I'm afraid I won't be able to go."

"Do you remember everything I told you?"

"Yes, do not worry. I will make it work, trust me."

"I trust you. Now go." He nodded and left in a swirl of leaves.

"Why is he going to Suna again anyway? It is the... what? The fifty time in less that three months? And all the times he has to go see the Kazekage one way or another."

"He has his reasons Kiba-kun." Hinata say with a knowing smile, she knows something I don't. I will ask her later.

"Hinata-san, are you coming too?"

"Sure Naruto-kun."

"I have to go now, I got something to do, ja ne!"

"Ok Shikamaru, ja ne!"

"I have to go too, I promised my father I will train with him today." Choji said before leaving.

"I have a mission, so I must leave too."

"Take care Tenten."

"Don't worry, I will."

With that, the group that left the Hokage tower saw itself be reduced by the half.

"Ok then, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Hinata and Lee, follow me!"

The first stop was at the inn, so I could pick up my bags. Then, we followed the map Tsunade-neechan gave me to find the house.

"So, I think this is it!" I say standing in front of a two stories white house. It has a very traditional design, I notice, with sliding doors and windows. It has a nice garden outside it, but it is in need of caring.

"Well, it looks good enough on the outside, lets see on the inside!"

I nod and open the door, to find... a mess. There are boxes on the entrance hall, almost blocking the way. Further inside, the house is covered with dust, the furniture covered with dusted sheets. I can just imagine how is the rest of the house...

"Well guys, I'm sorry. But it looks like I won't be able to be a good host today, the house needs some serious cleaning before I can let people in!"

"It looks like people around here only took care of the outside appearance of the house."

"How about you come back when I get this place livable?"

"If you don't object Naruto-kun, I will like to stay and help you..."

"Really Hinata? You don't have to!"

"No, I will like to help you."

"Ok then! It is decided! Hinata, Yuki and Naruto will take care of cleaning the house. Kiba and Shino will go buy groceries and anything else needed in the kitchen."

"Hey, why us? And what are you going to do anyway."

"You because I say so! And I will take care of fixing the garden of course!"

"Really, if you don't want to go, I can manage."

"It isn't a big deal, we'll do it, right Shino?" Shino nodded.

"Well, now that everyone have their tasks assigned, lets move!"

' ' You surely have a lot of good friends Naruto. ' '

' I know, they are the best. '

After an hour or so of cleaning, I decide to ask Hinata about Neji, because that has been bugging me ever since Kiba mentioned his repeated visits to Gaara.

"Hinata-san, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Naruto-kun! What will you want to know?"

"Kiba mentioned that Neji has been taking too many missions to Suna, and they always have something to do with Gaara. Do you know why?"

"As a matter of fact I think I do!" Hinata say while entering a giggling fit.

"And you can tell me that reason?"

"Some months ago, Neji-niisan had to go to a diplomatic mission to Suna and stayed with the Kazekage-sama for some days. In that time, I don't know what he saw, but when he came back, he was completely fascinated by him. Every time we talked, he mentioned something about the Kazekage at some time. After that, he has been taking every mission available that has the Kazekage in it, no matter if it is a C ranked mission or an A one. Tsunade-sama let him, because after Neji-niisan's first visit she received a letter from the Kazekage that said how much he liked the way Neji acted while in Suna, and Tsunade-sama thought that letting Neji take those missions was a good way to make bonds between Konoha and Suna even stronger."

"So, you are suggesting that those two have a crush with each other at least."

"You said it!"

"In that case I think it was a good idea to send Neji to finish my job. I'm sure that somehow that will get those two together!"

"I hope so, I think they will make a cute couple."

"Cute isn't the word I will use to describe them..."

' ' Hot as hell perhaps? ' '

'You nailed it Kyu.'

I smile and keep cleaning, I think that I do some good matches, even without knowing.


____________________________________________________________________

True Self, New Self.




Chapter 16: Reunions at the Academy.







The distinctive pull of my chakra when I perform a jutsu woke me up. It takes me a while to process what happened, but when I do I can help but smile. So Neji finally used the scroll I gave him, I can only hope that it works, until I receive news from Suna. I rub my eyes, trying to force sleep out of them while I look for the clock. I still have to get used to this house and where things are located. We stayed until late last night cleaning the house, and we would still be at it if Yuki and I didn't make some Kage Bunshins to help us cleaning. Thanks to that we did things quicker, but ended up very tired. After seeing everyone out, I just made it to my parents room and collapsed over the bed. Yuki must be in the room next to mines, still sleeping.

It is five o'clock and I can hear Konoha starting to go into it's daily routine. Some people are waking up, while others are already up and getting things ready for the day. Most of the noise comes from the market area, shops there open early in the morning. It is time for the shift of the border patrols, and train time for genins teams. Classes at the Academy don't start until two hours, but the students and the teachers are starting to get up and ready, so they won't be late.

It is time for me to get up as well, so I stand up and go to take a shower at the adjoining bathroom. It is a nice one, not overly big, bit it isn't a small one either. It has a nice big shower and a big tub as well. But today I don't feel like soaking in the tub, so I'll take a quick shower and go to the small dojo to practice my katas and stretch my muscles.

I practice for an hour before Yuki came to tell me that breakfast was ready. I follow him to the dinner room to be greeted by an omelet and a glass with orange juice. It is as tasty as usual, I'm still wondering who taught him how to cook... because he couldn't fry an egg before we arrived to Suna, perhaps it was Temari? Anyway, I'm certainly not complaining.

"Naruto-niichan?"

"Yes Yuki?"

"I was wondering... there is a ninja academy in Konoha, right?"

"Hai."

"And you graduated from it, right?"

"Yeees..." I say raising an eyebrow, I wondering where is this getting at.

"And most twelve year old humans are at the Academy, right?"

'Oh, so that was it!'

"You want to go to the academy with the other kids right?"

"Can I oniichan? I really, really want to become a ninja like you!"

"Well, you already have the skills of a ninja..."

"But I want to be a ninja of Konoha!"

"I know, I know! I was just kidding. Of course you can go to the Academy, as a matter of fact, you're just in time to enter. Hinata-san told me that there's a class that will begin today. For some reasons it started late, so why don't you go get ready and I'll drop you off at the Academy on my way to Tsunade-baachan's office."

"Great! I will be right back!"

'Really this kit... I don't have a clue what could his teacher teach him that he doesn't already know...'

' ' I bet that he will break the record of the kid that graduated faster. ' '

'That will be Itachi I think... he was a freaking genius, but with that kind of childhood even Hinata would go into a killing rampage. Really, what I saw in his mind was just sick. I wonder what would people think of their beloved Uchiha clan if they knew the truth.'

' ' I completly agree with you kit, that was something I don't want to witness again in my life, and that is saying something. ' '

'Why do you keep calling me a kit?'

' ' Because you are one. ' '

'Excuse me, Yuki is a kit. He may be older than me, but he acts more like a kit than I do.'

' ' Whatever. ' '

"I'm ready to go oniichan!" I turn around just before being tackled by a... yellow blur?

"What happened to your hair Yuki!" I say looking straight into his, thankfully, still silver eyes.

"Huh? My hair?"

"Yes your hair, ten minutes ago it was silver, and now it is blond!"

"Well, we're brothers right? Most brothers have the same hair color, so I thought: I will use a genjutsu to turn my hair blond so me and oniichan look more like brothers!. Or you rather dye yours silver?"

"No, I like my hair just like it is, thank you very much. You know what? Forget that I asked, lets go or you will be late."

"Yay! I wonder who will be my sensei!"

"That will make two of us..."

Yuki grabs my hand as we walk out of the house. Ever since I came back, I never went to the academy, for some strange reason. Maybe it was because I didn't have the time, since I spent most of it with my friends. I wonder how things had changed there... Why I didn't ask Hinata if Iruka-sensei was still teaching at the academy? I wonder what in all seven hells I was thinking...

When we reach the academy, I go straight to the Principal's office to sign up Yuki for the class. He was lucky, because they only had one space left. He gave us a note for the sensei, explaining things.

"Umino Iruka... that's the name of my sensei! Do you know him oniichan?"

"As a matter of fact I do. He was my sensei at the academy too." I say plotting a way to let him know that I'm back.

"The one you pranked with your Oiroke no Jutsu?"

"Yes, the same one... wait a second, who told you that!"

"Jiraiya-sama did! Right before he taught me how to do it!"

"That fucking perverted hermit... he will hear from me the next time I see him... Hmmm... maybe it can be a good thing after all... Yuki?"

"Hai oniichan?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything!"

"Come here," I say, before whispering instructions on his ear,"Got it?"

"Hai!"

"This will be soo funny!"

Before I could get to imagine how my great plan will go any further, I'm standing right outside Iruka-sensei's classroom. I take a deep breath so I can take my responsible big brother self in place before I go any further. Satisfied with the stoic expression I know that I have, I knock the door before I open it.

"Forgive the interruption, Umino-sensei. I just wanted to deliver you a last minute student," I say pushing Yuki inside the classroom,"I will come get you when classes end. Good luck."

"Right! See ya later oniichan!"

I gave Iruka-sensei a single nod before closing the door behind me. I sigh and relax my stance a smirk fighting his way to my lips.

'I guess that Tsunade will have to wait.'

' ' Where went you usual mature self? ' '

'Don't give me that, you know that I'm mature, but I'm a kitsune as well, it is in my nature to play pranks. Even you, that had lived for millenniums, with all your wisdom, pried and manners, enjoy to play a prank on me once in a while and you know it. Don't get me started with all the things you had done! Besides, you say that I'm still a kit right? So stop bugging me.'

' ' Kami, I created a monster! ' '

I mentally laugh at Kyuubi's predicament. This is one of the few times I win a discussion with him, and he hates it when I do it.

"Kaji-kun, what are you doing here?"

"Ahhh Hinata-san! I just came to drop Yuki at his classroom. He wanted to go to the academy like the other kids at the village and I just couldn't tell him no."

"He's in Iruka-sensei's class right? Does he know that you're back?"

"Iie, but he will know soon." I say while grinning.

"I know that face, you're planning something right?"

"You will have to wait and see!" I say before transporting myself to the tree outside sensei's classroom, so I can see everything that goes on inside it. Well, for now everything that I have to do is sit back and wait until recess.



[Scenery change! While we wait for recess, lets see what is Tsunade doing, shall we? Tsunade's POV]



"That damn brat is late, I can't believe it!"

"Yo Tsunade! What's up? Why are you pacing a hole on the floor?"

"Jiraiya! Where is that damn student of yours? He is LATE!"

"Last time I saw him, he was entering the Academy with Yuki. Perhaps he's with Iruka? Anyway, what is so important that he had to be here on time?"

"I wanted to make him a check up, to see how the merge affected him medically speaking. To make sure he's out of danger."

"Tsunade, it has been three months since the merge and in this time, there was absolutely nothing wrong with him. If anything changed, was that he got better in every aspect. You're worrying to much."

"Maybe you're right. I just can't trust Kyuubi, even when Naruto says it is ok."

"Believe it or not, Kyuubi is not as bad as everyone thinks. He cares for Naruto like we do, and maybe even more, so don't worry. Speaking of other things, Naruto is going to take the Chuunin exam, right?"

"Hai."

"Why are you making him take it? With all those scrolls, he can be promoted to Jounin immediately. It will be pointless for him to take it anyway, as soon as the examinators from other villages see his name, they will immediately approve him, everyone knows the brat, I took care of that."

"Even when what you say is true, and even when I don't know the real Naruto the same way you do, there is one thing that I'm sure of. Naruto will never accept a promotion just because he was recommended for it. I'm sure he will like to get it with his own efforts. That's why I'm letting him take the exam, even when, like you said, it is completly pointless."

"Well, that's truth. Even the merge happened because of his own efforts. In order for him to merge with Kyuubi, he had to be strong enough, both mentally and physically, or he wouldn't had survived it."

"I bet that he will get promoted to Jounin in no time anyway."

"Well that is a bet that the Legendary Losers will never lose!"

"Jiraiya..." I say before punching his lights out. That baka... he will never change!



[Well, it is recess time, so let's go back to the Academy! Yuki's POV]



I wait until all my classmates leaves the room to go outside for recess and I'm alone with Iruka-sensei. This is the first time I try oniichan's jutsu with other people! So, lets get oniichan's plan started.

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes Yuki?"

"You see... I have this new jutsu, and I was wondering if you could see it and tell me if it is good."

"Sure let me see it."

"Ok! Oiroke no Jutsu!" I say smiling, here is the part where a river of blood comes out of his nose! Huh? Why isn't it happening?

"Mmmmm... very impressive Yuki, the shape is well done. It is a great job, but perhaps you will like to let your hair lose instead than in a ponytail."

"Why it didn't work!"

"Some years ago one of my favorite students used it on me, after him, a boy named Konohamaru used it too and taught it to his friends. After all these years I grew immune to it. So who taught it to you? Konohamaru?"

"As a matter of fact Jiraiya did, without my permission. I told Yuki that I will teach it to him when he was older, but ero-sennin beated me to it." Came oniichan's voice right before he appeared in a swirl of leafs.

"Oniichan! It didn't work!"

"Don't worry Yuki-chan, if Konohamaru did what Iruka-sensei said, then I would be surprised if it actually worked."

"Naruto?"

"Long time no see Iruka-sensei."



[Back to Naruto's POV]



I can help but smile when I see Iruka's shocked face, he's opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish.

"Better be careful sensei, you can swallow a fly if you keep doing that" I say, my smile turning to a smirk.

"You're back... how?... when?!"

"Well, my training was over, so I came back not so long ago."

Iruka looks like he finally snapped out of his initial shock, because he moves forward and before I know it I'm trapped inside a death hug.

"Iruka-sensei... softer... please... can't... breath!"

"Naruto! Look at you, you have changed so much! You're so tall! And your hair is so long! What happened to your tan? Oh never mind let me look at you." He say finally letting me go. Yuki is giggling like mad somewhere behind him.

"What's so funny kit?"

"If he squeezed you any harder I bet that your tails and ears would pop out!" He said between giggles.

"Keep making fun of me and I'll throw Akamaru at you and we will see who's ears and tails pop out!"

"Ears? Tails?"

"It is a loong story sensei, and the recess is short. So I better show you, because explaining you will be longer. Besides, an image is more worthy than a thousand words," I say performing a quick privacy jutsu that I was taught in Kiri,"Ok, this is it." I say letting my beloved tails and ears show. They have such a nice golden color that reflects the light!

' ' Wow, you're turning into a narcissist. ' '

'I wonder just who taught me that...'

I turn my attention to Iruka, who is shocked speechless by the sight of not only one, but two kitsunes. I quickly hide my ears and tails and wait for Yuki to hide his before dropping the jutsu.

"Hmmm... sensei? Are you alright?" Yuki says while waving his hand before Iruka's face.

At that moment the door was opened and Hinata step in the classroom.

"Naruto-kun, what you did to Iruka-sensei?"

"Nothing!" She sighs and walk until she's standing by my side.

"You told him?"

"Hai!"

"Well that will explain why he is like that. Iruka-sensei, please snap out of it. Naruto-kun is still the same as always, a little more mature and with some unusual attributes, but he's still the same!"

"I'm sorry, I think I was out of it for a while there. So you merged with him huh? Well if what Hinata-san says is true, then I don't have a problem with it. I'm glad that you're back Naruto!"He says, hugging me again tightly.

"I'm glad to be back too. Well I better get going! I had a meeting with Tsunade-baachan three hours ago and the recess is almost over! I'll come pick you up later Yuki, be a good kit and listen to Iruka-sensei."

"Naruto-kun, would you like to go get some ramen later?"

"I will love to, but for now call me Kaji! Hinata-san, could you please explain things to Iruka-sensei?"

"I will."

"Great! Ja ne!" I say, transporting myself to Tsunade's office.



[At Tsunade's office.]



"You are LATE!"

"Owe... I know that I'm late neechan, but there was no need to hit me!" I say nursing my abused head.

"You were supposed to be here three hours ago!"

"I know, I know. But I went to the academy and saw Iruka-sensei, and you know I haven't seen him in five years!"

"Fine! Now get on that examination table so we can get this over with."

"Really Tsunade-neechan, I'm a kitsune now. How will you know if there is something wrong with my body if I'm not human?"

"Hmph, don't underestimate me brat, or Hokage's private library. I did some research and I know enough about kitsunes now to make an accurate check up. I stayed up all night studying, so shut up and let me do my work."

"Yes miss." I say submitting down, it is better not to contradict her when she's on this mood.

An hour later, Tsunade seems to be satisfied with the results of her examination and finally let me off the, too hard for my tastes, examination table.

"Well, it seems that everything is fine. There's nothing for you to worry about."

'You were the one fuzzing over it, not me.'

"That's good to know."

"Tell me, did some one already told you something about the chuunin exams?"

"Besides that my friends will be examinators, nothing. Actually I wanted to ask you where I should go this time. I don't think the first exam will be at the same place."

"The only thing you need to do is to present yourself in front of the Hokage mountain in fourteen days. Things will be explained there."

"That's all?"

"Yes, now go away. I'm a busy person and I have better things to do than to waste my time chatting with you."

"Yes miss!" I mock salute and disappear from her sight before she gets the chance of hitting me again.



[Top of the Hokage Mountain.]



'Now... what to do... academy's classes are no where near ended... Mmmm... well it doesn't matter.'

I'm sitting on top of the Hokage mountain, my legs swinging over the edge. It is always so nice up here, the fresh air, the silence and not to mention the great view of the village.

'I wonder how are things going at Suna. And the whole thing between Neji and Gaara. How could I not notice that he was on the village while I was there?'

' ' Maybe he came while Temari and Kankuro were training our ass off. You were so focused on their training,that you could have missed that Uchiha boy parading in a dress right in front of your eyes. ' '

The mental picture of Sasuke parading in a dress got me into a hysterical laughing fit.

'I think that is something that I will never miss, believe me Kyu, and something that will never happen too. Now that I remember, I did heard Temari talking to Gaara about a Konoha representative. Every time a representative from Konoha came, Gaara left early in the morning and spent the rest of the day in a good mood.'

' ' Like the racoon's good mood was so different from his usual one. The only way you could tell that was that he tension on his shoulders eased, but you had that effect on him too. ' '

'Quit it already Kyu, you know I don't like Gaara that way and he doesn't either, so stop trying to get us together because it is not going to happen. Returning to the topic, I thought it was a different representative every time, but it looks like it was the same one. Oh well, they will make a great couple, so I will do everything in my power to help them being together.'

' ' Maybe you will like to take that damn seal of White Eyes forehead? As a way to show your gratitude and your support. ' '

'Never thought about that before, but I will need to know more about it in order to take it off and don't screw everything in the process.'

' ' I think that that Hinata child will be more than happy to help. After you remove it just paint another one on, so no one will know, unless they try to activate it. ' '

'I'll ask Hinata later. What time is it anyway? Kuso! Time flies when I talk to you Kyu, better transport me there because I won't make it on time if I run there.'



[In front of the Academy!]



Maybe I over did it with my entrance? As soon as I appeared at the academy in the usual swirl of leafs, the eyes of all the presents were on me. I really don't like to be the center of attention, at least not this kind of attention. I promptly ignore them and walk to where Yuki is, talking with a bunch of girls that surround him. The girls have fan girls written all over their faces, I wonder what is the kit doing.

"Hey Yuki!"

"Oniisan!" He says making his way out of the circle and hugging me.

"That's your older brother Yuki-kun?"

"He's sooo cool!"

"Is he a ninja?"

"Of course he is Mayura, don't you see his head band?"

"His name is Kaji right?"

"I heard Hinata-sensei talk about him with Iruka-sensei, they say he's really good!"

"Well I heard from my father that Hyuuga-sama recommend him for ANBU captain."

"Well, my mother works at the Hokage Tower and she said that him and Hokage-sama are old friends."

My eyes travel from one girl to another, how in all seven hells these girls get that kind of information? I scan the crowd for Iruka and when I spot him looking for me too and our eyes lock I mouth help! He nods and make his way to our spot.

"Okay girls, leave them alone. Your parents are looking for you and Kaji-san and I have a meeting and we can't talk with all of you over him, now can we?"

They finally stop talking and disperse, making me sigh in relief.

"Just how you got in that kind of mess Yuki-chan?"

"Well they kept following me around, and I decided to talk to them. Even when they can be really annoying, they are a great source of information, niichan!"

"Fan girls know everything believe me Kaji. If what you want is information about what happens in this village at all times, I recommend an alliance with them."

"Well, I never thought it that way. Maybe I'll do that."

"Besides, fan girls stalk to get information, if you give it to them freely, they will stop doing it and you will gain friends and lots of bento boxes! Right sensei?"

"Exactly."

'Seems like I found the bright side of having a fan club.'

"So, are we going to Ichikaru's or not?" I ask with a smile.

"Right after you."

I just found another way to stop getting lusty looks and stalkers, walking with Iruka-sensei. As soon as he noticed them he started giving them the glare of eternal doom and everyone backed away from us. Iruka is scary when angry, I knew that, but when he gets into Mother Hen mood... even I have the urge of inch my way away from him. I never want to be the target of one of those looks, because I think I will burst into flames and die if I was.

By the time we arrived too Ichikaru, half of Konoha was scared to dead and me and Yuki were sweat dropping and laughing nervously. I only ordered one bowl of miso ramen, to Iruka's surprise and relief of his wallet. Like I said before, ramen is not my favorite thing ever, and after twelve years of having it as your main food, it's obvious that a person can get bored of it. Actually, I prefer to eat things with tofu recently, Kyu says it is an after effect of the merge, and it will eventually pass.

After eating, we said our farewells and parted ways.

"So, you enjoyed your first day at the academy?"

"Yes, it was awesome! I made lot of friends!"

"That's good, anything interesting happened?"

"Well there was this one thing..."

"Tell me, what happened?"

"At lunch break came this man with silver hair and a mask to see Iruka-sensei..."

"That probably was Kakashi, but what was the interesting part?"

"Well I was on the roof and I heard this noises coming from the classroom and a funny smell too, I was the only one that noticed it of course."

"And... your point is?"

"That noises and smell, are the ones I usually notice at mating season coming from my parents room."

I tripped over my own foot and almost fall face first on the ground. I also noticed the funny smell but I shrugged it off when I couldn't identify it. So that was it!

"So Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei... Thank you Yuki, now I have something to tease Iruka to the end of days!" I say chuckling evilly.

"This is baaaad..."

True Self, New Self.




Chapter 17: The First Team Arrives, Who Are Them?






Only ten days to the Chuunin exams. Since this morning I sensed a change in the atmosphere in Konoha, it is more tense but calm at the same time, everyone notice that but act as they didn't, continuing with their daily routines. Somehow, I can't help but think that it is like the calm before a storm, a storm called Chuunin exams. Maybe the people of the village are still wary of them, even when it has been five years since the Sound attack, they lost a Hokage that day, and that is not easy forgiven or forgotten. Clear example is the festival they held each year to remember my father.

I can't help but to hate that festival, when it came I had to hide and barricade my apartment to defend myself from drunken villagers. If in any other day they used to beat me hard, they were brutal that day. I learned to not go out the hard way when I was three, if it wasn't for Kyuubi's healing abilities I wouldn't have survived that beating. It was a miracle I managed to escape, thankfully, drunken villagers are stronger and more ruthless, but they are easier to ditch.

I feel my mood drop a few degrees when I remember that. I wonder why I keep doing this to myself, I should just forget about everything. But even when I moved on, I can't help but keep remembering those days when things weren't as bright as they are today. And I can't help but to be grateful to the villagers and to those days, because thanks to them I'm able to understand pain better than many, and by understanding that, I can also understand Gaara and Sasuke, and I'm able to help them.

You can't help anyone with their problems if you don't truly understand their situation. I couldn't have help Gaara overcome his hate for his village, if I didn't know how is it like to grow up being hated by it. And I won't be able to help Sasuke overcome the pain of the loneliness that swallowed him after his entire family died, if I didn't know deeply well the white pain of being completely alone since I was born.


But enough of dwell in the past, I have to pay attention to the present and build things for the future. But the present decided that I had to focus on him right now and sent my new found fan club to make sure I did. Even if they are extremely annoying, their intelligence network is vaster than I first thought, so they probed worthy of my attention. After all, information is a very powerful weapon. I started to talk to them the day after Yuki started attending the academy. It is amusing looking at them, even if I'm not friendly with them, just the necessary nice, and my attitude towards them is generally cold, they don't seem to care and it seems to excite them even more. A strange phenomenon that I only saw once before, when Sasuke was still in Konoha.


"Good afternoon Kaji-san!!" Came the chorused greeting of the girls, the boys that are usually around no where to be seen.

"Good afternoon girls. How was your day?"

They all launched into a detailed explanation of what they did since they woke up, I got used to block the ramblings that don't have any kind of useful information, my brain filtering the ones that can prove important, that's how something between their blabbering caught my attention.

"Anyway, I was walking near the Main Gate, and I saw a group of Grass nins enter. It looks like the teams from other countries are starting to arrive!"

"Really, and how where they?"

"They were three genins, really cute looking, they are 14 or 15. And their jounin teacher, who was really hot! He has this long black hair tied in a braid and these beautiful deep blue eyes. And he had this really cool looking sword hanging on his side!"

My mind start processing the new information, I met the team that was coming to the Chuunin exams while I was in Grass, they were two girls and their jounin teacher was a female. Sure, there is always the possibilities they changed the team, but I really don't think so. The wind suddenly picked up, bringing to me a scent I know too well. Really that bastard, at least they could have disguised as ninjas from another village, but Grass again?!

"Excuse the interruption Maya-chan, but you know where they are staying?"

"Well I heard that they were going to stay in this house at the far end of the village, the one that is away from all the rest and has a training arena."

"Thank you. I'll see you later girls, I just remembered I have something else to do."

"What?"

"I need to find some snake bait."

"Snake bait?" Is the last thing I hear before I take off through the roofs, heading to the house were the supposed Grass nins are staying, masking my chakra on the way.

I arrive to my destination on matter of seconds and decide to sit on a high branch of a tree that hovers over the training arena. I can feel their chakra moving around the house, setting traps and security jutsus around it. I pity the soul of the poor being that dares to try to get in without being invited, and ANBU will spent hours trying to get in, hell, even I will have a headache by the time I manage to slip through all of them. Not that I can't do it quicker than an ANBU...

Finally, Sasuke himself comes to secure the area around the training arena, while his students start to settle in. I know he will find me if I don't move, I'm not hiding anyway, even a genin can spot me if they try. Besides, to tell the truth, I want him to find me.

"You on the tree, I know you're there so come down right now."

"And what if I don't want to?" I say amused.

"You will come down anyway, corpses aren't good holding on to branches." He says taking out some kunais.

"Really Uchiha-san, you could have said please." I say laughing when he tensed up and I jumped down, landing without efforts.

"Kaji, what are you doing here?," he says before spotting the headband tied around my waist,"So, you're a Konoha shinobi."

"I recently joined this village yes, not five days away from now actually. I came to a point that I had to join a village, so I decided to join the strongest one. It is the best, but of course you will differ. After all, you were the one that defected it in order to join Orochimaru in your quest for power to get your revenge."

"He offered me power, and I took it."

"If you're going to embark in a journey for revenge, dig two graves, my friend."

"And now you're quoting Confucius, you're very literate after all. Anyway, if you are a Konoha ninja and you know who I am, you shouldn't be trying to capture me? I'm a missing-nin of this village after all."

"And where will be the fun in that? No, I won't say anything. So, the snake is planning another attack to Konoha, because that's the reason you're here right?"

"How did you found me anyway?"

"You reek to snake. You could have changed you appearance and you chakra signature Uchiha-san, but your smell remains the same. I recommend you to go to an onsen to get rid of that smell, because there is always the possibility of the Inuzuka's to spot it too. After all these years with Orochimaru, your smell is almost the same."

"Really?"

"Yes, and you dress almost the same. I'm glad to see you in normal clothes. Don't let the snake chose your wardrobe again. He's probably getting your body used to fight and move in that clothes for when he takes your body, but it isn't time yet for it. Besides, his sense of fashion is nule."

"Hn." He responds, but I can see a small smirk in his lips.

"So for what name are you going now?"

"Ryuji-sensei!!" Came three voices from the door that leads to the training arena.

"What?"

"We finished unpacking Ryuji-sensei. And who is this person?" One of them say, while the other two eye me suspiciously.

"Aren't you going to introduce me Ryuji-sensei."

"This is Kaji-san, he was sent here to make sure we felt comfortable. Kaji, this are Mako, Sako and Sora" He says pointing at each of them.

'Good lie Sasuke!'

"Pleased to meet you. Ok guys, right now, I'm taking you to an onsen, so you can relax after your long trip. The Grass village is far away and you must be tired."

They thought about it for a moment before they went inside to grab a fresh change of clothes.

"You should go to Ryuji-sensei," I say in an almost mocking tone,"I will be waiting at the front." I say before poofing away.

Two minutes later, Sasuke was joining me outside.

"Where are your team of brats?"

"Deciding what to wear."

"They are one group of cocky little brats with airs of greatness. Their head are so filled with it that they are about to start floating. Sorry but it is the truth."

"I agree, maybe someone will pop their little bubble at the Chuunin exams."

"You can count with that."

Ten minutes later, the bunch of brats join us outside and I lead them to the nearest onsen. The four of them are in serious need to get that smell off them.

' ' Why are you helping them kit? If you informed the old woman about that, they can force the Uchiha boy to stay and all of this nonsense will be over. ' '

'No it won't, if I go to Tsunade now and force him to stay, he will run away again. He will continue to run away in seek of power, no matter how many times I bring him back, because he still wants to get his revenge against his brother. He won't stop until he realizes that all of this is stupid, and that if he kills his brother, he will be just like him.'

' ' Then why you don't tell him what we saw? That will stop him for sure. ' '

'He won't believe me, hell I wouldn't believe me if I was him. He needs to see it for himself, he has to hear it from his brother not from me.'

' ' You have a point there kit. I was afraid that you were returning to that stupid self of yours since you told your friends everything. I'm glad to see that you are still the same. ' '

'It seems that I'm subconsciously activating that defense mechanism. It will take a while to convince myself that it is safe to be me inside the village.'

While I talked with Kyuubi, my body was in autopilot. For some reason, time outside seems to fly faster than inside my mind, because by the time I came back to reality, I was sitting inside one of the onsen's pools at Sasuke's side. Thankfully, no one seems to notice that I spaced out for so long, maybe they thought that I'm the silent type? I take a sniff around, the snake smell is completely gone, funny, I thought it will take longer than that to get rid of it. No, scratch that, my fingers are starting to look like raisins so that means that I've been here for a long while now.

I start to look around, taking in all the details I can about my environment. The brats are at the other side of the pool, fooling around like academy kids, no Sound nins, or Grass nins for that matter. Suddenly, the door burst open, sending all the presents into an alert state, from the open door... came Kiba. I release the breath I didn't notice I was holding, that idiot almost gave me a heart attack. He looks around and spot me and my companions.

"Yo Kaji! I was looking all over for you man! And who are your friends?"

"They are the team from Grass that came for the exams." I say calmly, Sasuke is eying me, maybe he thought I will betray him, I just give him a reassuring look. He really should calm down.

"Really? Teams are arriving already? Wow, each year they come earlier!"

"Why were you looking for me Kiba?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot! We're going to the karaoke tonight, I won the prize of a game and I have to spent it! Your friends from Grass can come too, they won't refuse an invitation from the hosts of the exams right?"

"We will love to!" Sasuke glare at his students and I smile at them. Now Sasuke will be stuck for hours with almost all his ex-friends, I can't wait to see how he deals with that and I will take the chance to mess a little bit with his mind while at it.

"We will be there Kiba, I will pick the Grass and take them there. What hour?"

"20:00, don't be late of Choji will eat all the food!"

"We won't. Now go before your boyfriend comes looking for you." He blushes and goes away, mumbling curses under his breath.

"Great, now we will get to know the enemy better." Sora commented and his teammates agreed, completely ignoring the fact that I was still there.

"Ok everyone, I will be picking you up at 19:30, so be ready by then, because I won't wait you for too long!"

"Ok."

"Ryuji-sensei, I take it that you can go back to your residing quarters on your own? I'm afraid that I won't be able to escort you back, I have to go pick Yuki-chan at the academy." I say smiling, the muscles on Sasuke's face twitching, I know he wants to frown, but he's playing the emotionless ninja, even if that doesn't work with me. I stand up and go to the dressing room, get dressed and leave three happy genins and one pissed Sasuke at the onsen.



[Sasuke's POV. 19:30]



I will make these brats pay from putting me in this situation, I knew that sooner or later I will see those that used to be my comrades, but I never thought I will see myself stuck into a karaoke of all places for who knows how long, thanks to the brats. I don't know why they are so excited about going to a stupid karaoke, they spent hours getting ready to go. I glare at all of them, if I had to have a genin team, it could be at least a competent one.

Like Kaji said he was in front of us at 19:30:00, why will someone take the trouble of being so on time to something as trivial like picking up someone is a mystery for me. After a quick greeting, he guided us to the karaoke in complete silence, only broken by the chatting of the brats. He never talks more than the necessary, and that's good. I can't stand people that don't stop talking like the dobe... the dobe, I can't believe he's really dead.

We arrive at the karaoke and I nod to the presents, acknowledging them. I sit down and shut myself into my mind, trying to keep as distant from this situation as I can. I don't know for how long I kept my mind in blank, but something drew me out, and that something was that it was Kaji's turn to sing.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, for tonight's last artist, we have Kaji with the theme Ichirin no Hana" Kiba half yells and the rest of the presents start clapping with enthusiasm, even the brats.

Kaji smiles, takes the microphone and open his mouth. I'm stroked into silence by the voice that comes out from his parted lips, his voice is usually beautiful, but this...

"You are the only "you" There is no such thing as your replacement

Don't wilt away, single flower

You are like a flower

That bloomed in a dark shadow

Even though you're in a place you didn't wish to be,

You can't move because of your roots

Just spit out your closed-up feelings

I'll accept all of your pain and suffering

So please don't cry

Please smile, single flower

I wanted to see your innocent figure

That looked as if it were about to wilt, one more time

I want to become your strength

Even if there comes a time

When the whole world becomes our enemy

I'll protect you

YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO OTHER

YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO NEXT TIME

YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO OTHER YOU

SHOULD NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO NEXT...

TIME NOTICE THAT YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT

NOTICE THAT THERE'S NO OTHER

You are the only "you"

Till now and from now on

Even if there comes a time

When the whole world becomes our enemy

I'll protect you

So don't give up, single flower

YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO OTHER

YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO NEXT TIME

YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO OTHER

YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT THERE IS NO NEXT...

TIME NOTICE THAT YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT

NOTICE THAT THERE'S NO OTHER"

Who is this guy? Why I think that he sang this song for me? He kept his eyes locked with mine most of the time while he sang. Who really is he? I don't know many things about him, I only met him some months ago, but I always have this nagging feeling that I know him for longer, that I'm forgetting something, not seeing the obvious. We know each other for so little, but he seems to know everything about me, even what is going on inside my mind. Who are you? I swear I will find the answer to that question.



[Otokagure. Orochimaru's office, Orochimaru's POV.]



"Orochimaru-sama?"

"What is it Kabuto."

"I have the information you asked for."

"Then lets hear it."

"Fumetsu Kaji. Age: Unknown. Birth place: Unknown. Alliances: He recently joined Konoha, before that, non. Family: He has no blood bonds known. He lived with a sannin from Iwagakure and his son until recently. The sannin died when some bandits attacked him. After that he met Jiraiya-sama and he have been traveling with him with Fumetsu Yuki, the sannin son who he considers his little brother. Skills: Excellent hearing and sense of smell, monstrous amounts of a very weird but powerful chakra and stamina. We recently gathered some un-verified information, that says that he's immune to the Mangekyo Sharigan, but that remains unclear."

"Hmmm... it looks like Sasuke-kun made a very interesting friend. Kabuto, go to Konoha and gather all the information about this Kaji that you can and then come back. It seems like I found another interesting vessel candidate."

"Yes Orochimaru-sama."


___________________________________________________________________


Hi there my dear daughter! this was one your birthday present!

Anyway, the song isn't mine, it is Ichirin no Hana, by High and Mighty Color

yura: *takes out a megaphone* Ok guys gather up! Cast meeting!

Naruto: Hey yura! Why the meeting?

Yuki: Yes yura-neechan why?

yura: You know why! *sees Orochimaru and Kabuto walking her way* Not you, you snake and snake toy!

Kabuto: How dare you to speak like that to Orochimaru-sama.

Orochimaru: I won't take orders from a prissy little bitch.

yura: Why you.... *takes out two machine guns and start firing them at the pair* now who is a prissy little bitch huh *laugh maniacally*

Itachi: Wow, she's scary.

Deidara: We should ask her to join the Akatsuki un!

Itachi: No, she's too evil for the Akatsuki.

Kisame: Looks who's talking of being evil.

Itachi: Shut it shark-face.

Kisame: Make me weasel-boy!

Deidara: Come on guys calm down un!

Sasuke: I can understand my brother being here, but what are you two doing here? You're not in the story yet.

Sakura: Wow Sasuke-kun is not trying to kill his brother!

Sasuke: She doesn't let me. *points at yura who had run out of ammo and pulled out a bazooka instead.*

Lee: The eternal youth of the authoress!

Ino: No, her scariness.

Shikamaru: Going against her will is too troublesome.

Shino: *nods*

Kiba: Look, she pulled out a dragon fire!

Temari: Isn't that from Constantine?

Kankuro: Yeah, what is it doing here?

Gaara: Does it really matters?

Sasuke's students: She's burning Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto-senpai!

Tsunade: If you three don't shut up you will be joining them.

Jiraiya: If I knew before that Orochimaru could be defeated by her I would have throw her to them earlier.

Neji: She didn't even use chakra.

Hinata: Yes, that's true.

Iruka: Maybe I'll ask her to borrow me some of that weapons...

Kakashi: *mentally prays she doesn't*

yura: *stepping over the remaining ashes of Kabuto and Orochimaru* Now I'm feeling better.

Naruto: Won't that mess up the storyline?

yura: Don't worry, I can always bring them back later.

Sasuke: So are we going to do it or not?

yura: Ohh right!! At the count of three. One, two, three!

Everyone: HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRYS-CHAN!!