Naruto 1. Banshee Blizzards

Good evening minna! (As I am currently writing this in the evening) Silver-eyed Hyuuga is not dead, as some may have thought, rather she is alive and has now posted another story for you readers to read. After my last zillion-page-long NejiNaru story, this is a KimiNaru for a change (since all my past stories have been NejiNaru)...so I do hope all of you shall enjoy this one.

This is set about when Naruto is five and Kimimaro is seven (After all, Kimimaro is only two years older than Naruto)

Chapter 1: Banshee Blizzards

Most everyone in the sleepy village of Konoha was at peace, content and satisfied with the world. Families huddled together in front of the fireplace, sipping hot mugs of steaming tea or hot cocoa, listening lazily to the merry crackle of the fireplace. Children played happily at the feet of their parents, basking in the radiating glow of the fire as it leapt and sparkled in its perpetual dance of warmth while parents sat together on the couch, enjoying each other's company. Almost everyone was at ease, and felt nothing could go wrong with the world.

Almost everyone was at ease, with the exception of one small fox-child.

The winds howled their mournful, wild tunes as they swept through the streets outside of Konoha, harbingers of snow and more blizzards to come. Snow extended her icy merciless fingers and cloaked the rooftops with white powder and ledges with icicles. A raging blizzard blew outside, deadly and heedless of any poor, unsuspecting individuals that had the misfortune of getting in its way.

The poor, frozen body of a small, forlorn five-year-old stumbled through the streets, bearing the full brunt of the heartless storm that enveloped the village in its ruthless path. Naruto sneezed, wrapping his arms around his shivering body in a half-hearted attempt to warm himself in such weather, his efforts quite fruitless. Clutching harder at his tattered t-shirt, he sniffled and shuddered, the cold seeping through his worn clothes and biting through to his bones.

It was no use going back to his apartment; the landlord had upped his bill and kicked him out when he hadn't the money to pay the ridiculously high price the manager had so maliciously stated. The blonde had begged piteously but the landlord would have none of his "stupid sheep's whining", dragging him out by the scruff of his neck and throwing him unceremoniously out into the raging storm, slamming the door with an air of finality.

He had taken refuge in a nearby shop when he found that Ichiraku was closed, salivating wildly as plates of food whizzed past his nose. At first the owner watched him without really noticing who he was until Naruto looked up, begging for a scrap of leftovers. A scandalized look marred the owner's stern countenance and he too forbade Naruto to ever darken his doorway again. Luckily the fox-child escaped with a morsel in his hand which he ate sparingly as he trudged down the streets.

Now that it was gone, Naruto was hungry once more, but the shops were all dark and the shelter all taken, and he suspected by now that no one would let him in to the comfort of their homes. Knocking the snow from his lashes and the ice from his hair, he pressed on against the storm, all sense of direction and time forgotten.

He trudged on for what seemed like eons, plodding along one foot after another, not really knowing where he was headed. It seemed like hours upon end, and still he kept going, walking steadily to nowhere. It was when he finally looked up that he found he was in a completely different scenery so unlike the familiar houses scattered along Konoha's streets.

He supposed he was in the forest; the snow didn't seem to come down as hard, and it certainly smelled like the forest. He looked around and managed to make out the dim outline of a tree trunk. So it was true, he was in the forest, and as to how deep, he did not know. The storm seemed to die down, though it hadn't completely stopped, so Naruto picked this opportune moment to find out his whereabouts before the blizzard came back with a vengeance.

Shinnying up the side of a nearby fir tree (with some difficulty; the snow and the state of his fingers made it hard to find a fingerhold, but Naruto managed with the help of the sticky resin), he brushed off the snow from the branches and peeked through the openings of the needles. He was met by the sight of white, white, and still more white as far as the eye could see. The realization that he was far from Konoha didn't come as a shock though; he had assumed he'd walked right through the gates when he'd been trudging on for at least an hour without hitting any walls.

Sighing, the small fox-child meandered through the trees, quietly braving the storm and walking deeper into the woods. Shivering again, he flicked weakly at the icicles that covered his being and sneezed, almost falling over a tree root. Looking up again, he vaguely noted that his fingers were almost neon blue. That was odd…fingers were usually pink….weren't….they….?

As that last thought passed through the fox-child's frozen mind, his vision blurred slightly at the edges and Naruto staggered, suddenly feeling like his legs weighed a hundred pounds each. Taking in a gasping breath, he valiantly tried to lift up his foot to take the next step but quickly abandoned the effort when his world shifted dangerously and threatened to collapse upon him. Naruto lost what little strength he had left and fell to the ground, landing with a soft flump on the snow beneath him. There he lay and was soon covered by small flakes of white as the snow began falling.

Unbeknownst to the comatose blonde, a similar figure was also walking through the forest. Kimimaro smiled slightly as he felt the first flakes of snow fall from the sky. He loved winter and the snow that it brought; it was the only season he belonged in, with his white hair and gray yukata, therefore making it a lot easier to blend in with his surroundings. Unsuspecting animals didn't tend to notice a background of the same color, providing the element of surprise for the young Kaguya and a fair supply of food. Snowshoe hares were common in the winter, and Kimimaro rather enjoyed their meat when cooked with a few roots.

The Kaguya's ears pricked and he pressed himself against a tree, listening warily for the barely audible rustle of a bush, signifying animals and food. A small white rabbit came out of the thicket, nose twitching for any sign of danger. Kimimaro quickly alternated position, pressing himself downwind against the tree. He waited with immeasurable patience until the rabbit was right up close, then pounced.

He missed, landing face-first in the snow, and as a result the startled rabbit hopped away into the woods. Kimimaro followed pursuit, weaving gracefully through the trees, alternating his breathing to suit his conditions. Calmly tracking the still-frightened rabbit, he swerved and went in for the kill, capturing the animal and ending its pain with a well-aimed stab to the neck. The skin would be useful, and the meat would taste good.

Kimimaro nodded in satisfaction and turned to go when his foot connected with something that didn't seem at all like snow. Snow was slushy and very often wet, whereas this object was slightly soft, yielding under his foot.

Looking curiously down at the offending object, he couldn't see anything but snow. Depositing the rabbit gently at his side, he dug until he uncovered a strange tuft of golden substance. Contemplating as to whether to pull the object out by the yellow substance or examine it first and then pull, Kimimaro decided to examine it first, having learned from a past unpleasant experience with a mountain cat bearing hair of the same color.

Taking the stuff between his fingers, he teased it gently between his fingers, trying to identify the strange thread-like form. After a while of careful testing, Kimimaro concluded that this thread was hair. That was strange; this hair slipped and slid worse than his hair had ever been. Running a hand through his own locks, Kimimaro calculated quickly in his mind. So if this was hair, then there had to be more underneath the covering of snow.

Digging still further, he scooped away the slushy white substance until he found a full head of hair. Rather excited at his curious find, he proceeded to uncover a full body lying in the snow, apparently frozen. It was a rather small body, signifying developing muscles in the smallish frame. Turning it over, he peered curiously over the face, his gaze coming to rest on the three small whisker-like marks on the cheeks. Inwardly marveling at the abnormally long lashes, he smiled slightly and ran a curious hand down the finely shaped nose. This boy was rather cute, a bit younger than he was, and positively reeking of innocence when he was asleep.

Kimimaro reached out and tentatively found the carotid artery located in the boy's neck. Nimble fingers pressed against it, and Kimimaro waited expectantly for a pulse. It came, though rather weak, but it was steady all the same. The Kaguya frowned thoughtfully. From the layers of snow atop the boy, Kimimaro thought he would've been frozen to death by now, but here he was, only unconscious in the snow. That was odd. Most people didn't survive three minutes out in such a storm.

Nodding to himself, he scooped up the boy in his arms and slung him over his back, picking up the rabbit as well. Further cradling the limp form, he clamped the rabbit firmly in his teeth and made his way back to an old abandoned cabin which he used as his shelter. Laying the boy down in a nearby bed, he proceeded to roast the rabbit, proceeding once more out the door and out into the cold to catch another unsuspecting animal. One rabbit wasn't enough for the both of them, and Kimimaro assumed the boy would be quite hungry when he awoke.

_Unh…this doesn't feel like a storm…I feel warm, actually…almost comfortable._

Cerulean-blue irises graced their surroundings with a perplexed stare. Naruto sat up, shaking his head groggily to clear the sleep from his mind. Looking around, he found he was in a small room, lying on a mat in the corner. A pungent smell assailed his nostrils and his stomach let out a growl, craving for the source of the aroma. Standing, the blonde fox-boy wandered around the room, exploring his surroundings before coming to rest at the fireplace, warming his hands. He sighed as he gave in to the welcoming heat and scooted closer, liking the feel of the heat seeping through to his bones and warming his core.

A sudden snap made him turn, eyes dilating in caution. A boy came in through the door, dragging something small and furry in his hands. Noticing Naruto, the boy smiled welcomingly, depositing the animal on a nearby table. They stood in silence for a while, Naruto observing the strange color of the other's hair and the two red dots in the middle of his forehead. His eyes were amazing as well; never before had the young kitling seen eyes of such a vivid green. The other examined Naruto, hesitating a little before speaking.

"So you've awakened." Naruto nodded with a little apprehension.

"Are you hungry?" Naruto nodded more eagerly this time, hunger overriding caution. The other boy smiled.

"Help yourself to the rabbit on the spit. I'll roast mine afterwards." Naruto opened his mouth and produced a few squeaks before succeeding in speech.

"Thank you…" The other boy looked up, grinned, and went back to skinning the rabbit.

"It's not yet done, so you'll have to wait a bit," the other boy added.

"Actually you can have the first one. I tend to like mine with a few herbs." The other boy looked up curiously.

"Herbs? I've never eaten rabbit with herbs before…" As an answer, Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and drew out a few odd-shaped leaves, depositing them on the table.

"You've never tried herbs before? They add flavor to the meat." The other removed the rabbit from the spit and chewed a piece of meat, eating a leaf along with it. His eyes widened in surprise.

"This really is good. What do you call this leaf?" Naruto grinned cheekily.

"It's called mint. It grows in the forest around spring. I've had these since forever." The other boy nodded slowly, absorbing the information.

"By the way, I never got your name." The boy smiled.

"Kimimaro. Kaguya Kimimaro. And you?" Naruto's face broke into a full-fledged grin, mostly tooth.

"Uzumaki Naruto, soon to be future Hokage!" Kimimaro tilted his head to the side.

"What's Hokage?" Naruto fixed him with an incredulous stare.

"Hokage is the greatest ninja in all of a village! A lot of people acknowledge him and respect him, which is why I want to become Hokage." The corners of Kimimaro's lips curved up in a smile.

"Why would you want to do that? Don't your mother and father recognize you?" Naruto wilted slightly, a little crestfallen. Kimimaro hastily apologized.

"I'm sorry, if that was a painful topic—" Any further attempts were halted by Naruto's reassuring grin.

"It's okay, I've never known my parents, so there's nothing to be sad about." A look of astonishment crossed Kimimaro's face.

"You've never known your parents? I've never known mine either. I was just born to do as my clan bids, but now that they're dead….I stand alone, by myself."

Kimimaro trailed off, a wistful look in his mint-green eyes. Naruto stared. This boy….he shared so much in common with this boy…it was as if he'd given a piece of his heart away to Kimimaro. It was painful in a way, but Naruto was brimming with happiness at the discovery of someone so like him. He spoke, each word laced with emotion.

"I'm alone too. I never have to depend on anyone else, and I don't have anyone to turn to. I've never needed the help of anyone. Nobody loves me, and I don't love anyone else either." Kimimaro's jaw hung open now.

"You…you're the same as I am."

"Really?" Kimimaro's features broke out in a genuine smile, lighting up his features.

"Yup." Naruto grinned as well.

"Then we can be friends!" Kimimaro looked a little confused.

"Friends?"

"Yeah! Here…." Naruto plucked a lock of his hair and wound it around Kimimaro's finger where it threatened to unravel.

"Now you give me one of yours." Carefully, Kimimaro separated a strand of his own pearly tresses and wound it around Naruto's finger as well. The fox-child held it up to the light, amazed at how it scintillated in the flickering fire.

"Thank you." Kimimaro nodded. Naruto hesitated before speaking once more.

"By the way….how did you find me?" Kimimaro thought back to the past events.

"Umm…I think it was when I accidentally stepped on you….and I uncovered a part of your hair, so I pulled the rest of you out and brought you over here." Naruto nodded.

"I see." A long silence passed before Kimimaro spoke again.

"I was wondering…how come you have those whiskers on your face?" Naruto screwed up his nose in confusion.

"Whiskers?"

"The slash marks on your face." A look of comprehension flashed over the blonde's azure eyes.

"Oh those. I was born with those, which is probably the same way you got those dots on your head." Kimimaro reached up to finger the markings.

"I don't really know how I got these though…but I suppose they were there when I was born, yes." He yawned.

"I'm kinda tired. What about you?" Naruto stretched sleepily.

"Yeah. I think I'm getting sleepy as well." Kimimaro grinned.

"Do you want to share the bed?" Naruto pondered that thought.

"Sure. I get the side closest to the fire!" Kimimaro laughed, the merry sound reverberating around the small cabin.

"Okay then." Naruto ran up and bounced on the bed, immediately burrowing into the sheets before coming up with a blanket over his head, giggling wildly. Kimimaro laughed as well, and climbed in with him. He pulled Naruto close, hugging the blonde to his body, and Naruto wrapped his arms around him as well. Snuggling into each other's welcoming warmth, the boys lay together in the dimming light of the dying fire.

Kimimaro stirred when he felt Naruto's lips move against his chest. Pricking his ears, he could barely make out the lilting tunes of a barely audible song. Naruto was singing under his breath. Curious, the Kaguya inquired of the boy.

"What are you singing?" Naruto looked up, a little surprised.

"Oh, I thought you were sleeping. I don't know the name of the song, but I like the tune." And with that, Naruto began singing softly in a melodious soprano that fit his five-year-old frame so well.

Kimimaro listened, seemingly in a trance as Naruto continued to sing. The tune had a mysterious quality to it that seemed to match the songs of legends. It made the Kaguya think of mountains and forests, great lakes and woods and cliffs. The song had a haunting value to it as well, sending Kimimaro into the throes of nostalgia. The Kaguya closed his eyes and drank in every single note to the tune, the notes forever infused in his brain. This music had a deeper current of meaning running inside the corresponding melody and harmony, one that Kimimaro found utterly mesmerizing.

Naruto sang the last few notes of the song, then looked up expectantly at Kimimaro. The Kaguya looked utterly stunned, and his eyes bore a faint trace of indescribable emotion. Naruto swiped gently at Kimimaro's eye.

"You're crying." The Kaguya's unfocused eyes fixed dazedly on Naruto's own cerulean ones.

"I…am?" Naruto held up the finger bearing the single drop of moisture for Kimimaro to see. The Kaguya looked at it with a mixture of curiosity and puzzlement.

"That's strange…I've never cried before in my life." Naruto smiled, albeit a bit sadly.

"Did you like the song?" Kimimaro didn't answer right away, searching for the correct words to describe the haunting melody which plagued his heart so deeply.

"It…it was…amazing. You sing very well." Naruto grinned.

"Thank you. Anyway, let's go to sleep. I'm really…" Naruto yawned. "…really tired."

Kimimaro agreed, and the two gradually drifted off to the sweet bliss of sleep.

* * *

So, how do you like it so far? Like it? Hate it? Just plain blah? 


	2. Tangible Fear

I do apologize...this story will take a long time to update, for your author is busy with high school and life. Do forgive me.

Chapter 2: Tangible Fear

The Next Morning

Mint-green eyes shot open in shock as Kimimaro felt the bed shift back and forth beneath him. Naruto was thrashing on the bed, kicking and punching wildly at the sheets, wailing and moaning like his life depended on it, his face contorted into an expression of fear. Twisting to and fro, the fox-child lashed out violently with his arms, swiping at the sheets that entangled him. Startled, Kimimaro reached over and subdued the blonde, pinning down the flailing limbs in an iron grip while whispering frantic words of encouragement in Naruto's ear. The blonde finally calmed down, muttering under his breath. Kimimaro strained to hear the words he spoke.

"Please…please…don't hurt me….what did I do to you...I am no demon fox…I'm just Naruto….please stop hitting me…"

The Kaguya drew back, startled at the words Naruto muttered. He instantly felt a hot rush of rage and saw his vision blur as he clenched his fists…whoever had broken this poor, innocent child would have hell to pay. One normally didn't have dreams like this with the exception of severe harassment when one was young. Kimimaro had experienced these dreams many times as he slept. Bending once more over Naruto, he whispered again in his ear.

"Stop now, Naruto. I'm here, I'm here."

Naruto drew one last shuddering breath and lay still, panting heavily. A thin sheen of sweat covered his brow, and he finally awoke, cracking open an eye. Seeing the white blur before him, he instinctively threw up his arms, wincing heavily once more. When no attack came, he lowered his arms just a fraction of an inch, peeking cautiously over the top. When Kimimaro's face came into view, the fox-child relaxed, sighing in relief.

"I'm sorry, Kimimaro, did I wake you?" Kimimaro shook his head.

"You have been tortured during most of your life." Naruto nodded reluctantly.

"How did you know?"

"I used to have dreams not unlike yours." Naruto nodded in comprehension. Kimimaro didn't press the subject, knowing that one's history of pain wasn't a subject to be trifled with.

"It's okay, dreams like those are regular for me." Naruto sighed and swung his legs over the bed, yawning widely and stretching.

"You stay here, I'll go find something to eat." Grabbing a nearby kunai from the table, he turned and walked out the door. Kimimaro smiled and started preparing the fire, waiting expectantly for the animals Naruto would bring.

It was a while later that Kimimaro heard the creak of the door, heralding Naruto's return. Stepping inside, Naruto proudly dropped two squirrels and a hare on the table along with a few strips of bark from a tree. Taking the bark, he set up a kettle on the fire and dropped the strips in one by one. Watching the water simmer and turn a rich brown, he skinned the squirrels and started to roast them, saving the skins for later use.

The two sat in amiable silence until the kettle started to boil. Taking out the brew, Naruto poured the tea into two earthen cups on the table and handed one to Kimimaro, sipping his lightly. Kimimaro remarked on the taste.

"This is also really good, Naruto, what do you call it?" Naruto smiled.

"This is a chicory brew. It's supposed to be good for you in some way, but I like the taste as well."

"How do you know so much about herbs?" Naruto cupped his face in his hands, leaning in the table with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Old geezer Sandaime gave me a book about leaves and such. At first I never really used it, but then when I got really sick and he cured me using a brew, I began to grow interested in herbs." Kimimaro inclined his head.

"Kimimaro…" the Kaguya looked up expectantly.

"Yes?"

"I have to get going now. Old geezer is gonna be worried about me."

Disappointment flashed briefly across Kimimaro's features. He had just found a friend….after searching for so long, he had finally found someone who could relate and sympathize with him, and now he had to leave? Nevertheless, he contained his emotions and consented.

"If you must, you must. Where do you live?" At Naruto's reply of "Konoha", Kimimaro thought for a while, then addressed the blonde.

"Konoha…is it that big village off in the distance?" Naruto nodded eagerly.

"All right then. Just go straight from here on out; you should be able to reach it in no time at all." Naruto smiled.

"But…won't you be lonely here?" Kimimaro shrugged.

"I'm used to it. Anyway, at least I know I have you." Naruto walked up and enfolded the older boy in a hug, burying his nose in the folds of Kimimaro's yukata and inhaling the fragrant scent.

"Okay. But I promise you we'll meet again." Kimimaro ran his hands slowly through the heaven-spun gold of Naruto's hair. They stayed entangled in each other's arms for a long period of time before Naruto broke free.

"Thank you. Your generosity will not go forgotten."

With that, Naruto turned and walked out the door with a final parting glance at the Kaguya. Kimimaro smiled sadly and closed his eyes, wishing with all his heart to meet up once again with Naruto. There they parted, and they would remain parted for many years to come.

Seven Years Later

What once had been an innocent boy was now an experienced ninja, skilled in the arts of being a shinobi. Azure blue eyes, once filled with purity now bore a solemn spark of wisdom behind the mask of cheerfulness. What had not been erased was the perpetual optimism an eternal part of the blonde fox-child's being.

Though the memories were faint, Naruto could still recall a white figure bearing down to comfort him in the wee hours in the morning. Snatches of memory flashed in the kitsune's mind, vaguely recollecting the figure's white hair and gentle smile which soothed him and brought him light in the darkness of his soul. He wondered if he'd meet the enigma once more, and perhaps get to know him a little better.

Walking down the streets of Konoha, Naruto hitched on his smile and skipped happily to the academy. Persuading a reluctant Iruka to Ichiraku, the blonde happily slurped the noodles noisily, cajoling Iruka to pay the bill. Iruka complied, sighing in the process and digging around in his bulimic wallet to extract the absurd sum of money, dropping the bills with a fair amount of pain into the joyful hands of Teuchi and Ayame. Bidding goodbye to his former sensei, Naruto hopped off the bench and made his way down to the bridge, grinning cheekily the whole way.

Heralding his presence with his usual Zillion Decibel Grande Entrance Brilliante, Naruto skipped happily to one side of the bridge and sat on the railing, giggling madly at the sight of Sakura's spasmodic seizures. He laughed even more when Sasuke calmly stuck a finger in his ear, digging vigorously to somehow heal his cracked eardrums. At a telltale poof, Naruto's head snapped to the side, cobalt eyes fixing accusingly on his sheepish scarecrow of a sensei who was currently rubbing his head in embarrassment.

"YOU'RE LAT E ONCE MORE, KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

"Well, this flower threw a bomb on my nonexistent car which made the car grow mad and throw another bomb back at the flower, so I had to break them up…." Contrary to the usual yells of "liar", Naruto addressed his sensei, speaking as if talking to a young child.

"No no no, Kakashi-sensei, it was the car who threw the bomb at the flower, not the other way around. And it was a fern, not a flower." Kakashi's visible eye widened, surprise written across his face (or what looked like surprise; one couldn't tell when only one eye was exposed), then got the hint and decided to play along.

"Are you sure? Because I think the bomb was fired by a weed, not a fern. And it landed on a spider who threw one back."

"No I'm positive that it was a fern and not a weed. The bomb was in the shape of a spore…" Sasuke and Sakura sighed, giving up all hopes of ever getting anything done in that fine, lovely morning.

"Anyway, since you guys have been so good lately, I'm giving you a little vacation for all the hard work you've been enduring. Congratulations, guys." Sasuke nonchalantly inserted two small white objects in his ears and quietly resumed his angsting on the bridge. Both Sakura and Kakashi looked over at the Uchiha with a quizzical look. Sasuke opened his lips and uttered one word.

"Duck."

A split second later, the most nerve-demolishing ear-cracking death-defying suicide-inducing holler ripped through the once-peaceful air of Konoha like a hot knife through a hefty pat of butter.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY! THANK YOU KAKAKSHI-SENSEEEIIIIIIII!"

While Sasuke merely lowered one eyelid, Kakashi and Sakura were promptly thrown off the bridge and into the water from the force of the sheer sonic power emitted from the well-toned lungs of Uzumaki Naruto. Giggling madly, he began a maniacal happy dance in the middle of the bridge, a face-splitting grin pasted over his features. Seeing that Sasuke was the only one on the bridge, Naruto, unable to contain his excitement, leapt over and hugged him with all his might, ignoring the surprised "oof" from the Uchiha and the fact that he was hugging his rival, the person whom he despised so much. Jumping up and down (and taking Sasuke with him in the process), he unconsciously snuggled into the Uchiha's chest, arms wrapped tightly around his waist and squeezing the bejesus out of the raven-haired youth.

"DIDJA HEAR THAT, SASUKE-TEME? WE'RE FINALLY, **_FINALLY_** GONNA HAVE A VACATION AFTER ALL THE HARD WORK WE'VE BEEN PUT THROUGH!" He stared up at the Uchiha, eyes positively glowing with excitement and sheer anticipation. The blonde positively radiated joy and optimism, the sheer cobalt of his irises sparkling with happiness.

Sasuke felt an odd and rather painful tug somewhere in the region of his chest, and a split second later, was hit dead on with a rush of emotions so sudden and intense, that for once in his life, Uchiha Sasuke was rendered absolutely speechless. Grasping frantically for his voice, the onyx-eyed youth displayed a spectacular show of the massive extent of his vocabulary.

"….Urk?"

Naruto, paying no attention to the frazzled Uchiha, released his hold on him (much to Sasuke's hidden disappointment) and bounded over to the bridge, hauling a half-drowned and utterly dazed Kakashi out of the frigid waters by the scruff of his neck. Wringing out his thoroughly drenched sensei, he immediately threw himself into Kakashi's arms, laughing playfully all the while. Kakashi hugged back, albeit a bit awkwardly, and patted Naruto on the head.

"Now now, calm down. Don't get too exciiiieiiieeeIIIIIIITEDAAAAACCKK!" Naruto had wrapped both arms around the poor sensei's neck and was now snuggling the nightlights out of Kakashi.

"YAAY! I'M SO HAPPY! WE'VE HAD NOTHING BUT BO-RING D-RANK MISSIONS FOR FIVE WEEKS! FINALLY SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!"

Kakashi extracted himself from the arms of the hyperactive boy before him, dusting himself off.

"Well…I should probably give you the details of the trip now, shouldn't I?" Kakashi bent over and fished a bedraggled Sakura from the stream below.

"Let's see…we're going to be staying at a cabin in the forest….I hear they have some marvelous hot springs there….and we aren't obligated to protect anyone along the way which is a plus…but we are going to be training while we're at it."

Kakashi looked up, fully expecting Naruto to go ranting off, whining about "…not training again, Kakashi-sensei, we've been training all week" but contrary to popular belief, Naruto just continued bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, grinning like his face was permanently fused in a smile. A sudden interjection from a certain female pink entity was heard.

"But…vacation…with Sasuke-kun….VACATION WITH SASUKE-KUN!"

Sakura let loose with a screech above all possible decibel levels and began snuggling up to Sasuke with a dreamy, almost rabid look in her eyes. Sasuke twitched and scooted over a few hefty meters from the fangirl in lust. Naruto and Kakashi just blinked.

"Well, shall we pack?" Naruto grinned.

"YEAH! I have to say goodbye to Baa-chan and Ero-Sennin first." With that, he shot off the bridge and made straight for the Hokage tower. Kakashi yelled after him.

"Don't forget we're meeting in front of the gates at 7:00 tomorrow!" A wave signified that he heard, and Naruto disappeared. Kakashi just chuckled and shook his head.

"TSUNADE-BAA-CHAAAAAANNN!" Naruto burst in the door, heaving mightily with each breath. Tsunade smiled and waved him over, a friendly grin on her face. Naruto bounced up and winced when she rapped him smartly over the head.

"Do you not know the meaning of knocking?" She asked, a little too cheerfully. Naruto twitched. Her voice, though happy, was sounding a little scary, if not dangerous.

"Ummm…sorry?" He was instantly rewarded with another skull-crushing blow. Tsunade had a scowl on her face, and the aura emanating from the Sannin didn't foretell good things to come.

"OUT!" Naruto readily obeyed and leapt out the window, cowering for his life as the blonde woman threw various large, heavy objects and the occasional Anbu at the squealing fox-child.

The trip to the cottage was a peaceful one, Naruto oddly silent along the way. At first, both Sasuke and Sakura shot a quizzical glance at the blond kitsune's unusual out-of-character behavior, but decided he was just thinking (Sakura found it hard to imagine Naruto doing such a horrendously difficult thing like thinking) and decided to enjoy the precious silence when they could.


	3. Silver Memories

Hello again Minna-san. A few crucial things before we commence with the story. In order for this to work out, I've tweaked a few things….

Kimimaro serves Orochimaru, but he isn't entirely THAT devoted to him, since he has met Naruto before. He serves him, yes, but he isn't that dedicated to him. This is set after the death of Sandaime (when Sasuke is still remotely good) and before Itachi comes to the village Just assume Tsunade and Jiraiya are already here, and that Naruto knows Rasengan. 

Sorry for all the tweaks, but I have to make this work out so that Kimimaro hasn't fought Naruto yet…..gomennasai, minna-san, but it has to be done to make this work….I do hope you understand.

Now, ON WITH THE FIC!

Chapter 3: Reminiscence of the Future

Somewhere

A figure leapt gracefully through the thicket of the forest, light gray yukata flapping fluidly behind his back. Kimimaro sped silently through the canopy of the forest, eyes furrowed in concentration as he continued towards his destination. His destination…come to think of it now, he'd been wandering for the past decade or so with not a clue to where he was going. He wandered far, roamed near, always restless, never still. The Kaguya sighed. It was just one more of the many consequences that came with being utterly and entirely alone. Save for his so-called master, of course.

It was rather out of boredom that he was willing to serve the snake-sannin by the name of Orochimaru….it took his mind off of things, and at least he knew there was a purpose in accomplishing the things Orochimaru assigned him. Though during the past few months, he hadn't been assigned many missions, so he decided to give himself a little break and take a vacation from the snake-sannin. It took his mind off of things, as well as saved him the constant hassle of being assigned missions when he was feeling particularly unmotivated.

He wasn't that alone, he thought. He still had that curious fox-child that had managed to ensnare him since the first time they met. Then again, at least a decade had passed without a word from the blonde. Elegant brows came together in a somewhat thoughtful frown. Kimimaro knew where he resided; the village of Konoha wasn't far from the tattered cottage that served temporarily as his home, but never had he seen the kitsune inside the village. Granted, he didn't check that often (rather twice a year, as he reflected) and granted, the fox-child would've changed greatly, but Kimimaro had a vague feeling he'd know the blonde when he'd see him.

He continued on his trek through the trees, moving forward absently, his body almost on autopilot. He didn't know why he was currently moving southeast at the minute. He didn't know why he was gliding so hurriedly through the trees, only something in his body told him to keep moving. He supposed it was a hunch—after all, hunches had saved him more than once when running from the occasional unfriendly passerby that happened to be remotely dangerous—but decided it was intuition (although he supposed hunches and intuition were basically the same thing, intuition being only the more elegant, complicated form of the word) and continued his journey through the leafy greenness that perpetually surrounded him.

As he delved deeper into the forest, his mind began to wander. Absently dodging a nearby branch, he felt his thoughts turn to the strange boy he'd met approximately five, maybe six years ago. What was his name again? Maru…Naru….Naruto. Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. That was his name. Yes, he could now recollect. A swirling haze of mist formed in his mind, of the face that belonged to the whisker-endowed fox-child. He supposed he would be around twelve or thirteen. A soft smile graced the Kaguya's usually deadpan face as he imagined what his friend would look like as of now. He'd look the same, most probably, though a little more angular and defined.

Too late, Kimimaro saw the branch that suddenly whipped up in front of his face. Too late, he ducked, and the branch neatly clipped the side of his head. The Kaguya careened off course and landed momentarily, rubbing the rather large bump on his cranium. He mentally berated himself. For the last survivor of the Kaguya clan, one of the most powerful bloodlines in the world, he could be rather clumsy, especially when thinking about a certain blonde. Kimimaro shook his head dazedly, chiding himself. Next time, he thought, he would watch where he was going.

He shook his head and leapt off through the trees once more. Halfway through landing on another branch, he plummeted to the ground, extracting a bone and flinging it at the startled thief behind him. The thief shrieked and dropped like a sack of cement, spiraling down into the trees behind him. Kimimaro smiled, mentally congratulating himself for his rapt attentiveness. He'd managed to finally notice his surroundings. That was a plus. He wasn't so absentminded now.

Somewhere Else

Naruto yawned, mightily cracking his jaw, and blearily wiped the eye snot from his pupils. He slogged over to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, washed his face, winked at himself in the mirror for good luck, bounced into his loud orange jumpsuit, and propelled himself out the window of his room. Kakashi was galaphanting off somewhere (preferably reading his ridiculously perverted book), Sakura was catching up on beauty sleep, and Sasuke….well, Sasuke was just being Sasuke, deep in his pit o' angst inside of his room, probably muttering about the Top Ten Ways to Kill Aniki.

The kitsune walked down to the training grounds and plopped down at the roots of a particularly large oak tree. He crossed his legs and meditated (mentally he wondered what Sakura's face would look like if she caught him meditating; after all, it was a bit out of his normal character), delving deep inside his mind. The familiar spinning sensation once more gripped his mind, and he found himself in the familiar sewer that served as a home to his not-so-little hindrance known as Kyuubi. Making a memo to himself to fully redecorate the rather dank, peaky dungeon, he made his way down a corridor until he came face to face with the great bronze gates that currently enslaved the great kitsune.

Kyuubi stirred inside, red chakra seeping almost lazily out of the door, then yawned, displaying enormous feral canines. Naruto subtlety rolled his eyes. After all the trouble the fox went through to intimidate him, the blonde wasn't impressed. He detected a rather dark splotch on one of Kyuubi's bicuspids and a few thoughts flicked through his mind (did foxes get cavities?) before he sat gingerly on the edge of the gate, staring defiantly up at the great demon before him. Kyuubi's deep baritone rumbled through his mind.

"**You wish for me to train you once more?"** Naruto cocked an ironic eyebrow.

"No _really?_ I was just feeling particularly suicidal today, and was wondering if you could do me the favor of eating me up." He shot back sarcastically. Unfortunately, asking a demon to eat one if said demon hadn't had a decent meal in god-knows-how-long wasn't a wise thing to do if one meant it as sarcasm. Kyuubi chuckled darkly, opened his mouth, and positioned his canines over Naruto's head.

"If you wish." Naruto batted not an eyelid as the canine came in contact with the top of his head. Kyuubi let it linger for just a minute longer before he withdrew.

"**Brave little kitling, aren't you?"** The blonde smirked.

"It tends to grow on you if you've lived most of your life getting in trouble." Kyuubi smiled, a rather disturbing sight, but nevertheless, the gesture was remotely friendly.

"**Very well then, I shall teach you. But know this. You mustn't disclose any information whatsoever about my teachings, understand?"** Naruto nodded energetically.

"Okay."

Several Hours Later

The blonde gasped and panted, body sprawled messily on the ground. Kyuubi'd been particularly nasty, making him perform all sorts of complicated seals and katas and god knows what else, but the conditions paid off. He'd managed to learn an entirely new jutsu, which was good; Kage-bunshin and Rasengan were starting to grow a little repetitive. Making a mental note to try out the jutsu a bit later when he had ample space (the jutsu was quite huge and required at least a fifty mile radius to complete without destroying any vital living entities), he trekked off to the hot springs, ready for a nice little bath.

Kimimaro didn't know why he was doing this; he suspected he was tired, and besides, hot springs had a tendency to mend his frayed nerves. The slightly sulfuric smell of the hot springs alone produced a soporific, slightly calming effect, and the Kaguya exhaled in satisfaction, already imagining the bliss that the boiling hot water would provide. He perched himself delicately on a nearby rock, stripped himself of his yukata, and slid gracefully into the water, sighing contentedly as the water began its marvelous healing effects. He sank lower into the water, enjoying the steam that seemed to hang over him almost as if the clouds themselves had dropped out of the sky.

Naruto quickly disposed of his clothes, scattering them haphazardly on a nearby bush before placing one foot into the hot springs. He made his way to the center of the springs and was about to immerse himself in the waters when he felt a slight shift in the rhythm of the water.

Looking down, he was a bit unnerved to find that the water was rippling, indicating that something was in the springs with him. Squinting through the steam, he just managed to make out a shapeless shadow at the opposite ends of the spring. The steam proved too hazy to make out the figure, though judging by the elegant contours of the body, the blonde could assume the figure was a human, and a male at that. He gulped and swam forward, watching the shadow solidify until his eyes managed to cut through the steam.

The figure was indeed a male; a finely sculpted male with long silver hair, in fact. Unfortunately, the particular male was facing with his back to the fox-child, therefore leaving his facial features obscured and unknown to Naruto. Steam still enshrouded the vicinity though, and Naruto thought it would be a good time to sneak off. He reluctantly extracted himself from the waters and concealed himself behind a nearby rock.

"Am I bothering you?" A deep baritone reverberated around the hot springs. Naruto jumped. He was discovered.

"Uhm….no, actually, I was going to ask if I was bothering you. You were there first, you know." The disembodied voice once more floated out of the thick, hazy mist.

"You are fine."

"Oh." After a moment's pause, the deep voice spoke again, this time with a trace of thoughtfulness in its tone.

"You surprise me. Not many can find these springs." Naruto smiled.

"I could smell the sulfur on the wind." There was a pause.

"You have a considerable sense of smell."

"Thank you." The waters rippled once more as the figure stepped out of the springs. Naruto ducked further into the brush as the figure rose gracefully out of the waters and began donning his clothes.

"You may come out now." Naruto nodded more to himself than the stranger, and slid his body out of the waters, hissing slightly as the cold nipped lightly at his skin, sending gooseflesh waltzing across his body.

Just then a flash of déjà vu tore like a silver bullet across his mind, sending little white sparks dancing merrily across his vision. Naruto gasped and lurched forward, and suddenly it seemed like his breath had caught and snagged on one of his ribs, preventing any breathing whatsoever. His body stiffened as he slowly turned towards the steam, eyes zeroing in on the faded figure with silver hair swathed inside the vapor.

Kimimaro remained quite still where he stood half-immersed in the sultry waters of the hot-springs. Almost with a will of his own, his hand stretched out in front of him, displaying a single tress of yellow wrapped so carefully around the circumference of the third finger. His breathing hitched and he almost choked as his mint-green eyes lighted on the crop of yellow through the fog and steam that shrouded the area. He suddenly was seized with the irresistible desire to approach the figure, but his body wouldn't respond and suddenly seemed a hundred pounds heavier than normal. The Kaguya found, however, that his mouth functioned perfectly fine, and after two or three minutes of pondering, decided to risk it.

"Do I….know you?" He watched as the other figure stiffen slightly, then what seemed like an eternity later, an answer slid out of the vapors.

"I…I don't…I don't know."

Naruto faltered as he answered, and suddenly the whole idea seemed immensely stupid.

"I'm sorry. I must go now." The figure in the mist stirred at Naruto's blurted sentence.

"Very well."

The deep baritone slid out of the mist and blended with the vapors. Naruto cocked his head. Whoever it was sounded awfully disappointed…..the blond shook his head stubbornly. Whoever it was, he probably wanted the hot-springs to himself, so wouldn't it be wise just to leave the springs to the visitor, he asked himself? With that thought in mind, Naruto gave a decisive nod, donned his clothes, and pulled himself away from the hot-springs and his enigmatic companion.

The fox-child meandered absently back to the campsite, normally brilliant cerulean eyes clouded over with confusion and a sudden surge of nostalgia. Odd…why did he suddenly feel so odd? It was a mixture of longing and familiarity; familiarity more than anything else, because he could've sworn on his precious ramen that that figure in the hot-springs was one whom he met, a long, long time ago. So immersed in his whirlwind of emotions was he, that when Sakura bounced up to yell at him for being late for a meal, he just walked right past her and almost burned himself in the fire, aquamarine eyes still unfocused and in a world of their own.

Sasuke delicately nipped at his onigiri as he snuck a more-than-subtle glance at Naruto, sitting so deeply in thought. For a moment the Uchiha was seized with an incredible desire to tell the fox-child that his pant-leg was on fire just to get a reaction out of him, but decided against it (thinking that Uchiha were _much_ too dignified to dabble in such nonsense) and continued eating while trying to slap away the large, pink parasite which clung so readily to his arm. Sakura, on the other hand, took Sasuke's delayed reaction as attention and proceeded to cling even tighter, and it wasn't until she noticed that her beloved's hand was turning a very interesting shade of blue than she let go. Kakashi observed his students quietly, then proceeded to eat his own share of dinner. Peace reigned supreme in Team Seven's little camp, which was practically a sign of the Apocalypse since Team Seven almost never had peace.

* * *

Bit of a short chapter, I do apologize...until next time then. 


	4. Rise and Follow

Gomennasai for taking so long for the update, minna-san. Stupid internet was being a bitch...TT oh well. Happy holidays!

Chapter 4: Rise and Follow

That Night

Naruto tossed and turned, then turned and tossed in his sleeping bag. Normally, the fox-child would've been off in the Land of Ramen by the drop of a kunai, but for some reason, Naruto found it extremely difficult to sleep ever since that incident in the hot springs. That figure….why did that figure seem so familiar? He shifted again, muttering curses at his terrible bout of insomnia. It was all of a coincidence, but the moon shifted, and suddenly his right hand was bathed in silvery light that glinted off of the object currently intertwined around the third finger of his right hand.

The silvery hair glimmered and shone, almost seeming alive in the moonlight, and another flash of recognition hurled itself across Naruto's brain, accompanied a split second later by a jolt of realization. No…no it couldn't be. Maybe it could, for all he knew. Maybe, just maybe, the figure in the hot springs was the kindred spirit he'd met a long, long time ago. Clear-indigo eyes narrowed in thought and determination. He'd take a walk, the fox-child decided. He'd take a walk into the nearby woods, just to clear his mind and make him sleepy, and perhaps in hopes of finding the mysterious stranger from the hot-springs. Yes, he decided, that was a good idea. So, with the thought of a walk planted so determinedly in his mind, Naruto slid out from the fluffy down that was his sleeping bag and tripped lightly out of the tent.

He shivered immediately as he stepped out of the tent, the thrice-cursed himself for not bringing along his ever-so-familiar orange jacket. Naruto briefly entertained the thought of running back to get it, then decided against it and shot into the darkness, aiming straight for the heart of the woods. He leaped lightly from tree to tree until he came to a clearing right smack in the middle of the tall, majestic trees. Naruto cocked his head, eyeing the grass with a sudden interest. He'd been used to sleeping on grass most of the time ever since he was kicked out of his apartment one stormy, cold winter's night, so perhaps once more wouldn't hurt. In fact, the kitsune thought to himself, in fact, it might even help him sleep.

That thought in mind, Naruto promptly hopped into the patch of grass and lay down, looking up at what stars he could see through the great, yawning tops of the trees. He inhaled deeply, relishing in the heady scent of nature, green, and resin that floated like a mist around him, locked both hands behind his head, and let the atmosphere take him, staring up into the firmament until his eyes slowly drooped closed and he slipped off the edge of the world into the unknown below. Unbeknownst to the fox-child, a pair of mint-green gem-cut eyes had currently transfixed themselves onto the sleeping form before them, staring intently at each facet of the heavenly facial features.

Kimimaro knelt quite still in the leafy canopy of bush that surrounded the whole front of his body, emerald eyes peering curiously at the still form before him. Eyes roved slowly over the hair, the slope of the forehead, the elegant curve of the lips and nose, the long, dark, abnormally long lashes, then came to rest on the three slender linear indentations in the cheeks. The Kaguya's breath hitched in his throat as the full realization of who he was seeing hit him full-force with the force of a wrecking ball. Here, right before his very eyes, and positively radiating transcendence and serenity was a piece of his heart, a shred of his soul, a slice of his very being. Here, now, and right in front of him and very much asleep, was the boy from seven long years ago who ensnared his frozen heart and melted it to liquid gold.

For once in his life, Kimimaro was extremely thankful he wasn't sitting in a tree, for he highly suspected that if he was hit with this life-changing discovery while in a tree, it wouldn't do wonders for his balance. He remained frozen solid for a full three minutes, just drinking in this information before he thawed and crouched even lower to catch a full glimpse of the slumbering fox-child before him. Ever so slowly he moved a toe, then slid himself out of the bush like liquid mercury from water and glided silently over to Naruto's sleeping form.

He alighted just a hair's breadth away from Naruto's unconscious form, his face a mask of an unreadable expression that quite resembled a cross between wonder, awe, and caution. Pale, alabaster fingers reached out and tentatively stroked the line that separated smooth cream from heaven-spun gold. The priceless circle of Naruto's soul that stayed fastened on his third finger, which the Kaguya had still kept all of seven long years, suddenly felt melded to his skin, and Kimimaro felt that yes, this really was his soulmate whom he had rescued from a forlorn blizzard all what seemed like eons ago. His index finger, still absently tracing Naruto's hairline, drifted downward to stroke the three seemingly elegant slashes that adorned the quiescent kitsune's face. There they lay, stroking and touching with a maddeningly slow stroke until, out of the blue, Naruto's eyelashes flickered and his body stirred slightly upon the soft grass upon which he lay.

Instantly Kimimaro recoiled, and leapt away into the darkness; at least he tried, but his body chose that exact time to remain obstinately glued to the ground. The Kaguya watched in growing alarm as Naruto's eyelashes flickered once more, then opened to reveal azure-indigo orbs still glazed over with the fog of sleep. The fox-child blinked once, then slowly snapped both eyes open only to entrap pine-hued counterparts staring intently down at him.

If this had been a normal circumstance, Naruto would've instantly skyrocketed up for the ground and would've harsly berated the misbegotten ingrate who dared disturb his sleep, but for once he remained calm, only meeting Kimimaro's surprisingly calm gaze with his own. Time seemed to cease as the two held their gazes, Naruto on the ground and Kimimaro kneeling above him, until Naruto shifted slightly on the ground and sat up, rubbing his eyes with one slender finger. Kimimaro shifted also, allowing the fox-child some time to reawaken, and together the two sat in silence so thick that not even a newly-honed katana could hope to slice through the thickness. Both of them knew, Kimimaro and Naruto. Both of them knew and remembered back to one frozen, windy day when a silver-haired boy rescued a frozen-over blond one and gave him refuge in the warmth of his home.

"Do you…do you still….?"

Naruto's voice suddenly sliced through the silence, and Kimimaro looked up startled as the fox-child slowly held up his right hand, displaying the silvery circlet entwined around one slight finger. Kimimaro held up his own hand in answer, and ever so slowly touched the pads of his fingers to Naruto's in response. The two locked eyes once more, and suddenly the earth and the heavens seemed to drop away so that the Kaguya and the kitsune-child were engulfed in absolute nothingness, just two stars, two souls existing in the galaxy. The vision lifted, and once more the surroundings of the forest gradually blurred into focus. Kimimaro's eyes shifted from viridescent green to the palest shade of clear mint, exposing the slight golden undertints as he slowly nodded his head in response.

"Naruto." The word hung in the air, suspended for all of eternity before the silence shattered and fell to the Kaguya's feet like icicles from a frosty rooftop.

Slender, pastel fingers stretched out and laid their pads against a pale, perfectly sculpted cheek. Naruto traced Kimimaro's jawline with all the caution he'd display as if he were touching the most fragile of glass. His fingers paused, hitched, then slid down the Kaguya's pale neck until they hung limp as Naruto relaxed and let his hand rest by his side. Something in Kimimaro snapped, and he snatched up Naruto's startled hand and harshly jerked the fox-child towards him, immediately engulfing the blond's slight frame with the force of his embrace. Naruto leaned into him, clinging as if he'd suddenly collapse and die if he didn't press himself to Kimimaro with every last ounce of strength contained within his fibers.

They clung to each other, the blond and the silver, until blond and silver melted together to become gilded ivory, until gold ran into white and combined not to make a pale yellow; rather, a mixture of silver and gold so that gold was laced with thin ribbons of silver, like fire and ice, heat and cold. Gradually the forest once more shifted back into view as Kimimaro loosed his hold on the blond and stared straight into his soul with harsh, naked love so intense, he was practically turning Naruto's spirit into liquid soul with the force of his stare. Naruto gazed rapturously into Kimimaro's own counterparts, matching his adoration stare for stare, a serene smile permanently carved onto his foxlike features. This, truly, was what it felt to be loved, to know that you could put your soul in the care of another and trust him fully to protect and cherish it with his.

Kimimaro leaned forward and rested his forehead gently against Naruto's, affectionately brushing the tip of his nose against the blond's, their breath mingling in the cold of the midnight sun. Smiling gently, Kimimaro drew Naruto to his feet, then began to lead him out of the thicket towards the road. The blond drew back, a hesitant, almost confused look carved on his countenance.

"Wait…." Kimimaro paused and turned around expectantly, his deep honey-like baritone laced with confusion as he spoke.

"Are you not coming with me now that we have found one another?" Naruto shook his head in response.

"Well...my teammates…." At this comment, a scowl briefly marred the Kaguya's finely sculpted features.

"I have observed them closely, Naruto, and I see that inside them, they bear no true feelings towards you, not them nor their teacher."

At this comment, Naruto recoiled, beautiful gem-cut eyes dilating in confusion and blatant understanding. He hesitated slightly, mind spinning with the effort to make the decision. To go with one he knew he could trust, or to go with the ones he'd been accustomed to for a vast majority of his life….such decisions could not be made rashly.

Somewhere deep in a crevice of the fox-child's mind, the demon kitsune stirred within. Kyuubi arose and stood tall in his cage, carmine-slitted eyes narrowing in sympathy. Unbeknownst to the blond, the kitsune too had been observing his teammates, and knew full well that if Naruto made the wrong decision, that decision could cost him his friendship and his happiness. What was once resentment by being enslaved in such a tiny, insignificant vessel had now turned to fatherly love, and Kyuubi was willing to do whatever it took to ensure the peace of mind his vessel so greatly deserved.

A spark tore across Naruto's mind, and suddenly foreign memories and feelings flooded his psyche, almost overwhelming him with their vast enormity. He saw the world through Sakura's eyes, saw himself being looked down on with constant ridicule and ill wishes, saw the cherry-hued girl hating the obnoxious, annoying orange brat in front of him. He saw her raise her hand, and bring it sharply across the flat of his cheek, saw how Sakura struck him with as much hatred and anger she could muster, and most of all, saw how the blow brought a fierce satisfaction as the blond boy cowered on the floor.

He saw the world through Sasuke's eyes, saw how he was looked on as constantly a hindrance. He saw how the Uchiha would look down on him with disdain and scorn, then huff and turn away, not caring even though invectives so harsh, they'd make the past Hokage grit their teeth were flung at him. And most of all, he saw how the Uchiha had completely underestimated him, and would never acknowledge his growing power as long as he existed.

The memories faded, and Naruto sank to the ground, breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. Kimimaro looked on in sympathy, then calmly held out one hand to help the fallen fox-child. Naruto stared through pained eyes at the pale hand held so trustingly out to him, carefully observing each and every single detail of the fingers, the palm, the wrist, the nails….and then something snapped inside of him, and he reached out and grasped it determinedly, enclosing the hand with his own slender counterpart.

The very minute their hands touched, a flash tore across both minds, as if energy had suddenly jumped from one hand to the other. Slowly Kimimaro and Naruto parted their fingers, only to find that they were bonded together by a shimmering fiery thread that hung suspended between the tips of their fingers like spider silk. It roiled and hung, then separated and melted inside both figures, sending tingles of hot, liquid warmth up both sets of arms and to both foreheads where it coagulated to form a cryptic mark in the center of both foreheads with double sets of seals framing both sides of the emblazoned symbol.

Kyuubi let out an inaudible gasp deep within Naruto, immediately recognizing the mark and what it meant. Gritting his teeth, the great demon fox concentrated his chakra and sent the red substance seeping out of his cage, through the crack in Naruto's seal and out into the atmosphere. Both Naruto and Kimimaro inhaled sharply as wine-hued chakra began seeping out of the blond to form into the silhouette of a great and regal fox. The essence of Kyuubi looked down upon them, surveying the marks on their foreheads with dignity. The fox's deep bass rumbled through the night.

"You have been chosen." Naruto cocked a pale brow at the cryptic words the fox spoke.

"Oh really? Is it because of these things?" He indicated the seal on his forehead with a flick of his finger. Kyuubi nodded.

"It is no mere coincidence that I was chosen to be sealed inside of you, nor was it a coincidence that you happen to have the bloodline you bear." Red-slitted eyes swept briefly over Kimimaro before the fox spoke again.

"Those who possess the will to complete their purpose are gifted with great power, given to them through coincidence. It was no accident that I was sealed in you. It was no accident that you were born with what bloodline you have. You have been given the benefit of bearing power, great power that will serve you well as you attempt to complete your mission. I am the harbinger of that mission, and I will continue to aid you as you progress." He said solemnly. Naruto and Kimimaro nodded, drinking in this information.

"So….what is our so-called mission?" The hazy outline of demon-kitsune shifted on the ground before them in response. Kyuubi's deep bass once more spoke, this time addressing the Kaguya in particular.

"A long time ago, you swore to yourself that you would find the meaning of your existence and your life, did you not?" Both Kimimaro and Naruto gasped in surprise.

"How did you know?" They chimed simultaneously. Kyuubi smiled, or what looked like a smile; his features were dim, but the gesture was friendly.

"My powers are not so limited that I must see everything through the confinements of your body, young kitling." Naruto gulped in response.

"O-oh. So then you've been watching over Kimimaro as well as I?" The fox bowed his great head in answer.

"I have been watching over the both of you ever since that day, seven years ago, when you discovered a gem hidden under layers of snow." Kimimaro nodded slowly, then spoke with careful respect to the fox.

"So….what is our mission?" Kyuubi shifted and padded softly over to Naruto nuzzling the heaven-spun silk that served as hair.

"It was no coincidence that I happened to attack Konoha. You may have heard a corrupted version of how I came to be sealed inside of you. I am a fox who has no desire for human taste, and I do prefer peace rather than disruption. The only reason I had attacked Konoha…was because a certain treacherous snake-bastard by the name of Orochimaru had caught me off guard and hypnotized me into attacking the village. I was merely a scapegoat to pin the blame on; it was his goal to demolish what his teacher, the Third Hokage, had attempted to preserve."

Kimimaro gasped in outright shock as the full brunt of what Kyuubi had spoken hit him full-force. Orochimaru….Orochimaru, his master, proved to be Kyuubi's undoing? Orochimaru was the reason why the great youkai-kitsune was sealed inside Naruto? How could this be? He could see how it was possible….but he never suspected Orochimaru to be the trigger that sent his precious Naruto's life spiraling into utter misery because of a fox sealed inside of him. This wasn't right. It couldn't be. He turned to Kyuubi, and was surprised to find that the fox wore an almost sympathetic expression on his canine features.

"I don't understand. You are one of the greatest demons ever to grace the earth. How could _one single human_ such as Orochimaru even _hope_ to have the capacity to ensnare you?" He inquired. Kyuubi drew back.

"It was not all his doing that I was possessed. Foxes and snakes are naturally enemies, so his kuchiyose, Manda, was more than happy to oblige him." Naruto nodded in understanding, wrinkling his nose.

"So then….you're saying Manda, just another run-of-the-mill snake, was able to possess the most powerful of demons?" He inquired. Kyuubi drew back, affronted, then huffed.

"I was asleep. He caught me off guard." Twin smirks appeared on both faces.

"And I thought demons were supposed to be well-trained. Guess I was wrong." Naruto said tauntingly. Kyuubi growled, and the red chakra of which he was composed started to writhe angrily.

"Just because you happen to be my vessel doesn't mean I don't have the capacity to give you a long and extremely painful death." Naruto grinned cheekily in response.

"I was just kidding. Do foxes have any sense of humor whatsoever?" He smirked, while Kimimaro chuckled in the background. Kyuubi let out a sigh of resignation. Naruto smirked, then commenced with his question.

"So, about this so-called mission….." He began. Kyuubi growled in affirmation.

"As I was saying before I was so _rudely interrupted_," Both Naruto and Kimimaro flinched as the red substance that made up the fox shifted dangerously. "I have a mission for you." He began.

"A long time ago, when life was beginning, each and every single person originated from a single clan. At first it started out small, and then as more people reproduced, it became larger and larger until one could see distinct changes within the hereditary line. As the clan grew larger, the members began to migrate, and so made up the population of the world. Each branch of the clan had its own unique members, and these members began to delve more and more into the origins of the clan and how it came to be. Each new discovery was recorded into a huge scroll, and this came to be known as the Scroll of Silence. Every new branch of the clan would send little snippets of discovery to be recorded in this scroll, and soon the scroll was filled with a long history that clan branches would find beneficial." Kyuubi paused, and the red chakra grew smudged around the edges.

"Then the discovery of the chakra circulatory system was made. The immense latent power that the system yielded soon corrupted certain branches of the clan, and much blood was spilled in order to take possession of the scroll in order to key the chakra system that would yield so much power and glory. In desperation, the clan leader, an elder named Kazuki managed to salvage the scroll and steal away with it into a dark, deserted location, where no one would ever manage to reach. This place was named Kaiden, and was located in the farthest, most secret place on the earth, where no life had ever existed before. A place spun of myths, Kaiden was sacred ground, holding an aura so transcendent, so mythical, that many have dedicated their lives to discovering the location. But none had succeeded….except for Kazuki."

"How he arrived there, even I do not know. What matters is that when he got there, he looked down upon his clan, he saw the bloodshed and torture and desperate cries of the innocent. At the end of his hope and with his life ebbing away, Kazuki integrated his soul into the scroll, and used the last of his strength to seal both it and Kaiden away. Now the scroll has become obsolete, and since the sealing, nothing has been recorded to this day." Kyuubi looked regally at Naruto's and Kimimaro's mesmerized faces.

"And that is where you come in."

The great fox lifted his head and opened his mouth, then expelled a harsh breath of air with one sharp contraction of his diaphragm. Red chakra wisped out of his throat, shifted, then coagulated into a small scroll which fell to the ground at Naruto's feet. The fox-child picked it up and examined it carefully, looking warily at Kyuubi.

"What is this?" He asked cautiously.

"The members of the clan who were not corrupted still hoped that one day the Scroll of Silence would be found. They continued to hope, and in doing so, continued to record any new discoveries or findings in hopes of someday being able to retrieve the scroll and recording them down. I have here the scroll they have recorded in, and I entrust it to you. You are the ones who will seek out the Scroll of Silence, and you are the ones who will merge this scroll with the other. And as a reward, the Scroll of Silence will give you your origins, as well as bestow upon you the secret to unleashing the immense power of the chakra circulatory system. The way will be long, the trials harsh, but like I said before, it was no coincidence that those marks appeared on your foreheads, nor was it mere accident that I was sealed inside of you. Yondaime saw something of value inside of you, my kitling, and I do think he was right." Naruto nodded in response, sucking down the information.

"When do we start?" Kimimaro spoke up. Kyuubi looked highly affronted.

"And here I thought you were capable enough of figuring that out yourself after I so generously bestowed upon you that scroll." The Kaguya nodded solemnly. Kyuubi drew himself up and nodded in finality.

"Very well then. You leave tonight. Oh, and another thing: I've masked your scent and chakra trail so that your team will not be able to trace your whereabouts." With that, the red chakra whirled, twisted once in the air, then retreated back inside Naruto's navel.

Kimimaro turned and captured Naruto's eyes with his. Both beings held the gaze for what seemed like an eternity, searching, understanding, and knowing what was required of them. Naruto eventually turned away, and laced his fingers through the Kaguya's. Together the two walked off in silence, following their instincts and the will of destiny to seek out their purpose, their mission, their calling. Two figures grew distant in the great vastness of time, growing smaller and smaller as they walked farther and farther away, until nothing remained of them but the pure scent of rain, the waft of gold and silver entangled.

* * *

Ohhh...climatic. 


	5. Stark Realizations

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Chapter 5: Stark Realization

The Next Morning

"Oi, dobe."

Sasuke poked a toe through Naruto's tent flap, then decided it wasn't worth the caution and just plain kicked over the tent, which fell limply to the ground, revealing a lumpy mess that served as a sleeping bag.

"Get up."

The Uchiha planted a foot firmly into the mess of blankets and quilts, fully expecting a blond whirlwind to fly at him with unbridled insolence. To his utter surprise, Naruto didn't stir. All of a sudden, something felt wrong. Sasuke frowned in bemusement; the sleeping bag easily gave way under his foot, whereas Naruto's body was normally a lot firmer than what it had felt like. And judging by where he had placed his foot, Naruto would be yelping in pain had he been normally himself. Sasuke prodded a toe in between the covers and deftly flipped them open.

To his instant alarm, the sleeping bag was deserted. That usually meant a) Naruto went off to train in the middle of the night and had probably fallen asleep at the site of said training b) Naruto had gotten up early and was hunting for breakfast (a very implausible idea, Sasuke supposed, since Naruto wasn't the type to be up and around so early, but then again, the misbegotten idiot would do anything to satisfy his stomach) or c) Naruto had gotten himself killed during a midnight outing (Again, this seemed highly improbable, but the blond had a knack for proving true things that weren't likely to happen, and Naruto did possess the mental stupidity to accidently impale himself on a random kunai). Sasuke wanted to believe c), since one could always hope, but he settled on a more reasonable answer, a), and quietly ate his share of breakfast, muttering curses about "imcompetent dobes" under his breath.

It was an unusually quiet camp that morning. Sakura had meekly tried to woo Sasuke (as usual) and Kakashi was reading his book again, so there was no conversation, or much less sound, save for the occasional crackling of the fire and rustling of the wind. The silence, finding no valid reason to leave, decided it liked the environment and grew in leaps and bounds until it made a sort of hum in everyone's ears. Sasuke winced. This day had instantly gone from weird to extremely eerie, with no Naruto around.

After an hour had passed and no blond grenade had shown up, Sasuke finally decided to give in.

"Kakashi-sensei, where is Naruto?" The silver-haired jounin sighed and ran a hand down his neck.

"I wish I knew, Sasuke." The Uchiha's eyes widened.

"You mean you don't know?" He inquired tersely. Kakashi shook his head.

"I have not seen him since last night. He has not been anywhere near the training grounds either; the grass is unmarred and untrampled by feet." Sasuke nodded carefully, absorbing this information.

"Then where…?" The Uchiha began, then trailed off. Sasuke whirled abruptly and stalked away, letting out a vehement hiss of annoyance. That damn idiot….things were unusual enough even _with_ that dobe.

When three more hours passed without Naruto showing up, Sasuke was seriously beginning to worry. Sakura watched worriedly as the Uchiha stalked up and down a patch of grass, pacing agitatedly to one side, then whirling abruptly and stalking to the other side. Sasuke let out a harsh, clipped hiss of exasperation and sat down, emblazoning twin holes in the ground with his dark, stormy charcoal eyes. Sasuke jounced his foot up and down and played with his fingers, then let out another ragged, half-throttled expletive and resumed his pacing. Kakashi had gone Naruto-tracking and Sakura was unusually un-clingy, which officially made the day one of the most bizarre days in the history of bizarre days.

When another twenty minutes had passed and no Naruto turned up, Sasuke, in a fit of exasperation, resorted to destroying little organisms here and there in his local vicinity, and after another twenty minutes, Sakura was cowering fearfully behind a rather large boulder to shield herself from the full wrath of the Uchiha. Sasuke had ground his teeth to stubs by now, and the several raw, red, bleeding crescent-shaped gashes in his hands courtesy of clenched fists didn't help stem the pain.

When Kakashi turned up fruitless a few minutes later, Sasuke slammed home one more Chidori into a nearby rock and spat out a harsh, vehement, and highly explicit curse into the atmosphere where it lingered darkly, then dissipated. He whirled, damning all codes of respect for his sensei, grabbed Kakashi by the lapels of his flak jacket and graced him with the full power of the infamous Uchiha death glare. Kakashi had the eloquence turn up one visible eye in a half-moon crescence of amusement.

"Sorry….I was unable to find him. My apologies." Sasuke yanked back briefly, then jarred Kakashi with a spasmodic, grating shake.

"You." The word sliced like a shuriken through the air, and the temperature took a decidedly downward turn.

"You. An _elite_ Jounin. A former Anbu. How could _you_ fail to find him, when he is a mere _Genin_, untrained in the ways of covering his tracks?" Kakashi shrugged with feigned innocence, intentionally untouched by Sasuke's rage, then gently loosed the Uchiha's hands from his collar. He then produced an invisible a dagger, and plunged it straight into the heart of Sasuke's ego.

"And I do suppose you could best me at tracking our little blond hindrance? Why, I never knew you even cared in the first place." He silkily pointed out.

That pulled Sasuke up short. His expression of rage, suddenly finding an extreme interest in the ground and its pull, abruptly slipped off his face and plummeted to the ground, shattering into a thousand tiny shards at his feet, leaving a sharp, unguarded expression of shock upon his countenance. The flesh of his face grew slack. The silver-haired man standing before the Uchiha saw the immediate shift of facial muscles and grinned benignly beneath his mask.

"Perhaps he was kidnapped. Perhaps his kidnapper was one skilled at hiding his or her tracks. There are many who are more skilled at that than I." Kakashi stated lightly, then chuckled, folded his hands behind his head, and sauntered away as Sasuke bored twin holes into his back with the heat of his glower.

"And. What. Makes. You. Assume. That. Little. Option. May. I. Ask?" Sasuke gritted out between clenched teeth. Kakashi twirled and grinned beneath his mask.

"Well, one must consider all options of one's situation when dealing with the unknown, yes? It is a rule among ninjas; you of all people should have known that." Kakashi then grew serious, and stared Sasuke straight in the eye with his own onyx-hued counterpart.

"And yet I do suspect…that your sheer stubbornness against the possible truth doubtless will blind you against what may seem like a critical option." With a last long enigmatic stare at the mystified Uchiha, Kakashi melted into the forest, leaving nothing but his cryptic words behind in Sasuke's mind.

That Night

When dusk had finally fallen, with the first stars just winking in the distance and no sight of the blond whirlwind had shown up, Sasuke could've sworn he was thoroughly neurotic. Kakashi had been scouting for Naruto for most of the day, leaving Sasuke to the whims of his female pink parasite of a teammate.

Sakura didn't provide good company (much less rivalry; she was far too weak for his tastes), and the trees to which he spat out his invectives didn't or couldn't or wouldn't understand him anyway, so this left Sasuke in a very dangerous situation, both for his nerves, his psyche, and his hair. Especially his hair. The Uchiha ran yet another incensed stroke through his ebony locks, and scowled darkly as his fingers were interlaced with clumps of smooth, black substance when he tore them away. At this rate, he'd be bald by midnight. And it was all thanks to Naruto. Well, at least the absence of Naruto.

Kakashi materialized out of thin air and dropped lightly down to their meager little camp. Sakura brightened hopefully at the sight of her sensei, but seeing the downcast look on Kakashi's face (or what was shown of it), wilted and continued to stare listlessly at the crackling fire before her. Sasuke's scowl deepened immensely and he bit out yet another curse into the air. The silence stretched long and deep for many a moment until Sasuke asked about the situation.

"Should we send a search party for Naruto?" He asked gravely. Kakashi sighed.

"I've sent Pakkun to Tsunade-sama bearing a note." He sighed again, and in the flickering firelight, Kakashi suddenly seemed to age a good ten years.

"Tsunade will be devastated when she hears the news. So will Jiraiya. They both do love that kid…despite his somewhat annoying behavior…." Kakashi sighed his deepest sigh, then turned his face to the sky, a nostalgic look on his face.

"He knows not how much he is loved. And because he has never experienced love before, he cannot know how it feels nor when it is present." Sasuke recoiled slightly, his earlier rage ebbing slowly away. The Uchiha bowed his head, his teeth clenched in bitter understanding.

"Very well. What shall we do now?" He inquired in a harsh murmur. Kakashi turned and placed a hand upon Sasuke's shoulder.

"You, Sasuke, his comrade and friend although you may deny it, will search for him. You know him best, Sasuke. It is up to you to think like he does. I assign you the mission of retrieving Naruto." Kakashi dropped the hand and started to turn, but at the very last minute, he slanted the Uchiha a long, cryptic glance out of one unreadable eye.

"Naruto bears a hidden power beneath him that may make him susceptible to other, stronger enemies. Be on your guard, yes?" At Sasuke's nod, the silver-haired man once more reverted to the cheerful Kakashi just moments before.

"Then I see no need to worry. We'll go on with our vacation as planned." Sakura, taking this as a cue, bustled about setting up camp.

After a moment's pause, Sasuke turned and melted into the shadows, blending in perfectly with the secret, enclosed canopy of the forest. He shut his eyes and concentrated, delving deep into his mind, searching for that light of coal that he knew dwelled within him. He found the coal and extinguished it, snuffing out all thoughts that were his, his thoughts of revenge, of angst, of loneliness. He then retreated inside of his mind and drew out all of his memories of Naruto, his attitude, his quirks, his habits, even of his annoyances. He withdrew each and every single memory and merged them together, so as one, they became Naruto himself. And so, with this weirdly convoluted union of memory, Sasuke lit another coal inside of himself, a different coal, one made up entirely of his companion, of his friend.

That being done, the Uchiha set about fanning the coal until it ignited, sending sparks of memory and habit down to the tips of his fingers and toes. He felt a smile, so unlike him, spread across his face, and suddenly he was no longer Uchiha Sasuke, avatar of revenge, the very epitome of hatred. He was now Uzumaki Naruto, harbinger of joy and noise and restlessness. He was the sun's reincarnation, the quintessence of joy and laughter and fire. And he had a sudden undying urge for the taste of ramen. With a sick, sappy grin smeared over most of his face, Uchiha Sasuke wobbled to the nearest tree and leaned his weight upon the inviting trunk, giggling wildly as his mind whirled with newfound emotions and habits and feelings.

A spark tore across his mind, and suddenly Sasuke's chest threatened to burst with the arrival of a new, horrifyingly _familiar_ emotion. The sappy grin abruptly took flight, and the shock that registered on the Uchiha's countenance was mortifying. This new emotion wasn't new at all—in fact, Sasuke had been living with this emotion for most of his life—but the sheer _magnitude_ and intensity of this emotion was the thing that struck him the most, and the fact that Naruto, _Naruto_ of all people would bear this inside his heart. Sasuke never had expected it of the blond; he was almost shipshape in the opposite mood about ninety-nine percent of the time, and now that he realized that Naruto's emotions of hatred, solitude, and loneliness were perhaps five times greater than what he himself had borne, Sasuke felt a whole new morbid disgust at himself for showing so much self-pity when at the very same time, one who bore almost thrice the amount of torment as he did never even flicked an eyelash at the mere thought of being sad.

Sasuke staggered once more, then again leaned heavily on the tree. After adjusting to the sudden new current of emotions, he straightened and concentrated, delving into his mind and accessing the newfound memories he possessed. Sifting through the unimportant ones, he finally lit upon one that was very unusual indeed. He watched silently as a six-year-old Naruto tossed and turned upon a bed, moaning and gritting his teeth as the writhed and roiled upon the mattress. That was strange. Out of all the things Sasuke had observed about the blond, it was that Naruto was a very heavy sleeper. Perhaps he'd been wrong. Perhaps, he thought with a sudden surge of alarm, Naruto had carefully constructed this cover, this façade, this mask just to fool those around him. And perhaps he had done it with such skill that even Sasuke himself, who was highly skilled at reading emotions, was thrown under the disillusionment of Naruto's fake persona.

The Uchiha's hand twitched slightly. His feet immediately turned and started walking in a random direction, carrying him to places unknown. Sasuke let his feet take him where they would, his mind bearing the hope that he'd find some clue of where Naruto had disappeared to. His feet kept walking further and further into the forest until they stopped at a nearby clearing. A patch of ground lay exposed within a circlet of pines, and Sasuke knew right then and there that Naruto had lain here not too long ago.

Sharingan flared to life, and Sasuke flicked his eyes briefly across the clearing to scout for chakra, sifting through each and every minute detail of the landscape with great precision. A flash of red caught his eye and he turned, staring intently at the infinitesimal residue of foreign energy. There were traces of red chakra scattered spasmodically throughout the landscape, which ultimately coagulated into a patch right in the center of the clearing. That proved Naruto had indeed been here….but in which direction the blond had disappeared to was a mystery indeed.

Now, normally, when given absolutely no clue whatsoever about a target's whereabouts, Sasuke would spend great amounts of time sifting through any clues he had obtained, carefully analyzing each and every piece of evidence with meticulous care. But now, since there really was no pattern to the red chakra that floated lazily through the landscaping and partly because Sasuke was in fact, not Sasuke any longer but Naruto in Sasuke's clothing, he made a very rash, impulsive decision to determine Naruto's whereabouts. The Uchiha spun around twice, then flung out an arm in the most random direction he could think of. Southeast. Well. He supposed it was worth a try…after all, if he was traveling in the wrong direction (the odds were against him no matter what), he could always stop to ask. Naruto, despite any attempts to hide himself, couldn't help but draw attention. After all, who would expect a ninja to dress in ridiculously loud, orange clothing?

With that rather pointless thought in his head, Uchiha Sasuke leapt into the thicket, almost collided with a tree, and shot off into the distance, giggling madly as he went.

* * *

Sorry if Sasuke seems OOC, but still...he's now Naruto, practically, yes? Oh and Fei...yes yes yes, your request will be granted. 


	6. Crystalline Nostalgia

Sorry for not posting sooner...damn internet was down. (sobs) Oh yes, and for those of you who are wondering, (coughFeicough) yes, Sasuke will appear later in the story.

Chapter 6: Crystalline Nostalgia

Somewhere

CRASH!

Blond locks ruffled as Naruto leapt to the side, barely missing the stalactite that came spiraling down at point-blank range. Said stalactite imbedded itself firmly into the ground a mere millimeter from where Naruto's head had been just a second ago, and scintillated innocently up at the blond. The fox-child glared insolently at the offending object, growling a little before he huffed, pulled his cloak tighter around his body, and ran to catch up with a waiting Kimimaro. The Kaguya shook his head hopelessly at Naruto, only to be rewarded with a cheeky grin and a hug. Together the two walked deeper into the cave, their only source of light the warm glow of chakra infused in Naruto's hand. It was rather eerie, the flicker of the chakra; the light bounced off of the crystals, stalactites, and stalagmites within the cave, creating a viridescent spectrum of vermillion, ocher yellow, transcendent blue of the palest colors, carnelian, carmine red, and a fast assortment of pastel shades.

Naruto, brilliant cerulean eyes taking in all the wondrous colors of the cavern, could no longer bear the excitement. He deftly laced one arm through Kimimaro's arms and around his waist and yanked the startled Kaguya with him, dancing and skipping around the cavern in pure, unadulterated joy, Kimimaro in tow. Kimimaro allowed him to dance for a few moments longer before he disengaged himself from the joyous blond, smiling slightly as Naruto squealed happily and continued to dance, bouncing up and down with elation.

"Calm down calm down….it's just a cave." Kimimaro said. Naruto whirled and faced the Kaguya, a look of pure bliss carved upon his features.

"But…but…but….it's such a PRETTY cave! Besides, all the other caves I've been to are just dirt and rocks. It's boring." He chirped. Kimimaro smirked slightly at the ecstatic grin on Naruto's face.

"Trust me, by the time we supposedly complete our "mission", you'll be thoroughly sick of them." He shot back. Naruto smiled, unaffected, then settled to walking by Kimimaro's side. A long silence passed.

"So…..why was it we decided to go to the freezing cold _northern_ lands, of all places?" He whined. Kimimaro reached out and playfully tweaked Naruto's nose with one slim finger.

"Kyuubi told us to…he says there's an ancient tribe somewhere in the north that has a scroll for us to collect. In case your abysmal memory has forgotten, we have to gather up all the scrolls with new records before we can even hope to search for Kaiden." Naruto nodded in response.

"Oh yeaaahhhh…..I remember now." Kimimaro deftly clipped him on the head, then continued walking through the cave.

"So why are we in this cave in the first place?" The Kaguya let out a breath of exasperation.

"You really weren't paying any attention whatsoever to his advice, now were you? Kyuubi said there was a shortcut through this cave to the tribe that we seek." Naruto let loose with an air-shattering "OH YEAAAAHHH! I REMEMBER!" as a response, to which Kimimaro promptly clamped one firm hand over the blond's mouth.

"Not so loud, you fool. This cave goes through the bottom of a very tall, and, may I mention, very _heavy_ iceberg which might just collapse upon us at the slightest mishap we make." Naruto mumbled something against Kimimaro's hand.

The Kaguya abruptly tore his hand away, disgusted, and wiped it vigorously on the lapel of his cloak. Naruto laughed cheekily, his tongue waggling playfully as Kimimaro tried in vain to cleanse his hand of the blond's saliva. After shooting Naruto a glare laced with a trace amount of bloodlust, the Kaguya turned and increased his pace, utterly determined to leave Naruto behind. When no response came from the blond, Kimimaro turned, then started in horror as Naruto yelped and sank into a nearby pool of frigid water.

Kimimaro leapt gracefully over to where the fox-child thrashed and writhed, then gasped in horror as a demon carved of ice bared feral fangs at him in response, Naruto's roiling being clutched possessively in its claws. Kimimaro immediately reacted, shooting a bone from his hand straight into the demon's forehead, where it lodged directly where its brain would be. The demon hissed in response, shook its head once, then absorbed the bone into its head. Kimimaro watched in growing disbelief as the bone turned to ice and reappeared as a horn on top of the demon's head. Malevolent ice-chips of eyes glared balefully at Kimimaro's stark form as the demon lashed its ice-spiked tail and flexed its claws viciously at the Kaguya.

It was then that an awful, grating cracking noise was heard. The demon hissed in pain and withdrew as Naruto propelled himself from its grasp, a full-fledged Rasengan spinning wildly in his hand. One spiny, dangerous arm swiped at the boy; Naruto nimbly hopped over the offending limb, then used it as leverage and propelled himself towards Kimimaro, landing gracefully beside the Kaguya, sapphire eyes blazing with the fury of battle. His midnight indigo cloak swirled once, then came to a rest around the rest of his body.

The two opponents faced each other in a ferocious stare-down, sapphire and emerald against ice. The demon further lifted itself up out of the water, hissing savagely as it did. Kimimaro and Naruto didn't waver. With another sharp exhale of breath, the demon reared back and shot the Kaguya's bone back at him, screeching in triumph. Naruto shrieked a warning to Kimimaro, but to his utter surprise, the Kaguya didn't waver, not even when the bone punched straight through his chest with a horrible grinding sound as it slid into flesh, sinew, and viscera.

To Naruto's surprise, however, the bone didn't protrude on the other side. Kimimaro calmly cracked his shoulder twice, then withdrew the very same bone which had impaled him earlier. Naruto bit out a questioning noise, then balked as Kimimaro smirked.

"What is part of my body, I can control. Remember that." He said silkily. The demon, outraged, lunged full-force at Kimimaro's steadfast figure.

An undulating cry was heard, a cry filled with unleashed fury and rage and anger, and the cavern exploded.

A great, spiraling fireball shot like lightning towards the two figures. Kimimaro immediately flattened himself against the cavern walls, sucking in his breath as the deadly fireball sped past him. There was a macabre, shrieking cry, and when the smoke had cleared, the ice demon was no more.

Kimimaro let out the breath he was holding and looked down at himself, thankful he'd only suffered a scorched cloak as the fireball licked at his clothing. He whipped his head to the right to scout for any sign of Naruto….and was immediately plowed down by a whirlwind of orange and navy. The fox-child had mowed over the Kaguya, and was now snuggling the nightlights out of the silver-haired being.

"DIDJA SEE THAT? FINALLY, FINALLY AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS, A JUTSU THAT I EXECUTED HAS FINALLY GONE RIGHT!" Kimimaro scrambled to his feet and loosed himself of Naruto's arms.

"You conjured that fire jutsu?" He ventured. Naruto nodded energetically, eyes afire with excitement.

"Yeah, Kyuubi's been training me for sometime. Why?" Kimimaro looked away awkwardly, then mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "I didn't know you had it in you." Naruto looked bemused. Kimimaro turned back and kissed the fox-child on the forehead, enveloping him in a warm hug.

"I'm proud of you. You have much grown since the last time I have laid eyes upon you." Naruto cocked one pale yellow eyebrow.

"Which was…oh, let me think….yesterday?" He quipped. Kimimaro laughed.

"You and your interpretations. Anyhow, we must be going, and we must be going fast." Naruto cocked his head in reply.

"Why?" A distant rumble reverberated around the cave, and Kimimaro steadied himself against the shaking earth.

"That fireball you summoned has sent heat throughout this cavern, meaning the strength of the walls that are preventing it from collapsing have weakened considerably. And with the constant weight of, oh, say, about _two-thousand tons_ of iceberg upon us, we either run, or are crushed. And I have found quite an attachment to my life as of late." He said delicately. Naruto's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and the blond immediately took off at a dead run, Kimimaro hot on his heels.

Another rumble shook the cavern, and Naruto tripped and fell, his foot caught on a stalagmite. Kimimaro deftly scooped up the blond by the scruff of his neck and hauled him off, gingerly dodging offending crystals and stalagmites on the ground. Naruto eventually regained his footing, and the two flew like the wind towards the exit of the cave, breaths coming in harsh, ragged panting as the footing grew trickier.

As if some force propelled both minds, both Kimimaro and Naruto looked back as another earthquake rocked the cave. Both sets of eyes registered that the cavern was closing in on them rapidly; the ground they had covered in their mad dash to safety was being compressed, making it look like what they had seen before was being sucked down a large drain. Great blocks of ice were plummeting down behind them, and already the air was being sapped away by the sheer weight of the iceberg above them. Naruto yelped and sped up, Kimimaro whirling along beside him.

Nothing could have prepared them for what came next. The pinprick of light that was their only hope for survival suddenly disappeared, and chunks of ice fell down up ahead. Kimimaro and Naruto came to an unprepared halt, watching in horror as ice fell from both sides of the cavern. They couldn't go forward and they couldn't turn back….were they doomed to die here, their fate to be crushed under two thousand tons of iceberg? Ninja or not, no one would even hope to survive such a circumstance.

A glint appeared in Naruto's eye, and he whipped out seven exploding tags, tacking them onto the cavern roof with a deft flick of nimble fingers. Kimimaro started in horror as the tags began to catch fire.

"No! Do you realize what you've done, you fool? This will only speed up the collapse of the iceberg!" Naruto grinned in response, a gleam of determination set tight in his crystalline eyes.

"There is no other way; the cavern is closing in on us on either side. Trust me on this one." He looped an arm around Kimimaro's waist and dug his nails into the fabric of Kimimaro's yukata.

"Now when I say 'go', you have to jump with me, understand?" He gritted urgently. Mint-green eyes widened.

"You can't mean that we're going to jump through _seven hundred meters of pure iceberg_!" Naruto nodded grimly.

"You're crazy!"

"It's the only way out! You _just have to trust me."_ After a while, Kimimaro nodded hesitantly. Naruto positioned himself right where the tags would explode and formed a lightning fast seal. A chakra barrier instantly surrounded them, illuminating the fox-child's oddly serene expression. Naruto started the countdown.

"Three…" The tags were half-burned, and were mere seconds away from exploding.

"Two…" Kimimaro pressed his lips together to form a thin black line, screwed his eyes shut, and braced himself for the harrowing impact yet to come.

"One…" Both figures bent, chakra spinning around their feet.

"GO!"

The tags exploded, sending knife-sharp shards of ice flying in all directions, and just a mere second later, Naruto and Kimimaro expelled themselves upwards, a thinly-crafted chakra barrier the only thing that protected them from ice-knives the size of boulders.

—cold—

_Ice flying. The wailing screech of a wintry banshee-storm, summoned by will, by force, by fire._

—frost and snow and arctic winds—

_Merciless in its being, yet deadly deceptive, alluring, enticing, yet fatal_

—sleet and blizzards, all unmaking and destroying—

_And a wailing winter wind..._

The chakra shield broke.

They danced. How they danced. Naruto and Kimimaro, Uzumaki and Kaguya, engaged in a deadly dance for survival, for life. The burning desire to serve a purpose and one purpose only; to endure this everlasting world of storm. There would be a price. There would always be a price, but how much one would pay, now that was undetermined. Time wore on, a constant wailing screech that invaded mind and sight. Both Naruto and Kimimaro fought on, danced on, for that single spark of survival that spurred the minds of both. And at last, at long last, a piercing, white-hot light engulfed both bodies, and together they fell, down and down and down, until they were swallowed by the embrace of the blizzards and winds.

* * *

Oooo, climatic again. 


	7. White Heaven

Konban wa, minna. Sorry for not posting sooner...just finished finals today. sobs Agh...yer authoress is dying in Calculus...sobs And I still have two years of high school left to go. sobsOh well.

Chapter 7: White Heaven

_Mmmm…_

A face. It spoke to him, called to him. Begged him to awaken. So sad. Why did it look so sad?

_Why do I hurt?_

"Kimimaro…."

_Why is my mind so unaware?_

"Kimimaro, wake up."

_Why is someone calling me?_

A fistful of snow promptly came in contact with half-frozen skin.

Kimimaro sat up and spat out said snow, glaring weakly at Naruto's worried face. The fox-child sat back on his haunches and smiled reassuringly.

"Well…we survived it." Kimimaro blinked.

"What?"

"We just survived jumping through seven hundred meters of pure iceberg. I told you so." Naruto replied patiently. The Kaguya sat up and rubbed his eyes, then looked towards the iceberg. Or rather, the former location of the iceberg; chunks of it were floating in a sky-blue lake off in the distance.

"We…survived? Wait….wait…" Naruto waited. The spark finally caught. An audible clunk was heard as Kimimaro's jaw unhinged itself and dropped to the ground.

"We have just survived jumping straight through seven hundred meters of pure iceberg." He said in awe. Naruto threw up his hands in response.

"That's what I just told you." He said. Kimimaro began to laugh.

"We…have just…survived…jumping through…seven hundred meters….of iceberg." And with that, the Kaguya promptly dissolved into sheer mirth, rolling about in the snow. Naruto stared at him, clearly shocked, then gave in and laughed with him too. Together they clutched their sides, hooting with laughter, until they wore themselves out and just lay together on the snow. Naruto turned his head and spoke to the wearied figure beside him.

"Wouldn't that be ironic, if we were killed by common thieves after surviving that?" Which promptly sent Kimimaro into howls of laughter once more.

After exhausting themselves for a following five minutes, Kimimaro and Naruto stood, brushing themselves off, remnants of laughter still on their lips. Naruto took one step forward, then collapsed, wincing in pain. Kimimaro flew forward and dropped to his knees, pine-hued eyes glazed over with worry.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. Naruto pointed to his leg, which was twisted at an odd, unnatural angle.

"I don't think I can walk. I remember that when I was almost at the top of the iceberg….something came down and hit me on the leg." The fox-child winced and rubbed worriedly at his maimed limb, fingers probing it gently.

"I think it's broken." Kimimaro bent and examined it carefully.

"It's definitely cracked. Here, I'll carry you until we get to the next tribe." At this, Naruto replied with a weak positive, and was hoisted gently onto Kimimaro's back.

"I'll be careful." Kimimaro said reassuringly. The fox-child smirked.

"For one who seems to be so cold when killing…." He trailed off cheekily. Kimimaro sighed with an overly dramatic air.

"I do regret that whatever gods there are didn't make that iceberg land on your mouth instead of your leg." Naruto grinned in response, then laid his head on the Kaguya's shoulder, fingers entwining themselves in a few renegade strands of silvery hair. All was silent for a brief period of time before Naruto spoke, his voice laced with wonder and awe despite the pain.

"Look around us." Kimimaro obliged.

"So?" He questioned. The fabric of his yukata wrinkled slightly as Naruto shook his head.

"I mean, _really_ look around us." Kimimaro obliged yet again, and was hit by the sheer beauty and serenity of the landscape around them. Naruto smiled gently.

"Don't you see? We've fallen into a piece of heaven."

And indeed, the landscape was nothing short of magnificent. In the distance not too far away, a lake the shade of deep aquamarine caught the sun on its surface and reflected it off to form a brilliant prism of light. Spectacular fir trees were tipped with glittering icicles as they stood majestically towering over the land, and in the distance, mountains stood with almost an air of regality, almost as if they guarded the land from afar. Glaciers scintillated in the high morning sun, rising up out of the land to reach at the heavens. The land was shrouded in pure, unadulterated white as far as the eye could see, the sky was wondrously clear, and the whole landscape positively reeked of serenity.

Both figures stood still, eyes drinking in the nostalgic beauty of the scenery, caught up in the glorious view of nature. Kimimaro craned his head back and nuzzled Naruto's blond locks affectionately, smiling when the fox-child let out a low, contented sound at the back of this throat the sounded most uncannily like a purr.

"Doesn't this remind you of when we first met?" Kimimaro asked in an almost drowsy manner. Naruto nodded, eyes slitted shut with pleasure.

"Yeah….good times, those were, when I first met you." He murmured dreamily, then sighed and sunk his head down into the folds of Kimimaro's cream cloak.

"Sorry…I think I'll go to sleep now…have to let Kyuubi have a crack at healing my leg…"

Kimimaro felt the blond relax against him, and as he trekked onward, Naruto relaxed completely and his breathing evened out, signifying a deep, contented sleep. The Kaguya felt the beginnings of a smile kiss his mouth. Unbeknownst to him, Naruto had the power to melt even the coldest of hearts with his warmth and personality. He turned his head and inhaled deeply, as if he could bring in the essence of serenity into his own lungs. The smile spread fully over his countenance, and suddenly the years fell away, practically making Kimimaro look five years younger. Emerald-chips of eyes suddenly caught a wisp of smoke in the distance and Kimimaro angled his body in the direction from which it came, highly suspecting that that was the tribe they had been searching for.

Naruto awoke just as the small village came into view. Kimimaro felt the fox-child shift against him, and heard Naruto mutter an incomprehensible string of sounds. The Kaguya smiled gently and turned his head, softly inquiring about Naruto's health. The blond answered positively, then settled for blowing a short puff of hot air into Kimimaro's neck, which startled the Kaguya into dumping the blond onto the ground where he lay laughing hysterically.

"Oh…oh my….oh my GAWD, you should have SEEN your EXPRESSION!" And with that, Naruto promptly burst into a tirade of giggles, hooting wildly on the ground. Kimimaro scowled mockingly, and lowered his voice to an oily, evil tone.

"If I weren't so entitled to our mission together, you'd have _two _broken legs as of now." Naruto sat up and pouted. Kimimaro recoiled, his left eyebrow twitching spasmodically. Naruto pouting would move all the mountains in the world, be it necessary.

"All right, all right…shall we go to the village now? We're wasting time." Naruto immediately hopped up in response and skipped ahead to the village, laughing merrily. Kimimaro balked.

"But…I thought your leg was broken!" He began in alarm. Naruto turned back.

"That's one of the perks of having a kitsune stuck inside your belly-button. You heal quickly. Well…at least I do….I have yet to meet another person with a kitsune stuck inside his belly-button." He quipped before bouncing to Kimimaro and hauling him along.

"As you said, we're wasting time, so let's hurry up!" And with that, Naruto barreled towards the village, Kimimaro flopping helplessly from one hand.

At the Village

The village, in fact, was actually an island sunk right smack in the middle of a gigantic lake. Naruto eyed the paper-thin ice-bridge that proved as the only dry means of accessing said village. He bounced up to the bridge and placed one foot eagerly on the ice, but was halted by Kimimaro's apprehensive voice.

"Don't you think it would be just too easy for this village to get raided if any common person were to walk across this bridge? There has to be a trap." He said cautiously. Naruto hurriedly pulled his foot away.

"So…what should we do? I don't want to swim across." He retorted. Kimimaro walked up to the blond.

"Well….we could always try yelling and see if anyone would come out." He suggested. Naruto brightened.

"Okay." And with that, the blond turned, cleared his throat, inhaled deeply, and—

"OOOOOIIIIIIIIIII! ANYONE HOOOOOOMMMMEEEE!" Kimimaro winced delicately and calmly cleaned out one ear with a delicate finger.

"Not so loud, you ingrate, they'll think we're attacking them." He snapped. Naruto grinned as a guard poked his head over the top of the walls, and uttered an inquisitive question as to who was below.

"Well, it did the trick, yes?" He turned and hollered to the guard.

"We come in peace. We mean you no harm. We just want some information." The figure of the guard hesitated slightly, then hollered back a request to wait and disappeared.

The ice-bridge suddenly collapsed and broke into a million tiny shards of ice that sank immediately into the lake. Naruto let out a cry of alarm, but stopped when a new bridge, this time made of wood, resurfaced and positioned itself where the old one had been. A door opened in the wall of snow that surrounded the village, and five men trooped out, clad in mediocre armor, each carrying what looked like an enlarged kunai in each hand. Naruto graced each man with a friendly smile and a nod, whilst Kimimaro briefly inclined his head. The men nodded back out of sheer formality, then shouldered their kunai.

"What business have you here?" They asked. Naruto grinned.

"Well, we just survived a rather stressful situation, and we were wondering if you would be so kind to offer a little hospitality in your village." Kimimaro inwardly gawked, not thinking Naruto was capable of such eloquent words.

"We shall have to check you first, since our village has been exposed more than once to petty thieves who covet our belongings." Naruto shrugged.

"That's fine with me."

The men frisked him briefly and turned up with a few scrolls, basic weapons, and an assortment of explosives. Naruto looked up at them innocently.

"I'm a ninja. See?" He indicated his forehead protector. The leader of the men frowned.

"How do we know that you are not hostile?" Naruto pouted. Kimimaro, standing a distance behind, could visibly see the men falter.

"I'm from the village of Konoha, which is prosperous enough. Why would I want more?" He argued. Kimimaro smirked. The kid had a point. And apparently, the men saw it too.

"Very well. We shall let you in. However, if any suspicious conduct occurs, we shall have you severely punished and thrown out." The leader said sternly. One of the men stirred.

"But Tsuyo, he's just a kid. What harm can a kid do to us? And look at him." Naruto immediately strapped on his large and shiny eyes. "He's so cute too." Kimimaro gagged inwardly. Tsuyo scowled, his hazel eyes clouded with doubt.

"Looks can be deceiving, Masouna. You of all people should know that." Masouna bowed and backed down. Tsuyo fixed Naruto once again with a piercing gaze, looking down his hawk-like nose, his mouth thinning.

"You may come with us." He ushered Naruto over to Masouna, who put a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. He bent and whispered gently to the fox-child, smoky gray-blue eyes glittering mischievously behind black-rimmed spectacles.

"Don't worry about him. Tsuyo's had a few mishaps in his life that caused him to doubt people. He's not bad once you get to know him." He quipped mildly, indicating the stern, powerfully-built man who was now frisking Kimimaro. Naruto stared up into Masouna's navy irises, unconsciously analyzing the young man.

He looked about twenty, or twenty-two; pale brown hair fell down to his back in layered strands. Two locks of hair hung down by his ears, which accented his high-cut cheekbones and prominent jaw. His eyes had an elegant slant to them, and the dark, long eyelashes that framed them complimented the blue in his eyes and brought out the maroon undertints beneath them. Winged eyebrows curved mildly upwards which softened his face and contrasted his cheekbones, and his mouth was filled with a latent essence of mischievousness, which served to heighten the angles of his face.

Masouna quietly observed the kid even as the kid observed him. This boy didn't look at all dangerous; in fact, he looked quite welcoming. Eyes moved down to grace the three slashes on each cheek, which gave the boy a curious foxlike characteristic. He analyzed the large blue eyes that stared up at him without wavering. Naruto—was it?—had a curious catlike tilt to his eyes which made them shimmer and change to iridescent shades of blue with a few speckles of vermillion in between.

It was then that Tsuyo abruptly finished his business and called attention, shaking long, dark locks out of his strict, catlike eyes. Masouna winked down at Naruto before attending to his leader, and Naruto took that as a cue to scamper over to Kimimaro's side. Kimimaro, earlier noticing the stares Masouna had given Naruto, wrapped one possessive arm around his waist and squeezed. Naruto, not understanding the underlying current of aggressiveness from the Kaguya, happily squeezed back, to the inward amusement of the watching Masouna. Just then, Tsuyo came back, firmly ushering both Kimimaro and Naruto by a shoulder.

"You will come with us to see the village headman." He informed the two. Kimimaro nodded serenely and moved his arm tighter around Naruto as they entered the village.

Tsuyo walked up to the seemingly resilient wall of snow and pressed his palm into the snow. Immediately runes grew and swelled from where his palm had lay, glowing a mystic, electric blue. The runes engulfed an entire portion of the wall to form a glowing, rune-wrought square in the shape of a door. The door pulsed once, then melted entirely to reveal the village within.

The village looked startlingly familiar, Naruto thought, as the door rose up behind them to make a complete wall once more. It looked a lot like Konoha in the midwinter. He could almost imagine Sasuke in the background, sulking as usual against a tree….no. Naruto shook his head. The past was the past, and nothing could change it. He was here on a mission. And perhaps, when the mission was finished, he would consider going back to Konoha. After all, there was still Tsunade-baa-chan to visit, and Jiraiya to thwart. Yes, that was it. Naruto giggled at the imagined look on the Hokage's face when she discovered he was still alive. And thought of the broken bones that would follow when she hugged him.

Kimimaro looked around him, quietly observing each and every detail of the village and memorizing all visible roads. If this village turned hostile, it would be useful to know a handy escape route. The Kaguya lifted his head and swept a gaze over the wall of ice that served as a barricade to invaders. A flicker caught his eye, and he zeroed in his gaze to that which lay beneath the wall. A thin layer of chakra was running through the wall, therefore strengthening it considerably. So this village housed shinobi. Well. This would turn out to very interesting indeed.

Just then a flicker caught his eye, and he whirled around just in time to catch a flash of brown. The village looked normal, and nothing seemed out of place, but Kimimaro suddenly got the vague feeling that someone was watching him. Well….Naruto was….but Naruto watching him didn't usually make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up like they were doing as of now. The flash caught at his peripheral vision again, and again he turned, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Kimimaro closed his eyes and heightened his senses, determined to catch the origin of the flashes.

The third flash he was ready for, and he turned just as the brown appeared again. A young girl gasped as his mint-green eyes alighted upon hers, and ducked immediately behind a pillar of snow, her eyes and the top of her nose just peeking around the pillar. From what he could tell, she was extremely shy, but at the age where she was just beginning to blossom into the woman she would someday become. The Kaguya cocked his head in amusement. He would see her again, of that he didn't doubt.

They were led down a series of snow-encrusted streets to a house located seemingly in the middle of the village. Tsuyo raised one brawny fist and knocked twice, paused, then three times more. A voice called out permission, and Tsuyo let himself in, beckoning Masouna, Kimimaro, and Naruto inside. He turned and quietly closed the door, then addressed the darkness before him.

"Sina-sama, it seems we have guests." The darkness ruffled in response, then a hand drew aside the navy-black curtain to reveal the contents inside.

A man sat on a sienna-brown pouf in the middle of the house, sipping a cup of hot chicory. As Tsuyo let himself in, the man raised piercing, sharp eyes the color of charcoal and acknowledged their presence, nodding slightly even as Naruto and Kimimaro, knowing good conduct was crucial, sunk into twin bows at his presence. Pale-blond hair hung about his face as he spoke in a deep baritone that sounded amazingly similar to Kyuubi's.

"You have arrived here bearing a purpose, yes?" Naruto, knowing better, drew back and let Kimimaro do the talking, who obliged.

"May we have the honor of speaking to you in private, Sima-sama?" Kimimaro asked in a low voice. Sima threw open the curtains all the way in response.

"I can trust Tsuyo and Masouna not to reveal any business we deal together." He said gravely. Masouna stirred once, the settled against a nearby corner. Kimimaro nodded.

"We have come to see you about the new record you hold to be put within the Scroll of Silence." He said. Naruto nodded to confirm his statement. Sima's eyes showed no change of expression.

"Many have come spinning the same tale, and all of them have been imposters. What makes you think I should trust you now?" At this, Naruto nonchalantly untied his forehead protector and lifted up his bangs. He turned to Kimimaro and grasped his hand, then muttered a sharp word under his breath and made a seal.

Both Naruto and Kimimaro started to glow, Kimimaro's essence a pale silver thread, while Naruto's a golden stream of light. Together, the two intertwined to mix into a silver-laced beam of yellow which then streamed into both bodies and coagulated at their forehead. Once again, the same cryptic seal appeared on both foreheads, burning a stark golden-blue against each brow. Both Tsuyo and Masouna gasped in awe as the aura vibrated around the two, illuminating them with transcendent colors. The headman's eyes widened and he immediately started forwards in a harsh, jerky manner. The Kaguya and the fox-child stared austerely back at Sima, the seals still freshly emblazoned on their foreheads.

"Now do you see? We are different. We do not lie." Naruto said. Sima pressed his mouth into a thin line.

"My grandfather told me, a long time ago, that when two comrades bearing that seal on their foreheads should come, I should ask to see them, and then submit them to a second test. You have passed the first one, which no one has done before, which has led me to believe that you are indeed the scrollbearers. But the second test yet remains; all precautions must be taken." He stood and let his crimson yukata slide down his shoulders, revealing plain clothes underneath. Onyx eyes glittered.

"Strip." The command was utterly void of innuendo. Naruto started forward.

"_What?_" Sima's face was perfectly straight.

"Strip."

"But—" He was stopped by Kimimaro.

"It is best to oblige him, Naruto. Think of it as humoring me." The Kaguya said with a smirk. Naruto's eyes flashed, but he deftly removed his clothing with a trace of a smile. Kimimaro did the same, adroitly sliding his yukata from his lean, lanky body and disposing of his pants. The two stood stark naked in front of Sima, who looked at naught but their faces.

"Now." He raised one hand in a seal and positioned the other's palm vertically towards the two before him.

The temperature, suddenly sensing a hostile force, made an extremely wise decision and retreated, suddenly making the room several degrees colder. A thin wisp of smoke began at the feet of the two unclothed beings, then disappeared. Naruto looked down at his feet and barely refrained from gasping; ice had engulfed all of his toes and was now creeping up to his ankles. He looked over at Kimimaro's feet and saw that the ice was doing the same exact thing, though Kimimaro stood stock-still, his face deadpan of all emotions, almost wooden in its countenance.

Naruto suddenly chomped down on his lip and refrained from crying out. He looked down at his ankle and was horrified to see that a crystal thorn had pierced his skin and was slowly embedding itself into his ankle. Cerulean-hued eyes widened in mortification as the tip of the thorn showed itself on the other side of his ankle, the tip stained blood-red. He considered struggling, but his body would respond, and he remained frozen in time as the ice slowly crept up to his knee, his thigh, his groin, and eventually his stomach, the occasional thorn impaling itself upon him and causing another barely restrained yelp of pain deep in his throat.

Kimimaro watched Naruto struggle as another thorn, this one larger than the rest, took him through the belly, carving past sinew and viscera to protrude out of his back. Naruto's expression faltered slightly, but he screwed up his face and looked straight ahead, expression impassive as if nothing was wrong, the only indication of his fear the blood running down from his mouth courtesy of a bitten lip. The left corner of the Kaguya's mouth twitched as two thorns grew and pierced him on either side, showing themselves on the opposite side, warm blood running down their tips. Kimimaro scowled inwardly. This was more like a form of torture than a test, but if it would get them their scroll, he was willing to go through harsher treatment than this.

Naruto forced himself not to scream as a thorn took him through the neck, sliding between artery and vein to come out on the other side. The ice was at his chin now, and he knew that in a few more minutes, it would completely engulf his entire body. He clamped his eyes shut as the ice flowed to meet at his head, then slanted a glance at Kimimaro. Kimimaro was frozen stiff as well, with a thorn protruding through his brain. Naruto craned his eyes up and saw that a thorn had taken _him_ through _his_ head as well. That was odd. If there was a thorn sticking out of his head, then why did he continue to exist?

For three whole minutes the two stood there, standing stock-still. Naruto felt his air running out, and screwed his eyes shut again as it became harder and harder to live. Then a terrifying thought occurred to him. Perhaps this wasn't just a test. Perhaps Sima had wanted to kill them all along. It certainly seemed like it, given the situation. A tear threatened to leak out of one crystalline eye. Iruka…Tsunade-baa-chan…Ero-Sennin…

No. No, he wouldn't die here. He had a dream to accomplish, a mission to complete. Cerulean eyes snapped open again, glistening with unleashed determination and _power_. Naruto summoned the last of his energy and strained against the ice bonds, making the veins on his arms stand out like thick cords fat with blood. He relaxed, then strained again. The ice gave, ever so slightly, but he was running quickly out of air. Already his vision was beginning to blur. Naruto screwed his eyes shut, then strained once more, pouring his will into the ice, integrating his soul into the ice and willing it to crack. He drew back, then attacked ferociously. With a sudden, snapping splintering noise, the ice that encased his left arm fell to shards, and the thorns that impaled it withdrew, leaving no mark, no wound, no blood. Air rushed into the hole the ice made, which graced Naruto with new strength.

The fox-child strained again, and this time the ice that held his right arm gave way and shattered, chunks of it falling to his feet. Now that he had both arms free, Naruto thinned his lips and ripped at the ice that surrounded his head. Once free, he shed the frozen jewelry, smirking triumphantly as he completely freed himself of the ice. Another cracking sound was heard, and he turned to see Kimimaro sloughing off his own ice bonds, his expression unreadable. Dusting the shards from his hair, the Kaguya softly asked Naruto about his health, then turned quietly and slipped on his clothes, Naruto doing the same. They both turned in quiet victory to the astonished Sima that sat before them. Kimimaro arched an elegant eyebrow.

"I do believe we have passed, yes?" There was an audible clunk as Sima's jaw abruptly detached itself and rolled away across the floor. Naruto picked it up and nonchalantly readjusted it for the headman, smiling cheerfully. It was many a moment that passed before Sima spoke.

"Never….in my whole life….no one has passed this test for more than six generations. And now that you, of all people, have passed…." Sima sank weakly to his knees, eyes oddly unfocused. Naruto, practical as usual, coughed rather loudly.

"Uhm….the scroll, please?" At this, Sima's onyx eyes cleared, and his tone suddenly became not much different from that of a salesman trying to please his customer.

"Yes, yes, of course, right away. You will wait, yes?" He turned and bustled hurriedly out of the room with a flourish.

Kimimaro and Naruto loitered lazily for many a moment before Sima reappeared with his arms wrapped tightly around a large scroll. He deposited it gently on the ground, then wiped his brow. Kimimaro delicately lifted an elegantly curved eyebrow at the scroll.

"I do suppose you have protected it with some sort of sealing jutsu?" He inquired lightly. Sima nodded.

"But of course. Well, it wasn't my doing; this has been in this village for six generations, and a village elder from a long time ago made the sealing jutsu, but I know how to undo it." He closed his eyes and concentrated. Kimimaro and Naruto waited expectantly, but to their surprise, Sima reopened his eyes and grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well…it's been so long…and nothing worth recording has been occurring in this village….so….uhm…." He grinned again. Naruto's eyes flashed incredulously.

"You simply can't be serious." He snapped sharply. Sima wilted in embarrassment, his grin widening.

"Sorry. I'm afraid I couldn't ever be more." He mumbled weakly. The temperature of the room shot down yet another thirty degrees as Kimimaro's mint-chips of eyes glared vindictively at the cowering headman. Tsuyo and Masouna shot each other twin glances of apprehension, then rapidly departed the house, and not a moment too soon.

There was a deafening explosion as a pair of well-toned lungs exercised their claim to fame.

"YOU STUPID FOOLISH ABSENT-MINDED SON OF A HALF-WHELPED BITCH! DO YOU KNOW JUST HOW MUCH WE'VE GONE THROUGH TO _GET_ TO THIS SCROLL!" Sima squeaked and squished himself into a nearby corner as the full rage of Uzumaki Naruto hit him point-blank in the gullet.

"I'm sorry….I'll try to remember…..really I will…." Cerulean eyes flashed dangerously as Naruto stalked angrily to the headman and nudged him out of the way with one swift kick where it hurt.

"Out of my way. I'll fix it myself." There was a flurry of navy-blue cloak as the blond whirlwind settled himself in front of the scroll. Naruto closed his eyes and withdrew to the murky waters in front of the cage that housed the Kyuubi.

"Oi, baka kitsune. Wake up." A growl answered him as the great demon alighted one wine-hued eye upon the boy before him.

"**I told you that you might encounter problems along your way. Not to worry. I haven't lived for seven thousand years for nothing."** The deep honey-smooth baritone said with a trace of a smirk in its voice.

Naruto suddenly felt his hands acting of their own accord, running through a complicated list of seals. A silver-tipped kunai appeared in his hand, which he used to slit through the glowing jutsu that bound the scroll. It opened easily, exposing extremely complicated kanji written in minute handwriting. Naruto gawked in horrified disbelief at such troublesome writing as Kimimaro leaned forward curiously to inspect the scroll as well. Sima stared.

"You know how to undo the binding jutsu?" He asked in awe. Naruto grinned.

"I had help. This scroll is now in our possession, yes?" He asked. Sima nodded rapidly.

"Good."

Kimimaro made a single seal, then muttered something under his breath. The scroll slowly shrunk until it was roughly half the size it was earlier. Another muttered word summoned a thread-thin belt of delicate silk, which quickly wrapped itself around his slender waist. A ring of pure, beaten gold attached itself to the scroll and immediately slid onto the silken belt, letting the scroll rest safely against his side. The Kaguya nodded tartly, then turned to Sima.

"Our….informant….told us you knew the location of the next scroll. Would you be so kind as to take us there, please?" At that, Sima bit his lip, eyes deep in thought. After a while, he looked up.

"Masouna knows the way; his great-great grandfather was once a very good friend of the village founder's grandson. I'll bid him to guide you to your goal."

The aforementioned Masouna, who was listening intently at the door, immediately took the hint and entered the house, offering his services to the headman. Sima smiled, repeated his orders, and lightly dropped an extremely articulate hint filled with elegant words and curlicues that it would be oh so very lovely if the two honored scrollbearers would have the pleasure of partaking of the hospitality his village had to offer. Kimimaro shot a glance filled with amusement at Naruto, then accepted with an equally eloquent reply of acceptance, which immediately delighted Sima. Tsuyo just grunted and went off to herald the news to the rest of the village.

* * *

Long chappie to make up for the long wait 


	8. Light by the Fire

Chapter 7: Light by the Fire

Back in Konoha

"TSUNADE-SAMA!"

A cry rang through the air, separating the silence like a sword through flesh. Sakura plowed down the Anbu guard standing post in front of the office and practically yanked the door clear off its hinges as she careened into the room. Tsunade blinked a bleary eye and surveyed the female pink entity before her with utter nonchalance.

"What now?" She asked calmly. Sakura let out a cry of exasperation at the lazy tone of the female Sannin.

"NARUTO'S GONE! HE DISAPPEARED! When we woke up in the morning, he was not in his tent and then Kakashi went to look for him but couldn't find anything so Sasuke was sent to look for him but we don't have any clue as to where he had gone so then—"

"Silence." The word was sharp and filled with utter command. Sakura promptly shut up.

"I know what happened." Sakura blinked.

"What?" She said breathlessly. Tsunade repeated her response.

"But how?"

"Pakkun came and gave me the details. Don't worry about it. Naruto will be okay." She said with soft confidence. Sakura tore yet another clump of pink hair out of her head in frustration.

"Naruto. Is. Gone. HOW CAN YOU JUST SIT THERE AND ACT LIKE YOU DON'T CARE!" She shrieked. The blonde woman opposite her smiled sassily.

"He's a ninja. He can take care of himself." She said carelessly.

"But he might be kidnapped, or killed, or—"

"Believe in him, Sakura. He's not as weak as you think." She smiled.

"And besides, I know where he's gone. He's a remarkable thing, that child." There was a deafening crash as Sakura's jaw crashed down three stories of building and plummeted down to the ground.

"WHAT! WHERE DID HE GO! HOW CAN WE FIND HIM?" Tsunade flapped an irritated hand.

"Calm down. I absolutely forbid you to search for him. He needs to do this alone. And no," she said as Sakura opened her mouth to respond. "I won't tell you where he's gone. It's strictly confidential, and perhaps the entire world depends on his mission. And no," she said again, as Sakura got ready to reply "I didn't assign him the mission, so I don't know the full details, but Pakkun told me what he knew, being associated with the workings of nature. And no," Sakura snapped her mouth shut. "He is not in danger of being killed. He can take care of himself, though there will be harsh obstacles he'll have to overcome. And _no_," Tsunade sighed as Sakura's mouth twitched again. "Don't even _try_ to ask Pakkun. He knows it's a crucial mission, and I've sworn him to silence with a sealing jutsu, so if I find out he's dead due to giving you the answer out of interrogation techniques, I shall _kill you myself, understand?_ The world depends on Naruto now. And I won't have you dallying in matters you don't understand. You may take leave." She said tartly. Sakura bowed and let herself out, cheeks flushed with shock and humiliation at the sudden turn of events.

That Night

A blazing bonfire illuminated the clearing, sending sparks and shadows dancing across the faces of the people before it, illuminating undertints of color from anything the firelight cast upon. Flames crackled merrily, spreading foreign warmth to the normally frigid village. Kimimaro and Naruto were wrapped snugly in layers of furs and blankets, sipping hot soup that trickled down their throats and seemed to warm the very core of their souls. Sima sat on a rock adjacent to Naruto, smiling and talking with any random villager. All seemed well at the celebration festival in honor of the two legendary scrollbearers.

A rustle of clothing was heard, and Masouna elegantly perched himself by Naruto's side with a stirring of mahogany cloth that emphasized the light hazel-hued tints that streaked down his hair. He folded his cloak in gentle waves around him and sipped his broth in silence, smoky blue eyes twinkling roguishly as he captured Naruto's gaze with his own. The fox-child held the stare defiantly, then turned and deftly tipped what was left of his broth down his throat as a silent retort. Kimimaro smirked inwardly at the blond's response. It seemed like Masouna hadn't succeeded in ensnaring Naruto; for some strange, obscurre reason, the Kaguya felt a streak of victory fill his veins at that thought. The streak widened into a river as Naruto, sensing Kimimaro needed companionship, snuggled himself into the crook of his arm, purring gently as he shoved his nose into the Kaguya's slim neck. The river promptly became a flood, dripping fire into Kimimaro's veins.

Masouna smiled impishly as Naruto snuggled into Kimimaro's neck, carefully watching the Kaguya's face. Though the silver-haired's face remained completely apathetic, his eyes were alive with whirling emotions that completely opened up his soul. Masouna laughed low in his throat. Well. This would be interesting, indeed it would be. He looked across to the girl eyeing Kimimaro and Naruto with jealousy, shaking his head hopelessly. Poor Shada. Indeed she was at the age where she desperately wanted a man; unfortunately, she was too shy to approach anyone. And yet….the way her eyes alighted upon the silver-haired foreigner, Masouna had a vague feeling in his stomach that she'd actually do something about it this time. And given the fact that Kimimaro had his sights set on the blond, fox-like boy, whom he, Masouna, secretly coveted himself….oh yes, things would turn out to be extremely interesting indeed. He would immensely enjoy watching how things turned out. Love (or at least infatuation) was always an extremely amusing spectacle.

A flash caught his eye, and Kimimaro turned to see the same brown-haired girl staring raptly at him, unconsciously shredding her mittens to shreds as she eyed him. He caught her gaze with his own; she flushed a deep, carmine red and whipped around to stare at the fire, biting one pale lip. A slim, slender eyebrow shot up to mid-brow. That was quite an interesting stare. After contemplating what it meant for a span of three minutes, Kimimaro decided not to make much of it and wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist, settling closer to the boy.

He looked again at the girl, just in time to see her whip her head away again, an unreadable but undoubtedly painful glitter in her pale gray eyes. That was odd. He didn't reckon he'd hurt her….but then again, women were fickle creatures. Utterly unpredictable, even. He brushed it off as a stage she was going through, then settled his chin into the unruly nest of heaven-spun gold and lowered his eyes to half-mast, the satisfaction of a meal and a triumph relaxing his nerves and calming his soul. And to top it all off, he had an angelic, mystical fox-child nestled gently in his arms….if Sima suddenly decided to order his execution right on the spot for some random, nonexistent, and utterly obscure reason, at least he could die a happy soul.

A thought occurred to him. He adjusted Naruto in his arms and turned to Masouna, green-frosted eyes glazed with question.

"Who is that girl over there?" He inquired stoically. Masouna smirked inwardly. Things were progressing rapidly, that they were.

"She is Shada, Sima's daughter. Shy little thing, she is; I wonder if I could ask of you a favor?" He quipped lightly. Kimimaro merely flicked an eyelash.

"My answer depends on the favor." He said solemnly. Masouna smiled amiably, misty-blue eyes glittering with hidden mischief.

"Would you make some attempt to get to know her, please? She's awfully lonely, because she's so shy." Kimimaro twitched in response.

"Do I honestly look like the type of person who is socially comfortable?" He retorted patronizingly. Masouna chuckled.

"Well, no…but I'm guessing you could improve your social skills as well if you get to know her." He said lightly. Kimimaro shifted a now-sleeping Naruto in his arms.

"I have no use for social skills, and well you know it." He said contemptuously. The brunette smiled.

"Well, give it a shot. After all, how bad can you do, ne?" Masouna snickered playfully, earning a condescending glare from the Kaguya.

"Very well, I shall follow out this task. But we must be leaving soon to collect the next scroll, so I highly suspect this favor you have asked me to do won't benefit either of us in any way whatsoever." He spat derisively. Masouna laughed.

"Who knows….one day may make all the difference in the world. Why don't you start now?" He asked. Kimimaro recoiled.

"_Now?_ If you haven't noticed, I have a sleeping boy in my arms as of the moment." He said. Masouna held out his arms in response.

"Well then, I'll take him off of your hands for you."

"No. Naruto stays with me." Kimimaro refused, clutching Naruto to him protectively. Masouna flapped a mock-irritated hand.

"Oh, nonsense. Go now…you'll find Shada waiting for you."

And indeed, a pair of smoke-hued eyes had once again fixed themselves on the handsome silver-haired foreigner they so hungrily wanted. Kimimaro sighed as he was jabbed towards her by a toe in the small of his back. He spun and grabbed the offending ankle that was connected to the toe and twisted it in a highly unnatural angle. Masouna cried out softly as Kimimaro tightened his hold by a factor of four.

"Prod me again and I solemnly swear I'll break more than that." He warned calmly, then turned and strode towards Shada. Masouna managed a ghost of a smile.

"Plucky lad, isn't he?" He turned and looked at the sleeping Naruto, cradled so gently in his arms. A glitter appeared briefly in indigo orbs, and he raised a hand, softly stroking back a lock of wheat-bronze hair and kissed the forehead under it.

"Oh my poor Naruto….how oblivious you are….you know not of the full extent of your mesmerizing charm…."

There was a swirl of cream, and Kimimaro settled himself beside Shada, sipping a cup of chicory in silence. Shada let out something between a squeal and a start, immediately blushed five shades of deep red, and snapped her eyes to the ground, suddenly finding great, undying interest in the snow. Kimimaro slanted her a glance out of the corner of one eye. Shy indeed….she reminded him of Naruto when he first met him. Oh well….he might as well make some attempt to talk to her. He had, after all, promised Masouna he would, though why he did was beyond his comprehension. It must've been the chicory. He looked down at his cup, eyeing it with disdain. Naruto said something about chicory once before….he couldn't remember now, after all, that was seven years ago….

There was a faint cough beside him, and he turned to sneak a subtle glance at Shada. She peered up at him through long, dark eyelashes which highly complimented her light-gray eyes. After making several attempts to speak (which he found highly amusing), she managed a weak greeting.

"So….so, why are you here?" She asked in a soft, timid voice. Kimimaro strained his ears. He briefly considered the notion of telling her the truth, but decided against it and opted for a more reasonable answer.

"The fire is warmer." He said casually. She blushed yet again and warmed her hands against it in response.

"O-oh. Well…." There was an imminent pause as she struggled to find words.

"How…how do you like our village?" Kimimaro looked up, then sighed softly.

"All this snow reminds me of when I first met him. I confess that I rather do take a liking to it….but one mustn't get attached to such places when one is a wanderer." He said tactfully. Shada smiled.

"You don't have a set home to go to?" Kimimaro shook his head.

"No….I travel and seek shelter whenever it's available." He said. Shada probed softly, her voice hesitant.

"Well…you could stay here with us." She offered. The Kaguya shook his head.

"I have a mission to accomplish. I also have to take care of him." This caught the girl's attention.

"Who?" She asked curiously. Kimimaro flicked a slender finger at Naruto's sleeping form on the other side of the fire in response.

"Naruto. He is my companion." He said. Shada nodded slowly.

"Where are you going, and for what purpose?" The silver-haired figure shook his head.

"I cannot tell you. It's highly confidential." Shada smiled.

"Then I won't press you." Kimimaro stretched.

"Good. I'd appreciate it if you didn't." The brunette giggled at his stark honesty. A long period of silence passed before she spoke.

"Uhm….when you're finished with your mission….will you come back here?" She prodded timidly. The Kaguya sighed.

"It's highly unlikely. My companion needs to report back to his village. And I…"

At this, Kimimaro paused, suddenly confused. What indeed, would he do once his mission was over? Would he and Naruto part ways once more, him to travel and Naruto to stay in his village? Would they roam the earth together, seeking new sights? He had no idea how loyal Naruto was to his village, but he knew that if Naruto was loyal to something, he'd stick by it regardless of the consequences. And if he was indeed loyal to his village….if he indeed chose to remain inside of it….would Kimimaro ever be able to forget the blond fox-child, or the feelings that were induced whenever he was near him?

Shada smiled sadly at the figure before her, watching on with sympathy as he battled his conflicting emotions. Slight fingers reached out and stroked his shoulder gently.

"You know….you can always make this village yours. We would be happy to accept you." _At least I would_, she thought. Kimimaro looked up, eyes glittering with an unreadable expression.

"The future is clouded. We do not know whether we will even survive this mission." He said softly.

"If you were not meant to survive this mission, then the person who gave you the mission wouldn't have given it to you if he or she did not deem you worthy, correct?" She said sagely. Kimimaro sighed.

"You are correct, I do suppose…."

The rest of the night, the two sat in silence as the warm buzz of various conversations floated lazily through the air. Naruto slept in silence against Masouna's shoulder, immersed in a deep, peaceful sleep that somehow accommodated to the relaxed air of satisfaction and warmth the village gave off. Everyone was content, well fed, and happy, and a mutual feeling of warmth and contentment settled over the village. Even Kimimaro himself felt at ease, and allowed a small, warm smile grace his lips as Shada laughed to his right.

So relaxed were they that they failed to notice the malevolent glitter in Sima's cobalt orbs.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait...my damn net was down AGAIN! sobs 


	9. Twisted Intentions

Gomen...next chappie..will explain below.

That Night

A shadowy figure pressed itself up against a snow-sleeked wall, edging stealthily along to a nearby building. The figure withdrew a thin, deadly stiletto crept into the streets, melting into the shadows and darkness. Though all was well in the village, with unsuspecting citizens sleeping quite soundly in their beds, there was a certain air of restlessness harbored in the stealthy figure that somehow disrupted the calm. The shadow slithered and slid up to a certain hut, where it quietly opened the door and ducked inside, the stiletto glinting ominously in its hand. The figure glided silently over to two blanket-shrouded figures sleeping peacefully in the darkness and bent, raising its knife to plunge into the nearest one. The unseen face contorted into an awful, macabre snarl of vicious rage as the knife plunged downwards.

There was a flash of light, and the knife embedded itself cleanly into the pile of blankets.

The figure felt a jerk, and suddenly its head snapped backwards as an unseen force clamped an iron-tight grip around its neck. A light flared, and Naruto's grim face was illuminated by a ball of blue flame held in his hand. Kimimaro gritted his teeth as he kept a firm hold on the struggling figure clothed in black, snaking an arm around the waist to restrain the violent thrashing. The being went limp, and flopped lifelessly in the Kaguya's arms. Naruto scowled in confusion.

"Why would anyone have any reason to attack us? We did nothing to harm them." He said spitefully.

Kimimaro felt a sharp jerk, and a moment later, the shadow twisted out of his arms and leapt for the doorway. Naruto snarled and extended the flame he held in his hand, so that one long lick of fire wrapped around the man's throat and tightened. The flame flickered briefly, and the black cloth mask that shrouded his face was immediately burned away. White-bleached hair tumbled messily from beneath the mask, as Sima turned to face the two, an enraged expression of fury carved onto his hawk-like features. Naruto gasped.

"You!" He exclaimed. Sima graced him with a withering glare, returning his outburst in silence.

"Why do you wish us dead?" At this, the headman spat to the side.

"I have seen the way your corrupt minds work. You covet my village, and in doing so, you try to worm your way to power by ensnaring my daughter. I have seen fools more cunning than you. I know how your minds work. You really want this village, and all that we have." He spat ferociously. Kimimaro scowled, mint-chips of eyes glittering in quiet, silent anger.

"We have a mission to complete. Why do you think we want to capture your village? Are you so blind that you see we have no lust for power?" He enunciated fiercely. Sima's eyes flashed.

"That gives you no reason to seduce my daughter!" He spat vociferously.

"That was not of my doing; Masouna only wished to relieve her of her petrifying shyness by instructing me to speak with her. I do not covet your daughter, not then, and not now." Kimimaro hissed. Sima's eyes widened.

"But…but then…Tsuyo said…." He abruptly broke off, biting his lip. A feral glimmer appeared in Naruto's crystalline orbs.

"And just what did Tsuyo tell you?" The fox-child snarled icily. Sima gulped, his throat bobbing nervously.

"W-well…"

Just then the door burst open with a crash, and the brawny man of question came thundering in himself, fern-green eyes scintillating angrily. He thrust an accusing finger at Kimimaro and Naruto, his voice booming around the small house.

"Sima-sama, these two are usurpers, trying to capture your village through the seduction of your daughter! Don't trust them; I have seen them begin to carry out their plot. They must be executed immediately." At this, both Kimimaro's emerald eyes and Naruto's clear blue orbs tainted several shades darker, and the temperature in the room took a decidedly downward tangent.

"How dare you accuse us of this when you have no valid proof?" The Kaguya hissed.

"I can see it in your eyes; all fools and bandits have your kind of look. Don't take me for a fool, or you'll pay dearly for it." Tsuyo warned as he slid a thin katana out of a hidden sheath.

With a venomous howl of war, the dark-haired man flung himself at Kimimaro, arm outstretched, the blade of his sword reaching hungrily for the Kaguya. Kimimaro tripped lightly backwards and deftly split the sword straight down the middle with a well-aimed flick of a bone, his grey yukata floating elegantly around him. The sword was flung to the side, and Kimimaro triumphantly held his withdrawn scapula to Tsuyo's fleshy neck.

"You do not stand a chance of beating me at that level." A grating sound was heard, and Tsuyo promptly crumbled into snow at Kimimaro's feet. Pine-hued eyes widened in shock.

"Kawarimi? So then he's a shinobi."

The door suddenly burst open and two wolves of ice shot into the room, quickly encircling both Naruto and Kimimaro. They elongated and coiled themselves around the two, then shot out into the darkness, illuminating it with an eerie white light. Tsuyo stood with his arms crossed, a wailing winter wind surrounding his being. A frigid, triumphant smile was etched into his features.

"Do not be so sure you will survive." He spat harshly.

Kimimaro struggled once, and went limp. Naruto cried out in alarm as the saw the Kaguya droop, then went slack himself after one squeeze of the ice-wolf. Tsuyo threw back his head and howled out maniacal laughter, but his victory was short-lived. There was a poof, and both Kimimaro and Naruto promptly turned into logs. Tsuyo jumped back in surprise.

"What!"

A cracking sound was heard, and the wolves were torn apart. Naruto had a flaming Rasengan spinning in each hand, and Kimimaro wielded two long, dangerous bones, his torso bare to the howling blizzard. Tsuyo gritted out a curse and quickly made a hand seal, a large, dangerous, and extremely deadly-looking spiked ice boomerang forming in his hand. He reared and flung it at Naruto with a shriek of anger, great black eyes glittering vindictively. At the very last second, Kimimaro shot in front of the fox-child, his spinal column at the ready, and deftly slashed through the boomerang with one quick downward thrust. Even Naruto gaped.

"You did that with ONE BONE!" He yelped. The Kaguya smirked.

"Apparently you have not witnessed the true extent of my potential." Kimimaro quipped a little bit too casually.

Naruto caught the hint, and together twin smirks of mischief appeared on both faces as they snickered down at Tsuyo's infuriated form. Naruto and Kimimaro landed side by side and immediately seated themselves upon a nearby log, each crossing their legs atop one another. Kimimaro made a quick, secret hand seal and an invisible shield of chakra sprung up around them, protecting them against the blows of the incensed Tsuyo. Naruto calmly examined his fingernails, while Kimimaro started cleaning his with the tip of one bone.

"So, Kimimaro, how's the weather on your end?" Naruto said lightly.

"Not bad….a bit cool, but not bad." Kimimaro responded with a perfectly straight face, digging a bone tip into his ring finger's cuticle and dislodging a chunk of dirt with a flick of his wrist. Naruto nodded, then spat on his nails and began to polish them. Tsuyo gnashed his teeth at the overly-nonchalant manner in which the two were in and created a gigantic ice-spear which he flung at the two. Said spear bounced harmlessly off of the shield with a small cracking sound. The fox-child barely flicked an eyelash.

"You're very lucky that it's cool over there. I'm dreadfully hot here….these damn winds, you can never tell." He chirped cheerfully. Veins stood out on their opponent's neck, rising like bread in an oven. With a twist of his dark-haired head, Tsuyo reared back and spat icicles at their direction, running in closer as he did. His efforts were in vain; the deadly shards of solid water bounced off of the shield with a plethora of clinking scrapes. Naruto yawned as if this were the most boring thing in the world.

"Well…I can't stay long….I'm supposed to rid myself of a little pest soon…care to join me?" He asked casually. Kimimaro yawned as well.

"I do suspect that will provide ample amusement. There's nothing better to do in these parts anyway." The Kaguya intoned, standing up and cracking his shoulder. The chakra shield dropped and Tsuyo, seeing this, careened after the two with renewed strength.

A piercing scream sounded in the night, shattering the still darkness of the village.

"You will stop this instant!" A female voice rang out.

Onyx eyes widened, and Tsuyo fell to the ground in obeisance to the speaker. Shada stood tall in the wintry blizzard, gray eyes blazing with unrestrained fury so unlike her previous, timid self. With firm, measured steps, she strode to the prostrated sentry and lifted him to his feet by one thin hand around his collar. Sudden rage flashed in her eyes, and Shada cracked a sharp, powerful blow across his cheek with the flat of her palm. With the mark still stinging on his face, she drove him yet again to the ground with harsh, scalding blows until he knelt once more in the cold, frosty snow, tears of humiliation streaming unchecked down his eyes. The headman's daughter showed no mercy, striking him again and again until finally a deep, raw-red gash formed across his left cheekbone from her fingernails. Just as the first drops of blood from the wound tainted the snow with a bright carmine color, Shada withdrew her hand and placed it on her hip in silent wrath. Her words made the frost-howling blizzard seem torrid.

"How dare you dishonor our guests by attacking them in such a manner, Tsuyo?" Each word was laced with steel-chips and grapeshot as they shot out of her mouth with slow, unrelenting calm.

"My mistress, I beg your forgiveness….but they only serve to corrupt you with lust and, through you, capture the village." He said gravely. Shada's mouth thinned into a dark line.

"You would assume such an abysmal motive as to why they sojourn here?" She intoned. Naruto winced. It would have been better if she'd screamed.

"My lady, have you not observed how the white-haired one made an attempt at friendliness during the bonfire?" Tsuyo retorted with all due respect.

"I had asked Masouna to perhaps convince him to. Sometimes you worry too much about me, Tsuyo, therefore hindering my social health; I have to find ways of interacting with people at some point in my life, else I wouldn't be fit for someday ruling this village." She shot back. Tsuyo let out a silent gasp, then touched his head to her feet.

"I truly am sorry, my lady. Please forgive me; I shall do anything in my power, if you wish it, to make it up to you." He gritted out. Shada's lips curved upwards.

"Very well. They will need a guide to their next village; let Masouna escort them. I place my full trust in his being." She said silkily. Tsuyo made obeisance once more, then disappeared.

Shada stared after his retreating form, a cryptic look in her pale gray eyes. For a moment they glazed over with a rather wistful look, almost as if she were desperately saddened, but then reverted back to normal as the girl swept her stare over Kimimaro and Naruto. She sighed and smiled wanly at the two before her.

"I'm sorry about that…he's a good soul, really he is." She said shyly. Naruto stared in disbelief at the sudden change of attitude.

"O-oh….well….if you say so…then we shan't contradict you….after all, you know him better than we do…and…" He gasped as he received a ribful of elbow from the Kaguya. Kimimaro shot him an immensely dirty stare; Shada just laughed.

"I'm quite used to it; don't worry, Naruto-kun." She smiled. Naruto grinned back, displaying impressive rows of teeth.

"We really must be going….we have a good deal of scrolls to locate…" At that, Shada perked up.

"Oh yes." She turned and called a single word into the night.

A brief blizzard blew up, then dissipated to reveal a figure enshrouded in regal robes of a black-indigo hue. Slender alabaster fingers elegantly caught at the sides of the hood and lowered it with a flamboyant yet subtle motion. Liquid auburn-tainted hair cascaded down the back and the brunette shook back his locks, ruffling the silken black waterfall which served as clothing. The cloak stirred with an elegant flourish, hinting at a long and lustrously toned body which almost seemed to be poured into the iridescent folds of soft velvet. Naruto almost swallowed his tongue, which had somehow developed a rather odd layer of grit on the surface.

Masouna's glasses glinted as he winked salaciously at the aforementioned blondee, who immediately flushed an extremely interesting shade of pale pastel pink despite the cold, frigidly frosty weather. A slight stir caught at the Naruto's peripheral vision and he turned to gaze at Kimimaro, a brief frown marring his features. Was it his imagination, or were the Kaguya's eyes glinting a little more than usual at the newcomer? The fox-child decided not to care and resulted to looping his arms around Kimimaro's waist. A split second later, he blinked rapidly and swiped at his eyes with an irritable flick of one supple wrist. Now the glint was happening with Masouna…the fox-child shrugged resignedly, blaming the snow and lack of sleep for his faulty eyes.

"Are we ready to go?" He chirped happily. The brunette of question smiled.

"Of course." He turned to Shada and bowed deeply, dark hair falling in front of both cheekbones.

"My lady, if you'll give us leave."

Shada smiled wistfully at the quartet before her, an odd shine in her eyes. The corners of her lips tugged the smile even wider as Naruto flashed both sets of teeth in her direction in a somewhat reassuring manner. She padded across the snow and laid an arm on Masouna's shoulder, a silent look passing between the both of them. That being done, she turned and tweaked Naruto playfully on the nose, laughing softly as he sneezed, then stroked her fingers across Kimimaro's cloak.

"May you have a safe and successful journey."

With that, she whirled quietly and wasted away into the night.

Three Months Later

A wind blew lightly across the landscape, rustling hair and clothing.

Abruptly Kimimaro, Naruto, and Masouna turned tail and ran like hell was licking at their heels.

"IT'S A SANDSTORM! WE HAVE TO GET AWAY!" Naruto cried, panting wildly at his frantic effort to escape. Kimimaro skated across the crystalline desert sand next to him, looking for all the world like he was enjoying a nice, hot cup of tea. The Kaguya arched one finely sculpted eyebrow in silent, private mirth at the fox-child's plight.

"It's a sandstorm, Naruto. I beg to believe that such a _skilled_ ninja like yourself can easily outrun it." At this, Naruto, being Naruto, stopped dead in his tracks and glared furiously at Kimimaro.

"You could at least keep the blatant sarcasm out of your voice!" He shot back. Masouna backtracked and came to a stop next to the blonde.

"Terribly sorry to interrupt this enchantingly mundane conversation, but we have a sandstorm to survive." He said lightly, crooking a slender finger at the furious, raging whirlwind. Naruto craned his head around to look at the rapidly approaching promise of destruction behind him.

"Oh yeaaaahhhhh….."

And with that, the trio resumed their mad dash across the fine sands of the desert.

Five Minutes Later

A wind blew lightly across the landscape, rustling hair and clothing.

"Soooooooo…."

Kimimaro blinked. Masouna shifted uncomfortably.

"Where are we now?" Naruto asked, a maddeningly innocent look on his foxlike features.

"Somewhere in the desert, no doubt." Kimimaro said in a deeply incredulous tone directed squarely at the blonde's mundanely idiotic quip. Naruto scowled.

"I'm not stupid. Let me figure out exactly WHERE in the desert we are."

The fox-child bent down placed one grubby paw on the ground, fingernails quickly encrusting with sienna-hued sand. A split second later, he stood up, a large, toothy grin smeared over his face.

"I know a friend who lives around here. Let's go and visit him." He chirped happily, then skipped off through the scalding landscaping, leaving erratic footprints in his wake. With a sigh at the constant unrelenting stamina of the fox-child, both Kimimaro and Masouna grudgingly followed.

* * *

Sorry for the ultra-long wait, but I was busy...plus my internet has been down...so yeah. Compensation. No, this story has not been discontinued; I have every intention of continuing. 


	10. Revolution

For all of you who thought that I honestly wouldn't continue this fic, well, guess what? BRAND NEW CHAPPIE! (bows) I'm sorry for this fic being on such a long hiatus...but...I had a really really really bad case of writer's block...

So I'm terribly sorry.

But I still do have every intention of continuing this fic.

Chapter 10: Revolution

Suna

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARA! GAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARA GAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARAGAARA!

The whole of Sunagakure winced and covered its ears as a pair of finely-toned lungs exercised their legendary prowess.

And said Gaara in question wasn't particularly pleased that yet another large, ugly splotch had been added to his already maimed reputation by letting the village assume he was acquainted with such a raucous, undoubtedly annoying fox-child.

His sand wasn't too pleased either.

Naruto yelped as the ocher substance wrapped itself none too gently around his foot and hoisted him into the air through a nearby window. He briefly caught sight of a shock of violent carmine hair and a pair of dark-rimmed eyes before the sand jerked him forward sand stopped just mere centimeters away from the aforementioned eyes. Which were looking quite glacial at the moment; not a good thing at all, since Naruto was more than aware what his body might look like if the owner of those eyes got pissed off any further. Pale lips formed words that flayed Naruto alive with their edge.

"Do you have any idea of how close I am to ripping out your entrails right now?" Gaara asked in a soft, silkily dangerous tone. To his surprise, Naruto grinned and held up a forefinger and thumb, separated by only a millimeter of space.

Gaara scowled heavily. Naruto promptly withered in the sand's firm grasp.

"Uhm…lucky guess?" He squeaked timidly. Gaara's scowl deepened.

"Oi, Gaara, don't kill the kid." A lazy voice intoned in the next room. A pair of crystalline-blue eyes and a pair of mint-frosted ones immediately shot to the direction of the speaker. Temari smirked lazily at the sight of Naruto dangling from the sand.

"Know this, ignorant twerp. Whenever Gaara asks a question, it's always rhetorical." She said in a dangerously lazy tone. Naruto nodded rapidly from where he hung.

"U-understood…" At this, Gaara's sand promptly loosened, dumping Naruto none-too-gently on his head. The blonde stood up and got right to the point.

"I assume you've heard from Shukaku?" At this, Masouna's glasses glinted as he raised a delicate eyebrow. Both the Kyuubi and Shukaku, eh? Powerful allies these kids would be. And with a renowned bloodline bearer to boot…he couldn't have asked for better partners.

"He has informed me of my task." Gaara said stoically. Kimimaro nodded.

"Then we must depart. These scrolls must be found as soon as possible, or I highly suspect other corrupt clans who know of the Scroll of Silence will try to steal them first." Gaara nodded in response and disappeared in a swirl of sand. Naruto looked around curiously.

"He's waiting for you outside," Temari quipped, flicking a finger towards the window. And indeed, Gaara was perched most seriously on a floating cloud of sand. Naruto nodded his thanks, and the quartet disappeared, to follow Kyuubi's directions to their next scroll.

Seven months passed by rapidly, and finally on one fine spring morning, the last scroll was found.

Kimimaro, Naruto, Masouna, and Gaara trekked their way down the obsolete hill, the Kaguya threading the last scroll through the belt at his waist as Masouna, Gaara, and Naruto kept a lookout for intruders. A long silence passed, until the blonde decided to speak.

"Ne…how many scrolls do we have left to find?" He asked innocently. Kimimaro's face broke out into one of his rare smiles.

"That's all, Naruto. Our mission is complete; now all we have to do is locate Kaiden." He said. Blue eyes widened and dilated in shock.

"Reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllyyyyyyyyy?" A corner of Gaara's mouth twisted in response to the long, drawn-out word.

"Yes."

The ground promptly exploded as Naruto skyrocketed into the air, feet pedaling wildly as he let free an earsplitting yelp.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!" He came back down to earth none too gently, and it was only Gaara's sand that stopped him from completely dissolving his bones. Naruto looked up from under gilded bronze lashes, slanting a doe-eyed glance up at Kimimaro's face.

"Sooooooooo….." he purred. The Kaguya nervously swallowed, mysteriously forgetting how to breathe. "How do we go about finding Kaiden?"

"I should think you would know. After all, you're the one who houses our informant." Masouna said delicately. Naruto pouted.

"But…he's asleep right now….and I don't wanna wake him up, since he might get cranky and eat me…."

"You know Kyuubi wouldn't do such a thing. Now get inside that thick head of yours and ask him." Gaara intoned in an all-too-deadpan voice. Flicking an indignant tongue at the redhead, the blonde closed his eyes and concentrated. Eventually brows smoothed out and Naruto's face slackened into a peaceful, almost serene expression.

Kimimaro, Gaara, and Masouna watched over anxiously, each straining to find some sort of signal from Naruto that things were progressing well. Wheat-bronze brows suddenly furrowed, sending a wave of panic resonating throughout three bodies, but then lips curved up in a gentle smile, and that more than anything greatly reassured the trio that Naruto had hit upon the right answer. As if on cue, dazzling blue eyes graced the world with their presence once more.

"He says we have to make our way towards the North again. There's supposed to be a priestess…her name's Ren-san….and she supposedly is the gatekeeper to the entrance to Kaiden." Kimimaro dismissively shrugged a lean, lanky shoulder.

"Is that all? I had expected Kaiden to be a bit more concealed…." To his surprise, Naruto winked, lips twisting into a triumphant smirk.

"Ah, but that IS the hard part. This priestess apparently cannot be seen or sensed by humans or demons. And we don't even know whether she's a human herself, so that will be twice as difficult. Kyuubi himself didn't know. All he said was to travel north, and the last time I checked, there's quite a fair amount of north in the world." Naruto quipped lightly.

"Would it do any good for us to split up? I could connect us together with a chakra threadline…" Masouna offered helpfully. Naruto quashed the offer with a somewhat mournful shake of his head.

"No…we have to be together. Captain's orders." He said mischievously, passing a hand over his stomach.

"So how are we going to do it?" Kimimaro asked. Naruto leaned back against a nearby tree, a very self-satisfied smirk smeared like excrement on poor-quality toilet paper all over his face.

"I have a theory. This priestess cannot be seen or sensed by a human or demon, right? This is just a hunch, but…here, I'll have to explain." He knelt down and started tracing in the dirt with a nearby stick.

"The average shinobi has a normal chakra circulatory system, correct? When the shinobi executes any sort of jutsu, the chakra expels itself, leaving a mark." He finished his diagram, then moved on to another spare patch of dirt.

"The chakra is being constantly replenished by a combination of mental and physical energy, yes? However, if you reach a certain level of skill, you can draw energy from the very elements themselves without having to rely on chakra." He looked up with a wink.

"So I'm guessing that this priestess, Ren-san, has already reached that level. When one reaches such a high stage of skill, one no longer needs chakra. If you don't need chakra, there's no need to keep it stored in your body anymore…" and here he paused for dramatic effect. "So if I'm right, Ren-san has already expelled all the chakra out of her body, and is now using her physical and mental energies for much higher skills, like, for instance, making herself untraceable. No chakra, no trail. You get what I mean?" He said conclusively.

Silence could be rather noisy at times.

"I…find it hard to believe….that someone like come up with such…such a theory…." Gaara said, blinking. Naruto smiled serenely.

"Hey, it was more fun to play the village idiot, alright? If I acted like this all the time, d'you know how BORING my life would be?" He laughed at the answering expression on the redhead's face.

"If you are right, then I see why this priestess was chosen to be the guardian of Kaiden." Masouna mused.

"Ya think?" Naruto shot back, then grinned. "I do have a suggestion that would perhaps make it a lot easier to locate her whereabouts though." At this, three pairs of eyebrows quirked up.

"Yes?" The others asked. Naruto reeled back, laughing. "Oh wow, you're in unison. Anyhow…I've done a bit of research on Ren-san's unusual qualities…how she makes herself utterly untraceable…and it turns out she's using not genjutsu, but a sort of…un-jutsu-ness…like….the essence of nothingness, you know what I mean?" He finished with a wince.

"So in other words, she's using what makes nothing _nothing _to make herself, in essence, nothing as well." Masouna tartly rephrased.

"Right," Naruto agreed with a pained grin.

"But right now, this priestess, in theory, doesn't exist. How are we to find someone who doesn't exist?" Kimimaro asked. The grin on Naruto's face increased tenfold.

"We cease to exist as well."

The reactions were abrupt.

"What!" The others practically yelled. Naruto held up compromising hands.

"Calm down. Kyuubi, after much stress and deliberation, has kindly concocted a kinjutsu we can use, but it requires an immense amount of chakra and time. Once the jutsu succeeds, if at all, since the odds that we screw up completely and end up erasing ourselves off the face of this earth are practically a billion to one, we won't be able to move for at least four days. The toll on our bodies will be too much."

"I still don't see how this helps us find this priestess though. If she's nothing and we're nothing, that makes all of us nothing, which won't narrow down our search." Kimimaro cut in. Naruto delicately stroked a temple.

"True, but then again, not true. People who undergo this transformation obtain certain..._abilities_ to sense others of their nature. It all has to do with a load of dimensions and crud like that, which I won't explain since it's all really complicated, but in a way, we'll be connected to the priestess since we basically share the same essence of nothingness that she's using as well." Naruto said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. A long period of stunned silence reigned supreme.

"So tell me, HOW did you get so smart all of a sudden?" Gaara muttered, startling a laugh out of the blonde.

"Kyuubi made me read a whole buttload of scrolls when I was training with him. I guess some pieces of information stuck in my head more than others." Naruto replied sheepishly.

"Hard to imagine ANYTHING sticks in your head at all." Kimimaro quipped, earning a sharp punch to the arm. Naruto looked scandalized.

"Hey, I was just PRETENDING to be thick, alright? Give it a rest already." He retaliated, then sighed.

"If we're done wasting time, I think we should start the jutsu now."

Nimble fingers flicked a kunai from his pouch. Naruto gripped the handle and plunged the dagger all the way to the hilt into his palm, grimacing as crimson blood blossomed like a poppy in the center of his hand. He made a seal and blew, and where his breath touched the earth, ice began to form until a large, smooth platter of solid ice sat before him, glinting delicately in the sun. Careful not to drip any of his precious blood on the ground, Naruto let it run down to his fingers, then drew an intricate series of patterns and seals on the ice, flicking here and adding a complex curlicue there, writing symbols, dizzying patterns, intricate, interlacing crypts and arcing swishes of red, neatly wrapping up the whole design by adding a swirl in the very center of the circle. He wrenched the kunai from his hand, wincing again, then beckoned to Gaara, Kimimaro, and Masouna with a reassuring grin.

"Alright you guys. This is it. You'll need everything you've got to do this, and I really do mean everything." He spent the next five minutes carefully situating everyone in their designated spots, then nimbly leaped into the center of the circle, quickly forming a seal.

"Channel all of your chakra towards me, and let Kyuubi do the rest."

It started out small, then abruptly exploded into a whirlpool of swirling, white-hot light as Masouna, Naruto, Kimimaro, and Gaara sent burst after burst of chakra at Naruto, who then sent his own energy back in a whirling, fast-paced, lethally dangerous exchange of energies. The pace quickened, then sped to breakneck speeds as everyone caught and exchanged chakra. The light around them brightened and broadened to form an encompassing dome of a keening, high-velocity energy which climbed higher and higher towards its peak until, with an earth-shattering explosion, the ice shattered all four members were expelled through the landscape with tremendous force.

A blur of blue was all that flashed across four pairs of eyes before vision flickered, faltered, then went dark.


	11. Essence of Nothing

I honestly never thought I'd actually return to this fic. After over a year of hiatus due to a complete mental blockage, I sort of forgot about it and wrote other things, but after a review sent to me by a still-loyal fan (thank you, Draculina 3), I've suddenly found the inspiration to continue.

Please forgive the long hiatus. This fic is officially up and running again, and to those of you who are fans of this fic, I hope you will still read and review.

_Can't move…_

With an excruciatingly painful movement, he swept clouded, hazy eyes over the landscape, noting the three other bodies on the ground. Emerald eyes met sapphire ones, and lips feebly twisted into a humorless smirk as Gaara turned his head to look at Naruto. The blonde slowly craned his neck with a delicate, meticulous movement, almost as if his appendage were made of glass. A lump of deep indigo caught at his peripheral vision, and, keeping his head perfectly still, Naruto swept his eyes to the side. He highly suspected that the navy cloth sprawled on the ground was Masouna; Kimimaro's silvery body lay among the gently swaying rushes that were intermittently scattered along the path.

Well at least they were alive, albeit incapable of movement.

Naruto scrunched up his eyes and sat up in one bold movement, then wished he hadn't a second later when a wave of pain wracked his body. Cornflower eyes glanced down, and the blonde nearly backpedaled into a bush at the sight that lay before him.

His hand, normally tan and slightly callused from years of training, had turned a smoky transparent grey, exposing a network of veins and vessels to his view.

He whipped his head to the side despite the pain and glanced at Gaara. The redhead was also staring bemusedly at his smoky-white hand, though his reaction wasn't evident on his face. Slowly, so slowly, as Naruto looked on, the cloudy substance moved up the insomniac's arm and enshrouded his torso. What felt like something cold was creeping up his own arm, and Naruto watched in a sort of absent wonder as his hand slowly turned from smoky grey to a crystal clear hue. After a few more minutes, the outline of his hand completely disappeared, and when he looked at Gaara, he found the same to be true with the redhead.

Kimimaro had roused, and was experiencing the same reactions. Masouna had also sat up, the outline of his deep blue cloak slowly becoming transparent as well. A hesitant grin slowly blossomed on Naruto's mouth, then broke into a full-fledged grin as he raised himself up on his knees.

"WE DID IT!!"

He practically shot to his feet and started doing a wild sort of dance in the middle of the meadow, then shot straight to Kimimaro and tackled the startled Kaguya full in the waist. Kimimaro looked down at the blonde, a wry smile gracing elegant features. Given the fact that Naruto was already three-quarters transparent, the sight was quite peculiar.

"DID YOU SEE THAT???! WE DID IT!!! WE'RE TURNING INTO NOTHINGNESS!!" Naruto shrieked happily, squeezing Kimimaro with renewed vigor. He winced as his ribs noisily protested.

"That's….great, Naruto…but…could you let go?" He winced as a fresh wave of pain attacked his head. Naruto quickly released him with a sheepish grin.

"But…that's the FIRST TIME I've SUCCESSFULLY completed a jutsu THAT COMPLICATED!!! AREN'T YOU PROUD OF ME?!???" He called to the heavens. Kimimaro delicately stuck a finger in his ear, twisting ruefully.

"Yes, yes….I'm proud of you…." The Kaguya muttered almost distractedly.

A deep red flush spread across his cheeks as Naruto leaned up and lightly kissed him on the nose.

"Well well well. That was certainly entertaining. I don't believe I've ever seen such a delightfully vivid shade of red before." Masouna's delicate tenor oozed from the atmosphere. Kimimaro looked scandalized.

"What is our business _stays_ our business." He hissed in the general direction of the smirking man.

"Oh, I am most dreadfully sorry that I've interrupted such a precious moment." Masouna purred silkily.

Naruto suddenly stiffened, eyes pricked and alert as he cut a gaze across the landscaping.

"What is it?" Gaara asked quietly. Naruto twitched.

"Nothingness. It's very faint, but I can feel it…." He paused, closed his eyes, then suddenly snapped a finger southwest.

"There. It's coming from there."

At once the quartet rose to its feet. A faint feeling of nausea rushed through the group as the effects of the jutsu protested within their bodies, but soon all four were gliding across the land in smooth crescents, weaving through the rushes and grasses of the plain. Fueled by Kyuubi's brightly-burning knowledge, Naruto led the way, his eyes glimmering with a sort of eager, hungry joy only present when risks were about to be taken.

The trail was becoming clearer; splotches of discoloration, now visible to their transformed eyes, were outlined on the grasses that lined the ground, as plain as day. A smirk flew across Naruto's face as he latched onto the trail and hung on for dear life, giving in to his body, letting his senses and instincts take over as they led him whipping past trees, through bushes, and around boulders as he sought the trail of the priestess. The blonde slanted a glance at the silver-haired man beside him; Kimimaro's face had taken on a mask of slack submission as he too surrendered to his instincts. It was a hunt in the most primal form, with all four members putting their complete and utter faith into the basest of instincts.

The trail was beginning to widen; fresh nothingness splashed the area in front of them, sending a wicked grin across Naruto's face as he accelerated. A figure soon loomed in the distance; a woman, dressed in the ritual robes of a priestess, sat on the bank of a lake, washing her hands in the clear, crystalline water.

Naruto dug a heel into the ground and skidded to a halt, watching as the others did the same. Together they crept, prowled noiselessly to where the woman sat, disturbing not a leaf on the thickly carpeted ground of the forest. Whispering to himself, the blonde reached into his chest and drew out a long, thin strand of nothingness, deftly coiling it into a rope. He didn't want to use it, but if measures were desperate, should she disappear again, he wanted to have it just in case.

And then they surrounded her, standing on all four sides of the woman, each flanking the directions that blocked her escape. She glanced up, her gaze level, dispassionate, merely calm and unnervingly tranquil. An unearthly beauty had sculpted her face, so much so that she looked more like a hauntingly exquisite wraith more than a human. When she spoke, her voice seemed to come from far away, as if all the winds in the world had intermingled with its timbre.

"What business do you have with me, you of the same non-essence of which I am composed?"

Naruto swallowed and stepped forwards. "Please," he began. "We request entrance into the venerable land of Kaiden."

Unexpectedly, she twisted her lips in a scant suggestion of a smile. "Since you have acquired the knowledge to seek me out, and since you have so politely asked, I see no reason to deny your request."

A swirling glaive appeared in her hand, and with it she sliced the air in front of her. The four recoiled; a blinding flash of light expelled itself from the wound and scorched their eyes before pooling into the lake in a molten stream of liquid gold. The wound slowly widened as Ren pulled it apart, revealing a glimmering staircase that shimmered and wavered beyond the gaping mouth of the entrance.

"Enter with my blessings." And now her voice was musical almost, strangely lilting as she invited them inside.

With a last parting nod and a statement of thanks, the quartet stepped into the wound as one, watching behind them as the world they knew so well disappeared into the atmosphere.

Alone again, Ren smiled, a soft, secret smile that peeled back the unnatural beauty that belied her face. It was such a peaceful feeling, the feeling that relieved her of her burden. It almost made her feel young again, and sent her spiraling into a world of lost memories and omniscient dreams.


	12. Author's Note

Author's Note: I am sorry for the delayed update, but I am on vacation in Canada as of the moment, and the house I'm staying at has NO computer whatsoever (I'm writing this in an internet cafe). This is a problem: I can't post if I don't have a computer, which means I can't update. However, once I get back home, I promise I'll try to update as soon as possible, which is probably going to be sometime next week. bows

My apologies to all the fans of Burning Daylight. Thanks for sticking by me and reviewing my work. gives you all cookies


	13. Spirits Within

bows I'm finally back from vacation!! Just finished this last night! 3 Hope you guys like it.

Chapter 12: Spirits Within

At first, there was nothing.

And then there was a colossal explosion of light that scorched their eyelids and burnt away their bodies until they were nothing but souls, walking amongst worlds, worlds, worlds of envy and hate and laughter and joy and despair and jubilation, all wrapped up into one divine cesspool of transcendent bliss. Naruto started as he felt a sudden wetness against his cheek; it was raining, but the drops moved in odd, lazy patterns across the sky, almost as if they were feather-light and borne on a breeze.

A smoky figure in the distance awaited them, shifting in and out of focus. As they drew closer, parting through the mist, the figure solidified into that of a man, a strange man with a long, long beard and clear, electric green eyes. He smiled as he saw them, and stepped down from his dais to address the quartet.

"I knew you could make it." His voice was ageless, filled with wisdom. "Long have I awaited this moment."

Naruto stepped forward, silently reverent, and knelt, the scroll retrieved from Sina clutched in both of his hands. "We have brought you the scroll, Kazuki-sama."

The man beamed. "Good, good. Wait here. I'll record it in the Scroll of Silence and bring you back the finished product. In the meantime, feel free to make yourselves comfortable."

With a flick of his wrist, the area expanded and morphed into a colossal room. Several squashy, chintz armchairs sprung from the mist; food and drinks appeared on the newly-sprouted tables, accompanied by gold-inlaid chopsticks. Naruto's eyes widened to saucers at the sight of the ramen-filled table, and with a squeal, the blonde rushed to the food and began to inhale at almost inhuman rates. Laughing, Masouna joined the ecstatic fox-child, joined by Kimimaro and Gaara half a second later.

Eventually they were sated, the fatigue spawned from their journey momentarily forgotten. Somewhere in the distance, a soft bell chimed, and suddenly the tables and chairs disappeared, only to be replaced by beds and sheets that looked torturously comforting. Yawning a little, Naruto immediately curled up in one, falling instantly asleep with a series of noises that made him sound like a cat.

With an amiable smirk, Masouna discarded his cloak and made a much more elegant performance of retiring to his bed. Gaara sat on his and was in a trance, eyes at half-mast, almost dreamlike in his reverie. Kimimaro had found purchase on what little room was left on Naruto's bed, and was absently stroking the blonde as he lost himself in his thoughts.

He knew well what he would do after the whole ordeal was over. Naruto had completely ensnared him, and he knew he had no choice but to follow the blonde for the rest of eternity. He suspected that the blonde wouldn't mind, and entertained the notion for a while longer before eventually falling asleep beside the slumbering fox-child, his expression strangely peaceful as he lost himself to a whole different world.

xXx-------xXx

They rose as one the next morning, quickly rubbing the sleep from their eyes as their minds sharpened and focused. Naruto stifled a groan of drowsiness as Kimimaro enfolded his body in his arms, giving the blonde a series of quick jerks to ensure full awareness. After readying themselves presentable for the venerable sage, they exited the room and plunged once more into the mist, quickly hurrying towards the dais which they had last encountered Kazuki. And he was there, waiting for him, a large, glittering scroll enfolded in his arms, and it was then that they knew that that was the Scroll of Silence, the legendary treasure that had eluded seekers for centuries.

As one they bowed low in front of the sage, and after accepting their respects, he raised them up with a tranquil smile. Kimimaro and Naruto stepped forwards and bowed, their auras once more leaking from their bodies and entwining, silver and gold, fire and moonlight. Kazuki nodded appreciatively at the glowing, pulsing light, and a smile grew upon his face as he laid eyes upon the twin seals that had appeared on both foreheads.

"You have progressed well." The gravelly timbre in his voice was oddly comforting. "I now bestow upon you the Scroll of Silence. Use it well and protect it always."

He made a sudden seal with his hand, a strange seal, twisted and complicated. The scroll pulsed suddenly and began to unravel at a maddeningly slow pace. All of a sudden, it split in half and began to spin at a frenzied, frenetic pace, rotating and rotating as the rip shot down its middle, wider and wider as the scroll continued to whirl. The two ends of the scroll suddenly shot towards Naruto and Kimimaro, and before they could react, the halves and plunged into their foreheads, searing their brains with information, information, information, countless centuries of wisdom, experiments, analyzations, discoveries, and inventions of numerous varieties, and it felt like the whole world was pouring knowledge into their brains like a tidal wave upon sand.

No sooner had the last strand of knowledge seeped into their brains when the ground was suddenly wracked by a sudden tremor. Kazuki swayed and nearly lost his balance as another quake shook the dais. Five pairs of eyes turned to a point in the distance, where a large crack was appearing in the air. It widened and expanded with another jerking tremor.

"No! He's come! You must flee! I'll hold him back!" The old man's voice was laced with determination spawned by the greatest of terrors as he made a seal.

White sparks shot from his fingers and surrounded the crack, quickly solidifying what had been broken. It was to no avail; with a mighty shriek that sounded like the unholy wailing of a thousand broken voices, the crack widened further and something black, sinuous, and no doubt malevolent seeped through. It bared its teeth, rasping low in its throat, and a jolt of horror shot through Naruto and Kimimaro as the creature raised its ugly head, revealing skin stretched over its taut skull like a corpse.

"Orochimaru!" The cry was in unison as the two scroll-bearers jolted backwards. A smirk thick with an intimate derision flowered on the Sannin's face.

"Glad to see me? I'm sure _she_ is."

Naruto bit back a small cry of terror as Orochimaru raised a fisted hand. Dangling from his fingers was a head and part of a slim neck. Ren's beautiful features were contorted in a look of faint surprise, almost tranquil, as if she had experienced her death without quite knowing what it was in the first place.

A blazing look of fury affixed itself on the blonde's face. "You…fucking…bastard…"

Orochimaru landed lightly on the ground and sealed up the crack, his head tilted to the side, an amused sneer on his face. "How sweet. She meant that much to you, did she?"

"_She had nothing to do with this!"_ Naruto screamed back, cerulean eyes whirling with a livid rage.

"On the contrary," Orochimaru hissed with a sort of gleeful delight. "She was quite helpful. I found this place with a minimum of screaming, actually."

With a cry of rage, Naruto exploded from where he stood, vulpine features contorted in blind fury as he hurled himself at the snake-sannin. A flash of purple scorched across the atmosphere and the blonde was hurled backwards, bleeding heavily from a gash in his shoulder, the unholy liquid seeping down his useless arm. Teeth ground into his lip as he bit back a scream of pain.

"I really don't have time to play, children." Orochimaru sneered. "Just give me the scroll, and I promise your deaths will be quick and relatively painless."

To his surprise, Naruto struggled from the ground, his arm clutched in his hand as he grinned defiantly at the Sannin. "You're just a tad too late, aren't you, snake-bastard? The scroll's gone."

The arrogant sneer slowly slid off his face and shattered into a million pieces on the ground. "What do you mean?"

"It's gone. We've already absorbed it." Naruto flicked a finger at the seal on his forehead. "And guess who helped?"

There was a rustle of cloth as Kimimaro stepped forward. Orochimaru drew back, stunned, as the Kaguya advanced with a deadly expression etched on his countenance.

"Kimimaro…your loyalties…Kimimaro, _where do your loyalties lie?"_

Electric green eyes were impassive. "The only reason why I worked for someone like you is because I had nothing better to do." An arm snaked around Naruto's waist and pulled the blonde close. Kimimaro nestled his chin atop the spiky wheat-gold locks, gazing down at Naruto's upraised face with the gentlest of gazes.

"He is everything to me. I no longer serve you, Orochimaru. I never have."

Visibly angered, Orochimaru quickly recovered his calm. "You were disposable anyway."

A flood of red chakra began to leak out of Naruto's stiffening body. It surrounded him like a cloak, writhing, pulsing, roiling with bloodlust and the desire to rip apart every shred of the creature before him. His eyes were dripping with the glimmer of rage.

"_Don't you ever call Kimimaro disposable again!"_

And then he sprang, canines bared in an animalistic growl as he sped towards Orochimaru, the crimson sin that covered him blazing, blazing, blazing in his wake, but the snake-bastard was ready, a triumphant sneer stretched across his lips like an animal as he moved forwards as well, a crackle of purple energy sizzling across his wrist—

_And the two met and split apart the day with fire and all the fury of Hell._


	14. Beginning of the End

Sorry for the long wait. I had finals...cries And I'm afraid I still do...cries 

It was over. So fast, it was over. Just like that, he'd been running towards the Snake Sannin, Rasengan whirring madly in his hand, and now, once the smoke had cleared, he could see the mortified expression that so contorted Orochimaru's pallid face. A sickening squelching sound resonated in his ears, and he looked down at his hand that was embedded in the Sannin's abdomen. Blood oozed through, glutinous and sluggish as it slid down the side of Orochimaru's ribs. Naruto braced and pulled his hand out with a small cry of horror, watching as Orochimaru's ropey guts dangled from between the snake-man's fingers.

He felt the pulse before he saw it. His arm exploded in red, and suddenly Kyuubi was flowing out of him, materializing in front of him, an angry snarl fixed on his canine features. The youkai wasn't nearly his full size, but yet it was enough to make Orochimaru cower, fear, actual fear evident in his eyes.

**"Now, Orochimaru. I shall have my retribution." **

And then he reared and plunged, teeth snapping together as his powerful jaws enclosed Orochimaru's head and bit clean through his neck.

The body slumped to the ground. A wispy violet smoke erupted from the stump of the Sannin's neck and flew, flew from the scene, but it was too late; with a snort of disgust, Kyuubi wrapped one of his tails around the mist and absorbed it completely. Naruto let out a sound of surprise as he looked down at Orochimaru's body; it was slowly crumbling into dust until it was nothing more than ashes.

The silence weighed heavily upon all of their chests.

"Kyuubi?" Naruto asked timidly. The fox turned and fixed him with a searing gaze.

**"Yes?"**

Naruto swallowed the bile that threatened to rise. "Is….is he really gone?"

The demon gave a sigh, and suddenly seemed so very old. **"Yes, he's gone. I swallowed his soul."**

It was as if an instantaneous change had taken place. Naruto let out a yelp of victory and barreled himself into the youkai stomach. "HE'S GONE, HE'S GONE, THE BASTARD'S REALLY GONE—"

**"Not so fast, young one." **Kyuubi twitched a tail. **"You have to tend to him now."**

The blonde looked around and nearly screamed in horror. Kimimaro was covered in blood, bleeding profusely from a deep wound the size of a fist in his chest. His breathing was heavily labored, and from the sound of it, blood and fluids had started to pour into a punctured lung. He cast Naruto a reassuring stare before he collapsed.

Quick as a sparrow Naruto was at his side, crying out as he saw the true damage. "How…Kimimaro…_how did this happen?"_

**"You didn't notice how easy it was to plunge a Rasengan into Orochimaru?" **Kyuubi's voice was grave. **"Kimimaro held him from behind, and you, in your rage, plunged Rasengan too far."**

Sapphire eyes were clouded with horror. "So…you mean I did this?"

**"I'm afraid so. It was necessary, Naruto."** Kyuubi said quickly. **"Anything less and he wouldn't have died."**

But the blonde had already buried his head into Kimimaro's shoulder, sobbing profusely as he wept over the Kaguya's lifeless body. Masouna felt a chord thrum in his heart; it was as if a veil of mourning had draped over them all, a funereal cloud that left them all with the empty feeling of bereavement.

"There is one way to save him."

Everyone turned. Kazuki had descended from the dais, his robe flowing like liquid silk behind him.

"You must give half of your lifespan to him, and you must do this by utilizing the Scroll of Silence which you have in your mind. Visualize a thread, Uzumaki Naruto, and visualize it breaking in two. Pour your life into him, and he will return."

The room was deathly silent as Naruto struggled with his answer. Nails left pale crescents in his palm as he clenched his fists tight, and as the first of the tremors began to rack his body, he doubled over with an expression not unlike pain. Slowly, so slowly, he reached for Kimimaro's body, clasped it to his chest and held it as he sobbed into the Kaguya's hair.

It started again, the glowing, only this time it was Naruto who shone with an eerie golden light that seemed to have its own volition. It pulsed around Kimimaro's body and seeped in through his skin, leaving naught but the last vestiges of light to mark its entrance. And then it dripped out of the Kaguya's body, bringing with it faint threads of fine silver, and like mercury and amber, the two lights intertwined, once brilliant, but now, not so much; they writhed lazily in the air, the amber roiling around the silver as it drew more and more out of Kimimaro's body.

The light died, and the tension escalated to an almost unbearable peak.

Kimimaro stirred. Naruto instantly tightened his grasp on the Kaguya's shoulders, not daring to hope, but wanting so much for it to be true. With a cough, Kimimaro spat out a glob of clotted blood and miraculously opened his eyes, his emerald, electric green eyes and stared straight into Naruto's cerulean orbs, and there was an earsplitting yelp as Naruto practically crushed the Kaguya to him, caring not for the bloodstains that slaked across his chest.

"I thought I'd lost you for good." He whispered, tears of relief leaking down his cheeks, and then he did something completely unexpected and pressed his mouth against Kimimaro's.

It was possibly the most awkward moment in the history of awkward moments, Naruto kissing Kimimaro in front of everyone in the room. Kimimaro himself had a stunned, almost comical expression on his face, but then he relaxed and turned his head, curving his lips to the contours of Naruto's own, and Naruto, feeling the change, opened his mouth and slid his tongue between the Kaguya's lips, tasting the sweetness, the tangy taste of Kimimaro, and it was bliss, pure and simple, not the least bit profound.

Masouna looked on, his smile more of a twist of his lips as he watched the lovers embrace. A note struck in his heart that was somewhat painful; he had to admit, Naruto had appealed immensely to him, and to see the blonde in the arms of another did have its detriments. But just as quickly as it was sounded, the note abruptly died, only to be replaced with a melody of relief and happiness at the sight of the blonde and the Kaguya, and he accepted it, did Masouna; knowing there was nothing to be done, he accepted it, and just as easily, let it go.

They parted after what seemed like an eternity, and turned to address the elder Kazuki. He smiled, or what looked like a smile behind his beard, and, to everyone's astonishment, gave them a short little bow.

"I am greatly indebted to you. Now I can rest, knowing that the Scroll will be in two of the best hands possible."

Suddenly the room lurched sideways and spun. Colors streamed from all directions and wrapped themselves around everyone in the room, and it was the most amazing thing they'd ever experienced, this sucking, sucking like as if they were being pooled down a drain—

And he woke, panting breathlessly, wrapped in the sheets of a bed. Kimimaro was next to him, the same amazed expression also apparent on his countenance, and they looked at each other with astonishment; they were in Naruto's apartment, sitting upright in Naruto's bed.

The blonde slowly touched the side of his head. "Was….was it all a dream, then? Everything?"

Just then, a gold flash caught at his eyes and he turned to lay a gaze upon the slip of paper lying on his bedspread. Nimble fingers snatched it up and read the inscription.

_Thought you might want to come home, what with all the running around you've been doing. _

_--K. _

There were some days when he couldn't get out of bed to save his life, Naruto thought.

Today wasn't one of them.

Owari? There's still an epilogue. 3


End file.

Naruto, Adventure, Romance