Naruto 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character, me just the plot.

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><p>Chapter 1 – Like Father, Like Son<p>

Life is not fair.

No parent. No friends. No one cared.

Naruto's parents left him at such a young age, just few months old. Plus the social environment where he grew up did not help but break him further. Murmurs of caution and hatred revolved around him.

"_He's trouble. Don't come near h__im."_

"_Stay away from him.__ He's a curse to the village."_

"_H__e's a freak__.__ Don't play with him."_

The discriminating words terrorized his ear incessantly, and he could not block them out even though he covered his ears tightly and ran away from the accusations. They had successfully invaded his poor mind, ingrained deeply in his brain and then manifested as cruel nightmares at night. Naruto was still very young. His childish mind could not comprehend what was going on, yet there was one thing that he could understand: it hurt. And sadly, that was his first intense emotion he first learned and needed to deal with, possibly for the rest of his life. The _pain_.

Naruto's childhood was horrible. As he grew up year after year, the hurtful feeling rooted deeper and became more intense too. It began to take various forms of negative emotions. _Loneliness_. How so lonely the young blond felt everyday: his morning was void of good-smelling breakfast (preferably ramen) and warm greeting from a parent, his playtime was mostly spent alone (sometimes with few boys which did not consider him a friend), and every time he came home, how he greatly wished he would be welcomed home with "okaeri".

Well, Naruto had a couple of people who tried to fill the hole in his heart called 'Home': the Third Hokage and Iruka-sensei. Sandaime looked after the young blond in every way and sometimes played with him, ended with chastises for his childish pranks. There were sweet moments too, when the Third told stories of the blond's dad, proudly reminiscing how his dad became a hero. Listening about his dad, Naruto could not help but feel proud of his dad, of each heroic feat which the Third Hokage fondly and vividly recalled. He felt the pleasant warmth sweetly encompassing his heart and soul, wishing the bliss to hold him forever. He also noticed too that the old geezer (a secret nickname made by you-know-who) could feel that same nice feeling since he clearly showed it in his proud smiles and crinkled, fond eyes. Or to be more precise, every time Sandaime began storytelling, that fond expression was always present. His dad must be really close and important to the old man. Naruto was utterly grateful for his dad. He felt at _home_ – Dad's great stories. Old man's warm expression.

Sadly, those sweet moments did not last long. Their soothing warmth could not but slowly diminish as cold sentiment and social pressure found their way back to his heart, heavy and cold. As Naruto began to discover some missing pieces, he formed questions in his mind. 'What is my father's name?' 'And my mother's?' 'Why do they loathe me?' 'What is wrong with me?' 'Or perhaps what is wrong with them?' 'Do my parent die because the villagers hate them too?' The boy tried to seek answers, asking Sandaime and his favorite sensei indirectly. Their apologetic smiles and comforting gestures were no help. Sandaime's reply was even worse as Naruto felt somewhat betrayed when he later discovered the names the Third Hokage answered him were just nicknames. Naruto felt more frustrated because more and more questions began to bombard his mind, because he did not know – the reasons why, the reasons how come he deserved this _shitty _life–, and because these unanswered mysteries kept bugging his brain. Soon his questions became self-centered and self-pity; he befriended another new intense emotion: _despair_. 'Why am I be born?' 'Am I fated to this shit?' 'Why must fate be so cruel?' Helplessness and deep hatred flooded his emotions. He hated his own shitty life. He hated he did not understand a thing. He hated with what he did not know. He extremely loathed _it_ to the point he plunged deeply in his helplessness.

Darker thoughts crept into his desperate mind. 'I hate this. I wish I die.' Tears began to well up in his dull blue eyes and trailed down his face.

'Heh, I bet no one cares if I die.

No. They _actually _care.

It made them damn _happy_.'

Sobs shook his body, and his tears now wet his cheeks. He spotted a ninja kunai on his desk, highlighted by the moonlight. At the sight of his blade, a suicidal thought came up. His shaking hand reached out the blade. Soon his little body trembled when the blade hesitantly made contact with his arm. He still feared death and disliked physical pain, but the dark thoughts kept whispering and slowly overcame his fear.

'I'm better dead. I'm better dead'.

'They wish me dead. Want me dead.'

'Dead. Dead.'

Naruto winced at the sharp pain as soon as he felt the cut and tear in his flesh. Still shaking, he closed his eyes to block the vision of his blood oozing out of his arm. The physical pain did not fail to remind him of his emotional one. Images of faces with disdain, disgust, and caution directed at him vividly displayed themselves. He could hear clearly all the hurtful accusations thrown at him as if they were voiced near his ears. He felt the scene unfolded before him was so real. There he was, standing and watching them. There they were, looking down on him with hatred and murmuring scornful words. Soon, one by one they left, and he was alone. In pain. In loneliness. In despair.

His poor heart was shattered. His body was more shaken. His closed eyes were squeezed as more tears rolled down freely on his face. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt… He now was crying and stabbing his bleeding arms with ferocity. The physical stab could not be compared to the pain which stabbed his heart continuously, tearing it into pieces. A heavy cold emotion overwhelmed his heart, even though his own physical body contradicted it with warmth, or perhaps heat. The intense heat caused the boy to open his eyes and look at the damage he had done on his arm. However, he did not expect a strange, red chakra-like thing engulfing his arms, causing him to flinch backward and throw the kunai to the floor. His blue eyes widened remarkably in surprise at flesh tissues attaching themselves and visible veins reconnecting with other veins. The blond panicked in _fear_, and in that instant moment, a realization hit him like a big rock hurled at him. _"He's a freak"_.

New fresh tears flowed down on his face. 'Yes, I–I'm a freak.' 'I'm not normal.' 'Wh–who the hell am I?' This self-discovery overcame the boy with newfound fear and terror. He breathed laboriously and dropped his gaze to the ground, not daring to look at the red stuff surrounding his arm. He spotted the gleaming kunai on the floor with his watery eyes and quickly averted his gaze from the red stain on the blade. To his surprise, he was confronted by a terror-stricken face with tear-stained cheek and agape mouth. The reflected blue eyes were so wide that the blond could not miss the red slits which diminished slowly. The eyes staring at him were so scared while tears still flowed down from them. Naruto jumped back frightfully at the sight of similarly scared expression, landing onto the floor on his butt. His heart pounded so hard that it seemed the loudest noise in his dark bedroom. Quickly scampering into his bed, Naruto covered his whole body under a blanket, letting exhaustion and sleep took over.

The next morning was worse. The red-stained blade on the floor affirmed the blond that last incident was not a nightmare. It confirmed him that he truly was a freak and different from others. He kept his discovery a secret from Iruka-sensei and Sandaime, not wanting it to ruin his good relationship with the old man, as contributed by his dad's heroism and friendship before. However, the intense fear, shown in his fright of himself, and other negative emotions had rooted more deeply inside his heart every year. They constantly overwhelmed his soul and mind, even beyond, to the point of his existence. Pain. Loneliness. Despair. Fear. And the newest one: Misery. They perfectly depict how he exists, how so perfectly defines his own existence.

Despite the clear sky and cool weather, and nature awakened with life from her cold slumber, with occasional gentle breeze giving warm sensation, tingling senses with burst of energy which drew high-pitched laughter and playful noises, that completely overwhelmed one famous playground in Konoha, a young blond stared longingly at the merry commotion, blue eyes clouded with loneliness. Despite the playground's large land size, perhaps the largest in the city, and all the fun it could offer with its squeaky swings, long slides, challenging bars, and windy holes, the lonely boy could only watch from the corner, sitting on the lone swing and rocking it half-heartedly. Every time a warm breeze greeted the spot, the boy gripped the swing bars hardly, trying to embrace its whole warmth and _hope__d_ the wind carried away his _deep and beyond_ coldness – his pain, his loneliness, his despair, his fear, his misery – _his injustice_.

Naruto then stared at the blue sky, slowly losing himself in its vast blue, dotted with white, which moved naturally with the wind. Part of his heart wished the huge pretty color above could fill his mind and replace all the dull colors, and hoped the soothing wind caress uproot all the terror in his poor heart. He let himself imagine, the sky as the canvas, all the what-ifs. 'What if Mom and Dad still lives?' He pictured his dad as himself but a lot taller (yes with whiskery marks on the cheeks), because old man told him he looked like Dad, and mom as a young, pretty girl similar to the girl at Ichiraku's. He pictured his coming home was greeted by a delicious smell of Mom's best ramen and a loving embrace in Dad's arms. As Naruto played his imaginary scenes of his parent alive and his life normal, he could not help but feel hollow and more helpless, realizing these were not real. 'Why must they die?' The Third claimed they died a noble death, especially his dad, but Naruto in that moment could not help but snidely noted mentally 'Sure noble, but few actually acknowledge his heroic feats, huh?' An image of his taller self flashing with powerful chakra then popped up, and Naruto somehow still felt proud of his dad as a hero ninja. Instantly at that moment, he recalled back the Third's warm expression which never failed to show up as he told stories of the hero and pictured how the Third expressed respect and admiration to his heroic dad. 'Heh, at least Dad is acknowledged by great people, by that old great Sandaime.' Lost in awe and feeling proud of his taller-self-as-dad vision, his mind wandered and somehow ended up with a thought 'yeah, I want to be like you….just watch me, Dad…. I'll be a great ninja like you someday'

In that instant moment, his blue, determined eyes widened remarkably at the beauty sight above him, one warm memory somehow flickers in his mind, replacing the hero sight and playing it like a movie. Same cloudless sky. Leaves rustling from the breeze. Third Hokage's crinkled eyes and smile. Fond. And Proud.

"_You make it to the academy_

_I am so proud of you, Naruto_

_I__'m sure__ yo__u will__ be a great ninja someday_"

A sweet realization hit him, and boy, he felt foolish and silly for not noticing it earlier. That old geezer's warm expression – fond eyes, proud smiles – sometimes were directed to Naruto. Scratch that. To be more exact, they were often directed to him. The boy could instantly recognize the Sandaime's fond face in some of his sweet memories shared with the old man. One was where the old man ruffled his blond hair and smiled proudly, "You're just like your father". Another was where Sandaime comforted him because of his ninjutsu failure with inspirational stories, including his dad's of course, Naruto could easily read his aged eyes bored into the blond's and genuinely believed that the boy would be like one in those stories, yes genuinely believed Naruto would have his own heroic stories which inspired other ninjas. Memories after memories played vividly in his vision as the blond did not fail to spot the caring expression, which surprised him for good and filled his heart with indescribable emotion.

A spark ignited deep inside the boy's heart – dream, a _hope_. It spread warmth to every fiber and tissue in his body like blood pumped throughout. From the _deepest_ part of his heart desire – _"...a great ninja..."_ – and even _beyond_ as shown in his wide, boyish, and charming grin – _"...someday__…__"_ – and in his determined, vivid blue orbs burning with newfound passion, the blond swung his body and proudly landed on his two feet while a breeze, stronger this time, swayed his blond hair and loose T-shirt. Naruto embraced it briefly and ran against it with strong fervor – _"… just like you…"_

"…_Dad…"_

"…_And even much better. I will show you." _

Life is not fair. But not anymore to the boy. He would make it fair. He had it in his heart.

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><p>Hope you enjoy the story. Reviews will be appreciated.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter was longer than intended... :/

Oh. Well.

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and some Kiba-centric plots which deeply inspire this chapter.

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><p>Chapter 2 – True Loyalty<p>

Loyalty is a noble virtue.

It could be the most fundamental foundation to develop any strong bond in a ninja clan.

Or it could be the most robust pillar to support any weakest link in a ninja clan.

It emboldened trust and comradeship. It established eternal ties among men as well as animals. Some clans regarded loyalty as the supreme virtue. Inuzuka was one of them.

Little Kiba Inuzuka could not wait to get his first canine partner. His mind sometimes wondered if Mom would let him have one. She was a stern and militaristic figure. He almost skeptically believed he would never get one because of it. Yet on one fresh morning, the blue sky and warm, bright sun greeted him. This day was an absolutely perfect day. He quickly finished his favorite chewy breakfast (beef steak jerky with some rice) and made his way out to have fun. As soon as he walked outside his home compound, Tsume's piercing voice called him, "Kiba Inuzuka! Come here at once!" Kiba shuddered at the frightening outcome behind her loudness as he ran inside toward the backyard. Tsume beckoned her son to come closer and presented the white little pup before him, her eyes gleaming with (hard-to-identify) affection at both the small boy and the small ninken, or ninja dog.

"His name is Akamaru. And from now on, you'll be lookin' after him." Excitement bubbled inside the boy and threatened to burst out, but he suppressed it as he peered down to Akamaru solemnly. Akamaru was so small, white, and somehow unique. His black eyes gazed at Kiba with hint of curiosity and wonder, and bored into Kiba's making the boy feel as if the pup was assessing him with deep interest. Kiba, out of curiosity, immediately reached out to stroke his small jaw and pat his white head and trace down his spine. He found his white fur soft and fluffy. Surprisingly in a good sense, the pup returned the gesture with bold affection, making the boy's brown slits shine with exhilaration. Lifting Akamaru up, Kiba laughed with mirth when his pup _again_ boldly licked his face and finally yapped, truly sounded happy. Grinning widely, the brunette thanked his mom. He finally had a ninken. He and Akamaru would become best buddies, best partners, and best ninja comrades ever, just like the rest of the Inuzuka.

Tsume simply grunted in reply, "Yes, happy birthday, my boy." Kiba's joy was suddenly interrupted in that moment. He did not expect his birthday was today, or precisely he did not know. Tsume, looking at his boy's confusion, shook her head and growled, "My, what happen to you? Did you bang your head hard enough that you even forgot your own birth date?" Kiba was so embarrassed; an obvious blush crept into his face and cheek, almost matching the red color of his fang marks. However, the embarrassment did not stay long as new realization dawned upon him. Enthusiasm and glee instantly replaced his flustered face completely, his buoyant grin etching wide and his excited eyes shining, as if he was not troubled at all. Indeed. He was _not_ troubled at all. He just found a new fantastic reason to make his really perfect day _more_ perfect. No. Actually he found _two_. He finally had Akamaru by his side, his long-awaited partner, making today's wonderful day become special. Added with the fact that today was indeed _his_ special day, he could not help but feel immensely excited, believing that all favors and odds were on his good side. He felt he could do anything; yes, everything was possible to the confident brunette because there was Akamaru by his side too. With all _that_ occupied his mind, his poor embarrassment before was shrugged off somewhere and forgotten. The brunette wasted no more time and ran off eagerly with his new partner, while yelling, " Let's go, Akamaru! Yahoooo!" That interjection sounded right in his ear. His favorite word expressed fittingly his energetic spirit. Tsume, noticing the sudden changes of his expression, rubbed her forehead and sighed "My, I have sure raised quite a carefree son."

Little Kiba spontaneously decided to show proudly the other Inuzukas his new ninken. He raced with his little pup around Inuzuka compound, receiving warm greetings and congratulations from every Inuzuka who noticed him without fail, who would for a boy who could not stay still, much more in his excitement.

"Oh! If he isn't Kiba! And he has his pup too!"

"My, Tsume's kit sure has grown!"

"Happy birthday boy!"

Kiba grinned back at them in return and managed to shout "Thank you" to each person who remembered his birthday. Some of them gave gift tokens or delicious treats to Kiba, and the birthday boy shared some with his pup. After few hours of running around and getting quite a handful of gifts, the boy decided to take a break. He spotted a nice, comfy shade under a big tree and carried Akamaru in one hand toward the shade. Feeling the nice warmth snuggling in his hand, the brunette giggled when Akamaru's stick-out pink tongue breathed tingles into his arm. He made himself comfortable on the cool place, grabbing some sweet treats he had tucked inside and sharing them with his pup. Soon after, they fell into a pleasant slumber, occasional nice breeze bringing cool sensation and lulling them to sleep.

"Kiba!" "Kiba!"

Kiba opened his eyes and yawned deliciously; it was a good nap. A girl stood in his line of sight, and his brain recognized the familiar face.

"Hana!" the fully awake boy called out, "You're back!"

Said girl sighed and smiled, "Yes, lunch is waiting, and Mom wanted to talk to you."

The boy smiled at the thought of chewy lunch at home, and he gazed down at the small pup on his lap, strangely immobile.

"Hana! Hana! Look! My ninken!" he wanted to show his white pup to his sister. The girl nodded and gestured she figured it out, but then her face froze suddenly, her eyes glowering accusations at Kiba's, "Don't tell me – ".

"Kiba, Mom is going to be extremely mad," Hana supplied with a deep frown. "You'd better be prepared for it."

Kiba helplessly nodded and sobbed, feeling deeply guilty and ashamed for the white pup cradled carefully in his arms. He cowered in fear and resignation. This was not a perfect day at all.

"Kibaaaa! I cannot believe you!" Tsume hollered furiously. She crushed two tomatoes on her hand into unrecognizable red pulp. Kiba looked down in deep shame and guilt, tears staining over his red fang marks. Akamaru suddenly whimpered and writhed in pain in his arm. Noticing the pup's cry, Tsume angrily ordered, "Hana! Quickly prepare the painkiller! Kiba, give me Akamaru!" Handing the sick pup to his irate mom, Kiba managed to choke out, "I – I'm sorry."

Tsume just growled exasperatedly, "Listen boy, there won't be lunch for you today. Now go to your room and reflect seriously on what you did."

Once Kiba sat on his bed, the little brunette could not help but cry openly, more tears pouring down his face and his little body shaking from every sob. He did not expect his perfect day would end like this. He had believed that today would be the most special day ever in his life and the first moment he and Akamaru could share together and make it the most memorable one ever. However, it failed miserably and became the most horrible one ever. It had started so wonderfully yet ended so terribly. And _he_ was the cause of it. His own stupidity hurt Akamaru. His own carelessness threatened Akamaru's life. He, Kiba Inuzuka, had completely ruined it for good. His should-be perfect day with Akamaru. His should-be perfect chance to build strong bond with the pup. His should-be perfect opportunity to prove himself as a capable Inuzuka. And perhaps, it was his _only_ chance. And he had failed it outstandingly.

Kiba slowly opened his eyes and realized he was in his bed. He could tell he had been asleep for hours by noticing how dark the sky was now. His brain quickly registered of what had just happened, and his eyes were wide open, followed with a worried yell "Akamaru!" The brunette hastily ran to the main room. Akamaru stirred his small head at the voice, letting out a weak whimper. Kiba picked up the sound and got disheartened by it. He found the white pup, frail and helpless, in the living room, sprawling on the make-shift bed. Tears started to form on his eyes as he came closer to his pup. His brain quickly replayed his deep regretful moment that exhausted him to sleep, reopening his own guilt and shame which wounded his heart. Unable to hold his tears, Kiba let them fall freely, and some landed on Akamaru and his bed. Little Akamaru raised his head and held his gaze onto Kiba's.

Noticing Akamaru's gesture, Kiba clenched his fists tightly and apologized, "S-sorry Akamaru, I'm so sorry. I hurt you real-really bad. Sorry. I am not a good owner. I do not deserve you." Akamaru whimpered and continued to hold his gaze, unbothered by some Kiba's tears which fell onto him. Surprised at Akamaru's reaction, Kiba just stared down at his pup and could not help but feel that he was being assessed like the first time how he befriended the pup. However, there was a different gleam on Akamaru's eyes, and Kiba had to blink his eyes couple times to identify it. And _it_ was not what the boy expected. Akamaru's eyes obviously showed it all. Forgiveness. Acceptance. Faith. And it was like the first time again.

Kiba curiously moved his hand closer to the small pup, and to his delight, Akamaru accepted the gesture and nuzzled his small head against the boy's palm. Kiba smiled at the affection and boldly reached out to stroke the pup's ear with his other hand. Akamaru licked the brunette's palm and yapped happily, making the boy grin from ear to ear. Excitement and happiness swelled so much inside him as Kiba continued to caress Akamaru's white fur and his side until he began to …

"You're not going to lift him up, are you Kiba?" A loud, cold voice called. Kiba, astonished, quickly retracted his hands and staggered backward, ended with his butt on the floor. He looked at his mom, leaning on the wall and crossing her arms with a frown on her face.

"N-no!" Kiba managed to reply, his face gone pale. Tsume just gazed hard on the poor brunette, and Kiba sweated under her gaze, unable to figure out what was in her mind. Then "Go wash yourself. You stink." caused him to stand up abruptly and dash to the bathroom.

Since then, Kiba and Akamaru were inseparable. The brunette insisted to nurse Akamaru back to health, and he promised he would take better care of the small pup. He clearly showed his strong determination by setting up a new record of being able to sit still and listen to Tsume's long lecture for almost three hours. He managed to nurse his pup by giving accurate dose of medicine without missing a day and feeding proper meals for the pup's stomach. Kiba's determination would not allow his foolishness and recklessness hurt his own partner. His own resolve and strong willpower manifested in his dedication toward Akamaru, continuously nurturing _that_ virtue in the boy's heart and mind. Never failing in noticing her kits' growth, Tsume fondly smiled, with a trace of gloom in her eyes, at the picture frame on her lap. 'My, our kit really has grown up. He becomes more like you.'

Soon, Kiba learned to prepare food for Akamaru after his stomach had recovered. A month later, the brunette developed a new routine with his pup: walking Akamaru, grooming, preparing the (right) meals, and of course playing and having fun (Tsume was somewhat disappointed for no training included in Kiba's routine, but she let it slide since Akamaru had not yet mastered the canine language, as informed by Kuromaru). Often times, Kiba bathed together with Akamaru and let the white pup sleep with him in his bed. One day, Kiba spontaneously decided to show Akamaru around Konoha. He met some of his peers he knew outside the compound and showed off his Akamaru.

"Whoa, Kiba, is that your new pet?" A dark-haired boy with glasses asked.

"No, he's not. Akamaru is my partner." The brunette with red fang marks proudly emphasized on the last word.

Another brunette, the tallest of all, commented, "Oh right, you're an Inuzuka. I heard that their dogs can fight in par with shinobi."

Kiba smirked at that remark. "Yes, we will be the best partners ever!"

"Wow! That is so cool! Akamaru's the name, right?" Kiba could not help but show his proud grin at his two acquaintances' admiration to his pup.

"Now that you mention it, why is his name Akamaru?" The tallest boy inquired. "I do not see anything red (aka)."

Kiba was dumbfounded by the question and furrowed his brows in thought. Yea, he had never thought about it. The name's given by Mom, and that's it. He would not question her decision and went against her will; Kiba had learned it the hard way.

"Uh, um, I have never thought about it. Akamaru was given with that name to me." replied the Inuzuka boy.

"I think Shiromaru suited him better; he has _white_ fur, see?" the one with glasses chuckled. The tallest one joined in the laughter. Kiba felt slightly uncomfortable at how the boys found it funny which he could not follow; he became a bit irritated.

The brunette, who noticed the growing frown on the Inuzuka, stopped laughing and apologized, "Ah, sorry, I do not mean to make fun of your pup." The boy with glasses soon followed after with his apology too.

"Uh, okay." Kiba showed his smile with success, though with a bit of effort, but easily grinned when his next words came out. "You'll be surprised how Akamaru could grow stronger and faster though." He did not miss the blink of slight confusion in their eyes; the awe and wonder Kiba expected did not show in their faces. Instead, their expression grew solemn and, on the brunette's, with a streak of contempt.

"Oh. Okay." the raven weakly replied. The tallest brunette broke the awkward silence, dismissing himself for some kind of an errand, soon followed by the boy in glasses, excusing himself for some stuff to do. Kiba knew that something was off, but he could not figure it out. He believed he did not say any offense to them, despite his tendency to do so because of his ill-tempered nature. He just stated the truth: yes, almost all ninkens in the Inuzuka compound could grow big and strong, even one can ride them. Well, Kiba just shrugged it off and continued his next fun plan; that is, showing Akamaru his most favorite spot, the woods around one big hill where one prominent pine was rooted on the top. They played chase against one another, running and jumping over bushes and rocks, while the fallen leaves danced and flew around them, caused by the occasional autumn breeze, until exhaustion and hunger brought them back home.

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><p>Spring , Kiba decided, was his most favorite season.<p>

_Spring was the time when Akamaru could communicate to Kiba_. On one nice morning, the brunette woke up giddy and eagerly as he smelled something sweet and felt pleasant warmth greeting him. The pleasantness energized the little boy. Jumping from his bed and yelling his favorite "Yahooo!", the ball of energy ran off. Akamaru woke up from the outburst and quickly followed the boy in excitement too. Kiba's enthusiasm was really contagious, to the point where Akamaru also jumped his way to the main room and announced his presence by a happy yap. Instead of the usual puppy yelp, what came out was a high-pitched "**Yahoooo!**" Kiba froze at this sudden change and quickly beamed, "Akamaru! You finally can talk!" Hana who picked up the situation corrected her brother, "No silly! Akamaru's vocal pipe had begun to develop, so he can communicate with canine language which the Inuzuka can fully translate. To normal people, he will sound like the usual." Kiba, still distracted from the exciting discovery, turned to her sister, "Hana! Look! Akamaru can talk, and his first word is Yahooo!" He exclaimed proudly on the last word. Hana sighed and tried her best not to roll her eyes, which failed somehow.

"What!? Is it not a good thing?" Kiba frowned to see his sister's reaction.

"**Nope! Yahoo is a super cool word!**" the white pup immediately defended the boy. Kiba was so delighted to hear it, and praised his buddy, "You're really the best, Akamaru!" Akamaru jumped into Kiba's lap and licked his face. Tsume, after knowing Akamaru's recent development, sternly instructed Kiba to start training. To the brunette's dismay, he must master his own technique before he could teach it to his pup. Hence, sometimes the brunette spent his day training the most basic ninja technique, but the amount of his training could not be compared to his mostly spent days playing. Now, with Akamaru who could talk canine language, Kiba exchanged countless conversations, which strengthened their friendship and bond even more. There were times Kiba's face would contort in guilt and shame when they recalled some unpleasant moments in their talks. Akamaru quickly distracted the boy by his playful antics with nearby objects, living ones too, that interested him, which sometimes ended with Kiba playing chase with him and his poor target. Sometimes the white pup devoured the sweet treats and happily licked his jaw and barked "**I can eat them now**!" causing the brunette to beam gladly. Akamaru had decided that he disliked crying Kiba when he looked up at the brunette who stood crying before him _that_ day. He liked happy Kiba more. Kiba's happiness and energy elated him. Playing and chasing in the woods excited him. And Kiba should look happy. Nature intended him that way. And Akamaru would always make sure of it.

_Spring was the time he invented the best game ever in his life_. It was the most terrific season for having fun and playing around, especially at his favorite woods. And with Akamaru especially, his time never failed to be more enjoyable and fantastic. Akamaru and spring. They were such perfect combination. It was the first spring for Akamaru to spend in Kiba's favorite playing ground, and Kiba wanted it to be the most memorable ever 'Since now is spring, what kinds of best games will make this season much more memorable?' Kiba grinned madly at his suggestion to make his perfect fun much better. He recalled some tag games with his peers at the playground. The fun at the playground was indeed memorable. Kiba and Akamaru was the only pair who teamed up against other four, sometimes more, solo boys. The Inuzuka boy managed to get the least tag of all, because he was definitely faster and more agile. He jumped and swung around, taking advantage of the playground bars, nets, and whatever there, with impressive finesse. To the boys' much dismay, Akamaru helped Kiba chase them and became better at it, efficiently making one among them "it" in less than one minute (the newest record). Man, that white pup was surely fast and small, giving him strong advantage. Kiba and Akamaru dominated the game, making it more and more one-sided. The four boys could not help but feel exasperated. Kiba, however, focused on how awesome he and Akamaru were. He loved how he and Akamaru made such a perfect team; he was very proud of their accomplishment. A brilliant idea popped up in his mind.

Kiba wasted no more time and hurried to the playground, Akamaru sharing the same level of excitement. As he spotted a group of boys playing around, he jumped toward them and yelled "Yahoo", gaining quite an attention from all the children in the playground.

"What's up with you, Kiba?" a lazy tone muttered.

"I have a fantastic game in mind!" the brunette almost shouted in enthusiasm.

"Really? _*crunch* *crunch*_ What is it?" an interested voice asked, coming from the chubby boy, currently munching chips.

"A race! To the top of the hill!" Kiba exclaimed. "You know, the hill where one tall pine is rooted on top! Let's have a race!"

That lazy voice muttered for a second time, "Che, how troublesome…"

"Sounds great!" the chubby boy agreed to the idea with some scrunching noise, "It will be good exercise."

"Heeeyyy, if Chouji joins in, I'm coming too." a blonde boy who had played tag with Kiba before piped in. Soon, Kiba had convinced seven boys to race him and proudly led them to a place where the hill path ended below the hill.

"Here is the start line." The brunette drew horizontal line on the dirt with a stick he found somewhere. "The finish line is the tall pine there." He pointed at the tallest tree jutting out on top of the hill.

"How do we start the race?" Shikamaru, the only boy who owned that half-hearted, bored, and lazy tone, inquired.

"Huh? Together we count down from three, and then we race." Kiba stated matter-of-factly.

"Hmph, how troublesome…" Shikamaru grunted.

"Let's do this, Akamaru!" Kiba chuckled at the enthusiastic pup beside him.

"Yosh! On count of three!" the tallest brunette among them initiated, and together the boys yelled "Three! Two! One!" and they sprinted toward the hill.

Obviously, Kiba was the fastest; he dashed forward and hopped over the bushes so naturally. The woods was like his playing ground, and he embraced the wonderful bliss in his territory – how the spring breeze pleasantly caressed his skin, how the strong pine smell soothed him, how his little companion could feel and share the same feeling with him. He spotted the last big leafy shrub and ran toward it with more speed. He leaped over it gracefully, crying out "Yahoooo!" and sprinted toward the largest pine and slammed his hand on its huge trunk. The other boys soon followed after him, catching their breath, feeling defeated. Shikamaru and Chouji appeared from the bush last.

"Man, Kiba, you're sure fast," exclaimed the shortest blond.

"Akamaru was fast too", the raven in glasses added.

Kiba chuckled smugly, and the praised pup barked happily at the raven. The maroon-haired boy, who accepted no defeat, demanded, "I want a rematch." Kiba's eyes shone at the challenge, "Sure."

"I'm in too," offered the tallest brunette, feeling jealous of the little pup.

"Awesome!" the red-haired clasped his fists, "Then the winner will… uh…"

The tallest of them realized one thing missing, "Speaking of which, is there no winning prize in this game?"

Kiba's brain came to a halt, the realization sinking in. Right. He had not thought about the winning prize. Well, he felt that the race at this woods during the perfect season was satisfyingly enough. This place was fantastic already. But, some people expected a reward right. Man, he had not thought this through.

"Right. I have not thought about it…," as he looked up at the apparent dumbfounded expressions on some of their faces, except Shikamaru's ever bored face, Kiba could not but feel nervous and averted his gaze to the ground, "…yet".

Silence took over, but soon was broken by some crunching and munching sounds. The boys were shocked to hear that. No way. It can't be. At this awkward moment. They directed their gaze at Chouji, enjoying his chip and raising his eyebrows at the sudden shift of attention toward him as if asking them "What?"

Somehow in awesome wonder, Kiba's brain worked its magic and came up with the most sweat-dropping exclamation you could have ever heard, "I know! We could have _that_ as our winning prize!" as he pointed at Chouji's chip bags. Chouji instantly glowered at Kiba suspiciously and clutched his snacks possessively.

The tallest brunette face-palmed. The blond's jaw hanged open. The red-haired's eyebrow twitched. And poor raven in glasses could not help but giggle, which soon broke out into loud laughter. Soon they all joined him in laughter, except for Kiba who cried out incredulously, "What did you find funny about my idea of having food as our prize!? It's _reasonable_ one will be hungry after a race!", Chouji who kept staring at Kiba cautiously, with an evil glint in both his eyes and possessively holding his snacks in secure place, and Shikamaru with his famous bored expression and trademark word, "Troublesome…". And don't forget Akamaru who yapped cheerfully in the background.

_Spring was the herald of nature's majestic days_. Kiba could feel it in the warmth seeping pleasantly into his skin, see it in the natural colors coming to life everywhere, hear it in the gentle breeze whistling among the trees, and smell it in the fresh, pleasantly sweet air. Spring was capable to work its magic not only in nature but also people, especially children. You could hear it in their playful laughter and giggles, yelling and shouting. You could see it in their enthusiastic running and chasing, jumping and playing. You could feel it in their contagious smiles and grins, energy and liveliness. If you were an Inuzuka, you could smell it in the air, their excitement, their bliss, their extreme joy. Kiba felt overwhelmed with this pleasant and exciting sensation, and he always wanted to enjoy it the fullest. However, the brunette noticed one boy who did not exude the colorful energy like the rest of the kids. He was the lone blond. With whiskery marks on his cheek. His mom seriously warned Kiba not to get into trouble. Kiba never transgressed against her in fear of her severe penalty, including by staying away from the blond for years. When he ran into him, he could see his lonely and dull blue eyes just staring at him, or perhaps at empty space.

Feeling and smelling the blond's strong sadness, he could not help but feel lucky that he has his best buddy by his side. Kiba noticed recently that some of his peers who wanted to race against him slowly diminished in number, leaving only a few boys who were still interested. Well Kiba's racing (by foot) game had been a little bit creative: recording the fastest time on a tree nearby the finish checkpoint and collecting candies from each participant as the winner prize. And as usual, Kiba dominated every race and always got the prize. Some of his peers finally gave up (Shikamaru gave up after that _first_ race), and some quitters bore grudges against Kiba. They would shun Kiba out of their games, and Kiba furiously disliked their treatment. He was glad he had Akamaru who stick loyally to him and grew more proud of their improving dynamics and chemistry as well. Kiba obviously cared for his ninken more than his peers; though he did not mind the company of Shikamaru and Chouji. Shikamaru was the ever bored lazy-ass boy, who did not bother with anything troublesome. Chouji was always content and happy if you gave him food. He peered down at Akamaru and showed his smiling gratitude, which Akamaru returned with a cheerful yap and wagging his tail. The boy and his pup walked home together, and their bond had grown stronger than before, intertwined with their respective doggedness.

Kiba was sure one lucky boy to have Akamaru. His white pup had firmly decided to keep the boy happy and fiercely protect him from anyone who dared to hurt him. He also supported Kiba no matter what, how arrogant and impulsive and annoying and carefree the brunette could be (the pup did not judge him that way of course).

In return, Akamaru was a lucky pup to have a dedicated Inuzuka from the first moment they were together. Kiba's resolve had rooted deeply inside his heart, bandaging the open wound in his heart caused by his shame and guilt. It had been watered sufficiently by his own tears, either from regretful mistakes, willing sacrifices, or shared pain. He would protectively keep his pup from any harm. And prove to himself and the pup that he, Kiba Inuzuka, would always hold onto the Inuzuka principle and would never fail _it_.

_Loyalty_.

* * *

><p>Omake:<p>

On one nice day at the playground, Kiba could not help but notice the sudden change of emotion. It was quite strong and intense that he could locate it from the lone blond swinging in the corner. The brunette could feel and smell a new energy, warm and sweet. Now that was odd. There must be something happening to him. Curious, Kiba came closer and peered at the blond across him, slowly getting lost in his blue orbs, which stared hard at the sky.

The once dull ceruleans gained their rich color as if the sky above painted its beauty on them. Slowly, the vivid azure orbs widened and reflected the majestic blue above, different blue tone colors mingling together in perfect unison. Now alive and lively, the cerulean eyes burned with vibrant passion which illuminate them to lighter blue. Kiba was really fascinated that he felt as if he was under genjutsu. However, the blond's abrupt movement of jumping from his swing broke the brunette from his dazed stupor. The brunette quickly averted his gaze, feeling embarrassed and worried he got caught staring.

Somehow in that instant moment, a pleasant breeze visited, slightly stronger, and Kiba smelled a stronger confidence radiating from the boy across him. The brunette could not help but gaze back curiously at the blond, who started running against the wind. Kiba did not miss the vivid blue orbs. And the wide, boyish grin. Before Naruto ran off with such fervor, unaware of the brunette staring in awe and wonder at his back.

* * *

><p>This chapter was planned to wrap up the whole academic days of Kiba + interactions with other classmates before they became genin, which turned out really long, and they will be in chapter 3.<p>

Well, hopefully you can fully understand Kiba's personality I try to describe here. Reviews will be appreciated! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

I decide to speed up the story's pace and skip immediately to their genin years.

_Italics -_ flashback.

EDIT: added omake and some romance spoiler at the end.

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and some character quotes, and me my story plot.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3 – Team Seven Intro<p>

Kiba did not expect this absurdity could happen in his life. How on earth could he end up with the most obnoxious person possible in his team? He loved to talk big while in fact he could do little. What a fool! And the brunette had to deal with his annoying tenacity. Glowering hard at the blond far beside him, the brunette fumed in silent fury.

Naruto was feeling the same thing. He disliked that arrogant prick. Claiming he was the fastest, he had the right to look down on people and boldly declared he would be the Hokage instead. Why would the old geezer set him up with this Inuzuka? Glaring at the brunette in rage, Naruto silently seethed.

Kakashi arrived at the appointed place and announced himself, "Ma-Ma. Sorry for being late. An old grandma asked me to …" His introduction had to be stopped by the unexpected scene before him. Two angry boys pouting in each opposite end, with a big bump on each head. A steaming pink-haired girl stood in the middle, with a visible angry vein in her big forehead and her fist tightly clenched, steam seeping out. The white-haired jonin sweat-dropped and wondered curiously. 'What the hell had just happened!?'

Flashback :

The three new genins had to come to the appointed place, on a building flat rooftop, for a brief meeting with their team sensei. Naruto had no idea why the meeting point took place there, but he struggled to climb the building. Once he arrived, he spotted a brunette and a pink-haired girl waiting already. Kiba, who could smell the blond, smirked at him, "Took you long huh, slowpoke." Naruto tsked in response, "At least I can climb here, dattebayo!"

"HUH!? You climbed?" Kiba exclaimed in surprise. Naruto became irritated at Kiba's loudness, "Yeah! How else could you come up to this place?"

"You could simply jump up to this place, idiot…" Sakura, the pink-haired girl, muttered disinterestedly. Naruto, unfortunately, could not follow Sakura's train of thought. 'Jump!? For 15 meters high!? That's not possible!'

Looking at the blond's confusion and disbelief, Kiba chuckled and sneered at Naruto, "Seriously, I could not understand why you could be a genin." The Inuzuka recalled one moment when the blond failed to create his own perfect ninja clone. "You made a fool of yourself in front of the class by failing the simple clone technique, remember? And you spouted nonsense of becoming the Hokage! Way to go to make yourself more like an epic fool!" Sakura snickered at the brunette's comment.

Naruto, flustered at the turn of event, quickly gained his confidence to dispel his inferiority and exclaimed, "I – I really mean what I say, dattebayo! I will definitely become Hokage!" The brunette, however, perceived Naruto's ridiculous stubbornness as idiotic and irritating. It unnerved him so bad that he countered snidely, "Really? You? Hokage? You can't even beat me! No-one's deluded enough to think you have what it takes to become the next Hokage, not even you! Tell you what, though… I'll become Hokage in _your_ place!"

Upon hearing the last part of the brunette's snarky statement, the blond became furious, and the arrogant "You can't even beat me!" infuriated him even more. It reminded him of the first race he had with Kiba.

…_The blond boy ran as fast as he could, but he was still left behind, with the chubby Akimichi running with full effort beside him. He then heard a loud "Yahoooo!" in the distance and wondered, after immediately recognizing the yell, 'Did Kiba already reach the tree!?' Naruto sped up, his side and chest throbbing with pain. He did not want to lose! After coming out from big, shrubby bush, the blond noticed Choji collapsed from exhaustion, grieving for his lost food. Naruto knew he had lost. He panted heavily and clutched his side in pain. He tried to catch his breath, feeling exhausted from the physical exertion; however, after hearing an underestimation "But we did beat that idiot" directed at him, the blond groaned in silent anger and clenched his fists in frustration. He would not be outdone. He would not give up! Resolute, he exclaimed, his expression determined, "All right! Once more! Let's race once more time!" Kiba replied arrogantly, "Stupid! Challenge me after you beat my time!", holding the timer to emphasize "my time". His arrogant laughter afterwards extremely irritated the blond._

Enraged by Kiba's haughtiness, Naruto snapped in fury, "What!? What makes you think that stupid race can decide whether I can become Hokage or not OR decide WHO can become the Hokage?" Kiba stood up and quickly defended, "HEY! My race is not stupid. It was the best one ever. The best game I have ever created..." (for me and Akamaru) got no chance to be spoken because Naruto, more furious by the revelation, interrupted Kiba, "OHHH! So you created that damn race, and you won every SINGLE one. TELL YOU WHAT! I will definitely beat your record and wipe off that ARROGANCE of yours, DATTEBAYO!"

Sakura was totally dumbfounded at the blond's outburst as she could not follow where this conversation would lead to. 'What race?' 'What game?' 'And what does it have to do about becoming a Hokage?' She looked at the now-standing Kiba and gulped, sensing something inevitably _bad_ was going to happen.

Kiba's mind froze, and his face blanked. He could not comprehend why that obnoxious blond brought up his perfect game and dared to call it stupid, so he quickly defended his genius invention. Yet the blond's even more daring outburst… The brunette could not help it anymore. His every sane circuit had snapped broken. Kiba faced Naruto head-on and yelled at the blond's face, "YOU… WHAT! First, you called my game stupid, and now you think YOU could beat ME!? OH Wait…" A revelation dawned upon him, "

you're JEALOUS …"

Naruto's cry quickly denied, "who SAYS I'm jealous!?"

"You say IT yourself," Kiba quickly countered, "you say I won every race, and you're gonna BEAT me. TELL YOU WHAT, _dattebayo_, I make sure to kick your ASS and shut your MOUTH up for GOOD!"

Naruto clenched his fists furiously when the brunette dared to accuse him jealous, and worse, Kiba not only called him jealous but also cut off his words and blamed the jealousy accusation which clearly came from brunette to him, exclaiming that the he himself said it so, which was not! 'What kind of logic is it to come up with false accusation and to claim that _his_ false accusation does not belong to him but belong to the person being accused to?' 'And who on earth would want to be jealous of that arrogant prick anyway?'

However… the moment Kiba mentioned the blond's favorite catch phrase (Naruto's eyebrow twitched) … and _how_ the brunette said it smugly with a smirk… Naruto was consumed with anger… that he found himself gripping Kiba's shirt and leveled his so close gaze to the brunette's undeterred and challenging eyes.

Sakura, alarmed at the turn of event, could not do anything but anticipated nervously what was going to come. Oh how she wished so hard for the team's sensei to arrive at this moment and quickly stop the two angry boys! And boy, she did not expect that the white pup started _it_. Somehow Akamaru suddenly charged at Naruto while Kiba yelled in surprise, "Akamaru!?" Naruto, still distracted by his rage, did not expect the white pup hopped aggressively onto his arm, causing the blond to lose his balance and accidentally step on Kiba's foot. The Inuzuka screamed and lost his balance and fell on his butt. Still focusing on his foot's throbbing pain, the poor brunette was too late to realize the yelling blond who lost his footing and fell forward, thanks to the white pup, and failed to avoid the _unexpected_ impact. Everything was a blur, except for the astonished blue eyes at close up and the sudden thud Kiba felt on his head as it hit the ground. He could feel warm breath on his cheek and warm, moist skin on his lip before his head throbbed in pain.

Sakura stared in shock at the two boys sprawling awkwardly on each other. She registered how Naruto fell on top of Kiba, the blond's body torso encasing Kiba's torso while his face lay flat on Kiba's. Sakura blushed feverishly at the sight. Naruto's two legs entrapped one of Kiba's to the hip while Kiba's raised other leg had his knee bent and leaned inwardly, showing Kiba's inner thigh align fittingly in place with Naruto's. The poor girl felt violated as her eyes and brain kept taking in the scene before her. Heat flushed to her whole body, imaginary steam coming out from her ears and nose. Then she overheated to the point she could not stand it anymore. This obscene sight. This violation. Then snap. Her inner self took control.

Flustered red with embarrassment and intense flush, she approached the two still dazed boys and lifted the blond easily with some kind of unknown strength. Still dizzy from the impact, poor Naruto did not expect a fist landed hard on his head, so powerful that he was thrown off for a few meter, but quite successful in dispelling his dizziness. Kiba, still groaning in pain, received the same thing. Meanwhile, Akamaru did not dare to go against the sudden psychological change of the pinked-haired girl and decided to approach Kiba instead, who slowly recovered. Both boys, still recovering from their collision, did not fully comprehend of what had just happened, much less about how Sakura became so scary while she stood between them. She was flushed red all over that they could easily imagine she was steaming, with what? They were not sure. Perhaps the reason why they got hit because they were going to fight, and that's right! The fight. The two boys glanced at each other in silent rage. Well, they could fight next time, so they could let this slide in peace. However, the silent anger still brewed storms in their heart.

End of Flashback:

Kakashi suddenly felt nervous at the visible and strong tension among the genins. 'Man, this will not turn out good.' 'Well, I have to find out.' The white-haired jonin cleared his throat loudly and jumped closer to the kids. Successfully gaining their attention, except from the flustered pink-haired girl, Kakashi addressed the boys, "Ma-ma, it seems you have started to know each other before I came here." Looking at the girl before him, he continued, "And I guess something interesting had happened here. Well let me introduce myself. I am Kakashi Hatake. I will be your sensei in your genin years. Now, how about you introduce a bit of yourself?"

Naruto enthusiastically started first, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm going to be the next Hokage!" Kiba tsked at Naruto's introduction and ignored the blond's angry glare.

"My name is Kiba Inuzuka. I will be the next Hokage in Naruto's place! For sure!"

"Hey! What's your problem?" the blond protested immediately.

"You want to know what is _your_ problem!?" Kiba taunted back.

Seeing their bickering would get worse, Kakashi interrupted them, "Speaking of problem, what is going on with her?"

The boys' confounded expression were no help, so Kakashi decided to start briefing without the girl. After setting up the next meeting place and appointed time, the white-haired jonin dismissed the boys, intent to wait for the poor girl.

After finding out Naruto could not perform a simple jump from Kiba who taunted the blond, he ordered the boys to work together to help Naruto climb down due to his inability in focusing the chakra force into a jump. 'I have to deal with this later.' Kakashi mentally noted. As expected, both boys argued at the order, and the white-haired jonin had to convince them hard that teamwork is important. Well, after some time's bickering and protests, they pulled it through. And it ended up awkwardly comical, having to see Kiba's pride wounded because Naruto rode the brunette on his Four-Leg mode and to hear pained scream from the blond because he infuriated Kiba and got thrown off from his back.

'Tomorrow will be a long day' Kakashi heavily sighed. 'Well, time for reading, hehehe.'

As the white-haired took out his book, the pink-haired girl gasped and panted hard. 'Such timing' Kakashi's reading had to wait. He had an interesting genin before him.

Sakura, with her senses coming back, felt exhausted and throbbing pain in her head. Perceiving her surrounding, she looked at the white-haired man next to her in surprise. "Ah, sorry to startle you, I am your appointed sensei for your genin team. My name is Kakashi Hatake," the man introduced himself. Sakura, with her perception working normally again, (stood up) to properly introduce herself but realized with hint of confusion was already standing. 'How do I end up standing?'

Kakashi, noticing the strange movement and confusion from the girl, quickly put that concern later as the girl replied, "I-I'm Sakura Haruno. I'll be in your care." Kakashi nodded and eye-smiled, due to his mouth was covered by his black ninja mask. Then, he explained everything, which to his surprise, Sakura's cheeks flushed scarlet when Kakashi mentioned how Naruto climbed down with Kiba. He inquired the girl of what happened with her and became bemused when her blush deepened.

Sakura explained everything from the start and stuttered toward the end, so Kakashi summed up, "So, they almost get into a fight, but it turn out they crash to each other and end up kissing?" Sakura nodded nervously.

"And then somehow you are so stunned at the sight of it," the white-haired added. Sakura, upon hearing the word "sight", felt mortified as her brain immediately recalled snapshots of the awkward scene before. Feeling consciously violated, she covered her eyes with both hands.

"Why do I have to witness _it_!?" She groaned in disbelief.

Feeling sympathetic of her discomfort ('Poor girl. Having to witness the awkward turn of event. And it just so happened to her new teammates) the jonin attempted to comfort her, "Well – the kiss seemed accidental. They acted like they did not know it happened to them."

Sakura shook her head vigorously, "N-no… I-It's not that… it's-_it's_, wait… they didn't know?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at the girl's implied "_it's_", and his visible eye widened slightly. 'No. It can't be.'

Images of his vivid, perverse fantasy rolled in his mind, both from his reading and …

"_Senpai…" Cold. His heart was cold. He had failed. He had lost. He could do nothing._

"_..you did nothing wrong.." Such comforting words. But no warmth. He blocked it before it touched his heart. Warmth. Touch. Heart. Love…_

"_Rin, she-she had always liked you!...I-I had always loved her!.. How-how could you…"_

_Hurt. It pained. So much. "…kill me Kashi!... R-Rin!?... Kill me before it's too late!..."_

_Something warm. And wet. Down his face. And the next moment. A touch. An embrace._

_He wanted it. The warmth. The touch. The love. The desire burns in his heart._

"_..Sen-senpai!?.."_

His breath hitched, and he quickly dismissed them before they could do something unimaginable and unavoidable. Composing himself quickly, the jonin picked up the girl's last question and nodded his head. He then quickly dismissed himself.

He felt it again. The pain. The angst. The cold. And it reminded him of the warmth which comforted him. Even just for a little bit. _His _warmth. '..Tenzo…'

* * *

><p>Omake:<p>

Sakura, still recovering from her mortification, decided to take a little break and visited a small steakhouse to grab a fruit punch. Ino Yamanaka and her genin team spotted Sakura. The blonde loudly called her, which was not immediately responded. Bewildered, the blonde approached and started her girlish chatter, "Oi Sakura! Fancy seeing you here! You know what – I met Sasuke yesterday and discovered he was down lately. So I suggested getting a drink in a nearby café, and he agreed! Ah~ it was so romantic."

Her giggles had to stop abruptly when she received no usual, loud feedback from the pink-haired girl. She tapped Sakura's back to get her attention and gasped to see her friend's traumatized face. Then, suddenly, Sakura gripped and yanked Ino's hand hardly while crying in panic, "INOOO! How could I deserve this!? My poor innocent mind had been corrupted! My poor pure heart had been tainted! ARGGHH!"

Taken aback at the pink-haired's outburst, the blonde shrieked, "WHAAAAAAT!?

Meanwhile, Shikamaru commented in the background, "Tch, troublesome girls…

* * *

><p>Hope you enjoy the story! Next will be full of <em>good<em> surprises and unexpected stuffs! Reviews will be appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNING: HEAVY ANGST, ANGST-INDUCED MALE x MALE SEX **

_Italics + Align Center: flashback_

EDIT: added an omake at the end with spoiler to the plot.

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and I own my fanfic plot.

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 – Heart of Diamond<p>

Shadow.

A dark area where light, from a light source, is obstructed by an object.

His life had always been in a shadow.

The light source was Konoha. The celebratory praise, smiling gratitude, respectful admiration. From the entire village.

The object was none other than Konoha's famed shinobi, whose said might and skill was in par or even surpassed with the sannin's. Konoha's White Fang. Sakumo Hatake. His father.

And the dark area of course… was him. Kakashi Hatake.

Little Kakashi would always look up to his father, just like the rest of Konoha. But, his was different. He really idolized his father. Little Kakashi's special, future dream was to be like him, capable of great heroic deeds and excellent in strength and talent. To be the famed hero of the village just like his dad, but not to be acknowledged by the mass. Or showered with praises and admiration from people whose names he did not know and faces he did not recognize. It was for _his_ warm and encouraging smiles, _his_ proud and fond affection, that filled his heart with pleasant warmth. Even if it was just for a moment. He wanted to become like his dad so that he could get the attention and love from the village hero, the only figure in his _home_.

However, the young white-haired could not help but still feel in the dark. Even though he was prodigious in shinobi talents and strength, he felt as if his father was so far away and out of his reach. He felt as if the warmth expressed by his father was fleeting, proven by how his father showed it _only_ when young Kakashi accomplished extraordinary feats, such as graduating from the Academy at the age of 5 and becoming an acknowledged chunin at the age of 6 after defeating Might Guy during the third stage of the Chunin Exams. No matter how he tried to impress his father, his warmth was there and then gone, just like the passing wind. Hence little Kakashi lived his dark and cold childhood by holding onto that short-lived warmth, taking the most out of it into his heart. That's right. He lived his years in the shadow of his father. Or to be exact. He _was just_ the shadow of his dad. And when the object was gone, so was the shadow…

He accepted _it_. His cold heart warmed by weak embers_..._Until…

He met _him_.

The warm smiles and trademark flashing grins, so bright that Kakashi felt quite blinded by the sight. But he liked it and embraced it as the light began to chase out his darkness.

"_..Don't get so worked up, okay._

_I believe you will shine just like your dad._

_And tell you what… with me as your sensei… _

_You can even outshine him and make him proud!"_

That warmth in his voice. In his words. In his flashing smiles. In fact, in his heart and soul. Embodied in the person named Minato Namikaze.

That pleasant warmth flooded his heart. The young white-haired chunin found _home_. In his teammates, the Hokage-obsessed dreamer Obito Uchiha and the Uchiha's caretaker Rin Nohara, always tending to Obito's wounds. In his reluctant (on Kakashi's side) rivalry with Might Guy. In Kushina's homemade food she brought to the training and loving, motherly smiles. In Minato's _flashing_ training and leadership.

Now, he did not see that dark, towering figure in front of him, shielding him from the light. That figure slowly diminished, and Kakashi dreaded of what to come. If the object was gone, so was the shadow right? He was wrong! Blinded by the intense brightness, he slowly recognized the sun shining down on him. Obito. Rin. Might Guy. Kushina. Minato. They were his sun. The friendship, the rivalry, and the bond which had grown deep in their hearts and beyond as it intertwined their hearts together in one word. Family.

The white-haired chunin had discovered an important truth which he would treasure deeply in his heart.

_He was wrong. He was not a shadow, of his father or even of anyone's. _

_He was meant to be in the light… All human was meant to be in the light._

_Because they needed it, the light and its warmth._

This truth still firmly remained in his heart until now; His strong sense of comradeship and family had grown into his heart's strong principle, to always cherish the light _they_ had taught him after they were gone… and how Kakashi now deeply wished it could comfort him of his…

* * *

><p>"Kakashi?"<p>

Picking up the sound that interrupted his deep thoughts, the white-haired jonin moved his gaze from the kunai-shaped memorial stone to the side.

"Greetings, Mikoto-san," the white-haired jonin greeted solemnly, although he tried to sound cheerful. The mid-aged woman smiled in response, "Greetings to you too."

She faced the stone in a thoughtful manner and broke the silence, "It has already been 12 years. Time sure does fly." Kakashi once again looked at her, noting the slight sad features in her face. When he met her gaze, her expression softened and brightened a bit with a smile, "Ah, I wish my son Sasuke is under your care, but it seems Kushina's son gets the special privilege. I'm sure you will take care of Yellow Flash's kid, right Konoha's White Flash?"

"Ma-ma, I'm flattered" the white-haired eye-smiled. "Yes. I owed a lot to the Yondaime." He really felt indebted. The Yellow Flash kept the promise…by teaching him Flash Technique which indeed made him _shining _(even outshining Sakumo, the white-haired silently chuckled)_,_ and now he earned the title of Konoha's White Flash.

"It takes only 12 years," Kakashi recognized the grim tone of her voice. "Have you informed the Namikaze boy?" The white-haired jonin, taken aback at her question, inquired what she meant by it to make sure, though he had formed some implications in his mind. Her black eyes showed somberness and her lip grew thin, "Sooner or later they will find out. And… they deserve to know."

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly and cast his gaze down, replying grimly, "Sandaime instructed to still keep it a secret. Naruto had carried the seal for 12 years. It might…"

Mikoto sighed, "Right. I'm just concerned." Kakashi felt there was still something else she was going to say and opted to wait.

"Sasuke was bound to find out later."

'So that's what she infer by "_they_"' Understanding dawned upon the white-haired.

"He had been sad and down lately. Itachi had not been back since his Academy graduation day. It…will be hard to keep it as a secret now." The White Flash felt that deep regret and guilt in his heart, the pain fresh and raw again, causing the lowest point of his life surfaced back in his mind, replaying it as if it was real and just happened yesterday…

"_You-you lied to me for 12 years, for TWELVE years! I-I thought I could trust you! You're the only closest friend I had left, but you-YOU betrayed me!_

_Thunder roared and rain poured down heavily. Strong guilt tore the White Flash's heart into pieces, as he looked at the deep hurt and disbelief expressed by Obito. The growing rage and bitterness etched in his rain-streaked face. The intense hatred in his teary eyes, his Sharingan. Kakashi was trapped. His surrounding suddenly darkened. The white-haired could not see what was going on. His vision was blocked; until the barrier slowly crumbled down, turning into burnt crisp of…wood!? Then his vision revealed Obito, pinned into a tree and rendered immobile by Itachi and other Anbu shinobi on each side. He could hear Itachi spoke, with a slight pleading tone, "Please calm down, Obito-senpai." Seeing Obito getting more enraged and struggling against the two Anbu restraining him, Kakashi's heart became heavy with painful regrets. _

'_This is my fault. All my fault._

_I should have told him sooner. _

_I should have not left him in the dark. I should…'_

_However, upon picking up Obito's desperate and bitter yell, _

"_you DARE to challenge me, Itachi!? We are just TOOLS in this damned shinobi world. Even if we are not, __**they**__ would force us to become one, just like Tenzo, just like… R-Rin…, but US? We are damned __**UCHIHA**__! Cursed by fate since the beginning of times to be puppets with cursed Sharingan in this fucking cursed world! After all, we are but a CURSED CLAN!"_

_Kakashi found himself screaming._

"_Obito! PLEASE!" Tears now streamed down his face "please…Minato would not like __**that **__at all… and Rin…Rin would not like it also. I was wrong. I am the worst friend. And I-I'm deeply sorry, but if you couldn't accept it, then I'm willing to receive it all. All your blames. All your curses. Blame them all on me! Curse them…"_

"Kakashi!?"

Kakashi turned to look at the worried Uchiha facing him. He felt something warm and wet on his face. 'Am I crying!?'

"I-I'm sorry," the white-haired found his voice raspy and dry, "I just…"

"It's alright, Kakashi," the woman quickly interrupted him, "I'm sorry for causing you discomfort, by my endless motherly concerns of the day."

"Ah no…it's just…," Kakashi voiced out his guilt and pain, plain as the day. Mikito, picking up the White Flash's strong emotions, warmly cut off, "It was not your fault, Kakashi. Obito had chosen his own path, and Itachi followed him. However, there is still Sasuke." Kakashi noted her grim eyes, gazing at the Memorial Stone.

"It has been 12 years," she continued, "I have kept secrets from him for this long, and I always pray in my heart and hope. That he has a strong heart to deal with all of these, just like you, Konoha's White Flash."

Kakashi was taken aback by her sudden compliment. She smiled warmly and recalled her memory as illustrative as possible, "You know, Kushina often fondly spoke about you, like 'Oh, that Hatake kid! He was cool on the outside, but actually he had a big heart inside!' or 'Kakashi was super strong, you know, both in his physique and his heart!' or 'He may not show it, but I know he will fiercely protect his teammates!'. You really impressed her, Kakashi."

Kakashi, feeling embarrassed and touched, joined her in laughter. Then, Mikito excused herself with "…please take good care of that Namikaze kid. I'm sure you can train him to be another Konoha's Flash hero, just like his father..." Kakashi eye-smiled and bid farewell with, "I will. I promised him."

* * *

><p><em>It was just the usual morning. Minato was training three of them. Rin smiled at him and bandaged his wound, "Hehe, even the great Hatake could injure himself." Suddenly, everything darkened and he slowly recognized he was in the woods, the towering trees obstructing the light. A desperate, female voice startled him. "Just kill me Kashi!" Kakashi gasped. Rin, older and taller now, was in tears, begging for her death!? Remembering his promise to Obito, young Kakashi refused,"I-I can't, I swore to Obito that I will protect you!"And then there was a color. Vibrant blue. It glowed and danced around Rin. Her eyes suddenly changed. Right yellow eye. Left green eye.<em>

"_Just kill me before it's too late!?" _

"_R-Rin!?"_

_A flash of white. Pierced through Rin's heart. A familiar sabre. "…Oto-san*!?_

_A familiar figure towered in front of him, growing larger and larger, obscuring the light and drowning him in the shadow, in the darkness. However, there was a familiar scent, a familiar light, and a familiar voice. The white-haired jonin could identify the sweet and delicious smell of Kushina's homemade cooking, the flashing yellow light of Minato's Flash Technique, and the heartbroken cry which belonged to Obito, suddenly taking form of in a shadow which branched out from the dark area young Kakashi was currently in. That shadow, resembling a young teen's body, wailed, _

"_How could you not be able to save her!? You promised me Kashi! Rin, she-she had always liked you! You might not realize it, but I-I know it because I had always watched her! And-and I …had always loved her! Why-WHY were you late to save her!?"_

_He could not help but plunge deeply into his guilt, torturing his heart and soul. He had lied to his only teammate. He could not tell him the truth. That his father… He looked up to the familiar large figure in front of him and was terrified by two Sharingan eyes locking gaze into his eyes, burning with deep hatred and bitterness. "…I could not accept your apology, Kakashi… Even if I cursed you to death and condemned you to oblivion, it did not change the fact of what had happened. Of Rin's death…"_

_However. Suddenly the darkness slowly morphed into a long corridor, on each side and even interval was the closed shoji, a sliding door to the sleeping room of the ANBU shinobi. Adult Kakashi was watching through the shoji, standing in the corridor._

_He could clearly make out a sitting male figure looking down at the picture frame that man held in his hand, because of the room light. A familiar voice called out to him, "I know you're there Kakashi." The White Flash slid the door open and entered the room, immediately recognizing Obito, only in his ninja pant and still looking at the frame with hint of sadness and broken heart. The grief was suddenly replaced by hurt, hatred, and familiar emotion when Uchiha's eyes made contact with Kakashi's. A soft voice spoke, "Rin had always looked up to you. And she had always looked down to me. I had gotten far more injuries than you did and always felt bad to look up to her tending to my wounds." That familiar emotion was jealousy, as confirmed in his next words. "I had been always jealous of you Kakashi. I had wondered what was good in you that caused Rin to always look at you." _

_The white-haired noticed the raven stood up and clenched his fist, not hiding the envy in his gesture and his eyes that were checking Kakashi out. He saw the raven closing in the proximity and his hand tugging at the ninja mask. Confused by his actions, the white-haired gripped his hand and inquired, "What are you doing?" The raven bitterly replied, "Why? Can I not see my best friend's face after all these years?" Deciding to let Obito see his face and releasing his grip, Kakashi's breath hitched as the raven before him slowly caressed his jaw and muttered bitterly, "What a handsome face." He could recognize the raven checking out his torso after and could not imagine but dread of what was to come. _

_The next word made his heart pound harder and his body sweat more. "Strip. __He had to stop this, but the determination wavered as he saw two challenging Sharingan expecting him to obey. _

_The white-haired managed to choke out, "Why?" and the following reply "You told me you were willing receive __**it**__ all" compelled him to respond "Yes". And so Kakashi stripped down into his briefs._

"_You have a gorgeous body," Obito complimented. The White Flash could not help but felt his heart pound harder as fingers traced the dips of his chest and abs and side. He felt every touch was electrifying and spread heat to his whole body. However, he was surprised to see that dark look still present on the Uchiha while outlining his abs with sensual touch. Instead, that ominous expression grew more evident, and Kakashi felt conflicted with strong intense emotions trying to cancel out each other: wariness and sensual pleasure. And while seeing that expression in Sharingan eyes, the white-haired shivered in this mixed feeling and felt incredibly aroused. _

_However, his arousal got no chance as he realized a bit too late that the Uchiha took out his kunai and aimed the stab at him. He immediately closed his eyes and expected physical pain, but there was none. Curious of what was going on, he turned his head to the side and found out the kunai was thrust into a shoji wall. What surprised him more was some drop of moisture trickling down his shoulder to his back, and the quiet sobs that broke the tense silence. 'Tears?'As the white haired turned his head to the other side to see the raven's hidden tear-streaked face, his heart broke to witness the pain and loss expressed so openly. His decision to call out to him was temporarily forgotten. _

_The Uchiha's body suddenly slumped against his, igniting greater and more sensual heat inside poor Kakashi. He gasped and hitched audibly loud as he felt the raven's bare torso aligned with his perfectly. He felt heat pooled downward as a slight friction rubbed against his inner thigh when the raven's knees made contact with his. His back shivered with ticklish pleasure as tears kept dropping into his shoulder and trailed down his back muscle. Reacting to this sudden change of event, his feet involuntary stepped back until his back made contact with the wall. It down spiraled from there._

_His body's involuntary action caused the raven's body to lean against his body more, triggering the inevitable. Kakashi could not suppress the husky groan out of his lip as he felt the cool body pressed against his hot one, chest to chest, knee to knee, thigh to thigh, groin to groin. He could not control the rapid hardness of his cock, bulging out of his brief, aching by the restrain. He could not help but feel vulnerable and helpless when Obito stated the next sentence, "You're hard," now facing him with an evil glint in his now black eyes and triumphant smirk. In the next moment, he could feel soft touch on his clothed erection, the raven's hand testing the water. His pulse sped up as his fists clenched tightly, trying his hardest not to shove his erection against the raven's fleetingly sensual touch. Soon, the touch became bolder, tracing his bulge with more fingers and more attention, trailing any vein it found. He knew his cock's tip was now leaking with precome, staining his briefs. _

_As the touch steadily grew firm, the poor White Flash struggled to suppress the groans and moans that threatened to spill out of his mouth. However, he failed miserably when he felt fingers pressed and rubbed on the damp spot of his brief. The sensual ministration made his dick twitch inside; pleasure spiked from his erection rubbing itself against his briefs. Closing his eyes and slowly drowning in pleasure, he could not fully make out the next sentence uttered by the raven, "Look … Kakashi, I bet all the girls…dying to see…of yours." Not grasping Obito's words, Kakashi asked the raven what he just said and noticed the slight twinge of jealousy in his black eyes before replaced by an evident curiosity and interest, gazing hard on Kakashi's torso. The white-haired nervously anticipated of what was going to happen; his brain referring to the sensual images from his perverted imagination when reading that book. _

_His aroused body immediately shivered at the warm tingles of breath hovering over his chest and the wet sensation focused on one specific spot. "Nngh!" He felt his knees trembled and supported himself by pressing his open palm on the wall behind him, propping him up, with his back leaning on the shoji wall. Receiving the wet abuse on his nub, the white-haired was gradually losing control. "Haah!" That wet tongue swirled teasingly around his nipple and regularly pressed itself against the abused nub. Broken moans and whimpers spilled from his lip; his body quivered with warm tingles as the sensual heat focus on his nipple spread all around his body. _

_When he registered the strong grip on his shoulder and the sudden suction on his hard nub, his struggling restrain was instantly neglected. Kakashi could not help but groan in pleasure, "Ughhh! Nngh!"and arched his back, wishing that wet mouth devouring his nub. In that instant moment, heat intensified in his clothed erection as it made contact with the raven's abs, causing it to twitch again and rub against his briefs. _

_Pleasure surged through his body and dizzied his mind, causing him to thrust his leaking cock shamelessly against the cool abs and voicing out his husky groans and sensual moans. Suddenly, when a cool skin made contact with his raging, hot dick, he screamed, but it was quickly muffled by Obito's other hand. His rock-hard cock was still aching for its release. The raven's hand directly gripped his shaft hard, holding it back with force. Tears pooled in the white-haired eyes as his body trembled with the intense need._

"_You're not allowed to cum, Kakashi," That evil smirk. Those envious eyes."…before…" He saw red._

Kakashi screamed and instantly sat up, covering his left eye. His heart was beating haphazardly, and he was breathing laboriously. He felt warm moisture trickling down his face; the hand covering his eye gradually became damp. Slowly taking in his surrounding as his bedroom, he traced the vertical scar on his left eye and muttered to himself, "It was just a dream." The scar always reminded him of that traumatizing and sensual dark experience. Since then, he noticed Obito distanced himself from him. Over time, the gap between them widened more and more. He could tell the raven fell more deeply in his own dark hatred and sorrow, causing him to feel really guilty and utterly helpless in being able to only just watch the Uchiha consumed in the darkness and do nothing about it. After all, he was the strong reason behind the raven's current state. Afterwards, the White Flash found himself in the cold and the dark all over again just like in the beginning. As he recalled Obito cut their ties, final and absolute.

"_I do not consider you as my friend anymore, Kakashi. And you __**should**__ not consider me the same, as I had done __**that**__ to you. There was nothing you could do to change my mind; in fact, there was nothing in all these past years that could change my cursed fate. Keep your bullshit to yourself, Kakashi. I choose to live in the shadow. I do not need anything else. And if you are going to stop me by force, I will not hesitate to kill you!"_

They were not closest friend anymore. Nor were they distant friend. They were total strangers, choosing opposite path from each other. And when that path might cross one another one day, it would be a conflict. And they would turn into enemies. Kakashi felt the strong icy cold inside his heart. Extreme guilt plunged him harshly into a deep pit, leaving him in the dark and pain. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, the white-haired was startled to discover his still hard erection. 'Such cruel irony' his mind grimly noted. He looked at the time, showing it was almost 4 A.M. Deciding to take a warm shower and deal with his own problem, he rose up from his bed and grabbed a fresh, clean briefs before going into his bathroom.

* * *

><p>The pleasant warmth trailed down his toned body, somehow comforting him from the cold grip. This caressing warmth reminded White Flash his one sensual moment with Tenzo, which he regretted deeply in his heart and asked the mokuton* user to forget it just like a passing wind. However, his stubborn brain did not do a good job of forgetting it as it vividly recalled the scene in his mind, as the warm water traced down his face, neck, torso, and hard cock.<p>

_He felt that warm embrace. Tenzo hugged him that night, as his tears freely fell down his face, dampening his ninja-mask. He really did miss that warmth, pleasant and sweet and lively. He missed all the people he had lost in his life. Rin. Minato and Kushina. His missing father. And then Obito. The white-haired began to sob. Unable to hold down his grief, he allowed that floodgate to open. His body shook, and his leg wobbled. "..Sen-Senpai!?" Kakashi suddenly found himself collapsing to his knee, his hand gripping Tenzo's side to steady his fall. He gripped harder as he sobbed more loudly, picking up the comforting gesture on his shoulder. He buried his tear-streaked face against the rough clothing in front of him to help muffle his weeping cries. His body was shaking with every sob as he let it all out. However after some time, he perceived something strange beneath the clothing as his face pressed into something faint but… solid? _

_Half-curious and half-grieving, the White Flash nuzzled his face and let his tears soaked the clothing more. He could make out the subtle bulge and abruptly stopped his face rubbing as he registered something cold…a metal? The next realization distracted him from his flooding angst for good, 'Zipper!?', and quickly replaced it with awkward shame and sarcastic ridicule. 'Wow, you just did cry on your comrade's pant, soaking his groin for good nonetheless.' _

_After his grief slowly subsided and his usual senses came back, poor Kakashi could pick up the distinct musky scent, reminding him of the distinct orgasm scent during his past dark, sensual experience. His heart pounded. Warm shivers trailed down his body. As those images vividly surfaced from his memory, specifically Obito's slow and teasing ministration on his dick. The fleeting, sensual touch through his fabric, growing bolder and firmer. _

_He heard a shocked gasp, "Senpai!?" and finally realized he was just doing the same thing like Obito. His face barely rubbed against Tenzo's pant, but slowly and surely applying more pressure as his face nuzzled against the subtle outline of the brunette's groin. Tenzo's musky scent, stronger now as Kakashi picked up closely, had a unique scent, similar to a sweet-smelling wood. It tantalized him so much that he decided to inhale it, registering the distinct scent into his brain. He then exhaled, feeling somewhat thrilled. Inhaling and exhaling for quite some time, the white-haired heard more gasps coming out of Tenzo and a stutter, "Sen-Senpai!" He just muttered satisfactory hum and drowned slowly in that addicting scent. _

_And suddenly, he noticed his face leaned deeper and rubbed harder against Tenzo's dick and his hand accidentally gripped the brunette's butt to steady himself as Tenzo jerked backward and quickly avoided the fall by his mokuton, moaning loudly at the domino effect. Spurred on by the sensual sound, Kakashi continued to rub his face against the groin, and he could feel the subtle outline grew larger against his face. Pounding hard with excitement at this development, he gripped the brunette's ass closer as he nudged the growing erection in circular motion with his nose while blowing hot damp breath over it. Louder gasps and groans filled the silence. Kakashi urged the cock to finally be rock-hard, and he felt the slowly growing erection on his side. He continued his face rubbing against the visible tent on the brunette's pant while he listened to Tenzo's groans of pleasure. They reminded him of his choked out groans when Obito teased his cock mercilessly, especially through the fabric restraining it, until it leaked pre-cum. _

_Determined to tease Tenzo's cock further, he unmasked his face and could clearly smell the cum's odor. He nudged his nose sensually at the bulge and bit the protruding zipper, causing choked out moans and shivers from the brunette. He looked up to his kouhai, breathing hard and flushed red, black, almond-shaped eyes widened and glazed with lust. After confirming that Tenzo wanted this, he continued his own exhilarating idea. Unzipping slowly with his teeth, he could feel the slight friction between his mouth and the bulging zipper caused by tremors of the brunette's body. Shaking voice repeated over and over "Sen-senpai!" "Nngh!" _

_Soon after, the shinobi pant was down, showing the damp bulging spot on the brunette's boxers. White Flash immediately touched it with his lip, instantly triggering a deep thrust against his mouth followed by a lewd moan from Tenzo. Electrifying sensation sparked from the sudden contact, hot and musky, down to his throat and body and his groin. He pinned the brunette's hip tightly against the wood to keep frantic movement in control as he slowly took the clothed erection into his mouth. His dick gradually swelled when he felt the damp heat, twitching and trying to fight its constraint, inside his mouth. His mouth watered with excess saliva as he smelled that stronger, delicious yet unique, musky odor; some of the excess drooled down his lip. His so wet tongue boldly licked the clothed dick, tasting the leaking salty pre-come mingled with his saliva. It also swirled around the now-soaked lump, tracing sensually the throbbing cock inside. _

_All his senses zeroed in the struggling heat inside his mouth, concentrating on how it pumped pleasure from his wet cavern down to his body and straight to his dick. The erratic loud voices coming from the brunette just sounded like background noises to his ears. The heat sensation took the spotlight, how it reached down to his swelling dick and caressed it warmly and softly, until it pulsated with heat and finally became rock-hard yet constrained. And the white-haired could not help but slowly and vividly recalled his orgasm denial, how Obito suddenly constrained his pending release then scarred his eye, mixing pain and pleasure in his intensified ejaculation. _

_As he remembered the painful pleasure of his masturbation, he found himself biting the protruding bulge inside his mouth. And in the next moment. A loud scream of "SEEENNPAAAAI!". An impulsive deep thrust. His mouth gagged. As the intense heat pulsated hot semen, spoiling the poor fabric and leaking through it into his throat, causing him to…_

Kakashi braced his open palms against the wall as he thrust his pulsating cock against the cold tile wall, groaning in pleasure and pain as the tip rubbed harshly. After he finished his masturbation, the white-haired stared blankly at the tile floor, letting the warm water soak his post-orgasm body. Feeling extremely guilty, he muttered, "...I'm sorry, Tenzo…" He had utterly failed to forget his sexual experience with that brunette while he had strongly encouraged that both of them should forget about it. The white-haired knew deeply in his heart that he did not deserve it. He had claimed Tenzo's first, And worse, he was thinking about his trauma when urging the mokuton user to his climax. However, that brunette did not seem to be traumatized, showing it in his unwavering admiration and comfort to the White Flash after the incident. 'Or perhaps, he became extremely optimistic after he learned about friendship and comradeship.' Kakashi shook his head and quickly dismissed his thought. He dried himself and quickly dressed into his ninja suit. When he noticed the wooden figurine which resembled just like him, he could not help but smile.

"_Here's my farewell gift, senpai…_

_I'm sure you will do a great teacher, especially _

_when you have your sensei's son under your care…"_

* * *

><p>The training later that day gave good surprises to the White Flash. Some notably good surprises were shown in the genin's attempts to snatch one of the two bells from him. First was Kiba's and Akamaru's flawless teamwork and coordination which almost caught him off guard when Akamaru almost successfully astonished him from below. Yet, Kiba's short temper and carefree nature might be his downfall which caused him to act on impulse recklessly. Naruto was the same personality-wise. The only difference lay in his stubborn determination and willpower to always not give up. The blond made the highest record of failing multiple times.<p>

However, on the last attempt, the next revelation shocked Kakashi when Naruto was able to perform basic Flash Technique. But it was slower, creating doppelgangers following the blond on the execution which then vanished at the end… Sort of useless… The white-haired jonin could not help but sweat-dropped. But then, when he blocked Naruto's flash-induced kick and punch, he could feel the added power as each of the doppelgangers fused again with the original body. The blond's flash technique has a unique strength to compensate its slowness. Naruto began to increase the frequency in using the Flash Technique and cover longer distance. Kakashi could make out what would happen if the blond used another Flash Technique before the doppelgangers from before fused into his body. The Uzumaki would have endless doppelgangers behind him! And he would be able to blow devastating impact! Alarmed by the development of the blond, the jonin used his Lightning Technique: Shock Blast aimed at the blond. To his surprise and later defeat, his Shock Blast could not destroy the doppelgangers. That revelation distracted him, causing him to be in a vulnerable stance to avoid the impact of Naruto's side kick.

Sakura then sprung out and charged. Kakashi successfully outmaneuvered her and was surprised for good as he barely avoided the kunai, grazing his hair, coming out from the puff of smoke, which was the pink-haired girl before. 'Impressive, using a ninja clone as decoy to launch missile attack.' As he avoided the weapon, he could sense Kiba and Akamaru charged to ambush him. Smirking, he would not fall into the same trap; he would deal with Akamaru first, but was surprised that it was Kiba. He then was able to block another Kiba(!?) which puffed into Akamaru, and the white pup jumped and successfully bit arm. 'Akamaru was really good, to perform the Man-Beast Clone Technique perfectly.' Using his Lightning Technique: Static Body by one-hand seal, he produced electricity around his body to shrug off the white pup and Kiba occupying his limbs. Multiple kunai flew at him as he performed the hand seal, and the white-haired knew he had lost. Deactivating his Static Body to avoid the kunai pulled in by the magnetic effect (like homing missile), Kakashi realized that the kunai were actually aimed at the bells as he barely avoided them, and one successfully cut the attached _metal_ string, tossing the bell into the air. Kiba quickly clutched it and grinned triumphantly, "Yahooo!"

The third good surprise, he found out later, was the pink-haired girl showing her high level of intelligence to take advantage of his Lightning Technique's induced magnetic effect. 'I should have changed the string to plastic.' The white-haired jonin mentally noted. Thoroughly impressed by his team's fast-paced and outstanding teamwork and listening to their antics, thanks to Kiba and Naruto bickering to one another, still _**oblivious**_ of what had happened between them, Kakashi felt the same warmth in his heart as he viewed his younger self with Minato, Kushina, Rin, and then Obito.

Konoha's White Flash looked fondly at the two bickering duo, which quarreled about becoming a Hokage. 'They are so similar to younger Obito, Hokage-obsessed dreamer.'

He hoped in his heart that they would grow strong and achieve their dream successfully. Obito had abandoned his dream of becoming Hokage due to his deep hatred and anger. The white-haired jonin deeply wished that they would not end up like Obito, plunging deeply into his own darkness. No. He had to make sure that Naruto and Kiba would have

"…_a strong heart to deal with all of these…"_

Right. Mikito was right. **A strong heart**. To withstand the cruel truth and terror in this shinobi world. To endure the inevitable: oncoming pain, sorrow, loss, grief, shame, injustice, guilt… which fate might bring in this life. To protect the carefree dreams and noble idealism in one's heart. To always believe and hold onto the good principles and never abandon them. And to uphold a strong comradeship… that could courageously deal with _all of those_ together… as a family and survive.

"…_just like you, Konoha's White Flash."_

Strong and burning determination ignited in his heart. As Kakashi Hatake swore on his title, Konoha's White Flash, that he would make their heart strong. And if he failed… he would not let them drown and suffer in darkness. And if he died… well, he would made sure that he planted that seed **deep** inside their heart and saw it grow **beyond** their heart manifested in their unwavering vigor, solid and true…before he died.

Narrator's point of view:

So little did Kakashi know, the good surprises that awaited him. Because he had not witnessed it. The deep and beyond. Naruto's never giving-up willpower. And Kiba's true and deep loyalty.

* * *

><p>Omake:<p>

As usual, her husband would throw his nasty, ill-tempered tantrum when something extremely irritated him. And that was…

"I cannot believe that Itachi would abandon his Uchiha pride and follow that fool Obito."

"Fugaku! Itachi had admired Obito since he was little..." Mikito's reply soon was interrupted by a furious retort. "Yes, that was before, when Obito was an aspiring shinobi with a noble dream to become Hokage, which would do big honor to the Uchiha clan, but NOW, he could not get over his angst and foolishly meddle into someone's else business! AND he dragged Itachi into it!"

"Obito was an orphan since he was a baby, so it was understandable. He lost everything! That's why he needed to justify his loss and…" Mikito once again was cut off by a hard slam on the table.

"That's WHAT I MEAN! Thanks to his PATHETIC heart and mind, he just blindly involved himself in someone else's feud. And it was not a SIMPLE one. It was the one that almost turned the war into HUGE catastrophe! That ancient and bloody warfare between Nekomori and Inuzuka, under influence of STUPID bijuus' rage! Tch, why did the Katsuragi not know about this possibility!? And we Uchiha had to follow their orders and manipulate Kyuubi's senses to distract it!"

"Fugaku! Konoha lost the Fourth Hokage to silence its rage and seal it, and there will be still more necessary losses to maintain peace in this chaotic world. Your Uchiha pride is one of them!" Mikito quickly exclaimed.

"But still! For Obito to stick his nose into this huge matter! What was HE thinking!? He would just bring shame and dishonor to the Uchiha! It would be a ridiculous joke to Uchiha name after we played a big part in preventing the catastrophe!" her husband adamantly exclaimed. "And if he were to betray his clan, it would be a chance to add more Mangekyo Sharingan user," he added in a calmer tone.

Having enough of this conversation, she responded, "I will make you tea." Discovering the almost depleted tea leaf powder, she muttered, "I will be out for some shopping," after serving the cup of hot tea to her husband.

Deciding to stop by the Memorial Stone on her way to the shopping center, she heard a frustrated voice.

"Argh, why is it so hard? This scroll is useless if I cannot learn a thing. Grr! After all the hard work of getting it from the old geezer. Plus escaping from the ever-nosy Iruka sensei!"

Mikoto approached where it came from and spotted a blond in the nearby woods, his brow furrowed in deep and hard concentration in getting his chakra to learn a shinobi technique? She immediately knew who the boy was. The whiskery mark on his cheek. Notorious because of the Kyuubi sealed inside. Minato's and Kushina's son. Naruto Uzumaki. She watched Naruto who picked up the scroll and stared at it hard and long 'Wait, isn't it…?'

Smiling knowingly and getting interested, the raven came closer to Naruto and found out his problem.

"Ugh! How is this supposed to work!?" The blond groaned. His face was shocked when he saw a middle-aged woman before him. "Waah!" Amused by the blond's reaction, Mikoto directly confronted him, "You should learn the most basic one first," pointing the Japanese kanji for Flash. Not taking her advice, Naruto retorted, "What's so good about it? Projecting chakra to designated point then materializing it sounds strange and not cool!"

'My, he does not understand its advantage' she chuckled mentally. "Trust me. It will be cool." Unsure, the boy looked at the scroll again, considering about it in serious manner. She chose this time to quietly walk away and smiled when she heard a distant exclaim, "Huh!? Where does she go?"

Few days later, she discovered the blond in the exact spot, panting and exhausted. She smiled warmly as she watched Naruto, determined and hardworking, worked on her suggested Flash Technique. Pleased by the turn of event, she chuckled.

'Your boy sure had grown up, Kushina. And you owe me to keep him in your ways, Minato.'

And when she heard a distant triumphant yell, she could not help but feel happy for him. 'Like father, like son. I'm glad, Naruto Namikaze.'

* * *

><p>FINALLY. Kakashi had his background, was going to be more elaborate, but this chapter was already long. Longer than Kiba's.<p>

*otou-san: father

*mokuton: wood technique

Hopefully you like the _good_ surprises and the plot twists! Please review. They will be appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and some plots for this chapter

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><p>Chapter 5 – Inuzuka Pride: Naruto's Inspiration<p>

"_I will prove to this village that heroes still exist!"_

_- Naruto –_

Naruto was frustrated. He scowled at the 10-meter tree trunk with probably dozens of scratches, clustered at most 4-meter high. The wide, visible gash showed how far he could achieve in his chakra control training, and it really upset him. Sakura had managed to complete the training in her first try with ease. Kiba had slowly improved bit by bit after Kakashi-sensei asked him to redo it without his four-legged mode, causing Naruto to snicker at Kiba, who looked confounded and miserably failed at his first try. However, the blond knew he was left behind; Kiba had surpassed him by 3 meters. It irritated him, and the dog-nin's contempt words after the unexpected ambush fueled his irritation more.

"_Heh, even Akamaru was better than you, Loser."_

If that white pup did not jump in to the rescue, Naruto was sure that mutt-breath would be caught off guard. And if that dog-prick did not distract him with his annoying attitude and loud voice, he would not end up like a defenseless kid who needed a desperate help. Then, he would not be forced to swallow his pride, stabbing his hand as a result to show that he could deal with the poison himself. 'Damn that dog-breath'. Unconsciously, the blond clenched his now-healed hand, still bandaged to hide the fast recovery.

Kiba had to deal with the blond again. Sigh. He did not know why Kakashi-sensei asked him to call Naruto for dinner. Why not Sakura? It must be because of their fight which distracted the group from the sudden ambush, on their long trip to Land of Waves. Well, who would not be angered by a person, especially that whiskered-loser, who just decided to use Akamaru to take away his boredom? The brunette was happy his dog did not comply (He patted Akamaru's head proudly), but when the blond had the stupid nerve to ask a stupid question…

"_Heeey dog-breath, are you seriously training Akamaru well? He did not fetch my sticks! Not even one, dattebayo!"_

Then came his angry reply, _"Like he want to play with you, moron!"_, and that's how it started. And now here Kiba was, expected to call Naruto for dinner without breaking into a heated clash. Kakashi's serious and stern gaze made sure of that.

Finally arrived at Team 7's training ground, he had a good view at the blond's futile effort to run higher and tried hard to suppress his laughter. However, upon hearing the blond's audible empty stomach, he could not control it anymore. His side ached because he laughed hard, accompanied by his pup's laughter (to his ear). Naruto's red face, caused by his embarrassment, frowned at the brunetter, and he angrily yelled, "What are you doing here, mutt-breath!?" Kiba had to settle down first and wipe a tear from his eye before replying, "Haha, I'm asked to call you for dinner… Man, you're so... Haha... epic!" Naruto scowled and barked, "Shut up, mutt-breath!" While walking back to the village, the dog-nin could not help the building desire to tease and ridicule the blond, but that was soon replaced by hunger as he smelled a delicious meal from a distance. "Hmm, do you smell that, Akamaru? Let's go!" The white pup yapped, and soon, both hungry boys began to run.

The dinner was somehow awkward. Everyone seemed to be solemn, except Naruto and Kiba. Tazuna, the bridge builder, ate his meal in silence while the lady, the house owner, quietly did the dishes. And Kakashi-sensei, he was just too occupied in reading his book, whatever it was. The only noise filling up the silence came from the Uzumaki and Inuzuka, which could get worse if they interacted. So, it was a good thing that the enthusiastic blond was busy with his third bowl now, making slurping and chewing sounds, while Kiba enjoyed himself by playing with his fork and showing it off to his pup, inciting excited yelps with silly clanking, clinking sound. Sakura, however, wondered how her two teammates managed to be obnoxiously noisy even when they were not in their usual bickering. They bugged her to no end. Surprised that the other adults in the room did not seem troubled at all except her, she tried to find something interesting in place of the awkwardness. Sakura then noticed a ripped picture, showing only Tazuna, the lady, and her son and inquired about the missing person in that picture. Tazuna and the lady visibly tensed at this, and the escort continued to explain after a vague, unhelpful reply "He's my husband" from the woman. Tazuna's downcast tone and disheartened expression caught everyone's attention while he sullenly recalled a heartfelt and tragic story.

A certain person immediately popped up in Naruto's mind when he heard the word "hero". As the story progressed, his blue eyes sparkled in awe at Kaiza's impressive feat of saving the entire village from river flood single-handedly. He had stopped eating to let the heroic inspiration sink in his heart and a warm smile form on his face. His eyes would light up in delight and his smile grew as he listened how Kaiza had inspired other villagers with his heroism. However, surprise and rage immediately took over when Tazuna recalled Kaiza's execution in front of all villagers. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in anger. Deep sympathy would be the most common reaction to Kaiza's tragic death, but Naruto did not let empathy linger after hearing how all the villagers lost their hero, their symbol of courage. Nor discouragement at how they lost heart and courage. Instead, determination burned in his heart like a furnace, igniting his passion to become a hero just like his father and … "I will prove to this village that heroes still exist!"

Kiba snapped his attention to the blond's passionate declaration. He noticed Naruto's cerulean eyes blazed with strong passion, accentuated with determined creased brows and a confident smirk. The blond radiated intense emotions when he walked to exit that the brunette not only could see, smell, and hear his fiery spirit but also could touch and even taste it. It sent a thrilling shiver down his spine, spreading wonderful sensation to every part of his being. Suddenly a kid barged in and retorted loudly, "What are you, stupid!? There's no such thing as a hero!" Even a pessimistic little boy's challenging gaze did not deter the unwavering fire in his vivid cerulean. This kid must be Inari who looked up to Kaiza as a father and hero. Naruto's eyes lighted up as he exclaimed, "Yes, there is! I have seen it! But I will show it to you again, dattebayo!" Naruto stopped halfway. Kiba held his breath as he sensed something big was going to happen, and it surely did. His heart got overwhelmed with unknown but amazing feeling, and his brown slits widened and gleamed in awe. When he witnessed how Naruto stayed firm and deep in his conviction, displayed vividly in his blue eyes, shimmering with optimism. And even beyond as he seriously exclaimed, his azure orbs now piercing accompanied with a flashing grin,

"And _even_ better, _it will be the sight you have never seen before_, dattebayo!"

Kiba kept staring at Naruto's back, slowly disappearing from his sight. The same exact moment surfaced in his mind, when he noticed the sudden and strong mood change from the blond few years ago. Back then, he could not figure out what it was and how it caused him to be a dumbstruck fool. But now he understood. His heart burst with what is called _inspiration_, Naruto's driving force.

Naruto had became predictable in his character, but in a good way. As his sensei, Kakashi felt really proud of him. An optimistic shinobi in this world was very rare, though Konoha had the odd youthful Gai-sensei and now Naruto. 'He indeed was a flashing kid, though in a different way than his father.' Kakashi chuckled in his mind. Considering the blond's stubborn tenacity and easily inspired heart, one of his trademark qualities, the white-haired jonin could foresee where he immediately decided to go after dinner. Watching the blond failing an umpteenth time, he approached the boy.

"Hmm… your chakra control is terrible, Naruto," Naruto groaned in frustration at this blunt comment. "However, you are able to perform Flash Technique…"

"But it is slow," the blond dejectedly cut off. The jonin eye-smiled and continued, "Yes, it is slow, but not imperfect. It just adapt to your poor chakra control and enormous chakra capacity. So, maybe we should use a different approach." Naruto, getting interested and excited, eagerly inquired, "What do you mean, sensei?"

"Well, you should try your Flash Technique to reach to the top," the standing man replied. Intrigued by the brilliant idea, the blond quickly stood up and tried it. At first, it was a success, but the blond fell again before all the doppelgangers fused into him. The observing jonin chuckled, "In the air, Flash Technique is harder than the one on the ground. Anyway Naruto, don't train too late at night." He eye-smiled and then walked away. Naruto continued his training and failed all the time, but at least he could get the hang of it now. The sky grew darker, but the blond disregarded it and only focused in mastering the aerial Flash Technique. Finally weary from chakra exhaustion, he sprawled on the cool grass and let sleep took over.

* * *

><p>Today was the day Naruto awaited for. After successfully mastering his Flash Technique, he felt ready than ever before. Not to mention he started yesterday's morning in an encounter with feminine-looking boy, or perhaps a girl? Well, the gender did not matter. What mattered was the new awe-inspiring realization.<p>

"_When a person… has something important they want to protect…_

_that's when they can become truly strong."_

Those simple words made him speechless. They caused him to put his grand ambition and bursting desire aside and quietly reflect on its importance, its _truth_. That truth quickly became one of his driving forces that kept him moving forward to his goal. That truth quickly fused into his burning passion that kept him pumped with energy to face any obstacles. And that truth truly made today his day, because YES, Naruto was going to protect this village and proved to that Inari how truly strong he really was! Unfortunately, the challenge that he eagerly looked forward to was _very_ challenging. Naruto and Kiba with his pup finally realized they were trapped in a serious danger.

Thanks to Akamaru's alert senses in a very thick mist, Tazuna had successfully escaped, though barely, from the icy mirrors which formed around him, but at the cost of two boys got imprisoned. Added with the late realization that the assailant relied on the sound they made to attack, Sakura got injured in her shoulder by a senbon* when she pulled Tazuna from the icy prison and Kakashi had to shield both Sakura and Tazuna from a sudden blade swing before he had the chance to reveal the attacker's ability to his team. Kiba, smelling blood, knew this battle quickly turned serious. Within the thick mist, he had to rely on his prominent sense of smell. Even that did not help much because the one who trapped him, Akamaru, and Naruto inside seemed powerful and skillful. Every noise they made would trigger senbon attacks. They had deadly accuracy too as Kiba found out in the hard way when Akamaru got almost hit in the head, causing him to endure some prickly stabs because of his loud warning. Naruto also discovered that jumping out was not possible after he received new shallow gashes on his cheeks. They had no choice but to destroy those mirrors or quickly catch their enemy before they wore out. After finding out their enemy's rare elemental affinity, Naruto and Kiba could not help but feel hopeless. No matter how Kiba and his pup cornered the ice-user with their speed and coordination in their four-legged mode, they had to avoid ice needles launched at them. The Inuzuka groaned in frustration. Their enemy could turn the ice panel where he or she was hiding into dozens of ice needles. Naruto felt similarly, although a bit different. No matter how many ice panels he had shattered with his powerful, doppelganger-fused blows, they kept regenerating. Watching how they recovered back intact irritated him. It also did not fail to remind his own similar phenomenon which he cautiously hid from everyone. However, their opponent's threatening skills put that concern at the back of his mind. The two boys now were trapped in the ice-user's playground, realizing their lives under his or her mercy.

When a soft yet serious soprano voiced out, "Time to end the hide and seek game," both boys shuddered in fear. However, as usual, Naruto did not want to lose in his fear because he had to keep his big promise to Inari. He could not fail. He quickly collected his confidence and loudly remarked, "Finally, you face us like a man!" After hearing an audible snicker, which sounded quite feminine, the blond weakly added, "or a woman…?" Kiba let out a loud snort and sent an amused glance toward Naruto. 'That big-mouth'. Apparently, Kiba wanted to add his own piece of mind too but a technique seal and dozens of ice needles aimed at them from behind instantly awakened his perception and reflex. At another seal technique – "Ice Technique: Frost Blast" – both boys could not avoid the icy explosion of the flying needles. The brunette instinctively called out to his pup, relieved that Akamaru looked okay. Meanwhile, the blond immediately assessed his own wounds on his torso. Intense fear quickly invaded him when he felt _that_ heat sensation, stronger now as his flesh and skin slowly patched up. He had managed to hide his terrifying secret perfectly by staying away from his team until his injuries had fully healed or faking his healing injuries with some bandages, in few occasions after he found out Kiba's strong sense of smell. Right! Kiba was trapped with him! Naruto grimaced in panic and hoped anxiously that the brunette did not notice anything odd. His confidence quickly seeped out. His firm resolve faltered. And when he heard a concern called out to him, "Naruto?", he locked gaze with surprised brown slit-like eyes, fixed on his stormy swirl of bluish hue.

'Oh no! Has he found out?' The poor blond was on the verge of tears. He could not let Kiba know. No. He had to hide it. Failure was not an option. He had to show that he could become a great hero. So that Kiba would acknowledge him. So that his team would accept him. So that all people would not see him as a freak. That way, even after his secret had been laid open and bare, _at least_ they would also recognize him as a hero and not just some freak. Yes. He would prove to himself, to his dad and mom, to the Third Hokage, to Iruka-sensei, to his team, to Inari, and basically everyone who looked up to him. That he would become one of those heroes told in inspiring stories, a hero just like dad… That was his highest goal and deepest passion. That was his life force and guiding light. To keep him forward in his track. In his own path of shinobi. _That was his way of ninja_.

Naruto clenched his fist and held back his tear. He had strived and worked hard countless times before. He had always tried and tried again until he succeeded. This time, he would succeed again. Suppressing forcefully his escalating fear, anxiety, and despair, he sent his confident smile and replied as usual, "What, mutt-breath?" Kiba gaped at the sudden emotion change and wanted to retort back; however, their opponent's voice interrupted him, "I would not let cockiness get the better of me, if I were you. Well then, let us fight real this time… Like men." Naruto pumped his fist into the air and shouted, "Yosh! Bring it on!", causing the brunette to shake his head with a 'Tch, acting tough, aren't ya!?'. However, Kiba did not deny the blond's stubborn courage was contagious, inspiring him the same mixed with a hint of pride. Of course, he would not be outdone by that idiot.

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><p>Omake:<p>

"Wow, all of you look beat," the Third Hokage amusedly remarked, "from completing this simple mission." Team 7 was quite a sight. Naruto looked hilariously disheveled from head to toe. Kiba looked extremely pissed, perhaps because a smelly, wet stain on his jacket rather than the claw and bite marks all over his body. Poor Sakura looked grouchy and tired; traces of anger and exhaustion were visible on her face and slumped body. Kakashi just looked as usual, but a bit more resigned. He lost count how many times he sighed that day.

"Tch, if you did not scare away the cat…" Naruto smoldered in anger, "then this mission will be much easier." Not to be taken easily, Kiba immediately retorted, "Baka*, that was because you were much slower than a cat, and your loud noises sure did help!"

"Yeah right. As if your doggy attribute were any better. Look at you! The cat totally hates you!" the blond amusedly snickered.

"And look at you! Totally outdone by just a mere cat! Pathetic!" the brunette countered.

"Don't claim yourself better, mutt-breath!"

"What!? What do you just call me?"

"Mutt-breath, idiot! It suits you fine! Your doggy breath scares away kitties!

"Narutooo! If you…"

"If you two IDIOTS do not know how to shut up…" pissed Sakura warned and clasped her fist, visible big angry mark on her forehead. Both boys clamped their mouth shut, cowering at the possible drastic change on the girl. Everyone in the Hokage room gulped audibly. Kakashi sighed again.

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><p>*senbon: needle-like weapon or tool for acupuncture<p>

*Baka: Idiot

Finally. First real chapter to the story. Hope you enjoy it! Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and their quotes and I own my plot.

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><p>Chapter 6 – Inuzuka Pride: Little Hero<p>

"_When a person… has something important they want to protect…__that's when they can become truly strong."_

_- Haku -_

The mist slowly dissipated, and both boys could see clearly all the ice panels surrounding them and their masked foe inside one. With clear field of vision, they realized bitterly how strong their opponent was. Kiba's nose could tell that the ice-user was definitely fast, self-capable to throw multiple senbons from different panels. His tactics never failed to surprise the genins with ice technique ambush, putting them in grave danger. In short, both of them plus Akamaru were no match against him, and they were close to chakra exhaustion. Naruto took a huge blow from this realization. Desperately frustrated, he became furious at his own weakness and powerlessness. Pessimism and doubts successfully crossed his mind.

"_WHY!? I-I do not want to witness __**it **__again!_

_No matter how hard you try! No matter how hard you train!_

_You won't be a match against Gato's men!_

_And the weak will always get killed by the strong!"_

The blond gritted his teeth in distress. His mind recalled yesterday's event. Inari cried hard, openly showing his broken and discouraged heart. That day, Naruto did not let that dampened his determination. Today, he had to prove to Inari that heroes were not weak! So, while yelling in frustration, he flash-charged toward his opponent. His stubbornness and pride pressured him to keep fighting, even if the current situations were against his favor.

He managed to destroy multiple panels, including the hiding place of their foe. Kiba, urged by the blond's yell, did not miss a perfect opening and let it slide. With Akamaru, the brunette was able to inflict open wound on their foe's shoulder as he moved into an unbroken panel, but at the cost of severed injuries on Naruto's arm and shoulder. Still clouded with distressed rage and frustration, the blond did not register his stinging pain until he sensed a slowly engulfing heat on his wounds. Kiba's sharp nose quickly picked up Naruto's blood, especially its scent was quite strong. 'Was he seriously injured?' was his first thought. He quickly glanced at the blond and then gaped in shock at the sharp shards of ice piercing his arm and shoulder. Naruto, suddenly anxious and aware, quickly responded with, "I'm fine. Just focus on the enemy!" He hoped that it would distract Kiba, which to his dismay and fear, it did not. Kiba assessed the severe condition on Naruto's arm. 'How could he say he was fine with all those sticking deep inside his arm!?' Prompted to voice his concern at the blond, he realized his fatal mistake a bit too late. Everything happened so fast, but one terror caught all of his focus. Akamaru was hurt.

Everything that had just happened in mere seconds became a hazy blur in his mind. His stupid distracted moment. Then a sudden warning from Naruto. Followed by multiple sharp shards approaching him fast in his vision. Then a sudden white blocking his vision in a split second. Before his body reflex immediately took control. But one next familiar and painful sound instantly called for his undivided attention. Kiba howled in horror. The bloody sight ripped his heart open. The distinct blood smell caused his confused brain to throb in intense pain. His vision blurred and sting with hot tears. Weak whimpers called him to be at his pup's immediate side. Guilt washed over him as he saw ice shards penetrating Akamaru, flooding his mind with self-condemnation.

'How could I let this happen!?' 'Why am I so careless!?'

'I should not let my guard down!' 'How COULD I!?'

His heart ached, and his body hurt in every side. He could not do anything but watch his dying pup in agony and repeat his sob-wrecked apology. Just sorry was not enough. Akamaru deserved much better than that. No. He deserved much better than dying because of him. _Because of him_. Akamaru was hurt again. But this time… he might die.

Naruto gaped in disbelief as he took in of what had just happened. Akamaru bravely shielded Kiba, slowing the ice down and receiving some of the impact. The poor pup got thrown off in less than a meter distance across the blond. He temporarily forgot his own fear when he closely witnessed an open display of Kiba's agony in his tear-streaked face and shaking body gestures. He was surprised to find out that Kiba – who always bickered with him, always loud and playful, whose laughter sounded like a dog, with ever-present smug grin, ever-ready to compete, and never backed down, pride as big as Hokage's headstone – could turn into a weeping mess. Naruto stared in disbelief at the grieving brunette, who was ever-boastful and loved to brag about himself, and even Akamaru – the blond seethed whenever Kiba compared him to Akamaru, claiming the pup was better…Even worse, that brunette dared to remark that a cat was better than him! Watching the Inuzuka exposing his most vulnerable and lowest point for the first made him speechless. Sympathy quickly overwhelmed Naruto at the sight of it, the sight of heartbroken and howling Kiba.

A soft yet audible tone snapped both boys from their reverie. There was a hint of sadness in "I'm impressed. Your dog has served its purpose really well." The brunette stiffened and howled, "What purpose!? His purpose deserves much better than _dying_ because of me!" Guilt tore his broken heart into pieces, and Naruto cringed at the pitiful sight.

"What do you mean, boy? Every shinobi is just a mere human tool to his master. That is how this shinobi world works. Your dog is no exception." The blond was taken aback by this blunt statement, spoken with resignation. As he was going to question about it, Kiba hollered furiously, "How-HOW dare YOU!?" Both Naruto and the masked-nin were astonished at his sudden rage. The blond had a better view of its terrifying side. Kiba, facing him, stood in an intimidating posture. His slit-like pupils glowed dangerously and his gritted teeth bared his fangs. Naruto gulped and sweated in fear at the feral features taking form in Kiba, despite the tears still flowing on his murderous look. Anger consumed the brunette, dominating over his other emotions. Enraged, Kiba turned back and sprung toward the ice-nin like some kind of a predator.

"How DARE you call Akamaru that!? He is way more than that!..." – dodging the senbons successfully, he leapt off and added more speed to deliver a shattering blow to one ice panel where his enemy was – "..NO! He is NOT even a tool!..He.." – Memories of him and Akamaru passed in his mind. How his small pup cried his favorite word "Yahoo!" for the first time. How he and his pup could perform cool combos to beat his peers in every game. How Akamaru always stayed by his side and cheered him up.

"..HE is the best partner I have ever had!..."

Kiba could tell the masked-foe's location by the blood scent on his wounded shoulder, despite his sneaky escape from a broken piece. Using a thin ice fragment, still soaring from the impact and strong enough to support his foot weight, Kiba propelled himself to the surprised ice-nin. How the similar cool air reminded him that awesome bliss as he raced against his friends in the woods. With Akamaru on his side. Soaring and sprinting through the nature maze. And how his little companion could feel and share the same feeling with him.

"…HE is the best buddy I have ever had!..."

All his energy and chakra were concentrated on his right hand, ready to strike with his lethal claws. Memories flooded his mind like snapshots, tracing back to the first moments how he learned about his clan…

From famous Inuzuka legends passed down from generation to generation. Retelling stories of remarkable feats. That became Inuzuka strength and pride. That inspired a deep and strong bond between men and their dogs, and their wolves, and other men. Sealed by full-fledged _loyalty_ in their hearts.

…until the first time he met and welcomed Akamaru in his life. How Akamaru also accepted Kiba. How he was then hurt because of Kiba's folly. And how he, despite what happened, _still_ welcomed Kiba. Reckless, impulsive, undeserving Kiba. _In his puppy heart_. And how he shared the same birth date as Kiba.

"…HE is the best GIFT that had ever happened in my LIFE!"

Naruto could not tear away his gaze. He watched everything in utter shock and amazement. He did not miss every word. How could he when each word was uttered from deepest depth of Kiba's heart? In such loud resonance which echoed the dog-nin's true feeling far and beyond? Added with unexpected display of Kiba's sheer speed and powerful blows, the intensifying heat and visible red-chakra dance on his fatal wound could not even distract him. His blue orbs were totally fixed on the scene before him. They widened in awe at Kiba's last emphasis, voiced with stronger feeling, as the brunette was able to penetrate the last-minute ice shield with his strike force. The ice-user seemed wounded from the impact and got thrown off into a nearby ice panel, breaking it. Meanwhile, Kiba dropped to the ground and barely could stand on his feet, obviously worn out and exhausted. All of the icy panes crumbled down into little shards. Their slow sparkling descent made everything surreal. However, a glimpse of red suddenly caught his vision, and poor Naruto panicked. It was a flare of crimson-like chakra, now dancing wildly on his right arm. Not only that. It even extended below, leading his vision to a frail and small pup, slowly caressing Akamaru with wraith-like flames. On pure instinct, the blond stepped back hastily until he was in a good distance. Fear and confusion seized him. 'What did just…?' Meanwhile, Kiba could feel pain screaming in every side of his body. His mind throbbed with dizziness. His vision was getting blurry. Unaware of a dark and ominous foxy aura nearby, Kiba let unconsciousness took over, muttering a soft "I'm sorry, Akamaru.." Naruto frantically looked at the slumped brunette and the masked-nin, hoping they would not notice. Spotting Kiba now lying on the ground, worry for his teammate now mixed with his anxiety, which was wishing the scarlet chakra would disappear instantly. And when he glanced at the ice-nin, Naruto could not help but focus all of his attention on the familiar, now umasked, face. "Y-You..!?"

* * *

><p>Kakashi had to act quickly. Kiba's cry signaled that something bad was happening to his genins. Now, a faint presence of a certain dark aura urged him to finish his duel as fast as possible. However, his opponent was <em>unexpected<em>. He had to face with Zabuza, nicknamed Demon of the Hidden Mist. 'Tch, this mission had been compromised. There was no information about Zabuza as one of Gato's mercenaries.' He had a big report to make after this mission was over. If he and his team made it back alive, that is.

"It's time to end this, Zabuza" Kakashi casually broke the silence and formed a white ball of chakra, fused with electrical current. This mission was no longer a C-ranked, but A-ranked. In a worst case, it could turn out S-ranked if Zabuza used his trump card. The Hidden Leaf jonin hoped that his foe would still stay lenient, so he could finish him fast before it could get worse. A gruff responded him, "Using your ninken to track your blood on my blade and trap me in place. Heh, as expected of Konoha's White Flash."

"Well, why don't you enjoy the show before you meet your demise," Kakashi deadpanned. His serious eye now focused on the bulk across him as the surrounding mist dissipated slowly. The trapped mist-nin scoffed, and before he could reply, a flash of white zoomed in his vision with a yell of "Lightning Technique: Lightning Blade!" The white-haired did not know what exactly happened, but he was sure of one thing. His Lightning Blade collided with something impenetrable and created a white explosive impact. Fortunately, the White Flash had quickly returned to his previous position, using his Flash Technique, and avoided the blast in time. After everything cleared up, surprise took over him when he discovered an unconscious teen shinobi sprawled on the ground across him, got hit hard by the explosion. What shocked him more was the turtle-green plate that covered the teen's bare upper torso. And he knew it was caused by Zabuza as White Flash noticed the mist-nin lost his cool demeanor. Kakashi's dread was confirmed as he connected the dots. This did not turn out well; he might need to forfeit this mission, considering Naruto… Like a light bulb switched on, the white-haired scanned his surrounding to find Naruto. Relief washed away his tension to know the Kyuubi was still under control of jinchuuriki's seal. The blond stared dumbfounded at the half-naked teen which he could not curiously figure out why. Noticing Kiba and Akamaru, unconscious but still alive, as well as perplexed Sakura still on guard beside Tazuna, Team 7's sensei let his mind to relax and think of a next strategy. His train of thought had to stop abruptly when he sensed a large group of people coming to the bridge. And things surely became interesting and again, _unexpected_.

Much to the leaf-jonin's relief, Zabuza had lost his interest in serving Gato and called off his battle with Konoha shinobi. That stout tyrant grandly announced his presence with probably over fifty mercenaries and foolishly claimed that he would hand over Zabuza to the Hidden Mist's hunter-nin for the handsome reward. Kakashi decided to leave the scene with his team, letting them deal with their own business; however, a certain blond had other ideas. Naruto angrily defended the unconscious teen, whose name was Haku, when Gato called Haku a useless tool and worthless scum. He spat accusation and disbelief at Zabuza for treating Haku coldly and not doing anything to stop Gato's violence on the teen's unconscious form.

"What's really wrong with you!? He fights hard for his dream! H-He told me…

'I want to protect the person important to me.'

'I want to work for that person.'

'I want to fight for that person.'

'I want to make that person's dream come true.'

Do you really not see it!? His dream is to fight hard for YOU! He could even die for you! _**You**_ are the person he's talking about!"

To be frank, the white-haired jonin did not want to get involved because this was Hidden Mist's dangerous affair; however, Kakashi was truly impressed by Naruto. The blond, who usually talked big and acted tough, now was crying openly over something naïve and abandoned in this cruel shinobi world. As a former ANBU, he had witnessed it a lot of times. All personal feelings must be neglected so they would not be a hindrance in critical and top-secret missions. By means of critical and top-secret, it always involved dark secrets that finally fitted together like a puzzle and slowly revealed the twisted and harsh truth of this world. His first intention to join ANBU was to find out answers for his confusion and the missing dots. Now, how he so wished he had not known any of them. Not letting his mind wandered too far and plunged him into that familiar coldness and darkness, Kakashi watched vigilantly ahead of him, anticipating how Zabuza would react, and hoped the mist-nin would not turn into what he was notorious of. He also observed Naruto and noted in his mind how the blond was very similar yet very different from his sensei, Minato. Naruto shared the same bright hope in his smiles and the same shining determination in his eyes. His dazzling features were the same as his father; the only difference was whereas Minato was collected and calm, putting his thoughts first before acting on them, Naruto was boisterous and brash, taking actions first before he used his brain. And that's what Naruto did right now, quite a unique paradox. And again, _good _surprises somehow were always present. Zabuza dejectedly claimed that he did not deserve Haku's dedication and kindness and killed Gato on the spot when that tyrant spouted empty threat to use Haku as a trade-off. In the end, all the mercenaries retreated in fear at the mist-nin's challenge. It seemed that Haku boy had softened the sharp edges which had been formed in his heart for years. Zabuza left the bridge with an unexpected acceptance coming from his mouth, "You are right… a shinobi is still a human… we may not be able to become emotionless tools…", taking Haku with him.

* * *

><p>Today was the day for Team 7 to depart from the village. Since the battle at the bridge, Naruto had not heard any news of Zabuza and Haku, and he was curious of what they were doing now. He was glad that everything turned out okay, especially Kiba and his pup. Kiba and Akamaru had gotten closer than ever, and the brunette exclaimed proudly how brave and strong his pup was. Naruto kept observing the pup and really hoped that Akamaru was okay after his red-chakra turned out to heal the pup's wound. That still remained a secret and another mystery in his heart. Kakashi-sensei remarked everything about this mission was unexpected, and the blond agreed immediately. What had just occurred in their battle with Haku was really unbelievable – unimaginable. How the usual ever-proud, boisterous Kiba could break down into a crying, pathetic-looking boy. How then suddenly Kiba became so enraged and furious after showing his weakness. How he somehow became so strong and fast. Really, really strong to be able to overpower the ice-nin. How Kiba could turn over the tides of battle in desperate times… Because of…. It finally made sense. It was all because of Akamaru. Because of Akamaru got severely wounded when his courage protected Kiba. Because of the ice-nin called the pup a mere tool, which was furiously denied. Because of Akamaru's undying support and devotion to Kiba. Naruto now could see how awesome the small pup was and understand why Kiba was so proud of him. He could see a deep bond between Kiba and Akamaru, pretty similar to Haku's dedication, which he found out not one-sided, toward Zabuza. A new realization dawned on him…<p>

That day, everyone celebrated the success of building the bridge to completion. That day, Inari proclaimed that the bridge should be named after Naruto for showing that _sight_ to him. But, that day, Naruto corrected the boy that he was not the one who showed it. Inner conflict was evidently expressed in his bashful pout and struggling words. His conflict seriously concerned his pride. The blond mentally groaned in frustration and finally let it out. "Actually, it's more like I see it rather than show it. And…" – 'Tch, was I really going to say it?' Naruto looked at the Inuzuka from the corner of his eye, and suddenly a bright idea popped up in his mind, saving his pride – "…Akamaru was actually the one who showed it to me." Of course, everyone would be surprised for that to come out from a big-mouthed and ambitious blond, except one brunette with a goofy grin and elated eyes. Inari exclaimed curiously, "Really?"

"Of course!" Kiba immediately replied. He held Akamaru for all to see, "He courageously saved my life..." – His brown slit-like eyes gleamed with _fond_ affection and his lip upturned into a _proud_ grin. – "…that makes Akamaru my little hero!" Naruto's breath stopped for a moment. Kiba's warm expression reminded him of the Third Hokage's. That sweet similar warmth encompassed him as he recalled many ways how Akamaru showed his loyalty to Kiba. How Akamaru aggressively attacked him when he was going to fight Kiba on the first genin team's meeting. How Akamaru jumped in to the rescue when Kiba was caught off guard during an ambush. How Akamaru bravely protected Kiba with his life.

_"When a person… has something important they want to protect... that's when they can become truly strong."_

Naruto could not help but subconsciously added, "Yes… and that's what makes him _truly_ strong…" Now, it was Kiba's turn to be surprised. The brunette did not expect Naruto to compliment Akamaru, much more with sparkling admiration held in his sapphire eyes and warm affection in his charming smile. Naruto held that same expression as he did years ago, in the playground, and somehow Kiba felt immensely delighted to see it again, directed at his pup. And when Naruto's piercing gaze lay on him, his breath stopped. He could sense something deep and big coming out soon. Naruto looked at the brunette with more certainty as his memories recalled how Kiba became so strong when he defended Akamaru. He added in a soft whisper, each word louder than the one before, "…(and makes you) really strong." Kiba's toothy smile widened when Naruto emphasized it again, with absolute certainty. He did not miss the two last words, and it delighted him to know that his rival praised his pup. Akamaru really deserved it. Naruto also smiled brightly when he finally said _it_, and hey, it did not hurt his pride so much. Kiba and his pup really deserved it. Everyone smiled and agreed.

Hence, that day, the bridge was named Akamaru Bridge.

* * *

><p>Omake:<p>

(Few years ago)

Little Kiba climbed to his bed and opened his window slightly, to let the cool air in. It smelled just right! A fresh spring! He plopped down on his comfort and caressed his small pup that just climbed in.

"Ne Akamaru, do you remember that blond with scratch marks on his cheek? In the playground today?" The small pup leaned into the touch, black pupils questioning, "Yeah?"

"Do you smell it?" the brunette now stared at the wall, lost in his mind, replaying the memories. "Do you _see _it? How his usual emotions were somehow dispelled and…" – Kiba recalled the fascinating cerulean orbs – "…how his eyes just reflect the pretty blue sky above…as if it was painted on them… and the passion..." Kiba scrunched his nose and eyebrows, struggling with words to describe the awesomeness he had just witnessed.

"It was just like he radiated that sweet excitement and lively energy like spring." His eyes lighted up at the word. "Yeah! Just like spring!" He looked down at Akamaru's tilted head and confused eyes. Kiba laughed and patted his head, "You don't get it, do you? Well…" The boy yawned and sleepily smiled, "I will tell you later. Goodnight, Akamaru." The pup yapped, "Night" and snuggled into the warmth.

(Years later, few days after the bridge mission)

"Kiba, I think I understand," Akamaru wiggled his tail and nestled comfortably in his couch, "when you say Naruto was just like spring." Seeing the brunette's interested look, the pup continued, "I can see it when he looked at me with his sky blue eyes _that day_; his warm smile was nice too, like spring." Kiba smiled at his pup and fondly remarked, "No, I think he's inspired by you, Akamaru."

Akamaru showed his confusion in that same fashion again, "Inspired?" Kiba laughed, "Yeah, inspired. After all you are my hero!" Akamaru cheerfully piped in response, "You are too!" Apparently, Akamaru wanted to add that Naruto seemed to be inspired of Kiba too, especially when the pup did not miss the unwavering blue directed at Kiba _that day_. However, it was forgotten when Kiba expressed his promise in his assertive eyes and serious manner, "I will always protect you. I promise, Akamaru."

* * *

><p>Haku and Zabuza are awesome characters, so they do not die in this fiction.<p>

Hope you enjoy the story! Please review! Next chapter will reveal more twists to the plot. And perhaps more angst.


	7. Chapter 7

Finally! I try hard to make it short. Phew.

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and Naruto's episode 184 which heavily influence this chapter.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 – Inuzuka Pride: Shocking Revelation<p>

"_I will always be with you!"_

_- Kiba -_

The Third Hokage skimmed the mission report scroll seriously. Tension strained his aged features, and Kakashi knew that he was really shocked at the news. After some puff from his pipe, Sandaime confronted Kakashi, "How was the battle with Zabuza?" His face looked calm, but his tone was worried. Kakashi did not put many details in his report, only stating important facts about Zabuza and Gato he collected from the villages.

"It went surprisingly well. Zabuza did not fully use his tailed-beast's power," White Flash replied, "He was rather lenient." Sandaime frowned in disbelief. Kakashi shared the same sentiment too, at first. As a former victim of cruel experiment which forcefully injected bijuu's chakra to one's body, Zabuza grew notorious for his ruthlessness. He slaughtered hundred of the same victims in some kind of duel several years ago, earning him a nickname "Demon of the Hidden Mist". Apparently Zabuza proved him wrong at the bridge that day, and Kakashi explained further, "Hokage-sama, if I may add based on my personal judgment, Zabuza's loyal subordinate, Haku, is the probable cause for his change of behavior. In fact, he only showed his power to protect Haku from my Lightning Blade."

"The one with ice technique kekkei genkai*?" Kakashi nodded and continued to recall everything that happened. Hiruzen showed understanding in his eyes, but the reporting jonin noticed that something still bothered him. The next question simply revealed what it was. "How was Naruto? Did anything strange happen when those two bijuu met?" His solemn eyes and deep voice showed how truly concerned Sandaime was toward Naruto. White Flash answered honestly, "Hmm… As far as I can tell, Zabuza perfectly concealed his bijuu's signature chakra, but Naruto did not. An ominous dark presence can be felt although it was faint. I deduce it was only caused by his wound and not anything else. Is there any reason why Kyuubi's chakra can heal his wounds?" Despite his laid back nature, Kakashi was very observant. He knew something was up when Naruto distanced himself when he was badly injured.

"To be honest, I do not know either. Perhaps it is related to the Uzumaki famous bloodline ability. His regeneration is somehow boosted by Kyuubi's chakra into full recovery. Anything else?" The Third Hokage asked again with his face now showing relief. Kakashi eye-smiled and summarized, "Well, last mission was really unexpected, Hokage-sama. Even to the point how Naruto and Kiba could be in _really good_ term on our last day in the village." It greatly piqued Hokage's interest, and he could not help but demand, "Please enlighten me, Kakashi. This paperwork is really boring, you know." The white-haired jonin chuckled and continued his story, or precisely a story how Naruto and Kiba turned out to be true rivals and comrades, inspiring each other despite their frequent (mostly stupid) conflicts.

* * *

><p>Today should be a good day, or how Kiba really hoped it so. Somehow Akamaru suddenly fell sick with a high fever and had to be bedridden for almost a day, and it was a strange case too. The fever could turn Akamaru's fur to red and alter his behavior to be more aggressive. Even Hana, now a medic-nin, was completely clueless. A pacifier and fever drug were the only medical treatment she could think of. Now, Akamaru seemed healthy and normal. Yesterday, he confirmed Kiba that he felt better, so Kiba decided to take Akamaru to meet his team. The brunette opened a very familiar wooden door. He smiled nostalgically. 'Who knows Kakashi-sensei will choose a classroom to…' Thud. A scent of chalk. And Akamaru sneezed on his head. A trail of white powder descended slowly before it joined a blackboard eraser on the floor. It was obviously a prank, of course set up by…<p>

"That's what you get for being late, Ka…Ki-Kiba!?" The shock on Naruto's face did not stay long at the sight of his victim. Triumphant glee quickly took over. Kiba scowled at the grinning culprit, "Tch, cheap trick!"

"And you fall for it, dattebayo! What makes it of you then for falling into one?" Naruto taunted playfully. Even Sakura did not hide her amusement in her usual indifference. Flustered, the brunette mentioned one unforgettable embarrassing moment when Naruto was outsmarted by their mission target, a cat. How Naruto ended up inside a garbage can with his ass sticking out. Sakura smiled amusedly at her teammates and their usual antics. She rolled her eyes while listening to their silly arguments, how they recalled their childish pranks during Academy years and claimed whose was better. 'Ha- I ended up with idiots. I wonder if Ino feels the same with the other two idiots.' Yep, those four were notoriously called the dead-last in the Academy. They would often get into troubles_ together_: Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji. So, it was no surprise to see Naruto and Kiba now _working together_ to set up another prank for Kakashi-sensei after their heated arguments. Sakura had slowly gotten used to them for the past 6 months, yet they always never failed to surprise her. Now, _it_ just happened right before her. As Kakashi made his entrance at the last-minute epic set up, the boys failed to avoid a shower of chalk powder they had gathered painstakingly for half an hour. Both boys and one poor sensei got soaked white on their heads, and Akamaru sneezed again. Their prank was an utter failure. Sakura was the only one laughing hard.

"Finally you have arrived, my eternal rival!" That booming voice came from a bowl-cut guy in a weird green suit. "Ooh, what happens to your youthful face!?" Watching how that man addressed Kakashi-sensei like a good friend, Naruto became more curious. After all Kakashi-sensei said that Team 7 would be learning taijutsu this time and here they were greeted by his enthusiastic friend.

"Neji?" Kiba's eyes lighted up in recognition to one member of the other team. It seemed that Kiba knew the boy with pairs of pupil-less eyes. Naruto found the unusual eyes intriguing because somehow he had seen them before or rather had felt being watched by those eyes before. Neji just responded with a discreet greeting, and Kiba smiled back, happy that Neji had become more light-hearted (Kiba did not realize his white stained head made him look funny). The dog-nin remembered how that pale-eyed boy was consumed with strong grief, anger, and hatred when Kiba first met him.

"_Hey, are you an Inuzuka?" Kiba looked over to a slightly taller boy who called him. He wore a traditional, light grayish kimono. His hair was long with color of darker brown, and his eyes were big, pale and sickly white. Young Kiba shivered at the sight because he could see sorrow and rage in those dull eyes. He sensed a deep pain under that emotionless façade. He could smell it. That was why a miniscule angry gesture, how the taller brunette's tight fist almost turned his knuckles white, did not go unnoticed. The shorter brunette nodded in response._

"_Please, can you give this to Tsume-sama?" Young Neji handed out a piece of wooden charm which smelled somehow familiar._

"_My Mom?" Kiba asked in surprise. Neji also looked a bit surprised before he continued, "Yes, this belongs to your family." Before Kiba had the chance to question him, he quickly dismissed himself, saying he needed to go quickly, joining a group of men wearing a similar kimono. Kiba did not even know the boy's name until… he met him again years later in memoriam of Hizashi Hyuga. It took years for Tsume to finally tell him about the wooden charm, which belonged to his dad, and how his dad was a really good friend of Hizashi Hyuga. They were comrades in one team even, but his father was mostly absent at home since the Great War. Now he never returned home since Hizashi's death._

Feeling depressed, Kiba shooed it out of his mind. He did not understand a thing about his dad. He was really confused because he only had few and little glimpses of his dad. His _idiotic_ father might have died for who knows how long since he left his family. That's what Mom called him when she funnily contradicted herself with _"Your father was a loyal man and also a big idiot. Don't ever follow his footstep, Kiba." _However, there was no bite in her words, and Kiba knew better. And now there was a brooding Neji Hyuga, and Kiba felt guilty for how he could not be a good friend as his father toward Hizashi, Neji's father. His musing had to stop when a dramatic, loud voice commanded both teams to start running laps.

"Man, your sensei is surely interesting in a weird way" Kiba threw his toothy grin at the running Hyuga beside him. Neji glanced at Kiba and deadpanned, "Just wait till you see his dramatic climax." Kiba howled in laughter, "Hahaha, Kakashi-sensei was no better too. Despite his way too relaxed demeanor, I can tell he is a total pervert. Do you see the book he's always holding in his hand?" Neji perked up in interest.

"I bet that book is a porno because I can smell his arousal when he's reading it." Kiba leaned in and whispered his newfound discovery like sharing a buried treasure map. Only he knew about it. Naruto and Sakura of course did not know about it unless he told them, but telling Neji seemed a good choice to build friendship with the stoic Hyuga. He needed to lighten up! However, he did not expect Neji would just stare emotionlessly at him then abruptly jerked back and ran ahead. Kiba did not miss the growing flush on Neji's face. 'Huh, is he that embarrassed by the news?' Akamaru whimpered inside his jacket, and Kiba was alarmed to see his pup's shivering body.

"Akamaru, what's wrong?" the dog-nin asked. Hearing a vague reply from his pup doubled his concern. He decided to bring him home, and Neji agreed to tell others about the situation.

* * *

><p>"The blood test result shows no signs of infection," Hana explained after she arrived home. "And a simple fever should not increase one's aggression tendency. This is totally absurd." Kiba disliked the unhelpful news. "We may need to quarantine Akamaru in case the worst scenario happens."<p>

"I won't let that to happen!" anger flashed in his eyes. His sister sighed and argued, "There's no other option. I don't want any bloody dog fights in this compound. When Mom's back from her mission, she…" Akamaru's growls interrupted them, and they immediately went outside to check. They found Naruto sprawling on the ground with his butt sticking out, and Akamaru was biting his poor ass. 'Huh, what is Naruto doing here?' Kiba amusedly remembered how Naruto also ended up inside a garbage can with his ass sticking out because of a cat. To witness it again and now it was caused by Akamaru, it was a really priceless sight, but Kiba decided to end the poor blond's embarrassing situation and called Akamaru to stop. Akamaru, however, did not even listen, surprising Kiba when he peered at his pup's feral eyes. The brunette called his pup loudly with more authority, and finally Akamaru came back to his senses, whimpering a weak "Sorry". Worry and confusion stirred in his heart. It was the first time Akamaru ignored Kiba defiantly, and the pup seemed to be possessed… by what? He really had no idea. To compensate Naruto's torn trouser, he invited the blond inside so that Hana could fix it. Kiba just stared into space, deeply lost in his troubled mind. He did not catch Naruto's teasing words spoken to him.

Looking at the unusually passive brunette worried Naruto. 'Is Akamaru's condition that bad?' He really hoped that everything would be alright and hoped that it had nothing to do with a bad nightmare he had couple days ago. When Neji informed earlier that Kiba had to tend his sick puppy, Naruto had a sudden urge that he must check on Akamaru just to make sure. Remnants of his nightmare still haunted his mind, and Naruto was very agitated inside. He tried hard to hide his fear and anxiety by wearing a cheerful façade before the Inuzuka sibling, but the solemn atmosphere did not help either. It somehow confirmed that something was seriously wrong with Akamaru, and Naruto's red chakra had something to do with it. His nightmare was the one who connected the dots. Flash of red and huge prison and menacing voice came back, and Naruto steeled himself and quickly dispelled those memories before they broke his well-displayed mask.

"Naruto?" Naruto gasped and whipped his head at Hana. "Y-Yeah?" He groaned inwardly at how he just stuttered.

"Are you fine? You just look… scared?" Hana voiced her concern. The blond quickly replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Haha. I'm just worried…" He peered at the brunette boy from a corner of his eye. Kiba stared at a window, definitely thinking about his dog. Hana looked between the two boys in understanding and called them to show her best stitching fix on Naruto's orange trouser. Both boys stared in shock how it was patched up just neatly but not correctly. The funny sight lightened everyone's mood, and Naruto bid his farewell afterwards. Still, Kiba could not forget of what had just happened and worriedly looked at his sleeping pup. He muttered a soft, "Akamaru", hoping that everything would turn much better and alright. Except that it did not. It turned worse instead.

The sky was getting darker, and Kiba ran to the woods. He cradled Akamaru in his arm, running away from all people who tried to take his pup away and might even kill him. He could not believe Akamaru was the culprit that injured multiple jonins who were training at night. He could not believe Hana stopped him and let Akamaru be taken by the Anbu shinobi. She told him quarantine was the best course of action, but Kiba knew better. That quarantine was a torturous way to find out what was wrong. It would not heal Akamaru. It would destroy him instead, and when nothing else could be done… Kiba put his precious, now red, pup inside his jacket and did his best to cover his tracks and hide his scent from the pursuers. He promised to protect Akamaru at all costs.

Naruto frantically searched for Kiba in the woods. He knew the place was Kiba's favorite and perfect hideout. The dog-nin usually ditched his Academy classes so he could have fun here. The terrain also did not look foreign to Naruto because he had spent days running to the hill just to be able to beat Kiba in his stupid race. Hearing a distant howl, the blond knew Akamaru was nearby. Worry and fear crawled on his skin, and Naruto felt in his gut something was terribly wrong. The full moon illuminated a clearing, showing him clear vision of a boy figure. He called Kiba loudly but received no response from the brunette who stood transfixed, staring at something. When Naruto looked at what captivated the brunette's attention, his nightmare returned in full force. Fear immediately seized him at the sight of a large canine body.

"W-What's that?" Naruto shakily asked. It reminded him – _of the same_ _gigantic figure behind iron bars, shrouded by red chakra mist_.

"That's Akamaru," Kiba replied solemnly. Naruto's blue eyes widened in terror. 'N-No, it can't be.' He gaped in disbelief mixed with fear at the huge figure before him. It has a big, defined snout and jaw, revealing its sharp fangs that gleamed by the moon light – _Naruto trembled at the sight of salivated big fangs arrayed perfectly inside its jaw._

And its eyes… those black feral eyes... – _Those large red slits glowed viciously and intimidated anyone with unimaginable terror behind the large bars._ And when the large, white dog growled fiercely – _Naruto shuddered in fright at the scary sound and shielded himself from a strong gust of breath, causing the sea of dancing red chakra to be split sideways._

"Ki-Kiba, I-I think we should let the pursuit unit handle this." Naruto could feel his hand was slightly shaking. His dread was confirmed, but he did not expect to Kiba to yell and attack him, "What!? Are you going to help the pursuit unit? I'll never hand Akamaru over to anyone!"

"Ki-Kiba!" Naruto barely dodged the kunai strike at him. He felt his feet still weak to respond. "What are you saying? He was not even Akamaru! He was…" Naruto could not say it. He was really struggling to whether tell Kiba about his nightmare or not. Obviously it was the monster in his nightmare that turned Akamaru into one. Naruto discovered that he was despised because most Konoha residents saw that monster in him, although he had no idea how that monster had connection with him in the first place. If Naruto revealed everything to the dog-nin – how his red chakra somehow seeped into Akamaru and healed him but then turned him into a monster like now – Kiba would…

His train of thought had to stop when Kiba charged again and howled, "Was WHAT? What are you going to say!?" Naruto managed to take out his kunai in time to block the attack. Kiba's question pressured him, breaking poor Naruto further in his own turmoil. After all it was the monster's damn fault, but they would also put the blame on him. It was inevitable. Should he tell him everything then he would not be acknowledged as a normal person, like what Haku told him at the bridge about his tragic fate. Kiba's challenging eyes demanded answers, and Naruto was on verge of tears.

"Akamaru was a _**monster**_…" His voice cracked. A tear slipped through, but his tongue somehow stopped – '_**like me**__! He's like this because of some red chakra! It turns him into a monster!__** I turn him into a monster!**__'_ – He still could not say it. Snapshots of painful memories flooded his mind, showing his horrible childhood and retelling Haku's tragic story. People wanted Haku dead. They wanted him dead. His death would be remembered as a freak, a curse, a _**monster**_. No. He did not want that. But what could he do? More tears slipped. Would becoming stronger prove him his worth? Would becoming Hokage change his fate? He really didn't know. His red chakra could turn things into monster. He doubted anyone would want a person like that to be their Hokage. He felt helpless; he could not do anything. "… He needs help." Naruto weakly finished, saying it more to himself.

Kiba grew more furious when Naruto dared to call his pup a monster. If Naruto was going to kill Akamaru like everyone else, Kiba would stop him, no matter what. Even if Akamaru turned a monster. Even if his pup harmed his comrades and family. Tears pooled in his eyes. Even if Akamaru turned against him. He might change, but he was still Akamaru, his best buddy and loyal friend!

"I won't give Akamaru to anyone!" Kiba yelled and pinned a distracted Naruto to a nearby tree. Hesitance stopped him when he noticed tears running from the blond's dull blue eyes. It was the first time he saw Naruto cry. That bottomless blue vividly reflected his emotions, similar to what Kiba was feeling right now. _Helplessness_. And when he heard that last statement, he cried in outburst, "Help!? What help?" Referring to his pursuers, Kiba skeptically added, "Are you sure they're going to help Akamaru? They're going to finish him off!" Naruto flinched at the last sentence. It stabbed directly into his heart, right on its most vulnerable spot. That's right. No one's going to help a monster. They would just want it dead and disappear forever.

"That's why I'm going to protect Akamaru no matter what!" Naruto blatantly looked surprised at Kiba's exclamation. 'Is he serious!?' Kiba's grim eyes showed how serious he was. They glistened with unshed tears but with firm determination.

"Kiba! Naruto! Please stay back!" Both boys did not expect Hana to pursue them. Kiba warily asked about the huge syringe her sister took out, "What are you going to do with that?"

"I'm going to sedate him and bring him to headquarter." Kiba protested, but Hana ignored him and immediately charged at her target with her dogs. Akamaru's strength was able to send his attackers flying into the air, but Hana and her dogs started to use their Inuzuka technique. When Kiba saw four tornadoes ready to strike, he dashed near Akamaru and distracted him. He ignored two voices screaming his name. Akamaru took the bait and pounced to strike him. Hana instantly maneuvered her technique at the charging dog. Akamaru yelped in pain but quickly stood his ground. He howled angrily, ready to strike again. Hana took out her kunai to anticipate. Naruto watched everything like a statue, his heart pounding hard because of fear. Every feature about Akamaru was similar to the monster in his dream, but a loud, fierce cry captured his attention.

"STOP IT!" Kiba screamed fiercely. He knew this battle would turn worse. "I said to stop it, Akamaru!" Akamaru turned his attention to Kiba and growled. "Akamaru. My scent…Have you forgotten about it already?" Memories he shared with his pup surfaced. "We've been together ever since we were small, haven't we? Akamaru… Why!? Why did you become like this!?" Kiba clenched his shaking fist. "Please remember! AKAMARU!" The large dog leapt up from the ground to attack. Hana and Naruto watched in shock and horror when Kiba did not budge.

"I'm sorry, Akamaru. I'm always putting you in terrible situations…" – Kiba remembered how the first time his little pup was in pain because he was reckless to feed him sweets – "… I'm sorry Akamaru. I couldn't protect you…" – He remembered how his pup had been close to death after protecting him from ice barrage because he was distracted at the bridge – "…I'm sorry Akamaru. I'm such a bad owner…" – Tears started to fall and wet his red markings as he recounted all his pleasant and unpleasant memories – "I will always be with you!" – He yelled and spread his arm. _No matter what_.

* * *

><p>Omake:<p>

"I hope this report will do to help. The Hidden Mist seems to…" Someone suddenly barged in and interrupted the Third Hokage.

"Hokage-sama! What is this all about!?" Tsume angrily announced her presence. When she found the Third was busy discussing with an onmyouji*, she briskly apologized and directly cut to the point, "I'm sorry for my intrusion, but this matter is urgent. My son is hospitalized because Akamaru lost control. I can smell that damn fox was behind all this!" Hiruzen puffed his pipe and thought of ways to deal with stubborn, angry Inuzuka, but a certain onmyouji had other ideas. Sigh. This would not turn good.

"Tch, have you no manner?" the man in sea blue cloak grunted. He examined the red marking and snickered, "Heh, as expected from an Inuzuka. Brash as ever." Tsume glared daggers at the man, but she ignored him to continue her demanding plea, "Please. Hokage-sama. It's best for the jinchuuriki and my son to be not in the same team. We do not know what terror that demon is capable of."

"Really? Are you not happy that your clan can borrow another bijuu's power?" the man's crystal blue eyes challenged. "Tsume Inuzuka. Granddaughter of Ginshiro Inuzuka. Renowned for his attempt to pact alliance with Houkou for his alpha-induced ambitions." Tsume growled and narrowed her vicious eyes, "What are you getting at!? It was all in the past! Have you forgotten my husband, Nobuo, play a huge part in preventing the Kumo-nin to retrieve Byakugan so they can awaken the fived-tailed? And whose _fault_ was it for the whole respectable Tanukitsu clan to be wiped out? The Ichibi and Kyuubi must be enraged because their favorite clan was massacred. Along with the potential sealers from Uzumaki clan!"

"Don't blame us for your stupid shinobi war. Who plays with the fire first!? You shinobi could not tame the demon beast even if you used Uzumaki famous seal. We Katsuragi had the hard time to subdue all the yokai* in this damn world!"

"Please ENOUGH!" The floor quaked as Hiruzen tried to compose himself. "Please… Let us not talk what could not be changed in the past." As the room finally quieted, Sandaime dismissed Tsume with a promise he would talk about it later.

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><p>Things get really interesting now. Hope you enjoy the story! Please review. I'll appreciate any criticism, but not random and unreasonable ones. Thanks!<p>

kekkei genkai: clan bloodline ability

onmyouji: a high-ranking priest or official that practice Chinese style divination. The name means yin-yang master.

yokai: a kind of spirit or demon. (The demon beast definitely rank in the top of all demons)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and some of their quotes.

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><p>Chapter 8: Inuzuka Pride – True Strength<p>

"_But if he ever changes again, I know he will win again...because…he is truly strong."_

_- Kiba -_

Naruto stood before the hospital door to Kiba's room. It had been almost a week after Akamaru incident. He heard from Sakura that Kiba had gained consciousness and was doing well, and Akamaru as well. The news lifted his spirit in good relief; however, stronger guilt had been eating him away for past few days, causing the blond to keep pondering whether he should visit or not. It caused him to feel worthless and small, by cruel reminders that always haunted him to no ends. Those dreadful images kept visiting him. How Akamaru turned into a ferocious wild beast and did not even hesitate to kill Kiba. How Kiba stood strong on his ground and received the brutal strike. How Hana wailed and tried hard to heal her brother, her chakra-veiled hands shaking. How Kiba was bleeding profusely.

Those memories rooted deeply into his mind and finally blossomed into one terrible nightmare, drowning him deeper and deeper into its dark and cold abyss. Never had he screamed so hard in his life. Tears flowed in silence as Naruto huddled himself on his bed, feeling cold and traumatized by fear of himself. Self-accusations also tagged along, imprisoning him in heavy guilt. 'You turn Akamaru into a monster!' 'You're the reason why Kiba ends up almost killed!' 'You're a monster! Better stay away!' Naruto just stared blankly at the white door. His guilty heart was not ready to face him, but Naruto had to see him. To really see it with his own eyes that Kiba was okay. And Akamaru was okay. Making up his mind, he gripped the door handle but stopped when he heard a voice…

Hearing the doctor explaining that Kiba would lose his life if Akamaru had hit his vital areas, Kiba's memories recalled everything that night. Fear gripped hold on him as he witnessed Akamaru turned into a bestial monster. Grief pricked his heart to see his best buddy was intent to kill Hana and also him. However, fear and hurt could not compare to his _true_ feelings. Every memory he shared with Akamaru stirred those feelings like rising storm in his heart.

Trust. Faith. And _Loyalty_.

They had rooted deep inside his heart since he was little. They had grown stronger as Kiba and Akamaru grew up, tested and proven by times. Hence, that night, they're capable to conquer his fear, his grief, and even his guilt. They surged turbulently inside him, urgent to burst out, so Kiba had to yell it all out. And he knew, just somehow knew that his message was heard by Akamaru. He could even see it in his pup's eyes, and now he was one-hundred percent sure of it, proven by…

"Jeez. So this is what they mean by being blessed with bad luck." Shikamaru's comment caused a sudden urge to correct the Nara boy.

"That's not it." Kiba denied seriously. "When he came at me with his final attack, Akamaru just barely missed my vital areas. He desperately used up the last of his strength as a way of stopping himself. Akamaru was desperately fighting with himself." Kiba looked to his side, at his sleeping pup. His lips curled into a proud smirk, and his eyes shone with fond gratitude. "Thank you Akamaru."

Everyone in the room was silent afterwards, no doubt taking in what just had been said. Kiba found his friend's reaction amusing; even Choji was crunching his snack slower than usual. For a moment, he could pick up a faint smell of ramen and smirked, knowing really well whose scent it was. Then Shikamaru broke the silence, "Heh I guess there's something more about your pup that cannot be overlooked." If possible, his smirk widened even more. "But you're still lucky, Kiba." The Inuzuka boy frowned; it seemed that lazy Nara missed his point. He was going to retort, but Neji took care of it first, "Luck is not what drives him to gamble his life. It was simply his trust toward Akamaru. The kind of trust on a whole different level." There was some kind of spark in Neji's pale eyes when they locked gaze, but Kiba could not figure it out when the tallest boy averted his eyes and muttered, "I guess that's what makes Inuzuka loyal as ever." Born with indigenous traits of being observant and analytical, Shikamaru smirked and defended himself, "I know. I know. What I mean to say, _Neji_, is that Kiba is lucky to have Akamaru who responds mutually the same." Nara's suggestive tone and mischievous smirk bothered Neji, but he managed to compose himself. Choji then spoke up with his crunchy voice, "Inuzuka dogs are quite something, eh?" Pride and joy swelled inside Kiba when his friends shared the same understanding as his. Watching their wonder and interest on his pup, Kiba enthusiastically recalled how Akamaru saved his life last mission. When his room's door opened, he expected to see a spiky blond hair and hear a loud greeting, not a glimpse of white hair and a casual "Yo." Has his nose failed him? He was sure he smelled a faint scent of ramen. When the doctor walked to leave, Kiba gazed at the entrance to see sign of Naruto, or "ramen-breath". That nickname was one of his best achievements. It made him satisfyingly proud. It sounded perfectly right to counter Naruto's lame made-up nickname for him.

Seeing no sign of Naruto somehow caused a twinge of disappointment. Naruto had not visited him since he was conscious. It made Kiba wonder; after all, Naruto looked for him and Akamaru in the woods that night driven by worry. The blond showed his concern as plain as day the first time Kiba informed his team about his strangely ill pup. Even before Akamaru was ill, Naruto seemed to pay more attention to his pup. It must be when that loud-mouthed blond admitted that Akamaru was "_truly strong_". No victory felt sweeter than hearing it from his stubborn rival. Whenever he caught Naruto staring at his pup, he loved to tease him, elated how the blond gave resigned huff instead of usual retort. However, his triumph could not stay long until that night. Yet Kiba knew, deep down, that Akamaru was desperately fighting with himself and had emerged victorious, showing how his pup was indeed _truly strong_. It shed a new light of understanding in Kiba's mind. He was not only strong in physique but also in his puppy heart. Akamaru was indeed amazing. Kiba felt immensely happy and proud of him.

Yet, of all people who had visited him, Naruto was not even one of them. The last thing Kiba heard about him was when her sister recounted how Naruto shared same shock and terror as her. He lost count how many times he repeated his apology to stop Hana calling him an "idiot" for his reckless action which highly risked his life. He could imagine how petrified Naruto would be to witness his death on Akamaru's hands. But Naruto was also crying before. That memory seared into his mind, because it was the first time to see the usually tough blond showed his weakness. Helplessness and despair emanated from his dull blue eyes, very similar to the dog-nin's bubbling emotions. Perhaps ramen-breath shared same strong feeling toward Akamaru as he did. For Kiba, Akamaru was his life savior and best friend forever; but for Naruto… he could tell that Naruto's strong feeling stemmed from being inspired by his pup. Seeing his sensei, the brunette asked where Naruto was.

Kakashi hid his mild surprise and pondered how to answer it. He knew now there was definitely something wrong when he met Naruto on his way to Kiba's room. Naruto tried to guard his expression with his quick babble, but Kakashi could see through it. He had experienced it before. It was guilt. 'So, Naruto had found out about it.' Kakashi sighed and remembered Mikito's words. _"Sooner or later__ they will find out. And… they deserve to know__."_ He felt bad to lie to Kiba, saying that Naruto was off training for the coming chunin exam. Well, he'd better be, to pass the exam. Kiba whined that he should be discharged now, feeling pumped up and healthy. He didn't want to be left behind. Kakashi chuckled and amusedly remarked, "Maa-maa, it seems you have been back to your usual self. You'll be out in no time." Out of curiosity, he then asked his student why he was asking for Naruto. Judging from the answer, Kiba still did not know Naruto's real identity. It seemed Tsume kept her mouth shut. Her venomous warning, or better be called as _threat_, still rang loud and clear.

"_Kakashi, if anything happened again to my kit or Akamaru, I had no choice but to feed you to rabid dogs." Frustration edged her voice. "Tch, who knows what calamity that demon can cause. The last Great War had almost turned exactly as catastrophic as the First. I do not want that to happen to my son, and I'm sure you do not want a frenzied Inuzuka in your team as well."_

Well, for the Kyuubi to be sole reason for Akamaru's drastic change was not what Kakashi had been prepared for. It had been almost thirteen years since the Kyuubi rallied some Inuzuka under her wing against Nibi* and Nekomori clan. How the Kyuubi's raging emotions could overpower their reason and rationality was beyond the omnyoujis' understanding and science. Kyuubi was a fox demon to boot and could never influence a dog clan in such degree, much more a dog like Akamaru. The Inuzuka even had their own clan patron, Houkou the Great White Alpha, an ancient nemesis of Kyuubi and especially, Rokubi*. Even history had no record of Tanukitsu clan experiencing similar incidents. Such occurrences were rare because bijuus could not influence any human as easy as they liked. The last one recorded before Kyuubi and Nibi incident was Son Goku's defiance against the Highest Order, shaking the whole world, shinobi and omnyouji alike. Things had surely gotten out of control. Kakashi grimaced at the bitter memories of last Great War and how it could possibly happen again with his two students. Bitter anger smoldered inside him. 'If only the Iwa-nin played fair, then none of this would happen.' Rin. Minato. Kushina…and now Naruto had to suffer being a demon container. Sakumo had become a missing-nin after he volunteered to settle a dangerous hostility between Inuzuka and Nekomori. Obito lost himself in darkness, dragging Itachi with him. Despair and fury clenched his gut, and Kakashi had to stop his mind. He did not want to drown in misery in front of the genins. He had to focus on the present not the past, and Naruto was one of his top concerns. He needed to do something.

"You're done, boy?" Kiba spotted Akamaru trotting toward him. "What does Mom ask you?" Akamaru jumped onto the couch and wagged his tail, "Nothing much. Only about stuffs I can recall when I am sick till that night. I can't remember much because they are too vague. But there are some which are crystal clear." The boy urged his pup to tell him, and Akamaru eagerly complied. He told him all the pleasant memories when they played and raced in the woods, or pulled pranks on some kids, or chased down that snow rabbit last mission. There were some unpleasant memories too which simply just popped up when he saw his tear-stained face that night. They sparked desire to protect his master. Akamaru decided not to tell him the bad memories though, and he was glad he did. Mirth adorned Kiba's face, and he lifted up his pup and grinned, "I know you will never change, Akamaru." Akamaru happily licked his nose in return. Tsume, watching the whole thing, startled them with a stern reminder to not forget training for the upcoming chunin exam. They wasted no time.

"That was impressive, Kiba." Kakashi praised him. The new technique which Kiba had showed them was not unfamiliar to Naruto. He had witnessed Hana Inuzuka used it before against the monstrous Akamaru. Smirking, Kiba propped himself beside Naruto and called his attention from his pup, "What's up, ramen-breath? Can't get enough of Akamaru's awesomeness?"

"Huh!?" His whisker-marked face reddened with embarrassment. 'Tch, damn that dog-breath. Should I tell him what truly happened? It's better than playing along.' Naruto's concern was replaced with guilt. He didn't know if he should cover it up anymore with his genuine esteem toward Akamaru. "I'm just… Akamaru is… doing great, that's all." He groaned inwardly at how lame his reply was; he could imagine the brunette was now wearing that goofy grin. There was still one question nagging his mind, "Is he… w-will he-he change… again?" Naruto instantly regretted once his words were out. 'Damn! I just stutter!' His heart thumped, and he nervously gulped.

"I don't know." Naruto glanced at Kiba from the corner of his eyes. The brunette was looking at his pup; his expression was unreadable, but it slowly morphed into something familiar. "But one thing I'm sure of. Akamaru was desperately fighting with himself, and he won. That's why I survive. And I'm sure he will be fine." While listening to those similar words, Naruto remembered the time he eavesdropped behind the door. He just could not understand how Kiba believed in such ridiculous idea. Akamaru had turned into a monster, obviously not the same loyal pup. After all, he was the reason who changed Akamaru, a little inspiring hero, into a monstrous beast that almost killed him. He found it unbelievable, yet it happened right before his own eyes. However, one stubborn Kiba still trusted Akamaru no matter what, and Naruto just did not get it. He froze before the closed door, and his heart clenched. In utter confusion. In painful guilt. As Kiba's tone became softer and more affectionate. Naruto could imagine how the brunette's face morphed into that _expression_, but he decided not to see it. But now, he saw his fond eyes and proud smirk up close.

"But if he ever changes again, I know he will win again...because…he is _truly strong_." His blue orbs widened as Kiba locked gaze with his and uttered the last sentence. Each word vibrated with utmost confidence. He was really moved. Everything pieced fittingly into a new understanding. Now, Naruto understood why Kiba thanked his monster-pup. Why Kiba was proud of Akamaru for winning against himself. Why Kiba had absolute faith in him no matter what. Their bond was strong and made them strong, truly strong to defeat anything that tried to sever or end their ties. It was their _true strength_.

"That's amazing, Kiba…" Naruto breathed out. Kiba nodded and smiled, and it was quite a sight! Naruto gaped at the sight before him. There was no usual touch of proud smirk or arrogance, just simple gentleness. Kiba could smile a gentle smile!

"It's just as you said, Naruto," Kiba _smiled_ as he recalled that day when the village bridge was named after Akamaru, and then he remembered his curiosity when he witnessed Naruto crying for the first time, "I'm happy you point it out…say, remember that night when…" He stopped when he noticed Naruto staring incredulously at him, "Huh? Something's on my face?"

"I don't know you can smile like that," Naruto replied without thinking, then he quickly averted his eyes and mentally smacked himself 'Whoa, what do I just say!?' Kiba frowned and got quickly intrigued by Naruto's reaction. "Smile like that? What do you mean?" Having his mind suddenly blank, he fidgeted restlessly. He felt as if he had been caught staring at something he should not see. 'Wait. It's just a smile, why do I feel like that?' Heat crept into his face, and Naruto could not feel anymore flustered than this.

"It's…different than usual." Kiba could tell the blond tried to compose himself. Bemused, he urged the agitated boy to explain, "Different?"

"Yeah, you usually put up a cocky smile or a smug smirk." Kiba frowned and said his thoughts out loud, "Do I? I just smile like normal." Then he narrowed his eyes at his blond teammate, "Or maybe is it you who just see it that way? You often call me arrogant prick anyway."

At the accusation, his embarrassment was quickly forgotten as Naruto emphasized his last four words, "I do not see it that way. _You are that way_, dattebayo." Growing irritated, Kiba countered coolly, "I am not." Some of his peers until now still labeled him arrogant, and he admitted it hurt although he acted like he didn't really care. "Don't judge me if you really feel that inferior, ramen-breath." Soon both exchanged insults; and before it turned into a heated conflict, Kakashi intervened.

"Oi. Kiba. Naruto." Kakashi sighed. Quarrels between them seemed unavoidable although he had least expected it to occur again, after all what happened. Their stubborn and ill-tempered personality was really a wonder. Well, at least his team was back to usual, especially a certain blond.

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><p>Omake:<p>

Setting: At Forest of Death

"Man, you must have run into a troublesome nin." Shikamaru spoke his concern. Sakura nodded and looked at her unconscious teammates.

"Yeah. Akamaru's instinct kicked in and Kiba warned us. We pulled it through because Naruto stalled that creepy guy and Akamaru managed to secure our scrolls." Sakura smiled and patted his small white head.

"But Naruto took quite long, and Kiba insisted to back him up. Akamaru still stayed by my side, so he could track them. That's how I found them… unconscious." Her body shook slightly at the memory.

"At least they're going to be fine, Sakura" Ino tried to cheer her up. Sakura let out a weak "Yeah", still distraught by a strange circular mark on Naruto's belly. She had no clue what had just happened to them. 'I hope they will be alright.'

"At least you have done well to protect those two idiots," Ino smiled.

"Not without your help." Sakura quickly intercepted. "Thank you, guys. Really. Thank you."

"No worries, Sakura." Choji beamed. "I have enough snacks if you need to stock up food."

"Choooji, she won't take them. They risk her diet, you know." Ino stated matter-of-factly.

"Naruto and Kiba can have them later after they wake up." The chubby boy persisted. Shikamaru stared at blue sky above and muttered, "You probably have finished them all before they wake up."

Sakura smiled wryly at her friends' antics.

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><p>Yosh! I'm going to speed up the story in the next chapter to the Shippuden setting. Hopefully these last four chapters have given enough picture of what is going on. Enjoy and review!<p>

Nibi: Two-tailed bijuu

Rokubi: Six-tailed bijuu


	9. Chapter 9

EDIT: omake added

Okay. a lot of time-skip because this chapter is set on Shippudden years, and there is a list of things which do not follow Naruto canon.

First, the bijuu are not all canon. Some are taken from this website: : / / . . h t m

Second, the plot will not follow exactly as Shippudden canon, although previous chapters were mostly based on Naruto canon.

Third, expect some bizarre new jutsus I made up (especially Flash Technique :P)

and the list still goes on but those three are most important anyway.

The characters are also older.

Naruto is 15 going on 16

Kiba is 16

Sakura is 16

Kakashi is 30

Yamato is 27

Hopefully the missing plots during the time skip in this chapter are not too confusing. I also will start with 1st person point of view starting from this chapter, because it makes writing much easier and more fun.

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and some of their quotes.

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><p>Chapter 9: Minato's Legacy – Orange Flash Has Returned!<p>

"_Everyone, Naruto Uzumaki has returned! This time I will be Konoha's Orange Flash, dattebayo!"_

_ - Naruto - _

**Kiba POV:**

_I __followed his scent and hoped that idiot was alright. To think that he could buy time so we could escape was totally outrageous. Naruto had no idea who he's facing against. He did not have Inuzuka instinct like me or Akamaru which could feel that sheer power, a life-threatening force similar to a predator which toyed with its preys. I was scared out of my shit when our opponent hissed like a snake, planning his fun with his calculating snake-like eyes. When I noticed them from a distance and smelled no trace of blood, relief washed over me. What struck me strangely was how they stood so close like two duelists sparring evenly, yet there was no sign of fighting. It was…I stared in disbelief. The sound-nin was caressing Naruto's abs under his shirt and also devouring his mouth. Somehow I boiled with anger, evaporating my fear and caution into thin air. A fierce desire rose in me and spurred me into action. I instantly sprung at__**him**__. I had to end this disgusting sight. I had to stop him… sexually harassing Naruto! I launched myself with my Inuzuka Style: Fang over Fang, but suddenly a sharp pain spiked behind my head. My body collided with something rough, perhaps a tree trunk, and everything just faded into darkness. But one strong scent lingered in my brain: a smell of a fox._

My eyes blearily opened, and something moist nudged my cheek. I could tell it was Akamaru's nose.

"Having a bad dream?" His nuzzle pointed at my clenched fists, and I quickly loosened them up.

"Yeah…" It made me depressed and angry and feel awkward. I wished I could be stronger, but I knew it was impossible. The person who assaulted Naruto almost three years ago was one of Konoha's legendary sannin, who happened to be a twisted psychopath. Kakashi-sensei grimly explained that Orochimaru was after the key held by Kyuubi to awaken Yamata no Orochi*; that's why Sandaime died to seal the key, making sure it was useless. However, my dream replayed what my first impression told me. I still saw it as sexual harassment, because how could a forced kiss be some kind of jutsu? 'Tch, how troublesome.' Now, I sounded more like Shikamaru. Sighing, I decided for a bath, and Akamaru trailed after me.

The summer warmth was comforting. Sometimes, a cool breeze passed by, making the heat more bearable. Too bad, it did not alleviate my boredom. I walked Akamaru, or strolling idly around Konoha, because it was the only plan I could think of. Sakura was a busy medic-nin apprentice now, and Kakashi-sensei… man, I wished he was available. Sensei had been training me intensely, perfecting my reflexes and combos. I loved to spar with him; his Flash Technique was perfect to test my agility and sense of smell, especially when he used his White Light Chakra Sabre. But too bad, today was not my training day. Since Naruto left with Jiraiya, Team 7 had been tasked to help other teams more than doing missions together. Since Asuma-sensei left Konoha, Kakashi was assigned as Team 10's sensei. Practically Team 7 was almost non-existent. Dragging my feet, I sulked silently beside my faithful dog, "Any idea what to do, Akamaru?"

"I can smell Naruto's coming home." Akamaru sniffed into the air. My jaw dropped. I focused my sense of smell and found no sign of him. I looked disbelievingly at my dog, "I can't smell him. How do you know?"

"Remember when we find out a residue of Kyuubi's chakra inside me?" Akamaru barked. A cold shudder ran through me. I was not fond of that particular memory.

Having to discover that Kyuubi's red chakra saved Akamaru from his death and also turned him into a monster shook me to the core, and I found out about it in a cruel way. Naruto was beaten up really bad not by some random mob, but by some Inuzukas. At first, I did not believe it, but Naruto verified everything. He looked away in shame and guilt, but I could tell how shaken and broken he really was when he apologized to me. If my mom and Tsunade-sama did not stop the commotion, he might not make it alive until now…

"Kiba, I'm talking about when Tsunade-sama examined me." Akamaru broke my reverie as if he could read my thoughts. "It seems my nose is highly enhanced to track Kyuubi's scent, perhaps because I have Kyuubi's chakra inside my system." Akamaru pondered thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side. I could not resist smiling at his adorable habit.

"So, is that another perk you have there?" My smile widened at the prospect of him having another one. Akamaru could heal himself, boosting his endurance greatly. He also could turn his white fur to red without soldier pills. Man, it was so cool, thanks to the Kyuubi, but Mom did not see it that way. She suspected the demon was up to something and always warned me to be cautious. May be I had to report this to the Hokage; I promised Mom anyway.

"I do not know. Should we let Tsunade-sama know about this?" Akamaru was truly my best friend. I was glad for his transparency; that's why I and many others trusted him. I nodded in consent and grinned. 'Who knows, today may not be boring at all!'

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><p><strong>Naruto POV:<strong>

Finally! I have arrived at Konoha! It had been two and a half years. Feeling excited, I dropped my bag and stepped on a metal pole nearby. I strode with pride as doppelgangers followed behind me. Yosh! My chakra control was dominated by my Flash Technique; I could not wait to see Kakashi-sensei's reaction. A nice breeze greeted me once I reached the top, and I embraced it happily. Finally I was home!

All the houses and buildings around me were so familiar, so nostalgic.

"This brings back memories!" I yelled out in excitement. "This place hasn't changed at all, dattebayo!" But, I had changed and gotten stronger, and there was one nagging emotion which impatiently urged me to announce my presence. So, I took a deep long breath and yelled it all out whole-heartedly.

"Everyone, Naruto Uzumaki has returned! This time I will be Konoha's Orange Flash, dattebayo!"

I thrust my fist forward as I finished my grand announcement with my favorite catchphrase. Jiraiya was smirking at me; I could tell without seeing. In front of me was Konoha's Hokage Headstone. Now, there were five huge faces on the mountain. Ah! "They added Granny Tsunade's face to the mountain!" Konoha had moved on from its devastating loss when Orochimaru and other clan defectors conspired against the village to acquire bijuus' power. Old man was truly amazing; he sacrificed himself for the peace of Leaf Village. I promised I would be strong for his sake even though it was too late to tell him that, but I would never forget his last words.

"_But please understand this, Naruto._

_Your parent was our hero._

_They saved Konoha. They saved you."_

At first, they sounded harsher than all the accusations I had received in my childhood years, and it took old man's death for me to realize who I really was. Within me lay a power coveted by many. Within me lay a noble purpose. That's why I had to be strong so this power would not fall into the wrong hands, and if possible, I would use it to protect my home, my family. That sole purpose drove me to keep moving on from my self-pity, anger, and bitterness. It helped me to learn and accept the cruel truth which had been intertwined with my fate. It hardened my resolve and heart to bear all their hatred and anger bombarded at me. It fueled my raging desire to take control of the untamed power inside me, and _I did not want to fail_. A familiar voice called out to me, and I looked below and found Sakura with Konohamaru and his gang.

"When did you get back, Naruto?" She cupped her mouth to project her voice.

"Just now!" I shouted back and jumped down to greet her. "It's been a while, Sakura-chan." Her pink hair was short as usual, and it brought back fond memories, especially one when Shikamaru told me her most impressive feat he had ever witnessed: stomping her girly pride for my sake and Kiba's. That was big news to me; I wished I could see it, not to see Ino's funny reaction of course (I'm not Shikamaru), but to see how Sakura did care for her team. Out of gladness, I let out a short chuckle.

"You're taller than me, aren't you?" Now that she mentioned it, I compared our heights with my hand. She was indeed shorter than me.

"So, what do you think? I am more womanly now?" She asked me out of the blue. Without thinking twice, I gave her a thumbs up and replied, "It's fine. You haven't changed at all, dattebayo!"

Yep, her short hair showed it all. It was a sign of her determination to become a strong kunoichi, and her accepting me as a jinchuuriki. So, for her sake too, I promised myself to get stronger, so I could protect her with my strength. Ever since my teammates found out my true identity, I initiatively covered their back and took most of the brunt. At least that's what I could do for them, to really show them that I was still Naruto of Team 7, not a despicable monster.

Sakura huffed and pouted, definitely displeased. I had no clue why and wondered what I did say wrong.

"You're totally hopeless…" Jiraiya muttered with a visible sigh, making me more confused.

"Naruto-niichan*!" Konohamaru cried out. "I have a big surprise, kore*!" My eyes widened in recognition of his hand seal; then a flash of blue passed my sight. He stopped and grinned from a distance, his long blue scarf fluttering for a while before it limped to the ground. Whoa! That was so cool!

"I-Is that your Flash Technique?" I knew it was, but I just had to ask. Sometime after Grandpa Hiruzen died, I promised to teach Konohamaru cool techniques to cheer him up. I owed Konoha's old geezer a lot for his comforting presence every time I was down, and somehow I could relate to his grandchild's situation. Hiruzen Sarutobi died as a hero and made sure everyone knew that Sarutobi clan living in Konoha would stay loyal to the Leaf Village. I never knew Sarutobi clan had a grim dark past; Konohamaru must be devastated to know it. When Sandaime told me the truth about me and my parent, I knew how it painfully felt. Unfortunately, Orochimaru was still hunting me down and I had to leave Konoha before I had the chance to teach him. However, upon seeing my student (he basically looked up to me, so yeah) mastering Flash Technique, indescribable happiness and pride swelled inside me. My eyes must be sparkling with tears running down my face like Gai-sensei, but I didn't mind. My clenched fist was thrumming with intense excitement.

"Konohamaru, I will show you a greater level of Flash Technique!" His enthusiastic feedback fired me up, and I practically shouted, "Behold! The one and only!" – I unzipped my black orange jumper – "Endless Naruto Fusion Kunai!" A miniature kunai hung proudly from my neck. Unlike normal kunai, it had three blades instead of one. Its handle was quite longer and thicker than the middle blade that it looked like an upside down cross.

"Isn't that just a normal necklace?" Sakura looked at me incredulously, pointing at my small kunai. "Except that it was too big for a fashion." My spirit dwindled a bit. Okay, that was not an expected reaction I wanted to hear.

"No, it's not just a necklace, dattebayo!" I tugged it down easily because its string was made with some chakra for easy dispatch. "I'll show you!" Yes! I could not wait to show them, and the street was relatively not crowded. Just perfect. After flash-dashing for a few meters, I turned on my heel and threw my kunai across me so that everyone could see it. Seeing them awestruck and wide-eyed made me smile giddily, especially Konohamaru who watched with his jaw open at the flurry of doppelgangers trailing after my kunai.

"Watch me guys!" All attentions snapped to me. Ero-sannin* was the only one smirking, with a knowing look. With the coolest voice I could muster, I yelled as loud as I could, "Flash Technique: Super Double Naruto Barrage!"

* * *

><p><strong>Kiba's POV:<strong>

Sigh. I did not expect the procedure would take this long, just to make sure Kyuubi's chakra was still under control and did not do anything suspicious except the new effect I reported. Akamaru's telling me that Naruto was already in Konoha did not help either. Getting impatient, I told Godaime about Naruto, knowing she also missed him, and expected to be discharged. Now, I had to be Akamaru's translator as she asked mountains of questions related to Kyuubi's scent and such. Awesome.

To be frank, Naruto had been a bit different since Orochimaru and some clan rogues attacked Konoha. Or was it when he confronted Gaara? It was sort of complicated. He was hiding something underneath his cheerfulness and silliness. I did not know what it was; and somehow his secret irritated me… because he didn't trust me right. Until other Inuzukas spilled it to me, I finally understood why, along with a suffocating emotion that sucked off all the air from my lung. It was really, really suffocating because part of me refused to believe it but Naruto's timid and sob-wrecked voice rang the truth loud and clear. Never in my life had I ever heard his voice so pitiful. Strong sympathy for him coursed in me and constricted my heart after I realized how everything finally made sense. Why Mom warned me to stay away from him. Why he was super worried of Akamaru. Why he often looked guilty in our glance exchange. Why he just stared with fear at his own reflection.

But one constant was always present in him until it defined everything about him. Naruto was stubborn, _very_ _stubborn_. Since he was mobbed by the Inuzukas, he continued his life just as usual. Whenever Akamaru had an examination procedure, Naruto would always stick beside him, like a loyal pup. Whenever Sakura or I was caught off guard, he would cover our back, even Akamaru's as well. I knew he was trying to justify himself or impress us with good deeds so we could accept him. That alone showed enough how stubborn he really was. Sakura gladly responded, and of course, I did too.

Finally, Akamaru was done. Godaime requested me to summon Naruto and Jiraiya to her office because she knew I was going to meet them. Following my dog, I tried to pick up Naruto's scent. It had been two and half years. I wondered if his scent still stayed the same. Then, a familiar loud voice shouted nearby. 'Heh, why needs to track him by smell? He's loud enough to tell me where he is.' I ran toward the source of his voice, and now I could smell Sakura. It was a faint, sweet-smelling flower scent from a cherry blossom shampoo she used.

"C'mon, Akamaru!" I could not wait to see Naruto, and it seemed Sakura was now with him. Excitement fluttered inside me, and I broke into a sprint. Akamaru was excited too, sensing that we were close, "Just around that corner!"

As I turned around the corner, I heard him yelling again. Before I had the chance to grasp his words, a weird kunai was flying in my direction. 'What the hell! Who throws a weapon in civilian area?' I managed to dodge it, but a weird orange train of doppelgangers followed after it. 'What the hell is this!? Wait! Isn't this…!?' Unfortunately, my train of thought had to stop when an orange flash collided with me. Hard. My back and butt awfully hurt, and I couldn't breathe, as if both my nose and mouth were covered by something… soft and warm? I curiously opened my eyes and locked gaze with a pair of cerulean blue up close.

So close that I could see a hue of light shade to dark shade of blue around the pupils. BLUE!?

…

…

_His_ pupils dilated, and I could say the same with mine.

…

…

Astonished, I could not help but gasped, feeling a moist and soft texture. Oh shit. I made a wrong move.

…

…

He then audibly gasped, and that same texture nibbled on my lips. Fuck.

…

…

My whole body was on fire.

* * *

><p>Omake:<p>

"Naruto, there is something I have to tell you." The serious tone suggested it would be something bad, and it really was, even worse. It was unbearably cruel. Naruto did not want to believe it, but everything just clicked fittingly like a puzzle, revealing a cruel truth. His senses suddenly became numb. His mind throbbed. His heart ached. He even did not know what he was feeling right now.

"Your mom was too weak after Kyuubi forced its way out."

Those words pierced his heart so deep like a double-edged sword. They sounded harsher than all the accusations he had received from his childhood to now.

"Your father had to seal Kyuubi inside you before it was too late,"

Bitter anger boiled wildly within, searing his mind and senses with heated rage. Furious questions blinded him – 'why me? why me? WHY ME!?' – that Naruto began to loathe his parent.

"They loved you Naruto. They regretted they could not make it to be there for you."

He had lost it before he understood the word "love". Grieving loss mixed with his heated fury that he could feel stinging hot tears ready to spill. His tormented soul could not take it.

"But please understand this, Naruto.

Your parent was our hero.

They saved Konoha. They saved you."

Tears spilled without restraint as he ran as fast as he could. Sorrow and anger surged restlessly, waiting to be unleashed. He vented them by running and running, away from the cruel reality. Naruto just wanted to scream till his voice was no more and wanted to cry till his tears were all spent. However, he had no chance when exhaustion slowly overcame him and shut down his system.

* * *

><p>Finally! The romance is starting to kick in. Hope you enjoy it and please do review!<p>

Also may add an omake later.

Yamata no Orochi: Eight-Branched Giant Snake

-niichan: addressed to older person, between children to older children/between sibling

-kore: Konohamaru's favorite catchphrase, like Naruto's dattebayo

Ero-sannin: perverted sage, nickname made by Naruto for Jiraiya

First, the bijuu are not all canon. Some are taken from this website: (can't post link) just google bijuu legend and click first link that shows up


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns the character and me my plot only.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Minato's Legacy – New Team Dynamics<p>

"_You two had some kind of special bond, much more than just a simple rivalry or such. And I'm not saying it was a romance crush or the sort either because you both are waaaaay too dense for such things."_

_- Sakura -_

**Naruto POV**

Great. Suddenly, someone was in the way, and I bumped into that person. My body hurt, yeah, but my pride hurt even more. A huge part of me wished Konohamaru would not see me as an idiot because the others, especially Sakura, were already a lost case. Damn, my cool technique started off smoothly until a random passerby ruined it for me. I opened my eyes. A string of apology was already formed in my head, ready to be said. However, it only existed just to be quickly brushed away by a pair of brown slit-like pupil. And a glimpse of red on each tanned cheek. Plus a warm and soft feel on my lips.

Shit. There's no mistaking it.

It was not some random guy.

It was definitely Kiba.

And I accidentally pressed my lips into his…

What I was feeling right now I even could not comprehend it. Each element of surprise just piled up and up until it crashed down because of the last part. True to the saying, last but not _least_, the kissing part wrapped everything up into a huge blow equivalent to Granny Tsunade's infamous punching force. The problem was…that only my mind was successfully sent off flying somewhere unknown in whatever mental realm existed out there. Meanwhile, my physical body was still firmly rooted on top of him.

'_This is bad_.'

My body was obviously having its own mind since the real mind is somewhere out there right?

And a certain Inuzuka was just making it worse! With his lips moving against mine!

My nervous system instantly focused on that slight brush of contact, intentionally amplifying that heat on the spot. My heart also thumped like crazy that I almost believed it could get out of my ribcage in any moment. All my muscle and skin happily responded to the sudden rush of heat churning inside me. A certain vocal cord was no exception either. Before I knew it, I let out an involuntary gasp.

Shit. I quickly clamped my mouth shut. Only to end up between his lower lips!

'_I'm __**really**__ screwed._'

If possible, my already _too_ sensitive lips became more receptive to its electrifying build-up. Its sensational spark sent hot shiver throughout my body. My face must be undeniably red by now, and I might have looked like a fool or a blushing schoolgirl with her stupid crush.

'Wait. Crush!?' Damn. I hoped Kyuubi was not messing up with me with her stupid heat again. Her mating season should be over already...right?

But my racing heart told me otherwise as well as my paralyzed body. I was getting embarrassed beyond belief until I saw a deep red quickly crept up his face and put his proud fang marking to shame. Of all expressions which I devoutly believed that mutt-breath could pull off, a blushing Kiba was never one of them …because I simply never had seen him blush. His face could go red yes, because of laughing his ass off for his stupid pranks or being half-embarrassed (and half-scowling) for his idiocy. He wouldn't admit he's an idiot. But reduced to a blushing mess that could even outmatch Hinata's trademark flush? Such sight could even make whatever villain in this world flabbergasted. It reminded me one of his rarest expressions: his fascinating gentle smile. How his eyebrows drooped a bit, highlighting a soft gleam in his feral eyes. How his lips stretched rightly, showing off one or two canine tooth on its end. And if his eyes crinkled a bit, they would bring out his striking features more. And he would look even more attractive…

Fuck. My brain really did a wonderful job. Now I must really look like a stupid girl with a stupid crush. I could tell Kiba was staring right into my eyes when I was thinking of his _stupid_ smile while I could think of something else. Something else…? Oh SHIT! Mortification flushed away every exciting sensation till there was none left; my sane (mortified) mind had somehow miraculously come back. As I clumsily stood on my feet, my awareness grew steadily keener. I could count a number of probing onlookers and pick up a girly squeal or two in the background. Speaking of girly squeal… I tentatively looked at flushed red Sakura and the rest who just looked stunned, except one old man who threw that annoying and perceptive smirk at me. Damn. I wished I could literally die out of embarrassment right now. Alas, it was impossible.

* * *

><p><strong>Kiba POV<strong>

First, I had to deal with the sudden awkward tension between me and Naruto. Next, I had to deal with another meddlesome teammate. Knowing Sakura for quite a long time, she would not leave me for good until she got what she wanted. Yes, these all started because that idiot blond ran into me and accidentally kissed me, and my body just somehow reacted in the most possible unwanted way. Exasperation flared in me like never before because everything just turned upside down like an unexpected storm coming your way and leaving a jumbled up mess for you to sort out. And now there was one annoying girl beside me who wouldn't leave me in peace when I truly needed one!

"Kiba…?" Her tone turned gentler and more understanding. Great. So she used another approach. How persistent. I growled lowly with displeasure, but it still sounded loud.

"Look. I know you're upset." A touch of firmness in her tone obviously implied that she would not be deterred by my attitude. She had adjusted really well to my ill-temperedness; and in some occasions, I hated that. This was one of the occasions. "I just want.. you know.. want to know whether you like him or not."

"Why do you care?" I snapped. "Drop it. I'm not in the mood right now."

She heaved a deep long sigh. "You are the densest idiot I've ever known in my whole life, you know. Naruto likewise." I was going to cut her off, but she just continued with her eyes fixed on me. "Remember our last battle before Naruto left us? When you surprised us by protecting his back?"

"What? What about it? You're not implying that I have some feeling for him because I covered his back, do you?" I frowned.

"Well, do you?" her steely gaze held me still. I could not help but stiffen, but my scowl hid my growing discomfort, I hoped. "I already told you why I did that, didn't I? That I kinda pissed…" Her quirky smile stopped me and roused my irritation, deepening my frown.

"Yes Kiba, I know." Her smile vanished in a second, taken over by her serious stare, looking right into mine. "But you didn't see his _true_ expression, did you?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course I did, he looked surprised and whatnot. I made sure he knew that I was truly sorry for what I said. And he should stop protecting us if it was just some kind of stupid martyrdom." I could not believe Sakura asked such stupid question. It got me more emotionally riled up. "What is the purpose of it if he just tortured himself with guilt? I can practically smell it! That's why I made sure he got it in his stubborn head, and his expression had proven enough!"

"That's why I call you dense, idiot." She looked perfectly calm and sighed again. 'Tch, what's up with her really?' I did not speak out my anger and frustration though. Her big frown and scrunched up nose clearly told me she was struggling of what to say and how to say it.

"Kiba, you're unconscious, so you didn't see it. Naruto was always the determined one, who knew what to do and acted on it with his stubborn attitude. But after you protected him, he looked…unsure and shaken…The battle was still going on, but Naruto just stood there…like he was at loss of what to do… like his drive to fight was gone…well, it's not like he had given up. To me, it looked like he lost it because you took his spot you know… He always covered our back and always acted on it… to prove his worth… but then you just butted in and shook his firm ground and challenged his ideals…and made him feel how it was to be protected…"

My bubbling emotions receded, replaced with a strong pang of pain across my chest. It was a complicated kind of pain, created by sympathy and irritation altogether. Sympathy because he was suffering inside. Irritation because he was acting tough outside. These two opposite mixed strangely together in mutual agreement to carry out my goodwill. That's why it turned out to be a _good_ intention executed by my _bad_ temper. What irony. But Naruto took it well…right?

"And, it's my first time to see him lose his usual composure…to see him break down and show his true self, and if it is not you who stubbornly stood up to him, I might not even know the real Naruto…"

I was truly at loss of words. The real Naruto would be distant, cold, and lonely, like the time he showed me when I exploded on him. However, from her sad voice and cast down expression, that real Naruto would likely be crying and shaking. I really did not want to visualize it.

"Honestly, I do not know how to put it. You two had some kind of special bond, much more than just a simple rivalry or such. And I'm not saying it was a romance crush or the sort either because you both are _waaaaay_ too dense for such things. What I'm trying to say here Kiba-kun, is that you're able to make Naruto show his different self from the usual. Similarly, judging from what happens just now, Naruto is the sole reason for you to be an awkward and blushing dork, heh even your blush could even outmatch your red markings! However, these two occurrences obviously show us that both of you influence each other in such a way deeper than normal friends and even lovers, right?"

Wait. How could she change her mood so easily? As she went on and on, she addressed me more like straight to the business and pointed out every important detail. And for her to come up with the most absurd conclusion, I knew where this would be headed to.

"Listen, I'm not going to judge you and you can trust me. So, tell me Kiba, do you like him or not?"

Damn. I knew it. Her persistence. I would just give her what she wanted and she would leave me in peace. The faster, the better.

"I don't know." Well, my simple answer sounded good and true enough, because I really didn't know. The big problem was she looked unsatisfied. Great. I had a long day ahead of me.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto POV<strong>

Yesterday was really horrible. My embarrassing incident with Kiba quickly became the highlight of my first comeback after a long time, especially when the news reached Tsunade baa-chan*. With Ero-sannin added to the mix, a simple jest had escalated to a full-length discussion of my most despicable "Dark Age". Though they claimed it as a vital research, I knew they enjoyed it to the fullest at the expense of my precious dignity. Hopefully, I could keep it a secret from the rest; but baa-chan encouraged me to face it like a man and let everyone know about it. Seriously, was there even a Hokage besides her who had the audacity to encourage a poor victim of Kyuubi's damn hormones like me to announce his utter disgrace to the whole world? I was sure there was none as insensitive and shameless as her! However, I hated to say there was some truth in what she was saying. Sooner or later people around me would find out anyway like she explained, and I had to prepare for the worst reaction. My mind shook away a looming terror that could possibly happen to me if this village got another reason to hate me more. For now, only Granny and Ero-sannin knew about it, and she was briefing me, Sakura, and Kiba a mission. Or to be exact, it was a mission which mostly concerned about my current well-being as a jinchuuriki in conjunction with, to my surprise, Akamaru as well.

"Is that true? T-that Akamaru can heal himself now?" I could not believe my ears.

"Yep, he also can change his fur to red on his own will, no special effect to it though." Kiba smirked and seemed pleased about it. "And yesterday, I found out he could smell Kyuubi's scent in a huge range and track you Naruto."

Oh. Those sounded cool, from how Kiba said it with his usual smug tone, but still… "Does he…you know… change like…you know?" I could not help but ask, because a lot of things had changed. Last time before I left, Akamaru was still under complex procedure supervised by baa-chan.

"Nope, he hasn't even changed at all after all these years. He's just normal and the same Akamaru, right Tsunade-sama?" His voice seeped with confidence.

"I'm positive about it. But, it's better to prepare for other possibilities, which I assume may arise from Naruto's chemistry with Akamaru. That's the whole purpose of this mission: to take pre-caution and find out the nature of their chemistry, if there is any chemistry between them at all." She took out a red scroll and handed it to a man with a weird forehead protector which framed his head. He was our assigned team leader in place of Kakashi-sensei. "Alright, Yamato, here is a detailed report of Akamaru's entire protocol result. I had already informed Asuma in the Temple of Fire that your team will be coming. He'll tell you what to do once you arrive there."

Now that she mentioned Asuma-sensei, she didn't tell me why he left Konoha. I wondered what he was doing in the temple. It seemed I missed a lot of stuffs while I was away, and curiosity got the best of me.

"Umm, baa-chan.."

"Where's your manner, brat!?"

Geez. Her concept of beauty was delusional; she was actually a fifty-over year old granny inside her made-up young appearance. So, I ignored her protest and asked about Asuma-sensei, which she replied unhelpfully. Guess I had to wait until I met him, but some depressing assumption and implication started to form in my mind. I hoped everything was going to be alright and not getting worse.

"Ne, ne, Kiba can you please tell Akamaru to change his fur now?" I really wanted to see it after hearing an earful of Akamaru's entire update from Kiba.

"C'mon Akamaru, show your technique!" he urged his dog. "It is called Akamaru Style: That's My Name!"

"Pfft. What kind of name is that? It sounds ridiculous."

"It's not! Many people get confused about why his name is Akamaru, claiming that his fur is white. This technique is proudly named that way to clear all the misunderstanding."

"Oh. I see. Yeah that makes sense." I nodded in response.

"And also, I've named his healing ability as Akamaru Style: Red Recovery" Kiba continued and grinned before my face, which, I was pretty sure, expressed interest at his odd choice of name. Reading my unspoken question, he explained, "His healing is similar to yours. The red chakra is doing the job."

The last sentence triggered one particular unpleasant memory to surface and to sway my mood. The red chakra which healed Akamaru that day at the bridge was the same red chakra which turned him into a monster. Despite all these years, they were still fresh and vivid as if they were yesterday's occurrences.

"But there is still another one which I haven't named yet." The teen beside me nudged my shoulder, disturbing me from my thoughts. His gaze held a gleam of mischief which I had been familiar with since Academy days. "It's his ability to track you by Kyuubi's scent. Should I call it Akamaru Style: Naruto Super Tracker?"

I snorted at how silly it sounded. "There should be a better name for it right? It just sounds too ridiculous."

A female voice quipped behind us. "Geez. Guys, they're not a technique in the first place, but you come up with names for them. Now, that's even more ridiculous."

"Well, he's not just a ninken with no techniques. He got some skills like real ninja." Kiba immediately defended.

"I bet he's got stronger with those skills, especially when he could heal. Can't let that technique be wasted with no proper name at all." I somehow agreed and observed the red dog before me. The stark red in every inch of his fur made him to resemble a smaller version of Kyuubi if he had nine tails from his tailbones, except for his eyes. They were simply Akamaru's, reassuring me that he had won and stayed ever strong. Despite his red form, his eyes spoke louder than anything.

"Some things never change, huh?" Kiba smirked at me. After I raised my eyebrows at him, he jerked his thumb toward Akamaru. "You stare at him like he's a brand new toy. Can you never get enough of his awesomeness?"

I snorted with amusement after I realized what he actually talked about and shrugged with an easy smile, "You can say that. He always never fails to surprise me. He's just simply amazing."

It seemed the awkwardness between us had diffused because we got comfortable again with each other pretty quickly. We joked and bickered as usual. Some things just never changed.

* * *

><p>Omake:<p>

"Stop acting tough, Naruto! It won't change the fact that you are a jinchuuriki! It made me sick!"

Shit. I should not say it. I regretted instantly once I saw an evident hurt shown in his face. Naruto averted his eyes and tried to compose himself. When he started to walk away, I called out to him out of impulse.

"What do you want?" It was my first time hearing his cold voice; I could not help but shudder.

"I-I'm sorry, okay. I do not mean to…what I'm trying to say is… I mean…" I could not come up with an explanation, and I was out of words. My brain really did a wonderful job.

After a moment's silence, he gave a curt reply, "It's fine."

Those two words echoed inside my mind, carried by a cold voice, with a hint of resignation.

'Fine? Really? How so? What's so fine?' My fiery rage awakened again. He's acting it again, saying everything's fine, except that it was actually not. At all.

"It's not fine!" They just slipped out of my mouth. I clamped my mouth shut and tried to cool down my temper, but I failed.

"It's not fine!" I did not know why I repeated it, but it had a slight edge of anger. I took a deep breath and exhaled to stay calm.

"It's not fine, Naruto…" This time, it came out softer and gentler, and I hoped Naruto would hear me out. I did not want him to think that I hated him.

"What do you mean it's not fine?" His tone was a bit angry with some edge of frustration, but this question was an eye-opener to me. Its answer was very simple. I immediately knew it; I had witnessed it a lot of times.

"It's you…you're not fine…" I started bits by bits. "You're trying to look and act fine but actually you're not… I know you're trying to justify yourself being a jinchuuriki, but I can tell you're not okay, Naruto… I know you're hiding something, I know..."

"Don't act like you know it all, Kiba! And you don't have to tell me I'm not fine because I know it already, LONGER than you do!" he shouted, his cold voice turned to burning rage.

"Not that, idiot! I don't mean you're not fine because you're a jinchuuriki. What I mean is how you try to act tough but actually you're not _is not fine_! You think suffering and taking all the damage will make you feel better, huh? You're just being a martyr!" I shouted back in exasperation.

"O-Ooohh.." His voice quivered a bit. His eyes glistened, but no tears fell as if they were frozen by ice. Never had I seen his blue orbs void of warmth, gradually turning dull and cold into icy blue. "…so do you have any better ideas Kiba?"

My tongue suddenly became heavy like lead, unable to move and utter a word.

"Cmon, tell me…Why are you being silent now? You're sick of my martyr ways, right?..."

I could not say a thing. My throat constricted. My heart constricted. Everything constricted. In _pain_. The tense and cold silence stretched on and on as if time itself was frozen, until Naruto broke it like shattering a thin ice.

"Fuck you, Kiba." Then he ran away, with his back turned to me slowly disappearing from my line of sight.

The pain did not go away.

* * *

><p>The chapter's supposed to be angsty, but it turns out like this. Anyway, hope you enjoy it and please do review!<p>

baa-chan: granny


End file.

Naruto, Angst, Romance