[FFML] [Naruto] Memories Lie chapters 1 and 2, the 3rd story arc of People Lie.

[Nugar]

Doing the exact same thing to post as I did last time... I think.
I'll write this down one of these days.

ELL?  Lurker?  You still following this?  Kinda missed your comments
on Clients Lie.  Obviously, you have no obligation to tell me shit,
but I am always curious about your thoughts.  Oddly enough, you were
the first person to ever give me comments on something I posted to the
FFML, way back in the dark ages of like 1998, and only the second
person ever to give me C&C.

Things have changed since then.

Anyway, about Memories Lie.  In honor of the new year, and going back
to the spirit of experimenting with new writing styles that actually
got People Lie started in the first place, I ended Clients Lie in,
admittedly, a slightly odd place, and started this.  My reasons were
manyfold.  I won't bore you with most of them.  Basically, Clients Lie
partially reverted to my old style, but most scenes lacked the detail
of my old style, which, quite frankly, I believe was my greatest
strength.  Since then, I've actually had people ask for more
environmental details.

Me.

Hahahaha oh god it's not funny.

So I'm working on something else, which, honestly, hasn't fully
matured in these two chapters.

Bah, that's just writing style quibbles.  The other main reason I
decided to do Memories Lie was I had a notes file for scenes that had
evolved to the point of sentience and was demanding 'write me'.

I'm not complaining about what I wrote at all.  Just gotta keep
working on the 'how'.


Comments are so totally welcome, even if it's just an 'I read it'.
Thanks to everyone who has commented so far.



Memories Lie.


	Sasuke opened one eye blearily, turning his head
slightly to the right to see the sun peeking above the Konoha
rooftops and stream in the glass window of the hospital room.
His other eye wouldn't open, and the one that did seemed to
have something in it, something sticky that tinted his vision
pink.  He blinked several times, closing his eyes for several
moments in between attempts.

	Slowly, shaking from the effort, he lifted his right
hand and rubbed gently at the eye that wouldn't open, feeling
a hard crust flake away from his eyelashes.  Then he rubbed
at the other, getting more gunk off his lashes and feeling
more scrape away from his cheek.  His eyes burned with effort
and soreness, and quickly watered to flush his eyeballs
clean.

	Finally, he could see out of both eyes, though there
were blurry spots in his vision where something still stuck
to his eyes.  Tired from the effort, he let his hand drop to
his throat, then down his chest to a comfortable spot.

	He lay there for many long minutes, breathing slowly.
The sun was climbing steadily into the sky, and in his mental
fog, he could actually see it happen in real time.	
Birds flew from trees to rooftops, and they left odd trails
in the sky that followed their flight path.

	Turning slightly, he saw the inside wall of the room,
as well as the IV stand and tubes running down to the needle
in his hand.  Distantly, he wished it was gone, but it was
just too much effort to remove.  He was hazy and comfortable
and all ambition had been completely denied him, but there
was something…  some deeper emotion that would not go away,
if only he could remember it.  A table across the room was
crowded with vases, a riot of lilies, orchids, and countless
other flowers all competing for space and color.  It was
nearly violent with petals and different hues, so that no
single flower stood out.  He shied his gaze away.

	Sasuke blinked lethargically as the door to the room
opened and a middle aged medic nin walked in carrying a fresh
IV bag and a set of capped syringes.  Sasuke met her eyes as
she walked, her cool blue meeting his crimson studded with
black, and he moved his hand, although to what purpose even
he couldn't say.  He offered no resistance as she switched
out the bag of saline draining into his hand, and stared
dully as she pushed each syringe into the bag in turn and
depressed the plunger.

	Sasuke's eyes closed and he took a little nap.


o/~


	Sasuke opened his eyes.  There was something- no,
someone, with yellow hair at the table with the flowers.  The
person started to turn around, and Sasuke closed his eyes
again.


o/~


	Sasuke woke up again, opening his eyes slowly.

	Something PINK looked back at him.

	"Gmh," he grunted, recoiling in quiet horror.

	"Sasuke!  You're awake!" Miko exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh, thank goodness, we were all very worried about you!"

	Sasuke blinked rapidly, astonished both by his visitor
and the ability to blink easily.  He rubbed at his eyes,
pushing himself up easily.  Only a small crust of gunk had
formed on his eyelashes, and his mind was clear and unfogged
for the first time since…  since-

	-Bacchi released the ankle cuffs, allowing the bloody
corpse to drop headfirst onto the profane altar-

	He blinked again and it was Sakura there in front of
him, her pink hair silky and neat, not matted with her blood.

	One hand flashed out like lightning and grabbed the
front of her dress.  "How long have I been out?" he demanded.

	"Eep!" she squeaked, startled at suddenly finding
herself jerked close to his face, his strangely changed eyes
boring into her with an intensity she found frightening.  The
black comma-like marks began to spin.

	"How long?" he repeated, giving her a little shake.

	"F-f-f-five d-days," she gasped.

	"Hinata?  _Naruto_?" he asked.

	"What?"
	
	"Are they alive or dead?"  His voice was low and
dangerous.

	Sakura trembled.  "Alive!"

	The strength that had surged through him fled, and he
released his grip on her dress, collapsing back to the bed as
she staggered backwards.  A wave of weariness crashed over
him, informing him that the health he'd felt when he first
woke up was a thin shell indeed.  For many long moments all
he did was lay there and breathe.

	Sakura was still by the bedside when he turned her
direction again, although she was visibly nervous and
fidgeting.

	"Well?" he said tiredly.

	"I, uh, I, I just thought you m-might want to know
that…  might want to know… …more," she finished lamely.

	Something grabbed his heart, and he closed his eyes and
clenched his fists.

	He opened them again.  "Tell me."

	She trembled.

	"Sakura, please tell me."

	"Naruto…  he's, um, he's still unconscious.  The
doctors say they don't know when he's going to wake up.  And
Hinata…"

	His fists clenched harder, his calloused knuckles
showing white.
	
	"I think she's blind," Sakura finished with a squeak.

	"No."

	"Her eyes are bandaged real thick and a nurse had to
lead her when she got up-"

	"Did you talk to her."

	"No," she squeaked.

	"Where are they?" he demanded.

	"Uh, Naruto's room, next door-"

	Sasuke flipped the covers off and swung his legs over
the side of the bed, stripping the IV from his hand as he did
so.  His legs shook for a moments as he landed heavily on his
feet, but he forced the weakness away with a burst of will.
He took one step forward, then his eyes crossed and he froze.

	A second later, he eased backwards very carefully, then
cautiously fished under his hospital gown around his waist.
His whole body tensed, then he had a thin, clear plastic hose
in his hand, the end dribbling a few drops of yellow fluid,
which he glared at with an expression of murder.  Now free of
the bed, he stepped forward again.

	"Show me."

	He grabbed Sakura by the back of the neck and guided
her out of the room, his fingers just tight enough to brook
no disobedience.  Despite making her walk, he was sensitive
enough to the tension in her muscles to know that she wanted
to turn left, and he forced her to take him where she wanted
to go.

	Hinata was sitting in a chair when they entered the
room.  She did not get up, though she did turn her head in
their direction as the door opened.

	Naruto was laying in the hospital bed, the only
movement the slow rise and fall of his chest.  An IV hung to
one side, dripping its chemical cocktail into his veins.

	"Sasuke, you finally woke up," Hinata noted wryly.

	Sasuke turned his attention back to her.  She was
wearing a long white robe, and had a generic grey hospital
blanket wrapped around her shoulders.  One forearm appeared
to be wrapped and possibly splinted, but the robe and the
blanket must have concealed the rest of the wounds to her
body he knew she had suffered.  But, what was quite
noticeable as Sakura had mentioned, her upper face, from her
nose to the middle of her forehead, was wrapped in thick
layers of white gauze bandages.

	"Hinata?  What happened to your eyes?" he whispered,
wavering to the point he had to support himself on Sakura,
who winced but made no protest as his fingers dug into her
neck.  "I know you were bleeding around them, but…"

	Hinata smiled humorlessly.  "The doctors said I was
hemorrhaging blood and chakra, so they sealed my eyes.  I
can't see anything.  Like you, I couldn't turn off my
bloodline, but it nearly killed me.  You picked your own way
to almost kill yourself."

	Sasuke blinked, realizing that the sometimes odd look
of the world was because he'd woken up with his sharingan
activated.

	"I…" he began, letting go of Sakura and stumbling over
to Naruto's bedside, staring down at him.

	"You ran all the way to Konoha at top speed, carrying
both of us, naked.  You burned up every drop of chakra you
had to get us here in time," Hinata explained softly.  "You
saved our lives, Sasuke."

	Sasuke turned his head, shooting a look at the bandaged
kunoichi, and saw that Sakura was blushing furiously, but
staring at him all the same.

	"A-ano…  Sasuke-kun…  Your hospital gown…  it's open in
the back…" she stammered.

	Sasuke frowned and cautiously felt the hem of the gown
flapping at his hips.  There was a certain drafty quality to
it.

	"Icanseeyourbutt," she added, blushing furiously but
with a certain tone in her words that spoke volumes of how
this was the most important thing she'd ever seen.

	"Oh, the irony," Hinata commented quietly, rubbing at
her bandages.


	o/~

	
	A chair had been brought in for Sasuke by Sakura, who
was still blushing to the point her face was redder than her
hair.  Sasuke took it with considerable dignity, considering
he'd just shown his ass.

	"Are you…" Sasuke began hesitantly.

	"Blind permanently?" Hinata finished for him.  "No.
Break the seal, I can see fine."

	"You said that your bloodline was permanently
activated?" Sasuke asked.

	"Apparently, just like yours, since your eyes didn't
revert even when you nearly died of chakra exhaustion.  You
may be able to stop it, and you might want to try.  But, just
like me, when Naruto..." she hesitated, rubbing beneath the
front of her robe, "gifted… you, it activated your bloodline.
But unlike you, my byakugan puts a strain on the blood
vessels and chakra coils that feed my eyes, so I never
clotted.  I nearly bled to death.  Also unlike you, it uses
more chakra than I make, and I also nearly died of chakra
exhaustion.  So they had to seal my eyes to stop the
bleeding.  Once I heal, I might be able to break the seal
without bleeding again.  But even if I can, I'll have to
reapply the seal if I don't want to die of chakra
exhaustion."

	Sasuke sat there in silence, attended to in silence by
Sakura.  He turned slightly, looking at her, taking in her
perfect composure.  "You…"

	"Don't seem worried?" she asked, one corner of her
mouth quirking upwards.

	He just stared.

	She smiled, or, at least, she bared her teeth.  Despite
her eyes being bandaged, and self admittedly sealed, she
seemed to give him a look that pierced him to his soul.

	"Don't give me that look, Sasuke."

	Sakura looked from the rather intimidating vicious
snarl of her lips to Sasuke's somewhat gob smacked look of
shock and felt the need to stand up for her longtime crush.

	"Hinata-san, he's just being concerned-"

	"Be quiet, Sakura," Hinata ordered in a clear voice,
not turning her head away from her stare down of the Uchiha.

	Sakura hissed in breath in surprise.  Hinata was never
one of the popular girls at school, for all that she was the
eldest daughter of the head of the Hyuga clan and thus heir
to considerable wealth and power.  She'd always seemed rather
shy, and probably would have been picked on if she hadn't
been sheltered by her family status.

	"Now just a damned minute-"

	"Sakura, be quiet," Hinata repeated, and rather than
just the calm voice of command, there was a darker
undercurrent that promised pain, if not outright death.

	Sakura shut up, repressing a shiver.

	Sasuke, after a moment, inclined his head in respect.
"I understand," he said thoughtfully.

	She didn't move, but there was something, a flick of
chakra in the air, perhaps, that indicated he should go on.

	"What do the doctors say about Naruto?" he asked.

	This time Hinata inclined her head, acknowledging that
he'd finally gotten to the important matter.

	 "Internal injuries to his abdomen, incomplete healing
where he'd been hit, and other injuries that seemed like some
sort of poisonous acid that his body was unable to completely
overcome," she listed calmly.  "Probably the ichor, they
brought in what I think was an ANBU doctor to deal with it,
but I have no proof," she admitted.  "The big problem is his
chakra isn't flowing right, which isn't entirely due to
damage to his coils.  You remember how he collapsed right
after he killed that thing that came out of the cave, I think
it did more than just physical damage."

	Sasuke shuddered slightly and closed his eyes,
remembering-

	-the ground disappeared beneath him, dissolving into a
thin slurry as a mottled black column of flesh surged up from
below-

	No, no, you don't remember, you don't remember that
there's no such thing nothing has that many-

	- eyes on stalks set in gaping holes filled with fanged
cilia, club like hands closing around his arms sucker coated
tendrils pricking at his skin-

	NO!  He would not remember!

	He opened his eyes again, the red and black of his
sharingan standing out in stark relief against his now
ghostly pale face.

	 "I can easily believe that."

	Hinata's lips quirked again.  "Anyone else would have
died."

	Sasuke nodded tiredly and looked back to the bed,
watching the steady rise and fall of the sheets over Naruto's
chest.

	"I can believe that, too," he said respectfully.

	Sakura gaped at him, her crush, Sasuke Uchiha, the
strongest genin in Konoha, saying such things about Naruto,
the guy with the worst grades out of everyone who'd graduated
their year?

	"How long until he wakes up?" Sasuke asked.

	Hinata shook her head.  "The doctors don't know, and I
don't have a guess.  But he will.  I know it."

	"How long until we know more?"

	Hinata shrugged slightly.  "A day?  Two?  A week?"

	He nodded.  "Okay."
	
	He stood on shaky legs, his time sitting down and the
conversation having exhausted his meager reserves of energy.
A second later he sat down heavily, discovering to his
immense displeasure that he no longer had even the strength
to stand.

	"Sakura," Hinata said quietly, "please help Sasuke back
to his room."

	"Y-yes!"

	Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but the truth was,
he wouldn't be able to make it back on his own.  He knew his
own body well enough to know his limitations, you'd have to
be a fool not to, and Sasuke was no fool.  He would never
have gotten out of bed, if he hadn't been possessed of the
irrational urge to find his teammates, as if it made any
difference.

	If only he had more power!  Power like that he'd felt
when he fought Bacchi…

	Hey, that was an idea.  Perhaps, he could solve a lot
of problems all at once.  But first, he needed to rest.

	Stoically, he allowed Sakura to get his arm over her
shoulder and support his weight, though it still took more
effort than he'd like to admit to move his legs enough that
it at least appeared he was walking rather than being dragged
along by the pink haired girl.

	Hinata didn't move from her chair as she heard the two
leave, having no difficulty whatsoever in pinpointing their
location.  She found her thoughts sharpened to a razor edge
with the removal of her sight, cutting off the wealth of
information that flooded her from the outside.  Her hearing
was that of a normal human's, but even human hearing was
perfectly adequate to hear the subtle sounds of the world
around her, all she had to do was think about what those
sounds meant.

	Naruto, amazing, powerful, intelligent Naruto, had
taught her to think.  To analyze, to predict, to gather the
whole from the tiny nuances.  Theoretically, shinobi were
already supposed to do that.  Practically, she had a dim view
of the general lot of them.

	From down the hall, right at the edge of hearing, she
heard Sakura's quiet proclamation.

	"I've gotten stronger, just like you told me to,
Sasuke.  You'll see, I'll keep getting stronger."

	Hinata smiled.  Naruto's plans kept moving even while
he slept, and it was her duty, besides watching over him, to
watch over and encourage them.


	o/~


	"You saw his butt?!" Ino exclaimed in disbelief.

	Sakura grinned, a near evil glint at having one upped
her rival so thoroughly.  Both of them completely ignored the
occasional look they got from the civilians as they walked
through the village, though admiring looks from cute males
were duly noted and cataloged.

	"Completely, utterly, and totally," she confirmed.  "He
got out of bed to check on his teammates and the back wasn't
tied closed, so it just kinda flopped around.  You know they
never let patients wear anything but those drafty gowns, so
that was probably all they slipped on him when he showed up."

	It was to both kunoichi's chagrin that they'd been
elsewhere when The Great Naked Uchiha event had happened, and
Ino was NOT happy to have missed out on her second chance to
see Sasuke's ass.  Every girl in the village had unanimously
given it a full ten.  It averaged out to a grudging six among
the males of the village, the honest and somewhat jealously
admitted tens warring with the zeros and occasional negative
three hundred and sixteens.

	 "You lucky bitch!" Ino cried, and punched her lightly
in the shoulder.

	"I am a lucky bitch," Sakura replied with a smirk,
suppressing a wince as she rubbed at what was probably going
to be a bruise on her shoulder.  Ino took her taijutsu
seriously these days.  "I even got to help him walk around
the hospital."

	"Ugh!" Ino complained, suddenly turning around and
walking the other way.  "I am so not talking to you.  Did you
at least find out anything about their mission?  How much ass
Sasuke kicked, anything?"

	Sakura had changed her direction and once again fell
into step beside the blonde, and she finally winced slightly.
"No, damnit.  He and Hinata talked about it a little, but
only really generally.  I think they didn't want to discuss
it around me."

	"You obviously just don't have the gift for gossip.
Tomorrow, I'll show you how a pro does it, so you keep your
forehead out of there, all right?"

	"Don't go rooting around where you aren't wanted, Ino-
pig," Sakura snapped back lightly.  "I don't think Hinata
would take it well."

	Ino sniffed dismissively.  "Hinata's no big deal.  I
beat her before, and now, what, she's blind?  You just wait,
Forehead, I'll know everything there is to know about what
happened by the time I see you again tomorrow."


	o/~


	Ino sweated profusely, her eyes rolling in her head so
she could see the hand, and the scalpel, held uncomfortably
close to her temple.

	"I think you must have misunderstood me," Hinata said
cheerfully.  "I said I did not wish to discuss the
circumstances of our mission with you at this time.  If you
need to know at a future date, rest assured, I will let you
know."

	A single droplet of something warmer than sweat ran
down the side of her head from the tip of the scalpel.

	Ino was too afraid to move to nod her head.

	"I can tell by your heartbeat that you agree with me.
That's good.  Now, I have a meeting with the doctors in an
hour, and I intend to spend it in Naruto's room.  I don't
wish to be bothered, and I'm sure Naruto doesn't need any
commotion near him while he's healing.  I suggest you go
watch Sasuke sleep.  I'm disappointed for you that the nurses
saw fit to give him medicine to encourage his rest after his
activity yesterday, but these things happen."

	Ino swallowed audibly.

	Hinata smiled, or, perhaps, bared her teeth again.
"Come, now, Ino-chan.  Say it with me.  'These things
happen.'"

	"T-these things happ-ppen."

	Hinata couldn't see it, but she had little trouble
imaging how the whites of Ino's eyes must be showing right
now.

	"I'm glad you understand.  Have fun watching him
breathe."

	And the scalpel was removed.

	
	o/~


	"Bandaid, Ino-pig?" Sakura asked.  "Cut yourself
shaving that beard again?"

	"Shut it, Forehead."


	o/~


	The morning sun was climbing high in the sky, but far
from seek shelter from its merciless rays, Sasuke sat near
the edge of the roof facing it, leaning against a boxy metal
vent thing.  It was quit hot to the touch, and he leaned
against it comfortably, letting its warmth seep into his
back.

	It was going to be a hot and humid one, just like the
days they'd spent in Tomahigiro.  Pink hair bobbed in the
distance of the street below, caught right as his eyes
drooped closed, reminding of him of when he'd first seen her…


	o/~


	The night we spent on the barn was uneventful, once
we'd finally went to sleep.  The murderous chakra bears
didn't visit us in the night, Naruto left me alone, and
Hinata didn't say a word until well into the next morning.
Well, there was one thing, when I woke up near the end of
Naruto's watch, I found that Hinata had apparently worked her
way across his bedroll and snuggled into my side, missing his
warmth, I assume.

	Any other girl, I would have assumed it was a
calculated ploy just to get near me, but with Hinata…  She
all but said she hated me that night, and the look on her
face when I stirred and she woke up was one of the most
poisonous things I'd ever seen.  You'd think I was the one
who'd snuggled up to her by her attitude.

	Weird girl.

	Thank god I had her as a teammate instead of one of my
more rabid fangirls.  	

	We woke up early, just before sunrise, ate a hurried
meal of dried travel rations, then followed Kakashi-sensei
and his dogs for two hours before we found where our clients
had been heading.

	It was another farm, or maybe the correct term is
ranch.  There were twenty eight people there, and all twenty
eight of them were in the fields, or the garden, or the big,
sturdy looking barn, from the youngest, a seven year old boy,
to the oldest, a dottering grandmother picking her way slowly
through the little herb garden to one side of the house.

	The farm was bigger than the other, with more cleared
land within view of the big house and outbuildings, but
still, nearly thirty people was excessive.  Of course, all of
them didn't live there, and even with the extra people, they
were rushing to the best of their ability to maintain the
farm.

	The problem was the cows.  There were entirely too many
of them, even for a farm this size.  I supposed that they had
consolidated the two herds for defense.

	"I smell blood," Naruto announced.  "Looks like the
chakra bears were here last night."

	"Pakkun, scout the area while we introduce ourselves to
the clients," Kakashi ordered.

	With a wave of his paw, the little brown dog vanished.

	Our client, officially, was the head of the Hiroashi
family, the ones who owned the farm we spent the night at.
It was his son who'd made the trip to Konoha and purchased
our services.

	Unofficially, however, we  had been hired by a loose
group of respected local families, all of whom had interests
threatened by the marauders, though the Saburou family, who
owned the farm we found ourselves at, had put up the second
largest share after the Hiroashis.

	Apparently, the reason for this was that the families
were entering an alliance of marriage.  The eldest Hiroashi
daughter was engaged to the eldest son of the Saburous.

	Interestingly, when we interviewed them, it was Hinjo
Saburou, the eldest son, who'd been the only one to get a
clear view of the bears, and that was what he claimed they
were.  Apparently, once cows had started dying just over a
week ago, he'd gotten his bow and hid in the barn on the
night of the full moon.  He said there were six of them,
brown, like we already knew, and they came running out of the
trees around the swamp, tore through a couple of cows, and
then left.  He wasn't brave enough to take a shot at them
with his bow, afraid he'd draw their attention.

	No one else had seen them except Shinjo, one of the
Hiroashi farm workers, and supposedly the eldest son, Katsuo,
as well, though we didn't get a chance to ask him.
Apparently, since the attacks had continued while they waited
for a team from Konoha, they decided to send someone to ask
us to hurry along.

	While I would have preferred we got the opportunity to
ask Katsuo about what he saw, Shinjo said that they were
together when they saw three of them moving in and out of the
trees at the edge of one of the fields right at dusk just a
few nights ago, which also matched what Kakashi-sensei's dogs
had told us.   Shinjo was a burly, coarse spoken man, but he
answered our questions willingly enough.

	I couldn't say the same about the rest of the families.
Most of the Saburou farm workers didn't know much of anything
about what was going on, beyond the rumors, and that the
herds couldn't be kept together much longer.  Most of the
herd was actually Hiroashi cattle, but only about a third had
ever even been at their farm, the rest bought from outside
sources as well as the Saburous, but would actually end up a
part of the Saburou's heard as part of a convoluted deal
between the families that also included a dowry arrangement.
None of the family heads really wanted to discuss it,
claiming it had no bearing on what they'd hired us to do,
which was kill the bears eating their cattle.

	No one particularly felt the need to correct them about
the difference between 'eating' and 'pureeing'.

	In general, I wasn't much impressed with the families.
Civilians.  Hinjo made several snide comments about the
lateness of Konoha ninja, the workers were all scruffy
looking men one step above common thugs, heavily muscled but
without a drop of chakra in them, and naturally they
expressed doubts to whether 'children' could handle a real
fight.

	Only one of them voluntarily approached us.

	Miko Hiroashi.

	She of the long pink hair and the warm green eyes.
	
	
	o/~


	Sasuke blinked sleepily, surprising himself.  He must
have dozed off, something he'd been doing a lot lately.
Running yourself out of chakra was a seriously bad thing,
given that when your body ran out of energy, it also seemed
to lose the ability to easily make more.  Get tired, take a
nap.  Get exhausted, get a good night's sleep.  Nearly kill
yourself with effort, don't plan anything for a couple weeks.

	Human limitations of chakra were such a pain in the
ass.

	But maybe, just maybe he'd found a way around that.
Naruto…  The Kyubi no Kitsune said they had a deal.  Blood
for power.  Power for blood.  Call and I come.   Come when I
call.

	How powerful was that deal, sealed in blood over that
profane altar?

	With Naruto still unconscious and unable to grant him
that power, could he not summon it himself?  He rubbed gently
at the bite on his shoulder, white scars of teeth marks in
flesh where Naruto, or the Kyubi, had bitten him.

	Another memory, of the day they had reached the farm,
rose.  Kakashi had summoned his dogs with an easy string of
hand seals.  Once you had the contract, the summoning was
just a request, right?

	He hadn't possessed the sharingan when Kakashi had
performed those seals, but the masked ninja hadn't exactly
tried to conceal them.

	Frowning in concentration, Sasuke bit his thumb hard,
his eye tooth sinking deep enough into the flesh to tear skin
and draw blood.  Careful hand seals smeared crimson over his
hands as he closed his eyes and mentally whispered Naruto's
name…


	o/~


	Naruto smelled blood.

	No, more than smell.  He could taste it, it tinted his
world red, the pulse of it pounded in his ears, the sticky
weight of it dripped across his tongue, filled his stomach,
the power of it pounded in his coils, opened his eyes,
saturated his very being.

	Life, spirit, POWER, chakra at its most primitive, it
surged and flowed, yet it was sluggish.  Tendrils and arms
covered in teeth, claws, sucking orifices and things that had
no name from the world of humans had done terrible damage to
him.  Some wounds attacked the body and soul, some went so
deep as to leave great rents in the unflesh of the nine
tailed fox imprisoned within him.

	The fox was hurting, lying quietly on the floor of its
cell, waiting on the natural processes of the life it was now
tied to to heal it when it heard the call, felt the blood
offered to it.  Weakened, injured, exhausted, it grabbed at
the offered blood, yet, it wasn't enough.

	To beseech a god is to accept the terms if it answers.

	The Kyubi called for chakra as well as blood, and it
could not be denied.

	Energy thrummed through the fox, the power of Sasuke's
willing sacrifice, then the hungry, healing beast sucked at
the power of his unwilling sacrifice.  Many, many long
minutes passed, the wounds of the great demon slowly healing
as the surprising depths of the human being were plundered
for life.

	None of those involved could have told the passing of
time.  It might have been an instant.  It might have been an
hour.  But there was a definite beginning, middle, and
ending.

	The depths of Naruto's soul echoed with the laugher of
the huge, ancient being, the most powerful of its kind.

	A bargain had been struck indeed.

	Blood for power.

	Power for blood.

	But none of them, not the scion of the accursed Uchiha,
not the pale eyed bitch, not even the arrogant little prison
who thought himself so clever in the ways of men thought to
wonder who the bargain favored.

	Roaring in delight, the Kyubi no Kitsune stopped
drawing on the life force of the Uchiha before the spark of
his being guttered out and died, choosing to answer as he saw
fit.  The tiniest fraction of his power was shoved down that
mystical connection, and distantly, the pathetic human arched
his back in shock at the rush of malevolent chakra that
exploded within him, demonic energy freely spent replacing
the incomparable richness of his life force.

	Naruto opened his eyes.

	The summon had been made.

	It must be answered.

	Dimly, he was aware of Hinata fluttering along beside
him anxiously, her quiet pleads for information falling on
deaf ears.  None of his surroundings mattered, he simply had
to move.

	His body hurt, he was clumsy, and slow.  Something
clattered to the ground nearby, a bright flash of polished
stainless steel, but it mattered not.  Stairs crawled by as
he spent energy he didn't have, following the irresistible
urge to go to where Sasuke was.

	It wasn't until he stumbled through the door leading
onto the open roof that he was his own person again.

	Now, he looked around, blinking owlishly against the
bright noon sun.

	Laundry, bleached white by harsh chemicals and even
harsher sun, flapped gently in the quiet breeze.  Konoha
buzzed quietly in the background, the living hum of a
thousand people busy with their lives on a perfect day for
work.  Distant machinery squeaked somewhere in the hospital,
fans keeping the air moving to avoid stifling the people
within.  A low sheet metal box set on the rooftop nearby rang
softly with the soft taps of a pigeon's wings beating for
position as it cooed in avian delight.

	Rapid footsteps sounded behind him, and he glanced
back, watching as a pink haired girl recoiled in momentary
shock at the feral gaze he turned on her.  Hinata moved to
her side, and Naruto dismissed her from his concerns.

	Naruto's slow survey of the roof swung back to the pale
grey bird, taking in the bobs of its tail and the coos of
lust as it humped its glossy black mate below.

	Naruto's eyes, red and slit pupiled with demon chakra,
focused on the amorous bird, easy prey for a hungry fox.

	Wait.

	There aren't many black pigeons.

	There especially aren't many black pigeons who have
hair instead of feathers.

	Blinking, followed closely by Hinata, her hands opening
and closing as she resisted the urge to grab his gown, Naruto
staggered around the side of the boxy vent.

	"Coooo…  CoooooOOooohh…."

	Sasuke sat collapsed against the other side, only his
hair visible over the top.  The pigeon's feet scrambled for
grip in his hair, its tail curling forward against the spikes
in the back over and over, cooing its pleasure.

	"Sasuke…" Naruto breathed, blinking at the bizarre
sight.  He moved closer, and another pigeon landed on the
vent behind him, cocking its head to one side as it watched.
Still another landed on his shoulder and pecked jealously at
the one on top.

	"You've got head pigeons," he added as he and Hinata
moved closer.  Shocked at the indignity the boy was
suffering, Sakura darted forward to shoo away the offending
bird, only to freeze in horror.

	Rapidly beating wings and tremulous coos signaled a
peak in the pigeon's efforts, tipping Sasuke's head forward
and twisting it to one side as the bird nearly fell off.
Naruto saw why Sakura had suddenly stopped and covered her
mouth against a gasp of horror.

	Blood poured from Sasuke's eyes, dripping down his
cheeks and onto the white shirt he wore in lieu of a gown,
creating a rapidly spreading crimson stain.

	"Sakura…  Hinata…" Naruto began.  "You might want to-"

	"I…  I'll go get a nurse," Sakura agreed quickly,
nearly stumbling in her haste.  Hinata grabbed her arm as the
girl passed and the two of them quickly disappeared into the
stairwell.

	Naruto took several steps forward, finally reaching his
true goal of answering Sasuke's summon.  Then, as sudden as
it had came, the drive that sustained him drained away,
creating a wave of weakness that crashed over him.  His eyes
widened and he collapsed to the gritty roof, having just
enough presence of mind to fall to his right, letting his
shoulder rest against the corner of the galvanized vent box.

	Shuddering with effort, Naruto chuckled weakly as his
chin dropped forward.  "Well, Sasuke," he whispered.  "Isn't
this a mess."

	One crimson eye set in the bloody, weeping socket
rolled slowly, and he looked Naruto's way.

	The amorous pigeon strutted its stuff back and forth
across the dark haired boy's shoulders, flapping its wings
and pecking at the intruders seeking to interrupt its special
time with its new mate.   Frustrated, one cooed angrily and
flapped over to Naruto with an air of wounded dignity, as if
it wanted to say that gentlepidgeons preferred blondes
anyway.

	"Aww…  Hell…  They're spreading…"


	o/~

	
	"Hinata."

	Hinata was instantly alert, chakra pouring off her body
and wrapping around her in the secret way of the Hyuga, who
were well aware that their eyes were a weakness as well as a
strength.

	"It's okay, Hinata.  We're alone."

	"Naruto?" Hinata asked, sitting up on her bed.  "Are
you okay?"

	Naruto smiled down at her bandaged face with a
tenderness even Hinata had only saw once.

	"I'm fine.  Most of my strength has returned and I'm
nearly completely healed.  I've already sent a few bunshins
out to take care of some business."

	"Business?  What time is it?"

	"It's about one in the afternoon.  I finally woke up
again at about nine this morning.  I sent three for the usual
misdirection, one to see if we can get some special training,
and another to raid a stash so we're not so damned
defenseless in here."  He wrapped her fingers around the
handle of a slim kunai and watched as she absently but
carefully tucked it in her robe.  "The last is to write a
request for a personal meeting with the Hokage and deliver it
to the Tower.  I need to ask him some questions."  He paused.

	Hinata felt a hand ruffle her short black hair
tenderly, freeing up a tiny lock from beneath one of the
layers of white cotton.  She sighed and leaned her face into
his caress, bringing one of her hands up to feel his.

	"Is there anything you need me to take care of?" Naruto
asked.

	"No.  My father came by the day I woke up and found out
my eyes had been sealed.  The Hokage was there, he offered to
work on a solution to my problem.  He's coming back the day
after tomorrow with a more permanent solution, you may want
to meet with him then."

	"That works."  He paused.

	"..yes, Naruto?" Hinata asked, still rubbing his hand
against her cheek.

	"What is all this?" he asked, giving the bandages
around her head a tap near the temple.  "The last thing I
clearly remember-"

	-his eyes were dull, but still aware when the old
priest finally reached his neck, cutting an intricate collar
of angular joined symbols into a collar, peeling the skin off
with the cruelly hooked scraper.  Blood ran from the wounds,
down his body and neck, dripping into his ears, making his
hair sodden.  Hanging him upside down worked just like he'd
warned Sasuke about.  He was conscious every step of the way,
the remaining blood pooling in his brain.

	It hurt.  He would have screamed if he thought it was
the desired result, but the old guy didn't seem interested in
his pain.  He just kept carving those elaborate characters
into his flesh, running his mottled black hand over the raw
wound, the inhuman touch sizzling the flesh and preventing it
from healing.  The pain was there, but inconsequential.  He
had experienced worse.  Instead, he threw himself against the
shackles on his ankles and wrist repeatedly, heedless of how
his efforts made absolutely no difference to the priest, who
had a steady hand, or how it caused the deep punctures in his
abdomen to open farther, one loop of intestine bulging into
the air.

	Hinata's screams were somewhat muted due to the blood
in his ear, mixed in with Sasuke's inventively vile death
threats and curses.  If he got out of this, he would have to
congratulate the Uchiha on a couple of those.

	So involved was he in his escape efforts that the knife
slicing through his throat came as a complete surprise.  He
would have expected there to be more ceremony before his
sacrifice, though it did explain why everyone's screams had
suddenly gotten louder.  His blood gushed down his face,
pooling on the stone altar right below his head, and NOW
things got all ceremonial as the guy started to chant in a
prehuman tongue-

	"…I clearly remember your scream," Naruto said evenly.
"And then I kinda remember a lot more of your screams.  They
made me very angry."

	"I was very upset," she admitted quietly, her voice
echoing the horror she'd seen.  "I thought you were dead."

	He pushed the hem of her robe open, exposing her neck
and revealing a faint tracery of puckered pink lines on her
skin.  Elaborate, looping characters with angular
interconnecting lines, the same marks that had been carved
into his skin.  He knew that they would travel down her body,
her breasts, her stomach, all the way to the soles of her
feet, because that was where they started with him.

	"…Naruto?!  Naruto!?" Hinata's voice seemed like it was
coming from very far away.

	He blinked and let go of her robe, dimly aware that his
hand had clenched so hard his fingers had curled through the
cloth.  Apparently it was possible to black out with nothing
but pure rage.

	"You were next," he said flatly.

	Hinata looked down.  "…yes."

	Naruto's expression darkened.  "Your screams...  While
I just lay there…"

	Hinata's head snapped up and she seized both his hands
in her own.

	"They were for you, Naruto," she whispered.  "I've been
hurt worse in training, for all that no one could see it.
Juken leaves no marks.  Sasuke and I were screaming for you.
We feared you were dead, but somehow we knew that you were
stronger than that."

	Naruto let some of the tension seep out of his hands as
she quirked her mouth in a tiny smile.

	"We were right.  You rose from the floor naked and
bloody like a god reborn.  You killed the two bears guarding
the chamber.  You scared off the priests.  You let us go,
healed us, gave us a kiss of power.  You fought that thing
from the cave so we could get out."

	Naruto shook his head slightly, feeling the slight
tremble in his shoulders.  "I don't think that was me,
Hinata.  That was…  him.  I was just sort of watching."

	"You were in there, I could tell," she replied, gently
disagreeing.  "I still remember how you looked, terrible and
noble and angry and benevolent all at the same time.  When
you touched my eyes, I could see everything all at once, even
things I'd never been able to see before.  It was wondrous to
finally see the real you.  All of you."

	He reached out and stroked her temple with his thumb,
feeling the softness of the cotton bandages beneath his
fingertip.  "I destroyed your sight."

	Hinata shook her head in.  "It was my fault, I tried to
do something I wasn't strong enough for.  I was so weak that
when you and Sasuke fell to the…"   She paused, swallowing.

	Naruto eased himself on the bed beside her and put an
arm around her shoulders.  She seemed so small, almost frail,
lost in the big hospital bed.  "When I was nearly gutted,
yes," he added for her.

	"I couldn't even see it," she hissed.  "I knew
something was there, but it was like my eyes just refused to
look that way.  After you had touched them on the altar,
though, I could look at it."  Her voice rose, gaining a fever
pitch.  "Eyes and hands and tentacles and mouths and things I
can't even begin to describe, but that was just the surface,
you would not believe what was on the inside!  I forced your
chakra into my eyes, and I could see it!  Organs and muscles
and glands and cells and alien chakra all tied together in
ways I could actually see and understand!  But I was foolish.
When I looked at you, I could see the incredible power sealed
inside, but it too bright, so I didn't look directly at it.
But when I looked at the shoggoth..."

	"Your eyes exploded."

	She shook her head again, an emphatic no.  "It wasn't
my eyes, it was the choushijiro, the white veins that feed
blood and chakra to my eyes.  I tried to look too close, and
I just kept forcing power into my eyes.  But it's really not
as bad as it seems.  It didn't slow me down, I didn't even
NOTICE until afterward."  She ran her fingers through her
short, tousled hair ruefully.  "Sasuke had to deal with
something similar, you saw.  The Uchiha bloodline limit puts
a different type of strain on the body, and when he used his
sharingan in battle, he burst the capillaries in his eyes, so
it looks like he's crying blood.

	"When you marked us, you permanently activated our
bloodlines.  Sasuke's eyes changed, and now they won't change
back.  It draws on his chakra, but not hard enough to
endanger his life.  The byakugan requires more chakra to keep
active than I make during that time, and it's a strain on the
choushijiro.  So they sealed my eyes while I heal.  After I
heal, I can break the seal and I'll be able to see again, but
I'll run out of chakra.  The Hokage and some of the doctors
promised my father that they could come up with a way to
partially seal me, so I'd be able to see again without using
too much chakra.  That's why he's coming back."

	Naruto nodded and gave her a squeeze.  "How did your
father take it."

	Hinata let her head droop forward.  "I can't say.
Probably not well.  He only saw me once, and then didn't say
anything.  I'm not sure the old deadline remains anymore.
He'd given me until sixteen or marriage before I get moved to
the Branch, but with this change…"  She shrugged helplessly.
"He might seal me as soon as I get home."

	"Not gonna happen," Naruto assured her.  "I've been
thinking about how to better grant you power, and that's why
I want to talk to the Hokage.  If we have to, I'll give you
another little love bite on the neck.  I remember catching a
glimpse of you and Sasuke fighting Bacchi and the old priest.
Even the damned fox approved."  He grinned, showing teeth.
"Still, we need to make our move soon.  And maybe even Sasuke
could prove some use there.  After all, how much is the word
of the heir of the Uchiha worth?  Political power is still
power."

	"I wasn't worried," she replied, turning her sightless
eyes in his direction.  "I knew you'd have a plan."

	He laughed.  "Well, I'm glad you kept your confidence.
I haven't actually met your sister yet, but there is no way
in hell she's more suited to rule your clan than you."  He
patted her shoulder.  "I'd best go check on our third.  I'll
be back to check on you later."

	She smiled at him.  "Yes, Naruto."
	

	o/~


	Naruto found Sasuke doing one fingered pushups in his
hospital bed wearing only a loose pair of drawstring pants.
The muscles in his lean back bunched and twisted under his
skin as he smoothly rose and fell, and sweat rolled down his
arms, leaving streaks where his IV rubbed across his forearm
with every completed repetition.  A pint of blood hung from
the rack now, replacing that which flowed from his eyes and
occasionally dripped onto a towel he'd placed beneath his
face.

	Naruto stood watching for several long minutes as
Sasuke worked, feeling the near frenetic energy that thrummed
through the dark haired boy, energy kept restrained only by
his incredible self control.

	"…Wow, Sasuke.  I know I've said some bad things about
your fangirls before, but I can't fault their taste," Naruto
said after a moment, frankly admiring.

	"Hn."  He didn't stop his exercise.

	"I brought something for you.  Had a bunshin go get it
from your place."  Naruto set a kunai on the bedside table.
"Kunai."  He set a plastic bottle beside it.  "Shampoo."

	Sasuke abruptly stopped, turning his head to glance at
the bottle, then Naruto, searching for any trace of
amusement.

	Naruto stared back evenly, noting the three white
flecks in Sasuke's eyes of crimson and black.

	He changed to a seated position, picking up the small
towel as he did so and wiping at the streaks of blood on his
cheeks.  "No snide comment?  No witty quip?" he asked.

	Naruto shook his head.  "Don't be concerned for your
dignity, Sasuke.  My memories are still fuzzy in places, but
I remember when you fought Bacchi and the old priest.  If you
dressed like a geisha and used pink kunai, I'd still see you
as I saw you then."

	After a moment, Sasuke inclined his head slightly,
accepting the acknowledgement for what it was.

	"How do you feel?"

	Sasuke's eyes blazed.  "Good.  Not like I did the first
time, but I can still feel the power flowing through my
coils."

	Naruto squatted on the floor, his arms stretched out
away from him, elbows on knees.  "Yeah, I think that was the
fox's fault, since I was injured.  I felt it, you know.  It
feels good to give as well as receive.  I heard your call."
Abruptly he stood once more and bowed deeply to his seated
teammate.  "Thank you, Sasuke, and…"  He hesitated and closed
his eyes for a second, remembering what Sasuke had gone
through.  "I'm sorry for what happened."

	Sasuke gave him an incredulous look.  "Sorry?  Naruto,
you saved me from dying by inches under the knife, and then
you gave me the most incredible rush of power I've ever felt.
Don't be sorry for that."

	Naruto closed his eyes again, clenching his fists, and
nodded.  If that was what Sasuke chose to focus on, so be it.
He would respect and honor him for it.  The Uchiha was
stronger than he'd given him credit for.  He tapped his chest
with one fist.

	Sasuke looked at him oddly for a moment, then,
hesitantly, copied him, tapping his chest with his right fist
just as Naruto had done.

	"So, other than the bleeding eyes, any problems like
Hinata is having?" Naruto asked, the awkward moment passed.

	Sasuke shook his head.  "No, I'm feeling pretty good,
really."  He hesitated and looked away, embarrassed.
"Except, ah, twice now, I've had this really weird dream
where I was wearing these sort of sun god robes on a pyramid
surrounded by a thousand naked women screaming and throwing
little pickles at me."

	Whatever reaction he might have expected from the
blond, it wasn't the one he got.

	"YES!" Naruto cried, collapsing to his knees with his
fists thrust into the air and his head thrown back in
exultation.  "Finally, someone else had that damned dream!"

	Sasuke blinked at him as Naruto regained his composure
and his feet.

	Naruto looked rather unapologetic about his odd
outburst, though he did have a thoughtful expression.
"Though, under the circumstances, I suppose we should
probably call that a side effect of the Kyubi's chakra."

	"…interesting," Sasuke allowed.  "Are there any other
side effects I should be aware of?"

	Naruto shrugged.  "Well, if your penis suddenly grows
three inches overnight, let me know."

	Sasuke raised one eyebrow.  "Your dick grew three
inches in a single night?"

	"Well, no, but if yours does, I wanna hear about it,"
Naruto admitted.  "That's the kind of thing I could market."

	Sasuke shook his head, fighting a smile.  To cover it,
he hopped off the bed, jerked the IV out with a casual pull,
and grabbed the kunai and the bottle of shampoo.  "Well, if
that's all, I'm going to find the showers."

	Naruto nodded.  "Yeah, alright.  I've got some clones
running around Konoha, anything you want done?  I started to
get clothes from your apartment, but I figured I'd ask
first."

	Sasuke nodded.  "Yeah, that'd be nice."  He swished the
bottle in his hand thoughtfully.  It was about half empty.

	"More shampoo?"

	"More shampoo."


	o/~  Begin chapter two.



	"Back, Hinata-chan," Naruto said gently, closing the
door behind him quickly.  He was no longer wearing hospital
issue pants and shirt, instead sporting new shoes and and old
pair of faded orange shorts topped by a baggy black shirt
with skin tight armored mesh undershirt.  He also carried a
large paper bag.

	Hinata turned her sightless face in his direction and
smiled.  "How is Sasuke?"

	"Sasuke's doing fine.  Currently washing his hair,
unless I completely miss my guess."  He set the bag down on
her bed.  "I bought you some clothes.  Put them on, we're
leaving."

	"Yes."  She rose from the bed and removed her robe.

	Naruto watched as he started emptying the bag, pulling
out a roll of thick cloth fighting bandages first.  "Fighting
wraps.  Mesh shirt with bra.  Panties.  Shorts.  Shirt.
Shoes.  Two more kunai and a dozen senbon.  We've all got to
rearm and get new clothes as soon as we're able."

	Hinata folded the white robe and threw it on the bed.
She had a set of simple hospital scrubs on beneath, which she
removed with no visible hesitation, leaving her bare up top
and nothing but grey generic issue hospital underwear.  No
one from her family had bothered to drop off any clothes.
The underwear was peeled off with a similar lack of ceremony,
although she did have her back to Naruto.

	Naruto stared at her back, his face twisted in rage as
he followed the looping characters and angular connecting
lines that formed the characters carved into her skin.  Large
sections of her back were smooth and unmarred, perhaps by
design, perhaps as a result of the iron bars she had been
shackled to upside down, but he could see how the cuts had
nearly met in the middle at the small of her back, then
paralleled her spine upwards, branching out twice as they did
so.  Her buttocks and the back of her legs had the largest
characters and thickest lines, but were more spread out for
all that.  The summoning ritual for the bears that the cult
had commanded was a complex rite, and almost all of that
complexity was represented by the spell lines that had taken
the old priest nearly an hour to create.  Though they no
longer wept blood, the scars were pale pink and slightly
puckered.

	"Turn around."  His voice was hoarse and dry.

	She turned around.

	The front of her body had been cut up even more
elaborately, with smaller characters forming circles around
her chakra centers and strange symbols layered on top of each
other, linking them all together in a way that almost made
sense with what he knew of seals.

	"I'm hideously scarred, aren't I?" she asked, no
perceptible emotion in her voice, just a request for
information.  Only the slightest tension in her hands at her
sides gave any indication that she was unhappy.

	Naruto swallowed, not allowing himself to close his
eyes or look away.

	 "I-"  He swallowed, then tried again.

	"I find myself nearly overwhelmed with rage that you
were hurt," he said thickly.  "I would like nothing more than
to make that priest die in agony for what he did to you."

	Hinata smiled softly.  "Too late.  I killed him for
what he did to you."

	Naruto took two steps forward and grabbed her, pulling
her tightly to his chest.  With her face beside his and
partially covered in bandages, he didn't see her faint blush.
Her scars were strangely smooth under his fingertips.

	"Hinata, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever
seen," Naruto whispered into her hair.  "Every thing I
thought you were capable of you've exceeded.  You…"  He
trailed off.

	Hinata pulled her head back, his deep blue eyes meeting
the bandages over her own.

	"You have scars, Hinata.  They mark you.  But they also
highlight you.  They make you more beautiful than ever
before.  Never be ashamed of the marks life left on you,
especially since you survived."

	Tilting her chin up slightly, he met her lips with his.

	
	o/~

	
	"Are you sure, Naruto?  I suppose I like her for the
purpose, but I'm not sure she's what Sasuke would be
interested in."  Hinata leaned back in his arms, luxuriating
in the feel of his arms around her.  A pair of empty
cardboard boxes lay nearby, pinned with a rock to keep the
winds on top of the Hokage monument from blowing them away.

	After a…  certain pleasant interlude, she had gotten
dressed and Naruto had left a couple of kage bunshins in
their place, scooping her up and slipping out of the hospital
unnoticed.  They wound up on top of the Hokage monument in
the evening sun, eating onigiri and dango and talking of many
things.
	
	Naruto watched idly as the sun dipped towards the
horizon, casting Konoha in a golden glow.  "You're the one
that said he liked Miko.  Pink, pink, eh."

	Hinata smiled at Naruto's casually dismissive
description of Haruno.

	"Not many people use the Hokage monument as a picnic
area.  I apologize for interrupting your alone time."  The
voice was warm and amused, but carried the weight of
authority.

	Naruto's head snapped around to see the Hokage standing
nearby, sans hat, watching the two genin with a tolerant air.

	Hinata nearly jumped to her feet in embarassment, but
Naruto held her down with gentle pressure.  Considerably more
sedately, they both rose to their feet and bowed respectfully
to the Hokage.

	"Of course," he continued, "you're both supposed to be
in the hospital right now, recovering from your mission and
waiting for me to call you all in for a thorough debriefing."

	Naruto wrapped an arm around Hinata and tugged her
closer.  "Hey, haven't you heard of the healing power of
love?"

	Sarutobi quirked an eye at the boy.  "And haven't you
heard of the wrath a father will show towards a boy courting
his daughter?"

	Naruto bobbed his head.  "Yes, Hokage-sama, I have.
But Hiashi's so focused on his younger daughter that Hinata
could sneak up and-"

	'Stab him in the back of the head,' he carefully didn't
say.

	"-make out with her boyfriend in public without him
even aware she existed."

	"Hmm, is that so," he said, rubbing his beard
thoughtfully.  "Well, anyway, I'm not up here to chastise you
about being affectionate, I actually find it rather
encouraging.  However, civilians are not allowed up here."

	Naruto blinked.

	The Hokage pulled a pair of carefully wrapped objects
from somewhere in his robes.  "This," he said, holding one
up, "is a replacement for the hitai-ate you lost on your last
mission, Naruto."  He handed the wrapped forehead protector
to Naruto, who lost no time unwrapping the cloth to reveal
the polished metal surface and engraved leaf.

	Solemnly, Naruto tied it around his head, adjusting it
so it fit comfortably on his forehead.  He smiled.  "Thank
you, Hokage-sama."

	"And this," Sarutobi said again, holding up the other
forehead protector, "is a very special hitai-ate for you,
young Hinata Hyuga."

	Hinata moved her head slightly, acknowledging his
words, but unable to see it.

	He smiled at her.  "I finished early, and there's no
sense in delaying until tomorrow.  Go ahead and take off your
bandages and seal."

	"Yes, Hokage-sama," she said automatically, her hand
reaching for the layers of cloth over her temple.  Her
fingers brushed it from the bottom up, and the cloth parted
as neatly as if she'd sliced it with the sharpest blade.

	Naruto and Sarutobi both stared at the blotchy red scar
tissue that surrounded each eye, a visible reminder that
she'd made her own veins explode from within.  Were it not
for the fact that shinobi healed quickly, especially when
influenced by powerful medical jutsu, she wouldn't have been
able to take her bandages off so soon.

	Suddenly she swayed on her feet, held almost instantly
steady by Naruto.  She blinked her pale eyes reflexively, an
old genetic reflex from her human ancestors who didn't
possess the byakugan.  Nothing cut off the sudden influx of
visual stimuli that flooded her mind, made all the more
shocking by having been blind for many days.  Naruto, looking
as confident and healthy as he always did, but in different
clothes.  The Hokage, old, but still hale.  Four ANBU
personal guards of the Hokage hidden around them, one by a
genjutsu, the others at more of a distance, one of them was
even a branch Hyuga.  Still, it took only a minute before she
shook her head slightly and focused on the hitai-ate in the
Hokage's hand, seeing easily past the cloth wrapping.  The
metal of the forehead protector was easy to spot, however.
It was like a black wall.

	"Hokage-sama!" she gasped.  "The hitai-ate, it-"

	"You can't see through it, right?" he replied, eyes
twinkling in amusement as he handed it to her.

	She quickly unwrapped it, staring in astonishment at
the strange metal in one hand as she put the other on
Naruto's shoulder.  "It's…  solid black."

	Naruto eyed the perfectly normal looking polished metal
and turned back to the Hokage.  "It's got a seal on it?" he
guessed.  "Hinata, to me, it looks exactly like a regular
one."  Her slight pressure on his shoulder, a rythmic,
repeated twitch of her finger told him all he needed to know
about how many ANBU were also present, and their positions.
He hid his relief at having Hinata's ability to see
everything around them back, surprised at himself and how
much he'd relied on that.

	"That's right, Naruto.  Your sensei, Hatake-san was
actually the one to give me the idea.  Hinata's problem is
very similar to what he had to deal with when he first got
that sharingan eye, and the solution turned out to be much
the same.  All you have to do, Hinata-chan, is put it on over
your eyes, and it will instantly cut off your sight,
conserving your chakra.  But when you really do need to see…"
He let them finish the statement in their own minds.

	Carefully, Hinata tied the forehead protector around
her forehead, making sure it was secure, but not too tight.
The cloth felt slightly strange as she tied it, stretchier
somehow, as if it had elastic fibers woven through it.

	"It feels strange," she commented quietly.  "I've never
worn a hitai-ate on my forehead.  That's for branch members."
Experimentally, she pulled it down over her eyes, and was
immediately blinded, feeling the flow of chakra to her eyes
cut off at the same moment.  She pushed it back up, relieved
that her sight came back just as quickly, and didn't
disorient her nearly as much.  She smiled.  "It works,
Hokage-sama.  Thank you.  I was never in doubt."

	He nodded.  "You're welcome, Hinata-chan.  I am sorry
that the mission has left you in such a state.  It cannot be
convienent for you to only have the choice between blindness
and your bloodline limit."  He sighed.  "And there is another
drawback you might want to consider as well.  The seals on
the hitai-ate are worked into the metal of the back of it,
then covered with another thin plate, then the leather and
cloth, so an enemy won't be able to easily tell that it is
different.  But I would advise that you do not let enemies
know of its abilities, or allow it to fall into their hands.
The seals that can prevent your clan from seeing through an
object are a very closely guarded secret of Konoha.  I
entrust them to you."

	"Yes, Hokage-sama."

	By the serious expression on her face, that cold eyed
assurance usually possessed by battle hardened jounin, he had
absolutely no doubt that she would not let him down.

	"Come, we will return to the hospital to give your
teammate his replacement hitai-ate."

	Nodding, they followed their leader.


	o/~
	

	Their official debriefing took place at the hospital,
where Sasuke had been given his own replacement forehead
protector, and the Hokage had commended them on their
performance, and announced that, in light of the
circumstances, not only would they be credited with
completion, according to the strict letter of the contract,
of the C rank mission they had been sent on, they would also
be given credit for completion of an A rank mission a jounin
team had already been assigned to that they had inadvertantly
stumbled upon.  The pay for the A rank was, in essence, a
bonus to reflect the hardships they had gone through.  There
was a separate bonus to allow them to replace the clothes and
equipment they had lost over the course of the mission.

	It wasn't the first time an entire team had made it
back to Konoha completely naked, though Sasuke's mad streak
through the village with a teammate over each shoulder did
mark it as one of the most talked about.

	Sasuke managed to have the grace not to blush.

	He also informed them that Kakashi had sent a report in
via nin dog, and, although the details were classified, he
had inquired about their condition and wished them well,
which brought cautious nods of acceptance from the genin.

	The debriefing was surprisingly brief, although the
Hokage assured them that this was a special case, given that
there had already been a jounin team assigned to the mission,
who were handling the mop up and finding answers to questions
that the three of them didn't have clearance to even know
existed.

	However, if they felt they needed to work through some
of the events, someone would be made available to talk to
them.

	Hinata, having already met a designated compassionate
'shoulder to cry on', who she sent from her room with a few
cold words, frowned.

	The Hokage smiled compassionately at them.  "It's
perfectly understandable that you wouldn't want to talk about
the mission with just anyone, so remember that you're a team.
The three of you support each other so none of you have to do
it alone.  If nothing else, you should realize the value of
helping each other out, and letting yourself be helped in
turn."

	Hinata found herself nodding, her hand finding its way
into Naruto's, who gave it a reassuring squeeze.

	"A temporary jounin sensei will be found for you until
Hatake returns, so don't worry.  Now, I want you all to take
it easy, and listen to your doctor's orders." He waggled a
mock admonishing finger at them.  "So no sneaky slipping out
of the hospital when no one is looking."

	"Yes, Hokage-sama," they replied dutifully.

	After he left, Sasuke turned to the others with a
rebellious expression on his face.

	"As soon as it gets dark, I'm gone.  No offense, but
I'd like to be alone for a while."  His simple declaration
delivered, he turned and walked out of the room.

	Naruto blinked, then looked at Hinata.  "Did he just
say he was going to go masturbate?"


	o/~


	 "You can go in now, Naruto," the wild haired guard
said quietly, opening one of the thick wooden doors to the
Hokage's office.

	Naruto slipped in silently, feeling the door close
behind him.

	"Hokage-sama," he began, bowing respectfully.  "Thank
you for agreeing to this meeting."

	"Ah, Naruto, you should try to relax a little," he
gently chided.  "I suspected you would have quite a few
questions, given the nature of what you've learned.
Ordinarily, I would leave it up to your jounin-sensei to
explain, although I can see the necessity here.  However, I
was rather surprised to get your additional note this
afternoon requesting a private meeting.  Do you really feel
that it is in Sasuke-kun's best interest to be left out of
the loop?"

	Naruto sighed.  "Not exactly.  I intend to tell him
what I learn, it's just…"  He trailed off for a moment.
"I've learned some about his personality since we've been
teammates, and I think it'd be easiest for everyone concerned
if Kakashi-sensei or I are the ones to tell him things.  He's
kind of prickly and just does not want to ask questions or
talk to people at all."

	Sarutobi raised one eyebrow.  "Prickly, huh?"

	Naruto grimaced.  "Like a caltrop."

	"So you seek to carefully control those points."

	Naruto schooled his emotions.  That was exactly what he
was trying to do with Sasuke, but he didn't think he should
put it quite so blandly to the Hokage.  "More like guide them
away from potentially injuring Hinata or I.  I don't want to
do anything to lose what trust I've gained from him, so I'm
not trying to hide anything from him, but previous experience
has shown that I have to be careful in how I tell him
things."

	"Hmm.  Do you believe he could be dangerous to you or
Hinata?"

	Naruto blinked, his expression lightening into barely
concealed humor.  "Hokage-sama, Sasuke is dangerous to
everyone he chooses to.  He has the skill and the attitude,
which is obvious to everyone around him."

	"Even to his friends?" Sarutobi pressed.

	"Probably," Naruto admitted.  "I don't think he really
has any, though Hinata and I have tried.  Admittedly, he does
seem friendlier now, probably a result of us all nearly
dying.  It was after I talked to him in the hospital that I
requested this private meeting, but it's not about Sasuke."
He paused.  "It's about something I did during the mission."

	Sarutobi clasped his hands and leaned forward across
his desk slightly, studying the boy before him.  Naruto was
one of the most coldly logical genin he'd ever seen,
reminding him, actually, of a young Hatake.  Due to the
circumstances, he'd wound up talking to the boy fairly often
over the course of his short life, and had always been
impressed by his poise and intelligence, which would have
been more suited on someone many times his age.  Usually,
Naruto approached conversations as if he were assaulting an
enemy fortification, always seeking to learn without giving
away information in return.  Now, however, in the wake of the
near disaster, he seemed a good bit less sure of himself,
more like a normal boy.  Cautiously, he considered that a
good thing.  "You had to kill a number of people, according
to the report."

	Naruto nodded.  "Enemies, Hokage-sama.  Even Sasuke
killed for the first time, it was literally us versus them.
He did not flinch, and it was not Hinata's nor my first
time."

	He nodded.  Even genin had to kill sometimes, and it
was actually a job description for higher ranks.  It was
almost a relief to not have to help the boy through the
moments of recrimination and doubt most genin went through
after their first kill.  On the other hand, dealing with
Naruto was looking at the other slippery slope, where killing
got too easy, too reflexive.

	"No, the question I have is about a technique I
employed.  The head priest of the Shichibi attempted to
sacrifice all of us to power summoning rituals.  In order to
free ourselves and defeat our enemies, I gave some of my
chakra to Hinata and Sasuke."

	Sarutobi frowned in concern.  "You gave them some of
your chakra?" he said, his voice heavy with worry.  "How?"

	Naruto grimaced.  "That's sort of my problem.  I'm not
sure.  I remember wanting to help them, since they were both
badly injured, and I could feel them calling to me."  He
dropped his voice lower.  "Their blood was calling me,
reaching out to me.  I could sense it.  It gave me a rush of
energy like I'd never felt before, and I healed my own wounds
in a second."  He paused, a small smile twisting his lips.
"Then I gave power back."

	"Naruto, that's very…"

	"Interesting?" Naruto responded quickly.  "I didn't
know I could do that.  I didn't know that was even possible.
I especially didn't know how good it would feel, the
connection I had with the two of them."

	"Actually, I was going to say 'worrisome'," Sarutobi
countered frankly.  "I wish you had told me about it earlier.
I assume this had something to do with Sasuke-kun's eyes
bleeding, or Hinata-kun making her own choushijiro burst?"

	Naruto winced.  "Yes.  I was a little…  caught up in
the moment.  I think I gave them too much chakra."  He
brightened.  "But it worked.  They healed their own wounds in
minutes, though Hinata-chan still has scars.  And they didn't
have any problems at first.  Hinata said it wasn't until they
were fighting the shoggoth and she tried to look at it too
hard that her veins popped."

	The Hokage winced.  "Yes, well, I suppose that might
have something to do with it.  Things like that shouldn't be
looked at lightly."

	"Yeah, no kidding," Naruto said bitterly.  "She
couldn't even see it at first, like her eyes wouldn't let
her.  Sasuke and I didn't have exactly the same problem, but
all things considered, if I could have avoided looking at it,
I would have."  He paused, and his expression darkened.  "Why
weren't we told about things like that?" he asked, his voice
husky with anger.

	Sarutobi sighed, having expected that question to be
the entire reason Naruto wanted to see him.  "We let some
things stay as legends because most people can not handle the
truth."

	"Most people?" Naruto replied, indignant.  "We're
shinobi!  We've been raised to be shinobi all our lives!  We
needed to know about things like that!  As it was, the only
regular attacks it even noticed were a couple of explosive
notes and Sasuke's fire jutsu, and that was far from enough
to stop it."  He shut up all of a sudden and stilled the
trembling visible in his limbs.  In a more normal voice he
added, "You should have seen what it did to Sasuke."

	Sarutobi blinked, realizing that Naruto had effectively
diverted the attention away from his dangerous decision to
somehow share power with his teammates to something he felt
he had the moral high ground on.  Regretfully, he decided
that the outrage Naruto professed was more likely a
conversational gambit.  "I'm sure I've seen worse," he
replied after a moment, deciding to answer the boy.

	Naruto blinked.

	"Perhaps you were ready to learn about some of the
harsher realities of the world, but can you honestly say your
classmates would have been?  You've already been introduced
to some of the horrors life may throw at you.  Luckily, your
teammates have as well, and together you were strong enough
to handle the presence of the shoggoth.  But experience has
shown that many people, even shinobi, cannot.  They are
possessed with fear and flee, attack blindly and uselessly,
or go insane.  Some even kill themselves to escape.  When the
Kyubi no Kitsune attacked Konoha, the very weight of its
malevolent chakra was enough to kill the weaker minded
people.  And we lost many ninja to madness or worse against
it, many skilled, tough shinobi who had faced things as bad
as the shoggoth.  Of course, you must understand, the Kyubi
was far, far worse than any servitor creature such as what
you faced, possibly even the most horrible thing that existed
considering it is the most powerful of the tailed demons, but
that does not mean that lesser creatures are not dangerous.
The knowledge that we face such things is something we must
protect people from unless they must know it."

	Naruto shook his head.  "But that's it, it was dumb
luck that we survived.  If we had known more-"

	"You would have what, Naruto?" he asked mildly, cutting
off Naruto's affected outrage.  "We do not plan for small
group engagements or, even worse, genin running into
creatures like that because we know that, whatever plans are
in place, our shinobi will die," he said frankly, dismissing
Naruto's unspoken accusation of oversight.  "We educate, we
train, we hone.  But knowledge is dangerous when applied
improperly, and you know that.  You've just received an
advanced course, as you've been doing for many years now, so
be happy you survived it, and do not assume your relative
maturity makes you ready for the things we choose to not
teach you, a genin with barely a dozen missions on his
record, yet.  Being different from your peers does not mean
the rules governing their development do not apply to you.
Gain experience, then we'll talk."

	"Yes, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied quietly, nodding his
acquiescence, if not agreement, to the Hokage's words.

	 "There is a reason we make creatures such as that an S
rank mission requiring dozens of our most elite ANBU.    For
three people to defeat one is rare.  For three genin, unheard
of.  But of course, Team Seven isn't like most genin teams,
and you especially are not like most genin.  The nine tailed
fox sealed in you is both an advantage and disadvantage.  In
this case, it proved the advantage, did it not?"  Sarutobi
tapped his finger against the desk, wondering how the young
prodigy would respond now.

	Naruto nodded.  "I could feel his rage.  That thing…
was not one of the creatures that bows to him.  He willingly
gave me all the power I needed."

	"That power came at a price, right?" he pressed,
wanting Naruto to realize the danger he was dealing with.
"The Kyubi wanted something from you, wanted to influence the
world outside the seal.  That is why giving some of that
power to someone else is so dangerous, it is another way for
the Kyubi to have influence.  He wanted the shoggoth dead,
and he used you to do it."

	"I wanted to kill it," Naruto replied vehemently.  "Not
because of the Kyubi, but because it attacked us, because it
was a danger to us.  There was nothing in that mission we
couldn't handle, whatever our relative experience.  Only two
of the people we ran into could fight near our level, and the
bears, while tough, were killable.  My team is strong and
skilled, we knew we could handle the mission, even given the
mess it turned out to be.  But that…  that thing was
something we didn't even know enough about to know we
couldn't handle it.  We attacked, and we paid for it."
	
	"And that is, actually, the issue," Sarutobi continued.
"It is a subtle, but extremely effective technique to give
someone what they want, to their detriment and your benefit."

	Oh, yes, Naruto knew that well.  It was why he would
NOT let the Hokage deny his newfound ability to give others
part of his chakra.  With an ability like that, he'd be able
to attract even the most powerful ninja to his banner.  As
much as he respected the old man…  He let the thought die.

	The Sandaime shook his head.  "Naruto, you're smart,
smart enough to partially make up for your lack of
experience, and the wisdom that comes along with that.  But
you're not the smartest person who's ever lived.  You're not
even the smartest person in Konoha.  Our village is a
relatively safe place for children to grow up.  We have
strong ninja to patrol our walls and keep out danger.  We
want our families and friends to be safe.  When you grow up
here, you know that you're protected.  But a consequence is
that sometimes you lose track of what's important."

	Naruto's look was clearly questioning.

	"Naruto, the most crucial thing in the world is
protecting the people important to you," he said, his eyes
boring into Naruto's as he attempted to convey the
seriousness of the matter.  "Friends.  Family.  Comrades.
Underlings and commanders.  We have to stick together.  It's
all too easy for us to lose track of that, and get lost in
the little details around us, such as petty slights and
imagined hurts.  But why do you think we hunt missing nin so
hard?  Missing nin are scorned by all villages, unless, and
this happens incredibly rarely, the traitor knows something
valuable enough to make it worth their while to adopt him.
But everyone scorns a traitor, they're more likely to do it
again, and that hurts the villages in a very real sense.
Naruto, as you've witnessed, it's a dangerous world out
there.  If we do not work together, we'll fall, apart."

	Naruto looked surprised.  "I know that, Hokage-sama."

	Sarutobi shook his head.  "You know it because you're
intelligent, and you've had some good teachers.  But you're
only starting to know it where it really matters, deep in
your heart.  A leader must be logical, true.  He must weigh
his decisions carefully.  But a true leader, one fit to
command the respect and loyalty of his people, he must
understand that there are some decisions that cannot be left
to logic.  Konoha is a great power because we know that
sometimes you fight for goals, and sometimes you fight
because it is right.  Because you must.  Because we know that
a shinobi is strongest when fighting to save someone
important to him."

	Naruto stood in silence, unmoving.

	Sarutobi smiled.

	"And, I believe you're learning that.  It is not a
simple lesson, it starts with making friends and continues
all your life.  It makes me happy, it gives me more hope than
you could imagine to see you learning this lesson, Naruto.
Tell me.  Why did you give chakra to your teammates?  Why did
you stay and fight the shoggoth when you could have ran?"

	Naruto's head dropped forward a fraction of an inch,
betraying something of what he felt.

	"Because they're mine," he replied quietly.

	"'Mine?'" The Hokage repeated.

	"Yes, mine," Naruto replied, his voice louder as he
raised his head and stared back defiantly.  "My teammates.
My allies.  My friends.  They fight for me, I fight for
them."

	Sarutobi leaned backwards in his chair, smiling.  "Thus
continues the lesson."

	Naruto stared at him for several moments, then closed
his hands into fists and bowed deeply.

	"Yes, Hokage-sama."

	"They wanted you for ANBU, you know," Sarutobi
continued after a moment.

	"Yes, I suspected," he admitted.  "I didn't know at the
time, but I've had a lot of time to remember things people
said to me."  He shrugged ironically.  "I especially tend to
remember things people wearing masks say to me."

	"And that very ability to arrive at accurate
conclusions with only a little information is one of the
things that would make you such a valuable addition to our
ANBU corps.  You've got the right attitude, the right
potential, and you could easily gain the right skills.  ANBU
would fit you like a glove, Naruto."  He shook his head.
"But unfortunately, it would fit you too well.  The only
people who do well in ANBU long term are those people who
have lost a vital component of their humanity.  Empathy,
Naruto.  That willingness to understand both your friends and
your enemies.  Most ANBU positions require little more from
you than the ability to kill, but there is a reason that ANBU
does not run Konoha."

	Naruto listened attentively.

	"Yes, you would do well in ANBU.  But I hope to see a
great deal more out of you than just another masked killer,
so I would not allow you to be approached.  You needed to
learn to value others, and I'm pleased to see my decision has
borne fruit.  Tell me, Naruto, do you still have the same
ambition you told me of when you were a child?"

	He blinked, surprised.  "Hokage-sama, I have not
mentioned that to anyone since."  Well, anyone but Hinata, he
amended mentally.

	"But you do, correct?" he pressed.

	"…Yes."

	Sarutobi nodded thoughtfully.  "I thought as much.
Good.  You continue on your present course, learning to not
only deal with, but value and respect your comrades and the
other people your age.  Learn to be a leader, a true leader,
and you'll see opportunities unfold before you."

	"'Before you do something that is extraordinary in the
eyes of the people, the people first have to care'," Naruto
quoted.

	"Indeed, as I said before," Sarutobi agreed.  "But the
best way to make them care is not to force them to think a
certain way, it's to become valuable to them as a friend or
respected fellow ninja.  And people don't just respect power,
Naruto.  People respect someone who treats them with respect
and compassion, someone brave and just and inspirational and,
for lack of a better word, someone good."
	
	Naruto bobbed his head once, decisively.  He would take
the words to heart.

	"Now, about your technique," Sarutobi continued,
pulling his pipe out in a move calculated to take some of the
seriousness out of the atmosphere.  "There are techniques
that allow for someone to share chakra.  They are usually
used with medical jutsu, since one of the most dangerous
things that can happen to a ninja is to exhaust all his
chakra.  We do not make those techniques common knowledge,
however, because it usually takes several shinobi to give a
useful amount of chakra to someone else.  A single person's
capacity would be drained to dangerous levels if he were to
attempt to perform such a jutsu."

	"But I never run out of chakra, Hokage-sama," Naruto
replied gently, watching as the old man packed his pipe with
fragrant tobacco.  "Admittedly, it wasn't until Mizuki told
me that I had the Kyubi sealed in me that I understood why,
but even as a kid, I knew there was something different about
me.  I get tired, yes, but not like other people.  And I have
never, not even partially, run out of chakra.  No matter how
many times I perform a jutsu, or a meditation technique, or
even just sit and let it out through my tenketsu, I never run
out.  I can see dangers, but I see a lot of benefits in a
technique that allows me to share some of my stamina with my
teammates."

	Sarutobi rubbed his temples tiredly and took a pull on
the pipe, letting the pungent smoke go deep in his lungs.  Of
course, Naruto was right.  Such a technique would be
incredibly useful, as the limit of chakra was the single
greatest factor when deciding the power of a shinobi.

	"Ah, but Naruto, you've already seen problems with the
technique.  What if you overloaded the chakra coils of your
teammates?  It's true, giving them extra chakra would be
useful, but you have to understand their limits, and I don't
think you do.  The average genin often has less than a tenth
of the chakra of a jounin, and even a jounin's chakra would
be a drop in the bucket to you.  You can't just force power
like that into someone without expecting a serious, possibly
fatal side effect."

	He closed his eyes sadly, and nodded.  "Yes, Hokage-
sama.  But I believe we have to do something.  Sasuke has
already repeated the technique, though exactly how I'm not
sure.  Although he was elsewhere, he offered me some of his
blood while I was unconscious.  And it seemed perfectly
natural to take it and give him some of my chakra in return."

	Naruto quirked his lips at the look of shock that
formed on the Hokage's face, his pipe drooping far enough in
his fingers to spill a few ashes on his desk.

	"Surprised?  I'm sure I would have been too, if I'd
been awake to think about it.  Sasuke's smart, what's more,
he's clever, and he sometimes puts clues together in ways I
miss.  He decided that what I'd did was like a summoning
contract, like Kakashi-sensei has with his dogs.  And
apparently what he did was use the same set of seals."

	Sarutobi shook his head at the rashness of youth,
suddenly feeling the weight of years on his shoulders.  The
Uchiha scion could have easily fried his coils, or worse.
Incautious actions like that went past foolhardy and bordered
on the suicidal.  "He could have killed himself," he said
quietly, all to easily imaging the situation.

	Naruto shrugged.  "Yeah, probably.  But what's
important is, it worked."  He fixed the old man with an
appraising look.  "Maybe not perfectly, maybe not
efficiently, but it worked.  And Sasuke loved it.  You know
of his ambition, right?"

	Faintly, the Hokage nodded.

	"Yeah, I just found out about it recently, on the
mission.  He wants to kill his brother.  Itachi is powerful,
or so I've gathered."

	"You have no idea," Sarutobi replied weakly.

	"Yeah, I think I have an idea.  So Sasuke is consumed
by gaining skill and power.  Do you think he's going to give
up an easy ticket to unlimited chakra?  He'd be a fool to.
And, I have to admit, Hokage-sama, I don't want to tell him
no when he asks.  Sasuke has had little enough in life he can
rely on.  As his teammate, I want to be someone he can."  He
bored in aggressively, throwing one arm wide in an expansive
gesture.  "Sasuke's going to keep doing it, even if it's kind
of wrong, because it gives him results he wants.  What I need
your help in is designing a jutsu to do it right, and
safely."

	Sarutobi shook his head and rubbed his eyes.  Naruto
was right, of course, if the dangers were minimised, the
benefits would be huge.

	"Like it or not, what's done is done.  Now, Hinata
needs access to my chakra to be able to see for a long period
of time, since she can't turn of her bloodline limit.  Sasuke
needs access to my chakra to be able to use the powerful
family techniques he has, and he can't turn off his sharingan
any more than Hinata can turn off her byakugan."  Naruto
shrugged ruefully.  "Pandora's box is open.  It can't be
closed, so I need your help in controlling it."

	The Hokage sighed again.  Naruto, for all he liked the
boy, and respected his potential, was, in his own way, as
difficult as both Jiraiya, who was brash and reckless, and
Orochimaru, who always wanted knowledge before he was ready,
put together.

	"What do you have in mind?" he asked in a way he hoped
was noncommittal.  Yet, he knew, just by his asking, Naruto
had won.

	To his credit, Naruto didn't smile, or otherwise give
away the triumph he felt.  "Well, there's this big scroll of
forbidden jutsu I happen to have read, and while I only
learned how to do one technique, there was another one I
remember that might be relevant.  Since I seem to have turned
myself into a summon, I've been thinking of ways for my
partners to summon me, or, most importantly, part of me.  My
chakra."

	"You read the entire scroll?" Sarutobi asked
incredulously.  "And you remember it?"

	Naruto nodded.  "Ibiki taught me ANBU memory techniques
when I was seven."

	The Hokage suppressed a groan.

	"So," Naruto continued, "since you ARE the 'Professor',
master of many jutsu, I was really hoping you could take some
time and either yourself or a qualified representative, help
me out with these techniques before I accidentally kill
myself and a teammate."  His tone was actually apologetic, in
complete opposite to his threats.

	Sarutobi frowned at him, his eyes narrowing.  "Are you
actually telling me you'd kill yourself or your friends if I
don't help you?"

	Naruto looked horrified.  "NO!  No, no, not at all.  I
honestly believe I could do it myself, the seals aren't THAT
complicated.  I want help to reduce the risk, because I DON'T
want to hurt anyone.  But, as we've already agreed, the
benefits if it works are huge.  I am willing to risk hurting
someone since the techniques could prove so valuable."  He
shrugged apologetically again.  "I value them very much, they
are my only friends, after all.  It took me a while to
understand, an embarrassingly long time, if I must admit, to
realize how important they are to me.  But, I do not believe
that another one of the lessons I was taught early is wrong,
or even completely conflicts with that one."  He smiled, and
there was a hit of tooth.  "Sometimes, you have to risk
something big if you want to gain big."

	The Hokage closed his eyes and just breathed, once,
twice, a third time.  Then he opened them.

	Naruto took an involuntary half step back.

	"Okay, Naruto," Sarutobi said, deceptively gentle.
"You're right.  Logically, the benefits of having access to
the Kyubi's chakra when we need it is enough reason to risk
the lives of a couple of genin, no, even dozens of Konoha
shinobi.  In fact, logically, the one person we cannot risk
is you."  He shrugged apologetically, taking a long, measured
draw on his pipe, then poking the stem of it at the blond
youth.

	Naruto repressed a shiver, feeling the killing intent
caress him from all sides.

	"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can't let you go on any more
missions, you might run into something you can't handle, and
then we'd have lost our secret weapon.  Instead, we'll set
you up with a secure room in ANBU headquarters.  Oh, not as a
punishment, you see, we'll make it as comfortable as we can.
I believe you like ramen?" he asked, quirking an eye at the
boy.

	Gulping, Naruto nodded.

	"Well, then, you'll be allowed ramen every day.  Might
be kind of boring, but I assure you, as soon as we figure out
the seals, we'll have you make a contract with all of our
shinobi.  You'll be doing more to increase the strength of
the village than any other person, isn't that what you said
you wanted, Naruto?" he asked, taking another draw on the
pipe.

	"Not exactly," he admittedly nervously, his eyes
flicking to each side.  Every sense he possessed was
screaming at him, telling him to get away, because there was
something he couldn't see that was about to get him.

	"Ah, but logically, that's what we should do, right?"
he asked, blowing smoke from his nose like an angry dragon.

	"I have to admit I'm impressed by your control over
your killing intent," Naruto replied instead, twitching
visibly as he fought for control.  "It's very overwhelming."

	His attempt at detached commentary got him nowhere with
the most powerful ninja in Konoha.

	"Right, Naruto?" he pressed.  His aura smote Naruto
even harder.

	"Right," he squeaked.

	Sarutobi eased up on his spiritual pressure.  "Yes,
that would be the logical thing to do.  And if you were
foolish enough to tell the wrong person about this ability,
you'd quickly find that there are a great many logical people
out there."

	He stared at the quivering blond for several long
moments.

	"Naruto, you are not the first jinchuriki to be
created, though, as far as I know, you're the first to have
been created with love.  When the Kyubi was sealed into you,
there were those who wanted to turn you into a living weapon.
I said no, because the life of such a weapon is usually
brutal, lonely, and short.  I wanted better for you.  When
you killed your first man, there were those who wanted to
turn you into a living weapon.  I said no again.  And when
you graduated over the dead body of your former teacher,
there were still more that wanted to turn you into a living
weapon.  I said no yet again."

	Naruto jumped slightly as he felt a brush of chakra
along the back of his vulnerable neck.  His eyes were so wide
the whites of his eyes showed like a terrified animal.

	Sarutobi sighed tiredly, but the weight of his
displeasure didn't let up an inch.  "Naruto, I have fought
and maneuvered for you, doing my best to prevent you from
being turned into nothing more than a tool, a thing to be
used by others for their own benefit at the expense of yours.
And now, just as you're discovering your inner strength, just
as I thought you were learning to value and love your
friends, you come in here and say those words to me?"

	Naruto didn't quite whimper.

	"You seek audience with me, you come in here and snipe
with your words, attempting to make me feel guilty?
Threatening me with the lives of your friends?  And the only
thing you have to say for yourself is a trite statement oft
uttered by those who have no idea of what gambling really
means?  You call me Hokage-sama, but every word out of your
mouth is a disrespect to me, this office, and all of Konoha."

	"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama," he whispered.

	"What?"

	Naruto bowed low, casting his eyes down.  He swallowed
twice.  "I-"  His voice broke.  In a slightly louder voice he
tried again.  "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama.  I forgot myself and
spoke without consideration.  It won't happen again.  Please
accept my humble apologies."

	Please.  Please.  Please.

	The Hokage sat there for several long minutes, watching
Naruto sweat.

	Naruto held his bow, not daring to move.

	Sarutobi shook his head and set his pipe down in a
display of disgust.  "Since you're just out of the hospital
after a traumatic mission, I suppose I can overlook this…
this insolence.  Go.  Go beg the forgiveness of your
teammates.  Treat them as if they were the most valuable
things in the world.  I will send for you when I decide to
see you again.   Until then, I don't want you in my sight.
Dismissed."

	Naruto nearly collapsed when the weight of the killer
intent suddenly vanished, and he swayed on unsteady legs.

	"Yes, Hokage-sama, thank you, Hokage-sama."  Bowing
repeatedly, he slid backwards, opened the door, and slipped
out as if the hounds of hell were after him.

	Sarutobi sighed and rubbed his temple, once again
feeling the weight of years on him.  How many ninja had he
dressed down in this very same office since he'd first been
made Hokage?

	He honestly couldn't remember.

	A tall, heavyset man in a black coat faded out of the
corner, his genjutsu shimmering out of existence.

	Ibiki glanced at the closed door, then at his leader.

	"Went easy on him, huh?  That boy's been needing an
object lesson in humility since right after he made genin."

	Sarutobi scrubbed his eyes, then looked at his chief
torturer, who's definition of 'easy' didn't always go along
with the rest of Konoha.  "Yes, well, sometimes the gentle
reminders are best.  His heart is in the right place, but his
mind gets lost sometimes."

	Ibiki growled.  "I wanted to get my hands on him right
after he pulled out that indignant attitude."

	The old man chuckled weakly and shook his head.  "No,
no, don't slap him down too often, nor too hard.  He's
learning, one day he'll be quite good.  These children are
the future of Konoha, and one way or another, Naruto will be
a big part of that future.  He's got too much potential, too
much ambition to not be.  Our job is to insure that, when he
reaches for his ambitions, he's right for them.  And when he
doesn't reach his ambitions, he doesn't throw it all away in
a fit of pique."

	Ibiki didn't move, still glaring balefully at the door
where his sometime apprentice had fled.  "He's a tough nut to
crack.  I worry that, perhaps, you're not being hard enough
on him."

	Sarutobi turned to look out the window, watching as the
sun set on peaceful Konoha.  "When things outside any of our
control keep hurting him as hard as they have, how hard on
him could I stand to be?"