A/N: This is my first story that I'm writing.Reviews are welcomed no matter what kind they are.Well I'll be happy if they are possitive.Please tell me if I have any grammar or spelling mistakes.Enjoy (:

Title: Missing
Author: vivpiv

chapter 1 Leaving


Please, please forgive me
But I won’t be home again.

With one last glance back at the village he turned around and started walking towards the forest. The early sun rays bathe in his golden hair and tanned face; his sky-blue eyes were filled with sorrow and pain.

Naruto didn’t realize when he had stopped walking until he leaned against a tree. Slowly he slid down ‘till he sat on the cold ground and hugged his knees close to his chest.
Thoughts and memories came to him once again. As they started flashing across him mind he began doubting whether his decision to run away and leave the very few who cared for him was right.

He truly didn’t want to leave and hurt Iruka-sensei, who was like a father to him, nor did he want to hurt Tsunade-neechan, who was like a bigger sister to him. He hated himself for causing them pain. They were the only family he had ever had and Naruto hated himself for causing them pain.


You won’t cry for my absence, I know-
You forgot me long ago.

’Maybe it’s not too late to go back…No, no I can’t return. I’m fed up with all the hatred, the glares and all the insults thrown at me by the villagers and my so-called friends. I can’t go back…at least not now…’

Naruto closed his cerulean eyes as a lonely tear slid down his whiskered cheek.

’Anyway, nobody will miss me. They will forget about my existence soon and move on with their lives. They will be happier without the loud-mouthed blond guy who always bothers and annoys them…’

Naruto wiped the tear from his face and stood up. He sighed deeply and began walking again. This time, however, the blond-haired boy didn’t turn around cause he knew, if he did so, he wouldn’t be able to continue.

Am I that unimportant...?
Am I that insignificant…?

With every step he made the tightening on his chest grew stronger.

”Why, kit? Why are you running away?” questioned the demon within his body.” You are strong enough to make them acknowledge you! You do realize that you are throwing away all your dreams and affords for the past years, right?”

’Yeah, I realize that,’ answered Naruto to Kyuubi.

”Then why?”  Asked the fox one more time with soft voice.

‘I can’t stand it anymore, Kyuubi. I thought I had learned how to ignore all that hatred but I can’t go on with this pretending. Everything inside me is slowly breaking and if I stay any longer, the villagers will kill all the sanity that is left in me. I can’t live there…’

Kyuubi sighed deeply too and spoke: “Fine kit, you should already know that I’ll help you with everything I can, just to make you happy and feel better.”

’Arigato, Kyuubi. You are the only true friend I have. I feel better that you accept my decision.’

Naruto smiled and calmed down after his talk with the kitsune.

Kyuubi was partly glad that her kit wouldn’t suffer anymore from the bad treatment he received from the villagers. The fox got lost in her own thoughts while she was laying in her cage with her nine tails lazily swirling around.

’People don’t realize what they have until they lose it. All your friends will find out how important and significant you are to them. I’m sure they will regret the way they treated you. Kit, you are the angel who saved their souls and hearts from the darkness which was killing them. However, this time someone has to save you from the gloom. Sometimes even the angels need help when their wings are broken…’

Some time passed and she spoke again in a soft and gentle voice: “Well kit, you’re wrong that I’m your only friend.”

’What do you mean by that?’ asked Naruto with a bit of curiosity in his voice.

”I mean that you have friends, but you’re afraid to let them too close to your heart, even if you trust them. You’ve suffered way too much and that is the reason you’ve created that mask, so you could protect yourself from the pain. In my opinion they themselves don’t realize how close and important you are for them.”

’I doubt that, Kyuubi. Maybe the only one who thinks of me as an important friend is Gaara. Probably only he can understand me and my feelings.’

”Hmm…we’ll see who’s right with time, kit. By the way, where exactly are we going?”
’Actually, I haven’t thought about it. I was wondering whether to visit Gaara or to find Ero-sennin. If we find the old hentai I’ll make him take me to his travels and then train me again. I want to become stronger.’
 
”Well, how about this? First, we’ll go to the raccoon brat and then track down the old hentai.”

’Hmm…Gaara will have to wait a little,’ a small smile was forming on his face.

“And why?” asked the kitsune.

’Cause I’ll go visit Inari and his family first, since we’re near the Country of Wave. I’ll be able to reach it within a few hours if I speed up a bit.’

”Ok, kit. Now if you don’t mind, I’ll take a little nap,” saying so the fox went silent.

Naruto smiled warmly at her and focused his attention on the road. After about two hours he was in front of a big bridge. There was a sign which said ‘The Great Naruto Bridge.’

To be continued

Title: Missing
Author: vivpiv

Chapter 2 Missing

Meanwhile in Konoha

Maybe someday you’ll look up
And, barely conscious, you’ll say to no one:
”Isn’t something missing?”

The night was peaceful and the sky was showered with stars. He was laying in his bed, trying to fall asleep, but he couldn’t. He spent the whole night awake, thinking about random stuff. After a few minutes he rolled to his left and looked out of the window.

’Tonight the stars are shining somehow strangely. But they are so beautiful and remind me in a way about Naruto. He’s changed so much since I left this village to gain power. He’s not the same moron I remember even if he’s acting that way. The change is not only in his appearance. He’s become stronger and more matured…Now that I think about it he’s always been matured beyond his years, but every time managed to hide it. I wonder why? Also that red chakra. Hmm…Orochimaru once said that Naruto was related with the Kyuubi no Kitsune but never said how. Maybe I should go and ask Naruto to explain it himself.’

Sasuke didn’t know why but he had a feeling that something was going to happen. The black-haired boy didn’t know whether it would be a good or a bad thing. He watched the stars some more and then stood up. When he glanced over at the clock on the night stand it was showing 5:00 AM. He became aware that he’s been staring at the sky for hours not only a few minutes like it seemed to him.

’I hope that baka is not going to be very mad at me for waking him up so early.’

Sasuke sighed and made his way towards the bathroom. After his usual morning routine of taking a quick shower, brushing his teeth and fixing his hair, he went to his dresser to get dressed. Choosing to wear a pair of black jeans and simple blue shirt, with the Uchiha symbol on the back, he ate a quick breakfast and left his house. The Uchiha heir was walking slowly, looking at the dawning sky and thinking about his friends.

‘Sakura has changed too. Now she’s a great shinobi and is smarter. Actually she’s always been one of the smartest girls, but because of her obsession towards me and the uncertainty in herself, she acted like a fool. I’m glad that she went over her crush ‘cause she is a great friend and comrade.’

Sasuke smiled a little at that thought .However, when the raven-haired teen neared his blond friend’s apartment, he felt something strange that made him wonder:

’Isn’t something missing?’

Subconsciously he fastened his pace until he reached the building, climbing the stairs quickly to the second floor he knocked softly on the last door of the corridor. The Uchiha heir waited a while and then knocked a little louder but there still wasn’t an answer. The whole building was unusually silent and that silence startled the boy. Sasuke activated the Sharingan and looked in the apartment but there weren’t any sings of life inside. A bit awkward he reached for the doorknob and with a slight twist of his wrist the door opened.

’Why isn’t the door locked? Did that moron forget to lock it last night?’

The Uchiha heir walked in the apartment, removed his shoes and placed them near the entrance.

’That’s odd. Where are Naruto’s? Maybe he’s not home, but it’s way too early. He can’t be up at this time of the morning.’

Slowly he made his way in the living room. There weren’t any clothes or other stuff scattered on the floor like there usually were. The wooden coffee table was clean and the sofa’s cushions were carefully arranged. The whole room was amazingly clean.

’Huh. Who would think that baka could be so neat sometimes?’

After taking a good look all over the living room Sasuke went to the kitchen. Everything was put on its proper place. The four chairs were around the table and there weren’t any ramen bowls scattered. Even the sink and the trashcan were empty, which surprised and confused Sasuke even more.

’Wow…I’ve never seen this place so tidy in my whole life. Every time I’ve come to visit Naruto I thought that probably a tornado went through his apartment. But now it’s so clean and tidy that it’s a little startling. I should go and check his bedroom.’

With that thought the black-haired boy went straight towards the bedroom, ignoring the bathroom. He opened the door and his eyes slightly widened. His blond friend wasn’t there and so his gaze started wandering around.

The room wasn’t messed up at all. The bed was made and looked like no one had slept in it the night before. The wardrobe doors were closed. There weren’t any scrolls nor books or even clothes on the floor.

”What the hell is going on? This can’t be Naruto’s place. Did I mistake the apartment or what?” murmured the boy.

His eyes were showing all of his emotions. Disbelief, confusion and even fear filled those black pools. As they were wandering around suddenly his attention was caught by a small scroll placed on the night stand near the bed. Beside the scroll was a picture and that picture was of Team 7.

To be continued

Title: Missing
Author: vivpiv

chapter 3 Finding out

Even though I’m the sacrifice,
You won’t try for me, not now.

He stood there in the middle of the room watching the scroll. For the first time in long period he couldn’t move and didn’t know what to do. He was frozen on his place and felt the fear crawling and taking over.

After five long minutes passed he was finally able to will his body to move. Slowly he walked to the night stand and picked up the scroll. His pale hands were trembling and the heart beating faster. Sasuke opened the scroll and began reading its content.

Sasuke,

I know that you will be the one to find out about my absence. Don’t ask how, I just do. Also I know why you’re here. You’re here because you want an explanation for the red charka I posses. So I’m gonna give it to you.

First of all you’ve been lied about Kyuubi’s death. 17 years ago the Forth Hokage didn’t kill the Nine-tailed Fox. He didn’t have the strength to kill her because after all she’s a really powerful demon. So instead of killing her he sealed her soul in his newborn son. He not only sacrificed his life but also sacrificed his own son’s life for the sake of the village. And what did they do? They hated that child and treated him like a trash.

Huh now probably you’re wondering about what nonsense I’m babbling and who it that child. Well that kid is me. Yes I, Uzumaki Naruto, am the vessel of Kyuubi no Kitsune… The Yondaime wanted all of the villagers to see me as the hero who saved them, but instead they treated me like a monster. I grew up without the love and care a child would need. Well actually the only one who loved me then, and still continues, when I was young was Kyuubi. She is not the monster people consider her, actually she is the opposite. Anyway I don’t blame the villagers for their hatred towards me because it isn’t really a hatred it is rather a fear. They are afraid cause they don’t know the truth. You and the others don’t know it either. You don’t know the real reason why Kyuubi had attacked Konoha but I do… Anyway I won’t explain that to anyone.

Now that I’ve answered your unspoken, probably you are wondering where I am. I left Konoha. I left because I can’t stand the way everyone is treating me and those cold glares I receive every single day. Not anymore. Please don’t blame yourself for my actions, cause it’s not your fault. I had to get away from this place if I wanted to survive…But hey I’m gonna come back someday…

Sasuke, I don’t want you to look for me, because even if you find me I won’t come back until I’m ready. You’ve got to understand me. Please take care of yourself and everyone else and protect the village I love. And remember no matter what will happen I will always love my home and the people there.

Goodbye,

Love Uzumaki Naruto

P.S. I leave you my picture of team 7 cause I know yours was destroyed.

By the time Sasuke finished reading the letter from Naruto, he was sitting on the blonde’s bed. He couldn’t believe that his best friend had left the village, even if he re-read it over and over again. He wanted to believe that it was just some kind of a bad joke but Naruto’s words said the opposite. It wasn’t a joke, it was real.

”Naruto…” his voice was barely above a whisper when he said the blonde teen’s name. He couldn’t hold back any of his emotions so he simply let them go. Hot tears slipped from his onyx eyes. As they streamed down his pale face his heart was beating rapidly in his chest from the shocking news.

‘Oh my God. Naruto is the vessel of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox. But that doesn’t mean he’s the fox itself. He is just caring its soul in his body. The Chuunin Exams and the Valley of The End he must have used its charka then. Now everything makes sense. This is also the reason why the elders have treated him so badly. Even I and the others behaved so badly towards him. And now it’s our fault that he is gone…’

The raven-haired boy felt so weak and helpless at that moment that he couldn’t to anything else but cry silently in the quiet room. He blamed himself despite his blonde friend’s words. Sasuke was ashamed and felt guilty for chasing away the one he loved. AN: I’m not saying what kind of love.

”It’s my fault…Why did I have to behave like this towards him. I really am a bastard. Even if he’s my best friend, hell he is more than a friend to me, I still continued to insult and hurt him. I’m such an idiot.”

Some time passed and soon his sobs died down completely. He was calmer and wondered what to do.

”Kuso. What should I do? I have to find that baka before he does something stupid. Agrr…Damn it but I don’t even know where he went! Damn that usuratonkachi. I’ve got to inform the Hokage about this.”

Sasuke took the scroll and ran towards the door. He put his shoes on and quickly performed the transportation hand seals and disappeared in a puff of smoke from the small apartment with the thoughts:
’This time I’ll save you my angel. Wait for me…’

To be continued

Title: Missing
Author: vivpiv

Chapter 4 Arriving

He was standing in front the bridge and couldn’t believe that it had his name. His azure eyes widened the moment he was the sign.

‘Huh. I didn’t know that that old geezer has named the bridge after me.’ thought Naruto.

“It’s because he had acknowledged you and your strength, kit.”

‘Yeah, I’m happy that there are at least few people who accept me the way I am.’

Naruto was about to take a step forward when he heard a boy saying.

“It’s him, kaasan. It’s Naruto!”

“Are you sure Inari? We haven’t seen him for so long. It could be someone else.” Spoke a woman in soft voice.

“No, kaasan. I’m sure it’s him.”

The blond teen turned around and saw Inari with his mom. The boy was running towards him with a big grin. His mother also had a warm smile on her face, but she was walking calmly. Suddenly Inari stopped right in front Naruto and looked at him with serious expression on his face. The blond was confused why the younger boy had stopped so suddenly and didn’t know how to react.

“Umm…hey Inari. Long time no see.” Said the azure-eyed boy with a sheepish grin.

The smaller boy eyed him from bottom to top and smiled widely as he crashed Naruto on the ground in a big and tight hug.

“Naruto! It’s so good to see you again. I knew my hero would keep his promise.”

“Of course, heroes always keep their promises. I’m happy to see you too.” Said Naruto as he gently ruffled the boy’s head.

“Inari get up from Naruto-kun. He is probably tired from journey and you’re suddenly doing this!” |Tsunami scolded her son.

“It’s all right Tsunami-san. Don’t worry.” Reassured the blond as he got up from the ground.

“So are you here on a mission or just visiting us? And where are the others?”

“Well, no I’m not here on a mission but can I explain latter cause I feel a bit tired.”

“Sure, come on then. Let’s go home so you can relax. Grandpa is gonna be so surprised and happy when he sees you.” Said the smaller boy with excitement.

They started crossing the bridge in silence. Inari couldn’t help it but he was worried. He wondered what was wrong with his hero and why he looked so sad. Tsunami too noticed the change in the blond’s eyes even if he was trying to hide it.

They were walking close to each other. Naruto was gradually slowing his pace until he stopped completely. He was looking in the distance with so much pain and sorrow in his eyes. Also at that moment, his eyes weren’t as bright as they usually were. They were dull and looked lifeless as if someone has stolen the spark, which lit them.

“Really…You’re a burden…all the time…” Sasuke said standing in front Naruto.

“You did it, Sasuke…!” Naruto’s voice trailed off when he saw his rival’s current state.

“Look at yourself…You usuratonkachi.”

“Why?! You protected me…”

“Who…knows. I hated…you.” The raven-haired boy was barely standing on his feet.

“Why?! Why?! Why did you protect me…? I didn’t ask you to!” shouted the blond.

“Who knows…My body moved of its own accord, baka.” Came the breathless reply from the standing boy but his legs gave out.

“Sasuke!” screamed Naruto as he caught him before he could hit the ground.

“That man…I didn’t want to die until I killed my brother. You…don’t die…” were the last words that Sasuke whispered before the darkness claimed him. Naruto couldn’t believe his eyes.

As he remembered this moment from the past, he was whimpering softly and crystal tears were falling from his cerulean eyes. Inari and his mom gently hugged the crying teen and guided him towards their home. All the time they held him close and whispered comforting words to calm him down. Naruto couldn’t stop the thoughts that were in his mind.

‘Sasuke…I wonder…if you knew the truth about me back then, whether you’d do the same thing? Would you have saved me? I don’t know but I hope that you would have done it.’

“Kit, stop crying, please. You have to stop hurting yourself with those thoughts. I’m sure he would have done the same thing.”

‘How can you be so sure, Kyuubi? I doubt it and that’s what hurts the most. My doubts are hurting me the most.’

While Naruto was talking with the kitsune, Inari and Tsunami led him in the house and then in the dinning room. The blonde’s body was moving on autopilot as he walked to a chair and sat down. The younger boy watched him sitting down and staring at the table with blank look in his eyes. It seemed to Inari that Naruto wasn’t there but somewhere else, lost in his thoughts.

“Kit, you don’t have to do this. Now you should forget all your doubts and questions because you’ll find all the answers to them sooner or later.”

‘You’re right, Kyuubi. I should concentrate on the present and stop thinking about the past. What is done is done. I can’t change that but I can change the future.’

“That’s right, kit. You’re a smart boy,” said the fox as she smiled to Naruto and he did the same.

“As much as I don’t want to end our conversation, I think you should go back to your friends. The boy is pacing back and forth and soon is going to make a hole on the floor.” saying so Kyuubi chuckled a bit.

‘Yeah, I better go. We’ll talk later, ok?’ asked Naruto as he hugged Kyuubi through the bars.

“Of course we will. Besides I’m stuck here and I can’t run away.” answered the kitsune.

‘I can change that. If you want…’ Naruto got cut off by her reassuring and serious voice.

“Don’t worry about me, kit. Let’s talk about it later. You really should be going now.”

The blond nodded and left. He didn’t realize that he was already in the house and was currently sitting in the dining room until he snapped out of his trance. Naruto had stopped crying a while ago when he was talking with the kitsune. Somehow she always manages to calm him down with her gentle voice and wise words.

The azure-eyed boy looked around the room. Across from him was sitting Inari and was watching him with concern in his dark eyes. The younger boy noticed that the leaf shinobi had snapped out of his thoughts and was looking around.

“Naruto, are you ok?” asked Inari with worry in his voice.

As he was about to answer the question, Tsunami entered the room from the kitchen and walked over to him. She put her hand gently on the blond’s shoulder and smiled at him. Naruto looked up when he felt the hand and when he saw her smiling reassuringly at him, he felt better.

“Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just that some things happened back in Konoha and I’m a little upset about them.” said the blond and then smiled.

“Don’t worry Naruto-kun. Everything’s gonna be all right. You are strong and I’m sure you’ll cope with everything. Also I bet that you’re hungry. Let’s have lunch.” Tsunami said in her cheering voice to brighten the mood.

“Sure. I’m starving. Inari, let’s help your mom with the preparing.”

“Ok. Oh and grand pa in gonna be home any minute. He’s building another bridge now. He’ll tell you more about it, though.” said Inari as they got up and went to the kitchen.

Just as they finished setting the table and Tsunami finished cooking and sat down, the voice of her father sounded.

“I’m home. Is lunch ready? I’m starving.” Tazuna stopped talking and looked at their guest. What captured his attention the most were the bond hair and blue eyes. The old man stared at their guest and thought.

‘I know those eyes from somewhere but I can’t remember from where. They are so familiar.’

Since he couldn’t guess who the boy was, he asked him.

“I didn’t know that we were going to have guests. Who are you boy?”

“Geez…I can’t believe you can’t remember me, jiji.” Said the boy with a bit of disappointment in his voice.

“Naruto? Is that you? You damn brat. You have changed so much. No wonder I couldn’t guess who you were.” Tazuna said with surprise and happiness.

The teen stood up and walked to him. Tazuna hugged him and asked.

“How are you? When did you come?”

“I’ll explain everything during lunch. So let’s begin, shall we.”

Naruto explained the reason why he left Konoha to them and managed to be calm all the time. Inari was angry, Tsunami worried about Naruto and Tazuna was disgusted with Konoha’s behavior towards the blond.

“They are disgusting and so stupid. Because of their stupidity they’ve lost the best shinobi in the village.” the old man voiced his thoughts.

“Don’t worry so much about me. I’ll be fine. I just had to get away from there to heal the wounds. Everything will be ok.” Naruto reassured the worried family with a warm smile.

“Ne, Inari wanna come with me in the forest for a little practice?” he asked the boy as he got up from the table.

“Sure! Will you teach me something? Please, please, please?” Inari pleaded him until Naruto agreed.

“Okay. I’ll make you my temporary student. However don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re like a little brother to me.” said Naruto with a bit of seriousness in his voice but also with a smile on his face.

“So, let’s go.”

“Hai! I will do my best.” The determination in Inari’s voce was clear and there was confidence in his eyes.

The two boys left the house and went in the forest. There Naruto showed to Inari how to climb trees without hands and told him to practice it. The blond made a few replications and started sparring with them.

They spent the whole afternoon in the forest training. When the sun started going down the boys stopped for the day and went home for dinner. After the meal Inari and Naruto immediately went to bed because of the tiredness. The blond, however, deep in his mind was talking to Kyuubi and had to make some important decisions.

To be continued

A/N: Wow I can’t believe I was able to update today. *dancing around* I thought I won’t have time for it because today is the of flowers in Bulgaria and also my name day. Yay I’m so happy. Please R&R to motivate me to update faster. And vote in the poll in my yahoo group. Well until next time.

Title: Missing

Author: vivpiv

Chapter 5: The reaction

(In Konoha)

Sasuke appeared on a roof top near the Hokage Tower. He jumped down and sped off towards it. The Uchiha heir ran directly to the Godaime’s office but right in front the door was stopped by the guards.

“Let me in. I have to talk to Hokage-sama. It’s important.” Sasuke told the guards but they refused to step aside.

“You have to wait until the meeting is over. You can’t disturb her now.” One of the guards told the black-haired boy calmly.

Sasuke tried to pass them again however they pushed him back. He growled at them and said in dangerous yet somehow desperate voice.

“It’s an emergency, damn it! I must see her now!”

“Sorry. We’re ordered not to let anybody in.”

The Uchiha heir was ready to beat to guards to go in. His sharingan flashed. If he hadn’t felt someone touching his shoulder, he would have jumped them. Looking at the person who was behind him, he was it was Shizune and next to her was Sakura.

“What’s wrong Sasuke? Did something happen?” Shizune asked the black-haired teen.

“Shizune-san, you have to tell the guards to let me in. I must speak to Tsunade-sama at once.” He sounded angry but there was relief and worry in his eyes.

“Why Sasuke-kun? I thought you got today off?” Sakura questioned hi this time.

“Yes, I got today off yesterday but it has nothing to do with it. I must speak to Tsunade-sama about something else. It’s really important.”

“Why is it so important Sasuke? Can’t it wait a bit? The meeting Tsunade-sama is having now has been delaying long enough. It won’t be wise to interrupt her now.”

Shizune asked him to wait again. However when she looked in his eyes, she was surprised to see so much concern and a bit of fear in them. Sakura wasn’t surprised to see emotions in his dark eyes but didn’t expect these two emotions.

“It’s about Naruto. I must talk to her about Naruto.” Sasuke whispered so only the girls would hear him. He didn’t want the guards to know about it.

“Has that baka done something stupid again? He’s gonna get it this time if he had.” Sakura was a bit angry at her blond friend for his irresponsibility sometimes and raised her voice just a little.

Suddenly the door burst open to reveal a rather pissed Tsunade. The people she was having the meeting bowed at her and then left the office.

“Okay. What is going on and why are you shouting so early in the morning?”

“We’re sorry if we have interrupted the meeting Tsunade-sama.” Shizune apologized and the three of them bowed at her.

“I’m done with it. So, who’s responsible for this fuss?” she questioned and when she spotted the Uchiha asked.

”Uchiha-san. Why are you here today? You’re not on duty.”

“Yes, but I have to speak with you about something really important.”

”What’s so important this early in the morning?” Tsunade asked as she motioned for them to go inside the office.

“It’s about Naruto.” Sasuke said quietly when he sat down on the chair in front the desk.

“Naruto? What about him? Where is he anyway? He should have already come to receive his mission for the day.”

“He’s gone.” Whispered the dark-haired boy with his eyes lowered but he was heard nonetheless.

“What are you saying, Sasuke-kun? He hasn’t received his mission yet.” Asked Sakura confused.

“He left the village.” Whispered again the dark-haired teen as he took out the small scroll and handed it to the Hokage.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in question at the scroll but opened it and began reading.

Sakura and Shizune watched her carefully while she was reading the scroll. Her brown eyes were narrowed at first but then they widened in shock. Sakura sneaked a few glances at Sasuke too. He had lowered his head a bit; a few locks were in front his eyes but didn’t hide them too well. She saw the sadness, fear and guilt in those pitch-black pools. Then she heard Tsunade’s shaky inhales of breath and looked at her.

Tears were falling from her hazel eyes, her hands were trembling along with her whole body.

“Tsunade-sensei, what is going on? What is written in the scroll?” the pink-haired konoichi asked with concern in her voice.

The Hokage’s sobs didn’t quiet down and with her trembling hand she gave the scroll to her student. Shizune had rounded the desk the moment she saw the tears and hugged the crying woman. She managed to read the letter quickly and soon her own eyes watered.

Sakura hesitated for a moment but stood up and took the small scroll. She began reading it slowly. When she finished, she realized that her body was shaking from fear, sorrow and guilt. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her long-time teammate and friend had left them, had the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed within his body and also was the Yondaime’s son. The girl felt weak and her leg almost gave out but two strong arms embraced her. She was shocked.

“He…he is gone…Oh God! Sasuke-kun, he ran away from us.” She couldn’t take it anymore and broke down crying, falling on her knees along with Sasuke.

“Where could have Naruto gone, Sasuke-kun? What if something happens to him? I won’t forgive myself if…” Sasuke silenced her with a finger. She buried her head in his chest and he hugged her tighter.

“Nothing’s gonna happen to him, Sakura. We will find him and bring him home. Don’t worry.” He whispered to her shaking form.

After their sobs died down they discussed the situation. Sakura had understood all the information in the letter and had to ask a few question.

“Tsunade-sensei, is Naruto the Nine-tailed fox?”

“No, he is not.” She answered but then Sasuke continued before she could.

“He is the vessel for the demon’s soul. Naruto is Naruto with or without the Nine-tails in his body.”

”You’re right. If he wanted he could have killed us long ago. However, he’s never hurt us, he’s done the opposite. He has always protected all of us, the entire village.” She said in soft voice with a warm yet sad smile on her face.

“After Sakura’s statement, they all were silent, thinking about the past, their blond friend and about the situation. A few minutes of silence passed and neither of them was talking. Suddenly there was shouting outside the office and then a knock on the door.

“What is it?” Tsunade bit out through gritted teeth. She stood up and went to open the door, an angry expression on her face.

Outside the office the guards were pushed aside by the five chuunins standing there. They all were catching their breaths as if they have run through half the village to the Hokage Tower. Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Ino and Hinata actually did run half the village from Naruto’s apartment to the Hokage.

“What’s going on? What happened?” she asked them again after the five shinobi calmed down their racing hearts.

“Hokage-sama, we have to tell you something really important.” Kiba spoke up first still a bit panting.

“Come in. I’ve got to tell you something too.” She went inside the office but before doing so told the guards not to let anybody disturb them. They nodded and took their posts again.

Tsunade sat behind the desk and motioned for the others to take a seat.

“Okay, first you tell me your news and then I’ll tell you mine.”

Kiba spoke up again for all of them in a worried voice.

“Naruto is gone. He is nowhere to be found. We looked through the whole village and didn’t find him.”

“Yes, I know that.”

“You do?” Ino asked a bit puzzled.

“Yes, Sasuke told me early in the morning.”

“What are we going to do? We have to look for him.” Neji said as he looked at her.

“We’ll consider that later. First you should know why Naruto left in the first place. The reason is written in this scroll. Read it.” She handed them the scroll and leaned back in her chair slightly to see how they will react.

Neji took the small scroll and began reading it. The other four gathered around him to do the same. Sakura and Sasuke also waited to see their reactions. They were almost the same. At first their eyes were slightly narrowed in confusion, then they widened in shock and disbelieve. Every one of them re-read the scroll several times but there still was disbelieve in their eyes. Their mouths were gaping, their hearts were beating fast again and their eyes blinking. The five chuunins looked at the Hokage.

“Is…is this true?” Ino stuttered as she looked in the hazel eyes.

“Yes.” She said in serious tone without doubt.

“Does Naruto-kun really have the Nine-tails sealed in his body?” Hinata asked with her quiet voice.

“Yes. He is the vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune’s soul.” The Hokage answered again in serious voice.

“So that’s the reason why we weren’t allowed to play with him in the past.” Shikamaru stated after he recovered from his shock.

“But Naruto isn’t the fox, right? He’s just carrying her soul. Naruto is Naruto even with a demon inside him.”

The Hokage, Shizune, Sasuke and Sakura kept quiet to let them sort their thoughts. There were several minutes of silence again in which Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Hinata and Ino thought about Naruto and the villagers’ actions. They realized how the village had behaved towards their blond friend and slowly anger was beginning to well up inside them Even Hinata felt disgusted with their behavior.

“Tsunade-sama, why didn’t Naruto-kun or the elders tell us about it?” suddenly Hinata asked.

“Sandaime Hokage had forbade the elders to tell the young generation about it. He wanted to protect Naruto.” She explained with sadness in her voice.

“I’ve seen adults beating and insulting Naruto but back then I was afraid to help him or even ask why they were doing such things.” Neji told them as he looked down to the floor.

Soon all of them drifted back to their thoughts. They remembered the missions they’ve completed with the blond teen. The moments of happiness and sadness, the good and bad situations they’ve been together in. The time was flying so quickly that they didn’t realize it was past noon already.

Sasuke looked outside the window. The sun was still shining but was preparing to set down slowly. He turned back to look at the woman behind the desk. Their eyes met.

“Hokage-sama, what are we going to do? What are your orders?”he asked still looking in her eyes. She closed them and sighed.

“We have no idea where he went. If we had some clues I could have sent some of you to bring him back. However, we have nothing. I can’t send you to search for him blindly. You’re needed here too.” She explained but then Shikamaru cut her off.

“Wait! You’re not telling us that we can’t go look for Naruto, right?”

“No, I’m not saying that. Listen, today you’re not going anywhere. I won’t assign any missions for today so you could think about this whole thing in peace. Otherwise you’ll be distracted and won’t be able to complete your missions safely.” She paused for a moment to take a deep breath and continued answering their unspoken question.

“Tomorrow you’ll be given your tasks. Aside from them I order you to gather information about Naruto’s whereabouts. However, I beg you not to force him to come back if he doesn’t want to.”

“But Tsunade-sama…” Ino started to protest but stopped when she looked in those hazel eyes. They were pleading and held so much more emotions.

“I beg you not to force him to come back if he doesn’t wish to. He has been through way too many things in his life. Naruto deserves to be happy and if he is going to be happy out there, then I won’t take away his happiness. I’d rather let him wander in the world then make him stay here. Onegai, you have to understand me and Naruto as well.”

The seven chuunins stared at her for a moment but then they all nodded their heads in understanding. Tsunade smiled slightly and spoke in quiet voice.

“If you persuade him to come home, I’ll be very grateful and happy. However, if he doesn’t want, at least tell him to visit us from time to time or write every once in a while, okay?”

“Yes.” The teens answered in union.

“Well then, go home and rest. Tomorrow you’ve got missions to complete. Shizune that goes for you too. No objections.”

“Hai.” They bowed and left the office.

Only Sasuke was still sitting in his chair with his gaze on the floor. He hesitated for a moment but then spoke.

“Tsunade-sama? Can I…umm…can I have the scroll from Naruto?” he asked quietly with hope in his dark eyes.

She looked at him and nodded.

“Sure. He’s written it for you after all. Here.” She handed him the scroll as he stood up.

“Thank you, Hokage-sama.” Saying so he left to go home to rest and think about everything.

The Sannin sighed and closed her eyes tiredly for a moment. When she opened them again she glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall.

“What a day and it’s Monday…Ahh the week has just began…” she sighed again and took out a bottle of sake.

Title: Missing

Author: vivpiv

Chapter 6 Nightmares

He was sleeping. His face was peaceful and relaxed; the tension on his body was gone. A few blond locks fell over his eyes and his left hand moved them away instinctively. His lips were slightly open and the ghost of a smile was gracing his face. It looked like he was smirking more than smiling. The blond teen was having a dream; however that particular dream was rather a memory only slightly different.

The dream Naruto’s pov

Tsunade-baachan sent us on a B-rank mission to return a scroll which was stolen. She warned us to be careful, cause the mission could easily become A-rank. Sometimes she is too worried for us. We are chuunins not some spoiled genins.

I leave my train of thoughts and look ahead. Damn, Sasuke has sped up again and Sakura is right behind him. I should hurry up or he’ll complain again. I caught up with them easily and now Sakura is telling us to stop to come up with a plan. We are hiding in some bushes not far away from a building.

Sakura is suggesting something but I’m not listening to her. I’m looking at the building, where the scroll is supposed to be, and count the number of the enemy ninjas by the scent in the air. I observe that there are 10 shinobi guarding the document and about 10 more as a backup. I look back at my teammates and notice that Sasuke is watching me and Sakura is trying to come up with a strategy. She is quiet now and I’ll voice my thoughts.

“There are about twenty shinobi. Ten are guarding the scroll and about ten more as a backup.” I spoke quietly in serious tone.

My eyes are closed but I know that they are looking at me. I can feel it. I open my eyes to see their faces. Sakura is a bit surprised but she is used to my behavior. Sasuke, however, is looking at me strangely. His lips are parted slightly and I can hear the question ‘How?’ trying to slip, but he is not going to voice it. The shock in his eyes is clear. It looks like he is going to ask me after all, but Sakura interrupts him.

“Well if there are ten guarding the scroll each of us will have to handle three shinobi.” She stopped suddenly, thinking it over. Then she continued again.

“Actually one of us will have to take four. The distribution is probably three on the left, three on the right and four in the centre. So Sasuke, you will go left and I right. Naruto, that means you’ll have to take the four in the centre.” She stopped talking once again and is looking at the building now.

Heh. I had a feeling that she’d say that. But it looks like Sasuke isn’t happy with his position. His eyebrow is slightly twitching. This is going to be fun. Let’s see Sakura’s reaction.

“Why does Naruto have to take the centre? I can handle four shinobi, too.” There is irritation in his voice as he spoke.

Sakura looked him in the eyes and spoke.

“Because I’m the leader of this mission and I say he takes the centre. No more objections. We don’t have time to waste.” She said it a bit coldly.

I guess she doesn’t trust him that much. Well, it can’t be helped. He’s been back from Sound for a little more than six months and the village is still a bit cautious around him.

I look at Sasuke and I’m not surprised that he is glaring at me. Maybe he wants to make holes in my head or is trying to kill me with that intense glare. God, I’m sure that if his look could kill I’d be dead by now. Well it’s not my fault that they don’t trust him yet. I sigh while closing my eyes and shrugging my shoulders. I guess I’ll have to deal with Sasuke later.

“Yosh! Let’s get this party started!” I say excited and smirk a bit evilly.

Sasuke is smirking too and I can see the challenge in his eyes. I sigh again. I think he should take the mission as a chance to prove his loyalty but it looks like he has his own opinion. Sakura caught the challenging look he shot me.

“Don’t mess things up.” She states firmly and saying so the attack began.

We crossed the small clearing to the building. Sakura prepares a smoke bomb and is going to throw it. She looks at us first. We all look at each other and nod our heads in a sign that we are ready.

She opens the door with her hairpin and throws the bomb. The smoke starts spreading and we rush inside. Sasuke heads left and Sakura goes right. I continue ahead for the enemies in the centre. We all take their shock as out advantage. But it looks like they recovered quickly from their stupor. They aren’t defending anymore; they are attacking with all their might. It’s not easy to fight four at the same time, cause they are pretty good. I’ll handle it though.

Two of them are landing hard blows on my upper body, but I block them and land my own a lot harder. The other one it trying to trip me, but I step aside. That was a mistake. The forth one hit me hard in the gut and I gasp. They immediately took the opportunity to charge at me with kunais. Damn it, that bastard stabbed me in the arm. Oh, they are gonna get it now. Growling I catch his wrist and glare at him, my eyes are flashing red. I grip his hand tighter and hit him hard in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. He stumbles back to the wall and falls on the ground. Here come the other three. I take out my own kunai and throw myself at them.

I can hear screams and the sounds of punching and kicking. With a quick glance at my teammates I see that Sasuke is using the Sharingan. They hardly touch him but he has a few wounds as well as I do. Sakura is using her incredible strength and I guess a genjutsu.

I focus my attention back at my opponents. They try to punch and stab me but I won’t allow it. Through the sounds of clashing weapons I hear feet running towards the room. The backup is coming. I signal my partners with a whistle. Sasuke and Sakura heard it and are preparing themselves to take three or four more opponents.

I’m tired of this game. “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.” I say while performing the seals. Two clones appear next to me. The backup quickly divides into smaller groups and five more are coming towards me. I guess I miscalculated their number.

More punches and kicks and I dodge as much as I can. Damn it! Aren’t they going to give up? I growl and make one more clone. My eyes are blood red, glaring at those fools. Most of them seemed stunned with fear for a few moments and I’m not gonna be idle.

I begin to concentrate the charka in my right hand. Soon the sound of chirping reaches my ears. Ah, Sasuke is using the chidori. The rasengan in my right hand is ready and I prepare to attack them.

I look at Sasuke first and our eyes meet. For the split of a second he freezes as he looks in my blood red eyes. I smirk at him and that seems to pull him back to reality. He shakes his head lightly and looks back at me smirking. Then we look ahead and shout in union.

“Chidori!” – “Rasengan!”

I took four down with my other clone and there are only three left. Sasuke has two more to deal with. Sakura is beating the crap out of her last opponents too. There is the chidori again and Sasuke defeats one of the two left.

I concentrate the charka in my right hand again, while looking in their eyes. Jumping in the air I disappear from their sight. The three shinobi look around panicked and I appear behind their backs. I take two of them but the third one managed to dodge it somehow. He smirks at me and then runs off to Sasuke.

Sakura shout his name but he didn’t hear her. He has just finished the last one of his opponents and is wounded in his left arm.

Shit. His guard is down. He won’t be able to block the attack.

“You’re not getting away from me!” I shout and run towards them while forming the rasengan. I’m ready to attack him but he throws shuriken and kunai at Sasuke. I block the weapons with my own but one of them manages to wound me on my left side. Despite the pain, I stretch my hand and hit his chest with the spinning ball. He falls to the floor unconscious or probably dead. I don’t really care at the moment.

Taking a step back I turn around to Sasuke. His eyes widen as he looks at me. Sakura rushes towards us with the scroll in her hands.

“Hey, you ok?” I ask them with a smile on my lips.

“Naruto, the wound is deep.” Sakura says with worry in her voice.

“Nah. I’m alright. It’s just a scratch.” I say still smiling to cover the pain I feel and in the meantime placing a hand over the wound to hide it.

“It’s not just a scratch, dobe.” Sasuke scolds me.

“Let’s go somewhere safer and I’ll heal them.” Sakura says and we nod in agreement.

The moment I stepped out of the building a sharp feeling of anxiety seized my whole body. For a second I can’t move. I struggle with this sudden emotion and start walking again. With every step I take this strange feeling of uneasiness becomes stronger. I’m slightly trembling and my right hand clutches over to my left side, pressing the wound there.

My mind is blank. I don’t notice that I’m slowing my pace. My legs feel weak and I fall on my knees. Sasuke comes back to me and helps me to stand up again. He puts my left hand over his shoulders and we continue walking towards Sakura.

“Just a scratch, huh?” he mumbles.

“Over here.” She calls us over her shoulder as she is standing beside a big tree surrounded by thick bushes. Sasuke and I went over there and he left to sit on the ground. He flops beside me and Sakura joins us.

She reaches her hands to remove mine from the wound but I stop her. She is confused and takes a breath to protest but I cut her off.

“Yours and Sasuke’s first, and then mines. I’m ok.” I look in her emerald eyes and smile.

“Alright.” She says and moves over to Sasuke. She heals his wounds and bandages them. After that she does the same to herself. She is panting slightly from exhaustion but comes to me.

I can’t let her see my wound. It’s already healing with Kyuubi’s charka and if she sees it now my secret would be discovered. I catch her hand again as she reaches to heal me. She sighs.

“Sakura-chan, there were a few herbs near the big tree. Will you go and get them for me, please?” I ask her while pointing at said herbs. She sighs again.

“Sasuke, help him bandage his wounds while I go get the herbs.” She says to Sasuke and then stands up.

I’m looking at the ground, my eyes are blank but this foreboding that something bad is going to happen doesn’t leave me even for a second. A soft sigh escapes my lips and I question myself quietly, forgetting that Sasuke is beside me.

“What is this feeling?”

Only when he touched my hand I looked at him a little startled. He squeezes my hand reassuringly and starts moving it away. I stiffen and shake my head.

“What’s wrong? Let me bandage your wound, dobe. I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”

With much hesitation I decide to let him do it and nod silently. He removes my vest and pushes up the black t-shirt underneath it.

With his pale hands he caresses my skin around the cut. My muscles tense and I stop his gentle touch. He sighs and takes out a bandage from his pouch. Sasuke starts wrapping it around my waist, carefully and gently as he said. He smiles in satisfaction when he’s done and rolls up my sleeve to do the same with my arm. Once done he looks at me with his black eyes.

“What’s wrong, Naruto?” he asks me again quietly with a hint of worry in his voice.

I glance at him for a second and then turn my eyes to the ground once again.

“Something’s going to happen. Something bad to Konoha and you.” I whisper and close my eyes. A cold shiver runs down my spine and I tremble lightly.

Sasuke puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles a little. At that moment Sakura came back to us. She hands me the herbs and looks at Sasuke.

“Thanks.” Is the only thing I say before standing up to stretch my body. I take the herbs and go to smash them between two rocks.

“He never lets me to tend to his injuries.” whispers Sakura and sighs. I hear everything clear though.

“He said that he’s got a bad feeling. Like something will happen to Konoha and us.” Sasuke whispered back to her.

“Usually his instincts are always right. I hope this time they aren’t.” she says quietly and looks at me.

“Hn.” is Sasuke’s response and he gets lost in thoughts.

I’m done with the herbs and go back to my teammates, pretending that I haven’t heard their conversation.

“Sakura-chan, will you hand me the cups in your bag and also the water?” I ask her smiling.

“Here.” She says after a minute of digging through her bag.

I put the herbs in the cups and then pour the water in them. I hand a cup to Sakura and then to Sasuke.

“What is this?” He asks me while eyeing the liquid suspiciously.

“It will help you to recover your charka faster. Think it is tea and drink it.” I answer while bringing the cup to my lips and drink it quickly. They did so and Sasuke mumbled something along the lines that it wasn’t that bad.

“Let’s rest some more and then we will head back to Konoha.”

“Ok.”

After about an hour our time for resting finished and now we are already moving through the forest towards the west gate of Konoha.

Even if the wound is almost healed it still hurts and slows me down. We are near Konoha but I think I should stop to catch my breath.

“Oi Sasuke! I’ll stop for a few minutes. You and Sakura-chan go ahead. I’ll catch up with you guys in no time.” I say while landing quietly on the ground. He pauses for a second and mutters an “Ok.” before continuing ahead.

“Be careful and hurry up.” Sakura says smiling as she waves her hand slightly.

I smile back at her. Then I sit on the ground and close my eyes for a little while. This feeling of uneasiness hasn’t left me but now it’s not so intense. Five or so minutes passed and I decide that I have rested enough.

Standing up I jump on a big branch and head towards Konoha. Almost 15 minutes later I can see the gate. But something’s wrong. Where are the guards? I enter and start walking towards Hokage Tower. I notice, as I walk, that the streets are empty. There isn’t anyone, not a single person. That’s strange. As I near the Tower the smell of blood hit my nose.

I run as fast as I can but the sight in front my eyes makes me stop abruptly. Right in front the Tower all my friend and the ones who respect me are lying on the ground, beaten up and covered in blood. I gasp and my eyes widen in shock and disbelief.

“This can’t be real. It must be a nightmare.” I mumble quietly and take a step back. They’re not moving, not even breathing.

“Oh God…wake me up from this nightmare.” hot tears start falling from my eyes and I fall on my knees a few steps before their bodies.

With my sharp hearing I hear the panting of someone. I turn my head towards the noise to the left and see that Sasuke’s chest is rising and falling heavily. I go quickly to his side and take him in my lap. He opens his eyes slowly and looks at me. With one swift move I untie his hands.

“Naruto…” he whispers my name and reaches his even paler hand to my face. I lower my head and take his hand in mine. I ask him who did this but he doesn’t answer.

“Look behind you…” are the last words he whispers before closing his black eyes.

“Sasuke…” I say his name and hug him close to my chest. The feeling of his beating heart becomes more and more faint, until it stops completely. I cry silently and the tears blur my eyes. But I don’t care.

Suddenly there is movement behind me but before I can turn around I’m punched hard. Someone pushes me to the ground and ties my arms behind my back. Even if I struggle against my attacker I can’t find the strength to fight back the way I can. I feel weak.

I’m kicked in the stomach, then to my left where the wound is. Pain is the only thing I feel as I curl up in a small ball. Somewhere in the back of my mind I notice that I’m surrounded by 11 people.

Someone crouches in front of me and pulls my head up by my hair to look in their eyes. The man before me takes off the mask he is wearing and I lift my eyes to see his face. Pale skin, red eyes with comas in them and black-blue hair. That’s Sasuke but…

“I can’t believe that you fell for this trap, Naruto.” He glares at me then continues.

“You’re a monster, Naruto. You are the Nine-tailed Demon Fox.” The cold and hatred in his voice makes me shudder.

“But how…?” I whisper unable to raise my voice. Someone stands behind me and says in my ear.

“That was a genjutsu, Naruto. We know everything now. You can’t hide your little secret anymore, Naruto.” That’s Sakura’s voice.

“Today you will die for everything you did to Konoha and us.” Another female voice says and I turn to my left to see Ino along with Shikamaru and Chouji. They are looking at me with hatred as well as with disgust.

A barking to my right makes me turn in that direction. Akamaru is growling and baring his sharp teeth at me. Hinata, Kiba and Shino are standing there, looking at me with despise.

“Hinata-chan…” Whispering softly her name I look in her eyes. They are ice-cold. I’ve never seen them so cold and unforgiving.

“Don’t you dare say my name!”

“What’s going on?” I ask looking back at Sasuke. He just smiles with malice and performs the hand seals for the chidori. I start trembling and struggling to untie my hands but it’s useless. Sakura grabs me and pulls me on my feet.

“Don’t play dumb, Naruto.” He says as he completes the hand seals.

“No, let me go! This is a misunderstanding.” I shout at them. The sound of chirping reaches my ears and I look back at Sasuke.

“This is not a misunderstanding, Naruto. You are the Kyuubi, you are the demon.” There is pure evil and hatred in his voice.

“Sasuke…” I’m scared. This is the end. Even if I try to explain everything, you won’t believe me. It’s over.

“Hold him steal.”

“Alright.”

Sakura tightens her grip and I stop fighting against her. There’s no point in fighting. I close my eyes for a second then I open them again. For the last time I look in Sasuke’s eyes and whisper quietly.

“Sasuke, I love you all even if you hate me.”

“Shut up, Naruto.” He hisses and then hits my heart with his deadly attack. He is so close to me right now and with my last breath I will whisper in his ear.

“I love you most of all.”

After that there is only darkness and silence.

Normal pov

“Nooo!” he screamed as his blue eyes shot open and he sat upright in the bed.

Naruto was trembling and mumbling incoherent things. He brought his knees to his chest and hugged them tightly.

Inari woke up from the blonde’s scream and quickly went over to his bed. The younger boy embraced the trembling teen and started rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“Shhh. It’s ok Naruto-niichan. It was only a nightmare. Everything’s alright.” Whispering calming words Inari rocked them lightly back and forth.

Tsunami and Tazuna were startled by the scream and went to see what happened in the boy’s room. When they opened the door they saw that Naruto was crying and Inari trying to calm him down.

Tsunami went over to them and hugged the scared teen. She looked towards Inari with questioning eyes.

“A nightmare.” Was the reply she got.

She started humming a soft melody in the blond’s ear. The melody and the gentle rocking calmed Naruto down. His breath became even and deep once again.

Chapter 7 Decisions

The sun was raising slowly when Naruto woke up. He felt something warm next to him and when he looked down he saw Inari.

The boy was sleeping peacefully with his arms wrapped around Naruto. His head was the blond’s chest right above his heart. The teen smiled but then memories from the nightmare that he had last night before came to his mind. Naruto shuddered and his blue eyes watered.

‘I need to get out of here.’

As if Inari heard his thoughts, the boy unwrapped his arms and rolled to the opposite side. Naruto sighed and got up. He put on his clothes quickly and left the house without making any sounds. The teen was about to go to the forest when his stomach growled.

‘Hope there is a shop opened this early in town.’ with that thought Naruto took off towards the town.

He wandered around for a while and just as he was about to give up finding a shop, Naruto spotted a stand that was opened.

“Finally food.” his tummy grumbled again and the blond patted it reassuringly. He went inside and the old woman behind the counter greeted him immediately.

“Ohayo, young man. What can I get you?”

“Ohayo, obaasan. Do you have rice balls?” Naruto greeted back and sat down.

“No, but I can make you some if you have patience.“

“I’ve got enough time and patience…”-he was cut off as his stomach grumbled loudly- “but I guess my tummy is the impatient one.” Naruto finished his thought and smiled, then rubbed the back of his neck.

The old woman laughed and turned away from the blond.

“I’ll start them right away.”

Naruto nodded and leaned on the counter. He tried not to think about the nightmare but every now and then bits of it were flashing across his mind. So instead of trying to forget it the blond pushed the bad dream in the back of his mind and thought about his training.

Soon enough the delicious smell of food cooking reached his sensitive nose and he inhaled it deeply. He ran a hand through his hair but stopped suddenly. He remembered that he hadn’t put his forehead protector on.

‘Why should I put it on? I’m not a Konoha shinobi anymore. Now I’m a missing-nin.’ He thought bitterly and frowned.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t three enough?” the old woman asked a little concerned.

Naruto looked confusedly at her and then saw the plate in front of him. In the plate were three rice balls.

“No! Don’t worry obaasan. Three are fine.” The blond said quickly to reassure her. She smiled at her only customer and said.

“Well come on then. Try them.”

Naruto nodded and took a bite. He ate it and smiled widely.

“It’s delicious, obaasan.” He said while taking another bite.

“I’m glad you like it.”

She sighed and sat down watching the blond boy.

‘I wonder why he is here so early. Something’s wrong with him’ she thought worriedly as Naruto ate the three rice balls.

When he finished his breakfast he just sat there staring at the empty plate.

“Kit, we need to talk.” Kyuubi said suddenly and scared Naruto a little. He jumped slightly in his seat bit then took a deep breath to calm down.

“Alright. I need to go obaasan. I’ll see you some time again and thanks for the breakfast.”

The teen stood up and smiled warmly at her. Before he left the small stand he put enough money on the counter.

“Bye young man. I hope to see you again.” She called after him and waved her hand.

“Something definitely is wrong with that boy.” She mumbled quietly and sighed shaking her head.

As soon as Naruto was sure he was out of sight he sped up towards the forest.

‘Now I need to find somewhere quiet to talk to Kyuubi.’ He thought while looking around the forest. The teen heard water running somewhere close to him and went in the direction of the sound.

The further he walked the louder the sound was becoming. The blond pushed some bushes apart and when he looked up he saw a waterfall.

The waterfall wan’t really big but the sunlight was illuminating it beautifully. He stood there for a moment just gaping at the amazing sight before him.

“It’s so beautiful.” He whispered quietly to himself as he took a step towards the waterfall.

Naruto looked around and found the perfect spot for meditation. He sat on the soft grass indian style and took off his jacket. He put it aside and closed his eyes. The blond sighed softly and relaxed.

The next time he opened his blue eyes Naruto was inside the depths of his mind. The teen started wandering through the endless corridors, searching for Kyuubi’s cell. He idly traced his hand on the wall as he was walking further on.

Suddenly there was an enormous amount of chakra and Naruto knew that Kyuubi was leading him towards her. He started walking in the direction from which was coming the energy.

After a while the teen found him in front of the prison holding the demon inside his body. He looked up and saw the seal.

“Kit.” Kyuubi whispered softly.

Naruto looked towards the cell and saw the fox standing close to the bars. She was in her human form and was looking like a young woman with long red hair and beautiful black kimono. She had fox ears, which were red-orange with black on the tips. The nine tails around her were long and bushy, the same color as her ears but white tipped.

The blond teen smiled and came closer to her.

“Hey Kyuu. You look amazing.’ He said smiling and hugging the fox through the bars.

“Thank you, kit.” Kyuubi said as she hugged him back and wrapped her tails around the boy.

Naruto sighed yet again in her embrace and closed his eyes. He felt so safe and secure in her embrace.

“Kit, we need to talk.” The kitsune’s voice was serious and she pulled away from the boy.

“Alright.” He said with equal seriousness in his voice and sat down on the ground.

Through out the years he had learned how to make the vision in him mind better. Now there wan’t water on the ground like years ago but soft green grass. The kitsune sat down on the ground as well and took a deep breath. She looked in Naruto’s cerulean eyes with her crimson ones.

“Kit, we are merging slowly.” She said without breaking eye contact with Naruto.

His eyes widened in surprise and his breath hitched.

“Wha…what do you mean, Kyuubi?” he asked with confusion in his voice.

Naruto shook his head still not understanding it.

“But, but. How Kyuubi? How are we merging?”

“The seal is weak. It has been weakened since your first encounter with that snake bastard. During those exams he had put another cursed seal on you and after that when you met the toad hermit he removed the second seal. That’s when the seal holding me became weak.” Kyuubi explained.

“So it’s the snake’s fault?” Naruto asked glaring at the ground.

“Not exactly. Even before that incident, I noticed that when you used my chakra after that it didn’t separate completely from yours.” The kitsune said looking to the side.

“What are going to be the consequences for us, Kyuu?” Naruto asked suddenly after the brief moment of silence.

“Kit, if you don’t want to this to happen, we’ll find a way to stop the merging.” She said quietly while staring in his eyes.

“The process has already started. I don’t think we’ll be able to stop it in time.” The blond boy said while shifting in more comfortable position on the ground.

“When we merge completely, you will be different. Your body will become different. You won’t be the same.” Kyuubi raised her voice a little and then continued in soft almost whispering tone.

“I don’t want you to suffer anymore.” and she didn’t hide her concern for the boy.

Naruto smiled gently and came closer to the kitsune. He reached his hand through the bars and cupped her face tenderly.

“I’ve been different all my life, Kyuu.”

“Because of me.” She said and looked away from the teen. Naruto tilted her face back to stare in her eyes.

“It’s not your fault. You’re not responsible for the actions you did years ago. If something so precious was taken away from me and I were you, I would have done the same thing.” He said softly.

Naruto was slightly surprised when he saw a tear fall from Kyuubi’s crimson eyes but he brushed it away with his thumb and smiled again.

“It’s true that I’ve been hurt but you’re the one that has always been next to me my whole life. You helped me become the person I am today.” He whispered.

Kyuubi smiled sadly and brushed away the other tears that were threatening to fall.

“Gods, I’ve become so sentimental. I blame you!” she said jokingly and chuckled a little.

“It’s my fault? How come it’s my fault?” Naruto asked faking annoyance.

“It’s your fault because you make people express their true feelings. Even that Uchiha kid can’t hide his feelings from you.” She reasoned while nodding with her arms crossed.

“Well sorry if you don’t like it. You don’t have a choice but to put up with me.” The blond huffed and turned his head to the left.

Kyuubi laughed at him and he pouted some more with a small smile on his lips. He knew that they were just joking with each other.

When the kitsune stopped laughing and calmed down Naruto turned back to her with a serious expression.

“So what are going to be the consequences for us?”

Kyuubi cleared her throat and looked in his blue eyes.

“Like I said earlier your body will change. Your sense of hearing, smelling, tasting and vision will become sharper. And there are going to be other changes too.” She paused to think about them.

Naruto was curious about the other changes but tried to wait patiently for Kyuubi to continue. However in the end his curiosity won.

“What are going to be the other changes?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure, kit. You will become taller, I think. Also more flexible and faster.” She said and smirked.

‘I wonder whether he’ll ask about his ears and a tail.’ She thought to herself.

Naruto was satisfied with that answer. The boy closed his eyes for a moment but then a though hit him hard and the cerulean orbs opened. He leaned closer to the kitsune and asked in a whispering voice.

“Am I going to have fox ears and tails?”

Kyuubi was about to start laughing at the way he asked but coughed a few times to calm herself.

“I don’t know, kit. Maybe during a certain period of time you will have. I’m not sure about that.” She answered honestly.

“Certain period of time?” he asked with confusion in his voice.

“Yes. The ears and tails will pop out most likely during the heat period.” She said and waited to see his reaction.

“Heat period?” he mumbled quietly to himself and crossed his arms.

‘Heat. What could that be?’ he thought and frowned in concentration. After a little more wondering he figured it out.

“Oh my God. Heat is the period when you…” he trailed off in embarrassment and blushed.

The kitsune chuckled and the tails behind her were wiggling playfully.

Naruto’s eyes widened slightly at the confirmation and he freaked out a little.

“And I’ll have to go through that thing?” he asked with panic in his voice.

“Yes, but…” she started saying but was cut off as Naruto stood up and started pacing around.

“No, no, no. I’m too young to do that.” He mumbled.

“You won’t…” she tried again but didn’t finish her sentence.

“What am I going to do?”

Naruto continued pacing around and mumbling to himself while ignoring Kyuubi. The kitsune’s tails started twitching nervously. She was beginning to lose her temper and in the end she snapped. With an angry growl she stood up and yelled out.

The teen stopped immediately stunned by the outburst. He hung his head low and sat down quietly.

“Sorry.” He murmured.

The kitsune took a deep breath to calm herself and sat on the ground again.

“As I was saying you will have to go through the heat, BUT you won’t need a mate until we merge completely. At first you will be only slightly bothered, understood?” she explained finally and still glared slightly at Naruto.

“Yes. Now that you mentioned it. How long will it take to merge completely?”

“Two years? Why so long?” he asked again.

“Why would you try to slow it down?” he asked with a frown on his face.

Kyuubi sighed quietly and answered.

The cerulean eyes widened in horror and Kyuubi decided to finish quickly before he freaked out again.

The boy sighed as a wave of relief washed over him but it was gone soon.

“So I’ll have to leave Inari and find Ero-sennin to train me.”

He didn’t want to leave yet. He wanted to spend some time with Inari and his family but now he didn’t have a choice. Kyuubi coughed once and when she had Naruto’s attention she just smirked at him.

“What?”

“No need to leave just yet. I can train you for a while.” Her smirk grew bigger, her fangs showing a little.

“How? You’re inside me, remember? I need to train my body, not my mind.”

“True.” She said now grinning mischievously and Naruto eyed her suspiciously.

‘She is up to something. I can see it in her eyes.’ He thought frowning slightly.

“What are you up to?” he asked when the kitsune didn’t say anything.

Kyuubi’s grin slowly disappeared and she became serious.

“I will show you some extra hand seals that you will perform along with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. When you use them half of my spirit will be summoned in the replication’s body. ” she explained and stopped for a moment to let the information sink in.

“So that way you’ll be able to teach me, right?”

“Yes also there is a special seal that will make the replication disappear.” She said.

“So what are you going to teach me, Kyuu?” the boy asked with curiosity and eagerness in his voice. The kitsune chuckled a little but answered him.

Naruto groaned slightly and mumbled under his nose.

“Man I’m not good at genjutsu at all.”

“I trust you.” He said smiling and looking directly in her eyes.

“So when will you show me the extra seals?”

“Rest? But I’m not tired.” He complained even though he fought back a yawn.

The kitsune smiled and motioned for him to come to her. When the teen was close enough she hugged him and wrapped her bushy tails around his body. Naruto returned the embrace and relaxed. He sighed softly and snuggled as close as the metal bars allowed him to. His eyes closed slowly and soon he fell asleep in the kitsune’s arms feeling safe and calm.

She smiled softly and began stroking his hair.

“You will never be hurt again, kit. I’ll make sure of it.” She whispered quietly and closed her own eyes to take a short nap.

TBC