13 Chapter 12: A Breaking Point

Well, a huge amount of you all loved what I did last chapter with the Uchiha clan. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Though I was kind of sad that no one seemed that interested in the whole history I came up with for Shisui. I was rather proud of it.

Also, my friend TheShotgunRedneck is doing commissions on deviant art and selling stuff, so please give her a call and help her out.

Oh well. Now it's time to cover the aftermath of the Uchiha Coup/Massacre. I hope you'll all enjoy this as well. Though honestly, I'm going to hate myself for this chapter. And I'm sure more than a few of you will as well.

Guess we'll find out, won't we? On with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively.

Chapter 12

A Breaking Point

Naruto quietly sat in a hospital bed, staring at his hands. It was three days after the incident, where the man, the Uchiha as he now learned, had attacked and tried to kill him.

When Raphael had found him, he had sobbed into Raphael's chest for over an hour, before finally collapsing in exhaustion. When he had awoken, he found himself in the hospital, with bandages wrapped around his chest and stomach, as well as his right arm, where Tekka's kunai had slashed him.

It had taken him some time to remember what had happened to him, and realize where he was. And when he did remember, the feelings of horror returned. He could still see Tekka's face, that snarling look of hatred he was so use to, before it turned to confusion and pain. The feeling of holding that blade as it entered the man's chest, of his weight landing on him, of the blood landing on his chest and face, the sight of Tekka grasping the tanto, trying to remove it.

Naruto had broken into tears, sobbing his heart out again as he remembered it all. His sobs drew the attention of a nurse, who came in and checked on him, before leaving. Not even five minutes later, Raphael entered and wrapped his arms around Naruto, as Anko and Yugito followed him in.

Flashback

Naruto was gripping Raphael's shirt, sobbing against him as Raphael held onto him. He soon felt Yugito and Anko hugging him as well, as he kept crying.

Raphael just held him, gently rubbing Naruto's head. "It's okay. Just let it out," he said softly. He knew that he had been this way once. Shortly after he had joined the Assassins in Rome, at the age of thirteen, he had a horrible nightmare. He had watched his mother, uncle, and aunt be slaughtered in front of him over and over again. And as he sat in bed, sobbing, he felt a pair of arms hugging him, calming in. He had looked up to see his new mentor Ezio there. Ezio merely nodded to him in understanding, and let Raphael sob against him, getting everything out of his system.

And now Raphael did the same for Naruto, trying to help him, to console him.

It took close to a half hour, but Naruto finally managed to control his sobbing, at least enough to speak. "T-Thank you, R-Raphael-sensei," he whispered quietly.

Raphael smiled quietly. "It's alright Naruto. I'm just sorry this happened to you," he said quietly.

Naruto looked at Anko and Yugito, before looking back at Raphael."I…am I a monster?" He asked quietly.

Anko immediately placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her. "No! You're not a monster!" she said, looking him dead in the eyes, so he would take her seriously.

Naruto trembled. "But I killed him! He called me a demon, just like I've heard people say under their breaths, and I killed him! I'm a monster!" He cried, looking down, only to look up when Raphael spoke.

"I've killed one hundred and seven people," Raphael said, as he looked at Naruto. "I've killed bandits, soldiers, guards, merchants, and nobles. Do you think I'm a monster?" he asked Naruto.

Naruto was about to speak when Anko spoke up. "I've killed thirty-nine people, Naruto. Guess that makes me a monster, huh?" She asked him, gently grasping his hand.

"And I've killed five people so far," Yugito added in. "Am I a monster?"

Naruto looked at each of them, before Raphael spoke again. "You're not a monster for killing someone, Naruto. You're a monster if you ENJOY killing someone, if you take pleasure in killing a person, or hurting them, or torturing them. The fact that you are so upset over this proves that you are not a monster, but you are human."

Naruto trembled a bit. "B-But I feel…I feel so horrible," he whispered.

"And you should," Anko said. "That's how all of us felt on our first kills. The first time I killed someone, I was a genin, fighting against a bandit. And I went into shock after I killed him. I fell to my hands and knees and threw up, before falling to the side and just laying there in shock. I felt so guilty and horrible for days afterwards. My sensei…he told me it was normal, and it would pass in time. But it didn't, Naruto. And that's what helps us remember that we are human."

"She's right," Raphael said. "Those feelings of guilt and disgust, they show you are not a monster, but a person. Naruto…as an Assassin, and a shinobi, you'll be forced to kill more people in the future. It will never truly get easier, but in time, you'll learn to cope. But so long as you don't let go of your emotions, so long as you still feel sadness and guilt over taking another person's life, then you'll know you're still human," he said.

Naruto just looked at them all, before weakly nodding. "I…I think I understand," he said in a quiet voice.

Flashback Ends

They had visited him several times since then, trying to help cheer him up. A day after they had consoled him, he had gotten a very happy surprise, as an eager Tomo was carried in by Anko, with a cast around his broken leg. The young fox had yipped happily, and curled up against him when Anko had placed him on his lap.

Anko had taken Tomo to Hana Inuzuka, who ran a veterinary, and who had agreed to treat Tomo. Luckily the leg was not badly broken, and would heal completely, given enough time and rest.

Now, Naruto gently stroked Tomo's back, as the young fox slept off the medicine he was given to help fight any disease he might receive while recuperating. He smiled quietly as he watched the little fox sleep, only to look up as the door opened. He smiled a bit weakly as he saw the visitor. "Hey Hinata," he said.

Hinata entered and quickly moved to his side. "N-Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry I wasn't here earlier," she said. "A-After what happened with the Uchiha clan, m-my father ordered the clan t-to stay in the compound. H-He finally let me out today," she said, as she touched his arm. "Are you okay?"

Naruto nodded, trying to grin encouragingly at her. "Oh I'm fine. I'll be out of here before you know it," he said, putting on a strong face for her.

Hinata looked at him. "N-Naruto-kun, d-don't exaggerate. Y-You need to rest," she said with a worried tone. "I-I know you're pretty badly hurt. I overheard my d-dad talking about it with some of the others in my clan. T-That Uchiha…h-he tried to kill you!"

Naruto looked away a bit. "I know…but I'm fine, see? So don't worry about it," he said as he smiled at her again, though this one was smaller and more genuine. "Besides, having you visit makes me feel a whole lot better."

Hinata just shyly smiled, blushing quite a bit. "I-It's no problem," she said. "D-Do you need anything?" She asked.

"Naw, I'm good. Just want to hang out," he said. "Though if you can sneak in some ramen, that'd be great."

The Hyuuga heiress giggled, covering her mouth as she did. "I w-will see what I can do," she said.

"Thanks Hinata-chan! You're the best!" he said, causing her to blush and look down. "So did you get any training done while you were stuck in your house?"

Hinata bit her lip as she looked away. "M-My father…he's set me up to spar a member of my clan. One of the grandchildren of the Elders," she said. "H-He wants to see if I've improved."

"Well you just show him how much you've improved! You'll wipe the floor with the guy you're sparring against," Naruto said with a grin. "And then your dad will see how awesome you are, won't he?!"

Hinata grinned a bit. "Y-You really think so?"

"Of course! No doubt about it!" Naruto said. "With all the training you've gotten from Anko-sensei, Yugito-sensei, and even the bit from Raphael-sensei, you'll be unbeatable!"

Hinata just smiled and nodded. "T-Thank you Naruto. I-I hope I don't let any of you down."

Naruto just grinned happily, glad for a distraction. "And then when you've won the spar, we can celebrate! Believe it!"

The Hyuuga heiress giggled softly, and nodded, smiling at Naruto. And Naruto smiled back, feeling better. Tomo, who had woken up, yipped happily, tail wagging, as Hinata pet him.

Elsewhere in the Hospital, Sarutobi sighed as he walked down the halls of the secured prisoner wing. This section of the hospital was off limits to all but the most capable and trustworthy medical personnel of the village, and was constantly patrolled and guarded by ANBU teams whenever a prisoner was being held here. Sarutobi contemplated the events following the destruction of the Uchiha coup attempt as he passed an ANBU checkpoint.

In the aftermath of the deaths of Fugaku Uchiha and the other conspirators, he had been busy putting out fires around the village. He had to try to help stabilize the Uchiha clan, as well as ensure the security of the village. In the aftermath of such an event, other villages could be tempted to send in spies and saboteurs, to take advantage of any weakened security or distracted leaders. It had happened after the Kyuubi attack, when Konoha's forces were weakest, and again in the aftermath of the Hyuuga incident. Now, with the death of a clan head and several of the clan's leading shinobi and civilians, the other villages might be tempted to move in.

As Sarutobi stopped outside one of the rooms, which was flanked by two ANBU, he contemplated how things had worked out. Both Anko and Yugito had been successful in taking down their targets. Anko's target apparently died in his sleep from a heart attack, while Yugito's target sadly slipped in his bathroom after taking a shower, and broke his neck. The incident with Tekka Uchiha had also been handled, though it was completely unexpected. No one except Shikaku Nara truly suspected anything, and Shikaku had not brought up anything about it.

Itachi had covered his tracks almost perfectly. ANBU investigation teams had found a note in his bedroom stating his frustration with the village and clan. How he felt they were holding him back, how he wanted to test his limits and obtain true power, and how he had faked a letter from Sarutobi to lure Fugaku and the strongest shinobi of the Uchiha clan to a meeting to test his power, before leaving the village. He also mentioned how he had lured his Uncle and future father in law there as a cover in the letter as well. The fact that Kiseki Uchiha, Itachi's fiancé, had not only been present during Itachi's slaughtering of the clan leadership but also was attacked by Itachi as well leant further evidence to Itachi's cover.

Unfortunately, Kiseki was also the one potential flaw in Itachi's cover story. Sarutobi opened the door of the hospital room and entered, looking towards the room's occupant.

Kiseki Uchiha lay in the hospital bed, comatose, as a respirator and other machines were attached to her to ensure she was kept alive. She had been brought in by one of the ANBU who had 'discovered' the dead Uchiha, and had been hooked up to the life supports due to her vitals being weak.

Before Itachi had left the village, he had appeared before Sarutobi, and informed him that he could not kill Kiseki. He had used the Tsukuyomi on her and had left her in a comatose state, but could not kill her. He begged Sarutobi to spare her, for no other reason than she was innocent of any crime.

Now, Sarutobi had a choice, as he looked down at Kiseki. One the one hand, she was a threat. She had borne witness to the death of the Uchiha Clan head and his conspirators. And while she may not know everything of what she witnessed, she could know enough to put the village in jeopardy. And as Hokage, that was something he could not allow. And yet, he couldn't help but also think about Itachi. He had kept track of the young Uchiha, as he saw the potential in Itachi to be Hokage material. The young man had been ever loyal to the village, but he also had been in love with the young woman laying here before Sarutobi. Sarutobi knew Itachi had already sacrificed practically everything for the village. He had sacrificed being with his family, clan, village, and the woman he loved, in order to save and protect them all. He had made such a great sacrifice for Konoha, and Sarutobi, in his heart, could not add to the suffering anymore then he already had.

Sarutobi sighed as he slowly turned, and walked back out, exiting the room. Looking at the two ANBU, he nodded. "Keep her alive. The minute she is awake, I want to know. Understood?"

The two operatives nodded, and Sarutobi left, more determined than ever to regain the strength and will he had in his younger years, so that no one had to suffer the way Itachi and Kiseki Uchiha did.

At the Uchiha compound, Mikoto stood in front of a broken pile of burning wood and ash. Only an hour or so earlier, it had been a grand construction of wood, with each of the recently dead Uchiha placed upon it, dressed in ceremonial kimono. The entire clan had gathered, as four Uchiha shinobi used the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) to light the pyre on fire, and destroy the bodies of fallen Uchiha. This was the traditional funerary rites of the Uchiha Clan, to prevent enemies from learning the secrets of their bloodline, or worse yet, stealing their eyes.

Mikoto quietly turned away, looking to the gathered members of the clan. This past couple of weeks had been trying to the clan. The death of Shisui, followed by the deaths of their clan head and several of their best shinobi, at the hands of Itachi Uchiha, the clan prodigy no less. The clan was in a shaky place at the moment, and Mikoto knew that even though she wanted nothing more than to lock herself away to grieve, she had to be strong. She was the new clan head now, and these people were depending on her.

"My fellow Uchiha, we have suffered a great tragedy. Our clan has suffered the deaths of our kin before, but never has it been at the hands of one of our own. We will mourn the loss of clansmen, but we must honor them as well," she said, her voice soft, yet still somehow carrying out to all of them. Mikoto looked to where her remaining son stood with his face down as he stared at his feet. Mikoto watched him for a few seconds, before looking up. "Those who died today worked hard to make our clan strong. And so we do not shame their memory, we must do the same. Mourn their loss, but honor them by working hard, to make our clan and our village great!" she said, her voice gaining strength. "We are Uchiha! Our clan founded this village with the Senju! Our ancestors fought, bled, and died for our clan and village! And we will honor their memory and sacrifice by continuing to protect our clan, our comrades, and our village!"

With her words, the members of the clan stood straighter, as some began to nod in agreement. Mikoto quietly moved to her son, and lifted his face up, so he was looking at her. "We must be strong, Sasuke. Things will be tough, but we'll get through it," she said softly.

Sasuke looked up at her, before nodding softly, his shoulders and back stiffening with resolve. He had to be strong, just like his mom said. He quietly gripped his fist, as he quietly made a vow. He would become strong, strong enough to protect his clan. And one day, he would find his brother, and bring him in to face justice for what he did to the clan.

Hyuuga Compound, the Next Day

The day of the spar had arrived far too quickly for Hinata Hyuuga's tastes. She found herself kneeling in the outdoor training courtyard of the Hyuuga Estate, facing the wall as she waited for her opponent. Her clothing consisted of a short sleeved shirt and a pair of shin length pants, both in black, as well as her blue zori on her feet. She could feel the eyes of the gathered members of the Main Family on her, as well as some of the Branch members as well from within the house.

As she knelt there, she couldn't help but feel like her body, her whole being, was coiled tightly, like a spring about to be released. She felt stressed, as so many things were on her mind. This spar was weighing heavily on her, but there were other things as well. Most prominent was her worry about Naruto, about whether he really was okay or not. He had seemed genuinely happy to see her, but in the time Hinata had spent training with him, she knew he would often try to hide his own pain from others. She wished she could just disappear into her room and try to deal with everything else on her mind.

Nearby, Hiashi watched his eldest daughter impassively, as his wife stood slightly behind him. His younger daughter Hanabi stood at his right hand, showing her favored position with her father.

At the other end of the courtyard, a door opened and lout stepped one of the Elders of the clan. Within him was a Hyuuga boy about a year older then Hinata, who had a stoic look on his face. However, his eyes were brimming with contempt as they landed on Hinata. He was dressed similarly to her, as he took his spot, turned away, and knelt, facing the wall.

Hiashi, seeing all those necessary were present, spoke. "Hinata Hyuuga, Musha (warrior) Hyuuga. Rise and face each other," he commanded.

The two children stood and turned, facing each other. Musha barely kept from sneering at Hinata, who trembled slightly as she felt her nerves already taking hold. Hiashi impassively continued to speak. "This day, you two will face each other, to test your abilities and show your might to the clan. Honor us this day, and we shall honor you," he said. "Make ready to fight."

Both adopted the traditional Jyuuken starting position, though Musha held his with confidence and resolve, which Hinata tried to do as well. Hiashi glanced at both of them, before waving a hand. "Begin!"

Musha immediately surged forward, meeting Hinata before she could gather her wits and jabbing at her right shoulder, hoping to cripple her ability to fight from the start. Hinata gasped and purely on instinct stepped back, deflecting his blow to one side. Musha, letting out a small huff of annoyance, pressed his attack, launching multiple jabs and palm strikes at her.

Hinata found herself moving on almost instinct, blocking and deflecting his blows, as her eyes widened. She was doing it. She was actually holding against him! She quietly thanked Anko, Yugito and Raphael for those training sessions where they had her constantly training in blocking and deflecting their attacks, as now her muscle memory was helping her to instinctively deflect Musha's attacks, which were somewhat slower then what Yugito and Anko had been training Hinata at.

Musha scowled at Hinata, as another barrage of attacks failed to get through. His grandfather had promised him this would be an easy victory, but so far the opposite was true. Feeling himself a bit unnerved, he faltered in one strike, and in that moment, Hinata capitalized. She knocked his faltering strike aside and jabbed at him, causing him to backstep as he deflected it.

On the sidelines, the Main family members of the Hyuuga clan were murmuring in surprise, as they saw Hinata start to go on the offensive. Hiashi's eyes had barely widened in surprise as he watched his eldest daughter actually start her own attack.

Hinata ducked under a blow from Musha and managed to deliver a quick jab to his arm while it was extended. As he pulled his arm back she launched another strike at him, only for him to deflect it and step into her, delivering a low jab to her stomach. She couldn't stop it in time, and the blow handed, causing her to stumble back, grasping her abdomen in pain, as Musha smirked. He stepped forward to attack again, but Hinata, again reacting on instinct from her training with Naruto and his sensei, spun around his attack, managing to deliver a quick jab to his left shoulder as she spun around behind him.

Musha stumbled a bit, turning and glaring at Hinata. "What was that?! That's not part of the Jyuuken!" He snapped angrily. Several of the spectators shared his sentiment. To them, the Jyuuken was a pure fighting style, one that should not be tampered with. To do so was an offense, and Hinata Hyuuga had just offended them.

Hinata panted slightly, as she got ready to fight. "A-Are we not shinobi?" She asked. "W-Why should I limit myself if I'm going to be fighting for this village?"

Musha just growled as he started to attack her again. "I knew it! My grandfather was right! You're a useless weakling, who can never live up to our clan's standards!" He attacked her ferociously, launching jabs and palm strikes with great speed. Hinata began to back step, deflecting each one, keeping the distance between them as she remembered the words Yugito had shared with her.

'Remember, deflection works best when you've got some distance between you and your opponent. If they're too close, you won't have the leverage or reaction time to deflect their blow. Keep your distant and deflect their blows to the side, until you can knock them off balance, get inside their guard, and nail them.'

Now, Hinata again saw her chance, as she deflected a strong palm strike at her chest to one side with her right arm. Musha had committed a bit too much strength to the strike, and was stumbling forward a bit due to over lunging. Hinata got inside his guard and struck him twice, once in his left arm and the second in his right leg. Unfortunately as she tried to retreat, he lashed out, striking her left arm as well. She stumbled back, wincing as she tested her arm. She could still move it and send chakra through it, but she could feel her chakra control in that arm was gone.

Musha just glared at her, trying not to lose his balance as his right leg wobbled a bit. "You're pathetic! Retreating when you should stand and fight! Is that what those commoners taught you!?" He snapped, making Hinata's eyes widened. "Oh yes, I know. My grandfather told me all about it. How you're so pathetic that you have to get training from outside the clan because everyone inside the clan knows you're a waste, a disgrace to our noble bloodline and heritage!"

Hinata trembled a bit at his words, as she glanced at those watching, and saw some of them were subtly nodding in agreement. Her eyes landed on her sister, who was watching her impassively, then her father, where she saw nothing but his cold eyes. Were they right? Was she really that pathetic in their eyes? She looked back just in time for Musha to deliver a strong palm strike to her already hurt stomach, causing her to yell in pain as she was sent crashing back into the ground. She lay there, clutching her stomach, trying to breath, as Musha stumbled forward towards her.

"That's where you belong. On the ground, kneeling and groveling before your betters. You, who make a mockery of our clan by associating with those below our clan's prestige and glory!" he said, before smirking cruelly as she rolled over, facing him. "It's just too bad that the Uchiha didn't kill that boy you're so fond of. He's the only thing more disgraceful in this village then you are."

Hinata froze as she heard him say those things. As he stood over her, she began trembling again. Musha sneered, thinking it was out of fear, as he prepared to finish the spar, only to yell in pain as Hinata surged up, striking him hard in the stomach with a palm strike. Before he could even recover, Hinata spun, delivering a high kick to face and sending him flying back, blood spewing from his now broken nose.

Hinata didn't know what happened, beyond feeling such fire coursing through her. His words, combined with her nervousness, her worry about Naruto, her stress in dealing with the clan, had snapped something inside of her, and all she could think about now was hurting him. She charged at him as he stumbled to his feet, before slamming another palm strike into his chest. "YOU DO NOT!" She screamed as she slammed another blow into his right shoulder, rendering that arm useless. "EVER!" She jabbed a chakra point in his chest, causing him to cough up blood. "INSULT!" She kicked his right leg, shattering his shin bone and causing him to scream in pain. "MY FRIEND!"

She delivered a final blow with her left arm at his right arm, forgetting that her chakra control was gone in that arm. As such, the blow she landed was almost three times more powerful than a standard Jyuuken strike. Thus, her blow ended up destroying four chakra points in his arm, and nearly disintegrating the bone in Musha's arm. No noise escaped him, as the pain simply became too much, and he blacked out, falling forward. (1)

Hinata stood there panting heavily, before the feelings of anger and rage left her. As it did, realization of what happened flooded through her and she dropped to one knee, puking on the ground. As she did, she didn't notice the shadow looming over her until she managed to finally stop her vomiting. Slowly she looked up to see her father's eyes, which were colder then she had ever seen them. She started to struggle to her feet, only for his voice to stop her. "You do not rise," he snapped, causing her to drop to her knees.

Hiashi glanced to his right, where Musha was being checked by a pair of branch Family healers. They were quietly conversing as they checked Musha's wounds, only for one to glance at Hiashi and shake his head. Hiashi stiffened angrily, before turning to Hinata. "You will go to the infirmary, and you will stay there. You will speak to no one. Understood?" He snapped.

Hinata, trembling in fear, nodded in understanding. Hiashi turned and stormed away, followed by the Elders of the clan. The other spectators began to disperse, with Hinata's mother trembling softly. She started to approach Hinata's kneeling form, only for Hiashi to command her to follow him. She trembled, torn between obeying her husband and caring for her daughter, before turning and following Hiashi.

Thus, Hinata was left alone in the middle of the sparing courtyard, trembling in fear and disgust. Slowly, with tears falling from her eyes, she got to her feet, and limped inside, towards the clan's infirmary. And even though she had won the spar, she did not feel like a winner as she stumbled inside.

The Next Day, Hokage's Office

Raphael patiently waited outside the Hokage's office, having requested an appointment with the aging leader. In his hands he held a scroll, containing some interesting information he thought the Hokage should see. Said information was related to not only the late Kuroi Akiudo, but also to another potential threat and target they had been studying for some time now.

Eventually, the secretary glanced up at him when a small buzz came from her desk, and she nodded. "You may enter," she said, indicating the door. Raphael with a small nod of his head stood up and quickly entered the office of the Hokage.

Sarutobi glanced up at him. "Ahh Raphael-san, welcome. What can I do for you?"

Raphael laid the scroll down in front of him. "Hokage-sama, I noticed something when I was going over some of the documents we procured from Kuroi Akiudo," he said, as he unrolled the scroll to the first section. "I flagged several deals he made that consisted of large orders of weapon. Most of it was usually one time deals, or were infrequent repeat buyers, except for Gato Shipping," he said, pointing out several deals made with the corporation or its owner. "Now from what we've gathered on Gato over the past couple of years, we know he's in deep in illegal stuff. But the amounts of weapons he bought from Kuroi are way too much for him to simply be arming his thugs with. There's enough weaponry and equipment here to supply an army for some months. So, my thought is that Gato is the middle man in someone else's deal here."

Sarutobi studied the notes before him, as Raphael unfurled the scroll further. "If Gato is the middleman, then who is the one on the other end of these deals?"

Raphael grinned. "That's what I wanted to know too. I took a look at the records of his shipping that your ANBU team got a hold of six months back. Now take a look at this," he said, as he indicated the next spread of evidence, which consisted of a list of transport ships and their destinations. "Now, take a look at the ones I've highlighted," he said. "Each of these ships was dispatched in between one to two weeks of the deals Gato Shipping made with Kuroi, and each of them has the same general destination. They all were headed to Mizu no Kuni (Land of Water). They each stop at a different port, but almost all of them are landing on the main island where Kirigakure no Sato is located."

The aged Hokage studied the information. "Gato is shipping arms to someone in Kiri," he said. "He's profiteering off the civil war raging in Kiri currently."

Raphael nodded. "Exactly. What's more though, is he, or whoever he's shipping these weapons to, are not supplying one side. They're supplying both sides," he said. "I've been studying the scattered reports coming in from Mizu no Kuni, and listening to the rumors. The Civil War began almost two years ago, and since then, I've managed to piece together a rough idea of some of the stuff that's happened. The war seems to be see-sawing back and forth. At one time the rumors say the rebels are on the offensive, the next say Kiri has wiped out one of the rebel's bases. I don't have any definitive, concrete proof, but take a look at this."

Raphael indicated the last part of the scroll, which held three separate timelines, one above the other. The first indicated the dates that Kuroi sold weapons to Gato Shipping. The second one indicated the ships that were sent to Kiri shortly after the weapon deals. And the last contained a rough timeline of the Kiri civil war rumors and reports.

Sarutobi scanned it all, and right away picked up what Raphael was getting at. "Each time one of the weapon shipments arrive, one side takes the offensive in the war," he said, eyes narrowed.

"And by the next shipment, it seems the other side is now on the offensive. Gato and whoever he's sending his weapons to are prolonging the war. They're keeping either side from gaining an advantage over the other by ensuring both sides are kept well supplied," Raphael finished.

Sarutobi sighed, setting the scroll aside. "The problem is, we cannot go after Gato. While I've seen more than enough evidence to know he's bad news and needs to be brought down, I cannot authorize a strike against him until he actually makes a move against Konoha. And while I'm sure you'd love to go after him, he's maintained enough of a public image that if he turned up dead or missing, people will ask too many questions. Not to mention that we still have no idea where he maintains his criminal headquarters."

"Maybe we can't go after Gato, but I think that at least we can stop his interference with the events in Kiri," Raphael said. "If I can enter Mizu no Kuni and find who is selling the weapons to both sides of the conflict, I can put a stop to that, and at least shorten the length of the civil war there," Raphael said.

The aged Hokage slowly stood up, turning and facing out the window. "I cannot officially sanction any action you take. It would draw us into an affair that doesn't concern us, and Konoha cannot suffer a blow to its reputation or mission income. Not in our current state," he said.

Raphael nodded as he rolled up the scroll. "I understand Hokage. If I do this, I'm doing it on my own. But I am going to do this. People are suffering and dying in a war that is being prolonged by an outside source for profit. This is something that the Brotherhood is sworn to prevent. I'll give you notice before I leave," he said, before turning and heading out.

Sarutobi just sighed as he kept staring out the window. "Good luck," he said simply, watching the villagers below.

Naruto meanwhile was sighing happily as he left the hospital, Tomo curled up around his shoulders. Considering how Tomo had basically been exposed by this whole event, Naruto decided he couldn't hide the fox anymore. Currently, said fox was panting happily, occasionally sniffing or licking Naruto's ear.

Anko, who had been there to pick Naruto up, grinned. "Bet you're glad to be out of there, huh?"

Naruto nodded in agreement. "You bet nee-chan," he said. "Always stuck in that bed, not able to do anything but think or read? And the food was yucky," he said, making gagging noises.

Anko chuckled as he ruffled his hair. "Tell me about it. I hate being in there too," she said. "So, what do you want to do to celebrate getting out of the hospital? We can round up Yugito and Raphael and go party! My treat," she said with a grin.

Naruto smiled at that. "Sounds great, but I'd like to get home first and then go find Hinata. I wanna hear how awesome she did in her spar!" he said with an eager grin.

"Oohh, sounds interesting. I wouldn't mind hearing how she did either. Need to hear how awesome my other student is after all," Anko said, gaining a mock snooty look. "I have my reputation to think of as an epically badass kunoichi, after all," she said in a mock arrogant tone.

The young blonde just laughed at that, poking her side. "Don't get a big head Anko nee-chan," he said, causing her to grin and one arm hug him.

As they kept walking, Naruto couldn't help but turn his thoughts inward. He still was mentally and emotionally shaky from nearly being killed and from killing Tekka Uchiha. But he did feel better after talking to Yugito, Anko, and Raphael about it. And spending time with Hinata had helped too, as she had helped him take his mind off of it. He could still feel the shock, guilt, fear, and disgust within him. But he wouldn't let them control his life. Like his three mentors and fellow assassins said, it was important to hold onto those feelings as they helped remind him he was human. But he couldn't let those emotions control his life either. Besides, he had his two awesome nee-chan's and sensei to talk to and to help him.

Naruto was climbing up the stairs to his apartment, with Anko behind him, when he stopped, seeing a huddled figure sitting in front of his apartment, their face buried in their knees with a couple of small packs sitting near them. Anko frowned when she saw it too, and one hand inched down to her side, to grab a kunai. Naruto however dispersed her fears when he moved forward, recognizing the figure. "Hinata!" He called, approaching her.

Naruto soon was over Hinata, and reached out to touch her shoulder, but stopped when she raised her lowered head to look at him. Lavender eyes, red and puffy from crying, met his own confused cerulean eyes, as Hinata, former heiress of the Hyuuga clan, revealed the bandages wrapped around her forehead.

And done.

So…if you've figured out what happened to Hinata, I'm expecting quite a bit of shock and hate. I understand, as I myself HATE myself for what I've done. I honestly loathe myself for doing what I've done to Hinata. If you don't realize what I've done, I'll either explain in a review reply to you, or you can wait till next chapter.

I do hope though that what I've done won't drive away any of you, the readers. I can promise that what happened here has a purpose, and will pay off in a great way later on in the story. So please, bear with me on this. If not, then I'm sorry.

Truth be told, I was procrastinating because I didn't really want to write this out. But this was the best way I could think of to move things in the direction I want.

Like I said, things will be explained next chapter. I hope you'll all continue reading to see what happens.

Again, major thanks to my beta's Kyuubi123 and Bill Alain, for their hard work and putting up with my mistakes.

Until next chapter.

1. I just want to clarify a couple things here. Hinata's outburst is not due to her being in love with Naruto, but due to her being outraged at Musha's words. Naruto is her friend, who has helped her out so much so far, and to hear him not only be put down, but to hear Musha saying Naruto should have been killed, while Naruto is in the hospital after nearly being killed, pushed Hinata too far. And yes, I know it's out of character for Hinata, to be this violent, but everyone has their breaking point. Especially if you add in the pain and other emotions she's feeling right now.