41

Shifts in Life

Chapter 41: Ronin

"Chishima!"

Toki's shout was proceeded by her rushing into the room where her friend was lying on a bed. Less than a second behind her was Naruto, who walked in much more calmly than his current hidden gendered compatriot.

As he moved over to stand beside Toki, who was now kneeling down on the bed and looking at her friend with barely concealed concern, Naruto let his eyes wander towards the young man laying out on the bed.

Chishima's body was bandaged fairly well, and it looks like they had been changed recently. Even still, blood was beginning to seep into the white bandages at a slow yet steady rate. Naruto's eyes focused on what he could discern from the wounds while they were covered and, judging merely from the way they were bleeding, determined they had most likely come from a projectile. Likely a shuriken as they tended to do more damage than a kunai.

Chishima was also hooked up to several machines meant to monitor his vital signs, an IV drip that was putting lost fluids back into his body and a breath mask that was being used to help regulate his breathing, meaning he had likely suffered damage to his lungs. Naruto listened to the steady beep coming from one particular machine that monitored his heart rate, the man's steady breathing the only accompaniment to the noise.

"We found him washed up on the riverside near the old shrine just an hour ago," the guard who had accompanied them said to Toki, who was still in her guise as Sagi. "He was half conscious and kept mumbling about how he had something important to tell you." Despite the fact that Toki was obviously not paying much attention to him, the soldier shouldered on. "He's stable now, but he was in pretty bad shape when we got him here."

"I see," Toki said in her male persona voice as she finally turned away from the sight of her friend lying unconscious on the bed. "Thank you for informing me of this. You may leave now."

"My Lord!"

The soldier snapped off a salute, took a another glance at Naruto, before turning on his heel and marching out the door.

Silence permeated the room. The only sound being the steady beep of the monitors and Chishima's fitful if slightly ragged breathing. Toki looked at her best friend, worry evident on her features, before turning to Naruto.

"You said you had something you wanted to tell me," Toki prompted. Now that they were alone, her voice no longer sounded like a male's. There was no use in masking her voice in front of him.

"Yes," Naruto shifted. Unlike before, when Naruto had snuck into her room, his countenance was serious instead of playful. "I believe I know who attacked Chishima."

"Go on," Toki gestured for the blond to continue. He gladly did so.

"After I caught sight of Chomei meeting with the Cursed Warrior, I felt everything was far too convenient. The response of the guards when it came to arresting Chomei was too quick, it was almost as if they had been ordered to apprehend him before I had even caught him in the act."

"And then there was his quick confession," Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I looked up what I could on his past, and Chomei was supposed to be Tori no Kuni's most prominent tactician, and a decently skilled warrior. A man like him would not be so quick to confess his crimes, had he committed them, without some serious... encouragement."

"What are you saying?" asked Toki, her own eyes narrowing.

"What I'm saying is that Chomei was not the one responsible for the unrest happening in your country, nor was he the one who killed your father and brother." Toki's eyes widened in shock. "It was Mōsō."

"Mōsō?" Toki's voice betrayed her surprise. "But... how could that be? Mōsō is nothing more than a wandering old man. A peddler who managed to gain my father's good graces and become this kingdom's adviser through his parlor tricks."

"Parlor tricks?" Naruto blinked at the term, but quickly shook his head. He didn't need to know. "I don't know much about the man's past, but I can assure you Mōsō is the one responsible for everything that has happened so far. After apprehending Chomei, I created two shadow clones. One left the country in my stead in order to fool anyone who might have been following me to make sure I left. The other stayed at Mōsō's residence hidden as a mouse. It saw Mōsō ordering a Ronin to give him a report on whether or not I had left."

"Ronin?"

"Ronin are like missing nin," Naruto said in response to Toki's question. "Except, unlike missing nin, these shinobi never had a home to go missing from. I heard from Anko-nee-chan that they are ninja who wander the world stealing jutsu from other hidden villages." Anko had actually clashed with a few of them before. Apparently, they had tried infiltrating Konoha a time or two, and at least one of those times one of their numbers was caught. He killed himself before Anko could get anything out of him, but it let her know of their existence.

Toki stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought of everything she had just been told. Could she have been wrong? Could it be possible that Chomei was not responsible for the death of her brother and father? That it was actually Mōsō who killed her family?

"E-Everything he says is true, Sagi-sama."

Two heads jerked in the direction of the bed to see Chishima, his eyes barely open, looking at Toki still hidden in her Sagi disguise. It was a wonder the man was even awake considering the state he was in.

"Chishima!"

"E-Everything N-Naruto just told you... is true," Chishima continued as Toki knelt down by the bed once more. "I-I saw him talking t-to... several ninja with m-my own two eyes. H-He mentioned something..." Chishima's eyes began to droop as he spoke. He was likely on drugs to dull the pain he was undoubtedly in. "H-He said they had... that they had f-found wh-what they were searching for."

"What they were searching for?" Toki questioned, frowning. She turned her gaze towards Naruto, who shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'don't look at me, I don't know what he's talking about'.

"Sagi-Sama," Chishima gasped, bringing attention back to him. "You must... must... mu...s..."

"Chishima?" Toki's eyes widened as Chishima's eyes closed and his body went completely slack. "Chishima!"

"Relax," Naruto placed a hand on the woman's shoulder to try and calm her down. "Look, he's just sleeping. I'm surprised he even woke up. It looks like those doctors put some serious anesthetics in his system."

'I'm surprised you know what anesthetics are.'

Naruto barely managed to keep from frowning. Was it just him? Or was Kyuubi being a bit more belligerent and haughty than she usually was?

'I've been in a hospital enough times to have picked up a few things.' It probably helped that the doctors had often been forced to drug Naruto near constantly in order to keep him in bed, otherwise he would sneak out. He hated hospitals.

"So you were right," Toki stood up, her eyes narrowed in anger. "It was Mōsō who betrayed me and my family."

"If it's any consolation, I doubt he was ever loyal to you at all," Naruto said bluntly. "I'm pretty sure he was just here to find whatever it was he was searching for, and got into your father's confidence to improve his chances of finding it."

"That doesn't really help," Toki deadpanned.

"Well, can't say I didn't try," Naruto shrugged, before giving Toki a serious expression. "Now that you know who really betrayed you and your family, what do you plan to do about Chomei?"

"Nothing."

"What?" Naruto blinked. He stuck his pink in his ear as if to clean it out. "I'm sorry, I think I had something crazy stuck in my ear. Could you repeat that?"

"I said I'm going to do nothing," Toki told him bluntly. "If I rescue Chomei then Mōsō will know that I'm onto him. If he knew that I knew about him, it would be nearly impossible to get my revenge."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at what he heard. "So you'd sacrifice an innocent man for the sake of your revenge? That is not how a Daimyo is supposed to operate. It's your job to protect those who work under you."

"There is nothing that I can do," Toki looked away from the blond, unable to peer into those accusing eyes. "Chomei is guarded by an army of soldiers. We could never save him by anything less than starting a civil war."

"Would you just listen to yourself for a second!" Naruto grit his teeth as he forced himself to remain calm. "Are you or are you not the Daimyo of this land? Who the hell do you think controls the soldiers here?! If you ordered them to stand down, they would stand down!"

Under the blond's accusing stare, Toki turned away. There was something incredibly unnerving about that glare.

"Tch," Naruto scoffed. "Fine, if you're not going to do something, then I guess it will be up to me."

Turning around, the whisker marked shinobi began walking towards the door, preparing to mount a rescue mission of Chomei. Unlike Toki, he was not willing to allow someone to die for the sake of maintaining secrecy. Not like there was any point in trying anyways. If that Mōsō guy was as well informed as Naruto believed, than he likely already knew who the real Cursed Warrior was and would be dealing with Toki soon enough.

"H-Hey!" Toki shouted in shock as she saw the blond walk away from her. "Where are you going!?"

Naruto paused. He did not turn around, but he did turn his head to look at the woman who was staring at his back in shock.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to do what you can't. Or should I say, what you won't."

It just wasn't in Naruto's nature to leave someone to their doom if he could save them. He wouldn't say it was a hero complex so much as it was his belief on helping others if you were able. If someone had the power to make a difference, then they should put it to good use. And Naruto had the power to make that difference here.

Toki bit her lip in frustration as she watched the blond leave. Should she go after him? What would she do if she did? What would she say? What could she say? Was there even anything that needed to be said?

As much as she didn't want to admit it, the young blond had gotten to her more than she thought. There was just something about the way he spoke, the look in his eyes, and that disapproving frown on his face that made her feel like a child who had disappointed her parents. It was almost like her brother was staring at her with disapproving eyes instead of the blond, even though the two did not look or even act remotely similar.

She looked from the door to Chishima and sighed. Toki could do nothing about Naruto right now. He was probably already gone to save Chomei, but she could at least look after her friend until he got back.

XoX

Chomei found himself being led into a clearing surrounding by the traditional high wall with sloping tiled roof on all sides. His arms were bound to his torso by rope, and his hands were similar bound except the rope was extended like a leash so the soldier in front of him could hold it and lead him around. Surrounding him on either side were soldiers, there hands resting on the hilt of their katanas, prepared to cut him down should he try to escape.

The situation looked very bleak.

As he was led towards the spot where he would be forced to commit sepukku, Chomei eyed his surroundings. Mōsō was sitting in the center of a table that was set up on a veranda that elevated him above everyone else. He was being protected by several guards standing on either side of him.

It looked like Mōsō meant for this to be a spectacle. On the other end were several dozen guards, all of them standing before what looked like the entire civilian populace. Chomei could see hundreds of faces, all of them staring at him with mixed looks. Some looked in shock, others disgust, some pity and still some confusion. Yes, there was no doubt Mōsō wanted everyone to witness this event in order to cement his place as their savor.

A well played move.

Forced to kneel down in front of the veranda upon which Mōsō sat, Chomei remained inexplicably calm in the face of his demise. If this was to be his end, he would not do so by groveling before this man.

Mōsō picked up the scroll that had been laid out on the table before him, breaking the seal and unrolling it even though he likely already knew the contents. He should. He was the one who wrote it.

Bringing the scroll to his closed eyed face, Mōsō spoke. "A verdict has been reached, Chomei-dono," his grave voice rang throughout the clearing where Chomei's execution would take place. He was good actor, if nothing else. "Betraying your position as Chief Tactician to our late Owashi-sama, you conspired in his assassination, as well as his daughter Toki-sama."

Hushed and startled whispers broke out among the crowd of civilians. The rustling of fabric as those in the back tried to get a closer look at the proceedings was only superseded by those up front who were leaning into each other, their hands up to their mouth so they could share their opinions with the person closest to them without interrupting. Several Samurai watched the civilians carefully, taking care to watch for possible dissidents among the crowd.

Chomei remained calm, impassive. It was like looking at stone. He would not be quailed under this man's accusations.

"Furthermore, you and your subordinates were responsible for creating the apparition known as the Cursed Warrior. Your purpose being to spread panic among our people, undermine the authority of Sagi-sama, and usurp his role as Daimyo of Tori no Kuni."

"You are a traitor of the worst kind."

That did elicit a response from the so far quiet man. Chomei looked up at Mōsō, his eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation.

"Chomei-dono, you must pay for what you've done!"

Gasps erupted from the crowd at those words. Shock rippled through the people and the speaking began to get louder as the seconds passed.

All that was second to Chomei's laughing, however, which started off soft but began to pick up volume as the seconds ticked by.

"I see. So that's your game, Mōsō."

Chomei's head was bent down towards the ground, his eyes just barely visible.

It didn't last.

Chomei's head shot up so he could glare at Mōsō with all the hatred and anger he could muster.

"You've finally sprung your trap!"

Mōsō's eyes finally opened so he could stare at Chomei with a half-lidded gaze. There was frown etched on his face.

"I'm disappointed in you, Chomei," he said. "If you're a warrior then at least die like one!" He looked towards the guards surrounding the man and the executioner standing by in case Chomei did not commit sepukku. "Help him carry out his setence."

"At once, Mōsō-sama!"

One of the guards moved behind Chomei, forcing him to sit in a more upright position as opposed to the slouch he had been in. The executioner, meanwhile, raised his blade in preparation to take Chomei's head should he fail to kill himself.

Chomei opened the front of his loose fitting white kimono, exposing his scarred torso for all to see. A few of the scars were recent, as in, less than a day recent. These ones were given to him courtesy of Mōsō's men doing a number on him to get a confession out of him.

He picked up the small kaiken, the dagger which he would use to commit ritualistic suicide, and unsheathed the blade. Holding it in a reverse grip, Chomei prepared to plunge the dagger into his stomach.

Before the dagger could reach him a loud hissing sound erupted all around the clearing. Purple mist began to cover the area, thickening with each passing seconds. Before too long, the entire execution ground was covered in a blanket of purple mist so thick people had trouble seeing their own hands unless they were brought directly to their face.

"What the – what's going on?"

Mōsō and everyone else looked around at the strange mist that had covered the area, as if doing so would help them discern where the mist was coming from. It was a futile gesture, however, the only way they would be seeing anything more than six inches in front of them was if they blew the mist away with a wind jutsu or, failing that, waited for it to dissipate naturally.

Even Chomei was looking around at the surrounding blanket of purple haze, feeling both wary and cautious. He was not sure what to make of this, but he did have a hunch. And if his hunch was right...

"Never mind! Kill him now!"

As Mōsō's orders came through the fog, the words enough to penetrate the shock that permeated those surrounding Chomei. The executioner quickly prepared his sword, readying a strike for where he knew Chomei was based on where he had last seen the man.

It was a strike that would never hit.

Before the executioner even had a chance to stroke his blade down on Chomei's neck, an armored figure appeared before him. A warrior clad in white armor with a red oni mask. The Cursed Warrior.

The Cursed Warrior reacted far more quickly than the executioner did, bringing the butt end of his bade towards the executioners stomach before the man could even blink. There was a loud 'whooshing' of air from the man meant to kill Chomei as he was hit with the hilt of a katana in the solar plexus. It was such a jarring hit that not only was he deprived of much needed oxygen, but his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he slumped to the ground.

No one inside of the mist could even see what was happening. No one, except for the Cursed Warrior apparently, who was already moving in on his next target.

The man he targeted was not even aware of what was happening when he received a chop on the back of his neck. He too fell to the ground with a dull thud, unconscious before his body hit the dirt.

One by one the guards surrounding Chomei fell to the physical prowess of the Cursed Warrior until, just like that, there was no one guarding the man slated for execution. And with nothing left to guard him, Chomei was ripe for the taking.

Plucking the startled man from his spot on the ground, the Cursed Warrior picked up Chomei and held him under his arm like a sack of potatoes. Seeing how there was nothing left do, the white armor clad warrior held up his hand and, much to the shock of Chomei, both he and the one carrying him suddenly shot off the ground and into the air, leaving the execution grounds still covered in thick, purple mist behind.

XoX

Naruto sighed as he found himself soaring through the air using those kites he had found a while back. His other arm still had a tight hold of Chomei, who was staring at him with a slightly stupid expression of shock. He wasn't really paying attention to that man right now, though. There were more important things to worry about.

'Sweet Kami! Why the hell is it so hot in this thing?'

'Well, it is a suit of armor. You know, metal. Metal tends to get hot when it's in the sun.'

'Ugh, I think I finally understand why Toki always did her Cursed Warrior business during the night. It had nothing to do with cover of darkness and everything to do with how fucking hot it is in this thing. How Samurai could stand to wear this crap is beyond me.'

Complaining about the heat aside, Naruto also had to steer the kites that he was using to fly him and Chomei to their destination. Deft turns and flicks of his wrist allowed him to make the minute adjustments needing to control where they were being taken. It wasn't long before his maneuvering managed to bring the two of them to their destination: the run down shrine where the Cursed Warrior often made it's appearance.

As he set down, the blond ninja disguising himself as Toki who disguised herself as Sagi who disguised himself as the Cursed Warrior (that's a mouthful) let Chomei stand on his own two feet. The Chief tactician for Tori no Kuni used this opportunity to look at the armored figure standing before him, as if doing so would somehow allow him to discern who was hidden behind the mask.

"Sagi-Sama, is that you?" he asked. Naruto tilted his head, as if pondering the question. He really wasn't, but there was no need to tell this guy that. Eventually, he began walking towards the shrine, gesturing for Chomei to follow him. The man did so after only a moments reluctance.

'Naruto,' Kyuubi's voice suddenly came to him through the seal. 'I sense a chakra signature exactly ten meters to your left.'

'Hmm... so Mōsō was expecting something like this,' Naruto hummed thoughtfully. 'It's a good thing we planned for him to know what we were planning that way we could countermand any plan he has in the works. Hehe, sometimes I even amaze myself.'

'That's not a very hard thing to do,' Kyuubi quipped, causing Naruto to frown.

'Such a mean thing to say...'

XoX

As a Cursed Warrior disguised Naruto and Chomei entered the shrine and descended the stair case, one of the rocks scattered across the clearing shifted on one side as a man with rock colored skin stepped out. The skin (and clothes he was wearing) changed back into their normal colors. The blocky looking man stood before the shrine, a smirk on his face.

He had been waiting here for a while now. Mōsō had been very sure that the Cursed Warrior would make an appearance and save Chomei once news that Chishima's body had not been found came to him. It looked like all that forethought and planning had paid off. Now all he had to do was report to Mōsō and inform him of where the Cursed Warrior and Chomei were headed and they could take out both nuisances in a single strike.

Just than a strange feeling passed over him. It sort of felt like a soft breeze had ruffled the back of his neck, but it was slightly different and there was a stinging sensation following it.

A second later the blocky ninja's, whose name was never learned, head slid off his body with only a little bit of blood flowing out due to how clean the cut was. As the head rolled along the ground and came to a stop near the foot of the shrine, the body crumpled to the dirt like a puppet with it's strings cut off.

A clone of Naruto stood behind the now dead ninja, his left hand holding onto Kubikiriboucho, the blade glowing with a light sheen of green light that coated it like a second skin. Sticking his blade point first in the ground, Naruto held out his left hand, palm pointed towards the headless corpse.

A ball of flame appeared before the palm. It was about the size of a small ball, and brilliant white in color. The flame looked very much like a miniature sun.

"Kitsune-bi (Fox Fire)."

Launching the small ball of fox fire at the deceased ninja, Naruto watched dispassionately as the flames spread across the body, blackening and burning it until there was nothing left but ash that soon scattered on the wind. Another burst of fox fire and the head near the shrine was destroyed as well.

With his mission done, the Naruto clone dispersed itself in a cloud of smoke, altering the real Naruto that he had accomplished his mission.

XoX

'That was kind of pathetic,' Naruto thought as the memories of his clone hit him. 'Are all ronin supposed to be so weak? He didn't even feel my clone sneaking up on him.'

'How should I know? It's not like I've ever dealt with ronin, unless you count the ninja who were around before the birth of the hidden villages, but they at least had clans.'

'You've fought ninja before?' asked Naruto, before realizing everything his statement entailed and hastening to correct it. 'I mean aside from when you were attacking Konoha.'

'Of course,' Kyuubi said, and Naruto got the feeling she was flipping her hair at him in a gesture of haughty arrogance. 'I have fought many shinobi in my time, both in my fox form and my human form. I have even fought your Shodai Hokage.'

'Really?'

'Mmm. The first time I was actually in my human form. Apparently, I had not been as careful as I usually was when manipulating you humans and someone had put a hit on me. Long story short, he and I fought. I managed to win, but he escaped.'

Naruto didn't know what bothered him more, how Kyuubi could speak so casually about using humans, or how he wasn't even getting angry like he used to.

'Wait? I thought the Shodai's Mokuton was able to suppress your youki? How did you manage to beat him?'

'For starters, he didn't use his Mokuton. He didn't know who I was, and as I was using my fox fire, which is hot enough to turn anything it touches into ash, he probably didn't think it would matter.'

'Huh. You learn something new everyday.'

After reaching the exit, Naruto crouched down after sliding the lid out of the way. Linking his hands together, he looked over at Chomei, making it clear what he wanted from the man.

A nod was his answer. Chomei walked up to Naruto and stepped onto his linked hands, allowing the armor clad blond to hoist the man up so he could pull himself out of the exit. Naruto followed soon after, jumping through the exit with a chakra enhanced push. His bulky, armored frame was just barely small enough to scrape through.

"This is... the daimyo's palace," Chomei said, turning to the blond as he dusted dirt off his armor. "So it's true, Sagi-sama, it is you."

Naruto wondered if he should correct the man, but decided not to. Technically speaking, he was right... sort of. Though the fact that 'Sagi' was actually 'Toki' he wasn't really right either.

Ah, whatever. He would leave explaining everything to Toki.

Gesturing with his hand for Chomei to follow him, Naruto led the man through a hidden door that led into the Daimyo's palace. Chomei followed him as he walked down the narrow path, coming out behind a hidden door hidden behind a portrait. A few more twists and turns and Naruto finally came to the room where he had left Toki.

He entered the room, Chomei behind him, to see that Toki was pretty much exactly where he had left her, sitting at Chishima's bedside. Chishima was also where he had left him, laying unconscious on said bed while being hooked up to numerous medical devices. As they walked in, Toki looked up, and Chomei stopped in shock.

"S-Sagi-sama!?" He looked back and forth between Naruto and Sagi. "But I thought that – aren't – I could have sworn Sagi-sama was the Cursed Warrior."

"Oh... he is," Naruto said, putting a very slight emphasis on the word he. Toki narrowed her eyes. "I was just borrowing this for a little while so I could mount my rescue mission."

"I see," Chomei frowned. "Then... who are you, exactly?"

Naruto grinned as he placed a hand on the oni mask and pulled it off, revealing his face to the Chief Tactician. Chomei's eyes widened.

"You're that Konoha Shinobi from the other night!"

"Wow," Naruto's dry voice cut through the air. "You're pretty smart to have figured that out all by yourself." He looked over at Toki, who was glaring at him. "Anyways, why don't we let... Sagi, explain everything so you can get up to date on what's happening."

XoX

"I see, so Sagi-sama disguised himself as the Cursed Warrior in order to lure out the person behind Owashi-sama's and Toki-sama's death."

Chomei and 'Sagi' were now sitting in seiza position on the floor several meters apart from each other. Toki had just finished explaining everything that had happened up to this point, and Chomei was nodding along as she finished her tail.

Naruto was standing several feet behind Chomei, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. He wasn't particularly interested in listening to this spiel again, so he spent most of his time talking with Kyuubi.

'So just how strong is the Shodai anyways? You should know, right? Since you fought him and all.'

Kyuubi let out a small chuckle.

'Let me put to you this way. As everything stands right now, Hashirama could destroy you and the entire village of Konoha with little more than a thought. The shinobi of this era are incredibly weak when compared to those of the last two generations. Even your beloved Fourth Hokage would have been nothing more than a fly compared to Hashirama.'

"Yes," Toki still in her disguise as Sagi said. "I was hoping that by disguising myself as the Cursed Warrior, I could discover who was behind the death of my father and brother." Her eyes narrowed. "Instead I was used as a pawn by Mōsō. I am truly sorry for the trouble I have caused you."

"It is fine," Chomei waved the apology off. There really was nothing to be sorry for, especially when he had not made an attempt at facilitating communications between him and the young Daimyo either. "It is I who should be apologizing. Perhaps if I had caught onto his plans sooner, none of this would have happened."

'Was the Shodai really that strong?'

'He was beyond strong. Your Shodai Hokage was the strongest shinobi of his time, and I should I know, I fought most of those shinobi at one point or another. While many of the stronger ninja managed to survive against me, they only did so because they were not alone. Hashirama fought against me and survived on his own. Sure, he was half dead before he escaped, but considering he had underestimated me and not used his Mokuton ninjutsu that's saying something.'

'What about the teme's ancestor? That Madara guy?'

Kyuubi hissed angrily at that name.

'Do not ask me about that man ever again! What happened between Madara and I is something that shall never reach the light of day!'

'Alright, alright. Yeesh, no need to get so angry. A simple 'I don't want to tell you' would have done it.'

'Don't expect me to apologize. I've done enough of that with you already.'

Naruto rolled his eyes. 'Don't worry, I don't.'

"What do you plan to do now, Sagi-sama?" asked Chomei.

"What do I plan to do now?" Toki repeated the question with a hint of sarcasm. "I plan on making Mōsō pay for everything he's done." She stood up, her fists clenched. "I'm going to kill him and avenge my father and brother."

"And I suppose you're going to do this all by yourself," Naruto spoke outside of his mind for the first time since Toki started explaining everything to Chomei. "That's what you're going to do, isn't it? You're just going to go off and try and kill Mōsō on your own, without even asking for our help."

"Naruto, you've done a good job with everything so far, and have helped me out, and I am grateful." Toki narrowed her eyes. "However, I do not need, nor want your help for this. Mōsō will die by my hands and no one else's."

There was a very prominent frown on Naruto's face as he stared Toki down. The young woman tried to give him a defiant glare, but after several seconds she looked off to the side, unable to maintain it in the face of his steadfast expression.

"I see," the blond said quietly. "So revenge is more important to you than your country? The country your father and brother gave their lives for? You're just going to throw everything away so you can kill this guy with your own two hands, all for the sake of your petty revenge."

"You don't understand anything!" Toki shouted, teeth grit and fists clenched so tightly they were shaking. "I have to do this! I need to kill Mōsō! If I don't time will never start flowing again!"

She yanked the watch he had seen her holding out from where it had been hidden within her sleeves.

"You see this watch! This watch was passed down from father to son for generations, but no more! This watch is broken! It's time has stopped just as mine has, and until I've settled this with my own two hands, my heart will remain as broken as this watch!"

The intense star down between Naruto and Toki lasted for only a few seconds. Yet, for some reason, those seconds seemed to stretch on for hours.

In the background now, Chomei observed the pair with indecisiveness.

"I see," Naruto closed his eyes. "You really are lost, aren't you?" He chuckled bitterly while Toki bristled. "Then go ahead and do what you want. If you want to throw away your life for the sake of something as stupid as revenge, I won't stop you."

Toki bristled at Naruto's blatant disregard for her need for revenge. He knew nothing about how she felt! She needed this! More than anything else, she needed that final release that would only come from completing her vengeance on the one who wronged her. Why couldn't he understand that!? Why... why...

… Why did she care about what he thought of her so much?

Taking a few deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down. Her fists unclenched, and her posture relaxed.

That's right. She shouldn't care about what he thought. She didn't. Naruto's opinions didn't matter to her. All that mattered was killing Mōsō and avenging her father and brother. Anything else was superfluous at best, and unimportant at worst.

Toki prepared to leave the room so she could get dressed and head out. She had to kill someone after all.

"You can't be serious!?" Chomei finally spoke up, having recovered from his shock at seeing the blond Konoha shinobi arguing with his Daimyo. "I know you are hurting right now, Sagi-sama, but revenge is not the way. It will only lead to more pain and suffering."

"I don't care," Toki said harshly. "So long as I attain my revenge, nothing else matters. I would gladly suffer a thousand years if it meant I could claim vengeance over the one who wronged me."

Naruto closed his eyes. This woman reminded him so much of Sasuke, the boy that had lost himself to darkness and willingly given himself over to an S-ranked traitor. She was willing to do anything if it would allow her a shot at revenge.

He didn't want to see someone take the path Sasuke took. While he would not really consider himself or Sasuke to be all that close, he had still been a comrade and someone he saw as a rival for a good portion of their time together. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, it had hurt when Sasuke left the village. Naruto didn't want to witness that happening to someone else.

But what could he do?

'What you always do...'

'Kyuubi?'

When Kyuubi didn't respond to his words, the blond frowned. Do what you always do...

What he always did.

A smirk made it's way to his face.

XoX

"Are you sure that was wise?" Chomei asked with a frown as he looked at the door Toki left through. His eyes darted back to Naruto to see him standing by the bedside where Chishima was sleeping, looking down at the person who was probably Toki's most loyal supporter. "Letting Sagi-Sama leave like that. You know as well as I do that Mōsō is likely far more dangerous than he realizes. Sagi-sama may very well be moving into a trap."

"Of that there can be no doubt," Naruto looked away from Chishima to eye his compatriot for the moment. "I would be honestly surprised if Mōsō didn't know that Sagi is the Cursed Warrior." He shook his head at using Toki's brother's name. He should probably tell Chomei the truth about her, however, it wasn't his information to tell. "Chances are he's prepared a reception for your Daimyo and is just waiting for Sagi to make an appearance."

"If you knew it was dangerous, knew that Sagi-Sama was being led into a trap, then why did you let him leave!?" Chomei looked about ready to rip his nearly nonexistent hair out. Seriously, couldn't this boy have tried a little harder to keep Sagi-sama from leaving?

"If I had done that, all it would have done is make Sagi even more bitter," Naruto closed his eyes, thinking about another person who had lost themselves to vengeance. He often wondered what would have happened had he caught up to Sasuke that day. If he had stopped the Uchiha heir from leaving, would Sasuke have been grateful? Or would he have become even more bitter and resentful towards others?

It was a question Naruto would never find an answer for.

Opening his eyes less then a second later, the blond fixed Chomei with a look.

"Right now your Daimyo is in a bad place, and unless he gets some sense knocked into him, he's likely not going to be leaving that place any time soon." Naruto broke out into a grin. "Besides, who says I just let him go?"

It only took a few seconds for Chomei to understand the context of that sentence. When he did, his eyes widened.

"You mean...?"

"That's right," Naruto's eyes closed as the grin etched on his lips stretched across his face, making the whiskers stretch along with it. He truly looked like some kind of kitsune right then. "I'm just a Kage Bunshin. The real Naruto has been trailing Sagi since he left."

XoX

The darkness of the night was only barely offset by the light provided by the moon and stars. A velvety layer of black had surrounded the land of Tori no Kuni. Everything was covered in darkness, masking the kites Toki was using to sail through the air well.

Once more dressed in the garb of the Cursed Warrior, Toki prepared for her final showdown with Mōsō. No matter what happened from here on out, nothing mattered except for her revenge.

The place she was heading towards was very easy to spot. She could see the building where Mōsō resided. It was marked by the fire from several torches, which crackled and wavered gently in the cool night air. Mōsō himself was standing on the veranda.

So he was waiting for her to arrive. That was fine. It would make things easier for Toki now that she didn't have to search for him.

At least, those were Toki's thoughts until a fire ball shot out of Mōsō's mouth, illuminating the entire area and showing the man she had come to kill how she was managing to stay aloft.

"What!?"

This was followed by Mōsō going through a set of handseals that she could not see due to the illumination from the receding fireball, which was just as quickly followed by a stream of fire that was launched from Mōsō's mouth again, this time hitting her kite and reducing it to ashes.

With her kite no longer able to keep her afloat (kind of hard when it's been burnt to cinders), Toki began to fall. Her feet managed to find purchase on a tree branch, but it was unable to support the combined weight of her and the armor she was wearing, thus it snapped under her and she fell to the ground.

Thankfully, she was able to land on her feet. Or mostly her feet. She was forced to kneel on one knee due to how far she had fallen in order to absorb the impact. At least she was alive.

Not so thankfully, her oni mask was beginning to get unbearably hot, which she soon realized was due to it being on fire. Moving with frantic haste, she yanked the mask off and cast it to the side, showing her face.

"Hehehehe..." Mōsō chuckled lowly at the sight of Toki as she knelt there on the ground. So he found this amusing, did he? She would ensure he wouldn't find it so amusing after gutting him with her naginata. "...I bid you welcome... Cursed Warrior."

"Make your move Mōsō," Toki scowled at the man as he stood there, cool as a cucumber. "I will give you reason enough to fear me."

"Save your breath, it's among the last you shall take."

"Fitting epitaph!"

With a shout that seemed to unleash all of her anger and hatred for this man, Toki lunged forward with her naginata, wanting nothing more than to see this man impaled on the long pole weapons blade.

It wasn't going to happen.

With surprising quickness, agility and strength, Mōsō jumped up over the blade meant to stab him in the chest. Then, with surprising lightness of feet, he landed on the blade itself. Another surprise was that even though he was standing on the blade, Toki was able to hold it up just as easily as if he were not standing on it, like he wasn't even there, or as light as a feather.

"You thought it would be easy, didn't you?" Mōsō smiled a mocking smile at Toki. "I'm almost disappointed that you would think so. But then, I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything less from someone who I had so unwittingly duped for all these years."

Pushing his feet off the blade, Mōsō jumped backwards into the air, his body flipping over like some kind of acrobat before he landed on his feet several meters away. He looked as unruffled as ever.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself." He gave a mocking bow. "My name is Hoki, and I am the leader of the wandering ninja."

Wandering ninja? Toki's eyes widened. Hadn't she heard Naruto talking about the wandering ninja? She hadn't quite believed him then, but now the evidence was irrefutable. It was staring her right in the face.

"With no land to call our own we drift from place to place, flotsam on the waves, stealing the jutsu nobody will deign to teach us. But the years sit heavy on our shoulders. Our patchwork clan tires of this vagrant existence." Hoki, as he was now calling himself, looked up at the sky as if in contemplation. "That's why we've been looking for a place to end our wandering and set down roots."

And suddenly, Toki understood. She understood everything that had happened to her up to this point. It was all because of this man, for this reason.

"So the truth has finally come out. You've been planning to take over this country from the very moment you arrived here!"

"How dare you judge our motives you spoiled brat! Fortunate has favored you! We wandering ninja suffer in a way you could never begin to understand!" Toki tensed as Hoki opened his normally closed eyes to look at her. "I see no harm in unfortunates like us wanting a place we can call home. But we could have never come this far had it not been for your father."

Toki's hands gripped her naginata tightly at the mention of her father.

"I assumed the guise of Mōsō and charmed my way into Owashi-sama's confidences. All the while the fool never suspected a thing. A dramatic bit of genjutsu was enough to convince him of Mōsō's magical prowess, thus he brought me into the fold as a trusted adviser."

"Chomei alone had enough sense to harbor suspicions about what I was up to. So I painted Chomei as a malcontent, after killing your father."

"That... that was you?" somehow, suspecting something and after that same something confirmed were two very different things. The knowledge that this man had indeed murdered her father was shocking, even though a part of her had already come to suspect that it was he who killed her father. "You're the one who murdered my father?"

"I killed him with pleasure! And after I kill you tonight, no one will stand in our way!"

That was enough. She had heard enough. This man had to die!

"You're evil ends here!" Toki's body shifted. Her left foot moved backwards to give her more support as she lifted the hand holding her naginata behind her back as if it were a javelin. The muscles in her arms and back tensed like a coiled spring waiting to be unloaded. "The dead cry out for vengeance!"

With a quick motion, she unleashed the naginata, sending it flying towards Hoki. Her aim was true. The weapon soared through the air, traveling straight towards her most hated enemy. It was set to impale him through the heart.

It would have too, had Hoki not moved. A quick step back followed by an upward swing of the fan in his right hand deflected the long weapon, not only launching it off course, but sending it spinning end over end towards Toki.

A gasp escaped her lips as Toki tried to move back in order to avoid the weapon that was now coming towards her. While she was able to avoid getting injured, her surprise was such that she did not move wuickly enough to avoid the naginata entirely.

The blade of her naginata hit her helmet, knocking it off her face and sending her long hair spilling over her face.

It was the first time since she had known the man that Mōsō, Hoki she corrected, looked surprised. Well and truly shocked.

"Can it be...?"

"Yes," she said, her left hand gripping the sheath of her katana while her right grabbed a hold of the hilt. "Sagi's younger sister, Toki."

With practiced movements, she unsheathed her katana and held it in a second stance. The sword was being held vertically up and down, with her elbows jutting out. Her body was more or less straight, save for the slight slouching of her upper back, a sign that she was not as well versed in Kendou as she was the naginata.

"This is for my father and brother!"

Wanting nothing more than to but this man down and end this, Toki charged straight at Hoki.

"Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Jutsu)!"

Too bad she forgot she was dealing with a ninja, a wandering ninja at that, and not a samurai. After going through a set of handseals and calling out the name of his jutsu, Toki found herself suddenly incapable of moving.

Her eyes widened as she struggled, her muscles tensing under the strain she as she tried to move. Yet no matter how much effort she put into it, her body refused to budge an inch.

"Well, well, Toki," Hoki said chidingly as he held his hand in a rat seal. "Observe how our shadows intersect. That is the Kagemane no Jutsu, and you are now mine to command!"

As if to prove his words were true, Hoki moved his left hand to the side. Toki's right followed his movements.

"Impressive, I never imagined you were alive."

He seemed to find amusement in Toki's struggles. Such thoughts probably would have pissed her off at any other point, but at that moment all she felt was fear as she realized her life was now in the palm of this man's hand. Which really just meant she wasn't going to live for much longer.

"The wandering ninja will control this land, never to wander again." Hoki moved his fan gripped hand back towards his throat, forcing Toki to rest the edge of her blade along her own throat. "And you who lived as Sagi will now die like him!"

Toki struggled as much as she could against her bodies betrayal. Her arm tensed as she did everything in her power to keep her own blade from slicing through her neck, but no matter how hard she tried, it seemed that whatever strange power Hoki had over her body was winning. With each passing second she found the blade getting closer and closer to her throat.

"About time you finished your monologue Mōsō! Or is it Hoki? Well, whatever, it's not like it matters. What does matter is that I'm here to stomp a mud hole in your ass!"

Toki's eyes widened. She knew that voice.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto?" Hoki blinked. Wasn't Naruto that blond brat who had left early this morning? "So you're still here! I should have known! You Konoha scum are always sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong! Well your too late! Now that Toki is under the control of my shadow there is nothing you can do to stop me from slitting her throat!"

"Who the hell do you take me for!? I've worked with a Nara before, and I know for a fact that cheap imitation of yours is nothing like the real shadow possession technique!" As Naruto said this a swift breeze picked up behind Toki. As one, the many wires that had been hidden under a minor genjutsu were cut, allowing Toki to fall to her knees.

Naruto then chose that moment to make his grand appearance, literally phasing into existence to stand protectively in front of Toki with minor application of the Shunshin.

Should he have just gone and killed Hoki and ended this charade? Probably. But this was Naruto we're talking about.

"Naruto!"

Naruto took his eyes off Hoki (he had shadow clones hidden around the area watching the man in case he tried to pull any funny business) to look at Toki. He offered her a quick grin.

"Sorry it took so long. That idiot over there was ranting so much that I just couldn't find the proper moment to step in and rescue you."

And just like that, any happiness Toki might have felt at Naruto appearing just in time to save the day died a horrible, horrible death.

"You mean to tell me that you could have stepped in at any time but waited?" she asked, deadpan.

"Of course," Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a slightly amused look. "Don't you know that the hero is always supposed to appear at the last moment? It makes for a much more dramatic entrance."

Toki didn't know whether to laugh or to curse the blond for being so... so... him while they were in the middle of a crises situation with the fate of her country and her own vengeance on the line.

"Only you, Naruto," she sighed, before smiling a bit. Toki wasn't sure why, but there was no way she could stay mad at him for this. Maybe it had something to do with him saving her?

"Don't think you can just ignore me!" Hoki suddenly made himself known again. Going through a series of handseals before ending on the tiger seal. "Katon: Gōkyakū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu)!"

Opening his mouth, Hoki released a fire ball from within the depths of his throat and sent it straight towards Naruto.

Naruto? Well, he snorted. Was this guy serious? That fireball was pathetic! Sasuke's was at least five times larger then this guys.

Making a decision on what to do, Naruto reached into his kunai pouch and whipped out a scroll. Unrolling it in mid air revealed a complex sealing array, a complex series of kanji running down the scroll in several rows length wise while a circle of kanji with arrows pointing towards the center was in the middle.

Placing the scroll on the ground, Naruto ran through a small gauntlet of handseals, then slammed his hands on either side of the scroll.

"Fūka Hōin (Sealing Art: Fire Sealing Method)!"

The fireball that had been traveling towards him far more slowly than most fireball jutsu would if they were launched from someone more competent began to stretch. It's body elongated and moved towards the scroll, where it soon became sucked into the paper. As the flames disappeared within the seal, the red kanji for fire appeared within the circle while blue vapor from excess chakra rose from the parchment.

"Fūinjutsu?" Hoki looked surprised to see that someone like Naruto knew the art of sealing. Well, it was an incredibly complex art requiring knowledge of complicated sealing formulas. "I had not realized I was dealing with an adept at sealing. Still, this changes nothing! Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!"

Naruto blinked several times as two very large and very realistic looking dragons with scaly green skin and glowing yellow eyes appeared before him. The dragons roared as they glared down at him and Toki like the two were their next meal.

There was only one problem...

"Ugh... are you serious," Naruto complained as he looked from the dragons to Hoki. "You didn't use anywhere near enough chakra to summon something like that." He then blinked. "And as far as I know there is no such thing as a dragon summoning contract. If there was, it would be pretty damn famous."

"Think whatever you like! Finish him my pets!"

"Yep," Naruto nodded sagely. "Definitely not real. No summon would allow themselves to be called a pet." He thought about his own summons, the toads, and how damn mouthy they were. Boss Gama was particular belligerent. It was probably why they got along so well. And Manda was just as bad with his 'I demand human sacrifices before I would ever fight for you' spiel that he had going on.

Even Katsuya, the most mild mannered boss summon he knew demanded respect.

There was just no way these summons could be real. Which meant...

Spinning about on his heal, Naruto lashed out with a wind blade at a small light that he could see hiding on a tree. The blade flew true, slicing into the holographic projector like a hot knife through butter, or a wind jutsu through paper. The mechanical devise didn't stand a chance.

With the destruction of the holographic projector, Hoki seemed to realize he was outclassed. He grit his teeth, trying to find a way out, but when one did not present itself, it became obvious he would have to take things into his own hands.

Putting a hand to his mouth, a whistle escaped from Hoki, signaling the several ninja that had been hiding out in case things got rough. He had not thought he would have to use them, but now that he was Hoki was glad he had the foresight to position them around his residence.

No one came.

"What the –?"

"I hope you weren't expecting those ninja you had hiding around to come to your rescue," Naruto said, smirking that damnable smirk.

Hoki realized what was happening before it happened.

One by one several clones of the blond came out of the wood works, each one carrying one of his men under them like a sack of potatoes.

"You didn't honestly think I would leave things to chance, did you?" Naruto may not be the brightest shinobi around, and he may act like an idiot half the time, but he wasn't stupid. When the time came to lay down the gauntlet and plan out his moves, the blond Uzumaki could make strategies with the best of them.

He wouldn't be so damn good at pranking if he wasn't.

"You!" Hoki glared at the blond with insanity and hatred in his eyes. "You damn brat! You've ruinned everything!"

"Oops, my bad," Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Sorry about that. I hope you don't have any hard feelings or anything. I'm just doing my job."

Hoki's eye began twitching. He ruined everything! There was no way he could take over the country now. He couldn't even use Toki as a hostage because Naruto was blocking his way, and he was not stupid enough to get in close to the person who just countered all of his jutsu so easily.

"Do you really think you have me beat!" he yelled. "This is far from finished! I may not be able to get my hands on Tori no Kuni anymore, but don't think this is the last you will hear from me! One day, I'll find a place of my own, and then I'll have my revenge!"

"Um, no you won't," Naruto said, and then pointed at something behind Hoki. Like an idiot, Hoki turned around, only to be knocked unconscious when a Naruto clone decked him in the face.

Toki blinked as she watched Hoki crumble to the ground like a house of cards. It had been so easy for Naruto to deal with him. Compared to her, it was like Hoki was nothing to him, nothing but a speck on the wall.

Was this the strength of a Konoha shinobi?

As Naruto watched his clone removing what looked like some kind of large costume from Hoki, he turned to look at Toki.

"You alright, hime?" he asked.

"I... I'm fine," Toki breathed out. She blinked at the hand Naruto offered to her, before taking it and allowing him to help her stand. Looking up, it was only now that they were standing so close that Toki realized just how much taller he was than her. "Thank you... for your help. I... I would have been killed if you had not shown up."

"Why did that sound so hard for you to say?" Toki flushed a bit at the question while Naruto chuckled. "Well, it's cool. I'm glad to have helped out."

"Oyabun!"

Two heads turned to see the Naruto clone that had knocked Hoki on his ass dragging the unconscious man towards them. He dropped the wandering ninja like a bag of rocks in front of them, and Naruto and Toki got their first glimpse of the real Hoki.

"Wow," Naruto whistled. "I always thought he looked like a clown before, but now he really looks like a clown. Is that make up he's wearing? He and Kankuro would probably get along famously."

Somewhere in Sunagakure, a certain cat pajama wearing ninja shook his fist in the air and shouted "IT'S NOT MAKE UP! IT'S WAR PAINT!" much to the confusion of Gara and Temari.

"So what do you want to do with him?" asked Naruto, turning to Toki who was looking down at the man. She looked up at him when he spoke, though. "This is your country that he wronged. As Daimyo, you get to decide his punishment."

That's right. It was her job to punish him for betraying her country. This was her chance for revenge. The chance she had sought for so long. Hoki was now helpless before her. She could kill him and he wouldn't be able to do a thing.

She gripped her katana so tightly that her hand began shaking. Raising her blade above her head and holding it in a two handed grip, she prepared to bring it down on Hoki, killing him and achieving her revenge.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of Naruto, who was looking at her in disappointment. She paused at the look, feeling a small pit of unease in the pit of her stomach. For some reason, Toki did not want that look pointed at her.

She looked back down at Hoki, still unconscious, still helpless, then turned her gaze back to Naruto. He was eying her with a carefully masked gaze now. She could determine nothing from his face, though his eyes had now gone from disappointed to curious.

Taking a deep breath, Toki closed her eyes.

… then brought the blade back down to her side.

"He will stand trial in front of a tribunal and receive punishment befitting his crime," she determined, which meant he would still probably be killed, but it wouldn't be by her hand. Killing a Daimyo and betraying a country is serious business.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, and Toki shuddered at the warmth that seemed to exude from the simple gesture.

"Come on," he said softly. "Let's get you back home. My clones can take care of this trash."

Toki smiled as she reached up and placed her hand over his larger one. She was very glad that it was so dark so Naruto could not see her blush.

Too bad she didn't know Naruto could see in the dark just as easily as he could the light.

"Thank you, Naruto."

"Mmm. No problem."

They began the walk back towards their residence, Naruto with his hands up behind his head in a look of casualness that was only added to by his grin, and Toki with the poise and elegance of a Daimyo, albiet, one who had just been on the receiving end of a minor beating.

"Besides, you still have to explain to Chomei and Chishima why you decided to disguise yourself as your brother.

Toki's eyes widened.

Oh crap.

XoX

Naruto groggily opened his eyes as something disturbed his sleep. He blinked several times, trying to get the gunk and crust out of them without having to use his hands. It would have been too troublesome to actually lift any part of his body right now.

Damn, he felt like Shikamaru.

It had only been a few hours ago that he and Toki returned to her palace. After she had explained to Chomei and Chishima how she had disguised herself as Sagi (which had been very amusing), she had offered Naruto a place to stay until it came time for him to leave. She had even managed to wrangle a promise from him that he would stay until her 'official' coronation as Daimyo of Tori no Kuni.

The bed Naruto was in was very comfortable, more so than anything else he had ever slept in (especially his own bed), which explained why he had fallen asleep so easily and so deeply. Royalty sure knew how to live it up.

That did beg the question of just what had awoken him. While Naruto could be a light sleeper when he wanted to be, when not required, he could easily sleep like the dead.

Blinking several more times, Naruto finally saw the cause of his awakening.

"I had better be dreaming because if you're real, then I'm going to scream."

Floating above him, his form ethereal and transparent, was none other than Sagi. Or the ghost of Sagi, but Naruto really hoped it wasn't a ghost and that this was just a dream.

"I wanted to thank you for rescuing my sister from herself," Sagi smiled at him. A ghostly smile. How creepy. "I entrusted her with the future of Tori no Kuni by giving her my watch, but Toki became obsessed with her intense desire for revenge. For her heart, it was as if time had stopped, and as a mere soul, I was not able to change it."

"But you did what I could not. You restarted her time, pushing her forward into the present. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done."

"Ugh... you can thank me by letting me sleep in peace," Naruto rolled over and tried to ignore the creepy ghost floating above him. It was just a dream, just a dream. It was just a dream. Come on, Naruto. Keep on saying it and maybe it will become true.

"Very well. Fair well, Naruto, and thank you."

"Whatever."

As the strange pressure from the ghostly apparition left him, Naruto decided to just pretend this whole thing had never happened. Maybe now he could get back to sleep.

The sliding of his shoji screen doors disabused him of that notion.

"Naruto? Are you awake?"

"Nggg..." Naruto groaned as he rolled back over onto his back and looked over to see who had disturbed him this time. Damn these interruptions. Couldn't they see he wanted to sleep?

Well, at least it wasn't a ghost.

"Toki?" Naruto pushed himself into a sitting position as he looked at the woman slowly walking further into his room. "What are you..." he yawned. "... doing here so late at night? Is something wrong?"

"No," Toki smiled as she sat down on the bed, causing the mattress to shift to accommodate her slight weight. "Nothing is wrong. I just never got the chance to thank you for all you've done for me."

"Eh?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, confusion evident on her face. "I'm pretty sure you did thank me, didn't you? Right after I knocked Hoki on his ass."

"Maybe, but I wanted to thank you properly."

"Properly? What do you –"

Naruto could not say anymore, for his mouth was hampered by another mouth.

His eyes widened as Toki kissed him. He opened his mouth, whether to protest her actions or for some other reason would never be knowing, mainly because Toki used that opportunity to slip her tongue inside his oral cavity.

The blond was quickly pushed back down onto the bed, Toki straddling as her kiss turned feverish. Her hands slipped under his shirt and began messaging his muscled pectorals and wash board stomach in greater and greater sweeps. Her actions sent a chill down Naruto's spine.

Perhaps it was because his higher functions had shut down, or maybe it had something to do with the incredible taste of her lips, but Naruto soon began returning the kiss with equal passion.

Their tongues danced and dueled. Naruto's hands gripped Toki's lithe waist and pulled her to him. The above him moaned at his actions and began kissing him even harder.

And then she began grinding herself against him.

Naruto's brain rebooted.

With a gasp of shock, Naruto pushed Toki's lips off him, then quickly slipped out from underneath her. He scrambled off the bed, his bare feet touching the cool Tatami flooring as he tried to regain his breathing.

"Naruto?" Toki looked at him in concern and a little bit of hurt. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong!?" Naruto shouted, causing Toki to flinch. "This. What we were just doing is... it's wrong. You just... and we just... you can't..."

Naruto's mind was a whirlwind of emotion and turmoil. He had flirted with girl's before, Tenten and Temari being the two who received the most of his time. But even than, it had only been light flirting between friends. Nothing more, nothing less. He had never done anything like this before, he couldn't.

"I'm sorry," Naruto quickly turned around and dashed out of the door, heedless of the fact that he was wearing nothing but a pair of orange boxers.

"Wait! Naruto!"

Naruto ran down corridor after corridor until he managed to slip through one of the secret passages that led outside. Once there, he found a tree to place his hand against as he tried to regain his breath.

'Naruto...'

'Don't,' Naruto's voice sounded out in warning. 'Please don't say anything, Kyuubi. I want to be alone right now.'

Kyuubi remained silent after that, leaving Naruto to face the inner turmoil of his feelings alone.

XoX

"I gotta admit, brat, I'm pretty impressed that you managed to solve this little problem on your own," Jiraiya said as he and Naruto stood a few meters from the crowd that had gathered for the official coronation of Toki. It looked like the entirety of the country had come to see Toki become the official Daimyo. Naruto could not even begin to count the number of people that were there, standing just outside of the veranda where Toki would make her appearance. "Usually, only Jonin can do solo missions, even if this one wasn't as dangerous as some."

"Yeah, well, what can I say," Naruto said with a small grin. "I'm just awesome like that."

"Hmph, don't get too cocky brat. You've got a long way to go before you can begin taking on solo A-rank missions like a jonin can."

"Whatever."

"Hmm. Look alive brat, it's starting."

Naruto looked over just as the sound of a drum began beating. The door to the chamber where Toki was waiting opened, revealing the woman in all her splendor.

Toki had taken to wearing a very elaborate Kimono made from several layers. The kimono was a solid pink, and was being held up by a very ornate blue obi with gold edgings. Underneath the kimono were several layers of clothing in blue, gold, green and white in that order. Over her kimono she was wearing a white susokiri with red lining the inner edge and gold lining the sleeves. On top of her head was a beautifully crafted gold crown that, while small and seemingly not as grand as, say, the Fire Daimyo's crown, was impressive in it's own right. Naruto could not help but think she looked magnificent in her ceremonial dress.

"Oooohh~" a blush spread across Jiraiya's face as he caught sight of the beautiful woman before him. He then began to drool. "If I had known what a babe Toki was, I would have come around much sooner – OOF!" Jiraiya winced and held his stomach. "Dammit, brat! What was that for?"

Naruto removed his elbow from where it had hit Jiraiya in the gut, not even bothering to take his eyes off Toki.

"Perv on her even from a distance and I will castrate you with a rusty spork."

"Ugh, your no fun." When Naruto raised his elbow again, Jiraiya back off and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright. I won't admire such a fine example of feminine beauty, but only because my cute little apprentice doesn't want me staring at his crush."

From across the field, Naruto's and Toki's eyes met. Unable to hold her gaze, Naruto looked away and turned a glare on Jiraiya.

"I don't have a crush on her," he snapped, perhaps a little more harshly than he should. "It's called having some decency! You don't perv on a Daimyo, ero-sennin."

"Fine, whatever you say, kid." Jiraiya hiked up the large scroll he was carrying around and turned to leave. "Come on, we should head out soon. I want to get out of here before nightfall."

Naruto sighed, sparing one last look at Toki, before spinning on his heels to follow Jiraiya.

After walking for several minutes in silence, Jiraiya sighed, sounding resigned as he turned his head to look at Naruto.

"Hey brat."

"What do you want, perv?"

A tic mark formed on Jiraiya's head, but he ignored the insult. What he had to say was important.

"I needed to tell you something," he hesitated, causing Naruto to look at him. "It's about your family."

And cut. I know, I left you on a quasi-cliffy. But I have a reason for this, a good one, which you will find out about in the next chapter.

This chapter is longer than my other ones in recent past. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please be sure to give me as much feedback as possible. What did you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Want me to burn at the stake for writing this crap? Be sure to let me know. I can't improve if you don't tell me what I need to improve on.