What does the Fox say?

A question for people, something that I'm undecided on. If my next Naruto insert fic, which will be after I finish the stories I already have planned, has the insert as Sasuke, should I have that insert be paired with a FemNaru, or have him be Bros with regular Naruto?

I'm wanting to make one insert where the MC is paired with a FemNaru simply because very few fics are like that out there that are quality ones, even if it's not my favorite type of fic.

The other idea I have for the insert is either an OC Hyuga or Neji, either one could work.

If I go with the Sasuke one being Bros with Naruto, which is what I'm leaning towards, the Hyuga one will be the one with a FemNaru.

The reason I'd write the insert as either Sasuke, or a Hyuga, is because of how fun it would be to write how the MC uses the respective dojutsu of whatever clan he's in...That and I'd enjoy the Sasuke one tearing strips out of Itachi for mind-fucking him.

Anyway, that question is over, and a warning to fans of Shimura Danzo, a disabled war veteran. This fic is not for fans of him, I've concocted a plan for him, a plan that he will most definitely not like.

Anyway, here's the chapter.

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3 days had passed since the failed D-rank, and the rumour mill of the village had started up on who the mysterious perverts were.

Much to my horror, a certain detail had been revealed about the 'mysterious pervert' that escaped from getting a beatdown at the hands of the kunoichi.

My drawers had lowered at one point and they saw my dick.

Kakashi looked like he was ready to keel over from lack of oxygen when he tried to explain what happened during the debriefing by the Hokage to the civilian council about how three genin under his command caused a wild goose chase to occur throughout the village, Inuzuka Hana and a few others trying to describe the perverts.

So far, nothing pointed towards me, Sasuke, or Shikamaru. The D-rank wasn't listed with us as the participants, a false name for me, given that Hiruzen didn't want anyone digging for why I was the one punished by digging out a blockage in the sewer line.

The physical description of us could describe just about anyone in the Genin corps, especially since my hair, normally a bright shade of red with a couple small streaks of blond in it, looked closer to brown because of the contents of the sewer covering me.

Shikamaru and I had the alibi that I'd been helping him out with taijutsu, which wasn't untrue, just that happened to be the excuse most of the time when he wanted to escape his house when Yoshino was on him for lazing around.

But Sasuke, oh Sasuke, was tempted to say he was one of the perverts after I pointed out that he'd lose most of his fangirls overnight if he admitted to being one, but he reconsidered after I pointed out how he'd probably get the same treatment I got when I was beaten black and blue, but without the accelerated healing.

I was on my way to fill in a D-rank, but I didn't know who the person was. I just needed to meet up near the flower shop.

Getting there, I frowned when I saw Ino's mom.

"Kauri-san?" I asked, confused by her presence, "What are you doing here?"

The brunette smiled as she looked at me.

"A genin is supposed to help around the flower shop." She explained, "And I don't know when he's supposed to be here."

"Does he have red hair, a keen intellect, and rogueishly handsome looks?" I asked.

Aside from a slight upturn of her mouth, she didn't show any reaction.

"My Ino-chan isn't strong enough to carry the heavy bags of fertilizer, so I need a strong and polite boy to help." She said happily, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me along.

"Hey hey hey," I said, trying to pull away, "I wasn't told that. No! I refuse!"

I was still in a bit of a traumatic daze after the previous D-rank. I didn't want another one added to the collection.

"Too late," She grinned, pushing the door open, "I asked for a genin, so I own you for the next couple hours."

Resigned to this torture, I stomped into the store, feeling Ino in the back room.

"Is Ino-chan going to be the overseer?" I asked all cutesy when I said Ino's name.

"I heard that." I heard her call out from the back room.

"You were meant to." I replied, seeing her enter the doorway.

Funny enough, she was wearing an orange t-shirt that Rin also had.

"You look like Rin with that shirt on."

Ino rolled her eyes, cocking her hip out and gesturing for me to follow her.

"My mom insisted I have help, so hop on to it."

"Does Ino-chan have tiny little bird arms?" I addressed her like she was a toddler, "Hers is so small and tiny."

Kauri giggled softly behind me at her daughter's expression, her face contorted into a scowl.

"I said I wanted a dog for a pet, Kaasan," Ino said, "Not whatever this is."

I shook my head at that comment, scratching at my head.

"I don't have fleas, unlike Kiba." I walked towards the doorway, Ino shifting so I could get through.

I looked around and saw a large part of the soil was dug up in preparation for fertilizer.

"Couldn't nitrates be better?" I asked, turning to Ino. "It stinks."

Even with the giant container that I assume had the shit in it, judging by the stamp that looked like the one on certain beef cuts at the markets, was completely sealed, I could still smell it.

"The plants used in the Akimichi food pills need non-artificial fertilizer to grow properly." Ino explained, starting to go on a huge explanation about it.

Nothing she said after the first part made any sense to me.

"Uh," I said, totally lost, "I didn't understand any of that. Could you dumb it down?"

Ino looked taken aback, before laughing.

"You can draw squiggly lines on paper and blow things up, but botany is lost on you?"

Fuinjutsu made sense to me. Call me idiosyncratic or plain weird, but squiggly lines made a hell of a lot more of a coherent message than whatever picky eating certain plants were.

"Actually," Ino seemed to think of what to do, "How much about plants do you know?"

Ino probably never questioned my knowledge on plants. All I knew was the basic Shinobi stuff on what plants were poisonous, what caused constipation, and what could be used to eat in a pinch.

"I can grow grains and make moonshine." I said sarcastically, having never said the last word aloud to anyone in this life.

"Moonshine?" Ino asked confusedly.

"Illegally made alcohol that you sell after making it out in the woods," I said bluntly, "Using moonlight to see what you're doing... thus the name."

Ino looked at me strangely, blinking several times at my nonchalant statement.

"What did I get myself into by being your friend?" She asked seriously.

'It's not like making alcohol and selling it is illegal.' I thought to myself, knowing because I checked the laws a couple years back for my own personal amusement.

"A life filled with merriment, excitement, and a premature demise." I snickered, walking towards the... shit can? Shit box? I don't know. I just popped it open to get things started.

The scent that assaulted my nostrils as I cracked it open had me staggering, my hands going to my knees as I started gasping.

The smell of animal excrement was so overpowering, even more so because of my heightened sense of smell, that I could barely breathe.

'Mask. Mask.' I fumbled for a cloth mask that I'd put tiny seals onto some metal bits sewn into it, shoving it onto my face as I took a deep inhale of air.

The seals filtered out most of the stench, much to my relief. I hadn't tested it out yet, but it seemed to work.

"Hey, Ino," I turned, seeing her expression of discomfort at the smell. "You need one?" I wheezed and coughed a bit, trying to regain my composure.

Ino practically leaped at me, her breath held.

I grabbed the backup mask and shoved it on her face, the faint hum of the seals activating being heard.

"Better?" I asked, my voice muffled.

"Yes." She nodded, taking in a deep breath. "Where'd you get these?"

"I made em." I shrugged, walking towards the corner where a shovel was, "With squiggly lines."

I then pushed the shovel into the pile of shit, lifting up some and tossing it into the soil.

Ino squeaked as she moved to the side, avoiding some shi-rapnel.

"Be careful." She said angrily, "You could've hit me."

I shrugged and got another shovelful, flinging it again.

'God, I wish Kakashi didn't forbid me from using clones. I'd be done in ten minutes.'

This was specifically a punishment for disobeying orders. If I wasn't Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, I probably would've been given the Shinobi equivalent of a court martial for what I did. If I'd been born as Sasuke, which sent a chill down my spine like you wouldn't believe, nepotism still would've carried me through and I would've gotten only a slap on the wrist like I actually did.

So... no clones to shovel the colonic excretions of bovines, judging by the odor.

"Cold, the air and water flowing. Hard, the land we call our home." I sang in English, shoveling some more.

Ino silently watched me do all the work. I knew she was getting a kick out of it from how her chakra felt.

After several shovelfuls, I turned and started spreading it out, grimacing at the wet sloshing sound.

"You know you could help." I muttered irritably, paying mind to my exposed toes.

I should've kept the metal plated ones that covered my toes today.

"My mom said to not help and to watch you do it." She laughed, but I could tell it was off. "But why are you doing this though?"

"Punishment for disobeying orders on the mission in Nami." I said simply, going back to shoveling more.

I heard a slight "Oh" come from Ino, nothing else being said.

The constant motion of my action started to get boring, and Ino seemed to agree.

"How did you create your own language?" She asked out of the blue, "You sing and I've heard you talk with Rin."

I kept my eyes on the container, not looking at her.

"Have you heard about the philosophical query of the Floating Man?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"No." She said, sounding curious.

"Our thoughts and dreams are crafted by information filtered from our senses into our brain," I explained, setting the shovel against the ground to turn towards her, "Which I'm sure you know. But the Floating Man is someone who has been deprived of his senses since his conception."

Ino looked like she was following along, so I trusted she understood if she kept silent.

"Without any incoming stimuli, we can't form thoughts properly. So the question is whether the Floating Man is really alive."

Ino looked uncertain, not knowing what to say to that.

"What does this have to do with your language?"

"Well," I began, using the reasoning I gave to Kakashi and everyone else, "My Yin chakra discrepancy basically gave me a near photographic memory when I was younger. Your dad told me how your clan has excellent memories."

Ino nodded, already knowing that about her clan obviously.

"I basically had that, except I remembered the months before I was born."

Ino's eyes widened in shock, taking a step back. "Oh my," She gasped, covered her mouth instinctively, "You remember all that?"

"Yep," I said, wording it like it wasn't a big deal, "And I was self aware. The words you hear from me are the product of my own inner monologue for... 8 months?" I said questioningly, "Rin and I were a bit premature."

Whatever Ino thought have next had her shifting uncomfortably.

"Does..." She averted her eyes embarrassedly, "That mean you... remember... being born?"

I tried to hide me cringing at the memory, but I failed horribly.

"Every minute of it." I said, shivering a bit as I thought of it more clearly.

The worst part was that I knew what was happening and what was pushing me out.

"I can't imagine how awful that would be." Ino mumbled, definitely embarrassed.

"Probably felt like what this felt when exiting the cow," I pointed at the pile of steaming shit, because what else was it other than shit? "Minus getting dropped on the ground."

"Actually," Ino seemed to liven up, "That would make sense why you're weird. You got dropped."

"Ino. Ino. Ino." I shook my head, clicking my tongue in admonishment, "I wasn't dropped as a newborn, I was thrown at a wall."

The blonde did a spit take as she grappled with the outlandishly stupid comment.

"You're crazy."

"Selectively sane." I countered nonchalantly, shoveling more of the glorious, brown, bovine manure.

Looking back, maybe I should've been less intentionally annoying to Ino. She had to listen to me sing like an idiot, hear my proclamations of pride in being brain damaged, and everything else.

I felt something smack in the center of my back, the sensation feeling like a wet noodle hitting me.

"Agh," I jumped up, arching my back from how much it stung, "What the hell?!" I whirled around, glaring at the giggling Yamanaka.

Ino had a water whip protruding from her index and middle fingers, the water wrapped together tightly.

"Did you seriously just do that?" I asked, scowling at Ino's continued giggling.

"That's fun," She swung her hand, causing me to duck, "Thanks for teaching me this."

'I should've never taught her it.' I grumbled, knowing she just found her new pastime while I finished my punishment.

"Hit me, and I'll throw a shovelful at you." I said, pushing said tool into the almost completely finished pile.

Ino, probably not believing me, swung again, striking me in the thigh lightly.

I ignored it, forming a devious plan that I was going to enjoy very much.

A few more shovelfuls later and I was done. Taking a deep breath, I walked towards the now fertilized soil, acting like I was tired.

"You just needed a little incentive." Ino laughed, flicking me with the water whip lightly again.

Smirking at what I was going to do, I caught it and pulled, dragging her towards me. A look of shock appeared on her face and I picked her up, wrapping my left hand around both her wrists.

"Let me go!" She said frantically, her request going unheeded as I lifted her up with both hands, my other on her back.

"I just made you a perfect pigpen," I said, holding her over the fertilizer, "And by Kami, you're going to enjoy."

Ino started thrashing around, trying to get out of my grip.

"No. No. No." She started freaking out, trying to get away.

The problem she had was that I was very strong and she most definitely wasn't. Her hands were restrained, so she couldn't make hand seals, and my grip was on the back of her shirt and I had it balled in a fist, so she couldn't exactly wiggle away.

"Please," She whimpered, her turquoise eyes wide in fright, "I'm sorry for tormenting you. Please don't."

Meeting her desperate expression and putting on a show of thinking, I slowly nodded.

"I'll let you go." I promised, not hiding the mirth in my voice.

Ino, the Yamanaka heiress that understood psychology better than anyone else her age, realized what I was going to do right before I did.

"No!" She shouted, but I twisted my grip and let go of her hands, causing her to fall face forward.

The scream she let out was high pitched and carried on as I used chakra to stick my grip to her back, catching her just inches from her face landing in the manure.

Her hair, which was still about halfway down her back when it was let down, was held in my other hand so it didn't fall forward.

Ino still screamed for a few seconds, laying completely still.

Once she realized she was being held, she quieted down.

"This was a fun D-rank." I said suddenly, pulling her up fast enough to make her squawk in surprise. "We should do this again."

I then started laughing, losing the facade of composure I displayed. I was laughing so hard I put my hands on my knees, almost cackling.

Ino blinked the disorientation from her vision and growled at me, shoving me.

I would've shrugged it off, my Yamanaka friend still being a little too lean for a Kunoichi, although she'd made amazing progress, but I was off balance enough for her to push me to the ground, my laughter still making it hard to breathe.

She jumped on top of me and started slapping me, growling my name.

"Uzumaki *slap* Naruto, *slap*. You *slap* are *slap* so *slap* annoying." She raised her hand to slap me again, all the while I was almost wheezing from laughing at her reaction, but she stopped and turned.

I turned to look as well and Kauri was standing at the doorway, looking extremely amused.

Ino jumped off me and looked at her mom.

"Yeah, Kaasan?" Ino asked, trying to sound normal.

"Do I just need to pretend that you didn't just assault the hired help?" Kauri asked pleasantly, tapping her fingers against her arm.

Ino blushed in embarrassment, before shooting me a glare.

"Naruto was being Naruto." She muttered.

"Hey," I protested, "You think it's funny to smack me with a whip, and I think it's funny to make you think I was gonna drop you."

"Those," Ino sputtered, before stomping towards me, "Those aren't the same and you know it. How would you feel if you got covered in that." She pointed at the manure.

"Better than I did in the sewer." I retorted, wincing when I realized what I just said.

"You were the one that blew up the sewer?" Kauri cut in, several different emotions going across her face.

"No," I shook my head, fighting the urge to shrink away from the glare levelled at me, "That was a massive misunderstanding."

"Well," Kauri smiled, the glint of her teeth making me feel like I was cornered, "The contract says you have to listen to me, so enlighten us."

'What?' I thought, embarrassed by the thought.

"That's abuse." I stammered, looking between the mother and daughter. "No."

"You did say it was a punishment for disobeying orders, Naruto-kun." The way Ino said my name send an unpleasant shiver up my spine. Sure, I was a prodigy Shinobi, but I did not know how to handle a budding psychoanalyst like Ino.

Knowing that I couldn't wriggle out of the situation, I explained, without making eye contact, what happened.

Once I finished, leaving out a couple details, Kauri and Ino were laughing. Kauri had the decency to be restrained about her mirth, but Ino hammed it up as revenge.

"No wonder you didn't want to do this." Ino patted my shoulder, "So traumatic for you."

I mumbled random bits of English under my breath, uncomfortable from how embarrassing it was.

"Could you not say anything?" I asked desperately, "I don't want a hit put out on me by the women."

Ino simply giggled and walked away, not giving an answer.

"Ino?" I asked, trying to conceal my fear.

"I need to shower," Ino cut me off, pulling the mask from her face and tossing it to me, "Have fun."

I watched, trying to not freak out, as Ino left.

'She wouldn't.' I assured myself, trying to not shiver. 'She's just messing with you.'

"You reap what you sow when you antagonize my daughter for amusement." Kauri laughed, gesturing for me to follow her.

I did, practically dragging my feet as I looked down at the ground.

"Don't be like that," She chided me, signing the receipt to show I completed the mission and handed it to me, "In any friendship, friends torment one another and share."

At the word 'share', I glanced up at her.

Kauri was relatively tall for a woman, being about 5'6.

"Did you listen to us talk?" I asked slowly, not knowing what to think of it if she did.

"I did," She nodded, "And you are such a sweat boy to explain things to her that I know you consider personal."

There was only a select few people I trusted with opening up to, and Ino was the most recent addition.

My train of thought started to go to a route of suspicion, especially since Kauri knew a decent amount about me from her husband.

Could Kauri be forcing interactions between her daughter and me?

The thought had merit. Ino was more driven and focused when I helped her out, and her progress in mindset was nothing to scoff at either.

But the bigger question...Did I care?

I chose to help Hinata, and I chose to help Ino. Kauri encouraging more interaction wouldn't change the outcome or my opinion of the girl.

So no, I didn't care, and I wouldn't bring it up.

"I really hope I never have to do this again," I muttered, "Even if Ino was great company."

Kauri hummed thoughtfully, giving me a soft smile.

"I won't take up the rest of your day," She promised, "Thank you for being diligent."

Her tone basically told me I was dismissed and I nodded, turning to leave.

The only thing left today was for me to start training with Gai.

I just hoped I could utilize the Gates safely.

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I was on my way to meet up with Kakashi, Gai, and a certain Jonin mentioned by Kakashi, a friend of his, about Gai teaching me how to open the first Gate, something that had me absolutely elated at learning.

If Lee was able to catch my punch without issue in the sewer, what the hell would it do for me, an Uzumaki?

I got near the training ground Kakashi told me to come to, sensing 3 presences, one of which had me take a sharp intake of air and my chakra vibrating under my skin.

'It's not him.' I assured myself, trying to keep a level head. 'It's Tenzo/Yamato, not Obito.'

Obito had a similar feel to him, having a fair portion of his body made of and held together by flesh from Zetsu, making him able to use wood release somewhat.

Tenzo's wasn't even remotely comparable in how it felt, not feeling as unnatural.

I stopped near one of the outer buildings near the training ground I was supposed to go to and thought of a plan, something that might work for me.

Warning or hinting that the 'Mysterious Sharingan wielder' that unleashed the Kyuubi could use wood release might be useful to prepare Konoha for what the bastard could do.

Decisions. Decisions.

'When we meet again, Obito, you shall find me unafraid.'

I'll apologize afterwards for giving them all a heart attack, but this is something that needed done.

I looked around to make sure no one was near me, and spiked my Killing Intent, walking towards Tenzo with purpose.

My hand reached towards my blade, which now had an actual scabbard, and drew it, raising it up in position as I walked towards Tenzo, ignoring Kakashi and Gai.

"Naruto." Gai called towards me exuberantly, but he trailed off as I didn't even acknowledge him.

Staring straight at Tenzo, I channeled some lightning chakra through my sword, pointing it straight at him.

"Why is your chakra familiar?" I demanded quietly, the man's dark eyes focused on me. "I've never met you, but your chakra reminds me of someone."

"Naruto," Kakashi's voice cut through the false atmosphere of danger I made, "What are you doing?"

What I was doing made me feel dirty. I didn't know how to give information without acting angry or vicious about something, and that on its own pissed me off.

I was scared of anyone knowing about me, but I couldn't just sit back and watch everyone fumble in the dark.

So, I manipulate my friends and teachers, people who don't deserve it.

"He did it," I growled, looking at Tenzo, his chakra shifting in a way that was unique, likely being the Mokuton.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi almost demanded, his arms up and ready to intervene, even if his body language betrayed his concern. "Did what?"

With my grip on my blade, I let my chakra slip a little out of my grasp.

"The attack!" I shouted desperately, punching at my stomach as a signal, "It feels like him."

Kakashi's eye widened, looking between Tenzo and me.

Kakashi walked slowly towards me, holding his hands up to try and calm me

"It wasn't him," He said calmly, "Trust me, he wouldn't have been old enough, Naruto."

I maintained my guarded stance, staring at Kakashi and Tenzo. I eventually took a shuddering breath and let my chakra blade fade away and sheathing my sword.

I let my chakra relax and I walked up to Tenzo, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry," I said genuinely, "Your chakra is..is."

"Different?" Tenzo offered, his posture still slightly tensed.

I nodded with a flat look on my face, turning to Kakashi.

"Does he know anything?" I asked, gesturing towards my head and tapping my temple with a finger.

"No," Kakashi replied, relaxing now that I was calm, "He is here because of the Kyuubi, but nothing else."

Kakashi had mentioned that precautions would need to be made when the first session happens with Gai, that obviously being someone with the ability to shackle my chakra in the event I lose control.

Kakashi had mentioned, after checking to make sure absolutely no one else had been around us, that the man he'd be bringing had the Mokuton.

"I'll be bringing this up afterwards." I looked at Kakashi, who nodded. "And...sorry," I didn't fake the discomfort in my voice. I felt genuinely awful about it, "For, well, reacting that way."

Tenzo, who glanced at Kakashi for a moment, seemed to shrug it off and go with the flow.

"Kakashi-senpai would have mentioned something if it was a problem."

I nodded and turned my attention to all three.

"So," I said a little awkwardly, looking at the three men, "Can we get started?"

Gai nodded and gave Kakashi a glance, Kakashi backing away somewhat, while Tenzo shifted where he was behind me and could see Gai's face.

Whether Gai was being extremely professional, or he wanted to get past the awkwardness of what just happened, he had his entire focus on me.

"Now, Naruto," Gai said, looking straight into my eyes, "This is a dangerous technique, and it requires immense focus and control. It took Lee months to open even the first without hurting himself. I hope that you won't have the same backlash."

He sounded slightly subdued when he mentioned Lee's name.

"I'm sorry about Lee and Neji," I offered, feeling bad about it, even after 3 days.

Neji was sulking that he was soundly defeated, and Lee just got out of the hospital from the dislocated knee, being told to take it easy for a few days, which happened to be the reason Gai was here right now.

"It's not your fault," Gai waved it off, flashing a reassuring smile, "A paperwork error caused it."

I was pissed when I found out that a stupid error was the reason I got covered in shit and my balls stomped on repeatedly by a bunch of pissed off kunoichi.

Sighing, I gave Gai a speculative look.

"So, what do I do about the 1st Gate?" I asked.

Gai's eyes brightened and he gave me another beaming smile.

"First, sit down and cross your legs," He instructed, which I did so, followed by him doing so as well, "Now, do you have any experience in channeling chakra into your brain?"

Debating for a moment, I nodded a yes.

"Good, good," He said, "That makes this a little easier. Let me explain each Gate, even though I'm sure Kakashi told you what he knew."

Gai went on to explain each of the Gates, their location, and what each one did when opened.

The first would switch off certain inhibitors your brain puts on your body's muscles and joints, giving you a boost in speed, the second did something similar, but focused more so on muscular strength and recovery speed.

"For the second one," I said, looking directly at Gai, "What will that do for me when I already heal quickly?"

Gai was silent for a moment, the question not an expected one.

"I don't know," He eventually answered, "The Gates won't be as harmful for you to open, but you have to promise me, Naruto," He said my name with a firmness in his tone that wasn't there before, " That you will only train with me when opening more than one or two. I don't use most of them when I spar with Kakashi, I could potentially kill him if I don't hold back."

I knew precisely what could happen when my body was hitting with a multiplied strength factor when I already was physically stronger than everyone my age. I could literally punch someone's head off without meaning to.

"I promise," I said firmly, not looking away from him, "I want to learn this so I can protect my friends and Konoha. I'll stop being a Shinobi before I ever put them in danger."

None of it was a lie. Training myself into the dirt was for no other reason than to protect and survive was the truth.

I could see tears spring from Gai's eyes at my proclamation.

"Yosh," He shouted exuberantly, giving me a thumbs up, "Your youth burns hot, Naruto, I shall help you fan them into a beautiful flame, if it's the last thing I do!"

"Gai-sensei!" I shouted, putting my arm out, fist clenched.

"Naruto!" He shouted back, meeting my clenched fist with his own, the two of us fist bumping.

I could practically feel the revulsion from Kakashi at the display, but I didn't care.

I calmed back down and paid attention as Gai began explaining what I needed to do.

"How good of a sensor are you?" he asked first, confusing me.

"I can somewhat feel how your chakra flows," I answered, "Even with it being at rest."

Gai's chakra, even if it wasn't the largest reserve of chakra I'd felt, definitely glowed the brightest, his passion and emotions lighting it up. I couldn't imagine what Ino felt when she was around him.

"Good," Gai nodded, "I want you to feel how my chakra changes when I open the first Gate. Feel where the chakra flows in my brain."

I focused my sensing on his head, feeling how his chakra seemed to sharpen at a certain point in the left hemisphere of his brain.

Hinata would be able to see specific details where I only got a hazy cloud of chakra.

I probably should have steadied myself beforehand, because I winced visibly when his chakra spiked when he opened it up, feeling like a flash went off in my sensing 'vision'.

Gai maintained it for several seconds, before closing the Gate again, looking unfazed by doing it.

"Did you feel how it was done?" Gai asked expectantly.

"Yes," I nodded, "Didn't expect it to be that bright, though."

Gai hummed his understanding, gesturing for me to try.

"Don't feel discouraged if you don't manage anything today, Naruto, it took Lee some time to do it, and even longer where it didn't give him a headache." Gai explained, giving some more detail about it.

I gave him a thumbs up and began channeling chakra into my brain, feeling it move through certain tenketsu.

I shivered slightly when I made the chakra slowly creep along the tenketsu points, feeling my spine tingle slightly.

When I studied the nervous system in the anatomy books to work on the Lightning Cloak, I became pretty well read concerning the tenketsu points.

The two major ones in your brain helped regulate it, and I had to become capable of moving lightning chakra through the two.

Now, I needed to pry them open.

I got to the one that I needed to, and sharpened the chakra, driving it towards it as gently as I could.

I felt my chakra involuntarily spike for a moment, everything looking different from the chakra engulfing me, and my entire body jolted like I'd been shocked.

I instinctively grabbed at my head and my arm shot towards my head much harder than I meant to, my hand smashing into my face.

"Aghh," I shouted, trying to stand up and ending up leaping a few feet.

"Naruto!" Gai shouted, rushing towards me, "Hold still, your body is moving easier than it should be."

I turned to look at him, my neck making a creaking noise as my head jerked.

My eyes widened when he jumped on top of me, driving the air from my lungs.

I tried to push him off so I could breathe, but his grip tightened and I couldn't move at all.

"Close the Gate," He instructed firmly, his face a few inches from my own, "You'll hurt yourself as you are now."

Gai's grip on me was straight up painful from how hard he was holding me, preventing me from thrashing around.

Taking a few calming breaths, I pushed chakra into the Gate and forcefully closed it, feeling like I got stabbed in the head.

After the chakra faded away, I realized how much my entire body was tingling like I'd been electrocuted, my arms and legs not wanting to listen to basic commands.

I just groaned in pain as Kakashi and Tenzo rushed to me, looking concerned.

"Is he okay?" Kakashi asked Gai, looking back at me on the ground, twitching.

"Did you use lightning chakra?" Gai asked me, still on top of me.

"Y-yes," I managed to force out, my tongue feeling numb.

Gai sighed and got off me, putting his hand on my shoulder to force me into a sitting position.

"You're not supposed to use any elemental chakra," He clarified, "I'm surprised you almost succeeded on your first try."

What I did was similar to how I channeled lightning chakra to speed up my mind, but I focused my chakra to the tenketsu needed to open the first Gate instead of keeping it flowing consistently. Perhaps I'd subconsciously shifted my chakra to act like lightning because that's what I normally did.

"What's supposed to happen if I pull it off properly?" I asked, squinting at the headache that was starting to fade.

"You actually did almost open it," Gai said, his brows furrowed, "But it would have closed back from being partially opened. You saw what happened when you tried to move with it partly done."

I grimaced at remembering how hard I accidentally punched myself when I grabbed at my head.

"How did Lee manage to not do that to himself?"

Gai chuckled at the question, giving me a pearly white smile.

"He did punch himself and hit the ground, but he fought through it, not giving up. And look at him now!"

"He's a splendid Shinobi that I'd fight alongside, even through hell." I finished what Gai was going to say, adding on the last part.

Gai laughed heartily and slapped me on the shoulder, jarring me and making me groan, but Gai didn't notice.

"Yosh! Kakashi has not stifled your youth with his hip attitude. You have hope in being as splendid of a Shinobi as me!" He declared, pulling me into a hug.

I yelped when he grabbed ahold of me, feeling my back creak from the hug.

"Gai," I squeaked, trying to breath, "Lungs. Won't. Expand."

Gai let me go and turned to Kakashi, a wide grin on his face.

"He will be the most youthful of all your students, Kakashi. He almost opened it on his first try."

Kakashi kept glancing between me and Gai, before looking at Tenzo.

"Does he still need to be here?" Kakashi asked, "I didn't feel any of the Kyuubis' chakra like we were concerned about."

Gai waved it off, looking very happy.

"The first part is done. Now that Naruto knows what it feels like, we can move on to the hardest part."

"And what part is that?" I asked.

"Meditation." Gai shrugged.

Bullshit. Asking me to sit still is like telling Rin to not eat ramen.

///////////////////////

As it turned out, meditation was even worse than I thought.

Swirling my chakra in the tenketsu in my brain, making sure to not make it like lightning, caused my chakra to want to behave more excitedly, causing me to fidget constantly.

The solution Kakashi had was to have me spar with Gai to work off some excess energy, which indeed worked, but left me being a walking bruise.

No Kenjutsu, just taijutsu and what Ninjutsu I could use fast enough to fling at him before anime Bruce Banner kicked my face in.

I staggered back home, with orders to do more meditation exercises to make it easier to keep the Gate open when actually fighting.

Kakashi had added, after Gai overlooked it, that opening the first and second Gate would have no detriment on using Ninjutsu, but anything past that might cause something, neither of them were sure given that Gai didn't use much Ninjutsu that was more complicated than a C-rank when using the Gates.

I got back home, my hand shaking slightly from the training, opening the door with my key.

I got in and saw Rin on the couch, looking slightly irritated.

"You were supposed to be back at 6:00," She said flatly, "It's 8:00, right now."

"Training with Gai went on longer than I thought." I said, walking slowly to the fridge to not stagger.

Shifting through the contents, I frowned at the missing leftovers from this morning.

"Where's the ramen box from earlier?" I asked, still looking for it.

"I ate it for lunch." Rin said simply, still on the couch.

I growled under my breath at that, shutting the door.

"I said that was for me." I pointed out, walking towards her.

She scoffed and straightened up on the couch, glancing towards the empty box on the ground with a grin on her face.

"Well you are the one in charge of ordering food," She frowned, "You said you were going to order some takeout ramen for supper."

I groaned under my breath and cursed myself for forgetting.

"I forgot," I admitted, "And Ichiraku's is closed for tonight. They close early today."

Rin scowled and got up from the couch, pacing around slightly.

"Well I'm getting something to eat, you can do whatever." She then walked towards the door, confusing me.

"Where are you going?" I asked, wondering where she was heading this late in the evening.

"Either Sasuke or Shikamaru," She said simply, "They'll give me some food to get me to leave."

"That's called extortion, Rin," I pointed out, "And it's frowned upon when it's done to friends."

Rin snorted when I said that. "What makes you think they're my friends?" She asked with a grin, "Shikamaru talks with you more, and Sasuke is more than just a friend to me."

My face twisted in annoyance at the joke she made about Sasuke, but she started talking again.

"Both have black hair and eyes," She hummed to herself, resting a finger on her chin in thought, "both are clan heirs, and they seem to get along with me."

I blinked to try and wake up, not believing this was happening.

'No. No. My baby sister isn't thinking about which boy works best for her. This is a nightmare, a Genjutsu.'

"Kai." I said, making a hand seal, blinking repeatedly.

Rin looked at me like I'd gone insane, or at least more insane than I usually was.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get rid of the Genjutsu," I said, making the sign again, "My little sister isn't thinking about boys, especially the guys I spend the most time with, in front of me."

Rin began to mock sob and wipe at her eyes.

"Why can't you respect my choices, oniichan," She sniffled, shaking slightly, "Why can't you just let me love Sasuke-kun or Shika-kun?"

I should never have asked Hiruzen to get us training all those years ago. That training led to Anko, said crazy woman corrupting my precious baby sister.

"Please, stop," I asked, my voice betraying my discomfort, "I hang out with them the most. Don't make it awkward."

"It's awkward for me when I hear about the 'mystery pervert'," Rin scowled, her face reddening in annoyance, "Only one 'feature' was described."

I groaned at the reminder, remembering how mortifying it was for the 'mystery pervert' to be described as having 'A sizable package and above average girth'.

I'm 13, and Kakashi was nearly on the ground when he told me what Hana said, something about how she wouldn't mind seeing me again, whilst licking her lips.

"Which part was awkward?" I asked sarcastically, "The part where I'm sizeably satisfyi-"

"Grrr," Rin threw her hands up and covered her ears, her teeth bared slightly, "I don't need to hear it again."

I just shook my head and walked to the couch, sitting down to relieve the ache in my joints from sparring with Gai for hours.

"If you're going to harass one of them," I said, changing the subject slightly, "Henge as Kiba's sister, should be fun to see their reaction. Say you know it was them." I snickered at the last part.

Rin giggled in a way that made me almost shiver in fear, the look on her face being extremely creepy.

"Thanks." She said, turning to open the door to leave.

"Sorry guys," I said, feeling slightly bad, "I broke guy code."

Rin knew that the way to irritate me was to comment about her liking boys, even though I knew she could make her own choices on who to spend time with.

But still, I hated to admit that, that I couldn't just be there all the time to hold her hand on things, even if when I knew it would drive a wedge between us from stifling her.

Exhaling in resignation, I stretched out on the couch and relaxed my body, feeling around for my noticeably depleted chakra.

I was running at about half capacity, the initial partial opening of the first Gate burned a decent amount from me not channeling the flood of it, mainly from not expecting to open it that easily.

The later sparring and liberal use of lightning enhancement also ate into it decently, each of them being beneficial.

The meditation was so I could get into a relaxed enough state where my chakra wouldn't fluctuate minutely, steady chakra working better to get your tenketsu accustomed to being specifically stressed to open a Gate.

But I had a slight advantage on people starting from scratch. I'd already gotten used to moving chakra through my brain with precision, the opening of Gates one and two likely being simple for me, once I relearned how to not instinctively use lightning chakra for my brain.

I took a few deep breaths, slowly making them smaller and steadier, letting my mind and body relax.

After an untold amount of time, my chakra steadied, feeling like a soft flowing stream, albeit a large one.

I pulled on a minute amount, moving it towards the tenketsu points, up my spine, and towards my brain, before feeling it begin to shake some.

I let it go, making a shadow clone and ordering it to wake me up if I fell too deep in a trance or fell asleep.

I then began the exercise again, sinking deeper into a meditation trance.

But something happened that had me try to shout in shock, if only I was conscious when it happened.

I felt myself get dragged downward, a falling sensation hitting me, my voice echoing in a chasm.

///////////////////

I opened my 'eyes' and looked around, seeing nothing.

It felt familiar enough to make me start freaking out.

"I'm not dead," I muttered, breathing heavily from what it felt like, "It's not nothing. You're ok. Think, think."

I managed to calm myself and I saw the area seem to brighten, the area looking to be very strange.

It looked like a tunnel section that had been damaged and patched, only to be damaged again, being repaired haphazardly.

Walking towards the center, I realized where I was.

There were bars in front of me, bars that looked to be for something the size of a mountain.

Strangely, or maybe not, thinking about it, the cage looked smaller, with certain script appearing on it that I was struggling to understand the complexity of, but it looked to be an adding to the cage that made it look asymmetrically shaped from being tightened.

Knowing I'd be proving to be a dumbass, I stepped towards the cage, just a few meters away, slightly tensed.

"Hello!" I shouted, "Anyone here? I don't know where I am."

I reached my hand out blindly, and sure enough, I nearly shit myself from what happened next.

I giant furry claw shot forward from the shadows in the cage and smashed into the bars with a resounding clang, making my ears ring.

I fell back in shock and crawled back some, breathing heavily.

"Fuck you!" I shouted, flipping myself up and growling at my bastard tenant, "First time I see your furry ass since you tried to kill me."

"How adorable, the little hairless monkey thinks he's a kit." A voice sounded out, deep and all encompassing.

I managed to keep myself from shaking at how intimidating it was when Kurama stepped out of the shadows, his form looming above me, the mental manifestation of ink and chakra being the only thing between us.

"Yes," He chuckled, "Shiver in fear, like so many others have."

Steeling myself, I fixed him with a glare of fury.

"Bold words for a docile little fox," I snarled, stepping towards the bars a little closer, "Who's behind the cage, again? Please, remind me."

The rushing sound of air being inhaled clued me in to how much that little comment pissed him off.

"How did I even get here?" I asked maintaining a certain distance from the bars, "Last I remember, I was on the couch."

"Ah, yes. The little vixen was talking about how much she desires to be bred."

Through sheer force of will, I bit down what I wanted to say.

"You didn't like that, did you?" Kurama asked, laughing maliciously, "She's all you have left, isn't she?"

"Say one more thing," I threatened, my breathing coming heavy from my anger.

"Or what?" Kurama asked mockingly, "I'm already imprisoned. What more can you do?"

'Don't tempt me.' I thought, deciding to try something out.

I grabbed at the environment, almost like how I did with my chakra in the mist I'd make, and pulled hard.

The environment seemed to shake slightly, Kurama looking around rapidly.

"What are you doin-," He began to say, before the cage seemed to tighten a little more, causing him letting out a deafening roar in anger.

"Fuck with me," I roared back, letting my rage be known, "And I'll fuck you!"

Kurama stared back at me, growling, but not speaking.

We stayed silent for several minutes, the only sound being a slight dripping sound.

The fact that I was able to manipulate the environment somewhat was a good thing, but I doubted I could threaten him with shackling him and stab him, knowing I didn't have the heart to do it, no matter what he said.

I broke the silence between us.

"Since I don't plan on dying," I started, still angered by him, "You're not getting out for at least another 100 years. I plan on living a long time."

Uzumaki could live passed 100, me and Rin possibly more so from our healing being enhanced by being Jinchuriki.

I continued speaking.

"I have a few questions, which if answered, I'll offer something in return."

Kurama didn't show any reaction for a moment, staying completely still.

Eventually, he shifted slightly and leaned closer to the bars.

"What questions, and what will you give me in return? You already said you won't let me out."

"If I could find a way," I leaned forward, looking directly at him, our eyes almost level from him leaning in, "I'd set you free."

Kurama jerked back and growled at me.

"Do not lie to me, human," He said viciously, "Speak with false kindness, fine, but do not lie to my face."

"Do you really think I want to have to play host to the thing that took almost everything from me?" I shouted, scowling at his reaction, "If I could be free from you without dying, I would, fox!" I spat the last part out.

Kurama gave me what I thought was a speculative look, based on his response.

"You wish to be free of me?" He asked, almost looking contemplative, "A child doesn't think of me as worthy of imprisonment, but simply wants me to be gone. You're not a typical child."

"If you could die, I'd probably try to kill you myself," I said irritably, "But since that isn't the case, I'll be fine with you fucking off to whatever shithole you crawled out of."

"You understand NOTHING, human!" Kurama growled, raising to his full height.

"Enlighten me, oh great and wise Kyuubi," I snarked, glaring up at him, "Greatest of the Bijuu. The same furbag that got made into a nice little pet by a pink-eyed prick, and later made into a docile little kitten by a literal tree hugger!" I shouted, laughing mockingly at his growling.

"Humans have caused more destruction than I and the other 8 ever could," He said viciously, "Uchiha Madara wished to destroy your wretched little village, but lacked the strength to kill your Shodai Hokage. So he came after me, taking control of me."

At my lack of response, probably mistaking it for shock, he continued on.

"None of your generations change. My previous jailers wailed at the deaths of your clan, your emotions and despair are felt by me. Salt in the wound of being imprisoned for decades."

That had me surprised, but he kept on speaking.

"The Uchiha were brought low, just as they deserve. Only 3 sniveling wretches survive, and one of them is in your village."

Ignoring how he'd know that, I started speaking.

"Sasuke and Itachi," I said, acting like I was thinking of something, "And the third-"

"Uchiha Madara." He declared, "He is the one that controlled me. He is the one that ripped me out of your mother. He is the reason you have so little left."

"You lie," I said quietly, "Madara died fighting Hashirama. Even if he somehow survived, he would have been in his eighties, at least. Don't tell me some shriveled, senile, Sharingan wielder took control of you."

I then made a show of realizing something.

"How the hell did you know what Rin said?"

"I was in her seal, which is much more open than this." He said simply, "I can hear and sometimes view what is said or done."

"You ever see me jack off?" I asked sarcastically, enjoying the irritation in his response.

"I would try and break out of the seal if I ever saw that."

I didn't respond to what he said and moved back to what was said before.

"Could it have been another Uchiha that did it?" I asked, "Madara is too much of a stretch for how old he'd be."

"It could be possible, but unlikely." Kurama responded, not elaborating further.

I dragged my fingers through my hair, tussling it and pushing it back.

"If you were controlled," I said quietly, exhaling audibly, "Then you were trapped, just like I am."

At Kurama's silence, I continued.

"The civilians hate me and Rin for what they lost, seeing us as you," I pointed at him, pacing to the left and right of him, "Iwa would possibly kill us because of my father, which fuck you, by the way, to both you and him. You getting sealed into me hurt."

Kurama scoffed slightly, but remained quiet.

"If Madara came after you to be used as a tool to kill Hashirama, then got sealed into Uzumaki Mito, my mother, then us, you've been screwed over for some time."

"Took you that long to realize that?"

"Just covering everything," I shrugged, still pacing, "Also, if you can see things at times, like the conversation with Rin, why would you say something to piss me off?" I asked, giving him a heated look, "Did you simply assume that I was unworthy of having a conversation? Why say something that you suspected would anger me?"

"Believe me, I could have said worse. I could have hinted that you may envy the two, that she wasn't wanting you to hold her down, dominate her, and make her your own."

I stopped my pacing and flipped him off, resuming my pacing, growling under my breath in English.

"Eros is not Storge."

Kurama didn't say anything, obviously not understanding me.

To try and make my love for my sister into something it wasn't disgusted me. The love you have for a close friend is not the same as the love you have for the mother of your children, the same goes for family.

"But why try and anger me?" I asked, honestly wanting to know, "Were you wanting validation that all humans are vicious pricks, even better if that validation came in the form of the one you're sealed into?" I raised a brow, "Thinking of the object of your hatred as less than you to make it easier to hate them is a very human thing to do. Never would have thought a Bijuu could be so human." I added the last part as a jab at him.

Kurama didn't say anything else, simply turning around and settling himself down, laying on the ground with his tails over his back.

I noticed how tight the cage was, walking closer to it, now that he was laying down.

"If I can find a way to make it bigger, I will," I promised, tapping the bar slightly, before turning away, "And which seal are you in more?"

Kurama peeked an eye open and snorted softly.

"The girl's, at least as of the last week or so, time is different here. I was mostly in your seal for the first six years, and it was arguably the worst."

"How so?" I asked, shocked that he'd consider mine the worst.

"Your mindscape was a mess, constant screaming and choking. I could almost feel blood dripping on me. You were terrified when you first saw me as a newborn." He chuckled at the last part, pressing his paw against one of his tails for a moment.

Swallowing at the memory, I tried to hide my shudder and ask him something.

"What changed? Why weren't you in Rin's seal more so?"

Kurama looked straight towards me, his teeth bared in a sinister grin.

"Would you still love me if I kept a secret from you?"

I gasped and stepped away from him, trying to breath from the shock.

'He saw it. He saw what caused me to run when Rin and I were six.'

"Please, make it stop."

Even with our voices sounding nothing alike, I could practically hear myself and see myself after the ambush by Zabuza.

I turned away from him and tried to wake up from the trance, deciding I would talk with him later.

"I don't know you."

"We will talk later." I said simply, pulling on my chakra to snap me out if the trance.

I opened my eyes and got up from the couch, feeling a cold sweat drenching my clothes.

Shaking slightly, I pushed out my sensing and felt Rin in her bedroom, fast asleep from how her chakra felt slow and dim.

I grabbed the clock on the small table next to the couch, the time reading 11:48.

'She got back and decided to not wake me.' I thought. Probably thinking I needed uninterrupted sleep.

I then got up and nearly fell from how weak my knees felt, the last several hours and what just happened playing heavily on me.

I walked to the bathroom as quietly as I could, flipping on the light and closing the door in a second.

I got to the sink and turned it on, cupping some water in my hands and splashing my face with it, the cold feeling seeming to wake me up some.

I looked in the mirror and just gazed at the face that was the one I'd possessed for 13 years, the hair that wasn't the same colour as it was, the shade of blue not the same.

The whisker like birthmarks I had, sensitive to the touch, the same I shared with Rin.

I never expected to abruptly see Kurama like that, my plan of being polite going out the window when he made the shitty comments about Rin.

"At least I set things up for another meeting." I mumbled to myself, cupping some more water in my hands to wet my hair and slick it back, before shutting it off.

Why did it always seem that the things I hated doing worked out well, but the ones I truly wanted to do blew up in my face?

I left the bathroom, no longer shaking, but still angry. I needed something to do. Something productive. Something that would preferably mess up someone's day.

Decisions. Decisions.

'Fuck it.' I thought.

/////////////////////

Hiruzen POV:

Hiruzen had been up late, stewing over what Kakashi had informed him of what Naruto said after he was prepared to attack Tenzo for no initially apparent reason.

The implications that the man who attacked the village, unleashing the Kyuubi, someone who Itachi had mentioned to be claiming himself to be Uchiha Madara, could use the Mokuton was something that assured him he wasn't going to get a proper rest tonight.

It was late at night, possibly passed 11:00, he couldn't be sure, but he'd been personally going through the paper trail on how an ANBU training op could be approved when a D-rank in the sewers was being carried out.

It was unlikely to be foul play, Naruto's name not being put on the mission list at all, but that meant that if foul play was involved, the person who did it had connections, deep connections.

Scowling at the thoughts running riot in his head, he sifted through the papers and began putting the ones he'd been through back up, taking a puff from his pipe.

He paused in his work when he felt the assistant out front ping a message on a linked scroll next to him, a message that said Kakashi wished to speak with him.

'Odd.' Hiruzen thought, a bit late for him to want to talk, unless it has something to do with Hurin. He twitched at the last part.

He'd almost bet that Hurin would send a letter soon, just by merit of one more unexpected thing happening in the form of Naruto freaking out over Tenzo's chakra.

Hiruzen sighed and pressed his finger into the scroll, pulsing some chakra to let Kakashi in without a fuss.

A minute later, Kakashi entered the room, looking around and nodding towards the ANBU concealed in the shadows.

"Yes, Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked, steepling his fingers together, "Was there something you needed to say of importance? It is rather late."

Kakashi shifted a little bit and looked a little uncomfortable.

"It's about a certain redhead." Kakashi said quietly, glancing again at where the hidden ANBU were.

"What about Naruto?" Hiruzen asked, wondering why Kakashi didn't just say so.

"Not him." Kakashi replied, again, looking at the ANBU, "The one that talked about the thread beast and religious fanatic."

Hiruzen's pipe fell out of his mouth in shock.

'Kami, why must you do this?' He thought irritably, cursing himself for thinking about the man.

"ANBU," Hiruzen said clearly, his voice ringing out clearly, "Leave us."

The concealed ANBU left, Hiruzen feeling no more signatures.

Hiruzen sighed and put away the rest of the papers, groaning at how the night was going to end.

"What happened?"

Kakashi shifted around more, looking more uncomfortable than before.

"He Henged as a disguise and went to my house. I didn't noticed that it was a Henge until he had me restrained."

"Who did he Henge as?" Hiruzen asked, brow raised in question.

Kakashi was silent.

"Kakashi," Hiruzen addressed him like he were a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "Who did he Henge as?"

"Anko." Kakashi exhaled, not looking at the man.

Hiruzen widened his eyes in realization at why Kakashi was uncomfortable.

"I got tied to my bed." Kakashi added, "Then he dropped the Henge."

If this were any other situation, Hiruzen couldn't have helped but stifle a snicker, knowing of the supposedly secret dalliance between two of his Jonin.

But this anything but typical.

"What did he say?" Hiruzen asked.

"To meet him at the Mask Temple."

"Of course he did." Hiruzen sighed, rising to his feet, "I'll be there."

He then disappeared in a Shunshin, headed towards the ruined temple.

///////////////

Hiruzen arrived and gazed around the ruin, his senses stretched out, ready in case Hurin tried something.

A presence appeared, Hiruzen recognizing it as Kakashi, the silver haired man looking just as tense.

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, looking startled at seeing him, "What are you doing here?"

Hiruzen raised a brow, before pulling a kunai and flinging it at Kakashi, the man dodging it, but a few strands of hair were shaved off the top of his head.

"Who are you?" Hiruzen demanded, his chakra flaring in preparation for a fight.

"It's me, Kakashi." Kakashi said tightly, the man breathing a little more heavily from the chakra radiated.

Hiruzen dropped his flaring to prevent any sensors from asking questions, still not taking his eyes off of the supposed Kakashi.

"Were you not just in my office, telling me to come here?" He asked, still not convinced.

"No," Kakashi widened his eye, "I was tied to my bed."

"Did 'Anko' do it?" Hiruzen asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Kakashi choked slightly at the question, finally nodding in response.

Hiruzen scowled at the realization.

"Hurin Henged as you and convinced me to come here. He obviously got the better of you." Hiruzen added the last part with resignedly.

"The gods gave men brains and a penis, but only enough blood to have one working at a time." a voice said behind them.

Hiruzen let his displeasure be known by spinning around and flinging another kunai, but coated with wind chakra, the target making a golden chakra blade to bat it aside.

"That was rude." The man said, twitching his hand to make the blade vanish, stepping out of the shadow.

The man, judging by his voice, was old. The accent in his voice was familiar, albeit muddled in some regards.

Brown robes, with a hood over his head to conceal himself, was all he could tell aside from his height.

"Pardon an old man for being jumpy," Hiruzen said sarcastically, "My senses aren't what they were."

"Even in the state you are in, none of your students would be capable of killing you without immense effort." The man said flatly, "Don't play the role of a doddering old grandfather, it doesn't suit men like us." He gestured towards the three of them.

Hiruzen eyed the man, gauging his posture and stance. Hurin wasn't revealing his face this time, the hood covering his face completely.

But strangely enough, no chakra halo was seen, like when a Henge included clothing that stuck outward from the body, hoods being especially guilty of that.

"Why did wish to meet us here of all places?"

Hiruzen likely knew why Hurin wanted to meet outside of the village, specifically at the temple.

"This is the property of my people, is it not?"

"Only the clan head can enter," Hiruzen said firmly, "And you are not him."

Hurin chuckled and shifted his form, shrinking in height and pulling the hood back.

"You sure about that, Jiji?" The voice of Naruto was heard, his eyes alight with amusement.

Hiruzen frowned at how on point Hurin was in mimicking Naruto, likely from constant spying.

"Or would you prefer someone more of a mentor, Saru?" He said, his form shifting to look like the Nidaime, the voice close, but not the same.

This Henge wasn't as perfect as the other. This Henge looked like Tobirama when he was younger, closer to his late twenties or early thirties, as well as his armour having a slight sheen that the man would never have permitted be there, possibly revealing yourself during daytime.

"You could fool perhaps anyone but me and my former squadmates with that Henge," Hiruzen said flatly, "It's quite good for someone that didn't know him personally."

"I never do get the armour right, no matter what I do," Hurin mused to himself, dropping the Henge, "But thank you for bringing up your squadmates. It would be rather strange for me to bring up Danzo in any other situation."

Hiruzen felt his face twitch at the man's name, wondering why Hurin would bring him up.

"What concerns you regarding my former teammate?" Hiruzen asked, glancing around.

"It concerns Uchiha Shisui and Tenzo." Hurin said flatly, turning to look at the entrance to the ruined temple.

Hiruzen was about to respond, but saw how Hurin seemed to sag slightly when looking at the cracked symbol of his clan, the entire building ruined and decrepit.

"A broken and withered ruin," He said softly, "A clan shattered by the fearful, but still hiding a few embers within, waiting to be reignited."

Hurin then turned sharply to Hiruzen.

"I wish to enter," He said without emotion, "The increased security put on it will be difficult to bypass without causing further damage."

"Why would you need to enter, aside from nostalgia?" Hiruzen asked, not wishing to give him possible access to the masks within.

One foolhardy Shinobi snuck in at around the time of the Kyuubi attack, specifically the week after, and was found with a specific mask on, completely petrified into a stone statue. Jiraiya was still in the village at the time and said the mask felt like a conduit for nature chakra and made an Earth clone to grab the mask and put it up, not wanting a Kage bunshin to get hit with nature chakra and come back to him.

"The Uzumaki clan devised the Shiki fujin, including a way to somewhat counteract the cost. A mask is in there that can free Namikaze's soul from the Shinigami's stomach."

Kakashi gasped at the proclamation, his eyes widening in near desperation.

"You can free his soul?" He asked, walking towards the man.

Hurin shook his head.

"I am uncertain which mask is the correct one, I dare not risk putting them on to test them."

"You obviously know more than us," Hiruzen said irritably, "How convenient that the only mask you can think of is one that would get a positive reaction from us. What else are you wanting in there?"

"There is nothing in there that I wish for, except to see what is left," Hurin said fiercely, "The last time I saw the inside of this temple can be measured in decades, do you really think I would remember every detail of the remaining masks here?" He demanded the last part.

Hiruzen remained silent for a moment, debating on what to do.

If he said no, Hurin could very well cease to give them information, information that could save lives.

But anything concerning the Akatsuki would still probably be given. He thought, He has a vested interest in protecting Naruto and Rin.

"Tell me something else," Hiruzen said, "Something to prove that you won't attempt anything with the masks."

"The Shodai's necklace can suppress the Kyuubis' chakra," Hurin said eventually, "Which was given to Senju Nawaki, then later Kaito Dan. It currently is in the possession of Senju Tsunade." The last name was said with a slightly different tone than the others.

"How is that a sign of you being helpful?" Hiruzen asked, not understanding what he was trying to say.

"Using the necklace on Naruto or Rin to make either of them docile would be useful if I were helping the Akatsuki. That is what your concerns are, yes?"

That was exactly what Hiruzen had suspicions about, but it still didn't make sense. Hurin would have simply done it instead of telling how he would do it if he were a member of the Akatsuki.

"How would you presume to acquire the necklace, though? My student will not part with it easily."

If Hurin was confident in taking on Tsunade in a fight for one of the few personal family possessions she had left, he'd need to reevaluate his threat level.

"I would take advantage of a weakness she shares with your other student, Jiraiya." Hurin chuckled at the last word.

Hiruzen raised a brow for Hurin to continue.

"They both have a weakness for squirters." He chuckled, pressing his right hand on his neck and the left where the femoral artery was on his left leg.

Hiruzen's posture stiffened at the statement that was covered up with a crass joke, his mind racing on how Hurin could know that.

"Now," Hurin abruptly switched back to a flat tone, "Will you do a man the courtesy of letting him see the legacy of his clan?"

Hiruzen stood still and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

"I will open the seals," He said finally, "But you will not touch any of the masks, understand?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Hurin said sarcastically, stepping towards the entrance.

Hiruzen walked up to the door, bit the pad of his thumb with his canine, and pressed the blood into the hidden seal that would temporarily disable the security seals, pushing some of his chakra into it.

The seals glowed slightly, before they shut down for a short duration.

Hiruzen stepped forward and signaled Kakashi to join him, the younger man following.

Hurin followed and had his hands slightly out, probably to show he didn't have a weapon in his hand.

They entered the temple and Hurin quickened his pace, going towards the section that housed the masks.

Hiruzen paid attention to his mannerisms and posture, noticing how the man looked far more human than before.

Hurin was pacing in front of the masks, muttering to himself as he would pause and look at a mask, before pacing again.

"Which one is it, you forgetful bastard?" He muttered to himself, his chakra starting to shake slightly, "Fucking fuck fuck," He growled, stepping forward, "Can't get anything right."

Hiruzen eventually saw him stop pacing, his posture tight and his breathing slightly laboured.

"I can't remember which one," He growled irritably, "And these masks are dangerous if used without proper preparation on which one is used."

"Was there any in Uzu that were more...potent?" Hiruzen asked, his face twitching when Hurin's head jerked upwards.

Hiruzen caught a flash of violet, the man's eyes glowing slightly.

Kushina and Rin weren't the only Uzumaki in their family that had violet eyes. Several members, including Kushina's father and younger sister, had a similar eye colour. Trying to guess who Hurin was would be useless.

"Rather personal, isn't it?" Was the only reply.

Hiruzen put his hands up to placate the man. "My apologies," He said, "I overstepped."

Hurin's eyes stopped glowing and his chakra stopped feeling like it was vibrating.

"What questions do you have?" Hurin asked, "I have a little more time than I did with Hatake." He glanced towards Kakashi, who then widened his visible eye.

"Where is Naruto?" Kakashi asked, almost looking resigned to something, "Do I have to go look in the forest to find him?"

Hiruzen remembered how Kakashi mentioned Naruto had been tied to a tree both times Hurin showed up, the thought making him groan.

"Did you tie him to a tree again?" Hiruzen asked as well, his annoyance lacing his tone.

"Do you have such little faith in me, Hatake, Hiruzen?" Hurin replied mockingly, acting as if he were offended "Besides, I only tied him to a tree once, the other time, I stuck him to the tree using seals."

"Semantics," Kakashi said stiffly, glaring at the man, "Did you or did you not?"

"He's sleeping on his couch." Hurin said flatly, all humour absent, "I never touched him."

Hiruzen sighed tiredly and wished to change it back to the more pressing matter he wanted to address.

"I have questions about the Akatsuki," Hiruzen said, "I doubt you will answer anything about who you are or how you acquired the information, but you've shown a willingness to give some information about them specifically."

Hurin relaxed and shifted his weight to his left leg and crossed his arms, gazing at him emotionlessly.

"Ask away."

"Who is the religious fanatic?" Hiruzen asked, "The leader?"

Hurin chuckled and shook his head.

"He is not the leader. In fact, he's likely the weakest of the group, save for one issue."

Hiruzen was paying rapt attention, his gaze fixed on Hurin.

"He's a Jashinist named Hidan. A cult that sheds blood for their god, Jashin. Whether he gets power from this false god, or from an unknown kekkai genkai, it makes him practically unkillable. Tearing every limb off and tearing his head off along with his spinal column still attached will not kill him, he'll simply call you a pussy and say it fucking hurt."

"Do you have experience with this man?" Hurin asked, "It sounds like you know in-depth what injuries he can sustain."

"You could say that," Hurin replied, "But as I said, he's the weakest, and the only way he's a threat is if he ingests some blood. By doing so, he will craft a circle around him, in which he can reflect any physical harm on him towards whoever's blood he ingested."

Hiruzen's eyes widened at that. "And you said he can survive being decapitated."

"Can you think of anyone else that can survive such a thing?" Hurin asked rhetorically.

Hiruzen stayed silent, not having anything to ask about the now named Hidan.

"They work in pairs," Hurin said, "Kakuzu, missing nin from Takigakure, is his partner."

"Kakuzu?" Hiruzen almost gasped, "He would have died by now. He must be close to 90 years old."

"As was Ashina," Hurin said flatly, taking a deep breath, "And he killed two Jinchuriki and a Kage."

Hurin didn't let Hiruzen reply, continuing what he was saying.

"Kakuzu is the thread beast, the Jiongu is a Kinjutsu that he was the recipient of that is exclusive to Takigakure. He stole the information on it when he was cast out for failing to kill the Shodai. He also is very hard to kill. He has five hearts in his body that are of different elemental affinities, requiring all five to be destroyed for him to die."

Hiruzen was digesting all of this, and Kakashi voiced his own question.

"Why go into detail on those two?" Kakashi asked, "You consider 'Hidan' to be the weakest. Why them first?"

"The secret to their danger is lessoned when you know the weakness to their strength," Hurin replied simply, "Very little weakness is to be found with Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame."

Jiraiya had mentioned that the only pair he had information on was Itachi and Kisame, but none of the others. There wasn't exactly a vulnerability when you're considered a tailess beast from the sheer amount of chakra you have at your command.

"The others?" Hiruzen asked.

"Deidara the mad bomber and Sasori of the red sand," Hurin stated, "Orochimaru was initially partnered up with Sasori."

Hiruzen began rapidly thinking of how every single one was either an S-rank or Kage level Shinobi.

"Ironically, the most militaristic village of the Five is the only one that hasn't a single missing nin in the organization." Hurin chuckled sardonically.

None of the mentioned members were former Kumo nin.

"Perhaps because the Raikage's brother is a Jinchuriki." Hiruzen mused, knowing very well the reputation of the Raikage's temperament when it concerns things that are personal. The man would personally hunt down any missing nin that would have the end goal of killing his brother.

"Who is the leader?" Kakashi asked, having already asked once before.

Hurin remained silent.

"Why are you not telling us?" Kakashi demanded, "Who took my Sensei from me?! Who orphaned Naruto and Rin!" He shouted, his chakra flaring and static trailing up his arm.

Hiruzen went to tell Kakashi to stand down, but he realized he too wanted to know, the same man having taken Biwako from him.

Hurin glanced at Kakashi for a fraction of a second, before scoffing and looking towards Hiruzen.

"In your current state, you would be unable to kill the leader of the Akatsuki. Not even Jiraiya with his Sage Mode can do it."

Hiruzen gasped in shock, not believing it was possible.

"Even Orochimaru gave up trying to after his first attempt when they met." Hurin added.

"But," He continued, "The information you want is about two separate individuals. The one that You, Jiraiya, or Orochimaru would fail to kill is not the one that unleashed the Kyuubi and killed your wife and Sensei." Hurin glanced at him and Kakashi.

Hiruzen was desperate to know. He must know who it was that took his soulmate from him.

"Who was it?" Hiruzen asked softly, barely above a whisper. He felt his eyes itch at the emotion he remembered when finding the cold body of Biwako, her eyes empty and lifeless.

"Black hair, a Mangekyo Sharingan in his right eye socket, and a compromised right arm and leg. Who fits that description?"

Hiruzen scoffed and laughed mockingly at him.

"Do you expect me to believe that Danzo would do that, let alone pull it off?"

Danzo was skilled for sure, but to delay Minato long enough to break Kushina's seal was very unlikely, and what the hell did he mean by having a Sharingan in his right socket?

"Call him in," Hurin challenged him, "I know exactly what Naruto did today. He nearly attacked Tenzo because he felt like the attacker, didn't he? Orochimaru worked with Danzo for some time leading up to his treason. Danzo always keeps the eye under wraps, along with his arm."

Hiruzen's body may have slowed from age, but his mind was just as sharp. The connections he was making caused his breathing to shudder from what Hurin was saying, refusing to believe such a stretch.

"Naruto will tell you he feels unnatural," Hurin stressed the word, "A Mangekyo Sharingan is capable of controlling a Bijuu, Uchiha Madara did so the first time around."

But Hurin did not stop.

"He has the cloned flesh of Senju Hashirama as a replacement for an arm, Orochimaru making it. Did you think it a coincidence that Orochimaru sought to attack Naruto over 6 years ago? You are aware of who released the information on Naruto and Rin being Jinchuriki, do not deny it."

Hiruzen began to connect the dots, seeing perhaps what Hurin was leading to.

"No." He mumbled, not wanting to see it.

"If a Jinchuriki went supposedly insane and attacked a hospital, a place where lives are saved, Danzo would have the means and justification to press for him to personally tutor the boy. Could you imagine what Naruto would have become under the guidance of Shimura Danzo?!" He declared.

Hiruzen's eyes progressively widened, his breath faint.

Naruto would have been the opposite of everything that the Shodai and Nidaime had taught him, and everything Minato hated in the world.

His worst fear would have been realized, Naruto would be a dark rendition of the Shodai, the entire Shinobi world being consumed by another war, with Konoha as the ones lighting the match.

Danzo would have told Naruto about how Iwa robbed him of his father, of how Kumo would take his sister away and breed her for the Uzumaki's vitality. Such hatred would cause the world to burn.

"How," Hiruzen tried to say, but Hurin stopped him.

"He replaced the eye at one point, possibly using one on the Kyuubi, the replacement is far more dangerous than any potential previous one."

Hurin glanced at Kakashi, then back to Hiruzen.

"Uchiha Shisui had his eye ripped out by Danzo. What does Kotoamatsukami do again?" Hurin asked, leading him on.

The way it was stated, the last part, made Hiruzen's mind freeze.

Hiruzen didn't have Danzo executed because... stability? Danzo still had his uses, but he had tried to assassinate him, the Hokage, at one point. But he still didn't kill Danzo.

Why?

The technique would take time to use, but could Danzo have used it on him, the Hokage?

"Ah, I see you are questioning whether some of your thoughts were your own. Could your choices have been Danzo's, you wonder."

Hiruzen's mind was racing again, trying to grasp at any possible errors he could have made.

"It was rather inconvenient timing for Itachi to kill his clan when he did," Hurin said, "A gap in security that you didn't fix, giving him a window to escape. What on Earth were you thinking when you opted out of fixing it?" Hurin finished, looking directly at Kakashi.

'He knows.' Hiruzen thought. 'He knows the details, not just the fact about Itachi, of the massacre.'

Hurin would have out and said he knew Itachi was forced to if he wanted Kakashi to know.

Kakashi looked extremely pale, muttering under his breath.

"What better way to wipe out the Uchiha than to unleash the Kyuubi to make them look guilty, use a Genjutsu on you to not question certain gaps in logic on security, and give Itachi a window to escape after he killed Shisui to shut him up?" Hurin said, a grin being heard in how he spoke.

"He wanted to be Hokage," Hiruzen gasped, "Ever since we were young men."

Hurin knew everything, only omitting certain details because Kakashi was here.

"He betrayed Konoha, not for the greater good, but because of himself."

"Yes," Hurin nearly cackled, "Now, at the end, do you understand?"

Hiruzen couldn't breathe, everything around him seeming to spin.

'No. No.' He started shaking. 'He consoled me when she died. When I took up the mantle again.'

Danzo was lost in the past, but could his comrade have truly done this?

He felt tears of rage fall from his eyes, his fists clenched and his chakra burning under his skin, roaring like the inferno that was consuming his furnace heart.

Kakashi backed away from him, looking horrified at the air visibly twisting from the chakra he was emanating.

The ground cracked from the pressure, Hurin shouting at him.

He managed to pull it in and channel it into his fist, roaring as he drove it directly into the ground like a spear, the floor beneath him breaking.

He collapsed to his knees and tried to control his breathing, his chakra still yearning to be free.

"I saved him in the war," He growled to himself, his vision blurry, "I dragged him all the way back to Konoha when he was stabbed in the chest. I put my fingers in the wound in his lung so he could breathe. We burdened ourselves with the lives we sacrificed to save Konoha. He had my back for decades, and he BETRAYED ME!"

"He took her from me." He said softly, not even bothering looking up.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Hurin asked, walking towards Hiruzen, mindful of the crack in the floor.

Hiruzen wiped his eyes forcefully and stood up, fire seeming to dance in his eyes.

"He will die by my hand and no other," He said firmly, "You can be there, Kakashi." he turned to the silver haired man that was leaking Killing Intent.

"I hope you have a better plan than to simply storm wherever he is and start breaking heads." Hurin said flatly.

"That's exactly what I plan on doing," Hiruzen said sharply, all exhaustion from the lateness of the day absent, "I've been an S-rank for half a century, nothing will stop me from killing him."

"I don't doubt you'll cave his head in," Hurin scoffed, "But what happens when he comes back, free of injury?"

Hiruzen's face twisted into a look of anger.

"Explain, now!" He snapped, flaring his chakra.

Hurin scowled at the display and shook his head.

"He has a bootleg version of the Mokuton from the Shodai's tissue making up his replacement arm," Hurin pointed out, "But there is something else that must be mentioned about his arm."

Hiruzen was on a short fuse and glared at the man, silently demanding he elaborate.

"He has approximately a dozen Sharingan embedded in the arm."

Hiruzen was repulsed by that, Kakashi growling under his breath.

"Why?" Hiruzen asked, his tone clipped.

Hurin chuckled as he raised his hand and scratched at his still hidden face.

"The Senju and Uchiha were at each other's throats for generations, very ironic considering what happens when you mix their blood together."

"Just say what it is you want to say." Hiruzen snapped, expecting a good reason for why he should wait on killing Danzo.

"The combining of Senju genetic material with a Sharingan eye grants the wielder the ability to cast a localized rework of reality, a real life Genjutsu on their death, if you will, for up to a minute."

"We're supposed to believe that?" Kakashi asked skeptically, "Making imagination reality? Why would we have never heard of this before if it were real?"

"It costs a heavier price than even the most intense ability of the Mangekyo Sharingan," Hurin said simply, "The intensity of forcing reality, specifically the wounded state of your body, to bend to your will, overloads the eye it was cast out of and renders it permanently blinded, unable to be used again."

Kakashi seemed to have the wind taken out of his sails and slumped his shoulders slightly, trying to think of something, possibly.

"And Danzo has several to draw on." Hiruzen said, managing to calm himself somewhat.

He might have been taken by surprise if he cut down Danzo, only for him to rise up and land a strike on him, possibly a lethal one.

"How would you kill him then?" Hiruzen asked, wanting to know how Hurin thinks.

"Simple," Hurin shrugged, "Tell Danzo that you are displeased with the softness displayed by Naruto, softness to the point that he defied orders on an active A-rank. You want him to put some sense in Naruto, but you still need to show some guardedness around him."

Hiruzen felt his mouth curl into a sneer, detesting how so many different things, private things that only a select number of people knew were known by Hurin.

"When he is with you, have Kakashi and possibly a Hyuga render his right arm useless and you get to remove his head."

"Why a Hyuga?" Hiruzen asked.

"One, the Hyuga are the only others with a Dojutsu, understanding how sacrilegious it is to take eyes. Two, Hiashi specifically will be trusted, the Hyuga are the most powerful clan in Konoha right now. And three, try and find someone else that can disable the tenketsu leading into the arm, a Sharingan is useless without chakra."

"That would likely require him being given certain details." Hiruzen pointed out.

"Pff," Hurin scoffed, "Tell him, Yamanaka, and Nara for all I care. Not like they'll figure out something about me that you two haven't."

Hiruzen pondered what Hurin had just told him, finally making a decision.

"Danzo will die by my hand and Kakashi's," He said firmly, "But why wait on telling us this now? Why not earlier, years earlier? It would have served Konoha better to do it earlier."

Hurin seemed to sag slightly, as if remembering a bad memory.

"Let's just say that what led to the infiltration of the Hyuga compound woke me up to what I could do productively, instead of simply waiting to die." Hurin said softly, not elaborating further.

Hiruzen took a deep breath and made a gamble on asking a question, hoping to get a hint about the man in front of him.

"Your name is vaguely similar to mine, 'Hurin'," He tested the word on his tongue, "It doesn't have any meaning in the name like how 'Saru-' tobi does. What prompted you to choose that as an alias? What or who is Hurin?"

Hurin was silent for several moments, taking a shuddering breath and lifting up his hood.

Hiruzen got a look at the face and inspected it, the face looking familiar in the same way that the Henge of Tobirama's did.

"You are related to them." Hiruzen said softly, not needing confirmation from the man.

He stood at above average height, slightly shorter than Kakashi, brown robes covered his frame, and he had a cream coloured shirt underneath.

His face was weathered and his eyes looked dull, a violet that was similar to Rin's and Kushina's were his eyes, and his hair was almost completely white, with only a few streaks of red in it.

If Hiruzen had to guess, the man's face looked like a mix between Naruto and Ashina, more than one of the shared features being present, the man's age making it more prominent.

It made Hiruzen remember the old man and how his voice was...

Almost like he ignored what was said, Hurin spoke.

"Hurin was the leader of a fierce people," He said in a near monotone, "He was believed killed at a battle that was aptly called "Unnumbered Tears", but survived to be tortured. He was tormented for decades, being powerless to stop what was left of his people from withering away, his descendants eventually coming to an end, with only himself the survivor."

Hiruzen could almost see the light leave his eyes.

"He was called, 'The Steadfast' because he refused to betray his allies, even when his line was cursed." He then looked up at Hiruzen, "That legend is something you have never heard, have you?"

Hiruzen shook his head, not recognizing it at all.

"I thought not. It's not a story that anyone alive other than myself would know. So many things will be forgotten when I eventually die. The faces of my family, the joy in the eyes of my siblings, the screams as I had them taken from me. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." Hurin whispered the last part as he lifted his hand and pulsed his chakra into his palm, a golden blade manifesting.

"Wait!" Hiruzen said, "Can you tell me anything else? Please tell me who you are."

Hurin seemed to shift slightly at the request.

"Kakashi and Hiashi will tell you." He whispered, driving the blade into his chest.

He was revealed to be a bunshin when he disappeared in a puff of smoke, but his robes didn't vanish, the sound of them falling to the ground being heard.

So that's why there was no halo, he actually clothed his bunshin to prevent the sheen from being visible.

Hiruzen stepped towards the pile of robes and pressed his foot on them, feeling that the shirt, pants, and sandals were also there.

Hiruzen turned to Kakashi and saw how he looked like he was trying to figure out what to even think, let alone speak.

"What did he mean by what he said about you and Hiashi knowing?" Hiruzen wondered, before he remembered what Hiashi had told him when the infiltration had occurred.

One who should have died long ago.

///////////

End Chapter:

And just like that, Danzo's hopes of living to see Shippuden begins to shrink. I'm feeling a ghoulish delight from looking forward to writing it.

Naruto tries out opening a Gate and makes some progress, but your balance and equilibrium would get jacked up when your body is moving much faster than it usually does.

Kurama also makes his appearance, and he's in a shitty mood from being back in Naruto's mindscape again. Who wouldn't be pissed if they got moved into a smaller cage randomly?

Hiruzen finally gets to meet Hurin and some of the things said caught him off guard. The joys of meta knowledge being used to get people to think certain things is a wonderful thing to do.

Anyway, Mr. Danzo isn't going to enjoy what happens, and Naruto has his work cut out in getting the stick out of Kurama's ass.

I'll leave you with this chapter. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Raging.