Chapter 44: A New Beginning

Kurenai silently watched the vast sea in front of her, specifically the place at which a few moments ago the man she loved had stood. She didn't know what to do now, did Naruto really tell the truth?

Or was he lying even now?

There was no one except the Hokage who could verify Naruto's story...but more than that was the question of what was her relationship with Naruto?

Did she love him?

Her thoughts that drifted back to the conversation she had with Naruto...

(Flashback: A Few Minutes Ago)

Kurenai glared at the man standing in front of her. She was angry at him...no she was Pissed.

"What kind of rubbish is this! Don't tell any more lies...you killed 300 Anbu to protect your friends, protect the village?" asked Kurenai mockingly,

A tired sigh escaped from Naruto's mouth as his hands raked through his silky blonde hair. This was to be expected, after the way Hiruzen had spread the lies it would be hard for anyone to believe his true story.

"I'll tell you the truth...of what I am and what I did for Konoha. But only if you listen to me first." said Naruto seriously, and his sharingan swirled wildly in order to show her he was serious about this.

Kurenai looked at him for a few seconds, all this time she wanted to find the reason behind his actions and now she was getting the chance. She didn't know if he would tell her the truth or not...but if she didn't listen to him now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"I'll hear what you to say for old time's sake," said Kurenai sadly, and Naruto gave her a thankful nod.

He pointed his finger at the Anbu Tattoo on his body, Kurenai knew such Tattoo's were given to the Anbu by the Hokage himself when they joined the force. This was her first time seeing it, however she did know that the signs and the design of Naruto's Tattoo was the same as mentioned in the history books of Konoha.

"My real name is Captain Naruto Uchiha, 11th squad, Root Anbu forces" stated Naruto patiently, and Kurenai got a little curious he had said this moments ago.

"What is Root? I've never heard of it...I doubt Konoha ever had such Anbu forces," said Kurenai sharply, and Naruto knew majority of the shinobi never knew of Root...and if not for the involvement of Konoha's Anbu force in framing him as a traitor by providing fake evidence to the general shinobi, this mission would not have been possible.

"It was a secret force started after the Second Great Ninja war by Danzo Shimura, he was one of the 3 elders that advised the Hokage before being dismissed a few years back," said Naruto patiently as he wanted her to understand each and everything in detail.

Kurenai didn't know much about this Danzo...hell, she had never even seen him. But a man called Danzo did exist, and what Naruto was saying did match with the records that Konoha had.

"So this Danzo was the leader of this Root Anbu...I don't understand how he can run his own Anbu force. Anbu are under the direct control of the Hokage and only work for him." said Kurenai suspiciously,

"This organization was started after getting permission from the Hokage, and both the forces had worked together in the Third Great Ninja war...however it was disbanded after the war," said Naruto briefly, and this confused Kurenai a little. Why would such an efficient force be disbanded...it would severely affect Konoha's forces.

Naruto understood what she was thinking, and decided to make it clear what Root really was.

"Root started getting involved in various illegal activities and sometimes even performed missions not approved by the Hokage in secret, and when the Hokage found the truth he disbanded it and stripped Danzo of all his powers from the force. But that was not the main reason Root was disbanded..." said Naruto sharply, and Kurenai's tactical mind was slowly understanding each and everything.

"They must have done something inhuman even for Anbu..." said Kurenai suggestively, and Naruto nodded hesitantly.

"In Anbu forces you are personally selected by the Hokage after taking into consideration your skills, years of service, your ideologies and many other factors. And even after that they have to go through a extensive training which only 10% of the cadets survive. Root also followed the same procedure except for the final test," said Naruto regretfully as memories of that night came back in his mind.

Kurenai saw the broken look on his face and she didn't know why it hurt her. She wanted to just go there and hug him...but the rational part of her mind was telling her to hear the entire truth before making any hasty decisions.

"How was the Final test of Root different?" asked Kurenai skeptically, she had a feeling it was not something good. The way he had described Root, it sounded like a hardcore organization.

"You have to kill your best friend"

For the first time in her life Kurenai found her legs shaking, the mere thought of killing Anko made her shiver in fear. Her eyes widened in shock and anger...but when she looked at Naruto...a more horrible conclusion came in her mind, one which shook her to the core. She shakily lifted her finger at him...even her voice trembled.

"Did you-" said Kurenai in shock but was cut off when she saw the tears dropping from his eyes...and her worst fear came true.

"Yes, I killed my best friend. His name was Shin..." said Naruto truthfully, and Kurenai's shock further increased when she remembered something.

"You told me Shin died while protecting you from the villagers...you lied to me!" said Kurenai angrily, and this time Naruto got irritated.

"What was I supposed to say? That I am a Root Anbu captain? I killed my best friend and have been assigned the task of stopping Rout's Coup!" said Naruto furiously, he was guilty but there were some things he had been forbidden from speaking at that time...even if he wanted to tell her, it was just not possible at that time.

"A coup?" asked a further shocked Kurenai, with each passing moment she was disgusted with the things Konoha had done. She could never believe that her just village would allow such a brutal practice. Even Anbu were human in the end.

"Do you remember the day when you started training me in genjutsu?" asked Naruto patiently, he knew all of this would be too much for her as a result he was trying to take it slowly.

"Hai" said Kurenai hesitantly, she didn't know how all of these things were connected but the way he was saying them had slowly started making sense to her.

"That was the day I first met Danzo and joined Root. That day I found the truth of my parents...the day I realized how dangerous Danzo was, and the day I became a spy in Root forces for Hiruzen-sama," explained Naruto briefly, and he saw Kurenai's eye soften a little...the anger in her eyes reduced as she realized why he joined Root.

"You joined Root to keep the Hokage informed about Danzo and possibly help him in stopping Root from doing something drastic," said Kurenai gently, the more she heard the truth the more her heart understood the young shinobi in front of her.

"Hai...Danzo was illegally operating Root, and I couldn't just tell the Hokage immediately. Danzo had deep contacts in the village and would probably go into hiding if caught...I had to act rationally or a full blown war would start in the Hidden Leaf Village, a war that would consume many innocent lives including my friends. So I started training in Root and investigated everything I could about Danzo and his forces, his plans. I made some friends too...but as time passed they were reduced to nothing more than mindless drones who followed Danzo blindly...mere killing machines" said Naruto bitterly and clenched his hands tightly, if he could go back in time he would have stopped such a thing.

"Naruto..." said Kurenai sadly, he bared such an enormous burden on him for all these years...and even after that he helped her, Anko, Kakashi as much as he could as a friend, as a brother, as a lover.

"However Danzo knew more about the sharingan than I thought...in order to test my loyalty and my ability to kill my emotions...he set me up in a death match against my best friend...and the only choice was to kill him or get killed. My objections went unheard and I prepared myself for death...but Shin knew how dangerous Danzo was, and he was suffering from an incurable disease...so he sacrificed himself for me and entrusted me with the task of protecting Konoha from Danzo's madness" said Naruto with deep regret,

A lone tear slipped from Kurenai's eye, she had been so wrong...to think he had to watch his best friend die for him would have been an unbearable memory.

He looked her straight in the eye and she saw the shuriken shaped sharingan staring at her sadly.

"This is the Mangekyo Sharingan that awakened that night when Shin died...those flames you saw just now are a power of these eyes. The Mangekyo Sharingan is the ultimate stage of a sharingan...and can only be achieved by killing the person very dear to you or when you go through an unbelievable trauma. After the Kyubi attack Danzo had spied on the Uchiha clan and had obtained this fact...and made me kill my best friend in order to awaken these eyes." explained Naruto in thorough detail, the links slowly started connecting in her mind...and with each second her hatred for Danzo stared increasing.

"Were these eyes so necessary for him...to even make you kill Shin?" asked Kurenai sympathetically,

"These eyes are capable of even controlling the Tailed Beasts...do you understand the meaning of this?" asked Naruto seriously, and Kurenai was amazed by hearing this...were these eyes so powerful to even control a Biju?

Kurenai's hands tightened to the point blood started dropping...Danzo made young kids kill each other just for the sake of power!

Naruto saw the impact this revelation had on her and decided to explain the rest of the truth quickly as Kakashi and Asuma were edging closer and closer.

"I became a Root Captain after a few months...and that was when I realized Danzo's true intentions were to organize a coup to overthrow the Third and establish himself as Hokage. He had increased his forces by recruiting young orphan kids illegally...and with our help wanted to rule Konoha as the ruler. And that was the day I made a choice...a choice that led to this," said Naruto seriously, and now Kurenai was really wary of hearing the answer because deep down in her heart a horrible feeling had started to develop.

"What did you do?" asked Kurenai hesitantly,

"I informed the Hokage about this and requested to wipe out the entire Root Anbu along with Danzo Shimura by my own hands"

If Kurenai had been shocked before now she was mortified. He had already bared so much pain for a village that didn't respect him, except for a few selected people in Konoha...no one gave a damn about his existence and yet...

"You...did...all of this for the village that didn't respect you? You went as far as wiping out Root...why?" asked Kurenai pleadingly, Naruto was truly a mysterious person...and she doubted she would have understood the implications had he told her about his decision at that time.

She was quite surprised when he gave her a firm gaze...just how strong was his will?

"The village suffered a lot in the Kyubi attack, people lost their friends, parents, loved ones, children. Even you lost your father...what the villagers did to me was not right and there can be no excuse for that. But ultimately it all comes down to you...the path which you want to choose. I could have got my revenge on the villagers by following Danzo...but there were people who loved me and cared for me despite me being a jinchuriki. Kakashi, Anko, Hiruzen, Emiko, my friends...and you" said Naruto with a bright smile on his face which brought a few tears in her eyes.

"Why did you sacrifice yourself for Konoha? Why did you do so much for us!" said Kurenai painfully, and he gave her a small smile which surprised her.

"To forsake your nation and your village is the same as abandoning your child. Many countries have been destroyed in the past... as well as the harsh life that awaits people without a country. And no matter what darkness lies in the village...I will forever be Konoha's Naruto Uchiha" said Naruto proudly, and the raven haired beauty was astonished by his will towards his village and the ones he loved.

"All this time...I could never understand you, or even help you. You were perfect-" said Kurenai shamefully, but was stopped when Naruto raised his hand.

"Kurenai...never say I was perfect. I accepted the mission but I was suffering. The guilt of killing my friends, my comrades, my teachers was hounding my soul...I always lied to you and never told you the truth. I toyed with your feelings despite knowing the path that awaited me...just for my selfish feelings. I stopped listening to anyone...and only cared about my pain. I wanted to escape and in doing so...I made the biggest mistake of my life," admitted Naruto honestly,

"What do you mean?" asked Kurenai suspiciously,

"I placed you under my strongest genjutsu and ordered you to kill me," said Naruto with deep regret, he immediately had to avert his eyes from her...the mere thought of looking her in the eye scared him.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" asked Kurenai murderously, and her chakra flared dangerously...and Naruto could feel the anger clearly radiating from her. He somehow gathered a little courage in order to say the entire truth...no matter what the outcome may be.

"It's the truth...the night we had sex I used my sharingan on you and used the ultimate genjutsu and placed a order in your mind to become stronger...in order to kill me," said Naruto shamefully,

The next instant he was sent sailing in the air by a monstrous punch and he felt a severe pain, he somehow regained his balance and landed on the water surface again as blood leaked out of his mouth.

But his eyes were staring at the sea of anger in Kurenai's eyes...and he knew she had a right to be pissed. What he had done was very cruel...and it clearly showed how little he cared about her feelings despite claiming to love her the most.

Meanwhile Kurenai now understood why she was having the strong desire to kill Naruto a few weeks ago...this man had forced her to kill him? Was she just a toy to be used and thrown whenever he liked.

"You bastard...how can you do this to me? I gave you everything I had...my body, my soul, my love and you played with my feelings. Do you have any idea what you did to me! All those days I was forced to think of ways to kill you day and night...no matter how much I wanted to stop those thoughts, they never went away until a few days back. WHY?" asked Kurenai furiously, as some of Naruto's blood dripped from her knuckles.

"I made a mistake...a mistake which I deeply regret now. I released the genjutsu a few days back when I realized how selfish and self centered I had become. After I wiped out Root I left the village without even caring about the effects of what my actions would do to...I'm worse than scum," said Naruto distastefully,

Kurenai didn't know what to do...did he even realize what he had done? For a person who was so mature and sacrificed so much...how could he even think about doing such a thing?

"So, it's all about you huh? Your pain, your suffering...you suffered and sacrificed a lot for us but how can you do such a thing to me Naruto? I fucking loved you dammit! said Kurenai frustratingly,

For his part Naruto didn't utter a word and was listening to her calmly...he had to make up for his mistake no matter what.

"If your story is true, and what you did was for the village. I can forgive you lying to me, I can even forgive you for not telling me anything but to order me to kill you just because you couldn't take it anymore? After caring so much about me, after going so far to protect me...you had no right to do this to me" said Kurenai vehemently,

"I'm sorry for causing you so much pain.." said Naruto honestly,

"ARGH!" yelled Kurenai in frustration,

"Say something good to her..." advised Kurama calmly, and this confused Naruto a little.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto cluelessly,

"Moron...do I look like a match maker to you? Use your stupid brain for once!" said Kurama irritatingly, and a light blush came on an embarrassed Naruto's face.

He looked at the frustrated and grieving Kurenai in front of him and realized it was his duty to ease her pain. He didn't know if this would work...but it was worth a shot.

"Kurenai I know I screwed up and I can understand if you are angry at me and wouldn't want to see my face ever...but you were the best thing that happened to me, you became my friend, my teacher, my guide...my lover," said Naruto emotionally and Kurenai looked at him with a painful look in her eyes as she remembered the happy memories of the past.

"You were there for me every time. You made me strong, you taught me self respect and dignity...you taught me genjutsu. You gave me so much without expecting anything in return...and words cannot describe how much grateful I am to you. I am an idiot, and to be honest I was really naive when I said I loved you...hell I'm still naive, but I really care about you," said Naruto hesitantly,

Her gaze softened a little when she heard him say that...and for the first time she could not feel any deception in his words.

"I even wanted to marry you...and maybe have a small family someday," said Naruto sadly, he knew such a thing was nearly impossible after what he did.

Meanwhile Kurenai was stunned after hearing that...even he had the same dream of having a happy family with her in the future. She wondered if the circumstances had been the opposite and she was in his place what would she do?

"But I know I caused you a lot of pain...and I'm truly sorry for that. If I survive this mission then I promise you I'll make it up to you. I'll do whatever you say," said Naruto promisingly, and Kurenai looked at him with a tired look on her face.

"Even after knowing...we may never be together? That I may never love you again?" asked Kurenai flatly

She knew now he was caught and his answer would show her his true feelings. But deep down she knew no man would ever waste his time after a female if she just ignores him or outright dislikes him.

"I promise"

Those words shocked her to the core, and she looked at him and found a warm and gentle smile on his face...his eyes showed her he did mean it.

"Why?" asked Kurenai aggressively, why was he so thoughtful about her?

"I'd rather have you in my life as a friend...then not having you at all" said Naruto honestly, and he was relieved when he saw the anger on her face disappearing slowly.

"How can I trust you?" asked Kurenai doubtfully,

"I just need a chance...one chance is all I need. Can you do that for me?"

(Flashback end)

A tired sigh escaped from her lips...she was in a huge dilemma right now. He had told her it was him who had given the information about Wave's defenses and he had a few more objectives to complete.

She had tried to ask him about the mission...but had only gotten this response.

"It's better if you don't know for now...it's very dangerous. But if you want to know the truth about my defection...then ask the Hokage"

She clearly remembered his words...a million thoughts were going through her mind. Would it be right to trust him again?

"Guess my only answer is asking the Hokage...Naruto, I don't know if I can give you a chance or not...at least not until I talk with the Hokage" thought Kurenai tiredly, this night had been very shocking for her.

And she knew she had a lot of things to think about and make critical decisions about her life...but first she had to fulfill her mission.

And that meant getting her men out of Wave.

Two people quickly landed beside her and from the looks on their faces and the condition of their clothes it clearly showed they had been through hell.

Kakashi and Asuma panted harshly...things had gone way south for their strike team.

"Did you get the targets?" asked Kurenai quickly, there was no time to think about her personal issues now,

"Hai...Kurenai, we have kicked the hornet's nest here. Aoba's squad took substantial casualties and had to fall back...they entire wave militia is headed this way," said Asuma urgently, and Kurenai was a little worried about Aoba's squad.

"I have already informed Anko's squad to fall back to the docks...and assist Hana and her squad who have been holed up. They have got many injured in their squad including Hana's younger brother Kiba, his condition is critical." said Kakashi seriously and Kurenai nodded quickly.

"Do we have any MIA (missing in action)?" asked Kurenai urgently, and she saw the distress clearly in both of her comrades eyes.

"Captain: Sasuke Uchiha, Tokuma Hyuga, Shinji Hyuga, Shino Aburame, Genma Shinraui and Sakura Haruno are missing in action. We have lost all contacts with them," said Kakashi flatly and Kurenai was shocked to hear Sasuke and Sakura were missing.

Those two kids were really close to her...there was no in hell she would leave even one of them here, no matter what condition they may in.

"Asuma you link up with Gai's squad and evacuate and collect the bodies of all our fallen comrades. Here are the extra scrolls I brought for sealing the bodies.." said Kurenai quickly and handed the scrolls to the veteran Sarutobi.

"You thought about this?" asked a shocked Kakashi,

"Kakashi, link up with Anko's squad and help them in getting Hana's squad out of this shithole. Keep an eye out for Shino Aburame...he must be in that area," said Kurenai firmly,

"Hai...but what about you?" asked Asuma hesitantly,

"I'll get Sasuke, Sakura and Genma out of here. If I find the others I'll help them too...my clone has already sealed Gato, so our mission is finished. We've all got jobs to do...any questions?" asked Kurenai seriously,

Neither of them men said anything and the young Captain looked at her subordinates straight in the eye to make her order clear.

"Dead or alive, no one gets left behind. This is an order!" said Kurenai authoritatively, and both the men nodded.

In the blink of an eye both the men vanished to rescue their cornered comrades, while Kurenai went in the other direction to get her former two teammates out of this place.

In the bloodied streets of Wave, one lone kunoichi blocked another hail of kunai aimed at her. She was badly wounded and had already lost a lot of blood...her vision was getting hazy with each passing second and at this rate she would die in less than 2 minutes.

She looked at the form of his comrade who was trapped...not yet, not yet. She was a kunoichi of the leaf and as a medic it was her duty to protect her comrade.

Sakura weakly fired one of her last arrows which hit a samurai straight in the neck as the man collapsed on the ground.

"Gah"

She screamed in pain as another hail of kunai hit her in the legs and she collapsed on the ground. The enemy was enjoying in killing them slowly.

"Shit...I'm out of chakra. I've only got 1 exploding arrow left...this is it" thought Sakura sadly,

She knew what the enemy would do if they captured them. She would be raped over an over until the enemy got tired and would be killed then, while Genma would be given a painful death.

Looking at the exploding arrow in her hand left her only one choice.

"I'm sorry Genma-sensei..." said the girl defeatedly, she edged closer to her injured comrade and sat beside him.

She looked at the dark sky...never in her wildest dreams had she imagined herself dying like this. But she knew she had fought with everything she had and now it was time for her to die with honor.

Her hands shakily went to light up the exploding arrow as silent tears fell from her eyes...she missed her parents, she missed her comrades. She would really miss Naruto, Sasuke, Anko, Kurenai...but the mere thought of her friends brought a smile on her face.

"This world is merciless..." said Sakura to herself,

She remembered how brutally her comrades had died today...how cruel humans were. She had seen what being a ninja truly meant.

"But it's beautiful too..." said Sakura with a small smile as she remembered all the good times she had with Naruto and Sasuke, their jokes, their smiles.

Her eyes widened in shock when an exploding tag landed right beside her...and her instincts kicked in. She quickly picked it up and threw it away...but she was quite tensed when she found herself surrounded by the enemy from all sides.

She didn't know why but looking at the evil smiles on the faces of the men made her more angry...and her desire to kill increased.

"Get the bitch...we'll have some fun with her," said one of the Kiri missing ninja gleefully,

One of the men quickly came forward and grabbed her roughly by her hair and lifted her high in the air.

"Not bad Katsaragi...a little underdeveloped, but still I prefer the younger ones...they scream so much!" said the man lecherously, while the other ninja laughed a little on hearing that.

Her blood boiled and in one quick motion she punched her fingers straight in the man's eyes...as blood erupted like a fountain.

"NO!" yelled the man in pain as his eyes were destroyed...and he fell flat on the ground.

"Why am I still fighting? Why am I still struggling?" thought a shocked Sakura as the enemy ninja charged at her.

She prepared to defend herself with whatever strength she had left...but she was quite surprised when the enemy ninja grabbed their kunai and in a flash sliced their own throats.

Two people landed right in front of her...and her eyes widened in shock and relief when she saw the "Uchiha" symbol on one of the person's back...while the kanji "Captain" clearly written on the tall woman's haori.

"That was easy..." said Sasuke with a frown clearly etched on his face...Kurenai easily put the enemy in her genjutsu and made them commit suicide. He had to admit this woman was a little dangerous.

Kurenai turned around and looked at her student proudly. To think she held the enemy for so long was really quite an achievement.

"I'll have to nominate Shino and you for a medal...and possibly even a promotion for displaying such brave actions. I really hope Kakashi can get the boy back alive" thought Kurenai worriedly,

"Sasuke, get Genma out of these debris. I'll take Sakura with me...we need to move now," commanded Kurenai and she was not sure but she heard a light "Tch" from the Uchiha when he looked at Genma.

"Kurenai-sensei..."

Sakura's tearful voice snapped Kurenai out of her daze and she bent down and healed some her wounds.

"You did great today...you saved Genma's life. To risk your life for a injured comrade is a very noble thing...now let's go back home. I'm sure your parents will be happy to see you back home" said Kurenai with motherly smile, and gently wiped the few tears that fell from Sakura's eyes.

"I couldn't save Chouji..." said Sakura regretfully, and Kurenai got a little sad when she heard about the young boy's death.

"Tch...who lives or who dies is not up to us. That fatso must have been slow and the enemy got him. I've had enough of this..." said Sasuke irritatingly as he placed an injured Genma on his back.

"Sasuke don't say such things in front of her! scolded Kurenai angrily,

"Hn"

The young Uchiha just gave a disappointed snort and started running away without another word with Genma on his back.

"He has changed..." said Kurenai disappointingly, just what was the Uchiha up to?

He had told her that the two Hyuga with him were ambushed by the enemy and had been killed. He had to destroy Tokuma's body as he didn't have the cursed seal due to being a main branch member...while Shinji's body was badly mutilated in a blast.

Kurenai was a little suspicious about his explanation...but she knew the boy may be harsh, but he was definitely not a traitor.

Or was he?

"Let's get out of here..." said Kurenai tiredly as she gently lifted up the injured Sakura on her back.

Cough Cough Cough

The sound of violent coughing could be heard in the vast forest outside of Wave country as a young blonde boy weakly walked through the forest in the dark night.

Blood was leaking like a river from his mouth and his entire body was on fire...his vision was so hazy that he could barely see a few feet ahead of him. All in all, he was in a very bad condition.

Naruto put his hand on his mouth again as another violent pain emerged in his chest and blood leaked out of his mouth. He collapsed weakly on the ground and started panting heavily.

"Why am I feeling so tired?" asked Naruto painfully,

"Your body has entered the second last stage of the virus...as a result it has slowed down all your senses as well as reducing your speed and ability to fight with your full power. The fact that you had to use the Mangekyo twice against Kurenai is a proof of how weak your body has become after your battle with Zabuza and Raiga" explained Kurama sternly, he really wanted to make his point clear this time.

"I...I" said Naruto tiredly, but he couldn't speak as his coughing started again.

"Naruto at this rate you will die in a few days. Fighting against 2 S rank ninja is one thing...and it is worse in your condition. You can't expect to come out without a scratch. You have neglected your medical condition far too long...as soon as you reach the orphanage inform the Hokage about everything that has happened till now and get medical help," ordered Kurama strictly and Naruto chuckled a little,

"Since...(cough)...when...did...(cough)...you...start...ordering...me?" asked Naruto jokingly, and he heard the Biju giving a snort.

"Since the day you started disregarding your own safety. If you die, I die remember...it'll take a few years for me to be reborn again and all the same shit will happen again. I'd rather stay with you than some other stupid Jinchuriki," said Kurama flatly, but his voice did have a pleading tone in it.

"Hai...Hai...no need to get so emotional, stupid fox!" teased Naruto with a small smirk on his face,

"Shut up..." said Kurama irritatingly,

"Thanks for the advice back there...things wouldn't have gone so well without your help. I finally feel free from my guilt..." said Naruto happily and a large smile came on his face when he remembered Kurenai saying that she understood him...and that was all that mattered to him.

He was not going to give up...no matter what happened he would get her back.

"It seems things are changing..." thought Kurama silently, however the Biju knew he would soon have to make a critical choice.

One which would determine Naruto's future...