Chapter 65: The Choices We Make

He stared at his own reflection in the shining mirror, the few drops of water were still rolling down his face as he just barely finished washing his skin. It was hard for him to believe that the past 24 hours had perhaps been the best time of his life. After his escape from Konoha, he had never dreamed of experiencing such joy again in his life.

Kurenai Yuhi

Words couldn't describe how madly he was in love with her, she was the bright light that had always illuminated his dark destiny. Just by being near her he felt complete, making her smile gave his life meaning, her melodious laugh made him forget the horrible memories of his past, laying beside her in bed prevented any nightmares from haunting his peaceful sleep.

He had fought countless battles in his life, some he had won, some he had lost.

However the battle of the heart was the one in which he was neither winning or losing. Instead, he found himself stuck in between two raging sides which were his heart and mind.

All his life he had followed his mind and made the choices which he thought were best for his precious people, but it had also hurt them in many ways.

On the other hand, whenever he tried to follow his heart, he risked destroying everything his friends and Rei died for.

Valkyrie...

He was dead set on going through with it, and there were no second thoughts in his mind about it. The only question that was troubling his heart...

Whether to make Kurenai a part of it? Or to let her go and forever distance himself away from her?

Haku had told him to follow his heart and let Kurenai make a choice between him and Konoha...

While Sasuke had strictly told him to follow his mind like he always had, and cast Kurenai aside without ever looking back...

He actually chuckled when he found himself indulging in such an introverted discussion with himself in a washroom of a fancy restaurant. Granted he had brought Kurenai here for fun, but had quickly excused himself in order to sort out of his thoughts.

But even after 10 minutes of arguing with himself, he was not able to arrive at a decision.

"I can't keep her waiting anymore..." thought Naruto hurriedly, as he straightened his clothes and adjusted his hair a little.

In the end, he still needed more time to make the most important decision of his life...

Kurenai was patiently sitting in her chair, the atmosphere around her was quite pleasant. The people around her were quite happy and were enjoying themselves, the restaurant's staff despite being heavily overworked still had smiles on their faces, a sweet music was being played by a local band on whose tune a few couples could be seen dancing.

From what whispers she had heard, this was one of the most costliest places on the entire island and even harder to book a table.

It made her quite happy that Naruto was paying so much attention to her, and going out of his way to take care of her. She never had a penchant for expensive things or places, but maybe being here with Naruto was making her happy.

Things finally seemed normal between them...

She was not entirely blinded in this sea of joy, there was something which she had sensed. Something which was troubling Naruto, she remembered he had tried to talk about it with her yesterday but didn't go through with it, now that she thought about it something always stopped him from discussing that problem with her.

A smile came on her face when he returned from the washroom, an apologetic smile being directed towards her.

Her eyes couldn't help but see how similar Naruto was becoming in looks and habits with Minato Namikaze. She had seen a few pictures of the Fourth Hokage, and his son had the exact same smile and clumsy nature which a few people like Kakashi spoke of.

"Sorry for making you wait..." apologized Naruto sincerely, as she shook her head with a smile.

"It's no problem. So, what would you like to eat?" asked Kurenai kindly, but he offered her the menu instead.

"Remember this is my treat and so order whatever you want, I'll go with your choice..." replied Naruto simply, and was intrigued when she giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, I just thought that you would order ramen like you always do. It's quite surprising..." said Kurenai humorlessly, but he shook his head in negative.

"I'm not that naive anymore, Kurenai. Being near Nono and Tsunade has taught me a few lessons regarding how to treat a woman..." admitted Naruto, which only made her even more happy.

"I'm happy to hear that, but..." said Kurenai mysteriously, and pushed her hand into the small bag which she was carrying.

He had seen her casting a genjutsu when they sat on the table, since they were already disguised he had asked her why did she do that. Her answer was rather vague "You'll see it when the time is right"

His eyes practically popped out of their sockets when he saw her taking out 2 instant miso ramen cups, ones which had the famous stamp of Ichiraku.

She couldn't help but feel good when he stared, not at the ramen cups but at her. There was a strange moisture visible in his eyes, and he never uttered a single word even as she ordered some other dishes. He just continued to look at her...

"I thought you'd like to eat your favorite dish, Teuchi and Ayame miss you a lot..." said Kurenai calmly,

She got confused when he averted his gaze from her and gently grabbed one of her hands, worried that he might have gotten upset she quickly went forward and lifted his chin with her finger, only to see a small tear slipping from his eye.

"Thank you..."

"Huh? What are you crying for? I just brought some Ichiraku Ramen, that's all..." said Kurenai nonchalantly, while gently caressing his cheek.

"It's not just the ramen, you always remember and take care of all my wishes. It's hard to explain and may seem trivial to you, but what you do for someone like me who has always experienced alienation from society is invaluable. These little things which you do for me, give meaning to my life and makes me wish for a tomorrow despite everything. To wake up by your side in the morning and watch the sun rise the sky..." explained Naruto happily, completely taking her by surprise.

Her own cheeks started sporting a dark blush, as she looked in his overjoyed eyes...

"I'm simply doing the same things which you did for me when I was completely broken. Alone we are incomplete, but when we are together I feel as if I'm living in an entire different world. A world where I'm happy and at peace, can we always stay like this Naruto?" asked Kurenai hopefully, and looked him straight in the eye.

He suddenly found himself getting cornered as her question was directly demanding him to let her know the truth, fortunately he was saved when the waiter disrupted their conversation and placed their ordered dishes with a polite smile.

With the moment getting disrupted, he shifted his attention towards the food rather quickly. He pretended to be very hungry, as she smiled and gave a nod which was more than enough for him to dig into the food. His tensed heart was quite relieved when she herself started eating the food, and was quite impressed with the taste which earned him some more praise.

"So, how are things back in Konoha?" asked Naruto quickly, after finishing a handful of ramen.

Seriously, he had missed this dish. He really needed to find a way to get a constant supply of this godly dish...

"Nothing much, Anko has moved in with Kakashi. Sakura became Shizune Kato's apprentice, Kakashi and Asuma are actually working hard for a change and making their teams practice more and more..." said Kurenai calmly, as most of her attention was focused on her food.

It was actually quite delicious.

"Woah, Anko moved in with Kakashi? Sakura became someone's apprentice? And Kakashi is actually working? WTF!" yelled Naruto in shock, fortunately the genjutsu which she placed near their table prevented the other customers from getting annoyed by him.

"I know its hard to believe, but everyone's doing their best to move on ever since Chouji died..."

The sound of a spoon colliding with the table reached her ears, and only when she looked at the shell shocked look in his eyes did she realize the grave mistake she had made.

"C-chouji...how...when...what?" stammered Naruto, he couldn't even find words to express himself.

How could this have happened? Chouji was one of his oldest friends, and to think he died? It was impossible, it was a joke...

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were-" said Kurenai worriedly, but was stopped when he slammed his hand lightly on the table.

"Is it true or not? Answer me, Kurenai..." replied Naruto very strictly, desperation clearly evident in his voice...

"I'm sorry, Naruto. But Chouji was killed in action along with many other Konoha shinobi during the Wave invasion..." answered Kurenai solemnly,

She immediately rushed towards his side as he collapsed in his chair, he even dropped the chopsticks used to eat ramen. Kurenai quickly enwrapped him in a comforting hug, but he remained numb and didn't even try to latch on to her for comfort.

"It happened again..."

Kurenai gently broke the hug and noticed the broken look in his eyes as he clenched his fists tightly.

"Naruto..."

"I couldn't protect another one of my friends, I took this mission to save their lives. To provide valuable intel and sabotage the enemy so that my friends and loved ones don't die, and yet..." said Naruto defeatedly, as she gently caressed his cheek.

"Hiruzen didn't tell you about this?"

"No, he never tells me anything about the village unless I ask him..."

She gritted her teeth in anger, her dislike for the Third Hokage had just went up another notch. How much had he lied to Naruto? How much more information was being kept hidden from him?

Chouji had been one of Naruto's good friends, and Hiruzen should have at least informed Naruto of his demise.

"But that would be an obstacle in Naruto's mission. Even then, he had a right to know...Hiruzen" thought Kurenai bitterly,

"Did...did...he?" asked Naruto sadly, as she gave him a nod.

"Yeah, it was quick and painless. Chouji died an honorable death..." said Kurenai sympathetically,

However she was violently shocked when his Mangekyo flared instantly, a sea of anger and hatred visible in his powerful eyes.

"There is no honor in dying. I've watched countless friends die, and there is nothing honorable in it. The sad part is that a person like Chouji died for capturing a scum like Gato. His death would have been honorable and meaningful, if fire nation had tried to help Wave Country get back on its feet. That nation is ruined now and people are dying like flies everyday as no one is coming to their aid. It makes all my work meaningless..." said Naruto bitterly,

"We're ninja, Naruto. This is the fate which each of us shares, there can be no peace in this war torn world..." expressed Kurenai honestly, but was shocked on seeing the defiance increasing in his eyes.

She didn't realize that she was actually staring into his Mangekyo sharingan that was spinning wildly, and suddenly found herself being transported somewhere.

(Flashback: Few Years Ago)

Kurenai suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a battlefield, everywhere there were bodies of men, women and children scattered. Rain was also heavily pouring down from the sky and getting mixed with the blood on the surface.

Most of the people were dead, and were wearing Iwa Anbu uniforms.

Judging from the dense trees, this was a part of Fire Nation's territory. But none of the Konoha shinobi had heard of this incident, everything seemed so confusing until she saw 3 young boys wearing faceless masks being surrounded by a squad of Iwa Anbu.

It didn't take her a moment to recognize the blonde kid that was wielding a tanto, and was worriedly looking towards the eldest one among his group.

"Shin, what should we do?" asked little Naruto worriedly, and received a bonk from Sai.

"No names, idiot. Have you forgotten what we were taught in training?" asked Sai in an irritated voice, as Naruto glared at him.

"We are still in training, moron. What kind of idiots sends trainees to face an Anbu squad?" seethed Naruto, instantly silencing his friend.

"You two stay back, I'll handle them..." said Shin calmly, and shot a glare towards a protesting Naruto.

Kurenai was left speechless when Shin who was barely 1 or 2 years older than his teammates, quickly killed the 5 Iwa Anbu after a fierce Kenjutsu battle. She also counted the 20 other bodies that were lying around, a few of them had faceless masks like Naruto.

"These are children..." thought Kurenai in shock,

She saw one of the kids was still alive and coughing up blood, was this the kind of training Naruto went through in Root?

Naruto, Shin and Sai quickly came running towards the injured girl who had a stab wound in her chest and was slowly fading into darkness.

"Squad...leader..."

Shin gently grabbed the hand of the 7 year old girl, and noticed the desperation evident in her eyes. All of them were trained to some extent in healing arts, but even a novice like him could see that there was nothing he could do for the girl. And it seemed she knew it too...

"Saeko..." said Shin gently, as Sai continued to send medical chakra to her wound in order to make her end peaceful.

"Was...I...useful...to...Konoha?" asked Saeko tiredly, as Shin caressed her cheek.

"You did great, and your sacrifice will be remembered. Saeko, your spirit will stay with us and give us strength. I swear to you, one day we will bring peace to this violent world..." promised Shin

"She's gone..."

Shin looked towards Sai and then towards the girl who had her eyes closed and a small smile was visible on her lips.

"Squad leader, we are forbidden from expressing emotions. I'll dispose of her body..." said Sai flatly, but Naruto grabbed his shoulder.

"We will bury her and our comrades..." argued Naruto defiantly,

"The protocol states to burn our bodies and spread the ash in the air. We are Anbu, disposable assets of Konoha. Don't forget your place, one day we shall share the same end..." answered Sai bluntly, as Naruto took a few steps back.

Kurenai saw the pain and helplessness in Naruto's young eyes as he saw the bodies of many of his comrades, the ones he had trained with for months. His eyes then shifted towards his shaking hands as he collapsed on his knees...

"The basic training is over. You 3 will advance towards the advanced course now..." announced a new voice,

Kurenai turned around and saw Danzo Shimura standing on top of a large tree, his cold eyes observing the 3 survivors of his organization.

"Danzo-sama, this was an act of war. Iwa must be made to pay for such a transgression..." suggested Shin calmly, as he bowed before the supreme leader of Root.

The said man merely shook his head as a small smirk came on his face...

"These were not Iwa Anbu, cadet. These were simply prisoners whom had escaped from the Konoha Central Prison and whom I captured for this exercise, a real Anbu is something else. It would be futile to waste resources after those assets who are not even able to take out low chunin level criminals..." said Danzo stoically, and pointed towards the deceased Root child soldiers.

"So, this was a test? A test?" asked an infuriated Naruto,

The next second he was knocked unconscious by Sai who bowed in front of Danzo.

"He's not in the right state, Danzo-sama. We will recondition him and present ourselves for advanced training on your command..." replied Sai obediently, receiving a silent thankful nod from Shin.

Danzo observed the 3 children with a critical gaze but when Shin and Sai didn't flinch, he gave a nod and disappeared from the battle arena.

"You saved him, Sai..." said Shin thankfully, making the pale skinned boy sigh.

Kurenai couldn't believe what she just saw, there were rumors that Root had performed many bad things to young kids during its tenure in the Third Great Ninja War. Naruto had even told her that he was forced to kill his best friend as a final test...

Shin, was that the same boy which she just saw?

Her eyes saw the 3 children now sitting on the edge of a small lake, Shin and Sai were throwing rocks into the water while Naruto was dead silent.

"Did you mean it?"

Everyone was surprised when they heard those words from the silent boy, Shin looked towards his friend only to see him staring in his eyes.

"Yes, I believe one day we will achieve peace not just for Konoha but for the entire world. It may seem impossible now and many people won't agree with us, but if we keep trying then one day we shall succeed..." explained Shin patiently, while ruffling Naruto's silky hair earning a glare from the boy.

"I don't know, Shin. But I have your back..." replied Sai flatly,

"How? We can barely defend ourselves against criminals? How can you even dream of such an absurd thing like peace?" asked Naruto angrily, the pain of losing his comrades evident in his eyes.

"While power is necessary, you need to have faith in your dream. And I can't achieve my dream without your help, Naruto..." said Shin kindly, surprising the little boy.

"Me?" asked Naruto in surprise, as even Sai was intrigued and watched the conversation with more interest.

"You're strong. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that one day the power which you possess shall help in guiding this chaotic world towards a better future. Don't lose faith..." said Shin encouragingly, diffusing the pent up anger in the little boy's heart.

"Why do you want to bring peace for the whole world? Can't we just get it for ourselves? Why is it even important?" asked Naruto curiously, his innocent eyes clearly staring into his hero's eyes.

"He has a point, Shin you're stronger than us. Our trainee comrades respect and adore you, logically you are the bridge that is guiding us towards a better future..." suggested Sai calmly, his sense of logic overriding his emotional thoughts.

Kurenai noticed the elder boy staring at Naruto for a few seconds, a knowing smile could be seen on his lips. It was as if he knew something, the other 2 kids didn't.

"I am merely a pillar that supports this dream, my town was destroyed by rogue ninjas. My people and family were killed, I hated the entire world for what happened with me. I wanted nothing more than to destroy every other village when Danzo-sama recruited me. A heart full of hatred, that was the old me...

...but being here in Root, I learned that pain is same for everyone. Our nation has also committed grave atrocities on our neighbors, and they retaliated in kind. This world is caught in a cycle of vengeance and only the dead have seen the end of this war, that's why I want to change it. It's what I want with all my heart" explained Shin patiently, and saw young Naruto listening to each and every word.

They saw Naruto's eyes fixed towards his trembling hands...

"The fox hates me, it says it will kill everyone I love. That it will take over my body one day..." admitted Naruto nervously, as Sai grabbed his hand.

"The Fourth Hokage's seal is perfect, that beast is telling lies. He's not in charge of your body, it's you..." reassured Sai seriously,

"I want to support you, Shin-niisan. But I don't know if I can control this power you speak of, it's scary..." said Naruto worriedly, as the older boy smiled and grabbed his other hand.

"Don't worry, you have us. Me and Sai will help you control this power, for as long as it takes..." said Shin confidently, as a relieved smile came on the blonde's face.

"Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise..."

A young boy dressed in Anbu uniform was currently laying flowers on a grave, a small cross was stabbed into the ground with the name "Shin" written on it. The Falcon masked boy was idly staring at the ground.

"Shin, you broke our promise..." said Naruto sadly, as his fists clenched tightly.

Kurenai didn't know what was going on, but if these were the memories of his life in Root- then she had made a grave mistake in understanding him. Looking back now, she could clearly understand why he turned out like this.

"I can control my power now, but it also took your life..."

He knelt down and picked up a handful of sand from the grave, and looked at it with determination.

"Danzo is planning something big, I don't know what it is. But I will keep our promise, I will bring the peace you wanted, there won't be anymore sacrifices like you guys..." promised Naruto

(Flashback End)

He backed away on realizing that she had been caught in the spell of his eyes unknowingly, which in turn had made her witness the same memories which were being remembered by him. And in that moment he knew, that her entire outlook towards him had changed.

But she didn't need to know about that pain any further, so he quickly picked up his chopsticks and gave her a fake smile which Sai used to show sometimes.

"Ah, the food's getting cold. I'm so hungry..." lied Naruto, and tried to pick up his ramen.

If only he knew that his lie was not going to work this time, as she forcefully grabbed his hand and made him put the chopsticks back on the table.

"Kurenai-chan..."

"Was all that true?" asked Kurenai silently, with her head bowed towards the floor.

He didn't know what was going through her heart, nor could he see her face. So, he did the only thing he could...

"Yes"

"Then WHY didn't you share your pain with me? Why did you make yourself look as the villain, I understand it now. I understand why you did everything, for whom you're still fighting. Why, Naruto..." said Kurenai in a devastated voice, as tears freely from her eyes.

"Perhaps I wanted to protect your smile, your pure heart. I thought that by keeping you out of this mess I was protecting you, but I was wrong. Kurenai, I know that you love Konoha and I didn't want to spoil your precious village's image in your heart. I didn't want you to see that this was the same village for which your father gave his life, I didn't want to shatter any of your beliefs. Not even for my sake or my pain..." explained Naruto sincerely,

He became nervous when she got up and placed herself in his lap, there was something strange in those ruby eyes as they stared at him.

"There was a time when Konoha was the most important thing to me, because my father died for it. But now, there is something which I love and want to protect more than Konoha..." confessed Kurenai, and noticed him staring at her which only made her feel more shy.

"What is it?" asked Naruto cluelessly, just what was more important to her than Konoha?

He certainly didn't expect her to come forward and claim his lips in a passionate kiss, at first he didn't understand her gesture but after a few moments his clueless heart was able to understand the answer which she had given, and he was overjoyed.

Just when he decided to return the kiss, his trained eyes spotted an arrow crashing through the restaurant window and it was heading straight for Kurenai.

"Amaterasu"

Kurenai was shocked when a wall of black flames was formed around them, those fierce black flames quickly protected her from getting impaled in the head by a sharp arrow.

The entire place erupted into chaos as the frightened civilians started rushing towards the exit, another round of arrows came into the restaurant but all of them were only directed towards her. Her hands quickly went towards her kunai pouch, but the arrows were too close...

Again those black flames came to her defense, and she saw they were being controlled by Naruto himself.

Everything went fine as those incoming projectiles were destroyed, but the very next second Naruto felt flat on the ground and vomited a handful of blood. His right eye was just as bad, and was crying tears of blood. He was panting harshly, as the pain in his chest was getting stronger than ever.

"Naruto!"

"Kuso, to think it's getting worse at a time like this..." thought Naruto painfully, as he tried to get back on his feet.

He was forcefully stopped in his efforts, when she made him take cover behind a table. Her worried eyes saw the condition in which he was in, and quickly made him lose strength by putting a finger on his forehead. His entire body suddenly felt very heavy, and he couldn't move.

"Stay right here, I'll take care of the attacker..." said Kurenai calmly,

"No...we move as...a...team..." replied Naruto stubbornly, as she smiled a little.

"You're in no condition to fight, let me handle this situation. I'm a ninja, Naruto. You protected me all your life with everything you had, so please let me protect you too. I love you and I won't let anyone harm you..." promised Kurenai fiercely,

Silencing him with a quick kiss on his forehead, she dashed out of the broken window and he didn't know why but he felt quite scared. Why was he having this uncomfortable feeling in his heart?

"I have to move..."

When Kurenai had exited from the restaurant, she had expected to go on a wild search for the attacker as they must have surely made a run after their failed assassination attempt. She was proven dead wrong, when a man dressed in a trench-coat and dark pants was waiting for her on top of a large building.

The crossbow idly lying in one of his hands...

His face was covered by a scary demon mask, a sword was also visible on his back.

Instead of running away, he was simply standing calmly in his position.

"If you want a fight, then let's have it..." thought Kurenai furiously,

Making a quick dash she hopped from building to building and soon reached the terrace on which the mysterious man was waiting for her. A cold gust of wind blew across the area, her eyes widened in fear when she saw a pair of Mangekyo eyes.

"An Uchiha..." said Kurenai in shock,

"Yuhi Kurenai, we finally meet..." replied the man calmly, as she grabbed her kunai tightly.

"Who are you?" asked Kurenai cautiously,

"Sasuke is still in the village, Naruto is here with me. Could it be Itachi Uchiha?" thought Kurenai nervously, because if the last prediction was true then she was as good as dead.

Sure, she was strong and one of the best fighters in Konoha. But none of her skills even came close to defeat Itachi Uchiha, the man who killed the most powerful clan in the world on his own.

"Who I am doesn't matter, the only thing I want is the accomplishment of my goal. An ambition in which you are proving to be an obstacle..." declared the man dangerously, his dark Mangekyo shining brightly in the silent night.

"What-"

"I won't let you jeopardize my plan, nor the dreams of the future which I am going to build..." promised the Uchiha,

Kurenai quickly decided to end his speech by firing a hail of kunai at him, but before the weapons could reach the man she performed two hand seals.

"Genjutsu Kai"

Surprise was easily visible in her opponent's eyes, when the kunai transformed into their true form which were giant "Demon Shuriken"

"Impressive deception, but..." said the Uchiha,

She gritted her teeth in frustration when the man also vanished proving himself to be an illusion, quickly grabbing another kunai she turned around and parried a blow that would have swiped her head off from the neck.

Remembering Gai's advice regarding fights with Uchiha, she never looked into his eyes and instead focused on his feet.

"So, you know the little secret when fighting with dojutsu users..." complimented the Uchiha,

His eyes narrowed dangerously when a swirl of flower petals started floating around them, and he suddenly found himself feeling quite sleepy. His momentarily slip, earned him a devastating round kick on his chest which cracked one of his ribs.

As he sailed with the blow of that impact, she quickly jumped towards him and sent a hook towards his face.

He rapidly brought his hands forward and formed an X shaped defense, a good move as her mighty punch sent him pummeling into the terrace floor. If that blow had connected with his mask, then not only would it be shattered but many of his bones would break easily.

Deciding to take the advantage, she followed through with a series of hand seals while gathering a considerable amount of chakra.

"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Style: Violent Water Wave)"

A large wave of water was fired from her mouth and now it was descending upon her opponent, ready to splash his brains across the floor. But it seemed he had other plans...

"Katon: Goenka(Fire Release: Great Flame Flower)"

A large wall of flames were launched by the Uchiha in his defense as both fire and water attacks collided with each other, instantly shrouding the nearby area in the newly formed mist.

His eyes widened in shock, when Kurenai's attack overpowered his flames. Just how much chakra was she using in that attack?

Fortunately his fire flames had destroyed most of the power of her attack, and he was able to save himself from being crushed by the water attack. Now the entire terrace was covered in a small puddle of water.

She quickly landed on the watery surface, her dangerous ruby eyes sending chills down her opponent's heart.

"You've made a mistake by attacking me at a very wrong time..." said Kurenai furiously, righteous feminine fury burning in her heart.

The Uchiha spotted her performing hand seals but didn't know what jutsu she was performing, and moved to copy her but she was already done with her preparations.

"Kawara Shuriken(Tile Shuriken)"

She smirked when his eyes widened in shock as one by one each and every tile on the terrace floor started rising. A devious smirk came on her face as she directed her finger towards him.

"Face this..." declared Kurenai murderously,

He quickly took out a couple of exploding tags from the pockets of his trench coat, and jumped high in the air. His sharp eyes easily predicted the trajectory of the tiles that were heading towards him, as he shifted himself in the air.

Now in an upside down stance, he started descending towards the ground firing his exploding tags wildly in the air.

BOOM!

The resounding blast easily blasted away the tiles which were about to kill him, and the few that did come close were teared apart by his punches. He gracefully landed on the ground but could not understand why she still had that smirk on her face, even when her precious attack failed to kill him.

"You're fast..." said Kurenai seriously, as she unsealed her sword from a scroll that was hidden inside her clothes.

"Your skills are far better than what I expected, Yuhi Kurenai..." replied the man honestly,

He saw her pointing that sharp sword towards him and making a single hand seal with her other free hand.

"Magen: Jubaku Satsu (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death)"

The Uchiha suddenly found trees sprouting around the entire terrace and were now binding him to themselves.

"Using the water as a medium to interject your chakra in my system, a nice trick Kurenai..." said the Uchiha flatly,

Kurenai quickly emerged from the upper portion of the tree ready to stab the man and end his life. She was violently shocked when she coughed up blood instead, the illusion instantly disappeared and she found herself sailing across the terrace courtesy of a powerful kick of her opponent.

Her eyes then picked up what the man had done to safeguard himself...

"To think, he is continuously stabbing a kunai across a part of his hand. This painful sensation prevents him from falling into my genjutsu completely, as such he was never in the genjutsu which I fired. If my illusions are useless then it's time for Plan B...'' thought Kurenai briefly,

Steadying her sail she landed back on the watery terrace surface, and fetched two smoke bombs from her pocket and threw them towards him.

The dense smoke spread across the entire terrace creating a thick smokescreen, getting alert the Uchiha grabbed one of his kunai as more and more shuriken were being sent to kill him from different directions every few seconds.

"You think you can kill me by concealing your attacks in this smoke? How naive..." thought the man disappointedly,

After deflecting another round of kunai, he gathered a large amount of chakra before...

"Chakra Burst!"

A powerful shock wave was fired from his body which easily removed the smoke that was formed on the terrace. His disappointed gaze then landed on the genjutsu mistress who was standing right in front of him.

"Is that all?" asked the man in a bored voice,

"I believe it is..." replied Kurenai coldly,

SLASH

The tendons in his feet were violently slashed apart by a sharp kunai as two replica's of Kurenai emerged from the watery surface beneath his legs.

"Water clones?" thought the surprised man, as his Mangekyo spinned quickly.

"Amaterasu"

He collapsed on his knees as his legs lost the strength to stand, the water clones were also destroyed due to his black flames but the damage they had inflicted was formidable.

"So, he has the same black flames power which Naruto has. As I thought, it was right to avoid close quarter combat with him as long as possible..." thought Kurenai analytically, her years of experience as a Jounin helping her at each and every step.

"I'm truly impressed, Kurenai. Using the smoke as a diversion, you hid two of your clones and made them hide. A smart move..." replied the man, but frowned when she shook her head.

"I formed those clones at the last moment, although you were right about the diversion part..." answered Kurenai seriously,

She didn't waste any time and quickly charged towards him, ready to pierce her sword clean through his heart. Sensing her intentions, the Uchiha tried to move but found himself completely frozen in his spot.

"Kekkai Kotei Fuin (Four Corner Immobilization Seal)"

Kurenai's ice cold voice, along with her killing intent made him nervous for the first time. His eyes quickly spanned all around and saw black marks floating in the water, following their trail he saw those marks were joining together in a single pattern to form 4 chains connected to his legs and their other end were located in 4 different corners of the terrace where seals were placed.

"You used that smoke diversion to run around the terrace and silently place these seals, while firing shuriken towards me at the same time. Then using those clones you injured my legs disabling my ability to stand and fight; and now that I can't move any of my limbs. My body is frozen..." thought the Uchiha in surprise,

"Yuhi Kurenai, you are a skilled ninja..." complimented the man honestly,

Kurenai quickly jumped towards her immobile opponent, her sword now being pointed towards the man's heart.

SLASH

Naruto could barely see anything from his right eye, using Amaterasu so suddenly without any kind of planning took a major toll on his already deteriorating eyes. His body was simply too relaxed and had been extremely stressed when he suddenly forced a large amount of chakra to his eyes.

Result his instant collapse...

Kurenai had told him to stay down and recover his strength, the woman even used one of his tricks to restrict his movement. However, he refused to simply leave her alone to deal with the enemy.

They could be several, or there could be one dangerous shinobi?

He could not let her take all the risk, and had disobeyed her request. In the short gap, he had recovered some of his strength and had quickly followed her trail.

SLASH

His sharp ears picked up a piercing sound, and he quickly jumped over the terrace where he felt Kurenai and someone else's chakra signature.

His heart stopped when he saw a sword piercing Kurenai's chest, blood quickly erupted from her chest and from her mouth as shock was clearly visible on her face.

"(cough)...I...ran...the...simulations...again...and...again...what...are...you?" asked Kurenai painfully,

"You should have stayed down, Yuhi Kurenai..." said the man darkly, as he pulled back the sword from her chest.

Her legs lost strength, and her hands trembled as they were now covered in the blood which was seeping out from the hole in her heart. Her vision darkened as she collapsed face down on the watery surface, and the last thing she saw was Naruto's entire body getting covered in Kyuubi chakra.

The man turned towards his right and saw Naruto's murderous gaze being fixed on him...

"It's time we have a talk, Uchiha Naruto..."

"KISAMA!"