Chapter 27: The point of view

Next morning. Konohagakure no sato. Sakura's apartment…

Haruno Sakura woke up that day, clinging to something very warm and pleasant. Slowly she opened her eyes…

"Morning, sunshine." Sasuke said smiling and kissed her forehead.

"Mmm… Sasuke… Am I still dreaming?" She asked, still sleepy.

Uchiha chuckled. "Nope." He stated. "We didn't go all the way, but everything else was real."

Now she giggled as well. "You know, for so many years I imagined this moment…" Then her smile suddenly faded.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura frowned. "It's just… I always thought Naruto will always be around to smile for me like he always did…"

The mention of their ex-teammate hit the target.

"Naruto…" Sasuke muttered. "While I was on the run with Orochimaru there were so many things I wanted to say to him…" Sakura looked in his eyes, which were staring somewhere in the ceiling. "You will be laughing…" Uchiha snorted. "But sometimes I even wanted to apologize… apologize for almost killing him back then; when the only thing he wanted was to help me, and the only thing I wanted was to kill my brother and have my revenge…" He stopped.

"But back then, when Naruto did… whatever he did to himself…" Sakura started. "You actually tried to kill him, and… to kill me."

"Years as Orochimaru's student made me colder." Sasuke stated. "I forgot that warm feeling of having someone dear. I thought I must be as heartless as Itachi is… was…" He paused. "But then I learned that back then, at the Valley of the End, Naruto was the one who tried to kill me… and Itachi was the one who saved me… It was… hard to believe."

Sakura leaned on his shoulder. "I understand you." She stated. "Ever since he returned from his so-called training trip, I noticed changes immediately. His stance, speech, confidence, everything… Do you think there is a chance to save him?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Save him?"

The kunoichi hugged him closer. "He… He did horrible things, unforgivable things. But somewhere deep inside I think that mindless destruction and useless killings are not his true goals. So I think maybe… maybe he can be…"

"Saved like I was?" Uchiha asked.

Sakura nodded.

"I don't know, Sakura…" He replied. "Back then I did not want to be… 'saved' as you call it. But I knew what I did was wrong. Naruto? I don't think he believes that what he's doing now is wrong…"

"Yes, but maybe he…" Sakura said, but then she was interrupted by someone knocking on her door. "I'll get it." And with that she got out of bed and did just that.

"Hi, Sak… Oh my god!" Yamanaka Ino shouted. "You could at least put your underwear on!"

Sakura looked down on herself. "Oh dear…"

"Good morning, Ino." Sasuke walked from behind Sakura… wearing boxers to Ino's displeasure, and wrapped a blanket around the pink haired girl.

"Hi, Sasuke… Did I interrupt something?" Ino asked.

"No, you did not." Sasuke stated. "Well, what is it?"

"Oh, right! Get dressed quickly and get into Hokage's office as soon as you can." The blond girl said. "Something terrible has happened…"

Both Sasuke's and Sakura's faces paled.

"What happened?" Uchiha asked.

"I don't know what exactly…" Ino started. "But it somehow linked with Naruto."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "Understood, we'll be there shortly!"

Kumogakure. Naruto's headquaters. Meeting room…

"Naruto-sama is absent for too long…" Killer Bee muttered. "I so wanted to show my new rhymes to him…"

"Stop it, dammit!" The Mizukage replied. "You're saying this for the fifteenth time this morning!"

"She's right, brother." The Raikage added. "We're all waiting for him, and…"

"How touching!" Sudden oh-so-familiar voice stated. "But unfortunately I don't swing that way, sorry Ay-chan."

Three people turned around and there was Naruto, standing right in the door frame.

"Naruto-sama!" Kirabi exclaimed happily.

"Where have you been?!" Mei asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "And… who's she?" The woman pointed at Trish, who walked casually from behind Naruto.

"It's Trish."

"Oh? And what is she doing here?" Mei pressed.

Naruto glanced at the blond girl. "Uh… looks like she's observing some vase…"

"That's not what I meant!" The Mizukage shouted.

"Oh my…" Ay muttered, knowing where exactly this is going.

"Yugito incident?" Kirabi asked.

"Yugito incident." The Raikage confirmed and both of them disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well?" Mei asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well what?!" Naruto asked back.

"Who the fuck is she!"

"Oh, I hear jealousy in her voice!" Trish stated, turning to Mizukage.

Mei was furious. "What did you say, bitch?!"

"Oh, looks like you're deaf as well, bitch!" Trish responded.

"No bitch is calling me bitch, bitch!" Mei stated, drawing a sword out of nowhere.

"There is a first time for everything, bitch!" Trish drew her gun.

"Enough!" Naruto's demonic voice boomed. "Trish is here because I said so. Any other arguments should be irrelevant. Her presence is important for my next goal." He then turned to Trish. "Do not raise your gun at any of my allies, or we'll have some problems. And so you know, only I am allowed to call this woman 'bitch'. Got it?"

Both of them nodded.

The demon sighed. 'That went better than I thought…'

"What the fuck is Yugito incident?" Yamato asked.

'Er… well, there was similar situation once, only with Yugito instead of Trish…' Naruto responded. '…And I wasn't around…'

"Ouch…"

'Yeah, ouch.' Naruto thought, sitting down in his chair. "Omoi!"

"Yes, Naruto-sama!" The young shinobi appeared.

"Call these two morons back." The demon commanded.

Omoi was still kneeling in confusion. "I… I'm s-sorry, Naruto-sama… call who back?"

"Raikage and his brother."

Omoi silently raised an eyebrow at Naruto's reference to Kumo's two strongest ninjas. But still…

"Hai, Naruto-sama!" He replied and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Good kid." Naruto stated, leaning on the back of his chair.

What he missed however was Mei mouthing "This isn't over, bitch!" to Trish. He also missed Trish mouthing back "Just bring it, bitch!"

Then Ay and his brother entered.

"Is it over, yo?" Kirabi asked.

"Don't ask…" Naruto answered. "I think it didn't even begin…"

"Damn right it didn't!" Mei stated.

"Calm down." The demon said. "We have business to discuss… Are preparations ready by the way?"

"Of course, Naruto-sama." Ay replied, sitting down beside him. "All battle plans are ready, now we only need to decide the place for our first attack."

"Too late for that." Naruto stated and tore apart Wave Country battle map.

"No!" The Raikage screamed. "Do you have any idea how much time it took to draw this piece of crap?!"

Naruto waved him off. "It has no value now. This shithole does not exist anymore."

Everybody's eyes widened at that… except Trish's and Naruto's own of course.

"Y-You mean you…"

"Thrashed it, yes." The demon said. "I am tired of waiting and simply wanted to kill something. Gladly that place was nearby, and it came to me. What better place to start than that?"

They looked at him in confusion.

"Oh yeah, you don't know…" He rubbed his forehead. "This place was actually my first 'legal' mission out of the village… besides; Tsunade wasn't there at the time. She could never guess I'll start from a place like that. It doesn't hold any geographical or financial value after all."

"I see…" Ay said quietly. "So, what did you do to that Country?"

Naruto smirked. "Crimson Flare."

Even Mei's eyes widened at that.

'Damn… He's beyond cruel…' The Raikage thought. "Don't you think it's a little too much?"

"What?"

"Don't you think it's a little…?"

"What?"

"Don't you think…?"

"What?"

"Don't you…?"

"What, what, what, what, what, what, what?!"

Raikage sighed in frustration. "I said…"

"It doesn't matter what you said!" Naruto said, using demonic voice again. "The fact of the matter is this, jabroni… it does matter what Naruto says. And I don't recall your name being like that. Actually, by the sound of that… it seemed to me like… you were disagreeing with my decision."

The Raikage gasped in horror. "No! Forgive me, Naruto-sama! I never intended for it to sound like that!"

The demon grinned evilly. "Oh really?"

"Yes!"

"Hmhmhm…Very well. Don't make it sound like that again, or we'll have some problems." Naruto said and Ay nodded in response. "Good. Now the fact of the matter is this… You guys are my allies, maybe even friends… But no one disagrees with my fucking decision! Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded, even Trish.

"Excellent." Naruto said, calming down a little. "Now let's make this war happen. As planned, we'll attack Moon Country first."

"Maybe it will be better to attack something else first?" Mei asked. "Not like I disagree with you, but they have probably thrown every possible unit for this Country's protection. If we'll strike something else first, they'll probably spread at least some of their forces across the nations, which will give us more freedom."

Naruto actually clapped at this. "Very good, Mei-chan!" He commented. "But you have forgotten something. I already did that." He stated and her eyes widened in realization. "Exactly. Wave Country served as an example to our 'still unclear' intentions. And I destroyed it for the exact same reason. If they'll think I want not just to conquer, but also to destroy every opposing Land, those peace-loving fools will send more forces for protection."

"Hmhmhm…" Trish chuckled. "You're more brilliant than I thought."

"Thanks, now…" The demon wanted to continue, but the door suddenly opened.

"Is this right, Naruto-kun's back?" A very flushed Yugito entered the room… and her eyes narrowed immediately.

"Oh boy…" The Raikage muttered and disappeared in a flash of lightning.

"Yeah, I'll be somewhere safer, yo…" Kirabi added and did the same.

Naruto slapped his forehead. 'Fucking traitors…' He thought.

"Hey, don't blame them." Yamato commented. "Even I would've made a run for it… if I could that is…"

The demon rolled his eyes. 'Thanks, I knew I could count on you…' He glanced at three girls, who were already face to face, glaring at each other.

"I don't know about you, but I definitely don't want to see that!"

'Me neither…' Naruto replied. 'The first was bad enough, and now there are three of them! Someone save me!'

Suddenly his amulet started to heat up…

"Thank god!" He stated and stood up, putting his black leather trench coat on. "I'm going out." The demon said, but they didn't even pay attention to him.

"They're about to hit it! RUN!"

Naruto nodded and disappeared in a burst of flames. The last thought in his mind before he did that was 'I owe Kabuto for this one…'

Konohagakure. Hokage's office…

"We're almost there!" Sakura exclaimed as she and Sasuke neared Hokage's office.

"Let's hurry!" Uchiha replied. They could already hear Tsunade's enraged voice form behind the door.

"How the hell could this happen?!" The Hokage screamed.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura greeted, entering the office. There was everyone: Shikamaru, Danzou, Neji, Kabuto, Shizune, Kakashi and of course Orochimaru.

"You called?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, come in." The Hokage said sighing and took out a bottle of sake.

"T-Tsunade-sama!" Shizune protested. "You can't…"

"Shut up!" The Hokage responded with a glare, causing her assistant's eyes grow wide. "You should know your damn place, Shizune. Being my apprentice gives you no right to question my actions."

"H-Hai… I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama…" Shizune muttered, looking down.

"Umm… That's good and all." Sasuke interrupted. "But maybe someone finally tell me what's this about?"

"And what about Naruto?" Sakura added.

"Naruto…" Tsunade hissed, taking a sip of her sake. "He… He did the first strike."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "He did what?!"

"What's so surprising?" Orochimaru asked back. "You should've foreseen that course of events."

"Yes, but…" A sudden thought entered Sasuke's mind. "What exactly he struck?"

"A place we less expected…" Danzou stated. "Wave Country."

Now Sakura's eyes widened like Sasuke's. "O-Of course!"

"Of course what?" Orochimaru asked.

"Wave Country!" Sakura stated. "That's where our… team seven's first real mission happened! No wonder he attacked there first!"

Kakashi gritted his teeth. "How could I miss that?"

"Doesn't matter how you missed it!" The last Uchiha shouted. "We have an army, and we have numbers as well! Let's take it back!"

Everyone in the room frowned… except for two people of course.

"You don't get it, Uchiha." Neji started. "Tsunade-sama misspoke before, Naruto did not seize Wave Country… he completely annihilated it."

"N-No… It can't be!" Sakura stuttered.

"We have a witness." Danzou stated. "One of our shinobi stationed there, a chuunin named Narata. He was under your friends Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino's command. Kiba sent him away to deliver a message to us, while Kiba himself delayed Naruto and his girl."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What girl?"

"The blond demoness named Trish." The old war hawk replied. "The two of them did all that."

'Damn it! She'll pay for that!' The last Uchiha thought.

"Don't be reckless." Rebellion advised. "You are no match for her now. Wait for the right moment…"

'I'm tired of waiting!' Sasuke thought, gritting his teeth in anger. 'I'll take them both down!'

Rebellion decided not to comment that.

"But how could he do that?" Sakura asked, still not quite believing.

"It was his Crimson Flare, the same he almost destroyed this village with." Orochimaru responded.

Suddenly it occurred to Sasuke…

"And what about Kiba and Shino?" He asked.

"What do you think?" Tsunade responded, taking another gulp of her drink. "They burned to a crisp along with THE ENTIRE COUNTRY!" She shouted. "How the fuck can we stop something like that?!"

The entire room grew silent.

"What about Shiki Fuujin?" Danzou finally broke the silence.

"I don't know…" Tsunade replied. "It worked with Kyuubi, but Kyuubi knew nothing about what it did. Naruto on the other hand knows better than we do…"

"What the fuck?!" Sasuke suddenly exclaimed.

"I beg you pardon, Uchiha?" Tsunade replied.

"What the fuck is this shit!" He said once again. "Are you going to give up?! Is that how big your fucking Will of Fire?!"

Tsunade's bottle of sake broke when she added more pressure on it.

"How dare you speak to me about the Will of Fire?!" She spat. "All my dear people died protecting this village!"

"That's exactly why you shouldn't think like that!" Sasuke shouted back. "All you have is an enemy before you! All you have to do is defeat him! And even if he's invincible…"

"He's not." Rebellion corrected. "Even gods can be killed, and Uzumaki Naruto is far from them."

"Great! Rebellion said that no matter how strong he is; every enemy can be killed!" The teenager stated. "We'll go until the end, die if we must… but we'll never give up!"

Mood in the room changed immediately.

Kabuto took a quick glance at Neji, who had the look on his face, saying "I'd like to see you try".

"Fucking shit…" Tsunade chuckled. "I must be really depressed if I got yelled at by a teenager…"

"Sometimes elders become too reasonable…" Danzou said. "So they sometimes need a child to show them the way."

"True…" The Hokage replied. "Okay, no more of this shit! Let's do this and shove a kunai straight up Uzumaki's ass!"

"Well said!" Kabuto commented, causing Neji's eyebrow rise.

"Very well, I think that Uzumaki can possibly attack some other Country first, so we must withdraw some of our troops from Moon Country and…" Shikaku began, but was interrupted.

"No!" Sakura suddenly said. "He probably destroyed Wave Country so you could think that!"

Kakashi nodded. "That's logical. So, what do you propose?"

"Hmm…" Orochimaru exclaimed. "How about this, we make a maneuver with our troops in Moon Country by sending them away. In reality they will be still there, stationed as ambush troops, which will strike from behind…"

"Great idea!" Tsunade commented. "And I will offer an evacuation of smaller hidden villages and allied cities. We bring them here and they'll help our cause until this crisis is over. With Shikamaru and the combined help of the Summons's clans we might do just that!"

'Yeah, you just have to repeat that to yourself more often…' Neji thought quietly.

Same time. Konohagakure park…

"What the fuck?!" Naruto asked, appearing in a burst of flames. "How could I end up here? I sure as hell went for Kabuto's laboratory…"

"Stop ranting dammit and put some genjutsu on!" Yamato replied.

"Oh yeah, sorry…" Naruto did one handed ram seal in front of his face and then quickly returned it back to the side. "There, it's done… still, what could cause that? Besides, Konoha has their teleportation barriers on, so there is no way… AND NARUTO MEANS NO WAY…!"

"Keep shouting like that, and no genjutsu will help you…"

"Sorry again… It's just there is no way I could end up here on my own… which means…"

"Someone ordered you to…"

"Most likely…" Naruto stated. "But who?"

'Turn around and you'll have your answer.' Echoed in his head.

"Wha…?" The demon turned around sharply and there was some ill-looking old man, sitting on a bench.

Naruto walked closer. "Who in the old hell are you?"

"Ho, ho, ho!" The old man exclaimed, leaning on his walking stick. "Hello to you too, sonny!"

Demon's eyes narrowed. "What do you want from me?"

The old man smiled warmly. "What an old man like me could want from someone like you… Uzumaki Naruto-kun?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You know who I am?" He asked and sat down as well.

"Ho, ho! Of course, sonny!" The old man replied. "Son of Yondaime Hokage, jinchuriki of Kyuubi no yoko, rejected orphan, friend of a dead girl, early murderer, angry child, genius mastermind, Uchiha clan's killer, dead last of shinobi academy, Konohagakure genin, great actor, first demon who never died, ladies man, unifier of nations, destroyer of Wave Country, man with no place in the world, sad… very sad person… did I miss something?"

Naruto chuckled. "The owner of the biggest dick in the world perhaps?"

"Ho, ho, ho! Wrong you are here, sonny!" The old man stated. "Not the biggest one you have!"

Now that picked up Naruto's interest. "And who does?"

"Why, your good friend Orochimaru of course!" The old man replied, making Naruto's eyes widen. "That thing he can do with his body…"

"Stop!" The demon shouted with sad look on his face. "I don't even want to know how you found that out, but do you have any idea what you've done?! Now my ego will never be the same… And the image! Bweah!"

"Ho, ho, ho! Well, if it'll make you feel better, it's not working…" The old man added.

Naruto's ears perked up. "What you say?"

"Ho, I say it's not working! He can enlarge it all he wants, but it'll still stay at six o'clock!"

Naruto sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that again, old man!"

"Ho, ho! I'm not making any promises!" He responded.

Then Naruto's eyes turned serious. "Alright, enough with the amenities. Why have you summoned me here?"

"Who, me?" The old man asked innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about!" He said innocently.

The demon grinned evilly. "Well in that case…" In a matter of second Naruto summoned his sword, unsheathed it and in one quick motion brought it down on still innocently smiling old man… who simply caught deadly blade between his right thumb and pointer.

"Ho, ho! My, you're a dangerous person, sonny!" He exclaimed and innocent look left his face. "Calm down and sit. You have nothing to be afraid of yet… limited creature."

Naruto's eyes widened to their orbits, and despite old man's… or not-so-man's words, he couldn't help but become slightly afraid of what exactly sat in front of him now. To many… scratch that, to any regular human this old man's last sentence would mean nothing… But Naruto was no regular human… he was no human at all.

"I guess this is pointless then." The demon said and withdrew his sword, then dismissed it.

A smile turned to old man's face. "Ho, ho! Right you are, sonny! And by the way, how could you raise your scary long sword on such an innocent old man?"

"You're not innocent…" Naruto replied, sitting back down. "Or a man for that matter."

The old man pouted. "Ho! I may be old sonny, but I still got it! I'll show you!" He said and started to undo his pants.

"Whow, whow, whow! Hold it!" Naruto raised his arms. "Don't do that! It's the last thing I want to see!"

"Then you should not make fun of things you don't know." The old man said with a hint.

"Sure…" The demon replied. "Was that my lesson?"

"Ho, ho! You're pretty sharp, sonny! Yes, that was your lesson… but not the reason I called you here for."

Naruto's smile faded. "Well, here I am old man. What business do you have with me?"

Old man's smile faded as well. "Look there." He pointed at some mother with her child. "What do you see?"

"A mother playing with her child." Naruto replied honestly.

"Very well. Look there." The old man pointed at two other old men playing chess. "What do you see there?"

"Umm… two old guys playing chess?"

"True."

"What's this all about?" Naruto asked.

"It's about the point of view." The old man stated. "Tell me, what do you think makes you different from them in my eyes?"

The demon shrugged. "I'm sexier!" He stated.

The old man chuckled. "Sure you are, but I don't care about that… Besides, you're a man and I don't swing that way."

"Oh, you break my heart!" Naruto mocked.

"Answer my question." The old man said seriously and Naruto understood that joke time's over.

"I'm much more powerful." He stated.

"Wrong." The old man replied. "To me you're just another insect."

"Ouch." Naruto said. "Then I'm smarter."

"Wrong, you know nothing."

Naruto growled. "I'm evil…"

"You don't even know the meaning of that word." The old man stated.

"Maybe because I'm a killer?" The demon wondered.

"Nope."

"Then maybe because… fuck, I don't know…"

The old man smiled brightly. "That's because you are far more… entertaining."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Say what?!"

"Are you deaf?" The old man queried. "I thought these kinds of troubles affect only elders like me…"

"No, I heard you. That's why I'm asking!" The demon responded.

"Why do you sound so surprising?" The old man asked again. "I told you to look at it from my point of view. Look at that child or those old guys? Sometimes looking at them can make you smile… sometimes it can make you scowl… but most of the times you won't even glance their way."

"Oh…"

"Now look at yourself." The old man continued. "Do you have any idea how entertaining it is to watch you?! Even someone like me couldn't predict your actions… do you know why?"

"Let me think…" Naruto took a thinking pose. "Umm… I guess no, I don't."

"That's because destiny has nothing on you!" The old man stated. "That has never happened before. No prophesies were made for you, the stars are afraid of your name and the world itself cannot understand your existence."

Naruto was speechless. "Wow…"

"Exactly." The old man said. "Wow indeed… That's why it is so important for me that you succeed…"

"Wait, what?!"

"You heard me. I want to see your actions to their logical conclusion, and if you'll fail…" The old man laughed. "Hahaha… That will be the fuck up of the Millennium!"

Naruto laughed back. "Haha, you're funny, old man."

"You too… and that's why I want to help you." He replied.

"Oh?"

"Yes. You see, when I try to see something about your future, I see nothing. It's like you have never even existed." The old man stated. "But the thing is… you can sometimes be noticed in the destinies of others, like your friend Neji for example."

Naruto rubbed his chin in thoughts. "Destinies of others… Of course! That's what pulled my switch when you said nobody could see my future! The Juubi episode! He told me that he was waiting for me, but how could he do so, if no one was able to tell my future? The answer is, it was part of his future, not mine!"

The old man smirked. "I'll say it again, you are pretty sharp, sonny."

"Oh yeah, and my second guess is that you know another part of someone else's future linked with me." The demon exclaimed.

The old man nodded and clapped. "I'm speechless, total jackpot! So in other words, you're the only being ever, who can… how you put it… Oh yes, take your shoe off and stick it straight up fate's candy ass!"

"Yay!" Naruto said and summoned a cola can. "You want some?"

"Sure!" The old man said and nodded.

The blond took out another can and handed to the old man. "Here, enjoy. So, what about that future link?"

"Hmm… What a taste!" The old man exclaimed after several gulps. "How could I miss that before?"

"Umm… future link?"

"Oh yes, that…" The old man drank from the can again. "You know any ruby-eyed women?"

"Ruby-eyed…" Naruto wondered. "Kurenai?"

"That's the one." The old man nodded. "You are linked to her future. And for things to happen the way you want them to happen, you must reject her."

"I beg you pardon?" Naruto asked.

"You heard me. You must reject her next offer to you for the two of you to end up in the right places…"

"And the alternative?" The demon asked.

"You both are dead." The old man stated.

"Great…" Naruto muttered. "You sure?"

"I can see that point very clearly." The old man exclaimed. "If you won't do as I say, then at that point she'll be dead already, and you will soon follow."

"I'll be dead… not a very comfortable thought."

"Indeed it's not."

They sat for a few minutes in silence, and then Naruto finally stood up.

"Well, I guess our time is up…" The blond stated. "Thanks for the hint, old man." He turned around and started to walk away.

"Oh, and by the way…" The old man suddenly said to Naruto's back. "By rejecting I did not mean throwing her away. Use tragic soldier pick up line…"

The demon stopped dead in his tracks. "How in the blue hell do you know about…?" He turned around, but there were neither an old man, nor a bench. "Yeah, fuck you too… Heh, never knew I was that entertaining…"

Konohagakure outskirts. Kabuto's underground laboratory…

"Fucking morons, leaving me here alone with this corpse…" Hanabi sulked, sitting with her head rested on her hands. "What do you think?" She asked the corpse.

Of course no answer came…

The kunoichi sighed. "I thought so… boring…"

CRASH!

"Ow, my leg… FINALLY! NARUTO HAS COME BACK TO… fuck, I still can't remember the name of this place…"

"Naruto-sama!" Hanabi threw herself at just appeared Naruto and wrapped her hands around him.

"Huh, Hanabi?" Naruto asked in confusion. "What in the blue hell are you doing here?"

The girl looked up at him happily. "Those two morons left me here…"

"Let me guess, Neji and Kabuto?" Naruto asked.

She nodded. "Uh-hup! I'll have to thank them later!" Hanabi stated and started to undo Naruto's belt.

The man in question raised an eyebrow. "You sure aren't wasting any time…"

"Yup!" Hanabi exclaimed happily.

"You won't mind, right?" Naruto said, speaking to the corpse. "I thought so…"

Konohagakure. Random Street…

"What do you think about it?" Neji asked as he and Kabuto walked down towards Kabuto's lab.

"Disturbing…" The grey haired medic replied. "They have excellent plans and the numbers. And with Sasuke-kun's inspiration…"

Neji snorted. "Heh, never knew that Uchiha piece of trash has it in him. Tsunade was in total depression…"

"By the way…" Kabuto started. "What are you going to do?"

"About what?" Neji asked, in confusion.

Kabuto sighed. "Look, we both know Naruto wants Moon Country intact, so he won't destroy it like he did with Wave… Which brings me to the thought…"

"What thought?"

"The battle is inevitable… and I think this time Naruto will let others fight. Which side will you fight for then?"

Neji chuckled. "So that's what you're talking about?"

"Yes."

"Well then let me tell you this, I'll fight wherever Naruto wants me to fight, and if he says I am to fight on Konoha's side, then that's what I'll do."

The medic raised an eyebrow. "Quite a dedication…" He commented. "Maybe you'll finally…"

"Don't say that word!"

"Yeah, sorry… Are you going to at last explain me why are you so loyal to him?"

Neji paused. "Okay, it's pretty simple… He gave me what I wanted."

"And what is it that you wanted?" Kabuto pressed.

Another pause. "Same things we all want: truth, friendship… freedom. I joined Naruto because he's honest with his allies. I wanted truth about my family, he explained. I wanted truth about Konoha, he explained. I wanted truth about his intentions, he explained. I asked if we're going to succeed…"

"Let me guess, he assured you will?" The medic asked.

Neji smirked at this. "No, he said he doesn't know… and I believed him, believed because I understood what kind of man he truly is."

"I see…"

Back in laboratory…

"Ohhhh shit!" Naruto moaned, pulling Hanabi's head closer. "Take this!"

"Myh!" The girl exclaimed, swallowing what was offered.

"Hoooo… that just made my day." The demon stated, calming down.

"What the…?!"

Naruto turned his head sharply. There stood Neji and Kabuto.

"Stop doing that, you sick freak!" Hyuga shouted. "She's four years younger than you!"

Naruto grinned evilly. "Well, she sure wasn't protesting… weren't you?"

"Nope!" Hanabi exclaimed happily.

"And speaking about freaks…" Naruto zipped his pants and walked towards Neji. "Tell me something, Neji. Have Tenten ever caught you masturbating in a toilet?"

"N-No…"

"Cool place, huh?" The demon asked.

"Son of a bitch…"

"Don't son of a bitch me!" The blond shouted. "Don't do that, and let me tell you what to do! Stop masturbating in a toilet, find this bun haired bitch and give her a time of her life!"

"I…"

"Don't I! Entered, left, thank you Neji-kun! Got it?"

"Yeah."

"So…" Naruto started. "Why in the blue hell have you summoned me?"

Kabuto's eyes sparkled. "Oh yes, look here!" He pointed at the guy, lying on the operational table.

"A corpse…" Naruto stated.

"No, not a corpse." Kabuto replied. "But very close to one."

"And why would you have a half corpse in your lab?" The demon inquired.

Kabuto and Neji shared a glance.

"Now I know why he took her in…" The medic stated.

"What?" Naruto asked again.

"Hanabi said the same thing, word for word, when she saw that." Neji explained.

"Oh…" Naruto muttered and patted Hanabi on the head. "Good girl."

"Enough, look at this!" Kabuto almost shouted.

"What is there?" Naruto muttered, looking at some monitor.

"The destruction, it's stopped!" The medic exclaimed happily.

"And, what is the reason?"

"She is!" Kabuto pointed at Hanabi. "Apparently demonic blood can be fooled with juuken's abilities, so when Neji's cousin accidently used it on that guy, one of his organs stopped to degenerate and a new organ started to grow right over the previous one!"

Naruto nodded. "That makes sense… So, what's your prognosis?"

Kabuto wrote something in his journal. "My prognosis is that demonification will be very difficult, but still possible! We need to not only have machines to keep the subject alive, because we will have to keep at least one of his major organs dead with juuken, but we also must close his blood pathways so injected blood won't spread through the entire body."

"How curious…" Naruto replied. "Continue the good work, and if you need something ask either Neji or myself."

"Will do." Kabuto replied.

"Well, that's that." The demon concluded. "You two, come with me. I want to see the results of Hanabi's training before I'll leave."

Konohagakure. Danzou's office…

"Danzou-sama!" A lone shinobi kneeled before his leader.

"Report." The old war hawk commanded.

"Hai. As you ordered, I checked every possible information channel searching for a traitor in Konoha ranks…"

Danzou's eyes narrowed. "And? Have you found something?"

Shinobi nodded. "Yes, master. I did…"