Naruto 1. Prologue

It was night time, and the full silver moon hung mysteriously overhead, casting pale rays upon the ground. It illuminated many dark streets and alleys in the small ninja village known as Konoha. It was spring time, the midnight air chilly, but not unbearably so. Leaves flew with the wind and the soothing sound of slow moving air dominated the night as much as shadows.

A small boy, no older than seven walked silently down an empty street. He was small and utterly chibi-ish. He could easily be mistaken as an innocent angel, with his golden colored hair which shot up in a halo of spikes, his crystal clear blue eyes that shone with an innocent light, and his rich and tanned skin. His name was Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto was an orphan, knowing neither his mother nor father, heck he didn't even have any family whatsoever. He was basically alone. There was only one person who he knew, but it wasn't on a personal level. The Hokage, leader of their village, tended to drop in on the boy, and was the one responsible for giving him a home in a simple apartment where the blond angel lived alone.

The boy was always alone. The villagers who were older despised him greatly, and therefor taught their children to hate the boy as well, but for reasons unknown to many. Naruto had never done a thing to harm even a fly, yet he was hated more then any missing ninja could ever dream of being.

He was hated for one simple reason; the Kyuubi. The nine-tailed fox that the Yondaime, Konoha's own Golden Flash, had sealed into the boy shortly after his birth at the price of his own life. The man's last request had been to treat Naruto as a hero, for it would be he that would bear the greatest burden for them. No one regarded him as a hero, merely as the demon that was inside him.

Of course Naruto knew nothing of his tenant, for all word of the fox's existence was ordered into silence by Sarutobi, the third Hokage who regained the reins after the Yondaime's heroic death.

A small humming noise escaped the blond hero as he tucked his hands in his pockets. The song he was humming was one he heard the other children singing: the 'I'm a little Teapot' song. A small smile was on his face, making the small whisker like scars on his cheek look absolutely adorable. He was perfectly innocent.

A rustling in the trees next to him caused him to stop both walking and humming as he innocently glanced at the trees. Three dark shadows sped out from the tree and moved until they were right before him. Once they stopped their forms were revealed.

Before the boy stood three men dressed in black cloaks with the hood drawn up completely hiding their features. "Demon child!" The tallest of the three spat with great venom in his voice. "You die here and now for all your sins!" The man continued his low and quiet voice filled with disgust and rage while the young boy looked up in terror.

"This is for my brother who you slaughtered mercilessly!" The widest spat as he punched the small child with blinding strength and speed, successfully connecting with Naruto's tanned cheek and sending him flying. A cry of pain escaped the blue-eyed demon container as he landed roughly on the solid ground while looking back at his attackers with fear visible in his eyes.

The tallest appeared at the boy's side before the blond could even blink, and kicked him forcefully in the stomach causing the boy to become horribly winded as blood trailed down his chin. "You are worthless! Scum!" The one who had remained silent sneered as he pulled out a vile and dumped its contents on the child.

A scream of sheer pain escaped Naruto as the acid dumped callously on him began eating away at his flesh with a sickening sizzling noise as blood rushed from his opening skin. "..W...Why?" He managed to croak out between cries, gasps and sobs, as he tried in vain to removed the acid from his body with his hands which too joined into the flesh being mutilated.

"Because you are the one with the Kyuubi inside you! You are the demon who killed our friends and families. You who stole from us our beloved Yondaime! You vile son of a bitch!" The tallest spat darkly as he glanced down at the blond. "You are nothing!" He concluded with a smirk in his voice.

The man moved to hit Naruto. It happened so fast and before he could blink he was on the ground quickly losing consciousness.

"Huh?" Naruto said as he snapped his eyes open. He was no longer in the village but in a huge room in front of what looked like a cage. The bars were twice as wide as he was and were over 200 ft the key hole should have been was a sheet of paper with strange markings on it.

"Hello?!" he called out. No one answered. He was going to try again when something began moving in the cage. He could tell by the loud thuds that whatever was in there was massive. From the shifts of the water, it had to turn around and face him. Then he saw the most brilliant crimson slit-pupil eyes.

**"And the little runt comes wandering in" it said.**

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I'm the Kyubi. The nine-tailed fox demon" he said

"Kyubi…I like that name" Naruto said.

**"Thank you. You'd be the first" Kyubi said.**

"So where are we?" Naruto asked.

**"We're inside your mind" Kyubi said.**

"O-kay….why are you here?" Naruto asked.

**"I was sealed inside of you when you were an infant when I attacked this village and nearly destroyed it" Kyubi said.**

"Why would you come here?" Naruto asked.

Kyubi didn't answer. Naruto tilted his head a little "Can I see you?" he asked. Kyubi looked at him strangely. 'Why is he being so kind? Is he not angry with me?' he thought. Kyubi stepped forward so Naruto could look at him. Naruto gasped in awe. Kyubi was so pretty. His sleek orange fur glowed in the light. His claws perfect and deadly. However, what caught Naruto were Kyubi's eyes. They were the color of rubies. They were powerful, and shined with intelligence, but also warm and humble. "Kawai…" Naruto said under his breath. But Kyubi still heard it and chuckled. Naruto tried to step closer but he fell to the floor as soon as he did.

**"Damn it, I almost forgot you were hurt. Here" Kyubi said.** He wrapped his tail around Naruto and channeled his chakra. Naruto couldn't describe it. One minute he was in pain and the next he felt as if he could run for days.

**"There. How do you feel?" Kyubi asked.**

"I feel…really good. Thank you" Naruto said. Naruto ran through the bars and hugged Kyubi's leg. Kyubi stood shocked for a moment before he moved his tail to pat his head. He moved it to see Naruto was hanging on his leg, fast asleep.

He chuckled softly **"You definately are a strange one kit. I like it"**

~Five years later~

A person dressed in dark gray was sprinting in the shadows. No one noticed because this person was fast. Nothing was noticed that could identify the person, just as it was intended. If he were recognized, there would be many accusations that he was doing something illegal, which would lead to him being taken to the Hokage again. No, he had other plans. He finally reached his hideout. He pressed his hand against the wall of the alley and it shifted to the side soundlessly. As soon as he stepped inside it slid shut again, hiding its secrets. The person flipped a light switch and his features could now be seen. He was 5'3, wearing dark gray pants with black bandages and along sleeve black shirt with gray arm guards. He wore black fingerless gloves, the hood of his jacket covered his head and he had a black facemask. He pulled his hood and mask off to reveal spiky blonde hair, and whisker marks on both his cheeks. He walked down a flight of stairs and a long hallway reaching a single door. He went inside and lit a torch. The room was massive and empty. There were no doors, and there were even some bones scattered around for affect. This was an illusion to distract people from finding the real door. The boy walked to the middle of the room and performed a chain of hand seals.

"Water release: Dive mirage jutsu" he said.

The floor rippled under his feet and he began to sink until he was swallowed completely. He fell about 15ft before he landed on his feet. This was where his real home was. The room he landed in was just a bit smaller than the upper floor. It had a recliner set, a TV, two coffee tables and a shelf full of books and movies. On the other side of the room was a hallway that had 12 doors, only nine were visible. Five were the same size as the living room, four were double. He walked into the third room on the right and took out some sealing scrolls. This was his 'storage' or 'collection' room. He collected weapons, scrolls, money, and ingredients for poisons or whatever else he could think of.

"Not a bad night" he said to himself "If I keep this up I'll reach my quota in no time. Yu will be pleased," he said. He left and went to the fourth room on the left side of the hall. Training with Kyuubi exhausted Naruto of chakra and strength, but what he didn't like was getting dirty. He just hated the feeling of dirt on his skin, that's why he always takes a shower immediately after coming home. He wasn't a germaphobe or anything. He just liked being clean better than being dirty. Naruto entered his small bathroom and stripped down to nothing as he stepped into the tub. He turned on the shower head and turned up the temperature to the hottest he could handle. Seeing that he could now endure Kyuubi's burning chakra without showing pain on his face, the water was pretty hot. Naruto soaked himself in the shower, feeling the hot water all over his small body and letting it soothe his aching muscles. He loved the water. It just washed everything away.

_'I wish water could wash troubles away as easily as it does dirt.'_

**'That's some wish kit.'**

_'Kyu, I thought you were sleeping.'_

**'I got bored sleeping.'**

Naruto sighed. In the five years he had known the demon, he could never figure the kitsune out and he was sure he never will. The blond ignored his demon and continued with his shower, scrubbing himself with vanilla-scented body wash (he hated using soap) and washing his hair with some sweet-smelling shampoo (that DIDN"T contain any fruit extract). After rinsing himself free of any irritating soap suds, Naruto got out of the shower and dried himself with a fresh towel. Wrapping the towel around his waist, Naruto went to his room and dug through his closet for some clothes. The furniture he made himself. There was a wardrobe, a bed, a night table, and a chest of drawers. The blankets, pillows, and such were bought with a disguised shadow clone. Nobody, not even the Hokage knew of his secret home. While it was underground and lacked natural light, it was safe, an aspect no other place in the village had. Especially his 'official' residence. He had stationed a shadow clone there to throw off the villagers. It was sheer luck that he had once caught one of the genin tests of the jonin senseis. 3 years ago, he had witnessed a strange jonin with gravity defying silver hair and a mask use the jutsu.

He saw the hand seal for it and practiced it for a year. Shadow clone had become his favorite jutsu of all time. It had universal uses and so far, he had discovered a good 50 of them. The village absolutely hated him; he knew that since he was little. There was only a small group of people that did not hate him at all. One of those people being his best friend Sasuke Uchiha. He had lost count of how many times, how many days he had spent in the hospital after an attack. He couldn't avoid it except to get stronger. However, acquiring strength didn't happen instantly, he had busted his ass for years to get where he is now. He was aided through most of this by Sasuke; one of the last two survivors of the Uchiha clan, and a secret jinchuriki. Sasuke was the container of the eleven-tailed wolf Nago. He, Naruto Uzumaki, or rather Namikaze was the container of the Kyubi, the nine-tailed fox.


	2. Before Dawn After Dusk

Chapter 1: Before dawn; after dusk

(Third POV)

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A certain blond teen was asleep in his bed in an small but cozy apartment lit by the sun glowing invigoratingly through his window. His limbs were sprawled out in every possible angle, and his sleep cap which was a penguin was perched lightly on his blond tresses. A small amount of snoring exited the young teen as he dreamed about things only visible to himself.

An annoying beeping suddenly sounded through the room, causing the teen to stir and slowly sit up with a yawn and a stretch. "...Morning already?" He questioned aloud before opening one eye and glancing at his alarm clock. It was indeed morning, and time to get up.

He slowly slid from his bed, stretching and stifling a yawn before he looked around at his spotless apartment. Blue eyes took in plain white walls, his simple bed, small table and chairs, tiny kitchenette, small living room and several bookcases, and two doors. One door led to the exterior of his home, while the other lead to his small white bathroom.

It was simple, it was small, it was clean and it was his.

He walked over to his window and slid his pale curtains to the side before opening the window. A gentle breeze greeted him as he took a deep breath. "Beautiful..." He muttered to himself as a genuine smile graced his lips.

'Indeed...' A deep voice echoed through his mind.

'Good morning Kyuubi-san.' The blond silently greeted his companion who had awoken in his mind that night five long years ago while he lie beaten and unconscious.

'Morning.' The fox said in return. 'What are your plains for your academy test this week?' The fox asked after a moment's silence.

'Well... I think I should let myself flunk once more. The villagers would think something up if 'dead last' were to pass this exam even though it is my third time. But Yukano will be here soon and we need all three of us as genin in order for the plan to really get moving' The blond knowledgeably explained while knowing full well he could easily ace the whole test. He just simply liked to act like his mask. Konoha's number-one loudmouth, knuckle-headed idiot-demon.

'You do realize that you could kick all those sorry human's asses if you pleased. After all, I haven't trained you for five years for nothing.' The Kyuubi stated while inwardly smirking. 'But I suppose your mask is important for it gives you an edge. After all I know you have the strength and knowledge of high level chuunin or a low leveled jounin.' The fox added smugly, proud of his handy work while training 'his kit.'

'I know but... I rather not have the villagers growing suspicious therefore I'll maintain my mask until I am forced to reveal my true self.' The blond explained once more having gone through this discussion various times with the nine-tailed tenant residing in his stomach who he could share thoughts with.

With the last part silently said, the blond walked over to his closet and pulled out his ridiculously bright orange jumpsuit. 'I do love orange... but this is just outrageous.' The blond thought while the Kyuubi merely chuckled in agreement.

'Maybe once you become a ninja you could change your wardrobe to something more suitable while using the excuse that it was damaged beyond repair while doing solitary training.' The fox suggested causing his host to smile and nod, fully approving of that idea.

He closed his closet door and walked into the bathroom where he showered and went through his daily rituals before exiting the clean bathroom and heading over to the kitchenette.

Once in his kitchen he opened a random cupboard and was greeted with the sight of hundreds of instant noodles. He reached his hand to the back of the cupboard and pulled out a box of strawberry flavored poptarts. Sure he liked instant noodles, but not constantly as he had his mask even knew how to cook but only one other person was aware of that; Sasuke. The blond smiled as he thought of his best friend, the very one who had saved him so many years ago and cared for him like no other had done before. Sasuke was Naruto's most precious person, well besides his Kyuubi, but none save the blond and raven knew of his interaction with the demon.

Naruto ate his pop tarts before grabbing his keys and sliding his ridiculously tacky goggles in place. How he loathed the goggles, they added to the whole 'Look at me I'm the village idiot' look. Naruto was not in fact an idiot, he was brilliant, but only the Kyuubi knew of this and all of the blond's other shocking abilities and skills.

Sasuke knew of one of the blond's gifts, and that was cooking. The blue-eyed fox vessel was a culinary artist and would occasionally cook meals for his brother, though the two kept that to themselves. It was like _their own secret._

With a sigh the young teen stepped outdoors and locked his home behind him before stuffing his keys in his pocket and placing his idiot mask on. He turned and exited the apartment complex and tucked his hands into his pockets, ready to face the new day.

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(Uchiha Complex)

**_'Puuuuuup. Pup! Wake up!'_**

Sasuke shouted and shot straight up in bed "What? What's going on?" he sputtered.

**_'Its morning that's what's going on. Get up and get dressed' _**Nago said.

"Hn" Sasuke said as he crawled out of bed. He grabbed his clothes and toothbrush then headed for the bathroom. 20 minutes later, he was dressed and ready for the next day of torture. Luckily, it was his and Naruto's last year of being civilians. They thought about graduating early, but then their plans would have been shot. No, they had to endure if everything was to be in their favor with very little repercussions. Sasuke ate a small breakfast and was getting ready to leave.

**_'Pup don't forget your lunch'_** Nago said.

Sasuke skidded to a halt and ran back to the kitchen to grab his bento. 'Thanks Nago' he said.

**_'No problem'_** Nago said.

Sasuke walked out of the compound and through the village. People stared and whispered as he went, but he still heard them thanks to his enhanced canine hearing. All of the villagers were convinced that the 'demon brat' Naruto had him under some kind of spell and that's why he hangs around him. A completely idiotic idea, you could see the desperation in it.

**_'Humans will believe anything' _**Nago said. Sasuke 'hn'ed in agreement.

Women at least 10 or 20 years older than me made passes at him, offering themselves or their daughters to him. 'Utterly pathetic' Sasuke thought. He had to resist the urge to vomit and gag. After ten minutes, he couldn't take it anymore and body flickered the rest of the way to the academy. Thankfully, graduation was six days away and they'd be free from the council and be able to show their true strength. Most importantly, Yukano would be here with them. Sasuke walked into the classroom and saw Naruto waiting for him. He went up the isle and took his place by Naruto's side.

"Morning Naru, morning Kyu" Sasuke said.

"Morning Sasu. Kyuubi said 'Hey'" Naruto said.

"You ready for this week?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, hopefully Yukano will make it in time" Naruto said.

"Hn" Sasuke nodded.

They sat back watching as the class started to fill. Ino and Sakura had their daily loud entrance. Really all that effort for someone that doesn't even care or like you. Pathetic. They still had the daily stares and whispers from their 'peers'. The others never bothered them much. They never talked unless called upon and didn't do anything but observe since day one. There were a few upsets though. Some people just don't seem to get when someone wants to be left alone. Satoshi Minari learned that the hard way. The boy thought it would be funny to throw a kunai at the 'demon brat' to scare him. Naruto not only caught it but sent back ten of his own and nailed Satoshi to the wall with perfect precision. Needless to say his classmates would think twice before messing with him. Iruka finally showed up and started class. It was just review for the upcoming exam. Most of the class was already asleep by now and Naruto was about to follow until Sasuke started tapping his pencil. Naruto sat up a little and listened until he realized Sasuke was using their code. Sasuke stopped 'talking' and Naruto instantly responded. It translated roughly in to this:

'I am so bored'

_**'Then go to sleep'**_

'What if he calls on one of us?'

_**'Just tap the question'**_

'You have an answer for everything don't you'

_**'Yeah'**_

'Smartass. So are we training after school or practicing our alchemy?'

_**' Teme. Hold on a sec' **_'Hey Kyu are we training after school today?' Naruto asked.

**'Yes kit. I've got some new jutsu for you two'** Kyuubi said.

'Cool' Naruto said. He tapped back to Sasuke _**'We're training after school. Kyu's got some fresh ones'**_

'Alright' Sasuke put his pencil away and laid his head down to try and catch a nap, which Naruto copied.

Iruka was none the wiser until he turned around to address the class. When he saw most of them were asleep he got a huge tick mark and slammed his ruler on the desk "Wake up!" he shouted. Almost everyone jumped up, except Naruto and Sasuke who took their time 'waking' up. Iruka saw this and smirked

"Naruto!" he said.

Naruto looked at him "Yes sensei?" he asked.

"Name to us the clans that had survived the ninja wars and are still here today," said Iruka.

"Hai, Iruka sensei" Naruto said sitting up straight "Some of the most powerful clans that are alive and live in Konoha are Aubrame, Akimichi, Hyuga, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, and Nara. The Uchiha clan is also in that category but they died in one night save for two. There is also the Senju clan but they too died leaving only Tsunade whose whereabouts are unknown" Naruto said.

The class was silent except for the occasional whispers that followed whenever Naruto answered a question. "That's correct Naruto" Iruka said turning back to the board and continuing. Some of the students were still whispering and staring at Naruto. Sasuke started tapping again.

'Nice work as usual'

_**'Did you expect any less?'**_

Sasuke rolled his eyes and tapped 'Show off'.

Naruto smirked _**'Only for you'**._

Sasuke had to stop himself from laughing aloud and just looked out the window, smirking. Naruto looked forward grinning like a Cheshire cat. Iruka continued to teach without any more interruption. They had a short quiz, after which they were sent home. On their way to train, they received the usual stares and whispers; in Naruto's case glares. They ignored them and kept walking. When they were alone, they body flickered to their secret training ground. They both made clones and waited for Kyubi and Nago to take over them. The clones began to morph, changing in height and stature. One was now a head over Naruto had orange hair, bold whisker marks, and red eyes. The other was half an inch taller, had gray hair, electric blue eyes, a wolf tail, wolf ears, and fangs.

"Hey Kyuubi, Nago" Sasuke said. They both smiled.

Nago ruffled Sasuke's hair "Hello pup" he said.

Kyuubi looked at Naruto "Are you two ready to train?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're ready" Naruto said.

"Alright, we didn't come up with a detailed plan….so we'll just wing it" Kyuubi said.

"Okay" Naruto said.

"The first technique we'll show you is called Senshoku. This jutsu allows you to blend in with your surroundings, in other words you become invisible. I will demonstrate" Nago said. He performed a chain of hand seals then muttered "Illusion art: Senshoku"

Nago instantly disappeared. "Whoa" Sasuke said. Naruto stepped forward and swiped at the place Nago was standing but hit nothing.

"Nearly undetectable and soundless. This is the perfect assassin's jutsu," Nago said in Sasuke's ear. Sasuke yelped and jumped, spinning madly.

Nago laughed, "Relax pup," he said.

"That wasn't funny," Sasuke said indignantly. Nago chuckled as he reappeared.

"Let's see you two try it," Kyuubi said.

They nodded. Sasuke went first and copied Nago's hand seals. He too disappeared instantaneously. "This is awesome!" Sasuke said.

"Well done Sasuke, very well done. Now you Naruto" Kyuubi said looking at him.

Naruto nodded then performed the hand seals and vanished. "This feels a little weird," he said.

"You'll get used to it. We'll be practicing stealth scenarios with this jutsu during our next session," Kyuubi said.

Naruto quickly reappeared. "This next technique is called the chakra separation jutsu. What this does is it allows you to strip your opponent of his/her chakra and use it as or replenish your own. We will not practice it for safety reasons but I will show you the hand seals." Nago said.

"Alright" Naruto said. Nago showed them the hand seals then let Kyuubi take over.

"This took a lot of consideration but I think you'll be happy to know that I think you are ready for darkness Justus," Kyuubi said.

"Really?!" Sasuke asked.

"Really. Now you two have a firm grip on the element and how to manipulate it. The challenge is the nature of darkness itself. Darkness is not opposed to light. That is an urban myth. Rather, light is born from darkness. Darkness is not evil itself; it is just more attuned to negative emotions like anger or hate. Darkness does not seek to corrupt but to be whole. Darkness also brings out the worst in you; your inner darkness so to speak. If you don't keep it under control it will consume you." Kyubi explained.

"Right, so what are we going to do first?" Naruto asked.

"We'll do a simple jutsu. Look at your shadows" Kyuubi said. They looked at their shadows.

"Now concentrate on it. Send out some chakra and imagine a portal," Kyuubi said. They did so and watched as their shadows reformed into circles.

"Now think of somewhere you want to go. A place with decent shadows and close to where we are" Kyuubi said. They both looked across the clearing to a group of trees making a large, dark shadow.

"Now imagine yourself stepping through that portal and coming out at your destination," Kyuubi said.

Naruto and Sasuke did as Kyuubi said. They felt the ground disappear beneath their feet as they began to sink. Once their heads went under, they felt a strange sensation as if they were drowning; only they weren't struggling to breathe. After about a minute, they felt themselves rising again. Their heads broke the surface as they returned to the 'normal world'. They opened their eyes to see the group of trees 6ft in front of them.

"Whoa" Sasuke said.

"Whoa indeed. This is the shadow dive mirage jutsu, the most basic of darkness techniques. So simple it doesn't need hand seals. Now besides being used to get from point A to point B, this also takes you to the Reverse world. I don't know much about it except that it's completely opposite of this world and time passes faster than normal there" Kyuubi explained.

"So that's where we were when we went under?" Naruto asked.

"Yes and no. See you were only on the edge of it, you didn't really penetrate it. But back to the technique, you should practice it until you don't have to think about it anymore just like the Shunshin. Now one thing you should know, darkness is not like the other elements. You won't need hand seals for a great majority of its Justus it's merely a matter of how you manipulate it. So experiment a bit and see what results you get." Kyuubi said.

"Where did you learn all of this?" Sasuke asked.

"I learned it from the Great Library. There lives an owl spirit named Raza. She watches over the library and collects books to fill it. It is said to hold information on anything in the universe," Kyuubi said.

"How do you get there?" Naruto asked.

"You have to use a special seal, and you have to have an offering of knowledge like a book ready otherwise Raza won't let you in." Nago said.

"Alright" Kyuubi said clapping his hands together "Back to training. This next technique is one no one else knows because I made it myself. It's called the Raywing jutsu. It allows the user to fly and creates a storm mail around them," Kyuubi said. He performed three demon seals and began to levitate.

"Awesome!" Sasuke said.

"Very awesome indeed. Kyuubi how did you create such a jutsu?" Nago asked.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out" Kyuubi said as he floated back down.

"Now you try," he said. Naruto went first. He performed the seals then floated at least 10ft off the ground and started flying in circles.

"Very good. I'll be making some obstacle courses for you two to fly through and I might take you flying too." Kyuubi said.

Naruto floated back to the ground smiling "I'm gonna have fun with this" he said.

"After practice. Sasuke you're up" Kyuubi said.

Sasuke nodded and performed the seals. He was a little slower getting into the air and floated 6ft. "Heh, it's not so bad" He said slowly flying in a circle then coming back down.

"That was really good. Now we'll do your physical training" Nago said.

Time passed in a blur as Naruto and Sasuke engrossed themselves in their training. By the time they finished the sun was disappearing behind the horizon. Both boys packed up and called it a day; wishing each other good night.

'Kyuubi?' Naruto called out softly to his companion as he arrived home after having been treated to ramen at his favorite food bar, Ichiraku's.

'Yeah, kit?' The demon responded, wondering what his little host wanted.

'I ... I'm tired of hiding everything. I want to be a little more myself.' He stated honestly as he closed his front door and flipped on the light switch causing the one light to go on, casting an orange glow about the room.

'What do you have in mind?' the fox asked as he sent the blonde an image of himself in humanoid form quirking his brow in curiosity.

'Appearance. These clothes are hideous! Only some mentally incapacitated person would willingly wear a blindingly bright orange jumpsuit.' He explained. 'I'd need something more me, but I won't be able to get something in the village as no one will sell me anything willingly...' He summed up.

'Well kit, looks like you and I are going out for a late night excursion. One that will take us to a small town to the north of here. It is not a ninja dwelling, so they will have no knowledge of you being 'the demon'.' Kyuubi answered the indirect question.

'Okay, but we'd have to hurry, it's already getting late and I have to be at the school tomorrow for 10 am so I can get to school on time' Naruto stated as he flicked the light back up and exited his flat, locking the door behind him.

Without so much as another thought, he silently tore off through the city. He was not seen, nor was he heard. He easily slipped by the jounin who were guarding the parameter causing him to seriously doubt the security of the village. 'Oh well... That will all change once we engage.' He silently vowed as he effortlessly scaled the wall.

'First you have to hit rank of Chunin, then Jounin before you get to the Hokage's level.' Kyuubi teased good naturedly as the blond leapt onto the nearest branch and began to race along the tree tops, rustling not a single bird, nor moving a single leaf. He was trained well, far better than any human who knew him thought possible.

He ran and he ran, as fast as he could at that point in time. Moving without so much as a hint of him passing through, never once even slowing. He kept up the same, cautious and unaltered pace until he saw the glow of a town in the darkened sky. 'We're here...' He silently offered as he slipped into the village, heading hurriedly, though at a normal non ninja pace, towards the nearest store.

He quietly opened the door, though the effort was wasted as a tiny bell hanging over the door jingled announcing his arrival loud and clear within the store. Inwardly the blonde cursed. 'That was careless.' Kyuubi commented lightly while nodding his head contemplatively, but before the blonde could respond a voice cut.

"May I help you young man?" A woman, no older the thirty, gently inquired as she smoothed out the wrinkles on the front of her pink apron as brown eyes kindly observed the boy.

"Yes mame. I'm in need of a new wardrobe as you can see mine... is a major fashion don't." Naruto answered before continuing. "Though I honestly have no fashion taste so I wouldn't know what to get anyways." He laughed lightly as he ran a hand over the back of his neck in embarrassment.

The young woman chuckled as she tucked her long black hair behind her ears, her dark eyes alight with amusement. "Well then you most certainly have come to the right place. I'll help you, though you'll have to tell me what type of look you're going for." She stated as she tucked her hands into her back jean pockets.

"Well... I honestly prefer darker colours, don't know what I was thinking when I got this." He stated as he plucked at his outfit. "Something less baggy too. In style, with long lasting materials. I am somewhat of a klutz, so I wear clothing out easily." He explained.

She nodded before gaining a thoughtful expression. "Wait right here and I'll got nab some outfits that fit that description." She said cheerfully before moving into the many rows and displays of clothing, occasionally tugging something that looked about the blonde's size off the rack and adding it to the growing pile in her arms.

After about five minutes of carefully gathering the best articles of clothing, the lady returned to the front with a tittering pile of various clothing in her arms. She gently set them down on a chair outside of a curtained off area. "Go try them on sweety." She ordered kindly and the blonde hastened to do as he was told.

He entered into the curtained off room with the first outfit shad had handed him tucked gently under his arms. The room was small, just a tiny little curtained off room with a tiny bench and a full length mirror for customers to look themselves over in.

Naruto sighed before shrugging off his hideously bright outfit. He hurriedly changed into the first outfit before exiting the small changing room.

"You look adorably gorgeous!" The lady squealed with that happy go lucky fangirl expression on her face. "If only you were older or I was younger." She sighed dreamily as Naruto merely smirked in amusement before studying his new look in the mirror. He liked what he saw.

He was wearing a fitted long sleeve top that was black and had a silver symbol on the front, though he knew not what the symbol meant. The bottom of the shirt hovered just centimeters above his pants, though it hid his bellybutton from sight until he lifted his arms up as the shirt would then rise up. The pants, like the shirt, was black, fitted loosely on his narrow hips and slightly baggy near the base. All in all it was simple, yet his small lean frame looked beautiful in it.

And so they continued. He tried on outfit after outfit, approving some while turning others down, and one hour later he finally had enough clothing to last for ages. "Thank you so much for helping me pick these out." Naruto said honestly, feeling a little awkward to be back in his hideous jumpsuit after having worn such delightful clothing.

"Don't mention it kiddo!" The lady said happily as she finished ringing everything up. "And just because you looked so adorable, I'll give you a little discount. The total comes to 13500 yen please." She said and the blond happily complied, by handing over the money.

"Thank you so much." He said again as she grabbed all ten massive bags of clothing.

"I said don't mention it." She smiled. "Oh! Maybe you should head over next door. A friend of mine owns that store, she carries foot ware and accessories, plus a few other things. She's open late so don't worry about it being closed already. Oh and tell her Menori sent you." She supplied with a winked as she ushered the boy from her shop.

Naruto smiled as he moved towards the shop next door, bags in hand.

He silently pushed the shop'd door open and inwardly cringed as he heard the tell tale bell jingling to alert the store owner of his arrival. 'Kit, at this rate those little tiny bells will be your downfall.' The Kyuubi snorted in amusement. 'I can see it now! All the newspapers in Konoha will read: Demon killed by bells! It would be such a mockery to the ninja who had lost their lives to me. Afterall who would want to be outdone by a tiny little...'

'I get it!' Naruto inwardly huffed cutting of his guests daydream.

"Welcome! My aren't you out late for a little guy." A female voice greeted him and he turned to see a young lady, about the same age as the other shop keeper, moving out from behind the counter.

"Yeah, I needed to get some shopping done, and Menori said I should see what you have here." Naruto explained causing the woman to squeal and clap her hands together.

"Judging by the amount of bags you got there, I'd say you just got a new wardrobe, which means you'll need some hot accessories and some good footwear!" The lady exclaimed before she hurriedly rushed over to the boy looking him over. "So what colours and styles did you get?" She asked.

"Uh... Black, red, blue, orange and green are the basic colours. The tops are all fitted while the pants are of a looser style." He explained as he set his bags down.

"Alright. Lets see... Boots, combat boots would go best, silver accessories..." She mumbled to herself as she moved off into the aisles and began grabbing some items. Several minutes later she returned with an armful of items. "Try these on." She ordered excitedly as she handed him a pair of black combat boots that had a bunch of straps and buckles on it.

He shrugged as removed his blue sandals before slipping the boots on his feet and doing them up while inwardly wondering how both the ladies knew his size. They fit him perfectly, and they came up to about mid calf. "I like them." He admitted before pulling them off.

"Excellent! Thought you might, now look through this pile of accessories. Pick some." The shop keeper said happily as he did just that.

He picked out several necklaces, rings, chains, and other items that caught his eye. "Menori said that you had footwear, accessories and other things, what other things do you have?" He inquired curiously as he peered around and only found things that fit into the first two categories.

"Ah! So you noticed did you. Well I have a little room in back for customers that either want tattoos or piercings. And now that I think about it, you'd look good with maybe a piercing or four, maybe even a tattoo or six." She answered before grabbing his arm and happily dragging him through a door behind the till.

The room in back was just like your average tattoo parlour and piercing place, having the table to lie on for tattoos, while various examples of what you could get littered the wall. In the far corner was a chair with an arrangement of earrings around it.

"So can I tip your fancy?" The woman asked eagerly while the blond just looked around.

"Sure..." He said, though he sounded slightly unsure if it was wise, but as he heard no complaints from the peanut gallery known as Kyuubi he decided to go along with it.

"Great! So what can I get you? A lip ring? Ears? Nose? Eyebrow? Unmentionables?" The lady asked as she pushed him to sit into the chair in the corner as she hurriedly pulled out various piercing guns. "I also to nipples, belly buttons and random pieces of flesh." She added in after a moments thought.

"Uh... snake bites for my Lip... two on each ear..." Naruto answered as he looked at several pictured scattered on the counter top holding many images of people with many different piercings and in different places, and he blushed furiously at the one picture of a naked man holding his privates in an erotic sense while displaying the multiple piercings near the base. That looked way too painful to even consider.

"I'll do your ears first, they hurt way less then the lips." The woman stated as she hooked on a silver stud onto the gun before putting it to Naruto's ear. "Now don't move." She cautioned before pulling the trigger with a small snapping noise and the stud easily went in the ear and was closed with the end piece in the back "See not that bad." She commented before grabbing the second stud.

"Yeah, that didn't hurt a bit." He said in surprise not lying in the least, it felt like merely a tickle. He supposed he had the Kyuubi to thank for that. Before he could finish his trail thought the second and third and fourth earrings were already in his ear.

"Now this one will hurt a bit. After All everyone has way more feeling in their lips then they do in their ear lobes." She explained with a smile.

"Okay." Naruto said while inwardly shrugging, as he didn't fear pain. Afterall he suffered much worse then a little prick through the lip. Without further ado the lady brought the piercing gun up and positioned in the middle of his bottom lip. Once she liked the position she pulled the trigger and the barbell went right in and once more the blonde did not flinch, nor did he feel it.

"I heard tattoos hurt a lot. Is that true?" Naruto asked as he peered into the hand held mirror she had in her hand while inspecting his new look.

"Naw... Just like a bunch of needles prodding at you. It's less painful then piercing the lip." The shop keeper explained with a shrugged hopping the boy would be interested in a tattoo. She just loved her little illegal tattoo and piercing parlour. It was fun to help rebellious teens out.

"So can I interest you in one?" She said as she clasped her hands together in a pleading manner.

"Uhh..." He said hesitantly before shrugging. "I guess." He mumbled before he was pulled bodily out of the chair and ushered over to the table where he was forced to sit down. Several large books were shoved eagerly at him.

"Go through these! They have all kinds and you can pick any then you just have to decide where to put them." The shop keeper explained in a gush of excitement as she pulled out various tools and gloves she'd have to wear while the blonde moved through the books.

He squirmed through all four of the massive books that had been shoved at him before looking up at the woman who was eagerly watching him in anticipation of what she'd soon be doing. "Uh... Can I have this one put at the top of my right arm?" He asked as he pointed towards the image of a silver dragon curled around a bloodied sword, the majestic beast's eyes staring up and off into the distance. All in all it was beautiful.

"Yup! Of course! Any others you are interesting in?" She inquired as she clasped her hands together in an attempted business attitude, though her eagerness shone through negating the effect.

"Yeah... There was another that caught my eye" Naruto explained as he pulled a different book towards him which he hurriedly flipped through to the image he was interested in. "This one!" He said as he found it.

His finger pointed towards a breath taking masterpiece, one so beautiful and brilliant that the lady had never before had the luck to put it on another as all her customers thought it wasn't right for them to take such a beauty. It was simply gorgeous. It was pure black and white. A heart, bloody and torn with dark wings expelled outwards as though in flight. Wrapped around the two, cutting tearing and bleeding the piece was vines covered in lethal thorns.

The lady looked up at the boy with shock in her eyes having never thought she'd place it on a single soul. "Where?" Was all she could ask, though it was said in a breathless voice.

"My shoulder blades." He answered before biting his lips. "If that's alright...?" He said though it turned into more of a question which only got him a nod of the head.

"Yes. I'll do the one on your arm first. Off with that jumper jacket." She stated as she snapped back into reality and the blonde hurriedly complied before tossing the orange jacket off to the side, leaving him in his black t-shirt which he also discarded.

The woman noted the seal on the boy's stomach but merely shrugged it off and began her favorite form of art: tattooing.

Four hours later the process of both tattoos was completed, and after having bandaged them up Naruto was informed on how to maintain them properly as he gently tugged his shirt on before pulling his jacket on. "Thank you." He said sincerely as she finished her instructions while leading him back out to the front where he had all his purchasing- new earrings for his piercings included- in bags before paying the price asked.

The woman smiled happily as she ushered the young boy, who was laden with bags, out the door into the lifeless streets of the sleeping city. She watched him walk off her eyes glittering mysteriously as she watched him until he was gone. "Grandmother... It has come to pass. Like you told me as a girl, a boy born to be great would come and accept the symbol of the lost people..." She whispered as she locked her door heading off for the night. "And so it has begun..." He said hardly above a whisper before disappearing altogether.

'Damn... That took far longer then I had anticipated...' Naruto mentally cursed as he raced towards Konoha, bags in hand, while the sky to the East slowly grew brighter and brighter signalling the soon to come daybreak.

'What do you expect? You got mauled by two women then you got four piercings and two tattoos, that I really like. I knew I was a good influence on you.' Kyuubi stated with a serious nod. 'My incredible fashion taste must finally be rubbing off on you, and I can't say how soon enough.' He added after a moments thought.

'Kyuubi... if you keep it up you'll start getting stuck in my mental doorways. I honestly don't want to have to continually pry you and your inflated head out of my way.' Naruto said with a sigh, his words earning him a half-hearted glare.

'Your words wound me.' Kyuubi whined as he pulled a hand to his chest while making an expression that makes him look as though he is experiencing heart burn.

The blonde rolled his eyes as he spotted the imposing wall of the village in the distance, though one would be hard pressed to locate it, and if it weren't for the Kyuubi he would have not yet seen the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Without a sound he slipped over the wall, avoiding the guards with ease, before racing rooftop to rooftop before arriving at his slightly rundown apartment complex. Once there he sat several of his bags down before withdrawing his key and quietly unlocking and opening the door. Once it was open he grabbed his bags and slipped inside, placing his purchases on the table before returning to the door, closing and locking it.

He slowly began putting everything neatly away, either folding the clothing and putting them in drawers, or hanging them in the closet. The Kyuubi holder placed all his accessories in a small box which he placed at the top of the closet. After finishing all that he released a yawn feeling utterly whipped.

'Go and rest kit. You have a long day ahead of you on the morrow.' The Kyuubi whispered affectionately as the blue eyed wondered tiredly rubbed his eyes while nodding and changing into his new pair of black silk pyjama pants, his eyes lingering on his bandaged right arm before another yawn racked his frame.

Slowly he climbed into bed setting his little alarm clock for 9 am before he rolled over onto his side and fell asleep within seconds. 'Sleep well little one. Your great journey continues...' The Kyuubi finished with a smile as he too went to rest within the mind of his container.

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~Meanwhile~

About a hundred miles outside of Konoha, a lone figure stood against the light of the moon; her body fully clocked in black. She stared at the Hidden village in the distance and smirked. 'The time has come for the Lords of Time and Space to awaken. Naru, Sasu I'm coming'


	3. As the world turns

Chapter 2: As the world turns

(Third POV)

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The annoying buzzing of an alarm clock rang through the morning, causing the figure on the bed to wake up and turn off the annoying little clock before he stretched. He glanced about as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, the morning sun light streaming in through his window causing him to open his eyes slowly. It wouldn't do to blind himself to early in the morning.

With a mighty yawn, Naruto slowly pulled himself out of bed before heading over to his closet and pulling out his best outfit, he wanted to make a standing impression after all. After having grabbed some undergarments from his drawer he moved into the bathroom where he hurriedly stripped and hopped into the shower.

After having scrubbed himself clean he stepped out of the shower and turned the water off before dying off with a large fluffy white towel.

**'Morning kit.'** a male voice broke into his thoughts causing him to smile as he ran the towel over his blonde hair.

'Morning Kyuubi.' Naruto replied cheerfully as he pulled on his black silk boxers. 'What do you think I should wear to make the biggest impression?' The blonde inquired as he stepped out of his steamy bathroom and over to his closet where he looks around.

**'I know just the outfit...'** The fox demon answered with a devilish smirk causing the blond to merely blink while wondering if asking his 'guest' what to wear was a wise thing to do.

Naruto walked down the hall of the school at a relaxed pace. 'Kyuubi... Are you sure that mellowing down my mask a little would be smart?' he asked the fox as silent feet slowly drew him closer to the classroom bustling with the noise of all his peers.

**'Yes, but only slightly. That way we won't arouse too much suspicion.'** the demon reassured his host while giving him a mental part on the back. **'You'll do fine.'**

The blonde rolled his eyes at the fox's words before he set his hand on the door. He stood unmoving for just a moment, hand frozen on the door before he steeled his nerves and noisily slammed the door open causing all eyes to move onto him.

Wide eyes and whispers met with him as he walked in, but what would anyone except with the way he was dressed.

There he stood in all his short glory wearing the most shocking of outfits. He wore his combat boots, going completely against what all other ninjas wore. His pants were a pair of low riding black cargo pants which clung like a second skin near the top and flowed in a baggier manner the lower they went. He wore a chained belt that had many chains hanging off the side. His shirt which showed off some stomach but not much was a deep crimson in color, with only three-quarter of the length sleeves. He wore two rings on each hand and had around his neck was a black leather choker with a onyx cross hanging from it.

But that wasn't all that was different.

Naruto had decided to try something a little different, and thanks to his dear Kyuubi he had managed to grow his hair out somewhat so that it almost brushed his shoulders, though was held in position with his ninja band, which no longer had a blue cloth attached. It was black.

He looked simply ravishing... well as ravishing as any gorgeous twelve year old could look.

Naruto ignored the many looks as he silently proceeded over to the back of the classroom where Sasuke was sitting before plopping down on an empty seat and resting his head down on crossed arms.

"Since when did you develop some fashion sense, Naru?" Sasuke asked.

"Let's just say I got a wake up call and it was for the better. Too bad you missed my jumpsuits premature death. It was very...satisfying." said Naruto

He was tired from last night, though he managed to school his face into an expression of contentment as he waited. Class was just getting into full swing, everyone was chatting and bustling with excitement as graduation loomed ahead. Sasuke had morphed into his 'cold/emotionless' persona. Sakura and Ino were fighting and fawning over Sasuke at the same time. Shikamaru and Shino were talking about something. Choji was eating out of his bottomless bag of chips. Kiba was playing with Akamaru and the rest weren't doing anything. After ten minutes Iruka finally came and silenced them.

"Alright settle down. Kiba could you step out please?" he asked. Kiba looked confused but he did as he was asked. Iruka than turned to the class "Now let's begin..."

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(Konoha Gates) ~just a few hours earlier~

Kotetsu was sleeping at his post when Izumo came back with their lunch. He mentally face palmed when he saw Kotetsu sleeping with a book on his face. He put their food down, grabbed the book and then dropped it on kotetsu's face. Kotetsu jerked and fell out of his chair.

"What's going on? What happened?" he sputtered.

"You fell asleep that's what happened" Izumo said.

"Well did you get our food?" Kotetsu asked.

"Yeah, here." Izumo said tossing a bag to Kotetsu.

"Thanks" Kotetsu said.

As Izumo was walking to his chair, Kotetsu spotted something out in the distance. "Hey" he said.

"What?" Izumo asked.

"There's someone coming" Kotetsu said.

Izumo looked out and saw that Kotetsu was right. From what he could tell the person was a girl, probably 13 or 14 years old walking to the gate. As she approached they got in position.

She stood before them "Excuse me is this Konoha no Sato?" she asked.

"Yes it is. State your business" Izumo said.

"I wish to speak to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Please, it is very important that I do" she said.

Izumo looked surprised for a minute then nodded to Kotetsu.

Kotetsu sighed "Alright follow me" he said. The girl nodded. Kotetsu led her through the village to Hokage Tower. People stopped in the streets and stared at her as they went, whispering among themselves. Kotetsu stopped in front of the tower entrance. "The Hokage's office is on the second to top floor, you can't miss it" he said.

"Thank you" the girl said. Kotetsu nodded and watched her as she went inside "This day just got interesting" he said.

'I think I know how Sasuke and Naruto feel now'.

The girl walked up several fights of stairs, making sure to memorize where everything was. People stared as she went .She made it to the eighth floor and saw there was only one door with a waiting room, receptionist desk, and everything. No one was sitting at the desk so she walked up to the door and knocked. "Come in" came the muffled reply. She entered and saw a man probably in his eighties, wearing red and white clothing, sitting at a wooden desk. The room was fairly large and had a huge window with an awesome view of the village. She stepped forward and waited for him to speak.

"Hmm, it must have been very difficult for one so young to get here. That feat alone is impressive. Tell me, what is your name? And what business do you have with me?" he asked.

"Before I answer could you send out the ANBU first?" the girl asked. The old man's eyes widened a crack before he nodded and gave the signal for the ANBU to leave.

They poofed into the room from their hiding places and bowed to the man then left.

"Now will you tell me?" the man asked.

"Yes, my name is Yukano Akimoto." she said.

"A pleasure to meet you Yukano. I am Hiruzen Sarutobi otherwise known as the Third Hokage. Now what exactly do you want?" the Hokage asked.

"I came here because I want to become a ninja" said Yukano.

Hiruzen was…surprised, for lack of a better word. He had already witnessed and concluded that she did in fact have the makings of a ninja but… "Are you sure? If you were to live here I could give you a home but you'd have to start making your own money, I can't do everything. And being a ninja is nothing to joke about. It takes hard work, dedication, making sacrifices, you could even die. Are you willing to pay that price?" he asked.

Yukano stood quietly as she thought. They only had one chance to do this. One slip and it's over. She exhaled and looked at Hiruzen with a firm resolve "Yes" she said with all seriousness "I want to become a ninja"

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(2 ½ hours later)

After Yukano agreed to start her training, the Hokage said that due to her age she would join the highest class in the academy. He also said that a tutor would tech her the basics since her class was graduating soon. He tried to set her up with a place to live, but she declined saying that she had it taken care of. He accepted and gave her an allowance to spend on food, clothes, weapons, and such. Finally he called for an escort to show her around the village then dismissed her. Yukano went back downstairs to think about her next move. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice someone walk up behind her.

"Yukano Akimoto".

She froze as she fought not to whip out her sword. Yukano turned slowly to see a boy, probably her age, standing in front of her with a sort of excited expression on his face. She really couldn't tell. He was wearing a light gray jacket, dark gray shorts and blue standard shinobi sandals. He had fang marks on his cheeks, slit pupils, and fangs.

"Yes?" she said trying to calm herself.

"My name is Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka, I'm your escort" he said.

"Ah, lead the way then" Yukano said.

The walk through the village was…okay to say the least. Kiba kept things interesting and she learned a little about him. The only problem was the villagers. They kept whispering, staring, and pointing wherever they went. Some even made catcalls at her. Altogether just plain annoying. 'How can Naruto and Sasuke stand this?' she thought. "This is the Hokage Monument. Those are the faces of our past four Hokage. Our current Hokage, whom you just met, is the third Hokage. The rest are dead." Kiba said. Yukano nodded to show she was listening. "The tall building with the red roof is the academy, and then there's…"

They continued on their way. Yukano kept quiet for the most part and asked the occasional question. Kiba showed Yukano the training grounds, the residential areas, and the commercial district. She looked at the different stores trying to decide what to get first. "I don't know what to get first" Yukano finally admitted. Kiba laughed "That's okay. It's a little daunting the first time, don't worry. How about we go clothes, weapons, household items, and then food. That good?" Kiba asked. "That's okay" Yukano said. The first shop they went into didn't really have anything Yukano wanted, but they did get four pairs of black shinobi sandals. The second one was more to Yukano's liking so they spent a while there.

"So what exactly are you looking for?" Kiba asked.

"Well I need some black, blue and red shirts, eight black jackets, eight black shorts, and four black pants." Yukano said.

Kiba blinked "O...kay. We'll split up and look that way we cover more ground" Kiba said.

"Alright" Yukano said.

He took off. Yukano began shifting through piles of shirts. It had already been 20 minutes and so far Yukano had only found three red mesh shirts, six black shirts, and three dark blue shirts. "Alright that's all of them" Yukano said. She walked in the direction of the cash register when something black and red caught her eye. She went to check it out and saw it was a black cloak with red tribal flames on the edges. There were others too. A black and white snowflake, a black and yellow lightning, etc. There were all at least medium sized. She snatched all of them and went to the register where Kiba was waiting.

"Hey, you get everything you need?" he asked.

"Yeah, did you find anything?" Yukano asked.

Kiba rubbed his head sheepishly "I couldn't really find anything" he said.

"That's alright I got everything I wanted" Yukano said putting her things on the counter. She rang the bell and waited. A man in his late thirties appeared. "Is this all miss?" he asked.

"Yes" Yukano said. The man grunted and rung up her things.

"That'll be 10,240 ryo" he said. Yukano fished out the money and handed it to him. "Thank you and have a nice day" he said.

"You too" Yukano said.

She took out a storage scroll and stuffed everything inside. They left and headed for the store across the street. 30 minutes later they walked out victoriously with eight jackets, shorts, and four pairs of pants. "Alright next is weapons" Yukano said as they exited the store. Kiba was a great help. It wasn't that Yukano didn't know what to get so much as she didn't know how much she should get. She got 50 kunai, 40 shuriken, 100 senbon needles, four pairs of black, fingerless gloves, and twelve pouches.

"Thanks for helping me there" Yukano said as they walked down the street.

"No problem couldn't leave a pretty girl hangin' could I?" Kiba said.

"Heh, I guess all that's left is home stuff and food" Yukano said.

"Right, let's get this over with" Kiba said tiredly. Yukano laughed as they went into their last store.

It was the best time Yukano had since she got here. Kiba got beat with a cane and tazed by this old lady after he tried to help pick up some groceries she dropped. And then some kid threw up on him. It was hilarious! "Well Kiba thanks for your help" said Yukano. "Anytime, the next time you need something or just want to hang give me a shout" he said. "Okay" Yukano chuckled. As soon as his back was turned Yukano body flickered to her temporary home. She unpacked a week's worth of things then went to take a shower. About a half hour later she was dressed in her sleep clothes ready to pass out. She took out a sleeping bag, slipped inside it and fell asleep.

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~~~~~The Next Day~~~~~

Yukano heard snickering. She was still on the boarders of consciousness . It came again. She cracked open an eye, still dazed. She began to wake up more and the first thing she noticed was she was upside down. On further inspection, she was not only upside down but hanging from the ceiling. The snickering emerged again and she looked to see her fox Haruko sitting in a chair in his human form. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I see someone slept well" he said laughing.

"Shut up" Yukano started wiggling and jerking then eventually fell out of the bag. She looked at the clock and saw it was 5:30 a.m.

"You might as well get ready since you're up. I'll make breakfast" Haruko said as he got up and left. Yukano stood up and stretched. She got her clothes and toothbrush then went to the bathroom. 20 minutes later she was dressed and ready to roll. She went to the kitchen and saw breakfast already on the table. Yukano sat down, muttered a small prayer of thanks and dug in. About 15 minutes later they were walking through the village. Haruko was in his fox form, sleeping in Yukano's jacket.

The villagers still stared and she was starting to get annoyed, but she didn't show it. She walked for a half hour before she made it to the Hokage's office. Yukano knocked on the door and waited. "Come in" She opened the door and walked up to the Hokage's desk.

"Yukano, good morning you're right on time" the Hokage said.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama" Yukano said.

"Now about your tutor he should be here any minute" he said.

Just as he said that there was a knock at the door. "Come in" the Hokage said. The door opened to reveal Kiba. He walked up next to Yukano and bowed "You called me Hokage-sama" he said. "Yes, I have a little assignment for you. I would like you to tutor Yukano and get her ready for graduation" the Hokage said. Kiba nodded "Yes, Hokage-sama" he said. The Hokage looked at Yukano "You have two days before you join your class, so do your best" he said. Yukano nodded. "Yes Hokage-sama" she said. "Good well you best get a head start. Good luck." The Hokage said, dismissing us. Yukano turned and followed Kiba out. "We definitely need to stop meeting like this" Kiba said as we left the building. "Yeah" Yukano laughed.

They walked through the village to the training grounds. There was a relatively large pond, a few wooden posts, and it was surrounded by trees. Kiba turned to face Yukano "So what do you know how to do?" he asked.

"I know some elemental jutsu, I'm developing my own taijutsu style, I practice with a katana for kenjutsu, and I'm good with senbon." Yukano said.

"Alright show me what you can do" Kiba said. Yukano faced a post in the middle of the field. She performed four hand seals and applied her chakra.

"Fire style: Abyss Flare!" She took a huge breath and blew out an intense stream of crimson flame. It burned the ground as it flew and chewed through the post like paper. Yukano waved her hand and the flames extinguished. All that was left was a big black scorch mark. Kiba whistled

"Well I don't think we'll need to do ninjutsu...let's see your tai and genjutsu." he said.

Yukano nodded and sat Haruko down. Kiba explained the two jutsu and had Yukano demonstrate her skills with them. By the end of the day she was feeling sluggish. "Ok we're done for the day" Kiba said. Yukano just looked at him from her seat on the ground. "I want you here at the same time tomorrow" Kiba said helping her up. "Right" Yukano said. Kiba patted her back and started walking home. As soon as he was gone, Yukano body flickered to her hideout. She quickly ate dinner then showered. As she set her alarm clock Haruko got her sleeping bag. "One more day until we see them" he said. "Yeah" Yukano sighed "Time really does fly". Yukano slipped into the bag "Goodnight Haru" she said. She didn't hear Haruko's reply as she quickly fell asleep.

The next two days were a hassle for Yukano. Not only did she have 'tutoring' she also had to get used to being in the village, while not alerting Naruto and Sasuke to her presence. Lest to say she was actually looking forward to the academy, ignorant teachers and all. After seven hours of drilling she was finally allowed home, all the while cursing every god or deity that had a hand in this. Haruko silently snickered at her misfortune.

'I didn't know you knew what those words meant' he said.

'You'd be surprised' Yukano retorted

'Yeah, well save it for later. We're being watched'

Yukano looked up and saw Haruko was right. They were still staring at her even though she had been her for three days. She thought they would have lost interest by now. So much for that. It was twilight by the time they made it back home. Yukano didn't really bother with dinner and just made a sandwich and tea. As she was dressing for bed, Haruko put out her sleeping bag and set the alarm clock. She slipped inside and quickly fell asleep.

.

The next morning went by in a blur. Yukano and Haruko woke up around 5:30 a.m. and they hurried to get ready for the academy. They rushed out of bed, scarfed down breakfast, and packed in a record time of 45 minutes. They reached the academy in 20 minutes and stood in front of their designated classroom.

'You ready for this?' Haruko asked

'As ready as i'll ever be' Yukano said

Yukano put Haruko in her jacket and opened the door. It went dead silent and she could feel dozens of eyes on her.

"Ah you must be our new student." a man said. His eyes were a kind and deep brown holding many things within their depth, his hair was brown and held up in a spiky ponytail. His most redeeming feature was a long scar over his nose. "I'm Iruka Umino, but you may call me Iruka- sensei." He turned to the class "Everyone this is Yukano Akimoto. She will be with us till graduation and is new to the village, so be nice and answer any questions she may have." Iruka said.

The class remained quiet.

'Well this is awkward' said Haruko

Iruka looked at Yukano "Go ahead and pick a seat." he said. Yukano nodded and quickly walked up to Naruto and Sasuke.

"Hey" she said

"Hey" they replied

They looked at each other for five seconds before Yukano started laughing softly. Naruto joined in and Sasuke just chuckled.

"I really don't believe it. You're just as I thought you'd be." Sasuke said

"Yeah, you guys too." Yukano said

"I swear I felt Kyuubi's heart stop when you walked in." Naruto said

**' It did not!' Kyuubi shouted indignantly**

Naruto rolled his eyes and patted Haruko "Hey Haru" he said. Haruko yipped and licked his hand. Yukano looked forward and saw two girls staring up at them. One was blonde with light blue, pupiless eyes and the other had green eyes and..pink hair? Yukano looked back dispassionately, they turned back and started whispering to each other. Yukano shrugged and went back to her own business.

Shikamaru watched the trio curiously. He never thought the three would be this close having only just met,..or have they? And the fact that Naruto and Sasuke had any friends suprising by itself. They always pushed people away, what was so special about Yukano? This was just too troublesome to think about.

Sakura was seething. How dare that girl talk to Sasuke-kun! That should be her up there making him laugh and smile! And NARUTO! That demon shouldn't be anywhere near Sasuke! 'Either way' she thought 'I will have have him! SHANNARO!'

.

(3hrs later)

**_RIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!_**

It was the end of class. Naruto waited for everyone else to go before leaving. He thought that everything they teach in the academy was useless (Where are they gonna use the History of Konoha in a battle? Are they gonna lecture their opponent to death. Still wanted to know things like that. Though he had never said it to anyone, Naruto like to learn and read about a lot of things, especially about history. He thinks that knowing what happened in the past would make a better future. Besides, he had to learn these things if he wanted to Hokage.

Naruto packed up all of his things and left the classroom. He, Yukano and Sasuke were to meet at the spot and catch up. When no one was paying attention they jumped up on the rooftops and sped off to the forest. Soon the trio came upon an ancient tree whose trunk was as thick as the Hokage Tower. They landed right at the base.

"Kai," said Naruto and Sasuke as they simultaneously did a hand sign.

At once, the ancient tree in front of them seemed to flicker and a treehouse appeared on its branches, hidden by a well performed genjutsu. Sasuke, Yukano and Naruto jumped up onto the porch of what they called the Main House, which was the largest house that sat in between the other two that extended on each side. It was roughly five years ago. After nearly being caught training together, Kyuubi said that it wasn't safe for them to be training out in public (aka the training fields). So Naruto and Sasuke decided to go exploring. They traveled deep into the forest and found a worn-down treehouse on the large ancient tree they were in now. With Kyuubi's help, they fixed it up to be their sanctuary where they could train without being disturbed. They would also sometimes sleep there and it was like their second home.

"Wow, and you've been here for five years?" said Yukano.

"Well we have but this tree house was here when we came. We just cleaned it up." said Sasuke

"I see. So tell me the state of things." Yukano said

"Well nothing much has happened. The villagers still hate my guts and everyone else just ignores me. The usual. We've kept up contact with Gaara, Bee, and Fu. They've been doing fine also." said Naruto

Yukano hummed in thought. "So you guys want to go hang or train here?" Yukano asked.

"Well this is your first night here in the village so we should celebrate." said Sasuke.

"Yeah, its not like we're doing anything overly important tonight. Though I can't help but feel that we won't really grow in strength here even if we trained hard." said Naruto.

'Well... if you aren't fond of this path, make a new one.' Kyuubi said in a bored manner while it stared at its humanoid form's fingernails.

'A new path? What do you mean?' Naruto inquired, obviously intrigued by Kyuubi's words.

'Yes brat... You could do something that is against all the laws set in place, and do something incredible in secret...' The demon explained excitedly to his container obviously wanting the boy to give in and try it out.

'You mean.. Go out and become great while in disguise? Help the weak without holding back?' The blond asked excitedly as he bounced happily on the balls of his feet, thankful that he was in his apartment so that no one would see him and doubt his sanity.

'Yup.' The demon said affirmatively while smirking in a preditorial way. 'After all, what better way is there to train then to gather experience on the actual battle field. Away from the expectations of others. But before you go out and do anything, you'll have to devise a disguise and a name for yourself. Though the name depends on what you plan on doing once out of here.'

Naruto beamed and relayed Kyuubi's words to the others.

"Yes, that would be excellent and the benefits would be plentiful" said Yukano. Sasuke 'Hn'ed in agreement.

"Okay now for outfits..." Naruto began aloud before moving over to his closet and pulling things out. "Dark would be best..." The blond mumbled as he pulled out all dark clothing. Maybe a tight outfit with a cloak of sorts over top of it. Maybe a mask too, kinda like the Anbu have..." He whispered as he pulled out a pair of black pants that no one had ever seen him in.

They were dark and sleek though they had cleverly placed tears all over them, showing off a fair amount of skin. "These will do.." He decided as he tossed them onto his bed. "Shirt now..." He mumbled while the Kyuubi merely watched on in amusement, the kid could seriously prove to be some fun entertainment, especially with all the talking to himself business. Yukano and Sasuke were shuffling around behind him.

'That one.' Kyuubi stated as he eyed the pure black fishnet top that Naruto had in his hands.

"This one?" The blond asked quietly as he ran a critical eye over the long sleeved mesh shirt that would cling to him like a second skin. "I think it'll work..." He said in agreement as he tossed the top over to join the selected pants.

'Kyuubi... I'll use combat boots, black of course, but I'll have to go out and get them seeing as I only own the one pair and I wouldn't want it to seem suspicious for me to have the same footwear as the mysterious person I'll pretend to be...' He silently informed his partner.

"Now all I need is a cloak and a ... hello! Where'd you come from?" He asked out loud as he pulled something out of his closet that he had never before laid eyes on. "I'd don't remember purchasing this, or putting it in my closet..." Naruto mumbled as he eyed the article of clothing in his hand with an appreciative look. "But.. this is perfect." He concluded after studying the black cloak on hand.

It was black and heavy, yet it flowed like spun water that seemingly pulled all shadows into it. It was long sleeved, reached the ground and it had a hood. The cloak was almost all black save for the silver stitching on the back which read Kage-Gesshoku in kanji. "Shadow Eclipse..." Naruto mumbled with a smile as he absently trailed a gentle finger over the words. "I like that.. perhaps though I ought have two different names, though still be one being hidden in secrets..." He said more then suggested.

Naruto hurriedly shrugged out of his stylish clothing before pulling on the chosen pants. "Damn... That's tight..." He muttered as he did his pants up.

"No kidding... It looks almost like you were poured into them. Fair warning now, beware the fangirls...' Kyuubi teased though the blond merely rolled dazzling blue eyes before sliding the top over his head, then he moved over to the mirror to appraise the bottom layer of his disguise.

'It needs accessories.' The blond thought matter-of-fact after several moments of contemplative silence. "Belt... " he mumbled as he moved over to his dresser and opened his newly appointed accessory drawer, every guy needed one. "Kyuubi? This one or this one?" He asked as he held out two black belts that looked similar.

'Naruto... they look almost the same.. but I'd choose the one on the left, it has that attached holster piece on the back that is detachable.' Kyuubi answered honestly as that was the only difference between to the two belts and the blond merely nodded before placing the unchosen one back in its place before slipping the chosen one on.

He pulled out a black choker that had a small silver shurriken charm hanging on it and put it on before removing his resent earrings and replacing them with dark onyx hoops.. "That's better... Now all I need is the boots... mask, and maybe some gloves too..." The blonde summed up as he pulled his cloak on.

Naruto pulled the hood up, as he watched on in the mirror, the cloak's shadow hid the top half of his face from view. 'Perfect.' He thought with a devilish grin before turning to Yukano and Sasuke. Yukano wore black cargo shorts with a red mesh shirt that stopped just above her bellybutton, and combat boots with at least four buckles on them, crimson fingerless gloves and a dark crimson cloak. Sasuke wore something similar only he wore dark blue pants dark blue muscle shirt that clung to his body, dark blue fingerless gloves, black combat boots and a dark blue cloak. Without another word, slipping secretively out of the treehouse they moved silently out of the forest and through the city keeping to the shadows.

They ran until he reached a near by store, one of the more upper end ones that they had never been in before and silently went inside. It was huge, and had everything.

"Can I help you three?" A slippery voice from a greasy haired man reached him causing them to turn in the man's direction, thankful that the hoods was shrouding their appearance's otherwise they'd be kicked out. Naruto silently observed the man with a calm calculating look that was unseen, though caused the slimy man to squirm slightly.

After a few moments the 'Shadow-Eclipse' nodded his head in a slow and intimidating manner causing the store owner to visibly gulp and sweat.

"Uh... Wha...What can I get you?" He stuttered out while nervously clasping his hands together in front of him as he awaited the three stranger's response.

"Boots...gloves.. mask... weapons..." Naruto answered in a low voice, using a henge on it to make him sound far older and deadlier then he truly was.

"Yes sir! Right away!" The greasy git exclaimed as he hastily ran off to grab samples for his frightening costumer.

Moments later the man hurriedly scrambled back towards his intimidating costumer arms laden with several things, though he was also followed by, or so Naruto assumed, the man's assistant who was likely wise hauling many things.

"Boots first!" The slimy one said noisily as he set his pile down on a counter before retrieving a pair of boots. "I took the liberty of grabbing the best pair we have. The only one of its kind." He explained hastily while greedily rubbing his hands together as he eyed the stranger who was examining the boots with a critical eye.

They were indeed exquisite footwear. They were black leather which shone with the light yet danced with the shadows. They were tall, and would likely reach to just above the calf, and they were draped in shimmering chains. It held many secret compartments in it, even one that could hold a decent sized dagger. The shop keeper had been correct in the assumption that those boots were perfect for he who would be great.

"They'll do." Naruto answered with a sharp nod, his voice still concealed under the henge.

"Excellent! Gloves!" He hurriedly chuckled as he pulled out the few pairs that they had grabbed. "We have full gloves, fingerless gloves, fighting gloves, and so on..." He explained as he set the gloves down for his costumer to regard.

"Those..." The cloaked ninja stated simply as he pointed at the pair at the far right. They were simple yet extravagant, which was a paradox in itself. They were a pair of fingerless black gloves with silver spikes on the knuckle points. More then likely they would come in handy in his 'secret life'.

He set them on top of the boots which he hadn't tried on, though he was 100 positive they would fit perfectly. "Now... We have a variation of masks here. Anbu style to masquerade, to blank point ones." The greasy man said in a slippery voice as he and the assistant placed the masks before their frightening costumers.

"That one will suffice." Naruto said as he motioned towards the one that was pure black on one half and silver on the other. Simple, but it would serve the intended purpose. The others agreed and got the same one but in their colors.

"Excellent, now my assistant will ring these up while I show you the weapons area." The owner stated before he lead the way across the store, the trio in silent tow. He walked past the weapons display causing the trio's curiosity to grow.

'You don't suppose he has an illegal stash of hidden weapons do you?' The blonde silently asked his companions who shrugged.

"Probably... He is a shifty, greasy bastard, and those are generally the type who'd own something like that. Probably sells in the underground." Yukano stated with a sigh. "I seriously don't like guys like him..." she muttered before silence fell over them.

Naruto inwardly chuckled as they both came to a halt at a blank space of wall. He silently observed as the man looked around nervously before tapping a section of the wall. The store was filled with an electrical humming noise before the wall that was tapped shifted inward at a point about the same size as a door.

The greasy man motioned for his costumers to step in and they did so without a second's hesitation and was hurriedly followed by the man who shut the 'door' behind them encasing them both in pure darkness.

Fumbling was heard before a few dim lights turned on allowing them a full view of the room beyond the wall.

It was huge.

Shelves and display cases littered the large room, each bearing many kinds of fancy weapons, even some that looked obviously illegal. This was perfect. they moved over to the nearest case and regarded the strange but deadly weapons that gleamed in the little light.

But they barely had a chance to investigate as the wall door slid open once more and in walked a man with an arm full of wrapped packages. "Kazuki-san!" The man called out in greeting as he spotted the greasy man. "I thought you'd be back here since only that bloody assistant of yours was out front." The man said in a deeply accented voice that sounded kind. "Ah! I see you have lured some more customers in!" He exclaimed as he set the packages down while looking at Naruto and his friends in all their cloaked glory which allowed them to fully see the man.

He was tall, towering taller then anyone he had ever met, which of course made him seem all the more smaller. He had black hair, which resembled strung silk, tied in a low ponytail at the nap of his neck. His pale-purple eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint. He was dressed in a rich crimson men's kimono which made his golden tan all the more alluring.

"I am Kyokyusha Fushojiki, but you can call me Kyo." The man introduced himself as he eyed the cloaked figures before him. "And, judging by your attire, you rather not have your true name known, so what shall I call you? The Shadow Assailant perhaps?" The man concluded as he tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"I am Kage-Gesshoku, Shadow Eclipse, though Shadow Assailant will do fine for a second name. The one in red is Remnant and the one in blue is the Night Fury." Naruto responded his henge voice all the more mysterious with the newest name.

"Ahh..." The man said with a smile while he looked over at the greasy man known as Kazuki. "I take it you are here for some specialty weapons?" The man asked as he returned his attention to the blonde while ignoring the now scowling shop keeper. The blonde nodded sharply. "Well... You shouldn't buy them from him," He said pointing his thumb at the man before he continued, "He has the cheaper quality items and he sells them for insane prices. Come with me and we will discuss business further at my office." He finished before he turned and walked over to the hidden door which had been left open and exited the secret room.

They followed after the man curiously, the shopkeeper at his heals. "Come Kage-Gesshoku. My office isn't too far." The man said as he waited by the door.

"Ahh... just a moment!' The shop keeper called. "The young man and his friends here was about to purchase these things." He concluded as his assistant held out Naruto, Sasuke and Yukano's purchases towards the trio, who took it and was about to fetch their wallets before Kyo spoke.

"Kazuki-san! Put them on my tab!" He exclaimed before leading the cloaked strangersout of the shop.

They followed the man out into the village which was a lot less busy at this hour as the sun would soon set, meaning that most families were likely to be eating dinner at that point. They moved through the streets, Kyo occasionally greeting people he knew, all of which gave the cloaked figures a curious glance but made no move to question the tall man who had to have been a well known villager judging by all the greetings.

After a good ten minutes or so, they arrived outside of a rich teahouse, the best tea house in all of Fire Country. "My office is in here." The man said as he lead his way up the stone steps and to the door which was opened for them.

At the door was a young girl with her hair held in a simple low ponytail, though she wore a positively stunning kimono which was a pale pink and had white flower pedals flowing along the silk material. The obi was white and tied in a simple unextravagent manner. "Welcome back to Mukuren Fushojiki-sama." The girl greeted as she performed a deep bow, her eyes never reaching theirs. "Welcome honored guests." She said as she likewise bowed to Naruto, Sasuke and Yukano who were busy observing the place as they had never been in such a beautiful and luxurious place.

"Thank you Shikana-san, could you possibly have some tea sent up to the office for us?" He asked politely as he slid his feet out of his wooden sandals which the girl hurriedly placed in the show rack.

"Yes Fushojiki-sama." She said before bowing her way out of the hall and left through a sliding door directly to the left of the entrance.

Kyo lead the way down the hall and out another door which lead to the court yard. Outside was a beautiful grassy area, filled with many glorious plants. Every where you looked there was Geisha entertaining the men. Naruto and the others of course merely looked on, not fully interested in the whole thing as they followed the tall man down the highly polished wooden walkway, and over to another door which revealed some richly decorated stairs.

Without a word they ascended the stairs and came up into a long hallway with only a single door at the center. Through that door they passed, and inside was a cosy little office set up in a traditional style. "This is my office." Kyo stated as he sat behind his low desk before he motioned to his guests to sit on the comfortable looking pillows before the desk.

"Tell me, what do you think of my little Tea-house?" He asked curiously as he observed the blond and his friends as he sat while placing their purchased goods on the floor besides him.

"It is beautiful." Naruto answered honestly.

His words seemed to greatly please the Tea-house owner, though before another word could be spoken, the door slid open to reveal the young girl from before carrying a silver platter that held a pot of tea and four cups for them.

"Thank you Shikana-san. You are dismissed." He stated as soon as she set the tray down and she hurriedly bowed before exiting the room, sliding the door shut behind her. "Now down to business. I take it you are ninjas." He stated more then asked and was proven right by the nods. "Excellent. I'll be blunt and to the point. I want to be your supplier." Kyo said.

"Our supplier?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yes. Meaning if you need weapons, poisons, tools information, or anything of the likes you can get it from me free of charge." Kyo explained.

"Why?" The blonde genin countered.

"You have an air about you that I like. I can tell you have potential to be great. Besides, what's a rich man to do when he grows bored of the beautiful Geisha at his feet?" He chuckled in amusement as he poured his guests, then himself some tea.

"What would you get out of it?" Naruto asked as he picked up his tea and took a sip of it.

"Nothing but the satisfaction that I'm helping they-who-will-one-day-be-famous." He said with a cheerful smile as he took a sip at his tea.

"How are you so certain we'll amount to that?" Naruto inquired before he took a tentative sip of his tea.

"Well... I have this, I guess you could call it gift, of being able to read a person's character. You have one that is striking, powerful, creative, and strangely balanced that it would be a blasphemy to not amount to anything. Remnant is more relaxed, seductive, witty, and tends to think outside the box. Fury is dark, secretive, but also loyal and somewhat humble. I suppose I'm not making much sense, but it isn't an easy matter to describe to one not blessed with the gift." He said while laughing in a heartfelt matter. "But I suppose I can test you. What do you find suspicious?" He asked in an aloof manner that could mean he was speaking of anything.

"Many things but namely, at the moment, this room. The tea house is rather large, and the building we are in was built equal size on the base and top. Through our passing through the building, the only doors lead to the gardens, the washrooms, and the bedchambers, while one door lead to the stairwell. The stairwell is the only one in here and it leads to a very long hall which only has one door. The door to this office, but it is far smaller then the rest of the building. Meaning you have many a hidden room on this level." Naruto easily explained as he finished his tea and set the empty cup back on the desk in front of him.

"Exactly! My point is proven that you are an incredible person. No one would have been able to gather that much so quickly, and remain calm when such a possibility could mean there is a threat. In other words, you are the perfect ones for me to supply to. What do you say?" Kyo finished as he set his half drunk tea on the table and fixed the boy before him, whose face he couldn't see, with an intense and almost pleading look.

"Very well, how much will we owe you for your services?" Naruto questioned.

"Nothing." He answered as he stood. "Come I'll show you to my supply room." He said as he moved towards the wall directly behind his desk where a scroll painting was mounted. He pulled the picture up and pressed a little notch behind it causing the wall to their left to silently slide open.

The trio got up, and moved towards the wall leaving their earlier purchased goods where they were to collect later.

If the room at the Kazuki's store had been impressive it was nothing in comparison to the massive room beyond.

At the far wall was a massive computer, that likely would carry all the information anyone could ever want. Technology like this was foreign to ninja villages and was likely more advanced then most of the non-ninja dwellings that existed. "A friend of mine is a real computer genius. Best of the bunch. I had him make me that lovely pet, and it holds all the information you could ever dream of on every and any subject. After all its all the gathered intelligence from my world wide web of spies." Kyo explained obviously very proud of the computer.

The trio let their eyes wonder over the weaponry that was shelved and well ready for use at any given moment. They noted various vials of all sizes and colors which most likely were all sorts of poisons. They spotted amour, and clothing all fashionable and highly unnoticeable. But at the other end there seemed to be a library of sorts with many books and scrolls which caught their eyes.

"Those," Kyo said spotting the group's gaze, "are copies of all ninjutsu styles of every village, from every country." he explained.

"This room is always at your exposal. You may come and go as you please, and I'll even work as your personal assistant here while creating works and such that would be useful to you. So what do you think?" He asked with a smile.

"Impressive." The blonde answered.

"Glad you like it." Kyo said with a smile as he walked over to the computer and grabbed a small one centimeter thick, five centimeter wide wrist band and tossed it to Kage- Gesshoku who easily caught it though he held it unsure of what it is. "That there is another device my friend made. It is a mini version of a massive computer and has full access to the main computer here. It is voice and key commanded meaning you can press that little black button beside the screen and it'll open the mini key pad, or you can press the blue one beneath it and simply word your request.

"It also works as a communication device, and I have the other." He said as he pulled up the right sleeve of his kimono to reveal a same looking piece. "If you need anything just pressed the red button below the blue one and that will cause a vibration to be sent through the piece to the wearer, so that it attracts no enemy attention. Now on the other side of the screen is the green button, press that and the device will gain a little illusion to make it look like a simple wrist bracer.

"Oh and it will only work for you guys as I have already programmed it." He finished with a smile while they slipped the devices onto their left wrist.

"Next on the list, weapons!" He stated as he moved over to the weapon selection. "Now as I'm sure you gathered, I supply weapons to underground black-markets. But I keep the best of the best here." He said with a devilish smirk and wink. "Now.. Seeing as you are a shinobi, you will likely use ninja tools. Correct?" Kyo asked happily.

"Yes." Naruto answered with a light nod.

"Right so you'll need the basics; ninja stars, throwing knives and so on." He said as he pulled out a holster of sorts and placed the necessary ninja tools, including exploding notes, inside the holster before tossing it to each of them, who caught it and attached in to their belts, showing that the front of the cloak was undone.

Without a look in their direction, Kyo tossed several sheathed daggers at Shadow Assailant which he caught and placed them around his thighs. "Those will be good distraction weapons, and here are two flat blade versions that would do well in those boots you got from Kazuki-san." He explained as he tossed two more at the blonde.

"Here are a packet of 10 000 mini senbon needles which can be coated in an desired poison." He explained as he tossed a small box towards Remnant. "And this is the shooting device for them. With one chakra filled flick of your wrist it'll launch as many as you wish, and as a bonus to any eye it looks like a simple wrist brace." He said as he held up the device then tossed it like all the rest towards the ninja who slid it on right away.

"I think you'd do well with two swords. Simple, averaged sized swords. Ones that are chakra enhanced." Kyo mumbled to himself as he looked over the swords. "Aha! The perfect pair. Muchitsujo Kage no Tanto. The Chaos Shadow Blades if you will. Both are of very fine make and have the ability to mold shadows into a solid assault. You can also perform jutsu through the blades." He explained as he picked up the sheathed beauties. "Back or waist straps?" He asked as he looked back over at Night Fury to be.

"Back." Sasuke said after a moments contemplation, the Kyuubi's opinion taken into account.

Kyo nodded as he attached the two sheathes to a back harness before throwing them to the ravenette who managed to slip it on so that they were partially under the cloak, though he had to tear a spot in the top for the sword hilts to stick out. He looked dangerous.

"Well, that should do it for weapons. Now onto poisons!" He said almost cheerfully. "Now my collection of poisons is very vast and dangerous, but I have the antidotes to all of them just incase." He said with a wink. "This one is the Silent Death. As suggested by the name the person affected by it will loose the ability of sound before keeling over dead, takes about two hours to works, and is only reversible to up to an hour after the poison was administered.

"Next," He said as he picked up a vial containing a glimmering white liquid, "Is the Inner Fire. It causes the victims blood to heat up and boil, cooking from the inside out." He set the vial down. "This one," He pulled up another vial but this time it had a pale blue liquid inside, " is my personal favorite. Eternity of Torture. It has no known cure at the moment, and is by far one of the worst ones to be infected by.

"It has seven stages. The first is a high fever; second, breaks every bone in the body one at a time; third, causes the blood to heat up to unstable points that cause the veins to burn up; fifth, the heart dries out and the lungs become flooded; sixth all nerve endings become hyper-sensitive; seventh and final stage; a slow death. The whole period of this poison lasts about two months." Kyo said with a smile. "Call me a sadist if you must, but that won't change my opinion." He said with an honest shrug.

"I'm sure it'll take forever to go through all these so I'll just give you the three poisons I told you of and the two antidotes for them to carry on you and I'll packed the rest up." He decided as he walked over to the group and handed them the vials which they immediately placed in their holsters that was part of their belts. Kyo moved over to the corner of the room and grabbed a beautiful wooden box lined with soft silk. He place a vial of each poison, which were all labeled, at the bottom of the box before placing a divider over top where he set all the antidotes which were also labeled.

"Now I have all vials labeled so that when you have the chance you can look them all up on your computer." the man said as he closed and locked the box. "To open this, simply touch a chakra filled finger to the keyhole." He said as he set the box off to the side.

"I don't think we need to worry about your are fine as is. And for now we should hold off on the scrolls, seeing as you three have much to carry as is." He said with a smile, "but drop by any time you wish, and the maids will show you in." He told them as he picked up the poison filled box and the four of them walked back into the office, the wall sliding shut behind them.

Both Yukano and Sasuke put on their masks. Naruto moved over to his purchases and slipped the mask on, before grabbing the gloves as well and sliding them onto his hands. Next he pulled on his boots before he moved to stand in front of his kind supplier. "Thank you. I appreciate this greatly." Naruto said with slight inclination to his head.

Kyo simply smiled. "Don't mention it. Now here." He handed the blonde the vials. "Come back whenever you need something, you know how to get in if I'm not here, and how to reach me if you need something I don't have." He said before the blond nodded and they simply disappeared from the room in a way of the most experienced of shinobi could.

Morning dawned early for the young shinobi to be as they had been out late last night acquiring all their goods, and when they went to the tree house they had to build a small closet style thing to keep all of their hidden life's goods. First they built in then they concealed it, making it look like a part of the wall, then the door, which was also concealed, was locked and could only be opened by their chakra signatures.

It was a much similar method of costume hiding as all the superheroes in comics had. A secret room with many mysteries. Ones that weren't to be found out.

.

Naruto had only been asleep for the last three hours or so and he had already slept in enough that if he didn't hurry up, he'd be late for the set time. 'I don't know why you are rushing..' The Kyuubi drawled as he watched his host hurriedly pull on a pair of leather pants before shrugging on a black tank top. He slid on the two wrists bands, that looked inconspicuous, despite their true nature.

The blond had decided that since the computer was illusioned to be not seen, and the needle launcher wasn't something out on the market yet, plus it looked like a normal wrist band, he'd wear them from now on. After all it was good to be prepared.

He pulled out several other accessories and attached his old ninja pouch, which was now black, and raced out the door having eaten a quick breakfast. He raced out the door, a random bag on his shoulders, and ran off to the academy, as he was near-by to his destination he sensed the two chakra signatures of his friends approaching the location so he slowed his run down to a walk until they came into view.

"Hey" said Yukano. Sasuke nodded in greeting.

"Ohayo" Naruto said as he walked beside them.

" Tomorrow's the test. You guys up for it?" Yukano asked

"Yep, we're all set." said Naruto

"I hope so and I thought of a wonderful present if you do pass." said Yukano

"Really? What?"Sasuke asked be

"Na ah ahh, that'll ruin the surprise. Be patient." said Yukano

Sasuke huffed and shoved his hands in his pockets. They walked through the academy to their class and sat down in their seats. Most of the class was already there talking excitedly about the graduation exam so they would been blessedly ignored, or so they believed.

"Sasuke-kun!" A happy squeal rang through the earlier silent room of waiting students, announcing the pink haired girl's fan girl side had finally kicked in. With an unnoticed roll of his eyes Naruto turned and spotted the green eyed girl, wishing the banshee would not be so utterly annoying.'I swear one of these days I'll kill her just so her scratchy voice and annoying personality can't continuously give me brain searing migraines.' He thought venomously. It was going to be a long day.


End file.
