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Winter Release	By : Cepheus Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1260 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
Thanks to all the reviewers! And HUGE thanks to my BETA Silence in
Nightmares!

Cepheus: I hate my university�s exams. Enough said.

Sorry if this chapter has nothing interesting
happening� but it is needed. I hope you will keep on reading, soon enough more
cool things will appear, I promise!

��

I want to thank especially some of you readers for your meaningful and long
reviews that made my heart skip a beat out of happiness=

Meilin
Dark Toy
Itachishottie (I tried to mail you, but I don�t
think you received my mail, sorry�)
Lap
ObsidianLace
DismalBismuth
Liza
BookWorm51485

��

Next update: really soon, I promise.

Rating: M (or
is it higher?)

Summary:
Kyuubi�s secret out. Akatsuki attacking. Fighting for strength, and falling for
your ex�best friend�s older brother. Maybe Naruto will have to deal with more than
he imagined�

Warnings: yaoi, boy x boy relationship, angsty,
torture, and such. Mental torture as well. Flames will be used to warm up food.
OC warning as well.

Disclaimer: Not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.

�Talking�
�Thinking�
�Flashbacks,
memories, dreams�

��

Winter Release

Chapter 20: Return

He had to continue his escape, who knew if Akatsuki was on his tail?

Right now� Gaara was more important.

Right now, he had to get out of here alive; he would weep for Sasuke
later on� he would feel guilt later on, pain later on.

Now he had to keep on going.

He started running again, bloody eyes set forwards.

��

The group had been moving relatively
peacefully, not paying attention to their surroundings as their senses were
projected forwards, intent on searching for anything abnormal, when Kakashi
suddenly stopped, frowning in confusion.

Coming from somewhere in front of
him, barely reaching his perception, a chakra signature trembled slightly,
disappearing from his senses only to reappear a moment later; Kakashi could
feel it only faintly; it was too far away even to be recognizable.

The silver haired Jounin felt a
shiver pass through his frame as the chakra sent a chill through him that was
almost familiar.

Kakashi and the rest of the group
had been running to the best of their capabilities, given the fact that, after
reaching Suna without resting, their pace had slowed down a bit; even Lee,
whose energy was virtually never�ending, was showing signs of strain.

Reacting to the chakra signature,
Kakashi lifted his hand a bit, and the others stopped as well.

Gai nodded briefly, and with a spurt
he reached Lee and made him stop.

Gathering around Kakashi, the group
of Jounin and Chuunin stared quizzically at him.

�What�s
happening, Kakashi�sensei?� Shikamaru straightened, popping a few bones in his back, groaning in
displeasure. He didn�t like running, not at all. Once again he wondered why the
hell he had become a ninja in the first place.

� oh, yeah.
Family heritage.

�There is a weak chakra signature
somewhere in front of us� it�s still too far away to recognize it clearly, but
I suspect it�s moving in this direction,� Kakashi�s only visible eye was
narrowed in concentration as he pointed South, where only sand and sparse
vegetation could be seen.

Neji blinked before closing his eyes
and directing his senses in that direction, carefully inspecting the area with
his own chakra, and a second later he nodded sharply, �I can feel it too, but
only vaguely. It�s wavering a lot and I can�t identify it,� he commented,
opening his eyes again with a calculating frown. �It�s definitely coming this
way� I will be able to use my Byakugan to check on it soon enough.�

Shikamaru frowned and scratched his
ear; his own perceptive senses could not feel the approaching chakra at all,
but he knew how sharp Neji�s senses were, just like Kakashi�s ( as Shikamaru instead excelled in strategy and mental
tasks). He trusted both, so he accepted their word and waited with TenTen and
Lee for the approaching chakra to be near enough for Neji to activate his
Byakugan.

�What if� what if it�s an enemy?�
TenTen let her hand trail down to her pouch, slowly extracting a couple of
kunai, gripping them tightly; Lee bit his lip and assumed a rigid position.
�We can�t be sure,� Kakashi replied,
his shoulders tense. �Because of the natural conformation of the territory
around us, we can�t hide anywhere �we won�t be able to avoid a confrontation if
it comes to that.�

Shikamaru sighed again, muttering
under his breath as he gathered a bit of strength; what a troublesome affair
he�d gotten himself into�

�Prepare yourselves,�
Gai ordered, shifting his body into his usual Taijutsu style, one hand lifted
in front of his face with the palm pointing upwards.

Lee copied him straightaway.

Neji continued monitoring the
chakra, feeling it move closer, finally close enough that even Shikamaru and
the others could feel it.

�I�m able to check on it now,� Neji
informed them. Stepping forwards, he prepared himself. �Byakugan!� he stated firmly.

During the last few years he�d
trained with his bloodline with the help of his uncle Hiashi, and was now able
to use it without any hand seals �as he�d already passed that level.

Bracing himself for the sudden
changes the bloodline use would force on him, Neji resigned himself to the
bitter sensation that always lingered in him after using his white eyes,
mentally waiting for the shift in his eyesight. Being able to suddenly see
through things, all around him, and for many miles in the distance required
strict concentration and mental preparation.

He felt the rush of chakra pump
around his eyes, flowing through the veins on his face as he concentrated it in
his pupil�less orbs, staring in front of him.

There was a strong pull, almost as
if an invisible force was pushing him forwards, but he was prepared, and the
familiar sensation did not unsettle him; his vision shimmered twice, acquiring
a blur in the corners as he felt himself rush forwards, passing trees, sand,
and bushes until he finally found what he was searching for.

For a second, the figure was nothing
but a blur of crimson chakra (Neji was
taken aback. Crimson? No shinobi ever had such a
chakra colour�), but as he concentrated on it, ignoring everything around
the shape, it slowly came into focus, sharp and clear
in his vision.

It took a moment for Neji�s brain to
understand what he was seeing, but the moment he accepted the information, Neji
ceased using his Byakugan abruptly and backed away with a gasp.

He couldn�t believe what he was
seeing.

He�d been losing hope,
he�d been so close to accepting it that it hurt.

His heart was beating so fast in his
chest that it drowned away the concerned voices around him, as his mind was
fixed on what he�d seen.

�Neji?� Shikamaru stepped forward, worried
about the sudden reaction of his boyfriend. �Neji, what�s wrong?�

The raven haired teen was not
listening.

He knew he had to move, but right
now he was frozen� and was vaguely aware that there was something burning at
the sides of his eyes. He felt so many emotions swirling inside him that he
knew he would break down if he couldn�t regain his control back.

A smile slowly crept onto his face,
a bit shaky but it was there.

What he�d seen was real. Real.

Real.

�I knew it, I knew I was right�,� he
whispered.

�Neji, is everything alright?�
TenTen and Lee, worried about their team�mate, dropped their stances and moved
towards the Hyuuga, frowning.

They were even more taken aback as
Neji started to laugh softly, his entire frame shaking with mirth.

�Neji!� now Shikamaru was officially
worried �was Neji on the verge of another breakdown?! What the hell was
happening?

Before Neji could answer and explain
his sudden change of attitude, everyone stiffened as a wave of chakra exploded
in the distance, before vanishing away. No trace of the foreign chakra remained
lingering in the air, as if it had never been there in the first place.

Neji�s eyes widened as he felt the
chakra disappear, and realized what had probably happened; there was no time to
lose, he had to move. Now.

Without turning towards his
companions, Neji sprinted forward, running with all his remaining strength as
to not arrive too late, deaf to Gai and Kakashi�s pleads to stop.

��

Naruto tried in vain to cough the
sand and the dirt out of his lungs, but he had so hard a time trying to stand
again that even his breathing was coming in ragged pants.

He�d wasted almost his entire energy
reserve and strength to run away from the Akatsuki, taking Gaara�s unresponsive
body with him. The only thing that had managed to calm his fears was the steady
thumping of the redhead�s heart against his back; even his encounter with
Sasuke had taken its mental toll on him, shutting his adrenaline rush away from
him.

He could no longer feel the fizzles
of his own chakra, and a part of him wondered if ninja called this chakra
exhaustion.

He didn�t even know how many miles
he�d been running before he�d collapsed, raising a cloud of dust around him
that burned through his lungs painfully.

Kyuubi�s thick layer of red chakra
had disappeared, evaporating into the air in a crimson cloud of smoke, together
with all his energy. Gaara�s body felt so heavy on his that he�d barely enough
strength to keep on staggering forwards �his determination the only thing that
kept him from passing out.

Gaara was alive. Naruto himself was
alive. They were both alive, and that
was the only important thing.

Gritting his teeth, chocking on a
mouthful of blood, Naruto felt abnormally numb to the pain racking through his body,
not even his bleeding wounds, wrists, and ankles were hurting anymore.

Everything was dull, and that was
what kept Naruto walking� the fact that he could no longer feel his own body.

He had to keep on moving. He could
reach Suna, and there both would be safe.

No matter the black dots in his
eyes, no matter that his eyelids felt so heavy he had to fight against the
darkness threatening to take him away. No matter the strain.

A part of his subconscious tried in
vain to warn him about the chakra surges approaching fast, but he was too lost
within himself to even notice, let alone recognize them.

He was too weak.

One foot after the other, Naruto
kept on moving. He would not give up.

Never give up�

Something attracted Naruto�s
attention from the sand at his feet and he looked up, tired eyes having a hard
time trying to focus on the sudden appearance of six figures in front of him.

�What�,�
blinking the sweat and blood away from his eyes, the blond looked hesitantly at
them, blurred figures gasping as they saw him.

One of them ran closer to him, and
Naruto found himself looking into a pair of pearly white eyes. At first he felt
a pang of fear (because white eyes with
darkness inside had been haunting his mind just as much as crimson red had
during his captivity), but even through his blurred vision he could tell
those eyes meant no harm� they were familiarly warm, instead.

Only two could have such eyes� and�

�Ne� Neji�?� he groaned out.

Not even the relief (caused by the wishful illusion of his friend
being in front of him) could reach him, as darkness finally won control
over him, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

��

It was him.

Him.

Naruto.

Neji had the image burned into his
mind as he ran forward, the image of a being that was Naruto but something else
as well� something raw� Kyuubi.

It didn�t matter.

Crimson chakra, it was the only
possible explanation.

But then, the explosion told him
something had happened �Naruto�s chakra had completely disappeared.

What could have happened?

Neji recalled the image of Naruto,
taking in the massive bleeding wounds, his torn clothes, and most of all, his
tired eyes. He�d been through hell, of that the Hyuuga was sure.

But he�d escaped� he was free, just
like Neji had hoped.

�Neji!� Lee was fast in reaching his pace,
trying to stop his friend. �Please, stop! What happened?! What did you see?!�

�Lee! It was Naruto! Naruto!� Neji
didn�t stop running as he spoke, searching frantically
for various details that could help him find the exact place he�d seen Naruto.
�He�s safe! He escaped from Akatsuki!�

Lee skidded to a halt, chocking on
his breath, eyes wide in shock. �What?!�

Kakashi and the other three managed
to catch up with the two teens, only to find a pale Lee staring wide�eyed at
Neji.

�Neji, stop,� Gai ordered seriously.
�It�s an order�,�

�No,� Neji said. �He needs us! I saw
him! He�s alive! Naruto is alive!�

Kakashi felt something take a grip
of his heart and clench it painfully as he stared at the teen in front of him,
who was smiling.

Neji was smiling; for the first time
in many months, Neji was smiling contentedly.

�The chakra� it was him, it was
Kyuubi! I don�t know how it is possible, but I saw him! It was Naruto!�

Kakashi didn�t really know what to
say. He�d believed firmly in Naruto�s death, he�d seen his body in Itachi�s
arms. He�d felt it was his fault that another of his dear ones had died and he
couldn�t help them.

So Neji�s words shattered something
in Kakashi�s mind.

He didn�t know what to think, what
to say, how to behave.

He could not accept the teen�s words
as being true, but he couldn�t say the Hyuuga was lying, since he obviously was
not.

Then� what?

Had Neji snapped in the end? Was
Naruto�s death too much for him to accept? After all, Naruto had been the one
to bring Neji back into the light�

There was no time to think anything
anyway, as Neji stopped dead in the middle of an empty sand field.

Kakashi could hear Gai and the
others gasp in shock, their eyes glued to something that was obviously in front
of them, and he ever so slowly turned his head.

There, in front of him, was Naruto.

And not a ghost, but him, real, gasping as blood trickled down from innumerable wounds on his
body. Clothes reduced to dirty, ruined pieces of cloth barely hanging from his
battered body, with blood everywhere, forming a trail that ran from his feet
and disappeared in the distance behind him, slowly drained into the sand.

Blond hair was covered with dirt and
more blood, and Kakashi�s mind panicked at the sheer amount of the red liquid
�there was more around and on the teen than could be in him. And the wounds, the blackish and purple bruises all over
his skin, up to his face, his pale complexion standing horribly against them
and the blood.

His eyes were open but clearly
unfocused, as though he was ready to drop into unconsciousness, the pain and
the strain visible in the blue orbs.

What scared Kakashi the most, making
him forget the shock and the relief of seeing his student still alive (alive, he was still breathing, in front of
him like a resurrected ghost, breathing, and standing there and it was not an illusion), his heart
pounding in his ears drowning away every other noise, was the fact that he
could not feel any chakra coming from the blonde.

But he was there.

Naruto was there. Alive.

He�d somehow pulled through,
returning from death, and the silver haired Jounin, whose eyes had been dry for
so many years that he could not remember the last time he�d cried, felt tears
burn at the corner of his eyes� both of them.

�Naruto�,�

Shikamaru, TenTen, Lee, Gai, and
Kakashi were frozen solid, not able to take their eyes away from the figure of
their friend as he stood there, his entire body trembling and shaking. They
couldn�t speak, the shock being too much for them to take.

Naruto was alive in front of them,
looking as if he�d returned from hell, and they didn�t know what to say.

Neji was the only one that could
move. He felt energized, filled with a giddy sensation that made him want to
yell out, as his heart had never felt this happy before.

His friend had returned, just like
he thought he would. He�d been doubted a lot, but now he�d been proven right.
Naruto was here. Alive. Everything was going to be ok�

Running towards Naruto, for the
first time Neji realized that the blond was not alone �on his back was the
unmoving body of Gaara, looking like a broken doll. The redhead wasn�t in the
best shape, but was surely looking less battered than the blonde.

Naruto had been carrying Gaara from
god�knows where until now? With his current appearance?
It looked almost impossible, but it was the truth.

Neji knew it.

Naruto had saved Gaara.

But as blue eyes tried to focus on
him, the raven haired teen could see Naruto was on the verge of passing out. He
could already see his knees buckling under the combined weight of his own body
and Gaara�s.

Only a word escaped from his bloody
lips, calling Neji back from his thoughts.

�Ne� Neji�?�

Then Naruto�s blue eyes rolled
backwards, and he fell into the Hyuuga�s waiting arms.

�Naruto? Naruto!�
Neji panicked, as he could not feel any chakra in the unconscious body of his
friend, and he knew how dangerous that could be. Without chakra, Naruto could
die.

Kneeling down on the ground, the
raven haired teen managed to separate Gaara�s body from Naruto�s, and started
checking the wounds frantically, not knowing what to do.

They needed a group of medic�nins,
and there was no time to waste.

Neji�s panicked yell brought the
rest of the Konoha�nin out of their stupor and, in the blink of an eye, all of
them were around the two unconscious teens, knowing the shock and the relief
would have to wait.

Kakashi felt cold but in control as
he moved Neji out of the way, kneeling next to his student and checking
Naruto�s pulse at the same time as TenTen checked Gaara�s, sending out a trail
of chakra to prod Naruto�s own reserves.

For a second, the silver haired Jounin
could only think that Naruto was real under his fingers, not an illusion. Then
he concentrated.

He could feel a feeble heartbeat,
slow and barely there, but at least there was one. But they had to move fast,
because Naruto was void of any chakra, and Kakashi could tell that even without
asking the Hyuuga for a confirmation.

�Now that you have returned to us, Naruto, I won�t let you die,� Kakashi gritted his teeth. �How�s
the Kazekage?�

TenTen lifted her pale face and
nodded, �He�s fine. His chakra patterns are a bit off, but he�s in no
life-threatening danger.�
�
�Kakashi,
how�s Naruto?� Gai kneeled next to Kakashi, staring in wonder at the blond, his
eyes trailing down the vast amount of wounds and bruises on the young teen�s
frame. Whatever he�d been through surely hadn�t been nice, not at all.

�He�s suffering from severe chakra
depletion� there isn�t even chakra coming from the seal� something has happened
that we can�t see just be looking at him, and I don�t like the vibes coming from
his ankles and wrists at all,� Kakashi bit his upper lip under the mask. �Gai,
Lee, you�re the faster among us� pick up Naruto and Gaara and take them to Suna
as soon as possible, they need to be treated now.�

Kakashi didn�t want to let Naruto
out of his sight, but he knew that, in order to stay alive, the boy had to
reach Suna. Without Tsunade and her medic skills available, they needed the
next best alternative.

Gai and Lee nodded; the man
carefully picked Naruto up from the ground, grimacing at the lack of response
from the teen, and Lee, with the help of Shikamaru and TenTen, put the Kazekage
on his back, feeling a faint blush appear on his face because of the warmth the
body provided against his own.

Kakashi, Neji, Shikamaru, and TenTen
stared as the two disappeared.

Suddenly, Neji fell down on the
ground, the rush of adrenaline leaving his body. Shikamaru kneeled near him and
looked at the smile the Hyuuga had on his face �unnatural on his face, but
beautiful and warm.

�Naruto� is alive,� Neji whispered.
�He�s back.�

Shikamaru closed his eyes, still in
shock. He would never forget Naruto�s appearance, not in a million years.

�To think� not only did he survive
the Akatsuki, when we all thought he was dead� but he was also the one who took
back Gaara�,� he commented, surprised at how unsteady his voice was.

Only then did Shikamaru realize he
was crying.

TenTen, who hadn�t been really any
acquaintance of Naruto, could only stare� knowing just how much Naruto�s return
meant for all of them, and could feel tears form in her eyes as well, just by
looking at her two friends.

Kakashi himself wasn�t looking well
at all, his hands trembling slightly without him being able to still them. He
hadn�t regained control of his own body or of his mind, but he still shook
himself out of his thoughts; he wanted to see Naruto again.

�Let�s go,� he ordered the three.

��

The darkness had changed, and Naruto
felt it clearly without even having to open his eyes or shift around; there was
a chilling cold his body was well aware of, but at the same time, not a real
coldness.

It felt more like a breeze that was
lashing at him from the inside, and not outside, on his skin.

Naruto opened his eyes, and the
sight in front of him was what he�d been expecting, something he�d not been
able to see for months, maybe even years since he�d never returned there, not
even once as he�d trained with Jiraiya.

A corridor, a long corridor
enveloped in shadows. He knew where he would end up if he were to move forwards.

His mind, his skin, even his senses
recognized where he was, but this time, too much had happened for him to care;
too much had happened to him, and he felt no need to speak. Maybe he was
welcoming that darkness, too, being separated from it for so long.

Then, he felt it. Something was
wrong.

Usually there was silence. Kyuubi
only spoke if he saw Naruto in front of the gate, allowing the teen to reach
him (otherwise the blond wouldn�t even make it this far)� but now, there was a
soft noise. Insistent and becoming louder as every second
passed by.

His senses were working, not dulled
out, and he smelled and heard water dripping against stone� the smell of rotten
flesh and crushed stones� something that hadn�t been there before.

Something was wrong down here� and
he had to force himself to move.

Surprisingly enough, he couldn�t
feel pain. Maybe his mind wasn�t keen to show his real wounds there. It was
almost a blessing. Because right now, he needed all his
mental energy.

Walking down the long corridor, as
familiar to him as the streets of Konoha (even
though he had been away for so long he feared he would not remember),
Naruto noticed something was deeply wrong, something was going on and he didn�t
like it.

Was it the seal?

He was aware there had been a change
in his seal.

No, that wasn�t it.

But the landscape had never seemed
this wrong before.

He could feel it in his bones, the
entire place was slowly dying, rotting away� what
could be the cause of that? This was inside him, and his mind ruled here, just
like his.

The stench of rotten flesh was
becoming more and more overwhelming with each step he took forward, until
Naruto could no longer walk, too disgusted, his stomach twisting and turning,
wanting him to run away.

To not look.

Something was going on.

�This is my mind� I have to go! What if he�s escaping?� but Naruto knew already this was
not the case. Kyuubi was not going anywhere.

It was worse.

He moved again, refusing to give in
to the disgust, refusing to throw up, no matter how strong and utterly
atrocious the smell was� he had to see.

The sight wasn�t what he was
expecting either.

The giant room, with the cage right
in front of his eyes, was almost entirely covered with water� water that was of
a horrid, putrid colour, water to the point where he knew he would drown if he
dared to step into it� water that was not water �as thick as blood was.

And the walls were slowly breaking,
small pieces falling with loud dropping noises into the liquid� everywhere now.
Even behind him. And the water was everywhere in front of him, only the
corridor, that was a bit higher, hadn�t been reached yet.

He could no longer see inside the
bars of the cage, the only visible thing was the seal� different, stronger,
crackling with energy waves.

But everything was ruined.

The bars were rusty, of dark reddish
and greenish colour, sickly contrasting against the pure white of the seal,
with black and red ink; from the other end of the gate, no life appeared at
all� but he could feel his presence.

It was wavering, and it was not
healthy.

�Kyuubi!� he called.

Why was he feeling guilty for damage
done to the demon that had destroyed Konoha? Why was he feeling pity for the
fox, even though he�d done nothing but terrible things in his freedom, and even
afterwards in his prison?

But he was.

A pair of red eyes glowed from
behind the bars, holding so much hatred Naruto was almost taken aback �but he
felt detached from the sight. The hatred was not against him.

As his eyes accommodated to the
glowing and putrid light, Naruto finally was able to see the fox. Kyuubi was
half submerged by the filthy, repulsive liquid, only his head and tails
standing above it.

How could he stand it? The touch of the water? It was� sick.

And the walls kept
on crumbling� everything was falling down. Decaying.

�You,� Kyuubi
hissed.

His voice was low and rough, and
Naruto felt too clearly the weakness etching into it. Where was the demon�s
chakra? He�d felt it so clearly when running from Akatsuki� he always felt it
when visiting the fox� but now there wasn�t even a small wave of killer intent
flowing at him, no chakra trying to force his way out from the prison.

Kyuubi� Kyuubi had no chakra.

�What� what happened?� There was
concern in Naruto�s voice.

Why concern?

Because he was
Naruto.

�The seal,� Kyuubi rasped, eyes glinting. The defiance was still there, but Kyuubi
was obviously tired.

After a moment of confusion, Naruto
understood.

It wasn�t the Yondaime�s seal�
because no human could kill Kyuubi, not even with another set of sealing kanji.
But it was too easy to understand. It was the Akatsuki Leader�s seal, which
separated Naruto from Kyuubi, cutting off the life force the demon used from
Naruto�s own chakra�

The Yondaime�s seal allowed Kyuubi�s
conscience to remain.

Had the seal resisted some more�

Kyuubi would have died.

Or maybe not
died� maybe only drowned away. It was even worse than death.

The entire room was in a massive
state of decay, Naruto could see it. It needed the demon�s life energy, but
right now, as Naruto had taken away all the energy of the Youko to escape from
the Akatsuki, there was no more chakra he could utilize to keep himself alive.
And Naruto was still recovering from his own wounds.

Naruto had taken away Kyuubi�s only
safety.

If Kyuubi were to die inside him,
Naruto would not die, but their chakras were connected� he wouldn�t come out of
it without a scratch. Maybe he would even fall into a coma.

Lost forever.

Naruto didn�t want to die, but at
the same time he didn�t want the fox to die either. No matter what Kyuubi had
done before, he was already paying for his mistakes� he would live forever
inside him, and die there. With him.

Maybe� maybe there was a chance. The
blond remembered his offer to Kyuubi; he remembered the truce he�d tried to
create with the demon� by joining forces. He�d completely forgotten it due to
Akatsuki, but now�

Now it was the only way out.

�Kyuubi!� he yelled.

His voice echoed through the heavy
air, dulled out by the crumbling walls around them.

A low growl was his only reply.
Naruto knew he had to work fast. He was unconscious, his wounds were surely
being treated, but he was in his mind. And there was Kyuubi. And he had to move
fast� he could feel that he had no more time. No amount of healing would stop
this decay unless it done from the inside� here and now.

He shuddering at the thought of what
might have happened had he been a moment too late�

�I can help!� he yelled again,
fighting off his nausea. It didn�t matter now.

A wall started crumbling into the
dirty water. Kyuubi�s bloody eyes were open again, staring at him.

�I can share my life energy!� he
didn�t move from his spot, the water was reaching him too fast. �I remember I
offered you a truce! Can�t you see it? We need each other to survive!�

�Fool human,� Kyuubi growled. It felt like a rumbling sound, vibrating through
Naruto�s frame� but there was something in the demon�s tone that vaguely
resembled respect.

Naruto didn�t lingered
on the thought, as Kyuubi spoke again.

�You wouldn�t need me� why are you offering to save my life? Why, after
everything you went through because of me? Wouldn�t it be better if I were to
die or disappear into the recesses of your mind?�

Naruto stopped for a moment.

He�d left Akatsuki�s underground
prison with his own strength. He�d freed Kyuubi�s chakra by using his own
alone. He was strong, and he�d shown it to himself and the Akatsuki. He didn�t
need Kyuubi to survive�

But he wanted to save Kyuubi
nonetheless. There were things he could do only with the demon�s power, because
he was too young, and there were too many things he had to do and he wouldn�t
have much time to train and get better without the fox�s massive, inhuman
chakra.

And he pitied the fox. No, not pity. Naruto hated being pitied, and he knew the
demon wouldn�t want it either. But he� he understood. Once he�d been free, and
now he was caged, forever, and without hope to ever get free� not after the new
development with the Yondaime�s seal.

The blonde knew what
the fox was feeling, because he�d been trapped as well, caged like a
wild animal, for months.

It wasn�t but a fraction of what
Kyuubi must be feeling, years inside him, but he could understand. It was
horrible� all hope vanishing.

Everything
falling into darkness.

Not even Kyuubi deserved this.

He could not speak, all the words he
wanted to use evading him as he searched for them, because it would look like
pity, it would be rejected� what if Kyuubi really wanted to die, so as to
escape his prison?

�I� it�s
wrong. I want to create a truce between the two of us� I want an alliance!�
Naruto searched frantically for the right words, as he watched helplessly as
more of the walls crumbled down.

Everything was shattering. He needed
to do something, but he couldn�t step near the cage without the consent of
Kyuubi.

�You shouldn�t be a shinobi� you�re too nice to be one,� Kyuubi scoffed. Again, there was
something else in his voice. Not hatred. Not spite. Not disgust. Naruto could
not recognize the tone. �You�re willing
to save the life of someone who destroyed your village and would do it again�
without thinking it over.�

Naruto did not falter. He strongly
believed in giving everyone a second chance. Haku had one. Zabuza had one.
Gaara had one. Neji had one. He would offer it to Sasuke over and over again,
until the raven haired shinobi took it.

He knew he would offer it to
everyone.

Because no one
had ever offered it to him.

He�d been shunned by his village,
not respected, not cared for, not loved. But Iruka had offered him a hand. Then Sandaime. And as he grew up, understanding more and
more about the people around him�

He�d given a second chance to
everyone who still hated him.

Because Kyuubi
had done wrong, and Naruto could understand the hatred of the villagers and the
shinobi who lost someone to the demon.

But Kyuubi might deserve a second
chance.

Even�

Naruto shook his head, as an image
of Itachi appeared in front of him. He would understand� one day he would. But
now, Kyuubi was more important.

Naruto smiled. He simply smiled, and
he directed it at Kyuubi.

�Everyone deserves a second chance,�
he said calmly. �Offer me your chakra. Let me get strong by using it. Let me
use it as much as I can� and I will allow you to come out in battle,� there was
no hesitance.

He would do anything in exchange for
Kyuubi�s chakra and alliance. After all, Kyuubi could not escape the seal, he could not take over Naruto�s mind, because the
blond would never let him, and because the seal would prevent this from
happening. And because Naruto felt it.

He could allow the demon something
in exchange for something else. He would still be in control, but�

�I will try to change this
landscape� I will not bother you, and you will be able to share something of
the outside world� even though you will never get free. I don�t like this. I
know how it feels.�

Naruto was staring straight at the
bloody eyes, with nothing but determination and defiance.

Kyuubi stared back. There was
silence between them as, all around them, the walls continued to fall down, and
the sickly water continued to raise.

The demon was� impressed.

Not by his speech� because the young
human was just a dreamer. His hopes would be crushed by a reality he seemed to
overlook. Kyuubi was disgusted by his innocence.

No� Kyuubi was impressed because
Naruto would keep on standing back up. For a human, his strength was astonishing.
Kyuubi knew many demons would rather die than go through all the pain Naruto
had been through.

But Naruto was still there, allowing
foolish words to come out of his mouth.

And over everything else, Kyuubi was
amused.

No one had ever tried to ally with
him. No one had ever dared to speak this way to him, one of the strongest
demons existing.

Yet, this stupid human had. Not
once, but many times.

For a human, Naruto was strong.

And demons respected strength. Any type of strength.

He started to laugh. Half drowned by
the water (which would keep him barely alive, conscious, but forever still,
without the possibility of moving, speaking, or even thinking� like a soulless
doll), seeing what had been his entire world for the last fifteen years crumble
around him, slowly taking him near the end of his life�

Kyuubi laughed.

Naruto was surprised to hear his
laugh, but those eyes were still fixed on him, and something flickered inside
them. Like�

Acceptance,
maybe.

There was no need for words. The
blond teen knew Kyuubi had accepted his truce without him having to actually
say that.

Taking a shuddering breath (he hadn�t been aware he was holding� or that
his hands were trembling), Naruto looked at the dirty water, and stepped
into it. His mind was already fighting off the decay with all his will power.

Because he was
determined. He was
strong by himself, and strong with Kyuubi. Because he�d
survived the worst. Because he�d made some kind of alliance with a
demon� and no matter what, it still was an improvement. Naruto wanted to become
a Hokage.

Because this was how it was supposed
to be, after all.

And the water started to recede.

��

At first, he didn�t know where he
was �everything felt distant, and he could hear nothing around him; his eyelids
were heavy and his mind felt drowsy, not willingly to wake up.

Brief flashes of memories were
plaguing his consciousness, confusing him so much he just had to wake up,
because he could not remember what had happened� he could not remember where he
was.

Forcing his sleepiness and his
fatigue away, Naruto managed to open one eye, feeling something above his other
one that prevented him from opening it; for a moment, he could see nothing but
a white blur, as his other senses were still dull from the pain and the strain,
but slowly the images returned into focus, and he realized he was staring up at
a white ceiling.

� white?

Something was wrong, Naruto�s mind
supplied. Akatsuki�s undergrounds had never been white� there wasn�t this much
light, not at all.

�Naruto?� The voice was soft and warm� no one
amongst the Akatsuki would have possibly called him in such a way.

The blond closed his eye again,
trying to put a face to the voice next to him, and with a jolt he realized it
was Kakashi�s. Suddenly, everything that had happened before he fell
unconscious rushed back to him, including the distorted image (that he�d
definitely thought to be a mirage) of Neji�s white eyes staring at him.

Including the
decay inside his mind� decay that was now completely gone, leaving him weak and
tired. More tired
than he�d ever been before.

He�d escaped� he�d managed to escape
from the Akatsuki� but how had Neji and Kakashi found him? What had happened?

�K�,� his voice didn�t come out as
he wanted, his throat was so dry it hurt. He coughed lightly, and it felt like
swallowing shards of glass. Where was his strength? He felt so weak�

He couldn�t even turn his neck, but
he wanted to see his sensei. He wanted to see his face so as to confirm he was
free.

�Naruto� don�t speak, you�re still
weak,� Kakashi�s tone was soft, and for the first time in a long time, Naruto
felt tears of happiness pool in his eyes, even more so as he felt a calm touch
over his hair, Kakashi slowly patting him.

How much he�d
craved for this warmth� telling him everything was fine. He was safe.

Without speaking, Naruto mouthed his
questions, sure Kakashi would be able to understand and give him some answers.

�Where
am I?�

There was a pause before the hand
that had been patting him was pressed against his forehead, cool against his
feverish skin� the blond relishing the comfortable touch before focusing on
Kakashi�s voice.

�You�re in Suna� you�ve been
sleeping for the last three days� the doctors told us you would need up to a
week to regain consciousness, so we weren�t expecting you to wake up this
soon.�

�We?�

�Me, Team Gai, and Shikamaru were
called here to take Gaara back from Akatsuki,� Kakashi chuckled. �Seems like you beat us to it.�

�How�s
Gaara?!� Naruto tried to convey his urgency to his sensei, a flare of worry
for his friend overshadowing all the questions he still had to ask.

�Don�t worry, he�s perfectly fine,
woke up two days ago, and he�s being pampered by his siblings as we speak.�

Naruto relaxed his tense muscles,
finally accepting the truth. He closed his eyes again, deaf to Kakashi�s pleads
to not go back to sleep, and soon he slipped away in the darkness again, welcoming
the rest.

This time there wouldn�t be a
crumbling sound mixed with a disgusting stench, nor nightmares. He was safe.

��

Sakura slowly made her way up the
stairs towards the Hokage�s office, holding a pile of paperwork in her arms,
sighing every once in a while; the pink haired girl didn�t look like the weak
kunoichi she�d been three years before, as she�d asked for Tsunade�s
apprenticeship and had been trained by her for the last few years.

Gone was her usual weakness and hesitance,
she was now a strong kunoichi, training under the best medic�nin existing. What
had done the trick was Naruto�s determination in bringing Sasuke back �Sakura
had realized she was just deluding herself by thinking she could be appreciated
without working for it.

She�d wanted to take Sasuke back,
but she could not let Naruto do all the work�

Sakura sighed. Her thoughts went
again to the blond that had taught her more than she could ever admit; a friend
she�d despised for so long, but she�d seen his true self.

Naruto was willing to give up
everything to bring their friend back because he�d promised her he would.

Sakura felt this was also her duty.
Becoming strong to help Naruto take Sasuke back to where he belonged, no matter
how much time it would require.

Only now� Naruto was dead.

He would never keep his promise, so
it was up to her. She would not cry in a corner, sobbing because she was weak;
she had every intention to keep the promise she�d made to herself.

�To honour your promise Naruto, I will bring Sasuke back,� Sakura thought again.

The familiar suffix was now gone.

Strengthening her determination,
Sakura clutched the papers in her hands and moved again towards Tsunade�s
office, thinking she would go and visit the Memorial later in the morning.

Passing Shizune�s desk, the pink
haired teen waved at her with a smile, earning a tired one back. The other
apprentice of the blonde woman had been dealing with many angered reports
concerning the meetings Tsunade hadn�t attended in the last few months, but
things were finally calming down again� the memories were still painful, but
allowed them to move on with their own lives.

Opening the door without knocking,
Sakura was ready to start yelling at her shishou �thinking she would find the
Godaime Hokage sleeping on her desk like usual� but stopped dead.

Tsunade was standing next to the
window, reading a paper she had probably received from a bird moments before,
and tears were slowly pouring down her cheeks, even though she didn�t seem to
be aware of it.

�Tsunade�shishou?� Sakura let the paperwork fall onto
the nearest chair and approached the older woman with a worried look on her
face, not understanding why Tsunade was crying so openly.

Her surprise grew when Tsunade
turned towards her with a shaky smile, handing her the paper she was reading.

Seconds later, as her green eyes
moved over the few lines written hastily there, Sakura let out a gasp, feeling
tears roll down her own face.

�He�s�,� she sobbed, suddenly
hugging Tsunade who hugged her back.

�Tsunade�sama,� was the simple line
that caused their reaction. �Naruto is alive.�

��

Cepheus: as to why Sakura seems mature and older� is
because no matter how much I hate her. This fic is not about what I think. She
is not a weak girl. Not after the three years. And for the love of realism,
she�s growing too.

Also, I am sorry if it was kind of� clich� but
hell. Naruto was thought dead. There wasn�t a better way to have everyone know.

� review? Because I can finally see where I am going.
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Winter Release