Kurama
“Finally!” Naruto let out a relieved breath as they reached the gates to the stone daimyo´s estate. The journey had been long and tiresome, but aside from the ambush in the mountain pass and a few troubles with passerby in the land of grass, there had been no other complications.
Izuna next to him chuckled at his reaction and Naruto grinned at his newly acquired friend. The journey had been much easier and the atmosphere a lot brighter now that Naruto and the Uchiha shinobi came to a sort of mutual understanding.
“Any idea on how long we´re going to stay here? There was nothing mentioned during the exchange of letters.” Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side at the clan heir. After all, this was some sort of political talk, so Izuna should now at least a little about it.
The ravenette just shrugged, stretching and popping his joints from the long walk as they came to a stop. “I´m not sure, but I´m guessing at least three days. Most important meetings tend to stretch over a long time, and knowing the stone daimyo and the fire daimyo like to frequently argue, this isn´t going to be resolved quickly,” he explained, frowning as he looked at the carriages as the daimyo and his daughter got out of them and were greeted by the servants of this estate.
The stone daimyo had yet to appear as the escort from the land of fire was welcomed. The horses were led to the stalls, the servants were given orders and the samurai and the shinobi were allowed to rest once again for a short amount of time.
Hikaku and the rest joined them as well, as did Akito´s squad now that the journey was over. They too had thanked Naruto on the behalf of the clan for saving their clan heir, however Naruto didn´t seem to be able to bond with them as well as he did with Izuna and his group. He supposed it was because they had talked less to one another, or because the others were still slightly wary of him, not having been there to witness the situation go down first hand.
“Shinobi-san. We´ll lead you to your quarters now, if you would follow.” A few of the servant from this estate had gathered in front of them and bowed their heads, asking for their permission to follow. They would be granted quarters to rest in until the meetings began and the daimyo called on them. Even then, not everyone would likely have to go.
“Lead the way,” Izuna nodded, taking the lead as they followed the servants.
Suddenly, a warm feeling began to spread through Naruto´s chakra. A bubbling sensation crept through his coils, heating up his system and colliding with his very own chakra, mixing in a swirl of red and blue.
Naruto froze.
His chakra pulsed with uncontained excitement and hope, however, not being able to properly distinguish emotions in signatures, the Uchiha only took note of the fact that his chakra pulsed for some reason. Their heads turned and Naruto absently noted their wariness and surprise, but he was too busy diving into his own mind and reaching for that sensation in hopes of confirming that it wasn´t just a trick of his mind to properly register that reaction.
“Kitsune, what is the matter?” Izuna demanded, voice stern as his eyes flickered through the area. A buildup of chakra suggested that he was about to activate the sharingan and just like Naruto predicted, blood red eyes met his blue ones.
Big mistake.
“I wake up and the first thing I see is that detestable eye! Turn it off before I gauge it out!” The voice roaring in Naruto´s mind had him wincing, unprepared for the sudden onslaught of volume and hatred, causing him to stagger back a step and his hands to fly to his head, pressing against it in an attempt to dampen the pain.
Now concerned, Izuna stepped forward, hand reaching out to Naruto, but the blonde quickly held up his own, causing the heir to halt in his tracks.
Behind him his clansmen switched from confused to borderline concerned and wary. The servants were unnerved by the reaction and shifted from one leg to another, silently watching the exchange.
Naruto groaned from the headache as his friend was still roaring and raging in his mind the longer the sharingan eyes of Izuna were focused on him.
“Nothing´s wrong. Just – I need to confirm something. Pulse your chakra if you need me I´ll be back.” His words came out faster than any of them could comprehend, and before Izuna could ask what this was all about, or even react to what Naruto said, the blonde was gone swift as the wind. He could still feel their concern in their chakra, but his priorities laid elsewhere right now.
Kurama had woken up.
.
“Kurama!”
Naruto threw himself forward as soon as he entered their shared mindscape and his furred friend came into view. All composure was disregarded as Naruto reached forward and attached himself to Kurama in a desperate manner, glad to feel his friend´s breathing so very clearly.
Kurama wasn´t just a husk of chakra anymore. He stood there in all his glory, despite still looking skinnier and more worn than usual.
But he was awake, and that´s what was important.
Kurama grumbled, having calmed down now that the eyes that were his downfall were not in his sight anymore. Out of reflex, one of his tails came to the front and instinctively curled around his partner in a protective manner. The soft, orange fur completely wrapped around Naruto and the blonde practically melted as soon as Kurama had returned the gesture.
“Thank the sage, you´re awake! You woke up!” His voice was a mixture of laughter and tears of happiness as he continued to press into his best friend´s fur. Naruto´s own chakra started to spread and engulf Kurama in its safety, since unlike the fox he could not properly hug him. Instead, Naruto´s gentle blue wrapped around Kurama´s fierce red, making the fox exhale – purr, but Kurama would never admit that since he proudly stated he was leaning more towards canines than felines. Courtesy of disliking the cats and their summons that usually belonged to members of the Uchiha clan – and respond in kind, making his own sparse chakra mix with Naruto´s.
Kurama´s next words were likely meant to be the usual teasing sarcastic, but he didn´t quite manage. Instead, his voice was soft, as soft as the voice of the Kyuubi no Kitsune could be, “Of course I am, Naruto.” His head lowered itself and Naruto nuzzled against it with his own, breaking out into more relieved laughter as he could finally hear his friend speak against a long time.
Dear god, it´s really been long without Kurama, hasn´t it?
“I missed you! I missed you so much, you know?!” Ah, there went his speech tic. It´s been a long time since he slipped up like that, but this was Kurama. He would never, ever hide anything from his partner, nor would he even be able to. It was only right that way.
Despite having been in a long slumber, Kurama seemed to be nearing his fill of being emotional, because this time he scoffed half-heartedly and nudged against the blonde, trying to get him to stop clinging. Kurama didn´t removed his tail though, so Naruto kept doing it anyways.
“I was never gone, just asleep.” He countered, but Naruto violently shook his head, making the wild strands of bright hair whip around.
“You weren´t responding! You were asleep, but you were so drained, that I was worried the jump back had –“ taken everything out of you, he didn´t finish his sentence, but he thought it, mood sullen. Now that Kurama was awake, Naruto finally realized just how devastated he would have been if Kurama ended up being more than just asleep. If his chakra had been completely drained to the last drop.
Would he have disappeared?
After all, chakra was a life source. Just like with humans, Bijuu also had chakra as their life source. It´s why chakra exhaustion to great levels can kill a human, but since Bijuu can´t die, would Kurama simply have vanished? Would he have been reborn, like Isobu? And if he would have been, would he even have remembered what Naruto and he had gone through?
It hurt to think about it, so Naruto doesn´t. He simply squeezed his eyes shut and let the much darker, worried thoughts be overwhelmed by the sheer relief he felt instead.
Sensing his partner´s distress, Kurama stopped nudging him and instead sighed heavily, leaning back down to rest his head next to Naruto, one slit red eye watching him with something soft underneath it. Something comforting and reassuring that immediately had Naruto returning the eye contact and smile.
“I´m awake now, kit. Stop thinking so much or else your brain´s going to turn to mush from over-exhaustion.”
Naruto huffed, letting the insult go this time since Kurama had just woken up. His pride could handle a few jabs at him in this kind of situation after all. Besides, Kurama starting to be snarky again just meant that the fox truly was better now.
“You´d be here to help me though, if it did.” Naruto smirked, nudging his friend.
Kurama only huffed and rolled his eyes. “Obviously. I have to, after all. Without me you would be utterly lost. Consider yourself lucky that I´m the brains out of the two of us.”
Unlike Kurama had intended though, Naruto didn´t react to the teasing. Instead his grin only got brighter and wider, so wide his cheeks were starting to hurt and his whiskers were scrunching up. “I totally would be lost without you, Kurama. You´re my friend after all, I wouldn´t know what to do without you!”
It was so earnest, so goddamn honest and precious that Kurama spluttered and turned his head away, grumbling something about Naruto being way too bright and cheesy. Naruto was pretty sure fox’s couldn´t blush, but either way he would tell that Kurama was definitely flustered.
He clicked his tongue. “Tche, stop being all sappy you moron. It´s giving me the hives.” His tails twitched behind him imitating the fox equivalent of a shudder.
Naruto paused, frowning, before actually getting concerning. “Can you actually get the hives though? Is that a thing?”
Kurama´s eye twitched, but instead of gracing that stupid question with an answer, he simply let out a long-suffering sigh and closed his eyes. If there was one thing he didn´t miss about his partner, it was this. For all his genius when it came to fuuinjutsu and his skill of coming up with things on the fly mid battle, sometimes, whenever Naruto was comfortable, he would just ask or say some things that were utterly stupid.
Something softened inside Kurama at the thought though, no matter how annoyed. It just mean that Naruto was comfortable around him, which made the fox extremely happy. Not that he´d ever admit that.
However, it was time to get back to the matters at hand.
“I think I should be asking you a few questions instead, Naruto. Why is it that as soon as I wake up, we are being stared at by those accursed eyes?”
Naruto stilled for a long moment before finally letting out a sigh and plopping down onto the grass, leaning against Kurama. He knew his friend wasn´t exactly fond of sharingan, but he kind of wished that Kurama would stop calling them accursed. Sasuke´s eyes were sharingan, and insulting the eyes felt a little like insulting Sasuke.
Then again, Naruto though with a wince, Kurama had enough reason to dislike Sasuke. Enough to dislike any Uchiha, really. So instead of saying what he though, he held his tongue.
“It´s – It´s a long story. A lot happened while you were asleep. I started working towards our goal and already made progress, so please don´t bite their heads, or any other part of their body, off once we get back. They´re allies. Friends.”
And really, Naruto didn´t even need to see the deadpan look Kurama was giving him to know that the fox was absolutely done with him. It hasn´t been that long and Naruto already has new allies, but Kurama wasn´t all that surprised. If anything, Naruto was convincing. Out of everyone, Kurama would be one of the few to know that best.
It really shouldn´t have surprised him.
So, instead of prying further since he trusted Naruto would explain all in due time, he sighed again, closing his eyes. “That was that madman´s brother, was it not? Uchiha Izuna. I thought it was your Uchiha at first because of their similarities, but his eyes felt different. Weaker.”
Naruto rolled his eyes at Kurama. “Of course you´d insult him first things first, but yes, that was Uchiha Izuna. Also, Sasuke is not my Uchiha.”
Incredibly unimpressed, Kurama pinned Naruto with a deadpan look and very suddenly, Naruto knew why Hikaku´s looks had felt so familiar. Both of them had the ability to make him feel a little bit stupid by looking at him like that. The blonde wisely kept his mouth shut though, knowing that Kurama would like anything better than being compared to one of the Uchiha.
“Tell that to literally anyone else, kit. The amount of time you´ve spent pining on one another was, frankly, disgusting. Even more so than watching that lovesick Namikaze swoon over your harpy of a mother. You´ve also probably called eachother´s names more often than anyone else´s. To anyone who doesn´t know he tried to kill you multiple times, it would seem like the two of you were lovesick.”
Naruto pulled a face and shook his head at the thought. Him and Sasuke never had a romantic relationship, even if there had been a time where almost all of Konoha had a betting pool that bet on them being in one.
What they had wasn´t platonic either, just… not romantic. Soulmates, bound by reincarnation, but also by their own special bond. Partners ever since they had joined team seven together. Friends ever since Naruto managed to knock some sense into him and bring him back into the light. Pillars, for it had been Naruto that kept Sasuke from taking the final step into the unforgiving darkness and it had been Sasuke that was on Naruto´s mind, who spurred him to try his best and achieves his dreams. Brothers in all but blood, for they were ready to give their lives for one another, protected one another and loved one another.
Their bond was so much more than a simple platonic or romantic relationship could ever be.
Kurama, being inside Naruto and, to a certain extent, feeling what the blonde was feeling, knew that. But Naruto´s friends had taken it upon themselves to tease him and Sasuke about their relationship at any opportunity they got. At one point, even Sakura who genuinely and deeply loved Sasuke, pulled him aside and asked if maybe Sasuke never returned her efforts because the Uchiha swung towards the other way, specifically towards Naruto.
That had decidedly not been a fun conversation.
He shuddered and shook the mental image away as quickly as possible.
“Okay so first off, we weren´t pining, we were fighting. That´s different!” The blonde could insist as much as he wanted, Kurama wasn´t going to let that one go, if only to rile up his host. “Second, dad being lovesick wasn´t –“ he paused, thought back to the times during the war were Minato would sometimes get so lost in all his swooning when he told him about his mother, reconsidered and then groaned, “alright, maybe it kind of was. But I can say that because I´m their son. Aren´t children supposed to dislike their parents being all lovey and cheesy with each other?”
Kurama shrugged. “Hell if I know, I never had a mother. I never saw Father interact with Ashura´s and Indra´s mother either. If he´s anything like Namikaze, I´m glad I didn´t”
A moment of silence fell over them before they locked eyes and then promptly burst out laughing. Naruto´s laughter was bright and cheery, while Kurama´s was more subdued and more a chuckle than actual laughter.
Sage, how he had missed this.
But they kept getting distracted. It was hard not to, really, with how happy they were to be back together, be back as two consciouses in one body.
Once their laughter died down, the air once again shifted. Despite this being in his mindscape, everything around them felt incredibly real. The way the wind blew ever so gently through his hair, the way the soft grass felt like on his skin, the smell of flowers and the rushing of tides in the distance.
“Naruto, you said you made progress? What exactly happened? Why are you surrounded by Uchiha signatures of this time?”
It was then that Naruto finally started to explain.
How he had found the Kitsune mask and had kept it because it resembled Kurama, much to Kurama´s embarrassment, how he made a name for himself by going around and earning money from clan clients. Kurama commended him on that one for being sneaky and taking away their clients, even when Naruto explained that he hadn´t done it as a direct attack at their system.
“I´m aware,” the fox had admitted with a wide, teeth baring grin on his face, “but I can imagine the clans of this time fussing over it. If what you said is true, hardly anything is known about you. Imaging them despairing over that alone is enough to bring me joy.”
This time it was Naruto´s turn to pin the man with a deadpan stare. “You really aren´t a fan of this time, are you?” he drawled. Kurama´s cackle was enough of an answer.
Naruto then continued recounting his encounter with the Hatake. How he´d helped find the clan head, Shirogane, and how the two of them had come to a mutual agreement. In exchange for their support, Naruto would be there as a helper. He explained how at the beginning they had been hostile and wary, but now he´d found his first allies.
Kurama approved.
“The Hatake´s mentality during this time wouldn´t have let them reject your offer, I´m sure.”
Naruto frowned at that, tilting his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
The fox grumbled a little but nevertheless explained. “Much like our Hatake, their mentality is similar to that of a wolf pack. I was frankly surprised when I found out that the Hatake brat had dog summons, since his clan stuck with wolfs mostly. Out of all the summons I have met so far, the wolfs are one of the least unbearable.” Oh, Naruto was kind of insulted because before his current fox contract, he had the toad contract. Kurama had hated the toads with a burning passion, but apparently wolfs were okay? No, Naruto was not pouting.
Alright, he might be pouting.
“Their concept is all about family, loyalty and care for one another. You saving their clan head, the head of the pack, doesn´t necessarily force them to trust you, but it does play a great factor. Combine that with the fact that you´re persuasive in general, it is no surprise you were able to bond quickly.”
Naruto hummed. “That does make sense. It´s a nice mentality. Shirogane is a respectable clan head, so I´m glad we have him as an ally, no matter how fresh and shaky that bond still is.”
Finishing his tale about the Hatake, Naruto moved further on to the mission. Kurama listened as he retold how he had gotten a letter from the daimyo with a mission request and how he shared said mission with the Uchiha. He hadn´t expected Izuna, the clan heir, out of all people to come, but figured it would be a good opportunity to start working through one of the two founding clans.
Once he got to the part where they had been ambushed, Kurama was already irritated. Angry even.
“You risked your life for two of that clan´s spawn? Are you out of your mind?” The fox wasn´t quite roaring yet, but the raise in volume was enough to rattle the little bit of cave around them. Naruto wasn´t glaring, not yet, but the look he sent out to Kurama was sharp.
“What else was I supposed to do? Kurama, we´re working towards peace here. You know how I work. You know my nindo. But even not minding that, even with the argument that I´m too soft, you can´t deny that saving both Hikaku and Izuna has its benefits! He´s Madara´s brother, and the last time that guy died I recall Madara going insane and becoming hell bent on destroying the world! Hell, they owe me a favor now! As much as I don´t like working like that – because I don´t do good expecting favors, it´s just the right thing to do – I can use this to my advantage!”
Kurama conceded and accepted the point as I was, but was still grumbling, clearly not happy about it. “And I suppose killing the bastard is not a choice either? One can´t be manipulated by Zetsu when they´re dead.”
Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. That option had come up, more than once admittedly, but it had been carefully considered. Madara was strong, incredibly so, but that mean that he was better as an ally rather than an enemy.
“You know the answer to that, my friend.” Naruto patted the fox´s tail and once again leaned back in, voice softening. He could understand Kurama´s anger. Kurama wasn´t like Naruto and that was fine, Naruto liked him as he was, even with his tendency to hold on to grudges. Kurama hadn´t forgiven Madara and likely never would, because unlike Obito, he never had – and never will, because Naruto doesn´t necessarily plan on letting the man even near Kurama – apologized. Obito on the other hand had tried to repent before he died and it came to the point where Kurama at least found him tolerable.
Naruto could respect that not everyone could learn to forgive like he does. But Kurama had come a long way, and Naruto was proud of that, so he wouldn´t push.
Kurama rumbled, curling his tail tighter around Naruto in response. The vibrations were calming and both of them then fell into peaceful silence as Naruto simply listened to his friend´s heartbeat – or chakra flow? Bijuu didn´t have physical heart being a chakra construct, but that didn´t mean they didn´t have a heart. Naruto liked to listen to the melody of his chakra and liked to think of it as a heartbeat. They shared the same body after all, so what Naruto could feel, Kurama could feel, as well as the other way around.
Time passed, Naruto didn´t know how much exactly since time flowed differently in here than it did in the real world, but he wasn´t keen on leaving just yet. No one had called on him, his senses would have told him, so he supposed it was fine if he stayed a little longer. Just a bit, in order to catch up with Kurama, even if it was silent.
.
Izuna´s chakra pulsed. Once, twice, thrice. Then a pause, then again. Three times.
“Ugh,” Naruto groaned, nuzzling further into Kurama´s tail. The two of them had simply enjoyed each other´s company, staying close and letting their chakra merge – a comforting habit whenever things had gotten lonely. During the war, when it had only been Naruto and the reanimations, their cold, dead bodies were no comfort. But over time, Tobirama had reached out with his chakra, wrapping him in it. Once Hashirama realized what he was doing, he would occasionally do the same. At first, Naruto had been confused, but once he had asked, the two of them explained.
“It was the way children sought comfort.” Tobirama explained, features soft as he reminisced about the past. “Usually, children who have bright and large chakra reserves tend to lose control over them. Many Senju children were like that.”
“In order to guide them, their elders wrapped their chakra around them,” Hashirama effortlessly took off from where Tobirama had stopped, explaining further.
“It was a way to give the children a guiding hand whenever their chakra was bursting without actually containing them. Chakra suppression seals would have sufficed, but it was a cold approach.” His features became sullen, as did Tobirama´s, and Naruto´s eyebrows furrowed. Cutting off ones chakra simply because it became bright seemed… cold, like Hashirama said. Naruto had to admit, the feeling of their chakra reserves wrapping around his, even if they weren´t as big, was comforting. Like a hug, but different.
Too busy pouting, Hashirama did not explain further, so Tobirama sighed lowly and continued, “During our time, children were soldiers first and foremost. Their emotions mattered not, so they were forced to learn to contain and suppress. It flowed into each aspect of life, going from the battlefield, to everyday life.
Only once elder brother had become clan head, children learned of better treatment. It was a mutual agreement between the Senju and the Uchiha, with Madara being the clan head, to refrain from sending children out at such a young age. And to train them in a healthier way, things such as suppression seals were mostly banned. They tend to be uncomfortable, especially for sensors.”
Once again, Hashirama took over. “It not only helped them with their control, but it also offered emotional support and a feeling of closeness. And you, Naruto-kun? You are young. And as commendable as it is that you are still sane after everything you lost, you too need comfort.”
A gentle but cold hand settled on his shoulder and Hashirama looked at him with kind eyes, brown locking with blue.
Naruto frowned, but didn´t push the hand off just yet, even if the cold skin was piercing into his own. “But why? I have decent control of my chakra and I´m not a child anymore.” His voice was faint and raspy from having screamed.
Sasuke´s death was only months ago.
The younger of the Senju brothers frowned but stepped forward as well, stopping next to his brother. “That might be the case, but to us, you are young. A mere child, even with seventeen years of age.”
“Besides,” Hashirama interjected, “It is not a shame to seek comfort, Naruto-kun, no matter your age. As your elders and as responsible adults this is the only right thing to do.”
“But –“
“Silence boy.” Tobirama hushed him with a roll of his eyes, but it was more fond than anything else. Suddenly, Tobirama´s chakra was pressing against his own and Naruto instinctively felt himself relax into it and respond in kind. The reaction made a small smile appear on the second Hokage´s face. “You might as well be kin by blood, seeing as elder brother married Uzumaki Mito, my sister in law. Therefore, you are kin to Senju, no matter how distant.”
Naruto figured that protests wouldn´t get him far. If Uzumaki were now to have a horrible temper character wise, then the Senju were stubborn. Naruto wouldn´t win this argument.
So instead, sad smile graced his features. “Thank you.”
“Kurama, tell me I should stay,” the blonde whined into his friend´s fur, turning onto his stomach so that he was completely sinking in.
“Stay.” Was the short and bland answer, making Naruto groan.
He pushed himself up despite his inner thoughts not wanting to and pouted “You could have at least pretended to be more serious, you know?”
Kurama huffed, not bothering to open his eyes. “He´s calling you because you told him to, so that´s on you. I´m not helping you out of that one.”
Once again, Naruto shamelessly whined. “You´re so mean Kurama! I was comfortable, dammit.”
This however caused the fox to frown and crack one eye open, half-heartedly glaring at the blonde. “Oi, I´m not a pillow. Go lay down somewhere else.”
Naruto smirked, nudging Kurama with his elbow. “But you´re soft like one, so I think that counts enough as –“
Damn.
Kurama had thrown him out of their shared mindscape.
Naruto had scowled and clicked his tongue at the fox, making sure his feelings over that were clear. Kurama was entirely smug and simply closed his eyes again, resting his head on his front paws.
Before Naruto could retort, Izuna´s chakra pulsed again, making him groan.
Swift as the once he was gone, and where he was were only a few leaves left.
.
“Where on earth were you? When you didn´t come back in hours we thought something might have happened.” Izuna was the first to reach him once he had shunshinned to where the man´s signature had come from. There was a frown on his face and he quickly seemed to check Naruto over for any injuries that might be there. Naruto stayed as he was, letting him see in order to show him that nothing was wrong.
Kasumi was right behind him, hand on her pouch in case “reckless Kitsune” got himself injured again and needed something to be patched up, but when she saw that he was fine something fundamentally relaxed in her chakra.
Rasa had been dozing when he arrived but was just as curious as to what might have caused his disappearance, hence why he was wide awake now.
Hikaku sat on a table further behind with notes in front of him. Judging by the slightly charred wood and the spilled ink Naruto guessed that the young adult had been trying out a few new seals. So much to being careful. Although, seeing as the estate was still standing and they were not yet thrown out, Naruto was certain he hadn´t started a fire yet.
Naruto waved their concern off with a lazy shake of his hand. “I´m fine, I promise. There were slight… complications with my chakra. I had to get away in order to not lash out on accident.”
There, that was the half-truth. There were no complications with his, but Kurama´s chakra, since it started to stir awake, but since he was a Jinchuuriki, that statement was valid. Also, it would have been Kurama who could have possibly lashed out at them and not Naruto, but once again – Jinchuuriki. That would suffice as an excuse.
Izuna regarded him for a few moments before he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And it took you what? Three hours?”
Naruto blinked. Had it really been that long? That means he and Kurama spend more time in that seal than eight hours. Probably around double the amount. Huh, well that went fast.
To be honest, Naruto had been telling his story animatedly for at least three hours and they had been dozing around for probably two, so it worked out.
“I meditated. It works wonders, really.” Also true, he just hadn´t meditated back then.
Cerulean clashed with onyx black eyes that scrutinized him, but when they found nothing that could warrant any more worry than necessary Izuna sighed again, this time long-sufferingly.
“Whatever. Go and rest, the daimyo said that the meetings will be held rather short this time around. We´re leaving tomorrow evening – the following morning at latest.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow morning, everyone!”
With a quick wave and a small salute, Naruto was out of the quarters and gone once again.