A/N:
To make this go way faster, b/c at this point in the story, i'm having a case of writers' block. It's the transition where i don't have a clue what i'm going to do. If you could possibly send e sone ideas via. notes I'd be grateful.
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Genma sighed. He’d been on the graveyard shift for the past four nights in a row. Nothing ever happened at night. They close the gates, and have to challenge everyone who approaches from the top of the wall. Genma would sit there most likely staring at the stars, just thinking about the happenings of Konoha; the new hot springs being built, Tsunade’s face being cut into the mountain, that kid’s disappearance. That kid was somethin’ else. Who’d have ever thought that the dead-last ninja could beat the Hyuuga prodigy? Too bad, even I could tell that he would have been a great ninja. He had the drive and means to do it. What is this?

A mist started to form about a mile off, a mist thicker than he had ever seen in Konoha before.

“Hey Genma! I’m gonna take a leak, ok?”

“Yea sure, but be quick about it. Then go grab some ANBU. I have a bad feeling about this mist that forming a ways off.”

“Sure thing!" the Chuunin answered. He jumped down and went behind the gatehouse.

Genma could hear him unzip and start to piss. He stared into the inky darkness barely able to see the mist. It was coming closer.

‘THUMP’

Genma heard the body crumple behind him. He jumped down off of the wall, “Hey, Ataru, you OK?” he crept towards the edge of the gatehouse peering around the side. And then all went black.

-----

The dark figure rose, and started to walk into the city; his black and orange cloak flowing in the wind. The lone figure walked down the deserted streets his cloak blowing to the side with the wind, his straw hat obscuring all possibilities of identification. A couple was rounding the corner minding their own business chattering away when they saw him. The blood drained from their faces as the figures head turned toward them and they caught glimpse of one sickening red eye. They both turned around and hurried away only to find the man blocking their path.

“Let’s keep this to ourselves shall we?” the man rasped.

“Y-y-you g-g-got it m-m-m-m-mister. W-we d-don’t want any t-t-troub-b-ble.”

“You’re smart, but just to be sure…” his hands came out of his sleeves and formed a seal.

“Please! We don’t want any trouble! We won’t tell anyone we swear!” the man covered the woman in an effort to shield her from this monster. She quickly feinted and the man caught her in his arms.

“Neither do I. Don’t worry. You’ll wake up in 5 hours with only a headache.”

The look on the man’s face brightened up a bit, if only just a little, before his world melted around him. He felt himself unable to talk, unable to scream. Though all that came out of his mouth was a gurgle before he collapsed.

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“I’m going to be Hokage one day! Just like great-grandpa!” yelled the blond haired boy.

“I’m sure you will Nawaki” replied his blond mother.

“You’re not going to be Hokage because I’M going to be Hokage! I’m going to be the strongest and best ninja in the whole village. Believe it!”

Tsunade smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek looking at these two boys who were almost copies of each other, both her sons. Naruto why did you have to leave us?  Why did you have to leave me? Why do I always have everyone I care about die on me?

“Tsunade…”

Who is that?

“Tsunade wake up…” Tsunade twitched and automatically lashed out hoping to catch whoever it was waking her up a left hook in the jaw. But her hand caught only air. She sat bolt upright in a cold sweat, a slight tingling sensation running down her spine.

“This way…” She could only do as the voice commanded wondering what was in store. She opened the door and walked down the hallway. “You’re getting warmer…” whispered the voice. She kept walking until she got to her office.

“Is everything alright Hokage-sama?” asked Kakashi as he came out of the shadows.

“Everything’s fine, I just need to check on something.” She opened the door and disappeared inside without giving Kakashi a chance to ask her further question. As soon as she got through the door, she saw the source of the voice. The black robed figure was sitting in one of the chairs facing her desk. She could probably knock him out with one good blow to the back of his head, but she, for some reason, wanted to know what this is all about.

“Please sit…” the figure whispered as he motioned to her chair.

She did as he told her, numbly walking over to her chair and sitting down. He kept his hat on covering his head she could see nothing but the hat, shadow, and then the cloak. “What do you want?” she asked with a trembling voice.

“Actually, what is it that YOU want?”

Tsunade's face eased up a bit as she realized who she was talking to. “So you’re the Shadow Fox. I must say you live up to your name. Not very many people can infiltrate the office of a Hokage without anyone seeing them.”

“One does, what One can.” She knew he was smiling “But, I didn’t not escape detection so easily. A few of your ANBU and Chuunin will wake up with headaches tomorrow and will want to know what hit them.”

“What should I tell them?”

“Tell them it was an efficiency exercise, to see if anyone could infiltrate your office.” He smiled again. "But that does not concern us right now. What concerns us, is a certain Uzumaki Naruto.”

Tsunade’s eyes widened at his mention of Naruto's name. Her eyes narrowed. “Can you find him?” she said simply.

“Of course I can find him. In fact, I already know where he is.”

“What? Where? How?” she stammered.

“Once again, that does not concern us. What concerns us is Naruto.”

“What-"

“Hokage-sama!” someone yelled on the other side of the door. “Hokage-sama there’s an emergency!”

“You know the great thing about large cloaks?” the man whispered, “...no one can see you make seals.” Tsunade’s eyes widened. And she saw the seal on the door. “Don’t worry; I’ve made sure that my visit will not be interrupted by pathetic underlings. The only ones who could break through that door are The Siblings.”

“Tsunade-sama let us in!”

“Tell them not to worry… they’re making me anxious…”

“Don’t worry about me! I’m fine!” she yelled at the door “I’ll be out in a minute!”

“I will bring Naruto back here, though; it might prove harder than you might think.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Akatsuki. They came VERY close to catching him a year ago. Since then he’s been traveling on his own throughout the world learning from different teachers. The Akatsuki have been trying very hard to locate him. But they have been having some difficulty…” he smiled evilly.

“Meaning…?”

“Meaning…” his arm shifted under his cloak and he threw out three rings onto Tsunade's desk.

It is an understatement to say she was shocked. She reached out to touch the rings. Yes, they are real!

“…Hopefully Itachi will attack us again. Maybe then I’ll get that bastard back for what he did to me…”

“Look, I don’t know how we can ever repay you, except offer you citizenship and, at the very least Jounin level rank.”

“Well now, don’t offer me too much…” he smiled once again “Only two of those are were killed by the Shadow Fox. One is Naruto’s.”

It was Tsunade’s turn to smile “I knew sending Jiraya with him was a good idea.”

“Actually Jiraya didn’t have any hand in it.”

“WHAT!? Oh if I find him I swear I’LL KILL HIM! He had better hope that he never returns to Konoha. Or at the very least Naruto had better arrive without a scratch on him.” She reached underneath her chair to the bottle of sake there and took a large drag.

“I’ll leave that story to Naruto when he arrives. I’ll think about your offer, though I doubt I’ll accept…”

“Thank you…” she smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“With that, I’ll take my leave.” He stood up and looked at her. She sat there enraptured in the man’s blood red eyes.  The man walked over to her window, opened it, and left with a small “Kai!”.

---

Tsunade stood and left the room to find Kakashi, Gai, and Shizune, accompanied by a dozen ANBU. They could see her tears and her smile and realized that she had good news.

“What is it Tsunade-sama?” asked Shizune.

Tsunade didn’t even answer. All she did was hold out her fist and opened it showing the three rings.

“Is that…?” Kakashi stammered.

Shaking off the feeling of amusement of Kakashi actually stammering Tsunade said, “These are three rings of the three Akatsuki members who have died. Apparently two were killed by my little midnight visitor, and the other was killed by,” she smiled once again, “by Naruto.”

Kakashi smiled “That’s Naruto for you. Even leading us to believe he’s dead just to make a big show upon coming back by killing one of the Akatsuki members. Do you know who was killed?”

“I can only say that Kisame was one. Seeing as how he said he wants ‘Itachi’ do attack him and not Itachi and Kisame.”

“The others…?”

Tsunade shook her head.

“Ah! I knew Naruto's Flame of Youth couldn’t be put out so easily. I know that it burns brighter than ever now!” Gai yelled to everyone as he started to cry.

“Alright everyone…” Tsunade said suddenly serious. “Nobody outside us can know about this. The Akatsuki are trying to find him out there, they aren’t trying to find him here. We don’t want them to attack him while he’s on his way back. So let’s keep this under wraps; that’s an order, ok?

She was answered with an unanimous “Hai!”

With that everyone decided that was the time to leave. Only Kakashi stayed. After everyone had gotten out of sight, Kakashi turned to Tsunade, “So…since, he killed a member of the Akatsuki, don’t you think we should promote him when he gets back?”

“My thoughts exactly…” Tsunade smiled.