The Power to Heal and Destroy by Phoenixsun

Chapter 39: Seven Color Dream

"So, after Iruka-sensei found out who was responsible, he immediately went running after Naruto, but he had already gotten a nice head start, so sensei chased him across the village all the way until nightfall." The blond Shadow Clone said with a wide grin on his face.

As much as she tried holding it in, Shion could not help but burst out laughing at the tale the bunshin had told her of Naruto's pranks back at the Ninja Academy. "I... I cannot believe a sourpuss like Naruto used to do stuff like that." She commented between fits of laughter.

The clone laughed a bit. "Yeah... He... He used to smile a lot more back in the day." He revealed. "But... The ninja world eventually caught up to him... For the longest time he was left full of anger and resentment that threatened to consume him." The copy's words were punctuated by a heartrending look in his eyes. "Though he eventually managed to regain some of his light... It's nothing like it once was, but at least he is smiling again." The bunshin said with a smile of his own.

Shion looked down at the ground. "I wish... I could have met him back then." She commented with just the tinniest bit of melancholy. "Maybe we would have gotten along better."

A short laugh escaped the clone. "I sincerely doubt it... Naruto tended to rub people the wrong way a lot back then." He stated. "Hell, I'm pretty sure even his team hated him at first."

The pair of blondes laughed as they sat by the entrance of the cave. This was the only thing they could do to pass the time and keep their mind off the mission that the real Naruto and the others were currently undertaking. The topic that had proved most successful and interesting ended up being Naruto's life before he had suddenly become so serious and irritated. The girl was particularly interested in any embarrassing moment in the genin's life.

"Now..." The Naruto restarted talking. "Let me tell you what happened when Team Seven was task with finding the cat belonging to the Fire Daimyo's wi..." The clone suddenly stopped as his eyes suddenly winded. "Na... Naruto... He's..." The copy struggled to say.

The Demon Country priestess was barely able to register the look of pain in the clone's face before it suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Shion gasped. "No..." She whispered as she starred at the place where the bunshin had been sitting. Unconsciously, the young woman stood up. "If the clone was dispelled like that... It must be that Naruto..." Immediately, the girl whipped her head towards the exit.

Quickly, the familiar feeling of dread started to overtake the young priestess as fear of her vision returned in full force.

Without even thinking about it twice, the blond dashed out of the cave. She was not sure where she was going, but Naruto was in trouble and that was all she needed to know.

Straining her neck as she trekked through the snow, Koyuki tried to look at the machine that her uncle's henchmen were pushing just a few steps ahead of her. However, tried as she might, she could not get even a glance of its prisoner.

After those strange devices attached themselves to Naruto and caused the blond to pass out, Doto have ordered his servants to put the young man inside the weird contraption before turning to face his niece and informing her that the time had come for her to witness the greatest moment in Snow Country's history.

"These chakra readings are incredible..." The fake daimyo muttered as he examined an electronic device in his hand. "As I expect it, with the Leaf ninja's chakra potency, the machine will be ready in just a matter of hours." He commented.

At that moment Koyuki was torn between wanting to check on Naruto and wanting to claw her uncle's eyes out, but the restraints that were put on her would not budge, no matter how much she struggled against them.