Takao relaxed into the lumpy bed, more than willing to sleep for a while. The stress of continuously moving from village to village and suppressing his chakra was getting to him. He could practically feel that bounty hunter's eyes on him at times. Probably some guy who fancied himself a big shot because he took down a few high ranked nin.

But Takao was smart. He wouldn't make a ruckus or let it be known he was there. He wouldn't take any mercenary jobs and he wouldn't draw attention. He would relax, train, and sleep.

At least he would if that idiot next door would stop being so damn loud. Whoever felt the need to bang on the walls at this hour deserved the worse torment his village could expend. And considering his brother in law died to break his nephew on the orders of his village, that was pretty bad.

-----

In the other room Naruto cursed as he fell from the wall. He needed to focus, to get stronger. And because his thoughts were so cluttered he hadn't been able to focus at all. Not to mention he was starving! He faintly wondered if anyone would miss him? Probably just Iruka, Kakashi-sensei, and Jiji.

-----

Takao growled and got to his feet. He would stuff this jerk's head into the toilet, he'd had enough.

He marched would the door next to his, ready to chew out some fool. The door swung open when he knocked and he strode in.

It was the ninja brat from the village, he was running up and down the walls like an idiot. Takao was about to pummel the brat when he noticed something.

The kid had discarded his shirt sometime during his training, and with each burst of chakra he use the seal on his stomach became visible on his stomach, the seal of of a jinchuriki.

-----

Naruto fell off the wall when his door slammed shut.

The tall angry man from earlier that day was standing in the doorway. Sticking pieces of paper on the door frame and the doorknob.

He was also muttering under his breath.

"Just my luck...stupid runaway jinchuriki... why can't I just leave?" Then he turned to Naruto with a look most of his teachers had sported in the past, a look that was asking if he was as moron.

"What the? WHO ARE YOU!?!" Naruto jumped to his feet and pointed obnoxiously at the man.

"Shut up." The man snapped before turning back to the privacy seals he was currently activating. Those things cost him quite a bit but were definitely worth it.

At least until he had to waste them on this brat.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Another copy of the boy appeared next to him. A SOLID copy. He groaned to himself about the utter absurdity of his situation and sitting down, his seals now done. A kunai darted quickly through the air, dispelling the copy and landing by the only window.

He motioned to the seat across from himself and pulled a bottle of sake from his ever present satchel.

"Sit down kid. You've got some talking to do."

-----

Naruto was sitting across from a total stranger and telling him his life story. A situation he found himself in all too often. Although most of his retellings weren't this detailed.

But the man didn't have the same look in his eyes that Haku and the others he told did, well almost.

The pain was there, veiled thinly by anger and further covered by plain indifference. There were crinkles around his eyes, crinkles that showed he smiled a lot. But his face seemed to be stuck in a permanent grimace at the moment.

Faintly Naruto wondered why, but he continued on. Explaining that yes he had in fact used the kyuubi's power against an enemy and let them live. Not that they survived much longer.

The man frowned and looked thoughtfully at the boy's stomach. He nodded to himself and took another small sip of his sake.

"My name is Sabaku no Takao. You may address me as Sabaku-san. I will be traveling with you to ensure you do not fall into the wrong hands." The man, Sabaku-san, crossed his arms and steeled his gaze, his mouth set in a grim line.

Naruto gaped open mouthed. This man, this stranger was going to help him. This man was going to do more for him than his own village.

He ducked his head, quivering slightly.

Takao looked uncertainly at the boy. The only experience he had with children were his niece and nephews. So understandable he had no clue how to deal with a breakdown.

But to his surprise when the boy looked up it was with with fat tears rolling down his cheeks and a smile wider than his face.

"Thank you!"