FORGOTTEN MEMORIES

The stranger strode through the street at a moderate pace, not attracting any attention. After all, as the capital of the Fire Country, chakra manipulation was a common sight within Konohas' walls, so the citizens assumed he was a ninja or an Apprentice returning, and consequently ignored his presence. There were one or two guards who looked at him oddly, since even for Ninjas, going inside the walls with his powers active was unusual, and a Cloaking even more so, but they let it pass.

For his part, the stranger was looking around in amazement. This place was way bigger than the towns and villages he had visited during his life. Here, the main street was not a simple path covered on stone or gravel, but an actual proper street, done on stone, and wide enough that ten horses could walk side by side, and still have space left over. The buildings, too, were different from the mud and wood he had known. Instead, these were made from red brick, stone, and metalwood, with clear planes of glass on the windows to keep the wind out.

People mingled in the road. Walking peasants went around with their shopping, while merchants used donkeys, cows or horses to get their carts from one place to the other, a couple of carriages with six horses and a driver cutting here and there. Shops lined the street, peddling their goods at shouting volume, while the shoppers answered back with their own offers. Beggars lined their street, panhandling for a bite to eat or a coin with which get a roof for the night, and he could spy quite a lot of cons and cut-purses going on around him.

But he didn't deviate and decided to carry on with his journey until a commotion that was taking place in front of him came to his attention.

An elderly woman was hunched over, trying to pick up the apples that fell from her basket. He had seen what had caused the incident.

"Didn't I tell you to get off my sight?" A man growled at the women and stepped on one of the apples which she was about to pick, and crushed her fingers in the process. She screamed, that her weak voice could master from the pain but this only caused the man to laugh. A few other boys that looked on their early teens, were enjoying the sight. The shopkeeper just shook his head, feeling bad for the old women but didn't have the means to stand up for her, after all that man was a royal guard.

"Ne Mister, would you step off her hand?" The stranger spoke with a voice that resembled that of a teenager. He stood behind the man as the man turned around to face him.

"Huh?! Who the hell are you?"

"I said… step off." Everything that happened next were a blur to the man as he coughed blood and feel down by touching his stomach in pain.

Gasp could be heard around. Whispers of 'he just hit a royal guard' and 'who is he?' reached his ears. He just narrowed his eyes with irritation. He hunched over the women and helped her stand up.

"T-Thank you son." She spoke weakly, still hurt on her fingers. He looked at her injury and could see blood coming off the edge of her finger nails.

'Oi can you heal that?'

'Yeah.'

He took her hand on his and closed his eyes as bright orange energy began to flow from his body to her. She could gradually feel the pain gone and finally not a sign of injury was left on her hand.

"That should do it." He declared with a smile.

The woman was surprised to say the least, she wanted to thank him but he was already leaving.

"Who are you?"

He stopped. "Just a human being." He raised his arm and waved at her.

The teenagers from earlier just looked down in shame, understanding his words were directed toward them.

He left the market behind and started going up the hill. As he continued, the houses started to get bigger and bigger, more luxurious, some even having metal gates and their own stables. He continued going on upwards, and soon, he reached the summit, where the Main Road opened into an immense, flat space.

He swept his eyes around, blinking. The Main Square had people, too, but they obviously belonged to the higher classes, being either Nobles, Ninjas, or part of the Royal Guards. He knew he was on the right place when he saw the fountain.

He walked forwards to look at it better, and cocked his head to the side, baling his fists on his long coat. The fountain was made out of a material known as Etheryte. One top of the fountain was a projection of two men and a Dragon fighting. One of the men was long-haired and had a staff on his left hand, his right hand extended towards the dragon, with an intense expression of concentration on his face. The water of the fountain coming out of his hand at great pressure, hitting the dragon on the right flank, spraying water in a fine mist all around him, no doubt representing some kind of ability. The other man was on top of the dragon, thrusting a sword down on it's forehead with an intense expression of hate, accented by the marks on his cheeks. The sword also had water coming from where it came in contact with the Dragon.

The Dragon, for it's part, was the central projection. It was easily four times as big as a man, with two impressive wings and wicked claws. The frontal claws were trying to reach the man with the man with the staff, and the creature had twisted it's long neck – as long as six feet – to bite the other man. Water was pouring from the dragon's mouth, but it was coming more sluggish.

It was, without a doubt, a very impressive piece. He looked at the base a plaque:

"The Battle between the Senju Brothers and the Dragon Shuli'aki, who terrorized the region."

The stranger took a last look at the fountain before continuing on. At the far end of the square, past the fountain, the Grey Gates Stood tall and imposing, and beyond them, the man could just make the castle. The gate itself was manned only by two measly guards.

"Halt!" Said one of the guards, once he realized the stranger was heading their way.

But he continued walking.

"I said halt! and drop your cloak!" Repeated the guard.

But the stranger continued on.

The other guard went inside the post, and seconds later, a deep 'dong, dong, dong' of a bell could be heard.

The change in atmosphere was immediate. Someone screamed, and most people on the Plaza started running away, towards their homes, but there were some that started running towards him, most of them starting to mutter words, or making gestures towards him. At the same time, guards started pouring out from the towers flanking the gate, archers getting in position on the manholes to the side, taking aim.

"HALT!" Said another voice, more powerful, and this time the stranger staggered, freezing mid-step in place, but a swift gust of wind came about and cleared a circle around him.

He looked up at the men on the tower, and blue eyes flashed. Another gust of wind came, and the men on the parapets gurgled and fell. Some of the ninjas that were behind him tried to attack him, but his golden cloak flared, and repealed all the attacks directed at him.

Just when he seemed to be surrounded by guards, there was another gust of wind, and the troops were sent backwards. Not flying, but the wind was strong enough to knock them down and out of the way, or at least to their knees.

It was only when he was within about five feet of the gate that he stopped. He cocked his head to the side once again, like a curious cat, and poked the air in front of him. It shimmered, and he chuckled in mirth.

"It's a pretty strong shield you have here." He said aloud, to no-one in particular. "It would be a shame if someone… Broke it."

He shoved his hands – more like claws, really – into the bubble. It tried to resist, but eventually it gave. The shield broke with a sound like shattered glass, falling all around him in shining shards. People who saw it gasped and cursed, for the Shield had been made by the Third King, a long time ago, and had stood up to the forces of Wind Country and Lightening Country. For this stranger to break it so easily…It was as if an attack by a dragon.

"Someone retreat! Call the King!" Called the captain, and one of the guards went back inside. Once done, the captain gave a signal and one of the soldiers dropped the metal gate. With that done, the man turned and stared grimly at the stranger.

"You can still surrender. Stay here, and I will parlay with the King on your behalf" He said.

The boy smiled, baring pointed teeth that made the man take a step back. "That sounds like a challenge." Then he proceeded to concentrate Aura on his hand. The energy glowed a bright blue on the edges, becoming deeper and deeper, until the center was a deep sapphire.

Guards adopted ready positions, while the Ninjas behind him kept assailing him with even more attacks, but it was all for nothing. The yellow Aura cloak the stranger was coated with negated any attack, eating them like fire eats wood.

"RASENGAN!" Screamed the stranger, running at incredible speeds towards the gate. Guards were blown away by the shockwave of the impact, and the Gate bent, creaking in protest, for it was made of Mithril, and so was extremely hard to break.

But in the end, it could not stand to the furious power of his technique. With a last tremendous groan, the gate fell, mithril pieces falling around, and so the stranger entered the circular plaza.

He took measured steps, not paying attention to the guards moving frantically around him, until he was standing in the absolute center of the area, and looked up at the balcony. The King was there, looking down at him with dull blue eyes, as was his Queen, clutching with worry.

"Who dares enter my kingdom?" Asked the King, his voice even without inflexion.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." He replied loudly. "And I came to ask for citizenship."

Murmurs and gasps broke from the crowd at that declaration.

"Citizenship!" The Queen questioned in a ridicule tone, clutching the arm of the King more firmly. "You want to be a citizen of our Kingdom, after breaking the Grey Gates and taking out half of our forces? Preposterous!"

Naruto let out a derisive laugh. "You call THAT guards?" he shook his head in disappointment. "I hope those are not the best you've got."

"Be careful, Uzumaki, or I will be forced to take action." Said the king.

"yea, yeah." He sent a disdainful look at the man. "I have heard of you, Minato Namikaze, Knight Commander of the Royal Force, and the Fear of Kyuubi." He bared his teeth. "I would like you trying to take action."

He made the slightest of moves, but then found his body completely paralyzed. He looked down, and could see a shadow extending towards a man with a bored expression holding the same position. Naruto tried to move once again, but was still rooted at the spot.

"Huh." He said, looking at the man. "How did you do that?"

"It's our Clan special technique." Said the man, sighing. "But it's a huge drag to keep it up." The man changed position, standing up with his hands to the sides, and Naruto moved to mirror him.

"I see." Said Naruto. "I am sorry, then" he said, before another gust of wind exploded from him, kicking up a cloud of dust as his eyes glowed brightly. When it cleared, Naruto was once again moving normally, while the man was down, looking dazed, blood coming from his nose.

"You little punk! What did you do to Shika?" came a voice from the crowd. It was a wild-looking man, with slitted eyes and red markings on his cheeks, pointing accusingly at him. Judging by his looks, he wasn't any older than Naruto.

He looked at the newly named Shika and shrugged. "I disrupted his technique. Not a hard thing to do, really, seeing how weak it was."

The boy growled, throwing himself at Naruto, his left arm winding for a punch. Naruto let him come closer, and then when the boy threw his punch, Naruto stopped it without problem. A shockwave formed on the impact of the punch and caused a few people to bleed from their ears.

"Wha-?"

He had no time to finish his question, as Naruto swept his feet from under him, sending him to the ground with a resounding crack.

"Kiba!" There was a yell behind him, and Naruto spun to the side to avoid a punch from a purple-haired girl. She bared her teeth and followed that with an open-pal strike upwards, but Naruto let his head fall backwards, kicking with his right leg and letting go of Kiba. The girl was Hinata. She capitalized and spun around, trying to catch Naruto with a punch to the ribs, but he batted her attack aside and retaliated with a hook to her temple. Hinata crouched and tried to sweep his legs, but Naruto jumped over her and landed on the other side, retaliating with a hook kick intended for her head. Hinata leaned back and planted her hands on the earth, coming back with a spring kick that would have lifted Naruto off his feet if he hadn't decided to fall back, moving to the left and trying to trap her with a flurry of blows that were then expertly blocked.

Hinata sprang back and Kiba came up from under her, aiming an uppercut to Naruto, who evaded the attack without trouble. Naruto kicked Kiba on the side, who tried to claw at Nauto's face with abnormally long fingernails. Naruto crouched and let Hinata's punch fly over him, grabbing her arm and punching her hard enough to make her jackknife forward, vomiting. Kiba snarled at this, trying to tackle Naruto, who answered this by throwing Hinata at him. Kiba tried to catch her, but unfortunately, just as he did, Naruto planted his knee on his chest, sending him down, and a chop to the back of the neck rendered him unconscious.

"Enough!" Roared the King. "Guards, fall back." He commanded.

The guards that have been discreetly surrounding the combatants put their weapons on their side.

The queen looked at the figure behind her. "Go ahead. Teach this peasant some respect!" she said, the balcony cracking under her hand.

The figure nodded and walked to her side as he looked down at Naruto. He vanished from her side and reappeared on the ground, a kick quickly approaching Naruto's head. Naruto blocked it with his forearm, grabbing the ankle. He peered curiously under the dark hood, but it shadowed his eyes. The only thing Naruto could see were some strands of hair that could be either brown or black.

The figure twisted in midair, trying to hit Naruto on the head with a reverse-kick, but Naruto quickly let go. He landed on his feet, immediately throwing himself at Naruto and besieging him with a quick series of punches and kicks, which were being blocked by Naruto. Then without warning, he let go of a kick, and Naruto jumped back to avoid it.

Naruto felt a sharp pain on his hairline, and tenderly touched it, his fingers coming back covered in blood.

He grinned. "Now, you are some challenge!"

Without warning, Naruto rushed at him with a punch. The figure waited until Naruto was right in front of him, and then dodged to the right, bringing up his left leg to collide with Naruto's arm, aiming for the elbow. Naruto blocked it easily enough, but to his shock he could feel the impact, unlike the last ones. He looked at his arm, to find that his Cloak had faded where the kick had hit, and a bruise was quickly forming.

"You should keep your eyes on me." Came the stranger's voice from behind.

Naruto whirled around, and caught a glimpse of red eyes before feeling an electric shock run through his body.

He hit the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Naruto tried to re-activate his 'Cloak', but no matter how hard he tried, his powers would not answer to him. He could not even move his arms, and as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness, he heard the crowd cheering, words like "Sasuke the Invincible" and "The Greatest Uchiha."

'Ah, jeez. I messed up real bad this time…'

Naruto always woke up suddenly. There was no slow awakening for him, a smooth transition from sleep to awake, dreams slowly fading. No, one moment he was asleep, and in the other, he was conscious.

It was one of the lessons that The Road taught you.

Naruto kept his breathing even, trying to listen. There was a murmur of water, and somewhere, someplace, was a small drop, it's sound echoing everywhere. Guards were posted, but far enough away that they would not immediately know he was awake.

'Hm… Pitch black… No, grey.' He thought, analyzing the light he could sense through his eyelids. That meant he was near some kind of light source, so he should be careful.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, but a sharp pain on his neck made him flinch. Naruto took a deep breath and tried to open his eyes once again, this time prepared for the pain.

He sat down and looked around. He felt a little insulted, actually, the cell they had thrown him in was clearly meant as temporary holdings, being so small he could barely take four steps from side to side. The walls were the same natural grey he had seen outside, but the only window -If the mealy fiche inch rectangle could be called that – was barred with metal bars. It was through there that the smallest ray of light was coming through, probably from some kind of torch.

Once he managed to get his bearings, he tried to stand up. A clicking sound attracted his eye to a chain, which was attached to shackles attached to his feet. The middle of the chain was firmly dogged into a metal plate just under his seating.

Naruto frowned. Then looked at his hands, free of bounds of any kind, and looked back at his feet, huffing. "Well then. What kind of idiot binds the feet, but not the hands?" He asked, grabbing the chain with his hands and pulling. The chains snapped easily, and Naruto stood up.

He stretched upwards, then moved his torso side to side, feeling with satisfaction as his back popped. Huh, he had been out for quite a while then.

He padded towards the door and stood on his tip toes, so he could grab one of the bars comfortably. He scrunched his face in concentration, and gathered power from his Core.

"Kai!" he said, channeling his power into the bar, willing it to change.

Instead, he found himself being flung to the back of the room, hitting the back wall and falling on a pile of rags. Naruto groaned and glared at the door.

He padded back to it and examined the bar. He didn't find anything of note, so changed tactics. Instead of change, he focused on the heat his Core gave, and harnessed that, Conducting it through his hand to the bar "KI!"

Thud.

Back to the bar. Shatter.

Thud.

Back to the bar. Bend.

Thud.

Naruto spend quite a while in this fashion, becoming more and more frustrated with each thwarted attempt.

He snarled the seventeenth time being blown back, blue eyes alight with chakra. "That DOES IT!" he snarled, his skin changing to the same yellow flame-like shroud he had been using when entering Konoha. It ran down his chest until it covered it completely, spreading to his arms and legs, and lengthening on the back to form a full-length haori. The whiskers on his face became much more pronounced, resembling a trigarm, and his teeth and nails lengthened, which combined with the bristling hair, gave him an extremely savage look.

'Was the full transformation necessary? You will make it worse.'

Naruto snarled at the guttural voice that resonated on his head. "Shut it, Kurama, this is pissing me off!" Naruto could hear Kurama sigh and mutter something about having no finesse, but he decided to ignore it and concentrate on the door.

He began gathering power on the palm of his hand, making the bright blue ball of power from before. But instead of becoming blue, the core was an intense orange color, almost red.

"RASENGAN" He yelled, smashing his palm against the bars of the door, making an explosion. And odd, bluish smoke started rising from the impact place, filling the cell, and Naruto could hear the scream of the guards, slowly becoming louder as they came closer, the clatter of their feet as they stomped down the hallway becoming louder.

"Clear the smoke, fast!"

"Yes sir!" Said another, and soon the smoke began moving towards the voice. The smoke cleared, revealing a guard inhaling the last of the smoke, before burping, a wisp of it escaping his lips.

Naruto sighed, resting against the wall behind him, and coughed. Blood splattered the floor in front of him.

"Sir!" said a woman, pointing at the bent bars.

The leader of the guards paled. "N-no way… those are White Ice Stones!"

Murmurs broke from the guards when they saw the dented door. White Ice Stone was said to be the strongest material ever encountered on the Elemental Lands, with only the most powerful Ninjas among people able to make the smallest scratch on them. For them to be so affected… The leader shuddered.

"Heh" laughed Naruto mirthlessly, coughing some more. "So, it was a dragon's claw…" He coughed again, blood dripping from his chin. "I see the King is not so stupid after all."

Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon, he was surrounded by a brightly- glowing cloak, just as his few injuries started to heal at an incredible pace.

The glow receded and he smiled. "Yup. Much better now!" He said and jumped up on his feet, smiling at the dumbfounded looks the guards exchanged. He activated his cloak once again, energy pooling on his palm once again.

"Wha-what are you doing?!" Asked the leader, as the other guards and some of the Ninjas pointed their weapons at him.

"What does it look like? I'm getting outta here!"

"You are mad!" Exclaimed the guard. "No matter what you do, the Stone will reflect your chakra back at you! You'll kill yourself!"

"Hehe!" Naruto laughed with a confident smirk. "We will see about that! Sage Mode, activate!" He said, as his pupils changed form and orange markings appeared on the side of his eyes.

"Everybody back off!"

The guards complied, most taking cover behind walls or behind shields. Most of them had differing expressions of incredulity or fear, thinking that the super-powerful boy that had so easily broken through the gates had lost his mind.

"What is going on here?" Came a voice from the outside, just as a girl rounded the corner. She looked at the guards, then at the door and Naruto, and frowned. "Nishizawa, report."

"Yes, Lady Yamanaka!" The leader said, jumping to position and saluting. Naruto snorted but let the Rasengan dissipate. "The prisoner woke up a couple minutes ago, and somehow managed to break the shackles. Then he used his weird technique to bend the cell door. That's when we came running."

Ino hummed, turning to look at the cell door and then at Naruto. "Why did you stop?"

"I don't want to hurt them." He answered, crossing his arms.

Ino arched an eyebrow. "You had no trouble hurting the guards outside."

"Those were attacking me, so I just answered in kind. These" he gestured to the people cowering behind the bars. "just happen to be on the way. I'd rather avoid casualties."

Ino snorted. "A criminal with morals?"

"Oi! I am not a criminal!" Protested Naruto.

"Entering Royal Grounds with any kind of Chakra active, without explicit authorization of the King or one of the designated officials, is a Class-A offense punishable with jail time." She recited. "Not to mention the numerous charges of assault, resisting arrest, and threatening the King, among others."

"Humpf!" Naruto raised his chin. "Those rules are stupid. I mean, your King should be able to resist or fight anyone who gets here. Otherwise, he would be a pretty weak king hiding behind power."

Ino frowned and pulled her lips back on a snarl, but the captain cut in front of her. "Anyway, Lady Yamanaka, the situation is now under control. You may return to your post."

Ino looked at him disbelievingly. "Captain Nishizawa, a dangerous subject almost escaped from the dungeons in your watch, and your platoon could only quiver in fear. No, I think I will be staying here as backup."

"But Lady Yamanaka, your father insisted you should not be placed near the criminal. As Captain, it's my duty to follow his orders." He said with aplomb.

Ino's left eye developed a tick. "Oh, did he now?"

Naruto burst out laughing at that. "Oh jeez, can you get more pathetic? Not only is this weak guy your superior, but you're also a sheltered Noble! What are you even doing here, kid?"

"I-I am NOT a kid! And he is NOT my superior." Exclaimed Ino, cheeks flaming red in embarrassment and rage.

Naruto looked at her from head to her chest, not having the full view of her. "Not physically at least" He said, a wolfish grin taking over his features.

Ino made a frustrated noise, stomping closer to the bars. "Show some respect, you insolent criminal! I am Yamanaka Ino, oldest daughter of Yamanaka Inoichi, Commander of the Tenth division, and Heir to the Yamanaka Clan!"

"That's a nice pile of titles. Pity none of them mean jack shit to me." Said Naruto indolently.

"Why you little-!"

"That's enough, Ino." Came another voice from behind. Immediately, the guards straightened up and saluted, but Ino only turned around, putting her hands on her hips and scrunching her face in annoyance.

"Hello, Dad." She said sweet, rather too sweetly. Which only meant she was angry. "What's this I hear about you keeping me away from dangerous convicts?"

The man, who had a darker shade of blonde but the same blue eyes, sighed. "Ino, you know I have no doubt about your strength, but as the only heir, you need to think of the clan."

"But-"

"We'll talk about this later." He said, cutting her off and turning towards Naruto. "You, Uzumaki. The King and the Queen wanted to have a talk with you once you woke up. I just came to check on you." He looked at the bars and widened his eyes momentarily before looking at the guards who just nodded at him in defeat.

"Judging by the ruckus you caused already, it would seem you are well awake and ready."

"Well, isn't that convenient? I want to talk to them too!" Naruto said, jumping.

"Not so fast." The man stopped in front of the door. "I must tell you that I am a Mind Jutsu specialist, and that I have permission from Their Majesties to use my techniques on you." The man eyed him warily. "If you try to escape, I will take you down."

Naruto grinned, showing his canines. "Sure thing, old man. Not that you can do jack shit to me but you have my words. Now come on, open this door!"

"What did you say?! My dad is the strongest Mind controller in the entire Land of Fire!" Ino growled and looked at Naruto incredulously for his lack of respect.

"Bla bla blaa…" Naruto snorted as he pocked his ears lazily which only caused the Yamanaka heiress to fume even more.

Inoichi sighed but opened the cell doors, and Naruto stepped out. "Where to?"

"This way." He pointed. "Guards, back to your posts. You too, Ino."

Ino harrumphed, but complied after giving a final glare of detest toward Naruto.

Inoichi and Naruto walked through the dungeons, and then up the stairs, until they reached the ground floor, before walking through brightly lit halls up a tower.

Naruto looked through a window. The view was incredible up there, and he was able to see the tall walls that surrounded the city with ease.

Inoichi grabbed his arm and snapped him from his thoughts, taking him inside.

The King and the Queen were seated on high-backed chairs. Behind the Queen, there was the boy that Naruto had fought. He was looking at Naruto impassively with black eyes, his forehead lightly creased, as if trying to figure out something about him. Next to him, behind the King, a girl with pink hair and green eyes was reading something. She looked up at him with confusion and then to the King, before furiously paging back through the book.

"Uzumaki-kun, please sit." Said the Queen, pointing to a comfortable looking chair in front of them. "You are dismissed, Inoichi."

Inoichi bowed slightly and went out, and Naruto sat down. The table between them was filled with sweets and cold meats.

"So tell us, Uzumaki-san, what are you really here for?" Asked the queen, reaching for a piece of cheese. "No-one makes such an impressive show of force just to ask for citizenship." She said, taking a bite off the cheese.

Naruto watched her for a moment before taking a piece from the same cheese. "True. I didn't just want to ask for citizenship." He took a scroll out of his coat, and opened it.

"Here." He said. "Ero-sennin said everything was explained there."

The King looked at it, then motioned for the boy behind the Queen to stand down. Carefully, he took the letter and broke the seal, reading the missive. With every line he read, his face became more and more shadowed.

"Impossible." He said, passing the letter to the Queen. "There is no way you are my son!"

"Why not?" Asked Naruto, shrugging. "I am the right age, and I look like you." Naruto looked between the woman and the man. "Both of you. And I have this", he said, taking a crystal pendant from his shirt. The woman gasped, and leaned towards him to study it closely.

"My son died during the Kyuubi's attack." Gritted out the King, a spark of grief shining on his eyes. "I saw his body. There is no way he survived."

"May I take this?" Asked the Queen.

"Kushina-"

"It's fine, Minato." She smiled mischievously at him. "I can handle myself you know."

Naruto gave her the crystal. The Queen positioned it on her palm, and closed her eyes.

The crystal instantly stood on its tip, slowly started to spin, thin golden light coming off it, until they solidified in chains.

"Wow" muttered Naruto. "How did you do that?" he asked in awe.

Kushina smiled. "It's a clan Technique. Every Uzumaki can do this."

"So I just need to do this and you'll believe me, right?"

She smiled. "You wish it was that simple." She turned to the window, where the sun could be seen setting. "West from here, there is the Land of the Water, where my old village stood." She turned back to him, eyes serious. "If you are really my son… On my old Village, there was a vault with Aura conducting crystals, like this one here." She motioned to the pendant. "But those are much, much stronger than these. Only those of royal blood can open the vault."

Naruto nodded. "So I need to bring you one of the crystals from there."

"No" said Kushina, making Naruto look at her in surprise. "It would be too easy for you to fake any crystal. You need to bring me the Crown." Kushina held her hands about four inches apart. "It's about this big, a vivid yellow color." Then she smiled wistfully. "If… If you find four hairpins with yellow crystals in the ends… Bring those too."

"You will be accompanied by a group of our choosing." Interrupted Minato. "They will help you get to the Land of the Waters, and will be witnesses that you did find the vault and retrieved the crown." he looked at Naruto seriously. "You must come back with at least two companions. If you come back alone, or only with one, we will treat you as a hostile entity."

Naruto gulped. "Fine. All right. When do I start."

The King and the Queen exchanged glances. "Stay and rest for a week, while we organize your supplies. While you are here, you will be treated as a guest, and have freedom to come and go from the palace as you wish, but you cannot go out of the palace with less than five Guards escorting you."

Naruto nodded. The Queen looked behind her. "Sasuke, please show our guest where he will be staying. Don't fight."

The man nodded and raised, walking to the door. "Come on."

Naruto huffed, but did stand up. "Well, it was nice talking to you." He waved at them and followed Sasuke out.

The Queen and King waited until the footsteps faded in the distance, before Kushina fell back into the chair. "After all these years. Manito, do you think…?"

The King shook his head. "I don't know, Kushi. But we cannot get sloppy. We were almost fooled once, and as things are, we can't let any weakness show" He turned to the pink-haired woman. "Sakura, what did you find?"

"The handwriting on the letter is the same as Jiraiya-sama" she reported. "And there are reports of a weird blond man as far as two years back." She turned to another page, frowning. "There are also reports of an old man with long, white hair just before the blond arrives, and soon after, the people with the black capes with red clouds."

Minato pinched his nose. "I see. So this guy is also being stalked by Akatsuki." He sighed. "Sakura, tell the guards to stand on high alert, and keep at least two S-class Ninjas present with each company."

"Yes sir." She nodded and left the room.

"Minato, what are we going to do?" Asked Kushina, her fingers playing with the crystal in her hand.

Minato closed his eyes. "Prepare as best as we can. Danzo is going to move soon, but if Naruto is really our son... There is no telling what he'll do"

THE END

Author's Note: Say here's a new story, for every who is wondering about A Lost Key, I deleted it for some reason, sorry about that but i might re publish it in future.

Anyways this story is medieval era, so hope you like the set up so far. Let me know your thoughts. Also suggestions for pairing is taken.

REVIEW!