Chapter 2: Revelations Enticed

In the Hospital:

Sasuke was in his hospital room thinking about a lot of things, particularly his fight with Naruto. It was the day before the festival. Preparations were being made everywhere. Even the hospital was exhausting its resources trying to help patients and decorate, though most of the preparations went into making enough rooms for the people who would get drunk and start riots. The hospital had just about seen everything a hospital could see on the festival day. Everything except for the person beat the most. For some reason or another, he wouldn't go to the hospital. Sasuke just lay there thinking, when a nurse popped in for his daily check up. Sasuke had only been awake for about a day, but had been sleeping in between. The nurse walked over and asked Sasuke to pull off his shirt. He did and noticed something looking in the mirror across the room. The Curse seal was gone! In its place was another mark, a claw mark. The middle streak started at the spot of the curse seal and went down to his side. The two outer streaks were only on the front of his chest. As he was looking the nurse decided to add her two cents worth.

"That god damned demon did this to you."

"Huh?"

"You know, you can get that scar removed, if that thing did something like that to me, I'd have him killed and get the scar removed."

"What do you mean by thing?"

After hearing the nurse's comments Sasuke was letting a lot of killer intent into the room scaring the nurse. She kindly bowed and then left the room. Sasuke was sure that she muttered something like "The demon brainwashed him too. I'll have to tell Tsunade-sama." Sasuke was still trying to come up with an answer as how the seal had been undone. As he was looking at the place were the seal was Tsunade walked into the room.

"Well brat, we've gone through everything you told us and your test results."

"And?"

"It seems that when you were fighting Naruto, after you plunged your Chidori into his chest, he healed correct?"

"Yeah, and?"

"When the two of you went full power at each other it seems that Naruto tapped into too much of his chakra, slashed you dispelling both your form and your Chidori then passed out. Or at least that what I understand from Kakashi."

"That still doesn't explain this." He said pointing to the place where the seal used to be.

"Yes it does, Naruto poured so much chakra into his last attack that it overloaded the seal. By all means you should have been out of the hospital about two weeks ago, but Naruto's chakra seemed to attach to the seal causing unbearable pain while it corroded it away. There shouldn't be any long lasting effects, although you will have more chakra seeing as how your body used your chakra to hold back both the seal and Naruto's chakra."

"How is Naruto?"

"He's doing fine, though to tell you the truth no one's seen him in a couple of days. I'm getting a little worried."

"He must have hurt himself doing this for me."

"Oh, speaking of that. If you like, I can remove the scarring for you."

"No, I want it as a reminder of what I almost became. Although I'm sure the fan girls will be more annoying."

"I see."

"By the way Hokage-sama, what is my punishment?"

"You don't have one."

"What do you mean? I tried to defect! I deserve some sort of punishment!"

"Naruto took it for you." After she said that she walked over to the window and looked outside.

"…What do you mean he took it for me?" Sasuke looked as though someone was holding a sword to his throat.

"Naruto said that you would be in too much pain after the ordeal, so he told me to give you a physical punishment."

"And?"

"I gave you the lesser of two punishments the council said I had to give. Physical torture for three days." Sasuke just looked at her with a blank expression. "For three days Naruto sat in a chair taking in whippings, canings, stabbing, cutting, electric shocks, and taijutsu moves. After the entire thing he just said that the punishment was too lax, laughed, and walked away without a scratch on him."

"That bastard."

"Huh?!"

"He didn't need to take my punishment, especially after what I did to him."

"Yes, in his own way Naruto did have to take it for you."

"But Why?!" At this point Sasuke was going to go crazy. Not only had the dobe beaten him, but he removed his curse, taken him to the hospital, and received his punishment in his place.

"Naruto thinks of you as a brother. You are one of his precious people, and he will do anything to protect his precious people. He promised to protect them, and you know what his nindou is."

"He never goes back on his word."

"That's right." She waited a few moments, and then turned to leave.

"I have to go for now, but you have two visitors"

"Hn."

"Oh, and Naruto said when you wake up tell you and I quote 'Stop being such a prick and let people in once and a while teme.'"

She walked out the door signaling for the people to come in.

"Sasuke-kun!!" the two girls yelled in unison.

"Great."

Sakura and Ino walked into the room followed by Gaara.

"Uchiha," Gaara started. "The only reason that you are alive is because Uzumaki pleaded with me to let you live, know that if you try anything like this again… I will kill you…slowly and painfully."

He walked out of the room leaving three speechless shinobi.

"What was that about?" Sasuke asked.

"He and his siblings are staying in town for a little while until we get rebuilt, Tsunade-sama even got him to carve her face into the rock face." Sakura said smiling.

The girls walked over to the dresser where two vases full of dead flowers were. They took those flowers out and replaced them wit new ones. "Thank you." Both girls turned around to see Sasuke smiling at them. They just ran over to his bedside and started conversing.

"So Sakura how's Naruto?

"He's alright…" She gave Ino a look and Ino nodded.

"I'm glad, how have you two been?"

"We've been ok, we're just glad you're ok Sasuke-kun!" both girls said in unison.

'Though I'm gladder.' They both thought.

It was then that Ino noticed it.

"Sasuke what happened to your chest?"

"Naruto got a little rough during the fight."

"I'll kill that bastard for marring my precious Sasuke-kun!" The both yelled.

"Touch him, and I'll never speak to either of you again."

"Why Sasuke?"

"Because… he saved me from becoming something no one should be."

"Hmm?" Then Sakura realized.

"The seal's gone!"

"Thank Naruto for that."

"…" was all the girls could muster.

'I'll still kill him.' Both girls thought again, but they noticed Sasuke look down.

"What's wrong Sasuke?

"Huh? Oh, a nurse came in earlier. She said that the scar was caused by a god damned demon, but Tsunade told me Naruto did it, which I believe. I don't know why the nurse would call Naruto a demon though."

Sakura looked as though a train ran her over. She looked down as the two stared at her.

"Sakura, what's the matter with you now?" Ino asked.

"I know why the nurse called him a demon."

She now had the full attention of both of them.

"Naruto asked me to never tell, but I think you need to hear this. And remember, this never leaves the room."

"Ok…" the other two say.

"It was about three days after Naruto left the hospital…"


flashback

She was at Naruto's apartment have lunch with him.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah Sakura-chan?

"I was just wondering, what was that red chakra you used at the chunin exams? It didn't look like normal yellow chakra."

"Sakura…Let me answer that with a story."

"Ok"

"Once in a far away land, there was a peaceful village. This village was protected by its kage and was peaceful and prosperous. But one day, a monster attacked the village. The village did its best to kill the monster, but failed miserably. The kage seeing no other course of action sealed the monster into a child, but died in the process."

Sakura just looked at him with a blank look.

"The people of the village from that point on treated the child like a monster beating him up and blaming him for the death of their families and friends, and of course for the death of their kage."

"That's horrible! How could they be so blind as to do something like that?!"

"Sakura, how would you treat the child?" Sakura thought for a moment.

"Like a hero." Naruto then gave a fox-like grin.

"Sakura, now let's say that the Yondaime didn't kill the Kyuubi. Let's say instead he sealed him into a child that was born that night." Sakura gave him a frightened look.

"Now let's say that that child was his only, blond haired, blue eyed son."

Sakura took a minute to process all the things Naruto had just told her. She knew that only six people knew the Yondaime's real name, the Sandaime and his students, and the Yondaime's team mates. In every book she read about him he was simply called the Yondaime, but Tsunade would sometimes mumble about him calling him Arashi. Sakura suddenly realized, all the pictures, he had unruly blond hair, and sapphire blue eyes. She finally snapped out of her trance.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?"

"What was the Yondaime's real name?"

"Uzumaki Arashi." The simplicity in the way he said it made it all the more powerful. Sakura then realized everything that Naruto had been through. The beatings, the blame, and the fear he must have felt. She teared up, walked over to him and hugged him. "Naruto, I'm so sorry."

"It's ok Sakura-chan."

end flashback


Ino and Sasuke looked at Sakura speechless. It seemed as though they both had been placed in a room with all of their deepest fears.

"S-so N-Naruto is-s t-t-the-the K-Kyuubi?" Ino asked, and then received a punch to the mouth.

"NO HE IS NOT!!" Sakura yelled so loudly that Tsunade rushed in from the other end of the building.

"What's the matter Sakura???" Tsunade asked seeing Ino in a wall and Sasuke shaking a bit.

"Nothing Tsunade-sensei. They just found out about Naruto, and Ino said something she shouldn't have is all."

Tsunade looked at Sakura.

"You told them?"

"Yes."

"Alright, what Sakura told you is classified. Don't repeat it…or else."

Sasuke got a chill down his spine again and that woke him up to the situation.

"So, Sakura. Where's Naruto now?"

"I don't know, I'm going to his house when I leave. Why Sasuke?"

"Just wondering."

'I see the kid is warming up to people.' Thought Tsunade as she left.

"You better go now. I need a little rest."

"Alright Sasuke-kun…"

As she was about to leave, the rest of the rookie nine including Gai's team came in, but Naruto wasn't with them.

"Sakura, tell them as well please, they also deserve to know."


Meanwhile in Tsunade's office:

Shizune was gathering the left over papers around Tsunade's desk. Tsunade walked in, ignoring this picked up the scroll on her desk that she had taken so much time to find. As she opened it up she noticed key details, Kyuubi, Yondaime, and Naruto. The paper she was reading was Naruto's Birth certificate. She eyed it carefully looking for something. Then she found it. Setting the scroll down on the desk carefully she read along. Parents: Father: Uzumaki Arashi /Mother: ---- Karei.

"Damn it!" She shouted so loud the people in Suna could hear her.

"What is it?" Shizune looked stunned by the woman's outburst.

"His Birth certificate only shows his mother's first name… Shizune, I want all information regarding everyone that lived or lives in this village named Karei."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." And with that she left.


A/N: Sorry for a late update, but I'm pretty busy in school right now. I just started working on chapter three so it should be up in a week or so. I hope you enjoy! Ja ne!