AN: Yay! The second installment! Well, I realize that I've portrayed Anko very differently than what is the norm, but you guys have to consider: Anko's personality isn't that developed in the series. She only appears in a handful of episodes, such as the Chuunin exams and then the few filler episodes set in Rice country. Yes, she does appear sadistic, and yes, she is going to be like that in my story. However, I'm not going to go into it as much as some authors do. For now, though, she's going to be as mentally tested as I can make her be. Hah! I win!

Summary: Much like the death of the Kyuubi, the death of the Yondaime was fragmented. Except for the fact that a disappearance is much different than a sealing.

Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.


The Jump

Chapter Two

Arashi breathed a ragged sigh and massaged his temples lightly, hoping to ease the throbbing headache that was threatening to turn to a migraine at any moment. Fifteen years was a very long time to catch up on. His golden brows tugged downwards slightly, and he frowned, marring his almost perfect complection with a loose unease.

He was laying on his bed, or rather, a guest bed, set up in the Ninja Tower. Currently, he was staying in on of the Hokage's spare rooms, usually reserved for visiting feudal lords of those higher up in the hierarchy. He had only been in Konoha for about a week and a half now, mostly recovering in the hospital with the help of Tsunade's talented healing skills.

During the duration of that time, he had been kept secret from almost all of the residents, as well as shinobi, that resided inside the walls of the ninja village. Truthfully, only a handful of ninjas knew he was there, as well as the ANBU that discovered him, and a few medics that treated him over the past week. It pained him to no end, though, when he discovered that the Sandaime had been murdered.

Arashi's lips curled in disgust.

That damn snake, killing his own teacher, the kind, gentle man (if he wasn't one's enemy, that is), that put his whole self into the village, throwing himself in harms way to protect it by any means necessary. Oh, how he wished that Sandaime was still here, to lecture him as he used to, and to guide him. Sarutobi-sensei had done wonders for him, and he had helped him succeed to Hokage.

A fleck of a smile reached his lips in the fond memory of the Third, and he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, sighing. Oh, how he missed that old fool terribly. It was sad to know that he would never see his friend again, and he ached on the inside. He himself had been the dead last of the class, but Sandaime-sama had seen past his shy exterior and placed him with Jiraiya, the loud and perverted Sannin.

He had been shy as a young ninja, and hesitant in his skills; but as he spent more and more time with Jiraiya, training with him and his fellow two teammates, he had grown into an independent, and well mannered young man. He had been a loner, an outcast, as being an orphan often did to young children. He never remembered his parents, and he only knew that they had died in an early battle between Kumoha and Konoha. It had been one of the earlier battles in the war between the two, but there were casualties nonetheless.

He had lived in the orphanage until he was old enough to enter the academy at age six, then he was placed into foster care for a few years until he was ten, and from then on he lived on his own in a shabby little apartment. He was given minimum allowances to buy groceries with, which at first he blew off on knick-knacks, until he learned that zero balance is a bad thing, and it's wise to spend money on your food, not little no-good gadgets.

He had graduated from the academy at age eight (he'd failed the exam once), and then moved on to be a Genin until he was twelve, when he made Chuunin after his third try. Then he waited until he was fifteen to apply for the Jounin exams, which, surprisingly, he passed on his first go around. Once he was seventeen, he acquired his first Genin, not specifically a team, but one student - the child prodigy Kakashi. A bright, if not lazy young boy who showed all the promise of being one of the Konoha's greatest ninjas. When Arashi was twenty, he became the hokage, Yondaime. In fact, he became the youngest Hokage in the history of Konoha (Although considering that there had only been three Hokage before him, it wasn't too great a deal).

But as much as he loved his village, he hated it.

He had been told of the villager's treatment of his son, but then, he had also known that the boy, as well as Konohagakure, was unaware of his lineage. Uzumaki Naruto. Arashi smiled softly, thinking the name Sarutobi had chosen for his son had apparently suited him. A whirlpool of emotions, power, and attitude that seemed to effect everything in its midst. Personally, he liked Kazaama Kaji, the name he and Anko had decided upon. Although he was somewhat lacking of the details of Naruto's early childhood, he knew that the kid had it tough.

Arashi hoped to lighten that load somewhat.

He sighed, and looked at the file of Uzumaki Naruto again.

He wasn't too sure how this little "Reunion" of theirs was going to go.


Uzumaki Naruto, had a pretty normal life, if one asked him themselves, maybe a little lonely, but overall not that bad, especially the ramen in it. Because ramen makes everything better, or so Naruto's philosophy went. Anything could be cured over a nice, steamy bowl of freshly cooked ramen. Particularly miso ramen, but that was beside the point.

Not that Naruto really cared as long as he was getting his noodles.

"Oi!! Old man!! Is my ramen done yet!!??" Naruto yelled, holding up his chopsticks, ready to dig in as soon as the ramen hit his bowl. The old man smiled kindly, his eyes crinkling in well worn laugh-lines that had etched themselves deep into his face from years of smiling.

"Hai, hai, hold your horses, boy, it'll be done as soon as it's done. Here," He dumped some already done ramen into Naruto's bowl. "That should tide you over for now," he smiled again as Naruto grinned so wide his eyes snapped tightly shut and dug eagerly into the small portion of ramen before him, "Alright!"

This was how Tsunade found them.

The young-looking Hokage smiled lightly as she came into Ichiraku Ramen Bar and saw the little scene play out in front of her. "Oi, I hope you aren't eating this man out of restaurant, brat." He turned around with a mouthful of noodles and glared her, a small tick forming on his forehead. Swallowing the remainder of his ramen, he scowled, "Keh, I'm not a brat, you old hag!"

He stuck his tongue out at her impishly, and the restaurant owner put the rest of Naruto's now cooked ramen into his bowl. Naruto gave a yell of happiness and dug into it ravenously. Tsunade sat on a stool next to him, and cupped her face in her hands.

Tsunade laughed, overlooking the remark on her age for once, "Alright, alright. Hurry up though, and when you're done come to my office, I have to introduce you to someone." Naruto blinked at her, ramen dangling out of his mouth haphazardly, "Eh?" Nearly losing his ramen speaking, he quickly grabbed it again with his mouth, and slurped it up quickly.

He grinned at her, "Eh? Is it someone important!? Another Kage you want to brag about to me to!? Some village dignitary!? A clan leader to train me in secret ninja styles!?" He wiped his nose importantly while he smiled, "Aa! You're finally recognizing my strength!!" Tsunade sweat dropped, and waved a hand at him. "Eh, not really, Naruto. It is someone important, and I think you'll benefit from meeting him. He... he knows something about your parents."

Naruto blinked in shock. He lowered his chopsticks carefully, setting them next to his bowl, and looked at her with wide eyes. "My... my parents?"

Tsunade nodded, "Come to my office when you're done, we'll talk then. We can't here, it's confidential." She stood up, and smiled at him as she walked out of Ichiraku, heading towards the Hokage tower.

Naruto sat there in dumb shock. My parents? I... I have... a mom and a dad?

The old man looked at Naruto concernedly. "Hey, you okay kid?" He asked. And not for no reason, Naruto looked pretty shaken up. "Eheheh, yeah," Naruto replied, and dug into his pocket for some money and placed it on the counter. "Eh, I'm not too hungry anymore, sorry for wasting your ramen." Naruto stood up and walked out of Ichiraku Ramen Bar, a little bell ringing as he left for the Hokage Tower.


Naruto shoved his hands in his orange pockets and strolled casually towards the double doors to Tsunade's office. His flak jacket shifted slightly as he moved his arms, and a flash of black appeared beneath his jacket, showing a form-fitting sleeveless shirt beneath.

As Naruto closed the door behind him, he grinned at Tsunade, his smile so wide it closed his eyes and stretched his whisker-marks, "Hey, old hag." The two other occupants of the room, Jiraiya, whom was standing near the left edge of Tsunade's desk, and another Blond-haired man, sitting in a chair diagonally across form the Godaime and next to two other empty seats turned to look at him. The Blond-haired man raised an eyebrow while Jiraiya grinned.

Tsunade sighed and leaned forward in her chair to rest against her desk to massage her temples, a desk that, surprisingly, had no paperwork in piles today. "Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Naruto laughed and crossed his arms.

"It doesn't really matter, granny, because I'm gonna call you that forever. You should do like the peeking pervert, he got over the fact that's what I'm gonna call him for the rest of his life."

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. 'Do like Jiraiya?' She mused, 'That's a first.' A chuckle was heard from the Blond-haired man at the mention of Jiraiya's nickname. Meanwhile, the hyper-active boy in front of her just grinned crazily. Tsunade waved a hand towards him, dismissing it. "Anyway," the Godaime said, clearly heading towards other matters, "We're here to discuss something other than little nicknames, Naruto. Take a seat." She gestured towards the empty seats in front of her desk next to the other man.

Naruto's grin faltered, and his smile faded. Nodding almost blankly, he maneuvered in front of the chair in the middle and sat down, warily eyeing the Blond-haired man next to him. He stared at him for a moment, unsure. He looked oddly familiar, almost strikingly similar to something, and something in his brain was nagging him in the corner of his mind, telling him that he knew who he was, he knew this man from somewhere.

Then it clicked.

Naruto clutched his stomach, right over the seal and started shaking. His eyes flickered and went from blue to red-tinted purple as the thought of who this man sitting next to him was, and what he had done to him; who he had saddled him with for the past fifteen. His shoulders were stiff, and his lips were turned in a snarl, showing elongated teeth.

Such anger.

Arashi, Yondaime of Konohagakure, was saddened to see his son in such a state, and to know it was directed at him. Jiraiya and Tsunade tensed, feeling the youki of the imprisoned Kyuubi no Kitsune. The Fox of Nine-tails.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Naruto turned his head towards Arashi. His face turned slightly downward, his eyes fixated on the Yondaime. His whisker-marks were thickened to almost a quarter of an inch, appearing to pull back on his skin in his snarl, accentuating it. His bloodlust-filled eyes bored into Arashi's own, and he felt a tremor run through his body with remembrance of that perilous night he sealed the demon in his son.

Naruto looked down and took a few needed deep breaths, and his teeth shrank to normal size, and his whisker-marks faded and grew smaller. His deep, cerulean eyes permeated Arashi's soul and his gaze darkened as he regained control over his emotions. He looked stoically at the Yondaime, the anger in his chest making to burn a hole in his heart, and said only three words.

"I hate you."

He turned sharply on his heel and strode out of the Godaime's office, his hands clenched at his side, blood dripping off of his knuckles from where his fingernails broke the skin in his palms.

In his wake he left two speechless Sannin, and the man he would come to know, someday, as his father.

The doors slammed shut behind him and he swept down the hallway without breaking stride. His eyes were focused on the ground below him, watching his own footsteps as he walked as fast as he could without running.

He was suddenly halted as he turned around a corner and collided against someone with a rather loud thump sound. Naruto rubbed his head a bit and mumbled out a quick apology. "Sorry, lady." Mitarashi Anko blinked in surprise as she realized just who she had run into. Her mind went into overload as she looked at her son before her. Tears threatened to spill as she reached out and grabbed the boy, earning her a surprised "Urk!", and pulling him into a fierce hug.

Naruto blinked in surprise. It wasn't everyday he was hugged completely out of random. Hell, he was barely ever hugged to begin with. She was a bit taller than him, making the embrace slightly awkward. He was very tempted to fidget in the tight embrace, but when the woman holding him started to tremor, he went with his instincts and circled his arms around her and held her back. He didn't know what was wrong, but he knew he should always help someone who needed it.

He'd forgotten how angry he was just a split second ago, and patted the woman's back awkwardly. "Hey, it's okay," he said quietly, "What's wrong?"

Anko gave in as tears flowed down her cheeks as she clutched her son. She hated showing weakness, and she hated crying even more. But dammit, this was her child! "I'm sorry!" she choked. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Naruto blinked in confusion, but chose not to comment and just let her talk.

"It's all my fault! I should have noticed! I shouldn't have been so stupid. You look so much like him, I'm sorry!" She'd started off talking loudly, but it dwindled until it was no more than a whisper. "I'm sorry," she said again, held him tight for a moment longer, then released him, looking down at the floor in misery..

Naruto had no idea what was going on, but tried to cheer her up anyway.

"Hey, it's okay," he said softly, and frowned when he saw more tears flow down her cheeks. He sighed and reached out and gave her the hug this time. This one was shorter than the previous, and when he let go he smiled cheerfully at her.

"No worries, lady! I'll be your escort this evening! Where ya' headed? Uzumaki Naruto at your service!" He grinned widely and flourished an exaggerated bow. Anko let out a small chuckle, and Naruto looked up at her happily, glad she laughed. He blinked for a moment, then cocked his head to the side and smiled again. "Hey, I remember you!" he said. "You proctored my first Chuunin exam in the Forest of Death! Damn, that place was creepy! Hey, your name is... uh..." he paused, then laughed, "Anko! Right?"

Anko smiled and wiped her face off, "Yup. Mitarashi Anko at your service. Damn, sorry about that, I hate crying." She wrinkled her nose slightly and sniffed. "Actually, I'm headin' to the Hokage's chambers. I'm a bit late though... although, you're supposed to be there as well." Naruto's face fell from his usual cheery visage, and he looked down coldly.

She looked at him curiously, but as soon as his frown appeared, it vanished into that practiced grin as he popped his head up towards her. "Alrighty then!" he pronounced and jutted his elbow out for her. "Your escort, madam!" Anko grinned at him, then looped her arm through his.

"And away we go!"


Kazaama Arashi banged his head against the Hokage's table for the hundredth time. He groaned and his shoulder's slumped, then he banged it again. Tsunade sat across from him, her hands folded in front of her face thoughtfully.

Arashi thumped his head again.

Jiraiya sighed, "Oi, stop it before ya' damage your brain, brat." He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the scroll shelf behind him. The Yondaime hit his head against the desk once more. "Quit whinin' brat. It coulda' gone much worse." The old pervert paused and then leered, "Speakin' of worse, where's that psycho woman of yours anyway?" Arashi shrugged and banged his head again.

The doors to the Hokage's chambers banged open once more, causing two of the occupants to stiffen and stand at the ready. A small amount of smoke poured into the office, and two silhouettes appeared inside.

"DUAL DYNAMIC ENTRY!!!!!"

Two figures in horribly ridiculous and dramatic poses appeared like something out of a bad anime.

Jiraiya and Tsunade both sweat dropped.

"Speak of the devil," the old frog hermit mumbled.

Arashi hit his heat.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and started backing up. "Well, my job here is done. Great bein' your escort, lady, but I gotta' split, believe it!" He swung around and attempted to stride out of the door.

"Naruto!" His name was issued from Tsunade like the crack of a whip and he froze on command, one foot held midair. "Sit down," she said, her voice calm and sharp.

He turned with a slight grin, "Actually, I'd rather be goin' old hag." Naruto turned back and attempted to walk out again.

"Sit!"

Naruto sat.

His back to the other four occupants and halfway out the door, Naruto sat frozen like a statue, spine rigidly straight.

"Come here, and take a seat between Anko and Arashi. We have a lot to discuss."

Naruto rose to his feet slowly, his eyes fixated on the ground. His steps were deliberate and calculated as he made his way to the Hokage's desk. Maneuvering between the woman he'd walked to the office and the man that sealed his demon, he sat down.

"Good, thank you, Naruto," Tsunade said softly. Naruto looked up at her and they held gazes for a moment before he broke eye contact, looking down to his side.

"I understand that this is going to be hard on us all, but we all have to try to work through all this," Tsunade said, " It's going to be bringing up a lot of bad memories, but I need you three to be as open and honest with each other as possible. Now, let's begin. Kazaama Arashi, Yondaime Hokage. Mitarashi Anko, Special Jounin of Konoha. Uzumaki Naruto, Rookie Jounin. We are here to discuss the circumstances involving the battle of the Kyuubi and figure out exactly why Arashi is alive and why noone knew Naruto was your child."

Jiraiya sighed from where he was leaning against the scroll shelf. This was going to take a while. Naruto fidgeted in his seat, looking at the two adults on either side of him out of the corners of his eyes. If the Fourth was his father and he was here, then Anko... Well, I guess it makes sense now. Naruto groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. Everyone's attention turned towards him.

"You mean that loud woman is my m-mother?" He jerked his free thumb towards Anko, his voice cracked and he hated himself for it "Oh, hell."

Arashi bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, but still looked rather amused. Anko, on the other hand, had no qualms about laughing, and let out a sharp, "Ha! You are my son!" Jiraiya chuckled, and Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Yes, well, now that we've established that, let's continue shall we?" She asked. They all nodded, and she leaned forward on her desk, propping up on her arms and elbows. "Now, the real question is: How did you survive?" She said, staring straight at Arashi.

The man frowned, looking thoughtful for just a moment, then pulled a folder from underneath his chair. "I've been thinking about that myself," he said, "and doing some independent research while I recovered. My theory is that when the Shikigami attempted to eat the Kyuubi, the fox's power was too great, therefore making it impossible for the Death God to eat it all. I imagine the portion that it did eat was enough to fulfill the terms of the contract, releasing my soul. My theory on the Time-Jump, so to speak, is that in the realm of the Death God, time is apparently irrelevant and twisted. I do not know how long I was there, nor how long it took me to leave. I do not believe it was an extended period of time, however. I'm still researching all plausible answers, but these are the most concrete and acceptable theories I can form at the time."

Tsunade nodded, then turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, I know this is going to be especially difficult for you, but we've finally found out why no one knew you were their son," she said as she pulled a file out of her desk drawer. Flipping it open, she read aloud, "Kazaama Kaji, missing. No body found in hospital wreckage, assumed dead. Mother: Mitarashi Anko. Father: Kazaama Arashi. Date of Birth: October 10" She turned a couple pages. "Uzumaki Naruto, parentage unknown. Date of Birth: October 10. It is unknown where the infant is from or whom its parents are. Parents assumed dead from Kyuubi attack. No further information."

She looked at the files coldly, "I for one don't understand why no one noticed it before, and now that I think about it, it's fairly obvious. My guess is that Sarutobi was suspicious about your parentage, or he even knew it. Most likely, though, is that he knew, but he didn't want you in any more danger than you were already in."

Naruto bristled in his chair and practically snarled, "Any more danger!? It's not like I never had assassination attempts made on me! They were almost a common fucking occurrence until I graduated! It was all 'Kill the demon! Thrash the brat! Beat the monster' until I was fucking twelve! What kind of bullshit was he smoking in that pipe of his?"

Tsunade scowled at him, reaching across her desk to thump him on the head. "Listen, you brat! They would have come much more often and from higher trained ninja had you been announced the Yondaime's son! Yes, the villagers might have left you alone instead of harassing you like they did, but would it be worth it to be killed off in your sleep by a ninja seeking vengeance against Arashi? Would it have!?"

Naruto leapt out of his chair and onto his feet. "I didn't ask for any of this! I didn't ask to be his son," He gestured with his arm violently towards Arashi, "and I sure as hell didn't ask for that fucking fox to be sealed in me! I just wanted to be normal, dammit! What the fuck is up with all this shit!?" He shouted out, tears threatening to spill out of his closed sapphire blue eyes. His arms were rigid by his side and his hands were clenched into fists. Why? He thought, arms shaking. Why?

Arashi stood up from his chair and faced Naruto. Moving his seat out of the way, he knelt down upon the ground and let his forehead touch the floor, his eyes averted and the back of his neck bared to his son.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracking. "I thought... I was naive enough to believe that the villagers would treat you as the hero you are... You cannot understand how sorry I am that this is the way it turned out... Please, I apologize, and I want to try to make it better. I cannot take back the years of suffering you have endured without my presence here, but I can try to make it better from now on. Please, I want to be there for you now, because I couldn't before..."

Naruto looked down at the man bowing in front of him and was filled with conflicting emotions. Did he really want this man in his life? The man who had practically ruined it in the first place?

Naruto sighed, finally admitting it to himself.

Yes.

She didn't realize when she had stood, or when she reached out to him. But one moment Anko had been sitting in her chair, and the next she was behind her son, arms holding him. She clutched him to her, and whispered in his ear, "You are our child, our son, and we want you to be happy."

Tears leaked from Naruto's eyes and he reached his own hands to hers and leaned back into her embrace. Arashi stood from his kneeling position and locked his arms around both of them silently. He was taller than both of them by at least four inches, and his reach encompassed the two easily.

The Yondaime held them silently, his own emotions beginning to get out of control.

He had a family again.


End of Chapter Two

Ookami Mononoke