Disclaimer: I own no part of either Naruto or Devil May Cry

Adjusting

Naruto: age 6

It had been a week since the fire. Naruto was just glad to be out of the hospital at this point. The hospital had been kind enough to give him a pair of gray sweat pants and an old gray t-shirt to wear. But that was where the good ended as far as he was concerned. The food was awful, and they absolutely refused to get him ramen! Then yelled at him whenever he got even a little loud. That old nurse wouldn't even let him leave his room the whole time he was there. Finally, he could get back to school and on the road to respect. Naruto itched at the cast on his right arm again 'Argh... I hate this stupid thing. I can't wait til they let me take this thing off.'

Naruto was halfway back to his apartment before he realized that his apartment was little more the peeled paint and charred beams. At this point Naruto stopped 'Where is it I'm suppose to go again?'

The old man had told him where he was going to be staying, but he suddenly couldn't remember where that was. After standing in the street for a minute, Naruto decided there was only one thing to do "I'll go ask Jiji!"

Sandaime was hard at work. The stacks upon stacks of paperwork never seemed to grow smaller, no matter how long or hard he worked at it. But at least it was simple most of the time. Supply requisition forms, mission requests, financial aid forms, and , of course, complaints and grievances. Not exciting, but simple enough to not offer him any real trouble. Which was just what he needed after what happened last week 'Of which, isn't Naruto-kun getting out of the hospital today?'

BANG

"Old Man, I need to ask you something!"

The Sandaime let out a sigh 'I guess I should get used to this again' "Hello Naruto-kun. What is it I can help you with?"

Naruto ran up to the desk "Uh, you remember when you told me that I was going to be staying somewhere else til my apartment gets fixed up?" The Sandaime nodded, having already guessed what he was about to say next "Yeah, Where was it again?"

'That's what I thought' The Sandaime shook his head "You should really try to pay attention Naruto-kun." Naruto just chuckled nervously "You'll be staying with a young chunin who I asked this favor of. She'll be the one your staying with for at least the next month."

"Right, thanks old man!" Naruto turned and prepared to run out of the office when he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt "Huh, hey what are you doing old man!"

The Hokage sighed yet again "Are you going to wait for me to tell you where she lives or even who she is before you run wild through the village again" There was a moment of silence followed by another nervous chuckle from Naruto "In fact, if you just wait here a moment she'll be here soon. So please have a seat and try to be patient."

"Argh... More sitting around! I'm so tired of just sitting around! Come on, Can't you just tell me where she lives and I can just go there?" Naruto pleaded.

"Please Naruto-kun, just be patient. She'll be here shortly."

After a few more aggravated groans, Naruto finally sat down and waited. He began rolling around and moaning in his seat. After about twenty minutes of this the Sandaime seriously considered just telling him. It was as if Naruto was determined to pass his own aggravation along. Finally, there was a knock at the door, and a woman's voice came through "You asked to see me, Hokage-sama?"

And just like that, all the tension was lifted off of his shoulders "Ah, yes, please come in, Kurenai-san."

The door opened to reveal a young woman with long, dark hair and vibrant red eyes. She was dressed in standard chunin attire. A matching set of black pants and shirt set off by the green vest that were issued to chunin on up ranked ninja. She looked as though she had just returned from a mission. She still had a weapons pouch on her left hip and a satchel with a set of three scrolls on her right, as well as a kunai holster on both thighs. Her appearance was a bit disheveled, her hair was obviously in need of shampoo and a brush, and a smudge of dirt on her left cheek. And yet, she still moved with a calm grace, despite the fact that she had to be exhausted.

Naruto stared at her for a moment before turning back to the Hokage "Oi, is this the one I'm suppose to be staying with?"

The Hokage smiled "Yes she is Naruto-kun."

Kurenai was still trying to piece together what was going on. When she had returned, all she had been told was that the Hokage had wanted to see her. She had no idea what this kid meant by 'staying with'. Did the Hokage intend to have her take care of him? If so, for how long? She finally decided to speak up "Um, Hokage-sama, am I suppose to take care of this child?"

The two turn to look at Kurenai, Naruto shot back "Oi, I don't need anyone to take care of me, you hear!"

The Hokage cleared his throat "Naruto-kun, why don't you go to Ichiraku." The Hokage reaches into his robes and produces a few ryuu notes "It'll be on me. I'll meet you there as soon as I finish with Kurenai-san."

Without another word, Naruto snatched the notes and took off for his favorite restaurant. It was only as he ran past that Kurenai noticed the huge white club of bandages that covered the boys right arm. Once Naruto was long gone, The Hokage sighed and directed his attention back to Kurenai "Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss."

Kurenai sat down in the same seat that had been occupied by Naruto. She wanted to ask... well she honestly didn't know what she wanted to ask. This had all happened so fast that it was a little disorienting. She wasn't sure how to make heads or tails of it. Was she to become that boys guardian? Did it have something to do with that injury on his arm? It was all a little too much to be dealing with on such short notice. Finally the Hokage broke the silence "I'm sure your curious why I asked for you?" Kurenai simply nodded "There was fire last week. The boys apartment went up in flames and he was burned quite badly. He'll be needing a place to stay for at least a month while his apartment is being repaired."

Kurenai, having finally composed herself, spoke up "Are you sure I'm the best choice, Hokage-sama? I'm not questioning your judgment, but doesn't the boy have some family he could stay with?"

The Sandaime's expression seemed to become down cast at the comment "I'm afraid not. The boy is an orphan without a real friend in the world. Plus, I have other reasons for choosing you." The Hokage reached into his desk and produced his pipe. He took a moment to fill it with tobacco before casting a small katon jutsu to light it "For one, I'm sure you noticed the boys arm. The burns on his arm have caused both muscle and nerve damage, making it both weaker and slower. The boy still wishes, however, to pursue a career as a ninja. He's going to need to learn how to use his left hand, and since you taught yourself how to use yours, I thought you would be the perfect person to teach him as well."

That made sense to her. She had to work very hard at it, but she was able to become ambidextrous, so it only made sense for her to teach the boy as well, but still... "Hokage-sama, I'm sure I could still teach the boy without him having to come stay with me."

It was obvious to the Hokage that Kurenai was a little uncomfortable with the idea of a child coming to stay with her "The next reason I suppose is my own sake." This gave Kurenai pause. What did that mean? "The boys whole life has been filled with misfortune. After what happened, I just don't feel comfortable about letting him be on his own for a while. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just sent the boy else where and something else happened to him. To match it up, not many would be willing to let the boy live near or with them because of who he is."

Kurenai stopped for a second. Who was this boy that no one wanted? She stopped think about him for a second. If she remembered correctly he had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a series of odd birth marks on his che... 'Ah, that's who it is! It certainly explains why the Hokage is so worried about where he is placed. Some in the village might riot if the fox child was moved into a building with them and their children, fearing he might contaminate them.'

With that mystery solved, Kurenai was finally able to understand why the Hokage had asked this of her "And to top it off" The Hokage spoke one last time "You seem to have rather good motherly instincts."

Kurenai blushed at this comment, with her cheeks twitching in both directions. She wasn't sure if she should feel flattered or embarrassed by that comment and so settled into something in the middle. She was only 19. Hardly old enough to be any kind of mother "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but what do you mean by that?"

That man chuckled lightly at the young girls embarrassment "I merely meant that you have both the kind heart and the patience necessary to handle a child like Naruto-kun." The Hokage closed his eyes and let out another sigh "Naruto-kun has been alone for so long. He has never had a mother figure in his life. Any parental figures at all really. He has learned to be self reliant, which is impressive for one so young. But if you watch the boy closely, you'll see in him what I see."

Kurenai blinked at that comment. What did the Hokage see in this boy? From what she had heard he was a bit of a troublemaker, and despite what he said, she wasn't sure she had the patience for a child that could be as trying as Naruto. Still... the Hokage had asked this of her, and the boy did legitimately need her "Very well Hokage-sama. I will return home and prepare a place for him to stay."

The elderly Hokage smiled "Thank you, Kurenai-san. Once your done, just return here and we'll be waiting for you." The Hokage then rose to his feet "Now if you'll excuse me, I promised I would meet young Naruto-kun for lunch."

By the time the Hokage arrived Naruto had already burrowed his way through two bowls. The boys appetite and metabolism were truly amazing 'He looks like his father, but acts much more like his mother'

The Hokage moved the curtain aside so he could enter, earning a bow from the man and young girl behind the counter. Naruto recognized this and knew immediately what it meant, as he spun around in his chair "Jiji, Guess what, Teuchi-Ji-san gave me two free bowls of ramen today! TWO! He almost never does that! I knew today was going to be awesome!"

Seeing the boy so full of energy was both pleasing and a little tiring, all at the same time 'The boy truly is a beacon of light, I just wish he wasn't always pointed in my eyes' "That's quite generous of Teuchi-san. Be sure to thank him."

Naruto nodded to him "Right! Thanks Teuchi-Ji-san! Your the best!"

The young girl, Ayame, responded this time "We always love having you here, Naruto-kun."

It was nice to see a place where the boy was so openly accepted. The Hokage knew he got that almost no place else. It was sad to think about how the boy was treated, but he always seemed to rise up. In this respect he was stronger at 6 then some people that are three times his age. The Hokage took his seat next to Naruto "I'll have an order of the pork ramen please."

Teuchi and his daughter went straight to work on his order, giving the Hokage a minute to speak with Naruto "After we finish here, we can head back to my office. Kurenai-san will be coming back to pick you up there." He saw Naruto frown at this. The boys self reliance, matched with the petulance that many children his age have, meant he resented the idea that he needed to be cared for "Now, now Naruto-kun. I know your not a baby..." Naruto looked almost indignant at that the very mention of the word 'baby' "... but because of your arm, your going to need help for a while. And I assure you, Kurenai-san is a very kind person."

This seemed to do little to make Naruto feel better. The Hokage's order showed up shortly after that. As he began to eat he tried think of a way to frame this in a positive light for the young Naruto 'I know I can send the boy to her no matter what, but it would be for the best if I could at least get him excited about the idea of staying with her. Maybe I could tell him... '

A sly smile spread across the old Hokage's face "You know Naruto-kun, since Kurenai-san is a ninja, she might be able to help you with your school. She is one of our most promising young chunin."

Naruto immediately perked up at that. He turned his head to look right at the Hokage, wide eyed and a broad smile threatening to split his head in half "Really! Is she really good?" The Hokage gave a quick nod and Naruto jumped up on top of his stool "YAHOOO! Yes, now I'll be an awesome ninja for sure with someone like her helping me!"

The Hokage continued to smile, but silently realized what he may have just done to Kurenai 'Perhaps I shouldn't have made this promise on her behalf. I hope she isn't upset about this.'

All the Sandaime could do now was hope for the best when Kurenai came to pick up Naruto. It would likely only be matter of minutes before the boy starts asking for help.

Kurenai had made short work at her apartment. She didn't have a spare bedroom so she had prepared the couch for Naruto. She had never taken care of a child before, so she just locked all the cabinets with possible poisons in them and put away any and all sharp and or dangerous items, where he likely wouldn't find or reach them. Beyond that, she wasn't sure what to do. She just hoped that he wouldn't be too much of handful.

She had only just opened the door to the Hokage's office when she was charged by a blond headed blur "Are you really an awesome ninja! Can you help me? I'm having trouble with ..."

The boy continued on a rather excited of tirade of questioning while Kurenai just looked at Hokage with shocked and questioning expression on her face. The Hokage finally spoke up to save Kurenai from Naruto's assault "Calm down, Naruto-kun. Give Kurenai-san a moment to breath." The boy pouted, but did as he was told and went back to the chair that had been set in front of the Hokage's desk "Very good. There will be time for that later." The Hokage turned his attention back to Kurenai "Now, I trust everything is ready on your end?"

Kurenai took a second to recover from the assault on her senses "Um, Yes Hokage-sama. I've prepared a place for him to stay." Kurenai hesitated for a second "Hokage-sama, might I have a minute of your time?"

The Hokage nodded and turned to face Naruto again "Naruto-kun, would please wait outside while me and Kurenai-san have a word."

A loud groan escaped the boys mouth as he headed back out of the office, muttering and complaining about 'all this waiting'. Once he was outside, with the door closed behind him, the Hokage spoke up "Now, what is it you wanted to ask?" 'As If can't already guess.'

Kurenai stepped forward to take up the seat in front of the Hokage "Yes, Hokage-sama. I was wondering what the boy was talking about just now. I know you said he wanted to be a ninja, but surely he can't be expecting me to teach him."

The Hokage chuckled nervously "You see, Kurenai-san, when Naruto-kun heard you were a ninja he became quite excited about the idea of having someone to help him with his studies."

"But doesn't he have instructors at the academy who can help him? I'm just not sure I'm the best person to teach him." Kurenai was growing more uncomfortable with this arrangement by the minute 'I'm not sure I can handle all this.'

The Hokage nodded his head "Yes, but unfortunately young Naruto-kun's reputation as a troublemaker is well earned. I fear he spends more time trying to draw peoples attention then actually studying. If that weren't bad enough, the boy shares class with children of some of the villages most prominent clans, including the Uchiha and the Hyuuga to name only two. The boy is as committed and determined as anyone I've ever known, but he has neither a clan to bolster that nor any real innate talent. His strength comes from his drive, but without someone to put him on the right course I'm not sure he'll ever reach his full potential."

Kurenai had to admit it was a sad story, this boys life, but she had to wonder if the Hokage was only sharing this with her to guilt her into helping him 'If so, then I think it's working. I actually feel pretty bad for the kid.' "I'll see what I can do Hokage-sama. I'm sure I can help him with using his left arm, and I'll try to aid in his class work if I can."

The Hokage nodded his head to her "Thank you, Kurenai-san." The Hokage then reached down into one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out an envelope and slide it over toward Kurenai "Since you'll be looking after him for a while I'll be providing you with financial assistance. You should find a little extra in this first one, since the boy will be needing new clothes. Aside from what he has on, everything else was destroyed in the fire."

Kurenai took the envelope and bowed "Thank you Hokage-sama."

And with that she turned to leave. The moment she stepped foot outside "Ugh, finally! I've been doing nothing but waiting for you old people all day." The Hokage, still at his desk, flinched when her heard that comment from just outside, and Kurenai felt her anger spike, but quickly pulling it back into check. He was just a child after all.

Kurenai took in a deep breath and then slowly let it out "Let's go, Naruto-kun. I'll show you to my place first, then..."

"Then you can teach me ninja stuff, right?" Naruto interrupted.

Kurenai, putting her patience to the test, moved her head from side to side "No, next we get you some new clothes." Naruto looked down and remembered that he only had the clothes he had gotten from the hospital "Then we'll get something to eat, then, if there's time, we'll talk about what we'll do for your training."

Once again, Naruto groaned about waiting. Naruto was relatively quiet til they finally exited the tower, at which point he promptly asked "Can we have ramen for dinner?"

Kurenai simply replied "We'll see."

Once they had left they had entered Konoha proper Kurenai began to notice the looks that were seemingly focused in her direction. Of course she knew it wasn't her they were looking at. But despite this, the boy seemed perfectly oblivious to it. He was going on and on about ramen and ninja training. The boy was certainly simple, with seemingly only a two track mind. But still, there was no way the boy could be unaware of the harsh looks he was receiving. That was to say, from the few who would even look at him. Most simply looked away as soon as he came into sight. And yet Naruto didn't even flinch 'Has he had to endure this for so long that he is simply impervious to it.'

Kurenai finally took her eyes off Naruto and focused on those that seemed almost to be parting way for them. As if the boy was a stray dog. She could hear some of things that were being whispered, though she wished she couldn't.

"Do you see that? I can't believe that just let it walk around like that."

"Ugh, here it comes. Just don't look at it."

"What's wrong with it's arm?"

"Must have been one of those stupid jokes."

"That's what it gets for acting up."

"Who is that with it?"

"Maybe they finally gave it a handler."

It was at this moment, while she was scanning the crowd, that Kurenai noticed that something was pulling at her arm. She looked down to see Naruto yanking at her arm, trying as hard as he could to keep her attention. Even though it appeared that the boy had never lost his smile, the distressed look in his eyes told her something important. He wasn't impervious to the glares and words of the villagers. He simply shut it out with the sound of his own voice. He shut it out with ramen and pranks. He shut it out by making other people take notice of him. That's why he had tried so hard to get her attention back when she looked away. It's her focus on him that allows him to block everything else 'I wonder what it must be like when he has to walk these streets alone.'

Kurenai puts on a smile to try and put young Naruto back at ease "Now, let's see about getting you some new clothes. What's your favorite color Naruto-kun?"

Without hesitation, the boy shouts out "Orange!"

Kurenai massaged her temples. Having to pick through all that bright orange clothing had given her a headache. She understood that the boy was starved for attention and affection, but still, why did he have to pick such god awful clothing. With the extra money provided by the Hokage, they were able to get at least five new outfits and two new pairs of sandals. After much yelling and protest, she had managed to work the boy down to only one pair of orange cargo pants and a single orange t-shirt. The boy was without a doubt, one of the most stubborn people she had ever known. But she had known that this would try her patience from the start. She just hoped that the boy lightened up on her after a few days. If he was like this for the whole month, she may well simply end up putting the boy in a genjutsu induced coma.

After they had returned she had sent Naruto to the bathroom to change out of the dull gray clothes given to him at the hospital. Kurenai's apartment was rather small, but it was still kind of cozy. The front door opened up to her living room where one could immediately see the couch that had been set up with blankets and pillows to double as Naruto's bed, a small coffee table a foot or two in front of that. Just beyond the living room was the kitchen which was open to the living room. A small hallway on the left as they came in led to the bathroom (on the left) and Kurenai's bedroom (Straight ahead). When he finally emerged he was wearing, of course, the orange shirt and pants that she had gotten him. He had that smile of his plastered on his face as bound over toward Kurenai "So, are you really an awesome ninja?"

This made Kurenai smile "I suppose you could say that."

"What kind of cool techniques do you know?"

The boy was certainly excited about being a ninja. She felt kind of bad for him, because being a ninja can sometimes be a terrible thing "I specialize in genjutsu."

The boy stared up at her "Can you teach me that?"

"Maybe later, first I'm going to make some dinner."

Kurenai moved toward the kitchen, Naruto hot on her heels "Your making ramen, right?"

Kurenai shook her head "No, you just had that for lunch."

"What! But you said..."

Kurenai smirked to herself "No, I said we'd see."

Naruto pouted, but wandered back out into the living room without further complaint. But for some reason Kurenai just knew that this was only the beginning of a very long battle.

2 weeks later

Despite the rocky start, they seemed to have fallen into a sort of rhythm with each other. Naruto's first lesson that night was one that led to no end of whining for the rest of the night: calligraphy. Specifically with his left hand. Judging from his poor work, she was willing to guess the boy had poor hand writing before he lost use of his other hand. But that didn't stop Kurenai from trying to fix it.

Aside from that she helped here and there with school projects. The boy was terrible at reading maps. That had taken them at least 3 hours to get him to a place where he was at least capable of navigating by one on his own. Teaching him how to read a compass was easy enough once he understood the basics. All things considered, the boy wasn't stupid, like some believed, he was just easily distracted and quick to bore. As long as you could keep his attention he was pretty good at learning new things. To top it off, he was really pretty creative, it's just a shame that he spends most of that creativity on practical jokes.

After the first week, the boy had become so frustrated with the lessons that he threw a fit. He said 'I want to learn real ninja stuff'. Finally, Kurenai gave in and decided to help him a little. The boy was still too young to learn any complex ninjutsu. Plus with his right hand in it's current shape he wouldn't be able form hand signs anyway. She doubted he would have the patience to learn genjutsu, so that left them with taijutsu. The boy was short for his age, which meant that his reach was limited, so that ruled out most styles that focused on strikes. Perhaps a style more oriented toward throws and grapples. Perhaps incorporating a weapon into the style. A long weapon like a bow staff or a spear. But either of those would require both hands, so that would have to wait til after he had completed his physical therapy.

She had decided to take him out one evening to teach him the basics of jujitsu. This was pretty hard with his hand still in a cast, so they had to cut the lesson short, which Naruto was none to happy about. He went on about how he could keep working, but it was obvious that he was still struggling. The boys perseverance was admirable, but she had to think of his health right now, and working his right arm to it's limit was not in either of their best interests.

Aside from that all was well. Naruto hadn't liked the idea of someone looking after him, but had eventually come to accept Kurenai's help. She was surprised to learn the boy could actually cook for himself if he needed to. Mind you nothing to difficult, but he could do exceptionally well for a 6 year old 'I suppose such things come with having been on your own most of your life. She was 12 before she could do as well as the boy. Cooking was only one of his domestic skills. He could also do laundry and sort his garbage (when he remembered).

It was already pretty late and Kurenai and was settling in for bed. The Hokage had been kind enough to lighten her mission load, so she was never gone for more then a day at a time. Between that and what was provided for Naruto, she was able to get by quite nicely. Normally, with such a light mission load, she would be worried about her bills. But she had to admit that this arrangement had it's advantages. She was about to go to sleep when she heard something in the living room.

It was this place again. Except that blue light was gone now. Now it was just an open black space. He still couldn't move on his own. It's like he didn't really exist here. Like it was simply a void where his consciousness resided.

Despite being dark, it still felt warm here. Like there was a fire burning with no light. The a blue glow started to appear just to the right of where he was looking. Then a small measure of his strength returned, just enough to turn his head toward the light. It was coming from his arm. The glowing hand from the last time was now wrapped around his arm. It began to reach for his face.

"Give me more..."

Kurenai had stepped out of her bedroom wearing her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of red cotton shorts and a white t-shirt. She saw Naruto thrashing about on the couch for a moment. At first she thought he was just restless and unable to sleep, but then she noticed that he was already asleep 'Is he having a nightmare?'

A moment later Naruto popped straight up with a gasp. He immediately reached for his right arm and felt the cast that had yet to be taken off. After a couple of deep breaths he finally noticed that Kurenai was in the room with him "Hey Kurenai-sensei..." Kurenai had insisted that if she was going to teach him he give her the proper respect "What are you doing up?"

Kurenai observed him for a minute. He seemed to have composed himself, but he still looked a little pale. Whatever he had seen must have really upset him "I just heard some noise out here and was worried something was wrong. Are you okay?"

Naruto just smiled "Oh, I'm fine. Just kind of antsy I guess."

Kurenai just looked at him for a moment. Despite what he said, it was obvious that he wasn't alright "Well, since I'm up, I think I'll make some tea. Would you like some? It might help you sleep easier."

Naruto's expression became a surprised one "Uh, okay. I guess that would be nice."

Kurenai promptly walked past the couch and the coffee table and went right to the kitchen. She brewed a pot of green tea and quickly returned with two warm cups. She set them down on the table and ushered Naruto to join her on the floor. He slide down to sit next to her and began to sip at his tea "It's good."

Kurenai smiled "Thank you."

They enjoyed a few minutes of silence before Kurenai spoke up "So, what were you dreaming about?"

It was quiet for another second before Naruto responded "Really, I wasn't even sleeping. I just couldn't get to sleep."

She looked Naruto in the eye "I didn't get to be a chunin without being observant. Now, what's wrong?"

Looked away from her for a minute and looked to his tea. It was half-gone "It was just a nightmare."

Kurenai pressed on "About anything in particular?"

"No, just a weird one I've had since the fire." Kurenai looked concerned for a moment. Naruto noticed and waved it off "Not all the time. Just twice now." Naruto stopped "What's weird is is that it's not about the fire."

This made Kurenai curious "Then what is it about?"

Naruto took another sip of his tea "I'm not sure. It's just..." Naruto stopped again before taking one more sip of tea "Like I said, it was nothing."

Kurenai was still uneasy, but decided that she had pushed him enough for the night. They were silent for a few more minutes before they both finished their tea. Kurenai smiled to Naruto "Now, do you feel better?" Naruto looked away, feeling uncomfortable with how she was acting "Is there anything else I can get you?" Naruto shook his head "Good. Now, let's go back..."

"I'm not a baby!" Naruto blurted out "I don't need you to take care of me!" He didn't understand it. Why was she doing all this for him? "I can take care of myself!"

Even Naruto knew how petulant that sounded. Even for a 6 year old. But still, he didn't want to be treated like he needed her! He could along get all by himself! Without looking at her again, he got to his feet and hoped back on the couch, lying on his side, as so to face the back of the couch so Kurenai couldn't see the redness in his face or the water in his eyes 'Why am I about cry?' He thought to himself 'That's just stupid!'

He heard Kurenai move and figured she was about to go back to her room when suddenly felt a soft, warm hand start moving slowly up and down his back. At first he was going to turn and shout at her again. He didn't need her pity! But for some reason, he stopped. Instead he just laid there as she continued to rub his back. It suddenly got harder to breath as he began to sputter and the barely held back tears in his eyes started to slide down his face.

Kurenai could hear the labored breathing intermingled in the strangled sobs. To be honest, she kinda felt like crying to. For as strong as he acted, he was still just a 6 year old boy. She knew she couldn't be a proper mother to him. She was far to young and ill equipped to provide what the boy needed. Besides, she doubted he would welcome such a change. No, maybe, she could help alleviate some of the loneliness he felt with a few simple displays of affection "I'll stay here until your asleep, okay?"

Naruto said nothing for a moment, but she could hear him trying to calm his breathing. A single, stuttered "Okay" was his only response.

3 Weeks later

After that night they had fallen back into their normal routine for the most part. But now Naruto seemed much more open than he had once been. He was willing to leave himself open to her and she knew what a big deal that was for him. She vowed to herself that she would never do anything to betray the trust he had now placed in her. And she hoped she could live up to whatever expectations he had of her.

The time had come, and Naruto's apartment had finally been restored. They were both a little excited and a little sad all at once. They both looked forward to having their privacy again, which with the two of them living in Kurenai's tiny apartment, they had both had little of. But still, they had grown close to one another so it was sad to think that they wouldn't be living together anymore. But Kurenai knew where he lived, and she would still be helping with learning how to use his left hand. Plus, his cast was set to come off in another week, so she could actually teach him those 'cool ninja tricks' he wanted to learn so badly.

As they approached Naruto's apartment he suddenly spoke up "I'll still see you around, won't I?"

Kurenai looked down at him and smiled "Of course, I still need to finish showing you how to use your other arm, don't I?"

"And all that ninja stuff to! Don't forget that!"

Kurenai giggled to herself "Of course not Naruto-kun."

For some reason, at that moment, Kurenai felt that the future had just changed. As if all of this wasn't meant to happen at all. But now there was no stopping it. Her life was now traveling down a new path and she knew that Naruto's life was already on a crash course for some new, grand adventure. Whether the changes would lead to something good or bad didn't matter right now. All that mattered was the fact that there was now a bond between her and Naruto. And she wouldn't allow this unforeseeable future to affect that. Even though he wouldn't say it, he needed her now. And not just for his arm.

Naruto: age 8

Today was the day. Iruka Knew that this was the day young Naruto had been waiting for. After two years on the bench, he would finally be allowed to participate in sparring class. The boy had started carrying a pair of sticks crossed on his back and kept on about his great new skills. He was all to eager to show off to the class, though most of the other students thought he was just bluffing. Naruto had always struggled in the past, and now with his arm, which he kept covered by wrappings and a glove to cover the scarring, many figured he should just give up, teachers and students alike.

But his resilience paid off. For the most part anyway. Naruto's academic grades went up, if only slightly. He also seemed to be more patient, which meant he was still less patient then most but more so then some. The most surprising though was how much better his jutsu casting had gotten. The boy used to struggle with a simple henge, but now he could cast it without trouble. The kawarimi was also no trouble either. His clones were still struggling though.

Iruka was happy to see him doing better. He honestly had expected Naruto to drop-out after the accident. But he seemed to come back more determined then ever, which seemed to have some amount of impact on the boys class work. Although, that also didn't mean that the boy had stopped causing trouble. He still remembered how Naruto had put red paint on his chair. Or most recently how Naruto had managed to fill his desk drawer with flies.

Naruto was practically skipping all the way to the sparring grounds out back. This is not to say that Naruto wasn't always a little ball of energy, but today it was especially obvious. He just hoped Naruto was really as up to this challenge as he was acting, because a few of the other boys in class were none too pleased with Naruto's bragging. If he wasn't, he was probably about to get trampled.

Iruka gathered the students around the ring and told them the rules "Alright, were going to begin sparring practice, but first I'm going to go over the rules again for those of you who may have forgotten." He distinctly eyed Naruto "First, This is only meant for training purposes, so no trying to maim your opponents on purpose. Next, if I say stop, you stop. No exceptions. Finally, you must stay within the confines of the ring. Other then that, you can use any techniques available to you so long as they don't break the other three rules. Understood."

Some of the students answered up, some just nodded, the rest simply listened quietly. But Naruto snapped off a salute and shouted "Oi, sure thing Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka just sighed and stepped to the side of the ring "Alright, the first two will be Naruto Uzumaki and Sendo Utagana."

Naruto practically jumped to the middle of the ring. The other boy, Sendo, walked out slowly, eying Naruto with a dark gaze. He was significantly taller then Naruto (at least 6 inches). He wore a red shirt and blue pants. He had black hair and green eyes and seemed especially upset at Naruto. While Naruto was not the most popular person in his class, Sendo seemed to have a special kind of hate for him. Iruka suspected that his mother had told him the truth about Naruto, rather then just to stay away from him. He had no way to prove that was true, but it was just the feeling he got because the boy looked at him, the same way so many of the older villagers do.

Iruka braced himself, knowing that he may need to stop this fight if it should start to get out of hand. And he was honestly worried that it might. Iruka brought his hand up, casting one more glance to each fighter, before bringing it down "Begin!"

Sendo knew that Naruto would use sticks on his back as weapons, so he rushed him, hoping to block him from drawing them. Sendo went for a right jab, using his longer reach to stay just beyond Naruto. The move caught Naruto by surprise and as such, landed the fast strike to Naruto's mouth. Sendo followed up with a left, hoping to drop Naruto right here. Fortunately Naruto seemed to react on instinct and used his right hand to deflect the strike down and to the left. This caused Sendo to lose balance, which Naruto took advantage of by tripping him.

As Sendo rolled along the ground, Naruto drew his first stick in his left hand and let it lead forward, holding like a sword, his right hand just behind it. When Sendo got to his feet, he saw that Naruto had drawn his weapon, but was curious about why he was holding his other hand out like he did. Didn't he know that leaving the limb out like that would make it an easier target? 'Whatever. All the easier for me.' Sendo thought to himself as he prepared to strike again.

Naruto's weapon was just a stick after all. All he had to do was grab it and use the leverage his size granted him over Naruto to snatch it away. Sendo jumped forward again. Naruto struck with the stick in his hand. Sendo reached out with his right and grabbed the aluminum stick at the part just above Naruto's own hand but suddenly, as he was preparing to strike and wrench the weapon from Naruto's grip, Naruto's right hand struck the underside of Sendo's wrist, hitting the tendons and forcing him to let go of the stick. Naruto promptly used the weapon at this close proximity and cracked it against the side of Sendo's neck.

The yelped and jumped back. Because of it's light weight it hadn't done any serious harm. It just stung like hell. The boy was now glaring daggers at Naruto 'When did this little shit get to be any good!' Sendo was furious at the idea of being hit by Naruto of all people. It was humiliating that the stupid cripple in his class was actually holding his own. Naruto took this moment to grab the second stick from his back with his right hand. Naruto struck a new stance, with his right arm leading and bent upward at the elbow, the stick held parallel to the ground. The left arm is pushed forward, held to the body with the stick held parallel with the ground as well. Both of Naruto's knees were bent lightly at each knee to help brace himself.

Sendo decided that enough was enough. If the punk was going to use weapons, then so was he! He drew a blunted kunai and charged, holding the blunt knife to his chest as so to throw his whole body into the thrust. Naruto brought his right arm down in a circular movement and swung horizontally toward his charging opponent. Sendo used the knife to block the stick, hoping to use his momentum to parry it downward and carry through with his stab. But just as the two weapons met, he saw that Naruto's left had moved back at some point and was moving forward, the butt end of the stick aimed at his forehead.

With a single smack Sendo fell straight to the ground. He was down the time. Iruka ran to ensure the boy was okay. After a quick once over he was sure that the boy would be physically okay. Iruka turned to Naruto "Winner: Naruto Uzumaki!"

There was stunned silence for a moment, before an eruption of cheers. Of course all the cheers were coming from Naruto himself, but he was more then loud enough on his own. The other students just looked shocked. Naruto had never showed any kind of skill or potential in the past and yet he beat Sendo so easily. Of course Sendo ranked about fifth from the bottom, so that wasn't saying much, but still. The Naruto two years ago would have been lucky to have won at all. Of all his improvements this was perhaps the most obvious and dramatic.

After another few seconds, Iruka decided to interrupt Naruto's celebrating "That's enough, Naruto. There is such a thing as being a bad winner. You shouldn't gloat so much after winning a match."

Naruto frowned at the comment. He wasn't trying to be a jerk, he was just excited that he did so well. Okay, maybe he was trying to be a jerk a little bit. But no where near as much as Sendo. That guy was always glaring at him. If felt good to smack him around. But Iruka's stern look told him that this was not a request. Naruto let out an annoyed sigh, followed by a whiny "Fine."

Naruto then took the two sticks he had been swinging wildly while cheering and put them back on his back. As Naruto moved out of the circle he could hear the hushed whispers of his classmates. Some sounded legitimately impressed, others sounded shocked, but a few seemed to be dismissing the win.

"I can't believe he won!"

"What was that thing he did with the stick?"

"He just won because he had longer weapons."

"Do you think he can do anything else?"

For a moment, Naruto basked in it (The positive comments at least). It felt good to be recognized. But the moment was fleeting as the next match started. The class heart throb, Sasuke Uchiha, had taken center stage, amid cheers of 'Oh, Sasuke-kun'. That guy drove Naruto nuts. Always acting cool and stealing his moment. Naruto turned away, refusing to watch the boys match 'Whatever, I still kicked ass. I bet I could kick his ass too!'

The match was called shortly after Naruto looked away. Another chorus of cheers arose, this time from the girls of his class, for 'Sasuke-kun's' victory. Naruto turned to watch Sasuke march out with a smirk on his face, seemingly ignoring is female fan contingent 'Ugh, I can't stand that prick! What's so great about him anyway?'

As the Sasuke left the ring, Naruto decided that his new goal here was to beat Sasuke.

6 months later

Naruto was walking through the streets of Konoha, headed for another day at the academy. His left cheek was still sore from where Sasuke had decked him the day before 'So what! He beat me yesterday, but I'll get him today!'

This was quite possibly the thousandth time Naruto had thought this to himself, but if nothing else, you couldn't say the boy wasn't determined. He was about half way to the academy when he noticed something, everyone was whispering about something, which by itself wasn't strange, but what was was that none of them sounded like they were about him.

"Did you hear?"

"I know, it's so terrible."

"I heard they're all dead."

"No, one of them survived."

"The poor thing."

What were they all talking about? Had something happened last night? What did they mean by 'all dead'? This was all so strange. What was going on and why didn't he know about it? Naruto rushed on toward the academy, hoping that someone there might know what's going on.

Naruto: Age 10

She had only just returned to the village. She had asked to have her mission load stepped up since she was hoping to make Jonin in a year. She felt a great deal of pride in that thought. Not many kunoichi ever made it to Jonin and she intended to be one of the exceptional few. Her skills in genjutsu had always heads above her rank, but Jonin needed to be well rounded. Her taijutsu was strong, but her ninjutsu was only just passable. She would have to work on that if she was ever going to make the rank.

All things considered, things were looking up for Kurenai. She just had to keep her focus "Kurenai-sensei!"

Kurenai let out a sigh 'Not even ten minutes...' She turned to face the loud voice that had come from just behind her "Hello Naruto-kun. How has your training gone in my absence?"

Naruto had run up to Kurenai and came to a screeching halt just in front of her "Great! I'm really getting the hang of the whole weave thing! And I can even do that hip throw you showed me too!"

Kurenai nodded at his enthusiasm and simply listened. He had caught on to his taijutsu and weapons training surprisingly fast. Despite being kinda scrawny he was actually pretty strong for his age. He also seemed to learn best by having his lessons beat into him. She could talk til she was blue in the face, but it never clicked for him til he had to do it himself "That's good. What about your jutsu practice? Have you had any improvement?"

Naruto deflated at this for a moment, but then just kinda chuckled at it "Uhhh, not really..." He hesitated for a moment before blurting out "But I know I'll get it down soon! There's nothing to worry about, because I'm the amazing Naruto Uzumaki! There's no way I can fail!"

Kurenai laughed at the boys out burst 'The boys confidence is certainly extraordinary. Now if only he could back it up...' "I'm sure you won't Naruto-kun. Just be sure to keep working on it." Kurenai then began to move Naruto aside "Now, I have to inform Hokage-sama of my return."

As she passed him, Naruto said "I'll see you at Ichiraku tonight, right?"

The boy always seemed to get lonely when she wasn't around "Of course. Now get back to your training."

And with that, Kurenai continued on to the Hokage's office.

The next day

Naruto had taken up residence in one of the smaller training grounds. The sticks that he had once worn across his back were now worn on both his hips. Naruto was wearing a bright orange shirt that hugged his frame. The sleeves and shoulders were blue and ended at his elbows. Naruto wore bindings and a black glove on his right hand. While they had faded with time, the scars were still pretty visible. A pair of orange cargo pants and black sandals finished off his attire. He had a kunai holster on each thigh as well, just in case.

Naruto began to size up his opponent. Sure, it was just a training log, but still, in his head, it was Sasuke. Naruto drew his weapons and began to move his arms in weaving like motion 'Keep your arms moving. Neither moving in the same way of the same speed. Keep your opponent guessing.'

This had been the hardest part for Naruto. He had always been a bit of a brawler, so he was used to wide and heavy movements. But now he was trying to use tighter and more fluid motions. It had been tricky at first, but now he was finally getting the hang of it 'Ha, and it only took me two years. I'll be the best in no time. Then the old man will make me Hokage for sure!'

"Naruto!"

The sudden out burst caused Naruto to jump and lose his focus, causing him to draw his right arm back too far and smack himself right in the face. Naruto flopped down on his butt, rubbing his cheek "Ow..." Naruto turned his head "What's the big idea!"

Standing before him was a rather angry looking Iruka "I could ask you the same thing! Your suppose to be in class Naruto. What are you doing out here?"

Naruto spun around with a huff, not bothering to get to his feet "Ahh come on, your just talking about history and stuff today. It's not like that stuff matters, especially when I could be using that time to work on my taijutsu!"

Iruka let out an irritated sigh "Naruto, everything you learn at the academy is important. Haven't you ever heard that those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it?"

Naruto stopped for a second, the look on his face said that he was actually giving the question some thought "Nope."

"That's what I thought." Iruka took a deep breath to gain his composure "Listen Naruto, I know you want to get stronger, but it's also important to at least try to get smarter."

"Hey!" Naruto shouter, indignant at the comment "I'm plenty smart! Just not at textbook stuff!"

Iruka just groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose before fixing his gaze on Naruto again "Be that as it may, the 'textbook stuff' is still important. Now get up and get to class."

Naruto grumbled as he climbed to his feet "Fine."

With that, the two headed towards the academy, Naruto grumbling all the way.

Iruka often worried about the boy, but not always for the same reasons. Today he was worried that the boy would fail his Genin exam. They were fast approaching and even though the boy had started to show promise in his taijutsu skills, his ninjutsu was still far behind most of the other students, never mind his academic scores. The boy had been fast tracked so his first attempt at his Genin exam was less then a year away now.

Naruto: Age 12

'How did this happen? I tried so hard! Why didn't it work?'

Naruto sat, dejected on the swing just in front of the academies main building. Sure he had goofed off in the past, but he had really tried this time 'So why didn't it work?'

For the first time in a very long while, Naruto felt hopeless. He had wanted to pass so bad and he had improved so much, but he just couldn't do that stupid bushin. I was always the bushin no jutsu that threw him off. He could hear the whispers of some of the adults who had shown up to see the new graduates.

"That a boy. I knew you could do it."

"I'm so proud of you."

"Now you remember to be careful."

He could even hear a few that he had no doubt, were aimed at him, but he decided to leave, rather than listen to them carry on.

There was a pounding at her door. Kurenai quickly rose from her bed and made her way to the door. She wondered who it could be at this time of night, and what they could need. The heavy and frequent pounding told her it was probably important. Or that it was Naruto coming to sulk about having failed again. She had gone to the academy to see him, but he was already gone when she arrived. Seeing all the other graduates with their families must have upset him because she hadn't seen him all day. When she opened the door she was surprised to see an out of breath Iruka "Iruka-san, what can I do for you?"

His expression gave her a sinking feeling as he spoke "It's Naruto..." It got worse "He's taken the forbidden scroll!"

All the color drained from her face. She slammed the door shut and ran back to her room. In less then a minute she had changed into her gear again and ran for the front door. She shot out, passing a still dazed Iruka as she did "Come on, we have to go!"

The urgency was evident in her voice. Iruka sped after the newly minted Jonin, as the made their way toward the Hokage tower, where a crowd of other ninja had already gathered. Kurenai and Iruka ushered their way to the front of the group, they could hear many in the group calling to the Hokage.

"My lord, we can't let this stand! This is no simple prank!"

"The boys actions have quite possibly put the whole village in jeopardy!"

The Hokage was silent for a moment. It was well known that he had a soft spot for Naruto, but even he couldn't ignore this "I want the scroll retrieved and Naruto brought here to me."

Many in the crowd were all to happy to chase the boy down. Kurenai and Iruka feared that if any of them found Naruto first it would not go well for him. They looked to each other and nodded before heading in opposite directions, each hoping to find Naruto before it was too late.

The sun was just beginning to rise when the search was called off. The Hokage said that the scroll had been returned and that the appropriate actions had been taken. Kurenai was worried at first, but when she saw the soft expression on the Hokage's face, she felt assured that everything had worked out some how. But she still wouldn't be able to rest until she knew exactly what happened. Once some of the other Jonin and Chunin had scattered she approached Sarutobi "Excuse me, Hokage-sama." The old man fixed his eyes on Kurenai "I was wondering what it to become of Naruto-kun?"

The old man simply smiled "Why don't you ask him. I believe he and Iruka are already at Ichiraku."

Authors Note: This will mark the end of this chapter. I had initially intended to just jump to the part where Naruto gains his new power, but I decided that this was chance to give some new genesis to the character.

After this I'll be jumping straight to the early part of the wave arc. Everything that has occurred in between is more or less identical to canon so I felt no need to re-explain it all.

If anyone has questions of simply wishes to leave a comment, please review and I'll be sure to read it. Even if all you have to say is that you hate my story.