Lloyd Neruameshi: The Pairing IS Naruto/ Tayuya, but it won't be right away. Right now, I'm thinking it will happen around chapter 7-8. I won't spoil anything, though. You'll just have to read and find out. MWAHAHAHAHA!

And with that, here's chapter two!

It had been 2 years since the day that changed Naruto's life forever. And, needless to say, his life was greatly improved. Nero was, surprisingly, an extremely good guardian. He took very good care of Naruto. They had moved in to the Namikaze mansion the night after the council meeting. Naruto was amazed that the whole thing was his. As soon as he got there, he immediately started running around the mansion, looking around. He was ecstatic. Nero was impressed as well, though he hid it much better. Once Naruto had calmed down, Nero showed him his bedroom. As Naruto was technically the clan head, it made sense that he would sleep in the master bedroom. Naruto was even more amazed by this room.

For starters, the room itself was gigantic! It was about as big as Naruto's whole apartment. It had a king-sized bed that, according to Naruto, was extremely comfortable, and it even had it's own bathroom. When Naruto asked Nero where he would be sleeping, Nero simply stated that he would sleep in one of the guest bedrooms. Since that day, Nero had been teaching Naruto how to read, write, and how to think logically. He even taught him a little about combat strategy. One day, Naruto asked Nero when he would teach him to use his Kitsune powers, Nero told him that before he would teach him how to use his powers, he first needed to learn when to use his powers. He told him he wouldn't teach him to use his powers until he was old enough to enter the ninja academy. Naruto left it at that, knowing he wouldn't be able to change Nero's mind.

Today was that day. Naruto got dressed quickly. Since he started learning from Nero, he had stopped wearing that orange jumpsuit, especially since he wasn't being overcharged anymore since Nero amputated that one merchant's arm. After that, he even got a discount at some stores. Now that he had his pick of clothing, he picked simple black Anbu pants, a black undershirt, and a faded orange jacket. He still wore orange, as it was his favorite color, but it was a bit more tasteful now. Naruto ran to Nero's room.

"Tou-san! Wake up! It's my first day at the academy!" Naruto said, charging into Nero's room.

"I know, that's why I woke up early." Nero said, walking out of his bathroom, fully clothed. Since Nero was now living with Naruto, he didn't wear his armor, though he still carried his odachi everywhere. He instead wore black pants, much like Naruto's, and a black shirt under a blood red overcoat that had a picture of the Kyuubi on the back. He still had his tails showing, not seeing a point in hiding them, as everyone already knew who he was. That had been an announcement along with them revealing Naruto's parentage. As soon as they revealed who he was, people were either calling for his head, running in fear, or begging for mercy. Sarutobi explained that Naruto was the only thing keeping Nero from killing them all. It was true, too. Naruto had made Nero promise not to hurt anyone just because they had hurt him in the past. Nero agreed, on the condition that if they hurt him or messed with him in the future, that he could react.

"Hurry up, tou-san! I don't want to be late!" Naruto said to his "father". Naruto had started calling Nero his father only a year after they had moved into the Namikaze mansion. When Nero asked him about it, Naruto simply stated that Nero was like a father to him. That made Nero happy. In the time that they had spent together, Nero had begun to think of Naruto as his own child.

"Hold your horses, Kit. The academy isn't going anywhere. Before we go, at least eat some breakfast." Nero said. Even with the mental training, Naruto was still impulsive at times.

"Okay, tou-san." So they walked into the kitchen which, like every other room in this mansion seemed to be, was HUGE! It had everything a master chef would need. Needless to say, neither of them knew what half of that stuff was. They managed, though.

After breakfast, they started walking towards the academy. They no longer received looks of hatred and anger. No, since Nero made himself known, they received looks of fear from most, admiration from some, and, oddly enough, Nero received looks of lust from most of the Konoha women. Most of them creeped him out. Though, the blatant ones he got from a certain Snake mistress, and the more subtle ones he got from a certain genjutsu mistress, in particular, had him intrigued.

They made their way to the academy. As Nero and Naruto walked into the academy, the teachers kept their distance, something they both had become used to. They just shrugged it off. After a few minutes of searching, they found Naruto's classroom. They walked inside.

"Hey, Naruto!" A feral looking boy came running up to them. "Hey Kiba." Naruto replied.

"Come on, buddy! Shikamaru and Chouji wanna see ya!" Kiba said, pointing to said people, who waved.

"Go ahead, kit. I'll talk to your teachers." Nero said to his "son", who smiled in return.

"Thanks, tou-san!" He said with a grin, then ran off to be with his friends. Nero looked around, seeing familiar faces, but not the teachers. So he asked one of the few people he DIDN'T hate in Konoha.

"Hey, Tsume." Said woman turned around.

"Hey, Nero. What's up?" Nero and Tsume had met enough times that one could consider them friends. Their sons hung out together enough times, and Nero liked to know who Naruto was associated with.

"Where are the teachers?" He asked.

"They're not here yet. They should be here soon. You gonna scare them?" She asked, the last part with a grin that almost mirrored Nero's own.

"Probably. They just need to treat him fairly, and I won't have a problem." Tsume nodded. She knew how people treated Naruto when Nero wasn't there to stop them.

"I look forward to seeing it." Nero just chuckles at her. They look at their kids. They are sitting and talking about how cool they'll be when they're ninja.

"Here they are." Tsume says. Nero turns to the door. Entering the room are two Chunin. One had his hair tied back into a pineapple shape and a scar across the bridge of his nose. The other had shoulder length silver hair. Nero could smell deceit coming from him. 'He's planning something. He'd better hope it doesn't involve Naruto.' he thought. The one with the scar started to speak.

"Hello everyone, I'm Iruka Umino, and this is my partner, Mizuki." The newly named Mizuki raised his hand in response and waved. "We'll be your teachers throughout your years in the academy, so let's try and get along. Now then, do the parents have anything to ask or tell us?" he asked. Nero walked forward and nodded to the door. They nodded in return and followed him out. As soon as the door was shut, Nero turned to them.

"As I'm sure you both know, I'm Naruto Uzumaki's guardian. And I'm also sure that you've heard how I react to people mistreating him." Seeing them nod, he continued, "I only have one thing to say then: treat him like you would any other student. If he fails, he fails because he got the question wrong, not because you don't like him, or anything like that. I'm sure you know what will happen should you try anything."

"Do not worry, Nero-san, we will treat him like a normal academy student. Just so I know what to expect, though, how smart is he?" Iruka asked.

"Naruto is extremely smart for his age. I have been training him in the art of strategy and the ninja ways since we moved into the mansion. Do not be surprised if he shows superior work than what you would be used to. He is what you humans call a prodigy."

"Wow. I didn't expect that. I look forward to teaching him." Iruka walked back into the class. As Mizuki was about to walk in as well, Nero grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Is there a problem, Nero-san?" He asked.

"I'll be clear with you on this. I don't trust you. I know you're up to something, and though I really don't care what, leave Naruto out of it or you will beg for death when I'm done with you. Clear?"

"Y-Yes, sir." Mizuki squeaked out. Satisfied, Nero let go and they walked back into the room, Nero acting as if nothing happened. He walked calmly back to where he was standing before, near Tsume, who was snickering at Mizuki's pale face.

"What did you say to him?" she asked.

"I merely warned him to leave Naruto alone. I just seem to have that effect on people." Nero said, not even changing his expression. Tsume had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Nero really made things interesting around Konoha.

"I'll say. Fugaku nearly pissed himself when you warned him." Tsume said, giggling at the memory. Naruto and Fugaku's son, Sasuke, had surprisingly enough become friends over the two years. Nero didn't trust the clan, and when Nero had warned them, he left them no quarter. He said "You even look at him funny, and I bury your whole damn clan." The Uchiha may have been arrogant, but they weren't stupid. The clan was still standing, yes. They weren't stupid enough to try and usurp the Hokage with the Kyuubi free.

"I didn't trust him. I still don't." To be honest, Nero hated the Uchiha in general, save Sasuke and Itachi. The two of them were like brothers to Naruto. Ever since Madara, Nero hated the Uchiha. Nero looked towards Naruto. He was talking with Sasuke while getting glares from Sasuke's many fan girls. Nero shook his head at the fan girls.

"You don't seem to mind Fugaku's kids." Tsume noted.

"That's only because Mikoto taught them right. They haven't grown up to be arrogant."

"True." The parents said goodbye to their kids and started leaving. Nero said goodbye to Naruto and told him that his training would start when he got home. Naruto was ecstatic upon hearing that. As soon as Nero left the academy, He went to the weapon shop.

"Hey." Nero said to the shop owner.

"What do you need, Nero?" questioned Tetsu Higarashi. Tetsu was always kind to Naruto, never overcharging him. Thus, Nero liked him. He frequently bought supplies from this shop to teach Naruto with.

"I'm starting Naruto's sword training today. I need to get him a good blade. What do you recommend?" Nero asked. Tetsu had an eye for good weaponry. Nero had learned to trust that eye.

"Well, you're gonna teach him your fighting style, right?" Nero nodded.

"Then he's gonna need a longer sword, right?" Nero nodded again.

"Correct. My style can only be performed with a long sword. He is too young and short to be able to use an Odachi, so I was thinking of giving him a Nodachi. Which do you recommend?" Nero replied, then asked.

"A Nodachi would work fine, I think." Tetsu walked over to a wall rack that had a ton of Nodachi on it. "But which one?"

"I'm not looking for anything special. So long as he can wield it and it will withstand the training, it's fine." Nero replied.

"So a more durable blade, then, given that it would need to be able to block your blade without shattering. Yours is made out of a special metal, right?"

"Yes. You can only get it in my native realm. I plan on getting him one like mine when he completes his training."

"All right, then. I think this one will do." Tetsu says, grabbing a Nodachi off of the wall rack. It was a rather simple weapon, as far as Nodachi's go. The blade was silver, reflecting the light rather well. It had a simple square guard. The hilt was navy blue in color. It had a simple black sheath.

"I made it more durable than I make most of my blades, so as long as you maintain the blade, it should stand up to anything you do. If it doesn't, just bring it down here and I'll try to fix it for ya." Tetsu says.

"Thank you. Will this be enough?" Nero asked, throwing a bag of coins to Tetsu. When he looked into the bag, his eyes widened.

"This is more than enough! I can't accept this!" Tetsu said, trying to give the bag back.

"You can and will. You have given Naruto and myself huge discounts in the past. This is my way of repaying you." said Nero, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Thank you, Nero." was all Tetsu could say.

"Thank you, Tetsu. Tell Tenten I said hi." Nero replied, grabbing the Nodachi and calmly walking out of the shop. As he was walking back to the mansion, he ran into one Kurenai Yuhi.

"Hello, Kurenai-san" He said.

"Hello, Nero-sama." She replied politely.

"No need to be so polite, Kurenai-san. Please, just call me Nero" he stated, smiling at her

"Hai, Nero-kun." she replied, blushing. Kurenai, like most women in Konoha, thought that Nero was, as they put it, drop dead sexy. Though she hid it much better than most.

"That's better, Kurenai-chan. I heard that you plan to take the Jonin Exam when it comes along. I have a feeling you will succeed." Nero said, walking to the mansion, with Kurenai walking beside him.

"Really? I don't know."

"If you wish, I could assist you in training for the exam when I'm not training Naruto."

"R-Really?"

"Of course, Kurenai-chan. Naruto wouldn't mind, and I would be happy to help." He replied.

"Sure, Nero-kun. I'd like that." She said. They continued walking in silence, until Nero spoke up.

"What are your plans for today, Kurenai-chan?" Nero said, looking at her.

"I don't have anything planned today. Why?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Well, I have nothing to do until Naruto gets out of the Academy, so I was wondering if you would like to do something." Kurenai blushed.

"L-Like a date?" she stammered, not believing that the eye candy of the women of Konoha was asking her out.

"Sure." he replied, smirking at her reaction.

"Okay, Nero-kun. Want to get some dango?" she asked.

"Alright." They walked to the dango stand together. When they walked in, they saw a familiar figure at the bar.

"Hey, Nai-chan. Hey, Nero-kun." Anko said, looking back at them.

"Hello, Anko-san." Nero replied politely.

"Hey, Anko." Kurenai replied casually.

"So what are you two doing here?" Anko asked as they sat down at the bar and made their orders. Kurenai sat next to Anko, while Nero sat next to her.

"Getting dango." Nero replied, making Kurenai giggle.

"What are you two on a date or something?" Anko asked, at which Kurenai blushed. Nero showed no visible reaction.

"Yes. Is there a problem?" Nero asked, while Kurenai looked at him, surprised that he wasn't even phased by Anko's usual behavior.

"No, I'm just shocked that Nai-chan here actually agreed to go out on a date with someone." said Anko.

"Ah, yes, I believe her reputation is as 'Konoha's ice queen'." Nero said, looking at Kurenai. The waiter delivered their dango.

"Don't touch my plate, Anko." Kurenai said, grabbing her hand. Anko pouted.

"Here." Nero said, handing her a plate. Anko quickly grabbed the plate and immediately started devouring the dango.

"Why'd you give her your plate?" Kurenai asked.

"I didn't." Nero said, eating a piece of dango. " I ordered another plate."

"Why?"

"She's your friend, right?" seeing her nod, he continued. "I was being nice. Besides, She has the same eyes as Naruto." At that, Anko stopped eating and Kurenai's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Anko asked, trying to hide her emotions.

"You've had a life similar to Naruto's, haven't you?"

"How did-" She started, only to shake her head, "No, it doesn't matter. Yes, I have, though, not as bad as the gaki." Anko told Nero everything about her life, her apprenticeship, and even her curse seal.

"Can I see the seal?" Nero asked.

"Why?"

"I may be able to get rid of it."

"How?" Kurenai asked, knowing that the Sandaime himself couldn't remove it.

"I'm over 3,000 years old, Kurenai. You tend to learn a few things in that amount of time."

"I can show it to you, but can we go somewhere more private?" She asked, not wanting everyone to know about the seal.

"Sure, we can go to the Namikaze mansion." So Nero paid the guy at the stand for his, Kurenai's, and Anko's meals, and led them both to the mansion. They gaped at the size. Nero led them inside. They walked into the living room.

"Show me the seal." Nero said. Anko just nodded. She stood up and removed her overcoat. She turned around so that Nero could see it better.

"Hmm…" Nero started examining the seal. "Can you channel some chakra please?" Nero asked, still looking at the seal. After further examination, he told them to stay there. After a few minutes, he came back with a scroll and ink brush. He started to write something on a small part of the scroll. After he finished writing, he held it to her neck.

"FUIIN!" He shouted, funneling youki into the paper. Anko felt a stinging sensation in her neck. After about 10 seconds, he removed the paper from her neck and sealed it into the scroll. "It's done." he said simply, making their eyes widen.

"Wha… How?" they asked almost at the same time.

"Youki. As a Kitsune, I have access to demonic energy. This energy is similar to what your seal was powered by. Thus, it was simple for me to remove it from you."

"But I thought that your power was still sealed within Naruto." said Kurenai.

"It is. I still have control over it, though, so I could manipulate what was within her from the seal." replied Nero.

Anko was overjoyed. This man had finally freed her from the curse that Orochimaru had put on her. So she did what she thought was the best way to thank him. She kissed him. Right on the lips. Nero's eyes widened a bit, Kurenai's were as big as dinner plates, and she was red with jealousy. After a little bit, she broke the kiss.

"Thank you, Nero-kun." Anko said, putting on her overcoat and walking out the door, shaking her rear.

Nero saw how angry that Kurenai seemed to be over the kiss.

"Jealous, Kurenai-chan?" he asked, smirking. She turned to face him, blushing.

"I… uh…" she was unable to form coherent words at the moment. Her mind was racing.

"Do you want a kiss, too?" he asked, stepping closer to her. Kurenai blushed a red that would put Hinata to shame. And without any warning, Nero leaned down and captured her lips with his own. Kurenai's eyes widened again.

She almost instantly responded to the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, while his arms snaked around her waist. He snaked his tongue out, licking her lips, asking for entry. She opened her mouth and darted her tongue out to meet his in a passionate tongue war. After a few minutes longer, they broke apart, Kurenai's face flushed, both gasping for breath. They just stared at one another for a while, not braking the holds they had on each other. Kurenai broke the silence first.

"So, uh… what does this mean for us?" she asked.

"What do you want it to mean?" he responded.

"Well, I'd at least like to see you more often."

"All right, then I guess that makes you my… what's the term you people use? Oh yeah, I guess that makes you my girlfriend."

Kurenai smiled, kissing him lightly on the lips. "I can live with that."

"Isn't it almost time for the academy to get out?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh yeah, you should go get Naruto. Want me to go with you?" she asked.

"Sure. After all, you and he will have to meet officially if you're going to be my girlfriend." He said. She nodded, and they headed for the academy, hand in hand.

When they had arrived at the academy, class had just gotten out. Kids were running out of the building for home. Some parents, like Nero, had shown up to walk their kids home.

"Hey, Tou-san!" Naruto shouted running up to his father. "Who's the pretty lady?" He asked, looking up at Kurenai.

"This is my girlfriend, Kurenai, Naruto."

"Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki- Namikaze!" Naruto said, with all the enthusiasm an 8 year old could muster.

Kurenai giggled. "Hello Naruto. My name is Kurenai Yuhi."

"Hey tou-san, what's that?" Naruto asked, pointing to the wrapped object in Nero's right hand.

"Open it and find out." Nero replied, handing it to Naruto. Naruto quickly unwrapped the object, and gasped when he saw it.

"My own sword?" he looked up at Nero, who was smiling at him.

"You'll get your real sword when you graduate, but until then, I think this will do."

Naruto hugged his father's legs, shouting "THANK YOU!" over and over.

"Naruto, do you want to learn how to use it or not? I can't teach you if you don't let go." Nero replied, looking down at the boy.

"Right! Let's get started!"

"I think we should get home first." Nero replied, sweat- dropping at his son's eagerness.

"Do you mind if I stay and watch?" Kurenai asked once they arrived at the mansion.

"Sure. Come on in." Nero answered, smiling at her. Naruto had already bolted for the training courtyard. Nero and Kurenai chose to walk, however.

They quickly got to the courtyard. Naruto was in the center of the courtyard, having ditched his orange jacket, holding his Nodachi. Seeing this, Nero discarded his overcoat and hefted his blade in his hand. He walked to the center of the courtyard, a few feet away from Naruto.

"Alright, you will be learning my own personal style, as I don't use any specific one."

"Cool. Hey, tou-san, why don't you use any one style?" Naruto asked.

"For a few reasons. One, it keeps my enemies on edge if I keep switching styles, two, every style has at least one weakness. By knowing multiple styles, you won't have any critical errors, and if you master multiple styles, like me, you will have no weaknesses."

"You have to have one weakness, tou-san." Naruto challenged.

"Not when it comes to swords. I devoted 500 years of my life to learn the ways of the sword. Doing so has made my technique perfect. No human blade could ever outmatch me." Nero explained.

"Then I'm gonna be the first one to beat you!" Naruto exclaimed. Nero smirked

"We'll see, won't we?" and so, for the next 3 hours, Nero drilled Naruto in the basics of kenjutsu. Kurenai was amazed at the stamina of both of them, wondering what uses Nero's stamina would have outside combat. When they eventually stopped for dinner, Kurenai asked them if she could make dinner for them. After training for 3 hours, they quickly agreed. The dinner she made was rather simple, but it was better than anything they'd ever cooked.

"That was delicious!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes. It really was, Kurenai. You are a very good cook." Nero said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, you should come over more often! Or you could stay here!" Naruto said. Nero looked at him, while Kurenai blushed at the thought of living with Nero.

"Naruto, calm yourself." Naruto sat back down. Nero looked towards Kurenai, who was still blushing. "I agree that you should come over more often. As to moving in… the mansion is definitely large enough." Nero said. Kurenai went wide-eyed. He wanted her to move in with him?

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Do you want to move in with us?" he asked. She almost tackled him to the ground and kissed him passionately on the lips. After a moment, they separated.

"How's that for an answer?" she asked, smirking. Nero only growled deeply and kissed her with as much passion as she had kissed him with. Naruto stared in shock at the two adults that were now making out on the table.

"Uh…" the two adults were awoken from their passion filled trance by a very confused and shocked Naruto. They looked at their bodies' positions. Kurenai was laying on her back on the table, her shirt opened slightly, showing some impressive cleavage. Nero was on top of her, his shirt somehow missing. They quickly got up and straightened out their clothing, Nero looking for his shirt. He found it on the other side of the room and quickly put it back on. When they looked back to Naruto, they found him still in shock. So Nero did the one thing he knew would wake him up. He leaned closer to Naruto, and shouted, "NARUTO! ICHIRAKU'S HAVING AN ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT RAMEN SPECIAL.!"

Naruto snapped out real quick, looking around for his ramen. Not seeing any, he decided to drop it. They spent the rest of the night talking, mostly about Kurenai, as Naruto didn't know anything about her and Nero was eager to learn more about his new girlfriend. Noticing that it was getting late, Kurenai decided to spend the night, rather than head home. Saying goodnight to Naruto, Nero showed her to what would become her new room. After a quick kiss goodnight, he left her and headed to Naruto's room.

"Hey, kit" Nero said, opening Naruto's bedroom door. Naruto was already in his pajamas, walking towards the bed.

"Hey, tou-san. Is the pretty lady gonna stay with us?" Naruto asked. Nero smirked.

"Yes, Kurenai will be moving in with us. I'm helping her move her stuff here tomorrow." Nero replied. Naruto grinned.

"Good." Naruto said. Nero raised an eyebrow.

"Good how?"

"Good because it means my family is growing!" Naruto said, grinning ear to ear.

"Alright, get to bed, kit. You got school tomorrow, and we're still training, so you're going to need your rest." Nero said, turning back towards the door.

"Goodnight, tou-san."

"Goodnight, kit."

Nero shut the door, heading for his own bedroom. Naruto smiled, lying in his bed. He was finally starting to learn how to use his fox powers. In only four years, he was going to see his kaa-chan again, and Nero might be able to get his power back! Just four years.

And what a four years they would prove to be…

And done! This story is a lot longer than I had originally intended it to be, but I just couldn't stop it without leaving something out.

On another note, I forgot the disclaimer in the first chapter, so I'll just put it here.

Disclaimer: I IN NO WAY OWN NARUTO! I ONLY OWN THE NERO CHARACTER!

That's better. Also, my stories will not be at any set length, though I do try to keep them between 3 and 4 thousand words. My next chapter will probably be a long one, so look forward to it!

READ AND REVIEW OR I WILL USE THE ALMIGHTY POWER OF CHUCK NORRIS' BEARD TO KILL YOU ALL!