Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That right goes solely to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 2:

Naruto sighed as he saw the puddle. He knew it. Ever since they'd left the village two days ago, Tazuna had been jumpy and wary, like he expected to get attacked. Now this puddle. It hadn't rained in a week. There shouldn't be a puddle.

He heard movement and then two figures busted out of the water. The ensnared Kakashi, or rather, Kakashi's substituted logs, and then destroyed 'Kakashi' in a spray of blood. Naruto sped forward and the first man fell quickly with a slash of his sword. The next man was smashed into the tree and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Naruto stalked over to him as he tried to get up and slammed is throat into the tree, before he caught the man's eyes and activated his Sharingan, "What are you doing here?"

The man seemed to fight his sharingan a minute and then he gave in, "We were to eliminate Tazuna the bridge builder for Gato for a million yen."

Naruto's sharingan deactivated and he stabbed the man through the throat, letting his lifeless body go. He wiped the blood from his sword on the man's trousers and then turned back to the others, who were looking at him in shock. Kakashi dropped down from the tree above and looked at Naruto in curiosity, before he turned to Tazuna with a glare, "Explain."

Tazuna gulped, but Naruto made a show of sheathing his blade and leaving his hand on the hilt, ready to draw. He finally spoke, "Gato is trying to stop me from building a bridge from the Wave to the mainland because it will ruin his illegal cargo shipments. Our country is too broke to get the proper rank, so we...sort of...cheated."

"This is at least a B-Rank mission. Do you want us all dead? These ninjas are fresh from the academy, not ready for B-Rank. Are you trying to get them killed?"

"Um, um, no, but please! We really need your help!"

Naruto sighed, "We should help him, Kakashi-sensei. You did say that we were capable of doing a B-Rank mission and he obviously needs help."

Kakashi looked at him a minute and then sighed, "Alright, we continue the mission. Let's go."

OoOoOo

The next attack was of a more powerful foe. Naruto grabbed his team and threw them to the ground, while Kakashi grabbed Tazuna. Naruto then darted his hand up and grabbed the hilt of the long blade as it spun over his head.

He caught it with a small grunt and then flung it back at its owner. It was caught by a tall man with bandages covering the lower half of his face and upper part of his shoulders. He smirked, "So one of you is able to wield my Kubikiribocho. Impressive. Tell me, boy, what's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki. Yours?"

"Zabuza Momichi, the Bloody Demon of the Mist."

Kakashi gasped, "He's out of your range, Naruto! Move aside! I'll take care of him!"

Zabuza looked at Kakashi and gained an evil grin, "Copy Ninja Kakashi. I wanted to see you. I want to kill you!"

Kakashi fell into a ready stance and lifted his hitai-ate to reveal a Sharingan eye, "I won't let you pass. I won't let you hurt my team."

The team stepped back, though Naruto watched warily in case he needed to intervene. Then the battle started. (Same as in cannon. Don't want to rewrite that. Sorry :( )

When the battle was over, Naruto watched the strange hunter nin take the body away in suspicion. In Indra's days, the hunter nins had destroyed the body then and there. He didn't have time to ponder this when Kakashi collapsed from chakra depletion and he had to catch him.

He hefted the man on his back and looked at Sasuke, "Can you carry Tazuna? I want to travel the ninja way with Kakashi-sensei out of commision."

Sasuke nodded and turned to the bridge builder, "Get on my back and tell us where your house is. Sakura, guard the back."

Sakura nodded and Tazuna climbed onto the Uchiha, before they took off again. Tazuna led the way until they arrived at a small village a few hours travel away. He led them to his house and Sasuke set him down. He led the way in and offered the guest room for Kakashi to be placed.

Naruto nodded, "Thank you. Sensei needs rest, but we will guard you until then. Rest assured. I have not yet shown my true abilities and neither has Sasuke."

Tazuna nodded, looking away, "Thank you...for convincing your sensei to continue with the mission. I would be dead if you hadn't and this really is the only way to save my village."

Naruto shook his head, "Don't thank me. It was the right thing to do, therefore I did it."

Tazuna sighed, "I think that I've underestimated you, kid."

"Oh, why?"

"You seem wise beyond the years of a teenager and I saw how easily you took care of those two ninjas that first attacked us."

Naruto was silent for a moment, then, "You're right. I'm holding back...a lot. Not even my team knows what I am truly capable of. Now, it's late. May we stay in here with Kakashi-sensei for at least the night?"

"Of course! My daughter would have my hide if I didn't allow that."

Naruto nodded, "Thank you, Tazuna-san."

"Come eat dinner. I'm sure Tsunami has already made enough."

Naruto smiled now, "Alright."

OoOoOo

Sakura looked at Kakashi in confusion, "Tree walking? We can climb trees easily."

"I said tree walking, not tree climbing." As he said this, he walked up the side of the tree they were in front of and then threw kunai at their feet, "Mark when you feel like you're going to fall."

Naruto picked his up with a smirk, "Hey Sasuke, look, two new kunais. Thanks Kakashi-sensei!"

"Um, what?"

"Oh, Sasuke and I already know this ability along with water walking and leaf balancing."

Kakashi's visible eye widened in shock, "What?"

"Yeah, we have excellent chakra control. Say, can we train on our own on something else instead?"

"Um, sure. What?"

"A secret ability of mine that I've offered to teach Sasuke. It's rather...private, so I'd prefer if we could do it in private."

Kakashi seemed uncertain, but he nodded, "Nothing too dangerous, alright? There's no good hospitals nearby."

Naruto nodded, "Alright. I promise it won't affect us that badly."

"Go ahead then. Sakura, let's get started."

Naruto led Sasuke off into the forest until they arrived in a small clearing filled with flowers, where Naruto sat down and gestured for Sasuke to do the same across from him. He spoke, "Now, I don't know if you've noticed, but when you saw me die, you awakened what is known as the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Sasuke gasped, "The eyes Itachi has?!"

"Yes, but all Mangekyou are different. Now, there is a couple powers the Mangekyou hold. One is amaterasu, or unquenchable flames. They will burn and burn and never die out unless you will them to with your eyes. A second ability is Tsukuyomi, or the perfect illusion. It holds you in a world that the Sharingan user created and it will hold you there for seventy two hours, which in reality is three seconds in the real world. The user may do whatever they wish, as it is their created world."

Sasuke gasped, "Like what Itachi did to me?"

"Yes, that was Tsukuyomi. Now, another ability is Susanoo. Susanoo is a warrior that cannot be pierced. Each Susanoo holds a sword that will put your enemy in a permanent genjutsu for the rest of their lives. They will be in a coma forever. The next power is Kamui, or the ability to manipulate space and time. It essentially allows you to create a bend, or ripple, in space. It will allow you to travel to places immediately or be untouchable, phasing people right through you. The last is Kotoamatsukami and it is the ultimate illusion. It goes into the minds of whoever it is used on and changed their memories, making them see whatever the caster wishes them to see, making it seem as if it actually happened. It can change someone completely. However, it is a very strong technique and can only be used once every ten years unless you have the DNA of Hashirama Senju."

Sasuke's eyes widened, "I remember Itachi and Shisui mentioning that ability. Shisui had that ability with his eyes. Is there any way to find out my abilities?"

"Yes, but all of this comes with a warning. Unless you are me, you will eventually go blind with the overuse of your eyes. There is only one way to reverse this. If you implant the Mangekyou of a brother or brother-like figure, it will grant you the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and you won't go blind."

Sasuke gasped and touched below his eyes, "I'll go blind?"

"Only of overuse. You needn't worry if you only use it in emergencies."

Sasuke nodded, "Alright, so can we find out what I can do?"

"Activate your eyes as far as you can go and look into my eyes. Don't freak out. I will not use any illusions to trick you."

Sasuke nodded and pushed chakra into his eyes until they swirled into his Mangekyou Sharingan. Naruto did the same and then looked into Sasuke's eyes and pushed chakra into the ability only he had. Only he could divine the true powers of a Sharingan without seeing it in action.

After a few minutes, he pulled away, "You have the ability to use Susanoo, a perfect Susanoo. You can also use Amaterasu and you have a very small ability for a weak Tsukuyomi. Don't be disheartened by the small number. Most Sharingan user have only two abilities with their Mangekyou. I am the only one that can use all of them."

Sasuke nodded and Naruto smiled, "Would you like to try some of these abilities out? A small amount of use will not harm you and it's better you know how to use them for an emergency."

Sasuke smiled and nodded, "Yeah!"

"Alright, focus on that rock over there. Imagine it being enveloped in black flames, burning it to nothing but ash."

"I'll try...Naruto-sensei."

Naruto grumbled about smartass friends and Sasuke smirked before he did as his friend had said. The rock caught on fire and burned until nothing remained and Naruto smiled, "Perfect! Next is the Susanoo. Now, we don't want it to be seen by anyone, so just focus on your torso being wrapped in unbreakable armor that wraps around you, obeys you."

Sasuke nodded and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. A moment later, there was a purple glow that turned into the skeleton of a large warrior, waist up, holding a sword. Naruto clapped, "Great job! Now, drop it and we'll move onto the last one."

Sasuke smiled, "Yes! I'm doing great so far!"

Naruto smiled, "I am going to deactivate my Sharingan and lower my barriers. Try to cast an illusion on me, anything you wish."

Sasuke nodded and Naruto's eyes returned to dark blue, before he looked at Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke pushed an illusion forcefully out and Naruto looked around to see crows on the trees around him. The grass had turned brown in death and the trees were barren. He looked and saw Sasuke smirking, "I got you!"

Naruto flared his chakra, destroying the genjutsu and clapped again, "Great job! You're a natural! If I didn't have the Sharingan, I would have been trapped!"

Sasuke nodded and then swayed, "Whoa, I'm dizzy now."

Naruto caught him as he fell, "Deactivate your Sharingan. The first time always takes the most chakra. Great job, but let's get you some rest."

Sasuke nodded again and his eyes darkened to black. Naruto supported him until they got to Tazuna's house and Kakashi stopped them, "What's wrong with him?!"

"It's nothing. He's low on chakra because of the technique we were practicing, though he did do an amazing job. It's always the most chakra draining on the first time."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke worriedly and the Uchiha waved, "Yeah, just tired. I want to hit the sack."

Naruto nodded, "Let's get you to bed and I'll wake you up for dinner."

Sasuke acquiesced and Naruto took him to his room. He walked back out and was about to leave the house when a little blur ran up to him, "You're just going to die! It's no use! Gato's too strong! You should just leave!"

Naruto looked down to see an angry boy by his feet and he looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"You're just going to die! Gato is too strong! You don't even know pain! You've probably live a pampered life!"

Naruto's face grew cold and his voice sounded colder than the arctic, "What, you little brat?"

"I said you've never known pain!"

Naruto's killing intent skyrocketed, "You think that you know pain? My parents died the day I was born, murdered by a demon to save me. Then, for my entire life, I was told that they had abandoned me because no one wanted a demon brat! I was hated, scorned, crucified, stabbed, beat, starved, and you think that you know pain?! I know of your dad! I heard, but at least you had him for a small amount of time! I never knew my parents! Sasuke, Sasuke's entire family was murdered by his big brother when he was eight, right in front of him and then he was tortured as he was forced to watch it over and over again! Kakashi-sensei's father committed suicide because he had put his team in front of a mission and he didn't want his son disgraced! So don't tell me that we don't know pain! Get over yourself! I get it! Your dad died doing what was right! So did mine! So did Kakashi's! So get over that 'no one's felt my pain' shit right now! I will not accept it! I won't listen to some little brat tell me that I don't know pain!"

The kid's eyes were wide in shock, "That...That happened to you? That happened to all of you?"

"Yes, it did. Every word I spoke was the truth. I don't lie."

The boy's eye grew watery and he ran away and Naruto closed his eyes and pinched his nose, breathing deeply in and out for a few minutes to control his temper. He finally calmed down and left the house, leaving a shocked bridge builder that had heard the whole thing behind.

OoOoOo

That night, Tazuna approached him while he was staring out the window, "Hey, kid?"

Naruto didn't even turn, "Yes?"

"All of what you said to my grandson was true?"

Naruto sighed, "Yes, it was. All of it. Tell the little gaki that I'm sorry for yelling, but I can't stand when people act like they got the worst of everything when they have no idea."

Tazuna was silent a moment, "I'm sorry...that all of that happened to you."

"It's fine. I get it. The world is cruel. It's nothing. The few friends that I've made helped me through all of that."

Tazuna sighed and nodded, "Alright. It's nice to see that some people can rise above all of that and be as kind-hearted as you. It helps restore my faith in humanity."

"I'm glad. Good night, Tazuna-san."

Tazuna nodded and left, leaving Naruto staring out the window and one awake Sakura crying silently. She had heard what Naruto had said to the boy and she realized that she had the best of their entire team. At least she had a mother and father.

OoOoOo

Kakashi watched the house in a tree and he sighed as he saw the lone figure sitting in the window, his blonde and black hair highlighted in the moonlight. What had that boy been through? He'd heard of Naruto's life, sure, but not all that. He'd stayed away from the boy when he needed it most, only to avoid getting hurt. Now, Naruto had become a great person, but he knew that his happiness was only partially a mask. He was lonely and hurt.

Minato-sensei wouldn't have wanted that for his son. He'd wanted him to be seen as a hero and he'd been seen as the opposite. He didn't even know his parents. He thought a moment, hesitant about the decision he'd just made. Should he tell the boy? He'd seen him fight. He'd taken down two chunin level opponents and gotten information, he still didn't know how he'd done that, plus he'd caught Zabuza's blade as if it was a normal katana, before he flung it back!

He was powerful, that was for sure. Kakashi knew that he'd only seen a small amount of Naruto's power. For some reason, he felt as if the boy was hiding his true power. Why, he didn't know, but it was a gut feeling that Naruto was more than what he was showing.

He jumped to the window and Naruto looked at him, "Hello, Kakashi-sensei. Is it my shift?"

"No, but please come with me for a minute, Naruto." Naruto nodded and stood, before they both jumped down and Kakashi took him to where the occupants of the house could not hear it, "Listen to me, Naruto. I am not supposed to reveal what I am about to tell you until you're a chunin. However, I see that you're holding back, how much, I don't know, but definitely chunin level."

Naruto nodded, looking confused, "What?"

"Your parents' true identities." Naruto froze in shock and looked at Kakashi in hope. Kakashi nodded, "Their names were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto, your father was the Yondaime Hokage."

Naruto gasped, "The...The fourth Hokage was my...father?"

"Yes, he was. He was a brilliant man. He was gentle, kind, caring, strong, and he cared for you deeply. The night that he was forced to seal the fox in you, he was crying. Minato-sensei never cries, never. For him to be crying...what he had to do broke his heart, but it was the only choice."

Naruto's eyes teared up, "He...He cared about me? He didn't hate me?"

"No, Naruto, he didn't. He loved you very much, as did your mother."

The tears fell and Kakashi wrapped his arms around Naruto, letting him cry against his chest. It lasted for about an hour, before Naruto sniffled and relaxed into his arms. He felt, more than saw, the blonde fall asleep and he sighed, before he picked him up and carried him to his bed. All in all, he was glad he'd told the boy about his parents. The way he'd reacted, it hurt Kakashi's heart. He'd thought that Minato had hated him, when in reality, he was, to Kakashi's sensei, his life, his sunshine.

They'd decorated him a room, named him ahead of time, listened to him as he grew in Kushina's body, celebrated their child, and then had it all ripped away. He looked up at the moon through the window and then to the stars, before he spoke in a near-silent whisper, "Minato, I hope you can see the man your son's become. You would be proud, sensei. I hope you're happy."

OoOoOo

Kami looked down as the one eyed man told the boy of his parents and then she went down to Earth. She touched the blonde boy's forehead and watched his memories, all of them, including Indra Otsutsuki's. Naruto had indeed lived a hard life, very hard indeed. Indra's life had been filled with loss and the search for revenge, but Naruto had somehow overcome this with only his twelve years of life. He'd changed Indra's entire perspective on life.

She tapped her chin and the boy shifted lightly, muttering the word 'Dad' in his sleep. She heard 'Miss you, dad.' and she sighed. Oh, Shinigami was right. She was too soft. She didn't meddle in the world of the living often, but this boy's destiny was to defeat the greatest danger the Elemental Nations had ever faced. She should help him. He would go through a lot of stress and pain in the future and he could have at least this.

She went back to the Realm of the Gods and found Shinigami waiting for her. The male Death God sighed, "Let me guess, you want the soul of Minato Namikaze?"

She smiled and blushed, "Um, yeah, I was hoping that you'd give it to me."

"You're too soft, Kami."

"I know, but you know that I only meddle in the Mortal Plain when there's a very big threat coming, which is only once every thousand years."

Shinigami crossed his arms, "He gave his soul to me. It's mine."

Kami sighed and put on her sad face, "Please, I really want him. You wouldn't refuse your wife, would you? Please, Shini." Shinigami was indecisive and his wife looked up at him, "You get to choose dinner for the next hundred years if you do this. Please, Shini. This is when I want to meddle. It's been since the Sage of Six Paths that I've had my fun in the Mortal Plain."

Shinigami sighed and slumped. Damn his wife. He was too soft on her, but who could refuse that sad face? Certainly not him. Besides, she was right. She hadn't done her fun in the Mortal Plain in over a thousand years. "Fine, I'll do it. Damn, he was my favorite too. Oh well. Here, Kami dear."

He reached into his mouth and pulled out a man shaped form that he dropped to the ground. It groaned and sat up, rubbing its head, "That...was disgusting. Where am I?"

Kami came forward and pulled him to his feet, "You are in the Realm of the Gods, Minato Namikaze, because I am granting your son a gift."

His attention immediately snapped to her, "M-My son? Naruto? Is he okay?!"

"Calm down. He's fine. Watch what I show you and you will understand why I wish to grant Naruto a wish."

A scene appeared on a screen, floating midair. It showed a little blonde boy getting chased by a mob, beat, stabbed, tortured, and starved. Next it showed the same little boy crying on the ground under a scraggly blanket with a picture of a man, a woman, and a child held in his hand, obviously hand-drawn.

The woman had long red hair and the man had blonde hair, while the boy had blonde hair and was holding the other two figures' hands. He was whispering little words to his mommy and daddy, asking if they'd really abandoned him.

Minato's eyes teared up, "Oh no, Naruto, no. We didn't abandon you. We never wanted to leave you. You were our sunshine. I'm so sorry, Naruto, so sorry."

The scenes continued. The boy running through the streets chased by an angry mob. The people teaming up against him. The cruel words and harsh punishments. The fear. The anger. He watched as a shop owner threw him a mask and called him a demon and told him to leave. He watched as the boy cleaned up a mess he made and someone called him a that. He ran away, crying. He watched as he was purposefully taught wrong to make him the dead last of the year. He watched as he was forced to catch his own food and live on the streets when the orphanage kicked him out repeatedly.

They still continued and Minato fell to his knees, "No, no, no. I'm so sorry, so sorry, Naruto. Please, please. I'm so sorry, son, so sorry." Tears ran down his face and dripped to the ground below, but he watched his son's pain, feeling that it was his duty. It was his fault.

He watched as, even through all the pain and suffering, the abuse, his son became a bright and happy boy, loyal to his village. Naruto graduated the academy and no one congratulated him besides Sasuke, his Uchiha friend and fellow orphan. Naruto died and was brought back. Kakashi, the pink haired girl, Sasuke. What they had gone through in their first mission so far. Naruto's words, his speech to the boy.

Kami came over to him and he looked up at her, his eyes red from crying, "What have I done? What have I done to my son? He...He doesn't deserve this, no. I'm sorry, Naruto."

She reached down and grabbed his chin, tilting his head, "Minato, I'm sending you back."

Minato's eyes widened, "W-What?"

"I am sending you back to be with your son. Your life is a gift to Naruto for what he's gone through and what he will go through, and yet he will persevere. You will be reunited with Naruto."

Minato gasped, "I...I get to try and fix what I've done? I get to see my son? Say sorry?"

"Yes. I am going to revive you in Naruto's apartment. He will be back from his mission in a week and a half. What you do is your decision."

"I...I'll stay hidden until he returns home. I want him to be the first to see me."

She nodded, "Good choice. I wish you a happy life with your son, Minato Namikaze. Treasure him. Protect him. Show him love and kindness. He needs a father's love."

"I...I will. Thank you. Thank you for giving me this chance."

"Do not thank me. Live. Live for your son. Good bye."

OoOoOo