Yes, two chapters in one day :) I thought it might make up for the length of time it took for me to update, which I, again, apologise for... Anyway, I hope you liked Chapter 3, now on to Chapter 4!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own all OC's.


-Five Years Pass-

The streets of Konoha were bustling with villagers going about their daily business. The sun beat down upon the village, although a cool breeze swirled through the buildings, creating small dust clouds on the roads. Children chased one another through the crowds, throwing toy kunai and shuriken at various targets or each other while adults idly gossiped.

One stand was particularly busy on this day. The two members of staff of Ichiraku Ramen had their hands full as they prepared and served the orders of their only customer present at that moment in time. The boy was a familiar sight in Ichiraku's due to his insatiable hunger for ramen. His attire consisted of an orange jacket with blue on the upper shoulders and around the waist — a large white collar almost obscured his neck area — and orange trousers. On his head he wore a pair of green goggles, which helped to keep his unruly golden hair away from his sapphire eyes. On the back of his jacket was the crest of the Uzumaki clan, a crimson swirl.

Naruto Namikaze gave a satisfied sigh as he set down his eighth bowl of ramen. "Thanks for the ramen, Teuchi-san, Ayame-chan!"

Teuchi and his daughter chuckled at the blond's antics. "Anything for my best customer, Naruto, " Teuchi said as he and Ayame proceeded to gather the many empty ramen bowls. "Although, your appetite never ceases to amaze me…"

Naruto took a frog-shaped wallet, which he affectionately called Gama-chan, from his pocket and paid what was owed as he replied, "What can I say, Ichiraku's ramen is the best, dattebayo!"

The elder man practically glowed with pride and even as Naruto walked away he could still hear Teuchi boasting and praising the boy for his wonderful taste in ramen. The blond chuckled lightly as he continued down the street. Teuchi-san never changes, he thought with amusement.

As he passed by, he could feel the hateful glares of the villagers upon him along with the occasional threat or insult. Naruto sighed. The villagers' attitude towards him was also something which never changed. Over the years he had come to grow accustomed to the looks of hate, although they still bothered him. All Naruto wanted was to be acknowledged by the citizens of Konoha, to be recoginised as one of the people who protects them and the village. He didn't want to be seen as a 'Demon Brat', he wanted to be seen as a Hero.

Naruto looked towards the Hokage Monument, his gaze fixed on the likeness of his father. He grinned widely. That was the reason why he would surpass Minato and become the Fifth Hokage. Of course the only way he could do that was to first become a Genin.

The blond groaned and scratched the back of his head, frowning. The Graduation Exam which would determine whether or not he would become a genin was going to take place tomorrow.

He had been preparing for this for the past six years of his life, he was ready…

Naruto screamed out in frustration, startling several villagers in the process who, after realising who it was that was creating such a commotion, went back to what they had been doing with several loudly spoken profanities. Naruto thought back to the part of the exam he had already completed. The exam itself was split into two parts; the written exam and the practical exam. Earlier today he and the rest of his classmates had taken the written part of the exam.

"That exam was hard, dattebayo," he grumbled miserably. The twelve-year-old wasn't particularly talented when it came to written exams, unlike most other students in his class. Of course he studied, but nothing seemed to stick in his mind. Like his mother, Naruto was more skilled when it came to physical training, which was why he was depending on passing the practical part of the exam with flying colours to make up for his horrible written exam.

So deep was Naruto consumed with his own thoughts, he hadn't realised that he had already made it back to his house in the Namikaze Compound. He was about to open the door, when he instead made his way to the back of the house to his family's training ground.

'I have to do everything I can to make sure I pass the practical exam tomorrow,' he thought, set with determination.

The training ground itself was the size of a standard training ground, and contained many of the practical training materials any shinobi would need; plenty of space for sparring or ninjutsu, targets for kunai and shuriken, three large tree stumps arranged in a row — each stump had fabric padding wrapped around it — and a small number of straw dummys, all of which had small targets on areas representing the vital organs in a human.

Naruto took off his jacket and set about doing laps around the training ground to warm up. After completing several laps he immediately began doing push-ups. Once he had completed one hundred push-ups, he moved on to sit-ups. Completing one hundred of these, Naruto stood and moved to one of the trees, jumping up towards one of the lower branches and began doing pull-ups.

Just as he had counted out fifty pull-ups, his arms muscles beginning to ache, he heard a loud cry.

"Naruto-niichan!"

A sudden weight attached itself to his legs, and Naruto, unprepared as he was for the added weight, suddenly let go of the branch, falling to the ground in a heap.

He slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his head in an attempt to sooth the growing bump he could now feel there, and glared playfully at the child still attached to his legs. "Akari…" he said sulkily, in an attempt to look irritated, but his little sister only giggled uncontrollably.

Akari, who was two years his junior, was very much a miniature version of Kushina. Now, at ten-years-old, her hair had grown to the middle of her back, and with the loss of some of her baby fat it could be seen that she had the same facial structure as her father. Akari was a rather quiet, polite, respectful child, but only when she felt the need to be, after all she was still her mother's daughter, prone to a sudden boisterous outburst or taking part in pranks much like her older brother, whom she looked upon as a role model.

"Sorry, niichan," Akari said between giggles, "I couldn't help it."

Naruto smirked mischievously, "Did you think that was funny? I'll give you something to really laugh about."

The girl's giggles suddenly ceased. She recognised that tone. Immediately she stood and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, Naruto following behind her in hot pursuit.

"No, Naruto-niichan!"

Naruto laughed, easily catching up to his younger sibling. He grasped her around the torso, throwing her over his shoulder. He assaulted Akari's sides with his hands, tickling her.

Akari cried out in laughter. "N-no! S-stop! I'm t-ticklish!"

Naruto grinned widely as he continued to tickle the little girl. The blond boy adored his imouto, and he couldn't imagine his life without her. From the moment she was born he had promised to be the best big brother anyone could ask for, and promised that he would always protect his little sister.

Eventually, he set Akari down on the ground, ruffling her red locks much to her displeasure, and said, "You should know by now what would happen if you interrupt my training. Speaking of training, shouldn't you be at the academy?"

Akari swatted her brothers hand and smoothed her rather unruly hair down, "Sensei let us go home early because of the preparations for the graduation exam. Are you nervous, niichan?"

"Nervous? About what?"

Akari sweatdropped at Naruto's reply, "The exam, Naru-baka…"

Naruto laughed loudly, but to Akari it seemed forced. "Nervous? Me? Of course I'm not nervous! I'm the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash and Red Hot-blooded Habanero, dattebayo! I'm, I'm…" He fell silent, bowing his head, his eyes shadowed.

Akari frowned in worry, "Niichan…?"

Naruto suddenly lifted his head, anime-tears streaming from his eyes, and shouted, "Who am I kidding?! I'm so nervous I feel like throwing up! It's hopeless! I'll never pass! Then I'll be an embarrassment to the Namikaze Cla—"

He was silenced by a strong blow to the top of his head. "Calm down, Naru-baka!" his sister shrieked as she raised her fist threateningly.

Naruto rubbed his head, as he frowned at his imouto. Ever since she had entered the academy at the age of six, the Namikaze family had discovered, much to the dismay of Naruto and Minato, that Akari had inherited Kushina's fiery temper. Kushina, on the other hand, had argued that it was a good character building trait, plus, everyone would think twice about being on her little girl's bad side. "Akari-i-i-i! Why-y-y-y?"

"You're being a baka, that's why! You've got nothing to be nervous about, you'll be fine." She smiled, "Sure, maybe you did badly in the written exam, but you're gonna ace the practical exam!"

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, the Naruto Namikaze I know wouldn't let something like a little nervousness stop him from becoming a shinobi!"

Naruto grinned broadly and raised his fist up, "You're right, nothing can stop me from becoming a shinobi, or becoming Hokage, dattebayo!"

Akari laughed at her brother's antics, "Anyway, Kaa-chan sent me out here to get you. She's made yours and Tou-chan's favourite for dinner tonight, to wish you luck for tomorrow."

Naruto paused before bolting towards the house. "RAMEN!" he shouted excitedly.


"Okay, class, now it's time for the final part of the practical exam, where we will be testing your ninjutsu skills. Once your name is called, you will come to this room where myself and Mizuki-sensei will ask you to perform a certain jutsu. Then, we will decide, based on the marks you received from the Weaponry and Taijutsu part of the exam as well as your performance in Ninjutsu, whether or not you will earn the rank of Genin. Good luck!" Iruka concluded with a smile, and entered the small room next to the classroom where the final part of the exam would be held. Mizuki, a chunin with shoulder length grey hair, wearing the standard shinobi uniform — he wore his hitai-ate as a bandana — followed him.

Naruto took a deep breath. This was it, how well he did in his ninjutsu skills determined whether or not he became a genin. He didn't think he did too badly in the weaponry based section of the exam, and he knew he aced the taijutsu part. He hoped the jutsu they were going to be given wouldn't be too difficult.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

Naruto looked at the girl sitting beside him and grinned, "Yeah, I'm fine Sakura-chan. I'm just wondering what jutsu they're going to ask us to do."

Sakura had now exhanged the outfit of her childhood for a red qipao dress with a white circular design on the front, back and the short sleeves. Beneath the dress she wore tight dark green shorts. However, despite these changes, she had retained her short pink hair, and still wore the red ribbon Ino Yamanaka had given her so long ago. Also, much to Naruto's chagrin, Sakura was now an inch or so taller than him.

Sakura smiled, "You'll do fine, whatever it is."

Naruto continued to grin in response, but his whiskered cheeks grew a pink tinge. Over the years, the friendship he had felt for his pink haired companion had grown into a crush, and the smile she was giving him caused a fluttering in his stomach.

However, Sakura began to frown worriedly. "But I hope it's not a difficult jutsu. Sure, I did well in weaponry, but I was just above average in taijutsu. I've got small chakra reserves, and maybe the jutsu Iruka-sensei is going to give us will require a lot of chakra…"

Before he could reply, Naruto was interrupted by a series of loud screams.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke-kun is so cool!"

"I love you, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. Obviously, Sasuke Uchiha's fangirls had just entered the room. Much to his delight, Sakura seemed to be just as disgusted as he was by the behaviour of the group of girls, who included her once close friend, Ino Yamanaka. The Yamanaka Clan heir had dissolved the friendship between herself and Sakura, believing that the young Haruno girl also liked Sasuke. However, that wasn't the case.

The young Namikaze's eyes found the object of the girls' affections. Sasuke Uchiha appeared to be ignoring the screams of his fangirls, remaining his broody-self, which made the girls' even worse. He had now swapped the clothing of his childhood for a blue, high-collared, short-sleeved shirt with the sigil of the Uchiha Clan printed on the back, and white shorts. He also wore white arm warmers.

Naruto frowned as he looked at the boy, the last remaining heir of the Uchiha Clan. Five years ago, the entire Uchiha Clan was wiped out by one of their own, Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, before he disappeared without a trace. He slaughtered every single person, sparing neither man, woman nor child. He even murdered his own parents. Naruto was filled with sadness at the thought of Sasuke's mother, Mikoto. The Uchiha Matriarch had been like an aunt towards Naruto. Kushina had been devastated by the loss of her childhood friend, and now she and Sakura's mother, Akane, were closer than ever.

Everyone in the village wondered why Sasuke was the only one who was spared. Could Itachi not bring himself to kill his little brother? Or was there another reason entirely?

Minato had tried endlessly to discover why Itachi had slaughtered his own class mercilessly, but was unsuccessful. Due to Kushina's closeness with Mikoto, he had asked Sasuke to live with them in the Namikaze Compound. However, Sasuke had outright refused, stating that he wished to live alone, and didn't want to depend on anyone. Minato, respecting the boy's wishes, had organized an apartment for him to live in, giving him a fairly generous weekly allowance in order for him to buy groceries, pay for rent, buy clothes and whatever he needed for his training, at least until he graduated and received wages.

Ever since the Uchiha Massacre had taken place, Sasuke had become cold, indifferent and even somewhat arrogant. He was not the boy Naruto once knew. Although, one thing that hadn't changed was the rivalry between the two. They constantly tried to be better than each other at everything and anything.

Naruto was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Sakura's name being called by Iruka. He hadn't even realised that names had started being called and quickly glanced at the rosette. Her jade green eyes had widened, she was taking in quick breaths and her face had gained a slight green tinge. Shit, she was panicking. "Sakura-chan," he said quickly, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just remember what we've been taught and what we've been practicing. Go kick some ass, dattebayo!"

He knew that last sentence would cheer her up. She laughed, stood and said, "Thanks, Naruto. Wish me luck." She quickly left her seat and followed Iruka into the exam room.


His eyes never left the door as he waited. He prayed to Kami that his Sakura-chan would pass and become a genin. She still wanted so badly to become an ANBU, and it would crush her if that dream was pushed that bit further away.

Naruto groaned, placing his head on the table. This wait was agonising! How long was it going to take to decide if she passed or not.

His head snapped up as he heard the sliding of the exam room door.

Sakura appeared from the room, and slid the door closed. She lifted her head, catching Naruto staring at her impatiently.

A wide grin broke out on her face as she lifted up her new hitai-ate, giving Naruto a thumbs up.

Naruto stood and cheered, "Way to go, Sakura-chan!"

The other potential graduates turned and stared at Naruto before looking away in amusement. After being in the same class for six years they were used to the son of the Yondaime's antics by now.

Sakura continued to grin as she called the next person's name and left the classroom.

As each name was called, the room grew emptier as each student completed the practical exam.

Finally, it was Naruto's turn.

He took a deep breath before making his way to the exam room.

Iruka and Mizuki both sat behind a desk at the back of the room. Several rows of new hitai-ates lay across the table before them, bearing the Konoha symbol, an image of a swirling leaf.

Iruka smiled at Naruto, but Mizuki's expression remained neutral. "Hello, Naruto," Iruka greeted. "Are you ready?"

Naruto took another deep breath, preparing himself. He looked at Iruka with determined sapphire orbs. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Okay. The jutsu you must perform is the Bunshin no Jutsu."

Naruto cursed Clone Jutsu; that was his worst jutsu. No matter how hard he tried, or how much he trained, he could never get it right. His father had told him that it was because he had such large chakra reserves, and as a result he didn't have the chakra control necessary to perfom the jutsu.

Suddenly, a light bulb switched on in his mind.

Because of his innability to properly perform the jutsu, Minato had taught him another jutsu to replace the Bunshin no Jutsu.

"Iruka-sensei," he said quickly. "Is it okay if I do a different type of Bunshin no Jutsu?"

Iruka blinked several times, glancing at Mizuki. Mizuki simply shrugged, seeming distant, as though his thoughts were elsewhere. He looked back at Naruto inquisitively. "Yes, that's fine."

Naruto nodded and formed a handsign in the shape of a cross, gathering the chakra needed.

Iruka's eyes widened and he placed both hands on the desk. 'No way, is that…?!'

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The room was suddenly filled with white smoke. As it cleared, Iruka's jaw dropped.

The room was filled with at least fifty Naruto clones. Iruka could immediately tell that these weren't illusions. These were solid clones. 'There are so many! How did he learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu? It's at least a B-rank jutsu, and it's forbidden! How… Ah, the Yondaime.'

Iruka cleared his throat, relaxing in his seat. "Naruto, you can dispel the clones now."

Each of the clones disappeared in a series of 'poofs', leaving a single, seemingly apprehensive Naruto. He rubbed the back of his head nervously, "So, Iruka-sensei, do I pass?"

Iruka stared intently at the boy before him, letting him sweat a little.

He suddenly grinned, "Yes, Naruto, you pass."

Naruto seemed to absorb the information as he stared at his sensei blankly. 'I pass?'

The twelve-year-old seemed to light up as he punched the air victoriously. "I PASSED! I DID IT! I'M A GENIN!"

Iruka laughed at his student's antics, "Congratulations, Naruto. Take a hitai-ate and go call the next student. Don't forget to come back tomorrow to meet your team and new sensei."

Naruto didn't hesitate as he ran forward, selecting a headband, and hurried from the room, calling the next student's name as he did so.

'I did it! I did it! I'm finally a shinobi!'

That was what filled Naruto's thoughts as he left the academy. Once he was outside he slowed his pace. He looked to the sun and his chest filled his pride. "I'm just one small step closer to becoming Hokage, dattebayo," he said aloud.

"Naruto!"

Naruto searched for the source of the voice, and found Sakura sitting on the swing which hung from a tree across from the academy.

She quickly stood, shouting so he could hear her, "How did you do?"

Naruto grinned broadly, running towards her, raising the hand which still held his new hitai-ate above his head, "I passed!"

Sakura squealed excitedly, also running towards her best friend. "Naruto, we passed! We passed!" They met in the middle and Sakura pulled Naruto into a tight hug. "We did it, we're ninja!"

Unbeknownst to the rosette, Naruto was blushing furiously, his tanned skin from his neck up a bright shade of scarlet. 'S-Sakura-chan, so close! Hugging me!' Each time the two embraced, Naruto found that his feelings for the girl became more apparent; his stomach would flutter pleasantly, his heart would beat that little bit faster, and he could think of nothing else but their close proximity. As he felt Sakura's tight hold loosen he willed his blush to disappear. Sakura didn't know of Naruto's crush in regards to her, and he wanted it to remain that way. He feared that if he made his feelings known, and Sakura didn't reciprocate them, their friendship would become awkward and they would grow apart. For now, he was content with staying friends.

Sakura, unaware of Naruto's inner turmoil, released her hold on the boy and stared happily at the hitai-ate still clutched tightly in her grasp. 'I did it! I can't believe it! I'm a genin!' she thought. Her hold on the hitai-ate tightened slightly. 'I wonder, would Tou-chan be proud...'

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura blinked several times as she realised Naruto had been trying to get her attention and that they had left the academy grounds. "Sorry, Naruto, I just got a little distracted. What did you say?"

The blond chuckled, "I said I wonder who we'll be put into teams with, and who our sensei will be."

"Oh, I guess it will have to be a surprise…"

The two new genins were each drawn into their own thoughts.

Naruto clenched his fists. 'I want to be on Sakura-chan's team.'

Sakura sighed. 'I hope I'll be on Naruto's team.'

They paused as they realised they would have to go their separate ways to go to their homes.

Naruto pushed away his thoughts of separation from his childhood friend and put a large foxy grin on his face. "See you later, Sakura-chan. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the academy?"

Sakura smiled in response, "Alright. Bye, Naruto."

As they went their separate ways, the young Namikaze, in a bid to get home as quickly as possible, hopped onto the roofs of buildings, sprinting across them. All the while, his grin never wavered.

Before long, he had made it to his home in the Namikaze Compound.

Opening the door, he shouted, "Kaa-chan! Tou-chan! Akari!"

"We're in the kitchen, Naruto!" He heard Kushina reply.

He hurried into the kitchen where he saw his family gathered, their expressions filled with anticipation.

Akari broke the tension, "Well? How did it go?"

"I passed!" he cried out, showing off his new hitai-ate.

There were various reactions from each member of the Namikaze family; Akari rushed forward to hug her brother, a wide grin on her face; Kushina also grinned broadly, stating that she was glad she had already made ramen to celebrate Naruto's success; Minato simply smiled, his expression and demeanour filled with pride.

After celebrating for quite some time, the Namikaze family came to rest in the living room. Naruto was showing off his hitai-ate to his sister, but was refusing to put it on, preferring to wait until the following day.

However, in regards to Minato and Kushina, they were filled with apprehension. Kushina glanced at her husband, who gave her a quick nod in return, before both looked to their son.

"Naruto," Kushina said softly.

Naruto immediately stopped speaking once he heard his name. Turning his gaze to his parents, he was surprised to find their expressions filled with apprehension, and possibly…fear.

"Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"No, no, nothing's wrong. Your father and I both thought that it was about time we told you a few things." Kushina paused, indicating to Minato to continue.

Minato leant forward until he was leaning on his knees, his hands clutched before him. "Things about the Kyuubi." Naruto stared at his father curiously. "Akari, you should stay too. Your mother and I decided that you should know as well."

At this, the two siblings sat up straighter, their attention totally focused on their parents.

The Yondaime took a breath before continuing. "Twelve years ago, as you both know, the village was attacked by the Kyuubi no Kitsune on the day Naruto was born. As you also know, I defeated the Kyubbi, but the beast itself wasn't destroyed."

Both Naruto and Akari were filled with confusion. Naruto was the first to speak up, "But I thought you killed the Kyuubi, Tou-chan?"

"No, it's impossible to kill a Bijuu. Bijuu are beings of pure chakra, so they cannot be killed."

"So what happened to the Kyuubi?" Akari asked curiously.

"I will come to that in a little while. Now, because the bijuu —of which there are nine — are impossible to kill, it was decided that they would be sealed within a host. These hosts were called Jinchuuriki. The Bijuu would remain sealed within the Jinchuuriki until the Jinchuuriki him or herself decided that it was time for the next Jinchuuriki to be chosen, and the Bijuu would once again be sealed away. The previous Jinchuuriki would then die, which is unfortunately what happens when a Bijuu is extracted from its host. In the case of the Kyuubi, each Jinchuuriki was a member of the Uzumaki Clan." The siblings blinked several times, recognizing their mother's maiden name. "The first of the Uzumaki Clan to become the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the Shodai Hokage, and the second to become Jinchuuriki was Kushina Uzumaki."

Naruto and Akari exclaimed loudly at this revelation, unable to believe what they had just been informed.

"You were a Jinchuuriki, Kaa-chan?" Akari asked in wonder.

Kushina nodded, "Yes, I was."

Naruto folded his arms across his chest, "But, you aren't the Jinchuuriki anymore, are you, if the Kyuubi was released?"

"No, I haven't been a Jinchuuriki in quite some time."

"But, if a Jinchuuriki dies when a Bijuu is extracted, how come you're not," Naruto appeared to choke on the word for a moment, "dead?"

"Well, the Uzumaki Clan are known for their longetivity and life force, so that is likely the reason why I didn't die during the extraction process. It's a miracle, really, because I was four months pregnant at the time with you, Naruto."

Again, both Naruto and Akari exclaimed with shock.

Kushina continued on. "I had been kidnapped by a masked man. He knocked me unconcious, and it was so strange… I remember feeling like a part of me was being ripped out of my body, so I can only assume that that was when he extracted the Kyuubi from me."

Minato joined in. "When I had discovered that your mother had been taken, I immediately went in search of her, and I found them. When I did, I believed Kushina was dead. The masked man was there, and I discoveree that he had temporaily sealed the Kyuubi inside a gourd so he could use it at some point in the future. Myself and the shinobi, for he was a shinobi, entered into battle, and I managed to get my hands on the gourd sealing the Kyuubi, sending it to Konoha for safe-keeping. After that, the masked man disappeared, and I soon realised that your mother was alive, so we returned to Konoha." Minato paused for a breath. "When we returned, and after a great deal of discussion, we decided that we would reseal the Kyuubi inside your mother after she had given birth, and when she had recovered. However, it didn't exactly go according to plan."

Minato paused, allowing Kushina to pick up where he left off. "On the night of your birth, Naruto, the Kyuubi was set free. After the battle, of course, we went to the place where the gourd had been hidden, only to find the ninja who were guarding it were slain, and the gourd destroyed. It seemed that somehow the Kyuubi had broken free earlier than we expected. When we realised that the Kyuubi could destroy Konoha, I expected that your father would seal it within me once more. However, I was severely weak from childbirth, and your father, and myself after sometime, realised that if the Kyuubi was to once more be sealed within me I would die."

"So, you had to seal the Kyuubi inside someone else, right?" Akari asked.

Minato sighed, "Yes, sweetheart. However, we needed to find someone whose chakra coils were still developing, so the Kyuubi's chakra could easily merge with it's new host's, without doing any harm to the new Jinchuuriki in the process." The apprehesion and fear in Minato's and Kushina's expressions appeared to grow. "The Kyuubi had to be sealed within a newborn baby. Preferably a child of the Uzumaki Clan, as their chakra was most suited to containing the Kyubbi."

The family sat in sudden silence as the youngest members absorbed what they had just been told.

Slowly, each bit of information sank into Naruto's mind. This wasn't what he had been taught in the academy. He was told that the Kyuubi was killed, not sealed. His father's last word's continued to replay inside his head.

'…We needed to find someone whose chakra coils were still developing…'

'The Kyuubi had to be sealed within a newborn baby.'

A newborn baby…of the Uzumaki Clan...

Naruto's eyes widened in sudden realisation. Everything made sense now! The beatings, the glares, the looks filled with hatred, the names; 'Demon!' 'Monster!' 'Freak!' 'Demon Brat!'

He abruptly stood. His heartbeat pounding strongly in his chest; his breaths came in deep gasps. He looked at his parents, only to find them looking back at him, their eyes filled with sadness, and guilt.

It was true.

"No…"

Akari glanced at her parent's expressions before looking up at her brother. "Naruto-niichan…"

Naruto clenched his fists, and he was filled with an emotion he had never felt towards his parents.

Rage.

"You did it, didn't you…"

Kushina tried to speak, "Naruto—" She was cut off.

"YOU SEALED THE KYUUBI INSIDE ME!"

His voice reverberated around the now silent room. His parents remained silent while Akari was stunned by the revelation.

Naruto continued on. "How could you do it? I'm your son! For years I've been abused and ignored by the village! I had no friends until I met Sakura because the adults wouldn't let their kids play with me! I've been called a 'demon' or a 'monster' by most of the villagers!"

Minato attempted to cut in, "But what I wanted when I sealed the Kyuubi was for you to be seen as a hero, the person who saved the village."

Naruto scoffed, "Well, that didn't really go how you planned did it, Tou-chan." He immediately left the room, stopping at the front door to pull on his blue sandals. As he pulled open the door, without looking back he said, his tone filled with betrayal, "I was hated by everyone because of what I am. I would've thought you would understand that better than anyone, Kaa-chan. You both lied to me. How can I ever trust either of you again?" The angered and hurt Namikaze slammed the door loudly as he left.

Kushina covered her mouth, tears beginning to well in her eyes. "I knew that he would be upset, but this…"

Minato wrapped an arm around his wife, but said nothing; his expression betrayed the immense guilt he was now feeling.

Akari watched her parents in silence for a moment. She, too, was shocked by the revelation. Her niichan was a Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi!

She saw her parents begin to bury themselves in their own guilt, and decided to speak, "How else would you have expected him to react? Niichan just found out he's the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, for kami's sake. Just give him a little time to calm down."

The two adults absorbed the ten-year-old's words carefully; she was right. He just needed time to calm down. All of this would have been a shock to him.

Suddenly, an ANBU shunshined into the room in a kneeling position before Minato, startling the family.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, for intruding, but this is of the utmost importance," the masked shinobi said in an urgent tone.

Immediately, Minato focused his undivided attention on the ANBU, "What's happened?"

"The Scroll of Seals has been stolen."


Naruto leapt through the trees at incredible speeds, hopping from branch to branch, using his chakra to increase his pace.

Angry tears flowed from his eyes. 'Why?'

"Why didn't they tell me?!" he cried out in frustration. "They've been lying to me all this time! Why?!"

'They did it to protect you,' a little voice at the back of his mind nagged, but he pushed it away stubbornly.

"No, they were protecting themselves!"

'You know that's not true, they aren't selfish, they care about you,' the little voice came again.

Naruto pumped more chakra to his legs and feet, increasing his speed yet again, causing the branches to splinter beneath his soles. His mind was a whirl of emotions and thoughts. He felt so much anger, so much betrayal, so much pain.

The twelve-year-old forced himself to stop on the next branch; if he went any further he would pass Konoha's border. He cried out in frustration and struck the trunk of the tree, the bark splitting and cracking beneath his knuckles.

Naruto placed a shaking hand to the tree, keeping himself steady in an attempt to organise his thoughts.

He was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki…

A sudden clang of metal pulled him from his thoughts.

He looked off in the direction the sound came from and his eyes narrowed as he listened carefully.

'There!'

Another clang of metal, followed by another, and a sudden flare of chakra.

Without thinking, Naruto took off in the direction of the noise. 'What's going on?' he thought anxiously. 'It sounds like someone's fighting, or I might just be overreacting, and someone could be out training. Yeah, that's probably it, someone's just training.' But his stomach knotted unpleasantly.

He stopped on a branch overlooking a clearing.

Two Konoha shinobi were fighting below him, but it didn't look like a friendly spar. One of the two appeared to be badly injured, with numerous gashes on his body, most likely caused by a kunai. The other shinobi appeared to be fairing better as he taunted the injured man before him.

"Are you giving up already, Iruka? I thought you had more fight in you than this."

"Shut up, Mizuki!"

Naruto gasped, his sapphire eyes widening. 'Mizuki-sensei? Iruka-sensei? What's going on?'

The shinobi, now identified as Iruka, jumped back from Mizuki, catching his breath. "Why," he began, "Why did you take the Scroll of Seals? You know it contains forbidden jutsu that could harm the village! Why?!"

Mizuki laughed, an almost manic sound, "Isn't it obvious, silly Iruka; power!"

Iruka lunged at Mizuki furiously, enraged, but Mizuki dodged the attack and drove a kunai deep into the Konoha chunin's shoulder before kicking him away.

Naruto looked on furiously. No one hurts his sensei!

Iruka gingerly sat up, trying to breath through the pain. 'When did Mizuki become so strong?' he thought incredulously. Mizuki advanced on the chunin, grinning wickedly as he grasped one of two giant shuriken strapped to his back, pulling it free of its bindings.

"Now, Iruka, we can't have you running to the Hokage telling him everything you know, can we?" His grin appeared to grow as he raised the shuriken. "I think it would be better for everyone if I simply killed you!" He thrust the weapon at Iruka.

Naruto's eyes widened and his body reacted instinctinvely.

Iruka watched the oncoming shuriken, knowing that he wouldn't be able to dodge, not in his current state. He closed his eyes, awaiting the pain. But it didn't come.

Slowly, Iruka opened his eyes, and they gradually widened in horror.

Naruto was crouched over his sensei and grinned weakly at his horrified expression. "Are you okay, Iruka-sensei?" he asked, blood beginning to drip down his chin from his mouth.

"N-Naruto, what…?"

The blond haired boy dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, and Iruka stilled when he saw the giant shuriken embedded in Naruto's back.

Naruto reached back and pulled the weapon from his flesh, wincing as he did so, and blood gushed from the wound. Forcing himself to stand, the young Namikaze turned to face Mizuki, his normally bright sapphire eyes hardening.

Mizuki simply smirked at the newly appointed genin, his eyes filled with unmistakable hatred and disgust. "Oh just what I need, the demon brat. You shouldn't be getting involved in things you don't understand." A sudden wicked grin spread across his face. "Do you know why you are called a demon, boy?"

Iruka, realising what Mizuki was about to do, cried out, "No!"

"Do you know why everyone in the village hates you?"

Iruka forced himself to his feet, "It's forbidden!"

Mizuki grinned manicly, "It's because you, Naruto Namikaze, are the Kyuubi no Kitsune! The Yondaime put the demon inside of you! You destoyed the village, and killed its people! You're a monster!"

Naruto stared coldly at the chunin before replying, "Yeah, I know, my parents told me."

Mizuki blinked several times in mild surprise, and composed his features. "I see. How does it feel knowing that the people closest to you hid something like that from you, that you're a demon?"

The twelve-year old's eyebrows came together in a frown, "It doesn't feel good that's for sure."

Mizuki continued to grin, "So, what are you going to do, demon brat? Are you going to go on a rampage, destroy the village like you did twelve years ago? If you do, I might stay a little longer to watch the show, that is, as soon as I finish off little Iruka here."

Naruto gritted his teeth, his fists clenching tightly, "I'm not going to go on a rampage." He glowered at the chunin. "And if you ever touch my sensei again, I'll rip you apart."

The chunin shuddered slightly at the icy blue eyes of the boy before him, but hid his uneasiness with a mask of disgust, "Those are big words for a little brat like you; I could destroy you."

A rush of anger flowed through the boy's body. Without responding, Naruto formed a hand seal, gathering as much chakra as possible for what was needed, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A series of 'poofs' sounded along with a cloud of white smoke. When the smoke cleared, Mizuki's eyes widened as he was surrounded by hundreds of clones.

Iruka looked on in shock, 'How can he create so many clones? There's no way! The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu is an A-Rank jutsu!'

Each of the Naruto's fixed the now cowering Mizuki with an icy glare. The real Naruto cracked his knuckles, "You're going to pay for what you did to Iruka-sensei, and for betraying this village and my father." Each clone lunged at the shinobi before them simultaneously.

Iruka winced as he listened to Mizuki's screams of terror and pain. The scuffle continued for several minutes until the clones suddenly dispersed, leaving the real Naruto standing next to an unconcious, bloodied and bruised Mizuki. The blond rubbed the back of his head, "I might have gone a bit overboard, but he deserved it, dattebayo." Glancing worriedly at Iruka he asked, "Are you okay, sensei?"

Iruka smiled, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Well done, Naruto." He paused and glanced to the trees behind him, recognising the chakra signatures approaching. 'It's about time they got here,' thought Iruka with some amusement.

Several ANBU Black Ops suddenly appeared in the clearing, followed by the Yondaime Hokage.

Minato's expression was one of surprise when he spotted his son, "Naruto? What are you doing here?"

Naruto shrugged, feeling the now familiar twinge of anger in his chest, "Helping."

Guilt flashed across the Yondaime's face at the cold tone of Naruto's response. Spotting the still unconcious Mizuki, who appeared to have been beaten to a bloody pulp, he turned to Iruka and asked, "What happened here, Iruka?"

The injured chunin proceeded to give a report of the events that had transpired. When he had completed his account, there was an air of shock in the clearing. "As you can see, Hokage-sama, without Naruto things could have been a great deal worse," Iruka concluded. The ninja gathered had trouble believing that it was a mere genin who had defeated Mizuki, despite said genin being the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash.

Iruka glanced at the sullen Naruto before leaning towards Minato, who still wore a guilty expression upon his face. "Hokage-sama," he whispered, "I hope you don't mind me interfering, but speak to Naruto once you're alone. He's had a tough night, and I'm sure you know why. Mizuki didn't really help either."

Minato nodded, acknowleging the academy teacher's words. "Thank you, Iruka. Now, go to the hospital and tend to your wounds, I'll take care of things here," he said with a soft smile.

Iruka bowed, and shunshined. With a sigh, Minato ordered several ANBU to take Mizuki to Konoha's Correctional Facility and asked who remained to return the Scroll of Seals to its rightful place, effectively leaving him alone with Naruto.

Several minutes passed in a tense silence. Finally, the Hokage took a breath, stepping towards the young genin. "Son—"

"Tou-chan, please," Naruto interrupted. "I want to speak, if that's alright." It wasn't a question.

Minato hesitated, but nodded. The twelve-year-old, like his father, took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm so angry with you, and Kaa-chan. I don't think I've felt this way towards you, ever." Minato cringed; Naruto ignored it. "But I don't hate you, I could never hate you. I understand what you did was for the sake of the village, but that doesn't make it right. I was probably the only baby you could've used anyway, especially because I'm half Uzumaki…"

"Naruto, I didn't simply choose you to be the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki because you were the only newborn baby I had access to, or because you have Uzumaki blood." He ran a hand through his thick blond locks. "I could've chosen any baby, or any person, even though an Uzumaki would be ideal, but I chose you. Do you want to know why?"

Naruto shrugged in response. Minato smiled warmly, "I sealed the Kyuubi inside you because I trusted you to master its power. I have no doubt that you will be able to master it and perhaps even use it, one day."

He was thrown for a moment by his father's answer. 'He trusted me…to master the Kyuubi's power?' Masking his surprise, he replied, "I see… But still, it was, selfish."

"Yes, it was selfish. But I was, and am, sure you could handle it. Your mother and I both know that you will one day be the one to control the Kyuubi's power." He suddenly grinned broadly, "You are our son, after all."

The twelve-year-old's sapphire orbs widened.

A warm breeze sweeped through the clearing, bringing with it the green leaves of the trees, swirling around father and son gently before settling on the ground, which still bore the marks of the recent fight.

Naruto looked down at the ground, a shadow hiding his eyes from view. 'They trust me, they trust me so much with the Kyuubi. They think I'll be strong enough to control it. They believe in me.'

Minato's voice pulled his son from his thoughts. "We should go home, son. Your mother is probably worried sick." He paused, watching the boy carefully. "…Are you coming?"

"…Yeah." As he moved to walk towards his father, Naruto grimaced, falling to one knee, a sharp pain travelling up his spine. 'My wounds…'

Minato, seeing his son's distress, hurried forwards and knelt beside him. "Naruto, are you alright?"

Naruto winced, "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Naruto, you're not fine. Where are you hurt?" Just like that, Minato was in protective-father-mode.

"M-my back."

Minato glanced towards the area Naruto was pointing out and took a quick breath in shock. In the centre of the twelve-year-old's back was a gaping hole, obviously caused by something that could easily tear through skin and flesh. The orange of the jacket had turned a rust colour due to the blood which had gushed from the wound. "What on earth happened to you?!"

"I was watching Mizuki and Iruka-sensei fighting. Iruka was open, and Mizuki-teme had thrown one of those giant shuriken he carries. So, I shielded sensei from the attack and I was hit instead." He winces. "I didn't really notice how much it hurts until now."

Minato sighed, "It was probably the adrenaline. Come, let's get you to the hospital. Hold on to me." Naruto grasped his fathers arm tightly as he was pulled to his feet. "Now, this might feel a little unpleasant."

Naruto frowned, "What do you mean un—"

Suddenly, the world around them disappeared in a blur and Naruto felt like he had been sucked through a small hole. Before panic set in, the world reappeared and the young Namikaze found that they were now in the reception of Konoha Hospital. He bent down, holding his now nauseous stomach. "Pleasant…" He said, completing his unfinished question.

Minato chuckled, "Sorry, but this was the fastest way to get you to the hospital."

After he had recovered somewhat, Naruto looked up at his father. "The Hiraishin no Jutsu?"

The Yondaime nodded an affirmative, "And before you ask, no, I'm not going to teach you how to do it, not until you're ready. Now let's get you checked out."


"Naruto!"

Naruto looked up to see his mother hurrying into the hospital room, Akari following close behind. His injuries had been treated, and bandages had been wrapped around his back and torso, although the wound on his back had already began to heal. Apparently the Kyuubi healed any injury he sustained, meaning that he would heal faster than a normal person, which explained a lot of things.

Kushina wrapped her son in an embrace, which he returned. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

Naruto nodded as she released him. "I'm fine, the doctors said I'll be fully healed by tomorrow, maybe the day after. You know, because of the Kyuubi. They said I can go home soon." No sooner had he finished speaking than he received a blow to the top of his head. He cried out, and glared at his imouto, who was in return glaring at him with folded arms. "What was that for, dattebayo?!"

"For being a baka," she replied simply, "and for worrying Tou-chan and Kaa-chan sick."

Naruto frowned, apologising quietly under his breath. The atmosphere was suddenly silent and tense as each Namikaze contemplated what to say.

Eventually, Kushina sighed, glancing at her husband. "Minato, will you take Akari home? I need to speak with our son, alone."

Minato nodded in response, guiding the confused ten-year-old from the room.

Naruto knew why his mother wanted them to be alone. She was the only one he could really talk to about the Kyuubi, and about being a Jinchuuriki. He didn't look at her as she took a seat next to him on the bed. "Tou-chan told me why he sealed the Kyuubi inside me. He said it was because you both knew that I'd be able to control its power."

The red head nodded, but didn't speak.

"Why?"

Kushina waited for her son to continue. She knew he was upset about this revelation; he would need time to accept it. He looked up and his sapphire orbs stared blazingly into her violet irises.

"Why were you chosen?"

Inhaling deeply, she began. "As you know, I was born in Uzushiogakure as a member of the Uzumaki Clan. It seems that I was born with powerful chakra which was able to suppress the Kyuubi, which was also partially the reason you were also chosen; because you have my blood in your veins." Kushina paused, gathering her thoughts, and watching as her son absorbed what he had been told so far she continued. "Do you know about the battle between Hashirama Senju, the Shodai Hokage, and Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End?"

Naruto nodded. He remembered the Sandaime telling him about the battle, how fierce it had been. But what had this to do with the Kyuubi?

Kushina continued, "The Jinchuuriki before me was the woman who became the wife of Hashirama Senju, and her name was Mito Uzumaki. In order to help the Shodai Hokage, who had obtained the Kyuubi in his battle with Madara, Lady Mito sealed the Kyuubi inside her body with a sealing jutsu and became its Jinchuuriki. From then on, Konoha maintained possession of the Kyuubi."

Naruto looked at the ground, pursing his lips as he thought about what he had been told. He glanced at Kushina curiously, and asked, "What happened then?"

"When Lady Mito's days were coming to an end, I was brought to Konoha from Uzushiogakure to become the new vessel for the Kyuubi."

The blond's once curious expression became pained, and even somewhat angered. "You were just being used!" he exclaimed. She was just a tool! Was he the same?

Kushina didn't respond to the exclamation, absorbed in her past. "When I was first brought to the village, I wasn't told a thing about the Kyuubi, and it was a shock when I was finally told why I was there. It was a closely guarded secret; the only ones who knew were the Sandaime and a few of the top officials. Not even the legendary Sannin were told about it." Her expression became one of sadness. "I was nearly overwhelmed by the pressure of being a Jinchuuriki and the loneliness I felt as a result."

Naruto continued staring at his mother intently. So, she had known and experienced what he was going through? Since he had discovered that he was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, he had felt nothing but saddness and pain, which added to the loneliness he had already felt due to the treatment he had recieved from the villagers. He watched as Kushina's expression became thoughtful, and she once again began to speak.

"Then one day Mito-sama, the previous Jinchuuriki, now slowly dying, summoned me. She comforted me, as a mother would her daughter. She told me that, like me, she had been brought to Konoha as a vessel for the Kyuubi, and that she could imagine the shock I felt when I learned that I would become the next Jinchuuriki, how sad I must have been, how I had suffered. I was actually surprised that she knew what I had been feeling. Then, she told me something I would never forget." A small smile played at her lips, pulling them up slightly at the corners. "She said that there was a way to find happiness, even as a Jinchuuriki."

Now Naruto was intrigued, drawn in by his mothers words.

Kushina looked directly into the eyes of the twelve-year-old. "By filling ourselves."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, clearly confused, "Filling ourselves?"

The Namikaze matriarch nodded, "By filling myself with love first, I would be able to live a happy life despite being the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. That is what Mito-sama taught me."

Naruto was thrown by what she had said. "So, you were happy even if you were the Jinchuuriki, Kaa-chan?" he demanded.

Kushina scrutinised her son for a moment before smiling softly. "Yeah."

His mother was completely serious, Naruto realised. She didn't allow the treatment she received to affect her life, to affect who she was. His vision blurred slightly and he quickly wiped his eyes.

Kushina's eyes softened as she looked at her son. 'You'll be fine, Naruto. You will live a happy life, and you will find someone to love, and who will love you for you.' "How are you feeling?"

Once Naruto collected himself, he replied, "I feel fine, a little sore, but other that that…"

"Good, then you're coming home with me now," she stated, standing, "I'm sure the doctors won't mind if you leave a little early."

The blond immediately stood from the bed, pulling his torn black shirt carefully over his head; his favourite jacket was ruined, much to his displeasure, due to the obvious blood stains and tears. He grinned broadly, "What are we waiting for, let's get out of here, dattebayo!" He hated hospitals.

Kushina laughed at her son's antics, "But we'll not be going home just yet."

Naruto paused, already in the midst of leaving the hospital room, and turned to his mother, who had her hands on her hips, "Why?"

"We're going, shopping, dattebane! The stores should still be open, its not too late," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly, to which Naruto groaned.

"Kaa-chan, you know I hate shopping," he moaned. "Why do we have to go now, anyway?"

"We can't have you starting off your life as a ninja with destroyed clothes, I know you have more at home, but none suited for being a shinobi." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, and said teasingly, "Maybe I'll even be able to get you to wear something other than orange."

"Orange is my favourite colour, dattebayo!"

Kushina laughed heartily as she placed an arm around Naruto's shoulders, leading him from the room as he continued to protest.


And there's Chapter 4 :) Naruto's a genin! Yay! I hope you guys liked it, review and tell me what you think :) I promise I won't leave it another 2 years before I post the next chapter, I pinky swear!

BlueEyedBabyy