And here is yet another update. This one was fun to write for some reason.

To AmberFox and Lyell: You have no idea how appreciative I feel. I also had the same idea for my story for the bloodlines as you had, but I have not quite figured how to put it in yet. I've got tons of ideas on how to reintroduce Inuyasha to the present day story line, but I haven't settled on one yet. 'Course, I haven't gotten to that part of the story yet either. Hope you continue to enjoy my writing.

To everyone else: Please review. I live off of reviews. Let me know if I really need to change something, if you like something, or if you have ideas to further the story. Just no flames, please. I burn easily.

To those wondering about the age of Naruto in this fic: Academy students typically graduate at age eleven, yes? Didn't Naruto fail twice already? Or was it three times? I'm going with three times, meaning he failed when he was eleven, twelve, and thirteen, and now, for his fourth try, he is fourteen.

oOoOo

His apartment only a short run from the rendezvoused point, Naruto made a quick stop in. Snatching a blank, identical-looking scroll, he opened the original. ''Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?' Just what does this do?' Reaching for an ink brush to begin copying, his instincts wanting a copy of the jutsu despite previous plans, the jinchuriki was stopped by his demon.

"Now is not the time, Naruto. Read it and I'll memorize it for you. We don't have time for this." Shaking himself out of his stupor, Naruto nodded and began reading, Shippo reading along side him through his eyes as he went. The jutsu was remarkable in and of itself. The down side of the jutsu was the amount of chakra involved. However, if one over looked that and saw the up sides, it was one hell of a jutsu. The ability to create your own army, near flawless infiltration, and collective information among clones and caster were the perks listed, but oh the possibilities. "Oh yes. You need not worry. I shall be keeping this little goodie safe for later use."

'Fine by me. No way would I want to lose something this valuable. Makes me wonder what else is on here,' Naruto thought as he slowly unwound a bit more of the scroll.

"Stop right there! I too want to read more, but there is no time. Transfer the text to the fake and get the hell out of here. Last thing we need is for Mizuki to catch wind of this. Not to mention that the old man should be awake by now. Who knows how many Anbu he has out, looking for you. The longer we stay here, the harder it will be to get to the rendezvoused point." With a slight pout, the boy conceded and placed the scroll on the table after writing a hastily scribbled note.

Grabbing the copy, Naruto made a series of seals with his hands, mentally remembering what the first few sentences of the scroll contained and allowing the rest to look like the text. Finished, he grabbed the fake and headed out the door.

oOoOo

'Apartment: Anbu checking now. Ramen stand: check. Book store: check. Library: check. Hokage Monument: check. Academy: another check. Where is that blond idiot,' one silver-haired Jounin wondered furiously as he stopped momentarily on the ninja academy roof. He had checked all of the boy's major haunts that came to mind, but the boy in question was at none of them. Looking around to see if anything would give him some insight, he saw a light still on in the teacher's lounge. 'Maybe one of the teachers would know.'

Slipping silently down to the sill of the lounge, the Jounin peeked in. As luck would have it, the boy's favorite teacher was sitting at a table, nursing what looked like a cup of coffee and grading some papers. Taking a chance, the Jounin pushed himself up in through the open window, effectively announcing himself to the Chunin sensei.

Curious as to who would be visiting the academy at such a late time, Iruka was quick to turn and address his unexpected visitor. Surprise, however, took over at just who his visitor was. "Kakashi. Haven't seen you in a while," he greeted cautiously.

Kakashi cringed. While Iruka was the boy's favorite teacher, said teacher and himself had never gotten along well for various reasons. All said reasons stemming from the students and teaching methods. "It has been a while. I wish I could stop and chat," he lied through his teeth, "but I'm actually wondering if you could help me with something."

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the Jounin. "And just what is it you need help with, Kakashi?"

"I'm looking for someone. A student of yours, actually. The Uzumaki boy. Would you know where to find him," Kakashi inquired with a decidedly innocent voice.

Frowning, the sensei answered, "And just why would you be looking for Naruto? Has he pulled another prank again that would warrant you to look for him?"

"Myself, a few other Jounin pulled in on favors, and a full squad of Anbu actually," Kakashi corrected, his one eye curved into an impression of a smile.

Iruka's coffee cut dropped from limp fingers, spilling its contents onto the stack of papers only partially graded.

oOoOo

Sarutobi sighed as he stepped through the entryway into Naruto's apartment. Looking around, he could see a few of his Anbu searching the boy's meager belongings, smiling when he saw them careful of the plants. Turning, he addressed an approaching Anbu with a tiger mask. "Have you found anything?"

The tiger Anbu saluted before answering, "Hai. The scroll and a note addressed to you are on the kitchen table. Other than that, nothing of interest has been found. However, it seems as though he has been through here, but we just missed him. The ink well on the table was just recently opened and the brush slightly damp."

Sarutobi nodded as he headed towards the table, the tiger Anbu following. There on the table was the scroll, a note addressed to him, and an ink well and brush. The Sandaime sighed before questioning, "Has anyone read the letter yet?"

The Anbu's head shook, "No, sir. We thought it best, given your history with the boy, that you read it first. No one has touched it."

Nodding again, the old man picked up the note and read. 'Hi, Jiji. Sorry about the whole knock out thing. You might find the woods north of my place interesting.' Eyebrows raised, he picked up the large scroll, opening it to authenticate it. Finding it the real article, the Hokage frowned. "Naruto might have stolen the scroll, but deliberately gave it back. Something is afoot. Warn the others," he addressed the tiger Anbu. "There is more to this than it seems. I'll be in my office," he warned as he tucked the scroll under an arm and handed the note to the tiger Anbu. With a puff of smoke, he was gone.

Reading the note quickly, the tiger Anbu ordered through his ear piece, "All units, converge on the woods north of the subject's home. Be forewarned, there is more than meets the eye. Detain any suspicious characters for questioning." Without further ado, the tiger Anbu left the apartment for the woods, the others not far behind.

oOoOo

Naruto calmly leaned against a tree as he waited for the traitorous sensei to show up. To pass the time, he and Shippo went over their new jutsu. Having mastered the simple Bunshin Jutsu with the demon's help, the jinchuriki was confident that the Kage Bunshin wouldn't be too much of a challenge, though he hoped he never would have to use it until later in his ninja career. It would show far too much about Naruto than either the jinchuriki or demon wished.

As they waited, Shippo suddenly quieted. 'What's wrong?'

"The Anbu are here."

Discreetly roving his eyes from side to side, Naruto could distinguish the vague outlines of ninja and the occasional white flash from Anbu masks. Deciding to play it cool, he continued to lean on his tree. 'This will be quite a show,' the boy thought.

Neither the boy nor the Anbu had to wait long as the mastermind showed up soon after the ninja had settled into position. Standing, Naruto greeted the traitor with a smile. "Look, Mizuki-sensei! I did it. I stole the scroll! It was right where you said it would be too. Now I can be a Gennin, right," he inquired enthusiastically. Shippo nearly purred in glee at the near physical tension that went through the nearby Anbu.

Mizuki stared in shock that the demon child would actually pull it off before a wicked smirk tried to break loose that wasn't lost on the Anbu or jinchuriki duo. Morphing it into a benevolent smile, Mizuki held out his hand and answered, "That's right, Naruto. But your mission isn't complete yet. You have to give the scroll to me before you get your hitai ate."

'So he does want the scroll,' Naruto curiously wondered as he continued to smile.

"Stall him. Find out why he wants the scroll."

"That's all I have to do? Alright," he said as he took a step closer to the tree Mizuki stood in. "Hey sensei, I'm wondering just why you chose this scroll," he asked innocently.

Mizuki's eye ticked. "It's a hard scroll to get, Naruto. I felt that if you could acquire that, then your skill would easily be Gennin rank."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean Gennin can sneak into the Hokage's office? I didn't know that. I thought you said in class that the Hokage's office is the most heavily guarded room in Konoha."

A small frown started to mar Mizuki's face. "That I did, didn't I? And that is the truth, Naruto."

Naruto smiled more, playing the idiot, "Alright then." Taking another step he asked again, "What's in the scroll anyway? It's been making me nervous with a title like 'Forbidden' on it."

Mizuki snapped, "Just give me the scroll, Naruto."

The boy reeled back a couple of steps, further infuriating the traitor. "What did I do? I just want to know what's in this scroll."

Realizing that he would get no where with the demon, he answered the previous question, "The scroll contains very powerful jutsu, unique only to the village. Other villages would pay a high price to have such a scroll. Now hand it over."

Naruto frowned. 'He wants the scroll for another village?'

"Seems that way. Give it to him. Let the Anbu deal with it now."

Smiling again, Naruto walked forward, handing out the scroll. The grin on Mizuki's face grew with each step. The scroll had almost reached the Chunnin's hands, the Anbu ready to spring into action, when there was a rustle in the leaves.

"Naruto, stop," exclaimed Iruka as he shoved past a frantic Kakashi who tried to hold him back. Kakashi again cringed and sent an apologetic signal to the frustrated Anbu nearby. The Chunnin and Jounin had hidden themselves and overheard the brief conversation with the jinchuriki and traitor, but it was only Kakashi who could sense the hidden Anbu. "You must not let Mizuki get his hands on that scroll," he continued to cry as he rushed to put himself between his student and traitorous co-worker.

Surprised at Iruka's sudden appearance, Naruto listened and jumped back several feet, much to the dissatisfaction of Mizuki. "Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here," he quietly inquired.

Mizuki grinned again as he thought of a way to turn the situation into his hands. "Don't listen to him, Naruto. Iruka doesn't want you to become a ninja. That's why he didn't pass you despite your effort."

Both ninja looked up in surprise at Mizuki's words. Turning back to Naruto, Iruka yelled, "Don't listen to him. Run! Protect the scroll with your life."

Now slightly panicking as Mizuki jumped down from the tree, Naruto turned only to dodge several incoming kunai. Looking back to see who the kunai came from, but seeing both adults with their hands held out, he bolted. So panicked he was, even Shippo's words of reason couldn't get through his mind. Shippo distressed even more when he realized that the Anbu couldn't keep up with his panicking kit.

"Kit, please. Pull yourself together," Shippo tried to coax to no avail. It didn't surprise the kitsune that his jinchuriki would panic under such conditions as his faith in adults was minimal at best. Even the gentle Iruka had shown hostility towards his kit in the beginning.

Eventually, Naruto stopped at the base of a large-rooted tree; the adrenalin in his body wearing out. Clutching the fake scroll to his person, he sat. 'Iruka-sensei wouldn't have thrown those, right? Surely not Iruka-sensei. It had to be Mizuki-teme. Right?'

"It could not have been Iruka, kit. He looked far too surprised to be him."

'Shippo? But what if…' He never got to finish as suddenly Iruka came bursting out of the bushes. "Iruka-sensei?"

Seeing Naruto, the sensei smiled. "You ran. Excelent, Naruto. Now, give me the scroll and I'll return it to the Hokage, alright," he ordered genteelly.

Naruto again frowned. 'But didn't sensei tell me to protect the scroll with my life?'

"His scent, kit. Check his scent."

Naruto paused, smelling the wind. Catching a whiff of the man's scent, he froze. "You're not Iruka-sensei."

The benevolent face turned ugly, a sneer now coving it as a billow of smoke formed and dispersed to reveal Mizuki. "Clever, aren't you. Doesn't matter. The scroll will be in my possession and you will finally be dead."

Naruto pretended shock at his words. "Dead? Why would you want me dead?"

Mizuki smirked and laughed. "Haha hahaaa! Who doesn't want you dead? This village would honor me as hero for being rid of its resident curse."

"Mizuki! No," suddenly cried Iruka as he limped through the bushes, several kunai sticking out of his body, only to trip and fall to his knees. Naruto stared, shocked.

The traitor's smirk turned maniacal. "Oh yes. Even Iruka wants you dead. You want to know why," he inquired sweetly.

"Oh no," Shippo murmured. "If the village learns that you know about me in any way…"

'…Then it's the end of our charade.' Suddenly snapped out of his stupor, Naruto regained confidence. "No, I don't want to know! Don't tell me," he exclaimed as he covered his ears and started humming. Regardless, he could still hear Mizuki as he continued. 'Where are the Anbu when you need them?'

"You'll have to face the facts sooner or later. You; the village's dirty little secret, the filthy scion and scorn of fourteen years. The day you were born, the Nine-Tailed Kyuubi attacked, as I'm sure you know."

"Mizuki! Stop this now," Iruka ordered as he struggled towards his humming student.

"That was the day our Yondaime was killed, murdered by the Kyuubi. That was the day the Yondaime sealed the demon into you! You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune!"

oOoOo

Naruto sat in a chair in front of the Sandaime's desk, awaiting the old man's return as he thought over what had happened that evening. Iruka-sensei had made it to him and had grasped the jinchuriki in his arms as though to shield him just as Mizuki started the last of his speech. Naruto could still see through a gap under Iruka-sensei's arm, however; enough to witness the Anbu finally catch up and send a kunai through the back of the traitor's throat.

Mizuki-teme was dead. Hokage-jiji thought him innocent, though still planned on giving him a lecture. The older villagers now knew that he knew about the demon kitsune. And Iruka-sensei was being seen in the med bay of the Hokage Tower. 'But where does all of this leave me now,' he wondered as he tried to ignore the weird, one-eyed jounin with silver hair who stood station at the door. 'It's like he's trying to burn a hole in my back.'

Shippo sighed. "We'll find out in a short while. Our training will have to be put on hold, you know. The council will most likely be watching you closely, as you can see. We can not make any mistakes."

'The old man will want to know what I heard tonight, no doubt. I could lie and say that I heard nothing. I'm sure Iruka-sensei has already reported that I was covering my ears.'

"Perhaps," Shippo mused, "but I doubt it would work. You're welcome to try."

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of the Sandaime.Sarutobi smiled at the Jounin and said, "It's alright. I've got him from here." Nodding, the Jounin bowed and exited, leaving the Hokage and jinchuriki in the room alone. "Well," the old man started as he headed towards his seat, "It's been quite the night, no?"

"Yes, sir," Naruto answered, keeping his gaze on the desk in front of him. 'Is it made of cherry wood or pine?'

"We've figured most of what happened tonight. Mizuki wanted the scroll and used you to get it. You, however, seemed to know what was going on and lead us right to Mizuki. Things got hairy, poor Iruka, and village secrets were reviled, yes," the Sandaime encouraged once he was comfortably seated.

Naruto looked up guiltily. "Hai. I did read the scroll. I thought it would be a good idea to copy some of it into a fake to fool Mizuki."

The Hokage nodded. "Yes, that's half of the secrets told tonight. We'll come back to that. What I'm most curious about, however, is why you didn't tell anyone, Naruto."

Ashamed, the jinchuriki studied his knees. There was a rip in one. He would have to mend it later. "I'm sorry, sir, but to be honest, who would believe me? I know," he cut the Hokage off before he could protest, "you would have listened to me, but think about it. If I had come in here saying that my teacher was trying to use me to get to the Forbidden scroll, what would you have done?"

Sarutobi paused, feeling as though he were being put through a test. "I would have detained Mizuki under our Interrogation Division."

"Exactly," Naruto claimed. "He would have denied everything. It would have been his word against mine. Besides, no one would believe the…" Naruto cut himself off.

"Would not believe the what, Naruto," Sarutobi inquired. Naruto stayed silent. "Naruto, how long have you known about the Kyuubi?"

Naruto turned his face up to look at the old man and gapped. "I…I don't know what you're talking about sir. I've known about the Kyuubi since they first told us in history class."

"Naruto," the old man sighed, "I know you know what I mean. I know you are not dumb. I'm sure you've always wondered why the village treats you as they do. Tonight, you had the perfect opportunity to learn why that was, yet you refused to listen."

Naruto continued to gap. "I…I…that is…"

"Might as well tell him a portion of it. He knows, Naruto. There's no deigning that."

Nodding his head back down Naruto quietly answered, "I was three. Some of the villagers had trapped me, beating me. They kept calling me a demon, accusing me of murdering the Yondaime. I just put two and two together. From there, I had suspected, but never thought I'd have it confirmed."

The Sandaime could feel his age creeping up on him. "And you never told me," he asked sadly.

Naruto shook his head. "No sir. I figured that if I were to tell you, the council would find out meaning the village would too. I thought that if they knew that I knew, they would think that I was confessing to being the Kyuubi. I thought it best to stay quiet."

The Hokage nodded in understanding and stood. Naruto stayed perfectly still as he quietly walked towards a high chest of drawers. Opening a drawer, he removed something from it before closing the drawer and walking to situate himself in front of the jinchuriki. Kneeling, he said softly, "Then there is only one thing left to do."

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for the blow that never came. Instead, he felt something being tied around his forehead. Startled, once the old man's hands had left his head, he looked up into the smiling, kind eyes of the Hokage. The words the Hokage spoke to him still rang in the jinchuriki's ears as he slowly walked down the tower to meet Iruka, his hands still fingering the cool, metal plate on his forehead, "Congratulations, Naruto. You graduate."