Hey hey, another chapter for Her Savior! I've got amazing response for the last 3, over 90 alerts and over 70 faves, 5 C2s and so on… You guys are the best! I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction.
Just to answer a reviewer, the reason why Sai is named as one of the Rookies is because I think of him as a replacement of Sasuke. That and I'm too lazy to mention him individually.
Disclaimer: Not the owner of Naruto….
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"I see, so that's what happened after I passed out." Said Yugao thoughtfully. Naruto nodded at her, indicating that he finished retelling the events that happened the day before.
She sighed, "It seems I owe you more than my life, Minaze." Naruto raised his eyebrow. Yugao continued, "You saved Kure-chan from a fate worse than death. If you need anything let me know. I am in your debt."
Naruto smiled behind his mask, happy to see such loyalty for another person. "As I said to Kurenai before, you don't need to thank me. No one deserves a fate like that, not even my worst enemy. I'm just glad I was there when I was. It seems Lady Luck is smiling upon you two and me."
Yugao and Kurenai smiled at the man. Such a good heart he has, a rare heart. There aren't many people in the world with a heart such as this man's. They are lucky to have stumbled upon him. If it were any other man they don't want to imagine what would have happened to them.
"Kure-chan, it seems we have a gem of a man in front of us. Such a gentleman." Smiled kindly Yugao.
Kurenai nodded with her friend, "We are lucky indeed."
Yugao grinned, "So, tell me the juicy news! What have you two been up to while I was sleeping?"
Kurenai shook her head at her friends' behavior. It seems Anko was rubbing off of her and that wasn't a good thing.
Naruto chuckled, "I'll leave you two alone. You have a lot to talk about."
He was ignored by Yugao and Kurenai, the latter being grilled for any worthwhile information. He smiled at the two 'sisters' and left the house to do what he usually does, train.
When he left, Yugao turned serious and spoke, "Alright, what do you know of the guy?"
Kurenai wasn't surprised by her change of tone and behavior, "From what I gathered, we can trust him. I sense no deceit coming from him. Trust me, if he wanted us dead or worse he could have done it anytime he wanted. I saw him fight. I saw his power. Even with the two of us at full power we don't come near his level. He is in a class of his own." Finished Kurenai, telling Yugao what she learned of this mysterious man so far.
Yugao nodded, happy with what she heard so far, "Did you gather anything else? Who is he?"
Kurenai frowned, she was asking herself the same thing for the last 48 hours or so, "Trust me, I wish I knew. His name isn't Minaze as you probably deduced. He holds a lot of secrets and isn't very forthcoming with them. He says he's a traveler but I don't buy that story. He is running from something. I just don't know from who or what. I know that he is from somewhere in Fire Country with Konoha also a possibility. He seems to know Kakashi very well but I don't know from where. He could have served under him in the war or met him somewhere else before."
Yugao nodded, "Anything else? That isn't much to go on. That describes pretty much half of the male population in Fire Country."
"Well, he has blonde hair and blue eyes and a scar over his heart area." Answered Kurenai, a light blush adorning her face while thinking back at the memory when she saw that perfect body.
The blush didn't escape Yugao's eyes. She grinned in mischief, "Oh, it seems something or rather someone caught your attention. How was it?"
Kurenai scoffed, "I have no idea what you are talking about!" She turned away from her gaze which only made Yugao's grin increase in size.
"Oh, don't be like that Kure-chan. Please, tell me. I promise I won't tell Anko, at least not right away." Grinned Yugao teasingly.
Kurenai didn't relent but did respond, "I swear, you are becoming more like Anko every day. All you need is a short skirt and a mesh shirt and you are Anko Jr."
Yugao scoffed at the comparison. What? Can't a woman comment on a gorgeous body? It's only natural, for the love of God.
"Please, don't be such a prude. I still remember the time when you were the same as me and Anko. Don't tell me you forget the time when we went to the Hot Springs? I still remember someone having a nosebleed…" laughed Yugao playfully.
Kurenai's cheeks got red both from embarrassment and from reliving the memory. That was a good day!
"I thought we said we won't talk of that day again." Grumbled Kurenai.
"We did but 'she' isn't around anymore, remember? She can't hurt us for reliving that memory." Replied Yugao, caressing her cheek for some reason, like it was hurting her or something.
Kurenai winced at the mention of 'her'. She also rubbed her cheek for no reason at all, "Don't remind me. She was scary when she was angry."
Yugao nodded in agreement, "Amen to that. But enough about that. You still didn't answer me." Grinned Yugao towards the end.
Kurenai sighed. She knew she won't let this go unless she told her. Ah, what the heck! She would find out eventually. Kurenai got the feeling that Minaze trained shirtless.
"Fine… Do you remember the man that we 'observed' in the Hot Springs that day?" She got a nod in response. She continued, "It was 10 times better." Said Kurenai quickly, averting her gaze, trying to hide the enormous blush that was currently adorning her face.
Yugao wasn't faring any better. The blush was there and there were stars in her eyes plus a slight nosebleed from trying to imagine the body in her mind. It was working! My, oh my… Such body… She needs to see it for herself.
Kurenai recovered from the fantasizing and was shaking Yugao, trying to bring her back to the world of the living. Kurenai's heart wasn't really into it because let's face it, who would want to leave that world?
She slapped her once and then again and then again. The 10th time did the trick. Yugao blinked, not realizing at all that she was on cloud nine for 5 minutes, "I'm sorry, did you say something Kure-chan?"
Kurenai sighed but smiled nonetheless, "No, just trying to get your attention. "
Yugao sighed dreamily once more, letting all of her fantasies wash away, "I assume Konoha was notified of our status?" She got a nod for a response and so she continued, "Well, it seems we can't do much more but to rest and let time do its thing."
Kurenai nodded and turned towards the entrance of the house, "Should we go see what he's doing?"
By the time she said that, Yugao was already walking towards the door. She smiled at her antics and proceeded to join her.
They opened the door and looked around for the stranger. They spotted him on the lake sparring with one of his clones, both weaving in and out of each other's attacks. Kurenai and Yugao took a seat on the porch and content themselves by just watching him train.
Kurenai spoke up while watching Naruto block all of his clones attack. It seems the point of this sparring exercise was to evade or block his opponent's attacks and not to defeat your opponent.
"Yugao, does that stance seem familiar to you?" asked Kurenai her long-time friend. Yugao wasn't really paying attention to the stance but at the man using it but now that she mentioned it, the stance was slightly familiar to her.
Yugao hummed, "It does seem familiar but I can't place my finger on it. What is that stance anyway?"
Kurenai responded, "It seems like a mixture of what you ANBU use and some other stance I can't seem to identify."
Yugao focused on his feet and saw what Kurenai saw moments before. This man was using a variant of the ANBU style. It was modified to fit him but it's definitely one of Konohas styles.
"His feet work does look similar to ours but that's the only similarity. His blocks, his punches, kicks are all different from the way we use them. But the question is where did he learn the ANBU moves?" pondered Yugao out loud.
Kurenai nodded, "From his master perhaps. His master could have been an ex-Konoha ninja."
Yugao let the information run in her head a couple of times, trying to connect the dots but to no avail. It seems they will have to get directly to the source to find out. The problem is that the source isn't willing to talk about it.
She sighed, "This is taking us nowhere. These clues aren't enough. We can't keep on guessing like this."
"I know. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess. Maybe he'll tell us eventually." Sighed Kurenai disappointedly.
Yugao nodded and turned back towards the lake where Naruto was currently wrapping up his training session. He evaded a punch from his clone which turned out to be the last for him since a fist embedded itself into his gut, dispelling him.
Naruto righted himself and wiped the sweat which made itself known on his face.
"Phew, that got my blood pumping." Smiled Naruto, satisfied with the light session.
He turned towards the sky and saw that the Sun was already setting, the day coming to an end. He turned back and saw his audience sitting on the front porch, watching him with amused looks on their faces. It looks like they enjoyed the show.
He walked back towards the house and towards his two temporary companions.
He leaned against the wooden rail, "It seems luck is truly on your side, ladies. You will about to see something beautiful."
The two women wanted to ask what he meant but he answered their question before they could ask it, "Just watch." Said Naruto pointing at the sky.
Kurenai and Yugao focused their attention onto the sky. The magic of the setting Sun was turning the sky orange with a tinge of red, making it a gorgeous sight. With how busy Ninja lives are, many people forget about the simple things in life, like for example watching the Sun set or the sunrise and things like that.
Both Yugao and Kurenai watched serenely at the scene, both just enjoying this rare moment of peace and tranquility. Soon, everything will go back to 'normal'.
The Sun released the last of his rays and plunged the world into the darkness of the night. With the moment over Naruto turned around, "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Don't stay out too late. It gets chilly in the night." With that he excused himself and left the two ladies alone.
While Naruto was making dinner, Kurenai and Yugao both talked about their plans for the next few days. Yugao will need a few days to recover from her injuries and so does Kurenai.
"What is there to do around here?" asked Yugao.
"Not much. There is a village nearby which Minaze often visits. The people there seem to love him and treat him as their hero. But other than that, what you see around the house that's all there is to it."
Yugao sighed, these are going to be some of the longest days in her life.
With that said, they both retreated back inside the house for a nice hot meal courtesy of their savior.
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"Anything Kiba?" asked Kakashi, the leader of this search party. The Konoha Ninjas were jumping across the forest top at top speed, all looking determined as ever.
Kiba shook his head. They've been travelling for a while now. They were nearing the border with Grass Country but they were hoping to pick up his trail already in Fire Country.
Kakashi issued a new order, "Let's pick up the pace!" No one objected even though some of them were already showing signs of fatigue.
They all looked on to the horizon, the image of a smiling Naruto appearing before them, giving them the boost they needed. They all picked up the pace and raced onwards towards their destination.
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It was morning. Yugao stirred from her slumber. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. Her body was still all sore and there was still pain present in the ribs department. The good news is no more headaches. Another thing to cross off of her injury list.
She looked around the room and saw that Kurenai was still sleeping but Minaze wasn't in his bed. She didn't pay extra attention to that. He can't be too far off.
She yawned and stood up and made her way to the bathroom. She did her morning routine which left her refreshed and rejuvenated and ready for the day that is to come.
When she got out of the bathroom she saw that Kurenai also awoke.
"Good morning." Said Kurenai through her yawn.
"Morning, Kure-chan. The bathroom's free for you to use." Responded Yugao.
Kurenai nodded and stumbled towards the bathroom. After a couple of minutes she came out in a much better state than before. She saw that Yugao was making coffee and waited patiently for her to finish.
She made some small talk with Yugao, "I'm guessing he wasn't here when you woke up."
Yugao hummed in response. Kurenai sighed, "He's really starting to annoy me with all this sneaking around."
Yugao finished and poured Kurenai some coffee, hoping to calm her nerves a bit.
"You can't blame him for having secrets. And we can't demand of him to tell us his secrets or his real identity. It's his choice." Said calmly Yugao. Kurenai knew that but still it was infuriating.
"Have you looked around the house yet? Find anything of interest?" asked Yugao.
Kurenai shook her head, "No, nothing special. He either doesn't have anything personal of his here or he hid it somewhere safe."
Yugao scoffed, "Of course he hid it. Wouldn't you?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's just bugging the hell out of me not knowing who he is. I feel like I should know him but I don't know why." Sighed Kurenai in disappointment.
"Don't worry, I'll help you. We still have time before we recover completely." Smiled Yugao in reassurance.
Kurenai smiled back and thanked her for her support. She was always a good friend, in good and in bad.
They sipped their coffee in peace until the door opened and in walked Minaze. They sensed him a while ago so they didn't feel surprised or alarmed by this sudden intrusion.
"I see you are awake. I trust you slept well?" asked Naruto nicely.
The ladies both nodded and offered him a cup of coffee which he happily accepted. They made some small talk with Kurenai fishing for more information about him. Naruto both smiled and scowled at her persistence. If this keeps up it's only a matter of time before they figure out who he really is. He is hoping that they recover soon so he can go on with his life.
"I'm going to the village to restock my supplies. If you want you can join me. It seems the villager, especially the kids took a liking to you Kurenai." Smiled Naruto.
Kurenai also smiled a small smile, "I wouldn't mind going there again."
Yugao also joined the conversation, " I'm in. I won't stay here while you two get to have all the fun. But we'll walk. I still can't run at ninja speeds."
Naruto nodded and offered her to carry her piggy-back but she vehemently refused the offer.
"Suit yourself. We leave in 20 minutes." Responded Naruto.
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They arrived to the village an hour later, much sooner than they expected. The reason? Yugao finally caved in and rode on Naruto's back. Naruto convinced her after telling her it will take more than an hour to reach the village if they walked. Yugao was already feeling the burn just by walking so she didn't think she would endure it the whole trip. She finally accepted the offer and they proceeded to jump across the trees.
They were now seen walking towards the village gates. It was still early in the morning so there weren't many people around, just some street vendors hoping to snag a few customers.
Naruto set out to finish what he came to do before the kids swarmed him. He entered the supply shop and bought some linen, food, water and some basic tools for fixing the house. Kurenai and Yugao meanwhile decided to see what the vendors had for sell. They checked out some piece of clothes and jewelry but nothing really caught their eye. They found a small dango stand and decided to indulge themselves.
They happily strolled down the street, each with a dango stick stuck in their mouth. They were interrupted by someone waving at them and yelling, "Kurenai-sama, over here." Greeted Akira friendly.
Kurenai changed directions towards the waving woman and Yugao followed her closely, hoping to find out who this woman was.
"Hello Akira. How are you doing?" smiled gently Kurenai.
"I've been good. Thank you for asking. I see you brought a friend with you today." Said Akira while facing Yugao. She extended her hand, "Hi, my name is Akira. Pleasure to meet you."
Yugao smiled in return at this kind woman, "I'm Yugao. The pleasure is all mine."
Akira nodded,"Did you come with Minaze?" asked Akira.
Kurenai nodded her head in affirmative, "Yeah, he's shopping for some supplies. We tagged along so we wouldn't be bored." Explained Kurenai.
"This place is pretty nice. It's so peaceful." Interjected Yugao into the conversation.
Akira nodded, smiling at the woman, "It is. We have Minaze to thank for that. Ever since he came here, it's like all the problems disappeared. The bandits don't dare to come back and Ninjas stay away, not wanting to face Minaze in combat."
Their conversation was postponed for the moment because they heard a loud yell coming down the streets and it sounded like "Nii-san".
Akira already knew what was happening and Kurenai had her suspicions of what was happening. Only Yugao was left in the dark. They all turned towards the noise and saw Naruto running away from a group of kids. In his hands were two bags each, all filled to the brim with supplies.
Naruto stopped when he saw his two companions and Akira. He dropped the bags in their laps and made a mad dash down the street, away from the exuberant horde of kids.
The women blinked, it all happened so suddenly. One minute they were watching him run, the next they were holding his bags. They all shook their heads, while Akira smiled. She was used to this. It was happening a lot ever since he came into this village.
"Wow, that's a lot of kids. You were right Kurenai. He is popular." Said Yugao, a little bit surprised at the event that just transpired.
Kurenai laughed, "Just wait till he starts playing with them."
Another cloud of smoke arose at the end of the street and it was coming towards the women. Naruto could be seen running frantically away from his 'little brothers', not wanting to get tackled again by them like yesterday. Once they get on you, you are hard pressed to get them off.
When he was near the 3 women, he spun around and held out his hand in a stop sign, "STOP!" said Naruto, hoping they will listen. They didn't.
They all let out a cry of joy and tackled him to the ground. Naruto couldn't help but smile. He may complain at the attention but he really doesn't mind it that much. The kids laughed and Naruto laughed with them. They were all grabbing at a part of his body. Every inch of his body was covered by a kid. He ruffled the heads of the kids he could reach and smiled brotherly at them.
"Alright, alright. I give up. You can let go now. I won't run away." Laughed Naruto.
The kids complied and unglued themselves from his body. Naruto stood up and smiled at them. He had a soft spot for these little brats. Some of them were also orphans and he tries to look after them. He and the villagers all chipped in and built a small orphanage for them. It wasn't much but at least they have a roof over their heads.
The Chief of the village and Naruto also started a fund for the orphans and for the poor. The Kids Fund, as it is called, will be used to provide education for those that can't afford them. Naruto channels some of his earnings to this fund, hoping to make a difference.
A small kid with black hair and wild green eyes spoke up, "Nii-san, can we play ninja again?" All of the kids let out an excited yell, all agreeing with the boy.
Naruto chuckled and ruffled his black hair, "I have something better in mind. Come on, we need to buy some supplies for this to work."
Naruto led the group of kids to a store around the corner where they will buy what they will need for their little adventure.
The 3 ladies all watched in amusement at how the young man took control of the crowd full of kids pumped up on sugar.
Akira spoke, "I still can't wrap my head around how he does it. Just one kid can be a handful but more than a dozen, that's pure torture. And yet, he isn't even tired."
Kurenai agreed with the woman. She knows how tiring and difficult raising a child can be. But it seems Minaze is a natural when it comes to kids.
Kurenai smiled at that thought but nobody seems to have caught that small smile.
"You make it sound like having a kid is Hell." Said Yugao, oblivious to how stressing having a child can be.
Both Akira and Kurenai chuckled at her naiveté," You have no idea." Both said, making Yugao sweat-dropped and the thought of having a kid of her own seemed unappealing to her right now.
They stopped laughing at Yugao's expense after a few moments and Akira said they can drop their bags at her lemonade stand where they can enjoy in the miracle that is lemonade.
They made some small talk while drinking their lemonade. They talked mostly about Naruto and the village and where exactly they were. It seems they are about 100 miles from the border with Fire Country. They are still a long way off from home.
After about 15-20 minutes they saw Naruto and his entourage walking towards them, all of them grinning widely. Their hands were tucked behind their backs, hiding away whatever they had in their hands. The ladies didn't like that grin. They saw mischief in their eyes and it scared them a bit.
Naruto was upfront, acting as the leader. They stopped 5 meters from the lovely ladies.
Kurenai spoke, uneasiness present in her voice, "What are you guys doing?"
She wished she never asked.
Naruto dropped the bomb, "Charge!"
With that, all of the kids plus Naruto revealed what was in their hands. Water balloons! A shitload of them!
The ladies were bombarded with water, all of them caught unaware and unprepared. The bombardment ended after a few seconds but the damage was done.
Kurenai, Yugao, Akira were all soaked to the bone, their hair was a mess, their makeup in shambles, they were a mess.
Kurenai spoke, "You just…" she was interrupted when a kid with brown hair fired off his last water 'bullet' at her, nailing her right in the face.
The kids and Naruto were laughing their asses off, all of them unaware that Evil was in front of them.
Naruto was the first to sense the hidden Killer Intent and he stopped laughing and gulped nervously. He spoke in a shaky voice to the kids, "Uhm, I think we should run…" advised Naruto wisely.
The kids were confused as to why their Leader would say that. Meanwhile the ladies all stood up and glared at the delinquents.
Naruto took a step back and prepared himself for the dash of his life. He turned around and started running as fast as he could while yelling across his shoulder, "RUN!"
The kids looked towards the women who made their Leader run away in fear. And they saw why.
The group took a collective step backwards and sweated nervously. They gulped and moved calmly and slowly, not wanting to anger the Devil.
When they thought they had sufficient lead, they made a run for it, hoping to come out of this alive. Why did they have to listen to their Big Brother?
The woman all started chasing after them, well two of them did. Yugao didn't make it after 2 steps, her body not responding to her commands. She cursed out loud but she managed to yell to Kurenai, "Make them pay, Kurenai!"
With that she focused her attention on trying to move her body.
20 minutes later, the people of the village could see Akira and Kurenai dragging bound kids and Naruto down the street. Naruto was sporting a nice set of lumps on his head while the kids seemed fine, except they looked deathly pale, like they saw a ghost or the Devil himself.
They stopped in front of the lemonade stand, where the 'crime' happened. Yugao was there, sitting and sipping her lemonade, looking calm and composed.
She smirked, "I see they got to experience the Kurenai Medicine."
Kurenai grinned, proud of her achievement. Naruto spoke up, not pleased with the treatment he received, "How come only I got beat up? They threw the balloons as well."
Kurenai turned around and bent down so that they were facing each other, eye to eye. She glared, "Whose idea was this? Yours! Look at my clothes and my hair. They are ruined. Be happy you are still alive. As for you kids.." said Kurenai turning away from the petrified Naruto and looking towards the even more scared kids. She spoke sweetly but there was malice hidden in her sweet voice, " I trust you won't do this again, EVER. Do I make myself clear?"
The children all nodded furiously at the scary woman. When she turned away from them, they all sighed in relief and smiled at each other. They pulled off an amazing prank and got away with it. Life was good for them right now.
Akira and Kurenai took a seat next to Yugao and poured themselves some cold lemonade, easing their nerves and calming them.
Their drinks finished, Yugao and Kurenai waved the woman goodbye and relinquished the kids into her custody. While Naruto was still at the mercy of two soaked women and very angry women.
While being dragged, Kurenai spoke, " When we get back, you will make us the best lunch you ever cooked while we wash ourselves. Understood?"
"Hai." Said Naruto in resignation.
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"Ah, this feels so good." Sighed Kurenai while taking a bath in the lake in the clearing.
"I concur." Said Yugao also feeling very good right now.
When they got back to the house, they threw Naruto inside the house where he started working on the lunch. Kurenai threatened him with Yaoi Genjutsu if he peaked on them while they bathed. With that taken care of, they both went towards the lake.
They decided to just jump into the lake, with their clothes on since they needed to wash their clothes as well.
And now we find them relaxing in the shallow waters of the lake.
"I could fall asleep right now." Smiled dreamily Kurenai.
Yugao agreed with her. Her body felt so light right now. The pain was washed away by the water and she could feel her muscles relaxing.
After 20 minutes or so, Yugao decided she had enough while Kurenai decided to stay for a while longer.
"I'm going inside. I'll tell you when the lunch is done." Said Yugao while climbing out of the lake and drying herself off with a towel.
Kurenai nodded at her and went back to her relaxing.
Kurenai decided to have a swim in the lake, to stretch her sore muscles. She submerged under the water and swam for a few meters until she had to resurface. She repeated the process a couple of times, enjoying herself.
It was during the last excursion under the water that she spotted something. She swam towards it and saw an opening that seemed to lead to somewhere. She went back to the surface and took a deep breath and then dived in order to explore this underwater cave.
She swam for a few seconds. Then she saw that the underwater road seemed to end. She saw an opening and swam towards it.
When she resurfaced she took a deep gulp of air. The cave was deeper than she expected.
Her breathing under control, she looked around the cave and was stunned at what she saw.
The light reflected off the water, gave the cave a bluish glow, illuminating the whole cave. The place was beautiful, romantic in her opinion.
She turned towards the other side of the cave and saw a pathway that led into another room.
She climbed out of the water and started walking towards the opening in the cave.
She got the shock of her lifetime when she walked inside this seemingly uninteresting room.
She saw an altar of sorts. She walked towards it and saw a book on it.
She grabbed the book and read the title, 'The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja'…
She opened the book and skimmed through the pages, looking for anything special. When she got to the last page, her eyes widened. There was a picture of Lord Jiraiya there, signed as the author.
She touched the picture, making sure it was real and not a figment of her imagination. Kurenai never knew that Lord Jiraiya wrote a book that wasn't porn. She saw that something was written beneath the picture.
It said: " Gaki, I know he would have wanted you to have this. You were his favorite student and he loved you with all his heart. You were his family and he was proud of you, just as I am. You are destined to be great, Jiraiya knew it and I know it. You are the one!" It was signed by someone named Pa.
Kurenai reread the text again, intrigued by it. It seems this book was a gift from this Pa who seemed to know Lord Jiraiya, to a student of Jiraiya.
"Naruto?" pondered Kurenai. Only other student of Jiraiya that she knows was the Fourth Hokage. But if this was a gift to either of them, why is it here? Why is it in the hands of Minaze?
She racked her brain for a possible answer but it all led her back to just theories and a guessing game.
She set the book down to its original spot and searched the altar more thoroughly. There was a hidden compartment behind the altar. She reached in it and pulled out a box of sorts.
The box was wrapped in a cloth of sorts and had a swirling mark on it, just like the ones Jounins wear on their flak jackets.
She carefully unraveled the cloth and opened the neatly designed box. Inside were three pictures.
She picked up the first one and immediately recognized the man in the picture. It was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. She had no idea why his picture would be here but she had a feeling she will soon find out.
The second picture was up next. This one was of a gorgeous looking woman with red hair that flowed down to her waist. Kurenai knew this woman. This was Uzumaki Kushina, the Bloody Habanero and every pervert's nightmare and Kurenai's personal idol. She looked up to Kushina. She was strong, smart, beautiful and one of the strongest Kunoichis in the village, second only to Tsunade Senju.
She picked up the third picture and saw Minato, Kushina and Jiraiya smiling at the camera.
Minato had tears in his eyes, Jiraiya was smiling proudly while Kurenai was rubbing the lump that was her stomach.
Kurenai's eyes widened a bit. She knew that Kushina was pregnant but didn't know that Minato was the father. Sure, they were close, closer than most friends but to think they were actually in love. I mean, she had her suspicions that they were more than friends but she never got the chance to find out the truth.
Another thought was running through her head, the baby! If her suspicions are correct, then 'he' is their son. He has to be. The resemblance is uncanny. He has her personality and his looks. It all matches. Naruto Uzumaki is the son of Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina.
This again raises the question of why is this in Minaze's possession. Did he steal this? Is he actually N….
She shook her head. Minaze can't be him. If he was him then that would mean he lied to her, to all of them. To his friends, family, the whole world. Naruto wouldn't do that….
She shakily put the picture back inside the box, along with the two others. When she did this a note slipped out of the frame of the picture. She caught it and opened it.
"To my parents and my Godfather, the greatest people I know. I love you. Your son, Naruto!" Kurenai let go of the note and brought her hand to her mouth, disbelief etched on her face. Her body was shaking and tears were pooling in her eyes.
A single thought was in her mind, "Why, why,why,why…."
She raced out of the room, leaving the box and the pictures behind. She jumped into the water and swam ferociously back towards the house.
She jumped out of the water, using chakra even though her coils still haven't recovered.
"Kure-chan! There you are. We were looking for you." Said Yugao in relief. She was worried for a second that something happened to her.
Kurenai paid her no mind, instead she was focused on 'Minaze' or should she say Uzumaki Naruto. She was breathing heavily and she was shaking, either from exhaustion or from something else.
Naruto knew his time was up. He saw where she came from. She found his secret room. It seems his old life has finally caught up to him.
Kurenai spoke, "Why? Why did you do this? WHY?" yelled Kurenai in anger, sorrow, pain, anguish. Yugao was confused. What was happening?
Naruto spoke slowly and calmly, "I did what I had to do. I needed to get away. I don't expect you to understand but this is something I just had to do."
Kurenai was shaking wildly, her first clenched; tears were now falling freely down her face. She didn't know why but she felt betrayed and hurt. She was hurting but why? They were never that close...
"What's happening here?" asked Yugao, worried for Kurenai.
Naruto was about to respond when he sensed something. 'They' were coming. Despite the situation, he smiled behind his mask. It's been so long since he last saw them.
14 people jumped down from the trees, all facing one man and one man only.
Naruto slowly started to turn around while he spoke, "Long time no see, my friends."
Kakashi, Gai, Shino, Ino, Lee, Hinata, Sakura, Chouji, Shikamaru, Neji, Temari, Sai, Kiba and Ten Ten. All of them were looking towards the masked man, shock and surprise on their faces. They finally caught up to him. Yugao was surprised to see her comrades from the village. Kurenai was still in her world of pain and betrayal to notice them.
Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Ten Ten were all tearing up at the sight of their long lost friend even though he was hiding behind that mask. Others couldn't believe that this was actually Naruto.
Sakura spoke up, her voice shaky, "Naruto, is that really you?"
Yugao was wide eyed when she heard Sakura speak. She turned towards 'Minaze' in disbelief. What were they saying? Is this really Naruto?
Naruto sighed internally. It seems he caused them a lot of grief and pain. He never wanted that to happen. He wanted them to be happy…
He reached up and slowly started to remove his mask while facing his friends. His friends all waited for him to reveal himself to the world once more.
The mask came down and they saw the face that they missed so much. Those wild blonde hair that seem to defy gravity itself. The whisker marks on his face identifying him as the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. And those vibrant blue twin orbs of perfection that can read your soul. He was back. Naruto was back.
"It's been a while, huh."
THE END! Next chapter should be better than this one. I feel like I rushed it a bit. Nonetheless, I hope you like it. Please review and tell me what I did wrong or what was good….
Thanks for reading… See ya!