THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY PART 4

-Truths-

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and the characters. I only own the plot of the story.

Special thanks to my editor, minashito-sama. You are the best!

[Alternate Universe Fan Fiction]

"Well… What in the name of kami do you want to talk about that you let Sasuke go without finishing his food?" Naruto asked impatiently to the white-haired man standing in front of him, "I have some things to do after so make it quick."

"Hey, where are your manners?" Naruko then scoffed at her brother in annoyance, "He's still our godfather."

"Tell that to yourself, dat-te-ba-yo!"

"Why you…"

"It's about your parents." The gray-haired man interrupted after putting his mask back to his face. "Me and Jiraiya-sama thought of telling you guys the truth behind your parents' death, and it's relation to the Uchiha."

The two blondes stared blankly at the two adults in front of them; surely this wasn't the good time to talk about such stuffs, especially since the twins are currently suffering from each other's presence.

With no idea on how to react, Naruto only managed to ask, "What?"

The gray haired man sighed and was about to repeat his statement when Jiraiya raised his hand to stop him. "I'll be the one explaining such matter. It's better that way."

"But why now?! Why—"

"Naruko, just relax and listen carefully, this is what your parents', or rather, your mother, asked me to do before they left…" Jiraiya paused for a while, giving ample time for the twins to make any reactions, but decided to continue after series of exchanging glances with one another, "They wanted you to know the truth if ever this day would come."

"What do you mean?" Naruko asked with her face full of curiosity, "What do you mean by the truth?"

"The truth behind their deaths."

You don't say? Naruko thought sarcastically, you just said that few seconds ago you old geezer, she continued and discreetly rolled her eyes away towards her brother who looked dumbly curious about their godfather's words.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed as he stared at Jiraiya. Clearly, there was no need to elaborate such thing. He knows how their parents died. They died on the plane crash, period. But there was something in Jiraiya's voice that can shuffle one's mind in confusion, making you ask yourself if what you believe is true or not; if the things you knew were really the truth or just make-believe that your silly brain creates to escape the pain reality might bring.

With a heart that is gradually aching as moments pass by, he glared at his godfather and stood up from where he was seating, itching to leave as soon as possible. "This is bullshit, I'm leaving."

"Naruto!" The gray-haired man grabbed his wrist and pulled him back near his seat.

The blonde struggled to set himself free from the strong hand grasping his wrist, but in the end, he only managed to cry, "Let go of me!"

"Naruto-nii-chan, aren't you tired of running away from it?" the blonde's twin uttered with her old, usual, calm voice. "We both know that this time will eventually come... The time where we'll know—"

"I know, alright?!" he shouted back to his sister, startling her from where she was seating, as the hand holding him gently slid down, "I just think it's useless to talk about dead people. I mean, as if these words would change us for a good cost…" He then smacked the hand of his uncle away from his with eyes locked to his sister.

"Naru—" the white haired man tried to interrupt, but the blonde refused to stop blabbering.

"Past is past, all we have to do is move on…"

"Na—"

"It is only an event that happened in our past…"

"That's enough! If you don't shut the hell up I would definitely put a packaging tape in that big mouth of yours and tie you in that chair you are currently seated, do you understand?" Jiraiya snapped, or rather, attempted to scare the blonde male in front of him. Fortunately, to his surprise, it worked. The fact that it never worked on his sister; they surely are different from one another.

"Just behave yourselves and listen to what Jiraiya-sama has to tell you," Kakashi said calmly as he waved good-naturedly to his niece and nephew, giving them one of his sweet smiles – the kind of smile that simply means that things will start to get pretty serious by the time it fades away. The two blondes obeyed their uncle and sat properly. Then Jiraiya gave a glance to Kakashi, giving him a signal that he was about to resume. The masked man smiled and nodded in reply.

"Alright, it started few months before your birthday, both Minato and Kushina had an important case to finish and they have to leave the country separately as soon as possible."

"That was the time when we stayed at Aunt Mayu's orphanage for a while, because no one was available that time to take care of us."

"You're right, Naruko," Jiraiya replied as he sat down on the chair next to Kakashi who, on the other hand, was listening quite attentively, his hands rested on his favourite book in the table, "But the real problem did not start there yet."

"Where did it start then?" Naruto asked impatiently. Jiraiya sighed and glanced at his godson.

"Well, you wouldn't understand the story if I tell you the climax right away." He then smiled at Naruto, who seemed to be interested to listen now, "Anyway, both of them worked hard on their respective case, they sometimes help each other whenever they chat online, after discovering that their cases were quite similar in some ways. Not knowing that their clients were the two opposing companies."

"What?" the two blondes uttered in sync. With rising curiosity, Naruto did not hesitate to ask, "Who were the two companies?"

There was a short silence in the room. Sweat slowly slid down behind Jiraiya's ears. With a big gulp, he slowly opened his mouth and uttered what seemed to be the most heart-stopping words in the world, "The Akatsuki and the Uchiha."

The two blondes' eyes widened upon hearing those words from their godfather. "Sasuke's family?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "Our parents' clients were against each other?!"

"Yes." Jiraiya replied as he looked down on his lap, "We both know that Uchiha Fugaku, Sasuke's father, is very close to your father. They used to hate each other, but the wheel began to turn as time passed by, and the next thing I knew they were hanging out together like old buddies, the only reason why the two of you are pretty close to the Uchiha brothers."

"But even though Minato is so far the youngest, legendary lawyer, Kushina's name was far more famous than his, because the fact that she usually handled cases that are impossible to win, and yet she still managed to get the gold." Jiraiya finished with a small smile marked on his face.

"That's our mother!" Naruko said cheerfully as she glances to her brother and gave him a hi-five.

Geez, I miss this kind of scene, the gray-haired man thought, while observing the twins, finally, they're okay with each other, I guess there won't be any trouble later if I told them later that they'll be sharing rooms. After all, it would be hard cooling down two foxes when they get wild. He continued, praying that the twins would be alright with each other's company for the whole night… or maybe for a week or two, even months… who knows how long will this travelling historical man would stay. After all, he did left millions of unfinished business here, plus his secret case together with his former batch mate, Tsunade, which is known for her medical skills worldwide. Not to mention her love for gambling.

"Yes, she is a strong woman, particularly the main reason why your father fell in love with her. But this is not about their love story." His voice got more serious as his glance intensified at the two blondes. "That's why the main stock holder of the Akatsuki Corp., Orochimaru, decided to hire Kushina, because he knew that she's strong enough to defend his company." Damn that Orochimaru.

"Who filed the case?" Naruto asked, more interested than before, this might give me an idea on what I will encounter few years from now as a lawyer, Naruto thought as he gently rubbed his chin.

"The Uchiha."

"Why?"

"I don't know, your mother didn't give me the details, or better yet, she was not allowed to give any details regarding the case, and neither does your father."

Another silence filled the room.

"So, what happened?" Naruko asked calmly while holding his brother's hand on the table, squeezing it with fear like the old times.

"You both know the Uchiha Airport Assassination, right?" The two blondes glanced at each other as if trying to recall the event, and returned their gazes back to their uncle who was waiting patiently for their reply, and nodded. "Well actually, Sasuke's brother, Itachi, survived that assassination." The two sets of blue eyes widened upon hearing their godfather's words.

"Alive?!" they said in sync again, Jiraiya nodded and glanced at the gray-haired man behind him.

"According to your uncle, he was the only one who survived the assassination."

"Why didn't you tell me, or at least Sasuke?!" Naruto exclaimed to his uncle who was seating calmly in front of Naruko.

"I was told to remain quiet about it—"

"But—"

"Your father doesn't want me to tell you, especially to Sasuke-kun."

"But why tell us now?" Naruko asked, still calm about the situation, opposite to her brother.

"Well, you wouldn't understand the truth if I will not mention the truth on the Uchiha's side." Jiraiya stated, he then sighed and looked at his two godchildren with a serious face, "But you two must remain silent about this, okay?"

"But—"

"Jiraiya-jiji is right, nii-chan. Just think if Sasuke-nii-chan would find out, it would be horrible for him. Especially with the knowledge that he's the only living Uchiha in the world. We both know his reactions are quite unpredictable." Naruko said while calming his brother down by patting his back gently. He smiled at her sister and the two glanced back at their godfather, gesturing to continue his story.

"After the assassination, the case between the Uchiha and the Akatsuki was forfeited. Orochimaru's side celebrated, but little did he know that one Uchiha survived and reported everything to Minato, who begged the judge and the court to continue the case, but this time, he'll be representing as one of the Uchiha, to give justice to their death."

"I see, what happened next?" Naruto asked.

"Well, the case was on again, and this time, Minato was a hundred percent sure that he will win the case."

With a curious look, Naruto asked, "Why so?"

"Because he discovered that Orochimaru was behind the assassination of the Uchiha in the airport, and he had a good source for evidences that would definitely prove that he was behind it."

"Who was it?" he asked once more, feeling edgy about the situation.

There was a short silence when Jiraiya finally managed to open his mouth, "It was your mother, Uzumaki Kushina."

"What?" the twins exclaimed in sync for the 3rd time, with jaws drop and eyes wide open.

"She overheard Orochimaru's plan and decided to record it secretly. Then she unexpectedly discovered that her client was going against the Uchiha, and her beloved husband. She then decided to tell Minato everything and offered her help in order to defeat the Akatsuki."

"What happened next-ttebayo?"

"I have no idea what happened after that. But few weeks after, Orochimaru suddenly dismissed Kushina, saying that he would give up on the case. But Kushina declined and said that she would do anything to win the case, but in reality, she also wanted to avenge the Uchiha. But Orochimaru's words were solid as a rock that all she was able to do was to agree. Upon hearing this, Minato had a bad feeling that it was his turn to be assassinated. Luckily, Kushina's subordinate confirmed that Orochimaru was really planning to assassinate Minato, and so she begged her husband to leave the case."

"Well, did he?" Naruko asked, a bit quicker than her reflexes.

"Nope, Orochimaru gave up and—"

"But how could he?!" Naruto exclaimed, slamming his clenched fist on the table. Jiraiya shrugged and rested his back on the chair's backrest.

"I don't know either. Kushina didn't tell me the details. But anyway, it was Kushina and Minato's chance to escape."

"But they didn't…" Naruko concluded. She looked down at her lap with one hand still squeezing his brother's, "Orochimaru was behind the plane crash few weeks before our birthday, right?"

"Yes. He discovered that the two of them were related to each other and planned to kill them both."

"When… when did mom tell you these things-ttebayo?"

Another short silence occured.

"The day before their flight. That was our last conversation…"

"I see…" Naruko uttered, barely a whisper as she loosened her grip on Naruto's hand.

"Then she told me to tell Mayu-san to take care of you for a while, until I decided which one of you would I take care of."

"What?" Naruko asked curiously. "Why one of us, why not both?"

"She thought it would be dangerous if Orochimaru would found out that they have children, and decided to separate the two of you. Kakashi would be explaining Minato's part later when I finish."

"Alright, I understand. What did our mother said then?"

"She asked me to do one final favour, to adopt one of you if ever Orochimaru caught them escaping and kill them."

"How did you choose between the two of us, dattebayo?"

"Well, let me see… I randomly picked between the two of you I guess." Jiraiya said good-naturedly, I actually chose Naruko in thought that having a daughter would be a lesser pain in the ass, but I guess I was wrong, he thought and smiled at the twins who were giving him suspicious looks.

"Then you took me instead of nii-chan?"

"Yes, Naruko, after hearing the news about your parent's death…" A phone suddenly rang. "Oh, please excuse me." Jiraiya stood up and headed to the kitchen to answer his phone. Few minutes after, he went back to the dining area to excuse himself once more, "I have to go, I believe we were almost near the part where we were about to include Minato's side of the story." He said upon glancing at the startled gray-haired man.

"But mom's side is not finished yet-ttebayo!"

"Yeah, you haven't even told us our mother's last words for us." The twins pleaded.

"Ah… that, well… I've told everything to your uncle a while ago while you two were gone, he'll be the one to continue the story. Unfortunately, your godmother's looking for me."

"Oh, you mean Tsunade-baa-chan?!" Naruko asked curiously, making her twin shock and a bit irritated, as he recalled his encounter the other day with the woman.

"Why… Why do you have some business with that old geezer-ttebayo?! I was so interested in knowing what our mom has to say to us." Naruto exclaimed as he pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. Jiraiya approached the twins and ruffled their hair.

"Like what I've said, your uncle would continue the story, right, Kakashi?" he then glanced at the gray-haired man, who sighed and nodded.

"Yep, I'll tell everything you have said a while ago."

"Alright then, I'll be seeing the two of you later." I wonder if she already got a word from our old comrade, the white-haired man thought as he headed to the door, and gently closed it upon his exit, leaving the two blondes and their uncle in the dining room.

The apartment was not that big, though it is quite spacious because the fact that there's nothing much in it since the two boys living in it are quite lazy or better yet, have no time to clean. Upon entering the rectangular room, you would see a 3-seater sofa and a checkered armrest in blue and red near the window, also known as Kakashi's favourite chair, accompanied by a low table with glass top in the center of the area. There's a flat television mounted on the wall opposite to the sofa, followed by three doors. The first one near the television is Kakashi's room, followed by the bathroom, then Naruto's room which is located few steps from the main door. Behind the sofa is the dining area where the two blondes and the masked man are currently seating. The twins were both seated facing the living room, Naruko's on the left side while Naruto's on the right, while Kakashi was seated in front of Naruko, facing the sliding door going to the balcony, where you can overlook the west part o the university. To Kakashi's left is the kitchen with island counter that occupies four stools that serves as the divider to the dining area, and to his right is a long console table occupied with pictures, and the masked man's most precious and up to date watch.

"Well?" Naruto said, still pouting, as he glanced at their uncle.

"Hm, where did Jiraiya-sama stop?" Kakashi then rubbed his chin and looked up at the ceiling, "Ah!" he exclaimed and nodded to himself, "After hearing the news about your parents' death, Jiraiya-sama immediately fixed all his papers that proves that he is your godfather. I remember, before going inside the orphanage, I ran towards him to stop from entering. I was still a college student that time."

"Why did you stop him?" Naruko asked with a puzzled look.

"Because I have to tell him what your father have told me," He replied, the twins became more curious than before and gave him a hint that they are very interested on hearing every word he has to say. All I need is a spotlight on top of me then this scene would look like some sort of dramatic scenario, with a playing piano as background music in the television, he thought before he continued, "While your mother kept in touch with Jiraiya-sama, your father on the other hand, kept contact with me."

"Is that why you always visit us in the orphanage?" Naruko asked.

"Yes, then I report everything back to your father." Yep, a dramatic scenario in a drama show, by now these two will ask series of questions, till one of them bursts in tears and…

"I see, what happened next, dattebayo?"

Yep, this is the scene… It will start to heat up soon…"Your father told me to adopt you, Naruto." The twins were more shocked than before.

"Wh… why me dattebayo?" the blonde asked with eyes wide open, "Why not Naruko?"

"Because he thought Orochimaru would not kill someone who is important to him like his lawyer…"

"But why would father want you to adopt Naruto and leave me with mother? Would mother agree to it?"

"I don't know, Naruko, but your father told me that it would be best if the two of you would be separated."

"Why, dattebayo?"

"It's like what Jiraiya-jiji sad, nii-chan. It would be dangerous."

"But—"

"Just listen to Kashi-jii-san, would you?" Naruko hissed at her brother, who pouted and slouched with both arms spread on top of the table.

"Well, that was my last conversation with your father." Kakashi continued, "But of course, since I am not related to the two of you, except for the fact that I am your father's student, I made fake files stating that I'm your long distant relative."

"And they fell for it?" Naruko asked in disbelief.

"Yep, I actually used the trick your father taught me once, and luckily, Mayu-sama fell for it and I was able to adopt Naruto."

"Oh, I'm curious, how were you able to support me when you were still a college student?" Naruto asked with a teasing smile.

"Well, I am my father's only son, so I'm the only one who would inherit all his money." He said as he does the nice guy pose.

"So, that's the reason why we were separated?" Naruko asked curiously, half mad, "Because of that Orochimaru?"

"So he's the one who killed our parents? Wait… why do we have to know this, dattebayo?"

"Your parents' and the Uchiha are not the only people who are involved in this," Kakashi said in a more serious tune.

"What do you mean?" Naruko asked as she took a grip on her brother's hand once more

"The Hyuuga and Sabaku were also involved."

"What the?!" The two replied in sync as they stared at their uncle with eyes, wider than usual.

"Wh-why? How?" Naruto asked with a stuttering voice. Kakashi sighed and glanced at the two blondes in front of him.

"I'm really not supposed to share you this information, but Jiraiya-sama did tell me to tell the whole truth." He took a short paused and gave the twins a serious look. "What I'll be telling you now is the truth between the Uchiha and the Akatsuki, and its relation to the two of you, and why you two have to know these things," He said as he stood up from the chair to get his mug from the counter. "We all know that Akatsuki Corp. is one of the big companies in the country, including the Uchiha Company, and the Hyuuga," He continued as he went to the table, opposite to the counter, to get the remote control of the television and turn it off. "But of course, the leading company was the Uchiha, followed by the Akatsuki, then the Hyuuga…" he then went back to the counter to refill his glass with water from the sink. "Particularly the main reason why the Akatsuki wanted to pull down the Uchiha, because they wanted to be on the top, and in order to reach that, they have to make sacrifices," He was about to go to the table to put down the remote when he noticed that the gaze of the two blondes that where following him wherever he goes.

Looks like the spotlight's still on me, he then continue walking, but this time, he headed to the living room to place down his book on the sofa.

"The Akatsuki has four stock holders," he continued as he headed to the kitchen, creating zigzag patterns by circling around the coffee table and the sofa. "The first one is the Akasuna Clan, the biggest toy manufacturer that specializes in puppet making…" he then went back to the kitchen, "the second one is The Explosion Enterprise, manufacturer of explosive devices such as fireworks, and main source of weapons used by FBIs and polices, etcetera…" now he headed to the counter to put down his mug, "The third one is the Sabaku Clan, manufacturer of glass and cement used in construction…" he then headed to the table to remove his watch, "Then of course, the main stock holder, Orochimaru." He now headed to the living room once more to fetch the empty pizza box, they still haven't noticed, he thought as he created zigzag patterns again as he head to the kitchen, amused by how the two sets of eyes, and two heads, followed every movement he made. The spotlight is definitely still on me, he thought, trying to hide his amusement from his eyes as he continued his pattern throughout the story-telling session.

"Wait, so those three companies agreed on the Uchiha assassination?" Naruko asked while her head move from left to right with small movements, followed by a big turn, until she noticed that her brother's head is also doing the same movement and thought that something was not right. "And Kashi-jii-chan…"

"Hm?" the masked man uttered as he continued his movement, a bit faster now.

"Would you stop making fool of us and sit on the chair before you continue our story time?" she said a bit irritated, the last thing she wanted to happen was to be fooled by her uncle who is as perverted as their godfather. Good thing though, he's more good-looking than the old geezer, and more respectful to females, unlike their godfather who would instantly flirt a girl, especially if her chest and butt are gifted. Oh! And if their waistline is size two, never forget that…

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently, making Naruko's cheeks turn red because of anger, but at least he made a full stop as he stared curiously at the angry blonde female.

"Never mind, you may continue." She sighed and rolled her eyes towards her dumb-looking brother, He did grew a lot though… from the clumsy, messy boy with deep, whisker-like scars on his face, to a tall man with hairstyle similar to our father… and whisker-like scars on his face… she thought to herself as she observed her brother's features. His arms look stronger now, with the biceps and all, and his broad shoulders, a sign that he's still active in sports, his face is more masculine now – no one would definitely realize that they are twins. Now, Naruto got their mother's features and their father's eyes, unlike before where both of them got their father's features and their mother's eyes. Naruko then remembered when they were young; they would try to switch clothes and pretend to be one another without their friend's noticing. But as she stared at he brother at the very moment, he reminded her of their father – the reason why she acted like a mean sister to him a while ago – but things are getting better now, they're starting to get used to each other's company again, and it actually feels good… to feel the warmth of a relative beside you. Then she squeezed her brother's hand once more as they listened to what their uncle is blabbering about.

"Hm…" he paused for a while and went towards the chair where he was seated at a snail's pace, or slower than a snail to be precise. "Everyone actually agreed on the assassination, except for one."

"The Sabaku Clan, isn't it?" Naruko asked calmly, shocking her dear brother whose eyes are currently as wide as saucers.

"How did you know?"

"Well, I've heard about the death of your friend's father, Gaara-kun…" Naruko said as she glanced at her twin with calm expression. "He's a Sabaku, right?"

Naruto's eyes were scrutinizing hers and pointed a finger at his sister. "H...how did you know, dattebayo? You haven't even met him yet."

"That's why someone invented social networking sites right?" She replied and rolled her eyes away from her brother.

Geez, I haven't met a girl who changes mood in just few seconds, must be the five-days-in-a-month-girl-thing, Naruto thought as he stared at his now annoyed sister,"You were stalking me, weren't you?"

"Why not, there's nothing bad in stalking my own brother and see what's he up to everyday."

Yep, it's that thing… I hope it's the last day… I mean, just few minutes ago we were okay, I don't want to argue with her again… damn it I miss the old Naruko… "No…" he stated, a bit quicker than a running mustang. Then he looked down on his lap, one hand scratching behind his neck, and with a sheepish smile he asked, "But ano sa… If you missed me that much, why did you slapped me and treated me like one of your enemies a while ago?"

"I didn't say anything about missing you…" she replied, trying to avoid his brother's face, "and besides, you looked filthy, and like what I've said a while ago, I don't want my newly bought dress to get dirty."

"Naruko, that's too much!" He then exclaimed, feeling hurt about his own twin's words.

"Heh, still a cry baby I see," She mocked, arms crossed over her chest.

Annoyed now, his sheepish smile became a glare, the kind of glare that he somewhat got from his mother.

"This is getting serious, stop it, dattebayo!"

Damn it, don't give me that look. "Make me."

"Alright, back to my story!" Kakashi intruded as he took his seat in front of Naruko startling the two blondes. Kakashi watched them as they sat up straight and looked down on the table, or their lap… whichever it is, they were looking down, bangs covering their pissed off faces. This is what I feared… I guess I have to sleep in the living room later… that is, if these two won't kiss and make-up right away, he thought to himself and released a long sigh. "Do you still want me to continue my story?" he asked, the two blondes nodded, but their eyes are still locked on either the table or their own lap.

"Yosh! So where was I?" Kakashi continued, rubbing his chin as if he clearly forgot what he was talking about. Being impatient and all, Naruto looked up at him with a frown.

"You were talking about the Sabaku Clan and the Hyuuga-ttebayo."

"Ah! Yes, yes, I remember now. Thank you, Naruto," He replied with a big smile on his masked face, but only received a sigh from the blonde.

"So all the stock holders except for the Sabaku Clan agreed on assassinating the Uchiha, in fear that someone might discover that all of them are behind it and might lead to their downfall, making Orochimaru doubt about their loyalty…" Kakashi then leaned on the chair with one hand on the table, and one hand on his pocket, trying to remember every detail his sensei had said to him. After all, he was ordered to tell the truth to the twins. "While the Explosion Corp formulated the perfect weapon and explosive devices for the perfect assassination, Orochimaru and the Akasuna clan had discussed on how to eliminate the Sabaku Clan."

"So they killed Gaara-kun's father in order to do that?"

"Probably, probably not…"

"What do you mean by that?" she asked curiously.

"Well, your father wasn't able to unfold the mystery behind it, but it seemed like Gaara-kun's father already surrendered his share and ended his contract with Orochimaru before he died."

"I see… then three years later, the Sabaku formed their own company in Gaara's tutelage, replacing the place of the Uchiha Clan in the big three companies." The male blonde concluded, eyes still locked on his lap. Followed by the female blonde's theory.

"Then I suspect that Orochimaru was also behind Gaara-kun's death."

"I suppose… but like what I said earlier, your father wasn't able to clarify the details behind it, and decided not to dig any further because of the current case he was handling." The gray-haired man said.

"I see… still makes me wonder though how Gaara-kun managed to bring back their business at a young age."

"Well, you see Naruko, his older brother, which name I forgot, helped him, together with his older sister…"

"...which name you also forgot."

"You're right, Naruto." Kakashi said with a smile and one hand scratching his head, "I'm not pretty good with names, as you can see."

"Geez, you don't say, dattebayo," The blonde male murmured as he rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, so after Orochimaru's mission to eliminate the Sabaku Clan from his company, he then proceeded on assassinating the Uchiha."

"I see… so why is the Hyuuga involved in this shitty stuffs-ttebayo?"

"Well after the said assassination, Orochimaru laid low for a while, until the case simmered down, without any thought that it might give the Hyuuga an opportunity to rise."

"Yeah, the Hyuuga Corp is very famous worldwide. Their company speaks not only of quality, but also glamour and high-end gizmos. I mean, their furniture and appliances are to die for." Naruko said with elation, making her brother roll his eyes and sigh.

"Yes, that's true, but their involvement is somewhat related to why the main branch is here in our country."

"So Orochimaru's planning for his comeback this year, am I right?"

"Probably, we can't be so sure, Naruko… but this one of the many reasons why you and Jiraiya-sama are here."

"I see…" she replied with a nod. There was a short silence until Kakashi uttered his last few words before sending the two blondes to bed, seeing hundreds of paper works and his book in the living room making him worry that he might not finish everything on time. Plus Jiraiya-sama gave him a special gift – the newest volume of the Icha-Icha paradise, and it is not distributed in stores yet till next week. His hands were itching to flip the pages of the newest volume that he wanted to finish his tasks as soon as possible, including his story telling with the twins.

"As long as we have not heard any news from Jiraiya-sama regarding this matter, I want you, Naruto, to avoid contact with your Hyuuga friend and Sasuke for a while."

"What?! Nandattebayo?!" Naruto exclaimed, but receive no reply from his uncle who's currently talking to is sister.

"Oh, that also includes you, Naruko."

"I know," She replied like she was expecting those words from her uncle.

"Wait… why should I avoid Sasuke?"

"Why, will you miss him so badly? Will you feel incomplete without seeing him?" Naruko teased with twinkling eyes squinting at him, making her brother turn red.

"Yes! I mean… not in the way you're thinking—"

"What was I thinking? I wasn't thinking of anything," She teased in a sing-song voice, making her brother boil with annoyance.

"Alright alright, you may both go to bed now." Kakashi interrupted with a good natured smile as he grabbed the twins' arms and lead them to Naruto's room. "You may continue your conversation inside… I have some important things to finish."

"W… wait! Kakashi-jii-san, you haven't clarified some things ye—"

"Finally… peace and quiet," He said as slowly slid down on the floor with his back rested on the door, though he can still hear the twin's voice, with one of them banging the door to open, probably Naruto.

"Darn that masked-freak-man! Open the door, Kakashi-jii-san!" the blonde male whined, still banging the poor wooden door. "You haven't finished your story yet, oi! Open up!" He then turned around and decided to ask for his sister's help, but she already dozed off on his bed. Well, she did had a tough day today… he thought, as he stared at her wet clothes hanging on his coat rack beside his desk, I wonder how Sasuke found her… or recognized her… he thought once more as he gazed back at his sister.

Naruko did change a lot, aside from her hair that hangs up to her waist; it was hard to ignore the drastic change of her chest. He was expecting to see a flat-chest blonde with shoulder length hair, not a model-liked figured blonde whose hair is similar to Rapunzel, no doubt most model agencies would want to take her, thought they'll have a little problem with her height. She is way smaller than him, if Naruto approximately have a height of 5'9", Naruko's height would probably be around 5'2" to 5'4", Naruto can't really tell. But he does remember that she is only up to Sasuke's mouth based on his observations earlier, and the raven is an inch taller than the blonde as far as Naruto's knowledge. And Sakura's height would probably be 5'5"… wait—

Naruto paused for a while, like his heart skipped a beat, or made a full stop.

Sakura…

He then rushed towards his desk to check his phone, only to see three messages from his brunette friend regarding the reservation for PE tomorrow and how his other brunette friend kept bugging him to remind the blonde about it, and tons of text from his other brunette friend regarding the same thing, and about Hinata. Then his godfather also texted him to take care of his sister while he finish all the works he left before in their godmother's hand. Then he also received a text that made him sad… a text from Sakura, telling him that she might not e able to help him with their research:

But I will do my part, it's just, I have to be with my mother right now… family thing… I'm really sorry. We could combine our research during the weekend

"Weekend huh…" he murmured as he placed down his phone back to his desk. He then turned around to check on his sister. Still sleeping like a baby, he thought as he approached her and tucked her in to his blanket. He rummaged his closet after to bring out the thin mattress and placed in on the floor. He covered it with his extra bed sheet and took out his newly washed blanket with keropi design. Heh, this brings back the old times, he thought, upon remembering that the blanket was originally owned by none other than his twin. He then took his stuffed-frog, Gama, from Naruko's side and lied down, day dreaming about Sakura.

What did I see in her anyway? He said to himself. He rarely had a crush, most of them are blonde because they remind him of his sister, but what he feels for Sakura is quite different. I guess it's just an infatuation. I mean, she is pretty, and her green eyes remind me of mom's eyes and Naruko's, he thought, as he slowly slipped away from reality and slowly nearing to a wonderful dreamscape.

-o-

Tsunade was obviously not pleased to see her long time friend and former classmate, maybe because she's a bit drunk again. But who could blame her, being the new school head with bunch of new and wild freshmen to handle is so damn hard, especially if most of the students' parents complain about the tuition this year. But hey, everything is expensive nowadays, increase in tuition is nothing new to what's being overly priced lately like sakes. Tsunade refilled her recently emptied glass of sake as Jiraiya stared at her with a teasing smile.

"My, my, you haven't changed a bit Tsunade. I bet your luck is still as bad as before."

"Shut up, pervert man, I thought you're here to talk about some important matter, what is it then?" she said, before emptying the newly refilled glass. "As you can see, I'm pretty busy here." She continued, flailing her free hand with the folders on top of her desk. Jiraiya only managed to sigh as he leaned on the door. She offered him a glass but politely declined and excused himself from drinking, making her happy, the last thing she wanted to do before hearing her friend's news is to finish the bottle of sake all by herself.

"Well… what's the news?"

"It's about Orochimaru, I know where he is," He deadpanned, but received no particular reaction from the half-drunk blonde.

"So, what's the plan?" Tsunade asked calmly before downing the newly filled glass of sake. There was a short pause between the two when,

"I'm planning to infiltrate his company to get as many information as I can."

"What?!" She then slammed the empty glass to her desk. Jiraiya watched the glass broke into small pieces, with some portion pierced into Tsunade's hand, allowing the blood to mix with the sake on the table. He had never seen her like this – her hazel brown eyes were watery, her expression were soft like she was about to burst from tear, her hands were shaking with fear or pain because of the sake's sting on her wounded, bloody hand, she did have a phobia in blood before.

"Are you out of your mind, Jiraiya?!" she continued, but the white-haired man remained silent. She then slammed her hand once more on the table, still gripping the broken glass in her fist, drawing more blood on her hand. "You… you don't have to do this! Why are you doing this anyway? This is non-sense! This is—"

"I know, but we don't have other choice, right?" Jiraiya replied with a smile as he approached the hurt blonde. He rummaged his pocket and took out his handkerchief, attempting to clean the bloody hand of his friend, when she unexpectedly head to the sink in the corner of the room to clean it.

And I was so close, so close on touching her hand. I thought this was my opportunity for her to acknowledge me. But it seems like she still sees me as a nobody, based on the expression she gave me when I told her I found Orochimaru… he is after all, a genius... A stupid genius who kills people for his own selfish gain, fuck that bastard, he thought as he sat on the chair in front of the school head's desk.

"I won't allow you to proceed with your plan." Tsunade uttered in a shaky voice, "I… I… I don't want to lose you too. I've lost a lot of people for the past years. My grandfather, my brother, our sensei, Dan… I, I can't—" her tongue was suddenly caught upon feeling the warmth of Jiraiya's arms wrap around her waist, his warm breath blowing behind her ears, and his heart beat thumping at a fast rate. With the sound of pouring water from the half-opened faucet, and the dripping rain outside the building, her tears began to fall as she closes her eyes and pleaded, "Please, Jiraiya, please stay."

The white-haired man then smiled and tightened his grip on his blonde friend.

"Don't worry, you know me well, I always plot a plan with a solid strategy. I won't be one of Hiruzen-sensei's favourite students if I'm not awesome, right?" he teased, making Tsunade smile for a short moment.

"Yeah, come to think of it, you're supposed to be the one who is seated on that desk with bunch of paper works to do." She replied, pushing the big man lightly as she closed the faucet. "You even admitted that you're Hiruzen-sensei's favourite student, you deserve the title as the new school head."

Jiraiya then smirked and leaned on the wall with eyes locked on the ceiling.

"Nah, you deserve it more." He concluded, making the blonde curious. "After all, you're more responsible than I am, and your grandfathers were the people who established this school. Besides, I'm nothing but a pervert man with goddamn writing skills."

"You think so small of yourself, you're a great man, though it's not obvious because of the image you are currently portraying. But you're a talented man, more talented than I am," She said as she patted her friend's shoulder and headed back to her desk to clean the pieces of glass. "By the way, Naruto's in your class." She uttered after a short silence. "It might cause some trouble, but at least with you knowing it, it might lessen the danger that might come."

Jiraiya then burst into laughter, brightening the dark aura of the room a little. "Glad to hear that. Besides, I wanted to bond with my godson for a while," He cheerfully said upon approaching his dear friend. He then grabbed Tsunade's hand and wrapped his handkerchief around her hand.

"I never thought you know little things about first aid."

"Special thanks to my beautiful and fierce doctor friend who always kick the hell out of me whenever I've done something bad," He replied. Tsunade only managed to smile as she watched her friend bind the handkerchief to her hand.

-o-

Naruto was about to enter to his magnificent dreamscape when something unexpectedly whacked a pillow to his face, jolting him up from the mattress with an alarmed expression. He quickly surveyed his bedroom, only to catch sight of his beloved sister sitting up straight on his newly fixed bed. She was staring at him with what seemed to be a perplex expression making his face turn red because of shame. Naruko then smiled sweetly towards her brother and said, "Thank you."

"Huh?" Naruto eyes widened upon hearing those words from his dear sister. "Thank you for what?"

"For accepting me…" she replied, her face gradually turning red as she looked down on her lap. "I've been a bad sister to you today… I… I want us to start over again." Naruto then approached her sister and gave her a warm big hug.

"We don't need to start over again. It was perfect to begin with."

"Nii-chan—"

"Naruko, I'm really happy you're back. You don't know how I wish for this day to come. After all, you're the only relative I've got. And I'm really happy that you also wanted us to get along well. I mean, it's been years since we last met each other, a lot of things have changed…" He then released her from his hug and placed both his hands on her shoulders and continued with a smile on his face, "But my love for you as your brother never changed even the tiniest bit. You're still the person leading in my heart, dattebayo!" he then released a sheepish smile, making her sister smile and cry at the same time. Naruto then brushed his thumb to her face and wiped the tears.

"Nii-chan, I also wished for this day to come." She then jumped towards her brother and hugged him tightly, making them fall on the mattress right beside the bed.

"Heh, not only your hair grew longer, it seems like you also gained weight." He teased, but instead of getting angry, Naruko replied with a laugh, when she noticed her brother's vibrating phone on the desk.

"Nii-chan, your phone," She then reached her brother's phone and handed it to him while sitting on his brother's lap. Naruto's expression gradually became serious as he discovered the person calling him.

"Who is it?" Naruko inquisitively asked but received no reply from the blonde male. She then stood up and took a peak on his phone, only to find out that it was one of the Uchiha calling him.

"Should I answer it?" Naruto asked upon looking up at his sister. Naruko only managed to shrug and leaned on the desk.

"Jira-jiji and Kashi-jii-chan didn't say anything about talking to an Uchiha via phone call… they only ordered us to avoid them personally." She said, trying to remember what their godfather and uncle said to them earlier. Naruto then sat on his bed and answered his phone.

"What makes you call at the time like this? What's up?" he said, trying to sound a bit cheerful despite of the awkward situation. Naruko remained silent, eyes locked on her brother. It took Naruto few minutes to make a certain reaction that made Naruko giddier about his conversation with Sasuke. She know her brother too well, he only makes that kind of expression towards Sasuke when there's something bothering the Uchiha. And knowing Sasuke, he rarely gets affected by problems, unless it is too shitty to handle for an average person. After all, if you are an Uchiha, your problem standard is much higher than a typical person, guess it shows how strong willed and prideful an Uchiha is. And with a soft, shaky, and manly tone, a voice began to utter the last few words Naruto feared to hear… Words that he last heard when he was still with him in the orphanage… words that almost led to Sasuke's downfall…

"Naruto, I need to talk to you."

-End of Part 4-