Rating: T for language. "Language" being the usual; swearing. But also because of the word "sex." No, there is no dirty business, it's quite literally just the word.

A/N: Word count ended up being ~9000 excluding the Omake. The next chapter(or Arc in general) needs a lot of work. I have a vague idea of what's going to happen… And I mean vague. It's not even a skeleton, it's like a wireframe. I'll try and update on my progress, to give you guys a rough estimate for how far along I am with each chapter. First, I've gotta work on the course of this Pre-Shippuden arc though, because I really don't want to end up writing this story into a *cough* reinforced brick wall.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters in the Narutoverse.

Conclusions

Right punch. Left knee. Low sweep. Upwards kick. Right palm. Left punch. Roundhouse kick. Repeat.

If there was one thing in particular—that was a result of her 'mentorship' with Fuuko—that Naruto was thankful for, it was the fact that she could train and work on her katas in her actual body as opposed to her Chihenge. However, while she was thankful for it, the fact that her now-developed strength was now useless because of her habit for overreaching was a major source of irritation. She would use Kage Bunshin if her 11-year-old body didn't still need conditioning, but alas, it did.

It also didn't help that she was allowing her emotions to speed up her movements and add more power to each thrust.

When going through katas, precision and patience are the most important. But at the moment, Naruto had absolutely no patience. Mostly because the biggest reason for her training, currently, was to get her mind off of the "conversation" she had with the Nara clan head a week ago. She was also trying to forget the little event that happened at the Academy the same day(though this was easier to simply dismiss; forgiving children was much simpler than forgiving a grown man with the knowledge and experience of a Kage).

She also found it rather irritating that she was bothered by any of this at all. She wasn't supposed to be haunted and plagued by guilt, not now. She had figured that the damning feeling would come back to bite her in the ass at some point, but this soon? She didn't believe that she was truly so weak-minded, she didn't want to believe so.

The fact that her tenant was strangely absent only worsened things. He was one of her only supports, as he was the only one that knew the absolute truth about her. Kurama's absence affected her in such a way that she didn't know how she had lasted 7 years without his constant presence.

She didn't know exactly when it had become a habit to visit her mind scape and use Kurama as a venting wall whenever she felt stressed, but apparently, it had. So, when she entered her mind scape to talk to him and found that he wasn't there, and she couldn't find him no matter how much she searched, she had realized that the only possible method of getting a release of tension was to do what she usually did: train.

So, train she did. It was already a week after the fact, so she had calmed down considerably. Earlier in the week she had reduced part of the Senju forest and a few training grounds to barren land which earned her a fair scolding from the Hokage, but it was well worth it. It also resulted in a rather interesting rumor about the "Shinigami of the Forest of Death," as a few people had seen her flitting about and wreaking havoc. Some mistook her golden hair as a weapon, apparently, and it was amusing to walk around and hear the civilians bicker about what they believed to be the truth.

The approach of two familiar chakra signatures halted Naruto's movements, and she turned to face them, a small smile stretching across her face. "Yo, Shika! Chou! Are you guys here to train, too?"

They jogged up to Naruto, Shikamaru grinning and Chouji frowning. "I told you not to call me that, Naru…"

Naruto pat the Akimichi on the back, her smile fueled by memories of Chouji's butterfly-like chakra form. "Aw, c'mon Chou, it's not that bad."

Chouji gave a small pout and Shikamaru coughed, getting the attention of the other two. "Nicknames aside, we actually came here for you, Naru."

She tilted her head to the side. "Oh? What did you guys need?"

Almost immediately, their guards went up, and the blonde had to suppress a twitch from the rather sudden and awfully obvious change in their moods. Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and looked away. Chouji did the rather Hinata-esque motion of pointing his index fingers together.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "O-kay, seriously guys. What's going on?" Hypotheses swirled in her mind, but they all seemed ridiculous or off. Someone died? No, the actions of her friends didn't seem like they were mourning, it was similar to two children struggling to say something that they knew would earn them disapproval. They wanted to hang out and were just nervous? No, that didn't make sense either. The three of them were much closer now than they had been in Naruto's past at this very same point in time. They relaxed around each other, to the point where the two boys' barriers fell almost immediately at her presence and she wasn't constantly on alert.

She didn't know what the problem was, though the fact that it was a problem that affected her friends in such a manner left her tensing. Logic and analysis told her not to worry, that there was a very low chance—if any chance at all—that it was something dire, of great importance. But, being the fiercely protective, war-hardened and grieving soul she was, she couldn't quite allay all of her worries.

A slight murmur from the Akimichi reminded her of their presences and she snapped out of her thoughts. She cupped her ear, signaling that he had to speak up.

"… We wanted to apologize," Chouji mumbled slightly louder.

And like that, the previous tension, albeit small, slipped from her frame.

Uh… Okay, she wasn't expecting that. Why were the only two people she wasn't feeling super pissed off at/about the ones apologizing? She scratched her cheek, trying to figure out what their guilt stemmed from. "… Er, apology accepted I guess? But I don't even know what you guys are apologizing for."

Shikamaru gave an exasperated sigh. "In class, a week ago. Neither of us stood up for you, and we realized that… Well, we probably should've." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "We would've apologized sooner, but someone has been acting troublesome and avoiding the Academy ever since."

"Oi! I wasn't avoiding the Academy, I only go in monthly to take the tests," Naruto riposted. "… And thanks, but that's no reason to apologize."

"It is," Chouji said quietly. "We're clan kids, so we know the feeling of having one's family insulted. We never knew that you were one, too, though…"

Naruto held her hands out to stop him. "Whoa, whoa, who said I was a clan kid? I'm an orphan, and sure, even if both of my parents came from clans, those clans are gone. Dead. Dispersed. I'm not Uzumaki Naruto the clan kid, the sole survivor, I'm just Uzumaki Naruto, 'ttebayo."

Shikamaru eyed her carefully. "… You know, an apology wasn't the only reason why we came here."

Her brow furrowed. "What else then? You aren't gonna tell me to stop saying 'dattebayo' are you?"

"No… Actually, the opposite, I guess," Shikamaru shrugged. The odd answer caused Naruto to raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned. "You want me to say it more?" The hell?

"No no," Chouji quickly replied. "It's just that… Well, you've been different lately. Very different. One day you use the verbal tick at the end of each sentence, and the next…" He trailed off, scratching his head, a confused expression on his face.

"What he's trying to say is that something happened to you. You went from the dorky, idiot blonde, to… Whatever you are now," Shikamaru supplied. "So, care to tell us what's up?"

Naruto pondered the possible answers. 'Well, the truth is that I'm actually from the future where all of you are dead. I became Hokage at 24, died at 29, but then woke up to realize that I was actually 18 and had been in a Genjutsu the entire time. I then went on a 7-year-long trip to get more powerful so that when I traveled to the past, I was sufficiently powerful enough to kill Madara who, by the way, is still alive, and to prevent Kaguya's resurrection. That's why I seem so different now! … Yeah, I don't think so.' "Nothing really. I just… Decided to stop pretending to be stupid. To stop playing the role of the idiot," she replied plainly. "I also have someone mentoring me, sorta, and she told me to just be myself."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "I always knew that you were pretending to a certain extent, but I find it a little hard to believe that it was that much of a facade… Though, I guess whoever this 'mentor' of your's is, is the one responsible."

"Who's your mentor?" Chouji questioned.

Naruto shrugged. "Not really important. Technically speaking I can't tell you, either. Hokage's orders."

Their eyes widened simultaneously and they shared a look. "Seriously?" Shikamaru asked. "Wow. Well, is this guy strong?"

Naruto snickered. "She's super strong! I'm willing to bet that she's one of the strongest Jounin in Konoha, in fact." 'Well,' Naruto thought quietly, 'she will be, once I condition my body a bit more.'

"It's a woman?" Shikamaru sighed. "Sounds too troublesome to me."

The blonde rolled her eyes. If she was Ino or Sakura, she would've taken offense to that comment.

"Hey, Shika," Chouji nudged the dark-haired boy, "weren't you going to invite Naru over for dinner?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened and he turned to Naruto. "Oh yeah. Do you wanna come over next week? It's Chouji's kaa-san's birthday and she's going to cook a feast."

Naruto snorted. "It's her birthday and she's the one that's going to cook?"

The two boys shrugged. "Kaa-chan insisted," Chouji replied.

"Alright, you can count me in," Naruto grinned, noting to work extra hard in her training that day. She was going to need to have as much room in her stomach as humanly possible to maximize her profits. "I could use a mood-lifter."

October 10th. She had completely forgotten about it, until she saw a growing mob of civilians headed towards her home. At the realization, she had gone home to activate her seals—she really didn't want to risk her home burning down—and then proceeded to the Hokage Monument afterwards to sit, meditate, and watch the stars.

It usually never resulted in a fire, but the civilian villagers always made a point to do something none too kind on her birthday. Whether it was in the form of insulting graffiti on the walls, piles of trash at her doorstep, or a mob chasing her down to (attempt to) beat her, they always did something on the 10th day of October. The worst had been an accidental fire during her 8th year of life; she had been at home trying her hand at cooking, hoping to wait out the evening. She didn't notice the sleeping gas, and when the fumes reached the open flame…

It had been many years since then, but she still remembered it rather clearly. After Pain had attacked, the group of civilians that had made it a habit to try and make her birthday a living hell came to apologize to her, and she had accepted the collective apology. She hadn't cared much for their actions in the past; she understood that they were just in pain and dealing with their hatred in the easiest way to do so: directing it at her. The feeling of hatred and the urge for vengeance was something she understood, and it was actually rather easy to forgive them.

It hurt a little that she had to go through all of this again, but it also annoyed her to no end. She was no longer the sniveling little brat that she had once been, and quite frankly, the fact that she had to spend the night outside because of some petty grievances annoyed her in the same manner a mosquito buzzing around her ear did. Hey, she said she sympathized, but she wasn't a damned Saint, Sage Chakra and status as "Heritor of Otsutsuki Hagoromo" be damned.

A low growl within her mindscape lifted her mood.

'Kurama! I haven't talked to you in a while,' she thought jovially. 'I was beginning to miss you.'

The fox gave a noncommittal grunt and Naruto gave a fake pout. 'Oi, is that all you have to say to me? Where have you been? Every time I tried to talk to you, you never responded. And when I went into my mind-scape, you weren't there.'

He shifted and rubbed his temples, seemingly trying to abate a headache. 'Damn human brats and curiosity.' Naruto laughed at the exasperated tone the fox spoke in.

'Well, sadly, you're stuck with me for now,' she riposted. 'What have you been doing all of this time, though? I don't think you've ever been able to hide from me in my mind-scape, before. It was weird.'

'It's none of your business.'

Naruto raised an eyebrow at his ire. 'Uh-huh, yeah, sure. The least you can do for me today, considering it's the day I was born and the day you impaled my parents, is tell me what's going on.'

She felt the fox twitch with irritation. '… I have been trying to create a stronger connection with the other Bijuu.'

Naruto almost fell off of the monument. Okay, she wasn't expecting that. Many things that she hadn't expected seemed to like popping up, she quietly mused. '… Alright, what's going on? Did something happen during this time that I didn't know about before? Or has my presence already started to cause ripples?' she questioned with a wary tone.

'It's nothing, I've just been trying to figure something out,' Kurama replied.

'The "nothing" routine again, huh,' Naruto thought petulantly. 'Well, why didn't you at least tell me you were in contact with your brothers? Does that mean that you've been talking to the other Jinchuuriki too? Hey, you should bring me along next time! That could help progress our plan furthe—'

'NO,' Kurama interrupted with vehemence. 'That's… Maybe some other time. But not now.'

Naruto's brow furrowed with annoyance. 'Why not?'

'Because,' his voice held it's usual power, but lacked it's usual derision. 'It's not… the same type of connection. It's only the connection we Bijuu share.'

'That's the same as the one you told me about before,' Naruto pointed out. 'Something about you all having that innate connection since you were all once one being. That doesn't make sense, though, because I should be able to communicate with them since I still have a portion of their individual chakras from the war. It should be even easier for me thanks to having the Rikudou Sennin's chakra on top of that. Stop trying to skirt around the problem, Kurama, and just tell me outright.' She exaggerated a shudder. 'You don't know how creepy it is when you're actually being… Conscientious.'

Kurama groaned. 'Alright, look, brat. The truth is… It just wouldn't be wise to meet them right now.'

Naruto frowned. 'And why's that?'

'Because my brothers don't know the full story and would be apt to tear apart your puny human mind,' he growled with sudden vehemence, leaving Naruto slightly taken aback in surprise. The fox's bristling ceased almost immediately, however, and he sighed. 'And it actually is different. The connection I spoke to you about before was one with the aid of the Six Paths Sage Chakra, with the old man's guidance. Like you said, that was with the aid of the chakra you got as the Jinchuuriki of all of us. However, that kind of connection has no defense against the other Bijuu, and should they decide they wanted you dead… Do you understand?'

Naruto nodded. 'Yeah, I do actually.' She hummed as she remembered her interactions with the other Bijuu and Jinchuuriki. They had seemed friendly at the time—Choumei in particular—but she knew better than to just assume that it would be as simple as walking in on their conversation and saying, "yo, I'm from the future where I'm your friend. Let's be friends again." All of the Jinchuuriki had also been surprisingly amiable with their words and actions, she recalled. It was a pity Yagura was a lost cause, and Fu and Han were dead. She kinda liked them.

'Yes, well, the connection I have forged with my brothers is a tentative bond. It is the best alternative to refrain from including their Jinchuuriki and chance changing things more than you already have.'

Naruto stopped mid-nod. '… Wait. Do the other Bijuu know… Know about me? About you?'

She felt Kurama shake his head. 'No, but I have alerted them to be wary. The hunt for Jinchuuriki begins soon, and I'd rather not give that Uchiha-bastard anymore power than he already possesses.' He then went off on a tirade of loud swears and muttered curses about the many ways he would've liked to see the Uchiha die, causing Naruto to chuckle at the fox's mannerisms.

She was glad that she had someone to spend her birthday with, even if they were quite literally chained together against their wills.

It had been many years since she had witnessed the familiar and rather lonely scene. That fact alone was probably the reason why she had immediately had a flashback of the boy, her broody teammate.

As per the usual, Naruto spent her time training at the crack of dawn.

Well, technically, it wasn't the crack of dawn. No, it was even earlier; it was 3am. And she had gone home the previous night after a long and especially trying day in the office at around a quarter to midnight… Yeah, you do the math.

It was an ungodly hour, but it was the only time that she was able to get away from her duties and actually devote some time into her training. And she was as dedicated to keeping up her ability as she was to keeping the village safe, orderly, and happy.

Needless to say, when her ex-teammate infringed on said time(and his visits had become irritatingly frequent as of late) no one could blame her for any blatant ire she displayed.

"What the fuck do you want, teme?" Naruto huffed, sending a glare in the Uchiha's direction. She was slipping into old mannerisms and a dialect she had picked up while on her travels with Erosennin, but she didn't care. She wasn't in Hokage-mode, or even in training-mode. She was in, "I'm-still-waking-up-so-don't-fuck-with-me" mode. It was a rare mood she settled into on rare days, mostly because she had forced herself to become a morning person when she took office. However, she wasn't Gaara who, by some unknown ability—she swears it is so strong it must be a kekkei genkai—managed to pull several all-nighters in a row without showing any sign of wear and sleep deprivation. Well, technically, neither did she, other than the fact that she usually reached a temper level that rivaled Sakura's.

She absently wondered what it would have been like to use "ISWUSDFWM" mode during the Fourth War.

Unbeknownst to her, Sasuke simply stared, silently observing her. The blonde's eyelids fluttered slightly and her eyes took on a blank look, one that Sasuke had long ago learned to associate with her wandering mind. He knew the exact moment when Uzumaki Naruto had checked out of their brief encounter and wandered into the land in-between sleep and awareness. He felt a spark of amusement bubble from within before he shook his head, deciding it was time to snap her out of her mindless stupor. He had come for a reason, after all. Then, he firmly grabbed her wrist and tugged her away.

Naruto was ripped from her sleep-deprivation-induced thoughts, bewildered. 'What the hell…?' He usually just watched, or sometimes on rare occasions, joined in her training sessions for a quick spar. She quickly yanked her arm away and glowered at the raven-haired boy. "What the hell teme!? I'm training!"

"You haven't eaten yet."

Naruto blinked. He stared. She blinked again.

"…. What?"

"You haven't eaten," he repeated. "Sakura and Tsunade have been complaining about it."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "… And? Did you become their personal messengers or something? Yeah, I skip breakfast, and maybeIskippeddinnerlastnight," her last words were rushed together. "They have already told me to sto—"

Before she could reply, the Uchiha grabbed her by the shoulders and she felt the rushed feeling of Shunshin being used. She dazedly looked around her—no, she wasn't weak and she actually was used to the Shunshin; heck, she was used to the Hiraishin, but when someone is taken by surprise it actually can leave them a little dizzy no matter how accustomed to stomach-turning Jutsu they are—and noticed that they were at the broody-boy's apartment.

"Here." His voice cut through her thoughts like a blade and she turned around to quickly catch the object that was thrown at her. She looked down at it and raised an eyebrow. 'An apple.'

Without moving her gaze from the Uchiha that was mulling about his kitchen, she took a tentative bite from the fruit. "… So teme," she spoke, not caring that she still had apple in her mouth, "since when did you become my mother?"

He didn't reply. He simply brought a plate of onigiri to the table and motioned for her to sit. With a shrug—heck, free food, why not—she did so, still eyeing her friend.

"Not exactly better than eating nothing," Naruto commented, finishing her apple and reaching for an onigiri. "It's lacking in the essential nutrients and vitamins that a Shinobi should eat in the morning for the energy needed to last the day. Or as Sakura-chan would say, anyway."

When the Uchiha still didn't reply, Naruto sighed and decided to look around. The room had an open kitchen, and the living room was basically morphed with the dining room. Everything was spotless, organized, and very-much like her pole-up-the-ass teammate. And very obviously screamed, "bachelor."

Her brow furrowed. Wasn't part of his dream to raise a family? To marry someone to help shoot out—excuse me, to produce millions of red-eyed, mentally-fucked Sharingan babies? It had been almost five years since Itachi had died, and nearly four since the war had ended. And yet, to her knowledge, the boy had never had any kind of relationship. Oh, sure, he had women falling at his feet and practically offering their damn uteri for his use, but she had never heard of him actually—

She repressed a shudder. She really didn't care for hearing about the dirty business her ex-teammate(who may as well be her brother) got into. That didn't mean she wasn't curious, though.

"Oi, Sasuke," she started, getting his attention. "Have you had sex yet?"

With awe, she watched as he choked on his onigiri mid-bite and a light pink dusted his cheeks—never, NEVER had the Uchiha lost his cool, never had he sucked food down the wrong tube and NEVER had she seen him blush. A feral grin stretched across her lips as she found a new way to tease the uppity bastard.

"Oh-ho, so the ever-so-coveted Uchiha Sasuke is still a virgin? How surprising! I would've thought you wanted to get right to work on reviving your clan," she quipped devilishly.

The Uchiha glared at her, no trace of the previous blush. "That's none of your business."

She laughed. "Seriously though, Sasuke, what's going on? None of the girls meet your fancy?"

He remained silent.

"Knowing you, you'd probably want a Kunoichi. I highly doubt a civilian could birth one ninja baby without problems, let alone enough to restart a clan." She ignored the pointed glare the raven-haired boy shot her. "I still remember all the times you called Sakura-chan useless, the heartless ass you were. Ino-chan already has Sai-teme, so that won't work. Tenten is pretty cool, she's laid back but with a good head on her shoulders. You know, I think Sakura-chan is still kinda offended that you had the gall to tell her she was annoying at the Valley of End but she might give. I mean, it's been years, and she isn't the type to hold grudges. She's definitely one of the best Konoha has to offer, in looks, ability, intelligence—"

"What about you?" Sasuke interrupted, and the blonde looked askance at her ex-teammate. "Why haven't you had any relationships?"

She gave a mock-gasp. "Huh, so you actually talk." This earned her yet another glare from the boy, which she waved off. "But if you want an honest answer…"

She rested her elbow on the table, her chin propped in her hand. "… I guess I'm just comfortable with how things are. I mean, things like 'love' and 'relationships'? … Never really gave any mind to them. The entirety of my childhood revolved around getting friends, which extended into my preteen years. I was a lonely little sap and I wanted friends, friendship, a family; something lasting. Love beyond friendship just wasn't something that registered, I guess. And then, my life revolved around training, getting stronger, to protect the people that I actually had come to love, my friends and, in a way, my family." She pointed an accusing finger at the Uchiha. "And I got stronger to try and get your stubborn ass home. I think that was the biggest headache I've ever had."

When Sasuke didn't reply, Naruto sighed, combing a hand through her golden locks. "You know, I'm worried about you. You're my friend, Sasuke, you're family. I want you to be happy and to live a fulfilling life. No longer are you tied down by hatred or some will for vengeance that was thrust upon you unwillingly. You can actually be happy."

She stared at him and he stared back, eyes filled with indecipherable emotions."… I think I'm fine with how things are, too. With everyone, Konoha, you… I'm fine with it for now."

It was as close to an admittance of friendship and appreciation she'd get, she figured. She teasingly prodded him on the shoulder and grinned. "Aw, I love you too."

His eyes widened before he stood up and turned around, walking to the sink with an empty plate. Naruto noticed a light pink tint on the tips of his ears and let out a quiet giggle.

It was a memory from the Genjutsu, but it felt just as real as any other memory she had stored away in the endless confines of her heart. When her trip down memory lane faded, she refocused her eyes on the raven-haired boy sitting on the pier, staring off into the unknown. Suddenly, he turned around, as though finally realizing that he was being watched. Their eyes locked for an achingly long moment before he broke it off, turning back to face his front with his nose in the air. Very much like Sasuke to do that.

Naruto turned away shaking her head, a grin playing on her lips.

Maybe he can truly find a happy ending in Konoha, this time around.

It had been a little tense when she entered the Nara house, she had to admit. Almost immediately, she felt Nara Shikaku's eyes on her, and panic arose. 'Does he know the truth? Does he know I'm actually Fuuko? He doesn't want to kill me, does he?' Her worries were quickly quashed however; there was no way that he had already picked up on the fact that she was Fuuko. She hadn't interacted with him since she last came over to hang out, and 'Fuuko' hadn't seen him since the incident. That didn't mean she wasn't still somewhat unnerved by his analytical stare, so with a quick, "thank you for having me Nara-sama," she dashed after Shikamaru and Chouji, glad that the confrontation was over.

She sat in the Nara heir's room, facing the two clan heirs, who had oddly malicious looks on their faces. Wait, no, that was a trick of the light. They just looked curious. Maliciously curious.

"Er," she started intelligently, tugging her jumpsuit collar, "what's up?"

"We heard that your mentor is named Namikaze Fuuko." Shikamaru cut right to the chase.

"Ah."

"She's the visiting Jounin that came to class a while ago," Chouji commented. "Why didn't you tell us before? Being the apprentice to a relative of the Yondaime is awesome!"

'I am a relative of the Yondaime,' Naruto thought sarcastically. "Wasn't really necessary to speak about it. Besides, it's supposed to be a secret…" She narrowed her eyes at the two boys. "Who did you guys hear it from? That's not exactly information released to the public rumor mill."

"Oh," Shikamaru raised a hand sheepishly—well, as sheepishly as a Nara could. "I heard Oyaji and Inoichi talking about it."

Naruto felt a twisting feeling in her stomach—annoyance? Fear? Worry? Anger? She didn't know. She pinched the bridge of her nose and made a motion with her other hand, signaling to continue. "And…?"

"Well, Oyaji wants to ask a favor."

Ah. That explained the holes he bore into her skull earlier.

"What is this 'favor'? If he wants me to try and arrange another meeting between the two, then you've got another thing coming."

Shikamaru scratched his cheek. "He wants to talk to her. He said it's importa—"

"Not gonna happen," she interrupted.

The two boys blinked owlishly. "Why are you so against it?"

"For reasons. Let's just say that their first meeting didn't go very well. You're dad's awesome, Shika, but he is definitely a little lacking as far as tact goes."

The Nara heir snorted. "I can agree with you there, but women aren't exactly the easiest to deal with. Why do you think I really only have you guys as friends? Ino doesn't count."

Naruto almost jumped up and said, "GUESS WHAT? I'M A GIRL!" just to render his point moot and invalid. But she didn't.

"Well, back to the subject," Naruto decided. "Can you tell me why your Tou-san wants to meet with her?" Was it worth the trouble?

Shikamaru shook his head. "I honestly don't know. I just know Oyaji was really distraught about the whole thing, and it's troublesome."

Naruto blinked. Distraught? Annoyed, she could imagine, angry, sure, apathetic, definitely—he's a Nara—but distraught? Was he… Was he actually regretting what happened? "Uh… Define distraught."

"Deeply upset and agitated," Shikamaru deadpanned.

Naruto palmed her face. "God damn it Shika, I mean, why? How? Does he seem regretful?"

The Nara gave a one-arm shrug and Chouji rubbed his chin, contemplating. "… Yeah, Shika's Tou-chan does seem a little… mopey."

"Not technically a real word, Chouji." The Nara pointed out, earning him a pointed glare from his friend.

Naruto gave a small chuckle. Maybe the Nara clan head wasn't as suspicious of her as she had initially thought, even though his words rather blatantly shouted, "I don't trust you and you're suspicious." Even if she wasn't someone that had a background in politics, she would've come to the very same conclusion. "Look, for you guys to be spared of Nara-sama's 'mopey-ness,' I'll talk to Fuuko. I'll make sure she comes by at some point to talk to him."

Shikamaru gave a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"Boys!" Yoshino's voice called from the other room. "Dinner's ready!" Almost immediately, Naruto was accosted by the smell of food—fresh miso, gindara, tonkatsu, and many others—and she had to stop the drool that threatened to fall.

"Alright, we'll be there in a moment!" Shikamaru called back, walking towards the door. He turned to his two friends and gestured for them to follow him.

"I wonder what Kaa-chan made," Chouji wondered aloud as they walked down the hallway.

Shikamaru snorted. "Probably everything you could possibly think of. Hanako-san always manages to cook whatever it is that you feel like eating without even asking… Because she literally cooks everything."

Naruto blinked. "Hanako-san?"

"Ah, yeah, Chouji's Kaa-san," Shikamaru helpfully supplied, and Naruto nodded. She knew the name, and yet, it seemed foreign to her. She filed that bit of information away for later review.

The trio entered the dining room and saw that the plates, utensils, and food were all spread out, and they took their seats. Chouji and Shikamaru immediately began picking at the plates of food in the middle, adding pieces to their own plates and chowed down. Naruto looked at Hanako and smiled. "Thank you for the meal, Hanako-san, and Happy Birthday."

The two boys paused as Hanako chuckled. "Thank you very much, at least one of the boys here has some manners! You are Naruto-kun, right? I've heard so much about you from little Chou here." Naruto laughed in reply, absently noting the slight lilt in the woman's voice.

Chouji reddened as the other occupants of the room began to laugh along with the blonde. "Kaa-chan!"

As they exchanged words(and Naruto's two friends said "sorry" and "happy birthday Kaa-chan/Hanako-san"), Naruto glanced at the technical host of the little gathering. Shikaku was a great actor, she had to admit, and had she not been used to Shikamaru's similar mannerisms and little quirks, she wouldn't have seen it.

The man was nervous. And she knew that she was the reason for it.

It wasn't quite the normal nervousness—though, considering the situation and their positions, him feeling nervous about her probably wouldn't be considered "normal" any which way—where the parent is trying to seem cool to his son's friends because, honestly, Shikaku probably couldn't give a rat's ass about that. No, it was the kind of nervousness that one suffered from when they had something to say. The talk with Shikamaru and Chouji resurfaced in her mind, and she realized she had her proof.

'Hmm,' she thought silently, deciding to let her eyes linger on the steadily worsening fight between Chouji and his mother that was spurred on by his nickname. 'I guess it wouldn't be too bad to visit him. Clear up whatever misunderstanding we seem to have. The man obviously seems repentant, and I could use that to my advantage.'

Because, if there was one thing Naruto was certain about in her estranged situation with the Naras, it was that having Nara Shikaku as an enemy was something she did not want to be faced with.

Shikaku blinked.

He couldn't see her eyes due to the shadows, but he assumed she just stared back at him. "Well?" She questioned, expectantly. "Are you going to let me in so we can talk, or are you going to make me stand here on your doorstep?"

An amused smirk threatened to cross Shikaku's features again. Honestly, the blonde in front of him was more daring than most of the Jounin he commanded, and her uncanny resemblance to Minato in that regard was astounding. Seemingly weak and frightened at first, but should you be an enemy, would be the one to end your life without a second thought. The frightened child he had seen her as just a week prior was gone, most likely never to come back in his presence, and was replaced with the undaunted figure of absolute control and power.

"Very well," he motioned to allow her into the house. "Let us have a chat, Namikaze-san." For some reason, it didn't seem so wrong to call her by the surname, anymore.

The blonde nodded and walked in, following him to the living room where they sat on opposite ends of the lacquered tea table that Shikaku's wife was so fond of.

So, there Shikaku sat, across the tea table from Namikaze Fuuko, wondering where the hell to begin. He was a thinker, not a conversationalist with a silver tongue. The manner in which he handled their previous meeting made that rather obvious, he would think. She had dropped by unexpectedly, very unexpectedly, and he wondered if his son and the blonde boy had anything to do with it.

He looked at the tea he had prepared earlier, just before her arrival, and motioned at an empty cup. "Tea?"

She shook her head and Shikaku proceeded to pour a cup solely for himself.

With a sip from his tea, he decided to start. "... So, Namikaze-san—"

"Fuuko," she replied quickly. "I don't care for petty honorifics and propriety isn't at the forefront of my mind, especially not now. We are not here to discuss business as fellow Jounin under the Hokage, we are here to clear an unfortunate misunderstanding that even children could mediate."

Shikaku stared for a moment before he shook his head and chuckled, astounded at her gall. "Very well, I ask that you call me Shikaku as well. I'm not much for honorifics, either."

She nodded.

"Anyway," the Nara head began again, "I wanted to apologize to you, Fuuko. I assure you that the meaning behind my words that night were not as severe as they appeared."

"That is fine," she stated plainly. "It is perfectly acceptable. You are Jounin Commander, and you had not been informed of my presence until it was rather… Late in the game. You suspicions were founded in the situation you were placed in. Your guarded reaction was to be expected."

Shikaku furrowed his brow. Had he truly come off so abrasively? "… You were correct, earlier, that the root of the problem was a misunderstanding. Certainly, I had a few suspicions, but my biggest concern was the fact that you were an unknown in my book." He let out an exasperated sigh. "I am not accustomed to not having all of the information I need at my fingertips, you see, and on the rare occasion that it does happen—that usually only occurs when the opposing party is an enemy Shinobi—I suppose I get a little… Passionate about my work."

He glanced at the blonde, who seemed to stop breathing altogether. His brow furrowed deeper; had he offended her? Troublesome.

His thoughts were immediately cut off when she broke into uncontrollable laughter. He stared at her hunched over form—arms grasping at her stomach, frame shaking slightly—and his face contorted to one of absolute confusion. Eventually, her mad-fit of giggles subsided, and she mock-wiped a tear from under the eye of her mask.

"I apologize, Shikaku. It's just… You were correct, that was quite the misunderstanding we had," she supplied.

Shikaku set his teacup down as he raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "What exactly did you think I was doing, then? My motive?"

She crossed her hands on her lap and locked eyes with him. 'Blue eyes, just like Minato,' he absently noted. "To test me for my loyalty. To see if I was someone with a hidden agenda. To see if I coveted power, and to see what I would do to gain said power." She paused. "To see if the information you had on me was true."

The Nara tapped the side of his teacup with his finger. "Well, I admit that I did have my reservations about your motive at first, because your choice of company was more than a little suspicious. But ultimately, only part of that is true," he leveled a steely gaze at her. "Your cover story is a lie. I know that for a fact."

She stiffened slightly but her gaze did not waver. "… And what makes you say that?"

"It's a little too perfect for the situation. A little too convenient," he supplied. "That, and something just tells me that it's a lie."

There was a pause.

To Shikaku's surprise, she nodded. "… You are correct." She then stretched, and the previously restricted air about her seemed to relax completely. "… Man, figures you'd figure it out. Of course, you haven't put together the entire puzzle, but I'm not gonna tell you."

His lip twitched upwards. It seemed the woman in front of him had made her own decision about him, and decided to throw formality out of the window. "You admit to it? Why not divulge the full truth, then?"

"Because, I'm not admitting defeat, Shikaku, and it's much more fun trying to find something out than being handed the answer. I'm sure you agree," she quipped, playing with her glove. "There's also the fact that I'm not technically allowed to tell you, even if the old Hokage did leave the confidentiality of said information at my discretion." This bit of information made Shikaku's eyes widen. "Besides, I'm fairly certain that you'll figure it out on your own, eventually. When, I don't know, but I am very certain that you'll figure it out."

He allowed a full-blown grin to stretch across his face. The girl in front of him had already made a decision about him, so he could return the gesture: he decided that he liked how the girl in front of him thought. "Would you like to play a game of Shogi?" He offered. It was the best method he knew of to truly get to know his opponents. It was a game of strategy and centered around the strength of minds; what better way to analyze the odd woman in front of him than to test her in Shogi?

She hummed to herself, contemplating the offer. "… You know what, sure. It'll give you a few more hints, I'm sure."

He did not allow any surprise he felt to show outwardly. "How very astute of you," he commented as he stood up. Most saw his offer as a polite and discreet way to get to know one other. It was true in a way; he did use it as a way to get to know his opponent. To break them apart and analyze their minds without them knowing, that is.

"Thank you." Shikaku could hear the smile in her voice and he couldn't help but snort.

As he guided her to the Shogi room, a thought crossed his mind that made his brow furrow.

"Can you tell the blonde brat to just call me 'Shikaku'?" He drawled. He could almost feel her confusion through the mask.

"… What?"

"Naruto," Shikaku corrected while setting up the Shogi board. "He called me 'Nara-sama' the last time he was over, and before I could correct him he dashed off to Shikamaru's room. I don't like the honorific, or being called by my clan name."

Fuuko simply shrugged. "Sure. Now…." She pointed at him as he finished setting up the board, which earned her a questioning eyebrow. "Don't you dare go easy on me, or you'll regret it."

He gave her a genuine smile, noting the steel and raw strength in her voice despite the calm tone. "Of course not."

Yes, Namikaze Fuuko was, decidedly, a very interesting person.

Poke.

His eye twitched.

Poke poke.

He scowled and his jaw tightened.

Pokepokepoke.

…

Pokepokepokepokepokepoke—

"AARGH! What the hell!?" Sasuke swatted at the offending hand and swirled around to glare at the person who really needed to learn how to respect personal boundaries. He blinked when he was greeted by familiar blonde hair and a vaguely familiar ANBU mask.

"About damn time," the woman drawled, shoving Sasuke to the side slightly so she could sit next to him. She turned to him and gave a two finger wave as he scowled. "Yo."

It was the woman from the Jounin visitation, he noted. 'What was her name? And what the hell does she want?' He gave a quiet scoff and turned back to the sunset, making a point of scooting away slightly(to underline the fact that the woman's presence was very much unwanted).

He would've proceeded to ignore her had he not felt a rather sharp pain on his forehead… and had he not found himself sprawled on his back, about three meters away from where he was sitting previously.

"Geez, you're such an ass, avenger-boy." He sat up sharply and glared at the woman. He was angry that she had struck him and was bothering him, but most of all, he was frustrated that he hadn't seen her move. At all.

"What the hell do you want?" He growled. This damn woman was infringing on his time, in his place, and he wanted her to leave.

Sasuke heard the woman give a quiet sigh as she pointed to the spot he was previously seated. "I want you to sit here, and I want to talk to you."

"Talk? What is there to talk about?" He snarled, not budging. "Nothing about me is any of your business, and you're being anno—"

"Sit," she ground out with force. With a start, Sasuke realized that he was shaking—him, Uchiha Sasuke, was trembling—at the Killing Intent she released. However, it dissipated almost as soon as it settled, and she released another sigh. "Look, I know what your deal is. You think I'm just 'another adult' that is giving you pity, looking down on you. But trust me, the last thing you'll be getting from me is pity because, quite frankly, you don't deserve it." She gestured to the empty spot beside her again. "Now get your pompous ass over here and sit."

Sasuke eyed her warily before complying. He didn't quite know why he felt the slight inclination to obey; perhaps it was because she was a Jounin, maybe it was because of the Killing Intent she gave him a taste of, or maybe it was because of her unorthodox understanding. Whatever was the case, he did as she told him to, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.

"Good," she commented, and Sasuke wished he had just walked away. "Now, tell me, why do you sit here and brood so often?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. "What? Have you been following me?"

The blonde woman actually snorted. "Hah, please! I have better things to do than follow around a kid with a damned vendetta of all things. Now answer the question."

"Why should I tell you? It's none of your business," he snarled.

He stared at the woman as she(he assumed) stared back. The staring contest lasted a couple of minutes, and Sasuke felt somewhat unnerved but refused to be the first one to look away. He just continued glaring into the eye holes of the mask.

Eventually, he heard the blonde groan in frustration. "Why do you have so much enmity towards everything? Towards life?"

Sasuke fought down the urge to look at her incredulously. Was she being seriously asking him that? He remained silent.

The blonde woman moved to stand up and shifted her mask, seemingly rubbing her face in exasperation—Sasuke was not curious, he did not give a side glance to see, and he was not disappointed when he realized her face was still hidden—and she turned to face him. "Life isn't all about getting revenge, Sasuke, and even when it feels like you've lost everything… It's up to you to determine if you want to actually make something of your life. Giving in to hatred? Not the best course of action, especially when you can't even look underneath the underneath."

He shot her a look and opened his mouth to retort, but she cut him off. "Hatred isn't the way, Sasuke. Hatred can give you power quickly and easily, sure, but once that hatred dies, you are left with nothing. Instead of allowing hatred to consume you... Break down those damn barriers you've constructed around your heart and learn to love, appreciate, and care. Because that's the foundation of true power; the power to protect."

Sasuke felt rage build up within him as he tried to burn a hole through the woman's skull. How dare she act like she knew what he was going through? Who the hell did she think she was, preaching to him useless ideals in an attempt to brainwash him? It was his decision to follow down this path and to avenge his clan and she had absolutely no right to try and change his mind! She was just an outsider who knew nothing, a self-righteous nobody that thought she was better than him just because he was the pitiful "lone survivor" and she was older. She was just like the rest, looking down on him and—

"I'm not looking down on you, Sasuke." His eyes widened. He didn't say any of that aloud, he knew that for a fact. How did she…? "I just don't want you to make a decision that will harm the people that actually do care about you, whether you know about them or not."

She nodded her head once, and in a black and gold flash, she disappeared.

Sasuke sat there until the sun had disappeared underneath the horizon, staring at the spot the strange woman had stood before departing.

When "Fuuko" got home, she immediately released her henge and stretched, enjoying the sensation. It had been an interesting couple of weeks, that was certain. From Suna, to her homecoming, the confrontation at the Jounin HQ, certain realizations, hanging out with Shika and Chou, confronting Shikaku about their previous encounter, and then trying to knock some sense into her broody soon-to-be-teammate? Yes, very interesting.

Though, in truth, her whole time back in the past had been rather different.

At first she had mixed feelings about the whole thing; she had her reservations. Everything just seemed so different, with different people at different ranks, different shops, different schedules… The whole air about Konoha seemed different. Perhaps it was because, at this time, she had been too focused on trying to garner attention and get people to see Uzumaki Naruto and not the demon brat, but she was noticing things about her environment and the inhabitants of Konoha that she hadn't noticed the first time around. It was all very strange, almost foreign, and it had scared her initially.

And yet, while it was different, it was still familiar. It still had telltale signs of her home, the very obvious feeling she'd get when looking at the village itself. The relief she felt when looking across the expanse and realized, it was not plagued by the constant threat of death. It wasn't dead at all. It was still Konoha.

An amused snort alerted her to her tenant. 'While it's amusing seeing you induce some sort of elation-high to yourself, your training has slowed down as of late. You haven't tried using my chakra and the Six Paths Sage chakra to the full extent yet, and your physical conditioning is suffering from lack of attention.'

Naruto rolled her eyes as she walked over to her cabinet to take out a pencil and paper. 'I know, of course I'm going to train more. There were just certain issues that had to be taken care of; you know that.'

'Yes, and I've had my own problems,' he grumbled, quietly enough so Naruto didn't notice. 'I've been meaning to ask. What do you plan to do with your little persona?'

Naruto, who had started jotting down a tentative training schedule, quirked an eyebrow. 'What?'

'Namikaze Fuuko. What do you plan on doing once it is no longer needed?'

'… Well, I was just going to stop using Chihenge to disguise myself as her, for one,' Naruto replied blandly. 'As my body grows older, people will see the resemblance, but I can just pass it off as "close familial ties." It'll work fine—'

'That isn't quite what I meant,' Kurama clicked his tongue in annoyance. 'Namikaze Fuuko has become more than just a persona for you to use as a shield against Madara. You have formed bonds with other people using it, and I want to know: What are you going to do about those bonds?'

Naruto set her schedule aside and sat down on the cool floor, chewing on her lip. '… I never really thought about it. Fuuko wasn't supposed to be someone I used to get close to the others, in all honesty. The only one she was supposed to get close to was Sasuke, and only as a teacher, "path towards power" in his quest for revenge. A failsafe to keep him in Konoha, you could say, though that was only supposed to be an option. I… honestly didn't think that I'd get closer to other people as well.'

Kurama remained silent.

'As for what I'm going to do…? Well, I want to say that I'll just come clean at some point and tell everyone the truth. Hopefully after Madara is good and dead, Obito is back on our side, and Zetsu is dead—therein destroying Kaguya's only chance of revival. But it won't be that simple, it's never that simple, and you have a point.' She tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. 'I don't know what I'm going to do.'

The room and Naruto's mind scape settled into silence, with the exception of her steady breaths.

'… Just don't let it become another weakness,' Kurama said with finality. 'As it stands, your biggest enemy is yourself and your past. By the time any true enemies make their appearance, you need to either have those weaknesses hidden flawlessly, or have dealt with them and reached closure.'

Naruto gave a small nod, notifying the fox that she had understood. She was mentally around three times her current physical age, and she had lived, survived through more than most Shinobi did. In the past, she had sometimes wished she hadn't survived, and though thoughts along that line hadn't crossed her mind for years, that was another crack in her psyche. Another weakness. She was powerful, she was formidable, had knowledge and experience to back any and every claim. But with her power and intellect came loneliness, a crushing loneliness that constantly threatened to put her under. Naruto had never handled loneliness well. Perhaps it was ingrained into her body, her very soul to want attention. Maybe it was her fiery Uzumaki blood, or her status as the Jinchuuriki to the proudest and most powerful of all the Bijuu. Or maybe, it was just because of her pitiful childhood. Regardless, all of her weaknesses stemmed from her inability to handle loneliness and solitude, in some way or another. She knew that, if she were to fall to something in the future, to fail saving her precious ones and die, it was going to be because of this weakness.

'But I have Kurama,' she thought fondly, her eyes crinkling in amusement. 'I have Jijii, I have Shika, and Chou. And even though they are gone, I have my memories of everyone from my past; Erosennin, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme, Kakashi-sensei, Hinata-chan, the rest of Konoha 11, Tsunade-baachan, Gaara, B-occhan, Anko-neechan…'

And everyone was alive now. She had a second chance, the ability to save all of them. She was worried about the possibilities and the ifs; "What if I don't save them?" "What if I'm not able to save them?" "What if they die, even if I avert their initial death?" But she still had a chance. Another chance to meet all of them, to befriend them, to forge new bonds, and to save them all.

She looked at her calendar and smiled.

"I've got a few more months until graduation," She spoke quietly. A few more months until she stepped back into that world, the world of Shinobi. Her world.

She was almost there. Just a bit more training, and she'd be at the peak of her current body's ability. She wouldn't be as strong as she had been in the future-past; her 12-year-old form just wasn't built for that compact muscle mass and those fully-matured chakra coils. But it'd be enough, and everything was, at this point, a waiting game.

Soon, she'd be as powerful as her body could be. Soon, she'd have her Team 7, the closest thing to a family she ever had, back. Soon, she'd once again meet everyone who had helped her on her path, had pushed her in the right directions. Soon, the gears of time would start moving.

Soon, her plan would be set into motion. As would his plan.

Her smile grew wider as she thought of all of her friends. Soon.

A tall man sat hunched over his latest project. He eyed it keenly, his form so still and focused that his unruly, white hair didn't shift in the slightest. Notepad and pen in hand, he kept one eye closed and the other slightly squinted to see through the meager opening of the formidable wall in front of him.

He did not notice when a red toad of average size hopped up to him with a small scroll tied to its back.

"Jiraiya-sama."

The Sannin flinched and hit his head against the bamboo wall, causing the group on the other side to halt all conversation. The small group exchanged worried glances before they burst into worried chatter.

"Wha-what was that?"

"Do you think it's a monkey?"

"NOOOO I bet it's a PERVERT!"

"EEEEE! I'm getting out!"

The screams and protests slowly filtered out and the Sannin sent a vile glare to the small red toad. "Kousuke, this had better be important. You just ruined my research."

Kousuke smirked a little at the remark but did not comment. He held out the white scroll and Jiraiya's eyes widened. "I have a reply from Hokage-sama. He requests that you return to Konoha."

Jiraiya snatched the scroll and eyed it warily before dismissing Kousuke. There was a reason why he was so interested in the scroll; it's coloration indicated it was of great importance. In matters of classified information or importance, yellow and orange were ranked the lowest, green and blue weres usually C-Rank, purple and red were around B-Rank/low A-Rank, and white and black were A and S-Rank, typically sealed with the strongest of seals. Black scrolls typically dealt with ANBU or council members, while white meant it was directly from the Hokage.

In this case, it meant that this was either of a personal nature or of a closely guarded secret that was typically for Hokage-eyes only.

Regardless, the Sannin had a feeling that he knew exactly what the topic in the scroll was…. Or rather, who.

Jiraiya scratched his chin as he looked at the ornate white scroll in his hand. He shrugged.

He'd get to reading it and determining it's urgency when he got back to his room. But first, he had some research to make up for…

Omake - Moments of Stupidity

I'M SORRY DON'T KILL ME. This is the product of a skype call between two people while one was chugging along on only 3 hours of sleep in the last 35 hours(with about 1.5 liters of coffee in my system) at 4am in the morning and the other allegedly drunk.

What is this? Crack. Absolute crack. And a lie; this did NOT happen.

I wasn't going to add this, but I figured I might as well add it. I know the few friends I showed it to got some good laughs out of it. Don't like hinted homosexuality? Don't read.

"What about you?" Sasuke interrupted, and the blonde looked askance at her ex-teammate. "Why haven't you had any relationships?"

She gave a mock-gasp. "Huh, so you actually talk." This earned her a glare from the boy, which she waved off. "But if you want an honest answer…"

She rested her elbow on the table, her chin propped in her hand, fighting down a downright evil grin.

A single thought—a single decision—summed up her decision perfectly. 'Fuck it.'

She leapt out of her chair to fall into a kneeling position by the Uchiha's side, resulting in an involuntary tensing from said boy. She thrust her arms out towards him in an exaggerated fashion and thrust out her chest, working extra hard on the "sparkly eyes" affect. Her little show rivaled the Springtime of Youth, and she was damn proud of it. "Because, dear Sasuke, I love you with all of my heart! You are the eye to my apple, the rice to my white, and my fluffy hand warmer for cold winter nights."

She couldn't tell if it was confusion, shock, embarrassment, or anger that flitted through his face. Because for a full two seconds, his face made a strange amalgamation of twitches and shifts that hinted at all of the above.

"… What?" He hissed lowly, rubbing his temples while fighting down a prominent red spreading across his face. He turned to her when he regained his composure, a serious look on his face. "…You—" He had begun to speak, in a decidedly serious tone, and she promptly cut him off.

"BUT ALAS!" She placed the back of her wrist to her forehead and sighed loudly while looking off to the side, sadness and exasperation painfully fake. "I am already with… No, I already BELONG to someone else. I love thee, for you hold my heart, but my pure love and very soul are held by another."

Sasuke's eyes widened briefly before narrowing dangerously into a fierce scowl that she hadn't seen since the time he tried to kill her. His voice was a low growl and almost inaudible, but not without the power and defiance he had. "Who?"

"With eyes that shine like the freshly fallen snow," she makes a circled motion around her eyes with her hand, "black tresses that shine like the evening sky," she flipped her hair in an exaggerated motion, "a deceptively demure personality," she folded her hands in front of herself, tilted her head down and fluttered her eyes at the Uchiha demurely, "and undying devotion, she has won my very being!" Sasuke's eyes widened at "she." "For I love Hyuuga Hinata!"

Silence.

Sasuke spluttered. "B-but, you're, y-you—"

"Oh, and by the way," Naruto stood up and tossed her hair over her shoulder again. Suddenly, she was shrouded in a cloud of smoke, and Sasuke could barely make out her silhouette.

He froze when a rather masculine voice cut through the silence.

"I'm a guy."

…

The next day, Sasuke was once again announced a traitor of Konoha, and Naruto and Hinata were wed. They had twenty whisker-marked babies with varying hair colours of blonde and black, and they were a happy, happy family.

The end.

Sorry. But I'm not sorry. You were warned.