I do not own Naruto that is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

"Not human" God, biju, summon, Kushina

"I am normal" Human talking

"You can't hear me inside my mind" Inner thoughts of a person

Alright it has been around a week since my last post but work has been hectic. So for your patience I give you the longest chapter I have written so far.

Chapter 7: The Passing of Time

It has been a week since Naruto spoke with the God of Death and currently the young red head slept in his bed, but this sleep would not be accompanied by dreams. No, the soul inside of the Shinigami's seal had finally awakened.

Naruto clad once more in the monk style robes that were signature of the Uzumaki clan's dress. The white robes with red lining were slightly form fitting in design and was the outfit that the Uzumaki clan wore outside of battle.

Around the young Uzumaki was a meadow, the grass bright and tall, with a large weeping willow tree in the center. Running along the edge of the meadow he could make out a roaring river that separated the meadow from a rocky and treacherous terrain. This rocky area has a large cave in the center. Its entrance blocked by stone bars that give the cave the appearance of a jagged grin. On this cave he could see large black etchings, occasionally pulsing with power. The sky is cloudy and little streaks of lightning spark, bouncing between the clouds.

"Where am I?" Naruto wondered out loud.

"Sochi-kun, this is your mindscape." A voice spoke from under the weeping willow.

"Kaa-san?" Naruto asked, turning towards the weeping willow and watching as the leaves were pushed aside.

From under the cover of the tree a body emerged. First, the young boy could only see the hand that pushed the leaves aside, then he could see the red hair, and soon the body had appeared. Standing in front of Naruto is his mother, wearing the same outfit as he.

"Kaa-san." Naruto shouted as raced forward, tackling the woman where she stood.

"Oh, Naruto, my little Naruto." Kushina spoke as a spackling of tears rolled down her eyes. She did not know how it happened nor did she care, but she was united with her son and to her that is all that mattered.

"Kaa-san, I missed you. Konoha said you died but then Shinigami-sama said you would awaken, and then he spoke about how our clan was destroyed, and that Konoha had betrayed our clan, and then…" Naruto began as he poured out the events of the week to his mother. He was rambling, he knew it, but he had missed her.

"Whoa, sochi. Slow down. Now you said that Shinigami-sama said that I would awaken?" Kushina asked as she continued to hold her son, a light laugh threatening to escape her mouth over her son's exuberance.

"Hai. Shinigami-sama said that he put a seal on me that would trap your soul if you died." The boy answered quickly, his arms still wrapped around his mother as he stared up at her from her stomach.

"So that's what happened. Shinigami-sama must have added the seal when he sealed the Kyubi into Naruto." Kushina thought as she stared down at her son.

"Come; sit with me by the tree. We have much to talk about." Kushina spoke as she reluctantly let go of her son, before guiding him to the trunk of the tree and sitting down. She patted the ground beside her, gesturing for her son to sit down.

As Naruto sat down he asked his mother a question. "Kaa-san you said that this place is my mindscape, but what is that?"

"Sochi-kun this place is a representation of your mind, of your very soul. The meadow is peaceful and the grass is tall and healthy, this is because this is where you feel most at peace and the grass shows that you are healthy. The tree we are sitting beside is a representation of my seal. And the clouds and lightning shows that you are troubled, worried, or confused." Kushina kindly explains to her son, drawing on her own experience with mindscapes from her past experience as a jinchuriki and the knowledge the Uzumaki had gained of the spiritual world.

"But what about the rocky area or the river? What do they mean?" Naruto asked.

"The river is a barrier. It separates the meadow from the rocky area. As for the rocky area, we will talk about that soon. Just don't cross the river, not until I say you are ready. Can you do that for kaa-san?" Kushina explains before urging her son not to cross the river without her permission.

"Hai." Naruto says happily. The boy did not care about the rocky terrain, it may look interesting to him but his kaa-san is in the meadow. He currently had no desire to visit the perilous area.

"Good. Sochi-kun do you know how I died?" Kushina asks her son bluntly, unsure of how to broach the topic in a tactful enough manner that her five year old son would understand.

"No but Shinigami-sama said that I should ask you." The boy answered.

"That's because you're in danger. After I completed my mission I was ambushed on the road by several teams of shinobi, shinobi from Konoha. Konoha killed me." Kushina spoke as gently as she could.

"Konoha…Konoha killed you." The boy mumbled softly staring into his lap.

Continuing to stare into his lap the boy spoke once more. "That's what Shinigami-sama meant when he said that Konoha stole from me. Why does Konoha keep hurting our clan?"

"Hurting our clan? What do you mean?" Kushina asks, unsure of what her son meant when he said that Konoha had been hurting her clan. Not knowing of the hand that the village and their country had played in the destruction of her country.

"They betrayed our clan before the Second World War. They helped Lightning and Water to destroy our home. Even Earth was in on it." Naruto answered; the comfort of his mom's presence allowing him to talk about what had been bothering him since he spoke with the Shinigami.

"Damn them to the void." Kushina thought. Konoha had helped to destroy her clan and she had fought for them. She could not believe she served as a shinobi under Konoha's banner.

"Naruto-kun it is very important that you listen to me. You must get out of Konoha." Kushina urged.

"Hai. I don't like it here anymore anyway. Since you died and the Uchiha clan was nearly destroyed the glares have gotten worse." The boy answered. Naruto knew because his mother had told him from a young age that if he went out of his home or the Uchiha compound he must have either her or an Uchiha around to be safe. He had noticed that Konoha was getting decidedly unfriendly now that his protection is nearly gone.

"The Uchiha clan?" Kushina mumbled under her breath before looking her son in the eye. "You must be careful. You can't just leave. Things are not as simple as you might think."

"Why kaa-san? You taught me some of the laws of Konoha. I am not a shinobi; I don't have to ask the Hokage to move. I can just leave Konoha, maybe slip across the border." Naruto spoke, his voice getting slightly excited as he remembered the stories his mother had read to him growing up.

"Sochi-kun you are not a normal person. You are the last of the Uzumaki…" Kushina began before she was interrupted by her son.

"No I'm not. Shinigami-sama said that there were more Uzumakis in hiding. I'm going to unite them." Naruto interjects.

"That's great news. I will help you to unite our clan but for now you must stay in Konoha. You are the last known Uzumaki and you are something else. You are a jinchuriki." Kushina explains.

"Kaa-san what's a jinchuriki?" Naruto asks.

"A jinchuriki is someone that has a seal on them that holds something very powerful. A jinchuriki's seal holds a biju and yours holds the Kyubi just as I did before you. The shinobi world views people like us as weapons and Konoha will not give up their jinchuriki without a fight." Kushina explains.

"Is that the reason that people glare at me?" Naruto asks.

"Hai."

"But that is stupid. Don't they know how seals work?! If the seal turned us into the Kyubi then there would be two Kyubis not one…Wait if the tree is a representation of your seal then the cave would be…" Naruto says untroubled by the revelation of his status. If his mother was one then it could not be a bad thing.

"Hai. The cave is a representation of the fox's seal. Also most people have no knowledge of fuinjutsu and how it works. It is even rarer to meet a seal master, someone who could understand a jinchuriki's seal. This fear is increased by those that have seen, heard, or experienced the devastation a jinchuriki can bring to the battlefield. You must be careful." Kushina warns.

"So they are just confused?" Naruto asked.

"No. Jinchuriki have existed for a long time, starting with Mito Uzumaki. If they lash out at you then they are in the wrong. Never allow anyone to hurt you. Promise me." Kushina states adamantly. She would not allow her son to be hurt by the 'misguided'. She did not care about them, she cared for her son, and what mother would allow anyone to harm her child.

"Hai kaa-san."

"Good." Kushina says before lying down, dragging her son into her embrace. "Let's go to sleep. When you wake we will begin your training."

"Kaa-san is it wrong to hate?" Naruto whispers into his mother's chest.

"No. Sometimes people do things that are unforgivable. Why?" The mother answered, unsure of how she should answer this question.

"Well, it's that our family has been harmed by so many people. I wanted to know if it was wrong that I wanted them punished." The young boy answered.

Giving her son a quick squeeze of reassurance she answered. "It's only human to feel that way."

"Then I hope that one day I can bring to justice those who hurt my family. Like the Uchiha clan did before the incident." Naruto says, not yet realizing the implications of what he had said.

"Naruto-kun I don't think…just be careful. There is a fine line between justice and vengeance. For now go to sleep." With that said Kushina began to hum a lullaby to her son and he began to close his eyes. Soon Naruto was asleep and though Kushina no longer needed to sleep herself, she too closed her eyes. "I don't think you realize what type of justice your goal needs. Konoha alone is a great enemy, I hope that you will realize this. I would rather you escape and unite our family then die."


After the Uchiha Incident the world once more found itself on the brink of war. Fire Country, the nation with the most prosperous lands and strongest military had been left vulnerable and the other nations began to circle, but once again the Elemental Nations would decide against war. The other four superpowers of the Elemental Nations had no desire for the conflict and without their support the smaller nations had no desire to challenge even a weakened Fire Country.

The Land of Water would desire peace simply because of the bloodline massacres started by their own kage, Yagura, plunging the country into chaos. The Mizukage's actions were beginning to cause a civil war to form in the Water Daimyo's country. To make matters worse for the Water Daimyo he was beginning to lose control of the outlying islands that made up his country, forcing the daimyo to deploy his samurai to them in an attempt to keep order. Their political situation would only worsen when they received word that the Land of Tea was ceasing all political ties with their country and instead had joined the Land of Fire as an ally after an assassination of one of Tea Country's nobles.

The Land of Lightning would stay out of it for a simple lack of allies and political strength. After the Hyuga Incident and how close they came to starting the next world war they felt that the Land of Fire could easily rally allies to their side. They could not afford to be the instigators of the next war. The Lightning Daimyo would also desire peace due to his sister, Lady Shijimi, being married to the Fire Daimyo.

The Land of Wind would simply not be able to afford a war. Their current daimyo had begun to take funding from Suna and its own samurai forces, preferring to use the money for more lavish expenses. He felt that with the country's desert and its sands he only needed a minimal defense force to keep his country safe. Already nobles felt concern for the future of their country as the military is diminished and the rumors of royal bastards began to grow.

Finally the Land of Earth would also decide against taking advantage of Fire Country's weakness. With the advice of Onoki, the current Tsuchikage, the country would adopt a wait and see approach. Onoki believed that if Earth Country invaded Fire Country that once the forces of Earth were victorious they would never enjoy the spoils of victory and that the other countries would attack their diminished forces. This was also compounded by the fact that Earth Country, the most negatively affected country from the Third World War, was finally beginning to recover from the war.


Naruto Age 5:

Currently inside of Naruto's home we find the young redhead sitting in the same room his mother had once taught him. He is currently meditating with the table that once sat propped against the wall in front of him. On its surface you can see an inkwell and a brush, as well as papers with various seal designs strewn across its surface. He had been practicing seals, guided by the voice of his mother from the Shinigami's seal.

Much had changed over the last few months after the death of Naruto's mother and the once innocent boy was rapidly being forced to mature. One such change is that he is now the only known Uzumaki in the Land of Fire and with that he had new responsibilities. This status made him the new clan head of the Uzumaki clan and technical owner of a seat on the council though his age and lack of adult status caused him to be denied his seat. Since he couldn't take up his seat on the council he asked Mikoto, the new clan head of the Uchiha clan, if she would act as regent for him.

There were restrictions of course. With his mother's advice he was able to make it so that while Mikoto could use his vote during council meetings, something that didn't seem to go over with well with the Hokage, that he still retained control over the inner workings of his clan. Meaning anything from marriage contracts to finances, his mother had been particularly insistent on marriage contracts.

It did not take him long to find out why. It seemed that with Kushina's death, the clans decided that they wanted the Uzumaki 'bloodline' in their clan. The belief seemed to be that with his youth and lack of political knowhow, they could get him to join their clan through marriage, taking control of the Uzumaki techniques, finances, and gaining the Uzumaki bloodline. There were also plans for if they could not get him into their clan. The power of a second seat on the council is a powerful lure. If it wasn't for his mother whispering in his ear about how to be polite but still turn down their offers, he might have found himself betrothed or even married.

If the threat of marriage was not enough, Naruto had also started to have trouble with the Uzumaki District. To be more exact what used to be the Uzumaki District. With Kushina's death, her protection and her connections no longer kept the district safe from those who disliked the young jinchuriki and soon the properties were vandalized. To make matters worse, business had been nonexistent. After the Hyuga incident business had been bad but now people refused to make use of a jinchuriki's business and those that did, sought to take advantage of him. It was with much reluctance that his mother and he agreed to sell all of the Uzumaki properties in Konoha except his home and the old temple. The current plan was to sell the home and move into the old Shinigami temple on the outskirts of Konoha once the place was livable and secure. On the bright side he still maintained the legitimate businesses outside of Konoha.

The final change to his life was the boldness of Konoha's people. In the past the threat of his mother's power and influence kept Konoha's populace from striking out at him; with her now gone the people felt little fear in expressing their hatred. Luckily attempts at physical violence were violently repelled by the Hokage's ANBU, who likely had orders to make sure no harm fell on Konoha's weapon. While the ANBU protection might have stopped physical abuse it did not stop the citizens of Konoha from finding other ways to make life miserable for him.

Currently Naruto was meditating as he felt for his chakra and the spiritual energy gifted to his clan by the Shinigami. Digging deeper he found his chakra, it felt soothing and fast, though turbulent when prodded.

"I will have to work on my chakra control." The boy thought after he prodded his chakra, feeling as the energy resisted his touch.

"Yes, you will. But continue with your lesson, find your spiritual energy." Kushina instructed from seal, picking up on her son's errant thought.

Naruto mentally nodded his head before digging once more into himself. He would figure out how to block stray thoughts from his mother another day. Digging past the chakra he found a new energy, different and yet familiar. This new energy was strange, somehow feeling like he was touching himself, like the energy was made up of everything that made him who he is.

"Got it." The boy mentally thought to his mother.

"Good. Now pulse the energy. Like when you toss a rock into water and it ripples." Kushina coached from inside of the seal.

Using the mental picture his mom's words caused he pushed down on the energy. At first he struggled, the energy did not want to be moved. It was content to remain where it was. The second attempt was much like the first, a failure. On the third he attempted to move it like he had when he unlocked his chakra and felt it move, but it still didn't go far. On the fourth attempt he finally got it to move through his body, moving much like he would move chakra. Sadly it was not a pulse more of a flow of energy.

Feeling the energy move from inside of her son's body Kushina began to talk to her son. "Not like that. Spiritual energy is the energy of your soul, it responds to your desires. It does not behave the same way as chakra nor should you try to control it in the same manner. Nudge it, send your thoughts to it, and it will respond."

"Okay. Pulse. Splash. Ripple." The young Uzumaki thought as he attempted to communicate with the energy.

As the young Uzumaki mentally prodded the energy it began to respond and soon began to ripple. Then it moved from his body, creating a dome that spread around the house. Suddenly he could feel another's presence outside of his home. He could feel unique things that he could not describe, it was dizzying. Then it was over, the energy was back in place, the presence gone.

"What was that?" Naruto questioned.

"That was the Uzumaki version of sensor training. What you felt was the presence of one of the ANBU outside our home. The things that you could not describe were the ANBU's own spirit, the ANBU's emotions. The most proficient members of our clan at this type of sensing called it the Mind's Eye of the Kagura."

"With this technique you will always know where your enemies are and who you can trust. Skilled users can even expand their senses for miles. It is a technique that all Uzumaki can use, making us the only clan of sensors in the Elemental Nations to my knowledge." Kushina explained.

"Awesome. You're saying that's what I am learning." Naruto responded excited to learn a new technique.

"Hai, this is what you will learn to do. By the time you have mastered it you will be able to do this subconsciously. You will not make your kaa-san's mistake." Kushina spoke, her voice growing rather stern at the end.

"Your mistake?" Naruto questioned.

"Hai, my mistake. I never mastered this technique and had to consciously activate it. This mistake helped to lead me to my death; you will not make the same mistake." Kushina's said in her 'I'm your mother' voice.

"Hai." Naruto answered.

"Alright, now Naruto your range is currently small, but that is workable, we will work on expanding your range later. For now we will have you activate the sensor as often as you can while I guide you through the feelings you receive from those your technique contacts. Later we shall have you learn to distinguish from humans and animals." Kushina explained to her son.

Reaching out to his spirit energy once more Naruto began to send his message. "Pulse. Ripple."

His message would be interrupted as his mother interrupted him. "What are you doing? You don't have to actually think the message. That is actually a learning technique. Remember how the energy moved when you used it. Coax it; only use the words as a last resort."

Reaching out to the energy he tried to replicate what had happened before. Unfortunately the ANBU had moved outside of his range so he could no longer feel the ANBU's emotions but he could practice the technique. At first he would struggle to activate the sensor and have to actually think his thoughts to his spirit energy but eventually he would learn to activate it without the training wheels. It was a first step; he had learned to use the most basic form of the sensor technique and could now use his spirit energy.

"That's enough for the day, it's getting late. We will continue to practice this after seal practice tomorrow. Clean up and get ready to bed. Grab a book, I will read it to you before you go to sleep." Kushina spoke from inside of the seal.

Naruto got up from his position, stumbling as his legs were asleep from sitting on the floor for so long before leaving the room. He would leave the seal notes on the table, his mother and he would go over his work during seal practice.

Brushing his teeth and picking out a book from the bookcase in his bedroom, he crawled into his nontraditional bed and opened the book. This activity had become a tradition once Kushina had awakened in the seal. Upon the embarrassing discovery that his mother could see everything he did through his eyes, Kushina decided to take advantage of this by reading a story to her son each night, and making him tell her when a word confused him. Once the story was read he would slip into his mindscape and curl up with his mother and go to sleep.

In the morning he would eat a piece of fruit before he practiced his taijutsu and shower before his mom guided him through breakfast. His mom would then teach him about math, history, language, politics, science, etc. Once done she would once again help through the preparation of a late lunch before he practiced chakra control and his Henge. Finally, he would have dinner and work on his seals, with sensing practice after that.

This is the schedule the five year old redhead would follow with little variation for some time, though he would always sleep in the arms of his mother once night had fallen. Over the rest of this year Naruto's schedule would have a special jutsu added to it once he had mastered the illusionary Henge and moved onto to the solid Henge.


Naruto Age 6:

Naruto's schooling had changed once he learned the special technique his mother had provided him. This technique was the original version of the Kage Bushin, the Uzumaki version. The Uzumaki version of this technique is a mix of chakra and spirit energy that creates a sturdier version of the clone created by its pure chakra cousin. The technique is created by sending a sliver of your spiritual energy, a piece of your soul, into an empty shell. Also while both versions of the technique pass along information, the Uzumaki version passes the information more clearly than the chakra version. Sadly the Uzumaki version could not be cast in large numbers without certain precautions or risks.

While Naruto and Kushina might have begrudgingly admitted that the Nidaime Hokage's technique was superior in general, the Uzumaki version is the only clone that can activate Uzumaki seals and is sturdier than its chakra counterpart making it superior for their clan's use.

With this technique learned, Naruto found his schedule vastly changed. Since Kushina could not transfer with him, she would have Naruto create multiple clones that would study various subjects while she would have the original act as a mouthpiece for her, using his body to teach a classroom full of his clones, correcting their mistakes. To Naruto it seemed weird to relay what his mother said to his clones and correct his own work under her guidance and while the beginning was rocky, the method proved effective.

Another thing that changed was that his chakra began to get more firmly under his control. Through the use of his clones and chakra memory, the chakra version of muscle memory, he began to get his turbulent chakra under control. It also allowed him to more carefully examine his Henge for any flaws, making sure that the technique was perfect.

The clones even gave him partners for his taijutsu. The sturdiness allowing the clones to take a couple of hits before they popped. His mother said that the clones would be able to take even more as he grew older and more skilled in the technique's usage. Even the running of katas were different as he would sometimes stand off to the side and watch a clone, letting his mother once more use him as a mouthpiece to correct the clone on his stances. The knowledge of the stances would be passed along in the form of muscle memory when the clone dispelled.

But it was in seals that he most improved. With clones he had people to test his creations on. He also was able to truly delve into seals, his clones could study scrolls on sealing while he drew one under his mother's guidance. Naruto would come across many seals, but two seals would truly gather his attention. These two seals would be the Animation Seal and the Listening Seal. Those two seals would become the main focus of his seal studies.

The Animation Seal is a seal he had begun to practice in the privacy of his home in a place where no windows could see. The seal allowed him to animate an inanimate object, say a suit of armor and use it as a soldier under his command. It is an Uzumaki seal that no other has been able to copy because it is risky for even an Uzumaki. This pure spirit energy seal requires the user to connect their soul with the object and bring it to life, when dispelled against the user's will it will cause the user a great deal of pain, even death if used incorrectly. Chakra versions of this seal were deemed impossible after several seal masters destroyed their own chakra network trying to replicate the seal.

The Listening Seal was simply a common spy seal that had never been generalized. Naruto felt that the seal was limited and could be improved upon. With the knowledge of an Uzumaki version of the seal, he desired to make a new version of the seal, a better one. His mother's story about her ambush and how her lack of information and carelessness had made it so that he believed information can be just as powerful as power itself.

The final change in his learning was only partially due to this new technique. Kushina believed that with his growing maturity forced upon him by the village he lived in and his expanding knowledge it was time to teach him about the criminal underworld. She taught him of her connections and how she tried to get them out of Konoha. She also taught how powerful such connections can be, even for shinobi and samurai. Kushina taught him that he could not see things in black in white, for grey existed between the two colors.


It is currently rather late and the sun is starting to set as Naruto walks down the street of Konoha in his usual robed appearance as he heads to his home, an occasional pulse of his sensor alerting him to the ANBU shadowing him from the rooftops of nearby buildings. He had just finished visiting the Uchiha compound. The compound had resembled a damaged ghost town as it had not yet been fully repaired since the Uchiha Incident and its inhabitants had moved to the center so as to stay together. He had even run into the now married and recent father Shiteru Uchiha as he was teaching Uchiha children in the courtyard how to access their chakra. The man had apparently married Setsuna Uchiha not long after the Uchiha Incident and had a baby girl not long after. He had even met her when he saw Setsuna holding her child as she watched her husband, before he was pointed in Mikoto's direction.

Sadly his Mikoto-basan was tired. The cremation of the Uchiha dead had passed with little difficulty with only a strange ANBU having been caught and killed by the Uchiha guards when he attempted to harvest the eyes of the deceased members of their clan. Mikoto herself was feeling the pressure that came with two council votes as civilians attempted to curry her favor. Then there were the Uchiha properties to consider, she had little experience and allowed civilian businessman to entrench themselves and was currently struggling against them. Apparently while many of the civilians now found the clan to be tragic, this did not stop others from attempting to take advantage of the inexperienced Mikoto. Finally she was under pressure to marry once more by the elders.

"I wish they would leave Mikoto-basan alone and Sasuke-san isn't helping." Naruto thought.

Sasuke had taken the incident badly. Where he was once kind and fun to play with, he was now quiet and withdrawn. He had developed an obsession with his brother that was only slightly more powerful than his obsession with his remaining family. He had even started to preach the old Uchiha adage about power. With this new belief he had started to ignore his family in the pursuit of the very power he desired to avenge and protect them with. While Naruto could understand the desire to kill Itachi, even respect it, he did not like how Sasuke had changed. They had even fought when he decided to visit Sasuke and he said that Naruto was wasting his time. Naruto was unsure of his feelings for his old friend at this moment, especially when he brought up his dead mother and said he didn't have a family anymore and that he wouldn't understand.

"Stupid Sasuke, of course I understand. Konoha killed my mother but I was lucky enough to get her back. I was just saying that he should treasure his family." Naruto thought darkly.

Ignoring the glares around him he continued to walk before his stomach growled. He was hungry and he didn't feel like cooking. Taking a look around he found himself surrounded in a sea of glares. He did not feel comfortable.

"Hey are you alright?" A voice says from behind him as a hand touches his shoulder.

Barely stopping himself from screaming in surprise he begins to turn around. "Stupid baka. This is why kaa-san says to always keep your sensor active. So this doesn't happen." The boy thought, stressing the word always as he activated his sensor.

Once Naruto turns around he notices a girl with long brown hair and a slender appearance. She is wearing a simple white kimono top over loose black pants. Her face is fair and her eyes bright with a small smile on her face as she looked at him. Even more surprising was that this girl maybe five years older than him was being genuine, his sensor only picking up warm emotions. She was being nice to him.

"Who is she?" Naruto thought.

"No I am fine. Thank you for asking." Naruto responded remembering his mother's lessons on being polite. Shinigami-sama only knew what his mother would say if he was rude to one of the few people genuinely nice to him.

It is as he said this that his stomach growled once more bringing an embarrassed flush to the boy's face. "You sound hungry." The girl says with a pleasant laugh.

"Well just a little. I was just about to get something to eat, but I haven't decided where yet." Naruto responds while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He had no idea how to respond to someone like this girl.

Grabbing his arm she begins to excitedly drag the boy behind her. "Come on. I know just the place." The girl says over her shoulder.

"What, wait. What are you doing?" Naruto questioned his emotional control broken by the suddenness of the action.

"I'm taking you somewhere to eat silly." The girl responds with a carefree air, a bright smile threatening to split her face.

Bewildered Naruto responds, "But I don't even know you."

"I'm Ichiraku, Ayame. What's your name?" Ayame answers back.

"Uzumaki, Naruto." Naruto answers while pulsing his sensor and taking comfort in the fact that he can still detect his ANBU guards. The girl had apparently not known his name, who knew what would happen now that she knew. Imagine his surprise when the girl just continued to smile and he didn't feel the coldness he had come to associate with negative emotions. The girl didn't care.

"Is this what people meant when girls are strange?" The boy wandered.

"Girls aren't strange, we're just complex. Go with her you need to socialize more." Kushina answered from inside of the seal.

Soon he was in front of a small stand that had seen better days. The girl… Ayame, threw aside the curtains and spoke loudly. "Tou-san, customer."

As the girl went around the counter a man appeared from the back. The man that appeared was dressed in a similar manner to his daughter only with a blue apron tied to his front. His hair was short and turning grey, and he seemed to be balding as he put on a chef's cap. The man paused when he saw Naruto but then smiled. "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen, I am Ichiraku, Teuchi. May I take your order?"

Once more the Uzumaki used his sensor as he climbed onto a stool, the whole experience seeming surreal to him. Once again he got positive feelings. These people were different.

"Sochi-kun I know this place. I used to eat here with your father before you were born. They're good people." Kushina reassured from the seal. She knew that her son was going through a hard time. Outside of the Uchiha clan and herself every person he met seemed to hate him or want something from him. To see two people just wanting to be nice was sadly a strange experience for her son.

"Yes, thank you Ichiraku-san. What would you recommend?" Naruto spoke formally. He was unused to social situations and was drawing on his political training in an attempt to make a good impression.

"Why are you being so formal? You're a kid, relax." Ayame answered before her father could while she dragged over a stepping stool to stand on behind the counter. She was not yet tall enough to comfortably see over the counter.

"I…I…okay. But could you tell me what you would recommend?" Naruto answered, the girl's presence confusing him once more.

"What haven't you had ramen before?" Ayame questioned her face now close to his as she stood on her stool.

"No. My kaa-san apparently came…" He paused as Ayame gave him a mock glare. Collecting himself he tries again, trying to be less formal. "My kaa-san ate here but I have not. She thought ramen too unhealthy so it wasn't on the menu." Naruto said awkwardly, hoping that he was informal enough for her taste.

"You are going to have to practice this. I will not have my son be such a stick in the mud." Kushina lamented from the seal. Her son is socially stunted, she knew this, but it was sad that he had such a hard time being carefree.

Before Naruto could respond Ayame was laughing. "See, that wasn't so hard. Now because you're cute I am going to do you a favor."

"A favor?" Naruto wondered. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the concept of Ayame, were all girls this confusing? Would Setsuna's baby be just as confusing?

"Yep. I am going to make you the best bowl of ramen ever." With that the girl hopped off the stool and began to drag it into the back. On the way she grabbed a blue apron and began to tie it around her waist before grabbing a white bandanna and tying it around her hair.

"But I didn't pick a flavor." Naruto cries out. Not realizing that he had just been informal.

"It's a surprise. Be patient." Ayame responds with a wave of her hand.

As Ayame disappeared into the back, Naruto's bewildered face turns to the girl's father. Teuchi instead of answering the boy's unasked question just begins to laugh. Confused Naruto turned away.

"Is it me?" Naruto thought.

"No sochi-kun it's not you. Well not entirely." Kushina answers. Though Naruto could have sworn he heard laughter from seal after she answered.

The wait wasn't long before Ayame came out once again with a steaming bowl of ramen in her hands. The stool that she had been dragging around being carefully kicked in front of her as she brought it back to the counter.

"Here let me take that." Teuchi said as he scooped the bowl of ramen out of her hands, letting her stoop down and grab her stool and quickly bring it to the counter.

"Tou-san don't give it to him. I made it; I get to give it to him." Ayame cried as she began to stand on the stool and saw her father about to give Naruto her creation.

"Alright Ayame-chan." Teuchi said in surrender as he hands the bowl to his daughter.

Grabbing the bowl from her father Ayame quickly turns back to Naruto with the bowl in her hand. "Here." The girl says with her now familiar smile on her face before placing the bowl in front of Naruto.

Naruto cautiously looks down at the noodle soup and sees the appropriate toppings and that it looked edible, in fact it looked delicious to him. Reaching out he grabs a pair of chopsticks before grabbing a bite and bringing it to his mouth. Blowing on it he takes a bite. His eyes widen as the taste assault his mouth.

"It's good. Really good." Naruto thought before quickly reaching for another bite.

"So what do you think?" Ayame says with a cocky smile.

"It's really good. You are an excellent cook Ayame-san." Naruto exclaims momentarily forgetting himself as he indulges in the girl's cooking.

Ayame blushes at the boy's praise coming from the unnaturally polite boy. Both embarrassed at his words and happy that she had broken through his shell. Shaking off her blush she replies. "I know right. I am going to be a world famous chef when I grow up."

"I believe that you can do it Ayame-san." Naruto immediately answers before putting another bite in his mouth.

"Muu… Don't call me san, I'm not that old. I am still cute, call me chan." Ayame says with a pout, noticing that he had said san to her name both times.

Taking a look at the girl Naruto freezes before answering, wondering why this girl affected him so easily. "Ayame-chan." Naruto conceded as he finished the bowl.

"See and I will call you Naruto-kun." Ayame said with a teasing smile enjoying the reactions she could get out of the boy.

Behind her Teuchi hid his grimace. He did not mind Naruto or the fact he was a jinchuriki, he just didn't like his daughter calling any boy, no matter how old, kun. In his mind she couldn't do that till she was thirty.

While Teuchi hid the overprotective father inside of every man Naruto blushed. It was the first time a girl or anyone close to his age had called him kun. The laughter coming from his mindscape did little to help his embarrassment. "Ah Ayame-chan what flavor was that?" The boy nervously asked.

"Miso. Would you like another?" Ayame asked.

"You'd make me another? Really, that would be awesome." Naruto spoke sounding his own age.

"You really want me to make another. You weren't just being polite. You really like it." Ayame spoke excitedly. She had confidence in her cooking but usually people ask for her father to cook for them not trusting her age or treating her cooking like a fluke.

"Of course, you're a great cook." Naruto immediately responds.

"Okay Naruto-kun just because you love my cooking so much I will make you another." With that Ayame dashed into the back carrying her stool with her, excited that Naruto truly liked her cooking.

Just like before the ramen did not take long to prepare and soon Ayame with the help of her father was back on her stool at the counter presenting the bowl to Naruto. "Enjoy Naruto-kun." Ayame says happily.

Nodding his head and taking a bite Naruto lets out a small moan at the taste. The ramen he was eating was better than the last bowl. Soon the redhead finished his second bowl of ramen before turning to the girl once more. "This was really good Ayame-chan. Thank you."

After he thanked the girl he turned to Teuchi. "How much do I owe?"

"Since this is your first time here the first bowl is free. So ten ryo." Teuchi answers. Truthfully he had given the boy the first bowl free because of how his daughter got along with him as well as seeing the signs of ramen lover in the young redhead.

After Naruto paid Ayame spoke up once more. "Will you come again?"

"Will I be able to taste the food of a world renowned chef again?" Naruto spoke playfully, trying his hand at teasing while sincerely wishing to taste the girl's food once more.

It took Ayame a second to catch what Naruto had said before she smiled so brightly that Naruto could have sworn it would outshine the sun. "Hai. I will make you a bowl of ramen even better than the last." Ayame was ecstatic that Naruto had liked her food so much.

"Then I will see you soon Ayame-chan." With those words Naruto walked off only hearing the girl shout out in answer, "Bye Naruto-kun." If either had turned to look at Ayame's father they would have seen a strained look on his face, as he battled his fatherly instincts. The man really didn't like a boy calling his little girl chan or his daughter calling a boy kun, only the reminder that Naruto was six kept his fatherly side at bay.

"So did you enjoy talking to your girlfriend?" Kushina teased from inside of the seal. As his mother it was her duty to tease her son over such things.

"Kaa-san she's not my girlfriend!" Naruto answered his mother's blatant teasing. Little did he know that this encounter would be the birth of his first crush.


Naruto Age 7:

It was Naruto's birthday and he had put his first plan in a bid for power into play. Over the last couple of months he had planned and plotted and he believed that he was ready. He had been lucky that no one knew the extent of his shinobi knowledge and that none of his ANBU guards knew that he could use the Kage Bushin. Taking advantage of their lack of information he had taken to leaving a Kage Bushin in plain view of the ANBU and sneaking out using his sensor ability to avoid his ANBU guards before casting a solid Henge over himself.

With liberal uses of the Henge to assume multiple identities the young Uzumaki had met with several of Kushina's old contacts in the underworld of Konoha, trying to assume control of Kushina's old network. In his Henged forms he had provided proof of his connection to his mother by providing her personal symbol, a crashing wave with a whirlpool in the center. Sadly after Kushina's death her control over parts of the Konoha underworld fell under the control of others. Luckily there were enough people who wanted to meet his Henged self's employer that he had something to work with.

With that he created Nise, Sagi. The Henge was of a man in his young thirties with short black hair and tanned skin. He is also average in height and wears one of two outfits, either a pure black kimono or a black western style business suit, depending on the meeting. With his in depth knowledge of all of Kushina's past business dealings and her personal seal, he found that he was able to gain control of what remained of Kushina's network in Konoha.

With their acquisition he had poured clan resources into strengthening his position in the underworld before turning to the next step in his enterprise. He was going to take over Konoha's underground in one swift and brutal move. However, the current head of the underground, Hanzai Mori, reigned unopposed and was firmly entrenched. His only rivals being his own lieutenants and a couple of upstarts like Naruto himself.

So he had wandered how to remove the competition and the answer came simply. Naruto did not personally have to remove the competition; he only had to be ready to seize control. Naruto had found out that the head of Konoha's underworld had lost his family in the Kyubi attack and with this knowledge he made his plan. While Hanzai was not stupid enough to touch Konoha's jinchuriki, that didn't matter, people only had to believe his story.

Letting out a sigh Naruto stretched his sensor out and felt the four ANBU guards split off and respond to the two separate incidents he had organized to distract their attention. It had been surprisingly easy to find people willing to act like a drunken mob intent on 'finishing what the Yondaime started' if it meant that Konoha's jinchuriki would be vulnerable. With the ANBU distracted Naruto left his home and slipped down the street, using his sensor to keep ahead of the ANBU, chuckling slightly in his mind that people who wished him harm were actually helping his plan to succeed.

Once on the street he began to head towards an abandoned building in a part of the old Uzumaki District. It was in this building that his plan would come into play. Naruto as Sagi had lured one of the Hanzai's more ambitious lieutenants to the building, using the man's desire to overthrow his boss to keep the meeting secret. With knowledge of the location and the ability to slip his ANBU guards the boy had prepared the small building with an Uzumaki Listening Seal as well as an explosive seal.

Before Naruto reached the building he created three Kage Bushins and Henged them into random people. These clones would spread rumors of the attack through the crowd and how there was an attack on the 'Kyubi brat' in the old Uzumaki District. Taking a moment to watch his clones run off Naruto quickly made it to the old building, drawing the two kunai he had kept hidden in the sleeves of his robe.

Stopping on the outside of the building he activated the listening seal and heard four men inside. After listening for a little while and finding that the meeting was not an ambush he destroyed the Listening Seal with a flare of his spirit energy. Confidently entering the building he stuck to the shadows, observing the four men as they foolishly stood in the middle of the room. The three guards were armed with daggers and seemed to hold a certain swagger while the lieutenant seemed appeared unarmed.

"Okay Naruto you trained for this. These are not good men. They are criminals. You can do this." Naruto assured himself before drawing his arm back and letting one of his kunai fly.

The blade flew into the chest of the lieutenant. The man went down gurgling as he pawed at his wound. The strike had been sloppy, the man would die, but Naruto's inexperience had cost him a clean kill. For a moment Naruto froze, the shock of his first kill and such an unclean one, putting him in a daze.

"Snap out of it!" Kushina yelled from the seal as she watched through Naruto's eyes as the three guards approached him, drawing their daggers.

Shaking his head Naruto ducked down as a dagger occupied the place where his head had been, his training kicking in as he lashed out at his attacker's knee with his remaining kunai. The man went down but before he could finish him he was kicked in the side and sent flying.

Coughing Naruto stood up, his young body feeling the damage from the adult's kick. Running his hand over the afflicted area the young redhead cursed mentally, a rib maybe two had been broken. His body was too immature to enter a contest of strength with adults.

Taking a risk Naruto channeled his chakra into his legs and broke into a charge. He could feel the muscles tear as his inexperience and lack of knowledge caused the chakra to negatively affect his body. Naruto knew that once this was over he would dedicate time into this technique, body enhancement was useful but it could be quite painful when used improperly.

Surprising one of the uninjured guards with his speed he thrust his blade straight into the soft tissue of his belly before dragging it across. His previous horror shoved aside as his survival instinct took over.

The body collapsed on him trying to drag him to the ground but Naruto resisted and tried to shove it off only to be grabbed by the last uninjured guard. Picked up by the back of his shirt the boy was tossed to the ground and stomped on, his last kunai stuck in the now deceased body, facing his way.

Screaming in pain Naruto tried to roll away only for a voice from behind him to catch his attention. "Where do you think you are going you little shit!"

Naruto felt as he was grabbed from behind and lifted into the air. Once in the air he found himself facing the guard whose knee he had damaged. The man had limped his way over to him and now held him menacingly off the ground. The man drew back his dagger and shoved it into Naruto's stomach before throwing him to the ground, on top of the man he had gutted.

Frantically Naruto wrenched the kunai from the fallen man's stomach and held it close to his body. When the injured man reached to grab him once more Naruto unveiled the kunai and shoved it into his throat and tore. The man went down.

Seeing his partner dead the last man began to stalk towards Naruto with murder in his eyes. Seeing this Naruto quickly went through hand signs before activating the explosive seal. The blast tore through the building, burning his leg and his arms as he covered his face from the blast. The last guard was not so lucky, he had been near where the seal had been planted and found his lower half shredded.

Naruto despite his pain leaned back, he could feel the Shinigami's blessing working to heal him and he had won. His activated sensor was telling him that ANBU were on the way and so was the Hokage, if the large chakra was to be believed. But the victory had not been easy. Naruto had made mistakes; he had underestimated them, neglected to use his taijutsu, and caused damage to his body. He would heal but the fight should not have happened the way it did. He would also have to talk to his mother about the killing.


In the aftermath of Naruto's first kill the Hokage had been furious. His ANBU had been distracted by civilians and someone actually made an attempt on the jinchuriki's life. When Naruto had woken up he had asked the boy what he remembered and the boy said that he had been attacked on his way to the festival, the very festival he had told him never to go to. Sarutobi knew it wouldn't be safe for jinchuriki at the festival, especially when the boy didn't know of his burden.

That's not to say Sarutobi wasn't impressed with the boy. He was only seven and he had killed multiple men in an ambush and even used an explosive tag he'd made to attract the ANBU. While it wasn't as if he was Itachi or Kakashi when they were his age, they also had teachers. The boy would be a powerful shinobi of Konoha.

It was the news that one of the attackers had gotten away that sent him into a true fury. The boy had described a person to him one that he actually knew. Hanzai Mori, a rich civilian that had lost his family in the Kyubi attack. Hanzai has influence with several members of the village and ran a successful restaurant. His connections and money made it so that a trial was impossible; he knew the corruption that could be found in politics. Sarutobi had made use of such things before.

Since the man was well protected and the evidence lay in the head of seven year old child; a child whose mind he was not willing to risk sending a Yamanaka into for a clearer picture, he decided to act. Not that Sarutobi felt the need to send a Yamanaka into Naruto's head anyway. Naruto had likely not even met or heard of the man until today, his ANBU telling him that the boy preferred to eat the ramen prepared by the ramen girl, Ayame.

It was actually Sarutobi's hope that the relationship would turn romantic one day and tie the boy further to Konoha. That desire led to him occasionally eating at the little stand, a subtle sign that the stand, or specifically the girl was under his protection.

With a wistful smile Sarutobi turned his attention back to the matter at hand. Hanzai had overstepped himself. Sarutobi had promised Minato and later Kushina when his mistake led to her death that Naruto would be safe and a powerful member of Konoha's shinobi force, perhaps even Hokage. There was also the more militant side of him that said a jinchuriki was a weapon of mass destruction, controlled and used by the village, a civilian had no right to attack Konoha's military strength.

Hanzai may have been protected but that was only through the more legal methods of punishment. The man was only a civilian, a restaurant owner, his influence or money will not protect him from the enraged Hokage.

"Naruto identified him at the scene. One of the deceased at the scene has been seen in the man's company in the past. And a quick interrogation of the people who caused the distraction had Hanzai's employees identified as the ones who supplied the money." Sarutobi thought to himself, going over the evidence. Not that it mattered; Hanzai would use his connections to come off clean.

"Neko." The Hokage spoke.

From the shadows of the Hokage's office an ANBU appeared, a cat mask on her face. The purple headed ANBU put a fist to her heart and kneeled.

"Bring me Danzo." The Hokage ordered.

The ANBU nodded before disappearing in a quick shunshun.

Sarutobi took up a neutral expression once the ANBU left. After the Uchiha Incident the two had begun to butt heads, Danzo blaming him for Itachi's mistake and the resulting battle. Then there was Naruto, Danzo wished to turn him into an emotionless weapon, Sarutobi wanted Naruto to love Konoha feeling he owed it to his parents. He believed once Naruto grew attached to Konoha he would become Konoha's shield, unknowingly becoming the weapon the Hokage inside him wanted.

However despite their differences the two could agree on one thing, Konoha and by extension Fire Country came first. The Land of Fire needed its jinchuriki they could not let an attempt on his life go unanswered. Danzo would agree with his plan. It would seem that Hanzai was about to suffer from an accident. The death of a restaurant owner would not change Konoha.


After Hanzai's death the underworld in Konoha fractured as his lieutenants fought amongst each other for the right to succeed their boss. While the various groups fought amongst themselves a dark horse presented itself, swooping in on the confused factions and seizing control of much of Hanzai Mori's old empire. In the chaos Sagi Nise seized control.

Sagi Nise otherwise known as Naruto Uzumaki immediately began to develop information networks and buy property, running both a legitimate and illegitimate business. He established new rules, the criminals could not touch children and made it known that rape was punishable by death. Naruto had established his information network.

There were of course holdouts but most of the underworld came to a heel as Sagi Nise became a name that others whispered and some came to suspect he had a hand in the fall of Hanzai Mori. The fact that the only way to find Sagi was for him to find you painted a seemingly mythical picture. No one realized that the Konoha underworld was now run by a seven year old child with the help of his deceased mother.

As for Naruto's mental state, his mother had managed to calm the boy. The kills had not been the best first kills and while yes they weren't good men, Naruto had started the fight. Kushina had comforted him, holding him and letting him cry. Kushina would remind her son that they were not good men and that he knew that when he made the plan. She would remind him of what he had gained and that this information network could help him find his family and protect them.

Even with the comfort of his mother he would only finally get out of his funk when Ayame came to visit him with a bag of groceries. She wanted to make him a get well dinner and didn't take no for an answer even when he argued that he was perfectly healed. It was as Ayame hummed in his kitchen while making his meal that Naruto truly remembered why he did what he did. It was necessary. If he wanted justice for Konoha's crimes against his family and to keep his loved ones safe, sometimes blood must be spilled.

"I will start by making sure no harm comes to you Ayame-chan." Naruto had thought as smiled behind the young girl. He would not allow harm to fall on one of the few friends he had left.


Time passed and Naruto's training intensified. His mother had been furious at the way he had conducted himself in the fight that resulted in his first kills. She drilled him constantly in his taijutsu and rammed the knowledge of running chakra through his muscles into his skull. When he said that the civilians were stronger than him she had responded that his taijutsu wasn't about strength, it was about skill, hitting the points that caused the most pain, disabling the enemy, and using his opponent's strengths against them.

Taijutsu wasn't the only thing that he was trained in. Kushina acknowledged that in her hurry to provide chakra knowledge, control, and mastery, as well as the study of seals, she had neglected his training with the standard weaponry of the shinobi. Soon he was practicing with kunai and shuriken.

While he trained in the standard arts he took notice of other weapons. Specifically the young redhead took notice of caltrops and senbon and began to study their use. He would also begin to look into poisons, seeing their effects as a quick way to end battles. Naruto had experienced fear and helplessness; he never wanted to be out of control of a battle again. No, Naruto planned to be the one controlling the battle.

Naruto's past studies remained strong too. His sensor was now almost always active but he was still trying to keep it on subconsciously. The range of his sensor remained small but he had begun to try to increase it. Perhaps the most important thing was that he had begun to learn how to identify the emotions in the sensor by more than whether they were negative or positive. It was slow going but Naruto planned to have it ready by the time the academy was over.

As for his studies, they were still going strong but seemed more focused in politics. With the academy coming up and the abundance of clan heirs in his age range, the teachings would like come in handy. Meanwhile his seal training was progressing and he had begun to experiment with the Listening Seal, he thought it could be better. He had also finally progressed in his studies of the Animation Seal enough to practice its usage. For now the young Uzumaki practices by animating a small wooden doll the size of his hand, learning to move it around. Currently he was keeping the seal a secret from all but his mother.

Now he was on his way to the academy to register. The new year for academy would begin soon and he was finally eligible. It was as he walked that he came across a group of bullies picking on a little girl.

"Freak."

"Pale eyes."

"Not superior to us now are you." The bullies spoke as their leader grabbed the girl's hair.

"Please leave me alone." The girl cried out.

Naruto pauses as he looks at the scene, the girl is from Konoha but even then Naruto didn't like what was happening. Naruto didn't like it when people were picked on. So walking up to the bullies he spoke. "Leave the girl alone."

"Stay out of this. We are teaching her a lesson. Or do you want some too." The lead bully sneered.

Naruto sighed before glancing at the girl. "You know she's a Hyuga, you really should leave her alone." Naruto answers his political knowledge kicking in. The Hyuga clan had become one of the more powerful clans after the fall of the Uchiha clan.

"We know. We're just sick of their weird eyes looking down on us. We're going to teach her a lesson. Now beat it." The bully says with a sneer.

"No I can't allow this. Back off now." Naruto says as he shifts his body into his taijutsu stance.

"Playing hero. Get him" The bully says as tugs on the girl's hair once more, content with letting his minions handle the upstart.

The first bully to reach him is taller than him and comes in with a wide punch. Naruto slipping around the punch grabs hold of the taller boy's ear and pulls down. The boy's head follows the motion leaving his face open to an elbow to his nose.

Once the blow connects the boy is knocked out, the blow breaking his nose and sending blood pouring out. As this boy hits the ground the other one approaches, a boy of similar height, Naruto watches as the boy attempts to kick him. Seeing the kick coming Naruto steps to the side and then takes a step in before grabbing the outstretched leg and pushing it into the air. With the boy off balance Naruto swings his fist right under the rib cage, knocking the air out of the other child.

Tossing the boy to the ground Naruto lashes out with a kick, consciously resisting his training as he adjusted his kick away from the downs boy's throat and to his head. Naruto did want to kill the kid.

"Bastard." The kid spoke as Naruto approached. Likely the bully had learned the words from his parents.

Once Naruto reached the kid he reached out and grabbed the wrist of the hand still holding the girl's hair and squeezed down on the pressure point, using the pain to force the boy to let go. "Take your friends and leave." Here Naruto adjusts his grip and angles the boy's hand up and back, bringing the boy to a knee. "Now." Naruto whispers before tossing the hand away.

The boy seems to hesitate debating trying his luck before charging Naruto. Seeing the charge Naruto adjusted his position before grabbing the boy's wrist once more and having his other hand grab the boy's elbow and using the bully's own force to help throw him over his shoulder. Keeping the boy's arm in hand bends it behind the boy's back and kneels on it. Using his hand he grabbed the fallen boy's hair, pulling the boy's face back before slamming it into the ground, knocking the kid out.

Getting up Naruto approached the girl and offered her his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked with a smile.

"Ano. Thank you for helping me." The girl responded with a blush across her cheeks.

"No problem. I can't stand bullies. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you." Naruto answers with a confused smile, unsure of why the girl's face is so red.

"Hinata Hyuga." Hinata answered as she took his hand, her face more red than white by this point.

"Are you alright? You're kind of red." Naruto asks worried for the girl he had helped. "Is she ill?"

Before Hinata can answer another Hyuga appears and calls her over.

"Ano, bye Uzumaki-kun." Hinata spoke shyly but quickly while twiddling her fingers before rushing off to her bodyguard.

Watching her run off Naruto mumbled to himself. "Uzumaki-kun?"

"Girls are so weird."

From inside the seal Kushina sighed. "Sochi-kun we are going to have to talk." Her son is an idiot when it comes to women.

Okay a lot happened in this chapter which makes since as it is a makeshift time skip. Truthfully I feel that I could have done Naruto's first fight better and Hinata's meeting better but I think it came out okay.

So we have a little bit of nurture versus nature in Kushina's talk with her son. Naruto still being pretty innocent at this time, while we also see his loss of innocence later when he kills four people. Question, did he do the right thing? That's for you to decide.

We also meet two possible love interests, Ayame and Hinata. In particular I liked the Ayame meeting and even if she becomes a sister figure she will still have her part to play.

I also tried to show his training in the time skip without using too many pages, things like the Animation Seal will be expanded on throughout the story, but no it is not just wireless puppetry. As for the fights they will get better but for now Naruto is young so he's not strong, to other kids he is but to an adult he's just a kid.

Pairing information is still undecided but I will tell you three possible people, just know they are not the only candidates and there is a chance Naruto will have multiple partners, that depends on the story.

Ayame, Hinata, and Kushina. Kushina is actually possible through certain story paths that I will not reveal at this time.

By the way can anyone tell me why Ino is written as such a pathetic kunoichi in fanfiction. I was checking up on her for the story and apparently she had the highest grades in the academy beating Sasuke in every subject but taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu.

Finally the Nix maintains a commanding leading in the poll, which will be ending soon. It will likely be ending sometime during the academy or at the graduation so remember to vote. Also I would greatly appreciate it if someone would me PM with where I can find a nice jutsu list for my Naruto story.

To my readers thank you for reading. You guys really make this enjoyable.

Please review and tell me what you think.