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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its affiliated products. I do however own any original plot in this fanfiction.

Chapter 7: A new tale of family and friends

Naruto's senses slowly returned to him as he once again regained consciousness. He could hear voices around him, but he felt way too dizzy to concentrate enough to make out what they were saying. Not fully remembering what happen to place him in such a state, he began to panic slightly resulting in his body in shivering for a second. A motion which the people around him must have noticed.

"Naruto-kun, you are awake!" Came a cheerful and very relieved voice beside where he lay, which based on its comfort was a bed. As Naruto's mind slowly pieced together the words he quickly recognised who the voice belonged to, his best friend. Slowly and slightly painfully Naruto turned his stiff head in the direction of Hinata's voice. Upon opening his eyes and waiting for them to adjust to the onrush of light, Naruto was greeted with the sight of all those who were precious to him. Naruto tried to speak but was quickly silenced by Hitomi.

"No Naruto-kun, do not try to speak yet. Your body is still in shock." Naruto wasn't really sure what was going on and upon seeing his questioning gaze Sarutobi stepped in to try to explain to Naruto what had occurred, much to Hitomi's relief as she didn't really know what to say.

"Naruto-kun, it seems we were a little incorrect about your bloodline. You see, the animal your bloodline based off was not a fox but a kitsune." Naruto mustered enough strength to frown at the old man, even he knew that a kitsune was the exact same as a fox. Sarutobi had expected this assumption and quickly expanded his explanation. "Contrary to what you might think there is a difference between kitsunes and normal foxes, the first being their life span as kitsunes live for thousands of years whereas a normal fox only lives for about eight. Now I'm pretty sure that you won't live that long but you might live longer then normal people. The second is that there are two types of kitsune, those that serve kami and those that go against kami, it is also said that kitsunes are the messagers for him. The third is that kitsunes are naturally able to wield a type of fire called Foxfire and are also capable of creating illusions to either distract or fool their enemies. The fourth but not last is that every hundred years a kitsune grows a new tail as well as becoming slightly stronger, up to the maximum of nine tails… now even though it wasn't a hundred years this is what has happened to you." Sarutobi thought he had put it a little too bluntly but there wasn't many others ways that he could say it, not without revealing too much that is.

Naruto just lay on what he gathered was a hospital bed, judging by the white room he was in, pondering on what the old man had said. For the first minute pretty much everything except the last part made sense and Sarutobi was worried that he had somehow broken him. However that opinion was quickly changed when Naruto finally understood what he meant and leapt to his feet while glancing behind him, startling those around him at his sudden movement. There behind him, where once there was but one tail, now there was two. Naruto blinked three times as his eyes widened in surprise, everyone around him didn't know what his reaction would be, but none of them could have ever imagined the response he did have.

First Naruto moved one tail around, then the other, then the first one again, and then the second again. This process continued for about three minutes with Naruto moving each tail by itself or both at a time in many different ways and directions. Upon concluding his test of their movement Naruto began bouncing on his bed yelling at the top of his little lungs that he now had two tails and how cool that was. In his joy Naruto had failed to realise that he was in the public hospital and in a general ward. Which means, that about twenty other sleeping patients were now awake and quite angry, especially because it was the demon brat who had awoken them.

Hitomi, both worried about the other patients and any damage that Naruto could cause himself from moving so intensely after just waking up, moved forward and did the only thing she knew that would silence him. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck. It worked straight away as Naruto instantly stopping yelling and yipping, however, even though Hitomi had seen Sarutobi lift Naruto up like that she hadn't ever seen his face when he was lifted like that. Until now that is. The skin around Naruto's eyes and mouth was pulled right back making his mouth form a thin cheshire looking grin, while his eyes were pulled thin into diagonal slits. Needless to say Hitomi instantly dropped the boy and almost keeled over from laughing so hard.

Hinata who had also been watching slowly took her mothers example and also began laughing. Naruto just watched both mother and daughter in confusion as to what was so funny. After about twenty seconds though Naruto really wanted to know what was so funny, and loudly voiced his question. Much to the annoyance of the other patients.

After Hitomi and Hinata had recovered from their outburst of laughter Hitomi proceeded to explain Naruto's face to him while Hinata blushed a bright red from embarrassment when she noticed that all the other people in the ward were staring at them. All the while Sarutobi was viewing the whole scene with mild amusement clearly written on his face, although it was also clear that he was thinking of a few other things at the same time. It wasn't until Naruto voiced another question that he started fully paying attention though.

"Um… so how long was I sleeping?" It was a fair question considering that last time he had awaken up in a hospital he had been in a coma for a full week. However this time it was only for two days, but upon hearing it Naruto seemed more disappointed then anything. "So… that means its Sunday? So I can't visit everyone at the Hyuga compound can I?" Sarutobi and Hitomi knew that he would ask about that but didn't think it would be his second question, but when they thought it over, it should have been obvious to them.

"Yes that is correct Naruto-kun you can't visit." The disheartened stance he took at hearing this clearly showed Hitomi just how disappointed he was and quickly thought up a solution that would work for both of them. "Well Naruto-kun… I have a few important tasks at the Hyuga compound and won't be able to see you much at all today, but if you want I could arrange Tohru-chan to take you and Hinata-chan back to the park today." It was kind of pointless saying 'if you want' as she already knew that he would jump at the chance. Almost as if on queue Naruto's ears perked up and instead of the usual one, two tails began waiving excitably.

"OF COURSE I WOULD THAT WOULD BE THE BEST!" This earnt him some smiles from his friends and some glares and some 'shut up demon's from those villagers in the ward. Although, their words and hateful glares were affecting him less and less because to Naruto, no matter what they do or say, his life with his friends was perfect now because of them. Naruto then gave a big smile before bouncing off the bed and landing on the floor. His muscles were still slightly stiff, but that was nothing that wouldn't be fixed in a few minutes.

"Come on Naruto-kun, I shall take you back to the Hyuga compound with me and you can just wait out the front gate until I get Tohru-chan, ok?" Hitomi was still surprised at how fast he had recovered from being motionless for two days but she just assumed that she once again underestimated his healing powers. Naruto quickly nodded his agreement before leaping at his old man and saying his goodbye and once again thanking him for the new house and toys.

Sarutobi just smiled and hugged the little hanyou that had leapt into his arms. "Your welcome Naruto-kun, it was the least I could do for you after everything that has happened." Sarutobi placed Naruto on the ground and watched with a smile as he ran over to Hinata and Hitomi "Now you play nice at the park Naruto-kun, I don't want any more reports of you threatening people because they were picking on your friends." Naruto just nodded his head with a smile while he walked out of the ward holding Hitomi by one hand and Hinata by the other.

It had been a pretty uneventful walk back to the Hyuga compound, well if you exclude the part where Naruto was almost attacked again then everything went fine. It wasn't long before Naruto could see the massive gates of the Hyuga compound fast approach, he was simply amazed at their sheer size. Sure he had passed out of them when he first left the Hyuga compound but he hadn't been taking much notice then. When they stood directly in front of the gates Hitomi released his hand and bent down before giving him and Hinata and hug and a kiss on the forehead before quickly saying goodbye and heading inside.

After waiting for not even five minutes Naruto was already bored and decided to occupy himself by climbing a nearby tree. He asked Hinata is she wanted to climb to but for some reason she seemed a little more nervous then last time and declined. Instead she just decided to sit patiently at the base of the tree and watch Naruto bound from one branch to the other, giggling every now and again when he would slip and fall onto another branch. Naruto may have been having fun playing in the trees but he was also testing himself, he was trying to get use to having two tails and was trying to use both of them to his advantage.

After about half an hour of swinging and climbing in the trees, Naruto abruptly stopped and proceeded to sniff the air catching on to two familiar scents. Continually sniffing and listening carefully, Naruto was able to pinpoint exactly where they were and just how long it would take for them to reach him.

Tohru was thrilled when her best friend had come to her asking if she could take Naruto and Hinata to the park. Of course she would look after them, even though it had only been two days since she last saw him, it felt like a lot longer to her. Even though she had only known Naruto for a few hours he had defended her from a lot of punishment that the Elder would have dealt her and she certainly owed him for that, but besides that she found his friendly personality and his cute bloodline a wonderful change from the boring Hyuga complex.

However, she wasn't too sure on why her best friend had insisted on also taking Neji along. Sure she had nothing against the boy, she just didn't see a point in taking him along as she knew he wouldn't join in on the fun, he would just stand their and watch. She just couldn't understand his strange obsession he had with his duty as Hinata's guardian, heck she didn't even know if Neji even liked his cousin or not because he barely ever spoke to her or about her. If he ever did say anything about her it was always the same 'it is my duty to protect Hinata-sama' line over and over again. Tohru just continued walking while shacking her head thinking on how boring Neji was for a child, and it wasn't long before she reached the gates that led out of the Hyuga complex and spied little Hinata sitting at the base of a tree by herself. She gave the little girl a wave which was shyly returned, however she grew slightly curious and worried why she couldn't see Naruto with her.

Naruto had been tracking Tohru's and Neji's movements ever since he could first smell and hear them. Upon finally being able to see them Naruto's grin increased as he crouched low to the branch while flattening out his ears and tails, imitating a predator preparing to pounce on its prey. Waiting patiently for the right moment Naruto carefully calculated how much effort to put into his jump and aimed himself before launching into the air. Naruto watched with glee as he sped downwards to Tohru, but just inches before he reached her she quickly spun around and caught him. Tohru had activated her Byakugan the instant she couldn't see Naruto with Hinata and had spied him trying to pounce on her. She just held the disappointed little hanyou with one hand before bringing him in and embracing him.

"Hello Naruto-kun, trying to catch me off guard?" Tohru giggled as Naruto returned her hug with a smile. Ever since Hitomi had first given him a hug when he had first awoken in the Hyuga hospital he took ever chance he could to both give and receive one, they were incredibly comforting for him.

"Hey Tohru-chan… and yer I was trying to scare you… But I thought it would have worked. You cheated by using your Byakugan!" Tohru simply smiled at the now pouting hanyou and explained that he was using his bloodline to track and watch her so it was only fair that she could use hers. After waiting for his acceptance of that fact, she lifted him by his armpits to put him down, but stopped mid way when she spotted something that shocked her.

"N-NARUTO-KUN! YOU… YOU HAVE TWO TAILS!" Naruto found it difficult to answer her as he was too busy covering his ears and wincing at her incredible pitch at which she had screamed. Not only was her shocked voice at least 170 decibels but Naruto's enhanced hearing amplified that by at least a hundred times, disorientating him and nearly deafening him. Still holding him by his armpits she looked at the dizzy look on his face and realised that she must have been too loud and quickly apologised.

As soon as the world around him stopped spinning and he was able to see if he was upside down or not, Naruto accepted her apology before quickly and excitably explaining that his bloodline had taken on the attributes of a kitsune not a fox and that one of the differences is that they get more and more tails as they grow older. Naruto pointed at his two tails that had now wound themselves around Tohru's arms. Tohru didn't really know what to say, he seemed so happy about having two tails but Tohru knew that it would only give the villagers more reason to hate him, but if he liked them and didn't care what the horrible villagers would think then she liked them too. Well even if he didn't like them she still would, at least with two tails he looked even cuter. She was about to place him back on the ground when she remembered something.

"Oh, Naruto-kun! I never properly thanked you for what you did the other day." She lifted him slightly higher and brought his head towards her. Naruto had no idea what she was going to do and it had him slightly worried. All that vanished however when he felt two warms lips on his forehead. They felt nice, both warm and caring, and Naruto soon found his face getting warmer and warmer, whether it was from the small kiss on the forehead or from his own slight embarrassment he didn't care. The warmth from his forehead quickly spread throughout his body, like a warm blanket on a cold night or a hug from a mother it reached into his very soul and Naruto found himself on the verge of tears from the huge comfort it granted him.

Tohru pulled her lips off the little hanyou's forehead and moved him back a bit with her arms before once again pulling him close and hugging him. As she held him she spoke some words to him that would have more affect on him then almost everything he had ever heard in his young life. "You know Naruto-kun, I lost my parents at a young age and I never had any other direct family, Hitomi-nee-chan is the closest person I have to a sister, but you know what?" Naruto didn't know what, so of course shook his head. "I've always wanted a little brother, even when my parents were alive I desperately wanted a one. When they died, that dream of having a little brother was shattered and I thought it was impossible, that is until now. Do you know what I'm saying now Naruto-kun?" Naruto sat in Tohru's arms for a little bit, thinking over what she said, it kind of made sense but he still had no idea where she was going with this so he shook his head again. Tohru just giggled at his density before asking him straight up. "Naruto-kun, I don't want just any brother anymore. I want you to be my little brother."

Tohru smiled as Naruto's face froze, she could practically hear his brain ticking trying to process the idea. One minute passed and nothing happened. Two minutes passed and still no movement. Tohru waited for almost five minutes, worried that she might have broken him. Naruto didn't know what to think, he couldn't think, his brain had virtually shut down. It took him almost five minutes to sort his thoughts out until a clear bell rang in his head.. 'She… she wants me to be her… little brother?' As soon as the thought had finally settled in Naruto dove forward out of Tohru's hold, knocking her into the ground and almost winding her. Naruto could barely contain his excitement as he hugged and pulled himself close to her, all the while wrapping his two tails around her tightly and saying 'yes I do want to be your little brother' over and over again. He was careful not to scratch her with his ever sharp claws however.

Hinata watched shyly from under the tree with happy tears streaming down her face at the beautiful scene before her. Now Naruto had her as a best friend and Tohru as a sister and it made Hinata very happy to see her friend happy. Neji just watched in confusion, wondering on why Tohru doesn't ever follow her duties as a Hyuga, not only does she frequently and openly disobey the main branch but she also always choses not to follow the Hyuga dress standard. Choosing to dress in bright colours like her current pink and orange flower print kimono instead of the expected white. Everyone knows that a Branch members duty is to obey every command of the main house, but Neji was also given the duty of protecting Hinata, a duty he took very seriously. But Tohru never followed her given duties and was now willing to form a blood bond with someone outside the clan. It wasn't that he disliked Naruto, quite the contrary after what he did for Tohru, it was just that he was worried that the Hyuga elders would punish her for not following her duties.

As Naruto slowly released his newly named 'Big Sister' he sat up upon her stomach happily waving his two tails around while thanking her with tears in his eyes. She was about to reply when she saw his eyes turn curious and he moved closer sniffing the air around her and her cloths. She wondered what sort of scent he had picked up and didn't have to wait long, if only she had known on how powerful his sense of smell was before hand however.

"Um… Tohru-nee-chan you… you have someone else's smell on you… it… it smells like the scent of a boy…" If anything Naruto was more confused then curious, he just couldn't understand why Tohru would smell like a boy. Tohru however went bright red, realising that Naruto had picked up on his scent. She tried desperately to think of some excuse but Naruto's brain clicked slightly faster, or his mouth spoke first, whichever fits.

"Do you have a boyfriend Tohru-nee-chan?" Naruto asked his big sister excitably. Tohru's face just increased its already predominant blush, even a five year old child could already tell that she was dating someone. She was hoping to keep it from everyone she knew for a while to see how things went, but when she thought about it she couldn't keep secrets from her little brother. Thinking of that fact seemed to calm her a little and her embarrassment of getting caught by a five year old lessened.

"Y-Yes I have a boyfriend Naruto, h-hes… hes one of the boys that you heard saying those things about me the other day." Tohru replied with a slight stutter, it usually wasn't her thing to stutter as she was always out there and extroverted but she just was very new to the whole dating thing and it made her nervous. Her answer however struck the wrong train of thought for Naruto.

"Oh… So he likes your hooters too?" Naruto asked innocently, while Tohru almost chocked on her own blush. Even Neji gave a small snicker, he may have been only six years old but he had once heard those boys Tohru and Naruto were talking about discussion hooters and got a good understanding of what they were and understood that for Tohru such a comment would have been extremely embarrassing, especially after he had heard what happened last time. Naruto however thought that he must have been squishing his big sister to make her go so red in the face, and quickly hoped off her. He then wrapped a tail under her head and asked if she was alright.

It took a good five minutes for Tohru to recover from such an embarrassing comment and stood up so she could explain to Naruto that he shouldn't say that word as it is a rude word. Naruto didn't know why she got so upset about such a word but quickly agreed not to speak it as he didn't want to upset her any more. Tohru then proceeded to explain to Naruto that one of the boys in the group that had said those rude things about her came to her while she was in the hospital and apologised profusely for his friends bad behaviour and gave her his word that he did not go along with them and their disrespectful jokes. He then offered his apology in a form of a private dinner between them to show her his sincerity.

"And what do you say?… I'm not sure if I understand correctly but it sounded as if he asked you out nee-chan." Tohru nodded her head in agreement at the little hanyou's statement and question. She was quite shocked that he could pick up on such a thing at such a young age, but living your life as an orphan on the streets usually prompts one's brain to work harder then usual to ensure survival.

"Well at first I was very shocked and maybe a little bit angry because I thought he might have been just playing with me. But I accepted none the less and found out that he was sincere in his apology and also what a great guy he was. From that night we have been 'unofficial' together, but I don't what anyone to know about this yet ok? I want to see how we are together before I announced it." She said glancing around at the three children that surrounded her. Neji nodded but didn't really care, it was his duty to serve the main branch and if they asked him he would tell them the truth, not that he could guess on why the main branch would ever care enough to ask. Hinata also nodded her head, she understood that this was a promise to keep something important secret but she didn't really understand the idea of 'boyfriend'. Naruto also didn't fully understand the idea of 'boyfriend/girlfriend' but understood it was a pairing of two people who really like each other who hold hands and kiss and get married and have kids, a very basic understanding yes, but an understanding none the less.

Speaking of Naruto, he was the one Tohru was worried about. His happy mood had suddenly left him and instead of his tails moving calmly they shifted quickly in many different angles. His eyes were also cold and calculating, eyes that Tohru didn't ever want to see on such a wonderful child, she felt faint under his stare but also felt that he wasn't even focusing whatever had upset him at her. They were slightly dulled in colour and the bright sparks that constantly seemed to fly around in his eyes had left, leaving nothing but emotionless blurs that pierced the very soul. They looked old and experienced, like that of an experienced ninja that had seen many a bloody battle and could kill without remorse. Hinata also feel the coldness emanating from her friend and gave a small shiver in slight fright.

"Nee-chan… If he hurts you in any way, he will be sorry." Tohru was shocked at this, it more then anything sounded like a threat to her boyfriend and also way about his years in wording. For just a split second she could have swore she saw his fathers image reflected in his deep blue eyes, it did sound like something Minato would have said but she didn't really know him that well to tell for sure. When she actually thought about it though, it was probably just his way of saying he would protect her. To test that theory, she smiled at him and said that there wouldn't be any need to as he was a very kind and considerate guy.

Naruto's stance relaxed at this and his tails returned to their regular movement while his eyes returned to normal and regained their sparks. He didn't want anyone hurting his nee-chan and he would make sure they didn't, because if he didn't protect her then in his mind that that would make him a terrible little brother. Tohru mentally smiled to herself, so she was right, he wasn't threatening her boyfriend he was just worried and concerned for her. Although she wasn't even sure why she needed to check, he had practically risked his life to defend her from that elder so why wouldn't he worry about her. She smiled outwardly now and walked over to him and rubbed his ears and thanked him for being such a good little brother. It wasn't long before Naruto started to make a familiar sound in the back of his throat from the attention his ears were receiving, it was so relaxing and calming to have his ears rubbed or stroked and he found himself almost drifting to sleep from the peace it seemed to grant his mind.

Tohru smiled at her little brother as he made a peaceful growling noise as she continued to rub his ears. She had learnt from Hitomi a few things about him that morning such as his sensitive whisker marks, his sensitive ears, his newfound love for ramen and to calm him down or stop him from doing anything you just simply pick him up by the scruff of his neck. The last one Tohru found quite humorous but she did see its usefulness. Removing her hand from Naruto's head, much to his dismay, she grabbed both him and Hinata by their hands and said that they better hurry to the park or it will be too late and too hot to play. With that said she walked the two children towards Konoha Park, with Neji following close behind.

Down one of Konoha's many side alleys walked a small girl with blond hair and bright blue eyes. She walked slowly as her mind jumbled many thoughts that still kept her confused, upset and scarred. It had been almost two weeks since Ino had seen her mother beat and order for Naruto's death and it still hurt her little heart when she recalled his screams. They were screams of absolute pain and suffering, screams that should never be heard from anyone let alone a boy her own age. She couldn't believe what her mother had done, she was hurting him without care or remorse and seemed to enjoy his pain, Ino shuddered as she recalled the look of absolute hatred on her mothers face. Nothing made sense, how could her mother, the kind and caring person she had always known her to be, be so cruel and heartless towards Naruto. She clutched her chest from pain as she once again recalled the memories that occurred that night, and of what her mother had told her.

Flashback

Ino had cried herself to sleep in her mothers arms as she was rushed home after witnessing her mother brutally beat her new friend several times and then ordered that three other ninja kill him. She had fallen asleep with the same question still in her mind 'Why?'. She woke up the next morning with a start, shaking and covered in cold sweat, as she quickly took in her surrounding she realised that she was in her own room, a room filled with everything purple ranging from wallpaper to stuffed teddies to her bed. Wiping the sweat from her face with a night towel next to her bed, she tried to recalled what had made her panic so much. At first everything was black and she wondered if it was all just a horrible nightmare that she couldn't remember. That is until she recalled one word that brought the whole memory back.

"Naruto!" Ino gasped while jumping out of bed. She didn't even have enough time to run out of her room before the memory fully hit her, causing the little girl to break down in tears once again. "Was… was it all just a dream… or was it… did mum really…" Ino's thoughts were drowned out by her own confusion and fear that it might not have been a dream. Picking herself up off the floor she hurried out of her room and down the stairs, intent on finding if it was a nightmare or not. All the while tears still streaming down her little face.

Upon bursting into the family kitchen, all she saw was her mother and father eating breakfast while casually talking. She was warmly greeted by both of them, and her mother didn't seem any different to normal. 'Maybe… Maybe it was just a dream…' Ino thought to herself as she slowly walked towards her parents.

Inoichi was the first to notice that something was off with his daughter, and upon seeing her still crying face he rushed to her side and pulled her into a hug while asking why she was crying. Ino looked up to her fathers face and then her mothers and saw the same expression on both of them, concern for her. She was in a way wishing that her mother didn't show any other expression because now that means it was all a dream… doesn't it? Ino was so confused and as she hugged her father back she whimpered out slightly that she had a horrible dream. Inoichi, realising that this dream must have been very terrifying indeed to cause such a reaction in his daughter, picked her up and sat down at the table with her still in his embrace.

"Well, what was it about and why was it so horrible, my little one?" Inoichi asked his daughter once she had calmed down a little. However Ino's mother, fearing that she might be caught, decided to interrupt the conversation and prevent it from going any further.

"Inoichi-kun, I don't believe that we should make her recount it. If it was so horrible that it caused her to cry like this then I don't think it would be good for her to remember it again." Inoichi nodded to his wife in recognition for the advice and just continued to hold his daughter until her tears ebbed away. However, instead of Ino returning to her normal self, she just seemed to get more and more upset. Even though she was no longer crying Inoichi could still tell that she was upset because she was shaking. And then he heard her ask him a question he would never have expected from her.

"D-Dad… Do you know a boy called Naruto?" Inoichi's eyes widened visibly at the mention of that name. He didn't really hate the boy but didn't really know him well enough to actually make a proper judgement of him either. The last he had heard, the little hanyou was living in an orphanage and was every now and again taken on a walk by the hokage, but that wouldn't explain how his daughter knew about him. He cast a quick glance at his wife, but she innocently shook her head, showing that it wasn't her who told Ino. "Ino-chan, where did you hear that name?" Inoichi's voice was serious but also curious as to his daughter's response. It took Ino a little while to put into words what she wanted to say but Inoichi waited patiently.

"I… I met him in my dream. He was really funny, he had fox ears and a tail and claws too… but… but he accidentally scratched me when we were playing tag but then… but then…" Ino's tears slowly filled her eyes as she recalled her mother beating the boy and she took a quick glance at her mother before fully bursting out once again, crying her heart out into her father's chest. Ino's mother was getting very nervous about being found out and tried desperately to think of something to say to end the conversation, she couldn't very well physically shut her daughter up as that would expose her. She had hoped that the jutsu she used last night would have erased her daughter's memory of that night but it seems that she wasn't as talented as her husband. And unluckily for her, Ino had gathered her courage before she could think of something to cover it up.

"But then I saw mum scream at him to get away from me… then… then she hit him and she got three other men to help her hurt him and… s-stab him! And then she order that they… that they kill him! I… I saw a man burn him with a jutsu! Before mum carried me away, it was so horrible daddy." That was it for Ino, if it was considered that she was crying before that had nothing on the wail that she released now. Inoichi could think of nothing else he could do for his daughter but hold her as she cried and screamed into his chest. He didn't exactly pick up on it straight away, but Inoichi being a master of mind manipulation jutsu could tell that something was not right. Sure dreams could cause a person huge emotional strain and could easily affect their mind, but in all his life he had never seen such damage, such horror even on a child, from one nightmare. He turned to look his wife in the eyes, hoping and praying that something like that couldn't possibly be true, but in doing so he also bumped Ino's arm causing her to yell in pain.

Ino didn't properly register the pain just above her elbow where her father had bumped until after a certain thought came to her mind. 'That… that is where Naruto scratched me!' Ino's mind couldn't fully process any thought as she instinctively rolled up the sleeve of her nightgown, showing a thin but deep cut above her elbow that had started to slowly bleed again from being disturbed. Ino and her mother let out a collective gasp and Inoichi gazed at the cut worryingly, he didn't however, grasp the full implications of such a cut. His wife and Ino did.

Ino stared up at her mother and her body began to shake uncontrollably as all manner of thoughts processes through her little five year old mind. "Y-Y-Y-You did… You did hurt him… p-please… tell me it was a dream… a dream! JUST A DREAM!" Ino yelled before promptly fainting from shock of the realisation that her mother, the one she had always thought to be the kindest and loving person in the world, did hurt Naruto and order for his death.

Inoichi looked down to his cherished daughter as she lay motionless on his lap, he had no idea what to say or do. Even his fully developed adult brain could not properly understand what was going on or what his daughter was trying to explain to them and seemingly to herself. So he did the only thing he could think of, he used a jutsu that allowed him to enter his daughter's mind, and find out for himself what had her so horrified and upset. As he felt his spirit slowly pull out of his body, he felt his senses slowly fade. But not before he saw his wife jump for him with tear filled eyes, telling him to stop.

Inoichi awoke in an endless plain of purple and blue flowers, his nose was struck by an onrush of smells both from Ino's flower field and perfumes. It was nice to know that his daughter had such a well built mind but he did not come here to see her sanity but rather the odd 'nightmare' that had caused her to almost go catatonic while on his lap. As he walked through the field he noticed many small ponds littering the field of flowers. Each sparkiling blue puddle contained a reflection of wonderful memories that Ino cherished, most brought a smile to his face as he too recalled the happy memories. But some, like Ino's memory of stealing some cookies out of the cookie jar just made him laugh.

He had absolutely no idea which way to head, as Ino's mind being a plain of flowers, was endless. He did however, follow a feeling he had within his gut, it was almost like he was being led towards a certain location, pulled by some weird emotion. It wasn't long before he came to a dark, dimly lit cave. 'So this would be where all her horrible memories are sealed away. I wonder if I will find a memory of the nightmare here…?" he though to himself as he slowly approached the cave and peered inside.

The cave's mouth just opened up to about fifteen different pathways all of which obviously led to bad memories. Glancing over them, Inoichi didn't seem all that interested in any of them. That is, until his gaze stopped at the last of the fifteen tunnels. This one interested him immensely but at the same time concerned him, mainly because unlike all the other passageways, this one's entrance was covered and blocked by what appeared to be spider webs.

Walking inside the cave and towards the passageway, Inoichi began to feel the tell tale signs of chakra emanating from the web like material covering the entrance. It didn't take him long to realise that someone or something had used a jutsu on his daughter to try and block away whatever memories were sealed down that passageway. Luckily for him, whoever had attempted the jutsu wasn't very proficient at it, and he was able to dispel the jutsu by simply touching the web and pulsing out a bit of chakra. As the jutsu started to waver and finally disappear, Inoichi felt an onrush of warm air and could see a red glow slowly pulsing at the end of the passageway. Confident that this was where the memory of the nightmare lay, Inoichi stepped forward towards the glow.

Back in reality Ino's mother was crying in desperation while holding onto her husband, trying to think of someway that she could get out of this alive. She was going to get caught, caught breaking the Hokage's law which, if broken warrants execution. She didn't want to die, she was too young and her husband and daughter still needed her. She just prayed that her husband would understand and wouldn't report her. 'It's all that demon's fault! If he was just killed the night he was born then none of this would have happen!' She raged to herself. That was how most of the villagers thought, even if they were beating him to a pulp it was still his fault, because in their minds if he was still alive then he is still to blame for everything.

She was cut from her thoughts however, when she felt her husband stir. She quickly released him however when she saw the ghostly pale look on his face. Inoichi had been ripped out of his daughter's mind by his own loss of concentration caused by his shock at witnessing his wife brutally beat and mutilate the young hanyou through his daughter's eyes. He could only image what Ino must have thought, seeing that at such a young age would definitely leave some sort of emotional scar. Heck that had been more then enough to make him sick, speaking of which. Inoichi could only think straight long enough to pull away from whatever held him before his stomach emptied itself onto the kitchen floor.

"Are you alright Inoichi-kun?" Ino's mother asked with concern while reaching for her husband. Before the hand even made contact with his shoulder however, his hand raised and slapped hers away from him. She pulled away hastily in shock, he had never done anything like that before and it worried her for a second that he might not listen to her and choose to report her after all, she could feel tears welling up in her eyes at the thought of losing her husband or daughter. As she saw her husband turn to her, she saw that his tears easily outmatched her own.

Inoichi stared at his wife for what seemed like eternity as he tried to make sense of his thoughts about what she had done. The beautiful, kind, generous woman he had married and loved was standing before him, and yet he saw her differently then he did only a few moments ago. There was something different about the way she stood almost like she was contemplating running, there was something different about her body as it seemed to be trembling in either worry or anticipation and there was also something different about her eyes, deep within in them they held something Inoichi couldn't identify but he was certain that he didn't like it. After about five minutes of silence, all he could piece together were three words.

"How…could you?" His words weren't accusing, they were confused. Inoichi couldn't fathom how his wife could harbour such hatred towards one little boy, a boy that kept them safe every day of his existence and in thanks was cursed for eternity to live as a hanyou. Ino's mother could tell by his words that Inoichi wasn't going to side with her, but she would be damned before she let that little demon cause any havoc among her family.

"What do you mean 'How could I'? He's a demon Inoichi-kun and he hurt Ino-chan. He-" Inoichi cut her off before she could continue any further.

"No… It is true that he hurt Ino-chan… but he didn't do it on purpose… you… you should have seen the look in his eyes when he realised he hurt her… such pain… There is no way such a child could be the fox." Inoichi's voice was slightly off and he was breathing heavily, the memory obviously drained him both emotionally and physically. He had seen everything that his daughter had, felt her feelings of confusion, horror and hurt when his wife had attacked Naruto. He also saw the incalculable rage within his wife's eyes, and also the small glint that shone in them when she hurt him, she had enjoyed Naruto's pain. His wife didn't quite agree with him however and instantly rebuked his argument.

"It's all just an act Inoichi-kun! The demon's just waiting until we are all unprepared then it will attack us and this time kill us all!" Inoichi listened to his wife's words and almost laughed. Could she even think logically about this or was she too consumed by her hatred?

"Are you listening to yourself woman… why would 'the great and all powerful Nine-Tailed Fox' even bother to wait? If it could either control Naruto or escape it would have by now and already killed us. How can you not see that that boy keeps the demon at bay." Ino's mother was about to rebuke her husbands argument again until she noticed her daughter began to stir. Inoichi noticed this as well and was instantly by his daughters side, holding her close as she awoke in tears.

As soon as Ino awoke in her father's hold the memories returned and her tears once again increased. Inoichi quickly pulled her even closer and whispered soothing words into her ears, he was expecting some sort of question from her and wasn't surprised when she was only able to utter a simple "Why?". Inoichi looked down into his daughters eyes, wishing for a way to explain the situation to her, he didn't get that chance however as his wife choose this point to interrupt.

"I did it dear daughter because he is a demon!" You could practically see the poison dripping off her words as they left her mouth, Ino just sat in her father's arms as confused as before. She had heard her mother call him that quite a few times when she was beating him but she didn't know why, so again she let a small 'Why?' leave her lips. Inoichi then shot his wife a cold look, reminding her that she was not to say any more. But it seemed that she either didn't see his glare or chose to ignore it, because her grin just increased before explaining to her daughter exactly why. "He is a demon because the Nine Tailed Fox was never killed but sealed into him! And now he is the fox! HE'S THE NINE TAILED FOX REBORN!... ARGGGHHHH!" That was as far as she got before her husband silenced her with a jutsu that sends its target into a temporary coma, as she fell Inoichi caught her body and laid her down carefully on the kitchen floor and cried over her. Regardless of what she thought of Naruto he did still love her, but now she had broken the Hokage's laws twice and the penalty for such a deed was execution.

Ino could barely hold her herself together enough to remain conscious again let alone figure out the weird words her mother had spoken. 'What did mother mean… it doesn't make any sense.' In her confusion her tears fell even harder and she was soon embraced by her father, who she snuggled into for support and cried her little heart out into his chest as he cried for both her and his wife. He only hoped that this incident hadn't scarred her little mind too heavily and he prayed that his wife's words did not corrupt his daughter as they had done to her.

Flashback End

'He is a demon because the Nine Tailed Fox was never killed but sealed into him! And now he is the fox! HE'S THE NINE TAILED FOX REBORN!' This was the sentence that had been haunting her thoughts almost as much as the memory itself, how could her mother say such a thing? It didn't make any sense. From what she had heard the Nine Tailed Fox was killed by the Fourth Hokage who sacrificed his life to stop the beast and Naruto just had a cool bloodline that made him look like a fox, so why would her mother say such a horrible thing?

She continued walking down random alleyways and eventually found herself walking through Konoha Park, not that she noticed however as she was still deep within her own thoughts. Her father had told her that her mother was wrong and that she was in very big trouble with the Hokage for attacking and killing a child. That was one thing that upset Ino immensely, because by the way her father had said it, it sounded like her mother might have to go to jail or worse and she certainly didn't want that to happed because despite how much her mother had hurt her by killing Naruto she still loved her. That was another thing that was on Ino's little mind, she had seen the way her mother and those three men had beaten Naruto and that amount of punishment would kill even an adult, and yet she could have swore that she saw him walking with two adults and a little girl the other day.

Ino continued to aimlessly walk through the park, trying to make sense of everything when a certain voice made her head instantly spin around and tears to well up in her eyes.