Konoha's Stolen Hero

by Apex Soldier

Naruto, Konoha's hero, the boy who would protect them from the Kyubi. However, what if, on the night of his birth, he was stolen? Follow Naruto as he grows up in a new home and develops a hatred for his old home and father... Also angst/romance/etc... AU

10. Family, Friends and Rivals?

Yo, what's up?

I decided to do a little of both and divide the chapter into two.. But, this one is about 15k instead...

I'm with my Tenshi right now so uhm... ^^; I'm busy, i guess...

Talk in second author note!

"No, I am your father!"
-Darth Vader

Chapter 9: Family, Friends and Rivals?

I don't own Naruto, at all...

And I don't say it enough but I'd like to thank my Tenshi for inspiring me to write and also to Hinatasgreatestfan for always helping me out when it comes to all the small details...

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Instincts yelled at Naruto to jump out of his bed and shove a kunai straight through Minato's heart… Multiple times…

…And maybe once or twice in the face just for the hell of it.

Still, Naruto stayed where he lay and just stared at Minato as he slowly made his way to his bedside. Naruto's cold azure eyes never swayed from the older blond who sat down next to him.

The two just stared at each other and neither said anything, the only sound coming from Hinata's heart monitor and the occasional scuffle of feet and murmurs coming from the hallway.

For his part, Naruto just didn't want to upset Minato in any way. Sure, he couldn't stand Konoha's Yellow Flash but he wasn't stupid either. If the man wanted to, he could use his famed Hiraishin and end Naruto's life before he could take another breath. He had to be careful around this man if he wanted to return to Iwa alive and well.

As for Minato, he was just speechless. He had always thought of what he'd say if he ever saw his son again. Hours and hours of practice and none of the words could be formed, mentally or verbally. He just took in his son's image and made sure to engrave every scratch, every line and everything in between into his memory.

Honestly, Naruto looked like hell, even after being cleaned up and having all the bandages applied to him. Well, bandages don't really say 'great health' but regardless…

"What do you want?" Naruto's cold, emotionless voice came out like smoke from a smoker's lips, slow and stretched. Immediately, Minato knew Naruto was being cautious and calculating with him. It hurt, Minato couldn't deny that, but it was understandable. Being raised in the very village Minato had dominated and held a grudge against him would probably do that to any child.

It just sucked that it had to be his child.

"I wanted to check up on you, that's all," Minato chose his words carefully; it seemed that any mistake on his part would set off the dynamite that was Naruto. No doubt, he had inherited more than the Kyūbi from Kushina.

"Do you plan to finish the job that asshole started back in the Land of Moon?" Naruto asked coldly and harshly. Minato refrained from showing it but he was boiling on the inside. The fact that the aforementioned asshole was already dead was enough to sate Minato's desire for his blood to be spilt.

"I'm here to make sure you are all right," Minato offered Naruto a peaceful smile. Naruto returned the gesture with a suspicious glare; he wasn't up for answering the smile in kind.

"I know we're both from enemy villages, you know that, too," Naruto said as he shifted his movements for more comfort. "Don't get me wrong, I love that the attention of a Kage is on me, but don't be offended if I'm a little more than suspicious when the Kage happens to be from the village that has shamed my own,"

"Of course," Minato answered quickly with a nod. "I'd probably be the same way," it wasn't a lie really. Honest, it wasn't…

"…" Naruto just stared at Minato, gauging him and his intentions through his body language and eyes. Though Naruto was no expert, he could see that the man was able to maintain a good balance of relaxation and tension. Whatever had the man on edge, he played it off really well.

"How are you feeling?" Minato asked sincerely and Naruto looked out the window. Hard as he might, he could not deny that Konohagakure no Sato was a beautiful place, assuming that's where they were.

"Fine," his answer was short and sweet; too short for Minato's taste. Still, Minato couldn't help but notice that Naruto's line of sight never left the window.

"Enjoying the view?" Naruto tore his stare from the window to glare at Minato. Said blond gave him a sincere smile. It was pretty infectious but Naruto managed to swallow down the idea of returning the smile. It wouldn't do to fraternize with the enemy.

"Meh," he answered again. Naruto thought if he could bore the Kage out, he'd be left alone and would eventually escape. He didn't plan on staying for too long. He needed to be elsewhere; places to go, people to see. On the other hand, things rarely went as planned…

The rest of the conversation continued like that; Minato asking generic questions and Naruto giving him one syllable answers. The man was persistent and refused to leave Naruto alone. Why he was so interested in him, Naruto could only guess.

'What is wrong with him?' Naruto thought as he dully replied to another of Minato's question. He wasn't really paying attention. He didn't really care. He just wanted to leave…

Or eat ramen… Whichever came first…

'He just keeps going on and on and on! Leave me alone dammit! It's not like you're asking any interesting questions anyway!'

"How's Iwa?" Naruto blinked and gazed at Minato who gained a reluctant sort of look on his face; remorseful, even. Still, Naruto couldn't help but glare at him warily.

"Why do you care?" he asked suspiciously. Minato smirked a little, feeling a bit victorious in getting more than one syllable from Naruto.

"That's a good question," Minato said as he leaned back on the chair, his eyes turning to gaze at the window. "I seem to care too much,"

"Not my problem," Naruto mumbled as he changed his sights to the window as well. Neither said a word as they took in the scenery just outside the window. There were no clouds in the sky and the sun shone as if it would not appear the next day. Everyone who passed by the window seemed content with their lives as shown by the smiles on their faces.

"Everyone looks so… so happy," Naruto mumbled absentmindedly, unaware of two pairs of eyes staring at his turned head. Naruto's eyes softened as he took in the happy laughter of small children as they ran with each other, tagging each other and simply ignore the adults that walked by, trying to complete their errands. Such a life was one Naruto always wished for; a blissful one, one ignorant of the hardships of a shinobi. Sadly, he'd been exposed to such hardships at a young age and now it seemed fruitless to seek such a life.

"I try my hardest every day to keep it that way," Minato said as he too focused on the small children. "They are our future; they must be protected above all."

Naruto faced the Kage with mild shock. Stories have been told of the bloodthirsty Kage with no heart, no soul; killing relentlessly with no lingering burden of a conscience. A monster; a demon spawn from the darkest pit of Hell itself.

Now, looking into the eyes of said 'demon', Naruto could tell it was all propaganda against him. This man was no more a monster than a child was. He just knew when to behave like a shinobi and when not to.

Still, a burning emotion boiled in his stomach just by being near the man.

"…" Naruto couldn't find any words to say. At the moment, his vocabulary consisted of grunts and confused sounds.

Master of the witty dialog; that was him.

"Let me ask you something-" Minato began after Naruto didn't say anything but was cut off.

"Assuming that I answer your questions," he began. "What do I get in return?" Minato considered this with a pensive expression before he smiled.

"You can ask me any questions you'd like," Minato bowed his head. "And I promise to answer the question as honestly as I can."

"Any question and I get an honest answer? How do I know you're not lying to me?" Naruto asked and Minato righted himself and then bit down on his thumb until some blood leaked out. He then rolled out a scroll from his back pocket and quickly swiped his thumb across the surface of the scroll. He then rolled it up again and tossed it to Naruto with a gentle underhanded toss.

Naruto arched an eyebrow at the scroll.

"The scroll is one of my wife's specialties," Minato stated with a serious face. "The scroll sucks up the chakra of whosever blood the scroll contains, to explain as simply as possible," Naruto stared at him incredulously before opening the scroll. There were so many complex writing and symbols in the scroll that Naruto almost short-circuited. He placed the scroll face-down on his lap but he never tore his eyes from its back. Minato left out that only one of Namikaze or Uzumaki blood could activate it but it would only be counterproductive at the moment.

"Why give this to me?" Naruto asked as he gave Minato a wary glance.

"It's a pretty good gesture of my willingness and honesty, not to mention one hell of an incentive to tell the truth," Minato answered, adding the last part with a smile. He then saw the skepticism laced in Naruto's expression so he sighed and leaned back on his chair.

"If you'd like, you can test it out yourself," he added and Naruto looked to the scroll and then up at him.

"How?"

"See that small whirlpool symbol at the top-middle portion of the scroll?" Naruto searched and there was a whirlpool symbol right where he said it'd be. "That's the initial connection that will connect you to me and allow you to control how much chakra is sapped from my reserves," Naruto eyed the symbol once more.

"All you need to do is close the connection off by applying a small hint of your blood into the whirlpool," Naruto raised his eyebrow at Minato again.

"Sounds like a trap," Naruto said and Minato shrugged.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it? I promise you it's not but besides my word, you have nothing to base it off of,"

"True," Naruto agreed cautiously.

"So in the end, it's up to you whether or not you close the connection," Minato said as calmly as if he'd been speaking of the weather. In truth, he was nervous as hell, wondering if Naruto would believe him. It seemed unlikely to him…

That is, until Naruto bit his thumb and pressed it down against the whirlpool symbol. Both blonds felt a metaphysical sort of lock bond them together and a click-like sound echoed in their heads.

Naruto looked at Minato angrily but Minato returned the glare with an encouraging gesture. "Just concentrate, search for a tangible bond in your head and you'll soon learn what to do,"

Without a word, Naruto closed his eyes and did what Minato told him to do. After a few minutes of this, he felt stupid for even believing Minato but then he came across a red ribbon when the thought of Minato entered his mind. He opened his eyes and blinked at Minato.

Minato only smiled.

Naruto said nothing as he took in Minato's body language and smile before he closed them again and 'touched' the ribbon. He felt power surging through the ribbon, the ribbon humming under his touch. He tugged at it gently and felt foreign chakra enter him. He grunted in effort and subdued the chakra into his stomach. He grunted again, this time in pain, when he felt like his stomach was about to burst.

"You have to store the chakra into the scroll," Minato said nonchalantly as he focused on Naruto's face. He noticed the painful mask and almost jumped out of his chair and canceled the ritual but forced himself to stay in his chair and let Naruto handle it himself.

Naruto faintly heard him and shoved the foreign chakra past his body and into the scroll that remained under his hands. It felt… odd. He couldn't really describe the feeling he was currently going through. If it had to be described into words, it was almost like he had both hands on two conductors and had dangerous amounts of electricity passing harmlessly through one hand and traveling to the other.

Finally, Naruto stopped and opened his eyes. He saw the Fourth Hokage panting a little and sweat speeding down his forehead. Naruto heard a second person panting and soon found out that he was the one panting.

"See?" Minato asked with a smirk and Naruto nodded. "So, I'll ask my question first," Naruto nodded and Minato gave himself some time to catch his second wind before he hummed to himself.

"Do you know who your parents are?" the question opened up old wounds in Naruto but he refused to show it.

"Not really, they were killed before I even got to meet them," Naruto answered before looking at the scroll again. "Or so… they tell me," this gained Minato's interest.

"What do you-?"

"It's my turn now," Naruto said aggressively and Minato blinked before nodding. "Are you responsible for my father's death?" Minato blinked again and forced his laughter down his throat. Naruto looked deadly serious and if he laughed, he'd blow up whatever trust he gained from Naruto; not to mention that he'd probably get more of his chakra sucked up.

So, with as much authenticity as he could muster, Minato answered, "No, I did not."

Naruto thumbed the scroll with his brow furrowed in anger and for a second, Minato thought he was going to take more chakra. Instead, Naruto's hands relaxed and he sat on the hospital bed patiently.

"Ok," Minato said with the release of his breath that he had no idea he was holding. "What did you mean by 'or so they tell me'?" Minato asked and Naruto bit his lower lip.

"I was told that my parents were killed, in cold blood, by the man that humiliated our home in the last Great Shinobi War," Naruto began saying before pausing. "However, it didn't make much sense until I asked my sensei more about it," Another pause.

"What exactly did your sensei tell you?" Naruto gave Minato an odd look. "Right, sorry, go ahead."

"Do you plan to kill me?" Minato shook his head. Naruto seemed to visibly relax, so much so that it hurt Minato to see that his son had thought he was going to kill him. It was understandable but it didn't hurt any less.

"What exactly did your sensei tell you?" he repeated and Naruto looked away. He was wondered if he should really tell him. What the hell… it didn't make much of a difference right?

"He said that I was lied to, that you didn't really kill my parents out of cold blood. Then, I was called up to the Tsuchikage's office," he stopped, staring at his hands as he replayed the entire memory in his head.

"Naruto?" Minato interrupted Naruto's train of thought and he looked up. Naruto shook his head and cleared his throat.

"How long have I been out for?" Naruto asked.

"Three days," Minato answered and was surprised when Naruto didn't show any emotion to his response.

"What happened the day the Tsuchikage called you to his office?" before Naruto could answer, a nurse opened the door and paused as she saw both Naruto and Minato staring at her. She blushed at the attention.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm here to check up on my patient," Minato nodded and turned to Naruto, who eyed the nurse warily. The nurse ignored him and grabbed Hinata's chart and began to skim through it.

"Go ahead," Minato encouraged and Naruto nodded. He gripped the scroll tightly as he recounted the event in his head again.

"They told me… they told me the truth," Naruto growled as he felt his control on his anger slip a little. He couldn't help it; this memory always did this to him. Minato waited, a bit worried at what they told Naruto.

Naruto opened his eyes and Minato could see that his round pupil was now a slit, not unlike the Kyūbi's. Thankfully though, his irises were still blue.

"They said that you kidnapped my mother and took her away from my dad!" he shouted and his hands crumpled the scroll in them. His body shook as his emotions came flooding out of their containment. "And he was so angry, so helpless and depressed that he committed suicide. That's what the reports said but the old man knew better, he knew that you set it up to look like a suicide!"

"I already told you I never killed your father," Minato said calmly but Naruto shook his head and swiped his right hand in front of him horizontally.

"Lies!" Naruto yelled as his grip on the scroll tightened once more. Minato felt some of his chakra slip out of him and he cursed under his breath.

"I told you no such lies!" Minato said loudly as he felt Naruto tap into the Kyūbi's chakra. No doubt the demon was cheering on Naruto's rage.

"Then why would the Tsuchikage take me under his wing and raise me to fight you, to kill you? They showed me a picture of her," he said and adopted a sad smile. "She was so beautiful and kind. Why did you take her from me?" Naruto yelled and in retrospect, he'd find his own statement odd and suspicious but the mental image of his mother kept returning and fueled his anger, driving away any form of reasoning.

Minato, for his part, just gaped in shock. 'They what?' he thought furiously.

"I did no such thing!" Minato yelled as he stood from his seat; his own anger fueling him. The two were too busy yelling at each other that they didn't see the nurse smirk. She took out a kunai from out of nowhere and ran towards Naruto.

Naruto blinked and saw the nurse run towards him. His eyes widened and he sucked in his breath when he saw that he couldn't stop the nurse even if he was standing.

In the time it took Naruto to suck in his breath, Minato's form had disappeared in a flash of yellow and he appeared behind the nurse. To him, everything seemed to move more slowly than usual. He reared his right hand back and his chakra was already being shaped into a continuously spinning ball. With quick jab, he shoved the Rasengan into the woman's back and she went off spinning into the window, breaking it, and flying off into the next building facing the window.

Naruto's eyes widened and he turned to see the nurse plastered to the building's wall. She remained unmoving, even as she began to fall from the dent she left. Without preamble, three ANBU appeared in the room while a fourth caught the nurse before she hit the ground.

"Send her to Ibiki and tell him I want to know why she attacked my-" Minato stopped himself before he told everyone that Naruto was his son. "My guest," he finished and the ANBU nodded before disappearing once more.

Minato sighed and faced Naruto, who was still gaping at him. "So, whose turn was it?" He asked with a smirk. His anger was still there but Minato managed to control it before it got the best of him. Naruto managed to do the same but to a lesser extent.

"You didn't kill my dad and kidnapped my mother?" Naruto asked after composing himself. Minato shook his head. Before Minato could ask his next question, the door burst off its hinges and flew across the room before hitting the wall with a loud 'thud'.

"Where's my baby?" Minato's and Naruto's eyes widened at the voice and question. Minato had hoped he would finish his questioning before Kushina appeared. It wasn't as if he didn't love her or anything but sometimes, Kushina managed to make everything go to hell really fast.

The second after her voice rang through the entire hospital did she step past the threshold and her eyes immediately scanned the room. She met her target in the eyes and immediately appeared at his left side, hugging him tightly and crying into his hair. She mumbled incoherent things into his hair and cradled his head.

Minato smiled, he couldn't help it; the scene in front of him touched his heart.

Naruto, though, thought otherwise.

"I knew it," Naruto mumbled before everyone in the room felt his anger radiate from him. Kushina backed up a little and looked at his face. His eyes became red and slit while his whiskers thickened. His hair became more feral and his nails grew to sharp claws. Overall, he looked a little intimidating.

"You LIAR!" Naruto shouted as he bounced off his mother's arms and straight for Minato who dodged his tackle in a flash of yellow. Naruto managed to catch himself before he hit the chair and looked around the room. He spotted Minato standing in the window that the nurse had crashed through moments ago. He'd found a portion of the window where there were no broken glass to step on.

"Wait!" Minato shouted but it was no use. Naruto was already running towards him with his right claw cocked back. His body ached and protested against such actions but Naruto's anger helped him ignore his pain and continued his attempt to kill the man who stole his mother from him.

He thrust his claw forward and was only centimeters away from digging his claw into Minato's face when spiked-chains wrapped around his wrists, ankles and waist. It hauled him back into the hospital bed and kept him still. He fought against the chain but it wouldn't budge. It was too powerful for him.

'Damn her!' he heard Yōko curse from his head. He looked up and saw Kushina forming a half-tiger hand sign. His features returned to normal and he stared up at her. Kushina was surprised and sadden by the look of betrayal on his face and eyes.

"Why…" he mumbled as he continued to fight against the chain. "Why… mom?" This surprised everyone in the room, even Hinata who was supposedly still unconscious.

"You… Y-You know who I… am?" Kushina asked. It was a bittersweet moment for her; on the one hand, he recognized her as his mother, on the other, he felt betrayed by her.

"You still look the same," Naruto said and felt stray tears fall from his eyes. "Why are you helping that monster?" Naruto asked, throwing Kushina through a loop.

"You mean Minato-kun?" Naruto growled and doubled his efforts to break free of his bonds.

"Don't say that! Don't you even remember dad?" he yelled and let out a feral growl as he struggled against the restraints.

"Minato-kun, help," she said as she placed her free hand on Naruto's forehead. He seemed to have relaxed a bit; in fact, leaned against her touch. Minato appeared on the other side and placed his own hand over Kushina's. His eyes dulled over and his arms and legs went limp.

"I still have… your picture," Naruto said with a tired smile. "It's in my… back pocket…" he said before falling asleep thanks to Minato's genjutsu. Kushina and Minato stared at their son and smiled remorsefully.

"Picture?" Kushina asked after some time.

"Apparently, Iwa's first lie didn't work, so they decide to use you as a motivator for his hatred of me," he answered as he walked towards Naruto's dirty and ruined pants that lay in the nightstand next to his bed. Kushina blinked at the broken window and human-shaped dent on the building across the hospital.

"What happened?" she asked without preamble and Minato scoffed.

"Someone tried to assassinate Naruto, probably an Iwa-nin. Sent her to I&T department," he said and Kushina growled. He checked the back pocket and found a folded picture. He unfolded it and was surprised by a picture of Kushina smiling and giving the camera the Victory sign.

"I took this," Minato mumbled as he took in the picture. "How did they…?"

Kushina walked up to him and gasped. She took the picture from Minato and after taking in the picture, she began to shake.

"Kushina, wait-" before he could finish, she was out the door and stomping out of the hospital. Minato sighed before looking at Naruto. Minutes ticked away before the chains disappeared in a ghostly whisper, as if they were never there.

"How long were you awake?" Minato asked Hinata, not turning to face her. She jumped and blushed.

"Since before you entered," she answered and when he turned to face her, she looked at her hands.

Minato only smiled, mischief gleaming in his eyes. "Good,"

[*.*.*.*]

Kushina was angry. Everyone that she passed by could see that. Even Itachi hesitated to talk to her.

"Hello, Lady Hokage," Itachi joked but Kushina continued her trek without stopping.

"Don't mess with me right now, Itachi," she said and Itachi blinked. That was new.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he kept pace with her. It wasn't long before he realized where she was heading.

"I'm going to talk to a rat," she said with a mischievous spark in her violet eyes. Itachi just stopped in his tracks and watched her walk off. He didn't want to be anywhere near her whenever she got in her I&T moods.

When Kushina reached the I&T Department, she let everyone within earshot know what her purpose was.

"Where is that Iwa punk?" She shouted and two ANBU tried to stop her. "Get out of my way," the mischief in her eyes turned to cold fury as she gave each ANBU her glare. They were trained to face many battles and gores the likes of which no normal human could withstand.

But no amount training could prepare them for the anger and determination of a kunoichi mother.

She managed to bypass all protocol and tradition and bombarded Ibiki with questions. Said man only sighed and allowed her to pass in the room where a purple haired Kunoichi was already interrogating the Iwa assassin.

"Move Anko," Kushina said and without protest, Anko let Kushina at the Iwa-nin. She smirked as she left the room to join Ibiki. This was going to be fun.

Kushina stared down at the woman tied to the chair in an empty room. She looked around the room.

"Such a cliché room, don't you think?" Kushina asked but the Iwa kunoichi didn't respond. This bugged Kushina and she grabbed the woman's collar and made her look her in the eyes.

"Why did you try to kill my child?" Kushina asked and the kunoichi's response was to stare at her in shock. Kushina growled when she said nothing and pushed her back. Kushina let her chakra envelope the room and the kunoichi gasped for air when the killing intent almost made her pass out.

"I'm surprised that you're still awake but I can't say I'm upset. The next part is never fun when the victim is unconscious."

The next few minutes were so graphic and horrible that any sane person would never completely comprehend it and any attempt to relive the memory through words would be lost to them. Anko, however, took notes. Ibiki shook his head and mumbled about rookies and their lack of subtly.

When Kushina came out of the interrogation, she had a scowl on her lips.

"Dammit, right when it was getting good," she said and faced Ibiki. "Did you get all of that?" Ibiki shook his head but replied positively.

"Inform the Hokage," she said and without another word, left the room.

"What about you, Lady Uzumaki?" Ibiki asked and she stopped just as she stepped out of the room.

"I need to see someone. Only she can relax me before I do something stupid besides Minato and he's gonna be too busy," she rushed out of the room and Ibiki sighed. He turned to his apprentice and scowled at her when he saw stars in her eyes.

"What are you waiting for?" he scolded and she flinched. "Go see to it that the message is received," She grumbled with a scowl and leisurely walked out of the room. Ibiki glared at her before shaking his head once more and calling in ANBU to clean up the psychological mess that used to be an assassin.

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto woke up to the smooth sound of a beautiful voice humming while gentle fingers rubbed his tired head. He could smell the scent of medicine and death so he figured they were still at the hospital. He strained to open his eyes and when he did, he found a lock of red hair resting on his nose. He smiled tiredly and closed his eyes again with a groan.

"My baby," he heard a feminine voice chant repeatedly and he chuckled.

"So this is how… it feels to be a son," he mumbled and he heard a reluctant sob. He opened his eyes again and saw that he was being held by his mother. He raised a weak hand to her cheek, surprising her. "Don't cry, mother. I'm… not mad anymore," he said and Kushina stared at him in shock before smiling and bending down to kiss his forehead. Her lips felt soft on his skin. They reminded him of Hinata's lips but Hinata's lips were much different. It wasn't something he could explain without having time to think about it.

"I love you, Naruto," she said as she hugged him. "My child is back in my arms," she cried and her tears fell and plopped on Naruto's face. He felt a few of his own tears accumulate in his eyes and begin to fall.

"Why do I feel so weak?" Naruto asked and Kushina choked. Naruto looked down and noticed that there were chains attached to his ankles, glowing a faint blue.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," she said. "We couldn't risk you running away. And… and I wanted you to stay with me,"

"What?" he asked, somewhat disturbed and angry. "Why mom?" he asked and Kushina looked away.

"I didn't want you to leave," a new voice said, one particularly familiar to Naruto. He looked to the left and saw Minato staring at them with tears in his eyes, though they haven't fell just yet.

"You bastard," Naruto mumbled.

"Don't say that to your father!" Kushina scolded, surprising both Minato and Naruto.

"Kushina," Minato said in a soft tone yet also somehow gently scolding her. Kushina looked up at him.

"I know you told me not to tell him but I can't help it," she said through tears and a tired voice that sounded as though she'd been screaming for hours. "I want us to be a family again. Let's just stop this fighting. Please," she begged. Minato had never heard her sound so vulnerable, so soft, so strong all in the same timeframe. It was sort of new to him and it broke his heart.

Naruto just stared at Minato in shock. There was no way he was his father… was there? Looking at him, Naruto could see some relation but he refused to acknowledge it. He tried to free himself from his mother's grip and run away. It was too much to handle. He was about to overload with all this information and emotion flooding him.

Try as he might, he was too weak and his mother was strong as hell. Or maybe she seemed strong because of the chakra absorbing chains. Who knew?

"Let me go," Naruto said weakly and still struggled against Kushina's hold. She shook her head vigorously. She heard the soft hum of Minato's kunai and only had time to look up before he threw his kunai and it cut the chain free from the wall. Naruto felt the tingling sensation of chakra leaving him abruptly stop and some energy return to him.

"Minato!" Kushina chided but Minato shook his head.

"I'm not going to force him to stay," Minato said securely. Kushina just gaped at him. Naruto stood and faced Minato. "You know the truth; the real truth. I am your father, and you are my son. Us three, in this room right now, are a family. The only one I have," the statement sounded odd to Minato and quite sad but it was the truth.

"I'm not going to force you to stay here and listen to the entire truth but if you want to hear it, you can come to either one of us, preferably both, and ask. However," he said as he watched Naruto head for the window in. Naruto stopped just as he opened the window and faced Minato again.

"You can come to the meeting I'm holding in two days' time," he informed him, getting a shocked response from Kushina.

"What?" she shouted in outrage but Minato ignored her at the moment.

"…" Naruto turned and stepped up to the windowsill. "Where?" he asked and Minato smirked.

"Ask Hinata-chan, she'll know," he answered and Naruto jumped off. The hospital room was silent of all sounds. Minato just stared at the window Naruto left from before getting a harsh yet hesitant slap from his wife. He looked at her as she sobbed into his chest.

"Did you see it?" Minato asked and Kushina nodded slowly. "He cried just before he left," Minato said to no one in particular.

*.*

Naruto panted, holding himself up with a tree that lay closest to the sidewalk. He still had on his hospital gown but because it kept exposing his less than modest areas, he wrapped it around his waist like a towel. Although he really didn't want to walk around the village showing off his upper torso, it was better than showing off everything between his waist and knees.

He ran from the hospital, for who knows how long or how far. He just needed some space from his mother and that… that man.

He couldn't be his father, could he? It was simply impossible… wasn't it?

And ask Hinata where the meeting was going to take place; how the hell was he going to find Hinata?

"Naruto-kun?" Naruto blinked.

'No way. No way am I that lucky,' he turned and faced the person who called him out and found that it was Hinata. What luck…

"Naruto-kun, I was just looking for you," Hinata said with a smile, but Naruto only looked at her suspiciously. She was blushing furiously. In fact, even her neck was red. Was she ok?

"What for? Did he send you?" he asked and Hinata frowned, knowing exactly who he was.

"I bumped into him but he never told me to come after you," she answered honestly and he looked at her before nodding.

"So, what did you want?" he asked. It came out colder than he wanted it to but there was no use crying over spilled milk.

"Oh, uhm, sorry, did I come at a bad time?" she asked and Naruto just stared at her before shaking his head.

"There's just a lot on my plate," he answered vaguely but waved off the concerned look on her face. "Nothing you should worry about."

"…" Hinata wondered if she should get involved with his affair. She hadn't lied when she said she ran into Minato or that he hadn't asked her to go after him but what she hadn't mentioned was that Kushina had urged her to make him stay, to go to the meeting.

"I know what happened," Hinata said but got no response from Naruto; not an external one anyway. "I was wondering if there was some way I could help,"

"You could not get involved," Naruto suggested venomously and Hinata bit her lower lip.

"No," she said with finality. This got a reaction from the jinchūriki.

"What?" he asked with a sort of angry yet excited gleam in his eyes.

"You need my help," she told him defiantly. "Naruto, I…" she stopped and broke eye contact. She muffled a surprised squeak when she felt him place his hands on her shoulders. She noticed that he was still gentle on her right arm. Still, she refused to meet his eyes.

"You know how I feel about you," she finally said. "I don't… I'm not used to admitting my feelings so bluntly so excuse me if it takes me a while to say it again," Hinata built up her courage to look up and establish eye contact again.

"But you need me, and you know it; now more than ever," Naruto grunted in reluctant defeat after some hesitation but he had a smile on his lips. Hinata was nice and somewhat shy but she was also feisty and strong willed; he liked that.

"You want to help?" Naruto asked and Hinata nodded. Naruto smirked, "You know any good restaurants in town? Maybe one that serves ramen?" Hinata smiled and took his hand. She wordlessly led him to Ichiraku's, just five minutes away.

She introduced Naruto to the chef and his daughter; both immediately recognized him but said nothing of it. They spoke to him as if they've never heard of him and they got along great. Ichiraku's just gained a third, infamous customer; they just didn't know it yet.

"Five chicken, three shrimp, and ten miso ramen," Naruto declared and earned a loud bellow of laughter from Teuchi, the ramen chef, and a nod from Ayame, his daughter.

"One miso for me, please," Hinata said with a cute tilt of her head and a smile. Ayame nodded again and wrote it down, going to the back with her father. Hinata turned to Naruto who smiled at the prospect of eating ramen again.

"So, how long was I out for after my mother put me out?" he asked and she bit her lip in thought.

"A day or so…" she answered on reflex. She then saw him arch a knowing eyebrow to accompany the sly smile on his lips and she shook her hands in front of her in defense. "I-I think, I'm not sure."

Naruto just chuckled. "Relax, Hinata-chan, I knew you were awake the whole time. Doesn't bother me too much. Just pay for my ramen and we'll be even," Hinata nodded with a smile. The two continued with light conversations until the ramen arrived. Naruto immediately dug in his meal and was half way done by the time Hinata finished her ramen.

That's when trouble arrived.

"Hinata!" Naruto and Hinata jumped at her name being yelled so loudly. They were only given a second to compose themselves before Hinata was given a hug from behind. She was lifted off her seat and held in the air by a teen with a feral-wolf look. Not the mean kind of feral, just very wild, as if he had been raised in the forest.

Naruto continued eating, though he did give the teen a sideways glance.

"Hinata, I can't believe your back," the teen wolf said as he released her. Hinata didn't look displeased with the teen so Naruto continued to eat in peace. "I thought I'd never see you again,"

It was just a talk among friends. No big deal. He had no reason to be jealous. And he wasn't; he wasn't going to be an overprotective boy-guy-friend. Yea, overprotective guy-friend; that's what he was thinking.

"It's ok Kiba-kun, I'm not going anywhere," she assured him with a smile. Naruto smirked; typical Hinata, always thinking of others.

"When you were missing, I didn't know what to do," the now identified Kiba said. This caught Naruto's interest as he grabbed his tenth bowl. "I didn't think my life would be the same without you,"

Naruto's grip on his chopsticks tightened, threatening to break them. "No duh," Naruto commented to himself. He growled at himself for letting it slip; he was better than that. Kiba gave him a weird look before ignoring him again.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" he asked and Hinata smiled sheepishly.

"Just having lunch with him," she said, pointing a thumb to Naruto who turned his head and mumbled an incoherent greeting – mostly because of the ramen sticking out of his mouth – and gave a lazy wave. Kiba sneered and looked at Hinata who for her part didn't faint at the tension in the air.

Though Naruto didn't show it, he was focusing most of his senses on Kiba, keeping his guard up. Hinata could tell Kiba found Naruto to be a threat. To who or why, Hinata didn't know. She sat down and patted the seat to the left of her.

"Would you like to join us?" she asked politely. Kiba gave Naruto a calculating glance before shaking his head.

"I'd love to but I can't," he said and Naruto smirked.

"Too bad," he mumbled but Kiba ignored it.

"Kurenai-sensei is training Shino and me to cooperate with the Uchiha," he said and Hinata's eyes widened a bit before they relaxed, though only Naruto caught it. "Wanna come watch?" he asked and Hinata smiled timidly.

"I wish but…" she hesitated, not really good at coming up with excuses on the fly.

"She needs to show me around," Naruto said as he wiped his mouth with his right hand and placed his eighteenth bowl on the table. "I'm new in town, you see, and your Kage has graciously allowed a pretty flower," he gestured at Hinata, who blushed at the compliment. "Such as her, to show me, a lowly fox, around. Y'know, just to establish stronger bonds between visiting shinobi and their village,"

Naruto internally smirked at himself. Not only had he told Kiba to back off, he had also warned him that if he were to mess with him, he'd have to deal with the Hokage and another shinobi village; a double no-no. He couldn't be that much of an idiot not to understand that… right?

"Like someone like Hinata would waste her time on you. And you do reek of fox," Kiba stated and Naruto sweat dropped. He was dealing with an idiot. "And you look like you just ran away from the hospital," he added and Naruto smirked.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Naruto retorted and poked Kiba in the chest. "You smell like a mutt," he added and Kiba growled.

"What'd you say?" Kiba asked as he grabbed Naruto by his neck. Almost by reflex, Naruto gripped Kiba's hand with his right hand and drove his thumb into Kiba's wrist. Within seconds, Kiba let Naruto go and started massaging his wrist.

"I don't like to be touched," Naruto said with a smile. Kiba let out another growl. Naruto found that smiling always seemed to annoy people more than actually insulting them. 'Or maybe,' he thought, 'I just have an annoying smile,'

"Tch, whatever," he brushed Naruto aside and faced Hinata. "I'll see ya later, ok?" Hinata nodded.

"Tell Kurenai-sensei that I'll visit her soon," Kiba sneered at Naruto one more time but nodded. Naruto waited until he was out of the restaurant and earshot to laugh.

"Well, that was something," he bellowed and noticed that Hinata wasn't laughing with him. Not even giggling. In fact, he saw that she was frowning. "What?"

"He's my friend, Naruto-kun," she chided. "He may not be diplomatic but that doesn't change that he does mean a lot to me," Naruto frowned this time and looked away.

"Fine, fine. Now, are you going to show me around or am I going to have to figure it out myself?" Naruto asked and Hinata nodded. She still seemed upset so Naruto said nothing for a few minutes. Eventually, her spirits rose and she began to show him around with a happy and nostalgic smile.

She showed him where she lived, where he could find good dumplings, where the Hokage's office was and so on and so forth. He stopped in front of a clothing store and ventured in.

"I need to get out of this get-up," he said, knowing that she was following him and could easily hear him. Still, he felt her eyes burning his back and he couldn't help but smirk. Was the innocent and modest Hyūga checking him out?

"Well, there's a lot of styles to choose from," a girl said from behind the counter. She was appealing, with smoky onyx eyes and smooth brown hair. She had a shapely figure and by the way she carried herself, Naruto could tell she wasn't ashamed to use it to her advantage. "If you need help, just let me know," she said with a wink and a blush.

Naruto nodded but ignored her after that. He had no interest in her. Hinata just shook it off and ignored her as well. It wouldn't do to snap just because some girl talked to Naruto. It was normal to feel somewhat jealous right?

With that, Naruto grabbed the nearest orange shirt and black shorts and put them on in the dressing room. He was out in a second and tossed the gown in the trash. He walked up to the girl behind the counter and then froze.

'Crap, my money's in my bag… back in the hospital room,' he silently cursed at himself and went to go get the gown back.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked and Naruto told her his situation. "Oh, well, I can pay for it," she said nonchalantly but Naruto shook his head.

"You shouldn't do that," he said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Girls shouldn't buy guys clothes. Or waste money on them," he answered and she narrowed her eyes a bit.

"And why not?" she repeated and emphasized it by placing her hands on her hips.

He shook his head again. "It's just the principle of the thing, that's all."

"Well, too bad," she said as she grabbed his hand with her left hand. He let her drag him and he groaned when she gave the girl a shiny card. Her name was engraved on it, along with a sixteen-digit number. It was a simple lavender card but a symbol – what he assumed was her clan's symbol – was imprinted on the top-right corner of it.

"This is humiliating," he said and Hinata only smiled.

"Good," she stated and with that, they left the store, just after the girl snuck Naruto a card with her address and a time when he could sneak into her home.

He tossed the card in the garbage as soon as she wasn't looking. It was as useless as the hospital gown that sat in the trash.

"Uhm," Naruto mumbled and rubbed the back of his head. Hinata turned her head slightly to see him blushing uncomfortably. "Well, you bought this for me, so thanks… I guess."

Hinata smiled. "You're welcome. It's the least I can do," she said and they continued the tour. Most of the day was gone by then and there was only about an hour of sun left so most of the store were either closing or just opening up. They decided not to venture into the ones just opening; they weren't old enough to drink, anyway.

"Hinata," a voice called out. Naruto clenched his fist; not another admirer! Still, this guy's voice sent a chill down Naruto's spine. It was cold and calculating, almost alien. It was too distant and emotionless for Naruto's taste. The two turned and were greeted by the sight of a black-haired teen with even blacker eyes, if possible. The teen stood only an inch taller than him but what attracted Naruto's attention was the sort of authority and power radiating from him. It didn't sit well with Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun," Hinata's voice sounded distant and low, so low that Naruto almost missed it. Almost.

Naruto saw the corners of Sasuke's lips twitch before they returned to an impassive expression.

"I see, so that mutt wasn't lying. You truly did return," he eyed her arm in the sling and he frowned. Or at least, Naruto thought he did. "What happened?" It sounded more like a demand than a question.

"It was an accident," she answered with a forced smile. Naruto's eyes flicked from Sasuke to Hinata and back. There was an awkward silence around them and Naruto almost felt like blowing up something just to release the tension.

"I'm just glad you're ok," he said and walked up to Hinata, never acknowledging Naruto. This pissed him off. "I was worried about you," he said as his left hand reached up and pushed a stray hair away from Hinata's face.

Hinata didn't like the touch, Naruto could tell. He wasn't about to watch someone put his hands on his girl-…tour guide. Yeah, that's what she was; his girl-tour guide.

If Naruto had enough time, he'd slap his forehead. Hard.

"Have you ever seen an explosion occur because of one punch?" Naruto asked as he lightly pushed Sasuke back with his right hand. Sasuke glared at Naruto who only smirked devilishly. He took his silence as a 'no'. "Wanna see?"

"Naruto-kun," Hinata scolded but Naruto never tore his eyes from the Uchiha. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and was about to put a genjutsu on Naruto to keep him occupied when he noticed something inside of Naruto's eyes. He deactivated them and for the first time, Sasuke smirked.

"I see," he said as he took a step back. Naruto arched an eyebrow. "The Nine-Tailed Fox," he whispered, loud enough for Naruto to hear. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"You must be an Uchiha," Naruto stated and smirked as well. "I hear you bastards are hard to kill, but not impossible," Sasuke's smirk lessened a bit. He took the compliment/insult better than Naruto expected.

He would soon see otherwise as Sasuke disappeared and reappeared behind Naruto who was surprised at his speed. A second later, a cut appeared on his left cheek and blood flowed from it before being sealed off by the Kyūbi's chakra.

Naruto turned and aimed to punch him but Sasuke was where he stood a minute before. Naruto growled and glared at him.

"You're fast," Naruto said and Sasuke smirked haughtily.

"You state the obvious too much," he taunted and Naruto wished to beat Sasuke's face in. Hinata stepped between them and leveled them with an admonishing stare.

"Stop this," she said with authority and both Naruto and Sasuke felt their desire for her burn hotter. She was just so alluring to them when she took charge. She gave Sasuke a remorseful smile. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun, but I'm a little busy at the moment. We'll talk later," she assured and Sasuke said nothing as he walked up to Hinata and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Naruto growled again but did nothing; Hinata was a big girl, she could take care of herself. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

Hinata blushed but other than that, she didn't react to the kiss. Sasuke smiled as he walked away, thinking he'd discouraged Naruto's pursuit of the beautiful teen.

She watched him go before sighing and facing Naruto. She noticed that he didn't take the kiss entirely well.

"Is there… something going on between you two?" He asked; no reason to beat around the bush. "If you'd like I could call him back and let you two finish…" he made a vague gesture that Hinata somewhat understood as the thing that just happened between her and the Uchiha. "…whatever the hell that was?"

Hinata shook her head. "I'd rather not," she answered and Naruto nodded.

"But something did happen…" it wasn't a question. Hinata gave him a wary look before nodding. Naruto felt his heart hit the bottom of his stomach and shook his head. He really didn't want to deal with Mr. Rainbows-and-Sunshine or anything having to do with him at the moment.

So he changed the subject. "Your Kage told me that there'll be a meeting in two days. Where will it be?" he asked and it took her a moment to get her out of her thoughts.

"I'll show you when the day comes," Naruto nodded and they continued to walk aimlessly, both enthralled by their thoughts.

"Will you ever recognize him as your father?" Hinata questioned without prelude.

"What makes you think he's my father?" Naruto asked.

"Why answer my question with a question?"

"Why not just answer my question first?" Naruto rebutted and Hinata gave him a deadpanned look. He sighed; he'd hope to avoid this conversation. "I have a bad past and it's not easy to accept that the person everyone told you to hate could be your father," he answered.

"I understand," Hinata stated but they both knew that was a lie. "At least give him a chance, he's not a bad guy. He's very kind, and caring, and sweet…"

"Sounds like you have a crush on him," Hinata blushed and looked away. When she didn't respond, Naruto stared at her incredulously. "Holy shit…"

"I was young!" she snapped. "He was always there, so heroic and all! There wasn't a girl in the village that didn't have a crush on him at some point," she explained. Naruto smiled playfully.

"How old were you?" he asked and she blushed.

"Young…"

"How old?"

"Very young…"

"How old?"

"I was so childish back then,"

"How. Old?"

"…"

"…"

"TEN!" she shouted and as soon as she did, she placed both hands over her mouth. Naruto laughed loudly as he held his sides.

"My ribs!" he declared and Hinata pouted.

"You're so mean to me, Naruto-kun," she whined and Naruto wiped a nonexistent tear from his left eye.

"I'm sorry but this is so rich!" he stated, earning another pout from Hinata. When Naruto finally gathered his bearings, they continued their walk. "When did your crush stop?"

"The moment I saw mother scare off other flirtatious women," she answered and Naruto nodded in understanding.

"When was that?"

"The same day I turned eleven," Naruto wanted to laugh again but decided against it; it wouldn't do to agitate his girl-tour guide. Damn it, there it was again.

"How fun," he said instead of laughing or slamming his head against the building beside him.

"Soon enough, he became more like a second father-figure. Those feelings were as hollow as…" she blinked as she tried to think of an appropriate simile.

"As Kiba's head?" Naruto offered and raised his hands up in defense when he received a small glare from Hinata. "Sorry, too soon, got it."

"He acts like my second father. Sometimes, it even agitates my real father. Though, they're both good friends so it's fine," she continued and Naruto nodded.

"Cool," Naruto had no idea what to say so he decided to give a non-committable word. She stopped in front of him and gave him a pleading look.

"Please, Naruto-kun, don't brush this off as insignificant. Please give Lord Hokage a chance," she pleaded and Naruto sighed.

"It isn't as simple as accepting him. I have a bad history with all things Konoha. It won't change overnight," he informed her and Hinata hummed to herself.

"I don't expect it too but please try, for me?" she begged and Naruto's determination wavered at her look. He sighed in defeat and rubbed the back of his head.

"You're evil," Naruto said, hoping to break the tension. Hinata smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she said as she rested her head on his chest. He hugged her and she returned it in kind.

"I think I should go home now," Hinata said but showed no signs of getting off him. "It's getting pretty late and you've met enough males that hate you without meeting my brother," Naruto paled.

"Brother?" he had seen how overprotective and dangerous brothers could be. It wasn't enough that Hinata was from the enemy village with a bunch of guys following her like lost puppies, but she also had a brother?

Naruto looked up at the sky; someone up there seriously had a sick sense of humor.

"Naruto-kun?" Naruto blinked and saw that Hinata was now looking behind him. He turned and was greeted with the sight of another angry, older looking teen coming towards them.

'Damn my luck; damn it to hell!'

"Big brother!" Hinata said happily as she ran and hugged the older looking teen. She showed no restraint as she hugged him with everything she had. He returned it in kind, just a little more controlled. They took a step back and Naruto saw her brother smile; an honest-to-Kami smile.

"I see that you are well, Lady Hinata," he said and Hinata pouted. He just chuckled. "I'm happy to see that you're ok, little sister," he corrected and Hinata hugged him again. They parted and began to talk about how they'd been the last few weeks.

"…and Neji, he saved me. Twice." Hinata told her brother, Neji. Naruto had trailed off and was off in his own little world somewhere between the start of the conversation and that bit of information; mostly because that was when Neji turned his cold gaze on him.

Naruto felt like his soul would freeze over. He put on his best smile and walked over to him.

"Hiya," he said and extended his hand out for a shake. Neji stared at it oddly before Hinata nudged his ribs with her good elbow. He grabbed his hand and they shook. Soon enough, it became a contest of strength and they both forced a smile.

"Good grip," Neji stated and Naruto gulped.

"Not bad yourself," he retorted and doubled his efforts. Neji remained calm and cool but he was close to breaking. Naruto wasn't too far off either.

Hinata stopped the macho-contest by placing her delicate hand over theirs. They both blinked at looked at her, almost as if she'd poured ice-cold water over their heads.

Her smile was genuine but frightening. "Are we done?" The way she said it had suggested that it was more of a demand than a suggestion but regardless, she expected an answer.

Naruto and Neji gave each other one last squeeze before letting go. "Yeah," they said simultaneously. They blinked.

"Stop it," they said at the same time.

"No, you stop!" This time, Neji smirked as he said that.

"Shut up!" This was getting old really quickly for Hinata as she rubbed her temples.

"Grow up! You first!" Hinata grabbed Naruto shoulder and began to drag him away.

"I'll be home soon, brother."

"Not too late. You know how Lord Hiashi worries, and with good reason," Neji said loudly and Hinata nodded.

"I know."

Neji watched them leave before smirking and shaking his head. "Interesting."

Off in the distance, Hinata pushed Naruto against a wooden fence and leveled him with a cold stare.

"You're such a troublemaker," she stated and Naruto smiled excitedly.

"You're such a potty-mouth," he mocked, hoping to get one of those cute laughs or giggles from Hinata. She didn't respond well.

"I'm serious; you picked a fight with everyone we ran into today," she looked away. "It almost makes me hesitate to introduce you to the rest of my friends… much less my father," she said, adding the last part under her breath.

"I don't start it," he said defensively. "Hell, I'd rather not meet them," He saw that his words hit home as Hinata frowned and hung her head, her bangs covering her eyes. She backed away from him and began to walk away. Naruto ran after her and put his right arm against the wooden fence a few feet in front of her, stopping her progress.

"What did I say?" he demanded but she refused to look at him.

"They're my friends and family, Naruto-kun. They mean a lot to me and for you, someone who's also important to me, to say something like that really hurts,"

"But you've seen the way those three acted towards me! They don't accept me. They HATE me! I doubt your other friends will be any different. They're all the same here," He thought he heard a small gasp come from Hinata but saw that her body shook.

"I thought you were nice, different from all the other guys. I can see now that you're no different from every other thug that I've encountered on my missions," she said and brushed by him. It hurt. No, it stung him, right in the heart, to hear Hinata say things like that about him. Not only that…

It also angered him.

"So I'm a thug? Is that it?" he asked but she didn't stop; she didn't even reply. "You're just gonna walk away from me? After all we've been through?" Still nothing. Naruto swallowed down the pain in his throat and smirked.

"Fine, I see. That's how you wanna be," he said as he grabbed the front of his shirt and ripped it off him. "I should've known better, the old man was right!" he shouted as he also tore off his shorts, leaving him in his green boxers.

"I have no friends, I can see that now," he said, a lot lower than before. He hung his head low. "I was a fool to believe someone like you could like someone like me. A fool!" he said, adding the last part with a growl. He looked up to see Hinata turn the corner and disappear. His body shook with frustration and he turned and swiftly drove his right fist into the fence. It busted through the fence as though it was made of wet paper towels. He paused and then retracted his hand out of the fence.

He inspected his fist and saw small cuts and splinters on his fist but he didn't care; the Kyūbi would take care of those wounds without a second thought.

"I'm so stupid," he mumbled sadly as he turned and began to walk away. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan."

Hinata sat with her back to the fence, sobbing silently and shaking her head.

Walking aimlessly had helped Naruto clear his head and helped him realize what he did wrong. He had insulted Hinata by metaphorically spitting on her friends and family. He should've been more sensitive to her feelings. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know how alone he was as a child, not knowing the importance of friends and family.

Sure, he had Kurotsuchi and Han but Han was always off on a mission and Kurotsuchi had her studies. The only person he had was himself. To play alone and train under the old man, who was no grandfather, either.

Still, the stubborn part of him was angry at the fact that she didn't even try to understand his angle. She was only thinking of herself.

And another, more rational part of him as angry at himself for being stupid enough to rip apart the only means of keeping his modesty modest. It didn't help that it was getting late and some of the more… desperate women kept on giving his body an onceover. He shivered but kept on the strong façade as he wondered where the hell he was.

"You," Naruto froze and turned to see a man in a uniform walk up to him with two followers in the same uniform. "What the hell do you think you're doing walking around my village in only boxers?" the officer demanded and Naruto groaned.

'My luck is fucking amazing!'

"I… I accidently locked myself out of my apartment and now I'm going to my friend's house," Naruto said off the top of his head. He internally smirked at his cleverness. He didn't, however, expect the officer to grab his arm.

"What apartment and what friend?" he asked and Naruto gulped.

"The one…" 'Shit! I can't remember where those are!' "…you know, the one's near the shopping district," he said, making a leap of faith. The officer seemed to accept the answer. "And my friend that lives down the street here," Naruto said and smiled when the officer let him go.

"Why would you visit him? Does he have a spare key?" The man continued but Naruto felt more relaxed. One or two more lies and he'd be home free.

"No but this isn't the first time this happened so he lets me borrow some clothes and gives me a place to sleep till morning,"

"I see," the officer said and his two followers nodded. Naruto felt like he'd just fought three Kages and lived. It was an incredible feeling, really.

"Let's go," the officer said and Naruto blanched.

"W-What?" Naruto stuttered and the officer gave him an odd look.

"Let's go to your friend's house. I want to make sure you get their safely," he informed Naruto and they began walking in the direction Naruto mentioned. Naruto cursed his luck once more and they walked in silence. He thanked whatever divine being actually cared for him as soon as everything started to look familiar. He didn't recognize it immediately because it was night but he could've sworn that he'd been there before.

It didn't hit him until they were only ten feet from the humongous home. More like mansion.

"Are you sure this is where your friend lives?" one of the officer's lackeys asked skeptically. Naruto paused, looking down the road to see no other houses around. If he said no, they'd probably send him to jail or something. If he told them he'd gotten confused, they'd think he was stupid and then he'd have to think of another place where his 'friend' might live. Neither of which was a good idea.

He'd just have to wing it until he saw the perfect opportunity to run off.

"Yeah," Naruto said before looking up at the sky. "You can stop this," he mumbled and the three officers stared at him oddly. He just smiled.

They walked up to the gate where they were greeted by two guards.

"What business do you have here…Uchiha?" the man asked darkly and the lead officer, presumably the Uchiha, scoffed.

"This punk claims that he comes here every so often whenever he gets locked out of his apartment," Naruto was behind the Uchiha officer but he could hear the smirk in the man's voice. The guard looked at Naruto before shaking his head.

"Never seen him before in my life," he stated. Naruto could've sworn the guard had given a stare that looked like he'd seen a ghost but he brushed it aside. "Have you?" the second guard did the same, shocked look and all, before composing himself and shaking his head in silent agreement.

"I see," the officers said as they turned and faced Naruto. There was a small light by the guard's posts and with it; Naruto finally saw each of the officer's features.

The two lackeys looked like they could be brothers, or at the very least, close cousins and looked distantly related to the asshole Uchiha from earlier.

What was his name? Bah, it didn't matter; though it did startle Naruto when he noticed that the lead officer had a stronger resemblance to the aforementioned asshole Uchiha.

"No wait!" Naruto said as the officers looked like they were about to arrest him.

"Halt!" The Uchiha officers stopped in their tracks and turned to see someone walk towards them from inside the mansion. Naruto's eyes widened at the 'someone'. "I know him," the 'someone' said with a smirk.

"Let him in," Naruto felt relieved and horrified at the same time. Still, he didn't let it show as he walked up to his savior. "Follow me," Naruto did as he was told, somewhat reluctantly though. The two walked past the guards and into the mansion. Once inside, Naruto's savior still remained silent as he continued forward into his home and up the stairs nearby.

"Wait, I-"

"Take off your shoes before you enter. Make sure you stay close to me or you'll get lost."

Naruto looked down at his feet, embarrassed. "I'm not wearing any shoes."

His savior paused before continuing up the stairs. "I'm sorry, I seem to have mistaken your dirt-black feet for shoes. Please wipe them on the rag before following me,"

Naruto grumbled as he wiped his feet and quickly ran up the stairs. "No running!"

"No running, blah blah," Naruto mocked to himself as he caught up to his savior and followed him silently. They walked past many rooms, made many turns, passing many framed pictures and artifacts that looked more expensive than the mansion did.

They finally entered a room on the left and when the door was closed, Naruto faced his savior.

"I know I owe you a thanks but I'm-" Naruto wasn't given a chance to finish as a chakra-powered palm was sent to his stomach and made him cough up some blood. He fell, first to his knees and then on his side. He struggled to breathe before glaring up at his savior/attacker.

"That is for Hinata," the statement was cold and angry and amused at the same time. Naruto glared into Neji's silver eyes before standing, although sluggish and off balanced.

"So I'm guessing you heard what happened back there, huh?" Neji raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Yes, I was there. And now, you're going to go find her and apologize to her," Neji said.

Naruto scoffed. "Says who?"

"I just saved you from spending a not-so-lonely night in prison and am about to loan you clothes to wear so you won't approach my little sister so indignantly," true to his word, Neji began to search his closet for some clothes. He tossed Naruto a brown shirt and white shorts. Both were pretty dirty by Neji's standards, wearable by Naruto's.

Naruto quickly put them on and watched as Neji looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. "It will do,"

"Wait, whoa! I don't know who you think you are but-" Neji hit Naruto with another palm to the stomach and sent him sprawling to the floor. Neji grabbed Naruto by his hair and made him look up at him.

"I am the one who saved your ass from getting sodomized by lonely ex-shinobi! And you'll repay me by undoing the harm you've inflicted on my dear sister. Should you fail, I'll guarantee that you'll never have to worry about problems that only the living bother to worry about, got it?" Neji asked in a deadly voice. Naruto got the message and nodded abruptly.

Neji smirked. "She's at the library,"

[*.*.*.*]

Naruto had no idea how he'd done it, but he finally found the fricking library that Neji spoke of. All the silver-eyed bastard said was that it wasn't too far to walk to but not close enough to see from the mansion.

Bastard.

At any rate, Naruto sighed and walked up to the library's doors and looked at it. The doors looked like they belonged on a giant's front door. He looked down at the door knob and doubted that it was open so he looked up and saw windows; four of them to be exact. And one so happened to be slightly opened. It was hard to see but Naruto managed to see the gap so he climbed up the wall with his chakra-powered feet and slowly opened the window.

It squeaked as it moved, protesting against Naruto's hand. It was too loud and Naruto had hoped to sneak up on Hinata. If he tried to open the window, it'd reveal his arrival and spoil what little fun he found in the 'mission' Neji assigned to him. So he walked around the buildings and found that all windows were closed…

…Except for the smallest window right at ground level. Naruto stared at it with a deadpan expression. It was unlocked and didn't squeak when he opened it. However, he doubted he could fit through it. He wasn't the fattest man in the world but he wasn't exactly six anymore, either. He sighed and thrust his hands in first, then his head, and then his torso.

Everything was going great until the window slid down its frame and onto Naruto's lower back. He let out a gasp of pain before biting his inner cheek. He swallowed down the pain and tried to push his body in but to no avail. He tried to push it out again; same result.

He cursed to himself, till he was blue in the face. He then felt light fall upon him and it stung his eyes. He blocked it out with his hands and groaned.

"Naru-Naruto?" Naruto's body froze, stock-still as he pretended to be invisible, or at least a rock. "Naruto?" he didn't even breathe; that was how dedicated he was to not be there.

"I can see you, you know?" Hinata said and after a few more seconds, Naruto took in a breath and hung his upper body in defeat.

*.*

"You know, remaining still doesn't make you invisible," Hinata said after helping Naruto out of his predicament and into a nearby chair by the tables. Naruto just grumbled, his chin resting on his right palm and his elbow resting on the table. "And the entrance doors weren't locked," Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at Hinata. She just smiled a knowing smile as she waved a key ring with a single key.

"Damn doors," he mumbled grumpily.

"So," she said after letting him cool down. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm here becau-" he paused, remembering what Neji told him before he left.

"Don't tell her I sent you or so help me…"

He let the threat hang in the air but it made no difference to Naruto. "I came here looking for you, to apologize," Naruto said reluctantly. Hinata blushed, surprised by his words.

"What?"

"You heard me," he said while looking away. He took in a breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be… well, mean."

"…" Hinata just stared at him and then at her hands. The shock eventually wore off and she smiled. "I know this must not be easy for you,"

"Tch."

"I'm sorry too," she said. Naruto looked at her through raised eyebrows. "I didn't mean to walk off like that. My friends mean the world to me and for you to brush them off as if they were nothing made me feel sad," she admitted and Naruto looked at her before sighing.

"You have no reason to be sorry, I'm the idiot here," he told her and reached for her good hand. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "I should've known how important your friends are to you but I decided to ignore that and call you selfish. I'm sorry,"

"I don't remember you calling me selfish," she mentioned and he sweat-dropped.

"Well…" he stopped and he looked into her eyes. He blushed and his eyes darted to the left. "Do you forgive me or what?" he asked and Hinata giggled.

"I do," Naruto smiled.

"I'm glad," he said and Hinata stood.

"Well, I'm going home," she said and walked towards the entrance doors. She paused to look back at Naruto who was getting up as well. "Mind walking me home? I bet you know how to get there now,"

Naruto began to sweat. "W-What makes you say that?"

"Because of my tour, remember?" she asked and Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"R-Right!" he ran up to her and they both headed for Hinata's home.

"Neji is a bully, isn't he?" she asked and Naruto nodded subconsciously. "You know he really wouldn't kill you, right?"

"I know but…" he paused as a revelation hit him. Hinata held back her fit of giggles. "Hey!" Hinata giggled as Naruto finally caught on. "You knew the whole time? Did you set this whole thing up?"

"No but only he knows that I come to the library when I feel sad," she said and Naruto pocketed his hands. "Or, he used to be the only one," she said and gave him a heartfelt smile.

"That sounds logical," Naruto confessed.

"And because those are Neji's training clothes."

"And there it is. I knew there was a simple explanation for it. All is well in the world again," Naruto joked and received an elbow to the ribs by Hinata's good arm. There was a smirk on her lips so Naruto knew she wasn't upset.

Naruto returned the smile in kind. "So why do you come to the library?"

"The library has tons of books on stories that my mother used to read to me. It helps me relax when I read a story or two," Naruto nodded and they continued walking until Naruto could see the mansion.

"Did you really know he threatened me or did you guess?"

"I know my brother," she answered and stopped. Naruto stopped with her. Before he could say anything, she kissed him.

On the cheek.

"Goodnight," she said and walked off to the entrance where she greeted the guards with a happy smile and a nod before entering her home. Neji opened the door just before she touched the doorknob. He turned his head in the direction where Naruto was and smiled knowingly before closing the door.

Naruto shivered and walked off in a random direction.

"I guess I could always go back and ask if they got an extra room I can sleep in," Naruto looked up and saw dark clouds start to appear. "Looks like that's a 'no', as straight as a 'no' as you can get from the big guys upstairs."

"You can come home," Naruto jumped and turned to see Kushina smiling at him. He placed his hand over his heart before glaring.

"You should wear a bell," Kushina chuckled before walking up to him and hugging him.

"I love you, Naruto-chan," she said and Naruto blushed. He didn't know what to say so he just returned the hug. "Let's go, it's getting late and only freaks and weirdoes come out at this time,"

Just as she said that, Kakashi and Obito came walking along on the other side of the street.

"You should totally ask Anko out!" Obito said to Kakashi, who was walking with a limp. They both had blushes on their faces and slurred when they spoke.

"Shut up! You know what she does to guys who like her!" he scolded. Naruto and Kushina continued to watch as they argued on the same subject before changing it to the less than favorable subject of the Icha Icha series. Or at least to Kushina it was less than favorable.

She'd deal with those two later, when there'd be less witnesses.

"I told you," Kushina said and Naruto sighed.

"Konoha is a strange place," he said and let his mother drag him past the shopping district and the Hokage's office. After a few minutes, they stopped in front a giant house. Not too big to be considered a mansion, not too small to be considered a normal-sized house.

"Nice," Naruto commented and Kushina nodded with a smile. They entered and Naruto saw many personal possessions such as paintings and pictures hanging on the wall. Naruto ignored the ones with Minato and solely focused on his mother.

"I'll lead you to the guest room," Kushina said and Naruto nodded. He followed her past the living room and into the hallway. There were four doors in all, two on the left, one on the right and one across from the living room. Kushina opened the only one on the right.

Naruto walked in and found a queen sized bed with a nightstand, a TV, and a closet. The moonlight coming from the window helped him see everything in the room so he didn't need to turn on the light. It wasn't messy but Naruto could tell that it was occupied once in a while. Kushina decided against telling him that Minato would sleep in this room whenever she got upset with him.

"The door right across from this room is the bathroom," Kushina told him softly and then pointed to the door across from the living room. Naruto followed her finger. "That leads the second floor where my room is. Usually, Minato-kun comes home late so if you hear the door open and someone walking by your room, it's likely to be him."

Naruto nodded vacantly and went to sit on the bed. Kushina wanted to sit by him and hold him, run her hands through his hair as she did so but decided not to. He was conflicted and her actions would only confuse him more.

"Goodnight Naruto-chan," she said and Naruto blushed but managed to mumble a 'night'. She smiled before she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Naruto heard her open a door and walk up a flight of stairs. He could faintly hear her footsteps walking around, doing some things, and then likely plopping herself on the bed to fall asleep.

Naruto stayed on the bed, unmoving and silent, his mind going through a thousand thoughts per second. He then got up and explored the room, finding all sorts of things he'd expected to find in the guest bedroom; except for one thing…

Just like Kushina said, Naruto heard the front door open and close later that night. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall. Thanks to the moonlight, he saw that it was two in the morning. He heard footsteps pass his room, only to stop and turn. Naruto jumped back on his bed – silently thanking whatever deity was watching over him for giving him a non-squeaky bed – and pretended to be asleep.

The door opened and Minato peered inside. He was sure he felt a chakra-signature in the room and was surprised to see Naruto. He looked at Naruto's sleeping form for a long while before shaking his head and closing the door. Naruto opened one eye and heard Minato walk up the steps and directly to his room.

Naruto sat there, his heart beating violently against his chest.

'This is it! This could be my chance!' he thought as he sat up. A vindictive smile appeared on his lips. 'I just have to wait.'

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long as he heard snoring come from the room above his. He smiled as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. He was glad that neither the floor nor door squeaked as he opened it. He tiptoed down the hall and opened the door Kushina told him would lead him to their room. He climbed them as silently as he could until he was on the second floor.

He was met with a second hallway with three doors. The door on the left was open so he could see inside it. It was the bathroom.

The door in front of him and the one on the left weren't closed but there weren't open enough to show him what lay behind them.

He didn't need them to be open anyway; he could hear the snoring come from the door on the right. He walked to the door and gently pushed it opened. It squeaked, just once, and Naruto froze in his place. The darkness would give him cover but it wouldn't save him if Minato or Kushina awoke and turned on the light.

The snoring continued and Naruto heard no sound come from the room so he took it as a sign that he hadn't been caught. He pushed the door again and this time, it made no protest.

Naruto stepped into the room and saw that it was as plain as the guest bedroom. There was a TV on top of a dresser, a king-sized bed across from it and a closet to the right. The window was all the way on the left and the shades were drawn, painting the room in darkness.

Thanks to the 'gifts' he received for being the jinchūriki of the infamous Kyūbi, Naruto was able to walk by the discarded clothes and shoes on the floor without tripping over them. Minato was on the right side of the bed so that's where Naruto went to.

He stood over the Kage with malicious intent sparking in his eyes. He watched Minato breathing softly, not a peep coming from his nose or mouth. Naruto blinked and looked up to his mother, watching as her mouth remained open, the snore coming from her throat. Naruto bit his inner cheek to keep the laughter from coming out his throat. He shook it off and looked down at Minato again and took out a kunai he found in the guest bedroom.

He held it over Minato and was about to thrust it forward but stopped when he replayed the events of the day. Minato meant a lot to his mother, to Hinata. He remembered her words, Hinata's and Kushina's, and silently growled, struggling to end Minato's life once and for all.

"Don't say that to your father!" Kushina's words ran in his head.

"I don't expect it too but please try, for me?" Naruto's grip on the kunai loosened a bit and he thrust his hand forward. It stopped before the tip of the kunai even grazed Minato's nose.

He couldn't do it. He didn't have the motivation, the drive to do it. Not anymore. He scoffed and sneered at the man.

"You're not my father," Naruto whispered lowly. "You can't be…" With that, Naruto walked out of the room, not caring if he woke Minato or Kushina anymore. He stepped into the hallway and tossed the kunai haphazardly. It landed on door in between the other two doors and gave it enough momentum to open it.

It squeaked as it opened but by then, Naruto was already half way down the stairs.

One singular azure orb looked at the dark hallway – having watched Naruto leave the room – before closing.

---

Tenshi: Hentai-kun! Where are you?

...: Are you serious?

Tenshi:WERE YOU LOOKIN IN MY UNDERWEAR DRAW AGIAN!

Me: EH?

Tenshi: than what are you hiding?

Me: /)/(\ nothing...

Anyway, that's it for this chapter... Unfortunately, I forgot to upload the revised version where i added a little more but i'll post it soon.. Got no internet.. again...

Oh, for those who sent me PSN IDs, thanks, i'll look forward to fighting you but at the moment, I'm not gonna be able to get on PSN... So, our fight is on hold, sadly...

I'll post the next chapter soon and.. well...

It's not exactly gunna be all rainbows and sunshine...

Whch reminds me... Sasuke must die! [the one in my story i mean...]

Till next time!

And don't believe her! I do not have any underwear!

Bye!

Next Chapter: Destiny Follows No Man's Orders!

Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...