I do not own anything from Naruto, that is all Masashi Kishimoto.

This is my first fanfic and because it is my first, criticisms are welcome, feedback is appreciated, and flames (well, noone usually likes you anyway :P), no I'm kidding, please still feel free to post reviews.

As previously stated, I do not like to write to canon, but some parts will be as per canon. Though that will be up to my discretion. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed the reviews.

I want to apologize for the late updates, a lot of things came up in my life, such as work and schooling. I want everyone to know that this story will NOT be abandoned anytime soon. I will always update it when I get the chance. That being said, enjoy the chapter!

"Normal conversations"
"Thoughts"
"Kyuubi talking"
"Kyuubi thoughts"
"Jutsu"
(Jutsu name)

Chapter 10: Feelings

Naruto walked inside and looked around the dimly lit building and noticed rows upon rows of book shelves. He had no idea what was inside the books on the shelves, but he ventured to guess that the books were on many types of ninjutsu and fuinjutsu and just about anything else the ancient clan had learned. Far in the back was a pedestal with a book on it surrounded by four standing candles, while on the ground was a circle that the standing candles were situated. "Must be a fuinjutsu circle, but what for?" He stood there and made the Tiger seal, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" (Shadow Clone Jutsu) and created six clones.

"Search through the books and look for anything that will help with furthering our training. If you do, collect it. We can return the books and scrolls later." He ordered his clones, watching them all run in different directions to look for useful books and scrolls among the vast library. He looked at the circle once more and bent down to study the marks that the circle held, trying to decipher what the seal would be. He noticed a few marks that would depict a storage sealing and blood sealing, but other than that, he couldn't decipher it. He stepped into the circle, feeling a slight increase in power after doing so and stepped up to the book. He looked down at the book and noticed that on the left page was a list of instructions, while on the right page was another intricate seal he didn't recognize.

To the Uzumaki member reading this:

Congratulations on being found worthy of entering our temple and library. Here you will find scroll upon scroll of ancestry, ninjutsu, kenjutsu, and fuinjutsu. You are more than welcome to study whatever scrolls you wish, I only request you do not remove any scrolls. Now, on the right page, you will see a seal, this seal is special as it will allow me to speak to you. However, I will only be able to speak to you for fifteen minutes as that is the duration of the seal for any Uzumaki member. Now, wipe your blood over the seal and let us speak.

Akane Uzumaki
Uzumaki Clan Leader, Shodaime of Uzushiogakure

Naruto read the page again, "A fifteen minute seal for communication? That seems abit far fetched, even for a seal master." Naruto bit his thumb and wiped his blood across the seal, watching as the seal absorbed his blood before becoming a bright glow, forcing him to shield his eyes. As the glow went away he saw what appeared to be an incorporeal old man, wearing the armor shinobi had worn during the First and Second Shinobi Wars. He had a cropped white mustache and long white hair tied into a ponytail at the back of his neck. The man bowed low before standing back upright.

"Greeting Uzumaki-san, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" the old man said.

Naruto scratched his head. "How do you know I am an Uzumaki?" he asked of the man in front of him, knowing the clock was ticking for fifteen minutes of communication.

"I know because only Uzumaki blood would be able to activate the seal. Had you been of any other blood, the seal wouldn't have activated. Now, I request you remove your mask and tell me who you are."

Naruto removed his mask, revealing his long hidden whiskered face. "I am Naruto Uzumaki and you are?"

"I am Akane Uzumaki, Shodaime of Uzushiogakure. Who are your parents?" Akane asked, putting his hands into his sleeves as he walked up to Naruto, studying him.

"Well, my father was Minato Namikaze. I'm not entirely sure who my mother is. They both were killed the day I was born." Naruto said, looking abit saddened at the thought of not ever having been privileged enough to meet his parents.

"I see. Well then, let me tell you about this place and why the seal was made. This is the Uzumaki Temple where the entire knowledge of the Uzumaki clan is housed. Sadly, we could not be of a larger lineage due to being annihilated during the First Shinobi War. However, that did not stop us from keeping our abilities limited and secret."

"I know I read in books that Uzushiogakure was destroyed, but I thought that they were allies with Konohagakure and even assisted in building the village. So why didn't Konoha help out?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Good question. Konohagakure did help. Although it isn't written in any books, the treaty between our village and that of Konohagakure was very strong and binding indeed. They had at least 150 shinobi here to help us protect our lands from enemies, however the other Hidden Villages were able to team up together to destroy us. Each village had sent out three platoons, each to destroy the entire clan and village. Our defenses were easily overwhelmed in the end." Akane said as he walked over to the book and moved his hand over it.

"So then how were you able to make the seals to protect the temple and the seal to show yourself to a fellow Uzumaki? Also, what about those voices I heard?" Naruto asked, trying to understand the timeline of events.

"The voices you heard was set by a seal and is to be heard by any Uzumaki member who steps foot onto the island. As for the seals to protect the temple and for me to show myself to the Uzumaki members, that was completed long before our village was ever targeted for destruction." Akane said, matter of factly.

"I see. So am I the last Uzumaki clan member alive?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You might be, but there is a possibility that you are not. There were many Uzumakis who were out on missions and some who ran the day the village was destroyed. So, if there are any members, they will be few and far between, mostly notable for their red hair and intellect."

"I see. I'll keep my eyes open for them. You said I could study all I wished to within these halls but not to take any with me. Why can't I take any with me?" Naruto asked, still counting down knowing he only had a few more minutes to speak with the Shodaime.

"You can't take any because there is a preservation seal within each scroll. Should any scroll or book leave the boundaries of the temple, they will burst into flames, even if stored into a storage scroll. I did that so that no one can steal our knowledge without having to pass the protection seals around the temple." Akane said, grinning.

"Couldn't someone just study all the knowledge and recreate it?"

"It's a possibility, but to recreate the entire vast knowledge of this temple, one would have to study for decades and then be able to rewrite all of it. Both of which is highly improbable... unless you were immortal of course. Now, you are free to come and go from this temple as you see fit. I just ask for you try and rebuild the Uzumaki clan to what it used to be." Akane said, smiling at the boy in front of him.

"I will try my best Shodaime." Naruto said smiling at his ancestor, watching him fade away. Naruto flipped through the book in front of him, taking note of many different seals and theories of fuinjutsu before returning it to the page with Akane's chakra in it. He kneeled down and placed a Hiraishin seal onto the base of the pedestal that the book stood on, allowing him to come back in his free time. He whistled and waited as his clones poofed away, closing his eyes from the memory backlash of learning and sorting everything his clones had learned. After regaining his composure, and his headache going away, he walked back towards the door and exited the temple, replacing the mask over his face and smiling, a new goal having been acquired and more knowledge and skills to learn.

Kakashi and Tenten were going around, checking the bandits against the bingo books and sealing them away if they appeared in the book. Tenten's arm was bandaged up and was in a sling after having been impaled by an earth spike. "I need to be more careful next time. Maybe I'll ask Menma-kun to train me to be as fast as him… or maybe Kakashi-sensei can teach me." She looked up to her sensei, before looking away and getting back to the task at hand. "No, I'll just ask Menma-kun."

Kakashi walked over to the man who was the leader of the bandit group and noticed that he only had one stab wound through his stomach and it was abit charred, which indicated that the kill was quick. "How'd you kill him with such ease Menma? There is something about you that I am not understanding… huh? What's this?" Kakashi picked up the kunai behind Rechi and studied it intently, turning it over and feeling the weight. It was the same kunai everyone else used except for one minor difference. "Hmmm. A seal. What seals do you know of Menma? I'll need to speak to the Hokage about this after I verify…" he was torn from his thoughts as he heard the creaking door of the temple open and watching Naruto walk out alone. He walked up to him and gave him an eye smile. "About time you came back Menma, you were in there for a good hour. Was there anyone alive in there?" he said, placing the kunai into the side pouch he wore on his right leg.

"No, just a lot of scrolls and books. I didn't really see much of anything else. How's it going out here?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his head, giving a deceiving fox-like grin under his mask, though no one could see it. He looked towards Sasuke who was sitting up, but still seemed abit out of it from chakra exhaustion. He reached into his pack and pulled out a version of his own medicine pills and walked over to Sasuke and handed it to him. "Eat that, it'll replenish all your chakra. I made it myself." He said, grinning at his teammate.

Sasuke took the pill and looked it over, before popping it into his mouth and eating it, surprised that it didn't taste all that bad. "What's the flavor? I've had soldier pills before and they're usually pretty bland." He started feeling stronger as his chakra started to return.

"Oh, that's my own secret." Naruto said grinning, offering his hand to Sasuke and helping him to his feet.

"Why do you even have soldier pills on you?" Tenten asked, wanting to be part of the conversation and not on the sidelines.

"You never know when you're going to need them. Besides, my training regimen is actually pretty intense and I never know at what point I'm going to run out of chakra, so I always keep a few on me." he replied.

"Just who are you Menma?" Kakashi thought to himself. "Well, since we're all feeling better, then lets finish up this mission and head on back to Konohagakure."

Team Seven finished going through the bingo books and collecting the marked ones, sealing them into scrolls. By the time they were done, it was nightfall and they decided to set up camp and leave in the morning. Naruto sat by the fire, his mind wandering the faces of the people he killed, not being able to get them out of his head. Sure, he had killed them in the moment, because he had a lot of adrenaline running through him and it was either him or them. However, he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt and remorse for having to take a life.

"Feeling bad kid? The lives you took aren't worth your thoughts." Kurama said, getting irritated that his container was showing weak traits of guilt and remorse. "You're a shinobi. You're supposed to kill."

"That doesn't mean I have to enjoy it. Yes, it is my job, but they were someone's family. I still see the looks on their faces when they died, especially Rechi's. He looked so distraught that his life was coming to an end." Naruto responded back.

"I have killed thousands of you pathetic humans and I feel no differently about killing another one than when I killed my first one. You're all the same anyway, weak, easily broken, and predictable." He growled out, his claws grinding the floor underneath him, wishing he could lay on dirt instead of water that would mat his fur.

"That's because you're just a large furball of hate Kurama and one of these days, I'll figure out how to take care of that hate."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that, when you can't even crush the hate in your own heart?" Kurama asked simply before cutting the communication off with his jailor.

"I do not know… but I'll figure it out." Naruto thought to himself, still haunted by the faces of the dead. He looked up from the fire and noticed that Kakashi was reading a book. He sighed and got up, walking over to Kakashi, who was sitting beside the tree reading. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked up from his book, "Hmm? What is it Menma?" he asked, closing his book.

"What was your first kill like? Did you feel guilty about it? Does the feeling ever go away?" he asked, sitting down beside Kakashi and looking up towards the moon, his thoughts wandering to Yugao for a moment, before he snapped out of it, "No idea why I'm thinking about her."

"Heh. Kit has feelings for someone, quite interesting." Kurama said, grinning.

"Shut up Kurama." Naruto snapped back, looking at the moon still.

"Well, we have lead different lives Menma. When I experienced my first kill, I didn't really feel anything, but that's partly because of my father. However, after learning a valuable lesson from my teammate, I had started to feel bad about killing the people I had. It was when I spoke to my mother about it that I was able to finally let go of the guilt. So yes, the feeling does go away." Kakashi said, running a hand through his hair.

"What'd she tell you?" he asked, wanting to understand why his teacher no longer felt guilty for killing people.

"There is only one thing that people cannot escape, no matter how hard they run, and that is Death. Some people live long, some people don't live long at all. In our life, we accept certain risks that can increase or decrease our chances of meeting Death. In the lives of a shinobi, Death is all too active. We cannot escape him, we will not outrun him. There will come a time when you too, will meet Death. Do not feel bad for having to kill someone, feel bad that it was not you, because for each kill you make, it burdens your soul with their weight. However, the weight you carry will help push you forward. Do not think you're above Death, you can be the greatest shinobi alive, and even you too will meet him once. Once you understand these words and the meaning behind it, the guilt will not be as bad." Kakashi said, reciting his mother's words while in his mind, he saw himself as a young child and saw and heard his mother speaking to him.

"Where is your mother now?" Menma asked, wondering if she could give more wise advice.

"She's dead. She died on a mission in the ANBU to save her comrades." Kakashi said, sighing softly, inaudibly.

"Oh. I'm sorry I asked. Thanks for the advice Kakashi-sensei." Naruto looked up at the stars twinkling in the sky, "Thank you Hatake-sama for your son and your words of wisdom." As if on queue, the winds blew softly over Kakashi and Naruto, a nice soft touch to them.

"Go get some sleep Menma, we travel in the morning and it's a two day trip back to Konohagakure." Kakashi said, putting his book away and laying down.

Naruto nodded and got up and walked back over to the fire, laying down a few feet away from it and watched the flames dance, thinking over the words Kakashi just told him, before sleep finally took him.

Yugao walked through the streets, wearing a starry purple kimono. She wanted to feel like a woman and not a shinobi for once, considering all she ever did was shinobi work. She rather enjoyed the kimono as it showed off her petite body, small waist, and supple breasts as well as pushing up her breasts to make them appear larger, not that she needed any help with that. She decided to stop into the jewelry shop to get an update on the ring she was seeking to get Naruto. She walked up the counter and smiled at the woman. "Hi Syoko-sama, I was just wanting to see how far along you were with the ring."

Syoko looked up and smiled, "Ah, Yugao Uzuki, Kami smiles down on you with luck. Your ring will be ready within half a year, it seems I was able to find the chakra gems easily this year through some traders. Give me some time to get the silver smelted into a ring and the gems inlaid and it'll be ready. I'll send a runner for you when it is. I do hope you have a great day, you seem to be dressed for the part." The woman smiled at her. "I'm sure you'll make a fine wife one day with the way you hold yourself, Yugao."

Yugao smiled, "Thank you Syoko-sama." She walked out of the store and ran into Hayate, her ex-boyfriend. Trying to not get into another match with him, she quickly walked on hoping against hope she didn't draw his attention.

"Yugao-chan!" Hayate said, running up to her, smiling at her choice of attire.

"You don't get to call me that anymore, Gekko-san. You lost that right when you refused me." Yugao said, continuing to walk along the shops to go to Ichiraku Ramen, a place that she frequented before even meeting Naruto.

"Oh come on. Give me another chance. I promise I won't hurt you again." Hayate said, trying to keep up, seeing something glimmer around her neck but unable to see what it was as Yugao's hand was covering it.

"No, I will not give you another chance. I gave you a chance when we were together. I have moved on, you should too." Yugao said sternly, running her thumb along the purple gem inside her moon amulet.

"We had great times together though." He pleaded, following her to wherever she was going. "You know we did. Why won't you just give me a second chance?"

She thought for a moment, seeing Ichiraku's in sight. "Even if I did give you a second chance, you'd only wander off when another woman shows you her cleavage. I've learned it was never about me, but was about what I could give you. I do not want a relationship like that. Not only that, but you rejected me when I bought you some silver. You didn't try to explain, you just said, 'I can't accept this right now,' and walked away leaving me broken-hearted in the middle of the field." She finished, placing her hands on her hips, having arrived at her destination of choice. "Now if you'll excuse me. I am hungry and want to eat."

Hayate frowned at her, wanting to explain to her that she was wrong but was unable to find the words to convince her of such. He stopped walking as they reached the ramen shop, he had never been there before, even though he had heard it was good. He just really wasn't a fan of eating ramen. As Yugao moved her hands to her hips, he noticed the silver amulet and purple gem inlaid in it and suddenly he understood why he was being denied now. "So that's why you won't give me another chance. You've already promised yourself to someone else. Who is it? Who gave you the amulet?" he said, feeling jealous that anyone else but him would be with Yugao.

"What does it matter who it was given by? I do not need to answer your questions anymore, nor tell you anything of my life. I also wouldn't think about playing Sneak with your Toton Justu(Transparent Escape Technique), the man who gave this to me is a far better sensor than I am and would probably notice you, even if you did use it." She said, reaching for the covers of the ramen shack.

Hayate reached for the necklace and grabbed a hold of the amulet, "I simply asked who gave it to you. I will not use my jutsu to spy on you if you do tell me. Besides, this amulet is crap, I can give you a much better amulet." He said as he lifted his head just a slight bit, about to yank it off from around her neck when a hand grabbed his arm, stopping him. He looked to his right and saw that it was Itachi Uchiha holding his arm.

"Yugao said she wasn't going to tell you who gave it to her, so it might be best if you left… Now, before things get bad." Itachi said, activating his sharingan to show he meant business. He waited until Hayate let go of the amulet, to let go of the man's arm.

"This isn't over Yugao-chan. I will find out who this mystery man is." He said, "And when I do, I'll show him why he doesn't deserve you." He thought to himself as he shunshin-ed away.

"Getting into more trouble I see, Yugao-san." Itachi said, giving her a rare smile, opening the curtain for her and the woman beside him.

"Thank you Itachi-san. Who is this gorgeous girl?" she asked, smiling to the woman beside Itachi.

"I am Aris Uchiha. I am a good friend of Itachi's. We go back a long way. Why are you wearing a kimono while walking around the village?" She said, smiling up at Itachi, not revealing that they were engaged because Itachi wanted to keep it a secret until the wedding had actually passed.

"Oh, I just wanted to feel like a woman instead of a shinobi for once. Where's Shisui?" Yugao said simply, sitting down with her teammate and his friend.

Itachi spoke up, nodding to Teuchi. "He's on a mission right now, he'll be home in a week or so, depending on what he finds on his mission."

Teuchi smiled at the group. "Coming here without the masked boy, Yugao? That's odd. Where's he at?" he said as he started making the groups usual orders of miso ramen. He was thankful for his regulars, they were the ones who were able to keep his business up, so he made it his own personal mission to remember their favorite ramen.

"He's on a mission right now and should be home in a couple days. He's going to be a great shinobi one day." She made sure not to speak out Naruto's name, or even his alias, because she was sure Hayate was probably nearby spying on them. She reached up and touched her amulet, smiling softly to herself, wondering how she was going to get Naruto to see that she was worthy of him.

Hiruzen was going through a stack of papers when he heard a knock on the door. "Enter." A man with long white hair and a horned hitaite with the kanji for "Oil" on his forehead walked in the door. The man wore traditional wooden sandals and had a large scroll at the small of his back that he always wore, though Hiruzen didn't have any idea what was inside that scroll. "Long time no see, Jiraiya. How have you been?"

Jiraiya smiled at his long time friend and teacher, "I've been good, though I have abit of disturbing news." He said sitting down into a chair opposite the Hokage.

"Well, what is it?" Hiruzen said, putting the paper down and picking up his pipe, looking to see that it was empty. He sighed and opened up his desk drawer and picked up some of his tobacco and packed it into the pipe, lighting it and smoking the pipe.

"Well, in my travels of tracking Orochimaru, I have come across a new threat that is just as dangerous as him, if not more dangerous." Jiraiya said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a couple slips of paper. On top of being a great stealth shinobi, he was also a great artist as the papers had very illustrative pictures of the two people he is talking about.

"Who are these people and why are they wearing those cloaks?" Hiruzen asked curiously, looking at the pictures.

"I have no idea, but they are part of an organization called the Akatsuki and is comprised of all S-rank criminals from what my sources tell me. They're goal is what scares me the most. They are after all the jinchurikii for the tailed beasts." Jiraiya says calmly, crossing his arms while sitting back in the chair. "Now, I understand that Naruto Uzumaki was made the jinchurikii of the Kyuubi. So I am requesting that I be allowed to take Naruto on as my apprentice so I can train him to be a great shinobi and fighter, capable of defending himself when the Akatsuki come after him."

Hiruzen looked up and made a few seals, the doors, walls, and window, suddenly being lit with seals that soon disappear from sight. "I'd authorize that request, however there is one problem."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, curious as to what the problem was. "And what problem is that, Hiruzen-sensei?"

"He's missing." Hiruzen said, grinning to himself as he knew the whereabouts of Naruto, but wanted to play around with his student before telling him the truth about Naruto.