Author's Note: FYI, everyone, get used to limes in this story, because there will probably be a lot of them. I'm not saying there will or won't be one in any given chapter, as they take a lot of words sometimes, but they will happen a good bit. No lemons for a while, though. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, wherein Naruto will reveal his past.

Chapter 10

Naruto, Hinata, and Shino had returned to the village after being gone a mere two days. Sarutobi was impressed, to say the least. Upon seeing his old student, Tsunade, he immediately announced his retirement to the village, and Tsunade was sworn in as the Fifth Hokage the next day. That was the official occurrence, but in truth, she would be training to be Hokage for several months, during which time her old sensei, Sarutobi, would remain the acting Hokage except for meetings and so forth, during which he would act as her assistant.

Naruto spent the next several days with his team, getting to know Shino somewhat, introducing Shino to the training routine, bonding even more with both Hinata and Jiraiya, the latter of whom he was coming to see as a father almost, and allowing Shino to join their bond somewhat as well. The four of them trusted one another implicitly now. If Naruto yelled jump, two teens and an old man could be seen clearing the trees seconds later. The same went for the other three, though if Jiraiya was yelling, three teens cleared the trees. This principle applied to anything any one of them might yell or say. Naruto, for the first time in his life, felt truly accepted. He couldn't get rid of the memories, however, of the last time he felt that way, only to have it ripped away from him.

Naruto was spending time alone, away even from Hinata for a while. He had told her he was just going for a walk, which was true, but he was really going out to think and relive those times. It was a torture he subjected himself to a few times a month before he had been with her, and he had bypassed it of late, so he felt he needed to do it today. He was about a mile from the house, where the team's training had been that day, when he found a large boulder. He climbed onto it and sat down. He laid back on the boulder and closed his eyes, letting the memories flood over him.

Flashback

Naruto walked into the classroom. Today was the day they were going to be assigned to teams. He sat by himself as always. He didn't notice it at the time, but in hindsight he realized a certain young girl was watching him that day, as she always was. Hinata was the only one who seemed pleased that he was there. The rest of the class either didn't care, or would have preferred if he wasn't there. He had been sitting there a little while when the door burst open and Sakura and Ino came in, panting and both claiming to have won the right to sit with Sasuke. He groaned. "It's always about Sasuke!" he thought to himself.

He got up and went over to Sasuke. He was trying to figure this out, so he got onto the desk and glared at the Uchiha boy. He just didn't get it. Naturally, all the girls were scolding him about glaring at Sasuke. He didn't care. He glared at the boy all the harder. What in the hell did they see in the guy? He was cold, harsh, a royal prick. What in the hell did they see in him? He was still glaring at the boy, trying to figure out what the hell they saw in him when someone behind him bumped him.

Flashback End

Naruto chuckled to himself. He'd rather not remember the details of what happened just then. That was the day he first met them, and they were assigned as his team. He nodded, that was when it started. As was typical of this torture, his mind moved on to the next significant event with them.

Flashback

Naruto was tied to the post. The three of them had failed to get the point of Kakashi's test and had been failed as a result. The other two had been told they could eat, but Naruto himself was tied to the post for trying to eat alone, and the others had been told not to give him any. Sasuke was saying something about Naruto being weak hurting the team. After a short debate, Sakura got up and fed him a bite.

Kakashi appeared before them, enraged. Both Sasuke and Sakura jumped in his defense. Sakura said, "We gave our lunch to him because the three of us are one!"

Naruto would always remember those words. They accepted him. Kakashi grinned and simply stated, "You pass." The three were confused, so he explained that they had seen past his traps and deceptions and gotten the point that they needed to think of the team before themselves, so they had passed. Naruto couldn't really care less about that. His teammates had accepted him, that's all he could think of. Then they all left, forgetting to untie him. He groaned. Figured.

Flashback End

Naruto chuckled as he thought back to that time. In spite of the smile on his face, tears ran from his eyes as he remembered how good it felt to have them accept him. As his mind was getting ready to move on to the memory he always dreaded, when he lost that acceptance, he heard a voice. He turned and found Hinata there with him, on the boulder. She saw the tears on his face. Hinata came to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" she asked. "Please, tell me, why are you crying? What happened to you?"

Naruto held her close. He sighed. She deserved to know what had happened. He turned to her and pulled her down onto his lap, holding her gently. She smiled up at him and ran her fingers through his spiky hair. He smiled. "All right, Hinata, I'll tell you. You deserve to know. After all, since you're with me, you deserve to know what you're getting yourself into," he said, forcing himself to smile for her sake. "You remember when my old team got sent to the Land of Waves, right?" She nodded. "That's where it happened," he said, then he started his story.

Flashback

Naruto had arrived at the bridge. He saw Haku's ice mirrors. In the middle was Sasuke. He watched as Sasuke seemed to be getting pelted by needles from every direction. He couldn't seem to do anything about it. He felt more helpless than he ever had before. Maybe announcing his presence like that hadn't been such a good idea. (Hinata giggled at that.) Naruto stood there, shock setting in, as he watched Sasuke's body begin to resemble a porcupine from all the needles being thrown at him. Naruto felt totally helpless. He couldn't get inside the dome of mirrors, and he could tell Sasuke couldn't get out. Then Sasuke looked straight at him as he sat on his knees in there. Then he closed his eyes and fell forward and didn't move again. Naruto gasped, his eyes filling with tears. True, he and Sasuke had never really gotten along, but still, he didn't want Sasuke to die.

Naruto felt a sudden rage building up inside him. As his anger rose, he felt himself get stronger. He didn't know it at the time, but there was a red haze of chakra around him. He threw back his head and roared in his combined anger and pain. The red chakra took the form of a fox, two tails growing out of the base of Naruto's spine. He charged forward.

The next thing anyone knew, Naruto had shattered the mirror nearest to him. Then he was in the middle of the dome. He screamed again, the chakra expanding and shattering the rest of the mirrors. The young shinobi who had been hiding in one of them came at Naruto, who simply grabbed his hand. Naruto could tell the boy was shocked, even with the mask in the way. Naruto roared, "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" He could tell his enemy was afraid of him, but he didn't stop. He pulled back and punched the shinobi in the face, pulling him toward the punch at the same time by the arm he grabbed. Naruto was shocked when the shinobi's neck broke from the punch, leaving the young boy dead.

As he was doing this, he heard a crackling sound followed by a scream (as he found out later, Kakashi had hit Zabuza with his Chidori) then something that sounded like laughing. Naruto, despite his shock, was still enraged. Upon seeing the large group of thugs standing on the end of the incomplete bridge, he didn't think, he just charged. As he ran, he accidentally stepped on Sasuke's leg. He didn't even notice at the time, but the sheer power of the chakra pumping through his body made his step very strong and Sasuke's leg shattered. He kept moving, not even noticing what he'd done. Of course, even if he had, it wouldn't have stopped him, since he thought Sasuke was dead.

Naruto reached the group of thugs. He started to attack them without thought. He tore one after another apart in his quest to get to the short man in the back, Gato. Some of the mercenaries ran from him and leapt into the water, but many of them still got torn apart by the enraged Naruto. Soon enough, he found his target, and, grinning at the short man's fear, simply used a clawed hand and tore out Gato's throat. He chuckled and threw the body over the end of the bridge, before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

Flashback End

Naruto's eyes were filled with tears as he told Hinata about what he'd done. She just held him close. Naruto was grateful to her for being there for him. He held her close, desperate to have her near him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, letting him cry, letting him get it all out. After a while, Naruto calmed down, feeling much better.

"Thank you, Hinata," he said, looking at her with tears in his eyes. She nodded, waiting for him to calm down and finish his story. "Anyway, when I woke up, I found Sasuke glaring at me. He had just been knocked out, obviously, but both he and Sakura blamed me for hurting him. I'm actually surprised we passed the second exam, considering how bad our teamwork has been ever since. I guess Kakashi told them about the fox while I was knocked out, since they both looked at me with pure hate after that. They only worked with me when they absolutely had to, and neither of them lifted a finger to help me. The only time Sakura helped me was when I was out from the seal, and she was helping Sasuke, too, so I doubt it was anything personal. She just wanted to make sure we passed the exam so that Sasuke wouldn't fail. I know they both hate me now, and honestly, I don't care anymore. That's why the old man said what he did about our team accepting me and that being a big deal because of what happened with my old team. Remember when I said I would tell you why I was so willing to move so fast?" Hinata nodded. "That's why. I don't want to lose you, not now, not ever. That's why I was so afraid to tell you what happened and about the fox. Everyone who has found out about it has rejected me. I was afraid you would, too. I'm really glad you didn't."

Naruto, finished, sighed deeply, remembering everything that had gone wrong in his life. Then he turned and looked at Hinata, the beautiful girl in his arms. He pulled her closer, holding her to him, his hands rubbing her back gently. For her part, Hinata just held him, letting him know she wasn't leaving, that she was there, and that she would always love him. As the two sat there in silence, several hours passed, and soon it was time for them to go home.

That Evening, Naruto's Apartment

Naruto and Hinata arrived home in the early evening, the sun shining a brilliant orange into the small apartment. Naruto always loved this time of day. Hinata grinned when she saw the sun; the color made her think of Naruto's jumpsuits. Hinata turned to Naruto. She knew what he needed tonight.

"Hey, Naruto?" she said. He looked at her, his eyes still full of pain as he remembered the loss of his team. "I'll make us some dinner, so why don't you go get a shower, okay?" she said, giving him a loving smile. He looked at the floor a moment, then nodded. He walked away, into the bathroom and into the shower. Hinata's face fell. She hated to see him like that, but she promised herself she'd do everything she could to help him. She turned and started to make them dinner as she heard the shower turn on.

Naruto showered slowly, letting his muscles relax as the hot water ran over him, letting himself feel a little better. He really did feel somewhat better after having told Hinata about what happened and knowing that she was still his, still here with him. He actually smiled as he thought of her. He loved her so damn much. He finally finished his shower as his muscles were all relaxed and got out. He dressed in his evening clothes and walked out, savoring the smell of cooking food.

"Her cooking always smells so good," he thought as he dressed. He was glad his girl was such a good cook; she could make something as simple as stew seem like a feast to him. He walked up to her from behind and wrapped his arms around her when she wasn't doing anything that could get her burned. She turned around and hugged him back, then told him to sit down at the table, which he did.

Hinata was surprised when Naruto hugged her, but she just hugged him back. "Have a seat, Naruto. Dinner's almost ready," she said, smiling to herself.

He obviously felt better already just from his shower. She knew he'd spring back fast, he always did, but she didn't expect it to be quite THAT easy. She turned and set the pot on the table, smiling lovingly at him, then got two bowls for them. She sat down across from him, and the young couple served themselves and started eating. Naruto would look at Hinata and smile from time to time, but neither spoke. Hinata noticed he looked a little tense, but decided to wait for him to talk.

Once both had eaten, Naruto made his way to his bed and sat down, not feeling like moving once he had. Hinata giggled at him, then went and got her shower. She came back, wearing her loose-fitting nightgown. She laid down with Naruto, her arms around him and her head leaning against his back gently. Naruto sighed in contentment and put both his hands on both of hers as her hands rested on his chest.

Naruto hadn't planned on talking any more tonight, but somehow having her near made him want to talk. "Hinata?" he said. She made a small sound to let him know she was listening. "Thank you, Hinata. For today, for being with me, for everything. You've done so much for me, and I want you to know I really do appreciate it."

Hinata leaned up and kissed the back of Naruto's neck, making him shiver and groan. She giggled at his reaction and did it again, then answered him. "I haven't done anything I didn't want to do, Naruto. Honestly, I've wanted to be right here, with you, for as long as I can remember," she said, kissing his neck and shoulder as she spoke.

Naruto rolled over and smiled at Hinata. "You're too good for me, Hinata, but thank you for accepting me." She blushed and smiled at him. He leaned down and kissed her, softly at first, then deeper, his love and desire filling his kiss, loving how she made him feel. He ran his hands up and down her back, making her shudder and moan into the kiss a little. After a few minutes of that, Naruto pulled back, breathing hard. "I'm sorry, Hinata, but if we don't stop now, I don't think I'll be able to stop."

Hinata was a little disappointed, but at the same time, she was proud of him for his restraint, and she felt loved and respected that he was saying he wanted her but was going to wait for her. She smiled at him, then kissed him gently one last time. "Thank you, Naruto," she said. "I'm not ready for more just yet, but I do want you to know, you're the only one I want to share my life with, and the only one I want to give my body to." She blushed as she said this, as did Naruto. The young couple wrapped their arms around one another and relaxed in one another's embrace. Sighing in contentment, the two soon fell asleep.

Gaara

Gaara was still in shock. It had been two weeks since he had been soundly defeated in the preliminary match against that weird green-wearing bowl-cut-sporting kid. Rock Lee, wasn't that his name? Yeah, something like that. Not that he cared really, but that kid was the first he had truly wanted to kill who had gotten away. Add to that the last few days he had felt some kind of weird power within the village, and Gaara was getting curious. Someone in this village was a very strong wind-wielder, maybe even stronger than Temari when it came down to it. Gaara hadn't thought much of it at first, but he'd noticed of late the same person seemed to be using every element: earth, fire, wind, water, and lightning. So today he had decided to go on a hunt of sorts and see exactly who or what he would find. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the last hunt he went on; that one ended with that Sound guy, Dosu, as a bloody corpse. What might this one lead to?

Naruto and Hinata

The young couple were training at the training ground near the Namikaze Mansion. Naruto was working on perfecting his Elemental Rasengan, while Hinata was perfecting her Rasengan and working on figuring out ways the spinning of chakra in a Rasengan could be incorporated into her Gentle Fist. She was also trying to use her water affinity in her Gentle Fist and her Rasengan, and she was having a pretty decent amount of success, all things considered.

As the young couple trained, Naruto suddenly got a sense of intense blood lust coming from somewhere nearby. He looked around, wondering what it was he felt. Then he remembered the feeling he'd gotten from that Sand Genin, Gaara, when he was fighting Lee. This feeling was the same. So, Gaara was nearby, huh? That figured. Naruto had noticed that Gaara seemed to be the only one he'd ever met who had anywhere near the level of chakra that Naruto himself had. It made him curious; could Gaara be like him? He decided to call the boy out.

Naruto stepped between where he figured Gaara was and Hinata and spoke, "Come out, you. I know you're there."

Moments later, Hinata saw a young boy, their age she guessed, with the kanji for love on his forehead and a gourd on his back, stepping out of a bush on the edge of the clearing they were using to train. Naruto seemed to have known about him being there, so she didn't worry too much. She refrained from practicing while this boy was near, however. She stayed behind Naruto and waited to see what would happen.

Gaara stared at Naruto. "You're like me. Who are you?" he said.

Naruto smirked. "I had the feeling we were the same. Who is it?"

"Shukaku, a sand spirit, the ghost of a monk who was sealed in a jar of tea years ago. My father sealed him into me before I was even born. As a result, I destroyed my mother's life by entering the world. As I was born from death, now my purpose is death. I will end all other existences than my own in order to prove my own existence," Gaara said. His voice was low and deep, but there was an insane undercurrent of pain in every word he spoke. "Who are you?"

"I am Naruto Uzumaki. If you mean who I hold, I hold the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox. It was sealed into me when I was born. That's all I know. My purpose is to protect those precious to me, and so help me, if you come after them, I WILL end you," Naruto said, his voice getting lower, darker near the end.

Gaara looked shocked. This existence, this presence, this power was greater than his own. It had come from nowhere just then, and he knew if he were to try to attack this boy, he would die. He didn't even know how he knew, but he knew in an instant that this boy could destroy him utterly in a single move. Gaara watched closely, yet Naruto was able to get around behind him. Gaara turned and saw the blond standing there. He heard something and looked down. Naruto was holding a white ball of pure chakra inches from Gaara's stomach.

Naruto chuckled. "My water chakra would destroy your sand armor, my fire chakra would burn you, my lightning chakra would shock you, my wind chakra would cut you, and my earth chakra would grind you to dust. Oh, and the non-elemental chakra that is the base of this sphere would simply tear you to pieces. I could have easily killed you just now," Naruto told the stunned Gaara.

Gaara stared not only at the jutsu before him, but the boy holding it. "How are you so strong? What drives you? And why would you use this power for anyone but yourself?" he asked. He was actually partly curious, but mostly he wanted to know what it was that made this boy so much stronger than himself.

Naruto pointed at Hinata. "See her?" he asked. Gaara nodded. "She is the one I would use it for the most. She saved me from my darkness, from myself. She accepted me when no one else did. When all others hated me, she loved me. When all others rejected me, she clung to me. She brought me from the darkness and into the light, and I love her more than life itself."

Gaara was stunned. "Love?" he said. "Is that what makes you so strong? You become strong because you desire to protect someone precious to you?" He was fighting hard to not go into shock at this thought.

Naruto nodded. "Gaara, I know how hard it is, to have no one. But you're not alone now. We may not be friends, at least not yet, but you and I are alike. We are both Jinchuuriki, and now you have me. I accept you, I won't hate you, and I won't try to attack you."

Gaara felt like something in his mind shattered. His beliefs, his thoughts no longer held true. He wasn't alone! There was one like him! He looked at Naruto, thinking hard. He eventually held out a hand to Naruto.

Naruto was momentarily confused, then took Gaara's hand and shook it. Gaara looked stunned. In truth, he was far beyond stunned. This boy had, in mere minutes, using words and a single move, changed everything he believed. Naruto favored Gaara with a true smile, then took his hand back. "Oh, and Gaara, just so you know, I would fight just as hard to protect anyone in this village as I would to protect Hinata here. One day, I will be the Hokage and protect this whole village, because every single person in this village will be precious to me, no matter what they think of me. Find your precious person, Gaara, and put your life into protecting them. Then you will find true strength," Naruto said, having no idea how huge an impact his words were having on Gaara.

"How do I find my precious person, Naruto Uzumaki?" Gaara asked.

Naruto thought about that a moment, then said, "Just Naruto, please. And to find your precious person, or people, find those to whom you are precious. Those should be the ones you protect and fight for and love. That's how I found Hinata here. She was the only one to care for me. You remember, she called to me in the preliminaries. That's where I found her."

Gaara nodded. "I see. Thank you, Naruto. I hope we may become friends. Now I must go and think upon who my precious people are," he said, then bowed and left.

Naruto chuckled once the boy was gone. "We will be friends, Gaara, I just know it," he said softly. Once Gaara had been gone a few minutes, he turned back to Hinata, and the two got back to their training.

That Evening

Naruto was satisfied about this day. Between what had happened with Gaara and the training he and Hinata had done, it was a good day. Naruto had totally mastered the Elemental Rasengan, as he had dubbed it. Hinata had mastered her Water Style version of the chakra sphere. The young couple had tested putting Naruto's Fire Style Rasengan up against Hinata's Water Style one, and Hinata's had won easily; it was lucky for both of them they had been standing still when they touched them. If not, Hinata's Water Style Rasengan would likely have hit Naruto's hand, and that would have been disastrous at best.

Hinata, for her part, felt very pleased. Not only had she mastered her Water Style Rasengan and spent some very good time with Naruto, she had also seen for the first time just how Naruto was able to change people in mere seconds. She had been shocked at how easy it had been for him to get through to Gaara. But, really, deep in her heart, she was proud of her fiancé. She was more in love now than she'd ever been before, she knew. As the two entered their apartment together, she stopped a moment and kissed him as she closed the door. Naruto locked the door, then went to make dinner for them.

Gaara

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the young couple, the red-haired boy entered the rooms he and his siblings were sharing in one of Konoha's hotels. He looked at his two siblings, wondering what they felt about him. If they felt anything beyond fear, he knew they could easily be his precious people. He chuckled at himself, realizing he'd never even considered that as possible before, yet when he thought about it, he realized they were always there, and they trained to be able to fight with him. He'd have to talk to them tonight, feel them out, and see what was going on.

Upon his approach, Temari and Kankuro tensed somewhat, which made him sad, but he knew why. After all, he was something of a homicidal maniac prior to this. He'd have to talk to them and figure this out. "Temari, Kankuro, I need to speak to you," he said softly. They both nodded. "Am I precious to you?" he asked them.

Temari was shocked. "Of course you're precious to us, Gaara. You're our little brother," she said. Kankuro nodded his assent.

Gaara thought about that a moment, then decided he had nothing to lose. "Do you...love me?" he asked them both. Both seemed stunned at hearing this, but eventually both nodded again.

"Like I said, Gaara, you're our brother. Now what's this all about?" Temari asked.

Gaara decided not to tell them exactly what had happened, but to feel them out a bit more. "I could have died today," he said. Both Temari and Kankuro looked both shocked and scared. "I see from your face you know the level of power that would take. But believe me when I say my life was in the hands of another and he gave it back to me. I see you are afraid of this power. I do not fear it, but I do fear for us if we go through with this plan." He spoke, as his siblings knew, of the plan to invade the Leaf Village. Of course, the order had come from their father, the Kazekage, but without Gaara, the plan would fail, there was no question of that. "In fact, I believe the Kazekage is no longer himself. He has betrayed the best interests of our village. Now, if you two are with me, we can take our knowledge of this to the Hokage and offer our aid. We must break our alliance with the Sound." Temari and Kankuro looked at one another. They sure as HELL weren't expecting this, but if Gaara was going to go against the plan, they'd follow him. Not only was he their brother, but if he was against them, they knew they would die, never mind if there was one stronger than him against them. They looked at their brother and nodded, signifying they would follow him.

Tsunade

It was evening, Tsunade was finishing up her duties for the day. Sarutobi had left her to the paperwork while he went home for the night. She chuckled; even though she knew this was training for her new position, that didn't mean she had to like it.

She was just finishing up her last stack of papers when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she spoke just loud enough for those outside to hear her.

Tsunade got a hell of a shock when she looked up and saw the three Sand Genin in front of her. She set down her stamp and her pen and looked at the three youth in front of her. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

The redhead, Gaara she thought his name was, responded. "It is not what you can do for us, Lady Hokage. I have information that will have very dire consequences for the Leaf Village. I have come here, along with my siblings, to warn you that the Sand and Sound Villages plan to betray and invade the Leaf Village during the Chuunin Exam Finals."