Naruto and the Tenth Jinchuuriki

Thank you readers and reviewers. You are truly appreciated. Sorry this chapter took so long. One more note; not all of my chapter titles are winners. (This much I know, but just roll with it.)

Key: "talking" 'thinking' "Bijuu: outside mind" 'Bijuu: inside mind' (side comments)

Chapter 10: Love's Sting

Naruto jumped from rooftop to rooftop with one objective in mind. Find out who his real parents were. This time, he wouldn't deter from that objective. This time he wouldn't accept, "I'll tell you when you're older," as the Sandaime had done many times. This time he wouldn't tsake NO for an answer. 'I've been in the dark for too long.' He ran past the guards at the door of the Hokage tower without so much as a hello. He ignored the secretary's pleas not to go into the room. With a deep breath, he kicked the door open. "Knock, knock."

Tsunade, who was getting a report from Jiraiya, nearly knocked over her paperwork. "Naruto, what the hell is wrong with you?!?"

Naruto closed the door behind him slowly and sat down in a chair. "Baa-chan, I came here to get answers."

"What's gotten into you? No one has seen or heard from you for two days, and now you come in here-"

"NO! Tsunade this is my time. I'll ask the questions and you or Jiraiya will answer them to best of you ability. No more excuses."

Jiraiya could already tell where this was going, so he closed the window and set up a silencer jutsu. Jiraiya and Tsunade shared a look and frowned. "I knew this day would come eventually. You want to know about your parents." said Jiraiya with a sigh.

"Yes. I've been waiting for years to know who they were."

"Well I guess I can start by telling that your parents were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "You mean the fourth Hokage was my dad."

Outside with his ear to the roof, Yiji palmed his face. "You mean that idiot had no clue. The resemblance is uncanny really."

Naruto looked at his stomach. "I guess that would make sense. He couldn't ask any of the villagers to sacrifice any of their children, if he himself was not willing to."

Jiraiya smiled sadly. "Yes that's exactly what he thought."

Naruto perked up a bit. "So what were they like?"

Tsunade searched through one of her draws and pulled out two dusty scrolls, one with a red seal and another with a yellow seal. She gave him the red sealed scroll first. "Here, this is the deed to the Namikaze Estate. The estate itself is on the east side of the forest of death." She handed him the other scroll. "This is a scroll written by the Yondaime and Kushina as their last words to you. They are both blood seals."

Naruto accepted it shakily. Words couldn't describe the range of emotions he was feeling right now. "Thank…you." He bit his thumb and opened the letter first. A picture fell out along with another letter. He looked at the picture for a while before reading the first letter. The picture was of a pregnant Kushina and the Yondaime pointing at her stomach while smiling a grin that could match Naruto's.

Dear Naruto,

This is your father, Minato Namikaze, better known as the Yondaime or the Yellow Flash to enemies. The other letter is from your mother if you haven't read it already. You'll have to excuse my handwriting because I'm trying to write while the Kyuubi is attacking. Don't worry my Kage Bunshins are handling it, so I'm not leaving it completely to the other shinobi. I hope you can forgive me for sealing the Kyuubi inside of you. I had no other choice. I couldn't ask the villagers or even shinobi to give up their children when I had the perfect candidate. If you were in my position Naruto, what would you do? That picture is of course your mother. Even when she was pregnant, she was beautiful. I was so happy when she told me she was pregnant. I was going to be a daddy. I was so happy in fact that I gave a great big bellow from the Hokage Monument. (Naruto paused to laugh and wiped the tear that threatened to fall.) I was going to teach you all my jutsus and raise you as the next Hokage, so you can take my place if that's what you wanted. Your mother was something. She would go on and on about how she was going to raise, and secretly spoil you a bit while keeping you humble. She was quite the shinobi too as matter fact the only one I'm truly afraid of. Strong, passionate, and sometimes abrasive. Please don't read that out loud. She's watching over you from heaven and if she knew I said that she'd cut open the Shinigami's stomach and kick my ass. I don't know what my fate will be after this. It's rumored that once a person uses the Shiki Fuujin, it is said that their soul is eaten by the Shinigami and they are forced to brutally fight for eternity with the other souls he's consumed. It looks grim, but at least you'll come out on top as Konoha's Hero. I hope the villagers aren't spoiling you too much. (Naruto laughed sarcastically.) As how your mother died, well she said that she'll write it in her letter. In case you have become a Shinobi I did write down all my jutsus and put them in my jutsu library. Inside there's of course my signature jutsus Hiraishin and Rasengan, but so much more. Enjoy son. If you're not a shinobi oh well, I'm still happy that you're alive. I hope you find as much happiness in that old house as we did. Once you open the deed to the house you'll have to take the key inside the scroll and turn it in the gates locks three times. And move it up. Sorry, it's for protection purposes. I left as many notes as I could about things around the house, but I am running low on chakra and Gamabunta's (you'll find out who that is eventually) probably out of it too. I love you very much Naruto and it's sad that I didn't get a chance to know you. But I do know that you will grow into a fine young man.

With Love, Your father

Minato Namikaze

Tears began rolling down Naruto's cheeks and it almost seemed that they wouldn't stop no matter how much he tried to wipe.

Dear Naruto,

This note is from your mother, Kushina Uzumaki. I wish I could be there to raise you with Minato, but I guess I'll always be watching over you. I went to the doctor and they said I'll have certain complications when I give birth to you. They say no one can fix it except maybe a medic called Tsunade, but so far Jiraiya said he couldn't find her and even with her skills it'd still be a long shot. AS for who Jiraiya is, hopefully you'll meet him soon. It will require Konoha's top doctors just to save your life. I'm sorry, I'm bringing down the mood and I'm getting teary eyed. Don't worry about your father he can handle you on his own. He may be a goof ball and naïve, but he's as sweet as huge blonde teddy bear. I want you to know that I love you very much and always will. He's also a strong shinobi and if you decide to be a ninja, he can teach you a lot. Who knows? You might be the Neo-Yellow Flash. Or you can become someone even better and come up with your own goofy epithet. I have so much I want to say, so much I want to do, so much so that it hurts because I can't seem to make out the right words to write down. Grow up to be a fine man Naruto. THAT IDIOT!!! THAT COMPLETE DUMBASS! I'm talking about you stupid ass father. I told you before how naïve he can be right? Well he's on a whole new level of his own. He's going to seal the Kyuubi into you, my little baby. I'm at least glad that he told me, but I don't know how he thinks you'll be seen as a hero. I tried to get him to go against it. I tried to stop him, but he's so stubborn. If he died in battle, I could understand that. You'd still be given a good life as a normal orphan, no one knows about you except for a select few. Because that demon's inside you who knows what crazy things those villagers will get in their small heads. When Minato first told me, I would have laughed if it wasn't for his desperate look and pleading eyes. You'd be seen as a hero, don't ask me what he was thinking. I knew he'd do it with or without my blessing. I have a feeling you're in for a hard life Naruto. Call it women's intuition. I'm sorry Naruto, I truly am. I don't want to Minato to do this? But maybe I'm being selfish, you're father is losing as much as I am, possibly more. He's been backed into a corner and is out of options. Don't worry I'll give your father an ass-kicking he won't ever forget back in the afterlife. It'll be hard enough for the both of us.

I love you Naruto,

Kushina Uzumaki

Naruto wiped his face with his sleeves. Jiraiya put a hand on his shoulder and Tsunade enveloped him in a hug. After a while he regained his composure and delicately folded the letters and put them back in the scroll. "Thank you so much Baa-chan, Ero-sennin." He shunshined away. He reappeared in front of his estate. It was kind of funny really; he'd past this house a few times and always thought it was abandoned, since no one was ever out. It looked nice, so why would no one want to live there for all these years. When he was little, he'd thought it was haunted, but realized that was stupid. It was big, but not overly huge like a mansion. It had a big front and backyard with a huge tree in the back. All of it was surrounded by big, tall black gates that were made up of thick steel. He pulled out the huge chain full of keys, all were labeled. He found the key that said "gate" and put it inside the huge lock, turned it three times, and jerked it upwards. The gates opened. He took a deep breath and walked through them. He went to the key labeled "house-front door" and opened it normally.

When the doors opened, his jaw nearly dropped. The place was incredible. He felt like he won the lottery. He ran around the house, feeling like a little kid again. He went into all the rooms in the house, he found a bunch of notes and read them, but he left them where they were. Feeling a little mad, he plopped down on his couch. The fridge and cabinets were full of food that was preserved using a jutsu and the place had an extra room with a huge bed that was the guest room. All this time, the Third Hokage, kept all of this from him. All of this time, he could have eaten a decent meal, slept on a real bed. He didn't have to worry about that crappy apartment. Although, it would be a bit more money to keep the utilities on as he had to reactivate the gas, electric, and water. It was multitudes better than his crap-shack he called home that he was sure charged way more than it was actually worth. All the times he had starved, nearly to death. The times, mostly around his birthday, when the villagers beat the shit out of him. What the hell was that old fart thinking? He rubbed his forehead. It was too late to confront him about it now though. He fell asleep thinking of his parents. Naruto awoke several hours, feeling thoroughly refreshed. It had felt like ages since he slept like a normal human being. 'Those damn slave drivers.' He could hear Yiji's voice telling him of one of his lessons. 'I'm not just disturbing your sleep because it's fun, that's just a bonus. I'm also teaching you to enjoy the things that you'd usually take for granted.' He laughed a little; it was almost like Yiji was right in the room with him.

'Now you see what I mean.' 'I understand Yiji. As a matter of fact it's like you're ri-HOLY BALLS OF SHIT!" He jumped back, holding his heart. Naruto had turned around with Yiji looking back at him, face full of food. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Eating." He said spilling out a little food.

"I CAN SEE THAT! I meant what are you doing in my house? Don't answer with your mouth full."

He swallowed the huge amount of food in his mouth. "What? I had the munchies and you find out that you had this killer house full of food. I could smell it once you opened the door."

"How'd you get in here?"

"Well, your folks sealed the place up really well, so I had to use Onijutsu. The Yondaime does some fine work." He gobbled down more food.

Naruto noticed his ears. "You're not in hidden form."

"This is YOUR house Naruto, so why should I have to."

"Good point I guess, but I bet I'm growing on you."

He snorted and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You know what? You could be right."

Naruto laughed until he remembered something crucial. "Oi! Did you just wipe your greasy hands in my hair?"

He laughed. "Aw come on Naruto I wou…yeeeeaaaahhh I did." He laughed harder.

Yiji jumped, revealing his new leg power and sunk his claws into the ceiling. "You better not ruin my new ceiling." He jumped back down and Naruto's face became serious. During their training time, Yiji had transformed even further. His body was slightly hairy and always emitting a spark here and there. His ears grew slightly in size, his tail a little more bushy and long, but his legs and feet had changed the most. The heels of his feet shifted upwards, adding to his height and the toe and front portion of his foot grew wider and stronger. His legs grew in muscle finishing off his look as a wolf hanyou. "Are you one hundred percent positive you're done transforming?"

"I told yes."

"No you said it was none of my concern."

"I said both things."

Naruto looked around the room, trying to think of how to approach the next topic. "So what will happen after all this? You know once Akatsuki is no more."

Yiji plopped down in a chair and reclined. "I'll do what I always do. I'll go to the next village. Short is a wanderer's stay."

"That's it then, you're just going to leave."

"Don't say it like that. You make me sound like a douche. I'll keep in touch and visit. Even wanderers end up in same place from time to time. The world is still a set size even if that set size is huge." He sighed with a smirk.

"You better." A familiar scent hit his nose and smile grew on his face. He heard a crackle of lightning a few moments later, Yiji was gone. 'That explains the smirk!' he sighed mentally. He wasn't going to hear the end of this. A couple of knocks on the door broke him from his musings. He laughed and smiled warmly when as soon as he opened the door, Hinata smothered him in a hug. She began nuzzling her head closer to his chest. After a few minutes, she squeaked and pulled back while turning beet red. Naruto put on a fox-ish grin as he wrapped his arm around her. "It's good to see you too, Hinata-chan."

She put her head on his chest. "I knew that wherever you went that you'd be back today. I searched around for you at your usual spots, then I eventually asked the Hokage."

"I hope you didn't worry too much."

She looked up him with a small smirk. "Not too much. Soooo, you going to let me in or hold me here in the doorway."

Naruto quickly let her in and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I spaced for a bit."

She looked around. "Wow, this place is gorgeous."

Naruto looked outside before he closed the door. "I must have been asleep for awhile; it's almost night time."

"Naruto, you were gone training for a while. Did you learn any new jutsus?"

Naruto had stars in his eyes. "I learned a bunch of new kick ass moves."

"Care to show me one?"

Naruto rubbed his hands together and began to think had. "Hhhmmmm….hhhmmm…" Hinata watched and giggled as Naruto became frustrated. 'Which one to show her? Demon techniques are out, nothing too explosive, no rasengan variations, oooohhhh I got it.'

Naruto did several handsigns with such speed, Hinata stopped him on reflex. "Ghagur!" Naruto stopped just before his last handsign.

"What?" he said with a chuckle.

She flushed red. "I had to say something, with all the handseals you were forming it was bound to be a big one. Knowing you, it'd probably destroy half of your new house."

"Oh yeah nice save."

"Not only that, but how'd you learn to do handsigns so fast in such a short time. I blurted out the instant you started and while I couldn't see it, you probably finished."

"One more to go actually and it's a long story." Hinata pulled his ear. "O wow ow."

"You've got time."

"It IS kind of late Ghagur."

Hinata eeped and put her hands over her face. "It just came out. I was saving your house."

"SURE it did." He laughed and held out his hand, which she took reluctantly. "It won't burn you."

"What?" Then all of a sudden they were both covered in flames that quickly engulfed them, and Hinata immediately became worried but remembered what Naruto just said. They disappeared. Next thing, Hinata knew they were at a huge training ground. "What was that technique? Where are we?"

Smiling smugly, Naruto said, "Enkou Shunshin. And it's my parent's underground training facility."

She looked around it was a wide open space with a little bit of plant-life and assloads of weapons adorned the walls. "Breath-taking."

"Sit back and prepare to be dazzled." He did the seals again. His hand became ablaze and he took a deep breath. "Fuuton: Hi-Arashi." He blew and flames spread everywhere except where Hinata was. Many were spinning others were just burning.

She ran up and hugged him. "Naruto that was amazing, but the whole place is destroyed."

A smile was his response. "Look again."

She looked around the whole room began rebuilding itself. She quirked an eyebrow.

"My dad and Jiraiya were seal masters and both concocted the six multilayer seals that are scattered around the room. They fix the area they surround by turning back time. It took the two of them ten years to create and it's still incomplete because it can only be used three times within a twenty four hour period. Any more and it just stops working for three days."

"How'd you know that?"

Naruto's hand was engulfed in flames once more and left a piece of paper. "He left a note."

"Oh. So how did you learn so much?"

"Well…" 'Brain think, excuse. Got it.'

"Well."

"It was Yiji. He used a forbidden technique that stretches days into years."

"Forbidden technique? Why would he decide to train you all of a sudden?"

'Getting harder.' "…Oinin are after Yiji."

"Why?"

"He kinda destroyed Kumo and killed a bunch of people."

"Wait, the same Yiji you were walking with that one time."

"Yeah he's in the bingo book, but he's changed since then."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah."

"That still doesn't explain why you were there."

'Fuck.' "I asked to come along, but I had no REAL idea how long I'd be gone."

"That explains it."

Naruto's stomach growled audibly. "I've had so much on my mind I forgot I haven't eaten anything in two days."

"I'm a little hungry myself. I can fix something."

"You don't have to do that. You're my guest I should be the one to cook."

She shook her head side to side. "I want to and I insist."

"Ok." He grabbed her by the waist and disappeared in flames.

"We could have walked you know."

"But that wouldn't be fun."

She sighed with a smile. "I'll get started." She went to work in the kitchen and Naruto sat and watched. As she was pulling out ingredients, she felt Naruto's gaze upon her and her face went through numerous shades of red. "N-N-Naruto you'll have to wait outside."

"Aww come on can't I watch. I'll be quiet."

She almost caved. He was giving her all his attention and he seemed to get cuter everytime she saw him. Alas, she couldn't cook properly with him there. "Secret ingredients. I can't let you watch." She said half-heartedly.

"Okay." He said a little down. "I'll wait on the couch then." Only a few minutes passed, he could smell the food and was getting antsy. After about thirty minutes, she called out to Naruto that the food was ready. He zoomed in there, drooling from the mouth.

She sat down a bowl of Miso Ramen with bits of pork in it. He was using every last bit of restraint he had in his body to wait until Hinata sat down with her bowl before he ate. "I hope you like it. I put some special ingredients in it."

"Itadakimasu." He took one bite and his eyes widen, mouth watered, ears twitched, and heart stopped. For a moment he thought he died.

Hinata began to look down. She worked so hard on that recipe. 'It must be disgusting. He stopped eating after one-'

Hinata was broken from her thoughts as Naruto gobbled down all of it and nearly ate the bowl itself. He held out the bowl with a pleading look on his face. "More please."

Hinata smiled, it was sweet what he was doing. "Naruto, you don't have to pretend to like it for my sake."

"What are you talking about? This is the best Ramen I've ever tasted in my entire life. I dare say it's…it's…better than Ichiraku's."

"It just a little something I cooked up." She was practically glowing. Not so much blushing, but just happy overall. Of course she'd never admit she'd been practicing that recipe for months in secret when she had free time. She learned to cook other things, but that she perfected. She took a bowl and moved toward a huge pot, but as soon as Naruto saw the pot full of the Heaven Ramen, he ran to it. He nearly devoured all of it, while it saddened him, he left some for Hinata. She simply laughed at him and did the ram seal while saying "Kai." There were four pots filled to the brim with two bowls on the side for herself. "I made five pots full. Enjoy yourself. The bowls are mine." She had never seen another human being so happy in all her life. His face was priceless. He went to town while she sat down eating her bowl, smiling the whole time.

After several minutes, Hinata had finished two and a half bowls while Naruto finished his four pots within several seconds and sat back in a chair the rest of the time. She smiled as he finished the other half of her last bowl. "Thank you Hina-chan. It was truly delicious."

"I'm glad you like it." 'Hina-chan.' She blushed a little. As she was getting up from the table, she noticed the time on the clock. She was at the peak of enjoyment and now it was way past her curfew. "Shit! I have to go." She blushed deeper as she realized what she said. Naruto couldn't say anything really since his jaw dropped, so he just nodded dumbly. During the time Hinata walked out of the kitchen, Naruto got over his shock and appeared at the door.

When Naruto opened the door, he noticed it was raining. "I can walk you home if you'd like?"

She smiled. "I would like that very much." Naruto went inside quickly and found an umbrella. He then walked outside, opened it, and covered the two of them. Naruto wrapped his arm around her waist, while Hinata did the same and laid her head on his chest. They both walked to the Hyuuga Estate in comfortable silence. There were no glares, whispers, stares, or sneers. Since it was raining very few people were outside, and the few that were weren't concerned with Naruto at the moment. It was one of the most pleasant times of his life.

When they finally reached the Estate, he nearly sighed in disappointment. "Well, we're here." Naruto was about to walk her to the front gates but Hinata stopped him by tugging on his sleeve. "What is it Hinata?"

The girl in question began pushing her index fingers together, shifting her feet, and looking down trying to hide her blush. "Uh…well…"

Naruto smirked as he picked up what she wanted. He took his slightly clawed fingers and lifted her chin. Then he inched ever so slowly toward her until they finally locked lips. Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, while Naruto let the umbrella slip and held her closer. Hinata ran her fingers through his soft wet hair, and Naruto rubbed her lower back. They both pulled away for air. Hinata thought she was going to faint, but with the rain pelting her lightly and Naruto holding her up, she managed to remain consciousness. "Wow," said Naruto after a couple seconds. Finally, after several more seconds Hinata gave Naruto one last hug and ran off to get inside. Naruto flame shunshined home with a huge smile on his face.

Elsewhere

Yiji reappeared on a rooftop in crackle of lightning. He was definitely going to tease Naruto next time he saw him. He quite honestly didn't know what to do with himself. He wasn't hungry enough to go out and buy food, he had just took a nap before eating, he wasn't up for the Hokage's bitching and moaning about killing farm animals, and he didn't want a disappointing challenge from a Forest of Death creature. With a farm animal he knew exactly what he was in for, an easy kill. But with the Forest of Death it varies from decent to downright awful. He even swore that a couple of them killed themselves the moment he walked by.

After aimlessly wandering through the streets of Konoha, he ended up at Ichiraku's place. "I might as well." He said with a sigh. He got there just in time to see them close up for the night. "Wow…just wow." 'I finally decide to get some food and my favorite place is closed. Wonderful.' He sighed and was about to walk away.

"Hold on, um…Dijango-san." He stopped in his tracks and turned slightly. "We still have left over Ramen if you were looking to buy." Ayame said from the Ramen stand.

He walked back to stand questionably. "Are you sure it won't be any trouble?"

"My dad took off early for the night, and we still have some left over Ramen that was going to get thrown out anyhow. I made so much and I ran out of storage room. It'll only take a few minutes to flavor it any way you like." She smiled.

"Ok, I'll have beef, pork, and miso, if that's not too much."

"Coming right up." He began putting stuff back in his pockets. "Here you are Yiji-san." She set down the food. He pulled out the money, but Ayame stopped him. "No, put that away. I couldn't possibly charge you."

"Ok, I'll bite. Why?"

"Because that was the food I was going to throw away." She put her hands up in dismissal. "I mean there's nothing wrong with it, it's just extra."

He laughed. "You can't pay me because I'm eating garbage."

She looked out the stand around to see if anyone was listening. "Please I assure you its fine."

"I know I'm just joking." He picked up his food and walked off laughing. "Good night Ayame-san." He said in the distance.

Ayame returned to closing down the shop and small scroll caught her eye. "Yiji-san must have left it here when he was digging in his pockets." She put her hand on her forehead and squinted. "He's not that far away, maybe I can still get it to him." She closed up shop and grabbed the scroll. As she ran, following the small glimpses of Yiji that appeared, it began to rain. She sighed as she put the scroll in her pocket and covered her head. After several minutes of following afterimages in the rain, she finally saw Yiji sitting under a tree. His entire person was soaked, yet his to go bowls of Ramen seemed strangely dry. She stood for a moment trying to catch her breath and remember why she came in the first place. His wet hair covered his face, while his clothes stuck to his skin showing off his muscles. She tried to fight down a blush. "Yiji-san." She said weakly. He turned toward her and motioned her to get out of the rain.

He stood up as she was walking toward him. "What are you doing out here in the rain like this Ayame-san?"

"I could ask you the same thing, but I came here to return this to you." She pulled the scroll out of her pocket. "It's yours right."

He looked at and grabbed. "Yes." He mentally berated himself for leaving something so important behind. "Thank you very much for returning it to me. I still can't believe I left it behind." He put his hand on his forehead, squeezing the scroll slightly. "What a stupid move."

She looked him in the eyes and saw his anguish. "What's inside it if you don't mind me asking?"

"The only physical memories of my family I have left."

She mentally winced; it was obviously something of that nature. She tried to approach the subject delicately. "Did they all…"

"Die. Every one of them. All their belongings destroyed. The only few things that's left is what's inside this scroll, which is three pictures I was incredibly lucky to even find."

She held her hands up to her mouth. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." He put the scroll back and reached for different one. He unsealed an umbrella. "Here take this."

She pushed away slightly. "I couldn't, it's yours and you need it."

"No, not really. I have something else."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes go ahead take it. And get home safely, I'm sure your dad must be worried."

After he took the umbrella, he went to sit back where he was. She stood there with the umbrella open. 'Maybe I should stay here with him. I mean he must be lonely if he's sitting here eating all alone. Just for a few minutes, since I do feel somewhat responsible.' She walked under the tree with Yiji and closed the umbrella.

"You chose to stay. Why?"

"Because I want to."

"Are you sure? Is it not because you feel obligated to?"

"A little, I guess. I did bring up the subject."

"And I chose to tell you, so you don't have to say."

"Call it curiosity."

"Trust me. You DO NOT want to know that story."

Ayame could take a hint to change the subject. "So what brings you to Konoha?"

"I'm a wanderer. I blow in from village to village. I've been around just over a quarter of the world."

"Wow, it must be amazing."

"It has its ups and downs. But overall, it's pretty nice."

Ayame had a huge smile on her face. "You know I'm quite the traveler myself."

Yiji put his hand on his forehead and slicked his wet hair back. Ayame watched him and blushed a little. She looked away to hide it, but Yiji noticed yet ignored it. "Yeah you told me before when you left for a couple a days."

"Not just that. But on Ramen Runs, since my dad's too old to do it. The responsibility was passed to me."

"You deliver Ramen to other villages." She nodded.

"Not out of Fire country though."

"I see. Afraid for your safety. Well speaking of Ramen I think mine is getting cold."

He reached down for the to-go trays and Ayame put the back of her hand on his forehead. "Aren't you cold or getting a fever?"

He laughed as he grabbed two bowls and gave one to Ayame. He also pulled out two pairs of chopsticks; one ornate and metal, the other plain wood. "I don't get sick often. I have a strong immune system."

She accepted the bowl. "You must have been sick a lot as a kid."

He shrugged. "I guess you can say that."

They both began eating; a slightly awkward silence was shared between them. "When are you leaving?" She accidentally blurted out to fill the silence.

"I have a feeling it's a time that's drawing near."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to say it like that."

"It's fine." He leaned back to look up at the sky as he finished off his second bowl. Then he set the two bowls out in the rain. Ayame simply watched curiously as she finished her food. He gave her one look and smiled. "What? I like rain water."

"Nothing it's simply something you don't see everyday."

"Rain? It must rain a decent amount for Konoha to have such greenery."

"NOT THE RAIN!!!" She took a deep breath. "You know what I meant."

"Yeah I did."

"Why rain water?"

"Well it's not really rain water. It's rain in general." He looked up. "The taste, the feel, the smell. It's soothing, like it washes all your troubles away. When you feel sad and it rains, it's like the sky is showing that emotion so you don't have to."

"Couldn't a shower work like that too? Besides it wouldn't be as cold."

"When you travel like I do, you don't get showers often. I bathe, don't get me wrong, but it's not often I just take a hot shower. If you're lucky, you might even feel lukewarm rain. But I like it cold."

"I understand." He stood up and helped Ayame up. She tripped on a root that stuck out of the ground and landed in Yiji's arms. She looked up at him with a blush and he back at her with a bit of red tint in his cheeks. She didn't know if it was the rain, pity, or just a spur of the moment type deal, but something attracted her to him. They slowly inched toward each other. As he closed his eyes, an image of dead girl covered in blood appeared in his head. It went away for a second then it appeared again in much more detail. He was having a forced flashback. He was standing there looking at the said girl who was lying in bed covered in blood. The blood was fresh, so death wasn't too long ago. Someone was yelling at him.

'IT'S YOUR FAULT SHE'S DEAD! SHE LOVED YOU AND YOU KILLED HER!'

'I didn't mean to. It wasn't me!'

'Get the fuck out of here and never come back! I hope you die a most painful and horrific death you son of a bitch! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! IF YOU NEVER CAME HERE, IF YOU NEVER EXISTED, SHE'D STILL BE ALIVE!' The flashback ceased as quickly as it appeared. He pulled back quickly holding his head. "I'm so sorry Ayame-san, but I have to go. I simply can't." He disappeared in flash of light. He reappeared far away in an abandoned district of Konoha. (No, not the Uchiha district, a different abandoned one.) He held his head, trying to fight back the memories. "Not again. I won't ever let that happen again!" He found a house, opened the door, and simply slept in the decrepit house.

End of Chapter! Whoop Finally.

Translations: Enkou shunshin –Flame shunshin, Fuuton: Hi-Arashi – wind element: fire storm,

I know this took WWWWwwwaaaaaayyyyyy longer than usual. I well I simply forgot about it. Yes it is that simply, I never stop thinking about it, but I've been so busy I simply pushed it off to the side and forgot. Like a neglected child. AT least the chapter's pretty long right? I have a plan for these things, but that plan is just like the internet, constantly changing. And the action is coming back soon. Next chapter is a set-up chapter, then it's action out the ass (or in the ass however you like it) plus an omake to make up for the long update that's coming up next because of something that needs 75% of my time up to mid April. There MIGHT be an update before that but considering that I'm going to be working on my other story, don't count on it. Fanfiction is not letting me upload the chapter, so it has increased the time period.

Till next chapter.

JA!