An: 1 (Hope you all had a great holiday break and your December was amazing! Want to wish you all a late Christmas and happy Hanukkah or anything you may celebrate as well as a happy new year! I know a lot of people wanted me to post a new chapter quickly but the month of December is a time for me to relax and unwind with family as I'm sure you guys do as well. So I hope that the fact that this chapter took a little longer than desired can be over looked. You know I just want to say thank you to all of the readers and fans of this story who have read every chapter up till now. I started this off a whim and now it's grown into this massive multi-level story that I can't wait to continue. Anyways you guys are great and thank you for making this experience so enjoyable!)

(Long and very dialogue-heavy chapter!)

Chapter 10: Be a Failure

"Ahhhhh! Good morning, Naruto-San! You're up early this morning!" Mr. Ichiraku announced loudly as a tired and groggy blond man pushed aside the curtains to his stand.

Naruto was wearing his usual military black sandals as well as black cargo pants and a long-sleeved orange shirt, his signature orange-and-black swirl over his left breast. The right sleeve was rolled up, once again to hide his severed arm underneath. His hair was down with his headband left at home for the day. Naruto gave a half-assed wave to his longtime friend before he collapsed roughly onto one of the stools and laid his head onto the counter. Mr. Ichiraku watched with amusement and laughed loudly.

"What brings you in this morning!?" Mr. Ichiraku asked enthusiastically as he turned to begin making Naruto's breakfast, already knowing that he most likely wanted the usual. "You are usually here around noon!"

"Grkmmvfnvm," Naruto mumbled into the counter top, not bothering to raise his head.

"What was that? I can't hear you through the wood!" Mr. Ichiraku replied jokingly.

Naruto sighed and slowly lifted his head off of the counter and looked with tired, baggy eyes at the elderly man across from him.

"I'm up because I'm going to help out Ino with her shop…" Naruto mumbled sleepily with half open eyes. "Remember?"

"AH! Yes, that's right; you told me yesterday when you came in for lunch! HAHAHAHA!" Mr. Ichiraku voiced with a loud laugh, earning a wince from Naruto.

'How in holy gods is he this cheery at 8 in the freaking morning!?' Naruto thought with a sigh and grumble.

"Ah, but why do you seem so tired? You look like you were hit by a bus."

Naruto flinched at the question as the memory of a conversation he couldn't shake from his thoughts had kept him from sleep last night.

"I, uh… I had a nightmare… so I couldn't sleep real well," Naruto lied with a rub of the back of his head.

At this, all Mr. Ichiraku could do was laugh and shake his head.

"Ah! Well then, I'll go and hurry up with your meal!" Teuchi said with a smile before turning and beginning to prep Naruto's favorite. "I know that will give you the strength you need for the day!"

Naruto leaned forward once again resting his chin on the counter top with his eyes closed just slightly. He knew the words kept circling in his head, but not even after all night and this morning…could he rid himself of the gloom that encircled him after such a chat.

-Flashback-

"ZzZzZ"

"Naruto…"

"Erm… ZzZzZz"

"Naruto!"

"(Incoherent Mumble)… ZzZzZzZ"

"NARUTO!"

"Huh! Where's the fire?" Naruto asked loudly as he shot up into a sitting position on his bed.

Naruto scanned his bedroom with baggy eyes to find he was the only one occupying the space.

'What…?'

"It was me, dumbass!" Kurama hollered from Naruto's subconscious.

"Huh? Kurama… what do you want?" Naruto asked in a groggy tone out loud, looking at this clock on the night stand beside his bed before allowing himself to fall back and land his head on his soft pillow roughly. "It's three in the morning…"

"We need to talk," Kurama said dryly.

'Can't it freaking wait!? I really… want to… ZzZzZz'

"WAKE UP, BOY!" Kurama hollered in absolute anger.

"HUH!? WHAT!?"

"Pay the hell attention! I have some information for you that I'm sure you'd like to know about that damned mark you have!" Kurama yelled with a growl.

Naruto stayed still for a moment before his eyes shot open, emerging into his subconscious now and standing directly in front of the large orange fox, remembering a specific event from the last battle he couldn't possible forgive.

'Speaking of my mark! What the hell happened to you when it went and backfired on me!? I was left defenseless and you were nowhere to be found! Not even the other eight demons! So like… What the fuck, Kurama!?' Naruto yelled back angrily in his subconscious.

Kurama rolled his eyes, as well as the other demons who had decided to join in on the conversation.

"I didn't answer you because my chakra, as well as the others', were drained, just like yours, fool! We all passed out from exhaustion!" Kuramaretorted with a scowl on his face.

'Humph!' Naruto vocally scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. 'Well then… what were you saying about the mark?'

"Naruto… we all have been talking and we believe we might know why the mark went and exploded like it did," Gyuki spoke up with what sounded like concern in his strong voice.

Naruto could feel the tension that was now becoming evident from his friends and tightened his fists by his sides. He looked from one demon to the other, waiting for them to explain their thoughts. Eventually, Kurama spoke up once again.

"Naruto… before we were on better terms… how did you usually gain access to my power?" Kurama asked calmly, looking down at the small blond man.

Naruto looked down towards the water around his ankles as he pondered the question.

'Well… it usually came forward whenever I was angry or upset. It's like your chakra-'

"Fed off of your emotions?" Kurama interrupted with a smirk.

Naruto looked back up from the water to look at Kurama with a raised brow.

'Y… yeah!'

"Naruto, your mark is the exact same way!" Son Goku chimed in. "It feeds off of your emotions and feelings! Well… as far as we believe, that is."

'Wait… what you mean, as far as you guys know!? He was your dad, so how do you not know what his 'Gifts' do?!' Naruto shot back with irritation while using his fingers as air quotes.

"Yes, he indeed was our creator; but this mark… or should I say, marks… are like nothing we've ever seen before," Gyuki spoke out with a flustered look.

'Well… do you at least know why it blew off my arm!?' Naruto asked in growing frustration.

There was a sudden awkward silence in the chamber as all of the demons looked at one another. Finally, they all looked to Kurama, deciding he should be the one to answer.

"During the war, Naruto… what emotions were you feeling? What were your intentions, and also, what were your thoughts?" The large fox asked.

Naruto raised a brow at the question. Placing his thumb under his chin, he thought deeply of the topic.

'I guess… I didn't really feel anything,' Naruto replied slowly, thinking over every word in his answer carefully. 'I was calm… and filled with confidence. I felt like I could take on the world after the Old Sage gave me the mark. I no longer felt anger, or resentment, or even urgency… I just felt… confident.'

"And Naruto… what of the last battle we fought? What of the Rain Country mission?" Kurama asked calmly, already knowing of the answer he would receive.

Naruto's mood changed slightly, his posture slouching and his head tilting downwards, with hollow, dull eyes.

"I… I felt… I felt unsure of myself,' Naruto replied, much quieter than before. 'I didn't know if I could handle a mission, and yet I was on one. I felt scared, because I knew my friends were relying on me when I didn't know if I could even rely on myself. I felt angry that I was being so weak, and I felt ashamed because I was not being honest with myself. I… I felt… like I was trapped within my own darkness.'

There was a silence in the room. Eventually, Kurama broke it, seeming to jump topics slightly.

"As far as we know right now, there have been three marks given out by the Great Sage," Kurama spoke calmly, acknowledging Gyuki's words. "The one given to you, the one given to Sasuke, and lastly, the one given to that young girl. However, there are likely more that we don't know of yet.

"Those women we encountered referred to you and the girl as Miru Hito. They also went as far as to give a name to the young girl's mark." Kurama continued with a nod, earning a slight nod from Naruto.

'Miru Hito of Purity!' Naruto said in a whisper.

"Naruto, I studied that girl after you she showed us the mark on her; do you know what I noticed about her?" Kurama asked, earning a raised brow from Naruto. "She was just what the Sage had called her before gifting her the mark she'd told of in her story… She was pure, Naruto. Her chakra, her words, and even her aura. She was almost perfect."

'What are you trying to say?' Naruto asked, becoming more confused as Kurama rambled on.

"I'm saying this because that girl was using her pure chakra to activate her mark's power. I'm saying this, Naruto... because the reason your arm is gone is because your mark did not have the proper chakra at its disposal!" Kurama finished with a low growl in his voice.

'W…WHAT?!' Naruto yelled back in confusion, not having any idea of what he meant by that.

"Here, Naruto… I'll make it simpler for you," Gyuki said with a smile. "What Kurama is trying to say is that your mark seems to run off the light chakra you usually emit. It's similar to how Molly's pure nature and chakra allow her mark to function. As such, your chakra is usually filled with life and beaming with confidence! Yet… during the last battle, your chakra was not like that at all. It was dark… and it felt forced. Do you know why that is, Naruto-San?" Gyuki asked with a saddened look.

Naruto was now shell-shocked from hearing this and could only stand in place with wide eyes, feeling his shoulders beginning to shake.

"I... I, uh… n… no"

"During the war after the mark was bestowed upon you, you had left all of your past mistakes and fears behind you. You felt no anger and felt no worry; all that you wanted to do was protect the people you cared for. As such, you, as well as your chakra, were the absolute definition of Light. You were completely without darkness," Kurama stated, watching the still shocked Naruto shake like he had a chill. "But… over the last seven months… the darkness in your heart that you had been able to rid yourself of has once again manifested itself within you. The blackness you were able to come to understand at the waterfall of truth has once again consumed your being… tainting your chakra. Because of this, when you went to use your cloak… the dark, tainted chakra within you kept it at bay. Lastly, the Sun Mark on your palm was also overcome by this darkness. Feeding off of this dark chakra instead of the needed light… the mark backfired, and led to your current condition."

Naruto gritted his teeth and closed his eyes even harder as Kurama's words sunk in.

'All of it… all of it was because I… I wasn't holding myself with pure and honest intentions?' Naruto asked to no one but himself, his eyes now downcast and hidden behind his bangs.

"Over the past few months, you have berated and cursed yourself. You have thought of nothing but dark thoughts and harmful intentions. You even went as far as to blame yourself for every bad thing that has happened since your birth. You locked yourself away and surrounded yourself in self-loathing. You kept yourself in the darkness of what happened to the Uchiha for so long… you tainted your entire self being," Kurama finally finished his explanation, still looking at the downcast man below him. "You lost your arm, Naruto… but only because you lost yourself."

Naruto stood silently in the center of the nine demon circle around him. His balled fist shook at his side and his shoulders trembled with emotion. For a moment, all that could be heard was Naruto's ragged breathing. Finally, Naruto slid from his subconscious… unable to think of anything more that needed to be said.

-End Flashback-

Naruto looked down at the brown, shiny counter top he was currently laying his head on, his thoughts more clouded than ever at the moment. Though, through all of the thinking and lost sleep, Naruto couldn't stop thinking of what someone already had known even long before the accident in Rain Country.

'You were right all along, Ino… the sooner I pick myself up… the better. All of this self-loathing and depression is indeed hurting me, but now I know… even worse off… it's changing me.'

Not long after, Naruto's bowl of hot, steaming ramen was placed before him, making him look up from the counter again and breaking him from his deep, trancelike state. Naruto looked at the bowl with a large smile, the noodles somehow blocking his thoughts for the time being. Reaching forward and grasping a pair of chopsticks from the stand, Naruto began to fiddle with the thin pieces of wood as he grumbled curses to himself.

"Still can't eat with your left hand yet, huh?" Teuchi asked with a slight frown.

Naruto slammed the chopsticks onto the counter after his fifth failed attempt to pick up the noodles.

"YES! This is freaking bull! Why did I have to lose my dominant arm?! I can't even do anything anymore! Have you ever tried to put on laced shoes with one hand?! It's absolutely impossible! UGGGHHHH!" Naruto complained loudly as he continued to hit the counter in aggravation. "This day has been hell, and it's not even NOON YET!"

"Relax…" Teuchi pleaded, trying to calm the aggregated young man, not knowing of the real reason he was so gloomy. "You said yesterday that Sakura was trying her best to make you a new arm, so just try and deal for a little bit longer."

Naruto sighed and slumped against the counter as he stared at the warm broth before him.

"Just… give me a fork again," Naruto ordered softly with pouting eyes and a twitch.

Mr. Ichiraku laughed slightly and pulled out the utensil from behind the counter that Naruto had used the previous day. Within seconds, Naruto was shoveling the hot soup into his gullet with loud slurps and grunts. Teuchi turned back to his cooking while Naruto indulged himself. Not long into his meal though, someone decided to enter the small stand behind him and interrupted his focus with a small squeak.

"Hm?" Naruto grunted out as he turned to look over his shoulder for the origin of the small, high pitched noise. Noodles hung from Naruto's mouth with stuffed cheeks that made him look like a gerbil at the moment.

"N…Naruto-Kun!" The shy young woman said quietly as her eyes began to grow wide with shock.

Naruto eyes widened as well as he recognized the woman before him. With a large gulp, he swallowed the food in his mouth so he could greet his longtime friend.

"Oi! Hi, Hinata! Long time, no see!" Naruto said excitedly with a large grin on his face.

Hinata was in a lavender summer dress that reached just past her knees. A small white hand bang hung over her left shoulder, with a flower placed upon the strap. Her feet were covered in white flip flops that matched her bag perfectly.

Hinata fought the blush that raised to her cheeks as she gulped a dry breath. She had been aware of Naruto's return from the rumors she had heard lofting around, but instead of excited, she had been actually quite aggravated by all of the attention Naruto was getting after the war. No one used to bat an eye at him, but suddenly, it seemed like all the single women of the village ever talked about was how cute or handsome Naruto was. It was nice that he was getting his rightly deserved attention, but… something deep down didn't feel right about it to Hinata.

"N… Naruto-Kun! I'm very happy to see y-" Hinata began sweetly but was stricken to a stop at the sight of Naruto's right side.

There was a sudden awkward silence in the stand as even some of the other customers seemed to have quieted down for some reason. Naruto open his eyes from his wide toothy grin to see an awe-stricken Hinata who had tears threatening to emerge from her shocked eyes. Naruto's expression changed to worry as he followed her eyes to what she was staring at. At seeing what had grabbed her attention and turned her mood so quickly, Naruto frowned as he looked at his arm.

"Y… y… your…" Hinata tried to squeak out as the tears in her eyes built even further.

"Ah… ya, I guess you wouldn't know about my little accident, would you, huh?" Naruto asked in a solemn tone, looking over to the distraught woman. "But you don't have to worry! Saku-" Naruto began, but was interrupted as Hinata sat quickly onto the stool on his right side, still staring at his arm in shock.

Hinata reached forward and touched his upper arm gently with her hand before quickly pulling away as if Naruto would shatter with just a touch. Her mood changed from sorrow to a sternness as she looked back into Naruto's eyes with a confident glare.

"How?"

It was all she asked, but her tone held a firmness that actually made Naruto feel uncomfortable. Not at all familiar with this side of Hinata, he stared at her for a moment before he found himself able to speak again.

"Uh… well, on my last mission, I got into this fight with this crazy bow lady, and I tried to use my Sun Mark to heal Ino, and–"

"Ino!?" Hinata interrupted once again, her mood changing back to sorrow and fear. "Is Ino-?"

"No, no; Ino is fine, trust me…" Naruto said, trying to reassure the emotional Hinata. "Out of everyone on the mission I was by far the worst off,"

Hinata looked down from Naruto's eyes and stared sadly at the counter top before her. She was glad no one else had been hurt as badly… but she wasn't at all happy with Naruto's condition. After a moment of silence between the pair, Naruto decided to continue his short explanation.

"Ya… well, when I tried to heal Ino with my mark… well… I don't really know what happened… but it back fired, and I guess to keep it simple… my arm went POP!" Naruto said half-jokingly, trying in the best way he could to lighten the conversation.

"That's horrible, Naruto-Kun…" Hinata said quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Ya… well don't be too down about it, okay? Sakura-Neechan is working with Baa-Chan to make me a new one!" Naruto stated confidently as he flashed Hinata a Maito Gai pose. "Then I'm going to go fix the mission I failed and bring Molly home! So please, don't freak out about it any further, okay? I'll be as good as new before any of us know it!"

Hinata looked back up with shock once again written on her face as even more questions reeled through her head after what Naruto just said.

'New arm? Neechan!? Molly?'

Before she could even begin to fire off questions, Naruto spoke up, bringing her back to earth.

"Breakfast?" he asked with a smile.

"H…huh?" Hinata replied blankly as another blush colored her cheeks.

Naruto laughed slightly and patted Hinata on the back, knowing he had just interrupted her thoughts.

"I asked if you wanted to join me for breakfast. I haven't seen you in a long ass time and by the confused and disheveled look on your face, I'm sure you have some questions for me. So… why don't I catch you up with all that's been going on over breakfast? My treat!"

Hinata looked at Naruto with a large blush on her face as she tried to get her mouth to say yes. After a moment of fighting her own body, she was able to manage a small nod. She cursed at herself for being so childish after all this time.

"HAHA! Great! Yo, Old Man, we need another bowl of ramen over here for Hinata!" Naruto said excitedly, making his companion blush an even deeper shade of pink.

'Naruto-Kun… you seem so joyful, but… it's hard to explain… but you feel so hollow.' Hinata thought secretly while watching the loud blonde man next to her order a bowl for her.

Within no time, a large, steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of the small brunette-haired woman. Naruto had already dug into his bowl again, not even bothering to hide his loud slurps and grunts. Hinata smiled to herself, seeing him act so like himself; yet she knew something was amiss. She watched as Naruto finished off his broth and let a soft burp erupt from his mouth.

"Another bowl, Old Man!" Naruto yelled with a smile.

Naruto looked over to Hinata and smiled at her sweetly, making her blush and turn away to begin eating her meal. This made Naruto laugh slightly at her actions, knowing the girl didn't do well in social situations… or at least situations he was involved with. He watched her eat her noodles from the corner of his eye and decided to begin the long talk he knew was coming.

"So… what's your first question?" he asked slyly, placing his chin in his palm.

Hinata looked up from her meal with a full mouth, noodles hanging out slightly in a similar fashion to what Naruto had done a few minutes prior. Naruto laughed at seeing her face so stuffed, which caused the young woman to blush even deeper, now noticing her horribly bad-mannered mistake. She turned away and swallowed her food roughly as she tried to calm the heat in her cheeks.

"W… w… why are you calling Sakura-San 'Neechan'?" Hinata asked quickly to try and push past her embarrassment.

Naruto blinked a few times at the question before laughing slightly.

"I didn't know we were going a few weeks before the accident, haha! Oh, well… I did tell you I would catch you up," Naruto said with a smile.

For the next hour and then some, Naruto talked about his newfound relationship status with Sakura and how they had been able to patch up their holes from what had happened in the war. He told her about how he was starting to get back into the swing of things, and how it all felt kind of foreign to him for some reason. He then went into the details of the mission and all that happened with his stay while in the Land of Rain. He spoke of how their friends showed support for him, knowing what they felt for him, and his battle to become his true self again. He went on and on about some girl named Molly, who had a similar mark to what Naruto had had before his accident. He talked of Ino, and the small moment he'd had with her in the rain. Even though he might not have seen it as romantic, Hinata on the other hand definitely did.

Naruto talked of the battle with the mysterious bandit, Haru, and her sister. He went on and on about the fight and how he'd lost his arm. All of this made Hinata feel hollow with sadness, knowing now how much it must have hurt Naruto to watch them take away poor little Molly. After Naruto had found a lull in conversation after talking of waking up yesterday in the hospital, Hinata decided to finally speak up. She watched Naruto play with his 12th bowl of ramen in front of him that was now cold.

"You're going to go after them, aren't you? You're going to try and get Molly back?" Hinata asked with no emotion in her voice, watching Naruto continue to play with the bowl of noodles in front of him. This question made Naruto look up with a confident glare upon his face, his fist tightening around the metal fork in his hand.

"You bet I am!" Naruto said sternly as the metal fork began to creek with Naruto's tightening grip. "As soon as I get my new arm, I'm out those front gates and hunting down any lead I can to find Molly! I won't rest until she's back home safe with her father!"

Hinata smiled and looked towards the counter top in front of her. A fire burned inside of her; she knew that Naruto's words always seemed to get her excited for anything.

"Very well, Naruto-Kun," Hinata said confidently, with no waver in her voice. "When you're all set, I want you to call me. I'll gladly help you on your redemption mission."

Naruto looked at Hinata with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth as he watched her stand from her seat and throw her bag over her shoulder.

"You… you will come help?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

Hinata smiled and moved her bangs so they were not falling in her face.

"Of course, Naruto-Kun… I'd do anything to see you happy," Hinata spoke softly but, surprisingly, with no blush.

Naruto smiled widely and jumped up, enveloping Hinata in a large, one-armed hug. The true meaning behind Hinata's words once again went right over his head, and he could only see it at face value.

"Oh, thank you, Hinata! You're so awesome! You don't know how much this means to me!" Naruto said enthusiastically as he let go of the poor, embarrassed Hinata.

"O… of course, Naruto-Kun," she mumbled out, trying to cover her pink cheeks with her hands. "But I must be going now; I told father I'd meet him at the Hokage tower at ten. If I don't leave now, I will most certainly be late!"

Naruto nodded in understanding and gave her a small, playful shove out of the stand.

"Well then, you better get going! Wouldn't want to hold you up," he said with a smile.

"Oh; Naruto-Kun… one last thing before I go," Hinata said softly as her tone dropped quite suddenly. "W… will you meet me on the red bridge that crosses the river next to training ground at nine tonight? T… there's something I need to talk to you about."

Naruto raised his brow and scratched his chin at the question.

"Tonight, you say? Hmm… I don't know, I'm pretty busy today… but what the hell! I'll swing bye since you're gonna be such an awesome friend and help me out with Molly! What time do you want to meet up?" Naruto asked cluelessly.

Hinata's face lit up at this and she was so excited that she couldn't even form words.

"H… h…how a… about eleven!? O-or is that too late!? We could always meet earlier! Or even later if you wa-" Hinata babbled out as she played with her hands shyly before Naruto laughed, interrupting her.

"HAHAHA! Eleven sounds great, Hinata! I'll see you then!" Naruto said with a thumbs up and glimmer in his dull blue eyes.

Hinata smiled even wider at this, and knew if she didn't leave right away, she would make a fool of herself in front of him.

"C… c… cool! See you then, Naruto-Kun, and thanks for breakfast!" Hinata said quickly. Before he could respond, she was off in a blur down the street, making Naruto smile.

'That girl is something else, haha!' he thought, watching her form disappear into the crowd of villagers in the distance.

"Hey… Naruto, my boy!" Mr. Ichiraku spoke up from behind Naruto, pulling him from his thoughts.

"What is it, Old Man?" Naruto asked nicely as he shot a smile.

"Uh… weren't… weren't you supposed to be at Yamanaka-San's house at nine sharp?" Teuchi asked with concern in his voice.

"Oh, yah, aha! I almost forgot! What about it?" he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Well… I hope you know it's 9:45… You're almost an hour late."

There was a long silence in the stand after that as Naruto just stood there with snow white skin and dull lifeless blank eyes. The information presented to him sank in like a bad flu, and made his stomach churn. Not long after… Naruto erupted.

"SON OF A BITCH! SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME!" Naruto hollered frightfully as he slammed a large amount of money onto the counter and turned on his heel. With a flash of orange and yellow, Naruto booked it out of the ramen stand and up to the rooftops above, screaming like a girl until his voice faded into the distance.

Teuchi watched with a sweat drop on the side of his head as Naruto's screaming died off.

"Sometimes… that boy makes me think of how he got so far in the first place," Teuchi said to himself with a sigh.

-Fifteen Minutes Later: Yamanaka Flower Shop-

"Shitshitshitshit!" Naruto repeated to himself as he jumped down from the rooftops above to land gracefully, directly in front of the Yamanaka flower shop.

Naruto wasted no time as he barged strait through the front glass door to the shop as the bells rang with his entrance. He looked around frantically for a brief instant before he realized that the store was empty at the moment. He let a large sigh escape his lips before he felt the judging blue eyes that were locked onto from behind the main counter. He looked up to see Ino watching him with a sly smirk and a knowing gaze.

"You know, I'd really pissed at you for being late, but lucky for you it's been a slow morning thus far," Ino said with a snicker. "So you can breathe easy, dumbass."

Naruto shot her a glare as he walked over to the counter top with a scowl. As he approached the counter, Ino threw a large, navy blue apron at Naruto, which he easily caught.

"What's this?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

"You'll be in the back potting plants while I run the front. Mom's out at the hospital today, so you will be doing what she normally does," Ino said with a smile. "Think you can handle potting some plants there, Blondie?"

Naruto shot another playful glare as he held the apron out towards the sly woman.

"HA! That's easy work! I'll have it done before you know it! But, genius… how the hell am I supposed to tie this apron on with one arm?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin.

Ino flinched and blushed massively as her mouth opened but only silence escaped her lips for a brief moment.

"I… j… just come over here and I'll tie it on for you!" Ino said loudly as her face turned an even deeper red.

Naruto obliged and walked over and let the small apron be tied to his waist, revealing it was about two sizes too small. Naruto glared at the fabric with a slight hatred for how womanly it made him look.

"Well… I guess I'll get started!" Naruto said with a forced grin and made his way towards the back room while looking back over his shoulder at Ino.

"Ya, you best, because you need to be done before we head off to the academy at five," Ino reminded him as she turned to her side to flick on the radio.

Naruto paused as he stood just in front of the doorway to the back room. He turned and looked over his shoulder with an interested look.

"You know… you never did tell me; what we are going to the academy for in the first place?" Naruto mentioned with a raised brow.

Ino turned away from the radio and gave him a look as if she was surprised he didn't know already.

"You do know that today is Graduation Day, right? The 127th class from the newly rebuilt academy start their team test tomorrow to see if they are fit to be Genin," Ino said, sounding half interested as she waved it off with a lazy hand. "A lot of Ninja are asked to come down and give speeches and lectures to the rookies to, like, inspire them, or something."

Naruto eyes widened as he finally remembered that today was indeed graduation day.

"Oh, that's right! How could I possibly forget something like that?" Naruto asked out loud as he face-palmed jokingly at his own bad memory.

"Ya, Iruka-Sensei asked if I would come down and give a short speech to the young'uns. Although, I'm not really the 'rally the troops' kind of girl, so I figured you could take my place in giving the speech!" Ino said with a cheeky grin and a playful wink.

This caused Naruto reel back slightly as he looked at Ino with wide eyes. He waved his arm in front of him enthusiastically.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean I'm giving a speech in your place!? I don't have anything prepared or have any clue of an idea of what I would say! I don't even know if I'm any good at giving speeches!" Naruto exclaimed as he shot a frantic look to the laid-back Ino.

Ino looked at Naruto with the most "you're joking, right?" look she could muster.

"You do realize that you have kind of an effect on people when you talk to them… right? Trust me on this one, Naruto-Kun… you'll be JUST fine," she said with another wave of her hand.

Naruto blushed and shot his eyes to the floor at this before returning to look at Ino, who was now leaning her lower back against the counter top with her arms folded over her chest.

"Ya well… whatever! Won't Iruka-Sensei be pissed that you aren't the one doing the speech!?" Naruto pleaded as he shot a finger towards her face.

"Ha, as if! Once he finds out you are giving the speech he will be ecstatic, and you know it! Besides… kids love you, and you've got quite a reputation as the 'Hero of the Five Nations,' oh 'Great Blazing Angel of Konoha'," Ino shot back using her fingers as air quotes making Naruto sigh with defeat, knowing there was no arguing with this girl.

Naruto turned and took a few steps into the back room before turning to look over his shoulder and make a final response before the front entrance bells chimed, signifying a customer. Ino happily greeted them with a cheery wave. Naruto huffed and decided to drop it for now and go do the chores Ino had for him. As he picked up some pots and potting soil, Naruto sat himself at the stool Ino had occupied yesterday when he came to visit. Within no time, he was quickly distributing plant and soil into their new, proper containers. Even so, his head ran wild with other thoughts.

'Ugh! Dammit, Ino! What in the holy mother of gods am I going to say to the new rookies!? I don't even know if I'm supposed to talk about a certain topic, or just talk about my own personal experiences! UGGHHH!' Naruto thought bitterly.

"(Sigh…)"

'This is going to end up being super embarrassing…'

Naruto continued to work over in his head what he could possibly say or do when he went on stage at the academy, if there was even a stage. He mumbled to himself with frustration for the next few hours, hardly even noticing the time pass by. He patted at his now slightly dirty apron and stood from his wooden stool with a look of satisfaction on his face. Around one hundred newly potted plants laid on the table and floor around him, showing that he had finished the task with flying colors.

'Easy work!' Naruto thought with a smile.

With a quick pull, he released the apron from his waist and threw it onto the counter top in front of him. With a quick check of his shirt and pants to make sure he was clean enough to be presentable out in the store, Naruto walked out of the back room. Ino still sat behind the counter with a lazy demeanor, flicking casually through a magazine while the radio next to her softly plaid some pop song he didn't recognize. He grunted in slight agitation that while he was working she was sitting on her ass being a bum.

"Shikamaru rubbing off on you? Or do you always just sit around while a friend's doing you a favor, working his ass off in the back while you lollygag? That's pretty rude, if you ask me!" Naruto stated aggressively with a raised brow.

Ino didn't even flinch as she continued to hum to herself while licking her finger and flipping to another page of the large, glossy magazine. Naruto's eye twitched at how she had just blown him off without a care in the world. He balled his fists and took a deep breath to start a yelling spree at the back of the unappreciative woman in front of him before Ino turned slightly to look over her shoulder with a laid back half eye look.

"You finish all the pots?" she asked lazily.

Naruto blinked a few times, feeling offended by her words for some reason.

"Of course I did!" Naruto responded with a snarl. "What do you take me for? An idiot!?"

"Good, but you do remember that you agreed to do this for blowing me off at launch a couple weeks back, right? So how am I being rude to you if you said you'd make it up to me?" Ino asked lazily as she blinked slowly at the still put-out Naruto.

Naruto's face grew red with agitation and an even bigger twitch while his fist still held at his side, balled aggressively.

"Ya! But, I figured you would at least spend some time with me while I helped you out! You have any idea how boring it was back there!?" Naruto said while throwing a thumb back over his shoulder to the room.

Ino slightly blushed at this, but did a well enough job hiding it from Naruto. She scoffed, recovering from her slight fluffy moment with a flick of her wrist to move her hair over her shoulder.

"Awhhh… did wittle baby Nawuto need Ino-Chan to come and keep an eye on him so he wouldn't feewl so wonwy?" she mocked with a hint of laughter.

Naruto stood silent for a moment with an embarrassed blush before throwing up the bird with a dark glare.

"Bite me," Naruto said blankly before turning on his heel and storming off back into the room he had previously occupied, breaking from Ino's line of sight.

"And where do you think you're going?" Ino asked in a sweet tone, knowing she had just pushed his buttons.

"I don't know!" Naruto called from the back room. "I just know if I continue to talk to you for a single moment longer, I will be thrown in prison for fucking MURDER!"

Ino stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes playfully even though he couldn't see it.

"Awh, don't be that way, Naruto-Kun! If you stay in there all day, you won't be able to enjoy the gift I got you for helping me out today!" Ino yelled back, and just as she'd predicted, she heard footsteps heading back towards the door.

Naruto inched his way around the corner of the door frame so only the right side of his face was visible. His eyes still held a slight glare to them that Ino couldn't help but find cute on his foxy face.

"Present?" Naruto asked quietly with a narrowed eye, almost refusing to believe Ino would do something nice for him.

"Emhmm," she retorted slyly, pointing playfully to a small white box the size of a cell phone that was underneath the counter she sat at.

Naruto moved his head further around the corner of the door frame so his whole face was visible this time. His eyes softening slightly just a bit.

"You're bluffing," he replied with a reserved and cautious demeanor.

Ino scooted the small white box across the floor towards Naruto with her foot so it lay just slightly out of reach from where Naruto stood behind the door frame. He glanced down at it quickly before returning to glare questioningly at Ino.

"It's not going to open itself, you know!" Ino said, actually becoming slightly aggravated by Naruto's sudden distrust of her.

Naruto finally decided to walk around the corner and pick up the small parcel. With a gentle touch, he lifted the box into his hand and weighed it with a slight bounce in his palm. With a raised brow and lifted lower lip, he flicked the lid off with his thumb, letting it fall to the floor. He stared at the contents for a few seconds silently before his brow raised highly.

"W… what!? D-do you not like it or something!?" Ino asked with a stutter, her face burning. Even though she was able to play it off at first, she actually was quite shy about giving him the gift.

Naruto walked over to the counter Ino sat at and placed the small box down so he could pick up the object with his one hand. As he carefully lifted his gift into the air to see it better in the light, Ino turned her head to the side with an even larger blush brushing her cheeks. Naruto glanced away from the parcel in his hands to the uncomfortable Ino, who looked out into the shop to prevent awkward eye contact between herself and Naruto.

"A locket?" Naruto asked curiously as he moved the necklace in his hands, rubbing his thumb gently over the small oval locket that hung from the silver chain.

"Open it, dumbass," Ino said calmly, still refusing to look at Naruto.

Naruto obliged her demands and flicked the silver pendant open that was roughly the size of a quarter with his thumb, allowing the dual picture frame that laid inside to come into view in the ambient lights above. Naruto eyes grew wide and his throat became thick with emotion. He was at a loss for words as he looked from the two pictures to Ino who was now looking from the corner of her eye at him.

"What… H… how…" Naruto sputtered out, unable to form a sentence.

"Apparently, your mom Kushina gave it to my mom many years ago as an act of friendship. She kept it all this time as a remembrance of her after she passed away during the Fox Rampage 18 years ago. I was looking through one of my mom's jewelry boxes a couple days ago and I happened to stumble upon it. When I asked her about it, she told me what I just told you and then she said I should give it to you, saying that even though she loved it…. You would appreciate it many times greater than she ever could," Ino said sweetly, watching Naruto switch from one small picture to the other.

"This picture is of my mom and dad on their wedding day!" Naruto said in a choked up voice as he rubbed his thumb slowly over the picture to move the dust away before looking at the second picture in the locket. "And this one… this is…"

"That's an ultrasound picture of you still in your mom's womb," Ino said with a smile, finishing his sentence seeing how he was struggling to talk.

Naruto could feel his shoulders tremble as he leaned back and let his body fall against the wall behind him for support. His hand shook slightly, not knowing that these pictures had even existed until now. Ino watched with soft eyes letting Naruto take in the pictures and locket.

"Knowing how they passed away on the day of your birth… my mom says that locket in your hands holds the only remaining pictures of the Namikaze family together," Ino informed softly as she stood from her stool and made her way slowly to the trembling man in front of her.

Naruto eyes were shadowed by his bangs and his chest shook with ragged breaths of held back tears.

Ino placed her hand softly upon his shoulder and couldn't help but smile for some reason. She leaned in slightly so she was within whispering distance and just stood in front of him for a moment, just listening to the quiet tears he let fall next to her feet. She looked down to the locket he held in his hand next to his chest, his hand trembling slightly, making the chain sway.

"You do it for them, don't you?" she asked in a soft voice, watching has hand still tremble and a small droplet fall upon his open palm next to the locket. "You get up every day for them, huh?"

Ino reached forward and clasped her hands around Naruto's trembling one and helped close his grip around the necklace. The silence in the room was comforting in a way, letting the emotions Naruto held bleed out slightly without resilience.

"I get up… I get up every day for me…. and all of the people who for some reason rely on me," Naruto whispered out with his eyes still downcast, away from Ino's sight. "But… I only have the strength to do so… because I know I have Mom and Dad watching over me… cheering me on.

Ino stood silent, listening to him speak so softly, his voice felt forced. His hand had stopped trembling in her own and his grip on the locket tightened ever so slightly as he spoke.

"They're my heroes…" Naruto finished as he finally lifted his head back into the light of the store and reveled his blue glistening eyes. Ino looked back politely with a calm and understanding look upon her. Naruto looked back for a moment before smiling sweetly.

"Thank you, Ino."

Ino blushed at how intensely he was looking at her, and yet she couldn't help but feel welcomed by it. It was amazing how his eyes could convey so much emotion that they spoke not only for Naruto's sake…but for her own as well.

"It was just something I found in a small jewelry box, Naruto-Kun… so don't worry abo-"

"No… I'm very thankful you gave me this… but I wasn't saying thank you for the locket," Naruto interrupted, making Ino raise a brow. She patiently waited for him to explain.

"I'm saying thank you for… well, I guess… being my wall these last couple of weeks," Naruto said softly, earning a bewildered red face from Ino as she stuttered for words to say, but could never find the right ones.

"I hate crying," Naruto suddenly and quite randomly chimed in, once again breaking Ino from her stammering episode. "I always cried when I was a child because I hated the world for treating me so poorly. I cried constantly… but as I grew older, I found it harder and harder to cry. I became numb to the pain… bottling it up to a point that not even I truly understood how I felt any more. I learned to accept my pain before the war in a training field by some big waterfall Bee showed me. Although I had come to terms with it and I began to understand that part of me… it never truly went away."

Ino still stood firmly in her spot, watching and listening to Naruto's small story, knowing there was a point for him telling her all of this.

"What I guess I'm trying to say is… all my life, I've been able to bottle my tears and feelings without any trouble," he stammered out while rubbing his thumb slowly over the locket, making Ino pull her hands away. "Yet… whenever I'm around you, it's not like that in the slightest. I mean, here I am in the middle of your damn store, crying my eyes out like a newborn baby for gods-know-who to come in and see, with you standing right in front of me."

"You know… sometimes it's good to cry, Naruto-Kun. It means that you're healing… and also that you're growing," she said with a smile, which Naruto returned quickly.

"Hmm… Yah, but I still don't like it…" Naruto said dryly, but firmly as well. "I feel weak… maybe even helpless. But with you, it's not like that. I feel like I don't need to hold back or hide anything when I'm with you… and I don't know why… I have never been like this with anyone before."

Ino felt her heart jump, trying to understand what he meant by that. She could feel her body grow warm and her lips grow dry. She wanted to punch herself for being so weak and girly around him, but she would never admit how much she craved the sensation.

"W… what do you mean by that, Naruto-Kun?" she asked with a gulp.

"I don't know… but I feel comfortable around you, Ino, and you make the hard things… easy, I guess. So, like I said before… Thank you for being here for me lately, Ino!" he finished while pulling her into a large, one-armed hug. Before she could return the gesture, he had already unhooked his grip and took and step back away from her. She blushed childishly with notice.

"Hey! Could you put this on for me, Ino!?" Naruto asked enthusiastically, holding his new necklace out in front of her face.

Ino sighed relaxingly and took the swaying chain from his hand, stepping close for a better reach and the taller man's neck. Their chests were slightly touching, making Ino blush for obvious reasons, but still holding a sweet smile.

'I'll never get used to how easily his mood can change,' she thought with a giggle, clicking the small lock shut so it would stay fastened to Naruto's neck.

The pendent hung loosely upon Naruto's chest, and the silver chain looked good on him. Ino quickly stepped back after finished her task to give him room, but taking a mental note at how much she loved the smell of whatever cologne he was wearing.

'Surprisingly…he doesn't smell like Ramen!' She thought cheekily, watching Naruto stare happily down at the pendant just below his collar bone.

She smiled and watched him bounce it in his palm and flick the pendent open to look at the pictures once again. His face lighting up as his eyes danced over the small shiny pictures. Not long after, the shop bell chimed behind her, bringing her back to work. Letting the now joyful Naruto look at his locket without interruption… she could handle the last two hours of work.

"You ready to go?" Ino asked, flipping the "Open" sign over to "Closed" and turning off the electronic "Welcome" light.

"Yep! Naruto called with a slight muffle through the walls of the back room of the shop but quickly walking to the front, throwing off his apron once again onto the front counter as he passed. Ino opened and held the door open as he stepped out into the late-evening cast village. With a flick of the lights casting the shop into slight darkness, Ino closed the front glass door behind her, locking it with her key. With a turn of her heel, she turned towards the smiling Naruto, who'd held a glow around him ever since she'd put the locket on him. She threw her shop key into the black purse she had put on over left shoulder.

She was able to go to her room and get dressed up, having Naruto to watch the shop while she made herself presentable at such an important event. She threw on a small, form-fitting purple top that had no markings or designs on it. She also threw on a pair of nice white dress pants that formed to her curves perfectly. The pants cut off at the middle of her calves, making her able to flaunt the new knee-high black boots she had picked up a couple a days ago. There was a slight wedge in the heel that gave a little added height to her small frame. The outfit was absolutely what one would expect out of the fashionable Yamanaka.

"Come on; let's go before we end up being late," Ino said calmly, beginning to walk down the dirt and stone path with a still slightly jolly Naruto beside her.

After walking their way through the village at a casual pace, they found themselves at the new and beautifully rebuilt academy. Walking through the large metal front gates they made their way to the auditorium which was a side building standing just off to the side of the regular school.

The auditorium building was a large, square, white building with a rounded, dome roof. There were no windows except for on the front, as custom with most large stage rooms. There were two large wooden doors that were swung open as to allow the parents and guest to file in and find their places inside. There was a large banner above the two doors that read "CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS CLASS 127," making it hard to feel they were in the wrong place. In front of the doors was a small white table stacked with papers, where a small teenage girl, looking to be about 17, sat with a smile plastered on her face.

"Hello, Yamanaka Ino checking in!" Ino said enthusiastically with a wave once they had approached the small table, making the young woman look up from her scribbles.

"AH! Yamanaka-Sama, you're right on time!" the hostess said with a smile. "I'm very happy you agreed to be a guest speaker for us tonight!"

"Oh! I'm so sorry; I almost forgot! My guest, Naruto, who I'm sure you know - I mean, who doesn't -will be taking my place as a guest speaker for this evening. I hope that it's not too much trouble!" Ino said happily, pulling Naruto closer beside her to emphasize who she was talking about.

The young woman behind the counter turned to Naruto and began to blush immensely when accidently making eye contact with him.

"O... o… of course that's okay! H… h… happy to see you will be joining us tonight, N… N… Naruto-San!" The young woman stammered out, earning a raised brow from Ino. "I will a… a… add your name to the list in p… p… place of Yamanaka-Sama!"

Naruto gave a soft smile to the young lady, making her melt even more into her seat.

"Thank you! I'll do my best, and I'm sorry I'm not very formally dressed," Naruto replied in a cheery tone.

"T… t… that's quite alright N… N… Naruto-San! You look very h... h… handsome. Also I'm very s… s… sorry about your arm!" the young woman replied still unable to compose her stutters.

Naruto waved his arm slightly in embarrassment as he laughed with a blush at the compliment.

"Well thank you… Minori!" he said, now reading the name tag on her chest. "And don't worry about it! I'll have it fixed here soon!"

The young woman, now known as Minori, gave a sweet lovey-dovey smile that Naruto returned with an oblivious foxy one.

After watching what had just happened and knowing exactly why the young woman was acting in such a way, Ino felt a fiery urge to punch the bitch five nations over. Yet Ino was able to keep herself from making a very bloody and violent scene. Turning quickly and grabbing Naruto's arm, she pulled him away quickly before that slut tried to make a move on him.

"COME ON, NARUTO! WE NEED TO FIND OUR SEATS, NOW!" Ino yelled heatedly, now dragging him through the doors and into the long hall that led to the auditorium.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about, it's open sea- OUCH, OUCH, OUCH! STOP PULLING MY EAR!" Naruto yelled out.

Ino marched for a couple more yards before she finally calmed herself enough to let go of the still-dragging Naruto. Stopping as she did so, she tried her best to ignore the questioning looks passersby were giving her and waited for the earful she knew was coming.

"What the fuck was that!?" Naruto yelled in anger, rubbing his throbbing earlobe with his hand. "That was super rude, and then you go and practically rip my ear from my head! What's your deal!?"

"Problem? I have no problem, Naruto-Kun. I just can't stand people who stutter even worse than Hinata-San," Ino lied cheekily with a smirk on her face.

Naruto sighed at this and let his hand fall back to his side now that his ear had stop throbbing.

"It's funny that you say that, though. All of a sudden, all of the girls I talk to besides my friends, excluding Hinata, all seem to have a case of the stutters!" Naruto said while scratching his chin, pondering.

Ino narrowed her eyes sharply at those words and crossed her arms, leaning on one leg and popping out her hip to the side. She finished her pose with a raised brow, showing off her princess attitude.

"Huh?" she asked in a "you better not be saying what I think you're saying!" tone.

Naruto, not catching the hint or even understand what he was saying himself, blindly walked into more physical pain.

"YA! Like ever since I came out of my apartment, girls around the village have been all weird around me! Giving me weird looks and even just randomly giving me gifts! The worst of it is the stuttering, though! It's like I scare them or something, haha!" Naruto said dumbly, earning a hard punch across the head from guess who.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Naruto asked while rubbing his head vigorously.

"You're a complete dumbass, that's why!" Ino said heatedly before turning and stomping off into the auditorium, leaving the confused and dumbfounded Naruto behind.

"Great! Just fucking great! Why is it that all the men I want have a fucking posse after them?!' Ino thought bitterly as she stormed away with her fists balled and shoulders arched.

Naruto, finally able to calm the pain in his cranium, rolled his eyes threw his hand in his pocket and followed the trail his blonde friend had just stormed down. He needed to apologize for whatever the hell he did, even if he had absolutely no freaking idea what that was.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto sat in a standard classroom chair seated off to the side away from the other chairs in the small row, all marked with cards that said "Speakers." The row of about fifteen chairs was against the side wall of the auditorium, facing the large area with row after row of chairs seated in front of the large stage. Ino had chosen a seat in the medium in the "Guests and Family" section that was a couple rows behind the graduating students' seats directly in front of the stage.

Naruto was currently the only one seated at the speakers section and occupied his time with watching parents and guests wander into the large room and find seats. He spotted Sakura walking in, which slightly surprised him. She locked gazes with him from across the room and gave him a happy wave before spotting Ino and grabbing the chair next to her. He saw as even more people he knew made an appearance, such as Shikamaru and Choji, as well as Sai and Hinata, who came in with her father and sister. Lee walked in pushing Gai's wheelchair, with a smiling TenTen and Kakashi walking slightly behind. Kiba and Shino walked in a little later, as well. At this point, the room was quite full, so even though Naruto had seen his friends make an entrance, he doubted that they had seen him in the now filling up speaker section off to the side.

The room was now buzzing with soft murmurs as people talked amongst themselves. The student section located towards the front was now completely filled and it was easy to see that there were about two hundred kids graduating. Although… only about a fourth would actually make it past the team trials taking place in the next few days. Naruto sat, quietly scanning over the large amount of people who he guessed to number around six hundred. He never got to attend his graduation day, being that he was still on watch after the whole stealing the Sacred Scroll incident. He cursed himself slightly for doing something as stupid as that and missing out on such a sacred day until a familiar voice he hadn't heard in quite a while chimed from the chair directly to his left.

"It really is you! How are you, Big Bro!?" the owner of the voice greeted Naruto happily with a large smile plastered on his face.

Naruto turned with a slightly shocked look, not expecting such a loud greeting out of nowhere. After a moment of staring at the young man seated next to him, Naruto let a large warm smile grace his face at recognizing the spiky brunet boy.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto said excitedly. "What are you doing here? Especially at the speakers section.

Konohamaru was in a very nice black collared shirt with what seemed to be a white undershirt. He had the shirt tucked into blue casual jeans, with a black belt tied at his waist. He wore some casual black dress shoes that worked well with his outfit. His blue Konoha headband was tied around his neck in place of his usual scarf.

"I'm here because I'm a grandson of one of the Hokages, so I usually get invited to come down and give a small speech to the new rookies! But the real question is, what you are doing here!? I mean, I've heard the rumors of how you got reinstated and out of your house… but I see that the other rumors regarding your arm are also true. Should you really be doing something like this right now? You looked pretty banged up, Bro, and I can see it's not just your arm!" he finished with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Naruto put his hand on Konohamaru's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I'll be fine bud. Ignore the bags under my eyes; I just didn't get any sleep last night. As for the arm, Sakura-Neechan is gonna make me a new one with some medical magic! So please, don't worry… just enjoy the evening's events," Naruto said sweetly, pulling his arm back to his lap.

Konohamaru looked at Naruto with unchanged eyes before relaxing and shooting back a smile.

"So you're a speaker too, Big Bro? Did you write yours on note cards, or did you memorize it? I spent all last night rehearsing and going over and over it in my head, haha!" Konohamaru said with a hand scratching the back of his head.

Naruto blushed and groaned at the questions. Rubbing his temples with his fingers, he sighed roughly.

"I didn't even know I was giving a speech until about six hours ago," Naruto said bitterly, still rubbing his temples. "I've thought about what I would say all day, but I don't have any clue as of right now."

"Wait… so you're just gonna go up there and wing the whole thing!?" Konohamaru asked with shock.

Naruto nodded and sighed again, tilting his head upwards to look at the large dome roof above.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good luck with that, Big Bro! I hope you don't crash and burn… or do I!?" Konohamaru mocked, laughing loudly.

Naruto shot daggers from the corner of his eye before the lights above dimmed and the lights for the stage lit up brightly, revealing the Hokage herself, as well as Iruka–Sensei standing next to her. The crowed hushed into silence, everyone waiting for Tsunade to speak.

"Welcome friends and family alike to the 177th Graduation Ceremony for the new generation of shinobi that will be given the chance to join the Konoha Military! I thank you all for coming out and greeting these new shinobi with pride and open arms!" Tsunade said with great confidence as the crowd listened intently.

Naruto sat comfortably in his chair listening to Baa-Chan's introduction. He smiled as she spoke before a small vibration in his pants pocket broke his attention.

'Hmm?' He thought as he lifted his phone out of his pocket and slid his thumb across the glass screen.

He raised his brow slightly seeing that he had a new text message. Opening the app and reading the message, Naruto smiled slightly.

- Sakura Haruno -

Hey! Ino just told me you will speaking tonight! That's awesome! I can't wait to hear it! See you after the ceremony! Don't mess up, idiot! Lol :)

'Ya, well, I'm sure you wouldn't be so excited if you knew I had nothing planned,' Naruto thought with a sour chuckle.

Naruto was just about to press the power button to shut off his phone before another small vibration caught his attention. Seeing he had another message, he opened the application.

- Ino Yamanaka -

Nervous? ;p

Naruto sighed slightly and relaxed into his chair at the question. His attention completely taken away from the stage where Iruka was now talking in place of Tsunade. Texting was something he could do for the time being to calm his nerves and clear his head… at least that's what he thought.

- N.U. -

You have no idea! But I wouldn't be nervous if someone hadn't dropped this on me a couple hours ago! – (SEND)

. . . (Vibrate)

-Ino Yamanaka-

You've given tons of speeches before Naruto-Kun -_- … Like you even gave that heroic and blah blah blah speech to that Obito guy in the war for him to stop fighting…. AND HE FUCKING DID! So trust me dumbass….you're actually quite good at this. :)

Naruto smiled at that.

-N.U.-

Ya, but I wasn't just talking. I was speaking with emotion and trying to get across a message. :/ - (SEND)

. . . (Vibrate)

-Ino Yamanaka-

Well then just do that ;) but hey ill ttyl after the ceremony! Looks like the first speaker is about to start! ByeBye 3

Sure enough, after reading Ino's message, Naruto looked up to see a man he didn't recognize making his way to the stage. Naruto slouched and grumbled slightly.

'And here we go…'

Ino and Sakura sat quietly as they listened to the first speaker talk of the future and all of the great things that laid ahead for the graduates. Sakura faded in and out from listening as she couldn't help but shake this nagging question that was now at the front of her mind. Leaning over so she was right next to Ino's ear, making Ino look at her from the corner of her eye.

"Psst… Ino, I have a question," Sakura whispered, making Ino raised her brow. "Didn't you have this super long speech you had been working really hard on? Why did you decide at the last minute to hand it over to Naruto?"

Ino looked back to the stage as she thought of the question. All the while, Sakura was still leaned in, waiting for her response. Ino turned after a moment and smiled.

"Naruto never really knows how to handle his emotions unless he vents somehow, whether it be fighting or training… I figured this could be a great way for him to vent in some way, I guess."

Sakura blinked slowly, pondering Ino's answer.

"Are you sure, though? Does he even have anything prepared?"

"Nope," Ino responded with a smirk.

"Well then-"

"Just wait and watch, Sakura…" Ino interrupted and sent a slight wink out of the corner of her eye. "I have a feeling Naruto's speech is going to be the best of the evening."

Sakura pulled away and looked out over the crowed to see Naruto smiling and listening intensively to the man on the stage.

'I wouldn't take that bet, Ino,' Sakura thought with a smile.

Time seemed to fly by to Naruto. Speaker after speaker got up and made their talks and gave their advice. Most were even very moving and emotionally grabbing, making some of the parents get teary eyed. Speeches of being great and speeches of doing your best was the common theme, it seemed. Honestly, it was quite the little pep rally. All of the speeches talked about the greatness that lay in the world and how amazing the graduates' lives would become if they put forth the effort. Naruto listened and enjoyed every second of every speaker's words… yet at the same time, feeling there was a certain topic that had yet to be covered.

Unbeknownst to Naruto, two hours and came and went, and he was the only one left sitting in the speakers' section. Konohamaru was now on stage, giving this actually quite heartwarming speech of the memories and friends he had made since graduation. Telling of how the new rookies would also do the same and build bonds with other ninja, creating an alliance that couldn't be broken or defeated. Naruto wasn't afraid to admit he was impressed with Konohamaru's words. He was quite the little motivational speaker.

"Thank you all for your time, and have a wonderful evening!" Konohamaru finished, earning a loud eruption of applause from the crowd.

Konohamaru walked off stage and off to a separate seating section where all of the other speakers now sat. Naruto smiled and looked his left to see who would be next to speak but saw only a row of empty chairs; if he was the only one in the row, that meant only one thing.

'Oh…. Fuck.'

"Thank you, Konohamaru; that was wonderful!" Iruka-Sensei said from the stage in front of the microphone. "Now, for our last speaker, we have had a sudden change… although, I'm sure no one will have complaints! Now, I'm sure he needs no introduction, so would you all please welcome Naruto Uzumaki!"

The crowd immediately erupted into applause and some even yelled out his name, who he figured to be his friends. With a large dry gulp, Naruto rose from his chair and made his way from the side of the room towards the stage. As he walked, he thought about the speeches given so far this evening and he still couldn't help but notice there was something missing. Thus, right there, before reaching the steps to go up on stage, Naruto made his decision on his topic of speech. He knew he could do it… after all, he was going through the very same thing in his life right now.

Once making it on stage, Naruto shook Iruka's hand firmly, earning a large smile from the man before he once again made his way off stage. Naruto gripped the microphone just handed to him tightly as he turned and looked out over the dark crowd.

The clapping had stopped and there was now nothing but silence. Everyone was waiting for Naruto to begin. He did a quick glance out over the crowd to see if he could see anyone he might recognize, but alas, it was too dark to make out anyone. Naruto looked down to his feet briefly and took a deep long drawn out breath before beginning.

"As custom, I would like to thank all of the parents, friends, and even supportive watchers who came tonight to support such an amazing step in these young men and women's lives. I would also like to thank the speakers before me for speaking true words of wisdom, and also keeping it interesting as to not put us all to sleep." Naruto smiled at his own words and even got a laugh from the crowd.

"You know… if I told you all I had zero idea what I was going to talk about until just about two minutes ago, you probably wouldn't believe me, but in actuality that's exactly what just happened." Naruto paused for a slight moment before continuing.

"You see, I didn't have a topic chosen, or even know of what I was going to say because I really wanted to know what the other speakers were going to talk about. So, quite literally, these last two or however many hours I've sat in that chair over there against the wall and listened to what everyone had to say." He gestured with his arm over to the chair he had previously occupied.

"And quite honestly and respectfully, the speeches given tonight were some of the greatest words of wisdom I've ever had the pleasure and honor of hearing." Naruto glanced over and gave a slight smile to the speakers sitting of to the side before turning back to the crowd. "There was not a single piece of advice tonight I feel was wrong."

"But with that being said… I do feel there has been a topic that has yet to be touched upon tonight. I also realize why that is… You see, the theme so far with every speech is how to be successful with life… and with everything one will encounter once becoming a ninja, or even just an adult. Yes, success is what everyone wants to achieve. It drives us… helps us get up in the morning… keeps our dreams within reach." Naruto paused once again as he could now see the crowd was becoming more and more interested in his words.

"Yes… success is everything we want… But what happens… when we fail? When we lose? What happens when things don't go your way, or as planned… what happens then? Do you keep moving forward? Or do you let it consume you?"

Naruto lowered the mike just slightly as a hush rang out through the room. Naruto closed his eyes and took another breath to calm himself. He knew what he wanted to get across… but he really didn't know how to word it.

"You see, success can be accomplished by being… heroic, or brave, or undoubtedly with hard work, but you want to know the funny thing about success is? It's not a straight shot. Success does not come by being perfect… it comes from failure. Now… that might sound like the strangest thing you've ever heard, and I understand. Allow me to explain my madness, if you will." He got a small laugh again.

"Since we are born, we are a certain way and act a certain way to the people around us, and especially to ourselves. We have an unchangeable mindset of the world around us that can't be moved. Especially when you are being successful, whether its passing a test or going to work and getting a paycheck, or going on a mission and keeping the people you care about alive. You feel the way you are is perfect, because nothing has gone wrong. Yet one day… it will.

"You fail that test you were studying for. You lose your job and can no longer put food on the table for your little girl. You're on a mission… and things go sideways… and when the smoke settles… you have to go home and tell a family their little boy or girl, brother or sister, husband or wife… isn't coming home. You failed… you failed… You… Failed. It echoes in your mind like a bad disease, and turns your world cold. Failure… changes how you look not only at the world around you, but at yourself.

"You change… you don't know If you can do it anymore. You don't know if it's worth it. You see, you have two choices once you fail. You can sit around and cry and whimper…or, as explained to me by a good friend of mine… you can get off your ass… you can wipe your eyes… and keep going. Success does not define who you become… failure does. You find out who you really are in adversity.

"If you do something and you fail, you will most likely get down on yourself. That's okay… it's okay to be upset… but be sure once you're done, you get back on your feet as fast as you can! Keep going… even if you fail again, and again, and again, and again. Because once you are successful…. once you have walked the path of failure… you will see at the finish line, success. You aren't the same person that you were at the beginning. You thought at the beginning you were perfect and you would just coast to success. Yet now, standing at the end, scratched and battered, bruised and bloody… you look back at the lonely and dark path of failure and you will realize… you realize… all the failure made you successful…. failure shaped you, and helped you grow.

"You see, success is an afterthought… once you have found who you REALLY are… in failure. I have failed so many times in my life, I can't even tell of all of them. It took me 3 tries to graduate the academy. My best friend left home and abandoned everything I thought he cared for. I let a war break out that I should have been able to easily stop. I let friends die and let families grieve over something that should have never happened. Failure is who I am.

"But don't be afraid to fail… Embrace it. Even after all that I have done, even after everything I feel I did to be successful, I'm sure you can all see that my right arm is gone. Not only because I wasn't strong enough physically… but also mentally. I only know this now because I failed. So now… knowing this, I can build myself to be even stronger… and wiser.

"Rookies… Parents… Fellow Shinobi… Everyone tonight has encouraged you to go fourth and be successful. I… encourage you to fail. I encourage you… to try and let life beat you to your knees. And once you're down and trying to fight yourself back to your feet… let failure whisper in your ear… 'Do you give up?' And always stand and respond… 'No.'"

"Thank you."

Naruto lowered the mike away from his face and for a moment, there was no movement among the crowd. He placed the microphone on its stand and turned to walk off until a slow clap built in the crowd. People rose from their chairs and clapped even louder. Naruto did not stop his trek though. He made his way down the stairs and to the open chair next to Konohamaru, who currently had a look of awe plastered on his face. Taking his seat, Naruto looked up and into the crowd who were still clapping loudly and spotted a blond haired woman smiling widely at him and through the crowd he was just able to make out her mouthing the mocking words.

"I told you so."

The rest of the ceremony went by with a flash, and not long after his speech, Naruto stood outside with the now night sky above, waiting for his friends to make it through the slow-moving crowd. His back was against the wall next to the main doors and he had his hand in his pocket. He looked up at the stars that were beginning to emerge in the beautiful dark sky and he couldn't help but smile. Lee, TenTen, and Gai all made a scene at how good it was to see him after so long and how great his speech was. Lee roared about how youthful it was and how he would be sure to do a thousand pushups but fail as to honor his words.

'That's not really what I meant, Lee, haha!'

After Lee and the others left for home, Kiba and Shino were the next to come up and give him a greeting. Kiba spoke of going out for a guys' night to welcome Naruto back, which Shino actually agreed to. Naruto smiled and laughed and said to shoot him a text and they said that they definitely would. Kiba gave a wave and they were off.

Next were Kakashi and Konohamaru, both just giving a quick hand shake and heading off on their way. Shikamaru and Choji gave a wave and a quick shout about how good the speech was, but were off just as quick as they came. Soon, Naruto was looking back towards the night sky before two small figures approached just to the side of him, just stepping out the front main doors of the auditorium.

"Told you," Ino said with a smirk as Naruto looked down from the sky to return the smile.

"Honestly, Naruto, those were probably the deepest words I've ever heard come from your mouth before! Is this really you, or just some kind of Genjutsu? Hehe!" Sakura joked while placing a hand over her mouth as she laughed.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha, guys," Naruto said with a roll of his eyes. "But thanks."

He smiled, pushing himself off of the wall.

"Well, Ino, Naruto; I will talk to you guys later. I'm pretty tired, so I'm heading home," Sakura said with a wave and smile as she turned to walk away.

"Okay, Bye, Sakura-Neechan!"

"Bye, Billboard Brow!"

Sakura threw one last wink over her shoulder towards Ino before whispering just loud enough for Ino to hear.

"Play nice, you two."

Sakura walked away while a blushing Ino silently cursed her name with a balled fist.

"H-hey Naruto-Kun, Ino-San." A quiet voice spoke up from behind the two blondes, making them turn.

"Oh, hey, Hinata! What's up?" Ino asked with a smile and wave.

"Well…" Hinata murmured out before turning to Naruto quickly. "N-Naruto-Kun… do you feel we could actually meet up now? I know it's earlier then I asked for, but we could walk together to the bridge… if that's okay with y-you I mean?"

Ino slightly flinched and turned her head to look at Naruto with confused eyes.

"Oh… Ya, sure, Hinata that's cool! It's just… uh," Naruto said with a smile before turning to Ino. "Ino, do you think you could walk yourself home? I hate to be rude..."

Ino raised her brow and glanced between Naruto and the blushing Hinata standing in front of him, who was giving her a pleading look. She really wanted to tell her to take a hike but the look Hinata was sending could melt a frozen heart.

"Ugh… Ya, that's cool," Ino said while turning her head away with agitation. "I'll shoot you a text later, or something."

"Awesome! Thank you, Ino! I'll see you later!" Naruto said giving the blond a big hug making Ino let a slight eep brush from her lips.

With a quick turn after setting Ino back onto the ground where she currently stood with a tomato face, Naruto walked off with a jittery Hinata at his side.

'What's got her all jazzed?' Ino thought with a scowl. "And where the hell are they going anyway… something about a bridge?'

Ino watched the couple turn and make their way around the front gate of the academy, now out of sight. Ino turned and made her way in the opposite direction towards home.

'Whatever, it's none of my business,' was what she originally thought before she found herself now walking the same direction Naruto and Hinata were heading, only just out of sight.

'Although… I better make sure Hinata doesn't… try anything. I mean I'm not STALKING! I'm just….. Oh, fuck it! I just don't like the idea of her being alone with him!' Ino thought bitterly as she quickened her pace ever so slightly.

Looks like the conversation meant for two, was secretly becoming for three.

END CHAPTER 10

AN (Trying to get the love going in this story ;) Let's see what happens next chapter eh? Hehehehe)