It is with a jubilant heart that I say, I'm back bitches!

Yes yes, I've return from the depths of the after life to bring to you the next installment of FF: NE.

I hope you like it seeing as how it will be a bit different than the others to date. Plus with the fact that I wrote this on my phone rather than my laptop. (For some shit reason the stupid thing won't turn on)

Without further adieu... onwards we go.

As the scene faded and the jutsu returned to its kanji form, Kakashi took a moment to truly drink in what he had just seen. The implications he could draw from the sneak peek into the future was enough to draw the grey-haired shinobi to a halt.

Since the deaths of his teammates and sensei, it had become a universal fact that Kakashi Hatake did not work well with others. It was one of the reasons why he had joined the ANBU corps soon after. The Inu mask was more than just a porcelain figurine, but rather a metaphorical mask that had rid the world of his identity.

When the mask was on, Kakashi Hatake was no more.

Perhaps it was cowardly, but it gave him a sense of relief. There in the ANBU corps, he was no longer the son of the White Fang, student of the Fourth nor the child prodigy he was hailed to have been. No, there he was simply Inu.

Kakashi knew he wasn't the most social person. He had many acquaintances and comrades but the only person he could call a true friend was Might Guy (and wasn't that saying something) but even that bond was solely attributed to the fact that Guy was a stubborn son of a bitch who wouldn't take no for an answer.

Saying that Kakashi was someone with a boatload of friends was like saying that Orochimaru wasn't a pedophile.

But then here he was, watching his future self willingly making an effort to further his relationship with his students, even going as far as to offer relationship advice.

Honestly, he wasn't sure which was more surprising, this or the fact that he had been named the Sixth Hokage.

Make no mistake, Kakashi had been resigned to the fact that he was enlisted as a squad instructor. He would have simply failed the team like he had done to the myriad before them but with the likes of Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki on the roster, there would be no escaping the fate. But at the same time felt that if he gave the bare minimum required effort that all would be well.

But somewhere along the line, he had somehow grown to actually care about the genin team in a way he had not for years past.

"Hokage-sama, I believe it would be prudent for us to take a break at this point," he spoke up, and was relieved to see the man nod in acceptance.

Good, Kakashi needed a moment to gather his thought at this point.

Teuchi was no mind-reader like the Yamanaka clan, but as his favorite customer walked in through the curtains, he was sure something was up. The boy was a lot more subdued than usual and hadn't even shout out his order like he normally did.

But on the plus side, he wasn't alone. This was the first time he had seen Naruto with other kids his age and even he could spy his daughter in the corner wringing the hem of her apron with excitement. Ayami was of the belief that Naruto was quite the endearing young man despite his rough edges and would lament for the day he brought friends to the small ramen establishment.

Putting on a smile (with his eyes still closed), Teuchi greeted the boy with a wave and a welcoming gesture.

"Hey there Naruto, how've you been?" he asked as the blond saddled the stool behind the counter. To his immediate left, the young Uchiha took up residence with the heiress of the Hyuga clan to his right.

It was an odd sight indeed.

Naruto smiled. "Its... been different old man," he admitted, his hand scratching the nape of the neck. "Being a genin is whole lot different than I expected."

Teuchi raised a brow. "How so?"

Immediately, he noted the small look trepidation that crossed the blond's face and caught the odd look he shared with his companions.

"I'm sorry Ichiraku-san, but we're not at liberty to say,"

This time it was the young Shikamaru who had spoken. He was seated next to Sasuke with his loyal pal Choji on his other side.

Teuchi ignored Ayame's small noise of indignation, instead observing the children - no shinobi that took up residence in his stand.

After a small moment, he nodded.

"So what can I get you then? I'm guessing the regular for you, Naruto?"

A nod was all he needed and he could hear his daughter rushing off to fulfill the order.

"I would like w-whatever N-Naruto-kun is having," the Hyuga heiress spoke.

"Same," was Sasuke's curt response.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't really care either well, just get me something that would kill me from sodium poisoning,"

Choji told a while longer to decide before he finally slammed the menu he had picked up on the counter. "Get me two servings of your Pork Lover's Ramen special, please," the Akimichi ordered.

Teuchi nodded with a small grin. "So that'll be 3 orders of Miso Chashu Pork ramen, 2 orders of the Pork Lover's special and a bowl of shoyu ramen. Is that all?"

"Add another shoyu ramen to that list, Teuchi?" a voice spoke as the person made their way inside.

"Hokage-sama!"

"And could you make it to go?"

Teuchi nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama," the chef said as he too made his way towards the kitchen area, leaving the group of genin and their leader alone.

As he watched the wary glances being sent his way, Hiruzen felt as old as he truly was. He had allowed for this to happen. It mightn't have been intentions but it was saying that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. In his attempt to honor a late father's and leader's wish, he had ostracized an innocent boy and now he was reaping what he had sown.

Most at this point would've just backed off now and allowed for Naruto to replace their severed bonds with new ones, but over the years of looking after the blond, he had come to see him as a grandson - just like Konohamaru was. It pained him to see Naruto angry and it was a twist of the kunai to be the one the jinchuuriki was angry at.

"Naruto-kun, may I speak with you?"

Naruto made no signs that he had heard the aged kage but the Third smiled as he shuffled off the stool and made his way towards him. Of course, Sasuke made to follow, resulting in the hokage to raised a palm.

"Peace, Sasuke-kun. I wish to speak to Naruto alone,"

As Sasuke made to speak, Naruto held out a hand. "It's fine, teme. I'll be okay,"

The Third smiled thinly at his words truly wondering if Sasuke believed he would have ever intentionally harmed Naruto. Instead of pondering on those words, he clasped a hand on Naruto's shoulders and in a swirl of green leaves, they were gone.

"Can you believe that knucklehead!"

Sakura sat beside her former love-rival and childhood friend as she ranted on the topic that was one Naruto Uzumaki. The pinkette of Team 7 munched listlessly on the sandwich in her hand as she thought over what she had seen so far.

On one hand she had married her first crush and the boy who was undoubtedly the love of her life. Sasuke Uchiha was everything the pre-teen wanted in a boyfriend. He was mysterious, cool and so strong. He had finished at the top of their year and was just so handsome. It was her dream come true.

But on the other hand, she had just learned the fact that the annoying blond who used to consistently hound her for dates was the container of their village's worst nightmare. To think that the Nine-Tailed fox was so close to her all this time... she just shuddered to think of the implications?

Yet... why was there doubt in her mind?

It was simple... right? Naruto contained the fox so that meant Naruto was evil.

"He's my comrade and a fellow ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. He's the same person that he was an hour ago and he's the same person that he was a day ago. His name is Naruto Uzumaki and he's my friend!"

Yet, Shikamaru's words were still ringing in her ears. Was the lazy Nara right? Was Naruto just a comrade? Looking back at the years she had known the whiskered face genin, she realized that the answer came a lot sooner than she had expected.

Yes he was.

"He was right," she mumbled, but Ino - being right beside her - heard what she said.

"Eh, Sakura? Who was right?"

"Shikamaru. He was right about Naruto," she explained.

"What are you talking about!" Ino exclaimed. "Don't tell me he's used some sort of mind-control on you too, Sakura. He's the Kyuubi. He can't be trusted!"

Sakura laughed. It was a sad tone, with a hint of bitterness. "If he was so evil Ino, do you really think the Hokage would've allowed him to live in the village?"

"Well, no."

Here, the pinkette stood. "And if he wanted to hurt us, wouldn't he had done it already? I mean, he's had a lot of chances with us being in the same class, yet the most evil thing I've ever seen him do was when he put itching powder in Iruka-sensei's pants,"

Ino frowned, not liking the implications. "I guess not," she admitted. "But what about the Kyuubi? He still has it inside of him,"

Sakura shook her head. "The Kyuubi and Naruto are two different things. They're not the same,"

Ino paused, a look of hesitation on her face. "So Naruto isn't evil?"

Sakura giggled. "No. He's annoying, no doubt. But he isn't evil,"

Naruto fell to a slump atop the head of the Fourth Hokage while the Third simply stood behind him. Neither spoke, content to simply revel in the moment's peace. The wind picked up, causing Naruto's blond spikes to sway in the breeze while the hokage's cloak fluttered softly.

"Your father was an orphan that was brought to village when he was young. I don't really know much about his life prior to that but I am aware that during his time at the Ninja Academy, he was quite an excellent student,"

Naruto made no sounds as Hiruzen spoke. His eyes were closed and his fists were clutched in a tight grip.

"Your mother on the other hand, was from The Village Hidden in the Eddies. It was her clan's home. She was moved here so that she could become the next jinchuuriki when the one before her died. She had bright red hair and violet eyes. She was a lot like you and she would shout dattebane whenever she got excited,"

Naruto let out a strangled sob, but Hiruzen pretended to not have heard. It showed how truly starved of affection the boy was, and the Third would not speak out about it, content to let him have a moment.

"They fell in love when they were teenagers. The war was just beginning to pick up and the Cloud village decided to try and kidnap her because of her clan's chakra. Your father was the first one to notice that she was missing and had rushed off to save her, single-handedly beating up the entire Cloud team. Since then, the two were inseparable.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

Hiruzen winced at the tone. It sounded so defeated and weak that he would not have believed it belonged to Naruto if he hadn't seen the boy speak.

"I was a fool. When they died Naruto, the village was in turmoil. If persons were to know that you were their son, I feared you would not have been able to live to see the next sunrise. Your father may be seen as a hero to the Leaf but to other villages, he was the boogeyman. If word had gotten out that his son was still alive and vulnerable, then no doubt assassins in the multitude would have been at your crib. Not to mention the fact that your status as the fox's jinchuuriki, there were many - both home and abroad - who would no doubt try to use you to their own agenda.

"I did what I had thought was best. If you were seen to the public as only an orphan, then the threat of foreign assassination attempts would be gone. I had stricken all connection to your father off the records so that you would be able to live as normal a childhood as possible. I'm sorry to say that I've failed you, Naruto,"

Naruto said nothing in return, allowing to words to sink in. He rose slowly to his feet, looking over the village as he did so. The scent of the forest that surrounded the village was fresh on the wind.

"Did they love me?"

"To their dying breaths,"

Suddenly the boy slipped his hand into his pouch and drew a kunai. Without hesitation, he stabbed the tool into the back of his right palm, allowing the blood to trickle down his hand.

"Then I swear on my parent's legacy, I'll become the hokage that surpasses all other hokages! That's a promise, -ttebayo!"

The Third chuckled softly. He had already seen the boy become hokage but even of he hadn't, the raw conviction in his tone was enough to convince him otherwise.

"I'm sure you will, Naruto."

There, another chapter down and out.

Not much to say so until next time, you know what to do...

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-Gregorybryce9