I don't own Naruto or anything else from any anime/manga/movie/show/book or game.

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Bijju/ Summon"

First I would like to thank everyone for the reviews and p.m.'s I received for the last chapter. I know I have been slow to update but between my job and my other story I have been doing the best I can. I really appreciate the support everyone has shown not only for this story but for my other one too.

Anyway, here is the next chapter, please read/review and let me know what you think. I enjoy reading everyone's thoughts, concerns, and suggestions on how to make the story better. This will be the last chapter before the Chunin exams begin. Enjoy!

XxX

Chapter 13

The Third Hokage sat at his desk looking at the papers that were proof of what he considered one of the worst mistakes of his life. Reviewing these papers, he realized that his error had not been as catastrophic as he thought. He was so happy at this discovery that he couldn't even feel angry at his sensei for keeping it a secret. The guilt and anger he felt at himself for being responsible for Lady Haruna's death had helped shape him into the man he was today. Sarutobi had to admit that the feeling of relief he felt knowing that he was not responsible for the death of his beloved sensei's lover was indescribable; it was a lifetime of guilt leaving at last, Sarutobi could finally move on and the person responsible for this was standing in front of him.

Sarutobi looked up from the paperwork and stared intently into Sakura's emerald green eyes, his voice deep with emotion as he spoke to her. "You have no idea what this means to me Sakura, for this I will forever be in you debt."

Sakura could tell the Hokage truly meant what he said. She was glad to help him, even if he was messing with her plans; she knew how felt to carry a guilty conscience. She had made mistakes in her past/future life that she was now trying desperately to avoid. "You don't need to thank me Lord Hokage, all I did was told the truth. I had hoped to keep the truth to myself as long as possible…"

"But why? Why would you want to keep this a secret? The fact that there is another Senju that can possibly bring the clan…" Sarutobi was cut off by Sakura's steeled voice.

"I am a HARUNO! My father and grandfather were Haruno and I have no intention of changing my name, at least not until I'm married."

"But… you know that you carry the Senju blood in you," argued the Hokage. "When the village knows…"

"I know what will happen" she snapped at him. "I know that people will try to manipulate me for their own selfish gains. Or they will try to suck up to me in hope to gain something from me in the future. Worse of all they will try to control me any way they can. Well, I will tell you now. I may not be able to stop you from telling the village but neither you nor the council have the authority to force me to take the Senju name. And with the exception of my ninja duties I will not be told what to do in regards to my personal life. If I have to I will take a page out of Tsunade's book and leave this village, with or without permission".

"You would rather become a missing ninja than become the Senju heir? Would you really leave your friends and your mother over this?" asked the Hokage in disbelief.

"I refuse to be a pawn for political games. I refuse to be controlled simply to satisfy the people who can't get over their anger and grief enough to let a wonderful person become what he was meant to become".

Sarutobi finally knew what she was talking about. Apparently Kakashi's suspicions about there being more to the relationship between Sakura and Naruto were right. The girl knew that if she took the Senju name many would try to gain influence on her. And many, especially the council, will try to pressure her into continuing the Senju clan' name. Because of Tsunade's age, she was no longer able to bear children. This would place all the pressure on Sakura, and the girl knows it. Sakura also knows that the council would approve of the heir of the Senju clan to be in a relationship with someone like Naruto. Sarutobi once again cursed the civilians' ignorance. If the village knew not one but two of the four Hokage's wives were Jinchuriki, maybe they would be more tolerant of Naruto.

"I understand how you feel Sakura, but this is a critical decision. This is an important opportunity, not only for you but for the good of the village as well. Please think carefully about your decision. I will support you with whatever you decide."

"Thank you Lord Hokage, if that is all for now, can I be excused? There is someone I need to talk to before this becomes public knowledge."

"Very well Sakura, you're excused".

Sakura gave the Hokage a small bow then left to find Naruto. The Hokage turned to the man standing next to him and asked.

"What do you think Kakashi?"

"I think Sakura is right about the council. I don't think they will leave her alone when this gets out".

"I know…we will have to keep a close eye on her, a close eye on both Sakura and Naruto".

"I will do my best Lord Hokage".

"Very well, you may leave Kakashi. I have to call for a council meeting. Don't forget that the Jonin meeting is tomorrow, if you want to take part in the nomination ceremony DO NOT BE LATE."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and said "Of course not. My students would kill me if I was". He the disappeared in a swirl of leafs, leaving an amused Hokage behind.

XxX

"So has it been confirmed?" asked a heavily bandaged man with a cane.

"Yes Lord Danzo. The girl is without doubt the great granddaughter of the Second Hokage" answered a kneeling masked man.

Danzo actually smiled. "I must prepare for the council meeting Sarutobi is certain to call."

""My lord, the Hokage will not willingly give custody of the girl to anyone."

"It doesn't matter; I WILL have the Senju and the demon. After all, ninja go missing in action all the time". With that, the man left to prepare for the meeting.

XxX

Naruto was having a great day so far. He got up early and had a light breakfast of Shinobi-O's. Sakura had made sure that he didn't have ramen for all his meals. He was only allowed to have ramen once a day; Naruto had very reluctantly agreed that this way was healthier for him. Naruto had been reading the books that Sakura had given him, while most we really boring, Naruto had taken a real interest in the books on sealing. This type of book seems to call to him; it was like he was meant to read them. While he was still only learning the basics, Naruto thought this was something that had potential to be a powerful skill for him later. After buying some new weapons and gear with some of the money from the last mission, Naruto had a productive training session before heading to Ichiraku's for a well needed ramen fix. He was very surprised to find Sakura waiting for him outside the ramen stand.

"Hey Sakura, your meeting with the old man over?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, I kind of have to talk to you about it. In private" she said in a serious voice. Naruto was going to answer when his stomach growled loudly. Sakura smiled and added "After we have lunch".

After a short and quiet lunch the couple left the stand and walked to Naruto's apartment. An apartment that once was a mess was now a neat and clean place thanks to some not so subtle threats from Sakura. After sitting comfortably on the couch, Naruto nervously asked. "So what do you want to talk about Sakura?"

"It's about the meeting I had with the Hokage".

"What about it? Is something wrong" he asked, concerned.

"Well… there is something that I need to tell you Naruto. It's something about my family that will be made public soon. I wanted you to hear it from me before you hear it from someone else."

"Ok, so what is it? You look worried about it. You know that no matter what it is, I'm here for you, you know that" he told her with an intense look on his face.

Sakura smiled at him, this was one reason why she loved him so much; his fierce determination and loyalty to the people he loves. "Well as it turns out I recently found out that my family was not always named Haruno. My great grandmother changed it to hide her real name. Her true name was not Shina Haruno, it was Haruna Shirahama".

"I've never heard of her, did she do something wrong? Why does it matter what her name was?" he asked confused.

"Her family was one of the first civilian families to live in the Leaf Village…"

"Wow! That is so cool Sakura!" he nearly yelled excitedly. "But why did she change her name then?"

"The reason she changed her name and left the village was because of the man that is my great grandfather. He was a powerful ninja and had many enemies. To keep her safe after an attack that killed her family, she was secretly taken from the village and changed her name. The plan was to have her come back once the war was over but unfortunately my great grandfather was killed soon after she left. Nobody but my great-grandmother knew who he was but I found her diary and learned her secret. Because of certain actions I had to tell the Hokage about it. He just had my blood tested and it proves that my great grandfather was who my great grandmother said it was. Because of who he was they will probably announce it to the village soon."

"Who was he?" asked Naruto.

"My great grandfather was… Tobirama Senju".

Naruto's eyes widen, and then took a pensive look for several seconds before he spoke. "Who was he again?" he asked rubbing the back of his head.

Sakura sweat dropped before her eye twitched. "Naruto didn't you pay any attention in the academy? That was the name of the Second Hokage" Sakura answered in a frustrated tone.

Finally understanding, Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Wait. You're related to a Hokage... That's AMAZING! Sakura that's so cool. Why are you acting like it's a bad thing or something?"

Of course Naruto would think being related to a Hokage could only be a good thing. "Naruto, this is going to cause me a lot of grief. The council and the Hokage want me to change my name and everything. I don't want to be treated differently, and I don't want people trying to control me or tell me what I should or shouldn't do. And I especially don't want anybody thinking they can tell me who I should be with".

When Sakura said that Naruto understood why she was worried. If she was related to the Second Hokage, the villagers and the stupid council wouldn't want her to even be friends with him, much less be his girlfriend. "Is that why you didn't want to tell anybody about us? Because you knew if the village found out about your family that they would not approve of us?"

"I don't care what people think Naruto. We can tell everyone we're together if you want. But people will try to break us apart when they find out. It will be harder for us to be together but if you want to we'll do it. I'm not leaving you unless you want me to".

Naruto looked in to her emerald green eyes and saw the intensity in them, she meant every word. He smirked and answered "good because I never want you to leave me. I guess we should still keep us being together a secret, for now anyways."

Sakura smiled at him and engulfed him in a tight hug. The young couple spent the rest of the day in each other's company as the Hokage had his meeting with the Village Council.

XxX

In the council room the Hokage waited for everyone to be seated before speaking. "Thank you all for coming in short notice."

"Why have we been called for this meeting? Is there something wrong Sarutobi?" asked Danzo, who already knew the answer.

"You were called because I have just verified some information that is of great importance to the village" answered the Hokage.

"And what information is that Lord Hokage?" asked the fa… big boned leader of the Akimichi Clan Choza Akimichi.

"Information that regards one of the Leaf Village's most revered and respected clans."

"Oh, is this about Sasuke Uchiha then?" interrupted one of the civilian council members.

Several of the ninja clan heads grumbled at the fool's question before the Hokage answered. "No, the information I gathered is about the other clan the founded this village… it's about the Senju Clan".

This caused whispers as people wondered what this was about. Finally one of the Hokage's advisers Utatane Koharu spoke. "What information is this Sarutobi? Did something happen to Tsunade?"

"No, this is not about Tsunade. This is about another…"

"What other? Tsunade is the only Senju left". Danzo mentally smirked as Sarutobi looked at him in frustration. Danzo wanted Sarutobi to spit it out so he could put his plan in action.

"Actually that is no longer the case; I have just verified that one of our ninja is actually a descendant of the Second Hokage"

This news sent a wave of shock through the entire room, the look of disbelief was most apparent in both of Sarutobi's former teammates, not that Sarutobi blamed them. After all he could hardly believe it himself.

"What do you mean? How is that possible?" asked Koharu is a shaky voice. Danzo said nothing since he already knew.

"It appears that Lady Haruna was not killed in the attack as we were led to believe"

"But we…"

Sarutobi cut her off. "I KNOW. I know what we saw, believe me when I tell you that I didn't believe it myself. However the blood test proves that the person is who they say they are. My personal physician ran the tests. The person in question is a direct descendant of our sensei and Lady Haruna."

"Forgive me Lord Hokage but am I to assume that your team knew of the Second having a personal relationship with this person, Lady Haruna" asked Shibi Aburame.

"Yes, Tobirama sensei swore us to secrecy in order to keep Lady Haruna safe since she was a civilian and he had many enemies. However, somehow the cloud village learned of their relationship and tried to kidnap her. The attempt failed and cost the lives of Lady Haruna's parents. We believed that Lady Haruna died as well but apparently she survived and our sensei kept it a secret, even from us. Lady Haruna was taken from this village with the hope that when the war was over she could be returned. However our sensei was killed a month later and the knowledge of her survival was lost with him. Lady Haruna was already with child and knew that our sensei's enemies would do harm to her and her son. She changed her name and told no one of the father of her child. The descendant of that child is now a ninja of this village. They brought that information to me after I questioned them about performing jutsu that only Tobirama sensei had been able to do"

This caused much excitement in the room. The Second Hokage was one of the strongest ninja to ever come out of the Leaf Village. That any ninja was able to perform any of his jutsu was great news to the village.

"And who is this ninja Sarutobi? What is their name?" asked Danzo.

"Her name is Sakura Haruno, she is a Gennin member of team seven under Kakashi Hatake" answered the Hokage. Again whispers resound around the room as the occupants tried to remember what they knew about the young girl in question.

"I know Sakura Haruno, she and my daughter Ino were close friends when they were younger. From what I remember she was a very intelligent with a nearly genius level mind" said Inochi Yamanaka.

"The girl also has a mean temper from what I hear from my son. She completely humiliated him in a sparring session, much to my daughter's and my own amusement. With the right training she could be a powerful asset to this village, that's for sure" said Tsume Inuzuka.

"My son was a witness to that match; his assessment was much the same. Shino said she showed impressive chakra control and that she was gifted not only with Genjutsu but with medical Ninjutsu as well. Truly impressive for someone her age" said Shibi Aburame.

"My daughter Hinata has spent much time with the girl recently. When I asked her of her last mission she praised the girl's skill (and Naruto's). From what Hinata said Sakura Haruno was able to defeat a B rank level missing ninja on her own" said Hiashi Hyuuga. He was thinking that Hinata finally did something right at befriending this girl that could be potentially a powerful and influential ally to the Hyuuga clan.

"Yes, from what Kakashi has told me she is a gifted ninja. She has shown to have inherited Tobirama sensei's incredibly high affinity to water, she currently lacks the chakra capacity to use it to the full extent that sensei did but with time that can change. Sakura also has a secondary affinity for earth which means if only in theory she can potentially be able to resurrect the Senju bloodline" said Sarutobi. As Sarutobi expected this was well received by the council members who he was sure were already trying to figure out ways of how to gain the girl's favor.

"So when will she be announced as the Senju heir? After all, Tsunade is too old to have children and it's only right that this girl take her rightful place" said a civilian that the Hokage could already see had his own agenda for asking the question.

This was the part that Sarutobi knew was not going to go well. "Unfortunately Sakura has refused to take the Senju name. She has no desire to have anything to do with being its heir or anything else to do with the clan". Sarutobi didn't have to wait long to hear the shouting.

"WHAT!"

"IMPOSSIBLE"

"HOW CAN THIS BE?" were shouted among other things.

"Why does she think she has a say in the matter? She is a ninja of this village and should do what she's told" said Danzo.

"She has every right to as she wants. This council has no right to force her to do anything and I will support her decision whether we like it or not" said Sarutobi.

"But why? What possible reason could she have to turn down the name of one of the greatest clans of all time?" as one of the civilians.

"It's because she has been raised by, and as, a civilian. She has no respect for any ninja clan, much less her own. I suggest that she is placed under the guardianship of a clan so she can be properly trained as a ninja clan heir" said Danzo, already with a plan in mind on how to be the one to get Sakura.

Before anyone could agree with him however, "That is NOT going to happen. Not only do we have no right but we have no authority to do it. She lives with her mother and Sakura herself is considered an adult as a ninja of the village, so is entitled to the respect we must give her for her decisions".

"But Sarutobi, she is sensei's heir" said Koharu. "We have to make sure…"

"The only thing we have to make sure of is that we respect her decision. That is what sensei would what us to do" answered the Hokage. This seemed to get through both his teammates as well as most of the ninja in the room, much to Danzo's frustration. Knowing that he no longer had the support to implement his plan, Danzo could only seethe silently while he endured the rest of the meeting. "I believe it's best for her safety that her heritage be kept a secret for now. The last thing we want is that Sakura becomes the target of the Senju clan's enemies. I have also sent word to Tsunade in hopes that this news will bring her back to the village. Perhaps she can convince Sakura to accept her birthright. For now we can only wait and hope for the best".

Sarutobi knew as he watched the council members leave the room that there was no way they would keep quiet. It was Naruto all over again and he knew that the entire village would know about Sakura before the week was done. He had done all he could for now and only hoped that Sakura changed her mind. He didn't like the chances of that happening but you never knew. Whatever happened, it would have to wait as he needed to get ready for the meeting with the Jonin. The Chunin exams were here and he could already tell they were going to be a bigger pain than ever before.

Poor Sarutobi didn't know how right he was.

XxX

So there you have it. The exams begin next chapter and we will see what the rookies think of Sakura's secret.

I would like to thank my friend JS for helping with the spelling and grammar because it would be a lot worse without his help.

Lord Rahl Master of Dhara