"Let's do this!"-Normal speech

'Man how did this happen?'-thought

"Naruto-kun"-Demon/inner Sakura talking

'Naruto-kun'-Demon/inner Sakura thinking

Flash back

Shadow clone-Jutsu-Jutsu

-Last chapter-

Inari ran up and hug the blond young man the best he could. "You better come back and visit Naruto!" He said as he started to cry. Naruto hugged Inari back and promised we would visit sometime in the future. Naruto and team 7 left for Konoha as Zabuza and Haku left to rejoin the mist village.

Tazuna let out a happy sigh. "That boy touched Inari's heart along with the people of this village and built the bridges that well take us into the future. Speaking of we still need to name the bridge."

Tsunami looked at her father with a smile. "So what is its name going to be?"

Tazuna started to rub his chin in thought. "How about…The great Naruto bridge?" So that the bridge will stand forever as a symbol of triumph and endurance."

"That's a great name dad."

-Now-

"So that's the mission report then?" Ask the elder Hokage as he smoked his pipe.

Kakashi looked away from his book to stare at his superior with a dry look. "Yes Hokage-sama that's everything that has happened while we were in the land of waves."

"Very good work team 7 & 0 I'll mark this as a successful A-rank mission. You may take your leave now." He told them as he brought down a stamp classifying the mission. Once every one but Naruto left with the door closed the aged kage looked at the young blond ninja. "Naruto tell me how did your secondary mission went?"

Naruto sighed a little before taking out the scroll the old man gave him before the mission. "It went perfectly. I was able to find the source of the corruption in wave, emanate said problem and retrieve all his assets. Then I put most into the bank accounts of the people and the national treasury so their economy can stabilize. I made sure that all the corrupted leaders were disposed of and that Konha will be the one to take credit for bringing their nation to their feet and several trade and protection agreements were left at Tazuna's home." Naruto said with a hint of pride and boastfulness.

"What of team seven? Did you have to use the scroll?" Sarutobi asked question.

The blond shook his head. "No they were unaware of my activates and the scroll went unused."

The elder man nodded his head with a small smile. "Very good Naruto your secret A-rank mission is complete so you'll get your pay along with your pay for the original mission you went on." Sarutobi's face darkened into a sad one. He could see how the mission really affected Naruto. It dug up old wounds that have yet to heal and guilt that doesn't go away. "Naruto I know the mission has been ruff on you and that you're trying to bury it but you don't have to my boy. Any time you want to talk my door is always open to you."

Naruto gave a small heartfelt smile. "Thanks old man but I'll be ok. Now if you don't mind I'm going home for a nap." With that Naruto walked out of the building.

Reclining in his chair the Hokage felt his age as he sadly sighed. "You have taken things on by yourself since the day you were born haven't you Naruto? You were always alone with only yourself to count on. Even when you were with Itachi you did everything by yourself never asking him for help." The third mused to himself before inhaling another puff of his Tabaco pipe. "But you can't do everything yourself Naruto. Sooner or later you'll have to let others help you. Everyone needs someone to lean on every on and again for support."

-Later that day.-

Within the village hidden in the leaf our favorite blond ninja sighed as walked down the road just having got out of his mission debriefing with the third lord. His jacket moved around in the wind as it blew past him. Dark thoughts hung over the hero's head like a rain cloud swiping sadness and guilt. Soon Naruto found himself at a park, the very same one that his grandmother took him to before he lift the leaf for those three years. Setting down at a bench he looked out at the family running around playing. Going to wave, meeting Zabuza again, it dug up the old memories from the war. All of the lives taking by his hands staining it with blood until all you could see was the crimson fluid.

'How many? How many men, how many women have I killed? How many of them had children waiting at home for them?' He wonder to himself as a dark look gather in his eyes becoming cloudy and lifeless. His eyes scan over the people around him. Most are busy play with their kids enjoying the mid afternoon sun but a few were look at him with scornful looks. Hate shined through trying to claw at him with their stare. One that was colder than any winter and shaper than any blade. 'They still look at me like that, like I'm a monster.' Naruto looked down at his feet like they were his only comfort in the whole world. 'I almost forgot what it was like. But now they have a right to stare. I have killed so many people that I can't even remember how many of them there are. So many faces and voices blurred together after so long. I have become a monster only good for killing those around me.' A hard lump the size of a golf ball found its way into his throat stopping air from interring his lungs. Tears threaten to fall from his eyes as the guilt ate at him from the inside out. He couldn't allow himself to cry he made a promise to himself to never cry again. 'Don't cry dame it! You can't cry anymore!' he yelled at himself trying so hard to not let the tiers fall. 'Stop being a baby!' His hands griped the fabric of his pants in untold pain and frustration.

"Naruto?" A soft voice asked as they put a gentile hand on his shoulders causing him look at the speaker. It turned out to be the shy Hinata Hyuga looking at him with worry. "Are you ok Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at his friend shocked to see her here. "What are you doing here Hinata?"

The indigo haired girl started poking her fingers together as she swayed from side to side a little. "I was walking to get some launch after training today and I saw you sitting there. You looked like you were sad so I wanted to help if I could." She exclaimed as she fidgeted around.

The blond smiled a little as he wiped away his tears that was still in his eyes. "Thanks Hinata but I'm ok now so you don't have to worry about me."

A small frown found its way to her face as she clinched her hands together over Naruto's. "Your wrong I do have to!" Naruto looked at her owlishly. Slowly looking down Hinata quickly grew a blush that would make a tomato green with envy. "You know because your my friend." She said meekly a stem drifted off her head.

Naruto face fell again as he brought his hands to his face resting his head onto his hands. "Hinata your a very sweet girl and very innocent to the darkness of the world that surrounds us. I have done things that you would never be able to look at me the same way again." The tone of his voice made Hinata worried for her friend.

"What do you mean Naruto? What did you do?" She asked while taking a sit next to her crush.

The blond took a deep breath before looking at the blue haired with his sorrowful eyes that showed a world of pain and guilt. "I have killed before Hinata. Dozen, no hundreds of people." Hinata's eyes widen in surprise and shocked as she covered her mouth with horror. There was no way Naruto, the same boy who has become her friend. The sweet boy who looked over their group and taught them to become better ninjas. The same person who they looked up to as a leader and teacher to her and her friends could kill so many people was just unthinkable. Naruto didn't seem to notice the look on her face as he kept talking. "Many had family's, children, waiting at home for them to return only to later find out that they will never see their parents smiling faces." Naruto's voice started to break as he griped his hands together until they turned white. "Their been so many i can't even remember their names or faces anymore."

Hinata eyes were locked onto the blond beside her as heart was breaking for him. 'Naruto.'

Blond hair cover his eyes and showed his face from view. "I have become a monster who is only good for killing."

"No your wrong!" Hinata said loudly as she grasped Naruto's hand. "Your not a monster Naruto a monster wouldn't care who or how many it killed! The fact that you care, that you feel guilty for having to kill is proof enough that your not a monster! There is no way you would enjoy killing someone i can't believe it!" Her eyes shinned with care and deference. "You would only kill someone when there was no other way or if someone was in danger." With each word his heart slowly became lifted from the darkness.

The blond blink a few times before a small, soft smile found it's way to his face. "Haha your so weird sometimes Hinata!" Naruto laughed unaware of how the young girl has slumped down onto the ground while a storm cloud rained on top of her head. "But you know something." The girl looked at her crush to see him with his hand reached out towards her to help her up. "I wouldn't have you any other way than how you really are. Your such a good friend and you helped me feel better just by caring about me." Naruto's face gained a soft look as his eyes shined brightly once again filled with life. "Thank you for being my friend Hinata it means a lot to me." With true style Hinata touched Naruto's hand...and fainted into an ungraceful pile. "What happened!"

"Hinata where are you! Kurenai has been looking for you!" A familiar voice rang out though the crowed.

"Kiba get over here Hinata fainted!" Naruto cried out to the dog using ninja.

In a cloud of dust Kiba skidded to a stop. "What happened this time!"

"I don't know she just fainted!"

"Aw man i better take her before something else happens. Why dose this kind of stuff keep happening around you."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched at the comment made by the brown haired boy. "Just take her home please." Kiba left without a word.

-A couple hours later-

Sakura and Ino were walking down the street holding crates of flowers to deliver while they talked caching up. Sakura and Ino both fell for the same boy when they were younger and became rivals for his affection. Because of this they stopped being friends, slowly they started becoming rivals in every aspect of life. While they still talked to one another about life problems they have or to share the latest news and that was all they did until Naruto rekindled their friendship. He pointed out that the guy they chased after will only go out with the one he liked and no amount of fighting each other will make him fall for them. So they should stay friends because their was no way of knowing which one he would chose until he did and no friendship was worth destroying from some guy or girl who may not stay with you. It was going a little slow at first but now it was like they never stopped being friends in the first place.

"Than Sasuke and Sai started to fight again while Naruto laughed at them. Well until Sai said something he shouldn't have. Naruto hit him so hard that he went flying though a tree and indented the one behind it." Sakura laughed at the memories. "Now Sai keeps calling Naruto "Naruto-sama" out of fear." Ino giggled at the story Sakura told.

"I have to say forehead that's a crazy adventure you went on good thing Naruto was there huh."

"Yeah it was, if he wasn't there I'm not sure what would have happened." Sakura nodded as they delivered the flowers to the near by temple. Setting down crates of flowers the girls started to head back to the shop. "But Naruto really was amazing out there. To see him in action defeating such strong opponents and freeing the country." A fond smile worked it's way across her face. "It's something i won't forget."

Ino just looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. "Well lets get going than we have shopping to do and you have a cash to burn though!" grabbing a hold of her wrist Ino dragged Sakura through streets of Konoha. Soon the teens started racing down the street rounding the corners and people. They were neck and neck thought the whole race one in the lead of another only to be past if only a little. "Give up Sakura you won't win this!" The blond said with a smirk.

"Yeah right i have this in the bag!" Yelled the pink haired ninja.

As they rounded another corner both hit a wall of harden flesh but with two equal forces hitting it and it not expecting the crash of the two teens the wall came crashing down entangling them together.

"Ow!" Ino cried as she opened her eyes to see a mop of blond and pink hair swarming her vision. "Whats on top of me?"

"Ugr are you girls OK?" A male voice questioned while getting up.

'No it can't be.' But it was the blond who seemed to be haunting her lately. "NARUTO!"

"What where!" Yelled Sakura as she shot up from under the blond ninja headbutting him in the chin making fly off and crash into the ground as tears flow down his cheeks.

'Why me?' Naruto wined as he held his swollen chin.

Feeling the impact on her head the pink haired teen turns around to see her new hero on the ground in pain. "Oh my goodness what happened Naruto!" Sakura pulled Naruto's head into her lap to better look at his chin to make sure it wasn't broken. "Did Ino hurt you?" She asked without a thought.

Ino reacted with a clam and clear head showing her years of ninja training. "YOUR THE ONE WHO TRIED TO KNOCK HIS BLOCK OFF WITH HER BIG HEAD BILLBOARD BROW!"

Sakura blushes at realizing Naruto was what she felt hit her head but anger replaces any since of embarrassment. "SHUT UP INO PIG I DIDN'T ASK YOU NOW DID I!" Ino and Sakura butted heads as they pushed each other back and forth while lighten shot out of their eyes.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO ASK ME I'LL HAPPILY TELL YOU WHEN YOUR BIG HEAD STARTS GETTING IN THE WAY OF PEOPLE"

"WHY DON'T YOU GO JUMP INTO A LAKE TO COOL OFF YOU HOT HEAD!"

Ino crossed her arms as she huffed. "Whatever."

Naruto stood up from the hard ground and stretched popping his spine several times. "As funny as this is to watch you fight shouldn't you two be heading to where ever it is you were in such a hurry to get to before? " The two blushed looking sheepish while they gave a lame laugh. Our blond hero just smiled at the two before chuckling and shaking his head.

An idea popped into Ino's head causing a large smile to spread across her face. "Hay Naruto why don't come with us? We're going shopping and we could use your help with the bags."

"Yeah that's a great idea!" Sakura clasped her hands together and gave the blond puppy dog eyes the best she could. "You would want us to have to cairy all those heavy bags our self's would you?"

Naruto started sweating at seeing her cute face feeling his will slowly sap away from him. "OK i'll go with you just stop making such a cute face!" And like that he folded like a house of cards? The two girls high-five each other in victory as the blond ninja sighed to himself. 'What did i just agreed too.'

"Come on Naruto lets go!"

-Several hours later-

The girls walked down the street as they licked their ice cream happily while what appeared to be a mountain of bags fallowed behind them teetering side to side. The two really put Naruto to work making him judge how clothes look on them because they wanted a "guy's" opinion. The poor blond had to watch the two of them try outfit after outfit for hours. If Naruto looked at them to long he would get slapped and called a pervert. If he looked away too quickly they thought he didn't like it and it took several minutes of telling them otherwise before they believed him. Soon the group came up to Sakura's home and started to put her bags inside until only Ino's bags were left. To bad that was only a little over half of them.

"Thanks Naruto you have been a big help today." The pink haired female said as she kissed Naruto on the cheek before going side and shutting the door behind her.

Ino than pointed to the side with as much flair as she could muster. "Well come on than blond wounder to my house!" She yelled at the top of her lungs before walking away with said blond following behind.

"You know your blond too Ino." He dead pined in a monotone voice.

Ino smiled brightly at Naruto making him gain a small blush on his face. "I never said it was a bad thing now did I." As Naruto grumbled the Ino giggled at how childish the blond super ninja could be at times like this. "So what have you been up to Naruto?"

"Nothing much to be honest. But before you and Sakura crashed into me and made me your pack mule I was setting in the park thinking to myself." He said shifting the bag to a more comfy passion.

The blond female leaned forward with her head tilted to the said to see Naruto's face better. "What were you thinking about?"

"Honesty?" With one nod from his fellow blond Naruto sighed a little as he gained a far off look in his eyes. "You know how before I joined your class I was training for three years with my dad. Well during that time I have had to kill, a lot. It hurts my heart even when I don't think about it." Ino was shocked to hear this but what kept her quit was the seldom look on Naruto's face. It just seemed so out of place on his face and for some reason it hurt her to see him like this. "Over time I couldn't remember there faces or there voices and I feel guilty that I can't. Like if their lives didn't matter. I felt like I was just a monster because I couldn't see who they were anymore and it ate at me." Naruto felt something tightly but gently wrap around his chest. Looking down to his amazement it was Ino hugging him with her face in his chest.

"You baka." She said softly. "You aren't a monster. You only did what you had too do to protect someone or because they wouldn't have stopped." She lifted her head to look at him in his eyes. "Your too soft and kind to be a monster. I know I don't have any idea of how heavy the burdened of killing someone really is, but your not alone Naruto. You have friends and family to help left some of the burdened off. I'm here for you to Naruto, I'll always lesson to you and I'll help you as much as I can." She buried her head into his chest again. "I promise you won't ever be alone because I'll be right by your side to help you if you'll let me."

Naruto rested his head on Ino's as he smiled. "Thank you Ino very much for supporting me and caring about me. I really don't know how to say thank you enough. For a long time I thought I would always be alone in the darkness. But because of all my friends and, Because of you I don't feel alone anymore. I feel like I'm walking the warm sun light."

Tears slowly ran down Ino's face. 'Why I'm I crying and why dose my heart feel so tight but light at the same time? I feel like my blood is on fire. Why do I feel like this?' Rubbing off the tears she pulled away from Naruto. "You better not forget this Naruto because if you do than i'll just have to pound it into your thick skull do you understand?" She tried to say intimately but came out soft and kind. Naruto gave his brightest smile that caused Ino to blush.

"You got it Ino. I promise I won't forget. I never go back on my word because that's my ninja way!"

SPK here to thank you all for waiting for me to update my story. The bloody reason it took so long was because my laptop got destroyed so I don't get many chances to got on a computer any more so hopefully that will change soon. I don't know when the next update will be so just hold on until I do. Also want to thank the hundreds od people who as Liked, Followed, and commented on the story I have writing and it really does mean a lot the so many people like it. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and has touched your hearts. And maybe even made you cry a little. ;)