Naruto: The Gamer Chapter 14, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or The Gamer

Author Comments: Chapter 14 finishes up the "Mindscape Arc" and (hopefully) pulls together most threads in time for Chapter 15 which will be Team 7's first C rank mission. One small hint with that is that it will not be in the Land of Waves at all.

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Chapter 14

Ino watched Naruto as he raced toward the battlefield yelling a quick warning for her to stay back.

"Screw that." Ino said to herself and raced after the blonde ninja. She was not going to let her father face something alone if things started to get really bad...or Naruto for that matter. She knew how dangerous facing traumatic memories unprepared could be and her father would need something very traumatic to help contain the beast.

She just hoped she could be of some help if something did happen.

Naruto raced toward the figure that he was sure was his mother. Did this mean his mother had been alive when the Fourth had found him? Had she given him up to save the village? But what about his father? Had he already died in the actual Nine-Tails attack? He had no answers and if this was a moment from his memories he would not pass up a chance to learn more!

The Nine-Tails raged while Inoichi battled back and the male...even though his features were not clear Naruto was sure that must be the Fourth Hokage gently helped the woman with the red hair...his mother, to sit on the ground holding the crying baby, Naruto had hoped as he neared that their faces would become clearer but even as he was just a few feet away he could still not make them out.

Naruto heard Ino behind him and grimaced. He didn't want to put her in any more danger if she got hurt while in his head he may never forgive himself.

"I told you to stay back Ino."

"And you're not the boss of me Naruto. I'm the one who knows more about this place not you." she said and her tone brokered no argument.

Naruto sighed and accepted it, he was more concerned with the scene playing out before him. The Hokage and his mother were talking and just like he couldn't make out their faces their words were also mumbled. He strained but couldn't make out what they were saying, but he thought he could figure out what they were talking about.

They were talking about sealing the Nine-Tails inside of him. This was from the day he was born. Naruto clenched his fist and nearly growled in frustration. He was so close! Why couldn't he see them? Ino looked at him with worry in her eyes.

"Naruto what's wrong?"

"I think the red haired woman...is my mother."

"Your Mom?"

"Yeah."

"You never saw her did you? No pictures nothing like that?"

"No."

Ino let a breath and put a hand on his arm. "Naruto if this is back from when you were born then my Dad is pulling together a half formed memory. Whatever you see might not even be accurate. It's going to me mixed with your half remembered impressions and memories, it's a miracle you are able to see anything at all. This may not even be a memory of your mother this could just be someone you saw when you were little that your mind is using to fill in the role."

"It's her Ino I'm sure of it."

She squeezed his arm in response. "Okay then let's see what we can see okay?" He nodded and both young ninja watched the scene playing out. The Hokage and his Mother were arguing, that much was for sure, and Naruto knew it only be about one subject. He couldn't make out either of their faces but in both he saw hurt and determination. He was surprised at the sadness he felt from the Hokage. He didn't want to do this any more than his mother had. It was hard to hate someone forced into such a position.

Suddenly golden chains erupted from the back of his mother and surrounded the Nine-Tails holding him in place. Inoichi stopped his assault and drifted back from his opponent.

"Do you think a half remembered dream can stop me Inoichi!" cried the Fox.

It can if it's the right dream." replied Inoichi. The Fox strained against the bonds but as strong as he was in this place his own mother's chains were stronger. Naruto watched as the Hokage summoned a small alter and reluctantly placed the baby in the center. Naruto saw the Hokage start a jutsu that he didn't recognize but a few moments later he staggered and the Demon Fox shrunk to half it's original size. His mother went to his side concerned.

"I am not the Fox! I will not be stopped!" the manifestation said panicked.

"You chose to take on the Fox's form and you chose to dip into his power for your own ends but you never stopped to think about the consequences did you? If you take on the Fox's power..."

Dark Naruto roared in defiance and lunged at the small baby on the platform. This time Ino was holding Naruto back as he instinctive tried to rush forward. A moment later he gasped in horror. Naruto was not alone in his instincts, there above his younger self the Hokage and his mother stood impaled by the Fox's claws, blood from both their bodies running down dripping down on the child. Naruto was on his knees tears falling from his eyes as he watched the scene unfold. He watched as his mother and then the Hokage said words he could not hear to the baby crying just below them.

"If you take on the Fox's power you take on his greatest fear." Inoichi concluded. The Fourth Hokage smiled a last small smile and with a single handsign finished his jutsu.

The Demon Fox, Dark Naruto, roared and screamed in pure fear as a white light enfolded him and drew him toward the baby. A seal appeared on his stomach glowing and Naruto could feel the same seal responding on his own body.

The world went white.

Naruto opened his eyes staring into the amusingly concerned faces of Inoichi and his daughter. In that moment it seemed incredibly hilarious how similar the pair looked, it looked so odd, despite the emotions running through his head, that Naruto found himself starting to laugh. Inoichi just gave a small smile back to the young ninja and started to help him to his feet. Ino was less forgiving and frowned at the fellow blonde.

"What's so funny Naruto?" she asked annoyance quickly replacing the concern she had been showing a moment ago.

"I'm sorry," he said, "it's just you guys looked so much alike."

"We were worried when you didn't wake up the same time we did you...baka! And I look nothing like my Dad!" she replied hotly.

Inoichi just rolled his eyes (carefully outside Ino's field of view) "It can be a normal reaction to find something funny after a stressful situation. It's a natural coping mechanism..as you should know from your studies Ino."

She nodded in reply.

Inoichi took a few moments to scan Naruto. "Well I think your stable for now."

"It would be a first time." mumbled Ino.

"Ino..." he father warned.

"Sorry habit."

Inoichi sighed. "I'm sorry Naruto normally a first session doesn't go nearly so dramatically."

Naruto chuckled. "Nothing else in my life is normal so why should my head be any different? So does this mean I don't have to worry about my dark side anymore?"

Inoichi shook his head. "No Naruto, what we did was a kind of seal that separated you from the corrupting influences of the Nine-Tails chakra in your system. Your dark side was feeding on it to become stronger than normal. Eventually, you will have to face that part of yourself just like everyone else does, more so for you because your darker impulses and the Nine-Tails chakra tend to merge. For you to eventually face and control the Demon Fox's power means you'll need to come to terms with your dark side first. On that note..." Inoichi reached behind his desk and opened a drawer and pull out three scrolls and handed them to Naruto. A chime sounded.

Road to Jinchuuriki: Training with Yamanaka Clan!(Completed): You have entered your own mind and faced the dark side within you. That part of you is sealed away...for now. Reward: You have received the three scrolls of Yamanaka Mind Combat. Learn them and start leveling your new skills!

Road to Jinchuuriki: Mastering the basics!: Meet with your trainer for regular practice in the Yamanaka Mind Combat skills. Reach Level 5 in each skill to complete quest and start the next Quest in the chain.

"These are the three main skills of Yamanaka mental combat. As I told you before I won't show you any specialized Jutsu from our clan but if you master these in should increase your strength when you finally come into contact with the real Fox."

"Thank you Inoichi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed!

"Inoichi is still fine Naruto besides I will not be continuing most of your training in these arts anyway."

"You're not?"

"I was going to when I was the only one with the skills to teach you, who knew your secret, but now we have someone else." Inoichi paused looking at his daughter. Ino looked back and forth between Naruto and her Dad and then pointed to herself.

"Me?"

"You have been lax in your clan training lately and one of the best ways to learn is to teach Ino." his tone brokered no argument.

"Fine," she said with some exasperation. "I'll teach him."

"That's so good considering I wasn't giving you a choice." her father commented.

"Thanks Ino." Naruto responded enthusiastically.

"It's no big deal."

"I will talk with Kakashi about your training schedule and we will work in a training session about once a week. Does that sound good to you?"

"Absolutely! Believe it!"

"On a personal note Naruto I have had a chance to look inside your mind and frankly I am amazed at well adjusted you are considering what you have been through and I find I'm ashamed that my own clan has been a part of that. So Naruto as the head of the Yamanaka Clan I want to officially tell you from this day onward you can consider us your ally in this village Jinchuuriki of Nine-Tails Fox." A chime sounded.

You have gained the Yamanaka Clan as a ally! Complete quests for the Yamanaka Clan to increase reputation and gain access to new items and abilities!

New Quest: Pride of the Clans: Befriend the Yamanaka Clan. The path to Hokage is a long one and you will need allies along the way. The head of the Yamanaka Clan has officially declared you a ally of his clan. Perform quests for the Clan to raise your reputation.

Naruto was stunned. First he hadn't known his power tracked clan reputation. So far he had mostly been following the village as a whole and individuals. It seemed he could add Clans to the list as well. Second, he knew what this offer meant. When a clan officially declares you an ally it means that they publicly support you in village politics and it also meant he could count on access to the Clan's resources if needed. Down the road if could even mean support when he tried to become Hokage.

"Thank...thank you Inoichi." stuttered Naruto. The older ninja smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair taking away the seriousness of the moment.

"Naruto you saved my daughter when she got in over her head. You earned this. I think you're going to be a splendid ninja one day. Don't let me down now."

"I won't! Believe it!" he shouted.

Naruto started to walk home from the Yamanaka flower shop eager to learn his new scrolls. It had been an eventful and emotional day and he knew he needed to think over all he had learned. His new quest implied he could make a ally of more clans which he would need in the future. He had others to think about though. His Road to Jinchuuriki quest seemed to leading to him learning to somehow use the Nine-Tails power. His Uzumaki Quest line would teach him about his past and maybe more about his parents and after, in a way, seeing his mother that was something he was desperate to do. He knew he could unlock companion quests for anyone that his power listed as a companion but he did not know the criteria for making them a companion or unlocking their quest.

"Naruto! Wait up!" Ino's voice shouted from behind him. He turned and saw his fellow blonde shinobi running up to him. In her hands she held a flower.

"What's up Ino?" he asked perplexed.

"Look I need to say something. Your Dark self said some pretty hurtful things about me..."

"Oh yeah I'm sorry..."

"No! I'm not trying to get you to apologize! I was thinking about what he said and he's right. You shouldn't count me as a friend."

Naruto felt a pang of hurt. He thought he had made some ground with her but was she afraid of him like everybody else?

"Well if that's how you feel Ino..."

"That's not what I mean!" she said quickly. "I mean he was right that a friend doesn't just treat you less bad than everyone else." She sighed and spoke more calmly. "Naruto I may not have known about...you know what...but I was still mean to you, just like the rest of the villagers and by all rights you should hold it against me but you don't so..." she bowed her head and held out the flower. A quick use of Observe told him it was a white tulip and one of it's meanings was forgiveness.

"Please forgive me for how I've treated you up to this day Naruto. I promise to be a real friend from this point forward." she said her head still bowed. Naruto didn't know what to say and suddenly felt a bit awkward as he realized everyone walking by was staring at the Yamanaka Clan head daughter bowing to him. A chime sounded.

You have gained Ino as a companion! Increase your reputation to unlock companion quests.

"Okay! Your forgiven!" he said quickly. She stood straight and smiled at him.

"I mean it Naruto. My Dad may have offered you my Clan's friendship but I am doing this on my own."

"I know...thanks Ino."

"Well...I'll see you at our training session!" she smiled and waved and ran back to the store. Naruto turned and walked away holding the flower. He couldn't help but grin at the situation. Things were finally starting to turn around for him!

Thunk!

It was at that moment a single kunai landed right in front of his path. It pierced the ground and was quivering from the impact. Naruto didn't have time to process the attack before dozens of other kunai landed all around him trapping him in place.

"Hello Naruto-kun!" a voice sounded from above. There standing on the building above him was Tenten. Naruto looked down at the flower in his hand and back up at her.

Crap.

Tenten had been pretty pissed by the personal moment she saw between Naruto and Ino but he had convinced her to let him talk to her later that night. Naruto had thought it might be a good idea to let her cool down a bit before he explained the situation, besides, he knew everything he was about to tell her would be a lot and he wanted to try and do it right. Tenten was the first real friend he had made his own age and he was afraid once she knew the truth about him it would end that friendship.

First thing he had done when he got home though was learn the scrolls Inoichi had given him. So now he had three new skills.

Yamanaka Clan Set Bonus (Passive): You have learned the three cornerstones of the Yamanaka Skill set. 10% bonus to intelligence

Yamanaka Mental Defense (Passive): Lv.1 The Yamanaka Clan has been long time practitioners of mind based ninjutsu and while they are counted among the best they are not the only ones, as such they have developed mental defenses against intrusion from enemy shinobi. 5% bonus to mental resistance.

Yamanaka Mental Attack (Active): Lv.1 For 5 MP you can directly attack enemy mind to mind. You can multiply the strength of this attack per level for equal MP cost. A good defense is nothing without a good offense. Yamanaka Mental Attack Skill should not be confused with their jutsu. These skills are developed for direct combat with a intruding foreign mind...or if their attacking a defending enemy shinobi. This skill is designed to use chakra to weaken mental defenses and overwhelm a opponent. 5% bonus to mental attack. Note: This attack has no effect on a ninja you do not have a mental link established with.

Yamanaka Mental Mindscape (Passive): Lv. 1 This skill is advanced form of meditation that allows the user to enter the mental landscape of their own psyche. All mind ninjutsu users have a variation of this skill. Many battles between mind shinobi occur on the defenders mindscape. 5% bonus to mental defense when defending.

Awesome! Naruto knew these skills would be invaluable whenever he actually faced the real Fox again in the future or his own dark side. Naruto resisted the temptation to try and start training with them now despite the fact the next leg of the Road to Jinchuuriki quest line was getting each skill up to level 5. He didn't want to get sidetracked and miss his meeting with Tenten! Naruto looked around his apartment and considered all the changes. It was spotlessly clean, the kitchen was stocked with more than just ramen and in his closet was a real variety of clothes, he had changed so much since getting his power but a big part of that was also Tenten. His power had led him to her after all. Was she supposed to be his friend? Or something more? He sighed and knew there was only one way to find out. Naruto left his apartment locking the door behind him.

Tenten sat on top of the head of the Fourth Hokage's monument and looked out over the village. It was a clear night and the stars were out and despite herself Tenten found herself enjoying the view. Konohagakure was certainly well lite at night and it seemed to shine like the stars in the sky and it filled her with joy and a bit of her own shinobi pride. For a moment she thought it would be nice for Naruto to get here already so he could share it with her and just like that her bad mood returned. She knew her confession was lot for him to take and had tried to give him space to think about it, but then she caught him taking a flower from another girl! Ino no less! One of those stupid fan girls who care more about looking pretty than being a proper ninja!

A small part of her wondered if Naruto thought Ino was prettier than her. She squashed that down like a bug, she would be damned if she became a fan girl. She was ninja! She was going to be as strong as a Sannin one day! If that's all Naruto cared about then that would be that, she would have misjudged him and she would need to end their friendship. She could have accepted if he didn't like her in that way but she would not stand a friend going behind her back! Tenten was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps until they were almost on top of her. She resisted the urge to turn suddenly, instead, turning her head to check on who was behind her.

Naruto stood in his black uniform that she had altered to fit him. Even in the bright moonlight it seemed to pull in the shadows around him making him much harder to see. Really what kind of ninja ever chose to wear bright orange anyway? Of course her Sensei and her teammate chose to wear bright green which wasn't much better really. Naruto stood there and she could tell he was nervous, only meeting her eyes for a moment before looking away. She gestured next to her and Naruto walked over and sat down next to her. Tenten leaned forward holding her knees and looked at him. He seemed to be having difficulties making the first move.

"Hi." she said prompting the conversation.

"Hi." he said back mimicking her position and sitting holding his knees. He was looking at the ground and not at her.

"Naruto you're going to have to start this at some point." she said.

"I know."

She sighed. "So do you like Ino? Is that it?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's nothing like that Tenten."

"Then what was up with you and her today? I mean I promised to give you space and all..."

"I wasn't there about Ino! I was there to see her dad Inoichi!"

The clan head? Tenten knew that the Yamanaka clan was the backbone of the psychological health of the village's shinobi, if the clan head was seeing Naruto...

"Naruto you've had a rough life so far so if you needed to talk to someone I wouldn't judge you."

"No! I wasn't there as a patient!" he exclaimed. "Though maybe I should be." he said almost under his breath.

Tenten scowled. "Okay then I don't get it, why would the head of the Yamanaka Clan be meeting with a genin then?"

"He was giving me training in the Yamanaka Mental Skills." said Naruto.

Tenten's eyes widened in surprise. That was not a small thing. The Yamanaka Clan style was not a kekkei genkai, but its skills were almost as powerful in its own way. She had never heard of someone outside the clan being taught those skills, to be done would almost be considered taboo.

"Naruto why in the hell would he teach you something like that!"

"To tell you that I have to tell you something about myself."

She cocked her head to the side. "Like what?"

"This isn't minor, this is a S ranked secret Tenten, you have to keep this a secret...no matter how you feel about it."

Tenten felt lost. What sort of secret could Naruto have that would be considered a S rank secret? Why would it matter to her anyway? She looked at the tenseness in his body and could tell he was serious...and scared as well. This was not something he wanted to tell her.

"Naruto you can tell me, and if it's a S ranked secret you know I'll keep it to myself, but are you sure you should even be telling me this? I trust you if it's something you need to keep to yourself."

For a second she could see the out she had left him cross his mind but he actually shook his head as if shaking it off the temptation.

"No. The choice on who to tell has been left to me. Tenten...I like you, I'm not sure if that means I like like you but I think you may be the best friend I've ever had so you deserve to know this."

Tenten gave him a long look and nodded her head. "Then tell me Naruto."

"When the Nine-Tails attacked the village everyone thought the Fourth Hokage had destroyed it right?"

She nodded. That was common knowledge. The Fourth's defeat of the Nine-Tails at the cost of his own life marked him as possibly the greatest hero the Leaf had ever known.

"He didn't destroy the Fox Tenten."

"What do you mean? Of course he destroyed the Demon! If he hadn't we wouldn't be here!"

"You can't destroy one of the Tailed Beasts. You can only disperse or contain them. If you disperse them they can come back in a few years to wreck more havoc, but if you contain them properly they can be sealed away for a longtime."

"How long?"

"A human lifetime."

A feeling of dread started to feel the young kunoichi.

"In order to keep the village safe the Fourth chose to seal away the Nine-Tails in a human host...they're called Jinchuuriki, and to do that he found a newborn baby and sealed the demon away to keep the village safe."

She looked at him unable to move.

"That...was me Tenten."

As the realization of what her friend had told her began to sink in a memory filled her thoughts. She was too young to know her parents of course, but she had seen pictures of them. When she was little living in the orphanage she had used to imagine fantasies where they were alive living together in a home, nothing special, no tales of being a princess or being apart of some lost powerful clan, just two parents who loved and cared for her. Most kids at the orphanage had similar dreams of course, when you don't have a family growing up all you want is to find one, it was one of the things she had in common in with Naruto after all. Despite being a bit younger than her he knew that loneliness, in fact he knew if far better than she did being sent to live out on his own at such a young age. She still remembered when she had stopped having fantasies about having parents, when she was about nine years old someone had told her the story of the nine-tails attack, she had heard it before of course but mostly it was something told in whispers, this time however it was after she had been particularity...rambunctious, one of the Orphanage nannies had told her about how the Nine-Tails had eaten her parents up and if she wasn't good it would comeback and eat her too. That night and every night after for several weeks she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming, every night having nightmares about the Fox coming to eat her parents and then her.

So Tenten stopped daydreaming about her parents and eventually the nightmares stopped. But now in her newest friend those old fears resurfaced and for a moment when she looked at Naruto all she could see...all she could think of was the Fox. Tenten stood on her feet and stepped back from Naruto. As upset as she was she saw the hurt on his face and part of her wanted to tell him it was okay, but right now she wasn't sure if it was. Naruto stood up and began to take a step toward her. In her mind the nightmares of the Demon Fox coming to eat her lurked beneath the surface.

"Stay back Naruto." she said without thinking. Naruto dropped his hands to is side and his head was downcast. She couldn't see his face in the shadows but she was sure tears were running down his cheeks. Part of her wanted to say she was sorry but she did not have the strength.

"Naruto...I have to go." She turned from him and fled into the night.

Naruto sat on top of the head of the Fourth Hokage monument and cried into the night. This was one of his favorite places, the hero of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, but it was also the man who had cursed him to having the Nine-Tails stored within him, the man responsible for the entire village hating him. He was the reason Naruto was now thinking he would never truly have close friends or a family in his life. Still this was the place he felt safest when he was hurting and he could think of nowhere else he wanted to go. So the young genin sat there in pain and mourning the friendship he had lost by choosing to tell the truth.

A small cough altered him to the presence behind. Naruto turned and saw the Third standing above him with a small sad smile on his face.

"May I join you Naruto?" he asked softly. Naruto didn't answer but gave a small nod in response. Sarutobi sat down next to the young ninja.

"So I see that things didn't go quite as you would've have liked with young Tenten."

Naruto gave a small nod in response.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Very well then." the Hokage said and sat there quietly with the young boy. To pass the time he brought out his pipe and slowly began to smoke. Sometime passed before Naruto began to speak.

"I thought I was making the right decision."

"Are you sure you didn't?" the Hokage asked.

"Of course it wasn't! Tenten hates me now!"

"Does she?"

"She told me to stay away from her."

The Hokage took a long breath on his pipe and let the smoke out slowly. "Hmm, well that does not seem to be a good thing."

"Thanks for the wisdom Jiji."

"Did she tell you to stay away from her forever?"

"Well...no."

"Then perhaps she was just overwhelmed by what you told her Naruto-kun."

"You think so?"

"It's a possibility."

"She also might hate me and never talk to me again."

"That could happen as well."

"Why did you even let me tell anyone?" Naruto pouted. The Hokage stopped and gave Naruto a stern look.

"Because you want to be Hokage. Have you been studying like I asked?"

"Yes Jiji." Naruto had or at least his clones had on his behalf. Naruto was starting to understand the basics of politics, not that he liked the concept or that he fully understood the need for such compromising but this had caused him to start looking at the role of Hokage in a new light.

"Then what have you learned so far?"

"That being Hokage is hard."

"Give me a example."

"Well after the battle with Madara the First Hokage was pressured to exile the Uchiha clan even though most of them had sided against their clan head. He choose to keep them as part of the Hidden Leaf even though it might have sparked a civil war."

"Very good. Now what does that have to do with this situation?"

"I...had to make a hard decision?"

"Indeed. This was a S rank secret even though it's a very poorly kept one. By telling Tenten, or choosing not to tell her, there will be consequences. You could tell her and she might reject you, or you could not tell her and have that knowledge used against you or her in the future. Also she could be caught unawares if the seal holding the Nine-tails ever weakened and you could hurt or kill her."

"I would never do that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Of course you could." The Hokage said sternly. "This is why I want you to learn control Naruto! So you won't be a danger to yourself or others in battle. So you can live a full life with those you love without fearing for their safety!"

Naruto stared back at the ground. Sarutobi could see him trembling.

"Conversely telling Tenten could mean that she will accept you fully for who are which could lead to a much deeper friendship or more as the two of you grow older. If you're going to have a full life that is a important thing to learn. All your choices will have consequences Naruto. You must try and pick the best choices you can and know no matter what you choose things could end up badly. This was why I gave you the choice on who to tell."

"So this is a test?"

The Hokage laughed surprising Naruto. "All of life is a test little ninja! More so if you want to be Hokage one day."

"Did I pass? Did I make the right decision?"

"Did you pass? Well you made a choice and you would be surprised how many people can't do that. As to whether you made the correct choice..."

The Hokage leaned back and stared at the stars and let out a puff of smoke.

"I ask myself that same question almost everyday Naruto-kun."

Tenten found herself at her teams designated training grounds in the middle of the night throwing kunai after kunai at a singular training post. She had been at it so long the post was starting to look like a pincushion but she kept throwing try to find new spots to land a hit.

The one thing she was not doing was thinking about Naruto! Every time she stopped to take a breath he started to slip into her mind and a wellspring of emotions she couldn't seem to handle started to overtake her and she was training again. By this point she was started to feel exhausted but she kept pushing herself further and further, anything to avoid thinking about what Naruto had shared with her.

Another kunai struck the post and it was one too many, the post creaked and split and fell to the ground with a loud crash. She stopped panting heavily sweat pouring down her body and that was all she could do. The young kunoichi joined the post on the ground and tried to catch her breath.

Tears began to roll down her face as the emotions she was trying to avoid finally were allowed to rise to the surface. She hated herself for that, she thought to herself that Tsunade probably never cried, she was one of the Sannin, she faced everything head on!She wasn't even sure what it was she crying about. Was she crying about Naruto? Did she hate him now that she knew he was the Fox? Was she crying for her parents that she never even knew? For the life she might have had? Or was she crying because she was upset for herself for the way she had reacted, the look of hurt in Naruto's eyes was so great she felt it. What kind of friend did that make her if she reacted in such a way, and she said that she liked him, how could she like him and hurt him like that! All of those thoughts and others seemed to roll through her head with no rhyme or reason, she was surprised when she heard the footsteps behind her. She turned and saw a older chūnin stepping out of the shadows.

"Hello Tenten." Iruka said walking toward her. She started to get up but he gestured for her to remain seated and joined her on the ground. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes but was failing miserably. Iruka handed her a handkerchief and sat silently giving her a few moments.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei" she said softly.

"Of course. How are you doing?"

She just gestured around at the training field making her point for her.

"I see, so Naruto told you about the Nine-tails did he?"

Tenten's eyes went wide. "You know?"

Iruka gave a small chuckle. "Tenten most of the older generation alive at the time of the attack know or at least suspect."

"But I thought it was a S rank secret!"

"Yes but mostly from the younger generations and other villages."

"But why?"

"One is village security of course. The absurdity of how the secret is kept has lead other villages to believe that Naruto is probably a misdirect to keep up the illusion that we still have a active Jinchuuriki. They believe that the Nine-tails was destroyed and will re-manifest at some point in the future or that we planted it in another ninja who is actually kept secret, they can't conceive of the real reason we would work so hard to keep such a poor secret."

"What is it then?"

Iruka looked at Tenten sadly. "Tenten you should have a idea about that by now. Think about how most of the village treats him."

Tenten's mind seemed to freeze as she thought back to all the times she had seen Naruto mistreated by the adults of the village, either through hostile words, refusing to sell to him on or some rare cases trying to attack him altogether. Suddenly it all made so much more sense.

And she had done the same thing the moment she learned the truth.

"The Hokage made Naruto's condition a S rank secret not to keep it from the other villages but in order to give him a chance at a normal life. The Hokage knew that pain and hatred of that attack would be directed at Naruto. It's a natural reaction you want to blame someone for what you lost."

"Iruka-sensei I don't understand why are you even here?"

"Naruto is watched even if it is at a distance. Once the Hokage allowed Naruto to decide who knows his secret he had had Anbu watching to see who he told, it was important to see how people would react to make sure no one from a enemy village would actually believe he was the real Jinchuuriki."

"So the Anbu saw Naruto telling me?"

"The Hokage thought he would anyway, you two have become quite close in the last few weeks."

Tenten blushed a bit. "Okay I get Naruto is important to the security of the village and would have to be watched, but I still don't understand why you are here Sensei."

"Well that has nothing to do with politics, the Hokage knew how upset you were and thought I might be best to talk with you about it. Be happy it was me or Guy."

Tenten shuddered at the thought. Her Sensei was a great teacher when it came to the martial arts but when it came to anything else...well he would either attack Naruto for making her so upset or try to cheer her up with a marathon training session. Iruka continued.

"You see Tenten, you and I have something in common."

"What Sensei?"

"We both lost our parents in the Nine-Tails attack." he said sadly.

Tenten held her breath for a moment. "I'm sorry Sensei."

He waived it off. "It was a long time ago and I have long since come to terms with it. But I'm here about you Tenten. Naruto told you something really big, how are you handling it?"

"I—I don't know."

"It's hard thinking that the thing that took away your parents is inside him isn't it?"

She nodded. "I couldn't look at him Sensei, he told me this big secret and expected me to be a good friend and I just ran away! I couldn't even look at him! What kind of person does that me?"

Iruka didn't respond directly. "I remember the first time he came into my class, he looked so eager to learn, to be apart of something that it was adorable, he was already living by himself by that time. It must have been so lonely to be that young and be expected to care for yourself. I knew what he was of course, I was young when the attack came but not so young that the secret escaped me."

"So here was this young hopeful determined student just looking for a chance, for someone to care about him and tell he could be somebody, not hated and you know what I did Tenten?"

She shook her head.

"I ignored him, I belittled him, I treated him like he was nothing, I did everything in my power to make sure Naruto would never become a ninja of the Hidden Leaf while trying to maintain my honor as a teacher," he gave a small chuckle, "like you can ever keep your honor when you choose to treat someone that way."

Tenten couldn't believe what she was hearing. Naruto always spoke so highly of Iruka, he was obviously his favorite teacher and one of the people the young ninja considered family. From what she had seen of their relationship in the academy he had always treated Naruto fairly if a little sternly, but if you paid attention you could tell the teacher cared for his student more than most.

"What changed Sensei?"

"The Hokage came and talked to me. He made me understand something very important about Naruto."

"What?"

"He's not the Fox. He did not kill my parents...or yours. He saved the village on that day when he took on the burden of hosting the demon. But instead of honoring him we punished for the sins of the demon he was holding. It was more than that, he also showed me that Naruto was like me, a lonely orphan doing whatever he could to be noticed or be loved. Someone who dreamed of being accepted, who dreamed of having a family and once I saw that I couldn't ignore everything else I saw in him. He's a brave kid who tries to do his best in the world despite everything the world wants to throw at him. Once I looked at his actions and looked at my own I was ashamed, from that day forward I have done my best to make up for that time."

"Well that's enough of the heartfelt stuff, we ninja are supposed to be emotionless beings after all." he said with a grin. "If you would permit I would like to give one more practical lesson as a teacher."

Tenten nodded.

Iruka reached down and picked up one of the kunoichi's discarded weapon scrolls.

"You use storage scrolls all the time right?"

"Yes Sensei."

"When you store your kunai in a scroll does the scroll become the kunai?"

"No Sensei. It's just a container for the weapon. You're saying it's the same for Naruto right?"

"You were always a bright student, it's more complicated than that of course but in essence it's still the same thing. Naruto is your friend first, Jinchuuriki second, always remember that." Iruka got up and Tenten followed suit.

"You're not a bad person for feeling what you feel Tenten, it's how you deal with it and act upon it that decides what kind of person you are." He started to leave when he heard her whisper.

"What if he can't forgive me?"

Iruka turned and looked into her tear stained face and then despite his rather stern reputation as a strict teacherbrought her into a hug.

"He forgave me." he whispered back. After that he left her to her thoughts.

Sarutobi sat down in his chair, it was late in the night, or early in the morning depending on how you looked at it. He had spent some much needed time with Naruto but he couldn't rest just yet, there was one more task he had to complete before he could allow himself to sleep.

"Report." he ordered.

"Per your instructions I have done a thorough evaluation of Naruto Uzumaki's mind." replied Inoichi Yamanaka.

"And your findings?"

"Much better than we feared I'm happy to say. I didn't detect any direct influence of the Demon Fox on his mind. He had one of the largest dark side manifestations I have ever seen in anyone let alone someone as young as him."

"Is that due to the Fox or due to his history?"

"His history mostly, I was able to do a quick but relatively complete search of his memories...my findings were not pleasant Lord Hokage, I can't believe what our village has put him through but his psychological issues are still a natural response to his environment. I do think the demon chakra in his network is enhancing the effect though. You would need to consult with a expert in that type of chakra to know for sure."

"Do you think that there is a danger of the seal rupturing?"

Inoichi frowned. "I can't say for sure Lord Hokage. I'm a expert in the mind, not in seals, I don't know for sure what would create a crack in a Tailed Beast seal but I can tell you for all that he has been through Naruto is a remarkably well adjusted individual. Given some time to mature he could face down his darker impulses and win I'm sure of it, and that is something I can't say for many full grown jōnin. For now I had to bind it away until he has time to grow in strength.

"Is that safe?"

Inoichi nodded more firmly. "He was already keeping that side of himself pushed to the side, I just locked it more securely. I will check his mind every so often to make sure there are no adverse effects."

"Will you handle that during his training?"

"No actually I am going to have my daughter handle his basic training."

Sarutobi raised a eyebrow. " Young Ino? Do you have something up your sleeve Inoichi?"

The head of the Yamanaka Clan just shrugged his shoulders. "Not really I think someone his own age would be better to teach him, however if something does happen between them I would not object. On that note I should inform you I have offered my clan's alliance to him."

"That...was a big move." The Hokage said cautiously.

"Just getting ahead of the curve Lord Hokage. That boy is the Jinchuuriki and that has a certain amount of power behind it all by itself, but he is also the last of the Uzumaki, once he starts to realize once that means to this village he'll better set to take your hat someday than even he realizes. Besides...I looked into his memories Lord Hokage, my clan is not innocent of treating him poorly, I feel it's time for us all to start making up for that don't you?"

"Indeed. Is there anything else you need to report?"

Inoichi sighed. "Just one thing. He caught a glimpse of his parents."

Sarutobi tensed. "Did he learn who they were?"

"No but only barely. Per your orders I obscured his memories but he does know his mother and the Fourth were together and their feelings were obvious but I don't think he knows that the Fourth was actually his father or the identity of his mother beyond her Uzumaki heritage. To ensure that I added an additional block...reluctantly... in is mind to keep him from putting together the pieces he already knows but it's a temporary measure at best. His mind is sharp and he will eventually put the pieces together."

"I see. You warned me of the risk. Good job." Sarutbo said with a heavy sigh.

"If I may ask Lord Hokage. He already knows about the demon, why not tell him of his full heritage?"

"That knowledge in many ways is more dangerous than his Jinchuuriki status. I have only given it to a few trusted shinobi."

Inoichi nodded at the compliment.

"I intend to tell him when he is strong enough to defend himself but I wanted him to become comfortable with what he knows already and have time to grow in skill in wisdom. The knowledge will get out, there are too many clues for it to be otherwise, however the longer we can put off that day the better."

"As you wish Lord Hokage." Inoichi said bowing.

"Once again good work." Inoichi bowed again and left.

The Hokage sat smoking his favorite pipe. In truth he didn't know if the training the Yamanaka clan abilities would ever help Naruto against the Fox but it was important to make sure his mind was stable which was why he arranged for the training in the first place. Sarutobi gave a silent prayer of thanks that Naruto had survived intact up to this point. Now that he was a ninja he could use his power as Hokage to help him more directly.

He only hoped it would be enough to help Naruto weather the dangers he would surely face.

The meeting between the Hokage and the head of the Yamanaka Clan was not the only late night meeting that went on that night. Around the same time Neji Hyūga also found himself meeting with the head of his own clan. He came into a small chamber and bowed.

"Report." Hiashi commanded.

"I have been observing Naruto and Tenten per your instructions and tonight I found some relevant news."

"Go on."

"It appears that Naruto Uzumaki is actually the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox." Neji had heard Tenten talking to Lee about the meeting tonight. Lee had been badgering her about the "flowery passions of her youth" ever since he learned that Tenten and Naruto were friends. She finally gave in and told him a few tidbits just to keep him quiet. Neji hadn't been in the room, Tenten had not trusted him since his behavior on learning about her new friendship. What most failed to realize was that when one could see through walls all you had to do was learn to read lips and you could find out many secrets people wanted kept to themselves.

Most Hyūga learned this particular skill at a early age.

Neji had followed Tenten and observed the meeting from a safe distance and learned of Naruto's status, he had stayed watching Naruto weep like the failure he was until the Hokage himself had come to speak with him. Worried the Hokage might somehow detect him he had slipped away into the night and made his way to his clan head to report. Hiashi sat there in contemplation of the news.

"So the boy finally starts to learn of what he is does he?" he finally commented.

"You knew my lord?" Neji asked.

"Most in the village do, the Hokage ordered none shall speak of it to give him a "normal" childhood. You yourself can see how that worked out.

It worked out just as Fate decreed Neji thought to himself. Naruto was fated to be a failure no matter what power was stored within him. How else could you explain someone being a Jinchuuriki to the Nine-Tails and being forced to live as a orphan?

"I may need to consider a change in my plans."

"My lord?"

Hiashi looked at him as if judging his worth.

"Neji who do you believe if the best fit to lead the Hyūga clan once I retire?"

"Lady Hinata has that honor."

"That is not what I asked you."

"It would not be my place Lord to judge on such matters."

"It is if I so command."

"Lord Hiashi...I believe Lady Hinata is not strong enough to lead the clan."

"I would agree with you."

Neji's eyes went wide. It was no secret of the clans head displeasure with his daughter but to be talking about it with a member of the branch family was unheard of!

"Do you intend to give the position to her sister then Lord Hiashi?"

"Hanabi is a far more capable warrior and if my choice was just between the two of them I would probably push for her to replace Hinata as clan head but I have another choice in mind."

"Who my Lord?"

"You Neji."

For a moment Neji's mind literally did not process what his clan head had told him. It was not to be believed. Even if one were to accept a branch member becoming a member of the main family (which had happened from time to time) he had never heard of any branch member becoming the head of the clan! Neji sat there gaping.

"Well I see that was enough of a shock to break through your vaunted self control." Hiashi commented with a small chuckle.

"My Lord...I don't understand." Neji couldn't remember when the clan head had ever treated him with nothing better than disdain.

"There is no reason you would. Clan politics is not normally shared with it's children...especially those of the branch family. I have several reasons, first is how weak Hinata is, her sister is far more capable but she is younger and I have seen signs in her of weakness as well, the influence of her mother and sister I suspect. More than that though is the future of the Hyūga clan. With the near destruction of the Senju and Uchiha Clans we are set to become the one true power in the hidden leaf; that means we don't just need a strong leader in the coming years but the strongest we can get. I don't intend to let tradition keep us from having that leader."

"So my seal would be removed?" he asked not completely able to hold out the wonder in his voice.

"Yes Neji, don't mistake me, I believe in our system despite the pain it can sometimes cause but I also believe we should never hold to any tradition so strongly that it keeps our clan from the greatness it deserves."

"But what does this have to do with Naruto?"

"A Jinchuuriki might be feared in every village but they are also important political tools. A clan that has a Jinchuuriki tied to it has strength in the same way a village does. Since Naruto now knows of his status the clans will be able to approach him and make him offers of alliance. If one clan can bind him enough to claim him as part of their clan their perceived strength in the village we grow. Given our existing strength if we manage to do this and have a strong leader from the next generation this village will have no choice but to acknowledge the Hyūga clan as it's master."

"Lord Hiashi I am honored."

"Starting tomorrow I will start giving you private lessons in ninja skills and clan politics. Once I'm done with you Neji you will be the greatest clan's head the Hyūga has ever seen."

Neji bowed his head in thanks still not able to believe what was happening.

"Now remember this day whenever you talk about your vaunted fate." the Hyūga Clan head said with a smirk.

It had been almost a week since Naruto had told his secret to Tenten and they had not spoken since. He had taken the Hokage's advice and had not gone and talked to her about it, he was trying to give her space but in truth deep down he believed he had lost his friend to Fox.

While things in his personal life were not quite what he would have wanted he was happy with his progress as a ninja and in his team. Most of their days were split, in the mornings Naruto would lead training mostly in team exercises. Naruto would use the same tactics he had learned with Tenten, he would summon dozens of clones and wage mock battles to reinforce basic squad mechanics, each of them would take turns in different positions in the squad trying to get a feel for where they felt best. Naruto with his clones tended to be best at crowd control, Sasuke with his advanced taijutsu and fire jutsu was excellent at doing direct damage and overwhelming a opponent. Sakura was the hardest to find a good place for, while she was intelligent she did not exceed at any particular combat skill.

This is where Kakashi started to show his stuff as a Sensei. While Team 7 mostly spent their mornings workings on the basics alone, in the afternoon he started working on individual training with each of them. Naruto was focusing so far on squad tactics and strategy so he could actually stay ahead of his team, Sasuke's training both with his clan and on his own focused on his individual skills and while he understood the concept of working in a team in practice it was the thing he struggled with the most. Naruto on the other hand was beginning to acquire a innate understanding of squad tactics because of his clones. More than that was his skill Gamer's Mind. That allowed him to remain detached but focused on the battlefield no matter how chaotic it seemed to get. Kakashi had confessed that he was worried when he had gotten Naruto on the team he would have had to spend most of his time making sure Naruto and Sakura had mastered the basics of combat, the fact that somehow Naruto had mastered all the Academy skills was proving to save them on a lot of time.

Sasuke was, of course, already talented and despite Naruto's power still the strongest member of the team, though Naruto could now see he was quickly catching up to his rival, in actual combat it would be close between Sasuke's skill and Naruto's clones. To improve Sasuke, Kakashi was so far increasing Sasuke's existing skills. This meant more leveling in his Uchiha combat styles that Kakashi knew well and a few more fire jutsu. With that Naruto was a little jealous, so far Kakashi had been reluctant to teach Naruto or Sakura any elemental jutsu, most times a ninja did not learn elemental jutsu until they were chūnin. The main reason for the restriction were genin's low chakra reserves which meant nothing to Naruto and with Sakura's advanced chakra control learning elemental would actually help increase her chakra reserves faster than anything else would. Naruto was sure Kakashi would relent soon on the issue but if he didn't Naruto was determined to unlock it himself; all his research had shown elemental jutsu was one of the cornerstones of a strong shinobi.

Then there was Sakura, Kakashi had been trying to catch her up to the boys on the team and in part that meant almost purely focusing physical conditioning, Sakura had been too wasted the first few weeks of training to learn any other skills but Naruto thought that it had been good for her, he no longer had to encourage her to eat, he was pretty sure she was beginning to understand a shinobi needed a robust diet in order to properly function. It hadn't hurt when he had suggested that Sasuke's opinion of her might be negative because of how she was holding the team back, he felt a bit bad for manipulating her like that but he couldn't argue with results. Once she had started to meet the physical requirements Kakashi had shown her some basic genjutsu and medical ninjutsu, both required excellent chakra control and she took well to both.

Sakura had become really excited when Naruto had given her a gift of a scroll that had the basics of a taijutsu that actually focused on chakra control, Naruto had found references to Tsunade's fighting style which had unlocked part of Sakura's own companion quest line. It had taken a lot of work to find even a beginner scroll, thank goodness for quest clues! She had taken to the new fighting style even better than the other skills. She only knew the basics and she was still behind her teammates but she was showing remarkable improvement and she was developing into a good support role for the team able to distract, heal or attack as the situation warranted.

Naruto had never had a point where he was in charge of anything before and he found he like being the leader even with the problems that came with it. Sasuke still favored fighting alone and would more often than not go off on his own if Naruto didn't keep a eye on him. Sakura was still a fan girl when it came to Sasuke, though less so than she was, but it was frustrating when Naruto was sure that Sakura thought Naruto was right about something but she would still side with Sasuke, part of Kakashi's training with Naruto was how to build team dynamics and a big part of that was patience.

Which was why Naruto grit his teeth and did not shout when Sasuke broke formation and rushed a group of clone "enemies" who were guarding a target, a fake "hostage", in this case a simple log with a painted face on it; Sasuke ripped into the clones dispelling half of them with ease. Sasuke's speed had caught them by surprise and it took them a moment to regroup and try to counterattack.

The last of the Uchiha was brilliant in combat, moving in between Naruto's clones like he knew all their movements before they even made them. He blocked and countered and one by one the remaining clones fell against fist and kunai. In a few moments he was the only one standing there with a small smirk on his face. Sakura shrieked in glee and ran over to him shouting congratulations, Naruto followed more slowly trying to keep his irritation in check.

"That was awesome Sasuke!" Sakura shouted at him. Sasuke just nodded back, which was actually a bit more interaction that Sakura had used to get. Naruto wanted them to all get along but he was worried about anything that encouraged her fan-girl tendencies.

"No it wasn't Sakura," he commented "Sasuke screwed up the mission."

"What are you talking about dobe?"

"You were supposed to wait for Sakura to create a distraction drawing away the clones then you attacked while I rescued the hostage."

"So what? I saw a opening and I took it. We won. You just hate the fact I didn't follow your plan."

"Yeah Naruto don't let being squad leader go to your head. Sasuke still is a better fighter than you. You should trust his judgment." Sakura said defending her interest.

Naruto sighed. There was Fan-girl Sakura rearing her head again. She was so smart when she forgot she was obsessed with him. Well he could prove her wrong now.

"So if he is so smart then what's up with that?" he said pointing at the wooden hostage. Where the neck would be a kunai was stabbed violently into it. Had it been a real person it would have bleed out almost immediately.

"Sakura was supposed to use a genjutsu to draw away some of the enemy, you would engage the remaining clones while I protected and freed the hostage. Instead you had to be so obsessed with proving yourself you forgot the actual mission!" he wasn't shouting but he was getting close. It wasn't the first time Sasuke had tried to prove himself and Naruto was frustrated. When they worked together they were pretty awesome but whenever Sasuke ran off on his own their teamwork fell apart. It didn't help that most of time Sasuke was able to complete the mission anyway. Looking into his stubborn face Naruto was sure Sasuke was once again ignoring the lesson of failure. Sakura at least had the decency to look a bit ashamed when she realized that the hostage had been killed and she had cheered.

"Who cares Naruto!" Sasuke said angrily back. "It's not an actual mission! It's just some stupid piece of wood! I can't waste my time worrying about teamwork when I need to be getting stronger!"

Naruto was about to retort when another voice beat him too it.

"Is that so Sasuke?" All three genin turned and saw Kakashi Sensei standing above them on a tree limb calmly reading a book. He wasn't looking directly at any of them but they all knew his attention was purely focused on Sasuke. Sasuke felt the pressure but did not want to back down.

"Yes! I do think so! You have the dead last of our class teaching us squad tactics and we haven't done any mission better than a D rank chore, how am I supposed to ever prove myself if I don't get to test my strength?"

Kakashi now was actually looking directly at Sasuke with his one eye, he snapped his book shut and landed on the ground in front of him.

"So you think Naruto can't teach you anything because he's the dead last of your class correct?"

Sasuke started to say something but gave a look in Naruto's direction. He knew Naruto had changed a lot since class and he actually was starting to feel a small, very small, bit of respect for his self appointed rival but he was just not happy with how fast he was progressing!

"No Sensei, I just feel there's nothing he can teach me because I know all of this already. I was taught squad tactic basics before I entered the Academy."

"Then why are you so bad at it?" Kakashi replied.

That took the Uchiha back. "What just because I didn't follow the script? I thought ninja were supposed to be flexible?"

"Ninja are supposed to adapt to the situation not go off on their own against the wishes of their squad leader. They're supposed to wise enough to know the difference between the two, which you repeatedly have shown you do not. Of your class Naruto probably has the second best understanding of squad tactics at this point, his strategies are sound and he incorporates both your and Sakura's skills correctly to maximize your chances of completing the mission but you disregard him even though you know he is correct! Why would I send a team like on any mission except D rank chores!" Kakashi was not shouting at Sasuke, he never shouted, however no one on the team could not hear the stern rebuke in his voice.

"So you're saying it's my fault? That we haven't gone on a real mission?" Sasuke replied sullenly.

"Actually yes. Naruto has so far been a effective team leader and has greatly expanded his skills since the Academy, Sakura has made remarkable progress in developing a strong support set for the both of you, Sasuke you have improved the least, in part because you were so much stronger than your teammates to begin with but also because you disregard your teammates strength."

Sasuke stood there looking at the ground in anger. He refused to accept that he was the one holding them back! Kakashi sighed and drew his attention to the whole team. Naruto and Sakura had taken a step back and were trying to not be noticed. Naruto was fighting holding back a bit of delight at seeing Sasuke get a bit of reproach for once, Sakura was worried about Sasuke but also not wanting to anger her Sensei.

"All right let's split up for a bit and work on individual training. Sakura I want you to work on your physical conditioning and I will be with you later to work on your skills with you. I will work with our young Uchiha for a bit (where they could finish their conversation in private).

"What do you want me to do Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"You are relieved from training today Naruto, you have something important you need to address."

"Wait? Like what?"

Kakashi just gestured over toward the edge of the training grounds where, standing nervously, was Tenten.

Kakashi took a still sullen Sasuke away while Naruto stood there looking at Tenten in the distance. It was his first time seeing her since he had told her about the Nine-Tails and truth be told, he was still hurting from her reaction, logically he had come to realize that wasn't fair, it was big news that hit her on a personal level and it was wrong to judge her based on that one moment.

Still he wasn't moving toward her.

A rather painful punch connected with his right arm.

"Ow!" he said rubbing his arm looking at a glaring Sakura. "What was that for?"

"Why are you still standing there? Go talk to her already!" Sakura commanded. While Sakura was still obsessed with Sasuke she had finally taken a interest in Naruto, at least in regards to his personal life, she had been pestering him about details with him and Tenten ever since they had meet for ramen and when Tenten had stopped hanging out with him she been more aggressive with trying to find out what was wrong.

"It's...not that easy Sakura."

She gave a look that clearly showed what she thought of that comment.

"I don't know what happened between you two but I'm sure it's your fault Naruto, somehow you have a girl who's smart, pretty, strong and not me, that seems willing to put up with you and I will not let your bull headiness cause you to screw this up! Now do you have what it takes to go over there or do I have to make you?" She cracked her knuckles for emphasis.

Naruto gulped. He knew he could still beat her in a fight if it ever came down to it but somehow he knew in a situation like this she could still pound him into the ground no matter how strong he got. The blonde shinobi backed away from the angry looking with his hands up in a pleading gesture.

"Okay! Okay! I'll go over there Sakura. Man you think a guy couldn't be conflicted for a bit."

Sakura raised her hand menacingly again and Naruto took the clue and turned around jogging toward Tenten. Sakura smiled as he left. She was rooting for Naruto and Tenten, after all, if Naruto got a real girlfriend he wouldn't waste so much time pestering her and it would be one less obstacle between her and her true love Sasuke! She had to admit to herself though that she genuinely wanted Naruto to be happy. Since joining Team 7 she had gotten to know him a lot better and had seen first hand how hard he had been working to become a better ninja and a better person, she had chances to see how the villagers treated him and the look of hurt she saw on his face that he quickly covered up with a grin or a joke. She didn't know why people seemed to hate him so but she was quickly growing tired of it. Naruto had done a lot to help her become a stronger kunoichi and hadn't rubbed it in...much...when it became clear he was much stronger ninja than she was.

Which was more than she could say for Sasuke, he had begun slowly to warm up to her joining in the occasional conversation or helping with training but most of the time she always got the feeling that when he was with her it was just a chore he had to put up with. She still loved the black haired Uchiha but she was starting to become less...disillusioned with him. For a moment as Naruto neared Tenten she wondered if she was a mistake, instead of help Naruto and Tenten get together maybe she should pursue Naruto herself? She shook her head and chuckled at the thought. She didn't like Naruto in that way, he was just kinder and besides she really liked the older kunoichi and wanted to become a good friend with her in the future, she probably wouldn't appreciate her entertaining thoughts about her main interest! Sakura turned to give the two some privacy and warned Naruto in her head to not screw this up or she would make sure he lived to regret it!

Naruto stopped just a few feet from Tenten and looked nervously at his friend. He scratched the back of his head and tried to think of what to say, she beat him to it.

"Hi." she said.

"Hi." he replied for a moment feeling a bit of deja vu.

"So how have you been?" she asked.

"Fine. I guess." he tried to say something more but found he was having a hard time finding what words he wanted to say. He had gone through dozens of variations of this scenario in his head, sometimes he would get her to say she was sorry, sometime he would tell her off for the way she had acted, other times he would beg his own forgiveness for putting her through any pain but none of it felt right and he was left at a loss for words.

Tenten sensed his hesitancy and hung her head.

"Naruto do you hate me now?" she asked softly.

"What? No! Of course I don't hate you." he said quickly.

"You don't want to talk to me though do you?"

"It's not like that Tenten, I...was hurt and I really don't know what to say or do now."

"I'm sorry. You must think I'm horrible."

"That's not what I'm trying to say! See this my problem. I've been thinking about this forever and nothing seems right. I don't think you're horrible but I'm still hurt...and a little mad at you."

"You should be. I was a bad friend."

Naruto sighed in frustration, he wished his stupid power would help out with this!

"See this is what I'm talking about, I have been trying to blame you or myself or the Fourth Hokage or the stupid Nine-Tails and none of it seems right. It wasn't even that long ago that I learned about the Fox inside of me...and I really haven't figured out how I feel about the who thing myself."

Tenten hung her head. "Naruto when you told me about what was inside of you I wasn't seeing you, I was just seeing my parents or at least all those dreams I used to have when I was little where I imagined being in a loving family. Thinking the thing that took away all that was in my best friend was more than I could handle, I saw how much I was hurting you but right then I couldn't make myself be anything but afraid, you deserve better than that."

Naruto shook his head. "No, that's what I'm starting to figure out ever since I learned about the Nine-Tails, life's not always simple like that, I mean I'm really angry at the Fourth Hokage for putting it inside of me but I sat and I thought about, if I was the Hokage and I was trying to save the Village what would I have done? The Fourth did not want to do it to me but he didn't want the Village to be destroyed or attacked again either and I get that."

"So are you okay with it?"

Naruto laughed. "Kami no! I'm still made at him and I'm mad at Jiji for not telling me about it sooner but I'm starting to get the reasons he did that, at least a little. Maybe in time when I'm smart enough and wise enough I'll be able to accept it but for now I'm just going to become a kick ass ninja! But this is what I'm trying to say is it's not fair for me to expect you to just get it all of a sudden. You have all your own thoughts and feelings about it, so I think it would be really unfair of me to want you to accept it like it was no big deal."

"Okay now you're making me feel worse you acting like your all mature and stuff." she said sullenly.

He grinned. "I've been thinking of nothing else since our talk and it took me awhile to get a handle on what I was thinking. I didn't work a lot of it out until I was talking to you."

"I still want to apologize."

"You don't have too." he insisted.

"Yes I do, even if you're right I still hurt you with how I reacted and even if I couldn't help it I never want to hurt you Naruto."

"What about training?"

"Training doesn't count." she insisted.

"Seems pretty painful at times is all I'm saying."

"Anyways I didn't want to hurt you and I'm really sorry Naruto-kun."

"Alright then I'll forgive you...on one condition."

"What condition?" she asked

"Keep being my friend? I don't have enough of them to lose one."

Tenten laughed a bit and bumped her headband against his then stayed there looking him eye to eye.

"Dummy I already said you were my best friend didn't I?"

"That you did. So what do we do now?"

She smiled at him. Her face was the barest of inches from his and her eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Well for now I would like for us to starting hanging out again. I miss you. And once both us have time to work through whatever we need to work through we'll take it from there."

He smiled back at her. "I think I'm okay with that."

Suddenly Tenten leaned forward and turned kissing him on the cheek at the last moment. Naruto felt himself go red...and rather warm.

She whispered in his ear. "Just remember Naruto-kun I meant it when I you're my best friend and I meant it when I said I like you, so are you okay waiting until I am okay with your "house guest?"

Her breath was on his ear. He gulped and almost squeaked out a response. "Yes."

She stepped back and grinned. "Okay then! Just remember Naruto-kun that I will get over this and in the meantime if any other girl begins to find out how awesome you really are..."

The kunoichi pulled out several kunai almost out of the air spun them around and made them disappear just as quickly except for a single kunai she twirled around her fingers. She giggled and Naruto gulped again, this time out of a bit of fear but knew she was joking, mostly. It was in that moment a thought popped into his head and he voiced it without thinking about potential consequences.

"Hey Tenten is this a good time to mention I'm going to be doing regular training with Ino Yamanaka?" he asked innocently. He barely dodged the kunai that flew off her finger in surprise embedding the ground where his left foot was.

"What?" she nearly shouted.

A chime sounded.

Congratulations! You have unlocked Tenten as a companion! She has now been added to your companion list.

As Tenten started to get angry about him hanging out with other girls he tried to hid his smile. He didn't know what was coming in the future but he knew she was going to be one of his real friends no matter what.