"What...Happened." Naruto said out loud before opening his eyes. He had been out a whole three days total. So a lot had gone on. He slowly opened his eyes to adjust to the amount of light that was getting through. He looked beside him and saw Sakura resting on his bed side. He looked over to the other bed in the room and saw Sasuke laying on it. Sasuke wasn't in the hospital but just relaxing. Naruto shifted to sit up as he looked at his team-mates. For the first time in his life he had someone other than the Third Hokage waking him up to greet him. He assumed the old man was just busy with handling the invasion that he couldn't come and see him.

He reached up and grabbed the spot where his curse mark was. He closed his eyes as neither of them had awoken to his shifting yet. So he decided to have a talk with a certain fox for the time being.

"Kurama...what's going on?" Naruto asked.

"The seal is an interesting one Naruto. You know I don't do well with seals any how. It's of a high caliber. I can't purify it. I can heal you from the pain it will bring you until you can find a way to control it though. You should think about using it sometime. The power it gives may be foul, but it's very useful to benefit your goal." Kyuubi finished.

"You have got to be kidding me. I felt the power but it's too tainted. I'm trying to become strong, not kill everything in my way..." Naruto said out loud.

"It's still a useful tool to have if you learn how to control it. If you don't subcome to my hatred, then you'll fair well against this seal." Kyuubi finished.

"I understand Kurama. So what must I do?" Naruto asked.

"I don't have any idea as to how to complete that task. That is something you'll have to find on your own." Kyuubi stated.

Naruto opened his eyes back to the real world as he looked around. Sakura was starting to stir as Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura." He stated while she slowly opened her eyes.

"Naruto! You're awake!" she cheered loudly. Sasuke woke up and looked around noticing Naruto was awake.

"Welcome back Naruto." Sasuke said as Naruto looked around.

"What happened?" Naruto asked. "The last thing I remember was beating the Shukaku's container Gaara. Did anything else happen?" Naruto finished asking as he looked at Sakura's saddened face as Sakura had the urge to bow her head. Sasuke looked away before speaking.

"Orochimaru was behind the invasion. He killed the Kazekage and assumed his identity to force Sand into the invasion with Sound. He attacked the Sandaime Hokage... I'm sorry Naruto. But the Hokage is dead." he finished in tone that was filled with emotion which was odd for Sasuke.

Naruto took a breath of air and closed his eyes. He knew the Sandaime would die, he had just hoped it would be of old age. But he knew that Hiruzen would have wanted to go out as a shinobi, and not some old man just wasting away. "When's the funeral." Naruto said, choking on his words a little. The realization of one of his biggest supporters dying was a shock to him. He had lost a friend, a mentor, a Grandfather. Someone who had help taken care of him for a while.

"Today. If you're up for it we can get your clothes for you." Sasuke replied.

"It's ok." He said while he got out of bed. He walked into a bathroom while grabbing his torn and ripped clothing from his battle with Gaara. He placed the clothing on and exited out the bathroom as he located the Hiraishin Kunai he had at home. He wasn't going to be battling any ways, so he had no problem wasting the chakra. "I'll meet you at the funeral location." He replied before a light flash escaped from underneath the door of the hospital. Staff ran in to see what had happened only to find Sakura and Sasuke looking at the spot Naruto had been.

"Where is the patient?" The doctors asked. Sakura and Sasuke could only reply that he went home and they began to exit. The doctor was a little upset that someone had escaped without the proper treatment but squashed that as he realized it was the Kyuubi brat. 'That kid always heals fast any ways. He'll be fine.' the doctor thought as he left.

Naruto appeared in his home as the light died down quickly. He removed his torn and tattered clothing as he scrapped them. There was no reparing that. He had other outfits like it but he couldn't help but wonder if it was time for another change. He opened his closet and removed a black long sleeved shirt and pants along with black shinobi sandals. He reached up and grabbed a black headband and laid them out as he went to the bathroom and began to take a shower. As he showered for the first time in a while he began to cry. He cried for his lost guide. When he finished and exited the shower he placed his clothes on and disappeared to the memorial site for the burial.

Many shinobi were at the location. The ANBU were in the top rows watching the crowd and the service. The field jounin were after the ANBU, followed by the chuunin ranked shinobi filling in a large amount of rows. The field genin, or the genin without sensei's who had skills to be chuunin but not the experience, were next. The Jounin sensei's were next followed by the Genin who were under them. Then infront of them were some of the academy students. Konohamaru was upset. He was pissed. He was beyond pissed. His grandfather had died before he could show him his skills. He openly cried.

Naruto knew how the kid felt to some degree. While not a biological grandfather, Naruto viewed him as one. Even after the incident with Mizuki Naruto couldn't stay mad at him. He reconciled with the old Hokage after he had gotten time to cope with the events, and they had some great times. Naruto placed his hand on Konohamaru as he cried into Naruto's shirt. He wrapped his other arm around the boy and knelt down to his level as Konohamaru openly sobbed. The sounds of the young boy sobbing touched many of the shinobi and very few of the hardened shinobi were brought to the tears of the boy's cries.

This was the life of a shinobi. They lived, they fought, then they died. There were some things that happened, rarely any lived enough to retire, and even few had the chance to have a normal life. The life wasn't pleseant. Naruto had realized it and many of the new genin were begining to realize it. "It's ok..Konohamaru." Naruto said as he held the boy.

The civilian's were already upset with the loss of a beloved Hokage was already taxing their emotions. But for the Demon kid of Konoha to be comforting the Honorable Grandson. This was far enough for them. "You damn demon brat...how dare you try and trick that young child. Can't you see he's already hurting!" a random civilian yelled out. Naruto paid no mind to it. The crowd was begining to back the random voice as many of the civilian's and younger shinobi who didn't know any better was beginning to agree.

"You demon bastard. Get away from that young boy! Why are you even here!" they began asking. Naruto closed his eyes and began to tune them out. His curse mark was glowing slightly but not enough for a civilian to catch it. But a shinobi did. A jounin looked at the curse mark and noticed that it was oddly similar to Anko's seal. "What's that on your neck?" One of the ninja's asked.

Naruto's eyes opened up if merely for the suspicion that he didn't know his mark was glowing. "It's nothing...a wound I suffered while in the Forest of Death." he replied. Anko looked at Naruto with a little bit of worry. If they noticed his curse seal, they'd have a full blow riot on their hands saying Naruto was a spy for Orochimaru. This was not going to end well.

"That mark looks familiar," said one jounin as he walked up and looked at it closer. Naruto tried to back away but he had Konohamaru in his arms. He released him and handed him to Asuma as he stood up to confront the jounin who was getting into close proximity to him but it was too late. His seal was found out.

"It's a curse mark!"

"He works for that Orochimaru Bastard who's behind all that."

"Spy!"

"Kill the demon traitor"

"ENOUGH!"

The last one caught the crowd off guard. Sasuke Uchiha was standing tall against the crowd as he walked up to Naruto. Murmurs of 'The Uchiha will handle this' was shifting through the crowd as he made his way to Naruto. Sasuke placed his arm around Naruto and began to lead him away from the crowd. "Let's go Naruto. You don't have to stand through this." he said as Sakura made her way to his other side. Kakashi made it to the front of the crowd while he looked around at his fellow villagers and shinobi.

"You ignorant fools. You can't see the tool from it's holdster." he finished as he walked after his student. Cryptic as always Kakashi. Many of the jounin in the crowd got the mention. But the Civilian's were at a loss. Many of the chuunin realized what they had said and began to think on Kakashi's words. Many didn't give a damn either. It all was the demon's fault. Either way, it was going to be fixed tonight.