"How is everything?" She looked at him hopefully.

"Delicious," he told her honestly. "It's been a long time since I had curry chicken. The rice, the steamed vegetables, all of it is great. Thank you for making this for me."

Hinata had been provided a room in the girls' dormitory for the night and she had insisted on making him dinner. Amazingly he had gotten special permission from the Academy to go to her room. She had gone all out. The lights were off and there were candles burning. The food was delicious; she was obviously an excellent cook. And she had even provided a large bottle of really potent sake. It was certainly a whole different experience from the meals he'd gotten used to from Moka.

Then again, Moka's desserts had been out of this world.

"I'm so glad you're enjoying it." She looked and sounded pleased.

"You know you really didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"But I'm only here for tonight, tomorrow morning Jiraiya and I will take that thing back to Fire country."

"It's called a bus."

She nodded. "Ah, yes that's right. We will take that bus and I won't see you again until you return to Konoha. Since that won't be for years, making you this dinner was the least I could do."

Under slightly different circumstances he would have relaxed and enjoyed having such a beautiful woman serving him such a great meal. Glancing out the window he knew that potential disaster was right around the corner.

XXXXXXXXXX

Moka was standing on the dormitory roof across from where, 'that girl' was entertaining Naruto. Though the window was open she could see nothing from her current position. She would have had to position her self across from the room to get a decent view. She'd actually thought about it, but her pride would not allow her to stoop to such tactics. If they do anything inappropriate I will kill her and beat him to within an inch of his life.

Yukari was also on the roof top. Whereas Moka would stand there perfectly still she was constantly fidgeting and trying to somehow get a better look. Yukari looked over at the beautiful vampire and began inching towards her.

"If you try and grab my breasts again I will throw you off this roof." Moka never took her eyes off the window below.

"You're really mean," Yukari pouted and stopped trying to get any closer. "I miss the gentle Moka. When will I see her again?"

"Not until the issues between us and Naruto have been fully resolved."

Yukari grinned at the vampire. "You're really jealous right now aren't you?"

Moka glanced at her with a frosty expression. "Jealous?" She questioned in a haughty tone. "Of that human child? Do not be ridiculous."

"She is the same age as Naruto right? If she's a child doesn't that mean Naruto is one too?" Yukari began to giggle. "So wouldn't that make you a child molester?"

"You joke, but in some ways Naruto is still just a child. In others he is as old as I am. He can be very… surprising at times. That little girl from his village could never begin to understand him or give him what he truly needs."

"Unlike the two of us," Yukari said cheerfully.

Moka turned her eyes back down towards the window.

"You know if you want I could help things along." Yukari pulled out a straw doll. "I managed to get a strand of that girl's hair. That means I can use my magic to make her start slapping or kicking him."

"No," Moka said firmly. "If we interfere that will only anger him and make things worse in the long run. We must simply trust that nothing will occur between them."

"Then why are we up here acting like a couple of stalkers?"

Moka did not bother to answer that.

After a long silence Yukari began fidgeting again. "I'm really surprised Mizore and Kurumu aren't up here too. Though Kurumu did try and pretend she didn't care."

"I do not know Mizore well so I have no idea what her motivations are. As for Kurumu," Moka curled her lip. "I am sure she is in her room right now entertaining some of her pathetic pets."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kurumu had on a little black dress that seemed about to burst. It revealed nearly all and left precious little to the imagination. At the moment she was curled up on her couch eagerly pressing her tits up against his chest. She'd had him with her very first smile but had still used her charm to bring him completely under her control. He'd put up absolutely no resistance.

"I just love older men," she purred in his ear.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that." An overly excited Jiraiya panted. This was going to make a great chapter in his next book. "Shall I thrill you with some stories of my amazing and heroic adventures?"

"Actually," she squeezed herself up against him. "Could you tell me every last thing you know about Naruto?"

"Sure, to start with…"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hinata-san…"

"Please stop calling me that," she said. "You don't have to be formal with me. Please call me Hinata or if… if you want Hinata-chan."

He shook his head slightly. "You're the daughter of the Hokage and heir to one of the most elite clans of the village. I don't think someone like me should be talking to you in such a familiar way."

"But of course you should! You're my betrothed," she argued. "We're going to be husband and wife some day!"

"No we're not," he wasn't trying to be mean, but he couldn't keep the anger from his voice. "Do you even know who the hell I am? Just what do you think you know about me?"

"I know everything about you Naruto-kun," she said in a small voice. Why is he angry with me? I've only tried to make him feel comfortable. "Before I came here both my father and Jiraiya spoke to me at length and I was allowed to read your classified personnel file. I know everything about you that Jiraiya does."

"Is that a fact?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Five Hours Earlier

"So now you know the truth," Jiraiya said. They were alone in his room. Naruto was holding two documents in his hands. Jiraiya had just revealed his parentage to him and what the Hokage had planned for him whenever he returned. "So as you can see in the will you are the last surviving member of the Namikaze clan and sole heir to a fortune worth over half a billion ryu. You will inherit the family estates and become the richest man in the village, richer even than me or the Hokage. You will also inherit your family's seat on the Council. The Hokage intends to have the entire village honor you as the son of the Yondaime, and as the hope for the restoration of the Yondaime's line. And to prove to you just how greatly the Hokage values you he is giving you his daughter to be one of your wives."

"One of?"

Jiraiya had a huge grin on his face. "Since you're the last member of one of our clans there's a special law that applies to you. You'll be allowed to take three wives in order to ensure you are able to restore your clan. And one of them will be the lovely Hinata, you will be able to call the Fifth Hokage, 'dad.' As soon as you come home you'll have wealth, women, and power, not too bad, right?"

"He's despicable." Naruto said.

"What?"

"The Hokage, he's despicable. He's a father, and a father should love and protect his children. He should want his daughter to be with someone who can love her and make her happy. Instead he condemns her to be with someone like me."

"That's a really negative way of seeing things kid," Jiraiya said unhappily. "Most guys would be jumping for joy at the news I just gave you."

"I'm not most guys." Naruto was reading the second document, it was a letter. "When was this written?"

"It was written in the few minutes he had before going to face the Kyuubi." Jiraiya answered solemnly. "That's how much he cared about you Naruto, at the very end of his life he wanted to leave you something."

Naruto said nothing as he read the letter.

My son;

As I write this to you, you are a child crying in his father's arms. When I look into your small face it breaks my heart to know what I am about to do. I beg your forgiveness son, and ask you to understand that this is the only way. I know the terrible burden I place on you and I pray you will be the sort of man who can bear it. Please understand that you are my son and I love you, but as my son you are the only one I can entrust with this awful responsibility. It is my greatest hope that all the people of this village will recognize you as the hero that you are. I had hoped that you would have your mother there to help you, but she is gone. Know that she loved you and wanted you, she held you in her arms and was content as her life ended. Though you will lose you parents and your family this night you will not be alone. I have entrusted your safety to the man I admire most, my sensei, the great Jiraiya. I hope that by the time you read this your godfather has become the father to you that I cannot be. Goodbye my son, and please know that I love you and ask you to forgive me.

Your father,

Namikaze Minato

He read it a second time, staring at the words. His mother had told him that his father had loved him. He hadn't believed her. But his father had spent the last minutes of his life writing to him and proclaiming his love for his son and asking forgiveness for the wrong he was about to commit. Somehow knowing the words were from him made a difference.

"I forgive you," he whispered.

"What did you say kid?"

"I said that I forgive my father for what he did to me. I always hated the Yondaime for what he did, but… he asked for forgiveness. I know he had a hard choice and that he only did what he had to. So I forgive him."

"I'm glad to hear that kid. I know it would make him very happy to hear that." Jiraiya eyed him guardedly. "You know you've taken the news that you're the Yondaime's son a lot better than I would have expected. I was expecting you to either be furious or shocked senseless."

"Believe me; you have no idea what a surprise it is to me." He looked at Jiraiya and gave him a big friendly smile. "You were my father's sensei."

"I sure was kid, he was an amazing person your father. I loved him like a son."

"You loved him like a son? How sweet." He took a step forward, his smile never faltering. "So I guess I'm sort of like a grandson to you, huh?"

"Well… not yet, but if you want we can work on getting to know each other once you return. My offer of training you is still open, I'd be very happy to help you out of respect for your father."

"Is that right?' he said softly and took another step forward. "You want to help me out of respect for my father, who you loved like a son?"

"That's right kid," there was something about Naruto's sudden friendliness that Jiraiya didn't like. He took a half step back.

"You never read my father's letter, did you?"

"No, it was sealed and meant only for you."

"Is there something you'd like to confess to me? Anything you want to apologize to me for? If there is now would be the time."

Jiraiya frowned at him. "Nothing comes to mind."

"I see." Naruto's fist caught him right in the middle of his face. The mighty Jiraiya had a comical look of surprise on his face as he looked up from the floor. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!!" He tossed the letter at him. "Read it! And just so you know the only reason I don't kill you right now is because of the damn seal!"

Jiraiya took the letter and quickly read through. "Aw hell, oh kid I'm so sorry. But you have to understand…"

"Oh I understand, Godfather. My father, who you loved, trusted you to take care of me. He thought you'd be like a father to me, and instead you abandoned me. And when I finally did meet you it was only so you could put that damn seal on me. Wouldn't dad be proud of you?"

Jiraiya flinched at the accusation and looked ashamed as he got up. "Kid, I'm so sorry, when I lost Minato it really was like I lost my own son. The hurt was so terrible I couldn't even bear to be in Konoha for years after that. I took a bunch of long term missions, by the time I finally got back you were long gone and I figured it was best I stay out of your life."

Naruto laughed a bit. "So basically you decided your godson mattered less than your own pain. And then you decided I wasn't even worth bothering to check up on. I was miserable! I was alone! And you didn't even care."

"Kid what did I know about being a father? I didn't think I could handle it."

"But you didn't even try! So what if you wouldn't have been the greatest dad? Maybe if people had just known Jiraiya was my godfather that would have been enough. Maybe they would have been just a little less cruel to me. Maybe the Third wouldn't have had to send me away. Maybe I could have been a little normal! If you'd at last tried everything might have been different for me! But no, I guess I wasn't worth the effort."

"Kid I'm sorry."

"Well that makes it all better." Naruto struggled to keep his fury in check and to keep from drawing out the Kyuubi's power. "Just so you know godfather, I don't forgive you. Now please get the hell out of here."

"All right ki… all right Naruto. Remember, you're having dinner with Hinata tonight."

"No, I'm not. There's no way I'm marrying her so there's no point in seeing her."

"If you don't want to marry her that's your decision I suppose, but the girl came all this way to see you and really wants to talk to you. Since she's never done anything to you can you at least meet with her?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Is that a fact?" Naruto said. "So you know I'm a monster?"

"Naruto-kun I don't see you that way." Hinata said. She looked at him shyly. "To me you are that brave little boy who always smiled when others were being mean to him. I… I always admired your confidence and your courage. I… uhm, I always wondered what would have happened if you had stayed at the academy."

He smiled at her, a big friendly smile. "Oh, that's easy. If I'd stayed you'd have wound up hating me like everyone else."

She looked at him in shock. "That's not true Naruto-kun!"

"Of course it is! Everyone hated me, except for the Hokage and Iruka-sensei. What? Do you really think you'd have been different? What would you have done the first time the other kids cornered you and asked you why you were being nice to me? They'd have told you I was a freak and that everyone hated me, and that if you didn't do the same you'd be a freak too. After that you would have started treating me like everyone else."

"I wouldn't have!" She seemed on the verge of tears. "Naruto-kun please believe me! I always liked and admired you! I would never have been cruel to you."

He stared at her. "I remember a girl named Sakura, she had pink hair and I thought she was pretty. My first day at the academy I talked to her and she was nice to me. She even said she'd be my friend. The very next day the other girls grabbed her and explained how things were. When I tried to talk to her again she screamed she didn't like me and hit me. That's what would have happened if I'd stayed."

"Naruto-kun…"

He wiped his mouth and got up from the table. "Look Hinata-san, you seem like a really good girl. So I'm going to do you a favor, I'm not going to marry you. Whatever you may think you don't know me, I am not that eight year old you remember so fondly. I am a horrible person and I've given up on ever trying to love anyone. I am going to tell your father I won't marry you, and then at least you'll have a chance of being with someone who might love you." He bowed to her. "Thank you for the meal, it really was delicious."

"Wait! Naruto-kun can't you at least stay and talk with me for awhile? Even if you're not that boy anymore I'm sure something of him is still there inside of you. Won't you at least give me a chance? You might like me."

"No, please just forget about me. Believe me, it's better this way."

As he opened the door Hinata saw all her hopes about to disappear forever. "I love you!" She cried out. He stopped and turned around to look at her. "I have been in love with you ever since I first saw you. I have never once wanted to be with anyone but that brave little boy. Please let me be with you! I swear if you will just let me be your wife I will spend every day trying to make you happy. And maybe one day you'll love me as I love you!"

He stared at her. He knew that her heartfelt confession was genuine. He was deeply touched that any girl could think of him with such affection for such a long time. She really was a good kind girl.

He laughed at her. "Kami, you're an idiot!" He slammed the door as he left.

Hinata stood there. Her dream gone and her heart suddenly broken. She'd really hoped… she'd really thought… "I am a fool," she muttered as she began to cry.

XXXXXXXXXX

Moka could sense the energy and turned around to see the wind and leaves swirling about.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Naruto asked. "It was a little uncomfortable sensing your aura all through dinner."

"I apologize if I distracted you. I actually saw nothing at all. Did your evening go well?" Moka asked calmly.

He gave her a little nod. "It was fine. Just so you know nothing happened."

She already knew that. There was barely a trace of the girls scent on him. If there had been any significant contact she would have left a much stronger trail. "And you wanted to come and assure me of that to set my mind at ease Uzumaki Naruto?" She took a couple of steps to stand in front of him.

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't think something had happened. I don't need you beating up the Hokage's daughter."

"Is that the only reason you came to see me Uzumaki Naruto? Concern for that girl's well being?"

He was about to confirm it when his hands suddenly reached out and grabbed both her breasts. He saw the look of surprise on her face and knew it had to match his. Oh kami she's going to kill me!

But rather than kill him she calmly asked. "Do you wish to do this right here or back at my apartment?"

"I'm not doing it! My body is moving on its own I swear!"

From behind the door to the roof they heard giggling.

"Yukari!" They both shouted.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto shun shinned back to his apartment. He materialized to find he was not alone. Kurumu was standing there in a little black dress looking worried.

"Kurumu! What are you doing here? I thought I told you that you were nothing to me! I don't want to talk to you or anything else. Get out!"

She flinched away from his anger but held her ground. "Naruto…"

He grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her roughly back and forth. "Do you think coming here to offer me sex will make everything all right?"

"That's not why I'm here!" She pulled out of his grasp. "I realize you can't forgive me for what I did, but I still want to try and help you."

"By giving me sex?"

"No, by giving you information. I was able to charm Jiraiya and get him to tell me about a whole lot of things you don't know. I've come here to share everything I found out. Oh, and just so you know I found about the seal on your heart and tried to get him to remove it."

"You did?" He said in surprise.

"Yeah, but even under my charm he wouldn't go that far. I didn't think he had any will at all, but he won't break direct orders from his leader. I was able to get him to talk though, and I even told him to forget what we had talked about, so tomorrow he'll wake up and imagine we spent the night doing freaky things."

He looked at her. "You did all that just to help me? Why?"

She looked back at him. "Because even if I've ruined everything between us I still love you! Even if you hate me Naruto-kun I'll still do anything I can to protect you. I also found out about the Kyuubi, and it doesn't matter to me."

He looked at her, amazed she would do so much for him even though he'd rejected her. "Thank you Kurumu, what did you find out?"

"Well a lot, but there are two things that seem most important. One the Hokage is so impressed by how quickly your gaining power he doesn't plan on leaving you here until you graduate. Once you achieve five tails he plans to call you back. He thinks that is powerful enough to be a big help to the village and that you'll eventually reach your full potential. He wants you in Konoha where he can keep an eye on you."

"Thanks for telling me that, I'll need to be careful not to reach the five tail state until I'm ready. Or else I need to have another talk with the headmaster."

"But that's not the most important news Naruto-kun," she said worriedly. "Naruto-kun there are people after you. Powerful people who want the demon that's inside of you."

He grinned. "They want my demon, huh? I wish I could have met them about eight years ago."

"Naruto-kun this is serious! According to Jiraiya there are only nine demon lords that exist on or visit your world. These people have captured the other eight and the hosts that carried them were all killed by the extraction. You're the last Naruto-kun! Jiraiya doesn't think they know where you are but they're searching for you. If they find out where you are they'll definitely come for you."

"Nice that the Hokage and Jiraiya neglected to mention that." He nodded to her gratefully. "This is a real help Kurumu. How much can you tell me about them?"

"Not that much, but I'll tell you what I know. To start with their called Akatsuki…"