Chapter XXVIII

Hello readers, I'm pretty sure you're surprised to see this chapter so soon after the last one, this chapter's actually been ready for a while and I've been working up to it, which is part of the reason the previous chapter was so absurdly long. So now this is where things get heavy, and I mean more than other before and I imagine there will be severely polarizing views on this chapter, or I could be wrong but that's what I'm expecting. As usual I'd like to thank my coauthors, Jose19 and ncpfan. Especially ncpfan who has written the entirety of this chapter and most of the next chapter. Now, I don't think there's anything else left to say besides moving on to the reviewer responses.

fairy tail dragon slayer: Well you need to remember, Naruto is powerful, but Kiba's no pushover either. Plus if you noticed Kurama's comments, Naruto spent most of the battle still feeling distracted, plus he was malnourished due to personal negligence, so he simply wasn't able to fight at full power. If he was he would've stomped Kiba into the dirt.

gamelover41592: No, nothing else. This chapter is part of the reason she had to die, it wouldn't have been able to happen without her death.

Kat-the-helping-demon: Sorry, it's hard on my end too but it's one of those necessary acts. Yes, Anko's not coming back. I'm glad you did.

TheLastNanaya: It lists her name as Nanami in several places, plus I've used that as her name for too long to just go and change it.

Fussy Lunch: And just how does Naruto have the answer to everything? He has the solution to many problems and knows a lot of things, but there are plenty of problems he himself can't solve, Anko being one of them.

IncandescentOne: Pal, you are putting WAY too much real world logic into this. If that causes you to lose focus then a man mass-shifting into a giant snake made of snakes, a man controlling dead bodies with the power of his eyes, and a man who can live when his spinal cord is separated should make you fume. Besides, it worked for Goku.

RevenantAKG: Unfortunately there are a lot of problems bringing her back would create, so for now there are no plans to bring her back. And we won't.

God of Thorns: It would be, but he'd need to be bonded to her first, which he isn't.

Ironquaker: Unfortunately no. If you like I send you a PM with the list but it will contain some spoilers since I've compiled a list for myself of the same thing.

Lord Hessen: He had heard rumors that she was dead but was holding out hope they were just rumors.

Arai Kaji: There's one problem with the Path idea. A Path is a dead body controlled by the original user, and their senses are connected to the Path, so Naruto wouldn't do that because doing so, especially with someone like Anko, would almost make him feel dirty.

Jose19: Just wait, he'll be snapped out of it.

Deus Terran: I'm glad you saw that. Sorry, no.

Destrak: The first chapter of the story was originally split into three separate ones and I just transferred he A/N when I combined them, that's why that seems so weird.

That's it for reviewer responses so let's get on to the part you guys actually care about, shall we.

A/N:

ATTENTION!: I made a mistake. The chapter says that Benitsubasa killed Musubi, but it was supposed to say almost killed. I apologize for the error this has cause.


Miya was currently preparing dinner for everyone that she was expecting to come home at any moment. The second phase of the Chunin Exams were over, and Miya couldn't have been happier about that – she missed the lively atmosphere that Sakura and Sasuke, and especially her Naru, brought to her home. She had heard through rumors that Anko had been killed during the exams, though she didn't know the truth of the matter yet. She hoped that it wasn't true, but more importantly, if it was, she hoped that Naruto was alright.

She was suddenly interrupted by a very familiar – and very unexpected - voice calling out from a distance, "Miya! Can you come out, please? I need to talk to you!"

She stopped what she was doing, narrowed her eyes in surprise and confusion as she asked to nobody in particular, "Is that Karasuba? What's she doing here?"

She was surprised not only by the person to whom the voice belonged, but the tone in it as well. This wasn't the tone of someone issuing a bloodthirsty challenge, but rather a respectful and slightly nervous request for her attention. Not sensing any ill intent, but wanting to be careful anyway, she grabbed her blade and fastened it to her side before heading to the front door to greet her visitor.


Upon opening the front door, she noticed Karasuba's posture: it was proud, but in a dignified manner as opposed to the defiant air that Miya had come to expect from her bloodthirsty former colleague. She was surprised further still when Karasuba offered her a weak smile as she brought her hands up, showing that she was unarmed and had no intentions of bringing trouble. She also took note that Karasuba was standing just off of her property line – Miya knew Karasuba well enough to know that she was being respectful of Miya's boundaries, as she was not welcome on her property.

"Hello, Miya," Karasuba greeted the woman quietly.

"Karasuba," Miya began in a friendly but suspicious manner, "This is certainly a surprise. What brings you?"

"I…" the gray-haired woman began somewhat hesitantly, "…would like to ask you if I could reside at Maison Izumo for the foreseeable future?"

Miya didn't respond right away – which Karasuba evidently took as a good sign. While her first impulse was to turn her away and be done with it, Miya chose instead to study the woman before her. She was different, that much was clear. If Miya didn't know any better, she would think that Minato and Kushina had somehow come back into her life, such was the aura of "humanity" that seemed to surround Karasuba at that moment.

Narrowing her eyes thoughtfully, Miya responded carefully, "Why are you asking for residence here?"

"Because I want to live with my Ashikabi," Karasuba answered plainly and straightforwardly.

"Your Ashikabi? Did Sasuke Uchiha wing you?"

"No. I…winged myself to Naruto after I started reacting to him…intensely."

Miya studied the woman for a few more moments. Unable to sense any kind of deceit, her expression softened as she offered, "Why don't you come inside and tell me the whole story?"

Karasuba smiled gratefully and bowed, surprising Miya yet again, "Thank you."

Both of them made their way inside and Karasuba made herself comfortable. Miya finished the final preparations on the meal before setting it to bake in the oven. Once done, she prepared some tea for herself and her guest before bringing it out into the dining room where Karasuba was sitting. Karasuba then recounted the events inside the Forest of Death…


Naruto left Hokage Tower and made his way home, shuffling down the street as he simply stared at the ground a few feet in front of him, his face fixed in a numb frown. He was too spent to notice that even the usual glares were replaced with looks of sympathy – he looked defeated. He felt heavy and helpless, unable to shake his horrible sense of loss.

Musubi had been killed before his eyes much like Akitsu had, and that Benitsubasa monster who took her life had enjoyed it just as much as Ichiya had. He'd lost control to the Nine-Tails' chakra again, and this time he was almost unable to regain it before he'd hurt his friends and loved ones. He was thankful to gain a new Sekirei in Karasuba, and he found it strangely comforting that she took his pain so personally that she was willing to kill the one who'd caused it, even though it was a former comrade of hers. He had then been given the news of Anko's murder by Orochimaru, which once again caused his very foundation to shift and rumble. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take! Lost in his thoughts, he barely caught the sound of two voices heading in his direction.

"Kizashi, leave him alone! He's suffered enough in the past few days!" he heard Mebuki Haruno say rather forcefully.

"Fat chance of that!" Kizashi fired back in response before he spoke in Naruto's direction.

"So, demon!" the pink-haired moustachio jeered, "How do you like feeling the same way we did when you attacked us sixteen years ago?!"

Naruto stopped for a moment and turned to stare at the man blankly. He was with his wife, though their expressions were very different. Where Kizashi was wearing a sinister smirk, his wife looked truly shocked at Kizashi's cruelty.

"Kizashi, what the hell is wrong with you?!" she asked angrily, "Just leave him be!"

Kizashi turned to his wife, appalled at her question as he squawked indignantly, "What do you mean, 'what's wrong with me'? Isn't it time this freak took responsibility for what he did that night?"

"Daddy?!" Naruto heard Sakura call out in shock and what he thought was disgust.

"Sa-Sakura…" the man said as he caught sight of the sickened grimace that his daughter was aiming at him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Sakura asked incredulously.

Kizashi began to sputter as his gaze flitted back and forth between his wife, his daughter and Naruto. Realizing that none of them were on his side, his face morphed into an enraged grimace.

He shouted out, "I've held my piece for sixteen Sage-damned years, and I won't hold it any longer, I don't care what the law says! Nine-Tails over there…" he pointed at Naruto, "…needs to lie down in a ditch and die somewhere and leave us human beings in peace!"

This time, it was Mebuki who interjected, "So despite the fact that he's saved our daughter's life numerous times when they've been out in the field doing missions, you still persist that he's a monster?!"

"Of course I do! He's taken the love of my wife from me, and now even my own daughter's turned against me, too! How's a man supposed to feel about someone who does that?!"

Mebuki gasped in shock at Kizashi's rant with wide eyes.

"What, you think I didn't know about your little souvenir box in the closet?! You think I didn't know that you loved his bastard father and not me?! What, do you think I'm stupid or something? HUH?!"

He began to advance on his wife, causing her to flinch and step back, "Did you think I wouldn't ever find out about your little obsessive fantasy about that freak being your son instead of Kushina's?!"

"Mom…" Sakura began in honest confusion, "…what is he talking about?"

"I'm talking about how your mother is a worthless whore who has some sick obseh…"

He was silenced by a hard fist to his face. He fell backwards, landing on his back. He grunted in pain, his nose having clearly been shattered as blood and snot flowed freely from his nostrils, the skin around his nose and mouth already started to swell and discolor.

Both Mebuki and Sakura looked on in utter shock, as there Naruto stood between Kizashi and Mebuki, his fist extended and flecked with some of Kizashi's blood. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs, but his gritted teeth told all around of his righteous rage.

He growled out lowly, "She may have caused me some pain in the past, but I swore to protect people from brutes like you! I will not stand by while you call her a whore in public just because she objects to you insulting me. You want a piece of her, you can try to get past me for it!"

"Naruto…" both Sakura and Mebuki breathed out in response, though Mebuki's face was stained with a very healthy flush. Her expression changed to one of wonder and confusion.

'After the way I've always treated him…why?' she thought to herself, unable to make sense of why he would come to her defense.

"Shut up, you filthy fucking monster!" Kizashi yelled out, his broken nose making it sound more nasal, "You've stolen enough from all of us! I'm glad that worthless snake slut Mitarashi was killed during the exams, because now you know what you put us through!"

That was the last straw. Kizashi's words, coupled with the sick, sadistic glee that was written all over his face, drove Naruto over the edge. Naruto's eyes turned red, his whisker marks thickened, his canines grew longer, and a red youki cloak with two tails flowing from the back suddenly enveloped him, all of this happened within the span of a second! With a primal roar of rage he charged Kizashi, grabbing him and throwing him around, proceeding to beat him like a drum!


"That's quite the tale," Miya commented after Karasuba had completed her retelling of the events surrounding her winging.

"I know, right?" Karasuba commented with a nervous chuckle, "So…can I stay here with him? I…understand if you don't want me to…"

"That's enough, Karasuba," Miya interrupted gently with a raised hand, "Welcome home, to Maison Izumo. We'll work out all of the final arrangements later."

"Thank you so much, Miya!" Karasuba exclaimed, and in a manner that was very uncharacteristic of the bloodlust-filled Black Sekirei, she leaped up and tackled Miya into a hug. A moment later, she realized what she had done and quickly separated herself from her new landlady.

"Err…ehehehehe…" she chuckled sheepishly this time, "…sorry?"

Miya simply giggled in her normal manner, "That's quite alright, Karasuba. We are old friends, after all, right?"

Their reunion was interrupted by an insistent knocking at her door, followed by the sound of Kakashi's voice, "Miya! It's Kakashi! If you're here, please open up!"

Spurred to action at the unusual urgency and insistence in Kakashi's tone, she quickly got up and made her way to the door. The moment she opened it, she didn't even get a chance to greet him as he simply started talking.

"Miya, listen," he began, again with insistent urgency, and unusual force, "Naruto's just been informed that Anko Mitarashi has been confirmed dead."

She flinched in surprised and worry, "What happened?"

"Orochimaru happened," he answered her plainly, eliciting a gasp from her. Kakashi then saw Karasuba come out from the dining room and approach the front door as well, looking just as worried as Miya.

Kakashi continued, "She was stabbed through the heart by a sword blade. There were traces of poison around the wound that could only have come from Orochimaru's Kusanagi. We also know that he's still at large in the village somewhere."

"Is Naru alright?" Miya asked insistently, as though desperate for an answer.

"He's on his way home now. Please, make sure you take extra good care of him when he gets here – he's going to need it."

"Of course. Thank you for br…"

She stopped dead in her tracks as she suddenly felt something that caused her blood to freeze! It was Naruto…and he was calling on more of the Nine-Tails' chakra than he ever had before! She turned her gaze in the direction from which she felt the surge of power emanating, and she realized that this was happening right in the middle of the village!

'What happened?!' she thought in terror before being pulled out of her musings by Kakashi's loud interruption.

"I've got to alert the Hokage! Miya, can you help contain this and make sure Naruto doesn't come to harm until we can get there?"

"Of course! Go!" she ordered him, at which he immediately teleported away.

She pulled herself together before calling all the others who were still at the inn downstairs into the living room, Karasuba hot on her heels. All of Naruto's Sekirei were currently at the inn, and apparently all of them had sensed Naruto's distress either through the bond, or they could feel the Nine-Tails' chakra as she could.

Miya addressed them all in an urgent tone, "Girls, I need all of you to remain here. I'll deal with this situation, myself!"

"But Miya…" Karasuba objected.

"Karasuba, please…" Miya interrupted quietly, "…you trusted my judgment when we served together in the Discipline Squad. Trust me now." Miya then added with a smile, "Everything's going to be alright, and I'll bring Naruto back here safely."

Karasuba, though still apprehensive about Miya's instructions, nodded regardless, knowing that Miya was as good as her word. The others followed her example and placed their confidence in their landlady to help their Ashikabi. Miya nodded to them all in gratitude, then sped out at a speed even Kakashi, seasoned as he was, would have a hard time tracking. Only one driving force went through her mind at that moment: her Naru needed her!


"Naruto!" Sakura cried out in fear as she attempted to stop Naruto from the devastating beating he was giving her father.

"Sakura, stay back!" Mebuki cried out. Fortunately she was fast enough to intercept Sakura and hold her back from the scene playing out before everyone. The other civilians in the area had already backed away, too paralyzed by fear to even run away in panic. They could do nothing but watch helplessly and pray that Naruto didn't turn on them in his rage.

"Mom, let me go! I need to help my friend!" Sakura demanded loudly.

"Sakura, look at him!" Mebuki pleaded with her daughter, "Your father has pushed him so far that Naruto can't tell friend from foe right now! How do you think he'd feel if he ended up hurting or killing you because he couldn't even tell who you are?!"

That caused Sakura to pause. Her mother was actually more concerned about Naruto than she was about her father! She put that thought aside as she glanced around. She saw that some shinobi, and even some ANBU, were beginning to appear on the scene.

"He's going on nothing but primal rage and instinct right now, sweetie," Mebuki continued, "The best thing we can do for him is just steer clear and keep as many people out of his way as possible."

Mebuki and Sakura both would have sworn at that point that they heard a voice inside their heads, Sakura knowing the voice to belong to Miya, say, 'Kuno, I am in need of your aid. Lend your power to your queen.'

Immediately after that, both of them heard the most hauntingly beautiful singing voice they'd ever heard in their lives. They looked for the source of the voice, and Sakura's eyes widened as she noticed it was Miya who was singing! She was glowing in a golden color, ripples of the same golden energy seemed to emanate outward in all directions from her mouth as she sang.

"Beautiful…" Sakura breathed out.

"The queen…" Mebuki breathed out at the same time, not knowing why she uttered it.

Everyone else within earshot was also hypnotized by the haunting beauty of the melody. All who laid eyes upon Miya could see tears flowing down her cheeks, even while her voice was unaffected by them. All of them soon afterwards felt an unbearable anguish and sadness, and they somehow understood that what they were feeling was Miya's pain…pain for what Naruto was experiencing right then, and for the torturous agonizing torment that had brought him to such rage, brought about by an act of selfish, sadistic cruelty from the man who was the target of Naruto's furious wrath.

Many of them hung their heads as they began sobbing to themselves, while others turned away to lean against walls to hold themselves up while they wept. Sakura and Mebuki both collapsed to their knees, unable to keep their composure, but unable to turn away from the woman singing, or the one she was singing to! All who hadn't turned their gaze away watched as Miya approached Naruto, who had stopped his relentless assault upon the already-broken form of Kizashi Haruno.

She continued singing as she knelt down right in front of him, gently holding his hands in her own. A moment after her hands had his, he let go of Kizashi, allowing his barely conscious form to collapse to the ground. His wrath subsiding, Kizashi forgotten, Naruto's focus was completely enraptured by Miya as she let go of his hands and placed her hands on his head, one on his cheek, the other around the back of his head. She gently pulled him towards her as she leaned in, touching first her forehead to his own, and then bringing her cheek to rest against his own.

Tears of his own began to fall as his cloak of youki began to recede. His eyes reverted back to blue as his other features returned to normal. When Miya had finally stopped singing, Naruto was wailing into her white kimono top as she held his head to her bosom, the loss he was feeling at the death of one of the few people he'd loved dearly overtaking him. Miya was whispering sweet, soft words of comfort into his ear, letting him know that she was there for him and that everything would be alright. Everyone in sight could be heard sobbing, most of the women present very loudly.

Several moments later, Naruto suddenly passed out. It went mostly unnoticed but for Mebuki and Sakura, who noticed Miya gently laying his head into her lap with a serene, loving smile on her face, the last of her tears falling from her eyes as her face seemed to magically clean itself. It was suddenly as if she hadn't been crying at all! She glanced around to get a feel for the crowd as a whole, but her gaze stopped when she saw Mebuki.

After a few moments of staring at and studying the older blonde, she turned to Sakura, "Sakura, I need you to watch over Naruto here for a minute. Can you come here so I can shift him onto you for just a few moments, please?"

Sakura simply shook her head and collected herself before nodding in Miya's direction. She got up and headed Miya's way, kneeling down beside her. Sakura and Miya both gently moved Naruto's head from Miya's lap into Sakura's, after which Miya rose to her feet. Miya walked towards Mebuki, who rose to her own feet to receive the lavender-haired woman.

When Miya reached her, she stopped and asked with confusion and curiosity, "Who are you, child? And why do I not recognize you?"

"I…" Mebuki began, a confused frown of her own contorting her face, "I don't…know."

Sakura, hearing her mother's strange answer, frowned in confusion herself, 'What does she mean by that? Does Miya know something about Mom that I don't? Does she know something about Mom that Mom doesn't know?'

Miya continued to study Mebuki for a few seconds more, unsure of just what she was looking for, but knowing she would know upon finding it. Mebuki studied Miya just as Miya studied her, as if Mebuki was trying to discern what it was she didn't know, while feeling as though it was something she somehow should know. Both of them were pulled from their thoughts and observations as Sarutobi's voice broke the silence.

"What happened here?!" he yelled out as he approached in his Hokage robes. To his immediate left was Kakashi, and a contingent of ANBU were behind the two of them and to their flanks, two to each side.

Nobody seemed to want to answer his question at first, though to everyone's surprise, it was Mebuki who spoke up, "I can explain, Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi turned to regard her, "Please do."

Mebuki then explained what had happened in detail. To Sakura's surprise, Mebuki told the complete truth: how it was Kizashi who antagonized Naruto when he was simply minding his own business, how Kizashi was responsible for Naruto's loss of control despite her and Sakura's attempts to stop him, and how Miya came in and calmed him down. Sarutobi was himself surprised at Mebuki's recollection of the event, while Sakura confirmed the truth behind everything that her mother had told the Hokage. Kizashi had since regained consciousness, though he could not move. The look of betrayal that was on his face as Mebuki relayed what he had done was clearly evident.

"Kizashi Haruno," Sarutobi addressed the man, "Have you anything to say for yourself?"

"Yes I do," he managed to growl and grunt out, his anger and pain both making his voice sound guttural and raspy.

"Too bad. You won't get to say your piece," Sarutobi told him lowly, with cold fury, "Far too many people have skirted around the law and broken it, and now this happens? I have had enough, and I'm going to do what I should have been doing all along!"

Turning to Sakura and Mebuki, he said sadly, "Mebuki, Sakura, I'm truly sorry about this, but it has to be done."

He then turned to his troops and ordered them, "Take Kizashi Haruno into custody, and have preparations made for his execution tomorrow morning!"

There were several loud gasps from the crowd. This was unprecedented! Never before had Sarutobi acted so quickly to enforce the law he had created surrounding Naruto! To everyone's surprise, however, especially Sarutobi's, Sakura and Mebuki while saddened and hurt by the Hokage's order, didn't appear to object in the least. This caused the look of betrayal on Kizashi's face to deepen and intensify.

Before anyone could object, Sarutobi added, "And if anyone objects, take them into custody as well, as they will be executed along with him! I don't care if it's a civilian, a shinobi, or even a clan head or council member! I am the Hokage, and my word is law! I will not permit an incident such as this to happen in my village ever again!"

As soon as the ANBU had forcibly dragged Kizashi away, Sarutobi addressed the crowd, "Many of you have mistakenly believed that Naruto Uzumaki is the Nine-Tails reborn, despite the fact that he has always tried to avoid violence if he can! I believe you've all seen that he's in no way too weak to do anything about the insults and persecutions that you seem intent on pouring onto him every damn day! I've even heard tale of many of you believing that if you hurt or kill Naruto, you would hurt or kill the Nine-Tails. This is not what would happen! If Naruto were to die, the Nine-Tails would not be killed, it would in fact be RELEASED from its seal on Naruto's body, and we would have no way of resealing it at all!"

The onlookers in the crowd paled at the implications of their previously foolish actions as he continued, "All you idiots have been doing this whole time in persecuting Naruto is tempting fate and trying to bring about all of our deaths! I hope you all go home tonight and think about your thoughtless and heartless stupidity! Rest assured that if I ever hear so much as a RUMOR of Naruto being persecuted by anyone in this village ever again, that person will be placed under arrest, and executed if evidence is found proving those rumors true! That is all!"

The venerable Hokage and his contingent left the crowd, all of them speechless, gaping at him in terror. Of course, he knew that Minato's seal would in fact kill the Nine-Tails as well, but Konoha's citizenry didn't need to know that. Normal jinchuriki's seals would in fact release the tailed beast upon the death of the host, and that's what any research would turn up.

Miya returned her attention to Naruto before telling Mebuki, "We can speak at a later time. I need to tend to Naruto for now."

"Wait…please," Mebuki pleaded urgently, taking hold of Miya's arm.

As Miya turned back to her, she let go and told her, "I want to help you care for him. May I?"

Miya smiled, "Of course. I'll just get him and bring him back home to Maison Izumo. Sakura is one of my tenants, so she knows the way – she can take you there."

Mebuki nodded and Miya went back over to where Sakura had Naruto. She gently lifted Naruto and held him in a fireman's assist before disappearing at a near-impossible speed once again. Sakura rose to her feet and moved over to her mother.

"Errm, Mom," Sakura began, "Before we go there, what was all that stuff that Dad was spouting about…you and Naruto?"

Mebuki closed her eyes and sighed, "I'm not sure I'm ready to tell you the whole story about that, just yet, sweetie. But that does remind me – let's head home first. I need to get something to bring with me. For some reason…I don't know, I just think that…your landlady will appreciate it."

Sakura raised a single eyebrow, intrigued at her mother's request, before deciding to just let it go. Both of them went on their way to Sakura's former home to get what her mother wanted to bring with her to Maison Izumo.

"Sakura," Mebuki got her daughter's attention before asking concernedly, "Are you alright? You know, with what's going to happen to your father?"

"Well…" Sakura began, unsure of how to answer her mother's question, "…I don't really know how to feel about it. I mean, he's Daddy, so…so it does hurt, knowing that he's going to die, but…" Sakura closed her eyes and sighed, "…but after what we just saw, I felt like he wasn't the loving Daddy I knew, and…the look on his face was the look of an…evil monster! It…it scared me to think he was like that! I'm saddened to know how much I'll miss him, but…at the same time, I can't help but feel like he deserves it. Maybe this is the only way that…he can find some peace," Sakura finished with a regretful undertone, though she couldn't find the care to shed any tears over the situation.

Mebuki just stared at the ground in front of her, reflecting on Sakura's answer. She was saddened slightly, though not surprised, that Sakura's feelings were so similar to her own.

"What about you, Mom?" Sakura asked in response, "Are you okay with what's gonna happen to Daddy?"

"I'm like you, Sakura. I really don't know what I should feel right now. I wish your father would have let his hatred go, and I've actually been trying to get him to change his views since we talked in the Clan Shopping District that one time. I even told him today to leave poor Naruto alone what with everything he's been through, and he still went out of his way to try to hurt him! So…I'm sad, I'm angry – at your father, not the Hokage or anyone else – but mostly, it hurts that Kizashi would just disregard his own family like this. So…as strange as this sounds, and as much as I wish things could be different, I'm fine with it. He has nobody to blame but himself for this."

Mebuki looked over and would have thought that even if Sakura had tears left to shed after Miya's appearance, then she would not have done so. As it was, neither of them had any tears left, nor the energy to shed them. They were just shell-shocked; they were too spent from what had just happened to feel much of anything. Mebuki suddenly stopped her daughter by gently grabbing her arm and bringing her into a motherly hug. Sakura closed her eyes and returned the hug, allowing herself to experience her mother's love once more.

"It's going to be okay, Sakura," Mebuki whispered, "It's going to be okay."

"I know," Sakura whispered back before they separated and continued to Mebuki's home.


The preliminaries were over, and for one Ino Yamanaka, it couldn't have been too soon. She needed to get out of there and away from people. Specifically, she needed to get away from Sakura, Homura and Naruto. Her little protected world where she was in control and knew everything had just been shattered, and she was now vulnerable. "Vulnerable" scared her; it terrified her. She needed to get to safety, and she needed to get there now.

She had sent Shiina and Kusano home once they emerged from the Forest of Death, telling them that she needed to be alone for a while. Upon seeing their worry for her, she assured them that she would be alright, and that she just needed some time to process all that she'd seen and learned in the last few days. She had just made it to her team's training ground, and after seeing that nobody was around, she collapsed to her knees and began to weep quietly.

Everything that she had taken for granted: her rivalry with Sakura for Sasuke's affections, her sense of superiority over Forehead as a kunoichi, and her knowledge that Naruto Uzumaki was nothing but a brainless loser who wasn't worth her time or attention – all of these things were either ancient history, or they had turned out to be illusions that had no real basis in fact at all! What was she supposed to do with this? Now that she knew she wasn't as good a kunoichi as she thought she was, what was she supposed to do?

After a few minutes of crying to herself, she began to mutter aloud, "How are people gonna treat me now? Will they still like me? Or will they think I'm just a petty, selfish snob? What's the village gonna think of me? Will I ever be able to impress Sasuke now? Will I still be popular?"

"Why the hell does any of that even matter to you, anymore?" she heard the familiar, lazy groaning voice of her teammate Shikamaru.

Turning her head to him, not even bothering to hide her puffy cheeks and bloodshot eyes, she simply look at him.

Shikamaru continued, "Ino, I'm only saying this as your friend: you have the same priorities and hang-ups that you had when we were in the Academy. We're shinobi now. We're not kids anymore, so when are you gonna grow up?"

Ino simply looked down in embarrassment, closing her eyes as more tears fell from them, "How did all of this happen, Shikamaru? How did everyone get so far beyond me? You and Choji, Sasuke, Sakura…even Naruto?"

"Ino, the reason we're all so far ahead of you now is because we've all moved on from our Academy days. Whether we'll admit it or not, we're all trying to build solid careers for ourselves as shinobi. We've got more important things to worry about than how popular we are. We've got goals that are bigger and more meaningful than getting the boy or girl we like to notice us. As for Naruto, like it or not, he's always been that far beyond you."

"I don't understand," Ino objected as she opened her eyes with a confused frown, "Sakura said that, too. Even Sasuke said that Naruto is much stronger than him, but I don't see how that's possible when he was such a loser only a few months ago when we all graduated from the Academy."

Shikamaru sighed in resigned frustration, "Now that's just sad. I can understand how civilians could think that way, but you're supposed to be a shinobi who's been trained to be observant and see through deception. Are you telling me that you're full of yourself AND stupid on top of that?"

Ino's frown became one of indignation, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Sage, what a drag. Do I have to spell it out for you? Naruto was deliberately hiding his strength and his intellect the whole time he was in the Academy. You're either too stupid to see that, or you just don't want to see that, because it's really pretty obvious if you just take the time to look a little more closely at him. You think Naruto's a brainless idiot? Please, Naruto's as smart as I am – again, not that hard to see if you just take a real look at him."

Ino closed her eyes again, unable to respond to anything Shikamaru said. After a few more moments of silence, Shikamaru added, "Look, Ino, you should really consider what it is you want out of life. Why did you become a shinobi? Was it just to impress Sasuke? If it was, then you need to quit now, before you get yourself or one of your comrades killed. This isn't a game; this is real life. The reason the rest of us are so far beyond you is because we understand that. Naruto and his team – I can almost guarantee that they've made their first kills by now…" Ino blanched at that "…and honestly, so have Choji and I."

"What?" Ino asked, almost breathlessly, "When was this?"

"Do you remember that delivery mission Asuma took us on where you had to stay behind because your father was giving you clan training? We ran into some bandits, and what we had to do to protect our cargo opened our eyes to what shinobi life is really like. We do what we do because we love our home, and because we love and trust our friends and comrades – all of them, not just Sasuke. You have to have a strong driving force to do what we do, Ino…because sometimes our work is a real drag. Could you stomach killing someone as a ninja because you want to impress Sasuke?"

Ino gasped at this, her eyes widening in shock. That was a question she had never considered. Was impressing Sasuke the main goal of her life? This was why she entered into a career that would require her to kill others and do other distasteful things like that? When she thought about it that way, she realized just how petty it was.

She looked at Shikamaru, dead in the eye, and told him, "You're right, Shikamaru. I…really do have some serious growing up to do. I'm…sorry for the things I've said about you and Choji, and about Naruto and Sakura, too."

"No apologies necessary, here," he replied with a satisfied smile, "But you might want to apologize to Sakura, and especially to Naruto. You owe both of your Sekirei an apology, too. You're their world, and it hurts them beyond belief that you only pay them cursory attention whenever Sasuke enters your line of sight. You can learn a thing or two from Sakura – once she stopped caring about Sasuke, her skill as a kunoichi began to skyrocket. It grew even more once she saw Naruto for who he really was and let herself be trained by him."

Ino nodded slowly at his advice, "Thank you. I'll do that, and I'll be sure to treat Shiina and Kusano with the attention they deserve from here on out."

Shikamaru nodded in response to her answer before walking away, waving backwards at her as he left her line of sight. Ino decided then and there to put Sasuke behind her – he knew that with a Sekirei like Yahan, she stood no chance with him anymore, anyway. She needed to concern herself with more important things – she needed to learn what her place in the Shinobi Corps was: what she was good at, what kind of work she was suited for, what she could do to become the best kunoichi she could be! With a fresh, new perspective and a newly-awakened sense of purpose, she set out for home. Her most immediate concern: to build and strengthen the bonds that her Sekirei depended on from her.


Miya had just finished laying Naruto in his bed, having stripped him down to his boxers before pulling the bed covers over his resting form. She turned to leave, but stopped. After hesitating for a moment, she smiled to herself and leaned down, planting a kiss on Naruto's forehead. She left the room, seeing all of the girls outside in the hallway awaiting any news they could get about their Ashikabi's condition.

Miya told them all, "He'll be fine. He's asleep right now. He's not used to calling on so much of Nine-Tails' chakra at once, and doing so has really worn him out. He just needs rest. Someone is on their way over here to tend to him in the meantime, so please…as hard as it's going to be for you, please stay out of his room and let him rest, okay, girls?"

Most of them did not look happy, but all of them nodded understandingly, valuing their Ashikabi's continued health and well-being over being near him.

She then addressed her two old comrades, "Matsu, Karasuba, can the two of you come with me, please? I need to speak with you both in private."

They followed her as she led the way downstairs and into her own bedroom. Once the two of them had followed her inside, she closed the door and guided them to the back of the room as far from the door as possible.

She told them quietly, "I don't want potential eavesdroppers to hear what I'm about to say. Can I count on your confidence until I reveal this to the others?"

Both of them frowned in confusion before Karasuba nodded, Matsu nodding immediately after.

"Thank you," she replied, "I wanted to tell the two of you that I believe my time has come."

Both of their eyes went wide as Matsu gasped out, "You don't mean…"

"I do. When Naruto wakes up, I'm going to tell him to pack for a week-long trip out of town – a trip that only he and I will be going on."

Matsu pouted at that, "That's not exactly fair, you know."

Karasuba had no visible reaction, taking the news in stride.

Miya explained herself, "Matsu, I need you to understand something: I know things about Naruto that you don't know. I know things about Naruto that even he doesn't know. I know things about him that he's repressed due to past trauma, and I'm the only one who can help him. On top of that, I still have certain rules in this house, and I am not one to break my own rules. It would be hypocritical of me to have Naruto make me emerge here."

Matsu closed her eyes sadly and nodded slowly, while Karasuba said nothing.

Matsu responded, "I know. I could feel just how important you are to him when even we his Sekirei couldn't help him while you two were at odds. I don't like it that things are that way, but I do understand what your role in all of this is supposed to be."

"And what role is that?" Karasuba asked curiously.

"Miya is Naruto's undisputed alpha female. Without her, all of us, his whole flock, will never be as strong as we're meant to be. Miya is destined to be the central pillar of his flock – the one irreplaceable, critical piece to the whole puzzle," Matsu informed her slowly and evenly, "And before Naruto winged you, things had been tense between the two of them for a while. This is the first time that Miya has ever reacted to anyone, and given who she is, it affected her very differently than it affected the rest of us."

"So then," Karasuba turned her attention back to Miya, "What do you need us for?"

Miya answered Karasuba, "I need Matsu to coordinate the day-to-day operations of the Inn and keep a sharp eye out for trouble, while I need you to enforce the rules in my absence. I'll need you to protect the others, keep them in line, if need be, things like that. Akitsu can help you with that; she's calm, level-headed, and the strongest of Naruto's current Sekirei after you."

"Alright…I guess I'm up for that," she smiled with amusement before she continued, "It might be entertaining to have the challenge of having no real challenge for a while."

Miya giggled, "Just don't kill anyone while I'm gone, okay?"

"Kill anyone?! Me?!" Karasuba asked in mock-surprise, "What makes you think I'd do something like that?!"

The three of them shared a laugh at that, before Karasuba answered her more seriously, "Don't worry, Miya. I'll keep them all safe - even Naruto's teammates and their Sekirei."

"Thank you, Karasuba. You too, Matsu. Please keep this to yourselves for now; I'll tell the others after I'm able to talk to Naru about it."

Karasuba nodded in acknowledgment, while Matsu did the same. All of them then left Miya's bedroom, going their separate ways: Miya to check on Naruto, Matsu to check her monitors knowing that Naruto was in good hands, and Karasuba to train so as to keep her mind off of her new Ashikabi's current condition and not feel so helpless.


Mebuki was in her bedroom rummaging through her closet, Sakura sitting on the bed wondering just what it was her mother was looking for.

"Here we go," Mebuki said to nobody in particular as she pulled her box of Minato and Naruto keepsakes from the closet.

"What have you got there, Mom? Is that the 'souvenir box' that Daddy mentioned?"

"Yeah. It's my keepsake box."

"What's in it?" Sakura asked before remembering her mother's words during the walk home, "Oh…right. When you're ready to tell me, right?"

Mebuki nodded to her with a grateful smile.

"Okay," Mebuki informed Sakura, "I have what I came for. Let's go to this Maison Izumo place."

Sakura nodded as the two of them left the house and proceeded on their way to Sakura's current home, both of them enjoying and savoring the comfortable, companionable silence. Both of them looked around and observed the overall atmosphere of the village during the course of their trek. It was subdued, uncomfortably so. The streets were much emptier than usual, and the people they did see out and about were either shinobi going about their business with efficient haste, or run-of-the-mill villagers who were just overwhelmed with apprehension – they both had strong speculations as to the cause.

"Mom?" Sakura asked, a sudden pressing question coming to the fore of her thoughts.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Why do you suddenly want to help Miya take care of Naruto? I mean, a week and a half ago you hated him. And I know there's got to be more to it than a change of heart from that one conversation we had."

Mebuki hesitated before answering, "That's also part of what I'm not quite ready to tell you yet. I'm sorry, sweetie, but can you please be patient? You'll get your answers, I promise; just not today."

Sakura frowned in disappointment, but nodded and let the matter drop.


The remainder of the trip was made in silence. Several minutes later found the two of them just outside the fence of Maison Izumo's front yard.

"Well, here we are," Sakura informed her mother with a smile, "Welcome to my home."

"Thanks, I think," Mebuki replied somewhat dubiously, "You know, it sounds strange to hear you saying that to me."

Sakura laughed weakly at her mother's attempt at humor, deciding not to say anything that might make an already-awkward situation even worse. Opting to just lead her into the house, she opened the door and called out, "I'm home, everyone!"

A few moments later, footsteps could be heard from up the stairs before they saw Miya descending the staircase, "Welcome home, Sakura, and welcome…" Miya trailed off, not knowing the woman's name.

"Mebuki," the older blonde offered with a respectful bow, "Mebuki Haruno."

"Welcome to Maison Izumo, Mebuki. I am Miya Asama, the owner and landlady of this inn," Miya responded, reciprocating Mebuki's bow with one of her own.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Miya," Mebuki offered with respect and deference, "Thank you very much for taking such good care of my daughter while she's lived in your home."

Miya smiled graciously at her humble and kind words, "The pleasure is all mine, and it's also been my pleasure having Sakura as one of our residents, here."

Miya then turned to the pinkette and addressed her, "Sakura, Homura's been eagerly waiting for you. I think he's asleep in your room right now."

"Thanks, Miya," she responded as she ascended the stairs on her way to her and Homura's shared room, disappearing from sight the moment she reached the second floor.

Miya addressed Mebuki once again, "Follow me, please. I'll show you to Naruto's room."


Mebuki then followed Miya up the stairs. Once they got to room 202, Miya quietly opened the door and gestured for Mebuki to follow her in. Once they were both inside the room, Miya closed the door once more. There was a bowl filled with water on the night stand, and there was Naruto, in his bed, with a wet washcloth laid across his forehead.

Mebuki couldn't help but be reminded of the photo of his hospital stay when he was eight. As she remembered her own public façade in that debacle once again, tears welled into her eyes. Her sniffling is what got Miya's attention.

"Are you alright, Mebuki?" Miya asked with concern.

"Oh…I'm sorry. It's just that seeing him like this…reminds me of the time that he was…" her voice began to break, "…in the hospital in a coma."

Miya frowned with understanding empathy for the woman. She pulled the older blonde into a comforting embrace as she asked quietly, "You mean from the beating he received when he was eight, right?"

"You…you know about that?"

"I know about that, and a great many more things about Naruto. That particular incident happened during one of the few times I had to be out of the village. Are you going to be alright to tend to him?"

Mebuki pulled back and worked to contain herself, "I'll be fine – I just need a few minutes, is all."

Once she took those few minutes, Mebuki told Miya, "I…brought this to show to you. It's a keepsake box that I've used to keep several things about Naruto's life as he's grown up. I don't know what compelled me to bring it, but…for some reason I…just wanted to show you what's inside."

Miya smiled, "Thank you. I'd love to see what you have."

Mebuki smiled in return and opened the box on the desk, pulling out the contents. Miya smiled as she went through the pictures of Minato, Kushina and Mebuki. She nostalgically recalled the joy that Kushina expressed when she learned she was pregnant with Naruto, as well as the promise she made to both her and Minato that she would watch over Naruto and do all she could to keep him from harm whenever possible. Those were happier times in so many ways. But even still…in many ways Miya knew that her happiest days were ahead of her; in fact, they were just around the corner. She sighed happily as she started going through the rest of the pictures, eventually coming to the first picture of Naruto as a baby.

Stunned upon seeing this, she turned to Mebuki, "Where did you get this?"

"Well, when he was thrown out of the orphanage, they were going to throw out his file. I…couldn't let this picture be destroyed, so I…had one of the employees there sneak the file out and get it to me so I could keep the picture."

Miya looked at the picture again in nostalgic wonder, "I always wondered what happened to this picture. I'm the one who took this picture, but the negatives got destroyed, so I could never get it reproduced."

"You're the one who photographed him?"

"That's right. I've known Naruto his whole life, even if he's only come to know me recently. I knew his parents quite well, and I promised them that I would always watch over him whenever I could."

Mebuki smiled gratefully at that, glad that there was someone like Miya to watch out for him. They continued going through the pictures together, stopping once more at the picture of Naruto at eight years old when he'd been hospitalized. Miya had actually gasped when she saw this one.

"I…didn't know that it was that bad," she breathed out in shock.

"It was worse. That picture was taken three days into his stay."

Miya turned to her in wide-eyed shock, "What?"

Mebuki nodded sadly, tears running down her face once more. Miya turned back to Naruto, bringing her hand to her mouth as she suppressed a few tears of her own that threatened to pour forth. Once she's regained control of herself, Miya kindly directed Mebuki back to the pictures while Mebuki told the story behind each one.

The rest of the stories were all happy ones, filled with smiles and shared laughs between the two women. Mebuki was thankful for the chance to share these stories with Miya. Miya, on the other hand, was thankful to gain some further insights into Naruto that even she hadn't had before now. A unique bond of friendship had somehow formed between the two as a result of their shared reminiscing.

Once the stories had been told and the pictures put away, Miya addressed Mebuki, "Well, then, I will leave Naruto in your care. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs."

Mebuki nodded and thanked the lilac-haired landlady, who then took her leave. As the door closed, and Mebuki was left alone with her self-appointed charge, she pulled a chair by his bedside. When she sat down, she regarded the blond whiskered youth with regret and sadness. She brought one hand up to caress the far side of his face, then a few moments later, brought her other hand up to caress the near side.

Softly rubbing his cheeks and gently digging her fingers through his hair, she said to his unconscious form just above a whisper, "Is there any room in your wonderful heart for a foolish old woman like me? I…know I've said some terrible things, and done some awful things as well. Forgive me, sweetie – I was…a selfish coward."

She continued to nuzzle his face and scalp with her hands as she began to tell him of her fantasies about him, first of how he was her son. She then spoke of how her fantasies evolved as he matured and became a man - how he would rescue her from her beastly husband, whisk her away to some magical place where he could claim her for his own, make her his wife, spoil her rotten while giving her as many children as they could possibly want, and then love her until the end of her days, like some princess out of a fairy tale. She knew he couldn't hear her – this fact was the only thing that made her confession to him even remotely possible. There was a part of her that honestly wished he could hear her, but she knew it was impossible – he was asleep, not comatose.

As she finished detailing her fantasies to him, she gazed at his sleeping face. She felt a mild heat rise to her face. She thought nothing of it at first, but before too much longer, she noticed the heat rising in other parts of her body as well. Her pulse started to quicken, as did her breathing. She looked at his lips – those delicious-looking, kissable lips.

'By the Sage, he looks so much like his father, but he's somehow, even better-looking than Minato,' she thought to herself, oddly realizing that she'd never felt that strongly about Naruto's appearance before now.

Unconsciously, she began to slowly lean down towards his sleeping face, inching ever closer. She was becoming hotter and more flustered by the second at the possibilities that now lay right in front of her. It was one thing to fantasize, but to be presented with the opportunity to act upon her feelings – this whole scenario was beginning to overwhelm her. Her lips were now only a couple of inches away from his as she slowly closed her eyes, feeling a certain slickness down below that accompanied her heat.

'NO!' she shouted out in her head as she opened her eyes and immediately pulled back. She put a hand to her chest and took huge gulps of air in an effort to catch her breath and calm herself down.

'Not like that!' she admonished herself, 'It would be so wrong to take advantage of him like that. I won't do that to him!'

She got out of her chair and moved over to the window, opening it and allowing the breeze to come in and blow over and around her. Her passions began to subside, and her mind and heart were soothed. She looked back towards Naruto, slightly unnerved at what she'd just experienced. Thinking about what she'd just experienced, she realized that the combination of all those sensations was foreign to her.

'What just happened, anyway?' she thought to herself, now puzzled by her body's response to the blond youth's presence, 'I've never experienced anything like it.'

As she was reflecting on what had happened, Miya had walked back into the room.

'Her timing's impeccable,' Mebuki thought to herself as she smiled upon seeing the lilac-haired woman.

"Is Naruto still okay?" Miya asked.

"Yeah, he's fine," Mebuki replied honestly, "He's still asleep. I was just…quietly talking to him."

Miya raised a bemused eyebrow and asked with a smirk, "While he's asleep?"

Mebuki chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah. I've heard of people doing that with unconscious patients, so I…thought I'd try it."

"And?" Miya prompted, seemingly interested in the result of Mebuki's little experiment.

"Well, I certainly feel a little better," Mebuki admitted, bringing a warm laugh from Miya, before the older blonde added, "But…"

After a pregnant pause, Miya prompted, "But…what?"

"It's nothing," Mebuki answered, thinking better of admitting to what she'd tried to do to Naruto.

"Alright, then," Miya replied before adding, "I'll be up every so often just to check on the two of you. Remember, if you need me, just come downstairs and find me, okay?"

"I will. Thank you, Lady Miya."

Miya nodded as she finished with, "I'll bring up some dinner for you in a couple of hours."

"Thank you."

Miya then took her leave once more, leaving Mebuki alone with her patient once again. Mebuki, thankful once more for the solitude that her current task provided her, returned to her vigil at Naruto's bedside, now better-prepared to handle any strange occurrences that might happen within her body.


Just outside the room, Miya smiled to herself as she made her way back downstairs, her thoughts on the elder blonde tending to her favorite blond, 'It won't be long, now, child. Soon, you'll know your true nature and you'll be much happier for it. Even now, I can sense you responding to him. All will come to light soon enough.'

With these thoughts in mind, she contently descended the stairs and returned to her afternoon household chores.


Naruto somehow knew that he was asleep. He'd had this same dream several times already. He was in that same place that he couldn't identify but somehow knew was familiar. That same shadowy figure was there sitting next to him on a couch. He couldn't place the figure, but he had the feeling that he knew this person well, and he somehow knew that it was a woman.

There were several flashes – a tender caress across his cheek, the peace he felt that he was safe and protected with this person, a loving smile, the feel and taste of her tender kiss upon his lips and tongue.

There were several more flashes, all of them whispered words: sweet nothings and promises offered – "Please trust me now", "I love you, my sweet Naru", "When you're old enough, I'll leave him and marry you".

Then the woman was above him on the bed again, with a smile on her face as she lowered herself, her face drawing near his. He felt comforted and safe. Their lips connected, remaining that way as she lowered herself…


Naruto's eyes opened as he slowly returned to consciousness. As his vision came into focus, he recognized the ceiling of his own bedroom at Maison Izumo. He felt sleepy, almost lethargic. He spent a moment trying to recall what had happened when he was last conscious until he was interrupted by a soft, warm female voice.

"Hi," Mebuki Haruno said to him quietly.

Naruto turned his head in her direction to see that she was looking at him with great affection, reflected in both her eyes and her smile. "Councilwoman Haruno?" Naruto moaned out in confusion, surprised that she of all people was there to greet him at his bedside when he awoke.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him as he slowly sat himself up, surprising him even further with the sincerity of her concern.

Naruto sighed, "Numb. Tired. Drained. A bit chilly."

"Well, you were running a temperature for a little while," she informed him patiently at the last bit of information.

Naruto adopted a confused frown, "But wouldn't that make someone feel hot?"

Mebuki giggled, "I forgot, you've never been sick, have you? It actually works the other way around. The higher the temperature you run, usually the colder you feel. I'm sure you've heard that people with a fever are usually given chicken soup or something like that?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well," Mebuki continued her explanation, "The reason for that is two-fold. The salt in the soup helps to settle the stomach, while the piping hot liquid causes you to sweat, which helps to cool you down."

Naruto frowned again, this time in thoughtful contemplation, "I never realized that. Thanks; I learned something new today," he finished with a weak smile.

"Then, of course, the fact that you're in nothing but your boxers might also be contributing to the chill you're feeling," she added with a laugh.

"Oh…" Naruto said as he looked down to notice that his chest was bare, "…didn't even notice," he finished with a chuckle.

She smiled in return before her smile dropped and she asked concernedly, "Naruto…are you alright?"

He looked at her with another confused frown before seeing her intent. Realizing that she just wanted to convey to him that she was concerned for him, he closed his eyes and shook his head in response. Another moment later found a stray tear escaping from each of his tear ducts and traveling down his cheeks. He opened his eyes as he felt her hand come to rest on his face. As he looked into her eyes, he saw the deep sadness and pain that she felt for him. She slowly leaned in and pulled him into a gentle hug, resting his left cheek against her own. After a few tentative moments, Naruto slowly lifted his arms and brought them around the older blonde's back, returning her embrace.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him, "I'm so truly sorry. For everything…Naruto."

There were a few moments of silence before Naruto spoke up softly, "Councilwoman…"

"Mebuki," she interrupted him.

"Huh?"

"My name. It's Mebuki."

"Mebuki…" he uttered it as if testing it to see how it felt rolling off his tongue, "…Mebuki. It…suits you. I like the way it feels when I say it."

"Thank you," she replied, pulling back from him so they could look at each other while talking.

"Anyway…Mebuki, I'm sorry about…your husband. I don't really recall everything that happened, but…I know I must have hurt him…badly. Is he okay?"

"You don't need to apologize for that," she reassured him, "He brought that beating on himself. Besides that, he was executed this morning."

"This morning?" Naruto asked in surprise, "How long have I been out?"

"Almost twenty-four hours."

"That long?" he asked, stunned.

Mebuki nodded.

"Your husband was…executed?" he asked sadly.

"He was – for creating a clear and present danger to the village and its inhabitants by provoking you the way he did."

Naruto looked down sadly, "I'm…sorry."

"Again, Sweetie," Mebuki responded, once more bringing his gaze to meet hers by bringing her hand back to his face, "You have nothing to apologize for. He knew the law. He broke the law, and he paid the due penalty for it. He…he hated you so much that…no amount of kindness from you could have changed him. It's…it's better this way. Sakura thinks so, too."

He nodded and smiled gratefully. He then looked the woman at his bedside over, and noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was also a bit disheveled and her dress had a few wrinkles in it from excessive wear.

"Have you…been here this whole time?" he asked.

Mebuki nodded with a soft smile, "I've been the one caring for you, yes. Lady Miya's been keeping everyone else out so that you weren't disturbed while you rested."

"But…why?" Naruto asked her, genuinely confused at the concern and care she was giving him, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful. But before now, you…always declared to the world how much you hated me. So then…why?"

Mebuki looked downward in thought and contemplated her answer, "Well, the truth is that I've never actually hated you, Naruto. I hated…certain truths about you, but I've never hated you as a person, if that makes sense?"

"Not really," he answered dubiously.

"Hmm…Naruto, if I answer your question with complete honesty…do you promise not to think of me as…well, a monster?"

"I can plainly see you're not a monster, Mebuki. The fact that you've lost sleep caring for me is enough to prove that. But…I'll hear you out, and I…promise I won't judge you for it, if that's what you're worried about."

"Okay, then. Thank you." Mebuki took a deep breath before she began her explanation, "I knew your parents, Naruto. They were…great people, but certain things happened. I'm not talking about their passing; I'm talking about…my relationship with them. You see, I was in love with your father just like your mother was, but he…chose her instead of me. Try as I might, I just…couldn't move past that. I ended my friendship with your mother – not in a nasty way, I just quit associating with her. I tried to be happy for them, and in a way I was, but then…the night you were born came around."

Mebuki paused before continuing, "Their loss hit me hard. I was filled with regrets. I hated myself for my own weakness. But then I saw you…as a baby, for the first time. I felt such jealousy and hatred at first, because you were a constant reminder of their loss. I was also angry at how unfair life was, because…I was hurt that you were your mother's son…and not my son. But…" her voice began to break, "…what I hated the most was that…I couldn't help but love you…even though I didn't want to." Mebuki paused once more to sniffle, "But as I watched you grow up, I…I fell in love with you more and more – I truly felt as though I was watching my own child grow up before my eyes. I saw that you had your mother's unyielding determination, and you had your father's charisma – anyone who got to know you couldn't help but come to care for you, unless they truly hated you like Kizashi did. After a while, I found that making myself angry towards you helped me to dull the ache I was feeling in my heart because I'd grown to care so much for you. And even though I voted in favor of certain decisions that brought you some harm in council, I never enjoyed it. I never wanted to. I…I had my husband and daughter to think about. I feared that if my husband, who truly did hate you, found out about what my true feelings were, he would have left me and tried to hurt you, and I thought that Sakura might grow to hate me if she knew the truth as well…I'm still afraid she might." Mebuki took a moment to regain control of herself before finishing, "But I'm done with hiding my feelings. I don't want to keep any more secrets or tell any more lies. Naruto…what I'm about to tell you may very well make you want to never see me or talk to me again. It may make Sakura feel the same way, I don't know. But ever since you've gotten your…'harem', for lack of a better word…I've felt strange. I've seen how happy you are with them. I've seen how happy they are with you, and for some reason…I found myself feeling jealous of them. For reasons I can't explain, I…I wanted to know the happiness that they knew with you. I didn't want to take you from them, but I…wanted to share in it with them, for some reason. And…" she made her final confession with a healthy blush on her face, "…I don't know when my feelings changed from maternal affection to…intimate desire, but I wanted to know that happiness with you, not with anyone else."

Naruto just sat there, absorbing every word she said. He didn't respond visibly, except to blink as he processed it.

"Do you…want me to leave?" she asked him quietly, though he could hear the nervousness in her question.

"No, you don't have to. I'm just…not sure how to respond to that right now."

"I didn't want to spring this on you right now, given everything that's happened…"

"It's okay," he interrupted before adding with a chuckle, "I mean, I did ask, after all, right?"

She laughed softly in response, "Why, yes you did. But…" she stopped laughing as her smile fell into an anxious frown, "…will you answer a question for me, now?"

"Sure."

Mebuki took a breath again before posing her question, "After everything I've done to make you believe I hated you…why did you defend me against Kizashi the way you did?"

Naruto closed his own eyes in thought before opening them again and answering, "It was partly just a reflex. I don't really know why, but for some reason, I…just felt compelled to step in and protect you from him. It's strange, because the only other times I've felt that compulsion that intensely was when one of my girls was in danger. I…I don't know why I felt that…with you, but I'm…" he smiled softly, "…I'm kinda glad I did feel that way. I don't regret it at all, and I wouldn't hesitate to defend you again if I had to. That doesn't…freak you out or anything, does it?"

"No, no, not at all," she was quick to reassure him, her blush becoming deeper, "It's just that…it's almost like your feelings towards me are what you'd feel about…a girl you really like, you know?"

"Maybe," he answered with a warm smile, "But who's to say I don't feel that way?"

"But why would you?" she asked, genuinely surprised and confused.

"Why wouldn't I?" he immediately retorted back with a playful smirk.

"I can think of a few reasons! To start with, you've had every reason to believe I've hated your guts all your life, and until now, I haven't given you reason to think otherwise. On top of that – Naruto, I'm forty-one years old, you're fifteen! What would you see in a woman my age?"

"Believe it or not, I can see now that you've never hated me."

Mebuki frowned suspiciously, "How, exactly?"

"Your eyes," he answered straightforwardly, "You can always tell what a person's true feelings are by looking in their eyes. And your eyes aren't haunted when you look at me the way a formerly-hateful person's eyes are. I guess if I could describe it, it seems more like you were just…conflicted. And now I know why."

"Okay, but that doesn't answer the question about my age."

"Mebuki, you've seen my flock, right?"

Mebuki nodded.

Naruto continued, "Well then, you know that given how many of them look far more physically mature than me, that age isn't really a major factor in who I might or might not be attracted to."

Mebuki thought about that before nodding, "Fair point."

"But…there's also…something else about you. I don't know what it is, but for some reason, when I see you…I react in almost the same way I do when I see…a Sekirei."

"But I'm not a Sekirei."

"I know that, but I still can't shake the feeling."

A comfortable silence settled between them for a few seconds before Mebuki spoke up, "Well, either way, we can explore this conversation more at a more appropriate time. You still need time to grieve over Anko."

Naruto closed his eyes and nodded, the numbness that he felt when he first woke up coming back and hitting him again.

Mebuki took Naruto's hand in both of hers, "Sweetie, is there anything I can get you? Anything you need?"

Naruto didn't answer.

Mebuki took his silence as a desire to stop talking. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"Actually, I'd appreciate it if you could just…stay here with me, if you don't mind."

Mebuki smiled, "I'd be happy to."

Naruto's stomach suddenly growled, causing him to blush with mild embarrassment, "Well, I err…" he chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, "…I guess I could use a bite to eat."

"Well it's been over twenty-four hours since you last ate. I'll see if Lady Miya's done with lunch yet," she replied with a laugh. With that, she got up and left the room, leaving him to his own thoughts for a few minutes.


As she closed the door behind her, Mebuki noticed that all the other residents of Maison Izumo minus Sasuke, Yahan and Miya were lined up along the opposite wall of the hallway. They all jumped to their feet, awaiting word of Naruto's condition.

"He's awake, everyone," Mebuki informed them all, "And he's quite hungry."

There was a sudden cacophony of voices as all of Naruto's Sekirei crowded around the older blonde, demanding answers. Mebuki tried answering them as best she could, but her voice couldn't be heard clearly over the others' shouts.

The voices stopped cold when the temperature of the hallway suddenly dropped several degrees. They looked towards the stairway to see Miya had just come upstairs. Purple miasma was leaking everywhere, and several hannya masks were out, hissing at those who had been shouting out questions.

"Making demands in such an unbecoming fashion will only delay the answers you want. Mebuki…" she addressed the blonde while dropping the masks, "…how is he?"

"He's fine, all things considered. He's tired and he's very hungry."

Miya smiled, "I'll bring his lunch to him, myself."

"I protest this!" Tsukiumi gawked in righteous indignation, "As his true and proper wife, I shouldst be the one to deliver his meal unto him!"

Miya's miasma and hannya mask came right back out as she said to Tsukiumi with a sickeningly sweet, sinister smile, "True and proper wife or not, this is my inn, and I'm the one who makes the rules here. Understood?"

Tsukiumi nodded vigorously, desperately wanting Miya to put the mask away.

"Any more objections?" Miya sweetly asked the rest of them, only to be met with shakes of their heads in the negative. "Good," she answered before leaving to retrieve his meal.

Moments later, Miya came back with two steaming hot plates of food. The others hadn't moved from their spots or made a peep in the time she'd been gone.

"Mebuki," Miya addressed Naruto's current nurse, "Would you like to come back into the room with me?"

"Yes, Lady Miya. Thank you," Mebuki answered, expressing her gratitude.

Miya turned back to the others as Mebuki opened Naruto's door, "See what happens when you follow the rules without complaint? Learn from what you're seeing here…" and with a demure close-eyed laugh, she entered Naruto's room behind Mebuki, who closed the door once they were both inside, leaving the rest of Naruto's Sekirei in the hallway, grumbling to themselves but somehow finding that they only had themselves to blame for the fact that Miya refused them entrance into Naruto's room.


And that's the end of this chapter. So, what did you all think of it? Leave your opinions in reviews if you could. I am truly curious to see how you all feel about this one.