Naruto let out an exhausted curse as he slumped against a large tree, just off the main road leading from the fishing village. He was thankful for the shade, as today was proving to be rather hot. He was feeling like he'd gotten run over by a boulder, after having to row for two days straight across the open ocean to get back to the mainland. He had never quite considered just how he was to get back, but was able to find a seaworthy dingy that had been left on the beach. Knowing he couldn't risk falling asleep on the boat, he forced himself to row until he made land. The trip in the motorized boat hadn't taken more than a few hours, but rowing was far slower. After leaving the morning of the day after he'd buried his grandfather, he'd rowed until the next sunrise, having finally found land and only a few miles from where the fishing village was. He tried to get some sleep on the beach, but found himself still not tired and desperately wanting to return home. It hadn't been until just now that his exhaustion caught up with him.

Looking around, Naruto decided this was going to be as good a place as any to try and get some sleep, he wasn't exactly picky about sleeping arrangements at the moment. Walking around the tree, he pulled off his swords and knapsack, sinking down to a seated position with a sigh. He closed his eyes, felt a nice breeze kiss his sweat drenched body and he was asleep.

XXXX

Naruto's instincts woke him up in an instant, his hand already going for his zanbatou. His mind was clear and free of the usual confusion a man experiences when waking up. So when he heard the scream of a woman, he knew it wasn't something he had drummed up in his mind. Quickly standing and looking toward where he heard the scream, he saw to his right a horse pulled wagon with an older man and woman on it – surrounded by five bandits, judging by their worn armor and weapons.

"Get off the cart now – or we'll kill you!" Naruto heard one of them say, to which the only response was scared stuttering from the peasants. Naruto scowled as he began walking out into the mid-afternoon sun, feeling his anger rise as he saw the bandits dancing around the cart, threateningly thrusting their weapons at the couple.

One bandit in particular, his face scarred by a jagged line that ran from his left lip to left eyebrow, causing his mouth to stay in a constant smirk, was quite vocal. "Get the hell off now and we might just let you live! Though we're gonna have to take that pretty thing you got sitting there – haven't had us a woman in sometime!" he began to perversely laugh, as his lecherous gaze made his intentions clear while he thrust the tip of his rusted katana at the throat of the male peasant. His only warning that someone was behind him was the look of shock coming from the peasants who were looking behind him.

The smirking bandit let out a sharp yell as Naruto slammed his foot against the bandit's backside, sending him spiraling forward into two other bandits. "Scum!" Naruto started as he closed in on the now on guard bandits, "Leave these people alone!"

The bandits quickly helped their disoriented friend to his feet, who looked as though he had gotten a bit of a limp from the kick. Turning with rage in his contorted features, he glared at Naruto. "Who the fuck are you!? You got a death wish?!" he yelled out, as his comrades began to advance on Naruto with curses and threats.

Naruto let out a growl through clenched teeth, glared at the bandits, his blue eye turning red as he unleashed a wave of killing intent at the five.

All of them stopped dead in their tracks, their hearts stopping for a full beat as visions of their mangled and broken bodies, strewn about the forest hanging by their entrails from the branches caused them to become paralyzed in fear. All stared in pure horror at the red eyed Naruto, who spoke only a single word. "Scram!" They all screamed out in pure horror as another bloodthirsty wave took them, and they darted away in every direction dropping their weapons and not seeming to care where the fled, so long as it took them away from that.

Naruto made a quick hand sign, and five clone appeared, already understanding the order to pursue and capture the fleeing bandits out of sight from the scared peasants. Taking a small breath, Naruto's eye turned back to it's more pleasant blue. Being able to call upon his new chakra was unlike anything he'd felt before, it no longer felt tainted like the Kyuubi's was, as it was now devoid of his hatred. It simply felt like raw power coursing through him, and there wasn't much of an end to it that he could sense at the moment. Turning around with the most pleasant smile he could muster, Naruto asked, "I hope you weren't physically hurt at all, were you?"

The two, still in shock from being rescued by the blonde looked at each other as if to affirm they were really safe. Eventually the man spoke up. "Y-Yes, thank you . . . uh. . ."

Naruto let out an embarrassed laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, shinobi of Konoha."

They both seemed to be taken aback for a moment, their faces reflecting their surprise. "Konoha? I haven't seen a shinobi from there in quite some time. Have you finally re-opened your gates?"

Now it was Naruto's turn to look shocked, "Re-open the gates? What do you mean?" Seeing the confused looks the peasants were exchanging, Naruto quickly chimed in with a bit of urgency in his voice, "I've been gone on a journey for the past five years, I'm heading home for the first time."

The male peasant nodded his head, "Ah, I see, that would explain it. My wife and I are traveling merchants who would always set up during the founding day festival in Konoha, but about two years ago, we were turned away from the village and told not to return." The merchant crossed his arms, sighing wistfully. "It's quite the shame, we made quite the profit in that festival." From his side, the wife chimed in. "It's been rather bothersome too, so many run away soldiers have started turning to brigandry, and Konoha hasn't been sending out ninja to deal with them like they used to, it's been beyond difficult just to go from town to town."

Naruto's brow furrowed, there was no reason why they should be turning people away, much less close the gates during the day. He didn't quite like the mention of the countryside being left unattended either, what was happening in Konoha? He started to get absorbed into his thoughts when he saw the awkward looks from the merchants, due to his intense glare at the ground. Shaking it off replied, "Thank you for the information. Those bandits won't bother you again." Starting to turn and head back for where he left his katanas, he heard the male merchant stop him. "You can't go yet, I must give you some form of thanks for helping us! It's only right."

Naruto tried to dissuade him from it, but was eventually given a sack of dried meats and vegetables, his growling stomach giving away his most wanted need. After seeing them off with a wave, his clones appeared from the tree line, each carrying an unconscious bandit. After giving them brief instructions to take them to the in the small fishing village, where a magistrate would be found that could give proper punishment. Not wasting time after seeing them leave, he grabbed up his katanas and started in a full sprint down the road again, any thoughts of getting more sleep forgotten. Something was wrong in Konoha, he could feel it. Terrible scenarios began playing out in his mind, but all of them included one similar factor: Hinata-chan, be okay – please.

XXXX

Naruto ran until he collapsed, making it past the landmark he had hoped to see, the large rock where he and Jiraiya had camped out the first night. It was well into the night, the moon showing it had to be at least somewhere around one A.M. Naruto was breathing hard, having been on a full sprint for near twelve hours on little sleep, having only taken small breaks at streams to drink and scarf the food the merchants had been kind enough to leave him with.

Pushing himself off the dusty road, his only illumination being the small half moon that hung in the sea of stars above, Naruto summoned a clone. He couldn't let himself stop for anything, so he ordered the clone to pick him up and carry him while he slept. His clones tended to have a bit of a personality at times, but this one at least had the exact same thoughts as it's creator, to get to Konoha as fast as possible. Slinging the real Naruto over his back, the clone started at a decent pace down the forest, being weighted down by Naruto and his equipment. Naruto was asleep again within moments, the light bouncing of the clone's jogging not bothering his need to sleep.

"Hey, wake up!"

Naruto felt as though he hadn't closed his eye but moments before, shaking his head. Looking around, he saw he was in a very familiar looking forest with the time being just around early morning, with his clone still carrying him. Tapping his clone to let him know to put him down, Naruto felt his body ache for a moment at sleeping in such an awkward position, but he ignored it. Not bothering to ask if they were close to home, he asked the more important question, "Why did we stop?"

The clone answered by pointing his finger, "That sure as hell wasn't here before." it spoke.

Naruto looked towards where his clone was pointing and let out a small gasp. Further into the forest, around where Konoha would be, a massive tree towering high into the sky, easily taller than the nearby mountains, it's bulk having to be ten times larger than a normal tree. It's branches were long and fully leafed, the wind blowing through the forest barely fazing it. "What in the hell . . ." Naruto breathed out. He'd never seen such a titanic piece of nature before, and he had a distinct feeling such a thing had no business existing, not to mention that there was no way such a thing had grown in the five years he was away, something like that would take hundreds of years. Add to the fact that it was right about where Konoha was, and Naruto's fears were doubled about something bad having happened in the time he was gone. Turning towards his clone he gave a small nod, "Thank you for your hard work, I can take it from here." The clone returned the nod and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Not even two seconds after his clone disappeared, Naruto's hair stood on end, feeling multiple presences sneak up on him. Jumping around, drawing his zanbatou, Naruto yelled out, "Who's there?!"

In a flash, twelve masked figures dropped from the trees all around him, Naruto recognizing the outfits and masks they wore marking them as ANBU. "That's our line. Drop your weapon." one called out, which exactly was hard to tell.

Naruto felt at bit more at ease, but something in the back of his skull told him that he was still in danger. Sheathing his weapon, Naruto held his hands up. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a genin from Konoha. I've been away for five years." Naruto spoke out, hoping they would believe him, as he hadn't brought his forehead protector with him when he left for Uzushiogakure.

The ANBU who spoke stepped forward, his mask showing his codename to be Bear. "You've been gone for sometime. The Hokage has been expecting your return for a while now." his voice was cold, even for the ANBU.

Naruto let out a small breath, dropping his hands. He had a million questions he wanted to ask, but he decided not to bombard the ANBU with them, not to mention he didn't fully trust Bear. "Then I'll go report to him." After he found Hinata.

Bear nodded his head. "We'll escort you." Walking forward, the rest of the ANBU wordlessly formed a large circle around him, with one dashing ahead towards Konoha – likely to send word of their arrival and Naruto started to feel as though he should have listened more to the gnawing feeling in his brain, he didn't think they were escorting him due to being polite. Deciding he would get his answers one way or the other, he followed them, though he was very mindful of where every weapon on his body was.

XXXX

When Naruto first walked through the gates of Konoha, having to wait for them to actually open them, he felt his jaw drop. The tree he had been keeping his eye on since first spotting it was indeed in Konoha, and it's bulk was situated where the Hokage Tower and Memorial used to be, it's body growing up and over the small mountain behind Konoha. Naruto clenched his fist when he saw that, not believing that Sarutobi would have allowed such a thing to grow on top of the faces of the previous Kage, of his father. It also had the added effect of plunging almost the entire village in darkness, due to the thick shade the tree's massive branches provided, cutting out almost all sunlight.

It wasn't just the tree that had him gaping around either; The streets of Konoha were empty, in the middle of the morning. The streets were rarely ever so devoid of life, save for the dead of night. Looking around, Naruto saw that many of the business and homes were empty, now just husks of their former selves. The few that did still seem to have people in it were quick to shut their doors as they passed. Naruto eyed his old apartment building, and had a very strong urge to ditch his escorts to find Hinata, but had a strong suspicion that would be the wrong choice – at the moment. Staring at the old building, he tried to catch a glimpse of purple hair, all the way until the building was out of sight.

Naruto's expression darkened as his mood fouled, this wasn't the homecoming he had envisioned. Someone was going to have answers for him, or he'd get them himself, one way o the other.

Naruto found himself devoid of the same shock he'd had earlier when the ANBU led him to the base of the tree, which had a massive Fire Country kanji burned into the trunk, just above a natural opening of the tree. The inside of the gargantuan tree was of interesting design to say the least. It seemed as if it had been tunneled within, creating perfect hallways and corridors, all of which had been covered in masonry and tile, the only lighting being sparse fluorescent lights. As the ANBU led him within, he caught glimpses of ninja dressed in all black, who seemed to be standing as guards before doorways and halls that led into foreboding darkness. He'd never seen anyone in Konoha dressed in such traditional garb before, causing more questions to enter the cacophony that was his mind at the moment.

As he was led further up the tree, now traversing a square staircase made from solid cement and the only light being the same intermittent light fixtures, Naruto's mind raced with the possibilities of what had happened. None of which he liked. The first he could imagine was that something had happened to the Sandime, something he didn't like to consider but it was the most possible. The village could be increasing it's defenses for some reason or another, and this tree was part of that, though how he didn't know. Not to mention it wasn't Sarutobi's style. The least likely choice was that Konoha had been taken over by another force and this was the result, but then why wouldn't they just destroy it in the first place? Naruto started to chew on his thumbnail, feeling frustrated. The damn staircase just kept going on with intermittent doors that marked a floor, and by his count they were on floor 20. And judging by the seeming endless rise of stairs, they were nowhere near the top.

When they reached floor 33, they finally stopped. In the center of where the level part of the square staircase met the 33rd floor, a dark set of mahogany doors stood. The ANBU opened the doors to reveal a long curved hallway, with wooden walls stained a dark brown and a red rug that covered up the floor underneath all the way down the hall. The ANBU began leading him down it, their feet making no sound upon the rug. Naruto expected the hallway to carry on for sometime, but was relived to see that unlike the rest of the building, this particular section didn't seem to have anything redundant about it. A quick knock was given by one of the ANBU, to which a deep voice answered from within, one that Naruto didn't recognize.

The ANBU Bear quickly opened the door, and bowed, then moved in further to allow everyone else in. The ANBU repeated the same process as Bear, and took kneeling positions within. When Naruto moved into the room, he narrowed his eyes every so slightly. Sitting at a large wooden desk, it's top covered with neatly stacked scrolls and other documents along with the Hokage hat, sat a middle aged man with spiky black hair, it's style not chosen on purpose. His right eye was covered by bandages, and his left eye was focused on Naruto, it's beady black pupil seeming darker than black, as if it was devoid of any light whatsoever. A rather disgusting scar ran across his entire face, three slash marks that almost looked like a claw, which ran diagonally from the right side of his chin to the top left temple.

"Who is this." Asked the scarred man, looking down towards Bear.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki, Hokage-sama." The scarred Hokage's face did not betray his hidden surprise, but he did allow a small smile to grace his scarred lips. "Naruto Uzumaki. The Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. You have been away from home for sometime."

Naruto remained impassive about the fact that this person knew about his previous title. "You know me, but I don't know you. What happened to the Ol – Sandime Sarutobi?" Naruto asked, his tone standoffish, which caused a bit of unrest among the ANBU.

If it bothered the current Hokage, he didn't let it show. "Much has transpired since you left Naruto. As for me, I am the Gondaime Danzo Shimura, I am not surprised you are unaware of me."

Why did that name sound familiar to Naruto? His brow scrunched in, as he tried to think of why it was that it was setting something off in his mind, but he decided to let it pass for now. Looking back towards Danzo, Naruto continued, "That doesn't explain what happened to Sarutobi." Naruro replied, his voice absent of any of the respect due to a Hokage.

Danzo let out a mirthless hmph, as he stared up at Naruto. Well, he wasn't too surprised that the blonde would be so blatantly disrespectful, Hiruzen had allowed such nonsense. He could tolerate it for the time being. Putting on a believable droop to his features, making him look as if he was remembering a sad memory, Danzo spoke, "Two years ago, Konoha came under attack by a violent group of extremist ninja who held hatred towards Sarutobi for his many actions over the course of his life, and they wished to change the village in their own image. These ninja were our own, sadly."

Naruto let out a small gasp, his eyes widening as he stared down at Danzo in shock. "You don't mean -"

Danzo nodded, his face returning to it's normal impassive mask. "Sarutobi was killed by these rogue ninja, along with many others. He had fallen ill with a sickness he told no one of, and it severely hampered his battle strength. I did not make it in time to save my old friend. But those who committed the act are now dead."

Naruto's eye didn't move from Danzo's. He couldn't believe it. The Old Man, whom had taken care of him for so long and was such a kind father figure to him was dead? Naruto felt his heart strings pull at him, but pushed it aside, it wasn't the time. "Okay, then what's up with the village? Where the hell did this, " Naruto pointed down to gesture at the tree, "Come from? And where is everyone? The village feels so dead."

Danzo's stony expression regarded Naruto without any hint of what it was the Gondaime was thinking. "There are many things to explain Naruto, but all of which you don't need to know at the moment." His face didn't change when Naruto gently grit his teeth. "Now, it's time I ask the questions. By you having returned, I can safely assume the Kyuubi is under your control again?"

Naruto showed no sign of his reaction, though he could feel a sweat start to form on his brow. It wasn't from being nervous, far from it. Something was telling him that he was in a bad position right now, and buthe man in front of him was dangerous. Only a handful of people were aware of his leaving due to the Kyuubi, and it seemed as if Danzo had been only humoring him up to this point, and this was the meat of the conversation. By the deepening frown from Danzo, Naruto knew he was expecting his answer quick.

"It's been subdued again, yes." Naruto replied, knowing that due to his gap in answering he would either assume he was lying or not telling the full truth. He began to quickly make excuses in his head to figure out a way to placate Danzo's questioning. It was unnecessary however, as the older man replied to him.

"That's good to hear. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever return. My fears were unfounded. I'll allow you a few days to recuperate before returning to active duty."

Naruto felt his uneasiness rise, as he watched Danzo reply to him with no change from his stoic mask. He was being far too accepting of his tale. Something was up, but for now he only wanted two things, to get out of this place and find Hinata. "Hokage-sama," Naruto started, feeling as if referring to this new Hokage as such dirtied the title, "Would you happen to know if Hinata Hyuuga is within the village at the moment?"

The room grew quiet after Naruto spoke his question, which made the young man worry if he shouldn't have asked. Danzo did eventually speak however. "Yes, she is." Before Naruto could feel his joy fully surge within him, Danzo stood, revealing fully the Hokage robes he wore that had been slightly modified to lengthen the sleeves past the hands. "I'll show you to where she is." The scarred Hokage's gaze was cold, calculating, as if he was assessing Naruto for the smallest hint of any response to his words.

Naruto didn't take notice of it however, as he couldn't suppress his small grin, his joy overtaking him and erasing the unease. The moment he had been waiting for, all these long years of having to feel his heart cry out for the thing it longed most, would finally be over. He wanted to make the Gondaime run, so he could hold her in his arms again, and kiss her as hard as he could. When Danzo moved past him, motioning him to follow, Naruto almost skipped.

XXXX

Naruto couldn't help but hum a bit as, suddenly the village seemed a lot less bleak, even in it's almost perpetual shadow. Danzo moved at a leisurely pace, and made everyone who might have occupied the street at the same time relocate themselves in a hurry. Upon seeing this, Naruto couldn't help but lose some of his elation. Why were people moving away from them like that? The ones that did keep their pace made sure to bow deeply to Danzo as they passed, and not rise again until he was far from them.

Konoha hadn't changed beyond the tree and general atmosphere of the city. One new thing Naruto noted was what looked to be armed patrols of ninja roaming the streets, much like how the Uchiha Military Police used to, except these were armed with swords and didn't look to have any restraining devices on them. And unless his mind played tricks on him, he swore that in the darkest parts of Konoha, such as alleyways or abandoned buildings, things moved within the shadows.

He truly wanted nothing more than to hold Hinata in his arms now, if nothing else to make sure she was safe. Looking around, he noticed they were moving pretty deep within the normal residential area of Konoha. He wondered if Hinata had bought a home while he was away. He couldn't quite blame her, his apartment wasn't exactly homely or at least not for someone who hadn't been raised in it. Turning a corner, Naruto was greeted by a long row of large shrubbery, Naruto recognized it for the border of the Konoha cemetery. He really hoped she hadn't bought a home anywhere near here. The people who lived by cemeteries confused the hell out of Naruto. Why would you take a chance at being anywhere near ghosts? Reaching the middle of the pathway, where the large stone steps appeared that would lead to the cemetery, Danzo turned.

Naruto froze, his blood turning into ice in his veins. He slowly turned his head towards Danzo's retreating figure, who climbed up the steps. His mind was blank, and he felt his hands start to sweat, as he stared, fixated at the Gondaime. At the top of the steps, Danzo turned and looked down to the still blonde, his visible eye looking down upon him with a neutral gaze, and he said nothing.

A small voice urged Naruto on in his mind, and he took a deep breath. They were more than likely taking a shortcut, he had done it himself plenty of times as a kid – though never at night. Laughing at himself with a weak chuckle, he turned to walk up the steps, but found his legs were unresponsive and sluggish. He let out a small grunt, as he willed them to move, feeling as if they were glued to the spot. Managing to get his body to move, he watched as Danzo turned once more to walk further within the cemetery. Naruto caught up with him, and he wanted to ask where they were going, why were they using the cemetery as a shortcut, but his voice was caught in his throat. After they were a few rows in, Danzo turned left once more, and Naruto followed, starting to feel himself repeat over in his head again and again, Why.

When he stopped, Naruto's hearing was lost to him. It wasn't like the times an exploding tag had gone off next to him, with a constant dull ringing, it was just gone. Danzo said something, but Naruto only saw the movement of his lips out of the corner of his eye. The Gondaime raised his right hand momentarily, pointing, a bandaged finger, and Naruto followed it unwillingly. As he saw where the hand pointed to, Naruto never registered his knees buckling as he fell to them with his arms hanging limp. His eyes remained fixated upon the gravestone in front of him. In polished marble, etched with a craftsman's precision, it read:

Here Lies Hinata Hyuuga

Jonin of Konoha

XXXX-XXXX

"She was killed during the fight with the terrorists that killed Sarutobi and tried to stage a coup. She wasn't allowed burial in the Hyuuga cemetery, so instead she was placed here. She died in duty to the village, and her name was added to the Memorial Stone." Danzo spoke slowly, looking down at Naruto.

Naruto heard Danzo, but he made no show of it. His hands reached out with slow, yet steady progress. They gently touched the marble marker, the cold stone underneath feeling like it would threaten to sap all his warmth from him, if any remained within. He slowly ran his finger along the etched carving of Hinata and his mouth began to mouth one word: No.

Danzo turned and walked a few paces away from Naruto. "Take some days to recuperate and grieve. When you're ready come see me." With that, the Gondaime disappeared in a puff of smoke, a leaf gently floating down to kiss the grass.

Somehow understanding he was now alone, Naruto fell forward, holding himself onto all fours, the marker directly under his face. Naruto let in a shaky breath, and with a single sob tears flowed from his eyes to fall upon the gravestone. With a loud yell, one filled with all the despair, sorrow, and anguish that was contained within him, Naruto cried. His tears ran down the gravestone and fell into the grooves of the carvings. Multiple memories began flashing before Naruto in a succession he could barely make sense of, but yet he could. He could remember everything about her, the way she looked, her face more beautiful than anything in the world. The way she smiled, how it could light a warmth within him, or comfort him in his deepest despair. Her smell, how she would smell of her lavender shampoo, or cinnamon after she had been secretly indulging in her favorite treat. How she would blush whenever she saw him, and how it made him feel that he could make her react that way. The way her eyes would light up when she saw him, and how he could get lost in them and their indescribable depth and beauty that would make the moon turn green with envy.

His hands grasped the sides of the gravestone, and he shook his head once, uttering out in quiet voice that was interrupted with his sobbing. "It can't. . . it can't be!" His hands trembled, and he could no longer see straight, "You can't be. . ." He hunched forward, feeling his heart tearing itself apart. "Hinata. . . Hinata. . ." Naruto mumbled her name, growing in desperation and pitch with each repetition, "Hinata. . . HINATA! NOOOOOO!"

Naruto fell onto the grave, and continued to cry out her name as he felt himself break. If any walked by that heard the sorrowful wailing, none went to see, for the sound was the most wrenching cry any had heard.

XXXX

It wasn't until well past the sun setting below the mountains that Naruto found himself at his apartment door. His clothes and body were covered in dirt and grass stains, his hair covered in grass and leaves, his face and eye red from the constant tears that did not stop until he could physically cry no more. He stared with his visible eye at the door, the pupil a dull blue and lifeless beyond reconciliation. On his door, there was nailed a small white wooden plaque, with purple trim and a flower carved out on the very top. The plaque read: Naruto & Hinata.

Naruto stared at the plaque, and in the abyss of his mind, he knew that Hinata had to have put that there after he left. Some very small part of him, that was still able to think, prayed with all it's hope that when he opened his door, Hinata would be there with the most amazing look of shock on her face. He fumbled with his knapsack, his hands feeling numb. Eventually he pulled out from the very bottom the spare house key he had taken with him on his trip. With a slow, torturous motion, he turned the lock. The old wooden door creaked with the sound of something that hadn't been opened in some time. Naruto stared into the black abyss of his home, the only light being the street lamp from down below on the ground floor. Stepping within, Naruto closed the door behind him, and heard the door close. He remained motionless for a time. How long he stood there, he wasn't sure. He didn't want to flip on the light, but he forced himself to.

He winced, as the bright light fixture came on without any trouble. Naruto looked around with a slow motion, and he saw that his apartment had been changed somewhat, and everything was covered in dust. Gone were his old window shades, and instead replaced with lavender curtains, his old rickety table had been replaced with a newer one. Stepping further within, he moved towards the bedroom and bathroom area, where he saw his bedding had been replaced from the old thin blanket he had, to a nice comforter, and it was bright orange. Naruto felt his throat constrict, as his eyes almost let more tears out, but none could be made. She clearly had done some very nice redecorating, and she had thought of him while she did it. He turned from the bed, looking towards the closet and moved towards it slowly. Within, he saw many different outfits, ranging from casual wear, to workout clothing, to clothes worn on missions, all meant for a woman much larger than what Naruto remembered Hinata being. Two years ago, she would have been sixteen.

Turning back towards his bed, Naruto stopped. Above his bed, where he kept pictures of important events in his life, he saw several had been added. With no care for them, Naruto unstrapped his weapons as he moved, letting them clatter to the floor with a loud bang. Crawling onto the bed, his eyes set upon the first new picture, Naruto reached out and grabbed it.

The picture was of Hinata, not long after he had left. He let out a hard sob, as she looked exactly as she had before, though her hair was almost shoulder length. She looked really cute like that. He saw she had on a Chunin vest, and was standing with Kurenai, holding a mission report in her hands that looked as if it said 'C Rank Mission Complete'. He hesitated to put it back, but wanted to move on.

The next picture made him stare at it in wonder. This time, it was a larger group photo with all the ninja of his current generation, all of whom were wearing Chunin vests. He never let his eyes drift from Hinata, however. Her hair was longer, once more, this time down to her upper back, and she looked more mature than she had in the previous one. He felt himself falling in love with her all over again as he gently placed the photo back.

When he came to last one, his breath stopped. His eyes were glued to the last framed photograph. He reached out with utmost reverence, as he grasped the hard wooden frame and pulled it to him. The picture displayed Sarutobi standing behind Hinata with a large smile, his hand on her shoulder. Hinata stood in front of him with a new Jonin vest on, her beauty beyond anything Naruto could have ever comprehended. Her hair was now down to her mid-back, and gone were the traces of her cute child looks, replaced by the amazing body of a goddess. Her skin shone with a milky luster that could even be told through a photograph, and her eyes made Naruto shed tears, as he gazed into them. His thumb gently traced the outline of her hair, never blinking as he couldn't look away from the vision before him.

Why.

He had just gotten control of the Kyuubi. All that effort, all the suffering and the hard training he went through was to protect one person. The only person in the entire world that mattered to him, the first one who showed him what love, true love, really was. He didn't go to make sure the Kyuubi wouldn't hurt Konoha, he went to keep her safe, no one else. And in doing so, he wasn't here when she needed him, because he left her alone she was dead, his only remaining precious person.

So many people had died, all of them people who had impacted his life – torn away from him! Kenshin, Kazuma, Shin, Sarutobi, his father, his mother, his grandfather, and now Hinata. Naruto couldn't think of a world where she wasn't alive. He didn't want to think of one so horrible as that, but he didn't have to. He lived in it, it was reality.

Glancing down towards the floor, he saw that one of his katanas had come out of the sheath, it's brilliant edge gleaming from the light that poured down upon it. With a quiet whisper, a thought came to him, singing a sweet promise. This world was cruel and had taken so much from him. The last light of hope had been snuffed out and turned his world dark and warped his reality. But it wasn't something he had to accept, there was a choice. It would be hard, possibly. The regenerative factor would keep him alive from most wounds. But surely if he stabbed himself through the heart, it wouldn't matter. Naruto finally smiled, as he turned towards the blade. Yes, he didn't have to live without her, he could go to be with her now, and with his family. Reaching out, he felt an almost serene calm come over him, as he reached for the tool of his salvation, when something within his mind spoke.

"Listen. I must warn you. If you ever come into contact with Danzo you must be very cautious. He is not a man to be readily trusted."

Naruto's eyes widened some, and he drew back away from the blade, as the memory of the day he left Itachi's inn came to him. It hit him all at once why it was that the name Danzo Shimura sounded so familiar to him. He had been the one behind the Uchiha Massacre, the one Itachi warned him of. Small things began to click in Naruto's mind, pulling him from his despair. How was it that Danzo had known of where he had gone. If Danzo was truly the man Itachi talked of, he had a hard time believing that Sarutobi would readily share information with him. The gigantic tree, the foreboding ninja he had never seen before, the armed patrols, all the new information he had received from the day began re-flooding his mind with enough force to give him a headache as he stared at his bed. With a slow thought, Naruto turned his view back down to the picture he held in his hands, of a beautiful Hinata he had never seen.

If Danzo couldn't be trusted, then could that mean. . .

Naruto gently laid down on top his bed, holding the picture of Hinata out in front of his face. Staring into her smiling face, he began to feel the small flame in his heart rekindle, a flame of love and hope. If Danzo couldn't be trusted, then could that mean Hinata was still alive? That he lied about her death for some reason?

It sounded beyond crazy, Naruto knew. But something within him told him otherwise. A small voice that urged him on. She couldn't be dead, he refused to believe it now, she had to be alive and he would find her. Clinging onto that small urge, that tiny voice that spoke out against the overwhelming evidence of it's contradiction, Naruto gazed upon the face of the woman he loved until he fell asleep.

XXXX

And 35 is done, and a bit shorter than the last few I've put out but if I went any further I'd have to basically double the length and then some. Naruto didn't get the homecoming he thought he would, and was faced with a terrible reality, or is it? I think you'll get to find out next time, I very much look forward to this chapters reviews.

Stay classy you beautiful readers,

Shinobi no Ryu