Naruto pointed to the cliff wall in the distance. "That's the Hokage monument. The face of each Hokage is carved into it and memorialized for all of time. The fourth one over is Namikaze Minato, my father and the man who put the Kyuubi into me."

Moka looked at him with slight concern. "You sound bitter; I thought you said you'd forgiven him."

"I did forgive him," Naruto admitted. "But I guess I'm still a little bit bitter. He's considered the greatest ninja this village ever produced. His memory is worshipped almost like he were a kami. Meanwhile his son got treated like the lowest kind of scum for something that wasn't his fault or his choice." He chuckled sourly. "Of course at the time I had no idea who I was or why I was treated so badly. All I knew was that everyone hated me. Now that I know the truth how could anyone blame me for being bitter?"

"Try not to feel too upset about your father. After all," she gently stroked his cheek. "If it weren't for him you wouldn't be so cute now would you?"

He smiled at her and laughed a bit. "Come on Moka-chan, let's go." Taking her hand they both leapt off the building.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ino sighed and turned the page of the fashion magazine she was reading. "This sucks," she muttered to herself. She was a beautiful sexy sixteen year old Chunin who was finally back in Konoha after a six month tour on the Suna front. "I should be going out on dates with Sasuke-kun, I should be shopping with Forehead, I should have Shika and Chouji fawning over me and trying to get my attention." She let out a huge sigh. "Instead I'm here."

For Ino, 'here' was her family's flower shop. Despite being a veteran enjoying a respite between tours her mom had not thought twice about having her spend her precious free time covering the counter. She might as well have been a little girl again.

Thinking that made her feel even more depressed. In some ways her life seemed to be in a real rut. Despite all her attempts to win him over Sasuke remained perpetually disinterested in her. The only positive she could find when it came to him was that he was at least consistent and just as uninterested in Sakura. She was finally getting sick of his unending rejections and his disdainful attitude towards her and women in general. She had actually started to flirt a little with Shikamaru. He was lazy but also cute and intelligent. And while he might make fun of her at times he at least paid attention to her. She even thought he was interested in her, though of course he was too lazy to take any initiative.

She'd seen enough in the war to understand that nothing in life was certain. She had already wasted too much time on Sasuke. Maybe it really was time to move on and give Shika a chance.

A little bell above the door jingled as it was opened. "Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop," she sang out automatically. She put the magazine away as her eyes darted to her customer. Now what do we have here? He was a cute looking blonde boy with scars on his cheek. From his dress he looked like he was a ninja, though she didn't recognize him and he had no hitai-ite. Even though she was sure he was a stranger she got the weirdest feeling that she had seen him before. "How can I help you?"

He went directly up to the counter. "I'd like to buy four white chrysanthemums please."

She instantly felt a touch of sympathy for him. "Ah, yes sure, I'm afraid we keep a large stock on hand. What with the war and all." White chrysanthemums were the traditional flowers of mourning and of funerals. "Did you recently lose someone?" She asked sympathetically.

"No, they're for four people I lost a long time ago."

She nodded as she got his order ready. "That's good that you remember them," she looked a bit sad. "I lost my father a bout a year ago; he was on a mission in Sound. My mother and I leave fresh flowers on his grave every week."

"How nice," Naruto said politely. I'm sure it's a huge sacrifice considering you own a flower shop.

"I don't mean to be nosey," Ino said as she was about to be nosey. "But you're dressed like a ninja yet I'm sure I've never seen you before."

"Actually you have Ino, though I don't blame you for not remembering me, it was a long time ago. I remember you though."

"Really? When did we know each other?" She was now officially intrigued, especially since he recalled her name. "The flowers will be fourteen hundred ryu please."

Naruto pulled a pair of thousand ryu notes out of his purse. "I was a classmate of yours back during your very first semester at the Ninja Academy."

At the mention of the academy everything suddenly snapped back into her mind. "I remember you! Those scars on your cheeks! You used to wear that really ugly orange jumpsuit and be loud and annoying all the time. You're Naruto aren't you?"

"I am." He took his change and his flowers.

Ino eyed him up and down appreciatively; he was a good looking guy. She actually thought he looked a little like the Yondaime. "Wow! You certainly have changes since then."

"Thank you, you on the other hand seem a lot like the girl I knew back then."

"Re… really?" She felt herself blush a little.

"Yes," he was smiling. "You were a vein shallow little girl who cared only about looks and what other people thought. You fawned over Sasuke and you treated me like dirt, and you probably did both just because it was what people expected."

"WHAT?!" Ino shouted furiously.

Still smiling he headed out the door he waved cheerfully. "Anyway, thank you for the flowers."

XXXXXXXXXX

Waiting outside patiently for him was Moka.

"Thanks for letting me go in by myself; I figured it would just be faster that way."

"No problem Naruto-kun, but I'm curious why I am feeling killer intent coming from a flower shop." Moka asked. She slipped her arm through his.

"I ran into an old classmate."

Moka frowned a bit. "Was he really still so angry with you after so many years?"

"It was a her, and she didn't remember me."

"Then why is there killer intent?" She asked curiously.

"I reminded her who I was and I told her what I thought of her from back in those days."

"From the reaction I am guessing it wasn't very complimentary."

Naruto shrugged. "It was the truth."

"The truth? Isn't that rather dangerous given how you really feel about this place?"

He gave her an amused look. "I thought you detested liars."

"And I thought you lied to protect yourself."

"Oh I'm still going to lie to people Moka-chan," Naruto told her. "But I'm only going to lie when it's necessary for our protection or to further my plans. When I was little I used to do everything I could to try and get people to be nice to me. And no matter what I said or did it never helped. They beat me and they abused me just because they could." He wore a savage smile. "So fuck them. Fuck every last one of them. I'm not a helpless child anymore. I won't try to get them to like me. I won't kowtow to them. I won't run away and hide. And kami help anyone who tries to abuse me now."

XXXXXXXXXX

They visited the shrines first.

In Konoha people believed in the, 'will of fire.' It was a special form of ancestor worship. People worshipped not only their own ancestors but those of previous generations who had loved and given their all for the sake of the village. So it was not surprising that special care was given to the Hokages, who were after all symbols of that will of fire. Each Hokage had his body laid to rest within his own shrine.

The very first place they went to visit was the Yondaime's shrine. That was not due to special feelings on Naruto's part. It was due to the pragmatic fact that he knew where the shrine was. Even though it was a Tuesday morning they were not the first to visit, there were already flowers and small offerings laid out. Naruto put down one of the flowers.

"I forgive you father, and hope you can find peace one day." That was all he had to say. He bowed his head to his father's image and left.

For her part Moka offered a respectful nod and then followed him.

Naruto had to ask around to find out where the Third Hokage's shrine was. When they found it they saw it was smaller than the Yondaime's. Inside there were no flowers or offerings, Naruto's was the first it seemed. Unlike at his father's shrine Naruto actually knelt down and offered up some prayers. Moka did not pray, but she stood there silent and respectful, honoring her husband's feelings and beliefs.

Leaving the Third's shrine Naruto suddenly spoke. "He was a good man. I don't agree with some of the things he did, but at least he tried. He was one of the very few who gave a damn about me, and for that he will always love him."

"Then I am very glad you had him to watch out for you Naruto-kun."

XXXXXXXXXX

Finding his mom's grave had proven very difficult. He had thought that since she'd been the Yondaime's wife that she might have been buried along side him. But not only had she not been there, there had no mention anywhere of her existence or the fact that the Yondaime had ever been married. He had asked around but no one seemed to have even heard of her. Finally in desperation he had simply gone looking through the gravestones in the section reserved for the burial of foreigners.

And sure enough, he'd finally found her. 'Uzumaki Kushina,' had been given a humble tombstone that had listed nothing more than her name and the dates of her short life. Her grave was identical to the ones on either side of her. Naruto laid down his flower and spoke his prayers. Then he stood up and stared down at the gravestone.

"Bastards," he muttered furiously.

"What is it beloved?"

He pointed. "Her tombstone says Uzumaki, but she was married to my father. It was a secret marriage, to protect her from his enemies, but Jiraiya and the Council all knew about it. By all rights she should be interred next to my father, the same way Sarutobi's wife was. But no, they wouldn't even allow her to receive his name. They probably didn't like the image of their greatest hero in love with and married to a kunoichi from another village. So after she died in childbirth giving their beloved Yondaime a son and heir they buried her here without any special honors, just one more dead foreigner. Though I suppose I should be glad for one thing."

"What's that?"

"They at least gave me her name, and for that I'm grateful." He reached out and touched her grave. "I'm going to build you a shrine mom, one deserving of you. And I'm going to lay you to rest there." An angry smile touched his face. "Right beside dad."

XXXXXXXXXX

He laid his last flower at the memorial stone. He reached out and touched the letters that were carved into it. Umino Iruka. He had died in Wind country and his body had never been recovered.

"I really wish we could have met again sensei. I met and fell in love with the most amazing girl. I know you would have liked her. If you were still here things would be different."

Naruto looked about carefully to make sure there was no one else around except for Moka. He took out a hitai-ite with a deep scratch in it and laid it down beside his flower. "You gave this to me once, and told me that in your eyes I was a ninja. That was the proudest moment of my life. I am sorry, but I must return this to you now. Because I will never be the ninja you wanted me to be. I hope that you can forgive me for what I intend to do. And if you cannot forgive I hope you will at least understand." He brought his hands together in silent prayer and bowed his head.

XXXXXXXXXX

"There's no choice," Hiashi said wearily. "We'll have to send out the entire hunter nin force to try and find him."

"We'll have to keep it secret that we're looking for him. If Akatsuki picks up that he's missing they'll begin a general search as well." Jiraiya said.

The Fifth Hokage nodded. "I want you to also turn all your spy networks over to this. Any hint of any individual matching his description is to be reported immediately."

Jiraiya nodded. "I intend to go out myself and see what I can find. After all if he is traveling with a red eyed silver haired woman that is bound to draw attention." Jiraiya sighed. "Unless they're under a henge or illusion. We'll find him but it may take awhile."

There was a timid knock of the Hokage's office door.

Hiashi frowned. "I said I was not to be disturbed."

The door opened a crack and his secretary stuck his head in. He was a middle aged man of the cadet branch. "Please forgive me Hiashi-sama, but there are two people here requesting an audience who I believe you will want to meet."

Hiashi frowned, Hideo had been his secretary for twenty years, and knew better than to waste his time. If he thought it important enough to disturb him…

"Who are they Hideo?"

"Uzumaki Naruto and his wife Uzumaki Moka."

"Wife?!" Jiraiya said stunned.

Hiashi was just as stunned, and far more angry. How dare he refuse my daughter and take someone else as his first wife! "Send them in," the Hokage said curtly.

Hideo was expert at reading the moods of his enigmatic master and knew he was furious though he showed almost nothing. He nodded and swiftly disappeared.

A moment later the door opened again and two people entered the Hokage's office arm in arm. Meeting the Fifth Hokage for the very first time Naruto smiled at him and gave him a bow that was every inch polite and proper.

"Uzumaki Naruto reporting in Hokage-sama."

It was going to be an interesting meeting.