Child of Gods, Reject of Men

by Ronin2106

Forced to pay for the sealing of Kyuubi into his siblings, Naruto slowly dies after sealing. However,Shiva, God of Creation and Destruction, witnesses what happens and decides to save him. With his wife Parvati and Izanami, he saves Naruto, by making him more than man. How will Shinobi world react to a Child of Gods? Eventual OP! Naruto, Eventual Name!Change! Sequel is in works.

6. Chapter 6

Flashback. Three Days ago.

Minato was sitting behind his desk, enjoying the evening sake while sharing the company of the two Sannins, his sensei Jiraiya and Tsunade Senju. This has long become something of a tradition for Minato and his friends, to have a quiet evening and use it to enjoy each other's company, to talk or just relax. This was when he didn't have to worry about the responsibilities of being a Hokage, and when he actually let some of the weight of that power and responsibilities drop off his shoulders, metaphorically. And of course, there was also the fact of him enjoying the company of the two most powerful Shinobi of Leaf Village, besides himself, Kushina and Lord Third, who also were his children's teachers in the arts of Shinobi. And, as it happened, they were the very topic of the discussion, with Jiraiya proudly speaking up.

"Now, while I'm not one to brag, but I have to say, that Natsu is starting come along nicely with my training. He's got all the best parts from you and Kushina, Minato, and I can already see that he might just be whom we've been looking for." Jiraiya said with a grin on his face. "He catches on to everything I teach him on the fly like a genius, and already he can put down any fresh Genin team without trouble. Say, why don't you just let him and Narumi skip the Academy and just make them Genins already? I'll be more than happy to have them as my apprentices."

"Hm, as if I would entrust Narumi to a perverted idiot like you. Give me a break, Natsu is a genius you say? Did you not see how Narumi made him eat dirt just the other day?" Tsunade reminded them with a smirk. "That was my training paying off. A couple of years with me, and she'll be able to put into the earth anyone who dares to cross paths with her. And she certainly has aptitude for Medical Ninjutsu, almost as strong as I did, in fact. Without a doubt, I'll be training her as my final apprentice and inheritor of my will."

"So, we can now expect to have another poor gambler and a violent lady roaming around, looking for trouble?" Jiraiya decided to joke, with Minato chuckling a little, while Tsunade glared at them both. "What about Shizune? I thought you said that she was going to be your only apprentice, and she seems to have a good handle of things."

"Shizune may be diligent and experienced as a medic, but she is no Narumi with her aptitude and natural talent. While Shizune might become a good Medical Ninja, Narumi's got every chance for that, and besides, I feel like there is nothing I can do to make Shizune a better Medic than she already is." Tsunade chugged down another drink. "I think it's time for her to finally spread her wings and fly, as well as to put her skills to use, if she is to make a decent living."

"Yeah, since you've wasted all of Dan's fortunes out gambling and drinking away. Does Shizune know that her guardian has left her essentially destitute and broke?" Jiraiya asked in humorous manner, before being forced to catch Tsunade's cup. "Hey, careful with that, Princess. These aren't your cheap run of the mill cups, but expensive stuff. Nobles from the capital drink sake from these."

"You know full well that I was grieving and was heartbroken, and Dan had left that money for me to use them as I see best. And I didn't waste them, I've used them as investments into Shizune herself, and now it's time to see how those investments will pay out." Tsunade smirked, as she caught back the cup. "And besides, it's well past time that I've let Shizune do her own thing. Now I've got a real diamond in the rough waiting for me to work on her. So, Minato, why don't you just put Narumi as my apprentice from the get go? 4 to 5 years under my tutelage, and she will be a Jonin material already, so why should she waste some 7 years in the Academy, when she already can do all the stuff that is taught there?"

"Yeah, same here with Natsu. Kid, you know that such a talent must be worked on constantly, and with the apprenticeship, I can turn him into a Shinobi of the same caliber as Lord Third, if not Lord First." Jiraiya stated with confidence in his voice, bolstered by the alcohol in his veins. "C'mon, kid, cut some slack for your old sensei and his girlfriend here." Tsunade glared at Jiraiya glared for that last part.

"While appreciate what you are saying and can see the value in what you are proposing, Kushina and I have already decided that they will attend the Academy once it starts in June. They may have no trouble with all that we had taught them and trained them in, but it is still very important that they attend it, since all of the kids of all Shinobi clans will be in their year, so it's important that they form strong bonds with them. Not only that, but we also want them to enjoy their childhood while it lasts, and besides…" Minato sighed, when his thoughts had drifted to his youngest son. "Kushina believes that their example might be helpful for Naruto, maybe inspire him by their example."

"Minato, I know that you've got something of a soft spot for the kid, but if you want my honest opinion- Naruto isn't really cut out to be a Shinobi like Natsu and Narumi." Jiraiya told him his opinion. "Now, don't get me wrong, he may be capable to become a decent Shinobi, but he'll not be like those two, and the problem isn't in the Kyuubi. It's his attitude and his lack of talent for the arts of Shinobi."

"I hear you, Sensei, but that doesn't mean that I should just give up on him." Minato took a sip of his drink. "While it is true that the last months he has been somewhat difficult to deal with for me and Kushina, that doesn't mean that he isn't capable of growing up into a person I hope he can be."

"And yet that doesn't change the fact that he didn't inherit any talent from you and Kushina. And let's not forget how he acted that time when I told you about him knowing Tomoe and Amagi." Tsunade reminded him, feeling bitter at the memory of Naruto. "I don't know about you two, but in my mind, Naruto's got not the talent, nor aptitude for that line of work. He seems to appreciate playing on that flute of his and hang around the temple all the time, but beyond that… He showed little to no interest in becoming a ninja. Maybe it would be for the better of us all to put him in a civilian school?" Tsunade offered, with Minato actually considering it.

"Maybe, but I don't want to deny him a chance to actually make something out of himself." Minato said, though in an unsure voice. "But you are right… I hate to admit it, but… Whenever I look at Naruto, when he is at home, playing with Mito, or just out on the streets, I can't shake off the feeling that he isn't destined for it, to be a Shinobi. I had always wished for my children to be as active and energetic as they can get, and Natsu and Narumi are what I would call the definition of that. They are so bright and full of life, that's it can almost infect people around them, inspire them and so on, but with Naruto… He's like the polar opposite of them, someone who lacks inside of him that fire that makes Natsu and Narumi burn like stars in the sky. Whenever I look at him, there is some kind of melancholy in his eyes, as if he finds everything dull and uninteresting, and when we talk about things related to Shinobi world, Kushina and I can't get the twins to sit still out of excitement, but Naruto seems completely uninterested. I can't see in him neither determination, conviction, or even interest in being a Shinobi, yet when he speaks of those Yokai, Kami, spirits, or plays his flute… That's when I can actually glimpse him being happy, but that isn't what I want in my child. I fear that with such an attitude, he will never even make it to being a Genin. And even worse… At times, I catch myself thinking that I don't see Naruto as my son…" Minato said with shame the last part

"See? All the more reason to put him in the civilian school instead of the Academy." Jiraiya instantly jumped at the opportunity, and would've continued, had there not been a loud knock in the door. "Huh? Are we expecting someone else tonight?"

"No, and Kushina doesn't knock." Minato noted, with the knocking repeating. "Must be either Natsu or Narumi. Come in!" Minato called out, with the door opening up, surprising all in the room with who it really was.

Into the room stepped Naruto, who looked at the occupants of the room for a brief room, before finding with his eyes the person he needed. Minato and Sannins were surprised to see Naruto of all people to come in here, but what seemed out of place on the boy was his look and his eyes. Instead of a somewhat meek, composed and even elegant posture, Naruto held himself without restraint, his face betraying little emotions, but also showing that he wasn't in his usual mood. And as for his eyes… Minato and Jiraiya both saw that in them was something they hadn't seen in before: flame of determination. Naruto was the first to speak up.

"Sorry for intruding on your meeting father, but I to talk to you. It will only take a moment." Naruto spoke up, his voice not laced with politeness like usually, but with need and demand, as well as force, which was unusual for him.

"Look, brat, can't you see that we are busy here? And isn't it past your bed time? Go back to your room and let the grown-ups do their business in peace." Tsunade practically shooed Naruto out of the room, but he didn't react to her. "Hey, didn't you hear me? I said…"

"I heard you, but I wasn't speaking to you." Naruto turned his head towards Tsunade, his golden eyes looking into her honeyed ones. "I'm here to talk to my father. Don't worry, it won't be long, five minutes at most, so you shouldn't sober up in that time without a cup and a bottle in your hand."

"Huh, what did you just say, you brat?!" Heated up with the booze in her blood, Tsunade was quicker to anger than usual.

"Now, now, Tsunade-sama. I'm certain that Naruto didn't mean any insult by that, so please calm down." Minato managed to calm her down, before turning his attention to his youngest son. "Naruto, can't this wait until tomorrow morning? It is late already, and we can discuss whatever is it you wish to talk about in the morning. Now, if that is all then…" Minato was already prepared to send his son to his room, wishing him good night, when he suddenly shocked him and others.

"No." Naruto spoke with a serious and determined voice. "It isn't all, father. It can't wait until tomorrow, which is why I'm here right now. And since you aren't busy at the moment with anything important, then surely you can spare your son a fraction of your attention, can't you?"

"Well, I…" Minato was preparing to speak up, but Jiraiya decided to intervene.

"Listen, Naruto, can't you see that your father and we are in the middle of something important? Look, if you can get asleep, go to the kitchen and drink some milk, or have Kushina read you something. Your father has more important things right now on his mind." Jiraiya said to him with some sternness in his voice, with Naruto looking at him with a look that said disappointment.

"And what important things would that be?" Naruto asked in a tone that was laced with sarcasm, another surprise for all. "If drinking sake with two drunks and sharing old tales is considered important business, then what I have can considered a matter of life and death, in comparison." Naruto stated without a shred of joking in his voice.

"Brat, aren't you getting too full of yourself?" Tsunade stood up and walked over to him, looking down on him. "Whatever it is you want to talk to you daddy here, can wait for tomorrow. Now, be a good boy for once, turn around and go to sleep, before I decide to put you to sleep myself." Tsunade, as if in demonstration, cracked her knuckles.

"Try then, pighead." That was one thing that none expected to hear from Naruto, which silenced the entire room.

"What did you just call me?" Tsunade, already sobering up due to anger, looked menacingly at Naruto. "Brat, I'm sorry, I'm a little up here. Could you repeat what you just said, because it almost sounded like you called me a…"

"I said to try, pighead." Naruto repeated without hesitation or fear in his voice or face, which made both Jiraiya and Minato pale in their faces.

"Now you've done, you stuck up brat!" Without any reservations or hesitation, Tsunade's knuckle closed and she sent her fist downwards, planning to smack Naruto on his head really hard.

Only when she made contact, it wasn't with the boy's head, but with the wooden floor, cracking and breaking it. Tsunade looked in surprise to see that she hit the mark, yet didn't hit the boy, and only once she looked up a little, did she see him looking right back at her, eyes showing clear disappointment. It was as if he was openly mocking her, that brat! Tsunade rose up and looked right in the eyes of Naruto, before speaking up.

"Okay, brat, I'll give you one chance. Apologize to me, go back to sleep, and I'll let you off the hook for calling me a pighead." Tsunade offered to him. "Now, what should you say to me?"

"You need to sober up, because your aim is a bit off. Also, I am not leaving, until I am done with my father." Naruto stated with cold determination, while Tsunade was starting to fume. "So, either you let me pass, or I'll just move past you."

"Oh ho, so you think that you can play the big shot with me, do you? Well too bad, because unlike with your sister, you can't even land a single solid blow on me. I bet you can't even defend yourself against bullies." Tsunade mocked Naruto.

"Tsunade, maybe you need to calm down a little…" Jiraiya decided to use that opportunity to intervene, but he was not heard by either party.

"Wanna bet on that?" Naruto suddenly offered, surprising Tsunade. "I land one solid hit on you, and you let me pass. You land a hit on me, and I'll pass out and you get to laugh your pig ass off." Tsunade was starting to get really angry at Naruto.

"Brat, I'm warning you, don't make me mad, or else…"

"Or else what, you'll poison me with your breath?" Naruto goaded Tsunade further, which was enough to get her mad.

Without any more thinking or consideration, Tsunade lunged herself towards Naruto, intending to teach the kid some manners, but again he managed to dodge her, moving to her left and finding himself behind her. When she turned around, Naruto was slowly stepping backwards, seemingly not seeing the sofa right behind him, with Tsunade already smirking at Naruto, moving towards him and preparing to punch him. Just as she saw that he was mere millimeters away from touching the sofa, she sent her fist right towards his head, intending to knock him out for good.

Yet, once again she underestimated the kid, since he easily evaded her, by jumping onto the sofa itself, with Tsunade missing her mark and losing a bit of stepping, forcing her to bend forward a little. This was something that she shouldn't have done, as Naruto suddenly leapt from his place towards Tsunade, surprising everyone, but that wasn't what will be remembered that night. What will go down in memory and history, was Naruto's fist, punching Tsunade squared in the face and hitting her left eye, causing her to cry out of pain. The shock from what Jiraiya and Minato just witnessed had frozen them, as they just witnessed something completely unreal in their minds: Naruto, the talentless child of Namikaze family, just hit Tsunade Senju, one of the three Sannins, square in the eye.

Using the opportunity of Tsunade's distraction, Naruto managed to jump away from her and land some small distance away from her. Tsunade was hissing from the pain, clutching her punched eye, before her enraged gaze found her target looking at her with an expression of disappointment and mocking.

"You've lost." Was all that Naruto told Tsunade, and that was it for her, as she lunged herself towards him once again, only this time Jiraiya managed to stop Tsunade by grabbing a hold of her and holding her from killing Naruto.

"Let me go, Jiraiya! I'll fucking kill this brat! How dare he to hit me like that?! Get back here, you stupid brat!" Tsunade was in utter rage at that point.

"Tsuna, that's enough. C'mon you need to cool off! It was just a friendly little bet, and you've lost, so be a good sport…" Jiraiya tried to defuse the situation, but only succeeded in hold Tsunade back.

"If this is how she acts with friends, then it's a good thing we aren't friends." Naruto commented, before turning back towards his father and walking towards him.

"Naruto, what in the world was that just now? What had gotten into you, son?!" He shouted at his son, rising up from seat. "Do you even realize what you just did?!"

"Do I have your attention?" Naruto suddenly asked Minato, catching him off guard.

"What?"

"Do I finally have your attention?" Naruto repeated his question.

"Yes, you have my full, undivided attention now, son!" Minato was starting to get angry at his son. "Whatever it is you wished to say to me, go ahead, but after that, I'm grounding you for the whole week, with no waling outside, no visiting temple or Tomoe! You'll be sitting in your room, thinking about your attitude, young man!"

"As you wish, but before that…" Naruto pulled out of his shirt an envelope and placed it upon the table. "Lord Fugaku Uchiha wished for me to pass this to you. You should read it, father." Minato took the envelope in his hands, before looking back at his son.

"How did you get it from him?" He asked of his son.

"I was a guest to his family today. He and Lady Mikoto treated me to a dinner, and after I was asked to give you this." Naruto told him in an emotionless voice, with Minato frowning at his son. "You should read it now."

"I'll read it tomorrow. Now, go back to…" Minato was about to send Naruto to his room, when he suddenly slammed his hand on the table, shocking Minato and Sannins.

"I said you. Should. Read. It. Now." Naruto spelled it out with force, shocking Minato and even scaring him a little.

"Naruto that is quite enough of you! I said I will read it tomorrow, and I will, now go back to your room, or else…"

"You can ground or punish me to your heart's content, father, but," Naruto looked up defiantly at Minato, with Minato seeing clear fire in Naruto's heart through his son's eyes. "For once in my life, act like a man you claim to be, and do as your son asks of you. And if I can't ask my father like a son, then I'm asking Lord Hokage as a concerned citizen of Leaf Village, to read this message from a Head of Clan Uchiha that I was tasked with delivering. After that, you can go ahead and do whatever you wish with me." The sheer amount of defiant courage and boldness from his otherwise soft-spoken and strange son was both frightening and shocking for Minato.

Looking at the envelope one more time, he decides to do what his son demands of him, if only to send him back to his room. With one swift motion, he opens the envelope up, before taking the content of it out. He looks at the letter and opens it up, proceeding to quickly read it, before stopping and realizing what was really written there. Minato takes three minutes to read it, analyzing the contents and coming to the conclusion that this was something that he couldn't pass on. This could be that chance he had been looking for to reach out and establish a dialogue with the Uchiha Clan, to try and alleviate the tension that has been mounting for years in the Village. And it was all delivered by his son…

Minato put down the letter and looked at his son, who didn't move a muscle or moved his eyes away, with Minato finding himself stunned by what Naruto had just pulled off, just to get to him. Such determination and actions to accomplish a task given to him, being ready to do anything, like with Tsunade… Never in his life did Minato feel more surprised, and also proud at his youngest son, feeling for the first time his disappointment at Naruto alleviating. There was now no doubt in Minato's mind that his son was to be a Shinobi. If he was able to do what he did already, without any seeming training and possibly from just watching his siblings, then he clearly was capable to become more than just an average Shinobi. Maybe it was time that he and Kushina actually started to work on him a little bit, if only to see how good as a future Shinobi he could become…

Naruto also noticed his father's thought process through his senses, but at this point, he didn't even care if his father was proud of him or not. He was just glad to have done something good for Fugaku, and with that out of the way, he turned around and walked towards his room, catching Minato yet once again by surprised.

"Wait, Naruto, where are you going?" Minato wanted to talk to his son, now that he felt that they could actually talk about something.

"I'm going to bed, and I've kept you away from your important business for too far long already." Naruto replied to him with an indifferent tone, with Minato being left stunned.

"I-I can take care of them later. Don't you want to… Don't you want to spend time with me? I mean, why don't you stay and we…" Minato asked in a hopeful manner, with Naruto turning to him with what could only described as an incredulous look on Naruto's face.

"Father its 25 minutes past nine. I'm tired, sweaty and want only to take a shower, change clothes and go to bed. And since you are Lord Hokage, your free time is best served elsewhere, rather than hanging out with me at night." Naruto told him, before turning back and walking towards the door, but stopping in front of the now calmed Tsunade and shocked Jiraiya. "And by the way. I may not be a genius like Natsu, or a diamond in the rough like Narumi, but even a fool like me has feelings, and he can understand, when people want nothing to do with him. So don't worry, I will not trouble you in any way, shape or form. Feel free to put me out of your mind and focus all your attention on my siblings, like you've always done." Widening their eyes, the Sannins realized that Naruto actually heard all that they said about him, with Minato hoping that he wasn't heard. "And that includes you too, father. You don't need to bother with your melancholic, dull and unexciting son." With that said, Naruto stepped out of the room.

"Naruto, wait, I didn't mean…" But Minato was unable to continue, as the door into his cabinet loudly smashed and silenced the man, leaving him and the others with their own thoughts on what just happened.

---

Present time. Inari Temple.

Fugaku and Minato sat in front of each other, looking each other in the eyes and trying to determine who will be the first one to speak up in this meeting, now that it had officially started. These two great Shinobi had been comrades for over a decade now, yet with the Leaf Village's position against Clan Uchiha, they've become estranged and nearly foreign to each other. It was clear for both men that something needed to be done and done soon, if there was to be any chance at avoiding the catastrophe. Hokage and Lord Fugaku had understood that it was paramount to come to an agreement, yet it wasn't Minato who made the first move towards healing old wounds. It was Fugaku who has found the courage to swallow his pride and do what needed to be done, for the sake of his Clan. And it was he who spoke up to Minato.

"First of all, Lord Hokage, I would like to thank you for accepting this invitation. It means a great deal to me, knowing that you are ready to speak to me in such a manner." Fugaku bowed his head in respect before Minato. "I will be honest with you. I have had my suspicions that you would ignore my proposal."

"Your invitation to these talks was something I hadn't expected or hoped to receive, but after seeing your letter, I knew that was the chance that couldn't be pass over. I'm not blind, Lord Fugaku, and I can see how the situation with Uchiha Clan has deteriorated to the point near meltdown. I consider this meeting to be a chance that could prevent what might happen in the future. Although, I have to admit, that I didn't expect you to use my son as a way to get to me." Minato admitted to Fugaku, who didn't react to it, yet didn't expect Minato to speak of this right now. "While I do know that he was a guest at your house, I would, however, like to know for what purpose did you actually invite him there. Did you invite him simply to take advantage of my youngest son?" Minato asked with some steel in his tone and a little narrowed eyes, but Fugaku remained composed.

"I came across Naruto when he was playing his flute at the Inari Temple, alone. I will admit, that I found it quite odd for a child of Hokage to be there, all alone and not with his friends and family." Fugaku spoke up, with Minato watching him closely. "When he stopped playing, we had a very interesting conversation, one that I did not expect to get from a child his age and left me with quite an impression."

"And what exactly did my six year old son say to you that it impressed you so much?" Minato asked after letting out air from his nose, with Fugaku noticing some passive hostility coming from the man.

"If you are trying to guess if I was trying to take advantage of Naruto, then I can assure you, that it was not in my thoughts or plans. I wished to get to know him better and after a conversation, I invited him in." Fugaku explained to Minato. "I will say that he was hesitant to go, due to the fact that we had only formally just met, and even was ready to leave at the first chance when he arrived to my home. It is only at the insistence of Mikoto did he remain as our guest. And he proved to be a very interesting and entertaining guest to have."

"Entertaining for you in a way that you would play upon a fool's naiveté?" Minato narrowed his eyes and said with anger at Fugaku, who now started look rather displeased at what the man said. "I'm well aware that the Uchiha Clan doesn't look favorably upon me, but for you to use my son as a way to get some form of satisfaction, at the expense of his inexperience and naïve attitude is just…"

"Inexperience? Naiveté? Fool? Lord Hokage, are we still speaking of Naruto, or did you assume that I've brought in your eldest son for a dinner?" Fugaku asked with the tiniest note of sarcasm in his voice. "Because the person my wife and I shared table and food with was one of the brightest I've had a chance to speak to. Had I not known better, I would've assumed he was a son of some wise sage, due to the fact that Naruto had operated with valid and strong facts during our conversations, and that is not to mention that there isn't a shred of foolishness or naiveté in his eyes. If anything, all I saw in his eyes is clarity and comprehension of our world and what it really is. He didn't see us, Shinobi, as heroes of those tales people tell, but as what we really are: people that do unspeakable things for the gain of ourselves and our villages." Fugaku stated with conviction, which surprised Minato.

"Naruto said that? You must be joking… Naruto isn't like that, he is more like…" Minato tried to deny it, but Fugaku didn't let him.

"More like what, a naïve little fool that believes in grandmothers' tales of Yokai and Kami? Don't think that I am not aware of the reputation your son has garnered around the populace, Lord Hokage. A reputation that I consider to be a complete hogwash and an insult towards him, you and your family, yet one you do nothing to disapprove." Fugaku's voice said with steel in his voice. "Just because your son has belief in supernatural doesn't mean he is a fool, especially when he managed to use one of those "imaginable' Yokai as an example to demonstrate what we Shinobi are. He managed leave us all in deep thoughts after he made his argument, and I was forced to admit that he was correct. So, the way you speak of him as a naïve fool makes me think that you don't even know your own son, Lord Hokage, but, from what Mikoto told me, I find it unsurprising."

"Is this some manner of insult? Did you invite me just to mock me?" Minato was ready to rise up, when Fugaku finally decided to raise his voice a little.

"No, I invited you here so that we could finally talk face to face, as grown men, about the fate of our Village. However, it was not my intention to start spouting accusations or insults, nor did I start doing so. I came here to talk to Lord Hokage, not Minato Namikaze, so if you are incapable of being the former, then this entire meeting is pointless." Fugaku's voice was filled with steel resolve, making Minato flinch, when he realized how he was actually acting. "Just the way you spoke to me earlier is reason enough for me to leave, given the fact that you've insulted not just me, but my family, Clan and a guest of my Clan and family. Under any other circumstances, I would entertain an idea of calling for a feud between us."

"Certainly there is no need for such severe actions to be taken. I apologize for my earlier words and accusations towards you and your family, Lord Fugaku. I was… I was acting without thinking things through. My apologies." Minato bowed his head before the man, with Fugaku seemingly accepting it.

"Like I said earlier, had the circumstances allowed, I would dare to feel insulted, but right now, I simply do not have such a luxury." Fugaku stated to him. "However, from the way you speak of Naruto, it makes me wonder if the way he speaks and acts is the result of his parents' attitude towards him."

"What do you mean by that?" Minato couldn't grasp what Fugaku was talking about.

"He may be a genius in all forms of Ninjutsu and Shinobi arts, but when it comes to his son… He doesn't even realize just how badly he belittles him, and Naruto is aware of it at all times. Had I been in his shoes, I would've snapped far sooner, yet he held such things inside of him for years. The boy has a tenacity of a deity." Fugaku thought to himself, when recalling his talk with Mikoto, regarding what she learned from Naruto. "Minato doesn't even believe that his son can amount to much, or that he is capable of being something more than a fool. There is little that is worse than seeing one's parents not trusting or believing in their child. But, then again, if Mikoto is to be believed, Minato doesn't even see Naruto as a son, when he has his full attention focused upon Natsu and Narumi. And he even dares to accuse me of debasing his son, this pompous buffoon…"

"Never mind that. Simply saying things out loud. Now, we should…"

"I'm sorry, but before we start, I would like to ask you something very important." Minato interrupted Fugaku, who decided to entertain the man. "While he was staying with you for a dinner, did something happen to Naruto? Because, when he returned, he was… Not like his usual self."

"In what way?" Fugaku asked of the man, with Minato deciding to explain the situation as a whole to him.

Fugaku listened to what Minato had to tell about what happened in his cabinet, about how Naruto outright demanded to speak to him, about Naruto angering Tsunade, and then how he presented the letter to him. From what Fugaku could surmise, given what Minato just told him, along with what his wife had shared with him days prior, it was now completely clear to the head of Clan Uchiha, that the young Uzumaki boy has had an emotional breakdown, having had enough of holding back his bottled up feelings and being unable to be truly honest with people around him.

The boy had been forced to live with the ability to sense and know what people think of him in reality, and when what he senses is mostly negativity from them, and when even your closest relatives, like parents and siblings, view you as if you are wrong, then it becomes impossible to sustain the visage of a simple, well-mannered child, especially when most see you as a foo. In all honesty, Fugaku couldn't even imagine how Naruto managed to hold off his breakdown for so long. But at the same time, Fugaku was actually glad that Naruto had dropped the act and seemed to have embraced his more emotional, stronger side of him, showing his father and those two fools just from what stuff he really was made of.

If anything, Fugaku was deeply impressed by the sheer determination to complete a request made to him, as well as willingness to put yourself in harm's way, if were to get him to where he needed. Taking on a drunken Sannin, and then also punching her right in the eye… Fugaku honestly wished that he could've seen that moment, and even now the image that appeared in his mind was making it hard for him to maintain his composure. Those two Sannins were honestly quite full of themselves, in Fugaku's opinion, and needed to be put down a peg or two, and to have a child of six years old make a fool out of one of them was something that he couldn't wait to tell his wife.

But that aside, it was also quite surprising for Fugaku to find out that Naruto had done as he asked of him and even did at the expense of his free time and being confined to his house. Such determination and conviction to get the mission completed no matter what was an essential quality for any Shinobi to have. The Shinobi world didn't tolerate those who were weak-willed or lacking in conviction, and if Fugaku was quite honest, he didn't see Natsu or Narumi as those that possessed it conviction or determination to get the job done. Everything seemed practically handed down to them on a silver platter, and they were just taking it, and Fugaku perceived it as a sign of growing weakness. Naruto, on the other hand, showed that he was different from them in that department, as well as in his mentality and convictions. Kushina and Minato may think that the twins are their real treasure, yet how foolish they are to miss that it is their youngest son that is growing up to be more than just a decoration for Leaf.

As Minato was finishing his tale, he spoke up to Fugaku again.

"And after he handed the letter, I wished to speak with him, but he… He didn't even stay when I asked him. He just shut the door behind him and left." Minato concluded his tale to Fugaku. "Since then, he hasn't left the house, but neither Kushina nor I were able to actually speak to him. For most of the time, he just stays in his room, only coming out when we are about to eat. We tried numerous times to have him talk to us, but he either ignores us, or just gives us a really cold look, like he doesn't even want to talk or see us. Kushina is nearly beside herself because of Naruto, she's been trying to talk to him about what had happened, but he doesn't want anyone around him. When either I or Kushina wish to come into his room, he just locks it from inside and we can't get him to come out. He ignores everyone, even Natsu and Narumi, and only Mito seems to be able to talk to him. With her… it's almost like she flips a switch in his mind and he acts like nothing had ever happened. If I didn't know for certain, I would say that Naruto… That he seems to hate us all, with the exception for Mito, and I can't understand why…"

"Perhaps because you've decided to prioritize your Jinchuriki twins, leaving out your youngest children? Or how about thinking that your son is dull, melancholic and can't become a Shinobi, or how about the fact that you've tried to shoo him off when he was trying to talk to you? Oh, and let's not forget about the fact of his mother hitting him!" Fugaku mentally ranted on Minato, before composing himself internally and speaking up out loud. "Perhaps it is because your son feels abandoned by you and Kushina, as well as others. Children are quite perceptive of things around them, not on an intelligent level, where they can fully understand what is going on, but on an instinctual level, with their intuition, they can feel that something is wrong, and react to it."

"Are you saying that Kushina and I have abandoned him? Nonsense, that can't be right! We've never divided our children and never tried to separate, based on our affections towards them." Minato denied it, with Fugaku almost giving into temptation as to frown at the man.

"I am simply stating my hypothesis, and I do not claim to know your son as well as you do, Lord Hokage. It could be that your son is not in the mood to talk to other, who knows?" Fugaku simply said. "I will, however, answer your earlier question about Naruto being my guest and if something had happened with him there. I can't say for certain if something had really happened, but from what I understand, Naruto got along wonderfully with Akeno, and she personally was very taken by him, in an innocent, friendly way. I think she had managed to bring out some of the real personality that Naruto held inside of himself, but that is only speculations."

"Who is this Akeno? I never heard about her? Is she one of the Uchiha Clan members?" Minato wanted to know immediately who that was.

"She isn't a member of Uchiha Clan, or someone who was born to any of the Shinobi Clans, or even in the Leaf Village. Akeno is my ward, or rather my goddaughter, whom I and Mikoto had adopted almost four years ago." Fugaku spoke up to Minato. "Like I said, she wasn't born in the Leaf and doesn't have any relatives here, but to us she is as important as family, and I swore to protect her with my life."

"Why is she so important to you?" Minato asked.

"Are you familiar by any chance with the Himejima Temple in the north eastern part of Land of Fire, dedicated to God Indra?" Minato nodded to Lord Fugaku. "Eight years ago, when the war was starting to reach its conclusion, I led an excursion to Land of Lightning, with the task of intercepting and capturing Lightning Daimyo's treasurer, carrying funding for Kumogakure."

"Yes, I remember that mission, and as I recall, that mission was a narrow success. The treasurer was killed the fighting, but you did manage to retrieve the money intended for Kumogakure, yet you did lose over 2/3rds of your men in the process. Still, had you not done it, we wouldn't be able to achieve peace with them when we did. You and the others had nearly escaped death, from what I heard." Minato stated, with Fugaku nodding.

"You are correct in saying that. Out of 21 Shinobi that were dispatched, including me, only 6 managed to make it out of the battle alive, with most of us being badly wounded and too tired to make it back to Konoha, not to mention that were being pursued by Kumo's Anbu, led by Fourth Raikage. I knew that we were in no shape to fight and that we needed to hide, so I decided to take a gamble and led my people to the Himejima Temple. The head priestess, Shuri Himejima, had agreed to let us in and hid us, despite us knowing that we were being pursued by Kumo's Shinobi." Fugaku continued. "They arrived soon enough, and we barely had time to hide. They searched the entire temple and its grounds, trying to find us, with Lady Himejima trying to get them to leave and convince them that nobody was here. She was interrogated, threatened even beaten by Anbu, yet despite the threats and danger, she didn't reveal us to them. After two hours, they had left with nothing, safe for sick satisfaction of beating a poor priestess."

"I can hardly believe that a simple woman like her would be able to do such a thing. Most would've sold you out just after being threatened." Minato said.

"Most would, but Shuri didn't. Instead, she kept us hidden, and after Kumo's Shinobi had left, she tended to our wounded, helped them recover and heal, and provided us food, water and medicines. Without her help, I wouldn't have made it back myself." Fugaku admitted. "It took us three days until we were able to get back to Konoha, and all that time she tended to us without any reservations or hesitation. She didn't even ask for any reward or compensation for the damage Kumo did to her temple, even though she knew that she deserved it."

"What happened after you've returned?"

"After my return, I did send monetary compensations and funding to that temple, in form of tribute, so that she would be able to repair the temple, but it wasn't enough to repay her. I've kept a close eye out on what was happening there, looking out for Shuri, but that wasn't enough to prevent a tragedy from happening." Fugaku sighed. "I believe you can remember the Hyuuga Incident."

"All too well. The treachery of Kumo and death of Hizashi are still fresh in my mind." Minato admitted. "But what does it have to do with Shuri Himejima?"

"At the same time when Kumo had tried to kidnap young Hinata Hyuuga, Himejima Temple was attacked and sacked, burned to the ground with almost everyone who was there." Fugaku told Minato. "Officially, it was a force of rogue Shinobi that wanted to plunder the temple for its treasures, leaving no survivors, but when news reached me and Konoha three days after the attack, I knew that this wasn't a coincidence. I took with me best warriors of Uchiha Clan and headed there to investigate, and when we reached the smoldering ruins of the temple, it became obvious that it wasn't an attack of rogues, but a planned execution. Raikage had found out about our survival and what part in it played Shuri Himejima, and has decided to extract some form of payback for what happened. We found Shuri's body, burned and mutilated, with obvious signs of torture inflicted upon her. We stayed to bury the bodies of the dead, and only when we were about to leave did one of my men sense that there was someone close by. He led us to a nearby forest, and there, we stumbled upon a small girl, covered in mud, leafs, twigs and dressed in a ragged kimono, but she looked exactly like Shuri. She could barely stand on her legs and was so scared that she couldn't even move, but I knew that it was Shuri's daughter. I took her with us back to Konoha, with Mikoto helping me to nurture her back to health. Only a week later did we hear her speak, and she called herself Akeno. After that, I decided that I couldn't put her in an orphanage, so Mikoto and I decided to adopt her as our goddaughter."

"Why wasn't I or the Council informed about it and your excursion to that temple? Also, what about her father?" Minato asked.

"I had sent a missive, informing you and the Council of it, but it is my understanding that with what was happening at the time, you and others simply never took notice of it. As for Akeno's father or relatives of her mother, I didn't have much luck with them. Akeno spoke little of her father, and it is my understanding that he perished in the attack, and as for the Himejima family and clan… It is my understanding that they were responsible for informing Raikage of the truth, regarding my mission's success." Fugaku admitted to Minato. "Shuri was an outcast of the Clan, and one that had garnered a great deal of enemies within her family, and they were more than willing to kill her and her daughter. As for how they learned the truth, they have their people in here as well, or at least had, when they were alive."

"Were alive?"

"Do you recall the great fire in Capital, over three years ago? One that was caused a thunderstorm and flooded half the province in the process?" Minato nodded to it. "As it happened, the Himejima Clan was also gathered in its entirety in capital at the time, all in their mansion. And the lightning struck first their place, starting the fire and killing all of Himejima in the process. I like to think that this was a form of divine retribution, exacted upon those bastards."

"By whom? Do you honestly think, that Susanoo had exacted revenge on behalf of that girl?" Minato asked.

"Not Susanoo, but Indra. I would ask Naruto about that deity, when you have the time, if you are curious. If anything, it might serve you or Kushina as pretext to actually have a talk with him about something that he can talk with interest and passion." Fugaku suggested, smirking internally at the illiteracy of the so-called "genius". "However, I believe that we've side-tracked a great deal already from the actual reason as to why we've come here, Lord Hokage."

"Yes, I believe we did. My apologies for it." Minato bowed a little before the man. "I simply… Never mind, we have more important things to discuss, yes. As the one who organized this meeting, it would only be appropriate if you were to start the negotiations first."

"As you wish, then with your permission, I shall get straight to the point, Lord Hokage." Fugaku stated, as he poured some tea into his and Minato's cups, before putting the teapot back in the place. "Lord Hokage, as leader and representative of Clan Uchiha, I must inform you, that due to the policies of the Leaf Village, numerous previous misgivings and general distrust from Konoha's leadership, the Clan Uchiha has reached the point of openly rebelling against the Leaf. In other words, my Clan is on the verge of starting a civil war in this village."

"That's…" Minato was aghast at what he had just heard from Fugaku. "Lord Fugaku, I know that the situation over the past years hasn't been ideal for Clan Uchiha, but I am quite certain that it isn't as bad as…"

"It is much worse than you were informed over the past year of by my son Itachi, and definitely being considered "not ideal." I am not exaggerating here, Lord Hokage." Fugaku's grim and steel voice proved that he was serious. "I am excellently aware of the fact that you have put my son Itachi in the Anbu under command of Kakashi Hatake with express intention to have him become a double agent for both Uchiha Clan and you, as well as Elders. I am also perfectly aware of the fact that Clan Uchiha is constantly monitored by the Anbu units situated in 9 observations posts, scattered around and outside of our district. And I am also well aware of the Council already making decisions on how to divide and distribute the property of Uchiha Clan, when we are exterminated." Fugaku narrowed his eyes upon Minato, who was forced to gulp a little.

"Lord Fugaku, you have to understand, that the situation is very complex and due to what had happened in the past, it isn't as easy to fix as it may seem." Minato tried to defuse the situation, but failed.

"No, the situation is fairly simple to understand and grasp: a lone Uchiha, most likely a rogue, had nearly destroyed the Village, and you've decided that if one Uchiha was guilty, then the whole Clan was to bear the guilt, even if they can't be determined as having committed the crime." Fugaku stated to Lord Hokage. "Of course, nobody to took into the account that my Clan had lost 1/6th of our numbers, both Shinobi and civilians alike, had most of our district destroyed and left a great number of our people homeless. Many of them actually found shelter in the very temple and its grounds where we currently are. And what did you and your Council do? You've segregated us further away from the rest of the Village, limited the number of Shinobi we can maintain in Konoha's forces, and placed us under constant surveillance. All because of that one, lone, thrice damned rogue, whom you had implied was supported by my Clan."

"I never had implied that. I only stated to the council that the man responsible was from your Clan." Minato said in his defense. "I never directly accused you or your Clan of treason."

"You've left room for implementation, which the others have done for you, especially the Elders and Councilors." Fugaku stated back, as he took the cup and brought closer to himself. "You never did state anything concrete about that attacker, which was enough to give room for speculations. Nor did you speak up in defense of my Clan. Instead, you've decided to listen to the advice of those that have hated us for decades, and followed their advice."

"Lord Fugaku, I can attest to the fact that the Council isn't out to destroy your or your clan…" Minato wished to calm the man down, but he failed, when Fugaku smashed the teacup onto the floor, scaring Minato a little.

"Stop acting so naively, Minato! You are Hokage, yet instead of leading our Village as a shepherd, you are being led like a lamb to the slaughter!" Fugaku finally snapped at the man, hoping that this will finally get his full attention and lift the fog of ignorance, before he calmed down. "Koharu Utatane, Danzo Shimura, and Homura Mitokado- all three have served to our Village when it first came to life, but it wasn't Lord Hashirama Senju that they drew their wisdom from. Instead, it was Lord Second, Tobirama Senju, who trained and taught them, and it is thanks to him that they learned to distrust and despise the Uchiha Clan! Do not try to deny it, we both know very well that Lord Second hated Clan Uchiha and had done everything in his power to limit our power and influence, from denying us the seat on the Council to openly seizing our lands and mines, driving our traders and craftsmen out of the market. In his mind, all of us were just another one Madara Uchiha in the making."

"Then perhaps he was correct in that assessment, since the Uchiha that had attacked me and my wife that night claimed to be Madara Uchiha!" Minato stated with anger, surprising Fugaku.

"What? That's impossible, Madara has been dead for many years. You can't possible believe that the man who attacked you really was him." Fugaku argued back. "Most likely that bastard decided to simply use the name of Madara as a way to bolster his confidence and inspire fear into others. Just the name alone is often enough to make enemies tremble in their wake. Just take your name and Iwagakure, for instance."

"Perhaps it was one of the surviving descendants of Madara that had tried to exact revenge on Konoha for what Lord First did to his ancestor?" Minato suggested. "I'd imagine that the Uchiha Clan would do their best to conceal the heir of Madara away from the eyes of his enemies."

"That is impossible, because there are no male descendants of Madara Uchiha, and you overestimate the popularity of Madara among my Clan. True, he is respected for his power and strength, as is Lord Second or Third are respected for it, but the man has very few devoted followers, given how he nearly led our Clan to destruction at the hands of Senju." Fugaku stated wit confidence, countering what Minato had said. "And as for his actual surviving descendant, she couldn't have been the one to attack Konoha, despite how hard her life was here and how badly she was hurt by its inhabitants."

"Maybe you overestimate this girl's loyalty towards our Village, Lord Fugaku." Minato stated with contempt.

"Then why did she save you and your family on that night, at the expense of her health and carrier as a Shinobi?" Fugaku suddenly asked of Minato, making the latter realize whom did he refer to.

"T-Tomoe? Tomoe is Madara's descendant? B-but that's impossible! She was raised by…"

"By Mito Uzumaki, who also raised Tomoe's mother and daughter of Madara, Yumiko Uchiha. Tell me: do you honestly think that Yumiko and her daughter would've been revered by people of Konoha because of their lineage? No, they would be targeted by those that hated Madara, and there were plenty of those even among Uchiha Clan." Fugaku informed Minato, who seemed to be in a state of shock. "Face it, Lord Hokage: you have been influenced by the Elders, who exploited your fears, and used it against my Clan in order to complete the will of Lord Second."

Minato couldn't believe what he had heard and wished to vehemently oppose all that Fugaku told him, yet right now he couldn't find himself denying those accusations and claims. He truly did fear that man, for he was able to pull off something that seemed completely impossible- release Kyuubi and control it to nearly destroy Konoha. His space-time Ninjutsu was nearly enough to defeat Minato, and had he not been able to come up with the winning strategy, he would certainly be dead, yet even in defeat, he had managed to do to Konoha more than all three Great Shinobi Wars combined. His power, craftiness and guile were unquestionable, and even Minato was scared of him, which was one of the main reasons why he started training his children so early on. He knew that the masked man will be back in the future, and that he won't stop until he gets what he wants. Natsu and Narumi will need to be prepared to face him and be able to defend themselves from him.

Yet in his blind fear and inexperience, Minato had allowed the Elders and Council to take advantage of him, as they've started to implement policies against Clan Uchiha. He didn't even notice when one of the founding Clans has become exiles and hated outsiders, and when he did notice, he simply decided to go along with the flow, since it seemed simpler and far easier to just let Council sort this out, while he focused on his family. Minato should've realized that this was not the right way that the Hokage should've taken, but it was easier for him, because in truth Minato didn't feel himself prepared for the position of Hokage.

He may've not been the youngest Hokage that was selected, with that honor belonging to Lord Third, nor was not someone who didn't have the potential for it, but he definitely didn't have any experience or preparation for that. He was basically selected due to his popularity and his efforts and contributions in Third Great War, where he had reaped a great toll on the enemies of the Leaf. But he did it alone or in command of a small team, never as a commander of large units or battalions of Shinobi. Minato wasn't comfortable with great amount of responsibility, since he felt that he wouldn't be able to handle it. His failure to save Obito and Rin only affirmed his belief in that and contributed to his lack of self-confidence, making him doubt himself from time to time, but he was able to somewhat outgrow that.

Unfortunately, Minato wasn't able to overcome his inability to truly take responsibility for the Village and be the Hokage it needed, instead of acting as the Hokage it wanted him to be. He liked being seen as the Hero of the Village and even reveled in the popularity and reverence that the people held for him. It made him happy that they also viewed his children as heroes for holding the Kyuubi inside of them, as he wished for them be viewed that way, believing it would inspire them to be the real heroes. He was glad to give a good chunk of responsibilities to the Council and Elders, while he focused on preparing his children for the future and on his family. Now this decision has come to bite him back.

Clan Uchiha was nearing the point of open rebellion, all because he wasn't able to foresee just how badly his inaction and readiness to dump the responsibility on others would affect them. It was clear that the Council and Elders didn't act as was best for all of Village's interests, and now Hokage needed to fix the situation, and he was the Hokage right now. He could afford no more distractions or deviations from his duty, and Minato understood it, yet he didn't know how to fix this situation. As the Hokage, it was his responsibility to understand all of its inhabitants, yet he couldn't understand what Uchiha Clan needed or wanted. He had to surrender himself to Lord Fugaku and hope that his demands would be reasonable.

Minato let out a defeated sigh, and Fugaku could see that Hokage was coming to terms with the fact that he was mistaken in his beliefs and assessments of the situation. Namikaze raised his head and spoke up without the previous emotion in his voice.

"Lord Fugaku, how do you propose we fix this situation?" Minato asked of him.

"I can't fix it, Lord Hokage. The only one who can do it is you." Fugaku stated to Minato. "You are the Fourth Hokage, one who is charged with leading this Village and its people forward towards the future. You are the inheritor of the Will of Fire that Lord First had ignited in us all, and it is your duty and responsibility to do everything in your power to maintain the peace and prosperity of the village. You, not the Council, hold the real power in this Village, and it is you who can do what is needed for us all." Fugaku was now trying to instill confidence and power in the man, so that he would be able to do what was needed.

"The Council will need to be informed of what we decide…" Minato decided to add up, but Fugaku interjected.

"Inform them all you wish, but after you've made your decisions and implemented them. Their role is provide Hokage with more clear view of the Village, not to direct him towards fulfilling their whims and wishes. You decide what is best for Village, not they." Fugaku told him with strength, before deciding to share some of his wisdom. "Minato, I can see in your eyes that you doubt yourself and your ability to lead, questioning yourself if you are truly worthy to lead. The truth of the matter is that no leader is ever worthy of his position, because it isn't about being worthy in the first place. It is about being able to do what is needed, making the necessary decisions and bear the responsibility for them. In war, you've done it with your team and others, and you've stuck with it, and now you must do it for the whole of village. Leaders don't have the luxury of being born, they are made through decisions and resolve, and no leader doesn't know doubt. The ability to overcome it and to stick with your decision is what makes a man a leader. Right now you have the choice to make: allow your Council to run the village for you, while you appear as a leader, or take the responsibility and become who you can be." Minato let out a sigh and looked up at Fugaku and asked him.

"What is your proposal to solving the situation we find ourselves right now?" Minato asked of him, with clear determination present in his voice. "I assume you've come here with a proposal of sorts, or a number of demands that need to be fulfilled. Let me hear them, and I'll see what I will be able to do."

And it was at that moment that Fugaku knew that he was finally dealing with the real Hokage, instead of the puppet that he was earlier. Now he could really save his clan.

---

One Month later. Konoha Academy.

Summer has come in full to the Land of Fire, with Konoha bathing in sunlight and warmth brought to it by the season. People have shed their coats and other warm garments, allowing the air and sunlight to warm their bodies, which they did well, since many were dressed in very light clothes. Although most of Konoha was already very warm, there was one place where the temperature seemed to be at the highest, and that was none other than Konoha's Shinobi Academy, where almost the majority of the village's population have assembled.

Today was a very special day for all of Konoha and its people, especially for Shinobi and Clans, since this was the inauguration of the children into the students of the Academy, meaning that they will now begin their path to becoming real Shinobi of the Leaf. Such a day was something that entire families waited with reverence and impatience, for it was the entrance for their children into the life of glory, fine service to the Leaf and riches, as well as an opportunity to create their own Shinobi Clan, at least for the civilians. For those that came from the Clans, it was an honored and hallowed tradition of service and succeeding their predecessors on their path as a Shinobi, and this time, it was a very special occasion.

Members from nearly every major Shinobi Clan, many of whom were heirs and heiresses, were to become students today, and that is not to mention the two "great" heroes of Konoha, children of Fourth Hokage and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, the eponymous Natsu and Narumi Namikaze-Uzumaki. Naruto, from his position near Mito and Izuna, who was holding Mito's hand, could clearly see how many of the civilian and even Shinobi sides of the population were already looking at awe at his siblings and he could hear their thoughts of clear admiration and devotion, as well as greed and ambition that these same people wished to satiate through having their children become friends with Natsu and Narumi. A revolting cocktail for Naruto's senses, one that wished not to partake in anymore, turning off his ability, until he had to hurl, especially if he were to get a taste of his siblings' emotions.

He didn't even need to have his abilities turned on to figure out what his siblings were thinking, since they've been bragging about acing through every class and taking charge of things in the Academy. His parents didn't stub their pride and arrogance, which by this point has become almost toxic for Naruto to partake in, especially after he took Mikoto's advice to heart and embraced his other side. While he had thought that it would be a crutch at first, due to how he behaved previously, Naruto quickly discovered that living with peace with his Yin and Yang was far better than being in conflict with his own darkness. He stopped hiding and hindering it, embracing that side of himself and putting it to use so as to fuel his resolute determination and ambitions, while balancing it with benevolence and moderation. He no longer felt like he was fighting a demon inside of himself, now Naruto felt like he was an Uzumaki and a Minamoto, and he liked this feeling very much, especially with the changes that came with his decision.

With Naruto achieving balance within himself, he had changed his attitude towards the people and himself, altering the way he acted towards people that despised or belittled him. Now he didn't hide his real emotions from them, showing that it didn't please him to be seen as nothing more than a fool, but he didn't lash out at them like his brother and sister would do. Instead, he would simply smirk at them, remember who and what he was, and walk away, leaving most of them in disbelief and bewildered, as well as feeling like they were fooled in some way, which was a nice emotional touch for Naruto. Naturally, his seemingly deteriorated attitude didn't earn him any new friends among the villagers, but when did he start to look for them in the first place?

Those that were important for Naruto were Amagi, Tomoe, Kaga, Akagi and Akeno, all of whom had seemed to prefer the new and improved Naruto to the one that was before. All of them have noted that he was far more at ease and peace now that he was in balance, as well as feeling natural. Amagi and Tomoe both were pleased to see Naruto having overcome his previous weakness and fear of emotions, and grow up to accept them and put them to good use.

The benefit of that decision has already started to show with Naruto achieving far better control over his Chakra and being able to call upon even greater amount that ever before. He was now even able to focus and concentrate pure Yin and Yang energies inside of himself, something he was struggling to even call upon before, but now he was able to do it at will. Although, Naruto didn't have much of a chance to further his training and deepen his connection with the nature chakra, due to the fact that Naruto has garnered something he now wished to avoid- attention of his family and their friends.

Ever since Naruto had delivered that message from Fugaku to Minato, and with Mikoto straightening out Kushina, they, along with Sannins, have finally decided to dedicate some amount of their attention towards Naruto. In the past, he would've been happy to receive it and basked in the attention of his parents, but that was a memory now, and the modern Naruto found himself not wanting for his parents' attention, finding it to be infringing and irritating.

Almost every day since he had to show off a portion of his skills against Tsunade, Minato was trying to come up and talk with Naruto, or trying to invite him to take part in the training with Natsu and Narumi, with the two finding it shocking and strange to say the least. Naruto declined, stating that his siblings needed his and mother's attention more than he did, especially now when they were preparing to: "take Academy by the storm". These kinds of responses visibly saddened Minato and Kushina, who expected and thought that Naruto would jump in at the opportunity, but to hear a rejection was not something they expected. Instead of training with them, Naruto practically made a show out of either helping Izuna with Mito, reading a book, studying something unrelated to the Shinobi or doing anything that wasn't related to the Shinobi activity.

This seemed to peeve Minato, who would often try to come up and try to convince Naruto to put aside whatever his was doing and come with him to the yard. In response to that, Naruto would always look Minato's smiling face and state that he wanted none of it, and that he would get all the training and more at the Academy, just like he and mother told him years back. That was always a metaphorical stab at Minato and Kushina, who recalled their previous lack of desire to train Naruto, and now fate was laughing at them, with their son lacking desire to train with them. Yet despite many times trying and failing, Minato seemed determined to drag Naruto to the training yard, to the point of Naruto even going as far as snapping out at him just a few days prior. The way he did was simple, yet on point, as he reminded Minato of what he heard that night when he was drinking with Sannins.

Minato had tried to apologize to his son a number of times, even trying to buy his forgiveness with gifts, but Naruto wasn't someone you could buy. As it turned out, Naruto had quite a resentful side to him as well, which showed in the fact of Naruto never forgiving or forgetting what his father had told Sannins about him, how he was dull and uninspiring like Natsu and Narumi… And also that he was thinking of Naruto as if he wasn't Minato's son. Naruto may've lost some measure of love and devotion towards his parents over the years, but he did love and respect them, despite their failings. Yet to hear that your own father didn't even view you as his own, found your dull, uninteresting and not answering his standards…

That hurt Naruto, it made him mad and sad at the same time, forcing him to cry for the second time on that day, only that time he was in his own room. Now he finally understood and realized why he was seen by Minato like that, like he was someone foreign to him- and Naruto found himself, for the first time in his life, unable to contain his own resentment at his father. Love and respect have been washed away, replaced by resentment, something that Naruto knew wasn't what he should be feeling towards his family, but he couldn't help himself. Even if he was aspiring to destroy this world that bred resentment and hatred, he himself has found himself infected by it, and all Naruto could do now was control his feelings towards Minato and Kushina.

Kushina, after she had been found out by Mikoto, has also changed in her own ways, now changing her obsessive anger and suspicion to overbearing devotion and need to have Naruto involved in every single activity that the family was partaking. Naruto wished he could've known what Mikoto told or did to Kushina, because if before he was suffering from the overbearing jealous woman, now he had to deal with an overbearing caring woman, that wouldn't take no for an answer. Along with Minato, Kushina took it upon herself to involve Naruto in the training of the children, though she was clearly unaware of what transpired in the cabinet. Like with his father, Naruto declined, but unlike with Minato, Kushina wouldn't take no for an answer straight away, trying to practically drag Naruto towards the training field. In response, Naruto would state that he had better things to do, always pulling out some kind of book about sciences, arithmetic or something like that, showing to Kushina that, unlike with Natsu and Narumi, her youngest son was also training, only instead of body, he was training his brain, which was also true. That seemed to cool Kushina off a bit and make her leave Naruto for a good few hours, while he partook in his, what he called, "sharpening his wisdom with intelligence".

But that was only when the kids were training, and after that, Kushina would do her hardest to drag Naruto into other family activities, like walks, visits to restaurants and going to some other Clan or friends of his family as guests. Over the last May, Naruto managed to find himself having visited almost every main Shinobi Clan and some Councilors' houses, where he was forced to endure his mother praising his siblings and him over every little thing they did.

In Naruto's case, unlike with his siblings, he was finding it really annoying and embarrassing, since Kushina seemed obsessed with making Naruto look great in others' eyes, highlighting how he believed in Yokai, played a flute and all the other stuff she found bad and unbecoming of him previously, though it clearly failed and seemed to only make Naruto look pathetic in their eyes. Not many Clans found Naruto's interests appealing to him, with Naruto clearly seeing and reading their disgust, feeling of superiority, pity or outright resentment that they had in his mind. Only Uchihas didn't show any of it, instead projecting annoyance at Kushina's new antics, with Mikoto mentally admitting that her friend simply went from one extreme to the other. At least that had given him time to hang out with Akeno, though even that was cut short with Kushina's insistence to learn every single little detail about the girl that her newly-found "beloved" son found interesting. Had it not been for Mikoto stepping in and stopping Kushina in her tracks, Akeno might've ran away in fear of being abducted for an interrogation. Overall, Naruto felt that his mother, while has changed significantly, was now having some kind of unhealthy obsession with Naruto, which he didn't like one bit. He feared that she might eventually go as far as to start spying on him, like the Sannins were doing now.

And speaking of them, the little demonstration he gave them a month back seemed to have piqued their interests towards Naruto, leading them to try and probe him for more information about his skills and talents that he didn't show before. Jiraiya tried to make contact with Naruto through trying to pass it off as wanting to connect with a son of his best pupil, while Tsunade was far blunter and straight out tried to demand answers from him. In both cases, Naruto didn't feel genuine care for him or his feelings, as well as remorse for their words about him.

All they wanted was to know how good he was as a potential Shinobi, as well as either he could be a potential inheritor of his legacy, in case with Jiraiya, or just wanted to know how did he do it, with Tsunade, with either trying to gain Naruto's attention for their own wishes. That peeved and infuriated Naruto even more, because he could clearly see that in their minds, he wasn't a godson to them, but a way to stroke their prides and wishes, when Naruto didn't want anything to do with them, yet they didn't care about it. They had gone as far as to start spying on him, suspecting that he was getting training from Tomoe, and this has led to Naruto slow his training in both Shinobi and Onmyoji arts, so as to throw the two off.

It was a good thing that Amagi and Tomoe understood him and agreed to it, with Akagi and Kaga reporting to him if Tsunade and Jiraiya were nearby, or one of their Summons was following him. So far, all that those two had found out about Naruto was that he really liked to play his flute in the woods or at the temple, was taking lessons from Amagi in etiquette, court decorum, religion and other things, along with Naruto hanging out with Tomoe and Akeno now.

At least with Akeno things were well, since the two connected to each other almost instantly, and Naruto felt quite at ease with the girl, and Naruto could tell that Akeno too was comfortable with him. They've hung out with each other a number of times, having fun together, though throughout that that time, they never mentioned either the Yokai or their not so human origins, since Naruto was able to inform the girl, thanks to Kaga and Yoruichi, that he was now watched closely. But even without that, the two had plenty of fun talking to each other, Naruto playing his best songs before the girl, while Akeno was dancing, coming up with the moves on her feet.

Naruto had to admit, that watching the girl move as she spun around or moved with the grace of a beautiful spirit was something he never expected to find himself wanting to see more and more, with Akeno's smile and laughter forever memorized to him, all of it serving as a banquet to him to partake in. Naruto didn't quite yet understand what it was he felt towards her, yet this feeling, this warmth and nice feeling… He didn't want to depart with it.

Turning away from his thoughts about Akeno, who, as Naruto had suspected, wasn't present in here, since she never aspired to become a Shinobi, young redhead looked towards the small podium, that was situated before the small ring. He wasn't with Kaga or Akagi, which was a rare sight for him, but they were needed to take care of some errand for Amagi, which couldn't wait. He saw how the teachers stepped on to it, before his father and Lord Third had stepped forward and Minato began his usual speech.

"Welcome everyone, it is my pleasure and privilege to see so many young and determined children today, ready to begin their path as Shinobi and defenders of the Leaf Village." Minato smiled, with many clapping to him, before he continued. "I shall be brief with you, and say that today is a very special day not just for you, future Shinobi, but for us as well. Today, we, your parents, your elders and predecessors, watch with pride and anticipation at you, seeing in you not just future Shinobi and heroes, but those that shall carry forward into the future the very foundation of our Village- the Will of Fire. This concept and philosophy that binds and unites us all into one mighty family is the key to Konoha's continued prosperity and bright future. Right now, you may not be able to fully comprehend what it means, but when you start learning what it means to be Shinobi in here, then you will understand and embrace it as our way of life, just all before you have done it. And now, with your permission, I would like to join my family, not as Hokage, but as a proud father whose children today start their tenure as students at the Academy. With that out of the way, I give way to the man that had seen our Village through ups and downs and has led us to the peace that we have today- Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi." With that out of the way, Minato teleported out of the stage and reappeared right next to his family, causing awe from others.

"Couldn't use your feet, could you? Now I start to understand where Natsu and Narumi get it from." Naruto thought to himself, with Hiruzen beginning his own speech, while Naruto found Minato looking at him with a small smile.

"Feeling nervous, Naruto?" Minato suddenly asked of him, making Naruto once more a center of his family's attention. "I know I was when I first started here. Boy, you should've seen me, I was fidgeting like a leaf in the wind, but you handle way better than I am. Still, if you ever feel like you can't handle something, never be afraid to ask me and mom for help."

"That's right, Naruto, we are always here for you and are ready to help you. I know that you may not have the same talents as Narumi and Natsu, but no doubt, you will dazzle everyone in here, especially with our with Minato help." Kushina grinned to him.

"Pft, the only way he'll dazzle everyone is with his stupidity." Natsu sneered at Naruto, making their parents frown at them. "I mean, you are so stupid, that you even refused to train with us. Instead, you went and decided to help our servant teach Mito how to read."

"Izuna isn't a servant, but an aid to our family, Natsu. I know that there doesn't seem to be much of difference in your mind, but there is." Naruto locked eyes with him. "And it is expected of the older siblings to look out and take care of their younger ones. Care to remember the last time you and Narumi ever as much as played with Mito?" The daring look in Naruto's eyes made Natsu irritated.

"I play with her all the time, and Narumi too." Natsu replied without delay.

"No you don't, and she doesn't." Mito disapproved, making their parents look in surprise at Natsu and Narumi, who glared at their younger sibling. "All you ever do is brag and shove me aside when I try to ask anything from you, or tell me to get away. Naruto never does that, and he always has time for me."

"Natsu, Narumi, is that true?" Kushina looked at her eldest with surprise, with both struggling to come up with the proper response.

"Well, it's not really all that surprising, when you think about it." Naruto suddenly spoke up, getting their attention. "I mean, when you think about it, even someone as dumb as I am can figure out that they must be dead tired all the time. After all, they train day and night, have to hang out with so many of their friends and fans, plus all the time you drag them with yourselves to either a restaurant or some Clan that invited you four. They simply have neither strength nor desire to do something as tedious as help out with their little sister. Not to mention that when the two of you, mighty and genius Shinobi, can't handle training those two and looking out for Mito, how can they? Thank the heavens for Izuna, or else I shudder at the thought of what would become of Mito with you people around." Naruto looked with eyes full of sarcasm, taking in the sight of his parents starting to realize what they have been doing to their youngest child for over a year and a half.

This was also one of the things that Naruto found himself now openly resenting his family for, and this is something that Naruto wasn't going to feel guilty for nor seek his usual understanding. The treatment his little sister was receiving from his siblings and parents, which reached all time worst since the training had begun. If before Mito could freely come up and speak to her parents, without fearing being sent away, now she had to wait when her parents weren't doing anything related with his siblings, or anything else for that matter. She had stopped seeing her parents as often as did, now seeing them only at the dining table, and even then not always, since his parents took to a new habit to take them all to some restaurant or a Clan, leaving Mito in the care of Izuna.

To all of those damnable restaurants and arrogant Clans, Naruto would always prefer spending an evening with his little sister, teaching her how to read or write, or playing with her. This is one thing that hasn't changed about Naruto and his attitude- his love and devotion towards Mito. Instead, it only grew and strengthened, with Naruto feeling and understanding that he was responsible for the protection and upbringing of his little sister, seeing as his parents weren't even willing to spend time with their little daughter. For Naruto, a thought of ever turning his back towards Mito or even as much not being able to help her, was repulsive and beyond capacity. From what he understood, the Uzumaki people were put their loved ones and family as highest priority and would go to any extreme for them. Naruto saw Mito as his family, just as he saw Tomoe, Amagi, Kaga, Akagi and even Akeno as part of his family, his Clan. The ancient Minamoto Clan's blood in him boiled at the way his parents didn't even treat him and Mito as their own children, and no matter how hard they may try to change it now, there was no going back now, not in Naruto's mind.

"Mito, darling, tell me that this isn't true." Kushina wished to hear her daughter deny what Naruto had just said. "Mito, we always…"

"And now, as per our old and honored tradition, we shall hold an exhibition match between the two new students starting this year at the Academy. Do not be concerned, we will only select those that have decided to participate via writing their name on a piece of paper and putting it in this box." Hiruzen produced a large box, putting his hand inside to draw out the name of the first contestant. "And our first contestant shall be… Natsu Namikaze- Uzumaki." The public went wild with ovations, as the star made his way to the center of the ring, showing off as if he was a peacock.

"That's right, I'll show you all you how a real Shinobi fights! C'mon, old man, bring out whoever is to fight me!" Natsu demanded, with Hiruzen taking it with laugh, as he moved his hand in the box, but Naruto sensed that something seemed off, as his sensory ability spiked up.

"And his opponent shall be… Naruto Namikaze-Uzumaki." Surprise came upon Naruto's face, along with faces of others that knew him and not.

"Naruto, why didn't you tell us you also put your name there? Why, I'm so proud of you, being so daring! But, don't worry, I'm sure that Natsu will be…" Kushina had tried to inspire her son, but Naruto didn't listen to her.

"I didn't put it in." He simply said, with Izuna and Mito looking at him with concern.

"Naruto, what do you mean?" Izuna asked, though she already knew the answer.

"I didn't write my name, nor did I put it in." Naruto replied, before he decided to use his senses and snuff out who was it that did it.

It didn't take him long to find out who it was, since the person who did this wasn't to be surprised, and Naruto quickly determined who it was that had set him up. He sensed three sources of a satisfaction and anticipation, coming from the three persons that were to most likely want to see him in action. Naruto had to grit his teeth in anger and clutch his fist, as he looked up at his father, who was smiling to him, but stopped when he saw his son's knowing and angered look. Minato immediately realized that his son figured out that he was the one who put his name there, but he didn't know that Naruto also realized that he also convinced Third Hokage to purposefully call out Naruto. Nor did Minato know that Naruto already sensed and snuffed out that it was the idea of Tsunade and Jiraiya, who decided to use this exhibition match as testing grounds. This whole thing was a set up for Naruto, who was now put against one person he wished he could beat into the dirt half the time he spoke with him.

"Well, Naruto, don't worry about it so much. Just go out there and give it your all." Minato wished to encourage his son. "I know you may be scared, fighting your own brother, but this is just an exhibition match, not a real battle. All you need to do is show us what you can do and…"

"I know, father." Naruto said, as he narrowed his eyes upon him, making Minato flinch. "And I'll be sure to remember this." The double meaning was lost on Kushina, Narumi and Mito, but Minato understood what his son meant.

"Big brother, do you have to fight?" Mito asked of Naruto, who looked at her.

"Nah, there's no point to it, so I'll just…" Naruto was about to finish his sentence, when he was suddenly pushed right towards the ring with force, with Naruto soon finding himself well past the edge of it.

He turned back and saw grinning Jiraiya giving him a thumbs up, with Naruto giving him a glare that made the man flinch at seeing. Mito and Izuna looked at Naruto with concern, while Kushina and Minato were encouraging their children. Naruto simply let out a sigh, knowing that he wasn't going to give the public what it wanted to see, and they wished to see Natsu wipe the floor with Naruto. Well, he couldn't exactly do the wiping if Naruto were to simply leave the ring after the fight started. He might be called a coward or worse, but in his mind, a meaningless fight was a fight not worth ever fighting, and to fight for the entertainment of these people was to like take a bath in sewer water for Naruto. So, he turned around and looked at the anticipating Natsu who already assumed the fighting stance, while Naruto remained in a relaxed pose, only regaining his footing.

"Now, I shall state the rules to both of you. The duel will continue until one of you hits the ground three times, or is forced out of the ring. No weapons, Jutsu or Genjutsu are allowed, only your Taijutsu." Hiruzen explained the rules. "Combatants, you may begin!" Hiruzen gave the signal, with the public already cheering on for Natsu.

"Come on, Natsu! Put this fool into the ground!"

"Make this idiot eat dirt!"

"Show him who the real deal is and who is just a bastard child!"

"Show us how a Hero skins the Fox Monster!"

"Beat out his teeth, Natsu!"

"You hear that, little brother? All of these people, they all want to see how I beat you, and I can't say no to that." Natsu smirked at Naruto, who looked at him without passion. "I don't know what you did that our parents are suddenly so interested in you, but whatever it was, after today, they'll see you for what you really are: a failure, not worthy of their attention and not worthy of our name Namikaze-Uzumaki. I'll show them that you are just a weak, dumb fool that can't even defend himself."

"Is this the best you could come up with?" Naruto asked of him, letting out a chuckle. "4 out of 10. And that is out of mercy towards your precious pride, brother." That was enough to blow Natsu's fuse, making him dash towards Naruto, ready to pummel him into the ground.

Naruto could sense and even smell the bloodthirst in people, their anticipation and desire to see Natsu victorious and Naruto beaten. He had to live with his desire of people to see him beaten and belittled for years, and despite how magnanimous his soul and heart were, he simply has had enough. For once, just this one time, Naruto decided to do what his brother was doing all this time to these greedy, arrogant and narrow-minded fools- he will show off.

Natsu closed the distance as quickly as he could and threw the punch intended right for Naruto's face, yet all he hit was air. Naruto simply sidestepped to his left without any seeming hurry in his stance or movement, making Natsu look at him with fire in his eyes. Eldest of Namikaze sent his arm to the right, with Naruto jumping away a little distance away, making Natsu more and more frustrated with Naruto's refusal to take a hit or even fight back. This is his moment of triumph, the moment when he shows everyone that he is what they call him, and Naruto was ruining it for him.

"Fight me, or are you a coward?!" Natsu shouted at Naruto, who still was in a relaxed position.

"I am fighting you." Naruto replied.

"You aren't fighting! You are running away, which means you are a coward! Only cowards fight like that!" Natsu stated with fire in his voice.

"Yet I am fighting you." Naruto turned Natsu's words against him, making him flush with anger. "Just as you've said right now yourself."

"Shut up!" Natsu launched himself at Naruto, hoping to beat him.

In the eyes of the public, be they civilians or Shinobi, Natsu moved faster than anyone they saw at his age, and his was throwing punches and kicks stronger than any child his age could muster. But for Naruto… he could see every move Natsu was going to make before he made it, react to each punch or kick, sidestep from each hit and evade any attack that his brother was throwing his way. Years of watching, observing and studying how Natsu and Narumi moved have created in Naruto's mind a clear understanding of their fighting styles and way they used it. It was an aggressive style that his brother used, relying primarily upon overwhelming enemies with brute power and speed, sacrificing stamina and defense.

A standard tactic for most Shinobi that started out, but it was a foolish style to use as Naruto learned from his very first day. Tomoe had beaten in to him the importance of knowing when to strike, and when to move away or block. She drilled into his head the need for analyzing and importance of observation, making Naruto learn on the feet how his enemy fights. Watch, memorize, analyze, adapt, kill- those were five principals of fighting that Tomoe made Naruto learn, and he learned well. His brother didn't have that kind of mindset, as it was clouded by anger, pride, jealousy and more, everything making up a dangerous cocktail for any Shinobi. Naruto also was angry, but he was channeling his anger out of his head and into his muscles and bones, moving faster and evading easier. He was putting his mind and heart to use at the same time, while his brother was working with just his heart.

The public was infuriated at the fact that Naruto wasn't only hit, but was just dodging and moving away from any attack thrown his way and being seemingly untouchable for Natsu. While the general public was crying out for blood, those that cared for Naruto and this fight were all in their own thoughts and concerns. Minato was in a state of shock at hearing what the people were shouting towards his sons, calling out for Natsu to practically kill Naruto, which was nothing short of outrageous. How could people just demand for his son's blood like that, and even claim him to be a bastard and Fox Monster? Minato couldn't comprehend when and how did people start to think that way towards his youngest son. He was already regretting this whole idea of his sensei and Tsunade. Kushina was exactly the same way, only she was being restrained by Minato from going out and trying to kill these people.

Jiraiya didn't care about what the people were calling Naruto out or what they wanted, all he was focused upon was Naruto himself and how acted. Ever since that night a month back, he was incapable of putting the boy out his mind, especially after recalling all the time how he gave Tsunade a black eye. His trained eye for talents instantly recognized something that he should've foreseen ages ago- an untapped well of potential and talent that was Naruto. Granted, he didn't really give a damn about the boy before that, but still, now he saw what he did and how he did it, and Jiraiya found himself wanting to get his hands on that kid, since in him he saw another way to further his reputation and legacy.

While he did consider his greatest achievement training Minato, he never said that he was going to rest on his laurels, and his pride wouldn't allow it to him. He had every intention of training the genius in the making that was Natsu, but he couldn't let someone else get their hands on Naruto either, not after Toad Sage saw what he could do. The matter wasn't about suddenly feeling responsible or starting to feel affections towards the boy, no. It was his pride that demanded that he be the one to shape this kid into another follower of his ways, just as his father was and his eldest brother will be. Minato was Jiraiya's and Natsu was his as well already, so why couldn't he have another boy?

With a little bit of a work on his mind, beating out all the needless stuff, and Jiraiya would have another great disciple to spread his fame and name! That's why he and Tsunade, who also seemed to have the same ideas in mind, decided to convince Minato to go along with this idea. So far, all that Jiraiya was able to learn was that Naruto could keep up with Natsu, which was already something, but there was clearly something else…

Tsunade had an irate look to her, as she saw Naruto so easily move away from another punch of Natsu, finding himself behind him. The kid could easily put him to the ground, yet Naruto didn't and simply let Natsu catch up and try to attack him again, failing once more. Tsunade was starting to fume at seeing it, since the way Naruto moved was irritating and annoying for her, as he seemed to show with his entire posture that he could easily beat Natsu to the ground, yet didn't, playing with him, just like he played with Tsunade. That night… It was the single time when Tsunade was humiliated in such a way, and by a child! She never, ever, hit by some child like that, not even Narumi was able to land a single solid hit on her, yet this brat, who dares to defy fate every time she sees him, was able to do the impossible. Again!

Tsunade wanted to put that kid in his place, make him know that he wasn't invincible or that he had the devil's luck on his side, so she went along with Jiraiya's stupid idea. She wanted to see Naruto hurt, beaten and without any way to recover from his first real loss, to make him feel as a loser. That way, in Tsunade's mind, she would teach him that he wasn't better than her dead lover Dan and brother Nawaki, both of whom she had done her absolute best to save, yet failed! However, this child, who was cursed by the very gods, somehow survives his impending death, after Tsunade had tried out every single technique, more than she did on any one, yet still failed! She was already prepared to concede and did so, but then… He got better, despite Tsunade already giving up on him! If she had given up on him, then what right does he have to do what Dan and Nawaki couldn't? What right does Naruto have to walk away from death when her loved ones didn't? She couldn't allow fate to continue mocking herself like that, and that is why Tsunade was so eager to see Naruto put in his place.

Tomoe watched from the sidelines as her apprentice maneuvered away from Natsu with a trained ease, noting to herself that he has truly come far, further than Natsu and Narumi. She knew that because had trained Naruto to move faster than that and be able to exploit every possible opening he sees in his enemy, and there were plenty. No, this wasn't a fight for Naruto. This was a child's play, a way to get at the people that are calling out for his blood, and she couldn't fault him for that. Natsu and Narumi needed to be put in their place, and who is better to do than Naruto. While she didn't know it, exactly the same thoughts were in Fugaku at that moment.

For more than a few minutes, Naruto has been entertaining the crowd and provoking his brother, and now he felt that he was done with all of this, and so he was now simply waiting for the right moment. And it came, when Natsu decided to make a spinning kick at Naruto, hoping that it would get him, and, much to his shock, he did feel like he hit something! But that was wrong, because he saw in the next moment how Naruto's right arm was made into a block, before moving and grabbing Natsu's angle with both his hands. Without any delay and much to everyone's shock, Naruto twisted Natsu's leg with enough force and speed, to make him do a flip and then land on the ground, face down. Naruto released the foot and sensed the sheer shock from the crowd, seeing how Naruto was the first one to put his opponent on the ground. This was the least expected thing.

"F-first strike on Naruto…" Hiruzen announced with shock present in his voice.

Naruto looked down on his brother, who was spitting out dirt from his mouth and starting to get up, glaring at him. It was at this moment that Naruto decided to do one thing that none would ever forget or that Natsu would ever forgive him. Naruto turned around from Natsu and started to walk away from him. Natsu looked in shock at him, as he was rising on his knees, before calling out to him.

"H-hey, you fool! Where do you think you are going? You think you got a lucky shot and can now walk away victorious?! Don't think you just won!" Natsu shouted out at Naruto.

"I don't think I won. In fact, you win. Congrats." Naruto told him without looking back.

"What?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Natsu was red with rage at this point.

"I'm leaving the ring, so you get to win." Naruto explained to him, closing in on the edge of the ring.

"Hey, don't you dare step outside, Naruto! This isn't over! You can't just leave like that!" Natsu shouted out at him. "You damn fool, you think that you are better than me?! You didn't win! You are a cheater, nobody quits like that!"

"But I do." Was Naruto's reply to his brother and everyone else, with Natsu shaking out of rage and fury.

Natsu just couldn't believe his own eyes, he refused to accept what he was seeing. This moment, this fight, all of it was supposed to be his moment of glory and brilliance, where he gets to be the hero everyone sees him and now… He was just humiliated by his foolish little brother, an insect that wasn't even worthy of their parents' love! All this time he just ran away from him, yet once he puts Natsu down once, then he decides to do this! He is handing Natsu his victory, throwing the match to him, as if he was being merciful to him!

No, he wasn't going to let this piece of filth humiliate him like that! Nobody gets away with belittling the true son of Minato and Kushina Namikaze, especially not the one person that was supposed to have never lived in the first place! Natsu didn't even notice how he was feeding off the Kyuubi's power and how the Tailed Beast was fueling him with anger, driving the kid to do something unforgivable. He will fix it, and as Natsu's hand found a large enough rock, he stood up, and shouted out with all his might at Naruto.

"NARUTO!" The demonic shout was heard throughout the yard, with Naruto, just barely over the ring, turning to see Natsu…

…And it was at that moment when a loud thump, followed by the cracking noise was heard all throughout the Academy grounds. The people were silent at first, none seemed to know what had happened, or what were they supposed to do, but the stillness was swiftly dashed, as everyone heard how something hit the ground. Eyes were directed to the source of that next noise, and that is when the sense of shock and fright had finally started to set it, as just outside the ring, laid Naruto Uzumaki, his eyes closed and unmoving. Mito, his little loving sister, was the first one to dash towards him, her knees scraping the ground as she fell near him, almost crawling to him with all her speed. Once she was there, she began to shake her brother.

"Naruto, Naruto, wake up. Th-this isn't funny…" Mito's hands moved from his shoulder to the head. "N-Naruto…" She raised her small hands, and then she froze in place.

They were red and slippery, covered in blood, more blood than many ever saw in their life. Mito could only stare at her hands, before noticing that her knees felt wet, and she looked down. She saw a streak of blood coming from Naruto's head, and it was then that she finally managed to unfreeze herself.

"NARUTO!" The cry of a little girl pierced the very skies that were starting to darken, as she held her brother's head close, blood pouring from the large gash on his forehead…

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Didn't see that one coming, did you? I was certain that you wouldn't because… I mean this the protagonist we are talking about! But what a way to get you hooked… I know I am cruel.

Anyway, not much to say since, I think that the chapter speaks for itself, and I hope you enjoyed it. Leave review, PM, suggest your thoughts about Naruto's romance options, adventures and so on. Also, don't worry, I'm not killing him off just yet.

Next time: Confrontations in the Hospital; Retribution of Gods; Darkness comes for Naruto…