Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.

Chapter 35: Painful Revelations

Kurotsuchi gave a mighty yawn as she stretched her arms. She was resting on her sofa and bored out of her mind. Team Gai was busy so that meant no training today and Naruto was helping crack some code that Jiraiya left for him apparently. Which left her with nothing to do but sit around in her apartment. At least it appeared that Naruto was feeling better which Kurotsuchi was glad for. Jiraiya had been like a grandfather to him and he had cared for his pupil. Naruto treasured his precious people above all else and having lost such a close paternal figure hit him hard. Anyway, Kurotsuchi vowed to be there for Naruto if he needed her. She might not have been close to Jiraiya herself but she understood Naruto's feelings...Wait...did this mean there would be no more Icha Icha books?!

Kurotsuchi grabbed her face in horror at the realization. There would be no more books! And just after leaving it in a cliffhanger no less! Damn it, now she would never know what happened to Himiko.

Kurotsuchi shook her head to clear those thoughts away. She felt terrible for thinking something as shallow as worrying about a stupid story when this was a serious issue for Naruto. It was no surprise after all, as Naruto was an orphan. Losing the man he looked up to like a father had to be especially painful for a boy that grew up without no one else.

Kurotsuchi frowned in melancholy. She hated knowing how hard Naruto had it growing up and now this issue with Jiraiya just left her feeling terrible for her boyfriend. If only there was something she could do to help him in some way aside from just being an emotional support.

Suddenly, Kurotsuchi widened her eyes and bolted up from the sofa as an idea came to her. There was something she could do, she didn't know why she didn't think about this before. However, she knew that for this particular task she would need help. But she had someone in mind already and with her idea still fresh in her mind she proceeded to leave her apartment. She was doing nothing anyway, she might as well do this now.

-Konoha's Marketplace-

''...And I just dropped dead unto my bed, falling asleep almost immediately and even then I swear I'm still feeling tired'' Said Ino with an annoyed huff as she handed yet another shopping bag to Sai.

''I see'' Said Sai simply as he followed Ino around. She had asked him to come with her shopping and he ended up as the designated pack-mule. Ino had said that boys were supposed to help girls with heavy bags. He didn't complain though, he was just happy to be included in a normal activity between friends, even if Ino never stopped talking about things he didn't know about.

''I mean don't get me wrong, I like working at the shop, I love flowers but making a hundred flower arrangements is a little too much'' Said Ino before she glanced back at Sai. ''But I guess I can understand, those were for a wedding and those ough to be special. Right, Sai-Kun?''

''Yeah'' Said the pale boy with a nod of his head, just going with the flow.

''When I get married I'll probably ask for two- No- Three hundred flower arrangements'' Ino swooned dreamily. ''I would want only the perfect wedding. With a big cake and the prettiest dress. Wouldn't that be wonderful?''

''I guess'' Said Sai.

''You said it, Sai-Kun. Of course it would be'' Chirped Ino.

''Guys!''

Both teenagers turned around at being called so suddenly and to their surprise they found Kurotsuchi approaching them in haste.

''Kurotsuchi-San?'' Said Sai in confusion. It was rare for the Iwa Kunoichi to go looking for him. especially so soon after last time.

''Hey, Kurotuschi!'' Greeted Ino amicably. ''What a surprise to see you here''

''Hey to you too'' Said Kurotsuchi as she stopped in front of them.

''It's been a while since I last saw you, girl. How's everything going? Where's Naruto?'' Asked Ino with a sly smirk.

Kurotsuchi ignored the question, hiding her nervousness at Ino's insinuation. ''I need you to come with me''

Ino eyed the prodigy curiously. ''Sure but-''

''Thanks, I'll explain later'' Said Kurotsuchi as she started walking away rapidly. ''Are you coming or not?''

Ino looked at Sai to know what he thought and he responded with a shrug. Ino gave a sigh and proceeded to follow the Iwa girl with Sai in tow.

After a while, Kurotsuchi led them into a library. Ino raised an eyebrow at the unexpected location but followed Kurotsuchi inside anyways.

The trio passed by several rows of bookcases filled to the brim with notebooks, scrolls, and books until Kurotsuchi sat down at a table at the very far end of the establishment.

''O-kay...This place isn't what I had in mind when you said you wanted us to follow you'' Said Ino as she and Sai sat down across from Kurotsuchi.

''I needed to bring you somewhere where the ANBU following me can't overhear us'' Whispered Kurotsuchi.

Sai tilted his head at the odd comment while Ino voiced her concern. ''Why would it be a problem for the ANBU to hear us?'' Asked the Yamanaka.

Kurotsuchi took a deep breath. This was hard for her, especially since she didn't know Ino very well and didn't get along with Sai. ''I need your help''

''Our help? With what exactly?'' Inquired Ino.

''I need your help in finding info on someone,'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I don't know if they are alive or dead but they should have a record. I need you to go into Konoha's ninja archives''

Ino widened her eyes at the request. ''But those archives are..''

''In the Hokage Tower'' Finished Sai for her.

''Exactly. I'm not allowed to get in. I need someone who can'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''I don't know how much I can help with that'' Said Sai. The Hokage didn't trust Danzo and she would certainly not be comfortable letting a ROOT agent into the archives. He could try sneaking in but that wasn't adviced, if he was caught he could get in serious trouble. He would need a good reason to be let in.

''Well, I could enter but...'' Said Ino. Since she trained with the Hokage for her medical Ninjutsu she went to the tower pretty often. She wasn't a full-fledged apprentice like Sakura was but she had enough clearance to make it in without arousing suspicion. ''But why would you even need to enter the archives? Who are you looking for anyway?''

Kurotsuchi knew that Ino was basically saying politely that this seemed fishy, especially if a foreign ninja was planning on doing it. Kurotsuchi couldn't blame Ino, this was pretty suspicious she knew. That's why she needed to explain. ''You heard about Jiraiya, right?''

Sai nodded.

''Of course, who wouldn't?'' Said Ino. Jiraiya's death was a pretty heavy topic around Konoha.

''As you can imagine, Naruto took it pretty hard'' Said Kurotsuchi with a sorrowful look at remembering Naruto's pain. ''Naruto didn't have anyone growing up, he never knew what a family was, he never even knew them. The old man was like a father to him''

Ino and Sai also looked somberly at the table, trying to imagine what Naruto went through. Ino knew that if her dad or even Asuma-Sensei had died she would not know what to do with her life.

''That's why I want him to at least know a little bit about his family'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I want to help him know who his parents are''

A look of realization hit Ino and Sai. So that's what Kurotsuchi wanted. She just needed to find who Naruto's parents were. It was a noble goal to try and help Naruto know of his lost parentage and they could relate in wanting to help.

''Okay!'' Said Ino cheerily, trying to lift the mood. ''We'll help you help Naruto! Right, Sai-Kun?!'' She just couldn't deny a request from the heart. The way Kurotsuchi talked about this meant that she cared and Ino wasn't going to let this chance of getting the two lovebirds together pass.

The pale boy nodded with determination. ''I also want to ease Naruto's pain even if a little bit''

''Thank you, guys'' Said Kurotsuchi with appreciation. With their help she was sure that she had to find something...

-Hokage Tower-

A young brunette sat at the reception as she went through some documents until she was interrupted by a newcomer.

''Hello there!'' Said Ino as she approached the woman along with Sai.

''Ino-San good to see you!'' Greeted the young woman. ''I haven't seen you around here in a while. Have you been busy?''

''You know how it is. With my training and missions I don't have the time to come here as often anymore'' Said Ino.

''That's to be expected'' Said the woman before she noticed Sai. ''And who is your friend. Is he your boyfriend maybe?''

Sai just tilted his head in confusion.

''Oh, Sai is just a friend'' Ino waved it off. ''For the moment'' added the blonde with a wink to which Sai only stared at her curiously, still just as clueless.

''I see'' Said the woman. ''Anyway, what can I do for you?''

''Shizune-San asked me to retrieve something from the ninja archives'' Said Ino as before she pointed her thumb at Sai. ''And Sai offered to help''

''The ninja archives?'' Repeated the woman. Ino never went there but there was a first time for everything she guessed. Shizune wouldn't have sent here there if it wasn't important. ''Very well. Please just be careful in there, those are delicate documents'' Said the woman as she handed Ino a key.

''We'll be super careful, I promise'' Said Ino as she grabbed the key and then she and Sai proceeded into the room behind the woman.

Once inside, Ino gave a sigh of relief. They were in the clear for now but they had to be quick. The longer they stayed there the bigger the chance of being found out.

Sai glanced curiously at his surroundings. The room was fairly big and had shelves filled to the brim with boxes and folders who they themselves were bursting with papers. One could tell that the place wasn't cleaned very often as it reeked of old paper.

''Okay, so where do we start?'' wondered Ino out loud. ''I don't even know how we are supposed to find anything on Naruto's parents''

''We should just focus on people with Uzumaki as their surname. That's all we have to go on'' Said Sai.

''I know but digging into all these documents is going to take a while and who knows how many Uzumaki are in here'' Said Ino in exasperation.

Sai for his part remained silent but he pulled out a large scroll and set it on the floor.

Ino wondered what Sai was doing when she saw the boy write 'Uzumaki' on the blank scroll with letters as big as the scroll could take.

Then, Sai made a bunch of hand seals and the letters on the scroll turned into countless small ink spiders.

Ino jumped backward at the unexpected Jutsu, feeling slight disgust for at the sight of the arachnids even if they were made of ink. ''What are you doing? What is that Jutsu?'' Asked Ino as the small creatures scattered all throughout the room.

''It's a special Jutsu I have for gathering information when the content or its location is unclear'' Said Sai. ''These spiders will get into every single document in this room and will look for any that contains the code words I created them from, in this case 'Uzumaki' then they will come back and make an exact copy in the scroll I laid out''

''That's brilliant!'' Praised Ino. ''That's a very useful Jutsu you have there, Sai-Kun. You are amazing''

''In ROOT we are trained for these kinds of situations'' Said Sai. Danzo ensured that they were adept at retrieving information in the most efficient way possible.

''I see,'' Said Ino. ''And how long will this take?''

''Not much'' Said Sai

And so, both teenagers waited patiently for Sai's spiders to do their job and luckily for Ino they started coming back in just a few minutes. She observed as Sai laid out several scrolls on the floor for the small creatures to crawl over and when they did they turned into letters, pictures, and all kind of information, effectively making exact copies of whatever document they had found.

Surprisingly, it seemed that there weren't or hadn't been any Uzumakis in the village as Sai's Jutsu only produced a couple dozen or so copies.

''Are they done?'' Asked Ino.

''Yes'' Responded Sai.

''There really weren't that many'' Noted Ino. For registries on every single people with the same last name they sure weren't that numerous.

Sai nodded, agreeing with her. ''Whatever the case we have what we came here for''

''You are right,'' Said Ino. ''Let's just pack all our findings and go back to Kurotsuchi''

Sai nodded obediently before he started to do just that.

-Library-

Kurotsuchi taped her finger impatiently on the table as she glanced around at the numerous books around her. Ino and Sai were taking a long time to gather what she asked of them but she supposed that it was to be expected. There had to be countless archives stored at the Hokage Tower, finding every Uzumaki in recent memory was going to be difficult.

Then it was at that moment when she noticed her two accomplices arriving at the scene carrying several documents each.

''We're back!' chirped Ino.

''That was faster than I thought'' Said Kurotsuchi with mild surprise. ''Are you sure you got them all?''

''As sure as we can be,'' Said Ino. ''Sai-Kun is very efficient at info gathering''

''I'm glad,'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''Thanks for your efforts, you can go now if you wish''

''Don't worry we are glad to help. Let's us give you a hand with these too,'' Said Ino. ''It'll be faster with three people.''

''It would be the best course of action.'' Said Sai with a nod.

Kurotsuchi didn't feel too comfortable asking for more help but things would really go more smoothly with more friends helping. ''Thank you.'' Replied the Iwa Kunoichi with a smirk.

''You are welcome,'' Said Ino before turning to Sai. ''Let's get to it, Sai-Kun.''

And with that, both Ino and Sai put the documents on the table and the three teenagers started handing them out between them.

-Kurotschi's apartment-

''Hey Kuro-Chan, open up!'' Said Naruto as he banged on Kurotsuchi's door. ''Are you there?''

The blond gave a few more knocks with no success. It seemed that she wasn't home. He sighed as he resigned himself. He would have to look for her in some other place.

He made his way to the stairs of the complex as he thought of all the places where his girlfriend could have gone to.

After helping crack the code that the Ero-Sennin left for him they found out that the message was 'The real one is not among them' which didn't make any sense for him, or anyone for that matter and if Shikamaru couldn't solve it he sure as hell didn't have the slightest idea.

That made them conclude that if the message wasn't of any immediate help they would need to make Naruto stronger and fast as according to that old toad he wouldn't stand a chance against Pain as he was now. So, he came to tell Kurotsuchi that he was going to leave for a few days to train with the toads as he was promised that it would make him leaps and bounds stronger.

He wanted to let Kurotsuchi know about all this situation but more importantly, he didn't want to leave for days without telling his most precious person. And he had to hurry as he hadn't been given all that much time on settling his personal matters.

But no matter what happened, he promised he would get stronger. Not only was he going to avenge his late master and all the people that the Akatsuki had wronged but he wasn't going to die, not when he finally found someone that made him happy. He wanted to spend more time with Kurotsuchi and his friends; he still had to become Hokage and see Kurotsuchi become Tsuchikage too.

But first he had to find her.

-Library-

Sai put away yet another document as he started analyzing a new sheet of paper. He worked as diligently as with any other mission he had bee assigned to.

Kurotsuchi was just as focused and professional as the pale boy but her face didn't hide her frustration as well as Sai's. If he could even feel frustration that is.

Meanwhile, Ino looked bored as she tossed aside another registry that they deemed too unlikely to be any of Naruto's parents.

''Man, did Naruto just puffed into existence on the orphanage or something?'' complained Ino. ''I can't find someone that even looks like him''

Kurotsuchi silently agreed. There weren't many Uzumakis in Konoha, nor now or in the past. Most people they had gone over had been too old to be any of Naruto's parents, had died a long time ago, or they had left Konoha soon after arriving. They even found out that the late wife of the Shodaime had been an Uzumaki who had also hosted the Kyuubi in the past, that was the best lead they found but they highly doubted that it had something to do with Naruto.

''Maybe there were more archives hid in other places that we missed?'' Wondered Kurotsuchi as she put aside the document she had been reading.

''Oh, look! This one looks promising!'' Said Ino suddenly with a big grin.

''Really? Let me see'' Said Kurotsuchi as Ino handed her the sheet of paper.

''Kushina Uzumaki...'' Muttered Kurotsuchi as she analyzed the picture of the woman. She had long hair, fair skin, and a somewhat round face. Ino was right, there was something about this one, it was hard to describe but something about her face reminded her of Naruto. It would be easier to tell if the picture had any color as Sai was only able to copy them in black and white. Luckily for them the registry had all that data written already in there like eye and hair color so it wasn't that much of a problem.

''She is pretty,'' Added Ino. ''But she reminds me of Naruto, kinda''

''She does have an air about her'' Sai Sai who had come to look over Ino's shoulder to take a look at the info they found.

Kurotsuchi started to read the rest of the document. ''Kushina Uzumaki. Birthday: July 10th, Died on October 10th sixteen years ago according to this date. She was sent to Konoha from Uzushiogakure to become the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi...'' Kurotsuchi widened her eyes while Ino smiled even more at that. This was a good sign. That was already a good link to Naruto. Still, Kurotsuchi needed to know more. They had to be sure about this, so she kept on reading further along, skipping the minute details. ''She had extremely large Chakra reserves and could make Chains made of Chakra as befitting of some Uzumaki clan members''

''The extreme Chakra capacity sounds like Naruto'' Said Sai.

''And the date of her death...Isn't that Naruto's birthday?'' Added Ino.

Kurotsuchi knew that Ino's observation had a lot of merits. The seals of female Jinchuuriki weakened considerably during childbirth. It made sense that the Kyuubi attacked in that date now, and it made even more sense that Naruto was chosen immediately to be the next Jinchuuriki if he was a newborn who was the child of the previous one, he would already be qualified. It even matched Naruto's age.

''What else does it say?'' Asked Ino eagerly. This had to be Naruto's mom, she had to be. She wanted to know more about her even if out of curiosity.

Kurotsuchi agreed with the Yamanaka and resumed reading. ''there is not much left. She was Jounin-rank, was known to have a volatile temper, and was married to the Yondaime Hoka-'' Kurotsuchi froze at that part as her brain failed process that bit of information. Her hand started to shake as cold sweat rolled off her forehead. This coulnd't be...

''She was married to the Yondaime?!'' Exclaimed Ino in surprise. She had to be an impressive woman to marry the Yondaime. Wait, did that also mean that Naruto was...

Unlike Ino, Sai noticed the sudden shift in Kurotsuchi's demeanor and he eyed her in wonder.

''This has to be a mistake...'' Muttered Kurotsuchi as she felt dread build up inside of her. This couldn't be what she thought it meant. She had to be jumping to conclusions. There was no way destiny could be this cruel to her. She crumbled the sheet of paper with her hold, making Ino finally notice that something was wrong with her.

''Kurotsuchi-San what's wrong?'' Asked Ino. Only for the Iwa girl to throw the document away and bolted from the table.

''Wait, what are you doing?'' Asked Ino as Kurotsuchi went from one shelve of the library to the next, taking a quick look to each book she took and swiftly hauling it to the floor. ''What's gotten into you?!''

Kurotsuchi ignored Ino as she threw another book behind her. She didn't care if she got in trouble; She didn't care for Sai, or Ino or anything at the moment. She only cared to get to the bottom of this. She eased her rampage when she found the book she had been looking for: A book detailing the life of Konoha's previous Hokages. She promptly opened it and went to the last pages, silently praying that this was a misunderstanding. However, her hopes were shattered once she got to the last pages and she came face to face with a colored picture of the Yondaime, Minato Namikaze. Her blood ran cold as she stared agape at the book in her hands. This didn't feel real, this couldn't be real. But she knew deep down that it was, she didn't even need to read any content of the page, the Yondaime's picture alone was proof of her worst fears. She was basically looking at a carbon copy of Naruto. She let the book drop to the floor as her expression shifted from shock, to realization, and to anger.

''Kurotsuchi-San, what happened? Why are you like this?'' Asked Ino as she and Sai approached the hysteric girl.

''What is going on here?!'' Said Yugao as she arrived at the scene. She had been overlooking Kurotsuchi from outside and when she heard the ruckus she came as fast as she could. However, once she saw the picture of the Yondaime on the floor and the look on Kurotsuchi's face she realized with unease what was happening.

but before Yugao could say anything, Kurotsuchi once again ignored them and ran from the library, pushing aside the ANBU on her way out and ignoring the yells of reprimands from the librarian and Yugao.

She ran as tears of sadness and rage rolled down her cheeks. She reminisced all the signs that had been there and that she had been too stupid to notice. It all made sense now; Jinchuuriki were always chosen from people close to a Kage, now she knew why her grandpa had risked so much to capture and kill Naruto, why Naruto felt so much admiration for the fourth, and the way that Deidara had acted when she confronted him. '

'You'll find out soon enough'' Deidara's mocking words echoed through her mind as she shook her head to get rid of them. She didn't want to hear them, she didn't want to hear him making fun of her in her own mind.

She halted only when she ran out of breath, stopping to lean on a lamppost. This had to be a bad dream, a nightmare. She wished this could be a bad joke, but no, the reality was clear: Naruto was the Yondaime's son.

Finally admitting it to herself made it even worse. She felt a knot form in her stomach. Naruto was the son of the man that had been responsible for the defeat of her village; The same man that was still to this day the most hated Shinobi in Iwagakure; and the very same piece of trash who killed her mother. And she had fallen in love with that man's own flesh and blood. She brought a hand to her mouth in disgust as that thought settled in. Naruto was the Yondaime's son and she had lived with him, laughed with him, kissed him and cherished him. Now she really felt like she may throw up and she did her best to avoid it while her rage boiled inside of her.

Yugao dropped down across the street from where Kurotsuchi was. She finally caught up with the girl. She eyed warily the Iwa Kunoichi, she could guess the turmoil of emotions she had to be feeling right now and that made her unpredictable. But still, the girl was a friend too, sort of. And she wanted to help her calm down, for all their sakes. ''Kurotsuchi'' Said Yugao as she slowly approached the girl.

Kurotsuchi didn't react to her call, so she tried again. ''Kurotsuchi, listen to me''

''You knew, didn't you?'' Muttered Kurotsuchi, so low that Yugao barely heard her.

The ANBU stopped, feeling the tension in the air rise.

''You knew didn't you!?'' Repeated Kurotsuchi with more heat as she turned to look at Yugao with eyes full of betrayal.

Yugao looked at the girl serenely before responding. ''I had a suspicion'' It was true. There were rumors in the ANBU about it, rumors that came from members that were old enough to remember the Yondaime and his wife along with the Kyuubi attack.

''A suspicion?!'' Repeated the irate girl. ''Like I would believe that bullshit!'' And to think she had trusted Yugao, and Naruto, and all her so-called friends. She should have known better than to trust Konoha Shinobi.

''You have to calm yourself,'' Said Yugao. ''You aren't thinking clearly right now. Go home and rest and sort your-''

''There you are, Kurotsuchi!''

Both girls froze at the voice of the newest arrival, but for different reasons.

''I've been looking all over the place for you!'' Said Naruto with a bright smile as he approached the girls. He was starting to wonder if he was going to have to go on his training trip without telling her personally, good thing that didn't happen.

''Naruto, You have the worst timing!'' Thought Yugao in alarm.

''Naruto...'' Kurotsuchi's tone of voice stopped Naruto dead in his tracks as his grin vanished.

''Kurotsuchi, is everything all right?'' Inquired the blond before he widened his eyes when a huge wave of oppressive killing intent washed over him.

Kurotsuchi turned to look at him with her eyes reflecting deep hurt, betrayal, and even hate. A look that left Naruto in shock. It had been a long time since he had seen Kurotsuchi give him such a harsh look.

''Naruto...'' Spat Kurotsuchi with disdain, even now seeing the Yondaime's face in Naruto's own. ''You..You piece of shit!'' then she rushed at him as she summoned her sword from a scroll, but before she could reach her target she found herself unable to continue as Yugao and her squad of ANBU appeared to restain her, with their blades at the ready to strike her in several vital organs.

''I'm going to kill you!'' Yelled Kuortsuchi at the still confused Naruto.

''Don't make me do this, girl'' Yugao warned Kurotsuchi from trying anything more if she didn't want to be put down.

Naruto stood motionless as he stared in shock and confusion at the girl he loved seething with rage as she glared at him from her restrained position. What was happening here?!

''Why are you doing this?!'' Said Naruto finally. Not able to think of anything to say aside from that at the moment.

''Why am I doing this?! Because I should have done this since the day I met you!'' Shouted Kurotsuchi, struggling against the ANBU's restrains.

''I don't get it! I don't even know what is happening here!'' Responded Naruto in desperation.

''You really are a moron!'' Said Kurotsuchi, feeling as much of a moron as him for failing no to notice until today. ''You are the Yondaime's son!''

Naruto couldn't find his breath at the revelation. His dad was the Yondaime?...''No, that...'' Muttered Naruto in disbelief.

''That's right, I did some research into it!'' Responded Kurotsuchi. ''And turns out your dear daddy is the worst piece of human trash in history!''

''I...I didn't know that!'' Said Naruto.

''I don't give a shit!'' Said the girl. ''Your bastard of a dad killed my mom!''

''I won't say this again,'' Said Yugao as she held her own blade closer to Kurotsuchi's throat. ''Drop your weapon and stop struggling''

Kurotsuchi still shot glares at Naruto for a moment, but in the end she decided that she wasn't going to die a useless death, not for that man's son. So she dropped her sword and relaxed her body, letting her killing intent subside.

Yugao sighed, glad that the stupid girl didn't force her to kill her. ''Escort her to her apartment and make sure she stays there for the day. Tsunade-Sama will decide what to do with her later'' She ordered her ANBU, who then proceeded to restrain the girl's arms before taking her away but not before she shot Naruto one last cold glare.

With that taken care of, Yugao turned to look at Naruto as her features softened. she felt genuinely sorry for the boy. He knew how much he cared for the girl and to see her threatening him like that and to drop a bombshell of his heritage on top of it had to be hard.

Naruto for his part, was focused on the blade in his hands as he looked at it in sorrow. He had picked the sword after Kurotsuchi had been taken away and he stared at it as looking for an answer to this predicament. How could everything turn out this way so quickly? And after how well things were going with Kurotsuchi. He didn't even have much time to ponder on who his dad was, he was much more concerned about the way his most precious person had talked to him; the way she looked at him. It hurt him more than any wound she could have inflicted on him.

''I'm sorry about what happened, Naruto,'' Said Yugao with pity. ''Why don't you go to clear your mind? I think you both need it''

Naruto just nodded silently before he went away, sword in hand. But unbeknownst to Yugao he had other ideas in mind.

The purple-haired woman stared at the retreating form of Naruto with sadness. She felt bad for the boy but if she was honest things were better off this way. At least now they wouldn't continue their taboo relationship even if it had come with great hurt for both of them. Yes, things were better this way. But she couldn't help but feel as if they weren't.

-Kurotsuchi's apartment-

''And stay there'' Said the ANBU as he pushed Kurotsuchi inside her apartment. ''Don't make further trouble. We have our eye on you''

And with that, the ANBU exited the apartment.

As soon as she was left alone she unleashed her restrained anger and kicked the coffee table, sending it flying. She gave a yell of frustration as she continued to thrash her apartment, or should she say Naruto's apartment. He paid for it so it was his. She had been a stupid and naive little girl to think of this place as home, this wasn't her home it was a prison and everyone here was her enemy. She cursed herself again and again as she took her frustration out on the furniture around her until she tired herself out.

Once she was done she made her way to her bathroom and leaned on the sink, looking at herself in the mirror. She could curse Konoha, the Yondaime, and Naruto all she wished but the one she cursed the most was herself. She had been so stupid, a complete and utter moron for ever feeling comfortable here; for letting herself feel like she had with Naruto. She had fallen in love with the son of her village's worst enemy. What would her father say? or her grandfather? What if her mother could see her now? She saw her reflection in her mirror and she could only think that she was looking at a traitor. A dirty traitor who had let herself be won over by the Yondaime's son. She threw a punch at the mirror, shattering it. She couldn't stand to see her own face right now. She felt dirty. She didn't even care for the pain in her hand or the blood dripping from her wound as it was nothing compared to the pain inside of her.

''Kurotsuchi''

She turned to the source of the voice that had come from inside her apartment and she frowned in anger when she recognized it. She exited the bathroom to find Naruto entering through the kitchen window.

Naruto seemed to take a moment to see the mess she had made of her apartment but it didn't take long for him to divert his sad eyes to her.

''What are you doing here?'' Asked the girl with venom dripping from her voice.

''I had to talk to you,'' Said Naruto. It had taken him a lot of effort to make a distraction for the ANBU patrolling this side of the building but it was necessary, he needed to have this conversation. ''And I had to return this to you'' Added the boy as he tossed her her mother's sword which she promptly caught by the handle.

Kurotsuchi examined the blade before returning her attention to him. ''The ANBU can't protect you here, you know that'' Said the girl as she pointed her sword at him. He had to be the biggest fool there was for coming here without anyone looking out for him and returning her her weapon on top of it. But again, this was Naruto she was talking about.

''I needed to talk to you,'' Said Naruto softly. ''I want to clear things out. You have to understand-''

''Shut up,'' Interrupted Kurotsuchi. ''Just shut up. I don't care what you want. In fact, what I want is for you to die in a hole. Nothing that you can say will make me change my mind''

Naruto looked hurt at her words but he steeled himself to face her. ''You can't mean that''

''I do,'' Insisted the girl with malice. ''Nothing would make me happier right now than have you out of my life for good''

Naruto stared at the floor in sorrow. It seemed that this was in vain, she didn't really seem to want to forgive him.

Kurotsuchi waited for him to respond, her sword still pointed at him. Then she heard him talk again.

''If I died, would that really make you happy?'' Said Naruto.

''Of course it would. Nothing would give me more pleasure than doing it myself'' Spat the girl.

''I see..'' Said Naruto as he started walking towards her.

''Don't get close, idiot! I said stop!'' Kurotsuchi threatened him but he continued to approach her. ''I'll really kill you!''

''Then do it'' Said Naruto as he grabbed her sword by the blade and pointed the tip directly at his heart much to Kurotsuchi's surprise. ''If that is what you really want''

Kurotsuchi bared her teeth at his bold action. ''Do you really want to die?''

''If that's what will make you happy,'' Responded Naruto as he looked at her with resolution. ''I can see that I have hurt you deeply and I can think of no other way to make up for it.''

''Shut up'' Said Kurotsuchi. She didn't want to hear him say he wanted her to be happy. He didn't have the right, not after all of this.

''All I want is for you to be happy and I'll give my life for that if I have to,'' Said Naruto. ''Because I lo-''

''Don't say it. Don't you fucking say it!'' Said Kurotsuchi as she closed her eyes, tears threatening to fall. Why was this so hard? She just had to give little push to her sword and this was all over, she would get rid of him once and for all.

Her hand trembled as Naruto waited patiently for her decision. She tried to force herself to do it, she told herself she wanted to do it that she had to. But something in her kept her hand from moving and in the end she pulled her blade away and dropped it on the floor.

Naruto looked softly at her, glad to see her calm down. But he was then knocked to the floor by a right hook from her. He brought a hand to his cheek in shock.

''I'm not going to get myself killed for just to kill your worthless ass,'' Said Kurotsuchi with a glare. ''You are not worth it. You want to make me happy? then leave. I don't want to see you ever again''

Naruto stood up, still holding his cheek as he stared at her with pained eyes. ''I understand'' Said the blond before turning around and exiting the room from the same way he had come from.

Once outside, Naruto could see the ANBU nearby get visibly shaken once he saw him exit the place, no doubt worrying if he was okay and berating himself for letting him slip by and not realizing he had gone in. However, Naruto didn't care for any of that. His mind was more preoccupied with the loss of his best friend.

He dropped down unto the floor and he clenched his fist in impotence. It wasn't fair. Why did he always have to pay for his dad's mistakes? He was stuck with the fox inside of him due to his dad which ruined his life and he killed the mother of the girl he loved, costing him his relationship. If only Ero-Sennin was here he would know what to say to him. This really was the worst possible way to learn that his dad was the Yondaime. And to think that he would have been ecstatic to know that just a few months earlier.

''There you are, Naruto''

Naruto turned to see Kakashi approaching him.

''Kakashi-Sensei? Why are you here?'' Asked Naruto lacking his usual joyful attitude.

''Fukasaku-Sama sent me to find you'' Explained Kakashi. ''And I heard from Yugao what happened with Kurotsuchi''

''I see'' Said Naruto as he glanced at the floor.

By Naruto's reaction, Kakashi could tell that things didn't go as planned. But considering that he was still alive things could have gone worse, which was why he came to find him immediately as he could guess that Naruto would try to sneak his way in to speak to Kurotsuchi.

''I know that things don't look good right now but give her time'' Said Kakashi. ''I'm sure she'll come around eventually. Meanwhile, you have to worry about the present. If you don't get stronger to beat Pain you won't have a future. You understand?''

Naruto nodded sternly. Kakashi-Sensei was right, he had to focus on his training right now as hard as it was. He would try to talk to Kurotsuchi again once he came back. Letting her have some time to herself would be good so she made up her mind on where their relationship stood.

Kakashi was glad that Naruto understood. It was a sign that he was maturing, even if a little bit. He guessed that Kurotsuchi also had a hand in that. ''Come then. Fukasaku-Sama is waiting''

Naruto nodded and with a heavy heart, he followed Kakashi towards the Hokage Tower.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi stared in frustration at the place Naruto had been standing moments before. She went over to her tattered sofa and sat down, bringing her palms to her face and bawled her eyes out.

She knew she had to hate him, but she just couldn't. Her heart wouldn't let her. She damned Naruto for making her fall for him and she damned herself for letting herself fall for him. But above all, she hated her circumstances. If only the Yellow Flash wasn't Naruto's dad, if only she wasn't from Iwa. Why did this have to happen to her? She really must have to be the world's shittiest person to deserve this kind of karma.

And so she cried herself to sleep that night, on the same sofa that she had been resting so carefree earlier that morning.

Author's notes:

I did say this chapter was going to be fun, kinda. Fun for me that is not much for you guys. Sorry about that.

And the only reason this was fun for me is that I had planned this chapter since even before I started writing this fic. Sure I tweaked some things here and there from my original vision but it's still the same mostly.

Anyway, I hope I didn't take too long in updating this time and I hope I don't take long to update again.

And please feel free to tell me what you thought of this chapter, no matter if you loved it, hated it, or whatnot. Since this was such a crucial chapter for me I really would love the extra feedback. That is if you guys want, of course. Just knowing that you even bother to read my work is enough for me.

See you guys next time!