Faith Affirmed

Naruto was sitting at the table, polishing his sword. He breathed in deeply enjoying the silence that the chakra suppressing seals around the apartment that were able to give him a moments peace from the headache inducing amount of chakra surrounding the apartment. He had managed to wheedle Sensei into going to pick up ramen for him, he was still young enough to be able to pull the old puppy-dog eye's trick. He would have gone himself, but he didn't want to risk running into Hinata there, plus Teuchi and Ayame were starting to ask questions. Questions Naruto was trying, and mostly failing, to not think about.

Sighing Naruto reached for a new bottle of polish when he heard the click of the front door lock. 'Oh good, Sensei's back with ramen,' Naruto thought to himself as he imagined the mouth-watering noodles he would soon be eating when the opened door broke the seals and he sensed who was coming in. Terror gripped his heart and he looked about frantically for a way to avoid answering the questions he had so feared.


With a turn of the key and a click of the tumblers Hinata unlocked Naruto's apartment door. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She could see light coming from down the hallway and followed it into the kitchen, looking every which way for Naruto. She saw his sword lying on the table with an oiled cloth and various cleaning supplies surrounding it. The sword looked only half-way done, he must have just barely left. She felt a breeze wash over her skin and looked up to find the source. The kitchen window was open and the light wind was ruffling the curtains. Looking at the open portal Hinata realized that Naruto had managed to get away once again.

She set down the ramen on the table as she fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. Naruto was her best friend; she was always so happy when the two spent their time together, be it freely or as part of training. And now he was avoiding not only her but Shino as well. Though the Aburame didn't show it, Hinata knew it was weighing heavily on him too. Their team seemed to be breaking up, and Hinata felt like she was powerless to do anything to stop it. But the knowledge that really hurt her was that she knew Naruto was probably suffering the most. She had seen his face when he realized what he had done in the forest, whatever it was he had done. He had looked terrified when he tried to explain himself.

Seven days now and Naruto was still alone. Seven days of Hinata not being strong enough to help him. No more! The Hyῡga doctor still hadn't cleared Hinata on Byakugan use, the healing was taking much longer than it should've, but Hinata didn't care anymore. She would find her teammate and talk to him. The veins around her eyes bulged and Hinata's vision expanded. Her eyes twitched from the soreness but Hinata pressed on undeterred. Her gaze swept across the village looking for the mini-sun that was Naruto's chakra. She would not stop until she found him. She would scour every inch of the village if she had to. She would chase him until even he ran out of energy, she would-Hinata closed her eyes deactivating her Byakugan, taking a moment to rest her eyes. When she opened them she turned on her heels and walked over to the refrigerator.

Reaching up Hinata opened the cupboard above the fridge revealing a contorted Naruto wedged into the tiny space looking at Hinata like a startled deer. "H-hey Hinata…uh…th-this isn't as comfortable as it looks, heh, heh…heh," Naruto trailed off as Hinata just stared at him trying to formulate her thoughts. When no clear answer came to her she decided to stare him down and let Naruto start to see what he said. Normally Hinata couldn't look people in the eyes for any prolonged length of time, and even when she did she always got flustered. Something Naruto usually enjoyed doing to Hinata. But now Hinata just looked at him with steel in her eyes, unwavering, implacable. Naruto wanted her to say something, anything, but she just stared up at him. Naruto was about to crack form the pressure when he caught the scent of heavenly ramen. Looking past Hinata, Naruto saw an Ichiraku to-go bag on the table.

"Did Sensei force you to do his errands, he's always like that, sorry about him," Naruto said as he started wiggling trying to get out of the cupboard. "U-um…c-can I get some help please, I'm stuck." Hinata still not saying anything reached out and took Naruto's hand and pulled. Naruto fell gracelessly to the ground in a grunt of pain, but quickly hopped to his feet and went over to the ramen. At least now he was spared the staring contest with Hinata. When it became obvious that Naruto was going to try and ignore what happened Hinata decided to act.

"You always keep your promises, right?" Hinata asked, speaking for the first time. Naruto gulped, trepidation filling him, and he didn't know why.

"O-of course, Sensei and I always keep our word." Naruto continued fiddling with the plastic bag in front of him.

"Y-you promised it wasn't what I th-thought. That you w-would explain what h-happened."

Naruto was glad he was facing away from Hinata as his face had gone pale, and his throat felt dry. He had forgotten that promise. No that wasn't right Naruto thought to himself, he didn't forget it, he was just too scared to fulfill it. "I-it was a secret Uzumaki tech-"

"No it wasn't." Hinata cut in, not wanting to hear the story Kurenai spun to hide what happened.

"No…It wasn't," Naruto said defeated as he seemed to sag. He sat down in one of the chairs and Hinata sat in the one next to him.

"Wh-what was it? Please t-tell me, I'm y-your teammate…and your f-friend." Naruto hesitated so Hinata did something she didn't know she had in her, she reached across the table and took Naruto's hand in her own. "I'll listen, p-please?" Naruto looked down for a moment debating whether to confess or not, but when he looked up at Hinata and saw pure concern in her expression Naruto buckled.

"W-what happened? The "technique" you saw last week wasn't mine…exactly…and it wasn't really a technique, either."

"Th-then what was it?"

"Chakra, just chakra, that's all it was," Naruto said keeping his eyes down, unable to look Hinata in the eyes anymore.

"H-how could your ch-chakra do that?"

"Like I said it wasn't mine."

"But th-that doesn't m-make sense. If it w-wasn't yours…then whose w-was it?" Hinata could see Naruto becoming more and more uncomfortable as the conversation continued. Despite Naruto's obvious discomfort Hinata wasn't going to back down now. Naruto's hand was slick with sweat but Hinata held fast, he needed her support now as she could tell he feared her reaction to what he was about to say.

"It was…it…the chakra belonged to…the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the Kyuubi…the chakra was the Kyuubi's." Naruto finally said. Hinata blinked as she tried to piece everything together.

"The Kyuubi? Y-you mean the one th-that attacked K-Konoha? B-but how could you h-have its chakra?" Hinata finally asked the facts not meshing together in her head.

"The Kyuubi is a Biju, and a Biju can't die. Even if you kill them they just come back to life a few years later. The only way to stop them is to seal them away in living things, usually in newborn babies. I…was that newborn. The fourth Hokage couldn't beat the Kyuubi and had to seal it away. Being the only newborn on hand he sealed it into me. I'm…" Naruto choked up as tears fell from his downcast eyes. "…I'm a monster." Hinata was stunned as the enormity of what she just heard hit her. The history taught at the academy was wrong, the Fourth Hokage hadn't defeated the Kyuubi, but had sealed it into Naruto. The information went against everything she had been taught, but why would Naruto lie about something like this? Granted it sounded more farfetched then it simply being an Uzumaki technique, but something about what Naruto told her just…fit. As though pieces she wasn't consciously trying to piece together suddenly snapped in place. And now Naruto was finally confessing this secret to her, a secret that has obviously weighed heavily on his shoulders.

"You're not a monster!" Hinata said giving Naruto's hand what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze, but he pulled his hand back when she did.

"But I am!" Naruto shouted covering his head with his arms. "I hurt you," the frightened Jinchuuriki whispered. "I didn't have control." Hinata looked at her hand, the burn had long since been healed thanks to the ministrations of the Hyῡga doctors. In fact, Hinata never really though too much about it. "I don't want to hurt you or Shino or Kurenai or Sensei…What if I lose control again?" Naruto looked up his tear stained gaze pleading. Hinata's breath caught in her throat as she saw the fear and desperation in his eyes. She tried to form words, a coherent thought, anything; but all her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she tried to make sense of all the secrets and truths being revealed to her. But what was someone like her supposed to do when the situation had someone like Naruto, the person she looked to for courage and optimism, was reduced to such a wreck.

Seeing no answer in Hinata's wide fear filled eyes Naruto slumped back down, resigned to his fate. "What do I do? I don't want to be a monster. I don-" He was interrupted by Hinata wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight.

"You aren't a m-monster," Hinata nearly sobbed, she couldn't stand to see her friend like this anymore. She was afraid she would break if she saw Naruto fall any further into hopelessness. "You're Naruto! M-my friend and my t-teammate. You wouldn't h-hurt us no m-matter what."

"B-but your hand I-"

"That wasn't you!" Hinata shouted shocking Naruto into silence. "That wasn't you," She said again more softly. "You w-wouldn't hurt us." Hinata cooed using what she hoped was a soothing voice.

"What if I lose control again? I could hurt more than just your hand next time."

"You w-weren't the one that hurt m-me. It was the K-Kyuubi and we can w-work together and f-fight it together. W-we're teammates, you don't h-have to fight alone. We're here f-for you…I'm here for you."

"Y-you mean that?"

"Yes."

"You don't think I'm a monster?" Naruto asked as his arms wrapped themselves around Hinata.

"No."

His arms started squeezing, "A-and if I lose control again?" Hinata felt her sweater getting wet where Naruto's face was pressed into it.

"Th-then we fight it. Together." Naruto trembled in her arms. Neither said anything for a minute or two, letting the quiet comfort wash over them. The silence was only broken when Naruto's stomach made known the fact that he hadn't had dinner yet. Hinata tried to fight the laughter that threatened to bubble up out of her chest. It was a valiant fight, but a pointless one, since at that moment Naruto started laughing. She didn't even know why it was so funny but she couldn't help but laugh along. Then Hinata's stomach rumbled even louder than Naruto's had. With the knot of worry that had settled into her belly over the past week finally dissolving she realized how hungry she was. This brought on a new round of laughter from the two until Naruto pulled away from Hinata and wiped away a tear from his eye.

"You want to eat some ramen with me?" Naruto asked giving Hinata a beaming smile. Hinata's face turned red and she felt light-headed when Naruto smiled up at her, and somehow she knew it had nothing to do with her hunger. Unable to say anything for fear of losing control of her emotions to the overwhelming sense of relief she felt, she smiled and nodded. "Mmh!"


Ziren entered the apartment and flipped the light switch next to the door. His hand went to the medallion twin around his neck as he thought back to what he sensed from Naruto through it. Ups and downs a plenty, it was exhausting just trying to follow all the nuanced feelings he could sense. Ziren sighed, he had tried everything he could to help Naruto through this, but there was only so much a parent could do. Entering the living room Ziren finally found the two genin he was looking for. They were passed out on the couch, Hinata's head resting on Naruto's shoulder with Naruto's head resting on Hinata's. Looking down Ziren saw the remnants of their dinner. Seems Naruto and Hinata had eaten in the living room on the couch, something Ziren told Naruto numerous times he wasn't allowed to do.

But seeing the peaceful looks on both of the kids' faces Ziren figured he could let it go this time. Picking up their trash Ziren cleared the table and took the dirty dishes into the kitchen to be washed when he noticed the unpolished sword taking up the table. Clicking his tongue in annoyance Ziren figured he'd finish that too. That's when he got an idea. Walking into Naruto's bedroom he came out holding Naruto's camera. Taking a couple of pictures of Naruto and Hinata Ziren couldn't wait to tease Naruto with them. After gaining the incriminating evidence Ziren went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

He was only about halfway done when a knock sounded at the front door. Focusing his senses, he penetrated the silencing seals around the apartment. The chakra signature felt slightly familiar, but Ziren was sure he never encountered it before. Moving to the door he peered out through the peep-hole. He found a Hyῡga, judging by the eyes, waiting in front of the door with the ramrod straight posture one would expect of the clan. Though that did explain why his chakra felt almost familiar, familial relations and all that.

"Can I help you?" Ziren asked as he opened the door.

"Pardon the interruption Mr. Adair, my name is Kō and I am…or was…Lady Hinata's bodyguard. Ever since she graduated from the academy and my duties ended we meet up regularly to catch up. However, she did not show up or inform me that she would be absent which is unlike her. I got worried, especially with curfew approaching and was wondering if you knew her whereabouts. I was made to understand you raised one of her teammates."

Raising an eyebrow at the Hyῡga Ziren opened the door wider. "Yea there was something I couldn't do and asked her for help. Didn't know she had other plans, sorry," Ziren said letting Kō in.

"No need to apologize Lady Hinata has always been willing to help others. Where is she?"

"This way," Ziren said leading him into the living area. Kō followed only to be brought up short by what he saw. Lady Hinata, heiress of the largest most important clan in Konoha was…snuggling with a boy. Judging by his orange clothing and bright yellow hair Kō realized that said boy was Naruto, the teammate Hinata never stopped talking about.

"She looks…comfortable," Kō finally said. Throughout the entire time Kō had known Lady Hinata he had never seen her form a close relationship with anybody, especially children her own age.

"I'm guessing you Hyῡga don't normally get so chummy with your teammates," Ziren said walking over to the bookshelf.

"It's not just that. Lady Hinata has always been very shy and has had a hard time making friends. I am just glad that she now has someone she can trust."

"I hear ya, Naruto never shuts up about her." Ziren lifted the large book he removed from the shelf and with a smirk slammed it down on the table.

"Gyaaurgh!" Naruto shouted leaping to his feet at the sound causing Hinata to squeak as she was sent flying from his shoulder. The two genin, in their sleep addled minds, tried to take battle stances as Hinata raised her hands and Naruto reached for a sword that wasn't there. They managed to wake up some when they heard Ziren unsuccessfully stifle a laugh.

"That never gets old," Ziren laughed as Naruto glared at him.

"Sensei you know I hate it when you do that. Who're you?" Naruto asked when he saw that Ziren wasn't alone.

After rubbing the sleep from her eyes Hinata looked to the newcomer. "K-Kō? Oh no I f-forgot about t-today, I-I'm so sorry," Hinata said bowing in apology.

"There is no need to bow or apologize Lady Hinata. I was led to understand that Mr. Adair here needed your help with something," Kō said, although he was confused when Hinata started blushing.

"Wait Kō, you mean that guy who watched over you?" Naruto asked turning to the blushing girl.

"Y-yeah him. Wh-what do y-you need Kō?"

"Curfew is approaching Lady Hinata and I do not wish to see you get in trouble." Hinata looked at the clock and almost jumped when she saw how late it had gotten. "Th-thanks for you c-concern we sh-should go then. S-see you tomorrow N-Naruto?"

"Heck yeah, see you tomorrow Hinata!" Hinata smiled and let Kō lead her out of the apartment and back to the Hyῡga compound. Ziren watched them go before he turned back to Naruto.

"Seemed you had a good night," Ziren said causing Naruto to blush and rub the back of his head. "

It was…auuuuhh," Naruto yawned.

"Go to bed Naruto, you've had a long day," Ziren ordered. Yawning Naruto offered no challenge and left towards his bedroom. Once he was gone Ziren removed the camera he had been hiding behind his back and smiled as he thought about how he could tease Naruto with its contents.


"Do I really need to tell Shino?" Naruto asked nervously as he and Hinata walked to the team meeting place.

"H-he deserves to kn-know too."

"You and Kurenai-sensei knows, isn't that enough?"

"No it isn't. Shino is o-our teammate and y-you need to t-tell him."

"Okay, I'll tell him after we're done today."

"D-don't worry I'll b-be with you," Hinata said as the pair entered the clearing. Shino was already waiting, and when he saw the pair talking amenably raised a single questioning eyebrow. Of course neither Hinata nor Naruto saw it due to his sunglasses.

"Good morning," Shino said in place of the question he wanted to ask.

"Morning Shino," Naruto said brightly. Okay now Shino was going to ask what happened between the two but was interrupted by Kurenai's arrival. She looked over at Naruto and Hinata behaving as they did before their mission and looked to Shino for an answer, but the Aburame could only shrug.

"Okay team let's get started."


"H-hey Shino can we talk?" Naruto asked once the team was done with its missions for the day.

"Yes."

"Not here okay, somewhere more private, follow me," Naruto said as he and Hinata led Shino back to their team meeting place. Once there Naruto turned back towards Shino. "Well you see…that is to say…what I mean…um…" Naruto tried to start talking but was too nervous and was wringing his hands. Hinata grabbed his hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. Taking a deep breath Naruto told Shino everything. About the Kyuubi, about it being sealed in him, and having to deal with it all his life.

Shino remained quiet the entire time Naruto spoke never questioning or interrupting. Once finished Naruto and Hinata looked at Shino expectantly. The Aburame stood there quietly, looking down at the ground. "Uhh…Shino?" Hinata began.

"I apologize but you have provided me a great deal of information and I need time to process everything. I will speak with the two of you tomorrow after I have thought about what you have told me today. Good day," Shino said suddenly turning on his heel and leaving the clearing.

Shino's mind was racing with all the new information about his teammate. A Jinchῡriki, the Kyuubi, it was all so fantastical. Shino was half-convinced that this was just one of Naruto's over-elaborate pranks, but there were a few things here and there that supported his story. His father's reticence concerning Naruto's history, his Kikaichῡ's reaction to what Naruto called the Kyuubi's chakra, and there was no way Naruto would hurt Hinata like that for a prank. He needed to speak to his father and hear what he had to say on the subject.

So engrossed in his thoughts that he only noticed he had entered the Aburame compound when a group of children yelled at him for almost stepping on their wrestling Hercules beetles. Apologizing profusely Shino made his way to his house. "Welcome Home Shino," His mother said hanging slips of paper with small brown things on them up on the multiple planters on the porch. "The chrysalides are ready to be hung up. Ooh I can't wait for the butterflies to emerge; I think we've got a good kaleidoscope in the making here. Come help me hang the rest," Rebecca turned towards her son and her smile dropped. She had noticed that Shino had been having trouble lately and was hoping hanging up the chrysalides would cheer him up. Being his mother she was skilled at interpreting his minuscule facial expressions and knew he had something big on his mind.

"Perhaps later mother. Where is father, I must speak to him?"

"He should be up in his study."

"Thank you mother," Shino said walking into the house and up the stairs. He knocked on the door and entered before his father could say anything. "You knew about Naruto the entire time, didn't you?" Shibi looked up from his work at the interruption. For Shino to ignore etiquette like that, something must have happened.

"I am afraid you will need to be more spec-"

"You know exactly what it is that I speak of." Shibi took a moment to analyze his son, wondering where to lead the conversation.

"Yes I do. How do you know?"

"Naruto informed me."

"Then the law has been fulfilled."

"Law, what law?"

"After Lord Hiruzen was reinstated as Hokage after the Fourth gave his life sealing the Kyuubi he passed a law saying that no one, save himself and Naruto may talk about what he carried."

"To what end was such a law passed?"

"The Lord Third created it in the hopes that Naruto would be able to live a life free from the hatred the villagers felt towards the Kyuubi. Lord Hiruzen underestimated their animosity unfortunately."

"So this law is the reason you did not tell me about the danger Naruto posed?"

Shibi remained quiet for a moment, considering. "The law forbade me from telling you the burden Naruto carries, but I would not have told you even if I were free to."

"Why would you not inform me of such danger!?"

"Tell me son. Have you told your team the story of Shinje Aburame?"

"I fail to see how Shinje's allegory has anything to do with this current situation."

"Story not allegory, allegory implies the events are fiction. And I fail to see how the story does not apply to your current situation…Tell me the story."

"You know the story father."

"I do, but I now question whether or not you do as well. You may give me the footnotes version if you so wish."

Giving a huff of annoyance Shino launched into the story all Aburame shinobi were told. "Shinje Aburame was a prodigy, a true genius in the use of Kikaichῡ. However, he was arrogant and did not believe he had to do the same training and exercises as the other Aburame his age. While out on a mission, due to his hubris and lack of training, he lost control of his swarm, who then killed his enemies…and his teammates. While there are shared themes the scale of the threat is entirely different."

"You are right that the scale of destruction unleashed by losing control are different, but the underlying principle is the same. Both Naruto and the Aburame harness a powerful force to better serve Konoha. And I did not tell you about Naruto for the same reason you have not told him about what happened to Shinje, because you did not wish your teammates to treat you different. Can you really tell me you would have treated Naruto the same had you known what he held, or that Naruto would treat you the same if he knew the danger?"

Shino opened his mouth but found that he couldn't answer the question. Had he known Naruto was a Jinchuuriki, would he have treated him differently. Yes, yes he would, of that Shino was sure. But if they knew Shinje's story would they have treated him differently. Somehow Shino knew that Naruto would have laughed it off and not treat him with any fear, confidant in his comrade's control. Yet Naruto had lost control, there was danger there. Then Shino considered what would have happened had Naruto not used the Kyuubi's power. Shinkō was winning their fight, and it seemed that Kurenai was unable to use genjustsu against the zealot. Naruto had lost control, but in doing so won the battle. Plus almost immediately after the battle Naruto regained control, the only damage inflicted on the team was a minor chakra burn that was quickly healed. Naruto had saved his life and yet he doubted him, what kind of teammate did that make him? What kind of friend?

Shino remained quiet for a long time thinking things over. Naruto was still Naruto, insufferable at times but still his closest friend. Shino owed him an apology. The Aburame heir was about to get up and leave when an idea came to him. "Thank you father; you have given me much to think about. However, something has been bothering me since Naruto told me he was a Jinchῡriki, if the little I have learned about Jinchuurikis is accurate, then they play an important part in the precarious balance between the Hidden Villages. If this is so, then why would the Hokage allow Naruto to leave the village?"

"Well…he did not. Unfortunately, I am unable to say more."

"Oh come on Shibi you can't just say that and leave it, you might as well tell him." Shino and Shibi both turned to see Rebecca standing in the doorway. "There are reasons why I shouldn't," Shibi said as Rebecca walked around his desk and sat on the arm of his chair. "They didn't stop you from talking to me about what happened. Come on, he's Naruto's friend and teammate he deserves to know."

"These are still very delicate matters that require the utmost caution."

"Shino can keep a secret. Can't you, sweetie?" Rebecca said turning towards Shino. The Aburame boy nodded his assent as his mother turned back towards Shibi. His parents then held a silent conversation between them. Shino had always wondered how his parents were able to communicate like this, since as far as he could tell there was no Kikaichῡ involvement at all.

"Very well," Shibi finally said as the two adults broke their staring contest. "Understand this Shino, what I am about to tell you does not leave this house. Understood?"

"Yes Father, I understand. I will not discuss what I am about to be told with anyone else."

Nodding Shibi started his tale "Eight years ago an ANBU messenger from the Hokage came to the Aburame needing an S-class tracker to depart on a mission immediately. At the time I was still heir and your grandfather was preparing me to become the next head. I was also the only S-class tracker whose hive was at full functionality currently in the village and so fulfilled my duty. Our mission was to track down Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchῡriki of the Nine-Tails, who had gone missing seven days prior."

"Naruto had been missing for a week and the Hokage did nothing?!"

"Nobody had noticed Naruto's disappearance for a week," Shibi corrected. "Once his disappearance was brought to Lord Hiruzen's attention he organized a search party to find him. During the search it was revealed that Naruto had been taken out of the village, presumably by Ziren Adair. I and three others were sent to figure out who took him and where. Adair, however, is skilled in the art of masking his trail and we returned to the village in failure."

"After we reported our failure to the Hokage he set up an investigative team to deduce how such a blatant and dangerous security risk came about." Shibi gave Shino a moment to process his father's story, and once it seemed he was up to speed Shibi continued. "I volunteered to join said team."

"Why?"

"Your grandfather wanted me to gain more varied experiences to better help me take command of the clan, and…" Shibi shook his head, deciding not to give the second reason. Rebecca reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her husband's shoulder and a nod encouraging him to continue. "…and I did it because you two are the same age. I remember eight years ago if your mother or I lost track of you for more than a minute we would start panicking. For someone that young to go seven days without anybody worrying…" Shibi once again trailed off into silence. "Understand Shino that we have done our best to raise you with a deep respect and love for the clan and for Konoha. That was not always easy for us to do."

"Because of what you found in the investigation?"

"Yes. The law mentioned earlier was made by the Hokage in an attempt to give Naruto a semi-normal childhood. With the law in place no adult could tell their children about the burden Naruto carried. However, the Hokage underestimated the hatred the village held for what Naruto kept locked away. They hated Naruto, and told their children to hate Naruto. The orphanage owner actively encouraged the other children to bully Naruto. The owner also never once tried protecting Naruto from the animosity of the rest of the village despite the numerous incentives from the Hokage."

"What became of the Orphanage owner?"

"He was summarily executed for treason once the full scope of his negligence was discovered."

"It was really that bad?" Shino asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yes."

"The reasons why Adair brought Naruto back to the village eludes me, but I believe that the entire village owes him our thanks. I cannot imagine anybody living in such conditions and not coming to hate the people responsible. Now Naruto is your teammate, and the Jinchῡriki does not hate us."

"Maybe this story will give you some new perspective, sweetie," Rebecca said getting up.

"It does mother. May I go to the hatchery? I wish to think and go over what you have told me. I find the buzz down there to be soothing to the mind," Shino asked.

"I understand; the buzzing is so nice down there. Just be careful with the Sigma hive, a new queen will be hatching soon and the soldiers are on edge," Rebecca said leading her son out of the room.

Shibi slouched in his chair, he was both physically and emotionally exhausted. He always knew that this talk was coming the moment he learned Naruto was not only back in the village but would be his son's teammate. He was glad, all things considered, that it was finally off his chest. Shino had changed since becoming a full-fledged shinobi. Not only was he more skilled, but more open too. While that sounded bad for a shinobi, Shibi knew better. His son was a soldier, and every soldier needs someone to watch their back. On and off the battlefield.


Naruto hefted his sword over his shoulder and locked the apartment door behind him. Sensei being the infuriating morning person he was had already left. The blonde had to stifle a yawn as he made his way out of the building, he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, too worried about Shino. Once outside Naruto pulled up short and looked across the street. Shino pushed himself off the wall where he had been waiting and approached his teammate. "Naruto I had wished to talk to you before the team all met up."

"O-okay," Naruto said noticing the bags under the Aburame's eyes, apparently Shino had gotten as little sleep as Naruto had.

"I have thought long and hard about everything I learned yesterday. While it may take some time for me to fully process all the information and adjust accordingly, you are my teammate. You are Naruto, ramen lover, prankster, occasional idiot-"

"Oy!"

"-and jailor. What you act as jailer for does not change that and I am happy to call you friend." Shino said reaching out his hand towards Naruto. Naruto blinked back tears and instead of accepting Shino's hand stepped forward and hugged him. Shino was caught off guard, not used to physical contact, and awkwardly patted Naruto's back.

"Come on!" Naruto shouted letting go of Shino and turning towards the road before Shino could see the tears running down his face. "Let's go get Hinata and start our training!"


Shinkō limped through the open door, for the door was always open to those willing to learn. He had to stop and rest for a moment, the injuries from fighting the beast still plaguing him. But no pain could stop him from marveling, as he always did, at the Remembrance Room. The ceiling arched up high overhead. The cavernous room was dimly lit; the only light source came from a small hole in the ceiling allowing in a beam of sunlight. A complex series of movable mirrors installed in the ceiling reflected the light in such a way that no matter where the sun was in the sky the sunbeam would always land on a massive upraised plinth, the only thing on an otherwise unblemished floor.

Shinkō slowly, and more often than not painfully, made his way around the outside edge of the chamber. Along the entire length of the wall were carved reliefs and frescos. Each and every one showed a pivotal moment in his order's history or founding. Shinkō stopped in front of the mural at the back of the chamber. In it the Savior stood tall and proud, even in the face of the Usurpers betrayal as the two fought over the fate of the world. Unbidden the image of the Uzumaki child entered his head. Was the child a servant of the Usurper, or a blessing from the Savior.

Shaking the thoughts and doubts from his head Shinkō finally approached the raised dais in the center of the room. Shinkō kneeled and waited at its base, he would be called when it was time. "What troubles you my son?" An old and withered voice came from above.

"A few concerns Father," Shinkō said having to raise his voice, Father's hearing wasn't what it used to be.

"Come up here, Shinkō. I can hardly hear you down there." Rising Shinkō ascended the stairs wrapping themselves around the dais. At the top sat a figure clad in the black and white robes of the order with his back to him.

"I am always ready to hear what ails you my son."

"I do not trust her Father. She is a puppet of the Usurper, she will betray us the first opportunity," Shinkō said only barely keeping the venom form his voice.

"How do you know of this? You should be in your bed recovering. But yes, she was a puppet of our enemy, but we have revealed the strings that bound her. We have shattered the illusions that clouded her eyes. She is his slave no more."

"Even so Father, to entrust such an important duty to one as untested as her. If she were to fail-"

"You forget yourself!" Father shouted and Shinkō bowed his head at the man's wrath. "Do not pre-judge the failures of what might be when your own failure is still fresh in our memory."

"I felt it Father, the child must have had one of the artifacts! I acted in the best interests of the Heralds. Had I known what else the child possessed I would have acted differently." Shinkō tried to explain himself.

"Shinkō, the servants of the Usurper wallow in their ignorance, that is our greatest weapon against them. They know nothing of our aims, of what we seek to accomplish, and you jeopardized all of that with your cavalier actions."

"Yes I failed Father…and the knowledge of that burns me deeper than that demon ever could, but even so I could not let myself stand by and not voice my concerns regarding this most holy of matters."

"Redemption! That was one of the Saviors great teachings. Yes, she was born a servant of the Usurper, but now she serves the Savior. I trust her in this, and besides it is not as if I sent the untested alone." Shinkō bit back the retort that nearly escaped his lips. No she wasn't alone, but he also had reservations about the one accompanying her. However, he had already pushed this too far. It was one thing to question the loyalty of an initiate, an entirely different thing to question a fellow Brother Adept. "Your faith is a pure and glorious thing, my son." Shinkō felt his cheeks redden at the unexpected praise. "However, you are still young and still have much to learn. Sometimes we can only do what we can, and leave the rest to the hands of fate. Now don't you have some rest to catch up on? Our convictions can help us achieve the impossible, but there is no reason to push a wounded body further than is necessary."

"Thank you for your time, Father. I shall leave you to your meditations." Bowing once more Shinkō descended from the dais. He still wasn't convinced that this wasn't all just a terrible mistake waiting to happen. However, with his injuries and the displeasure of Father there was little he could do. Shinkō wasn't happy leaving things to fate the same way Father was, for now he had to bide his time until he could further the Shrouded Heralds cause. He stopped next to the scene of the Usurper's betrayal once more, he would fix which was broken, no matter the cost.