A/N: This feels like sort of a filler even though it was needed to progress. I hope you all enjoy the newest chapter.

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Beta: angelslaugh

Chapter 13

Naruto spent the longest time in the hospital of all the Genin involved in the battle. Haku, Neji, Shikamaru and Shino spent the last couple hours of the day sitting around the room Naruto was placed in while Sasuke and Kakashi sat with Sakura, until they were all kicked out for the night by some nurses.

They were back the next morning and when Sakura had been released the three members of Team 7 made their way to Naruto's room where the spoke quietly with the other Genin and when Naruto still hadn't woken by mid-morning, Sasuke walked Sakura home and Kakashi went and did whatever it was he usually did.

…

It was a few hours later when Naruto finally started to stir. He could hear the quiet murmur of voices around him but couldn't make out exactly what they were saying. He could smell the strong familiar scent of antiseptics and knew he was in the hospital again so he dug around trying to remember what put him there in the first place.

The last thing he remembered was the fight with Gaara that ended with both of them incapacitated on the ground and before he finally blacked out Gaara had placed his own hand in Naruto's. He smiled slightly and then snapped his eyes open when he remembered that Sakura and Sasuke had been injured and he had no idea what had happened to any of his other friends that stayed behind to protect the village.

When Naruto tried pushing himself up, a hand pressed against his chest pushing him back down then Haku was above him; black hair cascading around them like a curtain and brown eyes warm with concern, "Naruto how do you feel?" Haku asked softly.

Naruto blinked a few times and croaked a little when he tried to answer, cleared his throat and tried again, "Fine, is there anything to drink?"

Haku nodded and backed away waiting for Naruto to sit up before grabbing a cup of water on a table next to his bed. Naruto had forgotten about the other voices in the room until he sat up and saw Neji leaning against the wall next to Shikamaru who was sitting in a chair and Shino who was sitting on the sill of the window. The cup of water was thrust in front of his face and he sucked down half of it before bothering to speak.

"How is everyone and how long have I been out?" He finally asked after wetting his throat. Naruto turned back to Haku who spoke for everyone in the room.

"The four of us were treated for minor injuries and mild chakra exhaustion. Sasuke was here for a couple hours being treated for the same. Sakura had to stay the night because of a concussion and a few cracked ribs, she was released this morning and she, Sasuke and Kakashi came by to see you but you were still sleeping and Sakura was still sore so Sasuke brought her home. All of the Genin and Sensei's are fine." Haku stopped suddenly, his lips pinched together grimly.

"Haku, what's wrong? Is Zabuza okay?" Naruto asked worriedly.

At this point Shikamaru spoke. "Zabuza is fine, but there were a few deaths, one of which was the Hokage." He told the blonde not unkindly.

Naruto breath got caught in his throat, "How?" He asked; his voice hoarse with grief.

"From what my father told me, Orochimaru was posing as the Kazekage. The speculation is that Orochimaru killed the Kazekage and took his place. Suna being here for the Chuunin Exams was just a front for him to use Suna to start a war to destroy the Hokage and the Leaf village. All the Sand Shinobi have gone back to Suna to investigate."

Naruto nodded and cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the lump that had gotten stuck there. "Gaara and his brother and sister, how were they?"

"Gaara seemed to be a little beat up, but he and his siblings walked through the gates under their own power." Shikamaru drawled and Naruto sighed with relief.

"Naruto," Shikamaru called softly, catching the blonde's attention with his uncharacteristically hesitant voice. "There is something we wanted to discuss with you."

Naruto frowned slightly, "Okay." He drew out the word a little worried.

Shikamaru opened his mouth to say something, but for once in his life he had no idea how to say what he wanted to. His eyes darted between Shino and Neji looking for some sort of hint or help. When he found nothing from either of them he took a deep breath and steeled himself. "I'm just going to be blunt with you because I don't think there is really an easy way to say this; we would just like you to be honest and just remember that we are your friends no matter what. Okay?"

Naruto nodded apprehensively. Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled under his breath, then dropped his hands to his lap and looked back up at Naruto. As smart as he was, and Shikamaru knew he was smart, he for all his smarts and extensive planning, could not figure out how to start this conversation.

Neji's gaze darted back and forth between Shikamaru and Naruto who were faced off in a silent stare down; Shikamaru was contemplative while Naruto was fidgeting apprehensively, his face growing weary with each passing silent second. A quick glance at Shino showed that while he was still as impassive as ever behind his dark shades, he had no intention of starting this conversation like Shikamaru. So Neji decided that it would come down to him. He had something that need said anyways and didn't want to put it off. Naruto deserved the apology that Neji owed him for his crass words during their fight and he intended to deliver it, it also would help to open the door to the discussion that the three ninja were trying to have.

So Neji steeled his nerve and forgot his pride for the moment and stood. He stood rigidly for a fraction of a second before bowing low to the now wide eyed Naruto. "I must offer my sincere apologies, Naruto, for the way I acted during the Chuunin Exams. I should not have assumed that you did not know my burden; I believe it was wrong for me to assume otherwise and should not have acted in the way I did. Forgive me."

Naruto stared at the older boy not quite understanding what exactly was being said. "Huh?" He replied dumbly.

Shikamaru sighed gustily again and chose to clarify Neji's apology. "What Hyuuga here is trying to say is he is sorry for speaking callously about things he has no idea about and I am sure that he will be thinking twice about that in the future."

Neji straightened once again and nodded sharply in agreement. But Naruto was still slightly confused. He understood that the older boy was apologizing for what he had said during the Third Round and his actions beforehand, however he wasn't quite sure why he was apologizing.

Shino saw what the problem was and surprisingly picked up where Shikamaru had left off. "Neji, and now Shikamaru and I, understand why you were upset with him and why you said the things you did to him."

It didn't take very long to figure out what Shino was talking about. Naruto's eyes darted around fearfully and Haku's hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing gently. He had almost forgotten Haku was there he had been so quiet the whole time. He still didn't say anything only giving Naruto the strength he needed to face his peers. Naruto got the message Haku was trying to impart, he was there and would be there no matter what. "How did you find out? Who told you, because it's an S Class secret that only the Hokage and I are allowed to speak of." He whispered fearful of anyone listening in on their conversation.

Though his expression couldn't be seen, Shino looked at the blonde with indulgence; some things never changed. "We didn't have to be told anything. Shikamaru is a genius, Neji is very smart and I tend to blend into the background, meaning, I see or hear things without anyone knowing." Neji and Shikamaru nodded their agreement perfectly content to let Shino do the talking for the moment. "The signs are there for anyone smart enough to figure out, but people tend to ignore the obvious. We want to ask but you don't have to tell us anything. Just know that we're here if you need anything, we won't treat you like them," he tilted his head towards the window looking out into the village. He paused for a sec and then slowly raised his hand where a few of his kikaichu were sitting on the palm of his hand motionless. "We are not that which resides in us, are we Naruto?"

Naruto took in the sincere words and understanding looks but couldn't help himself, he threw his head back and laughed loud and bright. "I don't know Shino you are pretty creepy and a little like a bug." He replied with a teasing lilt.

Shino hid a small smile behind the collar of his coat. "And you are very mischievous and a little like a fox."

Naruto scratched lightly at the whisker marks on his cheek knowing exactly how he looked like a fox, he wasn't all that bothered by the comparison, though - not after their kind words and reassurance. He dropped his hand back to his lap and turned his head to Haku who had retaken his seat next to the bed and was watching the discussion.

Haku smiled sweetly at him. "They already know, I don't see what they harm could be to tell them what happened."

"Right," Naruto muttered and turned back to the three shinobi sitting in front of him. All three were sitting patiently waiting for Naruto to decide, they weren't going to push something that was an obvious sore spot and now that they knew they could be there for their friend and wait for when he was ready to talk about it.

He hesitated for a moment, not because he was reluctant to tell them anything but because he promise to keep somethings an absolute secret for the time being. Finally he figured he'd just leave out his heritage and tell them the rest. It was surprisingly easy to tell but there was one thing or person he hadn't taken into account when he told his tale.

Shikamaru listened without his usual bored air. This was history he was hearing for the first time and as he took in Naruto's story his analytical mind was as always churning; recalling information on the Yondaime Hokage, different scenarios of how and why the Hokage sealed the Kyuubi in a newborn and when he looked out the window to catch sight of the clouds the sight of the four Hokage's caught his gaze instead and his eyes were pulled to the head of the Fourth Hokage. His eyes darted back and forth between Naruto and the stone cliff and for a moment he paused before his brain stopped on the impossible.

Why would he do that to his own…

"Child? Son?"

Shikamaru's head jerked back to Naruto who had finished his sentence. He hadn't even realized he'd spoken out loud.

"There was no choice and little time to find a better way." He ignored the shocked looks he was getting from the three in front of him. "The Kyuubi is nothing but pure chakra and hate and anger. It can't be killed; what else could he have done?"

When Neji made to comment he was interrupted by a nurse declaring that since he was awake it was time for a checkup and ushered everyone out of the room closing the door after they had all said goodbye to each other.

Haku held the three younger boys back for a second. "Absolutely no one can know about his father. As far as I know there are only a handful of people who know right now because it's too dangerous." They reassured Haku that they wouldn't say anything to anyone and quietly left him in the hall waiting to be let back in the room.

Naruto was allowed to leave the hospital and Haku dragged him back to his and Zabuza's apartment for the night.

…

The next day found Naruto in between Shino and Haku staring sadly at the memorial for the Third Hokage in the pouring rain. He had spent most of the night crying on Haku until he finally fell asleep. He hunched over further tired and weary, trying to block some of the rain. He turned his head to catch sight of Konohamaru sobbing next to Iruka who knelt down to hold the young boy.

It wasn't easy to get through the service but he did it knowing that Haku was there next to him, Kakashi behind and his friends surrounding him. After, Kakashi informed him that Team 7 was going out for lunch together and invited Haku along as well know that he and Naruto had become close friends. Unfortunately Haku had to decline since he had to be back to the hospital. He gave Naruto a hug and let him know he'd be at the blonde's place after his shift finished. When Naruto turned to catch up with his team he caught a hateful look on Sasuke's face but when he inquired about what was wrong Sasuke ignored him and Naruto couldn't figure out where his Sasuke went and why.

Lunch was a mostly subdued event. Kakashi took them to Ichiraku which brightened his day and he sat at the counter with a wide smile. His sensei sat on one side with Sakura on the other, he had his even present book open and she was chatting away to a silent Sasuke who was sitting next to her and he could help but to reflect on how things had changed so much in such a little bit of time. He watched Sasuke from the corner of his eye and wondered about how distant his teammate had become recently.

Naruto had thought things were getting better; he was stronger now thanks to all the help he had been getting, Sakura was no longer as hateful and though she had changed a little it seemed her crush was still present even if she had toned it down a little and Sasuke had been nicer or he thought Sasuke had changed and it hurt when every day he became more and more distant. He wondered if Sasuke still thought that he wasn't equal to him. He looked down into his bowl of ramen with a determined frown; if that was the case he'd just have to get stronger he had a promise to keep after all.

…

Jiraiya found Naruto the next day at the same spot slurping down ramen once again. "I heard this is where you go all the time… It's really true."

Naruto spun around at the Sennin's voice. The older man took a seat next to Naruto. "I used to come here all the time, but Haku won't let me anymore. He said it's not healthy so I eat with him and Zabuza a lot and he's teaching me how to cook. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Well Naruto we will be going after the Fourth Hokage's Legacy. A work trip essentially; we're looking for a certain girl."

"Why do I have to go? I still have training to do." Naruto asked as they walked down the road.

Jiraiya looked down at his student. "She knows some pretty amazing techniques. I'm sure we could do some training on the road."

Naruto stopped and thought about it for a minute. It couldn't hurt, the old man had helped him with his training before and he was supposed to be very strong. He'd miss Haku and his team but he wanted to get stronger so he nodded sharply to the man. "I'll go pack my stuff and meet you at the gates." He sped off without waiting for a reply.

They met at the gate a short time later and Naruto started bugging the Sennin about what he would be teaching him. As much as Naruto had changed there were some things that never would, him getting overly excited about learning a new NinJutsu would be one of those things.

It took most of the day but finally they stopped in the next nearest town for the night. At the inn Jiraiya got the room but as soon as he spotted a woman nearby, that he thought was eyeing him; he tossed Naruto the key and took off leaving him alone.

He sat on the bed cross legged, practicing his chakra control and muttering to himself about his perverted, irresponsible teacher. Naruto had no idea how much time had passed before there was a knock on the door. He slowly got off the bed and stretched stiff muscles. The knocking continued and Naruto grumbled as he made his way to the door.

The first thing he saw when he opened the door was the black cloak with red clouds, then there was the scent that triggered an intense sense of Deja vu that his head jerked up too look into eyes so similar to Sasuke's. "Urufu," He whispered.